Puppet Masters

Trump retracts his endorsement of the final statement from the G7

CBS News
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 14:47 UTC

President Trump retracted his endorsement of the final statement from the G7, tweeting afterward he had instructed representatives "not to endorse" it. He blamed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement afterward that Canada will not be "pushed around" and will go through with retaliatory tariffs.

Trudeau, who has been sparring with Mr. Trump on trade in recent days, announced at the conclusion of the G-7 summit in Canada that the retaliatory tariffs will go into effect July 1. Trudeau said he told Mr. Trump "it would be with regret but it would be with absolute clarity and firmness that we move forward with retaliatory measures on July 1, applying equivalent tariffs to the ones that the Americans have unjustly applied to us."

"Canadians, we're polite, we're reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around," Trudeau said.

Comment: See also: Trump calls for G7 inclusion of Russia ahead of summit

Will the Arab Spring come to Jordan?

Alexander Orlov
New Eastern Outlook
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 14:51 UTC

For a whole week now, Jordan has been shaken by nonstop waves of protests against the draft law on reforming tax reform, for which the IMF lobbied for adoption. This reform calls for significant growth in the income tax. As a result, from June 1 prices in Jordan have already risen 5.5% for natural gas, 16.4% for gasoline, and 19% for electricity. According to data from Jordan's Ministry of Finance, at the end of 2017 the national debt stood at 38.5 billion dollars or 95.3% of GDP. By 2021, the IMF's proposed measures should reduce Jordan's national debt to 77% of gross domestic product.

Clearly, once again the familiar scheme for "honest" fleecing of money from a government, conceived back in 1982 by Professor John Williamson of the Institute for International Economics, has shown itself. In the USA's government and among its financial elite, this arrangement, by which the IMF today plunders whole countries, has received the name "Washington Consensus." In just recent years, the IMF's interference in international economic politics has resulted in the ruin of countries, such as Argentina, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Somalia. The IMF pursues truly just one goal - impoverishment of weaker states with the subsequent appropriation of their assets. Moreover, this is done in favor of the United States of America, whose leading role in the IMF brings Washington colossal benefits. At the same time, the IMF does not give money for commercial projects, but provides funds exclusively for structural modernization of an economy, and the machinery of government as a whole.

"The US press is very dishonest", says Trump

Catherine Lucey and Darlene Superville
Yahoo! News / AP
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 14:53 UTC

© AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the G-7 summit, Saturday, June 9, 2018, in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada.

La Malbaie, Quebec - President Donald Trump stepped to the microphone alone Saturday to take reporters' questions, just the second time he'd done so since taking office more than a year ago.

He talked about his desire for countries to remove all barriers to the free flow of goods. He looked ahead to the next big meeting on his schedule - a summit in Singapore next week with North Korea's leader. Along the way, Trump bashed the U.S. press and defended why he does it.

"I'd like to ask you why you do that?" said a White House reporter from the news agency Agence France-Presse.

Trump, who is obsessed with his media coverage and has labeled the press "the enemy of the people," defended the steady stream of attacks.

"Because the U.S. press is very dishonest. Much of it, not all of it," Trump said. "Oh, I have some folks in your profession that are with the U.S., in the U.S., citizens, proud citizens; they're reporters. These are some of the most outstanding people I know. But there are many people in the press that are unbelievably dishonest. They don't cover stories the way they're supposed to be. They don't even report them in many cases if they're positive. So there's tremendous - you know, I came up with the term 'fake news.'

Comment: Not that it matters, but the term was first coined by the mainstream news outlets themselves as a way to counter the popularity of RT, Sputnik, and alternative news sites. By the time Trump first used it, people on social media were already turning the term against mainstream media - quite correctly, by the way.

Comment: The full press conference:

US, Russian generals have 'constructive' talks in Finland - details secret

RT
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 14:54 UTC

© USN PO1C Dominique A. Pineiro / Reuters
Gen. Joe Dunford (left) and Gen. Valery Gerasimov (right), Helsinki, Finland, June 8, 2018

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford and his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov, had a "constructive" meeting in Finland, where they discussed the situation in Syria and European security.

Marine General Dunford and Army General Gerasimov met at the Konigstedt Manor in Helsinki on Friday after meeting senior Finnish officials.

"It is really good that the United States and Russia have a dialogue in a tense international environment," Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini told Finnish broadcaster YLE.

The two generals discussed various ways of resolving the crisis in Syria, including the avoidance of incidents between the US and Russian forces operating in that country, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. They also touched upon the topic of lowering tensions and ensuring security in Europe.

"The US and Russian militaries have undertaken efforts to improve operational safety and strategic stability," said Colonel Patrick S. Ryder, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs. "Both leaders recognize the importance of maintaining regular communication to avoid miscalculation and to promote transparency and deconfliction in areas where our militaries are operating in close proximity."

Ryder added that both generals have agreed to keep the details of their talks private, "in accordance with past practice."

Good idea: Trump plans to ask athletes who kneel during anthem to recommend people for pardoning

Veronica Stracqualursi and Kiatlan Collins
CNN
Fri, 08 Jun 2018 14:47 UTC

President Donald Trump said he wants to meet with NFL players and other athletes who kneel during the National Anthem so they can recommend people they think should be pardoned due to unfair treatment by the justice system.

In what he seemingly sees a solution, President Donald Trump said he wants NFL players and other athletes who kneeled during the National Anthem.

"I'm going to ask them to recommend to me people who were unfairly treated," Trump said at White House Friday. Trump's contentious relationship with the NFL reached a peak last year when he lambasted players who took a knee during the National Anthem to protest institutionalized racism and police brutality.

"You have a lot of people in the NFL in particular, but in sports leagues, they're not proud enough to stand for our National Anthem. I don't like that," Trump said Friday, also insisting that players should not remain in the locker room when the "Star Spangled Banner" is playing.

"What I'm going to do is, I'm going to say to them instead of talk ... I am going to ask all of those people to recommend to me -- because that's what they're protesting -- people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system," Trump said. "And I understand that."

He added, "If the athletes have friends of theirs or people they know about that have been unfairly treated by the system, let me know."

Trump called his presidential power to pardon people a "beautiful thing," adding that "you got to get it right." The President also floated a pardon for posthumous boxing great Muhammad Ali, though the athlete's attorney said that is "unnecessary" because the Supreme Court overturned his previous conviction.

US sought Saudi oil price support before Iran deal withdrawal

Tsvetana Paraskova
Oilprice.com
Thu, 07 Jun 2018 14:45 UTC

A day before US President Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, a senior official of the Trump Administration phoned Saudi Arabia to ask it to help keep oil prices stable should the US decision on Iran disrupt oil supply.

A senior US official had called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before President Trump announced his decision on the Iran nuclear deal, to make sure that the United States could count on OPEC's largest exporter and de facto leader Saudi Arabia to keep prices stable, because Washington was concerned that the sanctions could drive oil prices up.

A senior Saudi official did not confirm the call had taken place, but told Reuters: "We were made aware of the decision on the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] before the announcement...We always have conversations with the US about the stability of the oil market."

U-turn? Protectionist Trump now proposes ultimate goal of zero tariffs, zero barriers, and zero subsidies at G7 summit

Conservative Fighters
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 14:09 UTC

President Donald Trump revealed his preference for totally free trade to promote economic growth, confirming reports that he brought up the proposal at the G7 summit with world leaders.

"That's the way it should be, no tariffs, no barriers ... and no subsidies," Trump said, referring to his former college education. "That's the way you learned at the Wharton school of finance, I mean that would be the ultimate thing."

Trump's proposal reflected an entirely free-trade approach to economics, which he said the leaders discussed.

He offered no significant updates on NAFTA negotiations, but suggested that perhaps the United States could negotiate unilateral deals with Canada and Mexico.

Comment: Trump now says he is all for free trade when the big news in the last couple of weeks had been exactly the opposite when he imposed new tariffs. Is he just talking hypothetically - as in a 'perfect world' scenario - or is he really asking for the implementation of hardcore free trade? Is that even a good idea? Time will tell. In the meantime:

Check out the recent Sott Radio Network show on this topic:

Behind the Headlines: Trump's Economic Nationalism: Dismantling the US Empire

US reportedly asks Japan to cut its huge plutonium stockpiles as Kim-Trump summit looms

RT
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 14:36 UTC

Washington has reportedly asked Tokyo to downsize its massive plutonium stockpile, which could pave the way for thousands of nuclear warheads. It comes ahead of a renewal of the US-Japan nuclear pact, a key to its energy security.

The request came as US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un are on their way to the much-anticipated June 12 summit in Singapore. With high hopes being pinned on eventual peace in the peninsula after years of nuclear saber-rattling by Pyongyang, Kim indicated that he would be ready to give up nukes only if his country's security is guaranteed.

The US, in turn, hinted that it is ready to provide Kim with certain safeguards, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying on Thursday that should the North agree to de-nuclearization, the US president "is prepared to ensure a DPRK free of its weapons of mass destruction is also a secure North Korea."

Trump calls Trudeau 'weak' over 'false statements' and pulls back on G-7 communique endorsement

Conservative Fighters
Sun, 10 Jun 2018 05:20 UTC

President Trump on Saturday slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying he was "very dishonest and weak," and claimed the world leader made "false statements" following the G-7 economic summit.

At a news conference held in Charlevoix, Canada, Trudeau announced that all seven countries in the summit had agreed on "a joint communique."

Comment: It seems like Trump knows all the right buttons to press with Trudeau, but it's really all just posturing.

See also:

A short breakdown of Vladimir Putin's marathon Q & A

Alex Christoforou
The Duran
Sat, 09 Jun 2018 12:26 UTC

Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to answer as many of the 2 million questions from Russian citizens as he could in a marathon four and a half hours question and answer.

Personal answers served as interjections to sharp commentary about Russia's complex relationship with the West.

No other leader in the world could possibly do such an event, as Putin does every year for 16 years running.

The Duran's Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the memorable summer Q&A from the Russian President in the video below.

Comment: See also:Another marathon Q&A with Vladimir Putin: God, steel and World War III among the highlights

And for a partial transcript of the marathon Q & A, see here.

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Puppet Masters

Trump retracts his endorsement of the final statement from the G7

Will the Arab Spring come to Jordan?

"The US press is very dishonest", says Trump

US, Russian generals have 'constructive' talks in Finland - details secret

Good idea: Trump plans to ask athletes who kneel during anthem to recommend people for pardoning

US sought Saudi oil price support before Iran deal withdrawal

U-turn? Protectionist Trump now proposes ultimate goal of zero tariffs, zero barriers, and zero subsidies at G7 summit

US reportedly asks Japan to cut its huge plutonium stockpiles as Kim-Trump summit looms

Trump calls Trudeau 'weak' over 'false statements' and pulls back on G-7 communique endorsement

A short breakdown of Vladimir Putin's marathon Q & A

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