Menu Icon

Debt Rattle March 23 2026

Mar 232026
 
 March 23, 2026  Posted by at 9:42 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  106 Responses »


Claude Monet Misty Morning on the Seine 1897

This website relies exclusively on readers’ support.


• Saudi Arabia & UAE Inch Closer To Joining US-Israeli War (MEE)
• Trump Gives Iran 48-Hour Ultimatum on Strait of Hormuz (Catherine Salgado)
• Iran’s New Supreme Leader Has Never Been Seen Since Taking Office (ZH)
• Netanyahu: 48 Hours Proved Iran Is the ‘Enemy of Civilization’ (Salgado)
• America’s War With Iran Could Destroy NATO From Within (Sadygzade)
• The Middle East Crisis Is Rewriting Energy Security Doctrine (Vaid)
• Join The US Military – Kill And Die For Israel (McGlinchey)
• Artificial Intelligence Is Taking Over Political Campaigns (George Caldwell)
• Report: Pentagon to Adopt Palantir as Core U.S. Military System (CTH)
• Trump Says ICE Will Run Airport Security If Dems Don’t Fund TSA (Salgado)
• Senate Democrats Are Quietly Plotting To Oust Chuck Schumer (ZH)
• Russia to Refer Childless Women for Psychiatric Evaluations (Martin Armstrong)
• Rhinos back in African Park For First Time After 40 Years (RT)

 


 

https://twitter.com/Thevictoria76/status/2035326809483706368?s=20 https://twitter.com/ivan_8848/status/2035321243969241307?s=20

 


 


Splitting up the Arab world.

• Saudi Arabia & UAE Inch Closer To Joining US-Israeli War (MEE)

Earlier this month, Elbridge Colby, a senior official in the US Department of War, held a call with Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, who is also the brother and top adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Iran’s attacks on US bases in the Gulf were heating up, and the US needed expanded access and overflight permissions. Saudi Arabia agreed to open King Fahd Air Base in Taif, in Western Saudi Arabia, to the Americans, multiple US and western officials familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.


The base is important because it is farther from Iranian Shahed drones than Prince Sultan Air Base, which has come under repeated Iranian attacks. Taif is also close to Jeddah, the Red Sea port that has become a critical logistics hub since Iran effectively took control of the Strait of Hormuz. Current and former US officials tell MEE that if the Trump administration is preparing for a longer war on Iran, Jeddah may be critical for sustaining US armed forces. Thousands of US ground troops are en route to the region from East Asia.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to expand base access, current and former officials say, underscores a shift in how the kingdom and some other Gulf states are responding to the US-Israeli war on Iran. “The attitude in Riyadh has shifted towards supporting the US war as a way to punish Iran for strikes,” a western official in the Gulf told MEE. Trump and the Saudi crown prince have been holding regular phone calls for the last three weeks, the US and western officials told MEE. The UAE has also told the US that it is geared up for a long war, putting no pressure on Washington to wrap up the conflict soon. In a phone call earlier this month, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed told his counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the UAE is prepared for the war to last up to nine months, the US official told MEE.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar lobbied US President Donald Trump against attacking Iran. While they host US military bases, the states insisted that they not be used as launchpads when the US joined Israel on 28 February to attack Iran. Despite this, the Gulf states have paid the heaviest price for the US’s decision to go to war. The UAE alone has intercepted 338 ballistic missiles and 1,740 drones since the start of the war. Qatar suffered the worst attack of any Gulf state despite being a critical mediator that has consistently focused on de-escalation. Iran responded to an Israeli attack on its South Pars gas field this week by launching missiles at Qatar’s Ras Laffan refinery. The damage will take three to five years to repair and affects 17 percent of Qatar’s gas production, according to Qatari energy minister Saad al-Kaabi.

Some states, like Oman, have said that Israel hoodwinked the US into launching an unlawful attack on Iran. There is also anger at the US over its value as a security guarantor. The US has been unable to replenish the Gulf states’ Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence interceptors. The US bases in the Gulf, meant to protect the Arab monarchies, have been targeted. Meanwhile, oil and gas exports have ground to a halt. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi wrote in The Economist this week that this is “not America’s war” and that Washington’s allies needed to make clear to the US that it was dragged into a conflict with little to gain.

Busaidi’s remarks contrasted with those of Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. After Riyadh and the port of Yanbu were attacked by Iran, he delivered a blistering message to the Islamic Republic. One former US intelligence official described it as “fighting words”. Farhan said Iran had committed “heinous attacks” which “are an extension of [Iran’s] behavior that is based on extortion and sponsoring militias, threatening the security and stability of neighbouring countries”. “Saudi Arabia has repeatedly tried to extend its hand to the Iranian brothers…but the Iranians did not reciprocate,” he said, adding that the kingdom reserved the right to take “military action”.

While no one in the Gulf wanted a war with Iran, the Gulf states are approaching the conflict from varied, evolving perspectives as it drags into its fourth week, experts say. Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the region, and like the UAE, it has ambitions to project hard power abroad. In fact, Saudi Arabia attacked the UAE’s allies in Yemen just before the war on Iran erupted. Oman has carved out a niche for itself as a mediator. As one of the countries least hit by Iran in the region, the relative security of its capital, Muscat, is also being noticed by expatriates leaving Dubai. “There is a divide emerging in the Gulf,” Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, who speaks with the Saudi Arabian crown prince, told MEE.

“Saudi Arabia and the UAE were neutral before this war. But as they have been attacked, they have come to the realization that they cannot live with this hardline Iranian regime next door, which can, at a moment’s notice, extort the region by closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he added. The Saudi capital, Riyadh, and the kingdom’s energy infrastructure have been targeted by Iran. But the conflict is widely seen in the region, and increasingly inside the US, as an Israeli power grab. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that Israel is guilty of committing genocide in Gaza. The Israeli war on the enclave has killed over 72,000 Palestinians since it started in October 2023.

Read more …

“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!”

• Trump Gives Iran 48-Hour Ultimatum on Strait of Hormuz (Catherine Salgado)

President Donald Trump has delivered a specific deadline to the terror-sponsoring Iranian regime to stop terrorizing a strategic waterway or face devastating consequences. On the afternoon of Saturday, March 21, Trump posted on Truth Social, “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”


The Trump administration has been trying to pressure other nations into helping patrol the Strait of Hormuz, which is actually much more necessary for their economies than for ours, but most of the governments have been reluctant to commit any resources. Great Britain, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands finally issued a joint statement expressing a willingness to help protect the strait, but it is not clear if they have actually provided the means to do so as of yet.

Besides Israel, which has been America’s partner in the joint Iran operation, none of our allies seemed eager to step up to the plate, and many of them actively complained about the operation. The Republic of Somaliland has offered a long-term military and economic partnership with the United States in exchange for recognition, but the Trump administration has not yet accepted the offer. Besides our allies’ whining and moaning, one of Trump‘s pet peeves throughout this Iran operation has been Western mainstream media claiming the operation has been a disaster for America. He addressed another such claim on Truth Social just before delivering his ultimatum to the Iranian regime.

“The United States has blown Iran off of the map, and yet their lightweight analyst, David Sanger, says that I haven’t met my own goals,” the president posted. “Yes I have, and weeks ahead of schedule! Their leadership is gone, their navy and air force are dead, they have absolutely no defense, and they want to make a deal. I don’t! We are weeks ahead of schedule. Just like their incompetent Election coverage of me, The Failing New York Times always gets it wrong!”Trump also hinted that the Iran operation is going so successfully that it might be coming to a close soon. In a Friday post, he declared:

We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran: (1) Completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability, Launchers, and everything else pertaining to them. (2) Destroying Iran’s Defense Industrial Base. (3) Eliminating their Navy and Air Force, including Anti Aircraft Weaponry. (4) Never allowing Iran to get even close to Nuclear Capability, and always being in a position where the U.S.A. can quickly and powerfully react to such a situation, should it take place. (5) Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others.”

As noted above, the strait remains a key area of concern for him as foreign hysteria about it impacts international energy prices. “The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!” Trump wrote bluntly. “If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”Israel and America are doing the whole world a favor by taking down the worst terror-sponsoring regime on the planet.

Read more …

First ever AI leader.

• Iran’s New Supreme Leader Has Never Been Seen Since Taking Office (ZH)

Amid widespread reporting that Iran had long ago moved into a emergency wartime decentralized command among autonomously-acting units, serious questions persist as to the role of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who replaced his slain father, longtime leader Ali Khamenei. What’s clear is that the new, younger Khamenei – who may have been wounded in the early days of US-Israeli strikes, hasn’t been seen in any public way, not even on TV, throughout the war. There have not so much as been official recent images of him circulated. This has raised obvious questions on the degree to which the Ayatollah is actually running the country and the wartime response, also after national security official Ali Larijani was killed. Larijani had clearly been the interim public face of the Islamic Republic, before his death less than a mere week ago (reportedly on March 17).


In the meantime The Wall Street Journal on Saturday writes that Iran is filling the gap of the Ayatollah’s public absence with AI and voice-overs: In his first, fiery address to the Iranian nation on March 12, new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to “avenge the blood of our martyrs” and to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. That message of defiance wasn’t delivered by Khamenei himself: It was read out on state television by a female news anchor. Since then, the mystery surrounding Khamenei’s whereabouts and well-being has only deepened. Khanenei hasn’t appeared in public, nor has the Iranian government issued new images of him or even recordings of his voice.

His 86-year old father did not appear to have been in hiding at all when he was slain by airstrike on the very first day of Operation Epic Fury. It could be that the younger Khamenei is directing the war from a much more secure and hidden setting, for example a deep underground bunker – or in a remote part of the country. Axios newly reports:The CIA, Mossad and other intelligence agencies around the world were watching during Nowruz on Friday to see whether Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei would follow his father’s tradition and give a new year’s address.The intrigue: When the holiday passed with only a written statement from Mojtaba, the mystery around his physical condition, whereabouts and role in Iran’s war effort deepened.

As for who is really at the helm of the Iranian state, there’s little doubt that the elite IRGC is now largely driving the response. To some degree, amid ongoing reports of assassinations by aerial bombing of a slew of top military leaders, it doesn’t ultimately matter who precisely is in charge. Iranian institutions have deep benches, in the sense that especially high military officials are replaceable.

https://twitter.com/MirzaMahan/status/2035371388861571168

At the same time, Tehran has signaled it is ready for a ‘long war’ – and will keep fighting while imposing a high cost on its attackers. This means it doesn’t have to ‘win’ in a conventional sense, but just has to survive and exact pain. The WSJ writes, “Three weeks into the war, the Iranian regime is signaling that it believes it is winning and has the power to impose a settlement on Washington that entrenches Tehran’s dominance of Middle East energy resources for decades to come.”

Read more …

And Bibi’s the friend?!

• Netanyahu: 48 Hours Proved Iran Is the ‘Enemy of Civilization’ (Salgado)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu impressed upon foreign nations griping about the joint U.S.-Israel Iran operation that the Islamic regime of Iran is an enemy to civilization — and even to human life itself.It is rare to find a conflict in history where one side is thoroughly evil and even demonic, while the other side is fighting for truly noble goals. But the fight between America and Israel (and the Persian people) on oneside and the terrorist Iran regime on the other is just such a conflict. The Iranian regime is literally illustrating that more every single day.


Just after an Iranian strike caused a mass casualty event in Arad, at least 25 people including a 10-year-old boy also suffered injuries from Iranian missile fire striking the city of Dimona, Israel. From the scene of the strike, Netanyahu said, “If anyone needed explanation of why Iran is the enemy of civilization, and the enemy and the danger to the entire world you got it in the last 48 hours.”

He explained further, “In the last 48 hours, they fired … on civilians, on children. There’s a children’s nursery here. There’s an old …person’s home here. Civilians, families, they fire terror weapons on civilians. And often they use cluster bombs, which are forbidden by international law.” Besides that, Netanyahu emphasized, “The second thing that [Iran’s regime] did is that they fired on Jerusalem right next to the holy places. They sent ballistic missiles that could have destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Western Wall, the three holiest sites to the three monotheistic religions, they don’t care. They fired at everyone.” https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2035025896440996079

Thirdly, Netanyahu stated, Iran’s regime “fired an intercontinental ballistic missile 4,000 kilometers right into Diego Garcia, the American British base. They can reach down with these ballistic missiles everywhere in Europe, almost everywhere in Europe. I’ve been warning that for years.” This is why NATO needs to quit whining about Donald Trump and realize this is their war too. Speaking of which, Netanyahu’s fourth point was Iran’s regime having “shut down the important maritime Strait of Hormuz trying to blackmail the world with oil — terror blackmail. Four things that they’re doing in 48 hours.”

Read more …

EU countries are doing that. Ever since it was founded.

80 years later, Trump is the first one to say something.

• America’s War With Iran Could Destroy NATO From Within (Sadygzade)

The widening confrontation driven by the military actions of the US and Israel against Iran is exposing something far larger than a regional crisis. It is revealing the accelerated decomposition of Western unity at the very moment when the old architecture of unchallenged American hegemony is visibly fading. In that sense, the strikes on Iran are not simply an act of escalation in one theater. They are a historical stress test for NATO itself, for the credibility of Washington’s leadership, and for the entire Western claim to strategic coherence in an age of global turbulence.


For decades, the Atlantic alliance rested on a simple assumption. The US would lead, Europe would follow, and even when there were frictions, the structure would hold because all parties believed that the preservation of American primacy was identical with the preservation of their own security. That formula is breaking down in real time. The war around Iran has made this impossible to ignore. Western European leaders are no longer merely expressing discreet discomfort or ritual concern. They are publicly and demonstratively refusing to be drawn into an American military adventure whose goals they do not understand, whose consequences they do not control, and whose costs they know they will be forced to absorb. Germany, France, the UK, and Spain have all rejected direct involvement in the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, while leading European officials have stated in essence that this is not their war, that Europe had not been properly consulted, and that Washington had not offered any convincing plan for success.

That matters because the dispute is not about tactics alone. It goes to the heart of alliance politics. If Washington can ignite a conflict with enormous global implications and then demand support from its allies after the fact, while offering neither consultation nor a credible endgame, then NATO ceases to function as an alliance of coordinated strategy and begins to resemble a system of imperial requisition. The Europeans understand this. Their refusal is a message, that the US increasingly treats its allies not as sovereign partners but as instruments to be mobilized after decisions have already been made in Washington and West Jerusalem. It says that when the strategic center becomes erratic, unilateral, and ready to externalize risk, the periphery begins to detach.

Donald Trump’s own rhetoric has thrown this reality into even sharper relief. When NATO members refused to support the American effort around Iran and to commit naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump did not respond as the steward of an alliance. He responded as a resentful patron whose clients had failed to obey. Media reports quoted him calling NATO’s refusal a very foolish mistake and making it clear that the US would remember that everyone agreed in words but did not want to help in deeds. In the same political atmosphere, he also signaled that because of American military power, the US no longer needed or desired NATO assistance and, in essence, never truly had. Washington is increasingly willing to threaten, humiliate, or discard its own allies whenever they cease to be tactically useful.

This is why the current split is so serious. It is not only Europe resisting a war. It is Europe being forced to confront the possibility that the US would rather risk the cohesion of NATO than restrain its own escalation. In other words, Washington appears increasingly ready to sacrifice not only the comfort and stability of its allies, but potentially the political substance of the alliance itself, if preserving American freedom of action requires it. That is what imperial decline often looks like. A hegemon in ascent builds institutions because institutions extend its reach. A hegemon in decay empties those same institutions of meaning because they begin to constrain its impulses.

Read more …

The EU is the odd one out.

• The Middle East Crisis Is Rewriting Energy Security Doctrine (Vaid)

Missile and drone attacks on energy hubs across the Gulf have drawn the wider US-Israeli war with Iran directly into the core of global energy routes. Within three weeks, the region has shifted from a zone of latent risk to the epicenter of heightened security concerns around energy infrastructure and commercial shipping. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries about 21% of global petroleum liquids, has transformed from background anxiety to an overt risk corridor. As insurers reassess exposure and tanker activity slows, the chokepoint itself has become the flashpoint for geopolitical contagion into energy markets.


A week into the conflict, the United States pledged naval escorts and broader supply side measures, however it failed to secure backing from European allies to get involved militarily. On March 19 a host of European countries, as well as Japan and Canada, had expressed their readiness to contribute to efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters on the same day in Brussels that Berlin would only involve itself in the region after military action comes to a halt, stating, We can and will only be able to get involved once the guns fall silent.

While various data and media report suggest that some tankers are effectively able to traverse the Straight, for which some countries, including Pakistan, China, Iraq, and Malaysia are having talks with Iran, safe navigation has still not been fully restored, and markets remain unconvinced that diplomatic signaling alone can quickly normalize flows.

Oil markets reacted swiftly, as Brent rose above $119 per barrel on March 19 before easing to about $109.85 on March 20, still leaving it nearly 7% higher for the week. More strikingly, the benchmark Middle East Dubai crude hit a record of around $166.80 per barrel, underlining how physical market tightness is now outpacing headline futures benchmarks. Analysts continue to warn that any sustained Hormuz disruption could push crude far higher. Even absent a full blockade, costlier freight, insurance, and rerouting are embedding a durable war premium, redefining OPEC+ s role, and especially the Saudi Russia axis, as guardians not just of oil prices but of the credibility of Gulf sea lane security itself.

Read more …

“Once again, US service members are thrown into an unjust war for a foreign power ..”

• Join The US Military – Kill And Die For Israel (McGlinchey)

President Trump’s decision to join Israel in launching a regime-change war on Iran has so far cost the lives of at least 13 American service members. More than 200 have been wounded, dozens seriously enough to require evacuations to military hospitals in Europe and the United States. Among them are individuals who’ve suffered traumatic brain injuries, burns and shrapnel wounds. One was facing potential amputation of an arm or leg. As much as these service members and their families are victims of Iran’s justified retaliation for a surprise attack perpetrated amid ongoing negotiations, they’re victims of a betrayal perpetrated by their president and the joint chiefs of staff, who cast them into an unconstitutional war of aggression, packaged in lies and initiated to advance the agenda of a foreign government, while undermining the security of their own country.


Of course, US casualties comprise a small subset of the total bloodshed. In executing this unjust war, Americans have collectively inflicted far more death and dismemberment than they’ve endured, teaming up with their Israeli counterparts to kill more than 3,000 Iranians, including some 150 schoolgirls — mostly between age 7 and 12 — whose school was destroyed by Tomahawk cruise missiles at the war’s very start.

Though it should have already been apparent, Operation Epic Fury should make clear that — service members’ good intentions aside — combat waged under the US flag rarely has anything to do with American security. Moreover — and I say this as former Army Reserve enlistee and Regular Army officer — anyone thinking of starting or extending a military career should understand that their government may send them to be killed, maimed or psychologically damaged, and to slaughter foreign innocents, so long as it helps those in power remain in the good graces of the extremists who rule Israel, and their powerful collaborators inside the United States.

A New Regime-Change War Built On False Premises
Under international law, a war of aggression is considered a supreme war crime unto itself, and Operation Epic Fury is precisely that. Like so many of America’s wars before it, this one was launched on false premises. Contrary to the US-Israeli narrative… Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon. In 2007, the US intelligence community assessed that Iran halted any effort to develop a nuclear weapon in 2003. Since then, the intelligence community has periodically re-validated that conclusion, most recently in March 2025. Belying Trump’s claim that the United States had only two weeks in which to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard this week testified that Iran had made “no efforts” to rebuild its enrichment capacity after it was devastated by last summer’s US bombing.

Note that, in 2005, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa — a formal interpretation of Islamic law — asserting that “the production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons are forbidden under Islam and that the Islamic Republic of Iran shall never acquire these weapons.” In the opening act of their latest warfare on Iran, the United States and Israel collaborated to kill him.

Iran did not stray from the 2015 nuclear deal until Trump did. When Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran was in full compliance. Among other things, the JCPOA required Iran to eliminate its medium-enriched uranium, slash its cache of low-enriched uranium by 98%, limit future enrichment to 3.67%, agree to even more external monitoring than it was already submitting to, and render its heavy-water reactor worthless by filling it with concrete. After Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA in 2018 and reinstated sanctions, Iran waited a year, but then began straying from its own commitments, using elevated enrichment as a lever to push for a new agreement and relief from suffocating sanctions. Iran says the JCPOA permitted it to suspend its commitments after Trump’s withdrawal, citing language governing “material breaches” and “significant non-performance.”

Read more …

How far can you go? What if you make your opponent say terribly racist things in AI?

• Artificial Intelligence Is Taking Over Political Campaigns (George Caldwell)

Artificial intelligence is dominating the 2026 midterms—and not just as a political issue. Major congressional campaigns are increasingly using “deepfake” AI technology in videos that slam their opponents and amplify endorsements from allies. Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is seeking to fend off a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and is employing some unusual strategies. The Cornyn campaign released an AI-generated music video with a parody of the B-52s’ 1989 hit “Love Shack” as the soundtrack. It depicts an animated likeness of Paxton engaged in corruption and marital infidelity.


The B-52s told TMZ in a statement upon the ad’s release, “Today we learned that our song ‘Love Shack’ is being used without our approval for a political attack between two politicians in the beautiful state of Texas. We do not endorse either candidate. We have already formally demanded the song immediately cease to be used in this tasteless and illegal way.” The Cornyn campaign declined to comment on the ad’s use of AI and whether it had responded to the band’s request. Paxton’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) recently employed deepfake technology to go after Texas Democrat Senate nominee James Talarico for past social media posts.

The state representative is attempting to win in a state that has not elected a Democrat U.S. senator since 1988. “Radicalized white men are the greatest domestic terrorist threat in our country,” a realistic likeness of Talarico says, quoting an actual 2021 social media post from the candidate. The NRSC ad includes a small watermark in the corner stating that the content is “AI generated.”

“In my faith, God is non-binary,” Talarico’s likeness says later, quoting another 2021 post. Talarico’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video’s representation of him. Jesse Jackson Jr., who lost in the Democrat primary for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday, used AI to amplify an endorsement from former Rep. Bobby Rush, who represented the state’s 1st Congressional District for three decades. Rush’s voice has been weakened due to throat cancer. At the beginning of the advertisement, he speaks with his natural voice before his digitally altered voice kicks in.

“Cancer damaged my vocal cords, but it didn’t take away my voice,” Rush says. “I’ve asked the producers to use AI, artificial intelligence, to help me.” He says in his altered voice, “Like me, Jesse is a lifelong social justice warrior and passionate advocate for the marginalized.” Jackson, the son of the late Rev. Jessie Jackson, served in Congress from 1995 to 2012 alongside Rush, but left amid a fraud investigation, for which he later spent time in prison. He lost his primary on Tuesday.

Read more …

AI.

• Report: Pentagon to Adopt Palantir as Core U.S. Military System (CTH)

Recently when the Anthropic software and ideology conflict with the Pentagon surfaced as a result of limits placed by the provider, alternative provider Palantir’s CEO remarked that any AI developer who challenges the U.S. military application of the product was foolish because the U.S. government could just take control of the company under the claim of national security.In essence, Palantir CEO Alex Karp was saying AI developers who contract with the govt ultimately become bound to the limits or lack thereof as determined by the govt. If software developers want to contract with the military, then fight the Pentagon over use of those software applications, they will lose.


In response to the Anthropic issue, the Pentagon withdrew from their purchase arrangements and blacklisted them from further federal contracts. Now a report is highlighting that Palantir will take the lead position in providing the software, the Maven Smart System, for the core U.S. military functions.As described, “Maven is a software platform that uploads information from drones, satellites, sensors, radar, and other battlefield intelligence sources. The system then analyzes battlefield data in real time, identifying and prioritizing potential targets — including buildings, enemy vehicles, and weapons and ammunition stockpiles — for intelligence analysts to review and act on.”

NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) – Palantir’s Maven artificial intelligence system will become an official program of record, Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg said in a letter to Pentagon leaders, a move that locks in long-term use of Palantir’s weapons-targeting technology across the U.S. military. In the March 9 letter to senior Pentagon leaders and U.S. military commanders, Feinberg said embedding Palantir’s Maven Smart System would provide warfighters “with the latest tools necessary to detect, deter, and dominate our adversaries in all domains”.

The decision is expected to go into effect by the close of the current fiscal year, which ends in September, according to the letter, which was reviewed by Reuters and has not been previously reported.Maven is a command-and-control software platform that analyzes battlefield data and identifies targets. It is already the primary AI operating system for the U.S. military, which has carried out thousands of targeted strikes against Iran over the last three weeks.

Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX) and Alex Karp (Palantir)
Read more …

“.. Trump and the American people are fed up with the nonsense, all inflicted on behalf of illegal alien criminals.”

• Trump Says ICE Will Run Airport Security If Dems Don’t Fund TSA (Salgado)

President Donald Trump just made a major power move in the ongoing fight with Democrats over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as he threatened to put immigration officers in charge of airport security if funding is not immediately forthcoming. Chaos continues to reign at many American airports as the partial Democrat shutdown lengthens and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees increasingly don’t show up for work, leading to extremely long lines and travel delays. The Democrat congressmen who don’t have to deal with ordinary TSA lines don’t care, but Trump and the American people are fed up with the nonsense, all inflicted on behalf of illegal alien criminals.


Trump warned on Truth Social Saturday, “If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country.” With tens of millions of illegal aliens in our country, the likelihood is that a fair number of them are using air travel. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know just how many? And to top it off, Trump promised Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers would have a “heavy emphasis on those from Somalia, who have totally destroyed, with the approval of a corrupt Governor, Attorney General, and Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, the once Great State of Minnesota. I look forward to seeing ICE in action at our Airports. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Honestly, it would be pretty amazing to see this threat put into action, partly out of curiosity to see just how many illegal aliens and criminals ICE would find flying, and partly because Democrats’ heads would literally explode. The DHS funding showdown affects millions of people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X in frustration, “Hardworking TSA agents are sleeping in their CARS to save money on gas because Democrats won’t end the SCHUMER SHUTDOWN and fund DHS! What happened to the Democrats who claimed to be the party of the WORKING CLASS?!” The party of slavery has always lied about its dedication to the American working class, but its false pretense is particularly obvious right now.

This is exactly the way that Republicans should be dealing with Democrats, not granting them concessions, but putting the pressure on them to do the right thing. We cannot trust anything Democrats say, and multiple Republican presidents have found out to their cost after they made unwise concessions that they were the only ones who intended to uphold the bargain. Our national security and immigration enforcement are much too important to gamble away bit by bit on trying to please Democrats who will never be happy with any amount of compromise. So instead, Republicans should be threatening consequences that will panic Democrats, like replacing TSA with ICE.

Read more …

They want someone who refuses all talk.

• Senate Democrats Are Quietly Plotting To Oust Chuck Schumer (ZH)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has had a fractured relationship with the Democratic Party base ever since he voted to fund the government last March. Unfortunately for him, time hasn’t healed that wound, and there’s a growing resistance to Schumer that hopes to oust him from his leadership position after the midterms. The Wall Street Journal, drawing on more than four dozen interviews with Democratic senators, candidates, current and former congressional aides, activists, and advisers, found widespread unease about the New York senator’s grip on the party’s direction. The report makes it clear that Schumer’s own colleagues increasingly see him as an anchor, slowing their response to President Trump, steering primaries toward centrists they don’t want, and draining the fundraising pipeline that Democrats desperately need heading into the midterm elections.


According to the report, last month, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut met with progressive activists at a French restaurant in Georgetown. The conversation turned to what to do about Schumer. According to people familiar with the dinner, Murphy disclosed that some lawmakers had already been running informal vote counts to see whether enough support existed to remove Schumer from his leadership post. Murphy added that Schumer had enough backing to survive. But the fact that anyone was counting at all said something. Murphy has since walked it back, carefully. “Could someone infer from that that someone was keeping a count? Maybe, but that’s not what I meant,” he told reporters. “I meant that he has the support of the caucus.”

But Murphy’s backpedaling doesn’t change the reality. Murphy is reportedly part of a group of senators who have been actively canvassing colleagues about their frustrations with Schumer. This group, nicknamed “Fight Club,” (hey…) is a Signal chat group where progressives coordinate strategy around opposing Schumer’s preferred candidates in key 2026 races. The Fight Club’s grievance, at its core, is that Schumer is tilting the playing field toward centrists while an insurgent energy on the left goes untapped. The group includes Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and it appears that Warren has been initiating those conversations directly. Smith’s advisers have gone further, holding discussions with other Senate staff about concrete scenarios to challenge Schumer’s leadership.

The concern isn’t purely ideological. It’s financial, and that’s where things get uncomfortable. Schumer’s aligned super PAC, Senate Majority PAC, got outpaced by its Republican counterpart last year. Entering 2026, the Democratic super PAC had $36 million in cash on hand and $12.4 million in debt. The GOP’s equivalent had $100 million on hand and zero debt. In the money primary – the one that quietly decides Senate races before a single vote is cast – Schumer’s side is getting lapped Making matters worse for Schumer, meetings among Democratic Senate chiefs of staff, which should be routine operational sessions, have reportedly become forums for airing discontent with Schumer’s stewardship. The pressure building in those rooms is aimed at a specific outcome: Schumer commits to retiring from the Senate when his seat is up for re-election in 2028, clearing a path for whoever comes next.

That next person may already have a name attached. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii has been identified as Schumer’s own preferred successor. Apparently, Schumer has thought this through enough to have a pick. But Schatz isn’t moving until Schumer moves first. His posture, per senators and aides familiar with the discussions, is to wait it out. Schumer may have the votes to survive a mutiny for now. But his colleagues are doing the math, his fundraising is underperforming, his preferred candidates are generating internal blowback, and the party seems anxious to see him go. The caucus isn’t in open revolt yet, but it’s not looking good for Chuck Schumer.

Read more …

It’s global. Armstrong can’t explain it either.

• Russia to Refer Childless Women for Psychiatric Evaluations (Martin Armstrong)

Russia is now advising psychological counseling for women who do not intend to have children, which is precisely the type of response governments default to when they refuse to confront economic reality. They search for cultural or emotional explanations when the issue is economical. Russia’s fertility rate has fallen to roughly 1.4 children per woman, well below the 2.1 replacement level, and total births have declined to near post-Soviet lows at just over 1.2 million annually. This decline has been persistent, not cyclical, and the population is aging rapidly as deaths continue to exceed births. At the same time, the war has removed a significant portion of young men from the population.


The same pattern is unfolding across all developed economies. Europe’s fertility rate is now near 1.3. Spain and Italy are closer to 1.1. Germany is around 1.4. France, once the exception, has fallen sharply and recently recorded more deaths than births for the first time in decades. Japan has been below replacement for years and continues to contract. Even countries that implemented aggressive family subsidies, such as Norway and Hungary, have failed to reverse the trend.

Globally, fertility has collapsed from more than 5 children per woman in the 1960s to just above two today, and the developed world is already well below replacement. The common explanation offered by governments is psychological or social. They speak of changing values, delayed adulthood, or lifestyle preferences. That explanation collapses under scrutiny because it ignores the economic structure that determines behavior.

People do not make long-term commitments, such as having children, without confidence in their financial future. Children represent the largest long-term investment a household can make. When confidence declines, that investment is postponed or abandoned. At the same time, dual-income households became the norm not by choice but by necessity. A single income no longer supports a family in most developed economies. This fundamentally changes having children because both parents must remain in the workforce to maintain financial stability. Long ago, children helped to secure a family’s financial future, but the opposite rings true today.

Russia’s situation simply reflects these dynamics in a more concentrated form. Economic uncertainty, war, sanctions, and structural inefficiencies amplify the same forces present elsewhere. When surveys show that a large percentage of women do not plan to have children in the near term, that is not a psychological condition. It is a rational response to economic instability amid war. Women in Russia must now face the harsh reality that their husbands will face a compulsory draft, and they will be left raising children alone.

Historically, birth rates rise during periods of expansion and confidence. The post-World War II baby boom occurred because housing was affordable, employment was stable, and future prospects were positive. The economic structure supported family formation. Today, the structure works in the opposite direction. Housing costs, taxation, childcare expenses, and job insecurity create an environment in which the cost of raising children exceeds the perceived benefits. Governments attempt to offset this with subsidies, but those programs do not address the core issue, whixh is the declining return on productive activity relative to cost.

This is why policies focused on incentives have failed. Hungary introduced substantial financial benefits for families. Norway expanded welfare support. France has long provided family subsidies. None of these measures reversed the long-term decline because they do not change the underlying economic equation. The demographic consequences are significant. A declining birthrate leads to a shrinking workforce, increasing dependency ratios, and pressure on pension systems. Governments respond by raising taxes or increasing borrowing, which further reduces the net income available to working households. This creates a feedback loop that reinforces the decline.

When confidence in the future declines, long-term investments decline. Children are the most fundamental long-term investment in any society. The decline in birth rates is therefore not a social anomaly but a direct reflection of economic confidence. Russia proposing psychological counseling illustrates how far removed policy responses have become from reality. This is not a question of convincing people to want children. It is a question of creating an economic environment where having children is viable.

Read more …

Got to try.

• Rhinos back in African Park For First Time After 40 Years (RT)

Uganda has begun reintroducing rhinos to its Kidepo Valley National Park, marking the species’ return to the area 43 years after it was wiped out by poaching, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has reported. The first two southern white rhinos were transported from Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to Kidepo on Tuesday, part of a phased plan to relocate a total of eight animals, according to UWA. The effort is aimed at restoring a population that disappeared from the park in the early 1980s.


The move follows years of preparation, including the construction of a fenced sanctuary, ranger outposts, and monitoring systems to ensure the animals’ protection and adaptation to the new environment. The park, one of Uganda’s most intact savannah ecosystems, was identified as suitable after feasibility studies assessed habitat conditions and security. “This moment marks the beginning of a new rhino story for Kidepo Valley National Park,” UWA Executive Director James Musinguzi said, adding that the translocation was the first step toward re-establishing a population.

Officials said the animals will initially be kept under close observation inside a secure sanctuary before being gradually integrated into the wider park ecosystem.Rhinos once roamed widely across Kidepo Valley, but heavy poaching led to their local extinction, with the last recorded animal killed in 1983. Conservation efforts accelerated in 2005 with the launch of a breeding program at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, helping rebuild Uganda’s rhino population to more than 60. Authorities say the return of rhinos is expected to boost biodiversity and tourism while supporting efforts to restore endangered wildlife species in one of Africa’s most isolated national parks.

In January, UWA relocated four southern white rhinos from Ziwa sanctuary to Ajai Wildlife Reserve in northwestern Uganda and aims to move up to 20 rhinos to the reserve. Uganda’s move comes amid wider efforts across Africa to protect rhino populations. Separately, Kenya in December opened what it says is the world’s largest rhino sanctuary in Tsavo West National Park, bringing together around 200 black rhinos in a protected area of more than 3,200 square kilometers.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/HungaryBased/status/2035408598038405213?s=20 https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2035350715695276059?s=20

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle March 21 2026

Mar 212026
 
 March 21, 2026  Posted by at 10:49 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  79 Responses »


Edward Hopper Summertime 1943

This website relies exclusively on readers’ support.


• “I Think We’ve Won” Trump Says As Iran Refuses Hormuz Talks (ZH)
• IRGC Says Missile Production Intact, Contradicting Netanyahu (ZH)
• The Iranian Foreign Minister Seems to be Losing Focus (Paul Craig Roberts)
• And Then the World Changed (James Howard Kunstler)
• Arkansas Gov. Sanders Told to Leave Restaurant (Turley)
• John Fetterman Reveals Who’s Really The Leader Of His Party (ZH)
• Former Trump Allies Face ‘The Pence Effect’ (Tim O’Brien)
• Bagman and Enabler of ‘Spygate’ and ‘Russiagate’ Receives Subpoena (CTH) b
• Evidence of Manipulated Political Targeting within Mueller Probe (CTH)
• Comey Goes Full Beyoncé: Did the Former Director Reveal a Pop Secret? (Turley)
• The Political Left, Multiculturalism And The Dark Alliance With Islam (Alt-M)
• Putin’s Envoy Recommends EU Change Its Leadership, Abandon Russophobia (TASS)

 


 

https://twitter.com/IslamInvasion/status/2034647878006714666?s=20 https://twitter.com/Inevitablewest/status/2034703779447140540?s=20

 


 


Both sides win. Of course.

• “I Think We’ve Won” Trump Says As Iran Refuses Hormuz Talks

More somewhat confusing rhetoric on Iran plans from Trump: He said late in the afternoon Friday US strikes on Iran are “weeks ahead of schedule” – but caveated that he expects oil prices to surge more than they have. He repeatedly emphasized that he does not want a ceasefire – “we’re not looking to do that” – while leaving the door open to dialogue, insisting talks don’t necessarily require halting the fighting. He said all this while also proclaiming “I think we’ve won.” He also expressed he thinks Israel will wind down the war when the US does.


Trump asserted further that Iran’s military has been severely degraded, saying it has “no radar, spotters, aircraft” and that key leaders have been killed, concluding: “from a military standpoint Iran is finished” and “I think we’ve won.” He also said Israel would be ready to end the war when the US does, noting both countries “want more or less similar things.”mnLate in the day Friday Trump followed his verbal comments to reporters with this:


Oil plunged immediately after the latest Trump statement went out:



“NATO could help us, but they so far haven’t had the courage to do so. And others could help us, but we don’t use it,” he said. “At a certain point, it’ll open itself.” Again, some confusing messaging to say the least… “I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know, you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” he said. “We’re not looking to do that.” Trump hinted at possible escalation options around Kharg Island—“I may have a plan or I may not”—while accusing Iran of “clogging up” Hormuz. He also continued to berate Tehran leadership as “thugs and animals” – and praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio for doing a “fantastic job.”

Meanwhile Iran too is saying it is not ready for ceasefire or dialogue (at least in its public statements), and has expressed intent on exacting revenge. All of this means: no offramp yet in sight amid fresh reports that ‘heavy preparations’ for ground forces are being planned: “Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran, multiple sources briefed on the discussions told CBS News.” More from CBS: “Senior military commanders have submitted specific requests aimed at preparing for such an option as President Trump weighs moves in the U.S.-Israel-led conflict with Iran, the sources said.”

Read more …

“.. the direction of travel is clear. “He wants Hormuz open… If he has to take Kharg Island… that’s going to happen..”

• IRGC Says Missile Production Intact, Contradicting Netanyahu (ZH)

On day 21, the Iran war shows no signs of abating. Iran’s IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naeini was reportedly killed in an Israeli overnight strike, another high-level hit as the decapitation campaign grinds on. However, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States. This directly contradicts Israeli PM Netanyahu’s assertions from the day prior, where he said both missile production capacity and uranium enrichment capability have been destroyed. Netanyahu had claimed, “Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles.” “Our missile industry deserves a perfect score…and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production,” IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said according to Fars.


Energy Complexes From Gulf to Israel Burning; Casualties Mount
The energy war continues to be front and center. Israel confirmed major Thursday Iranian strikes hit its Haifa refining complex, damaging critical infrastructure, and leaving many in the area without power. Also, the attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility is expected to slash LNG export capacity by roughly 17%. Kuwait hasn’t been spared either, with its massive Mina al-Ahmadi refinery hit for a second straight day, with fires ripping through processing units.mElsewhere, Bahrain says it has faced over 140 missiles and 240 drones since the war began, underscoring the scale of Iran’s regional barrage.

Across the region, escalation is bleeding into civilian life even in countries not directly part of the conflict. The biggest Muslim holiday of the year, Eid, is being celebrated, and in Iran the Persian New Year “Nowruz” – are unfolding under air raid sirens, also with fresh Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Syria. Currently Palestinians are being barred from Al-Aqsa during Eid. Casualties continue to mount with over 1,400 reported dead in Iran, including 204 children per the Red Crescent – and more than 1,000 killed in Lebanon.

Signs of US Plans to Take Kharg Island
But the real escalation risk surrounds what Washington’s next move may be, as the Trump administration is actively weighing seizing Kharg Island, Iran’s key export hub, in a desperate effort to force Hormuz back open. One source put it bluntly to Axios: “We need about a month to weaken the Iranians more with strikes, take the island, and then get them by the balls and use it for negotiations.” For all the bravado and rhetoric, some analysts see the situation as a classic escalation trap.

But the report says no final decision has been made, but the direction of travel is clear. “He wants Hormuz open… If he has to take Kharg Island… that’s going to happen,” one senior official said, while acknowledging a coastal invasion remains on the table. The Wall Street Journal in fresh reporting sees signs that an operation is already underway: “The U.S. and its allies have intensified the battle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, sending low-flying attack jets over the sea lanes to blast Iranian naval vessels and Apache helicopters to shoot down Iran’s deadly drones, American military officials said.” it writes.

Read more …

“If he does, Israel will win.”

PCR brings up the USS Liberty incident from 1967. Not sure that makes any sense.

• The Iranian Foreign Minister Seems to be Losing Focus (Paul Craig Roberts)

Will Abbas Araghchi save Israeli-America from defeat? He has proposed turning over Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz to an international coalition that in the interest of uninterrupted oil flows would prevent further Israeli-American attacks on Iran.Araghchi said: “In my view, after the war, a new mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz should be designed so ships can pass safely under clear regulations that consider the interests of Iran and the region.”


Clearly Araghchi is a reasonable person. He is willing to sacrifice some of Iran’s sovereignty to prevent further Israeli-American attempts to destroy Iran in the interest of Greater Israel by placing an international coalition in front of Israel’s aggression toward Iran. Araghchi has made it sparkling clear that Iran is not the cause of the problem. But he overlooks that it is the Zionist Israeli agenda of Greater Israel–“seven countries in 5 years”–that is the cause of the problem. Araghchi’s phrase, “after the war,” indicates that he fails to understand that as long as the Zionist agenda exists, there is NO “after the war,” unless Iran submits to Israel’s domination of the Muslim Middle East.

As Iran has rejected acquiring nuclear weapons, which it could have done long ago, displaying instead a moral concern that overrides Iranian national security, Iran’s only choice is either to submit to domination and rule by Zionists or to destroy Israel and drive all US military bases out of the Arab oil sheikdoms. Araghchi’s proposal shows that he is reasonable, but that he has failed to understand that Iran’s sovereignty is inconsistent with the Zionist agenda of Greater Israel–“from the Nile to Pakistan.” Araghchi should instead be proposing negotiations that Zionist Israel renounce its agenda of Greater Israel.

Most of the Zionist agenda has already been accomplished. Acting for Greater Israel Washington has destroyed Iraq, Libya, and Syria and left chaos in the place of functioning Arab states. Iran is the current target, and the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last month told the Conference of American Jewish Organizations that “Turkey is the next Iran.” In other words, Bennett gave marching orders to the powerful US Israel Lobby to begin the demonization of Turkey to take the place as next in line for destruction after Iran.

In February the Israeli-American assumption was that Iran would collapse in 3 days. In March we are learning that Iran was better prepared for long term conflict than Israeli-America. Trump wants out as the rising energy prices threaten his presidency in the upcoming midterm elections. But Netanyahu, completely ignoring Trump’s need, has escalated the conflict by attacking Iran’s large gas field. Iran responded by destroying the largest gas facility in the Persian Gulf, a multibillion dollar facility that will take years to rebuild. It is Israel and their American puppet, President Donald Trump, whose unprovoked, gratuitous aggression against Iran in the interest of Greater Israel, is producing a world shortage of energy and fertilizer.

Billions of people are going to pay for the Israeli-American unprovoked and unjustified aggression agains Iran. Iran is already paying for it as the way the Israeli-Americans conduct war is to kill civilians as in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan. Iran is probably afraid to use the advantage it has to hand a humiliating defeat to Israeli-America, because to gain a victory from defeat the Israeli-Americans will nuke Iran. Thus, Iran will be tempted give up its victory because the Iranian government decided to present a moral front of rejecting nuclear weapons and, as a consequence, have endangered Iranian National Existence.

It is the Zionist Israelis who are the only determined nationalists on the face of the earth. It is Zionist Israel that has an agenda that Zionists think is worth risking all to fight for. Everywhere else ethnic identity is in abeyance and hardly exists. European ethnicities, such as Germans and French, are being turned into Europeans and multiculturalists. In the US Democrats identify with criminals, immigrant-invaders, and sexual perverts. They regard their fellow Americans as Trump Deplorables. It is OK for Israel to be an ethnic nationalist state, but everywhere else to be nationalist is racist and Nazi. In Europe today it is almost a crime to be a nationalist. France and Germany want to put nationalists, such as Marine Le Pen, in prison.

In the Western gentile world, nationalistic self-awareness has been sacrificed on the alter of Multicultarism. In place of national states there are Towers of Babel. Towers of Babel are extremely weak as the populations have no common values or interests or beliefs and are often arrayed against one another, such as Sunnis and Shia It is a strong sense of identity that gives the tiny Israeli state dominion over the so-called “superpowers.” Israel has had no difficulty controlling American foreign policy in the Middle East for decades. The US government is so cowed that it refused to hold Israel accountable for the intentional Israeli attack on the USS Liberty resulting in 200 casualties of US Navy personnel. That tells you who holds the power. It is Netanyahu, not Trump, and Netanyahu knows it.

Read more …

“Europe’s own regulatory architecture turned off Europe’s own energy supply. And America. . . on the other side of the Atlantic with a full tank of gas, watched it happen.” —Jeff Childers

• And Then the World Changed (James Howard Kunstler)

Let’s pause for a moment amid all the excitement to address an abiding mystery of these times: why does the news media seem to be rooting for American failure in the Iran operation? Or more generally, how did the media become handmaiden to the Lefty-left and all its ancillaries? How were they lured into their Cloward-Piven bunker of crypto-Marxian “resistance?”


It’s unlikely that the network executives, news producers, and editors are communists outright. That would take you into a simpleminded John Birch Society fantasyland. Or did they just read too much Antonio Gramsci on campus back in the day. If they’re merely whores pandering to an audience, it’s a dwindling one as the Woke mass formation dissolves and the insanity of its agenda stands naked. (Why not pander to the growing demographic that yearns for a restoration of normality?)

Is the news controlled by the so-called Deep State? Do cadres in the CIA send headlines to the Washington Post newsroom? Many think so. I don’t pretend to know one way or the other. The problem with lying, of course, is that you have to keep lying to protect your previous lies. Does the rise of alt-news across the Internet provoke them to lie harder in the face of better narratives? Or is it just plain old group-think, fear of stepping out-of-synch with tribal certainties and shibboleths? Which is to say, are they merely cowards and cads?

Do they really believe in the totalizing bad faith of the Democratic Party in its naked racketeering and power-seeking? That’s a sinking ship — the party that is now battling to obstruct simple straightforward election reform in the US Senate. Here’s a headline from today’s New York Times:

What will The New York Times do when bona fide, convincing evidence from material seized in recent FBI raids in Georgia and Arizona shows that recent elections were arrantly and knowingly rigged? It’s going to happen, you know. And if the procedural delays in the Senate drag out for weeks over the SAVE Act, the truth is likely to emerge while the bill is still in process, and will slam the whole country in the face, like thirty inches of re-bar. Will the newspaper print an apology to its readers?

We’re in a season of whacking great change in global and national affairs. “Epic Fury” in Iran will neutralize a regime dedicated to terrorizing the region and reorder the world’s energy flows to the disadvantage of America’s adversaries. China will lose its deep discount on imported Iranian oil just as in Venezuela a month ago. It already lost control of the Panama Canal as well. All its inroads around the western hemisphere have been nullified in this first year of Trump 2.0. China has to play nicer with America now.

The crisis has demonstrated that the US can’t depend on its NATO allies — who either refused to send ships to assist, or dawdled over it — which can allow the US to step away from the enormous expense that NATO imposes on us, and also from the tarbaby known as Ukraine. The truth is, we are ideologically more aligned with post-Soviet Russia than we are with France, Germany, and UK under their current regimes. Ironically, the Russians, with Hungary, Poland, and the Czechs, are the last earnest defenders of Western Civ. Europe has apparently elected to go medieval, anyway. They like to pretend that they can maintain a high standard of living without oil or natgas, a formula so obdurately stupid that only the most awful hardship might avail to change their policies.

This month, the US leaped to create a maritime insurance alternative to Lloyds of London, meaning the UK banks can no longer impose a 20-percent cost premium on Persian Gulf oil, which thunders through the global system and affects everyone. We’ve already stepped away from the UN-backed international Net Zero carbon pricing scam on tanker and container ships. The economics of oil are going through a quick and decisive readjustment. With an end to Iran’s threats to world peace, the US can eventually leave policing of the Persian Gulf to the nations that depend on its oil (we do not).

Meanwhile, the US will continue pounding Iran until it can’t launch so much as a distress flare. They will have no nukes, no navy or air force, no more missiles and drones and payloads, and no ability to manufacture anymore of them. And if they try, we will blow them up again. That’s real politics, not performative diplomatic jive. Sooner or later, the Revolutionary Guard regime will disintegrate and someone else will have to step up. The Iranian people deserve a chance to live in the sunlight after what they’ve been through for a half century. But it’s really up to them to make it happen. It’s pretty obvious that the American President and his people understand that.

Read more …

“Our Employees and Guests were Uncomfortable.”

With her? Or perhaps with her security detail?

• Arkansas Gov. Sanders Told to Leave Restaurant (Turley)

Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was kicked out of another restaurant this week. Years ago, I wrote about how Sanders, then the Trump White House spokesperson, was told to leave the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia. Now, the Croissanterie Restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas, has told the governor to leave because employees said they felt uncomfortable having her in the restaurant. One person yelled at her and flipped her off as she left with her friends and security.


Sanders went to the restaurant with three other moms for a quick meal. She recounted how she and the other moms were then told to leave: “Last week I was having lunch with two other moms at a restaurant when the owner approached a member of the State Police Executive Protection Detail and said my presence made their employees feel threatened and told us to leave.” She added: “Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn’t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate.”

Sanders had already started to eat when the restaurant’s owner approached a member of the security detail and requested that the governor leave.The Croissanterie released a lengthy statement and admitted that they told the governor and her party to leave. While offering a hand-ringing explanation about being “surprised and uncertain how best to respond,” it admitted that it “ultimately made the decision” to “support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable.” It added, “We regret being placed in this position and having to make a difficult decision. However, we stand by our choice to support our employees and guests.” The restaurant is founded and owned by Jill McDonald, executive chef, and Wendy Schay, pastry chef.

We have seen various restaurants refusing to serve Trump supporters, conservatives, and even those deemed allies. Democratic members of Congress have defended such actions and even encouraged liberals to disrupt meals of conservatives. Liberals went to social media to celebrate the move by the restaurant. One posting from an employee declared: “Good Morning! Sarah Huckabee Sanders no amount of evil you send our way can ever take our smiles away!!! I’m proud af to work here! I’m proud af to be gay and I’m proud af to be an Arkansan. My voice matters. Try again.” There have been virtually no condemnations from leading Democrats, who either fear or support such mob actions.

In my book, The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” and my new book, Rage and the Republic, I discuss what I called this “age of rage.” Rage is a curious emotion. It is the ultimate release. It allows you to do things and say things that you would not otherwise do or say. That is why it is addictive and contagious. What people will not admit is that they like it. It allows them to hate completely; to dispense with notions of decency or civility. This restaurant yielded to hate and intolerance to appease not only its employees but the radical left.

This action occurs the same week as a poll showing that a majority of Americans now view those with opposing views as “morally bad.” The rage addiction is obvious in these postings, as shown most recently by James Carville. Democratic leaders believe that they can fuel this rage addiction and lead the mob to victory in the midterm elections. The cost is also to fuel the product of rage, including political violence. The most recent targeting of Sanders presents a moral choice for the left. If you rationalize this action or continue to patronize restaurants like the Croissanterie Restaurant, you have made a choice. You have embraced the intolerance and hatred sweeping over this nation.

For all of their superficial expressions of reluctance, Jill McDonald and Wendy Schay chose hate over tolerance. While claiming to be “uncertain how best to respond,” the answer was obvious for anyone with a sense of decency: you serve everyone regardless of your political differences. Food, like music, allows people to come together; share common experiences and environments. I truly believe that this age of rage will end as prior such ages ended. Eventually, the rage burns off and people recognize that their hatred had twisted them into grotesque figures. To reach that point, however, we must learn to speak to each other again and tolerate those who disagree with us. To put it simply, we have to break bread with one another and consider what we have in common.

Jill McDonald and Wendy Schay appear to want to cater to the rage and make their food exclusively available to those with whom they and their employees agree politically. We will have to see if that is a winning business strategy, but most of us have little appetite for their type of culinary-based hate.

Read more …

“Can I say a public prayer?” Carville began. “John Fetterman, whatever you do, keep your position. Don’t change. We don’t want you. Stay right where you are. Because you’ve been wrong about every goddam thing that you’ve ever said, and we don’t want you to break your streak.”

• John Fetterman Reveals Who’s Really The Leader Of His Party (ZH)

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) sat down for an interview on the “All-In Podcast” this week and made a telling admission about the Democratic Party.When co-host David Friedberg asked Fetterman point-blank, “Who do you think leads the Democratic Party today?” the Pennsylvania senator didn’t flinch. “Oh, we don’t have one,” he said. “I think the TDS, that’s the leader right now. You know, right now our party is governed by the TDS.” Fetterman then described what that governance actually looks like in practice – a kind of loyalty test that runs in reverse. Opposition to Trump has become the organizing principle, the ideological north star. Agree with anything the other side does and you face consequences. “It’s made it virtually impossible, without being punished, as a Democrat, to agree something’s good, or ‘I agree with the other side,'” he said.


He then cited Operation Epic Fury – the U.S. military campaign against Iran – as the latest illustration of the problem. Fetterman said he is “literally the only Democrat […] in Congress, that I’ve come across that’s saying, ‘I think it’s a great thing to break and destroy the Iranian regime.’ I think it’s entirely appropriate to hold them accountable.” Fetterman correctly pointed out that this is not a fringe or even partisan position, historically. Every Democrat who ran for president in recent memory vowed Iran would never get a nuclear weapon. Now that it’s actually happening, the party’s response has been mostly blind criticism of President Trump for finally taking action.

Fetterman previously accused Democrats of refusing to put “country over party” over the Iran strikes. “The last two professional candidates for the Democratic Party all agreed that we can never allow Iran to acquire nuclear bombs, and that’s made that possible now. I think we can say, ‘Hey, that’s a great thing. That makes the world more safe, more secure and holds Iran accountable,’” he told Fox News’s Sean Hannity earlier this month, after 53 House Democrats voted against a resolution declaring that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism — something which isn’t remotely in doubt. “That’s almost 25% of Democrats in the House that can’t just call Iran the world’s biggest terrorism underwriter,” Fetterman added.

“Virtually every Democrat that I’m aware of says we can never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb, and they were a significant risk to America,” Fetterman continued. “I know why they [Democrats] don’t say that now because I’m aware that it is very damaging as a Democrat to just happen to agree with the president on anything. But, for me, that’s easy — country over party.” This week, veteran Democratic strategist James Carville blasted Fetterman, accusing him of always being wrong. “Can I say a public prayer?” Carville began. “John Fetterman, whatever you do, keep your position. Don’t change. We don’t want you. Stay right where you are. Because you’ve been wrong about every goddam thing that you’ve ever said, and we don’t want you to break your streak.”

He continued, “And can I assure you that the fact that you think it’s a good idea is not going to matter one wit to any Democrat,” and went on to say that Fetterman’s support for the war in Iran was more likely to make Democrats oppose it anyway. “It might get your name in the paper more,” Carville added. “Fucking asshole.” Carville’s criticism isn’t likely to sway Fetterman either. In fact, recent polling suggests that while Americans are skeptical of the war in Iran, opposition is waning. According to a new Washington Post survey, 42% now support the U.S. military campaign against Iran, while 40% oppose it. That marks a dramatic shift from just days earlier, when the Post’s flash poll showed 52% opposed and only 39% in favor.

Read more …

“.. Kent resigned on March 17 “over Operation Epic Fury, asserting that Israel wrongly convinced America to strike Iran’s regime, the same regime that has been killing Americans for half a century.”

• Former Trump Allies Face ‘The Pence Effect’ (Tim O’Brien)

Most people who follow American politics are well aware of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). The term pretty much covers all of the left that hates President Donald Trump so much that it will side with terrorists, murderers, and communists just because Trump opposes them. But there’s an equally common dynamic at play that becomes more obvious the deeper the Trump administration gets into its second term. Let’s call it the “Pence effect,” named after Trump’s former disloyal vice president Mike Pence, who famously turned on Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. Ever since, based on the fact that he burned his bridges to Trump and the conservative movement in the process, Pence has essentially betrayed whatever sincere conservative standing he may have once had. He’s now swung far enough to the “moderate” wing of the Republican party to qualify as a Republican in Name Only (RINO).


What makes the Pence effect a thing is that it centers on someone who was once a Trump ally, perhaps a member of his inner circle. This is not garden-variety never-Trumpism. Over the years, a number of people in Trump’s universe have been experiencing the Pence effect for themselves as he weeds out the posers, the incompetents, the impostors, and the saboteurs in his circles. Joe Kent may be the most recent example of someone dealing with the Pence effect. Kent was the administration’s National Counterterrorism Center director until he tendered his public resignation this past week. CBS News reported that the FBI is investigating Kent, “in connection with alleged leaks of classified information,” saying that “multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter” informed the network.

Our Catherine Salgado reported on Kent’s departure, saying that in his resignation letter, Kent resigned on March 17 “over Operation Epic Fury, asserting that Israel wrongly convinced America to strike Iran’s regime, the same regime that has been killing Americans for half a century.” Catherine provided details, saying “a clue as to why Kent made this decision — so contradictory to many of his previous stated views — could come from his second wife’s past connection with a virulently anti-Israel, pro-terror website.”

In other words, it’s possible Kent didn’t resign for his stated reasons, and the legacy media’s narrative may be a cover for other things that could be at play. As a result, Kent has been very popular in recent days with leftist media, from Reuters and NPR to CNN and some of the more click-baity “conservative” interviewers out there. And why not? If I’m a leftist or a cynical opportunist and I don’t like Trump, and you leave the administration on bad terms, you’re going to be welcome on my show, right? Kent is not alone. The growing list of people who couldn’t maintain loyalty to Trump and paid the price includes: former generals and White House staffers John F. Kelly and James Mattis, John Bolton, Anthony Scaramucci, Bill Barr, and others.

It’s not clear to me where Tucker Carlson stands these days. So much of what he’s been doing can easily be read as something more than just criticizing Trump’s policy on Iran, but rather trying to undermine the administration, one that Carlson helped get elected. Even Elon Musk, one of Trump’s greatest champions in 2024, became one of the president’s most vocal critics and enemies last year – that is, before the two made up and moved on after the memorial service for the late Charlie Kirk.

If you study Trump, for better or worse, he views many of his business and political relationships as transactional. I’d never attempt to speak for his personal relationships. So, in that spirit, if he can help you, and you can help him, you’ll get along just great. To get on his bad side, publicly demean or criticize him. The rules are pretty clear. He views such behavior as disloyalty, and he’s not alone. Most people do.

Read more …

Anno Domini 2026, this is a long and complex story, 10 years later.

• Bagman and Enabler of ‘Spygate’ and ‘Russiagate’ Receives Subpoena (CTH)

In the next few days, much more about the overall investigative review underway in Florida will begin to surface. The review has been led by USAO Jason A. Reding Quiñones, a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida. As with all investigations containing multiple players and actors, the first investigative information is extracted from testimony by those furthest away from the principals, yet closest to the granular details of the events being reviewed. The questioning then goes upstream, using information collected to assembly more specific questions as the principal players are approached.


The widest concentric circles questioned first. Then using the responses and investigative information from that circle, the questioning and inquiry goes to the next inner circle of participants. The information is assembled, and more pointed questions are then targeted to the next inner circle; the process continues until the core is questioned.= Beginning with the end in mind. The biggest challenge is knowing what the correct questions are to ask of those who were closest to the corrupt activity (the outer circle). Background research is critical – CTH of value. From those pointed questions you get answers. Then next level of more specific questions get focus; and so on, and so on.

FLORIDA – Former FBI Director James Comey has been subpoenaed in connection with a wide-ranging investigation being run by a Trump-appointed federal prosecutor in Florida, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News on Thursday. The probe, which focuses on an earlier investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and other prosecutions related to President Donald Trump, is being led by Jason A. Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. The sprawling probe has been dubbed a “grand conspiracy” investigation by Trump allies.

An attorney for Comey did not have an immediate comment, while Quiñones’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (read more) Please remember, there are two distinct and different aspects to the overall conspiracy and timeline. There was surveillance of the 2016 Republican candidates by contractors working on behalf of the FBI who was institutionally collaborating with the Clinton campaign; that is known as “Spygate.” There was then an FBI operation to target and eliminate the threat represented by the 2016 GOP primary winner, Donald Trump; that is known as “Russiagate.”


‘Spygate’ and ‘Russiagate’ are two distinctly different corrupt pathways that eventually merged due to common interests. The Mueller investigation, an extension of Crossfire Hurricane (Russiagate) was used by Obama-era politicians and internal government officials as a mechanism to block President Trump from executing a divergent foreign policy. The primary policy of focus was to protect the Iran deal. Based on mounting evidence, a pattern in other international activities and U.S. participants, the Obama-Clinton-Kerry Iranian deal likely included a mechanism for return payments to U.S. officials following the release of billions in frozen Iranian asset funds and the loosening of sanctions. (ie. pallets of cash) Qatar were the mediator/broker.

However, it is speculated, perhaps being currently evidenced, that return payments to the Obama team contained a timing mechanism and the quid-pro-quo payments were stopped after President Trump withdrew from the Iran deal and re-instituted sanctions. Thus, a much larger background context exists for why the totality of the U.S. government and Intelligence Community opposed President Donald Trump. Is it all about the money? Time will tell. Current events may not be coincidental.

Read more …

Walid Phares was the 5th target within the Weissmann/Mueller probe [..] . The other four were Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Carter Page and George Papadopoulos.

• Evidence of Manipulated Political Targeting within Mueller Probe (CTH)

Let me start by saying there is a lot of misleading information circling current events, some of it by what CTH considers very dubious alt-right voices. I suggest just to be leery of “exclusive” insider information. There are motives and angles that are not obvious and would not be comfortable for those who follow events closely. [As an example, the election/voting information -connected to the Intelligence Community- and recently outlined by John Solomon, is not new. What Solomon is rehashing is the background information exposed by Catherine Engelbrecht and True the Vote surrounding Chinese involvement in prior elections (Konnech etc.). Engelbrecht gave the FBI the data, the FBI buried it and eventually targeted Engelbrecht. The hidden data and FBI conduct is now resurfacing.]


As a result of datamining the FBI ‘prohibited access’ records Chuck Grassley has released an FD-302 from an FBI agent who was on the Mueller team and became a whistleblower about the motives and agenda of the Mueller participants. One of the stories surfacing surrounds one of the Mueller targets, Walid Phares. Walid Phares was the 5th target within the Weissmann/Mueller probe who were using Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) violations as targeting mechanisms. The other four were Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Carter Page and George Papadopoulos.

Why Phares? This is a little complicated but becomes straightforward once you get it. One of the first things President Obama did when he took office was to travel to Cairo, Egypt, give a speech to the Islamic world and trigger what later became known as the “Arab Spring.” Obama was an ideological ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, which positioned him in alignment with Qatar, Iran, Turkey and various factions of the more extremist Muslim community. The Muslim Brotherhood is political Islam.

Trying to keep it short, essentially Walid Phares was on the opposite side of that ideology. He was a critic of the Brotherhood, and a supporter of the person who eventually shut down the Arab Spring uprisings, Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi. After success in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and Libya, President Obama was furious when Army General al-Sisi stepped up and removed Muslim Brotherhood aligned Mohammed Morsi in Egypt. That military uprising stopped the Arab Spring, and it stalled out thereafter.

Obama’s efforts to give increased power and voice to the Muslim Brotherhood was essentially stopped by Sisi, and that made anyone on the stability side of Islam an enemy of Obama. Without Egypt, Team Obama couldn’t trigger Syria – they did get extremism to expand via ISIS, but the coalition of Arab states al-Sisi put together pushed back on the extremists. That’s the Muslim ideological part of the issue, and we could write a dozen deep articles about all of the ancillary issues within it. However, for the sake of reader time, we’ll just jump forward to the other, perhaps more important, issue.

Walid Phares was an advisor to Donald Trump, helping him to connect to middle east moderate Arab leaders like al-Sisi and frame policies to end the extremism aspect. As a policy advisor Phares saw the structural flaws in the Obama Iran-deal and, more importantly, Phares saw the outline of a financial relationship that intersected with Obama policy.mThe Obama Iran deal involved the U.S. dropping sanctions, feeding billions of dollars back to Iran (via Qatar) as part of the incentive for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to “eliminate Iran’s nuclear ambitions.” At least that was the forward face of the policy goal.

However, in the background there was a semi-opaque quid-pro-quo where Obama would transfer sanctioned funds back to Iran and then Iran would send a portion of the funds back to the Obama network. The problem was the return funds were contingent upon the success of the Iran deal. By advising President Trump against the Iran deal, Walid Phares was essentially putting a stop to the quid-pro-quo that was contingent upon the deal’s success. In the bigger picture, that made Phares a target and the Weissmann-Mueller probe was the mechanism to target him, using FARA as the weapon.

Read more …

Our weekly sing-along.

• Comey Goes Full Beyoncé: Did the Former Director Reveal a Pop Secret? (Turley)

Former FBI Director James Comey has been called many things by critics and fans alike. However, it appears that his stab at being a pop singer did not pan out. Comey recently raised eyebrows with an account of his singing Beyoncé’s “Sandcastles” to FBI officials in a classified briefing … only to be met by a stony silence. It appears that some of his agents may have viewed the occasion as grounds for intervention rather than for rendition. In fairness to the agents, they were likely unaware of Comey’s use of beaches to uncover hidden intelligence and messages.


Comey has periodically popped up in the press with bizarre or self-edifying posts. However, this one left many scratching their heads. Yet, it was vintage Comey, including a surprising admission about his handling of classified information. Comey recalled the moment from a classified FBI briefing when he realized that a secret program being discussed was named after a favorite song. He wrote:

“One morning, I was sitting at the head of a big table in a crowded room to get briefed on a particular piece of work. The briefer started by saying, the operation was codenamed ‘Sandcastles.’ Now, this was 2016, and you may know that Beyoncé’s album ‘Lemonade’ had come out with a track called ‘Sandcastles.’ So, I said, ‘Oh, like the Beyoncé song.’ Blank stares all around the FBI conference room. So, I did the natural thing. I think I sang, ‘We rebuild sand castles that washed away.’ Nope, nothing — dead silence. ‘Never mind,’ I said, ‘continue.’ Only when I got home and told my family the story did I get the reaction I was looking for. When I write, I listen to classical or jazz because, in ways I can’t explain, the music unlocks something. It frees me.”

It also apparently freed Comey from security protocols. His charming story included the fact that, disappointed by his audience at the FBI, he decided to repeat it to his family. In doing so, he may have revealed the code name of a classified FBI program to uncleared individuals in an unsecured location. There is no indication from Comey whether the code name was considered sensitive information by the FBI before his encore performance. The Justice Department has fought in court to withhold code names as sensitive national security matters, including during Comey’s tenure as director.

For example, in N.Y. Times v. DOJ, 2023, it was uncontested that the FBI could withhold code names because “specific code names that [the] FBI used for certain FBI programs and that disclosure of these things ‘would risk circumvention of the law by revealing FBI processes and potential issues related to relationships with foreign countries.’” This is not the first time Comey has raised concerns of his violation of FBI protocols and procedures regarding classified material. The Justice Department inspector general issued a scathing account of how, after being fired by President Donald Trump, Comey improperly removed FBI files and then arranged for the information to be leaked to the media to undermine Trump.

The media immediately came to his defense despite his having led investigations into leakers in the past. On CNN and MSNBC, legal experts dismissed the arguments that this was improper or FBI material. The memos clearly reveal that Comey was likely aware they contained possible classified information. Comey wrote in a Jan. 7, 2017, memo that “I am not sure of the proper classification, so I have chosen secret.” The four memos, including two given to his friend to leak to the media, were later found to be classified.

What was notable about the leaks was Comey’s obsession with his own public persona. He took FBI material to bolster his image with the media. He later published “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” which portrayed him in heroic terms without addressing allegations that he was a leaker. During his term as director, the Justice Department investigated and prosecuted FBI personnel for leaks. The “higher loyalty” shown by Comey often seemed to be his blind loyalty to his own image.

Comey has previously recounted his obsession with Taylor Swift as well as Beyoncé, but insists that “I can’t explain, the music unlocks something. It frees me.” Given his history of leaks and other violations, it may be time to try a new musical genre. It appears that pop is a bit too liberating for James Comey. In the meantime, Comey may be misinterpreting tears of joy rather than regret when he made it to the line from “Sandcastles”: “I made you cry when I walked away.”

Read more …

Did John Cleese open Pandora’s Islam box?

• The Political Left, Multiculturalism And The Dark Alliance With Islam (Alt-M)

For 15 years the FBI was engaged in a landmark investigation into the largest Islamic-based charity in the United States, called The Holy Land Foundation. The organization was operating as a front for Muslim terror groups, funneling cash from western countries to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, until they were finally put on trial in 2008. Convicted leaders were known as the “Holy Land Five,” and included Shukri Abu Baker, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader, Abdulrahman Odeh, and Mohammad El-Mezain. Among the documents seized from these individuals during the investigation was a strategic paper drafted by senior Muslim Brotherhood operative Mohamed Akram in 1991.


The paper was titled: “Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America”. It outlined an agenda called the “Civilization-Jihadist Process”, also known as “Stealth Jihad”. The memorandum gave detailed methods for establishing Islam as a “civilization alternative” in the West and a “grand Jihad” for eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within. It called for the ‘sabotaging’ of the west and its “miserable house” by domestic hands AND the hands of the believers so that the west is eliminated and “God’s religion is made victorious over all other religions.” The plan explicitly referred to using western society’s own people, institutions, laws, and unwitting allies (progressive groups and NGOs, media, politicians, academics, or civil-rights organizations) to advance the Islamic agenda.

Tactics included infiltration of education, media, government, finance, and alliances with non-Islamic actors “when tactically beneficial” while maintaining ideological separation. This is also called “long-term settlement” (tamkeen); a form of demographic or cultural subversion rather than direct conquest. It is often mentioned in the paper as “the settlement mission”. A related 1982 Muslim Brotherhood document (called “The Project”) outlines a 100-year global plan with similar elements: building parallel societies, exploiting Western freedoms, and forming pragmatic coalitions.

One problem the Muslims wrestled with was the need for foreign alliances and western “advocates” to make immigration and the integration of Islam into target countries more “official”. Twenty-five years ago, this was considered all but impossible in the US and in Europe. However, since around 2014, the Sharia fundamentalists found a willing and ready ally in the new “woke” left.= Today, the notion of even discussing the agenda of “Stealth Jihad” in a public venue in 2026 is labeled “racist” by progressive activists and left wing politicians (even though Islam is not a race). If you were to go back in time around 15 years ago and explain to people what is happening today in terms of third-world immigration, they would probably laugh in your face and call you a conspiracy theorist.

In 2026 in Europe the plan is nearly complete and in the US the plan is well underway. The change in how our society views Islam as an untouchable subject is largely due to a dark and convenient political alliance between the woke left and the Stealth Jihad. Only recently has the problem of Muslim immigration risen to the forefront of media coverage, but only because of the work of citizen journalists like Nick Shirley who are exposing widespread fraud among migrants. The majority of this fraud, whether it is in Minnesota or California, is connected to Somali Muslim immigrants and is perpetrated with the help of leftist NGOs and politicians.

Coming from a country with an average IQ of 67, these people are not capable of instituting such a plan on their own. They had help and it is clear that Democrats are deeply involved in these operations, perhaps in exchange for financial kick-backs, but certainly in exchange for votes (Somali migrants in Minnesota voted 80% in favor of Democrats in 2024).It’s not surprising, but there are a lot of similarities between progressives in the west and third world Islamic migrants from the east.

Read more …

For the good of your people. Without Russia, Europe will be dark and cold.

• Putin’s Envoy Recommends EU Change Its Leadership, Abandon Russophobia (TASS)

Special Representative of the Russian President for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev advised Europe to acknowledge its previous blunders in energy and geopolitics, replace the EU leadership, and reconsider its policy course toward Russia. ”Told ya. Europe needs to acknowledge its strategic energy and geopolitical blunders, atone, change its EU leadership and Russophobic approach. As predicted, a devastating energy tsunami will soon decimate Europe. As explained many times, Europe needs Russia to survive,” he posted in English on the social network X, commenting on an FT Energy post stating that Europe should brace for an extended energy shock.


Earlier, Dmitriev warned that Europe is facing an “energy shock tsunami” over the European Union’s refusal to use Russian natural gas as he predicted that gas prices will rise further. At the end of January, the Council of the European Union finally approved a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports starting on January 1, 2027, and pipeline gas starting on September 30, 2027. At the same time, restrictions will begin to be introduced earlier. Imports of LNG under short-term contracts will be banned from April 25, 2026, while short-term contracts for pipeline gas supplies must be completed by June 17, 2026.

Read more …

 


 

 


 

https://twitter.com/itsme_urstruly/status/2034613572798652914?s=20 https://twitter.com/ThatOneFrank_/status/2034722298444276080?s=20 https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/2034992045165879785

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle March 2 2026

Mar 022026
 
 March 2, 2026  Posted by at 9:09 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,  93 Responses »


Egypt, Fayum mummy Portrait of a boy, with a golden pendant. between 50 BCE and 250 CE


• The Road to World War III (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Has Netanyahu Destroyed Trump’s Presidency? (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Trump’s Attack On Iran: Message To Vladimir Putin (Gilbert Doctorow)
• What Epic Fury Means for Putin (David Manney)
• Iran Names Interim Successor To Khamenei Under 2nd Day Of Massive Bombs (ZH)
• Netanyahu and Trump: the New Hitler-Mussolini Pact (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Trump Can Rely on Past Dem. Presidents for Authority to Attack Iran (Turley)
• Israel Uber Alles (Paul Craig Roberts)
• US Military Suffered 200 Casualties In Retaliatory Strikes – Tehran (RT)
• Bill Clinton ‘Did Not Have Sex’ With Mystery Woman In Epstein’s Jacuzzi (RT)
• UK, France Aiming To Tank Peace Talks With Ukraine Nuke Plot – Diplomat (RT)
• 85% Of Babies In 2026 Will Be Born In Asia And Africa (ZH)
• Court Says You Can’t Call AfD “Confirmed Right-wing Extremist” (Eugyppius)
• Joe Biden Accuses Trump Of Planning To ‘Steal’ The Midterms (ZH)

 


 

Pepe https://twitter.com/Thevictoria76/status/2027757456667910334?s=20

 


 

 


 


Paul Craig Roberts had a busy weekend.

• The Road to World War III (Paul Craig Roberts)

The failure of Putin and Xi to stand up for their countries in the face of Washington’s aggression has convinced Trump that he can act with impunity anywhere in the world. Remember, Trump said words to the effect that he can do whatever he wants. Trumps words reminded me of Lenin when he declared that “the scientific concept of dictatorship means neither more nor less than unlimited power, resting directly on force, not limited by anything, not restricted by any laws, nor any absolute rules. Nothing else but that.” With AI destroying endless thousands of American jobs, Trump will have plenty of canon fodder with which to invade Cuba, Turkey, Egypt (“from the Nile to the Euphrates”), and with which to occupy Taiwan.


The Iranian government shares responsibility for the attack on Iran with Russia, China, Israel, and Trump. The witless Iranian government allowed itself to again be deceived, thinking that they were in peace negotiations with Trump while Trump and Israel were preparing an attack on Iran. The Iranian government did not even have the intelligence to protect the country’s leadership from assassination by Israeli missiles. The Iranian government tried to ignore the coming attack and gave away the strategic initiative to its enemies. Putin has done the same thing, and it seems Xi also.

These are the wrong messages to send to Trump and Israel. Gilbert Doctorow believes, correctly in my opinion, that the inability of Iran, Russia, and China to act intelligently has brought us to the opening stage of World War III. Putin himself, like Iran, has been deceiving himself and the Russian people for a long time by participating in Ukrainian “peace negotiations,” despite the fact that Putin has said time and time again that it is impossible to trust the Americans. Nevertheless, Putin has setup himself and his country for another deception like the Minsk agreement. China’s only weapons are words that mean nothing whatsoever to Washington.

Perhaps the Democrats will impeach Trump for committing the United States to a war crime without the consent of Congress. But as Trump has proved himself to be Israel’s effective tool, the Democrats would find themselves up against the Israel Lobby, a fight for which Democrats have little stomach. My conclusion is that Israel and it’s American puppet will continue along the road to World War III.

Read more …

“What the choice comes down to is that Trump represents Israel over Americans, and Democrats represent immigrant-invaders over Americans. The question is: who do you prefer for your ruler?”

• Has Netanyahu Destroyed Trump’s Presidency? (Paul Craig Roberts)

I am happy to report that finally there is some good news. The latest Gallup Poll brings it to us. The poll shows that the attitude of Americans to the Israelis and the Palestinians has shifted and now favors the Palestinians. Little doubt this was brought about by the heartless cruelty toward Gaza civilians by the so-called “Israeli defense force.” Watching a genocide in which entire cities are destroyed, women and children are shot in the head intentionally by Satanic Israeli soldiers, denial by Israel of medicine, food and water for bombed-out Palestinian civilians, and statement after statement by members of the Israeli government that the intention is to dispel Palestinians from Palestine have all contributed to waking up America about the alleged “only democracy in the Middle East.” Perhaps the Israeli-Trump military attack on Iran yesterday will contribute to waking up the peoples of the Western world.


Americans have also noticed the growing curtailment of their free speech. In some states, such as Texas and Florida, an American citizen who criticizes Israel is disqualified from holding a state job or having a contract to supply the state with goods or services. Students critical of Israel’s behavior are expelled from university. Foreign students are deported if they criticize Israel or support Palestine. University professors are dismissed. Corporate and media employees are fired. It finally dawned on part of the American population that Israel is canceling the First Amendment to the US Constitution. It is easier for Trump to expel by deportation from America, a foreign student legally in the United States who protests the Israeli genocide of Palestine then it is for Trump to deport an illegal alien who has no right whatsoever to be present in the United States.

Additionally, Americans have noticed that president Trump represents Israel first and America afterward. It is an affront to national honor to have a president who kowtows to a foreign government. The escape of some Americans from insouciance has resulted in 41% of Americans sympathizing with the Palestinians and 36% with the Israelis. This is a dramatic change from 2019 when about 60% of Americans were aligned with Israel and only 21% with Palestinians. The strongest shift toward Palestinians is among Democrats and Independents. The Republicans with the exception of representative Massey and Senator Paul remain in Israel’s pocket.

There is a large downside for Trump in this development. The United States has spent the first quarter of the 21st century fighting Israel’s wars against Arab states that opposed Greater Israel. With the orchestrated 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the George W Bush regime provided the excuse–the New Pearl Harbor– for the United States military to eliminate seven opponents to Greater Israel in five years. The Bush regime claimed that Muslims were responsible and launched a war that destroyed Arab opponents to Israel’s domination of the entire Middle East. Using American blood and vast amounts of American money, Washington has destroyed Iraq, Libya and Syria for Israel. And now Netanyahu has his two- bit puppet, Donald Trump, at work destroying Iran for Israel.

So what is Trump to do? Polls indicate that a large majority of Americans oppose war against Iran. But if Trump refused the mission handed to him by his Israeli master, he would lose the Israel’s Lobby support, and alienate the powerful Israel Lobby and the “Christian Zionists” who comprise a large segment of MAGA America. By going ahead with the attack, Trump alienates those opposed to more war and to Israel’s domination of the American government. With the midterm elections later this year, it is possible that by placing Trump between a rock and a hard place Netanyahu has destroyed the Trump presidency. The pros and cons of Democrats returning to power are obvious. The pro is that Democrats are likely to separate American interests from Israel’s. The con is that Democrats have taken an ideological position against “white racist America.” What the choice comes down to is that Trump represents Israel over Americans, and Democrats represent immigrant-invaders over Americans. The question is: who do you prefer for your ruler? The Israelis or the Muslims and the Hispanics?

Read more …

Gilbert Doctorow hidden inside a Paul Craig Roberts article. Oh well…

• Trump’s Attack On Iran: Message To Vladimir Putin (Gilbert Doctorow)

This note will be brief insofar as the news from the Middle East is still sparse. The Israeli-US attack on Iran resulted in destruction of the offices of the Ayatollah and of buildings of security forces in Tehran and in other cities, though reports are only preliminary. As for the Iranian counter-attack on Israel and on US military bases in the Gulf, information is still sketchier. However, my purpose is not to provide military intelligence but to offer political intelligence that is highly relevant to the prime interest of this Community – the war in Ukraine and how/whether attempts at brokering a peace by Trump still have any credibility.


The answer to that question is a resounding ‘no.’ U.S. diplomacy with Iran has now for the second time in less than a year been used only as a cover and a side-show while a vicious act of aggression against Iran was being planned. U.S. diplomacy is an exercise in treachery, nothing more. This truth was widely discussed on Russian state television on the leading news and commentary shows in the past few weeks. Presumably it was discussed within the Kremlin as well, but it is not at all clear that Vladimir Putin is ready to take the measures that the latest developments in Iran point to, namely: to break off all negotiations with Witkoff-Kushner and the Ukrainians; bomb the hell out of Kiev right now to put an end to Ukraine’s war-making potential on the front-lines and free brains and resources for Russia’s entry into the Middle East as co-defender of Iran alongside China.

I mention in passing that Trump’s speech to the nation announcing the start of U.S. military operations against Iran for the sake of degrading its military forces and promoting regime change was a vile collection of untruths and outright fabrications. Trump smashed any hopes we may have had that he could play a constructive role in international relations.

Yesterday, in my analysis of how the European Institutions have become smotherers of freedom of expression, of how the Commission exercises monarchical absolutism typical of the ancient regime, I said that they have to be put on a new footing, with cancellation of parliamentary democracy in favor of U.S. style Separation of Powers. Nota bene, checks and balances do not work every time, but they are our only hope for there to be public space open to debate on foreign and domestic policy with no holds barred. Trump’s action yesterday was immediately denounced by a member of Congress as violating the Constitution by opening war on Iran without authorization of Congress. We will see how far this censure goes, but it is a good start towards curbing autocracy in the Oval Office.

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2026

Read more …

Iran oil exports to Russia? What? Russia is a major oil exporter in and of itself.

• What Epic Fury Means for Putin (David Manney)

The confirmation that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes was a cause for celebration inside the country. U.S. military officials announced that the operation targeted Iranian leadership compounds, missile facilities, and nuclear infrastructure across Tehran and other strategic sites. U.S. and partner forces began striking targets at 1:15 a.m. ET to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that posed an imminent threat. Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.“The President ordered bold action, and our brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen are answering the call,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM.


Following the initial wave of U.S. and partner strikes, CENTCOM forces successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks. There have been no reports of U.S. casualties or combat-related injuries. Damage to U.S. installations was minimal and has not impacted operations. The first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea. Additionally, CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat. Operation Epic Fury involves the largest regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the strikes aimed to eliminate immediate threats that Iran’s regime posed.Now, will this affect the war between Ukraine and Russia?

Iran has long supported Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Under President Vladimir Putin, Moscow relied on Iranian Shahed drones to strike Ukrainian infrastructure and cities, which became central to Russia’s strategy of targeting energy grids during the winter months.Iran also supplies oil to Russia during periods when sanctions squeezed global markets. Disruption within Iran is now pitting two competing forces against each other. On the one hand, direct Iranian support to Moscow weakens amid disruptions to oil production and drone exports.On the other hand, instability in the Persian Gulf pushes oil prices upward, and Russia remains one of the world’s energy exporters.

Global energy markets face one of their gravest shocks in decades as joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf disrupt oil exports from the world’s most important producing region.The duration of the conflict will likely determine the scale of the disruption, but for now, the threat and uncertainty are already enough to severely impact flows from the region, which accounts for 20% of global oil supplies.Barring a swift resolution, oil prices will likely rise sharply when trading opens on Monday morning. Benchmark Brent crude oil prices rose in recent weeks to around $70 a barrel, their highest since August 2025, as investors braced for military confrontation in the Middle East.

With 20% of global oil shipments passing through the Straits of Hormuz and tanker traffic slowing amid heightened security risks, Iran’s temporary closure of maritime routes sent oil prices sharply higher. A 10-12% spike in global crude prices strengthens Russia’s revenue stream, at least in the short term. That creates a paradox in the Ukraine conflict: Higher oil prices give Putin breathing room, while every dollar increase in crude prices translates into billions of additional revenue for the Kremlin. China, facing reduced Iranian supply, may turn more heavily toward Russian exports; that shift could deepen Moscow’s economic relationship with Beijing.

Read more …

Khameini was no.1 for 35+ years. Not so easy to replace. Takes time.

• Iran Names Interim Successor To Khamenei Under 2nd Day Of Massive Bombs (ZH)

As questions hang over who will ultimately succeed Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an interim leader has been appointed to fulfill his duties. Top Shia cleric Alireza Arafi has been named to the interim Leadership Council after Supreme Leader Khamenei was confirmed killed in US-Israeli strikes, state media reported Sunday. The ISNA news agency has described that Arafi, a member of the Guardian Council, is joining President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on the body tasked with carrying out the supreme leader’s responsibilities until the Assembly of Experts appoints a permanent successor. All of this happening as US-Israeli bombs continue to fall on Tehran and other sites for a second straight day, ‘uninterrupted’ – as President Trump pledged Saturday.


