A Black man was brutally beaten by white cops in a case of mistaken identity inside a Brooklyn liquor store, leading to an internal investigation by the NYPD.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the actions of the officers “extremely disturbing and unacceptable” in a social media post on Wednesday.

Officials said the officers were undercover to investigate complaints of drug sales in the Cobble Hill neighborhood, right across the street from the liquor store.

One of the cops “successfully purchased crack cocaine” on the street and arrested the suspect, according to the NYPD. Then the officers saw a man “who matched the description” of the dealer’s associate: “wearing a white shirt and green shorts,” an NYPD spokesperson said.

Following the violent arrest, investigators found that the man had no connection to the drug sale or the dealer, according to the NYPD. He was charged with resisting arrest and received an appearance ticket.

Racist suspect NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said both officers were placed on modified duty and had their guns and shields removed. [MORE]

According to FUNKTIONARY:

Which-Nigger – any native Black American who is routinely racially and spatially profiled for arrest as a likely target-suspect. A “Which Nigger” is never guilty by association—but guilty by simply being—a Black man in the wrong place at the wrong time near any alleged or actual crime, waiting for the “justice” railroad (oncoming train) and unaffordable legal representation thereby leaving him with a public defender that will ensure he will be afforded some extra time in prison.

Which-hunt – a code-word in racist white supremacist police force parlance meaning “let’s hunt down which nigger did it.”

This week, the Congressional Black Caucus will quietly support an effort to reauthorize surveillance powers that were used to spy on Black Lives Matter activists in 2020, the Prospect has learned. According to multiple congressional sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, CBC support for the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) comes after Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the powerful ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, successfully lobbied CBC leadership to stand down on reforming the vast intelligence authority.

Section 702 grants U.S. intelligence agencies the authority to collect communications data on foreign intelligence targets abroad. In practice, however, it has allowed those agencies to amass troves of data on American citizens. The National Security Agency (NSA) is one of many FISA authorities with warrantless access to Americans’ communications data, which the agency has been known to purchase from U.S.-based companies.

Privacy advocates like the Brennan Center for Justice contend that the intelligence community’s efforts to reduce the number of U.S. person queries completed under Section 702 only reflect known searches, as the FBI has “neither tracked nor audited these queries as required by law.”

According to The New York Times, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) greenlit the 702 program’s annual recertification in a classified ruling last month. The decision permits FISA authorities to collect communications data through March 2027, regardless of whether Congress extends the statute underpinning Section 702, which is set to expire on April 20. [MORE]

From [FAIR]A New York Times spokesperson issued a statement on X (3/31/26) in response to a FAIR article, “NYT Covers Iran War With No Reporters in Iran” (3/30/26). The Times‘ Nicole Taylor wrote:

This is a false portrayal of our work. We have repeatedly called on Israel to lift restrictions for journalists in Gaza, and we want to be able to send reporters into Iran safely, without restrictions, as well as to be able to work closely with local journalists without risking their security. Restricted access allows disinformation and propaganda to thrive, making our deliberate, fact-based reporting on the war even more essential.

Taylor claimed that FAIR’s article was a “false portrayal” of the Times’ work, but she failed to directly challenge any of the article’s claims.

First, FAIR never claimed that the Times didn’t call on Israel to “lift restrictions for journalists in Gaza.” Indeed, the paper did so in late July 2025, along with multiple other news organizations (New York Times, 7/27/25, 7/27/25).

Rather, FAIR criticized the Times’ decision to cover the Iran War without any reporters on the ground in Iran. We pointed out that multiple Times employees are reporting from and currently living in Israel, providing up-close and personal coverage of that country, in sharp contrast to its long-distance coverage of Iran.

Can the Times send reporters “safely” to Iran? As FAIR pointed out, CNN reporter Frederik Pleitgen—the only reporter for a US outlet to be granted a visa from Iran—recounts having no major issues reporting there (Guardian, 3/14/26). Other foreign journalists, like Canada-based Dimitri Lascaris and Reuters‘ Ahmed Jadallah, have also reported from Iran in recent weeks. [MORE]

From [HERE] Many articles have been dedicated by Western mainstream media to the Iranian successful communication campaign launched during this war, and especially to the Lego videos that are going viral on the web.

The scale of this phenomenon is more significant than it appears at first glance, because this operation undermines one of the most strenuous and fruitful efforts undertaken by the United States since it adopted an aggressive imperialist foreign policy on the international stage.

This is why almost all Western articles, after expressing lukewarm appreciation for the quality of the videos, invariably go on to try to denigrate them—insinuating possible affiliations of the creators with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, or attempting to debunk their content ("the great Persian empire has nothing to do with the repressive, fanatical and religious obscurantism of the Iranian theocracy," reads an editorial published by a major Italian newspaper. The BBC takes care to point out that the videos would be “littered with factual inaccuracies”).

The problem is that all these attempts to contain the success of the Iranian operation fall flat, because they ignore—and this in itself is a significant fact—that the audience to which Iranian communication primarily addresses is not the same audience that reads BBC or Washington Post articles. It is a younger audience, one that has not yet absorbed decades of Western propaganda and is therefore still relatively open to different points of view. Unsurprisingly, this is the audience that, according to a recent survey from Pew Research Center, is showing an increasing hostility towards the blatant violations of every civil and moral law committed by "Israel", particularly in the last two and a half years.

On March 26, Forbes recorded 145 million views and tens of thousands of shares of the Lego videos produced by the Iranian enterprise Explosive Media.[MORE]

The ships were among at least four Iran-linked vessels that used the route after Washington's threat, according to maritime data provider Kpler.

The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Christianna crossed after unloading 74,000 tons of corn at the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini, passing Iran's Larak Island in the strait around 1600 GMT on April 13, Kpler data showed.

A second ship, the Comoros-flagged tanker Elpis, was near Larak Island around 1100 GMT and cleared the strait about 1600 GMT. It was loaded with 31,000 tons of methanol, having left the Iranian port of Bushehr on March 31, Kpler data showed.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) had threatened the blockade would target "vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas". [MORE]

When the US-Israeli alliance launched its war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, the Zionist regime’s Premier Benjamin Netanyahu openly gloated about getting what he had wanted for over 40 years. However, the moment he had been pushing for decades to reach failed to render the results the Israeli leader had hoped for.

US President Donald Trump, having initially agreed to Iran’s 10-point plan, before later backtracking, decided to announce a two-week cessation of hostilities with Iran. Within hours, having freed up its Air Force that had been bogged down in Iran attack operations, the Israelis were already targeting civilians across Lebanon, including bombing an ambulance in Tyre, south Lebanon. 

Hours after that came the horrifying Beirut massacre, during which the Israelis carried out over 100 airstrikes in 10 minutes, demolishing dozens of civilian buildings without any notice. The result was the mass slaughter of more than 300 people, with an additional 1,200 left injured across the country in less than a day.

This was evidently no accident; the Israeli leadership had been claiming throughout the 15-month Lebanon ceasefire - which they violated over 15,400 times according to UNIFIL - that Hezbollah had been defeated, that it posed no threat to the northern settlements and would easily be dealt with. In early March, the Israeli victory narrative collapsed completely. [MORE]

From [HERE] Body camera video released Monday shows a white St. Louis police officer fatally shooting a Black 17-year-old in the back of the head as he fled, contradicting an earlier police statement that the teen pointed a gun at officers.

Al Watkins, an attorney for the family of Emeshyon Wilkins, obtained the video as part of the discovery process in a federal lawsuit against the police department. Watkins said his office tried and failed to get the video through a records request.

“They fought that video issue for over a year,” Watkins told The Associated Press. “We had to file a federal lawsuit to get it. That’s not transparent. That’s not integrity. Indeed, it’s irresponsible.”

Wilkins was shot and killed in June 2024, just two weeks after he turned 17. He had no prior criminal history, Watkins said. Wilkins was Black.

Police said it all started when detectives attempted to stop an SUV that was reported stolen. Police said there was a brief pursuit; Watkins described it as a slow-speed chase. He said the SUV was only going around 10 mph.

The pursuit ended with Wilkins fleeing the vehicle on foot, with two officers in pursuit. One officer held a taser; another a firearm, the suit says.

The video shows the officer armed with a gun yelling at the teen to get on the ground as he raises the firearm. The officer can be heard telling the teen to drop a gun. The teen keeps running, and then the officer fires.

One of the four bullets struck the teen in the back of the head, killing him, the suit says. In the teen's pocket was a firearm, but it was disassembled, in multiple pieces, and incapable of being fired, the suit says.

The video didn't show the teen holding the firearm in his hand or pointing it at the officer.

“There was no threat to the public, and you look at the video, and there were no furtive movements,” Watkins said.

Police acknowledged Monday, following the release of the video, that “information provided by a third-party to investigators in the immediate aftermath of the incident was not consistent with the actual events or what was initially shared with the community.”

From [HERE] Most Americans continue to be deeply skeptical about the fairness of the justice system, according to a recent survey by Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit organization focusing on careers in public service for lawyers.

According to the survey’s results, which were released Tuesday, 79% of Americans think that the justice system is unfair. Only 50% think that they would receive fair treatment from the system themselves, while just 32% think that it is fair to people without legal representation.

Drilling down into certain demographics, the survey’s results also show that more than 60% think that income affects fairness in the justice system. Nearly half think that race affects fairness in the system.

“When most Americans believe securing justice depends on income and race, we have to be concerned that there’s a significant confidence gap about the legal system,” said Verna Williams, the CEO of Equal Justice Works, in an April 14 statement.

Among the survey’s other findings, there is also a significant gap in understanding how the civil justice system works. For instance, 41% of Americans incorrectly think that the courts would provide them an attorney in a discrimination case.

“When people wrongly assume that courts will make legal help available, they end up navigating complex issues alone,” Mia Sussman, the senior vice president of network engagement for Equal Justice Works, also said in a statement.

Equal Justice Works polled more than 1,600 respondents nationwide for its survey, Unequal and Unjust: Public Perceptions of the Legal System.

View the complete results here.

From [RONPAUL] During my most recent appearance on Judge Napolitano’s Judging Freedom on Wednesday I expressed the view that the ongoing ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was a scam designed to support Israeli interests in the region and to give both Tel Aviv and the White House breathing room to prepare for the next major assault on Iran. I based my judgment on several aspects of the story being circulated by the White House and the tame media. First of all, it is being suggested that the US acceptance of the proposal for a ceasefire put forward by Iran through mediators in Pakistan was arrived at without discussions with Israel. In other words, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had no preview of it nor hand in it. [MORE]

From [HERE] A US naval attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz ended in withdrawal after Iranian forces issued warnings, according to a report by Iranian State TV.

The report states that two US destroyers, the USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121), both Arleigh Burke-class vessels, attempted to pass through the strategic waterway on Saturday. The move coincided with ongoing Iran-US talks in Islamabad.

According to the investigation, the vessels were forced to retreat after being intercepted by Iranian naval forces before completing their passage.

IRGC locks in on US vessel

The investigation indicates that Iranian forces, including the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, responded swiftly to the presence of the US vessels.

Cruise missile systems reportedly locked onto the destroyers as they approached the entrance to the Persian Gulf, while drones were deployed overhead. The vessels were then issued a warning granting them 30 minutes to change course. [MORE]

Azizi added that the US president “merely voices his wishes and speaks of a fantasy and demands that have never been achieved, and will never be achieved.”

He further described Trump’s remarks made just hours after talks, including claims that he would take certain actions in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean, as “the natural behavior of a defeated president.”

Azizi continued: “The Americans sought to stage a spectacle yesterday and, through deception, attempted to carry out movements in the Strait of Hormuz,” noting that “they have once again failed and were unable to influence the negotiating table.”

He also stressed that Iran remains committed to the rules and conditions of the ceasefire, while expressing doubt that “the Zionists and the Americans will abide by it given the defeats they are suffering.” [MORE]

According to three US officials familiar with recent intelligence assessments, Beijing is preparing to transfer shoulder-fired Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems, or MANPADS, to Iran within weeks, potentially through third countries designed to conceal the weapons’ Chinese origin.

The allegation is strategically explosive because it emerges precisely as US Vice President JD Vance and senior Iranian officials are conducting high-level negotiations in Islamabad, while China simultaneously presents itself publicly as a mediator seeking regional de-escalation.

President Donald Trump reacted with an unusually direct warning, declaring that “if China does that, China is gonna have big problems,” while his administration has already threatened 50 percent tariffs on any country supplying military equipment to Iran.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington rejected the allegations as “untrue” and “baseless,” insisting that Beijing “has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict” and portraying China as a responsible major power committed to stabilising the Gulf.

Yet the timing of the intelligence assessment has intensified fears inside Washington because it suggests Beijing may be using the ceasefire period not merely to preserve diplomacy, but to quietly rebuild Iran’s depleted air-defence capacity before hostilities potentially resume.

The reported transfer would mark the first known instance during the 2026 Iran conflict in which China is suspected of preparing to supply Tehran with complete battlefield-ready weapon systems rather than merely dual-use components or industrial technology. [MORE]

YouTube has suspended a channel believed to be linked to Iran, Explosive Media, which gained popularity for its Lego-style animated videos mocking US President Donald Trump and depicting the reality of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Mashable ME reported.

The ban was announced by the group on Friday, with YouTube citing alleged "violent content". The suspension came hours after the group's latest video, a rap animation linking Trump to the Epstein files, went viral, garnering millions of views.

As the US-Israeli war on Iran continues, a parallel battle is being fought on social media platforms. Explosive Media has been one of the most talked-about players in this digital space, using humour and accessible animation to reach Western audiences.

Despite the ban, Explosive Media's videos remain widely available on other platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X. [MORE]

But since February 28, when Israel and the US began bombing Iran, Israel has also, on a near-daily basis, launched attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

While much of the world’s attention has been on Iran, here are three main things that you may have missed in Gaza.

Israel bombed Gaza on 36 of the past 40 days

Since the declaration of a “ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip six months ago, Israel has violated the agreement thousands of times, with attacks on a nearly daily basis.

Over the past 40 days, Israel has not only continued bombing Gaza, but has also closed the Rafah crossing and withheld life‑saving food and medical supplies.

According to an analysis by Al Jazeera, Israel has attacked Gaza on 36 out of the past 40 days, meaning there were only four days on which no violent attacks, deaths or injuries were reported in the Strip. [MORE]]

Massa media claims “In that short time, Israel killed at least 107 people, permitted only 8 percent of medical evacuations, and admitted just 20 percent of trucks.” Said bullshit death undercount is a form of mind control and perception management or “mythematics” by elites who control authority and the dependent media.

For nearly a decade, researchers with Opportunity Insights, a nonprofit think tank based at Harvard University, have studied economic mobility to identify factors that lead to greater outcomes for children and to find potential remedies for obstacles that get in the way.

“The incomes of Hispanic and Asian Americans are approaching those of white Americans over generations; those of Black Americans and American Indians are not,” the group notes on its website. “Differences in family characteristics — parental marriage rates, education, wealth — and differences in ability explain very little of the black-white intergenerational gap.”

The group says universal basic income programs, minimum wage increases and other efforts affecting a single generation “can help narrow racial gaps at a given point in time. However, they are less likely to narrow racial disparities in the long run.” [MORE]

Racial disparities in income and other outcomes are among the most visible and persistent features of American society. The sources of these disparities have been studied and debated for decades, with explanations ranging from segregation and discrimination to differences in family structure and genetics.

Most previous work on racial disparities has studied inequality within a single generation of people. We analyze how racial gaps change across generations, allowing us to identify the factors that lead to disparities between racial groups that persist over time. Using de-identified data from the U.S. Census Bureau covering 20 million children and their parents, we measure the differences in incomes in adulthood between children of different races who grow up in families with similar parental incomes. We show how these intergenerational race gaps vary across areas of the U.S. and discuss implications for pathways to reduce racial disparities. [MORE]

From [HERE] A senior Iranian political-security source told Al Mayadeen that the United States failed in its attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing reports of achievements as the fabrication of facts meant to promote an illusory victory in the media. 

The source absolutely denied claims about the US vessel crossing the Strait, telling Al Mayadeen that media outlets close to the White House are reporting on false information amid another field setback. 

They added that the alleged vessel was a small boat that made a strenuous attempt to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it was fully surrounded and given a firm warning by Iranian forces, forcing the US vessel to retreat and change course. 

The source added to Al Mayadeen that these claims by US media stem from a continued “domino effect” of US failures and are being promoted as part of an effort to manufacture consent aimed at influencing global energy market prices.

Hormuz tensions tied to broader US-Iran escalation

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are linked to tensions as a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran, particularly amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations. [MORE]

Can the president kill people whom he suspects might commit a crime? Aren’t even those who would cause great harm entitled to due process? Isn’t everyone entitled to a fair trial in front of a neutral judge and jury before any punishment can be administered?

Aren’t all persons legally innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and to a moral certainty? Isn’t this presumption of innocence the linchpin of American jurisprudence? At trial and before punishment, isn’t it the government’s obligation to prove every element of the crimes charged? Isn’t there no such thing in American jurisprudence as a presumption of guilt?

Aren’t punishments prescribed by law? Can the president make up a punishment and direct the military to administer it to folks he thinks are probably guilty of criminal behavior? Can federal officials perform unlawful acts with impunity just because they are ordered to do so by the president? Is “probably guilty” a sufficient legal standard for punishment?

In war, can the combatants morally target civilians and their structures? Is war waged against the people of a given country, or against its government and military assets? What happens when there is killing without consequence?

Which is worse, a president who kills whomever he wishes or a Congress that funds the killing and is indifferent to the moral, constitutional and legal consequences?

Can the president morally bomb civilians “into the Stone Age” in a country where the civilian population has little control over the government? Why kill or ruin large numbers of civilians whose liberation you have urged?

What is the purpose of a Constitution if it is not followed? Why take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and then not do so? Why limit war making to the Congress but then ratify the president’s war making as if the Constitution authorized it? If the U.S. bombs other countries to temper their offensive military appetite, who or what will temper America’s offensive military appetite? [MORE]