The Attack on the Nord Stream Pipeline
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 16:
“The attack on the Nord Stream Pipeline was shocking, the damage enormous, and the geopolitical consequences are still keenly felt almost two years after the attack. The 1,200-kilometer (746-mile) Nord Stream 1 served as the key delivery system between Russian energy giants and their buyers in Germany, with Berlin braving the ire of its allies to construct another undersea delivery system, Nord Stream 2, which would run mostly parallel to the first one and carry another 55 billion cubic meters (1.942 trillion cubic feet) of gas per year.
“It was not to be. A series of underwater blasts on September 26, 2022 crippled the pipelines, which were already out of action due to tensions between Berlin and Moscow provoked by Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. Nearly two years later, no suspects have been arrested, and it is not fully clear who was behind the sabotage.
“This week, however, a series of reports in high-profile German media, including Süddeutsche Zeitung, and the US-based Wall Street Journal pointed to a team of Ukraine divers who may have had backing from top officials in Kyiv. Sources cited by the Wall Street Journal say the plan to blow up the pipelines was initially approved by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Then, the CIA allegedly got wind of the plan and urged Zelenskyy not to go through with it. Zelenskyy ordered a halt to the scheme, but Ukraine’s top general at the time, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, decided to go through with it anyway, according to the paper.
“Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine’s ambassador to London, denied any knowledge of the bombing and dismissed the claims to the opposite as ‘mere provocation’ when contacted by the US daily. The White House has refused to comment on the report… ‘Ukraine’s involvement in the Nord Stream explosions is absolute nonsense. There was no practical sense in such actions for Ukraine,’ Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak told AFP on Thursday… Despite Podolyak’s claims, however, Ukraine did have valid reasons to oppose the project. If reactivated, the pipelines would have been filling Moscow’s war chests… Additionally, a direct line of export to Germany via both pipelines would have made it much easier for Moscow to close off established gas routes through countries like Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia, giving it even more influence in the region…
“Poland is also mentioned in the media as the possible provider of logistical support for the Ukrainian diving team which is said to have sabotaged the pipelines. German officials have confirmed that the main suspect was living in a village outside Warsaw until recently, but managed to slip out of the country despite Germany issuing an arrest warrant for him. Warsaw blamed Berlin for the mishap, saying German officials failed to update the Schengen register that would flag the suspect as wanted.
“On Friday, Poland strongly denied claims made by the former boss of Germany’s BND intelligence agency August Hanning that Warsaw ‘was heavily involved in the preparation of this attack.’ ‘It has to be said clearly that this is a lie,’ Polish deputy prime minister , Krzysztof Gawkowski, told TV channel Polsat News. ‘Poland did not take part in anything…’
“Russian officials have long blamed the West for the Nord Stream blast, most notably accusing ‘British navy specialists’ in 2022 of participating in ‘planning, provision and implementation’ of the attack. Following a report on the alleged US involvement by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in February 2023, Moscow said it was not surprised. ‘Our assumption was that the US and several NATO allies were involved in this disgusting crime,’ Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow at the time.
“The latest narrative of the CIA attempting to avert the plot seems to have done little to persuade Moscow, even with top Kremlin officials staying silent on the subject. On Friday, Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Anataly Antonov, said there was no way for Kyiv to attack the pipelines without getting a ‘wink’ from the US. ‘They seek to shift all responsibility to their Ukrainian puppets,’ Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in a statement on Nord Stream… Antonov also pointed to US President Joe Biden’s statement from February 2022, just ahead of the full-scale war. The US leader said Washington would ‘bring an end’ to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia invades, even with Germany controlling the project. ‘I promise you, we’ll be able to do it,’ Biden said at the press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Antonov’s stance was echoed by Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who commented that the West was trying ‘to absolve itself of responsibility for the terrorist attack.’
“Berlin has been notably restrained in its comments regarding the ongoing investigation into the blasts, which sabotaged a critical investment worth billions that took over a decade to build. Earlier this week, Germany insisted its help to Ukraine was ‘completely independent’ from the probe and its ties to Kyiv are unaffected…”
While German politicians may say it differently, more and more Germans are opposed to assisting Ukraine much further.
The Blame Game
The Guardian added on August 16:
“Initially, many assumed Russia was to blame. Later, others suggested the CIA could have been involved. Last year, the New York Times reported that US officials had seen intelligence suggesting a ‘pro-Ukrainian group’ was behind the explosions, while last month, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, called the explosions ‘an act of terrorism carried out at the obvious direction of the Americans’… Ukraine has always denied involvement in the explosion and on Thursday a spokesperson for Zelenskiy again accused Russia of carrying out the sabotage…
“However, German police and prosecutors are reportedly pressing on with an investigation that is now homing in on senior Ukrainian military officials and could prove embarrassing for Berlin, given that it involves an ally launching an act of sabotage against key infrastructure… Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the opposition CDU who serves on the foreign affairs committee of the German parliament, urged caution about the allegations raised in the WSJ report. He told German radio there were ‘intensive interests’ in ‘letting all the clues lead back to Ukraine’, warning that this could be ‘part of the disinformation’.”
EuroNews wrote on August 15:
“The operation was concocted during a drunken night in May 2022, as Ukrainian military officers celebrated halting Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country and were looking to deal another blow to Moscow, the newspaper (WSJ) said, citing four anonymous sources familiar with the plan… The outlet said it had spoken to four senior Ukrainian defence and security officials who either participated in or had direct knowledge of the plot and that all of them considered the pipelines as a legitimate target as it defended itself against Russia…
“The WSJ also said that portions of the sources’ accounts had been corroborated by a German investigation into the matter. Yet, German intelligence officials have said that they doubt that Ukraine was really behind the sabotage…”
What Else Did WSJ Correspondent Say?
According to an article by the Wall Street Journal of August 15, WSJ correspondent Bojan Pancevski said the following:
“I’ve been, as you know, on the story since literally day one after it happened, and now we have an answer to who did it. It was a small group of patriotic Ukrainians. The idea was dreamt up during a drunken night, sometime early May in Kyiv. Some of them were military officers. Businessmen helped fund the project, which was executed under the command of the Ukrainian military. They decided to use a very unusual method of blowing up the single biggest offshore pipeline system in the world, which NordStream was. They used six people, five men, one woman on a small leisure boat, and they loaded it with explosives and off they went. The operation worked like this. It’s a small boat, a 50 feet yacht called Andromeda, and there were at least four skilled divers on it. They worked in pairs. Two divers would go at a depth of some 80 meters each day, and then the other two the next day. What they did is they loaded these explosive packages into their bags and then they went down all the way and they attached them to the pipeline and they attached a timer to ignite the explosive when the time came. So it was a timed bomb. You have to understand all the expert divers we’ve spoken said this was extremely dangerous, obviously, for everyone involved…
“What happened was the Dutch Military Intelligence Service got wind of the operation already in the early stages of its planning. So sometime by June, 2022, so a month into the planning, the Dutch warned the CIA. Upon receiving that report, the CIA warned the Presidential administration of Ukraine not to do it, and President Zelenskyy told his commanding general, General Zaluzhnyi, to knock it off. What happened was that Zaluzhnyi just didn’t do anything. The operation went ahead as planned. It was operating like a startup company essentially. It was insulated from the officialdom, and in a nutshell, it was [a] very quick small operation on a shoestring. The whole thing cost around $300,000 to destroy a pipeline, which cost 23 billion to build….
“Every single Ukrainian I spoke to, and in fact some people in the West said this was a legitimate target. Why? Because it was 90% owned by Russia and because it generated enormous revenues for Vladimir Putin’s war machine. So from a Ukrainian perspective, they were cutting the vital revenue to the aggressor state that was invading them at that time. Prosecutors in Germany obviously take another stand. They think this was an attack on their critical infrastructure, which deprived them of vital gas supplies at a time where there was an energy crisis. What the Germans have so far is some evidence on the actual sabotage crew that was on the boat, but they have nothing on the higher-up command chain.”
Pancevski also said that the idea that Russia was behind the sabotage was “complete nonsense.” The truthfulness of the German government’s claim that the latest discoveries will not negatively influence Germany’s commitment towards Ukraine may be very doubtful. Note the next article.
Germany Freezes Weapons for Ukraine
Express wrote on August 17:
“Germany has stunned Ukraine after announcing a freeze to military aid, as Kyiv’s forces struggle to repel a Russian advance in the Donbas. Olaf Scholz’s government claims a budgetary crisis means it can no longer afford to supply Ukraine with new weapons. However, opponents have accused the German Chancellor of ‘hypocrisy’ and of making a cynical play to win votes in federal elections this autumn. Scholz reportedly told his Defence Minister Boris Pistorius that no more money for weapons would be forthcoming earlier this month… Pistorius had drawn up a wish list for €4billion (£3.4billion) in additional military supplies to Ukraine…
“The freeze in military aid will not affect outstanding orders but has already impacted new ones. After a Russian air strike on a Kyiv children’s hospital in July, Diehl Defence, the arms manufacturer, offered to supply an IRIS-T air defence system to help defend the Ukrainian capital’s airspace. Scholz, however, reportedly refused to pay for the missile system, despite the deal being backed by his Defence Minister.
“The move is said to have caused severe friction inside the German government, with both the defence and foreign ministries opposing the freeze. The news could not come at a worse time for Kyiv’s army, which is coming under severe pressure in the Donbas, where Russian troops are advancing on the city of Pokrovsk – a strategic road and rail hub. Ukraine’s army says it is running short of critical ammunition and spare parts for its German-supplied tanks and armoured vehicles.
“Scholz’s political opponents have accused him of trying to win over voters in Germany’s eastern states, who are opposed to the war in Ukraine… Ingo Gädechens, an MP for the centre-Right Christian Democrats, said that Scholz had engaged in an ‘unprecedented spectacle of hypocrisy’ by promising Kyiv unconditional support while trying to pose as a ‘peace chancellor’ at home.”
Breitbart added on August 17:
“With Germany representing Ukraine’s largest single financier in Europe, the cessation of further aid payments could represent a significant hurdle for Kyiv to continue the war against the much larger and richer Russia… Berlin is reportedly banking on future aid to Ukraine coming from the $300 billion pot of Russian central bank assets seized by Western allies in the aftermath of the 2022 invasion. While the G-7 nations agreed at their Italian summit in June to use the interest on the assets to help finance a $50 billion loan for Kyiv, there has been no formal agreement on whether the assets themselves or the income generated from interest could be sent directly to Ukraine to prop up the war effort.
“Indeed, the Green Party’s chairman in the Bundestag parliament’s budget committee said that currently ‘there is unfortunately nothing concrete on the use of Russian assets.’ The deputy budget spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Andreas Schwarz, added that it is unknown how soon Russian assets could be diverted to Ukraine or ‘whether this is legally possible at all.’
“The spending freeze will likely further exacerbate ongoing issues with the lack of support from Germany. FAZ [Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung] reported that due to a lack of spare parts and ammunition, some German guns already supplied to Ukraine can only fire three to four rounds per day, undercutting the usefulness of fast-firing guns such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000. The paper also reports that many working German Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks are being ‘cannibalised’ by the Ukrainians in order to keep others going due to a lack of spare parts supplied by Berlin.”
Zelenskyy Calls Out US, UK, France Over Slow Weapons Deliveries
Politico wrote on August 19:
“As Ukraine gains territory inside Russia but is pushed back in its own Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heaped pressure on his Western allies for more help. ‘Our guys are doing great on all fronts. However, there is a need for faster delivery of supplies from our partners,’ Zelenskyy said… ‘ Decisions are needed, as are timely logistics for the announced aid packages. I especially address this to the United States, the United Kingdom and France,’ he added.
“Ukraine has been struggling to fend off Russia’s assault in the east, hence the calls for accelerated weapons deliveries. Russia is rapidly advancing near Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. Russian forces almost seized Krasnohorivka and occupied New York, a town in the Donetsk region, a Ukrainian army brigade said… ‘The enemy is spreading across the region. The rate of advancement is very high. And, unfortunately, now his offensive potential here is limited not by the strength of our resistance, but rather by his reserves,’ the brigade said…
“Ukraine is finding more success across the border on Russian soil, where it caught the Kremlin’s forces on the hop nearly two weeks ago now.”
Russia to Strike New York and London With Nuclear Weapons?
Newsweek wrote on August 19:
“Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Russian pundit Stanislav Krapivnik recently said Moscow is ‘already at war with’ the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), adding that it should retaliate by striking cities like New York and London with a nuclear weapon.
“Krapivnik, a Russian-American and former U.S. Army officer who defected to Russia in the ’90s, repeatedly referred to the U.S. as the enemy of Russia, accusing it of wanting ‘to destroy the Russian people’ during an appearance on a Russian media program hosted by Roman Guz… in which he repeatedly dehumanized Americans and said, ‘These are not people, these are animals.’ … ‘If we want to end this war, we need to completely destroy Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Not defeat, but total destruction. Not taking them prisoner. There should be corpses, mountains of corpses!’ Krapivnik said during his interview.
“On August 6, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk region, successfully pressing into the Kursk and Belgorod area over the past two weeks, marking the largest assault on Russian soil since World War II. The area is home to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which is a major electricity producer for Russia. On Saturday, [the] Russian foreign ministry… accused Ukrainian forces of preparing to attack the facility.
“Ukrainian officials denied the accusation to Reuters, dismissing it as ‘insane’ propaganda. However, Krapivnik reiterated that idea and said, ‘This is an attack with nuclear materials, trying to cause a nuclear explosion of the reactor on the territory of Russia.’ He added that ‘this is a direct provocation that warrants wiping Kyiv off the face of the Earth… This is open war, and in response, an American city will be wiped off the face of the Earth or there will be a strike on London, based on who armed them,’ Krapivnik said, suggesting that ‘there will be an explosion, and New York will be gone and Washington will be next.’
“To summarize Krapivnik’s remarks, Guz asked, ‘Essentially, there should be a direct threat, straight from the President [Putin], that if something happens, nuclear missiles will fly against Washington and London. Do I understand it correctly?’ Krapivnik replied: ‘Absolutely, absolutely,’ affirming that nuclear weapons should be targeted at the U.S. and U.K….
“The Russia-Ukraine war has heightened global fears of a potential nuclear conflict, following months of rising tensions and repeated threats from Russia to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. and NATO countries. Putin has previously approved tactical nuclear weapons drills, and earlier in August, Russia advanced to the third stage, aimed at ‘preparing units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for the combat use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons,’ the Russian defense ministry said… Russia has an estimated 5,580 nuclear warheads, according to a 2024 report by the Federation of American Scientists, which says the U.S. has 5,044.”
Iran Closes German Institute
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 20:
“Judicial authorities in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday closed down two branches of German Language Institute (DSIT) in the city… the branches had been designated ‘illegal centers affiliated with the German government’ which had ‘breached Iranian law, committed various illegal actions and extensive financial violations.’… The DSIT was founded in 1995 by the German Embassy in Tehran and describes itself on its website as ‘one of the leading institutions for the learning of the German language,’ offering courses of various levels for both young people and adults.
“Germany’s Foreign Office condemned the closure of the institute which it said was ‘in no way justifiable’ and summoned the Iranian ambassador… [demanding] the immediate reopening of the institute…
“Another media outlet, Nournews… suggested that the closures were a response to the closure of the Hamburg Islamic Center in Germany in July. At the time, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had described [it] as an ‘important Iranian propaganda center in Europe.’ Iran had summoned the German ambassador in Tehran in protest at what it called a ‘hostile action’ and a ‘clear example of Islamophobia.’
“… German-Iranian diplomatic relations have suffered in recent years with several German nationals, some of whom hold dual German and Iranian citizenship, arrested and imprisoned in Iran on suspicion of espionage….”
German Military Base in Lithuania
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 19:
“Lithuanian and German officials on Monday took part in a ceremony marking the start of construction for a new military base that will house up to 4,000 combat-ready German troops when completed in late 2027. Another 1,000 contractors will be housed elsewhere in the country… with Germany committing last year to permanently deploy troops in the NATO and EU member state— the first permanent foreign deployment of German troops since World War II…
“German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has compared the decision to deploy Bundeswehr soldiers in the Baltics to that of the Allies posting soldiers in West Germany during the Cold War… In Berlin, budget infighting threatens to hamper German pledges to upgrade the country’s military, with requests such as €2.93 billion for more than 100 Leopard 2 A8 tanks — some of which are to be stationed in Lithuania — hanging in the balance….”
EU Plot to Censor Elon Musk Blasted
The New York Post wrote on August 16:
“The House Judiciary Committee has slammed the European Union’s efforts to ‘silence great Americans like Elon Musk,’ and is threatening to investigate their attempted ‘infringement on free speech,’ according to letters reviewed by The Post. On Thursday Committee Chair Jim Jordan fired off a missive to EU Commissioner Thierry Breton who, he alleges, is trying to ‘weaponize’ law against Musk… Jordan accused Breton, a liberal, of singling out conservatives Musk and Trump and attempting to intimidate them…
“The letter comes days after the French politician posted an open letter to X warning Musk against amplifying ‘hateful content’ ahead of a broadcast conversation with former President Trump. The letter pointed to EU legislation passed in 2022 which makes the owners of social media platforms such as X, Facebook and Tik Tok potentially liable for billions in fines for the ‘amplification of content which promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence or certain instances of disinformation’ in European countries…
“Soon after Breton posted his letter, the European Commission quickly distanced themselves, saying they had not authorized it.
“The Trump campaign also slammed the EU, claiming its official is trying to interfere with US politics. ‘The European Union should mind their own business instead of trying to meddle in the US Presidential election,’ Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said. ‘Let us be very clear — the European Union is an enemy of free speech and has no authority of any kind to dictate how we campaign.’
“Jordan is also holding US leaders responsible and slapped the State Department with subpoenas to learn about the Administration’s communication with the EU about this matter. ‘The silence from the pro-censorship Biden-Harris Administration is deafening—you would think censorship of American speech by foreign governments would be a step too far even for them,’ Jordan’s spokesman told The Post.
“Jordan’s harshly worded missive is part of a larger effort from members of Congress to push back against censorship. Over the last year, the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government began investigating ‘to what extent the Executive Branch has coerced or colluded with companies and other intermediaries to censor lawful speech.’ ‘In furtherance of our oversight, the Select Subcommittee has examined how other governments, including the European Union (EU), have sought to censor speech online,’ one of their reports noted. While members of Congress cannot investigate foreign governments, they can defend American companies and protect them by publicly pushing back against censorship.”
The censorship employed by the US government and its collusion with the social media are appalling. Note the next articles.
Europe, Biden and Harris in Cahoots to Censor Free Speech
On August 20, 2024, the Ron Paul Institute republished the following article by Professor Jonathan Turley:
“… Now, that very right [of freedom of speech] is again under attack from another European government, which is claiming the right to censor what Americans are allowed to say about politics, science and other subjects. Indeed, the threat from the European Union may succeed in curtailing American freedom to an extent that the Axis powers could not have imagined. They may win, and our leaders have not said a thing yet about it.
“… One of the greatest threats to free speech today is the European Digital Services Act. The act bars speech that is viewed as ‘disinformation’ or ‘incitement.’… In Europe, free speech is in free fall. Germany, France, the United Kingdom and other countries have eviscerated free speech by criminalizing speech deemed inciteful or degrading to individuals or groups...
“According to polling, only 18 percent of Germans feel free to express their opinions in public. Fifty-nine percent of Germans do not even feel free expressing themselves in private among friends. Only 17 percent feel free to express themselves on the internet… there is now a massive censorship bureaucracy in Europe and the desire to silence opposing voices has become insatiable.
“Some in this country have the same taste for speech-regulation. After Elon Musk bought Twitter and dismantled most of the company’s censorship program, many on the left went bonkers. That fury only increased when Musk released the ‘Twitter files,’ confirming the long-denied coordination and support by the government in targeting and suppressing speech. In response, Hillary Clinton and other Democratic figures turned to Europe and called upon them to use their Digital Services Act to force censorship against Americans.
“The EU immediately responded by threatening Musk with confiscatory penalties against not just his company but himself. He would have to resume massive censorship or else face ruin… The anti-free speech movement had finally found the one man who could not be bullied, coerced or threatened into submission. Musk’s defiance has only magnified the unrelenting attacks against him in the media, academia and government…
“This campaign recently came to a head when Musk had the audacity to interview former president Donald Trump. In anticipation of the interview, one of the most notorious anti-free speech figures in the world went ballistic. European Commissioner for Internal Markets and Services Thierry Breton issued a threatening message to Musk…
“To recap, the EU is now moving to force censorship upon American citizens to meet its own demands of what is false, demeaning or inciting… Biden and Harris are not displeased with but supportive of letting the EU do what they are barred from doing under our Constitution. This administration is arguably the most anti-free speech government since John Adams signed the Sedition Act. They have supported a massive system of censorship, blacklisting and targeting of opposing voices. Democratic members have given full-throated support for censorship, including pushing social media companies to expand in areas ranging from climate control to gender identity.
“So, after only 80 years, our leaders are silent as a European government threatens to reduce our political speech to the lowest common denominator, which they will set according to their own values. Not a shot will be fired as Biden and Harris simply yield our rights to a global governing system… If free speech is truly the ‘indispensable right’ of all Americans, we need to treat this threat as an attack on our very existence. It is not only the rawest form of foreign intervention into an election, but a foreign attack on our very freedoms…”
First, the USA is destroyed from the inside, then it will be destroyed from the outside.
Facebook Censures Promotion for “Reagan” Movie
Breitbart wrote on August 15:
“After actor Dennis Quaid accused Facebook of censoring promotional content for his upcoming movie Reagan, the social media giant has admitted to ‘incorrectly’ rejecting ads for the movie… ‘While there are no restrictions on this page that would prevent the admins from posting, we did identify a handful of ads from this account that were incorrectly rejected,’ a Facebook spokesperson told the outlet. ‘This happened because our automated systems mistakenly determined that content about President Reagan required prior authorization in accordance with our policies for ads about Social Issues, Elections or Politics. This was a mistake and the restriction on the ads has been lifted.’
“Earlier this week, Dennis Quaid accused Facebook of censoring Reagan marketing content as well as twice suspending the movie’s official Facebook page. The apparent efforts to censor Reagan come during a presidential election year — a time when left-wing Silicon Valley giants have censored content that they believe will hurt Democrats. The 2020 election saw widespread censorship of the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop report as well as the banning of then-President Donald Trump’s social media accounts. As Breitbart News reported, a recent study conducted by the Media Research Center (MRC) has uncovered 39 instances of Facebook interfering with U.S. elections since 2008.”
Social Media, including Facebook, Google and others, continue their dirty procedures of censoring “unpopular” content. Facebook’s “explanations” don’t hold any water. Note the next article.
Facebook’s Explanation Doubtful
Fox News wrote on August 16:
“‘Reagan’ star Dennis Quaid responded on Tuesday to Facebook’s explanation for why it was throttling efforts to boost marketing of his new biopic about the 40th president, suggesting it didn’t hold water.
“At first, Facebook reportedly wouldn’t allow the movie’s marketing team to boost a post with Quaid’s picture promoting the movie through a paid advertisement. Also, Facebook suspended the movie’s official account on at least two occasions over clips it posted of Quaid discussing the movie in media appearances. The marketers said they were told by Facebook that the post ‘mentions politicians or is about sensitive issues that could influence public opinion, how people vote and may impact the outcome of an election or pending legislation.’ But, as Quaid pointed out to Fox News’ Trace Gallagher, Reagan died in 2004 and certainly isn’t eligible for another term in office.
“‘It seems to be automated that way for some reason. No one’s responsible for that,’ Quaid said. ‘This happened several times, actually, and we were suspended two days in a row … The last time I heard, Reagan hasn’t been on the ballot in 40 years and not only that, he’s not even eligible to run because he served two terms.’..;
“Quaid also told podcast giant Joe Rogan this week that he’s all too aware of social media, in his view, trying to cancel conservative viewpoints…
“Quaid did acknowledge that after he and the film’s production team sent a letter to Facebook complaining about the targeting, the big tech platform admitted it was a ‘mistake,’ though he didn’t appear too convinced by the excuse. ‘… They said that yesterday because we put out a letter to it in an article on Newsweek. And they said they made a mistake. It was – their automatic systems had detected it.’ ‘Oh, how convenient,’ Rogan replied sarcastically, before going on to suggest that ‘rogue’ far-left employees might have had something to do with the ‘mistake.’
“‘Reagan’ will be released in theaters nationwide Aug. 30.”
Quaid’s concerns are well-founded.
Musk Quits in Brazil Because of Censorship
The Guardian wrote on August 17:
“Elon Musk announced on Saturday that the social media platform X would close its operations in Brazil ‘effective immediately’ due to what it called ‘censorship orders’ from the Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes.
“X claims Moraes secretly threatened one of its legal representatives in the South American country with arrest if it did not comply with legal orders to take down some content from its platform. Brazil’s supreme court, where Moraes has a seat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment…”
Censorship all over the place…
Kennedy One of the Most Disruptive Independent Candidates in Decades
Fox News wrote on August 16:
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is denying reports that he sought a position in a hypothetical Democratic administration. Kennedy was accused this week of reaching out to Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris’ team to discuss the possibility of working inside a future Cabinet — the claim appeared in a report from the Washington Post. ‘That’s fake news. I didn’t ask Kamala Harris for a Cabinet position but I’ve reached out to all the candidates. I’ve met with some,’ Kennedy told guests during his ‘TikTok Town Hall’ live-streamed event… Kennedy said he wasn’t sure he would be able to serve in a Harris-Walz administration unless ‘a lot of different changes’ were made… Kennedy was previously recorded on video speaking to former President Trump during a meeting at last month’s convention in Milwaukee, in which Trump appeared to allude to potential positions in his administration.
“Nevertheless, Kennedy has continued to campaign and make regular media appearances with the expectation that he can win the election, the report notes, though he has left open the possibility of meeting with or getting out of the way of either Harris or Trump if they share an openness about his vision for the country. Polling has shown Kennedy is one of the most disruptive independent candidates in decades in both breadth of appeal and commitment of his supporters.”
Democratic Party Much Different Now
Newsmax wrote on August 15:
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he has ‘no plans to endorse’ Vice President Kamala Harris… Kennedy began by attacking the modern Democratic Party as being ‘unrecognizable’ to the one of his father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and uncle, former President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer, lamented that he could not ‘reconcile’ how far Democrats have drifted from his values. ‘The Democratic Party of RFK and JFK was the party of civil liberties and free speech. VP Harris’ is the party of censorship, lockdowns, and medical coercion,’ Kennedy wrote. ‘Kennedy Democrats were anti-war. Kamala’s is riddled with neocon warmongers. The RFK/JFK Dems were allies of Main Street, cops, firefighters, and working people. VP Harris’ is the Party of Big Tech, Big Pharma and Wall Street.’
“Kennedy has endured a difficult week after his removal from the New York state presidential ballot and a petition being circulated in Pennsylvania to have him removed. Kennedy has accused the Democrats of being the party of ‘lawfare’ and wrote that Harris is ‘scared to debate and can’t survive an unscripted interview.’ ‘I’ve spent years battling government corruption and lies. VP Harris spent years gaslighting Americans about the health of our Commander in Chief. I have no plans to endorse Kamala Harris for President. I do have a plan to defeat her,’ Kennedy wrote.”
The Anti-Democratic Democratic Party
The Ron Paul Institute wrote on August 19:
“The Democrats continue to run to course — manipulating — most recently, Joe Biden out of the presidential race. Their history for the last decade has been one of manipulation and dirty tricks, false promises and anti-democratic actions. They campaign claiming Trump is out to destroy democracy when at the same time can’t seem to find enough anti-democratic ways to behave themselves.
“Dirty tricks have long been a part of politics, but in the last decade the Democrats have turned the machine up to eleven. The year 2015 was a pivotal one in that it presented to the American people a massive plot to undermine a candidate for president based solely on direct lies. Russiagate was comprehensive in scope, touching not only on candidate Trump but also on his advisors and key staff. The plot was so outrageous — Trump was an actual Russian agent, a living Manchurian candidate — that it had to be true…
“Clinton was not necessarily the only loser in 2016. ‘The seeds,’ writes the New York Times, ‘of President Biden’s reaction to the Democratic Party’s 2024 crisis of confidence in him were planted in that manipulation to send her to the head of the ticket. It was in October 2015 when Biden, then vice president, announced in the White House Rose Garden that he would not run against Hillary Clinton… What was left unsaid was the manipulation applied to Biden to not take his case to the people but instead allow President Obama, Clinton and others in the Obama camp to force him to the sidelines. He was manipulated into not running to clear the path for Hillary…
“Trump’s 2016 win was not the end of the Democrats’ manipulation and dirty tricks, simply the beginning of another phase. In addition to the remnants of the whole extended Russiagate plot, Trump faced down the Emoluments Clause, two impeachments, claims Trump gave away intelligence info to Putin in [the] Helsinki hoax, Putin is Trump’s spy handler hoax and Trump has been an agent since the 1980s hoax, and a bizarre celebrity Twitter contest about the best way to decapitate Trump… The intent was to try and drive Trump from office either indirectly by humiliating him or directly, by claiming he was mentally ill and the 25th Amendment needed to be invoked. If he could not be actually removed from office, the manipulations were hoped to neuter the president politically even as he still sat in the Oval Office. That they all failed was not for a lack of trying on the part of the Democrats.
“If the 2024 presidential campaign started the day Trump left office in January 2021, so did the Democratic manipulation campaign against him, this round built on lawfare, the manipulation of actual laws to force Trump into court, convict him as a felon, maybe bankrupt him, certainly embarrass him, all in hopes of driving him from the race or at a minimum weaken his hold on large numbers of voters. Though several cases will likely drag on through the election, the cases concluded accomplished none of their goals. If anything, Trump the martyr is stronger as a candidate than ever before. What matters here is the ongoing pattern of dirty tricks and manipulations, not whether they succeed, or, like the impeachments and the trials, fail in their larger political purposes.
“The 2020 election between Trump and Biden was close, so close that the appearance of a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden which showed both Hunter and Joe tangled up in foreign money could have swung the race. Democrats again responded with a manipulation, another full-on falsehood, with 52 Deep State personnel writing an open letter claiming the laptop was likely Russian disinformation designed to discredit Biden and smear the tail end of the campaign… [and with] canceling Twitter accounts which sought to tell the truth…
“The next Manipulation Grande started in the 2020 campaign, hiding a very old and senile Joe Biden from voters so they did not know what kind of man they were actually voting for. In the 2020 campaign the broad excuse was Covid… and no one suspected it was all flim-flam to hide Biden’s growing dementia…
“In fighting for his political life, Biden cited the ‘fact’ that he won the primaries for the 2024 election… Biden painted his stand as critical to his larger defense of American democracy. ‘How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party?’ Then he did because he was told to do so by his master’s voice…”
The political manipulations in the USA are just sickening.
Biden and the Democratic Hypocrites
The New York Post wrote on August 20:
“The Joe Biden show is officially in reruns. Biden even got bumped out of prime time. His speech started at 11:28 p.m., in the hour when old sitcoms run in syndication. That wasn’t an accident. The first night of the Democratic convention was losers night, featuring Biden and Hillary Clinton…
“Democrats lined up an endless list of speakers ahead of Biden to push his speech back as far as they could, so as few people as possible would hear it. The speech itself was written as a celebration of Biden’s accomplishments — some real, many imagined — as president. The actual nominee was an afterthought. Biden spoke of Kamala Harris only as someone who helped him — not for anything she ever did on her own. If the Harris campaign had any hopes that Joe would let them get distance from his record, they were dashed….
“Amid the usual rants about January 6, there were the usual bald-faced lies, such as the claim that the Biden-Harris administration ‘helped schools get back open’ after COVID, when in fact they ignored the recommendations of scientists to side with the teachers unions in protracting school closures. They expect us to nod along, knowing it’s not true…
“Of course, the pretense of one big happy family had to be maintained. Biden denied that he was angry at the Democrats who forced him off the ticket. Nancy Pelosi stood in the front row holding a ‘We Love Joe’ sign, just weeks after wielding the knife. She came to bury Joe, not to praise him.
“Biden stayed mostly on script, leaning on the prepared text to keep him from wandering off. But he was shouty and glowering as a result. By the end, nobody would wonder why Democrats decided they needed to dump [him]. The amazing thing is that they made it as far as July pretending he was up to the job.”
Fox News added on August 20:
“Along the way, Biden was subjected to such over-the-top tributes and ‘tears of joy’… from many of the same people who not long ago were colluding behind closed doors to kick him to the curb…
“Weeks after orchestrating the plot that led to Biden’s exit, Pelosi suggested his likeness belonged on Mt. Rushmore. The two have reportedly not spoken since the incident, and the president remains ‘unhappy’ about events, according to reporting from the New York Times… With friends like these, it’s no wonder the Bidens are jetting off to California rather than sticking around Chicago
“For all the talk about Harris’ ‘joy’ and the Democrats’ momentum, remember this: Joe Biden beat a talented field of candidates in 2020, including the person vying to replace him. The last Harris presidential run was so lackluster she dropped out in December 2019 – more than a month before the first voters were cast..”
Biden Engaged in Impeachable Conduct
Newsmax wrote on August 19:
“The House’s three-committee impeachment inquiry released a report Monday morning finding President Joe Biden has ‘engaged in impeachable conduct,’ including an ‘abuse of power’ when he was vice president and ‘obstruction of justice’ as president to cover his family’s ‘global influence peddling racket’ to defraud the United States. ‘The totality of the corrupt conduct uncovered by the committees is egregious,’ says the executive summary of the 292 page impeachment report released by the House Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees. ‘President Joe Biden conspired to commit influence peddling and grift. In doing so, he abused his office and, by repeatedly lying about his abuse of office, has defrauded the United States to enrich his family.’…
“Monday’s report does not conclude the Biden impeachment inquiry, but provides an official summary of the ‘evidence gathered to date’ to give to the House and Senate a roadmap in the event Congress moves forward with an impeachment of the president. Just days after the July 13 assassination attempt on Republican nominee Donald Trump, Biden quit the race and handed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, potentially rendering a Biden impeachment moot in these final months of his term…”
The New York Post added on August 19:
“The report… is… also a reminder of how hard Democrats and the media propped up Joe despite all the evidence of unethical behavior. Keep that in mind as they prop up Kamala.”
Planned Parenthood Helps With Abortions
NBC Chicago wrote on August 20:
“A Planned Parenthood mobile clinic located near the Democratic Convention in Chicago advertised free medication abortions, vasectomies and emergency contraception during the first two days of the DNC… The mobile clinic was located in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, near the site of the United Center and the DNC, from noon to 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, Days 1 and 2 of the convention.
“As of Monday morning, Planned Parenthood wrote in a press release that ‘all appointments have been booked’ and encouraged patients to make an appointment at a Planned Parenthood of Illinois health center in Chicago by visiting [their website]. ‘As people from across the country travel to Illinois this week, we are proud to demonstrate what is possible when policies truly support accessible reproductive health care,’ said Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, in a statement.”
npr wrote on August 20:
“Planned Parenthood… offered prescriptions for abortion pills – which she says patients could take on site or take home, under Illinois law. Illinois, where Democrats control state government, has become a major access point for patients seeking abortions.
“Planned Parenthood purchased the RV in response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which allowed most of Illinois’ neighboring states to heavily restrict abortion.
Still, in the current political reality, abortion is a key issue that galvanizes each party’s base.
“In a statement, National Right to Life President Carol Tobias called the Planned Parenthood clinic ‘disgusting,’ and said it was ‘not surprising,’ given the Democratic Party’s support for abortion rights. Meanwhile, at the convention, Democrats are showcasing the stories of women who’ve been affected by abortion bans – including a rape victim and patients facing medical complications. The mobile Planned Parenthood clinic continues for a second day, providing medication abortion through late Tuesday night.”
D. Vance Complains About German Immigrants
t-online wrote on August 19:
“In a recently surfaced video clip from 2021, J.D. Vance blames immigrants from Germany, Italy and Ireland for high crime rates. In the 19th century, these formed ‘ethnic enclaves’ in the USA and fought each other. At a press conference over the weekend, Vance explained his remarks – citing Martin Scorsese’s film ‘Gangs of New York’ as a source: ‘That’s what I’m talking about, these ethnic enclaves in the middle of our country!’
“Especially in the 19th century, many people from Italy, Ireland and Germany fled to the USA. There had already been a wave of anti-Catholic and racist violence, especially in New York. Vance himself has Irish ancestors, Donald Trump has German ancestors.”
The World Against Israel
Deutsche Welle wrote on August 14:
“Germany joined a chorus of international disapproval for the actions of Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after he led hundreds of religious ultra-nationalists to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The complex is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest in Judaism, because two Jewish temples once stood there. Ben-Gvir… has previously criticized the agreement with the Muslim authorities that administer it as ‘racist’ and anti-Jewish. Usually, Jews and other non-Muslims are only allowed to visit at specific times and without displaying religious symbols or praying at the site…
“During his Tuesday visit to the site, which Jews refer to as Temple Mount, Ben-Gvir had called for Jewish prayers to be permitted there. Joined by hundreds of mostly religious and ultra-nationalist Jews, Ben-Gvir also spoke out again against negotiations with Hamas about a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the Israeli hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory… [His] visit… drew sharp condemnation not only from Muslim-majority countries but also the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.
“Germany said Ben-Gvir’s actions represented a provocation in the already tense situation. ‘We expect the Israeli government to stop such deliberate provocations. Particularly in the current situation, such playing with fire is extremely dangerous and further endangers security in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Israel,’ a spokeswoman for Germany’s Foreign Office told a press briefing on Wednesday. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell posted on X that the bloc ‘strongly condemns the provocations.’ Meanwhile, France’s foreign ministry issued a statement: ‘This new provocation is unacceptable.’
“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ben Gvir showed ‘blatant disregard’ for the status quo at the compound… ‘The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of radical Israelis, including ministers, under police protection is a provocation that violates the historical status of Jerusalem and will further escalate the tension in our region,’ the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
“Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN opposed ‘any efforts to change the status quo within the holy sites… This sort of behaviour is unhelpful and it is unduly provocative,’ he added.”
All used the term “provocation,” as if they had agreed on using this term. Turkey’s comments border on the ludicrous. And why should the Temple Mount, on which the two temples stood, be prohibited for Jews? Note the next article.
No Status Quo on the Temple Mount
Israel Today wrote on August 18:
“Nearly three thousand Jews visited the Temple Mount last week on Tuesday, Tisha B’av, which commemorates the destruction of the two ancient Jewish Temples. But it was the visits to the Temple Mount by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Minister for the Negev and the Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf that set off another firestorm of controversy. Ben-Gvir said during the visit that the status quo had changed and that Jews could now pray at the site. Critics condemned the visit and remarks as provocative, warning they could derail the currently ongoing hostage talks in Doha, Qatar, or even ignite the Muslim world. They claimed Ben-Gvir violated the status quo on the Temple Mount.
