Puppet MastersS


Hardhat

Trump orders $300billion tariff hikes on remaining Chinese goods

warehouse China
© REUTERS/Carlos BarriaAn employee works at an Alibaba Group warehouse on the outskirts of Hangzhou, China.
US President Donald Trump has ordered to kick-start the process of cranking up tariffs on "all remaining Chinese goods" worth $300 billion. That is in addition to a fresh 15 percent tariff hike on $200 billion worth of imports.

In a statement Friday, Trump's chief trade negotiator Robert E. Lighthizer announced that the US eyes increasing import tariffs on virtually all Chinese goods.

Earlier on Thursday, the US increased tariffs on some $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent as the negotiations over the trade deal stalled after Bejiing reportedly walked back on some of the terms of the draft agreement.

As the high-level US-China trade talks that kicked off on Thursday ended on Friday with no breakthrough, Lighthizer said that Trump decided to slap tariffs on additional $300 billion worth of Chinese imports.

Comment: For Trump, well publicized tariff hikes probably play into his aim of negotiating a deal of the "traditional kind", and, in his mind, they likely serve as good publicity at home, too:


Arrow Down

US threatens Venezuelan military & intelligence, and Cuban oil companies, with sanctions

venezuela military
© Reuters / Miraflores PalacePresident Nicolas Maduro meets soldiers at a military training center in El Pao, Venezuela on May 4, 2019.
The US has imposed restrictions on two companies, involved in oil trade between Caracas and Havana, as well as threatened Venezuelan security services with sanctions over their continuous support to President Nicolas Maduro.

The sanctions were imposed on two transport companies, registered in Marshall Islands and Liberia, as well as two oil tankers belonging to them, the US Treasury said Friday. Both vessels, flying Panama flags, have been allegedly involved in transporting Venezuelan oil to Cuba.

Such transfers are a payment for Cuban support towards Maduro, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin claimed, vowing to "take further action if Cuba continues to receive Venezuelan oil in exchange for military support." Aside from that, the official threatened Venezuelan military and intelligence services with more sanctions if they would not defect from the legitimate government.

Comment: The US is compiling quite a list of sanctioned companies and countries, how long before they sanction themselves out of world markets?


Vader

A week in the life of the empire

trump cartoon
Introduction

It is sometimes helpful not to look at any one specific issue in detail, but rather make a survey of ongoing processes instead. The resulting picture is neither better nor worse, it is simply different. This is what I want to do today: to take a bird's eye view of our suffering planet.

Putin trolls the Empire
It is all really simple: if the Ukrainians will give passports to Russian citizens, and we in Russia will be handing out passports to the Ukrainians, then sooner or later will will reach the expected result: everybody will have the same citizenship. This is something which we have to welcome.

Vladimir Putin
It appears that the Kremlin is very slowly changing its approach to the Ukrainian issue and is now relying more on unilateral actions. The first two measures taken by the Russians are maybe not "too little too late", but certainly "just the bare minimum and at that, rather late". Still, I can only salute the Kremlin's newly found determination. Specifically, the Kremlin has banned the export of energy products to the Ukraine (special exemptions can still be granted on a case by case basis) and the Russians have decided to distribute Russian passports to the people of Novorussia. Good.

Quenelle - Golden

The Gaza Ghetto Uprising: A Response To Israeli-Imposed Incarceration

seatruction in Gaza
The cruelty and temerity of the people in Gaza once more reached new heights Saturday: dozens of rockets on Israel before the week of its Independence Day, just after its Holocaust Remembrance Day, and worst of all, two weeks before its Eurovision. How dare you Gaza, how dare you.

Israel still hasn't recovered from the Holocaust, is preening itself for its Independence Day, the musicians are starting to arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport, and you're firing Qassam rockets. How will we be able to celebrate? News reports give the impression that Israel is under siege; Gaza is threatening to destroy it. Twitter has already suggested "Eva's Story on the Gaza Border" - a play on the social media campaign about the Holocaust. Pundits explain that it's all because of Hamas' greed. Ramadan is beginning and "they're under crazy pressure for cash." Or, "It's all because of the weak security policy that has gotten the terror groups used to Israel; we only strike buildings."

And so they shoot, those villains. Hamas wants money, Israel's too soft on them, they are terror, we are peace; they were born to kill. On Friday the army killed four protesters by the Gaza border fence, but who's counting. In Israel a teenage boy tripped while running for a shelter. "When a lack of policy and continuity yields to blackmail," a voice of wisdom mumbled, and nobody could figure out what he was proposing. Benny Gantz, the alternative. This is what we have an opposition for.

