Trump era: Fascist dawn, or road to liberation?

[angelburst29]

I have to admit, that it's quite fun to watch all these MSM talking heads being completely discombobulated now that Muellers report is proven to be a complete nothing burger.

There's been talk about releasing this Mueller report "on The Hill" for the last two months. What I find interesting, is the timing of this release - that it coincides "after Trump genuflected to Netanyahu by moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and declaring Jerusalem as the State of Israel's Capital. Since then, there has been one concession after another - to accelerate Netanyahu/Israel's game book plans in the West Bank (Palestine) and in the Golan Heights (Syria).

On a number of occasions, I have suspected that Netanyahu has been working behind the scenes with Mueller and steering the activities on the various investigations, mainly to manipulate Trump and keep him off guard? Hillary was in Netanyahu's pocket but Trump getting into the Presidency was a whole different ball game. Trump didn't "owe alliance" to Netanyahu and Trump had some really big idea's, like improving relations with Russia and Putin, reducing the Troops overseas and bringing them home, neutralizing NATO ... and cutting back on military spending - the list goes on - none of which supported Israeli interests. Trump was a loose cannon and Netanyahu had to find a way of blocking Trump's moves, by using a third party, to control and limit Trump's activities.

I have noticed an acceleration in manipulation tactics and multiple Foreign Policy screw-ups, since X-CIA Director Pompeo was sworn in last April, replacing Rex Tillerson. I have little doubt, Pompeo is on Netanyahu's payroll? He's been playing the heavy weight in steering Foreign Policy, along with Bolton and Pence.

I reason, the Mueller (22 month) investigations were to keep the "heat" on Trump and wear him down by the constant turmoil, to also create chaos in the White House, so key figures could be replaced in Trump's inner circle, that were subservient - only to Israel? The long term plan was to soften Trump up, so he would make concessions that would play into Netanyahu's plan to win this election - with Netanyahu making "the Deal" of getting Mueller off Trumps back? Problem - reaction - solution ... and Netanyahu was behind it from the very beginning ... and I think, Trump is keenly aware of that?

U.S. President Donald Trump outraged the Arab world and stoked international concern by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December and moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May. Palestinian leaders suspended ties with the U.S. administration after the embassy move. The United States Consulate General in Jerusalem, which serves Palestinians, will be absorbed into the new U.S. Embassy to Israel on March 4th or 5th, at which point the position of the consul-general will end

February 19, 2019 - US Palestinian Mission to merge with Israel Embassy in March
U.S. Palestinian mission to merge with Israel embassy in March

The U.S. State Department changed its usual description of the Golan Heights from "Israeli-occupied" to "Israeli-controlled" in an annual global human rights report released on Wednesday.

March 13, 2019 - U.S. drops reference to 'Israeli-occupied' Golan Heights in annual rights report

U.S. officials are preparing an official document to codify recognition by the United States of Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights and President Donald Trump is likely to sign it next week, a senior administration official said on Friday.

March 22, 2019 - U.S. preparing official document on recognizing Israeli sovereignty of Golan Heights: source

With Israel's election only two weeks away, Benjamin Netanyahu will get to showcase his close ties with Donald Trump in a U.S. visit days after the president backed Israel's hold over the occupied Golan Heights.

March 24, 2019 - Netanyahu visits U.S. ally ahead of close Israeli election

U.S. President Donald Trump's call for recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights was manna from heaven for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks before an election.

March 25, 2019 - Trump's Golan move boosts Netanyahu but long-term risks for Israel

With Israel's election only two weeks away, Benjamin Netanyahu will get to showcase his close ties with Donald Trump in a U.S. visit days after the president backed Israel's hold over the occupied Golan Heights.

March 24, 2019 - Netanyahu visits U.S. ally ahead of close Israeli election

In boost for Netanyahu, Trump signs proclamation recognizing Golan Heights as Israeli territory

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory in an election boost for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as his chief political rival sought to appear as a better alternative to lead Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States on Monday and the military dispatched reinforcements to the Gaza border after a rocket attack near Tel Aviv wounded seven people.

March 25, 2019 - Netanyahu cuts short U.S. trip after rocket attack from Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strongest election challenger, Benny Gantz, called on Monday for unity and moderation in a speech to a major pro-Israel U.S. lobby group that has been uneasy at Netanyahu's courting of far-rightists.

March 25, 2019 - Netanyahu rival Gantz, addressing pro-Israel lobby in U.S., urges unity

Pompeo acting as the middleman between Netanyahu and Trump - with Netanyahu calling the shots? BTW, I don't know if anyone has noticed but Plump-Pompeo has been packing on a few extra pounds lately? Must be a side effect of the good life (money and power).

