Puppet MastersS


Vader

Top Russian MP: Bolton's battle cry shows US is preparing for 'military scenario' in Iran


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 21:43 UTC
navy
© Global Look / U.S. Navy
A top Russian MP has warned of an escalation in the US conflict with Iran after Washington announced that it is sending a carrier strike group and bomber task force to the Middle East 'to send a clear message' to Tehran.

"We can't be idle, we must beat the alarm and take a stand against such behavior from Washington in all international organizations, especially in BRICS," Leonid Slutsky said, after the deployment of the naval force was announced by US National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Though Bolton insisted that the US "is not seeking war with the Iranian regime," he warned that the carrier group that will soon arrive in the Persian Gulf is "fully prepared to respond to any attack" by Tehran.

Slutsky, head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said that Bolton had failed to provide a clear explanation for the move, despite calling Tehran a threat.
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Network

Caracas hopes to skirt US sanctions via financial cooperation with Russia & China


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 21:33 UTC
chess knights
Venezuela is seeking closer cooperation with Moscow and Beijing with a view to creating a new system of banking transactions to dodge US financial sanctions, according to the country's foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza.

"We are looking for alternative ways of cooperating with Russia, China and other friendly nations in order to evade the American blockade," Arreaza said during a press conference at the Venezuelan Embassy in Moscow.

The minister stressed that the Bolivarian Republic hopes to create new alternative routes for changing monetary assets to replace those under the control of Washington. He admitted that such methods of cooperation would not materialize overnight.

Earlier this year, the White House introduced economic and financial restrictions against Venezuela. The penalties, which included cutting the country's access to US dollars, target the its mining sector and sales of crude, which are crucial for the struggling Venezuelan economy. Oil revenues account for about 98 percent of its export earnings.
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Bullseye

Venezuelan FM Arreaza: Bid to overthrow Maduro's govt was orchestrated by CIA


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 21:30 UTC
cia emblem
© Reuters / Larry Downing
American intelligence had orchestrated efforts to overthrow Maduro's government, Venezuela's foreign minister said as opposition leader Guaido failed to kick-start the military uprising.

Jorge Arreaza made the point as he was speaking at the press conference following the talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
This was a whole joint plan by [the] CIA and Venezuelan opposition to overthrow Maduro's government and get their hands on the natural resources of Venezuela.
Venezuela's top diplomat made it clear Caracas will not hesitate to deploy its full military capacity should Washington decide to intervene the country. "We are ready not only to resist and fight but to win and eliminate any army no matter how strong it is," the minister said.
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Handcuffs

Michael Cohen decries 'lies at the helm of our country' before reporting to prison

Lucien Bruggeman
ABC News
Mon, 06 May 2019 12:07 UTC
Michael Cohen
© Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty ImagesMichael Cohen, the former lawyer for President Donald Trump, leaves his Park Avenue apartment May 6, 2019 to begin serving a three-year prison sentence a federal prison in Otisville, N.Y.
The next chapter in Michael Cohen's legal tribulations began Monday when President Donald Trump's former personal attorney reported to a federal corrections facility in Otisville, New York, to serve out a three-year sentence.

Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty late last year to charges of lying to Congress about a prospective Trump Tower-Moscow project, campaign finance violations related to payments he made to two women at President Trump's behest, and a slew of financial crimes.

Departing his home in Manhattan on Monday, Cohen teased that "there still remains much to be told."

"I hope when I rejoin my family and friends that the country will be in a place without xenophobia, injustice, and lies at the helm of our country," Cohen said.
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Chess

Hands off the Arctic: Pompeo warns China & Russia away from the north


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 21:18 UTC
pompeo
© Reuters / Pool
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned China and Russia to "respect our interests" in the Arctic, or face the consequences.

Frozen and desolate, the Arctic region looks set to be the next frontier for competition between the US, Russia, and China. Speaking at a meeting of the Arctic Council in Finland on Monday, Pompeo launched a broadside against the US' competitors in the region, particularly China.

"Arctic seaways could become the 21st century Suez and Panama canals," America's top diplomat stated.
"China is already developing shipping lanes in the Arctic Ocean. This is part of a very familiar pattern. Beijing attempts to develop critical infrastructure using Chinese money, Chinese companies and Chinese workers, in some cases to establish a permanent Chinese security presence."
Although China holds observer status on the Arctic Council, the country is 900 miles from the Arctic Ocean. Nevertheless, melting polar ice means viable sea routes across the region will soon be open, and Beijing has given these consideration in its Maritime Silk Road infrastructure plan. During a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed interest in linking Russia's Northern Sea Route with China's Maritime Silk Road.

Comment: Pompeo can threaten Russia and China all he wants, the reality is that the US' power is waning. The east is rising.

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War Whore

Hawks at the wheel: Bolton and Pompeo 'steering US towards confrontation everywhere'


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 21:10 UTC
trump
© Reuters / Yves Herman

Comment: Trump's campaign promised an end to foreign interventionist policies, bringing troops back home and spending less money on the military. He said he would "drain the swamp". His actual administrative actions have run counter to both promises. He's let the warmongers whisper in both ears and manipulate his alpha behavior towards foreign nations. One would think that a Democratic candidate for president could take advantage of those broken promises, yet there isn't a peep from the Left from anyone other than Tulsi Gabbard, who is mostly being ignored. It does not look like the war machine is going to slow down any time soon folks.


From Iran and Venezuela to China, President Donald Trump's foreign policy is being shaped by hawks who believe that the US cannot be challenged militarily, a political analyst told RT, adding that Washington is now risking war.

Sidelining even the president himself, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton are now in the driver's seat, steering US policy into ever greater provocation and conflict across several continents, independent political analyst Alessandro Bruno told RT.

"These two are dangerous," Bruno said. "Pompeo and Bolton have control of US foreign policy right now. I don't think Trump has any control."
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Vader

Trump likes to use threat of naval attack to spread American-style freedom and diplomacy across the globe


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 20:50 UTC
aircraft carriers
© James Griffin / US Navy / Reuters
A carrier strike group being sent to the Middle East as a "message" to Iran highlights the Donald Trump administration's proclivity for using the Navy to exert pressure on US adversaries when normal "diplomacy" isn't enough.

'Sending a message' in Persian Gulf

US naval forces have become a semi-permanent fixture in the international waterways off Iran's coast, 6,800 miles (10,943 km) from Washington, DC. While the naval presence is likely designed to ensure American military dominance over the whole region, it seems that recent deployments are specifically aimed at Iran, which is trying to resist unilaterally imposed sanctions after US President Donald Trump tore up the 2015 nuclear deal.

But when sanctions aren't enough, there's always the Navy. The White House announced on Sunday that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force will be deployed to the Middle East in order "to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime."


Comment: The Americans and can huff and puff all they want, but the learned a few years ago that they have a legitimate opponent in Russia in war. It wasn't that long ago that the Russians made outfoxing the US military look like child's play:


Coincidentally, the strike group's deployment was announced just hours after Tehran vowed to bypass US sanctions and sell its oil in the "grey market."
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Light Sabers

Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Syria shelled by DOZENS of rockets, attack repelled


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 20:47 UTC
su-24
© Sputnik / Dmitriy Vinogradov
Syrian militants fired 36 rockets at Russia's Khmeimim airbase in two attacks on Monday, but both were repelled by the air defenses with no damage dealt, the Russian military said, adding that jets launched strikes in response.

The shelling came from the Idlib de-escalation zone, controlled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (formerly known as Al-Nusra Front), the head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, Maj. Gen. Viktor Kupchishin, said.

The militants used a drone to direct the fire from multiple launch rocket systems, but the attacks were repelled by Khmeimim's air defense systems.
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Vader

Venezuela is becoming Trump's latest Bolton-directed proxy battle with Russia

Nahal Toosi
Politico
Mon, 06 May 2019 20:00 UTC
boloton press conference
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesJohn Bolton has said America’s interest in Venezuela is unique because of the country’s location in the Western Hemisphere.
The face-off is a potentially explosive confrontation between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as the president heads into his re-election bid.

The Trump administration is tumbling into a proxy battle with Russia over Venezuela, the latest international standoff that threatens a return to the tense Cold War years.

The two sides traded barbed accusations this week after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó called on the public and the military to rise up and oust autocrat Nicolás Maduro. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened military action and accused Russia of persuading Maduro to cling to office instead of fleeing to Cuba amid growing street protests. Russia, in turn, chided Pompeo for spreading "fakes" as part of an "information war."

Comment:

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Attention

Lavrov slams US actions in Venezuela prior to Pompeo talks in Finland


RT
Mon, 06 May 2019 05:19 UTC
PompeoLavrov
© American Freedom Fighters/African Ripples MagazineUS Sec. of State Pompeo • Russian FM Sergei Lavrov
The US is running an unprecedented campaign to oust legitimate Venezuelan authorities, the Russian Foreign Minister said. He noted it's typical of Washington to tell nations they are waging war against that US intentions are good.

"The attempts to force the change of government in Caracas have nothing in common with the democratic process and only undermine the prospects of a political solution," Sergey Lavrov said, during a media conference with his Venezuelan counterpart Jorge Arreaza in Moscow. He explained that the "unprecedented Washington-led campaign to oust the legitimate government" is "in rude violation of the international law."

Lavrov's appeal to the US and their allies in respect of Caracas comes ahead of his meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Finland on Monday, at which they are expected to discuss the situation in Venezuela and other hotspots of the world.

"Cooperation between Russia and the US can play a very significant and positive role in solving most issues, if we are building this cooperation on the principle of finding common approaches," Lavrov said, rebuking Washington for often offering one-sided solutions.

Comment: More from RFE/RL 5/6/2019 Pompeo: "The Russians must get out"
Pompeo and Lavrov spoke on May 5 ahead of their expected meeting in Finland this week, amid simmering tensions between Moscow and Washington over the crisis in Venezuela. Pompeo said: "I'm going to meet with Foreign Minister Lavrov in recent days. It's very clear, we want the Russians out, we want the Iranians out, we want the Cubans out. It's very clear,"

Earlier in the day Lavrov said, "It is only up to the Venezuelans to decide about the future of their country. Attempts at a violent coup in Caracas have nothing to do with the democratic process and only frustrate prospects for political settlement of the crisis. We call on both the Americans and those who support them to drop irresponsible plans and act exclusively within the frames of international law."

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on May 3 that he wasn't looking to get the U.S. military involved in Venezuela. He said that in a call, Russian President Vladimir Putin had assured him that "he is not looking to get involved in Venezuela other than he'd like to see something positive happen for Venezuela. And I feel the same way."

Unnamed U.S. officials have said that Pompeo and Lavrov will discuss "a broad range of issues" when they attend a two-day Arctic Council meeting starting on May 6 in the northern Finnish city of Rovaniemi.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said the two will exchange views "on the situation in Venezuela and around it in connection with the attempted coup d'etat in this country, on the prospects for a political and diplomatic settlement of differences within the framework of the Venezuelan Constitution, as well as options for international mediation efforts to facilitate the dialogue between the Government and the opposition."


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