Puppet MastersS


Bulb

Trump tells advisers U.S. should pull troops as Afghanistan COVID-19 outbreak looms

Carol E. Lee and Courtney Kube
NBC News
Mon, 27 Apr 2020 16:32 UTC
us troops afghanistan
© Thomas Watkins / AFP via Getty Images fileU.S. soldiers at the Afghan National Army checkpoint in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on June 6, 2019.
President Donald Trump has pushed his military and national security advisers in recent days to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan amid concerns about a major coronavirus outbreak in the war-torn country, according to two current and one former senior U.S. officials.

Trump complains almost daily that U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan and are now vulnerable to the pandemic, the officials said. His renewed push to withdraw all of them has been spurred by the convergence of his concern that coronavirus poses a force protection issue for thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and his impatience with the halting progress of his peace deal with the Taliban, the officials said.

They said the president's military advisers have made the case to him that if the U.S. pulls troops out of Afghanistan because of the coronavirus, by that standard the Pentagon would also have to withdraw from places like Italy, which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, officials said.


Comment: Not a bad idea!


"There is concern from a variety of places that we could leave Afghanistan," one senior U.S. official said, pointing to concerns voiced by U.S. allies, members of Congress and U.S. military officials.


Comment: Imagine the type of mind that worries about the possibility of a war ending.


One senior administration official and a defense official said that while the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan because of the coronavirus has been under discussion, a more likely outcome would be to consolidate American forces at bases in one or two parts of the country.

Comment: It would be really ironic if 'dictator' Trump used the manufactured Covid-19 crisis as a means of ending a war and military occupation, rather than to follow the precedent set by his allegedly 'democratic' predecessors in using such crises to start them.

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V

Forced vaccinations and 'digital certificates' next step in imposing coronavirus tyranny

Ron Paul
The Ron Paul Institute
Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:40 UTC
vaccines
In my first week in the House of Representatives in 1976, I cast one of the two votes against legislation appropriating funds for a swine flu vaccination program. A swine flu outbreak was then dominating headlines, so most in DC were frantic to "do something" about the virus.

Unfortunately, the hastily developed and rushed-into-production swine flu vaccine was not only ineffective, it was dangerous. Approximately 50 people who received the vaccine subsequently contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome, a potentially fatal form of paralysis. According to an expert with the Centers for Disease Control, the incidence of Guillain-Barré was four times higher among those who received the swine flu vaccine than in the general population.

Comment:

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Eye 1

'Grave dangers to privacy': Israel's top court says government must legislate COVID-19 phone-tracking

Maayan Lubell
Yahoo
Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:00 UTC
Israel lockdown
© Ariel Schalit/APIsraeli police during coronavirus lockdown
Citing grave dangers to privacy, Israel's Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that the government must bring its use of mobile phone tracking deployed in the battle against the new coronavirus under legislation.

Circumventing parliament in March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet approved emergency regulations that enabled the Shin Bet internal security service to tap into cellular data to retrace the movements of people infected by the virus.

The technology, customarily used for anti-terrorism, has since yielded data used by the Health Ministry to locate and alert those who have been in their vicinity. The practice has been subjected to some parliamentary oversight following a subsequent court ruling.


Comment: Notably the general public are now being treated like terrorists.


Comment: And just like that, the world's democracies lost any freedom they had left because of the seasonal flu:

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Light Sabers

Syrian air defenses repel 'Israeli aggression', down several 'hostile' missiles over Damascus


RT
Mon, 27 Apr 2020 02:27 UTC
syria
© Global Look Press/Xinhua /Ammar SafarjalaniFILE PHOTO
Syrian missile defenses responded to an attack by Israeli warplanes, intercepting several missiles over Damascus launched from Lebanese airspace, Syria's SANA news agency reported.

A video has emerged online purportedly showing the Syrian missile shield being activated to shoot down missiles, reportedly fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from Lebanese airspace.

There have been unconfirmed reports that at least three military sites outside Damascus came under fire as result of the attack, which took place early Monday morning local time.

"Numerous explosions" were reported to have rocked the city, and it's so far unclear if any damage has been inflicted.

Comment: See also:

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Cult

SOTT Focus: Out of Shadows Documentary: How The Media & Hollywood Manipulate & Control The People


Out Of Shadows
Mon, 27 Apr 2020 10:52 UTC
out of shadows documentary
The Out Of The Shadows documentary lifts the mask on how the mainstream media & Hollywood manipulate & control the masses by spreading propaganda throughout their content. Our goal is to wake up the general public by shedding light on how we all have been lied to & brainwashed by a hidden enemy with a sinister agenda.

