Puppet MastersS


Quenelle

Beijing says trade war "has not made America great again", quite the opposite


RT
Sun, 02 Jun 2019 07:33 UTC
maga
© Reuters / Carlo Allegri
China hit US President Donald Trump with his own catchphrase, saying that his sweeping tariffs hurt American businesses and ordinary people, which is the complete opposite of what MAGA was supposed to be about.

Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods "not only failed to boost the economic growth in the US but caused serious harm" to its people, the Chinese government said in a white paper on trade, published on Sunday.

The officials argued that the measures imposed by Washington make production costs go up, as "many" US manufacturers rely on Chinese raw materials. They also increased domestic prices because the tariffs make it harder to import "affordable" consumer goods from Beijing.

In other words, "the trade war has not made America 'great again,'" the government said.

Comment: It seems most other countries have been able to come to a fair agreement with China - including those in Europe - but the US (and a few of its lackeys) have had to resort to a self-defeating trade war:

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Eye 2

Israeli police force entry into Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan letting in Jewish settlers - First time in 30 years


RT
Sun, 02 Jun 2019 12:24 UTC
Israeli policemen
© Reuters / Ammar AwadIsraeli policemen gather outside Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
Violence erupted at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem as Israeli forces allowed Jewish settlers to enter the compound for Jerusalem Day, sparking protests, arrests and injuries.

Israelis are usually prevented from entering the holy site during the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when worshippers stay inside the site. This is the first time in around 30 years that Israelis have been allowed inside the site they call Temple Mount during this period.

Al Jazeera reports that settlers gathered outside the compound and police decided to let them in.

Palestinians inside the mosque protested against the admittance of the Israelis, with some throwing chairs and other items, prompting Israeli forces to enter the mosque and fire tear gas, sound bombs and rubber bullets, and arrest a number of Palestinians.

Comment: Israel has been ramping up its aggression on all fronts:

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Wall Street

India will still seek strong ties with U.S. despite Trump removing trade privileges


CNBC
Mon, 03 Jun 2019 09:40 UTC
TrumpModi
© IANSUS President Donald Trump • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The Indian government said on Saturday it will continue to seek to build strong economic ties with the United States despite a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to end preferential trade treatment for India from June 5.

In a relatively tame response to the announcement from Washington on Friday, the Indian government said it was "unfortunate" that its attempts to resolve significant U.S. requests had not been accepted.

"India, like the U.S. and other nations shall always uphold its national interest in these matters," the government said in a statement issued through India's trade ministry.

Comment: Also see:

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Arrow Down

Fmr UK Minister warns Washington's brazen Mid East policy could lead to 'new world war'


Sputnik
Mon, 03 Jun 2019 09:40 UTC
US troops middle East Syria Afghanistan Iraq
© AFP 2019 / Delil Souleiman
The arrival of the Trump administration in the White House has marked a major shift in US policy towards Iran. Since then, Washington has withdrawn from the landmark Iran nuclear deal and ramped up its military presence in the region, targeting the Islamic Republic.

In an interview with The Guardian, Alistair Burt, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who left office at the end of March 2019, has shared his concerns regarding Washington's Middle East policy under Donald Trump, pointing out that in its current state it could spark a war.

"America at present does not believe in compromise - it is a case of hitting them in the nuts first, and sooner or later they follow. It is a not unfamiliar technique, and not always unsuccessful. And [Trump's] proud of it", he said.
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Bad Guys

How the Deep State is eliminating free speech 'the smart way'

Jeff Thomas
International Man
Mon, 03 Jun 2019 09:40 UTC
free speech censorship
© Derek Bacon / Getty Images
Left-wing activists have recently been increasingly active in seeking to limit opposing political viewpoints, in order to create a more ubiquitous "groupthink." One effort in accomplishing this has been to propose the creation of a "Human Rights Committee" in order to monitor the economic transactions of "white supremacist groups and anti-Islam activists."

This should not be surprising, as, throughout the former Free World, collectivists are, increasingly, coming out of the closet and seeking to eliminate any and all opposition to their cause.

And this should not, in itself, be alarming, as it should be both predictable and understandable that any politically driven group, be it left-leaning or right-leaning, would seek to gain an advantage over its opposite number.
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Snakes in Suits

Mueller just proved his entire operation was a political witch hunt

Sean Davis
The Federalist
Mon, 03 Jun 2019 09:40 UTC
Robert Mueller
© CNN
If there were any doubts about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's political intentions, his unprecedented press conference on Wednesday should put them all to rest. As he made abundantly clear during his doddering reading of a prepared statement that repeatedly contradicted itself, Mueller had no interest in the equal application of the rule of law. He gave the game, and his nakedly political intentions, away repeatedly throughout his statement.

"It is important that the office's written work speak for itself," Mueller said, referring to his office's 448-page report. Mueller's report was released to the public by Attorney General William Barr nearly six weeks ago. The entire report, minus limited redactions required by law, has been publicly available, pored through, and dissected. Its contents have been discussed ad nauseum in print and on television. The report has been speaking for itself since April 18, when it was released.

If it's important for the work to speak for itself, then why did Mueller schedule a press conference in which he would speak for it weeks after it was released? The statement, given the venue in which it was provided, is self-refuting.
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Snakes in Suits

Biden present at Russia collusion briefing documented in 'odd' Susan Rice email

Aaron Kleinz
Breitbart
Mon, 03 Jun 2019 01:40 UTC
Biden_trump
© Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images
Vice President Joe Biden was documented as being present in the Oval Office for a conversation about the controversial Russia probe between President Obama, disgraced ex-FBI chief James Comey, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and other senior officials including Obama's national security advisor Susan Rice.

