Edward Hopper Summertime 1943
Elon’s favorite dog has passed away.
Trump libertarian
https://twitter.com/i/status/1794756316126384294
Back in the New York Groove
Trump shares "Back in the New York Groove" song originally performed by the British band Hello in 1975 but best known for the cover version by Ace Frehley, the guitarist of the band KISS, which was released on his 1978 solo album. Frehley's version became a hit and remains… pic.twitter.com/YOUnnpPrQs
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) May 24, 2024
Trump bitcoin
https://twitter.com/i/status/1794539283300155678
Alina – must watch
• People worry about dumb stuff
• In the grand scheme, you’re nothing
• Think less of yourself
• Remember: you’ll die one day
Now go do epic stuff.
Trump, for all his faults, may be the only way to avoid WWIII.
“I am committed to restoring peace and stability and to stopping Joe Biden’s march to World War Three..”
• Trump Vows to Stop ‘Biden’s March to WWIII’ (RT)
Former US President Donald Trump has reiterated his promise to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine conflict if re-elected in November. The Republican frontrunner argued that by financing “other people’s wars” the US is increasing the likelihood of a global war, and promised to end such funding. Speaking at the Libertarian Party’s national convention in Washington DC on Saturday, Trump claimed that under the current leadership, the US is turning into a “failed nation” and promised to restore “peace and stability” if he returns to the White House. He named the main priorities as ending the border crisis, stopping the waste of US taxpayer dollars on funding foreign militaries, and protecting “American sovereignty from the creeping hands of global government.”
“We will say freedom, prosperity, and capitalism in America,” Trump told the cheering crowd. “And before I even arrive at the Oval Office shortly after we win the presidency I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled so we quit spending hundreds of billions of dollars to fight other people’s wars and so that we start immediately saving thousands and thousands of lives,” he added. “I am committed to restoring peace and stability and to stopping Joe Biden’s march to World War Three,” he continued, warning that a potential global war would be “like no other” because of the “massive weaponry” and claiming that he is “the only one” who can stop it. Although Trump did not elaborate on how he plans to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he previously told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that he had a “detailed plan” and pledged to end the hostilities “in 24 hours.”
“If the US will not provide the money, Europeans on their own will not be able to finance this war, and then the war will end,” Orban said in an interview earlier this year, adding that Trump proved himself to be “a man of peace.” Earlier this week, the Pentagon revealed an additional $275 million aid package for Kiev amid Russia’s offensive in Kharkov Region, and hinted that it could greenlight strikes “deep into Russian territory” using US-supplied weapons. The move sparked criticism from Moscow, with Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, saying Washington is not interested in restoring peace in Europe and “is doing everything to prolong the conflict and increase casualties on the Russian and Ukrainian sides.”
“..only “if something threatens the existence of our country..”
• US Strike On Russian Targets Would Be ‘Start Of World War’ – Medvedev (RT)
Any US attack on Russian targets in Ukraine would automatically trigger a world war, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned. The official, who currently serves as Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council, made the remarks after Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski claimed Washington had threatened to conduct such a strike should Russia use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Medvedev suggested that Sikorski “apparently, has decided to scare his masters.” He noted that Washington, unlike Warsaw, has so far refrained from making any such threats publicly “because they are more cautious” than the Poles. “Americans hitting our targets means starting a world war, and a Foreign Minister, even of a country like Poland, should understand that,” Medvedev added.
The former Russian president also cited remarks made by Polish President Andrzej Duda last month, when he said his country would be willing to host US nuclear weapons if offered such an opportunity under NATO’s sharing mechanism. Medvedev warned that in case of a nuclear confrontation “Warsaw won’t be left out, and will surely get its share of radioactive ash,” asking if this is the outcome the Polish leadership really wants. On Saturday in an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Sikorski expressed skepticism regarding a hypothetical Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine. “The Americans have told the Russians that if you explode a nuke, even if it doesn’t kill anybody, we will hit all your targets [positions] in Ukraine with conventional weapons, we’ll destroy all of them,” he claimed, describing the presumed warning as a “credible threat.”
The Polish diplomat alleged that China and India have also warned Russia against a nuclear escalation. The minister also suggested that Ukraine’s Western backers should allow Kiev to use their weapons to strike military targets on Russian territory as “apart from not using nuclear weapons, [Moscow] does not limit itself much.” According to Sikorski, the EU should not be afraid to escalate the situation, and should not impose limits on itself regarding the Ukraine conflict, so that Moscow is left guessing what the next step will be. While the US and its allies have on several occasions accused Moscow of nuclear saber-rattling, President Vladimir Putin insisted in March that at no point during the Ukraine conflict has Russia considered using such weapons.
