Man on bridge to end war$

Anti-war, anti-AI protester Guido Reichstadter scaled an arch of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge Friday afternoon in Washington DC, May Day.

Police officers and fire department attempted to talk him down as he climbed the slippery platform, abandoning his shoes and socks along the way.

Editor's note: As I got Guido on the phone, from on top of the bridge, Capitol Police approached and began speaking to him. One officer took my phone to speak with Guido. Ultimately, with Guido's permission, I gave the police his number so they could speak without my phone.

After the police finished speaking to him, I got Guido Reichstadter on the phone from the top of the bridge, in the process of setting up a tent.

"I'm planning to be up here a few days... at least," he tells News2Share.

He says he wants to "end the war in Iran, remove the Trump regime from power, and to compel an end to the extinction from artificial intelligence."

About seven hours into his protest, News2Share spoke to Guido Reichstadter by phone again from an adjacent roof-top.

He says he's still doing fine, despite some difficulties with his tent, but "the wind is not that strong" so he thinks it'll be fine to keep him warm.

"More people can witness this action, that's wonderful," he responded as News2Share pointed out that the bridge has been opened again to vehicular traffic.

Filmed by Ford Fischer 

May 2 protest in Lewiston, Maine (in the rain)

On Saturday ten hearty souls braved the cold and rain to gather in Lewiston, Maine for our monthly protest that we have been moving around the state since February 2022.

Lewiston is a former textile mill town from Maine's heyday. Now like most mill towns (usually along rivers) across the state they are either boarded up or renovated for low cost apartments, art studios, warehouses, restaurants and the like.

We prefer to go to busy intersections each month and standing by the Androscoggin River bridge was certainly a good spot.

Right next to where we set up is a huge veterans memorial park with an airplane, a tank, and 7,000 names of Maine soldiers who have died over the years in America's many foreign imperialist wars.

Not long after we arrived a man drove up and parked next to where I was standing. He ceremoniously announced he was the big cheese that runs the veterans memorial and that we could not have our protest there. He made sure to attempt to impress me by saying he is a veteran. I immediately told him I was a veteran as well from the Vietnam war era. I told him we were not moving from the 'public sidewalk'. He then insisted we had no right to be there again.

By this time he was getting under my skin so I told him that 'You vets always talk about how you went to war around the world in order to protect our freedoms back home. But now you want to take away our freedom to publicly protest.'

He had a young kid with him in the car and I next said that 'you are surely not showing this kid that you believe in democracy.' 

I knew his next step would be to call the city police and within a couple minutes after he drove away I noticed a Lewiston cop car pull up on the other side of the street to check us out. We were all on the sidewalk so the cop just moved on. About half an hour later another cop car made a pass but kept on going.

My guess is this man was some level of an officer while in the military who got used to ordering people around. You can usually sense these guys right away. But my 3 1/2 years in the Air Force during the war, stationed at Travis AFB in California which was an airlift base for the US war on Vietnam, gave me my fill of such men. 

When I went into the military in early 1971 the war was going strong and it was there that I made a transition from growing up as a Young Republican Club Vice-President in the conservative panhandle of Northwest Florida to the anti-imperialist that I am today. 

Protests against the war were regularly held outside the base gates at Travis. Also the 'GI Resistance movement' was active inside the base. My first roommate in the barracks was one of the organizers and often held meetings in our room at night. Both anti-war and anti-racist Black Panther GI's came to these meetings and were directly responsible for my change from a right-winger to a leftist.

The transport planes from Travis ferried troops and weapons to Vietnam and when they returned carried the body bags of dead GI's - lined up daily on the runway just across the street from my work place. 

My mantra when I left the Air Force in mid-1974 was that 'I don't have to salute officers anymore.' 

After an hour the ten of us walked over the bridge and had a late lunch together at a nice Irish pub. We discussed why we come to these protests and reviewed our upcoming monthly schedule which now includes the following. Join us if you can.

• Saturday, June 6 in Norway, Maine by the high school at 1:30 pm
• Saturday, July 11 in Brunswick for a protest of the Navy Blue Angels airshow at the former Navy base at 9:00 am
• Saturday, July 25 in Bangor (Time & place TBA)
• Saturday, August 1 in Lubec (next to the Canadian border) at 1:30 pm 

Help us demand that our so-called governments stop these damn insane genocidal war$ on the world!

Bruce

~ Photos by MB Sullivan

Sunday song

Irish report on Global Sumud Flotilla hijacking by Israel

The Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) has condemned the interception in international waters by the Israeli military of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza earlier this week. 

All but two of the 175 activists detained by Israeli forces, and taken to the Greek island of Crete, have now been released. 

It is understood the seven Irish people held have also been released.

This evening, Sligo GP Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly, spoke to RTÉ News from the flotilla. 

Yussra Ebrahim: Confronting the Heat

Yussra Ebrahim, whose parents immigrated from Iraq, shares an anthology of poems and reflections she wrote over the course of the Palestinian genocide.

Yussra delivers her golden words at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire chapter of CreativeMornings on 17 de abril. 

Global citizens are fed up with their corrupt rulers

• Absolute bombshell on France 24 TV. Expert Jad Isaac confirms the Zionist regime has now seized 64% of Gaza under direct military occupation. He exposes their sinister plan to squeeze Palestinians into the smallest possible area to ethnically cleanse them. Where is the UN? Where is the World Court? Where are the voices from leaders of nations around the world?
• Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has hinted at the possibility of renewed military action against Iran. Katz’s  warning suggests that the current ceasefire may not be a permanent solution to the standoff with Iran. Katz stated, “…it is possible that soon we will be required to act again to ensure the achievement of those goals.” At the same time, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced a significant military resupply surge primarily from the US. Two cargo ships docked in Ashdod and Haifa, and multiple transport aircraft arrived within 24 hours, carrying approximately 6,500 tons of military equipment, including thousands of air and ground munitions, military trucks, and combat vehicles.

• Most Americans now say the US made the wrong decision by using military force against Iran. A new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 61% of Americans believe the use of military force against Iran was a mistake, while fewer than 20% described the military campaign as successful. The findings place public opposition to the war near levels seen during some of the country's most unpopular modern conflicts, including the Iraq War in 2006 and the Vietnam War in the early 1970s. The poll comes as Americans are feeling the war not only as a foreign-policy crisis but also as a kitchen-table problem. Rising gas prices, inflation fears, and broader food and economic uncertainty have become central to public anxiety over the conflict. 

• During the Israeli raid on the Global Sumud aid flotilla, German activist Hüseyin Oral reports he was beaten and robbed by Israeli soldiers while in detention. He says the soldiers beat him and stole his money and ID.

• Meet 36-year old illegal settler Yonah Schreiber, the zionist extremist who brutally attacked a 48 year old French Catholic nun in Jerusalem. Jonah pushed her to the ground and kicked her while she was in pain from the fall. A fellow illegal settler observed and did nothing to help the nun. Israel only detained Jonah after the video of his grotesque crime went viral. They are doing their best to suppress this story online. Israeli zionists appear to hate Christians.

• Trump declares it is “treasonous” to say that he is not winning the war against Iran. Anyone with any basic sense of humanity believes it is treasonous that Trump is waging an unnecessary  war, blowing up school children, and funding genocide on behalf of Israel. He's blowing his dog whistle in order to divide US public opinion. 
• The US State Department has approved massive military sales to Middle Eastern allies: Qatar: $4.01 billion (Patriot defense) plus $992 million (APKWS); Kuwait: $2.5 billion (battle command system); Israel: $992 million (APKWS); UAE: $147 million (APKWS).
• A CNN investigation reveals that most of the US military bases surrounding Iran were damaged by Iranian raids. 

• Trump told his corporate press followers that he was briefed by CENTCOM Commander Gen. Bradley Cooper and one of the options presented was to ‘blast the hell out of Iran’ and ‘finish them forever’. The Pentagon is thinking of 'field testing' a still unproven hypersonic missile. War$ in West Asia are good for testing new weapons systems say the warmongers inside the military industrial complex.

• Activists chant for Gaza and raise Palestinian flags during a demonstration in Italy; Celebrating International Workers' Day. 

• Filipino workers and activists burned effigies of Trump, Netanyahu, and Marcos Jr. as a three-headed monster on May Day outside the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
• One in four American farmers has NO fertilizer secured for spring planting. No fertilizer. No crops. No food. Farm bankruptcies are up 46% in 2025. 160,000 farms closed since 2017. Less than half of all farmers will even turn a profit this year. They're not struggling. They're being wiped out. Maybe the World Economic Forum and Bill Gates will save us all by having us eat crickets.
• Meta is allowing sanctioned Israeli settler groups to monetize content while banning Palestinian accounts, including journalists. 

