Puppet MastersS


Attention

Democrats' pants in a twist over Biden-Ukraine scandal as MSM begins its spin cycle

TrumpBiden
© Zero Hedge/Free RepublicPresident Donald Trump • Former VP Joe Biden
As Joe Biden plummets in popularity, Democratic lawmakers and the MSM have gone into panic mode after a whistleblower report of political malfeasance during a July phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the Biden family's dealings turned out to be fake news.

Since the initial report, the Trump-Zelensky call has been downgraded to remove implications of a quid pro quo - and attention is now turning to what the Bidens actually did.
And to protect Biden - who is still the Democratic 2020 frontrunner (barely), the media is simply ignoring the facts in order to peddle an election interference narrative.

Comment: See also:


Snakes in Suits

Pompeo thanks US' 'close friends' for pinning the blame on Tehran for Saudi oil attacks, as scripted

Pompeo
© Reuters/Lucas JacksonU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks following a meeting of the UN Security Council at UN headquarters, August 20, 2019.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heaped praise on America's "close friends" - the UK, France, and Germany - after they toed the line and blamed Iran for the attacks on Saudi oil facilities - without providing any hard evidence.

Pompeo took to Twitter to thank the US allies in Europe for "their clear articulation of Iran's sole responsibility" for what he called "the act of war against Saudi Arabia," after the UK, France, and Germany, albeit belatedly, followed Washington's lead and pinned the September 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities on Tehran.

Stop

UK Supreme Court judges rule suspending parliament was 'unlawful'

boris johnson
© REUTERS / Andrew Milligan
Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful, the Supreme Court has ruled.

Mr Johnson suspended - or prorogued - Parliament for five weeks earlier this month, but judges said it was wrong to stop MPs carrying out duties in the run-up to Brexit on 31 October.

Supreme Court president Lady Hale said "the effect on the fundamentals of democracy was extreme."

The PM said he "profoundly disagreed" with the ruling but would "respect" it.


Comment: He told reporters the following:
"I don't think this was the right decision." "I have the utmost respect for our judiciary," he said, adding: "I think that the prerogative of prorogation has been used for centuries without this kind of challenge."

"As the law currently stands, the UK leaves the EU on October 31 come what may," Johnson told reporters, and added that securing an exit deal with the bloc before that deadline "is not made much easier by this kind of stuff in parliament or in the courts."

A raft of MPs have now called for the prime minister to resign and some say they will attempt to force him out if he does not go of his accord.

Comment: House Speaker Bercow says parliament will resume Wednesday morning.
Addressing reporters in the wake of the unanimous ruling, Bercow said he had instructed House authorities to prepare not for the recall of parliament, because the prorogation was unlawful and void, but for "the resumption of the business of the House of Commons."

Bercow said he welcomed the court judgment finding prorogation "unlawful because it prevented or frustrated parliament in the discharge of its core duties," he said. "The citizens of the UK are entitled to expect that parliament... is in a position to scrutinize the executive, to hold ministers to account, and to legislate if it chooses."
Corbyn is urging Johnson to "consider his position" and step down. Political journalist and broadcaster Adel Darwish told RT that in his view, the Court's decision was an act of "constitutional vandalism":
Darwish insists that the Supreme Court getting involved in what he sees as a "political" issue should never have happened, but that once you create an institution like this "it will cling to any straw of power."
It's a very serious precedent. It's a constitutional way... of overseeing the destruction of British democracy because this is not a law ruling.
All the main UK opposition parties have called for Johnson to step down.



Star of David

'A Netanyahu on steroids' describes what a Gantz leadership means for Palestine

Benny Gantz
© Alex KolomoiskyBenny Gantz
Experience has taught Palestinians not to pay heed to Israeli elections. But to every rule there is an exception.

Although it is still true that no Israeli Zionist leader has ever been kind to the Palestinian people, the dynamics of the latest Israeli elections on September 17 are likely to affect the Occupied Palestinian Territories in a profound way.

Indeed, the outcome of the elections seems to have ushered in a new age in Israel, ideologically and politically. But the same claim can also be made regarding its potential influence on Palestinians, who should now brace themselves for war in Gaza and annexation in the West Bank.

Former chief of general staff of the Israeli army, Benny Gantz, who had orchestrated the destructive war on the besieged Gaza Strip in 2014, is likely to be tasked with the job of forming Israel's new government. Gantz had recently boasted about sending "parts of Gaza back to the Stone Age".

Comment: See also:
Nothing to lose? Arab lawmakers in Israel endorse Gantz for prime minister


Arrow Up

US and UK could strike a trade deal by July 2020

Boris Johnson
© AFP 2019/Daniel Leal-OlivasBritish PM Boris Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Donald Trump have agreed to strike a trade deal between the two countries by July next year, The Sun newspaper reported. Trump and Johnson might publicly announce the timeline when they meet in New York this week, the tabloid reported. A senior UK government source told The Sun:
"The political will is there now on both sides to do the deal by July. It's a great win for us, and Trump is also really keen to shout about it in the States. There is also a recognition on both sides of the Atlantic that it must be done by then because the US election cycle starts soon afterwards."
Earlier, the British PM and the US President had planned on setting out a full timetable for the deal's negotiation on Tuesday, but that has now been delayed, according to The Sun, at least until Trump's next visit to London in December for a NATO summit.

Johnson has been eyeing a trade deal with the US since his race for the Conservative Party leadership back in July, naming it a key priority to overcome a no-deal Brexit.

Oil Well

Is Aramco misrepresenting the severity of its damaged oil infrastructure?

Aramco repairs
© Daily News EgyptAramco repairs
Repairs at the Khurais field and the Abqaiq processing facility may take several months rather than the ten weeks tops that Aramco had initially estimated, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing foreign contractors working with the Saudi state giant.

Aramco, the contractors told the WSJ, is in urgent talks with equipment manufacturers and service providers and is willing to pay premium rates for faster delivery and installation. Still, the repairs work could last months because the equipment has to yet be manufactured, delivered and installed, and this could take as long as a year, the WSJ's Summer Said noted, quoting Saudi officials.

The report suggests initial expectations by Aramco may have been overoptimistic. As a result, we could see another spike in prices soon: the attacks on Khurais and Abqaiq took off a combined 5.7 million bpd from global oil markets.

Last week, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman tried to reassure traders as he told media more than half of the lost production had been restored. By the end of September, bin Salman said, Saudi Arabia would have 11 million bpd in production capacity and by the end of November, it would have 12 million bpd.

Comment: See also:


Airplane

Maduro heads to Russia for official visit with Putin

MaduroPutin
© Global Look Press/ZUMAPRESS.com/Alexei NikolskyVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro • Russian President Vladimir Putin
President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has announced he would be leaving for Russia, to meet with his counterpart Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin previously said that the visit has been in the works, but the exact timing was unknown.

Maduro announced his upcoming visit during a policy meeting, broadcast live on Twitter on Monday evening, saying that he would depart for Russia. "In a few hours, tonight, I am going on an official visit to Russia, to meet with our friend and fellow President Vladimir Putin, with his team, with important business groups in Russia."

In addition to sitting down with the Russian president and other government officials, Maduro said he plans to meet with local business leaders. One of the items on his agenda is to boost the economic, social and cultural ties between the two nations.

There have been rumors that the two leaders might meet on the sidelines of the Valdai Club, an annual international forum in Sochi, scheduled to take place from September 30 to October 3 this year. On Monday, Peskov appeared to confirm that the Russian Black Sea resort would host the upcoming Maduro-Putin meeting, noting that three high-level meetings are planned for the Russian leader at the Valdai Club, including with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Bad Guys

Washington and Warsaw make pact to block progress of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

US President Donald TTrump meets with Poland's President Andrzej Duda
© Reuters / Jonathan ErnstUS President Donald Trump meets with Poland's President Andrzej Duda
US President Donald Trump and his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, have called the Russian gas pipeline to Germany a "threat" to European energy security.