Around the same time, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia’s nuclear doctrine envisages the use of weapons of mass destruction only “if something threatens the existence of our country,” echoing a previous statement by the head of state. The official also described the deterrent as a “farewell weapon.” During his annual address to the Federal Assembly in late February, Putin warned would-be aggressors that the nuclear arsenal was in a state of “complete readiness for guaranteed deployment.” Earlier this month, the Russian leader ordered an exercise in the use of tactical nuclear weapons in the Southern Military District, which borders Ukraine. According to statements by the Foreign and Defense Ministries, the exercises were meant as a warning to the US and its allies, following escalatory rhetoric from the West.
“When the war machine starts to heat up, then there is a military lobby and a military industry lobby who want it to intensify, and then there will be no more [peace] effort, it is difficult to stop..”
• Serbian President Vucic: World Heading For Greater Tragedy Than World War II (RT)
There is little time left to conclude the Ukraine conflict, which risks escalating out of control and inciting a global war, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has warned. Speaking on Friday to the broadcaster Prva Srpska Televizija, Vucic claimed the world is standing on the brink of an all-out global conflict, and it is likely already too late to avoid it. “I am afraid that there is little time left for the war in Ukraine to be stopped. I hope it’s still possible, but I’m afraid it’s actually not. I’m afraid that the train has already left the station, started moving, and no one will stop it,” he said. In my opinion, things will get worse and worse, and it may happen that we will have a greater tragedy than World War II. I’m afraid we are heading towards a great world conflict, and few want to stop it.
Explaining his doomsday prediction, the Serbian leader said the conflict is being pushed by the global military industry, war profiteers who are interested in expanding and prolonging it rather than seeking a resolution. “When the war machine starts to heat up, then there is a military lobby and a military industry lobby who want it to intensify, and then there will be no more [peace] effort, it is difficult to stop,” Vucic said. The president also urged “someone” to do something “real” to stop the hostilities instead of “just shifting the blame to the other side.” He warned that “if this doesn’t happen, I’m afraid we’re headed for disaster.”
While Russia and Ukraine sought to reach a peace deal early on during the ongoing conflict, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was successful in pressuring Kiev not to do so, suggesting it should just keep fighting instead of striking any agreements with Moscow. While Johnson has denied such allegations, his involvement was confirmed by senior Ukrainian officials later on. While Moscow has repeatedly expressed a readiness to negotiate, Kiev has refused; Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has explicitly banned himself from entering any talks. The prospects of somehow restarting negotiations have now apparently become even slimmer since Zelensky’s presidential tenure expired. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow’s readiness to engage in meaningful negotiations must be based on “common sense” and an acknowledgement of “realties on the ground.”
There is a plan here. They want this across all of NATO. The UK is the trial balloon.
• British PM Promises To Bring Back Conscription (RT)
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to re-introduce mandatory national service if the Conservative Party remains in power after the general election, set for July, British media reported on Sunday. Under the scheme, which is expected to cost around £2.5 billion ($3.19 billion) per year, all 18-year-olds would be required to either join the military full-time or volunteer one weekend per month, with community organizations such as the police or National Health Service (NHS). Sunak argued that compulsory service would help revive the “national spirit” and “provide life-changing opportunities for our young people,” according to manifesto pledges published by British media on Sunday. “This is a great country but generations of young people have not had the opportunities or experience they deserve and there are forces trying to divide our society in this increasingly uncertain world,” Sunak explained, as quoted by the BBC.
“I have a clear plan to address this and secure our future. I will bring in a new model of National Service to create a shared sense of purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country,” the prime minister continued, arguing that the move would provide young people with “life-changing opportunities” to learn “real world skills, do new things and contribute to their community and our country.” “As a father, I look forward to my own two daughters doing their National Service: I think they will find it a rewarding experience,” the politician claimed. According to the plan, if re-elected, the Conservative Party will establish a Royal Commission to finalize a “National Service Program” and launch the pilot in September next year. According to the Mail on Sunday, the plan to reintroduce national service was drawn up in secret, with only Sunak’s closest advisers privy to the details. In the 40-page document, advisers argued that expanding the Armed Forces is necessary in the face of “the growing international threats posed by countries such as Russia and China.”
The announcement has been slammed by the opposition, who accused the Conservatives of crashing the British economy and cutting troop numbers. “This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the armed forces to their smallest size since Napoleon,” a Labour Party spokesperson told the BBC. “Our armed forces were once the envy of the world. This Conservative government has cut troop numbers and is planning more cuts to the size of the Army,” Liberal Democrat defense spokesperson Richard Foord said. Throughout its 364-year history, the British Army has mostly been an all-volunteer force, but conscription was introduced during WWI and WWII with the National Service ending in 1960. In recent decades, the British Armed Forces have seen significant cuts, with the number of troops falling by more than a quarter between 2010 and 2024.
“Earlier in May, Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party, the largest one in the European Parliament, suggested reinstating compulsory military service across the entire European Union..”
• Orban Foresees Dire Consequences If EU Militarism Continues Unchecked (Sp.)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Sunday that he had never seen greater irresponsibility than Europe getting involved in the conflict in Ukraine without calculating what it would cost. “Europe is becoming so involved in the war that it does not even have an estimate of the scale of the costs and means necessary to achieve its military objective. I have never seen anything more irresponsible in my life,” Orban said in an interview with the Patriota YouTube channel. He added that, in his opinion, NATO wanted to become a party to the conflict in Ukraine and “the chances that the alliance can be kept from doing so are limited.” Budapest is against having decisions on the service of Hungarian citizens made “in Brussels or Germany,” Orban emphasized. “We don’t want anyone else to be able to make decisions about conscription and sending our young men of draft age anywhere. We have to forget about a European army with compulsory conscription, this is a crazy idea,” the prime minister stressed.
Earlier in May, Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People’s Party, the largest one in the European Parliament, suggested reinstating compulsory military service across the entire European Union. If Weber’s idea was implemented, “Hungarian families would be told from Brussels or Germany that their children would be compulsorily conscripted into the European army and told where they would go,” Orban added. In the years to come, current events may be seen as a prelude to World War III or even its first episode if Brussels’ militarism is not countered, the Hungarian prime minister warned. “Perhaps in 10 years the current processes will be called a prelude to World War III. It cannot be ruled out that if things go badly and we fail to control the military psychosis developed in Brussels, the history of these years will also be an episode of the first years of the big world war,” Orban said in an interview with the YouTube channel Patrióta.
Although European politicians see nuclear weapons as a deterrent, unforeseen worst-case scenarios could come to life, the Hungarian prime minister emphasized. “In my opinion, European politicians think of the nuclear bomb as a tactical deterrence tool and not as something that should really be used, but what they don’t consider at the beginning of a war can still happen at the end, thus worst-case scenarios can come to life,” Orban explained. Previously, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper that the United States threatened Moscow with the “destruction” of Russian forces in the special military operation zone if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitriy Medvedev said Poland should understand that an American strike on Russian troops would mean the beginning of a world war.
All you need to do is be neutral. Problem fixed.
• No Country Can Survive Conflict With Russia Alone – Zelensky (RT)
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has urged the global community to work together against Russia, stressing that no nation can single-handedly survive a war with Moscow. In an interview with Central Asian media outlets on Saturday, Zelensky said the goal should be to ensure that President Vladimir Putin “thinks about his survival and his security,” and that “the Russians think about how they can avoid losing the independence of their country – without threatening them – simply by showing how united the world is, how strong it is.” Such unity is needed because “no one can survive a full-scale war with the Russians on its own,” the Ukrainian leader stated, as quoted by the Kazakh online magazine Vlast. “We were alone, we were on our own” when Russia launched its military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, Zelensky claimed.
“But then we agreed with our partners on some sort of sanctions, some sort of weapons and other things,” he said, referring to the support provided by the West since the start of the conflict. Even Beijing “must protect Ukraine because we were attacked,” as “China says that territorial integrity must be respected,” the politician argued. Beijing has maintained a policy of neutrality on the Ukraine conflict, while consistently calling for a political settlement that would respect the interests of all sides. The Chinese authorities have blamed the hostilities on NATO’s eastward expansion, rebuffed Western calls to impose sanctions on Russia, and opted to boost trade with its neighbor. Zelensky was also asked if he was concerned about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement earlier this week that in Moscow’s view the Ukrainian leader’s legitimacy has “expired.”
Zelensky’s five-year term as Ukrainian President ended on Monday after he refused to stage a new election, citing martial law imposed due to the conflict. ”They don’t concern me much at all,” he replied. “These statements by the illegitimate president of Russia regarding the legitimacy of the president of Ukraine are, frankly speaking, boring and uninteresting.” Putin won a fifth term in office in March, claiming 87.28% of the vote amid a record turnout of over 77%.
Zelensky argued that anybody who knows how to read laws can swiftly confirm that his continued stay in power is legal. “The Ukrainians know their Constitution, they know the law,” he added. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said last month that attempts by the US and its allies to isolate Russia have failed, and pledged to “expand pragmatic, equal, mutually beneficial, partnership relations with friendly countries in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America.” According to the president, unlike the European elites, “who aren’t pursuing policies that are beneficial for their peoples,” there are many citizens on the continent who support Russia’s stance.
“America is also the “leading democracy” and “indispensable nation,” the US president claims..”
• US World’s Only Superpower – Biden (RT)
The US is the “world’s only superpower” and the “leading democracy,” which is playing a critical role in supporting its allies around the globe, President Joe Biden said on Saturday. The president spoke at the commencement of the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, addressing more than 1,000 graduating cadets. In his speech, Biden praised the role of the US military in the purported effort of “standing up to tyrants” around the globe, as well as of “protecting freedom and openness.” “Thanks to the US Armed Forces, we’re doing what only America can do as the indispensable nation, the world’s only superpower, and the leading democracy in the world,” he stated. “Never forget: America is the strongest when we lead not only by our example of our power but by the power of our example. You can clap for that,” he added.