Pompeo pays pre-election visit to Israel, cites close Trump-Netanyahu ties (March 20, 2019)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showcased his close relationship with the Trump administration on Wednesday, hosting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo three weeks before an Israeli election.

Pompeo, in first, accompanies Israeli PM to Jerusalem's Western Wall (March 20, 2019)

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accompanied Israel's prime minister on a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on Thursday in the first such gesture since Washington recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, angering Palestinians.

~~~
Mueller does not find Trump campaign knowingly conspired with Russia

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election did not find that any U.S. or Trump campaign officials knowingly conspired with Russia, according to details released on Sunday.

Trump responds to Mueller report: 'complete and total exoneration'
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday welcomed Special Counsel Robert Mueller's long-awaited report that found his presidential campaign did not work with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election in his favor.

Trump legal team says Mueller report totally vindicates president
U.S. President Donald Trump's legal team said on Sunday the president was completely vindicated by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump slams Russia probe as 'illegal takedown'
U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the federal probe into whether his presidential campaign worked with Russia to sway the 2016 election, and encouraged a look at "the other side," after the Justice Department said on Sunday that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion.

Trump lashes out after Russia probe, cites 'treasonous' and 'evil' acts
President Donald Trump lashed out at unnamed enemies on Monday, accusing them of evil actions and treason, a day after his attorney general released a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings clearing the president's campaign of conspiring with Russia in the 2016 U.S. election.

Russia calls on U.S. to formally recognize there was no collusion
Russia's foreign ministry called on the United States on Monday to formally recognize there was no collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign at the 2016 elections following the conclusion of a months-long U.S. investigation.

Kremlin, after Mueller report, says it's open to better U.S. ties
Russia is ready to improve ties with the United States but it is up to Washington to make the first move, the Kremlin said on Monday after the conclusion of a U.S. investigation into alleged collusion between Donald Trump and Moscow in the 2016 election.

Russian lawmaker says Mueller findings unlikely to change U.S. ties: RIA
A senior Russian lawmaker said on Monday it was unlikely there would be a sudden change in relations with Washington after the conclusion of a U.S. investigation into collusion between Donald Trump and Russia in the 2016 presidential election, RIA news agency reported.

Russian lawmaker proposes 'reset' in U.S. ties after Mueller report
Moscow would be happy to mend ties with Washington after a report by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Monday.

Letter from attorney general to Congress on Mueller report
The following is the text of the letter United States Attorney General William Barr sent to Congress on Sunday summarizing a report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on his investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election:

Factbox: The Mueller investigation: Five takeaways
Here are five takeaways from the 22-month Trump-Russia investigation by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller that concluded with a summary submitted to Congress on Sunday by Attorney General William Barr:

Trump lashes out after Russia probe, cites 'treasonous' and 'evil' acts
President Donald Trump lashed out at unnamed enemies on Monday, accusing them of evil actions and treason, a day after his attorney general released a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings clearing the president's campaign of conspiring with Russia in the 2016 U.S. election.

Mueller report is blow to U.S. Democrats' plans to probe Trump
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's conclusion that U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign did not collude with Russia in the 2016 election is a serious blow to Democrats who had hoped Mueller's report would boost their own wide-ranging probes into Trump's business dealings.

Timeline: Big moments in Mueller investigation of Russian meddling in 2016 U.S. election
Here is a timeline of significant developments in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and whether President Donald Trump's campaign conspired with Moscow.

 

[angelburst29]

The lawmaker noted that Trump’s opponents would have to swallow the fact that the White House occupant is there to stay.

March 25, 2019 - Mueller report deals White House trump card, Russian senator says
Mueller report deals White House trump card, Russian senator says

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller

The report by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluding that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia to influence the 2016 election gives the US presidential administration a chance to start its ties from scratch with Moscow, Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev said.

"Certainly, a lot can be rectified if there is goodwill. I do not rule out any initiatives on Russia in the near future because the outcome of the Mueller report has now dealt Trump’s team a full hand of trump cards," Kosachev, who heads the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote on his Facebook page.

According to the senator, within the Trump administration there are such hawks as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, whose position had served as a proof that "Russia would be given a tough response."

"In any case, there is a chance to start a lot in our relations from scratch, but that’s a question of whether Trump will take this risk. Certainly, we are ready. And I suggest beginning from the most pressing things: the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) and New START (Strategic Arms Reduction) Treaties," Kosachev proposed.

The lawmaker noted that Trump’s opponents would have to swallow the fact that the White House occupant is there to stay. "His chances for re-election starting from yesterday seem to be much stronger. The opponents of the incumbent president wanted the best, but you know the rest. Essentially, not a single politician has managed to build a bright future based on lies," he stressed.

The US president will now have much more room for maneuvering and he could use it, according to Kosachev. However, the US Congress had translated all its anti-Russian decisions into laws. "This is not just a precaution. I believe those who had accused Trump of collusion with Moscow knew very well that this was a lie, but they needed to buy time to pass this bulk of laws against Russia and tie the White House’s hands. And they did it," Kosachev stressed.

Why answer a lie? - The long-awaited Mueller’s report showed what Russia had known from the very outset: there was no collusion between Trump or any member of his team with the Kremlin, the senator said. Meanwhile, Russia has nothing to celebrate about because all the allegations against it are still in place. "So this is a holiday only for America and only for the pro-Trump faction of the establishment."

In its turn, Moscow should react to the fact that high-ranking politicians had been lying about collusion for two years, and given the circumstances, the US leader was forced to introduce harsher measures against Russia, the senator says. "These two years were not just lost for Russian-US relations, for them they were simply crushing. Will anyone be held liable for this damage, will anyone apologize? Will anyone correct something?" the senator questioned.

Kosachev recalled the infamous deception that had been peddled that Saddam Hussein "possessed" weapons of mass destruction: "Did they offer an apology, did they pay any compensation? They said so: yes, we lied, but Saddam is still a bad guy and that’s why we used force for a good reason."

"Now this will be exactly the same: yes, there was no collusion, but the sanctions against Russia need to be toughened," Kosachev explained.

On March 24, the US Department of Justice presented a report on the investigation launched by Special Counsel and ex-FBI director Robert Mueller in May 2017. It found no evidence that the Trump campaign team "had conspired or coordinated" with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. However, the report alleges that Moscow tried to influence the election through its Internet Research Agency (IRA) and via hacker attacks. Trump and his aides have repeatedly rejected all allegations of any illicit contact with Russian officials during the election campaign. Russia has also repeatedly denied all allegations that it had attempted to influence the US election.

 

[angelburst29]

Early this morning, I turned on the radio while I was going through the apartment - top cleaning. For about three hours, I alternated between two local news/talk stations, that allow for call-ins. This Mueller investigation is not "going over too well." Every call was a complaint of some kind - either about the investigation (itself) or the media or how everyone was mislead by the major news stations. Day in and day out - for almost three years ... IT WAS ALL A BIG LIE! The majority of callers were really angry because they felt "used or mislead", like it was a game. For the most part, this investigation has created "a creditability issue" who to believe and who - not.

This article hits upon some of the issues and peoples reactions.

Mueller-Dämmerung
Mueller-Dämmerung

Excerpt:

That story goes a little something like this …

Back in November of 2016, the American people were so fed up with the neoliberal oligarchy that everyone knows really runs the country that they actually elected Donald Trump president. They did this fully aware that Trump was a repulsive, narcissistic ass clown who bragged about “grabbing women by the pussy” and jabbered about building “a big, beautiful wall” and making the Mexican government pay for it. They did this fully aware of the fact that Donald Trump had zero experience in any political office whatsoever, and was a loudmouth bigot, and was possibly out of his gourd on amphetamines half the time. The American people did not care. They were so disgusted with being conned by arrogant, two-faced, establishment stooges like the Clintons, the Bushes, and Barack Obama that they chose to put Donald Trump in office, because, -flick- it, what did they have to lose?

The oligarchy that runs the country responded to the American people’s decision by inventing a completely cock-and-bull story about Donald Trump being a Russian agent who the American people were tricked into voting for by nefarious Russian mind-control operatives, getting every organ of the liberal corporate media to disseminate and relentlessly promote this story on a daily basis for nearly three years, and appointing a special prosecutor to conduct an official investigation in order to lend it the appearance of legitimacy. Every component of the ruling establishment (i.e., the government, the media, the intelligence agencies, the liberal intelligentsia, et al.) collaborated in an unprecedented effort to remove an American president from office based on a bunch of made-up horseshit … which kind of amounts to an attempted soft coup.

 

[angelburst29]

At his first political rally since the end of the Russia collusion probe, President Donald Trump on Thursday accused backers of the investigation of trying to overturn the 2016 election and attempting "illegally" to claim power.

March 28, 2019 - At rally, Trump says Russia probe backers tried to steal power illegally

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Make America Great Again rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S., March 28, 2019.
Declaring the country “hurt” by the probe, Trump called his opponents “losers and celebrated the fact the investigation had come to a close.

“After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead. The collusion delusion is over,” he told a crowd of thousands at a Grand Rapids arena.
“The Russia witch hunt was a plan by those who lost the election to try and illegally regain power by framing innocent Americans – many of them, they suffered – with an elaborate hoax,” he said.

On Sunday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr released a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s more than 300-page report about his investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election. The investigation did not establish that members of Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia during the election.

The findings delighted the president and his inner circle, who spent the first two years of his administration confronting a cloud of suspicion over how the New York businessman and political novice won the White House.

With that cloud largely lifted, Trump has let loose, calling out those who supported the investigation and referring to evil acts of treason by his opponents.

Trump revisited that theme at the rally, knocking the media and Democrats and calling for accountability.

U.S., three Central American countries agree on joint police operations

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez and officials representing the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador attend a multilateral meeting at the Honduran Ministry of Security in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera/File Photo

The United States said on Wednesday it had reached an agreement with three Central American countries to carry out joint police operations in the region, as the Trump administration seeks to stem the flow of migrants across its southern border.

The governments of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the United States said in a statement they had agreed to a series of measures, including joint police work, improved border security, and efforts to deter international crime and curb “irregular migration.”

 

[angelburst29]

Trump declares probe into Russian election meddling as “the greatest hoax in the history of our country”.

29 March 2019 - Trump turns Mueller probe’s findings into political weapon
Trump turns Mueller probe’s findings into political weapon

US President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a Make America Great Again rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on March 28, 2019. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

Presenting himself as both vindicated and vindictive, a fired-up President Donald Trump on Thursday turned the findings of the Russia investigation into a political weapon at a Michigan rally that was part victory lap, part 2020 campaign push.

Trump unleashed a fervent diatribe about the inquiry, which he deemed “the greatest hoax in the history of our country.” He warned that those behind the probe “would be held accountable,” aired his grievances about the “unfair” media coverage and seethed that the matter was an attempt “to tear up the fabric of our great democracy.”

“After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is dead,” said Trump. “This was nothing more than a sinister effort to undermine our historic election victory and to sabotage the will of the American people.”

The rollicking 82-minute speech unfolded before a boisterous crowd in a key state that Trump swiped from Democrats in 2016. It marked his first political event since Attorney General William Barr released a summary that said special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence that his campaign “conspired or coordinated” with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. With the cloud of the probe largely lifted, Trump is hoping to win re-election by keeping Michigan and several other Rust Belt states in his column.
“It’s going to be so much easier the second time: We’re one for one,” Trump boasted.

U.S. Attorney General Barr to release redacted copy of Mueller report in mid-April
U.S. Attorney General William Barr plans to issue a redacted copy of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's nearly 400-page investigative report into Russian interference in the 2016 election by mid-April, he revealed in a letter to lawmakers on Friday.

Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan said Monday (March 25) he had authorized US$1 billion (S$1.35 billion) to build part of the wall sought by President Donald Trump along the US-Mexico border.

Mar 26, 2019 - Pentagon authorizes US$1b for Trump’s border wall
Pentagon authorises US$1b for Trump’s border wall

US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has authorised the US Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing the project. PHOTO: AFP

The Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon to build 57 miles (92km) of 18-foot (5.5m) fencing, build and improve roads, and install lighting to support Mr Trump’s emergency declaration as concerns the border.

Mr Shanahan “authorised the commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning and executing up to US$1 billion in support to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol,” a Pentagon statement read.

The acting defence secretary defended the move by citing a federal law that he said “gives the Department of Defence the authority to construct roads and fences and to install lighting to block drug-smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States in support of counter-narcotic activities of federal law enforcement agencies.”

The statement was released just hours before Mr Shanahan was due to testify in Congress to present and defend the Pentagon’s draft budget.

Trump threatens to close U.S.-Mexico border to trade because of immigrant surge
President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to close the U.S. border with Mexico to trade if Mexico does not stop immigrants from reaching the United States.

After Trump border threat, Mexico says doesn't act on threats
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter on Friday that Mexico does not act on the basis of threats after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border if Mexico does not stop illegal immigration.

 

[angelburst29]

What Can We Do? They Are Insane!
What Can We Do? They Are Insane! - Global Research

A few days ago I was seriously asking myself whether Donald Trump was insane after he spent a weekend tweeting/lambasting a dead John McCain. Today I have confirmation that he is not the only insane one on the national security team… We are doomed!

This report from the BBC regarding American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo‘s view of the possible divine origin of the 2016 election result as a necessary intervention to “save the Jews” is possibly the most frightening bit of commentary to come out of the Trump national security team.





Pompeo by virtue of his office has great power to do good or ill and he has clearly chosen to make decisions based not on American interests but rather on his own personal interpretation of a religious text. Further, he is promoting American interference in an election in Israel which might have led to a rejection of the extreme right wing philosophy that guides its current government.

The move yesterday to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights was part and parcel of a plan to promote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the candidate who would be best able to secure unlimited support from Washington.

More might be coming in the form of some recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian West Bank prior to the April 9th election or even some military action against Iran.

Pompeo clearly believes that this is all part of some divine plan. Anyone who persists in thinking that nations should pursue policies that are rational and based on genuine interests should be appalled by the Pompeo comments and fearful of what the consequences might be.

 

[Windmill knight]

That's just the sort of BS that psychopaths will say to impress people. I don't think Pompeo really believes that Trump is God's chosen to save Israel, simply because he is incapable of having any sense of religiosity, not even the most primitive one. It's just that it's convenient for him to say so as an extreme way of showing his and Trump's loyalty to Israel. But then again, they are only loyal to Israel in as much Israel is really in control of the US via its lobby groups, the media and what not. It's like when George W. made a show of being a 'second born Christian'. He doesn't really comprehend what religion means for normal people - in fact, I don't think he even wonders nor cares about it.

 

[goyacobol]

Wow, a "Christian" CIA director. You can do a lot of damage with that combination. I have been thinking about the Zionist deception for years and wondering if Christians will ever see through the propaganda. It really doesn't look very good to me that there will be a "great awakening" in the sense of Christians learning about the "chosen" people and their true origins.

I would have been one of the sleeping ones if I had not started to ask questions about my own religious beliefs and found Laura's Work.

Most of my family will still probably vote for Trump based on his support for Israel. I think of all the prayer meetings Bush Jr. attended when he was president. The veneer of faith goes a long way to accomplish voter support and continued support for Israeli occupation and expansion.

How "Divine" the schemes of deception are.

 

[angelburst29]

Not a Divine plan but common sense, We send "Million's" of tax dollars to these Countries, on a yearly basis, to prop up their economy. In return, their elites pocket it into their secretive accounts. Time - the buck stopped - here!

U.S. ending aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras over migrants

The United States is cutting off aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, known collectively as the "Northern Triangle," the State Department said on Saturday, a day after President Donald Trump blasted the Central American countries for sending migrants to the United States.

Trump threatens closure of U.S.-Mexico border next week to stem asylum surge

President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to close the U.S. border with Mexico next week, potentially disrupting millions of legal border crossings and billions of dollars in trade, if Mexico does not stop immigrants from reaching the United States.

Nadler says Mueller report should be released to Congress without redactions

U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said on Friday that Attorney General William Barr should send Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report to Congress without redactions.

U.S. House Republican says it would be illegal to release full Mueller report

The top Republican on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said on Friday that Attorney General William Barr would "break the law" if he released Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report without redactions, as Democrats are demanding.

 

[angelburst29]

CNN has aired a segment in which pundit Fareed Zakaria tells the network’s audience that the US president has “been unwilling to confront Putin in any way on any issue” and asks “will Venezuela be the moment when Trump finally ends his appeasement?”

CNN And WaPo Demand That Trump Further Escalate Tensions With Russia April 1, 2019
CNN And WaPo Demand That Trump Further Escalate Tensions With Russia

The segment is a near-verbatim reading of Zakaria’s Washington Post column from a couple of days prior, so that’s two massive prongs through which this false and pernicious narrative is being driven into mainstream consciousness claiming that the Trump administration has been far too dovish toward Moscow, rather than dangerously hawkish as is actually the case.

Zakaria begins his segment by describing the Trump administration’s (completely illegitimate) efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, then describing Russian efforts to counter this agenda as an attempt to “taunt the United States.” He then spends the rest of the segment asking if Trump will be brave and patriotic enough to further escalate tensions against a nuclear superpower. Zakaria concludes by implying that if Trump fails to increase world-threatening nuclear tensions to effect yet another US regime change intervention in yet another oil-rich country, it will be because he is a Kremlin agent.

Published on Mar 31, 2019 (3:50 min.)

The big question for Washington is: Will it allow Moscow to make a mockery of another U.S. red line?” Zakaria said. “The United States and Russia have taken opposing, incompatible stands on this issue. And as with Syria, there is a danger that, if Washington does not back its words with deeds, a year from now, we will be watching the consolidation of the Maduro regime, supported with Russian arms and money.”
Yes Fareed, there is a real “danger” that if the Trump administration you liberal pundits claim to oppose doesn’t act like the reckless madman you claim he is and tempt hot war with a nuclear superpower in order to effect regime change in a sovereign nation, that regime change agenda will fail. Very, very dangerous to not flirt with nuclear war over US resource control agendas.

“The administration has been tough on Russian involvement in Venezuela,” said Zakaria. “Trump himself has even declared, ‘Russia has to get out.’ But that is an unusual statement from Trump, who has almost never criticized Putin and often sided with Russia on matters big and small.”

Zakaria goes on to cite the Obama administration’s ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul, who claimed in a Washington Post article that, contrary to the Trump administration’s claims of being hawkish toward Russia, “Even on small issues of little relevance to American national interests, Trump sides with Putin.”

“I have never alleged collusion or conspiracy between Russia and Trump, writing merely that we should wait to see what evidence special counsel Robert S. Mueller III presented,” Zakaria concludes, trying to shelter himself from the ridicule that is being directed at the debunked Russiagate conspiracy while simultaneously promoting it. “But the real puzzle remains: Why has Trump been unwilling to confront Putin in any way on any issue? And will Venezuela be the moment when Trump finally ends his appeasement?”

You could not ask for a more perfect illustration of just how dangerous and toxic this years-long Russiagate psyop has been. Even after the Mueller investigation concluded with no mass arrests, no sealed indictments, no further indictments and no evidence of Russian collusion, the mass media war propagandists are attempting to use the Russia hysteria they’ve already manufactured via the collusion narrative to create demand for more escalations against Russia. Fragmenting and undermining Russia and shoving it off the world stage has been an agenda of opaque US government agencies since the fall of the Soviet Union, and steps have been taken into a new cold war to effect this agenda for more than five years now, long before liberals in America spent any part of their day thinking or caring about Vladimir Putin. Mass media outlets like CNN and WaPo have been actively facilitating this agenda by promulgating these false narratives, and they are playing an instrumental role in convincing the US populace to keep their foot off the brake pedal in an accelerating and world-threatening new cold war.

Trump has already greatly escalated tensions with Russia by implementing a Nuclear Posture Review with a much more aggressive stance against Russia, withdrawing from the INF treaty, bombing and illegally occupying Syria, arming Ukraine, staging a coup in Venezuela, and many, many other hawkish actions taken against the interests of Russia’s geostrategic and economic interests. It is an indisputable fact that Trump has been more aggressive toward Russia than any other president since the fall of the Berlin wall. But the Russiagate narrative enables the war propagandists to not only ignore these escalations and the danger they pose to all life on earth, but to demand more and more of them.

Stephen Cohen, one of the foremost experts on US-Russia relations in America, made the following observation way back in April of 2017 in an interview with Democracy Now:

I think this is the most dangerous moment in American-Russian relations, at least since the Cuban missile crisis. And arguably, it’s more dangerous, because it’s more complex. Therefore, we — and then, meanwhile, we have in Washington these — and, in my judgment, factless accusations that Trump has somehow been compromised by the Kremlin. So, at this worst moment in American-Russian relations, we have an American president who’s being politically crippled by the worst imaginable — it’s unprecedented. Let’s stop and think. No American president has ever been accused, essentially, of treason. This is what we’re talking about here, or that his associates have committed treason.

Imagine, for example, John Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis. And for the viewers who are not of a certain age, the Kennedy administration was presented — and the evidence, by the way, was presented to us; they showed us the surveillance photos. There was no doubt what the Soviets had done, putting missile silos in Cuba. No evidence has been presented today of anything. Imagine if Kennedy had been accused of being a secret Soviet Kremlin agent. He would have been crippled. And the only way he could have proved he wasn’t was to have launched a war against the Soviet Union. And at that time, the option was nuclear war.

Published on Feb 21, 2015 PBS documentary (51:53 min.)

To be clear, we came within a hair’s breadth of total nuclear annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Nobody likes to think about how close we all came to losing literally everything, and we didn’t find out exactly how close we came until years later, but armageddon came *this* close to happening. The primary risk of nuclear war isn’t that one will be planned and carried out in the hope of one side emerging victorious, it’s that something can go cataclysmically wrong as a result of miscommunication or misunderstanding in the midst of complex and confusing escalating tensions. This almost happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Due to his extensive knowledge of the dynamics in play, Cohen saw all this coming long before anyone else, and accurately predicted the waves of cold war escalations we’ve seen since. Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard recently confirmed his prediction, tweeting, “Short-sighted politicians and media pundits who’ve spent last two years accusing Trump as a Putin puppet have brought us the expensive new Cold War and arms race. How? Because Trump now does everything he can to prove he’s not Putin’s puppet — even if it brings us closer to nuclear war.”

This is how depraved the mass media are. They’re willing to lull the populace into complacency with the formation of a new cold war that threatens everyone they love, even get them demanding direct confrontation, all to please their plutocratic owners, their military-industrial complex sponsors, and the intelligence agencies with which they are aligned. They’re willing to risk getting us all killed for money and crude oil.

If we’re going to begin bringing our society and ecosystem into health, we’re going to have to find a way to extricate the influence of these toxic manipulators from the minds of the greater populace. As long as they’re able to propagandize the majority into consenting to even the most insane omnicidal agendas, we’ll never be able to use our superior numbers against the malignant manipulations of the few who would rule us. Whoever controls the narrative controls the world, and right now it’s the evil fingers that are pulling the strings of empire lackeys like Fareed Zakaria.

If there is an attempted military intervention, the overwhelming majority of Latin American countries will be adamantly opposed to that, Russia’s top diplomat said.

April 3, 2019 - Lavrov certain Cuban Missile Crisis will not be repeated due to events in Venezuela
Lavrov certain Cuban Missile Crisis will not be repeated due to events in Venezuela

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov © Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

The situation in Venezuela will not result in another Caribbean crisis in relations between Russia and the United States, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily posted on its website on Wednesday.

"I don’t think that the Caribbean crisis will be repeated now," he said. "Even those countries, which formed the so-called Lima Group and argue that the only way out of the Venezuelan crisis are snap elections preceded by President Nicolas Maduro’s resignation, became perplexed as soon as the US began saying that all options were on the table hinting at military intervention."

"I guarantee that, if there is an attempted military intervention, the overwhelming majority of Latin American countries will be adamantly opposed to that and reject that policy," Russia’s top diplomat added.

Venezuela must choose its development path on its own, Lavrov went on to say. "The fact that Nicolas Maduro agreed to hold talks with [opposition leader] Juan Guaido and his team in response to an appeal from Mexico, Uruguay and the Caribbean Community, and Guaido rejected the mediators’ appeal, speaks volumes," he stressed.

According to Lavrov, the United States does not want Venezuela to reach national consensus. "It wants its puppet who will do everything they [the Americans] will tell him, primarily regarding oil, to rule the country," he added.

US national security adviser John Bolton earlier said Trump was set to talk with Putin by phone soon.

March 30, 2019 - Trump says may discuss Venezuela with Putin soon
Trump says may discuss Venezuela with Putin soon

US President Donald Trump © AP Photo/Evan Vucci

US President Donald Trump said he may discuss the situation in Venezuela with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, Reuters reported on Saturday.

"We will probably be talking at some point," the US leader told reporters at his estate in Florida. "I’ll be talking to a lot of people - perhaps President Putin, perhaps President Xi of China."

US national security adviser John Bolton said on Friday that Trump was set to talk with Putin by phone soon. He also said his country viewed the deployment of other states’ troops in Venezuela as a threat to the region.

El Comercio earlier reported the arrival of An-124 and Il-62 planes to Caracas Airport on March 23, carrying Russian servicemen and 35 tonnes of cargo on board. Venezuelan President of the Constituent Assembly Diosdado Cabello later confirmed the information.

In a comment released on March 26, Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that experts from Russia arrived in Venezuela in strict compliance with the country’s constitution and the bilateral intergovernmental agreement on military-technical cooperation signed in May 2001 and duly ratified by both states.

 

[aragorn]

I may be silly, but I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that Trump had retweeted this clip with the two Bidens:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1113862077842640898

Trump is quite the troll...

 

[angelburst29]

President Donald Trump on Thursday lamented the amount of money that the United States, China and Russia spend on weapons production, including nuclear weapons, and suggested that such money could be better spent elsewhere.

Trump laments military spending by U.S., China and Russia, floats deal idea

FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the Cabinet room at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Trump, during a meeting with Chinese vice premier Liu He in the Oval Office, floated the idea of following up on a potential trade deal with China with a second phase deal that addressed the issue of military spending and arms production.

“As you know China is spending a lot of money on military, so are we, so is Russia and those three countries I think can come together and stop the spending and spend on things that maybe are more productive toward long-term peace,” Trump said.

“It think it’s much better if we all got together and we didn’t make these weapons,” he said.

Asked by the president to weigh in on the suggestion, the vice premier said he thought it would be a good idea.

 

[angelburst29]

The Kremlin said on Friday that an idea floated by U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal between the United States, China and Russia to reduce spending on weapons production deserved attention and should be discussed further.

April 5, 2019 - Kremlin says Trump idea for deal to cut arms spending should be looked at

FILE PHOTO - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov waits before a welcoming ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan March 28, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Trump on Thursday lamented the amount of money that the United States, China and Russia spend on arms production, including nuclear weapons, and suggested that such money could be better spent elsewhere.

“Any call in favor of disarmament deserves attention and high regard. It’s very important that this call is not limited to declarations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

Trump said earlier at a meeting with Chinese Vice Prime Minister Liu He that the US, China and Russia could negotiate an agreement to cut military spending.

April 5, 2019 - Kremlin praises ‘commendable’ calls for disarmament, especially those voiced by US
Kremlin praises ‘commendable’ calls for disarmament, especially those voiced by US

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov © Sergei Karpukhin/TASS

The Kremlin appreciates all calls for disarmament, including those coming from the US, but they should not be limited to words, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

While commenting on US President Donald Trump’s statement that the US, Russia and China should make an agreement to cut military spending, Peskov said that "any call for disarmament is commendable and worth considering."

The important thing is that rather than be limited to words, this call should be translated into specific initiatives and suggestions that would be handed over to partners through official channels," he said, adding that the Kremlin had not received any suggestions of that kind from the United States.

Trump said earlier at a meeting with Chinese Vice Prime Minister Liu He that the United States, China and Russia could negotiate an agreement to cut military spending. "I feel like the military expenditure of [China] and Russia and us, it's a lot of money that could be put in other things," Trump said. According to him, the three countries can "come together and stop the spending and spend on things that are more productive towards long-term peace."

 

[angelburst29]

A veteran political consultant who pleaded guilty in August in a case spun out of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe should get a lenient sentence to account for his “substantial” assistance in other criminal investigations, U.S. prosecutors said on Monday.

April 8, 2019 - U.S. prosecutors seek leniency for political consultant tied to Russia probe

Samuel Patten, 47, is a former business partner of Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian national accused by Mueller of having ties to Russian intelligence. Kilimnik was indicted in June.

Among other offenses, Patten pleaded guilty to communicating with U.S. lawmakers and the media on behalf of the Opposition Bloc, a Russia-aligned political party in Ukraine, without disclosing that work to the Justice Department, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Patten had been cooperating with the special counsel’s probe. His case has also sparked interest in Washington amid a widening crackdown by the Justice Department on undisclosed lobbying.

Federal prosecutors in Washington, who started investigating Patten after receiving a referral from Mueller, said in a court filing on Monday that Patten met or spoke with government investigators on the phone nine times.

He was also willing to serve as a witness in one of two cases against Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, who had also worked for the Opposition Bloc. Manafort ultimately pleaded guilty, obviating the need for a trial.

“Patten has served as a valuable resource for the government in a number of other criminal investigations, providing helpful information about additional individuals and entities,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.

While the prosecutors did not suggest a specific sentence, they said leniency was warranted given Patten’s assistance.

Mueller wrapped up his investigation two weeks ago without establishing a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign. The full Mueller report has not been released to the public yet but is expected in redacted form as early as this week.

While acknowledging he broke the law, Patten argued in his own sentencing memo that his case differed from other FARA violations, which have typically involved a lobbyist attempting to conceal the identity of the client and the source of funds.

“Mr. Patten did not create companies or entities to hide who he was working for or to conceal foreign influence,” Patten’s lawyer wrote in the filing arguing for a sentence of probation.

Patten also admitted to arranging for a U.S. citizen to act as a straw purchaser to pay $50,000 for four tickets to the inauguration of President Donald Trump on behalf of a Ukrainian oligarch, who reimbursed Patten through a Cypriot account.

The move circumvented U.S. law prohibiting foreigners from providing money to an organization running the inauguration.

Patten is due to be sentenced on Friday.

 

[goyacobol]

NATO appears to be weakening.

Egypt withdraws from Trump’s ‘Arab NATO’ group

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:00 A.M.) – Egypt has reportedly withdrawn from U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Arab NATO” initiative following President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi’s visit to Washington.

According to the Reuters News Agency, Egypt has made the decision to withdraw fro the U.S.-led “Middle East Security Alliance”, which has been dubbed “Arab NATO”.
https://trends.revcontent.com/click.../KETiexBUbpNQQYCLstAuz6q3WJnybsI=&viewed=true
This NATO-like group that has been formed by the U.S. administration is composed of a number of Arab states, including Jordan, the United Arab Emirtes, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Furthermore, sources from Reuters said the Egyptian authorities were partially motivated by uncertainty over President Trump’s re-election and whether his successor would scrap the entire initiative — just like Trump himself scrapped the Iranian Nuclear Deal.
Cairo’s decision is believed to have inflicted a blow on Trump’s strategy of curbing Iranian influence in the region, Reuters report says.
It is worth noting that Egypt has been flirting with the idea of purchasing the Russian-made Su-35 stealth jets; this has prompted outrage from the Trump administration.
According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, “We have made clear that systems were to be purchased that… would require sanctions on the regime,” Pompeo told the Senate Committee on Appropriations. “We have received assurances from them, they understand that, and I am very hopeful they will decide not to move forward with that acquisition.”
Egypt is the most densely populated country in North Africa; it also possesses one of the strongest militaries in the Arab world.