In an action characterized as "odd" last year by then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Rice memorialized the confab in an email to herself describing Obama as starting "the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the Intelligence and law enforcement communities 'by the book.'"

Grassley, in a letter to Rice, commented: "It strikes us as odd that, among your activities in the final moments on the final day of the Obama administration, you would feel the need to send yourself such an unusual email purporting to document a conversation involving President Obama and his interactions with the FBI regarding the Trump/Russia investigation."

Grassley noted the unusual timing of the email sent by Rice to herself more than two weeks after the January 5, 2017 White House meeting on the Russia investigation, but mere hours before she vacated the White House for the incoming Trump administration.

The email, Grassley documented, was sent by Rice to herself on Trump's inauguration day of January 20, 2017.

"If the timestamp is correct, you sent this email to yourself at 12:15 pm, presumably a very short time before you departed the White House for the last time," Grassley wrote to Rice in a letter seeking clarification on a number of issues regarding the email and the Oval Office briefing at which Biden was documented as being present.
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Star of David

The US 'workshop' for Palestinians in Bahrain will be a nice show, but it will fail

Dr. James J. Zogby
Arab American Institute
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 22:48 UTC
Wall in Palestine
Twenty-five years ago, I moderated the panel discussion on the Palestinian economy at the international economic summit in Casablanca, Morocco. I was there in my capacity as co-chair of Builders for Peace (BfP), a project created by Vice-President Al Gore to help grow the Palestinian economy in support of the still-fledgling Oslo peace process.

I learned a great deal both at the Casablanca Summit and in my more than three years with BfP and it is from that vantage point that I want to comment on the Trump Administration's proposal to sponsor an economic "workshop" in Bahrain.

In short, I believe this effort will fail, not because the Palestinians won't participate. It will fail because of the reason why Palestinians won't participate. They know that without sovereignty and independence they cannot grow their economy. The Trump team would have been well advised to learn from - and not ignore - this lesson that Palestinians could have taught them.

I first saw this lesson play out in Casablanca. When we arrived there, in January of 1994, we found the atmosphere to be quite heady. Government and business from around the world were there. In addition to the top echelon of the Clinton Administration, BfP had brought a delegation of American business leaders. Arab governments and investors were there in full force; as were the Israelis - who were demonstrably excited to be welcomed, for the first time, in an Arab capitol. At times, it became almost comical to watch Israeli businessmen spotting an Arab in a thobe and then run up to them to have a picture taken to send home.

Comment: Economic control is just one aspect of Israeli's occupation of Palestine. Whether Israel is depriving them of freedom, destroying their economy, or murdering them in cold blood, let's call it what it is: genocide.

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Light Saber

An endless stream of procedural abuses show Assange's case was never about the law

Jonathan Cook
The Unz Review
Wed, 29 May 2019 22:36 UTC
free assange sign
It is astonishing how often one still hears well-informed, otherwise reasonable people say about Julian Assange: "But he ran away from Swedish rape charges by hiding in Ecuador's embassy in London."

That short sentence includes at least three factual errors. In fact, to repeat it, as so many people do, you would need to have been hiding under a rock for the past decade - or, amounting to much the same thing, been relying on the corporate media for your information about Assange, including from supposedly liberal outlets such as the Guardian and the BBC.

At the weekend, a Guardian editorial - the paper's official voice and probably the segment most scrutinised by senior staff - made just such a false claim:
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Better Earth

Iranian president expresses some willingness to hold talks with US


RFE/RL
Sat, 01 Jun 2019 19:23 UTC
Rouhani
An Iranian news agency says President Hassan Rohani suggested that Tehran may be willing to hold talks if the United States showed it respect.

Rohani also said Tehran would not be pressured into negotiations, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency.

Rohani's comments on June 1 come as the standoff between Tehran and Washington deepens, one year after Washington pulled out of a 2015 landmark nuclear deal between world powers and Iran that curbed the country's nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling economic sanctions.

President Donald Trump reimposed economic sanctions on Iran last year, then increased them further in May when he ordered countries to halt imports of Iranian oil.

More recently, Trump ordered an aircraft carrier battle group to the region, and announced the deployment of extra forces to the Middle East.

Fars quoted Rohani as saying: "We are for logic and talks if [the other side] sits respectfully at the negotiating table and follows international regulations, not if it issues an order to negotiate."

Comment: The day after, Pompeo said the U.S., for its part, is willing to talk to Iran with no preconditions:
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States is willing to talk to Iran with "no preconditions" but will continue to pressure the country.

Pompeo made the comments on June 2 after talks with his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis, in the southern Swiss town of Bellinzona. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran.

"We are prepared to engage in a conversation with no preconditions. We are ready to sit down with them," Pompeo told a joint news conference with Cassis, adding that "the American effort to fundamentally reverse the malign activity of this Islamic republic, this revolutionary force, is going to continue."

Responding to Pompeo's remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said that Iran "does not pay attention to word-play." He also ruled out talks between Tehran with Washington unless the United States changes its "general behavior."
What RFE/RL left out was Pompeo's condition for such talks: that Iran act like a "normal" country:
"We are certainly prepared to have that conversation when the Iranians can prove that they want to behave like a normal nation," the official stated.
So, Iran has to act "normal" and the U.S. has to abide by international law. The former seems doable. The latter is unlikely.

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