Saturday, July 5, 2025

Fully Established Demonic Usury

 Following the Usury,


  Celia Farber opens this series with the case for Usury arising from a Babylonian cult of money and human sacrifice around 800 BC, and continuing since that time. It does not much matter who the practitioners are, if they follow the template, though the high-priests will turn out to be sadists...
​  The Hidden Hand: Babylonian Radhanite Banksters And The Ancient Roots Of Usury, War, And Human Sacrifice. "These Are Not Jews We're Talking About."
​  Scapegoating Jews Is A Way To Avoid The True History Of Pagan, Moloch Baal, and Mammon Worshipping Pagan Bankers "The History Of Usury Is The History Of The Demonic World Marching Through History."​   
https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/the-hidden-hand-babylonian-radhanite

​  Gaius Baltar provides a supporting essay on Psychopathy, Sociopathy, Narcissm and Sadism, and how the smallest part may be genetic, but quite a lot can be taught through child abuse to create further sadistic generations, and especially by societal "normalization" of behaviors that cause harm,
​  SADISM AS A SOCIAL FORCE (AND A WAY OF LIFE)​,  THE MODERN QUEST FOR SADISTIC FREEDOM​   https://gaiusbaltar.substack.com/p/sadism-as-a-social-force-and-a-way

​  Charles Hugh Smith on "normalization" of corrupt practices:  To Make America Great Again, Start Here
Our status quo is so thoroughly corrupt that it's no longer even seen as corruption, it's just BAU--business as usual.
​  While it's self-evident that self-interest and greed manifest as corruption, it's not true that the systemic corruption of the present is no different from previous eras--it's worse, much worse because it's now normalized, and so we accept the most outrageous forms of corruption as "normal."​   https://charleshughsmith.substack.com/p/to-make-america-great-again-start

  ​Back to money, the "love of which is the root of all sorts of evil", It does not have to be the way it is:  Why UK [and US] Governments Are Never Dependent on Financial Markets​  Posted on July 5, 2025 by Yves Smith
​  [Yves here. To clarify Richard Murphy’s headline, he is not referring to all levels of government in the UK, but “Government” which in US-speak would be “Administration”. His point is that the UK and US national governments will never run out of currency and do not need bond markets to fund budget deficits. Bond issuance is a political holdover from the gold standard era as opposed to an operational necessity. Looks at how Japan ran absolutely ginormous government deficits for decades.]  
​  I keep returning to this issue because it is so fundamental: the UK government is a currency creator, not a currency user. It is not like a household. It does not need to beg or borrow from the markets to spend. Financial markets are accommodated by the government, not the other way around.
​  Understanding this changes everything. It means that economic policy decisions — on public services, investment, climate action, and inequality — are political choices, not technical constraints imposed by bond traders. That is why misinformation on this issue matters so much, and the fact that it is so widespread shows just how strong are the forces that wish to deny that democratic choices can still be made in the UK.​   
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/07/why-uk-and-us-governments-are-never-dependent-on-financial-markets.html

   So there is no need to issue debt, but we keep paying the bankers for nothing?  Remuneration of Reserves: The Planned End of Government Securities ?
  The debate over the remuneration of bank reserves, far from being limited to a technical or budgetary issue, reveals the true nature of our societies’ monetary choices. It highlights an observation that the history of monetary instruments and the emergence of the IOR (interest on reserves) have made undeniable: for a monetary sovereign state, public debt is not a financial need, but a political choice aimed at setting an interest rate on its liabilities and providing the private sector with safe assets. For eurozone countries, however, this function remains a cash flow necessity, a constraint enshrined in the treaties that only underscores the political nature of their monetary architecture.
​  By remunerating massive reserves, central banks have crossed a threshold: they now assume redistributive and quasi-fiscal choices without having an explicit democratic mandate. Their powers have expanded well beyond price stabilization, transforming their institutional role and blurring the line between monetary and fiscal policy.
​  At a time when government securities are becoming optional for managing interest rates, the central question is no longer: « How to finance the debt? » » but: « What governance do we want for our currency and our collective choices? » The status quo prolongs a financial technocracy that operates transfers without democratic debate. Prudent reforms adjust without refounding. The more radical path, as proposed by MMT, refocuses economic sovereignty on Parliament and fiscal policy.
​  The resolution of this technical controversy will therefore have significant consequences for the future conduct of economic policies. The answer will determine much more than the future financial architecture; it will define the future model of economic governance and resolve a fundamental question: who should have the power to regulate the economy? Technocratic central bankers, impersonal rules, or democratic debate?​         
https://mmt-france.org/2025/07/01/remuneration-of-reserves-the-planned-end-of-government-securities/

​  Delving into money not defined by usury, the various forms of "Gold Standard", vaguely espoused by Bessent & Trump:  
​January 28, 2025 ‘Golden age starts now’: Scott Bessent becomes Donald Trump's treasury secretary, pushes universal 2.5% tariff plan
​  Scott Bessent has been confirmed as US Treasury Secretary, advocating for universal tariffs starting at 2.5%. He aims to eliminate taxes, implement a consumption tax, and adopt a gold-backed currency, marking a new economic era under President Trump.​   
https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/scott-bessent-becomes-new-secretary-of-the-treasury-us-president-donald-trump-america-11738028081299.html

​  The $US, with a much reduced industrial economy, hollowed out by debt-service-to-support-the-$ since 1980, cannot keep servicing the vast, snowballing debt for much longer. American threats to dollar-defectors, and potential rival currencies, along with systemic inertia, sustain the increasingly unreliable US currency in the role of global-reserve-currency. Weaponization of the $US (Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, etc.), weakening of the US geopolitically, and increased central bank gold holdings threaten to replace the dollar with traditional gold. $US interest rates are high, as dollar relative valuation declines:                                  Is US dollar flirting with a ‘Liz Truss moment’ amid tariff chaos?
This week, the US Congress added the equivalent of two Russian economies to the federal deficit​   https://asiatimes.com/2025/07/is-us-dollar-flirting-with-a-liz-truss-moment-amid-tariff-chaos/#

​Some how-to considerations from the "conservative" Cato Institute Spring/Summer 2012  Making the Transition to a New Gold Standard  Lawrence H. White   https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/2012/7/v32n2-14.pdf

  Not just the gangsters they paid to raid the aid convoys, new desperados:  Israel arms new ‘anti-Hamas’ militias in Gaza: Report
The new militias are said to be linked to the Fatah party and have reportedly received salaries from the Palestinian Authority​   https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-arms-new-anti-hamas-militias-in-gaza-report

​Mostly the US group managed bait, not murders:  UN records 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys or aid distribution points run by US group    https://www.arabnews.com/node/2606880/middle-east 

94 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including 45 People Waiting for Aid​   https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5160943-94-palestinians-killed-gaza-including-45-people-waiting-aid

Doctors Without Borders:​  Israel continues to destroy West Bank refugee camps after 5 months of military operations​   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250703-msf-israel-continues-to-destroy-west-bank-refugee-camps-after-5-months-of-military-operations/

​  UN rapporteur accuses Israel of 'one of cruelest genocides' in modern history; urges arms embargo, global disengagement
Francesca Albanese says Gaza has become laboratory for Israeli weapons, calling on states to suspend all trade, investment with Israel​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-rapporteur-accuses-israel-of-one-of-cruelest-genocides-in-modern-history-urges-arms-embargo-global-disengagement/3620886

​  Israel says Trump’s plan to resettle nearly two million Palestinians from Gaza is ‘still active’
The White House did not deny that president’s plan to transfer nearly 2 million Palestinians out of Gaza was still a possibility when asked by The Independent​   
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/israel-trump-gaza-plan-netanyahu-b2782230.html

​  Transformational – President Trump Holds Quiet Meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, MbS Younger BrotherAccording to ​  Israel Hayom, there was a 4-way call (Trump, Netanyahu, Rubio, Dermer) after the Iran strikes. President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to “fundamental principles in general terms” including:
​  “Gaza hostilities will conclude within two weeks.” “Four Arab nations (including Egypt and the UAE) will administer the Gaza Strip, replacing the murderous Hamas terrorist organization.” “The remaining Hamas leadership will face exile to other countries (possibly Qatar and Turkey), while the hostages gain freedom.” “Multiple nations globally will accept numerous Gaza inhabitants seeking emigration.” “Abraham Accords expansion will bring Syria, Saudi Arabia, and additional Arab and Muslim countries to recognize Israel and establish official relationships.” “Israel will declare its willingness for future Palestinian conflict resolution under the ‘two states’ concept, contingent upon the Palestinian Authority reforms.” “The United States will acknowledge limited Israeli sovereignty implementation in Judea and Samaria.”​  
(aka "The West Bank")
​  Saudi Arabia was previously on the cusp of signing up to the Abraham Accords, but retreated from the agreement when the Israeli-Hamas war erupted within Gaza.  It would not be surprising to see them come back to that agreement with President Trump’s guidance and request.
​  If we think about the status of Syria, we can clearly see how President Trump has enticed the new Syrian government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa to the peace table based on economic benefits (sanctions removed).​   
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/07/04/transformational-president-trump-holds-quiet-meeting-with-saudi-defense-minister-prince-khalid-bin-salman-mbs-younger-brother/#more-273760

​  "Ceasefire where we kill people":  Secret Trump letter would let Israel resume war despite ceasefire: Report
Israel pushes for backdoor deal with Trump to restart on Gaza war on its terms​   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-trump-would-let-israel-resume-war-despite-ceasefire-report

Hamas Submits 'Positive Response' To US-Backed Ceasefire As Pressure Mounts On Netanyahu​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hamas-submits-positive-response-us-backed-ceasefire-pressure-mounts-netanyahu

​  Will Bibi Ask Trump to Nuke Iran? Ritter Says “Yes.” Mike Whitney​   If Iran resumes enrichment while rejecting IAEA inspections, then Trump will target Iran’s underground facilities with a low-yield B61-11 nuclear weapon
​  You can usually tell which side won a war by simply observing ‘what happens’ after the hostilities end. Following the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, millions of Iranians poured onto the streets of Tehran, chanting patriotic songs and waving flags in a spontaneous display of jubilation. In contrast, there were no festivities or celebrations in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem where the mood was noticeably more somber and gloomy. What this indicates is that most people believe that Iran won the war.
​  We are not ignoring the fact that Iran’s threshold for success in the conflict was much lower than Israel’s. As the aggressor, Israel needed to achieve its strategic goals to claim victory, while Iran only needed to withstand the assault, which it managed to accomplish with great ease. Regardless of whether this benchmark is equitable, the result is evident: for 12 days, Iran held its own, matching Israel’s aggression blow-for-blow, eventually forcing Israel to seek a ceasefire. In short, Iran won.
​  Israel made a number of miscalculations in its approach to Iran which severely undermined its chances of success. It’s two biggest mistakes, were its overconfidence in its own multilayered air defense systems (Note– Arrow 2, Arrow 3, David’s Sling, Iron Dome and THAAD) which proved to be woefully inadequate in defending the country’s strategic assets. Israeli war planners also grossly undervalued Iran’s impressive ballistic missile capability which exceeds Israel’s dated arsenal and ranks among the best in the world. In last week’s article, we provided a long list of the key military, intelligence, industrial and energy facilities that were obliterated by Iran’s precision guided ballistic missiles and which Israel’s ineffective air defense system failed to intercept. We now believe that Israel’s military experts must have realized –no more than a week into the fighting– that they were gravely over-matched and needed to find a diplomatic off-ramp pronto. But –for whatever reason– they stubbornly persisted with their anemic offensive for nearly a week hoping for a miracle. When the miracle failed to arrive, Netanyahu goaded Trump into bombing Iran’s nuclear sites in order to establish a pretext for ending the conflict. In short, Israel had been looking for a way to end the hostilities long before the fighting formally ended, which means they knew their strategic aims would not be achieved.
​  The outcome of the conflict has been particularly instructive for Israeli leaders who now realize that they are incapable of winning a conventional war with Iran. Unfortunately, that lesson has ominous implications for the rest of the world as no one seriously thinks that Netanyahu is going to ditch his life-long dream of a Greater Israel extending across the region. If a conventional war against Iran cannot be won, then Israel must escalate to the next level of military confrontation. That is the rationale behind Netanyahu’s unexpected trip to Washington next week. He wants Trump to lead the next round of fighting with a nuclear bomb.​   
https://www.globalresearch.ca/bibi-ask-trump-nuke-iran-ritter-says-yes/5893791

​  IRGC: “50 MOSSAD AGENTS ARRESTED IN IRAN ” (video). After the “Severe Historic PUNISHMENT to ISRAEL” which Destroyed some Intel Headquarters​  Many Spies Arrested by Teheran intel with Explosives, Micro-Drones and 22,000 rounds of Kalashnikov bullets​   https://vtforeignpolicy.com/2025/07/israel-iran-clash-heads-to-oil-warfare-due-to-refineries-attacks/

​  Kit Klarenberg,  Spying on Iran: How MI6 Infiltrated the IAEA​ 
A  notorious British MI6 agent infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on London’s behalf, according to leaked documents reviewed by The Grayzone. The agent, Nicholas Langman, is a veteran intelligence operative who claims credit for helping engineer the West’s economic war on Iran.

​  Iran says it remains committed to nuclear non-proliferation treaty
‘...sparked by the unlawful attacks against our nuclear facilities by Israel and the US, our cooperation with IAEA will be channeled through Iran's Supreme National Security Council,’ 
Iran’s foreign minister says​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iran-says-it-remains-committed-to-nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty/3620938

​ Tehran dismisses reports of renewed US talks as ‘incorrect speculation’​  Nuclear and sanctions relief talks were scrapped after Israel launched an unprovoked war against Iran​   https://thecradle.co/articles/tehran-dismisses-reports-of-renewed-US-talks-as-incorrect-speculation

​  China Announces "We stand with Iran"
July 3, 2025 - President Xi Jinping of China just got on television in Beijing and, among other things, announced "Our strategic interests in the Middle East will no longer be threatened. We will stand with Iran."​   https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/news-selections/world-news/china-announces-we-stand-with-iran

​  Moon of Alabama, CIA: Our Trump-Russiagate Claims Were Corrupt, Our Claims On Iran Are ...
​  That the CIA, under Director John Ratcliffe, is now condemning the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment as shady does not mean that he is willing to apply the lessons learned from its faulty creation to today's intelligence products.
​  He will, just like then CIA Director John Brennan, fake anything that is needed to support his and his presidents policies. Just look at this from the day before Trump ordered bombing Iran:
​  CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly told the White House that Iran is nearing the technical threshold for a weapon. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt echoed this, saying Iran needs only a political decision to begin building a bomb, which could take as little as two weeks.
​  Some US officials cite “Israeli” intelligence, particularly Mossad’s estimate that Iran is just 15 days away from producing a bomb.
​  However, others within the American intelligence community challenge that timeline, maintaining that Iran would likely need several months to a year to complete a functional weapon.
​  Ratcliffe was clearly bullshitting when he repeated the Mossad claims in the White House. Just like he was bullshitting when he later asserted that Iran's program has been set back for years.
​  All claims made by 'Intelligence Agencies', independent of having been made in 2016, 2025 or in the future, have be taken with huge loads of salts. Intelligence claims are made to support policies, not because they are truthful.   
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/07/cia-our-trump-russiagate-claims-were-corrupt-our-claims-on-iran-are-.html

US Imposes Fresh Sanctions Targeting Iran Oil Trade, Hezbollah​   https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5161205-us-imposes-fresh-sanctions-targeting-iran-oil-trade-hezbollah

Israeli army launches new airstrikes in southern Lebanon​;  Israeli army claims strikes targeted Hezbollah facilities, infrastructure in Nabatieh​   https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-launches-new-airstrikes-in-southern-lebanon/3621186

​  Hezbollah rejects calls to disarm before end of Israeli ‘aggression’ against Lebanon
‘Whoever accepts surrender must bear the consequences of that decision, but we will never accept it,’ says Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hezbollah-rejects-calls-to-disarm-before-end-of-israeli-aggression-against-lebanon/3622375

Israel holding secret talks with Russia on Iran, Syria during ceasefire: Report
Israel’s alleged backchannel diplomacy with Russia reportedly comes amid efforts to define new regional arrangements after halting its strikes on Iran​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/israel-holding-secret-talks-with-russia-on-iran-syria-during-ceasefire-report/3620311

​The Golan Heights is Syrian territory, militarily occupied by Israel: 'No such thing as peace for free' – Syria demands 1/3 of Golan for peace with Israel   https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/levant-turkey/artc-no-such-thing-as-peace-for-free-syria-demands-1-3rd-of-golan-for-peace

$$$ Breaking News: Saudi Arabia strengthens response to missile threats with first US-made THAAD air defense unit.​    https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/breaking-news-saudi-arabia-strengthens-response-to-missile-threats-with-first-us-made-thaad-air-defense-unit

​  Surveillance Used by a Drug Cartel​;  Once you build a surveillance system, you can’t control who will use it:
​  A hacker working for the Sinaloa drug cartel was able to obtain an FBI official’s phone records and use Mexico City’s surveillance cameras to help track and kill the agency’s informants in 2018, according to a new US justice department report.
​  The incident was disclosed in a justice department inspector general’s audit of the FBI’s efforts to mitigate the effects of “ubiquitous technical surveillance,” a term used to describe the global proliferation of cameras and the thriving trade in vast stores of communications, travel, and location data.​   
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/07/surveillance-used-by-a-drug-cartel.html

  Not a hardened criminal with gang tattoos:  After 47 years in the US, Ice took this Iranian mother from her yard. Her family just wants her home
Donna Kashanian, 64 and a community service volunteer, arrived in 1978 on a student visa and has no criminal record​   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/ice-iran-donna-kashanian

​If you know your place and stay there: Trump Announces He's Working on Mass Amnesty Plan for Illegal Aliens After Passing 'Big Beautiful Bill'   https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64976

​ "No customers!" After receiving a $4.7 billion subsidy, Samsung's chip factory in the United States postponed production​  
​  According to a report on the website of Japan's Nikkei Asia on July 3, a person familiar with the matter revealed that due to the difficulty of finding customers, South Korean chip giant Samsung Electronics had to postpone the completion of its semiconductor factory in Taylor, Texas, USA, and is delaying the purchase of factory equipment...
..As of April 22, the construction progress of Samsung's Taylor factory had reached 99.6%, which is basically equivalent to completion. It is reported that according to the normal process, the installation of equipment should have begun at this stage, but Samsung is still hesitant to place an order for the purchase of lithography machines.
​  This could lead to a further increase in the cost of putting the plant into production. A person familiar with Samsung Electronics said that devices are usually introduced within three to six months of the completion of the factory, but Samsung has so far continued to delay the installation of equipment, which means that if a decision is made to introduce equipment, it may have to bear high tariffs. The person added that since it is difficult to deploy enough manpower to the United States, the human resource cost required for on-site recruitment will also be not small.​   
https://karlof1.substack.com/p/no-customers-after-receiving-a-47

​  Germany’s War On Free Speech: Woman FINED For Using Thumbs-Up Emoji
A German woman was fined €1,800 ($2,127) for using thumbs-up emojis under a post about a Swedish girl killing her migrant rapist. Prosecutors claimed she violated laws against “publicly approving an intentional killing” and mocked the victim’s migrant status.
​  Nonverbal digital gestures are being criminalized, as authorities argued her reaction (three thumbs-up) expressed “particular pleasure” in the killing​   
https://conservativefiringline.com/germanys-war-on-free-speech-woman-fined-for-using-thumbs-up-emoji/

  2 ounces of lunch meat, one soda, a few fries...  NEW STUDY: Small Amounts of Processed Meat, Sugary Beverages, and Trans Fats Increase Risk of Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease​;  Massive meta-analysis of millions finds even minimal daily intake drives chronic disease.​   https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/new-study-small-amounts-of-processed

​Avoiding Risk Factors  (less me; more garden)


Friday, July 4, 2025

Financial Independence Day

 Assessing Our Situation,


  Michael Hudson, who did international balance of payments analysis for Chase Bank in the 1960s, which showed to be US to be bleeding gold out through Vietnam, as it had through Korea, wrote "Super Imperialism" right around the time Nixon had to default on the gold standard. In that book he observed that the US Treasuries had become the central bank reserve currency of choice, and that as long as oil had to be traded in $US, that could be sustained without drawing down any US reserves, and while funding the expenses of maintaining Imperial military outposts and wars-of-choice globally.
$US debts grew exponentially from that point, and the US manufacturing economy became increasingly hollowed out, due to the maintenance of $US "value" by paying of interest, by the federal government, and by corporations, instead of investing in US industrial production and exports to support the $US value.
That hollowing out is now far advanced, and the $US remains global reseerve currency, though the writing is on the wall for its replacement, as it cannot repay debts with value, since manufacturing is so much reduced. 
  The $US is being maintained as global reserve currency somewhat through inertia, and established trade frameworks, through short term investment returns (high interest rates), and through harsh threats and punishment for any nation seeking to trade outside the $US framework (Libya, iraq, Iran, etc).
Since Russia was robbed of $300 billion US, the search for alternatives, still discreet, has become more urgent, but any alternative is attacked by the US/UK/"west", unless it is controlled. There is talk of a Yuan stablecoin, but the alternative currency which remains viable is gold. 
  Other alternatives might arise after the fall of the dollar, but it would require trust, which will take a long time to develop.
  The rest of the world is paying to support western financial imperialism, which keeps poor countries poor, selling resources cheaply to service debts, without developing autonomous industries and agriculture. The west has factory farming, the extractive trade currency, and pushes big IMF and bank loans on countries to keep them in debt bondage in foreign currency. The BRICS+ coalition aims to lessen and weaken this arrangement, which is a threat to $US hegemony, and threats are to be killed in the cradle, to maintain the financial/military arrangement.
  This is the most efficient empoire in that regard, but empires degrade their centers, as has long happened here, and they become weak, and dependent upon the tribute from the colonized lands, and those channels fluctuate, sometimes shutting down. People don't want to be squeezed unfairly, just as Americans resented the actions of the East India Company corporation in 1776.
  It will be a difficult road to return the US to a primarily productive economy, instead of extracting what still remains. The path to do so remains unclear. Trump is bringing on a crisis in some ways, though the "Biden" admin really threw down the gauntlet to the world by "freezing" $300 billion in Russian assets.
  There will be some crisis in finance. Faith in the system will evaporate. An alternative trade and central banking system, based on gold, will be the default backstop, until something else can be broadly agreed upon, which will take a long time.

  Michael Hudson,  The Collapse of America’s Economic Empire
​  The fight of de-dollarization is really involves getting rid of the rentier class that these countries have, and also they cannot afford to pay the foreign debt that they’ve run up. Trump’s tariffs prevent other countries from earning enough export returns to earn the dollars to pay the bondholders and banks that have debts owed in U.S. dollars. So they’re going to be huge defaults that turn into a very conscious and deliberate debt repudiation of what are odious debts, because all these debts that have been run up since 1945 as a result of a U.S.-sponsored philosophy of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on essentially predatory pro-U.S. lines have ended up not helping other countries pay, but preventing them from paying. And if a creditor country will not let a debtor country pay by exporting enough in competition with its own industry, then there’s no economic or moral claim that this foreign debt is a viable debt. It’s unviable.
​  So not only is the American empire unviable, but the whole superstructure of debt, the superstructure of monopolies, the superstructure of privatization and financial Thatcherizing and Reaganizing the world economy are unviable. So we’re dealing with a real clash of economic systems. Some people call this a clash of civilizations, but it’s really a clash of economic systems. And you could say it’s between the promise of industrial capitalism as it was developing in the beginning in the 19th century and the disastrous reality of finance capitalism with a single geopolitical center in the United States run increasingly in its own interest in exploitative, predatory fashion.​   
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/07/michael-hudson-the-collapse-of-americas-economic-empire.html

  ​Croatian, Alex Krainer has also lived and studied in the US:  Happy U.S. Independence Day... But, independence from whom?
Britain's colonial ambitions are still a thing!
On June 20, 2019, Iran's Air Defense Forces shot down a US Global Hawk surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. A segment of the American leadership exerted pressure on President Trump to launch a retaliatory strike against Iran, but to their frustration, he declined to do so...​   Britain’s Ambassador to Washington, Sir (now lord) Kim Darroch ...  wrote that “we have spent years building the relationships [with certain individuals]; they are the gatekeepers… the individuals we rely upon to ensure the U.K. voice is heard in the West Wing.” Some of these voices included Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton who was a frequent visitor to the British embassy along with the former Chief of Staff John Kelly.​..
​..The leaked memos also revealed that Sir Kim was calling for “flooding the zone” with Trump whisperers who can influence Trump and nudge him toward opening hostilities against Iran. However, when Trump decided to cancel an attack on Iran on June 21, Darroch fired off a memo venting hist frustration and criticizing Trump in crude language. For example, Sir Kim said:
​  "We don't really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction-riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept."​ ...
​..“Anonymous” leaked Darroch’s communications with the Foreign Office in London to show who is maneuvering the US into yet another Middle Eastern war.
There’s no doubt that Donald Trump was fully aware of what went on and who was the main force behind the Iran war drive.​..  On July 10, Sir Kim Darroch had to resign from his position in disgrace and London had to nominate a different Ambassador.​..
​..Russiagate... too, was orchestrated by the agents of the British foreign policy establishment, including Sir Kim Darroch who had a role in selecting Cristopher Steele as the key protagonist in the affair. Others included former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove, Stefan Halper, Joseph Mifsud and Fiona Hill - all of them British intelligence assets.​..
​..Two years after the failed attempt to push the US into a war against Iran, in August of 2021, when the US withdrew from Afghanistan, the British political class went utterly hysterical, piling contempt on the US as though American action directly wronged Britain.​..
..Defence Secretary Dominic Raab accused the United States of signalling “to the world that they are not that keen on playing a global role.” For good measure, he added the insult that “The US had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the First World War. They turned up late for the Second World War and now they are cutting and running in Afghanistan.”
​  In all, it seems that Britain regards the United States chiefly as the enforcement department for their ambition to restore their former imperial glory. This is why the American independence continues to irritate them as they’ve never given up on dominating their former colony, by hook or by crook. Well, on this 4th of July, the American People should remind themselves of the hard choices and the bravery of their Founding Fathers to claim freedom for their nation.​   https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/happy-us-independence-day-but-independence

​  MI6 fueled Ukraine proxy war and fabricated intel on Iran – Grayzone investigative journalist
The British spy agency is notorious for acting with little to no oversight to escalate global conflicts, Kit Klarenberg has told RT​   
https://swentr.site/news/620953-mi6-escalating-ukraine-iran/

​  Russia Sends Independence Day Greetings To Trump White House
​  Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday issued a formal Independence Day message to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the American people on the occasion of the American nation's founding.​..
​.."I expect that together we can put the relations between our nations on a creative vector, make them stable and predictable based on mutual respect for national interests determined by history, geography, and ‘realities on the ground,’​'   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-sends-independence-day-greetings-trump-white-house

​  (The Economist is a Rothschild-owned publication.) Simplicius,  Narrative Shift: Israeli-US Strikes Strengthen Iran's Resolve
One under-appreciated aspect of the Israeli-Iranian conflict was how it has galvanized the hardliners in Iran, with some believing that it effectively centralized power around the military hawk faction, rather than fomenting discord and disarray as the West had hoped.
The Economist most recently delved into this​...
..As the IRGC gains control its elite is being transformed at speed by Israel’s assassinations. Gone are the veteran commanders who for years pursued “strategic patience”, limiting their fire when their totemic leader, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated in 2020, and holding it when Israel battered their proxies, Hamas and Hizbullah, in 2024. Now a new generation, impatient and more dogmatic, has taken their place and is bent on redeeming national pride. “The maximalist position has been strengthened,” says an academic close to the reformist camp. He claims the decision-makers in place before the war were debating whether to ditch their anti-Israel stance. But “everyone is now a hardliner”.​..
..Most eye-opening was the Economist’s admission that Israel’s strikes on civilian targets had actually served to unite Iranian society. This alone flies in the face of daily narratives we’ve been fed about Iran being in tatters...​   “It’s backfired on Bibi,” says a former official turned dissident...
..The U.S. was seriously concerned about a potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports, citing sources. Following Israel’s first missile strike on June 13, Iran reportedly loaded naval mines onto vessels in the Persian Gulf...
..Israel has outlined its desire for a status quo where it gets to merely bombard Iran at will, any time it chooses, in order to “enforce” the made up regulations it pretends to impose on Iran; i.e. the same status quo now accepted as normal with regard to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine—where Israel can bomb at its whim...
..During Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, Israeli Air Force pilots returning from intercept missions still carrying unused munitions asked to drop them on Gaza instead of landing fully loaded.
​  This began as a ‘local initiative’ but quickly became a routine. Pilots dropped leftover bombs in Gaza to ‘support ground forces in Khan Younis and northern Gaza’. Air Force Commander Tomer Bar approved expanding the practice to all squadrons. As a result, Gaza was hit with intensified airstrikes daily, with dozens of jets dropping hundreds of munitions on Palestinians without needing extra deployments. A military official said this strategy boosted the Air Force’s efficiency...
..The US appears to be acting out of a greater sense of desperation to restart talks than Iran, which is in no hurry...
..The next generation of Americans will no longer support Israel’s domination of the US Congress. Israel will have no choice but to come up with inventive new methods or false flags to keep Americans in line.​   https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/narrative-shift-israeli-us-strikes?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#media-5871141b-e3e3-46e2-852d-a52f20f154a0

US-Iran Nuclear Talks To Restart In Oslo Next Week - Trump Willing To Talk Directly​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-iran-nuclear-talks-restart-oslo-next-week-trump-willing-talk-directly

​  'Like a kidnapping': How UK police are hunting pro-Palestine activists
Homes raided, people approached on the street, called from unknown numbers, arrested without warning: how British police are cracking down on activists​   
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-palestine-police-kidnapping-hunting-activists

​  What guarantee could they trust?  Hamas says ready for ‘complete end to the war’ – AP
The Palestinian militant group has reportedly expressed readiness for a deal but stopped short of endorsing a temporary ceasefire​   https://swentr.site/news/620908-hamas-israel-gaza-deal-us/

​  Trump Expects Hamas Answer In 24 Hours On 'Final' Peace Proposal
​  However, no details have been given on this particular ceasefire plan. Israel has not confirmed it agreed to any specific conditions as of yet.
"I hope... that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better - IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump wrote. But what will the consequences be if Hamas refuses - more bombing of the Gaza Strip?
​  Some details revealed in Israeli media have been presented as follows:
​  According to an unsourced Channel 12 report Thursday, Trump has offered a direct guarantee to Hamas that if it agrees to the so-called Witkoff framework — which includes the release of 10 living hostages in two phases and 18 bodies in three phases over the course of a 60-day ceasefire — the US will ensure efforts continue to reach a lasting end to the conflict.
​  Israel is also believed to be under heavy US pressure to clinch a ceasefire deal ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington for talks with Trump next week. The prime minister is set to visit the White House on Monday.
​  Trump also said Friday that Gazans have "been through hell" and that "I want the people of Gaza to be safe." But he didn't directly answer when a reporter asked if the US is still considering taking any security responsibility over the Gaza Strip as part of the proposed truce plan.​   
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-expects-hamas-answer-24-hours-final-peace-proposal

​  US still ‘giving weapons’ to Kiev – Trump
Washington is “trying to help” Ukraine but prioritizing American interests, the US president has said
​  Kremlin officials have also accused Western countries of encouraging their proxies in Kiev to fight to the last Ukrainian in the hope of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
​  “The fewer the missiles that arrive in Ukraine from abroad, the closer the end of the special military operation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. He added, however, that the freeze could be temporary, and could be the result of weapons being redirected to support Israel in the stand-off with Iran.
President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia remains open to peace talks, in a phone call with Trump on Thursday. He added that Russia will not back down until the “well-known root causes” of the Ukraine conflict are eliminated, according to presidential aide Yury Ushakov.
​   https://swentr.site/news/620967-us-weapons-freeze-ukraine-trump/

​  Kremlin discloses content of Putin-Trump conversation​:  The two leaders held a candid, nearly hour-long discussion
​  Vladimir Putin wished Donald Trump success in implementing the changes he envisioned and, naturally, offered greetings for Independence Day, the national day of the United States, which will be celebrated tomorrow.  
​  At the same time, it was noted by our side that Russia had played a significant part in the establishment of the United States as a nation, including during the War of Independence, fought 250 years ago, and later during the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago. It was stated that our countries are bound not only by their alliance during World Wars One and Two, but also by deeper historical ties.   
https://swentr.site/russia/620963-putin-trump-call-kremlin-statement/

​  Ukraine can negotiate and hold elections:  Russian Drones & Missiles "Rained Down" On Kiev In One Of The War's Most Devastating Attacks Yet
​  The Russian drone and missile attack comes just hours after President Trump and President Putin held a call that yielded little to no progress toward ending the years-long war.
​  Trump told reporters on Thursday before boarding Air Force One on his way to Iowa that he was "not happy" with the conflict raging on, adding, "I didn't make any progress with him at all."
​  Earlier in the week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a pause in sending a shipment of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine over concerns about rapidly depleting U.S. stockpiles.
​  Axios noted that President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to speak with Trump later today to discuss the pause of the weapons shipments.​   
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russian-drones-missiles-rained-down-kyiv-one-wars-most-devastating-attacks-yet

