Locked and Loaded,
Some of looking at the current progression of history see a crisis of declining empire, hastened by large scale financial speculation on wars and conquests that became money pits instead of meal-tickets. This empire looks different to various eyes, but I see global finance as being it's functional core, extracting wealth of nations wherever the imperial currency is invested and spent. This financial center was formerly in The City of London, though it is now also in New York, Frankfurt, Paris and Tel Aviv, as well as other outposts. It is a unified control system for global "free-trade" which invests in extracting valuable resources from every country, enriching pliant elites and global financiers. Various militaries and covert operations form enforcement arms.
This ravenous system consumes natural resources and spends the profits to consume exponentially more. The world is now at the limit of that process, which is causing existential clashes ahead of the financial crisis of an exponential debt bubble imploding, pricked by the reality of declining physical wealth to service it.
It is not the case that human needs cannot be met for the rest of our lives by the material goods still available on our fair planet, but they cannot be met by the present colonialist free-trade system that extracts, impoverishes and enforces its mandate violently wherever it goes.
Alex Krainer presents the case that the world is faced with 2 systems, the colonialist system, and the "American system" described in 1861 by Abraham Lincoln’s chief economic advisor Henry C. Carey. It served the United States and Germany in that century, and served postwar Germany and Japan in the 20th century, now China in the post-Mao era.
Operation Economic Outcast threatens to permanently expel from the $US global financial system, any "entity" that trades with Iran, helping to bypass economic sanctions. Expelling China, Russia, India, Pakistan and perhaps Turkey from the $US financial system would certainly teach Iran a lesson.
I am struck by the whimsical thought that the best way to rob a bank is to own one, and by extension, the best position from which to collapse an empire may be that of the ruler of the empire, through hubris, or perhaps the subtle-paradox of presenting the appearance of hubris to accomplish that end.. You decide. ;-)
Alex Krainer, Two systems are before the world, part 1 of 3
We’re experiencing the conflict between two systems of governance. Understanding what that means could be the most important knowledge we need today.....In a nutshell, the national system seeks to create protective barriers to foreign trade in order to give the domestic manufacturing a fighting chance against foreign competition. It also accumulates capital at home, investing it into manufacturing, infrastructure, education, research and development, innovation, culture and other uses that raise the society’s living standards.
By contrast, the British system of free trade extracts wealth and concentrates it: it seeks to remove all barriers to worldwide free flow of capital, always in pursuit of highest possible returns. With free trade, nations are obliged to compete for investment capital by systematically depressing wages, job security, pensions, health care services and education.
Other costs which cut into the returns on capital are infrastructure development, social spending programs and protection of the environment. Therefore, competing globally for investment capital entails progressive slashing of all these cost items, down to the bare bones. In that sense, British free trade system amounts to a competitive race to the bottom. https://alexkrainer.substack.
By contrast, the British system of free trade extracts wealth and concentrates it: it seeks to remove all barriers to worldwide free flow of capital, always in pursuit of highest possible returns. With free trade, nations are obliged to compete for investment capital by systematically depressing wages, job security, pensions, health care services and education.
Other costs which cut into the returns on capital are infrastructure development, social spending programs and protection of the environment. Therefore, competing globally for investment capital entails progressive slashing of all these cost items, down to the bare bones. In that sense, British free trade system amounts to a competitive race to the bottom. https://alexkrainer.substack.
Directed by US President Donald Trump, the “unprecedented” sanctions target Iran’s "most vital lifelines," including aviation, shipping, gold, technology, and digital assets, Bessent said.
Bessent warned that any entity facilitating money laundering for Tehran will be permanently removed from the US dollar system.
"I would expect that you will see a major announcement of a financial institution being sanctioned by the end of this week," he further said without elaborating. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/us-
"I would expect that you will see a major announcement of a financial institution being sanctioned by the end of this week," he further said without elaborating. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/us-
Asked specifically about the latest comments of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Lin emphasized the need for all parties to take "responsible measures" in resolving the war. "China opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council," Lin said. https://www.zerohedge.com/
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-25
Overnight, a US-escorted tanker was struck and disabled inside the Strait of Hormuz, and the Houthis put an anti-ship ballistic missile into a Saudi VLCC from over 1,000km.
The other genuinely new thing: Stanley Druckenmiller took to the WSJ to publicly dismantle his former protégé's bond-buyback plan, hours after Treasury floated tapping its ~$950B cash account to fund it. https://no1sdailydigest.substack.com/p/daily-digest-2026-08-25
Bessent Drops Iran Sanctions Hammer On Dozens Of Chinese Firms, Spares Big Banks As Beijing Threatens Retaliation
The Trump administration's "Operation Economic Outcast" has expanded the sanctions campaign across China and Hong Kong, targeting dozens of individuals and businesses while intentionally holding off on sanctioning major Chinese banks that keep Tehran connected to the global financial system. Beijing, meanwhile, signaled earlier Tuesday that it would not retreat from its economic relationship with Iran, raising the risk that Trump's economic war against Tehran could evolve into a direct confrontation with China, the largest buyer of discounted Iranian crude. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/bessent-drops-iran-sanctions-hammer-dozens-chinese-firms-spares-big-banks-beijing
The big delta is that Bessent's "economic D-Day" against Iran stops being a threat and becomes a scheduled event - press conference today 1 PM ET, with Tehran's security council answering that participating countries will be treated as belligerents. Second delta: the "Hormuz traffic explodes 400%" headline propagated across the feed while the people counting hulls put daily crossings in single digits. Everything else - gold through $4,700, Ozon warehouses burning across southern Russia, NVDA Wednesday as the AI trade's fulcrum - is continuation with a specific 24h advance.
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-24
Bessent announces "economic D-Day" begins at dawn; presser today 1 PM ET. His own words: "the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary", objective to "sever every economic lifeline" ...The threat extends to third parties: "any nation that serves as a financial artery of a withering regime should expect to share in its isolation" (MenchOsint).
Iran's response pre-commits to zero exports. Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaee: "if the economic war continues, not a single drop of oil will be exported, neither through the Strait of Hormuz nor from anywhere in the Persian Gulf", and participation in sanctions will be read as an act of war (MoloWarMonitor). Both principals have now defined the other's survival as the stake (SCapStrategist).
The "Hormuz traffic +400%" number collapses on inspection. Headline ran wide (zerohedge, warwatchh). Counter-evidence: crossings "still in single digits" (chigrl), weekend levels still 90%+ below pre-28 February (thesiriusreport), and small craft counted as ships (JustDario). The base is so small that "1 boat to 4 boats" produces the percentage (HeroDividend)...
..Tanker struck by projectile 63NM west of Yanbu, northern Red Sea. UKMTO Warning Attack 119, fire on main deck, crew safe, reported 07:44 UTC today (ILRedAlert). That is far north of Bab el-Mandeb - the leg Saudi re-routing was supposed to keep safe...Iran's response pre-commits to zero exports. Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaee: "if the economic war continues, not a single drop of oil will be exported, neither through the Strait of Hormuz nor from anywhere in the Persian Gulf", and participation in sanctions will be read as an act of war (MoloWarMonitor). Both principals have now defined the other's survival as the stake (SCapStrategist).
The "Hormuz traffic +400%" number collapses on inspection. Headline ran wide (zerohedge, warwatchh). Counter-evidence: crossings "still in single digits" (chigrl), weekend levels still 90%+ below pre-28 February (thesiriusreport), and small craft counted as ships (JustDario). The base is so small that "1 boat to 4 boats" produces the percentage (HeroDividend)...
..Trump has "almost no remaining economic pressure left except massive fines on Chinese banks and refiners"; if he takes it, bullish oil, bearish stocks, and China has signalled retaliation via critical minerals and refining (Mark4XX)...
..Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have invited Iran into the newly-established Mecca Joint Defence Agreement; Iran's parliamentary news agency head says "the matter is under consideration" (FirstSquawk, JSchanzer). Sceptical read from the OSINT side: NATO members and US allies inviting Iran into a defensive alliance makes little sense (MenchOsint)...
..Gold: through $4,700 for the first time since mid-May, and China's real buying is roughly double the reported number - China bought an estimated +40 tonnes via London OTC in June - 167% above the +15t the PBoC reported - after +48t in May against +10t reported; officially +20t in July, +60t YTD, 2,366t total (KobeissiLetter)...Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have invited Iran into the newly-established Mecca Joint Defence Agreement; Iran's parliamentary news agency head says "the matter is under consideration" (FirstSquawk, JSchanzer). Sceptical read from the OSINT side: NATO members and US allies inviting Iran into a defensive alliance makes little sense (MenchOsint)...
Customs data: 865 tonnes of gold imported January-June, +90% YoY, contributing 1.5% to GDP (oriental_ghost). Reserve rotation is the frame - gold up, Treasuries down (RiseHarvest)...
..Treasuries: the Fed now owns over half the 10-15 year bucket, and Trump names the ultimate intervention - The Fed owns more than 50% of all Treasuries maturing 10-15 years out (zerohedge, Barchart).
Asked whether another intervention was coming after yields backed up, Trump: "We have many types of intervention. The ultimate intervention is our military. And if we have to use that, we will." (JoshPhilipPhair)...
..Oil: SPR at a 1982 low, 41 days of crude cover, and US airports short of jet fuel - US crude inventory down to 41 days, lowest in half a century (Barchart); SPR at its lowest since 1982 (Barchart)...Asked whether another intervention was coming after yields backed up, Trump: "We have many types of intervention. The ultimate intervention is our military. And if we have to use that, we will." (JoshPhilipPhair)...
..AI: NVDA Wednesday, Alibaba's $10.2B discounted raise, and Unitree down 38.9% from its post-IPO high - The chip/memory trade peaked the day total return swap funding costs hit a record - leverage masquerading as narrative (zerohedge). SOXX red on a Sunday night (buccocapital).
NVDA is now "bailing out a good chunk of its customer base", which the market keeps reading as bullish (JustDario)...
..Power is the binding constraint: AI chip electricity demand projected at ~315GW globally by 2033, +1,100% from 2025, US ~200GW of it, with training runs spiking usage 50% above design capacity (KobeissiLetter). Nuclear and data centres have announced 52GW+ of US capacity partnerships (chigrl)...NVDA is now "bailing out a good chunk of its customer base", which the market keeps reading as bullish (JustDario)...
..North Korea announces intent to sign a defense agreement with Iran (RothLindberg). If real, it changes the deterrence arithmetic Bessent is assuming.
US-South Korea cancelled the Ssangyong amphibious exercise because US forces are stretched by the Iran war, decided in July, before Ulchi Freedom Shield was separately cut from 11 days to 5 (MilitarySummary). Force-posture cost of the campaign, showing up in the Pacific. LOW
US casualties in the Iran war reported at 774 - 18 killed, 756 wounded - per Pentagon data via WaPo (OrlaCarlinn)...
..Canada expects a trade war lasting past the midterms (zerohedge); Carney calls it "at war" over trade and says Washington "miscalculated" (wmiddelkoop). The counter-case is that Canada is being asked only to block Chinese transshipment, which Mexico already agreed to (BaldingsWorld). https://no1sdailydigest.US-South Korea cancelled the Ssangyong amphibious exercise because US forces are stretched by the Iran war, decided in July, before Ulchi Freedom Shield was separately cut from 11 days to 5 (MilitarySummary). Force-posture cost of the campaign, showing up in the Pacific. LOW
US casualties in the Iran war reported at 774 - 18 killed, 756 wounded - per Pentagon data via WaPo (OrlaCarlinn)...
