r/WayOfTheBern • u/penelopepnortney • 21d ago
Thread #44 for Comments and Updates on the Ongoing War by Israel/US Against Iran
## Update
Thread #45 started: https://old.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/comments/1wyi6oo/thread_45_for_comments_and_updates_on_the_ongoing/?
Continued from Thread #43: https://old.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/comments/1wmq2qc/thread_43_for_comments_and_updates_on_the_ongoing/
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u/3andfro 13d ago
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday threatened further assassinations in the Gaza Strip, while President Isaac Herzog warned of deepening internal divisions ahead of the country’s upcoming election.... https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20261005-netanyahu-threatens-more-assassinations-in-gaza-as-president-warns-of-internal-divisions-in-israel/
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u/3andfro 13d ago edited 13d ago
The trend was already tracing itself through the corridors of power, but the world’s most powerful defence department has fallen, most heavily, for the use of artificial intelligence at virtually every level of its operations. Even before the Pentagon’s intoxicating pursuit of artificial intelligence was announced, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) was already running simulated aerial trials of combat engagements between AI agents and seasoned pilots... [op-ed] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20261005-perilous-surrender-the-pentagon-falls-for-artificial-intelligence/
The Duran, Russia Will Use "Full Force"; Kiev Bridge Panic as Merz Rushes to Zelensky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIMIC7mF3d0 - time indexed
Kiev is in panic as Russian Geran drones cut the Dnieper bridges and split the city in two, and in this episode we explain why this is a logistics crisis for the Ukrainian military in the east. They break down the rare Russian Ministry of Defense statement placing full personal responsibility on Zelensky, Peskov's warning that Russia will now use full force, and Friedrich Merz's surprise trip to Kiev with money, weapons and possibly the Taurus missile. With Western embassies drawing up plans to leave Kiev, how much longer can Zelensky hold on?
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u/gorpie97 13d ago
Re: the Pentagon adopting AI:
Something to be said about the guidance is its acknowledgement that human agency “remains fully accountable for the security, functionality, and integrity of any code generated or modified using AI.” Any code with an AI-provenance “will be considered unverified input, and its use does not absolve the developer or the government of responsibility for the resulting work product.”
Sounds like them blaming the Minab attack on AI is a losing argument!
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u/penelopepnortney 13d ago
In a recent piece, Simplicius points out the hypocrisy of the West calling foul over Russia attacking Ukraine's bridges when they celebrated Ukraine'a attacks on Kerch Bridge.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 13d ago edited 13d ago
DARPA was already running simulated aerial trials of combat engagements between AI agents and seasoned pilots
Well, that makes absolute sense. An airplane that does not have a human in it could theoretically perform much better than one with a human in it, if the programming is up to snuff.
A plane without a human in it could pull enough g's to kill a human inside it, as long as the wings don't get ripped off by the g forces.
The AI should be programmed with the actual physical limits of what it's flying.
The films of the AI "test pilots" figuring out exactly what these planes can and cannot do should be incredible.
Especially the finding out what they cannot do part.3
u/gorpie97 13d ago
Especially the finding out what they cannot do part.
LOL
EDIT: This was even before I saw your example! :)
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 13d ago edited 13d ago
An extra point: The AI-only fighter jets will be smaller, because they won't need the space or weight for all that pesky life-support equipment.
Whole new design, probably.
First country to do it right will probably wipe up the skies with the rest of them.
INSTRUCTIONS: Shoot down everything that doesn't look like you, get back to base safely (because you're expensive)
Which instruction has higher priority would give the difference between hero and coward.
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u/gorpie97 12d ago
The AI-only fighter jets will be smaller,
Will they? Or will they carry more weapons? ;p
(You're probably right, but more weapons is also possible!)
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 12d ago
I was figuring that with a lighter plane, more speed, more mobility with the same engines. There would probably be a balance between less weight and more weapons.
But with not needing the cockpit, not needing the oxygen, not needing, not needing, not needing....the fuselage would definitely be much smaller.
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u/gorpie97 12d ago
They might do more weapons in the interim, until they finish redesigns. But they may already have some designs.
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u/penelopepnortney 13d ago
Simulations, period. If you recall the hearing depicted in Sully, which I presume was accurate, he made a judgment call to do the water landing because he could not safely reach one of the two available airports. This combined with his personal experience of having done safe water landings - which is why he took over control from his less-experienced co-pilot (thereby also assuming personal responsibility for the outcome).
The other point was that when they ran simulations using the timeline Sully had, IIRC from the point the second engine failed till he completed the water landing, the plane crashed short of both airports.
Just more proof that we eliminate the human at our peril.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 13d ago
we eliminate the human at our peril.
I'm not disputing that, neither am I disputing that there are things and situations in which humans have a much better chance at success.
However, 20g turns in a fighter jet may not be one of those.
And IF there are going to be AI fighter pilots at some point, they're going to have to be out doing dogfights on the testing range before that happens. And it will probably look cool as shit, doing a bunch of human-impossible maneuvers.
As I said, if the programming is up to snuff. For example:
2 planes take off, at the go signal, they instantly collide head-on.
GENERAL: All right, what exactly did you tell them to do?
PROGRAMMER: I gave them each instructions to destroy the other.
GENERAL: You DUMB-ASS!3
u/penelopepnortney 12d ago
Wasn't my intent to disagree with what you said, just to point out that bit about Sully vs. simulations because it's what came to mind.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 12d ago
You made good points.
But with the simulations, it's not the AI vs. seasoned pilots where the innovations would come from -- it's the AI vs AI, at AI speed. Trying anything and everything that those planes can possibly do, throwing out what doesn't work and keeping the rest, however outlandish and seemingly impossible.
The seemingly impossible is the unexpected. With no thoughts of "oh, that'll never work," the AIs would try everything against everything. In the simulations. And they can occasionally find things that humans would never think of.
That is the power of AI -- not stupid chatbots.
But without programming up to snuff, they can't do any of it.
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u/3andfro 13d ago
Nima with Paul Craig Roberts: BREAKING: Oil Tanker Rates EXPLODE to $1.3 Million a Day in Strait of Hormuz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpF56Bt6cOY
Nima with Pepe Escobar: BREAKING: Yemen Declares Saudi Airspace UNSAFE as Taizz Encirclement Is Complete https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiRhgC1mQJQ
BREAKING: YEMEN ABOUT TO TAKE CONTROL OF TAIZZ, SAUDI BOMB YEMEN, SAUDI OIL w/ Hussain al-Bukhaiti https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhIfCj5x0wY
BREAKING: Yemeni forces 'reclaim' control of Bab al-Mandeb strait from Houthis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvLdo4rIPso
Yemeni government forces say they have taken control of Bab al-Mandeb. It's a major trade route between Asia and Europe - linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea – by way of the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and Suez Canal. Ansar Allah Houthis are denying it.
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u/3andfro 13d ago
The Time for Polite Protest Is Over | Ajamu Baraka & Dimitri Lascaris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub07mlUeioU
Ajamu Baraka of the Black Alliance for Peace joins Dimitri Lascaris and me for a conversation about something Western publics have not yet come to terms with — the fact that resistance to the current system is not going to be cost-free, and that the political culture of polite protest is no longer adequate to the moment we are in.
Baraka’s recent writing has argued that what we are watching is not a series of isolated authoritarian tendencies but the consolidation of a globalised fascist formation — a system in which the imperial violence long directed outward has begun to come home, and in which the legal, administrative, and ideological scaffolding of repression is being assembled in plain sight. His framing is deliberately uncomfortable. It names capitalist elites who cannot stomach the loss of their position as masters of the universe, and who are now willing to drive the ecological, economic, and human-rights foundations of life off the cliff rather than share the world with anyone else.
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u/gorpie97 13d ago edited 13d ago
It names capitalist elites who cannot stomach the loss of their position as masters of the universe, and who are now willing to drive the ecological, economic, and human-rights foundations of life off the cliff rather than share the world with anyone else.
I say we should return the favor. For the survival of us all.
EDIT: Actually, it is self defense on our part.
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u/3andfro 13d ago
Dimitri Lascaris, Trump's 'Unsustainable' Strategy For Forcing Oil Through The Strait of Hormuz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us1v3kWk3vY
Oil industry experts are sounding the alarm about the 'unsustainability' of Trump's strategy for forcing oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Saudi's war crimes in Yemen are failing to deter the Yemeni resistance and are escalating a war that could lead ultimately to the collapse of the Saudi proxy regime in Yemen.
The Iran War and China are destroying gas-powered cars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdoJnsDfC4I
For the first time in recorded history, global unit sales of gas vehicles are under 50%, as pure electrics and hybrids soar in popularity. In the beginning of 2026, Chinese EV carmakers forecast double-digit sales growth, as they hoped exports would ramp up. But energy prices skyrocketed after the War on Iran began, and demand for Chinese electric cars boomed. The goals for the expansion of Chinese exports were achieved years ahead of schedule. Now Chinese firms are targeting the hybrid car industry, where lower tariffs may be a boon to models from China.
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u/3andfro 13d ago edited 13d ago
Davis/Deep Dive, Russia is Crushing Ukraine's Capacity to Fight / Iuliia Mendel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXpSG7k984g
Judge Nap with Alastair Crooke : Trump and Netanyahu Planning More War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO19HORlHPw
Israel has banned Green leader Zack Polanski from entering the country after members of his party approved a motion defining Zionism as a racist ideology.... https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxFRZxKVHDdSouftD56w_6FVUqwYJhANgN
Chris Norlund, World just erupted over this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9_5qlTXa0w - 13:35
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u/3andfro 13d ago edited 13d ago
Nima with Col. Jacques Baud: BREAKING: Saudi East-West Pipeline Halts After Yemeni Missile Strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm0w1oztVVU
Glenn Diesen with Seyed M. Marandi: If Saudi Arabia Collapses, the Entire Region Will Transform https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSQ0EKFMShU
UK Diesel Crisis Is Just Beginning — Economic Collapse Is Next https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt6ou1d0Ee8 - 10:52
Neutrality Studies, NATO Threatens Kaliningrad: Worst Mistake Yet | Stas Krapivnik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh9v-cflvRQ time indexed
NATO has found a new way to test Russia and introduce their escalation strategy: publicly threaten Kaliningrad with perfect deniability. But this won't fly. Stanislav Krapivnik joins Pascal Lottaz to discuss Kaliningrad, NATO planning, and the danger of a wider European war. Krapivnik assesses Russian warnings following Valdai and argues that escalation could extend far beyond Ukraine. They examine American interests, European threat narratives, strikes on Ukrainian bridges, and possible military pressure on Kyiv and southern Ukraine. Their conversation also considers forced mobilization, political instability, historical comparisons, and the human costs of continuing the conflict rather than finding a path toward a negotiated settlement.
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian 13d ago
Saudi journalists trying to larp being real fighters by removing their ties.
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u/gorpie97 13d ago
The joke is: When Sana'a forces entered Taiz, the people of Taiz were rejoicing.while these "journalists" were busy taking off their ties.
Yay! I saw a clip yesterday and the few citizens of Taiz interviewed seemed to support the pro-
WestSaudi rule. I was dismayed to see it. (They should support the people who support them, rather than the people who support other countries.)3
u/3andfro 13d ago
The interviews could have been selective. What channel did you see them on?
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u/gorpie97 13d ago
Sorry, I didn't pay attention.
It may have been in something you posted, or else in suppressednews or a similar sub.
Hopefully, even when I watched it I may have wondered, though I tended more toward the dismay. (Sigh.)
EDIT: I posted that short Max Blumenthal link and someone thanked me. Thought I'd pass them on. :)
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u/3andfro 13d ago
A Snapshot of Yemeni Public Sentiment on Red Sea Developments--2 years ago from a Yemeni think tank with funders that suggest a degree of skepticism is warranted, but interesting nonetheless.
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u/gorpie97 13d ago
Thanks!
Well, I say we get rid of the government no one wants and then let the Yemeni choose what they want? Not that my opinion matters - it's their country.
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian 13d ago
Seems like the US is pulling the current aircraft carrier deployed further away from Iran.
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u/3andfro 13d ago edited 13d ago
Moral Resistance, EXCLUSIVE: SAUDI ARABIA PLAN MAKKAH FALSE FLAG, UK FAIRFORD B1 BOMBER WITHDRAWN w/ CIA LARRY JOHNSON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZlU6uzUAes
Yemen conflict escalates: Air attacks pound Sanaa as Houthis seize Red Sea coast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK7yQtwLJxs - 2:45
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u/3andfro 13d ago
Trita Parsi | China could break the US-Iran diplomatic deadlock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn60nclDJ6M
Iran’s economy is under extraordinary pressure. Oil exports are being squeezed, sanctions are expanding and Tehran says it is fighting an “economic war”. Is the regime beginning to crack? Or does Iran still hold considerable leverage because it can threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz? The latest evidence, documented in the Wall Street Journal this weekend, suggests the recovery in Gulf oil exports may be more fragile than some people have assumed. How significant is Iran’s ability to disrupt those flows? Meanwhile, China may be the one country capable of breaking the deadlock between Washington and Tehran. Why does Beijing have both the leverage and the incentive to intervene?
Rachel Blevins, ZELENSKY BEARS RESPONSIBILITY: Russia STRIKES Kiev’s Northern Bridge as ATTACKS Escalate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nTdbnYFupo - comment show viewers who aren't buying, or bothering with, MSM
The Russian Defense Ministry is now warning that Zelensky “bears FULL responsibility” for Russia’s escalated strikes across Ukraine, after the Ukrainian leader announced plans to increase attempted strikes on Russian oil refineries. Russia has also launched attacks on the North and South bridges connecting Kiev over the Dnieper River, threatening a shutdown of the vital passageway that would cause a logistical nightmare for Ukraine.
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
Transition Protocol, Iran's Leaders Expect US Attack. Only Question Is When. TARGETS LOCKED 6 MONTHS STOCKED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJhHA3ILi88
Iran’s leaders say they expect a U.S. attack and are ready for it, according to Zulfiqar Ali’s contacts in Tehran and Islamabad. Pepe Escobar puts a “possibility of some sort of adventure” in the next few days at roughly 20–30%, and “nearly 100% certainty” of a U.S. move after the midterms, four weeks away. Zulfiqar Ali reports what he says he was told by people making decisions in Tehran and Islamabad: that the civilian and military leadership expect an attack; that Iran says it has stocked food, medicine and housing for at least six months; that Russia, China and Pakistan are helping; and that Iran’s targeting is “locked in.” Pepe Escobar, speaking from Thailand, explains the offer he says Iran put on the table through Qatar, what he says Xi Jinping offered Washington and how he expects China to reply, why he says diplomacy is dead for now, and how he reads the odds.
Green party members have voted to back a motion stating that Zionism is racism, making the Greens the first explicitly anti-Zionist mainstream political party in the UK.... https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxmoeyv4hqKgwglO9kfGzvGsCT5bF4odS5
What’s at stake in Brazil’s upcoming presidential election? From a media and strategic perspective, portraying the South American giant’s current situation as a crossroads can sometimes be a bit misleading. Both candidates advocate capitalism as the only viable economic system, and both are open to international cooperation with necessary trading partners.... https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/09/29/whats-at-stake-in-brazils-upcoming-presidential-election/
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
ALEX KRAINER | We’re facing a once on a lifetime crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SFwRx2R1Co time indexed
Alex Krainer explains why the bond bear market that began in earnest in 2021 looks irreversible, why geopolitics is driving cash flows away from London and Wall Street, and why central banks are already backstopping the system through opaque repo operations. He argues that Europe, Britain, and Japan are on a path that resembles Weimar-style currency unraveling, while the United States still has more room to engineer a softer landing. He also covers the case for a stock-market melt-up even as real economies weaken, why gold and silver can rise with yields, the strange calm in oil despite major supply disruptions, and the practical steps he favors: physical metals, energy producers, share farming, and local networks.
Nima highlights with Alex Krainer: Worse Than 1929: The Historic Economic Collapse They Can’t Stop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdwxgzK1ih8
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
Nima R. Alkhorshid: BREAKING: Taizz Encircled After Houthis Seize Key Junction, Strike Riyadh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS9qnzVuGn0 - explained well with maps
Danny Haiphong with Patrick Henningsen, Iran BLOWS UP Trump's Invasion Plan! Israel SCHEMES Total War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxpejV5y3vg
Geopolitical analyst Patrick Henningsen joins the show to discuss Trump's imminent operation against Iran that no one is talking about, and why the US and Israel are finding themselves on the path to escalation despite the mounting consequences of nearly 8 months of war.
Sunday Wire — Netanyahu's False Flag Frenzy, Trump Departs From Reality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUeOXSjakHI
Neutrality Studies, The REAL Reason USA Freaks-Out Over Iran | S. M. Marandi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idY0lnry4GE time indexed
The USA is preparing the next phase of the Iran War. But it won't help. The defense of the country has only increased over the past 8 months and now the USA is running out of time and options in a disaster of their own making. Prof. Marandi warns that renewed war against Iran is highly likely, though not inevitable. Speaking with Pascal after visiting Russia, he discusses sanctions, medical supplies, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s preparations for escalation. Marandi argues that attacks on Iranian infrastructure could trigger devastating retaliation across the Gulf and a global economic crisis. They also examine American military limitations, Yemen and Iraq, China’s exposure to an energy shock, Israeli politics, and the importance of understanding Iran.
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
Judge Nap clip with Max Blumenthal, Trump's Latin America Scandal: What The Media Is Hiding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KfFTPCl_UA - 3:30 and worth hearing
Davis/Deep Dive, Hawks Only Pretend to Know How Nuclear Escalation Unfolds / John Mearsheimer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDEwsG2i8ow
Nima highlights with Ray McGovern: Putin Reminds West of Nuclear Deterrents https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-eiwe5GiCE
Red Lines Are Fading: Why Moscow Is Changing Its Approach — Krapivnik and Christoforou https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43D_BLS0iak time indexed
Iran says Hormuz to remain closed until US meets conditions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQsxYKc2g2k - 3:06
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
Davis/Deep Dive, Istanbul Panel Debates Iran's Role, US Military Bases & the Future of the Gulf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKhyg_WDAgs - This is the East-West Forum | Panel 2 | From Great Power Rivalry to a New Security Order: Is a Peaceful Transition Possible? - description at the link
Drop Site News, Houthis Advance, Israel Murders, Trump Withdraws, And Why Iran Still Controls the Strait | War Brief https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHH5ivv9zXQ - detailed description at the link
India & Global Left, What’s Really Behind the US-China Summit? Chas Freeman Explains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Xk9-odll0 - detailed description at the link
Nima highlights with Amb. Chas Freeman: US Military Buildup against Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk6NRcpmV0o / with Col. Larry Wilkerson & Larry Johnson: Declining Global Oil Reserves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf92aGA5opM
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
Israeli embassies in the United States and the UK are promoting a copycat NAZA, nearly a month after the release of the original that focuses on testimony of Israelis killing Palestinians in Gaza. In posts on X, the embassies said that "Naza: The Real Story" is "setting the record straight" and claims to offer a firsthand account from senior Israeli military commanders and intelligence officers directly involved in Israel's genocidal Gaza war.... https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-embassies-uk-us-promote-copycat-naza-weeks-after-originals-venice-triumph
Ghana has rejected a proposed health compact with the United States that would have provided an estimated $109 million in US health funding over five years, with President John Dramani Mahama saying the agreement raised serious concerns over health data, financing obligations, and Ghana’s regulatory authority.... https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/10/01/ghana-swiftly-rejects-us-health-deal-calls-it-humiliating/
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u/gorpie97 14d ago
Ghana has rejected a proposed health compact with the United States
Good for him!
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
"Secret" meeting at Camp David: (I haven't watched the 1st one; the other 2 are worth a listen)
Moral Resistance with Larry Johnson, BREAKING: TRUMP TO USE CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS ON IRAN, YEMEN BEAT SAUDI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yud5ZlafPeU - same meeting discussed in links below
Moral Resistance with Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar, WAR PLANS FOR IRAN AND YEMEN AS TRUMP OFFICIALS MEET, YEMEN DEFEATING SAUDI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzOuUu950MY - the "cast of clowns at Camp David talking about the Iran war" (Vance, Hegseth, Caine, Rubio, Witkoff, but not Trump). The USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Makin Island will arrive in the Gulf right around the time of the Israeli elections. As usual, Aguilar is direct and clear.
Secret Meeting EXPOSED: Iran Warns Trump of DEADLIER Response https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wheMyNBB7bE - 10:24
Donald Trump’s top national-security team has met behind closed doors at Camp David as Washington weighs its next moves on Iran and Yemen. Iran is warning that any new U.S. attack could bring a more lethal response, while American forces continue building up across the region. At the same time, tankers are being hit in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia is preparing for a major new offensive against the Houthis, and Washington has reportedly provided hundreds of potential targets — even as direct U.S. strikes remain off the table for now. Angus Scott breaks down how these fronts are converging and why November could become the critical window. The Hormuz attacks remain unattributed, and there is still no public evidence Iran directed the FlyDubai attack.
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u/3andfro 14d ago edited 14d ago
Kim Iversen, No Surprise: An Israeli Company Was Behind the AI “Escapes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63XurLNDLKk
Kim is joined by investigative journalist Derrick Broze to unpack the story behind the "rogue AI" headlines. This summer, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta all reported AI agents breaking out of their testing environments — and every incident traced back to one company: Irregular, an Israeli AI startup founded by veterans of IDF intelligence units 81 and 8200, now raising $500 million led by Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital. Irregular admitted it left the door open — four separate times — and is somehow still getting the contracts. Kim and Derrick cover the competing theories: marketing stunt, regulatory capture, or something more deliberate.
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u/3andfro 14d ago
The REAL ‘State of the FORCE’: U.S. ADDICTED to Losing Wars, Cold War-Era Weapons | Ben Freeman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbxJQXIk7-g
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered his ‘State of The Force’ address this week, where he announced plans to remove 20% of the nation’s generals and admirals, and said the U.S. needs to increase its drone technology. This, as the Trump Admin is requesting a $1.5 TRILLION defense budget for 2027… Ben Freeman, Director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute, noted that the money problems the Pentagon is facing are just the beginning, as the U.S. establishment has become addicted to war, and wasting trillions on propping up Cold War-era technology and weapons that are laughable when compared to what Russia, China and Iran are producing.
Katie Halper, Pakistan's Dictatorship Kidnap And Use Metal Spikes Ahead of Imran Khan Protest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q0aIt2k1w8 time indexed
Katie gets an urgent update on jailed Pakistani populist PM Imran Khan from sister-in-law Maryam Riaz Wattoo and Professor Junaid Ahmad. They also discuss the upcoming protest which Pakistani authorities are preparing for with huge shipping containers and dangerous nails.
Latvia is not expected to shift its pro-Europe and pro-Ukraine trajectory, but coalition negotiations could be complex.... https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/3/latvians-head-to-polls-with-security-and-cost-of-living-in-focus
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u/3andfro 15d ago
US Sen. Chris Van Hollen said on Friday that President Donald Trump is preparing to expand the country’s military presence in the Middle East, accusing the administration of concealing service member casualties and pursuing an “illegal war of choice” in Iran.
“The President, who continues to hide service member casualties, is now sending up to another 10,000 troops to his illegal war of choice in Iran,” Van Hollen wrote on US social media company X. “When Trump says he’s planning on renewing his war next month, believe him. Congress must cut off funding.” https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20261003-us-senator-urges-congress-to-cut-off-funding-for-iran-war/
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u/3andfro 15d ago edited 15d ago
Danny Haiphong, Iran's October Surprise: DECISIVE Strike on US & Israel Coming | Mohammad Marandi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbAKGKV6Aqk
Prof. Mohammad Marandi predicted the chaos unfolding for the US & Israel at this stage of the Iran war TWO YEARS AGO, and reveals that Iran has a surprise for its aggressors as all signs point to a return to all-out military action. What is the surprise? This show breaks it down.
Davis/Deep Dive, Diplomacy is Now a Crime in Britian /Ian Proud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icxWtNOZr74
Please see more here about Ian's Detention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOFvUbfwwe8
Nima with Larry Johnson, SAUDI ARAMCO REFINERY BURNS AFTER YEMENI BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2eLbMCkkzc
Glenn Diesen with Richard Wolff: End of Free Trade & Return of Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eP6bifLd0g
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 14d ago edited 14d ago
Iran's October Surprise: DECISIVE Strike on US & Israel Coming
Just a stray thought: Did Ukraine receive any public condemnation for bombing a population while they were attempting to vote? If not...
Israeli elections are coming up on October 27th. Things might get interesting, especially if there are areas of Israel that are predominately pro-Netanyahu. Or predominately anti-Netanyahu.
We might need a map.
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u/3andfro 14d ago
A veddy interesting thought. But Iran's not going to do that. Someone else might and try to pin it on Iran. No idea whether Hezbollah would find it beneficial to do that.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 14d ago
Iran's not going to do that. Someone else might and try to pin it on Iran.
Most of those that might seem to not be very good at the pinning part.
That's why it might be a good idea to have a "voting trends" map to compare "areas hit" with "how the vote is expected to go in those areas."Consider two areas: Area One: staunchly pro-Yahoo. Area Two: staunchly pro-main-rival. With all else equal, which one is more likely to be hit?
Might be worth checking, after the theoretical hit.
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u/3andfro 15d ago edited 15d ago
Nima with Seyed M. Marandi: BREAKING: Massive Fire Erupts at Saudi Aramco Refinery After Reported Houthi Attack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VFQGfV3X-4
Davis/Deep Dive, IRGC Says Its Response Will Dwarf Past Missile Attacks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMfcRgB7rXY
“The bottom is falling out in the US” w/ Ryan Grim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwubT5qBS_Q
Ryan Grim of Drop Site News discusses shifts in the American political landscape, the growing disillusionment with Israel and how AIPAC has become an index of political corruption, the contradiction between donors and electoral base in Democratic Party politics, Abdul el-Sayed’s political maneuvering ahead of the Michigan senate vote, and Trump’s embrace of the legacy of early modern piracy.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is set to spend $233 million to defeat candidates in this fall’s congressional midterm elections who speak out against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.... The top pro-Israel lobbying firm in the US “plans to spend $233 million to defeat candidates who dare to speak out against Netanyahu’s extremist government,” Sanders said on US social media platform X on Friday.... https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20261003-us-senator-says-aipac-plans-to-spend-233m-to-defeat-candidates-critical-of-netanyahu-govt/
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
many Democrats running for office this year have taken a harder line against the policies of the Netanyahu government
As atrocious as Netanyahu is, making him the target ignores the fact that he is not an outlier among the Israeli political class and wider Israeli population. Per Max Blumenthal:
Ben Gvir's party is the most popular party among right-wing youth, and the youth of Israel are increasingly right-wing. Look at the data of the Israeli Democracy Institute polls which show that each year the level of Israeli citizens who favor the full ethnic cleansing not just of Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza but Palestinian citizens of Israel rises consistently. I think the level among Israeli youth is now at 66%. These youth have not only been indoctrinated into the most militarized society on earth but are also being heavily proselytized by very extremist religious groups in this very hermetic society. And so demographically, Israeli society is trending in Ben Gvir's direction.
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u/3andfro 15d ago edited 15d ago
Nima with Ray McGovern: BREAKING: Russia Tells All Foreign Diplomats to LEAVE Kyiv Immediately https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7xYr-dhXq0
Davis/Deep Dive, The West Is Choosing War With Russia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzscByF956w
Davis/Deep Dive, Iran War, Russia Hits Kyiv's Bridges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nirG-9jJof0
The Duran, Kiev Cut Off, Bridges Targeted; EU's Last Card, Seize $200B Russian Assets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJnvOqGtD6I time indexed
Russia is moving to isolate Kiev, and on this episode we explain how strikes on the capital's energy grid, power lines, rail links and Dnieper bridges point to a plan to make the city unusable. With Ukraine's economy in freefall and its funding needs climbing toward 200 billion, they argue the EU has one card left to play, which is seizing the frozen Russian assets held at Euroclear, despite objections from Belgium and Putin's warnings at Valdai. If Kiev is cut off and the government is forced to leave, what exactly would that money buy Europe?
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
It's questionable how much of that 200 billion would actually be used to aid Ukraine, vs. further enriching some of the Ukrainian and European leaders. One pundit predicts that EU leaders will fall on each other like raving hyenas and that sounds plausible to me.
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u/gorpie97 15d ago
How to ruin the world in <however many> days/weeks/months. Or maybe years.
Was anarchy their goal? (It kinda feels like, an "if I can't have you, no one can" scenario.)
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
How to ruin the world
There does seem to be a cohort you could describe as Destroyers. They never build anything positive for humanity, they just break everything like a bulldozer that's gone rogue.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 14d ago
You could also describe them as Loose Cannon. Borrowing from a comment I made in Thread #38 a month ago:
Victor Hugo's 1874 novel Ninety-Three has a very vivid and terrifying description of a loose cannon on a ship's gun deck. The loose cannon takes on a monstrous life of its own as the rocking of the ship causes the heavy cannon to roll randomly about the gun deck on its wheeled cart, crushing any sailors who get in its way.
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Was anarchy their goal?
Some people think so. I'm not sure myself but it does seem like "if you want to end up here, do these things..."
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u/3andfro 15d ago edited 15d ago
Nima highlights with Michael Hudson: The Industrial Collapse Nobody Saw Coming: Energy Shortages Hit Hard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIRcqY6oPE
Neutrality Studies, Europe's Industrial Collapse: Companies Are Fleeing | Dr. S. Ebner & R. Landgraf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCTTmpCflj8 time indexed
The economic downturn of the EU heart-land (Germany, France, Italy) is progressing with an incredible speed. SME's are dying or are being sold off to US and Chinese investors who are after the intellectual property of formerly competitive enterprises. Dr. Stephan Ebner and Rolf Landgraf, two German lawyers working directly with companies that are going through this period join Pascal to discuss this spiral of doom. Drawing on their work advising corporate transactions, they examine bureaucracy, energy costs, succession problems, foreign acquisitions, and the loss of industrial expertise. They debate whether defence production can offset automotive decline, assess Europe’s dependence on the United States, and discuss political paralysis. Despite their concerns, the conversation closes with opportunities in international expansion, vertical farming, and artificial intelligence.
World Affairs in Context, The EU Faces a Major Oil Shock - Trump Demands Oil Reserves as Diesel Shortage Looms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tURioY3Y3nA
21st Century Wire: Europe’s Energy Dependence Has an American Blind Spot.
Washington is pressing Europe to open its emergency diesel reserves, threatening to restrict American exports if governments refuse. European countries are being asked to draw down the fuel they keep for a supply crisis to help bring prices down. The demand comes with an accusation that Europe has failed to honour its earlier promises. Washington made that accusation while nearly a quarter of America’s own promised contribution had yet to be allocated to any company. That same day, the Energy Department opened bids for its final 40 million barrels. An earlier offer of the same oil had already fallen largely flat. Even the crude America had handed to companies was a loan, requiring them to return it with additional barrels....
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u/3andfro 15d ago
Nima highlights with Matt Bracken: The US Never Left Iraq. (Here’s Where They Actually Went) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XB4VpjAOwU
BREAKING: NEW UK TERROR ATTACK AGAINST JEWISH COMMUNITY 2 IRANIANS ARRESTED w/ CIA LARRY JOHNSON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04fLuRiYauQ
viewer comment: False flag after false flag. They are desperate to manufacture consent to use nukes on Iran
Katie Halper, Ex-UN Official Exposes The Truth About Netanyahu’s Arrest Warrant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuQu0dlx4U4 - 13:08
Chris Hedges clip, How the U.S. Became 'Fascist to the Core' (w/ Susan Neiman) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKf-2WLj4jU - 8:56
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u/3andfro 15d ago edited 15d ago
And now we need to keep an eye on Ethiopia: Could conflict in Ethiopia expand across the region?
Within days of renewed confrontations between the Ethiopian military and an alliance of armed groups, fears are growing that the conflict could spread across the region. The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing the opposition coalition. Khartoum and Cairo have denied any involvement. And following reciprocal diplomatic moves, Asmara and Addis Ababa have severed ties. The tensions reflect decades of mutual distrust between Ethiopia and the three countries.
Kushner's financial stake in Israeli defence firms raises conflict of interest concerns: Report
US envoy Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, has the largest stake in an Israeli company invested in more than half a dozen defence companies that have supplied munitions and armaments for the genocide in Gaza and wars on Lebanon, Syria and Iran, according to a report by CNN.... And this story: Kushner furious report got out.
Uganda readies troop deployment to Gaza: Among the six countries that have so far confirmed that they will be deploying troops to Gaza under Trump’s so-called International Stabilization Force, Uganda professes a pro-Israeli policy so extreme that its military chief had even offered to join the war on Iran.... https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/09/30/uganda-readies-troop-deployment-to-gaza-risking-complicity-in-war-crimes/
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Uganda professes a pro-Israeli policy so extreme
Feels like we're witnessing The Stand on a global scale.
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u/3andfro 16d ago edited 16d ago
The Duran, Putin's Dark Valdai Speech; Kaliningrad Warning; Khrushchev Playbook Returns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QstvrAc4cNk time indexed - Alexander: "It's the most extraordinary speech that he's made in my opinion ever since he became president of Russia."
Putin just delivered his most sobering Valdai speech yet, and in this episode we break down why he believes the world is closer to a general conflict than at any time since 1945. From the Kaliningrad warning sent to every Western government and the CIA report claiming Russia's economy will collapse, to the choice between Putin's China and BRICS multipolar strategy and Medvedev's harder Khrushchev style line, the message from Moscow is that good relations with the collective West are finished. Is Russia about to shut the door on Europe and the United States for good?
Dimitri Lascaris, Will Kaliningrad Be The Spark That Ignites A Nuclear War? w/ John Helmer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqy_fLCfe3w
At the Valdai conference in Moscow this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any direct attack by NATO countries on the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad would be answered by all weapons in Russia's arsenal. In response, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte blithely declared that he does not take Russia's nuclear warning seriously. Dimitri Lascaris speaks with Russian affairs analyst John Helmer about the prospects for nuclear war between Russia and NATO. They also discuss factionalism in Russian politics, the Russian government's policy toward Israel, and a Turkish proposal to transfer an advanced Russian-made air defence system to an Arab state that is hostile to Iran.
Roger Koppel: Will Europe Go To War With Russia? Ukraine Is Paying for Europe's Moralism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe3csBr3Ojs
At this year's Valdai Discussion Club conference, Radhika Desai is joined by Roger Köppel, owner of the Swiss weekly Die Weltwoche, former editor-in-chief of Germany's Die Welt, and a former member of the Swiss parliament. Köppel warns that the world is closer to a third world war than at any time since 1945, even though Europe is too weak economically, militarily and politically for any confrontation with Russia. He sees Europe's disease as the triumph of moralism over realism, and the Ukraine war as its ultimate expression. In his account, Europeans pay, Ukrainians fight, and Americans collect the profits.
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u/3andfro 16d ago edited 16d ago
Nima with Michael Hudson: BREAKING: G7 Taps Strategic Oil Reserves—Trump Removes Export Restrictions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v8q5o6iec4
Judge Nap, INTEL Roundtable w/ Larry Johnson & Joe Kent - Week Wrap 2-OCT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qdm4EiItsM - Listen to Kent in the last 5 mins of this video
Nima highlights with Matthew Hoh: Why is the U.S. Really Leaving Iraq and Syria? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUlVqowgnI
Judge Nap with Max Blumenthal : Netanyahu’s Last Election? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcdC8L5exMc
The world’s largest nursing union, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), has cut ties with Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva over its links to the country’s military and a long record of corruption and bribery scandals. Following the decision, the RCN removed Teva UK as a sponsor and partner of an upcoming event at the union’s headquarters in London.... https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/worlds-largest-nursing-union-cuts-ties-israeli-drugmaker-teva
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u/arnott 16d ago
Trump Faces Removal Risk if Blue Tsunami Hits w/ Rich Baris
AI on Rich Baris:
Rich Baris is an American political pollster and data journalist who serves as the Director of Big Data Poll and is known professionally as The People's Pundit.
He is widely recognized for his polling accuracy, having been the only national and state pollster to correctly forecast Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election and being named the most accurate national pollster for the 2024 election. In addition to his role at Big Data Poll, where he oversees the Public Polling Project and the PPD Election Projection Model, Baris is the host of Inside the Numbers with the People's Pundit and the author of the book Burn It Down: What the Polls Say Young Americans Really Want. He also serves as the Chair of the National Association of Independent Pollsters.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 15d ago edited 15d ago
I watched the People's Pundit Daily and USC Dornsife / LA Times tracking polls in the months before Hillary's humiliating defeat to Trump for crying out loud. I posted daily updates in the WotB Open Threads we had at the time, for example:
https://old.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/comments/5582ac/open_thread_venus_day_930_damage_control/
These 7-day tracking polls updated daily so one could see the effects of the latest news. Trump and Hillary were basically neck-and-neck for the month before the November election, with the difference within the margin of error. Based on these two polls, the election could go either way.
These were national polls, but the actual election is 50 individual state elections. Hillary's huge margins in California and New York did not offset her humiliating defeats to Trump for crying out loud in the swing states. Even so, Trump had to win all of the swing states, which was highly improbable.
I was shocked when he actually did it. So was Trump — he hadn't even prepared a victory speech and was visibly in a "what do I do now?" stupor when he won. Similarly, Hillary hadn't prepared a concession speech and was off drunk somewhere when her humiliating defeat to Trump for crying out loud was announced.
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u/NetWeaselSC Continuing the Struggle 15d ago
Trump had to win all of the swing states, which was highly improbable.
My personal favorite story about this was the story of Nate Silver, ex-baseball statistician, then election poll wunderkind. He made the public statement that a 2016 Trump electoral victory was as unlikely as the Chicago Cubs winning the upcoming World Series.
Then the Cubs won the World Series.
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Many Republicans in the House and Senate will blame Trump - his war and the impact on prices people are paying at the gas pump and inflationary prices in general - and will be inclined to get behind Democrats' push for Trump's impeachment. It's unfortunate they didn't do more to stop him from bringing this state of affairs about to begin with but no doubt the financial incentives were too attractive.
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u/3andfro 16d ago
PERFIDIOUS ALBION - W/ ALEX KRAINER & HARLEY SCHLANGER - THE BRITISH EMPIRE IS ALWAYS UP TO NO GOOD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9eG0eioRIY
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u/3andfro 16d ago edited 16d ago
Kim Iversen, The United States Is The Largest Sponsor Of Terror Not Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBzKMjUm7iU - Iversen documents inconvenient truths about the unsavory US track record in a compilation that's worth filing. Imagine if this were shown in every secondary school in the US.
The Kim Iversen Show October 1, 2026 Washington calls Iran the world's greatest sponsor of terrorism. But what does 70 years of U.S. history say? From CIA operatives at the Hajj and the Muslim Brotherhood in Eisenhower's White House to the Safari Club, BCCI and the Afghan jihad, this is how America armed, funded and promoted the extremist networks it later went to war with, and who paid the bill.
21st Century Wire: The Invisible Census: How Israel Is Building a Shadow Government in Southern Syria
Israel is extending its control beyond the occupied Syrian Golan through household surveys, phone searches, detention and recruitment, alongside permits governing access to farmland and work. In early June 2026, after Israeli forces had prevented farmers from reaching their land, the Quneitra Farmers Union, which serves the southern Syrian province bordering the occupied Golan, met the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF, to arrange access during the harvest. The union submitted lists of farmers’ names for UNDOF to share with Israel....
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u/3andfro 16d ago edited 16d ago
Nima with Col. Larry Wilkerson & Larry Johnson: BREAKING: Trump Says Europe Releases Massive Diesel Stockpiles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As-RINydLxI
Nima with Amb. Chas Freeman: BREAKING: Ansarallah Strikes Saudi HQ in Yemen — Heavy Casualties Reported https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1jS8jZ45po
Nima with Alex Krainer: BREAKING: U.S. Sends Thousands More Troops Amid Oil Price Spike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6E9m1KiXnc
Danny Haiphong with Alastair Crooke: Trump SURGES 10,000 Troops. Iran HITS US Carrier Next https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7oZ_tPv2fM
Lt. Col. Davis, 9K More U.S. Troops Deploy as Trump Weighs New Iran Strikes /Suliaman Ahmed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYH2YT54-88 / highlights: Ansarallah Encircle Taiz — Aden Could Be Next https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASQ_spt-GkQ
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago edited 15d ago
Another interesting discussion between Nima and Alex Krainer:
Axios reporting that the Mackin Island Amphibious Ready Group and 13 Marine Expeditionary Units were deployed to West Asia, expected to arrive by end of November. Haven't seen anything about what they would do there but both these seem to be for invading territory and only holding it until the regular troops arrive.
Re: the RAF Fairford incident, reportedly only diesel was found, no explosives so the story is that it was about fuel smuggling (with some Iranian mastermind behind it, according to recent reports). If you were going to steal fuel seems like you'd find softer targets than a military outpost where people are armed to their teeth and they have drones and surveillance systems. Then there's the mystery of the airplane from Dubai to Tel Aviv which was nose diving and somehow a plumber saved everybody on that plane per Nima. These look like false flags.
