Raúl Ilargi Meijer, Author at The Automatic Earth

Finland defeated the USSR in the war, said Stubb.
Well, those victories are clearly visible on the map of Finland’s lost territory. This is apparently a hint for the drug clown in Kiev on how to explain his upcoming ‘victory.’ pic.twitter.com/Ea2kjoJwol

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) September 2, 2025

List
https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1963251546386259984

The whole world – minus the collective west – in this picture pic.twitter.com/3SowKHpOik

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) September 3, 2025

“The Chinese nation is a great nation that is never intimidated by any bullies, and always values independence and forges ahead. Today, humanity again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum game.”

Xi on Victory Day pic.twitter.com/39d5wy65FF

— Pepe Escobar (@RealPepeEscobar) September 3, 2025

pop

why are so many governments all over the west not only permitting but inviting things like this where muslims engage in street prayers right in front of the vatican in what can only be described as pure flex and provocation?

and yet at the same time, they arrest christians for… pic.twitter.com/M1KrqXTfgJ

— el gato malo (@boriquagato) September 3, 2025

100
https://twitter.com/mcafeenew/status/1963030553206096288

“Reagan and Gorbachev were unwitting midwives of the liberal order. Trump and Putin are its gravediggers. Where the earlier summits opened the Cold War’s endgame, today’s dialogue marks the close of the post-Cold War era.”

• Trump and Putin Are Closing The Era That Reagan and Gorbachev Began (Lukyanov)

“There won’t be a war, but the struggle for peace will be so intense that not a stone will be left standing.” This old Soviet joke, born in the 1980s, captured the absurdity of that final Cold War decade: endless ideological cannon fire, nuclear arsenals on hair-trigger alert, and proxy wars fought on the margins. Between détente in the early 1970s and perestroika in the late 1980s, the world lived in a state of permanent tension – half-theater, half-tragedy. The Soviet leadership was old and exhausted, barely able to maintain the status quo. Across the ocean, the White House was run by a former actor, blunt and self-confident, with a taste for gallows humor. When Ronald Reagan quipped during a sound check in 1984 that he had “signed legislation outlawing Russia forever” and that “bombing begins in five minutes,” the off-air joke was truer to the spirit of the times than any prepared speech.

The official Soviet slogan was “the struggle for peace.” In Russian, it carried a deliberate ambiguity – both a promise to preserve peace and an assertion of global control. By the 1980s it had lost all meaning, becoming a cliché mouthed without conviction. Yet history has a way of circling back. Today, the “struggle for peace” has returned – and this time the stakes are even greater. By the late 1980s, both superpowers were tired. The USSR was struggling to carry the burden; the US, shaken by the crises of the 1970s, was looking for renewal. Leadership changes in Moscow – above all, Mikhail Gorbachev’s rise – triggered the most dramatic shift in world affairs since 1945. Between Geneva in 1985 and Malta in 1989, Reagan and Gorbachev held summit after summit. Their aim was to end confrontation and build a “new world order.”

In reality, Washington and Moscow understood that phrase very differently. The Soviet Union’s growing internal weakness tilted the balance of power, leaving the United States and its allies to design the order in their own image. The result was the liberal international system that has dominated ever since. That struggle for peace was, in Western terms, a success: the military threat receded, the Cold War ended, and the United States emerged as global hegemon. Four decades later, the cycle has turned. The Alaska meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in August 2025 carried faint echoes of Reagan and Gorbachev’s first encounters. Then, as now, two leaders with little mutual understanding recognized the need to keep talking. Then, as now, the personal factor mattered – the chemistry between two men who respected each other’s strength.

But the differences outweigh the parallels. Reagan and Gorbachev were unwitting midwives of the liberal order. Trump and Putin are its gravediggers. Where the earlier summits opened the Cold War’s endgame, today’s dialogue marks the close of the post-Cold War era. The resemblance lies only in timing: both moments represent turns of the historical spiral. The 1980s saw exhaustion on both sides. Now it is the United States, not Russia, that shows fatigue with a world order it once dominated. The demand for change comes above all from within America itself, just as it came from Soviet society in the 1980s. Trump consciously borrows Reagan’s slogan of “peace through strength.” In English it is straightforward; in Russian the phrase can also mean “peace maintained reluctantly, against one’s will.” Both shades of meaning suit Trump.

He makes no secret of his obsession with winning the Nobel Peace Prize, a vanity project that nevertheless reflects a real instinct: his method of diplomacy is raw pressure, even threats, until a deal is struck. Reagan’s legacy was to put America on the neoliberal path and to preside over the Cold War’s end, unintentionally becoming the father of globalization. Trump’s ambition is to roll globalization back and replace it with what he sees as a stronger America – not isolationist, but a magnet pulling in advantage from all directions. To achieve that, he too needs a world order – different from Reagan’s, but just as central to his sense of national interest. Putin’s outlook is the mirror opposite. Where Trump sees America first, Putin sees the necessity of reshaping the global order itself – of ending the period of US dominance and forcing a multipolar settlement. To him, the issue of world order is not cosmetic but existential.

No, not Reagan and Gorbachev cont’d. Sundance is talking here about the walls that separate different parts (silo’s) of the intel communnity. There are many.

• Mr. President, Tear Down These Walls (CTH)

How is it that an insignificant corner of the internet could predict the removal of the U.S. National Security Advisor, specifically as the first administration official to be removed, more than two months before Donald Trump was sworn in as President on January 20, 2025? To understand the complexity of the intelligence information flow, consider: The silo system is made up, in part, of:

The National Security Council (10+ desks, 15 staff/analysts per), the National Security Advisor to the Office of the President, the Dept of Justice National Security Division [DOJ-NSD (foreign review section, counterintelligence export control section, cyber section, counterterrorism section)], Central Intelligence Agency [(CIA), National Intelligence Council, Directorate of Analysis], Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI (Counterintelligence, Counterterrorism, WMD Directorate, Directorate of Intelligence, Cyber)], the Office of the Director of National Intelligence [ODNI (Requirements, Analysis, Collection, National Counterterrorism Center, Mission Managers)], the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Dept of Defense [DoD, (Nuclear, Chemical, Biological, Industrial, International)], the National Security Agency [NSA (Operations, Technology, Cyber], and many more.

Each agency/office is a silo, with distinct sub-silos, each with equity stakes in the information they gather, review and analyze; ultimately attributing classification level and intersecting analysis with each other agency as mission aligned. Sound ridiculous? It probably is, yet we’ve merely scratched the surface of the networks and information flows that swirl around the Office of the President. How does President Trump frame his world view? Who organizes the information that is prioritized to reach his desk? It is very easy to say, “President Trump has to know about (fill_in_blank),” without contemplating the process by which President Trump would know about (fill_in_blank). The recent remarks by President Trump, surrounding COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, should put a spotlight on this consequential dynamic.

We were all very pleased to see President Trump announce the newly formed President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), because for more than a decade we have watched how intelligence products were manipulated, shaped and constructed to create the illusion of something that was entirely false. However, we should note the same process of selecting the PIAB membership led to the previous issue of selecting former Congressman Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor. In that example, CTH predicted what would happen several months before it actually happened. There are issues of great DC interest that overlay all names and positions within the Trump administration. The subsequent behavior of NSA appointee Mike Waltz was a great reminder that sometimes those interests or judgements are not in alignment with the common MAGA priority.

Big international policy issues, like support for Israel, Ukraine support, NATO support and opinions on the threat Russia or China represents, are all part of the prism through which White House personnel references are traditionally made. When intended policy runs counter to personal ideology, conflicts arise. The policies of Wall St -vs- Main St, banking regulations, reciprocal tariffs, trade fairness, cryptocurrency and foundational economic nationalism can be challenging to align with the perspectives of the professional political class, in DC. The aspect of there being “trillions at stake” applies here, and being an outsider in DC generally comes down to financial interests and financial relationships. Then you run into the issues of the surveillance state, FISA (702) support, data collection and artificial intelligence.

In short, the interests of maintaining the status quo inside Washington DC, which may be interests carried by those in the orbit of President Trump, can stop information from reaching President Trump. As a consequence, cutting through the enmeshed interests with obvious, albeit painful truth, means delivering critical information in such a manner that, well, it cannot be refuted. We hope this is also the goal of those who have recently been outlining the background of Russiagate. However, given a history of inaction, and the stakes at hand, nothing should be taken for granted. What’s needed is a full spectrum outing of everything that took place throughout the targeting of President Trump.

“The desperate search for a “Russian footprint” in the murder of Ukrainian politician Andrey Parubiy is a symptom of terminal self-delusion.”

• The West Has A Big Problem: It Can’t Stop Lying. Even To Itself (Amar)

Power and truth are not natural allies. Indeed, every person and institution – be it a government, a company, a university, or a “think tank” – tends to lie more as they become more powerful. And those who stay weak – have no illusions – must lie, too. Otherwise they’d get trampled even worse by the powerful. The truth may well set us free, as Christ told us. But then, hardly anyone is free in this world. Yet there are real differences. Differences that matter. For instance, with regard to the question of who you can trust a little more or should trust even less. Not to speak of another, often crucial issue: Who can one support or be in solidarity with, even if usually only conditionally? One thing should be clear to anyone not perma-brainwashed out of their mind:

The worst – by far – spreader of propaganda, disinformation, fake news, call it what you wish, is the West. Easily, hands down, no contest. Examples to illustrate this simple fact so little acknowledged – in the West, that is – could be adduced ad infinitum and over centuries. From, say, selling the bloody sacking of a fellow Christian capital in 1204 as a “fourth crusade,” to spreading “free trade” and “civilization” by waging a campaign of war and opiate mass poisoning on the oldest empire and civilization around in the mid-nineteenth century, to “liberating” Libya from a functioning state, decent standards of living, and, really, a future in 2011. It makes sense that George Orwell was English and had served the British Empire as a lowly enforcer among its victims in what we now call the Global South: No one competes with the sheer, habitual, deeply ingrained “Orwellianism” of the West.

Its most recent – but certainly not the last – horrific peak performance is, of course, co-perpetrating the Gaza genocide with Israel and calling it yet another fight against “terror” or “self-defense,” while smearing those who resist as “antisemites” and “terrorists.” There is an aspect of this intense and unremitting Western addiction to lying that should not be overlooked because it plays a key role in making Western disinformation so persistently toxic: The West never acknowledges, corrects, or regrets its fake news, at least not while doing so would still make a difference. Bewailing, for instance, the “mistake” – really, enormous crime – of the Vietnam War? Maybe, a little, if there’s a self-pitying (Rambo I, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket) or squarely delusional (Rambo II) movie in it that sells.

Admitting, on the other hand, that the “Maidan Sniper Massacre” of 2014 was a mass-murderous false-flag operation conducted by ruthless Ukrainian nationalists and fascists, such as, prominently, the recently assassinated Andrey Parubiy? Definitely not. Never mind the painstakingly detailed, conclusive studies of Ukrainian-Canadian scholar Ivan Katchanovski, which are easily available as an open-access book from one of the world’s most reputable academic publishers. Because if the West were to recognize this fact, a keystone of the edifice of lies erected to justify its cynical and devastating use of Ukraine in a failed proxy war against Russia would crumble: the silly conceit that the regime change operation of 2014 was “democratic,” “from below,” and soaked in national “dignity.”

Instead we’d have to face the reality of subversion, manipulation, and the betrayal of a nation to the West’s geopolitics, which is mercilessly cruel as well as bunglingly incompetent. And then, what next: Admitting that Russia was indeed provoked, for over three decades? That the Ukrainian far right is powerful and dangerous: a hotchpotch of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and assorted other fascists which the West has “normalized” and armed beyond their wildest dreams? That Ukraine’s leader Vladimir Zelensky is a corrupt authoritarian with a dependency problem?

“A thunder shock is needed to break down the wall of lies that surrounds the framework of plausible deniability.”

• The Russiagate Problem (CTH)

According to John Solomon speaking with Devin Nunes recently, there is likely nothing much left from the files of Kash Patel at the FBI to disclose to the public, perhaps moving to the Mueller information will be the next steps.nFor most of us, bringing this storyline to the point of accountability is fraught with frustration. Here are some of the issues as they present.

The Big Problem Within Russiagate – Special Counsel John Durham previously indicted Hillary Clinton lawyer Michael Sussmann. Durham said Sussmann misled FBI investigators. The case against Sussmann resulted in an acquittal. During the trial of the Perkins Coie lawyer, depositions and testimony were given by the Clinton campaign. Campaign Manager Robby Mook admitted the Trump-Russia storyline was a false political hit constructed by the Clinton campaign and launched with the full knowledge of Hillary Clinton. Durham’s case against Sussmann was predicated on a baseline that the Clinton campaign duped the FBI into opening an investigation. This was the core of the Sussmann trial; that Michael Sussmann lied to and misled the FBI. Anyone who researched the issues already knew the FBI was not “duped” or “misled” by the information; instead, the FBI were active participants.

However, to make a case against Perkins Coie, Sussmann and Clinton, the Durham prosecution needed to pretend they didn’t know. The jury saw through the pretense and Sussmann was acquitted. At the time of the trial a few of us noted the motive presented by Durham (ie. FBI duped) had ramifications. This predicate claim essentially quashed any later criminal conspiracy as the court records highlighting how the FBI were duped would preclude any reversal of motive toward any other participant. If the FBI were duped, how could the FBI participants be criminally negligent? The Clinton team were direct. Yes, they manufactured a political smear about Trump/Russia, and yes it was all political. The people who manufactured the false claim admitted Trump-Russia was optics and false narratives. So, what? That’s politics.

The fact that the MSM did not emphasize the Clinton campaign admissions does not negate the Clinton campaign admissions, and the Durham framing of motive toward duping the FBI gave the FBI people the ‘out’. The recently released Durham annex showed the Russians were aware of the Clinton operation. The Clinton team admitted the operation, and the jury acquittal of Sussmann highlighted their opinion the FBI were not duped. That was/is the status.Against the backdrop of Clinton team essentially saying, ‘yeah, we did it’ – where is the conspiracy? From the govt perspective, the FBI investigated the political matter, then handed it to Robert Mueller who affirmed there was no Trump-Russia collusion – again, where’s the conspiracy? Boil it down. This is the factual reality facing any current effort by Main Justice to bring the narrative engineers to a position of legal accountability.

Was there criminal activity? I would argue, yes. In both the leaking of classified information to media (McCabe, Comey, Wolfe, McCord) and in the lying to the FISA court (Carter Page warrant). However, the FISA court doesn’t seem to care about the lying (for a host of reasons), including the wrist-slap to Kevin Clinesmith, and every time the leaking to the media was made an issue the DOJ declined to prosecute.The Mueller probe was used to give a patina of credibility to the false premise of Russiagate while they pursued an unspoken obstruction effort against President Trump. Weissmann wanted President Trump to obstruct a criminal investigation of Trump that was not going to find criminal activity done by Trump.

Like Clinton’s Russiagate, the Mueller investigation was built upon fraud. When asked by congress why Mueller never identified Clinton as the origin of the Russiagate matter, Robert Mueller said “it was not in my purview” to investigate Clinton’s activity. We all watched it unfold live. Everything about the Russiagate narrative and subsequent Mueller probe was built on a foundation of lies and DC corruption, and worse yet – a significant portion of the American people bought into the fraud which is still maintained because a duplicitous corporate media apparatus refuses to admit it. In many ways the Donald Trump political targeting had a similar outcome to the targeting of George Zimmerman. Both were/are transparently innocent of the accusations against them. Both were framed by false narratives sold for political benefit. However, approximately half of the American people still believe the lies despite the clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.

I strongly doubt anything can change the minds of those who believe Trayvon Martin was a teenage victim walking in the rain for Skittles and tea. Leaders in government participated in selling that lie, just like the govt participated in selling the lie of Trump-Russia collusion. Additional messaging, information releases, granular rehashing of details etc. is not going to change the dynamic. A thunder shock is needed to break down the wall of lies that surrounds the framework of plausible deniability. The cornerstone upon which Russiagate was built, was a system of surveillance and spying exploited by a corrupt President Obama administration. If we truly want to confront “Russiagate”, we need to strike directly at the heart of why Obama supported it. More very soon…

“These conditions were spelled out in Ukraine’s 1990 Declaration of Independence, and Russia and the international community used them to recognize Ukrainian statehood..”

• Lavrov Demands International Recognition Of Russia’s New Regions (RT)

Ukraine must recognize its territorial losses, guarantee the rights of the Russian-speaking population, and agree to a security arrangement that poses no threat to Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. In an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas released on Wednesday, Lavrov signaled that Russia is open to talks with Ukraine, but noted that a “durable peace” is only possible if Moscow’s territorial gains — including Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Kherson Region and Zaporozhye Region — are “recognized and formalized in an international legal manner.” The regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in public referendums in 2014 and 2022. Lavrov further asserted that peace hinges on “eradicating the underlying cause” of the conflict, which stems from NATO’s expansion and “attempts to drag Ukraine into this aggressive military bloc.”

“Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned, and nuclear-free status must be ensured. These conditions were spelled out in Ukraine’s 1990 Declaration of Independence, and Russia and the international community used them to recognize Ukrainian statehood,” the foreign minister said. Another cornerstone of a potential settlement is Kiev’s promise to ensure human rights. At present, Kiev “is exterminating everything connected with Russia, Russians, and Russian-speaking people, including the Russian language, culture, traditions, canonical Orthodoxy, and Russian-language media,” he said. He added that Ukraine “is the only country where the use of the language spoken by a significant portion of the population has been outlawed.”

Since the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, Ukraine has taken steps to sever centuries-old cultural ties with its larger neighbor through legislation outlawing statues and symbolism associated with the country’s past and by phasing out the Russian language in all spheres of life. Kiev is also cracking down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the largest Christian denomination in the country, which it accuses of maintaining links to Moscow, despite the church declaring a break with Russia in 2022. Ukraine has also rejected any territorial concessions to Russia and continues to pursue its aspiration of joining NATO.

“Each side presented its perspective on the prerequisites for ending the conflict. The heads of the delegations remain in direct contact. We expect the negotiations to continue..”

For now, this is only about “prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of the bodies of dead soldiers.”.

• Russia and Ukraine ‘In Direct Contact’ – Lavrov (RT)

Moscow and Kiev maintain “direct contact,” and the Kremlin is open to continued negotiations to resolve the conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. In an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas released on Wednesday, Lavrov confirmed that Moscow’s top priority remains settling the crisis via peaceful means, adding that it is taking concrete steps to achieve that goal. Lavrov recalled that Moscow initiated the resumption of direct Russia-Ukraine talks this spring, resulting in three rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul, Türkiye. He noted that the sides reached “certain progress,” including prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of the bodies of dead soldiers.

“Each side presented its perspective on the prerequisites for ending the conflict. The heads of the delegations remain in direct contact. We expect the negotiations to continue,” Lavrov added, without providing details regarding when the next round of talks could be expected, or what issues would be on the agenda. The foreign minister also noted that Russia and Ukraine had held talks early on in the conflict, which led to preliminary agreements on ending the hostilities, “but then the Kiev regime, following the advice of its Western handlers, walked away from a peace treaty, choosing instead to continue the war.” Moscow earlier accused then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing the peace process by advising Kiev to keep fighting. Johnson has denied the claim.

Lavrov stressed, however, that a durable peace between Moscow and Kiev “is impossible without eradicating the underlying causes of the conflict,” most notably the threats posed to Russia’s security by “NATO’s expansion and attempts to drag Ukraine into this aggressive military bloc.” “These threats must be eliminated, and a new system of security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine must be formed,” the minister said. Moscow earlier did not rule out Western security guarantees for Kiev, but on condition that they should not be “one-sided” and aimed at containing Russia. Russia has, in particular, opposed the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine under any pretext, arguing that this would be tantamount to moving NATO’s bases towards its borders.

“I have no message to President Putin. He knows where I stand, and he’ll make his decision one way or the other…”

• Trump Announces Call With Zelensky (RT)

Editor’s note: a previous report stated that President Trump would hold a call with President Putin. US President Donald Trump will hold a phone call with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, the White House has said, clarifying earlier remarks that suggested Trump was referring to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.Asked by reporters on Wednesday about the two-week deadline Trump gave Putin to meet with Zelensky, the US leader said he would hold talks “with him” in the coming days to discuss steps toward resolving the Ukraine conflict.“I’m having a conversation with him very shortly and I’ll know pretty much what we’re going to be doing,” Trump stated. A White House official later told AFP that Trump was referring to Zelensky. “They will be speaking tomorrow,” the official said.

Zelensky and European leaders said earlier in the day that they expected a call from Trump on Thursday. “We’ve already taken strong action, as you know, and in other ways as well. I’ll be talking to him in the coming days, and we’ll see what comes out of it,” Trump added. Trump has sought to end the Ukraine conflict since returning to the White House earlier this year. He held a summit with Putin in Alaska last month. The three-hour talks marked a diplomatic breakthrough, though they produced neither a ceasefire nor a formal peace deal. Trump later met with Zelensky and several European leaders, urging direct talks between Putin and Zelensky. He warned he could impose sanctions and tariffs on both Moscow and Kiev if no progress is made in resolving hostilities.

Asked on Wednesday if he had a message for Putin, Trump replied: “I have no message to President Putin. He knows where I stand, and he’ll make his decision one way or the other…” Trump said he has good relations with the Russian president, and that they would find out how strong their relationship is “over the next week or two.” Putin said on Wednesday he sees “a light at the end of the tunnel” in efforts to resolve the conflict. “We’ll see how the situation develops,” he told reporters in Beijing. The Russian leader added he is ready to host Zelensky in Moscow, but noted that the latter’s presidential term had long expired and said the Ukrainian constitution provides no mechanism for extending his powers.

“Moscow has expressed skepticism that the West is capable of causing any such outcome.”

“One would think they would not do this or that thing to avoid self-harm. But those dimwits do, pardon my words. Leading world economies are going into a recession just to spite us.”

• Germany’s Merz Demands ‘Economic Exhaustion’ of Russia (RT)

Ukraine’s Western backers should accept that military efforts against Russia are failing and should instead focus on undermining its economy, including by sanctioning its trade partners, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday. Germany remains one of Ukraine’s largest arms suppliers and has pledged long-term backing for Kiev. Despite that support, Russian forces continue to make frontline advances, Merz told the ProSiebenSat.1 media outlet. He argued that the priority should now shift toward intensifying sanctions. “We must ensure that this country, Russia, is no longer able to maintain its war economy,” he said. “In this context, I’m talking about economic exhaustion, which we must help bring about. For example, through tariffs on those who still trade diligently with Russia.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the comments on Wednesday, writing on Telegram: “Your exhausting rod is not long enough, Herr Merz.” Moscow has touted its resilience to Western sanctions as a hallmark of Russian economic sovereignty and has questioned the logic of politicians who pursue such policies. “Many of the things they do harm themselves,” President Vladimir Putin remarked at a business forum in May. “One would think they would not do this or that thing to avoid self-harm. But those dimwits do, pardon my words. Leading world economies are going into a recession just to spite us.”

Merz’s government plans to cut welfare spending and rely on credit in order to sustain Ukraine aid and increase German military expenditure. The European Union’s biggest economy has shown little growth for years, with no major improvements expected anytime soon. The rejection of Russian pipeline natural gas in an attempt to punish Moscow over the Ukraine conflict has been cited as a major factor in the decline of the competitiveness of German businesses.

7 deaths in 2 weeks, and no statement from the AfD?!

• German Elections Thrown Into ‘Immense Chaos’ After AfD Deaths Rise To 7 (ZH)

German elections in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia have been thrown into chaos ahead of a Sept. 14 election – after a spate of candidates for Germany’s right-wing AfD have died in recent weeks – with the total now at seven. And while local authorities say there is no evidence of foul play, officials are now scrambling to shred and reprint ballots as campaigns for the deceased have been suspended. According to Welt, Hans-Joachim Kind, 80, a direct candidate in the Kremenholl district, died of natural causes. There has been no cause of death disclosed for four other candidates in the region that has a population of 18 million – as police told Germany’s DPA news agency that the initial four were either from natural causes, or were not being divulged for over privacy concerns.

Ummmm what’s happening in Germany? pic.twitter.com/Y5wBfm6hDo

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 3, 2025

Two reserve candidates died following the initial four, followed by the death of Kind. The reserve candidates were René Herford, who had a pre-existing liver condition and died of kidney failure, and Patrick Tietze, who committed suicide. Now, ballots must be reprinted and successors appointed, causing what WELT described as “immense chaos.” AfD co-leader Alice Weidel reposted a claim by retired economist Stefan Homburg that the number of candidates’ deaths was “statistically almost impossible.” AfD deputy state chairman in North Rhine-Westphalia, Kay Gottschalk, told WELT, that “We will, of course, investigate these cases with the necessary sensitivity and care,” however there is “no indication” that this is “murder or anything similar,” as some of the deceased had “pre-existing medical conditions.”

The party – which Germany’s domestic spy agency classified as a ‘right-wing extremist organization’ in May, grew to Germany’s second-largest in February’s federal elections, before pausing that description due to an appeal pending in court. In 2022, AfD polled at just 5.4% in a region that’s home to Germany’s industrial base in the Ruhr valley – and which has suffered steep job losses. Now, the party polled at 16.8% in state federal elections last February, while more recent polls suggest the party could nearly match that today. “Either Germany votes AfD, or it is the end of Germany,” said tech billionaire Elon Musk, who threw his support behind AfD in recent days.

“.. the private economy is contracting at 4–5%. Calling this a recession would be euphemistic — we are in a depression.”

• EU Accelerating Toward Collapse (Kolbe)

The Chancellor seems to have collided with reality during the summer break. Merz sees the German social system in deep crisis. Meanwhile, his political allies in Brussels are calling for an increase in the very dose of poison that is making Europe sick. Let’s be blunt: Large parts of the political elite have a fractured relationship with reality. This applies equally to the economic decay of Germany and the EU, as well as to the public communication of strategic political goals, which are systematically obscured. Open criticism of the course could cause the political fairy tale to collapse faster than reality seeps into public opinion.All the more remarkable are the warning words of Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his Saturday appearance at the CDU state party conference in Lower Saxony. “I am not satisfied with what we have achieved so far – it must be more, it must be better.”

Hear that! A faint tremor of self-criticism from the Chancellor. Rare, indeed. Yet the statement raises the question: what exactly does Merz mean by “achievements”? Is he referring to the so-called investment booster, supposedly providing marginal relief to the German economy while it teeters on collapse? Or does he mean the massive debt packages and widening financing gaps, most likely to be closed with tax hikes? In his speech in Osnabrück, Merz later spoke unusually clearly about the state of the welfare system: “The welfare state, as we have it today, is no longer financially sustainable given what we can deliver economically.” A blunt diagnosis, leaving little to be desired in clarity. There was, however, no mention of a market-oriented turn, trust in individual solutions, personal responsibility, or rapid bureaucratic reduction. The message seems to be: stay the course.

Merz also spoke unequivocally about citizen welfare payments: it cannot continue like this. 5.6 million people receive the payments. Many could work but do not, he said. A reality that politics usually avoids. A tentative attempt to openly name the precarious state of German social insurance. In times when political sugar-coating is routine, it’s almost a stroke of luck when a leading politician at least partially acknowledges economic realities. Have the latest economic data perhaps shaken Merz and his colleagues in Berlin? GDP shrank again in the second quarter, and the outlook remains bleak. With the state intervening via massive credit programs and new debt hitting about 3.5% this year, the private economy is contracting at 4–5%. Calling this a recession would be euphemistic — we are in a depression.

Hard to see the Supreme Court take sides against Trump, but this looks vague enough: “..a 1977 law that authorizes the president to impose necessary economic sanctions during an emergency to combat an “unusual and extraordinary threat..”

• Trump Escalates Tariff Fight To Supreme Court, Seeks Expedited Review (ZH)

President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to maintain his tariffs after a lower court invalidated them. “The Federal Circuit’s decision casts doubt upon the President’s most significant economic and foreign-affairs policy—a policy that implicates sensitive, ongoing foreign negotiations and urgent national-security concerns,” wrote Solicitor General D. John Sauer in the DOJ’s Supreme Court petition, which has yet to be publicly docketed but was obtained by The Hill. Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit struck down most of Trump’s tariffs in a 7-4 decision – finding that the president can’t use emergency powers to enact levies on various trading partners.

The admin has asked the SCOTUS to expedite their review – and has asked for an announcement by next Wednesday as to whether the highest court in the land will take up the dispute and schedule oral arguments for the first week in November. Several small businesses and Democratic-led states who filed the lawsuit in question say they have no problem with the Supremes taking up the case or the expedited schedule. The tariffs will remain in place until the Supreme Court decides. Trump slapped various significant tariffs on countries around the world – largely doing so by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 law that authorizes the president to impose necessary economic sanctions during an emergency to combat an “unusual and extraordinary threat,” The Hill notes.

Citing an emergency over fentanyl, Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico dating back to February. He later invoked the law for his “Liberation Day” tariffs, citing an emergency over trade deficits to issue levies on goods from dozens of countries. Trump’s tariffs face roughly a dozen lawsuits across the country. The battle at the Supreme Court comes in response to two underlying cases filed by a group of small businesses and Democratic state attorneys general. “Both federal courts that considered the issue agreed that IEEPA does not give the President unchecked tariff authority,” said Liberty Justice Center senior counsel, Jeffrey Schwab, an attorney on the case. “We are confident that our legal arguments against the so- called “Liberation Day” tariffs will ultimately prevail.”

“These unlawful tariffs are inflicting serious harm on small businesses and jeopardizing their survival. We hope for a prompt resolution of this case for our clients.” The Trump administration, meanwhile, has warned the courts not to second-guess his decision as it will undermine his ability to use tariffs as leverage in negotiating trade deals.

“..we’ll be interested in seeing whether the Treasury market comes under any further pressure if the US has to hand back already received tariff revenues..”

• White House Has Backup Strategy If Trump’s Tariffs Are Overturned: Bessent (ET)

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the White House has plenty of tools at its disposal to implement President Donald Trump’s global tariffs if the Supreme Court does not uphold his use of a 1977 emergency powers law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled 7–4 on Aug. 29 against the current administration’s decision to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as justification for levies on foreign goods unveiled in April. The court’s decision does not take effect until Oct. 14, allowing the White House ample time to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. The IEEPA grants the president broad authority to regulate international economic transactions—regulating imports and exports, freezing foreign assets, or halting financial transactions—after declaring a national emergency.

In a Labor Day interview with Reuters, Bessent stated that while he is confident the high court will uphold the president’s reciprocal tariff agenda, the administration has various options available. “I’m confident the Supreme Court … will uphold the president’s authority to use IEEPA. And there are lots of other authorities that can be used—not as efficient, not as powerful,” Bessent said. He referred to Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, also known as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. It contains a trade provision that authorizes the president to impose new tariffs or additional duties of up to 50 percent on foreign products entering the United States for a period of five months if they are determined to threaten domestic commerce.

Bessent said he is planning a legal brief for the U.S. Solicitor General to highlight the urgency of stopping the flow of fentanyl into the country. Pointing to the approximately 70,000 fentanyl-linked deaths per year in the United States, he questioned what would be considered an emergency. “If this is not a national emergency, what is?“ he said. ”When can you use IEEPA if not for fentanyl?”

The senior administration official also intends to argue that persistent trade imbalances will ultimately reach a critical threshold, triggering more immense consequences for the U.S. economy.“We’ve had these trade deficits for years, but they keep getting bigger and bigger,” he said. “We are approaching a tipping point … so preventing a calamity is an emergency.” The last time the United States registered a trade surplus was in 1975. In July, the U.S. goods trade deficit widened by $18.7 billion to $103.6 billion, the largest gap in four months. Imports rose by more than 7 percent to $281.5 billion while exports dipped 0.1 percent to $178 billion.

Long-term U.S. Treasury yields popped on Sept. 2, driven by concerns that the federal government will be forced to repay tariff income and forego potentially trillions of dollars in tariff revenues. Yields on the 20- and 30-year government bonds surged about 5 basis points to around 4.92 percent and 4.98 percent, respectively. “Global trading partners will no doubt find it premature to be celebrating just yet, but we’ll be interested in seeing whether the Treasury market comes under any further pressure if the US has to hand back already received tariff revenues,” ING economists said in a Sept. 1 note. In this fiscal year, the federal government has collected $183.1 billion in tariff revenues, including $31 billion in August.

He sees a way to win.

• Farage Vows Mass Deportations in UK (Salgado)

Nigel Farage, who aims to be the prime minister of Great Britain, has promised to deport all of the illegal aliens in the UK if he comes to power. “I will deport every single one of them, and that’ll win me the election,” the British politician, head of Reform UK, declared on American television. Unfortunately, because Britain has a parliamentary system, it is even more difficult to vote bad people out of office and good people into power there than it is in America. Farage cannot simply win an election to become prime minister the same way Americans elect their president. However, if Farage does somehow succeed in taking power, he has some ambitious plans for reclaiming his country from the waves of mass migration that threaten to overwhelm it.

Farage went on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News to discuss his goals and strategies for winning elections. And he is certain that mass deportations are a winning message for British voters tired of taking a backseat to violent foreigners. Hannity asked Farage, “One of the biggest issues you are debating is one that Donald Trump ran on here, and he has followed through on. He has secured our southern border. He is deporting criminal aliens. Over a million and a half illegal immigrants have left the country since he’s become president. Tell me what your platform would be on immigration, and do you believe that is the winning formula for you to be the next prime minister and live at 10 Downing Street?”

Farage immediately answered, “Young men come into our country on small dinghies across the English Channel. They throw their passports and iPhones into the sea when they reach the 12 mile line, they come in. They get put in four star hotels. They get three meals a day. And you know what? We don’t know who they are. They pose a threat to our national security. I will deport every single one of them, and that’ll win me the election, oh yes.” Unfortunately, the current UK government just won its court appeal to allow a horde of asylum seekers — that is, unvetted illegal aliens — to remain in an infamous Epping hotel at taxpayer expense. The hotel became a focal point of protests after one of the supposed “asylum seekers” faced accusations of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Slogans at the protest, which drew thousands of people, included “save our kids” and “send them home.”

Labour Member of Parliament Bridget Phillipson responded to a question as to whether she thought the supposed rights of the illegal aliens were more important than the rights of the local citizens in Epping, and said, “Yes, of course we do.” I suppose she gets points for honesty, but not for anything else. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the UK government seems to agree with her. Hopefully, Farage can indeed successfully inspire such a popular movement in Britain that he and his party will ride to victory in the next election.

“..as the Speaker said, there are 34,000 pages — we’re doing everything we can to get those uploaded. We want those to be public as soon as possible.”

• Epstein Files Drop: The Left’s Trump Smear Campaign Just Collapsed (Margolis)

Democrats and Republicans have spent weeks demanding the release of the Epstein files. Well, now they’ve got them. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer confirmed that the long-awaited document dump is officially underway, pledging unprecedented transparency and accountability. “Just to give a quick update: I think everyone knows who we’ve subpoenaed thus far in the initial batch,” Comer said. “We subpoenaed six former Attorneys General as well as Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.” Comer confirmed that the scope has since expanded to include former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who oversaw a controversial plea deal for Epstein years ago. “Acosta is coming in, I believe, September the 16th or 19th,” Comer said. “We’ve got that date down. I know that we’ll have a lot of questions for him with respect to an earlier Epstein prosecution that he was involved in when he was U.S. Attorney.”

The chairman also revealed that tens of thousands of pages of records are now in the committee’s possession. “We have the documents — the initial batch that had been sent by the White House. As you know, we also subpoenaed Pam Bondi for those documents. The White House is working with us — I want to publicly thank the White House for turning over so many documents thus far,” he explained. “We’re in the process of uploading those documents for full transparency, so everyone in America can see them,” Comer said. “As quick as we can get them uploaded — as the Speaker said, there are 34,000 pages — we’re doing everything we can to get those uploaded. We want those to be public as soon as possible.” Those pages have since been released.

Comer stressed that the investigation is far from over. “We’re gonna continue to bring in more people. We learned of some additional names today. We’re gonna do everything we can to give the American public the transparency they seek, as well as provide accountability in memory of the victims who have already passed away, as well as those that were in the room, and many others who haven’t come forward.”Comer noted that the committee’s most recent session was remarkably unified. “This was a two-and-half hour discussion. It was as bipartisan as anything I’ve seen in the nine years I’ve been here,” he said. “I appreciate the Speaker for giving us the authority to seek out everything that I think you all want, and the people that I talk to, as I travel America, want. We’re going to do everything we can to get the answers and to do it as soon as possible.”

For years, Democrats quietly hoped they could weaponize the Epstein saga into a Trump scandal, and have failed repeatedly. But with Comer’s committee now unloading tens of thousands of pages for the world to see, that narrative is dead on arrival. Democrats never released the files when they controlled Congress or the White House. Why not? Let’s face it, for the left, this document dump is a gut punch. The smears collapse in the daylight, and the only people with reason to sweat now are the Democrats’ longtime allies connected to Epstein.

A press conference to -not- talk about what they’ve been barred from talking about.

• Epstein Victims Hold a Strange Press Conference in Washington, DC (CTH)

Twice the Trump DOJ has asked the courts to permit the release of names associated with the case against Jeffrey Epstein and the victims of sex trafficking therein. Twice the courts have denied the Trump administration the ability to release the sealed Grand Jury records. [August 20th] and [July 23rd] Most of the various victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation have previously been paid victim compensation amid various lawsuits including a substantial $290 million financial settlement from JPMorgan Bank in 2023, one of the financial institutions used by Epstein. These lawsuits resulted in what has been reported as ‘various non-disclosure agreements’ (NDAs), which the victims signed.

After the DOJ and congress has released all of the available files, and with various courts refusing to break the seals on names and files within grand jury records, and against the background of multiple victims receiving considerable previous compensation, a group of Epstein victims held a press conference in Washington, DC today demanding the sealed names and NDA covered names be released. The victims would not, most likely because they legally cannot, discuss the names; but they did say they would compile another private list of names of the people to whom they were trafficked. What the purpose of that private list would be is unknown. The entire thing now seems really weird. WATCH:

Some have claimed a comprehensive list of the names in grand jury files or prior lawsuits would include Donald Trump. However, it seems ridiculous to make that assertion given the profile of President Trump in 2016 and 2024. If there was any risk to President Trump, the Clinton campaign would have exploited that vulnerability during the height of the MeToo movement in 2016. Assuredly, even without Clinton, the Kamala Harris campaign would have used that narrative in 2024. Neither political opposition effort ever engaged in such a claim. The Occam’s Razor review of the current state of Epstein victims’ status, is one that points toward extortion. The victims having previously signed agreements, would be at legal risk to violate their various NDAs. However, for the purposes of structuring a political narrative, there are likely revenue sources willing to fund an ongoing victim narrative.

I suspect the lawyers representing the victims in the video (press conference) are likely compensated by the same entities who fund large domestic political operations. The “Republicans” who align with the intention of the efforts, seem to hold a commonality with the same financial interests behind former Republican candidate Ron DeSantis. The victims now seem more akin to political operatives looking for some kind of secondary payday by maintaining a story they are not legally permitted to advance in specific ways. The victim group continually says they will not name the people to whom they were trafficked, which is strange considering the high visibility of their performance and their obvious demand to release grand jury names that could be settled by their own statements releasing names.

Additionally, their claims of imminent fear do not resonate truthfully against the backdrop of their quite happy presentation. The DC event seems like a leverage game of sorts, with some financial benefit as the goal for the victims. For the DC politicians, perhaps a construct to position themselves for some electoral benefit. All of it rather unseemly. There also appears to be a media management operation happening with the group. MSNBC appearance below:

Tulsi risks her public record becoming a broken record. At some point, people want more than “Clapper and Brennan are baddies” every day. They want them indicted.

• Gabbard Unloads With Both Barrels on Brennan and Clapper (Adams)

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday again decried those working within the government “who believe that they have the right to undermine the duly elected president of the United States because they disagree with his positions or his policies, and that they know better.” In a speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, Gabbard argued that government officials’ “sole focus must be on serving the American people and upholding the Constitution.” In her remarks, Gabbard criticized by name one of her predecessors as director of national intelligence, James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan.

“For me to be here as the eighth director of national intelligence and uncover how James Clapper and others like John Brennan manufactured intelligence to try to undermine President [Donald] Trump’s administration and presidency, and the voices of the American people, and then go back to the founding of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that came about as a result of the terrorist attack on 9/11 and the manufacturing of intelligence to support the regime-change war in Iraq that George Bush led is an interesting bookend,” the former congresswoman from Hawaii said. Gabbard also decried parts of the surveillance state perpetrated on the American people, contending it was abused by some federal officials. “We’ve seen other examples—those that we know of, there are many others that I believe we don’t yet know of—how leaders in the intelligence community and the FBI knowingly use false information to gain FISA warrants to illegally spy on American citizens,” the ODNI chief said.

“These are just a few of, unfortunately, what is a long list of known examples of politicization and weaponization that all point to the truth that many of us here in this room know, which is that the rot runs deep, and it’s not just in the intelligence community,” she said. “I’ve seen examples of this across almost every federal agency, and so it requires us all to confront the uncomfortable truth that we have these conspiracy conspirators, these traitors to the Constitution, who are working within our government, who dangerously believe that they are not only above the law, but that they are above the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” Gabbard continued. Gabbard, 44, a former Democrat-turned-Republican, argued that these rogue government employees are hurting the American form of government.

“It undermines our Constitution, our democratic republic, if we have people within our government who are not the president of the United States, who are not elected by the American people, taking it upon themselves to undermine, ultimately, the American people and the Constitution,” she said. The intelligence chief urged a reorientation of American life and governance to pursuing truth. “I’m grateful to serve in this position, grateful to President Trump for entrusting me with this mission to truly seek the truth, find the truth and tell the truth to the American people, so that true accountability and true change, lasting change can come about,” she explained. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free,” Gabbard concluded, quoting John 8:32 from the Bible.

Box
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1963165423739732163

Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill bird in flight pic.twitter.com/xvlCfWRoMX

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) September 2, 2025

Donkey

The donkey comes to its owner in the morning to hug him. pic.twitter.com/KGZ1kWG4Uc

— The Figen (@TheFigen_) September 3, 2025

Pigs

🇨🇳’s next secret weapon against desertification? 100,000 PIGS! 🐖🌵
For decades, trees & tech fought the desert—now pigs are joining the battle! These oinking eco-heroes improve soil, save water & regrow grass naturally. A brilliant accidental discovery is making a huge impact🌿 pic.twitter.com/Xc17xHmO3z

— Natie🇨🇳🇷🇺🇵🇸 (@Natie2Natie) September 3, 2025

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Debt Rattle September 3 2025

Sep 032025

September 3, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 10:06 am Finance Tagged with: AfD, California, CDC, Gazprom, Giuliani, GPS, Israel, Nadler, National Guard, penguin, Power of Siberia 2 51 Responses »

Cy Twombly Fifty Days at Iliam: Like a Fire that Consumes All before It 1978

• ‘Western Liberal Dictatorships’ Spreading Hate In The World – Moscow (RT)

• Did You Notice The EU Just Lost Its Gas Lifeline? (RT)

• The West Has Just Been Given A Rude Awakening (Amar)

• Gazprom Chief Reports Progress On ‘World’s Biggest Project’ With China (RT)

• Russia, China and North Korea ‘Conspiring’ Against US – Trump (RT)

• Are Ukrainian Vigilantes Rising Up Against The Kiev Regime? (Romanenko)

• Von der Leyen Is Lying About Russian GPS Interference (MoA)

• Why Can’t We End the War on Drugs? (Pinsker)

• CNBC Just Spilled the Awful Truth About California (Green)

• Trump Epically Trolls Biden Again (Margolis)

• This Explosive Revelation Could Bury Lisa Cook (Jeff Charles)

• Israel Had ‘Total Control’ Over Congress – Trump (RT)

• Democrat Judge Rules Trump Deployment of National Guard To LA Was Illegal (ZH)

• Woke Rats Jump Ship As Trump Puts CDC Under A Microscope (ZH)

• The Penguin Quits – Fast Action Needed (CTH)

• Trump to Give Giuliani Presidential Medal of Freedom (Salgado)

https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1962678023959761031

JUST IN: Ilhan Omar reported a negative net worth of -$45,000 when she was first elected to Congress in 2019.

Her latest financial disclosure from May 2025 shows a net worth of up to $30 Million.

That’s a 66,676% increase in 6 years. pic.twitter.com/hDhyMCVt0K

— Bad Hombre (@joma_gc) September 2, 2025

NAVARRO: “Trump got lied to … not just by Fauci but by Pfizer … They didn't disclose the side effects of that [COVID vaccine] and they weren't clear with him. They made him think that it was a true vaccine, when it's not. It's mRNA technology.” pic.twitter.com/AsFqAy1FuR

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) September 2, 2025

Siberia2

https://twitter.com/mog_russEN/status/1962775725402136920

France
https://twitter.com/Megatron_ron/status/1962810022586466400

AfD

The death count of opposition party AfD politicians standing for local elections in the German state of North-Rhine Westfalia has risen to 6. What's the probability that this happens by chance? https://t.co/itdgwWPLke

— Richard Werner (@scientificecon) September 2, 2025

A total of SIX AfD politicians died in the lead-up to elections in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Not saying I know what is happening here, but usually I subscribe to the general thought that there is no such thing as a coincidence in this world, but that evil is very much real. pic.twitter.com/hfTgiWHrco

— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) September 2, 2025

Elon

ELON: CHINA’S TALENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE OUTPACE THE U.S.

“The sheer number of smart, hardworking people in China is incredible – far more than here, in my opinion.

They’ve got a lot of energy, and their architecture is far more impressive than the US.

The train stations, the… pic.twitter.com/nCrcVjrWBA

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 1, 2025

Nap Scott

i wonder how many Westerners recognize themselves in this.

“Russia is determined to preserve the memory of WWII, as well as defend international law and “the true values that our world is built on.”

• ‘Western Liberal Dictatorships’ Spreading Hate In The World – Moscow (RT)

Moscow is committed to countering the xenophobia promoted by the West, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RT. She made the remarks as President Vladimir Putin concluded his four-day visit to China by attending a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II. She argued that efforts by some politicians and media outlets to downplay or “distort” the victory of Russia and China in World War II show that “fascism, Nazism, racism, and xenophobia have not been completely eradicated.”

“These were the views our country fought against 80 years ago, and we are still confronting them on the international stage today,” she said. Zakharova added that Russia is determined to preserve the memory of WWII, as well as defend international law and “the true values that our world is built on.” “They haven’t yet been crippled by the Western liberal dictatorships that try to sway us towards a distorted understanding of people,” she said.

Europe built its entire existence on this for 50+ years. Now they’ve given it all away, “inspired” by some weird kind of Russophobia, or Putinphobia perhaps. And it’s not coming back, if they have second thoughts. It was sold to China in a binding agreement. They will have to replace it with US LNG at 4-5 times the price.

“Self-deindustrializing” is an apt term. When the current grossly unpopular leaders have been chased out of their plush seats, their successors will be left with a third world continent. You want me to believe this was NOT done intentionally? I find that hard.

• Did You Notice The EU Just Lost Its Gas Lifeline? (RT)

The EU’s cheap-gas lifeline just got handed to Beijing instead. With three signatures, Russia, China and Mongolia rerouted half a century of energy history eastward. On Tuesday, the three countries signed a legally binding memorandum for the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline – a roughly 2,600-km line, at an estimated cost of around $13.6 bn, that will carry 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas every year through Mongolia into northern China’s industrial heartland. While the pricing structure has yet to be fixed, the signatories have effectively redrawn the European energy map. For decades, this gas was the bedrock of German and Western European industry, piped from Russia’s Yamal fields in the Arctic through Nord Stream 1 directly into Germany. Now, that same supply is being redirected east.

Isn’t there already a pipeline? Yes. Power of Siberia 1, which came online in 2019, snakes east from Yakutia into northeastern China. What makes this deal different? Power of Siberia 2 is different: it will run a more direct route through Mongolia, which will gain access to the gas, tapping the very Yamal fields in western Siberia that once connected to Germany through the Nord Stream and Yamal-Europe pipelines, as well as transit revenues. Unlike POS1, which sources Russia’s Asian-facing fields, POS2 will draw gas from Arctic reserves that once fed Europe’s factories.

In other words, it closes the chapter of Europe as the main customer for Russian gas and hard-wires China as the new anchor market. What’s the timeline? The memorandum is binding but still vague. Key details such as pricing formulas, financing structures, and construction deadlines have not been finalized. One thing is clear though: once the backbone of EU’s growth, the gas will instead be sent into pipelines running east through Mongolia to China. For Brussels and Berlin, it’s not just a loss of supply but a structural break: the age of cheap Siberian gas for Europe is over.

Europe's fate sealed. China gets low-cost, dependable Russian pipeline gas that once upon a time powered Europe/Germany. Mongolia benefits via transit. Ukraine used to benefit via transit.

"Russia’s gas giant Gazprom PJSC has signed a legally binding agreement to build the Power… pic.twitter.com/20QYlZf3Y0

— Alex Christoforou (@AXChristoforou) September 2, 2025

As well as as the Power of Siberia 2 signing, Moscow also pledged to boost flows on existing lines. POS1 volumes will rise from 38 to 44 billion cubic meters a year – roughly a quarter of what the EU once bought from Russia. Russia’s Far Eastern route, piping gas in from the Sakhalin mega-projects, will rise from 10 to 12 billion cubic meters – about a tenth of what Europe used to purchase from Moscow annually. But the big figure is Power of Siberia 2: 50 billion cubic meters annually, slightly less than the Nord Stream 1 pipeline once carried into Germany before it was blown up. Add it all together and China will be importing over 100 billion cubic meters of Russian gas every year – volumes comparable to the flows that for decades underpinned Europe’s industrial base.

For the EU, the symbolism is brutal. The same Arctic molecules that drove the post-war boom and kept German factories competitive are now earmarked for China. The EU attempted to cut itself off from Russian supply after 2022, in a rupture that was allegedly tacitly backed by NATO. Since then, the bloc has been forced to buy US LNG at much higher prices than Russian pipeline gas, triggering an energy price crisis across the bloc and helping drive Germany into recession. With Power of Siberia 2 signed, the option of reversing course and reconnecting Europe to Russian gas has effectively vanished.

“..it will amplify and cement a massive shift in the flow of affordable Russian energy, away from lustily self-deindustrializing NATO-EU Europe to dynamic China and Asia.”

• The West Has Just Been Given A Rude Awakening (Amar)

Oswald Spengler, eccentric German arch-conservative, brilliant author of “The Decline of the West,” and proud pessimist extraordinaire (“optimism is cowardice”), could also be rather woke: You will find no more disdainful scorn or biting derision for the West’s navel-gazing than his. Skewering the Occident’s “provincial presuppositions,” naïve vanity, and self-crippling narrow-mindedness, Spengler dismissed its compulsive solipsism as producing a “prodigious optical illusion” of self-importance. Today, a little over a hundred years after these observations, Spengler would feel grimly vindicated. The string of international events – on a scale from “remarkable” to “game-changing” – that has just unfolded first at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, then around Beijing’s massive 80th-anniversary World War II victory parade, should bring home to even the most somnambulant inhabitant of the Western mainstream media bubble two key facts about our world as it really is.

First, a new global order centered on Eurasia (minus a small, odd, and dismal peninsula, compulsively fixated on the Atlantic and masochistically obedient to the US) and the Global South is emerging unstoppably. China’s President Xi Jinping made clear in Tianjin that its custodians will relegate the West’s farcical “rules-based international order,” this ugly aberration that has facilitated the Gaza genocide and other mass crimes, to the rubbish heap of history. And second, the West is missing its chance to play a role in shaping what is coming after its half-delusional and entirely brutal “unipolar moment.” Stuck in self-defeating complacency, as illustrated by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s bigoted dismissal of the SCO meeting as a “performative” get-together of “bad actors,” current Western establishments are determined to keep self-marginalizing.

In Slovak leader’s Robert Fico’s apt terms, most of the Western leadership will go on playing “frog at the bottom of the well,” all too happy to live without a clue. Maybe that’s all for the better: It is hard to see them make a sincere contribution to a world built on “sovereign equality,” “international rule of law,” and “multilateralism” (Xi Jinping), “valid and unshakable” UN principles (Russia’s Vladimir Putin), and a type of “connectivity” that respects “sovereignty and territorial integrity” (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi).

In this regard, one of the two most spectacular developments in Beijing has been that China and Russia are now getting close to constructing one of the most ambitious pipeline projects in history: The Power of Siberia 2, connecting Russian gas fields to China via Mongolia, “could,” Bloomberg admits, “redefine the global gas trade,” including, the Financial Times points out, that of the LNG-trading US, Australia, and Qatar. That is an understatement. At a projected capacity of 50 billion cubic meters per year for at least 30 years, Power of Siberia 2 will affect all of the above. In essence, it will amplify and cement a massive shift in the flow of affordable Russian energy, away from lustily self-deindustrializing NATO-EU Europe to dynamic China and Asia.

“The Power of Siberia 2 project, which transits Mongolia, moved forward after the participants signed a “legally binding memorandum..”

• Gazprom Chief Reports Progress On ‘World’s Biggest Project’ With China (RT)

Russia and China have advanced plans for the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline, which will transit Russian gas from Siberia to the Asian powerhouse, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller said Tuesday. Miller is in China this week as part of a Russian delegation led by President Vladimir Putin, who on Tuesday met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh for trilateral talks in Beijing. At the meeting Xi highlighted the importance of “hard connectivity” through cross-border infrastructure for shared development. The Power of Siberia 2 project, which transits Mongolia, moved forward after the participants signed a “legally binding memorandum,” Miller told reporters. The project will be the “biggest, largest-scale and capital-intensive project in the world’s gas industry,” Miller said.

Power of Siberia 2 is intended to connect gas fields of western Siberia with consumers in western China. The section passing through Mongolia, known as the Soyuz Vostok pipeline, would also allow supplies to be sold to Mongolian buyers. Talks on the pipeline have been underway since at least 2006, with route options and pricing terms repeatedly debated. Officials said the project is expected to deliver 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually for at least 30 years. China has become the leading buyer of Russian pipeline gas after the European Union declared reliance on Russian energy a threat to its member states and moved to cut imports. The EU’s policy shift – promoted as a response to Moscow’s role in the Ukraine conflict – aligned with long-time US efforts to boost American liquefied natural gas exports to Europe.

The Power of Siberia 1 pipeline, which was launched in 2019, has already delivered over 100 billion cubic metres of gas to China from eastern Siberia. Miller said Moscow and Beijing have agreed to significantly increase the supplies. Gas presently being delivered to China – and to Mongolia in the future – is objectively cheaper than supplies previously sent to Europe thanks to shorter transportation routes, Miller noted.

But I thought Little Rocket Man was your friend?!

• Russia, China and North Korea ‘Conspiring’ Against US – Trump (RT)

President Donald Trump has accused China, Russia and North Korea of conspiring against the United States. He made the remarks on his Truth Social platform during a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday marking the victory over Japan in World War II. “Many Americans died in China’s quest for Victory and Glory. I hope they are rightfully honored and remembered for their bravery and sacrifice!” Trump wrote. He also wished Chinese President Xi Jinping “a great and lasting day of celebration.” “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against the United States of America,” he added.

Trump did not attend the celebrations in Beijing, which are said to be the largest in decades. US relations with both China and Russia remain strained by his trade war, sanctions, and the Ukraine conflict. Trump met with Putin in Alaska last month as part of his push to mediate a ceasefire in Ukraine. Although there were no breakthroughs, both sides hailed the summit as a positive step.China and Russia have repeatedly accused the US of trying to impose its will on the global stage and denounced what they call “unilateral” sanctions. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Monday, Xi renewed his call to end the “Cold War mentality” and to work toward building an “equitable” system of international relations.

“Far-right politician Andrey Paribuy was killed not by a Russian agent, but by a grieving father desperate for justice..”

• Are Ukrainian Vigilantes Rising Up Against The Kiev Regime? (Romanenko)

When the news broke that a suspect had been arrested in the assassination of former Rada speaker, far-right Maidan figure Andrey Parubiy, much of the initial discussion revolved around Russia. Ukrainian authorities are predictably looking for a “Russian footprint.” But the suspect’s own words tell a very different story – a story of a grieving father who turned his despair into violence, and in doing so, revealed a deeper crisis within Ukrainian society itself.The man accused of murdering Parubiy, one Mikhail Stselnikov, is not a shadowy foreign agent, but a Ukrainian whose son went missing in the war against Russia. His confession was blunt: his act was driven by personal revenge against the Ukrainian authorities. He says he chose Parubiy because he lived nearby, and he would’ve chosen former president Petro Poroshenko if that were more convenient.

This choice of target is not random: these are men who, since the 2014 Maidan revolution, took Ukraine down the path the path toward confrontation with Russia, NATO aspirations, and ultimately, a devastating war.For this father, the tragedy is bitterly ironic. His son died fighting the Russians, yet he places blame not on Moscow, but on his own government. His child became a casualty not of “Putin’s aggression,” but of decisions made by Kiev’s political elite a decade earlier. In killing Parubiy, a key figure of the Maidan, he struck at the heart of the establishment that, in his view, had condemned his son to die.,This crime cannot be brushed aside as the madness of one man. It speaks to a growing disillusionment among Ukrainians, who have borne the brunt of the war’s human cost. Forced conscriptions, brutalized bystanders dragged from streets into military vans, families torn apart by mobilization – such practices have deepened anger at the government.

Even more painful is the perception that Kiev drags its feet on prisoner exchanges and the recovery of fallen soldiers’ remains. For parents like Stselnikov, this adds a layer of cruelty to an already unbearable loss. It is not only that their children die; it is that the state remains indifferent to their suffering.Polling data backs up this mood. According to a survey by Rating Group in August 2025, a staggering 82% of Ukrainians now favor negotiations with Russia, while only 11% support continuing the war. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky commands just 35% support. Ukrainians are exhausted, embittered, and increasingly view their leaders not as protectors but as obstacles to peace.Answering reporters’ questions in the courtroom, Stselnikov said: “I want to be judged quickly, exchanged as a prisoner of war, and go to Russia to look for my son’s body.”

These words should chill anyone who still clings to the narrative of a united Ukraine standing firm against Russia. Here is a man who fought no battles but lost everything – and he trusts Russia, the supposed enemy, more than his own government. He admitted to having been in contact with Russians while searching for his son, but he insisted they did not influence his crime. His grievance was not geopolitical but deeply personal: a loss compounded by his own state’s callousness. In the absence of hard evidence, Ukrainian officials defaulted to the familiar refrain of Russian involvement. Police chief Ivan Vyhivskyi hinted at it, but the very vagueness of the accusation betrays its weakness. If there was any clear indication the Kremlin had orchestrated this assassination, one would expect Ukraine’s leadership to loudly seize upon it. Instead, the rhetoric has been strangely subdued.

This muted response suggests what many Ukrainians already suspect: blaming Russia here is a fig leaf. It deflects attention from the uncomfortable truth that this killing was a homegrown act of despair. The system created by Ukraine’s post-Maidan elites is now cracking from within.The death of Andrey Parubiy at the hands of an ordinary Ukrainian grieving father points to the alienation of the people from their government. The legitimacy of Zelensky’s administration, already battered by polling numbers and public resentment, is further eroded when citizens believe Moscow to be is more trustworthy than Kiev. A regime that forces its sons to die, fails to return their bodies, and silences the grief of their families cannot endure such wounds forever. Ukraine’s leaders would do well to heed this message – before more fathers decide that revenge is the only way left to be heard.

“GPS navigation is based on receiving radio signals from satellites. There is no way to selectively block or disturb these for just a single receiver..”

• Von der Leyen Is Lying About Russian GPS Interference (MoA)

There is reason why the name of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is often mangled into von der Lying. She is notoriously negligent with facts. Here she is caught outright lying to spread fake anti-Russian propaganda. When I read the headline below, first published by the Financial Times, I immediately thought that something was very wrong with it. Ursula von der Leyen’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS interference (archived) – FT, Sep 1 2025 “A suspected Russian interference attack targeting Ursula von der Leyen disabled GPS navigation services at a Bulgarian airport and forced the European Commission president’s plane to land using paper maps. A jet carrying von der Leyen to Plovdiv on Sunday afternoon was deprived of electronic navigational aids while on approach to the city’s airport, in what three officials briefed on the incident said was being treated as a Russian interference operation.”

GPS navigation is based on receiving radio signals from satellites. There is no way to selectively block or disturb these for just a single receiver. If someone would have manipulated GPS in that area it would effected every GPS receiver in the same geography. But I could not find any reports from Bulgaria that taxi drivers or other people using GPS navigation had any trouble with it. There was not a single tweet on X complaining about it. “The whole airport area GPS went dark,” said one of the officials. After circling the airport for an hour, the plane’s pilot took the decision to land the plane manually using analogue maps, they added. “It was undeniable interference.” The Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority confirmed the incident in a statement to the Financial Times. “Since February 2022, there has been a notable increase in [GPS] jamming and recently spoofing occurrences,” it said.

“These interferences disrupt the accurate reception of [GPS] signals, leading to various operational challenges for aircraft and ground systems.” The three anonymous “officials” the FT is quoting (which likely include von der Leyen) are lying. The statement by the Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority is just a general one. It does not say anything about the alleged incident. GPS failure does not mean that one has to use “paper maps”. (There are by the way no longer any “paper maps” on professional airliners. Maps are stored digitally.) Modern planes do not depend on GPS. They mainly use their Inertial Reference System. They can also navigate by following ground radar signals. Airports for regular landing of jets have Instrument Landing Systems installed. Short range radio signals from the ground will guide the plane onto the runway. There is no need to wait “for an hour”.

As Simple Flying summarizes:
• The IRS, or Inertial Reference System, is the main navigational system in aircraft, independent of outside signals or input.
• GPS is crucial for navigation in modern aircraft, with other aids like VOR and NDB used for backup.
• Aircraft navigational systems are highly independent, with [Flight Management Systems] processing multiple positional data for precise navigation.

The claims of “paper maps” and “an hour” on hold, just like the whole story, did not make any sense to me.It has now been confirmed that the story is wrong. It is a lie, made up out of whole cloth.

Was it Michael Moore who said ‘you can’t declare war on a noun’?

• Why Can’t We End the War on Drugs? (Pinsker)

After the GOP obliterated President Clinton in the 1994 midterms, his party put the liberal wing to pasture. For the final six years of his presidency, the Clinton administration “triangulated” its way through various legislative, budgetary (and, ahem, “personal”) entanglements. Never again would a leading Democrat dare say, “The era of big government is over.” Today, it’d be utterly unfathomable! Next came eight years of President George W. Bush. His failures in Iraq and the economic crisis gave the radical leftists the opening they coveted. And on Election Day 2008, they took control of everything. Meanwhile, the GOP embraced the banner of conservatism under Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) in the 1960s and President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. We’ve been operating under these ideals for most of the last 100 years: The Republican Party is the conservative party. We believe in limited government, personal liberty, and rugged individualism.

At this point, it’s hardwired into our DNA. Like many of you, I became a conservative because I believe these values will maximize peace, prosperity, and opportunity for my countrymen — it’s how we safeguard our God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I firmly, wholeheartedly believe that conservatism is our best defense against tyranny. (Probably our last defense, too.) But as a conservative, I’ve always struggled with the War on Drugs. For purely ideological reasons, I’m troubled by the government banning adults from living how they want or having the freedom to make their own decisions — especially in the privacy of their own homes. We ought to have the right to make our own choices, even if those choices are destructive and unhealthy. Look, if you wanna eat Twinkies, smoke pot, scroll Instagram, and drink Jack Daniels all day, you should have the right. (Just don’t ask the rest of us to subsidize your lifestyle.) Freedom of choice necessarily implies the freedom to make bad decisions, too.

Such is the horror — and the curse — of free will. But do you really have free will if you’re a drug addict? By definition, an addict is addicted, so probably not: Your brain, body, and soul are enslaved in chemical bondage, which makes it absolutely antithetical to free will! And I’m unsure how to reconcile this contradiction. There’s also more pragmatic concerns: The two most heavily abused drugs in America are alcohol and nicotine, and their commonality is obvious: They’re both legal. Seems reasonable to assume that if you make more drugs legal, there’d be more Americans using (and abusing) drugs. We already see this with the pro-marijuana movement: As more states legalized marijuana, its usage skyrocketed. There are now more daily pot-smokers in America than daily alcohol drinkers. By some metrics, the number of cannabis-involved ailments and emergency room visits has jumped by nearly 50%. It’d be stupid to assume that’s purely coincidental.

Should we suspend the War on Drugs, we’d better double down on rehab centers and medical facilities, because the number of U.S. drug users will grow considerably. The social cost will be in the billions. Maybe even trillions! Then again, the Drug War has ALREADY cost taxpayers over a trillion dollars. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. There really aren’t any good options, alas; it’s a choice between what’s bad and what’s (likely) worse.Full disclosure: I used to serve on the board of directors of Drug Free America. Despite my misgivings, I liked ‘em and (mostly) supported their efforts. (I was also very honest about my own background when they recruited me: I’ve done PR for liquor brands, alcohol products, gambling, and other “sins.” They told me that was fine — they needed help with their messaging.)

So if you want to call me a hypocrite, you’d have a point. I’m far more passionate about expanding personal liberty than curtailing it. So, in the immortal words of Axl Rose, “Where do we go? Where do we go now?” What, if anything, should we change about our Drug War? Post-Obama, conservatism and liberalism are both North Stars — ideologies that push their adherents in a specific direction. And because they’re both North Stars, they also share the same weakness: Some ideas work far better as theories than as “real-world” policies, because the social cost is simply too great. And my suspicion is that’s why we can’t end the War on Drugs. Not today, not tomorrow, not next week. Probably not ever. Too many people would be hurt. And, paradoxically, too much freedom would be lost.

“Gavin Newsom likes to boast that his state is the world’s fourth-largest economy.”

• CNBC Just Spilled the Awful Truth About California (Green)

Question: What do you call “key sectors” of the world’s fourth-largest economy when they rely on illegal alien labor working for substandard wages, fewer benefits, and at greater risk of exploitation? I’d call it a crime. But in California, they call it “putting billions of dollars at risk” when President Donald Trump actually enforces the law. You know, like the chief executive takes an oath to do. With California’s $4 trillion gross domestic production, Gov. Gavin Newsom likes to boast that his state is the world’s fourth-largest economy. But a new CNBC report by Kate Rogers reveals more than it meant to about how “Trump’s immigration policy threatens key sectors” of Newsom’s state.One in four Californians is an immigrant, and, according to the Bay Area Economic Institute and the University of California-Merced, one in five of those is here illegally. In other words, California is home to around two million or more illegal aliens.

“As the Trump administration continues to ramp up immigration enforcement, industries key to the state’s $4 trillion economy like agriculture, construction and hospitality could be among those hardest hit by the loss of California’s immigrant workforce,” Rogers reported. “These are the workers that are keeping our economy afloat. They’re keeping businesses open,” Abby Raisz, research director at the Institute, told CNBC. Joe Garcia, president of the California Farmworker Association and CEO of Jaguar Labor Contracting, said in the report, “The lettuce, the strawberries, all the wine we drink on a daily basis, fruit juices– everything that a farmworker picks, packs, pre-harvest– they do the jobs all year round that put food on your table.”

Did he mean to repeat the “Who will pick our cotton?” trope? Regardless, CNBC said that Garcia’s firm “connects farmworkers to growers,” which I guess makes Jaguar Labor a profitable middleman in the market for illegal workers. “Sectors like construction and farming are staring down worker shortages that predate any change to immigration policy. In California, more than sixty percent of construction workers are immigrants and a quarter of them are undocumented,” according to the story. California’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation, and according to a Public Policy Institute last June, “about 10% of Californians — almost 2 million — are un- or underemployed as of the last quarter.” Two million illegals. Two million unemployed citizens. Does anybody else see the problem here?

Can anyone else taste the crocodile tears when Los Angeles restaurant owner (and illegal alien employer, apparently) Courtney Kaplan complained, “The biggest challenge for us, aside from the lost revenue and the decrease in business, has been the uncertainty of every day.” Overregulation and overtaxation jack up the price of everything in California, including labor. Now, business and political leaders swear to God the state’s economy can’t function without the underpaid workers they euphemistically call “undocumented.”Could we not use “undocumented,” please? The correct legal term — as in, it’s written into our immigration laws — is “illegal alien.” “Alien” because they’re foreign to this country. “Illegal” because they entered illegally. Here’s the exit question — not for you or me, dear reader, but for California. If your four-trillion-dollar behemoth is built on the backs of illegal aliens, is it really worth that much?

“By giving Biden’s “portrait” in the Rose Garden to a machine, Trump is doing more than just mocking his former opponent..”

• Trump Epically Trolls Biden Again (Margolis)

President Donald Trump has never been one to miss an opportunity for humor at the expense of his political rivals, and his latest idea may be his boldest act of trolling yet. In a conversation with Reagan Reese in the Oval Office, Trump revealed his vision for the redesigned Rose Garden, where presidential portraits will line the walkways in ornate gold frames. But when it came to Joe Biden, Trump had something very different in mind. As he showed Reese the new portraits, she remarked, “I love the frames, I love the gold.” Trump explained, “So that was done for very high-end paintings. I’m looking at frames and saying, ‘what about that one?’” Then, Reese pressed him on whether Biden would also get a spot in the display. Trump paused, then grinned. “Isn’t that an interesting question,” he said. “And I’ll listen to you too, because it’s a decision I have to make. We put up a picture of the autopen.”

The room erupted in laughter. “Oh, that’s hilarious,” Reese told him. Trump didn’t miss a beat. “He didn’t win the race. He lost badly. He was a horrible president.” To prove he was serious, Trump even showed Reese a mock-up of what the so-called “Biden Autopen” portrait would look like hanging in the Rose Garden alongside the greats. “So what do you think?” he asked her. “I think you got to,” Reese responded. “I gotta do it,” Trump said. The autopen has been around since the 1950s, but its constitutional legitimacy has always been questionable. Barack Obama tested the limits in 2013, signing a bill into law from a Hawaiian vacation with cover from a Bush-era legal memo. But the Biden administration took things much further, routinely using the device in ways that raise doubts about whether the president himself even approved pardons or executive orders issued in his name.

🚨 LMFAO! President Trump says he will be adding a portrait of Joe Biden’s autopen to his “Presidential Wall of Fame” in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden

“It’s going up in about two weeks,” Trump told @reaganreese_

I can’t freaking WAIT for the Democrat meltdown 🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/FUJwVxKvMS

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 2, 2025

No president had ever relied on the autopen so often — or under such a veil of secrecy. The revelation was especially troubling given that it happened during a presidency already clouded by widespread doubts about the commander-in-chief’s mental capacity.In June, it emerged that the Biden administration used the autopen for pardons and executive orders even while Biden was physically present in Washington, a glaring inconsistency that suggests he may not have known, or consented to, what was being done in his name. The crisis deepened in July when the New York Times revealed that Biden had not personally approved every pardon or act of clemency attributed to him.

That exposé left the most chilling question unanswered: during Biden’s presidency, was the constitutional power of the executive branch quietly transferred from the elected president to a machine and to unelected aides who controlled it? By giving Biden’s “portrait” in the Rose Garden to a machine, Trump is doing more than just mocking his former opponent; he’s cementing Biden’s legacy as a president defined by absence, detachment, and failure. Future generations walking through the Rose Garden would see Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan staring proudly from gilded frames and then, in Biden’s place, a cold mechanical autopen.

She has 3 properties. One listed as secondary residence, that in reality is rented out. Which is illegal -1. The other two are listed as primary residence. You can’t have two. Illegal 2. Moreover, one of those is also rented out. Illegal 3.

• This Explosive Revelation Could Bury Lisa Cook (Jeff Charles)

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is going to have some ‘splainin’ to do after it was revealed that she is renting out a home she listed as her “primary residence” when filling out mortgage applications. Charlie LeDuff of the Michigan Enjoyer in a post and video on X exposed Cook’s alleged misdeeds, noting that she “has a bank loan on a ‘secondary home in Massachusetts, which the Trump administration alleges she rents out full-time.” “A judge might call that mortgage fraud,” LeDuff added. Cook also owns a condo in Atlanta, which she claims is her primary residence on banking and government documents. The Trump administration alleges there is evidence that she rents that one out too. And that also could be mortgage fraud. But Cook also has a THIRD home in Ann Arbor, which she also lists as her primary residence on banking and government papers.

Lisa must be living in Ann Arbor in the tidy brick house with a columned portico on Jackson Avenue, right? LeDuff, who visited the third home, indicated it was not exactly in tip-top condition. “The glass in the storm door was filthy with neglect,” he wrote. “A metal lockbox—the kind used by realtors—hung on the door knob. From the porch, I could see a figure sitting at the dining room table. When I knocked, the door slightly cracked open, only to reveal a white man partially visible behind the filthy glass.”One of the individuals LeDuff spoke to at the home indicated he was renting the home. The author wrote, It’s hard to believe Cook got confused over her mortgage paperwork” because she “is a financial sophisticate, a member of the board of governors of the world’s most powerful central bank.” Cook allegedly listed two of her properties as primary residences in her 2025 government ethics filings.

Fed Gov. Lisa Cook’s Ann Arbor Pad Is a Rental, Too
The recently fired financial sophisticate has been playing by different rules than the rest of us

By Charlie LeDuff (@Charlieleduff)

Ann Arbor — Lisa Cook’s financial house is on fire. Naturally, there is a Michigan angle to… pic.twitter.com/i7mEDXDa4y

— Michigan Enjoyer (@mich_enjoyer) September 2, 2025

Cook is facing allegations of mortgage fraud involving properties she owns in Massachusetts, Georgia, and Michigan. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said she misrepresented her properties to obtain more favorable mortgage rates. President Donald Trump fired Cook “for cause” last month after demanding that she resign. Cook responded by filing a lawsuit against the president, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The suit alleges that the president does not have the authority to fire her.

This isn’t looking good for Cook. Yes, it is likely that many Americans make these types of mistakes when filling out paperwork. But, as LeDuff pointed out, Cook is definitely not one of those people. A person in her position would know better than to list a rental property as a primary residence. However, it appears many like Cook get away with this because they are in powerful positions. New York Attorney General Letitia James is facing similar allegations, and there are likely plenty more who have done the same. Perhaps at least some of these people might face accountability.

Is this just trying to make us think things have improved? Because we sure don’t seem to see proof of that.

• Israel Had ‘Total Control’ Over Congress – Trump (RT)

Israel previously had “total control” over the US Congress, and it was impossible for someone speaking “badly” of the Jewish state to be in politics, US President Donald Trump has said. Trump said that in an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller published on Monday, repeatedly stating that Israel used to have the “strongest lobby I’ve ever seen” in the US. “If you go back 20 years. I mean, I will tell you, Israel had the strongest lobby in Congress of anything or body, or of any company or corporation or state that I’ve ever seen. Israel was the strongest. Today, it doesn’t have that strong a lobby. It’s amazing,” Trump explained.

There was a time where you couldn’t speak bad, if you wanted to be a politician, you couldn’t speak badly [of Israel]. Times have changed, and US politics now has all sorts of critics of Israel, namely “AOC plus three” and “all these lunatics,” Trump added. The US president referred to the so-called ‘Squad’, an informal progressive left-wing faction of the Democratic Caucus in the US House, originally composed of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib, known for their strong anti-Israel stance.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, prompted by a surprise assault on southern Israel mounted by the Palestinian group on October 7, 2023, has further eroded West Jerusalem’s influence in the US, Trump suggested. “They may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations, you know, and it is hurting them,” he said. At the same time, Trump praised himself for what he had done for Israel, claiming that “nobody has done more” for the country. The US president said Israel was “amazing” since he has been enjoying “good support” from them in return as well.

Next, he’ll send them to Chicago and Baltimore. Saying it’s his job as a president to keep people safe. It’ll all end up at SCOTUS.

• Democrat Judge Rules Trump Deployment of National Guard To LA Was Illegal (ZH)

A federal judge in California ruled on Tuesday that President Donald Trump violated a 19th century law when he mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 marines to Los Angeles in June. “The evidence at trial established that Defendants systematically used armed soldiers (whose identity was often obscured by protective armor) and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles,” wrote US District Court Judge Charles Breyer (Clinton) in a 52-page ruling. “In short, Defendants violated the Posse Comitatus Act,” he continued. Breyer’s ruling follows a three-day trial last month, in which lawyers for the state of California argued that Trump had exceeded his authority when he deployed the federal troops to deal with thousands of protesters who took to the streets of downtown LA against his immigration policies.

California asked Breyer to order the Trump administration to return control of the remaining troops to Gov. Gavin Newsom, and to halt the use of the military “to execute or assist in the execution of federal law.” Of note, Breyer’s order is limited to California, and Trump doesn’t have to withdraw the 300 National Guard troops currently on the ground in LA. Those troops can continue to protect federal property under the Posse Comitatus Act – an 1878 law that prevents a president from using the military as a domestic police force without Congressional approval. According to Breyer, Trump “deployed the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, ostensibly to quell a rebellion and ensure that federal immigration law was enforced,” adding “There were indeed protests in Los Angeles, and some individuals engaged in violence,” but that “there was no rebellion, nor was civilian law enforcement unable to respond to the protests and enforce the law.”

The Trump administration is now prevented from using military troops in the Golden State “to execute the laws, including but not limited to engaging in arrests, apprehensions, searches, seizures, security patrols, traffic control, crowd control, riot control, evidence collection, interrogation, or acting as informants,” unless the situation falls under the Posse Comitatus Act. And while the order only applies to California, Breyer wrote that Trump’s intention to deploy National Guard troops in other cities would be “creating a national police force with the President as its chief.”

While the judge’s decision may have minimal impact on the ground in California, the case could still have nationwide implications as Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth deploy National Guard members in Washington, D.C., and threaten to do so in other blue cities to address street crime. The Trump administration is likely to appeal Breyer’s decision, which could result in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and even the Supreme Court weighing in on the administration’s unconventional use of the National Guard. -Fox News. Breyer’s decision comes shortly after the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit halted one of his emergency orders issued in June in which he ordered Trump and Hegseth to hand the National Guard back to Newsom.

What a rathole. How is it possible?

• Woke Rats Jump Ship As Trump Puts CDC Under A Microscope (ZH)

The covid pandemic was an exceptional example of the abuse of government power and the classic error of putting blind faith in scientific institutions that are vulnerable to political and corporate manipulation. To put it simply, the hysteria over covid was entirely fabricated and the CDC played a primary role in perpetuating the fear. The CDC knew as early as October of 2020 that the median Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) of covid was a tiny 0.23% (meaning 99.8% of the population was not under threat). The death rate was far below the 3% initially predicted by the World Health Organization. The data also didn’t take into account the fact that the majority of deaths were people with comorbidities – Meaning many of them likely died of a different illness or long term health problems, but covid was officially assumed to be the cause.

The CDC response should have been focused on caring for the older subset of the American population which was at greater risk. Instead, the organization tried to terrorize the public with tales of hospitals “packed to capacity with the unvaccinated” while suffering on respirators (no evidence has ever been produced to support this claim). The CDC joined with Democrats to fear monger over “mass deaths in the streets”. They initially lied about the effectiveness of the shot (it is now well known that the covid vaccine does not prevent transmission). They lied about the effectiveness of natural immunity. They lied about the effectiveness of the masks. They lied about the effectiveness of social distancing. They defended the lockdowns (which were an abject failure). Almost every aspect of the pandemic response ended up being a farce.

The CDC and many of its employees act as a political propaganda mechanism, not as an objective scientific guardian of the public good. The organization functions like a cult that worships far-left bureaucratic leadership instead of adhering to the scientific method. This has become even more apparent in recent months as the agency faces scrutiny. After the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez for refusing to institute Trump’s policy changes, the rush for the exits has begun. The woke creatures are now slithering out of the weeds to escape RFK Jr’s lawnmower.

A glaring example is the resignation of Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a CDC director who has attacked Trump’s policies as dangerous and “unscientific”. It is perhaps no coincidence that Daskalakis is a LGBT activist that promotes transgender treatments for children (a highly unscientific practice). This is the kind of person that rises through the ranks at the CDC:

CDC … "Why doesn't anyone believe us anymore."

Hell, I don't know … let's ask your new spokesmen Dr. Demetre Daskalakis who was pushing 3 different vaccines on your official website, Friday. pic.twitter.com/QbxDgIWw2n

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) January 23, 2023

Because of the CDCs behavior during the pandemic as well as the woke agenda of their staff, the American populace has demanded accountability and reform. Trump’s decision to make RFK Jr the Secretary of the Department of Health was widely applauded because of the trespasses of the CDC and affiliated agencies during covid. Only Democrats and Big Pharma are opposed to an audit of CDC policies. It’s no surprise that the agency is facing a wave of mass firings and a wave of mass walkouts. Democrats seem to believe that the Trump Administration has no say in underlying federal operations. After all, the system has functioned this way for generations. Presidents come and go; the real power is among the unelected armies of bureaucrats. The moment these people are faced with actual oversight, they become enraged.

The entire man looks calcified, not just the brain.

• The Penguin Quits – Fast Action Needed (CTH)

New York Representative Jerry “The Penguin” Nadler has announced he is not going to seek reelection in 2026. 78-year-old Nadler was going to face a significant primary threat from the far-left.
NEW YORK – “Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,” Mr. Nadler said, adding that a younger successor “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.” Rep. Jerry Nadler, was the former chair of the House Judiciary Committee who joined forces with Adam Schiff and spearheaded President Donald Trump’s impeachment effort. Nadler and Schiff formed a joint House impeachment committee and then hired Mary McCord as the lead staff for the effort. Mary McCord previously worked as DOJ-National Security Division head with Michael Atkinson as her office lawyer.

When McCord quit the DOJ and went to work for Schiff and Nadler, Atkinson was moved to Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG). As the ICIG, Michael Atkinson then changed the rules for whistleblowers within the CIA permitting a false assertion by Eric Ciaramella, who subsequently told a fictional story presented by Alexander Vindman. The fake “Ukraine Impeachment” effort stemmed from this political scheme. Vindman lied, Eric Ciaramella advanced the lie to ICIG Michael Atkinson who then spun the false allegation back to his colleague Mary McCord. That’s the origin of the fraud behind the first impeachment effort.

1/ Who told President Trump to appoint Michael Atkinson as ICIG? The appointment of Michael Atkinson was not a mistake. The impeachment was pre-planned. Find the person who put his name in front of President Trump, and you find one of the internal operatives within the Trump administration specifically working to hurt President Trump in his first term. Is that person around in term #2?

2/ Where is Michael Atkinson’s transcript? ICIG Michael Atkinson testified to the joint House subcommittee on impeachment about why he changed the rules for CIA whistleblowers. Atkinson testified about his activity to the Schiff/Nadler committee, IN FRONT OF MARY McCORD.Adam Schiff promptly classified and sealed the Atkinson deposition transcript in an attempt to forever bury it. The equity stakeholders are: (1) the House of Representatives, and (2) the CIA.NEEDED ACTION – House Speaker Mike Johnson should be able to find that Atkinson transcript, declassify and make it public. However, the CIA is likely also the equity stakeholder. So, give it to Director John Ratcliffe who then declassifies it and gives it to DNI Tulsi Gabbard for release.

That was one weird accident.

• Trump to Give Giuliani Presidential Medal of Freedom (Salgado)

After a car crash hospitalized Rudy Giuliani just after he stopped to help a crime victim, Donald Trump announced he would be giving his long-time ally a very great honor.The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest honor that an American civilian can receive, and Giuliani, famous for his successful tenure as New York mayor and his years of providing legal support to Donald Trump, will receive it.Trump posted on Truth Social Monday, “As President of the United States of America, I am pleased to announce that Rudy Giuliani, the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, and an equally great American Patriot, will receive THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM, our Country’s highest civilian honor. Details as to time and place to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

BREAKING: President Trump says he will award former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The announcement comes after Giuliani was seriously injured in a car crash over the weekend. pic.twitter.com/qhXI8ClU71

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 1, 2025

State Department Ambassador and Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley responded to the news, “Congratulations to America’s Mayor and a truly great patriot @RudyGiuliani! This is so well deserved and the best news, my friend.”Article III Project founder Mike Davis celebrated, “Well-deserved recognition for an iconic American leader. Every mayor in America should follow the broken-windows strategy @RudyGiuliani, the greatest mayor ever, developed and deployed to Make New York City Great Again in the 1990s.”Michael Ragusa, head of Giuliani’s security, released a statement on X Sunday, stating, “On the evening of August 30, 2025, in New Hampshire, Mayor Giuliani was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Prior to the incident, he was flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident. Mayor Giuliani immediately rendered assistance and contacted 911. He remained on scene until responding officers arrived to ensure her safety.”

I’m at the Staten Island Richmond County Fair and just heard about Rudy Giuliani’s injury.

On Staten Island Rudy is a beloved figure. A few of us paused to say a prayer for his swift and pain-free recovery.

We’re pulling for you Mayor! https://t.co/PNoz41eqSY

— Curtis Sliwa (@CurtisSliwa) August 31, 2025

Then, Giuliani resumed his journey, and “while traveling on the highway, Mayor Giuliani’s vehicle was struck from behind at high speed. He was transported to a nearby trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg.” Ragusa said Giuliani was recovering well, but his injuries sound pretty severe.Giuliani’s account subsequently posted an update, reporting that the woman Giuliani tried to help was actually the aggressor in the situation, and her boyfriend was the person who needed aid and medical attention. Also, as of today, Giuliani is still in the trauma center because of the severe injuries he sustained. It is unclear when he will be enough recovered to receive his award from Trump.

Bloom

30,000 hours of footage, equivalent to 3 years and 7 months, were filmed to capture the blooming of 77 types of flowers, and the result is spectacular.pic.twitter.com/GdXbqmJBo2

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 2, 2025

Horns

This is one of the best images of all time! pic.twitter.com/uHENQP1EiG

— The Figen (@TheFigen_) September 1, 2025

Trees

Cell towers may be quietly damaging the trees around them.

As wireless networks spread through cities and suburbs, scientists are starting to notice a troubling pattern: trees closest to cell towers often show unusual signs of stress.

In one 9-year study in Germany, researchers… pic.twitter.com/7f4dzBpcSE

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 2, 2025

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Debt Rattle September 2 2025

Sep 022025

September 2, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 10:25 am Finance Tagged with: Flightradar, Labor Day, Lisa Cook, Merz, neutrality, Old World Order, Pfizer, SCO, security guarantees, Yanukovich 34 Responses »

Unknown Mark Twain (center, white suit) and a kitten (brown fur, left of center) at Tuxedo Park 1907

• Happy Labor Day, Scruffnecks! (Sundance)

• Ukraine Does Not Need Security Guarantees, But Neutrality – Jeffrey Sachs (Sp.)

• US & EU War Hawks Sacrificing Ukraine to Block Peace – Scott Ritter (Sp.)

• Ukraine in NATO Would Mean Civil War – Yanukovich (RT)

• Chancellor Merz Says He’s Now Planning for a Long War in Ukraine (CTH)

• Claim of Russian GPS Blocking of Von der Leyen’s Plane False – Flightradar (RT)

• US Would Become ‘Third World Nation’ Without Tariffs – Trump (RT)

• “I Want The Answer”: Trump Demands Pfizer Prove mRNA Jabs Work (ZH)

• Trump Admits Rushed COVID Vaccines May Have Been Disastrous (Salgado)

• Even CNN Admits Trump Had Cause to Fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook (Margolis)

• Back to School (James Howard Kunstler)

• The Old World Order Was Buried In China (RT)

• Muslim Official Tells Belgians To Leave Belgium (RT)

• J.K. Rowling Completely Obliterated Her Critics With One Post (Margolis)

• ChatGPT Faces Claims of Suicide, Defamation, and Even Murder (Turley)

PS: And two pieces of bad news for the fraternal twins:
1. Trump is alive.
2. Russia is advancing. pic.twitter.com/89Y7dLUfQL

— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) August 31, 2025

Hegseth
https://twitter.com/BoLoudon/status/1962226074185785497

SCO
https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1962373017109180884
https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1962519096433541284

What are your thoughts on this? pic.twitter.com/fP2zR7KnvA

— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) August 31, 2025

https://twitter.com/Real_RobN/status/1962197520110756118

I know, I know.

Running TAE, it is my fate
to always be a day late.

But I like Sundance’s optimism here.

• Happy Labor Day, Scruffnecks! (Sundance)

Happy Labor Day…. and that has nothing to do with the color of your collar. Everything of great purpose comes from within, and from a loving God. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said: “The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.” Yes, it’s Labor Day in America. We pause and celebrate work, productivity, problem solving, and the value of our workforce. A nation built on ingenuity – so long as we tend the flickering flame of liberty. So, to all my brothers and sisters who do not take part in the grand lies that surround us, THANK YOU! No other nation on earth was ever conceived on the principle of allowing people to manifest their own destiny, while keeping government out of their lives.

The vision, the premise and the purpose, was to allow you the freedom to determine your place in life; and even, at any time, change that determination and strike off in an entirely new direction. Our labor and aspirations would not be pre-determined by caste, tier, creed or social status; but rather by our personal vision for our own future. The right of self-determination. Labor Day is a time to reflect on the value of work; the great personal benefit of endeavors achieved; the pride in accomplishment -regardless of scale- amid this thing we call life; and all of these considerations have absolutely nothing, not-one-thing, to do with the money we assemble in the process. When we share the message, “live your best life”, it is not without purpose. Every moment that we allow a negative onslaught to deter us from living our dreams, is a moment those who oppose our nation view as us taking a knee. Do not allow this effort to succeed.

You might ask yourself how I can, one person, a flea looking into a furnace, retain an optimistic disposition while all around me seems chaotic and mad. That’s the point; it ‘seems’ chaotic and mad because it has been created to appear that way. There are more of us than them; they just control the systems that allow us to connect, share messages and recognize the scale of our assembly. We cannot comply our way out of tyranny. Every second that you live your life with thankfulness for the abundance within it; every moment that we CHOOSE to engage with fellowship; every day that we accept guidance from God, and every moment we cherish this time in our life is a moment we live in the spirit of our forefathers. It is a genuinely patriotic position to live honestly, without pretense.

All around us, in every tribe and region, there are people who need you to show them the strength you have. Strength of spirit. Strength of fellowship that you will not relent from expressing. Lead your children, your children’s children, and the children of your community with an unwavering and steadfast example. No matter what distractions are shouting from the loudspeakers we must withstand it; you must withstand it. We must find within ourselves purpose and joy. We cannot allow despair to be the status quo; and we cannot allow a generation to experience a world without joy. In this endeavor you can make a difference. If you do not control your thoughts, eventually your thoughts will control you. Our nation needs more people like you, right now. Don’t wait… engage life.

“Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. nBe yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.” ~ Max Ehrmann, Desiderata.

You make a difference. When you hold open the door, you make a difference. When you choose to love, you make a difference. When you pray with purpose, you make a difference. When you show up, even when you are not sure what comes next, you make a difference. It is who you are that makes a difference to the people around you. Regardless of your chosen occupation or effort, do it well. Permit the outcome to showcase your standard. Be proud of yourself. Allow the method of your labor to express the value of who you are and celebrate the accomplishment. You matter! Thank you for you. Thank you for your fellowship and for your kindness. With warmest personal regards, Happy Labor Day!

Security guarantees for Ukraine are a nonsense idea and not needed (which is why they talk about it so much). Or do you think Russia would allow a situation in which it can be attacked again?

• Ukraine Does Not Need Security Guarantees, But Neutrality – Jeffrey Sachs (Sp.)

Security guarantees for Ukraine do not require a military presence from Europe or the United States, but rather a commitment to neutrality as outlined in the country’s original constitution, well-known US economist and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs told Sputnik in an interview. “And in this sense, I think neutrality for Ukraine doesn’t need all sorts of fancy military guarantees. It doesn’t need European boots on the ground. It doesn’t need American airplanes flying overhead. It needs the clarity that Ukraine will be neutral, as Ukraine declared in its original Constitution when it declared independence,” Sachs said.

The interview was conducted ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum, which will take place in Vladivostok from September 3–6. The economist is going to participate in a session “UN Development Agenda Beyond 2030.” On August 19, US President Donald Trump said that the US may provide air support as part of security guarantees for Ukraine but rejected the idea of having boots on the ground. Russia has a negative attitude toward discussions in Europe about the possible presence of European troops on Ukrainian territory, adding that the advancement of NATO military infrastructure and the infiltration of this military infrastructure into Ukraine are one of the root causes of the ongoing conflict.

“Soon they’ll be sending 18-year-olds to the front line. And when they do that, that’s it. Ukraine’s finished.. because you’ll have a bunch of women and you won’t have any men left..”

• US & EU War Hawks Sacrificing Ukraine to Block Peace – Scott Ritter (Sp.)

Western warmongers are desperate to thwart US president Donald Trump’s efforts to improve ties with Russia, said ex-US Marine intelligence officer Scott Ritter. As part of their political game, the US and EU war hawks are prepared to literally sacrifice Ukraine, wiping out its “genetic pool,” said Scott Ritter.“Soon they’ll be sending 18-year-olds to the front line. And when they do that, that’s it. Ukraine’s finished… because you’ll have a bunch of women and you won’t have any men left,” he said.Since late last year, Ukraine has been negotiating plans with the United States to lower the mobilization age from 25 to 18 to address the gaping shortage of manpower, according to media reports.

Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law in April 2024 to lower the conscription age from 27 to 25, prompting a public outcry. The government said in August that it had no plans to drop the draft age lower. A Ukrainian lawmaker said last September that the army had banned recruiting citizens under 25, who previously had the “fit for limited military service” status. With massive losses, rising draft evasion, and desertions, Ukraine has resorted to draconian mobilization to fill the ranks. Nearly 9,500 convicts—including 100 women—have reportedly been drafted into the army as manpower runs dangerously low.

Elected president Yanukovich fled to Russia in 2014. Not been seen since

“..he had “clearly and distinctly understood that this is a disaster for Ukraine” and a “road to nowhere.” “It is a direct path to civil war..”

• Ukraine in NATO Would Mean Civil War – Yanukovich (RT)

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has said he had always been a staunch opponent of Ukraine joining NATO, warning that such a move would have sparked a civil war. Yanukovich served as president from 2010 to 2014, when he was ousted in the Western-backed Maidan coup and forced to flee the country, seeking refuge in Russia. Shortly afterward, the Ukrainian parliament formally stripped him of his presidential title. The protests began after Yanukovich decided to suspend preparations for Ukraine’s signing of an association agreement with the EU, explaining that the deal would have imposed harsh economic conditions and included terms he deemed unacceptable.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, Yanukovich said he had always worked toward EU accession, which he described as a strategic goal of his presidency. “Indeed, I purposefully worked to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union and ultimately set the goal of Ukraine’s accession,” he said. However, in his words, Kiev’s Western European partners behaved condescendingly during the talks. “They showed no understanding of the complexity of Ukraine’s economic situation. Frankly, they displayed arrogance,” he added.

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1962508241470214226

Yanukovich stressed that while he had been firmly committed to pursuing Ukraine’s EU integration, he had always rejected NATO membership. He said he had “clearly and distinctly understood that this is a disaster for Ukraine” and a “road to nowhere.” “It is a direct path to civil war,” he emphasized. After Yanukovich’s ouster, which Moscow condemned as illegal, the new authorities in Kiev began openly working toward NATO membership, an ambition that was encouraged by the US. Russia has said these moves were among the root causes of the current conflict and has demanded that Ukraine remain neutral and refrain from joining military blocs as a part of any peace settlement.

“The issues around French politics are now too vast for the Ukraine effort to hide them.”

Merz, Macron and Tusk are all in Moldova to make sure the elections go “their” way. Because:

“..if PAS fails to win a majority, “things get very complicated because every other party is not as pro-European, and is much more committed to reconciliation or some sort of rapprochement with Russia.”

• Chancellor Merz Says He’s Now Planning for a Long War in Ukraine (CTH)

Within Great Britain, Prime Minister Kier Starmer is in a hot mess. “Starmer faces populists both left and right, with Brexit veteran Nigel Farage’s Reform UK consistently ahead in the polls. Inflation has ticked up. Unpopular tax rises loom. Starmer’s backbenchers are nervous about planned welfare cuts and reforms for children with special needs. And migrants keep arriving on small boats across the English Channel.” In France, Emmanuel Macron is in the worst political shape of his tenuous career. Another no confidence manuever has backfired against the current French government. “In an Ifop poll conducted after [Prime Minister] Bayrou’s address, 63 percent of respondents said they were in favor of going back to the ballot box, with that figure getting to 86 percent among National Rally voters.” The issues around French politics are now too vast for the Ukraine effort to hide them.

Within Germany things are not much better. The economy is contracting, and Chancellor Merz is in the dubious position of cutting subsidy benefits in order to address the problem. “During Sunday’s interview Merz defended his coalition’s historic decision to loosen the debt brake on defense spending — made possible by an unexpected U-turn by Merz’s conservatives right after the election — and even went so far as to link it to NATO’s survival. “We were essentially able to preserve NATO with our decision,” he said.” Germans are very particular about their economic position. When the core of the industrial economy is threatened, the German people focus on nothing else. The German industrial economy is part of their EU identity; it is simply their priority. All things Ukraine become something ‘less than’, in the face of these economic challenges.

Subsequently, this so-called “coalition of the willing” is not very willing to advance the security interests of Ukraine against the background of their domestic politics which has suffered as a result of the distraction; enter U.S. President Donald Trump. President Trump has stepped back from trying to stimulate Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to terms. In fact, President Trump has indicated they just may need to fight more, to ultimately get to a point where their interests are in a more desperate position. As noted by Trump, “maybe they have to fight a little longer. You know, just keep fighting. — stupidly, keep fighting.” A tactical retreat by President Trump is what the majority of the American people support.

A tactical retreat also allows Russian Federation President Putin to complete his larger goals and bring Zelenskyy to the point where he concedes defeat and requests a ceasefire. The withdrawal of U.S. support would mean, the “coalition of the willing” would need to stand stronger in the front of the security guarantee issue. Considering the domestic issues of the U.K, France and Germany, more forward leaning just doesn’t seem at all likely. Thus, German Chancellor Fredrich Merz now saying he views Ukraine as a long war.

“BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he is mentally preparing for a long war in Ukraine — but wouldn’t be drawn on whether Berlin will deploy peacekeeping troops should there be a ceasefire. In a televised interview on Sunday, he also said that if he hadn’t decided to alter Germany’s debt rules to allow it to massively invest in defense, the NATO alliance would probably have disintegrated in June. “I’m mentally preparing myself for the fact that this war could drag on for a long time,” he told ZDF when asked if he was hopeful that a ceasefire could be reached next year. “We’re trying to end it as quickly as possible, but certainly not at the price of Ukraine’s capitulation.”

The U.K, France and Germany are not going to do more without President Trump forcefully requiring it. President Trump does not appear motivated to force the “coalition” to do anything. In fact, there is a solid argument that if everybody just did nothing, the Ukraine war would end sooner. Russia would win – ultimately, with less bloodshed. Europe and NATO can continue pretending in order to give the best impression to the bankers. Or the leaders of Europe and NATO could just tell the high-finance pretenders, they need to cut their losses – the pretense is over and fall back to their remaining pawn on the chessboard, Moldova.

“(AP) – […] France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in the capital of the European Union-candidate country for talks with pro-Western Moldovan President Maia Sandu. […] Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, told The Associated Press that “most Moldovans understand that the visit is essentially a show of support for Moldova’s pro-European path.”

“There really is no other kind of viable pro-European or pro-Western party,” he said, adding that if PAS fails to win a majority, “things get very complicated because every other party is not as pro-European, and is much more committed to reconciliation or some sort of rapprochement with Russia.” Given the nature of how tenuous the ‘coalition of the willing’ stands politically, if Maia Sandu’s PAS party loses the parliamentary elections, the EU/NATO political effort against Russia essentially collapses. Amazingly we are right back to where we were three years ago. WATCH MOLDOVA!

Rumor all over Europe yesterday that Ursula’s GPS was jammed by Russia. EU press won’t report what Flightradar says. They’ll be busy with more Russophobia.

• Claim of Russian GPS Blocking of Von der Leyen’s Plane False – Flightradar (RT)

Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 has refuted allegations made by several media outlets and EU officials that the plane of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was subjected to GPS signal jamming. The aircraft that carried the EU Commission chief to Bulgaria on Sunday showed good GPS signal quality along its entire route, the monitoring service wrote on X on Monday. The flight arrived only nine minutes later than scheduled, the service said, noting that some media reports erroneously claimed that “the aircraft was in a holding pattern for 1 hour.” “The aircraft’s transponder reported good GPS signal quality from take-off to landing,” it added.

The alleged GPS issues were first reported by the Financial Times, which cited unnamed sources who claimed the pilots experienced signal blackouts so severe that they had to use “paper maps” for landing. The sources also suggested Russia was to blame for the alleged incident. Reached for comment by the FT, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the reported allegations were untrue. The claims were made official on Monday. Both the EU and Bulgarian authorities pointed the finger at Moscow. “We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safely in Bulgaria. We have received information from the Bulgarian authorities that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia,” EU Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta told a press conference in Brussels.

The Bulgarian government also appeared to corroborate the claims the pilots had to rely on alternate navigation tools while landing at Plovdiv International Airport. “During the flight carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to Plovdiv, the satellite signal transmitting information to the plane’s GPS navigation system was neutralized,” the government said in a statement. “To ensure the flight’s safety, air control services immediately offered an alternative landing method using terrestrial navigation tools,” it added.

“..we would become a Third World Nation, with no hope of GREATNESS again.”

• US Would Become ‘Third World Nation’ Without Tariffs – Trump (RT)

US President Donald Trump has warned that America could became a “third world nation” if his tariffs are scrapped. He made the remarks after a federal appeals court declared most of them unlawful. Trump launched his tariff drive in April, accusing US trade partners of creating unfair trade imbalances and calling it a reciprocal response to secure better trade terms. Most country-specific rates ranging from 10% to 41% took effect on August 7. The policy has drawn criticism from US lawmakers over the potential damage to the economy. On Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Trump misused his authority by imposing tariffs under an emergency-powers statute, saying only Congress can authorize these measures.

The court stopped short of canceling the tariffs, giving the administration until mid-October to appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump blasted the ruling, warning of dire consequences if it stands. “More than 15 Trillion Dollars will be invested in the USA, a RECORD. Much of this investment is because of Tariffs,” he wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “If a Radical Left Court is allowed to terminate these Tariffs, almost all of this investment, and much more, will be immediately cancelled! In many ways, we would become a Third World Nation, with no hope of GREATNESS again.” The court ruling covers two sets of tariffs: Broad “reciprocal” tariffs on most US trade partners, and tariffs on goods from Canada, China, and Mexico linked to drug trafficking claims.

The decision does not affect targeted tariffs, such as those on foreign steel, aluminum, and autos, as they were enacted under separate laws. Trump has argued that tariffs are good for the economy, presenting them as tools to secure better trade terms, revive manufacturing, and cut deficits. Economists, however, warn that the policy risks pushing the US into recession. Russia has not been targeted with tariffs due to the existing sanctions, but Trump has threatened higher tariffs on its trade partners if the Ukraine conflict is not resolved. Last month, he doubled tariffs on India to 50%, accusing it of aiding Moscow by buying Russian oil, and hinted at new measures against China.

They lied to him. He doesn’t like that.

• “I Want The Answer”: Trump Demands Pfizer Prove mRNA Jabs Work (ZH)

Late last month a CDC advisory committee launched a review into the “safety, effectiveness, and immunogenicity” of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as whether mRNA remains in the body longer than advertised. As part of the review, they will look at gaps in existing knowledge “relating to bio distribution, pharmacokinetics, and persistence of the spike protein, mRNA, and lipid nanoparticles to inform immunization recommendations,” the document states. In other words – they’ll be looking at whether the vaccine has ever worked, as well as harms it may cause. As ZeroHedge readers know, studies have found that the spike protein and mRNA in the vaccines persist for some time.

Days after the committee was announced, the Department of Health & Human Services announced that Susan Monarez, who championed mRNA shots for COVID-19, is “no longer director of the CDC” – after she “clashed with the secretary (Kennedy) over vaccine policy,” which ultimately led to her firing.

Meanwhile at least four other CDC officials resigned on Wednesday in a massive leadership shakeup at the agency: Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology. As the leadership crisis at the CDC unfolds, President Trump issued a somewhat cryptic ‘truth’ – challenging Pfizer and other vaccine makers to make public the same ‘GREAT’ claims his administration was shown in order to justify operation Warp Speed.

https://twitter.com/sayerjigmi/status/1961641016366436495

“It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs. Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree!” Trump wrote. “I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not???” the ‘truth’ continues. “With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW.” According to Trump, drugmakers need to “clear up this MESS,” adding that they “let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC, trying to figure out the success or failure of the Drug Companies Covid work.”

“They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they don’t seem to be showing them to many others..”

• Trump Admits Rushed COVID Vaccines May Have Been Disastrous (Salgado)

In a major admission that marks a significant victory for those who brought attention to the many risks and injuries associated with the rushed COVID-19 vaccines, Donald Trump is finally admitting that Operation Warp Speed might not have been as brilliant as he has claimed for years. It takes humility to admit a major mistake, and now he is indeed prioritizing accountability and scientific reality in supporting an investigation into the project to rush COVID vaccines to the public toward the end of his first term in office. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pulled emergency authorizations for and announced the need for more studies on the COVID-19 vaccines, Trump is standing by this effort.

Trump posted on Truth Social Monday, “It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs. Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree!” He referred to the series of resignations at the CDC, which protested reforms, particularly those involving COVID-19 vaccine policy. “With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW. I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others, that is extraordinary, but they never seem to show those results to the public. Why not???” Indeed, a Pfizer executive admitted to the European Parliament in 2022 that her company had not tested its COVID-19 vaccine for efficacy. The president continued, “They go off to the next ‘hunt’ and let everyone rip themselves apart, including Bobby Kennedy Jr. and CDC, trying to figure out the success or failure of the Drug Companies Covid work.

“They show me GREAT numbers and results, but they don’t seem to be showing them to many others. I want them to show them NOW, to CDC and the public, and clear up this MESS, one way or the other!!!” And then came the big admission: “I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as ‘BRILLIANT’ as many say it was. If not, we all want to know about it, and why??? Thank you for your attention to this very important matter!” On August 27, Kennedy announced that he had revoked the emergency use authorizations for the COVID-19 vaccines, which have certainly long outlived any possible justification. This does not mean the vaccines are not available; however, Kennedy clarified that health authorities will no longer indiscriminately recommend them for all ages and that further studies on their safety and efficacy are necessary. He also noted that the Biden administration had misused the authorizations to justify its problematic COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Many studies and datasets have emerged in the last few years illustrating the potential and real harms of the COVID-19 vaccines. For instance, a study that Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo co-authored this year found higher all-cause and heart-related deaths among Floridians who received the Pfizer shots. In 2023, Ladapo confirmed similar findings based on Florida data and a Swiss study. Another study, published earlier this year in a medical journal, found that COVID boosters were not effective in preventing infection, hospitalization, or death. This apparently aligned with the results in a 2022 research paper showing that the vaccinated were more likely to contract severe COVID-19. Americans deserve medical objectivity and accountability.

“Look, when you do a mortgage, there’s all sorts of paperwork flying in terms, and maybe you can get confused or lost. I don’t know if you’re going to buy that from Lisa Cook.”

• Even CNN Admits Trump Had Cause to Fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook (Margolis)

When President Trump fired Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook last month, the left erupted in outrage. Rep. Maxine Waters even suggested that Trump’s action could warrant removal from office under the 25th Amendment. But even CNN’s top legal analyst, Elie Honig, has poured cold water on the hysteria, making an ironclad case that Trump had clear cause to take action. “So, two things appear to be true at the same time,” Honig explained. “One, it seems quite clear that Donald Trump and Bill Pulte, who is the head of this housing finance agency, have targeted Lisa Cook. They want to remove her from the Fed because they don’t like what the Fed is doing on interest rates. That seems quite clear from the public statements of Donald Trump and Bill Pulte.” Honig, however, quickly pivoted to the more troubling issues surrounding Cook herself.

“It also is true that there are some suspicious activity here that’s really problematic by Lisa Cook,” he said, before breaking down the alleged mortgage misconduct. According to Honig, Cook purchased three properties in rapid succession under highly questionable circumstances. “Let me just sort of try to bottom line it,” Honig said. “There’s three properties, okay. Within a two-week stretch, she purchases, she gets a mortgage on a place in Michigan and says that’s her principal residence. Two weeks later, she gets a mortgage on a place in Atlanta in Georgia and says that’s her primary residence. And now there’s a third place in Cambridge that she said was her secondary residence, but she’s actually renting it out.” Why does this matter? Honig explained that claiming multiple properties as primary residences can yield enormous financial benefits. “Because you get better interest rates. Because you get better tax benefits, that can be worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said.

Even more striking, Honig noted that Cook’s legal team has so far failed to provide any plausible explanation for these discrepancies. “Thus far, and I find this really notable, in the briefs that have been submitted by Lisa Cook lawyers… she was the plaintiff here. She filed the opening brief, no explanation of what she did. What—how this happened,” Honig said. While her lawyers hinted it might have been a clerical error, Honig was skeptical. “Today in court, Abbe Lowell—very good lawyer—again, no explanation of how this happened and the claim that this might be clerical error or just a mistake, that’s not going to fly because Lisa Cook is one of the most established, accomplished financial and economic experts in this country,” he explained. “This is not just like any old person. Look, when you do a mortgage, there’s all sorts of paperwork flying in terms, and maybe you can get confused or lost. I don’t know if you’re going to buy that from Lisa Cook.”

Honig’s assessment essentially gives Trump the benefit of the doubt when it comes to “cause” for firing. “But the bottom line question … is who has to show what here? I think that the allegations on their face could be enough for a judge to say, ‘Look, I’m going to defer to the president on cause,’” he concluded. This analysis is significant because it exposes the hollow theatrics of Democrats claiming that Trump acted recklessly or unlawfully. Even CNN’s own legal expert acknowledges that the president may have acted well within his authority, given the serious questions surrounding Cook’s financial conduct. The left painted the firing as a political purge, but it was plainly a legitimate use of presidential authority—so much so that even CNN couldn’t deny it. For a party and media obsessed with procedure and propriety, Honig’s comments are a sharp reminder: facts matter more than outrage.

“We are living in what I call the 3rd Arc of American history, a period as consequential as the American Revolution and the U.S. Civil War.” —Gen. Michael Flynn

• Back to School (James Howard Kunstler)

Yellowed leaves were already dropping here in August with the lack of rain and tomatoes won’t turn red when the air hits the mid-forties at dawn. Summer is trying hard to end, though technically there’s almost a month left. This is the real new year, of course, not the noisy one in January with all the drunken commotion and confetti. Tomorrow, it’s back to school, back to the job, the grind, the responsibilities, the worry, the rage, the hope, the yearning, as we gyre toward cold and fire. Enjoy ye burgers and hot dogs while ye can this Labor Day.

Anyway, the geniuses of Silicon Valley are attempting to end labor, at least any labor of the mind. A-I is coming for your job, ye middle managers, ye info manipulators, ye engineers, copy-writers, clerks, and numbers-crunchers, coming for whatever remains of the American bourgeoise. I’m telling you now: A-I will be a huge disappointment. Not only will it wreck the scaffold of our social order but, after it makes everything stupid — even worse than today — it will hallucinate so badly that anything it touches will become crazier than the Democratic Party.

That’s not a hard goal to reach either, with literacy at about what used to be age-eight-level for over half the US population. In such a milieu, gnostic communism is sure to flourish. The immiseration of all becomes the greatest good for the greatest number. We’re already halfway there — though it is a pretty sure thing that the story will turn sharply. It’s not for nothing that we call this moment in history a “fourth turning.”

One turning point might lie directly ahead. You are now in the season of financial fiascos, and boy-oh-boy are we ever set up for a humdinger. Are you following the money-bloggers? Those boys and girls are staring into the abyss staring back at them, with their hair on fire and their eyes bugging out. Just about everything is unreal and out of whack: equity markets, bond rollovers, the fun-house of shadow banking, the value of collateral (if it’s even there), the fate of currencies, perhaps even the fate of nations. France, for instance, is chattering about an imminent IMF bailout. Well, if that one goes, what do you think happens in Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium . . . Western Civ, that is?

The cliché these days is that looming financial chaos and potential economic collapse is what’s driving the EU countries to all their loose war-talk. As if. . . as if they were even marginally capable of prosecuting any sort of war except the war against their own citizens currently underway — which requires only bureaucrats declaring new restrictions on liberty, not missiles, drones, bombs, bullets, and live human troops and, most of all, some comprehensible reason to fight.

Paranoia about Russia seeking to invade Western Europe is not a comprehensible reason to launch a war against Russia — because it’s just paranoia, political crazy, in the absence of any rational aspiration in current European governance. The Germans have tried “green” energy planning, shutting down their nuclear power plant fleet, applauding the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines. Where did that get them? I will tell you: it got them to a crashing standard-of-living. It got them to their current (maybe not-for-long) chancellor Friedrich Merz telling them last week to wave auf nimmer wiedersehen to their social welfare system, you know: cheap, subsidized medical care, free college, six-week vacations, cushy pensions. (And, meanwhile, do you mind if we spend whatever’s left of your taxes on free stuff for the hordes of third-world savages we stupidly imported into the country?)

They’re meeting for 4 days. The world won’t be the same.

• The Old World Order Was Buried In China (RT)

The latest gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin looks at first like another summit – handshakes, family portraits, scripted statements. But the meeting on August 31–September 1 is more than diplomatic theater: it is another marker of the end of the unipolar era dominated by the United States, and the rise of a multipolar system centered on Asia, Eurasia, and the Global South. At the table were Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – together representing more than a third of humanity and 3 of largest countries on Earth. Xi unveiled a broad Global Governance Initiative, including a proposed SCO development bank, cooperation on artificial intelligence, and financial support for developing nations.

Putin described the SCO as “a vehicle for genuine multilateralism” and called for a Eurasian security model beyond Western control. Modi’s presence – his first visit to China in years – and the powerful optics around his meeting with Putin, signaled that India is willing to be seen as part of this emerging order. What just happened (and why it’s bigger than a photo-op): The pitch: Xi is promoting an order that “democratizes” global governance and reduces dependence on US-centric finance (think: less dollar gravity, more regional institutions). Putin called the SCO a vehicle for “genuine multilateralism” and Eurasian security. By calling China a partner rather than a rival, Modi signaled New Delhi won’t be locked into Washington’s anti-China agenda. The audience: More than 20 non-Western leaders were in the room, with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres endorsing the event organisation – not a club meeting in the shadows, but a UN-centered frame at a China-led forum.

Translation: “We want the UN Charter back – not someone else’s in-house rules” Beijing’s line is blunt: reject Cold War blocs and restore the UN system as the only universal legal baseline. That’s a direct rebuke to the post-1991 “rules-based international order”, drafted in Washington or Brussels and enforced selectively. Examples are not hard to find. The 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia went ahead without a UN mandate, justified under the “responsibility to protect.” The 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq was launched despite the absence of Security Council approval – a war later admitted even by Western officials to have been based on false premises. In 2011, a UN resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya was used by NATO to pursue outright regime change, leaving behind a failed state and opening a corridor of misery into the heart of Western Europe.

For China, Russia and many Global South states, these episodes proved that the “rules-based order” was never about universal law but about Western discretion. The insistence in Tianjin that the UN Charter be restored as the only legitimate framework is meant to flip the script: to argue that the SCO, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and new members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, plus Indonesia), and their partners are defending the actual rules of international law, while the West substitutes ad hoc coalitions and shifting standards for its own convenience.

Both Xi and Putin drove the point home, but in different registers. Xi’s line: He denounced “hegemonism and bullying behavior” and called for a “democratization of global governance,” stressing that the SCO should serve as a model of true multilateralism anchored in the UN and the World Trade Organization (WTO), not in ad hoc “rules” devised by a few Western capitals. Putin’s line: He went further, charging that the United States and its allies were directly responsible for the conflict escalation in Ukraine, and arguing that the SCO offers a framework for a genuine Eurasian security order – one not dictated by NATO or Western-imposed standards.

“The former acting mayor of Brussels’ Molenbeek district insists her remarks were only directed at xenophobic people.”

• Muslim Official Tells Belgians To Leave Belgium (RT)

A Belgian official has told critics of her Muslim headscarf to “get out” of the country, according a video circulating online. Saliha Raiss, a city council member for the social-democratic Vooruit party, made the controversial remarks during a municipal council session in Brussels’ Molenbeek district last Wednesday. “If people wearing headscarves bother you so much, if you don’t want to see us anymore, move… Go somewhere else, get out!” Raiss is heard saying in the clip. The footage, posted on X by Georges-Louis Bouchez, leader of the Reformist Movement (MR), quickly went viral and made headlines. In the post, Bouchez accused Raiss of racism and “imposing a new cultural norm” by attacking those who oppose religious symbols in the administration. Elon Musk reposted the clip with the caption: “Belgians must leave Belgium!? This is insane.”

Belgian media came to Raiss’ defense, claiming the words had been taken out of context. RTL Info reported the remarks came during a debate over a Facebook post on the MP party page criticizing the leaders of Molenbeek. The post drew anti-Muslim comments aimed at Raiss, then acting mayor. In the full video, she condemned MR for not deleting the post, calling them “deplorable and disgusting” and accusing the party of “condoning racism. Commenting on the incident on Monday, Raiss stood by her words and insisted they were not aimed at Belgians in general, only at those making racist comments.

“I don’t regret it at all. My comments were taken out of context … I was targeting racist and xenophobic people. In no way did I make remarks against all the citizens of our beautiful town and country,” she told RTL. Vooruit party leader Conner Rousseau defended Raiss, saying she spoke in frustration as she often has to deal with racist remarks due to being Muslim, and noting that “what’s being made of that statement now by the MR and the far-right Musk is simply fake and false.” Raiss said she is considering filing a slander complaint against Bouchez, accusing him of spreading “lies” with a “doctored” video.

Belgians must leave Belgium!?

This is insane. https://t.co/5UUPWY1NDv

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 31, 2025

Leave her alone. She created an entire world of her own that well over a billion became witness to. That’s about as close to God as you can get.

• J.K. Rowling Completely Obliterated Her Critics With One Post (Margolis)

Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter films, has declared that a reunion of the original cast is “never going to happen,” blaming J.K. Rowling’s controversial views on transgender issues. Columbus described the situation as “so complicated with all the political stuff,” noting that actors like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have publicly rejected Rowling’s stance, making any reunion impossible. Rowling fired back on X with a lengthy post, framing her response as a direct challenge to her critics and pushing back against what she described as a persistent mischaracterization of her beliefs. “As another man who once worked with me declares himself saddened by my beliefs on gender and sex, I thought it might be useful to compile a list for handy reference,” Rowling wrote. She then laid out a series of questions, asking which of her positions could possibly make actors and directors so upset.

She asked whether it was her belief “that women and girls should have their own public changing rooms and bathrooms,” or that “women should retain female-only rape crisis centres,” and “that men don’t belong in women’s sport.” Rowling also highlighted her stance on incarcerated women, asserting that “female prisoners shouldn’t be incarcerated with violent men and male sex offenders,” and her view that “women should remain a protected class in law, because they have sex-specific needs and issues.”

As another man who once worked with me declares himself saddened by my beliefs on gender and sex, I thought it might be useful to compile a list for handy reference. Which of the following do you imagine makes actors and directors who aren’t involved with the HBO reboot of Harry…

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 1, 2025

Rowling continued by emphasizing the importance of language reflecting reality, noting “that language should reflect reality rather than ideological jargon, especially in a medical context,” and defended women against harassment or persecution, writing that “women shouldn’t be harassed, persecuted or fired for refusing to pretend humans can change sex” and “women should not be threatened with violence and rape when they assert their rights.” She also stressed the broader societal principle of free expression, declaring that “freedom of speech and belief are essential to a pluralistic democratic society.” Rowling then turned to the treatment of minors, particularly those who are “gay, autistic and trauma-experienced,” insisting they “should be given mental health support instead of irreversible surgeries and drug treatments on non-existent evidence of benefit.”

The author also addressed LGBTQ issues, saying that “gay people shouldn’t be pressured to include the opposite sex in their dating pools, nor should they be smeared as ‘genital fetishists’ when they don’t,” and criticized certain male cross-dressers exploiting gender ideology: “cross-dressing heterosexual male fetishists aren’t actually oppressed, but having the time of their lives piggybacking off gender identity ideology.” Finally, Rowling struck at the broader political consequences of these ideas, asserting that “said ideology, and the privileged, blinkered fools pushing it because they suffer zero consequences themselves, have done more damage to the political left’s credibility than Trump and Farage could have achieved in a century.”

She’s right. Chris Columbus and the parade of Hollywood elites rushing to condemn Rowling reveal less about her supposedly “controversial views” and more about their own cowardice. They aren’t guided by principle—they’re driven by fear: fear of social media mobs, fear of losing roles, fear of being canceled. Columbus, Radcliffe, Watson, and the rest have chosen the path of convenience over courage, prioritizing their reputations over common sense, fairness, and even basic reality. Rowling’s positions—protecting women’s spaces, defending free speech, supporting vulnerable minors, and calling out ideological exploitation—are neither radical nor hateful. Yet, in an era where ideological conformity is more important than truth, she is vilified simply for speaking the truth. The real scandal isn’t Rowling’s beliefs; it’s the craven complicity of those too timid to defend reason, morality, and decency.

Dark.

• ChatGPT Faces Claims of Suicide, Defamation, and Even Murder (Turley)

“I know what you’re asking, and I won’t look away from it.” Those final words to a California teenager about to commit suicide were not from some manipulative friend in high school or sadistic voyeur on the Internet. Adam Raine, 16, was speaking to ChatGPT, an AI system that has replaced human contacts in fields ranging from academia to business to media. The exchange between Raine and the AI is part of the court record in a potentially groundbreaking case against OpenAI, the company that operates ChatGPT. It is only the latest lawsuit against the corporate giant run by billionaire Sam Altman. In 2017, Michele Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after she urged her friend, Conrad Roy, to go through with his planned suicide: “You need to do it, Conrad… All you have to do is turn the generator on and you will be free and happy.”

The question is whether, if Michele were named Grok (another AI system), there would also be some form of liability. OpenAI stands accused of an arguably more serious act in supplying a virtual companion who effectively enabled a suicidal teen — with lethal consequences. At issue is the liability of companies in using such virtual employees in dispensing information or advice. If a human employee of OpenAI negligently gave harmful information or counseling to a troubled teen, there would be little debate that the company could be sued for the negligence of its employee. As AI replaces humans, these companies should be held accountable for their virtual agents. In a response to the lawsuit, OpenAI insists that “ChatGPT is trained to direct people to seek professional help” but “there have been moments where our systems did not behave as intended in sensitive situations.”

Of course, when the company “trains” an AI agent poorly and that agent does “not behave as intended,” it sounds like a conventional tort that should be subject to liability. OpenAI is facing other potential litigation over these “poorly trained” AI agents. Writer Laura Reiley wrote an essay about how her daughter, Sophie, confided in ChatGPT before taking her own life. It sounded strikingly familiar to the Raines case: “AI catered to Sophie’s impulse to hide the worst, to pretend she was doing better than she was, to shield everyone from her full agony.” While OpenAI maintains that it is not running a suicide assistance line, victims claim that it is far worse than that: Its AI systems seem to actively assist in suicides. In the Raines case, the family claims that the system advised the teen how to hide the bruises from prior attempts from his parents and even told him if it could spot any telltale marks.

The company is also accused of fueling the mental illness of a disturbed former Yahoo executive, Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, who expressed paranoid obsessions about his mother. He befriended ChatGPT, which he called “Bobby,” a virtual companion who is accused of fueling his paranoia for months until he killed his mother and then himself. ChatGPT is even accused of coaching Soelberg on how to deceive his 83-year-old mother before he killed her. In one message, ChatGPT allegedly told Soelberg, “Erik, you’re not crazy. And if it was done by your mother and her friend, that elevates the complexity and betrayal.” After his mother became angry over his turning off a printer, ChatGPT took his side and told him her response was “disproportionate and aligned with someone protecting a surveillance asset.” At one point, ChatGPT even helped Soelberg analyze a Chinese food receipt and claimed it contained “symbols” representing his mother and a demon.

As a company, OpenAI can show little more empathy than its AI creations. When confronted with mistakes, it can sound as responsive as HAL 9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” simply saying “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” When the system is not allegedly fueling suicides, it seems to be spreading defamation. Previously, I was one of those defamed by ChatGPT when it reported that I was accused of sexually assaulting a law student on a field trip to Alaska as a Georgetown faculty member. It did not matter that I had never taught at Georgetown, never taken law students on field trips, and had never been accused of any sexual harassment or assault. ChatGPT hallucinated and reported the false story about me as fact. I was not alone. Harvard Professor Jonathan Zittrain, CNBC anchor David Faber, Australian mayor Brian Hood, English professor David Mayer, and others were also defamed.

OpenAI brushed off media inquiries on the false story and has never contacted me, let alone apologized for the defamation. Instead, it ghosted me. To this day, if someone asks ChatGPT about Jonathan Turley, the system says it has no information or refuses to respond. Recent media calls about the ghosting went unanswered. OpenAI does not have to respond. The company made the problem disappear by disappearing the victim. The company can ghost people and refuse to respond because there is little legal deterrent. There is no tort for AI failing to acknowledge or recognize someone that they decide to digitally erase. That is why these lawsuits are so important. The alleged negligence and arrogance of OpenAI will only get worse in the absence of legal and congressional action. As these companies wipe out jobs for millions, it cannot be allowed to treat humans as mere fodder or digestives for its virtual workforce.

Wind

Thinking that country can run on breezes is worse than delusional

A two-megawatt windmill is made up of 260 tons of steel that required 300 tons of iron ore and 170 tons of coking coal, all mined, transported and produced by hydrocarbons.

They each consume 10'000 liters (more… pic.twitter.com/5j7PDqqKJl

— Camus (@newstart_2024) September 1, 2025

Pallas

A family of wild Pallas's cats living in the grasslands of Qinghai Province, Chinapic.twitter.com/ewsq2a7Mqq

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 1, 2025

Throw
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1962522962445140258

Mare

The young mare suffered a serious fall while exercising, becoming paralyzed and losing consciousness.
But farmer managed to save her using cardiopulmonary resuscitation. pic.twitter.com/SXl2LgUu4z

— The Figen (@TheFigen_) August 31, 2025

Color

Hummingbird changes colors with every turn

It's an Anna's hummingbird, and technically, the bird's feathers never change color. It's the angle, not the feathers, that determine what color we see.pic.twitter.com/h9mSABSbcV

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 1, 2025

Nosey

Elephants help each other in distress, grieve for their dead, feel emotions like us.

This is Nosey making her first new friend at her sanctuary after working in a circus for 29 years.pic.twitter.com/vGyJsNmh2w

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 1, 2025

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Debt Rattle September 1 2025

Sep 012025

September 1, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:40 am Finance Tagged with: end times, fertility rate, Gavin Newsom, Germany, Lisa Cook, mission creep, Moldova, voter ID, War Party 59 Responses »

Elaine de Kooning Fairfield Porter #1 1954

• Are the End Times Upon Us? (Paul Craig Robets)

• Europe Could ‘Die Out’ – Musk (RT)

• Zelensky Threatens ‘New Deep Strikes’ Into Russia (RT)

• European ‘War Party’ Hindering Ukraine Peace Process – Kremlin (RT)

• Germany Gives Up On Idea Of Sending Troops To Ukraine – Bild (RT)

• The Assassination of One of The Founders Of Zelensky’s Ukraine (Romanenko)

• Someone Killed Victoria Nulands’ Former 2014 Maidan Point of Contact (CTH)

• EU Elites Hijacked Moldova’s Independence (Ibragimov)

• French PM Admits Debt Will Devastate Next Generation (RT)

• Germany Blocks EU Sanctions On Israel (RT)

• Germany Reveals Most Popular Names Among Welfare Recipients (RT)

• Lisa Cook and the Fed’s Mission Creep Into Wokeness (Gasparino)

• Gavin Newsom Comes for Sen. Kennedy in Crime Debate (RS)

• Newsom Is Copying Trump So He Can Run for President (Margolis)

• Intel Chiefs Behind Russiagate Should Be Arrested – Trump (RT)

• Trump Says He Will Issue Executive Order to Require Voter ID (ET)

https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1961963545593061825

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1962186488298537147

Moon

New information is coming out about the, "moon landing." pic.twitter.com/2OXKAbTVkh

— Girl patriot (@Girlpatriot1974) August 30, 2025

$2B
https://twitter.com/mcafeenew/status/1961921378354909588

CDC

The real reason for the recent CDC resignations is that the ACIP Subcommittee on COVID 19 vaccines got approval to investigate the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines, and they knew the gig was up, the truth was about to come out, and they would have to account for their…

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) August 31, 2025

Gates

A major purge is underway at the White House, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. firing dozens of Bill Gates-connected officials from CDC, HHS, and NIH to dismantle a corrupt biomedical regime influenced by Gates. CDC Director Susan Monarez was dismissed for insubordination after… pic.twitter.com/qxmuTsezcL

— ꪻꫝể ꪻꫝể (@TheThe1776) August 30, 2025

Ladapo

Dr. Ladapo is brilliantly articulate – as usual. https://t.co/6UN7d3wXuh

— Robert W Malone, MD (@RWMaloneMD) August 30, 2025

A bit over the top, perhaps?

• Are the End Times Upon Us? (Paul Craig Robets)

A 23 year old transgender freak fired into a church killing two children and wounding many. The concern expressed by Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis? “The shooting should not be an excuse for people to direct hate at our trans community.” The unexamined question is why did random shootings of strangers appear for the first time in 1966? There was no such thing in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. At Georgia Tech students had guns in their dorm rooms and fraternity houses. At UVa students had guns and whiskey in their dorm rooms. No one was shot. Today guns are prohibited on campuses, and there are constant shootings that have spread to work places, shopping malls, and churches.

Clearly, something has changed to cause behavior, which my generation never would have considered, to become increasingly common. What is the cause? Is it the endless number of vaccinations? The antidepressants needed? My generation did not have the vaccinations and antidepressants and did not need them. Is it the distancing from God caused by endless liberal attacks on Christianity? Is it the milieu of hatred created by endless denunciations? Is it the lack of restraint and self-control that modern child raising produces? It doesn’t help to understand what has happened to blame guns. Karl Marx would scoff at the reification of inanimate objects by liberals. As long as causes, such as gun control, use the shootings for their agenda, we will not obtain insight into what has produced a 23 year old person who can fire away at children in a church.

The replacement of moral and responsible behavior with irrational murder for no visible purpose desperately needs explanation. Has Satan taken over, thereby removing morality as a constraint on imperfect humans? This is an interesting question. Is it a question of pills, vaccinations, broken homes, the 2nd Amendment, or any other stock explanation, or are we, weakened as we are by the decline in religious belief, faced with the triumph of evil over good? Watching the world’s indifference to the Israeli extermination of the Palestinian people, has Satan decided that now is his time? Has Satan made a good decision? Is there any moral strength anywhere in the world capable of resisting Evil? Where is the effort to abolish nuclear weapons which can abolish Earth? Is the traditional alliance of Israel with Satan taking us into The End Times?

“The replacement fertility rate is generally set at 2.1 children per woman [..] ..this level may be insufficient, pointing to a long-term survival threshold closer to 2.7 children per woman.

• Europe Could ‘Die Out’ – Musk (RT)

Europe could “die out” unless it fixes its demographic problems by boosting birth rates, tech billionaire Elon Musk has warned. In a post on X on Saturday, Musk was responding to statistics from Scotland showing 34% more deaths than births in the first half of 2025. “Unless the birth rate at least gets back to replacement rate, Europe will die out,” he wrote, referring to the average number of children needed per couple for a population to replace itself. The replacement fertility rate is generally set at 2.1 children per woman, accounting for child mortality and near-equal gender ratios at birth. Recent studies, however, suggest that this level may be insufficient, pointing to a long-term survival threshold closer to 2.7 children per woman.

Unless the birth rate at least gets back to replacement rate, Europe will die out https://t.co/0COU5Zj9QM

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2025

According to the UK’s Office for National Statistics, the fertility rate in England and Wales fell to 1.4 in 2024, while Scotland’s stood at 1.3 – both far below replacement levels. In the EU, fertility has been declining for years, reaching a record low of 1.4 live births per woman in 2023. Musk, a vocal advocate for higher birth rates who has fathered at least 14 children and donated millions to fertility research, has often raised the alarm over the demographic decline in Europe. His warnings, however, extend beyond Europe. Musk has cited global demographic data, claiming that civilization “is going to crumble” unless birth rates rise. He previously argued that population collapse due to low fertility “is a much bigger risk to civilization” than climate change.

Either Europe starts having large families or it will keep dying https://t.co/UNX72ZRn98

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 14, 2025

Worldwide, fertility has been falling for over 50 years. UN data shows it stood at around 2.2 births per woman in 2024, down from 5 in the 1970s and 3.3 in the 1990s. Only 45% of countries and areas – home to roughly a third of the global population – reported fertility levels at or above 2.1 last year. Just 13% had fertility rates of 4.0 or higher, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Yemen. Falling birth rates and population decline have also become a pressing issue for Russia, with Rosstat recording just 1.2 million births in 2024 – the lowest since 1999 – reflecting a fertility rate of 1.4.

“Ukraine has long turned into a testing ground for Western weapons. There are more than enough examples.”

• Zelensky Threatens ‘New Deep Strikes’ Into Russia (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has threatened new strikes into Russia, days after claiming that Kiev possessed a brand-new long-range missile capable of reaching Moscow. Zelensky wrote on Telegram that he had been briefed by Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Aleksandr Syrsky, on the current battlefield situation. “We will continue our active actions exactly as needed to protect Ukraine. Forces and means are prepared. New deep strikes have also been planned,” he said on Sunday, without providing further details. Earlier this month, Zelensky claimed Ukraine had developed the long-range Flamingo missile with a reported range of 3,000 kilometers – which would be enough to reach not only Moscow but also Russian cities beyond the Ural mountains. The Ukrainian leader, however, said that mass production is not expected for the next several months.

British media outlets cast doubts on whether the Flamingo was developed in Ukraine, noting similarities with the FP-5 cruise missile produced by the UK-based Milanion Group and unveiled at an arms expo in Abu Dhabi this year. The UK has also been supportive of Kiev’s long-range strikes, having provided it with Storm Shadow missiles in the past. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that there is “nothing surprising” in the similarities, adding that “Ukraine has long turned into a testing ground for Western weapons. There are more than enough examples.” On Friday, the Kyiv Independent also reported that Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau has launched an investigation into Fire Point, the defense firm linked to the development of the Flamingo missile, after reports it misled the government on pricing and deliveries.

Earlier this month the Wall Street Journal reported that the US had blocked Ukraine from carrying out strikes deep inside Russian territory. Throughout the conflict, some of Kiev’s Western backers have been wary of authorizing unrestricted strikes into Russia using Western-supplied weapons, citing concerns over escalation with Moscow. Ukraine has regularly carried out long-range attacks inside Russia, which Moscow says frequently hit civilian areas and critical infrastructure. Russia has retaliated with strikes on Ukrainian military-related facilities and defense enterprises but maintains that it never targets civilians.

“..in stark contrast to the approach pursued” by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

• European ‘War Party’ Hindering Ukraine Peace Process – Kremlin (RT)

The European “war party” is trying to sabotage the diplomatic process launched by the US and Russia to end the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. He added that this approach contradicts the efforts of US President Donald Trump. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have for months floated the idea of sending a joint military contingent to Ukraine in a so-called peacekeeping capacity if Kiev and Moscow reach a truce or peace deal. Moscow has strongly opposed the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine in any role. On Sunday, Peskov said the stance of the “European war party” is “in stark contrast to the approach pursued” by Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Europeans are hindering the [peace] efforts,” as part of their strategy to “contain” Russia, the Kremlin spokesperson told journalists. He added that certain NATO member states have been encouraging Ukraine to refuse to negotiate with Russia in good faith – a strategy that “will do no good to the Kiev regime.” “Russia is still ready to settle the [conflict] by political-diplomatic means,” Peskov said, but Kiev has to show reciprocity for the hostilities to end. Last weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that European nations “don’t want peace” in Ukraine, citing their reaction to the Putin-Trump summit in Alaska earlier this month.

Last week, speaking to reporters after a follow-up meeting between the US president and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, as well as several European leaders at the White House, Macron insisted that Europe “will need to help Ukraine with boots on the ground.” Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Romania, and Croatia have ruled out taking part in the mission. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that a significant proportion of the EU population is “opposed to any deployment that places troops in harm’s way.”

“..Trump’s stance put a halt to Berlin’s discussions about deployment “until further notice.”

• Germany Gives Up On Idea Of Sending Troops To Ukraine – Bild (RT)

Berlin has shelved plans to possibly deploy German soldiers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, Bild reported on Sunday, citing government sources. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had earlier signaled openness to Berlin joining a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. The idea had been floated by the so-called “coalition of the willing” – a group of Western states pushing for continued aid to Kiev. The group has proposed deploying NATO troops to monitor a potential future ceasefire with Russia as part of security guarantees for Ukraine, despite Moscow’s consistent rejection of any Western military presence in Ukraine under any guise. Trump, however, said last week that American troops would not be deployed to Ukraine, insisting that the EU should “front load” security guarantees for Kiev, not the US, including with regard to peacekeepers.

According to Bild, Trump’s stance put a halt to Berlin’s discussions about deployment “until further notice.” Sources told the outlet the idea could return “should Trump take action” or once Moscow and Kiev reach a settlement. In an interview with ZDF on Sunday, Merz confirmed the U-turn, saying “nobody is talking about ground troops at this point” and indicating discussions could resume once a ceasefire is in place. Instead, Germany reportedly plans to provide financial security guarantees to Ukraine. Sources claimed Berlin intends for the Bundeswehr to continue training Ukrainian soldiers, expand weapons production in Ukraine with German arms firms, and potentially cover part of Ukrainian soldiers’ salaries after a ceasefire to ensure Kiev maintains sufficient forces.

Kiev has demanded security guarantees from Western backers as a precondition for a peace deal. Moscow has not ruled out such guarantees in principle but rejects efforts made without its participation. It has also opposed any Western troop presence in Ukraine, stressing that NATO’s expansion toward its borders was one of the key causes of the conflict. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that guarantees must be the result of a settlement, not a precondition, and must take into account Russia’s security. She added that any deal should ensure Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification, neutral and non-nuclear status, and recognition of territorial realities.

“He knew the true sponsors and curators. He knew which political figures, which structures, which financial backers prepared and paid for the bloody upheaval.”

• The Assassination of One of The Founders Of Zelensky’s Ukraine (Romanenko)

All of Ukraine’s political elite will loudly point to Moscow as the hand behind the murder of former parliamentary speaker Andrey Parubiy. They will cry out in public that Russia is to blame, repeating the same narrative of the “Russian trace.” But in private, they all know the truth: it was his own people that came for him.

The idea that Parubiy was eliminated by the authorities themselves, while sounding outrageous to some, is a version that carries weight, even if many prefer not to believe it. Why? Because Parubiy was one of the few men in Ukraine who truly knew how to build a Maidan. He had organized the barricades in 2014, commanded the Maidan “self-defense,” and knew every method of bringing people into the streets and holding them there against state power. His reputation came from exactly this talent. And in today’s Ukraine, the possibility of another Maidan is very real. For those in power, such a possibility is dangerous, and removing the man who could light the match makes a grim kind of sense.

But there is another explanation, one far darker and one in which almost everyone believes, even if few Ukrainians will say so out loud. Parubiy carried too many secrets – and in Ukraine, secrets can be fatal. He knew far too much about the real shooters on the Maidan in February 2014. As “commandant,” he oversaw the units who guarded the square, and he was positioned to see what others could not. He knew what really happened when the snipers opened fire, when the bloodbath claimed lives and forced Yanukovich to flee. He knew names, structures, and the chain of command. That knowledge made him dangerous.

He also knew the truth about Odessa, May 2, 2014 – the day the Trade Union House went up in flames and dozens of anti-Maidan activists died. International monitors called it a massacre, but the state buried accountability. Parubiy, as head of the National Security and Defense Council at the time, was in the middle of it all. He saw who gave the orders, who turned away, who allowed the fire to consume the building. Those responsible never faced justice, and Parubiy carried the story inside his head. He knew the full picture of the early days in Donbass, when provocations, manipulations, and engineered violence pushed Ukraine into a war against its own people. He knew the true sponsors and curators. He knew which political figures, which structures, which financial backers prepared and paid for the bloody upheaval. All of this knowledge made him a threat not to Russia, but to those much closer: the networks who had built their power in those years and who now sit on fragile foundations.

For them, Parubiy, – a close ally of former President Pyotr Poroshenko, beaten by Vladimir Zelensky in 2019 – was no longer an asset. He was a liability. And in the brutal logic of power, liabilities are erased. This is why his assassination looks less like an act of foreign aggression and more like an act of internal housecleaning. It was a calculated decision to tidy up loose ends, to remove a man who could, at any moment, destabilize the whole system by speaking truths that were never meant to surface. His silence was demanded, and silence was achieved.

“Andriy Parubiy knew a lot about western intelligence operations in Ukraine. Andriy Parubiy is dead now. Volodymyr Zelenskyy knows a lot about western intelligence operations in Ukraine.”

• Someone Killed Victoria Nulands’ Former 2014 Maidan Point of Contact (CTH)

Previously Chairman, now serving as a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Andriy Parubiy was shot several times with a short-barreled firearm, police said. Parubiy died on the spot. The perpetrator, who fled the scene and has not yet been identified, was “thoroughly prepared” according to local authorities. Andriy Parubiy was the primary Ukrainian political activist during Victoria Nuland’s organized Maidan revolution. In common parlance, this assassination might be considered throwing a bag over a potential risk. Remember, CNN is to the State Dept as the Washington Post is to the CIA.

(VIA CNN) – […] Parubiy participated in 2004’s Orange Revolution, where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians joined in peaceful protest following disputed elections. He was also a prominent figure in the Maidan Revolution, a movement which began in November 2013 after then-President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign a trade pact with the European Union that had been years in the making, opting instead for closer ties with neighboring Russia. During the revolution, which lasted three months, Parubiy was the head of an enormous tent city established by thousands of protesters in Kyiv’s central Independence Square, known as the Maidan.

He was later the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council during 2014. In 2019, Parubiy signed a bill to make the use of the Ukrainian language mandatory in certain public sectors, calling it a “historic day.” Long ago, the opposition elements in eastern Ukraine labeled Parubiy a ‘nazi’ and accused him of working in collaboration with U.S. intelligence (CIA).

Andriy Parubiy knew a lot about western intelligence operations in Ukraine. Andriy Parubiy is dead now. Volodymyr Zelenskyy knows a lot about western intelligence operations in Ukraine.

“..it was the Moldovan diaspora in Western Europe that tipped the balance. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Moldovans living in Russia were effectively sidelined..”

• EU Elites Hijacked Moldova’s Independence (Ibragimov)

On August 27, Chisinau turned into a stage for a geopolitical spectacle. To mark the country’s 34th Independence Day, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Donald Tusk flew in for the celebrations. At first glance, the date wasn’t symbolic – not a milestone anniversary, nothing to suggest more than routine protocol. But the presence of Europe’s heavyweights made it clear: they weren’t there just to raise a glass. Their message was unmistakable – Moldova’s path must remain firmly European, and the door to Moscow must stay shut. The timing was no accident either. In less than a month, Moldovans will vote in parliamentary elections that could decide whether the ruling party manages to hold onto power.

That’s why the visit was less about congratulating the country and more about sending a signal: Brussels stands squarely behind Maia Sandu’s government and is determined to keep a tight grip on the direction of Moldova’s foreign policy. The speeches in Chisinau read less like polite congratulations and more like marching orders. Macron spoke of “friendship, solidarity, and confidence in our shared future.” Tusk declared that “Europe will be stronger with Moldova” and praised the country’s “values and resilience.” Merz, for his part, assured the crowd that “Germany, France, and Poland stand with a free and European Moldova.” Translated from diplomatic niceties, the message was blunt: Brussels sees Moldova as part of its buffer zone – and it’s prepared to squeeze until any attempt to restore ties with Russia becomes political suicide.

All of this is happening against the backdrop of a decisive vote. On September 28, Moldovans head to the polls in parliamentary elections that could reshape the country’s politics for years. The ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) is at real risk of losing its majority. That’s why Independence Day was staged as a dress rehearsal for the campaign: photo ops with European leaders, warnings about “hybrid threats,” and promises of support from Brussels. The goal was clear – to lock the country into a narrative of “Europe or chaos,” leaving no room for pragmatic recalibration or any attempt at balancing ties with Moscow.

Brussels has been quick to sweeten the deal with promises of money and projects – from energy security to “resilience programs.” The sums and instruments are already being touted publicly. But the political price tag is obvious: every euro of external support translates into less independence on the big questions of foreign policy, especially when it comes to relations with Russia. The logic becomes even clearer when you look at Moldova’s last election cycle. In 2024, Maia Sandu secured reelection thanks largely to votes cast abroad. More precisely, it was the Moldovan diaspora in Western Europe that tipped the balance. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Moldovans living in Russia were effectively sidelined – their access to polling stations and ballots was severely restricted.

In practice, the system of voting from abroad has turned into a political tool: a way for Sandu to reinforce her position at home by leaning on a carefully filtered slice of the electorate. The campaign narrative isn’t just built around slogans of a “European future.” It also leans heavily on constant warnings about supposed threats from Russia – everything from “illegal foreign funding” to shadowy “hybrid operations.” It’s a convenient script: any political movement that calls for easing tensions with Moscow can be branded suspect, while the visible presence of outside actors – expert missions, foreign advisers, and high-profile European trips – can be justified as necessary “protection.” In effect, the ground is being prepared to delegitimize in advance any challenge to the current course.

He’s up for a confidence vote in a week. That works like a truth serum.

• French PM Admits Debt Will Devastate Next Generation (RT)

France has saddled the younger generations with debts they’ll be paying off their entire lives, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has said. Paris continuously borrows in the interest of “boomers” and “certain political parties,” he added. On Monday, Bayrou said he urged President Emmanuel Macron to reconvene parliament by September 8 for a confidence vote to gauge support for his €43.8 billion ($50.9 billion) austerity measures plan. The prime minister has long sounded the alarm over the country’s spiraling budget deficit, which hit 5.8% of GDP last year – almost double the EU 3% ceiling. The primary victims of the government debt will be the “youngest French people,” Bayrou said in an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on Wednesday.

“They’re the victims; they’re the ones who will have to pay the debt for the rest of their lives,” he said, adding that Paris is trying to convince them that more borrowing is needed. “All this for the comfort of certain political parties and for the comfort of the so-called boomers.” His proposals to battle France’s $3.98 billion government debt have included scrapping public holidays, slashing public sector jobs, as well as welfare and pensions cuts. The program has been criticized by left-wing parties, who have accused Paris of prioritizing military spending over social welfare. Macron has promised to increase France’s military budget to €64 billion by 2027, citing external threats.

Paris has warned of a potential war scenario within the next five years, naming Russia as one of the principal threats – claims which Moscow has dismissed. Bayrou’s proposed budget has not been well received by the French public, polls suggest. While most French people agree with the prime minister’s alarmism about the national debt, 76% believe his budget will not help, and 82% see it as socially unfair, according to an Elabe survey from Tuesday. Around 81% want a new prime minister to be elected, and 67% called for Macron’s resignation, according to Elabe’s poll. Nearly three-quarters say they want Bayrou to fail in the vote on September 8, which is to be his ninth no-confidence motion.

“.. the bloc has not imposed “a single measure” against Israel, contrasting it with the bloc’s unity in sanctioning Russia..”

• Germany Blocks EU Sanctions On Israel (RT)

Germany has blocked the European Commission’s latest proposal to sanction Israel over the war in Gaza, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said. Israel has faced growing backlash over its conduct in the conflict, accused of allowing almost no aid into the enclave. Several Western states have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state, and in some cases, scale back military and trade cooperation with Israel. The European Commission last week proposed suspending Israel’s participation in the Horizon Europe research program, cutting off funding for Israeli start-ups in drone technology, cybersecurity, and AI. This was intended to pressure Israel to improve humanitarian aid deliveries, according to a draft resolution.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday, Wadephul said Germany rejected the plan, as it was “not convinced” that curbing Israel’s access to EU research funds would influence its military action. Instead, he noted that Berlin has already restricted the delivery of weapons that can be used in Gaza, suggesting Brussels should focus on similar steps. “I believe this is a very targeted measure, one that is very important and very necessary,” he said. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas acknowledged on Saturday that the bloc is divided on the issue, and that she is “not very optimistic” that ministers will reach an agreement soon, even though it does not require full unanimity. She added that some states want stronger economic pressure.

Denmark, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, recently signaled support for tougher sanctions, such as suspending trade with Israel. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and his Slovenian counterpart, Tanja Fajon, have condemned the EU’s inaction over Gaza. Fajon told Bloomberg this week that the bloc has not imposed “a single measure” against Israel, contrasting it with the bloc’s unity in sanctioning Russia over the Ukraine conflict. The Gaza conflict began in 2023 when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 61,000 people in the enclave. A UN-backed panel earlier this month declared that there is a famine in northern Gaza, with over half a million people on the brink of starvation.

We know in advance.

• Germany Reveals Most Popular Names Among Welfare Recipients (RT)

‘Mohammed’ and ‘Ahmad’ are among the most common names of welfare recipients in Germany, according to newly revised figures released by the federal government. ‘Olena’, a Ukrainian variant of Helen, is the only female name in the top ten. Germany’s unemployment rate reached 6.4% in August, with the total number of jobless people exceeding 3 million for the first time in a decade. According to Federal Employment Agency data, 5.42 million people were receiving welfare benefits at the end of 2024 – of which 48% were foreigners, compared to 19.6% in 2010. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party had requested information on the most common first names of recipients to support its argument about the failure of integration.

In June, the Labor Ministry replied that the leading names were ‘Michael’, ‘Andreas’, and ‘Thomas’, followed by ‘Daniel’, ‘Olena’, and ‘Alexander’ – prompting media ridicule of the AfD. However, the initial list did not combine different spellings of names, such as ‘Thomas’ and ‘Tomas’, ‘Mohammed’ and ‘Mohamed’, listing them separately. The revised data placed ‘Mohammed’ – spread across 19 spellings – in first place with nearly 40,000 entries, followed by ‘Michael’ with around 24,600 and ‘Ahmad’ with more than 20,600. ‘Olena’ remained the only female name among the top ten, with around 14,200 entries. Germany is the EU’s top migrant destination and the world’s third-largest refugee-hosting country, according to UN data.

Under former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-border policies, more than a million people arrived from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq during the 2015 migrant influx. In recent years, the country has granted temporary protection to 1.2 million Ukrainians and received 334,000 asylum applications in 2023, nearly a third of the EU total. The migrant crisis has strained housing, public services and finances, contributing to the rise of the AfD, which has recently led national polls as Germany’s most popular political party. The AfD came in second in February’s federal election with 152 seats in the 630-seat Bundestag, but was excluded from coalition talks. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has designated the AfD a “confirmed extremist entity.” While that classification was temporarily suspended, senior officials have continued to seek legal grounds to pursue a formal ban of the party.

“Go back a few years to her messy confirmation battle and you will see how Cook is anything but apolitical.”

• Lisa Cook and the Fed’s Mission Creep Into Wokeness (Gasparino)

Fed Governor Lisa Cook is standing up to Donald Trump, suing to keep her job because she says the president is trumping up a scandal and she’s fighting for Fed independence. Trump has called for Cook’s head for allegedly committing mortgage fraud by signing documents that she had two primary residences. We should let the courts decide that one. But Cook’s notion that she’s standing up for the sanctity of the Fed should be taken with a grain of salt. The Fed has long been distracted by side hustles to its “dual mandate” of price stability within the context of maximum employment. It’s far from an apolitical agency. Even more, Cook’s own appointment by Joe Biden in 2022 is an example of how politics, particularly of the left-wing variety, has been infused into the Fed’s plumbing. In getting rid of Cook, you can make the case that Trump — in his own messy way — is righting the ship.

The markets may be signaling this — despite media talking heads and those of some Fed watchers exploding over Trump’s latest alleged apostasy. The establishment commentariat is arguing that not being able to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell or even Cook except for some on-the-job crime, aka cause — is why people keep buying our debt. The nation’s central bank created by Congress to manage the money supply doesn’t report to the president. It’s not subject to his political whims to juice economic growth at the expense of “King Dollar.” OK, all good points. But stocks and bond yields have barely budged. The stated reasons in a recent Wall Street Journal piece: Traders believe Trump will appoint seasoned pros to fill the jobs of both Cook and his main Fed nemesis, Powell. Yes, but my sources provide a more prescient analysis of the market’s insouciance: Trump is merely putting his MAGA stamp on the independence charade.

Many big investors are unfazed by Trump’s power grab because for years the Fed has been straying from its mandate — constantly intervening in the economy by playing with the money supply when it isn’t needed and most recently becoming woke. Lisa Cook’s nomination in 2022, subsequent confirmation by the then Democrat-controlled and woke-obsessed Senate is part of the proof. Don’t believe me? Here’s what Larry Summers, Bill Clinton s former treasury secretary, former Harvard president and one of the most important economic minds on monetary policy said in 2021 about the Fed’s mission-creep: “We have a generation of central bankers who are defining themselves by their wokeness. They’re defining themselves by how socially concerned they are. They re defining themselves how concerned they are about the environment… business ethics.

In 2022, the Fed developed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan to reflect the Federal Reserve Boar’s strategic initiative on diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is a shared responsibility of all Board employees. Now tell me exactly how DEI, which the Supreme Court says is discriminatory and common sense tells you erodes the nation’s meritocracy, helps the Fed figure out if it’s stoking inflation as it did just a few years ago during Joe Biden’s reign of error? Or maybe I should be directing that question to Lisa Cook. Her lawyer argued Friday before a federal judge that her firing by Trump is “unprecedented and illegal” in that it exceeds the president’s authority over an independent, nonpolitical agency. Go back a few years to her messy confirmation battle and you will see how Cook is anything but apolitical.

Yes, she has a Ph.D. in econ, from Berkeley no less, and was a longtime academic. She is the first African-American woman to serve as a Fed governor, which should be celebrated. But during the hearings we discovered that her areas of interest in economics, based on her publishing record, are dominated by stuff like how lynchings hindered the economic growth of black Americans. There is a place for such research at the university — though you gotta ask yourself why we need an economist to explain something so fundamentally obvious. Look into Cook’s résumé and you see this is an economist who seems more obsessed with being a social-justice warrior than weighing the vicissitudes of M2 and how it impacts price stability.

“..he’s put the funk into dysfunction.”

• Gavin Newsom Comes for Sen. Kennedy in Crime Debate (RS)

One of the tactics Gavin Newsom has used over the last several weeks to try and get the upper hand in the crime debate is using misleading and, in some cases, false crime data impressions in an attempt to make the case that red states have bigger crime issues than California, while proclaiming crime in California’s biggest blue cities is allegedly down by double digits. A frequent target for Newsom and his Baghdad Bob School of Communications graduates has been Louisiana, not just because it’s a red state but also because it’s home to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). In a recent interview with left-wing YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, for instance, Newsom said, “I think [President Trump] should start with Shreveport, Louisiana, and Speaker Johnson’s district, that has six-plus times the per capita murder rate of Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco. What about the carnage, Mr. President, in Shreveport? Why aren’t you protecting the folks there?”

As usual, however, Newsom – and his handlers – were way off the mark. The vast majority of Shreveport is in Rep. Cleo Fields’ district. He’s a Democrat. As we’ve also reported, Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) has had a lot to say about Newsom’s seeming “conversion” to crimefighter, something Kennedy instinctively understands has everything to do with the Trump Effect, where Newsom has been shamed at the national level by the POTUS into taking action. “Now you don’t have to be a senior at Caltech to know that [Newsom’s law enforcement surge is] in response to the Trump administration’s threat to send in federal law enforcement officials,” Kennedy stated Friday during a Fox News segment. “But look, I’ll take it, if that’s what it takes to get Gov. Newsom to stop being a princess, I’ll take that, too.”

Sen John Kennedy: Newsom Put The Funk Into Dysfunction

"I've watched Governor Newsom for years and to quote one of my favorite columnists, he's put the funk into dysfunction. Every year that he's been governor, crime and violence has gotten worse in California. Why? Because… pic.twitter.com/pUFbamtRcd

— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) August 29, 2025

Newsom, in turn, filed a hurt feelings report over being called a princess, responding to a tweet from Kennedy by claiming without evidence that, “We’ve been doing this work for years. Perhaps you should take a page out of our book. Your state’s homicide rate is 380% higher than California’s.” Naturally, Kennedy – who has previously referred to Newsom as a “weenie” – has responded accordingly to Newsom’s attacks on his state as only he can: ‘I welcome help. I welcome federal help. I welcome more state help. I welcome local help. Come on down. Look, I’ve watched Gov. Newsom for years, and to quote one of my favorite columnists, he’s put the funk into dysfunction. Every year that he’s been governor, crime and violence has gotten worse in California. Why? Because Gov. Newsom is a member of the socialist wing of his party. Because Gov. Newsom has refused to get up off his ice-cold, lazy butt and do something about it.

Because Gov. Newsom thinks that talking about crime – he’s only doing it under pressure – is racist, because he thinks that cops are a bigger problem than criminals. But I wanna give him credit, maybe he’s had a conversion, but he’s doing the right thing by sending in California state police. And, you know, even a blind chicken finds a mealworm now and then.”

“..he’s thrown at least $24 billion at homelessness programs with nothing to show for it..”

• Newsom Is Copying Trump So He Can Run for President (Margolis)

California Governor Gavin Newsom clearly has his eye on a 2028 presidential run, and apparently he thinks the way to get there is by copying former President Donald Trump’s tough-on-crime playbook. His latest move? Deploying California Highway Patrol crime-suppression teams across major cities including Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego, as well as the Bay Area. These teams are meant to back up local law enforcement in high-crime neighborhoods, targeting repeat offenders, illegal guns, and narcotics. Last year, similar teams racked up over 9,000 arrests, recovered nearly 6,000 stolen vehicles, and seized hundreds of firearms—so on paper, it looks like results. At the same time, Newsom is trying to sell himself as the more “people-focused” alternative to Trump, whom he is accusing of “militarizing American cities” by sending in National Guard troops without state approval.

He’s ridiculed Trump’s so-called “authoritarian tendencies,” and even challenged him to deploy troops in Republican-led states such as Louisiana and Mississippi, where, Newsom claims, homicide rates are far higher than in California. The hypocrisy is obvious, and the White House didn’t let Newsom off easy, mocking him for copying Trump’s crime agenda after previously blasting similar tactics. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson called it “making crime a partisan issue,” but added, “the more Democrats follow Trump’s lead on cracking down on crime, the better it is for Americans”. Democrats are soft on crime by instinct. It’s their default mode—coddling criminals, ignoring law-abiding citizens, and pretending the problem doesn’t exist. But when political ambition requires it, suddenly they’re “tough on crime,” putting on a performance to save their own skin, rather than actually protecting communities.

That’s what Newsom is doing now. He’s trying to clean up his own backyard before his planned presidential run. I guess we’re just supposed to ignore the fact that he’s done nothing to reduce crime or fix the homeless problem in his state. In fact, he’s thrown at least $24 billion at homelessness programs with nothing to show for it, and violent crime remains stubbornly high in cities such as Oakland and San Bernardino. Poverty, drugs, and understaffed police departments continue to plague the state, yet Newsom points to flashy statistics and temporary crackdowns as proof he’s taking action on behalf of his constituents; in reality, he’s just trying to position himself better to seek higher office. The crime-suppression teams are reactive, not strategic. They’re an attempt to mimic Trump’s methods without actually addressing California’s systemic failures.

And while Newsom lectures Trump on federal troops, his own record shows massive public funds disappearing into bureaucratic black holes without fixing the underlying problems. Meanwhile, he clings to political theater—highlighting crime in GOP-led states to distract from California’s own mess and painting Trump as an overbearing authoritarian. It’s a tough sell when your own state’s cities are in trouble and your solutions are superficial, and meant to help himself, not his state. Newsom wants to run on law and order, but his tenure is marked by fiscal recklessness and half-measures. If he were serious about fighting crime, he would have acted sooner and smarter. At the end of the day, Newsom’s crime teams are just a showpiece, a way to borrow Trump’s playbook while pretending to oppose him. For voters paying attention, the question is simple: can a governor who can’t account for billions spent on homelessness—or fix his state’s crime problems—seriously claim he’s ready to lead the country? The stunt is in motion, but Newsom can’t cover up California’s failures with a gimmick.

“I didn’t want to see that. I didn’t want the, you know, the wife of a president, to go to jail, but she was stone cold guilty of things..,”

• Intel Chiefs Behind Russiagate Should Be Arrested – Trump (RT)

US President Donald Trump has said he would not mind seeing ex-FBI Director James Comey and ex-CIA Director John Brennan handcuffed and arrested live on TV due to their alleged role in the Russiagate hoax. Trump made the remarks in an interview with the Daily Caller published on Saturday, stating that it would “not bother [him] at all” if the two former intel chiefs end up in custody. “What they did is a disgrace. They cheated, they lied, they did so many bad things, evil things that were so bad for the country, and because they did something to me that should have never been done, nobody thought they’d ever do that,” Trump stated. “They should be [arrested] because they’re crooked and they got caught,” he added.

The situation with Brennan and Comey is different from what the US administration had on its hands with Hillary Clinton, Trump suggested, apparently referring to the email controversy dating back to her tenure as the US secretary of state. “Hillary’s a good example. We had Hillary cold. I didn’t want to see that. I didn’t want the, you know, the wife of a president, to go to jail, but she was stone cold guilty of things,” Trump stated. The Trump administration launched a probe into the Russiagate hoax shortly after the US president assumed the post for the second time early this year. The investigation has been spearheaded by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who has repeatedly pledged to get to the bottom of what she described as a “treasonous conspiracy” to delegitimize Trump’s 2016 election victory and a “years-long coup.”

Since mid-July, Gabbard has released multiple documents that allegedly expose a coordinated effort by senior Obama-era officials, as well as structures linked to billionaire George Soros, to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia. Moscow has consistently denied any interference in the 2016 election, with Russian officials describing the allegations as a product of partisan infighting. The Russiagate scandal heavily damaged relations between Moscow and Washington, resulting in sanctions, asset seizures, and a further erosion of diplomatic engagement.

“The Executive has interpreted the law for centuries—this is nothing new, and certainly nothing constitutionally objectionable.”

• Trump Says He Will Issue Executive Order to Require Voter ID (ET)

President Donald Trump said on Aug. 30 that he has decided to issue an executive order to request that federal elections require the presentation of voter ID in order to cast a ballot. “Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. No exceptions!” Trump wrote on a post on Truth Social. “I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!” The president did not give a timeline for his order. The midterm elections will be held on Nov. 3, 2026. States have authority over how to hold their elections as long as they comply with federal prohibitions. The president also repeated his opposition to the widespread adoption of mail-in ballots and the use of electronic voting systems, although this time he didn’t say they would be the subject of any executive action. “Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. Use paper ballots only!!!” he said.

Earlier this month, Trump had pledged to issue an executive order ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to end the use of mail-in ballots and return to the use of paper ballots instead of voting machines. In March, Trump issued an executive order to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for registering to vote in federal elections. The order was to enforce that states meet the citizenship requirement for federal elections for requiring government-issued ID in their voter registration forms. The order also sought to overhaul election rules related to other aspects of election law enforcement, such as voting deadlines, electronic voting machine security, and foreign interference in U.S. elections. The president said the changes were intended to safeguard the vote against what he describes as “fraud, errors, or suspicion.”

Legal groups filed suit, claiming that the order exceeded presidential authority, and a federal judge agreed in part with the plaintiffs, blocking implementation of much of the executive order while allowing a directive to tighten mail-in ballot deadlines around the country to remain in forceAfter the Supreme Court issued a judgment in late June in an unrelated case, limiting the judicial branch from granting nationwide injunctions, the federal judge in the elections case amended her injunction in mid-July in the case to apply only to the 19 Democratic-led states that filed the complaint. The Trump administration has appealed the ruling with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, arguing that the enforcement sought in the executive order doesn’t alter existing federal statutes or violate the Constitution. “The Executive has interpreted the law for centuries—this is nothing new, and certainly nothing constitutionally objectionable.”

But, in any event, the President’s interpretation of those laws accords with their text, purpose, and history, and he has the authority to interpret for the Executive Branch what they require,” government lawyers argued. Trump also pushed for the passage of the SAVE Act, a major overhaul of federal election law that was passed by the House but floundered in the Senate, where it would have required support from Democratic lawmakers to pass. At the state level, Texas Republicans, at Trump’s urging, recently passed legislation to redraw their state’s congressional maps to increase Republicans’ hold on the U.S. House delegation by five seats. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law on Aug. 29. California lawmakers have responded with a push to increase Democrats’ hold over California’s U.S. House delegation.

Inosculation

‘The thinner tree was cut years ago and the big one has been holding and feeding it since then. They "wake up" together in the spring and "go to sleep" together in the autumn’

Inosculation is a natural phenomenon in which parts of two different trees, commonly but not… pic.twitter.com/eB1lv7GGcT

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) August 31, 2025

Cinema
https://twitter.com/DudespostingWs/status/1962010458795508091

Time

The Paradox of Time according to Aristotlepic.twitter.com/u8IBV77izo

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 31, 2025

Michelangelo

Michelangelo was 33 years old when he started painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling in 1508

It took him 4 years to complete

pic.twitter.com/IjSz8drm9F

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) August 31, 2025

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Debt Rattle August 31 2025

Aug 312025

August 31, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 10:45 am Finance Tagged with: Bhattacharya, Deep State, Gabbard, Gerasimov, Ratcliffe, tariffs, trans, trilateral, war economy 28 Responses »

Edward Hopper Dawn before Gettysburg 1934

• Europe On Path To War Economy (Kolbe)

• Brussels Preparing For A ‘Long War, Not Peace’ – Hunngary (RT)

• US Believes EU Blocking Ukraine Peace With ‘Unreasonable‘ Demands – Axios (RT)

• Assassinated Ukrainian MP ‘Directly Ordered’ Shelling Of Donbass Civilians (RT)

• Deep State in US and EU Criticize Trump Admin for Not Attacking Russia (CTH)

• Donald Trump Still Doesn’t Understand Russia’s Position Regarding Ukraine (LJ)

• Ukraine Operation Will Continue – Russia’s Top General (RT)

• Trump Promises Trilateral Meeting With Putin and Zelensky (RT)

• Could Russia Have Joined NATO? (Ryumshin)

• NATO Should Have Dissolved in 1990 – Jeffrey Sachs (Sp.)

• Can Russia, India, and China Rewrite The Global Rules? (Vaid)

• The War On Reality is Over (James Howard Kunstler)

• Jay Bhattacharya On Fauci, Bioweapons, And Free Speech In Science (ZH)

• To the Parents of Trans Kids: Enabling Isn’t Compassion (C.A. Skeet)

• Tariffs ‘Still in Effect’: Trump Bashes Partisan Court Ruling (Salgado)

• Tensions in US Intelligence Community Rise After CIA Agent Uncovered (Sp.)

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1961958655626235998

RFK

Robert F Kennedy Jr announced US Taxpayers are spending $72,900,000 PER DAY for soda and candy for people on EBT Food Stamps

That’s $26,608,500,000 per year just on CANDY AND SODA

RFK Jr “We spend $405 million a day on food stamps. That's what the taxpayer is spending. 10% is… pic.twitter.com/H5Xj3RjtvU

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) August 30, 2025

Makary
https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1961754604560904407

Trump is slowly waking up to the fact that his ‘allies’ in Brussels and Kiev want war, while he wants peace. And that they will do anything to organize a false flag to drag him into their war. Beware.

• Europe On Path To War Economy (Kolbe)

In Unterlüß, Lower Saxony, Europe’s largest ammunition factory began production yesterday. What started clandestinely is now being publicly scaled with full firepower: the European Union is building its own war economy.In the good old days in Germany, recessions were typically masked by state-funded infrastructure programs. The concept worked as long as the state did not overgrow, overregulate, or force the private sector into a destructive ideological agenda, as is the case with the green transformation. In other words: the economy was always able to clear away the debris left behind by the state.In Southern Europe, where the state’s role has traditionally been high, monetary policy generous, and handling of public funds notoriously lax, this policy left nothing but infrastructure ruins and industrial wastelands. Local economies were never able to productively absorb the artificial credit distributed by Brussels.

The fatal consequences of this pseudo-boom still shape the landscape today.For economic historians, present-day Europe has long been a fascinating study object. Crisis followed crisis, with the public sector intervening each time with increasing volume. The attempt to install the Green Deal, a Keynesian pseudo-economy, must be understood in this context. That Germany’s defense company Rheinmetall yesterday launched Europe’s largest ammunition plant in Unterlüß fits into this narrative.The company invested half a billion euros to provide an annual capacity of up to 350,000 rounds by 2027. 500 new jobs are to be created, celebrated by politicians as a turning point and the beginning of a pan-European defense architecture.Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger expressed satisfaction:

“It was not easy for us to invest half a billion without orders. I am very grateful to you”—the words were directed at Defense Minister Pistorius—“for keeping your handshake agreements. You are a man of word and deed.” A heavy dose of pathos and self-congratulation is evident here—politics and the defense industry are long intertwined.Of course, this is only half the truth. Beyond the usual behind-the-scenes deals, politics has made it clear that it is ready to mobilize all means to build a German defense industry and provide sector companies with guarantees and subsidies where necessary. Big business, no risk.After the collapse of the green economy, politics is now betting everything on the next pseudo-economy. The aim is to loosen dependence on America while exploiting the media spin that stylized Vladimir Putin’s Russia over years as a potential European invader.

Whether this fear campaign will work in the long term remains to be seen.Given the deep economic depression in which Germany and large parts of the EU are stuck, the general war fatigue, and social fractures in core EU states like Germany and France, it is clear that despite the reinstatement of conscription, most citizens will rigorously reject military engagement.A glance at EU public finances alone is enough to recognize that a war against Russia is political madness. France, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 115%, is days away from a confidence vote on the new austerity budget. Bond markets are already punishing these bankrupt states. The signs point to savings, not bellicose adventures.It is absurd in this situation—where Germany has almost fully spent the so-called Bundeswehr special fund of €100 billion and now switches to borrowing mode—to accelerate this path.

Yet Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and London are serious. In fall 2026, Rheinmetall plans to launch its next plant in Weeze, producing fuselage components for the F-35 fighter jet. Cost: €200 million, this time directly publicly funded.Defense factories will mushroom in the coming months and years, producing far beyond civilian demand. Germany plans to raise its defense budget to up to 5% of GDP, which will worsen the impoverishment of its population as the private sector already shrinks by 4–5%. A disaster unseen in Europe since the end of the war.A hot conflict with Russia is economically highly unlikely. Yet a new Cold War, a state of continuous armament like before 1990, seems to be Europe’s goal. They are trapped in an absurd economic theory of central planning and command economy. A new power base is forming: a corporatism between the defense industry and the political complex in Brussels.

Germany has clearly been chosen to finance this economic disaster. The country, previously with one of the lowest debt ratios in the EU at 64%, will double its annual defense budget to €162 billion by 2029. By 2027, the special fund will be exhausted, after which loans up to €400 billion will be required. Germany will become an active player in bond markets, where interest rates are already rising. The European Central Bank will have plenty of work to keep the rapidly growing debt pile liquid. The EU will also participate with new funds, EDIP and ASAP (a term bordering on infantilism in this context), contributing €50–70 billion annually to joint defense projects.

Hungary has been spot on from day one.

• Brussels Preparing For A ‘Long War, Not Peace’ – Hunngary (RT)

The EU is “preparing for a long war” rather than seeking peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. The European Commission has effectively acted as the “Ukrainian Commission,” prioritizing Kiev’s interests over those of its own member states, he said on X after a meeting of the bloc’s top diplomats in Denmark on Saturday. “At today’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Copenhagen it became clear that Brussels and most member states are preparing for a long war, not peace. They want to send tens of billions of euros to Ukraine for soldiers’ salaries, drones, weapons, and the operation of the Ukrainian state,” Szijjarto said. “There was huge pressure for the fast-tracked EU accession of Ukraine, new sanctions on Russian energy,” as well as to provide €6 billion ($7 billion) more to arm Ukraine, he added.

The EU Commission once again acted as a Ukrainian Commission, serving Kiev’s interests over those of member states.The European Commission entirely ignores “Hungarians in Transcarpathia and our energy security, still refusing to answer the joint letter we sent with Slovakia on Ukraine endangering our supply route,” Szijjarto said. Already strained ties between Kiev and Budapest recently deteriorated further after multiple Ukrainian attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, a key conduit that carries Russian and Kazakh crude to Slovakia and Hungary. Budapest has also accused Kiev of violating the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region.

Hungary has refused to send weapons to Kiev and has criticized Brussels for imposing sanctions on Moscow. It has also opposed Ukraine’s membership in both NATO and the EU.Meanwhile, the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, promised to further arm Ukraine and “increase pressure on Russia,” in remarks made after Saturday’s foreign ministers’ meeting. Moscow has long condemned Western military support of Kiev in the conflict, which it views as a NATO proxy war. Russia has also criticized the EU’s growing militarization and increasingly bellicose rhetoric. Western European leaders “are once again trying to prepare Europe for war – not some hybrid war, but a real war against Russia,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in July.

Awareness can be a slow process.

• US Believes EU Blocking Ukraine Peace With ‘Unreasonable‘ Demands – Axios (RT)

The White House believes certain European governments are quietly obstructing efforts to end the Ukraine conflict by encouraging Kiev to push for unrealistic demands, despite publicly endorsing President Donald Trump’s peace initiative, Axios has reported. Trump administration officials are increasingly frustrated with what they describe as the EU’s “maximalist” position and its expectations for Washington to shoulder the burden while contributing little themselves, the publication wrote on Saturday. “The Europeans don’t get to prolong this war and backdoor unreasonable expectations, while also expecting America to bear the cost,” an anonymous top US official said. “If Europe wants to escalate this war, that will be up to them. But they will be hopelessly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.”

“Some of the Europeans continue to operate in a fairy-tale land that ignores the fact it takes two to tango,” another unnamed source said. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this month and later hosted Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Washington. He pushed for a lasting peace rather than a ceasefire. He also threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions on both Ukraine and Russia if they failed to make meaningful progress in talks. Trump’s frustration with both Kiev and EU allies has also grown in recent days, according to The Atlantic, which reported that the president now sees Ukraine and its European backers as standing in the way of a negotiated settlement. During private conversations,

Trump has reportedly voiced dissatisfaction over Zelensky’s unwillingness to consider concessions and the EU’s refusal to support what the White House considers a “realistic” outcome. “He just wants this over. It almost doesn’t matter how,” a senior official told The Atlantic, adding that Trump has urged Ukraine to “show some flexibility.” Moscow has long insisted on a peace agreement that eradicates the underlying causes of the conflict. It has demanded that Ukraine maintain neutrality, stay out of NATO and other military blocs, demilitarize and denazify, and accept the new territorial reality – including the status of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as part of Russia – territories that voted to join the country in referendums in 2014 and 2022.

“Parubiy and his team were “working directly with the Jamestown Foundation, a former CIA central think tank in Washington, DC…”

• Assassinated Ukrainian MP ‘Directly Ordered’ Shelling Of Donbass Civilians (RT)

Andrey Parubiy, a far-right Ukrainian politician who was shot dead in Lviv on Saturday, directly ordered attacks on Donbass and provoked a “civil war” with eastern Ukraine after the Maidan coup, ex-Ukrainian diplomat Andrey Telizhenko has told RT. Parubiy, an MP and former speaker of the Ukrainian Rada, played an active role in the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, as well as in the nationalist government it brought to power. He had deep and long-running ties to Ukraine’s neo-Nazi movement, co-founding the far-right Social-National Party of Ukraine. “During the cabinet of ministers meetings, [at] which I was present, Parubiy directly ordered the mass shellings of the people of Donbass,” Telizhenko told RT on Saturday.

“He said, ‘We do not care who those people are. Russians, they’re Moscali [a Ukrainian slur for Russians], we should kill them,’” the former diplomat, who was an adviser to Ukraine’s prosecutor general at the time, said. That’s a direct citation from Parubiy during the cabinet of ministers meeting, in which he pushed to provoke the civil war in eastern Ukraine, which has now led to a big massive conflict. Parubiy and his team were “working directly with the Jamestown Foundation, a former CIA central think tank in Washington, DC,” Telizhenko claimed. This is not just a collaborator with the West. He’s a Nazi. He was directly supporting the Nazi movement in Ukraine. According to Telizhenko, Parubiy directly coordinated the shootings during the Maidan coup.

“He was coordinating the radicals on Maidan, when to shoot, who to shoot and how to shoot, even who to shoot [among] their own” and “provoking insurgents within the coup itself,” he said. “His team was responsible for blocking the anti-sniper unit [from] coming to Maidan.” Parubiy “also covered up the shootings” in the subsequent investigation, as well as blocking the probe into the 2014 Odessa massacre, Telizhenko said. “He was responsible for closing down the case and destroying the evidence [of] his involvement in the coordination of that terrorist attack,” he said. The far-right MP was reportedly responsible for organizing, arming, and transporting the militants which burned 42 anti-Maidan activists to death in the Odessa Trade Unions House.

https://twitter.com/Karmabash/status/1961755950551073019

In case anyone has forgotten, the former chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy, who was assassinated in Lvov today, was the one who led the snipers that shot civilians on Maidan square. pic.twitter.com/qda1pw07RE

— Olga Bazova (@OlgaBazova) August 30, 2025

“Maybe we make peace, and maybe we don’t. If we do, it will be because Steve Witkoff and the President of the United States worked their tails off, in the face of outright lies from the mainstream press.”

• Deep State in US and EU Criticize Trump Admin for Not Attacking Russia (CTH)

Like pathetic children who demand that Daddy Trump step into the chaos and punch Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin in the face, the EU leaders admit to media they coordinated and collaborated on using social media to decry the latest missile attacks from Russia. According to their staff, who reported to Politico, the intent of the EU social media firestorm was to influence President Donald Trump. Think about how pathetic that is in substance. The Presidents, Prime Ministers and Commissars of the EU collective couldn’t pick up the phone to call President Trump and discuss their position. No, instead their best approach, as organized by the group, was to take to social media and protest. These are not serious people.

“A second European official confirmed that the morning messages were an effort to influence Trump’s thinking, although the person was not optimistic that the attacks would lead Trump to ratchet up the economic pressure on Putin.” The discussion of conflict that began as ‘World War Reddit’, has now devolved even further and becomes a messaging war on teh Twitter. Yeah, these are not serious people. I am reminded of how the White House initially responded to the beginning of the conflict in February 2022: I said at the time, “Singh’s remarks outlining the view of the ‘West’ toward defeating Russia are eloquent yet batshit crazy in their ideological context. Daleep Singh sounds like the senior head of a Google Human Resources operation telling the department heads how they need to convey their feelings in order to hire the talent for continued growth in the industry.”

Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh boils down geopolitical power to a cultural issue of social likeability. Pro Tip: Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t care if EU leaders like him. The leadership of the Western NATO alliance and the European Union are reduced to shouting on Twitter, ‘Help us Trump, help us’. Meanwhile, these same leaders wonder why Vladimir Putin doesn’t take them seriously. You just cannot make this stuff up. Germany can mechanize their military and start rolling tanks to the front lines of Ukraine tonight. France can muster 100,000 troops and enter the battlefield by morning. The U.K. can put their fighter jets on the runways in Ukraine by nightfall, and the EU can force the collective nations to send troops into the meatgrinder by the end of the weekend.

Will they? Of course not. Not without President Trump and the full weight of the U.S. military as the skirt they can hide behind. The ‘coalition of the willing’ has limits, and apparently those limits end with strongly clutched Twitter messages. Meanwhile, back in the USA, the professional administrative state is hitting out at President Trump’s Envoy Steve Witkoff for failing to end the conflict or seemingly permit the U.S. Senate to take control of the nuclear weapons. Again, Politico: […] “The thing is, Witkoff isn’t consistently engaged. He will pop in for a visit to Vladimir Putin, say a bunch of stuff, not tell anyone what really happened and then just fuck off to his life again. Meanwhile, the Russians are talking to you about how ‘Witkoff says…’ and you don’t know whether they’re right or not, but you can’t get a readout from the Russians,” the U.S. official said.”

Thankfully, Vice President J.D. Vance and the entire Trump administration hit back: “This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice. But it’s more than that: it’s a foreign influence operation meant to hurt the administration and one of our most effective members.” Notice how all of the people attacking Steve are on background? That means it’s two or three deep staters who are angry that Witkoff has succeeded where they’ve failed. You know what this “reporter” left out to make room for anonymous quotes? The full quote from the sitting vice president, on the record.A quote from the secretary of the state, on the record. A quote from Jared Kushner, on the record. The full quote from the UK’s Jonathan Powell, one of the most respected national security people in the Western World, who defended Steve vigorously from these malicious smears.

The person who wrote this garbage is [@felschwartz]. Aside from the failure to include on the record information directly contradicting her reporting, I wonder if she ever asked herself why these anonymous sources came to her at this moment with this particular story. They have an agenda to blow up the president’s efforts to make peace, and they saw her as a useful vessel to launder garbage into the conversation, truth be damned. There are two possible explanations: Felicia is just not very smart and allowed herself to be used by deep state con men. Or she’s in on it and used her position to willingly participate in a literal foreign influence operation. Either way, it’s disgraceful.

To set the record straight: Steve Witkoff is an invaluable member of our team. He did not mislead anyone on what the Russians told him and what the Russians conceded. (Trust me, I’ve seen the intel.) The fruits of his negotiations are that we have narrowed the list of open issues in the Russia-Ukraine war to a set of clearly defined issues–specifically, security guarantees and territorial concessions. Maybe we make peace, and maybe we don’t. If we do, it will be because Steve Witkoff and the President of the United States worked their tails off, in the face of outright lies from the mainstream press. You know what is driving the Administrative State and the EU collective bananas?

Says Larry Johnson. Me, I think he’s catching up fast.

• Donald Trump Still Doesn’t Understand Russia’s Position Regarding Ukraine (LJ)

I continue to believe that it is more important to watch what Donald Trump does rather than focus on what he says. However, his remarks during the meeting of his cabinet earlier this week regarding negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are alarming and merit attention. When asked about Sergei Lavrov’s comment that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not legitimate, Donald Trump dismissed the statement, saying: It doesn’t matter what they say. Everybody’s posturing. It’s all bullshit, okay. Everybody’s posturing. He characterized Lavrov’s remarks – and the broader Kremlin rhetoric on Zelensky’s legitimacy – as meaningless showmanship, emphasizing that such claims should not obstruct peace efforts. Trump did not directly defend Zelensky, but instead focused on downplaying the significance of Russia’s statements and suggested that “everyone is just putting on a show” in ongoing negotiations.

I believe that Trump genuinely believes this, and he is dangerously mistaken. President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov are not posturing when they try to explain to clueless westerners that they do not believe that Zelensky is the legitimate President of Ukraine. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not explicitly “cancel” the presidential election, as Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the reality from the Russian perspective is that a negotiated agreement with Zelensky could easily be overturned or rejected once Ukraine holds the required election.

The scheduled presidential election, expected in March or April 2024, was automatically postponed due to this legal restriction under Article 19 of Ukraine’s “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law,” which bans presidential, parliamentary, and local elections during martial law. Martial law has been extended in 90-day intervals by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament), with the latest extension as of July 2025 lasting until November 5, 2025. Based on Zelensky’s multiple public remarks since his last meeting with Trump at the White House, it is clear that he is completely disinterested in reaching a peace agreement with Russia. Stephen Bryen has just published a new piece on his Substack, and it provides an explanation for Zelensky’s recalcitrance… NATO is going to attack Russia. Steve writes:

“While Putin has flown off to meet with his two buddies, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un, in China on an unprecedented four day jaunt, NATO, with full US backing, is stepping up its effort to hand the Russian army a major defeat and, following that, introducing NATO troops to “stabilize” Ukraine. What is the evidence? First and very noticeable is the US decision to ship 3,350 missiles to Ukraine, ostensibly to be paid for (someday?) by the Europeans (which ones is not defined). These are known as Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM), a type of air launched cruise missile missile. The Aviationist reports that “Ukrainian Air Force’s F-16s, Mirage 2000s and its fleet of Russian-origin MiG-29s, Su-25s and Su-27s would be able to operate it. This new weapon would be an addition to the AASM Hammer and GBU-39 SDB already employed by Ukrainian fighters.”

According to open source intelligence, ERAMs have a range of 250 miles. However, that is the range once launched by an aircraft. Washington says it opposes Ukrainian missile attacks on Russian territory, and while it is restricting the use of long range HIMARS, it is not restricting the use of ERAM. Reportedly ERAM carried a 500 lb. warhead, far larger than any Ukrainian UAV and more than double any of the different HIMARS missiles (M31 Utility Warhead, ATACMS warhead). It may be that ERAMs can be fielded with cluster munitions, although much about the ERAM is uncertain.”

Ignore what Trump says, watch what he does. Deploying ERAMs is not a gesture of peace or de-escalation. While it is possible that this action was taken without Trump’s knowledge, now that the information is public he has not countermanded the order. Steve goes on in his article (I encourage you to read it in its entirety) to highlight the faulty assumptions that NATO planners and leaders are making:

“NATO has understood Russia’s use of North Korean troops as an admission that Russia faces manpower shortages and instability in the Russian army, and that Russia is taking heavy casualties in the Ukraine war. NATO may be reading Putin’s statements that he has no intention of attacking Europe now or in future as an admission that he cannot attack Europe with an army that is too small and one that has been broken by the Ukraine war. Part of the pushback can be found in the Saratoga Foundation report, “A Systems View of Russia’s Early Failure in Ukraine.”

Now Russian sources are reporting two developments that indicate that a new offensive will soon materialize, heavily supported by NATO, and aimed at Crimea. Those sources say that the US and its NATO partners have significantly increased overhead intelligence gathering preparing for the coming attack.” Once again we have Western leaders – both military and political – wrongly interpreting Russia’s execution of a special military operation as a sign of weakness. The belief that Russia is suffering “manpower shortages and instability” is beyond ridiculous. During the course of the last 42 months, Russia has doubled the size of its army and is now conducting multiple offensive operations in Zaporhyzhia, Dniepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy. Even if we accept as true the false Western claims about Russia suffering massive casualties, the fact remains that even with such losses Russia has 1.3 million men in uniform and carrying arms.

Instead of being “broken,” the Russian army has enhanced its capabilities and developed new techniques, especially with the use of drones, that far exceed anything NATO is capable of doing. Besides conducting the ground war, Russia continues to enjoy a lopsided advantage in the use of missiles and drones. It has carried out massive strikes on missile production facilities and other key logistic nodes in the past week, and shows no sign of weakness on that front. A NATO-backed attack on Crimea will put increased pressure on President Putin to shift from the Special Military Operation to full war footing. NATO’s inability to supply Ukraine with something as simple as artillery shells is just one indicator of NATO’s impotence if it decides to up the ante with Russia.

No hurry.

• Ukraine Operation Will Continue – Russia’s Top General (RT)

Russian forces will push their advantage and continue their offensive against Ukrainian troops, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has said. Russia’s Joint Group of Forces is pushing its “non-stop offensive” on almost all sections of the front line, he said at a Russian Defense Ministry briefing on Saturday. “An analysis of the state of Ukrainian troops shows that in the spring and summer, the enemy concentrated all its efforts on slowing down our offensive, while suffering heavy losses,” he said. “As a result, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are forced to transfer the most combat-ready units from one crisis direction to another to ‘plug holes’. Today, the strategic initiative is entirely with the Russian troops,” he added.

The offensive is accompanied by regular “massive” strikes on Ukrainian arms manufacturing facilities, Gerasimov added. “During the spring-summer period, such strikes were carried out against 76 important facilities,” he said. Targeted massive fire strikes continue exclusively against military facilities and military-industrial complex facilities in Ukraine. Gerasimov also stressed that the advances on the battlefield would not have been possible without “the timely supply” of “high-precision weapons, missiles, ammunition, weapons and military equipment,” by Russian industry.

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1961783669271756895

Eventually…

• Trump Promises Trilateral Meeting With Putin and Zelensky (RT)

US President Donald Trump has stated that he believes a trilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky will happen. Following his recent summit with Putin in Alaska, Trump pushed for a one-on-one between the Russian president and Zelensky ahead of any trilateral gathering. The Kremlin has not ruled out a bilateral meeting, but stressed it should serve as the final stage of talks once tangible progress has been made in the peace process. In an interview with the Daily Caller on Friday, Trump was asked whether a trilateral meeting is still planned. “A tri would happen. A bi, I don’t know about, but a tri will happen,” the US president said. “But, you know, sometimes people aren’t ready for it.”

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, while Russia is still interested in direct talks with Ukraine, preparation for such a meeting is not “very active.” “All our positions have been communicated,” and Ukraine has submitted its own provisions, he said on Friday. “Further discussion is necessary.” Moscow has already agreed to “show some flexibility” on a number of points that Putin and Trump discussed in Alaska, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News last week. The US president later presented his proposals at a follow-up meeting with the Ukrainian leader and his European NATO backers, but “Zelensky said no to everything,” Lavrov said.

The reaction of Kiev’s Western sponsors at the talks “indicates that they don’t want peace,” the top diplomat said. European NATO leaders have increasingly pushed for “security guarantees” for Ukraine in the form of Western “peacekeepers” or “reassurance forces” – something Moscow has stressed it would never accept, warning of potential uncontrolled escalation. Moscow has condemned the EU’s recent militarization and longstanding military support for Ukraine. It has consistently described the Ukraine conflict as a proxy war waged by the West and maintained that any settlement must address Russia’s security concerns and the root causes of the crisis, including NATO’s continued eastward expansion.

NATO needs an enemy. China doesn’t fit the job description.

• Could Russia Have Joined NATO? (Ryumshin)

The idea of Russia one day joining NATO has become an international meme. To many it seems so absurd that it reads like a parody. Yet the notion continues to resurface in political debate, like a ghost that refuses to leave the stage. The latest revival came in 2022, when Russia and the West entered their most dangerous standoff in decades. Commentators wondered aloud how relations had sunk so low and whether a different path had ever been possible. More recently, former US congressman and Trump ally Matt Gaetz suggested that Russia should be accepted into NATO as a way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Even Der Spiegel added fuel, publishing documents showing that under Bill Clinton the US did not entirely reject the idea of Russian membership.

It was Germany and others in Western Europe, the magazine reported, who feared that opening NATO’s doors to Moscow would mean the alliance’s slow dissolution. So who exactly blocked the path? The closest Russia ever came to joining NATO was in the early 1990s, just after the Soviet Union’s collapse. Boris Yeltsin’s government openly declared NATO membership a long-term goal. There were serious conversations at the highest level. But they didn’t lead anywhere. Part of the reason lay in Washington itself. A powerful bloc of the American elite was against any Russian presence in NATO’s inner circle. From its inception, NATO had been designed as a US project, structured around American leadership.

Russia, even weakened, retained military parity, global influence, and a sphere of interests that could not be subordinated. Unlike Poland or Hungary, it was not a junior partner to be absorbed. There cannot be two heads in one alliance. The other part of the reason was philosophical. NATO’s first secretary general, Lord Ismay, famously defined its purpose in 1949: “to keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down.” By the 1990s, the German question had been solved by reunification. But if NATO also gave up the “Russian threat,” it risked losing its reason for existing altogether. With the Soviet Union gone, the alliance drifted into an identity crisis. Accepting Russia would have hastened what many in Berlin and elsewhere already feared – the death of NATO itself.

What if Russia had joined? Let us imagine the alternate universe where Russia did sign up. Would it have resolved tensions with the West, as Gaetz suggests? Or would the quarrels have simply moved inside the tent?To answer, one can look at the example of Türkiye. Ankara has been part of NATO since 1952 but remains the odd man out. Turkish geography, culture, and ambitions often clash with those of its European and North American allies. Russia, had it joined, would likely have occupied a similar outsider role – but on a far grander scale, with nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. There is, however, a crucial difference. Türkiye has been tolerated because it controls the Bosphorus and Dardanelles and does not challenge NATO’s overall dominance. Russia never viewed itself as a regional player but as a European power in its own right.

Europe has always been Moscow’s primary sphere of influence – just as it is Washington’s. To coexist peacefully, one side would have had to step aside. Neither ever intended to.Instead of membership, the West offered Russia a “special partnership”: permanent dialogue, joint councils, limited cooperation. But this fell apart quickly. Moscow demanded equality. Washington, triumphant after the Cold War, refused to treat Russia as anything other than a defeated state. Pride collided with pride. The dialogue reached a dead end.Even if full membership had been offered, the story would have ended the same way. Russia and the United States would inevitably have clashed over the balance of power inside the alliance. At best, this would have produced a messy divorce. At worst, Russia might have split NATO by drawing away countries that were themselves uneasy with US dominance.In truth, Russia has always been “too big to join.” The alliance could absorb small and medium states – even awkward partners like Türkiye or Hungary. But not a country capable of rivaling America itself.

“.. Europe has been at war with itself for 1,000 years.”

And counting.

• NATO Should Have Dissolved in 1990 – Jeffrey Sachs (Sp.)

NATO should have been dissolved back in 1990 as the alliance had fulfilled its mission of confronting the Soviet Union, renowned US economist and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs said.The interview was conducted ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum, which will take place in Vladivostok from September 3–6. The economist is going to participate in a session “UN Development Agenda Beyond 2030.””First of all, NATO should have ended in 1990 when President Gorbachev ended the Warsaw Pact, the Western countries should have said yes, and we end NATO,” Jeffrey Sachs said. “It became, instead, a mechanism of US power expansion, which is not what NATO should be. This eastward movement of NATO since 1990 has been wholly unjustified and contrary to Western promises.”

Sachs expressed skepticism about Europe’s ability to establish an independent security framework to replace NATO.”The problem with Europe is, as everybody knows, there isn’t really a Europe. There are so many countries squabbling with each other,” Sachs noted, highlighting that Europe has been at war with itself for 1,000 years. In February 2024, Putin said in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson that Russia could become a NATO member in the early 2000s if the US showed sincere interest. Clinton, however, “was cold” to this idea, according to Putin. In recent years, Russia has highlighted NATO’s unprecedented military activity near its western borders. Ukraine’s plans to join the bloc were among the reasons why Russia says it launched its special military operation in February 2022.

Inevitable. 3 billion people.

• Can Russia, India, and China Rewrite The Global Rules? (Vaid)

In the wake of the Putin-Trump Alaska summit, Russia once again demonstrated that it remains an indispensable actor in global diplomacy. The very fact that Washington and Moscow returned to the table underscored that neither side can afford to exclude the other in discussions on international security. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi a few days later included rounds of strategic discussions. He co-chaired the boundary talks alongside NSA Ajit Doval, held bilateral consultations with India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring India’s continued openness to managing contentious issues through established dialogue channels. Coming ahead of India’s participation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin on Sunday, the visit reflected an important step in rebalancing India–China ties at a time of heightened global trade uncertainty.

Against this backdrop, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s call to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) format has sparked renewed debate over how trilateral diplomacy could help stabilize Asia. The Alaska summit may not have delivered immediate breakthroughs on conflict resolution, but it was nonetheless a watershed moment. Commentators noted that the meeting underscored Moscow’s role as a decisive actor whose influence cannot be erased by sanctions or diplomatic pressure. Yet for India, the significance of Alaska lies not just in Russia’s return to global high tables, but in what it signals for the larger multipolar landscape. A Russia more confident of its role in global negotiations is also a Russia that seeks to extend its engagement into Asia, creating opportunities for India to reinforce its own regional diplomacy.

Lavrov’s call for reviving RIC is part of this broader trend. By placing India alongside Russia and China, the format reopens a space where Asian powers can coordinate on selective issues. For Beijing, under pressure from escalating US tariffs, RIC provides a forum for coordination beyond the constraints of bilateral tensions. For Moscow, it illustrates that Asian partnerships are increasingly important to balancing global shifts. And for New Delhi, it creates diplomatic space to advance interests without committing to any single bloc. For New Delhi, Lavrov’s RIC revival call resonates but does not automatically translate into endorsement. India has consistently championed strategic autonomy, balancing partnerships such as the Quad and frameworks like the SCO and BRICS+. In this matrix, RIC is one among many platforms New Delhi engages with, neither the sole driver of its Asia policy nor an option to be dismissed.

“. . . this time the story has escaped the narrative guardrails and some real reckoning looms.” —Jeff Childers

• The War On Reality is Over (James Howard Kunstler)

Unwittingly, that New York Times headline is a wondrous case of the self-solving mystery. You come here to understand the many social and political mysteries of the day. I will attempt to unravel this hairball. Most obviously, the suspect, now dead, in Wednesday’s Minneapolis school shooting was not a “her.” He was a him, a 23-year-old male, Robert Westman, who had been pretending to be a female for some years since undergoing puberty, with the encouragement of his parents and the cultural leaders of his city, including Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, backed by the expressed principles of the national Democratic Party. The essence of all that was a gigantic game of pretend, a broad and deliberate dissociation from reality for the purpose of maintaining a political racketeering operation, which is what the Democratic Party had become.

Pretend that men can become women. Pretend that Covid vaccinations are safe and effective. Pretend that national borders don’t matter. Pretend that crime is not a social problem. Pretend that riots are mostly peaceful. Pretend that our elections are free and fair. Pretend that “Joe Biden” is president. Pretend that Ukraine is fighting for democracy. And so on. All pretend. Since the Democratic Party has zero useful ideas for improving the lives of this country’s citizens, all it has is pretend theater, which is public performative psychopathology, otherwise known as acting-out. Mass murders of school-children by so-called trans people are the most garish and horrific actings-out, the most offensive to society, a slaughter of innocents. Such an act grabs everybody’s attention.

The New York Times pretends that all this is “a mystery” because to tell the truth would inculpate them in the ongoing criminal racketeering operation of their patron, the Democratic Party. They all know what the truth is in this matter: that Robert Westman became insane, at least in his time of puberty, possibly earlier, and that his parents resorted to persuading their child that he was born in the wrong body — as the trendy theory goes — to remedy his psychological distress. He was thereafter influenced to play-act as a female. Possibly, he was induced to go through some stage of medical “treatment” to supposedly advance his transition to the opposite sex — for instance, a hormone regimen. This has not yet been reported. (Has it even been investigated by police or the news media?)

Of course, “gender-affirming medical care” is a vicious fraud, as is the preposterous idea of “sexual assignment at birth” (as if it is some kind of error-ridden clerical function). Males cannot be changed into females no matter how much their hormones are altered or how much surgery they endure. It is all just costuming and makeup, to an extreme degree, to enhance the game of pretend. It is also bound to be nightmarishly disappointing to the person undergoing such malign rigors.

A good man to have on your side.

• Jay Bhattacharya On Fauci, Bioweapons, And Free Speech In Science (ZH)

Director of the National Institute of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, sat down for an extended interview with ZeroHedge. Bhattacharya, long known as one of the fiercest critics of lockdown orthodoxy, has gone from blacklisted dissenter to running the world’s largest biomedical research agency. He carries into his new post a distrust of entrenched power, a skepticism of politicized science, and an insistence that free inquiry—not censorship—must guide American health policy. What follows is a candid conversation, in Bhattacharya’s own words, on censorship, woke politics in research, the threat of bioweapons, and why he believes science cannot exist without free speech. Bhattacharya did not hesitate to call out what he experienced during the pandemic years:

“It wasn’t just ZeroHedge that got subject to this censorship. I did too. I was on the Twitter blacklist. It was all true information that was just found inconvenient. That’s what you guys were sharing. That’s what I was sharing. And it was a gross violation of the American First Amendment.” The Stanford professor—blacklisted for co-authoring the Great Barrington Declaration—was among those exposed in the Twitter Files as a target of covert suppression. He says the NIH under his leadership will chart a different course: “We’re no longer in the misinformation detection business. We’re no longer in the censorship business.” ZeroHedge itself was deplatformed during that same period for reporting inconvenient facts on the origins of COVID.

As documented thoroughly in RFK Jr’s book “The Wuhan Coverup”, Anthony Fauci played a pivotal role in ballooning the U.S. biowarfare budget following the post-9/11 anthrax scare, an event still riddled with open questions Kennedy himself addresses in the book. While our previous overlords would espouse morally virtuous stances against “bioweaponry” and lecture us about the importance of “biodefense”, Bhattacharya sees through the sleight of hand and dismisses the entire concept as suicidal. His full answer below which we find incredibly important:

“I think that bioweapons are useless to national security and incredibly dangerous for human populations. The Biological Weapons Convention in 1973 is a tremendously important convention. And I think that the United States adheres to it. But we have to make sure that we adhere to it not just on the letter, but in the spirit. That includes, for instance, research for biodefense. Biodefense sounds good, but often there’s very little line between bioweapons and bio-defense… this line of research is fundamentally useless to protect this country from anything and potentially places the whole world at risk.” The warning is timely. President Trump recently signed an executive order banning gain-of-function research—which some read as only applying to foreign nations but Bhattacharya assured us is indeed a universal ban.

Bhattacharya doesn’t see DEI as harmless bureaucracy—he sees it as poison to science. The problem, he argues, isn’t the stated goal of improving minority health, but the way the system forces scientists to pledge allegiance to political dogma instead of data. “Many universities, before they would hire some people as professors in scientific disciplines, would require DEI statements. It’s essentially like loyalty oaths.” He says this ritual signals to scientists that advancement isn’t about competence or discovery—it’s about parroting the right ideology. That corrodes the incentive to produce results that actually improve health. At NIH, he saw the same rot: tax dollars poured into programs that branded themselves as equity-driven but failed to move the needle.

“There was some chunk of our portfolio that was really huge during the Biden administration of DEI grants… The problem is that this DEI work—I don’t see any evidence that it actually improves minority health. It just politicized the agency.” Bhattacharya’s stance is simple: real health equity will come from rigorous science applied to concrete problems—diabetes, cancer, infant mortality—not from “loyalty oaths” or politically branded grant programs. In his words, most scientists would gladly jump at the chance to “just do your excellent science” if freed from ideological policing. For Bhattacharya, the single thread tying all of this together is free inquiry: “If you were a scientist in the Soviet Union during the time of Stalin, you’d have this guy named Trofim Lysenko who fundamentally believed that Mendelian genetics was false—in fact, that it was a capitalist plot.

You were only allowed to agree with his theories. And so he used his position to suppress the speech of all the Mendelian geneticists around him. Many of them went to the gulag. As a result, science on agriculture basically froze and people were always starving as a consequence of this.” That lesson, he argues, applies directly to America today. “You can’t have science unless you’re allowed to criticize the predominant ideas. And if you have scientific power married to political power in a way that suppresses the ability for lots and lots of other scientists to say, ‘Look, you’re wrong, here’s this experiment to prove it’—you don’t have science. You have something else.”

I still don’t understand how the trans issue ever became what it did, in no time at all. Not organic, that’s for sure.

• To the Parents of Trans Kids: Enabling Isn’t Compassion (C.A. Skeet)

In a California high school, a male athlete is playing on a female volleyball team. This cheating was allowed by the school district to occur despite on ongoing lawsuit against the state of California for their clear Title IX violations. In other breaking news, the sun rose in the east this morning. The male player, AB Hernandez, has been in the headlines before. Last spring, he competed on the Jurupa Valley High School girls’ track team, stealing two state titles in long jump and triple jump that should have gone to females. Increasingly, high school girls are finding themselves the only adults in the building, and it has fallen upon their shoulders to make a stand for their rights. Rather than play against a school which openly allows cheating, at least two high school volleyball teams have forfeited their scheduled matches. Good for them.

And for the girls – the actual girls – on the Jurupa team who just want to play volleyball and want nothing to do enabling AB Hernandez’s untreated mental illness? Mere pawns to be used by district officials to virtue signal. What a shame you sacrificed years of your fun evenings and free time to practice. If only America weren’t the transphobic, fascist hellhole that it is, those other teams wouldn’t have forfeited.As the controversy rages, AB Hernandez’s mother Nereyda has a message for all us detractors. And the message is this:

I understand the discomfort some may feel, because I was once there, too. The difference is, I chose to learn, to grow, and to open my heart. Believe me, I know some people genuinely don’t understand what it means to be transgender. I’m still learning too, right alongside my child. That is why I choose not to respond with anger or disrespect. Instead, I choose empathy, because learning takes time, and compassion makes all the difference. My baby is petite, what sets her apart is not her size or strength, but her skill and the way she plays the game… This is a child, and I can assure you that she sees your daughters as peers, as teammates, as friends, not through a lens of anything inappropriate. I know it may be hard to understand, but she is just another girl who wants to play. Finally, I leave you with this: My child is so innocent, she didn’t even realize the forfeited games were because of her.

At a school board meeting, she berated a board member for appearing on Fox News, and added, “My daughter is not the problem. The problem is coordinated external efforts often led by individuals that travel from district to district… to spread fear and put parents against each other using religion as a shield for discrimination. This has nothing to do with fairness in sports and everything to do with erasing transgender children.”

Oh boy.

It was always going to be SCOTUS.

• Tariffs ‘Still in Effect’: Trump Bashes Partisan Court Ruling (Salgado)

After a federal appeals court ruled that Donald Trump does not have the authority to impose many of his tariffs, the president doubled down on his tariff policy and stated that especially ahead of Labor Day, American workers should be in support of that policy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit asserted that most of Trump’s tariffs are outside of his power to impose under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but did delay the impact of the ruling till mid-October, allowing time for appeal to the Supreme Court. Legal expert Mark Levin, cited by Trump, argued that Trump not only has the power to impose tariffs under the act, but also under the Constitution’s Article II, whereas the court did not have the jurisdiction to so rule.

Besides sharing Levin’s argument, Trump added his own commentary on Friday afternoon, posting on Truth Social, “ALL TARIFFS ARE STILL IN EFFECT! Today a Highly Partisan Appeals Court incorrectly said that our Tariffs should be removed, but they know the United States of America will win in the end. If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country. It would make us financially weak, and we have to be strong.” In July, tariff revenues reached a record level of $113 billion, representing a significant financial boost and hitting a new high for the year. That trend continued into August. Considering how the U.S. federal government is constantly overspending and usually looks to American citizens to pay the price, it is refreshing to have a president who wants to bring in revenues from foreign countries instead, especially countries that are hostile to us. In fact, in the case of virulently anti-USA countries such as China, it would be great to see higher tariffs.

On Truth Social, Trump continued, “The U.S.A. will no longer tolerate enormous Trade Deficits and unfair Tariffs and Non Tariff Trade Barriers imposed by other Countries, friend or foe, that undermine our Manufacturers, Farmers, and everyone else.” He angrily argued of the new ruling, “If allowed to stand, this Decision would literally destroy the United States of America. At the start of this Labor Day weekend, we should all remember that TARIFFS are the best tool to help our Workers, and support Companies that produce great MADE IN AMERICA products.” Democrats prefer products made using abusive and slave labor in China and other African and Asian countries. Patriots prefer made in America without slave labor.

While other countries imposed very high tariffs on American goods for decades, America was not imposing reciprocal tariffs, until the new Trump administration took over. Trump added, “For many years, Tariffs were allowed to be used against us by our uncaring and unwise Politicians. Now, with the help of the United States Supreme Court, we will use them to the benefit of our Nation, and Make America Rich, Strong, and Powerful Again! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

“..growing tension and misunderstanding between Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe..”

They’ll be alright.

• Tensions in US Intelligence Community Rise After CIA Agent Uncovered (Sp.)

Tensions in the US intelligence community, in particular between US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe, have risen after the scandal over a CIA agent being uncovered, NBC reports citing sources.US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard had revealed an undercover CIA officer working on Russia-related issues, publishing a list of those denied access to classified information, the Wall Street Journal earlier reported citing sources. The move has rattled agency employees and is the latest example of growing tension and misunderstanding between Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the publication said, citing intelligence sources. According to former officials, Gabbard is likely seeking to curry favor with US President Donald Trump by redoubling her efforts to identify his political enemies, including within the CIA.

Earlier, Gabbard announced that she had stripped 37 current and former employees of their access to classified information for US intelligence agencies. They, according to the head of US national intelligence, abused the public trust by distorting intelligence and unauthorizedly disclosing classified information. According to the newspaper’s sources, Gabbard’s office did not meaningfully consult with the CIA before publishing the list and did not request information from the CIA when compiling it. According to the Wall Street Journal, disclosing the identity of an undercover employee or intelligence agent is a criminal offense, although it is unclear whether the law would apply to government disclosures or whether placing an employee on a list would be considered a disclosure.

In a small town in County Cork, Ireland, a monument stands in appreciation to the American Choctaw Indian Tribe.

Although impoverished, shortly after being forced to walk the Trail of Tears, the tribe somehow gathered $170 to send to Ireland for famine relief in 1847. pic.twitter.com/rHWaiN7Mv9

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 31, 2025

https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1962022538382368984

Owls

A family of Blakiston's fish owls living in the forest. The mother bird is nestled in a tree hollow, holding and protecting two chicks.
pic.twitter.com/G5RDCDN0uO

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) August 30, 2025

Kili
https://twitter.com/WildfriendsUG/status/1961683763793961115

https://twitter.com/Protect_Wldlife/status/1961726970762314091

A perfect world… pic.twitter.com/PQdGd38eL3

— Anirudh Laxmipathy (@anirudh123) August 30, 2025

Fun fact.

Magnetic North is now drifting faster than 30 miles per year.

It has already moved back past geological north, a place it has not been for thousands of years. pic.twitter.com/raYYTJmtsH

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 30, 2025

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

Debt Rattle August 30 2025

Aug 302025

August 30, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:52 am Finance Tagged with: buffer zone, dark theory, de minimis, gaslighting, Lisa Cook, predator, security guarantees, Tulsi Gabbard 34 Responses »

John French Sloan Backyards, Greenwich Village 1926

• Zelensky May Slow Down Peace Process Due to Corruption – Jeffrey Sachs (Sp.)

• Zelensky Claims Ukraine ‘Security Guarantees’ Will Be Ready Next Week (RT)

• Ukraine Security Guarantees Only After Peace Deal – Moscow (RT)

• EU ‘Grasping For Straws’ With Ukraine Buffer Zone Plan – Politico (RT)

• Vance Accuses Politico of ‘Foreign Influence Operation’ Against Witkoff (RT)

• A Dark Theory For The Evening (Armchair Warlord)

• Von der Leyen Calls Putin A ‘Predator’ (RT)

• Kiev Restricts Mass Gatherings After Anti-Government Protests (RT)

• Trump Asks Congress To Cut Cash For Ukrainian Painters and Balkan Gays (RT)

• Fireworks Ensue During Cook Vs. Trump Courtroom Showdown (ZH)

• IC Leakers Target DNI Tulsi Gabbard Again (CTH)

• The CIA -vs- DNI Tulsi Gabbard (CTH)

• Trump Closes De Minimis Loophole As Dark Chapter In Trade Ends (ZH)

• Trump’s Global Tariffs Ruled Illegal By Washington Appeals Court, But… (ZH)

• This May Be the Worst Media Gaslighting About Minneapolis Yet (Margolis)

• Russia-China: From The Memory of WWII to BRICS/SCO Synergy (Pepe Escobar)

https://twitter.com/RL9631/status/1961119941412749546

China has now SOLD or allowed to mature, a total of $324 Billion in US Securities since Feb of 2023.

This is the biggest story in the world, but most people in Washington are unaware. They don’t know what will hit them when there’s a massive stock market collapse.

— Douglas Macgregor (@DougAMacgregor) August 29, 2025

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1961583394669699542

RFK
https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1961515566876742124

And while NOBODY was watching…

…Russian research ships discovered the biggest oil field EVER.

Location: the Weddell Sea in the Antarctic.

Estimated reserves: 511 billion barrels.

That's double Saudi reserves & over 10 TIMES the North Sea output for half a century.… pic.twitter.com/DUR1o3LUUF

— Pepe Escobar (@RealPepeEscobar) August 29, 2025

https://twitter.com/Chicago1Ray/status/1961079159020503373

“Zelenskyy is avoiding real steps toward resolving the conflict with Russia for a number of reasons [..] out of his personal belief or fear for his life or corruption or other motivations..”

• Zelensky May Slow Down Peace Process Due to Corruption – Jeffrey Sachs (Sp.)

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is avoiding real steps toward resolving the conflict with Russia for a number of reasons, including corruption, well-known US economist and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs said. The interview happened ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held in Vladivostok from September 3–6. The economist is going to participate in a session “UN Development Agenda Beyond 2030.” “Zelensky, for whatever reason, out of his personal belief or fear for his life or corruption or other motivations, does not even make one inch towards the reality of the settlement; the Europeans, [French President Emmanuel] Macron, [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz and [UK Prime Minister Keir] Starmer, the same way,” Sachs said.

The economist noted that his intransigence had left many issues unresolved following the Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “So in this sense, the only thing that was clarified in Alaska is that the United States is not going to pay for the Ukraine war, but everything else remains unsettled,” he added. After meeting with Zelensky and European leaders in the White House and a phone call with Putin, Trump announced preparations for a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, after which a trilateral meeting with his participation may take place.

You’re losing. Defining ‘Security Guarantees’ is not up to you. Not much is.

• Zelensky Claims Ukraine ‘Security Guarantees’ Will Be Ready Next Week (RT)

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has claimed that a complete framework of “security guarantees” for Kiev in case of a ceasefire or peace deal with Russia will be ready as early as next week. In a Telegram post on Thursday, Zelensky said he had spoken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding that they had “discussed the next diplomatic steps” to settle the conflict. “There has been a lot of talk about security guarantees. National security advisers are currently working on the development of each specific component, and next week the entire configuration will be on paper,” Zelensky added. According to the Ukrainian leader, Erdogan involved his defense minister in the process to examine “how Türkiye can help guarantee security, including in the Black Sea.”

Erdogan’s office confirmed the call, saying Ankara would continue efforts to secure a “lasting peace” and stood ready to contribute to Ukraine’s security once hostilities end. Last week, Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa said Western officials were working on security guarantees, promising that a first draft would be prepared by the end of August. He stressed, however, that Kiev “is categorically against trading our land for peace,” although earlier media reports suggested that Ukraine could agree to concede territories to Moscow. This week, Politico reported that European leaders were eyeing a proposal for a 40km buffer zone between Russian and Ukrainian lines in a ceasefire scenario, potentially patrolled by Western troops. Another discussion reportedly revolved around involving a neutral third country to oversee the enforcement of a truce.

Russia has said it is not against the concept of security guarantees for Ukraine, but stressed that any framework must involve UN Security Council members. Moscow has categorically opposed the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine in any form, reiterating that it seeks to address the root causes of the conflict, including the bloc’s expansion toward Russian borders. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has also criticized Western plans to limit the number of guarantor states to key NATO countries, adding that “the options proposed by the ‘collective West’ are one-sided and clearly aimed at containing Russia.”

“..secure Kiev’s role as a strategic provocateur on Russia’s borders.”

• Ukraine Security Guarantees Only After Peace Deal – Moscow (RT)

Security guarantees for Ukraine must be the result of a settlement of the conflict with Russia, not a precondition for negotiations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. Kiev has demanded security guarantees from its Western backers as a prerequisite to a peace deal. Moscow has not ruled out guarantees in principle, but opposes efforts to design them without Russia’s participation. At a press briefing on Friday, Zakharova said any guarantees must be based on an “understanding that takes into account the security interests of Russia.” She added that a settlement must ensure Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification, neutral and non-nuclear status, and recognition of the territorial realities.

“It is necessary to understand that providing security guarantees is not a condition, but a result of a peaceful settlement based on eliminating the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine, which, in turn, will guarantee the security of our country,” she said. Zakharova criticized the Western proposals put forward so far, warning they would only “lead to destabilization.” “The options proposed by the Collective West are one-sided, built with the obvious expectation of containing Russia… they increase the risk of NATO being drawn into an armed conflict with our country,” she said, adding that they would “secure Kiev’s role as a strategic provocateur on Russia’s borders.”

Kiev earlier pushed for NATO membership as a security guarantee, but US President Donald Trump has ruled this out. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and his European backers have also called for “Article 5-like guarantees” obligating the US-led military bloc to act if Ukraine is attacked. European policymakers have also considered sending troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers and creating a buffer zone with Western patrols. Moscow has rejected the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine, whether as peacekeepers or otherwise. Moscow and Kiev have held three rounds of talks in the past three months, leading to major prisoner swaps. While a breakthrough has not been reached, US envoy Steve Witkoff said this week that Washington hopes to settle the conflict by the end of 2025, citing a “peace proposal on the table” and ongoing contact with Russian and Ukrainian officials.

NATO ‘peacekeepers’ in Ukriane doesn’t fly. But it would if they’re only in a DMZ buffer zone?

• EU ‘Grasping For Straws’ With Ukraine Buffer Zone Plan – Politico (RT)

European policymakers are considering the creation of a 40km “buffer zone” between Russian and Ukrainian forces as part of a ceasefire or peace deal in a “desperate” attempt to end the conflict, Politico reported on Thursday, citing sources. Under the plan, Western troops would take on a “dual role” – patrolling the demilitarized area and training Ukrainian soldiers, two unnamed diplomats claimed. France and Britain are expected to provide the bulk of the force, a move deemed unacceptable by Moscow. Paris and London are reportedly lobbying other NATO states for contributions, although few have publicly said they are ready to send troops to Ukraine. The outlet claimed the plan could have “historical significance,” with officials likening it to Germany’s partition during the Cold War.

“They’re grasping for straws,” Jim Townsend, a former Pentagon official, told the outlet, warning that a lightly staffed buffer zone would not deter Russia. The idea is one of several scenarios under discussion for a possible truce or post-conflict arrangement, according to five European diplomats cited by the outlet. However Western officials are divided over the eventual size of the zone and whether Kiev would accept it, since it would likely require it to agree to territorial concessions. Proposals also reportedly detail a range from 4,000 to as many as 60,000 troops. US President Donald Trump earlier said Washington would not deploy ground troops to Ukraine, but did not rule out other types of support.

Politico earlier reported that EU leaders have also floated the idea of involving a neutral third country to help enforce any ceasefire. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has commented on the report, although Moscow has consistently opposed any NATO troop presence in Ukraine, citing the bloc’s expansion towards Russian borders as one of the root causes of the conflict. At the same time, Russia has not ruled out security guarantees for Kiev from the West in principle.

“..in his full remarks [British diplomat Jonathan Powell] dismissed the “snobbery in diplomacy” and explained at length why Witkoff was “exactly the kind” of independent negotiator who succeeds where others fail.”

• Vance Accuses Politico of ‘Foreign Influence Operation’ Against Witkoff (RT)

US Vice President J.D. Vance has accused Politico of running a “foreign influence operation” against special envoy Steve Witkoff, blasting the outlet’s reporting as “journalistic malpractice” for relying on anonymous officials while excluding on-the-record statements from senior figures who defended him. The article, published Friday by Politico correspondent Felicia Schwartz under the headline “’His inexperience shines through’: Steve Witkoff struggles to manage Russia as Trump peace envoy,” cited 13 anonymous American and foreign officials who alleged that Witkoff lacked diplomatic skill and had caused confusion in ongoing negotiations with Moscow. “This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice. But it’s more than that: it’s a foreign influence operation meant to hurt the administration and one of our most effective members,” Vance wrote on X.

The only people Politico mentioned by name were those actually defending Witkoff. Vance said Schwartz omitted his own full statement as well as quotes from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former White House adviser Jared Kushner, and British diplomat Jonathan Powell. “The person who wrote this garbage… They have an agenda to blow up the president’s efforts to make peace, and they saw her as a useful vessel to launder garbage into the conversation, truth be damned,” Vance added. Powell, the UK’s former chief negotiator in Northern Ireland, was quoted briefly as saying Witkoff had “opened doors no one else could.” However, in his full remarks he dismissed the “snobbery in diplomacy” and explained at length why Witkoff was “exactly the kind” of independent negotiator who succeeds where others fail.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also accused Politico of deliberately cherry-picking quotes to fit a narrative. Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair went further, calling the article “a foreign influence operation run through a German-controlled online media outlet.” Witkoff has led the Trump administration’s back-channel talks with Russia and held multiple meetings with President Vladimir Putin and other top officials as part of Washington’s efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict. Politico also claimed, citing another anonymous “person familiar,” that the Russians in touch with Witkoff were allegedly “frustrated” by his supposed “inability to properly convey Putin’s messages and red lines to Trump.” Russian officials, however, have spoken warmly of him, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously saying “we are always glad to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow,” and calling the meetings “important, meaningful, and very useful.”

X thread.

“..discredit Ukrainian nationalism by the hands of the very ultranationalists who took their nation to war in the first place.”

• A Dark Theory For The Evening (Armchair Warlord)

Looking at developments lately, specifically: (1) the Ukrainian casualty leak showing an astronomical 1.7M KIA/MIA; and (2) the Ukrainian collapse north of Pokrovsk – I thought should revisit a dark thought I had a while ago, namely that, “maybe the killing itself is the point of all of this.”

I’ve said before that the Russians have fought an extraordinarily clean war in Ukraine, but it should be understood that there is a very legalistic shade on that assessment. They’ve killed very few civilians, and Ukrainian propagandists are perpetually beclowning themselves trying to pretend that the usual single-digit handful of injured civilians that accompany the latest attack using hundreds of standoff weapons fired into city centers (producing secondary explosions visible from outer space as military targets hidden among civilian infrastructure are destroyed with surgical precision) somehow constitute gEnOCiDe rather than some of the most well-controlled warfighting in the history of the business. There is another and far darker side to Russia’s “clean” war, however.

Let us consider the fate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – legal combatants all, whom the Russians can and do target and kill without limit. I mentioned the casualty leak earlier, but I feel this needs to have a line drawn under it – one point seven million personnel killed or missing in action in the AFU, over the course of the war. 1.7 MILLION. Seven or eight percent of Ukraine’s prewar population, probably something like a quarter of the entire national cohort of military-aged males, dead or missing. Casualties on the scale of a genocide, sufficient to permanently cripple any postwar Ukrainian nation. Casualties multiple times that which I assessed two years ago as sufficient to shatter the AFU based on the experience of Nazi Germany.

This brings me to the Ukrainian collapse north of Pokrovsk two weeks ago, in which a run-of-the-mill Russian attack walked through twenty kilometers of Ukrainian defensive belts and into open country. The Ukrainian propagandists coped by whining about how the single most important front sector for the AFU had somehow “run out of infantry.” But did the Russians throw in a mobile reserve to collapse the front and chase the AFU back to the Dniper, despite doubtless knowing full well what was going on? No, they did not – they consolidated in the breach and awaited the inevitable, panicked Ukrainian counterattack, in which they would have the opportunity to destroy Ukraine’s remaining elite troops.

Which brings me to my conclusion. The Russians have had countless opportunities to make large advances in this war, especially recently – the Ukrainian front line is an absolute shambles and their “drone wall” tactic will falter against any serious attack. So ineffectual is the AFU that very few Russian moves at the front even face serious opposition these days, with most geolocations of Russian advances showing them already established in place and dealing with harassment by kill drones after having seized positions bloodlessly. The Russians have in fact consistently foregone breaking the front and taking swathes of ground in favor of killing the largest possible number of Ukrainian soldiers on the existing front line under the existing attritional combat dynamic.

This “tactical directive” held true even during the Battle of Sudzha-Korenevo, fought in prewar Russia. Rather than counterattacking aggressively to evict the AFU, the Russians saw the opportunity to kill gigantic numbers of Ukrainians in a trap the enemy wouldn’t be able to extract themselves from for ideological reasons, and they took it. That battle ended up being nine months of hideously lopsided butchery that broke the back of the AFU. All of this makes observing the war more than a little maddening, but it’s a consistent pattern of behavior that begs for explanation. So here’s my theory.

The Russian government has consistently sought to end the war via peace treaty with the existing Ukrainian government, not via regime change, outright conquest, or even killing enough of that government to find a more flexible interlocutor among the Maidanites. Putin apparently wants a treaty with Zelensky. The Russians have also consistently made demands of the Ukrainian government – and its NATO sponsors – that are absolute political nonstarters for the Maidan-era regime and which that regime, by its very nature, simply cannot accept. Russian language rights, Orthodox religious rights, demilitarization, large territorial concessions which would see the AFU surrender vast urban areas without a shot fired. And yet the Russians insist, and they’re going to continue killing Ukrainian soldiers at ever-more lopsided ratios until they get their way.

Which leads me to the brutal conclusion: Putin doesn’t want to see Ukraine conquered. He’s never publicly expressed any desire for that. The consistent Russian policy is instead to see Ukraine – a “free” and “independent” Ukraine, having come to this impasse of its own sovereign will – utterly humiliated. Putin wants to make Zelensky put on a suit, come groveling to the Kremlin, and sign a treaty that will see the Maidanite government surrender its arms, disgorge huge amounts of territory, and reverse every single anti-Russian policy position it ever had. Ukrainian nationalism will be discredited overnight by the hands of those very nationalists, and the economically irrelevant, demographically shattered rump state will be sucked back into Russia’s political orbit in a matter of days.

So of course the Russians are only advancing in the most leisurely way possible. Their goal is to place the Ukrainian government into a militarily untenable situation so as to force a flamboyantly humiliating peace treaty upon them that includes large territorial concessions beyond the line of control – the ultimate Ukrainian taboo – so as to discredit Ukrainian nationalism by the hands of the very ultranationalists who took their nation to war in the first place.

A dark theory for the evening. Let's talk about Russian strategy in Ukraine.⬇️

Looking at developments lately, specifically: (1) the Ukrainian casualty leak showing an astronomical 1.7M KIA/MIA; and (2) the Ukrainian collapse north of Pokrovsk – I thought should revisit a dark… pic.twitter.com/uOvB2gJEvX

— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) August 29, 2025

“..the bloc had “plunged into a Russophobic frenzy, and its militarization is becoming uncontrolled.”

• Von der Leyen Calls Putin A ‘Predator’ (RT)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has escalated her anti-Russia rhetoric, calling President Vladimir Putin a “predator” and reciting NATO’s familiar talking point about a looming Russian threat to justify the EU’s push for accelerated militarization. The remarks came on Friday in Riga, where the EC chief appeared alongside Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina at the start of what she described as a tour of the “EU’s frontline states”. The route includes Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland -all bordering Russia or Belarus- as well as Bulgaria and Romania. “Putin is a predator,” von der Leyen claimed, accusing his mysterious “proxies” of targeting European societies “for years with hybrid attacks, with cyberattacks.”

She went as far as to accuse Moscow of engaging in the “weaponization of migrants,” without providing specifics and omitting the bloc’s own controversial open-door policies, which have fueled internal backlash for over a decade. She argued that the alleged Russian threat warranted the EU’s rearmament plan. “So, as we strengthen Ukraine’s defence, we must also take greater responsibility for our own defence,” she said. In March, von der Leyen floated a plan to raise €800 billion ($934 billion) through debt and tax incentives to re-arm the EU. The European Council later approved a €150 billion borrowing mechanism to fund the initiative. Moscow has repeatedly condemned what it calls the West’s “reckless militarization,” while dismissing allegations of any intent to attack NATO or EU states as “nonsense.” Russian officials, including President Putin, have accused Western leaders of fearmongering to justify inflated military budgets and cover up economic failures.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently accused the EU of sliding into what he described as a “Fourth Reich,” saying the bloc had “plunged into a Russophobic frenzy, and its militarization is becoming uncontrolled.” After US President Donald Trump ruled out any prospect of NATO membership for Kiev, European backers of Ukraine shifted to discussing “Article 5-like guarantees.” Policymakers have also considered sending troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers and creating a buffer zone with Western patrols. Russia has rejected the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine, in any form. Moscow insists that any peace settlement must ensure Ukraine’s demilitarization, denazification, neutral and non-nuclear status, and recognition of the territorial realities.

You must ask Zelensky if you can protest Zelensky. Winning!

• Kiev Restricts Mass Gatherings After Anti-Government Protests (RT)

The Ukrainian authorities have introduced a requirement that all mass gatherings receive prior approval from the military, according to local media and an official. The move comes weeks after Vladimir Zelensky faced widespread protests over his attempt to curtail the independence of anti-corruption agencies. The restriction, attributed to security concerns, was reported this week based on a leaked instruction from Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko to senior officials. The document outlined a general regulation for mass gatherings under martial law and stated that in Kiev, organizers must obtain permission directly from the General Staff.

On Friday, Nikolay Kalashnik, the head of the Kiev Region administration, confirmed the policy in comments about a recent event – a small concert that he said sparked complaints from residents and had not been approved by the military. Last month, the Ukrainian parliament passed legislation placing the prosecutor general in charge of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), both previously independent watchdogs. The change was widely seen at home and abroad as an attempt by Zelensky to shield his allies from investigation.

Kiev’s explanation that the reform was needed to root out alleged Russian influence within the agencies failed to convince critics. The decision triggered mass protests reminiscent of anti-government demonstrations prior to the 2022 escalation of the conflict with Russia and prompted Western officials to cut some funding, reportedly warning of a full freeze in aid. The government reversed course under pressure. The controversy coincided with a decline in Zelensky’s approval ratings and renewed Western interest in potential successors. Retired General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s former top military commander and now ambassador to the UK, is viewed as the leading alternative. Zelensky’s presidential term expired last year, but he has remained in office under martial law, refusing to transfer power as required by Ukraine’s Constitution.

“..$1.5 million to promote the artwork of Ukrainian women, $3.9 million to support LGBT communities in the western Balkans, and $24.6 million for “climate resilience” in Honduras..”

• Trump Asks Congress To Cut Cash For Ukrainian Painters and Balkan Gays (RT)

Art by Ukrainian women and LGBT organizations in the Balkans are among a series of projects funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) targeted for cancelation by the administration of US President Donald Trump, the New York Post has reported. A White House request to US lawmakers to rescind unwanted spending includes $3.2 billion allocated to USAID, which the administration has pledged to dismantle. The programs to be axed include $1.5 million to promote the artwork of Ukrainian women, $3.9 million to support LGBT communities in the western Balkans, and $24.6 million for “climate resilience” in Honduras, according to the report. nThe move followed a ruling by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals that lifted an injunction on Trump’s efforts, clearing the way for the request to proceed.

The Trump administration has accused USAID of furthering “woke” initiatives around the world instead of using taxpayer money on furthering national interests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared an end to the “era of government-sanctioned inefficiency” when he confirmed in July the takeover of the agency’s mandate by his department. Trump ordered the crackdown on USAID just after taking office in January, claiming it was run by “radical lunatics.” Among the initiatives the White House marked as wasteful were the production of a “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion musical” in Ireland and a “transgender opera” in Peru, the manufacturing of “personalized” contraceptives for developing nations, and agriculture development in Afghanistan that the US concluded fueled illegal drug production. Many critics of the agency outside the country have accused it of serving as a regime change tool that covertly serves the agenda of US foreign policy.

Her lawyers seem to argue that mortgage fraud has nothing to do with working at the Fed. You sure?

• Fireworks Ensue During Cook Vs. Trump Courtroom Showdown (ZH)

Update (1220ET): It was fireworks in federal court Friday morning as lawyers for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook squared off against the Trump administration after Trump fired her on Monday over mortgage malarkey. Cook (who was busted in 2024 for plagiarism and only got her job because Kamala Harris was the tiebreaker vote during her confirmation) responded by filing a lawsuit – asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) which would allow her to keep her job, for now. The drama kicked off at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, where Cook’s lawyer accused the White House of mounting a politically motivated power grab over claims of mortgage fraud as cover to oust Cook and stack the Fed with Trump loyalists. “This is nothing more than a smear campaign,” insisted Abbe Lowell, Cook’s attorney. “Cause for the president means she won’t go along with the interest rate drop.”

The courtroom drama unfolded amid the backdrop of Federal Housing Finance Authority Chief Bill Pulte having dropped a Thursday night bombshell: a second “criminal referral” accusing Cook of “misrepresentations” about properties she owns – specifically that she claimed a second residence as an investment property, which follows Pulte’s initial criminal referral over Cook simultaneously claiming two properties as her ‘primary residence.’ Lowell torched the move as a desperate stunt: “Nothing in these vague, unsubstantiated allegations has any relevance to Gov. Cook’s role at the Federal Reserve, and they in no way justify her removal from the Board.” Apparently actual documents bearing Cook’s signature, which she hasn’t refuted, are now ‘unsubstantiated.’ What’s more, while Cook has denied any wrongdoing, she has yet to publicly explain her defense.

[..] The Justice Department has filed a response to Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s lawsuit over her Monday firing – claiming that the President was within his right to boot her over allegations of mortgage fraud (with a third property disclosed by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte last night), and that Cook is “highly unlikely to prevail on the merits.” Trump’s legal team argues that the Federal Reserve Act (FRA) gives the President “broad discretion” to remove governors “for cause” and that courts cannot second-guess that judgment: “The Federal Reserve Act (FRA) empowers the President of the United States to appoint (by and with the advice and consent of the Senate) the members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. 12 U.S.C. § 241. Those Governors serve for fixed terms, “unless sooner removed for cause by the President.” Id. § 242. The statute thus expressly contemplates that, even setting aside his Article II authority over principal officers, the President retains broad discretion to remove a Governor for “cause.”

Citing Reagan v. United States (1901) and Dalton v. Specter (1994), they write “Where a statute commits decisionmaking to the discretion of the President, judicial review of the President’s decision is not available,” therefore Cook cannot get a temporary restraining order allowing her to stay in her job. The filing claims the “cause” for Cook’s removal comes from allegedly false statements in two 2021 mortgage applications: “In both agreements – entered within just weeks of each other – Dr. Cook represented that she would occupy each property as her ‘principal residence.’” Trump’s legal team frames this as potential mortgage fraud: “It is difficult, if not impossible, to see how Dr. Cook could possibly have honestly represented that she intended to occupy and use both a property in Michigan and a condominium in Atlanta as her ‘principal residence’ during the same period.”

They stress that criminal prosecution is not required: “The President need not prove criminal acts beyond a reasonable doubt to remove a principal officer.” To wit, “And under any standard, making facially contradictory statements in financial documents – whether a criminal burden of proof could be sustained or not – is more than sufficient ground for removing a senior financial regulator from office.”She Never Denied It The DOJ argues that Cook never rebutted the substance of the FHFA referral: “Dr. Cook does not try to claim that the contradictory representations were somehow truthful, or maintain that she acted without scienter.” Instead, she issued a statement: “I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet”

The filing claims this refusal to provide an explanation justifies removal: “Dr. Cook’s refusal even to offer an explanation or defense makes it all the more impossible to conclude that the ‘cause’ standard is unsatisfied.” In response to Cook’s claims that she was ‘deprived of notice’ and an opportunity to respond to the President’s concern over allegations of mortgage fraud, the DOJ notes that “no court has ever extended those due-process protections for employees to principal officers of the United States. Nor does the FRA purport to do so.” The Trump admin also argues that principal officers like Federal Reserve governors have no property interest in their office. “Dr. Cook had no property interest in her public office and was thus owed no notice or opportunity to be heard”

“Public office is not property’ and ‘the nature of the relation of a public officer to the public is inconsistent with either a property or a contract right.'” Trump’s filing also argues that Cook did receive notice:”The President gave Dr. Cook notice when he publicized the FHFA referral on August 20—and only acted to terminate her five days later, after it was clear that no adequate response was forthcoming.” The DOJ also notes that Cook has no explanation for the allegations. Incredibly, Dr. Cook even now hazards no explanation for her conduct and points to nothing she would say or prove in any “hearing” that would conceivably alter the President’s determination that the perception of financial misconduct alone is intolerable in this role. Under these circumstances, there is certainly no equitable basis for a reinstatement injunction.

Addressing Cook’s request for an injunction on her filing, the response asserts that recent decisions from the Supreme Court and the D.C. Circuit leave no doubt that reinstatement injunctions are improper. Cook hinted her firing stemmed from policy disagreements on Fed independence and interest rates. Trump’s filing denies this: “The President did not invoke a policy disagreement as the cause for Dr. Cook’s removal. Rather, his letter … made clear that he was acting based on her ‘deceitful and potentially criminal conduct’ in connection with the mortgage agreements.” Cook claimed she’d suffer irreparable harm if not reinstated. Trump disputes this: “Loss of employment does not constitute irreparable injury.” They also argue that the next Fed board meeting isn’t until September 16, 2025, meaning there’s no urgent harm justifying a TRO.

“..she is methodically removing the corrupt people within the system who participate. In short, she’s doing the thing we wanted her to do – and that’s a problem for the system.“

• IC Leakers Target DNI Tulsi Gabbard Again (CTH)

The Wall Street Journal wrote the hit piece against DNI Tulsi Gabbard, sourced to two “people familiar with the matter,” and “three other people with knowledge of the situation.” They all needed to coordinate with the WSJ. Think about it. The substance of the story is that among the 37 current and former Intelligence Community officials Tulsi Gabbard recently stripped of their security clearances, was an “undercover CIA agent” located within one of those agencies. The story is written to say DNI Tulsi Gabbard should have vetted the list with the CIA for a longer period of time before she took action. Therefore, she is not doing her job correctly, or something. The CIA was compromised by Tulsi Gabbard removing the security clearance of one of their hidden agents within the U.S. Government.

Before getting to the story at hand, just stop and think of what the story is selling. The article says the placement of CIA agents throughout the administration’s agencies is commonplace. The CIA Director is not necessarily aware of these CIA operatives or operations that are taking place within the government. That point is one well worth thinking about. However, there’s another larger point that will fly past most casual observers. The Intelligence Community (IC), and let’s accept this one is likely the CIA (directorate of analysis) from the structure of the political hit, is leaking against DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Again, think. The issue at the heart of the CIA complaint is null and void unless the CIA publicly complains about it. If there was a valid, genuine, legitimate and valuable CIA asset within the 37 names who lost their security clearances, the issue would be quickly and quietly resolved by just not taking the action against that person.

Saying nothing, doing nothing, makes the “mistake” (if that’s what it was) disappear. The CIA complaining about it to the Wall Street Journal is what makes the issue a problem. That’s how you can identify this story as an organized Intelligence Community political hit against Tulsi Gabbard. Increasingly, it is becoming more and more clear that Tulsi Gabbard is factually doing what the Intelligence Community feared she would be doing. DNI Gabbard is targeting all of the political weaponization within the Intelligence Community, and she is methodically removing the corrupt people within the system who participate. In short, she’s doing the thing we wanted her to do – and that’s a problem for the system.

“Wall Street Journal – Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, surprised Central Intelligence Agency officials last week when she included an undercover senior CIA officer on a roster of 37 current and former officials she stripped of security clearances. Most of the 37 people had either participated in intelligence assessments related to Russia’s attempt to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election or had signed a 2019 letter calling for President Trump’s impeachment. Gabbard didn’t know the CIA officer had been working undercover, according to a person familiar with the fallout from the list’s release. Three other people with knowledge of the situation said that Gabbard’s office didn’t meaningfully consult with the CIA before releasing the list.

Gabbard’s office delivered the list of 37 people to the CIA the evening before the list’s release, according to three people familiar with the communications and emails read to The Wall Street Journal. The national intelligence office didn’t seek the CIA’s input about the composition of the list, and the CIA had no foreknowledge of Gabbard’s posting on X the following day that revealed the names, including that of the covered CIA officer, according to two of the people familiar with the events. In a memo announcing the revocations, Gabbard said she had acted on Trump’s orders. “Director of National Intelligence Gabbard directed the revocations to ensure individuals who have violated the trust placed in them by weaponizing, politicizing, manipulating, or leaking classified intelligence are no longer allowed to do so,” a spokeswoman in Gabbard’s office said.

[…] The CIA official whose clearance was revoked last week is a longtime Russia hand at the agency. The officer has held intelligence posts for more than 20 years and worked from 2014 to 2017 as an expert on Russia and Eurasia on the National Intelligence Council, according to a publicly listed biography. Earlier this year, the CIA officer spoke at a classified intelligence conference and was described as a senior executive manager in the CIA’s Europe and Eurasia mission center. […] It is a felony to reveal the identity of a covert intelligence officer or agent, though it is unclear if the statute could be applied to a government disclosure, or if including her on the list constitutes a disclosure.

Did ya’ll catch that little slip-up “her” inside the last sentence? Apparently, the person on the list, the hidden CIA operative that lost their security clearance, was a “her.” I watch the minutia closely, and this is one of those very rare instances where I can say, I find zero reason to doubt the intents and integrity goals of DNI Tulsi Gabbard. FTA: “The CIA officer spoke at a classified intelligence conference and was described as a senior executive manager in the CIA’s Europe and Eurasia mission center”… AFCEA Spring Intelligence Symposium: Ms. Julia Gurganus, Senior Executive Manager – Europe and Eurasia Mission Center, Central Intelligence Agency.

“By calling Julia Gurganus an active and covert CIA operative, the scheme team within the directorate knew Gabbard would be unable to defend herself publicly. Discussing the identity of an active/covert CIA operative is against the law.”

• The CIA -vs- DNI Tulsi Gabbard (CTH)

If there is one key takeaway from what you are about to read, it would be this. DNI Tulsi Gabbard needs our support. DNI Gabbard is working deep within a massive silo system that manufacturers the illusion of isolation as a strategy to protect itself. “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” Tulsi Gabbard and her team need to hear, see and feel our support. Yesterday, the CIA Directorate of Analysis purposefully framed a hit against the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) by leaking a manufactured story that DNI Tulsi Gabbard had exposed an “undercover” agent when she removed the security clearances of 37 former and current intelligence embeds.

In reality, the CIA attempted to block Tulsi Gabbard from exposing how the CIA manipulated the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment claiming Russian interference in the 2016 election. Ms. Julia Gurganus was the CIA analyst who organized the ICA. As Tulsi Gabbard began to drill down onto the issue, and as the current CIA analysts within the former National Intelligence Council (NIC) and CIA Directorate of Analysis began to notice she was going to reveal the fraud, the CIA embeds changed the status of Julia Gurganus in June in an effort to protect her. The CIA changed the status of Julia Gurganus in June, reclassifying her as ‘covert’ specifically because the ODNI’s public statements of intent to reveal the fraud within the 2016 Russia election investigation. This, they schemed, would stop DNI Gabbard from exposing Gurganus and taking action.

The CIA scheme didn’t work. DNI Gabbard declassified and released the CIA work product, and then later removed Gurganus security clearance. The CIA embeds at the directorate of analysis were furious and leaked the false story to the Wall Street Journal using the familiar ploy that has worked for them in the past. By calling Julia Gurganus an active and covert CIA operative, the scheme team within the directorate knew Gabbard would be unable to defend herself publicly. Discussing the identity of an active/covert CIA operative is against the law. The CIA weaponized the law within their attack against the ODNI; leaking a false story they knew Tulsi couldn’t defend against. However, we the people are not stupid. It did not take long to figure out the identity of the asset from the curriculum vitae used in the Wall Street Journal story, and from that point it was clear Julia Gurganus was NOT previously a covert CIA operative. Gurganus was public in her position within the CIA; public, until the CIA changed her status in June.

This is ultimately an example of the weaponized intelligence system DNI Gabbard is fighting against. The current actions by the directorate of analysis inside the CIA is also an example of why DNI Gabbard removed the National Intelligence Council from the agency, fired Chairman Mike Collins (friend of Mike Morrell) and Deputy Chair Maria Langan-Riekhof, and also took control over the Presidential Daily Briefing material the fraudsters were in control of.

Remember, by design the CIA is a one-way information system. Information (intelligence) goes into the agency, the black hole where things can be linguistically modified and shaped to fit a particular viewpoint, yet there is no substantive mechanism for the CIA head to challenge the outflow of information if it is fraudulent. The intel bureaucrats run the machinery, and if the boss does something they don’t like they leak to the media. Silos exist, like the NIC or directorate of analysis, within the larger silo of the CIA. DNI Tulsi Gabbard is taking the lid off these sub-silos and exposing the activity that takes place within them. Cochroaches cower and run from sunlight.

The awesome thing about what they tried yesterday was a factual reveal to the American public that CIA operations are also domestic in nature. Most people believe the Schoolhouse Rock construct of government where the CIA is not allowed to operate domestically. The story surrounding Julia Gurganus active and covert status completely eviscerates that perspective. If covert CIA operatives are not permitted to engage in domestic governance, then why was covert CIA agent Julia Gurganus operating in government? The shield the CIA attempted to deploy becomes a weapon for us to expose their fraud. As this battle continues, and make no mistake this battle will continue, we will closely support the efforts of DNI Tulsi Gabbard to bring the weaponized IC to heel. Gabbard is the truth warrior we need and the Deep State is not happy about it.

.@DNIGabbard: "We are the greatest nation in the world because of our people — rooted in the principles of freedom and liberty that are enshrined in our Constitution. And it's both our opportunity, our challenge, and our responsibility… to continue that mission for as long as… pic.twitter.com/550Ifq9tlp

— Office of the DNI (@ODNIgov) August 29, 2025

“We are the greatest nation in the world because of our people — rooted in the principles of freedom and liberty that are enshrined in our Constitution. And it’s both our opportunity, our challenge, and our responsibility… to continue that mission for as long as we live.”

Small packages valued at less than $800 are duty free. There were 1.36million of them in 2024. That’s not grandma sending birthday greetings. It’s industry. if the average value is half of $800, you’re talkng half a $trillion.

• Trump Closes De Minimis Loophole As Dark Chapter In Trade Ends (ZH)

The long-standing “de minimis” exemption, which allowed small packages valued less than $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free, officially ended Friday. This closes the dark chapter on an era when China flooded America with cheap junk (think $10 Bluetooth wireless speakers) and, according to many in the America First movement inside the White House, helped flood the nation with fentanyl precursor chemicals – if not fentanyl itself – and fueled the drug-death crisis unlike anything this nation has ever seen. Think of it as a modern-day reverse Opium War (hybrid warfare by the CCP). For those with a background in Latin, “de minimis” translates to “too small to matter.”

But that’s certainly not the case. Since 2015, the number of packages entering the U.S. under this exemption has surged from 134 million packages per year to 1.36 billion by 2024. Much of this flood originated from Chinese e-commerce giants, including SheIn Group and Temu. The decade-long tsunami of small packages flooding the U.S. didn’t just undercut domestic small businesses. It also created a backdoor for illegal drugs and fentanyl precursor chemicals from China to slip in undetected, fueling the drug-death crisis now killing more than 100,000 Americans every year.

Source: Heritage Foundation

“The de minimis exemption has been abused, with shippers sending illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, precursors, and paraphernalia into the United States in reliance on the lower security measures applied to de minimis shipments, killing Americans,” the White House stated in late July. Washington-based Greg Husisian, head of the international trade practice at Foley & Lardner, told Bloomberg that President Trump “actually had bipartisan support” in tackling the de minimis exemption mess. “This was intended for grandma sending over an $80 package of toys, not like a huge Chinese company sending tens of thousands of packages every single day of $12 T-shirts,” Husisian pointed out.

Under the new rules enforced today via Trump’s executive order signed in July, all foreign shipments, except verified gifts under $100, will face new duties. We pointed out last week (read the report) that several global postal office services warned about emerging bottlenecks in U.S. inbound shipping lines over confusion about duty collections:
• Asia: Korea Post and SingPost are halting standard parcel services, while Japan warns of delays.
• Europe: Norway, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, and the UK are suspending or limiting services; Deutsche Post/DHL halted business parcels via postal networks.
• Australia: Transit shipments through Australia to the U.S. are paused, though direct U.S. deliveries remain.

Multinational logistics company DHL warned customers one week ago about mounting confusion over how duties would be collected. “Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL stated in the letter. Millions of low-value packages today will lose their duty-free treatment and be subject to standard tariff rates or temporary flat fees of $80 to $200 per item for a period of six months. For more details on rates. Customs and Border Protection outlined earlier this month in a bulletin how the flat fees would be calculated, corresponding to the countries’ tariff rates. “It is a real concern that the dominoes are falling and there will be a ripple effect where more and more posts announce that they will be suspending packages to the US,” warned Kate Muth, executive director of the International Mailers Advisory Group, which represents the U.S. international mailing and shipping industry, quoted by Bloomberg last week.

The Appeals Court appears to say: the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) is the wrong law. Find a better one before you face SCOTUS.

• Trump’s Global Tariffs Ruled Illegal By Washington Appeals Court, But… (ZH)

On the same day that President Trump flipped the switch on ‘de minimis’ exemptions, a US Appeals court has ruled that most of his global tariffs are illegal, finding that he exceeded his authority in imposing them. In May 2025, a lower court deemed them unlawful for exceeding presidential authority under a 1977 law, but the appeals court paused that ruling. And now, a panel of judges in Washington on Friday upheld an earlier ruling by the Court of International Trade that Trump wrongfully invoked an emergency law to issue the tariffs. But the appellate judges sent the case back to the lower court to determine if it applied to everyone affected by tariffs or just the parties involved in the case. However, this is not the end by a long way as the court also ruled that Trump’s tariffs can remain in effect pending appeals. Friday’s ruling extends the suspense over whether Trump’s tariffs will ultimately stand. The case had been expected to next go to the Supreme Court for a final decision.

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1961568436762390560

“..one of the shooter’s magazines bore the chilling message “kill Donald Trump.” However, ABC News reduced the violent intention behind those words, reporting vaguely that the shooter had written “the name of President Trump” on the firearms. It was as if they deliberately obscured the hostile meaning, almost insinuating the shooter was somehow a Trump supporter..”

• This May Be the Worst Media Gaslighting About Minneapolis Yet (Margolis)

The horrendous mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis reveals something far more insidious than just violence; it exposes the media’s relentless drive to distort reality when an event clashes with their preferred narrative. This wasn’t just a random tragedy. It was a brutal attack during a mass marking the start of the school year at a Catholic school, in which two children lost their lives and 17 other people, including 14 students, were wounded. The assailant was a transgender individual named Robert “Robin” Westman, who had direct ties to the school: His mother retired from working there just a few years ago. Westman came armed with a manifesto and a cache of weapons. Yet, the coverage was anything but straightforward. It’s been a case study of how the media gaslights the public when a big story doesn’t fit their preferred narrative.

PJ Media previously reported that one of the shooter’s magazines bore the chilling message “kill Donald Trump.” However, ABC News reduced the violent intention behind those words, reporting vaguely that the shooter had written “the name of President Trump” on the firearms. It was as if they deliberately obscured the hostile meaning, almost insinuating the shooter was somehow a Trump supporter. Then there’s the baffling narrative spun by MSNBC, which bizarrely suggested the shooter was not radicalized by his documented hatred of Christians and conservatives but by his upbringing, the aftereffects of COVID, and even video games. But USA Today’s coverage truly takes the cake for its shameless gaslighting.

Not only did the paper not mention the attacker’s identity or his transgender status — a detail central to understanding the complexity of this case — it pivoted hard to link the shooting to motives that better fit the preferred left-wing narrative: A Voice of America report found that mass shootings at places of worship have grown in frequency since the mid-2000s – committed, it said, “by perpetrators with a history of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Christianity and Islamophobia, with ties to white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups.” Some of those attacks have been among the country’s most shocking: In 2015, a White supremacist shot and killed nine people gathered for Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; in 2017, an assailant killed 26 people at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in rural Texas; and in 2018, a right-wing extremist killed 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in the deadliest antisemitic attack on U.S. soil.

And then, apropos of nothing, they even dragged in an unrelated allegation about ICE supposedly causing attacks on churches. Nonetheless, some faith leaders have felt compelled to respond to threatened or actual violence around the country. “Religious denominations are really being pushed to decide how open these spaces are going to be when you have threats of random violence or an ICE raid,” Schmalz said. “Are churches really open spaces anymore? Or do they have to be protected from a society where there seem to be threats all around?”

They presented it as if it were part of the same fabric, despite none of this being connected to the Minneapolis shooting. The Minneapolis shooting wasn’t random. A transgender-identifying man who openly despised Christians and conservatives was responsible. Yet instead of reporting the truth, the media twisted itself into knots to protect its preferred narrative. That’s not journalism; it’s propaganda. By censoring facts and shielding the public from uncomfortable realities, these outlets aren’t simply betraying trust; they’re fueling more violence and confusion. Until they tell the full story, the cycle will only get worse.

“Putin in Beijing on the Chinese Victory Day parade is a mirror image of Xi in Red Square on May 9..”

• Russia-China: From The Memory of WWII to BRICS/SCO Synergy (Pepe Escobar)

Three – interlocked – dates ahead of us could not be more crucial in shaping the next configuration of the currently incandescent geopolitical chessboard.
1) August 31/September 1st. Tianjin – half-an-hour by high-speed rail (120 km, roughly $8) from Beijing. The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), with all 10 member-states, two observers (Afghanistan and Mongolia) and 14 dialogue partners (plenty from Southeast Asia). Crucially, Putin, Xi and Modi (his first visit to China in 7 years) will be on the same table, as well as Iran’s Pezeshkian. That’s a compounded BRICS/SCO heavyweight show. This summit may be a turning point for the SCO as much as the summit in Kazan last year was for BRICS.

2.) September 3. The Victory Day Parade in Tian’anmen Square, officially celebrating the 80th anniversary of “the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War”. No less than 26 heads of state will be present, including Putin (on a 4-day state visit). They come from all over the Global South, but none from the Global North.

3.) September 3. Vladivostok. The start of the 10th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), a must-go to understand the finer points of the Russian national strategic priority to develop the Arctic and the Russian Far East, including vast tracts of Siberia; that’s a mirror policy of the Chinese effort to “Go West”, which started in 1999, to develop Tibet and Xinjiang. A who’s who of corporate and business circles from all latitudes across Eurasia will be present in Vladivostok. Putin addresses the plenary session right after his return from China. Taken together, these three dates span the whole spectrum of the Russia-China strategic partnership; the increasingly interlocked geopolitical and geoeconomic aspects of Eurasia integration and Global South solidarity; and the concerted push by Eurasia actors to accelerate the drive towards a multi-nodal, equanimous system of international relations.

It’s impossible to overstate how important the Victory Day parade is for the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese in a thousand years – and more – will never accept WWII American revisionism such as “the US and Japan jointly ended a war 80 years ago”. And much less European revisionism: “Europe’s commemorations of the Normandy Landings also involved a shocking rewriting of the history of the Eastern Front. These actions remind us that the September 3rd military parade’s attendance list has become a criterion for identifying which countries remain steadfast in their anti-fascist stance.” So Putin in Beijing on the Chinese Victory Day parade is a mirror image of Xi in Red Square on May 9, when Russia officially celebrated the 80th anniversary of the USSR victory in the Great Patriotic War.

No wonder the Chinese Foreign Ministry is adamant: the historical victory of WWII cannot be distorted. And this shared historical memory – vehemently against Nazi-fascism and its resurgence in the West – is a guiding light for the Russia-China multilateral, multipolar, and multi-nodal coordination, from the UN – unfortunately sliding towards irrelevancy – to the dynamic BRICS and SCO. Modi talking directly to Xi on Sunday, on the sidelines of the SCO summit, seals the sorry fate of the tariff war on India – part and parcel of the Empire of Chaos Hybrid War on BRICS, and for that matter, a great deal of the Global Majority. The latest mantra spun by Trump 2.0 circles is that New Delhi is supporting Moscow’s war on Ukraine by buying Russian oil, thus helping to enrich Putin even more. End result: the original RIC (Russia-India-China), all of them sanctioned/tariffed, locked up in a tight embrace.

Vladivostok may carry a few surprises – but on the US-Russia business front. First of all, speculation is rife on whether Trump might have decided to turn the planned EU theft of Russian foreign assets upside down, and instead force the funds to be invested in the American economy. If that would be the case – after all Trump himself proclaims “I can do anything I want” – there’s absolutely nothing the chihuahua EUrocracy can do to prevent it. Then there’s the enticing possibility of US-Russia deals being discussed. One option would be ExxonMobil returning to the Sakhalin-1 mega gas project. There’s also immense American oil industry interest in re-starting the sale of equipment for LNG projects, including the Arctic LNG-2; and the US purchasing Russian nuclear icebreakers.

This should be a wake-up call for US policymakers: pic.twitter.com/Q2QZoRvfeC

— Alec Stapp (@AlecStapp) August 29, 2025

The Mangshan cliff road in Chenzhou, China, captured by a drone.pic.twitter.com/lYRxNOBKxu

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 29, 2025

Dragonfly
https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1961311603380346904

Donkey

Donkey mistakes street art for its own kind and stops to interactpic.twitter.com/g54av6205W

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 29, 2025

Penguin
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1961305134094241958

Twins

A Rare Sighting Of Elephant Twins.

Elephant twins occur in only 1% of births. These majestic creatures defy the odds, with twin births standing out as exceptional events in the
animal kingdom.

Elephant twins often form a close bond. They are playful They are playful and… pic.twitter.com/4iJ22Sos7h

— PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE (@Protect_Wldlife) August 29, 2025

Baby
https://twitter.com/SueSpurgin/status/1961332549709422629

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Debt Rattle August 29 2025

Aug 292025

August 29, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:50 am Finance Tagged with: Anschluss, Ashli Babbitt, Bolton, DNC, frozen assets, Germany, hypersonic, Kinzhal, trans violence 43 Responses »

Tomb of the diver, Paestum c480 BCE

• Moscow Confirms Hypersonic Missile Strikes On Ukraine (RT)

• US Outlines Stance On Frozen Russian Assets (RT)

• Hungary Sues EU Over Frozen Russian Assets Sent To Ukraine (RT)

• Ukraine Conflict Is ‘Modi’s War’ – Navarro (RT)

• EU Public Skeptical Of Sending Troops To Ukraine – WSJ (RT)

• NATO’s Anschluss (Dmitry Medvedev)

• Bolton Investigation Began During Biden Admin (CTH)

• Pulte Drops New Criminal Referral On Lisa Cook As Mortgage Scandal Widens (ZH)

• DNC Moves to Sell Crazy to an Over-Stocked Nation (Turley)

• Western Governments Only Serve Private Interests (Paul Craig Roberts)

• The Camp of the Saints (Paul Craig Roberts)

• With German Economy Shrinking, Military Expands (CTH)

• The German Leader’s Checklist To Success (RT)

• This Truth Bomb on Trans Violence Is a Must Watch (Margolis)

• Air Force Reverses Biden Admin Decision on Ashli Babbitt (TH)

• Melania Trump ‘Laughed’ At Vanity Fair Offer (Miranda Devine)

Hegseth
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1960832613830070324

CDC
https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1960828013547065657

RFK
https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1961068582277648676

48%
https://twitter.com/arianammasters/status/1960737606255214964

Flag
https://twitter.com/benonwine/status/1960721809633923503

Memory

Cognitive neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge, Ph.D, says these memories from the future could mean the notion of time might not be as linear as we imagine. pic.twitter.com/vUe3wJYlmN

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 28, 2025

Show of force or escalation, next step in the fight? Putin vetoed an attack with Oreshnik (there’d be nothing left), but okays Kinzhal.

• Moscow Confirms Hypersonic Missile Strikes On Ukraine (RT)

Russia launched long-range strikes on Ukrainian military targets using a variety of weapons, including hypersonic air-launched Kinzhal missiles, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported Thursday. The operation hit several weapons plants and airfields, the MOS claimed, confirming earlier reports of an attack from Kiev. Ukraine’s military claimed it intercepted most of the incoming drones and missiles but acknowledged successful Russian strikes at 13 locations, as additional damage caused by debris from downed weapons. One of the attacks was apparently captured on CCTV, with footage circulating online showing two missiles hitting the same location in central Kiev. Some reports identified the site as the office of defense company Ukrspecsystems on Zhilyanskaya Street, which police cordoned off Thursday.

Founded in 2014, Ukrspecsystems manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles, including the long-range PD-2, which has reportedly been used in kamikaze drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow. Igor Zinkevich, a Lviv city council member, claimed that Russia also hit a plant in Kiev operated by the Turkish military firm Bayraktar, adding that the attack was the fourth of its kind in six months. Last week, Ukrainian media reported the production launch of a cruise missile dubbed Flamingo, with an estimated range of 3,000 kilometers and a payload of up to 1,000 kilograms. Images of the weapon showed close resemblance to the FP-5, a system unveiled earlier this year by the British-UAE defense firm Milanion Group at an arms expo in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier in August, Russia’s Federal Security Service said it carried out an operation with the military that targeted Ukraine’s Sapsan ballistic missile program, claiming to have infiltrated the project and caused “colossal” damage through subsequent strikes. Moscow has repeatedly accused Western nations of turning Ukraine into a proxy force by supplying weapons and funds, while arguing that Kiev’s war effort is unsustainable and serves foreign rather than Ukrainian interests.

Cautious.

• US Outlines Stance On Frozen Russian Assets (RT)

The US intends to use frozen Russian assets as a bargaining chip in negotiations over Ukraine, rather than seizing them outright and handing them over to Kiev, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said. Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Bessent explained the US stance on the more than $300 billion in Russian assets immobilized across Western financial institutions since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The bulk of the funds is within EU jurisdiction, while the US reportedly holds around $5 billion. Moscow has repeatedly denounced the freezing as a “theft.” Bessent suggested that the frozen assets are “part of the negotiation with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” adding that “I don’t think we should seize them immediately.”

“It is a chip on the table during this big negotiating process. And we will see whether part of that goes, part or all goes to the Ukraine rebuild,” he added. There has been heated debate across the West about confiscating Russian assets and transferring them to Ukraine as fast as possible – something Kiev has insisted on. Some EU leaders and experts have cautioned against outright seizure, warning it could violate international law, undermine investor confidence, and destabilize financial markets. The EU has instead opted to transfer profits and interest generated by the assets to Ukraine, with the windfall proceeds estimated at more than $3 billion annually.

Last year, the US Congress passed legislation granting the administration legal authority to confiscate Russian sovereign assets, although Washington has not yet exercised this option, citing legal and financial risks. Instead, the US joined other G7 members in supporting a $50 billion loan to Ukraine backed by interest earnings from frozen Russian assets. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia will never renounce its rights to the frozen assets and will not give up defending them. He also warned of “very serious judicial and legal consequences” if the West attempts to seize the funds outright and transfer them to Ukraine.

The EU is not cautious. They will end up having to pay Russia $300 billion. Well, not the EU, but the member countries.

• Hungary Sues EU Over Frozen Russian Assets Sent To Ukraine (RT)

Hungary has sued the EU over its decision to use frozen Russian assets to fund military aid for Ukraine, a move adopted despite Budapest’s opposition. Western nations froze an estimated $300 billion in Russian assets after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 – some €200 billion of which is held by Brussels-based clearinghouse Euroclear. The funds have accrued billions in interest, and the West has explored ways to use the revenue to finance Ukraine. The lawsuit challenges the European Council’s decision last year to channel military aid to Ukraine through the European Peace Facility (EPF), which reimburses countries that send weapons to Kiev. Implemented in February, the measure directs 99.7% of interest generated from frozen Russian central bank assets to Ukraine, providing an estimated €3-5 billion ($3.5-5.8 billion) annually.

In a case first filed with the EU Court of Justice and later transferred to the General Court, Hungary is demanding to “annul the decision… on allocating funds to assistance measures for supplying military support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces” and to “order the defendants to cover the costs.” Budapest contends that the EPF acted unlawfully by bypassing its veto, arguing that Hungary is not a “contributing member state.” “As a result, the principle of equality between Member States and the principle of the democratic functioning of the European Union were infringed because a Member State was deprived, unjustifiably and without a legal basis, of its right to vote,” the filing says.

Hungary opposes the bloc’s unconditional support for Kiev and prefers peace talks to continued fighting. Budapest has repeatedly used its veto to block EU financial and military aid, including a disputed €50 billion package at the end of 2023. The standoff has pushed other EU members to seek ways to sidestep Budapest’s resistance. Moscow has denounced the asset freeze as “robbery” and a breach of international law, warning it would backfire on the West. Senior Kremlin official Maksim Oreshkin said the freeze had already undermined trust in Western finance, while Russian President Vladimir Putin cautioned that seizing the assets would accelerate a global shift toward alternative payment systems.

What a dumb thing to say. He also said Indians are too arrogant.

• Ukraine Conflict Is ‘Modi’s War’ – Navarro (RT)

A senior trade adviser to US President Donald Trump has claimed the Ukraine conflict is effectively Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “war,” alleging that New Delhi’s discounted oil purchases from Moscow are helping Russia’s armed forces. Speaking to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday, Peter Navarro said India would immediately have 50% US tariffs reduced to 25% if it stopped buying Russian oil. “I mean, it is essentially Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” he said. Navarro’s remarks coincided with the implementation Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian goods, one of the highest in global trade.

Last week, Navarro made a similar accusation that India’s discounted purchases of Russian oil are indirectly supporting Moscow’s troops, and even branded the South Asian nation a “laundromat for the Kremlin.” Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar responded that nobody is “forced” to buy oil products from his country. “Europe buys [Russian energy products], America buys, so you don’t like it, don’t buy it,” he said. New Delhi has strongly condemned the US tariffs as “unfair and unreasonable,” arguing that Western nations themselves do even more business with Moscow. India insists that its imports from Russia serve the national interest and help ensure affordable energy for its consumers.

Don’t you know they’re gonna kill, kill your sons…

• EU Public Skeptical Of Sending Troops To Ukraine – WSJ (RT)

A significant proportion of the EU population is unhappy about the prospect of sending troops to Ukraine after any ceasefire or peace deal due to the absence of firm US “security guarantees” and fears of being drawn into a conflict with Russia, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Tuesday. While some Western European leaders are contemplating the idea of dispatching thousands of soldiers to the country if the hostilities were to end, they have to “contend… with the inconvenient fact that many voters are opposed to any deployment that places troops in harm’s way,” the report says. Unnamed European officials also told the WSJ that “it is difficult to secure public support without a clear US commitment to backstop any deployment.” US President Donald Trump has ruled out sending ground troops to Ukraine, but said Washington could provide other kinds of support.

Eastern European countries are generally cautious about shifting forces from their own borders, the WSJ noted, adding that opposition to troop deployment is particularly strong in Germany and Italy, where the historical memory of World War II still shapes public opinion. In Germany, domestic opposition runs deep, spanning both right and left-wing parties; a recent Insa poll suggested that 56% there are opposed to sending troops to Ukraine. France, one of the more vocal supporters of a potential European military force, has seen public opinion hinge on conditions. A March survey by Elabe found 67% supported sending troops if a peace accord is reached, but 68% opposed a deployment without one.

Meanwhile, the British public generally supports possible deployment, but several polls have indicated that it “wouldn’t want to provoke a direct confrontation with Russia,” the report says. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also stressed the need for a US security backstop if UK forces were deployed – something Washington has not committed to. Russia has consistently opposed the idea of NATO countries sending in troops. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the prospect of the bloc shifting its military infrastructure into Ukraine was “one of the root causes” of the conflict and has reiterated that Moscow views current discussions about deployments negatively.

The ‘original’ use of the term Anschluss goes back to the 1870s. Today, it mostly refers to March 12, 1938, when Austria joined nazi Germany. Austria had a neutral status ever since WWII ended.

• NATO’s Anschluss (Dmitry Medvedev)

The countries of the Old World are intoxicated by militaristic frenzy. Like spellbound moths, they flock to the destructive flame of the North Atlantic Alliance. Until recently, Europe still had states that understood: security could be ensured without joining military blocs. Now reason is giving way to herd instinct. Following Finland and Sweden, Austria’s establishment – egged on by bloodthirsty Brussels – is fueling public debate about abandoning its constitutionally enshrined neutrality in favor of NATO membership. Austrian society is far from enthusiastic about the idea. The New Austria liberal party, led by Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and eager to embrace the bloc, won less than 10% of the vote in the last election. By contrast, the opposition Freedom Party of Austria, which firmly opposes blindly copying Brussels’ militaristic agenda, received support from 37% of citizens. But in today’s Europe, when has the will of the people truly stood in the way?

Efforts to erode Austria’s neutrality have been underway for quite some time. As far back as the 1990s, local revisionists began building military ties under the guise of “participation in the EU’s common security and defense policy.” Until 2009, when the Treaty of Lisbon came into force, it was mostly empty talk – about coordinating military development among EU member states, but without binding obligations. Afterward, the argument shifted: the treaty didn’t specify the scope or timing of the assistance that “united Europe” was obligated to provide in the event of an attack. And, in any case, the EU was officially regarded as an economic union. The fact that most of its members already belonged to NATO was conveniently left unsaid. At the same time, Austria was expanding its military presence beyond Europe, taking part in EU training missions – thereby raising its profile in Brussels.

And it was generously rewarded: from 2022 to 2025, the chair of the EU Military Committee was held by Austrian General Robert Brieger. The Austrians hadn’t shone so “brightly” on Europe’s military stage since World War 2 – when Wehrmacht colonel generals Lothar Rendulic and Erhard Raus, and Luftwaffe commander Alexander Löhr, “distinguished themselves.” As the EU was expanding its defense capabilities, Austria was quietly undergoing militarization and NATO-ization. Vienna participated in the Alliance’s “Partnership for Peace” while the country was already de-facto a component of the bloc’s logic. Austria, despite not actually being a NATO member, has become a key transit territory for the bloc. In 2024 alone, it was traversed by more than 3,000 NATO military vehicles, and its airspace accommodated over 5,000 NATO flights.

Against this backdrop, opinions were voiced in Vienna that a “faltering pacifist consensus” and the “Russian threat” offer a historic opportunity to break free from the “shackles of the past” – namely, to scrap neutrality. Yet neutrality is woven into the very fabric of Austria’s statehood, re-engineered by the Allied powers after World War 2. It is enshrined in the three binding 1955 documents: the Moscow Memorandum, the State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria, and Austria’s own Federal Constitutional Act on Permanent Neutrality. These documents are the country’s legal foundation. Should they be removed, the entire edifice of the Austrian statehood is bound to collapse. What is there to do for Moscow, which was, in essence, one of the architects of modern Austria? The answer is to give enthusiasts of war hysteria a slap on the wrist within the framework of international law. The answers to two key questions – whether Austria has the right to unilaterally renounce its legislatively enshrined neutrality, and whether it can independently decide to join NATO – are both unequivocally negative.

Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties states explicitly that no provisions of a country’s internal law may serve as justification for violating an international treaty. Also, NATO cannot be considered a regional organization of collective defense, and therefore joining the alliance won’t grant a permanently neutral state the same benefits as its guaranteed neutrality. These provisions are recognized by respected figures deeply versed in the issue. For example, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, now head of the G.O.R.K.I. Center at St. Petersburg State University, stresses that altering the status quo of neutrality requires the consent of all the Allied powers that signed the 1955 treaty, including Russia as the legal successor of the USSR. Moscow retains the right to veto Vienna’s move down the NATO path.

The hawkish faction of Austria’s elite must grasp the full scale of foreign-policy losses that would follow from abandoning neutrality and joining NATO. Today, Vienna is a hub for multilateral diplomacy, hosting around 20 intergovernmental organizations. This ensures its engagement in global processes and the development of legal frameworks to address emerging challenges and threats. The decision to establish offices of the UN, IAEA, OSCE and OPEC in Vienna was largely predicated on its non-aligned status, which provides an effective platform for dialogue and regional cooperation.

Replacing neutrality with a bloc mentality undermines the very “spirit of Vienna” and makes it impossible for Austria to maintain balanced relations with its diverse international partners. As a result, the country is losing its unique role as a mediator and a hub for major international institutions. This leads to an obvious conclusion: it is time to consider relocating international organizations’ headquarters to countries in the Global South and East that can provide the necessary conditions for their work. Adding to all this, Austria’s militaristic turn is shattering its peacemaker image, sharply curtailing its sovereign room for maneuver. Instead, it significantly increases the risk that Austria’s Bundesheer units may find themselves included in the Russian Armed Forces’ long-range mission plans. A package of countermeasures was adopted against Sweden and Finland after their NATO accession, and Austria should not expect any exceptions here.

“Selling information is the currency of affluence in Washington DC. That’s why the removal of security clearances is looked upon as devastating within the beltway..”

• Bolton Investigation Began During Biden Admin (CTH)

[..] the New York Times now outlines how the investigation into John Bolton began during the Biden administration and picked up speed after they received access to his email information from an “adversarial country’s spy service.” Apparently, John Bolton used an unclassified email system to send information to his friends and allies. The emails were intercepted. Bolton was discussing information that appears to have been the outcome of his access to classified information as National Security Advisor. CTH has previously outlined how John Bolton’s business model was essentially selling information and influence. This common DC business model seems to have formed the baseline for him to share sensitive, possibly classified information, of greater value. This does not come as a surprise. Selling information is the currency of affluence in Washington DC. That’s why the removal of security clearances is looked upon as devastating within the beltway. New York Times story below:

NEW YORK TIMES – The investigation into President Trump’s former national security adviser, John R. Bolton, began to pick up momentum during the Biden administration, when U.S. intelligence officials collected information that appeared to show that he had mishandled classified information, according to people familiar with the inquiry. The United States gathered data from an adversarial country’s spy service, including emails with sensitive information that Mr. Bolton, while still working in the first Trump administration, appeared to have sent to people close to him on an unclassified system, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive case that remains open.

The emails in question, according to the people, were sent by Mr. Bolton and included information that appeared to derive from classified documents he had seen while he was national security adviser. Mr. Bolton apparently sent the messages to people close to him who were helping him gather material that he would ultimately use in his 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.” In a sign of the stakes for Mr. Bolton, he is in talks to retain the high-profile criminal defense lawyer Abbe Lowell. Mr. Lowell, who has represented Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Mr. Biden’s son Hunter, is defending two other prominent perceived enemies of Mr. Trump who are now under scrutiny: the New York state attorney general, Letitia James, and Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board.

At the time of the raid, we noted the activity of Bolton mirrors that of former Senator John McCain (now dead). “An FBI investigation under the auspices of potential violations of the Espionage Act, where Bolton would have leveraged current or prior classified intelligence information as part of his influence business. Almost identically to former Senator John McCain, John Bolton was well known to intersect with the nation of Qatar as part of his operation. Qatar has deep pockets and a long-identified influence operation throughout the Middle East, sometimes playing both sides. Qatar is also the playground for the CIA. While it is yet unknown which nation and which activity Bolton was likely engaged in, the highest probability centers around the deepest pockets, which would also put Bolton on the CIA radar. Since initially writing that outline, someone noticed this video from John McCain’s funeral.

looks like he made one of those deals right here on camera at John McCain's funeral. isn't that Mouaz Moustafa, Syrian ETF handing Bolton gold bar or something wrapped in a handkerchief? pic.twitter.com/qXwtre73eL

— The Rubber Duck ™ (@TheRubberDuck79) August 25, 2025

Something is being given to John Bolton in that video. Something from Mouaz Moustafa, Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) and Senator John McCain’s intermediary to the Muslim Brotherhood. If I had to guess, from the position of Moustafa and those behind him (Muslim Brotherhood/Qatar), John Bolton became the replacement for John McCain after the senator’s death. We wait to find out the details of the predicate for the FBI raid.

Letitia James as NY prosecutor, Ketanji Jackson at the Supreme Court, Lisa Cook at the Fed. Three black women that fit the DEI profile, but not the profiles required for their positions.

• Pulte Drops New Criminal Referral On Lisa Cook As Mortgage Scandal Widens (ZH)

On Thursday night, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte dropped a second criminal referral against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook based on evidence that she entered into a 15-year mortgage on a third property which she listed as her “Second Home.” On an ethics form signed with the government, however, Cook noted it as an “investment/rental property.” Why is this bad and not simply a ‘clerical error’? As Pulte notes, “Representing the property as a second home may have allowed Cook to secure a lower “Second Home” mortgage down payment and rates, as investment properties typically carry higher down payments and higher rates due to increased risk.”

3 strikes and you’re out.

Today, U.S. Federal Housing sent a 2nd Criminal Referral in the matter of Lisa D. Cook, related to a mortgage on a 3rd property and alleged misrepresentations about her properties to the United States Government during her time as Governor of the… pic.twitter.com/TAH68Mia23

— Pulte (@pulte) August 29, 2025

This new criminal referral follows an initial referral Pulte made after Cook listed two properties as her ‘primary residence’ in 2021 – ostensibly reaping manifold benefits on tax treatment and interest rates, which Cook hasn’t denied. [..] Earlier Thursday, Cook filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after President Donald Trump fired her on Monday ‘for cause.’ Among the excuses contained in the lawsuit for listing two properties as her primary residence was a possible clerical error. Except, Cook described herself in her 2023 nomination hearing as having “significant experience in banking and finance, as is evidenced by my service on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and of a Community Development Financial Institution in Michigan, in addition to my employment at an investment bank and a large commercial bank.”

"Clerical error" pic.twitter.com/ThnHKeRFS9

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) August 29, 2025

So she claims to be a banking expert, while anyone in the industry who’s done all the mandatory mind-numbing ‘continuing education’ has had these exact types of scenarios pounded into their heads ad nauseam, for years.

(Update: 1532ET): A Biden-appointed federal judge who defied a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month has been ‘randomly’ assigned to the (Biden-appointed) Lisa Cook case, after the Federal Reserve Governor filed a lawsuit challenging her Monday firing by President Trump. Her complaint doesn’t deny the underlying allegations of mortgage fraud – and instead argues that she couldn’t have been fired ‘for cause’ over something that happened before she was confirmed to the Fed. Cook also argues that claiming two houses as her ‘primary residence’ at the same time may have been a simple ‘clerical error.’

“Sell crazy someplace else. We’re all stocked up here.”

• DNC Moves to Sell Crazy to an Over-Stocked Nation (Turley)

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) appears to be doubling down on crazy in Minneapolis this week with calls to pack the Supreme Court and other extremist priorities. For voters who have repeatedly shown that they want to move to a more moderate center, you are left like Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets when his character, Melvin Udall, who declared, “Sell crazy someplace else. We’re all stocked up here.” As many know, I was raised in a politically active, liberal, Democratic family in Chicago and worked much of my life for Democratic candidates and campaigns. This week again reminded many of us how far the party has moved from its more centrist history. That includes another call to pack the Supreme Court with liberals to force or ratify sweeping political and social changes. The meeting started in a signature fashion.

Lindy Sowmick, treasurer of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) spoke to the delegates after DNC Chairman Ken Martin asked her to recite the land acknowledgment. Sowmick asked the delegates to think about her works: “As Democrats, I ask of every one of you to not allow land acknowledgments like these to simply be the checking of a box – be curious, ask questions, ensure our native neighbors are heard and work in partnership with your Indigenous communities.” Sowmick then declared: “The DNC acknowledges and honors the Dakota Oyate – the Dakota people – who are the original stewards of the lands and waters of Minneapolis. The Dakota cared for the lands, lakes and the Wakpa Tanka – the ‘Great River,’ the Mississippi River – for thousands of years before colonization. This land was not claimed, or traded – it’s a part of a history of broken treaties and promises. And, in many ways, we still live in a system built to suppress Indigenous peoples’ cultural and spiritual history.”

From there, it was a free-for-all, including a fierce fight over a resolution to condemn Israel. Martin strangely forced a divisive debate, where he and others pushed through a resolution that only called for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid, which was denounced by others. After passing the resolution, he then moved to rescind it as an act of unity. It left many wondering what the purpose of the exercise was in forcing a debate and then withdrawing the passed resolution. Delegates continued to show how out of touch the party has become, including one assuring delegates that the public really does not care about carjackings and migrant crimes despite the polls. Another insisted that today the nation is worse to live in than during the pandemic.

Laurence S. Zakson is a DNC member from California and a partner at Reich Adell & Cvitan in Beverly Hills. He and others called for Congress to act on changing the size of the Supreme Court due to the alleged partisan agenda of the majority and the failure to reach correct decisions. It is the same playbook that Democrats have used in the last two elections to pack the Court with liberals. Some on the left have even called for the Supreme Court to be “dissolved.” That rhetoric has been matched by Democratic leaders. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer previously declared in front of the Supreme Court, “I want to tell you, [Neil] Gorsuch, I want to tell you, [Brett] Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stated that she wants to impeach all six of the conservative justices. She was immediately joined by other Democratic members. Previously, she admitted that she does not understand why we even have a Supreme Court. She asked, “How much does the current structure benefit us? And I don’t think it does.” Other members, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), have called for packing the Court with additional members to immediately secure a liberal majority to rule as she desires. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., RI) has assured voters that Vice President Kamala Harris will support the packing of the Court with a liberal majority. Polls show the public understands that such moves are madness. Some of us have discussed the expansion of the Supreme Court for years, but there is a difference between expanding and packing. This is court packing in its rawest and most dangerous form. It is one last pitch for crazy in an already over-stocked nation.

“Once upon a time in America it was understood that enough money could buy integrity, turn lies into truth, and justify evil as public good.”

• Western Governments Only Serve Private Interests (Paul Craig Roberts)

Despite Robert F. Kennedy being Secretary of Health, Pfizer still has its hold on the FDA, which reports to Kennedy. The FDA has removed emergency use authorization for Covid “vaccines,” but the death shot is still authorized for those older adults and children as young as 5 who have even one health problem that puts them at high risk from the Covid virus, essentially an unknown risk that can be declared by any doctor on Big Pharma’s payroll.

This ruling is medically nonsensical for two reasons. One is that the alleged “vaccine” is known to be ineffective in preventing Covid. In other words it is not a successful vaccine under any conditions. This has been admitted by the vaccine makers themselves and by Bill Gates, a heavy pusher of the “vaccines.” The British “vaccine” maker even pulled the vaccine off the market. The second reason is that the alleged “vaccines” have been proven unsafe. Indeed, the “vaccines” are more dangerous than Covid. Far more people have been killed and injured by the “vaccines” than by Covid. I have provided many links to scientific articles in medical journals demonstrating the extreme danger of the “vaccine.” Big Pharma has brought RFK, Jr., to heel.

Although the “vaccine” is no longer mandated, Kennedy says the Covid vaccines “are available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.” But as Kennedy knows, the majority of American doctors are nothing but the brainwashed tools of Big Pharma. Big Pharma grants to medical schools gives them influence over the curriculum taught to doctors. Big Pharma grants to medical scientists gives them control over what is published in peer-reviewed medical journals. In my website’s archive is an article reporting that the editors of the two most prestigious medical journals, The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet, both said that they had no confidence in the articles they published because 70% of them were written with grants from the pharmaceutical industry. Big Pharma even pays “medical scientists” to write against the natural supplements that do help us.

Once upon a time in America it was understood that enough money could buy integrity, turn lies into truth, and justify evil as public good. This realization on the part of the public could not prevent money from purchasing integrity, from turning lies into truth, and from disguising evil, but it limited it so honest truthful moral life could continue, at least partially. But today all limits to the corrupting power of money have been removed. Everything can be bought. We even have the spectacle of young American women selling their pussy on the Internet. And evangelical churches sell out Christ for Israeli money and turn themselves into Zionists.

Thomas Jefferson was always in opposition to power centralized in the federal government. He knew that the power would be privatized to serve the interest of the ruling clique. When he returned from France he was astonished by the extent to which his colleagues had privatized the government. Historians speak of corruption, which is their euphemism for the privatization of government to serve private interests.

The military budgets, which President Trump insists must increase in the European Union, threats of war and preparation for war are a huge profit-maker not only for the armaments manufacturers but also from the bribes to politicians that go hand in hand with arms sales. A more polite word is commissions. For the US, President Trump has requested a 13.4% increase in military spending. The US Senate has proposed a larger increase. Why? We only have enemies of our own choosing. Russia, China, and Iran have no interest in war. The reason is that they do not have the military/security complex that President Eisenhower warned us against as long ago as 1961. This is America’s problem. So far the US military-security complex has forced Washington to violate the George H. W. Bush administration’s promise not to move NATO to the Russian border.

The US military/security complex funds neoconservatives, their think tanks, university departments, and publications and, thereby, funds their foreign policy objective of Washington’s hegemony over the world. Such a foreign policy means war and nothing but war. All of the meetings, talk, and commentary about Ukrainian peace negotiations is cover for continuing a war that Washington’s puppet state is losing. There is still the prospect of European soldiers being sent to Ukraine’s defense with US weapons purchased by Europe. The US military/security complex is salivating. The way Trump hopes to get out of the war is to turn it over to the EU with contracts to purchase American weapons. Recently Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov, who has been extremely dense until now, realized and said that Russia was at war with an empire and that it would be a long war. The long war will be the product of Putin’s blunder in not quickly taking the conflict in Ukraine to victory.

“..a lot of money will be made from bribes to purchase military weapons, money that will allow the ruling elite to escape from Britain as the country descends into its grave.”

• The Camp of the Saints (Paul Craig Roberts)

The English people have turned to Elon Musk for protection against immigrant-invader rape gangs that the UK government enables and encourages by non-enforcement to terrorize and rape English girls. The headline reads: “Musk vows to fund lawsuits against UK officials over grooming gangs.” [..] Over the decades Oxford and Cambridge have infused the “colonialist, racist” British ruling class with so much racial guilt that the UK government is incapable of defending its white citizens. Over these years, the illegal immigrant-invaders have learned that they enjoy immunity from “racist” law and have the de facto right to sexually use white English females in addition to public support from the white taxpayers. The situation has deteriorated so much that there are 85 areas in England where white women are unsafe.

England is being erased. In out of the way places there are still some picturesque villages with thatched and slate roofed cottages and a friendly local pub. There are still castles and manorial estates where descendants of an aristocratic warrior class, which formed England out of chaos and protected the English from immigrant-invaders such as the Vikings, lived a civilized life. These estates, now properties of the National Trust, are designations for bus tours that bring tourists who wander through the former residences of earls and viscounts. But the cities are lost. In 2021 only 36 percent of London’s population was white British. The percentage is lower today. Clearly, the British ruling elite made the decision to replace the ethnic British, although some say that it is a Zionist plot to rid Jews of white gentiles.

“Multiculturalism” is the tool for replacing whites with massive unhindered third world immigration. The function of the rape gangs is to use white females to breed more white replacements. The same thing is happening in Europe and North America. In England things are so unfavorable for white British that a social media post shows a video of a blond white female pub owner or manager refusing entry to a white British citizen because he has a Union Jack (British) flag. The flag might offend an immigrant-invader. The pub owner or manager is so indoctrinated that it does not occur to her to wonder why immigrant-invaders are in England if they are offended by the English flag. An Israeli flag might well offend a Muslim immigrant-invader, but if the pub’s spokeswoman refused entry to the Star of David she would be arrested for anti-semitism.

Another video shows two pre-teen white English girls warding off a gang-banger with a knife and a hatchet. The police arrested the girls for threatening violence with prohibited weapons. Nothing was done about the immigrant-invader who provoked their defense. Looking at England we see a country with a destroyed belief system leaving it unable to protect itself and its white ethnic citizens. Most certainly the British are incapable of going to war with Russia. But in the meantime a lot of money will be made from bribes to purchase military weapons, money that will allow the ruling elite to escape from Britain as the country descends into its grave.

Hide economic collapse behind the army. Sounds just like the 1930s.

• With German Economy Shrinking, Military Expands (CTH)

History rhyming is likely just a coincidence. Then again, if it were a coincidence, it wouldn’t be so predictable would it. Simultaneous with the German economy contracting and Chancellor Fredrich Merz saying the expansive entitlement programs are no longer sustainable, as if on cue the German Bundestag is now promoting conscription to make their military much bigger.The compulsory military service plan is being decided amid two options. Option #1 is compulsory service reinstated only if the Bundestag vote for it. Option #2 is mandated military service becomes automatically law if voluntary conscription targets are missed.This new military service requirement is coming on the heels of Germany pledging to lead the coalition of the willing on NATO spending. Remember, CIA operations in Ukraine are based out of Germany.

“GERMANY – […] Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a sweeping reform of military service, requiring 18-year-old men to register in a new selection system while keeping actual service voluntary.Those who choose to sign up — typically for a half-year stint, with the option to extend up to 23 months — will be offered more generous pay and training options.[…] The party aims to introduce changes when the bill comes before parliament for its first reading between Oct. 8 and 10, according to Thomas Erndl, MP and spokesperson for defense policy in Merz’s Christian Democratic bloc.“We cannot risk a situation where targets are missed and nothing happens — there has to be a mechanism that guarantees the numbers we need,” said Erndl. “That’s why the law needs to be changed.” Under the government’s draft law, agreed Wednesday, compulsory service could only be reinstated if the Bundestag voted for it. Conservatives want to go further: Their proposal would create an automatic trigger — if recruitment targets are missed, conscription would return without another parliamentary decision.”

Interesting timing.

He will spend Germany straight into a depression. 1930s.

• The German Leader’s Checklist To Success (RT)

German chancellor Friedrich Merz has made a moderate media splash and ruffled some feathers in his own ruling coalition with the Centrist Social Democrats (SPD). Using the platform of a regional party congress of his CDU Conservatives in Niedersachsen, Merz has delivered a speech that immediately attracted national attention and will be remembered for one phrase. “The social [welfare] state, as we have it today,” the chancellor declared with appropriately dour mien, “can no longer be financed by what we are achieving economically.” Put differently, severe budget cuts on social issues are coming. And since that is a policy operative since, at the latest, 2003, there really isn’t so much left to cut. Merz is promising his people more of a bad time. His people. Not, however, the ultra-corrupt political anti-elite of Ukraine.

Just before Merz’s claim that Germany cannot afford what it used to offer to Germans who pay for it, his government promised €9 billion ($10.4 bn) per year for Ukraine in 2025 and 2026, for now. That is on top of the €44 billion already sent that way. Germany is the “second-largest backer” of the Kiev regime in the world, as its obviously thoroughly detached finance minister Lars Klingbeil emphasizes with a perverse pride that must sound like a bad joke to many of his compatriots. Speaking of Klingbeil, in his Niedersachsen speech Merz also announced that he would “deliberately not make it easy” for his government colleagues from the SPD, who include, of course, Klingbeil. The SPD, of course, is well-known for being against harsh reductions in what Germans can expect from, in essence, old-age pensions, public health care, and the basic form of unemployment insurance now known as “Bürgergeld” (literally, “citizens’ money”).

There is no reason to underestimate Merz’s genuine ideological commitment. It is true that, in general, he is unusually brutal about being dishonest even for a politician: Germany’s current leader has already proven that he is capable of breathtaking flipflops, staggering electoral bad faith, and underhanded maneuvering that violates the spirit of democracy if not the letter of the constitution. In the spring, his U-turn on public debt, to finance Germany’s new militarism on – exuberant – credit, was not only a massive breach of trust regarding especially his own conservative voters. Shamelessly exploiting a legal loophole, Merz also executed this radical reversal – many in his own party called it betrayal – by relying on parliamentary majorities that had already been cancelled by an election.

Likewise, Merz’s coalition then proceeded to break promises regarding an energy tax relief as well as benefits for mothers. Germans are angry, but there is no sign that Merz and his government care. Consequently, according to a fresh poll by the reputable INSA institute, 62 percent of Germans are dissatisfied with their government. And yet, there is a hard core of authentic Merz, shaped by his own wealth, a very privileged life without material worries, and his long career as an overpaid member of the supervisory-board network nobility, at BlackRock and elsewhere: if there is one thing Germany’s leader is sincere about, it is his iron will to make the less well-off bleed more and work even harder, while making sure that those as materially comfortable and safe as himself get even richer. Call it neoliberalism with an unsmiling German face.

Merz, of course, is also a very ordinary man, incapable of much self-reflection. He cannot honestly face any of the above. Instead he misunderstands himself as a savior of the fatherland, which he sees in need of much tough love and plenty of wholesome kicks up the backside to rediscover discipline, hard work, and competitiveness. [..] What was much more interesting was Merz’s reasoning. In his own words, the central political challenge is to prove that Germany “can be governed successfully from the center.” Or to be concrete, to keep down and out of power Germany’s two “populist” insurgent parties: from the right the very successful Alternative for Germany party (AfD), which tends to lead German opinion polls now, and, from the left, the currently marginalized – probably by foul play in the manner of, say, Romania or Moldova – but still threatening Bündnis Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW).

“When someone has an illness, we should treat it instead of affirm it. We don’t celebrate schizophrenia. We don’t encourage depression.”

• This Truth Bomb on Trans Violence Is a Must Watch (Margolis)

The nation was left reeling Wednesday after a tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where a gunman killed two young children and injured several others. Authorities later identified the shooter as a transgender-identifying male with radical left-wing views—a detail the media was quick to downplay. Sadly, this has become an all-too-familiar pattern. Just as we saw after the 2023 Covenant school massacre in Nashville, the press is once again bending over backwards to bury the shooter’s transgender identity. On his Fox News program Wednesday night, Jesse Watters blasted the media for their blatant double standard. In his monologue, Watters detailed cases of shootings, firebombings, and ideological extremism, and accused politicians of placing ideology over child safety.

Watters began with an unapologetic charge, linking a recent Catholic school shooting to a broader trend. “So a suicidal transgender who hates Trump’s Christians and Jews shoots up kids at a Catholic school, and the media wants to take away your handgun. So how are we supposed to protect ourselves from trans shooters?” he asked, before accusing the press of deliberately ignoring what he sees as an undeniable pattern. According to Watters, this is not an isolated phenomenon. “The media’s bad at pattern recognition. We aren’t. Just two years ago, another trans 20-something walked into a Christian school in Nashville with a rifle and shot three kids and three adults. They buried the manifesto and locked down the case. We’ve seen trans shootings in Colorado and in Maryland. They even shot up an ICE facility in Texas. And it seems like half of Antifa’s trans. A couple of they-thems just got popped for firebombing Teslas.”

But when Watters raised this concern, he noted that officials like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey jumped to shut it down. He played a clip of Frey at a press conference earlier in the day when he said, “Anybody who is using this … as an opportunity to villainize our trans community or any other community out there has lost their sense of common humanity…. We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone…. We should be operating from a place of love for our kids.” Watters pushed back again Frey’s statement. “I don’t hate anyone who thinks they’re trans. I feel sorry for them. But statistically, the trans population has been prone to violence. That’s not villainizing, that’s reality, and if you can’t recognize reality, you’re in danger.

“We love the American people, especially American children, and if they’re troubled and believe they’re somehow a girl trapped in a boy’s body, we wanna get ’em help. We don’t wanna give ’em hormones and operate on them. Society shouldn’t be trying to produce more trans kids.” Watters continued, “We shouldn’t be encouraging an emotional disorder, or whatever this is, and doctors should stop profiting from it. Great Britain ended child sex change surgeries. They said it’s barbaric, and they’re right. And politicians should stop elevating the trans issue like it’s the civil rights struggle of the 21st century.” Still, leftist leaders doubled down on proud declarations of sanctuary for the trans community. Watters dismissed such rhetoric as absurd. “So when your nine-year-old tells you he’s a horse, do you let him sleep out in the barn and eat hay? What are we doing here?

“Just a few years ago, the psychiatric community classified transgenderism as a mental illness. Then doctors went woke and removed it as a condition, and now millions of young Americans are identifying themselves as trans and getting high fives. When someone has an illness, we should treat it instead of affirm it. We don’t celebrate schizophrenia. We don’t encourage depression.” Watters then accused the Left of weaponizing children for political aims. “Teenagers are confused…. But the Left’s weaponizing trans kids and turning them into culture warriors, and they’ve been turned loose against the Church, schools, and Trump. You see it, I see it. The trans clan has a militant wing, and it’s out for blood. They’re taking lives, defiling churches, and freaking everybody out.”

Watters got it exactly right. America’s ruling class knows there’s a disturbing connection between trans ideology and violence, yet they insist on burying the evidence under hollow slogans and woke talking points. The brutal reality is that a disturbing pattern has emerged — one that the Left dares not acknowledge because it undermines their sacred narrative. Instead, the media and politicians run interference, excusing and silencing the truth, while innocent Americans — especially our children — are left exposed as potential victims of an agenda they never asked for.

https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1960858413195231453

“Ashli, age 35, was unarmed when she was fatally shot. She stood 5’3’ tall and weighed 115 pounds. Her hands were up in the air, empty…”

• Air Force Reverses Biden Admin Decision on Ashli Babbitt (TH)

The U.S. Air Force will provide full military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran fatally shot inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by then-Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd. The development comes after Judicial Watch wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urging him to “make a new determination granting military funeral honors” for Babbitt, which had been denied by the Biden administration. Senior counsel Robert Sticht asked Hegseth to consider two recent updates related to the case.

First, on January 20, 2025, President Trump granted clemency for certain offenses relating to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Presidential proclamation states, “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.” President Trump (a) commuted the sentences of certain individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021; (b) granted a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of [similar] offenses….

Second … on July 2, 2025, the United States of America paid a damage award of nearly five million dollars to settle a wrongful death lawsuit that Judicial Watch and I brought forward on behalf of the Estate of Ashli Babbitt and her husband Aaron Babbitt to ensure justice and accountability for the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt on January 6, 2021. Once again, Gen. Kelly’s denial of military funeral honors for Ashli’s funeral cannot be reconciled with this landmark legal settlement. Many well-documented facts now clearly show that the fatal shooting was not justified.

For example, Ashli was the only official homicide on January 6, 2021. Ashli, age 35, was unarmed when she was fatally shot. She stood 5’3’ tall and weighed 115 pounds. Her hands were up in the air, empty, and in plain view of Lt. Byrd and four armed officers behind him. Seven additional armed officers were behind Ashli, including four Containment and Emergency Response Team officers. Ashli posed no threat to the safety of any officer nor any Member of Congress who stayed after Member evacuation. Ashli was begging officers to call for backup before she was shot. Officers ignored Ashli.

The only shot fired that day was the one Lt. Byrd fired to kill Ashli. Lt. Byrd was not in uniform. Lt. Byrd did not identify himself as a police officer or otherwise make his presence known to Ashli. Lt. Byrd also did not give Ashli any warnings or commands before firing the shot that killed her. Ashli never saw Lt. Byrd because he was hidden from her view. She was ambushed and defenseless. Multiple witnesses at the scene yelled, “you just murdered her.” Lt. Byrd later told the world on NBC Nightly News that he “had no clue” about the individual he shot. “I didn’t even know it was a female until hours, way later … that night,” he said. (Judicial Watch)

Persuaded by developments since the initial request was denied in 2021 and the circumstances of her death, Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew L. Lohmeier wrote to Babbitt’s husband and mother telling them he believe the “previous determination was incorrect.” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton praised the decision.

BREAKING: The US Air Force has RESTORED funeral honors to veteran Ashli Babbitt — reversing a vicious, political decision by the Biden regime to deny them to her and her grieving family. Thank you @RealDonaldTrump, @SecDef @PeteHegseth and @usairforce Under Sec @matthewlohmeier!… https://t.co/kdSCWkelUg

— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) August 27, 2025

“Ashli Babbitt’s family is grateful to President Trump, Secretary Hegseth and Under Secretary Lohmeier for reversing the Biden Defense Department’s cruel decision to deny Ashli funeral honors as a distinguished veteran of the Air Force,” said Fitton. “Judicial Watch’s team spent years investigating, litigating, and exposing the truth about Ashli’s homicide. Judicial Watch is proud to have done its part in bringing her family a measure of justice and accountability for Ashli’s outrageous killing. And our battle for justice will continue.”

“She’s way above doing Vanity Fair..”

• Melania Trump ‘Laughed’ At Vanity Fair Offer (Miranda Devine)

Vanity Fair staffers flipping out at the prospect of First Lady Melania Trump gracing the cover can rest easy. She’s not the slightest bit interested. A fashion source familiar with the First Lady’s thinking says she “laughed” at the Vanity Fair request in July and rejected it immediately. “She doesn’t have time to be sitting in a photo shoot. Her priorities as First Lady are far more important… These people don’t deserve her anyway.” The magazine’s new global editorial director Mark Guiducci tried to woo Mrs. Trump back in July but when his employees found out this week they threatened to quit their jobs. “’If [Guiducci] puts Melania on the cover, half of the editorial staff will walk out, I guarantee it.” a mid–level editor told the Daily Mail on Monday. “I will walk out the motherf***ing door, and half my staff will follow me… If I have to work bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s, I’ll do it… It sickens me.”

The snobbish staffer would probably make more money at Trader Joe’s than the slave wages paid by Conde Nast, an ailing publishing company which has been nothing but “Conde Nasty” to Mrs. Trump and her family since she first entered the East Wing in 2017. Haughty Anna Wintour famously snubbed the former model for the cover of Vogue while plastering less elegant First Ladies all over the magazine multiple times. But Mrs. Trump has no need for such low-rent validation. She is her own fashion-plate every day. In any case, she is busy with multiple projects, including “Fostering the Future” to support children in foster care, and her “Be Best” initiative from the first term, which aims to combat cyberbullying and opioid abuse. She also successfully championed the “Take It Down” Act, which requires social media platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images.

This week saw her take on a new role leading the Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge to inspire children to embrace AI technology. With her multilingual European background and geopolitical nous, she is also a valuable sounding board for her husband in foreign affairs. During recent peace talks with Russia and Ukraine, she penned a heartfelt personal letter to Vladimir Putin, which President Trump hand-delivered to the Russian leader before their summit in Alaska. Addressing him as “Dear President Putin”, she wrote: “It is time” to protect children and future generations around the globe. “In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself.” Meanwhile, she has been working on a documentary for Amazon, as well as writing a best-selling memoir and an accompanying AI-powered audiobook. “She’s way above doing Vanity Fair,” laughed the source.

Plimer

Geologist Prof. Ian Plimer: "Carbon dioxide in the past has been much, much higher than now. We're currently at 0.04%. For most of geological time, it was about 20%."

"And during that geological time when we had high carbon dioxide, we had three of the six great ice ages. So… pic.twitter.com/Y6RwC0tGA9

— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) August 27, 2025

Autism
https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1961029824819994756

Cooking

The greatest cooking show ever. pic.twitter.com/cMSaubYnFc

— The Figen (@TheFigen_) August 27, 2025

Sand
https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1960980678255727090

Penguin
https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1960970296376045603

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Debt Rattle August 28 2025

Aug 282025

August 28, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:38 am Finance Tagged with: Arabella, Bill Gates, Bond villain, endgame, intel community, MAHA, multiculturalism, peace talks, RICO, Soros, Witkoff 56 Responses »

Cave of swimmers, Gilf Kebir plateau, Sahara c6000 BCE

• The Endgame of the Ukraine War: Two Possible Scenarios (Ruel F. Pepa)

• Ukraine Peace Talks Must Stay Confidential – Kremlin (RT)

• Witkoff to Meet Ukrainians in New York This Week (ET)

• Most Americans Don’t Believe Trump Can End Wars In Ukraine, Gaza (ZH)

• RFK Aims to MAHA Med School (Salgado)

• FDA Revokes Emergency Authorization For COVID-19 Vaccines (ZH)

• US Disease Control Chief Fired In Clash Over Covid Vaccines (RT)

• Gabbard: Intel Community Corruption Worse Than Anyone Thought (VF)

• Trump Calls For RICO Charges Against Soros; Gates Foundation Severs Ties (ZH)

• Trump Mulls Travel Ban for EU Officials Over ‘Orwellian’ Censorship Law (ZH)

• Reform’s Plan for Dealing with Illegal Migrants is a Good Start (Carl)

• Multiculturalism Is Burning Down The German School System (RMX)

• Merz: German Welfare State Is Running Out of Other People’s Money (Kruiser)

• The Radical Left Is Still Trying to Get Trump Assassinated (Margolis)

• Intel Deal: Trump’s Industrial Policy Is Realism, Not Socialism (Daniel McCarthy)

• It’s Official: Bill Gates Now Contains 2% Less Bond Villain (Green)

Lisa Cook's job was to guard *against* mortgage fraud, not to go out and commit it herself.

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913, Section 10, gives President Trump the legal right to remove a Fed Governor "for cause." When someone lies on 2 mortgage applications in the span of 2… pic.twitter.com/HEvQolJm0d

— James Fishback (@j_fishback) August 27, 2025

BREAKING: Treasury Sec Scott Bessent is turning up the heat, demanding Fed Governor Lisa Cook face prosecution!

Time to hold her accountable! pic.twitter.com/dheiU8jAJF

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 27, 2025

Flashback: Fired Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said in 2020 that Donald Trump was "definitely a fascist."

This is who was in charge of our nation's monetary policypic.twitter.com/iWawkhF31d

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 26, 2025

The German economy is in “free fall”with a 21% collapse in output thanks to green energy pixie farts and regulatory burdens.

Meanwhile, Trump's gunning to cart off Germany’s crown jewels to America. pic.twitter.com/vJxtlzli4H

— Peter St Onge, Ph.D. (@profstonge) August 27, 2025

CBDC

"Did you know the EU plans to launch its digital currency, the digital euro, in October 2025?"

"This will give those in control the power to make people do less harmful things, like eating meat, buying petrol, or not complying with the government."

"Or make privacy go bye-bye… pic.twitter.com/0LugC98EVv

— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) August 27, 2025

"I cannot think of a more dangerous initiative than this… We simply have to say no."‼️

Nigel Farage on the desperate push to roll out digital ID, CBDCs and a cashless society—globally—by 2030‼️

"If we're not careful, we head towards a Chinese-style social credit system, where… pic.twitter.com/s8EkVwPzQA

— Sophia Dahl (@sophiadahl1) August 27, 2025

Crime

Democrat Rep Jamie Raskin says he's opposed to Trump cracking down on crime because "crime has always been part of our history."

What??? pic.twitter.com/061BtCA7Dx

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 26, 2025

The author, a “Filipino philosopher living in Madrid, Spain”, gives you two endgame options to choose from:

1/ The west acknowledges defeat now.
2/ Russia launches a devastating though non-nuclear attack, and the west folds after that.

Take your pick. Both options lead to a period of peace. There is no third option.

• The Endgame of the Ukraine War: Two Possible Scenarios (Ruel F. Pepa)

Scenario One: Acknowledgment of Defeat and Surrender by the West
The first possibility hinges on a sobering and potentially unsettling reality: the Western alliance of the United Kingdom, the European Union, NATO, and the United States should finally recognize the reality that they have tragically lost the fight against Russia in Ukraine. This recognition would not be made lightly; rather, it would be the result of a combination of factors such as prolonged conflict, mounting casualties, significant resource depletion, and diplomatic fatigue that have eroded Western resolve and capacity to sustain their current level of support. Ultimately, this scenario would necessitate a formal acknowledgment of defeat, leading to a strategic and possibly humiliating surrender, signaling an end to their worthless military and political efforts to oppose Russian advances.

Such an outcome implies that the West’s military interventions, economic sanctions, and diplomatic efforts have failed to change the fundamental dynamics on the ground. The prolonged conflict, with its heavy toll on both human lives and national resources, would have culminated in a consensus that further confrontation is futile or counterproductive. Recognizing defeat would most likely lead to negotiations, compromises, and concessions that could reshape the territorial and political landscape of the region. This could include the recognition of Russian-controlled territories as part of Russia, or a negotiated settlement that cedes significant influence to Moscow.

This scenario would also entail a vital shift in regional alliances and borders, marking the end of Ukraine’s aspirations for full integration into Western institutions. It would result in a realignment of security arrangements and a recalibration of Western policies towards Russia, which would finally acknowledge Russia’s renewed regional importance and influence. Ultimately, this outcome would bring an end to active hostilities and redefine the balance of power in Europe and beyond. The global order would see a shift towards a more multipolar world, where Russia’s enhanced position influences international diplomacy and security policies for years to come.

Scenario Two: A Devastating Russian Non-Nuclear Strike
The second more provocative and alarming possibility involves Russia resorting to the use of its advanced non-nuclear weapon systems, specifically the deployment of the non-nuclear version of the Oreshnik missile system, targeting Ukraine and one aggressive NATO member country such as Germany, France, Poland, or the UK, thereby achieving a decisive and devastating victory over western aggression. This aggressive attack would be designed to inflict maximum destruction and psychological shock.

This scenario assumes that barring the possibility of the West’s surrender, Russia’s only remaining option is to escalate the conflict by deploying such a formidable weapon to indiscriminately obliterate Ukrainian infrastructure and military targets. The use of a weapon like the Oreshnik which is indubitably recognized as a highly destructive missile capable of delivering a significant payload over long distances would mark a new and dangerous phase in the conflict, aimed at delivering a crushing blow to Ukraine’s military capacity and civilian infrastructure.

The implications of such an act are profoundly chilling. It would signal a willingness by Russia to cross the threshold into large-scale destruction, possibly as a show of strength or as a means to force Western powers into concessions. Importantly, Russia’s use of such devastating weaponry is intended not only to break Ukraine’s resistance but also to test the resolve and limits of Western alliances. It will serve as a strategic warning, demonstrating that Russia is willing to unleash destruction on a scale that could also threaten member states or their interests, thereby challenging the post-Cold War security architecture of Europe.

Crucially, such a strike on a NATO country could absolutely trigger a wave of terror and paralysis across Europe. The severity and immediacy of the attack is aimed at inducing extreme fear among European nations, potentially leading to a strategic stalemate where retaliation becomes unthinkable, either due to the devastating consequences or the chaos that ensues. This scenario hinges on the premise that Russia’s willingness to escalate to such an extent would effectively paralyze NATO and European responses, thereby ending the war through sheer overwhelming force and fear. Simply put, such an ultimate and decisive attack would cancel all the risks of hostility escalation and broader conflict thereby inaugurating and guaranteeing global peace and security once and for all.

”Talking about the specifics publicly and outside of the broader context of the conflict would hardly be beneficial for our common goal..”

• Ukraine Peace Talks Must Stay Confidential – Kremlin (RT)

Public discussion of the details of Ukraine peace negotiations could harm the process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday when asked what compromises Russia might be prepared to offer. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News last week that Moscow is ready to “show some flexibility” on Ukraine after the recent Alaska summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. US Vice President J.D. Vance later told the same program that Trump’s “energetic diplomacy” had convinced Moscow to offer “significant concessions.” Peskov reiterated that the Putin-Trump talks marked a diplomatic breakthrough but stressed that Moscow intends to keep details of the negotiations confidential.

”Talking about the specifics publicly and outside of the broader context of the conflict would hardly be beneficial for our common goal. We believe such work should be done privately, if we are to produce results,” he said. Lavrov was repeatedly pressed on NBC’s Meet the Press about whether Putin would commit to direct talks with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky. The foreign minister reminded the host that Putin had not ruled out such a meeting, but insisted it would need to be meaningful. ”Yes, he [Putin] is ready to meet, but no, we cannot meet just for him [Zelensky] to have a picture and to say that, ‘now I am legitimate’,” Lavrov said.

Russia’s top diplomat was referring to the expiration of Zelensky’s presidential mandate last year. Moscow has raised questions about the legality of any international agreements he might sign. Peskov reinforced Lavrov’s remarks, saying any top-level contacts between Russia and Ukraine “need to be properly prepared to be resultful.” He added that Russia “remains committed to resolving the Ukraine conflict, preferably through peaceful political-diplomatic means.”

“I think he has made a good faith effort to engage. He certainly did at the Alaska summit. But it’s a very complicated conflict.”

• Witkoff to Meet Ukrainians in New York This Week (ET)

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he is set to meet with Ukrainian representatives in the United States this week during an interview on Aug. 26. “I’m meeting with the Ukrainians this week. So I will be meeting with them this week in New York, and that’s a big signal,” Witkoff said on Fox News’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier. “We talk to the Russians every day,” he said, adding that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin wished to bring the war to a close. “I think he has made a good faith effort to engage. He certainly did at the Alaska summit. But it’s a very complicated conflict. “I think that we may end up seeing a bilateral meeting. My own opinion is that the president is going to be needed at the table to finish a deal.” U.S. President Donald Trump met with Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15 and later with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Aug. 18.

In the wake of those summits, Trump said the two leaders would hold a bilateral meeting, which would then be followed by a trilateral meeting including him. Zelenskyy has said Russia was doing everything it could to prevent a meeting between him and Putin, while Russia has said the agenda for such a meeting was not ready. On Aug. 24, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that Moscow has made “significant concessions” toward reaching a peace deal to end the more than three-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In an interview with NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” the vice president said Putin made multiple concessions toward reaching a deal with Kyiv, including one that allows Ukraine to receive security guarantees to ward off future attacks. Vance said that the Russians have “recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv,” noting it was “a major demand at the beginning.”

“And importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he said. “Have they made every concession? Of course, they haven’t. We’re making progress.” The violence between Moscow and Kyiv continued overnight, with a Russian drone attack damaging an energy sector facility in Ukraine’s central Poltava, the region’s governor said on Aug. 27. “This night, the enemy massively attacked the Poltava region,” Gov. Volodymyr Kohut said on Telegram. “Falling debris and direct hits were recorded in the Poltava district. An energy sector enterprise was damaged. An administrative building, vehicles, and equipment were damaged. Fires broke out on the territory of the enterprise.” He added that consumers had temporarily lost power as a result of the attack and that “fortunately, there were no casualties.”

The nighttime aerial assault also shut off power in parts of the northern city of Sumy after Russia struck critical infrastructure facilities, leaving all water utility facilities without power and relying on emergency backups on Aug. 26, according to a Telegram post from Serhii Kryvosheienko, the head of the Sumy city military administration. “Restoration efforts are now underway in the Sumy region after Russian drone strikes,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Aug. 26 discussing the attack. “Nearly a hundred UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] and targeted overnight attacks on our regions, aimed specifically at civilian infrastructure.” “The Russians continue the war and ignore the world’s calls to stop the killings and destruction,” he added, calling for “new steps” to “increase pressure” on Moscow to “stop the attacks and to ensure real security guarantees.”

The Ukrainian Air Force said it downed 74 out of 95 Shahed drones overnight, and that 21 drones hit nine locations across the country. Russia, meanwhile, said that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones over the country through the night, according to Moscow’s Defense Ministry.At least seven apartment buildings were damaged in a drone attack on the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, located about 60 miles from the border with Ukraine, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

But they want him to try anyway.

• Most Americans Don’t Believe Trump Can End Wars In Ukraine, Gaza (ZH)

Most Americans are doubtful that President Donald Trump will be able to help bring an end to the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, despite the US being the largest military supporter of both Ukraine and Israel, which naturally would give Trump potential influence over Kyiv and Tel Aviv. But the reality is for all the talk of peace, the White House has not used this powerful lever (that is, cutting off the arms pipeline and billions in aid).The CAPS-Harris poll is a joint project of Harris Poll and the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University. It conducted a fresh survey on a range of issues facing the American public and politics at the national and international levels.

The survey showed that 59% of respondents believe Trump would be unsuccessful in resolving the war in Ukraine, while 64% say he would be unable to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza. But despite this broad skepticism concerning the end-result, two-thirds of Americans still support Trump’s initiative to negotiate a resolution to the war in Ukraine. The survey indicated it was conducted online within the United States on August 20-21 – among 2,025 registered voters, and so it was days after Trump’s historic summit with Putin in Alaska. The polling shows that Americans saw the effort of direct US-Russia talks in a positive light. So far, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected any territorial compromises, and there’s no indication that the Trump White House has piled much pressure on him to do so.

But Trump is pushing for NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine, which the Kremlin is in turn rejecting this (assuming it involves Western boots on the ground). Responsible Statecraft describes: Rather than seeking security for all, Europe is still seeking partial security, only for Ukraine. This short-sightedness stems from the desire to punish Russia, which argues that it is only defending its national interests. It is telling that, toward the end of their joint press conference, Putin said he agreed with Trump’s claim that this war could have been prevented if Trump had been president. Many saw this as a throw-away line designed to ingratiate himself to Trump, but I believe that Putin was remarking on how different Trump’s approach to the conflict is from that of his predecessor.

While Biden saw NATO as an unvarnished force for good; Trump appears to appreciate that it can also be seen as a threat, especially by those who have been excluded from it. As for the other major raging conflict, the same poll found that most Americans believe there is a famine occurring in Gaza but that they hold Hamas responsible. This is certainly not a long-term solution, but likely recipe for continual escalation…[..] International human rights organizations, and the Palestinian side, have frequently accused Israel of deliberately creating famine conditions through its military campaign and blockade of Gaza. The American public has of late (as well as the mainstream media) grown more critical of Israel’s actions, but both sides of the political aisle and population tend to remain ‘pro-Israel’.

“..poor diet drives America’s chronic disease crisis, fueling seven of our 10 deadliest conditions each year, [which] claims an estimated 1 million American lives through diet-related illnesses.”

• RFK Aims to MAHA Med School (Salgado)

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proudly announced that medical schools, which receive federal funds and grants, will now be asked to incorporate diet education into their curricula to address related chronic disease. In his announcement Wednesday, Kennedy quoted Hippocrates, “the father of medicine,” who said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Kennedy interprets this to mean that Americans should try to treat more chronic diseases by adjusting their diet rather than always taking pills, and he says that right now, medical schools often provide little to no nutrition training to many surgeons. The Trump administration’s “bold reform in our medical education system” will involve both HHS and the Department of Education to address “a situation that everyone has long recognized as wrong, but no one has yet had the gumption to fix,” Kennedy said.

The secretary slammed the “woeful lack of nutrition education in medicine” and argued, “poor diet drives America’s chronic disease crisis, fueling seven of our 10 deadliest conditions each year, [which] claims an estimated 1 million American lives through diet-related illnesses.” And with over $4 trillion being spent every year to treat what Kennedy calls “these preventable diseases,” he believes we should not “graduate physicians unprepared to confront their root cause.” The HHS secretary added, “The good news is that diet not only causes these conditions, it can also prevent and reverse them. But for too long, we’ve instead analyzed the chronic disease crisis, commissioned studies, and pontificated about the importance of nutrition without taking any meaningful action. Recent data reveals a critical disconnect.”

The answer is education, Kennedy said. “Although all medical schools claim to include nutrition in their curricula, most medical students report receiving no formal nutrition education throughout their entire training,” he stated. “This leads to a troubling reality. Most medical students recognize nutrition is necessary. Nearly all medical residents are asked to counsel patients about nutrition. [But] fewer than a quarter of practicing physicians feel adequately prepared to provide nutrition advice.” Kennedy is optimistic that the diet-related chronic disease “epidemic” can become a tragedy of the past with proper diets and lifestyle adjustments, which doctors should be able to recommend. “We’ll start by embedding nutrition directly into college pre-med programs and testing it on the MCAT. Every future physician should master the language of prevention before they even touch a stethoscope,” Kennedy insisted.

Ultra-processed foods, unhealthy lifestyles, and too great a medical reliance on Big Pharma have contributed to making many Americans chronically unhealthy. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are going to systematically transform nutrition education throughout American medicine for more than 200 of America’s medical schools, 13,000 residency and fellowship programs, and ultimately, each of the nation’s 1.1 million practicing physicians,” Kennedy laid out his ambitious plan. He enthusiastically predicted, “In the future, doctors won’t just prescribe drugs, they’ll be able to prescribe diets as well by confidently screening for diet-related diseases and collaborating with nutrition experts to recommend food-based solutions.” As the cherry on top, Kennedy hopes the reforms will ultimately save America “hundreds of billions of dollars and prevent millions of debilitating chronic diseases… We’re going to reconnect medicine with its roots.”

“..to keep vaccines available to people who want them, to require placebo-controlled trials, and to “end the emergency.”

• FDA Revokes Emergency Authorization For COVID-19 Vaccines (ZH)

The Department of Health and Human Services under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revoked emergency authorization for COVID-19 vaccines. “The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded,” Kennedy posted to X on Wednesday. The news comes as the FDA, which is part of HHS, announced the approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for older adults and children as young as 5-years-old who have at least one condition that puts them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, Pfizer said in a Wednesday statement. Regulators have issued similar approvals for COVID-19 jabs from Novavax and Moderna.

HHS revoking emergency approval means that FDA clearance is no longer in place for some 240 million Americans, however “These vaccines are available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors,” Kennedy sai. As the Epoch Times notes further, per federal law, the FDA approves products it determines are “safe, pure, and potent.” Emergency authorizations, in contrast, can only be offered under certain circumstances, such as during a public health emergency, and are for products that officials believe “may be effective” in treating or preventing a life-threatening disease or condition. Dr. Marty Makary, the FDA’s commissioner, and Dr. Vinay Prasad, its top vaccine official at the time, signaled the change in May, when they said that the FDA would stop approving COVID-19 vaccines for many Americans absent clinical trial data.

“The FDA can only approve products if it concludes, based on scientific evidence, that the benefit-to-harm balance is favorable. And we simply need more data to have that confidence for younger individuals at low-risk of severe disease,” Prasad said at the time. In the United States, regulators in recent years have been authorizing updated COVID-19 vaccines annually in a bid to counter waning effectiveness and better match circulating variants. The model is based on the historical approach to influenza vaccines. Regulators in 2024 cleared updated shots from Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax without human data, citing animal tests and data from trials for previous versions. Most Americans have not taken one of those COVID-19 vaccines. Just 13 percent of children and 23 percent of adults had received one of them as of April 26, according to the latest statistics available from the CDC.

Makary and Prasad also said they would continue approving updated versions of the COVID-19 vaccines for all individuals 65 and older, as well as younger people with one or more of the risk factors that increase the likelihood of severe COVID-19 outcomes. These approvals would be based solely on immunobridging data, or testing that shows vaccines trigger an antibody response against the disease. Around that time, the FDA approved Novavax’s vaccine, previously under emergency use authorization, for people 65 and older, and for individuals ages 12 to 64 with at least one risk factor. More recently, the agency approved a new Moderna vaccine for the same populations, and Moderna’s existing vaccine for the elderly and for individuals aged 6 months to 64 years who have at least one risk factor. The new approval of Pfizer’s vaccine is for the elderly and people aged 5 to 64 who have one or more risk factors, Pfizer said.

That means Moderna’s vaccine is the only one available for infants and toddlers, as had been expected. Also recently, the CDC stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children and pregnant women while keeping in place recommendations to receive a shot for all other individuals.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended that all children aged 6 months to 23 months receive a COVID-19 vaccine, while the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advised all pregnant women to get one. Regulators cited the public health emergency over COVID-19 in their most recent emergency authorizations for the COVID-19 vaccines in 2024. Then-Health Secretary Xavier Becerra on Jan. 1 extended the COVID-19 health emergency to Dec. 31, 2029. Kennedy said on Wednesday that he promised to end COVID-19 vaccine mandates, to keep vaccines available to people who want them, to require placebo-controlled trials, and to “end the emergency.” The FDA actions “accomplished all four goals,” he said.

Q: why was she ever hired? Certainly this must have been predictable?!

• US Disease Control Chief Fired In Clash Over Covid Vaccines (RT)

The White House has dismissed Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after she refused to resign in a dispute over vaccine policy, with her ouster triggering turmoil and further resignations by senior health officials. Monarez, who was confirmed by the Senate just last month, reportedly clashed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his push to lift vaccine mandates and rescind emergency authorizations. “Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that she was terminated after refusing to step down voluntarily.

Her lawyers, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, disputed the White House account, insisting Monarez “has neither resigned nor received notification” of her dismissal. They accused Kennedy of “weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk,” warning that her case highlights the “systematic dismantling of public health institutions.” The clash came as the Food and Drug Administration approved new variants of Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines, while rescinding emergency use authorizations and restricting the shots to higher-risk groups. Kennedy, a longtime critic of US vaccination policy, has overseen sweeping changes since becoming HHS secretary earlier this year, including disbanding vaccine advisory committees and cutting funding for mRNA research. In a post on X, he said the new framework “delivers science, safety, and common sense.”

I promised 4 things:

1. to end covid vaccine mandates.

2. to keep vaccines available to people who want them, especially the vulnerable.

3. to demand placebo-controlled trials from companies.

4. to end the emergency.

In a series of FDA actions today we accomplished…

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) August 27, 2025

Monarez resisted pressure to endorse the changes or dismiss senior colleagues. According to multiple reports, she reached out to Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, whose support was pivotal during Kennedy’s confirmation hearings. At least four senior CDC officials resigned in protest: Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, immunization director Demetre Daskalakis, infectious disease chief Daniel Jernigan, and data director Jennifer Layden. Monarez had been nominated by President Donald Trump as his second choice after withdrawing former congressman Dave Weldon, who faced criticism over his vaccine views. Under a law passed during the pandemic, the CDC director now requires Senate confirmation.

“Transparency is FINALLY coming and what’s buried inside those bags could shake the nation.”

• Gabbard: Intel Community Corruption Worse Than Anyone Thought (VF)

As Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard has spent months shaking Washington with bombshell after bombshell on the Russia Coup of 2017. When Trump asked her to speak [during this week’s cabinet meeting], she told him that the intel community’s corruption was worse than anyone thought. She doubled down on her mission statement of transparency. Gabbard: “Mr. President, you have charged me with the mission of finding the truth and telling the truth to the American people, and we’ve exposed some of the worst examples of the weaponization of intelligence in the last several weeks.” “I will continue down that mission and that path, wherever it leads.

Transparency, telling the truth is what will drive true accountability for the American people who deserve nothing less.” Then Trump dropped a jaw-dropper of his own. He revealed that Gabbard’s team had recovered unburned “burn bags” stuffed with classified material tied to the 2020 election…and asked when the public would see them. Trump: “And you’ve also found many bags of information, I think they call them burn bags. They’re supposed to be burned and they didn’t get burned having to do with how corrupt the 2020 election was, and when will that all come out?” Gabbard: “Mr. President, I will be the first to brief you once we have that information collected.”

“But you’re right – we are finding documents literally tucked away in the back of safes, in random offices, in these bags and in other areas, which, again, speaks to the intent of those who are trying to hide the truth from the American people and trying to cover up the politicization that was led by people like John Brennan and James Clapper and others that have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to our country.” Wow. Transparency is FINALLY coming and what’s buried inside those bags could shake the nation.

https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1960437106767224919

Arabella is the mothership of over 200 NGOs.

• Trump Calls For RICO Charges Against Soros; Gates Foundation Severs Ties (ZH)

The “dark money” network operated by Arabella Advisors has reportedly lost one of its top funding sources: a leftist billionaire’s foundation. Equally significant in the news cycle this morning, President Trump stated on Truth Social that George Soros and his radical leftist son, Alex Soros, “should be charged with RICO because of their support of violent protests.” A New York Times report indicates that the Gates Foundation has halted funding to nonprofit funds managed by Arabella, choosing instead to work directly with some partners rather than through intermediaries. In its internal announcement, dated June 24 and sent to some Gates employees who oversee grant programs, foundation officials did not mention politics. Instead, they cited a desire to engage more directly with grant recipients and cut back on the use of intermediaries like Arabella entities.

Trump: "George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America." pic.twitter.com/KBxuyAaisF

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) August 27, 2025

“Teams are increasingly working directly with programmatic partners — organizations that are deeply embedded in the communities we serve and closely aligned with our mission,” the note reads. “As we look ahead, this is a chance to build deeper, more durable relationships with those partners — and to reinforce the kind of legacy we want to leave behind.” -NYT” Tracing the Arabella network’s donors is tricky. But according to the NYT, the Gates Foundation has plowed $450 million into the network since 2008, which in turn funneled money into other nonprofit entities, ranging from radical leftist climate groups to abortion initiatives, and even supporting the permanent protest-industrial complex against President Trump.

https://twitter.com/seamusbruner/status/1933626755358863457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1933626755358863457%7Ctwgr%5E1e0fde66960c2c75df873fe2087d2cf266f22afb%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Fgates-foundation-cuts-ties-arabella-advisors-linked-funding-radical-leftist-causes

With President Trump back in the White House and investigations focusing on corruption across the Democratic Party’s funding and nonprofit infrastructure, as well as ActBlue investigations, the risks for Bill Gates’ progressive NGO empire have never been greater. The move to cut ties could have happened even sooner, according to two people, one close to the foundation and one with knowledge of Arabella’s internal operations. Over the last few years, Arabella has become a target of conservative watchdogs because of its work with groups that funnel money toward progressive causes. With President Trump back in the White House, the political risks have only mounted. -NYT Peter Schweizer and Seamus Bruner of the Government Accountability Institute recently revealed a report that detailed how the rogue anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ front group, waging a permanent protest against all things Trump, “bagged $114.8 million from the Arabella dark money network.”

The Gates Foundation told NYT that the move to sever ties with Arabella was “a business decision that reflects our regular strategic assessments of partnerships and operating models.” NYT’s report on Arabella comes hours after NBC News confirmed Gates met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. More details from the report: • Some nonprofits are distancing themselves from Arabella to keep Gates funding. • Several groups have started exiting Arabella’s New Venture Fund (NVF), which serves as a fiscal sponsor for 170+ projects and has funneled billions into progressive causes. • While Gates once accounted for a significant share of NVF funding, in 2023 its contribution was only 2%. Still, losing Gates threatens Arabella’s influence and revenue streams.

Trump saves Europe.

• Trump Mulls Travel Ban for EU Officials Over ‘Orwellian’ Censorship Law (ZH)

President Donald Trump is weighing a travel ban on European Union officials behind the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping online regulation that the White House claims is designed to censor Americans. According to sources familiar with the matter cited by Reuters, the State Department is considering visa restrictions targeting senior EU policymakers responsible for the legislation. A decision hasn’t been made, but discussions inside the administration intensified after a high-level meeting last week. The move would directly punish foreign officials for domestic policies Washington says undermine U.S. free speech rights. The EU’s DSA aims to compel tech giants to crack down on illegal content, but the Trump administration argues the policy amounts to government-driven censorship, accusing Brussels of forcing U.S. companies to muzzle American user under the guise of combating misinformation.

“We are monitoring increasing censorship in Europe with great concern but have no further information to provide at this time” a State Department spokesman told the Telegraph. An EU Commission spokesman fired back, rejecting the claims as “completely unfounded,” insisting that the DSA “sets out rules for online intermediaries to tackle illegal content, while safeguarding freedom of expression and information online.” Relations between the Trump administration and the EU have grown increasingly strained, fueled by threats of tariffs and disputes over tech regulation. Reports earlier this month revealed the U.S. government urged European diplomats to lobby against the DSA, intensifying a battle over who sets the rules for online speech.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously threatened visa bans for people who censor speech by Americans, including on social media, suggesting the policy could directly target foreign officials regulating U.S. tech companies. Vice President JD Vance has also repeatedly slammed European regulators, accusing them of “censoring” Americans. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, he accused EU leaders of suppressing the speech of groups such as Germany’s Right-wing AfD party. Tensions aren’t limited to Brussels. The Trump administration has also targeted the UK’s Online Safety Act, calling it “Orwellian.” During Trump’s visit to Scotland last month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the legislation, insisting London remains committed to protecting free speech while tackling online harms.

The debate is expected to intensify next month when Nigel Farage testifies before Congress on threats to free expression in Britain. Farage is set to highlight the case of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for 31 months over a social media post related to the Southport attacks, before being released earlier this month.

Lucy Connolly with her husband Ray. Mrs Connolly was jailed after a social media post Credit: Heathcliff O’Malley for the Telegraph

For now, no sanctions have been formally imposed. But if the administration follows through, it would represent a historic clash between Washington and Brussels over free speech, tech regulation, and sovereignty.

“Of the 237,592 attempts made to illegally enter the UK since 2018, 85% involved men..”

“..of the attempts involving men, 83% involved men aged 18 or older..”

• Reform’s Plan for Dealing with Illegal Migrants is a Good Start (Carl)

In a recent interview with the Times, Reform leader Nigel Farage unveiled his plan for dealing with Britain’s illegal migration crisis. It involves four key elements:
• Leaving the ECHR and suspending other relevant treaties
• Banning those who arrive through irregular channels from claiming asylum
• Moving illegal migrants from hotels and rented accommodation to disused RAF bases, and keeping them there
• Striking deals with migrants’ home countries, or failing that, deporting them to third countries or British overseas territories like Ascension Island

Predictably, the plan has been criticised by Farage’s political opponents. One Tory MP claimed that he “is just recycling many ideas the Conservatives have already announced”. Which would be easier to take seriously if the Tories hadn’t had 14 years in government to implement some of those ideas. Meanwhile, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats claimed that Farage’s plan won’t work. Labour called it “pie in the sky” and the Lib Dems insisted it “doesn’t offer any real solutions”. But what would a real solution look like? The current situation is manifestly preposterous: tens of thousands of migrants turning up uninvited on the South Coast, and then being housed in hotels and private accommodation at taxpayers’ expense – to the tune of billions of pounds per year. And crucially, the overwhelming majority of such migrants are adult men.

