JOHN PILGER—The news from the war in Ukraine is mostly not news, but a one-sided litany of jingoism, distortion, omission. I have reported a number of wars and have never known such blanket propaganda. In February, Russia invaded Ukraine as a response to almost eight years of killing and criminal destruction in the Russian-speaking region of Donbass on their border. In 2014, the United States had sponsored a coup in Kiev that got rid of Ukraine’s democratically elected, Russian-friendly president and installed a successor whom the Americans made clear was their man.
MIC/ PENTAGON MACHINE
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Finland & Sweden Joining NATO Brings WW III Even Closer
5 minutes readReports have emerged that Scandinavian nations Finland and Sweden plan to break with their centuries-long tradition of neutrality to pursue membership in NATO. If the applications are successful, will this latest increase in NATO’s ranks create an increased deterrent to further war with Russia, or will it bring the world ever-closer to World War III? Jimmy and The Grayzone’s Aaron Maté (https://mate.substack.com) discuss the possibilities – and the dangers – of an ever-growing NATO on Russia’s doorstep.
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Vladimir Orlov, a military analyst and expert at the Center for Political and Military Journalism, told PolitRussia about two modern anti-missile systems that the Americans could transfer to Ukraine. First of all he is talking about Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, which Americans sell to the whole world. Their effectiveness has been repeatedly questioned, especially after the incident with the Yemeni Houthis’ missile strike on the oil rigs of Saudi Arabia.
“If the U.S. places such systems in Ukraine, it won’t make much difference,” the expert opined.
Another thing is if the Americans decide to send the THAAD system to Ukraine.
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US Concern for Cuba, Latin America is Spin for Intervention
18 minutes readTAMARA PEARSON—Biden called on the Cuban government to “refrain from violence” – a hypocritical stance given the police murders and repression in his own country. “We are assessing how we can be helpful to the people of Cuba,” said White House spokesperson Jen Psaki, using the savior discourse, but not considering repealing the sanctions.
Legendary billboard with Fidel’s encoraging words: “Onward. We’re doing fine!”
Meanwhile, US vice-president Kamala Harris has been making a show of helping Central America and Mexico by ostensibly addressing corruption and the “root causes” of migration in the region. Seven months into the year and no actual help has arrived, but she did tell migrants fleeing for their lives not to come to the US, and the US has kept its border closed – in stark violation of human rights and its own asylum seeker laws.
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The official story is Russia hacked into U.S. “government networks, including in the Treasury and Commerce Departments,” as David Sanger of The New York Times reported. But plenty of things are uncertain. First, Sanger wrote last Sunday that “hackers have had free rein for much of the year, though it is not clear how many email and other systems they chose to enter.”
The motive of the hack is uncertain, as well what damage may have been done.
“The motive for the attack on the agency and the Treasury Department remains elusive, two people familiar with the matter said,” Sanger reported. “One government official said it was too soon to tell how damaging the attacks were and how much material was lost.”