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Sun, 28 May 2023
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US corporations are filing for bankruptcy at the fastest pace since 2010

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Fri, 26 May 2023 06:00 UTC
petition
© Gables law firm
One would not know it from looking at the S&P which just hit a 2023 high, but there is a bit of a bankruptcy crisis sweeping the US where companies are filing for bankruptcy at the fastest pace in 13 years, in a clear sign of a tightening credit squeeze as interest rates rise and financial markets have locked out all but the strongest borrowers.

The increase is most visible among large companies, where there were 236 bankruptcy filings in the first four months of this year, more than double 2022 levels, and the fastest YTD pace since 2010 according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
bankruptcy graph
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Stop

Rein in the FBI: Put an end to the FBI's Gestapo tactics

John and Nisha Whitehead
The Rutherford Institute
Mon, 22 May 2023 00:00 UTC
FBI/DOJ
© Unknown
"One of the creeping hands of totalitarianism running through the democracy is the Federal Bureau of Investigation... Because why does the FBI do all this? To scare the hell out of people... They work for the establishment and the corporations and the politicos to keep things as they are. And they want to frighten and chill the people who are trying to change things." — Howard Zinn, historian Power corrupts. We know this. In fact, we know this from experience learned the hard way at the hands of our own government.

So why is anyone surprised to learn that the FBI, one of the most power-hungry and corrupt agencies within the police state's vast complex of power-hungry and corrupt agencies, misused a massive government surveillance database more than 300,000 times in order to target American citizens?

This is how the government operates, after all.

First, they seek out extraordinary powers acquired in the wake of some national crisis — in this case, warrantless surveillance powers intended to help the government spy on foreign targets suspected of engaging in terrorism — and then they use those powers against the American people.

Comment: We have been warned.

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Bullseye

Elon Musk is right: Bellingcat is a Western 'psy-op' organization

Aaron Maté
The Grayzone
Fri, 19 May 2023 16:32 UTC
Elon Musk

Elon Musk
The Twitter CEO draws establishment media outrage for criticizing a NATO state propaganda outfit.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has triggered headlines by claiming that the website Bellingcat, a trusted source for establishment US media outlets, engages in "psyops."

Musk invoked Bellingcat's role in "psychological operations" while expressing skepticism about the group's claims that the mass shooter in Allen, Texas was motivated by white supremacist views. Prominent voices came forward to defend Bellingcat as a "a great journalistic organization" (CNN anchor Jake Tapper), and "a treasure trove of hugely important investigative journalism" (Yale professor Timothy Snyder).

While the available evidence supports Bellingcat's findings about the Allen gunman, Musk is correct about the group overall. With complete uniformity, Bellingcat's media cheerleaders omit that the group is funded by NATO states and their contractors. And just as Musk suggested, Bellingcat has regularly promoted propaganda that advances its backers' foreign policy objectives.
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X

US frustrated over Ukrainian attack in Russia


RT
Sat, 27 May 2023 14:31 UTC
John Kirby
© AP / Evan Vucci
Washington has again dismissed visual proof of US-supplied equipment used in this week's attack by Ukrainian militants in Russia's Belgorod Region as unconfirmed "reports" but admitted the images require further investigation. President Joe Biden's administration, however, has apparently acknowledged concern that Kiev might have broken its alleged pledge not to use American weaponry outside its own territory.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby spoke of "frustration" over the attack during a press briefing on Wednesday, US media outlet Politico reported. He noted that the administration is "looking into" the footage indicating that US-supplied equipment "could have been involved" in a deadly raid in the Belgorod district of Grayvoron.

"We've been pretty darn clear that we don't support the use of US-made equipment for attacks inside Russia," Kirby told reporters. "We've been clear about that with the Ukrainians. I won't get into private discussions that we're having with them, but I think we've been nothing but consistent about our concerns in that regard."

Comment: Oh, the US was 'darned' clear about not using US weapons to attack Russia. Well, that settles it! Nice show Kirby. We're sure you all were quite pleased.

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Network

Russia's 'all-out support' for Africa will continue - envoy


RT
Thu, 25 May 2023 13:50 UTC
Anatoly Antonov
© Telegram/EmbUSA
Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov (R) interacts with an African diplomat at the Russia-Africa gala in Washington on Tuesday, USA
Russia remains "firmly" committed to developing strategic partnerships with countries in Africa, Moscow's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, has said.