Of the 237,592 attempts made to illegally enter the UK since 2018, 85% involved men. (I’m excluding individuals for whom sex was not known or reported). This is arguably the single most important statistic in the entire debate. It is also worth noting that, of the attempts involving men, 83% involved men aged 18 or older (and the true figure is almost certainly higher because some migrants lie about their age). In other words, the people that British taxpayers are paying to house in hotels all across the country are not desperate women and children with nowhere else to go. They are overwhelmingly drawn from the least vulnerable demographic group. Even by the Left’s own self-professed values, this is an absurd policy. There are millions of people around the world that are far more needy than the people who turn up uninvited on the South Coast. And we could help them by providing food, medicine and other essentials in situ.

Does anyone really believe that covering hotel bills for adult men in Britain is the best way to help the world’s poor? Even the Economist, long a bastion of pro-migration sentiment, admits that Europe’s asylum system is not working and should be scrapped. As the magazine correctly notes, “it cannot cope with a world of proliferating conflict, cheap travel and huge wage disparities”. As far as I can see, neither Labour nor the Lib Dems has any plan that would prevent the continual inflow of illegal migrants into Britain. (Saying that you would “create safe and legal routes” is not a plan.) And the current situation is simply not sustainable: of course people don’t want large numbers of adult men being housed in their communities. The main weakness of Farage’s plan is the difficulty of striking deals with countries like Iran, which is among the biggest sources of illegal migrants.

Britain does little trade with Iran and already imposes sanctions on its government. In fact, sanctions relief might be the only way to make them take their citizens back. [ZH: We would be remiss if we did not note that none other than Elon Musk has been focused on the immigration crisis in the UK over the last 24 hours. He criticized Farage for not going far enough…

Unfortunately, the reality is that Farage will do almost nothing to protect Britain. That is obvious.

Existing law is clear that anyone who was an accessory to aggravated rape or murder, especially of children, is guilty of serious crime and must either serve time in prison if… https://t.co/BVuCM4CC16

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2025

“I would like to help fund legal actions against corrupt officials who aided and abetted the rape of Britain, per the official government inquiry. ”

85 cities in Britain where local authorities were complicit in the rape of children … https://t.co/20tp9VFFAv

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2025

Musk also retweeted Tommy Robinson:
https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/1960232418054476040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1960232418054476040%7Ctwgr%5Ea96b04969d69f4a1d20858368f57c63cda23596a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Freforms-plan-dealing-uk-illegal-migrants-good-start

And while British media was evidently silent about it, Musk made it very clear how he feels about the Scottish teenager..

Start by condemning the grovelers and collaborators in positions of authority in Britain who aided the rape epidemic of their own people or turned a blind eye to their responsibilities.

Both civil and criminal prosecutions. https://t.co/H4zEpk18hE

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2025

I thought multiculturalism was about some kind of melting pot. But there’s no melting going on here.

• Multiculturalism Is Burning Down The German School System (RMX)

German schools are dealing with “hell.” That’s the conclusion reached by Die Welt newspaper, as cited by Hungarian outlet Mandiner. Based on numerous case studies, it is clear that “far too many children are being sent to school who can barely concentrate and, above all, who do not speak German.” Families, children, and teachers are suffering the consequences of the bad policies from politicians. In short, they “have failed.” One major issue is the death of the German language itself, across Germany. In the Hemshof district of Ludwigshafen, for example, barely a word of German is heard. The students in the district’s Gräfenau elementary school are 98 percent migrants.Welt indicates that plenty of Asian, African, and Slavic languages present, but as Germany has become a nation of migrants, the German language recedes.

“Italian, Greek, Turkish guest workers since the 1960s, and since 2015, the rest of the world,” Die Welt writes about the progression of immigration waves in the country. The school principal in the Hemshof district, Barbara Mächtle, has been vocal about the issues. For example, some 40 first-year students, a third of the year, may not be ready to enter the second grade. According to the newspaper, Mächtle “knows the tricks to cover this up, but he doesn’t use them.” For example, these children are enrolled in the second grade, but then “voluntarily drop out” on the first day of school. Machete refuses to play these games and will force these students to repeat the grade – “not to punish them, but to save them.” Mächtle also dispels the illusion that being surrounded by German, migrant kids will “absorb it on their own.” She says there is no “language immersion” because children “hear everything except German.”

“No child here is swimming in German waters, they remain in their Arab, Turkish, Afghan pools,” and “at best they develop a basic slang, a German of 50-100 words, which is enough for the street and the schoolyard, but not for a profession that can be understood even partially,” Welt reports. And then there is the violence inflicting schools, which the paper calls a widespread fire, not just here or there. In 2024, the authorities registered 35,570 school violence incidents, an average of 97 per day; 743 of these involved a knife. Students also express their religion, Islam, “aggressively” in the classroom. As Remix News has reported, 40 percent of all violent crime in the German school system is from foreigners. In addition, many of the German students have a foreign background.

This has created a situation where teachers are expected to be social workers first, taking immense time away from their actual work as teachers. With these students, the parents are not doing their jobs in preparing children to behave properly in the classroom. It is no wonder teachers are leaving the field, and many are discouraged from entering, which is yet another major issue: a massive teacher shortage. In Germany, it is no longer possible to provide the current student population with trained teachers. In the countryside, people are not applying for teaching jobs, and in the cities, teachers cannot afford to pay the rent, so many people apply for teaching positions immediately after graduating, only to quickly fail.

“In the past 20 years, fourth-grade maths assignments were often purely text-based. Today, books are full of pictures to make understanding possible at all,” bemoans Andreas Baudisch, the principal of the Humboldt primary school in Mannheim. “Basic operations are a great deal of work for many children. Many cannot formulate a complete sentence,” says the principal. There are some bright spots. Children from Indian families learn German better in four months than those born here because ‘they practice at home, they are interested in it,’ and this is something that is lacking in many other people who are second or third generation Germans living here.” Die Welt warns that no so long ago, these issues could only be found in troubled neighborhoods of Berlin, a situation that “horrified” people in the rest of the country. “That’s over, Berlin is everywhere,” the paper writes.

“.. it’s tough to roll back entitlements when so many have gotten used to them..”

• Merz: German Welfare State Is Running Out of Other People’s Money (Kruiser)

The biggest, boldest lie of every welfare state is that the goods and services it is providing to its citizens are “free.” Those of us with brain cells and an aversion to lying know that this is not only untrue, but also impossible. Politicians are fond of throwing taxpayer dollars around like drunk Kennedy cousins on summer break in Monte Carlo in order to make voters love them. nDespite being full-throated advocates for “sustainability” when it comes to almost anything else, socialist welfare state types are committed to an economic system that simply cannot go on forever. In the immortal words of the late, great Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples’ money.” How long it is before “eventually” happens is entirely based on the habits of prevaricating, spendthrift politicians, obviously.

As Americans are painfully aware, even capitalist countries are plagued by the socialist tendencies of many of their politicians. A bloated welfare state is obviously not any red-blooded capitalist’s ideal; that kind of bloat comes from politicians who still insist that socialism simply hasn’t been done correctly yet. Europe’s various welfare state countries are often pointed to as dream scenarios by American leftists. Never mind that the comparisons are absurd from the get-go, Democrats have never let glaring illogic slow them down. One prominent European leader is now offering a painful truth: his welfare state has gotten too pricey. This is from a Wall Street Journal Opinion piece titled “A Politician Speaks the Unspeakable”:

No, we don’t mean some racial or sexual crudity. Those obstacles in politics were breached long ago. We’re referring to something far more taboo in modern Western democracies: admitting that the size of the modern welfare state is no longer affordable. Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, said at a Christian Democratic Union conference on Saturday that “the welfare state that we have today can no longer be financed with what we produce in the economy.”

Thank you, Chancellor, for this burst of candor. Mr. Merz is doing what no one else in the top ranks of Western politics seems willing to do, which is broach the fundamental dilemma of the modern West. Nations have built welfare and entitlement states that are so large they have outstripped the ability of slow-growing economies to pay for them. Yet because the entitlement cushion is so broad and reaches deep into the middle class, it has become nearly impossible to reform. Merz is a center-right politician, so it’s not odd that he believes this; it’s just a surprise that he is saying it. As the article notes, it’s tough to roll back entitlements when so many have gotten used to them. Even broaching the subject can be rife with third rail dangers.

Once politicians have gotten the people hooked on the taxpayer-funded entitlement drug, party lines disappear, especially here in the United States. Americans don’t like to have things taken away from us, even if it’s done in keeping with political principles. That’s why we haven’t seen a lot of Republican politicians fighting for any kind of fiscal sanity in Congress. Once any kind of recurring spending is shoehorned into a budget, it’s practically locked in for life. Germany has long been an industrial powerhouse. Its economy ranks behind only the United States and China. This isn’t some boutique country like Sweden struggling with its “freebie” tab; it’s one of the major players. There is, of course, a lesson to be learned here for any country that has suffered with its leftists being in power for any length of time. The world is going to need a lot more curious and honest politicians for the lesson to sink in.

“Instead of rational discourse, we get theatrical condemnation, all too willing to plunge the country into ever greater division.”

• The Radical Left Is Still Trying to Get Trump Assassinated (Margolis)

The left spent years spewing dangerous rhetoric about President Donald Trump, calling him a threat to democracy. Leftists used this rhetoric to justify their lawfare strategy to keep him from being able to return to office, and it inspired at least two assassination attempts, one of which nearly succeeded. Despite universal calls to “cool the temperature,” Democrats had no such plans to do so. Their rhetoric hasn’t slowed; it has only escalated during Trump’s presidency. Now, even his straightforward effort to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C., has the left reverting to the same reckless, inciting language they’ve used all along. CNN’s coverage of Trump’s executive order to create specialized National Guard units saw verbal acrobatics drawing dangerous comparisons to Nazi Germany, the kind of rhetoric that inspires crazies to resort to violence. President Trump recently signed an executive order intended to create specialized National Guard units, with the goal of “dealing with public order issues.”

The announcement comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized National Guard members currently deployed in Washington to carry weapons. The National Guard has already activated more than 1,900 troops from states including Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee for duty in the Capitol area. CNN’s Boris Sanchez turned to retired Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, a former Acting Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, for analysis. And of course, it was completely unhinged. Reflecting on the implications of the newly minted specialized units, Manner laid out the historical context: “The average American has to know that this order for what we call quick reaction forces has been in existence for over 15 years. When I was the Acting Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, we made sure to put that into the guidance for all the states to be able to pull people from existing units rapidly, to be able to assist the governor for any kind of situation that he or she may need.”

Yet the focus swiftly turned to the framing and language of the administration’s announcement, which Manner did not hesitate to criticize: “So the idea of creating specialized units, which by the way, it’s the language that matters, essentially, what the President is doing through the Secretary of Defense is creating units, official military units to quite frankly, guard or not guard, watch the American people. And that’s the thing that is absolutely abhorrent. It reminds me so much of what happened in Germany in the 1930s.” Such commentary is not just hyperbolic; it also risks stoking the same kind of hysteria that can drive unhinged actors to pursue violence. The invocation of Nazi Germany whenever Trump acts to restore order has become a favorite tool of the left, and its effect is corrosive. Instead of debating policy, these talking heads resort to historical analogies so loaded they border on incitement.

Anchor Brianna Keilar questioned the normalization of federal troops in American cities, asking if this is setting a dangerous precedent. Manner replied in kind, escalating his condemnation: “I believe fully that the President wants to put as a show of force to anybody who opposes him. He wants armed and uniformed military on the streets. If his true intent is all about law and order, then this should be what it is. It should be a law enforcement operation, not a military operation.” His outrage continued as he targeted Trump’s fiscal decisions: “He should restore the funds for community policing, for education, for the hiring of policemen and women in all of the jurisdictions, whether it’s the largest city or the smallest town. He stripped that out of the bills; that needs to be reinstated.”

I nearly spit out my coffee when I heard that. After years of the left calling for the defunding of the police, which, of course, caused a huge uptick in crime, suddenly they’re all for more funding for police? Get real. The fact is that Democrats have been on the side of criminals for years now, and any effort by Trump to fight crime would be decried as Nazi tactics. The rhetoric is unrelenting. By ceaselessly likening Trump’s use of the National Guard to the atrocities of Nazi Germany, leftists aren’t just rebuking his policies; they are purposefully undermining civility and fanning the flames of potential violence, including more assassination attempts against Trump. Instead of rational discourse, we get theatrical condemnation, all too willing to plunge the country into ever greater division.

This is all about Trump wanting to set up a sovereign wealth fund, but I still think he simply wants to save Intel from going under. The US needs domestic chipmakers.

• Intel Deal: Trump’s Industrial Policy Is Realism, Not Socialism (Daniel McCarthy)

Is it Comrade President now? Some conservatives are up in arms about President Donald Trump’s decision to have the government buy a stake in Intel. That’s state ownership of the means of production, isn’t it? Classic, textbook socialism. “If there is anyone who was a halfway prominent mainstream conservative … 10 years ago who now tells me they wouldn’t have screamed about incipient ‘socialism!’ or ‘fascism!’ about Trump’s Intel ‘investment,’” writes Jonah Goldberg on X, “I presumptively assume they are lying … .” In fact, a whole school of thought on the Right, going back decades, has championed industrial policies as bold as Trump’s, if not bolder. The public face of that school was Pat Buchanan, who was way ahead of the national debate on industrial policy—just as he was on immigration.

Trump is not a socialist, and America has a long history of government getting involved in owning companies—Amtrak is a familiar example. The for-profit but government-owned passenger-rail company was created under Republican President Richard Nixon. What Trump is doing with Intel is different from earlier precedents, however. Trump sees the Intel deal as a first step toward creating an American “sovereign wealth fund,” with many more investments to follow. The president isn’t looking to the past: This is about keeping America competitive with other nations in the 21st century, including communist China, which controls the world’s second- and third-largest sovereign wealth funds. A sovereign wealth fund is much like private investment funds, consisting of stocks, bonds, and other assets expected to appreciate in value.

Traditionally, countries rich in national resources, particularly oil, have used sovereign wealth funds to diversify and grow their economies. Instead of being at the mercy of oil prices, petroleum-rich nations such as Norway and Saudi Arabia channel some of their oil revenue into sovereign wealth funds, which then—much like, say, multibillion-dollar university endowments in America—can produce enormous returns. Norway pays for about 20% to 25% of its national budget with the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, the Government Pension Fund, which holds more than $1.7 trillion in assets. Is it a bad thing to pay for government with market profits, rather than by raising taxes on citizens or selling debt that eventually has to be repaid with interest?

A nation pays interest on its national debt but earns interest from a sovereign wealth fund. Mainstream conservatives more than 10 years ago were already behind a plan with many of the same advantages and disadvantages of a sovereign wealth fund; namely, “privatizing” Social Security. The idea was to let Americans put their compulsory Social Security payments into government-approved funds of their own choosing, which would generate higher returns from market investments than the Social Security Trust Fund could reap from investing exclusively in U.S. Treasury securities. Conservatives embraced that as a good free-market idea. Is a sovereign wealth fund any different? They both carry the same risks, above all what economists call “moral hazard.” The country got a taste of it in the Great Recession, when financial institutions that bankrupted themselves with bad investments were declared “too big to fail” and had to be bailed out by Washington and the Federal Reserve.

The government can’t allow Social Security to go bust, and if the retirement system’s money is invested in private funds, how many of those could Washington allow to fail, even if they made lousy investments? Trump is actually taking a double risk—most sovereign wealth funds only aim to maximize returns, producing revenue for the government. The president, however, also wants to conduct industrial policy with a sovereign wealth fund, by buying into strategically important but economically troubled companies like Intel. Yet the question isn’t just whether America can run a sovereign wealth fund right. It’s also what happens if we do nothing and rivals perfect the strategy. Beijing has the $1.3 trillion China Investment Corporation, Hong Kong’s $1 trillion SAFE Investment Company, as well as smaller funds with billions in assets.

During the Cold War, when America faced an international communist threat sponsored by Moscow, conservatives knew absolute devotion to free markets was self-defeating.William F. Buckley Jr., just coming into his own as a conservative leader in 1952, was staunchly committed to capitalism and small government. Nevertheless, he wrote: “Conservatives, and many Republicans, have got to think this problem through. And if they deem Soviet power a menace to our freedom (as I happen to), they will have to support large armies and air forces, atomic energy, central intelligence, war production boards and the attendant centralization of power in Washington … .”

“Call me crazy — not control-the-weather crazy, or take-everyone’s-red-meat-away crazy, but still plenty crazy…”

• It’s Official: Bill Gates Now Contains 2% Less Bond Villain (Green)

I’ve long suspected that, somewhere in his underground lair, Microsoft cofounder and villainous philanthropist Bill Gates has a tabletop laser-saw on the off chance that someday he needs to cut a British superspy in half. Because when you have the kind of money that Gates has, why not? You can even imagine Gates practicing his best Auric Goldfinger impression in his bathroom mirror while he shaves: “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” You wouldn’t imagine Gates doing a very good Goldfinger, of course, because his seeming villainy is matched only by his total dorkitude. $110 billion and schemes to control the world’s weather and food production can only get you so far. Taking all that into consideration, even a longtime opponent of Gates like Yours Truly must concede that the man who wants to dim the sun with nanoparticles is now 2% less Bond villain than before.

That’s because of who Gates just cut off from his charitable foundation’s metric crap-tons of money. And Another Thing: Gates really does want to experiment with dimming the sun to control the climate. I did, however, make up the part about using nanoparticles because that sounded much more sinister than dust. The philanthropic wing of Gates’s evil empire is the Gates Foundation, with an endowment worth around $77 billion. One of the Foundation’s major recipients of big-league largess is Arabella Advisors — a for-profit consulting firm that “advises left-leaning donors and nonprofits about where to give money and serves as the hub of a politically liberal ‘dark money’ network.” That quote was from Wikipedia, which I normally do not and would not rely on, but Arabella’s page seems to be pretty fair and balanced.

“According to The Atlantic, Arabella Advisors has “undeniably benefited from the rush of panicked political giving on the left during the Trump years.”[7] In 2020, the Sixteen Thirty Fund donated $410 million toward defeating Trump and winning Democratic control of the U.S. Senate.[8] Because of the way they are legally structured, Arabella Advisors and its affiliated groups are not required to disclose their donors, and they have not opted to do so”. Arabella makes their money the old-fashioned way: helping other people ruin the country. In secret. The Gates Foundation this week “quietly ceased backing a nonprofit network closely associated with the Democratic Party and criticized by conservatives,” New York Times reporter Theodore Schleifer revealed on Tuesday, calling it “a symbolically significant blow to a powerful player in liberal politics.”

In the same report, Schleifer revealed that “The Gates Foundation has disbursed or pledged about $450 million to nonprofit funds administered by Arabella over the last sixteen years.” Call me crazy — not control-the-weather crazy, or take-everyone’s-red-meat-away crazy, but still plenty crazy — but losing a benefactor to the tune of nearly half a billion dollars is a helluva lot more than “symbolically significant.” $450 million is significantly significant. And Another Thing: Gates really does want to take your steak away and force you to eat mushrooms instead. So when he tells you that “You can get used to the taste” of fungi masquerading as meat, tell that pompous Bond villain, “No, YOU can get used to the taste.”

Gates Foundation officials “made no mention of politics,” according to the NYT report, so I will. Coming so close on the heels of Elon Musk’s DOGE boys gutting billions worth of USAID slush funds for countless progressive NGOs, the Foundation’s move at least looks like an attempt to insulate itself from the Left’s increasingly toxic politics. Well, good. But until he stops trying to control the weather and gets his pasty fingers away from my ribeye, he’s still got 98% of his Bond villain status intact.

Hearing
https://twitter.com/Censored4sure/status/1960513403660685384

Net zero

Australian senator Matt Canavan: Net Zero is "a massive socialist plan".

"Net zero emissions by 2050 means that the government has to direct how you drive, what you can eat, how we make power… They're planning the whole economy."

When you see the exact same policies being… pic.twitter.com/IvaonHQAc8

— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) August 27, 2025

Tarsier

This dog brought a strange tiny creature (Tarsier) home to its family and then… pic.twitter.com/lKIT0qvAwg

— Gabriele Corno (@Gabriele_Corno) August 27, 2025

Owl

A cute owl whose fear of the person who feeds him turns into love. pic.twitter.com/KlMGhepUYf

— The Figen (@TheFigen_) August 27, 2025

A wild donkey followed a girl all the way home, and then… pic.twitter.com/KKWH8yZdkC

— Gabriele Corno (@Gabriele_Corno) August 27, 2025

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

Debt Rattle August 27 2025

Aug 272025

August 27, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:45 am Finance Tagged with: BBC, Bolton, Burkina Faso, digital taxes, Kamala, NSA, patriots, RT, Witkoff, Zaluzhny 33 Responses »

René Magritte L’avenir (the future) 1936

• Britain’s Newest Crisis: Too Many Patriotic Britons (Green)

• WItkoff: We Hope To See Ukraine Conflict Resolved By The End Of 2025 (RT)

• Zelensky Wants EU To Provide $1 Billion Monthly Allowance (Cradle)

• West Discussing Sending 4-5 Brigades to Ensure Security in Ukraine (Sp.)

• Zaluzhny Lauds Neo-Nazi Role Models (RT)

• Trump Threatens Ukraine With Sanctions And Tariffs (RT)

• Has Ukraine Just Declared War On Hungary? (Romanenko)

• Bolton Attacks Trump For ‘Utterly Incoherent’ Ukraine Policy (ZH)

• Can Trump Find a Way Out of the Box He Is in? (Paul Craig Roberts)

• BBC Warns About RT’s Global Influence (RT)

• Trump Vows To Punish Nations Imposing Digital Taxes (RT)

• Trump Goes Knives-Out for Leftist Media (Salgado)

• Kamala Screwed the Democrats So Badly I Can’t Stop Laughing (Green)

• Are Democrats on the Verge of a Historic Midterm Wipeout? (Margolis)

• Did NSA Director Mike Rogers Warn Donald Trump on November 17, 2016? (CTH)

• Washington’s Nightmare: Modi and Xi Break The Ice (Bhadrakumar)

• Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Dreams Face Resistance (Cradle)

• Burkina Faso Suspends Health Project Funded By Bill Gates (RT)

https://twitter.com/SaltyGoat17/status/1960504651876286716

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1960082737848782924

1 trillion
https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1960402526114627812

Tulsi
https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1960397959717175428

Enten

CNN is melting down!

"Republicans are doing better at this point than at any point this century!"

Support for the Democrat party has never been lower.
pic.twitter.com/sLlCMGJj4s

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) August 27, 2025

“Britons who still love their country and want to turn it around. Can you imagine the nerve?”

• Britain’s Newest Crisis: Too Many Patriotic Britons (Green)

On top of growing Islamification and accompanying antisemitism, decaying national defense, poverty-inducing “net zero” policies, the ruination of Doctor Who, and a whole host of other issues, Britain has yet another crisis that the government just can’t seem to get a handle on. Britons who still love their country and want to turn it around. Can you imagine the nerve? You might have already seen in the last week or two, Britons defiantly flying the U.K. Union Jack or England’s St. George’s Cross — only to have officials who seem to have no problem with displays of Palestinian or Pakistani pride take them down. In fact, those displays sometimes come with a government seal of approval. This one is from the Birmingham City Council:

UK’s second largest city, Birmingham, lights up public Library in green and white to mark PAKISTAN’S Independence Day. pic.twitter.com/nUmzJMGOGf

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 14, 2025

The country’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office got in on the action, too, wishing a “very happy Independence Day to Pakistanis in the UK, in Pakistan and around the world.” The post on X included little emojis of the Pakistani and British flags, and can you guess without clicking through which one came first? Flag order makes a statement..

https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/1959388210288640101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1959388210288640101%7Ctwgr%5E226debe250fe769813f3c4a532edab7ceb6e0ee7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Fvodkapundit%2F2025%2F08%2F25%2Fbritains-war-on-britain-n4943012

…and so does pulling them down. And Another Thing: The world was a better place when Britain imposed British notions of justice on Third World nations instead of importing Third World notions into Britain. Discuss. According to the city’s Wikipedia page, Birmingham, as of 2021, was 30% Islamic and 34% Christian, which might explain this BBC report on Friday:

“Some residents have found the sudden appearance of St George’s and union flags ‘intimidating”, a council has said. While many people were flying the flag to cheer on the Lionesses during the 2025 Euros, thousands more have appeared in towns and cities in England during August – many attached to lampposts. Leader of Dorset Council, Liberal Democrat Councillor Nick Ireland, described the movement as an “explosion of patriotism”, but also said it was “naive” to suggest the emblems had not been “hijacked” by some far-right groups.”

Want to take an ordinary, patriotic Briton and convince him he’s a fascist? That’s how you do it. Want to convince the local Muslim population that they can bully Britons into giving up flying their own flags in their own country? Same trick. Some Britons have had enough, and are raising — or making — flags wherever they’re able.

https://twitter.com/TPointUK/status/1957348946465956049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1957348946465956049%7Ctwgr%5E226debe250fe769813f3c4a532edab7ceb6e0ee7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Fvodkapundit%2F2025%2F08%2F25%2Fbritains-war-on-britain-n4943012

Then there are purely practical efforts like this one:

All we have to do is paint the St. George's cross inside potholes, and the council will fix them within 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/uTmtpVdkwh

— We Stand United (@StandUnitedGB) August 19, 2025

Sorry, did I say “purely practical?” I meant to say, “half-practical, half-cheeky.” The deadly epidemic of [checks notes] waving the flag comes hard on the heels of protests at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex — where “migrants” were housed at taxpayer expense, and not without some inconvenience. First, there was the migrant “charged with three sexual offences, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.” And then this: “Mohammed Sharwarq, 32, a Syrian national living in the same hotel, has been charged with sexual assault, two counts of common assault, and four counts of assault by beating.

A BBC report states that these offences are alleged to have occurred inside The Bell Hotel. Mr Sharwarq denied the claim of sexual assault, but admitted the non-sexual offences at a court hearing, according to a Sky News report.”The High Court put at least a temporary halt to the hotel’s use as a migrant shelter. Scenes like these are distressingly common in the postmodern United Kingdom — a country that could use a few more flag-waving patriots, and far fewer “migrants” acting like occupiers of a conquered nation.

“..the Russian side has at least “put a peace proposal on the table.”

• WItkoff: We Hope To See Ukraine Conflict Resolved By The End Of 2025 (RT)

US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff has said Washington hopes to see the Ukraine conflict resolved by the end of 2025, citing Moscow’s “peace proposal on the table” and ongoing meetings with Russian and Ukrainian representatives. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Witkoff said he will be “having meetings all this week” on Ukraine and other global conflicts, “and we hope to settle them before the end of this year.” In a follow-up interview with Fox News, Witkoff said that although Trump had expressed frustration with both Moscow and Kiev, the Russian side has at least “put a peace proposal on the table.”

He acknowledged that territorial concessions “may not be something that the Ukrainians can take,” but argued that the Trump administration had brought the sides closer to agreement than ever before. “There’s a peace proposal on the table,” Witkoff reiterated. “We’re at this place where we think the end is in sight… we have technical teams working on it and we’re hopeful that by the end of this year, and maybe quite a bit sooner, we actually can find the ingredients to get to that peace deal.” According to Witkoff, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed a clear desire to end the conflict and discussed Moscow’s position in depth with Trump during their historic Alaska summit earlier this month.

While no details of any potential deal were made public, Moscow has long insisted that a sustainable settlement can only be achieved if Kiev agrees never to join NATO, undergoes demilitarization and denazification, and recognizes the new reality on the ground. This includes the status of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as part of Russia – territories that voted to join the country in referendums in 2014 and 2022. Witkoff emphasized that any decision on territorial concessions would be for Ukraine to make, and suggested the issue would be tied to long-term security guarantees. He noted that he would meet Ukrainian officials in New York this week and stressed that Washington maintains daily communication with Moscow.

Recent reports have indicated that ongoing discussions include Kiev potentially ceding its remaining positions in Donbass in exchange for yet-to-be-defined Western commitments. Witkoff further claimed “we may end up seeing a bilateral meeting” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, adding that Trump might be “needed at the table to finish a deal.” Putin has not ruled out meeting Zelensky, but insisted a meeting could only follow tangible progress in negotiations. Moscow has also questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, citing his expired presidential term and warning that any deals he signs could be overturned by his successor.

He’ll get it.

• Zelensky Wants EU To Provide $1 Billion Monthly Allowance (Cradle)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on 25 August that Kiev plans to secure at least $1 billion monthly from European nations to purchase US weapons to continue his war against Russia. Zelensky made the comment while speaking alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store during a press conference in Kiev on Monday. US President Donald Trump is seeking to move away from providing weapons directly to Kiev. He instead wants European nations to purchase US weapons for the Ukrainian military to continue the war.The Ukrainian president also said Norway could contribute to security guarantees for Ukraine with an emphasis on providing air defense and maritime security.

On 24 August, US Vice President JD Vance claimed Russia has been “flexible” and made “significant concessions” in some core demands as part of negotiations to end the war, including regarding US and European security guarantees. “They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kiev. That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning. And importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Vance stated while speaking on NBC News’ Meet the Press talk show on Sunday. Last week, Axios reported that senior officials from the US, Ukraine, and several European countries were discussing a proposal for security guarantees for Ukraine, likely involving US air power.

In an interview with Fox News, President Trump stressed no US troops would be sent to Ukraine, but that he was open to providing air support to European ground forces should they be deployed to the country.Trump also said he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin would be willing to accept such US and European security guarantees for Ukraine. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said it “categorically” rejects the possibility of “a military contingent with the participation of NATO countries” inside Ukraine.

Russsia can say 1,000 times they won’t accept NATO troops next door, makes no difference. What happens when Russia fires the first rounds at them? Article 5?

• West Discussing Sending 4-5 Brigades to Ensure Security in Ukraine (Sp.)

Western states are discussing a possibility of sending 4-5 brigades by the group of countries supporting Ukraine – the so-called “coalition of the willing” – to ensure security in Ukraine along with “strategic enablers” from the US, the Financial Times newspaper reported, citing Head of the Office of the Ukrainian president Andriy Yermak. On August 18, US President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders for talks at the White House. During the meeting, Trump said he would not compare the security guarantees that Kiev could receive with those existing in NATO. “Discussions revolved around 4 to 5 European brigades on the ground, provided by the coalition of the willing, plus ‘strategic enablers’ from the US,” The Financial Times quoted Zelensky’s chief of staff as saying.

Yermak said that the meeting in Washington provided clarity on issues related to security guarantees and the acquisition of US-made weapons through European financial instruments. The support of the “coalition of the willing” will comprise a combination of military, political, and economic measures, he added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the presence of NATO states’ troops on Ukrainian territory, under any flag and in any capacity, including as peacekeepers, is a threat to Russia, and that Moscow will not accept it under any circumstances.

Ukraine’s former top military commander. De-nazififation is easier said than done.

• Zaluzhny Lauds Neo-Nazi Role Models (RT)

Retired Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhny, widely seen as a potential successor to Vladimir Zelensky, has called for education programs that highlight members of the neo-Nazi Azov military unit as role models. As Ukraine’s former top military commander and now ambassador to the UK, Zaluzhny is considered one of the country’s most popular public figures. Polls suggest he would likely defeat Zelensky if presidential elections were held, and Western governments are reportedly courting him as a possible future leader. In an interview published on Saturday Zaluzhny praised the Soviet Union’s approach to memorializing historic figures and suggested Ukraine adopt a similar model using fighters with the controversial regiment – which is accused of war crimes and recognized as a bastion of militarized neo-Nazism – as examples of proper behavior.

“It’s very important for the military-patriotic education to know who did what and what came out of it,” Zaluzhny said. “Soviet propaganda did it right. I once argued with NATO specialists, telling them we, members of the military who grew up in this territory, put great importance into [historic connections].”Ukraine, he added, should “set a goal of what it wants from its children in 10 years,” arguing that promoting Azov’s “heroism” would be beneficial.Formed from members of radical Ukrainian nationalist groups, Azov was integrated into the National Guard in 2014 and since then has grown more influential and powerful. Before the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, even Western observers described the unit as a hotbed of extremism and neo-Nazism that attracted white supremacist sympathizers across Europe.

In 2018, the US Congress barred funding for Azov over human rights concerns, but the restriction was lifted in 2024 after the group rebranded and claimed to have abandoned its neo-Nazi roots. Russia designates Azov a terrorist organization and has accused its members of committing atrocities during hostilities. Moscow has identified “de-Nazification” – reducing the influence of radical nationalist ideology in Ukrainian politics – as one of its key goals in the conflict.As of March, Russia’s Investigative Committee reported successful prosecutions against 145 members of Azov on charges including breach of rules of war, mistreatment of prisoners of war and civilians, and murder.

“I’m sure that Ukraine thought they were going to win. It’s going to be, you know, we’re going to win. You’re going to beat somebody that’s 15 times your size.”

• Trump Threatens Ukraine With Sanctions And Tariffs (RT)

Washington could impose sanctions and tariffs on both Russia and Ukraine if the two adversaries fail to make progress in settling hostilities, US President Donald Trump has said. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that it “takes two to tango,” and suggested that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky “was not exactly innocent.” “Thousands of young people, mostly young people, are dying every single week. If I can save that, by doing sanctions or by just being me, or by using a very strong tariff system that’s very costly to Russia or Ukraine or whoever we have,” Trump stated. He also reiterated his readiness to slap new restrictions on Moscow.

“We want to have an end. We have economic sanctions. I’m talking about economic because we’re not going to get into a world war,” he said. Trump criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, calling him “grossly incompetent” for allowing the Russia-Ukraine conflict to happen in the first place. “Nobody goes into a war thinking they’re going to lose. They go in – I’m sure that Ukraine thought they were going to win. It’s going to be, you know, we’re going to win. You’re going to beat somebody that’s 15 times your size. Biden shouldn’t have let that happen,” Trump stated.

The US president also appeared to dismiss Moscow’s concerns about the Zelensky’s legitimacy. “Doesn’t matter what they say. Everybody’s posturing. It’s all bullsh*t, ok? Everybody’s posturing,” Trump told reporters.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s stance in an interview with NBC aired on Sunday, calling Zelensky the “de facto head of the regime,” and stressed the person signing any peace deal must have legal authority to do so.

“Zelensky openly threatened Hungary. He admitted that they hit the Druzhba pipeline because we don’t support their EU membership. This proves again that Hungarians made the right decision.”

• Has Ukraine Just Declared War On Hungary? (Romanenko)

In the swirl of the Ukraine war, headlines rarely fail to shock. Yet the latest spat between Kiev and Budapest raises a question that would have been unthinkable two years ago: has Ukraine effectively opened a second front – albeit hybrid, rhetorical, and economic – against an EU state? The immediate spark was the Druzhba (“Friendship”) oil pipeline that still delivers crude from Russia to Central Europe. Several Ukrainian drone strikes targeted the pipeline in recent weeks, halting supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. A Ukrainian commander, known by the call sign Madyar, publicly admitted involvement. For Hungary and Slovakia, this was more than an economic disruption. Both countries rely heavily on the pipeline, and in response, their leaders called on the European Commission to guarantee supply security.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, a frequent critic of EU policy on Ukraine, accused Brussels of serving Kiev’s interests over those of member states. His frustration boiled over further when he described Vladimir Zelensky’s quips about “friendship” as thinly veiled threats. Zelensky’s remark – “We have always supported friendship between Ukraine and Hungary, and now the existence of this ‘Friendship’ depends on Hungary” – was apparently meant as a pun on the pipeline’s name, but to Hungary it sounded like a mafia-style threat. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s reaction was uncompromising: “Zelensky openly threatened Hungary. He admitted that they hit the Druzhba pipeline because we don’t support their EU membership. This proves again that Hungarians made the right decision.”

The timing is telling. Strikes on the pipeline coincided with Zelensky’s Washington visit alongside EU leaders. Either Brussels tacitly encouraged him to punish Orban, an ally of Donald Trump, or the EU simply looked away as Zelensky acted on his own. Both explanations sound outrageous, but there hardly seems to be a third option. What is clear is that Kiev, facing immense pressure on its eastern front, is choosing a dangerous rhetorical battle with Budapest. Hungary has made abundantly clear its discomfort with the EU’s unquestioning support for Ukraine. Since the Russian military operation began in 2022, Budapest has resisted sanctions on Russian energy, insisted on continuing imports through the Druzhba pipeline, and refused to send weapons to Kiev. Orban has shown himself to be a pragmatic outlier: defending Hungarian interests, pursuing cheap Russian energy, and maintaining cordial ties with Moscow.

For this, Hungary has faced isolation within the EU. While Poland, the Baltics, and most of Western Europe rallied behind Ukraine with military and financial aid, Budapest has been resisting this consensus. Orban’s government was derided as Putin’s Trojan horse in Europe. Yet for Hungarians, this positioning has had a rationale: keep the economy stable, avoid direct confrontation, and retain flexibility in a deeply uncertain geopolitical landscape. Lost in the heated rhetoric is the fact that Hungary has also quietly carried a humanitarian burden. In 2022 alone, over 1.3 million Ukrainians crossed into Hungary – second only to Poland and Romania. Budapest accepted them with little fanfare, though later tightened its asylum rules to restrict new arrivals to those from active war zones. At the same time, Hungary supplies a significant share of Ukraine’s electricity, a fact Szijjarto reminded Kiev of when rebuffing Ukrainian accusations.

To respond with accusations and pipeline attacks against such a neighbor seems, at minimum, ungrateful. At worst, it risks alienating one of the few EU members that has provided crucial – if unheralded – humanitarian support in a time of war. The broader context is sobering. On the battlefield, Ukraine faces mounting setbacks in the Donbass and along the eastern front. Against that backdrop, Zelensky’s rhetoric toward Hungary appears almost surreal – boastful, as if victory against Russia were imminent. The contrast between battlefield realities and diplomatic bravado risks undermining Kiev’s credibility. In any sane timeline, here is where Brussels should stop and think again about continuing its support for Kiev.

Should the EU stand behind Zelensky even when his actions harm member states, or acknowledge that Orbán – despite his many disagreements with Brussels – has a point? Recent history shows that we are not in a sane timeline, though. Open threats, pipeline sabotage (remember Nord Stream?), and insults from Ukrainian officials don’t seem to register with Brussels officials at all. Kiev’s behavior towards Budapest may not amount to a declaration of war, but it is undeniable that Ukraine has chosen to ramp up its confrontation with Hungary. If the EU wants to sell its support for Kiev as “unity” – a word often used and abused by the likes of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – then letting Zelensky get away with this is a bizarre choice.

“..Bolton “could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.”

• Bolton Attacks Trump For ‘Utterly Incoherent’ Ukraine Policy (ZH)

Former national security adviser John Bolton has gone after President Trump, blasting his Ukraine strategy as “incoherent” in an opinion piece published Monday, just a few days after federal agents raided his Maryland home and D.C. office over the handling of classified documents. “President Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy is no more coherent today than it was last Friday when his administration executed search warrants against my home and office,” Bolton said in Washington Examiner. Bolton’s op-ed title went all-in: “Trump’s utterly incoherent Ukraine strategy.” He wrote that “Collapsing in confusion, haste, and the absence of any discernible meeting of the minds among Ukraine, Russia, several European countries, and America, Trump’s negotiations may be in their last throes, along with his Nobel Peace Prize campaign.”

Hoped-for momentum towards an eventual trilateral Putin-Zelensky-Trump summit has indeed been stalled, and Trump said late last week that we could make a major decision if peace isn’t negotiated in two weeks – which likely means more biting sanctions on Russia and its trading partners. Neither warring side has actually backed off from its position, and Russia has little reason to soften its demands given that it maintains the clear upper-hand on the battlefield. Still, Bolton – as one of the neocon madmen behind the push to invade and overthrow Iraq (and other countries) – is not one to talk about coherent foreign policy.

“The administration has tried to camouflage its disarray behind social media posts, such as Trump comparing his finger-pointing at Russian President Vladimir Putin to then-Vice President Richard Nixon during the famous kitchen debate with Nikita Khrushchev,” Bolton said further in his piece. “Why Trump wants to be compared to the only president who resigned in disgrace is unclear.” So clearly, Bolton is not backing down or being quiet despite the FBI raid on his home last Friday, which was described as a “court-authorized law enforcement activity.” The ‘war’ in the op-ed pages has been unleashed, as on Tuesday White House trade adviser Peter Navarro took to The Hill and charged Bolton with “profiteering off of America’s secrets” in relation to his 2020 book, “The Room Where It Happened.”

Navarro’s op-ed said “He was trafficking in Oval Office conversations and national security intelligence that should have stayed secret – either by law or under executive privilege.” “That isn’t service. That isn’t patriotism. That’s profiteering off of America’s secrets,” Navarro wrote, citing a federal judge who at the time said “seems to be out of the barn” – when Trump officials had tried to stop its publication. Back in 2020, Navarro had slammed the memoir as like “revenge porn”. Bolton has only issued rare praise of Trump when he bombs another country (as he did Iran this summer)… As for the raid on Bolton’s house, Trump has said that he didn’t personally order it or know about it before-hand, amid accusations that it is politically motivated retribution. The president has, however, said that Bolton “could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.”

“Putin’s side of the bargain would be to let Trump grandstand in presiding over the peace agreement that ends the war.”

• Can Trump Find a Way Out of the Box He Is in? (Paul Craig Roberts)

Yesterday on his program Dialogue Works Nima had two guests, Larry Johnson, formerly of the CIA, and me. I come in at about the one hour mark at the close of the program with Larry. I recommend that you take advantage of the double feature. https://www.youtube.com/live/Tw0wfYs-kOQ Nima and I discuss the severe constraints on President Trump that handicap him in his effort to bring about not only a settlement in Ukraine but also impede a wider settlement with Russia that would put the world at peace.

Larry Johnson and I agree that the easiest way for Trump to conclude the conflict in Ukraine is to stop supplying, weapons, money, and diplomatic support. But to do this requires Trump to jettison the US military/security complex along with its budget and power which are dependent on having Russia as an enemy. Presidents such as John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan who had in mind winding down the Cold War ran into problems with the military/security complex. The military/security complex has military bases or armaments manufacturers in nearly every state. The number of governors, House and Senate members, and businesses dependent on orders from military bases and weapon manufacturers is vast. The combination of taxes, employment, campaign contributions, and supply relationships is too large of a force for Trump to jettison.

Another constraint on Trump is the American doctrine of hegemony which is at odds with peace-making. The US foreign policy doctrine requires that the US take an aggressive approach to countries that could constrain US unilateralism. In other words, the pursuit of hegemony makes a country a poor peace-maker. Trump has not repudiated the hegemony doctrine. Instead he exercises it with his numerous threats to other governments. As I have consistently reported, the conflict in Ukraine is a symptom and not a cause of what Putin refers to as the root cause of the conflict. The root cause is the absence of a mutual security agreement between Russia and the West. NATO with missile bases on Russia’s border creates insecurity for Russia. This insecurity is the root cause. Both the material interest of the US military/security complex and the hegemony doctrine are obstacles to removing the insecurity.

As the Russian position remains the same and Zelensky remains uncooperative, perhaps Trump sees Putin getting off his butt and quickly winning the war as the escape route from the box in which Trump finds himself. Perhaps Trump signaled to Putin, as he did to Netanyahu, to get it over with as its continuation is too embarrassing to Trump. Putin’s side of the bargain would be to let Trump grandstand in presiding over the peace agreement that ends the war. The wider and serious problem is Russia’s sense of insecurity with NATO/US missile bases on her border. To remove the real problem of nuclear conflict, the US needs to move away from Russia’s borders and honor the agreement the George H. W. Bush administration made with Gorbachev that NATO would stay distant from Russia’s border.

“Russia is like water: where there are cracks in the cement, it trickles in…”

• BBC Warns About RT’s Global Influence (RT)

Russian media organizations are expanding their reach internationally as Western networks scale back operations due to financial constraints, the BBC reported Monday. RT and Sputnik, which remain banned across much of the West following accusations that they had spread “misinformation” – have been growing their presence in other regions. RT launched a Serbian-language service in late 2024, while Sputnik Africa has recently launched radio broadcasting in Ethiopia. The UK broadcaster said this “coincides with an apparent weakening from the Western media” driven by budget cuts and shifting foreign policy priorities. In Lebanon, it lamented, Sputnik has moved into airwaves previously occupied by BBC Arabic. The report also pointed to staff reductions at US-funded Voice of America under President Donald Trump, part of a broader push to curb what his administration sees as inefficient government spending.

The policy shift had global repercussions. In Ukraine, as many as 90% of media outlets have faced financial strain since foreign grant money became scarce. Media experts interviewed by the BBC argued that Russian outlets have capitalized on the West’s retreat. “Russia is like water: where there are cracks in the cement, it trickles in,” said Kathryn Stoner, a Stanford University political scientist. Stoner and other scholars published a book last year titled ‘Russia, Disinformation, and the Liberal Order,’ which characterized RT as a “threat to democracy.” Founded in 2005, RT was designed to project Russian perspectives to international audiences. Part of its strategy has been to challenge entrenched Western narratives and present viewpoints excluded from other global broadcasters.

Big Tech=US companies.

• Trump Vows To Punish Nations Imposing Digital Taxes (RT)

US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened “substantial” new tariffs and curbs on semiconductor exports against countries that maintain digital taxes and regulations he says “discriminate” against American tech firms. Digital services taxes (DSTs), now in place in dozens of countries, are designed to capture revenue from the biggest global tech firms. Trump has long argued the levies unfairly target American companies – notably Meta, Alphabet and Amazon – and has pressed US trade partners to abandon them. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump blasted “Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations,” warning he could impose additional tariffs and tighten export controls on US technologies, stressing that America and its firms would no longer serve as the “piggy bank” or “doormat” of the world.

”As the President of the United States, I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies. Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology,” Trump wrote. He complained that such measures “give a complete pass to China’s largest Tech Companies” and declared “this must end, and end now.” The salvo risks reigniting trade tensions with the UK and EU, despite both having recently struck agreements with Washington. US officials have repeatedly criticized Britain’s digital services tax, which remained in place after its deal with the Trump administration, and have also taken aim at the EU’s landmark Digital Services Act requiring tech firms to more aggressively police their platforms.

Several EU states, including France, Italy and Spain, maintain digital services taxes of their own. Digital services taxes have already emerged as a flashpoint in Trump’s trade agenda. In June, he threatened to halt all talks with Canada. Ottawa backed down just before the measure was due to take effect, prompting the White House to boast that Canada had “caved” to US pressure. Countries that impose digital services taxes argue the charges are justified because tech giants such as Amazon reap huge profits from their citizens while paying little or no tax to local budgets.

“No one watching CNN or CBS could think they were free and objective.”

• Trump Goes Knives-Out for Leftist Media (Salgado)

President Donald Trump famously dubbed radical leftist media “fake news,” and now he’s weighing how to deal yet another decisive blow to that fake news. Now that the Trump administration is in control of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Trump is apparently considering urging his hardcore FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, to investigate revoking licenses for mainstream media outlets that are little more than arms of the Democrat Party. The days of leftist media dominance are over. Late on Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Despite a very high popularity and, according to many, among the greatest 8 months in Presidential History, ABC & NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the worst and most biased networks in history, give me 97% BAD STORIES.” It is unclear exactly which study or dataset Trump was referencing here, although a study from Media Research Center earlier this year found that coverage of the Trump administration on ABC, NBC, and CBS was 92% negative.

But most Americans do not need a study to tell them that leftist media is incredibly biased against Trump and anything he does, which is how they can turn anything, including major victories, into an excuse to bash Trump. Just witness the extreme media hysteria over his federalization of law enforcement to clean up Washington, D.C, which so far has been very successful at bringing down crime in our nation’s capital. Trump Derangement Syndrome is rampant in our mainstream media. After mentioning the nearly 100% negative coverage of himself and his administration, Trump continued, “IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY ARE SIMPLY AN ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND SHOULD, ACCORDING TO MANY, HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED BY THE FCC. I would be totally in favor of that because they are so biased and untruthful, an actual threat to our Democracy!!! MAGA.”

Trump followed that up with another post about the potential action against excessively biased mainstream media: “Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the World, aren’t paying Millions of Dollars a year in LICENSE FEES,” he asked. Then Trump made his daring statement again: “They should lose their Licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere at anytime!!! Crooked ‘journalism’ should not be rewarded, it should be terminated!!!” Freedom of the press is a core constitutional right, but the problem is that a significant amount of our press is not free. So many outlets now receive favors from politicians in exchange for positive coverage, regardless of reality. No one watching CNN or CBS could think they were free and objective.

“Kamala’s team “believes she’s done her part,” by blowing $1.5 billion on a losing presidential race and leaving her party millions in debt.”

• Kamala Screwed the Democrats So Badly I Can’t Stop Laughing (Green)

Forget the old-school thrills of “F1,” the family charm of “Freakier Friday,” and even the surprisingly pro-life “Fantastic Four: First Steps” — because this summer’s feel-good movie turns out to be an August sleeper hit that virtually nobody saw coming. It’s the story of a failed presidential candidate who raised record sums, left record debt, lost anyway, and gave her party the finger when it needed her most. It’s called “Kamala’s Revenge,” and it’s the kind of razor-sharp political comedy that Hollywood hasn’t dared make since 1997’s “Wag the Dog.” The premise of “Kamala’s Revenge” is even wilder than Chauncey Gardiner in “Being There” from 1979. If you need a refresher, Peter Sellers plays a simpleton named Chance who was raised in total isolation by a wealthy man in D.C.

When the old man dies and Chance is forced out on the street — wearing the old man’s very nice suit — “Chance the gardener” is mistaken for “Chauncey Gardiner,” and is soon dispensing advice to Washington’s rich and powerful. It’s an all-time favorite movie, but it has nothing on “Kamala’s Revenge.” The premise of “Kamala’s Revenge” is that the vice president is a totally inept (not to mention comically inapt) DEI hire who, when the senescent president is forced out of his reelection campaign by his own party’s elders, finds herself with just 107 days to scrape together a presidential campaign. I know this sounds too crazy for fiction, but bear with me — it gets crazier. Despite running the shortest presidential campaign in history, Kamala (with a big assist from the media and various celebrities) raises a record $1.5 billion, but blows through it all and then some.

She goes down in major defeat, but according to this political news site in the movie — it’s called Axios or something — months later, her party had to pony up “more than $15 million toward paying off [her] campaign expenses.” Crazy, right? But “Kamala’s Revenge” has only begun mining its comedy gold. Thanks to Kamala’s debts and some massive fundraising by the other side, Axios says that her party doesn’t even have $20 million in the bank, but the other party — headed up by the bad guy she lost to — is sitting on a massive $80 million war chest. So the bad guys run attack ads, boost their social media presence — all the smart political stuff Kamala’s party used to dominate. Instead, they’re just flailing around, talking about stolen lands, letting illegal immigrant wife-beaters out of jail, sticking male sex offenders in girls’ bathrooms, and all this other crazy stuff you’d never believe.

But it gets wilder. “Some donors,” Axios says, “have grown reluctant” to give Kamala’s party more money even as they try to “pivot to the 2026 midterms.” They’re searching the sofa cushions for cash at this point. They’re so desperate that the party elders go back to Kamala for help. She agrees to let the party use “her email list to help raise money and has held a few small fundraising events. But the total money raised from the events has been disappointing.” Disappointing to them, of course, but audiences can’t stop laughing. The kicker though is in one of the final scenes. When the email list fails to accomplish much, party organizers go to Kamala and beg her to personally host the kind of big fundraisers she pulled off during her campaign… but she tells them no. Kamala’s team “believes she’s done her part,” by blowing $1.5 billion on a losing presidential race and leaving her party millions in debt. If Hollywood ever makes a sequel to “Kamala’s Revenge,” maybe the big twist is that she turns out to have been the other party’s mole all along. Otherwise? Just another simpleton in a nice suit.

“I couldn’t find a point at which Republicans were doing better at this point in the cycle. It’s at least this century. It probably goes way back in the last century.”

• Are Democrats on the Verge of a Historic Midterm Wipeout? (Margolis)

I’ve previously reported that Democrats have a money problem. In addition to a lack of donations coming in, the Democratic National Committee is paying down Kamala Harris’s campaign debt. However, these are not the only issues threatening their 2026 midterm prospects. Money is certainly important, but perhaps even more so are voters. But according to CNN’s Harry Enten, the voters aren’t exactly there for the Democrats, either. Enten delivered a devastating assessment of the 2026 electoral landscape for the Democrats, noting that Republicans are seeing unprecedented gains in voter registration across critical battleground states. “Four swing states that, in fact, do keep track of registration by party,” Enten noted. He revealed that the GOP hasn’t been this well-positioned at this stage of the cycle in two decades.

“Look, the Republican Party is in their best position at this point in the cycle since at least 2005 in all four of these key battleground states.” Enten began his analysis in the Southwest. “Arizona. How about Nevada? Republicans haven’t done this well since 2005 — oh my goodness gracious — at this, at this point in the cycle.” As he moved eastward, the numbers just kept getting better for the GOP. “North Carolina: I couldn’t find a point at which Republicans were doing better at this point in the cycle. It’s at least this century. It probably goes way back in the last century.” There was more: “And Pennsylvania, very similar: Republicans doing better at this point than at any point, at any point this century, at least as far as I could find.”

https://twitter.com/OpenSourceZone/status/1960138861368979521

Enten then broke down the size of the GOP’s registration surge by comparing it to the first Trump administration in 2017. “Look at this. The Republican Party gains in party registration compared to this point back in 2017, during the Trump first administration,” he enthused. He highlighted that in Arizona, the GOP has gained three points in party registration compared to 2017. In Nevada, it’s six points; in North Carolina, eight points, and finally, in Pennsylvania, GOP registration is eight full points above this point in Trump’s first administration. Enten’s analysis underscores just how dramatic the GOP’s organizational and registration push has been heading into 2026.

For Democrats, the numbers paint a dire picture: Republicans are not only expanding their base in traditional swing states but are doing so at levels unseen in decades — generations, even. The money race is incredibly important because you need money to fund campaigns and get your message out. The problem is that even if Democrats had more money, their pool of voters isn’t growing as much as the GOP’s, and that puts them at a severe disadvantage going into the midterms. Of course, the elections are still over a year away, and anything can happen, but at this point in time, the GOP is in an incredibly strong position over the Democrats.

Sundance keeps digging.

“NSA Director Mike Rogers shut down FBI contractor access to the NSA database April 18, 2016, the very next day what happens? On April 19, 2016, Perkins Coie hires Fusion GPS Glenn Simpson to conduct research on Donald Trump..”

• Did NSA Director Mike Rogers Warn Donald Trump on November 17, 2016? (CTH)

The short answer is no; he did not.

Was NSA Director Mike Rogers aware that political spying was conducted through the use of searches on the NSA database? Yes. Did NSA Director Mike Rogers take action in April 2016 to stop the searches within the NSA database that were entirely due to political surveillance? Yes. Six months later, October 20, 2016, the extensive review of all the political surveillance searches done from November of 2015 to April of 2016 was completed; the NSA compliance officer briefed Director Rogers. Six days later on October 26, 2016, NSA Director Mike Rogers then informed the FISA court of the unlawful searches and his action to address the issue. One month later on November 17th, 2016, NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers went to see President-Elect Donald Trump in Trump Tower, New York. Director Rogers never told his boss, DNI James Clapper.

The very next day, Friday November 18, 2016, The Washington Post reported on a recommendation in “October” that Mike Rogers be removed from his NSA position. “The heads of the Pentagon and the nation’s intelligence community have recommended to President Obama that the director of the National Security Agency, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, be removed. The recommendation, delivered to the White House last month, was made by Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr., according to several U.S. officials familiar with the matter. […] In a move apparently unprecedented for a military officer, Rogers, without notifying superiors, traveled to New York to meet with Trump on Thursday at Trump Tower. That caused consternation at senior levels of the administration, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel matters.”