The Houthis, Iranians and Iraqi militias all denied responsibility for the attack on the Saudi east-west pipeline. Whoever did it had very sophisticated means to destroy the pumping station so thoroughly. This pipeline allowed the Saudis to continue exporting oil via the Red Sea, an advantage that other Gulf states with access only through Hormuz didn't have. So why would the Saudis restart a war with the Yemenis that threatened this status quo when they'd failed to defeat them in 10 years of trying?
The oil revenues keep the Saudi royals wealthy but some small fraction is disbursed to the people to keep them docile. Is this an attempt to resurrect the Abraham Accords? MbS couldn't sign them before due to the genocide in Gaza, the Saudi population hates Israel and it's only gotten worse. Many Arabs hold the Houthis in high regard, and hope they can realize the goal of Pan-Arabism that was destroyed when the British reneged on its promises to Arabs after they helped win the war against the Ottoman Empire. (ETA) Restarting the war against the Houthis was the most bone-headed thing the Saudis could do so you have to wonder how that actually came about.
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u/3andfro 15d ago
End of Nov. is, of course, after the midterm election.
Another possible false flag I just posted.
Nima highlights with Alex Krainer: The Red Sea Just Changed: Ansarallah's Grip on Bab el-Mandeb Grows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUzJ8qpb-W0
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Another possible false flag
Not sus at all!!!
You think they'd be smart enough not to be so obvious. I mean, there are used car salesmen with more finesse.
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u/gorpie97 15d ago
it was about fuel smuggling
And why would Iran want to steal fuel in England? I think Iran isn't hurting for any.
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u/Roy_Blakeley 15d ago
This was likely a diesel fuel stealing gang. Diesel is stored in large quantities on some farms and at current prices stealing it can be lucrative. It probably had nothing to do with the air base. If it actually had anything to do with Iran, the suspects would not have been released so readily.
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Your mistake is in looking for some logical reasoning behind it all when there is none and likely doesn't have to be because they own the media and will tell whatever story they want. They don't care if anyone believes them.
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u/gorpie97 15d ago
Not sure, but I think I hate that they aren't even trying to make plausible stories anymore.
If I can do see logic flaws when my brain is wiped out, it's really bad.
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Not to go all "silver lining" on you but it's kind of a good thing that they're constantly undermining their own credibility in ways that are becoming more obvious to more people.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 15d ago
Given that England is the land of the great logicians Lewis Carroll, Bertrand Russell, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, and C.S. Lewis, it's rahther ironic that Their Powers That Be are trying to get away with this jiggery-pokery. Shocking!
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Great point. Sounds like their hubris is getting the better of them. Not that it hasn't always been there but it's on steroids these days.
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 15d ago edited 15d ago
I say it's because they don't teach logic in schools. To quote C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950 novel):
"'Logic!' said the Professor half to himself. “Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn't tell lies and it is obvious she is not mad. For the moment then, and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume she is telling the truth."
I was really looking forward to Jim Broadbent delivering this line in the 2005 movie, but they omitted it for obvious reasons. Last night I learned about Lewis's Trilemma, the same logical construction used to "prove" the divinity of Jesus.
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u/gorpie97 15d ago edited 15d ago
I also tend to disbelieve anything the establishment says, and the attitude persists even if I'm wiped out. So, yeah - them failing more may be what's needed for some to change their mind.
EDIT: Also, /u/penelopepnortney, I kinda lost any patience for her when I saw a video this week of her seeming to place the blame of all our financial woes on boomers. (I didn't watch the whole thing, just enough to become irked. :) Which means maybe I'm lacking context. I should know better, but...)
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u/penelopepnortney 15d ago
Yeah, it takes time for people to see it because you can't un-see it and it changes everything about how we view the world.
ETA from my quote file:
The worst patriots are those who hold certainty dearer than truth, who, in order to spare themselves the pain of thought, are willing to inflict untold sufferings on others. - William Sloane Coffin
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u/3andfro 16d ago edited 16d ago
Neutrality Studies: China, Russia and the Battle for Eurasia | Ryan Perkins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erPkEOCS8QQ time indexed
The great powers are leaving Europe behind. The USA, China and Russia are all focusing on the new heartland of the 21st century: Central Asia. Ryan Perkins joins Pascal to examine competing transport corridors across Eurasia, from the US-backed TRIPP route to Russia’s proposed Eurasia Canal. They discuss Chinese infrastructure financing, the evolution of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing. The conversation explores financialization, industrial capacity, digital sovereignty, and China’s approach to international relations. Perkins also presents his interpretation of the Iran conflict and argues that disruption around Hormuz can serve as economic pressure on China’s development.
India & Global Left, What Is Coming Next? Gerald Celente on War, Crisis & Global Trends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVH7H2gguQs
Renowned trend forecaster Gerald Celente joins India & Global Left to examine the major geopolitical and economic trends shaping the world today. We welcome the founder of the Trends Research Institute to break down his latest outlook on the international landscape. This conversation examines how current economic trends are reshaping the world order and what these movements signal for global stability. Celente discusses the hidden history behind the Iranian conflict, the failures of mainstream media to explain major global developments, and the growing danger of escalation in an increasingly unstable international system.
We also explore how trend forecasting works, the forces driving global conflict, the possibility of a new Renaissance, and the enormous influence of billionaires and concentrated wealth over politics, war and the search for peace. By evaluating the intersection of financial markets and ongoing conflicts, we map out the reality facing policymakers today. This geopolitical analysis highlights the necessity of tracking these developments to understand the broader forces at play.
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u/3andfro 16d ago edited 16d ago
Glenn Diesen with Jeffrey Sachs: Ukraine Peace Proposal vs. NATO Salami Tactics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpzVnVbohWg
Lt. Col. Davis, Putin Admits Refinery Strikes Cost Moscow 1% of GDP /Larry Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vl4xZ3xNU4
Nima highlights with Larry Johnson: US Military Readiness and Carrier Deployment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jThiCEc45II / with Col. Anthony Aguilar: Iran Rejects Claims of Foreign Interference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bHD_Xp29zo
Drop Site News, Massacre at Minab: The School That Became a Grave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OmK0oeq5fc
In the opening hours of the war against Iran, on February 28, 2026, the U.S. military fired Tomahawk cruise missiles directly at a school in the southern city of Minab. At least 156 people were killed that morning at Shajareh Tayyebeh school—120 of them were children and 26 were teachers. It will go down in history as one of the gravest war crimes committed by the U.S. government since Vietnam. Drop Site News conducted a two-month investigation into the strike, speaking with survivors, first responders, parents, doctors, teachers, psychologists, and other witnesses. Some of them had never before shared their experiences of that day. This is their story. (Read the full investigation by Jeremy Scahill, Murtaza Hussain, and Reza Sayah: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/minab-school-massacre-iran-war-children-families)
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u/3andfro 16d ago edited 16d ago
94-year-old Jewish human rights lawyer Margaret Owen has been arrested after protesting in support of Palestine Action, a proscribed group under the UK’s Terrorism Act in July 2025. Owen said she was “proud and glad to have finally joined the club”.... https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/1/jewish-human-rights-barrister-94-arrested-for-supporting-palestine-action
Transition Protocol with Vijay Prashad: America Just Left Iraq. The Gulf Is Already Shopping for a New Protector https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rkhVopTcfk
Netanyahu flew secretly to the UAE on 27 September — reportedly to ask Mohammed bin Zayed to deny warning him before October 7. Historian Vijay Prashad says he came home without it. And the bigger question: with the last US troops gone from Iraq and a third carrier on its way, the Gulf is planning for life after America. Our host’s sources say some rulers are looking to Israel.
Topics covered: why Netanyahu went to the UAE in the middle of an election; what is known about the FlyDubai cockpit attack and what is still being asked; the Libyan plane that landed minutes after Netanyahu’s; Washington’s answer to Iran, delivered via Qatar; what Transition Protocol’s contacts in Islamabad and Tehran say about the mediators; three US carriers and Prashad’s case that the build-up is “an empty threat”; the Saudi–Turkey–Pakistan Mecca pact; the US exit from Iraq; and why Prashad thinks the petrodollar’s fate is being decided in Venezuela, not the Gulf.
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u/penelopepnortney 16d ago
some rulers are looking to Israel.
If this is true then as my aunt used to say "they have the brains of an embryo turtle."
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u/3andfro 16d ago
But some of us around here love turtles! ;D
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u/penelopepnortney 16d ago
You know, I never made the connection before - loving turtles and having the brains of an embryonic one. It's like something in the universe just clicked into place, thank you!
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 16d ago
Israel's FlyDubai Hijacker Story Gets More INSANE Every Time Netanyahu Tells It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQPfrH6R4zc
Judge Nap with Pepe Escobar : Why Beijing Is Fiercely in Tehran’s Camp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD8bwUkzZyM
Palestinian Israeli politician withdraws from Knesset bid after disqualification
Palestinian Israeli politician Sami Abu Shehadeh has decided to withdraw his candidacy for the Israeli Knesset. This follows a decision by Israel’s central elections committee to disqualify him. Abu Shehadeh will submit his decision to the Israeli Supreme Court on Friday. The court has given Abu Shehadeh the “choice” in a hearing held today. [see also story below]
Israeli court ruling marks new suppression of Palestinian voting rights, analyst says - 5:15
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 17d ago
Nima, BREAKING: OIL SUPERTANKER HIT IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ—MASSIVE FIRE ERUPTS - w/ Fmr. CIA Larry Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO2YMP8jZf8
Nima, BREAKING: USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT ORDERED TO MIDDLE EAST with Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iOwQeHMSHc
Davis/Deep Dive, USS Roosevelt + 2,000 Marines Sail for Iran /Seyed M. Marandi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PE2wX0UISo
The Duran, Trump Faces Removal Risk if Blue Tsunami Hits w/ Rich Baris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3D_9Hv0gZg
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 17d ago
Judge Nap with COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : Why Netanyahu Is Losing His Bet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92joIb-3kC4
Can the U.S. Afford to Annihilate Iran? /Seyed M. Marandi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-QlKTAz75U
Danny Haiphong, Trump Chooses WAR. Iran BLOWS OPEN Israeli Airport Hoax | Larry Johnson & Col. Lawrence Wilkerson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sva3PLRnJk8
Double Down News, The RAF Fairford Video They Want To Ban — THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBO7-jngFXs - 10:13
Transition Protocol, Trump's Two Bad Options in Iran - WAR OR RETREAT. BOTH COST AMERICA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjy2Y6oYBzY
Netanyahu flew to Abu Dhabi on 27 September. Defence analyst Pravin Sawhney says it was preparation for a Gulf without America — and our host’s sources in Tehran say anything that takes shape in the UAE will be hit first, deal or no deal. The 30 September deadline has come and gone. In this conversation, Sawhney and host Zulfiqar Ali examine what Netanyahu is building if US forces leave West Asia, why Sawhney believes Trump loses whether he fights or withdraws, how Field Marshal Asim Munir and China are keeping Riyadh and Tehran connected, and why host and guest disagree on whether Iran strikes first.
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u/penelopepnortney 17d ago
Good presentation by Lowkey at Double Down News on RAF Fairford. Aside from the benign details that have been reported (no explosives found, release of the people who were arrested), he points out that there is no evidence of a foreign government being involved. Didn't stop Rubio from claiming the contrary though he chose not to name the alleged culprit. Farage blamed Iran, again without presenting evidence. Lowkey rightly asks why, in pointing to possible foreign actors, is there no mention of Israel, which publicly threatened to retaliate against the UK if they imposed any sanctions whatsoever on Israel after foreign secretary Miliband presented his weak-sauce proposal to prohibit the importation of produce from the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 16d ago
Israel's never mentioned as an agent acting against the West, including the 1967 attack on a USS ship, which was only recently publicized: Washington’s Fateful Cover-Up of Israel’s Attack on the USS Liberty
Israel's certainly not mentioned in attacks later shown to be false flag operations, as far back as 1954 and The Lavon Affair: How a false-flag operation led to war and the Israeli bomb--a mere 6 years after the modern state of Israel was created.
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u/penelopepnortney 16d ago
Yep, sad but true. But I think however much MSM continues to obscure these actions, more and more people are learning about them and adding it to the more recent abhorrent facts they've learned about Israel as they've broadcast their genocide in Palestine and increasingly in Lebanon. The great unanswered question is what exactly did they think the world's reaction would be? Maybe it's as some analysts have said, that they actually want to see antisemitism against Jews worldwide because it reinforces the idea that Israel is the only safe place for them - as Israelis leave there in droves; go figure, they don't want to be in the middle of a war zone.
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 17d ago
Davis/Deep Dive, Russia Warns NATO: Touch Kaliningrad, We Go Nuclear https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw_IwHHHcPM
Oman’s $30 Billion Plan to Reinvent Itself After Oil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQUdrDxEW-Q - informative description at the link
What's fuelling Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DQNRIeuoeM - "They're illegal under international law. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has approved plans to expand Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank."
Why the Pinglu Canal, China’s Shortcut to Southeast Asia, Matters：Through the newly launched Pinglu Canal, the distance between China’s southwestern hinterland and ASEAN has been shortened by more than 560 kilometers.... https://thechinaacademy.org/why-the-pinglu-canal-chinas-shortcut-to-southeast-asia-matters/
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u/3andfro 17d ago
Daniel Davis with Col. Larry Wilkerson, Rubio Kicks Out Iran's Araghchi From New York https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkodFIb04LQ
Daniel Davis, Elon Musk Back in the Picture at the Pentagon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcfgrE3dZbk
Drop Site News, How the Media Sold the Gaza Genocide & the Fight Inside the Democratic Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OLbLvZxDn0
Journalist Adam Johnson, co-host of Citations Needed, joins Drop Site's Ryan Grim to discuss his new book, "How to Sell a Genocide: The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza." Drawing on data from US coverage, Johnson argues the genocide could not have been sustained without mainstream media complicity. He details how outlets reserved words like "massacre" for Israeli deaths, adopted the "Hamas-run health ministry" label, dropped Israel's agency from headlines, and helped discredit UNRWA on the day of the ICJ's preliminary ruling.
Johnson also examines how Democrats are repositioning on Israel ahead of 2028, why he says Rashida Tlaib is the only member of Congress that passes the test for an acceptable Gaza position, and the debate over Abdul El-Sayed campaigning with Kamala Harris. All of Johnson's royalties go to the Middle East Children's Alliance.
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u/penelopepnortney 16d ago
Rubio Kicks Out Iran's Araghchi From New York
Wilkerson and Davis talk only briefly about this. I saw a tweet (which I didn't save, unfortunately) citing the Iran delegation, that they left exactly when they were scheduled to leave and when they'd previously advised the State Dept. they would leave. That aside, I don't know why Rubio, Trump et al. think it's a good look to "threaten like a dockside bully" (h/t A Man for All Seasons)
All of this is the warp and woof of the same kind of fabric the last 150 years have produced periodically with dramatic recurrence and we're about at that point again. Global debt is in colossal proportions right now - private, commercial, and global - and war is the best tool for getting rid of that debt or at least shifting it.
Clip of General Kellogg saying "We need to tell Araghchi go sit in the corner, keep your mouth shut..."; Wilkerson: "As an airborne soldier, he fell on his head too many times out of that P10... I think his main problem is he's just stupid and he shouldn't be allowed to pontificate the way he does."
Clip of Lavrov's response to a BBC reporter who accused Russia of waging hybrid warfare against European countries: "You mean when we destroy the drones and missiles that Britain and continental Europe supply to Ukraine that they then shoot at us? Is that what you mean by hybrid warfare?" The reporter actually answered, "Yes, this is an example."
Kaliningrad is a real hot button for starting something because it's critical for Russia as their only real access to the Baltic. Its non-contiguity with continental Russia was one of many mistakes made in the re-drawing of the map of Europe after WWII. And it's not just us talking about making it a flashpoint, it's the whole crew of crazy people in Europe.
Hegseth announced the creation of a new department that will be run by Elon Musk, Anduril (maker of Flock cameras) and Newt Gingrich, of all people. All of whom only want to make money, that's who's going to lead us into the future of automatic warfare.
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u/3andfro 16d ago
Is that last line "automated" warfare? But OMG, Musk and Gingrich, w/ or (preferably) w/out Hegseth... a nightmare scenario. I'm getting Freddy Krueger reverb from that unholy trio.
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u/penelopepnortney 16d ago edited 16d ago
It was AI-translated as
"automated""automatic" there and as "autonomous" in another place.5
u/penelopepnortney 16d ago
In Republican Gomorrah, Max Blumethal covered Gingrich's presidential run. Pretty sure he wasn't even a "faux Christian" and he'd spent decades mocking James Dobson's Focus on the Family but he cozied up to Dobson and got his endorsement. It's like the "Christian right" rallying behind Trump, it tells you exactly who these people are, Hegseth included. As el gato malo would say, they have the morality of a piranha.
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 17d ago
The Persian Gulf Shift No One Is Talking About (Laith Marouf) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVj2HKsIvAY time indexed
Nima highlights with Col. Larry Wilkerson: Military Dynamics of the Yemen Conflict https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3gN4Sd4bec / with Elijah Magnier: Iran's Strategy to Counter Sanctions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkNiP8FhMtE / with Matt Bracken: Lessons from Historical Foreign Bases https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2E8XlxdnY
Something Is VERY Wrong With This Israeli Hijacking Story w/ Col. Dan Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5TpPBV3bmQ
A hijacking and attempted terror attack aboard a FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv has raised suspicions after it unfolded just hours after a warning from Benjamin Netanyahu about potential pre-election attacks on Israel. The flight, filled with Israeli passengers, transmitted hijack codes and plummeted thousands of feet before diverting to Saudi Arabia. Initial reports of a struggle in the cockpit were followed by the news that Israeli passengers, two of whom were pilots, subdued the attacker and landed the plane.
Netanyahu Milks FlyDubai Incident for Electoral Points https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCkwLcjnlYU
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u/3andfro 17d ago
Chris Hedges: Call It Evil: Understanding the Trump Era (w/ Susan Neiman) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isge-IKQLQM
In her new book, “Call It Evil: Understanding the Trump Era,” Susan Neiman investigates the structural evils of the Trump administration and how people are becoming ‘Good Germans’ in our fascist era.
Every Civilization Dies the Same Stupid Way — Spengler Predicted Ours https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbcU9xP1ros
Assyria lasted 247 years. Persia, 208. The Roman Republic, 233. The Ottomans, Spain, and Britain each lasted roughly 250. Different continents, different gods, civilizations that never read each other's histories — and the same clock. This video is about why every civilization dies the same stupid way, and why the people living through the final stage never once experience it as decline.... We walk through the four stupidities every dying civilization commits — runaway complexity, manufacturing more princes than thrones, trading the deed for the argument, and finally praying for a Caesar — and then we narrow all four down until they stop being about Rome and start being about your own life.
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 17d ago
Nima with Larry Johnson, SMOKE RISING NEAR SAUDI EAST-WEST PIPELINE, DIRECT HIT? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64dft2HSLfk
Transition Protocol, Iran’s Sep 30 Deadline Passes: Tehran’s Strike-First Warning, Beijing Sent Word Through Pakistan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80U-v6Q1R4Q
Tehran’s 30 September deadline for Washington to end the naval blockade has passed. According to host Zulfiqar Ali’s sources in Islamabad, Beijing has told Pakistan that if talks stay deadlocked, it would support Iran acting to break the blockade. Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson explains why Iran says it will no longer wait to be hit, which US aircraft could be first in line if the reported build-up is real, and why he says 15 ships cannot hold a blockade.
In this episode: what Zulfiqar Ali is hearing from Islamabad and Tehran; Xi Jinping’s mood after his Washington state visit; the Wang Yi – Ishaq Dar channel; Iran’s strike-first doctrine; the blockade arithmetic and Treasury Secretary Bessent’s tanker remark; the US exit from Iraq; the collapse of the “secret Gulf summit” story; bond yields, mortgages and a five-year oil recovery; the Pentagon’s 37 unexplained wounded; and two elections that will shape the war.
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u/3andfro 18d ago edited 18d ago
Daniel Davis with Patrick Henningsen, Russia Pounds Kyiv as US Pushes Peace Talks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0E7TS4nltc
Judge Nap with COL. Douglas Macgregor : America’s Toxic Military Culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfY_7ShS3WI
Davis/Deep Dive, Pilot Tries to Crash Israel-Bound Jet — Was Iran Behind It? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g84TkBC0gc
We can't take at face value what our leaders tell us anymore.
Nima highlights with Col. Larry Wilkerson: Israel Committing Suicide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvO1QYXONro
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u/penelopepnortney 16d ago
Wilkerson:
I think Trump has authorized Bibi to use a nuke against Iran and if he does Iran is going to go whole hog after Bibi and Israel is going to disappear. They can't survive what's going to come on them should they do this. This is the modern equivalent of the old tale about Masada and Bibi Netanyahu is going to be the disciple of Satan who brings it off.
There are serious Republicans right now telling the White House to stop this war. If they lose both houses in the election, they're going to join the Democrats, I think, to put an end to Donald Trump. They see everything they've worked for - especially the older ones and good god, how many of them are older - they see it all going and not regaining it in their lifetimes.
Two-thirds of the country is already in recession, that's what all the stats say. Donald Trump's lying through his teeth, diesel in California at some pumps is $9-10 a gallon. 52-53% of our long haul truckers are independents. They're going to charge $1,000 to $2,000 surcharge right up front on any truck moving because that's what the fuel is going to cost them. It's what they did in 2007 when we had that big hiccup in the housing industry and the economy looked a little sour there for a while.
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u/penelopepnortney 17d ago
Macgregor to Napolitano:
According to Brown University's studies on what we've spent on the defense of our country since 9/11 - directly on military matters, we may have spent as much as $21 trillion on surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance, space-based operations. Another $16 trillion just on the military that we call Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine. $3 trillion on veterans programs because you got a lot of people who have been wounded, traumatized, whose lives have been destroyed. $1.6 trillion on domestic security like the Department of Homeland Security and federal law enforcement.
And now you look at where the money went. There are all sorts of programs that Congress insists on funding so you end up with weapon systems and technologies that people on the Hill demand you buy, whether or not there's a validated strategic requirement for it. And awful lot of what we have no longer has a valid requirement for a very simple reason: warfare has changed. Technology has changed.
We've burned through $34 billion backing Israel since October 7. This does not include the tens of billions of dollars in arm sales agreements that we've made over the years with the Israelis. So we're already hip deep in this massive transfer of cash and wealth from the United States to Israel. This is going to continue as long as Israel's agents are in control of our government.
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u/3andfro 18d ago edited 18d ago
Nima with Matt Bracken: BREAKING: Yemen Struck the Abqaiq ARAMCO - U.S. Completes Iraq Withdrawal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXynSPNYCDk
Nima with Laith Marouf: BREAKING: Saudi Arabia Blocks Israeli Military From Evacuating FlyDubai Passengers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q5x-ELBO7M
Danny Haiphong, BREAKING: Israel Begins PREEMPTIVE Strike? Fighter Jets SCRAMBLE, Iran HITS US Navy Ships https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTm3NIMmVVg [see also link below]
An Israel-bound flight made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after sending a hijacking alert. Israeli officials later ruled out a hijacking, saying the alert was triggered by an altercation between the pilots.... https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-bound-flight-makes-emergency-landing-saudi-arabia-after-pilot-altercation
BIZARRE 'Pilot Fight' an Israeli FALSE FLAG? + Netanyahu’s SECRET UAE Meeting | Laith Marouf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjtVhUPhYL8
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u/penelopepnortney 17d ago
Israeli media reported that authorities were treating the incident as a suspected “terror attack”, alleging that the co-pilot was of Omani origin.
Middle East Eye could not independently verify the reports.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Israel should intensify its military actions across the region, including in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“Israel’s security doctrine must be taken to the next level,” he said.
“The naive belief that our enemies cherish life and should be shown mercy received another reminder this morning,” he added.
So the attacker was Omani and Ben Gvir thinks they should ramp up attacks on Iran, Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon to remind their enemies of whatever... presumably because of all the Omanis living in those places...
This is particularly rich coming from Gvir:
“Terrorism is an evil with which no agreement should be reached other than defeating it and wiping it off the face of the earth.”
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 17d ago
Well of course that's how Israeli media would portray it. Several analysts are reminding viewers that Netanyahu, looking at polls for Israel's upcoming election, warned something would happen, then scooted himself off to UAE. Check out the first 7 mins here: BIZARRE 'Pilot Fight' an Israeli FALSE FLAG? + Netanyahu’s SECRET UAE Meeting - btw, that's a good interview with Laith Marouf (29:31 mins)
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u/penelopepnortney 17d ago edited 17d ago
He pointed out a lot of oddities with the whole story. There's definitely something afoot throughout that whole region. The countries that met in the UAE with Israel included Saudi Arabia, US, Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain, Libya, Oman and Egypt and they reportedly discussed Iran and Yemen (not clear how they know this).
Per Rachel, Netanyahu reportedly warned his government that in the lead-up to the Oct. 7 anniversary there would be a 9/11 type attack on Israel. Which makes this odd incident with the plane from UAE to Israel even more iffy.
Meanwhile, US troops are supposedly withdrawing finally from Iraq but who knows if they actually will. And Mossad has a base in Kurdistan Iraq (and no doubt CIA and MI6 are there as well). Turkey is supposedly withdrawing troops from its 42 bases in northern Iraq but Marouf thinks the timing is deliberate and designed to trigger a conflict between the Kurds and the Iraqi government.
Sounds like the GCC countries may have decided to throw in their lot with the US and Israel after all and if so, it's not going to go well for them for multiple reasons. Marouf said he listened to a Saudi podcast earlier and military people are really worried about losing control of Najran and Asir, the border regions with Yemen, because there would be nothing stopping the Yemenis from reaching Mecca and Medina.
(edit to fix $@%@ typos)
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u/3andfro 17d ago edited 17d ago
You hit the highlights. Experience says we can safely assume whatever story we're given will have another story, or several, below that neat cover. Marouf goes into more detail on the concerns of Saudi military in this Nima highlights clip: Saudi Military Collapse Against Yemeni Forces. - 10:22
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u/3andfro 18d ago edited 18d ago
Glenn Diesen with Douglas Macgregor: Israel vs Turkey and Qatar: New US War Strategy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEqNEAWjrLc
Douglas Macgregor short: How was the US militarily defeated in Iran despite its naval presence? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gv1ETx_dJU - 3:10 - a good, short overview of Iran's strategic preparations and the US failure to prepare for modern warfare
Has Gaza broken US politics? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COPaFln9WHU
For decades, US support for Israel was one of Washington's few unbreakable bipartisan positions. The genocide in Gaza has changed that. Josh Rushing is joined by Matt Duss, former policy adviser to US Senator Bernie Sanders, and Kelley Vlahos, editor-in-chief of Responsible Statecraft, to examine how a war that killed more than 74,000 Palestinians fractured Democratic and Republican coalitions alike - reshaping primaries, campus politics and the terms on which a generation now sees Israel and American power.
India & Global Left with Ben Norton: Why the US-Iran War Continues & What It Means for the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZaqp0FAAPc
Norton discusses the escalating geopolitical and economic consequences of the US-Iran conflict, Yemen's role in the regional war, the strategic confrontation between the United States and China, and the wider crisis facing US power; why the war continues despite its enormous economic and geopolitical costs, how Yemen has become an important factor in the regional conflict, and what the consequences could be for global trade and the world economy. Other topics: Is the US empire really declining? The US-China strategic stalemate, the changing international order, and the political crisis unfolding across Latin America.
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u/3andfro 18d ago
Neutrality Studies with Alex Krainer, Looting Russia: Why the British Empire Never Died https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ukJO26kss time indexed
Alex Krainer joins Pascal to discuss the financial interests behind geopolitical conflict. Drawing on his hedge fund background and research for Grand Deception, Krainer challenges Bill Browder’s account of Russia and examines post-Soviet privatization, debt and oligarchic power. They explore Russia’s relations with the West, diplomacy and historical ties between Russia and nineteenth-century America. Krainer argues that British imperial influence persists through financial networks, connecting his “undead empire” thesis to sovereignty, contemporary wars and the mechanics of wealth extraction.
NATO Is Finished? Europe, Russia, Ukraine & the Post-NATO Era | Ulrike Guerot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNBS4g2M4P8
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u/penelopepnortney 18d ago edited 18d ago
Another great discussion with Alex Krainer, his first appearance on Neutrality Studies but it won't be his last. Pascal Lottaz is an excellent interviewer because of his own broad knowledge of history and geopolitics. They discuss the fact that during the American Civil War, Tsar Alexander II of Russia sent his Baltic fleet to New York and his Pacific fleet to San Francisco as a warning to Britain and France not to intervene. Lottaz goes on to say that the US sued Britain after the war for allowing British shipbuilders to build the Alabama for the Confederacy; the US won the arbitration case in Geneva and it established that neutral states have to do due diligence to ensure they're not violating neutrality.
Krainer likens the British-American relationship to the Master Blaster villain combination from the movie Mad Max 3, "where London still is the master and the United States is the blaster, every time you scratch the surface of these various crises around the world, you'll find the same dynamic at play." He gives numerous examples dating back to the 1991 Gulf war (correction: actually dating back to the 1953 overthrow of Mossadegh).
it's always plomo o plata. You can have lead or you can have silver. And if you say, "No, we're going to be a proud independent nation, we're going to protect our sovereignty" then you get the lead. You know, Venezuela, Cuba, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Iran, Russia, Belarus, and so forth. They're all in the crosshairs.
If you go back to the 2021 speech that George Soros gave at Davos and World Economic Forum, he laid it out. He said, "What we're experiencing in the world today is the conflict between two systems of governance." And that is absolutely correct. One system controlled by the people who deploy the Epstein class as their managerial cadre and the other side, countries that want to defend their sovereignty and their independence.
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u/gorpie97 17d ago
it established that neutral states have to do due diligence to ensure they're not violating neutrality.
Should that have impacted the exploding pagers?
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u/penelopepnortney 17d ago
I don't think anyone was able to source the pagers, were they? Or pinpoint exactly when during production the explosive was added?
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u/gorpie97 17d ago
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Israel hid explosives inside a batch of pagers ordered from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo and destined for Hezbollah.
Gold Apollo’s founder and chairperson told reporters Wednesday that the pagers used in the attack were made by a European distributor. Hsu Ching-kuang said his firm had signed a contract with the distributor to use the Gold Apollo brand.
snip
More details emerged Wednesday of how Israeli intelligence may possibly have engineered the unprecedented attack.
Hsu, the founder of pager manufacturer Gold Apollo, said its European distributor established a relationship with the Taiwanese firm about three years ago.
At first, the European company only imported Gold Apollo’s pager and communication products, he said. Later, the company told Gold Apollo they wished to make their own pager and asked for the right to use the Taiwanese firm’s brand, he said.
When whomever (reporters?) went to the European company to investigate, it was shuttered.
Some people said that Gold Apollo didn't do their due diligence, or something.
But if they had a relationship for 3 years, IDK. (This is new info to me.)
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u/penelopepnortney 17d ago
Looks like there were two addresses for it:
According to online brochures for BAC Consulting, the company first "opened its doors" in 2010 and established an office in Budapest.
It lists the address for BAC Consulting at an address in the Palace District of Budapest. However, the head office for the company is located a 20-minute drive away in the northeast of Budapest.
A woman who emerged on Wednesday from the Budapest building housing the company's headquarters said the location is used as a service that provides addresses to companies.
Gosh, that doesn't sound sus AF at all.
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u/3andfro 18d ago
Nima with Elijah Magnier: BREAKING: Iran Confirms U.S. Proposal Received as Tankers Burn in Hormuz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5ybj7FBJF4
Canada's exports to China soar to highest level in decades, in pivot away from the US - 8:03
Canada is diversifying its economy and diplomatic ties, pivoting away from the United States. Canadian exports of energy and metals to China skyrocketed in 2026, as major pipeline expansions to the Pacific came fully online. US-Canadian tariffs on the copper trade is punishing manufacturers in both countries, while ironically China is paying lower prices, despite market shortages.
The future of global governance: Can the world build a more multipolar order? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo9NSYFHMQY - 27:26
Is the global balance of power shifting for good? As geopolitical tensions rise, existing institutions face growing pressure to adapt. On The Hub, Wang Guan brings together Alfred de Zayas, former United Nations independent expert and author of "Building a Just World Order" and "The Human Rights Industry"; Linjie Chou Zanadu, associate professor of International Relations at the European Centre for Peace and Development; and Ben Norton, founder and editor-in-chief of the Geopolitical Economy Report. They dive into the future of global governance, the rise of a multipolar world, and what the competing global visions mean for what comes next.
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u/3andfro 18d ago edited 18d ago
Hegseth to cut 20 percent of admirals, generals in major Pentagon overhaul https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AJGgYNRGHF8
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to announce a major shake-up at the Pentagon, with plans to cut 20% of positions designated for admirals and generals across the Army, Navy and Air Force. The reductions are part of a broader push to streamline military leadership. [and clean out people now in positions of power who have stood in his way]
Two more stories about the IRGC's letter to Americans: The Hill Iran's Revolutionary Guards send a message to American voters - 6:30 / BBC Iran's Revolutionary Guards encourage Americans to reject Donald Trump's policies
BreakThrough News, Europe Preps for Russian Invasion – But Is NATO the Real Threat? | w/ Dr. Volodymyr Ishchenko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LW87eVNbqc
Is Ukraine becoming an "Eastern European Israel" for the EU? Sociologist and author Volodymyr Ishchenko joins Rania Khalek and Zoe Alexandra to discuss Ukraine's eroding sovereignty, who profits from keeping the fighting going, and whether an off-ramp still exists to a war with Russia now costing Ukraine 27,000 casualties per month, according to Poland's prime minister.
Europe is pushing record defense budgets and warning that Russia could test NATO within months. But this month Ukraine launched its largest drone attack yet on Moscow, Washington approved a $2.68 billion air defense sale, and the EU unblocked €6.6 billion in military aid. Is Europe readying to defend itself from a Russia with imperialist ambitions? Or preparing for a forever war, where profiteers abound and working-class Ukrainians do the fighting and dying at the direction of a state they've come to hate? Ishchenko describes an emerging vision for Ukraine amongst Kyiv’s power brokers: a militarized, ethnonationalist frontier state serving as outsourced security for the European Union against Russia. Sound familiar? "Maybe NATO at this point is not an alliance for security, but actually a source of insecurity in Europe."
Tucker: Rebellion Is Coming, But Not How You Imagined. Former Green Beret Explains. - central topic: Flock cameras https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq7YfzKaIIQ - 9:34
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u/penelopepnortney 18d ago edited 18d ago
https://x.com/mazzenilsson/status/2104690527061131397
"Starting October 1st, male visitors to the Jobcenter are required to provide proof that they are not registered for military service in Ukraine. Otherwise, the issuance of benefits will be stopped."
Ukrainian men are being gradually pushed out of Germany.
It is impossible to obtain such a certificate without visiting Ukraine. Will they join partisan groups? Fight back?
Edit to add: some people in the thread are questioning the validity of the image showing the sign.
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u/3andfro 18d ago edited 18d ago
Danny Haiphong with Alexander Mercouris, Trump Deploys Squadrons to Israel, Iran 'DOOMSDAY' War IMMINENT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_j1VoBj-g4
Nima with Larry Johnson, TRUMP SAYS "IT'LL BE OVER SOON"—BUT IRAN JUST CHANGED EVERYTHING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eCGKqVkOJc
Nima highlights with Pravin Sawhney: How Iran’s Mach 10 Missiles Make US Naval Defenses Obsolete https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT4HyXF8iNk
Jamarl with Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Iran Is Ready For A "Doomsday War" -- Are We!? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF1MRoz5C-Y
Jewish protestors join Free Palestine march to denounce Netanyahu https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4HiAE_ltlt8 - 2:10
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 18d ago
US forces leaving Iraq: American troops pull out after two decades https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO13BOfPvwY - 1:44
The last US troops are leaving Iraq, ending the American military presence there after more than two decades. The Iraqi government is calling it a historic moment and marking the departure with a two-day public holiday to celebrate its sovereignty. But September 30 was also supposed to be the deadline for Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq to lay down their weapons, and there is little sign of that happening.
Can Iraq handle future security challenges alone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJOZE15fvX8
The last remaining US troops have left Iraq. The military was first deployed in 2003, to depose its leader, Saddam Hussein. It later faced a series of crises that ensued after the ousting of Saddam. Iraq became embroiled in a cycle of violence that considerably weakened the country. While the US may have prevented the collapse of the state, it's also accused of contributing to the subsequent chaos that engulfed it. The Iraqi government will now be dealing with a new reality.
Did the U.S. Military Turn a Civilian Freighter into an Armed Escort? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF0h1I6M0Ys
We investigate reports regarding eight U.S. Marines injured in the Middle East aboard a non-military vessel and connect the dots to an attack on the commercial ship St Helena in the Strait of Hormuz. Did the U.S. military adapt civilian vessels to serve as armed escorts against Iranian drone and small-boat threats?
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u/penelopepnortney 19d ago
armed factions in Iraq to lay down their weapons
It's doubtful they will as long as there's a Mossad/CIA/MI6 presence in Iraq, And I imagine there are those in the Iraqi government willing to turn a blind eye for that reason.
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 18d ago
Diesen with Larry Johnson: Europe-Russia War is now "Inevitable" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHnVs0oWv74
Radhika Desai with Laith Marouf: Economic Blowback Of The Iran War Will Soon Hit The West https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVOJhCZvHJA time indexed
The US-Israeli war on Iran has entered an uneasy lull. But is this a pause, or the calm before something much bigger? Laith Marouf of Free Palestine TV joins me once again to take stock of West Asia after President Trump rejected Iran's proposals at the UN General Assembly and repeated his threat to annihilate Iran. Marouf explains why the Saudi war on Yemen, launched at the behest of Washington and Tel Aviv, has turned into a costly retreat, and why the US withdrawal from Iraq may be designed to leave chaos in its wake. We examine the so-called Mecca alliance of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey as a propaganda exercise rather than a military pact, the popular mood across the region, and why the economic war is hurting the imperial core more than Iran. We close on Lebanon, where Hezbollah is beginning reconstruction while the Lebanese state fails its people. The empire is in retreat, and its only remaining strategy is chaos.
Transition Protocol, MBS Wanted Pakistan’s Army, Pakistan Won’t Join Saudi Arabia’s War on the Houthis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw2ggKpiqig
Pakistan will not fight Saudi Arabia’s war against Ansarallah (the Houthis) in Yemen — that is the answer Transition Protocol received from sources at the highest levels in Islamabad. And, per the host’s sources, Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir told MBS that Saudi Arabia would be spared Iranian strikes only if it kept its territory out of any US attack on Iran. On the deadline week: Iran’s 30 September marker, Netanyahu’s unannounced flight to Abu Dhabi to meet MBZ, the off-ramp Escobar says Xi Jinping offered Trump in the Oval Office, and the “November non-surprise” — the war Escobar expects after the US midterms if Washington says no again.
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u/gorpie97 18d ago
the war Escobar expects after the US midterms if Washington says no again.
Why would Iran want to wait until then?
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u/3andfro 18d ago
Several commentators have said Iran doesn't want to be seen as the initial aggressor at any point; that would weaken its case to the world about who the aggressor is and has always been. It's been limiting attacks to retaliation. The expectation seems to be that the US will hit Iran hard again, before or soon after the midterms: Trump Deploys Squadrons to Israel, Iran 'DOOMSDAY' War IMMINENT
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u/Spectre_of_MAGA Marxist-Leninist 18d ago
China wouldn't be happy tbf. Ultimately they're the ones holding them back
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u/gorpie97 18d ago
I guess I can see that. Even if they've spent 6 months only responding, it would be easy for our overlords to name them the aggressor if they initiate even just once. 🙄
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u/3andfro 18d ago
They have announced they've stopped retaliating like for like and next round will go much bigger in response every time they're hit. We have reason to believe they can do it, too.
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u/gorpie97 18d ago
That is very fair, IMO. If they keep simply retaliating in kind, this could maybe drag on for decades. (Maybe not, but...)
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u/penelopepnortney 19d ago
Europe-Russia War is now "Inevitable"
Reminder that war has been used throughout history to reset collapsing economies, as most of Europe is facing. It's also a way to get rid of the military age men who would pose the greatest threat to the ruling class whose policies led to that collapse.
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 19d ago
"Buying More Time for the Genocide": Muhammad Shehada on Trump's Gaza Plan 1 Year Later https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5OSetzXVPI
The Palestinian death toll from Israel's war on Gaza has surpassed 74,000, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. While this figure represents the official death toll as confirmed by local authorities, the true number could be much higher when missing people and indirect deaths are taken into account, such as from disease, exposure, denial of medical treatment and the destruction of civic infrastructure. And since the so-called ceasefire brokered by Trump last October, nearly 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks.
"The [ceasefire] plan ended up just buying more time for the genocide," says Muhammad Shehada, a writer and analyst from Gaza speaking to Democracy Now! in Copenhagen. "Instead of suspending attacks on Gaza, Israel has been bombing Gaza every day."
"The idea of the plan was to divide the reconstruction, rehabilitation, Israeli withdrawal, decommissioning of Hamas and Palestinian statehood into three phases," says Shehada. "So far, only one item of the 20 items on the Trump plan has been fulfilled, and that is the release of every single Israeli hostage in Gaza."
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian 19d ago edited 19d ago
Zelensky may have granted an exemption from Ukrainians conscription with the Jewish community.
https://x.com/Megatron_ron/status/2104883766351298917
Essentially they are going to be only in non-combat roles.
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u/3andfro 19d ago
Trump needs a "LAST CHAPTER" in Iran | Trita Parsi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP9F_74UkPo time indexed
Trita Parsi argues Trump is looking for a "last chapter" in Iran, an ending that makes the whole war look worth it, and that diplomacy won't give him one. Why that makes a third round of war more likely. Iran's president flew to New York in the middle of a war to put a deal on the table. Trump rejected it within days. Quincy Institute co-founder and executive vice president Trita Parsi joins At the Water's Edge to break down what Iran's offer really was, why the blockade is hurting Iran without changing its policy, and why both sides may be heading toward a third round of war.
Daniel Davis, Palantir Can Tell You What to Bomb, Not If It Will Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlTbuAKAi0U
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u/3andfro 19d ago
Drop Site News, Trump’s Next War? Leaked Plans Reveal Escalation in Cuba & Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kIJ2-LdcNM
From leaked reports showing the US Army preparing potential options around Cuba to the US Navy’s strategic tactical shift away from the Iranian blockade line, we analyze what’s driving these moves—and what Trump’s post-midterm foreign policy strategy could look like. Plus, a look into Iran’s updated terminal guidance missile capabilities, the human toll aboard US naval deployments, and how $100+ oil prices are shaping negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz. Then a deep dive into the rise of China in the Trump era as Xi Jinping pays a state visit for the first time in 10 years.
The Jewish History of Anti-Zionism | Benjamin Moser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9hLQqXUH0s
What if Jewish opposition to Zionism isn't a modern phenomenon — but part of a much longer Jewish intellectual and political tradition? Benjamin Moser, author of Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, joins Wajahat Ali to explore the history of Jewish thinkers, rabbis, writers, activists and political figures who challenged Zionism across generations. Moser's book, released September 22, 2026, traces this tradition across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The conversation examines how Jewish identity, Judaism, nationalism and Zionism became intertwined — and why some Jews rejected the idea that Jewish security or identity required a Jewish nation-state. Moser's central historical argument is that Jewish opposition to Zionism has included people from very different religious, political and cultural backgrounds, challenging the idea that there has ever been a single Jewish position on Zionism. This is a conversation about history, Jewish identity, Zionism, anti-Zionism and the competing political and ethical traditions that have shaped the debate over Israel and Palestine.
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u/penelopepnortney 19d ago
Moser said he's 50, that he grew up in what he considers a normal American Jewish family, lived in a diverse community and attended schools with people from all sorts of different backgrounds. Pretty much everyone was a Zionist back then; not Muslims or Palestinians or Arabs but we didn't hear from them much back then.
He says that what's so interesting about how Zionism triumphed, not just among Jews but among politicians that support Israel all around the world, is that people would never have even been asked what Zionism was. They just thought it was great that the Jews had their own state and were safe, denying something very obvious: that putting a Jewish state in the middle of the Arab world was going to lead to disaster for everyone.
... the way the world worked when Zionism begins as a settler colonial project in the late 19th century is that if people weren't white, it didn't matter what they thought... the non-white world was a subject for colonization. it's easy to say, "oh back then everybody was racist or imperialist" but everybody wasn't racist or imperialist, there were lots of critiques of this from the colonized world, in the Jewish world and in other parts, people were appalled by this. I definitely heard "a land without a people, a people without a land" growing up. The problem is the state is built on the ruins of a different society, the Palestinian society, and also that it's the most dangerous place in the world for Jews and it has been for the last 80 years. So I think that people weren't even asked that question.
Moser says Herzl was crazy, he even said in his own book that a Jewish friend he gave it to told him "you sound nuts".
He fantasizes about crowning his four-year-old son Doge of the Jews and before he becomes a Zionist he decides to convert all the Jews in central Europe to Catholicism, he writes about he's going to call the pope and the pope is going to come baptize everybody and all the Jews are just going to go away... why did people take this guy and this message seriously? And the reason is that the Jewish suffering was terrible and real and a lot of people felt like this was going to be the solution.
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 19d ago
In appeal to the American people, IRGC says US must end its ‘war crimes’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1I5IvXV2CY - 4:46
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been discussing what it calls a letter to the American people. IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi laid out the message at a news conference, saying Tehran is ready to talk directly to people in the United States. He questioned why the US needs what he described as 800 military bases around the world. The letter claims many Americans are not aware of crimes committed by the US military and says Washington has not explained its military presence abroad. The IRGC spokesman said Iran’s military budget is 1 percent of the US annual military budget, arguing that Iran is not the interventionist party. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Qatari and Pakistani mediators in the US on Monday. Araghchi said he is still waiting for Washington’s response to an Iranian peace proposal and hopes the process will be completed soon. He said talks are more serious after Iran submitted seven points, although Iranian officials continue to use forceful rhetoric and insist Tehran is ready to defend itself militarily
21st Century Wire: France’s Yanbu Deployment and the Water Saudi Arabia Cannot Lose
On 24 September, France said it would help defend Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea energy corridor. President Emmanuel Macron announced soldiers, radars and defence systems for Yanbu, the industrial port through which crude carried across the kingdom by the East–West Pipeline reaches the sea. The mission was presented as the protection of Saudi energy infrastructure and the oil-export corridor centred on Yanbu....
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u/Spectre_of_MAGA Marxist-Leninist 18d ago
More choice excerpts from the letter
Every year, more than 1,300 Americans are shot and killed by police in the streets—a figure that is unmatched anywhere else in the world, not even in China or India, although each has a population of about 1.5 billion.
By imposing ungodly levels of taxes on Americans in order to finance the trillions of dollars needed for the endless wars the military-industrial complex ignites in regions thousands of miles away, U.S. leaders exacerbate their country’s inflation, unemployment, and poverty and cause the deaths of American servicemembers while inflicting death and devastation on the people of other nations.
Appealing to the left and the right. I was concerned that they weren't aware of the domestic political situation but it looks like they are
In light of what has been said, it should be fairly obvious that the phrase “Death to America,” which Iranians have been chanting since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, does not in any way express any ill will toward the American people, who have themselves suffered from the same oppression. [REDACTED]
I wish it was that obvious, but unfortunately Americans tend to look at things on a surface level
Iran not only harbors no ill-will but is ready to offer any help they may need to liberate themselves from the tyranny of oppressive powers.
It is illegal to accept this help as they are on State Department list of terrorists. Don't take the bait! 😬
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u/3andfro 18d ago edited 18d ago
Americans are fed a diet of Hollywood good guys and villains in a black-and-white cartoon universe that sidesteps critical thinking, and history. Education fails students nowadays in both, but curiosity and an open mind can compensate. ETA: We need more open-minded humans, especially Americans.
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u/gorpie97 19d ago
IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi laid out the message at a news conference, saying Tehran is ready to talk directly to people in the United States.
But our government doesn't listen to us.
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 19d ago
Well, if the US thinks it can pressure Iranians into regime change, who knows? Maybe Iran figures it might try the same gambit here. Or at least get through to a few numskulls who still believe the contradictory lies Trump feeds them about Iran and this war.
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u/gorpie97 19d ago
ITT they should do whatever they feel they need to. They've been the adults in the room the entire time.
And it can't hurt.
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 19d ago
Nima with Col. Larry Wilkerson: Middle East Shaken to the Core https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7Kj4kHHkk
Patrick Henningsen, THE TRUTH ABOUT NETANYAHU'S MELTDOWN AT U.N. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2GAEr4SiFU
Judge Nap with AMB. Chas Freeman : Can Israel Sustain Its Multi-Front Wars? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkPlGMJ1u6g
Diesen with Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Iran War Spreads - Could Israel Fall? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCICJo4QH5k
India & Global Left, The US Is Fracturing Over War — Col. Lawrence Wilkerson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6jsLci31ok time indexed
Is a new anti-war movement emerging in the United States? In this wide-ranging interview, retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, discusses the changing structure of the American empire, the emergence of a new anti-war faction and the political fractures reshaping the United States. Wilkerson examines whether growing opposition to war could become a transformative political movement, and discusses the internal political struggles surrounding U.S. foreign policy. We also explore the influence of the military-industrial complex and corporate interests, and the risks posed by an increasingly fractured political system.
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 19d ago
Nima with Seyed M. Marandi: Hormuz on Fire, Trump SLAMS Axios Over Iran Lie, Iran FM Leaves New York Early https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDvrSIm1kQI
Davis/Deep Dive, Iran Offers to Open Hormuz. Trump Won’t Pay Up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVdA-gnzBpA
Davis/Deep Dive, Washington Gave Iran the Leverage It Now Wants Back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5QcUogaNzI
Nima with John Helmer: RAF Fairford Incident: the UK Being Dragged Into War With Iran and Russia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQNhPbqL4es
Judge Nap with Aaron Maté : Is Ukraine Out of Options? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaW_galHfvY
Simplicius: Russian Strike Campaign Again Shifts to Target Ukrainian Telecoms and Data Centers in Latest Barrage
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u/3andfro 19d ago edited 18d ago
Nima highlights with Stanislav Krapivnik: Rising Costs of Global Shipping Routes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om1gF0rnVk0
Nima highlights with Mark Sleboda: Iran’s Masterstroke: How Russia and China Broke the U.S. Blockade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW2XzSvF1r8
Judge Nap clip with Max Blumenthal, The UN Secret Israel Doesn't Want You to Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A5I550bdNg - 3:47
Henningsen short, TRUMP THREATENS NUCLEAR ANNIHILATION AT GLOBAL STAGE https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3pA1i-Jn5s8 - 1:54
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 19d ago
Nima with Larry Johnson, EXPLOSIONS ROCK SAUDI & HORMUZ AS KATA’IB HEZBOLLAH WARNS BAGHDAD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH1cwVNqvBU
Transition Protocol, Iran Hit Ships Two Nights Running. US Didn't Shoot Back.37 AMERICAN SOLDIERS WOUNDED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnHciG1N7zY
Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day plan on Saturday. Transition Protocol’s sources say Tehran is now ready to move to break the U.S. blockade after September 30 — and former CIA analyst Larry Johnson explains why Washington hasn’t fired back. Zulfiqar Ali and Larry Johnson on: Iran’s strikes in the Strait of Hormuz and the missing U.S. response · why Johnson calls the administration’s oil-flow claims “an absolute total lie” · what a Pentagon casualty acknowledgement suggests about which ship was hit · the reported tanker and transport build-up at Al Udeid · China’s mixed signals · why Pakistan won’t fight the Houthis (per our Islamabad sources) · a rift at the top of the Saudi royal family (per our sources) · Netanyahu’s trip to Abu Dhabi · the Fairford arrests · the midterm clock · and why Johnson expects no recovery in Gulf oil flows for at least a year.
Does anyone here live in Maine? - NEW: After two failed attempts to nominate a Maine candidate friendly to the party establishment, the consultant class is finding better success with its third approach, co-option.... https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/democratic-party-consultants-surround
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 20d ago
Neutrality Studies, New Data on War Mentality in Europe. Why Swiss Reject Strict Neutrality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Ec3YeENFs time indexed
Europe is falling deeper and deeper into a Russophobic war mentality. Switzerland (of all places) just delivered the latest proof for that, rejecting strict neutrality in a public referendum. And this is about more than just the Swiss. The outcome is a function of the current propaganda environment all over Europe and the general anxiety about Russia.
Pascal examines Switzerland’s rejection of the neutrality initiative and what it may reveal about Europe’s political mood. Drawing on his experience campaigning for the proposal, he discusses sanctions, media framing, direct democracy and the limits of electoral change. He argues that opposition to current Russia policies remains weaker than many observers assume, while acknowledging uncertainty about extrapolating Swiss results. The commentary also considers voter turnout, political polarization, the United Nations and the dangers of escalating confrontation across the continent.
Neutrality Studies highlights, Pascal Lottaz & Lt Col Daniel Davis: Russia Knows NATO Has NO Air Defense https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48mTYkt9I9o - 12:44
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 20d ago
Judge Nap with Dr. Trita Parsi : Trump's Threats Strengthen Iran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=564IWG28Bos
Nima Alkhorshid, IRAN EXPECTS NO DEAL BEFORE U.S. MIDTERMS—WAR COULD ESCALATE AFTER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQwI-lLXJ-w
Judge Nap with Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : REACTION: Was Trump Bored at Meeting with Xi? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdK_Vx7ps9c
From Sal, What's Going on With Shipping?
There is a NBC News report about 8 US Marines injured on board a commercial ship. Three years ago I ran this story about a plan to break up a Marine Expeditionary Unit into armed guard detachment and place them on board merchantships--"something that has not been done really since war."
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u/arnott 20d ago
West Sets Trap for Putin; Lavrov Snubs Berlin; Broke Europe Eyes Russian Assets: The Duran
Germany's foreign minister Johann Wadephul pulled Sergey Lavrov aside at the UN for a surprise 20 minute meeting, and walked away with nothing. In this episode we break down why Berlin is so desperate, how Washington and Europe are pushing for a Minsk 3 ceasefire through a Trump Putin meeting at APEC in China, and why Rishi Sunak is now demanding the EU seize Russia's frozen assets to keep Zelensky afloat. Is the West about to spring its trap, or is Moscow already one step ahead?
Ukraine Front, Three Cauldrons & Trump's False Hope w/ Stanislav Krapivnik: The Duran
Ukraine's front is buckling as Russian forces close cauldrons around Dobropillya, Orikhiv and Kharkiv Oblast while tightening the pincer on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Stanislav Krapivnik breaks down the Third Corps counteroffensive at Lyman, how the rainy season and Russia's Arena defense system blunt the drone wall, why Moscow now sees Trump's diplomacy as a lost year, and what Iran's strikes on US bases mean for the Strait of Hormuz. With the EU facing diesel and food shortages and Kyiv running out of men, how much longer can the front hold?
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u/gorpie97 20d ago
a Minsk 3 ceasefire
You mean one as successful as the first two, whose sole purpose for the West was to allow them time to arm and train Ukraine? Who are they going to arm and train during Minsk 3. (And I highly doubt Russia is going to be so trusting again.)
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u/arnott 20d ago
Yes, Minsk III where James Bond hoodwinks Russia and arms the Ukrainians. /s
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 20d ago
For Boomer and older seniors: Sounds like CONTROL agent Don Adams battling "KAOS, the international organization of evil."
wiki says Get Smart was created to capitalize on James Bond and Inspector Clouseau, "the two biggest things in entertainment" at the time. Then came The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and later The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., which I loved because Stefanie Powers kicked butt without male assistance. Same reason I liked the early Remington Steele seasons when Stephanie Zimbalist was totally in charge; ditto the Emma Peele seasons of The Avengers.
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u/penelopepnortney 19d ago
There was a parody of Get Smart called Get Dumm that I read on a summer visit to my grandparents out of sheer boredom. I loved the Avengers and thought Emma Peel was great but I loved them as a team. As for the others, it wasn't the girl power that prompted me to tune in Man from UNCLE and Remington Steele, it was the chance to drool over David McCallum and Pierce Brosnan (I was so shallow).
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 19d ago
MAD's The Man from A.U.N.T.I.E. parody was one of their best, especially Iliad Nutcrackin 😺
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u/penelopepnortney 19d ago
Wow, how did I miss that???
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 19d ago
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u/penelopepnortney 18d ago
Love that: "It's in my contract with NBC. On this show, I get to kiss a girl every two minutes... I pay them $200 a week!" Sounds like the same deal Shatner got for his intergalactic smooching.
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u/gorpie97 19d ago
(I was so shallow).
How old were you? I think it's expected at that age. :)
I don't remember Man from UNCLE, but I def like Remington Steele for the "scenery", too! :) (Speaking of... EDIT: Still handsome, but even better, he defended his wife from attacks from the media. And a pretty decent actor. :) )
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 19d ago
Get Smart is from so long ago that Don Adams' shoe phone had a dial 📞
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u/gorpie97 19d ago
I know! :D
I don't know why I don't remember Man from UNCLE, but I definitely watched Get Smart! And Batman. And Star Trek TOS. And The Prisoner. And Twelve O'Clock High. And Petticoat Junction. And Green Acres. And Laugh In. Can I stop? :)
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u/Caelian toujours de l'audace 🦇 19d ago
The Prisoner was awesome. I got to see the series projected on a big screen.
Be seeing you!
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u/gorpie97 19d ago
I don't really remember it, just the "weird" sirens. And then I watched the 2009 6-episode mini-series.
I got to see the series projected on a big screen.
At the time, or sometime later?
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u/penelopepnortney 19d ago
Yeah, definitely of an age where it was somewhat justifiable. Would that we could all age as well as Brosnan has.
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u/3andfro 20d ago
Mockumentary - Lords of War: Meet America's War Profiteers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiERu1r4Cio - 13:31
America’s military-industrial complex is the global engine of freedom and democracy…at least, that’s what Washington tells itself. A new mockumentary from the Quincy Institute and The Intercept takes a closer look at the Lords of War — the weapons-industry executives who are getting rich off of America’s endless wars. Sure, it’s true that half of America’s $1 trillion war budget now goes straight to private contractors. And yes, weapons industry CEOs take home pay packages worth more than 150 times what the average enlisted soldier makes. But have you considered what the “hard work” and “innovation” of these corporate executives has made possible — from the mass death and displacement of millions during the war on terror, to the wholesale destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza? Once you take a look at the luxury real estate that these CEOs acquired with the spoils of war, you’ll understand that this system really does work! Just, you know, not for you.
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u/penelopepnortney 19d ago
Burnout is real in our industry. So you've got to find a way to insulate yourself from the sounds of those crying children that might otherwise haunt your dreams.
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 20d ago
Nima, BREAKING: IRAN & U.S. TO HOLD INDIRECT TALKS IN NYC WITHIN HOURS - w/ Paul Craig Roberts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eXx_grwDgo
Danny Haiphong, US Bomber Attack FOILED? Iran HAMMERS US Warship, 8 Marines HIT | Pepe Escobar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoJbPoCHs2Y - speculation that this was a false flag operation
Glenn Diesen: Europe Bet Everything on America — Now It’s Panicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJphTwY1unI - 3:38
Nima highlights with Tony Norfield: Why the US-Israel Attack on Iran is a Massive Miscalculation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrvmdWQCNBY
Why did Netanyahu Travel to the UAE in Secret? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6fisqQVYvA - 7:18
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly undertook a 'secret' visit to the UAE on Sunday. The visit came amid reports that the UAE had warned Netanyahu of a Hamas attack ahead of October 7, 2023. What was Netanyahu doing in the UAE? Why keep it a secret? Palki Sharma tells you.
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 20d ago
Neutrality Studies, Neocons In Defeat Denial, Trump Schizophrenia Getting Worse | Daniel Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG8H8U4-DQA time indexed
The Ukraine Proxy-War is going from bad to worse for the NATO war coalition and the leadership knows it. Panik is setting but at the same time there is no strategy on how to confront the failing project, just Donald Trump's erratic way of saying one thing today, another tomorrow and a third one in the time between. How will Russia and China deal with this situation? In Istanbul, Daniel Davis joins Pascal Lottaz to examine what they describe as the contradictions driving American foreign policy. They discuss Trump’s diplomacy with Iran, Russia and China, loyalty inside his administration, and competing influences on White House decisions. Davis challenges the idea that intelligence agencies independently control policy, while warning that NATO lacks the air defenses and industrial capacity for war with Russia. The conversation explores European escalation, diplomatic credibility, and the danger of a conventional conflict turning nuclear.
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 19d ago
Daniel Davis, Pentagon Kept Iran Missile Strike on Marines Concealed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjYzlqCYtrA - 13:24
Nima with Col. Jacques Baud, IRAN WARNS MEDIATORS: ATTACK ENERGY SITES, REGION GOES DARK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAf7_5b08Ec
"We are in the era of imbecility, especially in the West."
Daniel Davis, Every Path Out of the Iran War Is Closing /Sarp Sinan Hacir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI_3OEQvgyQ
Glenn Diesen with Seyed M. Marandi: Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US: All-in on War? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgkJWzsH75A
How do Iranians view Iraqi PM al-Zaidi's decision on Iranian flights? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L-ahBs2ctV8 - 1:47 - content at the link
Nima-Henningsen short, INSIDE THE URGENT SAUDI, TURKEY & PAKISTAN MILITARY MEETING ON YEMEN CRISIS https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JVgpUgmaN-g - 2:45
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 20d ago
Bandung 1955: The meeting that terrified the superpowers - 12:32
In 1955, 29 newly independent nations met in Bandung, Indonesia and terrified the world’s superpowers. This is the story of what happened next. Having rejected colonial rule, they set out to break free from a system built against them. The meeting became a movement, one that shaped leaders from Nelson Mandela to Malcolm X and reshaped the Global South’s sense of its own power. But the empires struck back with coups, economic pressure and years of breaking the unity that was built. The idea, however, never died. Told through rare archival footage and expert analysis, this film asks why Bandung’s questions about power and sovereignty are just as urgent now as they were then.
America Is DECLINING? George Yeo Explains What Happens Next https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUl13YQcdDE - 10:44
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u/3andfro 20d ago
Judge Nap with Alastair Crooke : Houthis' Advantage Over Saudis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J98JGMm7fzA
Judge Nap with Larry Johnson : US Fuel Costs About to Get Worse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASOGfQ8tnzk
Nima with Pepe Escobar, ‘ALL HELL SET TO BREAK LOOSE BY END OF SEPTEMBER’—What We Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNxGH9YDuRk
Daniel Davis, Iran Keeps Digging In Deeper / Trump's Victory Dissolving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruP57gZkZ-4
Over a thousand "dark fleet" tankers sell sanctioned oil. And nobody really wants them to stop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrHLujIABOg
The world's shadow fleet is growing, despite heavy sanctions and occasional seizure by Western militaries. In 2025, 3.7 billion barrels of oil were hauled from sanctioned energy producers on dark fleet ships, mostly to markets in Asia. Tracking, boarding, and seizing vessels on the open seas requires highly specialized teams and expensive equipment, and so successful operations are rare, and well publicized. But today's shipping industry cannot meet current demand, and shipyards are years behind. Western economies and politicians are struggling with record-high prices for shipping and refined fuels. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, have no choice to but leave the dark fleets alone.
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u/3andfro 20d ago edited 20d ago
Transition Protocol, Iran’s Next Front Is the Indian Ocean and Clock Starts This Week, Naval Breakout Next? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUdexnJCmzc
Iran is prepared to take the war beyond the Strait of Hormuz and into the Indian Ocean if nothing moves this week — that is what Pepe Escobar’s contacts and three separate decision-level sources in Tehran are telling Transition Protocol. Here is the way out Washington did not take, the deadlines that start the clock, and who will and will not fight.
— Xi’s off-ramp: according to Escobar, Xi Jinping told Trump face to face to go back to the memorandum both sides signed. Chinese state media reported Xi backed a return to the June 17 Islamabad memorandum.
— The clock: Mohsen Rezaei’s four-to-five-day window runs out Monday 28 September; Wednesday 30 September is a second deadline, as Escobar describes it.
— Hormuz on Iran’s terms: pay the fee, get IRGC Navy clearance — or be attacked.
— Yemen: the Saudi strike on a market in Taiz, and what comes next.
— Pakistan’s answer: will Islamabad join a Saudi–Pakistani–Turkish campaign against Yemen? The host’s sources say no. On Tuesday he brings the answer from a decision-maker.
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian 20d ago
The leader of Belarus has made some very interesting statements.
https://x.com/rinalu_/status/2104057970187444698
We really need to see what documents he is referring to.
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u/3andfro 21d ago edited 21d ago
Nima with Stanislav Krapivnik, IRAN SEIZES SECOND U.S. MILITARY DRONE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6dS99vbO64
IRGC Seize SECOND U.S. Underwater Drone, STRIKE 19 Vessels + Russia DESTROYS Starlink Data Center https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfbqiYgPuQo
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy confirmed the capture of a second U.S. Military REMUS 600 autonomous underwater drone carrying out reconnaissance operations in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. This, as Iran has launched strikes on a record 19 vessels trying to circumvent its control over the Strait in the last 48 hours.
Nima with Larry Johnson, IRAN SAYS 19 SHIPS HIT IN 48 HOURS; U.S. SAYS STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS QUIET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3AYrKG8oyw
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u/3andfro 21d ago edited 21d ago
Carlson: Any president considering the first use of nuclear weapons should be impeached immediately https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AX6AGR9_pBk - 1:22
Pluralia Dialogos: How NATO and Israel are driving Europe’s immigration crisis, with Patrick Henningsen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho0rwZDN9Y8
Matt Ehret speaks with geopolitical analyst Patrick Henningsen about the real causes behind the immigration crisis sending Europe, the UK and North America into chaos. While conservatives are being transformed into a new Templar horde of tribalists, the left has been turned into woke rainbow fascists which serves as a recipe for civil war at home and global Crusades abroad. Who is pulling the strings behind this tragedy, and how can saner heads prevail? These questions and much more will be addressed on today's episode.
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u/3andfro 21d ago
Drop Site News, How China is Preparing for War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWCBIJ2g47k
China’s military rise is reshaping the balance of power in Asia—and raising urgent questions about Taiwan, U.S. deterrence, and the risk of conflict. In this episode of the Dropsite War Brief, Murtaza Hussein and Sarmad Jawad examine China’s military buildup and the strategic goals driving it.
The discussion explores China’s growing navy, missile arsenal, nuclear forces, satellite network, drone development, and manufacturing capacity. Murtaza explains why Beijing focuses on the first and second island chains, how Taiwan fits into China’s regional strategy, and why the United States’ military presence across the Pacific is central to the rivalry. The hosts also discuss gray-zone tactics around Taiwan, the role of Japan and the Philippines, and how the wars in Iran and the Middle East could affect U.S. readiness and deterrence in Asia. They consider what China may be learning from Iran’s use of missiles and drones—and why industrial capacity could prove decisive in a prolonged conflict.
Neutrality Studies, How To Defeat an Empire: The Post-Hegemonic World Is Shaping Up | Dr. Jeff Rich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1RKlP8oG8k time indexed
In Istanbul, historian Jeff Rich joins Pascal to discuss what a peaceful multipolar world could look like. They debate civilisation states, China–India relations, and the tension between sovereignty and global interdependence. Rich argues that states must challenge US unilateralism while strengthening practical cooperation under the UN Charter. The conversation explores BRICS, regional diplomacy around the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine’s reconstruction, and the limits of military power, ending with reflections on Václav Havel and ordinary people’s capacity to create change.
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u/RandomCollection Resident Canadian 21d ago
The IDF has gone insane again.
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u/penelopepnortney 21d ago
Sadistic, sociopathic. Not just their actions but that they flaunt them for the whole world to see, like they're daring the world to call them out for it.
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u/3andfro 21d ago
Max Blumenthal: “It’s Been Confirmed” - Israel’s Most Deadly Order Fully Explained - 11:39
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u/gorpie97 20d ago
Fascinating and unbelievable!
Randy Fine made littering a hate crime in FL, punishable by 5 years in prison.
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u/penelopepnortney 21d ago
Links to previous threads are in the "War with Iran" compilation, which can be found in the sidebar.