Puppet MastersS


Bulb

Trump tells Israel it made 'big mistake'

Trump
© AFP / Elijah NouvelageDonald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, March 9, 2024
Former US President Donald Trump has warned that Israel is "losing a lot of support" and must "finish up" its war in Gaza before its reputation declines any further. The comments represented a rare moment of criticism of the Jewish state by Trump.

In an interview with Israel Hayom partially published on Monday, Trump said that he would have acted "very much the same way as you did" if the US was attacked like Israel was by Hamas in October. "Only a fool would not do that," Trump added.

However, Trump called Israel's wholesale destruction of civilian homes in Gaza "a very big mistake."

"It's a very bad picture for the world. The world is seeing this...every night, I would watch buildings pour down on people," Trump continued.

Caesar

President Putin calls for 'humanism and mercy' after Moscow terror attack

Putin
Creativity, humanism and mercy are of special importance in the aftermath of the Crocus City Hall massacre, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. His comments came as lawmakers in Moscow debated reinstating the death penalty for terrorists.

Speaking at a Kremlin ceremony honoring young artists and educators, the Russian president addressed last Friday's terrorist attack at the Moscow concert venue, in which over 130 people died and scores more were seriously injured.
"It is extremely important for us now, when we're dealing with what happened last Friday, to rely on these values of creativity, humanism and mercy," Putin said. "They unite us in supporting all victims, in our determination to stay strong and together."
Artists and educators have a special role in preserving and promoting those values, by influencing the mood of the public and shaping the future of the nation, the Russian president added.

Comment: President Putin again shows that he is magnitudes of order above other leaders and that he has a strong spiritual connection. Despite the horrific crimes which were committed, executing the patsies does little to root out the evil by whose order the massacre was committed. The move is unexpected and will undoubtedly unsettle the West as such a move not only is in stark contrast to the picture of Putin as a dictator, which they have propagated far and wide. It also shows the real values which Russia is fighting for and which is polar opposites to the values of the Western leadership no matter how hard the West repeats their tired slogans of "freedom and democracy."

One leader from the past who showed mercy and humanity even to those who tried to kill him was Julius Caesar, from whom perhaps the origins of Christianity started. Laura Knight-Jadczyk wrote a book which pierces through the veil of early Christianity and towards the end shows some of the many elements which alludes to Caesar being one of the actors which inspired early Christianity. Read her book "From Paul to Mark".

See also:


Attention

Moscow slams 'mother of all fakes'

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
© Sergey Guneev; RIA Novosti
A recent Bloomberg article claiming that some people in Russian President Vladimir Putin's own inner circle do not believe Ukraine was involved in the terrorist attack at the Crocus City concert hall is the "mother of all fakes," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

On the evening of March 22, a group of armed gunmen attacked the Crocus City Hall venue outside Moscow. Over 130 people died and another 200 were injured.

The news agency wrote on Tuesday that "there's no evidence of involvement by Ukraine, according to four people with close ties to the Kremlin."

AK47

'Radical Islamists' carried out Moscow terror attack - Putin

Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting incident and massive fire
© Sputnik / Kirill KallinikovA view shows the Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting incident and massive fire, outside Moscow, Russia.
The Russian president still suspects that Ukraine was complicit in the tragedy.

Russia knows who carried out the Crocus City Hall attack but is now investigating who gave the order, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, pointing to Ukraine as being a possible culprit.

"This attack was carried out by radical Islamists," Putin said in the opening remarks of a video call with law enforcement officials.

The US and its allies are now trying to cover for their proxies in Kiev, insisting that Ukraine had nothing to do with the terrorist attack and that the party responsible was Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), the Russian president noted.
"But we know who carried out the attack. We want to know who ordered it."

Comment:
Moscow terror attack could be linked to Ukraine - Putin

The deadly terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall was a clear attempt to intimidate Russia and serves the interests of the Ukrainian government, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

More than 130 people were killed at the concert venue northwest of Moscow on Friday evening, when several armed men began shooting into the crowd and set the hall on fire. Speaking with law enforcement and regional officials on Monday evening, Putin argued the atrocity fit the pattern of actions by Kiev.
"This atrocity may be only a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been fighting our country since 2014, using the neo-Nazi Kievregime as their hand," Putin said. "And the Nazis, as is well known, never hesitated to use the most dirty and inhumane means to achieve their goals."
A terrorist group calling itself Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility for the concert venue massacre. The US and the EU swiftly insisted that Ukraine had nothing to do with the attack and that ISIS-K, a shadowy group allegedly operating in Afghanistan and Central Asia, was the sole culprit.

Russian security services have apprehended a dozen suspects, including seven alleged perpetrators, intercepted as they drove towards the border with Ukraine. They were identified as Tajik nationals. Speaking on Monday evening, Putin described them as "radical Islamists."

A question that needs answering is why the terrorists headed for Ukraine after carrying out the attack, Putin said.
"Who was waiting for them there? It is clear that those who support the Kiev regime do not want to be accomplices and sponsors of terrorism. But a lot of questions remain," he added.
While Russia knows who pulled the trigger, the president said, Moscow still needs to find who gave the order. He made it clear that Kiev is his primary suspect, however.

With Ukraine's military losing on the frontline, Kiev has attempted to breach the Russian border, shelled civilians in Belgorod and launched missiles at Crimea, Putin noted at the meeting. All of these actions "create a logical sequence to a terrorist attack," seeking both to intimidate Russia and fortify domestic morale, so that Ukrainians would continue "obeying orders" from Washington and keep fighting, he added.




Bad Guys

White House 'perplexed' after Netanyahu cancels delegation to DC

John Kirby
© Evan Vucci / AP
The White House on Monday said it was puzzled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to cancel a delegation meeting in Washington after the U.S. abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

"We're kind of perplexed by this," national security communications adviser John Kirby said when asked for President Biden's reaction to the decision.

When later asked for Biden's personal reaction, Kirby said he hasn't talked directly to the president. He added that Biden and Netanyahu hadn't spoken Monday.

Mr. Potato

Clueless Kamala Harris humiliated in Puerto Rico

kamala harris puerto rico
© Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty ImagesKamala misses the point in Puerto Rico
Started clapping along with a song that was a protest against her.

A video shows Vice President Kamala Harris clapping along with a song during her visit to Puerto Rico, before being told that the song is actually a protest against her.

Well, this is awkward.

Bad Guys

Moscow attack reminds us of the links between Islamists and Kiev's fundamentalist nationalists

The Wall Street Journal, Sudan, Kyiv troops Sudan
On March 22, 2024, a commando of four fighters attacked the audience of a rock concert at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk (a north-eastern suburb of Moscow), killing 133 people and wounding 140 others. It then set fire to the building.

The Russians stopped the terrorist commando as they tried to cross the Ukrainian border, while on the other side they were expected. They were identified as Tajiks. They confessed to having been recruited via the Internet to kill for money. They said they had had no contact with their employer. However, a business card in the name of Dmytro Yarosh was found on them. As Yarosh was founder of the Pravy Sektor militia, number 2 on the Ukrainian Security Council, and then advisor to the head of the armed forces, the Russian authorities immediately accused Ukraine. Yarosh denied his country's involvement [1]. Seven accomplices were also arrested.

The Russian anti-terrorist police tortured these terrorists and filmed their actions. Public television showed them and commented on them. Russian culture is both European and Asian. The Russian people feel no empathy for criminals.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack, cutting short accusations of a Russian false-flag operation. These terrorists were not fanatics, but professionals. They didn't immolate themselves in public, but fled, like those who attacked Paris and Saint-Denis, killing 130 people in 2015. So they didn't act out of hatred of Russia, but as part of a military operation whose strategic implications had been thought out in advance.

According to US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson, Islamic State terrorists are solely responsible for this attack. Numerous commentators have denounced any amalgam between the Islamic organization and supporters of the Kiev government. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of reflexively attacking Ukraine. Yet Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained his accusations exclusively against Kiev, ignoring Daesh.

Since 2014 and the overthrow of the elected Ukrainian president, we have regularly highlighted the links between integral nationalists and Islamists, and particularly the role of Dmytro Yarosh. The facts speak for themselves. We don't know whether or not the Ukrainians organized this attack, but it's clear that they knew the attackers very well: Ukrainian integral nationalists and jihadists have been fighting together for three quarters of a century.

Arrow Down

Trump NYC bond reduced to $175 million at 11th hour

trump lititia james fraud case
© ABC News/Screenshot/Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty ImagesNew York Attorney General Letitia James said she is "prepared" to ask the judge to seize former President Trump's assets if he cannot pay the $354 million judgment handed down in his civil fraud case.
Update (1233ET): Following the appeals court decision reducing his bond, Trump posted on Truth Social that he will satisfy it.

"We will abide by the decision of the Appellate Division, and post either a bond, equivalent securities, or cash."


* * *

A New York court of appeals has significantly reduced the bond required to stop his properties from being seized by authorities from $454 million to $175 million, in order to appeal his New York civil fraud trial.

X

Zelensky fires security chief

Aleksey Danilov
© Aleksandr Gusev / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty ImagesFILE PHOTO: Aleksey Danilov.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky dismissed the head of the National Security and Defense Council (SNBO), Aleksey Danilov, on Tuesday. The security chief has been known to resort to combative and abrasive rhetoric.

The relevant decree has been published on the Ukrainian president's official website but provides no reason for the decision.

Aleksandr Litvinenko has since been named as the new SNBO chief. He has been at the helm of the Ukrainian foreign intelligence service since July 2021 and prior to that served as the deputy SNBO head.

Danilov has been known for harsh statements during his tenure. In late 2023, he insisted that all Ukrainians must "grow up" and fight, when commenting on Kiev's recruitment troubles.

At the time, he also said that Ukraine's planned mobilization drive would not last one day or one month, but that the whole process could take at least a year.

Comment: His lack of tact certainly makes asking for money for the Ukraine war effort more difficult. But is it so simple or is there more to it?


Dollars

Major billionaire Republican donors rallied to aid Trump in paying $454 million bond

Donald Trump
© AP Photo / Butch Dill2024 Presidential candidate Donald Trump
Major Republican donors rallied up to assist former president Donald Trump in covering a hefty $454 million bond required in a civil fraud case ahead of the deadline on March 25, sources told the news agency, Reuters.

What is Trump's civil fraud case about?

Trump is facing a New York civil case where he was found liable for inflating his net worth to obtain better loan and insurance terms, resulting in a massive judgment against him.

Billionaires who rallied to support Trump

Billionaire hedge fund founder John Paulson and oil magnate Harold Hamm are among the prominent figures involved in this effort. They were seeking financial aid to help Trump pay the bond amount. Reuters reported that a donor offered more than $10 million towards the bond over the weekend, but was later told it was not necessary.