King Charles’ address to the US Congress highlighted the tension between democratic ideals and inherited power, revealing deeper strains in the western political and economic order.

King Charles’ address to the US Congress was a strange spectacle: a hereditary monarch standing in the chamber of the world’s most powerful republic to praise democracy, constitutionalism and the liberal order.

It was meant to symbolise continuity. It revealed contradiction.

Stewart Sweeney

Late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s purported suicide note has remained locked up at a courthouse for years, out of reach of investigators, the New York Times has reported.

The message was allegedly discovered by Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, in July 2019 after the disgraced US financier had been found unresponsive with a strip of cloth around his neck at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, the paper said in an article on Thursday.

Epstein survived that incident, but was found dead in his cell on August 10 the same year. The convicted sex offender apparently hanged himself with his bedsheets, but skeptics continue to insist that he was murdered to cover up for the powerful individuals supposedly implicated in the case.

As World Press Freedom Day (May 3) nears, it’s a good time to step back and assess how journalists and news outlets are faring in our current media climate.

President Donald Trump came back to the White House and picked up right where he left off, insulting and attacking the press on an almost daily basis, suing media outlets, and taking a number of concrete actions to restrict press freedom. Against this backdrop, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) will release its 2026 World Press Freedom Index on April 30.

American Press Freedom on the Brink

Clayton Weimers for Project Censored

The entire international jury of the Venice Biennale has tendered their resignations amid pressure caused by the Italian cultural exhibition’s decision to allow Russia and Israel to participate.

In early March, the Venice Biennale Foundation unveiled the line-up of the 2026 art fair, which runs from May 9 through November 22. Russia was included in the list for the first time since 2022, with its “The tree is rooted in the sky” exhibition. The event organizers noted, however, that the display would be strictly closed to the general public.

Nevertheless, the decision to allow Russia to participate has provoked harsh criticism from the Italian government and EU officials.

Larry C. Johnson is a former CIA officer and intelligence analyst, and former planner and advisor at the US State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism. As an independent contractor, he has provided training for the US Military’s Special Operations community for 24 years. Since its founding in 1998, Larry has been managing partner of BERG (Business Exposure Reduction Group) Associates LLC, which specializes in investigating money laundering and counterfeit products, as well as providing financial analysis and counter terror strategy.

World Affairs In Context

Connect with Larry Johnson on Substack: https://larrycjohnson.substack.com/ and his blog: https://sonar21.com/

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) stopped by Hannity Wednesday night to discuss the latest developments in Iran, including President Trump’s blockade and the state of the Iranian regime.

Kennedy says President Trump has Iran by the “yin yang,” and the regime has been “gutted like a fish.”

“Here’s what I’ve learned from our conflict with Iran. Number one, if you turn the other cheek, Iran will just stab you in the neck,” Kennedy said. “And, number two, whether you like him or not, any fair-minded person would have to conclude that President Trump has oranges the size of beachballs.”

“The whole world knows now that America will fight, especially our enemies, and the regime in Iran.”

Kennedy added that “We could come home tomorrow and [say that] we’ve won.”

A $60k charge for your own court transcripts? That’s what concert pianist Jayson Gillham is up for in his case against the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, on top of the $45k for a 15 day trial. What’s the scam with the claim that justice is open to all?

What’s the scam with the Federal Court? Is justice blind or bought?

by Michael West

As reported here, the Federal Court charged Simon Turner, the coal miner suing BHP, almost $2k for half a day of transcripts in his own case, his own evidence. The scam is, as with Gilham, the transcription service has been privatised so the money goes to a foreign multinational – VIQ Solutions – for a digitised AI service which the Court could have provided itself.

US think tanks play a central role in shaping military strategy and future conflicts, embedding a long-standing logic of war that allies are expected to support.

The national security establishment in the United States is a wonder to behold – the days when it was thought sufficient to describe it as the military-industrial complex have long gone. Comprehensively described it is now a complex made up of the military, the Congress, defence industries, universities, think tanks, and prediction markets, a Wurlitzer of interconnected organisations with discrete functions all of which are directed towards the objective of maintaining US supremacy through force, most often expressed as war. Force and war are in their shared DNA.

The interim report by the Royal Commission established after the Bondi massacre recommends changes, with the broader issues of ‘social cohesion’ yet to be addressed. Stephanie Tran and Kim Wingerei report.

The interim report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has been released. The report contains 14 recommendations, five of which remain confidential.

The Bondi massacre interim report is out. Don’t mention the G word

by Stephanie Tran and Kim Wingerei

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for an end to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and said that "if the relevant conditions are met, Germany stands ready to contribute militarily to guarantee the freedom of maritime routes." 

Merz was speaking amid a visit to a military training ground in Münster in Lower Saxony on Thursday with Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. 

He said that he had lobbied at a European Council meeting in Cyprus to "increase the sanctions pressure on Iran, because if Hormuz remains blocked, that has massive economic consequences for all of us."

The English King is weighed down by medals but never fired a shot, apart from at a hapless grouse. Trump marched the ten thousand men to the top of the hill, can't bring them down again. And elbows the Fake Queen...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_t2fOUx-eQ

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Things did not go according to plan. Iran struck back against US bases and Gulf energy infrastructure, blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, and with its government still intact, now insists that any peace deal leave its nuclear program off the table. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s approval rating is in freefall and his NATO ‘allies’ have deserted him while struggling to deal with the economic fallout at home.

60 days later: The US-Israeli war on Iran so far

Donald Trump’s misadventure in the Persian Gulf has become a quagmire

During the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II, Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida developed a set of postwar foreign and security policies that came to be known as the Yoshida Doctrine. Masataka Kosaka has defined the doctrine as follows: (1) Japan ensures its national security through an alliance with the United States; (2) Japan maintains a low capacity for self-defense; and (3) Japan spends resources conserved by the first and second policies on economic activities to develop the country as a trading nation.1 

The Yoshida Doctrine as a Myth

BY Yoneyuki Sugita*

The Japanese Journal of American Studies, No. 27 (2016)

The Chinese government has agreed to co-operate with ‌Australian businesses on jet fuel shipments, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong says, suggesting China could ‌loosen curbs on exports imposed amid supply disruption from the Iran war.

“We believe this is an ‌important step, but it is the first step,” Wong told reporters in Beijing, adding that the aim of her trip was to press for Chinese co-operation “in particular for the provision of liquid fuels”.

Wong is in China as part of a three-country tour that also includes Japan and South ‌Korea, with ‌Australia seeking to ⁠keep ties with China on a steadier footing while co-ordinating ​with regional powers on energy security.

Australia, which imports most of its fuel, has faced localised shortages since the Middle East conflict that began in February.