Biden reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to propping up its allies around the world, specifically mentioning Israel and Ukraine. “There are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine. I’m determined to keep it that way. But we are standing strong with Ukraine, and we will stand with them,” the president said, launching a new bitter attack on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. “We’re standing against a man who I’ve known well for many years, a brutal tyrant. We may not – we – and we will not – we will not walk away,” Biden stated. Biden has repeatedly made insulting remarks about the Russian leader, describing Putin as a “dictator” and “tyrant.” Coincidentally, the US president received similar treatment on the same day from his arch-rival Donald Trump, who fired a broadside at Biden at the Libertarian Party National Convention in Washington, DC.
Among other things, Trump described Biden as a “crooked” and “corrupt tyrant,” as well as “the worst president in the history of the United States,” with even former head of state Jimmy Carter “being a brilliant president by comparison.”
Shift.
• Republicans Winning Voter Registration Battle in Battleground States (ET)
Republicans are closing the gap on voter registrations in key swing states. Political observers say it could be a sign the party will perform well in November. The gap between registered voters in the Democratic Party and Republican Party shrank significantly in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and North Carolina, according to voter registration statistics collected in April. Taking the combined voter totals in the three states, Republicans have eroded the Democratic registration advantage by more than 54 percent between 2019 and 2024. In Arizona, a fourth critical state, Republicans extended their lead in registered voters by more than 71 percent during the same period. The four states are among the most prized possessions in presidential politics. Collectively, they represent 52 electoral votes. In 2020, Joe Biden carried all except North Carolina. In 2016, Donald Trump took everything but Nevada. The registration trends don’t necessarily mean Republicans will sweep the states, but they’re a sign that the GOP will be able to more easily target and turn out its voters in those states than it did in 2020.
Pennsylvania – The largest numerical shift occurred in the Keystone State where the Democrat lead has shrunk by some 400,000 votes since May 2019. In May 2019, more than 4 million were registered as Democrats, and about 3.2 million were registered Republicans, according to voter registration data collected by the Pennsylvania Department of State. By the end of April, almost 3.9 million Pennsylvanians were registered as Democrats, while nearly 3.5 million were registered as Republicans. During the same period, the total number of registered voters increased to more than 8.7 million from nearly 8.5 million. The electorate registered with the Libertarian Party or “other parties,” as the state identifies them, remained relatively stable at 1.2 million during the same period.
Along with the rematch between President Biden and former President Trump, Pennsylvania voters will consider a Senate race crucial to the balance of power in Washington. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) will square off against Republican businessman Dave McCormick. Mr. Hopkins said the seismic change in voter registration could be linked to a growing number of what he called “ancestral Democrats” in rural Pennsylvania either falling off the rolls or registering with another party. These moderate voters are just as likely to vote Democratic as Republican, he predicts. Nevertheless, Mr. Hopkins said the statistics indicate the state’s voters are moving toward the right and there is more parity in the electorate than in previous cycles. This aligns with the Republican Party’s growing appeal with white, high-school-educated voters, he said. Pennsylvania GOP chairman Lawrence Tabas said erasing the voter registration deficit is a “top priority” in the state.
What was it, 51 former intel officials?! How many arrests so far?
• “The Laptop is Real” (Turley)
“The defendant’s laptop is real.” With those words and pictures like this one of Biden using crack, the Justice Department introduced the Hunter Biden laptop as evidence in his upcoming trial over federal gun violations. The federal prosecutors went on to denounce suggestions of Russian disinformation, long peddled by the Bidens, the media and former intelligence officials, as nothing more than a “conspiracy theory.” The media eagerly spread the claim of Russian disinformation before the presidential election. Twitter and others suppressed the story. This was done through one of the most skillful disinformation campaigns in history. It later came out that associates of the Biden campaign (including now Secretary of State Antony Blinken) pushed a long effort to get former intelligence officials to sign a letter making the claim, knowing that an ever accommodating media would accept the claim without question or further inquiry.
At the time, some of us wrote that the laptop was “self-authenticating” since many of the emails were confirmed by third parties and other evidence. The Justice Department last week made the same claim of “self-authentication” as well as independent confirmation by federal investigators. In the now debunked letter of former intelligence officials just before the election, figures such as Leon Panetta, former CIA Director in the Obama Administration, claimed that the letter had all of the markings of a Russian disinformation effort by intelligence services. (Panetta continued to make the assertion late last year in pushing what the federal government is now calling a “conspiracy theory.”). The Washington Post’s Phillip Bump and others also continued to push the conspiracy theory. Indeed, in 2021, when media organizations were finally admitting that the laptop was authentic, Bump was still declaring that it was a “conspiracy theory.” Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Bump continued to suggest that “the laptop was seeded by Russian intelligence.”
What is equally astonishing is that in 2023 the Post expressly stood by Bump’s reporting on the laptop and other debunked claims. Even after the government has declared this reporting as part of a “conspiracy theory,” the Post continues to support the reporting by Bump and others. The laptop includes not just pictures of Hunter using drugs but brandishing a handgun. The court clearly agrees with the government on the authenticity of the laptop. It has ruled against the defense and will allow it to be introduced into evidence. Despite the conclusions of American intelligence and others, the Biden team continued to push the disinformation. That led the Justice Department to tell the court that “The defendant’s theory about the laptop is a conspiracy theory with no supporting evidence.” It added that Hunter’s “laptop is real (it will be introduced as a trial exhibit) and it contains significant evidence of the defendant’s guilt.” The response from the media has been a collective shrug. Worse yet, many of these same political and media figures continue to support censorship and government regulations of “disinformation” while the government is now acknowledging that they carried off one of the most successful disinformation campaigns in history.
“Cannon is in effect putting the Department of Justice on trial to account for its corrupt, dirty, and sloppy prosecution into Trump and two co-defendants.”
• Meltdown in Florida (Julie Kelly)
“I’m going to ask that you just calm down. I understand this is sensitive and it’s difficult, but these questions are briefed and they’re before the Court.” So said Judge Aileen Cannon to David Harbach, one of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s lead prosecutors in the government’s espionage and obstruction case against former president Donald Trump, during a hearing on Wednesday. While temperatures spiked outside the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida throughout the day, so too did the climate inside Cannon’s courtroom. The May 22 proceeding, as I explained here, represented the first of a series of hearings that will turn the tables on Smith; Cannon is in effect putting the Department of Justice on trial to account for its corrupt, dirty, and sloppy prosecution into Trump and two co-defendants.
Cannon’s admonishment came after what can only be described as a prolonged meltdown by Harbach after he ranted for several minutes in response to a defense motion seeking to dismiss the case against Waltine Nauta, Trump’s longtime personal valet also charged in the indictment, based on selective and vindictive prosecution. At times pounding the podium and clapping his hands in anger to emphasize a point, Harbach, usually the cooler head of the prosecution side, escalated the war of words between Cannon and the special counsel’s team. A longtime DOJ apparatchik having served as former FBI Director James Comey’s special counsel and alongside Smith in the DOJ public integrity unit during the Obama administration, Harbach is used to getting his way before federal judges. Not this time. Cannon is a slow-moving freight train, systematically and almost to the point of torment exposing every government fault line in the imploding case.
Just this month alone, Cannon has forced Smith to admit key evidence seized during the 2022 FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago has been bungled and possibly misplaced, contrary to his team’s representations to her. She continues to authorize the unsealing of motions and exhibits including records the DOJ never thought would see the light of day. In fact, Harbach’s outburst came less than 24 hours after Trump’s lawyers filed a motion related to the Mar-a-Lago raid, a document Cannon ordered unsealed; the motion, as I reported on Twitter/X Tuesday afternoon as well as here, revealed the stunning news that FBI agents had authority to use deadly force during the nine-hour raid. The disclosure instantly prompted fury on the Right, leading to a damage-control statement by the FBI several hours later. Attorney General Merrick Garland also addressed the controversy the following day, calling Trump’s claims about a potential assassination, “false and extremely dangerous.”
Garland also claimed, without evidence, that the consensual search of Joe Biden’s home for classified documents involved the same authorization for use of force. Late Friday night, Smith filed a motion asking Cannon to prohibit Trump from making public statements “that pose a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents participating in the investigation and prosecution of this case.” But Harbach’s bad behavior in court specifically related to accusations of prosecutorial abuse. Nauta’s attorney, Stanley Woodward, has accused the DOJ of retaliating against Nauta for refusing to flip on Trump and become a cooperating witness. (Nauta faces several charges including conspiring to obstruct the investigation and making false statements.) Woodward further alleged that Jay Bratt, the other lead DOJ prosecutor, made threats against Woodward during an August 2022 meeting to discuss Nauta’s potential cooperation.
Woodward said Bratt noted his pending judicial nomination before the D.C. Superior Court and said something to the effect of “I wouldn’t want you to do anything to mess that up.” Bratt’s conduct during the meeting is the subject of both a congressional investigation and an Office of Professional Responsibility probe at the DOJ. (The OPR inquiry is on hold pending resolution of the classified documents case.) Woodward wants all records and communications about the meeting given to the defense—something Cannon appears inclined to do.
“Do voters want a president being transparently pursued for partisan reasons by a behemoth government that fewer than two-in-ten Americans trust?”
• Biden Marketing Team To Make Trump a Mega-Martyr (ZH)
Joe Biden’s galaxy brain handlers plan to use any ‘guilty’ verdicts in Donald Trump’s criminal trials to campaign on, unaware that most of the country views them as political lawfare by the permanent ruling class hatched in coordination with Biden’s own DOJ. According to Politico, citing four people familiar with internal deliberations; Biden intends to initially address the verdict in a White House setting — not a campaign one — to show his statement isn’t political, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.If the jury convicts Trump, Biden’s team will then argue that the result shows Trump is ill-suited for office and that it demonstrates the extremes to which the former president would go to win again.
The campaign’s social media team is considering leveraging the line of attack further, with discussions underway about referring to the ex-president online as “Convicted Felon Donald Trump.” The report comes as closing arguments are set for Tuesday in Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial, which saw the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen, implode on the stand. Of course, a Manhattan jury won’t care – so a Trump ‘guilty’ verdict wouldn’t come as a surprise. “This is an important moment and the president first and foremost needs to stress that the American system works, even and especially in an election year,” said one of Politico’s anonymous sources.
“And in a measured way, it becomes part of his argument against Trump too: Do Americans really want this?” Do voters want a president being transparently pursued for partisan reasons by a behemoth government that fewer than two-in-ten Americans trust? This goes hand-in-hand with why the left can’t meme and are desperate to find someone who can. At least one Democrat sees how stupid this is. “I don’t think it’s important to rub it in,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) told Politico. “I don’t think anybody on our side should be reacting with glee. It just should be a tragedy that an American president has been convicted of real crimes.”
“Bragg’s was the first case to go to trial and an acquittal in that case would almost certainly see Trump cast doubt on the legitimacy of the remaining cases..”
• How Will Trump, Voters Respond To The Outcome Of His Trial? (JTN)
The defense has rested in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial and closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday, meaning a verdict could come as early as next week. The jury’s decision remains the subject of considerable speculation as does the impact of either a conviction or an acquittal. But a verdict will come eventually and the Trump campaign will have to respond accordingly. Trump is almost certain to appeal a conviction while an acquittal could conceivably lend legitimacy to his claims of a broader, baseless political witch hunt designed to derail his 2024 bid to return to the White House. Alternatively, if the verdict comes in against him, Trump could file for a “Judgement of Acquittal.” Judges have the ability to overturn a jury verdict if there is insufficient evidence to support that verdict. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the first criminal prosecution of a former president in U.S. history. He charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a 2016 payment that his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and the trial has proceeded for the past several weeks. The Trump campaign, for its part, has remained resolute in its assertion that the case, like the other prosecutions involving him, are political in nature and insists the proceedings will not stop his victory in November. “President Trump has established a commanding polling lead and Crooked Joe Biden is on the ropes. His Democrat Party allies are desperate, so they continue to try and push their ongoing Witch Hunts by abusing and misusing the power of their offices to interfere in the 2024 presidential election,” Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Just the News. “President Trump and his legal team will continue to fight and crush the Biden Hoaxes all across the country and the American People will hold Crooked Joe and his comrades to account this Fall,” she continued. Whether Trump is convicted or acquitted, the trial’s outcome could conceivably provide Trump with rhetorical fodder to advance his campaign.
Trump has repeatedly categorized the myriad prosecutions against him as part of a larger political witch hunt and has linked the prosecutors pursuing each case together as part of a so-called “Fraud Squad.” He currently faces two criminal cases, one in federal court brought by special counsel Jack Smith and one in Georgia state court from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. He has appealed a civil fraud verdict in a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Bragg’s was the first case to go to trial and an acquittal in that case would almost certainly see Trump cast doubt on the legitimacy of the remaining cases. In the event of a conviction, Trump has already laid the groundwork for his messaging in how he has used some of his prior legal woes to campaign. Among the most notable instances was his incorporation of his mugshot from the Fulton County jail into campaign merchandise. He has also used Merchan’s imposition of fines for violating a gag order to solicit donations.
The case itself has had legal experts and media pundits struggling to find an underlying crime in the matter, a point Trump has repeatedly highlighted throughout the trial. Without the jury being convinced beyond a reasonable doubt there was an underlying crime, acquittal is a certainty. “Every single legal scholar that I see, maybe there’s somebody out there some whack job, but virtually everyone that I’ve seen have said that there’s absolutely no case. It’s a case that shouldn’t have been brought,” Trump said earlier this month. The former president has long sought to paint the case as a legal farce and, should he be convicted, would almost certainly use the conviction to claim the proceedings had been politicized and biased against him. Judge Juan Merchan, who has overseen the case, twice refused Trump’s requests that he recuse himself in light of his daughter’s employment with Authentic, a firm that boasts both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as clients. Merchan’s handling of the case and Trump’s messaging on the matter already appears to have struck a chord with some legal analysts.
“The judge in Donald Trump’s trial was an absolute tyrant, though he appeared to the jury to be a benevolent despot,” Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz wrote this week in an op-ed for the New York Post. One week prior, Dershowitz told the “Just the News, No Noise” television show that he was “fairly confident this case will be reversed on appeal.” “But the goal was to get a down and dirty conviction to influence the election, along with a gag order, and keeping him in the courtroom,” he added. “And they’re achieving those political goals, even if they are using improper legal means to do it.”
“..compliance – that everyone piles into the clown car on command so these bozos can take everyone on a joyride down Dystopian Highway..”
• Von der Leyen Proposes Vaccines For Minds, A Shield For Democracy (Marsden)
One of the hallmarks of the European Union is that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. In fact, it often means the exact opposite. Take, for instance, the idea that Ursula Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, is running for re-election when in reality she’s just publicly squabbling with a few other establishment hacks to be handpicked and confirmed by the establishment itself, not by popular vote. But that hasn’t stopped her from cosplaying as an actual democratic candidate. It’s not like she didn’t have the opportunity to actually be one rather than just play one, but when her German colleagues asked her to run for an elected EU seat in Germany to establish some democratic credibility, she reportedly declined the inconvenience. But that hasn’t stopped her from posting “campaign” ads on social media, as though she’s actually trying to appeal to voters. In one such video, she promises that if she’s re-coronated, er, “re-elected,” she’ll defend Europe with a “Democracy Shield.”
The whole idea, she says, is to “detect disinformation and malign interference… remove content, including [artificial intelligence] deepfakes, [and] to make our societies more resilient.” Nothing about defending Europe’s democracy from unelected bureaucrats wielding excessive power though, I guess? Ever since billionaire tech entrepreneur, Elon Musk, took over Twitter, renamed the social media platform ‘X’, and publicly shamed all the Western government authorities that tried to exploit the platform directly for their own propaganda purposes, his “community notes” feature has allowed users to react directly and in real time to content, including deep fake videos, and has proven that the antidote to inaccuracy is more free and democratic speech, not less. “Democracy,” in the case of this “Democracy Shield” is really just a euphemism for censorship. Because what does this “shield” really protect Europe from, that more free speech can’t achieve, other than inconvenient facts?
Or from Queen Ursula and the rest of the European establishment having to defend their own ideological lunacy and explain to citizens why the narratives they peddle often don’t jibe with reality. Apparently, they figure that democracy would be better off if everything and everyone that didn’t fit their top agenda narratives could just be whacked over the head and dragged off into the shadows by the online Gestapo serving von der Leyen’s online “Democracy Shield.” But maybe characterizing the Democracy Shield as little more than a “propaganda shield” is unfair. After all, it’s not like the EU or Ursula actually say that they’re interested in doing propaganda. No, instead she says that she just wants to do a little “pre-bunking,” which totally doesn’t sound like propaganda at all. Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit earlier this month, von der Leyen explained that “research has shown that pre-bunking is more successful than de-bunking. Pre-bunking is the opposite of de-bunking. In short, prevention is preferable to cure.
Think of information manipulation as a virus. Instead of treating an infection once it has taken hold, that’s the de-bunking, it is better to vaccinate, so that our body is inoculated. Pre-bunking is the same approach.” Yeah, folks, just think of free debate and discussion as a nasty virus that could get really messy. May provoke verbal diarrhea. Ugly stuff. Wouldn’t it just be better if the EU could inject its narratives like a vaccine straight into the minds of citizens to eliminate any risk of messy opposing views or information? What if the pre-bunk narrative IS the disinformation, though? Of course that never happens, right? Everything that the EU and Western governments say is always the total and complete objective truth and anyone questioning it is some kind of foreign agent. By the way, von der Leyen’s “societal resilience” here really just means compliance – that everyone piles into the clown car on command so these bozos can take everyone on a joyride down Dystopian Highway towards wherever fresh Hell their hidden special interests dictate at any given time.
“Both have had enough of being “polite”. You want confrontation? Confrontation is what you’re gonna get.”
• Russia and China Have Had Enough (Pepe Escobar)
Now couple all of the above with the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, being more than explicit at a CIS summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on what the Empire of Chaos and its vassals are up to next. The four main takeaways:
1. The U.S., UK and NATO are now on Full Hybrid War mode against Russia.
2. NATO is facilitating a massive transfer of terrorists/jihadis from several latitudes to Ukraine, with some of these, especially branded ISIS-K, instrumentalized all across the Heartland. Call it a Terror Foreign Legion – which should be regarded as the SCO’s number one enemy. Bortnikov referred to “the constant rotation of militants in the Syria-Iraqi and Afghan-Pakistani zones, and the emergence of new militant training camps near the southern borders of the commonwealth.”
3. Ukraine has turned to Total Terror – complete with non-stop sabotage raids across Russia’s borders.
4. On a positive note, the Global Majority is on the move: Russia is closely cooperating, increasingly, with scores of nations in West Asia, wider Asia, Africa and Latin America.
After a series of extraordinary “coincidences” these past few weeks, from “lone gunman” assassination attempts to engineered coups, outright threats and mysterious disappearances, the whole BRICS-SCO ecosystem has to be on very high alert. After the epic Putin-Xi summit in Beijing and the stranger than fiction Raisi helicopter drama, the renewed solidity of the interlocked Russia-China-Iran strategic partnerships is pointing to Russia-China about to take their velvet gloves off. Putin and Xi, each in their own way, have already warned the collectively imbecilized West: if you want confrontation, you’re gonna get confrontation. In spades. And at your own peril.
The impeding Mother of All Tests, coming this summer, is how far NATO will go when it comes to directly attacking the Russian Federation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warns that “Europe is preparing to start a war with Russia”. Uncultured, uneducated political-military Eurotrash “elites” of course are completely incapable of understanding reality outside of their bubble. Moreover, they interpret Russian patience and legalistic approach as weakness. Well: intel sources in Moscow are now making it very clear – off the record; the response, if they try anything stupid, will be devastating.
On a BRICS level, there is a sort of last-minute attempt to defuse the incandescence. Wang Yi and President Lula’s top foreign policy advisor, Celso Amorim, have released a statement outlining a “common understanding” over an endgame in Ukraine. Essentially, the statement reads that “China and Brazil support holding an international peace conference at an appropriate time, recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation by all parties, and fair discussion of all peace plans.” The Empire of Chaos will obviously reject it. Beijing has all its attention focusing on Empire of Chaos provocations in Taiwan while Moscow focuses on NATO provocations in Ukraine. Both have had enough of being “polite”. You want confrontation? Confrontation is what you’re gonna get.
“President Trump put veterans as the number one priority,” she said. “There was a hotline where you could call the White House and have your concerns answered. He understood also, which I think is so important, that it wasn’t just the veteran, but the whole family. This affects the whole family.”
• Congressional Candidate Smiley Pushes For Better Help For Veterans (JTN)
Washington state GOP congressional candidate Tiffany Smiley said that one of her main focuses is getting veterans the help they need when they come home from serving the country and to cut through red tape. “It’s time to stand up for our country,” Smiley said on a Memorial Day special on the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “It’s time to stand up for those who so graciously served our country and have sacrificed. You know, my first wedding anniversary with Scotty…… we spent apart [because] he was in Iraq.” Smiley married her high school sweetheart Scotty, an Army veteran. In 2005, he was blinded by a suicide car bomber in Iraq. Smiley, who was a nurse, said that the experience was life changing and forced her to see the lack of care veterans and their families get. “I would walk the halls in the evening,” Smiley said when describing her time at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
“I would see soldiers alone. Some had families. Some families left. Some spouses left, and it just broke my heart. You know, I knew I could be an advocate for Scotty. But what about everyone else?” Smiley is running for Washington state’s fourth district and praised former President Donald Trump for his policies and their impact on veterans and their families. “President Trump put veterans as the number one priority,” she said. “There was a hotline where you could call the White House and have your concerns answered. He understood also, which I think is so important, that it wasn’t just the veteran, but the whole family. This affects the whole family.” Earlier this year, the Department of Veterans Affairs put patients’ safety at significant risk with a bungled rollout of its new electronic health records (EHR) system that created inaccuracies in medicine and prescription data, an internal investigation found in the latest black eye for the federal agency that cares for America’s millions of retired armed services members.
In a stinging report, the VA’s inspector general, its internal watchdog, said a complaint about prescription backlogs at a veterans’ facility in Columbus, Ohio led to the discovery of massive problems in the EHR system nationwide and it pointedly warned that some of the issues still persist. The current congressman representing Washington state is Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wa., who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. “The people of the fourth district are not happy,” Smiley said. “Dan Newhouse let us down. We are a God fearing fourth district [that] loves America and loves Trump, and they know that his policies work.” Smiley added that Newhouse put the district in a vulnerable position. “He is not going to be able to legislate with President Trump and that’s exactly why I got in this race,” she said. “We have issues in the fourth district that will require executive branch intervention and Dan Newhouse let us down.”
Organ failure
Everyone who got the vaccine is screwed pic.twitter.com/ukRUWWyeCA
— healthbot (@thehealthb0t) May 26, 2024
Bush Putin dance
https://twitter.com/i/status/1794537840639881245
Life hack
https://twitter.com/i/status/1794617392372518991
Brave Monkey
This Is One Brave Monkey pic.twitter.com/ZYnDNHMk1L
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 25, 2024
Escalator
— Out of Context Human Race (@NoContextHumans) May 25, 2024
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