Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

US trying to 'cleanse' media space of 'inconvenient truth' - Moscow


RT
Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:50 UTC
Anatoly Antonov.
© Sputnik / Sergey GuneyevFILE PHOTO: Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov.
The US is trying to hide the "inconvenient truth" by targeting Russian media with sanctions, Moscow's ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said on Thursday. The measures are further proof of the current US administration's "Russophobia," the diplomat claimed.

US officials announced a renewed effort on Thursday to target Russian media, including RT, with yet more sanctions for what they claim are "malign" government-sponsored attempts to manipulate American public opinion ahead of the presidential election in November.

The new measures include charges against two Russians identified as RT employees for allegedly conspiring to commit money laundering, as well as the blacklisting of ten people and two entities with the subsequent freezing of their property and assets in the US. A new visa restriction policy has also been imposed targeting people whom Washington alleges have acted on behalf of the Russian government.

"The [US] administration has made another attack against Russia. Its Russophobic policy has been confirmed, and is unlikely to change in the future," Antonov said at a press-briefing.

"In essence, [US] officials are giving additional impetus to the aggressive phase of the witch hunt against dissent," he added.
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Putin

Putin backs Kamala Harris


RT
Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:40 UTC
Vladimir Putin
© Vyacheslav Prokofiev; RIA NovostiRussian President Vladimir Putin
Moscow will support US Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election in November, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday while speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

Putin told the audience that he admired the Democratic Party candidate's "infectious laugh" and that he respected current President Joe Biden's choice to endorse her as his successor.

During a plenary session of the forum, Putin was asked whether he had a favorite candidate in the election now that Joe Biden, who he previously supported, has dropped out. He was also asked whether or not he would call to congratulate the eventual winner in November.

Putin replied by saying it had been a long time since he had any direct contact with Western European or US leaders, and noted that it was not up to Russia to choose a "favorite" in the US presidential election, which is a task for American voters.

Nevertheless, he recalled that he had previously expressed support for US President Joe Biden, who had since been "removed" from the race. However, the Russian president noted that Biden had told his supporters to support Kamala Harris in the race, and so Moscow would do the same and root for the vice president in November, Putin said.


Comment: The man has a witty sense of humor!

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Chess

Israel using Gaza negotiations as 'smokescreen' - Russia


RT
Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:29 UTC
Gaza
© Dawoud Abo Alkas / Anadolu / Getty ImagesBuildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, September 4, 2024.
Israel has been using peace negotiations to mislead the international community and hide its true intentions in Gaza, Russia's deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, has said.

Speaking at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Polyansky accused West Jerusalem of "stubbornly seeking a military solution to the problem, while attempting to ignore the decisions of the UNSC."

"The Security Council is united in the understanding that the rescue of the remaining Israelis and foreigners by military methods is impossible and that there is no alternative to negotiations. Israeli society understands and recognizes this as well," he said.

"However, the Israeli leadership, unfortunately, continues to treat the negotiations only as a 'smokescreen' designed to distract the international community."

Israel requested the UNSC meeting after the bodies of six hostages abducted by Hamas were discovered in a tunnel in southern Gaza. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Palestinian militants executed the hostages several days before Israeli troops entered the tunnel. A Russian national, Aleksandr Lobanov, was among those killed.

Comment: Indeed, the real aims of Israel are clear if one is able to see through the smokescreen.

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Black Magic

A front-row seat to the implosion of Israel's government

Anis Raiss
The Cradle
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 00:00 UTC
Israel's government
© Photo Credit: The Cradle
Imagine a once-dominant sports team now in disarray: players rebelling against their coach, the coaching staff at odds, and fans, representing the Israeli public, protesting en masse in the streets. This is the current state of affairs in Israel.

