Puppet MastersS


Dollars

US resumes military aid to Ukraine with payment of $250 million following Pentagon approved 'reforms'


RFE/RL
Fri, 12 Jun 2020 01:05 UTC
Donetsk
A Ukrainian soldier in the town of Avdiyivka in the Donetsk region in November
The U.S. Defense Department has announced a resumption of millions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine after it was frozen last year, putting it at the heart of the impeachment of President Donald Trump.

The Pentagon said $250 million will be released to assist with "training, equipment, and advisory efforts to strengthen Ukraine's capacity to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression."

A Pentagon statement says the aid reaffirms the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Ukraine, adding that the country is "a critical partner on the front line of strategic competition with Russia."

Comment: US citizens are seeing their economy crumble along with their livelihoods meanwhile those in power are using what little capital the country has left to buy influence and interfere in foreign nations:

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Stormtrooper

The parallels between Minneapolis and Jerusalem are more than skin deep

Jonathan Cook
Middle East Eye
Thu, 11 Jun 2020 19:07 UTC
Israel US american police knee on neck
© Agence France-PressePalestinians demonstrate against police brutality and in support of US protesters over the death George Floyd in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on 8 June, 2020
In a world of depleting resources and contracting economies, states are preparing for future uprisings by a growing underclass

It is hard to ignore the striking parallels between the recent scenes of police brutality in cities across the United States and decades of violence from Israel's security forces against Palestinians.

A video that went viral late last month of a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, killing a black man, George Floyd, by pressing a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes has triggered a fortnight of mass protests across the US - and beyond.

The footage was the latest disturbing visual evidence of a US police culture that appears to treat Black Americans as an enemy - and a reminder that rogue police officers are all too rarely punished.
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Info

EU formally accepts UK will not seek extension to Brexit transition period

Tony Connelly
RTÉ
Fri, 12 Jun 2020 19:03 UTC
EU flag, UK flag, Union Jack, Flag of Europe
The EU formally accepted that the UK would not seek an extension to the transition period
The EU has formally accepted that the UK will not seek an extension to the Brexit transition period, which expires at the end of December.

Following a meeting of the Joint Committee, which brings together senior EU and UK figures to implement the Withdrawal Agreement, the vice president of the European Commission Maroc Sefcovic said there was now no longer any possibility for the transition to be extended.

While welcoming the UK's recent paper on how it would implement the Northern Ireland Protocol, Mr Sefcovic said there was still a lack of detail from the UK on its preparations.

UK cabinet office minister Michael Gove said on Twitter: "I formally confirmed the UK will not extend the transition period & the moment for extension has now passed. On 1 January 2021 we will take back control and regain our political & economic independence."

Asked about plans for the border in Ireland, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson said they are taking "a pragmatic and flexible approach" to try to help businesses in Northern Ireland adapt to the changes at the end of the transition period.
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Snakes in Suits

US senators float idea of refusing to pay back $1 trillion debt to China

Martha C. White
NBC
Fri, 12 Jun 2020 18:04 UTC
national debt
Analysts say the proposal would throw the entire U.S. financial system into disarray — especially amid a pandemic-driven recession and a massive increase in the national debt.
The recent intensification of President Donald Trump's hard line on China has included a wide-ranging grab bag of policies and proposals that touch on everything from student visas to soybean purchases. But the most explosive might be the suggestion floated by some right-wing lawmakers and commentators that the country could choose to default on some of the nearly $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds held by China.

The proposal alarms analysts, who say even entertaining the idea is dangerous in an economic environment characterized by a pandemic-driven recession and a massive increase in the national debt.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close Trump ally, said on Fox News, "They should be paying us, not us paying China," and expressed support for a suggestion from Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., that the U.S. should cancel its sovereign debt held by China.

Comment: That the US needs to consider defaulting on its debts says a lot about the state of the US economy:

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Caesar

Syria and Caesar's Law: Who it targets and how will it affect President Assad?

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Thu, 11 Jun 2020 00:00 UTC
Us/Syria flags
© Unknown
In mid-June, the US sanctions against Syria will escalate, with the enactment of "Caesar's Law", sanctions designed to "pursue individuals, groups, companies, and countries that deal with the Damascus government." This law - purportedly named after a Syrian army officer who smuggled out thousands of photos of torture by the Syrian army in prisons - is designed to prevent companies and countries from opening diplomatic channels with Syria, and to prevent them from contributing to reconstruction, investment, and the provision of spare parts for the energy and aviation sectors in Syria. The sanctions also affect the Syrian central bank, freezing the assets of individuals who deal with Syria and invalidating any visa to America. Who will abide by this law, and what are its consequences for Syria, Lebanon, and the countries that stand beside Syria?

Comment: Not all tricks up the US' sleeve are viable. They do, however, buffer the illogical and ineffective mindset that has consumed American politics for decades while prolonging the hegemonic delusions of 'right' through 'might'.

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MIB

Twitter removes thousands of accounts claiming 'state-linked information ops'... gets help from proven US disinfo firm


RT
Fri, 12 Jun 2020 13:28 UTC
Twitter
© AFP/Denis Charlet
Twitter has removed thousands of accounts it claims were tied to Chinese and Russian information campaigns involved in "manipulation" efforts - but its decision to team up with the Stanford Internet Observatory raises a red flag.

In a blog post on Friday, Twitter said it was disclosing 32,242 accounts to its archive of "state-linked information operations," including three distinct operations from China, Russia and Turkey.

"Every account and piece of content associated with these operations has been permanently removed from the service," it said, claiming that its goal was to get rid of "bad faith actors."
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Ice Cube

Return to cold war? House Republicans' National Security Strategy labels Russia a 'sponsor of terror', more sanctions


RT
Wed, 10 Jun 2020 18:22 UTC
China/US figures
© Commodity Trade MantraA new cold war?
The largest House GOP caucus has released a 'national security strategy' that envisions escalating sanctions against China and Russia, more war on terrorism in the Middle East, and a Cold War-type infowar, among other things.

The 120-page proposal unveiled by the Republican Study Committee on Wednesday is pitched as "a conservative, solutions-oriented plan for preserving American leadership around the globe."

It offers a laundry list of possible actions against "America's most aggressive global adversaries" such as China, Russia and Iran, including "toughest sanctions ever proposed." The RSC also seeks to reform the State Department, USAID, and international propaganda efforts, while leaving "irreparable" international organizations in favor of new ones composed of "democratic countries."
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Green Light

Trump gives go-ahead for sanctions over ICC Afghanistan war crimes case - nothing to hide?


RFE/RL
Thu, 11 Jun 2020 16:01 UTC
Intl. Criminal Court
© ICC-CPIInternational Criminal Court, The Hague
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order authorizing economic sanctions and travel restrictions against employees of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who are directly involved in investigating U.S. troops and intelligence officials for possible war crimes in Afghanistan.

After Trump signed the executive order on June 11, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would not allow Americans to be threatened by "a kangaroo court."

Attorney General Bill Barr accused "foreign powers like Russia" of manipulating The Hague-based court "in pursuit of their own agenda."

The United States is among dozens of countries that are not parties to the Rome treaty that established the ICC in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in areas where perpetrators might not otherwise face justice.

In a statement, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called the actions of the court
"an attack on the rights of the American people and threaten to infringe upon our national sovereignty.

The court "has been an unaccountable and ineffective international bureaucracy that targets and threatens United States personnel as well as personnel of our allies and partners."
McEnany alleged that the court continues to pursue politically motivated investigations against the U.S. and its partners, including Israel, and that "adversary nations are manipulating" the ICC.

Comment: By not being a member of the Rome treaty, the US saves scrutiny and judgement from a source it can't/shouldn't control. Instead, it levels remonstrances at the ICC without repercussion. To be fair, the ICC is not all that effective nor the US innocent.

See also:

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Mr. Potato

Georgia's fugitive president shares tips on police reform with US, fails to mention prison rapes, protest crackdowns on his watch


RT
Fri, 12 Jun 2020 18:31 UTC
Mikheil Saakashvili, Tbilisi protests
© Reuters(L) Georgia's former President Mikheil Saakashvili in Kiev. Reuters / Valentyn Ogirenko; (R) Police use water cannons and tear gas during clashes with protesters in Tbilisi May 26, 2011
A self-aggrandizing piece penned by Georgia's ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili offers Americans some common sense tips on how to reform the police based on a cherry-picked description of what he did at home.

The article published by Foreign Policy on Thursday explains how Saakashvili, in his own words, took control of a failed state in 2003 and overhauled its rotten police system into a highly popular institution, winning himself the title of the "world's best reformer" from the World Bank in the process.

Comment: For more on Saakashvili's sordid history see:

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Clipboard

Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use 'force with compassion'

Morgan Chalfant
The Hill
Thu, 11 Jun 2020 17:23 UTC
trump
© Reuters / Kevin Lamarque
President Trump said Thursday that his administration is working on an executive order that will encourage police to meet "professional standards" for the use of force in the line of duty.

"We're working to finalize an executive order that will encourage police departments nationwide to meet the most current professional standards for the use of force, including tactics for de-escalation," Trump said during a roundtable with law enforcement, faith leaders and small business owners in Dallas.

Trump said the order would encourage police to use "force with compassion." He also defended his call for law enforcement to "dominate the streets" in order to quell protests after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody on May 25. Protests nationwide have been largely peaceful, with some incidents of looting in larger cities.

"And that means force, but force with compassion. But if you're going to have to really do a job, if somebody's really bad, you're going to have to do it with real strength, real power," Trump said.

"I said we have to dominate the streets," he continued. "And I was criticized for that statement. ... Well, guess what, you know who dominated the streets? People who you don't want to dominate the streets."

The White House previously signaled Trump was considering an executive order to address police reform, while lawmakers from both parties are working on legislation to address the issue. Democrats released their reform bill on Monday, and Republicans plan to unveil their own next week.
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