Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

Hollywood promotes yet another lie: The fraud of the White Helmets

white helmets
I actually forced myself to watch the documentary The White Helmets, which is available on Netflix. It is 40 minutes long, is of high quality cinematographically speaking, and tells a very convincing tale that was promoted as "the story of real-life heroes and impossible hope." It is overall a very impressive piece of propaganda, so much so that it has won numerous awards including the Oscar for Best Documentary Short this year and the White Helmets themselves were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. More to the point, however, is the undeniable fact that the documentary has helped shape the public understanding of what is going on in Syria, delivering a Manichean tale that depicts the "rebels" as always good and Bashar al-Assad and his government as un-redeemably evil.

It has been reliably reported that celebrities like George Clooney, Justin Timberlake and Hillary Clinton really like the White Helmets documentary and have promoted it with the understanding that it represents the truth about Syria, but it is, of course, not the whole story. The film, which was made by the White Helmets themselves without any external verification of what it depicts, portrays the group as "heroic," an "impartial, life-saving rescue organization" of first responders. Excluded from the scenes of heroism under fire is the White Helmets' relationship with the al-Qaeda affiliated group Jabhat al-Nusra and its participation in the torture and execution of "rebel" opponents. Indeed, the White Helmets only operate in rebel held territory, which enables them to shape the narrative both regarding who they are and what is occurring on the ground. Because of increasing awareness of the back story, there is now a growing movement to petition the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to revoke the Oscar based on the complete and deliberate misrepresentation of what the White Helmets are all about.

Comment: Hollywood is a propaganda machine that promotes war on behalf of the Deep State


Laptop

Hacked DNC computer server remains out of reach of Russia's investigators

Alperovitch
© YouTubeHacks R Us?
It is perhaps the key piece of forensic evidence in Russia's suspected efforts to sway the November presidential election, but federal investigators have yet to get their hands on the hacked computer server that handled email from the Democratic National Committee.

Indeed, the only cybersecurity specialists who have taken a look at the server are from CrowdStrike, the Irvine, California-based private cybersecurity company that the DNC hired to investigate the hack — but which has come under fire itself for its work.

Some critics say CrowdStrike's evidence for blaming Russia for the hack is thin. Members of Congress say they still believe Russia was responsible but wonder why the DNC has never allowed federal investigators to get a look at the key piece of evidence: the server. Either way, a key "witness" in the political scandal consuming the Trump administration remains beyond the reach of investigators.
"I want to find out from the company [that] did the forensics what their full findings were," Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is leading the Judiciary Committee's inquiry, told The Washington Times.
Scrutinizing the DNC server hack and CrowdStrike's analysis has not factored heavily in multiple probes exploring the Russia issue. But behind the scenes, discussions are growing louder, congressional sources say.

Comment: "If you are critical of the attack, you make zero money. CrowdStrike is the poster child for companies that operate like this." Apparently, validation of bias and expectation has become a lucrative 'self server' business.


Attention

After Qatar's rebuff, chagrined Saudi King and Crown Prince forego G20 summit

Salman
© Ya LibnanCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Following rejection of their ultimatum, and with no cards to play, a humiliated King Salman of Saudi Arabia and his maverick son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stay away from the G20 summit.

As my colleague Adam Garrie has written, Qatar has rebuffed the insanely worded ultimatum served on it 2 weeks ago by the Saudi led coalition. A meeting that coalition held thereafter in Cairo however failed to come up with any new measures. Instead it announced - weakly - that the current ineffective blockade of Qatar would be continued indefinitely.

It is difficult to imagine a less satisfactory outcome to this artificial crisis from the perspective of the individual who is beyond question its primary instigator: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Comment: Lessons...even for Crown Princes. Never issue an ultimatum without already knowing the outcome and one's ability to enforce the demand.


Stop

China 'resolutely opposes' US supersonic bombers flying over disputed S. China Sea

US Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft
© US Air Force / Reuters
Beijing spoke out after two US long-range supersonic bombers flew over the disputed South China Sea, saying it opposes the use of freedom of overflight as an excuse to harm its security. The leaders of the US and China are set to meet Friday.
"China resolutely opposes individual countries using the banner of freedom of navigation and overflight to flaunt military force and harm China's sovereignty and security," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday.
The statement came after the US Air Force confirmed earlier on Friday that two B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam had flown over the disputed waterway.

Fire

CNN left burning, network president Zucker runs to NYT for damage control

CNNsmoke
© Sadhill News/Twitter
While CNN withers amid the biggest journalistic scandal in the network's history, network president Jeff Zucker has turned to the New York Times for help.

"I don't sleep that much anyway," Zucker told the Times' Michael Grynbaum in a rare interview in his office on the fifth floor of CNN's Midtown Manhattan, New York City newsroom. Grynbaum noted he is not "getting a lot of sleep lately," either —something that comes as the network faces what amounts to perhaps the biggest scandal in journalism history—but definitely the biggest in CNN history.

Three senior editorial staffers at CNN—a Pulitzer Prize winning editor, a Pulitzer Prize nominated reporter, and the head of the network's investigative reporting unit—resigned over a week ago as a result of an embarrassing retraction of a very fake news hit piece on President Donald Trump and his associates.

CNN was forced to retract the faulty hit piece after a Breitbart News investigation discovered the entire piece was untrue. It falsely alleged that associates of President Trump—particularly SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci and Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman—were under Treasury Department and Senate Intelligence Committee investigation for supposed ties to a Russian fund.

It turns out that not only did the "meetings" that CNN alleged to have occurred never actually happen, but the Senate Intelligence Committee is not investigating it—and the Treasury Department already looked into the matter but found it to be entirely "without merit," per a senior administration official's comment to Breitbart News.

Comment: It doesn't look like the smoke is clearing any time soon for CNN. We shall see what the other fake news sites take away from this example. Chain reaction...? The people may have to get off their recliners and demand it.


Attention

Latest poll shows Corbyn's Labor Party surging eight points ahead of Conservatives

Jeremy Corbyn
© Peter Nicholls / Reuters
A new opinion poll puts Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party eight points ahead of the governing Conservatives, less than a month after an unexpectedly impressive performance during the snap general election.

The first YouGov survey since June 8 put the Tories on 38 percent against a Labour Party polling at 46 percent. A similar poll at the end of last month placed Labour at 45 percent and the Tories at 39 percent.

"The latest @YouGov poll shows what can be achieved by working together and having bold, clear policies for the many not the privileged few," Labour MP Richard Burgon tweeted.

Comment: Corbyn speaks at Glastonbury festival with message of unity: 'Another world is possible'


Map

Lavrov: Moscow welcomes US readiness to cooperate on Syria, but awaits 'no-fly zones' clarification

Rex Tillerson (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
© Yuri Gripas / Reuters
Moscow has noted Washington's apparent move in the right direction on Syria, but has requested the US to provide details on the proposed creation of no-fly zones as voiced by US Secretary of State in the lead up to the Russian-US leaders meeting in Hamburg.

Ahead of the July 7 meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, chief US diplomat, Rex Tillerson insisted that Russia has a "special responsibility" to aid the peace process in Syria, while Washington expressed a readiness for closer cooperation with Moscow.
"The United States is prepared to explore the possibility of establishing with Russia joint mechanisms for ensuring stability, including no-fly zones, on the ground ceasefire observers, and coordinated delivery of humanitarian assistance," Rex Tillerson said in a statement released by the State Department Wednesday.

Comment: Meanwhile: News reports say Israel wants US, not Russia, to control deescalation zones in Syria


Megaphone

Venezuela opposition protesters get drugs, money, and more for violent acts, says recruit

Venezuela protester
© ReutersA demonstrator fires a homemade explosive during a protest against the Venezuelan government in Caracas.
"Most of them (protesters) would consume this (drugs) and it would make them lose control and do crazy things," the recruit told teleSUR.

A man who was recruited by Venezuela's right-wing opposition told teleSUR in a recent interview that anti-government lawmakers provided illicit drugs and money for them to continue violent protests that began almost three months ago, which have since claimed at least 95 lives.

His voice and his name were undisclosed to protect his integrity.

"Well, the majority of those who went to fight consumed drugs, all of them used drugs, they destroyed anything in their path, lots of ugly things. Like when at one point they cut some guy's throat because he was a Chavista I think," the man said.

He claimed opposition lawmakers, including National Assembly member Miguel Pizarro, would recruit young men and provide them with supplies needed to participate in the marches against the government. Among those items were money, food, clothes, gasoline, shields and illicit drugs.

"Crispy, cocaine, marijuana and something called popper," the man said. "And most of them (protesters) would consume this and it would make them lose control and do crazy things."

Comment:


Snakes in Suits

Saw that coming: Cyprus talks collapse as Turkey refuses to withdraw military from the island

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders
No solution to the Cyprus problem.

After a marathon Thursday night negotiation between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, with the UN facilitating the process, talks to reunify the divided island collapsed amid anger and recriminations in the early hours of Friday.

This marks an end to what many Cypriots saw as the most promising opportunity in generations to heal decades of conflict between the divided communities.

Info

Russia offers Saudis investment opportunity in Arctic LNG project

Arctic LNG-2 project
© Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik
Russia has extended an invitation to Saudi Arabia's oil giant Saudi Aramco to participate in the Arctic LNG-2 project, Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Cooperation between the two countries that are leading respectively the OPEC and non-OPEC nations into the collective crude oil production cut deal, have "top-flight" energy cooperation, which could further deepen if the Saudis were to take up the offer for a role in Arctic LNG-2, according to Novak.

"Saudi Aramco was offered different options of participation in Arctic LNG-2," the Russian minister told Reuters, but did not specify what the planned role for Saudi Arabia was.