Puppet Masters
Most interestingly looking back, while the US and the EU were collapsing under the weight of their own mistakes, Russia and China were clearly on the ascend; Russia mostly in military terms (see here and here) and China mostly economically. Most crucially, Russia and China gradually agreed to become symbionts which, I would argue, is even stronger and more meaningful than if these two countries were united by some kind of formal alliance: alliances can be broken (especially when a western nation is involved), but symbiotic relationships usually last forever (well, nothing lasts forever, of course, but when a lifespan is measured in decades, it is the functional equivalent of "forever", at least in geostrategic analytical terms). The Chinese have now developed an official, special, and unique expression to characterize that relationship with Russia. They speak of a "Strategic, comprehensive partnership of coordination for the new era."

People arrive at MacArthur Elementary looking for family and friends as the school is being used a re-unification center during the aftermath of a shooting at the Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall, Saturday, Aug. 3, in El Paso, Texas. Multiple people were killed and one person was in custody after a shooter went on a rampage at a shopping mall, police in the Texas border town of El Paso said.
A majority of high-profile politicians have relayed their condolences to the victims of the shooting rampage, refraining from pinning the blame on US President Donald Trump or his administration directly, like some did in the wake of the New Zealand mosque massacre in March, when they accused the US leader of inciting anti-Muslim violence with his rhetoric.
Instead, an array of Democratic presidential candidates, including frontrunner Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Rep. Kamala Harris (D-Ca) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) used the occasion to drum up support for tougher gun control, while scolding Republicans for inaction.

Devin Nunes (Center), Left: Page • Halper, Right: Comey • Brennan • Clapper
"These are all a bunch of dirty cops and, I'll tell you, some of them better go to jail, or we're going to go down in a spiral in this country because you will not have a Republican that will trust the FBI or the Department of Justice for generations to come."House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes appears on Fox News with Tucker Carlson to discuss the ongoing investigative situation with James Comey.
Representative Nunes highlights the difference between Inspector General Michael Horowitz and U.S. Attorney John Durham; noting there is a possibility the investigative review of Mr. Durham touches on a great deal more than IG Horowitz.
Here's the opening statement by Tucker Carlson toward James Comey:
Harris came out of the first debate the clear winner and Gabbard cut her down to size with one of the single best minutes of political television since Donald Trump told Hillary Clinton, "Because you'd be in jail."
Gabbard's takedown of Harris was so spot on and her closing statement about the irresponsible nature of the Trump Administration's foreign policy was so powerful she had to be actively suppressed on Twitter. And, within minutes of the debate ending the media and the political machines moved into overdrive to smear her as a Russian agent, an Assad apologist and a favorite of the alt-right.
Now, folks, let me tell you something. I write and talk about Gabbard a lot and those to the right of me are really skeptical of her being some kind of plant for Israel or the establishment. If she were truly one of those she wouldn't have been polling at 1% going into that debate. She would have been promoted as Harris' strongest competition and served up for Harris to co-opt. That is not what happened!
Comment: More from author Tom Luongo:
Tulsi Gabbard lays bare the bankruptcy of American left for all to see

Opposition rally • Russian President Vladimir Putin
"It was a farce. Incidents were created right before my eyes with one eye on the newsreels and the other on the police to be sure they were being filmed. There was nothing spontaneous. One demonstrator struck the police and then the cameras were turned on. This happened all over."Crude hybrid war will be back. And sanctions remain. The ultimate target of sanctions - a neocon wet dream - would be to undermine the government of Russia for good, and replace it with a new Yeltsin mob to restart mass looting. You'll never read this in the WSJ or the FT, of course. The ultimate objective would be to break up Russia into twenty countries, as the Baltic states, and then loot one after another.
Every informed person in Russia knows that in Ukraine, oligarchs are looting and robbing the place blind - all that promoted as "independence from Russia". Ukro-oligarchs were even allowed to steal from IMF loans - as long as they were against Russia.
Two key vectors to watch. I'm not convinced by the actions of the Russian Central Bank. It definitely has not achieved independence from the US. And let's see if US Deep State actors manage to engineer cutting Russia off from SWIFT-CHIPS.