​Dima at Military Summary says massive Russian drone strikes on Kiev were retaliation for massive Ukrainian strikes on Donetsk City yesterday:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvy893eN8Uo


​Nothing new: Zelensky, Trump discuss air defense, joint drone production amid Russian strikes   https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-trump-hold-phone-call-after-putins-pledge-to-continue-war-in-ukraine/

​  The war over what America First means will soon move to a new theater: a battle over the fate of the Office of Director of National Intelligence. ​  ​    Two MAGA heavyweights will shape the outcome.​  
​  Tulsi Gabbard, a skeptic of foreign intervention and President Trump’s current director of national intelligence, has already cut the ODNI workforce by 25% and finalized plans for additional reforms. Sources familiar with that effort tell RealClearPolitics that Gabbard is moving quickly but methodically not only to change the agency but to “set the example for all IC elements to emulate.”
​  Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, the hawkish chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, introduced legislation last week to shrink the size of the agency...
​..“They don't want to reform the ODNI the way that Tulsi Gabbard and President Trump want to reform it,” said one senior intelligence official who complained that the Cotton bill would “just give the CIA more power.”
​  “This long predates Tulsi Gabbard being DNI. [Cotton] has been on the committee for 10 years now. It is a long time coming,” countered a Senate aide...​    ..“Prior DNIs were the head of the IC only on paper and were routinely accustomed to yielding IC actions and decisions to the preferences of the CIA and other agencies,” John Ratcliffe said ...
​..The responsibility of reforming the ODNI now falls to Gabbard. When Elon Musk was marching through the administration in search of waste, fraud, and abuse, she was cutting staff and eliminating entire departments at the ODNI, such as the Intelligence Community Human Capital office which she dismissed as a “slush fund” for diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Find another agency who has reduced 25% of their workforce in less than 5 months,” the intel official bristled.
​  Gabbard will soon release her plan to overhaul the office further...
​..The administration has dismissed the idea that there are any rifts among the president’s national security team. Steven Cheung, White House communications director, told RCP last month that assertions otherwise were simply “efforts by the legacy media to sow internal division.”
​  And when the headlines implied that Gabbard seemed like she was in the barrel, Vice President JD Vance told RCP, unprompted, that that the opposite was true. “She’s an essential member of our national security team,” Vance said of Gabbard, who shares his skepticism of foreign wars, “and we’re grateful for her tireless work to keep America safe from foreign threats.”
​  Gabbard, a former Democrat who represented Hawaii in Congress for four terms, would normally have been an unorthodox pick to be the top intelligence official in a Republican administration. But she shares Trump’s rejection of “forever wars” and skepticism of intel agencies. Those characteristics seemed to make her straight out of central casting for a non-interventionist president eager to realign the right on foreign policy. They have also invited controversy.
​  Citing “the sheer volume of unrelenting attacks against her,” a senior administration official told RCP that “You can tell Tulsi touched the third rail.” This was not unexpected, they said, adding, “Of course, the deep state was going to fight back against being reduced and their power being decentralized.”​   
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/new-maga-turf-war-over-national-intelligence

  Bombshell CIA Report Exposes How Obama’s Team Framed Trump
​  Former CIA Director John Brennan, former DNI James Clapper, and former FBI Director James Comey took “unusual” and direct control over the infamous Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) that became the cornerstone of the Russia collusion hoax...
..These men didn’t just oversee the process—they commandeered it, sidelining career intelligence professionals and shutting out 13 of the 17 intelligence agencies from the assessment. Brennan handpicked the analysts, ensuring only the most compliant voices had a say. The National Intelligence Council, the body normally responsible for such crucial reports, was shoved aside. Why? Because the outcome was predetermined: manufacture a narrative that Trump was a Russian asset, no matter how flimsy the evidence.​..
..“The rushed timeline to publish both classified and unclassified versions before the presidential transition raised questions about a potential political motive behind the White House tasking and timeline.”
​  The review found that Brennan directed the compilation of the ICA, and that his, Comey’s and Clapper’s “direct engagement in the ICA’s development was highly unusual in both scope and intensity” and ”risked stifling analytic debate.”​ ...
..John Ratcliffe, the former Director of National Intelligence, put it bluntly: “This was Obama, Comey, Clapper and Brennan deciding ‘We’re going to screw Trump.’” They manufactured the collusion narrative, stamped it with the authority of the intelligence community, and then classified the details to keep the public in the dark. It was, in essence, a soft coup—a direct assault on the will of the American people.​   https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/07/02/bombshell-cia-report-exposes-how-obamas-team-framed-trump-n4941393

​  ​huge business operation  ;-(   The Biden Administration Basically Trafficked Migrant Children
Under Joe Biden, the federal government didn’t just lose track of unaccompanied minors; it actively handed them over to criminals, abusers, and traffickers, putting these kids directly in harm’s way.​   https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/07/02/the-biden-administration-basically-trafficked-migrant-children-n4941383

​  Trump should ‘knock the f**k out’ of EU disinfo law – ex-State Dept official
The US president should use “every tool in the hardball diplomacy toolkit” against Brussels, Mike Benz has said
​  The formerly voluntary Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which was integrated into the Digital Services Act (DSA) by Brussels earlier this year, became mandatory as of July 1. Under the law, major online platforms and search engines, mostly owned by US tech firms, are obliged to follow EU content rules or face penalties.
​  Benz, who worked on cybersecurity and internet policy at the State Department during Trump’s first term, took to X on Wednesday to warn that the likes of YouTube, X, Facebook, and Google would “now get whipped by huge EU fines.”
​  The Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which he described as a “Global Censorship Law,” had been the “secret weapon” of Brussels for a long time, but is now “fully unleashed,” the head of the self-described pro-free speech website Foundation For Freedom Online said.​   
https://swentr.site/news/620925-eu-disinformation-code-trump/

​  Loyal ​Brown-​Shirts​ Needed, Apply ​Within:  Professor Warns UK Government Is Preparing For Civil War, Using Russian Invasion Threat As Cover 
​  “The fact of the matter is there is a great distance between us and Russia… we are not militarily threatened in a direct way on the ground by any obvious external enemy, even Russia,” Betz outlined.
​  “Which isn’t to say there aren’t things which Russia could do to attack the UK should they wish to, but one of those is not occupying the village green with Russian soldiers, that simply, frankly, is a rather bizarre assertion,” he contended.
​  “What they’re concerned about is domestic conflict, and they perfectly understand this, but that’s completely politically toxic for them to say so publicly, hence the convenience of saying ‘we need to develop… a citizen’s militia for the protection of critical infrastructure’,” Betz further noted.​   
https://modernity.news/2025/07/02/professor-warns-uk-government-is-preparing-for-civil-war-using-russian-invasion-threat-as-cover/

​  British PM Starmer could be on way out – Sky News​    
Labour lost ground to Reform UK in local elections in May, after the ruling party experienced a plunge in public support.
​  The prime minister could lose his position if Labour performs badly in the next vote across Wales, Scotland and London...
​..“I am hearing from ministers in government that Starmer might have to go in months,” the outlet’s deputy political editor Sam Coates said, describing “unhappiness and despair” in the Labour Party.
​  A day earlier, a controversial welfare bill proposed by the government passed in a watered-down form, after a number of Labour MPs rebelled against proposed cuts to social benefits.
​  This latest U-turn undermined the prime minister’s authority after a series of similar flip-flops in June, the BBC wrote on Wednesday.
​  Last month, Starmer bowed to pressure and ordered a national inquiry into the police handling of the massive Pakistani grooming gangs sex abuse scandal. Just months before, his administration had insisted the prior seven-year investigation into decades of systematic rape of young, vulnerable girls in the UK had been sufficient.​   
https://swentr.site/news/620962-british-pm-could-quit/

​  Andrew Korybko,  Why’d Erdogan Decide To Expand Turkiye’s Sphere Of Influence Eastwards?
Assad’s downfall set into motion a fast-moving sequence of events that now threatens Russian influence in the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea, and Central Asia; i.e. its entire southern periphery.
​  The latest developments in the South Caucasus are connected to the expansion of Turkiye’s sphere of influence eastwards towards the Caspian Sea and thenceforth Central Asia.​   
https://korybko.substack.com/p/whyd-erdogan-decide-to-expand-turkiyes

​He signed it with great flair and no bomb went off:  Watch Live: Trump Signs 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Into Law During Independence Day Event   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-live-trump-signs-big-beautiful-bill-law-during-independence-day-event

Vinegar's not working​. ​Try honey:  Trump Sends Tariff Letters Threatening Up To 70% Levies, Sparking Fears Of Delayed Trade Deals​     https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-sends-tariff-letters-threatening-70-levies-sparking-fears-delayed-trade-deals​ 

​  mRNA MANIA: Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex Convenes to Advance Global Genetic Manipulation Agenda
Inside the 2025 Global Vaccine Forum
, where microneedle patch “vaccines,” replicons, and AI-engineered injections took center stage—and plans to accelerate mRNA worldwide were unveiled.​   
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/mrna-mania-bio-pharmaceutical-complex

​  A Midwestern Doctor: The Secret Campaign To Stop RFK Jr.
A leaked document exposes the vast public relations operation we've fought for the last four years and shows why they've worked so hard to divide us​   https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-secret-campaign-to-stop-rfk

​Sasha Latypova thinks the opposition is all captured:  MAHA-FDA are working their tushes off to make market$ for pharma!It's not the Epstein files   https://sashalatypova.substack.com/p/maha-fda-are-working-their-tushes

  Meryl Nass MD: "We've Become Serfs On Our Own Land": The USDA Trap, Foreign Land Sales, And The Collapse Of American Farming                      77 family farms vanish every day in the U.S. But what’s really killing them? A CHD.TV interview with rancher and Beef Initiative policy fellow Breeauna Sagdal reveals the trap: USDA regulations, monopolized meatpacking, foreign land grabs, and debt-servicing farmers who aren’t allowed to feed their neighbors.
​  In a wide-ranging Children’s Health Defense interview with Dr. Meryl Nass - a physician, biowarfare expert, and outspoken critic of pandemic-era overreach - Breeauna Sagdal of The Beef Initiative lays out how America's farmers are being regulated, indebted, and squeezed off the land. From USDA slaughter restrictions to foreign land sales and monopolized meatpacking, the system isn’t broken—it’s rigged. And Sagdal says the only way out starts with shaking your rancher’s hand.​  
​  Negative Income and the Two-Job Farmer​ ... "I can't even legally sell what I grow on my farm to any of my friends, family, or neighbors," Sagdal says. Why? Because of USDA slaughter rules. With few exceptions, unless meat is processed at a USDA-inspected facility, and labeled with a USDA stamp, it's illegal to sell. An issue compounded by the fact that just four companies have monopolized the few meatpacking plants that still exist. ​   https://www.zerohedge.com/food/weve-become-serfs-our-own-land-usda-trap-foreign-land-sales-and-collapse-american-farming

​  Big Maybe, ​about half of what's eaten, and ​how ​might one ​facilitate this?  Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’
​  Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified a family of bacterial species, found naturally in the human gut, that absorb various PFAS molecules from their surroundings.  When nine of these bacterial species were introduced into the guts of mice to ‘humanise’ the mouse microbiome, the bacteria rapidly accumulated PFAS eaten by the mice - which were then excreted in faeces.
​  The researchers also found that as the mice were exposed to increasing levels of PFAS, the microbes worked harder, consistently removing the same percentage of the toxic chemicals. Within minutes of exposure, the bacterial species tested soaked up between 25% and 74% of the PFAS.​   
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/gut-microbes-could-protect-us-from-toxic-forever-chemicals


​Feeding Gut Microbes (pictured with bright shirt after rains)


Thursday, July 3, 2025

Head Fakes

 Sorting It Out,


  Simplicius,   Russia Launches Largest Drone Swarm of Entire War as Ukraine Gets Forgotten​  
This jumped out at me. Warfare is changing ra[pidly:  This now makes multiple F-16s shot down by Geran drones. The problem appears to be they are incapable of locking onto the drone as it has a very small IR signature, so they are being forced to engage the drone at extremely close ranges, which peppers the F-16 with shrapnel after the drone explodes.​   https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-62925-russia-launches-largest

  The US has sent the old stockpiles to Ukraine and the new stockpiles to "Israel", can't produce weapons quickly, and is running low, so "Israel first":            Simplicius,  Major Setback for Ukraine as US Cuts Aid Due to Critical Weapons Shortages
​  Politico revealed that the US is reportedly halting supplies of critical weapons systems to Ukraine because the US’ own stockpiles of these have sunk to record lows.​..
​..Included among the items being pulled back are missiles for Patriot air defense systems, precision artillery rounds, Hellfire and other missiles that Ukraine launches from its F-16 fighters and drones.
​  Note that GMLRS ammo for the HIMARS and 155mm artillery shells are amongst the key systems included, although as of yet I haven’t found any other sources validating these specific claims—rather, they all mention ‘weapons systems’ more ambiguously.​..
​..But now, breaking reports claim that the US has dropped back down to a mere 40k per month due to huge production problems:
​  The Army recently told Congress that 155mm production currently stands at 40,000/month. This is, of course, a decrease from the 50,000/m LaPlante stated last year.
​  We now have a likely explanation for why it fell. The new shell body production facility in Mesquite, TX is massively behind schedule. The first two of three production lines are still not fully completed, and the third is likely to miss its due date.
​  The Army has formally notified General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems that their management of the facility is being reviewed for breach of contract. They have until July 10 to detail how they might be able to get things back on track​.
​  As a result, the Army's Load, Assemble and Pack capacity exceeds their ability to produce the metal parts of the projectiles. Previously there was a stockpile of shell bodies that were being drawn on by the LAP facilitiesbut those must have been exhausted, so projectile production has now fallen to 40,000 which is what the other metal parts plants can produce. Mesquite's 3 lines are supposed to produce 10,000 shell bodies each.​..
..I had covered the “new” General Dynamics Mesquite factory before, particularly the fact that it was built by Turkey, featuring Turkish CNC lathes and other equipment, and staffed with Turkish workers. It’s not unlike the TSMC factory in Phoenix which was unable to find ‘suitable’ American workers to ably man the production lines. When I first learned of the Turkish sourcing, I immediately had my doubts that this boondoggle “automated” factory would amount to much; now it seems those doubts have been vindicated.​   https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/major-setback-for-ukraine-as-us-cuts

​  Russian forces discover cache of Ukrainian chemical drone munitions – FSB
Moscow has accused Kiev of systematically violating the Chemical Weapons Convention​   
https://swentr.site/russia/620814-russian-forces-drone-chemical/

​  Baltic Sea’s WW2 chemical legacy demands Russia-NATO cooperation – expert
Germany has been trying to extract sunken munitions on its own
, while Russia has been left out of the loop completely ​ 
​  An estimated 1.6 million tons of wartime ammunition, primarily left by Nazi Germany, are scattered across the seabed of the North and Baltic seas. While most of them are conventional shells, some 40 tons contain deadly chemical agents, such as mustard gas, phosgene, and other compounds. The munitions have been deteriorating over the decades and now pose a hazard to the marine environment​.   https://swentr.site/news/620754-baltic-sea-chemical-weapons/

Iranian cheap-electricity for government Bitcoin mining was much reduced: BOMBING OF IRAN SABOTAGED THEIR BITCOIN MINING OPERATION!​   https://francesleader.substack.com/p/bombing-of-iran-sabotaged-their-bitcoin

​Bitcoin is useful to countries under $US sanctions.  from 3/21/25:  North Korea Becomes Third-Largest Government Bitcoin Holder   https://www.fintechweekly.com/magazine/articles/north-korea-becomes-third-largest-bitcoin-holder-after-bybit-hack

​  No weapons-grade enrichment in Iran – Foreign Ministry spokesman
Israel’s claims that Iran has been secretly developing nuclear weapons are false, Esmail Baghaei has said​   
https://swentr.site/news/620722-iran-no-weapons-grade-enrichment/

  ​This is a treasure trove of detailed information about the (sometimes almost) "invisible" B-2 bomber and its vast network of complex high-tech  life support.  
B-2 vs Iranian Air Defense: Genuine Game Changer or Expensive PR Stunt [i]
​  Did the B-2 genuinely change the game in Iran and bring peace through force, or was it just a masterfully orchestrated PR stunt?​  
(Israeli 5th-column sabateurs and spies helped take out Iranian air defenses, and Iran stood down and let B-2s bomb the 3 sites the US notified them of ahead of time, so B-52s would have worked.)​   https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/b-2-vs-iranian-air-defense-genuine

​  British MPs invite deposed shah's son to promote Iran regime change in parliament
Pro-Israel Labour and Conservative MPs have organised Monday's event with the controversial Reza Pahlavi​   
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/deposed-shahs-son-promote-iran-regime-change-uk-parliament-event

​  Gaza’s Grassroots Effort to Ensure Humanitarian Aid Reaches Starving Palestinians
Tribal and community leaders in Gaza are uniting to secure aid convoys after over 500 people have been killed in daily aid massacres.
​..Revelations published by Haaretz on Friday that confirmed what Palestinians in Gaza have been saying for the past four weeks—that Israeli soldiers are opening fire on unarmed Palestinians gathering near food distribution sites, even when they posed no threat. In the report, soldiers said Israeli commanders instructed troops to shoot at civilians approaching aid sites before they opened or after they closed—using machine guns, mortars, and grenades. Soldiers described systematic live fire, including from tanks and said the killings weren’t isolated mistakes but part of a pattern dubbed​ “Operation Salted Fish”—the Israeli version of Red Light, Green Light. “We shoot, they run, we shoot again,” one soldier said. “This is our communication.”​   https://www.globalresearch.ca/gaza-grassroots-effort-ensure-humanitarian-aid/5893252

Israeli lawmakers accuse Netanyahu of trading Gaza war for end to his corruption trial​   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250629-israeli-lawmakers-accuse-netanyahu-of-trading-gaza-war-for-end-to-his-corruption-trial/

​  Trump says 'not going to stand' for Netanyahu's continued prosecution
Trump slams Netanyahu’s corruption trial as a 'witch hunt', says US won’t tolerate it amid Israel-Iran tensions and ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks.​   
https://www.newarab.com/news/trump-says-not-going-stand-netanyahus-prosecution

Court Cancels Israel PM Netanyahu's Trial Hearings this Week​   https://english.aawsat.com/world/5159500-court-cancels-israel-pm-netanyahus-trial-hearings-week

Trump Pivots To Pressuring Israel For New Ceasefire Deal In Gaza​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-pivots-pressuring-israel-new-ceasefire-deal-gaza

​  Proof that Israel Has Lost the War: “Sizable Portion of Military, Intelligence, Energy, and R&D Facilities Destroyed”. Mike Whitney ​  
​  Let’s say, some unexpected 9-11-type catastrophe was to take place in the next few weeks that had Iranian fingerprints all over it. And let’s say this false flag was destructive enough that the “usual suspects” on Capitol Hill and the MSM demanded that Trump take immediate action and bomb Iran. If that scenario were to unfold, then wouldn’t it better for Bibi and Trump to be able to point to their recent efforts for resolving the Gaza crisis? Wouldn’t they benefit from the perception (by the public) that they had been actively pursuing peace but were unexpectedly derailed by Iran’s actions?
​  Indeed, they would.
​  Of course, this is all just speculation; I don’t know what’s going to happen. But when you have hardliners like Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and countless others in Netanyahu’s looneybin government who believe that Israel must “keep the sword raised” to ensure Iran does not recover its military capabilities (Smotrich), then a prudent person will prepare for the worst.
​  Keep in mind, a number of Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that Netanyahu should “finish the job”, which is an intentionally vague term that refers to the use of a nuclear weapon.
​  In order to determine the probability of such an event, we must ask ourselves whether a government that justifies the killing and forced starvation of millions of women and children in their charge, has the moral scruples to oppose the use of the world’s most lethal weapon?   
https://www.globalresearch.ca/heres-proof-that-israel-lost-the-war-iran-destroyed-a-sizable-portion-of-israels-military-intelligence-industrial-energy-and-rd-facilities-mike-whitney/5893172

​  Israel kills 72 in Gaza, including hungry Palestinians waiting for food
Calls for a ceasefire grow as US and Israeli leaders discuss a potential truce amid escalating violence in Gaza.​   
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/29/israeli-air-strikes-kill-dozens-in-gaza-amid-worsening-humanitarian-crisis

​  US contractors fire live rounds as desperate Palestinians seek food in Gaza
Videos and testimony reveal chaotic scenes and alleged misconduct at the controversial American-run aid sites as Gaza reels under siege and starvation.​   
https://trt.global/world/article/2a5e1859d0ce

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuations in Northern Gaza​   https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5159408-israeli-military-orders-new-evacuations-northern-gaza

Starvation and Anarchy Grip Gaza as Israel Tightens Siege​,  Gaza Trapped: Two Million Civilians Caught in Blockade and Chaos​   https://english.pravda.ru/world/163035-gaza-crisis-israel-blockade/

​  US keeps Gaza truce details secret, voices support for Israel amid West Bank annexation calls
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce refuses to reveal modalities involved in Trump's Gaza truce plan and reiterates Washington "stands with Israel" as senior Israeli ministers call for annexation of occupied West Bank.​   
https://trt.global/world/article/83ca00104c5f

  ​Puppet rulers can get-things-done:  Syria could drop demand that Israel return the Golan Heights – media
Earlier, the IDF attacked the country, claiming to be protecting the Druze population​   https://swentr.site/news/620818-syria-golan-heights-claim/

​  Alex Krainer with financial primer (Prepare yourself):  Why governments can't balance their books - EVER!
Without a radical reform of the monetary system, deficit spending and accumulation of public debts will continue to accelerate regardless of who is in power. The problem is systemic.​   https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/why-governments-cant-balance-their

Trump Vs. Musk: "Big, Beautiful Bill" Feud Sparks Overnight Political Firestorm​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-vs-musk-big-beautiful-bill-feud-sparks-overnight-political-firestorm

​  Trump says DOGE should investigate Musk​,  The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has received more US government subsidies “than any human being in history,” the president claimed​   https://swentr.site/news/620816-musk-trump-tesla-subsidies/

Elon Musk Backing Thomas Massie Against Trump-AIPAC Challenger​   https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64973

Not So Fast: Massie Announces He Has Enough Votes To Block 'One Big Beautiful Bill' In The House​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/house-gop-faces-rebellion-johnson-scrambles-salvage-trump-tax-bill

On The Cusp: House Democrats Stall 'Big Beautiful Bill' For Hours After GOP Votes To Advance​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cusp-house-democrats-stall-big-beautiful-bill-hours-after-gop-votes-advance

After '8 Hours Of Hogwash' From Rep. Jeffries, House Republicans Pass Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cusp-house-democrats-stall-big-beautiful-bill-hours-after-gop-votes-advance

Japan Finally Admits Its Carmakers Have Been Paying All Trump Tariff Costs As Trade Talks Collapse​   https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/japan-finally-admits-its-carmakers-have-been-paying-all-trump-tariff-costs-trade-talks

​The trans-shipping-tax is against China.  Trump Announces Trade Deal With Vietnam; Includes 20% Tariffs, 40% Tax On Transshipping   https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-announces-trade-deal-vietnam-includes-20-tariffs-40-tax-transshipping

  John Helmer has more details and context:  President Donald Trump has just won the Vietnam War – except that he’s too modest to declare it a victory over Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, or claim theirs was a war against Vietnam which would never have happened if he had been president.   https://johnhelmer.net/from-the-odour-of-trumps-body-parts-into-his-pockets-this-is-how-to-smell-victory-in-us-warfighting/#more-92002

Florida has its own "Gitmo" now:  Alligator Alcatraz Live: Trump Tours New Illegal Alien Deportation Camp In Florida Swamp   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/alligator-alcatraz-live-trump-tours-new-illegal-deportation-camp-florida-swamp

Meryl Nass MD,  Debanking was yet one more government-initiated scam to rejigger the economy and punish enemies.   https://merylnass.substack.com/p/debanking-was-yet-one-more-government

Trump-proof funding:  Not Just The EPA: Despite Warnings, Biden's Energy Department Disbursed $42 Billion In Its Final Hours​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/not-just-epa-despite-warnings-bidens-energy-department-disbursed-42-billion-its-final

CIA Memo: Obama Team 'Excessively Involved' In Fueling Trump-Russia Narrative​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cia-memo-obama-team-excessively-involved-fueling-trump-russia-narrative

​  Democrat Civil War Intensifies As Obamaworld Opposes Mamdani
​  Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York State Assembly member, decisively defeated disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with 56% to 44% in the final ranked-choice voting results.
​  Two prominent Obama-era officials, former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and former Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag, have publicly opposed Mamdani’s candidacy, warning that his progressive economic policies could harm New York City.​ ..
..“Let me step back and just say that I am saddened to say that I think the Democratic Party is becoming increasingly antisemitic and anti-capitalism,” Orszag said. “And the thing about it is turning … towards socialism and turning away from your moral principles through antisemitism never works. So there is a fundamental concern that I have and I think many people have about the direction of the Democratic Party along those two dimensions.”​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/democrat-civil-war-intensifies-obamaworld-opposes-mamdani

​  AI is the only thing keeping the world from total stagnation (Peter Thiel)
Peter Thiel breaks down why AI might be our last shot at progress—and how everything else is collapsing
​..The risk of the one-world totalitarian state: how the Antichrist would take over the world
Thiel introduces his most apocalyptic idea: that existential risk (AI, nukes, bioweapons) is being used to justify global governance.
​  This leads to the ultimate form of stagnation: “a one-world state of the Antichrist.”... 
(It's AI, right?​ Maybe the EU? UN?)
​..The twist? The Antichrist doesn’t come with innovation. He comes with regulation. He offers “peace and safety”—and people submit.​   https://www.theaiopportunities.com/p/ai-is-the-only-thing-keeping-the

​  Meanwhile, where rubber-meets-road:  Surplus Energy Economics:  The inconvenience of imminence​:  A LONG-DENIED INEVITABILITY  
​  The view taken here is that meaningful growth – increases in the supply of material products and services to society – may have ended in 2023, and is sure to be over by 2030.
​  But, and although downwards revisions to forward growth projections have become commonplace, nobody in a position of authority or influence can afford to concede that prior growth in the economy has gone into reverse, or that it ever could.
​  Instead, we’re flooding the economy with liquidity, first to prop up the system in ways which create purely statistical increases in reported GDP, and, second, in the forlorn hope that monetary expansion might reinvigorate the material economy.
​  We’re continuing, of course, to significantly understate the systemic inflation numbers used to convert nominal into real GDP.​   
https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2025/06/30/305-the-inconvenience-of-imminence/#like-44606

​  Jessica rose Ph.D.points out that these folks say "It's not over yet". They might know definitively:  The National Blueprint for Biodefense
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TO DEFEND AGAINST BIOLOGICAL THREATS A REPORT BY THE BIPARTISAN COMMISSION ON BIODEFENSE April 2024​   https://jessicar.substack.com/p/the-national-blueprint-for-biodefense

  ​I agree with Charles. Get your surgeries done. Take care of your health:  America's "Healthcare" System Is Now a Structured Financial Skim/Scam
"Healthcare" grift, graft, fraud and financialized skims / scams will bankrupt the nation.​   https://charleshughsmith.substack.com/p/americas-healthcare-system-is-now

Ultra-Processed Foods Linked To Brain Changes That Drive Overeating​   https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/ultra-processed-foods-linked-brain-changes-drive-overeating

​Sasha Latypova takes an unbiased look:  MAHA scorecard: First 6 months of Trump Admin appointed HHS.   https://sashalatypova.substack.com/p/maha-scorecard-first-6-months-of

Jessica Rose Ph.D. follows money and clues:  The plot to remove RFK by Big Pharma-ers​, We come with receipts   https://jessicar.substack.com/p/the-plot-to-remove-rfk-by-big-pharma

​  RFK Jr. Unloads Disturbing Vaccine Secrets on Tucker—And Surprises Everyone on Trump
This conversation with startle you, infuriate you—then lift your spirits. Kennedy’s three-minute take on Trump is among the most compelling things you’ll watch today.
​  He revealed that the health agency buried a 1999 internal study led by researcher Thomas Verstraten, which showed an alarming 1135% increase in autism risk from the hepatitis B vaccine...​ “They got rid of all the older children essentially and just had younger children who are too young to be diagnosed [with autism].”​...
..“There’s a published article out there now that says that 50% of revenues to most pediatricians come from vaccines.”
It’s all about the money. The higher the vaccination rate, the bigger the bonus.
​  “And that’s why your pediatrician, if you say I want to go slow on the vaccines… will throw you out of his practice because you’re now jeopardizing that bonus structure.”​...
​..“None of the vaccines given to children in the first six months of life have ever been studied for autism.”...​  He went further, revealing that the CDC actually did find a link when they studied the DTaP vaccine.​  But they dismissed it. Kennedy said they claimed it “didn’t count” because the data came from VAERS—the very system they use to track vaccine injuries.
​  So when the evidence pointed to harm, they simply claimed their own system wasn’t reliable enough and took no steps to fix it.​..
​..Kennedy attested that the CDC killed off a vaccine injury reporting system that actually worked—because it worked too well.
It showed that 1 in 37 vaccines caused an injury.
​  Tucker was stunned.  “Of all vaccines?” he asked.​  “Yeah,” Kennedy confirmed.​..
..Kennedy didn’t stop at old vaccine scandals. He also broke down Pfizer’s own COVID vaccine trial data. That trial showed a 23% higher death rate in the vaccinated group...  Over six months, 21 vaccinated participants died of all causes, compared to 17 in the placebo group—a 23.5% higher death rate.​   https://www.vigilantfox.com/p/rfk-jr-unloads-disturbing-vaccine

 What's Next For CDC's Remade Vaccine Advisory Committee?
 ​  The vaccine advisory committee remade by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to look at multiple other vaccines, after it voted to advise officials to stop recommending influenza shots that contain mercury.     Martin Kulldorff, the new chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), said on June 26 that one proposal is to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make clear that young children should not receive the measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV) combination immunization.​  Instead, the CDC would recommend that children under the age of 47 months receive two separate vaccines: the measles, mumps, rubella shot, and the varicella, or chickenpox, vaccine.
​  The change would reflect data that indicate the MMRV combination vaccine causes more febrile seizures.​..
​..Kulldorff, an epidemiologist who was fired by Harvard Medical School for declining a COVID-19 vaccine, also announced two new work groups, or subcommittees.
​  One will examine the impact of vaccines on the childhood immunization schedules...
​..The second subcommittee will examine vaccines that have not been reviewed in more than seven years, including the hepatitis B vaccine, the first dose of which the CDC recommends at birth for infants.​  “Unless the mother is hepatitis B positive, an argument could be made to delay the vaccine for this infection, which is primarily spread by sexual activity and intravenous drug use,” Kulldorff said.​   
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/whats-next-cdcs-remade-vaccine-advisory-committee

​modified-mRNA platform product:  Moderna To Ask For Clearance For Combination COVID-Influenza Vaccine   https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/moderna-ask-clearance-combination-covid-influenza-vaccine

​  Landmark Peer-Reviewed Research Library on mRNA Injection Harms Just Released
Over 700 peer-reviewed studies confirm the fundamental biological dangers posed by mRNA technology.​   
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-landmark-peer-reviewed-research

​More compensation; less hoarding:  RFK Jr. Says Officials 'Revolutionizing The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/rfk-jr-says-officials-revolutionizing-vaccine-injury-compensation-program

  From Jane Orient MD:  Public Health Watch: Flu Shots
Note that the big drop in mortality occurred more than 30 years before the vaccine became available...
..The annual shot is not risk-free. Serious adverse reactions include paralysis from Guillain BarrĂ© syndrome. More people receive compensation from the U.S. government for vaccine-related injuries from influenza than from any other vaccine. The flu vaccine might increase your risk of another type of viral respiratory illness.
​  The CDC’s newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted to recommend annual influenza vaccination for all persons aged 6 months or older who have no contraindications. It recommended that children 18 years and younger and pregnant women only receive influenza vaccines in single-dose formulations that are free of mercury-containing thimerosal as a preservative. The flu vaccine is the only thimerosal-containing vaccine that was still being given to children.
​  Influenza season corresponds to the time of year when vitamin D levels are lowest. Supplementation is associated with fewer cold/influenza symptoms.​   
https://aapsonline.org/public-health-watch-flu-shots/

  Physicist, ​Anastassia Makarieva is back from a month off-grid in Siberia:  Science Insider #1: The Overlooked Role of Precipitation in Hurricanes
Refusing to answer valid critiques should not become a way to silence them
​  To stress the key point again: in an intensifying hurricane, more air flows in laterally than flows out, and precipitation removes several times more mass than the net inflow. This removal is what causes the total air mass — and thus pressure — to drop. It follows that even a relatively small change in precipitation could tip the balance, turning an intensifying hurricane into a weakening one.​   https://bioticregulation.substack.com/p/science-insider-1-the-overlooked

​Environmentally Dependent (pictured this morning with large fresh carrot)