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Debt Rattle January 3 2025

Jan 032025
 
 January 3, 2025  Posted by at 10:55 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  64 Responses »


Leonardo da Vinci Ginevra de’ Benci 1474-78

 

• Musk Accuses Biden Of ‘Treason’ (RT)
• Musk Calls For Snap UK Election In Attack On Starmer (RT)
• Biden To Award Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson With Medals For J6 Witch Hunt (ZH)
• Mike Johnson Slams Biden For Giving Presidential Award To J6 Panel (JTN)
• H-1B Visas Have An Undeniable Fraud Problem (JTN)
• The H-1B Visa War Exposes A Deeply American Problem (Amar)
• Slovakia Slams Ukraine For ‘Betrayal’ (RT)
• Hungary Loses EU Funding Amid Rule-of-Law Dispute (RT)
• Orban Rival Calls For Early Hungarian Elections (RT)
• Federal Judge Rules for Pfizer in Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Vaccine (ET)
• Fight Between Freedom & Deep State Control – Catherine Austin Fitts (USAW)
• Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Biden Net Neutrality Rules (Hill)
• Biden To Block Trump’s Energy Plans Before Exit (RT)
• Ex-CIA Analyst Doesn’t Buy FBI’s New Year’s Day Terror Narrative (Sp.)
• Bill Gates Turns Mosquitoes Into ‘Flying Syringes’ (Sp.)

 

 

 

 

Mearsheimer

Rogan

 

 

Elon Musk has opened a very dark pit in Britain. They will come after him mighty hard. Legacy media and politics silenced it for years. Elon gives it 100 million views in 24 hours.

Tommy Robinson

https://twitter.com/i/status/1874958945984602436

 

 

 

 

“This administration did not fail to secure the border. They deliberately opened it. IT WAS TREASON..”[..] to which Musk replied “100% treason”..”

• Musk Accuses Biden Of ‘Treason’ (RT)

Elon Musk has accused US President Joe Biden of “treason” for allowing illegal migrants to flood the country and for selling off the materials allocated for the construction of the US-Mexico border wall. US President-elect Donald Trump and the Republicans have long criticized Biden for failing to secure the US borders, especially in the south. A new wave of debate over the outgoing administration’s border policies started in mid-December, when the Daily Wire reported on X that Biden was auctioning off materials earmarked for the construction of the US-Mexico border wall, which was begun during Trump’s first term in office and later halted under Biden.

The story sparked a flood of comments online, with many users accusing the Biden administration of violating the law and undermining border security. One user, @EndWokeness, summarized what he saw as Biden’s failures in an X post on Wednesday, calling for “accountability” for the US-Mexico border wall having been sold off “for just $5 a piece,” the razor wire fences and river walls having been removed, and the supposed issuance of “94 executive orders to open the border.” “This administration did not fail to secure the border. They deliberately opened it. IT WAS TREASON,” the user concluded, to which Musk replied “100% treason” in his own post on Thursday.

Biden’s immigration policy initially focused on reversing many of the regulations passed during Trump’s first administration, including halting the construction of the US-Mexico border wall. However, amid the flood of illegal migrants and mounting criticism of his border policy, Biden later implemented stricter mechanisms. For instance, last June, he issued an order partially suspending asylum requests at the border with Mexico when daily unauthorized crossings reach a threshold of 2,500. The legal battle over the leftover border wall materials has been going on for years. The Biden administration has argued that the stockpiled steel beams and other supplies were no longer needed for the halted project and that storing them cost the government money. In 2023, Congress agreed with that assessment and ordered the US Department of Defense to “use, transfer, or donate” all “excess construction materials.”

After the legality of this move was questioned, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit to block the further sale of the supplies. On December 27, Paxton’s office secured a temporary injunction that prevented the outgoing administration from further disposing of border wall materials over the next 30 days. The ruling will allow Trump, who will return to the White House on January 20, to decide how the remaining supplies will be used. Trump welcomed the court ruling, calling it a “major, crucial WIN for America, and our National Security” in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. He slammed “Biden and his cronies” for “wrecking” the wall project, and vowed to continue his push for stronger border security measures by finishing the border wall.

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Musk can say things out loud that Trump cannot.

• Musk Calls For Snap UK Election In Attack On Starmer (RT)

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has slammed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and called for early parliamentary elections in the UK, in an attack on the Labor government. The US-based tech billionaire, who has recently emerged as a close adviser to US President-elect Donald Trump, expressed support for the Reform UK party and called for the release of jailed right-wing activist Tommy Robinson in a series of posts on X overnight. In his posts, Musk questioned Starmer’s record as the head of the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service from 2008 to 2013 and accused him of failing to investigate “rape gangs” in Britain. He also pointed to a recent YouGov poll suggesting an “absolutely stunning” decline in support for the Labor government. According to the poll published this week, only 12% of respondents said Labour have been successful so far, while more than half described it as ‘incompetent’ and ‘dishonest’.

“A new election should be called in Britain,” Musk wrote in a post on X, sharing the poll results. Starmer’s government currently enjoys a 163-seat majority following a landslide victory in July. The next parliamentary elections in the UK are scheduled to take place in 2029. London has not reacted to Musk’s latest statements so far. The tech entrepreneur also shared a post agreeing with the statement that Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party is “the only way to save” Britain. Musk earlier met with Farage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, with some media outlets claiming he had pledged as much as $100 million in support for the British party. Musk, however, denied the reports.

In a series of posts, he also called for the release of British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was sentenced to 18 months behind bars in late October for publishing a documentary containing libelous claims about a Syrian refugee. The activist calls himself a “political prisoner” and claimed he was jailed for “speaking the truth.”

This is not the first time the US-based billionaire has harshly criticized the Labor government. In August, he said that a “civil war is inevitable” in the UK, prompting London to hit back, calling his words “totally unjustified.” In November, he supported a petition for early elections in the UK, which was backed by over 2 million signatures, and called Britain under Starmer a “tyrannical police state.” Musk has also recently lashed out at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, predicting that he will lose snap elections in February, and expressing support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany party. Berlin reacted by warning that Musk’s statements could strain relations between Germany and the US.

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They honor the people who lost them the election. Good luck with that.

“Both Cheney and Kinzinger became extremely unpopular as a result of their involvement, with Kinzinger choosing to retire ahead of the 2022 midterms, while Cheney was defeated by primary challenger Harriet Hageman in one of the biggest landslides against an incumbent in the history of the House of Representatives.”

• Biden To Award Liz Cheney, Bennie Thompson With Medals For J6 Witch Hunt (ZH)

President Joe Biden will award two members of the January 6th Committee – Liz Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson (R-MS) with the second-highest civilian honor for their roles in the carefully controlled witch hunt. According to the Associated Press, whoever is running the country decided that Cheney, Thompson, and 18 other individuals will receive the Presidential Citizens Medal on Thursday. “President Biden believes these Americans are bonded by their common decency and commitment to serving others,” the White House said in a statement. “The country is better because of their dedication and sacrifice.” That said, we all know it was a sham from the beginning…

“The J6 Committee was controversial and heavily partisan from the beginning. When it was first announced, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) a chance to seat the conventional number of Republicans on the committee. However, she rejected two of his choices, Congressmen Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.), for being too conservative, which led to McCarthy refusing to name any Republicans to the committee. Pelosi herself then chose just two Republicans for the committee, both of whom were known for being radically anti-Trump: Cheney and Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). Both Cheney and Kinzinger became extremely unpopular as a result of their involvement, with Kinzinger choosing to retire ahead of the 2022 midterms, while Cheney was defeated by primary challenger Harriet Hageman in one of the biggest landslides against an incumbent in the history of the House of Representatives.” -American Greatness

Meanwhile, as Julie Kelly noted last week, it appears that Cheney is preparing to fight any Trump-era federal and/or congressional probe into her ‘demonstrably corrupt role’ as vice chairman of the J6 committee. Text messages obtained by Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga), chair of a House subcommittee looking into the J6 committee, prove that Cheney colluded behind the scenes with star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, who dramatically changed her testimony after connecting with Cheney. The communications could represent witness tampering, subornation of perjury—every former White House official including the driver of the presidential vehicle on January 6 has refuted Hutchinson’s account of Trump’s behavior that day—and obstruction.

Based on the results of his ongoing inquiry, Loudermilk determined that “numerous federal laws were likely broken by Liz Cheney” and called for the FBI to investigate her. Cheney immediately responded by playing the victim and, of course, by blaming Donald Trump. But the American people appear uninterested in Cheney’s excuses; a new Rasmussen poll shows strong public support, including three-quarters of Republicans, for an FBI investigation into the bitter and defeated nepobaby. If Trump’s Department of Justice decides to proceed, Cheney undoubtedly will seek immunity protections in an attempt to keep records away from federal investigators; members of Congress are entitled to immunity under the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution, which shields lawmakers from criminal liability related to their legislative duties.

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“..a “complete joke and utter embarrassment.”

• Mike Johnson Slams Biden For Giving Presidential Award To J6 Panel (JTN)

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday slammed President Joe Biden for awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to former House January 6 committee leaders Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson. The medal is the second-highest civilian award, and is given to those who have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.” Other recipients of this year’s medals include: Mary Bonauto, who argued for marriage equality in the Obergefell case, and former Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Ted Kaufman of Delaware. Johnson berated Biden for giving the honor to someone who “intentionally and repeatedly lied to the public,” and claimed the actions were a “complete joke and utter embarrassment.”

“The Jan 6 Select Committee manipulated AND destroyed evidence – created a fake, phony narrative all to try and hurt Trump,” Johnson said in a post on X. “They even hired a TV producer from the legacy media in a desperate attempt to legitimize what Americans knew was a total hoax and complete waste of time. “Be assured of this: House Republicans WILL continue our investigation into this corrupt committee and it will be FULLY FUNDED so it can continue next Congress,” he added. Fellow Wyoming Republican and Sen. John Barrasso on Thursday also slammed Biden for giving Cheney the honor, speculating that he would give Cheney either a pardon or an award, and that she did not deserve either one.

“[Cheney] represents partisanship and divisiveness — not Wyoming,” Barrasso said, per Politico. The announcer who presented Cheney with her medal said it was awarded because she allegedly put “the American people over party.” She accepted the award on Thursday night to a standing ovation in the East Room of the White House, The Hill reported.

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Close the loopholes.

• H-1B Visas Have An Undeniable Fraud Problem (JTN)

Shortly before Americans celebrated Christmas, two federal criminal cases affirmed long-standing warnings that the government’s H-1B visa program was ripe for fraud, and slow to bring accountability. The cases in California and Illinois brought some long-awaited justice to schemes that have tried to help companies rig a system designed for narrow high-tech skills to instead hire foreigners for jobs that should have gone to Americans. The flurry came a year after the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service launched a crackdown and just weeks before a rare schism emerged inside the Make America Great Again universe that pitted pro-H-1B visa program supporters like Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump against usual supporters like commentators Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer, who want the program shut down. That debate has raged throughout the Christmas holidays, with Bannon going so far as to suggest the government should pay reparations to U.S. workers who lost jobs to the H-1B foreign visa holders.

“American workers should be hired immediately to fill those gaps, and then we should start the discussions on reparations, on what they knowingly did to American tech workers,” Bannon said on his Real America’s Voice television show Monday. At the end of the day, the H-1B visa program that provides special work visas for high-tech workers with specialized skills is a small drop in America’s immigration crisis: over the last decade between 70,000 and 85,000 foreigners get new H-1B work visas annually, compared to an estimated 14 million illegal aliens who flooded the border during the four years of Joe Biden’s presidency. But no matter how the MAGA debate ends, the persistent fraud concerns have galvanized concerns on both the left and right in America.

Warnings about H-1B visas date back two decades, but one of the most potent red flags occurred early in Trump’s first term when the Homeland Security Department’s internal watchdog sounded the alarm back In an October 2017, the Homeland Security Inspector General warned the USCIS tactics for providing oversight to the program – mainly site visits — “provide minimal assurance that H-1B participants are compliant and not engaged in fraudulent activity.” “USCIS does not ensure the agency always takes proper and timely action when IOs identify potential fraud or noncompliance,” that report warned, identifying several shortcomings in monitoring. “…Without addressing the challenges, USCIS site visits do not fully safeguard the H-1B Program, and the agency misses opportunities to ensure funds are put to better use through more robust site visits.”

Since then multiple efforts have been launched by government agencies to tighten the program, including an effort started by Trump but abandoned by Biden that vetted applicants by skill sets and looked for an instance of one person seeking visas under multiple identities. But such efforts have been widely panned on both sides of the political spectrum as ineffective or nibbling around the ends of a persistent fraud temptation. “I’d say it’s insufficient,” former U.S. immigration official Robert Law, the director of the Center for Homeland Security And Immigration at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, told The Register security news site last year after the Biden crackdown began. “I don’t think the Biden administration has done anything in the H-1B space that puts integrity into the system and accountability,” Law added.

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No, it does not make Trump weaker. That’s just wishful thinking. If he solves it, it’ll make him stronger.

• The H-1B Visa War Exposes A Deeply American Problem (Amar)

To paraphrase the American film classic, ‘The Big Lebowski’, say what you will about Trumpism but at least it’s neither united nor dull. US uber-oligarch Elon Musk, recently promoted to President-elect Donald Trump’s“first buddy,” has used his very own X platform to tell other Trump supporters to “take a big step back and F**K YOURSELF in the face” (fully spelled out in the original). The designated co-leader of a new Department of Government Efficiency, Musk also threatened to “go to war” with a ferocity beyond what we, mere mortals, can comprehend. Using a rival social media platform, American far-right nationalist guru as well as former Trump first buddy Stephen Bannon reacted by calling Musk a “man-child” and “toddler” in need of “child services.” For good measure, he also denounced him as, in effect, a coward who “punches down” instead of fighting guys his own size or bigger.

On his own podcast show – ‘The War Room’ (of course) – Bannon, too, trumpeted his joy at not backing down but going for “victory” with a “fixed-bayonet advance.” Clearly, it’s hard for middle-aged-plus American alpha males not to fantasize their keyboard tussles into heroic live shootouts at the Online Corral. As of 2022, the US has been at war for 231 of the 248 years of its hyperactive existence. Militarism has mental consequences. And, in the background of that clash of the ego titans, X was so abuzz with posts accusing Musk of massively censoring those disagreeing with him that the platform’s own Grok AI picked up on the quarrel, under the headline “X’s Free Speech Debate: Musk’s Moves Questioned.” Grok came to the oddly academic conclusion that some users were “suggesting a nuanced view where free speech is selectively applied.” And they say AI doesn’t have a sense of humor.

All of the above, please note, was just the tip of the big Trumpist strife-berg. The reason for so much rough play escalating so quickly in MAGA-Land? US visas. To be precise, the fairly small-scale yet important H-1B program, about which more below. In essence, Musk and his crowd are for H-1B; Bannon and company are against. But, as in every proper stormy marriage bust-up, the occasion of the screaming match was far from all that it was really about. Instead, H-1B was just a trigger for an explosion of pent-up tension in the Trumpism 2.0 camp.

And it’s been such a loud, big bang because the underlying issues range so wide, from class (as in Karl Marx, not school) issues at home to geopolitics abroad and even the real meaning of the professed Trumpist core aims, namely making America great again and putting it first. What makes things more tense again is that this is not a first. Instead, over the past few weeks, we have witnessed two major Trumpist family quarrels, with the current H-1B fight being preceded by a slightly less theatrical one over, in essence, the budget and limits on public debt. It is starting to look as if Trumpism 2.0 has a serious schism-and-faction issue. What’s all that new power going to be good for if you can’t – literally – keep it together?

Such cracks and rifts can be damaging, not only in the long, but in the short term, too. In the budget fight, Trump actually lost due to a small but embarrassing Republican rebellion that he publicly tried and failed to master. Apparently egged on by Musk to such an extent that Team Trump had to deny the perfectly un-elected “first buddy’s” inappropriate influence, Trump tried to threaten the rebels into submission. And then they defied him. That was politically awkward and may presage future problems, especially as the Republicans’ control of the House of Representatives is now down to what the Wall Street Journal calls a “razor-thin majority.” Trump will enter the White House already seeming weaker than immediately after his triumphant come-back win in November. No wonder the New York Times commentariat has been gloating.

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Blame yourself, not Ukraine.

• Slovakia Slams Ukraine For ‘Betrayal’ (RT)

Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok has criticized Ukraine’s decision to halt the transit of Russian gas through its territory, calling it a “betrayal of trust” and a threat to European energy stability. Estok made the comments on Thursday in a Facebook post, noting Slovakia’s significant military, political, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the start of the conflict with Russia. He said his country had expected “solidarity” from Kiev in return. Ukraine refused to extend its transit contract with Russia’s Gazprom beyond the end of 2024, effectively cutting off the flow of natural gas to some EU countries, including Austria, Italy, and Slovakia. Landlocked Slovakia depends on Russian gas to meet about 60% of its demand.

Estok said Ukraine’s decision would cost Slovakia “hundreds of millions of euros” annually due to higher costs for alternative supplies and lost transit fees. “Ukraine has forgotten the assistance provided by Slovakia when it stopped gas supplies. The decision represents a fundamental step that not only betrays the existing trust but also raises questions about the fairness and reliability of Ukraine’s approach to bilateral relations,” Estok stated, adding that Kiev’s move could “disrupt stability and cooperation throughout Europe.” Estok said Slovakia had “prepared in advance” for the halt by having enough reserves to meet its requirements in 2025. However, he said the country’s energy security beyond this year remains in question.

“It is therefore necessary to renew the dialogue and look for solutions and compromises that will ensure the stability of energy supplies in the coming years,” Estok said. Slovakia’s state-owned gas importer, SPP, estimated that finding a replacement for Russian gas this year alone could cost the country at least €90 million. In a video message on Thursday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country is considering cutting electricity supplies to Ukraine and limiting refugee support in response to Kiev’s decision.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky praised the gas transit halt, calling it “a historic event” that would result in “financial losses” for Russia. However, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Ukraine could lose up to $1 billion annually in transit fees from Moscow. Russia said it was willing to extend the transit deal and continue deliveries through Ukraine beyond 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of “punishing” the EU with its decision, which he said would lead to higher energy prices. At his annual press conference on December 19, Putin stated, however, that the halt would have little impact on Russia.

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“Amid the dispute with Brussels and in order to fill financing gaps, Hungary has turned to other funding sources, including loans from China..”

• Hungary Loses EU Funding Amid Rule-of-Law Dispute (RT)

The EU has permanently denied Hungary access to over €1 billion ($1.04 billion) in funds as of January 1, 2025, due to an ongoing dispute over alleged rule-of-law violations, Welt reported on Thursday citing a spokeswoman for the European Commission. This marks the first perpetual loss of funding by an EU member state under the bloc’s “conditionality” mechanism, according to the outlet. Introduced in 2020, the mechanism allows Brussels to suspend funding to member states which it believes violate the bloc’s rule-of-law principles. The EU has pressured Hungary to change its laws in order to tackle alleged conflicts of interest and corruption for some time, launching “conditionality” proceedings against it back in 2022 and blocking its EU funding.

Brussels has cited alleged infringements of public procurement rules and a lack of control and transparency as reasons for the move. Hungary has since launched reforms and cleared some of the funds, but around €19 billion remain frozen. In July 2024, the European Commission released its fifth Rule of Law report, which highlighted that Hungary still failed to meet EU democratic standards. The report pointed to persistent failures by the country in tackling issues such as corruption, political financing, conflicts of interest, and media independence. Budapest was told it needed to complete reforms by the end of the year or “the first tranche of discontinued commitments,” amounting to €1.04 billion, would expire. The forfeited funds were earmarked for the development of economically disadvantaged regions within the country. According to media reports, the next €1.1 billion tranche intended for Hungary expires at the end of 2025.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban argues that his country has fulfilled all EU requirements, and has vowed to fight to protect money “that is ours.” In mid-December, he threatened to veto the EU’s next seven-year budget unless Hungary regains access to the blocked funds. The 2028-2035 budget requires unanimity among the 27 member states to be approved. Negotiations on the budget are expected to begin in mid-2025. Amid the dispute with Brussels and in order to fill financing gaps, Hungary has turned to other funding sources, including loans from China. Last April, Budapest took a 3-year $1 billion loan from China Development Bank, Export-Import Bank of China and Bank of China Hungarian unit to help finance infrastructure, transport, and energy projects. The Hungarian Debt Management Agency said in July that more such loans could be incoming as Hungary’s economic links with the Asian nation grow.

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EU style color revolution. NOTE: Orban has run Hungary for 14 years now. People like him.

• Orban Rival Calls For Early Hungarian Elections (RT)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s rival for the 2026 election, Peter Magyar, has demanded that the vote’s timeline be brought forward. Magyar, the president of the Respect and Freedom (Tisza) party, made the statement during a New Year’s speech on Facebook. Magyar has been a vocal critic of the current administration, which has been led by Orban since 2010. The past year under Orban’s Fidesz party has brought “unprecedented destruction, unprecedented bad governance” to Hungary, Magyar claimed. “The country says enough is enough. We have no more time, and we will not give it another chance. Let there be new elections in Hungary,” he said, slamming Orban’s rule as ineffective and divisive.“Bring the election day forward to the earliest possible date so that the country does not waste more time unnecessarily, because we have no more time,” Magyar urged.

“We don’t have another year. The Hungarian people have nowhere to retreat.” The next election is currently scheduled for summer 2026. Magyar resigned from Orban’s Fidesz party in February 2024, declaring his deep dissatisfaction with both the government and the opposition. He burst into the political spotlight in June later that year, when his Tisza party garnered a surprising 29.6% of the votes in the 2024 European Parliament elections for Hungary. Orban’s Fidesz, in coalition with the KDNP, gained 44.8%. Orban’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition currently holds a majority of 135 out of 199 seats in the Hungarian National Assembly. The Hungarian prime minister has ruffled feathers in the EU by opposing military aid for Ukraine. Recently, he has argued that Western sanctions against Russian energy supplies have harmed European economies.

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Pfizer has more lawyers than scientists. Hard to beat in court.

• Federal Judge Rules for Pfizer in Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Vaccine (ET)

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit brought by Texas against Pfizer, finding that U.S. law protects Pfizer due to the emergency declared over the COVID-19 pandemic. Several laws shield Pfizer from claims that it misrepresented the efficacy of its vaccine, U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings said in the Dec. 30 ruling. “The Court finds that as a matter of law under the circumstances of this case, the Defendant is entitled to immunity under the Public Readiness and Emergency Act (PREP Act),” Cummings wrote. He also said that both the PREP Act and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, preempt the allegations from Texas. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2023 brought the suit in county court, alleging Pfizer misrepresented the results of the clinical trial that tested its COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer and its partner promoted the vaccine as 95 percent effective against COVID-19 infection, but the companies relied on just two months of trial data.

“Of 17,000 placebo recipients, only 162 acquired COVID-19 during this two-month period. Based on those numbers, vaccination status had a negligible impact on whether a trial participant contracted COVID-19,” the suit stated. “The risk of acquiring COVID-19 was so small in the first instance during this short window that Pfizer’s vaccine only fractionally improved a person’s risk of infection.” Texas officials accused Pfizer of violating several laws, including the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, that prohibit misleading advertising. Pfizer removed the case to federal court and said in court filings that it was protected against the suit by the PREP Act. The act states in part that it grants immunity “from suit and liability under Federal and State law with respect to all claims for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the administration to or the use by an individual of a covered countermeasure,” with narrow exceptions, during an emergency.

The U.S. health secretary declared an emergency over COVID-19 in 2020. Immunity for vaccine makers was recently extended through 2029. “The statute provides immunity from claims for ‘any type of loss’ related to the administration or use of Pfizer’s vaccine,” Pfizer lawyers wrote in a brief in support of the company’s motion to dismiss the case, quoting from a ruling in a separate case. “The claims here fall squarely within this broad definition of ‘loss.’” Texas lawyers said in response that the PREP Act does not shield Pfizer in part because Congress did not preempt state claims against drug manufacturers. “The State’s Complaint contains well-pled factual allegations focusing on Pfizer’s gross misrepresentations to the public about specific aspects of its vaccine’s performance, and that is not preempted,” they told Cummings. Cummings sided with Pfizer in his brief ruling, which concluded by saying the case was dismissed “for essentially the reasons argued in the Motion and Reply” from Pfizer.

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“2025 will be trench warfare between the Deep State control team and the freedom and sovereignty team.”

• Fight Between Freedom & Deep State Control – Catherine Austin Fitts (USAW)

Catherine Austin Fitts (CAF), Publisher of The Solari Report, says the real work for the Trump Administration is happening now. CAF is a financial expert and former Assistant Secretary of Housing (Bush 41 Admin.) who managed hundreds of billions of dollars in her career. CAF says this is a fight within the Trump Administration that is summed up by those who will fight for freedom and sovereignty and those who want America under Deep State control. CAF explains, “You had a lot of people who voted for Trump that wanted to see him protect freedoms. You also have a lot of people voting and donating for Trump because they think he can get them the control grid. The centralization and decentralization are both hoping Trump will give them what they want. . . .

Trump has to do something that works economically. The first day, Trump will be asked to fill the top 10 or 20 positions. Ultimately, after you fill the cabinet and the other top positions, then there are another 10,000 positions to be filled. The President does 1,000 positions, and those thousand do the rest of about 10,000 positions. The guys who want the control grid are trying to get their people in place. The guys who want freedom are trying to get their people in place. . . . After you get the people in place, it’s going to have to be battled out one policy at a time. . . . So, this is trench warfare, and it’s not going to be decided by the election. It’s going to be decided by the staffing and the policy debate that happens day after day.

The corruption that has to be cleaned up is huge. Take the recent announcement of royalties being paid to a government health agency — the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CAF says, “The NIH is receiving $1.1 billion from Pfizer–BioNTech for the Covid vaccine shots.” Ed Dowd says we just added a fresh 800,000 disabled people to the 4 million disabled since the CV19 shots were introduced. The total amount of disabled people in the US from the CV19 vax now stands at 4.8 million. CAF points out Dr. Mark Skidmore (Michigan State) just published a study that says if we could go back to the disability numbers of 2010 and before, the US could reduce the federal deficit by $500 billion a year!! CAF says, “If you connect the dots with Ed Dowd, Dr. Skidmore’s study and the announcement of Pfizer paying royalties to NIH, we are paying NIH a billion dollars to poison the American people and bankrupting the country.”

There is no wonder why Big Pharma and the NIH are very nervous of Bobby Kennedy Jr. Keep in mind, this is just one broken piece of corrupt government. CAF says look who DOGE is auditing first. It’s the IRS. CAF says, “If you knew the government was missing $21 trillion (and it is), you would go to the Fed and audit them. . . . We are going to go over to the New York Fed and the Treasury and look at the bank accounts and find out where that money went and get it back—right? Why would they audit the IRS? Because Janet Yellen (Treasury Secretary) says the American people owe $7 trillion in unpaid taxes. There is only one reason you audit the IRS, and that’s because you want to collect the $7 trillion. So, you are not trying to find the $21 trillion that has disappeared out the back door? You are trying to find the people who Janet Yellen says owe the US Treasury.

CAF says look out for the push for a digital ID. It equals slavery. It’s being pushed by the Deep State control team. CAF says the freedom team will push to keep cash alive. Everyone can do that by using cash more. CAF says, “The big danger in 2025 is going to be rising inflation. . . .The real inflation rate is around 10%.” CAF also says there is a big market correction coming because the stock market is in a bubble. CAF says there will be gruesome news coming out of Syria in 2025 because her sources say, “The genocide and slaughter are off the charts in Syria.” In closing, CAF says there are many ways the Deep State control team wants to separate you from your wealth, and the freedom team will be proposing ways to stop that along with protecting freedom of speech. 2025 will be trench warfare between the Deep State control team and the freedom and sovereignty team.

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Word games. They don’t want neutrality, they want control.

• Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Biden Net Neutrality Rules (Hill)

A federal appeals court ruled this week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lacked the authority to restore certain net neutrality rules last year, handing a blow to FCC Democrats and Biden administration officials who pushed for revived open internet measures. The Thursday ruling by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals overturns last year’s FCC vote, which reinstated the net neutrality rules barring broadband providers from blocking or throttling internet traffic to some websites and speeding up access to others that pay extra fees. The three-judge panel pointed to a Supreme Court decision last June that scaled back executive agencies’ power by overturning Chevron deference, the legal doctrine that previously instructed judges to defer to agencies in cases where the law is ambiguous.

In upending the decision, judges are now expected to substitute their own best interpretation of the law instead of deferring to the agencies. Judge Richard Allen Griffin, writing for himself and Judge John K. Bush, wrote broadband must be considered an “information service,” not a “telecommunications service” as the FCC said in its order last year. The net neutrality rules were first approved in 2015 under former President Obama but repealed under President-elect Trump’s first term in 2017. The commission voted along partisan lines last April to restore the rules under the leadership of Democratic FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel. Rosenworcel on Thursday urged Congress to take action in response to the ruling.

“Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair,” she wrote in a statement. “With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open internet principles in federal law.” Advocates of net neutrality argue it is necessary for ensuring a fair and open internet, while critics claim the rules would expand government control over the internet to solve a problem that has not proved especially pervasive. Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr, who is expected take over as chair this month as the commission switches to a GOP majority, voted against restoring the rules last year, stating the agency “offers up a laundry list of bogus justification” for bringing broadband service under Title II of the Communications Act.

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“..the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives the president the power to permanently protect waters from development..”

• Biden To Block Trump’s Energy Plans Before Exit (RT)

US President Joe Biden will invoke a 70-year-old law in a bid to stop incoming President Donald Trump from expanding oil and gas drilling in much of US coastal waters, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Biden’s planned executive order will draw on the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives the president the power to permanently protect waters from development, anonymous White House sources told the news outlet. According to these sources, Biden is expected to apply the ban to parts of the Pacific Ocean near California and eastern Gulf of Mexico near Florida.

The ban was described by Bloomberg as permanent, with the outlet noting that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act does not give presidents the authority to revoke protective orders after they are issued. However, some previous orders have been legally challenged and modified. During his first term in office, Trump attempted to revoke an order by former President Barack Obama protecting 125 million acres of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, but his attempt was rejected by a court in 2019. Before he was elected in 2020, Biden promised to allow no new offshore drilling projects. However, he broke this promise last year when he announced three new offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, 2027, and 2029. Biden’s three sales are the fewest announced by any US president in modern history.

Trump has promised to significantly expand domestic energy exploration and production, declaring on the campaign trail that he will “drill, baby, drill.” The president-elect has also promised to roll back Biden’s electric-vehicle mandates, which currently require 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 46% of medium-duty vehicles to be electric by 2032. In a separate move announced on Tuesday, the US Department of the Interior said that it would place a 20-year ban on oil, gas, and geothermal development in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains. The department said that it would hold a 90-day public consultation on the proposal, adding that the ban was requested by Native American tribes, conservationists, and hunters.

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“The second problem is the FBI’s utter lack of credibility, highlighted by Russiagate, Johnson said.”

• Ex-CIA Analyst Doesn’t Buy FBI’s New Year’s Day Terror Narrative (Sp.)

Twin violent incidents rocked the US on New Year’s Day, with an ex-US Army vet plowing a pickup into a crowd in New Orleans and going down guns blazing in a firefight with police, and an active-duty Green Beret blowing up in a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Sputnik asked renowned former CIA analyst Larry Johnson to weigh in. “Right now, the FBI is trying to present this as what they call a ‘lone wolf individual’, acting on his own by himself. I know that’s the story. I don’t find it to be particularly credible,” Johnson said, commenting on the terror attack that rocked New Orleans and claimed scores of lives January 1.

“Let’s start with the fact that the initial news reports presented this as a further sign of the lack of control over immigration in the United States. This had nothing to do with illegal migrants. These were two US citizens, both,” Johnson emphasized, adding that both men were also affiliated with the Army. “It’s a threat from within,” the observer said, calling reports that the New Orleans attacker was affiliated with ISIS* “curious and ironic,” given the US government’s habit of labeling people terrorists and then working with them, whether in Syria today or Afghanistan going back to the 1980s. The second problem is the FBI’s utter lack of credibility, highlighted by Russiagate, Johnson said.

“The FBI said while there’s no evidence that [the New Orleans attacker] was working with anybody else. I gotta be honest, I don’t trust the FBI. The FBI has a history of lying, absolute lying and fabricating. They fabricated the whole Russiagate affair,” Johnson recalled, citing the debunked claim hatched by the Clinton campaign in 2016 and taken up by the FBI in 2016 about Donald Trump’s alleged ‘collusion’ with Russia. “I can’t rule out the possibility that this individual was acting as part of a broader effort to create chaos and instability in the United States prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump to prevent Trump from being inaugurated. Because Trump is seen as a potential existential threat to organizations like the FBI, the CIA, [and] the Department of Justice,” the veteran former intel analyst said.

Johnson also has a number of other questions regarding the New Orleans incident, like who really planted the two discovered IEDs, and where the money came from, given that the suspect was reportedly broke, and served in the Army’s HR department, meaning he had no special explosives or firearms training. The Las Vegas suspect on the other hand, as an active-duty special forces NCO, “did have the training with weapons and explosives, which in turn begs the question of how did he blow himself up?” Johnson asked, adding that the social media photo of the suspect wearing a ‘Slava Ukraini’ T-shirt begs the question of whether he ever traveled to Ukraine or had any contacts with Ukrainian intelligence.

“Because this very well could have been tied into Ukraine. Carrying out an attack on the Trump Tower. Because they recognize Donald Trump is going to potentially bring an end to this war,” Johnson said. At the moment, there are more questions than solid answers on all counts, the observer summed up.

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Is this why Kirilov was murdered?

• Bill Gates Turns Mosquitoes Into ‘Flying Syringes’ (Sp.)

A Bill Gates-funded center has bred mosquitoes capable of injecting parasites into unsuspecting humans under the pretext of vaccinating against malaria. But are they truly harmless? The Gates Foundation-backed Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands has developed a method of malaria vaccination using mosquitoes to deliver live-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum parasites. The mosquitoes act as ‘flying syringes’ to deliver malaria vaccines – or potentially other substances. But concerns have been raised that recipients could be unaware of the process and be vaccinated without their consent.

In 2008, Gates pledged $168 million to develop a next-gen malaria vaccine. Jichi Medical University in Japan received funding to genetically modify mosquitoes that can pass a malaria vaccine protein into a host. In 2016, Gates announced a joint $3.7-billion initiative with the British government to combat malaria. By 2018, Gates-funded Oxitec was developing genetically-modified male mosquitoes whose offspring with wild females would die before adulthood. In both cases, scientists raised concerns over the lack of comprehensive studies of environmental, health and ethical risks. If issues of human consent and ethics are overlooked, insects could be used as ‘vectors’ for other biological agents. But who guarantees they carry life-saving vaccines and not harmful pathogens? It would be impossible to verify the exact contents of the ‘flying syringes’.

The Pentagon is said to have conducted similar studies in overseas bio-labs, including in Ukraine, according to assassinated Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. Kirillov revealed that US biolabs in Ukraine studied viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, including dengue fever. That was also referenced in a lawsuit filed by Cubans following the 1981 dengue epidemic in the country, where the only area unaffected was around the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay.

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Camouflage

 

 

2 old guys

 

 

Grafting

 

 

Komodo

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle Christmas Day 2024

Dec 252024
 
 December 25, 2024  Posted by at 10:59 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,  57 Responses »


Giuseppe Arcimboldo Four elements – Fire 1566

 

• A Simple Way Donald Trump Can End the Ukraine and Israel Wars (Adam Dick)
• The Greatest Gift of All (Paul Craig Roberts)
• EU In Denial About Defeat In Ukraine – Orban (RT)
• Orban Offers Two Scenarios For End Of Ukraine Conflict (RT)
• Kremlin Comments On Orban’s Vision Of Ukraine Peace (RT)
• Trump Wants ‘Sustainable Peace’ In Ukraine – Envoy (RT)
• Trump in 2025 (Paul Craig Roberts)
• Eric Trump Posts Dad’s ‘Shopping List’ Of Countries (RT)
• Zelensky Admits Offering Money To Slovak PM Fico (RT)
• EU Should Investigate Ukraine Not Slovakia – Lawmaker (RT)
• NATO States Won’t Achieve Spending Goals Soon – El Pais (RT)
• Democrats More Likely to Cut Off Relatives Over Political Differences (AmG)
• Rand Paul’s Annual Festivus List: Over 1 TRILLION in Government Waste (Calvin)
• Speaker Johnson Shielded J6 Committee ‘Star Witness’ from GOP Subpoena (HUSA)
• Putin Weighs In On The Syrian Situation (Bhadrakumar)
• High Electricity Taxes Are Crippling European Industry (OP)
• Africa Is ‘New Focus’ Of US Biolab Activities – Moscow (RT)

 

 

 

 

Silent night
https://twitter.com/i/status/1871286098854584390

Reagan

Greenland

Scaramucci
https://twitter.com/i/status/1871370816727740800

Jan6

Chamath
https://twitter.com/i/status/1871367613164499114

Isaacson

Gaetz

 

 

 

 

“..righty tighty..”

• A Simple Way Donald Trump Can End the Ukraine and Israel Wars (Adam Dick)

Upon his inauguration as president, Donald Trump will become the leader of a United States executive branch mired in two major wars via its continuing pumping of money, weapons, and intelligence into support of the Ukraine and Israel governments. Trump has declared his opposition to the continuation of these wars. But, how can he end them? The means by which Trump can end the wars is simpler than many Americans think. This means just does not come to mind for many Americans because it is far removed from the course US presidents have tended to pursue over the last few decades. Righty tighty. That’s it. Taking the US out of these wars is as simple as turning off a standard outdoor water faucet. President Joe Biden has turned the handle all the way lefty loosey. Trump should just turn it back all the way. Shut off the money flow. Shut off the weapons flow. Shut off the intelligence flow.

And there is no good reason for Trump to take his time about it. He should turn off the flow of aid in all forms promptly in his presidency. Doing so would comport with Trump’s stated objectives regarding the Ukraine War and the Israel War during his campaign and since. Trump has repeated his promise to end the Ukraine War in a day. He has also commented on multiple occasions that he wants the Israel War over before he is even sworn in as president. Without US support, Ukraine and Israel lack the means to continue their wars. Deprived of the means to continue fighting in anywhere near the strength they have, both governments will immediately find themselves in a new situation where their best option is to seek peace. Without critical US support, the Ukraine government will negotiate what it will give up in its loss to Russia.

Meanwhile, Israel, also deprived of critical US support, will have to pare its ambition in its multifront war. Their only other option is suicidal fighting on in a lost cause. Sober military members would probably put a stop to that. No matter, it was never the cause — lost or otherwise — of America anyway. What about negative political repercussions for Trump from his ending US participation in the wars? Such participation lacks popular support, so ending it would seem a plus for Trump’s popularity. Further, since Trump won the presidential election portraying himself as the “peace candidate,” even people who dislike his extraction of the US from the wars would not be very convincing complaining of Trump acting inconsistently or hypocritically. Indeed, Trump could proclaim that his action is a promise kept.

There is even a political urgency for Trump to turn the faucet handle righty tighty. If he continues supporting the wars for weeks or, worse, months or even years, the wars will become Trump wars as they have been Biden wars. Americans would feel relief when Trump after significant delay terminates US involvement, but any effort then to praise him as a man of peace will be met with justified skepticism. There would be blood on his hands. If President Trump quickly turns off the faucet for the Ukraine War, the defeat of Ukraine will be accelerated. Trump can portray such as the much-needed termination of Biden’s deadly folly, reminding Americans as Trump has over the past couple years that the entire conflict would have been avoided had Trump been president. Trump can also claim victory in stopping the killing of people — Ukrainian and Russian — something he has pointed to as his primary objective.

In turning off the war support for the Israel government, Trump is in a different position as he has expressed his particularly strong support for this government. But, Trump, as with the Ukraine war, has also expressed his strong desire for the carnage in the Israel War to end. Trump, when shutting off the faucet, can declare victory for Israel. He can claim the defeat by Israel of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He can claim also Israel’s elimination of threat posed to it from Syria. The war is over and won can be his message. Trump will surely face difficult challenges as president, but on the major issues of the Ukraine War and Israel War, the solution is simple: righty tighty.

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“Power is the horse ridden by evil.”

• The Greatest Gift of All (Paul Craig Roberts)

The decorations and gifts of Christmas are one of our connections to a Christian culture that has held Western civilization together for 2,000 years. In our culture the individual counts. This permits an individual person to put his or her foot down, to take a stand on principle, to become a reformer and to take on injustice. This empowerment of the individual is unique to Western civilization. It has made the individual a citizen equal in rights to all other citizens, protected from tyrannical government by the rule of law and free speech. These achievements are the products of centuries of struggle, but they all flow from the teaching that God so values the individual’s soul that he sent his son to die so we might live. By so elevating the individual, Christianity gave him a voice.

Formerly only those with power had a voice. But in Western civilization people with integrity have a voice. So do people with a sense of justice, of honor, of duty, of fair play. Reformers can reform, investors can invest, and entrepreneurs can create commercial enterprises, new products and new occupations. The result was a land of opportunity. The United States attracted immigrants who shared our values and reflected them in their own lives. Our culture was absorbed by a diverse people who became one. In recent decades we have lost sight of the historic achievement that empowered the individual. The religious, legal and political roots of this great achievement are no longer reverently taught in high schools, colleges and universities or respected by our government.

The voices that reach us through the millennia and connect us to our culture are being silenced by “Identity Politics,” “political correctness,” “critical race theory,” “DEI,” and the war against “white culture.” Prayer has been driven from schools and Christian religious symbols from public life. Christianity is being gradually marginalized. Each year it becomes more difficult to find a Christmas card that says “Merry Christmas” instead of “Seasons Greetings.” In place of Christmas carols we get Hollywood Christmas songs. In some churches Christianity is being transmuted into Christian Zionism and the worship of Israel. Others fly LGBTQ and BLM flags. We are approaching a time when a Christian Christmas cannot be celebrated as it is not inclusive in a diverse society and therefore is politically incorrect if not a hate crime.

Constitutional protections have been diminished by hegemonic political ambitions. Indefinite detention, torture, and murder are now acknowledged practices of the United States government. The historic achievement of due process has been rolled back. Tyranny has re-emerged. Diversity at home and hegemony abroad are consuming values and are dismantling the culture and the rule of law. There is plenty of room for cultural diversity in the world, but not within a single country. A Tower of Babel has no culture. A person cannot be a Christian one day, a pagan the next and a Muslim the day after. A hodgepodge of cultural and religious values provides no basis for law – except the raw power of the pre-Christian past. All Americans have a huge stake in Christianity. Whether or not we are individually believers in Christ, we are beneficiaries of the moral doctrine that has curbed power and protected the weak.

Power is the horse ridden by evil. In the 20th century the horse was ridden hard, and the 21st century shows an increase in pace. Millions of people were exterminated in the 20th century by wars that served the ambitions of political leaders and ideological movements. Many were murdered simply because they were members of a class or race that had been demonized by intellectuals and political authority. In the beginning years of the 21st century, hundreds of thousands of Muslims in seven countries have been murdered and millions displaced in order to serve the neoconservatives’ agenda of extending Washington and Israel’s hegemony. Power that is secularized and cut free of civilizing traditions is not limited by moral and religious scruples. V.I. Lenin made this clear when he defined the meaning of his dictatorship as “unlimited power, resting directly on force, not limited by anything.”

Washington’s drive for hegemony over US citizens and the rest of the world is based entirely on the exercise of force and is resurrecting unaccountable power. Christianity’s emphasis on the worth of the individual makes such power as Lenin claimed, and Washington now claims, unthinkable. Be we religious or be we not, our celebration of Christ’s birthday celebrates a religion that made us masters of our souls and of our political life on Earth. Such a religion as this is worth holding on to even by atheists. As we enter into 2025, Western civilization, the product of thousands of years of striving, is in decline. Degeneracy is everywhere before our eyes. As the West sinks into tyranny and degeneracy, will Western peoples defend their liberty and their souls, or will they sink into the tyranny, which again has raised its ugly and all devouring head?

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“Orban has repeatedly called for immediate peace talks. “We need to stop dreaming about a military solution..”

• EU In Denial About Defeat In Ukraine – Orban (RT)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused the European Union of being in denial about its inability to secure a victory for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. Speaking to the broadcaster M1 on Sunday, Orban criticized the bloc’s leaders for ignoring the reality on the ground and asserted that their current approach is merely prolonging the conflict without achieving meaningful results. In recent months, Russian forces have advanced rapidly in the Donbass region, steadily pushing westward since capturing the strategic town of Avdeevka in February. In October, they seized another key Ukrainian stronghold, the town of Ugledar, and are now close to taking control of Kurakhovo, a major Ukrainian logistical hub. “The reality is that Ukraine is not winning on the battlefield,” Orban said during the interview.

“Leaders in Brussels are living in a self-created bubble, refusing to acknowledge that this war cannot be won in the way they imagine.” He argued that continued military support and sanctions against Russia are counterproductive, harming European economies more than achieving their intended goals. “The sanctions have failed,” Orban claimed. “Instead of crippling Russia, they have weakened Europe. Yet, Brussels refuses to face this truth.” Hungary has often been at odds with its EU partners over their approach to the conflict. While the bloc has remained steadfast in providing military aid and imposing sanctions on Russia, Orban has repeatedly called for immediate peace talks. “We need to stop dreaming about a military solution,” he said.

“The only way forward is through negotiations. Ukraine’s defeat is not just possible but increasingly likely, and the longer this war drags on, the worse it will be for all of Europe.” Orban’s comments have drawn criticism from other EU leaders, who argue that his remarks undermine the bloc’s unity against Russia in the conflict. Despite the backlash, Orban has insisted that Hungary would not support measures that escalate the conflict further. “Hungary will stand for peace and the interests of its people,” he said. “It’s time to prioritize diplomacy over delusions of victory.” Russia has repeatedly insisted that Western weapons supplies to Ukraine will not deter it from achieving its military objectives, nor will it change the outcome of the conflict. Rather, arming the Kiev regime only serves to prolong the hostilities, Moscow believes.

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“The war will end in 2025. Either through successful peace negotiations or by the destruction of one of the fighting parties..”

• Orban Offers Two Scenarios For End Of Ukraine Conflict (RT)

The Ukraine conflict will be resolved one way or another next year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has told the newspaper Magyar Nemzet, proposing two basic scenarios for how this outcome will emerge. “The war will end in 2025. Either through successful peace negotiations or by the destruction of one of the fighting parties,” he said in an interview published on Tuesday. Orban, a longtime critic of Western military assistance to Kiev and sanctions on Russia, was discussing how his nation had weathered the three years of the Ukraine crisis. He said in such a period a nation is lucky not to backslide economically, as many members of the EU have. Next year Hungary will enjoy the renewal of strong growth, he predicted. “We are prepared, and we will make a flying start in 2025,” he said.

“The policy of peace will return instead of war policy, and we will have great economic successes again.” When asked about Orban’s remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Russia has always been willing to take the diplomatic route for achieving its national security goals vis-a-vis Ukraine, but that Kiev is unwilling to negotiate. That is why Moscow keeps moving toward its objectives by military means, he added. “We see the dynamics, and the dynamics speak for themselves,” the official said.

The Hungarian leader did not explain which party he believed could be “destroyed” in 2025. Russia currently has a decisive advantage on the battlefield, while the government in Kiev is reportedly lobbying US President-elect Donald Trump for better support. The incoming president has argued that both Ukraine and Russia must seek to stop the bloodshed. He has stated his intention to facilitate a truce upon taking office in January. Orban, who supported Trump during the presidential race, has expressed confidence in the latter’s ability to deliver.

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“Since so far there has been no movement in terms of Ukraine’s readiness to negotiate, we are continuing our military operation..”

• Kremlin Comments On Orban’s Vision Of Ukraine Peace (RT)

Russia has always been willing to achieve its goals in the Ukraine conflict diplomatically and has only resorted to military means because Kiev rejects talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, commenting on a statement by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that the hostilities will end next year. In an interview published earlier in the day by Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet, Orban expressed certainty that peace in the Ukraine conflict would be achieved in 2025, either through negotiations or after “one of the parties” is destroyed, he reasoned.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “has repeatedly stated that we are open to dealing with our issues through negotiations,” Peskov told the media, when asked about the remarks. He was referring to the national security goals outlined by the Russian leader. “Since so far there has been no movement in terms of Ukraine’s readiness to negotiate, we are continuing our military operation,” he added. The situation on the battlefield, where Russian troops have an advantage over their opponents, “speaks for itself,” Peskov said. Moscow wants its neighbor to be neutral rather than a member of NATO, a military bloc that Russia considers hostile.

It also demands that the Ukrainian military be limited in strength and that Kiev abandon policies that discriminate against ethnic Russians in the country. Moscow has characterized the conflict as a Western proxy war against Russia in which Ukrainians serve as cannon fodder. Earlier this month, the Russian military released its latest assessment of Ukrainian battlefield casualties. Roughly one million troops have been killed, injured or taken captive since the tensions with Kiev escalated in February 2022, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said in a year-end report. More than half of the losses, or 560,000, were recorded this year, he said.

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“It’s time for Europe to really step up… It’s in their neighborhood..”

• Trump Wants ‘Sustainable Peace’ In Ukraine – Envoy (RT)

A sustainable peace between Russia and Ukraine is one of President-elect Donald Trump’s top foreign policy priorities, according to his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Army General Keith Kellogg. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Kellogg stated that Trump wants to “stop the killing and bring peace to the region,” describing the Ukraine conflict as the “number one international priority” for the president-elect. In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Kellogg stated that Trump wants to “stop the killing and bring peace to the region,” describing the Ukraine conflict as “number one international priority” for the president-elect. According to Kellogg, Trump is seeking a peace that will be “fair… sustainable, and secure,” adding that he does not want the settlement process to go the same way as the now-defunct Minsk agreements.

Signed in 2014 and brokered by Germany and France, the agreements were intended to give the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, now part of Russia, special status within the Ukrainian state. However, former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, as well as former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande have admitted that they wanted to use the ceasefire to buy time and buttress Kiev’s military. The Minsk process “failed miserably,” Kellogg said. “The president will not go there. He understands the importance of relations he has with his allies, and also with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin as well.

He is the man who can bring it to a conclusion… in a relatively near term,” he said, without commenting on how the president-elect plans to accomplish this goal. Kellogg stressed that the Ukraine conflict is a “European-based problem,” adding that the US has been “incredibly generous” in terms of aiding Kiev. “It’s time for Europe to really step up… It’s in their neighborhood,” he stated. The retired general was reportedly one of the authors of a peace plan that would freeze the conflict along the current front line without recognizing Russia’s sovereignty over territories claimed by Ukraine while suspending Kiev’s NATO membership ambitions.

Several Western media have reported that Kellogg will soon embark on a European tour and visit several capitals, including Kiev, Rome, and Paris, in a bid to further Trump’s long-stated goal of settling the Ukraine conflict. According to Bloomberg, Kellogg may also be open to traveling to Moscow after visiting Kiev. Officials in Moscow have said they have had no contact on Ukraine with either Trump or his team. They have also ruled out the freezing of the conflict, insisting that all the goals of the military operation, including Kiev’s neutrality, demilitarization and denazification, must be met. However, Putin has signaled that he is open to talks with Trump.

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“Plea bargaining permits anyone to be charged for anything and coerced into a self-incriminating plea bargain. Consequently, the evidence against the person is never tested in court..”

• Trump in 2025 (Paul Craig Roberts)

As President-elect Trump’s inauguration approaches, Trump supporters are happy in their thoughts that Trump will halt the inflow of immigrant-invaders, pardon the wrongly imprisoned Jan 6 attendees, stop America’s participation in wars that benefit only Israel, and hold accountable scoundrels such as FBI director Wray, AG Garland, and a large number of FBI, DOJ, and CIA operatives who committed high treason by engaging in frame-ups of the President of the United States. The ruling establishment is unlikely to accept these goals and can use its control over House and Senate that its campaign contributions provide to water down, if not block, these initiatives. It is time for MAGA America to think beyond specific agenda items. The restoration of America requires the restoration of truth, justice, the rule of law and respect for the Constitution.

The restoration of truth requires the breakup of the six mega-corporations that own 90% of the American media. The print and TV media must be returned to a combination of private and smaller corporate hands. The restoration of justice requires the abolition of plea bargains. When guilt had to be determined by jury and not by self-incrimination, a prosecutor’s budget required him to focus on the most serious crimes with the most likely success in conviction. Plea bargaining permits anyone to be charged for anything and coerced into a self-incriminating plea bargain. Consequently, the evidence against the person is never tested in court. The restoration of the rule of law requires serious punishment for prosecutors who weaponize law and turn it into a weapon in the hands of the state instead of a shield of the people.

To restore respect for the Constitution requires a total cutoff of federal funding for every university the law school of which disrespects the Constitution. The United States is the Constitution. Disrespect for the Constitution is disrespect for the United States. Universities and law schools that disrespect the US Constitution are actively working against the United States. They are agents of a hostile ideological agenda to overthrow the United States and to replace it with something else. This does not mean that reforms cannot be achieved. There have been reforms over the course of our history, many of which were ill-considered and damaging. The Constitutional grounds for some reforms were non-existent and were invented by progressive Supreme Court judges to serve ideological agendas. Bad judgment aside, the Constitution does not prevent reforms.

The agenda I propose is more likely of success. It does not directly attack the immediate economic or financial interests of lobby groups that want cheap labor and wars that produce armaments profits. It is difficult to oppose conviction by evidence instead of self-incrimination. It is difficult to oppose faithfulness to and respect for the US Constitution. Top officials still take their oath of office on it. It is difficult to champion propaganda over truth. It is difficult to defend double standards in law and punishment. My fear is that Trump, having assembled a government of Zionists, will achieve nothing but a war with Iran for Israel’s interest.

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“..“is of the belief that empires that don’t grow start to fail”..”

• Eric Trump Posts Dad’s ‘Shopping List’ Of Countries (RT)

Eric Trump has posted a tongue-in-cheek meme depicting his father, US President-elect Donald Trump, purchasing entire regions on Amazon. In a post on X on Tuesday, Eric Trump showed his father’s imaginary Amazon Prime “shopping cart,” filled with Canada, Greenland, and Panama Canal and complete with a “free delivery” option. He accompanied the meme with the caption: “We’re so back!” Eric Trump’s lighthearted post follows his father’s controversial comments regarding the three places listed and his plans for them upon returning to the White House in late January. Last week, the president-elect revived a suggestion he made during his first term in office that Washington could buy Greenland from Denmark, which has controlled the territory for more than 300 years.

In a post on his Truth Social media platform, Trump wrote that the US needs to acquire the autonomous territory “for purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world.” In another post on Saturday, Trump warned that Washington could seek to regain control over the Panama Canal, a crucial artery which handles about 5% of world trade, if the Central American country continues to impose “exorbitant” fees on American vessels to use the waterway. He slammed the US decision to transfer full control over the canal to Panama back in 1999 as foolish. Earlier this month, Trump also suggested that Canada should become the 51st US state. He reportedly first made the comment during a dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where the latter tried to dissuade Trump from placing tariffs on his country in retaliation for failing to stem the flow of illegal migrants and drugs across the border with the US.

Trump reiterated his call in a post last week, writing: “I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!” Trump aides and allies reportedly believe he is in earnest about buying Greenland and potentially retaking the Panama Canal, according to the New York Post. “The president is 100% serious,” a source close to Trump told the news outlet, while another one noted that the president-elect “is of the belief that empires that don’t grow start to fail” and “favors past presidents who were expansionist on the continent.” The Panama and Greenland authorities, however, have not been thrilled with Trump’s expansion plans. Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, dismissed any possibility of a deal with Trump on Monday, stating that the island “is ours” and “not for sale,” as quoted by AFP.

In a video address on Sunday, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino also brushed off Trump’s threats, declaring that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama, and it will continue to be so.” Canadian leader Trudeau has yet to respond to Trump’s 51st state jabs, but other officials have so far downplayed them. For instance, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said last week Canada will “never” become part of the US, as did Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

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“Robert Fico has said he rejected a proposed €500 million in exchange for backing Ukraine’s NATO bid..”

Who gives Zelensky that money?

• Zelensky Admits Offering Money To Slovak PM Fico (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has confirmed that he offered money to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during their recent meeting in Brussels, amid a row between the two nations over the transit of Russian gas.Kiev intends to cut supplies of Russian fuel through its territory when a five-year transit contract expires at the end of the year, which Slovakia says would undermine its energy security. After a meeting of EU leaders with Zelensky last week, Fico claimed he had rejected an offer of €500 million ($520 million) in exchange for Bratislava’s backing of the Ukrainian bid to join NATO. Zelensky disputed the reason for his proposal in a post on X on Tuesday. “We offered him solutions regarding potential compensation for Slovaks – the Slovaks specifically – for losses from Russian transit, as well as alternatives for transit – any other gas, not Russian, at the request of the European Commission,” he wrote.

Zelensky reiterated his previous allegations that Fico’s policies are motivated by “personal gain” under “murky schemes” with Moscow. The Ukrainian leader first made the unsubstantiated claims when reacting to Fico’s visit to Russia last Sunday, where he met President Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation with gas supplies. The €500 million that Fico mentioned during a press conference would come from Russian national assets, which Kiev claims it has the right to use as it sees fit. Western nations have frozen some $300 billion in funds kept by Moscow in their jurisdiction, after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022.

Brussels has rejected calls by Kiev and Washington to seize the immobilized money, saying that the move would deal a blow to the euro and the bloc’s financial system. Russia has warned that it would retaliate against the “theft” of its property. Fico has warned that a “serious conflict” with Kiev would develop if Zelensky “doesn’t release our gas.” Ukraine has been transporting Russian-origin energy to European consumers since Soviet times. The Slovak prime minister is a dissenter among Western leaders, as he opposes continued military assistance to Kiev and urges a negotiated resolution of the tensions with Russia.

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“Slovakia needs to keep the lights on and its industry running and “cannot afford to act like children..”

• EU Should Investigate Ukraine Not Slovakia – Lawmaker (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s demand for the EU to investigate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is absurd, an MP from Slovakia’s ruling party has told RT. Kiev is violating its deal with the bloc not to obstruct energy deliveries, Richard Gluck has argued. Fico traveled to Moscow over the weekend for talks with President Vladimir Putin on how Bratislava can continue to buy Russian oil, gas and nuclear fuel. Zelensky lambasted Fico over the meeting on social media. Bratislava’s engagement with Moscow is “a big security issue” for the EU and raises the question of how much Russia is paying Fico, he claimed. The Ukrainian leader urged Slovakia’s “law enforcement and special services” to get involved in the matter. Speaking to RT on Monday, Gluck insisted The prime minister’s decision to go to Moscow was “very smart” and “how all sovereign countries should act.”

“Russia is our partner,” he added. “We need to have good energy supplies for a reasonable price.” Gluck disagreed with Zelensky’s assessment, noting that Fico has committed no crime. He said that the democratically elected prime minister acted as the leader of a sovereign country to protect Slovakia’s interests. Zelensky’s comments are “a little bit funny,” Gluck said, given that Ukraine violated the terms of its application to join the EU by blocking gas deliveries to a member of the bloc. Gluck suggested that the EU should investigate this issue instead. Slovakia needs to keep the lights on and its industry running and “cannot afford to act like children,” Gluck said.

After his meeting with Putin, Fico said his trip to Russia was in response to Zelensky’s refusal to allow the transit of Russian natural gas to Slovakia. “Such attitudes financially harm Slovakia and threaten the operation of nuclear power plants in Slovakia, which is unacceptable,” Fico said at the time. Russia delivers gas to Slovakia mainly through the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline. Kiev is unwilling to extend the gas transit agreement with Moscow, which is set to expire on December 31. Last week, Fico accused Zelensky of offering him a bribe of €500 million ($521 million) in exchange for Bratislava supporting Kiev’s bid to join NATO. The Slovak prime minister has publicly said he would veto any attempt by Ukraine to become a member of the US-led military bloc, as this would amount to a war with Russia.

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Bring down US spending instead of raising EU spending. At least one problem solved.

• NATO States Won’t Achieve Spending Goals Soon – El Pais (RT)

A number of NATO members are reportedly concerned they will be unable to fulfill the defense spending goals likely to be demanded by incoming US President Donald Trump, Spanish outlet El Pais reported on Monday citing diplomatic sources. According to the outlet, Trump’s upcoming presidency has revived debate within the US-led military bloc about increasing the defense spending requirement by its 32 members to 3% of their GDP. The new spending target could reportedly be approved as early as the next NATO summit in the Hague next July, according to El Pais sources. However, the paper said some members have warned that this goal is unrealistic. “A gradual increase could be agreed, but it is more important to ensure that everyone reaches the figure of 2% that had already been agreed and which was also recently agreed to be the spending floor and not the ceiling,” a diplomatic source told the outlet.

The newspaper also noted that increasing military investment could prove “problematic for many European countries” due to already tight budgets. This includes the major economies of Germany and France, which currently contribute just over 2% of their GDP to military spending. Eight members of the bloc, including Spain, Slovenia, and Belgium, have come under particular scrutiny for failing to comply with the current spending level of 2%. Spain, for example, currently contributes just 1.28% of its GDP and is in last place in terms of military spending in the bloc. It only plans to reach 2% by 2029. Sources within these countries admit that there is pressure from the bloc to comply but also note that the idea of raising the spending requirement even further is “not at all consolidated.”

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko recently warned that NATO appears to be preparing for war with Russia, stressing in an interview last week that it is “in everyone’s interests not to let the situation reach this kind of experiment.” Grushko stated that NATO’s current course poses a danger to both Russia and the overall security architecture and that Moscow determines its actions in view of the US-led bloc’s aggressive behavior and the direct risks to Russia’s security. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov also cautioned last week that the ongoing standoff with the US and its allies “continues to intensify and expand” and suggested that a direct clash with NATO in Europe could happen within the next decade, saying Russia should be prepared for such a scenario.

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“..nearly five times as likely as Republican voters (5%) to say they will be spending less time with certain family members..”

• Democrats More Likely to Cut Off Relatives Over Political Differences (AmG)

A new study found that Democratic voters are more likely than Republican voters to reduce the amount of time spent with family members over the holidays due to political disagreements. As reported by Breitbart, the survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), posted on December 13th, determined that “Democratic voters (23%) are nearly five times as likely as Republican voters (5%) to say they will be spending less time with certain family members because of their political views.” In a statement following the results of the study, PRRI founder and President Robert Jones said that “it may be tense around the Hanukkah and Christmas table.

“It’s not just that we’re disagreeing about abortion or we’re disagreeing about taxes or even immigration… but we’re disagreeing about a fundamental worldview and about identity.” Jones added that many respondents said their solution to such differences will be to simply avoid discussing politics during their family gatherings. The survey was conducted between November 8th and December 2nd, 2024, with a sample size of 5,772 American adults. The margin of error is 1.72%. Other studies have reported similar findings, with a CBS/YouGov survey in November finding that 72% of Democratic voters and 62% of Republican voters opted to avoid politics as a topic of discussion during family reunions.

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“..the U.S. government will add over $6.4 billion of debt every single day for the next ten years..”

