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Fri, 05 Nov 2021
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US delays China tariffs, removes others, cites 'Christmas shopping' concerns

trump xi
The United States Trade Representative office said Tuesday that new tariffs on certain consumer items would be delayed until Dec. 15, while other products were being removed from the new China tariff list altogether. It cited health and security factors.

The duties had been set to go into effect on Sept. 1, so the announcement eased concerns about the holiday shopping season.

The USTR said the delay affects electronics including cellphones, laptops and video game consoles and some clothing products and shoes and "certain toys."

Comment: As the US economy falters many realize that they can't afford to lose anymore in the trade war, particularly during holiday season from which many retailers earn the largest portion of their income. It's clear from the obvious rise in stocks that the US' position is weak:


Arrow Up

Iran's Khamenei pledges continued support to Yemen - Saudi-led coalition continues its attempts to destroy the country

Khamenei

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) meets with Huthi movement spokesman, Mohammad Abdul Salam, in Tehran on August 13.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised to continue supporting Yemen's Huthis against a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting to restore Yemen's overthrown government in a four-year war.

Speaking on state TV, Khamenei also urged for dialogue among Yemenis to quell the fighting that has killed tens of thousands, and which has brought the country to the brink of famine.

Khamenei accused Saudi Arabia of plotting to "divide Yemen," while saying a "unified and coherent Yemen with sovereign integrity should be endorsed."

Comment: It's notable that while the Saudi's, backed by the West and Israel, continue their devastating war on Yemen, the UAE is set to withdraw deeming it "Unwinnable".

See also: Magnier: War no longer an option for Israel after failures in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen


Sherlock

Trump on Epstein: 'I want a full investigation'

trump
© Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks to the press on the South Lawn of the White House before departing Washington on Aug. 9, 2019.
President Donald Trump said on Aug. 13 that he is demanding a "full investigation" into the death of financier Jeffrey Epstein, a day after Attorney General William Barr said there were "serious irregularities" at the prison that held the alleged sex trafficker.

"Basically what we're saying is we want an investigation. I want a full investigation. And that's what I absolutely am demanding. That's what our great attorney general is doing; he's doing a full investigation," Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey.

Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell in the Special Housing Unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 10. The 66-year-old was recently denied bail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Authorities said he had sexually abused and exploited dozens of girls, some of them as young as 14.

Thousands of documents relating to his alleged wrongdoing were unsealed just a day before he was found unresponsive.

USA

The new enemy: Corporatocracy's global 'war on white supremacist terror'

domestic terrorism
If you enjoyed the global corporatocracy's original War on Islamicist Terror, you're going to love their latest spinoff, The War on White Supremacist Terror. It's basically just like the old War on Terror, except that this time the bad guys are all white supremacists, and Donald Trump is Osama bin Laden ... unless Putin is Osama bin Laden. OK, I'm not quite sure who's Osama bin Laden. Whatever. The point is, the Terrorists are coming!

Yes, that's right, some racist psycho murdered a bunch of people in Texas, so it's time to "take the gloves off" again, pass some new kind of Patriot Act, further curtail our civil liberties, and generally whip the public up into a mass hysteria over "white supremacist terrorism."

The New York Times Editorial Board is already hard at work on that front. In a lengthy op-ed that ran last Sunday, "We Have a White Nationalist Terrorist Problem," the Board proposes that we would all be safer if the government — but presumably not the current government — could arbitrarily deem people "terrorists," or "potential terrorists," or "terrorist sympathizers," regardless of whether they have any connection to any actual terrorist groups, and ... well, here's what the Editorial Board has in mind.
"The resources of the American government and its international allies would mobilize without delay. The awesome power of the state would work tirelessly to deny future terrorists access to weaponry, money and forums to spread their ideology. The movement would be infiltrated by spies and informants. Its financiers would face sanctions. Places of congregation would be surveilled. Those who gave aid or comfort to terrorists would be prosecuted."

Russian Flag

Kremlin dismisses speculation about fatal missile test explosion in Archangelsk, insists it was an accident

russia missile explosion

Satellite imagery leaked to US media showing the location of the a site in northern Russia
The five nuclear scientists who died during an explosion at a secret military range in northern Russia are heroes, the Kremlin said, without confirming US speculation the mishap was related to Russia's hypersonic missile program.

"Accidents, unfortunately, happen. They are tragic," Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Tuesday. "It is important for us to remember those heroes who lost their lives in this accident."

Experts from the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom explained the causes of the accident and gave all the relevant details, Peskov said. "I have nothing more to add to this."

Comment: It's difficult to believe they had so many specialists in close proximity to danger, assuming they were well aware of the risks - unless something happened that caught them completely by surprise.

US media and govt figures are certain that what is being tested at that site are the paradigm-breaking nuclear-powered cruise missiles, first announced to the world in Putin's March 1st 'state of the union' address last year. They could be bluffing, but they may be close to the mark.

This was likely the result of sabotage. It's all-systems-go in Russia these days to produce a target level of advanced missile capability, and according to a schedule. Anything to derail that potentially helps the Americans catch up.


No Entry

China refuses US warships entry to Hong Kong ports due to interference in protests

US navy hong kong
Mere hours after President Trump tweeted that US intelligence had confirmed the buildup of Chinese troops on the border with Hong Kong, US defense officials warned that Beijing had refused two US Navy ships permission to make port stops in Hong Kong in the coming weeks, a sign that President Xi is none too pleased with how the US has handled itself during the anti-extradition bill protests that have swept Hong Kong over the past ten weeks.

Beijing has repeatedly warned the US to stop interfering with Taiwan and Hong Kong, or else face consequences, including the implicit threat of force.

Meanwhile, China confirmed that it denied the requests made by the US Navy.

Comment: China is well aware that troublemakers are receiving 'assistance' from the US: Cookies for everyone! Hong Kong 'revolution' leader photographed meeting US consulate official in Marriott Hotel

See also: Pepe Escobar: Hong Kong, Kashmir: A tale of two occupations


Bad Guys

Winning or losing? MSM can't decide if Putin is all-powerful or failing miserably

putin
© Reuters / Alexander Demianchuk
Mainstream media reporting on Russia is not exactly known for its nuance - and, depending on who you ask, on any given day, the massive Eurasian state may be about to crumble to a pile of dust or take over the world.

In this black and white universe, Russian President Vladimir Putin is either an omnipresent force, seamlessly controlling the workings of other nations with a horde of top-class hackers and spies by his side — or a man on the verge of defeat, who can't even manage to control the goings-on in Moscow, let alone anywhere else.

Well, which is it? They can't seem to make up their minds.

This choppy-changey phenomenon was recently highlighted in a series of tweets comparing various headlines pointing to Putin's alleged wins and losses.

Star of David

Sigal Mandelker, Israel-born Treasury official at the center of US policy on Iran

Sigal P. Mandelker
© AP/Kamran Jevreili/Jewish Insider
Sigal P. Mandelker
At the Center of U.S. Iran policies is an Israel-born Treasury official named Sigal Mandelker. The Atlantic writes that her 'hand is on the lever' of crippling economic sanctions meant to force Iran's 'capitulation or demise'... meanwhile the Treasury Department refuses to divulge whether Mandelker is still an Israeli citizen... (Iran has long been in Israeli crosshairs)

According to a just published report in The Atlantic and a previous article by a former CIA officer, an Israeli-born individual is at the center of U.S. policies targeting Iran.

The Atlantic reports that financial sanctions are the "key tool" the United States has been using against Iran during "the past three presidential administrations." And Treasury official Sigal Mandelker" is the one with her hand on the lever." According to the article:
"Because Trump is anxious to avoid war with Iran but also eager to push the Iranians, she is one of the most powerful officials designing the strategy Trump's administration hopes will force Iranian capitulation — or, failing that, perhaps even the government's collapse."
Mandelker has been working on governmental policies since 2006 - the year in which U.S. officials "focused on finding ways to cut off Iran from the global financial system."

Document

Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne provided docs to DOJ on FBI's probes into Russia and Hillary Clinton

Patrick Byrne
© cryptomarketwire.com
Patrick Byrne, Overstock Founder/CEO
Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne delivered to the Department of Justice a number of documents, including emails and text messages, in April, regarding both the origins of the Russian investigation, and an FBI operation into Hillary Clinton with which he was personally involved during the first months of 2016, according to a U.S. official who spoke SaraACarter.com. Byrne has also confirmed the account.

Byrne claims the documents, which have not been made public and are currently under investigation by the DOJ, are allegedly communications he had with the FBI concerning both the Clinton investigation and the origins of the Russian investigation. SaraACarter.com did not review the documents, which are now under review by law enforcement.

He approached the DOJ and met with lawyers on April 5th and 30th. The first meeting was without counsel in Washington D.C. A source directly familiar with the interviews confirmed Byrne's account of the meetings.

DOJ officials said they could not comment on Byrne's allegations.

Comment: See also:


Magnify

A Royal mess? Prince Andrew may find himself deeper into investigation probe after Epstein's death

Prince Andrew
© WPA/Getty
Prince Andrew
US financier and socialite Jeffrey Epstein apparently took his own life at a New York prison, where he had been held since last month on child sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The news came just hours after a bulk of documents, raising suspicions against Epstein's powerful friends, including Prince Andrew, were released.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, may come under new scrutiny following suspected sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's suicide, the Daily Mail claims, citing an unnamed legal source. According to the outlet, following the death of the prime suspect, an FBI probe could now focus their "full attention" on his suspected associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, said to have also been friends with the British royal. The legal source, said to be close to the investigation noted:
"Ghislaine is the key to all this now that Epstein will no longer face justice himself. The victims deserve answers and she was the person closest to Epstein. Far from being the end to Prince Andrew's problems, Epstein's suicide could put him under renewed scrutiny because of his close friendship with Ghislaine"
These claims echoed the statements by lawyer Jack Scarola, representing the alleged victims, who expressed hope that Epstein's "possible co-conspirators" would be investigated.

Comment: See also: