Trump ally CBS had 60 Minutes kill a story over Epstein's shady banking tactics. https://newrepublic.com/post/213927/60-minutes-killed-story-epstein-shady-banking?utm_medium=social&utm_source=Threads&utm_campaign=SF_TNR

#trump #corruption #gop #ballroomrepublicans #epsteinclass

Someone I know after working for a big grocery store for 10 years was happy to tell me they make $1 over the minimum wage.

They can only be scheduled for 24 hours per week. I suspect if they got scheduled for 40 hours the company would have to pay them benefits.

The company they work for is public. Looking up the CEO, he gets paid ~$12.6M per year. While the employees are making basically minimum wage, which is $18.25/hour in BC.

The CEO pays himself more than $8000/hour. He makes over $64,000 in a single 8-hour day, more than the employees make in an entire year.

I don't care who you are, no amount of work you do could possibly be worth this much over your employees. This is wage theft, and when combined with all the executives of the company, artificially increases the cost of products sold in the stores for all Canadians.

Tax. The. Rich.

#WealthInequality #Corruption #TaxTheRich

#tyranny #Corruption #surveillance #eu #privacy #ageverification #surveillancecapitalism #surveillancestate

EU Age Verification Project Mandates Hardware-Bound Attestation

https://daily.dev/posts/eu-age-verification-project-mandates-hardware-bound-attestation-mkjx0rcvy

🪖 How Private Equity Is Reshaping the Pentagon

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gvr7jYbqYRg

#Pentagon #conflictofinterest #corruption #militaryindustrialdigitalcomplex

Good summary of all the dodgy deals Farage and Reform are being investigated for.

#ReformUk #Corruption #UKPolitics

Why the questions about Reform UK and its wealthy donors won’t go away
https://theconversation.com/why-the-questions-about-reform-uk-and-its-wealthy-donors-wont-go-away-288568

Five decades of Israeli covert strategy to push US, Iran into confrontation

"As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet US President Donald Trump, there is good reason to expect that he will use the meeting to discourage any move towards ending hostilities in the Gulf. This expectation is grounded in a historical record spanning more than five decades.

Declassified intelligence, memoirs by senior American officials, investigative reporting, and academic scholarship further reinforce this assessment. Taken together, these sources point to a recurring pattern: successive Israeli governments, often with the support of elements within the country’s security establishment, have repeatedly sought to obstruct efforts to end regional conflicts or attempts to manage tension between the United States and Iran."

Literally 50 years of "Ohh, they're 2 weeks away from having nukes, believe me, I'm an Israeli.." and the US have fell for it every single time.

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/7/27/five-decades-of-israeli-covert-strategy-to-push-us-iran-into-confrontation

#Manipulation #Corruption #Misinformation #BoycottIsrael #News #Activism #HumanRights #USPol

Why so many Albanians hate the Trump-Kushner resort deal so much | DW News

Only towards the end do they get to the meat of it - Kushner's development was the straw that broke the camel's back. There were a LOT of straws on that back already.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZJMPjUYvzw

#Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Day 43 of anti-corruption protests in Tirana, Albania

Sot protesta e 43-të kundër qeverisë, shqiptarët kërkojnë dorëheqjen e Ramës: Ju erdhi fundi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSuUS8uWvfY

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Machine translated: "Protestor: If you're going to investigate the "review" left by the people, first strip Balluku of her immunity."

Protestuesja: Nëse do të hetosh “review” që lë populli, hiq më parë imunitetin e Ballukut

To give an example of what the system is like here, some protestors started writing bad reviews of businesses whose owners are oligarchs or supportive of them.

The chief of police said the cybercriminal unit would be investigating them and they've been treating people who recently left bad reviews as "cyber terrorists".

The protestor contrasted that with the way the Deputy PM (Belinda Balluku) who abused their power was treated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbL5i-XNQpM #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

#Albania #Albanien #Corruption #FlamingoRevolution

https://mastodon.derstandard.at/@derStandard/116907442347882713

Day 44 of anti-corruption protests in Tirana, Albania

Live cast as of time of my posting it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DMGX-TU5P8 #Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Day 45 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKpzRL-zdcI #Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

"Albania's 'Flamingo Revolution': What's behind the protests?"

June 27, 2026 article (pre-dates the cop violence in Tirana)

https://www.dw.com/en/albanias-flamingo-revolution-whats-behind-the-protests/a-77710991 #Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Protests / Marta Kos to Rama: Repeal the amendments to the law on protected areas

Protestat/ Marta Kos- Ramës: Shfuqizoni ndryshimet e ligjit për zonat e mbrojtura

In Brussels, in a meeting on Albania's integration process into the EU, the Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that Albania must repeal the 2024 changes to their law on protected areas (the changes that were made in a corrupt way to expedite Kushner, et al's development of protected public lands).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj5WGmR1QgE

#Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Albania’s Flamingo Revolution: Why Jared Kushner’s resort has become a Balkan political crisis

English language report from India (skip the integrated ad at the beginning).

This gives a lot more background than the reports from US networks for sure, but also more than most European networks. Also some info on India's interests.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuYLd5Im8GE

#Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Day 46 of anti-corruption protests in Tirana, Albania

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7m2IKaASO0

#Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Even with my very bad command of Albanian, I can tell this guy is a helluva orator. The translation app seems to confirm that. Not only is his cadence good, but he is very good at crafting a call to the people that is more than just impromptu and heartfelt (although those are not bad things).

He calls out the corruption of governments by both major parties over the last 36 years, the cowardice of the Parliament, but he also describes and acknowledges all the different kinds of Albanians who have shown up to protest in this grassroots protest. And calls on people to understand but also persuade those who are not there as some may be burdened with work or fear being fired, etc.

He's really good and this is the 2nd day I've seen him speak.

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Alt...

Screenshot of livecast linked to in the preceding toot. There is a split screen. The left shows the crowd, with a group of people dressed in costume judicial or academic robes and mortarboards holding signs in Albanian. On the right is the stepstool where speakers speak each night. A young man wearing a polo shirt and a backpack is holding the microphone as he speaks. The Balkanweb channel says in Albanian that this is the 47th day of the protest.

Albanians of all walks of life (except the rich) out on the streets for the 47th day, parent pushing a stroller right out in the vanguard... families, pensioners, disabled people using mobility aids, students, deliveristas...

To be getting this many people out on the street EVERY NIGHT and sometimes also in the day is an amazing testament to this grassroots movement.

#Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Alt...

Screencapture of Balkanweb livecast on July 16, 2026. Protestors are marching after having heard speeches while standing still. The front line are holding Albanian flags like a banner. A women pushes a stroller holding a child in front of the line of flags. The crowd is holding picket signs and blow-up flamingos and the crowd stretches back the whole block and out of sight around the corner.

What Do the Protests Achieve? | Learn Albanian with Reddit Post Translation

Post from a month ago, but translates something that Albanians are posting online about what the protest is about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfqGzeXcjAo

#Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment #Language

Albanian and EU scientists and environmentalists were raising alarm bells about the development in Albania for years before an event in May catalyzed the #FlamingoRevolution

One of those Albanian scientists has published a new paper: "On Spring Biodiversity And Natureconservation In The Vjosa Basin, Albania" which speaks of the results of the now-annual Science Week documenting the biodiversity of the Vjosa River Basin.

DOI: 10.70827/WYQC5783.2026.39.5

https://jns.edu.al/on-spring-biodiversity-and-natureconservation-in-the-vjosa-basin-albania/

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #Environment #Science #Ecology #Biodiversity

Day 48 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTwfQsb2l_o

#Albania #USpol #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Day 49 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania, live as I post it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7gUm8Gxvc4 #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Day 50 of anti-corruption protests in Tirana, Albania

You have to admire how Albanians have gotten out on the streets in their hundreds and sometimes in the thousands for 50 days straight now. I've never witnessed anything that coalesced like this each day that lasted as long (that is, it's not an encampment or sit-in).

Looks like a light turnout tonight, but that's normal after a big weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAxpV1PiNfE

Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Day 51 of anti-corruption protest in Albania

51 ditë revoltë! Shqiptarët nuk ndalin rezistencën, kërkojnë dorëheqjen e Edi Ramës: Shqipëri e re!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHg66UvN_oI #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment #USpol

Day 52 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdQ2MH6Ya-k #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment #USpol

Day 53 of anti-corruption protests in Tirana, Albania

Revolta në ditën e 53-të kundër qeverisë/ Shqiptarët kërkojnë dorëheqjen e panegociueshme të Ramës

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUwMcwn3DaE #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Day 54 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania

I'm not sure what happened, but it seems like police have ramped up their response again.

Protests mostly have been happening in the evenings, but there have been day events when protestors have had to support protestors cops brutalized and snatched away, and also when there are particular Parliamentary events where the protestors want to confront MPs with their corruption.

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FES5uF0hXhs

Machine translation: "Elderly woman tries to block the road, police drag her away. Here's what happens at the protest in front of the Parliament
Jul 23, 2026 at 9:32 AM
A moment of tension was recorded during the protest in front of the Parliament, where an elderly woman tried to block the Elbasan road, while she was faced with the intervention of police forces. According to footage from the scene, the officers intervened to remove the woman from the blocked area, dragging her on the asphalt. While earlier"

https://www.balkanweb.com/live-e-moshuara-tenton-te-bllokoje-rrugen-policia-e-terheq-zvarre-ja-cfare-ndodh-ne-protesten-para-kuvendit/#gsc.tab=0
#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Machine translation of headline: Protesters tried to cross the fence, pepper spray and tear gas were used on citizens, they responded with eggs

https://www.balkanweb.com/tensione-dhe-kaos-prane-kuvendit-protestuesit-tentuan-te-kalonin-gardhin-uje-me-piper-dhe-gaz-lotsjelles-ndaj-qytetareve-ata-pergjigjen-me-veze/#gsc.tab=0

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

July 16, 2026 “The Command and Control Center, inaugurated today, lies at the heart of a new philosophy and approach adopted by the Albanian government toward public safety. The ‘Smart City’ program is not merely a camera project. Anyone who sees it that way is either deliberately downplaying it or has not yet understood its true scope,” Lamallari said.

The minister explained that the system is built on three integrated components: information sources distributed across the country, a centralized command and control platform, and artificial intelligence that analyzes incoming data in real time."
#Corruption #Surveillance #Albania #FlamingoRevolution https://euronews.al/en/rama-and-lamallari-present-smart-city-command-and-control-center-system-detects-threats-in-real-time/

It must be said that while the #FlamingoRevolution is a big tent movement, most of its real movers & shakers are....students and student age.

#Protest #Privacy #Corruption #Surveillance #Albania

Alt...

“Any behavior that is potentially dangerous or in violation of the law is detected through artificial intelligence and generates an alert here at the Command and Control Center, which is immediately forwarded to the nearest police patrol. The system is designed to identify, analyze, and warn of risks in real time, enabling proactive and preventive action,” he said. Referring to the first phase of the project, Lamallari said beginning with 20 of Tirana’s busiest schools was a strategic decision. “It is no coincidence that we are launching this project—which represents a major leap forward in ensuring public safety in Albania—by focusing on the capital’s 20 most frequented schools. A country’s security is measured not only by crime statistics but also by its ability to protect its children,” the minister stated.

Machine translation of headline: "Barbaric violence against citizens during the protest, protesters throw eggs and police use tear gas"

Surprisingly, this network calls out that the cops were prepared to be violent and that plainclothes cops were planted in the crowd, but crossed over once their buddies started shit.

They say the cops were also trying to keep the media from getting outside of the corral and filming what was happening to protestors.

They targeted press.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUNDENanAdk #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Machine translated: "Edi Rama's police have arrested, using violence, one of the biggest activists of the civic reaction that has been going on for 54 days.

Edison Lika, one of the coordinators of the protest, has been arrested.

Dozens of police in suits rushed at him and dragged the protester away.

Even the reaction of those who were near him could not stop the revenge of Rama's police."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SycPHYx8Tw4

https://www.syri.net/amp/index.php?id=905089

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

“Protesta 54-ditore ua prishi rehatinë politikës”/ Gazetari: Rama në hall, Berisha në grackë

“The 54-day protest ruined the comfort of politics”/ Journalist: Rama in trouble, Berisha in a trap

Journalist who's been covering the protests since the beginning gives his analysis of how it's developed and what happened today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q71ZCqechno

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Machine translation: Protesters' escort/ Lawyer: The boss and directors should be charged with hostage-taking!

"Shoqërimi i protestuesve/ Avokati: Shefi dhe drejtuiesit të kallzohen për pengmarrje!"

Apparently some people were snatched off the street into vans by plainclothes cops. This is a development that has shocked many Albanians (I assume the younger generation more than those who lived through the Hoxha regime). This is a new development for this particular protest, though, as cops have been ramping up the violence of their response.

A lawyer discusses what is legal and illegal under the current Albanian Constitution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cV0GQEbm2E

#Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment

Machine translation: "He was arrested while he was live on News 24. Edison Lika tells how it happened."

U arrestua kur ishte live në News 24 Edison Lika tregon si ndodhi

Informative to listen to this interview (with auto-translation). Lots of details on how cop tactics have gotten more violent. Also mentions the diaspora will be gathering in Albania again August 14, 15, and 16th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy0ym_mxxUw #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment #Protest

Day 55 of anti-corruption protest in Tirana, Albania

55 ditë revoltë! Dhuna dhe arrestimet nuk e ndalin revoltën, qytetarët sërish sot në shesh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADEkNPfdP4Q #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment #Protest

DW short on the cop violence again the night before last. Unfortunately, it does not have audio description.

The video shows the effect of what protestors said the cops did - used pepper spray, but also had something mixed in the water cannon that really irritated skin. What some protestors are doing is throwing eggs at police who have armor & shields.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SW7v7I2LxT4 #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment #Protest

Albania police use water cannons against protesters chanting for PM's resignation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnnV0XOMY4Y #Albania #Corruption #Balkans #Europe #FlamingoRevolution #Environment #Protest