This project is the result of two years of blood, sweat, and tears by a team of woke professionals. It's been independently produced and funded and is available on many different platforms for free for anyone to watch. Patriots made this documentary with the sole purpose of getting the truth out there.

If you like the documentary, please share this video. You can support our team and future projects making a donation at outofshadows.org

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Handcuffs

Italian PM vows to gradually lift lockdown throughout May, some restrictions will remain


TheLocal.it
Sun, 26 Apr 2020 20:35 UTC
Conte
© STRINGER / ANSA / AFPItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Sunday that schools will only reopen in September but many businesses will resume as early as next week as the country emerges from a near-total coronavirus shutdown.
Conte told La Repubblica newspaper that he will spell out the full details of how Italy will ease its way out of the world's longest active coronavirus lockdown by the start of next week.

He has reportedly been presented with a cautious proposal that involves a gradual lifting of restrictions over the course of May.

Italy's official death toll of 26,384 is Europe's highest and only second globally to the United States.

But its number of cases has been ebbing and Italy believes its contagion rate -- reported at between 0.2 and 0.7 -- is low enough below the key threshold of 1.0 to try and get back to work.

"We cannot continue beyond this lockdown -- we risk damaging the country's socioeconomic fabric too much," Conte told La Repubblica.

Comment: So despite acknowledging that coronavirus made its way throughout Italy (and much of the planet) before lockdown was implemented, thus rendering the entire lockdown/social distancing ineffective, the Italian PM will still only rescind some of the restrictions, that he himself admits are "damaging the socioeconomic fabric". Whilst lifting the restrictions is a matter of urgency, the true cost of the damage may be much worse than governments are admitting, with countries all over the world already experiencing mass unemployment and forecasting significant food shortages:

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Blackbox

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un rumored to be dead, brain dead or just fine - UPDATE

Dana Kennedy
New York Post
Sat, 25 Apr 2020 18:46 UTC
Kim Jong Un
North Korea's Kim Jong Un is either dead, brain dead or just fine, depending on which Asian media report you believe.

The dictator, nicknamed "Rocket Man" by President Trump for his love of missile launches and nukes, underwent a stent procedure earlier this month that started a swirl of international speculation.

A Hong Kong broadcast network claimed Saturday that Kim died, citing a "very solid source." A Japanese magazine, meanwhile, reported late Friday that he is in "a vegetative state." On Kim's home turf, the North Korean media has acted as if everything is perfectly normal.

Other unconfirmed reports, attributed to senior Community Party sources in Beijing, claimed Kim succumbed when his surgeon botched the minor operation because his hands were shaking so badly.

The portly leader's absence from Saturday's much-ballyhooed 88th anniversary of the birth of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army further fueled the death talk.

Comment: See also: UPDATE:

Sounds like he may be alive and well:
Kim reportedly sends letter to construction workers while his train is parked at a coastal resort:

The publication reported on Sunday that Kim "sent thanks" to workers involved in the rebuilding of what has been touted as an "ideal socialist village" by the North Korean leader. The city, which is reported to be the birthplace of Kim's late father and former ruler, Kim Jong-il, is supposed to undergo a near-complete makeover, being transformed into a model city with new railway stations, power and telecommunications infrastructure and hundreds of brand-new buildings.

It is located at the foot of Mount Paektu - the 'sacred mountain' - which Kim has visited in recent years. In early December, the North Korean leader officially inaugurated the renovated city in a lavish ceremony.

The report of Kim's greetings to the workers, as well as that of his official communication with foreign leaders, did little to quash rumors that he is on his deathbed - even though rampant speculation surrounding his health has since been downplayed by China and South Korea, and even US President Donald Trump who, not surprisingly, called CNN's source-based reporting "fake news."
Comment from a Russian MP:

A Russian lawmaker has asked the North Korean embassy about Kim Jong-un's health, amid speculation about the leader's wellbeing following his lengthy absence from the public eye.

Russia's Communist Party (KPRF) lawmaker Kazbek Taysayev, who leads a group of MPs responsible for relations with Pyongyang, said that he had recently contacted North Korean diplomats.

"I have spoken with the [North Korean] embassy today. As you know, there were some reports [regarding Kim's health]," Taysayev told Russian media.

"We only deal with official information, and there is no official information about the [North Korean] leader being ill."
Another comment from South Korea:

"Our government position is firm," Chung-in Moon told Fox News. "Kim Jong Un is alive and well. He has been staying in the Wonsan area since 13 April. No suspicious movements have so far been detected."

Seoul has repeatedly indicated there have been no unusual signs that could indicate health problems for Mr Kim - whose well-known propensity for cigarettes, apparent weight gain and family history of heart problems has fuelled speculations.