Just two days ago, Israel witnessed yet another massive protest ignited by the deaths of six captives held in Gaza. The discovery of their bodies triggered widespread anger and led to hundreds of thousands of Jewish Israelis taking to the streets of Tel Aviv and other major cities. Amid clashes with police, they demanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conclude a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, while calls were made for a general strike by the national labor union.

The occupation forces, the cornerstone of Israel's expansionist ambitions, are faltering under internal disputes. Public spats between Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reveal a government in chaos, with clashing agendas and eroding strategy.
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X

'How I got fired from the CIA': Career Ops Officer tells all

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:50 UTC
Giraldi
© Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0Former CIA operations officer Philip Giraldi
Americans are by now familiar with a handful of whistleblowers who after spending years employed by the US intelligence community (IC) eventually saw enough to make them angry and throw away the safety of their future government careers by exposing state secrets to the public. Names like Snowden, Manning, Kiriakou or John Stockwell, William Binning and Thomas Drake (both of NSA whistleblower fame) are well-known, especially in independent and alternative media circles.

But lesser known are the names of those abruptly fired and dismissed from their posts as analysts or as officers for merely questioning and pushing back in real time what they understood to be disastrous and criminal foreign action and policy to their higher-ups. We suspect that this list of names, still largely unknown to the public or media, is much bigger than anyone knows. Such ex-employees of the CIA, NSA, DIA or other alphabet soup agencies typically have their security clearances revoked and are threatened with criminal prosecution should they ever reveal state secrets and classified information. The possibility of future employment even in the civilian world then comes under threat. This means most of them remain unknown.
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Attention

Fyodor Lukyanov: EU elites have devised a plan to neutralise the 'populists'

Fyodor Lukyanov
RT
Tue, 03 Sep 2024 20:03 UTC
AFDpeeps
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance/Getty ImagesAlice Weidel, AfD federal chairmen Tino Chrupalla, AfD state chairmen Stefan Moeller, and Joerg Urban
Press conference at the AfD federal office
How the successes of the far right and far left will affect politics in the EU's most powerful state.

The elephant in the room has gotten bigger. There's yet more anxiety in Germany after the non-systemic parties (often dismissed as 'populists') scored significant electoral successes in two eastern states over the weekend. 'Alternative for Germany' (AFD) won the contest in Thuringia and finished just behind the establishment CDU in Saxony.

The newly formed 'Sarah Wagenknecht Bloc' crushed her former Die Linke (the Left) colleagues and placed third in both states. The complete collapse of the ruling federal coalition (the so-called 'traffic lights' - denoting the colors of the Social Democrats, Liberals, and Greens) came as little surprise. More elections are due later this month in Brandenburg, where this weekend's big winners also have high hopes.

It is only relatively recently that the eastern states have become the subject of increased interest by the German (mostly western) establishment. Almost 35 years have passed since the dissolution of the GDR and the absorption of its territory by the Federal Republic. The difficulties of integration were actively discussed in the 1990s and then faded into the background. Even in the first phase, the main issues were the scale of investment required in the new states and the efficiency with which the money was spent. The socio-political situation in the territories themselves had little impact on the general state of overall German politics.
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Target

Eric Weinstein: 'I don't know whether Trump will be allowed to become president'

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Mon, 02 Sep 2024 08:15 UTC
Donny
© Getty ImagesFormer US President and current candidate Donald Trump
Eric Weinstein told Chris Williamson on the "Modern Wisdom" podcast that Donald Trump's presidency has disrupted the old "rules-based international order," which many view as an attempt to control global stability and wondered if the Republican nominee will "be allowed" to reenter the White House if elected in 2024. Weinstein argued that Trump's unorthodox approach challenged the status quo, exposing flaws in the system and revealing that the impact of populist leaders on democracy and international agreements is more complex and significant than previously understood.


CHRIS WILLIAMSON: When we spoke at the start of the year, I said it was way too close to November to switch anybody out. Turns out that I was wrong.

ERIC WEINSTEIN: Beginner's luck.
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Arrow Down

Blinken rejects US House subpoena on Afghanistan


RT
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 08:54 UTC
Blink
© Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.
The Secretary of State will not be able to testify to lawmakers on the day he was called, his office has claimed.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will not appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to testify on the chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, his office said on Tuesday. Lawmakers subpoenaed him to do so earlier in the day.

Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has been trying to get Blinken's testimony on the debacle since May. The top US diplomat "must appear before the committee on September 19, 2024, or face contempt," the committee said in a statement.

In a letter to Blinken, McCaul said that the investigation identified him as "the final decisionmaker" for his department during the evacuation of troops and civilians from Afghanistan in August 2021, and that the secretary's testimony could benefit lawmakers as they consider "potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal."

Comment: State Department warns: "Don't smudge the façade. It's all we have."

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Bad Guys

IMF will force Ukraine to devalue currency - Bloomberg


RT
Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:22 UTC
russia missile attack kiev
© REUTERSFILE: An explosion after a Russian missile strike is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile attack, amid Russia’s attack in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sept. 2, 2024.
The International Monetary Fund is expected to ratchet up pressure on the Ukrainian government to cover the country's budget gap in order to continue receiving aid, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

An IMF team is set to visit Kiev later this week to review whether the government is hitting targets that include cutting interest rates, strengthening tax-raising efforts, and devaluing the currency. Pursuing these steps is required for Ukraine to receive the next $1.1 billion tranche from a $15.6 billion loan program.

Ukraine's state finances have been backed by around $122 billion in international aid from the US, EU, and IMF. However, Kiev still faces a $15 billion budget gap in 2025 that has not yet been covered by financial commitments from creditors, Prime Minister Denis Shmigal said last month.

Comment: If only this was Ukraine's greatest concern, because the West has already: used Ukraine to launder billions; allowed looting of the public finances on an unfathomable scale; permitted the Kiev-junta to sell off its most valuable assets and resources; and used the country to host sinister bioweapon laboratories, as well organ and child trafficking networks.

As noted in the article, whilst the West's pathocrats may feel at liberty to wrench every last drop of wealth from Ukraine, given the seeming increase in videos showing how the public are pushing back against the junta's meatgrinder recruiters, it's possible that the average Ukrainian may soon feel that calling for an end to the war would be preferable.

Contrary to the propaganda media messaging, Russia's SMO may just be one of the best things to happen to parts of Ukraine for decades:

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Pirates

Macron finally nominates France's new PM, controversial Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier; Left party calls for protests

Sophia Khatsenkova
Euronews
Thu, 05 Sep 2024 16:42 UTC
Michel Barnier brexit negotiation EU
© Michael Sohn/Associated PressMichel Barnier. Barnier will now have to survive a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, France's lower house of the parliament.
Two months after the second round of the snap parliamentary elections, President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier as France's new prime minister.

The nomination comes after weeks of increasing pressure from all political groups to nominate a candidate.

Barnier will now have to survive a confidence vote in the National Assembly, France's lower house of the parliament.

The current National Assembly is divided into three blocs: the left-wing coalition NFP (that won the most seats but fell short of an absolute majority), Macron's centrist group and the far-right National Rally.

Comment: One gets the impression that Macron is desperately clinging to power and, intentionally or not, it seems likely that his attempts to do so, if he persists, will provoke the French public into responding. And, if the recent unrest across Europe is anything to go by, the situation could get quite interesting:

Full text:
Macron finally nominated a Prime Minister, 1 hour ago.

None other than Michel Barnier, whom most people will remember as the key Brexit negotiator on the Europe side.

It's sure to be a nomination that will displease the immense majority of French voters and will be seen as immensely disrespectful to voters given that Barnier is a center-right politician, in many ways cut from the same cloth as Macron. And if there was one key message that French voters sent in the two consecutive elections France went through (EU elections and legislative elections) it is that they want anything BUT more of the same...


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