"Through our joint efforts, the continent will become one of the leaders of the emerging multipolar world order. We will counter the neocolonialist ideology that is being imposed from outside," he said on Tuesday at a Russia-Africa gala in Washington ahead of the second Russia-Africa Summit.

Western governments have been vocal in their opposition to Russia's growing influence in Africa, with top US officials touring the continent in what Bloomberg described as a "campaign" to build America's influence in the region "where it has lost ground to its main rivals" - Moscow and Beijing.

Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of pursuing a "predatory project" to spread influence in African nations, where France, a former colonial power on the continent, has suffered recent setbacks.
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Bizarro Earth

The G7 is an outdated tool of the US neo-empire

Timur Fomenko
RT
Thu, 25 May 2023 13:52 UTC
biden and kishida
© AP Photo/Susan Walsh
President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prior to a bilateral meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, Thursday, May 18, 2023, ahead of the start of the G-7 Summit.
Washington has co-opted both winners and losers of World War II into defending Western domination around the globe.

The summit of G7 nations took place in Hiroshima, Japan over the last weekend.

Hiroshima is significant for a few reasons. First of all, it is known to the world as the location that the United States nuked, along with Nagasaki, at the end of World War II, which led to the surrender of the Empire of Japan and that country's transformation into a US client state.

Comment: See also:

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Eye 1

RFK Jr: Bill Gates & WEF are using 'climate change' to control population

Frank Bergman
Slay News
Mon, 01 May 2023 00:01 UTC
schwab gates kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has issued a warning to the American people about the tyrannical measures that are being ushered in by the World Economic Forum, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and other "mega billionaires."

Speaking during a new interview with Kim Iverson, RFK Jr. warned that the global power elite is using "climate change" to usher in totalitarian population control.

Kennedy made the comments shortly after launching his campaign to challenge President Joe Biden in the Democrat 2024 presidential primary.

Comment: See also:

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Network

Most Russia-China trade no longer involves dollar - Mishustin


RT
Wed, 24 May 2023 21:38 UTC
collapsing dollar
© Getty Images / Martin Poole
Nearly three-quarters of transactions between Moscow and Beijing are currently made in rubles or yuan, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin revealed during talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Wednesday.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that it considers both the dollar and euro unreliable, as their use in the country's cross-border transactions has been jeopardized by Western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.

"70% of cross-border settlements between Russia and China are already conducted in national currencies - rubles and yuan," Mishustin stated.

While attending a business forum in Shanghai on Tuesday, the Russian prime minister also noted that the countries' mutual decision to conduct the majority of transactions in national currencies had significantly bolstered bilateral trade, which is on course to reach a $200 billion target this year ahead of schedule.
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Calculator

More than 2,500 foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine - Shoigu


RT
Thu, 25 May 2023 17:04 UTC
plowing
© Unknown
FILE PHOTO: Russia's defense minister has claimed that Western countries are trying to prolong and escalate the conflict
Western countries are forcing Kiev to present tactical successes on the battlefield regardless of the cost to human lives and "pumping" the country full of weapons and fighters, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has claimed.

Speaking at a meeting of the council of defense ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk on Thursday, the Russian minister said the value of the West's military-technical assistance to Kiev has already exceeded $65 billion and that more than 2,500 foreign mercenaries are currently taking part in military operations in the country.

He also claimed that Kiev's tactics have evolved to include terrorist methods of confrontation, including sabotage and high-profile killings.

Comment: 2,500 are currently taking part, but one wonders if the total who have been involved thus far is much higher: 'All the real skinheads went to Ukraine': An American Neo-Nazi outlines the crimes of his Ukrainian 'colleagues'

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Quenelle - Golden

Russia could cut diplomatic ties with UK, Foreign Ministry tells RT


RT
Fri, 26 May 2023 23:51 UTC
Russia's Foreign Ministry

Russia's Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow.
The severing of diplomatic ties with the UK would be an "extreme measure," but Moscow could end up taking the step considering London's significant involvement in the Ukraine conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry has warned.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that "UK special forces from the British Army's SAS and SRR regiments and the Navy's SBS units are operating very close to the front lines" in Ukraine. British personnel are not directly involved in the fighting with Russian troops, "but their guiding influence on Ukrainian special-forces activity is evident in the sabotage operations Ukraine has conducted against Russian railway, airfield, fuel and other logistical nodes," the US outlet claimed.

RT addressed the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment on the article, asking if Moscow could verify the WSJ's claims and, if confirmed, whether this could lead to the severing of relations with Britain.

Comment: See also: Russia moves ahead with deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

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