Bad Guys

Ex-Polish president opines that it would be 'easier to liquidate' the EU and 'start all over again'

Lech Walesa
© AP / Czarek Sokolowsk / FileFormer Polish President Lech Walesa
The past few years have seen the EU face a whole array of problems, specifically pertaining to Brexit and refugees, something that has sparked differences between the bloc's member states about how these pressing issues should be resolved.

In an interview with the Swedish tabloid Afronbladet, former Polish President Lech Walesa specifically claimed that the EU wasn't worth preserving in its current form.

"The EU was created in completely different conditions than those currently taking place. I have repeatedly warned Germany and France that the bloc cannot be saved if its member states go in different directions", Walesa said.

Document

Trump says John Kerry should be prosecuted under Logan Act

John Kerry
© AP
President Trump said Thursday that former Secretary of State John Kerry should be prosecuted under the Logan Act for speaking with Iranian officials and criticizing Trump's policies in Iran.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he would not rule out the possibility of military action in Iran amid escalating tensions before laying into Kerry for his involvement.

"What I'd like to see with Iran, I'd like to see them call me," Trump said. "John Kerry speaks to them a lot, and John Kerry tells them not to call. That's a violation of the Logan Act, and frankly he should be prosecuted on that."

Trump added that his "people don't want to do anything," and that "only the Democrats do that kind of stuff."

The Logan Act bans private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments without permission from the U.S. Violating the obscure law is a felony, but only two people have ever been charged with doing so and nobody has ever been convicted.

Chess

Trump turns on Bolton, accuses him of 'trying to start a war' in Venezuela: WaPo

trump bolton
Has President Trump finally turned on John Bolton? It's starting to look that way.

Shortly before President Trump tweeted about a meeting with Marco Rubio and Rick Scott where the "terrible abuses by Maduro" were discussed, the Washington Post published an anonymously sourced story claiming that Trump is growing frustrated with the situation in Venezuela, and is blaming aides like Bolton for misleading him about opposition leader Juan Guaido's chances of success.

USA

'Nation building': Washington pride in the destruction of Venezuela

Venezuela
Thanks to the Grayzone, an independent news and politics website by renowned journalist Max Blumenthal, we have a glimpse into Washington's mindset when it comes to Venezuela. As you will see in this posting, Washington is quite proud of its punishment of Venezuela and its 32 million people and brags about how its actions have led to its desired (and painful) outcomes.

The document that you are about to see is entitled "U.S. Actions on Venezuela" and is a fact sheet published by the United States Department of State dated April 24, 2019, just prior to the failed coup attempt. Here is the link to the document and screen captures showing the document that was subsequently removed from this webpage:
US Fact sheet Venezuela Pg1

Comment:


Bad Guys

Facebook hired former Hillary Press Director to inform media about Alex Jones ban

Alex Jones, Hillary Clinton
Sarah Pollack is the Policy Communications Manager for Facebook who responded to Big League Politics when we sought comment on why Jones, Watson, Loomer, and Yiannopoulos were banned. She explained that users are no longer allowed to share videos or links including videos of Jones, and explained that this decision was made, in part, because Jones interviewed Gavin McInnes on his radio and TV program.

According to her LinkedIn history, Pollack was hired by Facebook in October of 2017 as a Policy Communications Associate Manager, and was promoted to her current role in February of this year.

Prior to joining Facebook, Pollack was the Director of Press Advance for Hillary for America, the presidential campaign of failed Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. She held this position from March of 2016 until Clinton lost in November of the same year, and worked as a Press Advance Lead for Clinton as far back as June of 2015.

Tornado2

John Kelly revives feud with 'Javanka'; says Trump's family needs to be 'dealt with'

John Kelly
John Kelly has had a few months to reflect on his tumultuous tenure as White House Chief of Staff. And though he's apparently forgiven the president for the angry tweets and public rebukes, which helped fuel persistent rumors about his impending firing, the former general still holds a grudge against his former West Wing antagonist: Javanka.

Those who have been following the Trump administration drama since the beginning might remember that, after initially welcoming Kelly as a "steady hand" and "adult in the room" who would bring order to a chaotic West Wing, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump swiftly turned on the former general, and their months-long power struggle become fodder for endless anonymously sourced reports and reprisals.

That feud apparently left a bad taste in Kelly's mouth that just won't go away. Which is probably why, five months after being 'liberated' from the West Wing, Kelly felt comfortable publicly expressing his distaste for the two - in his own reserved way, not mentioning the couple by name - Trump Administration senior advisors during an interview with David Rubenstein on Bloomberg TV.

Kelly told Rubenstein that members of the Trump family serving in the administration needed to be "dealt with" - even if Kelly wasn't the one to do it.

Comment: Previously: