Puppet MastersS


Heart - Black

Self-proclaimed 'centrists' whine that Trump is insufficiently hawkish toward North Korea

Caitlin Johnstone
Rogue Journalist
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
Schumer Pelosi
Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi
Today American centrists (who only get to call themselves that because plutocratic media control has made Orwellian neoliberal neoconservatism the dominant ideology in the US) are deeply, profoundly concerned that Donald fucking Trump is insufficiently hawkish.

This would be the same Donald Trump whose administration just facilitated the bombing of Yemen's new cholera treatment center. The same Donald Trump who has increased US troops in Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria. The same Donald Trump who is openly pursuing regime change in Iran. The same Donald Trump whose administration committed war crimes in Raqqa. The same Donald Trump who has made many dangerous cold war escalations against Russia. The same Donald Trump whose administration has voiced a goal of regime change in Damascus and the intention of remaining in Syria indefinitely. The same Donald Trump whose air strikes are killing far more civilians than the drone king Obama's did.


Comment: To be fair, what attempts Trump has made to defuse geopolitical tensions have generally been confounded by Deep State actors. Trump, like most US Presidents, is not in control.


Centrist pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle are saying that this very man is being too soft and cuddly toward North Korea. These would be the same centrist pundits and politicians who loudly cheered both of the times this administration bombed the Syrian government, effectively sending the message that the only way this narcissistic president can win praise by the manufacturers of the mainstream narrative is by rejecting peace and embracing war. Thanks guys.

Comment:

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Camera

The power of social media: Libya "before and after" photos go viral

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:17 UTC
libya before and after pictures
A Libyan man who took photos of himself posing at various spots across Beghazi in 2000 has revisited the same locations 18 years later to photograph life under the new "NATO liberated" Libya.

The "before and after" pics showing the utter devastation of post-Gaddafi Libya have gone viral, garnering 50,000 retweets after they were posted to an account that features historical images of Libya under Gaddafi's rule between 1969 and 2011.

It appears people do still care about Libya even if the political elites in Paris, London, and Washington who destroyed the country have moved on. Though we should recall that British foreign secretary Boris Johnson was caught on tape in a private meeting last year saying Libya was ripe for UK investment, but only after Libyans "clear the dead bodies away."

Comment:

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X

Pope Francis envoy barred from delivering letter to former Brazilian President Lula


TeleSUR
Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:32 UTC
Pope Francis gun control
© Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Mauro Lopes says the Pope has repeatedly "condemned state coups sponsored by conservative media" in a "direct reference to Brazil's" current government.

Juan Grabois, Pope Francis' special envoy and Justice and Peace Affairs adviser, has been barred from delivering a handwritten letter from the Pontiff to former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Grabois, who attempted to hand over the message and a rosary in a visit Monday, was blocked from doing so by officials at federal police headquarters in Curitiba in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná.

"It's a serious incident," wrote Mauro Lopes of Brasil 24/7. "Barring the Pope's messenger" will result in "ample repercussion, both nationally and internationally, against the coup," he said referring to Michel Temer, who became president of Brazil through what many describe as a parliamentary-coup.
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Chess

Erdogan faces battle in presidential election amid economic turmoil

Benjamin Harvey
Bloomberg
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 16:22 UTC
Erdogan
© AP/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Pool PhotoTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkey's election this month could go down to the wire, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan facing a tougher battle to cement power or even an upset, according to a poll commissioned by Bloomberg.

Erdogan can win the presidential vote in the first round on June 24 with 50.8 percent support and get the backing of a majority in parliament, the survey by Foresight Danismanlik of 500 people on June 7-11 found. But a surprise victory for the opposition is also within the margin of error.

The key takeaway is that any array of options is possible and the only certainty is that it will be very close. Erdogan and his AK party can't win alone, and in previous elections they got the support of religious conservatives, free-market liberals or Kurds to govern. Now success hinges on how voters identifying as nationalist cast their ballot, the poll found.

Comment: It's worth noting the high likllhood of economic warfare being wages against Turkey during their elections. Turkey remains an influential player in the geopolitics of the Middle East and beyond, and Erdogan's justified loss of trust in the West remains an obstacle to the dominance of US power.

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X

Best of the Web: Mueller's Russiagate indictments still don't add up to collusion

Aaron Mate
The Nation
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:11 UTC
ManafortMueller
© Vanity FairPaul Manafort • Robert Mueller
In just over one year, special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the Trump campaign and Russia has generated five guilty pleas, 20 indictments, and more than 100 charges. None of these have anything to do with Mueller's chief focus: the Russian government's alleged meddling in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign's suspected involvement. While it's certainly possible that Mueller will make new indictments that go to the core of his case, what's been revealed so far does not make a compelling brief for collusion.

The most high-level Trump campaign official to be indicted is Paul Manafort, as well as his former business partner and Trump campaign deputy Rick Gates. The charges, as a Virginia judge observed last month, "manifestly don't have anything to do with the campaign or with Russian collusion." Instead, Manafort and Gates are accused of financial crimes beginning in 2008, when they worked as political operatives for a Russia-leaning party in Ukraine (and for which Manafort was previously investigated, but not indicted).

There is widespread supposition that Manafort's dealings in Ukraine make him a prime candidate for collusion with Moscow. But that stems from the mistaken belief that Manafort promoted Kremlin interests during his time in Kiev. The opposite appears to be the case. The New York Times recounts that Manafort "pressed [then-Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor] Yanukovych to sign an agreement with the European Union that would link the country closer to the West - and lobbied for the Americans to support Ukraine's membership." If that picture is accurate, then Manafort's activities in Ukraine during the period for which he has been indicted were diametrically opposed to the Kremlin's agenda.

Comment: See also: UK and US intelligence colluded to smear Trump campaign as Russia lackeys

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Chess

Trump the Truther! US prez told G7 'Crimea is Russian', wonders why they're siding with 'corrupt' Ukraine


RT
Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:09 UTC
crimeans wave Russian flags
© Pavel Rebrov / ReutersCrimeans wave Russian flags at a May Day rally in Simferopol
President Donald Trump seems to have demonstrated his trademark nuanced understanding of foreign politics when he reportedly told G7 leaders that "Crimea is Russian because everyone who lives there speaks Russian."

According to Buzzfeed's usual anonymous sources, Trump made his remark after wading into a discussion on foreign affairs during a dinner at the G7 summit in Quebec, Canada last Friday.

If true, Trump's statement will likely have 'Russiagate' fans and the #resistance screeching. Russia's 2014 reunification with Crimea, whose population is almost 60 percent ethnic Russian, is widely viewed in the West as an annexation, despite the fact that Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join Russia.

During the dinner, Trump reportedly questioned why the other G7 leaders were siding with Ukraine, telling them: "Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world."

Comment: If these comments are true, it appears Trump is using the increased political capital he has gained from the N. Korea agreement to share opinions of his that differ greatly from the Deep State's status quo.

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Gear

EU unanimously approves retaliatory tariffs against US amid trade row


Sputnik
Thu, 14 Jun 2018 18:53 UTC
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and an Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister Theresa May
© AP Photo / Geert Vanden WijngaertFrench President Emmanuel Macron, second left, speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and British Prime Minister Theresa May, right, suring a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, June 22, 2017
The move comes in response to trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, a measure that has slammed by Brussels as a "step toward protectionism."

The European Union has unanimously approved a set of retaliatory tariffs against the US trade duties, including those on whiskey and motorcycles, according to AFP citing sources.

"Member states have today unanimously supported the commission's plan for the adoption of rebalancing measures on the US tariffs on steel and aluminum," the media outlet reported, citing a source from the European Commission on condition of anonymity.

Comment: See also: US slaps 25% steel tariff on EU, Canada and Mexico - Brussels vows retaliation

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Light Saber

Trump criticizes 'Fake News' mainstream media for downplaying North Korea summit

Michael W. Chapman
CNS News
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 16:41 UTC
Trump
© REUTERS / /Kevin Lamarque
Criticizing some of the liberal media's coverage of the U.S-North Korea summit on denuclearization, President Donald Trump said "Fake News" outlets NBC and CNN are trying to "downplay" the summit, a deal they would have praised a year ago, and added that America's "biggest enemy is Fake News," which is "so easily promulgated by fools!"

In a June 13 tweet, the president wrote, "So funny to watch the Fake News, especially NBC and CNN. They are fighting hard to downplay the deal with North Korea."

"500 days ago they would have 'begged' for this deal -- looked like war would break out [then]," he wrote.

"Our Country's biggest enemy is the Fake News so easily promulgated by fools!" said President Trump.
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Mr. Potato

Mueller keeps investigation evidence secret - blames continued 'Russian meddling'

David Coreacos and Andrew M. Harris
Bloomberg
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 16:31 UTC
Mueller
© Yuri Gripas / ReutersSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller warned that Russian intelligence services still have active "interference operations" into U.S. elections and that handing over certain evidence in a criminal case could imperil ongoing investigations.

Mueller on Tuesday asked a federal judge in Washington for an order to protect voluminous evidence sought by lawyers for Concord Management and Consulting LLC, one of three companies and 13 Russian nationals charged in a February indictment alleging election meddling via social media. Prosecutors have uncovered evidence of other individuals and entities who are "continuing to engage" in similar activities.

The legal battle between Mueller and Concord's attorneys highlights the tension between intelligence-gathering, which is cloaked in secrecy, and the U.S. legal system, which entitles criminal defendants to review evidence against them. Lawyers for Concord, a company linked to a longtime associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, have been negotiating to obtain documents from the special counsel to mount a legal defense.

The Russians are accused of producing propaganda, posing as U.S. activists and posting political content on social media as so-called trolls to encourage strife in the U.S. The evidence includes between 1.5 and 2 terabytes of data and involves U.S. residents not charged with crimes who the government says were unwittingly recruited by Russians to engage in political activity, prosecutors wrote.


Comment: We wonder if Mueller and his team ever imagined that any of the Russian companies or individuals would even respond. Now they're in a pickle: forced to potentially turn over the 'evidence' based on which the Russians are accused. And Mueller either can't or simply won't do that. Said 'evidence' may turn out to be quite revealing, and that could be inconvenient for Mueller's sham investigation. So they're stuck trying to create conditions under which the defendants will give up their request, i.e., by saying they will only turn over documents once Prigozhin enters the U.S. and appears personally before the court.

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Cut

Senator Johnson scolds FBI for denying, then redacting docs about Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting

Joshua Paladino
Liberty Headlines
Thu, 14 Jun 2018 16:23 UTC
Lynch Comey Clinton Strzok
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., scolded the FBI on Friday for heavily redacting documents related to the tarmac meeting between former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton.

He also identified a possible conflict of interest that FBI employees face when they review and redact potentially incriminating documents.

As chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Johnson had sent a letter to the FBI on May 11 requesting information about its process for producing documents to Congress, the names of the employees who review and redact documents, and the process by which the FBI prevents conflicts of interest.

He also asked the FBI to distinguish between Freedom of Information Act requests, which are subject to statutory restrictions, and constitutional Congressional oversight, which is not subject to the same restrictions.

Johnson said he did not receive a satisfactory response to the May 11 letter, so he met with members of the Justice Department and the FBI.

He sent a follow-up letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on June 8.

Comment: If it was truly a "chance meeting" where Clinton and Lynch simply "talked about their grandkids", why would the documents need to be so heavily redacted? Hillary Clinton was obviously lying when she gave that excuse. And now the cover-up continues.

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