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Bullseye

Best of the Web: Trump on Biden admin: 'They're running a Gestapo administration'

trump
© AFP / Charly Triballeau
Donald Trump has accused US President Joe Biden's administration of stooping to the level of the Nazi secret police to prevent him from winning this year's election.

"These people are running a Gestapo administration," the former US leader told Republican donors at an event in Florida on Saturday, according to audio shared with multiple national news outlets. "And it's the only thing they have. And it's the only way they're going to win, in their opinion."

Trump is currently facing four criminal cases, including an ongoing trial in New York over his alleged misreporting of 'hush money' payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. In addition to the New York case, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee to challenge Biden this November faces two federal cases concerning his alleged incitement of the January 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill, and his alleged mishandling of classified documents. He also faces state-level racketeering charges in Georgia over his supposed efforts to challenge Biden's electoral victory in the state in 2020.

Quenelle - Golden

Best of the Web: Delivering a 'True Promise': An insider's account of Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel

France UK Israel Iran US
© The Cradle
Iranian firebrand MP Mahmoud Nabavian reveals the calculated strategy, diplomatic intrigue, and bold military prowess that showcased Tehran's 13 April missile strikes on Israel.

Following the strategic success of Iran's 'True Promise' retaliatory drone and missile operation in response to last month's Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, The Cradle presents an exclusive insider's narrative provided by Iranian Member of Parliament Mahmoud Nabavian, a principalist who won the most votes in Tehran during the country's March elections.

His account of the retaliatory strikes against the occupation state offers unparalleled insights into the 13-14 April events. With access to military sources, Nabavian's testimony serves as the most detailed view to date by an Iranian government official on Iran's response, one that has sorely exposed the vulnerabilities of Israel's air defense systems.

Cult

Best of the Web: Israeli organ-trafficking network busted in Turkey

israel organ trafficking
© AAPolice arrest Israelis and Syrians for organ trafficking in May 2024. Israel has long been at the center of international organ trafficking networks and has stolen organs from dead Palestinians
Police in the Turkish city of Adana detained 11 suspects, five Israeli and two Syrian, on allegations of organ trafficking, the Daily Sabah reported on 5 May.

The Provincial Directorate of Security's Anti-Smuggling and Border Gates Branch began investigating after examining the passports of seven individuals who arrived in Adana from Israel about a month ago by plane for the purpose of health tourism. The two Syrian nationals, ages 20 and 21, were found to have fake passports.

Further investigation revealed that Syrian nationals had each agreed to sell one of their own kidneys to two of the Israeli nationals, ages 68 and 28, for kidney transplants in Adana.

During searches at the suspects' residences, $65,000 and numerous fake passports were seized.

Comment: Amidst reasonable criticisms against Turkey and its continued relations with Israel despite the ongoing Gaza genocide, there is reason to believe that in other areas Turkey has really stepped up its efforts to rout Israel's malign influence and activities; and more so than other countries: As for Israel, whether its knowingly providing a safe haven for convicted paedophiles, or organ harvesting from the Palestinians it has slaugthered, the sinister activities that is involved in is legion: Tellingly, Ukraine has now become a world leader in many of those same industries: Organ trafficking, paedophile networks - The hell of children abducted by Ukraine's 'White Angels'


Boat

Best of the Web: 58 dead, 67 missing after heavy rains and floods in Brazil - Worst flood in over 80 years (UPDATED)

Aerial view of flooded areas in Encantado city, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, taken on May 1.
© AFPAerial view of flooded areas in Encantado city, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, taken on May 1.
At least 10 people have died in floods caused by torrential rains in Brazil's south, authorities said Wednesday, as rescuers searched for nearly two dozen individuals reported missing.

Deluges in the state of Rio Grande do Sul have displaced some 3,300 people in more than 100 municipalities, many of whom have been moved to shelters.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced he would visit the area, which governor Eduardo Leite said was dealing with "the worst disaster in the history of our state."

Leite said work was continuing to locate the missing even as more heavy rains were forecast.


Comment: Update May 3

The BBC reports:
A hydroelectric dam has collapsed in southern Brazil after days of heavy rains that triggered massive flooding, killing more than 30 people.

Officials say another 60 people are missing in Rio Grande do Sul state.

About 15,000 residents have fled their homes since Saturday. At least 500,000 people are without power and clean water across the state.

The burst dam triggered a two-metre (6.6ft) wave, causing panic and further damage in the already flooded areas.

The dam is located between the municipality of Cotiporã and the city of Bento Gonçalves.
Update May 4

CGTN reports:
The death toll keeps climbing from continuous rains in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. At least 58 people have been killed, while another 67 remain missing according to the state's civil defense agency. The rains have triggered the worst floods in more than 80 years.




Whistle

Best of the Web: Hungary, Italy reject Macron's 'dangerous' claim of possibly sending NATO troops to Ukraine

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó
FILE: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjártó criticized French President Emmanuel Macron's statements about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine.

According to Azernews, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Hungary said this on the air of the LCI TV channel.

"We consider these statements as a threat and we understand very well that if the Western troops are on the territory of Ukraine, the scale of the war will increase significantly," Szijjártó stressed.


Comment: It's likely that Szijjártó is well aware that Western troops are already operating on the ground in Ukraine, both as mercenaries, but also in 'advisory' roles, as well in a covert capacity.


According to the Hungarian diplomat, "the escalation of the conflict would be very dangerous."

Comment: Agenzia Novi reports:
Crosetto excludes the intervention of the Italian military in Ukraine: "Insist with diplomacy"

On the words of French President Macron: "I do not understand the purpose and usefulness of these declarations, which objectively raise tension"

Italy's position does not change: "We have always said that the Ukraine it needed to be helped in every possible way, and we are doing so, but we have also always excluded direct intervention by our military in the conflict". The Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, said in an interview with "Corriere della Sera" in relation to the new declarations of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, on the sending of troops to Ukraine.

As Defense Minister who "from the beginning" claimed that "Ukraine had to be helped to avoid an expansion of the conflict", today Crosetto asks not to raise tensions.


The West's 'help' has resulted in well over 500,000 dead Ukrainian troops and a significant loss of territory.


On the contrary, he seeks every form of dialogue, starting to "weave the web of diplomacy" and this because if a conflict explodes "Italy would have a lot to lose." Clear words from the minister who clearly reiterates that Italy will not participate in any possible armed intervention: "Absolutely not! No one can doubt this today."

Unlike others, the minister explained, "we have in our system an explicit prohibition on direct military interventions, outside of what is provided for by law and Constitution. We can only foresee armed interventions upon international mandate, for example in implementation of a UN resolution. The one hypothesized in Ukraine would not only not be included in this case, but would trigger a further spiraling of the conflict which would not be of benefit above all to the Ukrainians themselves. In short, the conditions for our direct involvement do not exist."

And on Macron's words, the minister added: "I don't judge a president of a friendly country like France, but I don't understand the purpose and usefulness of these declarations, which objectively raise tension."
Full text:
Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó: "If there are European or American soldiers in Ukraine, this will mean that we have crossed the red line drawn by NATO. If even one NATO member country sends its troops to Ukraine, this will mean a direct conflict with Russia, and this will mean the third world war Do any of us want this? I don't. This is not our war, because no one attacked Europe. The escalation of this conflict is very dangerous."



Better Earth

Best of the Web: Weak geomagnetic field coincided with significant diversification of life on Earth, new study reveals

orange aurora scotland november 2023 solar wind
© Graeme WhippsFILE: Extremely rare orange auroras danced in between reds and greens in the evening sky above Scotland during a geomagnetic storm on Nov. 25, 2023.
An unusual reduction in the strength of Earth's magnetic field between 591 and 565 million years ago coincided with a significant increase in the oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, according to a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment. The authors propose that the weakening of the magnetic field may have led to the increase in oxygen, which is believed to have supported the evolution of some of the earliest complex organisms.

Between 600 and 540 million years ago, life on Earth consisted of soft-bodied organisms known as the Ediacaran fauna, the earliest known complex multicellular animals. The fossil record shows that these organisms significantly diversified in complexity and type between 575 and 565 million years ago. Previous research has suggested that this diversification is linked to a significant increase in atmospheric and oceanic oxygen levels that occurred over the same period. However, it is not yet clear why this increase in oxygen occurred.

Comment: Interestingly, theories connecting 'evolutionary leaps' and geomagnetic activity have been proposed by other researchers - such as Robert Felix with his book Magnetic Reversals & Evolutionary leaps -and, notably, our own time appears to be on the cusp of a similar shift: And check out SOTT radio's: The following discussion may also help provide further insight into the connection:




Vader

Best of the Web: The biggest illusion about the Ukraine war the West refuses to acknowledge

zelensky depressed
© Paula Bronstein/Getty ImagesUkrainian President Vladimir Zelensky
Despite what foreign leaders and commentators say - and really seem to believe - Russia is the one setting the tempo of the conflict

We are living through a remarkable Western anticlimax. The US has finally, after half a year of domestic wrangling, passed another large funding package of $61 billion for Ukraine. This money had been presented as decisive: either it would come through or Kiev would be unable to hold its crumbling frontlines against Russia and would lose the war soon, as Ukrainian President Zelensky himself warned.

That was the minimum sales pitch. The more aggressive hard sell went further, claiming that once the money would be added to a fresh mobilization drive in Ukraine, its re-armed and replenished forces would not only resist Russian pressure but turn the tables and, in the end, perhaps in 2025, win the war.

Both these sales pitches were very unrealistic, as marketing often is. Now that the funding is on its way, reality is reasserting itself. There is no surprise that Russian advances are continuing, while the Ukrainian position keeps deteriorating, as the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, General Syrsky, is admitting.

Russian Flag

Best of the Web: My interview with Tucker Carlson: Issues of Terminology

Tucker Dugin Interview
© The Postil Magazine
The interview with Tucker Carlson in Russian has been translated hastily and not quite correctly. On the whole, everything can be understood. But there are a few nuances. I am talking to an American and addressing the American public as a priority. Judging by the thousands of comments, they understood me perfectly well.

So here it is: in the political language of the modern States there are common terms — for example, woke, wokeism — that we do not use. It is a call to all liberals to immediately write denunciations of those who differ from the LGBT (banned in Russia) agenda, or from critical racial theory (the same needs clarification, but that is for another time), who question internationalism and globalism, who question the need to protect illegal and any migration. Then there is the vilification of all patriots and conservatives (present and historical) by accusing them of "fascism." Apparently wokeism is now being actively mastered by the younger generation of the CRPF, but they are not the ones I am addressing.

The logic is as follows: woke left-liberal identifies a victim (conservative), writes a series of denunciations, makes a video on YouTube, Instagram (banned in Russia), gathers a flash mob, etc., and then canceling comes into play — inspections at the place of work, biased interviews reminiscent of interrogations, commissioned articles, and then dismissal, ostracism, search pessimization in social networks, financial checks, ban on loans, account disconnection — in extreme cases, murder (of the figurehead himself or a relative). A complete cycle of left-liberal terror. With a historical figure, the same thing is done to his legacy — books (paintings, movies) are censored or banned, his place in the query hierarchy drops dramatically in search engines, a defamation section appears on Wikipedia that cannot be removed. This process can affect Dante, Dostoevsky, Rowling, and even Scripture if it is found not politically correct enough.

Therefore, when I say "woke" I am immediately understood by everyone in the USA. But in our country, we would have to publish a whole article with explanations and examples, after which many of our domestic leftists and left-liberals would be ashamed (if they have a conscience, and this still needs to be proven).

Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Saudi Arabia hit by heavy rains, widespread flooding reported, more rains forecast in Medina

Al Eis Governorate in the Medina region experienced particularly severe rainfall, which led to the formation of powerful torrents that overflowed reefs and valleys.
Al Eis Governorate in the Medina region experienced particularly severe rainfall, which led to the formation of powerful torrents that overflowed reefs and valleys.
Heavy rains and thunderstorms have lashed Saudi Arabia over the past 24 hours, causing widespread flooding and significant damage.

Amidst the downpour, visitors at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina were seen enjoying the rain and engaging in prayer, embracing this natural occurrence with a sense of reverence.

Al Eis Governorate in the Medina region experienced particularly severe rainfall, which led to the formation of powerful torrents that overflowed reefs and valleys.

The intense flooding resulted in submerged vehicles, disrupted streets, and damaged infrastructure, prompting immediate response from emergency services.


Colosseum

Best of the Web: What comes first, a Rafah invasion or a Netanyahu ousting?

Netanyahu
© The CradleFacing domestic and international pressure for Israel's US-backed Gaza assault, the Biden administration appears poised to throw Netanyahu under the proverbial bus.
In Gaza, a metaphorical "hostage" scenario has emerged, centered on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose political future is being bartered at a steep political price.

Although not physically detained, Netanyahu has been shackled by a complex situation since the 7 October Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, when Palestinian resistance groups took hundreds of soldiers and civilians captive as a bargaining chip.

That operation and Israel's subsequent brutal assault on Gaza has ensnared Netanyahu in a political and strategic quagmire, complicating his position daily and undermining his war objectives.

Internationally, Israel's carefully constructed image has entered pariah status, as accusations of "genocide," "war crimes," and "apartheid" fly liberally around global capital buildings and in mass street protests. This is a language that signals a strategic defeat for Tel Aviv - not at all the 'military victory' Netanyahu had promised his constituents and allies.

Comment: See also: Rafah operation threatens to be a 'disaster for Israel' - Former IDF Major General