Apr 292024
 
 April 29, 2024  Posted by at 9:05 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , ,  65 Responses »


Théodore Géricault Prancing Grey Horse 1812

 

Justice Thomas Raises Scrutiny on Jack Smith Appointment in Trump Case (ET)
Was Trump Set Up In Classified Docs Saga? (Margolis)
US Voters Warming Up To Trump – CNN Poll (RT)
Spielberg Helping To Direct Biden’s Campaign – NBC (RT)
The US and the UK Are Pushing For Total War On All Fronts (RT)
Zelensky Wants 10 More Years Of US Funding (RT)
‘Motherland Is Not For Sale’ – Zakharova (RT)
Many People to Question Zelensky’s Legitimacy Soon – Kremlin (Sp.)
Ukraine Rejected 2022 Peace Deal Over Russian Language, ‘Banning Nazism’ (Sp.)
Zelensky Demands EU ‘Fulfill Obligations’ On Ukrainian Membership (RT)
Israel Concerned Biden May Throw Netanyahu ‘Under the Bus’ at ICC (Sp.)
Insane vs Sane – Demonic vs Divine – Catherine Austin Fitts (USAW)

 

 

 

 

Macgregor
https://twitter.com/i/status/1784739796197269970

 

 

Putin
https://twitter.com/i/status/1784696945174360069

 

 

Truth

 

 

66 years apart.

 

 

 

 

Tax
tax
tax
https://twitter.com/i/status/1784302250577305950

 

 

RFK JFK

 

 

 

 

“..Mr. Smith “does not have authority to conduct the underlying prosecution.”

Justice Thomas Raises Scrutiny on Jack Smith Appointment in Trump Case (ET)

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has asked former President Donald Trump’s lawyers about whether they challenged special counsel Jack Smith’s authority to bring charges against the president. On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case about President Trump’s being immune from prosecution for official acts carried out during his presidency. During the hearing, Justice Thomas asked John Sauer, the attorney who represented President Trump in court, “Did you, in this litigation, challenge the appointment of special counsel?” Mr. Smith was appointed to the case by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Mr. Sauer said that Trump attorneys have not raised such concerns “directly” in the current case at the Supreme Court. However, “it points to a very important issue here, because one of [the prosecution’s] arguments is, of course, that we should have this presumption of regularity,” Mr. Sauer stated.

“That runs into the reality that we have here an extraordinary prosecutorial power being exercised by someone who was never nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate at any time,” he said. “We hadn’t raised it yet in this case when this case went up on appeal.” Mr. Sauer said he agrees with the “analysis provided by Attorney General [Edwin] Meese and Attorney General [Michael B.] Mukasey,” referring to the amicus brief the two former attorneys general submitted to the Supreme Court on March 19. In it, the two attorneys general noted that irrespective of what one thinks about the immunity issue, Mr. Smith “does not have authority to conduct the underlying prosecution.” “Those actions can be taken only by persons properly appointed as federal officers to properly created federal offices. Smith wields tremendous power, and effectively answers to no one,” they wrote. “However, neither Smith nor the position of special counsel under which he purportedly acts meets those criteria. And that is a serious problem for the rule of law, whatever one may think of the conduct at issue in Smith’s prosecution.”

Attorney General Garland appointed Mr. Smith as special counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice, citing several statutes. However, none of these statutes even “remotely authorized the appointment by the Attorney General of a private citizen or government employee to receive extraordinary criminal law enforcement power under the title of Special Counsel.” The two attorneys general added there are times when the appointment of a special counsel would be appropriate and that the U.S. Constitution allows for such appointments. However, “the Attorney General cannot appoint someone never confirmed by the Senate, as a substitute United States Attorney under the title ‘special counsel,’” they added. “Smith’s appointment was thus unlawful, as are all actions flowing from it, including his prosecution of former President Trump,” they wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing President Trump’s immunity case as part of Mr. Smith’s indictment of the former president alleging an attempt to subvert the transfer of presidential power following the 2020 election. President Trump is charged with four criminal counts in the case. President Trump had requested that the lower courts back his claims of presidential immunity, as the actions were undertaken while he was serving as president. After the lower courts refused to grant the request, the 45th president appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, contending that his actions as president are covered by presidential immunity. The Supreme Court agreed to consider the following question—“whether and, if so, to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office?”

In court, Mr. Sauer warned the justices against giving a judgment that undermines presidential immunity, noting that U.S. presidents would no longer be able to carry out their job properly if they were unsure whether their actions would trigger prosecution years after their time in office. “The implications of the court’s decision here extend far beyond the facts of this case,” he said. “For 234 years of American history, no president was ever prosecuted for his official acts. The framers of our Constitution viewed an energetic executive as essential to securing liberty.” “If a president can be charged, put on trial, and imprisoned for his most controversial decisions as soon as he leaves office, that looming threat will distort the president’s decision-making precisely when bold and fearless action is most needed.” Moreover, a lack of presidential immunity will denote that every president becomes a potential candidate for extortion by political rivals while still in office, Mr. Sauer added.

“Prosecuting the president for his official acts is an innovation with no foothold in history or tradition and is incompatible with our constitutional structure,” he said. The Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical about President Trump’s claims that he has the right to absolute immunity for his actions as president. However, the justices also appeared to be open to accepting that presidents have some level of immunity. The court could decide to remand the case to the Washington district court, with instructions for differentiating between official and private acts of a president so that additional fact-finding proceedings can be done. Such a move would delay the former president’s trial in Washington and potentially proceedings related to three other cases. This would give President Trump a strategic win as he attempts to hold off trials until after the presidential election.

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Looks like he was set up in every single case.

Was Trump Set Up In Classified Docs Saga? (Margolis)

This week in Florida, Judge Aileen Cannon unsealed a trove of new documents that Jack Smith fought to keep hidden. And you’ll soon find out why. Among the documents unsealed were extensive exhibits, motions, and other filings shedding light on the intricate web of communication between the Biden White House and the National Archives and Records Administration in the lead-up to Trump’s indictment. Investigative journalist Julie Kelly found something interesting in the documents that could change everything. The first things is testimony from an FBI agent who testified that the General Services Association (GSA) had been in possession of Trump’s boxes in Virginia before ordering Trump’s team to come get them. “So an entire pallet full of boxes that had been held by GSA somewhere outside of DC is dumped at Mar-a-Lago,” Kelly notes. “Apparently these are the boxes that ended up containing papers with ‘classified markings.'” “I will double check indictment but I don’t recall this event in the timeline,” she added.

So, it appears that the Biden administration may have been responsible for shipping classified information to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. This development is significant because Trump has previously blamed the GSA for packing the boxes that contained the classified documents, only to later accuse Trump of essentially stealing them and using that as pretext for sending the FBI to raid his Mar-a-Lago home in August 2022. “It was a set-up from the get-go,” remarked Tom Fitton, the founder of Judicial Watch. Meanwhile, Joe Biden had classified information that he was never entitled to have stored in boxes in his garage for years, but was not charged. Biden blamed staffers for packing the classified information.

While this may not prove the Biden administration set up Trump in the classified documents case, considering the way the Biden administration has abused the legal system against Trump, no one can confidently say they wouldn’t. Even so, it still raises other legitimate questions. For example, if the GSA had been in possession of the boxes, why wasn’t a review of the materials conducted before they instructed Trump’s team to get them? When it comes to classified information, they wouldn’t have expected Trump and his staff to be responsible for ensuring that classified documents weren’t among the records. Perhaps they did review the contents of the boxes and knew classified documents were contained in them before they told Trump’s people to come get them.

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“..A CNN poll released on Thursday showed that just 13% of Americans believe Trump is being treated the same as other criminal defendants.”

US Voters Warming Up To Trump – CNN Poll (RT)

Americans appear to be looking more positively at former US President Donald Trump as this year’s election draws closer, increasingly favoring him over incumbent Joe Biden and viewing his term in office as a success, a new CNN poll has shown. The poll released on Sunday found that US voters favor Trump by a 49%-43% margin in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup with Biden. That compares with the Republican’s 49%-45% over the incumbent Democrat in January. Trump has a wider lead when the full field of contenders is included, as will be the case when voters go to the polls in November, the survey showed. He has a 42%-33% margin over Biden, followed by 15% for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The remaining 10% support third-party candidates or are undecided. Two-thirds of US voters do not understand how anyone could support Biden, while 52% say there is no chance they would vote for the incumbent under any circumstance.

By comparison, 63% of respondents cannot see how anyone could support Trump, and 47% say there is no chance they would vote for him. Only 47% of voters are satisfied with the candidates they have to choose from, including 44% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans, CNN said. Biden is viewed negatively by 58% of voters, while 53% have a negative opinion of Trump. Only 65% of respondents believe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election, unchanged from when the same question was asked after the January 2021 US Capitol riot. Opinions of Trump’s term as president have improved since he left office. Looking back on his performance, 55% of Americans believe Trump’s presidency was a “success,” up from 45% when voters were polled after the riot. By comparison, 39% of respondents believe Biden’s term has been a success, the survey showed.

Similarly, six in ten Americans disapprove of Biden’s performance as president. He gets low marks for his handling of several issues of top concern for voters, including 66% disapproval on the economy, 71% disapproval on inflation and 71% disapproval on the Israel-Hamas war. Only about four in ten Americans believe the US “has a responsibility” to be involved in Middle East conflicts. Trump has accused Biden and the incumbent’s allies of trying to derail his candidacy through the court system. The ex-president faces 91 criminal charges in four separate indictments. A CNN poll released on Thursday showed that just 13% of Americans believe Trump is being treated the same as other criminal defendants. Only 44% are confident that the jury chosen in the first Trump case that has gone to trial – now underway in New York City – will deliver a fair verdict.

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“Trump’s support stands steadily at 49%, while Biden holds 43%..”

Spielberg Helping To Direct Biden’s Campaign – NBC (RT)

Steven Spielberg, one of Hollywood’s best-known film directors, has been enlisted to assist US President Joe Biden with his re-election campaign providing strategy for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that is scheduled to take place between August 19 and 22 in Chicago, NBC reported on Friday. According to the publication, Spielberg, who is a long-time supporter of Biden, has been actively participating in meetings with the organizers of the event, where more than 5,000 delegates from 50 US states will officially select the Democratic party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees. The filmmaker is reportedly offering his insights on how best to “convey the president’s successes and his vision for the country” to delegates and viewers as Biden prepares to face former President Donald Trump in a November rematch.

“Steven wants to be as helpful as possible to the president,” a well-placed source told the Deadline media outlet. “He believes this is one of the most important elections in the nation’s history.” Spielberg has proven to be a dedicated donor to the Biden-Harris ticket, having appeared at a mega-fundraiser in December last year, which was hosted by his friend and former DreamWorks business partner Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is also a co-chair of Biden’s campaign. The famed director, however, has no plans to produce a movie of the August event as he did for John Kerry’s and Barack Obama’s nominations, the NBC source has said.

The publication also mentions that Biden’s campaign is in a separate negotiation with former President Obama about appearing at a Los Angeles fundraiser in mid-June, which would reportedly feature George Clooney and Katzenberg as hosts. A previous star-studded event in New York City last month, which was attended by Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, raised more than $25 million in one night. Biden currently trails behind his Republican rival, according to a new national poll released by CNN on Sunday. Trump’s support stands steadily at 49%, while Biden holds 43%, which is a two-point drop since January when 45% of Americans said they were ready to cast a vote for the current president.

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“..It is reactionary to the extent it does not have a vision for improving the world, but wants to take back the world to the way it was..”

The US and the UK Are Pushing For Total War On All Fronts (RT)

The events of recent weeks have produced a sudden jolt in Western politics. From a lethargy that was starting to creep into US and western discourse over the Ukraine war, Iran’s attack on Israel suddenly seemed to have had the effect of awakening Ronald Reagan from his grave and leading to a surge of neo-conservativism on steroids, on both sides of the Atlantic. US House Speaker Mike Johnson did a complete 180-degree U-turn and proclaimed himself a “Reagan Republican” passing a series of aid bills for astronomical overseas spending that he had otherwise blocked for months, as he denounced an “axis of evil.” Along with that, a proposed TikTok ban bill came out of nowhere too and was quickly signed into law.

Then the UK decided to devote its largest ever aid package to Ukraine, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warning of an “axis of authoritarian states” and amplifying ideologically combative rhetoric. At the same time, it was then revealed Biden had sent 300km long range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine despite having pledged not to do so for years, fearing escalation. Finally, EU President Ursula von der Leyen has suddenly dramatically increased economic warfare on China, pushing the European Commission to open probes on scores of Chinese exports. Where exactly did all this come from?

It’s almost as if the US and its allies seized upon the tensions between Iran and Israel in order to “whitewash” their slate and double down on a series of objectives they are otherwise losing public support for, including the war in Ukraine, but also Israel’s invasion of Gaza. One has to wonder if the Israeli attack on the Iranian compound in Damascus, which provoked Tehran’s response, was deliberately staged, coordinated and planned for this purpose. It served the mutually convenient goal of letting both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Western governments off the hook for whatever opposition they had otherwise faced.

It should be abundantly clear now that the current powers that be, in London and Washington, have absolutely no intent of letting up on the wars they have provoked, while also pushing for a potential third one with China, and seem indifferent to the consequences, even if for example, the Israel-Gaza war is shattering the West’s claims of moral superiority. In each case, the stakes are very high, Western foreign policy at large has taken on a very zero-sum and ideological character which bemoans the loss of hegemony, and seeks to uphold it at all costs. It is reactionary to the extent it does not have a vision for improving the world, but wants to take back the world to the way it was. It is a sense of entitlement and privilege that wants to suppress an emerging multipolarity.

Because of this, it has become impossible for Western leaders to ever consider the concept of compromise in these respective theaters, and they refuse under any circumstances to make concessions which could be deemed strategic. This has produced a position where the only outcome they are willing to accept in Ukraine is what they deem “the defeat of Putin,” and have been subtly escalating ever since, edging ever closer to the point where a “proxy war” becomes a direct one for all intents and purposes. NATO military advisors are already on the ground, and Ukrainian attacks are being guided by NATO intelligence or even coordinated by British admirals.

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“The agreement should be truly exemplary and reflect the strength of American leadership..”

Zelensky Wants 10 More Years Of US Funding (RT)

The latest US aid package for Kiev, which was only approved by Congress after more than six months of partisan feuding, might be small potatoes compared to what Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has in mind for his biggest benefactor. The Kiev government is negotiating with President Joe Biden’s administration on a long-term agreement that would put Washington on the hook to provide Ukraine with military, economic and political support for the next decade, Zelensky said on Sunday in his daily video address. Such commitments are needed to ensure Ukraine with the “efficiency in assistance” it needs to stem the recent battlefield advances by Russian forces and gain the upper hand, he insisted. “We are working to commit to paper concrete levels of support for this year and for the next ten years,” Zelensky said. “It will include military, financial, and political support, as well as what concerns joint production of weapons.”

Kiev has already signed bilateral security agreements with several NATO members, including the UK, Germany and France. Zelensky said he wants the long-term deal under negotiation with Washington to be the strongest such pact for Ukraine. However, Ukraine’s bilateral agreements with Western backers so far have stopped short of mutual-defense commitments. The deals merely pledge long-term aid, including support in the event of a future attack, and they are not legally binding. The agreement with Berlin, for instance, can be terminated with six months’ notice. Zelensky said he wants Ukraine’s bilateral pact with Washington to include specific levels of aid. “The agreement should be truly exemplary and reflect the strength of American leadership,” he said.

US lawmakers approved $61 billion in additional aid for Ukraine earlier this month, after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) overrode opposition in his own party to pass the bill with unanimous Democrat support. The Biden administration ran out of funding for Ukraine aid earlier this year, after using up $113 billion in previously approved assistance packages. Republican lawmakers have argued that Biden is merely prolonging the bloodshed in Ukraine without offering a clear strategy for victory or a peace deal with Russia. A poll released in February showed that nearly 70% of Americans want Biden to push for a negotiated settlement with Moscow, involving compromises on both sides, rather than continuing to fund the conflict.

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“Germany is mostly concerned about the move potentially opening a Pandora’s box of historical restitution and reparations claims, including those linked to the nation’s own Nazi past..”

‘Motherland Is Not For Sale’ – Zakharova (RT)

Russia will not cede any territory in exchange for the prospect of recovering its assets frozen abroad, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram on Sunday. Zakharova was commenting on a Wall Street Journal article claiming that Germany is considering trying to use the funds as leverage during potential peace talks between Moscow and Kiev. Berlin has been opposing the US push to seize the frozen Russian assets and use them to fund Ukraine’s military and economic needs, according to the article, which was published on Sunday. One of the arguments reportedly brought up by German officials revolved around using the money as “leverage in any talks to end the war.” That strategy would supposedly force Moscow to “cede” some of the territory that Kiev lays claim to, the WSJ said. The outlet did not provide any exact quotes or identify any specific German officials supporting this line of thought. “I do not know who says what but assets are not to be exchanged for territories,” Zakharova wrote in a Telegram post. “The motherland is not for sale.”

Zakharova also maintained that the Russian assets should “stay untouched” and warned that “any Western theft would be met with a harsh response.” “Many people in the West have already understood this. It’s a pity that not everyone [has],” she added. The EU and other G7 nations have blocked an estimated $300 billion in reserves belonging to the Russian central bank since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Most of the funds are being held by the Belgium-based clearinghouse Euroclear. Earlier in April, the US passed a bill allowing Washington to liquidate frozen Russian assets and transfer the funds obtained to Ukraine. However, the US holds only around $6 billion out of the total amount. Washington has long been pushing its allies to seize the money outright but has encountered resistance from some allies, particularly Germany, according to the WSJ. The potential use of the funds as a bargaining chip in future talks is just one of Berlin’s reasons, though, according to the WSJ. Germany is mostly concerned about the move potentially opening a Pandora’s box of historical restitution and reparations claims, including those linked to the nation’s own Nazi past, it said.

Berlin is currently facing such demands from Poland, which has been seeking $1.3 trillion in compensation since 2022. Greece asked for over $300 billion in 2019, while in Italy courts even reportedly attempted to seize German state property to fund paying compensation to the descendants of victims of the Nazi occupation. The German government has so far brushed off those demands, arguing that “international law prohibits individuals from making claims against states in foreign courts and that state assets are immune from seizure,” the WSJ said. Seizing Russia’s money would violate this principle and greatly undermine Berlin’s legal position, it added. Similar concerns are also reportedly driving Japan’s opposition to seizing the assets, since it also faces reparation claims from South Korea and other neighbors, the outlet reported. Tokyo and Berlin should also not be the only ones to worry since the move could open a way for other nations to claim reparations for slavery and colonialism, according to the WSJ.

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“Ukraine does not spare its own citizens. And this is a tragedy for the people, a tragedy for the country.”

Many People to Question Zelensky’s Legitimacy Soon – Kremlin (Sp.)

Many people, including in Ukraine, will question the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon, and he will “have to justify himself,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. “Very soon, the moment will come when many people, including in Ukraine, will question his [Zelensky’s] legitimacy. In any case, even from the legal point of view, it will have to be done. And he will have to justify himself somehow,” Peskov told Rossiya 1 reporter Pavel Zarubin. When asked to comment on the remarks of the Ukrainian president, who assessed the new weapons supply to Kiev as a good deal enabling Ukrainians to fight for themselves, the Kremlin spokesman called Zelensky the “specific president of the specific regime.” “Ukraine does not spare its own citizens. And this is a tragedy for the people, a tragedy for the country. First, they infected their country with all sorts of nationalist manifestations, and now they no longer shun anything: they do not hesitate to throw new thousands and thousands of people into the furnace of this war,” Peskov added.

He also expressed the belief that Russia would achieve victory in the special military operation, as the dynamics of the situation on the front were showing that the “outcome is predetermined.” Ukraine was due to hold a presidential election on March 31, but it was called off due to martial law and general mobilization. Zelensky, who was sworn into office in May 2019, said it was “not the right time” for elections. Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, in response to calls by the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. Moscow said the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, aims to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine and completely liberate Donbass. Western nations have imposed numerous sanctions on Russia and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.

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“.. a number of Western states, including the US, UK, and France, promised support to Kiev, but refused to guarantee it.”

Ukraine Rejected 2022 Peace Deal Over Russian Language, ‘Banning Nazism’ (Sp.)

Russia and Ukraine were closer than ever to concluding a peace treaty in April 2022, but the Kiev regime rejected several of Moscow’s demands outright, German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag revealed. Specifically, terms regarding the status of the Russian language, and Kiev’s official rejection of Nazism were seen as unpalatable by the regime led by Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the 17-page draft peace treaty between the sides obtained by Welt. It follows from the draft, agreed during negotiations in Turkiye on April 15, 2022, that Moscow and Kiev reached an agreement on the basic conditions for ending the conflict, but there were some unresolved issues that were to be discussed personally by President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in the same month. That summit was never to take place. “Countless lives” could have been spared if this “advantageous” deal had been concluded, the outlet stated.

Since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation, Ukraine’s military has lost almost 500,000 people, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated on April 23. Welt cited a member of the former Ukrainian negotiating team as calling it, in hindsight, “the best deal we could have had.” First of all, in line with Article 1 of the draft treaty, Ukraine committed itself to “permanent neutrality.” Thus, Kiev was to abandon ambitions of membership in a military alliance, including NATO. The ensuing 13 sub-points of the first article outline the extensive definition of neutrality. Ukraine agreed never to “receive, produce, or acquire nuclear weapons,” not to allow foreign weapons or troops on its soil, and not to provide its military infrastructure, including airports and seaports, to any other country. Furthermore, in line with the draft, Kiev renounced holding military exercises with foreign participation and partaking in any military conflicts. However, EU membership for Kiev was explicitly not hindered, according to Article 3 of the document.

Article 5 of the draft treaty had outlined comprehensive security guarantees that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, UK, France, China, and Russia – could provide for Ukraine. In the event of a conflict, the guarantor states would commit to supporting Kiev’s self-defense within a maximum of three days, as enshrined in the UN Charter. This assistance could take the form of “joint action” by all or individual guarantor powers. According to Article 15, this treaty was supposed to be ratified in each signatory state to ensure legal validity. The article notes that one of the difficulties regarding this issue was the requirement for the consent of all guarantor states, which meant Russia could resort to a veto. At the same time, a number of Western states, including the US, UK, and France, promised support to Kiev, but refused to guarantee it.

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Time to replace Ursula.

Zelensky Demands EU ‘Fulfill Obligations’ On Ukrainian Membership (RT)

Kiev has fulfilled every requirement the EU has set out for it, and is ready to begin accession talks, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated in a video address on Sunday, demanding that the bloc now follow through. Kiev made a formal request to join the bloc in February 2022, shortly after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It was granted candidate status in June of the same year. In December 2023, EU officials agreed to open up accession negotiations, setting out a number of steps for Kiev to take first in preparation. All these steps have been completed, Zelensky claimed in a video address on Sunday, promising that this is the year to bring “results with the European Union.”
“Ukraine has fulfilled all the necessary conditions for the real start of the accession negotiations, and now the EU side must fulfill its obligations,” he said.

The EU’s accession criteria include stable democratic institutions, the rule of law, protection of human rights and minorities, along with a robust market economy and the institutional capacity to cope with the responsibilities of being an EU member state. One of the key issues to tackle was widespread corruption. Amid a string of high-level corruption scandals, lawmakers from Ukraine’s biggest sponsor – the US – expressed concerns about their aid being misused. Last month, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced plans to introduce a new logistics planning department, after several high-ranking military officials were arrested for embezzlement in the months before. Kiev is currently preparing for a peace conference set to take place in Switzerland this June, Zelensky added. “The world majority must force Russia into peace – and it can do this,” he said.

Moscow has not been invited to participate, and has dismissed the conference as “nonsense.” President Vladimir Putin reiterated earlier this month that Russia has not rejected a peaceful solution to the conflict, but would not accept a deal that ignore the country’s interests. Kiev is also gearing up for the NATO summit this summer, according to the Ukrainian president. The US-led military bloc “should not be afraid of its own strength or shy away from its own foundations,” he said, calling for a “strong political signal.” Ukraine’s ambition to join NATO – a goal enshrined in its constitution – was one of the key reasons for Russia’s military operation against Kiev, Moscow has stated. One of Russia’s major goals in the conflict is Ukrainian neutrality, Putin has said.

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“.. the Hague could not consider arrest warrants against Israeli leaders without Washington’s informal consent…”

Israel Concerned Biden May Throw Netanyahu ‘Under the Bus’ at ICC (Sp.)

Most of America’s overseas allies are signatories to the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute. The US itself quit the Court in 2002 before launching its war of aggression in Iraq. Israel is not a party to the ICC, but is concerned about the “dangerous precedent” that could be set by threats to drag its leaders before the Court. Israeli officials are concerned the Biden administration may abandon the Netanyahu government if the ICC issued arrest warrants against the Israeli prime minister and senior members of his cabinet. “Where is Biden? Why is he quiet while Israel will potentially be thrown under the bus?” an Israeli diplomatic source told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday. The source’s comments follow reports in Israeli media this week citing senior ICC sources that the Hague could not consider arrest warrants against Israeli leaders without Washington’s informal consent.

“The sources at The Hague said that it is impossible that the chief prosecutor would have decided on such a dramatic step, in a war that is still ongoing…if he had not at least had a ‘green light’ from the Americans. If this is true, this is another unprecedented low in relations between Israel and the US, at a very sensitive time, on the eve of the ground entry to Rafah,” Israeli journalist Amit Segal wrote. The Jewish News Syndicate pointed to ICC chief prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan’s alleged tendency to take marching orders from the US, pointing to Washington’s support for his election in 2021, and to his controversial decision to close out two ICC cases which “greatly troubled the Americans” related to suspected US war crimes in Afghanistan.

Separately on Sunday, Israel’s Walla news site reported that Netanyahu had spearheaded a “nonstop push over the telephone” focused on calls to the White House, to prevent ICC arrest warrants from being issued. Netanyahu warned Friday that Israel would “never stop defending ourselves,” and that while “decisions of the court in the Hague will not affect Israel’s actions, they would be a dangerous precedent threatening the soldiers and officials of any democracy fighting criminal terrorism and aggression.” “Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense. The threat to seize the soldiers and officers of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it,” Netanyahu added.

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“Washington is a criminal enterprise, and there is no electing someone big enough to change this.”

Insane vs Sane – Demonic vs Divine – Catherine Austin Fitts (USAW)

Catherine Austin Fitts (CAF), Publisher of The Solari Report, financial expert and former Assistant Secretary of Housing (Bush 41 Admin.), has long said, “The federal government is being run as a criminal enterprise. . . .not just a little criminal, but a lot criminal.” Now, CAF contends what is going on in America is much more than greedy criminals. CAF says, “This has turned into warfare against “We the People” on a spiritual level.” CAF goes on to point out, “There is so much effort in persuading people to think there is nothing you can do, and it’s hopeless. Let me tell you something . . . the central bankers are telling you what they are going to do, and this is not far away in the future. You have all these merchant codes where you cannot use your credit card to buy a gun or the bank throws you out. That’s the control grid getting built.”

What can you do to fight for freedom? CAF says, “Bring transparency, and the second thing is to use cash. If we can all use cash, build cash back up and keep checks going, if you have cash and checks, they cannot go to an all-digital financial system. Find out who is leading the way in your state, and see what you can do to support them. Above anything, you can pray because this is a spiritual war. The devil wants you to believe it’s hopeless and there is nothing you can do. . . . It’s not true. The sane cannot go along with the insane. The divine cannot go along with the demonic. You have to say NO! I am seeing this all over the country. I am seeing Treasurers and State Attorney Generals, and they are all pushing back because they realize this is insane. You cannot go along with this.”

CAF says not only do the Deep State globalists want control of the financial system, but they also want control of your food. CAF says, “You see at this level when you are trying to protect freedom, they cannot get financial control unless they can control the food supply. People can always start their own currencies as long as they can grow food. If you look at the push for financial control and central bank digital currency, it is the same push. They are pushing to control the food supply.” CAF thinks Washington is so broken, corrupt and criminal that whoever wins the Presidential Election it will not make much of a difference. CAF points out, “Look at how quickly Speaker Mike Johnson caved. Speaker Johnson caved for Ukraine and war all over the world, but he won’t protect our borders. Mike Johnson, Christian, conservative and not a dime to protect our borders. . . Washington is a criminal enterprise, and there is no electing someone big enough to change this. This is not Trump vs Biden. This is the pro-centralization team in Washington. We have to pull power back from Washington.”

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Water fuel cell

 

 

Comfiest
https://twitter.com/i/status/1784425052705792202

 

 

Zookeeper

 

 

Fluff
https://twitter.com/i/status/1784455315921994040

 

 

Duck fight
https://twitter.com/i/status/1784344522064809985

 

 

Bambi
https://twitter.com/i/status/1784575390943465716

 

 

Cat+

 

 

 

 

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May 092022
 
 May 9, 2022  Posted by at 2:07 pm Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,  14 Responses »


M.C. Escher Gravitation 1952

 

 

Earlier today, I read that the Russian ambassador to Poland was hit by a paint bomb while laying a wreath for WWII fallen soldiers, with the culprits chanting: “fascist, fascist”! And I thought that is rich, on the day that Russia commemorates the 25-40 million Russian lives lost in WWII fighting fascism.

I don’t know how many of you ever saw Claude Lanzmann’s 1980’s 8-hour documentary “Shoah”, but I did at some point. It shook all of me, every molecule, and I will never watch it again. I come from the land of Anne Frank. What it told me was that nazism wasn’t just a German thing, it was the region, not the nation, it was where most Jewish people lived before Hitler and Goebbels came along.

Lanzmann interviewed scores of Polish people who were loudly proud of having pushed back Jews, trying to flee, onto the cattle trains bound for Auschwitz et al. That same mentality has prevailed in large parts of Ukraine as well over the by now 80 years or so. Just look at the map: that’s where this was happening. And the Russians defeated it in that part of the world, not western troops.

And when it was done, the role of the 25-40 million Russian deaths in it was denied in the west, because: communism vs capitalism. But of course Russia cannot just ignore or deny all those deaths, just because Hollywood wants to sell tickets to Saving Private Ryan. For Russia, WWII meant: never again. And for them that means something slightly different than for us. It’s not just never again fascism or nazism, it’s also that these two things are symbolic for having your motherland invaded from the west, and by the west. Never again. That is why Russia moved into Ukraine.

And they are convinced that NATO was getting ready, with the remaining nazis in Ukraine, to attack the Donbass and Crimea. Note: Russia has an excellent secret service. They’re not just guessing. 100s of 1000s of troops were amassing on their eastern border(s).

And now Zelensky is calling the Russians the nazis. That’s quite the about face. They lost all those lives fighting the nazis, only to become the nazis themselves. Labeled so by an actor who relies heavily on admitted, and tattooed, 2022 nazis to stay in power.

Western media, and governments, had a zillion predictions about what Putin would say today, but still there was no mobilization of Russians, and no total war declaration. They were all wrong, again. But it helped get the clickbait up! Still, he would have said it if we did not announce his intentions!, us who have a direct line into his brain…

I’ll leave you with three full reports from today, so you can make up your own mind- something I always try to do. First, RT, for which I cannot provide a link (banned because it’s propaganda!), then Guardian and then BBC.

 

 

Launching The Offensive Was “The Only Right Decision,” Russian President Insisted At The Annual Victory Day Parade (RT)

Russia’s military operation in Ukraine was a preemptive move against future aggression, President Vladimir Putin has outlined during his address at the Victory Day parade in Red Square in Moscow on Monday. Putin not only praised the achievement of the Soviet people during World War II, but also addressed the Kremlin’s reasons for the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Russia had to act because a large-scale offensive against the breakaway republics in the eastern Donbass region was being planned, he claimed.

“We saw the military infrastructure unfolding [in Ukraine]; hundreds of foreign advisers starting their work; there were regular deliveries of the most modern weapons from NATO countries. The danger grew every day,” the president explained. “Russia gave a preemptive rebuff to aggression – this was a forced, timely and the only right decision by a sovereign, strong and independent country,” he added, referring to the launch of the military operation. “Despite all the disagreements in international relations, Russia has always advocated the creation of a system of equal and indivisible security,” Putin continued. He cited Moscow’s attempts to engage in dialogue on security guarantees with Washington late last year, which failed to yield results.

“NATO countries didn’t want to hear us, which means that, in fact, they harbored completely different plans, and we saw it,” he elaborated. There were open preparations for a punitive operation in the Donbass and “an invasion of our historical lands, including Crimea,” Putin insisted, adding that Kiev also announced plans to restore its nuclear capabilities. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the US has increasingly spoken of ‘American exceptionalism,’ Putin pointed out. By spreading those ideas, Washington is “humiliating not only the whole world, but also its satellites, which have to pretend that they don’t notice anything and humbly accept it all. But we are a different country,” he insisted.

Russia has a different character, we’ll never give up on our love for our Motherland, on our faith and traditional values and customs of our ancestors; on respect for all peoples and cultures. But the West has apparently decided to “cancel” those values, with such “moral degradation becoming the basis for cynical falsifications of the history of World War II, and the incitement of Russophobia,” he said. “We know that American veterans, who wanted to come to the parade in Moscow, were basically banned from doing so,” Putin added. But he pointed out that Russia remembered the feats of the US servicemen and their contribution to victory in World War II.

Returning to the military operation in Ukraine, the president illustrated that “the self-defense forces of the Donbass Republics together with the Russian military are fighting on their land… for the Motherland, for its future, to make sure that no one forgets the lessons of World War II, so that there would be no place in the world for butchers, punishers, and Nazis.” Announcing the “special military operation” on February 24, Putin said that Moscow should not repeat the mistakes of the Soviet leadership of 1940-1941.

Back then, he explained, the USSR tried not to provoke Nazi Germany by “refraining or postponing the most urgent and obvious preparations it had to make to defend itself from an imminent attack.” As a result, the president continued, the moment was lost and the country was not prepared to counter the invasion. “The attempt to appease the aggressor ahead of the Great Patriotic War proved to be a mistake which came at a high cost for our people…We will not make this mistake the second time. We have no right to do so,” Putin said.

 

 

The essence: “We will not make this mistake the second time. We have no right to do so,”

 

 

Putin Ties Ukraine Invasion To Second World War In Victory Day Speech (Guardian)

Vladimir Putin has told Russian soldiers they are “fighting for the same thing their fathers and grandfathers did” as he used his Victory Day speech to justify his invasion of Ukraine. As Putin sought to rally his country through the memory of the second world war, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, pushed back in his own address from Kyiv. “We will not allow anyone to annex this victory, we will not allow it to be appropriated,” he said. The dual speeches marked a closely watched anniversary in eastern Europe, where Russia has used claims that it is fighting fascism to justify its bombardment of cities such as Mariupol and Kyiv and to launch the largest military campaign in Ukraine since the 1940s.

Prior to the speech, foreign officials had said Putin could use it to launch a full mobilisation of Russian troops or formally declare war in Ukraine, but there were no large policy announcements. Instead he suggested Russia was “forced” into the war by Nato and pledged to provide aid for the families of soldiers who had died in what the Kremlin is calling a “special operation”. Speaking at the 77th annual celebration of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Russian president launched a defence of his war in Ukraine, pivoting from a recognition of Russia’s “greatest generation” to a description of how it was believed Ukraine was being armed by the west for an imminent attack on Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

“Nato countries did not want to listen to us,” Putin said. “They had different plans, and we saw it. They were planning an invasion into our historic lands, including Crimea … Russia gave a preemptive rebuff to aggression, it was a forced, timely and only right decision.” He also described the war as “sacred”. “The defence of the motherland, when its fate was being decided, has always been sacred,” Putin said, speaking of the second world war. “And now, you are fighting for our people in the Donbas. For the security of our homeland – Russia.” Russia provided fewer armoured vehicles than in past years during the Red Square parade on Monday and a planned flyover was cancelled, ostensibly due to weather conditions.

Putin did not bring up specific Russian victories in his speech, despite speculation his forces were engaged in a last-ditch effort to secure Mariupol and its Azovstal plant from the remaining Ukrainian defenders by 9 May. Instead, the Russian president addressed troop losses in the war, saying he had signed a new order that would give educational aid to the children of those killed. The Kremlin has been accused of seeking to cover up losses. After the sinking of the Moskva cruiser in the Black Sea, a number of families went public with claims the Russian military was trying to avoid confirming deaths onboard the ship.

“The death of each of our soldiers and officers is a grief for all of us and an irreparable loss for relatives and friends,” Putin said. “The state, regions, enterprises, public organisations will do everything to take care of such families and help them. We will provide special support to the children of the dead and wounded comrades. The presidential decree on this was signed today.”

The muted speech came in stark contrast to that delivered by Zelenskiy, who delivered a recorded address to a piano accompaniment as he walked through central Kyiv past anti-tank barricades. “This is not a war of two armies,” he said. “This is a war of two world views. A war waged by barbarians … who believe that their missiles can destroy our philosophy.” In the speech, Zelenskiy took aim at Russian claims Ukraine had sought to block 9 May celebrations, a focus of Russian state media in advance of the holiday.

“Our enemy dreamed that we would refuse to celebrate 9 May and the victory over Nazism,” said Zelenskiy. “So that the word ‘denazification’ will have a chance [to succeed] … On the day of victory over Nazism we are fighting for a new victory. The road to it is difficult but we have no doubt that we will win. “And very soon there will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. And some will not even have one left.”

 

 

“The defence of the motherland, when its fate was being decided, has always been sacred.”

 

 

Putin Says Russia Fighting For Motherland In Ukraine In Victory Day Speech (BBC)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian forces in Ukraine were fighting for the future of their motherland, in his annual address marking victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two. Despite rumours he would make a major announcement his speech stuck largely to defending Russia’s invasion. He tied the war in Ukraine to victory in 1945, blaming the West and Nato for rejecting security demands. Almost 10 weeks into the invasion, civilian casualties continue to mount. Some 60 civilians are feared dead in the eastern town of Bilohorivka, after a Russian attack on a school where people were trying to escape bombardment.

Flanked by military top brass, Russia’s leader spoke of Ukrainians as fascists, repeating his false claim that the democratic government in Kyiv was run by neo-Nazis. Defending the motherland had always been sacred, he said, referring to the eastern region which is now the main focus of Russia’s assault: “Today you are fighting for our people in Donbas, for the security of Russia, our homeland.” He also made unfounded allegations against Nato and Ukraine and described the invasion as a pre-emptive rebuff: “They were preparing a punishing operation in Donbas to intrude on our historic lands. In Kyiv they were saying they might get nuclear weapons and Nato started exploring the lands close to us, and that became an obvious threat to us and our borders.”

Ukrainian presidential official Mykhailo Podoliak later responded, tweeting that there were no rational grounds for the war: “Nato countries were not going to attack Russia. Ukraine did not plan to attack Crimea.” There had been speculation that Russia’s president may be considering a change of military strategy, either a full declaration of war, rather than the current so-called special military operation, or a mobilisation of Russian men to boost the armed forces. Instead he said he was signing a decree for families of the dead and wounded in Ukraine to receive special support.

There was a minute of silence, including for the fallen in Ukraine, and he ended his 11-minute address with the words: “Glory to our armed forces – for Russia, for victory, hurrah”, at which the assembled forces responded with a big cheer. The parade was more modest than in recent years. Russian news agencies said 11,000 troops and 131 armoured vehicles took part in the event, including Russia’s widely feted Armata tanks, which have not been considered combat-ready for the war in Ukraine.

Not everything went according to plan. A flypast by the air force had to be cancelled shortly before the parade because of “weather conditions”, according to the Kremlin. Ahead of Victory Day, warplanes had rehearsed over Red Square in a Z-formation, the motif used by the Russian state during its war in Ukraine. Smaller parades took part in cities across Russia and the weather was also blamed for similar cancellations of flypasts in Yekaterinburg, Rostov and Novosibirsk. There was no mention in Vladimir Putin’s speech of Mariupol, the southern Ukrainian port city where a small group of Ukrainian forces continue to hold out in a maze of tunnels under the Azovstal steelworks.

But Russia was able to claim limited success on Monday in Kherson, the one Ukrainian city it can claim to have fully occupied. State-run news agency Ria Novosti showed footage of a Victory Day march in memory of those who died in the war. It was led by Volodymyr Saldo, a pro-Russian local official who has been named Kherson governor and is now being investigated for treason by Ukraine. What was then the Soviet Union lost 27 million lives during World War Two, with Ukraine accounting for eight million of them. In a separate message marking 9 May, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Nazis had been expelled in 1945 and Ukraine would not allow anyone to “annex this victory”. Very soon, he said, Ukraine would have two victory days to celebrate.

 

 

 

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