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Links 6/19/2025

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Your nails could be a sign of whether a recession is coming or not ZME Science

Shadow of a Doubt Harper’s. “How OCD came to haunt American life.”

To fight screwworm, the U.S. is opening a South Texas facility to disperse sterile flies Texas Tribune

CVS Throws a Temper Tantrum Boondoggle

Climate/Environment

‘Cancer is just everywhere’: could farming be behind Iowa’s unfolding health crisis? The Guardian

Major oil companies face first ‘climate death’ lawsuit DW

Pandemics

China?

Now it’s AI: Magnificent 7 companies can’t build AI data centers without Chinese bismuth Inside China / Business

China’s COSCO in Talks to Join $19B CK Hutchison Port Sale Amid U.S.-China Tensions Bloomberg

China’s central bank chief expects new currency order to challenge dollar FT

Does China have an Internationalist Foreign Policy? ZZ’s Blog

India

India’s Great-Power Delusions Foreign Affairs

India’s next 10-minute delivery? Domestic workers on demand Mint

Africa

US Africa Command Launches Airstrike in Somalia Targeting al-Shabaab Antiwar

Old Blighty

PM’S BLUNDER Keir shakes interpreter’s hand instead of South Korean President after getting pair mixed up in embarrassing G7 gaffe The Sun

War With Iran: Made in Britain? Kit Klarenberg

European Disunion

Stefan Niehoff, the German pensioner famous for a meme calling Robert Habeck a moron, is found guilty of five criminal retweets and one criminal reply and fined €825 Eugyppius

Military-tech upstart Anduril pushes further into NATO with German arms maker deal The Register

Syraqistan

Israel Kills Over 70, Wounds Hundreds as Tanks Open Fire on Aid Seekers in Gaza Truthout

***

Trump Privately Approved of Attack Plans for Iran but Has Withheld Final Order WSJ

Exclusive: Iran delivers response to new US proposal Amwaj

There Is No Such Thing as a Quick U.S. War on Iran Drop Site

Iran warns US intervention in conflict with Israel risks ‘all out war’ Al Jazeera

Iran Launches First Strike on Israel Using Mach 13+ Fattah Hypersonic Missile: Can it Turn the Tide of the War? Military Watch

Israel Is Running Low on Defensive Interceptors, Official Says WSJ

EXPLAINER – Israel’s strikes on Iran: Major sites and fears of ‘regional nuclear emergency’ Anadolu Agency

IAEA chief confirms agency has ‘no proof’ Iran building nuclear bombThe Cradle

Scoop: Gabbard’s Senate Intel briefing postponed amid Iran tensions Axios

‘Israel’ may stage false flag to force US into Iran war, experts warn Al Mayadeen

***

BBC Verify Live: How we’re authenticating footage after Israel hospital is hit BBC

***

Bombs, Blackouts, and Solidarity: Six Days That Shattered Lives in Iran Femena

***

Trump must help Israel finish the job to dismantle Khamenei’s regime – editorial Jerusalem Post. Provides a blueprint for regime change, in case there were any doubts, including:

Forge a Middle East coalition for Iran’s partition. Encourage long-term plans for a federalized or partitioned Iran, recognizing that Khamenei’s theocratic regime cannot be reformed. Offer security guarantees to Sunni, Kurdish, and Balochi minority regions willing to break away.

Pashinyan to pay historic visit to Turkey at Erdoğan’s invitation CivilNet. Azerbaijan president possibly there too. Potential headache along Iran’s northern borders. See NC here.

REPORTAGE: Maryam Rajavi at the European Parliament — “The Fundamental Issue in Iran Is Regime Change” Iran News Update

Speaking of cults:

***

America’s war on the world Julian MacFarlane

Iran Has Not Asked Russia For Military Help: Putin AFP

Ukraine and Iran: two fronts of a piecemeal world war Thomas Fazi

New Not-So-Cold War

Russia sanctions on pause as Iran conflict heats up Semafor

EU chief says pressure off for lower Russia oil price cap France24

The Territorial Defense Corps revealed Military Land

April Showers Bring Nazi Startups Azov Lobby Blog

Trump 2.0

Mulvaney warns of safety concerns over White House’s new flagpoles The Hill

MAHA

Exclusive: US to drop guidance to limit alcohol to one or two drinks per day, sources say Reuters

Democrats en déshabillé

AIPAC Demands Democrats “Stand With Israel” on Iran Drop Site

House Democrat Under Fire for ‘Reckless and Repugnant’ Resolution Backing War on Iran Common Dreams

Obama Legacy

Obama warns America is ‘dangerously close’ to moving away from democracy The Independent

Citigroup chose Obama’s 2008 cabinet, WikiLeaks document reveals WSWS. From 2016, still germane.

Immigration

Migrant deported to El Salvador after DPS labeled him a member of Tren de Aragua without evidence, lawyer says Texas Tribune. The deck: “Lawyers for Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo deny he is a gang member and say the DPS accusation hinges on a photo they found of him standing next to a man with tattoos.”

Judge finds Florida attorney general in contempt of court for flouting immigration order Miami Herald

With only 8% built, Texas quietly defunds state border wall program Texas Tribune

Big Brother Is Watching You Watch

40,000 Cameras, From Bird Feeders to Baby Monitors, Exposed to the Internet 404 Media

Police State Watch

US resumes student visas, demands social media access DW

‘We’re going to be covering the entire city with drones:’ SFPD accepts billionaire’s $9.4M gift Mission Local

Sports Desk

The Definitive, Insane, Swimsuit-Bursting Story of the Steroid Olympics Wired. The deck: “At first it was dismissed as a crazy joke. Making the Enhanced Games a reality needed a Peter Thiel posse, a couple of retired swimmers, some MAGA money, and a whole lot of drugs.”

Our Famously Free Press

Working Hard to Justify Israel’s Unprovoked Attack on Iran FAIR

Imperial Collapse Watch

Iran and the Permanent War Machine: The Modern State as Organized Crime Landmarks

Air India / Boeing

Boeing 787’s Emergency-Power System Likely Active Before Air India Crash WSJ

AI

Bill Gates and Sam Altman’s nuclear groups raise $1bn as investors bet on AI FT

xAI is facing a lawsuit for operating over 400 MW of gas turbines without permits TechCrunch

This is the gentle singularity? Blood in the Machine

Antitrust

Why Is Google Still in One Piece? The Terminating a Monopoly Problem. BIG by Matt Stoller

Guillotine Watch

Report Names ‘Corporate Oligarchs’ Who Are Cashing In as Trump-GOP Austerity Assails Workers Common Dreams

‘We don’t need Bezos’: Venice activists prepare to protest against tech billionaire’s wedding Euronews

The Bezzle

Senate Passes Stablecoin Bill as Crypto Eyes a Bigger Prize Barron’s

DOJ announces largest-ever crypto seizure related to ‘pig butchering’ scams The Hill

Class Warfare

UAW Prez Threatened to “Slit the Throats” of Critics as He Pushed No-Bid Contracts with DC Firms Payday Report

A Neighborhood Market, A Call to Action Working Class Storytelling

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.

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65 comments

  1. Antifa

    Stopping A War On A Summer Evening
    (with apologies to Robert Frost)

    Trump Always Chickens Out, and though
    Last night he said we’re all Gung Ho
    This morning who knows what we’ll hear?
    The world awaits this Trump floor show

    World War Three is what we fear
    We’re standing on a wild frontier
    Trump has an insane choice to make
    And Armageddon seems so near

    But Donald’s mind remains opaque
    He’d much prefer to bellyache
    He’s worried about mission creep
    This war will jump its firebreak

    Once we step in, we’re in neck deep
    Brave men will die, their wives will weep
    Trump wants this handled quick and cheap
    But as ye sow so shall ye reap

    Reply ↓
  2. The Rev Kev

    “Your nails could be a sign of whether a recession is coming or not”

    Not what I was expecting at all after reading it. I would have expected chewed finger nails to be the giveaway sign.

    Reply ↓
      2. mrsyk

        Good morning. One observation from someone who competed at turf sports into my mid thirties. Cleats are hard on the feet. Really hard. I would regularly lose my big-toe nails, sometimes the second ones as well. Deep, painful cracks in the skin on the ball of the foot and skin rot between the toes were common as well. Had I heard painting the nails helps prevent some of this I would have tried it.

        Reply ↓
    1. Wukchumni

      Could you imagine using something the Romans wrote a few thousand years ago as justification for any current act of war?

      Reply ↓
    2. Lee

      Thanks for the enlightening link.
      When it comes to Abraham there are two other critical views I would like to note. From Bob Dylan:

      Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”

      Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”

      God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?”

      God say, “You can do what you want Abe, but

      The next time you see me comin’ you better run”

      Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”

      God says, “Out on Highway 61”

      And from Swiss psychiatrist Alice Miller:

      And when we look at Judaism (the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac) and Christianity (the sacrifice of the son Jesus by his Father) we see toxic attitudes toward children built into their world view.

      No fan of Abraham am I.

      Reply ↓
  4. The Rev Kev

    ‘BNO News
    @BNONews
    BREAKING: SpaceX Starship explodes during static fire test’

    To my untrained eye, that was obviously a major malfunction. You can see the problem. That fire wasn’t static at all but was very much dynamic.

    Reply ↓
    2. tegnost

      when did i vote for obama to give nasa to musk?

      https://fee.org/articles/does-obama-deserve-credit-for-elon-musk-s-spacex-triumph-yes-and-no/

      FTA…
      Musk is no doubt the hero of America’s new dawn in space exploration, but it’s also true that his achievement would not be possible without the radical and unpopular actions Obama took in 2010 that changed the paradigm of US space flight.

      I swear these people have no mirrors so one wonders how hey keep their hair so neat…must be servants for that sort of thing…

      Reply ↓
  5. Carolinian

    No Simplicius? The non paywalled portion of last night’s version has two key revelations/assertions

    –The Israelis were planning on 5000 Israeli casualties from a mass Iranian response to the initial attack. This would then immediately have brought the US in. The slow night by night Iranian destruction of military sites and low civilian casualty count was not what they wanted.

    and

    –Israeli jets have not been over Tehran at all and all the pictures of same are from drones or missiles with cameras. They are doing what they did in the months ago attack which is lob missiles from the western border. The attacks inside the country are all sabotage or via drones. Therefore Iran’s Russian AD is fully intact and available to shoot down American planes.

    Meanwhile it’s very hard to find out what is going on in Israel but the blackout suggests things are much worse than the world is being told. Huckabee is now trying to evacuate embassy personnel via cruise ship.

    War or psyop? And this psyop may be aimed at the United States. What is Trump’s role in all this?

    Reply ↓
      1. Carolinian

        Just trying to help out. And if I may add my own speculation to Simplicius I’m beginning to agree with the joking suggestion by others here (and Musk) that Trump is on the Epstein tapes. It would certainly explain his behavior.

        Reply ↓
    2. ChrisFromGA

      It’s always fun to speculate. I share your skepticism by way of Simplicius that Israel has “air superiority” over any significant part of Iranian airspace. There are rumors and posts on Telegram that several Israeli F-35’s were shot down. No proof as far as I know and we’re in the fog of war do don’t expect any magic proof fairy to show up on our doorsteps.

      Reply ↓
    3. The Rev Kev

      I heard Netanyahu say that he was determined to get rid of Iran’s nuclear facilities and it’s ballistic missiles. The first aim has been a bust but he is succeeding with his second aim – one Iranian missile salvo at a time.

      Reply ↓
  6. DJG, Reality Czar

    Obama Warns America. The Independent.

    The setting. I’m breathless at its imperial splendor. >>

    A Boston College historian and professor, Heather Cox Richardson, moderated Tuesday’s discussion and asked Obama what he would say to young people to remain optimistic about the future.

    Ahh, yes. Regime historian Richardson, well-known Vindman Whisperer and intelligence-community mouthpiece, plumbs the nation’s psychology with the president who:

    https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/243850-obama-signs-nsa-bill-renewing-patriot-act-powers/

    Renewed the Patriot Act.

    You want to know why the U S of A is currently in a pickle (to put it politely)? The Patriot Act speeded up all of the tendencies of the Clinton and Bush II administrations to be dismissive of civil rights and civil liberties.

    I realize that Obama was tired from putting on his comfortable shoes and spending the day demonstrating in a picket line with striking workers and all. (Has the minimum wage been raised since 2015?) Yet he could have taken a moment and vetoed a bill that had already generated opposition — and leaned on the Democrats.

    Instead, as ever, he took the path of least resistance.

    And there go democratic forms, because democratic forms are not the path of least resistance.

    Reply ↓
    1. judy2shoes

      >>>(Has the minimum wage been raised since 2015?)

      It has not been raised since 2009, DJG, and it was due to a law passed in 2006 when GWB was president.

      “The federal minimum wage was last raised on July 24, 2009, when it rose from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour, the last step of a three-step increase approved by Congress in 2007. Before 2007, the minimum wage had been stuck at $5.15 per hour for 10 years. Frustrated by inaction at the federal level, states and, increasingly, many cities and counties have moved to raise the wage floor.”

      Reply ↓
      1. tegnost

        states and cities can raise the wage floor, but only the fed min wage determines the poverty level. Increase the contribution level from 125,000 to 1 million and social security is flush. Get rid of the 75 year pension requirement for usps while you’re at it. The dems don’t even try. “Fighting for!”…No, they’re not.

        Reply ↓
  8. DJG, Reality Czar

    We Don’t Need Bezos in Venexia.

    According to my invitation (although this is public knowledge), the service is at San Giorgio Maggiore, which is a small separated island with a vaporetto stop. The Venetians love their little boats, which may, somehow, mob the island.

    The reception is in the Scuola Grande della Misericordia. This is where the disruption is going to get disruptive. How does one get 250 pampered guests and their palanquins to a scuola that is on a small canal on the other side of the Grand Canal?

    In a city with so many pinch points?

    And a history of comedies by Gozzi and Goldoni?

    Let the festivities begin! I hope that the Bezos entourage has laid in a fine stock of venegazzù to keep me happy as I loll in my gondola, awaiting access to the Canale della Misericordia.

    Sono stronzi loro.

    PS: Just a question about anatomy in the U S of A. I have seen photos of Lauren Sanchez. How does she get her spherical breasts to float above her shoulders? Is there some advanced new “Trump enhanced” surgery that I am not aware of?

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Her face too has a strange look to it which I call Late Stage Empire because of the plastic surgery. If you don’t believe me, search Google Images for ‘Lauren Sanchez’ and filter it to images taken in the past month.

      Reply ↓
      1. jefemt

        Circles back to the steroid Olympic games and Peter Thiel D’Sousa article linked today.
        Them silicon valley folks take their silicon seriously. Like a weird Kurzweilian portent.
        Ever read, “Enough”, by Bill McKibben, regarding the singularity?
        (I expected it to be about consuming) . Quite a read.

        Being one for wild speculation, I assume Kristi Noem’s rush to the hospital was a negative reaction to some sort of Botoxie- cocktail.

        Reply ↓
  9. Unironic Pangloss

    if you are interested in the economics of being an auto mechanic. an allegory of how incentives drive outcome, and how everything is becoming a monopoly or monopsy (ZIRP was one of many triggers, imo).

    the comments are just as illuminating, and these forces are likely found in multiple industries

    23 min. Car Care Nut channel

    “The mechanic shortage has been going on for some time but now it is hitting a new height.

    In this video we discuss the reality of the automotive industry and why it is basically going upside down. For years greed and mistreatment have led to the single biggest mechanic shortage. Older mechanics retiring and the young generation losing interest in the industry due to the older generations advice not to enter.

    I hope this video help bring awareness to how difficult it is to be a mechanic in these times.”

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9cfbhxsqW84&

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Thanks for that video which I have bookmarked to watch later. When you said ‘Older mechanics retiring and the young generation losing interest in the industry due to the older generations advice not to enter.’ I bet that is something that happens in a lot of fields. Here is one that I have heard to be true-

      ‘Older soldiers retiring and the young generation losing interest in the military due to the older generations advice not to enter.’

      I wonder how many industries and careers that this is happening in too.

      Reply ↓
      1. Neutrino

        Plumbing and HVAC are two more. The independent shops get bought out and rolled up, then the remaining workers are told about the new arrangement. The new owners treat the business like another monopoly opportunity combined with an extraction process.

        Reply ↓
    2. dougie

      Speaking with 50 years experience in auto repair, and currently owner of a rather large auto repair shop? I would state the biggest reason for the lack of skilled technicians is more the result of decades of high school guidance counselors telling kids that something is wrong with them if they choose to get their hands dirty.

      Yesterday, I hired a 21 yo “B+” level technician with 3 years experience. $40/ hour. My top level techs are in the $50-60/hour range.

      His job cannot be outsourced offshore. He won’t lose his job due to AI. He has 100% company paid healthcare that he can afford to use. Within 2 years he will earn $100k annually, working M-F 8-5.

      Yes, the older technicians are retiring. But there are still awesome opportunities in the profession for someone who can think for himself. “Older technicians telling them to get out?”. I tell my young guns that I will train them to operate their own shop in 10 years time, should they desire. Then I show them how, but most don’t want to deal with the public or the paperwork.

      Reply ↓
  10. The Rev Kev

    “Scoop: Gabbard’s Senate Intel briefing postponed amid Iran tensions”

    Gabbard is in a tough position. Recently she testified to the Senate that there was zero prof of Iran developing nukes. End of story. But when Trump was asked by reporters aboard his plane about that he didn’t care and he knows that Iran was developing nukes. His good buddy Bibi told him so. Apparently there was a clash between Trump and Gabbard at a Cabinet meeting how she was not on the same page as him. I would assume that Trump and others in the Cabinet want Gabbard to fabricate some proof to justify America going to war. But Gabbard is not stupid. She would remember how Colin Powell incinerated his career forever with his WMD dog-and-pony show at the UN and I am sure that she does not want to go down in history as the person that got America into an unnecessary war with bogus evidence like happened to Powell. She would also know that Trump would blame her after the war was over with that bogus evidence and leave here twisting in the wind. And Trump? He would claim innocence and how Gabbard lied to him.

    Reply ↓
    1. ddt

      She’d be best remembered if she quit and outed him. Her career would suffer and she’s already blacklisted by the other side. She’s indeed in a tough pickle.

      Reply ↓
    2. Carolinian

      If the Iran attack was a long term plan known to the cabinet then her recent post about visiting Hiroshima would also be explained. I believe Taibbi/Kirn may have talked about this.

      Reply ↓
    3. pjay

      That story was disturbing. Obviously there is a behind-the-scenes struggle going on. It’s pretty clear which side this “senior administration official” is on. And I’m sure ultra-neocon warmonger Tom Cotton is in no hurry for Tulsi to testify before his “Intelligence” committee. She is indeed in a tough position. Even if she resigned in protest she would get no traction in the “liberal” media that has already demonized her relentlessly. She could be a guest on Tucker Carlson’s show I suppose, but how much could she really discuss without being charged with violating “state secrets”?

      Reply ↓
    4. bertl

      She will best be remembered for not betraying her oath tho the Constitution by staying at her post telling truth to power and to the people until Trump either gets on her very public page or he fires her or he goes down in flames for ignoring her advice come the midterms – and maybe even before the midterms. She has the potential to develop a public base that will make her a viable candidate for a successful third party or one section of the Uniparty that wants someone sane in the highest office. She could well be the ideal candidate to pull together disillusioned MAGA supporters, restive Democrats – particularly the young, and older school Democrats and Republicans some of whom can remember the days when there was the occasional thinking candidate with real political courage.

      Reply ↓
  11. AG

    DropsiteNews: President Trump replied, “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
    Including himself.
    Is there any stand-up comedy on this?

    The combination of WH´s incompetence and total confusion to be observed by the entire world and the clueless warmongering in Europe which on the other hand has zero military capacity are epic.
    This conflict so far is the first one really living up to “idiocracy” of the collective West.

    p.s. Anyone remember the 1980s flick “The Gods Must Be Crazy”?

    Reply ↓
    1. Carolinian

      Perhaps he’ll flip a coin? But his tweets with the all caps shouting never make a lot of sense.

      More likely Trump is sane and knows that Carlson and Bannon are right and he’s waiting for the false flag to provide some sort of justification. It’s the plan itself (if there is one) that is insane.

      Reply ↓
    2. Chet G

      I suspect the argument about the US attacking Iran is between whether to attack late on Friday (minimum news cycle) and whether to attack during a prime news cycle (Trump’s first preference).
      P.S. Yes, a great movie: Gods Must Be Crazy.

      Reply ↓
      1. AG

        “I suspect the argument about the US attacking Iran is…prime news cycle”

        That´s fucking insane, right.
        In da movie bizniz they usual say that stories gotta be sexed up to live up to screenstory demands which is actually correct.

        Which makes it ever more insane if such an idea that you point out is not a fictious exaggeration for sake of dramatisation but what we call the real world.

        But our media above all make me cry. And even alternatives buy into the whole militarily incompetent bullshit about what Yves in the latest entry points out, such as air superiority.

        Am supposed to go see the Wes Anderson movie soon. Wonder how that´s gonna work out for me…🙄

        Reply ↓
  15. AG

    For some reason German altern. news site Multipolar is linking to this December 2024 piece on the true nature of OCCRP investigative network

    The hidden links between a giant of investigative journalism and the US government
    The OCCRP, the largest organised network of investigative media in the world, hid the extent of its links with the US government, this investigation can reveal. Washington supplies half of its budget, has a right to veto its senior staff, and funds investigations focussing on Russia and Venezuela. Yann Philippin and Stefan Candea report.
    https://www.mediapart.fr/en/journal/international/021224/hidden-links-between-giant-investigative-journalism-and-us-government

    p.s. To be honest before this short-lived scandal I had never really taken notice of the group. Its size and level of cooperation should have been a red flag from get go to outsiders.

    Reply ↓
  16. AG

    Chris Hedges

    War Deja Vu
    The lies told to ignite the war with Iraq have been resurrected to ignite a war with Iran. The assessments of intelligence agencies and international bodies are dismissed, replaced by hallucinations.

    Jun 19, 2025
    https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/war-deja-vu

    Useful Idiots, preview

    Trump Outsources Iran WMD Lies to Israel
    Plus, we watch Aaron’s return to Piers Morgan
    Aaron Maté and Katie Halper

    Jun 19, 2025
    https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/trump-outsources-iran-wmd-lies-to

    Reply ↓
    1. pjay

      – ‘REPORTAGE: Maryam Rajavi at the European Parliament …’

      We also have today’s version of Ahmed Chalabi and her brave, patriotic “government in exile” as well.

      You really can’t make this s**t up. As that great statesman George W. Bush once said, “Fool me once…”

      Reply ↓
  17. bertl

    22m ago
    14.47 CEST
    Julian Borger
    Julian Borger
    Benjamin Netanyahu has just left Soroka hospital in Beer Sheva. He toured the site and gave a statement to the press.

    According Ynet news, he said: “The entire people of Israel are paying a price. We are going through a blitz, and we are going through it in an astonishing way.”

    “There are personal costs, people have been hurt, families have lost their loved ones. Each of us bears a personal cost, and my family has not been exempt – this is the second time that my son Avner has cancelled a wedding due to missile threats. It is a personal cost for his fiancee as well, and I must say that my dear wife is a hero, and she bears a personal cost.”

    Share
    Updated at
    15.02 CEST The Guardian Live

    I really feel Bibi’s pain. His son’s wedding cancelled twice. All those shekels down the drain. And all those poor settler colonists paying a price on earth before they enter the pits of Hell to meet with their Master.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Avner? Isn’t that the one that ducked out to Florida at the start of the war so he wouldn’t have to serve in Gaza? I could be wrong here.

      Reply ↓
  18. ciroc

    The deck: “Lawyers for Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo deny he is a gang member and say the DPS accusation hinges on a photo they found of him standing next to a man with tattoos.”

    Is the man in the suit standing next to the terrorist also a terrorist?

    Reply ↓
  19. pjay

    – ‘Trump must help Israel finish the job to dismantle Khamenei’s regime’ – editorial Jerusalem Post. “Provides a blueprint for regime change, in case there were any doubts, including:

    “Forge a Middle East coalition for Iran’s partition. Encourage long-term plans for a federalized or partitioned Iran, recognizing that Khamenei’s theocratic regime cannot be reformed. Offer security guarantees to Sunni, Kurdish, and Balochi minority regions willing to break away.”

    I was wondering what happened to Perle, Feith, and Wurmser. They are apparently writing editorials for the Jerusalem Post, still pushing for completion of their version of the Yinon Plan.

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      Quite a piece of work that Yinon Plan-

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yinon_Plan

      My thought after reading this was to break up Israel into three segments. The first would be for secular Israelis who by themselves would get on quite fine. The second would be made up of Ultra-orthodox and as most of them won’t work, they would be dependent on donations from overseas organizations to keep afloat. The present government often sites settlements like this next to secular communities so that the later can pay for the former. The third would be for the Settlers that too can fund themselves without secular Israel giving them everything on a silver plate while poorer Israelis get neglected. Sounds like a plan to me.

      Reply ↓
  20. flora

    re: Wahttps://www.nakedcapitalism.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?_wpnonce=44c2bc742b&cid=4232011&pid=294229r With Iran: Made in Britain? – Kit Klarenberg

    Thanks for the link. My questions: made in Britain, or made in London, or made in The City of London? War can be very profitable. There’s all that oil plus Iran’s important geographical position in the BRICS plans for a north-south transportation corridor. Capturing control of the oil plus thwarting the BRICS plans could be a two-fer. / my 2 cents

    Reply ↓
  21. flora

    Something in my earlier comment got messed up in the text before I had time to correct so trying again.

    War With Iran: Made in Britain? – Kit Klarenberg

    Thanks for the link. My questions: made in Britain, or made in London, or made in The City of London? War can be very profitable. There’s all that oil plus Iran’s important geographical position in the BRICS plans for a north-south transportation corridor. Capturing control of the oil plus thwarting the BRICS plans could be a two-fer. / my 2 cents

    Reply ↓
    1. The Rev Kev

      And when Trump seizes Iran’s oil, he will once again say ‘We’re keeping the oil, we have the oil, the oil is secure, we left troops behind only for the oil.’ You can be sure that he is keeping an eye on Iran’s oil and gas – or as George Bush would call it, it’s Patrimony.

      Reply ↓
  23. The Rev Kev

    “Boeing 787’s Emergency-Power System Likely Active Before Air India Crash”

    This sounds really bad. When Sully’s plane lost both engines forcing him to land on the Hudson, he too immediately deployed the ram air turbine to get some power back for vital systems. If that Air India flight also had to do that, then things must have really fallen quickly apart for them as they were taking off. Now I’m really invested in finding out what that investigation will discover.

    Reply ↓
  24. ChrisFromGA

    Have a Cigar

    (Sung to the tune of the Pink Floyd classic, by a wyrma-tunga Lindsay Graham)

    Come in here, dear Don, have a cigar
    You’re gonna go far
    You’re gonna fly high, the death toll’s going high, Pol Pot would love you!

    I’ve always had the deepest respect, I mean that most sincerely
    Iran was just fantastic, that is really what I think
    Oh, by the way, what’s that stink?

    And did we tell you the name of the game, Don?
    We call it worming into your brain …

    We’re just knocked out
    We heard about the MAGA sell-out
    You gotta get that Tulsi out
    You owe it to the chosen, they’re so happy they can hardly count

    Wolfowitz and Dick are just green … have you seen the radioactivity charts?
    It’s a helluva start, it could be made into a monstrous death toll if we all pull together as a team

    And did we tell you the name of the game, Don?
    We call it worming into your brain …

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  25. The Rev Kev

    “Mulvaney warns of safety concerns over White House’s new flagpoles”

    Had the same thought, when I saw this on the news tonight, that this article mentioned. Namely, how are those choppers suppose to fly in now that they have a great big flagpole in the way. So often we see Presidents getting out a helicopter to walk to the White House but will this be possible anymore?

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