Puppet Masters

Swamp Creature General Mattis Denounces Trump as 'Divider', 'Threat to US Constitution'

Jeffrey Goldberg
The Atlantic
Wed, 03 Jun 2020 01:20 UTC

In an extraordinary condemnation, the former defense secretary backs protesters and says the president is trying to turn Americans against one another

James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump's Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump's performance as president. But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses him of ordering the U.S. military to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.

"I have watched this week's unfolding events, angry and appalled," Mattis writes. "The words 'Equal Justice Under Law' are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand — one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values — our values as people and our values as a nation." He goes on, "We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution."

In his j'accuse, Mattis excoriates the president for setting Americans against one another.

Facebook selectively slaps 'state-controlled media' warning on some government-funded outlets ahead of 2020 US elections

RT
Thu, 04 Jun 2020 18:43 UTC

Facebook is labeling content posted by state-funded media outlets and plans to bar them from running ads in a conveniently loophole-packed effort to prevent "foreign influence" in the 2020 US presidential election.

Pages of Russian and Chinese media outlets have already been graced with the new warning labels, which Facebook announced on Thursday in a blog post.

The social media behemoth claimed it is taking other factors into account besides government ownership, explaining "if we determine that there are enough protections in place to ensure editorial independence, we will not apply the label."

Publishers wishing to avoid the labels must demonstrate a certain degree of legally-protected editorial autonomy from their host country/owner, Facebook explained in the post.

Ray McGovern: US and Russia, from heyday to mayday

Ray McGovern
Consortium News
Wed, 03 Jun 2020 00:00 UTC

Russian hopes dashed: Whatever hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin may have had for a more workable relationship with the Trump administration have been "trumpled," so to speak. This came through loudly and clearly in acerbic remarks by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov in an interview Friday with The National Interest.

Ryabkov lamented the sad state of Russia-U.S. relations, while pointing, not very subtly, to China as Russia's ace in the hole. He was simply acknowledging that what the Soviets used to call "the correlation of forces" has changed markedly, and strongly implied that the U.S. should draw the appropriate conclusions.

No amateur diplomat, Ryabkov used unusually sharp, almost certainly pre-authorized, words to drive home his message:

"We don't believe the U.S. in its current shape is a counterpart that is reliable, so we have no confidence, no trust whatsoever. So our own calculations and conclusions are less related to what America is doing ... we cherish our close and friendly relations with China. We do regard this as a comprehensive strategic partnership in different areas, and we intend to develop it further."

In other words: We Russians and Chinese will stand together as the U.S. tries to paint both of us as arch-villains, all the while isolating itself and painting itself into a corner.

Comment: Just as with Rome, the USA will not be rebuilt in a day - if ever. And, like Americans, Russia will have to wait.

Gloves off: Rosenstein and McCabe square off and accuse each other of lying in Russia hoax

Sara Carter
saraacarter.com
Wed, 03 Jun 2020 00:00 UTC

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe squared off with former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Wednesday, during Rosenstein's anticipated testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee blaming one another for lying about what they were aware of during the bureau's debunked investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia.

During Rosenstein's testimony, McCabe issued a statement saying the former DAG was giving "false" testimony about his recollection regarding former FBI Director James Comey's memos about his interactions with President Donald Trump.

Interestingly, both men accuse each other of lying, pointing the finger at one another, in one of the biggest hoaxes in modern political history. They lied to each other, all the while creating a hoax to fool the American people and the world. McCabe and Rosenstein, along with their colleagues in the bureau, DOJ and the intelligence community know that eventually they will get caught up in the lies and explanations. This is when the finger-pointing will start.

Comment: If Rosenstein and McCabe are typical stand-ups of authority and responsibility in Washington, imagine the duplication of their actions, demeanor and ethics magnified on the grand scale throughout Congress, the bureaus and agencies we are ruled by and upon which we depend.

Zarif, on US JCPOA withdrawal: Trump advisors made a 'dumb bet'

Tasnim News Agency
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 17:23 UTC

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed US President Donald Trump's call for a "big deal" with Iran, saying Trump's advisers made a "dumb bet" by urging him to leave the JCPOA and it is now up to him to make up for the mistake by returning to the deal.

"We achieved humanitarian swap *despite* your subordinates' efforts, @realDonaldTrump," Zarif said in a tweet on Friday, after two Iranian scientists were released from US jails this week and Iran released American citizen Michael White, who had been sentenced to prison in the country for security crimes.

"And we had a deal when you entered office. Iran & other JCPOA participants never left the table. Your advisors — most fired by now — made a dumb bet. Up to you to decide *when* you want to fix it." The Iranian Foreign Minister added, referring to the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

His comments came in response to Trump who hailed the release of White and urged Tehran to make a "big deal" with Washington.

Comment:

Legislation introduced by US senators aims to halt completion of Russian gas pipeline

Todd Prince
RFE/RL
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 05:54 UTC

A group of bipartisan senators has submitted legislation to stop Russia from completing a controversial undersea natural-gas pipeline to Germany.

The five senators, led by Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) and Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat-New Hampshire), introduced the legislation on June 4 to expand existing sanctions against Nord Stream 2, which would double Russian gas exports to Germany if completed.

The United States in December 2019 passed the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act, which placed sanctions on vessels laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline along the floor of the Baltic Sea, halting the $11 billion project shortly before its completion.