Born in 1959, 67-year-old Alireza Arafi ranks among the most powerful clerics in Iran. Before his emergency elevation, he held three key posts: director of the nationwide Islamic Seminary system, member of the Guardian Council, and member of the Assembly of Experts. While rooted in Qom’s clerical establishment, Arafi combines traditional religious authority with seeking to carefully modernize Iran; however his appointment of course signals continuity, and he’ll be tasked with seeking to ensure regime survival – which is what this moment is all about for Tehran. Most importantly, Arafi is viewed by the IRGC and political leadership as a loyal insider who will preserve a retaliatory trajectory during wartime.

Heavy US and Israeli bombing has been observed Sunday on the Iranian capital, particularly on known government and military command centers, but that hasn’t stopped large gatherings of mourners in other parts of the country.While there’s been evidence of local celebrations in some sectors among anti-government Iranians, Sunday footage on state TV and other international media shows loyalists in possibly the hundreds of thousands showing solidarity with the slain Ayatollah the Islamic Republic leadership.

]President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killing as “a great crime” and has declared seven days of public holidays in addition to the 40-day mourning period. Outraged and saddened Iranians were seen pouring into the streets of the capital soon after state TV finally made the announcement confirming Khamenei’s killing during the opening salvo of the US-Israeli attack. Iranian authorities have alleged major war crimes, including the deaths of over 85 young girls attending school when a bomb struck.

“There will be expected ceremonies,” Pezeshkian said, while noting they will have to happen even while the bombardment continues across the country. He’s also said his country views revenge as its “legitimate right and duty” after Khamenei had been murdered by the “most wicked villains in the world.” The president further claimed the act was a “declaration of open war on Muslims, especially Shiites, in all corners of the world.” According to NBC:

The government in Iran is under attack like never before. Today tens of thousands of regime supporters packed into Tehran’s Revolution Square to mourn the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint U.S. and Israel military operation. They chanted “God is great!” while officials promised revenge. One said Iran would deliver “terrifying blows” to make the U.S. and Israel beg for mercy.

Read more …

“Every American has the right to be totally ashamed.”

• Netanyahu and Trump: the New Hitler-Mussolini Pact (Paul Craig Roberts)

Trump’s claims against Iran are a packet of lies. They are Trump’s excuses for complying with Netanyahu’s demand that Trump take the United States to war against Iran for the sake of Israel’s agenda of Greater Israel. This is despicable behavior for anyone, especially for a president of the United States. Americans always fall for patriotic propaganda, and the gullibility and insouciance of the American population is what Netanyahu and Trump are relying on to insure misperception of illegal aggression as humanitarian work blessed by God. The Iranian government, the Iranian people, Putin, and Xi share responsibility for the wanton act of aggression against the Iranian nation.


The Iranian government sat on its butt, giving up the strategic initiative, despite the obvious fact that a massive attack against Iran was nearing completion. The utter stupidity of the Iranian people allowed themselves to be tricked by American operatives into mindless participation in demonstration not against the US and Israel, but against their own government, and gave Trump and Israel an excuse for the attack and the hope that it will lead to regime change utin and Xi not only lacked the intelligence to form a mutual security agreement between Russia, China, and Iran, an agreement that would have prevented the attack, but they also failed to provide Iran with air defenses to deter the attack. It seems that Alastair Crooke’s report that China had provided Iran with reliable air defense was not accurate.

In other words, neither the Iranian government nor its supposed allies were capable of acknowledging reality and taking the necessary steps to prevent the Netanyahu-Trump attack on Iran. Considering the unreality in which Putin and Xi operate, the same fate is likely for Russia, and then China will be pulled into a war over Taiwan. The United States has already demonstrated its capability to produce anti-Chinese demonstrations in Hong Kong and other parts of China. Just as the Arab countries, unable to organize, have been knocked off one by one while the others stood and watched, Russia, Iran and China seem to face the same fate.

Trump has taken America to war without consultation with, or approval by, Congress. This should be an impeachable act, but as the war is for Israel, any complaints are likely to be muted. As the United States has shown its willingness to ignore the First Amendment in order to silence critics of Israel, the United States will also give up Congress’ power to decide on war. Trump’s war on Iran proves that he is the complete Israeli puppet and that the United States of America has been harnessed to Israel’s goal of a Greater Israel.

Every American has the right to be totally ashamed.

Read more …

The authority is murky, standard.

• Trump Can Rely on Past Dem. Presidents for Authority to Attack Iran (Turley)

With the launch of the attacks on Iran, some have already declared the action unconstitutional. That includes the immediate condemnation of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). The precedent, however, favors the President in this action, though the attack triggers obligations of notice and consultation with Congress. I am sympathetic to those who criticize the failure to seek declarations of war from Congress before carrying out such operations. Indeed, I have represented members of Congress in opposing such wars. We lost. The courts have allowed presidents to order such attacks unilaterally.


Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution states that “the President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states.” However, the Constitution also expressly states that Congress has the power to declare war under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11. Our last declared war was World War II. Since that time, Congress and the courts have allowed for resolutions to supplant the declaration requirement. They have also allowed for unilateral attacks on other nations.President Trump has referred to this action as a “war” and said that it will not be a limited operation. The attack will result in calls for compliance with the War Powers Resolution, passed by Congress in 1973.

The resolution requires “in the absence of a declaration of war” that a president report to Congress within 48 hours after introducing United States military forces into hostilities. The WPR mandates that operations must end within 60 days absent congressional approval. Notably, there was a recent secret briefing of the “Gang of Eight” that may have included a foreshadowing of this operation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Saturday that he has given notice to those senators.

Under the WPR: “The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities or have been removed from such situations.” The WPR limits such authority to “hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances,” and can be exercised “only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”

President Trump has cited the documented attacks of Iran and its proxies on U.S. forces and its allies. It is also a state sponsor of terrorism and has continued to seek nuclear weapons in defiance of the demands of the international community. Recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Iran had again barred it from these sites. There has historically been deference to presidents exercising such judgments under this vague standard. That was certainly the case with the attacks in Bosnia and Libya under Democratic presidents. Even with the highly deferential language, presidents have long chaffed at the limitations of WPR. Nixon’s veto of the legislation was overridden. Past Democratic and Republican presidents, including Obama, have asserted their inherent authority under Article II to carry out such operations.

There is always a fair amount of hypocrisy in these moments. There was no widespread outcry when Obama attacked Libya, particularly from Democrats. When I represented members to challenge the undeclared war in Libya, Obama (like Trump) dismissed any need to get congressional approval in attacking the capital city of a foreign nation and military sites to force regime change. Figures like then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were lionized for their tough action in Libya. Recently, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) sponsored a resolution to bar President Donald Trump from taking military action in Iran without congressional approval. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) proposed a similar resolution. Neither was passed.

Critics can also rely on Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs) to assert limits on the president when authorizing limited, defined military actions. Such resolutions date back to the Adams Administration in the Quasi-War with France. A 2001 AUMF authorized the President “to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.” It also authorized presidents to take military action to prevent future acts of terrorism against the United States.

The 2002 AUMF authorizes the President to use “necessary and appropriate” force to “defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.” Past presidents have interpreted these AUMFs to extend to new threats and beyond countries like Iraq. In a 2018 report, the Trump Administration declared that the 2002 AUMF “contains no geographic limitation on where authorized force may be employed.”

Read more …

“Once Trump has cleared the path for Israel, will Israel then turn on America?”

• Israel Uber Alles (Paul Craig Roberts)

During war, war propaganda, dominates over factual reporting, and even is turned by court historians into historical “fact” that prevails for years after the war is over. The current reporting on the Israeli-American attack on Iran is even more doubtful, considering the enormous lies we have been told by Israel and Trump. According to Fox News, in the joint military surprise attack on Iran, Israel’s missiles targeted the Iranian leadership, and the American missiles attacked the Iranian missile sites. Israeli and American officials confirm that Israel succeeded in assassinating 40 more Iranian top leaders, including Supreme Leader Khamenei, leaving Iran without leadership.


Whether or not true, if this is a loss remains to be seen. Apparently, the Iranian leadership lacked the wits to see that an attack was imminent and continued in the negotiations that Trump was using a second time to set Iran up for a surprise attack, and the Supreme Leader made no effort to locate to a safe place. This is not a sign of Iranian intelligence. It is likely that Iran will be defeated, the usual fate of a military that permits the strategic initiative to remain in the hands of the enemy, as Putin and Xi have also done. As Russia and China are too frightened to come to Iran’s aid, the defeat of Iran could also mean the end of BRICS and the New Chinese Silk Road. Russian and Chinese leadership are demonstrating that their support is purely verbal and means nothing.

Congratulations to Netanyahu, the Israel Lobby, and Israel’s American neo-conservative agents who are succeeding in the restoration of Israeli-American world hegemony. It seems that Israeli-American hegemony has no opponents capable of standing up to domination by the Israeli-American alliance, much less the pathetic Russian and Chinese governments. Russia and China will be knocked off one by one as they lack the intelligence to unite. Once Trump has cleared the path for Israel, will Israel then turn on America?

Read more …

US military officially says 3 dead. I don’t believe it was 200.

“Iranian forces have retaliated against American-Israeli attacks by targeting Washington’s military bases across the region..”

• US Military Suffered 200 Casualties In Retaliatory Strikes – Tehran (RT)

The US has suffered 200 casualties in Iranian retaliatory strikes on bases across the Middle East, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed. Backed by the US, Israel launched what was described as a preemptive operation against Iranian military and nuclear-related targets in the early hours of Saturday, claiming the strikes were aimed at neutralizing threats posed by the Islamic Republic in the region. US President Donald Trump later confirmed that the White House had supported West Jerusalem in conducting the strikes, citing the failure of nuclear diplomacy as a direct trigger for the move.


“As a result of missile strikes on American bases, at least 200 US military personnel were killed and injured,” the Tasnim news agency reported Saturday, citing a statement by the IRGC. Commenting on the retaliation, IRGC General Ebrahim Jabbari warned Trump that the Islamic Republic has “advanced capabilities” and is ready for a prolonged conflict. “At the start of the war we will strike everything we have in our stockpiles,” Jabbari said, vowing to launch “the most powerful missiles later.” IRGC General Ebrahim Jabbari:Trump should know that today we fired the missiles from the back of our stockpile.Soon, we will unveil weapons that you have never seen before. — Clash Report (@clashreport) February 28, 2026 “What we have not shown until now, and what, as we Iranians say, we ‘put to rest in brine,’ we will reveal in the coming days,” he added.

Iran’s retaliation targeted several US military facilities across the Middle East, including the Fifth Fleet support center in Bahrain, a base in Iraqi Kurdistan, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, Muwaffaq Al Salti Air Base in Jordan, and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to reports. Israeli news outlets also said that some 35 missiles were launched toward Israel, with one person reportedly injured. The latest strikes represent Israel’s second major military campaign against Iran in less than a year. In June 2025, during a 12-day conflict, the IDF in cooperation with US military forces carried out a surprise bombing of the Islamic Republic’s military and nuclear facilities, killing senior military commanders, government officials, and nuclear scientists.

Read more …

There’s a woman’s face behind that black square in the photo.

• Bill Clinton ‘Did Not Have Sex’ With Mystery Woman In Epstein’s Jacuzzi (RT)

Former US President Bill Clinton allegedly told congressional investigators that he did not have sex with a woman photographed with him in a jacuzzi, and does not even know her name, according to CNN and NBC sources familiar with the testimony about his links to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton’s closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Friday lasted roughly six hours and concluded without the former president or his legal team addressing the press. The former president chose to manage the public response through social media, asserting in his opening statement that he “saw nothing” and “did nothing wrong.”


Several members of the committee told reporters outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center that the session was “productive” and said Clinton at times spoke more candidly than his attorneys preferred.“He did attempt to respond to every single question asked, even when his attorney told him to shut up,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said. Rep. Nancy Mace thanked the former president for cooperating.Lawmakers questioned Clinton extensively about his appearances in newly released Epstein files, including photographs showing him alongside Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking offenses.

At one point, Clinton was asked about photographs released by the Justice Department showing him in a hot tub with a woman whose face was redacted, according to CNN. Clinton allegedly said he did not know the woman and denied having any sexual relationship with her. He also repeatedly told investigators that he never visited Epstein’s private island. The inquiry also examined Clinton’s presence in Epstein flight logs and White House visitor records from the 1990s. Clinton has previously acknowledged traveling on Epstein’s private jet but has described their relationship as brief and said he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct.

Clinton was represented during questioning by longtime attorney David Kendall, while spokesperson Angel Urena issued a written statement criticizing the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein-related evidence files. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who unlike her husband briefly spoke to reporters following her own testimony a day earlier, described the inquiry as “political theater.” Video recordings and transcripts of both Clintons’ depositions are expected to be released in the coming days, pending legal review. The testimonies form part of a wider congressional effort to examine individuals connected to Epstein’s network. Comer said additional subpoenas are expected but declined to identify future witnesses.

Read more …

“Any attempt to strengthen Ukraine’s position by supplying it with a dirty bomb or any other components will not lead to any results .. ”

• UK, France Aiming To Tank Peace Talks With Ukraine Nuke Plot – Diplomat (RT)

The UK and France are planning to arm Ukraine with a nuclear weapon to ensure its conflict with Russia is not settled in US-backed peace talks, senior Russian diplomat Gennady Gatilov told RT in an interview on Friday. Earlier this week, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused London and Paris of plotting to transfer the necessary components, technology, and equipment needed to develop a nuclear weapon or so-called ‘dirty bomb’.


The plans were specifically timed to undermine the trilateral Russian-US-Ukrainian peace talks, according to Gatilov, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva. He argued that Kiev’s Western European backers have been increasingly “angered” by Russia’s advances on the battlefield. “This period was certainly not chosen by chance… there were truly important trilateral negotiations taking place,” he said. The UK, France and Ukraine’s other European sponsors were “essentially sidelined… which is causing them discontent, extreme discontent,” he said.

I think this was an attempt to increase their role in this process, and thus continue to encourage the Ukrainians, the Ukrainian regime, to continue military action. The diplomat cited the example of the failed 2014-2015 Minsk Agreements, which were ostensibly intended to reconcile the post-coup government in Kiev with anti-Maidan forces in Ukraine’s east. Germany and France were guarantors of the accords. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande later admitted that the accords had been exploited to stall for time and allow Kiev to rearm.

According to Gatilov, from the early stages of the Ukraine conflict, France and the UK have played an “important role” in turning the country into what he called an “anti-Russia project.” When asked if the alleged nuclear handover plot by London and Paris would strengthen Kiev’s negotiation position in the peace talks, the diplomat said no. “Any attempt to strengthen Ukraine’s position by supplying it with a dirty bomb or any other components will not lead to any results,” he said. “On the contrary… this will worsen the political situation and complicate the search for a political solution to the problem.”

Read more …

Where the West was lost.

• 85% Of Babies In 2026 Will Be Born In Asia And Africa (ZH)

In 2026, 85% of babies worldwide will be born in just two continents: Asia and Africa. Where someone is born can shape everything from access to education and healthcare to long-term economic opportunity. This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, shows how global births are distributed across continents, based on population projections from the United Nations.

Asia Accounts for Nearly Half of Global Births
Asia is expected to see about 64.9 million births in 2026, accounting for roughly 49% of all births worldwide. Despite declining fertility rates in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea, Asia’s sheer population size keeps it at the center of global demographics. South and Southeast Asia, in particular, continue to contribute large numbers of births each year. As a result, nearly one in every two people born in 2026 will be born somewhere in Asia.

Africa Makes Up More Than One-Third of Global Births
Africa is projected to record 47.6 million births in 2026, representing 35.9% of the global total. This reflects the continent’s high fertility rates and young population structure. Many African countries are still early in their demographic transitions, with limited declines in birth rates so far. As population growth accelerates, Africa’s share of global births has been rising steadily and is projected to increase further later this century.

Smaller Shares in the Rest of the World
All other continents account for a relatively small share of global births. Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to see 9.3 million births, or 7% of the total, while Europe accounts for just 4.6%. North America’s share stands at 3%, reflecting lower fertility rates despite population growth driven by migration. Oceania contributes 0.5% of births, and Antarctica, with no permanent population, records no births at all.

Read more …

“The broadly worded judgment is a stinging humiliation for The Marshmallow Minister ..”

• Court Says You Can’t Call AfD “Confirmed Right-wing Extremist” (Eugyppius)

Old friends may remember the farce we experienced last May, when outgoing Marshmallow Interior Minister Nancy Faeser pushed her gaggle of goons in the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) to upgrade their political classification of Alternative für Deutschland.No longer did the BfV consider the national political party to lurk under mere “suspicion of right-wing extremism,” oh no. They announced suddenly and with much establishment fanfare that they had determined the AfD to be “confirmed right-wing extremists.”


Faeser and her goons hoped this new designation would edge the AfD more firmly into Evil Nazi Fascist Hitler territory in the popular mind, thereby preparing the way for banning the party. According to the dumb Gender Studies-tier retards unassailable and unbiased experts of the BfV, the AfD were more definitely Evil, more definitely Nazi, more definitely Fascist and more definitely Hitler than ever before. They had such clear proofs of all the Evil Nazi Fascist Hitlerism lurking within the AfD that they could not even reveal them. Doing so, Faeser said, would compromise the mysterious sources and methods of her highly sophisticated political spy agency. Instead, the Interior Ministry leaked a classified dossier supporting the upgrade to sympathetic media like Der Spiegel, and these media promptly published earnest articles telling us all how absolutely Fascist and Evil and Nazi and Hitler all the secret evidence showed the AfD to be, because trust us bro.

What happened next is that somebody leaked the full 1,000-page dossier to the alternative news outlets Cicero and NiUS, both of which promptly published the full .pdf. It turned out to be one of the stupidest and most trivial documents I’ve ever read. The supersecret hyperspy sources tapped by the BfV? Google and social media posts. The supersecret hyperspy methods used by the BfV? Compiling interminable lists of potentially untoward or possibly impolite things AfD politicians uttered in googlable documents or on social media. It was so bad that almost overnight the dossier destroyed much of the momentum for an AfD ban – exactly the opposite of what its architects had intended. Even many establishment figures quietly admitted what a travesty the whole thing had turned out to be.

NEVERTHELESS: The establishment moved quickly to capitalise on the new extremist designation. Various state governments began plotting to cleanse the civil service of AfD members on the grounds that they were affiliates of an officially “extremist” organisation. In Rheinland-Pfalz they even toyed with the idea of illegally excluding AfD candidates from running in local elections also on the basis of this bureaucratic designation. The Social Democrats began pushing to initiate ban proceedings against the AfD, a move that – if successful – would grant the left parties indefinite parliamentary majorities both nationally and across many state parliaments, amounting to a kind of legal coup and casting us into a new DDR-light regime.

Meanwhile, the AfD filed suit with the Administrative Court in Cologne to overturn their upgraded designation because it was so obviously dumb and unfounded. They also asked the court to prohibit the designation temporarily, while their primary lawsuit is pending – a long involved process that will take years. The Cologne judges released their unusually extensive 55-page decision on the temporary injunction yesterday. For the party-banning speech-repressing opinion-monitoring enthusiasts of Our Democracy, it is a disaster.

Read more …

“Claims Credit For Border Security .. ”

Requiring voter ID equals stealing the election.

“..he’s going to do everything he can to prevent you from wanting to vote ..”

I’m trying to see a logic in here…

• Joe Biden Accuses Trump Of Planning To ‘Steal’ The Midterms (ZH)

Former President Joe Biden made one of his rare post-presidential appearances Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, stepping onto a stage at a downtown art museum to accept a lifetime achievement honor from the state’s Democratic Party. During the speech, Biden claimed that Donald Trump is rigging the 2026 midterms before a single vote has been cast. “Here’s the good news,” Biden told the crowd. “In America, the power still belongs to the people for now. And the way to show the power is vote, show up, and vote. And folks, when we do that, that’s bad news for Donald Trump, and he knows it. That’s why he’s trying to pull out more and more barriers – put them up. He’s trying to steal the election because he knows he can’t win your vote, so he’s going to do everything he can to prevent you from wanting to vote.”


The “barriers” Biden was referencing are Trump’s push for photo ID requirements and proof of citizenship for first-time voter registration – the two key components of the SAVE America Act currently awaiting a Senate vote. Biden framed these measures as existential threats to democracy. What he did not mention is that the American public has already rendered its verdict on these policies — and it is not remotely close. A Pew Research Center survey found that 83% of Americans support requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote, including 71% of Democrats, 76% of black Americans, and 82% of Hispanics. = Gallup found nearly identical results: 84% in favor of photo ID requirements, with 98% of Republicans, 84% of independents, and 67% of Democrats on board. Eighty-three percent also support requiring proof of citizenship for first-time voter registration.

“The bottom line is this,” CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten said earlier this month. “Voter ID is not controversial in this country. A photo ID to vote is not controversial in this country. It is not controversial by party, and it is not controversial by race. The vast majority of Americans agree … that, in fact, you should have a photo ID to be able to vote.”

Biden was speaking, in other words, about a policy his own base largely supports — insisting it’s election theft. Biden also attempted to rewrite his legacy by claiming he had secured the southern border.”The day I left office, border crossings in the United States were lower than the day that I entered an office inherited from Trump,” he said. “He is — I won’t say it. That’s just a fact.” What Biden failed to mention was that border crossings hit record highs on his watch. The numbers were so high that even Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said back in 2024 that they were unsustainable.

During his presidency, he claimed that he needed new legislation to address the border crisis and insisted that it was up to Congress to give him the authority he needed to close the border. The Biden administration only chose to act on the border when polling showed that Trump had a significant advantage on the issue of immigration.No matter how hard he tries, Joe Biden can’t rewrite his record on the border. Rather than own his legacy, he’s proving exactly why Donald Trump won in 2024.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/NicHulscher/status/2028122511922135127?s=20 https://twitter.com/scitechgirl/status/2028150089315680453?s=20 DNA https://twitter.com/BrainyScience/status/2027854938894663775?s=20 cell https://twitter.com/MAstronomers/status/2027852771680981086?s=20 https://twitter.com/maximumpain333/status/2027909335939223723?s=20 https://twitter.com/latestincosmos/status/2027842472345538797?s=20 https://twitter.com/AstronomyVibes/status/2028078201843449970?s=20

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle October 5 2025

Oct 052025
 
 October 5, 2025  Posted by at 10:09 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , ,  40 Responses »


Vincent van Gogh Corridor In The Asylum 1889

 

• Trump Thanks Israel For Pause in Gaza, Urges Hamas “Move Quickly” (ZH)
• ICE Agents Ambushed, Fired Upon in Chicago Suburb (Spencer)
• US Running Out of Money To Keep Nuclear Arsenal Safe (RT)
• Sen. Kennedy: More Absurd Things Dems Shut Down the Government For (Margolis)
• US To Earn More Than $1 Trillion Per Year In Tariffs – Trump (TASS)
• Putin Blasts French ‘Piracy’ After ‘Russia-Linked’ Tanker Boarded (ZH)
• Shutdown Day #3 – Trump’s Challenge (CTH)
• Putin-the-Unready? (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Vladimir Putin Makes The Castling Move (Helmer)
• How the Israel Lobby Took Over America’s Universities (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Trust In US Media At Historic Low – Gallup (RT)
• UK Energy Chief Claims Musk Fueling ‘Threat’ To Britain (RT)
• UK Parliament Cuts Nigel Farage’s Security Detail (RT)
• Musk Tweets Wipe $15bn Off Netflix Value (RT)
• US Treasury Unveils Draft Design Of Coin With Trump’s Profile (RT)
• Higher Ed Bottoms Out (James Howard Kunstler)

 

 


https://twitter.com/nxt888/status/1973843985824428377
https://twitter.com/RussiaIsntEnemy/status/1974475994716127429

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1973850555278921988


https://twitter.com/Real_RobN/status/1974543229761843473
https://twitter.com/MAGAStormX/status/1974510704343347569

200,000 SIM cards. That takes up a lot of space. Like all buiildings in an entire street.


https://twitter.com/Megatron_ron/status/1974531487128289740

Martin Armstrong: Trump Taking Us Into World War III

 

 

 

 

Nobody believes it until they see it. But Trump may have had enough damage done to his name.

• Trump Thanks Israel For Pause in Gaza, Urges Hamas “Move Quickly” (ZH)

The Israeli military has been ordered by the Netanyahu government to pause its offensive in Gaza City, according to Israeli army radio on Saturday, just a day after Hamas is said to have agreed to the Trump-proposed peace plan which seeks the release of all remaining hostages, living and deceased. The Israeli military in an official statement said it had been ordered to “advance readiness” for implementing the first stage of Trump’s plan. Army radio noted that military operations in Gaza would be scaled back to “the minimum” – but what have been dubbed defensive strikes will continue. Prime Minister Netanyahu says the hostages will be freed in days. Some of these airstrikes were still observed throughout the day, with Palestinian sources saying at least 55 people have still been killed since dawn.

President Trump himself late Friday urged Israel to halt its bombardment, while also calling on Hamas to “move quickly” on implementing the 20-point peace plan. “I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed,” Trump stated on Truth Social Saturday morning. But he also warned that “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off,” adding that “I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!” But Hamas had only said it is ready to enter negotiations on Trump’s peace plan, suggesting there are many more hurdles to go as each condition is agreed to.

Prime Minister Netanyahu in fresh remarks to reporters emphasized that the plan calls for the complete demilitarization of Hamas – but this is anything but certain in terms of whether the Palestinian militant group will actually lay down its weapons. But Hamas did say it has agreed to releasing all 48 remaining hostages that it’s ready to surrender power over the Gaza Strip, but the proverbial devil will be in the details in terms of how precisely this all comes to fruition. It remains an open question the degree to which fighting has actually stopped in Gaza City…

The Palestinian side hopes to see 250 prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Palestinians detained without charge released as a result of the Trump 20-point plan. Israeli military Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee is meanwhile telling Palestinian residents not to return to their homes in Gaza City or northern Gaza. Still, this moment seems the best shot at truce or permanent peace in the two-year long war in quite a while, and the White House seems ready to seize the initiative and push the sides to the finish line.

Read more …

“..Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have spent weeks ratcheting up the hysteria and purveying incendiary rhetoric about how President Donald Trump is a fascist and ICE agents are his storm troopers.”:

• ICE Agents Ambushed, Fired Upon in Chicago Suburb (Spencer)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have reportedly come under fire in Broadview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, from a woman identified only as a “U.S. citizen.” This comes after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have spent weeks ratcheting up the hysteria and purveying incendiary rhetoric about how President Donald Trump is a fascist and ICE agents are his storm troopers. Once again, the left’s rhetoric spills over into violence. Fox News reported early Saturday afternoon that according to Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “federal agents were rammed and boxed in by 10 cars in Broadview, Ill., where anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crowds have been gathering for days.”

They haven’t been just gathering, and this was no peaceful protest: “One of the drivers was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, according to McLaughlin, who said officers ‘were forced to deploy their weapons and fire defensive shots at an armed U.S. citizen.’” According once again to McLaughlin, “the armed woman, who was a U.S. citizen, was named in a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intelligence bulletin.” She “allegedly doxxed agents and posted online, ‘Hey to all my gang let’s f— those motherf—— up, don’t let them take anyone.'”The firefight took place as “agents were reportedly performing a routine patrol in Broadview, a suburb of Chicago.” Reportedly, no agents were injured. Oddly, McLaughlin added that “the woman involved drove herself to the hospital to get care for wounds.” That’s swell, but was she arrested? The question shouldn’t even need to be asked, but in America these days, one never knows.

It should be remembered in connection with this incident that back in April, Pritzker said: “Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption — but I am now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.” It looks as if in Broadview, he has been heeded. Also, on Saturday morning, Pritzker raised the temperature even more, saying: “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.” Once again, this is the kind of language that stirs up the left’s most violent cadres.

And Pritzker wasn’t finished. He charged that the Trump administrations intends to “pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort the protect public safety.” He insisted that there was “no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. State, county, and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their connotational rights. I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people.”

Now, Pritzker appears to have gotten what he wanted, and the seeds he planted and has been watering for so long have finally sprouted: there has been an armed attack against ICE agents in a Chicago suburb. Yet Pritzker shouldn’t get too elated and start savoring being the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate (or who knows, even presidential candidate) in 2028. While he has been energetically purveying his hysterical rhetoric, he has also, ironically enough, completely undercut it.

After all, if officers of the law are not able to do their duty in Chicago, and come under armed attack when they try to do so, it’s clear that Pritzker is wrong: there really is a need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois. And the person who is primarily responsible for creating the need for them is Pritzker himself. The Broadview incident comes at a time of rapidly increasing tensions all across the country. Democrat governors such as Pritzker and Gavin Newsom seem determined to keep the pedal to the medal on the hysterical rhetoric, as if they actually want the violence they’re inciting to break out. In a saner age, their defiance of the president and constant incitement would be considered seditious and result in their being removed from office, if not prosecuted. Today, it has them jockeying for the leadership of the Democrat Party.

Read more …

More goodies from the shutdown.

• US Running Out of Money To Keep Nuclear Arsenal Safe (RT)

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has cautioned that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) could run out of funding to monitor the country’s nuclear arsenal within eight days because of an ongoing government shutdown. He said operations would be suspended once the money is gone. The US federal government has stopped working for the first time in almost seven years, after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a spending bill in the Senate.nOn Friday, the Senate failed to pass either a Republican bill or a Democratic alternative, with both measures falling short of the votes needed. Both sides blamed each other for the crisis. Lawmakers are expected to try again on October 6.

“Eight more days of funding, and then we have to go into some emergency shutdown procedures, putting our country at risk,” Wright said Thursday evening on Fox News, referring to the National Nuclear Security Administration. The secretary said over 20 officials in his department are still awaiting Senate confirmation, blaming Democrats for delaying tactics and prolonging the shutdown by withholding key votes. Before this year’s federal cuts, the NNSA employed more than 65,000 federal workers and contractors nationwide, handling everything from maintaining the nuclear arsenal to non-proliferation efforts and oversight of the US Navy’s nuclear operations.

In its latest shutdown plan, the US Energy Department said it would keep NNSA staff running “critical control operations systems” and those working on nuclear non-proliferation, but gave no figures on how many employees would be included. mUS President Donald Trump has suggested he may use the shutdown to push through major staff and wage cuts, blaming Democrats for the budget impasse. The White House is also using the standoff to target programs opposed by Republicans. Federal agencies have partially suspended services and many employees are furloughed. The last government shutdown began on December 22, 2018 and lasted 35 days.

Read more …

$833,000 for transgender people in Nepal.
$300,000 for a pride parade in Lesotho.
$4.2 million for LGBTQI people in the Western Balkans and Uganda.

‘We’re gonna shut down government until you put that back in.’”

• Sen. Kennedy: More Absurd Things Dems Shut Down the Government For (Margolis)

The Schumer Shutdown is dragging into the weekend, with neither side budging. Republicans pushed for a straightforward continuing resolution to keep the government funded through November, but Democrats chose to hold the line for their wish list of radical spending priorities—billions and billions of dollars’ worth—and in doing so, shut the government down. The media has focused on their demand for free health care for illegal immigrants, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot more buried in this standoff that isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) took to the Senate floor this week and laid out, in his trademark blunt and hilarious fashion, exactly what Democrats are trying to shut the government down over—and it’s every bit as ridiculous as you’d expect.

“Basically, President Trump just said, ‘We want you to take some stuff out of the budget that we think is wasteful,’” Kennedy began. “And we did — and that upset the congresswoman.” That “congresswoman,” of course, is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who, according to Kennedy, went ballistic when Trump and congressional Republicans started cutting some of the more absurd Biden-era spending priorities. Kennedy didn’t hold back as he read aloud what Democrats are fighting to restore. “We found that under President Biden, they were spending $3 million for circumcisions and vasectomies in Zambia,” he said. “We took that out. The congresswoman says, ‘We’re gonna shut down government until you put that back in.’”

And that was just the beginning. “We found $500,000 of American taxpayer money for electric buses in Rwanda,” Kennedy continued. “We found $3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti. I kid you not. I’m not making this up. It was in the budget under President Biden.”

Republicans, Kennedy noted, stripped out each of these items as they tried to rein in wasteful foreign spending. But Democrats—with AOC and the “socialist wing” of the party leading the way—are threatening to shut the government down until every last one of those absurd expenditures is put back in. “I could spend the rest of the afternoon here,” Kennedy said. “We took all that out. It upset Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. It upset the socialist wing of her party. And now they’re threatening all other Democrats and saying, ‘You’ve got to shut that government down until we get what we want.’” And that, Kennedy concluded, is what this entire budget fight is about—not defending American taxpayers or funding core government services, but holding the government hostage over millions in woke pet projects and bizarre international handouts.

Read more …

“..a protective mechanism.”

• US To Earn More Than $1 Trillion Per Year In Tariffs – Trump (TASS)

US President Donald Trump said that the import duties he imposed would bring the United States revenue of more than $1 trillion per year. In an interview with One America News television channel, Trump stated that revenues from new tariffs were just starting to flow in but eventually they could reach $1 trillion a year. Speaking at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly last month, Trump said the United States was ready to conduct trade with all countries provided that the principles of fairness and reciprocity are respected. According to the US president, the tariffs that the US administration has imposed on most countries of the world are a protective mechanism.

Read more …

One fake anti-Russia story after another. They come fast.

• Putin Blasts French ‘Piracy’ After ‘Russia-Linked’ Tanker Boarded (ZH)

“The tanker was seized in neutral waters without any justification, and they were apparently looking for some kind of military cargo, drones, or something else,” Putin said Thursday at the Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi, condemning the French takeover of an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” which seeks to evade Western energy sanctions as an act of “piracy”. “There’s nothing there, there ne ver was, and there can’t be anything,” Putin asserted of the boarding action which took place earlier this week. The tanker was under the flag of a third country and the crew is international, Putin described, adding he doesn’t know “how much it’s related to Russia.” French authorities revealed details for the first time on Thursday, confirming that they arrested the captain, a Chinese national. He’s accused of disobeying orders of the French navy.

Another crew member, the First Officer, was also arrested, as Reuters details of French statements: French police have arrested the captain and first officer of a sanctioned tanker suspected of operating for Russia’s “shadow fleet,” authorities said on Thursday, after the navy boarded the vessel, which may have been involved in recent drone incidents around Denmark. The vessel, the Boracay, was approximately 50 nautical miles south of Copenhagen on September 22 when drone activity forced the closure of the city’s airport around 1830 GMT, according to data from MarineTraffic. It was also observed heading south along Denmark’s western coast on the evening of September 24 when drones were reported flying north of Esbjerg and near several nearby airports. The tanker appeared on on an EU sanctions list for transporting Russian oil, but the whole Denmark drone incursion linkage aspect to it seems highly coincidental, and a big stretch, assuming there’s no further evidence and that no actual drones were found upon searching the vessel.

French authorities would be presenting any such evidence very quickly, but instead they just issued ambiguous statements remotely suggesting the linkage to the Denmark drone sightings.French authorities say that the Boracay has a history of changing names and flags, and is currently flying under Benin’s registry. It’s believed this is part of intentional sanctions-dodging. The Boracay is now anchored off France’s coast near Saint-Nazaire, south of Brest. It had initially set sail from the Russian port of Primorsk outside Saint Petersburg on September 20 and had actually been at one point detained Estonian authorities earlier this year for sailing without a valid country flag. International law allows countries to intercept such vessels which are believed to be stateless, typically if there is suspicion of wrong-doing like smuggling.

Read more …

“If liberty and freedom become the priority, the advancement of personal wealth becomes more difficult.”

• Shutdown Day #3 – Trump’s Challenge (CTH)

The professionally Republican wing of the GOPe want this shutdown ended just as much as the professionally Democrat wing. The UniParty cannot allow Trump/Vought this much power. Republicans cannot allow Trump this much power. The Moonbat leftists are not the biggest problem, they never have been. They are ideologues, mostly. Insufferable, stupid, violent at times, but easy to spot. Remember, Democrats quest for power; Republicans quest for money. Always underline this because it’s really important. The Moonbat leftists seek power, seek control of your life, and they are open in their insufferably stupid arguments to get there. When they start to lose, they turn violent. This is their history. That said, they are not the most dangerous. The professional Republicans are more dangerous because their priority is money. As a result, their approaches, goals, objectives and arguments can be purchased.

Republicans have no interests, goals or objectives, nor allegiances, that supersede their primary objective, getting money, growing their wealth. Democrats will come at you with a knife, a gun or a baseball bat. You can see them. The professional Republican guy standing beside you, however, is willing to take a payment to shoot you in the ear when you don’t see it coming. This is also why it seems like Democrats stick together, and Republicans split. Democrats are chasing a common goal, a collective goal, power. Republicans are chasing a commonality, yes, but an individual goal, money, their wealth. Donors contribute to the Democrat agenda because their interest to benefit from power. Republicans modify their agenda to benefit donors because their goal is money. Democrats stay on task, power. Republicans are flexible, money.

You enter a war against Leftists with extreme danger. However, the danger is not the war in front of you, it’s the army beside you waiting to get a payment from the enemy in front of you. Out of a group of 1,000 democrats, 900+ will join in to defend a weakened Moonbat leftist (see Kimmell). Out of a group of 1,000 Republicans you will find, maybe, 5 willing to cover your back regardless of how much bribery is put in front of them. Remember this, understand this and the reality of who presents the most danger to us is accurately framed. Republicans do not simply snatch defeat from the jaws of victory; they sell defeat to the highest bidder! In our lifetime we have watched this unfold. There were Democrats with the same outlook as Republicans, they were known as “blue dog” democrats. The Blue Dogs were willing to compromise power, to sell power, in return for financial payment.

Traditional ‘Blue Dogs’ were names like Hillary and Bill Clinton; their prism was the assembly of money. However, this group faced the introduction of hardline ideological believers, the communists or Marxists represented by Barack Obama. Obama Inc. battled Clinton Inc. to determine the future of the Democrats. The ideologues won, and the democrat Blue Dogs in their tribe, those willing to concede ideology for money, were purged from their ranks. Modern Democrats, post Obama takeover, are now pure ideologues. “By any means necessary” is the operational objective of modern leftists. This is why government under Obama flipped the switch so openly and began weaponizing power. Purging govt agencies and replacing the staff with ideologues. Crushing opposition, by brute force and targeting.

Simultaneously, in the smaller Republican ranks, there was a small group who wanted to face down the same battle inside the Republican party. The original Tea Party represented this group. A smaller assembly trying to put ideology, freedom and liberty at the forefront of the Republican objective. Unlike the leftist effort, the Tea Party effort inside the Republican party failed. Republican leadership crushed the liberty rebellion and went back to business taking money from the ideological Marxists who now ruled the centers of power. People who didn’t quite understand what was taking place stood and watched, frustrated, at the dynamic of Republicans who conceded every battle to the left. What the abused GOP viewers didn’t understand was the core of the issue; Democrats want power, Republicans want money. Each time the Republicans could win on a policy issue, they sold the loss to Democrats.

Battered conservatives grew more frustrated and more frustrated. Now we enter the era of MAGA, represented by billionaire Donald J Trump, who, like Obama before him, began the fight inside the Republican Party. The Tea Party rebellion quickly reengaged Trump and formed MAGA; the ideological fight inside the Republican party, liberty over money, was on again. MAGA represents opposition to the leftist ideological advancement. But the Republican assembly will not concede. In a way their resistance makes sense. If liberty and freedom become the priority, the advancement of personal wealth becomes more difficult. Simultaneously, if retention and assembly of wealth is the priority, liberty and freedom ideologues become impediments. Again, MAGA within Republicanism must be crushed when money is the priority.

This internal Republican battle has been unfolding in various reference points for almost a decade now, while the internal Democrat battle was long ago decided. The root issue the within the Republican apparatus still surrounds the greatest evil. ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’ This conflict has not yet been fully decided, yet admittedly -and thankfully- MAGA has made some significant gains. The Republican party now has a lower income demographic and a more ideological working-class base. However, don’t be fooled. The top tier of the Republican apparatus is mostly unchanged; albeit they are facing more entrenched ideological opposition from the awakened MAGA forces. The top tier will still sell out the base, still compromise for personal profit, and still take payment for policy. This brings us to where we are today.

Inside the MAGA assembly we are trying to identify which Republican leaders have shifted to the MAGA/liberty viewpoint, and which Republican leaders are playing the long game while retaining their DNA level objective, get money. Each day on these pages and many others, the ‘trust’ factor is raised; this is completely understandable. We have a strong muscle memory for betrayal, and we all bear the scars to remind us. It is fitting and proper that these conversations take place. After all, it’s interesting to watch professional Republicans discuss how agencies like the DOJ and FBI have lost institutional trust of the American people due to corruption, while simultaneously those same Republicans never note trust loss within the Republican party as a result of their willful blindness to it.

Read more …

“The Russians simply cannot comprehend that they are targeted as an obstacle to Western hegemony.”

• Putin-the-Unready? (Paul Craig Roberts)

Leaders of European countries with limited military ability are openly declaring their preparation for war with Russia. The Baltic states, Poland, Netherlands, France, Germany, and the UK speak if they look forward to a war that would utterly destroy them. It is a mystery as Russia poses no threat to them and wants nothing from them but a mutual security agreement. I believe Putin himself has responsibility for this state of affairs. Putin’s efforts to restrain the conflict in Ukraine have been misunderstood. Putin is perceived as irresolute and the Russian military as incapable. Trump calls Russia a paper tiger and speaks of Ukraine with sufficient European help transitioning from the defense to the offense and invading Russia.

This extremely dangerous way of thinking is the reason I have often said that Putin’s never-ending, ever-widening war was a strategic blunder, a blunder that Putin continues to make. With European politicians declaring their preparation for war, is Putin paying attention, or will he again be Putin-the-Unready as he was in South Ossetia in 2008, in Ukraine in 2014, in 2022 when Russia was forced to intervene in Donbas, and when the Russian strategic bomber force was attacked on June 1, 2025? Putin’s restraint and Lavrov’s pleading for negotiations have convinced the West that Russia is an easy target. This mistaken conviction is fomenting a major war.

Russians do not seem to understand the situation. This morning on RT political analyst Nadezhda Romanenko attributes the Western war talk to “Western anxieties and domestic political calculations.” It would be more realistic to attribute the war talk to setting up Russia as an aggressor that must be deterred. The Russians simply cannot comprehend that they are targeted as an obstacle to Western hegemony. Everywhere in the West the image that is maintained is Russian aggression. Wikipedia, for example, describes the 2008 Russian war with Georgia as Russian aggression, the 2022 intervention in Donbas as a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Estonia and Poland recently made claims of Russian entry into their air space. Every possible sign of Russian aggression is created. The West is uninterested in Putin’s reassurances. Why is Russia unable to understand this?

Read more …

Speeches at the Valdai club are important.

• Vladimir Putin Makes The Castling Move (Helmer)

On June 30, 2021, during his Direct Line programme, President Vladimir Putin was asked what games he liked to play during his schooldays. “I am tempted to say chess,” he replied, “but, unfortunately, it was not chess.” Four years have gone by until his appearance yesterday at the Valdai Club, when the president was asked the same question. He replied: “Well, I loved chess.” Putin was castling.

In the ancient game of chess the move which is known by this name is a relatively new one. The rules to allow it also took centuries to develop. The purpose of castling is defence when the king is under attack and there is safe space between the king and the castle (rook), so that they can exchange places and the king retreat to the safer margin of the board. The opportunity created thereby is for the rook to move more actively into the counter-attack against the adversary. The castling king is delegating the offensive to his rook.

To understand what Putin’s castling means on the board today, read what he said first about the Board of Peace (BOP) Gaza plan of President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-prime minister Tony Blair. “Russia always supports and welcomes any steps by Trump,” he told his spokesman to say, “that seek to avert the tragedy that is now unfolding. We want this plan to be realized, so that it may help steer events in the Middle East toward a peaceful path”.

As this was being interpreted outside the Kremlin wall as Putin’s unqualified endorsement, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced it was too soon for that. “We have not seen this plan. We have only heard comments about its contents. You have now outlined its main provisions. I have heard that this international body, which is intended to ‘temporarily govern Gaza’, is planned to be headed by former British prime minister Tony Blair. He himself seems to have already announced this. I reiterate, I am not privy to the details. I do not know what powers he will be granted, nor how the Arab countries view this. I am aware that some of them have already welcomed the ‘Donald Trump plan’. However, a final assessment can only be made once we know the views of all of Palestine’s neighbours, Israel, the countries of the region, the League of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and, above all, the Palestinians themselves. I have heard that representatives of the Palestinian National Authority are not being considered for inclusion in this temporary body, even as observers.”

“Regarding the international security forces,” Lavrov went on. “No, we have not been invited to participate. I reiterate, we only became aware of this new plan yesterday. However, I have read that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on the ‘Trump plan’ – which was announced following Netanyahu’s visit to Washington – said that the plan is good and should not be altered. He claimed that Hamas and everyone else should agree to it. Among the positive aspects of this plan, he stated that Israel would retain control over security in Gaza. This somewhat contradicts the establishment of international forces, so all the details need to be clarified first.”

Lavrov said that at the Valdai Club conference in Sochi. Two days later, Putin has followed him on to the same platform; he also followed the foreign minister on the Gaza plan. Asked about this, Putin started by saying that “now that we are getting acquainted with President Trump’s initiatives, I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel that may still appear”. On Tuesday Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov had mistaken the tunnel for the light. Putin went on to clarify:“The situation in Gaza is a terrible event in history, in modern history. And even someone known as the pro-western Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Guterres, publicly says Gaza has become the largest children’s cemetery in the world. What could be more tragic and sad?”

About Trump’s Gaza plan, “you know, it will probably come as a surprise to you, but on the whole, Russia is ready to support him. If, of course, as we have to look carefully at the proposals made, it will lead to the final goal, which we have always talked about. Russia has always advocated the creation of two states: Israel and a Palestinian state, starting in 1948 and then in 1974, when the relevant UN Security Council resolution was adopted. And this, in my opinion, is the key to a final solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

“Indeed, as far as I know, I have not looked at this proposal so carefully yet, but it proposes to create an international body that will govern Palestine, more precisely the Gaza Strip, for some time, and Mr. Blair should be at its head. He’s not known as a great peacemaker, but I know him personally. Moreover, I visited him, spent the night at his house, we had coffee in our pajamas in the morning, and so on. Yes, yes.”

“Fyodor Lukyanov: Was the coffee good?”

“Yes, quite. But what do I want to say? He is a man with his own views, but he is an experienced politician. And in general, of course, if his activities, his experience, and his knowledge are directed towards a peaceful course, then he can play some positive role. There are, of course, several questions. First: How long will this international administration work? How and to whom will power be transferred later? As far as I understand, this plan outlines the possibility of transferring power to the Palestinian Authority. In my opinion, it would be better, of course, to put everything under the control of President [Mahmoud] Abbas and the current Palestinian administration. It may be difficult for them to resolve the security issues. But so far as I can imagine, my colleagues, with whom I spoke on this topic today, envisage the possibility of transferring control over the Gaza Strip, including to the local militia, to ensure security. Is this bad? In my opinion, this is a good thing.”

“We need to understand, I repeat, how long the international administration will manage there, in what time frame it is supposed to transfer both civil power and security issues, which is very important. And, in my opinion, this should definitely be supported. We are talking about freeing all the hostages held by Hamas, on the one hand, and releasing a significant number of Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Here, too, we need to understand how many Palestinians, whom, and at what time can we release them? And of course, you know, the most important question is: how does Palestine feel about this? That’s exactly what you need to understand. And the countries of the region, the entire Islamic world, and Palestine itself, the Palestinians themselves, including, of course, Hamas. They treat Hamas differently there, and we have our own attitude, but we have contacts with Hamas. It is important for us that Hamas also supports this, and the Palestinian Authority supports it. But these are all issues that require painstaking, careful research.”

“In general, if this happens, it will, of course, be a very serious step forward in resolving the conflict. But, I repeat, in our opinion, fundamentally it can be resolved only with the creation of a Palestinian state. Of course, Israel’s attitude towards this is also important. We don’t know yet either: how did Israel take it? I do not even know of any public statements on this subject, I just did not have time to look at it. But it’s not even public statements that are important, but in fact how the Israeli leadership will treat this, whether it will fulfill everything that the President of the United States has proposed. There are a lot of questions. But in general, if all these positive things that I mentioned happen, then this is, of course, a breakthrough. And a breakthrough can be very positive. I repeat for the third time: the creation of a Palestinian state is a key element of the settlement as a whole.”

Putin was acknowledging that since Peskov’s announcement, he had been briefed by Lavrov and others, and that they had persuaded him to change his mind on what to say. The President concedes now that Russian policy on the Trump plan has not been decided yet; that it will be a collective one with his “colleagues”; and that he is delegating the next moves to them and to their “painstaking, careful research.” This is castling by the king for the rook.

Read more …

” The definition of what constitutes anti-semitism has been constantly expanded and now includes truth itself.”

• How the Israel Lobby Took Over America’s Universities (Paul Craig Roberts)

Cornell University, once a place of discussion and learning, is seeking to remove a tenured Jewish professor, Eric Cheyfitz, who permits Israel to be discussed instead of simply praised. The professor’s daughter and granddaughter live in Israel. But this doesn’t save him from being charged with discrimination against a Jewish graduate student. The professor’s trouble was brought to him by an Israeli student who previously served in Israel’s elite military surveillance agency, Unit 8200. None of the students support the Israeli student’s claim. It seems the Israel Lobby is testing how far it can expand its power over America’s universities. If the Lobby can get Cornell University to punish a tenured Jewish professor based on a complaint by a former member of Israeli Military Surveillance, then Israel will have set the standard for American universities that truth about Israel constitutes anti-semitic discrimination and is punishable.

The Israel Lobby took over American universities with large monetary grants. Now dependent on these grants, university administrators have to follow the line. This is how the takeover happened: First came large monetary donations from Jews. These donations led to the appointment of Jewish benefactors to the university’s board of trustees. From here the Jews obtained university administrations headed by Jewish presidents who attached anti-semitism to the woke anti-racist, anti-homophobic, etc. agenda. The definition of what constitutes anti-semitism has been constantly expanded and now includes truth itself.

Several years ago a list was published of the ethnicity of the leadership of Ivy League universities. Formerly a WASP preserve, every Ivy League university had a Jewish president or provost. They may have been outstanding leaders. The point is that for such a small ethnic minority to be in control of all of America’s elite universities cannot be a coincidence. Jews want power and are good at attaining it. In a way you have to admire their determination. It didn’t take the Israel Lobby but a day or two to take over Charlie Kirk’s organization. Presumably, this puts Christian evangelicals back into Israel’s pockets, thus solidifying Israel’s control over President Trump. American WASPs are no longer contenders. Worn out, ambition eroded by trust funds, WASPs have been displaced. Our future seems to in the hands of the Israel Lobby or the immigrant-invaders.

https://israelpalestinenews.org/cornell-cut-classes-by-a-pro-palestinian-professor/

Read more …

“..more than 90% of evening newscast stories about [Trump] on ABC, NBC, and CBS were unfavorable.”

• Trust In US Media At Historic Low – Gallup (RT)

Americans’ confidence in the mass media has sunk to a record low, with fewer than three in ten now trusting news outlets to report fairly, according to a new Gallup poll. A poll conducted in September of 1,000 adults showed that only 28% expressed a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio, down from 31% last year, 40% five years ago, and almost 70% in the 1970s. Meanwhile, 36% reported “not very much” confidence and 34% said they had “none at all.” For the first time, confidence among Republicans has collapsed into single digits, with only 8% saying they trust the media. However, 51% of Democrats believed media reporting.

US President Donald Trump’s rocky relationship with the press has reportedly fueled these splits. A Harvard Kennedy School study found that Trump’s first 100 days in office drew overwhelmingly negative coverage, while the Media Research Center recently estimated that more than 90% of evening newscast stories about him on ABC, NBC, and CBS were unfavorable.

On the 100th day of his second term this year, Trump’s administration issued a press release titled “100 Days of Hoaxes,” accusing major outlets of spreading “a nonstop deluge of hoaxes and lies” and listed 48 reports it deemed false. Beyond partisan politics, structural shifts are also eroding traditional media. A Reuters Institute report in June suggested that podcasters and AI chatbots are playing a growing role in news dissemination, with more than half of Americans under 35 relying on social and video networks as their main sources of information.

Read more …

Evey Brit knows what Musk is talking about.

• UK Energy Chief Claims Musk Fueling ‘Threat’ To Britain (RT)

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has accused Elon Musk of posing a major threat to Britain, claiming the billionaire backs nationalist forces seeking to undermine the country. Speaking at the Labour Party conference on Wednesday, the former party leader linked Musk to Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK party gained traction in the May local elections. The US-based entrepreneur has expressed support for the party, but has urged Farage to step down. According to Miliband, Farage is “a key part of a global network that wants to destroy the ties that bind our communities and our way of life.” He added: “I can sum up the threat for you in two words: Elon Musk.” Miliband alleged that Musk “incites violence on our streets,” “calls for the overthrow of our elected government,” and enables “disinformation through X” – the microblogging platform that the billionaire purchased in 2022.

“We have a message for Elon Musk. Get the hell out of our politics and our country.” Musk appeared unfazed by the remarks. Shortly after the speech, he blasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling him “an actor with an empty head” who merely repeats talking points supplied by others. Musk and Starmer have engaged in a months-long feud over the UK’s grooming gang scandal. In June, Starmer authorized a new national inquiry into the mass sexual exploitation of British girls, crimes largely linked to gangs of Pakistani men over a decade ago. Musk accused the prime minister of being “deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes.”

Read more …

When you’re more popular than the PM.

But still… That PM paints a big -political- target on his own back.

• UK Parliament Cuts Nigel Farage’s Security Detail (RT)

UK parliamentary authorities drastically slashed government-funded security for Nigel Farage, an MP and the leader of a major opposition right-wing party, Reform UK, its head of policy has claimed. Zia Yusuf accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of deliberately putting his political rival at risk of attack. Speaking to Times Radio on Wednesday, Yusuf stated that “two weeks ago, the authorities cut Nigel’s security detail by 75 per cent,” without providing any reasons for the decision. The Reform UK representative added that “donors have stepped in [to]… make sure that Nigel is well protected.” However, “if anything was to happen to Nigel, we will hold Keir Starmer squarely responsible,” Yusuf stressed.Yusuf further accused the sitting prime minister of inciting violence against the “man who is the bookmaker’s favorite to be the next prime minister.”

Farage himself acknowledged he feared for his own security and that of other party members after Starmer’s latest attack. Speaking during the Labour Party conference on Tuesday, the prime minister dubbed Farage a “snake oil merchant” who does not like Britain because of his “racist” plans to curb immigration. Starmer charged that Britain must “go into that battle armed, not just with words and condemnation, but with action,” describing Reform UK as the “enemy of national renewal” and the “biggest threat we face.” On Thursday, The Telegraph reported that veteran Conservative MP Sir David Davis had asked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to “review the decision at the earliest opportunity.”

“It strikes me that Mr Farage is a particularly high-profile target, arguably at greater risk than many Cabinet ministers,” the lawmaker reportedly wrote in a letter. An Ipsos poll last month indicated that Starmer’s popularity had hit a record low, with 79% of Britons disapproving of his performance. Another survey by think tank More in Common suggested around the same time that Farage would become prime minister with 373 MPs if an election were held tomorrow. The Labour, in contrast, would suffer its worst electoral defeat since 1931, securing less than 100 seats in the House of Commons, according to the poll.

Read more …

“Transgender propaganda isn’t just quietly lurking in the background on Netflix. They are actively pushing it on users.”

• Musk Tweets Wipe $15bn Off Netflix Value (RT)

US streaming giant Netflix has lost about $15 billion in market value after billionaire Elon Musk accused the platform of “woke bias” and urged his followers to cancel subscriptions. Netflix shares fell 4.3% in a day and a half to $1,140 by midday Thursday, cutting its market cap to $483 billion from $498 billion on Wednesday, trading data showed. The drop came after Musk called on users to boycott Netflix over the animated show ‘Dead End: Paranormal Park’, which features a transgender character. Although canceled in 2023 after two seasons, the show remains available on the platform with a TV-Y7 rating for children seven and older.

Musk’s campaign began on Tuesday when he reposted a clip on X showing one of the show’s characters identifying as transgender. “Dead End Paranormal Park, a show on Netflix, is pushing pro-transgender on CHILDREN. This show is advertised for 7-YEAR-OLDS,” the account said. Musk replied: “this is not ok.” He later reposted messages from users claiming to have canceled Netflix and accused the service of pushing “LGBTQ+ propaganda.” On Wednesday, he wrote: “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids.” In another post, he said: “Transgender propaganda isn’t just quietly lurking in the background on Netflix. They are actively pushing it on users.” Musk has long railed against wokeism and LGBTQ messaging, which many link to his estrangement from his trans child, Vivian Wilson, who has openly criticized the billionaire for his alleged anti-trans vendetta.

In a Washington Post interview last year, Musk said that to him Wilson was “dead, killed by the woke mind virus.” Netflix has not responded to Musk’s remarks. The company has previously defended controversial content on free speech grounds, including in 2020, when its film ‘Cuties’ drew outrage for sexualized depictions of underage actors. By Thursday’s close, the firm had pared some of the losses, ending at $1,161 a share with a $493 billion valuation. While stock is down 4% this week, it remains up 30% year-to-date. Analysts expect Musk’s campaign will not weigh on the company long-term, suggesting that Netflix shares are too costly to be seriously affected by online backlash.

Read more …

“Despite the radical left’s forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: Under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation is entering its 250th anniversary stronger, more prosperous, and better than ever before..”

Reason to celebrate!

• US Treasury Unveils Draft Design Of Coin With Trump’s Profile (RT)

The US Treasury Department is considering putting an image of US President Donald Trump on a one-dollar coin marking the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. According to the first design draft revealed on Friday, the coin features Trump’s profile on one side, along with the words “Liberty” and “In God we trust,” and the dates 1776–2026. The other side shows Trump raising a clenched fist against a backdrop of the US flag, with the inscriptions “Fight, fight, fight,” “United States of America,” and “E pluribus unum.” The image is a clear homage to a photo taken by AP’s Evan Vucci shortly after Trump’s failed assassination attempt in July 2024, which was widely republished in US and international media.

“Despite the radical left’s forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: Under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation is entering its 250th anniversary stronger, more prosperous, and better than ever before,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said in a statement. “While a final $1 coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles,” the spokesperson added. According to the Washington Post, existing US law generally prohibits depictions of living people on currency. In addition, the 2020 Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, which authorized the minting of the anniversary coin, prohibits busts or portraits of people on the reverse side.

Read more …

“There are so many disgusting animals in public life that we have allowed to fraternize with the rest of society to our absolute peril.” Aimee Terese on “X”

• Higher Ed Bottoms Out (James Howard Kunstler)

Harvard, apparently, can never learn. It has made itself the poster-child for all the failures of contemporary education, including the racketeering around endowments, government grant grifts, race and gender hustles, and intellectual surrender to ideas that would make medieval astrologasters burst out laughing. Case in point: the university lately announced the hiring of a Boston-area drag-queen to teach a course in the spring semester of 2026 about the TV show known as Ru Paul’s Drag Race. The show features contestants vying for prizes and crowns based on “Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent” (C.U.N.T.). Get the picture? Reach into your Jungian psychology tool-bag.

This backwater of the arts was identified some years ago by the literary pop-star Susan Sontag as “camp” derived from the French se camper “to pose in an exaggerated fashion” depicting “unnatural artifice.” Camp is the theatrical cousin of kitsch, which is the celebration of bad taste, with histrionic overtones of exaggerated sentimentality. Please understand: when you are watching drag-queens, you are not really seeing men posing as women. You are seeing men portraying women as monsters. You might surmise that these are men who labor under “mommy issues.” The giveaway is that they often banter onstage humorously about their male genitalia, and sometimes even attempt sneaky displays of such, which opens that behavior to interesting interpretations.

Harvard’s drag-queen du jour demonstrates all that nicely. Kareem Khubchandani, his legal name, is a professor of theater, dance, and performance studies at Tufts University. He also teaches “Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora.” As a drag star, he goes by the stage-name LaWhore Vagistan. This is how he describes himself to the news media: “[M]y preferred pronouns are ‘she’ or ‘aunty.’ I chose ‘LaWhore’ because my family traces its origins to Pakistan: Lahore is an important city in Pakistan, and well, I’m a bit of a whore. And Vagistan because I see the subcontinent as one, big, beautiful Vag … istan.” Of course, his fascination with female genitalia, of seeing a whole nation in that guise, is a bit odd considering that A) he is a homosexual performer who is ostensibly not attracted to female sexual characteristics and lacks experience with them, and B) he is a male of the species who does not possess such organs himself.

Therefore, on what basis would he have gained so much knowledge of female genitalia and developed such a powerful obsession around them as to imagine the whole country of his ancestors that way? Possibly, it has something to do with mommy. . . something that made her appear. . . unforgettably monstrous. We will probably never know the answer to these quandaries, and they are somewhat secondary to the main question of Mr. Khubchandani’s employment in this connection at Harvard where young minds get molded to become the future managerial class of our nation. Other questions do present, though. For instance, did Harvard’s President Alan Garber know about this hire and sign off on it, and how would he say it fits Harvard’s mission? Or Provost John Manning? Or Hopi E. Hoekstra, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences? Or Harvard’s Board of Governors?

All this underscores an important lesson that America has apparently managed to unlearn, something that we once knew quite well: that marginal behavior belongs on the margins, not in the center of our national life. The celebration of vulgarity for its own sake is arguably not the highest aspirational ideal for the best-and-the-brightest of our society, however amusing it might be in their hours of leisure, when people are free to pursue whatever lights their imaginations. It also raises the question as to why would highly-educated women, say, the female faculty and admins at Harvard, virtually all PhDs, certified geniuses in their fields, go along with such a garish display of farcical disrespect for the female of the species, being officially showcased as part of Harvard’s curriculum? Do they see themselves as monsters who deserve mockery and objurgation?

Do they enjoy watching a man enact such degrading psychodrama so as to diminish his manhood altogether? Does it signify some sort of conclusive triumph over “the Patriarchy?” (And how much of a good thing is that?) Harvard happens to have a Psychology Department, including a PhD program in Clinical Science, Social Psychology, and Cognition, Brain, and Behavior, under chairman Matthew K. Nock, PhD. His official Harvard bio states: “Nock’s research is aimed at advancing the understanding of why people behave in ways that are harmful to themselves, with an emphasis on suicide and other forms of self-harm. . . to better understand how these behaviors develop, how to predict them, and how to prevent their occurrence.” Perhaps President Garber should ask Dr. Nock to audit LaWhore Vagistan’s upcoming course to see, for instance, how it speaks to the epidemic of transgender violence currently plaguing the USA. We need all the insight we can get.

Read more …

 

 

 

 


Kudu
https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1973996436506214643

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle September 27 2025

Sep 272025
 
 September 27, 2025  Posted by at 9:50 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,  47 Responses »


René Magritte The song of the storm 1937

 

• Martyr or Liar? Comey Indicted on Two Counts (Turley)
• Former FBI Director James Comey Indicted on Three Counts (CTH)
• Days of Judgment (James Howard Kunstler)
• Yet Again, Deep State Attacks DNI Tulsi Gabbard (CTH)
• Leaked Memo Reveals FBI Deployed A Stunning 274 Agents On J6 (ZH)
• Kiev False-Flag Provocation Could Lead To World War 3 – Zakharova (RT)
• Kremlin Slams ‘Reckless’ NATO Threats To Shoot Down Russian Planes (RT)
• EU Moves To Bypass Hungary’s Veto On Russia Sanctions (RT)
• Crazy Idea On How To Steal Russia’s Assets: Make EU Taxpayers Pay For It (MoA)
• Kallas Insists US Shouldn’t Offload Ukraine On EU (RT)
• West Invented The ‘Russian Threat’ – And Kept It For 500 Years (Bordachev)
• Gaza Deal Near – Trump (RT)
• He Destroyed A Country and Half A Million Lives and Got Five Years (Fetouri)
• Elon Musk Says Charlie Kirk Was Shot From The Rear (Paul Craig Roberts)

 

 

https://twitter.com/Real_RobN/status/1971625536607940870

https://twitter.com/JesseBWatters/status/1971742140704096733

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1971617889510715468

 

 

 

 

As I said yesterday, this will be a difffiult case to bring. They are all in it together, and all for one, one for all etc. But there’s a weakness to that too. The rats may try to be first to leave the ship if they expect rain. Several sources now say McCabe may turn on Comey, on whose orders he leaked.

“This is a city that floats on a rolling sea of leaks.”

“He is also a sophisticated player. Perhaps that is why he issued a videotaped message saying effectively “bring it on” and let’s go to trial. While an improvement over Comey’s bizarre seashell messages, the videotape may be too confident.”

• Martyr or Liar? Comey Indicted on Two Counts (Turley)

Yesterday, James Comey became the first former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to be indicted for a federal crime. That is likely the only fact upon which you will receive anything close to agreement in the country. For some, the two-count indictment is a long-overdue accountability for a man who pushed through the now-debunked Russian collusion investigation. For others, it is another abuse on President Donald Trump’s revenge tour. There are legitimate concerns about the targeting of a political critic of the President, particularly after he publicly complained just days ago that Attorney General Pam Bondi was not indicting Comey and others.

However, Comey is hardly the pristine model of “ethical leadership” that he described in his book. Putting aside his critical role in the Russian collusion investigation, Comey tossed aside even the pretense of ethics after Trump fired him. The Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, issued a scathing report that found Comey was a leaker and had violated FBI policy in his handling of FBI memos. On his way out of the Bureau, Comey stole FBI materials, including those containing the “code name and true identity” of a sensitive source. While he did not find that he disclosed the classified information, Horowitz found that Comey took “the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive investigative information, obtained during the course of FBI employment, in order to achieve a personally desired outcome.”

He further added that Comey “set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees—and the many thousands of more former FBI employees—who similarly have access to or knowledge of non-public information.” Comey later admitted that he asked his friend, Columbia Law Professor Daniel Richman, to leak information from the documents to the New York Times. Comey’s close associate, former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, stated that Comey did instruct him to leak information to the media. Comey denied that repeatedly under oath. James Baker, FBI general counsel and a close adviser to Comey, also told investigators that he was “under the belief” that he was “ultimately instructed and authorized to [provide information to the Times] by then FBI Director James Comey.”

That sets up a straightforward question: who is lying? It could also set up a bizarre scene of McCabe testifying against his friend. McCabe despises Trump as much as Comey, so he may prove to be an overtly hostile witness for the prosecutors. Washington will be glued to any such trial. The only thing more unnerving than the alleged targeting of a political critic in Washington is the prosecution of a leaker. This is a city that floats on a rolling sea of leaks. The Justice Department is notorious for leaks made with lethal effect against targets. Now the former FBI director will stand trial to see if he is a leaker and a liar. There is one individual who is likely to be watching with particular interest and perhaps satisfaction: former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Comey is facing two counts of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding. The first count under 18 U.S.C. 1001 (a)(2) is the exact charge that Comey engineered against Flynn. Comey gave a book tour where he thrilled audiences about how he secured a criminal charge against Flynn for making false statements. In one event, an audience cheered as Comey took credit for the controversial charge. He explained that what he did was not exactly proper. It was, he explained, “something we’ve, I probably wouldn’t have done or maybe gotten away with in a more organized investigation, a more organized administration…I thought, ‘It’s early enough, let’s just send a couple of guys over.’”

The actual agents who interviewed Flynn did not believe that he intentionally lied about a meeting with Russian diplomats, but Comey and his investigators pushed for charges anyway. They drained Flynn of resources, threatened to indict his son, and ultimately secured a guilty plea. Now it will be Comey in the dock, facing a charge of making a false statement. He will do so as someone who has admitted to improperly removing FBI material and leaking information to the media. The odds still favor Comey. He will have a jury taken from a generally liberal, Democratic jury pool. He is also a sophisticated player. Perhaps that is why he issued a videotaped message saying effectively “bring it on” and let’s go to trial. While an improvement over Comey’s bizarre seashell messages, the videotape may be too confident.

Perjury or false statements can be challenging to prove, particularly when vague or nuanced language is used. This is neither vague nor nuanced. Comey repeatedly swore that he never asked anyone at the FBI to leak information. That is either true or it is not. Comey will continue to be vilified and lionized by different parts of the population. Yet, this is an ignoble moment that he helped bring about. Notably, this indictment comes 50 years after the only Attorney General was convicted of crimes (including false statements and obstruction). That was John Mitchell after the Watergate scandal. Now the man who bragged about nailing Michael Flynn will face the same false statement charge. The man who celebrated the charging of Donald Trump (including obstruction-related charges) will face his own obstruction charge. Whether karma or lawfare, Comey will now have his day in court.

Read more …

“This count could open the door to public testimony by McCabe, Rice, Mook, Brennan and even Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton herself as to Comey’s knowledge; each was a first-hand witness.”

• Former FBI Director James Comey Indicted on Three Counts (CTH)

Newly appointed U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, from the Eastern District of Viginia, has released a criminal indictment of former FBI Director James Comey . The indictment alleges three counts. Counts one and two are ‘false statements’ to congress on September 30, 2020, [18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)] and count three is ‘obstruction of a federal proceeding’ stemming from the same testimony. [18U.S.C. § 1505] The first false statement charge surrounds Hillary Clinton’s “approval of a plan concerning” Donald Trump and the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.

COUNT #1 – James Comey claimed he could not remember being made aware of the Trump-Russia collusion plan, and there is ample evidence from his own previous public statements, from public and sworn statements by former CIA Director John Brennan, from former statements by officials in the January 5, 2017, meeting memorialized by Susan Rice, from statements that remain sealed as recounted by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and from statements under oath by the former Clinton campaign team -including campaign manager Robby Mook- that James Comey was well aware of the plan. While this first count is based on the tenuous “I don’t remember” aspect, this count holds more material benefit than simply Comey’s recollection.

This count could open the door to public testimony by McCabe, Rice, Mook, Brennan and even Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton herself as to Comey’s knowledge; each was a first-hand witness. This first count holds strong material value in a public trial regardless of the outcome. This first count establishes the baseline for USAO Lindsey Halligan to bring all material witnesses into court and publicly put them on record outlining the Trump-Russia collusion scheme. You could say, I hope the intent is not just to incarcerate Comey per se’ – but rather to use what Comey represents to indict the entire enterprise around him. The facts behind Count #1 make this possible. Let’s all hope this strategic intent unfolds.

Count #2, involves James Comey falsely testify he did not direct former his FBI Special Government Employee (SGE) Daniel Richman to leak information to New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt. This second count is easily evidenced through the prior investigation of Office of Inspector General Michael Horowitz and all prior witness statements therein. Again, that includes testimony to Horowitz given by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Additionally, the second count is evidenced by the direct testimony of Daniel Richman himself, who was hired by James Comey and given special access privileges to classified information systems. Richman was likely a grand jury witness during the assembly of the case against Comey. Count #2 is the easiest to prove beyond any reasonable doubt.

BIG PICTURE – One of the frustrations felt by many people who have researched or followed the Trump-Russia collusion nonsense, is the lack of accountability for the internal actors who operated within a highly weaponized DOJ and FBI system. Perhaps this indictment is the first step in holding those to account. I am often asked about why the second term cabinet members of President Trump do not take action. My response is consistent. They refuse to acknowledge or assert the corruption within the institutions they lead. They are fraught with fear. The administration of President Donald Trump does not have the same institutional operations in place that Joe Biden visibly deployed post January 6, 2021.

President Barack Obama spent eight years working with Attorney General Eric Holder, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Deputy AG Sally Yates, former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former FBI Chief Legal Counsel James Baker, on a process of weaponizing the Dept of Justice and FBI. All of the agents and attorneys within the Obama network, in addition to their private sector media and Lawfare partners, spent over a decade building out their ideological targeting tools. Bondi, Patel and to a lesser extent Bongino, spent a ridiculous amount of time denying the institutional constructs that sit beneath them. Still, to this day, they do not publicly admit the internal challenge with each organization. All institutional change first requires a public admission of the problem.

Main Justice and FBI remain -to this day- in private acceptance but public denial of the problem. In essence they are stuck in a pretending loop. Each day that follows grows the Gordian knot their denial & fear creates. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy; an outcome born of both fear and inability. Those who created the weaponized institutions are heavily reliant upon the retention of pretense. We the people, are continually witnessing this dynamic and frustrated at the lack of accountability. Yet even within that frustrated annoyance, too few boldly outline exactly how comprehensively corrupt the institutions are – by former design. Pam Bondi and Kash Patel are afraid of the organizations they lead. Their fear stems from a desire to be viewed as effective, and yet their ineffectiveness at correcting the problem is driven by their fear. Thus, the loop.

Yes, Main Justice and the FBI can change the dynamic, but it starts -as all massive institutional reform efforts must- with a seismic release of sunlight upon the toxic corruption that sits at their feet. As long as Pam Bondi and Kash Patel continue to maintain a pretense of top-down control, the embedded system operators will continue undermining them and acting maliciously. The effort to hold James Comey to account is highlighting just how corrupt THEIR SYSTEM is. It is not accidental that President Trump needed to shake them up and change this dynamic with the very public appointment of Lindsey Halligan.

How do Bondi and Patel stop entwining the knot and finally cut it? Well, that begins with sunlight, firings, investigations and criminal indictments of former officials AND current holdovers inside their agencies. In essence, they must purposefully and righteously ‘turn the tables‘ in their own temples. Perhaps the indictment of James Comey will finally begin the process.

Read more …

“If you’re want a friend in DC, get a dog. We’re coming for you.” —Dan Bongino, Deputy Director, FBI

• Days of Judgment (James Howard Kunstler)

You better believe Martha Stewart baked a cake last night — the lovely Gâteau Opéra perhaps? — when she got the news that the ham sandwich known as James Comey got indicted by a federal grand jury twenty-two years after that same ham sandwich indicted the goddess of hearth and home for lying to the FBI and the SEC over a trumped-up insider-trading rap, and sent her to federal prison for a five-month stretch plus five additional months of confined home-making and two years of supervised redecorating.

Mr. Comey’s indictment is probably just the opening salvo in what will be a barrage of indictments coming down against government officials who used their powers-under-law to harass, disable, cancel, dis-bar, bankrupt, persecute and ruin thousands of their fellow citizens, including especially the 45th president and the people who worked for him.

Jim Comey was the engine who pulled the choo-choo train of seditious fakery known as RussiaGate (Donald Trump colluding with Vladimir Putin) into America’s public life, which then expanded into the years-long ass-covering operations of the Mueller Investigation, then Impeachments One and Two, then the J-6 FBI-engineered “insurrection,” then Nancy Pelosi’s Congressional J-6 committee gong show, and then the four various fugazi prosecutions against Mr. Trump in 2024 designed to derail his re-run for office bankrupt his family, and stuff him in prison for the rest of his life.

Mr. Comey and his associates must be astounded that none of that worked. It really was a mighty organized criminal endeavor. And, as such, it stands to be prosecutable under the RICO statutes, which means that these current two charges against Mr. Comey should be a coming attraction of much more to come against him and many other familiar characters, possibly including his successor as FBI Director Christopher Wray. (The Blaze reports overnight that the FBI deployed roughly 275 plainclothes agents into the J-6 protest crowd at the US Capitol, as opposed to the 26 agents that Mr. Wray testified about to Congress.)

The smuggery of this gang in the years since all this business started in 2016 has also been out of this world. Mr. Comey dropped one rancid video after another either making threats or sanctimoniously declaring his sainthood, as if he expected the dreadful day would never come that he might face charges. Likewise, former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe ran his mouth all over CNN for years, former CIA Director John Brennan spun fibs on MSNBC, while FBI RussiaGate straw-boss Peter Strzok rode shotgun regularly with fake news confabulator Rachel Maddow. All of it was designed to bamboozle the public, and it worked!

You can expect more than one RICO case to come because these crimes against our country occurred in many discrete episodes of organized misconduct over many years. The RussiaGate op involving Comey, Brennan, Hillary, Obama, Biden, et al., was quite separate from Adam Schiff’s orchestrated seditious Impeachment #1 featuring CIA mole Eric Ciaramella, Col. Alexander Vindman, and ICIG Michael Atkinson. As was the activity of the Mueller group actually supervised by Andrew Weissmann (because Robert Mueller was secretly non compos mentis). As were the J-6 shenanigans of Mr. Wray’s FBI, including the DNC Pipe Bomb sideshow.

As were the Lawfare exploits of Norm Eisen and Mary McCord conniving with “Joe Biden’s” White House to arrange the Trump prosecutions by DA Alvin Bragg and AG Letitia James in New York and DA Fani Willis in Fulton County, GA. As were the dark deeds of Merrick Garland and his Special Counsels Jake Smith, David Weiss, and Robert Hur. As were the 2020 and 2022 election-rigging capers of Marc Elias & Company. As were whatever peculiar directives were ordered by Alejandro Mayorkas to throw the US borders wide open. As was the “autopen” abuse by the White House staff and their cover-up of “Joe Biden’s” mental decline.

Read more …

“It is certainly true that AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have refused to look internally; and it is also true that DNI Tulsi Gabbard has spent much of her focus time looking internally.”

• Yet Again, Deep State Attacks DNI Tulsi Gabbard (CTH)

It is difficult not to notice the strategy of how certain Trump administration officials are targeted. Any cabinet member that looks inward to reveal the status of corrupt activity within the information silo itself becomes a target. Cabinet officials who focus externally, meaning the majority of their effort looks outside government, are seemingly left alone. HHS Secretary RFK Jr and Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, are examples of those receiving the worst ideological targeting from operations within HHS and the Intelligence Community respectively. Conversely, CIA Director John Ratcliffe faces almost no scrutiny or targeting by the Intelligence Community as the silo operators frame narratives almost exclusively against DNI Gabbard.

The latest effort surfaces as embeds within Main Justice and the CIA frame a storyline that Tulsi Gabbard’s action in removing the security clearances of 37 current and former officials, has now resulted in those same officials being incapable of testifying against former CIA Director John Brennan (and others). The premise of the narrative is ridiculous. If we are to accept some current or former IC officials are willing to testify against Brennan (or others), regardless of whether Tulsi Gabbard has revoked their security clearances, their retroactive knowledge is still pertinent. They are completely free to give statements and testimony based on their prior conduct. What the leakers to Axios and the New York Times are trying to establish, is groundwork for the removal of Tulsi Gabbard.

This stops her objective of investigating internal corruption. I suspect most of the people trying desperately to undermine Gabbard are from within the CIA Directorate of Analysis, or at least in alignment with the directorate’s agenda. The narrative’s author, Marc Caputo, claims AG Pam Bondi is hampered in her effort to criminally indict John Brennan because the witnesses Main Justice would use have lost their security clearances. Again, the game of leveraging internecine friendships in/around the office of Trump becomes an overlay. It is certainly true that AG Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have refused to look internally; and it is also true that DNI Tulsi Gabbard has spent much of her focus time looking internally. Bondi and Patel continue the preferred game of institutional blame-casting in Main Justice. Meanwhile, Gabbard is busy focused on cleaning up her IC house.

The Fourth Branch embeds do not fear the approach of Bondi/Patel, but the Fourth Branch embeds are petrified by the approach of Tulsi Gabbard. That reality underpins the baseline of opposition against the Director of National Intelligence. As the dynamic unfolds, CIA Director John Ratcliffe is certainly not corrupt; however, nor is he brave. Director Ratcliffe is willing to let Director Gabbard clean up his house, and then he takes credit for the reform. As the weeks unfold into months, this is becoming increasingly obvious.

Mark Zaid is the current anti-Trump Lawfare operative likely seeding the narrative to Axios/New York Times. “Mark Zaid, a Trump administration critic who represents six of the intelligence professionals whose clearances were revoked, said administration officials fretting about the Brennan case have “valid concerns.” “This seems to be, as usual, an unforced error by Trump administration officials who don’t think things through in the long game in favor of a quick-pass completion,” he said. “If I were the defense counsel [for Brennan], I would raise the revocation in an attempt to undermine the credibility of the witnesses.”

Mark Zaid knows the game-changing process that DNI Tulsi Gabbard is using. Gabbard is directly going into each IC agency to review and retrieve information. When she finds something that connects to the overall plots being used by the Fourth Branch, the DNI takes that information directly to President Trump who subsequently declassifies it and then she releases it. Zaid and the Deep State operatives he represents, want to stop Tulsi Gabbard with urgency. They are throwing every available IC narrative into the media flow in the hope that something stops Tulsi’s effectiveness.

Read more …

And then lie about it 1,000 times…

• Leaked Memo Reveals FBI Deployed A Stunning 274 Agents On J6 (ZH)

The FBI deployed nearly 300 plainclothes agents to the US Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, in an effort that became so chaotic it caused an internal schism within the agency that led many rank-and-file at the bureau that core competencies had been lost to “wokeness,” and that employees had become “pawns in a political war,” according to an after-action report hidden from the public for over four years until it was obtained by Just the News. Anonymous complaints were sent to the after-action team by scores of FBI agents and other personnel – many from the bureau’s premier Washington field office (WFO) – detailing how agents were sent into a dangerous situation without proper safety equipment or even the ability to identify themselves as armed officers to other police agencies.

Most common among the complaints was that under former directors Chris Wray and just-indicted James Comey, the bureau had become infected with political bias and liberal ideology that treated the Trump-supporting Jan. 6 protesters much differently from Black Lives Matter rioters from the summer of 2020. “The FBI should make clear to its personnel and the public that, despite its obvious political bias, it ultimately still takes its mission and priorities seriously,” wrote one employee. “It should equally and aggressively investigate criminal activity regardless of the offenders’ perceived race, political affiliations, or motivations; and it should equally and aggressively protect all Americans regardless of perceived race, political affiliations, or motivations.”

The agent suggested that leaders “identify viable exit options for FBI personnel who no longer feel it is legally or morally acceptable to support a federal law enforcement and intelligence agency motivated by political bias.” Another agent suggested that the problem was widespread throughout the FBI. “Currently, the US Attorneys office is dictating what it is that gets investigated. This is a dangerous precedent because we can barely get them to prosecute investigations that clearly meet thresholds needed for Federal prosecutions,” the agent wrote. “However, their willingness to conduct a search warrant on someone’s life for a misdemeanor seems ridiculous. It is unreasonable for the FBI to conduct investigations involving misdemeanor violations at a federal level… it is not our role.”

Several employees directly mentioned the Washington Field Office (WFO) and its culture. “WFO is a hopelessly broken office that’s more concerned about wearing masks and recruiting preferred racial/sexual groups than catching actual bad guys,” wrote one worker. “I wish you all would pay more attention to our safety than what type of masks we wear. If you are going to deploy us to a riot situation, then give us the proper damn safety equipment–helmet, face shield, protective clothing–and training!” wrote another. In total, the after-action feedback spanned 50 pages, which were located by current FBI Director Kash Patel’s office and turned over to the House Judiciary Committed and its subcommittee

As Just the News notes further; the document has proven a bombshell to lawmakers, revealing for the first time that the FBI had a total of 274 agents deployed to the Capitol in plainclothes and with guns but no clear safety gear of way to be recognized by other law enforcement agencies working in the chaos of the riot. Wray, Patel’s predecessor, steadfastly refused to tell Congress how many if any agents went to the Capitol that day. And a prior DOJ Inspector General Report did not divulge the number, referring only to a SWAT team the bureau sent into the Capitol and having more than two dozen informants in the crowd. The existence of mass FBI agents at the Capitol on Jan. 6 could also be a problem in many of the cases that were subsequently brought in court. If agents were witnesses at the Capitol and did not disclose it in the subsequent affidavits during prosecutions it could create grounds for defendants to appeal.

The document also reveals for the first time that there were widespread concerns for years inside the bureau – sentiments that boiled over after the FBI began sending SWAT teams to arrest Jan. 6 participants on misdemeanor charges – that the FBI had become biased in favor of liberals and against conservatives. Despite the pre-existing report, Wray rejected that notion in testimony before Congress. “The idea that I’m biased against conservatives seems somewhat insane to me, given my own personal background,” Wray told Congress in 2023. “I have found almost invariably, the people screaming the loudest about the politicization of the FBI are themselves the most political, and more often than not, making claims of politicization to advance their own views or goals, and they often don’t know the facts or are choosing to ignore them,” Wray added in an episode of the podcast “FBI Retired Case File Review” that aired the same year.

Read more …

MO: take a downed Russia drone, repair it, use it to attack Europe. Everyone will think Russia did it.

• Kiev False-Flag Provocation Could Lead To World War 3 – Zakharova (RT)

Ukraine is planning a possible false-flag operation in Romania or Poland that could escalate into a third world war, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. In a Telegram post on Friday, she pointed to reports in Hungarian media alleging that Kiev intends to stage acts of sabotage in neighboring NATO countries and place responsibility on Moscow. ”Europe has never been so close to the outbreak of World War 3 in modern history,” Zakharova wrote. According to the information available, the Kiev regime’s plan is to repair several downed or intercepted Russian UAVs, fit them with lethal warheads, and – controlled by Ukrainian specialists – send them disguised as “Russian drones” to major NATO transport hubs in Poland and Romania, Zakharova continued.

https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/status/1971614761889726746

At the same time, they would run a disinformation campaign across Europe to pin the blame on Moscow and thereby try to provoke an armed conflict between the Russian Federation and NATO, she added. In order to carry out this alleged provocation, Russian-made ‘Geran’ drones were reportedly delivered on September 16 to the Yavorov training ground in western Ukraine, which hosts the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security of the Hetman Petro Sagaidachny National Academy. The UAVs had reportedly earlier been repaired at the LORTA plant in Lviv.