Gold & Geopolitics, Daily digest: 2026-08-23
Our lif-support systems run on diesel. Supplies are already short: Transport voyages take months. Gold & Geopolitics, Running on empty - Buffered calm
I’m foreseeing a major repricing, absent any real ceasefire, or EVEN with a real ceasefire, oil’s not going to run very soon.
Same story as with silver: huge deficit, above-ground vaults being run down. The big difference is that oil is a visible product. If it’s not there, everyone will notice.
So line up your calendars: Nov: midterms, Jan 27: no Russian gas for the EU, early Feb: Norway should finish their repairs. And through all this time, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz are blocked.
Yep, everything’s fine. The gov says so. https://no01.substack.com/p/
‘Perfect storm’ brews for global food supply this winter as grain prices soar https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/
European Union on the Brink of Severe Food Crisis - It appears the EU food crisis is already beginning to take hold. With recent weather disasters caused by extreme heatwaves across the continent, local agricultural productivity is expected to plummet. This compounds an existing scenario of decline in the European agribusiness sector and sanctions against Russia – formerly a key supplier of agricultural goods to Europe. Now, European countries face the likely prospect of reduced food supplies alongside an exponential rise in prices. https://www.
Martin Armstrong, The Strait of Hormuz Is Repricing the Entire World Economy
Governments will pretend that this inflation is temporary or caused by greedy corporations. They said the same thing after the monetary expansion of 2020. Inflation is never politically convenient because it exposes the true cost of government policy. A war financed through borrowing does not require politicians to present taxpayers with an immediate bill. The expense is transferred into sovereign debt, currency depreciation, and higher prices. The public pays through the destruction of purchasing power, while officials continue claiming that military operations can be conducted without domestic sacrifice...
..The Strait of Hormuz is becoming a tax imposed upon the entire world economy. It will appear in freight costs, food prices, utility bills, interest rates, government deficits, and eventually elections. Western leaders will blame Iran, corporations, speculators, or climate change before admitting that their endless wars carry an economic price. https://www.
Michael Hudson: Well, Steve, don’t knock the bubble. That is what has been supporting the dollar and the whole economy. After the United States went off gold, it could pump dollars into the world economy through military spending, deindustrialize, and run a trade deficit. Those dollars ended up in the hands of foreign central banks, which recycled them by treating them as the new form of monetary reserves. In the last few years, the great support for the U.S. balance of payments has been private inflows into U.S. stock and bond markets. The bubble has had two effects. All the growth in America’s wealth has taken the form of rising stock, bond, and real-estate prices, and almost all of it has accrued to the wealthiest ten percent—mainly the top one percent. The other 99 percent have had no increase at all in their wealth, while the bottom 40 percent run deeper and deeper into net debt every year. This money is coming in while polarizing the U.S. economy.
The United States has become the target of the Japanese carry trade, for instance: investors in countries with low interest rates borrow cheaply and speculate in U.S. stock and bond markets. The zero-interest-rate policy created the largest bond-market boom in American history. Right now, I don’t know any major investor among the people I talk to who thinks they can make any more money in stocks and bonds. They are just trying to preserve what they have gained since 2009, when the Obama bubble began. Yet foreigners, retail investors, and pension funds have all been putting money into this. Some economists call this the confidence fairy. But as Steve and I have been saying, this bubble cannot be sustained. By the end of this year, when there is a world depression from the oil war, you are going to see breaks in the financial chain of payments, defaults, foreclosures, and a huge transfer of property from debtors to creditors amid a worldwide breakdown.
If you are very rich and have enough billions of dollars to be a player, it is much easier to get wealthy very quickly in a situation of economic collapse than through economic growth. https://www.nakedcapitalism.
The United States has become the target of the Japanese carry trade, for instance: investors in countries with low interest rates borrow cheaply and speculate in U.S. stock and bond markets. The zero-interest-rate policy created the largest bond-market boom in American history. Right now, I don’t know any major investor among the people I talk to who thinks they can make any more money in stocks and bonds. They are just trying to preserve what they have gained since 2009, when the Obama bubble began. Yet foreigners, retail investors, and pension funds have all been putting money into this. Some economists call this the confidence fairy. But as Steve and I have been saying, this bubble cannot be sustained. By the end of this year, when there is a world depression from the oil war, you are going to see breaks in the financial chain of payments, defaults, foreclosures, and a huge transfer of property from debtors to creditors amid a worldwide breakdown.
If you are very rich and have enough billions of dollars to be a player, it is much easier to get wealthy very quickly in a situation of economic collapse than through economic growth. https://www.nakedcapitalism.
Dowd sees the same bubble signs in AI (artificial intelligence) as he did just before the Dot-com bubble blew up.
This time around, it’s far worse. Dowd says: “Being a student of history gives you an idea of where you might go in the future. Currently, we have the greatest bubble of all time, and that is the AI bubble.
It is in the process of becoming exposed, and people are beginning to issue warning signals. Lloyd Blankfein, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, has issued a warning . . . about the AI risk. He’s worried people are too concentrated in this trade...
First of all, there is not even enough power to power these data centers. That’s going to halt the CapEx (Capital Expenditure) on its own accord.
There is so much capital that has to be raised that will compete with government debt, there will be a crowding out effect.
The costs to finance this are going to keep going higher and higher, and this will cause some bankruptcies . . . and then it all unwinds.” ...
This time around, it’s far worse. Dowd says: “Being a student of history gives you an idea of where you might go in the future. Currently, we have the greatest bubble of all time, and that is the AI bubble.