The new legislation widens the sanctions in the existing law to include any entity that provides insurance, port facilities or tethering services for the project as well as any company that certifies Nord Stream 2 for operation.

"There is bipartisan and bicameral consensus that Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline poses a critical threat to America's national security and must not be completed. Nevertheless, Putin continues to try to circumvent those sanctions," Cruz said in a statement.

Comment: Pipe dreams...to come true or go up in smoke?

Air defense systems repelling 'Israeli agression' in Hama province - Syrian state media

RT
Thu, 04 Jun 2020 18:20 UTC

Anti-aircraft defense systems have been activated in Syria's province of Hama, responding to "Israeli agression," SANA news agency reported. "Loud blasts" have been heard in the outskirts of the city of Masyaf.

The air defense systems were activated late on Thursday, engaging incoming targets on the outskirts of the city. The attack has been attributed by Syrian state media to Israel, which has repeatedly launched air strikes on the country's soil over the past few years.

Footage circulating online shows several flying objects, presumably missiles, in the skies above the city. RT has not yet been able to verify the authenticity of the video.

Trump says US 'largely through horrible pandemic'

i24 News
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 18:29 UTC

© AP Photo/Evan Vucci
US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, June 5, 2020, in Washington

US president praises jobs boost as unemployment rate drops to 13.3%

US President Donald Trump asserted Friday that the United States has made it through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, after new jobs numbers showed a surprising increase in employment.

"We had the greatest economy in the history of the world. And that strength let us get through this horrible pandemic, largely through, I think we're doing really well," Trump said at a news briefing.

Greek defence minister warns Athens prepared for conflict with 'aggressive' Turkey

Sputnik
Fri, 05 Jun 2020 18:26 UTC

Nikos Panagiotopoulos

Relations between the two NATO members have been poor for centuries following several major wars, as well as tensions over Cyprus, repeated military confrontations in the Aegean Sea, and concerns by Athens that Ankara is deliberately "threatening Europe" with an influx of Middle Eastern refugees.

Greece is ready to defend itself against Turkey by any means necessary, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos has announced, accusing Ankara of "aggressive" behaviour.

"Of course Turkey's stance has recently been rather aggressive. I believe that the only way Greece can deal with it is, on one hand, to exhaust all its diplomatic weapons, and on the other, to cater for the increase of the deterrence power of the Armed Forces," Panagiotopoulos said, speaking Greece's Star TV on Thursday, referring to the ongoing diplomatic dispute over drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Asked whether Greek efforts include preparations for a military conflict, the defence minister recalled that the national security advisor to the prime minister has recently indicated that Greece is "preparing for all eventualities," including "military engagement."

"We do not want this to happen. However, we are making it clear toward all directions that we will do what it takes to defend our sovereign rights to the greatest extent, if you catch my drift," Panagiotopoulos warned.

Comment: John Helmer on Turkey's allying with the illegitimate Libyan 'government' (composed of terrorists and other lowlifes):

Turkey hasn't won in Libya yet, Russia hasn't lost, but US, Greece, Cyprus and Israel are losing everything

Iraq-US talks will fail if they do not include withdrawal of troops - Iraqi politician

Sputnik
Thu, 04 Jun 2020 23:52 UTC

Relations between Iraq and the United States have been strained throughout the beginning of this year following the assassination of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad. The extrajudicial killing led to the Iraqi parliament voting in a bill which will see a total withdrawal of US troops from the country.

An Iraqi politician has stated that Baghdad will reject any attempt by the Trump administration to prolong the US military presence in the country during negotiations, pushing that talks between the two countries can only lead to a total withdrawal of American troops.

"The negotiations between Washington and Baghdad, which are to start in the middle of this month, would fail to produce any tangible results if they do not discuss the withdrawal of US forces from the country", said Karim al-Muhammadawi, a member of the Iraqi parliament's committee on security and defense, in an exclusive interview with the al-Maalomah news agency.

Comment: See also: Iraq: The US, Iran, ISIS, plus a divided cabinet

Tornadoes here in Aus too, as I reported here [Link]

Tsidkenu

Small tornado also struck Armidale. We had another tornado hit farmland near Bathurst last week. This summer will be the summer of floods, hail...

Tsidkenu

What mandate? There still is no "mandate" [Link]

Tsidkenu

Set up a vaccine clinic in your front yard this Halloween [Link]

Tsidkenu

.. .. 2031? Hope this Comet "BB" hits on the 1st anniversary of Agenda 2030 during their annual vaxx parade

Jibrish

Puppet Masters

Swamp Creature General Mattis Denounces Trump as 'Divider', 'Threat to US Constitution'

Facebook selectively slaps 'state-controlled media' warning on some government-funded outlets ahead of 2020 US elections

Ray McGovern: US and Russia, from heyday to mayday

Gloves off: Rosenstein and McCabe square off and accuse each other of lying in Russia hoax

Zarif, on US JCPOA withdrawal: Trump advisors made a 'dumb bet'

Legislation introduced by US senators aims to halt completion of Russian gas pipeline

Air defense systems repelling 'Israeli agression' in Hama province - Syrian state media

Trump says US 'largely through horrible pandemic'

Greek defence minister warns Athens prepared for conflict with 'aggressive' Turkey

Iraq-US talks will fail if they do not include withdrawal of troops - Iraqi politician

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