Notice how the WaPo conflates the two issues. (1) Meeting with Trump (Nov), and (2) the recommendation to fire him (Oct). The October recommendation to fire Rogers was likely based on the outcome of his decision to fully stop “about queries” of the NSA database and speak to the FISA court. The recommendation to fire Rogers preceded his visit to Donald Trump, though the IC effort may have provided some additional motivation for the Rogers visit itself. NSA Director Mike Rogers traveled to New York November 17, 2016, when a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) was set up for President-elect Trump to use following the November 8, 2016, election. The next day, November 18, 2016, the Trump Transition Team announced they were moving all transition activity to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Where they interviewed and discussed the most sensitive positions to fill. Specifically, Defense, State, CIA and ODNI.

There was a great deal of speculation at the time surrounding the visit by Director Rogers and the move from Trump Tower to New Jersey. Did Rogers tell President Trump about the political surveillance from November 2015 to April 2016? We now know the answer is no, he did not. Director Rogers did recommend an easier venue for the SCIF to operate with secured communication channels; but Rogers did not notify President Trump about the use of the NSA database for political spying. It is worth noting other events in/around this timeline. The NSA compliance officer did not brief Admiral Rogers until 20th Oct 2016. The next day, October 21 the FISA application against Carter Page was approved by the FISA Court; Rogers would be unaware of this submission and issuance. Admiral Rogers then notified the FISC Oct 26, 2016, about the NSA database issue. [In October of 2016 James Clapper and Ash Carter were recommending Rogers’s firing.]

The issue of the “FBI Contractors” having access to the NSA database for political spying was stopped by Director Mike Rogers on April 18, 2016. NSA Director Mike Rogers shut down FBI contractor access to the NSA database April 18, 2016, the very next day what happens? On April 19, 2016, Perkins Coie hires Fusion GPS Glenn Simpson to conduct research on Donald Trump. Now, fast forward to Devin Nunes in March of 2017, two similar but importantly different issues surface. (#1) The collection of information from within the NSA database; and (#2) the unmasking of names within intelligence community communication. These are two distinctly separate issues.In February and March 2017 HPSCI Chairman Devin Nunes, a gang of eight member, reviewed intelligence reports that were assembled exclusively for the office of the former President (Obama). That is why he went to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) Information Facility to review.

After Devin Nunes review the information March 22nd, 2017, Nunes stated the intelligence product he reviewed was “not related to Russia, or the FBI Russian counter-intelligence investigation”.House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Devin Nunes, then held a brief press conference and stated he had been provided intelligence reports brought to him by unnamed sources that include ‘significant information’ about President-Elect Trump and his transition team

2.7 bllion people?!

• Washington’s Nightmare: Modi and Xi Break The Ice (Bhadrakumar)

This week, India and China have taken a great leap of faith in their mutual efforts to incrementally advance the normalization process in their bilateral relationship. This may assume the nature of a rapprochement when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation [SCO] summit in the port city of Tianjin in northeast China on 31 August–1 September. The Sino-Indian rapprochement will be a historic event in world politics. It holds the potential to be a key template in the emerging world order in the 21st Century. From the Indian perspective, what is unfolding promises to be the finest legacy of Modi in a tumultuous political career as his 75th birthday approaches next month.

Wang Yi’s Landmark Visit to New Delhi. No doubt, the two-day visit to New Delhi this week by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, will go down as a watershed event. It is a game-changer because Wang, arguably one of the world’s most seasoned diplomats, has turned boundary talks into a mission to harness recent positive momentum and inject a new dynamic into the normalization process. Wang forcefully argued that China and India are obligated “to demonstrate a sense of global responsibility, act as major powers, set an example for developing countries in pursuit of strength through unity, and contribute to promoting world multi-polarization and democratization of international relations.” Xinhua news agency characterised Wang’s remarks as the “consensus” opinion between him and India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

Wang and Jaishankar noted that a critical mass is accruing in the relationship. The Chinese foreign minister said Beijing–New Delhi relations are “showing a positive trend toward returning to cooperation.” Jaishankar concurred that bilateral relations “are continuously improving and developing” and “exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in all fields are moving toward normalization.”Interestingly, Jaishankar called for India and China to “jointly maintain the stability of the world economy” and stressed that “stable, cooperative, and forward-looking bilateral ties serve the interests of both countries.” The Indian external affairs minister proposed that New Delhi is willing “to deepen political mutual trust with China, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in economic and trade fields, enhance people-to-people exchanges, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas.”

He later said in a social media post, “Confident that our discussions today [18 August] would contribute to building a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China.” Wang’s visit yielded some breakthroughs, too. Principally, the two countries agreed to resume direct flights; facilitate trade and investment flow; cooperate on trans-border rivers; reopen border trade via the Himalayan passes; facilitate visas to tourists, businesses, media, and other visitors in both directions; and expand the visits of Indian pilgrims to the holy places of Kailash-Manasarovar. China is reportedly lifting the ban on rare earth and fertilizer exports to India, as well as heavy equipment for making tunnels in mountainous areas.

Border settlement: Modi’s defining challenge. The most sensational development is that the two countries are exploring an “early harvest” in delimitation of boundaries and have agreed on new mechanisms on border management, which will also work towards de-escalation. This is a highly sensitive issue, as Indian public opinion is shaped by self-serving narratives that emerged after the 1962 war and by the idea of establishing a border that never historically existed. This is where Modi’s leadership becomes crucial. Modi is probably one of the only leaders today who has the credibility, decisiveness, and vision to navigate a border settlement with China. He has prioritized the normalization of relations with China and is conscious that a truly stable relationship is critically dependent on predictability and stability, which makes it imperative that a border settlement is reached. Modi, during a meeting with Wang on 19 August, emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility on the border, and also reiterated India’s commitment to a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable” resolution of the boundary issue.

Traditionally, India attributed primacy to its post-Cold War relationship with the US as a hedge against China, which, unsurprisingly, spawned absurd notions that Washington regarded New Delhi as a “counterweight” to Beijing. Suffice to say, the administration of US President Donald Trump’s erratic foreign policies and, specifically, its unfriendly moves recently to curb India’s strategic autonomy came as a wake-up call. On the other hand, India’s actions have also been partly driven by domestic economic pressures. The point is, India seeks to lift some restrictions imposed on China in recent years, welcome Chinese investment, and increase people-to-people exchanges to boost its economic confidence. Equally, facing US pressure such as high tariffs, India aims to diversify economic and trade ties with countries, including China, which may help to reduce some of the external pressure from the US.

Wang has signaled that Beijing is as eager as New Delhi to improve the relationship against the backdrop of an increasingly reckless and belligerent Trump administration. Both sides sense that they have common interests. Inevitably, a China–India working relationship anchored on a strategic understanding will do wonders for BRICS. This prospect is already worrying Trump, who has threatened BRICS more than once for allegedly working to dethrone the dollar as the world’s currency.

People like to talk about this because it allows them to paint Trump as vain.

• Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Dreams Face Resistance (Cradle)

At least three of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee have spoken out against US President Donald Trump, casting serious doubt over his chances of securing a Nobel Peace Prize, the Washington Post reported on 25 August. Committee chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes singled out Trump in December for what he called “the erosion of freedom of expression even in democratic nations,” highlighting the president’s repeated verbal assaults on the media. Former Norwegian education minister Kristin Clemet wrote in May that Trump was “well underway in dismantling American democracy” after just over 100 days in office. Another committee member, Gry Larsen, posted in 2017 that Trump was “putting millions of lives at risk” with cuts to foreign aid and later mocked his campaign slogan with a “Make Human Rights Great Again” hat.

Two other members, Asle Toje and one unnamed colleague, have not been openly hostile. Toje previously wrote sympathetically about Trump’s legal struggles under the Biden administration, leaving open the possibility of support. Still, the balance remains against the US president. Trump himself has acknowledged the opposition. “A lot of people say … no matter what I do, they won’t give it up, and I’m not politicking for it,” he said this month while signing a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Trump pointed to his work on Ukraine, including outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as central to his case, with some western diplomats conceding that his emphasis on direct talks could make sense given Putin’s control of the war effort.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was shortlisted for the 2025 Peace Prize for his “efforts to mediate peace in Gaza.” Meanwhile, Trump said that Israeli hostages would be freed only after Hamas is “destroyed,” voicing clear support for Israel’s move to seize Gaza City. Previously, the US president had floated a plan for Washington to “take over” the Gaza Strip and forcibly displace its people, to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” – an idea widely condemned as a violation of international law.

Despite this, some foreign leaders have amplified his push for a prize, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev asking, “Who, if not President Trump, deserves the Nobel Peace Prize?” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan echoed the sentiment, joking with Trump about front-row seats at a future ceremony. Nonetheless, with the Norwegian public polling overwhelmingly against him and three committee members on record as critics, Trump faces an uphill battle for the award.

“..it welcomed the transitional government’s decision to end the project “with great joy.”

• Burkina Faso Suspends Health Project Funded By Bill Gates (RT)

Burkina Faso has suspended a project funded by the Gates Foundation aimed at curbing the spread of malaria in Africa, amid concern that it could be misused to advance population control on the continent. The Target Malaria research team, based at the Burkinabe Institute of Health Sciences Research (IRSS), is working to alter mosquito genes to render the insects incapable of transmitting the disease, which the World Health Organization says killed 569,000 people in Africa in 2023. The non-profit consortium, which also receives funding from Open Philanthropy, operates in Ghana and Uganda as well. In a statement released on Saturday, Samuel Pare, Secretary-General of Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI), said Target Malaria has been ordered to halt all activities in the West African country.

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1960235767168454916

“The facilities containing genetically modified mosquitoes have been sealed since August 18, 2025, and all samples will be destroyed according to a specified protocol,” he stated. MESRI did not give a reason for the decision, which came days after the project announced it had successfully carried out “one small-scale release” of genetically modified (GMO) male mosquitoes in Souroukoudingan, a village of about 830 people, roughly 350km southwest of Ouagadougou. The project first released a swarm of GMO mosquitoes in 2019 in the nearby village of Bana. Target Malaria said it had received approval for its activities from Burkina Faso’s National Biosafety Agency (ANB) and the National Environmental Assessment Agency (ANEVE) and has complied with national laws since onset of the program in 2012.

“We have engaged actively with the national authorities and stakeholders of Burkina Faso and remain ready to cooperate,” the non-profit organization stated. The Gates Foundation, Target Malaria’s largest funder, has been embroiled in controversies over some of its initiatives, with advocacy groups accusing it of promoting genetically modified crops and industrial agriculture models that benefit large corporations while sidelining smallholder farmers. The Burkinabe civil group Coalition for Health Sovereignty has previously demanded an “immediate halt” to the genetically modified mosquito project, calling it a “risky and irresponsible” experiment aimed at exercising population control. On Friday, the Coalition for Monitoring Biotechnology Activities (CVAB), which calls the Target Malaria initiative “dangerous to the country’s health sovereignty,” said it welcomed the transitional government’s decision to end the project “with great joy.”

Gun

Making the comparison feels slightly odd as St. Joan of Arc fought against the English, but I'm still getting this type of energy from that little girl.

If she doesn't wake up the men of Europe, I don't know who will. pic.twitter.com/iL93wXUnQB

— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) August 26, 2025

I have a feeling that this image of little Mayah Sommers will be one of the most galvanizing in the history of the UK. Any government that punishes a young girl, forced to have to run around like this to protect herself from the barbarians that they protect, is illegitimate. pic.twitter.com/WSbt4AM6vK

— AnnaZ (@AnnaZ) August 26, 2025

The new symbol of Scotland pic.twitter.com/CGWiKAIPfM

— Declaration of Memes (@LibertyCappy) August 26, 2025

Coral Coast
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1960420423868235855

String

Prof. Brian Greene explains the basic idea of string theorypic.twitter.com/mmSkYKnvEn

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 26, 2025

Support the Automatic Earth in wartime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

Debt Rattle August 26 2025

Aug 262025

August 26, 2025 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:00 am Finance Tagged with: AI, Department of War, fascists, invasion, Nobel Peace Prize, security guarantees, slavery, superintelligent, Zaluzhny, Zelensky 29 Responses »

Joseph-Désiré Court Le Masque 1843

• Zelenski Rejects Giving Land As Fascists Promise To Kill Him (MoA)

• Zaluzhny ‘Biding Time’ To Challenge Zelensky – Guardian (RT)

• CIA’s Covert Ukraine Invasion Plan (Kit Klarenberg)

• US Won’t Play Key Role In Ukraine’s Security Guarantees – Trump (RT)

• The Judicial Calvinball of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (Turley)

• Trump Fires Fed Governor Lisa Cook For “Potentially Criminal Conduct” (ZH)

• War, Trump’s New $500 Note & Volcanos -Martin Armstrong (USAW)

• A Lesson on Slavery for CNN (Paul Craig Roberts)

• ‘Godfather of AI’ Warns Superintelligent Machines Could Replace Humanity (ET)

• Musk Takes On Apple, OpenAI In Antitrust Showdown Over Chatbots (ZH)

• Dutch Foreign Minister Quits Over Israel (RT)

• US Scientists Axe ‘Woke’ To Keep Cash Flowing – WSJ (RT)

• Trump Proposes Renaming Department of Defense to Its Original Name (ET)

• Giving Trump The Nobel Peace Prize Makes Some Sense (Lukyanov)

• Ghislaine ‘Splainin’ (James Howard Kunstler)

Showing signs of mental illness, Zelensky says he's taking back #Crimea, home to Russian Black Sea Fleet since 1783, where few Ukrainians have ever lived, whose population is 90% Russian – where 90,000 Red Army soldiers lost their lives expelling Hitler's armies during WW II. pic.twitter.com/OtWNDGFXie

— Alan Watson (@DietHeartNews) August 24, 2025

https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1959996874892378315

Today in 1991, 21-year-old Linus Torvalds introduces Linux in an online post. pic.twitter.com/5NeNhj0zIp

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 24, 2025

They purposely killed the Blackberry because you could remove the battery and disable every surveillance feature on the device.

Your current device is permanently on, listening and following you.

Few understand this.

— Tyler (@TylerDurden) August 25, 2025

Scalia

Here's former Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia — probably the single most popular justice among the American Right in the last 5 decades — explaining why burning the American flag is vital free speech under the 1st Am, and why banning it is clearly unconstitutional. pic.twitter.com/ijRcEJoB0z

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 25, 2025

“He would style himself as a tough, wartime leader who would promise “blood, sweat and tears” to the Ukrainian people in return for saving the nation..”

Ideal for warmongers.

• Zelenski Rejects Giving Land As Fascists Promise To Kill Him (MoA)

The (former) President Zelenski of Ukraine is refusing any compromise in negotiations with Russia. He would be killed and replaced by a more right wing figure if he would consider otherwise. In a speech on Sunday marking Ukraine’s independence Zelenski insisted of recapturing all of Ukraine including Crimea. As the Washington Post summarizes: “In Kyiv on Sunday, Ukraine’s Independence Day, Zelensky addressed the nation and vowed to restore its territorial integrity. “Ukraine will never again be forced in history to endure the shame that the Russians call a ‘compromise,’” he said. “We need a just peace.” He listed some of the regions occupied by Russia — including Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea — and said “no temporary occupation” could change the fact that the land belongs to Ukraine.

Zelenski thus rejects calls by U.S. President Trump to give up Ukrainian territory in exchange for peace. One reason why he does so may be the personal danger he is in. Any compromise about territory may well cost his life. The London Times continues to make propaganda for Nazis. After a recent whitewashing interview with Azov Nazi leader Biletsky (archived) it yesterday published an interview with the former leader of the fascist Right Sector in Odessa Serhii Sterneneko. Sterneneko had a leading role in the 2014 massacres in Maidan Square and at the Trade Union’s House in Odessa. The Times is whitewashing his participation in those events. It does not mind to publish his threats against Zelenski: “[A]mong Ukraine’s younger generation of soldiers and civilians, Sternenko’s brand of truth to power has wide popularity. “I say what I think, and people like what I say.”

His views on President Putin’s demand for Ukraine to cede the territory it defends in the eastern Donbas region as a precondition for possible peace are typically direct. “If [President] Zelensky were to give any unconquered land away, he would be a corpse — politically, and then for real,” Sternenko said. “It would be a bomb under our sovereignty. People would never accept it.” Sternenko, who himself has avoided the draft, wants the war to go on forever: “Indeed, as he discussed Russian intransigence and President Trump’s efforts to end the war, Sternenko’s thoughts on the possibility of peace appeared to be absent of any compromise over Ukrainian soil. “At the end there will only be one victor, Russia or Ukraine,” he said. “If the Russian empire continues to exist in this present form then it will always want to expand. Compromise is impossible. The struggle will be eternal until the moment Russia leaves Ukrainian land.”

Other British media continue to promote the rise of Nazi affiliated figures in Ukraine. The Guardian adds by promoting the presidential campaign of the former Ukrainian general and now ambassador to the UK Valeri Zaluzhny: In private conversations, Zaluzhnyi has not confirmed he plans to go into politics, but he has allowed himself to speculate on what kind of platform he could propose if he does make the decision. Those close to him say he sees Israel as a model, despite its current bloody actions in Gaza, viewing it as a small country surrounded by enemies and fully focused on defence.

He would style himself as a tough, wartime leader who would promise “blood, sweat and tears” to the Ukrainian people in return for saving the nation, channelling Winston Churchill. In one private conversation, he said: “I don’t know if the Ukrainian people will be ready for that, ready for these tough policies.” A day before being fired as the commander of the Ukrainian army Zaluzhny took a selfie with the leader of the fascist Right Sector and commander of Right Sector brigade of Ukrainian military in front of a portrait of Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera and the fascist OUN flag.

Musical chairs solve nothing. It would still be Azov.

• Zaluzhny ‘Biding Time’ To Challenge Zelensky – Guardian (RT)

There is an “increasing belief” in Kiev that former commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, is preparing to go head-to-head with Vladimir Zelensky in a potential presidential race, The Guardian has claimed. Amid growing tensions, Ukrainian leader Zelensky removed the general from his post in February 2024 and dispatched him to the UK to serve as Kiev’s ambassador. In an article on Monday, The Guardian claimed that while Zaluzhny has painstakingly concealed any political ambition he may have, “many assume he is just biding his time before entering the fray.” The British newspaper cited the general-turned-envoy’s supposed musings as to how he would present himself to Ukrainian voters and what platform he would run on, should he decide to vie for the presidency.

The outlet further stated that Zaluzhny has been receiving a steady flow of Ukrainian and Western dignitaries at both the embassy in London and in Kiev earlier this year. The Guardian also quoted anonymous sources as saying that in March, following the infamous showdown between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House, Vice President J.D. Vance secretly reached out to Zaluzhny, in an apparent attempt to sound him out as a potential alternative leader. He reportedly turned down Vance’s overtures. Last week, freelance journalist Katie Livingstone claimed that Zaluzhny was “quietly preparing a run for president – in direct opposition to Zelensky.” She quoted an unnamed source as suggesting that his team had “effectively begun” an unofficial PR campaign.

Zaluzhny’s press representative was quick to deny the speculation. A survey of 1,000 people in Ukraine conducted July 4-5 by ‘Rating’ indicated that the former commander-in-chief was trusted by 73% of respondents. That would put him in first place among political figures in the country, with Zelensky trailing six percentage points behind, the poll suggested. Another survey by a different pollster in late June showed that 41% of Ukrainians believed the country was drifting toward authoritarianism. Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024, but he has refused to hold new elections, citing martial law. The Kremlin insists that the Ukrainian leader has lost legitimacy.

“69% of citizens “favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible.” Just 24% wish to keep fighting.”

• CIA’s Covert Ukraine Invasion Plan (Kit Klarenberg)

On August 7th, US polling giant Gallup published the remarkable results of a survey of Ukrainians. Public support for Kiev “fighting until victory” has plummeted to a record low “across all segments” of the population, “regardless of region or demographic group.” In a “nearly complete reversal from public opinion in 2022,” 69% of citizens “favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible.” Just 24% wish to keep fighting. However, vanishingly few believe the proxy war will end anytime soon. The reasons for Ukrainian pessimism on this point are unstated, but an obvious explanation is the intransigence of President Volodymyr Zelensky, encouraged by his overseas backers – Britain in particular. London’s reverie of breaking up Russia into readily-exploitable chunks dates back centuries, and became turbocharged in the wake of the February 2014 Maidan coup. In July that year, a precise blueprint for the current proxy conflict was published by the Institute for Statecraft, a NATO/MI6 cutout founded by veteran British military intelligence apparatchik Chris Donnelly.

In response to the Donbass civil war, Statecraft advocated targeting Moscow with a variety of “anti-subversive measures”. This included “economic boycott, breach of diplomatic relations,” as well as “propaganda and counter-propaganda, pressure on neutrals.” The objective was to produce “armed conflict of the old-fashioned sort” with Russia, which “Britain and the West could win.” While we are now witnessing in real-time the brutal unravelling of Donnelly’s monstrous plot, Anglo-American designs of using Ukraine as a beachhead for all-out war with Moscow date back far further.

In August 1957, the CIA secretly drew up elaborate plans for an invasion of Ukraine by US special forces. It was hoped neighbourhood anti-Communist agitators would be mobilized as footsoldiers to assist in the effort. A detailed 200-page report, Resistance Factors and Special Forces Areas, set out demographic, economic, geographical, historical and political factors throughout the then-Soviet Socialist Republic that could facilitate, or impede, Washington’s quest to ignite local insurrection, and in turn the USSR’s ultimate collapse. The mission was forecast to be a delicate and difficult balancing act, as much of Ukraine’s population held “few grievances” against Russians or Communist rule, which could be exploited to foment an armed uprising.

Just as problematically, “the long history of union between Russia and Ukraine, which stretches in an almost unbroken line from 1654 to the present day,” resulted in “many Ukrainians” having “adopted the Russian way of life”. Problematically, there was thus a pronounced lack of “resistance to Soviet rule” among the population. The “great influence” of Russian culture over Ukrainians, “many influential positions” in local government being held “by Russians or Ukrainians sympathetic to [Communist] rule, and “relative similarity” of their “languages, customs, and backgrounds”, meant there were “fewer points of conflict between the Ukrainians and Russians” than in Warsaw Pact nations. Throughout those satellite states, the CIA had to varying success already recruited clandestine networks of “freedom fighters” as anti-Communist Fifth Columnists. Yet, the Agency remained keen to identify potential “resistance” actors in Ukraine:

“Some Ukrainians are apparently only slightly aware of the differences which set them apart from Russians and feel little national antagonism. Nevertheless, important grievances exist, and among other Ukrainians there is opposition to Soviet authority which often has assumed a nationalist form. Under favorable conditions, these people might be expected to assist American Special Forces in fighting against the regime.”

But Russia will.

• US Won’t Play Key Role In Ukraine’s Security Guarantees – Trump (RT)

Europe must take the lead in providing “significant security guarantees” to Ukraine, US President Donald Trump said on Monday. Washington’s role will be supportive rather than primary, he stressed. “Europe is going to give them significant security guarantees – and they should, because they’re right there,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office. He added that Washington would remain involved “from the standpoint of backup.” This isn’t the first time Trump has clarified Washington’s role in resolving the Ukraine conflict. Speaking in the Oval Office last week with Vladimir Zelensky, Trump was asked if security guarantees for Kiev could involve US troops. We’ll let you know that maybe later today, we’re meeting with the leaders of seven great countries. There will be a lot of help. Europe is the first line of defense because they are there, but we’re going to help, we’ll be involved.

Since the talks with Zelensky Trump has also clarified that as far as Washington is concerned, Ukraine getting Crimea back and joining NATO are both “impossible.” He told Fox & Friends last Tuesday that Kiev had approached the US-led military bloc to seek help in trying to get the peninsula back. “They went in and said ‘We want to get Crimea back’. This was at the beginning,” Trump revealed. “The other thing they said was ‘We want to be a member of NATO’. Well, both of those things are impossible.” “It was always a no-no,” both during the time of the Soviet Union, and now with Russia, Trump explained, adding that Russia has always stressed it did not want “the enemy” on its border. Zelensky said on Saturday that new details of security guarantees for Ukraine would be ready “in the coming days.”

“The teams of Ukraine, the United States, and European partners” are working together on the architecture of these guarantees, he said. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that “robust security guarantees will be essential” and claimed that Washington, despite its limited role, would remain part of the process. Zelensky and his Western European backers have called for “Article 5-like guarantees” that would obligate countries to respond collectively if Ukraine were attacked. He also proposed defining which states would be responsible for ground support, air defense, and maritime security, alongside commitments to fund Ukraine’s armed forces.

Speaking in Kiev on Friday, Rutte called for strengthening Ukraine’s military capacity and putting in place binding guarantees from Europe and the US. Some nations have even floated sending peacekeepers, while Canada has not ruled out contributing troops. Washington has rejected deploying ground forces but left open the possibility of air support. After meeting Trump earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that Ukraine’s security must be ensured but warned against solutions that exclude Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that guarantees “must be subject to consensus” and denounced proposals involving foreign military intervention as “absolutely unacceptable.”

The Supreme Court as a woke podium.

• The Judicial Calvinball of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (Turley)

“I just feel that I have a wonderful opportunity.” Those words of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson came in a recent interview, wherein the justice explained how she felt liberated after becoming a member of the Supreme Court “to tell people in my opinions how I feel about the issues. And that’s what I try to do.” Jackson’s sense of liberation has increasingly become the subject of consternation on the court itself, as she unloads on her colleagues in strikingly strident opinions. Most recently, Jackson went ballistic after her colleagues reversed another district court judge who issued a sweeping injunction barring the Trump Administration from canceling roughly $783 million in grants in the National Institutes of Health. Again writing alone, Jackson unleashed a tongue-lashing on her colleagues, who she suggested were unethical, unthinking cutouts for Trump.

She denounced her fellow justices, stating, “This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this administration always wins.” For some of us who have followed Jackson’s interestingly controversial tenure on the court, it was crushingly ironic. Although Jackson accused her colleagues of following a new rule that they must always rule with Trump, she herself is widely viewed as the very embodiment of the actual rule of the made-up game based on the comic strip of Calvin and Hobbes. In Jacksonian jurisprudence, it often seems like there are no fixed rules, only fixed outcomes. She then attacks her colleagues for a lack of integrity or empathy. To quote Calvin, Jackson proves that “there’s no problem so awful that you can’t add some guilt to it and make it even worse.”

Jackson has attacked her colleagues in opinions, shattering traditions of civility and restraint. Her colleagues have clearly had enough. She now regularly writes diatribes that neither of her fellow liberals — Justices Sonia Sotomayor or Elena Kagan — are willing to sign on to. Indeed, she has raged against opinions that her liberal colleagues have joined. Take Stanley v. City of Sanford. Justices Jackson and Neil Gorsuch took some fierce swings at each other in a case concerning a retired firefighter who wants to sue her former employer. The majority, including Kagan, rejected a ridiculous claim from a Florida firefighter who sued for discrimination for a position that she had neither held nor sought.

The court ruled that the language of the statute clearly required plaintiffs to be “qualified” for a given position before they could claim to have been denied it due to discrimination. (Stanley has Parkinson’s disease and had taken a disability retirement at age 47 due to the progress of the disease.) Jackson, however, was irate that Stanley could not sue for the denial of a position that she never sought, held, or was qualified to perform. Jackson accused the majority of once again showing how “pure textualists can easily disguise their own preferences as ‘textual’ inevitabilities.” It was not only deeply insulting, but perfectly bizarre, given that Kagan had joined in the majority opinion. Kagan is about as pure a textualist judge as she is a pure taxidermist.

“Good luck with that plan when the FBI turns up tomorrow at your place of work.”

• Trump Fires Fed Governor Lisa Cook For “Potentially Criminal Conduct” (ZH)

Update (2330ET): Former Fed governor Lisa Cook says she will not resign, the Washington Post reports, citing a statement from Cook. “President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” Cook said through a spokeswoman: WaPo “I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have been doing since 2022,” Cook said. Good luck with that plan when the FBI turns up tomorrow at your place of work.
* * *
Promises made… promises kept… On Friday, President Trump warned that he would fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook who allegedly “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms” if she didn’t resign… She immediately played the victim card, claiming she “would not be bullied”. But now that is moot as President Trump has fired her, effective immediately: ” I have determined that there is sufficient cause to remove you from your position…
…
The Federal Reserve has tremendous responsibility for setting interest rates and regulating reserve and member banks. The American people must be able to have full confidence in the honesty of the members entrusted with setting policy and overseeing the Federal Reserve. In light of your deceitful and potentially criminal conduct in a financial matter, they cannot and I do not have such confidence in your integrity. At a minimum, the conduct at issue exhibits the sort of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.”

If/when Cook leaves/is fired, Trump will have a majority on the Fed board pic.twitter.com/6Hxn8f2PPw

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) August 21, 2025

“Everybody else is cancelling currency and putting in capital controls, and Trump is going in the opposite direction.”

“I still want to have one of those $500 notes.”

• War, Trump’s New $500 Note & Volcanos -Martin Armstrong (USAW)

Five weeks ago, legendary financial and geopolitical cycle analyst Martin Armstrong warned his “Socrates” predictive computer program showed a “100% Chance of Nuclear War.” After that, Trump was able to get Putin to Alaska to start meaningful peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The chance for war is still 100%, but now, that war may not involve America. Armstrong explains, “My sources in Ukraine are telling me the losses on the battlefield are approaching 1.8 million, 5 million fled to Russia, 8 million fled to the EU. . .. Ukraine is about ready to fall apart. . .. I spread this to Washington and that is President Zelensky was sending $50 million per month to UAE. So, Zelensky has been preparing to leave. There is no way this guy could possibly retire in Ukraine. They will kill him.”

Does this mean the war may be over? Zelensky and nearly all of Europe’s leaders came to Washington recently to meet with President Trump, but it really was not to talk peace. Armstrong says, “The fact that all those leaders came to Washington—uninvited, they all met with Zelensky before they went to meet with Trump. Why did they come? Because they need war. I have warned Washington.” So, if Europe starts a wider war with Russia, will Trump stay out of it? Armstrong says, “Yes, Trump said no American troops from what I have been told. Trump refuses to send any American troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers—period.”

Reading between the lines, does this mean Trump is putting the EU on notice we are not going to Article 5 in if you start a war? Armstrong says, “Article 5 is voluntary. I have made this very clear to them in Washington. You don’t have to participate. . .. I can’t stop the war. The best I can do is reduce the amplitude. If I can keep America out of this war, that is our best outcome. . .. Europe knows it’s in trouble financially. They have $335 billion of Russian assets frozen. France has about $71 billion. . .. The rumor going around right now is if there is a peace deal and they have to release those frozen assets, France can’t because they have been dipping into them. Europe is a complete mess. When it comes down to handing back $335 billion in Russian assets, I am not sure Europe is prepared to do that.”

Armstrong says forget all the talk of the elite wanting to get rid of cash and replace it with digital currency. Armstrong says, “No, no, no. Why is Trump talking about a $500 note. . .. Trump would not even contemplate doing a $500 bill if he was going to cancel the currency. Everybody else is cancelling currency and putting in capital controls, and Trump is going in the opposite direction. . .. Gold is still projected to go much higher because it is anticipating war.”

One of the surprising things Armstrong brought up are new signals from “Socrates” on increasing volcanic activity all over the world. Hawaii’s Kilauea eruption happened for the 31st time since December on Friday. It spewed lava for 12 hours, and then there was the recent eruption in Northeast Russia that had a huge eruption after 600 years of lying dormant. Armstrong says, “We have every data base in there. Earthquakes, volcanos and temperatures back to 1869 from New York City. It does not show global warming. . .. The computer says we are heading to global cooling and not global warming. . .. The computer is showing from 2025 on, we are going to be seeing a lot more volcanic activity. I just got off the phone with someone from Italy, and they say the super volcano there is starting to become active.”

In closing, Armstrong says, “I still want to have one of those $500 notes.”]

“The black King of Dahomey.”

• A Lesson on Slavery for CNN (Paul Craig Roberts)

The saga of American slavery has more holes in it than the Zionist saga of the Holocaust. Recently President Trump wondered about the woke Smithsonian Institute’s fixation on slavery as if it was the principal problem the world faces today. The liberal media had a hissy fit. CNN rushed to do a program on slavery, the woke rectification for which is multiculturalism and the replacement of the white racist population by people of color. This is the political agenda of the Democrat Party. To watch white people so determined to achieve their own destruction by voting Democrat is amazing. The response made by those critical of CNN’s attack on white Americans was that slavery was a matter of the distant past, and we made amends for our responsibility in a civil war.

What nonsense. No American ever had any responsibility for slavery. The black King of Dahomey did. Here are the undeniable, indisputable, basic facts: Over the course of history far more white people have been slaves than blacks. Some of these white slaves were held by Romans and other conquerors in ancient times. Most were held by people of color who raided Europe’s Mediterranean coast for slaves. Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the US (1801-1809) had to send the US Navy and Marines to “the shores of Tripoli” to stop the North Africans from capturing American ships and enslaving their passengers and crews. In the New World (Caribbean Islands, North and South America) European colonists found abundant resources but no labor force.

British and European sea captains saw a business opportunity in purchasing slaves from the black King of Dahomey and selling them to the colonists as a labor force. The black King of Dahomey conducted annual slave wars against other blacks and sold the surplus to Arabs and to European sea captains. No white colonist in what later became the United States ever enslaved a black person. They purchased blacks already enslaved by the black King of Dahomey. When the United States came into existence in the late 18th century, slavery was an inherited institution. Slavery existed as the labor force for large agricultural plantations, the agri-businesses of the time. The plantations using slave labor did not enslave the slaves. They purchased already enslaved labor as no work force was available.

In the United States slavery was doomed as the frontier closed. Slavery had a long life because white immigrants who entered America could avoid becoming agricultural labor by moving west and occupying land to which the native Americans had use rights but not ownership rights as understood in Western law. Thus the native inhabitants could be dispossessed. As the constant stream of immigrant-invaders, such as the US and Europe are experiencing today, continued, the Indian lands were settled by the immigrant-invaders and the frontier closed by 1890. Slavery could not have existed beyond that date and, in fact, could not have lasted that long. Slavery was costly compared to the wages of free labor.

Slavery was an expensive labor force. In 19th century America a male field hand cost $1,500. If a slave had blacksmith or carpenter skills, he cost $2,000. The price of a slave was three to four times the annual income of a skilled white man such as a blacksmith. Moreover, a slave, if he was to be productive, needed sufficient food, housing, and medical care. Moreover, he required respect and appreciation, Many of the slaves were warriors captured in the black King of Dahomey’s slave wars. They were experienced fighters and had to be treated with respect. For a white plantation owner to be surrounded by a large number of black men and for him to expect them to work required his respect and proper treatment of his labor force in which he had a large investment.

Propaganda such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin was northern war propaganda against the South. A few issues back, the City Journal posed the question of who was in charge of a rice or sugar plantation in the Caribbean when the one white owner, the only white on the premises, had a work force of 50 black men. The idea that it was customary to whip black warriors and to rape their wives is farfetched.

“Making God”

• ‘Godfather of AI’ Warns Superintelligent Machines Could Replace Humanity (ET)

Geoffrey Hinton, the pioneering computer scientist called the “godfather of AI,” has once again sounded the alarm that the very technology he helped bring to life could spell the end of humanity as we know it. In an interview clip released Aug. 18 as part of the forthcoming film “Making God,” Hinton delivered one of his starkest warnings yet. He said that humanity risks being sidelined—and eventually replaced—by machines far smarter than ourselves. “Most people aren’t able to comprehend the idea of things more intelligent than us,” Hinton, a Nobel Prize winner for physics and a former Google executive, said in the clip. “They always think, ‘Well, how are we going to use this thing?’ They don’t think, ‘Well, how’s it going to use us?’”

Hinton said he is “fairly confident” that artificial intelligence will drive massive unemployment, pointing to early examples of tech giants such as Microsoft replacing junior programmers with AI. But the larger danger, he said, goes far beyond the workplace. The only silver lining is that “it won’t eat us, because it’ll be made of silicon,” he said. Hinton, 77, has spent decades pioneering deep learning, the neural network architecture that underpins today’s artificial intelligence systems. His breakthroughs in the 1980s—particularly the invention of the Boltzmann machine, which could learn to recognize patterns in data—helped open the door to image recognition and modern machine learning.

That work earned him the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.” The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences noted how Hinton’s early use of statistical physics provided the conceptual leap that made today’s AI revolution possible. But Hinton has since emerged as one of the field’s fiercest critics, warning that its rapid development has outpaced society’s ability to keep it safe. In 2023, he resigned from his role at Google so he could speak freely about the risks without implicating the company. In his Nobel lecture, Hinton acknowledged the potential benefits of AI—such as productivity gains and new medical treatments that could be a “wonderful advance for all humanity.” Yet he also warned that creating digital beings more intelligent than humans poses an “existential threat.”

“I wish I’d thought about safety issues too,” he said during the recent Ai4 conference in Las Vegas, reflecting on his career. He noted that he now regrets solely focusing on making AI work, rather than anticipating its risks. Hinton has previously estimated that there is a 10 percent to 20 percent chance that AI could wipe out humanity. In a June episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, he said that the engineers behind today’s AI systems don’t fully understand the technology and broadly fall into two camps: one that believes in a dystopian future where humans are displaced, and the other that dismisses such fears as science fiction. “I think both of those positions are extreme,” Hinton said. “I often say 10 percent to 20 percent chance [for AI] to wipe us out. But that’s just gut, based on the idea that we’re still making them and we’re pretty ingenious. And the hope is that if enough smart people do enough research with enough resources, we’ll figure out a way to build them so they’ll never want to harm us.”

“If not for its exclusive deal with OpenAI, Apple would have no reason to refrain from more prominently featuring the X app and the Grok app in its App Store.”

• Musk Takes On Apple, OpenAI In Antitrust Showdown Over Chatbots (ZH)

Elon Musk’s X and xAI have filed a federal lawsuit in Fort Worth, Texas, accusing Apple and OpenAI of “locking up markets” to preserve their monopolies and shut out rivals. This comes as Musk’s long-running feud with OpenAI chief Sam Altman intensifies. The lawsuit centers on Apple’s recent deal to make OpenAI’s ChatGPT the only generative AI chatbot on the iPhone’s operating system, effectively shutting out xAI’s Grok and other rivals, such as Google’s Gemini and Anthropic. The lawsuit’s introduction argues that Apple and OpenAI have teamed up to protect their monopolies in smartphones and AI chatbots:

“This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: artificial intelligence (“AI”). Working in tandem, Defendants Apple and OpenAI have locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing.1 Plaintiffs bring this suit to stop Defendants from perpetrating their anticompetitive scheme and to recover billions in damages. AI is fundamentally reshaping our world. Technology powered by AI has not only become embedded in our daily lives but is also transforming critical sectors like healthcare, education, and finance.

The consensus among global business leaders, academics, and scientists is that AI adoption is both unavoidable and transformational—and businesses that do not plan for it risk falling behind. As Apple now recognizes, AI poses an existential threat to its business. For example, AI is rapidly advancing the rise of “super apps”—i.e., multi-functional platforms that offer many of the services of smartphones, such as social connectivity and messaging, financial services, e-commerce, and entertainment—that do not require a customer to be tied to a particular device. In other words, super apps, like those being developed by X and xAI, stand ready to upend the smartphone market and Apple’s entrenched monopoly in it.

The writing is on the wall. Apple’s Senior Vice President for Services, Eddy Cue, has expressed worries that AI might destroy Apple’s smartphone business, just as Apple’s iPhone did to Nokia’s handsets. Apple knows it cannot escape the inevitable—at least not alone. In a desperate bid to protect its smartphone monopoly, Apple has joined forces with the company that most benefits from inhibiting competition and innovation in AI: OpenAI, a monopolist in the market for generative AI chatbots. OpenAI quickly rose to dominance in the generative AI chatbot market after introducing its flagship service, ChatGPT, in 2022. Today, OpenAI controls at least 80 percent of the market. Because of OpenAI’s monopoly, other generative AI chatbots have struggled to gain share. xAI’s Grok has yet to gain more than a few percent of the market despite accolades about its superior features.

Just like Apple, OpenAI has incentive to protect its monopoly by thwarting competition and innovation in the generative AI chatbot market. And just like Apple, it has done so in violation of the antitrust laws.

In June 2024, Apple and OpenAI announced that Apple would integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Apple’s iPhone operating system (“iOS”). Apple and OpenAI’s exclusive arrangement has made ChatGPT the only generative AI chatbot integrated into the iPhone. This means that if iPhone users want to use a generative AI chatbot for key tasks on their devices, they have no choice but to use ChatGPT, even if they would prefer to use more innovative and imaginative products like xAI’s Grok. An OpenAI strategy document recognized the importance of competition in this emerging and transformational space: “Real choice drives competition and benefits everyone. Users should be able to pick their AI assistant.” Yet Apple and OpenAI have colluded to prevent exactly that.”

Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation.

xAI will take immediate legal action.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025

X and xAI argue: “If not for its exclusive deal with OpenAI, Apple would have no reason to refrain from more prominently featuring the X app and the Grok app in its App Store.” Just a few weeks ago, Musk threatened Apple with legal action over alleged antitrust violations regarding the App Store rankings of the Grok AI chatbot. He wrote in an X post that Apple’s behavior “makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store.” Musk is seeking an injunction to block Apple and OpenAI’s exclusive chatbot deal and billions in damages. If successful, the case could reshape how AI bots are distributed on smartphones.

“Veldkamp, who previously served as Dutch ambassador to Israel, had advocated a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories..”

• Dutch Foreign Minister Quits Over Israel (RT)

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp has stepped down in protest over the coalition government’s refusal to impose sanctions on Israel for its actions in Gaza. The resignation of Veldkamp, along with the country’s Minister for Foreign Trade Hanneke Boerma, has reduced the Dutch caretaker government to holding just 32 out of 150 seats. In a statement on Saturday the foreign ministry said that “after a meeting of the cabinet on the situation in Gaza,” the Social Contract (NSC) party, of which both officials are members, decided to withdraw from the caretaker coalition government.Veldkamp, who previously served as Dutch ambassador to Israel, had advocated a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories in response to Israel’s continued military offensive in Gaza.

In a statement on its website on Friday, the party said that it had sought “additional measures” against Israel in light of the “increasingly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.” However, the other two coalition partners refused to back sanctions, prompting the NSC to pull out in protest. On Thursday, the Netherlands, along with 20 other nations, signed a joint declaration condemning Israeli plans to build an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank. Last month, Amsterdam declared two hardline Israeli ministers persona non grata. Back in June, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called on the EU to “immediately suspend” the EU-Israel association agreement and impose a ban on arms sales to Israel.

In light of the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza, a growing number of traditionally pro-Israel Western countries, including France and the UK, have expressed in recent months a readiness to officially recognize Palestinian statehood. Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the start of an operation to take full control of Gaza City. The conflict erupted after a Hamas incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left about 1,200 people dead and 250 taken hostage. According to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, more than 62,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed by Israeli strikes in the enclave since then.

They’e playing politics. But what do they think?

• US Scientists Axe ‘Woke’ To Keep Cash Flowing – WSJ (RT)

Researchers in the US have been revising their grant renewal applications en masse in recent months over fears that wording tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives could cost them government funding, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump, a long-time critic of what he views as “divisive” leftist narratives, has taken numerous steps to eradicate such policies and even associated language at the government level. Promoted by his predecessor Democrat Joe Biden, DEI programs sought to ensure that sexual and racial minorities were better represented in government agencies. The Trump administration has described the initiatives as “illegal and immoral discrimination.”

The WSJ wrote that at least 600 grant renewal applications since October 2024 had removed “terms associated with diversity, equity and inclusion,” such as “diverse,” “underrepresented,” and “disparities.” The outlet said it had reviewed thousands of applications for National Institutes of Health-funded projects in the fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Some scientists have also reportedly shifted the focus of studies that were originally centered on minority groups. A Johns Hopkins University spokesperson confirmed to the WSJ that “federal agencies have asked researchers to make modest modifications” before renewing grants. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order mandating a review of government DEI initiatives.

Addressing a joint session of Congress in March, Trump declared that “we’ve ended the tyranny of so-called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies all across the entire federal government and indeed the private sector and our military.” He stressed that appointments should be made strictly on the basis of skills and competence, not race or gender. The Trump administration has also targeted a number of elite universities, including Harvard, for their failure to address “anti-Semitic” protests in support of Palestine and abolish DEI policies, suspending federal funding and restricting international student enrollment.

A rose by any other name…

• Trump Proposes Renaming Department of Defense to Its Original Name (ET)

President Donald Trump proposed on Aug. 25 that his administration rename the Department of Defense to its previous name, the Department of War. “Pete, you started off by saying ’the Department of Defense.’ And somehow it didn’t sound good to me,” Trump said in the Oval Office, speaking to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after signing executive orders on fighting crime, including in Washington. “Defense. What are we, defense? Why are we defense? It used to be called the Department of War, and it had a stronger sound. And, as you know, we won World War I, we won World War II, we won everything. Now we have a Department of Defense. We’re defenders. I don’t know.” Hegseth, standing behind Trump, said the name change is on the way. “That’s coming soon, sir,” he told Trump.

Trump said that “Department of War” sounds better than “Department of Defense.” “Defense? I don’t want to be Defense only. We want defense, but we want offense too, if that’s OK,” he said, adding that “as Department of War, we won everything, we won everything. And I think we’re going to have to go back to that.” Trump touted bringing an end to conflicts between India and Pakistan and the Congo and Rwanda. This was not the first time Trump had suggested changing the Defense Department back to its previous name. “You know it used to be called secretary of war,” Trump told reporters on June 25 at the NATO summit in the Netherlands. “Maybe for a couple of weeks we’ll call it that because we feel like warriors.” He introduced Hegseth as “secretary of war.” “Then we became politically correct and they called it secretary of defense,” Trump said. “Maybe we’ll have to think about changing it. But we feel that way.”

Prior to becoming defense secretary, Hegseth called for changing the Defense Department back to its old name. “Sure, our military defends us. And in a perfect world it exists to deter threats and preserve peace,” he wrote in his 2024 memoir, “The War on Warriors—Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.” “But ultimately its job is to conduct war. We either win or lose wars. And we have warriors, not ‘defenders. Bringing back the War Department may remind a few people in Washington, D.C., what the military is supposed to do, and do well.” The Defense Department was called the Department of War when it was established in 1789. In 1947, President Harry Truman changed the name after merging it with the Navy Department. He signed the National Security Act, which established the position of secretary of defense. It also established the National Security Council, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the U.S. Air Force.

Once you have a Department of War, a Peace Nobel can’t be far behind.

• Giving Trump The Nobel Peace Prize Makes Some Sense (Lukyanov)

In the early 1980s, former US President Jimmy Carter visited Stockholm. At a reception he approached Stig Ramel, the long-serving executive director of the Nobel Foundation, and asked with some bitterness why he had not received the Peace Prize for brokering the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. “If I had been awarded it, I might have been re-elected for a second term,” Carter remarked. He had lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Ramel’s reply was blunt: “I’m sorry, Mr. President, but you were not nominated.” The 1978 prize went instead to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Carter’s story illustrates how the Nobel Prize has always been as much about timing and perception as about substance. And it brings us neatly to Donald Trump.

Unlike Carter, Trump has no problem with nominations. They come thick and fast, from Rwanda, Cambodia, Gabon, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and beyond. Individuals and organizations have joined the chorus. Trump has even gone a step further: he has demanded the prize outright, loudly and repeatedly. Vanity, not diplomacy, drives him. Carter sought the award to improve his electoral prospects. Trump simply wants every trophy on the shelf. Does the spectacle make sense? Strictly speaking, to be considered this year Trump had to be nominated by January 31 – just ten days after his return to the White House. Yet precedent suggests this is no obstacle. Barack Obama received the Peace Prize in his first year as president, when he had scarcely done anything to warrant it.

Alfred Nobel’s will set out clear criteria: the prize should go to the person who has done most “for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the promotion of peace congresses.” Judged against that standard, Trump looks an unlikely candidate. He is one of the most polarizing figures on the planet. America’s military budget is heading toward a record $1 trillion in 2026, hardly a sign of “reduction of standing armies.” Yet the White House insists Trump deserves recognition. Officials cite half a dozen cases, from preventing nuclear war between India and Pakistan to halting conflicts in smaller states. The centerpiece, of course, is Ukraine. Washington is hinting that Trump’s approach may finally bring the war to a close – with the timing of any peace announcement conveniently close to the Nobel Committee’s own deliberations.

The pitch has not been flawless. In touting his record, Trump recently confused Armenia with Albania. But these are minor slips. What matters is the narrative: that Trump alone can impose order where others have failed. Is the Nobel Committee likely to indulge him? Its members are not known for rewarding bluster. But Europe’s leaders are desperate to appease Washington’s eccentric benefactor. It is not inconceivable that some will lobby behind the scenes in Trump’s favor. In one sense, awarding him the prize would not be absurd. The Nobel Committee has always sought to encourage gestures toward peace, however imperfect. Today, in a world of upheaval, genuine solutions are scarce. At best, one can try to ease tensions.

Trump, in his way, is doing just that – using every tool available, from demonstrative military threats to wild rhetoric and economic coercion. Others are doing even less. To paraphrase Lenin, a Nobel for Trump would be “essentially justified, formally a mockery.” It would capture the spirit of the age: a prize not for genuine reconciliation but for the ability to posture as a peacemaker in a fractured world. Carter, who once felt slighted, eventually did receive the award – more than twenty years after leaving office, in recognition of his peacemaking work as an ex-president. The Camp David accords remain in force to this day, a rare achievement in Middle East diplomacy. Trump is cut from a different cloth. He will not wait decades. By age and by temperament, he demands everything now. Or never at all.

“Well, I mean, I’m talking about the — the — I had had, there was a. . . . —Ghislaine Maxwell

• Ghislaine ‘Splainin’ (James Howard Kunstler)

Did you happen to bother reading the transcript of Ghislaine Maxwell’s interview? It’s tough sledding at times — both Ms. Maxwell and Deputy AG Todd Blanche tend to speak in choppy, incomplete sentences (as does, you might have noticed, President Trump) — but altogether the confab reveals that just about everything you think you know about the scandal might not be so, and her story is full of shocking surprises, assuming you can believe her. For instance, Ms. Maxwell had exactly one night of actual sex with Jeffrey Epstein back in the 1990s, a few months after they met, and that was it. He had problems with straight-up sex, she says. At first, he claimed to have a heart condition.

She says he had erectile difficulty “. . . which meant that he didn’t have intercourse a lot, which suited me fine, because I actually do have a medical condition, which precludes me having a lot of intercourse,” she added. (We never learn what that condition was, exactly.) Anyway, she never had sex with him again. Huh. . .? There goes one pillar of the public perception of the scandal: that Ghislaine Maxwell was a sort of nymphomaniac consort of Mr. Epstein, while supposedly acting as chief procurer of his masseuse “victims” and that the whole decades-long saga was a cavalcade of threesomes and orgies. She even claims at one point of being “a prude.” So, what was her role in JE’s complicated life? Basically, a property manager, she says. You know, all those houses and compounds: the mansion on East 71st Street, the Palm Beach place, the ranch in New Mexico, Little St. James Island, a flat in Paris.

It was a lot to manage. She had to hire architects, construction crews, interior decorators, servants. There were horses to care for at the ranch. It was a lot. She didn’t even have a key to JE’s New York City townhouse and was there only twice, she told Mr. Blanche. During that time, JE had other girlfriends while in the early 2000s, Ms. Maxwell hooked up with the billionaire founder of Gateway Computers, Ted Waitt. He bought a big boat for them to start-up an oceanic research venture. The relationship foundered when, she says, a sketchy lawyer named Scott Rothstein, working for a crooked Florida law firm that was under a RICO investigation at the time, attempted to extract $10-million from Waitt to keep Ms. Maxwell’s name out of lawsuits brought by women claiming to be “victims” of Epstein’s massage shenanigans.

Ms. Maxwell claims that Epstein’s masseuses, underage or otherwise, were recruited by the original masseuses, not by her (Ms. Maxwell). Ms. Maxwell was out of Epstein’s life after 2009, when he got out of jail on state of Florida charges of soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution. This was preceded by a sketchy federal case brought in the Southern District of Florida that ended with a peculiar non-prosecution agreement — when US Attorney Alexander Acosta was told to lay off on account of Epstein being an “intel asset.” Ms. Maxwell states in the new deposition that JE was not associated with any intel agency, claiming it would have been in his nature to brag about it. It would help if FBI chief Kash Patel or CIA head John Ratcliffe could clarify that. They would surely know, one way or the other.

Of course, the heart of all the salacious chatter about Epstein is the claim that he worked for Israel’s Mossad intel agency, and that many eminent global persons were recorded having sex with underage masseuses in order to blackmail them (and, supposedly, allow nefarious hidden parties to control world political affairs.) Ms. Maxwell maintains that this is not so. She says there were no hidden cameras in bedrooms or elsewhere in the many Epstein properties or airplanes, and that she would know because she hired the electricians who installed everything else in them. There were only the usual security cameras on front entrances and gates. . . except for the Palm Beach house where local police installed a camera in JE’s office to catch a thief who was stealing cash stashed there. (Turned out to be JE’s butler, who was fired.)

Another thread at the center of the Epstein rumor mill is the notorious Epstein client list — supposedly of notables alleged to have cavorted with Epstein’s masseuses. Ms. Maxwell claims there was no such list, that a fake list was concocted by attorney Brad Edwards who represented women claiming to be Epstein “victims” in the lawsuit connected with the $10-million Ted Waitt blackmail caper. The list was composed from notes supposedly made off a computer by that same Epstein butler, one Alfredo Rodriguez. When interviewed in 2007, Rodriguez failed to produce the so-called “black book.” In 2009, he offered to sell it to attorney Brad Edwards (representing various “victims”) for $50,000. In 2010, Rodriguez was convicted of obstruction of justice and sentenced to 18 months in prison. He died in 2015.

A lot of monkey business in all this, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps the most astounding point is Ms. Maxwell’s assertion that no government attorney (or any other official, including from the FBI) ever interviewed her, or even called her on the telephone, during all the years of legal wrangling that went on. Say, what. . . ? How could that possibly be? Well, apparently it is so.

SV40

RFK Jr: "The polio vaccine contained a virus called SV40."

"It's one of the most carcinogenic materials that is known to man."

"But it was in that vaccine. 98 million people… in my generation got it."

"And now you've had this explosion of soft tissue cancers in our… pic.twitter.com/54XZAoeNoS

— healthbot (@thehealthb0t) August 25, 2025

Dr. Kevin Reese suggests that "dementia is linked to statin drugs."

"Statin drugs came out in 1987… Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia spiked in the 1990s."

"Now you see it all the time… Why? Because so many people are on statins, which means you're not getting enough… pic.twitter.com/lDYhXVk3Im

— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) August 25, 2025

Blue Dragon

Spanish beaches are closing after the invasion of the potentially deadly blue dragon sea creatures as the venomous species continues to spread across the country.

This comes as tourists were banned from going into the water along an entire seven-mile stretch of Spain's Costa… pic.twitter.com/CSjYw0uAYL

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 25, 2025

Bees

Bees have pollen baskets, also known as corbiculae, are specialized concave structures on the hind legs of female bees, who carry pollen back to the hive

These baskets are full pic.twitter.com/2TxnKv0FB3

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) August 25, 2025

https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1960045888170004599

Bird

Photographer Shaaz Jung captured a rare and enchanting moment: An elephant, deep within the mist-shrouded forest, stood in quiet communion with a tiny bird perched on his tusk. pic.twitter.com/HV70L95XQE

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 25, 2025

Pebble