According to a White House statement, the two leaders discussed the possibility of hindering the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, which aims to deliver more natural gas from Russia to the EU.

Earlier this month, Poland's state-owned energy company PGNiG said it won't extend the contract for gas supplies with Russian Gazprom after 2022. According to PGNiG head Peter Wozniak, Russian gas is overpriced. Under the agreement with Gazprom, Warsaw can annually receive 10.2 billion cubic meters of gas, which is delivered via the Yamal gas pipeline through Belarus.

Poland already has a 20-year deal to buy LNG from the US in a bid to give up Russian gas entirely, despite the fact that American gas is more expensive and is not as reliable in meeting Poland's needs. Warsaw has also inked a number of contracts with American companies to replace Russian supplies. That should make Poland the future center for the re-export of American LNG in the region, said the US ambassador to Poland, Georgette Mosbacher.


Comment: And this isn't the only geopolitical mistake Poland has been making lately:


Radar

The attack on a Saudi oil facility was a precision strike on US credibility - and a shattering of the US paradigm

Trump and BIS
The precision attack on the Saudi 'jewel in the crown', crude-processing installation last week, is also a precision assault on Saudi credibility, on the believability of the US security 'umbrella', and a humiliation for Trump, and particularly to America's image as a competent military and intelligence power.

Gulf States will be pursing their lips as they consider now their own vulnerabilities and question their reliance on that US umbrella. Even the Pentagon might be questioning, 'what then - is the point to CentCom' in light of what has happened? And above all, Israel will be experiencing a very chill wind sending shivers up the spine: Israelis cannot but be a tad struck in awe at the attack's precise targeting and technical efficacy. Quite impressive - especially given that Saudi spent $65 billion on weaponry last year, to no good avail.

Facing this humiliation, the US Administration has been 'blowing smoke': tossing around red-herrings about the origin and launch of the UAVs and cruise missiles. 'It can't be AnsarAllah (the Houthis), because such an operation was sophisticated beyond their capabilities'. Apart from the obvious Orientalism to this assertion (for, if Hizbullah can manufacture smart drones and smart cruise missiles, why shouldn't the Houthis be able so to do?), do the exact, individual contributions towards the strike on Abqaiq really matter? What is most telling is that the US - with all its massive resources in the Gulf - cannot provide the evidence from whence came these UAVs to Abqaiq.


Comment: Or, for reasons of propaganda against Iran - chooses not to disclose who really did it:

The many questions we should be asking surrounding the US push to war with Iran


Actually, the ambiguity about the strike modus operandi represents just another layer to the sophistication of the attack.

Russian Flag

Russia not worried by plans in the UK to create new cyberthreat fight division

hacking
© CC0
Reports have recently emerged in UK media, claiming that the first-ever hybrid division will be created within the UK Armed Forces to fight against cyberattacks, disinformation and electronic warfare. The division will reportedly focus on boosting London's capacity to defer cyberthreat allegedly coming from Russia.

Russia is not worried over London's plans to create a new division for countering purported Russian cyberthreat, and the country will be able to protect itself anyway, according to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for New Challenges and Threats, Vladimir Tarabrin.

"You know, I already find it difficult to seriously comment on similar statements that Western states make regularly, while no one has provided any proof of Russia's involvement, since there is no proof, and there are no such facts. Accusations of being engaged in cyber aggression are especially absurd, given that our country is the pioneer of international information security discussions," Tarabrin said.

Comment: The UK (and the US for that matter) pump up the demonizing propaganda against Russia precisely so that these Western countries may justify their own aggression and bloated expenditures on their respective "security" industries.

See also: