Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Enigmatic Alaskan Rendezvous

 Wondering Wassup,


  I have been focused upon the assumption that Trump and Putin will meet to negotiate a Ukrainian peace deal in Alaska, as has everybody else. All interested parties are applying pressure to influence this assumed agenda. That makes something-else easier to accomplish quickly. America making a "completely acceptable offer" looks different, when cast in that light. It may have been an offer about something else. 
  Russia has said all along that the fundamental issue of European security arrangements, which respect Russian security needs, also, must be addressed first. How might that begin? Would nuclear-missile agreements cool down that stressful situation as a beginning? Gilbert Doctorow believes that to be the key first step for a win-win-win situation. 
  The question of a trans-Bering-Strait-train-tunnel is a new one to me, but Abraham Lincoln favored such a rail connection after the US bought Alaska from Russia, and before he died. There does not appear to be organized resistance to such an endeavor right now. It could be a bold initiative.

  Air security is an issue for the Russian head of state. Russian air defense missiles have something like a 400 km range.
  The closest US airport to Russia (45 miles?) is Gambell Airport, created in WW-2 to fly supplies to the Russian Allies from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. 
  On 27 February 1974, a Soviet Union An-24LR carrying a crew of three and ten scientists on an ice-reconnaissance mission landed at Gambell due to fuel exhaustion in bad weather, causing a minor Cold War incident. Villagers, mostly Yupik Native Americans, provided space heaters and food. A U.S. Air Force C-130 flew in a load of fuel bladders with JP-1 fuel from Anchorage to refuel the An-24, which departed at 7:30 pm. She dipped her wings in salute in a pass over the airfield, then returned to Soviet airspace.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambell_Airport

  Gilbert Doctorow,  Transcript of Diesen interview, 8 August
  What is the big issue that would have persuaded Mr. Putin and his close advisors that they should meet with Trump now? What could Mr. Witkoff have brought with him? Well, I think he had to have addressed the core issues. What he could have done to make the whole thing palatable to all sides, meaning also the Ukrainians if they are strong-armed and the Europeans, is to speak about phasing in what is essentially the Russian solution and presenting it in such a way that it would not look like what it is, which is virtual surrenderVirtual surrender is not acceptable to NATO, is not acceptable to the United States.
​  Mr. Trump will be pilloried if he does nothing to sweeten the settlement and to make it seem as though he’s in control. All the news we see on every possible subject these weeks has one newsmaker, and his name is Donald Trump. It gives you the sense that he’s in control of things even if he absolutely is not. And he is certainly not in control of how this war will end.
​  But he has to have the appearance of that. And so he has decided that he should meet with Mr. Putin. And Mr. Putin has responded.
​  Although if you read yesterday’s and today’s “Financial Times”, oh, no, sorry, if you listened to the BBC this morning, you would understand that Putin was eagerly pursuing Trump for a meeting, because that will restore his prestige as an international player. That’s how they turn everything on its head.
​   Well, coming back to this answer to your question, I’ve been a bit long-winded, but the answer to your question: the Americans probably brought a phasing in, stage one, stage two, stage three, which makes it possible to sit and negotiate. The end result will be very much in accordance with the Russians’ demands, which are not maximalist. They haven’t changed one iota from where they were in June 2024, when Mr. Putin reiterated what he first said in February 2022, what Russia’s ambition is, although he put it more clearly and in easier-to- understand terms. But essentially it came to the same thing, what this denazification, well that’s regime change, the demilitarization, well the Ukrainian army goes, but mostly it’s evaporating in front of our eyes. So these things are being achieved and now they want to codify it, but they cannot do it in one session. That will be too awful for the West.
​  So I think the issue to discuss is how to phase this in, in a way that leaves Mr. Trump at least with an off-ramp that’s respectable and the Europeans can go to hell. They’ll have to accommodate to whatever the Americans and the Russians agree, because they will have no weapons to supply to the Ukraine and Ukraine will sink.​..
​..What exactly? The overall overarching concept could be “separate the Russians from the Chinese so we can proceed with taking on China”.
​  However, that falls flat. There is no way conceivable that Russia is going to betray China.​.. It is inconceivable that Mr. Putin will give free access to Russian rare-earth metals to spite China. That is off the table.
​  So what exactly Mr. Trump hopes to achieve considering that Russia and China are inseparable, I’m not quite sure. So we really have to look a little bit further. And I’m not sure that Mr. Trump is, his advisors are blind to that reality. I also have mentioned the timing coming back to why 10 days or what 50 days because September 3rd is inconvenient.
​  It’s too close to the convening of this end of the Pacific war for World War Two the 80th anniversary celebrations will be in Beijing, to which Mr. Trump presumably is desperate to be invited. That is possible. It suggests that the Yalta type meeting that we all thought might possibly happen, when Moscow celebrated the 80th anniversary of the end of the European war, and didn’t happen. Maybe would happen now in the Pacific, in Beijing.​..
..Can’t see a solution on the ceasefire without the Europeans being brought in. But obviously not at the first meeting, just as it’s senseless to have Zelensky there when the only thing that could have motivated the Russians to agree to a meeting has nothing to do directly with the Ukraine conflict. It has to do, as you said, with revising the security architecture of Europe, for which Mr. Zelensky has no place at the table.​..
​..What could they possibly have said to President Putin, what Witkoff could have brought with him, that would be considered constructive and could justify this meeting? And let’s take, put it in the historical context. What did the Americans and the Russians, who disliked one another, who didn’t necessarily respect one another, always put forward as the first topic for discussion? Arms control.
​  Arms control. That is the most value-neutral thing that they could discuss next week, which would set the tone for solving all the other issues, which would receive the undeserved acclaim in Europe and the United States. If they were to discuss restoring the intermediate and short-range missile agreement in a new form and preventing or removing the advance-positioned Russian missiles and the plans for stationing American missiles in Germany next year, that would be hailed by everybody. And from that good atmosphere, they could proceed to the really tough and miserable discussions about concluding the Ukraine war.​..
..If you take off this five-minute long delivery strike times of missiles within the European theatre, life gets a lot easier. You can breathe much easier, and the tension over European security would be toned down considerably. So that could be it, but it’s a guess, nothing more than a guess.​   https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/08/09/transcript-of-diesen-interview-8-august/