It is in the process of becoming exposed, and people are beginning to issue warning signals. Lloyd Blankfein, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, has issued a warning . . . about the AI risk. He’s worried people are too concentrated in this trade...
First of all, there is not even enough power to power these data centers. That’s going to halt the CapEx (Capital Expenditure) on its own accord.
There is so much capital that has to be raised that will compete with government debt, there will be a crowding out effect.
The costs to finance this are going to keep going higher and higher, and this will cause some bankruptcies . . . and then it all unwinds.” ...
..Dowd says, “It would not surprise me to see a 40% to 50% correction at some point..."
" Calling when that is going to happen is very difficult. I don’t suggest anyone short the market, but it seems like we are getting closer to the end game when people are openly calling this a bubble.
People say the bubble does not pop until everybody believes. That’s not true. There were plenty of people during the 2000 Dot-com bubble who knew it was a bubble.
They actually played it, and the game was ‘get out before everybody else gets out.’ So, people know it’s a bubble. The question is what will burst it?
That is the credit markets and private credit, which has been a big source of funding for AI that is under stress. There is a default cycle coming, and general backdrop of the real economy is quite weak. The consumer is not doing well. Walmart just reported, and it had the lowest same store sales in six years... The general population is not doing well, the housing market is rolling over... https://www.zerohedge.com/
Which means that what Bessent and Trump (as well as Judy Shelton) are subtly suggesting is that gold is no longer our “enemy.”
Instead, and quite ironically, gold is now one of America’s last options to de-deficit at least a portion of its fiscal nightmare.
Rather than Repress Gold, Let It Run - Or stated even more simply, it is now in the USA’s best interest to let gold run rather than to price fix it lower on a COMEX which has lost both its gold and credibility as China and Hong Kong move from paper-based exchanges to physical precious metal exchanges.
Gold at $4,000/oz., for example, won’t help the USA de-deficit nearly as much as it could if gold were at $17,000/oz., $20,000/oz or higher (in fact much higher) in the years to come.
And if you are wondering why central banks are stacking more gold than USTs today, it’s partly because that is precisely where they see gold heading: Much higher. http://zerohedge.com/
" Calling when that is going to happen is very difficult. I don’t suggest anyone short the market, but it seems like we are getting closer to the end game when people are openly calling this a bubble.
People say the bubble does not pop until everybody believes. That’s not true. There were plenty of people during the 2000 Dot-com bubble who knew it was a bubble.
They actually played it, and the game was ‘get out before everybody else gets out.’ So, people know it’s a bubble. The question is what will burst it?
That is the credit markets and private credit, which has been a big source of funding for AI that is under stress. There is a default cycle coming, and general backdrop of the real economy is quite weak. The consumer is not doing well. Walmart just reported, and it had the lowest same store sales in six years... The general population is not doing well, the housing market is rolling over... https://www.zerohedge.com/
About a managed-default on $US debt to gold at $20k-30k/oz: Gold: From DC's "Enemy" To Its Last Hope?
After decades of exporting US inflation to the rest of the world, the increasingly diluted and unloved dollar is no longer just the world’s problem, it’s America’s problem as well.Which means that what Bessent and Trump (as well as Judy Shelton) are subtly suggesting is that gold is no longer our “enemy.”
Instead, and quite ironically, gold is now one of America’s last options to de-deficit at least a portion of its fiscal nightmare.
Rather than Repress Gold, Let It Run - Or stated even more simply, it is now in the USA’s best interest to let gold run rather than to price fix it lower on a COMEX which has lost both its gold and credibility as China and Hong Kong move from paper-based exchanges to physical precious metal exchanges.
Gold at $4,000/oz., for example, won’t help the USA de-deficit nearly as much as it could if gold were at $17,000/oz., $20,000/oz or higher (in fact much higher) in the years to come.
And if you are wondering why central banks are stacking more gold than USTs today, it’s partly because that is precisely where they see gold heading: Much higher. http://zerohedge.com/
Little by little... Pentagon says over 750 US troops wounded during war on Iran
A US official said the Pentagon's counting method aimed to hide the true number of wounded, with estimates reaching 900 https://thecradle.co/When USTR Jamieson Greer and Canadian negotiator Dominic LeBlanc said the terms were “basically agreed”, again CTH said be careful.
The reason for our notes of extreme caution is because the divide between the two economies and trade policy is just too big. There was no way for both sides to close the gap without major structural economic changes within Canada. The issues are not points of friction, they are just too big and embedded within the laws of Canada that would have to change.
Banking regulations would have to change. Intellectual property and media rules, regulations and laws would have to change. Industrial policy would have to change. The Canadian energy policy would have to change. The carbon trading scheme would have to change or be removed. All of this would fall upon Canada to carry out in order to position their economy in alignment with the USA. There’s literally no way for their government to accomplish this against the backdrop of their political ideology.
That was the structural argument and point made by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This is also why the USMCA as a trilateral trade agreement is impossible to maintain. The only trade agreement construct possible is two clearly separate bilateral free trade agreements, one with Mexico and one with Canada... A trade war is underway. https://
The reason for our notes of extreme caution is because the divide between the two economies and trade policy is just too big. There was no way for both sides to close the gap without major structural economic changes within Canada. The issues are not points of friction, they are just too big and embedded within the laws of Canada that would have to change.
Banking regulations would have to change. Intellectual property and media rules, regulations and laws would have to change. Industrial policy would have to change. The Canadian energy policy would have to change. The carbon trading scheme would have to change or be removed. All of this would fall upon Canada to carry out in order to position their economy in alignment with the USA. There’s literally no way for their government to accomplish this against the backdrop of their political ideology.
