Links 8/7/2025

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1. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 7:24 am

   “Trump’s ‘secondary tariffs’ aimed at Russia would hurt America’s own economy”

   Trump was asked at a press conference by an Indian reporter how he can sanction Indian purchases of Russian oil when the US imports Russian uranium, chemicals and fertilizers. He disingenuously answered that he had not heard about that, would check up on it and would get back to her. Come to think of it, he gave the same answer to reports of the Ukrainians press-ganging 60 years-olds off the streets, shoving them into vans and sending them off to the front. None of his normal ‘I don’t like that’ but just I have not heard that.

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   1. GM August 7, 2025 at 7:51 am

      The bigger scandal here is that Russia is still selling uranium and fertilizers to the US, and many other things to Europe.

      At least in 1941 the last train with supplies went to Germany on the evening of June 21st, and no other trains were sent after that.

      Today Russia keeps supplying the West with critical materials, without which it would be on its knees very quickly, this while the West is bombing Russia 24/7.

      If Russia was a properly run country Putin and everyone else currently in the Kremlin would have been long ago put on trial and publicly shot for grand treason.

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   2. hk August 7, 2025 at 8:36 am

      Graham and his copperhead friends never forgot about 1865, did they? (NB: “copperheads” was what Northern Confederate sympathizers were called during the American Civil War.)

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2. hidflect August 7, 2025 at 7:27 am

   “JD Vance’s team had water level of Ohio river raised for family’s boating trip”

   A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say…

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3. Vicky Cookies August 7, 2025 at 7:38 am

   “Automating the mass shooting victim”

   Occasionally, for fun, I write satire. The point is to lampoon by caricature cultural and political foibles and flaws, blowing up their subtleties and exposing their essence by means of hyperbole. What do you do when there are no subtleties? The late, great Tom Leher was probably right when he said that satire’s been dead ever since Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s rough out here.

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4. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 7:54 am

   “Millionaire American trophy hunter killed by Cape buffalo during South African safari”

   Can we all take a moment’s silence and pray that that Cape buffalo escaped afterwards? Zero sympathy for people that kill animals for s*** and giggles. He should have remembered his Tennyson-

   ‘Nature, red in tooth and claw’

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   1. ciroc August 7, 2025 at 8:12 am

      Two can play that game.

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   2. Jackiebass63 August 7, 2025 at 8:21 am

      These people aren’t real hunters. They depend on guides to do the actual hunting.

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   3. Mass Driver August 7, 2025 at 8:33 am

      A trophy hunter who once boasted of killing thousands of doves in just three days

      I wonder if he was using flak or punt gun for that avian massacre.

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   4. KLG August 7, 2025 at 9:06 am

      One of our best restaurants in a revived downtown has the mounted head of a greater kudu behind the bar in the main dining room. Striking, yes, because the kudu is a magnificent animal. But all the same, more than a bit disconcerting, an antelope killed for “sport” and nothing else. I do not understand the motivation…well, yes I do, but the description of a certain anatomical attribute of this kind of “hunter” is inappropriate. He also drives a pristine monster pickup truck (hypertrophied station wagon) that has never carried any cargo other than a golf bag for the same reason. And he lies about his golf scores.

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5. DJG, Reality Czar August 7, 2025 at 7:57 am

   Middle East Eye: UK “still” sharing intelligence with Israel.

   “Still”? Che sorpresa. The panto show goes on.

   From the article: “There is significant secrecy surrounding much of what the RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus is used for.” [DJG adds a note on reality: Come on. Let’s stop being coy.]

   “Earlier this year, MEE reported that the UK government blocked Labour MP Kim Johnson from asking about Israeli bombers using the Cyprus airbase.” [Indeed. And then the intrepid MPs succumbed to the reality of their government’s war crimes, natch.]

   “The source noted that the UK, a partner in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance that also includes the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, is the “number one gatherer of intelligence” in the Middle East.” ” [DJG adds note on reality: When a country has no economy, it must find a way to make itself useful besides exporting Cadbury Creme Eggs.]

   Dhekelia and Akrotiri must be destroyed.

   It is more than obvious why Cyprus can’t be reunified. Time to stop blaming Erdogan.

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   1. Aurelien August 7, 2025 at 8:41 am

      Well, the MP, and for that matter the journalist, could have taken the trouble to look at the official site of British Forces Cyprus which would have answered many of their questions. But why allow research to undermine a good mystery? Cyprus is a very small island (have you been there?) and thousands of locals live and work in and around the Sovereign Base Areas. Any Israeli aircraft arriving would be spotted at once, not to mention the fact that supporting them would require massive airlifts of personnel, weapons and equipment, since the RAF doesn’t use the same equipment. Nothing like that has been reported.
      The use of Cyprus as an intelligence-gathering base for the Middle East has been publicly admitted since the 1980s, when there was a high-profile Official Secrets Act trial about it. As regards the anonymous allegations of “cooperation” with Israel, it’s hard to see what the point would be. I wouldn’t exclude it in principle, but Israel is a lot closer to Gaza than Cyprus is, the Israelis have many more assets and Arabic speakers, and are much better placed technically. It’s hard to see what the point of any such cooperation would be.

      Oh, and Cyprus was unified until the Turks invaded in 1974.

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      1. Carolinian August 7, 2025 at 9:48 am

         Heard about this one?

         https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14834377/Man-arrested-spying-British-RAF-base-Cyprus-tension-mounts-Israel-Iran-war.html

         There were allegations during the 12 day that the Israelis flew their planes off to Cyprus to keep them from being destroyed and open reports that planes flying war supplies were coming in from that British base in Cyprus.

         Surely British foreign policy is the very illustration of the axiom “believe nothing until it has been officially denied.”

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      2. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 9:52 am

         ‘Any Israeli aircraft arriving would be spotted at once’

         What if they were landing and taking off at night time?

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6. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 8:12 am

   ‘Nury Vittachi
   @NuryVittachi
   The embarrassed US is gradually discovering that it has outsourced key elements of the coming war against China … to China. Key elements of warfare, from fighter-bombers, Hellfire missiles, nightvision goggles, etc, are being made by the very citizens set to be attacked. 1/15’

   I heard today that the Trump regime was genuinely shocked that the Chinese weaponized rare earths. That they never expected this to happen. And now they realize that the Chinese have them in a barrel and the US cannot do anything about it. Probably explains why in meetings with the Chinese, Trump negotiators were demanding the full resumption of the export of rare earths in unlimited quantities and are probably incredulous that the Chinese are refusing their demands. I guess the Chinese delegation was reading up on the Chinese translation of “The Art of the Deal.”

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   1. hk August 7, 2025 at 8:40 am

      The educated Chinese don’t need translation–there are orobably more and better English speakers in China than US now.

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7. DJG, Reality Czar August 7, 2025 at 8:35 am

   Middle East Eye: Israel pulls embassy staff from Athens.

   Okay, I’m going out on a limb here, but as an Italian, I think of Greeks as The Cousins. (The French are the Depressed Cousins.)

   What the heck are the Greeks up to? Throwing ravani at tourists? No Greek would throw ravani, because then yiayia would yell at them.

   So, from the article: “Katz accused the mayor of failing to adequately safeguard the city from what have been widely reported as peaceful demonstrators, referring to them as “organised minorities”. He also claimed that Mayor Doukas had made Israeli tourists feel unsafe in the city.”

   Organized minorities with spanakotiropita, I’d say. This gambit strikes me as the usual attempt to control the situation by meme and assertions of “hatred.” It is one more faked crisis.

   Here in Italy, we have just had an “unsafe tourist” incident. A Jewish family from France was driving from Milano homeward. They stopped at an autogrill, probably for their last chance at excellent Italian coffee. The father went in with his son and then posted video claiming that he had been attacked for wearing a kippa.

   Well, it turns out otherwise: I am reading reports that the father went in and insulted an Italian/Palestinian family. A couple of the sons popped him in the face.

   Quindi: The Frenchman has now been charged with inciting racial hatred, whereas three of the Italians are charged basically with popping him in the face.

   As with Zelensky, live by the meme, die by the meme.

   Some Italian coverage of how we treat tourists:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHvDx3FIis&t=30s

   Meanwhile, I know that there are some members of the commentertakia who know Greece better than I do. Please advise.

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   1. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 8:46 am

      ‘The Frenchman has now been charged with inciting racial hatred’

      What else can you say? He effed around and found out. Did he think that those sons would just sit there and take it like they would have to in Israel? Is this how that guy behaves at home or did he think that what happens in Italy, stays in Italy. He’s got some ‘splainin’ to do.

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   2. OIFVet August 7, 2025 at 8:53 am

      No real Greek (or Bulgarian) would waste spanakopita in such manner, we are not savages. Most likely, Jewish tourists in Greece feel threatened by observing Greeks consume vast quantities of delicious un-Kosher seafood, pork souvlaki and loukaniko.

      Normali I would treat them to portokalopita, but I feel singularly uncharitable towards histrionic genociders these days.

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   3. Pearl Rangefinder August 7, 2025 at 9:19 am

      Charge everything that moves with “antisemitism” seems to be the plan at any hint of critisicm of God’s Chosen State and their ongoing massacres, and our Western Quislings are implementing that with more or less vigour depending on the country seemingly. America, of course, being the most enthusiastic, case in point Eden Deckerhoff in Florida:

      At about 7 p.m. Wednesday, the 23-year-old suspect was seen approaching the student, who court papers say was sitting down in the recreational center and on his cell phone. Deckerhoff was then seen having a conversation with the student and appearing to “become upset,” per the documents.

      Moments later, Deckerhoff was seen moving into his personal space and touching his shoulder “in a shoving motion while trying to attempt to reach for his beverage,” the documents wrote.

      Shortly after, the student was observed “leaning back in a reactionary and defensive manner while lifting his left arm up to protect himself,” per court papers. Moments later, Deckerhoff was observed walking off just before flipping the student off.
      ….
      The student told police that the day the confrontation happened, he was wearing an IDF shirt, “which signifies the national military of Israel,” court records wrote, and that Deckerhoff made contact with him as he was sitting down in the center because of it.

      Was it Max Blumenthal who calls them ‘Crybullies’? Very apt moniker. Moving into the genocider’s personal space? “Touching his shoulder”? Such mighty weasel words, I almost feel bad for the cops having to waste their time with this. I’m sure he was shaking in his boots at the mean 23 year old woman. It’s laughable, but you can bet that every law enforcement resource possible will be spent on this ‘case’, if one could call it that, and that people like Deckerhoff will be made examples of. Western “freedom” meets the ultimate protected class.

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   4. Carolinian August 7, 2025 at 9:59 am

      Terrible that Israelis in Greece (or Columbia University) are feeling unsafe over mere genocide. Hasn’t anyone heard of Hitler?

      Plus those Gazans are practically Nazis anyway since the WW2 era Mufti of Jerusalem was once pals with Adolf.

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8. Neutrino August 7, 2025 at 8:39 am

   BLS, another sad institution corrupted and due for a name change. With any luck, that will include a revision, hah, to the methodology and controls.
   Blockchain Legitimate System?
   Other contenders?

   There are more than a few issues. Quality of data, communication path, absence of political manipulation.

   When all sorted, will there be screen shots of old PCs running off large floppy disks? Printouts on green and white bar paper? Will there be redundant PhDs learning to code, perhaps brushing up on AI? Or pensioned of at some high GS or even SES levels?

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   1. Acacia August 7, 2025 at 8:46 am

      The Bureau of Labor Statistics ?

      It’ll be a miracle if they don’t get kneecapped by DOGEbags in the next year or two, probably soon after they publish some unflattering numbers.

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9. Acacia August 7, 2025 at 8:43 am

   Re: A New List Reveals Top Websites Meta Is Scraping of Copyrighted Content to Train Its AI

   Spoiler: Meta scraped revenge porn websites for this.

   Because of course they did.

   Meanwhile, any photos Facebook users upload will be automatically fed into Meta AI.

   “Oh, but you can opt-out.” Sure. Until the next “update”, when all your settings get quietly re-jiggered.

   It’s sort of mind-boggling that anybody would continue sharing personal data or photos with Meta, given that they will all get fed into some kind of AI slop blender, together with revenge porn.

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10. Balan Aroxdale August 7, 2025 at 8:49 am

    Israel pulls embassy staff from Greece amid Gaza protests New Arab

    The Western Spring?

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    1. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 8:59 am

       You’d think that the Russians would have more valid reasons to pull their Embassy staff from Israel. You just had Israeli settlers attack a Russian diplomatic vehicle while the nearby IDF examined the sky or the tips of their boots. And the Greek government should remind the Israelis of that fact when Netanyahu starts to sling off against the Greeks because Israelis feel ‘unsafe’ in Greece.

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11. Mass Driver August 7, 2025 at 8:54 am

    President Trump’s decision to go after countries that prop up Putin’s war machine by buying cheap Russian oil is a gamechanger. These countries are about to pay a long overdue and heavy price.
    To my European friends who have been helping Ukraine, it is much appreciated.…
    — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) August 6, 2025

    Here’s an accompanying video of Lindsey rubbing hands. :)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMMvSiVkjfg&t=100s

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    1. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 9:03 am

       I remember when that video came out. Those aren’t just Ukrainian troops that Graham and McCain are addressing but Azov troops. And they knew it. Mind you, those two look just like villains from central casting.

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    2. Acacia August 7, 2025 at 9:20 am

       Isn’t that Petro Poroshenko, along with the two ghouls?

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       1. Mass Driver August 7, 2025 at 9:25 am

          It’s the Chocolate King in all his glory. This long-running bloody soap opera has a recurring set of characters (not counting the extras in the video, that are mosty long gone by now).

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12. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 9:34 am

    “It Gets Worse.”

    ‘Now all we need is a western political class capable of doing that. Any idea where we can get one from?’

    Craigs List? It’s not only the political class but our leaders as well. The majority of the present crop can at best be described as non-entities and would not survive five minutes in the political climate on the eighties for example. One minor quibble that I would make is over this section-

    ‘For more than twenty years now, NATO has been working on missile defence projects, with mixed results. The original idea was primarily to defend against possible attacks from Iran or similar potential enemies.’

    That was never the original idea and it was always aimed at Russia. When they first talked about setting up this missile defence project they immediately opted to deploy it in eastern Europe to be used against ‘Iranian missiles.’ When the Russians protested that it was aimed at them, they were told ‘Trust us, bro. These will totally not be used against you.’ When the Russians offered to help set it up in and around the Black Sea as it would be more logical to place them there to intercept Iranian missiles, they were told it was not possible because of reasons. Of course once it was set up they admitted that yeah, it was to be totally used against Russia with no guarantees that those missile launchers might not have nuclear-tipped missiles slipped into them. They were probably patting themselves on the back afterwards for being so cunning.

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13. Judith August 7, 2025 at 9:37 am

    Conor, thanks for all your hard work. I am amazed at all the information you and Yves provide every day, especially lately with all the horrors in the world.

    Does your choice of the antidote today suggest you may be a bit tired? :-)

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14. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 9:44 am

    “PM Netanyahu meets with Republican Congressional delegation”

    That Republican Congressional delegation were disappointed to learn that they would not be receiving silver-plated pages from Netanyahu as something to remember their trip to Israel by as others had. But they were pleased to receive commemorative silver-plated children’s skulls to use back home as novelty drinking vessels.

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15. Socal Rhino August 7, 2025 at 9:57 am

    This is one of those times when I wonder how much of the commentary on blogs, youtube channels, etc. is the product of intelligence agencies. Remind myself to approach everything with a critical eye, question why am I am reading this now, etc. and try to be alert to opinion shaping.

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16. The Rev Kev August 7, 2025 at 10:03 am

    “India PM Modi to visit China on Aug 31 for SCO summit, Indian TV channels report”

    1971 – ‘Only a Nixon Could Go to China.’

    2025 – ‘Only a Trump could make India go to China to kiss and make up.’

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