Mr Chung-in's suggestion that the North Korean leader may be staying out of Pyongyang was lent further credence on Saturday by satellite images published by 38 North, a website specialising in North Korea studies.

The pictures showed a train likely belonging to Mr Kim has been parked at his Wonsan compound on the country's east coast since at least 21 April. It had not been present on 15 April, the website's researchers said.

"The train's presence does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health, but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country's eastern coast," they added.

Many experts in South Korea have downplayed speculation that Mr Kim is seriously ill.


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Chalkboard

We ain't seen nothing yet: Anatomy of a Fed-controlled fiat currency collapse and what is likely to occur this year

Alasdair Macleod
Goldmoney
Thu, 23 Apr 2020 00:00 UTC
helicopter money
This article asserts that infinite money-printing is set to destroy fiat currencies far quicker than might be generally thought. This final act of monetary destruction follows a 98% loss of purchasing power for dollars since the London gold pool failed. And now the Fed and other major central banks are committing to an accelerated, infinite monetary debasement to underwrite their entire private sectors and their governments' spending, to prop up bond markets and therefore all financial asset prices.

It repeats the mistakes of John Law in France three hundred years ago almost to the letter, but this time on a global scale. History, economic theory and even common sense tell us governments and their central banks will rapidly destroy their currencies. So that we can see how to protect ourselves from this monetary madness, we dig into history for guidance to see who benefited from the Austrian and German hyperinflations of 1922-23, and how fortunes were made and lost.

Introduction

The way inflation is commonly presented by modern economists, as a rise in the general level of prices, is incorrect. The classical, pre-Keynesian definition is that inflation is an increase in the quantity of money which can be expected to be reflected in higher prices. For consistency and to understand the theory of money and credit we must adhere strictly to the proper definition. The effect on prices is one of a number of consequences, and is not inflation.

The effect of an increase in the quantity of money and credit in circulation on prices is dependent on the aggregate human response. In a nation of savers, an increase in the money quantity is likely to add to savers' bank balances instead of it all being spent, in which case the route to circulation favours lending for the purpose of industrial investment. Product innovation, more efficient production and competitive prices result; and a price countertrend is introduced, whereby many prices will tend to fall, despite the increase in the money-quantity.

Comment: And if one can prepare for the coming chaos with food, supplies, etc. - all the better.

See also:

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Red Flag

She's back: Pathological Nikki Haley's anti-China rage

Stephen Lendman
stephenlendman.org
Sun, 26 Apr 2020 00:00 UTC
Nikki Haley
Neocon hardliner Haley is an ideologically extremist hawk on the far-right fringe of US politics.

Like other extremists in Washington and their supporters, she's militantly hostile toward sovereign states on the US target list for regime change.

As former Trump regime UN envoy, she was an embarrassment to the position she held, using her platform to "tak(e) names" and urge retaliation against nations unwilling to sacrifice their sovereign rights to US interests.

Straightaway after assuming her post in 2017, she provocatively said "(y)ou're going to see a change in the way we do business."

Along with other hardliners in Washington from both right wings of the one-party state, her goal was and remains achieving US dominance over planet earth, its resources and populations — endless wars and other hostile actions their favored strategies.

Haley is back with a website called "Stop Communist China." She's part of a US hard right-wing cabal that's aiming to "prevent China's growing influence."

Comment: At least we got several months off from hearing Haley's idiotic war-driven rhetoric. Hopefully she goes out with a fizzle - but we'd be wise not to count on it; there's a "new" game in town called China.

See also:

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Caesar

Trump, Putin issue joint statement promoting unity between U.S., Russia

Daniel Payne
Just The News
Mon, 27 Apr 2020 00:05 UTC
President Trump and Vladimir Putin
© Anadolu Agency/GettyPresident Trump and Vladimir Putin
The statement celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 'Meeting on the Elbe.'

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday issued a rare joint statement promoting unity and cooperation between their respective countries, calling for trust and cooperation "in pursuit of a greater cause."

The statement was meant to mark the 75th anniversary of the "Meeting on the Elbe," the historic confluence of American and Russian troops in Germany very near the end of World War II in what was seen as one of the final blows against Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler would commit suicide five days after the two sets of troops met at the Elbe River, with Germany surrendering a week later.

In the joint statement, the two leaders said the meeting "represented a culmination of tremendous efforts by the many countries and peoples" that "required enormous sacrifice by millions of soldiers, sailors, and citizens in multiple theaters of war."

Comment: And like the 'meeting on the Elbe', this 'international cooperation' is occurring under equally dodgy circumstances. With respect to both leaders, who have demonstrated genuine concern for the well-being of their electorates, Corona1984 as 'the-WW2-of-our-time' is a One World Govt scheme they are apparently incapable of stopping.

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