That was the structural argument and point made by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This is also why the USMCA as a trilateral trade agreement is impossible to maintain. The only trade agreement construct possible is two clearly separate bilateral free trade agreements, one with Mexico and one with Canada... A trade war is underway. https://
What I am seeing is a piling of blame onto "Netanyahu" ahead of October elections "he" is expected to lose. I think "he" has been AI images and a body double since an early March Iranian missile strike. This could be a convenient transition: Alastair Crooke: Netanyahu’s réprise of the ‘Iraq WMD deceit’ – re-launched to promote war on Iran https://strategic-culture.
This is particularly sly if Netanyahu is dead: Turkey Issues Arrest Warrant For Netanyahu, Seeks Interpol Red Notice https://www.zerohedge.com/
Caitlin Johnstone, Our Entire Civilization Is Run By Oligarchs And Empire Managers
This is a fact, not an opinion. Last year Drop Site News published a leaked polling report that had been commissioned by the Israeli government which found that while Israel’s reputation is crumbling throughout the western world, one way to salvage it would be to foment panic about Muslims.
Drop Site reports the following:
“Israel’s best tactic to combat this, according to the study, is to foment fear of ‘Radical Islam’ and ‘Jihadism,’ which remain high, the research finds. By highlighting Israeli support for women’s rights and gay rights while elevating concerns that Hamas wants to ‘destroy all Jews and spread Jihadism,’ Israeli support rebounded by an average of over 20 points in each country. ‘Especially once the situation in Gaza is resolved, the room for growth in all countries is very significant,’ the report concludes.”
So if you speak critically about Israel online and suddenly find your replies inundated with Zionists shrieking about Islam and Muslims, that’s why. Their research has concluded that convincing westerners to hate Muslims is easier than convincing them to love Israel. https://www.caitlinjohnst.
A coverup: After More Than Two Years, Israel Admits to Firing on Car Carrying Five-Year-Old Hind Rajab and the Ambulance Sent To Rescue Her
Hind was the only survivor of an initial attack on the vehicle and was surrounded by six dead family members as she spent hours on the phone with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PCRS) pleading for help. The PCRS waited until it had authorization from the Israeli military to dispatch an ambulance to the area and send it along a route provided by the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
Despite the coordination with the IDF, once the two Palestinian paramedics arrived, they were fired on by Israeli tanks and killed. Hind was still alive after the blast that killed the paramedics and was speaking on the phone with her mother, but the PCRS lost contact with her shortly after. Nearly two weeks later, after the IDF withdrew from the area, the body of Hind, her six family members, and the paramedics, Yousef Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, were recovered. https://news.antiwar.com/
Larry Johnson provides the numbers. Terrorism supporters #1 and #2 work together: The Data Doesn’t Support the Charge: Iran and the “Number One Sponsor of Terrorism” Claim https://sonar21.com/the-data-
It looks like WW-2 concentration-camp pictures: IDF Marks Palestinian Detainees With Numbers as It Expands Northern West Bank Operations https://archive.is/2CylM#
The U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey on Sunday walked back his comments from two days ago that Israel "still” occupies the Golan Heights in violation of U.N. resolutions, remarks that went against U.S. President Donald Trump 's position on the disputed territory.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and do not recognize Israel’s annexation of it.
In 2019, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory, reversing decades of U.S. policy.
Ambassador Tom Barrack on Friday said that Israel “still” occupies the territory in an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal.
Barrack now says that was a description of the territory’s historical status, “not an endorsement of the United Nations’ position” on the Golan.
"United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” he said. https://abcnews.com/
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and do not recognize Israel’s annexation of it.
In 2019, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory, reversing decades of U.S. policy.
Ambassador Tom Barrack on Friday said that Israel “still” occupies the territory in an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal.
Barrack now says that was a description of the territory’s historical status, “not an endorsement of the United Nations’ position” on the Golan.
"United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” he said. https://abcnews.com/
My Greek friend says that Greeks have come to detest the exceedingly rude and entitled Israeli tourists who visit. Greece's alliance with Israel is becoming a domestic liability https://www.middleeasteye.
For three years the Von der Leyen Commission has been secretly negotiating to hand over its citizens’ data to a state committing multiple genocides. The EU has run a mission in the West Bank to support the Palestinian Authority with policing since 2005. If the data sharing agreement goes ahead, the data collected by EU police missions operating in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip city and Rafah could be fed into Israel’s existing military surveillance systems.
The really twisted part, as Deaglan O’Mulrooney notes in an article for Washington University’s The Spectacle Mag, is that the EU’s own legal service declared the agreement unlawful in 2022. The Commission, in time-honoured fashion, carried on regardless:
The Council Legal Service concluded that the Commission had breached its negotiating mandate, violated EU treaty requirements, and failed to consult the relevant working group. The lawyers specifically objected to provisions that would allow data shared with Israel to be used in the occupied Palestinian territories, warning it would be the first time an international agreement between the EU and Israel would provide for its application to the territories occupied since 1967, and that it would violate the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and breach international law. The Commission read all of this, noted it, and continued negotiating anyway.
The agreement was formally frozen in late 2022 following the legal objections. What Statewatch’s investigation reveals is that it did not stay frozen. https://www.nakedcapitalism.
AIPAC has lost yet another race into which it poured millions of dollars on Thursday after California state Sen. Aisha Wahab won her special election to serve out the rest of Eric Swalwell’s term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Associated Press called the race on Thursday evening for Wahab, who received 53 percent of the vote compared to Democratic opponent Melissa Hernandez’s 47 percent. Wahab is the first Afghan American ever elected to the U.S. Congress, and was the first Muslim woman elected to the California legislature.