​  Gilbert Doctorow,  Transcript of RT Interview, 8 August
​  What is decisive is how did this territory [Alaska] become American? I haven’t heard a word about that. By the way, it was bought. It was bought. It was sold by the Russian Tsar, and it was bought by the Americans.
​  And that’s what we’re going to see now in Ukraine. And nobody’s saying a word about it. But let’s use our minds. Let’s expand a little bit. Let’s be extravagant like Mr. Trump is. The Russians have $350 billion worth of assets that are now frozen in the West. Practically speaking, they have written that off. In their bookkeeping internally, they recouped most of that money by the extraordinary profitability of selling hydrocarbons in the first days of the war. So $350 billion, well, you can buy a lot in Ukraine with that, can’t you?
​  And the opinion of Mr. Zelensky about refusing or accepting the $350 billion in exchange for all of the territory of Ukraine that Russia wants, which is the whole Donbass, the four oblasts that were named. Well, that’s a deal. That is Mr. Trump’s great art of the deal.​..
..Joint projects, of course. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Direct Investment Fund, has been an integral part of all discussions. And everyone knows that he is a backer of the old idea of a tunnel bridge connecting Russia and the United States over the Bering Strait. So that, of course, is an element that cannot be excluded. At the same time, the real possibilities for further development of whatever is reached on the 15th of August are on a different level. They are at global security.​..
..Mr. Trump has this problem of navigating Congress, and he is stuck with this Zionist presence in Congress. And he cannot, he doesn’t have much wiggle room in dealing with Israel for that reason. For this very reason, it is incumbent on Europe to do something and to take a lead and do something of importance on the world stage and not just kick the tires about Trump’s policies here and there. So, Europe has a great opportunity to lead peace in Palestine. I hope they take it.​   https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/08/10/transcript-of-rt-interview-8-august/

  ​Alex Krainer,  The significance of Alaska
On Friday, 15 August Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska. The choice of that location sends a very hopeful message to the world.
​  Alaska is where the United States borders with Russia and where the two powers can and should connect. As Matthew Ehret summarized it superbly in his recent Substack article, the idea of physically connecting the US and Russia across the Bering Strait is an old idea because it’s a rather obvious one. It was first advanced already under President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, but sadly, it died with him. It was revived again in 1890 by William Gilpin, the former governor of Colorado, as his “Cosmopolitan Rail” vision, which included building a tunnel under the Bering Strait.
​  The importance of this project was not lost on the Russian government under Czar Nicholas II and his Finance Minister Sergei Witte who hired a number of American and French railway engineers in 1905 to carry out feasibility studies for the project. Unfortunately, the Czar was soon forced to abdicate, his Prime Minister was assassinated and the project never saw light of day.
​  It was revived once more under Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration and discussed in 1942 by his Vice President Henry Wallace and Stalin’s Foreign Minister Molotov...
​..However, Wallace would soon be sidelined and replaced with Harry Truman, the clueless tool of the British oligarchy. Once FDR was safely dead, the project was memory holed again: connecting the two superpowers, whether physically, politically, socially, culturally or commercially, fell into disfavor.
​  In his “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946, Winston Churchill declared the Soviet Union as the enemy of the West. He delivered that speech in front of Harry Truman.​   
https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/the-significance-of-alaska

​  Trump–Putin Alaska Summit: Peace Talks And Power Plays On Former Russian Soil
​  The venue of a negotiation often predefines the balance of power between opponents. In that sense, it must be read as a clear show of force that both European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer — notably without military fanfare — traveled to Trump’s private resort in Turnberry to be politically “placed” by the American president. Judging by the outcome of those talks, one conclusion is unavoidable: the European Union no longer plays in the league of the great powers.​..
​..Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel on August 15 to “away territory” in Alaska — once part of Russia — to preliminarily negotiate peace terms in Ukraine with President Trump. Trump sees progress in the stalemated conflict and stresses that the talks will likely lead to a land-swap arrangement “to the benefit of both sides.”​ ...
..By hosting the Russian president at such a neuralgic spot, Trump fuses historical reconciliation with present-day power politics, creating a symbolic setting that suggests readiness for compromise without conceding sovereignty.
​  What might look like a PR coup in the headlines is in reality a move at the highest level of geopolitics. By inviting Putin onto US soil, Trump openly breaks with the prevailing doctrine of keeping Russia isolated. The ICC arrest warrant, the sanctions regime, years of carefully cultivated enemy imagery — all of it, should the meeting take place, would evaporate in significance with a single photograph.
​  The message: The rules the foreign-policy establishment holds as untouchable are negotiable — not carved in stone — at least if the President of the United States decides so.
​  Behind closed doors, the focus will likely be on redrawing spheres of influence: a possible Ukraine endgame in exchange for Russian concessions — energy, Arctic passage, perhaps even a gradual distancing from Beijing.​   
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-putin-alaska-summit-peace-talks-and-power-plays-former-russian-soil

​Playing hard-to-get:  European Leaders Call For Protection Of Ukraine As Trump-Putin Summit Looms   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/european-leaders-call-protection-ukraine-trump-putin-summit-looms

​  Window dressing:  Kiev’s European backers make counter-offer ahead of Alaska talks – WSJ
Ukraine and several European states have reportedly told US officials that only a “reciprocal” territory swap with Russia is possible​   https://swentr.site/news/622711-wsj-europeans-ukraine-prepare-counterproposal-us/

Vance Says US 'Done Funding Ukraine War' - Demands Europe Step Up​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/vance-says-us-done-funding-ukraine-war-demands-europe-step

'These Are Dead Decisions' - Zelensky Rejects Ceding Territory After Trump Talks Land-Swap​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelesnky-rejects-rejects-ceding-territory-after-trump-talks-land-swap-these-are-dead

Ukraine in Shock​ - Russian Forces Have Fully Breached the Defenses!️ ​ Military Summary For 2025.08.12​   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TyrdyolTUI

​  'Vital' Poll Shows Ukrainians Are For Peace - Putin's Envoy Dmitriev
Dmitriev cited relevant sociological data from the American Gallup Institute, according to which 69% of Ukrainians (up from 20% in 2022) support the earliest possible achievement of peace through negotiations, rather than war.​   https://sputnikglobe.com/20250808/vital-poll-shows-ukrainians-are-for-peace---putins-envoy-dmitriev-1122575101.html

​  False Flag Alert:  Putin-Trump summit sabotage risk is real – senior Russian negotiator
“Titanic” provocation and disinformation efforts are incoming, Kirill Dmitriev has warned​   https://swentr.site/russia/622702-trump-putin-summit-sabotage/

Xi Tells Putin China Ready to Promote Peace & Negotiations on Ukraine - Report​   https://sputnikglobe.com/20250808/putin-xi-hold-phone-call---report-1122576722.html

​Lukashenko in Belarus has been the man:  The Secret White House Backchannel That Paved the Way For Trump’s Summit With Putin   https://time.com/7308021/lukashenko-belarus-minsk-backchannel-trump-putin/

​  Floate​d to hush-up critics?  Polish News Outlet Claims Insider Info on Trump-Putin Tentative Agreement
According to Onet, the US proposal includes:
・A ceasefire in Ukraine, though not a full peace agreement.
・De facto recognition of Russian-occupied territories by postponing the status issue for 49 or 99 years.
・The lifting of most sanctions imposed on Russia and, in the long term, a return to energy cooperation – namely, imports of Russian gas and oil.

Meanwhile, the proposal reportedly does not include guarantees against NATO expansion – one of Moscow’s consistent demands.
​  Russia did not receive any promises that military support for Ukraine would cease. However, according to the outlet, this last point is said to be acceptable to the Russians.​   
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/08/08/polish-news-outlet-claims-insider-info-on-trump-putin-tentative-agreement/#more-274742

Orban calls for Russia-EU summit​ - The Hungarian PM says the bloc’s leading nations must take an active role in peacemaking or risk losing relevance​   https://swentr.site/news/622679-hungary-pm-orban-calls-for-eu-russia-summit-ukraine/

Palestinian prisoners ‘electrocuted, starved, and beaten’ in Israeli jails: Detainees commission​   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250808-palestinian-prisoners-electrocuted-starved-and-beaten-in-israeli-jails-detainees-commission/

​  466 protesters arrested in London as hundreds rally in support of Palestine Action​  
Hundreds attend protest with signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action'​   https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/466-protesters-arrested-in-london-as-hundreds-rally-in-support-of-palestine-action/3655081

Israeli Strike Kills 5 Al Jazeera Journalists In Gaza, IDF Says They Were Part Of Hamas Cell​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-strike-kills-5-al-jazeera-journalists-gaza-idf-says-they-were-part-hamas-cell

​  Caitlin Johnstone,  Israel Assassinates More Journalists To Hide Its Planned War Crimes
​  Ahead of a planned Israeli assault on Gaza City which UN officials warn will further exacerbate death and suffering for the Palestinian people, Israel has chosen to assassinate five Al Jazeera journalists who’ve been stationed there. Among those killed was Anas al-Sharif, one of the most high-profile surviving reporters in Gaza.
​  The IDF is of course claiming that al-Sharif was Hamas, because that’s what they always do. They’ve been murdering a historically unprecedented number of journalists and defending their systematic effort to blind the world to their actions in Gaza by claiming that every journalist they kill is Hamas. The journalists are Hamas, the hospitals are Hamas, the UN is Hamas, the peace activists are Hamas, the demonstrations are Hamas, telling the truth is Hamas, human empathy is Hamas, objective reality is Hamas. It’s all Hamas.​   
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-assassinates-more-journalists

​  Trump yelled at Netanyahu for dismissing Gaza starvation – media
The Israeli prime minister’s office has rejected global reporting of the crisis as “fake news”​   
https://swentr.site/news/622656-trump-netanyahu-phone-call/

​  Israeli strikes kill 14 Palestinians, including 3 waiting for aid in Gaza
Woman among victims as Israeli airstrikes and gunfire hit several areas, say medical sources​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-strikes-kill-14-palestinians-including-3-waiting-for-aid-in-gaza/3654038

​  Gaza civil defense says 34 killed by Israeli fire
​ Six more people were killed and 30 wounded after Israeli troops targeted civilians assembling near an aid point in central Gaza
Thousands of Palestinians congregate daily near food distribution points in Gaza​.   https://www.arabnews.com/node/2611250/middle-east

​  US consultants modelled mass resettlement of Palestinians to Africa – FT
President Donald Trump in February suggested moving more than 2 million people out of Gaza into neighboring countries​   
https://swentr.site/africa/622643-us-model-resettling-palestinians/

