Puppet MastersS


Gear

Brookings Institute: Deep state hub connects to fake Russian collusion/Ukraine scandals and now China spying in US

Joe Hoft
The Gateway Pundit
Sat, 15 Aug 2020 12:40 UTC
Brookings Institute/HRC
© Brookings InstituteThe Brookings Institute seen here with Hillary Rodham Clinton as guest speaker.
The Brookings Institute was heavily involved in the Democrat and Deep State Russia collusion hoax and Ukraine impeachment fraud. These actions against President Trump were criminal. This institute is influenced from foreign donations from entities who don't have an America first agenda. New reports connect the Institute to Chinese spying.

As we reported previously, Julie Kelly at American Greatness released a report where she addresses the connections between the Brookings Institute, Democrats and foreign entities. She summarized her report as follows:
Accepting millions from a state sponsor of terrorism, foisting one of the biggest frauds in history on the American people, and acting as a laundering agent of sorts for Democratic political contributions disguised as policy grants isn't a good look for such an esteemed institution.

One would be hard-pressed to name a more influential think tank than the Brookings Institution. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit routinely ranks at the top of the list of the best think tanks in the world; Brookings scholars produce a steady flow of reports, symposiums, and news releases that sway the conversation on any number of issues ranging from domestic and economic policy to foreign affairs.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Arrow Down

US endures embarrassing UN defeat over Iran arms embargo proposal

Julian Borger
The Guardian
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:21 UTC
pompeo
© Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty ImagesUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
The US has suffered a humiliating defeat at the United Nations as its proposal to extend an arms embargo on Iran won support from only the Dominican Republic at the security council vote.

The US resolution was never likely to be passed in the face of Russian and Chinese opposition. It was proposed as a ploy by the Trump administration to open the way to more drastic action against Iran.

But the scale of the defeat on Friday underlined US isolation on the world stage ahead of a major diplomatic confrontation that threatens to consume the security council and further sap its authority.

The US stripped anti-Iran rhetoric from earlier drafts of the resolution in the hope of recruiting more supporters, but its insistence that an extension to the UN embargo would be indefinite made that impossible. Estonia and Tunisia withstood eleventh-hour US pressure to support the revised draft, a measure of diminished American clout at the UN. Russia and China voted against the resolution, the US and the Dominican Republic voted in favour, and all the other council members abstained.

In his response to the vote, the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, lashed out at other member states.
Read More...
Target

Nasrallah: Israel 'will pay the price' if it turns out Tel Aviv was behind Beirut blast


Sputnik
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 18:23 UTC
Nasrallah,
© Reuters/Khalil HassanHezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
The powerful blast killed more than 200 people (numbers provided by the United Nations Refugee Agency), injured 6,000 and displaced as many as 300,000. According to Lebanon's president Michel Aoun the accident affected half of the city and the cost of damage amounts to $15 billion.

Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah said Israel will pay the price if it turns out it was behind the deadly explosion that hit Lebanon's capital Beirut on 4 August.

Lebanese officials said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate - a chemical compound used in agriculture as a fertiliser, but can also be used in explosives - that was stored unsafely in a warehouse at the port. The chemical compound detonated after a fire occurred at a warehouse. What caused the fire is unknown.

Together with international investigators, including from the United States, Lebanese officials plan to establish the cause of the tragedy. US President Trump previously claimed that the explosion might not have been an accident, but a "terrible attack".


Comment: Nasrallah also said his group was against an international investigation because its first purpose would be to "distance Israel from any responsibility for this explosion, if it had responsibility". He said the participation of the FBI in an investigation would serve the same purpose.


Comment: The US will give financial support to Lebanon but it is conditional on certain reforms:

David Hale Beirut
© APUS Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale visits the site of the August 4 explosion in Beirut, August 15, 2020.
Lebanon will receive financial support when its leaders implement reforms, and urged them to respond to their people's demands for good governance and an end to corruption, said US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale.

"When we see the commitment of Lebanese officials to real change, in word and deed, America and its international partners will respond to these systemic reforms with continuous financial support," Hale added.

Hale made the remarks at the end of a three-day visit to Beirut after it witnessed a catastrophic explosion at the port this month.

Hale also said that the United States is prepared to work with Congress to pledge $ 30 million in additional funding to allow the flow of grain through the Beirut port on an urgent and temporary basis.
The US will refrain from any decision that implicates Israel as the destroyer until well after the upcoming election, should the evidence match the accusation and it decide to do so. The FBI is joining the Lebanese invitation to assist in the investigation, claiming it is not an FBI investigation.

Read More...
Bad Guys

Korybko: Lukashenko isn't a dictator, but neither is he blameless

Andrew Korybko
OneWorld
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 18:56 UTC
Lukashenko
© AP Photo/Sergei Grits; REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
It was entirely predictable that the Color Revolution unrest that Lukashenko himself earlier kindled by partially laying the blame for this regime change attempt on Russia, which he did in a misguided attempt to co-opt this movement and use it as a post-election pretext for accelerating his pro-Western pivot, would ultimately end up backfiring after the rioters' real Western patrons thought that they could intensify their pressure upon him in order to squeeze more concessions out of the geopolitically confused Belarusian leader.

Maidan In Minsk

Belarusian President Lukashenko is being portrayed in polar opposite ways by the Mainstream and Alternative Media following the onset of the "Maidan in Minsk" (MiM) Color Revolution attempt against him, with the first-mentioned painting him as a "power-hungry dictator" who's desperately clinging to power at all costs while the latter is making him out to be an "innocent victim" who's being punished by the evil West for his quasi-"socialist" policies and traditional ties with Russia. Neither narrative is entirely true, though both have their merits. This analysis therefore aims to debunk the myths behind the man, after which it moves along to explaining the structural and strategic origins of the present crisis. It'll be revealed that Lukashenko has no one but himself to blame for all of this since it's the direct result of his failed "balancing" act between East and West. When all's said and done, he might very well be compelled to completely reorient his country back towards Russia, though he'd be doing so out of desperation and would therefore be unable to leverage Belarus' geostrategic position for the benefits that he originally sought to obtain by "balancing" between Moscow and the West in the first place.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
No Entry

'You're being used as cannon fodder': Lukashenko urges people to stay home, blames protests on foreign meddling


RT
Sun, 16 Aug 2020 18:13 UTC
lukashenko
© Andrei Stasevich/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS
President Aleksandr Lukashenko has called upon Belarusian citizens to not "go into the streets" and to avoid protests, blaming foreign agents for stoking the unrest that has gripped the country after the controversial election.

"Don't go out into the streets now! Understand that you and your children are being used as cannon fodder," Lukashenko said Friday, during a meeting with the country's National Security Council.
They've already come here in large numbers from Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, from this 'Open Russia' - [Russian opposition figure Alexey] Navalny and so on and so forth. The aggression against the country has already begun.
Addressing the handling of the protests by the police, Lukashenko has all but defended the sweeping police action. At least 6,700 people have been detained over the past few days, while the authorities have been accused of excessive force and even "torture" of incarcerated protesters. Lukashenko insisted that, as a "military man," he has no other option than to deal with the unrest, however.

"Do you want me to sit and wait until the whole of Minsk is upside down? We'll stabilize the situation later," the president said, promising to "deal with" the foreigners who allegedly came to Belarus to take part in the unrest.


Comment: According to Lukashenko, Belarus would "cease to exist as a country" if the authorities conceded to demands for a new election.
At a rally outside the government's HQ in Minsk, Lukashenko urged his supporters to "defend your country, independence and families."
I am kneeling for you, for the first time in my life. You have deserved it!
"The leadership of NATO demands new elections. If we concede, we will die as a country," Lukashenko said, warning about "the sound of the NATO armies' tracks at our gates."


"Despite all the difficulties, all its flaws, we've built a beautiful country together. Who did you decide to surrender her to? If somebody wants to surrender the country, even when I am dead, I will not allow it," he said.
Putin has told Lukashenko that Russia is willing to provide military assistance to Belarus if necessary to ensure Belarus' security.

Meanwhile, on the protest front, several state television presenters have resigned in support of the protests - others from the police and security forces have done the same.

See also:

Read More...
Boat

US seizes four vessels loaded with Iranian fuel UPDATE

John Bowden
The Hill
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 07:49 UTC
Tanker Bella
© www.justice.govTanker 'Bella', one of four seized ships
U.S. officials reportedly seized four tankers loaded with Iranian fuel and are transporting them to port in Houston.

A U.S. official confirmed the seizure of the four vessels, dubbed the Bering, Bella, Luna and Pandi, in a statement to the Wall Street Journal, and explained further that the craft were seized without the use of military force. It wasn't immediately clear where the seizures occurred or which U.S. agencies were involved.

The Justice Department declined to comment to the Journal on the seizures. The tankers were all allegedly part of a scheme set up by an Iranian businessman affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps., which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization, to evade U.S. sanctions on business with Iran and its military.

Comment: The DOJ claims this seizure was the largest so far - 1.116 million barrels of fuel - but details are scant as to who is helping the US police foreign tankers:
Iran's ambassador to Venezuela, Hojat Soltani, insisted in a tweet that "the ships are not Iranian" while calling the claim about the seizures "another lie and psychological warfare from the propaganda machine of the US."

Washington's high-seas score stems from a July court complaint demanding the four tankers in question "forfeit all petroleum-product cargo" due to its having been shipped by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the statement.

The Trump administration has leveled a bewildering array of sanctions against Iran, flooded the Persian Gulf with US military assets, and offered millions of dollars in bribes to Iranian ship captains to deliver their oil tankers into the hands of Uncle Sam.

Trump confirmed in a press conference on Friday that the Iranian cargo had been diverted to Houston, though he demurred when asked what would be done with the ships once they arrived. "We'll be announcing," he told reporters.
Predictably, Iran rejected the US report, refuting claims of seizure by the US:
Iran's Ambassador to Venezuela, Hojat Soltani, further stated that Tehran would retaliate against any hostile actions directed against its ships and Iran's legal right to ship its goods.

The Marine Traffic service shows that all four vessels presumably seized by the US have not updated their positions in the tracking system since May or June, with most of them sailing under the Liberian flag.

However, the media claims that the tankers were privately owned and allegedly hired by Iran for the job. The Wall Street Journal claims they were originally a part of a larger flotilla allegedly sailing towards Venezuela and escorted by an Iranian Navy ship, but these four peeled off from the group at some point.
UPDATE 15/8/2020: Rouhani denies US statements on tanker seizures as fake news.




Read More...
Handcuffs

Too bad, so sad: Kiev angry Belarus released alleged 'Russian mercenary group' that Kiev set up to be arrested


RFE/RL
Sun, 16 Aug 2020 18:05 UTC
belarus kgb
Belarusian KGB officers detain a Russian man in a sanitarium outside of Minsk on July 29.
Kyiv has expressed anger over a decision by Belarus to release a group of alleged Russian mercenaries that was detained near Minsk in late July.

In a post on Facebook on August 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote that Minsk's decision to send the men back to Russia "does not correspond to the spirit of relations" between Ukraine and Belarus.

"The consequences of this decision will be tragic," he added.

Minsk detained 33 Russian citizens on July 29 and accused them of plotting to destabilize the situation in Belarus in the run-up to the August 9 presidential election.

Belarusian authorities identified the men as employees of Russia's Vagner private military company, which is believed to have ties to Russian military intelligence and has sent fighters to Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other countries.

Comment: Hilarious. Kiev set up this lamely executed provocation in the first place. It failed (but not before Belarus' KGB took the bait, seemingly), and now Kiev is angry that their duped "Russian mercs" aren't being extradited to Kiev. Better than slapstick comedy.

Notably, RFE/RL - an American propaganda outlet - fails to mention Kiev's hand in setting up the entire plot. See:

Read More...
Network

Trump eyes Putin meeting before November election, say sources

Carol E. Lee, Courtney Kube
yahoo! News
Sun, 16 Aug 2020 17:33 UTC
TrumpPutin
© AFPUS President Donald Trump • Russian President Vladimir Putin
President Donald Trump has told aides he'd like to hold an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the November election, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Administration officials have explored various times and locations for another Trump-Putin summit, including potentially next month in New York, these people said.

The goal of a summit would be for the two leaders to announce progress towards a new nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, the people familiar with the discussions said. One option under consideration is for the two leaders to sign a blueprint for a way forward in negotiations on extending New START, a nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia that expires next year, three of the people familiar with the discussions said.
Read More...
Brick Wall

Trump orders TikTok parent company to sell US assets within 90 days

Jesse Byrnes
The Hill
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 16:03 UTC
tiktok Trump
© Getty Images
President Trump on Friday issued an order calling on Chinese company ByteDance, which owns the popular video app TikTok, to divest from the social media platform's U.S. operations, citing national security.

"There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance Ltd. ... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States," Trump said in the order released Friday night.

The order cites ByteDance's 2017 acquisition of the social media app Musical.ly, which merged into TikTok, in making the case that the Chinese company poses a national security risk to the U.S.

Comment: Is China using TikTok to spy on the US? Probably. All Chinese corporations are ultimately beholden to their government. Not so different from the US!

Read More...
Che Guevara

Best of the Web: Belarus 'revolution' is imperialists running the same tired old script, day after day

Caitlin Johnstone
RT
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:13 UTC
protests white march belarus
"What do we want? The right to wear muzzles! When do we want it? NOW!"
The Western establishment narrative managers always follow the same patterns. Just like they fixated on Hong Kong protests, while ignoring those in US-aligned France or Israel, now they're cheering on protests in Belarus.

Imperialist pundit and Obama administration Cold Warrior Michael McFaul recently tweeted the following:

"Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can't explain. Can you?"

I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable (except for the extremely dubious claim that anyone ever reaches out to Michael McFaul). I am highlighting it because it is completely unremarkable.

Comment: RT has apparently changed its tune on the Belarus protests. For more analysis on the situation, see:

Read More...