China has expressed "grave concerns" over US President Donald Trump's signing of a memo that authorizes a potential inquiry into Beijing's alleged theft of intellectual property. China said it won't "sit by," and threatened to act to defend its interests.

"We hope that the US trade representative respects facts and acts with prudence," the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on its website.

It added that if Washington fails to respect multilateral trade rules and chooses to take measures that damage bilateral economic and trade relations, "China will definitely not sit by, but take all appropriate measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Trump administration officials have estimated that alleged theft of intellectual property by China, America's largest trading partner, could amount to $600 billion, Reuters reported.

A massive rally in support of the Venezuelan president has taken place in Caracas, condemning Donald Trump's proposal of a "military option" to resolve the country's issues. Nicolas Maduro announced a nationwide military drill next week to fend off a possible "imperialist" invasion.

"I have given the order to the armed forces' joint chiefs of staff to start preparations for a national civil-military exercise for the integrated armed defense of the Venezuelan nation," Maduro told supporters who had gathered in the nation's capital. The drills are scheduled for August 26-27.

"Everyone has to join the defense plan, millions of men and women, let's see how the American imperialists like it," Maduro added, as thousands of supporters denounced Trump's threats of possible military intervention.

On Friday, Trump branded Maduro a "dictator" blaming him for months of unrest in the country. To put an end to the crisis Trump said that a "military operation, a military option, is certainly something we could pursue."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to wait a little longer before striking the US territory of Guam and watch "the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees," urging Washington to refrain from further escalation of the Korean crisis.

Kim Jong-un advised Washington "to take into full account gains and losses with clear head" as further confrontation is "unfavorable for any party."

"In order to defuse the tensions and prevent the dangerous military conflict on the Korean Peninsula, it is necessary for the US to make a proper option first and show it through action, as it committed provocations after introducing huge nuclear strategic equipment into the vicinity of the peninsula," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, as cited by KCNA Watch on Tuesday.

The elite media spends almost all of its time talking about Russian Conspiracy theories involving Donald Trump. A recent Harvard media study reports that up to 93% of elite media news coverage on Trump is negative, with almost all air time of the phony Russia conspiracy and almost no time devoted to real news such as policy initiatives. By contrast Obama's negative coverage was 41%.

News has become "Infotainment" where real news is less important than, generating phony controversies, appealing to a specific audience (say leftists) like blaming Sarah Palin for mass shootings she clearly had nothing to do with, and manufacturing news events such as...well just look below for a sample:

I have recently interviewed a former member of the OSCE SMMU (Ukraine) mission in Donbass and Ukraine. He served as an OSCE Monitor in the field in Odessa, LNR and various other locations on both sides of the contact line from March 2014, until his retirement from OSCE in 2017. He was a member of the US military for 30 years serving in Special Forces for 16 years, and also previously served in Ukraine, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Bosnia /Serbia areas on programs for Border Security and Cooperative Threat Reduction US State Department's Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation from 1999 to 2014. Though he currently wishes to remain anonymous, I have personally confirmed his identity and CV. He is for real. In this interview, I will refer to him as "KOT".

Russell Bentley (RB) - Please tell us about when you came to Ukraine / Donbass, your mission here, and how long you worked with the OSCE here.

KOT - I must preface my remarks by noting that what I say is based on my personal observations and analyses, and does not speak for anyone else. I agreed to this interview in view of the vast amount of inaccuracy and distortion of what has actually happened and is going on in Ukraine. The responsibility of what has happened there, and also its solution ultimately lies squarely with the UA government, and no one else.

I have spent a total of over six years in Ukraine, the last time having been since March 2014, as one of the initial assignees to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, Ukraine. I was initially assigned to the Odessa Team. I was present and a full witness (observer) to the 2 May 2014 Odessa massacre: both on Cathedral Sq. and later at the Trade Union Bldg.

After "Minsk-2" I was transferred to Lugansk, where I spent the next two years on the rebel side of the "contact line", until my recent retirement this year.

The so-called Deep State wants President Donald Trump removed from office over fears of what a NATO rollback in Europe would do to the profit margins of the defense industry, journalist, film-maker and author, John Pilger, told RT's Going Underground.

When asked by Going Underground host Afshin Rattansi if there was a "Deep State coup" against Donald Trump over his willingness to forge a partnership with Moscow, Pilger agreed with that proposition.

"There is a rolling coup attempt against the President of the United States at the moment, there's no question about that," Pilger responded. "They want him out. All the major pillars of power in the United States, plus the Democratic Party, plus most of the media, want Trump out."

White House chief of staff John Kelly spent this week in Bedminster, N.J., pondering changes in the West Wing, according to four White House officials.

Kelly summoned aides to President Donald Trump's golf club there to ask about their portfolios and make suggestions on how to make the West Wing communicate better and get more done, while giving people clear responsibilities and then holding them accountable. The role of chief strategist Steve Bannon has come under particular scrutiny in several conversations, particularly because he has a large staff, including an outside public relations expert, but no specific duties.

In a number of daily meetings, Kelly generated a list of concerns, including aides without clear portfolios, decisions that aren't made with proper vetting and internal fights - particularly a sustained campaign against national security adviser H.R. McMaster. He has met with top aides, including the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, about making changes, the four officials say. In some of the encounters, he has suggested that people should be more concerned with the president's agenda and less concerned with their own.

Here is what Donald Trump should call for this morning. This is the right time to up his ante in the struggle against the Lügenpresse. All his efforts to fix the sinking ship of the US society are in vain with a breach below the waterline. If the Fake News applauds every jerk in a mantle who stops a presidential decree, the jerks will multiply and president's decrees will be worth what? A collector's rarity. A quirky exhibit from the days of Donald Trump's short-lived presidency. The fake news media ridiculed the POTUS so completely, that this big man with big orange hair shrunk down to Lilliput's finger.

Trump can't get out of his disposition by foreign policy acts. Forget about North Korea. It is a big hedgehog: a lot of bother to catch and kill, many prickles and no meat. The only thing Kim wants to tell Trump is "I am not a soft target, go look elsewhere". Is North Korea dangerous? Only for those who want to step on it.

President Trump is in front of the rhetorical brinkmanship with North Korea, but it's Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson who has the tough behind-the-scenes role of managing fallout from the administration's first genuine international crisis, sparked by reports that Pyongyang may now have a nuclear bomb small enough to fit on a missile that could hit the U.S. mainland.

The standoff is a defining moment for America's top diplomat six months into his tenure at Foggy Bottom. Meanwhile, many key leadership posts - including ambassador to South Korea - remain unfilled, fears of budget cuts and reorganizations are high, and questions swirl over how much clout the former Exxon Mobil chief has with the president.

But Mr. Tillerson, who has been criticized from the left and scrutinized from right over speculation that he is not on message with Mr. Trump, has built a reputation for cool nonchalance under pressure that supporters say is exactly what is needed to provide a foundation of calm behind a president bent on confronting North Korea.

However, nobody said it was going to be easy.

The United States is ready to use the "full range" of its capabilities if provoked by North Korea, the country's top military officer said, noting that Washington is still hoping for a "peaceful resolution" to the crisis.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made clear on Monday that Washington is ready"to use the full range of military capabilities to defend our allies and the US homeland," according to US military spokesman Capt. Darryn James, as cited by AP.

Dunford previously stressed to reporters, however, that the US is"seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis," local media reported.