• Israel has been dropping white phosphorus bombs on civilian areas in South Lebanon in the middle of the night. Launched against non-combatants. Well over one million people have been driven from their homes by the zionist IDF. The US continues to arm the IDF - funded by US taxpayers. 
• US and Israel say Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. Everyone knows that Israel (with US assistance) is the global leader of terrorism these days. Why is it OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons? Iran has actually repeatedly stated they don't intend to build nukes. They just want a civilian nuclear power program for energy production and medical purposes. 

• The daughter of US Republican State Senator Jay Block (retired military) from New Mexico says, "Israel pays money to my father, and he spreads propaganda. I am deeply ashamed of this situation. I believe my father has sold his soul to the devil. I hope his career ends!" 
• The Trump administration has literally been begging private satellite companies to hide images of destroyed US bases surrounding Iran. The Pentagon is terrified the world will see how Iran has completely humiliated Hegseth's collapsing military operation. And what about four aircraft carriers and destroyers recently having had major fires on-board? No real explanations are ever given to the taxpayers. Was it sabotage?

• Epstein class update: When the Panama Papers came out it revealed how rich people around the world are part of an enormous criminal conspiracy to dodge taxes and hoard stolen wealth in offshore accounts. Literally nothing happened except the reporter Daphne Carvana Galizia who led the investigation was assassinated.
• New York Times: With uncharacteristic insightfulness the article (below) argues that the amalgamation of US 'tactical' victories in Iran did not lead to any strategic victory, and has somehow contradictorily left Iran in the stronger negotiating position. The reason is that the US has been exposed as woefully unprepared for modern warfare. America has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on ships and planes that might be good at defeating competitors’ ships and planes but ineffective against cheaper, mass-produced weapons. The American economy does not have the industrial capacity to produce enough of the weapons and equipment it needs. And the country has struggled to fix these problems because of a sclerotic government and a consolidated defense industry that resists change.

• Reuters: Saudi Arabia’s only legal liquor store, serving foreign diplomats and residents in the capital, Riyadh, is experiencing severe shortages due to supply problems stemming from the war in Iran. The shortages affect many types of beverages, including wine, beer, and tequila. According to the report, only “very expensive drinks or unknown brands” remain on the shelves.
• Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom – Yoav Limor: 'It is difficult to ignore the frustration within the Israeli army regarding the situation in Lebanon. What was supposed to be a strategic ambush that would bring Hezbollah to its knees has turned into a strategic ambush against Israel.'
• Tasnim – How did the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupt Starlink satellite internet? The common perception is that SpaceX’s Starlink network, which includes more than 9,400 low-Earth-orbit satellites, is completely independent from ground infrastructure. However, an analysis published by the American outlet HSToday claimed that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz since March 2026 has paralyzed the supply chain for critical equipment used by the network. Helium, cooling gases, and specialized semiconductors, all of which transit through the strait, are now effectively blocked. Each Starlink ground station includes 1.4-meter antennas and equipment weighing several tons, which reach West Asia and Africa only by sea through the Strait of Hormuz. With the strait closed, no new equipment or spare parts are arriving. The report states that if undersea cables, which carry 97% of global internet traffic, were also cut it would create a 'no cables, no satellites' scenario. 

• Brigadier General Mohammad Jafar Asadi, Assistant for Inspection Affairs at Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, stated: 'The Iranian Armed Forces are in a state of full readiness. We are completely prepared for any new adventure or act of recklessness by the Americans.  The actions and statements of US officials are propaganda aimed first at lowering oil prices and secondly at escaping the predicament they have placed themselves in. The armed forces, the people, and the various political currents all recognize the necessity of preserving unity and cohesion.' 

the funnies

May 2: Remembering Odessa massacre

This video is by Regis Tremblay who joined Phil Wilayto and me in Odessa, Ukraine on May 2, 2016 for a remembrance event with the Mother's Committee of those killed at the Trades Union Hall in 2014 by Nazis.

International Solidarity with the People of Odessa!

On May 2, 2014, the people of Odessa, Ukraine, experienced the worst civil atrocity in Europe since World War II. Scores of people died when a fascist-led mob chased a group of progressive activists into the five-story House of Trade Unions in Kulikovo Square - and then set it on fire. Some died from the flames, some from smoke inhalation, some from gunshot wounds. Some leapt from the building, only to be beaten to death when they hit the ground. Dozens of cellphone videos posted on the Internet clearly show that this was a mass lynching. Just google “May 2, 2014, Odessa.”

But even though many of the attackers’ faces are clearly visible on the videos, to date not one of the perpetrators has been brought to justice - while victims who survived the fire were sent to jail, many without ever being charged with a crime.

See much more on the May 2 crime here

Bruce

France fears a united Africa

May Day international news round-up

• Irish activist Fra Hughes reports from Crete: Many illegally detained participants from the non-violent Global Sumud Flotilla savagely beaten. Broken noses, broken ribs, many needing hospitalization after being kidnapped by the zio baby killers. They beat them and stole their money. Please raise your voices and hit the streets. Two members illegally transported to the zio racist state. Demand our governments are not complicit in the deportation of their citizens from Greece who have committed no crime.

• Spain has summoned the Israeli regime's charge d'affaires and strongly condemned the interception and arrest of 175 Gaza-bound Sumud aid flotilla activists, including 30 Spanish citizens.
• The paperwork and legalities for passage through the Strait of Hormuz are being completed by Iran. One by one they are negotiating with countries for passage. ‘Indian ships can pass through Strait of Hormuz without restrictions’ says Iran’s Ambassador to India. ‘Passage of Indian ships has been completely secure, and this process will continue in the future’. Iran grants Russia exemption of all transit fees to cross the Strait of Hormuz. Insurance companies are beginning to insure ships and cargo for the passage.  

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine told the Senate during hearings about Moscow's aid to Tehran. He refused to go into details, given the public nature of the hearing. “There are certainly certain actions there," Caine said. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, a Republican and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, went even further. “There is no doubt that Vladimir Putin's Russia is taking serious actions to undermine our efforts to achieve success in Iran," he said.

• Iran's President says US naval blockade is an extension of military operations. "Continuation of this oppressive approach is intolerable."
• Footage published on Iranian channels with the description that Iranian security forces installed these inflatable rocket launchers throughout the country and reported them to Mossad-affiliated ‘Iran International’, under the guise of an ordinary citizen. Many flight sorties and missiles were wasted bombing these mockups. 

• Tehran Municipality says Iranians whose homes have been damaged are welcomed to stay at hotels until their homes are rebuilt. The municipality will cover all expenses. So far, 6,677 citizens have been accommodated in 45 hotels and accommodation complexes.
• Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico: We are under pressure from oil prices depending on how Trump sleeps. When he sleeps well, prices go down. When he doesn’t and makes some statement, oil automatically goes up. 

• A major fire aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins has disabled the ship, causing a full loss of power and propulsion in the Indo-Pacific region. 
• Major damage caused to the Ghandour hospital following the Israeli airstrike that targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa, southern Lebanon. 
• CBS News (now a Zionist run TV network): U.S. officials say the Iran war has likely cost closer to $50 billion—about double the $25 billion publicly cited by the Pentagon. The lower figure excluded major expenses like destroyed equipment and damaged bases. Much of the added cost comes from replacing lost munitions and assets, including dozens of MQ-9 Reaper drones.

• Iran has unveiled a plan to counter the US military's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, activating a rail route to supply oil to Beijing.
• Israeli settler attacks nun outside a church in occupied Jerusalem, pushing and kicking her on the ground as another settler watches and does nothing. 

• Banksy unveiled a new sculpture in Waterloo Place, London. A suited man blinded by his own flag and walking off a platform, widely read as satire on blind patriotism. 

• Question: The US is playing Peru in the World Cup. Who do you cheer for? Pope Leo response: 'Probably Peru'. Boycott FIFA games in the US.

• CNN investigation says some of the US facilities in the region have become unusable after Iranian attacks during the war. At least 16 US bases in 8 countries were seriously damaged by Iranian attacks. The targeted sites include key radar, communications, and aircraft systems—high-value assets that are difficult and costly to replace. One congressional aide said assessments range from “fully destroyed” to “repairable but strategically vital.”

• Pakistani officials: We conveyed to Washington a revised Iranian response to the latest US conditions for ending the war. 

China building parallel satellite navigation system

The United States is trying to control what the world can see in the Iran conflict. But in doing so, it may have created an opening for China to step in—and take over from space.

As American companies like Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs restrict access to satellite data, Chinese firms are rapidly expanding their own capabilities. From high-frequency imaging constellations like Jilin-1 to navigation systems like BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, a parallel system is emerging—one that doesn’t rely on the United States.

This video breaks down:

• Why the U.S. is clamping down on open-source intelligence
• How China is filling the gap with satellite imagery
• The role of space-based intelligence in modern warfare
• And why control over information may matter more than control over the battlefield

Because this isn’t just about Iran.