Wahab is slated to serve out the rest of Swalwell’s term, which ends in January, after he resigned over sexual assault allegations made against him. She will represent a swath of the Bay Area, and will face off against Hernandez again in the general election in November for a full term.
AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), poured $2.5 million into opposing Wahab and backing Hernandez, the New York Times reports, much of it in the final weeks of the race.
The spending has been somewhat puzzling, baffling even pro-Israel leaders in the state who question why the lobbying powerhouse would spend so much on a race that, unlike many others this election cycle, has not been defined by the candidates’ stances on the U.S.’s policies toward Israel. https://scheerpost.com/2026/
The Associated Press called the race on Thursday evening for Wahab, who received 53 percent of the vote compared to Democratic opponent Melissa Hernandez’s 47 percent. Wahab is the first Afghan American ever elected to the U.S. Congress, and was the first Muslim woman elected to the California legislature.
Wahab is slated to serve out the rest of Swalwell’s term, which ends in January, after he resigned over sexual assault allegations made against him. She will represent a swath of the Bay Area, and will face off against Hernandez again in the general election in November for a full term.
AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), poured $2.5 million into opposing Wahab and backing Hernandez, the New York Times reports, much of it in the final weeks of the race.
The spending has been somewhat puzzling, baffling even pro-Israel leaders in the state who question why the lobbying powerhouse would spend so much on a race that, unlike many others this election cycle, has not been defined by the candidates’ stances on the U.S.’s policies toward Israel. https://scheerpost.com/2026/
Simplicius, from 8/20/26, Plans Revealed for Massive Ukrainian Attacks Against Russian Airports, as Kiev Hit With Another Unstoppable Ballistic Swarm
The article claims Zelensky thought better of it, fearing that “accidentally” killing civilians would be seen as “piracy” at the hands of Ukraine.
By the middle of spring, the plan to force a more permanent shutdown of Moscow’s airports had advanced far enough to receive a code name: M&Ms, a reference to the many small, cheap, and nearly identical drones that the mission would require. To overwhelm Russian air defenses, the operation would need to send as many as 1,000 drones a night to airports in and around Moscow, said one of the sources familiar with it. The article details how it was ex-Defense Minister Fedorov that was responsible for driving the plan, but that even newly-appointed Yevhen Khmara is said to be carrying the reins forward...
..The article notes this tracks with Fedorov’s begging of Elon Musk to enable Starlink to be used over all of Russia. This gives us a general overview of what to expect from Ukraine in the coming months. https://simplicius76. Simplicius, Cash-Strapped Ukraine Gripped by Preparatory “Female Mobilization” Info-Drive
A whirlwind new media campaign has been orchestrated around plying society to the acceptance of mobilizing the female population of Ukraine. Ex-Defense Minister Reznikov first broke the ice by discussing the new “stricter” mobilization procedures being promised by Zelensky’s government, which include tightening various rules as well as potentially changing the draft age.
But at the 0:30 second mark, he states that for Ukraine to make it, it must look to other states which have successfully solved manpower issues, and elevates Israel to the exemplary role...
..Ukraine is facing an increasingly dire condition. The latest developing crisis revolves around Ukraine’s funding shortfall, as outlined by Zelensky himself in a series of pleading statements...
..The reason this makes sense is because Ukraine has been sending an unprecedentedly disproportionate number of drones against Russia, nearly 1,000 per shot on many nights. And most ignorant pro-UA observers absently gloat and cheer this on as if the prodigious resources for such strikes are simply materializing from thin air, recklessly believing that the piper never has to be paid in the end. Well, now the bill is due—and Zelensky is begging for mountains of cash more that the depleted Euro-vassals can no longer afford.
In fact, what now becomes obvious is that Zelensky simply staked everything on this year’s PR campaign to “bring Putin to his knees” via refinery and warehouse strikes—equivalent to doing 40x leveraged margin shorts and blowing up your entire portfolio once the gamble backfires. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/cash-strapped-ukraine-gripped-by
Denmark deploys first conscripts to Greenland - Copenhagen send its youth to the Arctic after Trump's threats https://www.euractiv.com/
Russian objectives will need to be secured, but... Russia Says Ready For 'New Ideas' From US On Ending Ukraine War https://www.zerohedge.com/
In fact, what now becomes obvious is that Zelensky simply staked everything on this year’s PR campaign to “bring Putin to his knees” via refinery and warehouse strikes—equivalent to doing 40x leveraged margin shorts and blowing up your entire portfolio once the gamble backfires. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/cash-strapped-ukraine-gripped-by
They all know better: Europe’s hollowed-out armies: The race to find 100,000 soldiers https://www.euronews.com/my-
US Air Force C-17 Makes Mysterious Visit To Moscow
A US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft landed at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
The C-17 arrived from Riga, Latvia, where it landed on Sunday, according to Flightradar24 data. Flight data show that the military transport plane was recently at Camp Springs, Maryland, home to Joint Base Andrews, which supports presidential and senior US government travel...
The C-17 arrived from Riga, Latvia, where it landed on Sunday, according to Flightradar24 data. Flight data show that the military transport plane was recently at Camp Springs, Maryland, home to Joint Base Andrews, which supports presidential and senior US government travel...
..There has been no official confirmation from the US about the C-17's landing in Moscow. The flight could indicate support for a senior US delegation, the transportation of diplomatic cargo or a prisoner transfer. Keep in mind that Joint Base Andrews is a major hub for US government and military missions. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-air-force-c-17-makes-mysterious-visit-moscow
Fishing and farming communities have no rights. Myanmar military offensive targets land for Russia-backed port project https://uk.news.yahoo.com/
Trump says he will meet N. Korea's Kim this year, puts N.K. nukes at 57 https://en.yna.co.kr/view/
AI was supposed to win people over by now — it hasn’t
The new formation is set to recruit tech executives to work on major Army challenges, but the service has not articulated exactly what those individuals would do -- instead focusing on recruiting talent and creating jobs around them. The four include Shyam Sankar, chief technology officer for Palantir; Andrew Bosworth, chief technology officer of Meta; Kevin Weil, chief product officer of OpenAI; and Bob McGrew, adviser at Thinking Machines Lab and former chief research officer for OpenAI...
Trump has given Rubio free rein to break Cuba: US pummels Cuban economy with new sanctions on mining, construction
US economic restrictions have strained the island’s already fragile economy, prompting blackouts and medical shortages. https://www.aljazeera.com/ Track any person anywhere in any car or on foot: Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code
Flock’s surveillance cameras have already sparked outrage. WIRED reconstructed its next-generation AI system, already in use by some police, to confirm it goes much further than tracking license plates. https://archive.is/lT86y#A recent CNBC poll of 18- to 34-year-olds found that, when given the names of nine top leaders in the AI industry, a majority of the respondents said they don’t trust those people to “act responsibly” when it comes to AI. A May Economist/YouGov poll found that over 70% of Americans think AI is advancing too quickly... The underlying sentiment spanning these stories is that consumers don’t see how AI is making their lives better, but they’re still being asked to absorb the costs. https://techcrunch.com/2026/
Helen of Destroy, Invasion of the Country-Snatchers - The AI-powered surveillance state is un-American. Literally. (Part I of a series)
Silicon Valley apologists insist that Americans must sacrifice their clean water, farmland, public funds, privacy, constitutional rights, careers, and dignity to stay ahead of China in the AI arms race. But that narrative is misleading: the US already has over 10 times as many data centers as China - 5,427 to their 449 as of May - despite less than one fourth the population, with nearly twice the installed data center capacity (52 gigawatts to China’s 28). At the start of this year, the US had more data centers than the next 14 countries combined - yet construction has actually sped up, with more spent on data center construction in the first six months of this year than in all of 2025 - and more than three times what was spent in 2024.
Despite unprecedented hype, AI has not replaced human labor - Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei even walked back his clickbait prediction that it would eliminate 50% of entry-level white collar jobs by 2027 - and the promised productivity gains have not materialized, even with employers forcing workers to use the technology if they want to keep their jobs... ..Deploying its full arsenal of dirty tricks to get Americans hooked on generative AI, the industry cons casual users of the tech into feeling guilty for their supposed role in the data center buildout and its attendant harms - as if their hunger for cat slop videos (and not the Pentagon’s need to maintain dynamic targeting lists of problematic citizens) is what’s really causing those data centers to dry up Lake Tahoe. In reality, corporate and government AI use the vast majority of US compute - over 85% by one estimate - dwarfing consumer-facing applications... ..The data center blitzkrieg is best understood as the foundation of the AI surveillance state. It enables the subversion of every freedom America claims to stand for by a parasitic fifth column, long embedded in the public and private sectors, that has been unable to mount a proper coup without AI. With that barrier removed, all bets are off. The Trump administration declared AI data centers critical infrastructure last year - it was this executive order that opened the door to the use of eminent domain to seize private property for their construction - and has reoriented the machinery of the state to service the occupying force. https://helenofdestroy.
The new formation is set to recruit tech executives to work on major Army challenges, but the service has not articulated exactly what those individuals would do -- instead focusing on recruiting talent and creating jobs around them.
..While in regular formations, lieutenant colonel is a senior rank that garners respect. Inside the Pentagon, it's often the bare minimum rank to enter the room -- a relatively junior-grade officer in a sea of top brass and high-level civilian decision-makers. The law allows the military to direct commission up to the rank of colonel, but that would require Senate confirmation...
.."When it isn't obvious what rich guys get out of something, that's what worries me," one Capitol Hill national security adviser told Military.com on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/06/27/tech-executives-commissioned-senior-army-officers-wont-recuse-themselves-dod-business-dealings.html
"The principal question in this appeal is whether the jury's damages award violated the First Amendment by punishing the defendants for publishing a news story," Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, writing for the majority, said. "We conclude that it did."
The case was brought after Project Veritas released a video showing conversations with strategist Robert Creamer and other Democratic operatives, including discussions secretly recorded by Allison Maass, a Project Veritas reporter, while she spent eight days as an unpaid intern at the Democracy Partners firm in 2016. https://www.zerohedge.com/
Yves here. While this article correctly calls out the cancerous growth in US health care costs, it sadly over-estimates the degree to which a Medicare-for-All program would be an effective counter. Consider the practice of the smaller drug buyer, the Australian Therapeutic Good Administration. TGA staffers read medical research relentlessly. They select, for most ailments, a single medication for treatment. They often reject the latest whiz bang improvements, such as a newer once-a-day slow release version versus a three-times-a-day original, because the newer formulations do not improve medical outcomes. But they do count as FDA “new drug applications” and allow for extension of patent life, as in preserving premium pricing. https://www.nakedcapitalism.
Chemicals in Home Products Are Spiking Breast Cancer Rates
Under HHS Secretary Kennedy, the FDA is finally taking a hard look at chemical compounds in makeup, shampoo, laundry detergent and more.
Government and vaccine-makers blame surviving victims: Idaho Mom Accused of Killing Twin Toddlers Pleads Not Guilty
An Idaho mother charged with murdering her twin toddlers pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. She says the children died from a vaccine reaction, not suffocation, as prosecutors allege. Her trial is set for January 2027, amid a national debate over the childhood vaccine schedule. https://
United Airlines Asks Supreme Court to Block Class Action Over COVID Vaccine Mandate. Here’s What’s at Stake
United Airlines is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling allowing roughly 1,000 employees with religious discrimination claims to sue as a group. The case could help define how workers challenge employer policies that conflict with their religious beliefs — and whether they can join forces to do so. https://
Escape Key, 9/11 This essay is not about controlled demolition, insider trading, or who knew what in advance. The question here is simpler. What institutional infrastructure was developed as a direct consequence of the event, what did it connect to, and what is the net function of the system that now exists?
The purpose of a system is what it does. In 1976, a claimed swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix was projected as a potential pandemic threat, triggering the first mass federal vaccination campaign in US history. Forty-three million Americans were vaccinated before the programme was halted after cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome. At the precise time of the Fort Dix episode, a conference convened in Rougemont, Switzerland, brought together pharmaceutical industry executives and senior public health officials to discuss surveillance and vaccines. Walter Dowdle — the CDC’s deputy director — delivered both the opening and closing remarks.
Two years later, CDC Director William Foege signed the first US pandemic plan — the same year as the Declaration of Alma-Ata, calling for global centralisation of information, education, drugs, and vaccines. The structure was ‘the third way‘ applied through health: neither exclusively state nor market, but a managed system in which a carefully selected ‘civil society organisation’ (NGOs) provides the purposive ethic... ..In June 2001, Dark Winter — a senior-level bioterrorism simulation — was held at Andrews Air Force Base, simulating a covert smallpox attack through mock National Security Council meetings. Participants included former CIA director James Woolsey and New York Times reporter Judith Miller, both of whom became among the loudest voices blaming the subsequent anthrax attacks on Iraq. The exercise script included fabricated news clips linking Iraq to bioterrorism — a narrative deployed operationally within four months.
On September 10, 2001, Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld announced that the Pentagon could not account for $2.3 trillion in transactions. The accounting offices investigating these discrepancies were in the section of the Pentagon struck the following morning. The investigation did not resume. In 2018, the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board adopted Statement 56, allowing government agencies to modify public financial statements to prevent disclosure of classified activities... ..9/11 sits at the centre of this picture not because of what happened on the day, but because of what was built in the months that followed.
The pre-positioning ran from 1966 to 2001. The triggering events arrived between September and December 2001. The construction ran from 2002 to 2006. The dress rehearsals from 2009 to 2019. The activation came in 2020. The codification is underway now — through the Pandemic Treaty, the EU AI Act, the unified ledger, and the Pact for the Future’s Emergency Platform. https://escapekey.substack.
Supreme Court Backs Trump's Mail-In Ballot Overhaul https://www.zerohedge.com/
Federal Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of James O'Keefe Over Undercover Reporting
A split panel of U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit judges said on Aug. 21 that a district court judge had erroneously kept in place $130,000 in damages against O'Keefe over an undercover operation that targeted Democratic strategists."The principal question in this appeal is whether the jury's damages award violated the First Amendment by punishing the defendants for publishing a news story," Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, writing for the majority, said. "We conclude that it did."
The case was brought after Project Veritas released a video showing conversations with strategist Robert Creamer and other Democratic operatives, including discussions secretly recorded by Allison Maass, a Project Veritas reporter, while she spent eight days as an unpaid intern at the Democracy Partners firm in 2016. https://www.zerohedge.com/
Spanish Beach Stormed As Ceuta Chaos Spreads https://www.zerohedge.com/
Goldbug Libertarian take,but still somewhat useful: The Six Nooses: How Interventionism Is Strangling The Family's Will To Reproduce https://www.zerohedge.com/
I observe that the "healthcare" system now micro-abandons patients at every turn, discharging them without follow-up appointments or enough medicine. This fosters panic and bad outcomes. It is how the system is structured for incentives. I suspect it is reducing American life expectancy invisibly.
‘Utterly Unsustainable’: Employer-Sponsored Health Care Costs Set to Keep Surging , Posted on August 21, 2026 by Yves SmithYves here. While this article correctly calls out the cancerous growth in US health care costs, it sadly over-estimates the degree to which a Medicare-for-All program would be an effective counter. Consider the practice of the smaller drug buyer, the Australian Therapeutic Good Administration. TGA staffers read medical research relentlessly. They select, for most ailments, a single medication for treatment. They often reject the latest whiz bang improvements, such as a newer once-a-day slow release version versus a three-times-a-day original, because the newer formulations do not improve medical outcomes. But they do count as FDA “new drug applications” and allow for extension of patent life, as in preserving premium pricing. https://www.nakedcapitalism.
Under HHS Secretary Kennedy, the FDA is finally taking a hard look at chemical compounds in makeup, shampoo, laundry detergent and more.
The average American woman applies 168 different chemicals to her body every day, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which surveyed thousands of people in 2004 about the personal care products they use. https://www.themahareport.
An Idaho mother charged with murdering her twin toddlers pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. She says the children died from a vaccine reaction, not suffocation, as prosecutors allege. Her trial is set for January 2027, amid a national debate over the childhood vaccine schedule. https://
United Airlines is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling allowing roughly 1,000 employees with religious discrimination claims to sue as a group. The case could help define how workers challenge employer policies that conflict with their religious beliefs — and whether they can join forces to do so. https://
We report nine unvaccinated blood transfusion recipients who experienced serious complications including blood clots, heart damage, multi-organ failure, and death. https://www.thefocalpoints.
Attorney Ray Flores asked the court to stay the suit for six months, after HHS last month announced plans to propose a rule in November to establish a formal “injury table” for all COVID-19 countermeasures, including COVID-19 vaccines. The table would increase the odds of compensation for many people seriously injured by COVID-19 vaccines, remdesivir and ventilators. Those whose claims were initially denied could have another year to file, Flores said. https://
Uninjured (pictured picking black-eyed peas)