“But according to Yehuda Glick, a former Knesset member and currently chairman of the Shalom Jerusalem Foundation, in reality there is no status quo. ‘Jews have been praying publicly and regularly on the Temple Mount for the last decade,’ he said. The only difference, he told JNS, was that until now no one acknowledged it or said anything about it. What made Ben-Gvir’s visit different was his official announcement that prayer on the Temple Mount is permitted, he added…
“While officially Israel denies any changes have been made to the status quo, it no longer exists as formulated by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan in 1967. According to Glick, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is paying lip service to it, ‘but is totally supportive of the changes that are happening.’… Ben-Gvir’s office [stated] that as national security minister he could set policy on the Temple Mount and had determined that Jews could pray there… Ben-Gvir, his followers and many other Israeli Jews believe the time has come to stand up to foreign abuse and to assert full sovereignty over the Temple Mount…
“The idea that freedom of worship applies everywhere except for Jews on the Temple Mount is viewed by many as preposterous and hypocritical—perhaps even anti-Semitic…”
Ultimately, the Jews WILL occupy the Temple Mount and build the third temple there.
The Shroud of Turin—Genuine?
The Sun wrote on August 20:
“The famed Shroud of Turin- a piece of linen imprinted with the image of a bearded man – has been a mystery for centuries. Believers claim Jesus was wrapped in the shroud before he was buried and that the image is him, while others have disagreed and branded it a hoax. But new evidence suggests the cloth was made around 2,000 years ago – the same period when he was said to have lived and died… Italian researchers used specialist x-ray technology to examine the linen sheet and determine its age. The Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council studied eight small samples of fabric to uncover tiny details of the linen’s structure and cellulose patterns. They used specific ageing metrics like temperature and humidity to determine the results.
“Researchers in 1988 claimed to have debunked the relic and proved it was from the Middle Ages – hundreds of years after Jesus. But Dr Liberato De Caro, lead author of the latest study, said the old research – which used carbon dating to estimate the shroud was made between the years 1260 and 1390 – was unreliable. He explained: ‘Fabric samples are usually subject to all kinds of contamination, which cannot be completely removed from the dated specimen.’…
“The image on the shroud appears to show a man with sunken eyes who is between 5ft 7in to 6ft tall. Some claim markings on the body resemble horror crucifixion wounds. Signs of wounds from a thorny crown on the head, injuries to the arms and shoulders and lacerations to the back have all been reported by researchers… The Turin Shroud was first displayed publicly in 1350 and since 1578 has been preserved in the royal chapel of the cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in Turin, Italy – hence its name.”
Apart from the age determination using the [sometimes indeed unreliable] radio carbon method, there are other reasons why the Shroud of Turin – even if it were “genuine” – could NOT depict Jesus Christ. Please read our Q&A, https://www.eternalgod.org/is-the-shroud-of-turin-authentic
Huge Earthquakes Strike in Russia and Japan
The Sun wrote on August 17:
“A HUGE earthquake has hit off the eastern coast of Russia with a tsunami warning issued. The 7.2 magnitude quake struck around 27 miles deep in Kamchatka… It struck around 8.10pm UK time… Many major quakes have occurred in the Kamchatka region over the years. Two in 1923 and 1952 both sparked large tsunamis…
“Just days ago a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan… on the southwestern island of Kyushu. Japan’s Meteorological Agency said: ‘Tsunamis will strike repeatedly… Please do not enter the sea or approach the coast until the warning is lifted.’”
Christ said that in these end times, we will hear more and more about powerful earthquakes all over the world.
Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Russia
CNN wrote on August 18:
“A volcano has erupted following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck off Russia’s east coast, spurting a column of ash miles into the air… The Shiveluch volcano is around 280 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a coastal city with a population of about 180,000 that lies in Russia’s eastern region of Kamchatka. ‘According to visual evaluations, the ash column is rising as high as 8 kilometers (5 miles) above the sea level,’ TASS reported Sunday morning local time, adding the volcano had released a gush of lava.”
USA Today wrote on August 18:
“A volcano erupted in Russia hours before a magnitude 7 earthquake shook the ground near the country’s east coast, according to the United States Geological Survey.”
Allegedly, these events are unrelated. That is extremely difficult to believe.
Asteroid Bombshell
The Sun wrote on August 216:
“SPACE scientists have traced back the origins of the cataclysmic asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The ruinous rock – thought to be at least six miles wide – likely cannoned into earth from the outer solar system, it’s been discovered… It’s then thought to have been nudged out of orbit, possibly due to a crash with another rock, sending it on an apocalyptic collision course with earth.
“The impact crater formed after the rock slammed into earth… is buried… in Mexico. A layer across earth was caused by the blow… It’s also been proposed that a comet wiped out the dinosaurs, but Fischer-Godde says his team’s findings rule out that hypothesis.
“Impact from the asteroid 66 million years ago made the Chicxulub crater nearly 150 miles in diameter, leading to devastating consequences for life on earth at the time. The blow threw huge amounts of debris in the air and caused massive tidal waves that would storm over the American continents… ‘A huge blast wave and heatwave went out and it threw vast amounts of material up into the atmosphere.’ It’s thought sunlight would’ve been restricted for at least a decade…
“Fischer-Godde pointed out that although his findings offer rare insight into the planet’s past, it also comes as an alert for earth’s future. He said: ‘If there’s ever going to be a C-type asteroid on an Earth-crossing orbit, we have to be very careful. Because it might be the last one we witness.’”
The article’s suggestion that more than just one huge asteroid was involved, is quite interesting. So is the warning at the end of the article. The Bible speaks of terrible end-time catastrophes, with stars falling down from heaven.
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