US has 'no plans' to recognise Palestinian statehood, JD Vance says on visit to UK​   https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/08/us-has-no-plans-to-recognise-palestinian-statehood-jd-vance-says-on-visit-to-uk

​  Simplicius,  Israel Announces "Final Plan" to Occupy Gaza
​  There are mounting issues for Bibi, who seeks as swift an operation as possible to mitigate growing disaster. Echoes of brewing civil war have erupted in Israeli society over growing exhaustion and the issue of Haredi military ‘exceptionalism’:
​  Orthodox MP warns Israel HEADED TO CIVIL WAR between secular & Haredi Jews over IDF compulsory draft
'You can't go to war with 1.25 million Haredi over their lifestyle​; I'm telling you, send message to everyone: BE AFRAID' — MK Porush warns from protest tent outside AG office...
​..This includes large ongoing general protests against the new Gaza occupation plan.
​  Next is the fact that multiple world leaders have had enough of BibiMacron announced France would officially recognize Palestine at the coming September UN summit. Other major countries followed suit, including Australia—also to announce recognition at the same time. Meanwhile, Chancellor Merz took the unprecedented step of ordering the cessation of all weapons transfers to Israel unless Netanyahu calls off the Gaza operation...
..Yesterday, news broke that Trump had allegedly “yelled” at Bibi on the phone over the “inconvenience” of being forced to defend Israel’s starvation of Gaza.​  https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/israel-announces-final-plan-to-occupy 

US-based contractor hired by UK to continue spy flights over Gaza​   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250808-us-based-contractor-hired-by-uk-to-continue-spy-flights-over-gaza/

​  Israel's Smotrich says 'lost faith' in Netanyahu's Gaza vision, favours more brutal approach
The notorious far-right minister favours an immediate sweeping carnage in Gaza coupled with illegal Israeli settlements in the blockaded enclave.​   
https://trt.global/world/article/3eaee1c59a30

AIPAC Attacks Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for Calling Israel’s Actions in Gaza Genocide​ - The pro-Israel lobby called Greene's remarks 'disgusting'​   https://news.antiwar.com/2025/08/07/aipac-attacks-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-for-calling-israels-actions-in-gaza-genocide/

Germany Halts Arms Exports To Israel As World Reacts To Gaza Conquest Plan​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/germany-halts-arms-exports-israel-world-reacts-gaza-conquest-plan

​  Trump gives Israel tacit green light on Gaza takeover
​  Netanyahu is pushing back against international criticism. On Friday, the Israeli leader struck back at Germany as “rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel.”
​  “We are not going to occupy Gaza – we are going to free Gaza from Hamas,” Netanyahu said in a statement Friday on the social platform X.
​  “Gaza will be demilitarized, and a peaceful civilian administration will be established, one that is not the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, and not any other terrorist organization. This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future.”​   
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5444092-trump-netanyahu-gaza-takeover/

​  Five foreign ministers condemn Israel's Gaza City takeover plans in joint statement
The foreign ministers of Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia wrote that "any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law."​   https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/09/five-foreign-ministers-condemn-israels-gaza-city-takeover-plans-in-joint-statement

Saudi Arabia condemns ‘any Israeli move’ to occupy Gaza City as war crime​ - Riyadh slams plan as ‘ethnic cleansing,’ calls for urgent international action​   https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/saudi-arabia-condemns-any-israeli-move-to-occupy-gaza-city-as-war-crime-/3654114

Yemen military hits 3 Israeli targets in drone strikes​   https://en.mehrnews.com/news/235194/Yemen-military-hits-3-Israeli-targets-in-drone-strikes

Mexico's President Draws Red Line: US Kinetic Operations Against Drug Cartels Not Welcome On Her Soil​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/mexicos-president-draws-red-line-us-kinetic-operations-against-drug-cartels-not

​Andrew Korybko, Trump's geostrategic threat to Russia, China and Iran: The TRIPP Corridor Threatens To Undermine Russia’s Broader Regional Position   https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-tripp-corridor-threatens-to-undermine

India Halts U.S. Arms Deals in Response to Trump Tariffs.​   https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/08/08/india-halts-u-s-arms-deals-in-response-to-trump-tariffs/

Chaos In South China Sea: China Rams Own Warship While In Pursuit Of Philippine Vessel​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/chaos-south-china-sea-china-rams-own-warship-while-pursuit-philippine-vessel

Trump Invokes D.C. Home Rule Act, Set To Deploy National Guard In Law-And-Order Push​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-invokes-dc-home-rule-act-set-deploy-national-guard-restore-law-order

  ​Martin Armstrong,  Militarizing the Capital​  
  Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into Washington, D.C., will be defended as a matter of national security. History teaches us this is not about protecting the people at all. The National Guard was deployed to protect the political class from the people.
​  The United States is now following the same path we have seen throughout history. In ancient Rome, once the Praetorian Guard was stationed in the city to guard the emperor, it became the power behind the throne. Their loyalty was to themselves and the politicians in control at the moment. The guard was not sent to protect the Republic, and certainly not the people. By the time Commodus was in power, the Guard was deciding who would rule, and the Senate’s role was ceremonial at best.
​  The same predicament happened in America’s short history. There was genuine fear in late 1860 and early 1861 that secessionist militias or Confederate sympathizers might attack Washington, capture federal buildings, or even seize Lincoln before his inauguration. At the start of 1861, Federal troops were quietly moved into the city.​..

..We have reached a point where neither side of the political aisle sees the other as a legitimate rival. They see their opponents as an existential threat. That goes beyond the politicians themselves and extends to their supporters...
​..Historically, militarizing a capital is interpreted by foreign capital as a sign of internal instability. The US government fears its citizens, and the leaders believe they need added layers of protection.​   https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/north_america/americas-current-economy/militarizing-the-capital/


So Russia again?  Europe Without Gas: Washington Effectively Destroys American LNG Exports​   https://en.topcor.ru/62961-evropa-bez-gaza-vashington-sam-jeffektivno-unichtozhaet-jeksport-amerikanskogo-spg.html

​Tulsi in shining-armor:  CIA Leakers Weaponize “Sources and Methods” Talking Points to Target DNI Tulsi Gabbard   https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/08/09/cia-leakers-weaponize-sources-and-methods-talking-points-to-target-dni-tulsi-gabbard/#more-274782

​  Blaming Russia,​ not a download for Wikilieaks from murdered Seth Rich:  Whistleblower Ties Clinton Campaign to Fake Russia Hack
​  After examining state-reported breaches of election networks, the whistleblower said, "It seemed only brief interaction was occurring – in some cases, no unauthorized access, or even attempted access, was detected on 'victim' systems." Though the suspicious activity initially was attributed to Russian actors, further analysis raised doubts.
​  But when he brought his findings to his boss, ODNI's national intelligence officer for cyber issues, he was ordered to stop investigating and not include his findings in the final ICA draft.
​  "After being directed to conduct analysis of Russian-attributed cyber activity for the ICA, I had been abruptly directed to abandon further investigation," the whistleblower analyst said.
​  He added that his boss, whose name was blacked out in the whistleblower statement, "directed me to abandon analysis of these events, stating reports of Russia-attributed cyber activity were 'something else.'"
​  While the names of the whistleblower and his boss are blacked out in the report, a RealClearInvestigations search of federal records shows Vinh Nguyen was the national intelligence officer for cyber issues at the time. The whistleblower would have been Nguyen's deputy.​   
https://realclearwire.com/articles/2025/08/08/whistleblower_ties_clinton_campaign_to_fake_russia_hack_1127658.html

​John Leake and Peter McCullough MD document:  The Censorship Empire Strikes Back​ - Our newsletter has been blacklisted by SPAMHAUS SBL.   https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-censorship-empire-strikes-back

​  Spamhaus Responded to My Protest
The self-proclaimed "authority on IP and domain reputation" claims to have removed the Focal Points from its blocklist in response to my request.​   
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/spamhaus-responded-to-my-protest

​  "Escape Key",  From Hierarchy to Technocracy
​  The changes crept in so gradually that most people didn't notice. Your freedom to travel now depends on having the right QR code. Your bank monitors your purchases and reports suspicious patterns to government agencies, all under the banner of safety and security. Social media platforms flag your posts as ‘misinformation’ if they question official policies, while your children learn in school that ‘individual rights’ must always be ‘balanced’ against ‘collective responsibility’. When you visit your doctor, everything you say gets entered into databases shared across agencies and institutions you've never heard of.
​  These aren't separate policies responding to different problems. They're connected pieces of a single framework that treats you not as a free human being, but as a data point to be monitored, measured, and managed for the stability of a larger system.​   
https://escapekey.substack.com/p/from-hierarchy-to-technocracy

​Don't worry. They fixed it:  Security Expert Reveals Hacker Could Remote Control Cars Through Major Automaker's 'Dealership Portal'   https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/security-expert-reveals-hacker-could-remote-control-cars-through-major-automakers

  Turning coal, natural-gas and water into money and control:  Mapping Data Center Capacity Around The World
Today, the U.S. leads globally in data center capacity by a wide margin.
​  Driven by hyperscalers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, billions in investment are supporting foundational AI models.
As this momentum continues, these tech giants are expected to remain key drivers of global data center growth.​   
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/mapping-data-center-capacity-around-world

​  This would be convenient if there were a secret underground city:  Denver airport eyes small nuclear reactor to reach ‘greenest airport’ goals
The study will cost up to $1.25 million and is expected to take between 6-12 months to complete.​   https://interestingengineering.com/energy/denver-airport-eyes-nuclear-reactor

​ They don't say who.  NATO ally to get 100kW laser weapon that can kill drone swarms in minutes
The truck-mounted laser can destroy up to 20 drones per minute with pinpoint accuracy at the speed of light.​   
https://interestingengineering.com/military/worlds-first-100kw-laser

​  California Hospital Concealed Evidence Linking ‘Catastrophic Surge’ in Stillbirths to COVID Vaccine, Lawsuit Alleges
The lawsuit, filed last week in a California Superior Court, also accuses the hospital of retaliating against whistleblower Michelle Spencer, after she made public an internal hospital email that revealed the skyrocketing rates.​   
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/michelle-spencer-whistleblower-lawsuit-california-hospital-stillbirth-surge-covid-vaccine/

​  Eighth Study Confirms mRNA Shots Increase Infection Risk
New study of 1,745 healthcare workers finds mRNA boosters raise risk of influenza-like illness by up to 70% and increase workdays lost by 50%.​ ​  
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-eighth-study-confirms-mrna

Enraged Over Purported COVID Vax Injury, Gunman Attacks CDC, Kills Cop​   https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/enraged-over-purported-covid-vax-injury-gunman-attacks-cdc-kills-cop

CDC shooter believed COVID-19 vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police​   https://www.arabnews.com/node/2611295/world

​  A Midwestern Doctor,  The Deadly Campaign to Shield All Pesticides from Legal Liability
Unmasking Bayer and Monsanto's Cruel and Destructive Legacy and How Toxic Sludge is Destroying Our Farmlands​   https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/the-deadly-campaign-to-shield-all

​Organic Gardener (pictured with a few ripe tomatoes in August)


Friday, August 8, 2025

Rumors Of Peace

 Guardedly Optimistic,


  Russia has been very clear about what the objectives are in Ukraine: Demilitarization, Denazification, No NATO ever, and the oblasts that voted to rejoin Russia, which are Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhia. Now Russia's chief Ukraine-negotiator reports an "acceptable offer" from the US.
​  Russia has received an “acceptable” offer from the US on settling the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has said, following a visit by US special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow.​..
..The Kremlin aide earlier called the Putin-Witkoff meeting “business-like and constructive,” adding that “Russian-American ties could develop according to a completely different, mutually beneficial scenario,” as compared to the long-running tensions over Ukraine.
​  He also revealed that Putin could meet Trump as soon as next week. The Russian president later suggested that the United Arab Emirates could potentially host the summit.​   
https://swentr.site/russia/622622-us-acceptable-offer-kremlin/

​  Russia Holds All Cards in Trump Talks
​  Russia was winning the Ukraine conflict on its own terms well before the recent sharp increase in territorial gains, international relations and Russian affairs analyst Gilbert Doctorow tells Sputnik.
"But now with the undeniable territorial gains which even the Western newspapers are daily recording, of course this strengthens the Russian negotiating position," 
the pundit stresses.
Doctorow rules out Russian leaders making any compromises on Ukraine...
​..A tangible shift in US-Russia relations is possible, Doctorow argues.
​  What will the talks focus on?
The talks will center primarily on the broader dialogue of European security​.
Only after there is agreement can there be detailed discussions of territorial and other aspects of a settlement​.   
https://sputnikglobe.com/20250808/russia-holds-all-cards-in-trump-talks-1122579635.html

​  Zero Hedge is rough around the edges:  Russian President Putin has detailed his demands for a cease-fire in Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reports that the sweeping proposal demands major territorial concessions by Kiev and a push for global recognition of its claims in exchange for a halt to the fighting.
  Putin told Witkoff he would agree to a complete cease-fire if Ukraine agreed to withdraw forces from all of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to officials briefed on the call.   
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/oil-tumbles-report-us-backed-russia-ukraine-truce-deal

​  Kremlin Confirms Trump-Putin Meeting 'In Coming Days
  'Russia has agreed "in principle". According to a statement of Putin’s longtime foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, "At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement in principle was made to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level in the coming days."
  He laid out that the idea of a Trump-Putin-Zelensky meeting (which apparently Washington pushed for) "for some reason was mentioned by Washington yesterday" but "not specifically discussed,” Ushakov added, explaining that the Russian side "left this option completely, completely without comment."​   
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/kremlin-confirms-trump-putin-meeting-coming-days-tariffs-dozens-countries-take-effect

​  Putin-Trump meeting could be historic – Russian envoy​ - Moscow has confirmed that one-on-one talks could happen as soon as next week
​  The Kremlin confirmed on Thursday that preparations for direct talks have advanced to the point that a venue has been selected. The meeting could be held as early as next week...
​..Moscow has expressed a desire to address the root causes of the conflict, opposing any scenario that would freeze the conflict in its current state. Putin has stated that his government prefers to achieve its objectives through peaceful means.
​  Kiev has consistently rejected Moscow’s proposed settlement terms and continues to call for Western military support and further sanctions on Russia. Ukrainian officials argue that these measures could halt or even reverse Russian advances on the battlefield.​   
https://swentr.site/russia/622607-putin-trump-historic-summit/

​  Trump to Meet Separately With Putin, Zelensky in Bid to End Ukraine War 
​  Trump will meet with Putin and Zelensky separately "soon," perhaps as early as next week.
“We propose, first of all, to focus on preparing a bilateral meeting with Trump, and we consider it most important that this meeting be successful and productive,” said Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov.
​  Ushakov dismissed the prospect of Zelensky joining the meeting, although Trump said he wasn't ruling it out.​   
https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2025/08/07/trump-to-meet-separately-with-putin-and-zelensky-in-bid-to-end-the-ukraine-war-n4942480

He will need protection.  Zelensky Says 'It's Time To End The War' - But Won't Identify Any Concessions​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-says-its-time-end-war-wont-identify-any-concessions 

​  Go home:  Germany to slash payments for Ukrainians – media
The country’s labor ministry has proposed a 20% drop by replacing “citizen’s allowance” with asylum support​   https://swentr.site/news/622613-germany-ukrainians-slash-benefits/

Military Summary had a detailed update yesterday:  Doomsday​ - Battle for Kherson Pokrovsk: Survival Game​ - Elimination of the Kleban-Byk Pocket   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j3CPbrKGTo

​  Russia says Israeli settlers attacked its diplomats in Jerusalem, slams attack as 'gross violation'
The Russian Foreign Ministry says the attack happened under the acquiescence of Israeli military personnel present on site, who didn't try to prevent the aggression.
​  "We consider this incident as a gross violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which, among other things, obliges the receiving state to ensure respect for the principle of inviolability of foreign missions' property and treat foreign diplomats with due respect, taking all appropriate measures to prevent any attacks on their person, freedom, or dignity," it said.
​  The ministry highlighted that a corresponding protest has been submitted to Israeli authorities by the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
"We hope that the Israeli side will draw appropriate conclusions from this situation," it said.​   
https://trt.global/world/article/70f1913148b9

​  Netanyahu Hosts 20 AIPAC-Sponsored House Republicans in Israel
​  “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday evening, met with an AIPAC-organized delegation of Republican members of the US Congress,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “The Prime Minister briefed the members of Congress on the war in the Gaza Strip and commented on the issue of the humanitarian assistance and the mendacious campaign being waged by Hamas against the State of Israel.”​   https://news.antiwar.com/2025/08/06/netanyahu-hosts-20-aipac-sponsored-house-republicans-in-israel/

​  What Netanyahu said:  Huckabee: Israel not committing genocide or starvation in Gaza
In a Fox News interview, the U.S. ambassador blamed the Hamas terrorist organization for the region's suffering.​   https://www.jns.org/huckabee-israel-not-committing-genocide-or-starvation-in-gaza/

Israeli Doctors Say Gaza Children Are Starving Due to Israel’s Blockade, Not Because of Pre-Existing Medical Conditions​   https://news.antiwar.com/2025/08/05/israeli-doctors-say-gaza-children-are-starving-due-to-israels-blockade-not-because-of-pre-existing-medical-condition/

​  Netanyahu says Israel must complete defeat of Hamas to free hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it is 'necessary' to 'ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.' 
A UN official said that the fighting risked 'catastrophic consequences,' including to the hostages.​   
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/08/05/netanyahu-says-israel-must-complete-defeat-of-hamas-to-free-hostages_6744097_4.html

​UN Report:  Gaza: As aid trucks enter, videos of Israeli hostages and attack on Red Crescent staffers spark outrage   https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165568

Netanyahu threatens army chief with dismissal if he rejects full Gaza invasion plan​   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250805-netanyahu-threatens-army-chief-with-dismissal-if-he-rejects-full-gaza-invasion-plan/

​  Head of US-based pro-Israel group acknowledges Israel breaking genocide convention in Gaza
'This government and these leaders will be remembered with revulsion for the horrors they’ve overseen,' says J Street president​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/head-of-us-based-pro-israel-group-acknowledges-israel-breaking-genocide-convention-in-gaza/3651453

​  Gilbert Doctorow,  Transcript of ‘Judging Freedom’ edition of 6 August
  Well, Putin has been speaking to Netanyahu two weeks consecutively by phone. I think the Russians are very interested in ending this Gaza nightmare as soon as possible, without military intervention on their part. Of course they could do it, but it would complicate the situation in the Middle East vastly, and so they’re holding back. 
​  The connection between the Gaza genocide and a possible attack on Iran: well, I don’t believe there will be any attack on Iran, simply because Iran is capable of annihilating Israel in a day or two if they want to use those several thousand ballistic missiles that are safely stored underground and which the Israelis were unable to damage.
​  Therefore, there’s a lot of talk about attacking Iran. The Israelis by themselves, unless they use nuclear weapons, will achieve nothing. And if they do use a nuclear weapon, they probably will have a nuclear weapon coming back at them, because there is a lot of talk that Iran actually has the bomb.​   
https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2025/08/07/transcript-of-judging-freedom-edition-of-6-august/

​  The Vigilant Fox: Tulsi Gabbard says the Russia Hoax wasn’t James Clapper’s first intel scandal—she says he “manufactured” the WMD lie that led to the Iraq War.   https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1953126714621522032

​  US working to kill EU Digital Services Act – Reuters
The State Department has reportedly ordered diplomats to campaign against the legislation over free speech concerns​   
https://swentr.site/news/622628-us-lobby-against-eu-dsa/

​Very poor judgement to admit this: Swedish PM Slammed After Admitting He Uses ChatGPT To Help Run Government   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/swedish-pm-slammed-after-admitting-he-uses-chatgpt-help-run-government

She wants out, right?  Still; we should know by now if there was porn-dirt on him: Ghislaine Maxwell Reportedly Cleared Trump's Name In DOJ Interview   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ghislaine-maxwell-reportedly-cleared-trumps-name-doj-interview

Terrorist-gangs of juveniles, like "Lord of the Flies":  DOGE Worker "Big Balls" Bloodied After DC Attack; Trump, Musk Call To Federalize DC   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/doge-worker-big-balls-bloodied-after-dc-attack-trump-musk-call-federalize-dc

  They thought he was gone for good:  Trump says JPMorgan, Bank of America rejected his deposits
​  “The banks discriminated against me very badly,” Trump said, reviving his criticism that large Wall Street banks had “debanked” conservatives for political reasons. On the campaign trail in 2024, Trump vowed to crack down on the practice and earlier this year publicly scolded Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan over the issue.Trump’s latest comments come as his administration is considering an executive order on “debanking” that directs banking regulators to address any politically motivated account closures.​   https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/trump-jpmorgan-bank-america-debanking-00494729

 ​ It knows where you are now, and has options:  Plunder: Financing the Panopticon/Catherine Austin Fitts at Solari
​  The founding of the Bank of Amsterdam, the Bank of Sweden, and the Bank of England in the 1600s launched the beginning of the economic paradigm I call the “central banking-warfare model”—but we could just as easily call the dominant economic model the “central banking-plunder model.” Plunder in its many forms has been essential to the rich accumulation of capital that helped to build the Western world. You can grow wealth, or you can take it—and in many cases, taking it is the preferred method...
​..The Russian people have not forgotten the “Rape of Russia”2 after the Soviet Union collapsed. As Samuel Huntington observed in his 1996 book The Clash of Civilizations:
​  “The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion (to which few members of other civilizations were converted) but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact; non-Westerners never do.”​...
..As David A. Hughes explained in our recent Omniwar report,3 “Omniwar” involves “the weaponization of everything.” Thus, instead of killing their prey physically in open combat, plunderers now can simply empty victims’ bank accounts while distracting them with propaganda and pornography...
..Plunder also encompasses the politically engineered health, food, and education policies that poison children. Moreover, the poisoning has a profitable postscript: the medical establishment claims that the children are sick (instead of poisoned), and parents liquidate their savings to try to heal their children...
​..The 21st-Century Panopticon
​  The concept is to allow all prisoners of an institution to be observed by a single prison officer, without the inmates knowing whether or not they are being watched.”10 Davis, Webb, and Goodwin use “panopticon” to describe U.S. and Israeli surveillance, assassination, and warfare systems—including those supported by Palantir—as well as the public distributed ledger systems, including blockchain, being used to shift the financial system into a control grid.​..
​..Israel launched its war on Iran by assassinating 11 of Iran’s top military leaders and nuclear scientists. Some were reportedly targeted at home, resulting in the death of their families and neighbors.​..
..War has been converted to a high-powered manhunt with assassination as the end point. This is possible because, according to technology entrepreneur and economist Dr. Pippa Malmgren, U.S. and Israeli systems now can track all 92 million Iranians and identify each of them by their unique biometrics...
..The Economist commented last year with respect to the legality of assassinations in Gaza, it is possible no military officer can be found guilty of an international war crime because it is software that is now choosing the targets...
​..Ulrike Granögger and I described how an automated and cost-effective control system has been built that is customized for each unique human. Thus, it did not surprise me when, following the deaths of the Iranian leaders and their families and neighbors, most European leaders fell right in line with increasing their country’s NATO contributions to 5% and agreeing to new tariff conditions.​..
..Although each one of us can be surveilled, tracked, and eliminated, the system doing the observation and pulling the trigger is invisible. No one is accountable.​   https://merylnass.substack.com/p/plunder-financing-the-panopticoncatherine

​Surplus Energy Economics does another fine job, but what comes next?  The coming deconstruction of global money   https://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2025/08/06/308-the-coming-deconstruction-of-global-money/#like-44866

Meryl Nass MD,  Maine Organic Farmers Organization Suing EPA over PFAS in sludge--which has shut down many farms in Maine   

​  Lee Zeldin and EPA's promises sound great, but the agency is a disaster
Are we gonna MAHA or are we gonna poison? Does EPA exist to prevent us creating a true environmental protection agency?​   
https://merylnass.substack.com/p/lee-zeldin-and-epas-promises-sound

​  47 Pesticides Found in U.S. Homes, Water, and People — As Congress Moves to Shield Manufacturers
Invasion of toxic herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides warrants action to protect public health — not shield the chemical industry from liability.​  
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/47-pesticides-found-in-us-homes-water

​  Meryl Nass MD, Bayer doubles down. Allots another $1.3 Billion to its war chest to get its glyphosate liability off its chest by end 2026
Bayer has settled another 61,000 cases. 192,000 lawsuits total have been brought against it for cancer. It will report earnings later today.​   https://merylnass.substack.com/p/bayer-doubles-down-allots-another

  ​Teamwork! His friends filed this suit against his agency:  RFK Jr. Seeks Extra Time to Explore ‘Early Resolution’ in Vaccine Safety Lawsuit
​  The lawsuit, funded by Children’s Health Defense, alleges U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. violated the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 by failing to establish a task force to make vaccines safer. Ray Flores, who filed the lawsuit, said an early resolution would simply involve creating the task force and following the law.​   https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/rfk-jr-seeks-extra-time-explore-early-resolution-vaccine-safety-lawsuit-hhs/

​  Meryl Nass MD, Globalization aka Harmonization of regulatory authority for drugs and vaccines proceeds apace at the WHO
The point is to roll out medical products so fast that the entire world gets them before the side effects are identified.​   https://merylnass.substack.com/p/globalization-aka-harmonization-of

​   Steve Kirsch  9 studies vaxxed vs. unvaxxed, all published in the peer-reviewed literature, show vaccinated are worse off in every measure
Here are the 9 studies from Vaxxed-Unvaxxed, thanks to Brian Hooker. 100% show your kids are far better off avoiding all vaccines. Where's the science showing the opposite? Nowhere to be found!​   
https://kirschsubstack.com/p/9-studies-vaxxed-vs-unvaxxed-all

​  Pierre Kory MD on SIDS-deaths, caused by routine vaccinations: We Published an Op-Ed About Children Killed By Vaccines In A Mainstream Media Outlet
​  Our Op-Ed exposed apparent cases of SIDS that were actually caused by childhood vaccines. It was published in a highly read news outlet... in New York City.​   https://pierrekorymedicalmusings.com/p/we-published-an-op-ed-about-children

​  BREAKING: HHS to Terminate 22 BARDA mRNA Shot Projects Worth $500M
RFK JR: "The data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu."​   
https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-hhs-to-terminate-22-barda

​  The Vigilant Fox (and as you may have known for years)  HHS Senior Adviser Dr. Steven Hatfill revealed that RFK Jr. pulled mRNA funding after the data showed getting vaccinated was MORE dangerous than COVID itself.
  In other words, the “cure” was WORSE than the disease.
Dr. Hatfill said, “It was more dangerous to take a vaccine than it was to contract COVID-19 and be hospitalized with it.”   
https://www.vigilantfox.com/p/senior-hhs-adviser-confirms-covid

​  Meryl Nass MD, Great news: The US' pandemic preparedness behemoth is being whittled away
​  Earlier this week, HHS Secretary Kennedy ended nearly $500 million in contracts for mRNA projects managed by BARDA, HHS’ answer to DARPA, an agency whose job it was to identify early stage “countermeasures” and fund them because industry allegedly would not do so and we desperately needed them.
​  This was all part of the post 9/11/2001 anthrax letters fear-mongering to justify huge expenses for biodefense materiel we might never need or want, and usher in an era of taxpayer funded gain of function (bio-offense) research.
​  In addition, but quietly, the relatively new (2023) White House office of pandemic preparedness and response seems to have been quietly dismantled as well.​   
https://merylnass.substack.com/p/great-news-the-us-pandemic-preparedness


​Mostly Natural (pictured with okra at dawn)