Zakharova cited Hungarian journalists as saying that the reason for these actions by Vladimir Zelensky is straightforward: the Ukrainian armed forces are suffering a crushing defeat. The collapse of the army, they argued, is no longer limited to the tactical level but has taken on a strategic dimension. If all this is confirmed, it means that Europe has never been so close to the start of World War 3, Zakharova concluded.

https://twitter.com/Alex_Oloyede2/status/1971655097034633621

Read more …

You can bet the Russian pilots are under strict orders NOT to breach protocol.

• Kremlin Slams ‘Reckless’ NATO Threats To Shoot Down Russian Planes (RT)

Threats by NATO member states to shoot down Russian warplanes are “reckless and irresponsible,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said. He insisted that no hard evidence has been presented to back up allegations that Russian fighter jets violated bloc members’ airspace. Earlier this month, Poland alleged that multiple Russian drones had entered its territory. Estonia made similar claims of airspace violations last Friday, requesting urgent consultations with fellow NATO member states. Moscow has denied any breaches of the military bloc’s airspace. Responding to the Estonia claim, the Russian Defense Ministry said three MiG-31s were conducting a routine flight from Karelia Region, east of Finland, to an airfield in Kaliningrad Region, a Russian exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, and that they strictly flew over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1971640205116654076

When asked to comment on a report by Bloomberg, in which Western diplomats were cited as threatening to shoot down intruding Russian warplanes, Peskov said on Friday that “this is a very reckless and irresponsible statement.” “Allegations against Russia that its warplanes have violated someone’s airspace are groundless,” the official said, noting that “no credible evidence has been produced” to corroborate the claims. The Bloomberg report cited anonymous officials as claiming that earlier this week, British, French, and German representatives had held a closed-door meeting with Russian officials in Moscow. According to the publication, the Western diplomats warned that NATO was prepared to shoot down Russian warplanes in the event of airspace violations.

Earlier this week, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he would not rule out such a scenario, but that decisions are made strictly on a case-by-case basis. In an interview with France’s RTL radio station on Thursday, Moscow’s ambassador to Paris, Aleksey Meshkov, cautioned that such an incident would trigger a “war” between NATO and Russia.

Read more …

Democracy and sunlight. This sort of thing always reminds me of Groucho: ‘These are my principles, and if you don’t like them, well, I have others’.

• EU Moves To Bypass Hungary’s Veto On Russia Sanctions (RT)

The European Commission has proposed extending sanctions against Russia by qualified majority rather than unanimity in order to prevent Hungary from blocking them, Politico reported on Friday, citing an EC document.EU diplomats are due to discuss the proposal and a new sanctions package later on Friday, the outlet said. Currently, Brussels renews anti-Russian sanctions every six months with unanimous approval. Hungary has consistently opposed the bloc’s unconditional support for Kiev, favoring peace talks over continued military aid, and has repeatedly used its veto to block EU financial and military assistance. Under the Commission’s plan, only a qualified majority would be needed to extend the restrictions, curbing Budapest’s ability to wield its veto and demand concessions such as releasing frozen Russian assets.

The outlet said that ahead of Friday’s meeting of EU permanent representatives, the Commission also outlined a plan to provide Ukraine with a €140 billion loan backed by frozen Russian central bank assets, to be disbursed in tranches for defense and budget support. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz endorsed the idea this week, but said the funds should go solely to pay for military equipment and only be repaid when Russia compensates Kiev for damages. Earlier this month, the Commission floated a proposal to use Russian assets to back a reparation loan to Ukraine, repayable only if Kiev receives “compensation” from Moscow.

Reuters earlier put the plan at €130 billion, describing it as a “reparations credit” replacing Moscow assets with zero-coupon bonds issued by the Commission, guaranteed by all EU states or a coalition of willing countries. Diplomats for the bloc are expected to debate these initiatives alongside a 19th sanctions package. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the measures would target Russian banks, liquefied natural gas, the Mir payment system and vessels in what Brussels calls Moscow’s “shadow fleet.” Russia, which has denounced Western sanctions as “illegal,” has warned that any attempt to seize or redirect its assets would deliver a “very serious blow” to the international financial system and has vowed to retaliate.

Read more …

“If countries see that central bank money can disappear when European politicians see fit, they might decide to withdraw their reserves from the eurozone.”

• Crazy Idea On How To Steal Russia’s Assets: Make EU Taxpayers Pay For It (MoA)

The war hawks have long tried to steal Russian assets held in West to then use the money to finance the proxy war against Russia. The sums involved are serious: “Nearly three years after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Belgium holds €258 billion in frozen or immobilised Russian assets. The General Administration of Treasury at the Ministry of Finance confirmed the figures on Wednesday to La Libre and De Tijd.” Some of these assets belong to institutions not sanctioned by the European Union. Frozen assets amount to €65 billion, with an additional €193 billion in immobilised transactions, primarily from the Central Bank of Russia.”

The money is not really held by Belgium but by the Belgium company Euroclear which acts as depository for international central bank assets denominated in Euros. Currently the EU is confiscating the interest, not the principal, of that money to distribute it to Ukraine. That step is likely already illegal and Russia will certainly use the courts to get it back. There were also talks to invest the Russian assets in junk bonds with aim of achieving a higher yield:

“Euroclear chief executive Valérie Urbain told the Financial Times that European Union plans to raise additional revenue from frozen Russian assets by investing them in higher-risk securities would amount to “expropriation.” Urbain also warned that such a move could prompt “Russian retaliation in all sorts of forms,” as well as damage Euroclear’s reputation. The majority of Russian assets frozen after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine are currently held at Euroclear. The E.U. has reportedly been discussing the possibility of transferring these assets to a special E.U.-administered fund that would make higher-risk investments. The goal is to generate greater returns to support Ukraine.”

That move was blocked as no one was ready to accept the potential liability for it. Not only Belgium, but also Germany and other fiscal conservative states, have warned that such a move would endanger their own assets. Russia has announced that it will retaliate against any confiscation of its money. It threatens to confiscate whatever European companies own or hold in Russia. Those companies would then have to sue their own governments for cover of their losses. Now a new idea has crept up. How it is supposed to work is not clear to me but it seems to have the support of the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

In a Financial Times op-ed Merz claims (archived): “Germany has been, and remains, cautious on the issue of confiscating the Russian central bank’s assets that are frozen in Europe, and with good reason. There are not only questions of international law to consider, but also fundamental issues concerning the euro’s role as a global reserve currency. But this must not hold us back: we must consider how, by circumventing these problems, we can make these funds available for the defence of Ukraine. In my view a viable solution should now be developed whereby — without intervening in property rights — we can make available to Ukraine an interest-free loan of almost €140 billion in total. That loan would only be repaid once Russia has compensated Ukraine for the damage it has caused during this war. Until then, the Russian assets will remain frozen, as decided by the European Council. Such extensive assistance will require budgetary guarantees from member states. Those bilateral guarantees should, as soon as the next Multiannual Financial Framework is in place in 2028, be replaced by collateralisation under the EU’s long-term budget.”

What sounds like AI slop is not Merz’ own idea but a plan that had been proffered earlier by the EU commission. But no one seems to understands how its is different from an outright confiscation of those assets: “Frustration has been building in EU capitals around the lack of details surrounding the so-called reparations loan, which Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first pitched in her State of the European Union speech Sept. 10. The bulk of the Russian assets are held by the Brussels-based financial firm Euroclear and are invested in Western government bonds that have matured into cash. The cash is sitting in a deposit account with the European Central Bank.

The idea is for the EU to redirect the cash to Ukraine and “enter into a tailored debt contract with Euroclear at 0 percent interest,” according to the note. Euroclear holds €185 billion in cash balances linked to the Russian assets, a part of which will pay back a preexisting G7 loan to Ukraine. The remaining €140 billion will be paid out to Ukraine in tranches and used for “defense cooperation” as well as supporting Kyiv’s ordinary budget needs.” Reuters has more details on it: “To avoid seizing the Russian assets, the idea is to transfer the cash from Euroclear to a newly created Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) owned by EU governments, or G7 governments as well. In exchange, the European Commission would issue Euroclear with zero-coupon bonds guaranteed by the owners of the SPV.

The EU bonds would cover Euroclear’s risk against Russian litigation while the cash in the SPV could be invested more profitably than overnight deposits in the ECB and thus generate a higher return for Ukraine. Why would this scheme, as Merz say, ‘require budgetary guarantees from member states’? Doesn’t that mean that the tax-payers of those member state will eventually have to pay it? Who’s money is at risk when Russia wins its litigation? Who pays if something goes wrong? Some 62% of German voters disapprove (in German) Merz’ policies. Only a record low 35.5% says that he is right in what he is doing. In the fiscal conservative Germany any attempt to borrow more money for the war in Ukraine will further sink his and his party’s chances of ever being reelected.

Merz knows that the scheme has little chance to find unanimous EU approval. He plans to circumvent opposition to it: “I propose that, at the European Council at the end of October, we give the mandate to prepare this instrument in a legally secure manner. That decision should, ideally, be unanimous — failing that, it should be adopted by the large majority of member states who are firmly committed to Ukraine. We should also invite partners around the world that have frozen Russian assets to join the instrument. To this end, we will co-ordinate closely with our partners in the G7”. Luckily it is Belgium which has the last says in this. It is, naturally, opposing the scheme:

Speaking in the margins of the UN General Assembly, Mr De Wever said that Chancellor Merz’s proposal “will never happen”. The Belgian Prime Minister argues that seizing central bank assets of a third country would set a dangerous precedent “If countries see that central bank money can disappear when European politicians see fit, they might decide to withdraw their reserves from the eurozone.” De Wever added Chancellor Merz’s public statement regarding this is regrettable. “I’ve told everyone that I am happy to discuss this. But let’s talk and come up with something, rather than sharing an opinion on it every day. I find it quite frustrating.” It is, in the end, Russia’s money. Any attempt to seize is outright thievery. How long will it take for sane people to intervene and to shoot this idea down?

Read more …

Scared shitless that the US will distance itself from Kiev.

• Kallas Insists US Shouldn’t Offload Ukraine On EU (RT)

Brussels is not solely responsible for helping Ukraine end its conflict with Russia, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Politico on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday. The comments follow US President Donald Trump’s recent apparent change of stance on Ukraine, after he suggested that Kiev, “with the support of the European Union,” was “in a position to fight and win.” Some observers saw the remark as Trump stepping back from the conflict after failing to make good on his pledge to end it quickly. “He was the one who promised to stop the killing,” Kallas said. “So it can’t be on us.”

After taking office in January, Trump engaged in brokering peace negotiations while suspending military aid to Kiev and refraining from imposing sanctions on Russia. He has insisted that the EU countries take greater responsibility for their own security, urging European NATO members to increase military spending to 5% of their GDP. Brussels’ top diplomat insisted that there is no NATO without the US, adding that America is one of the military bloc’s key members and any discussion of NATO’s role must reflect Washington’s responsibilities. The EU has faced challenges in financing long-term support for Ukraine, limited by constraints in its budgetary mechanisms and resistance from some members.

Kallas, a long-time Russia hawk, put forward an ambitious plan in March to mobilize new military aid for Ukraine worth €40 billion via EU member states. Several countries, including France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, resisted the proposal, wary of the formidable commitments. After weeks of negotiations, the package was scaled back to €5 billion for ammunition, underscoring both the limits of EU unity and the challenges Kallas faces in translating her hawkish stance into collective action. Russia has repeatedly accused the EU of undermining the peace efforts around Ukraine and militarizing in preparation for any conflict with Moscow. Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that the EU and NATO have declared “an actual war” on Russia, accusing the West of orchestrating the Ukraine conflict.

Read more …

“The myth of the bogeyman from Moscow was born of cowardice and kept alive by greed..”

• West Invented The ‘Russian Threat’ – And Kept It For 500 Years (Bordachev)

In recent weeks, tensions between European political elites and Russia have flared once more. A drone incident in Poland, an alleged violation of Estonian airspace by Russian jets, and calls from Eastern European politicians to shoot down Russian aircraft all point to a deliberate effort at escalation. This sudden surge of provocation is less about Moscow and more about the EU’s own insecurity. With the United States steadily reducing its security guarantees, the bloc’s governments are grasping at their oldest weapon: the myth of the ‘Russian threat’.It is a myth that has lingered in the European imagination for over 500 years, and it tells us more about Western Europe’s cowardice and greed than about Russia itself

Two realities drive the EU’s current posture. First, Washington’s appetite for underwriting European defense is waning. Reports in Western media suggest that US officials recently told their European counterparts that direct military aid to Eastern Europe may soon be scaled back. For elites in the Baltics and former Soviet republics, this is a nightmare scenario. Their foreign policy has always revolved around one thing: provoking Russia to extract protection and resources from abroad.Second, the EU has no alternative strategy. Without US leadership, it cannot conceive of a foreign policy beyond confrontation with Moscow. Reviving the Russian bogeyman provides a convenient way to retain Washington’s attention – and money.

Yet the irony is obvious. Russia has no interest in punishing its smaller neighbors. Moscow does not seek revenge on the Baltics, Poland, or Finland for decades of anti-Russian rhetoric. Their importance in world affairs is negligible. But for their elites, clinging to the myth of Russian aggression has been the only foreign policy achievement of their independence. The roots of this myth lie not in the Cold War or the 19th century rivalry between empires, but in the late 15th century. Historians trace its emergence to the cowardice of the Baltic barons and the opportunism of German knights in Livonia and Prussia. In the 1480s, Poland’s kings considered sending these knights south to fight the expanding Ottoman Empire. The plan terrified them.

For centuries, they had lived comfortably in the Baltics, bullying local populations and skirmishing with Russian militias at little risk. Facing the Turks was another matter. The memory of Nicopolis – where Ottoman forces executed nearly all captured knights – was still fresh. Unwilling to face a real war, the Livonian and Prussian knights launched a propaganda campaign. Their aim was to convince the rest of Europe that Russia was as dangerous as, or even more dangerous than, the Turks. If successful, they could keep their privileges at home, avoid Ottoman swords, and secure papal approval to treat their border clashes with Russians as a holy war. The strategy worked. Rome granted indulgences and support, ensuring the knights could stay put while still enjoying the prestige of crusaders.

As historian Marina Bessudnova notes, the 1508 Livonian chronicle ‘The Wonderful Story of the Struggle of the Livonian Landgraves against the Russians and Tatars’ provided the finishing touches to this propaganda. Tellingly, the Baltic barons’ private letters contain no mention of a Russian threat. The danger was never real on the ground – only in the stories they sold to Europe. Thus, the myth was born: a fusion of fear, convenience, and profit. Over time, Western Europe, particularly France and England, absorbed it into a broader Russophobia – equal parts contempt and anxiety over a vast empire they could neither conquer nor ignore.

Read more …

I don’t think you can save Netanyahu anymore. Best you can do is to argue he is not Israel.

• Gaza Deal Near – Trump (RT)

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that a deal on ending the war in Gaza is close, but without providing any details. His comments came just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly he would “finish the job” of eliminating Hamas in the enclave. “I think we have maybe a deal on Gaza, and very close to a deal on Gaza, it’s looking like we have a deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. Trump and Netanyahu are planning to meet in Washington on Monday. ”I think it’s a deal that will get the hostages back. It’s going to be a deal that will end the war,” Trump added.

Earlier this week, Trump and senior US officials presented a 21-point peace plan to Arab and Islamic leaders, the president’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said at the UNGA. The plan calls for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, new governance for Gaza without Hamas, and a phased Israeli withdrawal, according to media sources. ”I think it addresses Israeli concerns and, as well, the concerns of all the neighbors in the in the region,” Witkoff said. “And we’re hopeful, and I might say, even confident, that in the coming days, we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough.”

Trump’s position on the future of Gaza has not been consistent. In March, Trump said that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians” from the enclave, but later in May, he reiterated his desire for the US to take over the territory and “make it a freedom zone,” urging residents to leave. However, ahead of Netanyahu’s UN speech on Friday, Trump said he would not allow the annexation of the occupied West Bank, rejecting calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over the area. “It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding: “There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.” Netanyahu signed a controversial West Bank settlement expansion plan this month.

Read more …

“The former French president’s conviction is a rare glimpse of justice – but his true crime goes unpunished..”

• He Destroyed A Country and Half A Million Lives and Got Five Years (Fetouri)

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty and sentenced to five years in jail for campaign finance violations, a historic ruling in a case that has long captivated Parisian politics. The court concluded that Sarkozy had exceeded legal spending limits during his 2007 presidential election campaign, and engaged in a conspiracy to obscure the sources of illicit funds he received from Libya’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi, as various evidence has demonstrated. However, while the conviction targets money, it leaves untouched the far heavier human toll of his foreign policy decisions – from the 2011 Libya intervention to its cascade of wars, state collapse, and crises brought on by migration across the Mediterranean and Sahel. In other words, France’s courts can punish illicit euros, but fails to account for the blood spilled in the pursuit of regime change.

Earlier this year, while discussing the saga surrounding Sarkozy’s campaign funds, a source speaking to me anonymously, and corroborated by a former Libyan intelligence official, revealed for the first time that “a portion of the money reportedly came from Libyan intelligence, delivered across the Italian border by a female operative.” While the court did not definitively link these funds to Sarkozy’s campaign expenditures, the claims echo earlier allegations by Ziad Takieddine, who passed away in Beirut on September 23. He had maintained that he transported cash from Libyan officials to Paris. The murky trail of intermediaries underscores the complexity of the financial networks and how covert foreign influence can intersect with domestic politics, even when the legal system stops short of proving direct use.

The fallout from Sarkozy’s Libyan intervention extends far beyond financial scandals. By leading France – and later the entire NATO alliance – into the 2011 regime-change operation against Muammar Gaddafi, he helped dismantle Libya’s institutions, creating a vacuum that allowed jihadist networks to expand across the Sahel. Fourteen years on, Libya has yet to recover from that invasion. The resulting instability triggered waves of displacement, forcing thousands of migrants to risk crossing the Mediterranean in search of safety. What began as a “humanitarian intervention” became a cascade of unintended consequences: weakened states, regional insecurity, and a humanitarian crisis that Europe continues to grapple with more than a decade later. Sarkozy’s decisions illustrate how foreign policy choices can have profound, long-term effects reaching far beyond the immediate political or financial sphere.

Sarkozy’s Libyan gamble continues to reverberate across Africa, where resentment toward France has deepened amid coups, political instability, and ongoing foreign interventions. From Mali and Niger to Burkina Faso, anti-French sentiment has surged, fuelled by perceptions of neo-colonial arrogance and broken promises. At the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2023, Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop recalled the 2011 UN Security Council authorization for NATO’s military intervention in Libya, noting that it went against the objections of African leaders and resulted in “consequences [that] have permanently destabilized this fraternal country as well as the entire region.”

The betrayal of Gaddafi, once considered a potential strategic ally, has become a symbol of Western leaders’ disregard for African sovereignty, illustrating how regime-change adventures can leave a continent grappling with the fallout for years. Sarkozy’s conviction for campaign finance violations, while significant in Paris, cannot erase the broader geopolitical upheaval his decisions unleashed – a reckoning with the enduring shadow of neo-colonial interference. Many believe French intelligence played a role in Gaddafi’s murder in order to cover up the campaign funding scandal.

Read more …

“I think all that we really know is that the official narrative is false.”

• Elon Musk Says Charlie Kirk Was Shot From The Rear (Paul Craig Roberts)

Much of what Musk says makes sense, but not the globalism part that the assassination of Kirk is a way of dividing us. We have been divided for decades by the teaching of critical race theory, aversive racism and by the DEI policy created by Blumrosen in the EEOC in the 1960s, by abortion, by the legalization of sexual perversity, by the feminist attack on men, and so on. Division has long existed and worsened. Musk’s “globalism” explanation is an effort to rationalize division that has long existed and grown. Liberal-left American professors had done a thorough job of creating division. It is all they are good for.

The globalism theory assumes that the US is the only obstacle to the WEA’s global management of the world. But of course there is Russia, China, and the rest of the world. As for division it is the neoconservatives that have the US aligned against Russia, China, Iran, India, and in Israel’s pocket. Perhaps it is Israel that is attaining world control.

As for forensic evidence, the front neck wound is too small to be an exit wound. Possibly it could be an exit wound of a small caliber such as .17 or .22. But it is most certainly not an exit wound of a powerful round. Moreover, Kirk’s right hand man says the surgeon said there is no exit wound and that the surgeon found the bullet inside Kirk’s neck. Musk did not give evidence for the trajectory he asserts of rear entry and front exit. Still no one has identified the caliber of the bullet. It clearly is not a 30-06 as the official narrative asserts. I find the video of the palm pistol shot more convincing, at least convincing enough to be investigated. Indeed, all explanations should be investigated.

As we already have multiple explanations of Kirk’s assassination, it reminds me of what James Jesus Angleton once told me. When the CIA pulls off an event it has a pre-packaged cover story that instantly becomes the explanation, and several more pre-packaged stories in reserve. If the first narrative wears thin, a couple more narratives are released. People then argue over which is correct and the focus is shifted off the question why the first narrative was wrong. I think all that we really know is that the official narrative is false. The important question is why is the FBI satisfied with a false narrative?

Read more …

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1971324014279917971

https://twitter.com/VigilantFox/status/1971432886633972153

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle June 22 2025

Jun 222025
 
 June 22, 2025  Posted by at 8:31 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , ,  91 Responses »


Rembrandt van Rijn The resurrection of Christ 1639

 

• Trump: Iran’s Nuclear Facilities “Completely & Totally Obliterated” (ZH)
• Trump Hails ‘Spectacular’ US Raid Against Iran (RT)
• With Six Bunker-Busting Bombs, Trump Just Rewrote History (JTN)
• US Strike On Iran Will ‘Change History’ – Netanyahu (RT)
• Iran Accuses US Of Nuclear Treaty Violation (RT)
• Trump Says US Intel of Iran’s Nuclear Program “Was Wrong”, Tulsi Responds (ET)
• Trump’s Envoy Urges Musk To Provide Free Starlink To ‘Friends’ In Iran (RT)
• US, Europe Plotting Iran’s Next Leader While Talking ‘Diplomacy’ (Sp.)
• Pakistan Recommends Trump for Nobel Peace Prize (RT)
• Iran Has The Right To Use Nuclear Energy For Peaceful Purposes – Putin (RT)
• Kiev’s Backers Don’t Want The Conflict Settled – Putin (RT)
• Putin’s Message to the West: Your Dominance is Over – BRICS+ the Future (Sp.)
• Zelensky Reshuffles Top Brass To Fix Faltering Draft – FT (RT)
• Europe’s Anti-Russia Hysteria Speeds Its Decline (Sp.)

 

 

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1936119538833408128

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1936078927698526683

Macgregor

Ritter

 

 

 

 

“A Spectacular Military Success”

If the situation pans out the way it’s presented today, much of the criticism, domestically and internationally, will subside. But Iran has yet to react. And did they really demolish Fordow? Without a nuke?

• Trump: Iran’s Nuclear Facilities “Completely & Totally Obliterated” (ZH)

President Trump addressed the nation at 2200ET and said that with “massive precision strikes”, Iran’s nuclear facilities have “been completely and totally obliterated” in a “spectacular military success.” He warned Iran (“the bully of the Middle East”) that if they do not come to peace then there are many other targets: “There will be either peace; or tragedy for Iran worse than the likes of which we have seen over the last eight days.” “If peace does not come quickly,” we will go after the rest of the nation with “speed and skill. ” He ended the speech by saying “God bless The Middle East, Gold bless Israel, and God bless The United States.”

[..]

* * *
Update (2133ET): Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin revealed that the B-2 bombers spotted heading to Guam were part of a calculated deception to draw attention westward: “It’s notable how much deception was involved in this operation. All eyes were looking west towards Guam.” “The 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs were dropped at Fordo. And as we have reported, there are two entrances to Fordo.” “At least two bombs at each, two entrances, which suggests at least two B-2s were involved over Fordow. My suspicion is that there were more.”

Sean Hannity revealed he spoke directly with President Trump, who confirmed the scope of the U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility: “Six “bunker buster” bombs were dropped by multiple B-2 stealth bombers. Thirty Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from U.S. submarines positioned approximately 400 miles away. Hannity added, “Everyone is out of harm’s way for now.”

Read more …

“..if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.”

• Trump Hails ‘Spectacular’ US Raid Against Iran (RT)

In a televised address from the White House on Saturday night, US President Donald Trump claimed that American forces had “completely obliterated” three Iranian nuclear sites in a major overnight operation. He described the strikes as a “spectacular military success” and threatened further action if Tehran does not pursue peace. Below is the full transcript of President Trump’s address to the nation:

“Thank you very much. A short time ago, the US military carried out massive, precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime. Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not. Future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier.

For 40 years, Iran has been saying. Death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over 1,000 people and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East, and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate in particular. So many were killed by their general, Qassim Soleimani. I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue. I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we’ve gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done.

And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight, and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that’s so. I also want to congratulate the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan ‘Razin’ Caine, spectacular general, and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack. With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.

Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There’s no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago. Tomorrow, General Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will have a press conference at 8am at the Pentagon. And I want to just thank everybody. And, in particular, God. I want to just say, we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.”

Read more …

“Trump’s Pentagon planned for every imaginable Iran response long before Saturday night’s bombing sorties, officials said. And almost immediately after the bombs dropped, signs of heightened security emerged.”

• With Six Bunker-Busting Bombs, Trump Just Rewrote History (JTN)

As early as 2011, Donald Trump sounded the alarm that Iran must not become a nuclear power or the world would face unspeakable havoc. “Iran’s nuclear program must be stopped by any and all means necessary. Period,” the future president wrote in his book Time to Get Tough. “We cannot allow this radical regime to acquire a nuclear weapon that they will either use or hand off to terrorists.” Fourteen years after penning that book, America’s 47th president took decisive action Saturday night to ensure Tehran didn’t reach that critical goal on his watch, dispatching six bunker-busting bombs aboard B2 bombers and 30 Tomahawk missiles fired from submarines to “obliterate” the Iranian regime’s three primary nuclear weapons facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.

Early reports indicate the six GBU-57 bunker busting bombs imploded Fordow, a mountain-fortified facility that evaded decades of UN inspections and tantalized the world with a never-ending threat of Iranian nuclear holocaust as its mullahs chanted “Death to America. Death to Israel.” Trump declared himself pleased with the impact of his history-shaping decision, and pointedly made clear to Iran’s mullahs — led by the Ayatollah Khamenei — that their next step would determine the final outcome of the regime’s two-decade quest for an atomic bomb. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” Trump warned.

“There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” he added. “Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.”

Israel and the United States both braced for the worst possible response from Iran – more missile attacks or a possible terrorism strike – while hoping the earthquake-sized thunder of dropping the largest conventional bomb in world history may have shaken the Iranian regime toward a negotiated settlement. Trump’s navigation of the Iranian crisis demonstrated a redefinition of the use of American military might, directly pressuring diplomatic efforts toward peace by delivering surgical strikes with shock and awe destruction. He gave Iran 60 days to make a deal to forego its pursuit of a nuclear weapon and its enrichment of uranium, and on the 61st day green-lighted Israel to begin a military bombardment to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program. The first strikes decapitated Iran’s military leadership and disabled Tehran’s once-revered air defenses.

With unrivaled air superiority achieved by Israel, Trump then lulled Iran into thinking he would give the mullahs two weeks for more negotiations. In fact, he gave them just two days before unleashing Saturday night’s U.S. attacks that delivered utter destruction to Iran’s three most important nuclear development sites. While a military success, Trump and his team as well as his partner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, remain acutely aware there still may be peril ahead for the world. Iran’s vaunted Hezbollah sleeper terror cells and possible missile strikes against U.S. assets or its allies in the Middle East remain atop the worry list. Trump’s Pentagon planned for every imaginable Iran response long before Saturday night’s bombing sorties, officials said. And almost immediately after the bombs dropped, signs of heightened security emerged.

Israel went to a new level of alert demanding its citizens avoid any unnecessary public activities. New York City raised its threat level. And U.S. warplanes and ships patrolled aggressively for any sign of retaliation. In the meantime, Trump signaled unequivocally that Iran will choose the next edition of its fate: More attacks will bring more U.S. military might; more negotiations might bring a new era of peace and prosperity. The choice, Trump said, is Iran’s to make. Meanwhile, the president made sure to address the likely naysayers in the globalist community at large, the far-left of the American Democrat Party that pursued fruitless deals with Iran for more than a decade and the isolationists in his own party who immediately cackled the U.S. bombings were unjustified, illegal or even impeachable

During his nationally televised post-bombing address, Trump enumerated the deadly toll Iran’s violence took on Americans for five decades starting with the 1979 embassy hostage crisis followed by deadly bombings in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s and 1990s and then the Iranian-made roadside bombs that killed and maimed hundreds of U.S. soldiers during the Iraq War. “For 40 years, Iran has been saying ‘Death to America, Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs,” Trump reminded Americans. “That was their specialty. We lost over 1,000 people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of the hate.” Whether that carnage continues or subsides after Saturday’s massive bombing now rests with Iran.

Read more …

Praise from the child killer. Yay!

• US Strike On Iran Will ‘Change History’ – Netanyahu (RT)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised US President Donald Trump for his “bold decision” to join the Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. In a video address posted Saturday night, after the US carried out strikes against facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, Netanyahu called the move a turning point that “has created a pivot of history that can help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.” “Congratulations, President Trump,” Netanyahu said. “Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”

The United States launched airstrikes late Saturday, hitting at least three Iranian facilities. According to US officials, B-2 stealth bombers reportedly dropped bunker-busting bombs during the raid on Fordow, while American submarines launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles against Natanz and Isfahan. President Trump described the strike as “very successful” and warned that Tehran must engage in negotiations or face further military action if it dares to retaliate.

Read more …

“This act… was unfortunately carried out in the shadow of indifference..”

• Iran Accuses US Of Nuclear Treaty Violation (RT)

Iran has accused the United States of violating international law and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) with its overnight strikes on key nuclear facilities, while assuring the public that no radioactive contamination has been detected at the targeted sites. In an official statement released early Sunday, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) confirmed that US airstrikes hit its nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan at dawn, calling the operation an illegal and “brutal” act. Iranian authorities criticized Washington for publicly claiming responsibility for the attacks on sites that had been operating under the supervision of international inspectors. “This act… was unfortunately carried out in the shadow of indifference and even with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the statement claimed.

A separate statement from Iran’s Center for the National Nuclear Safety System confirmed that emergency inspections had been conducted at all three sites. “No signs of contamination have been recorded,” the center said, adding that there is “no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites.” The AEOI vowed that Iran’s nuclear program would not be halted by what it described as “evil conspiracies.” It praised the resilience of Iranian scientists and announced that legal measures would be pursued in response to the strikes. “We will not allow the development of this national industry, which is the result of the blood of nuclear martyrs, to be stopped,” the organization said.

The United States struck the facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan early Sunday morning as part of a broader Israeli military campaign described by the IDF as targeting Iran’s missile and nuclear infrastructure. Iran has not yet announced any military response but has characterized the strikes as “criminal” and a breach of sovereign rights. President Trump warned Tehran against retaliation, threatening further US attacks. The airstrikes mark the most direct US action against Iran’s nuclear program in years and come amid soaring tensions following ongoing exchanges of drones and missiles between Israel and Iran.

Read more …

Tulsi saving face?!

• Trump Says US Intel of Iran’s Nuclear Program “Was Wrong”, Tulsi Responds (ET)

President Donald Trump said on June 20 that his director of national intelligence’s assessment in March that Iran had yet to decide on building a nuclear weapon was wrong. Trump made the remarks to reporters on Friday while standing next to Air Force One at the Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey. The president was asked about the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that it had no evidence that Iran was building a nuclear warhead before Israel’s strikes on its military and nuclear sites last week. “Well, then my intelligence community is wrong,” Trump said. “Who in the intelligence community said that?” When he was told that it was his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who gave those remarks to lawmakers in March, Trump replied, “She was wrong.”

After Trump’s comments, Gabbard took to social media to share a clip of her March testimony to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and accused the media of twisting her words. “The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division,” Gabbard wrote. “America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly. President Trump has been clear that can’t happen, and I agree.” Gabbard said in her testimony at the time that the intelligence community had determined that Iran was not currently building a nuclear weapon. However, as part of that assessment, she said there were alarming signals that warranted continuous monitoring for any change.

The signs Gabbard mentioned included indications that Iranian decision-makers who wanted the country to have nuclear arms were becoming increasingly emboldened in their pursuit, and that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles were at “unprecedented” levels for a state without nuclear weapons. In remarks to reporters, Trump reiterated that he believes, based on the quantity of enriched uranium that Iran currently possesses, that the regime could develop a nuclear bomb “within a matter of months.” “We can’t let that happen,” Trump said, adding that he believes his current military intelligence is more accurate than what then-President George W. Bush used as a pretext to invade Iraq in 2003, which Trump opposed.

He was asked what makes the current situation different than the one 22 years ago, and Trump said: “Well, there were no weapons of mass destruction [in Iraq]. I never thought there were.” “There was a nuclear age [in 2003], but nothing like it is today. And it looked like I’m right about the material that they’ve gathered already,” he said. The United Nations’ nuclear watch group said early last month that Iran had more than 900 pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium at the time. To make a nuclear bomb, 90 percent enriched uranium is required. The group said that if Iran chooses, it could enrich enough stockpiled uranium to make a bomb in a matter of days, but building and testing a warhead could take much longer.

In response to comments from Iran’s foreign minister earlier on Friday, who said if the United States is serious about negotiations, it must first call Israel to order a stop to the airstrikes, Trump said it’s difficult to make that request now. “If somebody is winning, it’s a little bit harder to do than if somebody’s losing,” he said. “But we’re ready, willing, and able, and we’ve been speaking to Iran, and we’ll see what happens.” Trump said he is giving Iran two weeks to “see whether or not people come to their senses” before he makes a final decision on whether to involve the U.S. military in the conflict after Israel’s surprise airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites last week. “I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,” he said. The president said he believes that Europe is not going to be able to help in negotiations with Iran to end the conflict.

Read more …

Peaceful purposes only?!

• Trump’s Envoy Urges Musk To Provide Free Starlink To ‘Friends’ In Iran (RT)

US Presidential Envoy for Special Assignments Richard Grenell has urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to provide free Starlink access across Iran so that his “friends” can have uninterrupted “access to information” amid an escalating Israeli bombing campaign against Tehran. “Can you turn on Starlink for free in Iran for the next few weeks, @elonmusk? My friends inside Iran don’t have regular access to information right now. I’ll chip in a donation and I think others would, too,” wrote Grenell, the former acting Director of National Intelligence, in a post on X. Musk has not yet responded to the request, at least not publicly. The billionaire previously said that the “beams are on,” indicating the service is technically available – although accessing Starlink requires a special satellite dish to receive and transmit signals.

Starlink’s constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites was originally promoted as a solution for providing high-speed, low-latency internet to remote and rural areas. President Trump has praised the system for offering vital connectivity in disaster zones, particularly after hurricanes Helene and Milton, when traditional networks failed. However, the system has also proven critical for frontline coordination and drone warfare. SpaceX has supplied the Ukrainian military with Starlink since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, delivering more than 40,000 terminals. Kiev’s forces have become fully dependent on Starlink, and disabling it would result in the collapse of the “entire frontline,” Musk claimed in March.

When Israel launched a surprise “pre-emptive” attack against Iranian nuclear facilities last week, its intelligence agency Mossad reportedly activated sleeper cells who had smuggled drones into Iran to strike defensive infrastructure from within. With the possibility of Washington joining the bombing campaign growing, Iranian authorities have severely restricted communications, isolating the country’s internet from the rest of the world. They also urged citizens to delete WhatsApp, accusing Israel of using the Meta-owned app to spy on users. Richard Grenell, a former US ambassador to Germany and acting Director of National Intelligence, now serves as the Presidential Envoy for Special Missions under Donald Trump. In this role, he has handled a wide range of diplomatic crises and international back-channel efforts.

Read more …

From before the attack.

• US, Europe Plotting Iran’s Next Leader While Talking ‘Diplomacy’ (Sp.)

On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated a “substantial” possibility of negotiations with Tehran, with a decision on further steps to be made within the next two weeks. Trump is not afraid to use force against Iran, Leavitt stressed, adding that the US continues contacts with Iran in both direct and indirect formats. According to US and European diplomats – who, of course, are just innocent bystanders in the Israel-Iran conflict – there are already secret conversations going on about who might lead Iran after the dust settles, CBS News reports.

They are also whispering about securing nuclear sites, and how to deal with a potential regional environmental disaster if Iran’s nuclear facilities are hit. Apparently, there’s still a “last shot” for talks to stop the Israel-Iran conflict, insiders told the outlet. Turkiye, Oman, Italy, Norway – they’re all ready to host US-Iran talks if Tehran chooses diplomacy. But as Iranian FM Abbas Araqchi put it: “As long as the aggression and attacks continue, there is simply no room for talk of dialogue or diplomacy,” per Fars News Agency.

Read more …

For Kashmir.

• Pakistan Recommends Trump for Nobel Peace Prize (RT)

The Pakistani government has formally recommended US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his mediation efforts in ending the recent military conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi. India, however, insists Trump played no role in de-escalating the tensions. Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors escalated in late April after a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-backed militants. In a statement on Friday, the Pakistani government announced it “decided to formally recommend” Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize “in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis.”

According to Islamabad, the American leader helped de-escalate a “rapidly deteriorating situation” that could have triggered “catastrophic consequences for millions in the region and beyond.” It also expressed gratitude to Trump for offering to help resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India. The US president has repeatedly claimed credit for the ceasefire on May 10 that halted the hostilities between the two neighboring states. However, the Indian government has denied that the US president played a decisive role. Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed that during a phone conversation with Trump the previous day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that “India has never accepted mediation [to resolve its dispute with Islamabad over Jammu and Kashmir], does not accept and will never accept it.”

Also on Wednesday, the US president invited Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir to a private lunch meeting, after the field marshal similarly called for Trump’s Nobel nomination, Reuters reported, citing White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. On Saturday, in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had arranged a “wonderful treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda in their war.” “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between Serbia and Kosovo, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for keeping Peace between Egypt and Ethiopia… and I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing the Abraham Accords in the Middle East,” Trump lamented.

Speaking to reporters the previous day, the Republican made similar claims about his role in resolving those conflicts. “I should have gotten [the Nobel Peace Prize] four or five times,” he insisted, claiming that this will not happen “because they only give it to liberals.”

Read more …

In theory, yes.

• Iran Has The Right To Use Nuclear Energy For Peaceful Purposes – Putin (RT)

Iran has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in an interview. After the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday, he spoke with Nadim Koteich, the moderator of the session and general manager of Sky News Arabia. ”We believe that Iran has the right to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes. And we are prepared, as we have been in previous years, to provide the necessary support in this field,” the Russian president said. Putin added that Russia opposes the spread of nuclear weapons in any country. “The International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] confirms that there is no evidence of Iranian efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.”

Last week, Israel began a series of strikes against Iran and issued serious warnings regarding the country’s nuclear program. It claimed that Tehran is rapidly nearing a critical point in its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons, saying the strikes were essential to prevent this. Iran, which maintains that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes, responded with missile and drone strikes against Israel. In his interview on Friday, Putin urged both sides to resolve the conflict through negotiations. He added that Moscow has repeatedly informed Israel of the lack of evidence regarding Tehran’s intentions to create nuclear weapons. In a report earlier this month, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stated that “Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60%.”

Meanwhile, US intelligence agencies have found no evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. However, President Donald Trump insisted that Iran was “very close” to acquiring them at the time of Israel’s attack. He has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and warned that the US might intervene. According to the Kremlin, Putin has a “complete picture” of the situation, as one of the few leaders to speak directly with the heads of Israel, Iran, and the US. In a late-night Q&A session on Wednesday, Putin told journalists that resolving the conflict should include mutual security guarantees – protecting both Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology and Israel’s right to security.

Read more …

“I hope that the Ukrainian leadership will follow the national interests of the country and not the interests of the third parties that stand behind the regime..

• Kiev’s Backers Don’t Want The Conflict Settled – Putin (RT)

The “third parties” that back Kiev are not interested in ending the Ukraine conflict, but are instead using the country for their own goals, Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Sky News Arabia’s Nadim Koteich. On Friday, during the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), moderated by Koteich, Putin stated that Moscow is not seeking the surrender of Ukraine. “We insist on the recognition of the realities that have developed on the ground,” he added. After the session, he gave an interview to Sky News Arabia in which he reiterated that Kiev should respect the will of the people who voted to join Russia. “I hope that the Ukrainian leadership will follow the national interests of the country and not the interests of the third parties that stand behind the regime,” Putin said.

“Ukraine deserves a better future, and not to be a tool in the hands of the third parties that are against Russia.” He added that Ukrainian neutrality and non-nuclear status are necessary for long-term stability in the region. During a Q&A session on Friday, Putin said that negotiations held in Istanbul in early 2022, shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, fell apart under pressure from “neocolonial forces.”Earlier in June, top Russian negotiator and presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky told RT’s Rick Sanchez that Ukraine had a chance to secure a deal on more favorable terms had it not withdrawn from negotiations in 2022. According to Medinsky, Kiev opted to walk away after consulting with the US and UK.

Read more …

“Russia’s Resilience Exposes Western Policymakers’ ‘Shocking’ Incompetence.”

• Putin’s Message to the West: Your Dominance is Over – BRICS+ the Future (Sp.)

In his speech at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Vladimir Putin touched on array of issues, from Western neocolonialism and emerging global power centers to Russia’s economic prospects and defense exports potential. Sputnik asked experts in each of these areas to share their thoughts. The Russian president’s remarks at SPIEF about the need for a new model of development free of “golden billion” neocolonialism “is based on the observation of the world balances of power that have unfolded since the US financial crisis of 2008,” veteran Brussels-based geopolitical analyst Paolo Raffone told Sputnik. “Today the emerging countries have emerged to the extent of being comparable individually (China) or collectively (BRICS+) to overcome Western countries. [Putin’s] remarks are addressed to the US, but are also a warning to the European former powers that still have not abandoned the outdated path of eurocentrism,” Raffone explained.

Putin’s comments are geopolitical realism boiled down to its essence, “calling to rethink the national and international policies for the economy as well as security,” Raffone said. The Russian president isn’t alone in his thinking, the observer pointed out, highlighting Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto’s bombshell remarks this week about the EU and NATO’s loss of relevance, total dependence on China, and failure to engage diplomatically with the Global South. Western leaders became the “victims of their [own] stilted paradigm” about Russia and its economy, retired Jawaharlal Nehru University professor and Russia expert Dr. Anuradha Chenoy told Sputnik, commenting on Putin’s remarks relating to Russia’s emergence as the 4th largest economy globally, and the largest in Europe.

