Pablo Picasso Bust of woman with arms raised 1922
🚨BREAKING: President Trump is looking at implementing all watermarked paper ballots, same day voting, and Voter ID. pic.twitter.com/6aY3phnOHw
— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) December 16, 2024
Son
After just announced the $100 billion in new U.S. investments.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "I'm gonna ask him right now. Would you make it $200 billion instead of $100 billion? Would you do that?"
Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son: "I will try to make to make it happen. He is a great… pic.twitter.com/534cggOFxz
— AJ Huber (@Huberton) December 16, 2024
https://twitter.com/i/status/1868695541154288116
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "Starting on day one, we will implement a rapid series of bold reforms to restore our nation to full prosperity… Preparations are underway to slash massive job killing regulations, eliminating 10 old regulations for every new one." pic.twitter.com/Qn9YJfh14G
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 16, 2024
https://twitter.com/i/status/1868721105604583777
Eric Adams
JUST IN – President Trump to consider pardon for New York City Mayor Eric Adams; "Yeah I would. I think that he was treated pretty unfairly. Now, I haven't seen the gravity of it all——I mean I'd have to see it because I don't know the facts." pic.twitter.com/ccM24EkkKf
— Overton (@overton_news) December 16, 2024
Enten
CNN ANALYST HARRY ENTEN: "This is Trump's party."
"Folks like Romney just really don't exist in the GOP electorate or in Congress anymore."
"There are VERY FEW folks who dislike Donald Trump on the Republican side who are still in the U.S. Congress. He should be able to ram… pic.twitter.com/rjj0jyy8bw
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 16, 2024
Just when you thought Merchan and Alvin Bragg were fading, they’re back again.
“..a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence..”
• Judge Rules Trump Doesn’t Have Immunity In New York ‘Hush Money’ Case (ZH)
President-elect Donald Trump does not have immunity in the so-called “hush money” case in New York, Judge Juan Merchan ruled in a decision on Dec. 16. The conduct described by the 34 felony counts of which Trump was convicted earlier this year is related “entirely to unofficial conduct entitled to no immunity protections,” Merchan wrote. As Joseph Lord reports for The Epoch Times, the decision, coming in the wake of Trump’s sweeping victory in the 2024 presidential election, is tied to a U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year that reaffirmed the longstanding precedent that official presidential conduct enjoys “presumptive immunity” from criminal prosecution. The Supreme Court’s decision forced Merchan to determine whether the charges were presumptively immune under the law.
Trump’s attorneys contended that New York prosecutors introduced evidence during his seven-week trial that was protected by the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity doctrine. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) urged the judge to reject Trump’s arguments, arguing that no evidence placed before the jury was protected, and even if it was, it paled in comparison to “other overwhelming evidence of defendant’s guilt.” Merchan agreed, finding that none of the challenged evidence was protected. Even if immunity did extend to the evidence in question, Merchan wrote he “would still find that the People’s use of these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the Executive Branch, a conclusion amply supported by non-motive-related evidence.”
The Hill reports that Trump has separately argued that his White House victory compels the dismissal of the jury’s verdict and the case in its entirety. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) has pushed back, instead laying out alternatives like freezing the proceedings during Trump’s term. The judge has yet to rule on that matter. “Today’s decision by deeply conflicted, acting Justice Merchan in the Manhattan DA Witch Hunt is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesperson and incoming White House communications director, said in a statement. In a separate letter, Merchan revealed that Trump also sent a Dec. 3 letter alleging juror misconduct. The judge provided sparse details but indicated the issue would be made public with redactions.
“If he’d like to come, I’d like to have him.”
• Trump Says Zelensky Not Invited To Inauguration (RT)
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky was not invited to attend US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony next month, the incoming president told reporters on Monday. Trump, who defeated Democratic rival Kamala Harris last month, will officially be sworn in as the 47th president of the US on January 20 at an inauguration ceremony at the Capitol in Washington, DC. On Monday, Trump held his first formal press conference since winning the election. Asked by journalists whether he had invited Zelensky, Trump responded, “No, I didn’t invite him.” He, however, added, “If he’d like to come, I’d like to have him.” Trump met with Zelensky this month in Paris along with French President Emmanuel Macron for talks centered on the Ukraine crisis. Trump, who was reportedly reluctant to meet Zelensky, said afterwards that he wanted the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev to end as soon as possible.
NBC reported later that Trump’s team has been working hard to broker a truce between Ukraine and Russia that could pave the way for peace talks. Trump has repeatedly slammed the administration of current President Joe Biden for its handling of the conflict and claimed that the hostilities never would have broken out at all with him in the White House. According to media reports, Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the inauguration. The offer was reportedly made in early November, shortly after Trump’s election victory. However, it remains unclear whether Xi has accepted the invitation. CBS has reported, citing sources, that China’s ambassador to the US and his spouse are expected to attend the event, as per standard practice.
Trump’s team has suggested hosting other leaders at the Capitol on January 20 in addition to Xi. While ambassadors and diplomats are typically invited, State Department records since 1874 indicate that no foreign leader has ever attended the transfer-of-power ceremony. Among other officials invited, various media outlets have named Argentine President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that the Kremlin did not receive an invitation, according to RBK.
“A 2% allocation to Bitcoin from this pool would, in theory, drive the cryptocurrency’s price to around $900,000 per unit..”
• Trump May Use Bitcoin As US Reserve Asset On ‘Day One’ (CT)
Donald Trump will likely issue an executive order on his first day in office to designate Bitcoin BTC$102,801 as a United States reserve asset, according to Jack Mallers, CEO and founder of Strike. In a podcast interview with YouTuber Tim Pool, Mallers explained that the president-elect could rely on provisions within a so-called “Dollar Stabilization Act,” which grants him considerable authority to protect the US dollar.“There’s potential to use a day-one executive order to purchase Bitcoin,” Mallers stated, adding: “It wouldn’t be the size and scale of 1 million coins but it would be a significant position.” The Bitcoin Act of 2024, introduced by pro-crypto Senator Cynthia Lummis in July, proposes that the Treasury and Federal Reserve purchase 200,000 BTC annually over five years, accumulating 1 million BTC.
The reserve will be held for at least 20 years, thereby taking 5% of Bitcoin’s total supply (of 21 million tokens) from circulation. These speculations have resulted in some lofty new BTC price targets for 2025 and beyond. According to Perianne Boring, founder of The Digital Chamber, Bitcoin’s capped supply could lead to significant price appreciation, especially if Trump successfully implements many of his proposed crypto policies. “If Donald Trump is successful in putting forth a lot of the proposals that he’s proposed to the [crypto] community, the sky is the limit because Bitcoin has a fixed supply,” Boring stated in an interview with Fox Business. She pointed to the stock-to-flow model, which forecasts Bitcoin’s price to exceed $800,000 by the end of 2025.
Such a surge would push Bitcoin’s market capitalization to around $15 trillion, up from its current valuation of over $2 trillion. PlanB, the creator of the stock-to-flow model, meanwhile predicts Bitcoin to average around the $500,000 valuation across 2025. However, he believes that the price may go as high as $1 million. The stock-to-flow model’s Bitcoin price prediction hinges on the assumption that demand for BTC will continue to grow. The US Treasury theoretically accumulating 200,000 BTC every year reinforces the idea of stronger demand in coming years, since it’ll likely force other counties to consider a strategic Bitcoin reserve of their own.
BlackRock, which manages over $10 trillion worth of assets, has already recommending investors to allocate 1-2% of their portfolio to Bitcoin. “We see a case for investors with suitable governance and risk tolerance to include Bitcoin in a multi-asset portfolio,” the firm’s four senior executives, including Samara Cohen, chief investment officer of ETFs and Paul Henderson, senior portfolio strategist of BlackRock Investment Institute, said in a report published Dec. 12. To put this into perspective, the total global reserve assets are valued at approximately $900 trillion. A 2% allocation to Bitcoin from this pool would, in theory, drive the cryptocurrency’s price to around $900,000 per unit.
“In fact, there is only one stable rule: no rules for those who make the rules..”
• Western Leaders Think They’re Chosen By God – Putin (RT)
Western countries continue to act as if they are God’s representatives on Earth by trying to maintain their global dominance through imposing duplicitous rules, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Speaking at a meeting of top Russian Defense Ministry officials on Monday, Putin noted that the military and political situation in the world remains complicated and unstable, pointing to the bloodshed in the Middle East and other regions of the world. The president stated that the current US administration, as well as most other Western governments, are still trying to preserve their global hegemony and force the international community to play by their “so-called rules” that constantly change and distort in a way that is convenient for them.
“In fact, there is only one stable rule: no rules for those who make the rules, for those who consider themselves to be at the head of the whole world, those who consider themselves to be representatives of God on Earth, although they themselves do not believe in God,” Putin said. He said that those who refuse to play by the West’s rules are subjected to hybrid wars and a “policy of containment,” as has been done in respect to Russia. “In an effort to weaken our country, to inflict a strategic defeat on us, the US continues to pump the de facto illegitimate ruling regime in Kiev with weapons and money, send mercenaries and military advisers and thereby encourage further escalation of the conflict,” the president explained. He also alleged that the West was instilling fear into its citizens by effectively provoking Russia and pushing it to the “red line” and then using that response to further frighten their populations.
Putin stressed that the West’s continued support for Ukraine, as well as its continued expansion and deployment of weapons near Russia’s borders, are pushing Moscow to the point where it will eventually have no other choice but to retaliate. He mentioned that Russia is already taking additional measures to ensure its security and that of its allies, such as updating its nuclear doctrine and equipping its army, navy, and strategic nuclear forces with modern weapons. In November, Russia officially revised its nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. According to the document, Moscow reserves the right to deploy its nuclear arsenal against a nuclear or conventional attack that poses “a critical threat to its sovereignty and/or territorial integrity.” The revised doctrine also states that an attack against Russia by a foreign nation that does not have weapons of mass destruction, but is backed by a nuclear power, should be considered as a joint attack by both.
The bets against Russia are/were a set of blind ideas.
• German Government Collapses Just One Week After French Implosion (ZH)
Europe is disintegrating as legacy political regimes are collapsing over across the world. Just one week after Marine Le Pen precipitated the collapse of the French government, on Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in the German Parliament on Monday, a defeat that effectively ended the increasingly unpopular government he has led since 2021 and ushered in elections early next year. German lawmakers voted to dissolve the existing government by a vote of 394 to 207, with 116 abstaining. The collapse of the government just nine months before elections had been scheduled was an extraordinary moment for Germany, once Europe’s powerhouse but now a laughingstock at the mercy of both China and Russia.
This will be only the fourth snap election in the 75 years since the modern state was founded, and it reflected a new era of more fractious and unstable politics in a country long known for durable coalitions built on plodding consensus. The confidence vote, in the same month that the French government fell, deepens a crisis of leadership in Europe at a time of mounting economic and security challenges. The war in Ukraine has reached a pivotal moment, with Russia set to make decisive territorial gains and perhaps even push on toward Kiev, while president-elect Donald J. Trump is set to take office in the United States. And now, Europe’s largest and second largest economies are in the hands of a caretaker governments, as the continent is sent reeling in a tailspin of chaos and revulsion to the status quo.
Scholz had little choice but to take the unusual step of calling for the confidence vote after his three-party coalition splintered in November, ending months of bitter internal squabbling and leaving him without a parliamentary majority to pass laws or a budget. And now, the political uncertainty could last for months. The elections are expected to be held on Feb. 23, but even if, as expected, his party does not finish first, Scholz would remain in place as a caretaker chancellor until weeks after that. He would step down only after a new coalition forms, which will probably not happen until April or May according to the NYT.. Seven parties will go into the campaign for Parliament with a realistic chance of gaining seats, and some on – especially on the right – are poised for very strong showings, according to polls.
The campaign is likely to be dominated by several issues that have roiled Europe in recent years. Germany and France, traditionally the two most influential countries in the European Union, are mired in debates over how best to revive their struggling economies, breach growing social divides, ease voter anxieties over immigration and buttress national defense. Meanwhile, the establishment EU partners are looking warily toward Russia, where Putin has escalated threats about the use of nuclear weapons amid Moscow’s war against Ukraine, and where states like Germany have been providing Kiev with long-range missiles to be used deep inside Russia, in the process ensuring that relations with Moscow are abysmal for years to come.
“This is madness. It is like a state coup against our own industry. It is inexplicable.”
• German Politician: Sanctions A ‘State Coup’ Against European Industry (Sp.)
The European Union’s continued sanctions against Russia harms member states that still import Russian oil and is akin to a “state coup” against Europe’s industry, Ralph Niemeyer, head of the German Council for the Constitution and Sovereignty, told Sputnik. On Wednesday, the Hungarian EU presidency announced that ambassadors from member states had agreed on the EU’s 15th package of sanctions against Russia. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said the new package of restrictions targeted Russia’s “shadow fleet.” “This is madness. It is like a state coup against our own industry. It is inexplicable. We still buy Russian [oil] and import it via India. It is a crazy situation, and I think all these sanctions have only made life harder but had no political effect on Russia,” Niemeyer specified.
After these sanctions were imposed, Russia began manufacturing many goods at home. Now even European companies are eager to return to the Russian market, Niemeyer told Sputnik, adding that this situation shows that these restrictions “no longer impress anyone.” Russia has repeatedly affirmed its resilience against escalating sanctions. President Vladimir Putin has cautioned that efforts to contain Russia would inflict serious harm to the global economy. Furthermore, Western countries have frequently admitted the ineffectiveness of sanctions.
They volunteered.
• German Economy Is ‘Unraveling’ – Bloomberg (RT)
Germany is approaching a point of no return amid a deepening economic downturn and political uncertainty, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Facing a second year of zero growth, the EU’s largest economy is on a path to decline that threatens to become irreversible, the outlet warned. Estimates show that after five years of stagnation, the German economy is now 5% smaller than it could have been if the pre-pandemic growth trend had persisted. The global economic slowdown, along with years of “poor” decisions has hit Germany hard, the article stated. Its export-driven industry, accounting for about 30% of its GDP, faces structural challenges, such as the loss of cheap Russian energy and the struggles of automotive giants Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, hit by soaring energy costs and increased competition from China.
The decline in national competitiveness translates to a loss of around €2,500 ($2,600) per household annually, according to Bloomberg calculations. The “unraveling” of the German economy would send ripples across the rest of the EU, experts warn. ”Germany doesn’t collapse overnight. That’s what makes this scenario so absolutely gut-wrenchingly terrifying,” Amy Webb, CEO of Future Today Institute, which advises German companies on strategy, told the outlet. According to Webb, a gradual, prolonged downturn will affect not only German companies or cities, “but of the entire country and Europe gets dragged down with it.” The slump comes at a time when the country is preparing for a snap election in February. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition collapsed earlier this month following the ousting of Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who intends to run for chancellor next year, said on Sunday that his country had been forced into a corner by insufficient investment into its infrastructure and skilled workforce. On Friday, the German central bank slashed its growth forecast for next year to 0.2%, from the 1.1% level it had predicted in June. The regulator also said it expects the economy to contract by 0.2% this year, having previously predicted modest growth of 0.3%. ”The competitive position of German industry has worsened,” Joachim Nagel, president of the Bundesbank, said earlier this month. “Growing foreign markets have not provided growth impulses as they did in the past.”
Germany’s once-booming automotive industry is expected to lose its market share and speed up the relocation of production abroad, according to economists at Bantleon. As a result, the sector could lose up to 40% of its value-added in Germany over the next decade. The German economy has been falling behind its peers in recent years, largely due to a prolonged manufacturing downturn. Germany was the only Group of Seven economy to contract in 2023.
Freeland is the Ukraine-born lever of Kiev in Canada. Guess they’re all giving up. Trudy may want to slip away in the darkness.
• Trudeau Considering Quitting As FinMin Freeland Unexpectedly Resigns (ZH)
Update (2:30pm ET): Canada’s CTV News reports that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is considering interrupting Parliament (prorogation) or resignation according to unnamed sources. The sources say he has spoken to his cabinet and plans to address Parliament later on Monday. This comes after finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned earlier on Monday citing disagreements over how to deal with tariff threats from US president-elect Donald Trump. If confirmed, it would mean government collapse in 4 of the staunchest, and most developed “non-banana republic” Western democracies: France, Germany, South Korea and now Canada. And, of course, we use the term “non-banana republic” sarcastically. As for Turdeau, his odds of being Tru-done just spiked to 88% on Polymarket.
* * *
In a stunning move that shakes the government, Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet after he tried to move her to a different role. Freeland has been the most powerful person in Trudeau’s cabinet for years, and was the point person in strategizing how to counter US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs. Trudeau has now seen the departure of two finance ministers in a little more than four years. Freeland got the job in 2020 after the prime minister had a falling out with then-Finance Minister Bill Morneau over issues such as spending on Covid-related income support programs.
“..networks like MSNBC and CNN are in a ratings and revenue free fall after the election [..] Both are facing possible sales at potentially bargain basement prices.”
• The Disney/ABC Settlement Reflects a New Reality for Media (Turley)
The late Richard J. Daley famously declared that “we as Democrats have no apologies to make to anyone.” That doctrine seems still to be alive and well with many in the party when it comes to President-elect Donald Trump. After ABC News and its anchor George Stephanopoulos apologized to Trump this week to settle a defamation lawsuit, many Democrats were apoplectic. Marc Elias, the controversial lawyer involved in the funding of the infamous Steele dossier by the Clinton campaign, denounced ABC News for bending a knee to Trump. He then trolled for contributions for his own organization as “unapologetically pro-democracy.” Of course, ABC was not apologizing for advancing democracy but for alleged defamation. The network and the anchor expressed “regret” for stating that Trump was found “liable for rape” in a New York civil case. (The jury found that Trump had sexually abused and defamed E. J. Carroll).
While Trump was never convicted of rape, Stephanopoulos repeated the claim ten times in his interview with Re. Nancy Mace, (R., S.C.). What made the settlement interesting is that ABC was previously relying on the statements of the judge in the New York case, Judge Lewis Kaplan, who declared that the charge of rape was “substantially true…as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’” Stephanopoulos played up his defiance of Trump with CBS’s late-night host Stephen Colbert. To the delight of Colbert, who regularly attacked Trump on his show and openly supported both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Stephanopoulos proclaimed that he wouldn’t be “cowed out of doing my job because of a threat.” He added, “Trump sued me because I used the word ‘rape,’ even though a judge said that’s in fact what did happen. We filed a motion to dismiss.” So what happened?
Well, two things and both are related to the timing of the settlement. First, the settlement came just before ABC and Stephanopoulos were to be called for depositions, as ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid. That discovery was likely to prove more embarrassing for the network than it would Trump and could have revealed internal messages on the controversy. The danger is on full display in another courtroom where CNN has been losing critical motions in a defamation case where punitive damages could result. Anchor Jake Tapper and CNN are being sued by Navy veteran Zachary Young after falsely suggesting that he and his organization were exploiting desperate Afghan refugees. Discovery uncovered malicious and unprofessional emails from producers promising to “nail” Young and making the segment his “funeral.” Disney was not eager to put its matinee personality, Stephanopoulos, through a similar meat grinder.
Second, the settlement occurred after an election in which Trump won the trifecta of the White House, Congress, and the popular vote. Like most media, ABC was known for its unrelenting attacks on Trump and favorable coverage toward his opponents. The network’s iconic show, The View, has become an unhinged, partisan rave session against Trump, Republicans, and the majority of American voters. The show’s hosts now regularly read retractions or corrections to blunt allegedly defamatory screeds from its hosts. It has gotten to the point that the ABC General Counsel may soon need a chair at the table. Disney is trying to adopt a more neutral stance after years of opposition for its stances on political issues and accusations of ultra-woke products. It is still struggling to appeal to over half of the country, including the most recent controversy involving the star of its soon-to-be-released remake of Snow White.
After the election, actress Rachel Zegler declared herself “speechless” over the results. That would have been a welcomed state for Disney, but the actress then found her voice in the most polarizing way, publicly praying “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.” Zegler was clearly miscast in the film. It was the evil Queen that was supposed to harken “a blast of wind to fan my hate.” On top of these controversies, ABC News was attacked by many of its handling over the Trump debate with Vice President Kamala Harris and it’s biased “fact-checking.” With networks like MSNBC and CNN are in a ratings and revenue free fall after the election, Disney clearly wants to start fresh with the new administration. Both are facing possible sales at potentially bargain basement prices.
The media echo chamber against Trump failed spectacularly in this election. With record levels of distrust of mainstream or legacy media, the public has increasingly shifted to new media. In the meantime, Trump has been running the table on lawfare with the dismissal of the two federal cases and a victory on presidential immunity in the Supreme Court. The Georgia prosecution is falling apart over the conduct of the prosecutors rather than that of the defendant. The New York civil case faced a highly skeptical court over the grotesque award against Trump and his corporation.
Even Democratic politicians like Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) now feel comfortable admitting publicly that the New York hush money prosecution was “bullsh*t.” For many politicians and pundits, the election seemed to flip the magnetic poles of the country. We now have ABC News giving millions to the Trump Presidential Library as democratic donors move toward a boycott of the Biden President Library. With networks like MSNBC and CNN struggling for their very existence, ABC is intent on having a chair when the music stops. While the ABC settlement may not be an admission of guilt, it is a recognition of the reality after this historic election.
“..right-wingers “have to be like a Roman legion, which always prevails over larger armies, precisely because no one breaks the formation.”
• Argentina’s Milei Calls For Global Right-Wing Alliance (RT)
Global right-wing groups should form an alliance to combat leftist and centrist ideologies, which are turning the world into “hell,” Argentine President Javier Milei has said. He made the remarks on Saturday at an annual political festival organized in Rome by Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party. According to Milei, a right-wing populist, a concerted effort from global right-wing groups is necessary to fight the liberal left, which he slammed as “the cult of power for power’s sake.” “The left is proof that the most terrible ideas can triumph culturally if they are well marketed… it prefers to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. And, if they have to turn heaven into hell to stay in power, they will do it,” Milei stated at the annual Atreju event.
Adhering to liberal ideology has cost Argentina “a whole century of humiliation,” with “traditional politics” bringing the country “nothing but ruin,” he added. Milei claimed that he also sees the “extreme center” masquerading as socialism as an adversary, whose “position and tools are always functional to the criminal left.” “There is no consensus between good and evil. That is why we are skeptical of any concept of a center that, on the surface, is moderate, but beneath the surface, is complicit and always functional to socialism,” he argued, saying that nationalists around the world should unite to defeat these two “evils.” “The only way to fight organized evil is with organized good. When the adversary is strong, the only way to defeat him is with greater force,” Milei stated, arguing that the world is facing “epochal changes” where the global system of “privileged castes” is collapsing.
“We have to take responsibility for this reality and rise to the occasion, and the most effective way is to be together, establishing channels of cooperation throughout the world,” he said, calling for Italian nationalists to join his effort of creating an “incipient right-wing international” alliance. Driving his point home, Milei used a reference to Italy’s historic roots, saying that right-wingers “have to be like a Roman legion, which always prevails over larger armies, precisely because no one breaks the formation.”
Milei and fellow right-wing politician Meloni have been working on establishing closer relations since last year. In an apparent attempt to reinforce the ties between their two states, the government in Rome this weekend granted Milei and his sister Karina Italian citizenship. It is not the first time that Milei has pitched the idea of uniting the right wing around the world. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Buenos Aires earlier this month, he urged the right to unify and launch a “cultural battle… to prevent leftists from gaining ground anywhere.”
Russia will have to retaliate by killing someone of similar stature.
• Russia’s Chemical Defense Chief Killed In Moscow Blast (RT)
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces (RChBZ), has died in a blast together with his aide. According to investigators, an explosive device hidden in a scooter was detonated on Tuesday morning near the entrance of a residential building in Moscow’s south-east. Here’s what is known about Kirillov: From September 2014 to April 2017, he served as the head of the Military Academy of the RChBZ named after Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Timoshenko. In April 2017, Kirillov became the chief of the RChBZ troops. Kirillov dealt with anti-terrorism both domestically and abroad. He exposed the provocations of the controversial White Helmets volunteer organization in Syria, and participated in mitigating the consequences of natural and man-made disasters.
Since the beginning of the military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, Kirillov has spoken at briefings held by the Ministry of Defense, where he shared information about Ukrainian developments in the areas of radiological, chemical, and biological weapons. In March 2022, he announced that Ukrainian biolaboratories were studying the potential for transferring highly dangerous infections through migratory birds. The same month, Kirillov presented copies of documents that, according to him, confirmed the Pentagon’s funding of biological laboratories in Ukraine. In June 2024, Kirillov stated that spent nuclear fuel and hazardous chemical waste were being imported into Ukraine for a potential “dirty bomb” creation. He added that radiochemical substances were still being brought into Ukraine for disposal. According to him, these supplies were overseen by Andrey Yermak, Vladimir Zelensky’s right-hand man, with primary routes passing through Poland and Romania.
In October 2024, the UK slapped Kirillov with sanctions after he accused Ukraine of preparing a false-flag chemical weapons attack with the aim of framing Russia and undermining its position at the OPCW. Kirillov noted that NATO had provided Ukraine with a much larger amount of chemical protective equipment than the country actually needs, calling it further evidence of an impending plot. In November 2024, Kirillov said that Ukraine planned to seize a nuclear power plant during its large-scale incursion into the Kursk Region. Kirillov was killed in the blast one day after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) formally declared him a suspect in the alleged use of chemical weapons against Kiev’s military. The general rejected claims that Russia had been attacking Ukraine with riot control agents and chemical weapons, recalling that the OPCW had confirmed the complete destruction of all Russian chemical weapons stockpiles in 2017.
“Even the approach of Christmas cannot dampen the mood of war..”
• EU’s Top Diplomats To ‘Fight’ Over Ukraine Arms Supply – Szijjarto (RT)
“A big fight” is looming in Brussels on Monday over the allocation of billions of euros earmarked to arm Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has warned. The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council is holding its last meeting before Christmas in Brussels on Monday. The conflict between Moscow and Kiev is at the top of the agenda. The bloc’s top diplomats “want to free up more than €6 billion” to purchase arms for Ukraine, Szijjarto wrote on Facebook while arriving at the Budapest airport to depart for the meeting. “Even the approach of Christmas cannot dampen the mood of war,” stated Hungary’s top diplomat. “Even with the possibility of a Christmas ceasefire and mass prisoner exchanges on the table,” the EU’s top diplomats will discuss further arming Ukraine, he lamented.
Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban put forward a proposal for a ceasefire over the Christmas period and a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Kiev has since rejected the proposal. Moscow confirmed receiving the offer, while pointing at Kiev’s refusal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow supports Orban’s initiatives and hopes that consultations on peace will continue. “There will be a big fight today, but we will not give in… we need a ceasefire in Ukraine, not more weapons!” concluded Szijjarto. Hungary, along with neighboring Slovakia, is opposed to the EU policy of arming Kiev and has been calling for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
The meeting in Brussels is being chaired for the first time by the new EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas. The Estonian diplomat took over from Josep Borrell on December 1. She has advocated for tougher sanctions on Russia and is known for her strident stance against Moscow.
When in a hole, dig harder..
• EU Slaps New Sanctions On Russia (RT)
The European Council adopted its 15th package of sanctions against Russia on Monday, focusing on efforts to weaken Moscow’s military and industrial capabilities and targeting its export revenues. The measures address the “circumvention of EU sanctions” by targeting what is called Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, the Council said in a statement. For the first time, “fully-fledged” restrictions have also been imposed on “various Chinese actors” that the EU accuses of supplying drone components to Moscow. The “significant package” adopted on Monday consists of 54 individuals and 30 entities “responsible for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” the Council said.
The EU targeted primarily Russian defense firms and shipping companies that transport crude oil and oil products by sea. A chemical plant and a civilian Russian airline, “an important provider of logistical support” to the Russian military, were also sanctioned. A travel ban, asset freeze, and a ban on providing economic resources were placed on “various Chinese actors supplying drone components and microelectronic components” to Russia, stated the Council. Some of the targeted entities are located in third countries such as China, India, Iran, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates, it added. The EU said it “remains ready” to consider “further sanctions.”
The bloc has adopted a series of measures aimed at reducing Russia’s export revenues, weakening its military capability and showing support for Kiev since the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. The previous package of restrictions was adopted in June. The EU requires unanimity to adopt new sanctions. Moscow has long criticized the measures targeting its economy and trade, while many experts in both Russia and the West have said that unilateral sanctions do more harm to the countries that impose them than to Russia itself.
“Are you aware that the main diminishing return of our magical computer tech is that it’s made our society an order-of-magnitude dumber across the board?”
They’ve got thirty-five days to. . . to do something! (Somebody, please do something!!!)
• Santa, Please Bring Me a War for Christmas (Kunstler)
So, you expected “Joe Biden” to serve up a neat little Christmas-time World War Three, lobbing ATACMS into Russia and all, but instead, surprise surprise, you got The War of the Worlds: mysterious drones hovering on-high over the endless muffler shops, manicure parlors, mafia palazzos, and mosques of New Jersey. But there seems to be more to this than, say, the stunt that Orson Welles pulled in 1938, scaring a few rubes over the radio. This ain’t no foolin’ around. It’s been going on for weeks. And not just in New Jersey. But around New York City, up the Hudson River Valley above Stewart Airport, over in Massachusetts, down in Pennsylvania, and out in Ohio in the vicinity of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton Ohio. Howls of “WTF” echo all over the cable news channels. The US government — that is, the twilighting “Joe Biden” admin — plays dumb.
Alejandro Mayorkas, our unimpeachably frank Homeland Security chief told ABC-News on Sunday “that there’s no question that drones are being sighted.” I’m sure that told you a lot. He went on to explain that the FAA changed its rules last year allowing drones to fly at night. Are we to suppose that avid US drone-owners waited until the very last month of this year to start flying their pet aircraft after dark? Pentagon spox John Kirby, added helpfully at a news conference that federal investigators had been “unable to corroborate reports of any unauthorized drones above New Jersey.” (Translation: DARPA and other Pentagon ops are too busy figuring out new ways to surveil and kill you to bother with these drone swarms.)
Theories abound and multiply. One is that these are US Govt drones seeking signals of radioactivity emanating from a nuclear bomb supposedly purloined out of Ukraine’s old Soviet arsenal — and possibly stashed in a shipping container or some-such other hidey-hole along our east coast. It’s a good story. It’s rumored that some-60 Uke nukes from that era have gone missing in the decades since. Of course, the theoretical owner of such a device would have to be pretty dumb to not stash his nuke in a lead-shielded casket to prevent detection. In the meantime, what else can be said or done? Standing by on that mushroom cloud. . . . Blogger / Author and former White House stenographer (2002 – 2018) Mike McCormick had a neat theory: that shipping interests were testing drone deliveries of imported goods from offshore in an attempt to work-around the longshoreman’s union contract negotiations currently underway. The union has been fighting against automation that would eliminate the good-paying jobs of 85,000 dock-workers. Any takers on that one?
Of course, it’s difficult to swallow the govt’s statements that, basically, they dunno nuffins ‘bout no drones. There are enough of them flying over enough varied terrain that surely the USAF could find a way to shoot one down over a cow pasture in, say, Orange County, New York. I’m frankly a little surprised that some enterprising civilian marksman hasn’t popped off a few 7mm Remington mag loads into the hovering lights. At least they haven’t said it’s Santa Claus testing a new high-tech delivery system that would put his old-timey sleigh-and-reindeer out of business. The theory I lean toward is the notion that “Joe Biden” (meaning the DC blob) is desperately seeking some way to obstruct or fend-off the January 20th inauguration of Mr. Trump. Because, well, to put it bluntly, a whole lot of blobistas are worried about going to jail when the likes of Kash Patel, John Ratcliffe, Tulsi-G, and Pam Bondi get their mitts on the levers of power and start opening up the files. They’ve got thirty-five days to. . . to do something! (Somebody, please do something!!!)
There was a lot of chatter all year long about a coming space alien emergency. I know, sounds preposterous, and even more so when you consider that the military arm of the blob would be so dumb as to try to pass off drones as alien spacecrafts — like something out of a 1950s horror movie when the “special effects” had to be done with puppets and balsa-wood models flying on wires. Maybe it’s actually come to that in this super dumbed-down age. (Are you aware that the main diminishing return of our magical computer tech is that it’s made our society an order-of-magnitude dumber across the board? Well, it has.) The situation remains fluid, with ongoing investigations and public discourse about the implications and origins of these drone activities. The FBI is on-the-case (so never fear!) along with Mr. Mayorkas and his outfit, and maybe even the US military. Chill. They got this — as Hollywood loves to say. Go shopping. Have a goshdarn eggnog. Shut up.
After Syria fell, why would anyone listen to Moscow?
• Russia Warns Israel Against Annexing Golan Heights (RT)
Israel should avoid being “intoxicated by opportunities” presented by the ongoing crisis in Syria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has warned after Israeli troops launched an incursion into the neighboring country. Earlier this month, Syrian opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadists launched a surprise offensive across the country, capturing a number of major cities, including the capital Damascus. In response, Syrian President Bashar Assad resigned and was granted asylum in Russia. Following the fall of Assad’s government, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) invaded the buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights. Despite harsh criticism from the UN and Arab states, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that his cabinet had approved a plan to expand the Jewish population in the illegally occupied area and “settle” in the Golan Heights indefinitely.
Commenting on the developments on Monday, Ryabkov was asked which external players were acting behind the scenes in Syria. The diplomat said that aside from the US, whose presence is “definitely visible,” Israel is one of the main “beneficiaries” of the current situation. “I would like to warn certain ‘hotheads’ in West Jerusalem against being intoxicated by opportunities,” Ryabkov said, stressing that “the annexation of the Golan Heights, which many are talking about now, is absolutely unacceptable.” He called on Israel to return to full implementation of the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria, under which a buffer zone was established in the Golan Heights.
Previously the Israeli government claimed that the agreement had “collapsed” with the fall of the Assad government. IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi stated that Israel “isn’t intervening in what is happening Syria” and has “no intention of administering Syria.” However, he said that after the Syrian Army collapsed, there is now a “threat that terror elements will come here, and we advanced so… extreme terror elements won’t settle close to the border with us.” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has also said that the incursion into the buffer zone is intended to create a new “security area” that would be clear of “heavy strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructure.”
“[Türkiye] wanted [Syria] for thousands of years, and he got it… Türkiye did an unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost..”
• Assad’s Overthrow An ‘Unfriendly Takeover’ By Türkiye – Trump (RT)
Türkiye is behind the regime change in Syria, US President-elect Donald Trump claimed on Monday in his first press briefing since the November election. Trump called the overthrow of Bashar Assad and his government an “unfriendly takeover” by Ankara. The situation in Syria has changed drastically over the past two weeks after militants led by the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group launched an offensive against the country’s troops, taking over major cities, including the capital Damascus. After the collapse of the Syrian military, the armed opposition seized power, forcing President Assad to flee to Russia, where he was granted political asylum. “Those people that went in are controlled by Türkiye, and that’s OK,” Trump stated. He added that he considers Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “smart” and “very tough” guy for succeeding in the overthrow of the Syrian leadership.
“[Türkiye] wanted [Syria] for thousands of years, and he got it… Türkiye did an unfriendly takeover without a lot of lives being lost,” Trump added. He also praised what he described as Türkiye’s “major military force” which “has not been worn out with war.” According to Trump, Türkiye will also play a significant role in Syria’s future. “Nobody knows what the final outcome is going to be in the region. Nobody knows who will rule in the final… Right now, Syria has a lot of indefinites, but I think Türkiye is going to hold the key to Syria,” the president-elect predicted. Türkiye shares its longest land border with Syria, over 900km, and had been a main backer of opposition groups aiming to topple Assad since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Despite listing the jihadi HTS, which initiated the current unrest, as a terrorist organization, Ankara is thought to have significant influence over the group.
Türkiye also backs the Syrian National Army (SNA), which earlier this month launched its own offensive in the eastern part of the country, hoping to capitalize on the collapse of Syrian government forces. Days prior to Assad’s overthrow, Erdogan voiced support for the insurgency in Syria, urging the armed opposition to continue their march to Damascus. Since Assad’s ouster, Washington and Ankara, which both back various rebel groups in the region, have held talks on ways to stabilize the situation and counter the potential resurgence of Islamic State militants in Syria. At a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan last week, the two agreed to continue working together on preventing terror groups from abusing the current instability in the country and on bringing peace to the region, starting with efforts to establish an interim government.
“Ultimately, Assad’s fall was due to the betrayal by his own generals.”
• Russia Defended Its Syrian Ally Despite Al Qaeda’s Siege (SCF)
Bashar Al Assad’s government has collapsed, and the Syrian Arab Republic no longer exists. Despite having some advantage over HTS terrorists (formerly the Al Nusra Front, a local branch of Al Qaeda), the Syrian Army failed to stop their advance, leading to the fall of the capital and a regime change. Thanks to Russian support, Assad and his family were spared, and the Syrian president has already been granted asylum in Moscow. On social media, pro-Western propagandists and anti-Russian groups have been pushing the narrative that Assad’s defeat is “Russia’s fault.” Rumors about a supposed “deal” between Russia, Israel, and Turkey to allow Syria’s fall have been circulating, but these are baseless claims.
It is essential to understand that Assad’s downfall was the result of a coup, not a military defeat. Al Qaeda forces were suffering heavy losses on the battlefield, despite making some progress mainly due to the Syrian army’s strategic retreats. The Russian Aerospace Force was actively targeting terrorist positions, creating a favorable military situation for the legitimate Syrian government. However, as reported, Assad was pressured into signing an agreement with the opposition to allow a “peaceful” regime transition. In exchange, he was granted the opportunity to leave the country and seek asylum in Moscow. The Syrian president likely did this to avoid a further civil war and to improve the lives of the Syrian people, but he was also under significant pressure from internal “allies.”
Days before Damascus fell, reports of tensions between Republican Guard officers and other military units had started to surface. Clearly, there was growing discontent and potential mutiny within the pro-government forces. The consistent retreat of Syrian troops, even when they held technical and numerical advantages, led some analysts to suspect sabotage by certain Syrian commanders. It is important to remember that the economic crisis, foreign sanctions and the lack of satisfactory reforms had created precarious conditions in the Syrian army. Syrian generals had extremely low salaries, of just a few tens of dollars, which explains why they were easily co-opted by foreign powers. There was a betrayal of Assad, but it came from within Syria itself, not from external allies like Russia or Iran. Several factors could explain this.
Assad had recently begun to engage with Gulf powers, traditional rivals of Iran, who pressured Syria to reduce foreign military presence. Some Syrian generals supported this narrative, creating pressure that limited Assad’s ability to seek further Russian and Iranian assistance during the terrorist offensive. Numerous videos have surfaced showing Syrian soldiers frustrated that they were prohibited from fighting. Ordinary soldiers were ready to defend the country against Al Qaeda, but their commanders ordered them not to engage. There is enough evidence to support the claim that the betrayal of Assad came from within the Syrian military, with possible connections to external actors, including Turkey and the Gulf states. From Russia’s perspective, aside from its commitment to traditional allies, there were pragmatic reasons to protect Assad.
A pro-Russian Syria prevented the construction of a Qatari-Turkish gas pipeline that could have supplied Europe. Additionally, Russian military bases in Syria allowed Moscow to secure a strategic foothold in the Mediterranean and maintain a balanced relationship with Turkey. More importantly, Russia had security concerns. Al Qaeda fighters in Syria had received training from Ukrainian instructors and were equipped with Western weapons from aid packages to Kiev. The HTS also included a significant number of Salafist mercenaries from Central Asia. Russia faces significant security risks from terrorist infiltration among Central Asian immigrant groups, making the return of war experienced terrorists from Syria a serious concern.
It was not in Russia’s interest to allow these experienced terrorists to return to Central Asia, nor to see the Kiev regime benefit from military reinforcements from Wahhabi militias that had fought in Syria. Had Assad remained in power and defeated the terrorists, these risks would have been minimized. Ultimately, Assad’s fall was due to the betrayal by his own generals. Russia did all it could to assist Syria, but the Syrian army itself was not engaged in the fight. The tragedy in Syria represents a victory for Russia’s geopolitical adversaries, which underlines the fact that Moscow did everything possible to prevent this outcome.
“..Türkiye and Israel worry that today’s conquerors may prove ephemeral, and may soon themselves be displaced.”
• The End Of Syria – And Of “Palestine” For Now- (Alastair Crooke)
Syria has entered the abyss – the demons of al-Qa’eda, ISIS, and the most intransigent elements of the Muslim Brotherhood are circling the skies. There is chaos, looting, fear, and a terrible passion for revenge scalds the blood. Street executions are rife. Maybe Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and its leader, Al-Joulani, (following Turkish instruction), thought to control things. But HTS is an umbrella label like Al-Qa’eda, ISIS and An-Nusra, and its factions have already descended into factional fighting. The Syrian ‘state’ dissolved in the middle of the night; the police and army went home, leaving weapons depots open for the Shebab to loot. The prison doors were flung (or prised) open. Some, no doubt, were political prisoners; but many were not. Some of the most vicious inmates now roam the streets.
The Israelis – within days – totally eviscerated the defence infrastructure of the state in more than 450 air strikes: missile air defences, Syrian air force helicopters and aircraft, the navy and the armouries – all destroyed in the “largest air operation in Israel’s history”. Syria no longer exists as a geo-political entity. In the east, Kurdish forces (with U.S. military support) are seizing the oil and agricultural resources of the former state. Erdogan’s forces and proxies are engaged in an attempt to crush the Kurdish enclave completely (although the U.S. has now mediated a ceasefire of sorts). And in the south-west, Israeli tanks have seized the Golan and land beyond to within 20 kms of Damascus. In 2015 the Economist magazine wrote: “Black gold under the Golan: Geologists in Israel think they have found oil – in very tricky territory”. Israeli and American oilmen believe they have discovered a bonanza in this most inconvenient of sites.
And a big impediment – Syria – to the West’s energy ambitions has just dissipated. The strategic political balancer to Israel that was Syria since 1948, has vanished. And the earlier ‘easing of tensions’ between the Sunni sphere and Iran has been disrupted by the rude intervention of ISIS rebrands and by Ottoman revanchism working with Israel, via American (and British) intermediaries. The Turks have never really reconciled themselves to the 1923 Treaty that concluded World War I, by which they ceded what is now northern Syria to the new state of Syria. Within days, Syria has been dismembered, partitioned and balkanised. So why do Israel and Türkiye still bomb? The bombing started the moment Bashar Al-Assad departed – because Türkiye and Israel worry that today’s conquerors may prove ephemeral, and may soon themselves be displaced.
You don’t need to own a thing in order to control it. As powerful states in the region, Israel and Turkey will wish to exercise control not just over resources, but over the vital regional crossroads and passageway that was Syria. Inevitably however, ‘Greater Israel’ is likely, at some point, to butt heads with Erdogan’s Ottomanesque revanchism. Equally the Saudi-Egyptian-UAE front will not welcome the resurgence of either ISIS re-brands, nor the Turkish-inspired and Ottomanised Muslim Brotherhood. The latter poses an immediate threat to Jordan, now bordering the new revolutionary entity. Such concerns may push these Gulf States closer to Iran. Qatar, as purveyor of arms and funding to the HTS cartel, may again be ostracised by other Gulf leaders.
The new geo-political map poses many direct questions about Iran, Russia, China and the BRICS. Russia has played a complex hand in the Middle East – on the one hand, prosecuting an escalating defensive war versus NATO powers and managing key energy interests; while, at the same time, trying to moderate Resistance operations toward Israel in order to keep relations with the U.S. from deteriorating utterly. Moscow hopes – without great conviction – that a dialogue with the incoming U.S. President might emerge, at some point in the future.
“We, the people, hate it. We hate the brutality of our governments.”
• West’s Mask Is Off In Fight For The Soul Of Humanity – Roger Waters (RT)
“Criminal lunatics” in the West want to bring about a future in which genocide is permitted, and it’s up to people who don’t agree with that to make a stand, Pink Floyd frontman and human rights activist Roger Waters has said. The rock legend is well known for his support of the Palestinian cause and criticism of Israel and its supporters. The 81-year-old discussed the escalation of violence in the Middle East and revealed what gives him strength to keep campaigning during an interview on the program Going Underground. ”We are watching the machinations of possibly the end of an empire, the Western empire. The mask is off. We, the West, behave with unbearable brutality towards oppressed peoples all over the world,” he said. “We, the people, hate it. We hate the brutality of our governments.”
This is “an existential battle for the soul of the human race,” Waters added. He believes his side has billions of like-minded supporters.If the empire wins this battle, our children and grandchildren and any survivors of this stuff will have to live in a future where we’ve just all agreed that a genocide is OK. Waters mocked activists who cheered the fall of the Syrian government earlier this month. The government in Damascus never had a chance to make things better for the Syrian people because of Western sanctions and the partial military occupation of the country, he said. The US has effectively been “stealing” Syrian oil for a decade, Waters claimed. ”We are a gang of powerful gangsters here, and we are going to steal everything that there is in the world that is worth stealing,” he said of the West’s policy.
Space
https://twitter.com/i/status/1868476560396955963
Siblings
https://twitter.com/i/status/1868422041445277850
Rich
Such a rich man.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/XJsN3DKPXo
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) December 16, 2024
Hello!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1868263884907598054
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