• Rand Paul’s Annual Festivus List: Over 1 TRILLION in Government Waste (Calvin)

One of the wonderful features of Christmas is how different cultures have different ways of celebrating the holiday. If you are Irish, for example, you might go to Midnight Mass or take a plunge for a Christmas Swim. Italians traditionally celebrate Christmas Eve with the insanely delicious Feast of the Seven Fishes (La Vigilia in Italian). Germans are generally recognized as the culture that first brought us advent calendars and the Tannenbaum or Christmas tree (thank you, Martin Luther), but they also brought Krampus Nacht for the naughty children. If you are an American small government conservative, however, one Christmas tradition you always look forward to is the annual Festivus airing of grievances from Senator Rand Paul. Each year, Paul publishes a report of some of the worst examples of federal government waste … and calls out his colleagues on both sides of the aisle while doing so.

But Senator Paul may have outdone himself this year. For the first time ever, his Festivus list contains over $1 TRILLION in government waste. That’s ‘trillion’ with a T. Are you listening, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and DOGE? Paul’s full report is available here, but his introduction lets everyone know that, as usual, he is pulling no punches. “Last Festivus, we bemoaned the national debt nearing $34 trillion. In just a year, Washington’s career politicians and bureaucrats have managed to push it beyond $36 trillion—unsurprisingly, with hardly a second thought. Who’s to blame for our crushing national debt? Everybody. This year, members of both political parties in Congress voted for massive spending bills, filled with subsidies for underperforming industries, continued military aid to Ukraine, and controversial climate initiatives.

“As Congress spends to reward its favored pet projects, the American taxpayers are forced to pay through high prices and crippling interest rates. The same big spenders teamed up, yet again, to continue sending Americans’ hard-earned money to foreign countries, funding endless wars, all while STILL ignoring our wide-open southern border. And our mountain of debt will continue to pile even higher. The Congressional Budget Office predicts we will add an average of $2.1 trillion in debt annually for the next decade. According to a July House Budget Committee Report, the U.S. government will add over $6.4 billion of debt every single day for the next ten years, borrowing over $268 million every hour, $4.5 million every minute, and over $74,401 every second.

“This year, I am highlighting a whopping $1,008,313,329,626.12. That’s over $1 trillion in government waste, including things like ice-skating drag queens, a $12 Million Las Vegas pickleball complex, $4,840,082 on Ukrainian influencers, and more! No matter how much money the government has wasted, politicians keep demanding even more. As always, taking the path to fiscal responsibility is often a lonely journey, but I’ve been fighting government waste like DOGE before DOGE was cool. And I will continue my fight against government waste this holiday season.

Read more …

Does Johnson have a future as speaker?

• Speaker Johnson Shielded J6 Committee ‘Star Witness’ from GOP Subpoena (HUSA)

Over the last two years, the Republican-controlled House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight found numerous inconsistencies and outright lies in the testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson, who was the Democrat-controlled January 6th Commission’s “star witness” in the wake of Jan. 6, 2021. The Oversight Subcommittee apparently wanted to subpoena Hutchinson about her testimony. But according to a Tuesday report from Breitbart, House Speaker Mike Johnson blocked that from moving forward. Breitbart noted that the Oversight Subcommittee’s recent final report on Jan. 6 mentions Hutchinson by name 268 times, but didn’t reference bringing her in for questioning. “Johnson (R-LA) personally intervened to block the subcommittee from issuing a subpoena to Hutchinson,” Breitbart reported, citing an unnamed source. “Johnson, in a statement to Breitbart News, called that claim ‘clearly false.’”

The House Administration Subcommittee’s findings against Hutchinson are related to her June 28, 2022, testimony, when she said that she personally wrote a proposed Tweet on Jan. 6, 2021, for President Donald Trump to send advising rioters to leave the Capitol. The text of that proposed Tweet said, “ANYONE WHO ENTERED THE CAPITOL ILLEGALLY WITHOUT PROPER AUTHORITY SHOULD LEAVE IMMEDIATELY”—with the word ILLEGALLY scratched out. At the time, Hutchinson testified that she wrote the note as dictated by then-Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows and Eric Herschmann, one of the President’s attorneys. However, Herschmann alleged that Hutchinson was lying, and that he was the one who wrote the note. The House Administration Subcommittee said in October that it hired a handwriting analyst to review the note and determine who wrote it.

“After a thorough analysis, their certified handwriting analyst stated in the report that ‘the evidence supports my opinion that the handwriting that appears on the Questioned Document was written in the same hand as the exemplars [Herschmann],’” the House Administration Subcommittee said at the time. “This new evidence provided by an independent, Certified Questioned Document Examiner, not only contradicts Ms. Hutchinson’s numerous claims that she penned the note, but also exposes the Select Committee’s willingness to accept all her testimonies without corroboration or further investigation,” Subcommittee on Oversight Chair Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., said in a press release. The subcommittee also found that then-January 6th Commission Vice Chair Liz Cheney secretly communicated with Hutchinson, and may have pressured her to fire her attorney.

Additionally, Hutchinson was caught changing her testimony during the course of the Jan. 6 Committee hearings, as has been widely documented. Specifically, Hutchinson testified on June 28, 2022, that Trump tried to control the steering wheel while being driven to the White House following his Jan. 6 speech. Additionally, she claimed that the former president lunged at another agent. However, in her previous three transcribed interviews on February 23, 2022, March 7, 2022, and May 17, 2022, she did not mention that interaction, according to a later investigation from Loudermilk’s committee. The Oversight Subcommittee has recommended that the FBI investigate Cheney for potential witness-tampering charges.

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“The speed with which Assad was given asylum in Moscow and the peaceful transfer of power in Damascus hinted that the Kremlin was not taken by surprise.”

• Putin Weighs In On The Syrian Situation (Bhadrakumar)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his Results of the Year annual marathon yearender interactive televised discussion with the Russian public and the media in Moscow on December 19, spoke at some length on the recent developments in Syria. These were Putin’s first public remarks on the topic and, coming 12 days after armed opposition forces seized Damascus and the exile of former president Bashar al-Assad and his family in Moscow, they signified that the Kremlin is recalibrating its compass of West Asian strategies. Putin disclosed that he will soon have a meeting with Assad, signalling a level of transparency that is very rare in international diplomacy in comparable volatile circumstances. We still do not know, for instance, what happened to Afghan president Ashraf Ghani after the Taliban takeover four years ago, or whether President Joe Biden even showed the courtesy to receive America’s fallen ally — and an erstwhile proxy at that.

Putin sees no reason to feel ashamed or petrified over the regime change in Syria. Russia’s mission in Syria was to decimate the US-sponsored extremist groups destabilising that country and the region as part of a regime change project. And that enterprise has been hugely successful as Russia inflicted a crushing defeat to the American project. The Russian mission in Syria never had a hidden agenda to prop up the Syrian regime. As Putin explained, Russian ground forces were never deployed or involved in the fighting in Syria. The speed with which Assad was given asylum in Moscow and the peaceful transfer of power in Damascus hinted that the Kremlin was not taken by surprise. Again, compare the chaotic and desperate US evacuation on August 16, 2021 from Kabul airport with Afghans falling from the sky as American military planes took off. Yet, western propaganda is painting the town red that Russia has been “defeated” in Syria!

The narrative by Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan seems entirely plausible when he claimed that at Ankara’s urging, Moscow and Tehran counselled Assad to peacefully transfer power. Fidan disclosed to NTV broadcaster on Dec. 13, “We spoke with the Russians and Iranians and told them that the man they had invested in was no longer someone worth investing in. They made one phone call, and that evening Assad was gone.” Putin openly acknowledged that Russia keeps contacts with the HTS and their conversation will have a bearing on the fate of the bases in Latakia. Russia is offering that the international community may use the bases to handle humanitarian assistance to Syria. Conceivably, Turkey, Russia and Iran synchronised their watches. Tehran disclosed in the weekend that it is reopening the embassy in Damascus and that the HTS has offered to provide security for the mission’s functioning.

Through the entire three-and-a-half hour event in Moscow last Thursday, Putin never once voiced any criticism of Turkey’s backing for HTS or questioned the legitimacy of Ankara’s stated concerns in the Syrian situation — although he remains sceptical whether the Kurdish nationality question involving 30-35 million ethnic Kurdish population spread over Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran lends itself to a solution. Putin asserted that Moscow has already conveyed to the HTS as well as the regional states that the Russian bases are “capable of offering assistance… (and) this was met with understanding and a willingness to collaborate.” Putin stressed: “An overwhelming majority of them have expressed interest in retaining our military bases in Syria.”

Putin ridiculed the Biden administration’s prognosis that Russia faces “defeat” in Syria. His broad message was that “there will be plenty to discuss” with Trump when they meet, implying that Biden Administration is no longer consequential to Syria’s future. The Biden Administration’s efforts to rally the Arab states have failed to gain traction as the trust deficit is formidable. Arabs suspect that the US’ continued illegal occupation has ulterior motives. Indeed, a new matrix is appearing, as Biden administration’s obsession shifts to creating a quagmire in the Middle East for the incoming Trump administration. In a somersault on Sunday, the US state department’s Assistant Secretary Barbara Leaf landed in Damascus to personally convey the US decision to scrap the $10 million reward for the arrest of HTS leader (Syria’s de facto leader) Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, following what she claimed to be “very productive” meetings with the group’s representatives.

Read more …

“Power prices in the EU are up to three times higher than in the United States..”

• High Electricity Taxes Are Crippling European Industry (OP)

European countries need to work out ways to lower taxes on electricity to revive the competiveness of Europe’s energy-intensive industries, Leonhard Birnbaum, president of electricity lobby Eurelectric, told Reuters in an interview published on Monday. Power prices in the EU are up to three times higher than in the United States, for example, which further erodes the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries including aluminum, steel making, chemicals, and cement production. Europe is losing and will continue to lose competitiveness and jobs if it doesn’t tackle its high energy costs compared to other regions, Morten Wierod, chief executive of Switzerland-based engineering giant ABB, told Bloomberg last month.

To restore competitiveness for European companies which have been suffering from high energy costs, the EU governments should look to lower the high energy taxes, according to Eurelectric’s Birnbaum. “We appreciate that states always need more money, but if you really want to electrify then you can’t have, for example, an over-proportional tax burden on electricity compared to the tax burden on gas,” said Birnbaum, who is also chief executive of German utility giant E.ON. The problem with these taxes lies in the fact that part of the levies and fees on electricity are individually set by the single EU countries, where the EU has no jurisdiction. Earlier this month, Eurelectric and energy intensive representatives CEFIC and European Aluminium discussed how to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and electrify industry.

The group proposed six actions to ease the pressure on energy-intensive industries, which include “level out electricity taxes and levies.” “Fixing Europe’s perverse energy taxation” is a way to lower energy prices and support electrification, said Eurelectric and the lobbies of the energy-intensive industries. Taxes on electricity in the EU as a share of the final bill are respectively three and three and a half times higher for household and industrial consumers compared to natural gas, the industry said. “A well-functioning market with long-term investment signals, incentives to reinforce infrastructure and lower taxes on electricity are no-regret solutions that can be implemented immediately,” said Eurelectric’s Secretary General Kristian Ruby.

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“..participating states lose their national sovereignty in the field of biosafety and become completely dependent on the United States.”

• Africa Is ‘New Focus’ Of US Biolab Activities – Moscow (RT)

Africa has become a focal point of interest for the US government, which views the region as an unlimited natural reservoir of dangerous pathogens and a testing ground for experimental medical treatments, the Russian military has reported. The Russian Ministry of Defense continues to scrutinize the military-biological activities of the US in Ukraine and other regions worldwide. Previously, attention was drawn to the transfer of unfinished Ukrainian projects to post-Soviet states and Southeast Asia. According to Major General Aleksey Rtishchev, the deputy chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, Washington’s system for managing biological risks in other countries was tested in Ukraine and Georgia, and is now actively employed in Africa.

In a briefing on Tuesday, Rtishchev said the US views Africa as a limitless natural reservoir for dangerous infectious agents and a testing ground for experimental medical products. The activities of this system are directed towards acquiring pathogens in endemic areas and natural focal points, he explained, as well as monitoring and managing the biological situation to serve US interests. According to the report, one of the primary objectives of this initiative is to analyze epidemic situations along the borders of geopolitical adversaries, particularly in regions where military contingents could be deployed.

“US government agencies and private contractors, including companies from so-called ‘Big Pharma’, are involved to establish cooperation with local specialized ministries,” the general said. “The result of this ‘selective assistance’ is a transition to American standards for personnel training, as well as the transfer and consolidation of information about the biological situation, the degradation of national healthcare systems, and the imposition of medical equipment and supplies providers. As a result, participating states lose their national sovereignty in the field of biosafety and become completely dependent on the United States.”

Washington is particularly concerned about the efforts of Russia and China to engage with African nations in exposing the true nature of the US military biological programs, according to Rtishchev. Reporting about US biolab activities was one of the main priorities of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the Russian military’s top official on the hazards posed by weapons of mass destruction. He was murdered along with his assistant in Moscow last week. According to investigators, the attack was ordered by Kiev.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

Cena

 

 

Giraffe
https://twitter.com/i/status/1871363633738871196

 

 

Hug
https://twitter.com/i/status/1871302773461155902

 

 

Marty

 

 

Elvis

 

 

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Debt Rattle December 22 2024

Dec 222024
 
 December 22, 2024  Posted by at 10:42 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,  44 Responses »


René Magritte The Pleasure Principle (Portrait of Edward James) 1937

 

• Ukraine A ‘Gold Mine’ For Western Arms Makers – Moscow (RT)
• Dangerous Fascist Elon Musk Tweets Six Words About AfD (eugyppius)
• ‘Associated Propaganda’: Musk Hits Out At AP (RT)
• Putin Says If World War Three Is Underway (RT)
• Biden’s Officials Trying To Destroy Trump’s Push For Peace – Moscow (RT)
• Orban Proposing Russia, Ukraine to Preserve Gas Transit by Changing Owner (Sp.)
• Slovakian PM Warns of ‘Serious Conflict’ With Kiev (RT)
• Putin To Meet Slovakian PM On Monday (RT)
• CIA Chief Pays ‘Last Visit’ To Kiev (RT)
• Trump Plans To Continue Aid To Ukraine But Will Raise NATO Spending To 5% (ZH)
• Trump Gives Oil Ultimatum To EU (RT)
• US Had Foreknowledge of HTS Offensive To Topple Assad (Antiwar)
• NATO Must Talk Turkey (Baumann)
• How the Left Will Defend Its Censorship Regime Against Trump (RCW)
• The West’s Romance With Elections Is Dead (Ottenberg)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mottur

 

 

Dana White

 

 

 

 

The only reason there’s a war going on.

“..41 US corporations out of the top 100. They received $317 billion, or 50% of global arms-sales revenues..”

“..the combined revenues of the world’s 100 largest weapons manufacturers in 2023 reached $632 billion.”

• Ukraine A ‘Gold Mine’ For Western Arms Makers – Moscow (RT)

Ukraine has become a lucrative opportunity for Western arms manufacturers, who profit from weapons supplies that prolong the conflict, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has claimed. Speaking at a United Nations Security Council briefing on Friday, Nebenzia accused NATO member states of exploiting the conflict in Ukraine to enrich their defense industries. “It is well known that Ukraine has become a genuine gold mine for the military-industrial complex of the [US and UK] and their allies. But it is American companies that are profiting the most from the conflict,” he stressed. The Russian diplomat alleged that Western countries are prioritizing economic gains over peace. “According to the latest data, half of total arms sales in 2023 were processed by 41 US corporations out of the top 100. They received $317 billion, or 50% of global arms-sales revenues,” Nebenzia said.

The Russian UN representative cited a recent report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), noting that the combined revenues of the world’s 100 largest weapons manufacturers in 2023 reached $632 billion. “It would be naive to expect that these unscrupulous traders, who have tasted the flavor of lucre, will give up riding this gravy train for the sake of those miserable Ukrainians,” he argued. Nebenzia went on to suggest that Western military companies “often act in cahoots with the Kiev regime,” citing the example of 25 foreign lobby and consulting firms that began representing Ukraine’s interests free of charge after the conflict began. He specifically mentioned BGR Government Affairs, whose leadership has publicly advocated for increased military assistance to Kiev and which also represents Raytheon Company, a major US arms supplier.

Nebenzia also alleged that the US military-industrial complex funds think tanks, whose conclusions are later cited by the media. On Wednesday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported that Ukraine fired six US-donated ATACMS and four UK-made Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles, at the Kamensky chemical plant in Rostov Region in southern Russia. On Friday, in retaliation to the attack, the Russian military claimed it struck a Ukrainian command center and targeted installations of US-supplied Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. Russia has consistently stated that Western aid cannot prevent its forces from accomplishing the objectives of their military operation or alter the final outcome of the conflict. Moscow has argued that by supporting Kiev, they only prolong the conflict.

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“BREAKING: In latest threat to German democracy, dangerous fascist Elon Musk tweets six words about Alternative für Deutschland..”

• Dangerous Fascist Elon Musk Tweets Six Words About AfD (eugyppius)

German democracy, which has endured since 1949 but is somehow always shaken to its foundations whenever anybody sings the wrong song or holds a televised debate with the wrong person, is once again on life support. Christian Lindner, head of the market-liberal Free Democrats, did much to trigger the present catastrophe on 1 December, when he said that the Free Republic should “dare more Milei and more Musk.” Because there is little distinction between praising Milei and Musk and demanding the return of National Socialism, there ensued a brief period of establishment hyperventilation. Less than a week later, CDU chief and probable future German chancellor Friedrich Merz did his part to denounce Lindner’s political wrongthink in a statement to Deutschlandfunk:

“So neither the Argentinian president nor, how shall I put it, the American entrepreneur Elon Musk – let’s put it plainly – are role models for German politics in my view. I don’t see where we can find similarities in German politics. What Christian Lindner meant will probably remain his secret.” The next day, Merz repeated the same denunciations, only more harshly, explaining to one of our extremely adult and far-sighted pantsuit talkshow hosts that “To be honest, I was completely appalled that Christian Lindner made that comparison.” Milei, Merz said, is “really trampling on the people there.” Yesterday, all of this came to the notice of the (honestly rather tiresome) influencer Naomi Seibt, who posted a video statement to X rehearsing all of this old news to her largely American audience: Elon Musk then brought down the hammer on the German democratic order, retweeting Seibt’s video and remarking that “Only the AfD can save Germany.”

Today a lot of very important and influential people got out of bed and took to their keyboards to denounce Musk’s election interference. His statement might be illegal, at any rate it is very likely fascist and certainly it is beyond the pale for an American to voice an opinion about German politics. Germans absolutely never, ever, utter the slightest word about American politics and certainly would never advance negative opinions about the American president in the middle of an election campaign. Our Foreign Office would never try to fact-check an American presidential debate! Our journalists would never depict President Donald Trump dressed as a Ku Klux Klan member or offering the Hitler salute or decapitating the Statue of Liberty! That’s just not done!

Like a great stream of green diarrhoea, the outrage is pouring fourth. Matthias Gebauer, who writes for Der Spiegel, observes that “Elon Musk … is openly promoting the AfD” and concludes that “Putin is not the only one who loves this party.” Erik Marquardt, head of the Green faction in the European Parliament, says that “The EU Commission and EU member states should no longer stand by and watch as billionaires misuse media and algorithms to influence elections and strengthen and normalise right-wing extremists.” This “is an attack on democracy,” and “has nothing to do with freedom of expression.” Dennis Radtke, CDU representative in the European Parliament, concludes that “Musk … is declaring war on democracy” and that “the man is a menace.”

We are also under siege via “interference from Putin”; “the erosion of our democracy is being fuelled from both within and without.” Julian Röpcke, who writes for BILD, believes that “This is interference in the German election campaign by a tech billionaire who uses algorithms to decide what gets heard.” If Germany does not “respond with penalties, there will be no help for our eroding democracy.” Jonas Koch, at Die Zeit, complains that “the richest man in the world is now campaigning for right-wing populists in Germany.” Tech billionaire Elon Musk has spoken out in favour of the Alternative for Germany party in the German parliamentary election campaign. “Only the AfD can save Germany,” he wrote on his online service X.

You can almost see Mr Koch before you, clasping his pearls. He notes that the government are doing their best to weather this unprecedented assault on the German republic. He quotes longsuffering government spokesperson Christian Hoffmann saying that “It’s not the first time that Elon Musk has commented on German politics.” Olaf Scholz, he notes, “has been concerned about … X since Musk assumed control of it,” but he has inexplicably not yet decided to delete government X accounts.

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Replace the MSM entirely.

• ‘Associated Propaganda’: Musk Hits Out At AP (RT)

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has accused the Associated Press (AP) of disseminating propaganda following the global news agency’s coverage of Friday’s deadly incident at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. Musk referred to the agency, commonly known as AP, as “Associated Propaganda” in a post on X that criticizes its reporting of the attack on civilians. Musk’s comment was in response to criticism by an X user over the Associated Press’s headline about the incident. The headline read, “A car has driven into a group of people at a Christmas market in Germany.” The user accused AP of using passive language that downplayed the severity of the attack, stating, “You don’t hate the legacy media enough. The Associated Press uses a passive voice when reporting on the Christmas market terror attack in Magdeburg, Germany.

As if the car simply drove itself peacefully, and the affected number of people small and insignificant.” “It wasn’t a ‘group of people’—it was an entirely mass of people whose bodies were flung by the force of the impact, and many more who were crushed beneath the wheels as the vehicle zigzagged its way through the packed market,” he added. A speeding vehicle rammed into a crowd at Magdeburg’s festive market on Friday evening, resulting in at least four fatalities, including a child, and injuring over 60 people, Bild reported, citing police. The driver, identified as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian doctor residing in Germany, was detained by police at the scene. Authorities have classified the act as a deliberate attack, though the motive remains under investigation. X owner Elon Musk’s critique aligns with his history of challenging mainstream media outlets over perceived biases.

In 2022 Musk expressed concerns about the lack of public trust in news organizations, describing it as a “real problem.” This comment was in response to a Washington Post op-ed that criticized his involvement with X (then Twitter). Earlier this year Musk claimed that the “propaganda level” in mainstream media is “tediously high” and accused long-established outlets of bias in the narratives that they offer. The attack has prompted increased security measures across Germany, with several towns canceling weekend Christmas markets as a precaution. Earlier Musk lashed out at German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, insisting he must resign immediately, after it emerged that the man who mowed through a crowded Christmas market in Germany was an Arab immigrant with a residence permit.

This incident mirrors previous attacks on Christmas markets in Germany, notably the 2016 Berlin attack in which a truck was deliberately driven into a crowded market, killing 12 people and injuring 56. The attacker in that instance, Anis Amri, a Tunisian national who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, fled the scene and was later killed in a shootout with police in Italy.

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“If they want it so much, if their life is so bad, let them escalate..”

• Putin Says If World War Three Is Underway (RT)

The threat level is rising globally, but there is no need to scare people with talk of World War Three, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. During an interview published by Russia 1 TV journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, Putin was asked if the extensive involvement of the US in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine meant that WWIII has already begun. “You know, one should not scare people,” the president replied. However, he added that “there are many dangers, and they keep increasing.” “We see what our current opponents are doing. They are escalating the situation,” Putin said after Zarubin mentioned plans by the administration of US President Joe Biden to drastically increase the amount of weapons deliveries to Ukraine during his final weeks in office.

“If they want it so much, if their life is so bad, let them escalate,” the president stressed during a conversation recorded after his end-of-year press conference on Thursday. Russia will “always respond to any challenge” coming from the West, he insisted. “And when our current opponents – and maybe potential partners – will finally hear, understand and realize this, it seems to me that at that point the realization will come that what is needed is to seek compromises,” he said.Moscow is ready to try to rebuild ties with the US and its allies, but it should only happen “without harming our interests,” Putin pointed out.

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“..destroying the chances of its successor,” Trump, of fulfilling his campaign promise of swiftly finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict..”

• Biden’s Officials Trying To Destroy Trump’s Push For Peace – Moscow (RT)

The outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden is doing everything to make sure that President-elect Donald Trump will not be able to facilitate peace in the Ukraine conflict once he returns to the White House in January, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said. The policy currently pursued by the White House is “quite risky, even self-destructive,” Ryabkov told RT in an exclusive interview on Saturday. “We caution them against it,” the diplomat added. He was referring to the permission given by Washington to Kiev to carry out strikes deep into Russian territory with American-made weapons, and an increase in arms deliveries to Ukraine, which happened after Biden’s loss to Trump in November’s election.

”The outgoing US administration demonstrates a unique capability of doubling down and destroying the chances of its successor,” Trump, of fulfilling his campaign promise of swiftly finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, the deputy FM stressed. There have been several strikes with US- and UK-supplied missiles on internationally recognized Russian territory in recent weeks, with the deadliest coming on Friday as five people were killed and twelve others wounded after the Kiev forces targeted the town of Rylsk in Russia’s Kursk Region with an American HIMARS system. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that Russia will respond to all such attacks and could go as far as using “weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow the use of their weapons against our facilities.”

Ryabkov also commented on various ideas voiced in the West about how peace between Russia and Ukraine could look, saying that Moscow is considering them, but views them as “informal.” “They are a way to probe our position, but that is absolutely unnecessary as the President has repeatedly laid it out in full,” he explained. Speaking at his end-of-year press conference on Thursday, Putin reiterated that Moscow remains open to negotiating with Kiev without any preconditions, except those that had already been agreed upon in Istanbul in 2022, which envisaged a neutral, non-aligned status for Ukraine, as well as certain restrictions on deploying foreign weaponry. He also noted that such talks would have to respect the realities on the ground that have developed since that time.

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Orban is smart: he wants the gas to officially become Hungarian while it still flows in Russia, before it reaches the Ukraine part of the pipeline. ‘The moment I pay upfront, it’s my gas’.. They won’t agree, but it’s smart.

• Orban Proposing Russia, Ukraine to Preserve Gas Transit by Changing Owner (Sp.)

Hungary is interested in preserving the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine and negotiates this opportunity with both states by proposing an option to transfer gas under Hungarian ownership right on the Russian-Ukrainian border, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday. “We are not abandoning our plans to receive energy through Ukraine, and we are holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine. We will continue to negotiate next year as well. We want to pull off such a trick: what if the gas entering Ukraine was no longer considered Russian, but would be owned by the buyer? In other words, when it crosses the border into Ukraine, it would no longer be Russian but Hungarian gas. It is currently being discussed whether Ukrainians and Russians would agree to this, but we are not giving up on the idea,” Orban told a press conference.

Hungary is interested in diversifying its energy supply routes, Orban said, adding that “if you rely on energy from only one pipeline, you are always vulnerable.” “We are dissatisfied that the Ukrainian route has been replaced by another one. Of course, if it hadn’t worked out, there would have been problems. But this does not bring joy. We would be happy if three or four affordable energy sources were constantly available,” Orban stated. Hungary believes that the sanctions against Russia have to be fully lifted as soon as possible, but only a few EU member states agree with this, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday. “If it [the Ukrainian conflict] ends, the sanctions [against Russia] tormenting Europe will end. Hungary’s point of view is that the sanctions have to be lifted as soon as possible and to the full extent,” Orban said at a press conference.

The removal of Russia sanctions will end the streak inflation and the economy will start to recover, the Hungarian prime minister said. He stressed that Hungary advocates for this at European discussions, but with no success, as “only one or two member states think the same way, while the rest, including the big players, are opposed and not even discussing this.” The West stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the West’s long-term strategy of containing Russia hurts the global economy. The sanctions target Russian politicians, companies, athletes, students, scientists and artists.

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“One idea was to allow the flow to continue on condition that Russia would not receive any payment until the end of the Ukraine conflict. “What fool will give us gas for free?”

• Slovakian PM Warns of ‘Serious Conflict’ With Kiev (RT)

A “serious conflict” is possible if Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky “doesn’t release our gas,” Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico warned on Friday. He made the comment a day after a behind-closed-doors meeting between the two in Brussels. =Slovakia is considering retaliation against Ukraine over its refusal to continue transit of Russian gas to the EU nation, Fico announced in a Facebook post. Kiev is determined not to renew a multi-year transit contract with Russia, which allowed the fuel to flow across its territory despite the armed conflict between the two nations. Slovakia is one of the recipients of the gas. Slovaks are not servants doing the bidding of Zelensky, Fico, who in March was shot multiple times at close range by an activist who disagreed with his stance on arming Ukraine, insisted. Kiev is “losing decisively,” while Zelensky “absolutely rejects any ceasefire,” he said.

Bratislava is sympathetic towards Kiev’s situation and Zelensky’s predicament, the prime minister said, but Slovakia is “not at any war” either with Russia or Ukraine. Fico said the proposals regarding the gas situation, which Zelensky outlined to him at a European Council meeting, seemed “absurd.” One idea was to allow the flow to continue on condition that Russia would not receive any payment until the end of the Ukraine conflict. “What fool will give us gas for free?” Fico asked journalists. Slovakia is helping Ukraine by providing non-military assistance, including by transferring electricity to its capacity-starved power grid, the prime minister said. Relations between the two nations cannot be a one-way street, Fico asserted, adding: “I cannot completely rule out reciprocal measures.” His government will consider its options over the next week, he said.

Kiev previously floated the idea of letting gas that is not Russian in origin to be pumped through the Soviet-built pipelines on Ukrainian territory. Azerbaijan could be the source of such supplies, according to officials. On Tuesday, European buyers of Russian pipeline gas, including Slovakia’s SPP, warned the European Commission that the looming termination of Ukrainian transit posed significant risks to members of the EU, and urged Brussels to act. The escalating row has been caused by Kiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, during his annual Q&A marathon. Russian gas giant Gazprom “can live” without the transit, he insisted.

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“..a possible Putin-Fico meeting “will provoke a reaction from other European leaders from the EU, and you can see how complicated things are.”

• Putin To Meet Slovakian PM On Monday (RT)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Monday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed. The reported meeting comes as Belgrade is preparing for the US sanctions against the country’s main oil and gas company, Naftne Industrije Srbije (NIS). “As I learned unofficially, and when I say unofficially, as I said about the sanctions against NIS, it is absolutely certain, on Monday Robert Fico will go to Putin, as the leader of a European Union country,” Vucic said during an interview with Serbian Happy TV on Friday, as quoted by Euronews Serbia. President Vucic stated that starting January 1, 2025, gas supplies from Russia through Ukraine will stop. This decision will greatly affect European energy security and Serbia’s preparedness for winter demands. He stated that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal had signed the relevant order on Friday.

Additionally, Vucic previously mentioned that US sanctions against NIS could also come into effect on January 1, 2025. The expiration of a transit agreement between Moscow and Kiev, which facilitates the flow of Russian gas to the EU, has raised concerns among countries like Slovakia that rely on this route for their supplies. As Fico warned on Friday, Slovakia is considering retaliation against Ukraine over its refusal to continue the transit of Russian gas to the EU nation. Relations between the two nations cannot be a one-way street, Fico asserted during the same speech, adding: “I cannot completely rule out reciprocal measures.” His government will consider its options over the next week, he said. Vucic added in his interview that a possible Putin-Fico meeting “will provoke a reaction from other European leaders from the EU, and you can see how complicated things are.”

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“Burns came to Kiev to tie up loose ends and coordinate actions with Zelensky for when Trump begins his review of the multi-billion-dollar US budget spending on Ukraine..”

• CIA Chief Pays ‘Last Visit’ To Kiev (RT)

The Central Intelligence Agency’s director, William Burns, has made yet another unannounced trip to Kiev, likely his final before stepping down from his position, according to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. Zelensky disclosed the meeting in a Telegram post on Saturday, highlighting the significant role Burns has played in supporting Ukraine during its ongoing conflict with Russia. “Bill Burns paid his last visit to Ukraine as CIA director. We have held many meetings during this war, and I am grateful for your help,” Zelensky wrote, accompanied by a photo of him shaking hands with Burns. The Ukrainian leader acknowledged that such high-level meetings are typically kept confidential but emphasized the importance of highlighting their continued communication.

“Usually, such meetings are not reported publicly, and all our meetings – in Ukraine, in other European countries, in America, and in other parts of the world – took place without official information. But now, after the last visit, it is worth saying openly,” Zelensky said. Burns has held the position of CIA Director since March 2021 and is set to leave his role after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, scheduled for January 20. Trump has nominated former National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe to succeed Burns. Zelensky expressed his commitment to maintaining contact with the new leadership at the CIA. Throughout the conflict, the United States has been Ukraine’s most crucial sponsor, providing the bulk of financial and military support as well as intelligence. The visit by the US spymaster comes at a critical juncture, as Trump has pledged to quickly end the Ukraine conflict, raising concerns in Kiev that it could not only face a decline in aid but also an audit of the billions of dollars it received from Washington under President Joe Biden’s administration.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry suggested that Burns’ trip aimed to warn Ukrainian authorities against sharing potentially compromising information with Trump’s auditors. Senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik described Zelensky as a “weak link” and suggested that Burns sought to ensure he would not disclose any sensitive “evidence of illegal actions by American officials related to the Democrats and Biden.” “Burns came to Kiev to tie up loose ends and coordinate actions with Zelensky for when Trump begins his review of the multi-billion-dollar US budget spending on Ukraine,” Miroshnik told TASS on Saturday. “The Democrats hardly expect Zelensky to keep his obligations to them, which is why they sent Burns,” the diplomat said, noting that Kiev is the most vulnerable link in the chain of corruption that has seen billions of US taxpayer dollars thrown “into a bottomless pit.”

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The EU can’t afford it. You’re instigating revolt.

• Trump Plans To Continue Aid To Ukraine But Will Raise NATO Spending To 5% (ZH)

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to continue sending military aid to Ukraine, despite Trump earlier on the campaign trail mocking Zelensky for being the “greatest salesman on earth” for his getting tens of billions of US taxpayers’ money with ease. A new Financial Times report has cited European officials who say Trump’s team told them he plans to continue military aid to Kiev after his inauguration. He’s reportedly trying to calm fears of an immediate US withdrawal of support, and this is connected to an expected Trump policy for NATO member states to increase defense spending to 5% of their GDP. “Donald Trump’s team has told European officials that the incoming US president will demand Nato member states increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, but plans to continue supplying military aid to Ukraine,” FT writes.

NATO’s existing target of 2% of GPD for defense spending certainly has not been met by all members… not even close. The 2% is being met by only 23 of the alliance’s 32 members, and so a significantly higher bar set of more than double that is certainly going to rile Europe. European NATO leaders have long been trying to figure out how to ‘Trump proof’ future defense aid for Ukraine, as has the Biden administration. But there’s at least one severe critic – Hungary’s Viktor Orban. He estimated in a radio interview on Friday that the US and the EU have pumped over $300 billion in financial aid and military assistance into Kiev’s coffers since the war’s start. “During the negotiation with the Americans, I received the figure that Europe and America together have spent €310 billion so far. Those are huge numbers!” the Hungarian prime minister declared.

He went to describe that such a massive amount “could have done wonders” for European people themselves, instead of sinking the funds into an unwinnable war, while avoiding the necessity of negotiations with Moscow. The 5% defense spending for NATO members could also be a ‘tough’ tactic as the new administration deals with NATO allies. According to more from Financial Times: One person said they understood that Trump would settle for 3.5 per cent, and that he was planning to explicitly link higher defense spending and the offer of more favorable trading terms with the US. “It’s clear that we are talking about 3 per cent or more for [Nato’s June summit in] The Hague summit,” said another European official briefed on Trump’s thinking.

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Once again: The EU can’t afford it. You’re instigating revolt.

• Trump Gives Oil Ultimatum To EU (RT)

US President-elect Donald Trump has said the EU should reduce its trade gap by boosting purchases of American oil and gas, or it risks being hit with tariffs. The US goods trade deficit with the EU stood at €156 billion ($162 billion) in 2023, according to Eurostat data. In a post on Truth Social media platform, Trump wrote on Friday the EU should “make up their tremendous deficit with the US by the large-scale purchase of our oil and gas.” “Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!” he warned. According to Eurostat, the US already supplied 47% of the EU’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and 17% of the bloc’s oil purchases in the first quarter of 2024. Data shows US crude exports to Europe stand at around two million barrels per day, representing over half of the country’s total exports, with the rest going to Asia.

The Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Italy, and Sweden are the biggest US energy importers, government data shows. The European Commission (EC) responded to Trump’s warnings, saying it was ready to discuss how to deepen what it described as an already strong relationship, including in the energy sector. “The EU is committed to phasing out energy imports from Russia and diversifying our sources of supply,” an unnamed EC spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters. The EU pledged to stop consuming Russian fuel following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Supplies of higher-cost US fuel have replaced much of the cheap pipeline gas that was previously delivered by Russia. Data, however, shows that EU countries still continue to buy billions of euros’ worth of Russian gas each month. In 2024, the bloc is expected to import 10% more LNG from Russia than in 2023, according to energy analytics firm Kpler.

The bloc’s plans to completely phase out energy imports from the country by 2027 have been met with strong opposition from some EU members, particularly Hungary and Slovakia, that are still heavily reliant on the imports. Trump, who takes office on January 20, has pledged to impose sweeping tariffs on several major US trading partners, including Canada, Mexico, and China. He also has repeatedly said during his campaign that Europe would pay a heavy price for having run a large trade surplus with the US for decades. EU exports are dominated by Germany, with key goods being cars, machinery and chemicals, which means Trump’s levies could wreak havoc on the bloc’s already struggling major economy.

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“We were just told: ‘Everything is about to change. This is your moment. Either Assad will fall, or you will fall.’ But they did not say when or where, they just told us to be ready.”

• US Had Foreknowledge of HTS Offensive To Topple Assad (Antiwar)

The US had foreknowledge of the offensive led by the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and helped another rebel group join the fight, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. The report said the US notified the Revolutionary Commando Army (RCA), a US-funded militia based out of a US base at Al Tanf in southern Syria, to “be ready” for an attack that could lead to the end of Assad’s rule. “They did not tell us how it would happen,” Bashar al-Mashadani, an RCA commander, told The Telegraph. “We were just told: ‘Everything is about to change. This is your moment. Either Assad will fall, or you will fall.’ But they did not say when or where, they just told us to be ready.” In October, the US brought several other Sunni Muslim militias under the command of the RCA, swelling the force from 800 fighters to about 3,000.

All of the fighters are armed by the US, and the US pays their salaries of $400 per month. The US also backs the Kurdish-led SDF in eastern Syria, but the RCA is a separate force. When the HTS-led force began its offensive from Syria’s northwest Idlib province and advanced south toward Damascus, the RCA headed north. According to The Telegraph, the US-funded group now controls about one-fifth of Syria’s territory. Mashadani spoke to the paper from a former Syrian government air base that was used by Russia outside of the city of Palmyra. Mashadani said RCA and HTS were cooperating during the offensive and that the US coordinated the communication between the two groups from Al Tanf. The US has celebrated the overthrow of Assad and made clear it’s willing to work with HTS despite the fact that the group is an offshoot of al-Qaeda and designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.

The Telegraph report makes clear that the US was aware of the planned HTS offensive. RCA members said the US told them about the opportunity to overthrow Assad in early November, about three weeks before the offensive started. Mashadani said the US wanted his group to capture territory to keep it out of the hands of ISIS, which RCA has helped the US fight in the past. The Biden administration is sending a high-level State Department official to Damascus to meet with HTS’s leader Mohammad Abu al-Julani, who has a $10 million US bounty on his head. Julani founded the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, known as al-Nusra Front. In 2016, Julani changed the name of Nusra as part of a rebranding campaign to gain support from the West and merged the group with several other Islamist factions to form HTS in 2017.

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“Turkey was considered a secular nation when it sought entry into NATO after World War II. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Turkey has been attempting to resurrect its Islamic fundamentalist, Ottoman roots..”

• NATO Must Talk Turkey (Baumann)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) hasn’t just outlived its usefulness. One of its member states has been wearing out its welcome since the fall of the Soviet Union. Turkey was considered a secular nation when it sought entry into NATO after World War II. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Turkey has been attempting to resurrect its Islamic fundamentalist, Ottoman roots. Sadly, we the people of the United States are obligated to protect and defend it. Exactly 30 years ago, in 1994, while speaking to young fundamentalist Muslims in Antwerp, Belgium, a Turkish Sheikh named Nazim Al-Kibrisi al-Haqqani took to the stage in a stadium filled to capacity, with close to 20,000 people present. After putting the phrase, “Allahu Akbar” to a repetitive musical chant, he exhorted the crowd to join him. He even referred to the audience as a “flood of people (being) a small sign of the glorious rise of Islam”.

There, in the front row, stood a smiling, young Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently the President of Turkey. In his speech, Kibrisi bemoaned the failures of his generation over the previous 70 years to preserve Islam. He insisted the young crowd which filled the stadium would restore the glory of Islam. This was a clear reference to the defeat of the Turkish Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, in 1922. It was also a personal reference. Kibrisi was born that year. Even the stadium was built between 1921 – 1923. Did I mention that Erdogan was in the front row? In 1952, a very secular Turkey joined NATO amid concerns that the Soviet Union be problematic. Membership in NATO provided Turkey with a hedge against invasion. Then, when the Soviet Union fell, Neo-Ottomanism began to rise. Unfortunately, NATO continued growing as well, even becoming more corrupt, with the central component of its mission – Soviet style communism no longer a threat.

Neo-Ottomanism seeks a restoration of the old empire, which seeks expansionism and ultimately, a global Islamic caliphate. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in the 1920 s as well. It too seeks a return to life under the Ottoman Empire. During the one year reign of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt following the Arab Spring, this became even more evident. Erdogans support for the Muslim Brotherhood was clear. Both expressed a desire to restore an era of Islamic rule. As an aside, the history between Turkey and Russia goes back well more than 500 years; it is an adversarial history at that. It includes the fall of Christianity in Constantinople. The seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church then moved to Russia. Even then it was Muslims vs. Christians. This says nothing of the Armenian genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Despite the extermination of between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians, the Turks remain holocaust denialists. The removal of Bashar al-Assad is largely perceived as a good thing. Is it? The answer to that question depends on what replaces him. The Syrian rebels are comprised of various factions, but the Muslim Brotherhood is chief among them. Again, the Muslim Brotherhood’s loyalties to the Neo-Ottoman movement should not be questioned; it’s alive and well. Of course, a rudderless Syria, especially one that helps to serve Turkey’s interests, doesn’t bode well for the Iranian Mullahs either. The attacks of October 7, 2023, have had a cascading effect that has very much helped us get to this point. Israel, rightly so, decimated Hamas and its leadership; it did the same to Hezbollah. Exploding pagers and precision strikes very much contributed to the conditions that led to Assad’s ouster.

It’s far too early to tell if the Iranian regime has been weakened, if at all. It’s likely very capable of counteroffensive attacks. Nonetheless, if the Iranian mullahs are toppled the same question will need to be asked: Is it a good thing? Again, it depends on what replaces it.

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“Controlling who gets to speak and what can be said is essential to the left’s dominance over our institutions..”

• How the Left Will Defend Its Censorship Regime Against Trump (RCW)

The reelection of President Donald Trump could serve as a historic turning point for free speech in America. President Trump has said he will investigate censorship practices by the federal government, end the rampant disrespect for First Amendment rights on our college campuses, and take on Big Tech’s Orwellian policing of speech on the Internet. If successful, these efforts would make the First Amendment stronger than ever before. Yet President Trump’s opponents will not simply stand by and watch as he dismantles their carefully crafted censorship machine. Controlling who gets to speak and what can be said is essential to the left’s dominance over our institutions. They will not give up such an important source of their power without a fight. To ensure the success of Trump’s free speech agenda, the right must anticipate and prepare for the left’s inevitable attacks.

Fortunately, their methods are not hard to predict. In fact, Democrats tipped their hand during the campaign. Back when the party’s out-of-touch leadership thought Kamala Harris would propel them to victory, they set about making plans to silence opposition to their agenda once in office. At the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Chuck Schumer promised sweeping changes to elections, voting, and campaign finance if Democrats won control of Congress and the White House. All of these efforts would slant the political playing field further in the left’s favor. Among the bills was legislation that would strip Americans of their privacy when supporting nonprofit groups that speak out on hot button issues like abortion, crime, the border, or extreme gender politics. The importance of this provision should not be underestimated.

The left calls it “transparency” when they publicly expose a private citizen’s personal information, including their name and home address, but Americans know it better as doxxing. They also know the purpose is not good government, but power politics. Exposing donors allows the left to build enemies’ lists and harass anyone who backs the “wrong” cause. Harris, who co-sponsored the DISCLOSE Act in the Senate, has her own long record of attacking conservative donors and journalists. As California Attorney General, her demand that nonprofits expose their confidential donor lists to her office led to lawsuits and a rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court. The First Amendment protects the right to give privately, as the justices reminded her. Now that the election is over, Democrats’ designs for regulating speech and exposing conservative donors may form the heart of their resistance strategy to splinter the Trump coalition. We have seen this movie before.

After the fight over Obamacare sparked a massive conservative movement known as the Tea Party, the left painted targets on the backs of the organizations and donors at its heart. IRS bureaucrats began grilling conservative groups about their activities and intentionally slow-walked their applications for nonprofit status. The massive targeting campaign succeeded in suppressing grassroots conservative activism in the run-up to the 2012 elections, where Democrats made gains. Yet Democrats do not even need to control the White House to target conservative donors. Threats can arise from inside federal agencies like the IRS, or from state legislation or regulatory actions, or even from unscrupulous media aided by leaks and hacking of confidential donor data. President Trump himself saw his tax returns illegally leaked in a politically-motivated scheme.

Organizations that are successful in promoting conservative policies have also seen coordinated campaigns to bully their donors into ending their support. These harassment campaigns are one of the tactics that allowed the left to seize control of corporate America. Today, many companies pay a heavy price for any public association with the right. America First organizations and citizens are more than familiar with this kind of discrimination. This time, however, they must not merely persist through it but fight back and defeat it. If not, the left’s control over our institutions will soon reemerge, strong as ever, despite our best efforts. The solution is simple: Ensure every American can freely, safely, and privately support the organizations that represent their values and beliefs. We must end the ability of bureaucrats and political operatives to spy on donors and nonprofits. If the Trump coalition can do this and protect its own, it can achieve its bold free speech agenda – and more.

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“..you can bet your paycheck the 2028 establishment campaign will dust off the 2016 playbook and get right to work.”

• The West’s Romance With Elections Is Dead (Ottenberg)

It’s been a bad few months for democracy. Election results offensive to the European Union were annulled in Romania; an attempted coup occurred in Georgia over elections that didn’t go the way the west wanted; the French government, widely hated, teetered over the abyss as president Emmanual Macron tried to ignore the last election; on December 16, Washington’s pet German government fell; lots of funny-business happened in the Moldovan referendum and election, amid widespread disenfranchisement of Moldovan voters living in Russia; elections were long ago cancelled in dictatorial Ukraine; and South Korea hosted an attempted coup. In short, western democracies’ storied enchantment with elections is over. As western populations grow sick and tired of their political class and vote against it, what are elites to do? Annul, cancel, overturn and ignore the elections, that’s what. The problem, for the west, is the voters.

What will happen if far-right Alternative for Deutschland sweeps the early German elections in February, or if far-left France Insoumise does the same in France? Will the U.S. through its NATO and EU tentacles annul those votes? Don’t think it won’t try. And Washington doesn’t even have to give the order, because its European puppets know exactly what’s expected of them. Granted, the Romanian front-runner, so feared by NATO, Calin Georgescu, was far right. But so what? Besides, I doubt that’s what led to the constitutional court vacating the vote. More likely it was his opposition to the Ukraine War – hence the court citing “foreign influence” (translation: Russian) via TikTok as its flimsy basis for negating the election. Incidentally, reports are coming in that the heat and internet to Georgescu’s house have been cut off, and, surprise! he can’t get anyone on the phone to help with this.

But you can’t blame European honchos for ditching elections. They’re just following Washington’s lead. After all, the post-2016 phony Russiagate hysteria may not have succeeded in ousting Trump, as was intended, but it did provide the template for American vassals. The four years of lawfare against Trump (and then another four after he left office) blazed the trail for Europe, so that now, if a candidate not favored by political bigwigs wins, all they have to do is scream “Russian influence!” to dump the election. In other words, democracy is dying in the west. It’s kicking the bucket in Europe – and if Trump ends the Ukraine War (provided Biden doesn’t utterly sabotage his peace efforts before he takes office) or gets us out of the NATO sinkhole, you can bet your paycheck the 2028 establishment campaign will dust off the 2016 playbook and get right to work.

In western media, Georgescu has been portrayed as an unknown. This is false. He is well-known in Romania and had a diplomatic career. But he is also a religious nationalist, and that’s verboten in the EU; worse yet, the U.S., aka NATO, built its biggest military airbase in Europe – where? You got it, Romania. So Washington can’t have just anybody running that country. It must be someone who will keep everything copacetic with the U.S. A nationalist opposed to Washington’s pet proxy war in Ukraine is not that someone.

As for Georgia, there the electorate proved itself most unreliable to the Exceptional Empire. It voted in a government that actually dares to require foreign NGOs to register as such – you know, the way we do, here in the United States. But here, those NGOs don’t aim to overthrow the government, like they do in Georgia, in order for Tbilisi to open a second front against Moscow. Indeed, the vast majority of rioters against the Georgian government, who were arrested, were – I’m shocked! Shocked! – foreign, i.e. European. The icing on the cake is that the French president of Georgia refused to leave office when her term expired – a president with French and Georgian passports, who boasts Nazis in her family tree.

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Martyr

 

 

Lions

 

 

Murmuration
https://twitter.com/i/status/1870445083520344416

 

 

Great white

 

 

Elvis

 

 

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Debt Rattle December 16 2024

Dec 162024
 
 December 16, 2024  Posted by at 9:41 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,  82 Responses »


Pablo Picasso Female bust 1922

 

• Trump Team Studying Orban’s Ceasefire Initiative (RT)
• UK PM Calls For ‘Maximum Pain’ On Russia (RT)
• Ukraine Will Have To Trade Land For Peace – Slovak President (RT)
• The New Time Of Troubles, Part III – Don’t Worry, Be Happy (Helmer)
• Germany ‘Cornered’ – Economy Minister (RT)
• Hungary Dismayed At ‘Unprecedented Gesture In Diplomacy’ By Zelensky (RT)
• Syria: The Death of a Civilization (Karganovic)
• Trump Transition Team Considering Strikes on Iran (Antiwar)
• 20 (or So) Obvious Questions about January 6 (Jack Cashill)
• Cuomo Accuser Drops Case Against The Former New York Governor (Turley)
• Milei Admin. Posts Record Reductions in Deficit and Inflation Numbers (Turley)
• House GOP Vows To Refer ActBlue Fundraising Probe To Incoming Trump DOJ (JTN)
• Offshore Wind Opponents From Deep Blue States Hope For Trump (JTN)
• Trump Considers Privatizing US Postal Service (ZH)
• Cold War Tactics With New Anti-Communism School Curriculum (Alan MacLeod)

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1868392496083923221

Meloni
https://twitter.com/i/status/1868019091434521077

Lindsey

Hegseth

Logan

Drones
https://twitter.com/i/status/1868303280956113093

 

 

 

 

A Christmas Day truce is of course very appealing.

• Trump Team Studying Orban’s Ceasefire Initiative (RT)

US President-elect Donald Trump is taking “a hard look” at a proposal for a Christmas truce and prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine put forward by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Trump’s nominee for national security adviser Mike Waltz has said. Orban met with Trump and Waltz at the incoming president’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday, two days before he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone. After the conversation, the Kremlin announced that Orban had proposed a Christmas Day truce and a large-scale prisoner-swap between Moscow and Kiev, and that the Russian government had responded by sending its ideas for the exchange of POWs to the Hungarian embassy in Moscow. Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, Waltz refused to say whether Orban had passed on a message from Trump to Putin.

However, he said that Trump’s administration-in-waiting wants to “stop the fighting” and that if there is “some type of ceasefire as a first step…we’ll take a hard look at what that means.” “Orban has regular engagement with the Russians, and he clearly has a good relationship with President Trump, and I would hope the entire world would want to see some type of cessation to the slaughter,” Waltz told CBS’ Margaret Brennan, calling the Donbass battlefield “a meat grinder of human beings.” In a social media post on Wednesday, Orban said that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had “clearly rejected” his proposed ceasefire. In a post of his own, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky belittled Orban’s diplomatic activities, claiming that the Hungarian leader was only trying to “boost personal image at the expense of unity” in the EU concerning support for Kiev.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto then revealed that the Ukrainian leadership turned down a phone call request from Orban and had done so in a manner that was “quite unprecedented in diplomacy.” In an interview with public broadcaster Kossuth Radio on Sunday, Szijjarto said that the request was refused in “a somewhat strained” manner, without elaborating on the exact wording used by the authorities in Kiev.Trump has repeatedly promised to end the Ukraine conflict within a day of taking office. However, he has not elaborated on how he plans to achieve this, and both Moscow and Kiev have cast doubt on his ability to single-handedly stop the fighting.“Trump is really serious about wanting to get to a ceasefire on day one,” a source supposedly close to the incoming president told NBC News on Friday.

Zelensky insists that his ten-point ‘peace formula’ is the only viable roadmap for ending the conflict. The Kremlin has dismissed this document – which demands that Russia restore Ukraine’s 1991 borders, pay reparations, and surrender its own officials to war crimes tribunals – as “delusional” and “divorced from reality.” Moscow maintains that any settlement must begin with Ukraine ceasing military operations and acknowledging the “territorial reality” that it will never regain control of the Russian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye, as well as Crimea. In addition, the Kremlin insists that the goals of its military operation – which include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification – will be achieved.

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Desperately seeking relevance. If you talk tough, at least you look like a man.

• UK PM Calls For ‘Maximum Pain’ On Russia (RT)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on his fellow G7 leaders to “continue maximizing Putin’s pain” through economic sanctions on Russia and increased military aid to Ukraine. During a video conference on Friday, “the Prime Minister said that with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin showing no sign of relenting, it is vital that we bolster our support to put [Ukraine] in the best possible position for the future,” according to a readout released by his office. “He called on fellow G7 leaders to continue maximizing Putin’s pain by increasing military support to the Ukrainians and ramping up economic pressure, including via further sanctions where possible,” the statement continued. Two days earlier, the US and UK announced a new round of sanctions on Moscow, targeting what the British government called Russia’s “illicit gold trade.”

At the same time, EU ambassadors agreed on a 15th package of economic penalties, this time targeting Russia’s petroleum industry and Chinese companies allegedly producing drones for the Russian military. Repeated rounds of sanctions have failed to “crater” the Russian economy, as US President Joe Biden predicted they would in 2022. Instead, the Russian economy grew by 3.6% this year, while Britain’s grew by 1.1%, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). ”We learned a lot after the sanctions started,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told American journalist Tucker Carlson earlier this month. “But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, you know. They would never kill us, so they are making us stronger.”

Amid an historic decline in living standards at home, the UK has given £8.34 billion ($10.52 billion) in military aid to Ukraine since February 2022, according to figures from Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks Western aid to Kiev.Starmer claimed last month that this outpouring of arms and ammunition will help the Ukrainians “secure a just and lasting peace on their terms.” However, the Kremlin has argued that any future peace terms will be worse for Ukraine than those rejected by Kiev during peace talks in Istanbul in April 2022. While Russia was prepared to settle the conflict in 2022 with Ukraine agreeing to stay out of NATO and grant autonomy to the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, Kiev must now accept the “realities on the ground,” Lavrov told Carlson, referring to the fact that Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye are now parts of the Russian federation and will not be ceded back to Ukraine.

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“The Russians are gaining more and more territory, the sanctions are not working, and Ukraine is no longer strong enough for possible negotiations..”

• Ukraine Will Have To Trade Land For Peace – Slovak President (RT)

The Ukraine conflict will not be resolved until Kiev accepts some “partial territorial losses,” Slovak President Peter Pellegrini has said. Pellegrini and Prime Minister Robert Fico have both called on Russia and Ukraine to enter immediate peace talks. Speaking to Slovakia’s STVR broadcaster on Sunday, Pellegrini said that daily updates from the front line have convinced him that Ukraine cannot hope to achieve its territorial goals – the return of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporozhye and Crimea – by force.“When it comes to peace, I believe that we need to remain realistic,” he told the network. “Today, probably no sane person in Europe believes that it will be possible to achieve peace without some partial territorial losses for Ukraine.” The president then called on Ukraine and Russia to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible.

Pellegrini’s comments echo those made by Fico earlier this week. Speaking to Brazil’s Folha de Sao Paulo news outlet, the Slovak prime minister said that it is necessary to be “at least a little realistic” and to “admit that Russia will never leave Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk.” After taking office last year, Fico immediately halted military aid from Bratislava to Kiev, and vowed to veto Ukraine’s potential accession to NATO. He has also accused “Ukrainian Nazis and fascists” of starting the conflict by “murdering the Russian population of Donbass,” and has condemned his fellow EU leaders for prolonging the fighting with military aid and sanctions on Moscow.

“What is the result? The Russians are gaining more and more territory, the sanctions are not working, and Ukraine is no longer strong enough for possible negotiations,” he told Folha de Sao Paulo. Fico also predicted that Kiev will likely be “betrayed” by its Western backers and possibly end up losing a third of its territories without being invited into NATO, receiving security guarantees only in the form of a foreign troop presence in the country. Moscow maintains that any settlement must begin with Ukraine ceasing military operations and acknowledging the “territorial reality” that it will never regain control of its former regions. In addition, the Kremlin insists that the goals of its military operation – which include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification – will be achieved.

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Helmer enters PCR territory.

• The New Time Of Troubles, Part III – Don’t Worry, Be Happy (Helmer)

President Vladimir Putin gave a party rally speech in Moscow on Saturday in which he omitted to mention seven of the eight domestic issues most troubling Russian voters – inflation; high interest-rate caused stagnation in the economy; corruption; low quality education; poor public health care; terrorism; and illegal immigrants. He made an exception for the Special Military Operation and “the front to fight for the Motherland”.To Russians who tell pollsters the protracted war and the casualty rate are their biggest concerns, Putin said not to worry — he and his party are taking care of both: “The United Russia party has been supporting our troops literally from the first day of the special military operation: it submits important draft laws to create legal and social guarantees for our heroes and their families; assists the recovery of the liberated regions; collects and delivers everything the civilians there need.

“The party also does much for the veterans who are back from the combat areas, helps them realise themselves in civilian professions, in public and political life.” Reading methodically without departing from his script, Putin told delegates at the 22nd Congress of United Russia that the party stands for “the unity of people, faith in the country and in our victory…the desire to ensure the safety of the Motherland, to protect our sacred historical memory, spirituality, traditions.” This is political boilerplate — and it’s bullet-proof. The polls reinforce Putin’s message with the assurance that Russian voters see and fancy no alternative. In the current State Duma, elected in September 2021 to a five-year term, United Russia holds 324 of the 450 seats. The opposition is led by the Communist Party with 57 seats; Just Russia with 28, and New People with 16. In the Levada polling, support for United Russia is stable at 42%; the other political parties are polling between 4% and 10%.

No other Russian politician represents a challenge to the president; he does not face a new election until 2030. Public approval for Putin remains at 87% according to the Levada Centre; 79% according to the All-Russian Centre for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), and stable. There is no government or party figure drawing current voter support in opposition, and no public canvassing for the succession. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov trail after Putin in the polls but far behind; their political profiles and approval ratings are based on the frequency of their media appearances. But public trust for them is a fraction of Putin’s rating, and they are not candidates to succeed him. Trust in former President Dmitry Medvedev is a fraction of that for Mishustin and Lavrov because Medvedev – though head of the United Russia party and deputy head of the Security Council — is almost invisible in the mainstream media.

The general public mood, as measured by Levada between November 2 and 27, is overwhelmingly positive and confident – 72% of Russians believe the country is going in the right direction; only 18% think it’s headed in the wrong direction. In this domestic atmosphere, Putin is calculating there is no good reason for him to mention the Russian military withdrawal from Syria, or to answer press questions of why he decided to evacuate Russian bases in the country, allow Israel to destroy Syria’s military and industrial infrastructure, and accept Israeli, Turkish and American takeover of Syria’s sovereignty, territory, and natural wealth, particularly water and oil. A Moscow source comments: “I think the Russian public will not be convinced to risk a presence there especially when the propaganda has changed its tune to the line, ‘it’s impossible to help those who can’t help themselves.’ With Syrian statehood gone, this battle is lost.”

This is the rationale, several Moscow sources believe, for Putin to cut his losses and run from Syria without risking the appearance to Russian voters of having done either. The military and strategic implications of Putin’s decision-making on Syria, argued behind closed doors with the General Staff, are unmentioned in the Duma and the media. The Moscow source adds: “What happens in Ukraine and when are the main questions now. There could well be more surprises from the US. There might be a new ground assault into Russian territory and continuing missile attacks deep into Russian territory. So far, these are not disturbing the national mood of confidence and optimism. So for the time being Russians are not expecting and are not prepared for any escalation on any front – at least not on the ground.

“If Putin can negotiate to keep the four [Donbass] regions and a demilitarisation accord with [President Donald] Trump, there will be what the Defense Ministry calls retaliation, but no escalation. At least not for now, not for six months after Trump takes office if the talks head nowhere.” “What is needed now from Russian point of view is time to build the army and the economy for a bigger war. That, according to everyone I talk with, is going to be war with Turkey when the stakes will be much higher than they are with Ukraine. Putin is adopting a wait-and-see stance. Russian military sources believe that Putin and the General Staff have agreed to restrict their operations to electric war targeting; to avoid decapitation strikes at the Ukrainian leadership or US, French and British forces operating long-range Ukrainian missile units; and to characterize current air operations as “retaliation”, not “escalation”.

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They will never admit they cornered themselves.

• Germany ‘Cornered’ – Economy Minister (RT)

Germany has been forced into a corner by underinvestment and policies pursued by other leading economies, Economy Minister Robert Habeck has said, after the central bank warned of a difficult year ahead. In an interview with Bild newspaper published on Sunday, the politician, who intends to run for chancellor next year, insisted that Germany can turn the situation around. “Our business model is really cornered. Will it no longer work? It would be too early for me to throw in the towel,” Habeck said. The minister noted that Germany has failed to make sufficient investment in its infrastructure, tax system and workforce skills, resulting in a “negative impact” on its economy.

Germany is an export-oriented nation that needs open markets, Habeck argued, in reference to US President-elect Donald Trump’s threats of major tariff increases. Trump warned in November that he would impose steeper duties on foreign-made cars to protect US jobs, a move that would disproportionately affect Germany. Habeck also pointed to Chinese-made electric cars flooding the EU market and causing “a big problem” for the German automotive industry. Car manufacturing is one of the key drivers of the German economy, accounting for approximately 5% of GDP. The Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research estimates that future tariffs could cost Germany €33 billion ($34.6 billion), and that exports to the US could fall by 15%.

Germany does have a problem, “but one that can be solved,” Habeck told Bild, without elaborating. On Friday, the German central bank slashed its growth forecast for next year to 0.2%, from the 1.1% level it had predicted in June. The regulator also said it expects the economy to contract by 0.2% this year, having previously predicted modest growth of 0.3%. It would mark a second consecutive year of decline, after gross domestic product shrank by 0.3% in 2023, according to the Federal Statistics Office, Destatis. The agency attributed last year’s contraction to persistent inflation, high energy prices, and weak foreign demand. A snap federal election will be held in Germany on February 23. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition collapsed earlier this month after he fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

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“Ukraine was not ready to start any talks with Russia as there is insufficient support from the West to conduct negotiations from a position of strength..”

• Hungary Dismayed At ‘Unprecedented Gesture In Diplomacy’ By Zelensky (RT)

The Ukrainian leadership turned down a phone-call request from Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a manner that was “unprecedented” in nature, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has revealed. The rebuff followed an hour-long conversation between Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with public broadcaster Kossuth Radio on Sunday, Szijjarto said that he had approached Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga and Vladimir Zelensky’s top aide Andrey Yermak, asking for the authorization of a telephone conversation between Orban and the Ukrainian leader. ”In a gesture that was quite unprecedented in diplomacy,” the request was refused in “a somewhat strained” manner, Szijjarto said, as quoted by the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.

Hungary’s top diplomat did not elaborate on the exact wording used by the authorities in Kiev. Hungary has tried “everything” during the past six months of its EU presidency to use it “for a good cause, to initiate a ceasefire and peace negotiations,” Szijjarto noted. Budapest has held the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the second half of this year. Earlier this week Orban said he’d put forward a proposal for a Christmas ceasefire and a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. ”One side accepted it, the other rejected it,” the Premier told Kossuth Radio on Friday. Zelensky, in turn, claimed that the Hungarian leader was only trying to “boost personal image at the expense of unity” in the EU in terms of supporting Ukraine.

The authorities in Kiev have sent mixed messages about their readiness for negotiations with Russia. On Wednesday, Zelensky’s top adviser Mikhail Podoliak said Kiev could engage in talks with Moscow if they are not based on Russia’s conditions. Andrey Yermak said on Friday that Ukraine was not ready to start any talks with Russia as there is insufficient support from the West to conduct negotiations from a position of strength. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it’s ready to resume the negotiations. It has urged Kiev to accept the new realities “on the ground,” with President Vladimir Putin citing the complete withdrawal of all Ukrainian forces from all Russian territories as a key prerequisite for peace talks.

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“Syria was an imperfect yet incontestably successful pattern of civilisation, at least in the perspective of those who in human relations strive for a semblance of peace, cooperation, and harmony..”

• Syria: The Death of a Civilization (Karganovic)

Pepe Escobar was spot on when he stated that the downfall of Syria signified the “death of a nation.” Is it premature to chant a requiem for that marvellous land and its intriguing people, not just their virtues but also their flaws having duly been taken into account? And ought we to do it so soon, as the black flag of Syria’s latest conquerors, matching the darkness of its present circumstances, flutters over it, having just been raised in its capital? Time will tell, but reputable observers appear to be partial to precisely such a sombre conclusion. An argument could be advanced that Syria’s tragedy may prove to be even greater in scope than Pepe avers. Syria surely never was a “nation” in the conventional sense, signifying the homogeneity of shared ethnicity, faith, and moral purpose. It was in fact largely the opposite. Historically, however, Syria was an entity and perhaps even an idea much loftier than a mere homogeneity.

It was a concept of conviviality, not of the simple and easy kind, founded upon commonalities, but of the truly challenging and infinitely more complicated sort. Syria throughout the ages was a precarious, yet for the most part sustainably functional cultural crucible, consisting of a combination of disparate components thrown inexplicably together by the whims of fate. Yet astonishingly, and contrary to virtually every lesson of human interaction taught and learned elsewhere, Syria was an impossible combination that for the most part worked reasonably well. This patchwork of manifestly incompatible elements, of diverse faiths, often incongruous ethnicities, and real or imagined identities, willy-nilly and probably more by trial and error than by design, had developed a unique modus vivendi, a formula for practical coexistence from which the world has much to learn.

Instead of watching idly as freakish barbarians armed with sledgehammers pound it to smithereens, we should perhaps have reacted, contrary if need be to the tenets of geopolitical logic, to preserve this ancient land and cultural treasure from defilement and devastation. We can do no better now than to study for our own profit and edification that remarkable historically conditioned mechanism that Syria used to be, to emulate its spirit and apply its principles wherever practicable. I would argue, without idealising, that the now apparently defunct Syria, rather than being merely a nation whose death it is proper to mourn, as Pepe rightly does, conceptually was much more than the sum of its constituent parts. Syria was an imperfect yet incontestably successful pattern of civilisation, at least in the perspective of those who in human relations strive for a semblance of peace, cooperation, and harmony. Whether or not that pattern can ever be reconstituted is a question to which a ready answer is not at hand.

That having been said, we may skip the analysis of how Syria’s tragic and unexpected Untergang has come about, that topic being competently expounded by other commentators. There is, however, an aspect of the current events that needs to be particularly highlighted. That is the human dimension of the horror. Under the guise of opposing the excesses of a dictatorship, a combination of countries which purport to occupy the high moral ground in world affairs (the allusion is to the collective West and its lackeys, of course) have waged a relentless proxy war of attrition and extinction not against the Syrian “regime,” as they contemptuously referred to the legitimate government of that country, but against the people of Syria en masse, irrespective of their particular affiliation.

The objective was to oppress them and to destroy their common heritage in order to render them helpless and obedient to globalist masters and their regional collaborators, determined to impose their rapacious schemes in the form of oil pipelines, territorial recomposition, or whatever corrupt and self-serving goals they may have set. In that nefarious operation, the Syrian people, and even the jihadist condottieri themselves, the militia of goons trained and equipped to destroy the tranquillity and devastate the material and cultural assets of that unfortunate land, are all expendable.

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Just don’t.

• Trump Transition Team Considering Strikes on Iran (Antiwar)

Strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities are being seriously considered within the Donald Trump transition team, according to the Wall Street Journal. While there is no proof Tehran is trying to make a nuclear weapon, Washington and Tel Aviv are threatening to attack Iran’s nuclear energy infrastructure. “The military-strike option against nuclear facilities is now under more serious review by some members of his transition team,” the WSJ explained. “Iran’s weakened regional position and recent revelations of Tehran’s burgeoning nuclear work have turbocharged sensitive internal discussions, transition officials said.” Tel Aviv is undergoing a similar debate. “The Israel Defense Forces believes that following the weakening of Iranian proxy groups in the Middle East and the dramatic fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, there is an opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities,” the Times of Israel reported on Thursday.

Adding, “The Israeli Air Force has therefore continued to increase its readiness and preparations for such potential strikes in Iran.” According to WSJ, President-elect Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have recently discussed potentially attacking Iran. “Trump has told Netanyahu in recent calls that he is concerned about an Iranian nuclear breakout on his watch.” The report continues, “The president-elect wants plans that stop short of igniting a new war, particularly one that could pull in the US military.” The sources explained that the administration is considering two options. The first is bolstering American military presence in the Middle East while providing Israel with the ability to destroy Iranian nuclear sites without US assistance. The other option calls for American threats to force Tehran to make concessions at the negotiation table.

Whichever option Trump chooses, he is also expected to increase sanctions on Iran given his belief that he must economically cripple Tehran. While the US intelligence community, the IAEA, the Pentagon, and Tehran all say Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, the incoming Trump administration and Tel Aviv say they are concerned the Islamic Republic will obtain a nuke. Additionally, Trump believes Tehran was behind an assassination attempt on his life. However, Trump and Netanyahu may perceive Iran as weak, given Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in Syria and Hezbollah’s concessions in its truce with Israel. Emboldened by recent events, Washington and Tel Aviv could attempt to strike Iran, believing Tehran is vulnerable. Mark Dubowitzchief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told WSJ, “If you were going to actually do something to neutralize the nuclear-weapons program, this would be it.”

On Wednesday, Netanyahu published a video on X in English telling the Iranian people that regime change may come a lot sooner than many people think.

Clawson

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“..the accused were allowed no change of venue and faced juries pulled from a pool 95 percent anti-Trump. This needs to change.”

• 20 (or So) Obvious Questions about January 6 (Jack Cashill)

Even before Donald Trump ascends to the presidency on January 20, his appointees should ask themselves the questions that follow — all of them simple and straightforward. With Christopher Wray stepping down from the FBI directorship, they will have a much better chance of getting straight answers quickly. Trump’s team should then share those answers widely. This information will make President Trump’s pardon of more than 1,500 Americans much more comprehensible to the American public and much less controversial.

–Although now the FBI admits to having 26 confidential human sources in the crowd on January 6, how many total “assets” did the FBI and other entities plant, and what roles did they play?
–Was Ray Epps working for an entity? And if so, under what terms?
–Who planted the pipe bombs outside the DNC and near the RNC headquarters?
–Who instructed Kamala Harris to conceal the fact that she was at the DNC when the bomb was found and why?
–Why did Harris allow hundreds of J6ers to be prosecuted for threatening her designated space at the Capitol when she wasn’t at the Capitol?
–Who were the “two law enforcement officials” who told the New York Times that “pro-Trump rioters” fatally struck Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with a fire extinguisher, inflicting “a bloody gash in his head”?
–Who orchestrated the 100-day-plus suppression of Sicknick’s autopsy report?
–If Sicknick was not murdered, as the DOJ finally conceded, why did a federal judge give Julian Khater an 80-month prison sentence for spritzing Sicknick with an over-the-counter pepper spray?
–Has there been an official inquiry into the subsequent suicide deaths of four USCP officers, and if not, why has the DOJ routinely blamed the J6ers for causing those deaths?
–Why was there no crime scene investigation in the likely homicide of Rosanne Boyland?
–Who chose to ignore the obvious video evidence of Boyland being suffocated as a result of a police action and to falsely blame her death on an amphetamine overdose?
–Who suppressed the Boyland autopsy report for 90 days and stonewalled her family at every turn?
–Why was Lila Morris, the Metropolitan P.D. officer caught on video repeatedly bashing the unconscious Boyland over the head with a tree branch, not even disciplined?
–Why was Metropolitan P.D. lieutenant Jason Bagshaw promoted despite having been caught on video bashing the defenseless Victoria White bloody?
–Why did the DOJ not interview the eyewitnesses to the shooting death of Ashli Babbitt?
–Why did the USCP coddle and promote Babbitt’s killer, Michael Byrd, despite a shooting that, according to use-of-force expert Stan Kephart, “violated not only the law but his oath”?
–Who ordered the “shock and awe” raids on the homes of hundreds of non-violent protesters and why?
–Why has the so-called “Scaffold Commander” not been arrested despite multiple clear images of his face?
–Why has the man who constructed the mock gallows on the Capitol grounds not been arrested despite multiple clear images of his face?
–Why did the USCP allow the gallows to stand unmolested on Capitol grounds for more than four hours before the crowds gathered?
–Why was Emanuel Jackson quickly set free despite having been caught on video swinging a baseball bat at police officers over a two-hour period?
–If there was no insurrection, as the DOJ conceded, why were the sentences given to the J6ers so much more severe than the $30–50 fines given to the protesters who physically obstructed the Kavanaugh hearings?

These are the simple questions, the ones off the top. I am sure readers will think of others I may have overlooked. To be sure, more probing questions need to be asked about the January 6 Select Committee report as well as the charging documents for the J6ers. Having read through much of this material, I am impressed by how casually — and routinely — our elected officials and federal jurists distort the facts to protect the party line. In short, they lie, and some have done so under oath. I am impressed, too, by the shamelessness of a DOJ that can boast of its success rate in securing convictions, knowing that the accused were allowed no change of venue and faced juries pulled from a pool 95 percent anti-Trump. This needs to change.

More questions need to be asked as well about the security failures at all levels on January 6. In his otherwise worthy book, Government Gangsters, Kash Patel more or less exonerates the Pentagon. He should not have. Incompetence explains much of what went wrong on January 6, but so does treason. Nearly 1,600 American citizens were arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights on January 6, and roughly half of them have been incarcerated. Save for the insurrectionists among them — if there were any — the rest deserve not just commutation of their sentences, but a full pardon. Many may deserve compensation. And all deserve the truth.

To learn more, see Jack Cashill’s newest book, Ashli: The Untold Story of the Women of January 6.

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…But Continues Case Against New York..

“..should require the public release of all the evidence so that New Yorkers finally know the truth: Governor Cuomo never sexually harassed anyone.”

• Cuomo Accuser Drops Case Against The Former New York Governor (Turley)

A curious thing just happened in the sexual harassment lawsuit against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo: accuser Charlotte Bennett just dropped her claims against Cuomo despite continuing with litigation against the state over the alleged conduct of Cuomo. While the state has its own obligations as an employer, it is odd that you would drop the claim against the alleged actor himself. That is like dropping your product liability claim against Tesla while suing the electric company for powering the car. A significant number of women alleged sexual harassment against the former governor. They previously gave evidence in criminal investigations and spoke to state and federal investigators. However, in 2022, Albany County District Attorney David Soares dropped a criminal complaint against Cuomo for lack of evidence. Later, five additional criminal cases were dropped.

He has been facing pending civil litigation over the allegations of sexual harassment for years. The state is reportedly paying Cuomo’s legal fees. The strange profile of the litigation with this withdrawal may reflect the strikingly different interests of the legal teams representing Cuomo versus the state. Bennett was the second of several former aides to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. She complained that Cuomo was harassing her with “invasive” demands of her medical records and pursuing testimony from friends. However, when you accuse someone of being a sexual harasser, such discovery is not just expected but often essential for the defense. The defense took a victory lap while responding to rumors of a settlement in the making with the state. It noted that the move came shortly before Bennett would appear for deposition:

“After falsely smearing Governor Cuomo for years, Ms. Bennett suddenly withdrew her federal lawsuit on the eve of her deposition to avoid having to admit under oath that her allegations were false and her claims had no merit. If New York State does give in to her public pressure campaign and settles, it will not be on the merits and should require the public release of all the evidence so that New Yorkers finally know the truth: Governor Cuomo never sexually harassed anyone.” The deposition was expected to be brutal, including questions raised by videotapes in which Bennett calls Cuomo “amazing” and “wonderful” to work with. The defense has also cited prior allegations against others that were later dropped. The settlement talks could amplify the different interests of the two legal teams.

The state team is answerable to Gov. Kathleen Hochul, who may have an interest in not only killing the case but also creating a record of a settlement over the allegations. Her office previously settled with the Biden Administration over federal claims. I previously expressed concern over the lack of fairness and due process for Cuomo in that case and how the settlement was being portrayed. The dropping of the case may undermine negotiations with the state unless they have reached an undisputed agreement. Between the settlement with the federal government and settlements with these accusers, Cuomo may be left without an adjudication on specific claims that he wants to clear his name. Such settlements create a stain of presumptive guilt for many. The only thing that is clear is that the case against Andrew Cuomo seems to get “curiouser and curiouser.”

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He appears to be successful. But from the MSM, crickets only.

• Milei Admin. Posts Record Reductions in Deficit and Inflation Numbers (Turley)

Argentinian President Javier Milei has long been an irresistible target of the press and pundits. When he came into power with his famous “Afuera” (or Out!) platform to dramatically shrink government spending. Argentina was viewed as a basket case that was well past the red line for recovery. He was mocked as a clown for seeking to apply libertarian policies on the economy. Milei may have the last laugh. After only a year, his government has wiped out the deficit and reduced inflation from 25% to 2.4%. Argentina’s monthly inflation rate slowed to 2.4% in November, the lowest in over four years. Inflation had slowed to 2.7% in October. Instead of a disastrous deficit, the country now posts a fiscal surplus of approximately 0.4% of GDP.

For the media outlets, there is a begrudging recognition. The Associated Press reported the economic improvement by first detailing how “Milei’s lack of government experience, unkempt hairdo, sexual boasts and missionary-like zeal for his dead dog, the Rolling Stones and the free market didn’t inspire much confidence in a country with a history of failed economic reforms.” After discussing the unemployment and “brutal” measures, the article finally get to the statistics roughly half way through by noting that “signs have emerged that Argentina’s bizarre and long mismanaged economy is starting to look a little more normal. Monthly inflation has plummeted, bonds have rallied and the closely watched gap between the black market dollar and the official rate has shrunk as much as 44%. Argentina’s country-risk index, an influential measure of the risk of default, is at its lowest point in five years.”

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“Once Pam Bondi comes in as attorney general under the Trump administration, we then have a partner at the United States Department of Justice to look at this..”

• House GOP Vows To Refer ActBlue Fundraising Probe To Incoming Trump DOJ (JTN)

House Administration Committee Chairman Brian Steil said he will refer findings from his ongoing probe into the progressive fundraising platform ActBlue to the incoming Trump Justice Department. Steil believes the new Attorney General Pam Bondi, if confirmed, will be more than willing to probe the Democratic fundraising powerhouse over allegations it failed to implement sufficient security measures on its platform to prevent illegal foreign monies from flowing into U.S. political campaigns. “Once Pam Bondi comes in as attorney general under the Trump administration, we then have a partner at the United States Department of Justice to look at this, to do the investigation into bad actors, and to hold anyone who is engaged in this activity accountable,” Steil told the Just the News, No Noise TV show on Thursday.

“The good news is President [Donald} Trump’s coming to office in just a few short weeks. We’re going to have an opportunity to move forward on the prosecutorial side, and then we in Congress have to continue this work, moving legislation forward.” Steil’s committee has probed ActBlue over lax security measures that may have allowed foreign entities to donate to U.S. political campaigns, which is illegal. In October, Steil and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a fellow Republican, wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines about concerns that four U.S. adversaries may have donated through the platform. “We write to you to raise an urgent concern regarding potential illicit election funding by foreign actors,” the lawmakers wrote Yellen in a letter dated Thursday.

“CHA has been investigating claims that foreign actors, primarily from Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and China, may be using ActBlue to launder illicit money into U.S. political campaigns.” They also said: “Our investigation has indicated that these actors may be exploiting existing U.S. donors by making straw donations without their knowledge.” The lawmakers specifically demanded access to any Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to money passing through the fundraising platform generated by any U.S. financial institution as part of their anti-money-laundering activities. ActBlue recently acknowledged to Congress that it has updated its donor verification policy to automatically reject donations that “use foreign prepaid/gift cards, domestic gift cards, are from high-risk/sanctioned countries, and have the highest level of risk as determined,” by its solution provider, Sift.

The change occurred just three days after Steil introduced the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act on Sept. 6 to ensure foreign money stayed out of online political fundraising. Before the change, Steil said, donations made with foreign gift cards were not automatically rejected by ActBlue before the change, Just the News reported. ActBlue has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and says that it is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations. “Democratic and progressive campaigns have trusted ActBlue’s two-decade-long track record of innovation and dependability to deliver during big fundraising moments,” ActBlue said in a statement in June celebrating its 20th anniversary in business. Steil also argues the Justice Department does not appear to be interested in conducting an investigation into what his committee has uncovered so far. “If they were, they would have started about four years ago,” he said.

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“..the projects will have “no measurable influence on climate change.”

• Offshore Wind Opponents From Deep Blue States Hope For Trump (JTN)

Shortly after taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden set a goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. Along the coasts, grassroots, community-based organizations concerned about the impacts of offshore wind development sprang up to express their opposition to the plan. They say they found their concerns ignored and dismissed as the federal government pushed full-steam-ahead with Biden’s goals. President-elect Donald Trump stated repeatedly during his campaign that he would end Biden’s offshore wind vision. Now offshore wind opponents in Democratic strongholds of the East and West coasts, while they may not be fans of Trump, they’re hopeful the new administration will finally give them a seat at the table.

In February 2024, the first phase of Vineyard Wind, a 62-turbine project 15 miles south of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard became the first large-scale offshore wind project to deliver power to the grid. Amy DiSibio, board member for ACK For Whales, told Just the News that people on Nantucket had, prior to this year, been supportive of Biden’s offshore wind agenda. ACK for Whales is a nonpartisan nonprofit representing Nantucket community members who are concerned about the negative impacts of offshore wind development off the coast of the island. DiSibio said there are a lot of misperceptions about Nantucket. “People think this is an island filled with a bunch of rich people. It’s actually a very economically diverse community. People don’t recognize that, especially the year-round population, these people work two and three jobs to make ends meet. It’s very expensive living 30 miles out to sea,” DiSibio said.

She said about a year ago, people on the island started seeing giant offshore wind turbines covering their ocean views. Concerns were growing about impacts of the industry to the viewshed and marine wildlife, DiSibio said, but when a blade broke off one of the turbines in July and scattered shards of debris across New England shores, the tide of public opinion turned against the industry. “People are like, ‘Are you kidding?’ This is expected to happen on a regular basis. This is an environmental disaster. People are still picking up stuff on the beach. This is a small target in a big ocean. So imagine what’s still out there,” DiSibio said. While the impacts have hit the island hard, the election outcomes suggest Trump’s vows against offshore wind weren’t a selling point for the state or the island.

Massachusetts residents voted 61% in favor of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, and in Nantucket nearly 67% of votes went for Harris. DiSibio said that as a 501(c)3, ACK for Whales is limited in what it can do, in terms of lobbying. She said that the organization will proceed now with what it’s been doing — educating the public and elected officials on the issue. She said they’ve got people in Congress who have been sympathetic to the issue, such as New Jersey Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith, as well as Maryland Rep. Andy Harris in Maryland — all Republicans — who are listening.

“There are people in Congress who have concerns. They’ve got concerns around the environment, economic concerns to what this does to not just coastal communities, but how this will impact the whole state. Concerns around this means for rate payers, concerns around search and rescue, for the Coast Guard, national security. There are many, many questions that are out there,” DiSibio said. She’s hoping there will be more questions not only about the impacts, but also if they’re worth it. Environmental impact statements for offshore wind projects, which are required as part of the federal permitting process, note that the projects will have “no measurable influence on climate change.”

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“The government is slow, slow, slow — decades slow on adopting new ways of doing things, and there’s a lot of [other] carrier services that became legal in the ’70s that are doing things so much better..”

• Trump Considers Privatizing US Postal Service (ZH)

Donald Trump is fired up about finally giving the money-losing US Postal Service its long-overdue shove into the private sector, according to three sources who talked to the Washington Post. Trump is said to have discussed the idea with Howard Lutnick, who’s co-chairing his transition team and who’s been tapped to serve as Commerce secretary in the new administration. He also held a meeting with various transition officials to exchange thoughts on privatization of the huge organization. Separately, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, has held its own discussions about drastic action. Last month, USPS disclosed that it posted a net loss of $9.5 billion for the 2024 fiscal year — a loss that was 46% worse than the service’s $6.5 billion deficit in 2023.

The plunge came alongside a slight uptick in revenue enabled by the latest annual increase in postage rates, pursuant to the 2021 Delivering for America plan. That program was supposed to help the perennially-profitless behemoth “achieve financial sustainability and service excellence.” The service also has a crummy balance sheet, with nearly $80 billion in liabilities. After reviewing the numbers, Trump stated his opinion that the Postal Service shouldn’t be subsidized by the government, the Post’s sources said. Casey Mulligan, a University of Chicago economics professor who served on Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers, tells the Post it’s time for a major change: “The government is slow, slow, slow — decades slow on adopting new ways of doing things, and there’s a lot of [other] carrier services that became legal in the ’70s that are doing things so much better with increased volumes and reduced costs. We didn’t finish the job in the first term, but we should finish it now.”

The Postal Service is politically powerful — starting with its raw headcount: While you may not guess it given the long lines that typify a visit to a post office, USPS has a staggering 650,000 employees, who become very active whenever privatization gains momentum. It’s also popular among Americans — 72% view it favorably, compared just 21% who view it unfavorably, according to a 2024 Pew Research poll. Meanwhile, though a belief in small government is supposedly a GOP cornerstone, the postal service is particularly valued by people living in rural, Republican districts. Earlier this month, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley angrily confronted Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over a plan to save costs by slowing delivery for some mail, something that would affect rural areas more than urban ones. “I hate this plan and I’m going to do everything I can to kill it,” said Hawley in a Senate hearing.

In addition to having GOP control of the Senate and the House in the next legislature, Trump is positioned to fill three vacancies on the Postal Service’s 11-member board. (Biden has submitted nominees, but you can expect the Senate to ignore them through Jan 20.) Of the incumbents, three are Republicans, with two of them appointed by Trump in his first term. Even if privatization doesn’t happen, Trump’s mere threat of pursuing it could help drive changes to the organization. As the Lexington Institute’s Paul Steilder tells the Post…

“At the end of the day, the Postal Service is going to need money, it’s going to need assistance, or it’s going to have to come up with some radical, draconian measures to break even in the near term. That gives both the White House and Congress an awful lot of power and an awful lot of leeway here.” Sound good on paper…but, as evidenced by the “profit”-and-loss chart above, Congress has long shown a lack of urgency about seeing the USPS “break even in the near term.” Even with a president who’s fired about it — for now — we’re not convinced it will be any different this time.

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“The wording of the bill has many worried that this will be a centerpiece of a new era of anti-communist hysteria, similar to previous McCarthyist periods.”

• Cold War Tactics With New Anti-Communism School Curriculum (Alan MacLeod)

Congress has just passed a new bill that will see the U.S. spend huge sums of money redesigning much of the public school system around the ideology of anti-communism. The “Crucial Communism Teaching Act” is now being read in the Senate, where it is all but certain to pass. The move comes amid growing public anger at the economic system and increased public support for socialism. The Crucial Communism Teaching Act, in its own words, is designed to teach children that “certain political ideologies, including communism and totalitarianism…conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy that are essential to the founding of the United States.” Although sponsored by Republicans, it enjoys widespread support from Democrats and is focused on China, Venezuela, Cuba and other targets of U.S. empire. The wording of the bill has many worried that this will be a centerpiece of a new era of anti-communist hysteria, similar to previous McCarthyist periods.

The curriculum will be designed by the controversial Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and will ensure all American high school students “understand the dangers of communism and similar political ideologies” and “learn that communism has led to the deaths of over 100,000,000 victims worldwide.” It will also develop a series titled “Portraits in Patriotism,” that will expose students to individuals who are “victims of the political ideologies” in question. The 100 million figure originates with the notorious pseudoscience text, “The Black Book of Communism.” A collection of political essays, the book’s central claim is that 100 million people have perished as a result of the communist ideology. However, even many of its contributors and co-writers have distanced themselves from it, claiming that the lead author was “obsessed” with reaching the 100 million figure, to the point that he simply conjured millions of deaths from nowhere.

Its methodology was also universally panned, with many pointing out that the tens of millions of Soviet and Nazi losses during World War II were attributed to communist ideology. This means that both Adolf Hitler himself and many of his victims are counted towards the vastly overinflated figure. The book was condemned by Holocaust remembrance groups as whitewashing and even lionizing genocidal fascist groups as anti-communist heroes. The principal organization promoting the 100 million figure today is the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which has shown a similar level of both anti-communist devotion and methodological rigor. The group, set up by the U.S. government in 1993, added all worldwide COVID-19 deaths to the victims of communism list, arguing that the coronavirus was a communist disease because it originated in China. It is these people who will be designing the new curriculum that will be taught in social studies, government, history, and economics classes across the country.

One of the central goals of the bill is also to “ensure that high school students in the United States understand that 1,500,000,000 people still suffer under communism.” This is a clear reference to China, a rapidly developing country that, in just two generations, has gone from one of the poorest on Earth to a global superpower, challenging and even surpassing the United States on many quality-of-life indicators. The bill goes on to detail how the school curriculum will “focus on ongoing human rights abuses by such regimes, such as the treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region” by the Chinese “regime” and its “aggression” towards “pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong,” and Taiwan, who it labels “a democratic friend of the United States.”

Read more …

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malhotra

 

 

Bone cancer

 

 

3d

 

 

Lynx

 

 

Fox

 

 

Bowhead

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle July 25 2024

Jul 252024
 
 July 25, 2024  Posted by at 8:30 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,  45 Responses »


Claude Monet Hollowed Cliff near Étretat 1883

 

• Obama ‘Dumped’ Biden – Trump (RT)
• Decision To Leave Race Was About ‘Saving Democracy’ – Biden (RT)
• Team Trump Files Complaint to Block Harris’ Use of Biden Campaign Funds (Sp.)
• ActBlue Accused Of “MASSIVE Money Laundering Operation” (ZH)
• Secret Service Tells Trump To Stop Having Outdoor Rallies (ZH)
• Trump Shooter Studied JFK Assassination – FBI (RT)
• Court Rejects Bid to Throw Out Trump Case Against Pulitzer Board (ET)
• Re-Electing von der Leyen Tragic For Western Europe -Zakharova (TASS)
• Ukraine Top General Acknowledges Russian Air Superiority, Questions F-16 (Sp.)
• Slovakia President Issues Threat To Ukraine (RT)
• Russia Responds To Zelensky’s Talks Proposal (RT)
• Zelensky Has No Legitimacy – Kremlin (RT)
• The Berlin Wall Falls Again (John Helmer)
• The Stunning Audacity Of Yemen’s Drone Strike On Tel Aviv (Cradle)
• China Has Achieved Escape Velocity: It Is Now Unstoppable (Pepe Escobar)

 

 

 

 

Tack
https://twitter.com/i/status/1815929451256979636

 

 

Cart

 

 

Wray


https://twitter.com/i/status/1816145592566833544

 

 

Elon
https://twitter.com/i/status/1815768540097495385

 

 

Harris Obama

 

 

Biden letter

 

 

NKorea
https://twitter.com/i/status/1816196264935166412

 

 

MTG

 

 

 

 

“Obama can’t stand him, and he can’t stand Obama..”

• Obama ‘Dumped’ Biden – Trump (RT)

Former US President Barack Obama “can’t stand” President Joe Biden and was instrumental in killing his reelection campaign, Republican candidate Donald Trump has alleged. Biden announced on Sunday that he was dropping out of the race for the White House and endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to run in his stead. In the runup to the announcement, Obama was reportedly one of several top Democrats privately urging Biden to end his campaign, out of concern that the visibly infirm 81-year-old could not defeat former president Trump in November. “Obama can’t stand him, and he can’t stand Obama,” Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday. “Obama had a part because he said he wasn’t going to support him.” “Nancy Pelosi dumped him,” Trump continued, referring to the former House Speaker taking to cable news to cast doubts on Biden’s ability to serve.

“They all dumped him, and they said, ‘Either you get out nice or we’re going to go after you.’ And that’s what happened. And he had no choice. There’s no question about it.” Biden announced his departure from the race via a social media post, made while he was cloistered away at his Delaware home recovering from Covid-19. This reportedly shocked some of the president’s aides, who told Politico that they had no inkling he would leave the race until they saw the posts on X. Biden has not spoken to the public since the announcement, and slurred his words during a phoned-in message delivered to Harris’ campaign headquarters on Monday. “He was pushed out of power like a dog,” Trump said of Biden on Wednesday, in a post to his Truth Social platform. Prior to Biden’s announcement, most polls showed Trump leading the 81-year-old by between one and nine points. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday showed Harris beating Trump by 44% to 42%, although analysts have cautioned that this initial “bump” in support will likely subside in the coming weeks.

“She’s the same as Biden but much more radical,” Trump said of Harris. “She wants open borders. She wants things that nobody wants…so I think she should be easier than Biden, because he was slightly more mainstream, but not much.” Obama did not join Biden in endorsing Harris. In a statement on Sunday praising Biden for stepping aside, the former president did not mention Harris, and called on Democrats to “create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges” at the party’s convention in August. However, Harris has already won the support of enough Democratic delegates to secure the party’s nomination. Should she get the nod, she will be the first presidential candidate in 56 years to run for the White House without ever competing in a primary election. Harris dropped out of the race for the presidency in 2019 with her polling numbers between 1% and 2%.

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“If everyone acknowledges that he’s incapable of running a campaign, he’s clearly not capable of running the country..”

• Decision To Leave Race Was About ‘Saving Democracy’ – Biden (RT)

The election in November will be “an inflection point” for the country, US President Joe Biden has said in his first public speech after deciding not to seek a second term and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening, Biden said he is determined to unite the Democratic Party and “pass the torch to a new generation.” “I revere this office, but I love my country more,” Biden said. “I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merit a second term. But nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.” Biden went on to stress the importance of the election, in which Harris is set to compete against the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. “I ran for president four years ago because I believed and still do that the soul of America was at stake, the very nature of who we are was at stake. And that is still the case,” Biden said.

Initially defiant, Biden eventually succumbed to pressure from top Democrats and major party donors who argued that he is no longer capable of defeating Trump. Concerns over his age and deteriorating health increased rapidly after his disastrous performance during a televised debate with Trump last month, in which Biden appeared confused and struggled to finish his sentences. Biden announced the decision to withdraw his candidacy on Sunday, naming Harris as his successor. Harris is expected to officially become the nominee during the Democratic National Convention next month. The Republicans, meanwhile, have called on Biden to resign from the presidency. “If everyone acknowledges that he’s incapable of running a campaign, he’s clearly not capable of running the country,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters over the weekend.

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Interesting legal squabble.

• Team Trump Files Complaint to Block Harris’ Use of Biden Campaign Funds (Sp.)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign has filed a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission arguing that money raised for President Joe Biden’s reelection effort cannot be transferred to fund Vice President Kamala Harris’ election bid, CNN has reported. Legal experts had speculated an attempt to transfer funds raised by the Biden campaign to Harris could trigger a lawsuit. “Kamala Harris is seeking to perpetrate a $91.5 million dollar heist of Joe Biden’s leftover campaign cash — a brazen money grab that would constitute the single largest excessive contribution and biggest violation in the history of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended,” read the document as revealed by CNN Tuesday.

The complaint is leveled against Biden himself, his election campaign, Harris and campaign treasurer Keana Spencer, accusing them of “flagrantly violating the Act by making and receiving an excessive contribution of nearly one hundred million dollars, and for filing fraudulent forms with the Commission purporting to repurpose one candidate’s principal campaign committee for the use of another candidate,” the report said. An FEC spokesperson declined to comment, citing the FEC’s policy on not discussing enforcement matters as the reason, the broadcaster reported. Charles Kretchmer Lutvak, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said the complaint represented “baseless legal claims.”

“Republicans may be jealous that Democrats are energized to defeat Donald Trump and his MAGA [Make America Great Again] allies, but baseless legal claims – like the ones they’ve made for years to try to suppress votes and steal elections – will only distract them while we sign up volunteers, talk to voters, and win this election,” said Lutvak in a statement released Tuesday. Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 US presidential race Sunday and endorsed Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee. Trump, for his part, has said more than once that it would be easier to defeat Harris, while his campaign has argued she would be worse than Biden as president.

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“Kamala Harris is in the process of committing the largest campaign finance violation in American history and she is using the Commission’s own forms to do it.”

“$20 million [..] broken down into over 1,600,000 donations across 400,000 donors..”

• ActBlue Accused Of “MASSIVE Money Laundering Operation” (ZH)

Democrat donation platform ActBlue has been accused of a engaging in a “MASSIVE money laundering operation,” by which contributions from large donors are being funneled through hundreds of thousands of small donations made in the name of people who have no clue they’ve donated.

The accusation comes as the platform says it had its best day of 2024, and possibly of all time, in the wake of President Biden abandoning his reelection campaign on Sunday. ActBlue has been previously been fined for facilitating nearly $44,000 in illegal contributions. Meanwhile, journalist James O’Keefe approached alleged donors with hundreds of thousands of contributions listed in their name, who knew nothing about them. In related news, the Trump campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday accusing President Biden and VP Kamala Harris of violating campaign finance laws with the transfer of $91 million in fundraising cash to her new campaign.

According to the complaint, Harris is “seeking to perpetrate a $91.5 million dollar heist of Joe Biden’s leftover campaign cash.” Trump campaign general counsel David Warrington called the act a “brazen money grab that would constitute the single largest excessive contribution and biggest violation in the history of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended,” adding “Kamala Harris is in the process of committing the largest campaign finance violation in American history and she is using the Commission’s own forms to do it.””The Commission must not and cannot sit idly by while one candidate takes nearly one hundred million dollars from the authorized committee of another, in violation of the Act and the will of the donors who gave the money in the first place.” The complaint names Biden, Harris, “Biden for President (aka Harris for President) and Keana Spencer, as treasurer, for flagrantly violating the Act by making and receiving an excessive contribution of nearly one hundred million dollars, and for filing fraudulent forms with the Commission purporting to repurpose one candidate’s principal campaign committee for the use of another candidate.”

The complaint argues that if “Kamala Harris were a candidate for something in 2024, federal law requires her to have filed a Statement of Candidacy and for her name to have appeared in the name of her authorized committee. But Kamala Harris’s name does not appear in the name of her purported authorized committee, ‘Biden for President,’ and, until Sunday, no Statement of Candidacy existed for her. Then Sunday, rather than filing her own Statement of Candidacy, she merely altered Joe Biden’s to replace his name with hers. There is no mechanism under the Act for one individual to end another’s federal candidacy by simply amending the other’s Form 2. Moreover, in that purported amended Form 2 Harris designated ‘Biden for President’ as her principal campaign committee and then renamed it. Altering a document submitted to a federal agency is a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519.3.” -Fox News.

According to the Harris campaign, the complaint is “baseless.”

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Coming after a botched murder orchestrated by … the same Secret Service. Convenient.

• Secret Service Tells Trump To Stop Having Outdoor Rallies (ZH)

The Secret Service is turning near-assassination lemons into Deep State lemonade. Following its catastrophic failure to secure Donald Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service has come up with a “fix” that reeks of ulterior motives: the agency has advised the Trump campaign to stop holding large outdoor rallies altogether. Broken by the Washington Post, news of the agency’s pathetic prescription came hours after Secret Service Director Kimberley Cheatle resigned, following a marathon Monday grilling on Capitol Hill that saw her used as a punching bag by members of both major parties. Her agency’s multi-dimensional incompetence in Pennsylvania left a former president and two spectators wounded — and another dead.

The Secret Service’s recommendation undermines a cornerstone of Trump campaign culture. Trump fans have turned his sprawling outdoor rallies into daylong parties complete with tailgate barbecues, merchants selling Trump-branded gear, and vehicles decorated in tribute to the former president. Thousands who can’t get into the rally itself are content to soak up the festive atmosphere in the immediate vicinity. The rallies often provide stunning visual indicators of Trump’s support, serving as campaign ads in and of themselves. Given Trump came within an inch of a fatal head-shot thanks to the Secret Service’s inadequacy — which could take a long time to fix — his campaign is perhaps reasonably taking the agency’s recommendation to heart:

For upcoming events, Trump’s team is scouting indoor venues, such as basketball arenas and other large spaces where thousands of people can fit, people familiar with the request said. The campaign is not currently planning any large outdoor events, a person close to Trump said. — Washington Post. From a security perspective, indoor events have many obvious advantages, from a finite number of entrances to fewer opportunities for snipers — including those who might attempt a shot from much longer distances than the chip-shot, 400-foot opportunity Trump’s shooter was given. A source tells Axios that the change doesn’t necessarily mean Trump won’t have any outdoor rallies at all. Meanwhile, even indoors, the Trump campaign will still be able to put on some impressive displays of strength…

…however, nixing outdoor rallies will hit the Trump campaign squarely in the checkbook, since it’s much more expensive to rent a major indoor arena than an exurban fairground like the Butler Farm Show grounds. Smaller venues cost less, but give far fewer fans the opportunity to attend. According to his campaign’s event schedule, Trump’s next two venues are the 9,600-seat Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte tonight, and the 6,000-seat Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota on Saturday.

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He googled it. Studied?! The FBI wants to promote the lone wolf.

• Trump Shooter Studied JFK Assassination – FBI (RT)

Would-be assassin Thomas Michael Crooks researched the assassination of John F Kennedy before opening fire on former President Donald Trump earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers on Wednesday. Crooks shot Trump in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Firing from a rooftop that Trump’s Secret Service detail had inexplicably left unguarded, the 20-year-old gunman killed one person in the audience and injured two others before Secret Service snipers shot him dead. Testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Wray said that an FBI examination of Crooks’ computer revealed that he began researching the JFK assassination on July 6, the same day he registered to attend the Trump rally. “He did a Google search for – quote – ‘how far away was Oswald from Kennedy’,” Wray said, referring to Lee Harvey Oswald, the gunman accused of shooting Kennedy in 1963.

“That’s a search that’s obviously significant in terms of his state of mind,” Wray said, adding that Crooks had become “very focused on President Trump and his rally” at the time. Wray’s testimony shed little light on Crooks’ motivation. The FBI chief insisted that the shooter was not in contact with any accomplices or co-conspirators, and did not speculate about his political leanings. Before becoming fixated on Trump, Crooks did “a lot of searches of public figures in general,” Wray said, warning that “it is, quite frankly, a dangerous time to be a prominent public official.” Wray did not comment on how many Secret Service snipers were present at the rally, nor did he comment on allegations that the agency had pulled some staff from Trump’s detail before the event. Wray did, however, reveal that Crooks visited the site in Butler on three occasions, and on the day of the rally “was flying the drone around the area” just two hours before Trump took to the stage.

Republicans have fiercely criticized the Secret Service for failing to secure Crooks’ rooftop vantage point, despite it being around 150 meters from the stage, and for apparently disregarding reports of an armed Crooks crawling around on the roof minutes before opening fire. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, a day after telling the Oversight Committee that she took responsibility for the “most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.”

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They hand their -formerly- coveted Prize to a bunch of liars, and then try to defend that. An insult to anyone who deserved it. It’s worthless now.

• Court Rejects Bid to Throw Out Trump Case Against Pulitzer Board (ET)

A court in Florida has rejected a bid from members of the Pulitzer Prize Board to throw out a case brought against them by former President Donald Trump. The board’s statement in 2022 standing behind its awards to several news outlets for reporting on former President Trump’s purported links to Russia is actionable because it is not merely opinion, Florida Circuit Court Judge Robert Pegg ruled on July 20. Defendants withheld valuable information from readers, including the process by which complaints against the awards were evaluated, according to the judge. In the July 18, 2022, statement, the board said that it “carefully reviewed” complaints against the awards, which were given in 2018 to The New York Times and The Washington Post. “Both reviews were conducted by individuals with no connection to the institutions whose work was under examination, nor any connection to each other,” the board said at the time.

“The separate reviews converged in their conclusions: that no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes.” The brief statement, though, was not pure opinion because the board failed to identify any of the reviewers, reveal whether the reviewers had any connection to the board, and share the reviewers’ qualifications, Judge Pegg said. “If the defendants’ statement had included the foregoing facts, an ordinary reader might have been able to evaluate whether they agreed with defendants’ decision not to revoke the prizes, and whether the underlying reporting had actually survived the factual disclosures of several subsequent government investigations unscathed,” the judge wrote. “Instead, the alleged defamatory statement implies no fewer than seven undisclosed sets of foundational facts, making the defendants’ statement actionable mixed opinion.”

Under Florida law, people cannot sue over pure opinion. The board did not respond to a request for comment. Former President Trump cheered the ruling in a post on Truth Social, writing that the judge “did not allow Pulitzer to hide behind the deeply outdated Times v. Sullivan case.” The 1964 New York Times Company v. Sullivan ruling, handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court, found that people who bring defamation cases must show that defendants knew the questioned statements were false or that the defendants were reckless in publishing the statements without looking into their accuracy. The case in Florida, being adjudicated in the 19th Judicial Circuit in Okeechobee County, concerns the board’s awarding of the 2018 Pulitzer for national reporting to The New York Times and The Washington Post for stories about purported links between President Trump and his campaign and Russia.

The stories, which largely relied on anonymous sources, included one article discussing the FBI’s willingness to pay the author of a dossier funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign that consisted of a series of memorandums compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele and another about comments from an aide for the Trump campaign that spurred the FBI’s Russia investigation. Subsequent government findings have undercut the stories; the findings include a report from special counsel Robert Mueller’s team that found no evidence of collusion between former President Trump or his campaign and Russia.

The Washington Post later corrected multiple stories about an individual who it said was one of Mr. Steele’s sources, acknowledging that its reporting was wrong. Reporters with the news outlet were among those who worked closely with Fusion GPS, an operative firm paid by Ms. Clinton’s campaign, the disclosed emails showed. Complaints from former President Trump’s campaign and others prompted the board’s 2022 statement, which then triggered the legal case. In a second ruling released over the weekend, Judge Pegg rejected a motion from defendants in the defamation case requesting that they be dismissed because they reside outside of Florida. The judge said that the former president had successfully alleged conspiracy among the defendants and that at least one of the defendants may have committed tortious acts in Florida to further the conspiracy.

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“..von der Leyen is a “committed supporter of maximizing US control over the European continent.”

• Re-Electing von der Leyen Tragic For Western Europe -Zakharova (TASS)

Re-electing Ursula von der Leyen to the post of European Commission (EC) president has become a tragic episode in the history of Western Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. The diplomat noted that the Russian mission at the EU has already commented on “this tragic page in the Western European history.” “To summarize, I can say that, unfortunately, indeed it is simply not possible to expect anything good for the stability and well-being of the residents of EU member states, moreover, for democracy and freedom, including the issue of security in that part of the world, as a result of Ursula von der Leyen’s confrontational attitude,” Zakharova stressed. According to the diplomat, von der Leyen is a “committed supporter of maximizing US control over the European continent.”

“She is also the main mouthpiece of Russophobic policy currently conducted by the European Union. This includes calls to invest increasingly more in the spheres of defense and security in the EU, in the creation of the so-called defense union which presumes its even deeper subjugation to NATO in the future and support for the Nazi regime on Bankovaya (Ukraine’s presidential administration – TASS). The resolution of all these problems, apparently, takes a toll on the EU with quite murky prospects at that,” she added. On April 18, the European Parliament elected von der Leyen as European Commission president for the second term. She garnered 401 out of 720 votes. During the session, both the right-and left-wing opposition criticized her for not fulfilling her obligations during the first term, destroying the European economy and not taking measures against poverty.

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The F-16s will all be shot down.

• Ukraine Top General Acknowledges Russian Air Superiority, Questions F-16 (Sp.)

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky has complained about the Russian air superiority and conceded that there were limits to what the long-promised F-16 fighter jets could achieve on the battlefield, British media reported Wednesday. Syrsky said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper that Russia had “superior aviation” and “very strong” air defenses. Because of this Ukraine was forced to rely more on unmanned aerial vehicles. The general explained that F-16 fighters could only be used 40 kilometers (25 miles) or further away from the front-line due to the risks of being downed. On July 10, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the first batch of F-16 fighter jets would be handed over to Ukraine in summer.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the United States and its NATO allies that Moscow saw the presence of nuclear capable F-16s in Ukraine as a nuclear threat. Syrsky also said that mobilization was needed to create necessary reserves and demanded that those evading the mandatory draft joined the military to “fulfil their constitutional duty.” Martial law was introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The next day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. The martial law and mobilization have been extended repeatedly since then. Under martial law, men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine.

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it’s the Druzhba pipeline again. The US and EU think they can get Hungary and Slovakia “in line” this way.

• Slovakia President Issues Threat To Ukraine (RT)

Slovakia could take retaliatory measures against Ukraine if Kiev continues to stop Russian oil transiting via the Druzhba pipeline, President Peter Pellegrini has warned. Kiev stopped the flow of crude through the Druzhba pipeline to its energy-dependent neighbors – Hungary and Slovakia – last week, citing sanctions against Russia’s second-largest oil company Lukoil, thus depriving the two EU member states of oil that meets up to 40% of their needs. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Pellegrini described Kiev’s actions as a “very unpleasant interference in our good relations.” “I firmly believe that Ukraine will be able to put this in order as soon as possible, because Slovakia, as a sovereign state, will eventually have to take some kind of countermeasures,” he said without specifying the nature of a possible response.

He added, however, that this “would not benefit either Ukraine or its citizens.” Pelligrini recalled that Slovakia had helped Ukraine with the reverse flow of gas and has also been sending electricity to the country. Slovakian Defense Minister Robert Kalinak echoed the president’s criticism and warned that Kiev was “risking a lot” with its “irresponsible” actions. While the EU banned seaborne oil imports from Russia in December 2022, pipeline deliveries have received exemptions from the embargo to allow land-locked EU countries, including Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, to secure stable oil supplies.

Lukoil provides some 50% of the oil shipped via the southern branch of Druzhba, which is one of the world’s longest pipeline networks. Other suppliers include Russian state-owned Tatneft, Gazprom Neft, the private company Russneft, and several small producers. On Tuesday, Hungary also pledged to punish Kiev for its blockade of oil deliveries from Russia, with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto saying Budapest would block €6.5 billion ($7 billion) in funds that the EU has earmarked for Ukraine until Kiev resumes transit. Hungary’s foreign minister said his country supplied 42% of Ukraine’s electricity in June.

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“Everyone knows perfectly well that this is a man who can twist anything, who can lie, who can deny everything..”

• Russia Responds To Zelensky’s Talks Proposal (RT)

Vladimir Zelensky’s signal that Ukraine is ready to resume peace talks with Moscow is not credible, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. In recent weeks, Zelensky has said that Kiev wants to end the conflict “as soon as possible,” preferably “by the end of this year.” He has also insisted on holding a second ‘peace summit’ to achieve that goal. The last such event, hosted by Switzerland, focused on Kiev’s ‘peace formula’ – which demands that Russia withdraw its troops from all territory claimed by Ukraine. Moscow has dismissed the plan as detached from reality. Commenting on the possibility of peace with Ukraine, Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday that “nobody trusts [Zelensky].” “Everyone knows perfectly well that this is a man who can twist anything, who can lie, who can deny everything,” she said.

She recalled that neither Ukraine nor its Western backers have done anything to rescind Zelensky’s presidential decree barring Kiev from any talks with the current leadership in Moscow. The Ukrainian leader approved the document in the fall of 2022 after four former Ukrainian regions voted overwhelmingly to join Russia. Last week, however, Zelensky suggested that he saw “no difference” in whether he had to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin, or someone else, to end the conflict. “We hear a lot of words, but we don’t see actions at all,” Zakharova noted, suggesting that Zelensky’s statements are no more than another attempt to promote Kiev’s ‘peace formula’ and dupe countries around the world into supporting the initiative.

The spokeswoman added that Zelensky’s unexpected “flexibility” on peace talks could be linked to recent major shifts in the US political landscape, in reference to the shooting of Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race. The GOP candidate has repeatedly vowed to end the conflict within 24 hours if elected and has criticized open-ended US support for Kiev. Zakharova’s comments come after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Kiev “is willing to engage in dialogue and negotiations with Russia,” which he said must be “rational” and aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Kuleba’s words as being “in unison” with Russia’s stance. “The Russian side has never refused negotiations, [but] the details that we do not know yet are important here,” he added.

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“..anyone who questions his legitimacy is “an enemy.”

• Zelensky Has No Legitimacy – Kremlin (RT)

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s status could pose a problem when Moscow and Kiev eventually agree to hold peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called into question Zelensky’s legitimacy, noting that his term in office has expired. “Our president has repeatedly said that President Zelensky definitely lost his legitimacy,” Peskov told journalists. Another issue that “could seriously hinder the peace process” is Zelensky’s 2022 decree that “banned any Ukrainian head of state from engaging in talks with President Putin,” Peskov said.

Zelensky’s presidential term formally expired on May 20. He refused to hold an election in March, citing martial law which was imposed due to the conflict with Russia. He argued that his term was de facto extended in accordance with Ukrainian law. Putin has stated several times in recent months that an analysis of the Ukrainian constitution and other legislation leaves no room for an interpretation that would allow Zelensky to remain in power. Citing Article 111 of the Ukrainian constitution, Putin argued in May that Zelensky’s powers should have been transferred to the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament.

Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, however, has insisted that Zelensky is the legitimate head of state and that anyone who questions his legitimacy is “an enemy.” Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told journalists that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba made it clear during a trip to Beijing that he is “ready and willing” to hold peace talks with Moscow. Russia responded by saying it would wait for details on the Ukrainian position. “We have not heard these statements from Kuleba himself,” Peskov said on Wednesday, adding that negotiations are preferable to continued hostilities. Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine broke down in spring 2022, with each side accusing the other of making unrealistic demands.

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“Never again may we as Germans get involved in a war against Russia in any form. We need to unite and join to oppose this madness together.”

• The Berlin Wall Falls Again (John Helmer)

One of Germany’s most notorious prosecutions of free speech has collapsed, as the Berlin prosecutor’s office has dropped a case designed to stop Germans discussing the war against Russia in the Ukraine. Heinrich Buecher, owner of the COOP Anti-war Café on Rochstrasse, has been prosecuted in a Berlin district court and then in the higher regional court for statements he had made in a city park on June 22, 2022. On the anniversary of the German Army’s Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, Buecher had declared: “Never again may we as Germans get involved in a war against Russia in any form. We need to unite and join to oppose this madness together.” In the court proceedings which followed, the judges refused to allow Buecher to speak in his own defence. Instead, he published on the website of his café a re-statement of what he had been convicted of saying in June 2002.

“As an anti-fascist and anti-imperialist, I expressly oppose the policy of regime change, against wars of intervention and against any Interference in the internal affairs of independent states. I call on the German government to adopt a policy in the interest of International peace, in the interests of international security and peaceful coexistence of all peoples. The principles of the Charter of the United Nations must be respected and international law must be defended.” “I call for all arms deliveries and training programs for the Ukraine stop immediately. I demand diplomacy instead of weapons. I call for all efforts of our government to negotiate and allow opponents of war without preconditions. The sacrifice of the Ukraine for the geopolitical interests of the West, namely the strategic weakening of Russia, is a monstrous war crime and must have an end.”

The Buecher case has been followed by the Russian media but not the Anglo-American media. The mainstream German press has also avoided reporting the case. In January 2023, a Berlin district court judge named Tobias Pollman issued a summary judgement without hearing evidence or argument, ruling that Buecker’s crime came under Section 140 of the German Criminal Code, and had consisted of “publicly approving a crime of aggression (Section 138 of the International Criminal Code) in a manner likely to disturb the public peace at a meeting.” Pollman convicted Buecker of approving “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in violation of international law, the illegality of which you knew.” In German law, it wasn’t Buecher’s speech but the substance of what the judge said he meant which was judged illegal. He was sentenced to pay a €2,000 fine or 40 days in jail.

A radio interview of Buecher by John Helmer and George Eliason of April 15, 2023, was first published here, but subsequently erased by the broadcast company TNT. Buecher appealed, and on April 27, 2023, another Berlin judge named Marieluis Brinkmann ruled after a 90-minute proceeding in which she repeatedly stopped Buecher and his lawyer from testifying in defence. Brinkmann announced that the first judge had correctly applied the law in finding Buecher guilty of the crime of supporting Russia. But she dismissed the conviction and fine on the ground that Buecher’s speech had been a private one in front of his “fans”, not a public speech at all. The Berlin prosecutor, who refused to give her name in court or to allow photographs of herself, then appealed to the higher, Berlin region court. The higher court judges refused to reinstate Buecher’s conviction, and the prosecutors began new appeals. This month these appeals were dropped, and the prosecutors abandoned the case.

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2000 kilometers without being intercepted. What Iron Dome?

• The Stunning Audacity Of Yemen’s Drone Strike On Tel Aviv (Cradle)

On 19 July, a low-altitude drone breached Tel Aviv’s airspace from the sea and detonated, causing one fatality and injuring ten others. The incident sent shockwaves through the occupation state, with a panicked populace and bewildered policymakers grappling with the Israeli army’s “mega-failure” to intercept a single drone amid prolonged aggression against Gaza and the mounting tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The attack’s impact was magnified by its direct hit on Tel Aviv, the heart of Israel’s governmental and economic power, starkly exposing inadequacies in its defense strategies and further alarming a population that has for months been questioning the effectiveness of its military preparedness. It wasn’t long before the de facto Yemeni authorities in Sanaa claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the strike a retaliation for Israeli massacres and threatening more to come. But how did a Yemeni drone reach the heart of Israel’s most fortified region and strike a blow to Israeli military pride?

Suicide drones, as they are known, are a relatively modern weapon, posing significant challenges even for technologically advanced states like the US and Israel. These drones vary in range, warhead size, speed, and guidance methods. Analysis of the wreckage revealed that the “Yaffa” drone, an enhanced version of Yemen’s Sammad drones, was employed in the operation. The name is deeply symbolic as it references the ancient port city of Jaffa, also known as Yaffa in Arabic, which now forms part of modern-day Tel Aviv. Its rectangular wing shape and V-shaped tail distinguish it, but it is notably the more powerful 275 cc (16 kW) engine that sets it apart. This engine enables the drone to cover distances exceeding 2000 kilometers – sufficient to reach Tel Aviv from Yemen. Unlike with ballistic missiles, the difficulty in tracking drones lies in their ability to take unconventional paths, maneuver through winding routes, and hide behind terrain features, making them hard to detect by radar systems. This detection challenge is a daily issue in northern occupied Palestine, where drones operated by Lebanese resistance groups often go unseen by the increasingly blinded occupation army.

Moreover, drones are typically constructed from lightweight materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, or various reinforced plastics that do not reflect radar waves effectively, which is crucial for detection and tracking. Their low speeds reduce the need for the metallic compositions necessary in constructing conventional military hardware like missiles and fighter jets. Consequently, drones can be mistaken for birds by radar systems. This confusion has occurred regularly in northern occupied Palestine since the war’s onset, with Israel’s Iron Dome defense system spotted expending its limited supply of $50,000 projectiles shooting at birds during this conflict. The suicide drone likely took an unconventional path to evade detection. Previous Yemeni attempts have been intercepted in Egyptian Sinai airspace, with Israeli-allied Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt contributing to these detection and interception efforts.

On the night of the attack, however, no US aircraft carrier groups were in the Red Sea, and the nearest carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was positioned in the Indian Ocean. Israel’s air force has suggested that the drone may have taken a non-traditional route via Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt, crossing near the Suez Canal before entering the Mediterranean and turning east toward Tel Aviv. Some aspects of that route seem unlikely: the Suez Canal area is heavily patrolled by Egyptian air defense, with its 8th Brigade stationed there, so the Israeli announcement may have been an attempt to pressure Egypt. On 20 July, Israeli aircraft launched punishing airstrikes on the besieged Yemeni port of Hodeidah, specifically targeting areas designated for fuel and oil storage, as well as destroying port cranes used for loading and unloading cargo and a power station.

But these were civilian targets in a country already suffering from the effects of the Saudi-led coalition blockade, which has caused severe shortages of fuel and essential resources needed for power generation and transportation. The strike at these particular target banks, which killed at least six and wounded dozens of others, appears to be primarily aimed at creating significant explosions and large fires to help Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu score points at home. But the Israeli response against civilian targets also reveals that Tel Aviv suffers from a dearth of intelligence on potential Yemeni military targets. It was also evident that the selected targets were ones that Saudi Arabia and the US have refrained from striking due to fears of Yemeni retaliation, which could strike Saudi commercial ports or oil exports in one of the world’s most vital energy passages.

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“Will China pull it off? Of course it will.”

• China Has Achieved Escape Velocity: It Is Now Unstoppable (Pepe Escobar)

The four-day, twice-a-decade plenum of the Communist Party of China that took place last week in Beijing, designing an economic road map all the way to 2029, was a stunning affair in more ways than one. Let’s start with continuity – and stability. There’s no question after the plenum that Xi Dada, or The Big Panda, will stay on the helm until 2029 – the end of the current five-year economic drive. And if Xi is healthy enough, he stays up to 2035: the fateful and uber game-changing target year for China to exhibit a GDP per capita of $30,000, with massive around-the-world reverberations. Here we see the confluence between the progression of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” and the defining contours if not of a Pax Sinica, at least of the non-Hegemon-centric, multi-nodal world. The proverbial U.S. Think Tankland/Sinophobia axis has been hysterical on China not being able to sustain a 5% a year growth rate for the next few years – the target once again stressed at the plenum.

A Russian analysis by the Center for Geopolitical Forecasts makes a crucial point: “The Chinese themselves have not bothered about the growth rate for a long time, since in 2018 they switched to a strategy of so-called qualitative development, that is, not at the expense of traditional industries, but on the basis of high technologies and the creation of new areas, such as the production of new energy sources and artificial intelligence.” That’s the rationale behind Made in China 2025 – which is being implemented at breakneck speed: high-tech development leading the way towards a “high-level socialist market economy”, to be consolidated by 2025 and fully constructed by 2035. The next step will be to attain the status of “modernized socialist power” by 2049, at the 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The plenum proved once more that “socialism with Chinese characteristics” – or, for the recalcitrant, Chinese-modified capitalism – is “people-centric”. The supreme values are national interest and the people’s interests – attested by the fact that large private corporations remain under the strategic control of the CPC. It’s idle to try to find in the final communique at the end of the plenum any restrictions on private capital on the path to “universal prosperity”. The key point is that the role of capital should always be subordinated to the concept of “socialism with Chinese characteristics”. Everything is explained here in nearly didactic terms, chronicling the birth of the “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on further comprehensive deepening of reforms to promote Chinese modernization”. What is now already referred to colloquially all across China as “The Decision” spreads across 15 parts and 60 articles, divided into three main sections, proposing more than 300 important reforms.

“The Decision”, in full, has not yet been published; only the road map of how Beijing planners got there. Of course this is no mere policy paper: it’s a quintessentially CPC-style dissertation where the details of economic and political measures are obscured by clouds of images and metaphors. Take a look, for instance, at this passage: “To ensure that the reform ship sails forward steadily, the ‘Decision’ proposes that further comprehensive deepening of reform must implement the “six principles”: adhere to the party’s overall leadership, adhere to the people-centered approach, adhere to the principle of maintaining the integrity and promoting innovation, adhere to system building as the main line, adhere to the comprehensive rule of law, and adhere to a systematic approach.” Most of the “Decision” – 6 parts in a total of 13 – is about economic reform. Will China pull it off? Of course it will.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

Gethsemani
https://twitter.com/i/status/1815905100084437033

 

 

Smart

 

 

Wolf

 

 

Side eye
https://twitter.com/i/status/1816191336003068174

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Rattle October 1 2023

Oct 012023
 
 October 1, 2023  Posted by at 8:54 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  26 Responses »


Pable Picasso Le Pengouin 1907

 

• Ukraine Can Use German Missiles To Attack Russia – Bundestag (RT)
• UK Defense Chief Wants To Send British Troops To Ukraine (RT)
• Biden Demands Uninterrupted Cash Flow To Ukraine (RT)
• “More Deceit”: Gaetz Rages Over McCarthy-Ukraine Side Deal To Pass Stopgap (ZH)
• Ukraine Absent From Emergency US Government Funding Deal (RT)
• Thousands of Ukrainian Troops Surrender via Russian Radio Hotline (sp.)
• Pro-Russian ex-PM Fico Wins Slovak Election, Needs Allies For Government (RT)
• Ukraine Conflict A ‘Slavic Fraternal War’ – Orban (RT)
• Ukraine Plan to Stage New Counteroffensive ‘Act of Desperation’ – Analyst (Sp.)
• Abrams Tanks Will Become ‘Mobile Steel Coffins’ for Ukrainian Crews (Scott Ritter)
• Melania Trump Renegotiates Prenup Amid Potential 2nd Term, Legal Troubles (Sp.)
• Prosecutors: Trump May Have Violated Federal Gun Law At Campaign Event (Sp.)
• Trump Plans To Appear At New York Court Hearing In Fraud Case (TASS)

 

 

“I am still well but my condition is deteriorating. I am trying with all my strength to keep a small part of myself alive. A small part which I will use when I get out of prison to exist again, to be Julian again. I’m a fighter and I know that’s what I have to do.”
Julian Assange

 

 

Tucker must see
https://twitter.com/i/status/1707932271406461168

 

 

 

 

Blame

 

 


U.S. Banks are facing some $600 billion of unrealized losses, roughly 25% of total banking capital, near the highest levels in history

 

 

 

 

“America is a corpse being devoured by maggots. The Democrats root for the maggots, the Republicans root for the corpse.”

 

 

 

 

My immediate reaction: what would the Bundestag suggest Russia use to attack Germany? They might as well opine on that too now they just positioned themselves square into the middle of this “conflict”.

• Ukraine Can Use German Missiles To Attack Russia – Bundestag (RT)

The head of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has spoken in favor of providing Ukraine with German-made Taurus cruise missiles. The lawmaker also argued that Kiev has the right to strike targets in Crimea, and on Russian soil in general. So far, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government has been reluctant to supply the long-range rockets to Kiev, despite its repeated requests. In an interview with Berliner Morgenpost newspaper published on Saturday, Strack-Zimmermann argued that Berlin “should now immediately deliver Taurus,” as the deployment of such cruise missiles could help the Ukrainian military disrupt Russian supply lines. When asked if she had any issue with Kiev potentially using these rockets to strike targets on Russian soil, the MP replied in the negative, adding that “that includes Crimea.”

According to the lawmaker, international law gives Ukraine the right to “attack military targets also on the territory of the Russian aggressor,” using any weapons at its disposal, regardless of their origin. The deliberate use of Taurus missiles against civilians would, however, be off-limits, much like the deployment of German troops to Ukraine, Strack-Zimmermann clarified. When asked whether she was concerned over the potential cutting of American aid to Kiev should Donald Trump become president next year, the head of the Bundestag Defense Committee acknowledged that, without Washington’s support, the conflict would develop differently. However, she insisted that, if Europe were united in its effort, it could shoulder the burden of supporting Ukraine alone.

While the UK and France have in recent months provided Ukraine with their respective long-range Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG missiles, the German government has so far been unwilling to follow suit. Explaining this stance, Chancellor Scholz has said that Ukrainian attacks deep into Russian territory could trigger a major escalation. Other German officials have pointed out that the US has yet to make a similar move. The Taurus missile carries a 500-kilogram warhead and has a range of about 500 kilometers (300 miles). Earlier this month, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that, while she fully understands Kiev’s desire to get hold of these rockets, such deliveries are “not something that can be done quickly,” as “every detail has to be worked out beforehand.” Russia, for its part, has consistently warned the West against supplying arms to Kiev, arguing that it only prolongs this conflict, while also risking a direct confrontation between NATO and Moscow.

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Are they all aiming to be directly involved now? US next? Is this all part of a big change?

• UK Defense Chief Wants To Send British Troops To Ukraine (RT)

The newly-appointed Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, has unveiled ongoing discussions about expanding the UK-led training program for Ukrainian troops and potentially relocating British instructors into the country itself, as well as offering Kiev unspecified naval support in the Black Sea. “I was talking today about eventually getting the training brought closer and actually into Ukraine as well,” Shapps told The Telegraph after a visit to a Salisbury Plain training ground, on Friday. During his trip to Kiev earlier this week, the new defense chief, who got his post in a government reshuffle a month ago, apparently saw an “opportunity” to “bring more things in country.” Shapps explained he meant “not just training,” but also weapons manufacturing, as he praised the British arms giant BAE Systems for its plans to localize in Ukraine.

“I’m keen to see other British companies do their bit as well by doing the same thing. So I think there will be a move to get more training and production in the country,” he added. In his discussions with the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Shapps also reportedly said that Britain’s Navy “could play a role in defending commercial vessels” the Black Sea, according to The Telegraph. The UK military conducted an official operation to train and arm Ukrainian troops since 2015, which has since shifted out of the country. British Royal Marines also conducted several high-risk “discreet operations” in Ukraine last year, according to one general, but officially London never admitted to having any significant presence in the country after the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022.

However, several classified US military documents that leaked online earlier this year suggested that some 50 British special operatives were still active in Ukraine. The open deployment of British military personnel would be yet another escalation, after the UK became the first NATO country to supply Kiev with depleted uranium shells as well as long-range cruise missiles which Ukraine has since repeatedly used in attacks against Russian infrastructure. Moscow has repeatedly described the conflict in Ukraine as one between Russia and the “entire Western military machine,” while Russian President Vladimir Putin said last year that there are entire military units in Ukraine “under the de-facto command of Western advisers.”

British intelligence experts were also involved in studying ways to blow up Russia’s Crimea Bridge using divers or maritime drones, according to independent news website The Grayzone. Last year’s attack on the bridge was carried out using a truck bomb, rather than the options discussed in the UK analysis, but in July Kiev used two suicide sea drones in a deadly strike that damaged a span of the road and killed two civilians. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused UK and US intelligence agencies of helping to coordinate the latest Ukrainian strike on Sevastopol, Crimea, which targeted the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

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Those days are gone..

• Biden Demands Uninterrupted Cash Flow To Ukraine (RT)

President Joe Biden has welcomed a bipartisan short-time budget deal that will keep the US government open for the next 45 days, but was disappointed that none of the billions of dollars in various aid to Kiev that he had requested made it to the final bill. “We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” Biden said in a brief statement on Saturday night, shortly after the Congress passed the measure. Biden had requested an additional $24 billion for Ukraine in order to ensure an uninterrupted flow of aid to the country, but critics argued that Washington has more important priorities and should have stronger safeguards against the misappropriation of the aid it sends to Kiev.

The US leader, however, blamed “extreme House Republicans” for causing a “manufactured crisis”and “demanding drastic cuts that would have been devastating for millions of Americans.” “I fully expect the Speaker will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment,” the US president added. The Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to rely on Democrats in order to pass the bill and avert government shutdown as 90 Republicans opposed any short-term funding measures denying him the much needed votes.

As a part of the deal McCarthy increased federal disaster assistance by $16 billion, but had to forgo the border security provisions sought by the GOP. After no new aid to Ukraine made it to the final bill, the House Democratic leadership said in a statement on Saturday that they expect McCarthy to bring a separate Ukraine aid package to vote when the House returns. The Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also welcomed the bill passing, but called on the Congress to “live up to America’s commitment to provide urgently-needed assistance” to Kiev. “America must live up to its word and continue to lead,” he added in a statement published on Saturday.

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“If you’re telling the American people with a straight face you will shut down the American government over Ukraine, then shame on you..”

• Ukraine Absent From Emergency US Government Funding Deal (RT)

The US House of Representatives and the Senate both approved a stopgap spending bill on Saturday. The resolution keeps the government open for the next 45 days at the current spending level and adds billions of dollars in funding for US disaster relief – but excludes new aid to Ukraine despite President Joe Biden’s request. The so-called continuing resolution was passed in a 335-91 vote in the House and sent to the Senate just a few hours before the shutdown deadline. The House then adjourned until Monday, meaning the lawmakers did not expect to try something else if the Senate failed to approve the legislation. The Senate approved the bill in a 88-9 vote, and passed it to President Biden, who had decided to stay in Washington this weekend, on standby to sign it. The new plan, branded as a ‘clean’ bill by the Republicans, won the support from more House Democrats than Republicans, with just one Democrat voting against the short-term funding measure.

It ensures that the federal operations are going at the current spending level, but includes none of the $24 billion funding for Ukraine that Biden said was necessary. In a speech on the House floor Saturday, Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.) urged his colleagues not to allow the government to shut down simply because the bill excludes aid for Ukraine. “If you’re telling the American people with a straight face you will shut down the American government over Ukraine, then shame on you,” Lawler said. With the government shutdown looming at midnight, the Senate will now face immense pressure to pass the House bill even without aid for Ukraine. The new bill was introduced by the Republicans on Saturday morning, after an earlier plan aimed at steep social spending cuts and tougher border security measures was rejected on Friday.

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This may well be it for McCarthy. Gaetz the next Speaker?

• “More Deceit”: Gaetz Rages Over McCarthy-Ukraine Side Deal To Pass Stopgap (ZH)

Update (2155ET): Following the Senate’s passage of the Continuing Resolution, Rep. Matt Gaetz took to Twitter, where he was enraged over a side deal made between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the Democrats for Ukraine funding, which Gaetz says he “didn’t tell House Republicans” about until after the vote. Gaetz was responding to Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman, who related a message from House Democratic leadership. “When the House returns, we expect Speaker McCarthy to advance a bill to the House Floor for an up-or-down vote that supports Ukraine, consistent with his commitment to making sure that Vladimir Putin, Russia and authoritarianism are defeated. We must stand with the Ukrainian people until victory is won.”

[..] Update (2109ET): The Senate has voted 88-9 to pass the House’s Continuing Resolution stopgap funding bill, which stripped out funds for Ukraine, includes $16 billion for disaster relief, and will keep the US government running for another 45 days. Among the Senate “Yea” votes was Michael Bennet (D-CO), who was absolutely flipping his lid over the lack of Ukraine funding earlier in the day. The bill, which passed the House earlier in the day by a bipartisan vote of 335-91, was passed with just three hours to go before a shutdown. Just before the vote, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed to keep fighting for more US taxpayer dollars for Ukraine, saying that he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have “agreed to continue fighting for more economic and security aid for Ukraine.”

“We support Ukraine’s efforts to defend its sovereignty against Putin’s aggression,” said Schumer – to which McConnell said he’s “confident” that the Senate can pass more “urgent assistance to Ukraine later this year. But let’s be clear,” that the “alternative,” a shutdown, “would not just pause our progress on these important priorities, it would actually set them back.”

Update (1755ET): After an afternoon of theatrics from Rep. Jamal Bowman (D-NY), it appears that the stopgap legislation to keep the government running through November 17 will now pass at the 11th hour. According to the Wall Street Journal, the bill to keep the government funded past 12:01 Sunday includes $16 billion in disaster relief, but does not include Ukraine funds. “The House voted 335-91 for the funding measure, which includes $16 billion in disaster relief but omits aid for Ukraine. It also excludes border-security measures sought by Republicans. The margin exceeded the two-thirds majority needed to clear the bill through the House, which considered the legislation under special procedures requiring a supermajority of votes. All but one Democrat voted in favor of the measure, while nearly half of Republicans voted against it.” -WSJ

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“Unlike in spring when one or two Ukrainian soldiers surrendered, now whole UAF units are laying down the arms; surrendering, there were no company [units]; we even witnessed platoon surrenders..”

• Thousands of Ukrainian Troops Surrender via Russian Radio Hotline (sp.)

Clayton Morris, an American journalist, has expressed his astonishment at a series of videos showcasing the significant surrender of Ukrainian armed forces (UAF) servicemen. This surrender was seen even through the utilization of a newly established Russian radio frequency. “This is amazing. This is a story the Western media does not want you to see,” Morris said on his YouTube channel, referring to “tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers laying down the weapons and surrendering to the Russian troops.” According to a reliable source, recently there has been a significant increase in the number of Ukrainian troops utilizing a dedicated radio frequency to communicate their willingness to disarm. The revelation comes after the individual’s statement was reported by Russian media. The frequency was set up by Russian forces in mid-summer.

“Now more than 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen have already chosen life and used the 149.200 ‘Volga’ frequency to surrender. The captives are well-fed and provided with all necessary medical care,” the source said. According to the insider, the process of UAF soldiers laying down their arms has recently accelerated as Ukrainian troops have begun surrendering in groups rather than individually, particularly around the village of Rabotino, one of the main flashpoints of the Ukraine conflict. After the start of Kiev’s counteroffensive in early June, Governor Yevgeny Balitsky of the Zaporozhye region confirmed that a large number of Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen began surrendering in great numbers. “Unlike in spring when one or two Ukrainian soldiers surrendered, now whole UAF units are laying down the arms; surrendering, there were no company [units]; we even witnessed platoon surrenders,” Balitsky pointed out.

He added that the Ukrainian POWs have decent living conditions and that no one beats or tortures them. The remarks came after a source in the Russian special services told Sputnik that on the Zaporozhye frontline, Ukrainian soldiers are being urged to surrender with the help of leaflets in the form of hryvnias, which are being dropped on UAF positions. “We are working to prevent pointless bloodshed among by Ukrainian soldiers. We are distributing leaflets asking those servicemen to surrender,” the source stressed. The leaflets contain information on how UAF troops can contact the Russian military to discuss the time and place of surrender, according to the insider. Since early June, the UAF has been trying to advance on the Zaporozhye, Yuzhnodonetsk and Artemovsk fronts, not least with the help of combat units trained and armed by NATO instructors.

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Fico ran on “not a penny more for Ukraine”.

• Pro-Russian ex-PM Fico Wins Slovak Election, Needs Allies For Government (RT)

Slovakia’s leftist former Prime Minister Robert Fico beat his progressive rival in a parliamentary election after campaigning to end military aid to Ukraine, but he will need to win over allies to form the next government, nearly complete results showed on Sunday. With 98% of voting districts reporting in the Saturday election, Fico’s SMER-SSD party led with 23.37% of the vote. The liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS) followed with 16.86% and the HLAS (Voice) party, which could become the kingmaker for forming the next government, was third with 15.03%.

Former Fico colleague and leftist HLAS leader Peter Pellegrini kept his options open on future coalitions. A government led by Fico and his SMER-SSD party would see NATO member Slovakia joining Hungary in challenging the European Union’s consensus on support for Ukraine, just as the bloc looks to maintain unity in opposing Russia’s invasion. It would also signal a further shift in the region against political liberalism, which may be reinforced if conservative PiS wins an election in Poland later this month.

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“..the “deterioration of the economic situation in the West will force countries to stand up for peace..”

• Ukraine Conflict A ‘Slavic Fraternal War’ – Orban (RT)

The Ukraine conflict is a face-off between two Slavic nations in which the rest of the world should not get involved, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. He added that most other Western countries are doing everything they can to spread the hostilities. In an interview with Kossuth Radio on Friday, Orban said the conflict between Kiev and Moscow “is not our war,” but rather a “Slavic fraternal war between two countries.” For this reason, he said other nations should strive to “isolate it, separate it, prevent it from spreading further.” He acknowledged, however, that Budapest and the rest of the Western world have markedly different views on the situation, with the latter intent on globalizing the conflict and seeing it as their war. According to Orban, this approach is mistaken as Western nations are risking severe consequences without having a clear goal.

He attributed this difference in positions to the fact that Hungary directly borders Ukraine, while most of Kiev’s backers are quite far away from the country. The Hungarian prime minister noted that, while “tens of thousands die,” the front lines remain stationary, and there is a “constant danger” of other nations being affected by the conflict. Orban also suggested that it would be a mistake to admit Ukraine into the European Union before the conflict is over. He noted that Kiev and Moscow have territorial disputes, and it is therefore difficult to predict how big or small Ukraine will end up being, and how much of the population will remain when hostilities end. He said these are key parameters for distributing responsibilities and resources within the EU.

The prime minister concluded by claiming that the bloc is short of funds, and currently has to decide between supporting Ukraine or its own less-developed member states, such as Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Croatia. Earlier this month, Orban predicted that the “deterioration of the economic situation in the West will force countries to stand up for peace,” and they will urge Kiev to negotiate with Moscow. Since the conflict broke out in February 2022, Hungary has been highly critical of Western economic sanctions on Russia, as well as the shipment of increasingly more advanced weaponry to Ukraine.

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” I think the majority of Ukrainians want to see the war ended..”

• Ukraine Plan to Stage New Counteroffensive ‘Act of Desperation’ – Analyst (Sp.)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his curators from the US and the UK have reportedly agreed on Kiev’s new counteroffensive in early October in the Kherson and Zaporozhye areas, an informed source told Sputnik. The source argued that a large group of marines from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) is currently stationed in the Nikolayev region awaiting an order to cross the Dnepr River. Additionally, UAF special forces, who were trained by British military instructors, plan to seize the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, according to the insider. Earl Rasmussen, for his part, told Sputnik that this plan “doesn’t make a lot of sense,” something that can also be described as an “act of desperation.” “This is a catastrophe, this spring/summer/autumn counteroffensive,” the analyst said, referring to Ukraine’s huge death toll.

“The [Ukrainian] army is basically diminished… I think he [Zelensky]’s getting pressure from the West to continue to show some type of progress,” according to Rasmussen. He insisted that “the planned autumn counteroffensive is definitely not a good idea.” The analyst stressed that, “It makes absolutely no military sense, and it’s purely being used to appease some people,” namely, the Zelensky regime’s “Western backers” rather than ordinary Ukrainians. “It is appeasing them and it is because they’re willing to fight to the last Ukrainian as well as Western backers. I do not think that it’s an act to appease the majority of Ukrainians. I think the majority of Ukrainians want to see the war ended,” Rasmussen said.

When asked to comment on the situation when the use of terms such as “war fatigue” and “Zelensky fatigue” is becoming more mainstream among Western politicians, the analyst said that “a lot of people don’t understand ‘Why are we involved with this?’ “They bought into the propaganda over here, the worst censorship that I’ve ever seen in my lifetime… But the censorship is unbelievable with media being shut down, with YouTube lines being blocked,” Rasmussen added.

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“This was the case with the German Leopard 2A6, with the Swedish Strv 122, and the British Challenger 2. And it will be the case with the American M1A1..”

• Abrams Tanks Will Become ‘Mobile Steel Coffins’ for Ukrainian Crews (Scott Ritter)

The United States has reportedly begun delivering M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine. These tanks are part of a 31-tank package approved by the Biden administration earlier this year which has seen a significant delay in delivery. The delay in delivering these tanks is attributed to the need to train Ukrainian crews on how to operate and maintain the 68-ton vehicles, each of which is crewed by a four-person team. Around 500 Ukrainian soldiers have undergone an intensive ten-week course on the operation and maintenance of the M1A1 at the US Army’s Grafenwöhr training facility in West Germany. This course is derived from the “Black” phase of the M1A1 operator course conducted at Fort Benning, Georgia, that is designed to train soldiers for the 19K military occupational specialty (MOS), Armored Crewman.

The 19K training includes significant motor pool time, where the trainees are instructed on how to conduct what is known as ten-level (organizational) maintenance, namely the kind of work performed by an operating unit on a day-to-day basis in support of its own operations. This includes lubricating, cleaning, preserving, tightening, replacing, and performing authorized adjustments. The Ukrainians, however, will not be instructed on intermediate-level maintenance, including diagnosis and fault isolation. Such maintenance will be done at a depot facility outside of Ukraine (most likely in Poland). Once the Ukrainian trainees know the basics of how to perform day-to-day maintenance of the M1A1 tank, they are taught about what is expected of them as tank drivers and what steps and actions they must take to prepare the M1A1 for operation.

As part of this training, the soldiers will spend many hours in the Tank Driver Simulator (TDS), a full-scale mockup of the M1A1 driver’s station that gives the trainee a “feel” for how the tank handles before they actually drive one. After time in the TDS, the trainee advances to the Basic Drivers Course, where he learns how to drive an actual tank in road conditions. Once the trainee is qualified to drive the M1A1 tank, he receives training on how to operate the breech and load the 120mm ammunition used by the M1A1. They also learn how to operate the radios and communications system of the M1A1. At the end of the “Black” phase, the trainee will take what is known as the Armor Crewman Test, which covers the tasks involved with preparing the driver’s and loader’s stations. The trainee is also tested on basic maintenance and safety drills.

[..] The Ukrainian soldiers trained by the US Army will possess only the most basic skill levels associated with the M1A1 Abrams. They will lack any tactical or operational skill when it comes to the employment of the tank in combat. Their gunnery skill will be rudimentary (they will more than likely miss their target on the first try, a kiss of death in modern combat), and they will lack the experience and skill necessary to troubleshoot the range of complex malfunctions that occur in the tank turret, electrical, hydraulic, armament, and fire control systems that come with the kind of intensive operations experienced in combat, but not during basic training.

The M1A1, when crewed by an experienced team of soldiers, is a lethal weapon. When crewed by Ukrainians possessing only basic skills—especially when going up against veteran Russian soldiers equipped with modern tank-killing weapons—the M1A1 is little more than a death trap, a mobile steel coffin for the four men inside. This was the case with the German Leopard 2A6, with the Swedish Strv 122, and the British Challenger 2. And it will be the case with the American M1A1.

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This is about securing money and assets away from that crazy judge. Just in case.

• Melania Trump Renegotiates Prenup Amid Potential 2nd Term, Legal Troubles (Sp.)

In a discreet move, Melania Trump has reportedly renegotiated her prenuptial agreement with former President Donald Trump, according to insider sources. This latest revision marks at least the third time the couple has adjusted their marital contract since their marriage in 2005. While the specifics of the renegotiation remain undisclosed, it is said to encompass financial assets and property. The primary motive behind this revamped agreement might lie in Melania’s concern for securing a substantial trust for her son, Barron, who is currently 17-years-old, reports US media. Sources suggest that Melania sought to increase her financial security through this renegotiation, with a particular focus on providing for Barron’s future. This renegotiation’s timing is intriguing, as it aligns not only with the possibility of Trump serving a second term but also with his ongoing legal battles.

Donald Trump currently faces potential financial liabilities in a $250 million civil case initiated by New York Attorney General Letitia James against both him and his real estate business. Additionally, he is under a court order to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll for defamation, a case he is actively appealing. Thus far, representatives for the Trumps have refrained from commenting on this development. This isn’t the first time rumors of Melania renegotiating the prenup have surfaced. In 2020, a book authored by US media writer Mary Jordan alleged that Melania had sought a prenup revision in 2017, aiming to secure financial equality for Barron, especially concerning opportunities and inheritance compared to Trump’s older children from previous marriages.

Despite previous denials and criticism surrounding such claims, this latest renegotiation underscores Melania’s unwavering commitment to her family’s financial well-being, especially in light of Trump’s ongoing legal entanglements. Melania has been regarded by some as Trump’s “secret weapon” in politics, recognized for providing a stabilizing influence during tumultuous times. However, the full implications of this latest development on the Trumps’ relationship and financial arrangements remain uncertain and will likely continue to fuel speculation and discussion.


Donald Trump is not a small man at 6’3‘‘ (190cm). But his son Barron, at 17 years old, is already 6’8‘‘ (203cm).

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Someone shows him a nice gun with his likeness. He says: nice, I should get myself one. They: arrest him!

• Prosecutors: Trump May Have Violated Federal Gun Law At Campaign Event (Sp.)

Special counsel Jack Smith questioned whether the former president violated the conditions of his release at a South Carolina gun shop Monday, forcing his campaign to offer a clarification. The US president’s son Hunter Biden is set to face federal weapons charges Tuesday at a courthouse in Delaware. For a brief moment this week it appeared 2024 contender Donald Trump might be joining him. The controversy started Monday afternoon with a post on the X platform from Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung. “President Trump purchases a @GLOCKInc in South Carolina!” posted Cheung, tagging the account of the US gun manufacturer. An accompanying video showed Trump examining a handgun bearing the former president’s likeness.

The campaign deleted the tweet shortly after, clarifying, “President Trump did not purchase or take possession of the firearm. He simply indicated that he wanted one.” That didn’t stop prosecutors from weighing in on the controversy, writing, “the defendant either purchased a gun in violation of the law and his conditions of release, or seeks to benefit from his supporters’ mistaken belief that he did so.” Federal law prohibits people facing felony charges from obtaining new firearms; the former president is currently facing 91 felony charges. In addition to pointing out the supposed violation of gun laws, prosecutors have also sought a gag order for Trump, noting his social media comments about retiring Joint Chiefs chair Mark Milley and other witnesses in his case.

“No other criminal defendant would be permitted to issue public statements insinuating that a known witness in his case should be executed; this defendant should not be, either,” wrote the prosecutors. Conservative gun rights advocates have questioned the validity of the kinds of restrictions faced by both Trump and President Biden’s son. Expert Stephen Gutowski noted that a federal judge in Texas found the prohibitions to be unconstitutional. However, barring a similar ruling from the Supreme Court or a federal court of appeals, such restrictions currently remain in effect.

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Donald Trump before becoming President: 0 CHARGES IN 70 YEARS.
Donald Trump after becoming President: 91 CHARGES FROM 4 SEPARATE INDICTMENTS IN 1 YEAR.

A guy with a strong 50-year career in New York real estate vs a judge who knows very little about it.

• Trump Plans To Appear At New York Court Hearing In Fraud Case (TASS)

Former US President Donald Trump plans to come to New York next week and personally attend the court hearing in the civil fraud case in which he and his company Trump Organization are defendants, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. The start of the trial is scheduled for Monday, October 2. As expected, Trump will at the hearing with his lawyers. The court is ready to provide additional security measures in connection with the arrival of the former American leader and is working with the New York police on this issue, the news agency added. It is noted that Trump also plans to testify in court, but will do so at a later date.

The action of the New York prosecutor’s office against Trump and his company in a civil fraud case was sent to court in September 2022. According to the version of the Public Advocate Letitia James, the company provided false information about the value of assets in order to obtain more favorable conditions for loans and insurance. According to the prosecutor’s office, the value of assets was overstated by $2.23 billion to $3.6 billion. In particular, prosecutors say the value of Trump’s Florida estate, his apartments in Manhattan’s Trump Tower skyscraper, a number of office buildings and golf courses were overstated. Trump’s defense insists the allegations are baseless and that the price of the properties could have changed over time for various reasons. The trial is expected to wrap up in December. The civil cases do not involve jail time or restrictions on political activity.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1708304737076994086

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@jack

 

 

Dowd
https://twitter.com/i/status/1708219664004767936

 

 

Water crisis

 

 

 

 

Lift
https://twitter.com/i/status/1707779768278462707

 

 

Monarch
https://twitter.com/i/status/1708112506634248429

 

 

Narcomedusa
https://twitter.com/i/status/1708373314828140963

 

 

Dana

 

 

 

 

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Debt Rattle April 17 2023

Apr 172023
 
 April 17, 2023  Posted by at 8:17 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,  68 Responses »


Auguste Renoir The umbrellas 1881-6

 

• West Doesn’t Believe In Kiev’s Crimea Hopes – Former Ukraine MOD Chief (RT)
• Slovakia To Destroy 1,500 Tons Of Ukrainian Grain (RT)
• Musk Says Twitter Secrets ‘Blew’ His Mind (RT)
• Beijing Would Take Early Control Of Taiwanese Skies – Pentagon Leaks (RT)
• China’s Century Of Humiliation Is Over (Fomenko)
• China Speaks The Language Of Pragmatism (Fomenko)
• Snowden and Texeira: Ten Years of Disaster (Craig Murray)
• Disney Reportedly Lost Over $250 Million on Two Woke Movies (Turley)
• South Korea Orders Google To Disclose Data Gathered By US Spy Agencies (RT)
• South Korea Starts Paying Single Citizens $500 Monthly (Az.)
• The Orwellian RESTRICT Act Is A Chilling Echo Of ‘1984’ (Cheong)
• Yellen Says Sanctions May Risk Hegemony Of US Dollar (AFP)
• Europe’s Largest Nuclear Reactor Launches 14 Years Behind Schedule (RT)
• Climate Czar Kerry Boasts There’s ‘No Rolling Back’ Clean Energy Transition (TP)
• Think Tank Insists Climate Change Alarmism Is ‘a Lie that Must Stop’ (BB)

 

 

 

 

Nap Macgregor

Nap Larry

 

 

 

 

Lula peace
https://twitter.com/i/status/1647363005099679744

 

 

 

 

 

 

@CheburekiMan: The AFU chief, Zaluzhny, goes to Washington, meets with Sec Def Lloyd Austin and Gen Mark Milley, where he states Ukraine’s KIA at 257K. This was according to Col Doug Macgregor, former Pentagon advisor, citing anonymous inside source(s). The recent major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war (actually U.S. proxy war) started Feb 24, 2022, while Zaluzhny’s visit occurred on Jan 16th, 2023. That is a 326 day spread, which works out to ~800 losses per day. Given that Zaluzhny was on a begging mission for long-range weapons and support, he’d have no incentive to underestimate losses. Instead, he’d be appealing to fact, in order to make the case for how Ukraine is paying dearly in lives and that the U.S. must do everything it can to help. According to CIA estimates of manpower fit for military service, Ukraine draws from a theoretical pool of ~7,000,000, while Russia’s is ~23,000,000. This isn’t accounting for the mass exodus of military age Ukrainians to Russia, the West and elsewhere, which could knock millions off the pool numbers. The leaked Pentagon docs indicate a kill ratio of 1:7, meaning that for every one Russian loss there are seven Ukrainian losses.

• West Doesn’t Believe In Kiev’s Crimea Hopes – Former Ukraine MOD Chief (RT)

Most in the US and EU do not believe Ukraine is capable of fulfilling its pledge to retake control of Crimea from Russia, former a Ukrainian defense minister has acknowledged. “The vast majority of Western politicians, analysts and journalists don’t see the liberation of Crimea as a realistic prospect. This is a fact,” Andrey Zagorodnyuk said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Thursday. However the former minister, who was part of President Vladimir Zelensky’s government between August 2019 and March 2020, stressed that Western doubts do not mean Kiev should give up on the idea of attacking the peninsula. “We need to persuade them [the West], convince them, put them before a fact, look for different reasoning” to receive the required weapons and other forms of assistance, he insisted.

According to Zagorodnyuk, there are a number of reasons why foreign backers have doubts over Ukraine’s ability to achieve military success in Crimea, which became part of Russia in 2014 following a referendum organized in response to a violent coup in Kiev. “First of all, it will be very difficult to do this because significant Russian forces will be gathered there to prevent its return by military means under Ukrainian rule. The second issue is the integration of Crimea [into Ukraine]. It’s a rather problematic story,” he explained. The minister also said that – when thinking about a Ukrainian operation against Crimea – Kiev’s Western backers are “considering its aftermath in terms of the escalation of the situation” in the conflict overall. During his address on Saturday, dedicated to Orthodox Easter, Zelensky again promised that Ukraine will return Crimea and all other territories it has lost to Russia.


This includes the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, which were incorporated into the Russian state last October, following referendums, in which the local populations voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move. “Our flag will fly on the shores of the Sea of Azov and the Seversky Donets River, over the slag heaps, and [Crimea’s] Ai-Petri mountain. The sun will shine in the south, the sun will shine in the east, the sun will shine in Crimea,” the Ukrainian leader pledged. Last month, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of the country’s Security Council, said threats against Crimea by Ukrainian officials were just “propaganda” and should not be treated seriously. However, Medvedev warned that if the peninsula is actually attacked, it could become “the basis for the use of all means of protection, including those provided for by the fundamentals of the doctrine of nuclear deterrence.”

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Pesticides… Are they in all the grain exports? Has anyone else tested?

Also, the EU has said countries can’t ban Ukrainian grain to save their own farmers. Only Brussels gets to decide.

• Slovakia To Destroy 1,500 Tons Of Ukrainian Grain (RT)

Slovak authorities have banned the processing and sale of Ukrainian grain after discovering a dangerous pesticide in a shipment, the country’s Agriculture Ministry announced on its website on Thursday. According to the statement, the ban will cover all grain of Ukrainian origin and flour made from it that is currently stored in the country. Earlier this week, Slovak authorities discovered a 1,500-ton shipment of Ukrainian grain to be contaminated with chlorpyrifos, a pesticide subject to an EU-wide ban. “The presence of a pesticide, which is not authorized in the EU and has a negative impact on human health, was confirmed in the controlled sample,” the ministry said. The country’s Agriculture Minister, Samuel Vlcan, said earlier on Thursday that the entire shipment would be destroyed.

The duration of the ban is not specified, but the ministry noted that in the coming days the authorities intend to collect samples of all Ukrainian grain and flour stored in Slovakia to determine whether it is safe for consumption. The ministry stressed that it “does not recommend the import of any Ukrainian grain and its products” at the moment and will notify all EU member states about the findings. Ukrainian grain has been flooding the markets of Eastern Europe in recent months, after Brussels permitted duty-free imports from the country to help the products reach customers in Africa and the Middle East. Much of the produce, however, stayed in the EU due to logistical constraints, sparking complaints from local farmers, who blamed cheap Ukrainian imports for the drop in prices for domestically produced grain.


Last month, the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia demanded action from the European Commission on Ukrainian agricultural imports, calling for the reintroduction of import tariffs. In early April, the countries urged the Commission to buy back accumulated Ukrainian products from them on “humanitarian grounds.” On April 7, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said his country had reached a deal with Kiev, which would see Ukrainian grain imports to the country halted, while transit will be allowed but closely monitored, ensuring that the grain does not stay in Poland.

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“..the exact opposite of a free press envisioned in the US Constitution..”

• Musk Says Twitter Secrets ‘Blew’ His Mind (RT)

The billionaire Twitter owner Elon Musk has claimed that he was shocked to find out the real scale of the US government involvement and access to Twitter communications when he purchased and took full control of the social media giant last year. “The degree to which government agencies effectively had full access to everything that was going on on Twitter blew my mind,” Musk told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, claiming he “was not aware of that” up until he eventually purchased Twitter for $44 billion last October. Musk confirmed that “everything” includes users’ supposedly private direct messages, but the brief Sunday teaser of the upcoming interview did not show whether Musk went on to call out any particular agencies or their methods. It is also unclear what, if anything, has since changed to limit the scope of the government’s access to people’s private communications.

Elon

Since purchasing Twitter in October and installing himself as the platform’s new CEO, Musk has been releasing regular batches of internal documents and communications in a bid to shed light on its previously opaque censorship policies and cozy ties with federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, enlisting independent journalists to break each document dump. Journalist Matt Taibbi, who reported on the first batch of files back in December, recently described the collusion between social media platforms, non-governmental organizations and the US government to suppress information they did not like as the “censorship-industrial complex,” calling it “a bureaucracy willing to sacrifice factual truth in service of broader narrative objectives,” and the exact opposite of a free press envisioned in the US Constitution. Last month, along with fellow Twitter Files journalist Michael Shellenberger, Taibbi was called to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

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“The Japanese annexed the island from the mainland in 1895, and China sees the reunification of that territory as its right..”

• Beijing Would Take Early Control Of Taiwanese Skies – Pentagon Leaks (RT)

Washington has concerns over Taiwan’s capacity to defend itself in the event of an attack from Beijing, according to leaked documents that have shaken the US military intelligence infrastructure, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. Responding to the concerns outlined in the documents, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s Defense Ministry told the Post that it “respects outside opinions about its military preparedness” but its defense protocols are “carefully constructed based on enemy threats.” The papers, which were allegedly uploaded to a gaming web forum by a 21-year-old US National Guardsman, suggest that Beijing would very likely gain early air supremacy over Taiwan should a conflict break out in the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait.

The leaked Pentagon assessments also indicate that Taipei’s military leadership has doubts surrounding its own ability to “accurately detect missile launches,” and that only around 50% of its aircraft are capable of effectively engaging Beijing’s more advanced air force. China’s tactic of obscuring the movement of military hardware within civilian infrastructure – such as passenger ferries – has impeded US intelligence-gathering efforts, the report claims. The Pentagon has been critical of Taiwan’s defensive preparedness, according to the leaks, particularly as it relates to problems in relocating Taiwanese military assets to make them less vulnerable to airstrikes. Washington, the Post adds, is also concerned by the prospects of Taiwan translating its military drills into real-world, live-action scenarios.

However, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry added in its statement to the Post that its military forces are “absolutely capable, determined and confident” that it can ensure security on the island. The damning reports on Taiwan’s defensive efficiency comes days after it held military drills in which it planned an array of responses to attacks by missiles and chemical weapons. These took place after Beijing conducted its own exercises, which reportedly included a scenario involving the ‘encirclement’ of the island.

Washington’s concerns regarding Taipei’s apparent security problems coincide with frustration in Beijing about apparent US meddling in the region. China upped its military drills last year following a visit to Taiwan by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while Beijing also expressed anger when the island’s leader, Tsai Ing-wen, held a meeting with current Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California earlier this month. Beijing, which views Tsai as a separatist, considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province which will one day be returned to full rule. Washington has diplomatically acknowledged Beijing’s position that there is only one Chinese government under its ‘One China’ policy, though it has maintained unofficial ties with the island. The Biden administration has also suggested that it would aid Taiwan should China attempt to take it by force.

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“..and trying to repeat it is a grave mistake..”

• China’s Century Of Humiliation Is Over (Fomenko)

The century of humiliation is understood as the era when foreign colonial powers subjugated, coerced and exploited the declining Qing Dynasty, forcibly opening up China in order to economically exploit and attain political influence over it. The period is typically considered to have begun with the opium wars of the mid-1800s, whereby the Qing’s refusal to import opium from British India led to war, which ended with the signing of an “unequal” Treaty of Nanking. This not only forced British trade interests on Chinese ports, but also annexed Hong Kong island. The opium wars were followed by many other conflicts directed against Beijing, including the forcefully created “treaty ports” that were quasi-colonial annexes where foreign law was applied over Chinese law, and atrocities such as the 1860 burning of the Old Summer Palace occurred.

The impact of the century of humiliation unleashed ideological and political change in China and led to the birth of new revolutionary ideologies which sought to revive the country, one of which became the Communist Party. On obtaining power following the 1927-1949 civil war, the Communist Party framed itself as the driving force of China’s revival and modernization, and the “humiliation” of the past as a backdrop to the rebirth of the country bringing the country to where it is today. In doing so, China’s leaders consider American attempts at containment of the country as an effort to impose a new century of humiliation. US efforts in blockading the rise and development of China through military encirclement and technological embargoes and sanctions are designed to prevent it from overtaking the US as the world’s largest economy. This naturally draws comparisons in China to the old foreign aggression against it. The US does not want China to do well, it wants to politically and economically dominate it to its own advantages, but it has only hardened the political resolve in Beijing that the failures of the past must not be repeated.

In doing so, China’s leaders consider American attempts at containment of the country as an effort to impose a new century of humiliation. US efforts in blockading the rise and development of China through military encirclement and technological embargoes and sanctions are designed to prevent it from overtaking the US as the world’s largest economy. This naturally draws comparisons in China to the old foreign aggression against it. The US does not want China to do well, it wants to politically and economically dominate it to its own advantages, but it has only hardened the political resolve in Beijing that the failures of the past must not be repeated. China’s determination to be an independent world power, in itself, immensely raises the risk of war and conflict.

Beijing is not seeking hegemony, as some Western commentators choose to portray it, but is nonetheless seeking to restore what it deems its rightful status following its national decline in the past. China does not want sagas such as the opium wars to ever be repeated, and in doing so is likely to accelerate its own military development and size in a bid to deter the US and its allies. Critical to all this is that Taiwan remains an unresolved legacy of what Beijing perceives to be part of the century of humiliation. The Japanese annexed the island from the mainland in 1895, and China sees the reunification of that territory as its right, and sees attempts to block such reunification, such as those by the US, as an effort towards a new humiliation.

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“… while the US only understands sanctions, militarism and confrontation..”

• China Speaks The Language Of Pragmatism (Fomenko)

Once upon a time, US diplomacy was pragmatic and shrewd. China, of course, is the chief example of that. In the 1970s Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger masterfully paved the way to opening relations with Mao Zedong’s China, believing it could be incorporated as a critical strategic partner in the Cold War, despite itself having once been a Communist adversary. It was arguably one of the smartest diplomatic moves of the 20th century. Yet somehow its lessons have been forgotten by the current crop of foreign policymakers in Washington DC, who have become obsessed with a zero-sum rendering of American hegemony that is ideologically zealous and eschews the concept of pragmatism, compromise and engagement in its dealings with other countries.

Bloated by the corrosive influence of the military-industrial complex and their affiliated neoconservative extremists, contemporary American foreign policy doctrine revolves around the perpetual creation and prolonging of tensions and conflict to force countries into its geopolitical orbit, framing every single dilemma as a “good vs. evil” conflict in which the US presents itself as the only good force. It is a mindset which consolidated following America’s victory in the Cold War, and the belief its hegemony over the world is a divine right. In this twisted world view, peace is derided as “appeasement” and anyone who does not sign up to the agenda of perpetual war and arms races is derided as morally corroded. Allies are not to be listened to, but coerced into following America’s will by hook or by crook.

This foreign policy fanaticism has crippled the US ability to build pragmatic relationships with countries for the greater good outside its own ideological disposition, precisely what China is deploying in its diplomacy with countries across the world, and by an ironic twist this has limited America’s ability to secure its interests, get what it wants, or “sit at the table.” What is very telling, for example, is how China was able to broker a normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The US has shown no diplomatic capacity to do so in its current outlook, because its entire Middle East policy, for one, is based on an aversion to peace, perpetually antagonizing Iran as a “threat” and therefore leveraging its own military capabilities as a security guarantor for its own strategic and commercial gain.

Likewise, this bizarre militarist zealotry is why the US has been set on prolonging the conflict in Ukraine in the belief that Russia can never be offered a particle of compromise, while simultaneously attempting to repeat the same process in the Taiwan Strait. But what happens if other countries have different ideas? Or no longer buy into this agenda? If a nation such as China, by virtue of maintaining good ties with as many nations as possible, is able to shape the international outlook? The US has forgotten the meaning of diplomacy, knowing only the language of sanctions, containment, militarism and confrontation, and in doing so has found itself on the back foot against China, which appreciates the importance of true mutual interests, and leverages its influence to that end accordingly.

Had the current crop of US leaders been in the White House in the 1970s, the great geopolitical rapprochement with Beijing would never have happened, because the only objective could have been hegemony, hegemony, and more hegemony. Thus, in the present day, the belief that the US can in any way work with China for the greater good is derided. But when you don’t sit at the table, you cannot expect to have the meal, and it is these delusions of grandeur which increasingly make China look like a kingmaker, and America like an unhinged zealot.

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“..precisely the same as that which came over from Daniel Ellsberg’s original Pentagon Papers leak 50 years ago – that the public is being lied to about how the war is going.”

• Snowden and Texeira: Ten Years of Disaster (Craig Murray)

Ten years ago Edward Snowden was helped to escape by Wikileaks and to publish his revelations by The Intercept, Guardian, New York Times and others. In 2023 Jack Texeira is tracked down by UK secret service front Bellingcat in conjunction with the New York Times and in parallel with the Washington Post, not to help him escape or help him publish or tell people his motives, but to help the state arrest him. Those outlets have accessed a cache of at least 300 additional secret documents in doing so – and have kept them secret, with the exception of a couple of snippets that forward the official state narrative. That contrast with ten years ago tells a very real and glaring truth. The idea that the legacy media in any way serves the truth or the public interest is now completely buried. The legacy media serves the state, and the state serves the billionaires.

Wikileaks is now so hamstrung by attacks on its finances, personnel and logistics as to be almost inoperable. Propaganda outfit Bellingcat was conceived as a way to counter it, by producing material with the frisson of secret access but actually as an outlet for the security services. An astonishing amount of “liberal opinion” falls for it. Similarly the Intercept, like the Guardian, was subject to an internal takeover that delivered it entirely into the hands of the neo-conservatives. Neither the alleged journalists of New York Times, Washington Post, nor Bellingcat did the most basic things a real journalist would do. They did not contact Texeira, speak to him, ask him to explain his motivation, and look through the other secret material to which he had access, to get Texeira’s view on its meaning and implications, and to publish what in it was in the public interest.

Instead they simply shopped him to the FBI and closed down the remaining documents. I am not at all surprised by Bellingcat, which is plainly a spook organisation. I hope this enables more people to see through them. But the behaviour of the New York Times and Washington Post is truly shocking. They now see their mission as to serve the security state, not public knowledge. In the ten years between Snowden and Texeira, the world has changed hugely for the worse. Not only has a huge amount of freedom disappeared, freedom’s former Guardians have been subverted. It has been ten years of disaster. A cache of twitter images of some of the leaked documents is here. I am not aware of any broader cache – feel free to insert links to any in the comments. The initial reaction to the leaked documents was to rubbish them with the memes routinely applied to all information embarrassing to the state nowadays – they were either “Russian hacks” or “faked or amended disinformation”.

These attacks were particularly important as the message that came over clearly from these Texeira leaks was precisely the same as that which came over from Daniel Ellsberg’s original Pentagon Papers leak 50 years ago – that the public is being lied to about how the war is going. (It is worth reflecting that in today’s world the NYT and Washington Post would have condemned Ellsberg and emphasised those bits of the Pentagon Papers which reflect badly on the VietCong). Ukraine was particularly concerned about US official figures showing Ukrainian casualties much higher, and Russian casualties much lower, than the Ukrainian official figures the US ostensibly endorsed. I have to say I always find both Ukrainian and Russian casualty figures laughably false. The idea that either side is telling the truth appears to me one that no half-sensible person could entertain. I had presumed that was the general view.

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“These companies could trigger shareholder revolts if the moves continue to spark boycotts or diminish sales.”

• Disney Reportedly Lost Over $250 Million on Two Woke Movies (Turley)

We have been discussing the right of shareholders to push back on the social and political campaigns of corporations that reduce share value or damage brands. The concern over the “Go Woke, Go Broke” trend is greatest with companies like Disney, which has been particularly open about its corporate advocacy. That has proven most controversial not just in its announced opposition to the Florida education bill, but children movies that contained controversial sexual elements. Now, Deadline has released an analysis showing that Disney lost a staggering quarter of a billion dollars on two of these woke movies: Lightyear and Strange World. According to Deadline, Lightyear lost $106 million and Strange World lost a whopping $152 million.

“Strange World” is about an explorer family named the Clades. The movie, however, caused a great deal of buzz due to young Ethan talking to his grandfather about his same-sex crush on another boy. Then there is the actual “Buzz.” In Buzz Lightyear, Disney featured a same-sex kiss. Pixar initially removed the scene. However, after the controversy over the Florida education bill, it was put back into the movie as a reported statement of solidarity. For many parents, the sexuality elements were a statement that they did not want to address with their young children. The movies bombed at the box office to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollar loss. Disney has even entered the fray over racial reparation with a controversial children’s episode.


Obviously Disney has company these days in being the subject of a public backlash. In the case of Bud Light, a boycott over its its sponsorship deal with controversial transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. While Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a non-apology apology, customers are reportedly shunning not just Bud Light but other Anheuser-Busch products. That led to continued backlash. For its part, Nike is unapologetic and pushed back on critics over its campaign featuring Mulvaney. It told consumers that they needed to be “kind” and “inclusive” while declaring “hate speech, bullying, or other behaviors that are not in the spirit of a diverse and inclusive community will be deleted” from its sites. These companies could trigger shareholder revolts if the moves continue to spark boycotts or diminish sales.

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Google is a spy agency worldwide.

• South Korea Orders Google To Disclose Data Gathered By US Spy Agencies (RT)

South Korea’s Supreme Court has ordered Google to disclose any personal data it has collected on South Korean citizens and shared with third parties, including US intelligence agencies. The decision is binding, even as the case against the tech giant continues in a lower court. Thursday’s ruling came after several South Korean plaintiffs sued Google and its local branch, Google Korea, seeking to force the company to reveal whether it had gathered or shared their data. They alleged that personal information was passed to the US National Security Agency (NSA) through its ‘PRISM’ program, which collects a massive amount of data from the internet, including private communications, as well as from service providers directly.

While South Korean law mandates that internet service providers must respond to customer inquiries related to their own personal data and whether it has been shared with third parties, an appeals court previously ruled that Google had the right to reject such requests so long as the decision was in line with US law. However, the Supreme Court partially overturned that ruling, finding that Google must disclose the relevant information upon request regardless of American law, though it nonetheless returned the case to a lower court to continue litigation. “Comprehensive consideration should be given to whether the need to respect foreign laws is significantly superior to the need to protect personal information,” the court said in a statement. The top court also ruled that even if personal data was transferred to a foreign intelligence service for legitimate reasons, companies still must disclose that fact after the person in question is no longer under investigation.


In a statement, Google Korea said it would review Thursday’s decision “carefully,” and claimed that user privacy was a priority for the company. The PRISM program was first revealed to the public in 2013, after NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked a massive trove of classified documents showing, among other things, the extent of domestic mass surveillance in the United States. According to the leaked material, PRISM was once “the number one source of raw intelligence used for NSA analytic reports” after it was launched in 2007 under President George W. Bush. The program has come under fire by privacy advocates for its sweeping scope, with Snowden deeming it “dangerous” and accusing the NSA of “nakedly, aggressively criminal acts.”

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Curious article. And sad.

• South Korea Starts Paying Single Citizens $500 Monthly (Az.)

The South Korean Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will provide up to 650,000 Korean won (about $500) per month to isolated social recluses, in a bid to support their “psychological and emotional stability and healthy growth,” Report informs referring to CNN. About 3.1% of Koreans aged 19 to 39 are “reclusive lonely young people,” defined as living in a “limited space, in a state of being disconnected from the outside for more than a certain period of time, and have noticeable difficulty in living a normal life,” according to the ministry’s report, citing the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.


The new measures specifically target young people as part of the larger Youth Welfare Support Act, which aims to support people extremely withdrawn from society, as well as youths without a guardian or school protection who are at risk of delinquency. The monthly allowance will be available to reclusive lonely young people aged 9 to 24 who live in a household earning below the median national income — defined in South Korea as about 5.4 million won (about $4,165) per month for a household of four people.

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“Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, or RESTRICT Act..”

• The Orwellian RESTRICT Act Is A Chilling Echo Of ‘1984’ (Cheong)

In an eerie semblance to George Orwell’s ‘1984’, the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, or RESTRICT Act, looms as a dark cloud over American liberties. Branded as a mere “TikTok ban,” this act possesses a sweeping reach that would empower the federal government to designate any nation a “foreign adversary,” ban online services and products even indirectly controlled by an entity within their jurisdiction, and severely punish Americans who engage in almost any transaction with them. Sponsored by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the RESTRICT Act not only targets the Chinese-linked TikTok platform but also has the potential to dismantle the very foundations of American freedom.

One cannot help but draw comparisons to Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, where pervasive government surveillance and control are the norm. In a frightening twist, this proposed legislation could make such nightmarish fiction a stark reality. The chilling provisions of the RESTRICT Act would impose a civil penalty of up to $250,000 by the Secretary of Commerce on individuals who conduct transactions that violate the act. The bill’s definition of a transaction is disturbingly broad, encompassing activities such as acquisitions, importation, data transmission, software updates, repairs, data hosting services, and other transactions designed to evade or circumvent the act’s application. However, as in the oppressive world of ‘1984’, the $250,000 fine is only the beginning. American citizens found to be in violation of the act could face a criminal fine of up to $1 million and a jail sentence of up to 20 years.

The parallels to Orwell’s vision are striking, as the RESTRICT Act essentially serves as a tool of control and punishment. It is a sobering reminder of the dystopian fate that awaits the public if it allows government unchecked power in the name of security from foreign nations. Moreover, the bill allows the federal government to seize and access various devices and services belonging to American citizens, including phones and computers, internet access points, e-commerce technology and services, cryptocurrencies, and even advanced technologies like quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography, advanced robotics, and biotechnology. To add insult to injury, the government is granted immunity from public oversight by restricting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to the enforcement of the bill.

In this regard, the RESTRICT Act resembles an American version of China’s “Great Firewall,” which isolates its citizens from a significant portion of the World Wide Web. However, unlike in China, where VPN usage does not automatically lead to imprisonment and many citizens use it to access popular apps and video games without repercussions, the RESTRICT Act imposes much more severe penalties on those who violate its provisions. Already, conservatives are sounding the alarm on the dangers of the bill, including Tucker Carlson, who dedicated a monologue warning that it would provide the government the ability to “punish American citizens and regulate how they communicate on the Internet.”
Donald Trump Jr. wrote on Twitter: “Nothing is ever as it seems. The uniparty wants more power to control what we do and see. And now we’re going to give the Biden goons the ability to throw us in jail for 20 years if they decide we’re in violation of this craziness? No thanks.”

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No, it won’t happen over night. Butt it doesn’t have to.

• Yellen Says Sanctions May Risk Hegemony Of US Dollar (AFP)

Economic sanctions imposed on Russia and other countries by the United States put the dollar’s dominance at risk as targeted nations seek out an alternative, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday. “There is a risk when we use financial sanctions that are linked to the role of the dollar that over time it could undermine the hegemony of the dollar,” Yellen said on CNN. “Of course, it does create a desire on the part of China, of Russia, of Iran to find an alternative,” she told the network’s Fareed Zakaria in an interview. “But the dollar is used as a global currency for reasons that are not easy for other countries to find an alternative with the same properties.”


The robust US capital markets and rule of law “are essential in a currency that is going to be used globally for transactions,” she added. “And we haven’t seen any other country that has the basic… institutional infrastructure that would enable its currency to serve the world like this.” Yellen noted that sanctions are an “extremely important tool,” all the more so when used by the United States and its allies as “a coalition of partners acting together to impose these sanctions.” Asked about the possibility of using frozen Russian assets to rebuild war-ravaged Ukraine after Moscow’s invasion, Yellen said that “Russia should pay for the damages that it’s caused.” But she noted there are “legal constraints on what we can do with frozen Russian assets, and we’re discussing with our partners what might lie in the future.”

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At the same time that Germany closes three. Where’s the logic?

• Europe’s Largest Nuclear Reactor Launches 14 Years Behind Schedule (RT)

The Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear reactor in southwest Finland has begun electricity production, the head of the plant’s operator Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) said in a statement on Sunday. After a lengthy testing phase at the facility in Eurajoki, regular output was scheduled to start on Monday, but was instead launched at 2am on Sunday. The 1.6 gigawatt OL3 is the most powerful nuclear reactor in Europe, and the third largest in the world. According to TVO President Jarmo Tanhua, it is expected to operate for at least 60 years and meet around 14% of Finland’s electricity demand. “The production of Olkiluoto 3 stabilizes the price of electricity and plays an important role in the Finnish green transition,” Tanhua stated. The construction of OL3 was launched back in 2005, and it was due to start producing electricity in 2009, but setbacks in the design work and a string of legal disputes resulted in a 14-year delay in its launch.


The reactor was connected to Finland’s national power grid in March last year and started test production, but several technical glitches forced TVO to postpone its transition to regular operation several times. OL3 is the third reactor at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The first two units, OL1 and OL2, were commissioned in 1978 and 1980, respectively. During 2021, the Olkiluoto facility produced 14.4 terrawatt hours of power, roughly one sixth of Finland’s total electricity consumption. The newly completed reactor is expected to help Finland cut its reliance on power imports from Sweden and Norway, and make up for the supplies lost after Russia stopped power exports to the country last May, when Russian utility Inter RAO stopped receiving payments for electricity sold to Finland via the pan-European exchange Nord Pool.

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“Kerry has flown over 180,000 miles as ‘Climate Czar,’ emitting 10 million pounds of carbon.”

• Climate Czar Kerry Boasts There’s ‘No Rolling Back’ Clean Energy Transition (TP)

U.S. climate czar John Kerry claimed in an interview on Sunday that “so much has been invested in clean energy that there can be no rolling back of moves to end carbon emissions,” according to an interview with the Associated Press. Kerry claimed that if countries phase out petroleum-based fuels, the world can purportedly limit average global warming to 1.7 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). “We’re in a very different place than where we were a year ago, let alone two and three years ago,” Kerry said. “But we’re not doing everything we said we’d do,” he said, after attending a meeting of energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven wealthy nations. “A lot of countries need to step up including ours to reduce emissions faster, deploy renewables faster, bring new technologies online faster all of that has to happen.”


Kerry said the G-7 talks in northeastern Japan’s Sapporo were “really constructive” in attempting to forge a consensus on eliminating carbon-based fuels. “The United States and all the developed world has the responsibility to help the developing world through this crisis,” he said. “Those countries will really determine what happens. If they will reduce, if they will take the lead, if they will start deploying the new technologies, if they will stop using unabated fossil fuels, we’ll up the chance of winning this battle.” On Thursday, President Joe Biden is scheduled to attend a Major Economies Forum, which includes leaders of 20 nations that account for more than three-quarters of global carbon emissions. The summit offers another opportunity for committing resources to the goal of reaching zero emissions by 2050, Kerry said. “We agreed that we need to get back together personally, visit and try to see what we can find to work on together to accelerate the process. Is that doable? I hope so,” Kerry said.

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“..a dangerous fiction crippling the West..”

“..the economic growth and well-being in Europe and the United States are more threatened by extremist and delusional environmental policies than by global warming.”

• Think Tank Insists Climate Change Alarmism Is ‘a Lie that Must Stop’ (BB)

Alarmism over a so-called “climate emergency” is a dangerous fiction crippling the West, declares the Gatestone Institute, a non-partisan international policy council and think tank. The West is unilaterally destroying its energy generating capabilities while the rest of the world continues to take advantage of readily available and relatively inexpensive fossil fuels, Gatestone notes in an April 14 report. As an example of this, China has been opening an average of two new coal-fired power plants a week and global CO2 emissions in the entire non-Western world continue to rise since there is not yet “any available, inexpensive alternative to fossil fuels,” states the report, written by Drieu Godefridi.


The 16th century was the coldest century of the last 9,000 years. This occurred at a time when 100 million bison roamed the Great Plains emitting methane. According to cultists of the #ClimateScam, a comparable number of cattle now is heating the earth out of control.

Citing data from the most recent study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Gatestone asserts that “the economic growth and well-being in Europe and the United States are more threatened by extremist and delusional environmental policies than by global warming.” In other words, efforts to combat climate change in the West are doing more harm than anything seen from climate change itself. Dangerously diminished energy security has been starkly evident over the past year during the Russian aggression against Ukraine, as energy prices have soared and Western nations have found themselves scrambling to meet demand by seeking assistance from unfriendly regimes.


Attempts to transition to so-called renewables have also produced a “a cruel increase in Europe’s dependence on China’s rare earth minerals,” which Beijing will use to full advantage, the report argues. Zealous climate alarmist Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, for instance, has multiplied “measures, initiatives, and declarations aimed at drastically reducing European CO2 emissions — even at the cost of Europe’s economic devastation,” the report contends, as well as “at the cost of freedom.” The report concludes by asserting that future generations “will judge us harshly for allowing extremist environmental activism to enfeeble us in the West, while a hostile East – China, Russia, North Korea and Iran — continue to advance their industrial and military capabilities.”

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RFK jr

 

 


Indonesia’s remote Sumba Island is famous for a great many things, but above all its uniquely shaped mangroves, dubbed “dancing trees” for the way they seem to sway with the setting sun in the background

 

 


Deinosuchus is an extinct genus of alligatoroid crocodilian, related to modern alligators and caimans, that lived 82 to 73 million years ago. The largest adults measuring 10.64 m

 

 

Trunk

 

 


The story of the tiger that in 1997 was wounded by a poacher who also stole part of its kill: the tiger found the poacher’s cabin, destroyed his belongings, waited at least half a day for him to return, then killed and ate him [read more: https://buff.ly/2IhMG4w]

 

 


Photographer Karmen Jones-Cox captured this stunning shot of a whale shark off the Big Island of Hawaii, providing an idea of the scale of the filter-feeding fish compared to a diver [source: https://buff.ly/3AB1mHc]

 

 

 

 

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Off to Greece, and an Update on our Athens Fund

Jun 252015
 
 June 25, 2015  Posted by at 7:38 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , ,  1 Response »


NPC KKK parade on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 1925

Today I fly to Athens, and boy, does time seem to fly along with me. I’ll be arriving in Athens apparently just in time for a big demo in Syntagma square (got a mail minutes ago saying people are on their way there as early as 9 AM local time). Something tells me there’ll be quite a few more of those during my stay. And I don’t think there’s any guarantee of all of them being peaceful as time goes on.

The negotiations, if they still warrant that title, are going nowhere, and even if they would, they’d be going nowhere good. So during my -provisional- 3 week stay, I wouldn’t be surprised to see capital controls, closed banks, empty ATMs, and quite a bit more.

But I am lucky enough to have a strong contingent of Automatic Earth readers in the city, who’ve been kind enough to not only offer me accommodation, but to also introduce me to a plethora of organizations and individuals, so much so that I’m going to have to be careful about claiming the time it takes to do the daily Automatic Earth posts.

If there’s a day or two when I can’t do a Debt Rattle or essay, please know that it won’t be for a lack of trying, but for an overabundance of gracious yet impoverished Greeks. Hey, in times of hardship people remember how to be people again. Most Americans and Germans are long overdue for a taste of that.

There’s that Seneca quote I used somewhere before, which captures it to a T:

We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the right.

I’ve been feeling smothered here in Holland, and in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, and in all the European countries save for Italy and the Czech Republic that we’ve visited over the past five years and change, smothered by the denial and techno-happy thinking that seems to be everywhere you go. People don’t seem to do wealth well. It blunts their senses: “prosperity destroys our appreciation of the right”.

Italy gets it. Maybe not in the major cities, but when we visited Beppe Grillo in late 2011, it was obvious that Italians saw the writing on the wall. Slovakia was in the eurozone and was just starting to receive all those big EU loans that are now haunting the PIIGS, who got them years earlier.

On the other hand, the Czech Republic, which had split from Bratislava only a few years before, but decided to keep the koruna, seemed fine, though with less new black top and fewer flashy government buildings. The big difference was that the euro had lifted prices in Slovakia much higher than those in Prague etc. Today, if you look behind the numbers, the Czech Republic is in a much better spot than Slovakia.

Anyway, different parts of Europe have had a different view of life for years. And of course Greece had been going down with a vengeance for a long time. I’m just trying to say that Europe is not one big happy entity with Greece as a black sheep.

But they’re all still, or seem to be, ganging up on Athens. That’s all just the effects of propaganda, and everyone should learn to see through that thin veil. But it’s so tempting, isn’t it, to think you’re superior to someone else, to ignore that you’re the same.

And that it’s beyond brainless to drive your brand new Beamer on the Autobahn at 200 miles an hour blabbing about them Greeks who deserve to be flogged for refusing to pay you back what they stole from you.

This cannot and will not ever be repaired. Europe is not a union. Which is fine, as long as no-one tries to make it one. The very moment anyone tries, you end up with where Greece is today.

Long story short, let’s talk about that Fund For Athens I innocently started recently. Last time I mentioned it, on June 19, it was already at an amazing $2217, much more than I ever could have dreamed.

Well, you guys are something else. Because the fund now stands at $5534.47. Can you believe it? I sure can’t. Seeing the amount go up has been, and hopefully will continue to be, very humbling, your generosity has made me feel small. Who am I to trigger this kind of kindness?

Please, please, keep the donations coming, and I’ll make sure, along with the TAE readers in Athens, that we get the money where it is needed most. Solid promise.

For the how and why, please refer to The Automatic Earth Moves To Athens and Update: Automatic Earth for Athens Fund.

I’m thinking the Greeks need all the help they can get, more than ever, more every single day. I find it deeply concerning to read just now that both ex-PM Samaras and To Potami leader Theodorakis were spotted talking to the troika yesterday. That reeks of regime change. Not surprising given the EU MO, but at the same time: not good.