Treating Russia as a glorified “gas station” with no prospects for development, and slapping it with a severe, unilateral sanctions regime in 2022, the West expected the Russian economy and ruble to collapse.Instead, “the opposite happened,” Chenoy said, with the state, banks and industry leveraging finances generated from oil wealth to ramp up domestic production and generate growth. The West’s theories failed, as have their attempts to isolate Russia. “In fact, Russia now has turned to China, BRICS countries and the Global South, which will be their long-term partner. The West and its policies of unfair terms if trade, use of threat and force” ended up isolating them, not Russia, the veteran academic emphasized. “I am shocked at the great lack of collective knowledge and information [on the part] of the West, and their institutions,” Chenoy said, highlighting that Russia’s immense natural resources, the rebuilding of industry and infrastructure have been obvious to Russia watchers for decades.

“Russia will surely reestablish itself as one of the foremost exporters of arms in the world in the coming years,” former Swedish Armed Forces officer and military analyst Mikael Valtersson told Sputnik, commenting on Putin’s mention of Russian plans to expand defense cooperation with friendly countries. “The fast Russian adaptation to the needs at the battlefield and a strong Russian comeback in Ukraine has put an end to western dreams of the elimination of Russia as a strong competitor in the global arms market,” Valtersson said, highlighting the competitive edge Russia has honed from its experiences, including:
• battle-proven, upgraded weaponry. “This is especially important when it comes to air, missile, drone and EW-technology,” according to the observer.
• a “very large capacity to produce weapons quickly for the global military market…a capability the Western countries lack.”
• readiness to allow buyers to freely use the advanced weapons they purchase, without secret kill switches or other restrictions

Valtersson expects these factors to strengthen Russia’s position in the Global South, and in turn to threaten Western arms exports, especially Europe’s. “Europe will probably be forced to focus more on domestic sales within Europe, while the US must reduce restrictions and political demands in conjunction with arms exports. This might become even more acute in light of a growing hesitation to see the US as a reliable strategic partner by many countries,” Valtersson predicts. NATO might try to preserve markets by pressuring countries against buying Russian arms, “but this strategy will quickly lose power since Western economic power is diminishing,” the observer said, emphasizing that economic power translates into political power. While BRICS accounted for 12% of GDP in 2000, it’s over 40% today.

Read more …

Who makes these decisions?

• Zelensky Reshuffles Top Brass To Fix Faltering Draft – FT (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has reshuffled his top brass, with the goal of overhauling the country’s flawed and “unpopular” forced mobilization, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Amid heavy frontline losses, the campaign has been marred by widespread draft-dodging and violent clashes between would-be recruits and mobilization officers. On Friday, Zelensky tapped Brigadier General Gennady Shapovalov to be the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, replacing Mikhail Drapaty and reassigning several senior officers. According to the Ukrainian HQ, in his new role, Shapovalov will focus on “increasing the combat capability of the army, improve the mobilization system and training of military personnel, and implement innovative approaches to management according to NATO standards.”

Shapovalov previously headed Kiev’s team in the NATO mission to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine. The Financial Times said the new commander will face numerous issues, as the “attempts to reform the Ukrainian mobilization and training process have been sluggish at best.” The draft, the outlet added, has been “unpopular,” while Zelensky is facing Western pressure to lower the draft age. Another problem is a new military contract program aimed at attracting young people between 18 and 24 to the army. However, as of April, only 500 contract soldiers joined the army, the FT reported, citing officials in Kiev.

Shapovalov’s appointment follows nearly three weeks of a leadership vacuum after Drapaty resigned from his post but was later moved to lead Ukraine’s joint forces command, which is aimed at helping align Ukraine’s armed forces with NATO operational methods. In a parting statement, Drapaty – who resigned after accepting responsibility for devastating Russian strikes on military training sites – condemned what he called a “culture of mutual cover-up and impunity” within the military. ”We will not win this war unless we build an army where honor is action, not a word, and responsibility is the basis of trust,” he said.

According to RBK-Ukraine, Drapaty’s departure also followed reported tensions with Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky. A source told the outlet that Drapaty privately expressed ambitions to take over Syrsky’s role. The two have had diverging battlefield strategies. Ukraine announced general mobilization in 2022, barring most men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. In 2024, Kiev tightened the conscription laws and lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 to recoup growing battlefield losses. The mobilization campaign has resulted in numerous violent altercations between draft officers and reluctant draftees, while many have sought to flee the country at significant personal risk.

Read more …

Greatly.

• Europe’s Anti-Russia Hysteria Speeds Its Decline (Sp.)

No one is excluding Europe from modern processes – European countries are excluding themselves with their policy choices, Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Europe is sabotaging itself by unjustifiably meddling in the Ukraine conflict and taking an anti-Russian stance, said the President of Republika Srpska. The European Union lost pivotal energy resources that it used to receive at a low price from Russia, Milorad Dodik stressed. “It is clear that Europe, if it even survives in the form of the European Union, is headed toward economic and other forms of marginalization,” he said. Europe is scrambling for solutions but somehow drifting even further from them. That’s exactly why I agree that the Global South’s role is only growing more crucial, said Dodik.

SPIEF sets an ideology-free stage for a New Global Order, underscored the leader of Bosnia’s Serb autonomy. A surge of cooperation agreements is signed here, offering a prime opportunity to showcase the Russian economy’s cutting-edge achievements across all modern sectors. What draws crowds to the forum is its host — Russia — a nation reshaping the global value game, noted Dodik. A total of 1,060 agreements worth 6.3 trillion rubles ($80 billion) have been signed on the sidelines of the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the Organizing Committee’s executive secretary, Anton Kobyakov, said on Saturday. Over 140 countries sent their representatives to the forum, Kobyakov added.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

Ursula

EV

https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1936406246107529538

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle June 16 2025

Jun 162025
 
 June 16, 2025  Posted by at 10:30 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  63 Responses »


Ivan Shishkin The wilds 1881

 

• America First means AMERICA FIRST (Douglas Macgregor)
• From Peace President to Warmonger (Hanseler)
• Trump Presides Over Army’s 250th Birthday Event (JTN)
• Trump ‘Open’ To Putin As Iran-Israel Mediator (RT)
• Israel Asked US To Join Iran Attack – Axios (RT)
• Iraq Warns of $300 Per Barrel Oil (RT)
• Iran Preparing To ‘Shut Down Israel’s War Machine’ – Source (RT)
• Zelensky Says The US Is Being ‘Too Warm’ Towards Russia (NYP)
• Zelensky Says Iran Poses ‘Serious Threat’ To Ukraine, Amid Israel War
• Putin Congratulates Xi On His Birthday (RT)
• Putin Wished Me A Happy Birthday – Trump (RT)
• Europe’s Populist Parties Keep Gaining Ground, but Cannot Get Into Power (ET)
• Republicans Investigating California Governor and LA Mayor Over Riots (RT)

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/imetatronink/status/1934081168208433568

 

 

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1934254532600517061

https://twitter.com/hippyygoat/status/1933943791779451176

https://twitter.com/The_Real_ITDUDE/status/1933978549230145722

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1934291867971006740

 

 

 

 

“..Israel’s Iron Dome failed. Israeli intelligence failed. Now Netanyahu is pleading with Washington to intervene with American Military Power to rescue Israel from certain defeat..”

• America First means AMERICA FIRST (Douglas Macgregor)

In the last 72 hours, Israel launched a preemptive strike against Iran when negotiations between Washington and Tehran were still ongoing. Iran was caught off-guard. But Iran recovered more quickly from its Pearl Harbor moment than Israel expected. In less than 18 hours after Israel’s surprise attack, Iran responded firing hundreds of ballistic missiles including hypersonic missiles into central Tel Aviv and across Israel. Meanwhile, Israel’s Iron Dome failed. Israeli intelligence failed. Now Netanyahu is pleading with Washington to intervene with American Military Power to rescue Israel from certain defeat; a defeat Netanyahu crafted with encouragement from Washington. At the same time, Russia, China, Pakistan and most of the Muslim World are rallying to Iran’s defense.

Supplies, equipment and technical assistance are pouring into Iran. It’s time for a reality check: Washington burned through $12 trillion in the Middle East since 2003. Result? 7,000 dead Americans. 50,000 wounded, open borders and 100,000 Americans dying yearly from Fentanyl poisoning. Today, the United States is $37 trillion in debt, a sum that does not include so-called “agency debt.” 77 million Americans voted for President Trump because he promised to end the overseas conflicts and halt the march to WW3. Trump’s mandate is unchanged: Secure America’s borders, ports and coastal waters. Deport illegal aliens, crush the criminals r-ping and murdering Americans. Restore the rule of law. But not one more drop of American blood for foreign wars.

One Israeli strike on Kharg Island—where 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow—or Bandar Abbas terminals, and Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz. That’s 20% of global oil supply. That means disrupted supply chains and runaway inflation. Gas hits $7/gallon overnight. Every working family crushed. Truckers can’t deliver food. Economy crashes. For what? So Israel that started this insane war can drag Americans into a wider regional conflict with the potential for nuclear war? We have 40,000 troops in UAE, Qatar, across the Persian Gulf. They are sitting ducks. Iranian Shahed-136 Drones cost $20,000 each. American Patriot Missiles cost $4 million per interceptor. Do the math. We will run through our inventory of missiles and go broke while Americans come home in boxes.

The Middle East is on the brink. Here’s what Washington must do to defuse conflict:
1. Ask for an Emergency UN Security Council meeting. Ask for an Immediate ceasefire making it clear that Washington opposes the destruction of Iran, Israel and any other state in the Middle East.
2. Demand that Israel stop the killing of Palestinians in Gaza and withdraw its forces from Gaza and the West Bank.
3. Suspend all military aid to Israel until Israel agrees to remove its troops from Gaza and permit humanitarian assistance to reach the people of Gaza.
4. Propose the commitment of Armed Forces from non-aligned nations to police Gaza and the West Bank. 5. Propose that the United States, Russia, China, India and Brazil convene a peace conference to arbitrate the dispute between Israel, Iran and Israel’s neighbors. I led American Soldiers under fire into action. I’ve seen plenty of flag-draped coffins. I don’t want to see any more. Washington’s warmongers had 22 years. They failed. They lied.

They profited while America bled. Time’s up. America First means AMERICA FIRST. Not Israel first. Not Ukraine first. Not NATO first. AMERICA FIRST.

Read more …

“It seems that the Iranians would in principle be able to inflict huge damage on the US and Israel, as they – unlike Israel and the US – have hypersonic missiles..”

• From Peace President to Warmonger (Hanseler)

One day before the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, Ukraine attacked aircraft from Russia’s strategic bomber fleet with drones hidden in trucks that were smuggled into Russia. We reported on this in “Operation Spiderweb: Ukraine and NATO attack on Russia: a new Pearl Harbor? Full escalation? Are the fanatics back? Facts and analysis.” The military damage was minor; what remained was a propaganda victory for the West – nothing more. On June 11, the Financial Times went to great lengths to prove that these attacks were carried out with AI without Western help. The FT should probably confine itself to business news – pure propaganda without a shred of evidence. A feeble attempt to keep the Americans out of it, without whose help this attack would not have been possible.

This was followed shortly afterwards by a major attack by Israel on Iran. TheTimes of Israel boasted that the US, together with the Israelis, had carried out a multi-layered disinformation campaign to make the Iranians believe that an attack was not imminent. This report is credible, as Trump made no attempt to hide US complicity in the Israeli attack on Iran at the end of the week. That’s not all, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied US involvement, saying: “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.”- Marco Rubio – 13. Juni 2025. This proves that the Americans certainly had a hand in this deadly game and that the Trump administration cannot even manage to coordinate coherently within its own team. Not a sign of professionalism. A few hours ago, a 180 from Trump:

It’s clear that there’s no hope of finding out anymore what the President of the US believes and does. What a joy to negotiate with such a person. We can confirm with depressing certainty that it is very possible that the final chapter of the series of wars launched by the US has begun in the Middle East. Please refer to our article “Bloodbaths change the world – Part 2 – 9/11”, where General Clark provided information about the US’s real intentions and plans in 2007:

The target countries were: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan – and finally Iran. Instead of five years in which the US wanted to “pacify” these countries, almost 25 years have now passed. But it seems that the Americans have fulfilled Netanyahu’s wish, who had wanted to attack Iran for 25 years, after all. A few weeks ago, in the article “Anything is possible – unfortunately”, I categorized the Iran smouldering fire as non-critical. In my analysis, I assumed that the Americans were not naive enough to allow themselves to be drawn into such a catastrophic war based on a delusion and Netanyahu’s fantasies of empire. Perhaps the naive person was myself.

It is not yet clear how many levels of escalation will be exceeded in the coming days. After this attack, however, Iran will have to respond militarily in a way that will give the Americans and Israelis existential fears. The Americans about their presence in the Middle East and the Israelis about their existence as a state. It seems that the Iranians would in principle be able to inflict huge damage on the US and Israel, as they – unlike Israel and the US – have hypersonic missiles. We will soon see whether they decide to do so and actually have this strike power.

Read more …

“..our soldiers never give up, never surrender and never ever quit. They fight, fight, fight and they win, win, win.”

• Trump Presides Over Army’s 250th Birthday Event (JTN)

President Trump on Saturday presided over the Army’s 250th birthday celebration and a military parade undeterred by the rainy and cloudy skies that seemed to cast their shadow beyond the nation’s capital. “Every other country celebrates their victories,” Trump, on whose 79th birthday the event was held, said as the parade of about 6,000 soldiers, 50 military aircraft and 150 vehicles came to an end near the White House. “It’s about time America did, too. That’s what we’re doing tonight. “Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you. Your defeat will be certain. Your demise will be final. … our soldiers never give up, never surrender and never ever quit. They fight, fight, fight and they win, win, win.”

The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” after Trump’s remarks from the viewing stage, according to NBC News. Earlier in the day, a gunman, still at large Saturday night, fatally shot Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and husband Mark after shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and wife Yvette, at the couples’ respective homes, in what authorities called “targeted” attacks. The Army parade began about 30 minutes before its scheduled 6:30 p.m. start because of the weather, a Secret Service official said. Still, Army tanks rolled slowly down Constitution Avenue under the drizzle as large crowds walked among the monuments, some carrying U.S. flags and wearing “Make America Great Again” hats. Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also attended the parade.

Meanwhile, anti-Trump “No Kings” protesters came out across the country. The liberal group MoveOn.org, which organized the protests, estimated that about 5 million people attended the demonstrations, which took place in cities large and small – including Houston; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Jacksonville, Florida; Arlington, Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. Organizers described the “No Kings coalition” as non-violent, emphasizing that they canceled the Minnesota protests after news of the shootings. “The No Kings coalition is and remains a nonviolent movement. We are heartbroken by the shooting in Minnesota,” the organization said in a statement when the protests ended. “Our prayers are with their families, their communities, and all those grieving.”

The No Kings protests were planned before violent protests earlier this week in Los Angeles in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s illegal-migrant raids. The protests, including some that were violent, resulted in Trump deploying Marines and the California National Guard. The protests and the Army parade were also held one day after Israel launched missile attacks on Iran, which in turn launched air attacks on Israel. Protesters at a demonstration Saturday in Philadelphia were photographed holding signs that read, “TREASON, Punishable by Death,” “Your silence is consent” and “NO ONE IS ILLEGAL ON STOLEN LAND.” Protesters in other cities held signs that read, “America Has No King” while others called for Trump’s removal from office.

Arrests were made at some of the demonstrations. A man was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee at a “No Kings” protest for allegedly shoving people in the crowd. A man was arrested in Culpeper, Va. for driving his vehicle into a “No Kings” protest. No injuries were reported. Police arrested eight protesters at an anti-Trump demonstration on Saturday in DeKalb County, Georgia focused on immigration. Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman defended the parade as the protests began to wind down. “This parade is comprised of our sons, daughters, mothers and fathers—the very best of us,” he wrote on X. “Regardless of your politics, it’s appropriate to celebrate the 250 years of sacrifice, dedication and service.”

Read more …

Putin won’t do it. Not while the bombing continues.

• Trump ‘Open’ To Putin As Iran-Israel Mediator (RT)

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he is open to Russian President Vladimir Putin serving as a mediator in the Israel-Iran conflict. In an hour-long phone call the previous day, the two leaders focused on the Middle East crisis. “Yeah, I would be open to it. He is ready. He called me about it,” Trump responded to ABC News’ Rachel Scott, when asked about Putin’s potential role in brokering peace. “We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved,” Trump added.

After the phone call the Kremlin later said that Putin had condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran and expressed concern over further escalation, while reiterating Russia’s willingness to facilitate negotiations. Putin recalled that Moscow had previously proposed concrete measures to facilitate “mutually acceptable agreements” in US-Iran nuclear negotiations before the current escalation, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov revealed. “Russia’s principled position and commitment to resolving this issue remain unchanged,” Ushakov stated. “As President Putin emphasized, we will continue to act accordingly.”

Despite the cancellation of Oman-mediated nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington following Israel’s strikes, Trump maintained that discussions continued. “They’d like to make a deal. They’re talking,” he said, suggesting the escalation might actually accelerate diplomacy.When asked about possible American engagement in the conflict, Trump stated: “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved.” The conflict in the Middle East escalated on June 12 when Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites, killing senior military officials and prompting retaliatory missile barrages from Tehran. Both sides have exchanged fire for a third straight day.

Read more …

Not openly.

• Israel Asked US To Join Iran Attack – Axios (RT)

West Jerusalem has asked the White House to take part in its military campaign against Iran in order to eliminate Tehran’s nuclear program, according to two Israeli officials cited by Axios. Several above-ground facilities in Iran, including sites in Natanz and Esfahan, were destroyed in recent Israeli strikes, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi. Israel described the operation as a preemptive move to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon – Iran has consistently denied that it has any intention to do so. Grossi said the Iranian government had also informed him that the Fordow enrichment plant near the city of Qom, a heavily fortified site built deep inside a mountain, was targeted, but there are no indications that the site sustained significant damage.

According to Axios, Israel lacks the bunker-busting bombs and long-range bomber aircraft required to destroy Fordow. The US, however, possesses both and operates forces within range of Iran. Israeli officials reportedly believe that if Fordow remains operational after the operation ends, West Jerusalem’s mission to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program will have failed. An Israeli official told Axios the US might participate in the campaign and said President Donald Trump had indicated during a recent call with Netanyahu that he would consider it “if necessary.” The White House has denied this claim. A second American official confirmed that Israel had requested US involvement but said the Trump administration is not considering it.

Washington has reportedly distanced itself from the operation, while warning that even a limited strike could draw the US into the war. White House officials have argued that it would be illegitimate for Iran to retaliate against American forces. A senior US official told the outlet that while the Israeli attacks could not be prevented, a peaceful resolution remains possible. “We have the ability to negotiate a successful, peaceful resolution to this conflict if Iran is willing,” the source said. “The fastest way for Iran to accomplish peace is to give up its nuclear weapons program.”

Nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington began in April, with Trump warning of military consequences if diplomacy failed.On Saturday, Tehran cancelled a sixth round of negotiations scheduled in Oman. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said talks would not resume until Israeli strikes come to an end. Earlier on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart held a 50-minute phone call to discuss the situation in the Middle East. The two leaders reportedly agreed on the possibility of restarting negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

Read more …

Havoc ahead.

• Iraq Warns of $300 Per Barrel Oil (RT)

Escalating tensions in the Middle East and a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz could drive oil prices up to $300 per barrel, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned during a phone conversation with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. On Friday morning, Israeli jets bombed military and nuclear sites across Iran, kicking off an ongoing exchange of hostilities between the two countries. According to Hussein, oil prices could surge to between $200 and $300 per barrel “if military operations were to break out, which would significantly increase inflation rates in European countries and complicate oil exports for producing states such as Iraq.”

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key transport route, could “result in the loss of approximately five million barrels per day from Gulf and Iraqi oil supplies in the global market,” the Iraqi foreign minister was quoted as saying. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime passage through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply flows. On Saturday, Iranian MP and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Esmail Kousari stated that Tehran is seriously considering closing the strait to shipping. Analysts have highlighted the potential impact of such a closure on global oil prices. JPMorgan analysts estimate that in a severe scenario, oil could surge to $130 per barrel. Other experts suggest that a complete blockade could push prices even higher, with some forecasts reaching $300 per barrel.

Brent crude prices rose 7% on Friday to $74.23 per barrel in response to the first attacks. While Israel has not targeted Iran’s main oil export facilities, analysts warn that future strikes could severely impact oil supplies. Conversely, the Islamic Republic could retaliate by disrupting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, in Russia, the head of the Federation Council’s information policy commission, Aleksey Pushkov, has said that the conflict between Israel and Iran could lead to a significant increase in oil prices due to Tehran’s possible blocking of the Persian Gulf.

Read more …

“The official outlined Iran’s extensive list of potential targets within “occupied territories,” which include covert residences of Israeli government leaders, energy facilities, factories supplying military aircraft, and critical command-and-control infrastructure.”

• Iran Preparing To ‘Shut Down Israel’s War Machine’ – Source (RT)

Tehran is gearing up to decisively counter Israel’s military operations, and intends to “shut down the regime’s war machine,” a senior Iranian security official told RT exclusively on Sunday. Israel and Iran have been engaged in a fierce exchange of fire for three consecutive days. According to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom, Iranian strikes have killed at least ten people, bringing the total death toll to 13. In Iran, Israeli strikes have caused at least 406 deaths and 654 injuries, according to the group Human Rights Activists. The Iranian government has not released official casualty figures yet.

”Iran has been preparing for a long war,” the official told RT, emphasizing the country’s resolve to confront Israel. According to the source, millions of Iranians rallied in the streets on Saturday, defying West Jerusalem’s attacks, and demanding retribution. “This is an important support for Iran to continue its actions with force,” the official added. The official outlined Iran’s extensive list of potential targets within “occupied territories,” which include covert residences of Israeli government leaders, energy facilities, factories supplying military aircraft, and critical command-and-control infrastructure.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said that the country’s missiles had targeted fuel production facilities for Israeli fighter jets, a claim not acknowledged by Israel. World leaders urgently called for de-escalation in order to prevent an all-out war. Russian President Vladimir Putin had condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran and expressed concern over further escalation. In a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, Putin reiterated Moscow’s willingness to facilitate negotiations. Oman-mediated nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington were scheduled for Sunday; however, they were canceled following Israel’s strikes. Trump did not rule out the possibility of continuing the negotiations, saying, “They’d like to make a deal. They’re talking.”

Read more …

Hey! I need attention!

• Zelensky Says The US Is Being ‘Too Warm’ Towards Russia (NYP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chided the tone of U.S. and Russia relations as “too warm” Saturday, while re-upping his push for Washington to ratchet up sanctions on Moscow. The Ukrainian leader stressed that “no one has been able to stop” Russian strongman Vladimir Putin so far, but surmised that President Trump could if he takes a tougher stand. “Right now, the tone of the U.S.–Russia dialogue feels too warm. Let’s be honest: that won’t stop Putin. What’s needed is a shift in tone,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Putin must understand clearly: America will stand with Ukraine, including by imposing sanctions and supporting our army. Any signals of reduced aid, or of treating Ukraine and Russia as equals, are deeply unfair. Russia is the aggressor. They started this war. They do not want to end it.

“That’s why the world must send a clear message: if Putin refuses to end the war, the strongest possible sanctions will follow.” Zelensky’s remarks appear to take aim at some of Trump’s recent comments, where he likened the warring nations to “two young children fighting like crazy.” He’s also repeatedly implied that Kyiv bears — as does Russia — responsibility for the bloody war. “You should have never started it,” Trump pubically said of Zelensky back in February. Russia began the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are currently mulling a sanctions package introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) last month.That sweeping package further tightens the existing sanctions on Russia and slaps 500% tariffs on countries that do business with the Kremlin.

Trump has sent mixed signals about the sanctions package, concerned that it could derail negotiations with Russia while also indicating that he is losing patience with Putin. Zelensky appears to be angling to pressure Trump on further tightening the screws on Russia ahead of the Group of 7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, beginning on Sunday. Zelensky had been working to meet Trump at the G7, which would be their first face-to-face since their meeting at the Vatican in April. “No one has been able to stop Putin. Only Trump remains, he might be able to. But to stop Putin, one thing is essential: he must lose money. Only then will he be unable to expand his army and military sector,” Zelensky said.

Read more …

“Moscow is not expected to come to Iran’s aid in this current emerging war.”

• Zelensky Says Iran Poses ‘Serious Threat’ To Ukraine, Amid Israel War

Once again another major Middle East conflict is taking much of the West’s attention away from the long war in Ukraine, but President Volodymyr Zelensky is speaking up (or rather inserting himself), suggesting that events in Iran have a direct impact on Ukraine. He has told Newsmax the Islamic Republic poses a “serious threat” to Ukraine, given that it has for years supplied military arms and technology to Russian forces, which are then used against Iranian cities. There have been more recent reports that Tehran might be supplying short-range ballistic missiles. It is the Iranian-produced Shahed Kamikaze drone which has wreaked havoc on Ukraine from since the war’s start. Zelensky claimed in the comments that Iran is “actively working” against his country.

“Iran is, in fact, actively working against us by supplying weapons and technology to Russia. That makes them a serious threat. Even so, we do not seek escalation,” Zelenskyy said. “We understand all too well the devastating consequences such a conflict can bring. The human cost, the losses, the potential outcomes of a full-scale war. But Iran continues to support Russia.” “This regime is enabling Russia’s aggression by providing arms and technological support. Iran uses its oil revenues to fund war efforts. That is the harsh reality we are dealing with,” he added. The last 48 hours have seen open war explode between Iran and Israel after the Israeli Air Force began attacking Iranian nuclear sites, as well as ballistic missile batteries. Nuclear scientists and military leaders have also been killed in Iran.

Iran has responded by launching unprecedented numbers of ballistic missiles and drones against Israel, in a serious tit-for-tat which is now ongoing. “Let me be frank. We don’t want escalation in any part of the world. But if this continues, if there is another wave of conflict, more missile strikes, more collaboration between Russia and Iran, then the situation could grow even more dangerous,” Zelensky said. Washington is the biggest funder of both the Ukrainian and Israeli militaries… While Russia and Iran have indeed stepped up their defense relationship over the last several years, Moscow is not expected to come to Iran’s aid in this current emerging war.

Read more …

Spring chicken at 72.

• Putin Congratulates Xi On His Birthday (RT)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended birthday greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping, 72, according to a statement from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “The president wished his Chinese counterpart and friend all the very best,” Peskov said. The message comes on the heels of a visit by Xi in May, when he traveled to Moscow to participate in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Soviet victory in World War II. Xi and Putin held a formal meeting at the Kremlin on May 8, joined by senior delegations from both sides. The talks lasted over three and a half hours and concluded with the signing of a number of joint agreements. The Chinese Foreign Ministry described Xi’s visit to Moscow as “a complete success.”

Putin described the meeting with Xi as “highly positive” and emphasized the value of face-to-face dialogue. He also thanked the Chinese leader for attending the commemorative event and confirmed his own plans to visit China for ceremonies marking the defeat of militarist Japan. Beijing has advocated a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict since it escalated in 2022. It has also been critical of the West’s unilateral sanctions against Russia and blamed NATO expansion for provoking the crisis. In 2023, China released a 12-point proposal, received favorably by Moscow, on how to resolve the conflict through a political settlement which respects the realities on the ground.

Read more …

“..He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump wrote.

• Putin Wished Me A Happy Birthday – Trump (RT)

US President Donald Trump has revealed that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, wished him a happy birthday during a phone conversation on Saturday. Shortly after the phone call, the US president took to his Truth Social to provide details. “President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well. We talked at length,” Trump, who turned 79 on Saturday, wrote. The two presidents spent “much less time” discussing the Ukraine conflict, he noted, adding that the topic “will be for next week.” “The call lasted approximately one hour. He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump wrote.

According to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, the conversation between Putin and Trump was “meaningful, frank, and most importantly, very useful.” Putin condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, noting that they occurred just before the sixth round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, originally scheduled for June 15, would have begun. “Despite such a complicated situation, the Russian and American presidents didn’t rule out a return to the negotiating track on the Iranian nuclear program,” Ushakov added. The presidential aide also confirmed that Putin had extended his birthday wishes to Trump, noting that both leaders have “expressed their satisfaction with the personal relationships that allow [them] to communicate in a businesslike manner,” as well as to “seek solutions to pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda, no matter how complex these issues may be.”

Read more …

“cordon sanitaire” or “firewall”

• Europe’s Populist Parties Keep Gaining Ground, but Cannot Get Into Power (ET)

Across the European continent, despite gaining considerable proportions of the vote, populist parties are increasingly being frozen out of governing in coalitions by political opponents who regard them as extremist. Proponents of the tactic known as a “cordon sanitaire” or “firewall” say it’s not an attack on democracy but a defense of it. But one war expert said the tactic will only arouse anger in voters and that “there is no potential for peaceful political change.” Coalitions are part and parcel of political life in many European countries. But the cordon sanitaire, a measure normally directed at keeping out fringe outliers, is now being used to keep out parties that are gaining majority-level support. Such parties include the Alternative for Germany, France’s National Rally, Austria’s Freedom Party, Spain’s Vox, and the Netherlands’ Party for Freedom.

They all deny being “far-right” as they are often dubbed by media, opponents, or academics, but their political opponents regard them as beyond the pale and have formed coalitions on the promise of shutting them out of governance. The AfD, an anti-mass immigration party, which came second in Germany’s national parliamentary elections, earning nearly 21 percent of the vote, was recently denied allotted committee chairmanships and vice-chairmanships. The party is locked in a legal battle with the state to avoid being branded an “extremist” right-wing movement by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.

AfD’s policies include strong support for traditional marriage between a man and woman and the nuclear family, the preservation of national independence in the face of the European Union’s increasing power, the preservation of German culture amid “European integration” and Islamization, and border security, including the expulsion of illegal immigrants. But this doesn’t seem to have dented the party’s popularity in the polls. According to a recent INSA survey, the AfD is at 24.5 percent, hot on the heels of the CDU at 26 percent. nA similar pattern is being seen in other countries.

Early in June, the Dutch government collapsed after Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders said his party would pull out of the governing coalition. Wilders asked coalition partners to sign up to a plan to cut illegal immigration, which included using the army to protect Dutch borders, rejecting all illegal immigrants, sending Syrian refugees back to their country, and closing asylum shelters. At the time, he said that if the country’s immigration policy was not strengthened, the PVV would be “out of the Cabinet.” He followed through on the threat.

In Austria, conservatives, Social Democrats, and liberals formed a coalition in March to block the anti-immigration and euro-skeptic Freedom Party from taking power, even after it won an electoral victory with 29 percent of the vote last September. The party was founded in 1956 by Anton Reinthaller, a former SS officer and member of the Reichstag.Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron called a surprise snap election on June 9, following his centrist Renaissance party’s poor performance in European Parliament elections when the populist and nationalist party National Rally (RN) performed very strongly.

But RN has increased its voter share ahead of the French presidential elections, which are scheduled to be held in or around April 2027, and is currently polling at 35 percent. In 2023, Socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a snap national election after his party was beaten in local government polls by the conservative People’s Party (PP) and the nationalist Vox.Sanchez managed to retain power but only after months of wrangling with regional parties and a controversial power deal with Catalan separatists. Vox, founded in 2013, is now the third-largest force in the Spanish Parliament.

Read more …

Transparent? Who?

• Republicans Investigating California Governor and LA Mayor Over Riots (RT)

The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has begun an investigation into riots in California that have followed a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on illegal migrants. Committee members are accusing Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass of inaction and obstructing federal attempts to manage the unrest. The protests that erupted last week quickly devolved into riots, with participants torching police cars and US flags, blocking highways, and clashing with law enforcement officers. The latter have responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, with hundreds of arrests, as well as multiple injuries on both sides reported. The start of the probe was announced in a press release by the US House Oversight Committee on Friday.

Chairman James Comer and Clay Higgins, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, both Republicans, sent letters to Newsom and Bass, requesting that they hand over “documents and communications” dated June 1, 2025 and later, relevant to the ongoing riots and the state authorities’ response to them. The letters also accused the two Democrats of falsely claiming that “state and local law enforcement had protests under control” and of “falsely blaming” President Donald Trump “for the actions of violent rioters.” Newsom previously sued the Trump administration over its decision to deploy the National Guard to California. On Thursday, a US district judge ruled the move illegal, only for a Court of Appeals to issue a temporary injunction against that ruling hours later. For now, the National Guard remains under Trump’s control, and not that of the state authorities, until a hearing on Tuesday.

Responding to the committee’s request, Governor Newsom’s press office said in a post on X on Saturday that the records requested “will include some highly unusual communications from the White House.” “We’re good with transparency. Will the White House say the same?” the message added. In an acrimonious exchange throughout the week, Newsom described Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard as a “step toward authoritarianism” and a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” Trump, in turn, urged the “grossly incompetent” California governor to “get his act together” and to “apologize… for the absolutely horrible job” he has allegedly done. The US president also suggested he would back a proposal by White House border czar Tom Homan to have Newsom arrested for allegedly obstructing federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

 

 

USAID

Dragon

 

 

Ostrich
https://twitter.com/gunsnrosesgirl3/status/1934169597328121989

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Debt Rattle June 15 2025

Jun 152025
 
 June 15, 2025  Posted by at 10:02 am Finance Tagged with: , , , ,  60 Responses »


Ivan Shishkin Midday. Near Moscow 1869

 

• Trump Rejects Netanyahu’s Request To Join War (ZH)
• Poll: 90% of Americans Don’t Want US Involved in Israel-Iran War (CTH)
• Putin and Trump Discuss Iran and Ukraine – Kremlin (RT)
• ‘Perverted Logic’ To Call Israeli Attack On Iran Self-Defense – Polyansky (RT)
• Trump Leverages Israel’s Attack To Force Iran To Table (JTN)
• Iran-the-Unready (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Iran Could Strike American Military Bases – Fars (RT)
• Border Czar Tom Homan Discusses Border Security and Deportation Operations (CTH)
• Trumps Envoy Outlines Plan For Ukraine Peace (RT)
• Let California Collapse- and Let the Rest of America Learn (Armstrong Williams)

 

 

https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1933645555491876990

Zhiri
https://twitter.com/angeloinchina/status/1933714354475839868

 

 

 

 

Far too close to WWIII. Stay away from that.
“Israel lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground..”

Also: nobody knows how strong Iran is. They’re just guessing. Most of their stuff is undergound.

Detail: israel has 10 million people. Iran has 90 million.

• Trump Rejects Netanyahu’s Request To Join War (ZH)

• In the past 48 hours, Israel has asked the Trump administration to join its war effort, per Axios
• Israel seeks help targeting & destroying the fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site
• Axios says the Trump administration is so far rejecting the Israeli request
• But if Fordow remains intact, Israel’s mission to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program will be considered a failure
• AJ: At least 80 people – including 20 children – have been killed in Iran and four in Israel, with hundreds wounded on both sides in the ongoing tit-for-tat attacks.

Axios underscores that “Israel lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground. The U.S. has both within flying distance of Iran.” Meanwhile, the images coming out of Iran show unprecedented and shocking scenes of oil refineries burning uncontrollably while nearby highway traffic has been forcibly stopped…

[..] Latest updates (1850ET):
• An unconfirmed Israeli airstrike has targeted Iran’s defense ministry headquarters, causing minor damage.
• The Israeli Air Force reportedly bombed the Shahran oil depot near Tehran, Iranian state media reports.
• Two Israeli citizens have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out security offenses under instructions from Iran.
• Iran struck a two-story home in Tamra, east of Haifa, killing three.
• Jordan has suspended all flight operations in its airspace until further notice
• Several missiles were observed streaking above Jerusalem on Saturday night
• Israel also carried out airstrikes in Yemen Saturday night, aiming to eliminate Abdul Malik al-Houthi, a senior Houthi military leader
• Al Jazeera, citing Iran’s Tasnim news agency, reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted the country’s defense ministry headquarters in Tehran on Saturday evening, causing minor damage to one of its buildings

Read more …

Clear enough?

• Poll: 90% of Americans Don’t Want US Involved in Israel-Iran War (CTH)

President Trump supporter Charlie Kirk presented a poll question on his Twitter account asking, “Should the US get involved in Israel’s war against Iran?” Almost a half million responses and the outcome is almost 90% saying no.

There is obviously a significant majority of MAGA Republicans who do not want the U.S. military involved in more foreign conflict. Also, it’s obvious this is not a scientific poll and more of a ‘sense’ amid the people who use Twitter; people who are often the strongest political influence voices for American politicians; but still, that is quite a remarkable outcome.

Read more …

“Putin condemned Israel’s strikes on Friday, particularly noting that they occurred just before nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US scheduled for June 15..”

• Putin and Trump Discuss Iran and Ukraine – Kremlin (RT)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump spoke over the phone on Saturday, discussing the attacks between Iran and Israel and the Ukraine conflict, according to the Kremlin. The Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov called the conversation “meaningful, frank, and most importantly, very useful.” Putin condemned Israel’s strikes on Friday, particularly noting that they occurred just before nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US scheduled for June 15, he said. “Despite such a complicated situation, the Russian and American presidents didn’t rule out a return to the negotiating track on the Iranian nuclear program,” Putin’s aide added.

On Friday, Iran confirmed that Israeli attacks killed Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, along with several nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Tehran fired dozens of ballistic missiles into Israel, some of which reportedly breached its air defenses. Putin and Trump also discussed the latest prisoner swaps between Moscow and Kiev. The Russian president also confirmed readiness to continue negotiations with Ukraine “after June 22.”

During the latest round of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, the two sides agreed to carry out a series of exchanges, focusing primarily on seriously injured, ill, and younger captives. Russia also unilaterally decided to repatriate the bodies of more than 6,000 fallen Ukrainian troops on humanitarian grounds. Ushakov also stated that Putin extended birthday wishes to Trump, who turned 79 on Saturday. “Both presidents expressed their satisfaction with the personal relationships that allow [them] to communicate in a businesslike manner, [and] to seek solutions to pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda, no matter how complex these issues may be,” Putin’s aide concluded.

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1933934829789483231

Read more …

“..The authorities in Moscow “totally support the Iranian position… that this is absolutely inadmissible and that nobody should be permitted to act as Israel does..”

• ‘Perverted Logic’ To Call Israeli Attack On Iran Self-Defense – Polyansky (RT)

Framing Israel’s attack on Iran as self-defense is a form of “perverted logic,” Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, has told RT, accusing West Jerusalem of flagrantly breaching the global body’s charter. On Friday, Israel struck Iranian uranium enrichment sites, while also killing several senior military commanders and scientists in targeted assassination operations, describing its acts as preemptive steps aimed at stopping Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Iran, which denies pursuing a military nuclear program, responded by launching multiple volleys of ballistic missiles at targets in Israel, including in the country’s largest city, Tel Aviv. In his interview on Saturday, Polyansky accused Western politicians claiming that Israel’s attack on Iran was “self-defense” of having “very perverted logic.”

“Of course, every country has the right to defend itself. But in this case, Israel launched an aggression – an attack against Iran – totally violating and breaching the UN Charter and international law… I cannot imagine how it can be framed as legitimate self-defense,” he said. The authorities in Moscow “totally support the Iranian position… that this is absolutely inadmissible and that nobody should be permitted to act as Israel does,” the diplomat stressed. The attack on Iran is “a very dangerous provocation against international law, against everything that really keeps our world together, and it can trigger very-very serious consequences regionally and internationally,” he warned.

According to Polyansky, the goal of the Israeli strike was to “undermine” the US-Iran nuclear talks, the next round of which is scheduled to take place on Sunday. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday that diplomacy was made “meaningless” by the Israeli attack on Iran, which he claimed was “allowed” by Washington. However, in a later comment Baghaei clarified that Tehran had not yet made a decision to call off Sunday’s meeting in Oman. Moscow wants the talks between the US and Iran to continue, Polyansky said. When it comes to resolving “the controversy around the Iranian nuclear program… we, of course, favor the way of diplomacy and restraint,” he stressed.

Read more …

“Trump told reporters on Thursday at the White House that he preferred Israel not attack Iran. “I don’t want them going in, because I think it would blow it..”

“Israel is doing what any rational and responsible nation would do when faced with such an immediate existential threat..” Immediate? for 40 years?

• Trump Leverages Israel’s Attack To Force Iran To Table (jTN)

As Israeli warplanes and drones were launched into Iran, President Donald Trump was quick to distance the U.S. from Israel’s decision-making, but behind the scenes, his administration was aware of what Israel had planned. As soon as the smoke from the first bombs cleared, Trump pivoted to use the moment to implore Tehran back to the negotiating table and to protect Israel from a counteroffensive. Israel targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities and about 25 of its nuclear scientists. So far, two scientists have been confirmed dead, in addition to the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, the military chief of staff and senior general. The men were subject to international sanctions over their role in Iran’s longstanding bid to join Israel as the second nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company.

Trump told reporters on Thursday at the White House that he preferred Israel not attack Iran. “I don’t want them going in, because I think it would blow it,” Trump said, referring to a potential Israeli attack on Iran during the ongoing U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran. “Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.” Trump said he preferred a diplomatic solution with Iran over military conflict. “I’d love to avoid the conflict. Iran’s going to have to negotiate a little bit tougher — meaning they’re going to have to give us some things that they’re not willing to give us right now,” he said. Trump had warned that an attack on Iran could spur a “massive conflict,” and signaled that an attack might happen if a nuclear deal is not reached with Iran.

“I don’t want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen,” he said. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Other than that, I want them to be successful,” Trump also said. “We’ll trade with them, we’ll do whatever is necessary.” Behind the scenes, the U.S. had informed Israel that an attack on Iran would be unilateral and not involve the U.S. military. Israel had reportedly planned the attack for about 8 months. After the attack occurred, Trump warned Iran to come to the table and make a deal to avoid further destruction.

“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Certain Iranian hardliners spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!” he added. Iran estimates that 78 people have been killed and 320 have been injured in the attack. Iran has now responded to the Israeli attack with their own ballistic missile attack on Israel, where over 50 people were reportedly injured and one confirmed dead as of Friday evening.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quick to emphasize that the U.S. was not directly involved in the planning of the attack on Iran. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” Rubio said in a statement. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense.” Republicans in Congress have been supportive of Israel’s military actions toward Iran so far. “The Iranian regime is run by terrorists who have openly called for the destruction of Israel. Past measures of appeasement and diplomacy have been futile in stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon,” said House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas.

“Israel is doing what any rational and responsible nation would do when faced with such an immediate existential threat. The United States must stand firmly with our ally as it defends its people and prevents a nuclear catastrophe,” he added.

Read more …

“President Trump cannot claim he was uninformed. The Jerusalem Post reports that an Israeli government official told the Post that “There was full and complete coordination with the Americans.”

• Iran-the-Unready (Paul Craig Roberts)

Like all opponents of Washington and Israel, Iran proved itself unready. Muslims never seize the initiative. They sit on their butts until they are decapitated. Instead of taking Israel out, Iran suffered a serious attack and then feebly retaliated. Wars are not won by retaliation. The mystery is why was Iran unready? Iran has had years of US hostility dating from the Carter years and decades of observing Washington carry out the Zionist neoconservatives program of eliminating 7 Muslin countries. Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, with the target now on Iran and Saudi Arabia awaiting in the wings.Why was Putin unready? Despite the warning of the US using a color revolution in Georgia to invade South Ossetia, Putin was caught off guard by Washington’s overthrow of the Ukrainian government and installation of a Washington puppet.

For eight years Putin watched the buildup of a large Ukrainian army and failed to build one of his own. The Russians, Muslims, and Chinese seem incapable of understanding the Wolfowitz doctrine of Washington’s hegemony, or are they simply unable to face reality? The Fars News Agency says Iran is planning to attack US bases in the Middle East in response to the Israeli attack, preferring to call Israel’s declaration of war an “attack.” Planning? So again the pathetic Iranians announce in advance something they are planning to do so that Washington and Israel know in advance and are prepared to frustrate the attack. If Iran had been ready, the US bases would already have been destroyed.

The American public never learns either. The American people have been fed a constant diet of war propaganda against Iran for many hears going back to the Carter years in the 1970s when Iranians overthrew the American puppet ruler, the Shah of Iran, and established their revolution, thus depriving the US and the British of control over Iran’s oil. 9/11, an inside job that Washington blamed on Muslims in order to launch wars against seven countries, served to legitimize Washington’s 21st century wars in the Middle East. Israel has taken advantage of Washington’s alignment of Americans with Israel’s interest and has been for years in the forefront of encouraging war between the US and Iran for Israel’s gain. Unlike the attack on Russia’s strategic forces, President Trump cannot claim he was uninformed. The Jerusalem Post reports that an Israeli government official told the Post that “There was full and complete coordination with the Americans.”

In plain language Washington was involved and has jointly with Israel declared war on Iran. In his effort to protect US bases in the region from Iranian attack, assuming Iran still has the means and has the will to go with the means, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.” George Orwell was right in predicting how words would come to mean their opposite. War is peace. And now US Secretary of State Rubio has turned “full and complete coordination with the Americans” into America’s non-involvement. As Washington was fully involved, why did Washington not tell Israel: “NO! Trump is trying to get out of one war, not be dragged into another by Israel.”

Obviously, Washington or whoever Washington’s master is–in this case it seems to be Israel–wanted war. This was obvious from the beginning of Trump’s “negotiations” with Iran. Trump’s definition as determined by his use of “negotiations” is another example of words being turned into their opposite. By negotiation, Trump means “complying with Washington’s demands.”

Trump says that Iran is responsible for the Israeli/Washington attack, because Iran was recalcitrant and despite Trump giving Iran “chance after chance” to agree with Trump’s demands, failed to sign Trump’s In this sentence Trump shows the essence of his view of negotiation: “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.” Apparently, Trump means “the Persian Empire.” So, failing to comply with Washington or Israel means war and destruction, or surrender after sufficient punishment. Despite this obvious fact, Putin is negotiating over Ukraine. How reckless will the next attack on Putin-the-Unready be?

Read more …

“..in the coming days,” Tehran’s retaliation “will spread to all areas occupied by this [Israeli] regime and related US bases in the region.”

• Iran Could Strike American Military Bases – Fars (RT)

Iran could target US military bases in the Middle East as part of its retaliation after being attacked by Israel, Fars news agency has reported, citing an informed source. Tehran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Iravani, said Washington’s support for Israel has made it complicit in the IDF strikes which killed 78 people and injured 320 others in Iran on Friday. A source with access to Iran’s military leadership told Fars that “in the coming days,” Tehran’s retaliation “will spread to all areas occupied by this [Israeli] regime and related US bases in the region.” “This confrontation will not end with last night’s limited action. Iran’s strikes will continue and… will be very painful and regrettable for the aggressors,” the agency’s interlocutor claimed.

Israel and the US will pay the price for being the “main pillars of terrorism in the region,” the source said. Israel has claimed that it targeted Iranian uranium enrichment sites in the airstrikes, as well as several senior military commanders and scientists as a preemptive measure aimed at stopping Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran, which denies that it is pursuing a military nuclear program, responded on Friday by launching multiple volleys of ballistic missiles into Israel, killing at least three people and injuring over 150, according to the Jerusalem Post.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement later on Friday that the attack on Iran was a “unilateral action” by Israel. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” he stressed. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the US operates military sites across at least 19 locations in the Middle East, including eight permanent bases in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The think tank estimates that there are currently 40,000 to 50,000 US troops in the region.

Read more …

He grinds on.

• Border Czar Tom Homan Discusses Border Security and Deportation Operations (CTH)

Border Czar Tom Homan appeared for a podcast discussion with Dr Phil. Homan makes a strong point about the “customs” aspect in Customs and Border Patrol and outlines how it was customs enforcement that backstopped the reason for the ICE raid in Los Angeles. There was a money laundering operation underway that had long been investigated. “ Dr. Phil and Border Czar Tom Homan break down the major LA raid targeting cartel-linked businesses, sparking protests and debate. They discuss a major multi-agency operation in Los Angeles targeting criminal enterprises in the garment industry. Homan explains how ICE, DEA, FBI, IRS, and other agencies collaborated to serve search warrants, uncovering $80 million in undeclared imports, $17 million in unpaid tariffs, and arresting 41 undocumented immigrants.

The operation, part of a larger investigation into money laundering and cartel activity, sparked intense protests and clashes outside targeted businesses. Homan discusses the challenges of balancing law enforcement with public outcry, the new zero-tolerance policy for interference, and the importance of transparency about the broader criminal context of these actions.”

Read more …

Kellogg has been embedded in Kiev for 6 months. He has their view now. Useless for negotiations.

• Trumps Envoy Outlines Plan For Ukraine Peace (RT)

Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, has said peace in the Ukraine conflict is within reach. He has suggested exploring how terms outlined by Kiev and Moscow might align in a final agreement to end the fighting. During the latest round of talks earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine exchanged draft memorandums on a roadmap toward an eventual peace deal. Moscow’s version requires Ukraine to recognize the loss of five regions that joined Russia in referendums, withdraw its forces from those territories, commit to neutrality, and limit its military capabilities. Ukraine has dismissed the proposal, calling it “an ultimatum,” rejected any territorial concessions as well as neutrality, and demanded a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

Kellogg, who was tasked with working on the memorandums exchanged between Ukraine and Russia, explained that his team has developed what they refer to as “term sheets” – documents outlining a potential end state for peace. According to him, they first reviewed the Ukrainian term sheet, followed by the Russian document. The memorandums were then combined to explore how their contents could align in a final agreement, he added. “We put them together. And we said, OK. How can you meld these two documents together to get to an end state?” he said during a forum organized by the German Marshall Fund in Brussels on Thursday. According to Kellogg, they now feel quite comfortable with the direction of the discussions. “We know what an end state looks like, could look like, should look like,” he said, adding, “if we could just get to that point, we think it’s winnable. And that’s where you really want to get to.”

When asked about what specifically the “end state” might entail, Kellogg referred to the idea of a comprehensive ceasefire. He clarified that such a deal would apply to positions held on the ground – essentially, where forces were physically located at that time. The May and June rounds marked the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks since 2022, when Kiev withdrew. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia later said the pullout followed advice from then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to sign a deal – a claim Johnson denies. Kiev returned to talks under pressure from Trump, in what Moscow called a long-overdue step. The Trump administration insists it’s seeking a settlement to the Ukraine conflict that will last, not Kiev’s surrender or Russia’s defeat.

Read more …

“Only through suffering the full ramifications of its decisions can the state’s voters and policymakers be compelled to change course..”

• Let California Collapse—and Let the Rest of America Learn (Armstrong Williams)

California has long prided itself on being a symbol of progressive governance, a supposed beacon of tolerance, opportunity, and inclusivity. But behind the glittering curtain of Hollywood dreams and Silicon Valley innovation lies a troubling reality—a self-inflicted crisis stemming from policies that defy economic logic and common sense. As California grapples with an unprecedented immigration surge, ballooning homelessness, and mass exodus of residents and businesses, the question arises: Should the federal government intervene The answer is unequivocally no. In fact, the federal government—particularly under President Donald Trump—should stand back and allow California to confront the consequences of its own ideological delusions.

Between July 2021 and July 2022, approximately 400,000 residents left California. The state, once a magnet for dreamers, is now hemorrhaging taxpayers and employers. Major corporations such as Tesla, Oracle, and Chevron have relocated to more business-friendly states like Texas and Florida. The exodus is not coincidental—it is a direct reaction to California’s punitive tax structure, suffocating regulations, and increasingly chaotic public order.And yet, while residents and businesses flee, California continues to double down on the very policies driving its collapse. It remains a sanctuary state, offering sweeping protections and incentives to undocumented immigrants. It has issued more than a million driver’s licenses to those here illegally and expanded health care coverage to include undocumented adults. These moves, while morally framed by their proponents, come with significant and unsustainable costs.

The state’s homeless population now tops 187,000—the highest in the nation—and two-thirds of those individuals live unsheltered. According to a Los Angeles Times report from January, recent immigration surges are directly contributing to this crisis. Public schools are strained, social services are maxed out, and law enforcement is overwhelmed. And with each passing month, the budgetary burden grows heavier.The recent immigration-related unrest in Los Angeles further underscores the state’s growing instability. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested over 100 undocumented immigrants during workplace raids, the city erupted in protest. Streets were blocked, fires were set, and National Guard troops and Marines were deployed to restore order. California leaders were quick to denounce the federal response, accusing Trump of political theater.

But that response—though controversial—was a necessary reaction to an unsustainable situation created by California’s own defiance of federal immigration law. It is important to understand what’s really happening here: California has positioned itself in ideological opposition to national sovereignty and law enforcement. The leadership in Sacramento and Los Angeles has chosen to prioritize ideological virtue signaling over practical governance, turning California into a testing ground for utopian policies divorced from reality. Now, as the weight of those policies begins to crush the state, there will be increasing cries for federal aid. But Trump—and any serious leader in Washington—should resist the temptation to intervene. To do so would be to reward failure and to shield irresponsible leaders from the consequences of their own actions.

California must be allowed to face the results of its governance. Only through suffering the full ramifications of its decisions can the state’s voters and policymakers be compelled to change course. More importantly, allowing California’s collapse to unfold naturally provides a stark warning to the rest of the country: This is what happens when border security is ignored, when economic productivity is punished, and when government becomes divorced from reality. Let California be the example. Let it show the nation what occurs when ideology eclipses governance and when virtue signaling replaces responsible leadership. The coming fiscal and humanitarian disaster will be not only a reckoning for California but a cautionary tale for every state flirting with the same disastrous policies.

So, let California collapse. Let it learn. And let the rest of America take notes.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beat

 

 

Rays
https://twitter.com/gunsnrosesgirl3/status/1933877034997969221

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle June 14 2025

Jun 142025
 
 June 14, 2025  Posted by at 9:38 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  61 Responses »


Martin Johnson Heade Thunderstorm on Narragansett Bay 1868

 

• Unprecedented Escalation Between Israel and Iran (RT)
• Scott Ritter: US Lulled Iran to Sleep Using Nuclear Talks Deception (Sp.)
• Trump and Israel Manipulated the Liberal Media and Decapitated Iran (Pinsker)
• Tucker Carlson Blasts Trump Over Iran Attack (RT)
• Israeli Strikes On Iran ‘Completely Unprovoked’ – Moscow (RT)
• President Trump Speaks Out About Israeli Air Strikes on Iran (Queen)
• This Is Not Our War (Russo)
• The Whole Planet Is Being Kept Hostage By A Death Cult (Pepe Escobar)
• Game On (James Howard Kunstler)
• Russia’s Summer Blitz Redraws The War (RT)
• Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s EO Requiring Proof Of Citizenship For Elections (JTN)

 

 

Putin

Lull
https://twitter.com/zei_squirrel/status/1933348545329049856

Greenwald

Clark

 

 

@DougAMacgregor
·13h
June turned out to be Iran’s Pearl Harbor. Iran will now react as we did in 1942 when we were caught napping.
What was limited to the region between Israel and Iran will now become regional.
Trump’s statements after the fact are an admission of his own level of complicity in the attacks.
The ”talks” with Iran were a ruse. Witkoff, like most of the Trump Administration was an agent of Israel and Netanyahu.
This is the beginning of a regional war that will involve The United States, Russia, as well as the whole Islamic World.
As Dan McAdams of the Ron Paul Institute pointed out this morning, the similarities between the Israeli use of drones inside Iran with the Ukrainian Spider Web Attack inside Russia are striking.
Finally, Americans should now expect terrorist attacks on soft targets inside the USA.
Soft targets include at a minimum nuclear reactors, military installations, power grids, and shopping malls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any situation that smolders for decades will lead to many different stories and points of view. Here they are. I get the impression that iran was surprised overnight, but can we be sure? Or did the story just get longer? I did notice the Saudis distance themselves from Iran. But that’s not new either. Persia is a quagmire of the ages.

• Unprecedented Escalation Between Israel and Iran (RT)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes on Iran on Friday, to which Tehran responded with a barrage of drones and missiles. West Jerusalem said the attacks aimed to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Tehran condemned the Israeli strikes as “blatant aggression” and vowed a “crushing” response. The attacks occurred just days before the sixth round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, planned for Sunday in Oman. Early Friday morning, around 200 Israeli fighter jets struck targets across Iran, including a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz. Strikes were also reported at nuclear sites in Fordo and Isfahan, as well as military airfields near the cities of Hamadan and Tabriz. Almost 80 people were killed and over 320 injured in the attacks, according to the Iranian ambassador to the UN.

Tehran confirmed the deaths of top military leaders, including Major General Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division. Several veteran nuclear scientists were also killed. Iran said only “superficial damage” was done to the Natanz site. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program,” he said in a statement following the air raids.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the situation had “reached the point of no return” due to advancements in Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran has repeatedly stated its program pursues only peaceful goals and that it does not seek nuclear weapons. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei condemned the strikes as unjustified and accused Israel of killing civilians. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the attacks “amount to a declaration of war.” The Iranian army launched more than 100 drones at Israel hours after the strikes on its territory, followed by ballistic missile fire. Some missiles broke through Israeli defenses and landed in Tel Aviv. At least one person has been killed and more than 60 injured, according to Israeli media. Israel also carried out additional strikes in Iran throughout the day.

The US State Department denied American involvement in the Israeli strikes. However, President Donald Trump told Fox News he had been aware of the planned operation and praised its “excellent” outcome. He criticized Iran for failing to reach a deal on its nuclear program under his “60-day ultimatum.” Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday afternoon. He condemned Israel’s strikes as illegal under international law and expressed condolences for the deaths of civilians in Iran. Putin said Russia would seek to “advance the de-escalation of the conflict,” according to the Kremlin. The tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program must be resolved through diplomacy, he added.

Iran suspended its participation in the Omani-mediated negotiations with the US, the sixth round of which was due to take place on Sunday. Trump previously accused Tehran of “slow-walking” the talks and insisted on complete dismantlement of its nuclear program. Tehran rejected Trump’s demands as unacceptable, insisting it would continue nuclear research for civilian purposes.

Read more …

“..We will see Iran retaliating in a way that is not sustainable for Israel. But this is part of the Israeli trap to create the perception of existential struggle so that the United States will be confronted with a choice..”

• Scott Ritter: US Lulled Iran to Sleep Using Nuclear Talks Deception (Sp.)

Israel has carried out an unprecedented attack on Iran, targeting its nuclear program, scientists, and senior military leaders. Sputnik asked veteran ex-Marine intelligence officer Scott Ritter what just happened, and what comes next.The months of Iran-US nuclear talks essentially gave “Israel the opportunity for maximum surprise to achieve maximum damage,” with the strikes effectively amounting to “a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran,” Scott Ritter said. “This was very closely coordinated in order to give Israel the opportunity for maximum surprise to achieve maximum damage. While America may not have sent resources or assets to participate in this attack, this attack was closely coordinated with the United States, done with the knowledge of the United States, done with the support of the United States. This, by any definition of the word, was a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran,” Ritter said.

Emphasizing that the Iran-US nuclear negotiations were “dead in the water,” as Trump proved “unable to intimidate Iran into accepting the American demands of zero enrichment,” Ritter suggested that from the strategic standpoint, Trump could not actually “push forward such a deal because of Israel’s opposition to it, because of the opposition of some very senior Republicans in the Senate and the Congress, and just general hostility towards Iranian enrichment program here in the United States.” [..] The months of Iran-US nuclear talks essentially gave “Israel the opportunity for maximum surprise to achieve maximum damage,” with the strikes effectively amounting to “a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran,” Scott Ritter said.

“This was very closely coordinated in order to give Israel the opportunity for maximum surprise to achieve maximum damage. While America may not have sent resources or assets to participate in this attack, this attack was closely coordinated with the United States, done with the knowledge of the United States, done with the support of the United States. This, by any definition of the word, was a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran,” Ritter said. Emphasizing that the Iran-US nuclear negotiations were “dead in the water,” as Trump proved “unable to intimidate Iran into accepting the American demands of zero enrichment,” Ritter suggested that from the strategic standpoint, Trump could not actually “push forward such a deal because of Israel’s opposition to it, because of the opposition of some very senior Republicans in the Senate and the Congress, and just general hostility towards Iranian enrichment program here in the United States.”
“We are at war with Iran,” Ritter said.

“It’s not that we will find ourselves at war with Iran. We are at war with Iran. We may not know it yet. But as I said, the Iranians are fully cognizant of what happened. Now, the Iranians will find out how effective the Israeli decapitation was, how effective the Israeli preemption was. This was a strike that apparently incorporated significant drone capacity that was existing inside Iran.” “How much of this drone capacity continues to exist, we don’t know. But if the Iranians have the capabilities that they claim to have and the resilience they claim to have, we will see an escalation.

We will see Iran retaliating in a way that is not sustainable for Israel. But this is part of the Israeli trap to create the perception of existential struggle so that the United States will be confronted with a choice, let the Israeli ally suffer and perhaps be defeated, or to intervene and administer the coup de grâce against Iran. So, you know, we are looking at a long, drawn-out process that ultimately, I believe, will result in the United States entering this conflict on the side of Israel directly, even though indirectly, it is already a participant,” Ritter summed up.

Read more …

“.. the last great Iranian innovation was what — Persian rugs?”

• Trump and Israel Manipulated the Liberal Media and Decapitated Iran (Pinsker)

How bad are things in Iran right now? Even Hezbollah is looking at Iran’s [tush]-whipping and going, “No thanks, we’re sitting this one out.” A few hours ago, from The Times of Israel: “Hezbollah official says it will stay out of the Israel-Iran fight.” Yeah. When even your proxies, stooges, goons, and hired muscle have abandoned you, things ain’t good.The Iranian radio “morning zoo” certainly had its hands full today: “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It’s another beautiful day in downtown Tehran! Our government buildings can be identified, of course, by the big clouds of smoke where their roofs used to be. There are exciting new job openings in the Iranian Ministry of Nuclear Development — drop your resume off today. And tonight, get the kids ready for the annual ‘Running of the Tanks!’”

Wheeeee! Fun for the whole family. When news of Israel’s daring (and, apparently, remarkably successful) attack first broke, I strongly suspected that the U.S. and Israel were working together: There’s a chance, of course, that Israel is acting at Trump’s behest: If you’re trying to get one side to agree to a deal, it might be useful to “intensify” their pain-points. In fact, maybe Trump is on the phone with Supreme Leader of Iran and explaining how things work in the Big City: “Yeah, y’know that deal we offered yesterday? Subtract $20 billion from it, ‘cuz now you’ve got less stuff to trade.” So maybe Israel and America are (unofficially) working together: Call it the Crassus school of bartering.

Since Israel and America both want the same outcome, it would make sense to collaborate tactically — and sometimes in geopolitics, plausible deniability has its purposes. Especially when you’re in highwire negotiations. “Better agree today, cuz tomorrow you’ll have even less! Good talk.” It could explain Tulsi Gabbard’s spooky/weird nuclear warning. We’re still within the fog of war, and there’s certainly a chance we’re misreading the tea leaves. But in geopolitics, the past is prologue: Everything is interconnected. So, if you know where the domino is after it fell, you can usually surmise where it used to be. And already, a clearer picture of what the hell happened is emerging.

First of all, this seems to be yet another triumph of Israel’s intelligence agencies. After being caught flatfooted on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli government has doubled down on innovation. Who could forget their ingenious decapitation of Hezbollah?

HEZBOLLAH: You sneaky Israelis! We know you’ve bugged our phones, so we’ve outsmarted you by using pagers!
ISRAEL: Yeah, you got us, haha.
HEZBOLLAH: Death to Israel!
ISRAEL: …say, can I sell you any pagers? Got the lowest prices in town.
HEZBOLLAH: Why, sure. I’ll take 500.
In a world where past is prologue, in hindsight, it was pretty stupid to assume that Iran would out-think, out-innovate, or out-plan the Israelis. Whereas the Jewish Nation advanced its reputation for outside-the-box thinking as recently as last night, the last great Iranian innovation was what — Persian rugs?

Read more …

“Washington knew these attacks would happen. They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be ‘America First’ can’t now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it..”

• Tucker Carlson Blasts Trump Over Iran Attack (RT)

US President Donald Trump’s support for Israel’s strikes in Iran could spark an “all-out war” in the Middle East, American journalist Tucker Carlson has warned. Early Friday morning, Israeli jets bombed nuclear and military sites across Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with a barrage of drones and missiles targeting Israeli cities. The escalation threatens ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, which Trump revived earlier this year. In what he described as possibly his “final newsletter before all-out war,” Carlson – a key Trump ally during the 2024 presidential election – argued that the US was “complicit in the act of war.”

“While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the US at the center of last night’s events,” Carlson wrote. “Washington knew these attacks would happen. They aided Israel in carrying them out. Politicians purporting to be ‘America First’ can’t now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with it,” he added. In a post on X, Carlson contended that “the real divide” is not between supporters of Israel or Iran, but “between warmongers and peacemakers.”

“Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who’s calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran,” he said. Carlson stated that the “warmongers” include talk show hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and Republican donors Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. While the US State Department has denied involvement in the strikes, Trump confirmed he had prior knowledge of the Israeli operation and praised the attacks as “excellent.” He blamed Iran for the hostilities and accused it of refusing to accept the terms of his proposed nuclear deal. Addressing the UN Security Council, Iranian envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said the US and other Israeli allies “share full responsibility for the consequences” of Israel’s actions.

Read more …

“..the Israeli military action appeared intended to sabotage indirect US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled to resume Sunday..”

• Israeli Strikes On Iran ‘Completely Unprovoked’ – Moscow (RT)

Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, has condemned Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, the diplomat said West Jerusalem was acting with impunity, backed by the West. Israel has launched strikes on uranium enrichment sites in Iran and killed several senior commanders and scientists in targeted assassination operations, claiming the moves were preemptive steps to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran, which denies pursuing a military nuclear program, responded with multiple volleys of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv. Nebenzia said the Israeli military action appeared intended to sabotage indirect US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled to resume Sunday. Tehran has declared that the strikes have effectively ended any diplomatic pathway.

“This is a completely unprovoked attack – whatever Israel may claim to the contrary – and it constitutes a gross violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Nebenzia said. “Responsibility for all the consequences of these actions rests entirely with the Israeli leadership and those who condone them.” He noted that Iran has the right to defend itself and pointed to Tehran’s previous commitment to the 2015 UN-backed nuclear deal, which the US abandoned during President Donald Trump’s first term. Iran denied accusations of secretly violating the agreement at the time but has since ramped up uranium enrichment.

The US and its allies “have been doing everything possible to fuel the escalation, and, essentially, they incited it,” Nebenzia argued, adding that Western support had “spurred Israel to take radical steps.” He also raised alarms over the risk of radiation leaks from the targeted Iranian facilities and warned that “no military solution can be either legitimate or viable.” Iran’s UN envoy, Amir-Saeid Iravani, described Israel’s attacks as “a chilling display of calculated aggression” that “amounted to a declaration of war.” He called for international action to disarm Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, which the Israeli government neither confirms nor denies. Israeli envoy Danny Danon defended the strikes, saying Israel was a “democracy under siege” and had acted to “prevent its destruction” by Iran. He urged the council to reflect on the potential consequences had the Iranian missiles been equipped with nuclear warheads.

Read more …

“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire..”

• President Trump Speaks Out About Israeli Air Strikes on Iran (Queen)

On Thursday night, the world watched as Israel launched extensive air strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Operation Rising Lion reportedly took out key nuclear scientists and members of Iran’s military leadership.The operation, which is continuing into Friday, came after President Donald Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Iran 60 days for negotiation. Operation Rising Lion commenced on Day 61.Throughout Thursday night, we awaited a statement from Trump. In our internal chats on Slack, members of the PJ Media team anticipated that Trump’s statement, when it came, would be a big one. Finally, the president broke his silence in the early hours of Friday with two posts on Truth Social.In the first post at 5:56 a.m. ET, Trump lamented that the Iranian leadership wouldn’t make a deal:

“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to “just do it,” but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it. Certain Iranian hardliner’s [sic] spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All!”

In the second post at 7:36 a.m. ET, the president reiterated that there’s still time for Iran to negotiate: “Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to “make a deal.” They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!” Axios claims that Israel and the U.S. coordinated on the strikes, even though Israel acted unilaterally: Two Israeli officials claimed to Axios that Trump and his aides were only pretending to oppose an Israeli attack in public — and didn’t express opposition in private. “We had a clear U.S. green light,” one claimed.
The goal, they say, was to convince Iran that no attack was imminent and make sure Iranians on Israel’s target list wouldn’t move to new locations.

Netanyahu’s aides even briefed Israeli reporters that Trump had tried to put the brakes on an Israeli strike in a call on Monday, when in reality the call dealt with coordination ahead of the attack, Israeli officials now say. However, Axios adds that “The U.S. side has not confirmed any of that.” It will be interesting to see if U.S. officials confirm any of those assertions.

Read more …

“Perhaps it is still in Israel’s best interests to fight this war—although we’re doubtful—but it’s a big bite to chew. You’d try to get the U.S. involved, too.”

• This Is Not Our War (Russo)

As of this writing, Israel is conducting the first wave of significant military action against Iran—“going kinetic,” in the latest phrase everyone in the news business has suddenly discovered. (Why “kinetic,” denoting mere movement? Why not “go dynamic,” denoting the transfer of energy or application of force? Why not “go commotive,” denoting the involvement of very loud noises? Impossible to say.) Directives went out Wednesday for Americans to evacuate the region; it is expected that Iran will include American assets on its list of retaliation targets on the assumption that any Israeli attack, even one that occurs without direct U.S. military support, occurs with the consent of Israel’s biggest sponsor. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement during the Thursday night attacks disclaiming American involvement. It remains to be seen whether anyone will believe him.

It’s difficult to escape the sense that it didn’t have to be this way. The U.S.–Iran dealmaking process had shown promise at various points, and it remains obscure what changed between then and now. I don’t know enough about Israeli domestic politics to feel confident in explaining things in terms of Benjamin Netanyahu’s varied fortunes; nor was I in the room when the decision was made to regard limited Iranian uranium enrichment as impermissible. At this point, it begins to seem academic. What will happen next? I doubt that anyone at this point will openly say that the U.S. should commit to an increased troop presence in the Middle East to support Israeli operations against the Islamic Republic; Donald Trump in particular knows that a fresh ground war is political poison.

No, we’ll start with air support, and maybe some bunker-busters, because, for all its vaunted military-industrial base, somehow Israel just can’t make a bunker-buster big enough to get to those reactors. The Islamic Republic will, of course, try to rebuild; Israel and its supporters will be committed at first to a policy of “mowing the grass,” of conducting strikes along an indefinite timescale to prevent an Iranian nuclear program. Iran will retaliate in an asymmetrical and ugly fashion, inviting further sessions with John Deere and the Weedwacker and justifying further American commitments of support to Israel. At the same time, Iran will harden its resolve to acquire a nuclear deterrent, leading to more of the same.

The ongoing expense and festering chaos from “mowing the grass”—especially if any of Iran’s asymmetric retaliations involve, for example, terrorism in the American homeland—will always tend to encourage policymakers to find a more permanent solution: regime-change. At that point, we will have come a long way from air support and a few loaner bombs. And if we were to pursue regime-change, who would replace the ayatollahs? The shah, whose family’s police state was so hated that Khomeini seemed preferable? The MEK’s bizarre mix of Islamism and Marxism? A miraculous, autochthonous secular liberal democracy with Western-style human rights norms? None of these options seems both likely and desirable. Each would demand American support up to and including direct military intervention.

The notional principal on this course of action also has significant incentives to draw the U.S. into direct involvement. Israel is increasingly diplomatically isolated; this may be just or unjust, but that is beside the point that it is simply true. It is implicated in wars on multiple fronts, none of which seem to have clear ends in sight; these may be just or unjust, but that is beside the point that they are happening. Garrison states rarely do well in the long run. (Has anyone checked in on Biafra lately? Rhodesia? Pakistan?) Add to the difficulties of a permanent war economy the issue of raw scale. Israel is a nation of 9.7 million. Iran is a nation of 90.6 million. Perhaps it is still in Israel’s best interests to fight this war—although we’re doubtful—but it’s a big bite to chew. You’d try to get the U.S. involved, too.

Read more …

“The psycho-pathological genocidal masterplan is to force Tehran to capitulate – without even putting up a fight.”

• The Whole Planet Is Being Kept Hostage By A Death Cult (Pepe Escobar)

Let’s cut to the chase. The devastating attack on Iran by the psychopathological genocidal “chosen” ethno-supremacist set up in Tel Aviv – a de facto declaration of war – was coordinated in detail with the President of the United States, Circus Ringmaster Donald Trump. This infantilism-afflicted Narcissus Drowned in the Pool of his Own Image gave away the game, himself, in a rambling post. Selected highlights: “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal”. No “deal”; actually his unilateral demands. After all, he torpedoed the original deal, the JCPOA, because it was not his “deal”. “I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told.” The decision to strike had already been made. “Certain Iranian hardliners spoke bravely, but (…) they are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!” Gloating comes with the territory.

“The next already planned attacks being even more brutal.” Total alignment with the trademark Israeli “decapitation” strategy. “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire”. It was Persian (italics mine) Empire – but after all this is a man who doesn’t read, or study. Notice the Art of Diplomacy: Take my deal, or drop dead.

This – incandescent – decade was launched by an assassination, of Gen. Soleimani in Baghdad, as I emphasized in my 2021 book Raging Twenties. He was on a diplomatic mission. The green light personally came from then President of the United States, Donald Trump. The mid-Raging Twenties is now hurled to the brink of a devastating war in West Asia, with global repercussions, by the serial assassination of the IRGC leadership, in Tehran, by the psycho-genocidal Zionist entity. After an elaborate kabuki of deception, the green light to Tel Aviv – go ahead and do it – also came from the President of the United States, Trump 2.0 (who claimed he was “aware’’ of the attacks).

The psycho-pathological genocidal masterplan is to force Tehran to capitulate – without even putting up a fight. The preamble kabuki was masterfully executed. The indirect nuclear negotiations in Oman were taken seriously in Tehran, lulling the Iranian leadership, civilian and military, to sleep. They fell into the trap and were caught, literally, in their sleep.Ayatollah Khamenei – who himself is in physical danger, as Israel is applying the same decapitation model it unleashed on Hezbollah – has a very tough decision to make: capitulation or total war. It will be total war – and with the U.S. as a direct participant.

Read more …

“Leftism is the tyranny of structurlessness. Lawlessness. The abhorrence of order. That is why Leftist individuals are characterized by emotional dysregulation. . . . ” JT Haltigan

• Game On (James Howard Kunstler)

If you seek a general theme in this moment’s tempestuous events, try No submission. It’s behind events in the Middle East and in the USA — and across Western Civ ultimately. No submission to what, you ask? To willful evil. Of course, the willfully evil will not see it that way, and great quarrels will arise over who-and-what represents the evil abroad in the world. Iran advertised countless times its resolve to wipe Israel off the map, in so many words. Israel was not inclined to submit to that outcome and it closely monitored Iran’s practical steps to acquire deliverable nuclear bombs. Israel, in turn, advertised that Iran’s nuclear program would not be allowed to succeed. The world stood by waiting to see who’s advertising jibed with reality.

Now you know. Never Again is not an empty slogan. The Shiite jihad has been put down, and the effort will continue until the answer is beyond dispute, days, maybe a week or more. Iran’s civil leadership was willing to talk, or at least pretend to talk down to the last hour, but the mullahs above them obdurately pushed ahead toward nuclear jihad. Not going happen, Israel assured them. And so, here we are.The world situation amounts to a set of jihads of different varieties. In our country, the Democratic Party has been waging jihad against order, liberty, truth, and decency. You can tell it’s jihad because it’s irrational, frankly, insane. Americans are asked to submit to propositions that will destroy the country and its traditions, and they have had enough of the hustles aimed at that outcome.

Too many of us do not believe that uncontrolled illegal immigration is okay, that government should replace the family, that all journeys in life can be equally favorable, that men can become women by wishing it, that our history must be erased, that censorship is required to keep the jihad going, and that the punishment against citizens will continue until morale improves. That is the program of the American left and lately of the Democratic Party it has taken over. They demonstrate it by their deeds. The Party represents a dwindling cohort of the populace, but its forces have already marched through and captured many institutions crucial to our national life. The opposing force, loosely called Populism, will not submit to that program, is now actively putting a stop to as much of it as possible, shaking out those institutions.

The Left and the Democrats have lost a lot of ground in recent months, especially their control on the levers of power. And since power is really all they care about — the power to make everybody else submit — they are growing desperate, seeking to induce as much chaos across the land as they can possibly generate. Hence, the outbreaks of civil disorder in the cities, using illegal immigrants as one set of shock troops and mentally-ill youth as another phalanx. The object of the chaos is to provoke the Populist opposition to exert its authority to control that chaos, and therefore — in the insane reasoning of the leftists — to prove that authority itself is an intolerable wickedness. This is only possible, of course, in minds that do not comprehend boundaries, differences between right and wrong, up and down, inside and outside, reality and fantasy. That is the mentality that drives itself toward chaos. So, it remains for the Populists to demonstrate that authority is not innately wicked, that it can have a beneficent purpose in the scheme of civilized humanity. Order is not necessarily tyranny.

Read more …

That other war.

• Russia’s Summer Blitz Redraws The War (RT)

As the spring sun gave way to the heat of early summer, a new phase of the military campaign began to unfold across the front lines – and this time, the initiative clearly belongs to Russia.After months of grinding attritional warfare, Russian forces have launched a sweeping spring-summer offensive that is already delivering tangible results. From the borderlands of Sumy to the contested hills near Chasov Yar and the approaches to Dnepropetrovsk, the tempo has shifted decisively. Ukraine, battered and overextended, is now struggling to contain simultaneous breakthroughs across multiple sectors. The silence of Western media around these developments only underscores the magnitude of what is unfolding on the ground. A coordinated advance is in motion – methodical, strategic, and, by all appearances, effective.

Following the liberation of Sudzha in early March 2025, the fighting quickly spilled across the border into Ukraine’s Sumy Region. Moscow officially described its objective as the creation of a buffer zone – meant to safeguard the resumption of peaceful civilian life in Russia’s neighboring Kursk Region. Motivated by political considerations, the Ukrainian Army has been trying to cling to a narrow foothold just across the border, in the village of Tyotkino in Kursk Region. In fact, Kiev has deployed some of its most experienced and ideologically committed units to this stretch of the front. But rather than showcasing Ukrainian resolve, the situation in Tyotkino has underscored the growing imbalance in offensive capabilities between Ukrainian and Russian forces in 2025.

From the Russian side, Tyotkino is essentially a logistical cul-de-sac. But for Ukraine, the village connects to a critical rear supply hub in Belopolye. Even so, Ukrainian efforts to expand their presence in the area have ended in near catastrophe. In mid-May, the commander of Ukraine’s 47th Brigade came close to staging a mutiny, accusing his superiors of issuing reckless orders that led to needless casualties. Elsewhere along the Sumy front, Ukrainian forces – many of them retreating from Sumy and the surrounding areas – have taken heavy losses. This remains a strategically vital axis for Ukraine. The authorities have announced mandatory evacuations in another 11 settlements, bringing the total number of evacuated towns and villages in the region to 213.

Notably, this marks the first time Russian forces have entered Sumy Region since spring 2022. As of now, Russian advances appear to be accelerating. The front line has moved to within roughly 20km of the city of Sumy itself.Liman (also known as Krasny Liman) is a strategic city in the Donetsk People’s Republic, with a pre-war population of around 20,000. Situated along the Kharkov-Donetsk railway, it serves as a key transportation hub in eastern Ukraine. After brief fighting, the city fell under Russian control in late May 2022 – but was later lost during Ukraine’s Kharkov offensive in October of the same year.Today, Russian forces appear intent on retaking Liman by cutting off a single critical road that leads northwest toward Izium.

Read more …

Calling SCOTUS.

• Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s EO Requiring Proof Of Citizenship For Elections (JTN)

A federal judge on Friday blocked President Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship for elections. Judge Denise J. Casper, of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, an Obama appointee, said U.S. states have a likelihood of success in their legal challenges to the order, The Associated Press reported. “The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote in her ruling. She also said that regarding citizenship, “There is no dispute (nor could there be) that U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal elections and the federal voter registration forms require attestation of citizenship.”Casper cited the states’ arguments that the requirements would burden them with “significant efforts and substantial costs” to update procedures.

In April, the GOP-led House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act again, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote for federal elections. Trump issued the executive order in March that includes the requirement that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections, offers assistance to states with maintaining voter rolls, and makes improvements in the Election Assistance Commission. The president also ordered the attorney general to prosecute election crimes, take action against states that accept absentee ballots for federal elections after Election Day, and ensure that foreign nationals do not donate to federal elections or that organizations that receive federal funds do not engage in lobbying.

The order additionally mentions the rescinding of “Bidenbucks” – the former Biden administration’s apparent effort to have federal agencies partner with private groups in get-out-the-vote efforts. In April, Democratic attorneys general in 19 states filed a lawsuit over the order, arguing against some of its aspects, including enforcing documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and ensuring that states accept absentee ballots for federal elections after Election Day.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RFK
https://twitter.com/MJTruthUltra/status/1933290755109601447

 

 

22


 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle May 14 2025

May 142025
 
 May 14, 2025  Posted by at 10:00 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  53 Responses »


Marc Chagall Blue lovers 1914

 

• China Sent Secret Delegation To Washington 3 Weeks Ago To Negotiate Deal (ZH)
• Trump Not Going To Istanbul, Kremlin Downplays Direct Ukraine Peace Talks (ZH)
• Trump’s Top Officials Going To Türkiye For Russia-Ukraine Talks – Reuters (RT)
• Russia Continues To Prepare For May 15 Talks in Istanbul – Kremlin (Sp.)
• Not Talking To Putin Illogical – Witkoff (RT)
• How Our Country and Its History Were Stolen from Us (Donald Jeffries)
• Trump Can Still Lead Without a Third Term (Victor Davis Hanson)
• Trump Administration Is Exposing the Hubris of Institutional DEI (Stepman)
• EU Investigating MEPs Over Moscow Visit – Lawmaker (RT)
• Trump Torches Neocons, Emphasizes ‘Peace Through Strength’ Deal-Making (ZH)
• Netanyahu Blasts Media ‘Spin’, Says Trump Ties ‘Excellent’ (Cradle)
• Supreme Court Set to End Era of Nationwide Judicial Injunctions (Margolis)
• Here’s the Truth About the Qatar Jumbo Jet Story (Margolis)
• Labour and Tories are ‘Two Cheeks of the Same Backside’ – George Galloway (Sp.)
• UK PM Starmer Mercilessly Dragged For Telling Immigrants To Speak English (MN)
• US Pressure May Have Forced Germany To Drop Surveillance On AfD (RMX)
• Donald Trump Helped Ancient Russians Defeat Space Lizards (RT)

 

 

 

 

RT’s editor in chief erases Kellogg, says he needs a holiday. She’s right.

Debt based

New
https://twitter.com/FriendOfRussia/status/1921829503132663987

MacG

Why Trump offers asylum to white South Africans.
https://twitter.com/realMaalouf/status/1922044936406323432

Imran
https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1922229596012921088

 

 

Macron, Merz, Starmer, Zelensky:
“Russia is desperate for a ceasefire”
… 5 minutes later…
“We suggest a 30 day unconditional ceasefire and we will continue to arm Ukraine in the meantime.”
… 5 minutes later …
“We demand that Russia accept the ceasefire”
… 5 minutes later …
“It’s Russia who is losing and is desperate to rearm.
… 5 minutes later …
“Why is Russia ignoring our ceasefire demand?”

 

 

 

 

“While Vowing It Would “Never Talk To Trump”.

• China Sent Secret Delegation To Washington 3 Weeks Ago To Negotiate Deal (ZH)

Recall that on April 25 we reported something which no other US media outlet carried, namely that a “Chinese Delegation Spotted Entering Treasury Department” in a meeting shrouded in secrecy as China “Demanded All Photos Be Deleted.” Naturally, we suggested that this was an overture to China offering an olive branch to the Trump admin on US soil in hopes of reaching a trade deal, a speculation which the TDS-crowd fumed over. It turns out we were right, and as the FT writes, “the first meeting to break the US-China trade deadlock was held almost three weeks ago in the basement of the IMF headquarters, arranged under cover of secrecy.”

US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who was attending the IMF spring meetings in Washington, met China’s finance minister Lan Fo’an to discuss the near complete breakdown in trade between the world’s two biggest economies, according to people familiar with the matter. The previously unreported encounter was the first high-level meeting between US and Chinese officials since Donald Trump’s inauguration and the launch of his tariff war. The Treasury declined to comment on the secret meeting. The talks culminated this weekend in Geneva with Bessent and He Lifeng, China’s vice-premier, agreeing a ceasefire that would slash respective tariffs by 115 percentage points for 90 days. All of the above is correct, except that the encounter was “previously unreported” – we reported here first on April 25 that on April 24 the Chinese were seen entering the Treasury department under a shroud of secrecy. :

The date April 24 is interesting for another reason: that’s the day Chinese state media vowed that it would not engage in trade talks without complete tariff surrender, with Yahoo News reporting that “China Slams the Door on Trump: No Trade Talks Without Total Tariff Surrender.” …

and at the same time also lying that there are “no negotiations with the Trump administration over tariffs”: And yet, amid all this propaganda, Beijing was secretly negotiating with the US just a few hundred feet from the White House, and the outcome would be the Geneva tariff deal which sent stocks soaring…. although anyone who had read our report and had put on a bullish trade long ago, would have made an absolute killing. Then again, one didn’t need the FT to confirm what we first reported three weeks ago: we could just listen to Chuck Schumer’s latest installment in his endless tirade of lies, and flip it…

https://twitter.com/Jules31415/status/1922125798414147706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1922125798414147706%7Ctwgr%5E9e8434e4e35c0c33b0b8d94eda5fe8670580952f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fmarkets%2Faaaaand-its-gone

Read more …

Zelensky is in the way.

• Trump Not Going To Istanbul, Kremlin Downplays Direct Ukraine Peace Talks (ZH)

The Kremlin on Tuesday affirmed that “the Russian side continues to prepare for the negotiations that are scheduled to take place on Thursday.” This after on Sunday Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to resume direct negotiations with Kiev, and proposed the Istanbul talks. Ukrainian President Zelensky then made a performative gesture – likely more meant to prove to the White House that he’s ‘willing’ – saying he’s ready to fly to Istanbul in person and urged Putin to do the same. Putin spokesman Dimitry Peskov when grilled by reporters on Tuesday downplayed the whole event, describing that direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul later this week are merely “still possible”. As for revealing the line-up for the Russian delegation, and who is expected lead, Peskov said “we will announce it as soon as the president [Putin] deems it necessary.”

Despite some sensational recent headlines and statements, one thing we can be sure will not happen is President Putin’s personal presence. And per the latest from Reuters, President Trump is not going to be there in Turkey either (after on Monday he actually floated the possibility). “All of us in Ukraine would appreciate it if President Trump could be there with us at this meeting in Turkey. This is the right idea. We can change a lot,” Zelensky had said. And Trump had responded by saying he was “thinking about actually flying over” – which would have to happen immediately on the heels of his big Gulf visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE. Zelensky has meanwhile insisted that any talks should be preceded by the start of a 30-day ceasefire – which Washington appears to be backing, but which the Kremlin has already rejected.

Really, all the talk of pushing to get Putin in Istanbul to negotiate in person was about generating mainstream media headlines like the following: Moscow worries that such a lengthy pause in fighting would only be used by Ukrainian forces to rearm and regroup along the front lines, at a moment they are exhausted and steadily losing ground. Peskov told reporters further, “[Western] Europe is, after all, entirely on Ukraine’s side. It cannot claim to have an unbiased approach… Its approach is not balanced, it is rather pro-war, aimed at continuing the fighting, which is in sharp contrast to the approach demonstrated, for example, by Moscow or Washington,” according to Russian media.

Read more …

Take out Zelensky -and the Europeans- and you can get a Putin-Trump meeting.

• Trump’s Top Officials Going To Türkiye For Russia-Ukraine Talks – Reuters (RT)

US President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg to Türkiye this week to attend the potential talks between Moscow and Kiev, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources. The talks, which are expected to be held in Istanbul on Thursday, were originally proposed last week by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who offered to resume direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev without any preconditions in order to reach a lasting settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Vladimir Zelensky has expressed his readiness to engage in dialogue with the Russian side, but has insisted that it be preceded by an unconditional 30-day ceasefire – a demand Moscow has repeatedly rejected. Zelensky has also said that he would only attend the meeting in Istanbul if Putin comes in person.

Trump has also supported the proposal to renew talks between Moscow and Kiev. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday ahead of his Middle East tour, the US President stated that he might even personally attend the negotiations in Türkiye, especially if Putin decides to attend. “I was thinking about actually flying over there. There’s a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen,” Trump said. “Don’t underestimate Thursday in Turkey,” he added. Moscow has not commented on the possibility of Putin traveling to Istanbul. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also has yet to confirm who would be representing Moscow during the talks, stating that the Russian president’s decision on the matter will be announced in due time.

According to Reuters, regardless of whether Putin, Zelensky or Trump decide to take part in the talks, Kellogg and Witkoff have been ordered to go to Istanbul on Thursday to attend the meeting. The outlet noted that the two senior advisers will not actually take direct part in the negotiations and will only play the role of observers. While it’s still unclear if the talks will actually take place and in what form, Peskov has stated that preparations for Thursday’s negotiations are underway. He has also ruled out the possibility of any of Kiev’s Western European backers taking part in the process, arguing that they are “entirely on Ukraine’s side” and “rather pro-war,” which excludes them from being considered “unbiased.”

Read more …

Oh, they’ll be ready. Just not to give in.

• Russia Continues To Prepare For May 15 Talks in Istanbul – Kremlin (Sp.)

Russia continues to prepare for negotiations with Ukraine scheduled for May 15 in Istanbul, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. “The Russian side continues to prepare for the talks, which are scheduled to take place on Thursday,” Peskov told reporters. The Kremlin will announce who will represent Russia at the Istanbul talks as soon as Russian President Vladimir Putin deems it necessary to announce this, the official added. Europe is entirely on Ukraine’s side and cannot claim a balanced approach in the negotiation process, Peskov added. “I suggest once again that you focus on the statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin. If we talk in general about Europe’s participation in such a key negotiating process, then since Europe is entirely on Ukraine’s side, it cannot claim an unbiased approach, a balanced approach,” Peskov told reporters when asked whether there is a place for European leaders at the negotiating table in Turkiye.

Europe’s approach to Ukraine is aimed at continuing the conflict and contrasts with the approach of Moscow and Washington, the official added. Russia does not accept biased conclusions made regarding the MH17 crash case, Kremlin spokesman said. On Monday, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Council named Russia as responsible for the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The Dutch cabinet said that the issue of compensation will be considered in the near future. “Our position is well known. You know that Russia was not a country that took part in the investigation of this incident. Therefore, we do not accept any biased conclusions,” Peskov told reporters.

Read more …

“There is no deal without President Putin’s sign-off.”

• Not Talking To Putin Illogical – Witkoff (RT)

Isolating Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to help resolve the Ukraine conflict, senior US negotiator Steve Witkoff has said, calling the approach lacking in logic. Western nations have attempted to marginalize Moscow diplomatically since the escalation of the conflict in 2022, but Witkoff, speaking to Breitbart News last week, criticized that approach. He emphasized the necessity of including all major players in the dialogue. ”We need to talk to any stakeholders in this conflict,” Witkoff said in the section of the interview published Monday. “There is no deal without President Putin’s sign-off.” US President Donald Trump’s special envoy added that he found it difficult to “understand the logic” of those who oppose direct engagement with the Russian leader.

The Trump administration’s current stance is that Russian and Ukrainian officials must be brought together physically so that the US can “show them that the alternatives to a peaceful resolution here are bad for everybody.” The Trump administration’s current stance is that Russian and Ukrainian officials must be brought together physically so that the United States can “show them that the alternatives to a peaceful resolution here are bad for everybody.” Putin last week reiterated Moscow’s call to resume negotiations that Kiev abandoned in 2022, proposing that talks be held again in Istanbul. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and several European NATO members have insisted that Russia first agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, warning that failure to do so will result in further sanctions. Russian officials say such a pause would give Kiev an opportunity to regroup militarily and renew hostilities.

Putin has offered to restart negotiations as early as Thursday. Zelensky has said he will go to Istanbul that day and expects Putin to come too. Witkoff emphasized that the US could step back from its mediating role if progress is not made. “The president has issued an ultimatum to both sides” to begin direct talks, he said. ”I think if the US pulls back from this conflict… that’s a bad result for everybody,” he added. “It’s bad for the Europeans. It’s bad for the Ukrainians. I don’t think it’s good for the Russians. I think the Russians actually do want a peaceful settlement.” Moscow has urged a comprehensive agreement that addresses what it sees as the root causes of the conflict, including a promise by NATO to eventually admit Ukraine and discriminatory policies by Kiev toward ethnic Russians.

Read more …

Paul Craig Roberts posted this piece on the popular statues of obese black women. I guess I have the author and title right, but I can’t be sure.

• How Our Country and Its History Were Stolen from Us (Donald Jeffries)

Recently, there has been a veritable epidemic of statues suddenly popping up all over the globe, depicting overweight Black females. This is decidedly odd, as the figures don’t represent a particular person of historical significance, but rather a modern “Woke” phenomenon of a brand of human being; the loud and proud Black woman.

[..] In New York City, there is now a twelve foot statue of an obese Black woman- sporting the distinctive hands on hip stance that has made them so beloved in America 2.0. The statue is nonsensically called “Grounded in the Stars.” As someone once said, if you want to gauge the health of a nation, look at its art. The statue provides a startling dose of “diversity,” in contrast to the statues of boring dead White guys Father Francis Duffy and songwriter George M. Cohan. This is the same New York City, of course, who over the past few years took down statues of Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. The message is; an anonymous Black woman is more culturally and historically significant to this country than the most brilliant of our Founding Fathers, who wrote the Declaration of Independence. If that isn’t a slap in the face to the millions who are still asleep, I don’t know what would be.

The first question that should be asked is; why this curious campaign to install statues of fictional Black women? Who started it? Who is behind it? I seriously doubt that leaders in Italy and the Netherlands abruptly determined, independent of each other, that homage should be paid to a demographic group that has zero historical ties to either country. Now, the motivation is obvious. To further promote Black people. Well, any Black people who aren’t questioning the disproportionate power of a certain ethnic/religious group, that is. And to further diminish the historical greatness of formerly hallowed White leaders. And what about the White women? Why doesn’t Pakistan erect a statue of a fictional girl in a bikini? You could have her staring at her cell phone if you want. Nonwhite countries need cultural “diversity,” too, don’t they? Where are the statues of antiwar icon Jeanette Rankin, our greatest historical figure who identified as female?

It’s hard to tell how many Black female statues there are. A few years back, there were reports of them springing up in Roanoke, Virginia, and South Boston. There were already at least six statues of Harriet Tubman scattered across this country. I doubt that there are six statues of White women collectively in America. The most featured female on U.S. statues is the Indian squaw (yeah, I know- that’s probably “hate speech”) Sacagawea, who has an impressive sixteen of them. I guess statues are kind of like presidential candidates; only nonwhite women need apply. And yet White women can’t stop applauding. They may well like fat Black statues even more than transgender athletes. Roanoke, Virginia, which featured Virginia Dare, the first child born in America, vanished without a trace. The city still exists, and despite being on the edge of nearly all-White Appalachia, its only two statues are of Black figures.

The statue of Robert E. Lee that stood in the U.S. Capitol was scheduled to be replaced by a 2021 decree, in favor of a sixteen year old girl named Barbara Johns, who led a student walkout in Prince Edward County in 1951. It was something to do with racism, which they tell us was all the rage back then. One thing you know for sure is that Johns was Black. Virginia has a statue of Mary Todd Lincoln’s Black dressmaker Elizabeth Keckly, but not of Honest Abe’s overly emotional wife. So this explosion of Black female statues is not really new. They were already overrepresented. As one typically absurd “Woke” spokesperson put it, this is an effort to “confront preconceived notions of identity and representation.” It’s inevitable that one or more statues of Black women with suitably fat asses will pop up somewhere, to memorialize the fine art of twerking. We would not want future generations to forget that.

This well organized campaign comes on the heels of laughable propaganda that “Black women built this country.” What? I can’t think of any group that had less to do with building this country. Well, maybe Hispanics. After all, they weren’t here then. The very term had yet to be invented. Or Muslims. No, it was almost exclusively White males who built this country, backed by hearty and supportive frontier wives, mothers, and daughters. But it’s “racist” to even say that. And on top of that, there is the even more head shaking “Shut up! A Black woman is speaking!” This ridiculous expression is parroted most enthusiastically by self-loathing White women. This kind of insidious programming goes well beyond conventional Stockholm Syndrome. White women are not literally being held captive by Black women. This is just one of the reasons why I maintain at least 1/3 of White women today are clinically insane.

If they expand their horizons, there are plenty of worthy flesh and blood candidates to consider. Queen Latifah is certainly fat enough, and at least has displayed her lack of acting skills in a good number of IMDB credits. Stacy Abrams? She lost an election and is still complaining about it. And I don’t have to tell you that they don’t come any obesier in the Black community than her. Oprah? Imagine how excited the White women would be! Their “girlfriend,” who manipulated them to high ratings, and then dropped their racial and sexual comrade Hillary like a hot potato when Barack Obama declared for the presidency. It would take some skill to get the majesty and scope of Oprah’s giant behind just right, kind of like the Venus de Milo from a dark universe. And if you want to be inclusive of non-obese Black women, there’s Kamala. Perhaps Jasmine Crockett. And Michelle Obama can represent….well, you know.

Read more …

He just can’t be elected.

• Trump Can Still Lead Without a Third Term (Victor Davis Hanson)

You know, one of the most popular topics in the media is President Donald Trump is now a lame duck, even though he has basically a full term of four years. But if you read The Washington Post, even The Wall Street Journal, but especially The New York Times, the question is, can MAGA survive after Trump steps down? In other words, if I were to decode that, it was, “Please, please let’s end these crazy MAGA people because Trump won’t be around.” There’s arguments on both sides whether a popular movement can survive its creators. Obviously, the tea party from which MAGA drew a lot of its ideas as well as the candidacy of Ron Paul—the three candidacies, I should say—did not survive. Or it was incorporated or absorbed into MAGA. But it didn’t survive because it didn’t have a leader.

And when you look back at presidents of a party that have their own brand—Reaganism, for one example—they usually do not survive the tenure of the original president, even if the same party continues the administration. Ronald Reagan, he had a particular conservative strain of Republicanism that when he ran on two prior occasions, they said he wouldn’t be elected. He’s too conservative. Yet, when he stepped down, he proved that Reaganism was a very effective political ideology. And what happened? His handpicked successor, George H.W. Bush, almost as soon as he came into power, he said, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” And he raised taxes. And then you remember what he said? He said, “I want a kinder, gentler nation.” Nancy Reagan, the first former first lady, said, “Kinder and gentler than whom? Us?” So he didn’t really continue Reaganism.

Bill Clinton hit upon—I think partly with the input of Mark Penn, Dick Morris, Doug Schoen—a centrist Democratic way of government. Maybe it wasn’t as centrist as we think but it was pretty left-wing. But they were able to pass it off as centrist. It was a winning formula. Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000 to succeed him. And what did Barack Obama do? He repudiated Clintonism and the Democratic Leadership Council. And he went hard to the Left. And the result of that is we got a destroyed or an irrelevant Democratic Party. So, when Trump steps down, there’s all of these arguments, pro and con, that MAGA will or will not survive. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a very effective governor. He had a sweeping victory in 2022. He embraced the MAGA agenda. And his argument was, “You can have MAGA but without the Trump legal liabilities.” But he wasn’t able to capture the popular imagination.

I’ll leave you with one last thought. Donald Trump has been trolling the media. In March he said—they asked him, “Would you like a third term?” “Uh, no. You know, you can’t do it. But my lawyers are working on it. They’re looking at it.” What he meant was the 22nd Amendment that was passed in 1951, right before the ascension of Dwight Eisenhower—no president shall be elected for more than two terms. No president shall be elected twice. That was a Republican reaction. They controlled the Congress for two of the four terms of FDR. It’s kind of ironic because Dwight Eisenhower would’ve been elected a third time probably and beat John F. Kennedy if he could have run a third time. But his party had precluded that idea right before he became president.

A lot of presidents think about it. Every successful president, the topic comes up. It came up with Reagan. It came up with Clinton. Obama, remember, said, “I’d like to phone in a third term, if I didn’t have to do the work.” He also said he was lazy. He confessed to that. Maybe that was why. But here’s my point. Trump was not serious at the time. He just wanted to either troll the press and media or he wanted to dispel the idea that he was a lame duck and just throw it out there that maybe he could be president a third time. Because if you look at the language of the 22nd Amendment, it doesn’t say you can’t hold office twice. It says you can’t be elected. Perhaps he could get a vice president—he could run as vice president. The president could resign.

And then, he would take over and hold office three times but not be elected. That was all fantasy. He was never going to do that. No voter would vote for a president to step down. Here’s my point, again. Donald Trump was trolling and he knows what makes the Left angry and confuses. And the worst thing that they fear is a third term. But just this May—just recently he was asked that question again. He said, “Of course I’m not gonna run for a third term. And who’s going to be the standard-bearer? I don’t know. I don’t wanna pick them. But we have an obvious vice president who’s a firm believer in MAGA. And we have Marco Rubio, a successful secretary of state, who could also serve.”

But the point, again, is he raised the question, “Will this MAGA doctrine continue after I leave? Will there be sunshine after the sun is gone?” In other words, to use a simile. And he’s saying, “I’m gonna be around. I’m gonna be a senior statesman. I’m going to endorse somebody. And I’m gonna ensure that that person, by the force of my ex-presidency and influence, shall abide by MAGA doctrines.” So no, Donald Trump is not going to seek a third term. And yes, I think the MAGA ideology of the Republican Party will stay with us for the near future.

Read more …

“This is the global elite smart set’s version of the gangbanger who sticks up a business and later posts pictures of himself on social media holding the gun in front of all the stolen goods..”

• Trump Administration Is Exposing the Hubris of Institutional DEI (Stepman)

Harvard University was likely in violation of civil rights law in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the school practically said so, proudly, on its public website. Now it is under federal investigation. The Washington Free Beacon’s Aaron Sibarium reported Monday that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency created to enforce civil rights law, launched an investigation into Harvard in late April over whether the school was (or continues to be) unlawfully hiring based on race and sex. It reportedly discovered this information based not on some deep investigation into the workings of the school, but from Harvard’s own public website.

“In public documents now deleted from Harvard’s website but still publicly available on web archives, Harvard admitted that in a span of ten years, it went from 59% of ‘all ladder faculty’ being white men to 49%, comparing that decrease in white men to an increase in the ‘total women, nonbinary, and faculty of color’ (i.e., all faculty other than white men) from 41% in 2013 to 51% in 2023,” the EEOC reported. It wasn’t just a case of apparent discrimination in its recent hiring practices, the EEOC claims. According to the report, “Harvard touted its success in changing its faculty demographics, noting in 2023 that its numbers of women and ‘people of color’ tenured was up 24% and 33% over ten years, with the percentage of each group tenured since 2022 (just one year) at 46%.” The report included a long list of potentially discriminatory student training programs too.

The EEOC noted that these practices didn’t come to an end in 2023. Again, why does it think this? Harvard straight up said so on its website. This is the global elite smart set’s version of the gangbanger who sticks up a business and later posts pictures of himself on social media holding the gun in front of all the stolen goods. Harvard has some ‘splainin’ to do. And it couldn’t come at a worse time as the Trump administration has not only put a hold on billions of dollars in federal grant money over civil rights violations but has even threatened to pull the university’s tax-exempt status. The Daily Signal reached out to Harvard for comment about the investigation. A spokesperson for the school pointed to a statement by Harvard President Alan Garber. “Employment at Harvard is similarly based on merit and achievement. We seek the best educators, researchers, and scholars at our schools,” Graber said.

“We do not have quotas, whether based on race or ethnicity or any other characteristic. We do not employ ideological litmus tests. We do not use diversity, equity, and inclusion statements in our hiring decisions.” What’s remarkable about this investigation is how unremarkable Harvard’s actions were. For the last decade at least, elite institutions of all kinds have been leaning into diversity, equity, and inclusion to the point of openly saying this is a key metric for hiring decisions. This trend only accelerated during the George Floyd riots and the Great Awokening. Besides a few outlets like The Daily Signal, there was relatively little criticism of this practice by the legacy media. The Biden administration seemed to outright encourage it as it engaged in its own, vast federal DEI initiatives and hiring practices.

Apparently, few institutions questioned whether this was strictly legal and assumed the federal government would always support discriminatory hiring in the name of racial justice. Even law firms were apparently unconcerned about the potential repercussions of DEI hiring. The EEOC on Monday, according to The Federalist, launched a complaint against nearly 50 of the country’s top law firms, accusing them of discriminating against white applicants to a summer fellowship program in the name of diversity. Again, this didn’t come from any kind of deep investigation. It came from a public website where Sponsors for Educational Opportunity bragged that it was “the nation’s only summer internship program for pre-law students of color.”

The Trump administration made it clear virtually from Day One that it considered these practices illegal and that the Justice Department would investigate “unlawful discrimination related to ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) in the workplace.” That produced a counterrevolution overnight. Many businesses were quick to drop DEI the moment they thought it was safe to do so. The study that provided the foundation for most DEI hiring practices has already been soundly debunked. The advantage DEI gave businesses is that it kept well-funded left-wing activists and the federal government off their backs. Remove those fears and add to it the potential for lawsuits and it’s easy to see why Big Business has been quietly extinguishing DEI.

Big Business was quickest to bail out when it became clear the political winds were changing. That process became a stampede after President Donald Trump was elected as even the wokest companies have begun dropping DEI quotas after openly touting them for years. Higher education is a special case, especially the most elite universities. They don’t just embrace DEI as an ideology to stay on the good side of a regime. They are the originators of the idea, the home of the true believers who would rather find increasingly clever ways to discriminate rather than follow the law.

Read more …

Q: who does the EU use for such investigations? They have no secret service.

• EU Investigating MEPs Over Moscow Visit – Lawmaker (RT)

A member of the European Parliament claims he and other lawmakers who recently traveled to Moscow are facing an EU investigation over their diplomatic outreach to Russia. Independent Cypriot MEP Fidias Panayiotou visited the Russian capital with other lawmakers during Victory Day celebrations, where he met with the chairman of the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin. In a video posted to X on Monday, Panayiotou said his trip “was not liked at all in the European Parliament, and they have already started an investigation against us. ”Panayiotou has openly criticized the EU’s combative stance on Russia and the Ukraine conflict. He argues that Brussels should prioritize diplomacy over supplying weapons to Kiev.

During last Saturday’s meeting, Volodin lauded international dialogue that allows officials “understand each other and come up with decisions important for their peoples and states,” according to the State Duma’s website. Other guests at the Russian parliament reportedly came from Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Serbia. The Moscow visit coincided with Russia’s Victory Day commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The event drew 28 foreign leaders, including Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic – both of whom ignored threats from Brussels should they go.

“I consider today’s trip to Moscow to be extremely successful,” Fico said, noting he held talks with senior officials from Brazil, China, and other countries on the sidelines of the event.Vucic, speaking from Moscow’s Red Square, said he was proud to represent Serbia – an EU candidate – at the ceremony, even though he expected to face personal consequences from the EU for his attendance. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised visiting foreign leaders who attended Victory Day celebrations, calling them “leaders not through their office, but through strength of character, convictions, and readiness to defend those convictions.”

Read more …

“Trump also proclaimed that he ordered the cessation of US-Houthi hostilities in the Red Sea, after the Pentagon flexed its military might.”

There are different versions of that story. Some call it a humiliation.

• Trump Torches Neocons, Emphasizes ‘Peace Through Strength’ Deal-Making (ZH)

Some highlights of President Trump’s lengthy speech before the US-Saudi Investment Forum, wherein he frequently praised his Saudi host crown prince Mohammad bin Salman and advanced peace through deal-making…

Markets Rocking The stock market is “gonna go a lot higher.” He said “People should have listened. We’ve never had anything like this,” and he cited the “explosion of investment and jobs.” Business executives “weren’t that happy when they saw me,” a month ago, but changed their tune as markets rose,” Trump added. “We are rocking: The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country,” Trump said, pointing to MbS in the front row before him.

Saudi Arabia as Global Business/Tech Hub “Mohammed do you sleep at night? How do you sleep?” he said, addressing the crown prince. “Critics doubted it was possible, what you’ve done, but over the past eight years, Saudi Arabia has proved the critics totally wrong.” “…Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought by the people of the region themselves, the people that are right here, the people that have lived here all their lives, developing your own sovereign countries, pursuing your own unique visions and charting your own destinies in your own way.”

Silence befell the crowd as Trump said that it was his “fervent wish” that Saudi Arabia “will soon be joining the Abraham Accords” – but he ultimately conceded that the kingdom will do it in “it’s own time”. “It will be a special day in the Middle East, with the whole world watching, when Saudi Arabia joins us. And you’ll be greatly honoring me, and you’ll be greatly honoring all of those people that have fought so hard for the Middle East. And I really think it’s going to be something special — but you’ll do it in your own time. And that’s what I want, and that’s what you want, and that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Iran put on Notice “In the case of Iran, I have never believed in having permanent enemies. I am different than a lot of people think. I don’t like permanent enemies. Sometimes you need enemies to do the job, and you have to do it right. Enemies get you motivated,” Trump said. He continued, “I want to make a deal with Iran. I can make a deal with Iran. I’ll be very happy if we’re going to make your region and the world a safer place.” He offered a “much brighter future” if Tehran will do a deal. “If Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive, maximum pressure … and take all action required to stop the regime from ever having a nuclear weapon. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Lifting Sanctions on Syria “Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing in many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade,” Trump said. “The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important — really an important function — nevertheless, at the time. But now it’s their time to shine,” he added. So I say, ‘Good luck, Syria.’ Show us something very special.” “Oh what I do for the crown prince,” Trump said [..]

Blasted NeoCons & Liberal Interventionists “In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations than they built—and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies they did not understand,” Trump said. “The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad.” “In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.”

Gaza, Yemen “The people of Gaza deserve a much better future,” Trump said. “But that will or cannot occur as long as their leaders choose to kidnap, torture and target innocent men, women and children for political ends.” Trump also proclaimed that he ordered the cessation of US-Houthi hostilities in the Red Sea, after the Pentagon flexed its military might.

Read more …

Bibi watches Trump in Riyadh and it makes him nervous.

BTW: I read Edan Alexander refused to meet with Netanyahu, but I see no details.

• Netanyahu Blasts Media ‘Spin’, Says Trump Ties ‘Excellent’ (Cradle)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that he has approved a negotiating delegation to travel to Qatar on Tuesday to participate in US-led prisoner exchange talks. The decision was announced after the embattled premier met with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Ambassador Mike Huckabee earlier in the day and spoke over the phone with US President Donald Trump. “I thanked President Trump for his assistance in the release of IDF soldier Edan Alexander. President Trump, for his part, reiterated his commitment to Israel and his desire to continue close cooperation with me,” Netanyahu wrote on social media.

“In my meeting with Envoy Witkoff and Ambassador Huckabee, we discussed the last-ditch effort to implement the outline for the release of the hostages presented by Witkoff, before the fighting escalates. To this end, I have instructed that a negotiating delegation be sent to Doha tomorrow,” Netanyahu added. He also said he had informed his US allies “that negotiations would only take place under fire.” Netanyahu’s announcement came a few hours after he rejected reports that a rift exists between him and Trump, calling his relationship with the US president “excellent.” “These spins – most of them are born here [in Israel.] They’re born in a certain media outlet that’s trying to promote a certain candidate. And in order to promote him, they need to say: ‘Trump and Netanyahu are no longer,'” Netanyahu said in a video posted on his X account.

https://twitter.com/IhabHassane/status/1922014395682488515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1922014395682488515%7Ctwgr%5E60727b8b582f72661326eb65488d00e38dbab088%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Fnetanyahu-blasts-media-spin-says-trump-ties-excellent-dispatches-hostage-negotiators

This comes as Israeli-US captive Edan Alexander was released by Hamas on Monday evening. Officials from Washington reportedly informed Tel Aviv that his release will kickstart a new round of prisoner exchange talks. Alexander’s release reportedly prompted a partial stop in Israeli army operations inside Gaza. “A significant number of military operations have indeed been halted. There are no airstrikes in Gaza, aside from a few attacks, and no drone reconnaissance flights over the Gaza Strip,” Israeli Army Radio had reported Monday morning.

Read more …

Set for Thursday. Not a done deal.

• Supreme Court Set to End Era of Nationwide Judicial Injunctions (Margolis)

The days of rogue district court judges hijacking executive authority may finally be numbered. On Thursday, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a consolidated case, Trump v. CASA, which challenges lower court rulings that blocked President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants. Despite the constitutional authority granted to the executive branch on immigration matters, three district judges issued sweeping nationwide injunctions halting the order. Now, the highest court may have the chance to rein in judicial overreach and restore balance between the branches of government. Since President Trump began his second term, liberal judges have weaponized nationwide injunctions against his administration an astonishing 17 times in just the first few months — and that’s only counting through late March 2025. This is nothing new, of course.

Even Newsweek seems to believe that the court will side with the Trump administration. “In recent years, some justices have expressed criticism of universal injunctions. Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the court’s conservatives, argued in a 2020 concurring opinion that injunctions are “meant to redress the injuries sustained by a particular plaintiff in a particular lawsuit.” He said the “routine issuance of universal injunctions is patently unworkable, sowing chaos for litigants, the government, courts, and all those affected by these conflicting decisions” and that the court must address them. He also noted that nationwide injunctions mean that plaintiffs can shop around for the judge that is most likely to be sympathetic to their cause.”

“Because plaintiffs generally are not bound by adverse decisions in cases to which they were not a party, there is a nearly boundless opportunity to shop for a friendly forum to secure a win nationwide,” Gorsuch wrote. Even Justice Elena Kagan, one of the Court’s three liberal justices, has criticized broad nationwide injunctions and the blatant judge-shopping tactics used by plaintiffs to game the system.This shouldn’t be a partisan issue because Joe Biden’s outgoing Solicitor General, Elizabeth Prelogar, also filed a brief in December 2024 asking the Supreme Court to limit these broad orders despite knowing Trump would benefit from the decision. “In the Trump years, people used to go to the Northern District of California, and in the Biden years, they go to Texas,” Kagan said in 2022. “It just can’t be right that one district judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks and leave it stopped for the years that it takes to go through the normal process.”

Let’s be honest: Nationwide injunctions were never about judicial oversight. They’ve been the left’s go-to tool for blocking President Trump’s agenda through activist judges. With just one ruling, any of the hundreds of district court judges in the country can nullify federal policy they don’t like. Now, the left is panicking. Without these judicial shortcuts, they’ll have to argue their cases on the merits instead of in front of cherry-picked friendly judges. Even Vox admitted these injunctions were “the core of the resistance.” But that era may be ending. The Supreme Court looks poised to rein in this abuse of power and restore constitutional balance. For anyone who believes in law, not lawfare, this moment can’t come soon enough.

Read more …

“Qatar is offering the jet to the US military, not Donald Trump..”

• Here’s the Truth About the Qatar Jumbo Jet Story (Margolis)

The Democrats have been desperate to find a scandal to pin on Trump, and their latest attempt may be the stupidest yet.It was recently reported that the Trump administration is gearing up to accept a high-end Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family—a luxury aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One during President Trump’s second term. Naturally, the left is already losing its mind, but here’s the reality: this is a win for taxpayers. In the wake of media hysteria over the offer from Qatar to provide the United States with an aircraft, Buzz Patterson, a retired Air Force pilot, White House military aide, and carrier of the nuclear football, has stepped in to inject a dose of reality—and firsthand experience—into the conversation. While critics scramble to paint the move as some kind of scandal involving President Trump, Patterson makes clear this is nothing new or scandalous, and absolutely nothing that warrants the breathless outrage.

“I’m going to try one last time,” Patterson began in a post on X. “The Qatar B-747 was built in the US by Boeing. They are offering a newer 747 to replace one of the two current AF-1s that have been flying for 40 years. Which are tired and need to be replaced.”That last point is key. The current Air Force One planes are aging relics that first entered service when Ronald Reagan was in the White House. Replacing them has been a long, slow, and—thanks to bureaucratic delays—frustrating process. Patterson, who served as a military aide during the Clinton administration and has flown on Air Force One over a hundred times, says the Qatar aircraft would simply help fill the gap until Boeing completes new replacements—something that won’t happen for years.

“This AF-1 will serve the sitting president, whether they be Republican or Democrat until Boeing gets their s—t together to complete the new, upcoming improved 747s that started under Obama, was renegotiated under Trump, and was completely ignored by the Biden administration,” he explained. “It’s looking like 2029 to 2030 for delivery at the soonest.” Critics have tried to turn this into a personal gift to Trump, but that’s not even remotely accurate. “Qatar is offering the jet to the US military, not Donald Trump,” Patterson explained. And the idea that this somehow jeopardizes national security is also off base. “They will get the aircraft and perform all of the security and the installation of the systems that AF-1 requires to safely move our president around the world. Not the Qatari’s,” Patterson explained. “And you and I will pay for that but not the $400 million the 747 would normally cost.”

In other words, the U.S. is saving money and getting a newer, U.S.-made aircraft to bridge the gap until Boeing finally delivers the long-overdue replacements. And contrary to the media’s alarmist tone, this sort of arrangement isn’t unprecedented. “The wing based at Andrews has also purchased aircraft from other countries in the past which are currently flying our VP and senior government officials. This is NOT new,” Patterson said. As for the predictable online conspiracies? Patterson dismissed them with a knowing smirk. “I love X but sometimes the ‘sky is falling’ conspiracy crap grows tiresome. A little knowledge goes a long way. Having flown on the current AF-1s 100 hundred [sic] times, I have intimate knowledge.” In short, the critics are wrong, the facts are clear, and the manufactured outrage is little more than partisan noise drowning out a perfectly rational, cost-saving move for the country.

Read more …

“It’s like that moment in Orwell’s Animal Farm when the animals looked from man to pig and pig to man and they could no longer tell the difference..”

• Labour and Tories are ‘Two Cheeks of the Same Backside’ – George Galloway (Sp.)

Imagine that for a second — freezing your own pensioners while funding someone else’s war. This is the UK’s reality now, and no one from either of the two major British political parties is speaking up against this. “The Labour minister’s talk is indistinguishable from the Conservative ministers’ talk. It’s like that moment in Orwell’s Animal Farm when the animals looked from man to pig and pig to man and they could no longer tell the difference,” the former British parliamentarian George Galloway told Sputnik.

Read more …

“Reform UK’s rise isn’t just a warning shot; it’s a referendum on Labour’s betrayal of the working class..”

Isn’t it treason to let your country be overrun?

• UK PM Starmer Mercilessly Dragged For Telling Immigrants To Speak English (MN)

In a jaw-dropping display of political hypocrisy, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared Monday that it is “common sense” that migrants should speak English, posting on X that “If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English.” This from the same Labour leader whose government has overseen the harassment and even arrest of Brits for expressing similar sentiments, branded as potential “hate crimes” under draconian speech laws.

While ordinary citizens face police scrutiny for daring to question unchecked immigration or cultural integration, Starmer now parrots the very rhetoric he once condemned, revealing a spineless opportunism that prioritizes political survival over principle. The irony is thicker than London fog: the man who championed open borders and vilified Brexit voters as xenophobes now postures as a defender of national cohesion, all while his Home Office fails to stem the tide of illegal Channel crossings.

This brazen pivot comes as no surprise given the political earthquake shaking Starmer’s Labour Party. The recent local elections saw Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surge, capturing councils and seats with a platform unapologetically slamming mass immigration and woke orthodoxy. Reform’s gains, including a stunning Runcorn byelection upset, have sent Labour into a tailspin, with Starmer’s approval ratings tanking as voters flee to Farage’s turquoise tidal wave.

Polls show Reform’s favourability spiking, particularly among working-class Britons fed up with Labour’s elitist disconnect. Starmer’s sudden tough talk on immigration—complete with promises to slash net migration and impose stricter English language rules—smacks of a desperate bid to claw back voters defecting to Reform. But his words ring hollow, a cynical rebrand from a man who, as shadow Brexit secretary, campaigned for a second EU referendum and scoffed at concerns about immigration’s impact on communities.

The stench of Starmer’s double standards is suffocating. While he now preaches “integration” and “fair rules,” his government continues to coddle a system where dissenters are silenced and borders remain porous. Brits who’ve lost jobs, homes, or safety to the strains of mass migration watch as Starmer plays both sides—cracking down on free speech while failing to deport illegals. Reform UK’s rise isn’t just a warning shot; it’s a referendum on Labour’s betrayal of the working class.Starmer’s English language edict isn’t common sense—it’s a calculated flip-flop from a man terrified of Farage’s shadow, and it won’t fool a public fed up with two-faced elites.

Read more …

“Germany often relies on external partners to spy on its own citizens, as Germany features very strict privacy laws. The NSA is thought to be especially active watching Germans.”

• US Pressure May Have Forced Germany To Drop Surveillance On AfD (RMX)

Germany’s domestic spy agency has suspended authoritarian surveillance methods of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, and U.S. pressure may have played a role. The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the country’s powerful domestic spy agency, had labeled the AfD a “confirmed far-right organization” before suspending this designation last week. The main reason presented was that the AfD is appealing the designation in court and the agency would wait until this appeal is concluded to decide whether to keep the designation. However, Germany’s ally, the United States, immediately criticized the designation in some of the harshest language possible, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it “tyranny in disguise.” That was not all, though.

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the powerful U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, then asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (DNI) to suspend intelligence cooperation between the United States and Germany. According to Cotton, the German authorities’ politically motivated surveillance activities resemble methods used by dictatorships that are unbecoming of a democratic ally. “Rather than trying to undermine the AfD using the tools of authoritarian states, Germany’s incoming government might be better advised to consider why the AfD continues to gain electoral ground,” he wrote. This would have represented a drastic break between the two allies and even a threat to Germany’s national security, which raised the stakes in Germany’s authoritarian move to stifle the political opposition. Currently, the AfD is the largest opposition party in the country and for the first time ever, polled in first place last month.

The developments have also caused a major stir in Germany. Alice Weidel, co-chair of the AfD, said American pressure was behind the BfV’s withdrawal of its designation label on the AfD. In addition, Joachim Steinhöfel, a lawyer defending freedom of speech, told NIUS that the move by the BfV is “a complete surrender by the German domestic intelligence service.” He also noted that U.S. influence was vital. “We also have to thank the Americans for exerting massive pressure,” he added. Germany often relies on external partners to spy on its own citizens, as Germany features very strict privacy laws. The NSA is thought to be especially active watching Germans. As a result, any U.S. withdrawal from intelligence sharing could have been disastrous for Germany.

The temporary removal of the designation was warmly welcomed by the AfD, as it gives the party breathing room. For one, a vote on the ban of the party has little chance of moving forward without the designation. Second, the designation offered the BfV the legal means to surveil the entire party and its membership without a warrant, including reading emails and chats, as well as flood the party with informants. Now, German intelligence is being forced to rethink its surveillance policy as political divisions grow. However, if the appeal court agrees with the BfV that the AfD can be labeled right-wing extremist, the same issue may rear its head again. It is unclear how long this appeals process will take, whether months or even years; however, there is a growing chorus from Germany’s left, as well as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), to ban the entire AfD party. If that happens, tensions between the U.S. and Germany could soar to new heights.

Read more …

“This led to a wave of commercial spinoffs.”

• Donald Trump Helped Ancient Russians Defeat Space Lizards (RT)

Heroic Slavic warriors triumph over evil reptilian invaders to pounding phonk beats. These surreal showdowns have racked up millions of views and spawned a wave of spin-offs, including video games, comic books, and tabletop RPGs. What started as a mock academic lecture quickly turned into a full-blown cultural phenomenon – fueled in part by some deep-rooted medieval nostalgia. One of the most well-known stories in the Ancient Rus vs. Lizards mythos is ‘The tale of how the Russian hero Danila Trumpov drove the accursed Lizards from the Slavic States of America’. In this fictional legend, a Russian version of Donald Trump defeats a shadowy alliance of humanoid lizards, who are supposedly aided by Bill Gates. Trumpov wields imaginative techniques like the “Republican Egg Squeeze” and the “Texas Burger Bomb,” and even manages to sabotage the lizard lobbyists by replacing the dollar with the ruble.

In the end, the forces of Slavic justice prevail, and the Lizards are forced to retreat to the distant planet of Nibiru. This is just one installment in a sprawling fan-fiction universe created as a joke, but which has grown far beyond its origins. What began as light-hearted parody has developed into a full-fledged narrative world that mixes satire, absurdity, and pseudo-history – while also poking fun at the cult of Russia’s supposed ancient supremacy. In March 2023, a strange YouTube video appeared, starring an AI-generated character introduced as “Professor and four-time historian Alexey Sergeyevich Bagirov.” Speaking with an air of authority, the professor unveiled what he described as the long-suppressed truth of Russian history: that the ancient Rus civilization once stretched across nearly the entire Earth.

Bagirov’s lecture combined several familiar conspiracy tropes – claims of lost civilizations with advanced technology, an ancient war between humans and shape-shifting lizards, divine interventions by pagan gods, and secret documents allegedly hidden from the public. His arguments leaned heavily on loose word associations and “secret documents,” while the visuals featured intentionally janky PowerPoint slides with exaggerated animations, accompanied by loud, distorted background music. But the creators went further than simply remixing old conspiracies. They built a whole new mythological framework. According to Bagirov, the ancient Rus not only coexisted with dinosaurs – they were actually friends. He explains that the word dinosaur supposedly derives from the Old Slavic root dino, meaning “child,” and that the name of the Slavic pagan god Zavra identifies him as the “divine ancestor” of all dinosaurs.

In a follow-up video, Bagirov adds a central stylistic twist to the saga: the Slavic reinterpretation of all names and terms. He describes how dinosaurs played an important role in the daily lives of the Rus. Brachiosaurus Brachislav helped build houses and studied astronomy; Styracosaurus Stavrislav took part in mammoth hunts; and a pterodactyl named Pterodimir flew children to school. In the third video, Bagirov introduces the main villains: the Lizards from the planet Nibiru – an idea familiar to fans of post-Soviet conspiracy lore. In this universe, the Lizards are jealous of the glory of the Rus and want to destroy it. Their weapon is deception: they try to seduce the Rus with fake sciences – especially mathematics. To that end, they dispatch agents such as Euclid, Archimedes, Democritus, Plato, and others, each programmed with 2G radiation, to infiltrate the ancient region of Russo-Greece.

Through all this, Bagirov satirizes the genre of amateur pseudo-historians who emerged in the post-Soviet space – those who claim access to secret truths, reject mainstream science, and lean heavily on unverifiable legends or misreadings of historical texts. These theorists rarely seek real evidence, but often captivate audiences with promises of lost national grandeur and sinister enemies. Though clearly absurd, the videos resonated with viewers. The fictional characters were so outrageous, and the tone so deliberately ridiculous, that the series became far more popular than anyone had expected – perhaps even more than the creators intended.

The characters of the Rus and the Lizards soon found a second life in short-form video content. These clips featured AI-generated visuals, voiceovers in mock-serious tones, and of course, pounding phonk soundtracks. The volume of content rapidly multiplied, and the Rus vs. Lizards universe continued to evolve, layering in more absurdist and satirical details. In these stories, the source of the Rus’ supernatural vitality is the water of Lake Baikal – an intentional nod to the lake’s revered status in Russian culture and to pseudo-scientific beliefs about the mystical power of “charged water.” The Rus are portrayed as a global civilization, and this is reflected in the fictional renaming of countries: Australorussia, Egyptoslavia, the Slavic States of America, and more. These names parody pseudo-historians who try to rewrite history to suggest that Russia once ruled the entire planet.

Religion in the Ancient Rus universe is a hybrid of Orthodox Christianity and revived paganism. On the one hand, characters shout catchphrases like “You fiends, at least fear the Lord!”; on the other, they perform bizarre rituals to Perun and other old Slavic deities. This mashup reflects the worldview of certain fringe groups who, in recent decades, attempted to revive pre-Christian Slavic faiths – often blending them with nationalist ideology and pseudoscience. Aside from the irony and satire, the meme’s success was also driven by how visually compelling the characters were. They looked cool. Their armor, weapons, and over-the-top powers appealed to a younger audience, especially in meme format. This led to a wave of commercial spinoffs.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

AI Theft
https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/1922091193439228017

Musk
https://twitter.com/teslaownersSV/status/1921957388762112467

Musk

Makary

Giraffe

Duck pool
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1922276219703181770

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 Older Entries