Kurdish militia wave flags as they depart the city of Manbij in northern Syria, January 2, 2019
"Now we would enter the [area] east of the Euphrates as we had entered Afrin, Jarablus, al-Bab [cities in Syria]. We shared this [information] with Russia and the United States", Erdogan announced during his speech in the city of Bursa in north-western Turkey.
He, however, did not reveal any other details about the upcoming operations, including the date of its start.
The territory in the east of the Euphrates is currently controlled by the self-defence forces which mainly include Kurdish-led militants.
Comment: Erdogan has threatened to conduct operations east of the Euphrates repeatedly over the past year or so, so we'll have to just wait and see if this time he's serious. For example (from October and December of last year):
- Erdogan: Turkey to begin military operation east of the Euphrates, target YPG
- Erdogan says Turkey planning large-scale op against US-backed Kurds east of Euphrates in Syria
At their annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) talks in Sydney, the defence and foreign ministers of both countries met for discussions that spanned tensions with China over the South China Sea and a possible role for Australia in the Strait of Hormuz.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds confirmed she and Foreign Minister Marise Payne had canvassed the US request at Sunday's meeting but that "no decision had been made".
"We are deeply concerned by the heightened tensions in the region, and we are strongly condemning the attacks on shipping in the Gulf. The request the US has made is a serious and complex one, that's why we're giving this request serious consideration. We will ultimately as we always do, decide what's in our sovereign interests."Describing the US-Australia alliance as "unbreakable", Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped the junior ally would partner with America on "some of the most pressing foreign policy challenges of our time, including Iran's unprovoked attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. I am very confident that we will have a global coalition."

Soldier at the wreckage of Indian Air Force's helicopter in Budgam district, Kashmir, 2019
Intelligence agencies suggest that the terrorists are attempting a massive terror attack like the one that took place in Pulwama in February, where a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Forces and killed 40 personnel. Intelligence agencies said allowing the Amarnath Yatra to progress at this point is untenable.
One of the infiltration attempts was successful and four to five terrorists managed to enter, sources said. Besides, five men of Pakistan's Border Action Team or BAT were killed while they were trying to infiltrate into India and strike at a forward post in the Keran sector over the last two days.
Sources said it was a massive effort to target the Indian troops, which may have involved around 20 Pakistani regulars and terrorists. BATs usually try to maim or mutilate Indian soldiers by ambushing them. The BAT soldiers had crossed the Line of Control and the fence and they were eliminated only when they were very close to an Indian post in Keran.
Comment: More from RT: India test-fires 'quick reaction' air defense system
India has test-fired its state-of-the-art Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM). The all-weather and all-terrain missile mounted on a truck successfully hit its targets during the tests conducted on Sunday at a range in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. The Indian defense minister has shared photos and a video of the missile launch on his Twitter account.
The new air defense system boasts an operational range of 25-30 kilometers. It is also equipped with anti-jamming devices allowing it to penetrate the enemy's defenses. The missile already underwent a series of trials in 2017 and in February 2019. On Sunday, two missiles were used to hit the targets flying at different altitudes under different conditions, Indian media reported citing military sources, who hailed the system's high maneuverability.
"The UAE, from now on, will put all its political and diplomatic weight behind resolving the crisis and establishing peace for the people of Yemen," the senior Emirati figure underlined in his post.
In response to Abdullah's tweet, Ania El Afandi, an Algerian journalist, posted a tweet asking the Emirati figure why the UAE did not put its political weight, from the very outset, behind efforts for materializing peace. Then the Arab journalist questioned the game-over rhetoric of Abdullah, asking:
"War should come to an end officially, are your words addressing Saudi Arabia? Thirdly, will the blockade against Qatar be lifted if issues with Iran are solved?" she concluded.
The article's author, Josh Rogin, has been a cheerleader for US regime change interventionism in Syria since the very beginning of the conflict in that nation. It is unsurprising, then, that he reacted with orgasmic exuberance when Harris retaliated against Gabbard's devastating attack by smearing the Hawaii congresswoman as an "Assad apologist", since Gabbard has been arguably the most consistent and high-profile critic of Rogin's pet war agenda. His article, titled "Tulsi Gabbard's Syria record shows why she can't be president", is one of the most dishonest articles that I have ever read in a mainstream publication, and the fact that it made it through The Washington Post's editors is enough to fully discredit that outlet.
You can read Rogin's smear piece without giving Jeff Bezos more money by clicking here for an archive. There's so much dishonesty packed into this one that all I can do is go through it lie-by-lie until I either finish or get tired, so let's begin:










Comment: The case is now being framed as "domestic terrorism": In the meantime normal people did what normal people do, comfort each other and help: