Gaza flotilla activists in IDF jail and hunger striking

 

• Netanyahu wants the war back on with immediate military action in Gaza and Iran. Washington appears to be weighing the diplomatic option but Netanyahu is demanding escalation without end. He clings to power by fueling this war that brings strategic bankruptcy and international isolation to Israel. Trump has stated he doesn't do forever wars but is deeply compromised by his donors and the Israel lobby. The machinery keeps turning with more wreckage for everyone while the profiteers smile.  
• 'Iran airspace completely cleared' in repeat of final hours to the March war reports Col. Douglas MacGregor. Buckle up.... The Epstein coalition is getting desperate and Iran knows it has already won. If the hot war reboots it will not end well for the US or Bibi. 

• Trump's security chief Stephen Miller just threatened Iran with the worst nuking in modern history, a direct warning that puts nuclear annihilation on the table for any perceived slight from Tehran. This bluster lands right as Bibi's apprentice escalates tensions with the civilizational state, following recent US-Israeli strikes and provocations aimed at weakening Iran's position in the region. Iran continues to assert its dominance in its own backyard and humiliates the Epstein coalition. If the coalition was winning there would be no Dr. Strangelove suicidal talk. Iran won't be intimidated.  

• Tucker Carlson didn't pull any punches on Israel's Channel 13. He directly challenged the hosts over Netanyahu dragging the US toward war with Iran in a tense back and forth on Israel's coercive foreign policy influence over the US. Netanyahu clings to power through endless escalation in the region. This approach exposes the moral and strategic bankruptcy of Israel's position, pulling Washington deeper into conflicts that serve Tel Aviv's immediate needs over any illusion of broader stability. Iran, as a civilizational state, defends its sovereignty against coercion and illegal wars of aggression. The risks of wider war grow with each provocation, leaving the Middle East on the edge of the abyss and American policy tied to a cycle of confrontation that benefits few beyond Netanyahu and his apprentice's inner circle. 

• Trump: "They are building a hospital, all sorts research facilities and meeting rooms for the military, are being built below the White House ballroom. The structure extends six stories below ground level. We have Drone and Missile proofing and Great Sniper Capacities".
• Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have unveiled a giant joint portrait — a deliberate, unmistakable signal that this partnership is built to last. Two civilizational states, standing together, long after Washington's sanctions were supposed to have them on their knees. The NATO protection racket spent years trying to isolate Russia. The same playbook got rolled out against China. The portrait hanging in Beijing today is their answer to both campaigns. Trade deepening. Technology sharing. Defense coordination. Trump's reception last week is aging rapidly by comparison.  

• Italy, France, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Spain have all summoned the Israeli ambassador in their countries and demanded clarification. This comes after Israel’s Minister of National Security, Ben Gvir, posted footage showing Gaza Flotilla activists (87 of whom are reported now on a hunger strike) being humiliated and mistreated by Israeli forces. The Zionist act is wearing thin on the world. Even though the Gaza flotilla did not make it to the Gaza shores the flotilla activists have exposed Israel once again for the world to see its brutality and inhumanity.  It's gotten to the point that governments around the world now must react because the public demands it! Keep the heat on the bastards!  

• On May 20th, President Lee Jae Myung said regarding the recent successive seizures by the Israeli military of the Gaza relief flotilla carrying South Korean activists, “Detaining our nationals for reasons that are not valid under international law is far too severe and inhumane.” He also said, regarding the issue of executing the arrest warrant the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “We should also consider it.” As the President condemned the Israeli prime minister at a public meeting, diplomatic repercussions are expected. Also at the Korea–Japan Summit, President Lee Jae Myung refused to follow Tokyo’s Anti-China line and emerged as a key leader of a sensible Middle-Power nation.

• Bahrain has stripped 69 people of their citizenship, accusing them of spying for Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The announcement lands just days after US and Israeli strikes on Iranian soil. Gulf states don't move like this without a green light. Bahrain sits in the Gulf as a key outpost for American naval power, hosting the Fifth Fleet while its own population, mostly Shia, endures the heavy hand of a Sunni monarchy and is cleaning house on Washington's behalf. Bibi got his war. Now every client state in the Gulf is tightening the screws. Collective punishment dressed as national security. The human cost keeps climbing. 

• As the cost of living crisis unfolds, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce an £18 billion increase to the military budget, to be spread out over the next four years. It follows weeks of pressure from figures like the former NATO Secretary General, George Robertson, for the government to cut welfare spending to fund Britain’s rearmament. This would only worsen the economic crisis – pushing millions more into further poverty.
• Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, grew from $200 million to $3.5 billion in assets in roughly a year — a 17-fold increase. 

• Trump’s Greenland envoy, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, walks through Nuuk, Greenland, as a woman shouts, “Don’t come here — go home!” The Pentagon wants two bases in Greenland for the Golden Dome missile system and to interdict Russian and Chinese shipping passing thru the Arctic region.  

• Cuba’s Raul Castro formally indicted for "conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals," announces acting Attorney General Todd Blanche . Castro's crime? Defending Cuba from attacks by terrorists from the Miami exile Cuban community who were fully supported by the US government. American intelligence is actively mapping out Cuba's possible reactions to any US military intervention. The Pentagon and defense intelligence have begun crafting military options tailored for the Trump administration according to officials.

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has urged fundamental reforms to the United Nations and international governance structures, noting that current systems have lost legitimacy and serve only the interests of a limited group of powers. Speaking recently at the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi, Araghchi said that the world is experiencing "a period of structural instability and a deep crisis of trust. The structures governing the international order, designed in the post-World War II era, no longer have the capacity to respond to the realities of the 21st century," he told fellow foreign ministers.

Greyzone on Bolivia rebellion: 'The people have reached their breaking point'

Fading western imperial war$ on Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Cuba & more

• “Let the American-Zionist enemy, which has not learned from its repeated major & strategic defeats to Iran while once again opened its mouth to threats, know this: Although they attacked us with the full capability of 2 armies, among the most expensive armies in the world, we did not bring all of our capacities into action against them. But now, if aggression against Iran is repeated, the regional war that had been promised will this time be extended beyond the region. Our crushing blows, in places you cannot even imagine, will bring you to ruin." 
• 'If the US defeats Iran, American forces could move straight toward Russia’s borders. Russia will not tolerate a US military presence in the Caucasus’, says Victor Gao, Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG).
• The Senate advanced a resolution to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran on Tuesday, marking a breakthrough for Democrats after seven failed attempts. Senators approved a motion to discharge the resolution from committee in a 50 to 47 vote. Four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — joined the bulk of Democrats in favor of advancing the resolution. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the sole Democrat to oppose. This suggests a growing challenge to Trump's executive war authority. 

• Israeli Occupation Forces have violently and illegally attacked all the boats of the Gaza Flotilla. So far we've gotten news that they've fired rubber-coated steel bullets against unarmed, civilian volunteers. They've fired water cannons and rammed at least one boat. Everyone who has been abducted is being taken to Israel, with their future uncertain at present. And all of this is just the violence that we know about. Despite the clear breach of international law of the sea and violence against unarmed citizens, Cyprus (now full of zionist settlers) search and rescue refused to send support to boats in distress who sent emergency messages.
• Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a footage showing detained participants of the illegally seized Gaza-bound flotilla being bound, shoved, dragged and abused in Israel's Ashdod Port. Ben-Gvir wrote: "That's how we welcome the terror supporters. Welcome to Israel." 

• Lvov, Ukraine (Bandera Heartlands): The Ukie military TCC body snatchers condemned another ‘Ukrainian patriot’ to a certain death. But the condemned man was rescued, as passers by attacked the TCC meat wagon. As is typically the case, the Zelensky death brigade, fled like cowards. 

• Hezbollah FPV drones have struck three Zionist Iron Dome installations in southern Lebanon during the last 48 hours.
• Yesterday Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) along with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Back From The Brink, released a new report on the proposed Golden Dome missile defense system. Organizations hosted a press conference in DC with the Up In Arms campaign, Senator Ed Markey, and Congressman Jim McGovern. The report addresses the outlandish price tag of this $3.6 trillion missile defense system and the inevitable faults and holes in its effectiveness. The report demonstrates that even in a best-case scenario with Golden Dome implementation, more than 300 warheads would penetrate the system leaving 132 major US cities destroyed and 75 million Americans at risk. 

• Israeli Channel 12 reports that the International Criminal Court in The Hague is expected to issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel Katz, and Eyal Zamir.
• Will Schryver: If a full, large scale assault of Iran has been called off, it’s not because serious negotiations are now taking place, but more likely Trump is facing a serious mutiny from the Pentagon realists. This is humiliation to the nth degree.
• Sony Thăng: 136 years ago, the man who broke the spell was born. If Hồ Chí Minh could see today’s world, he would not be surprised. He knew that history bends toward balance, not empire. He would look at Vietnam’s victory, still standing, still sovereign, still proof that the most powerful military on earth can be defeated by a people who refuse to disappear. He would look at China’s rise, at Russia’s defiance, at Africa’s awakening, at Cuba’s endurance, at Iran’s resistance, and smile. Not because the struggle is over. But because the world is finally beginning to resemble the one he died believing in. A world where power no longer means domination. Where sovereignty is not a privilege but a birthright. He would say what he later gave Vietnam as an immortal truth, “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.” That spirit has outlived its borders. It lives wherever the Global South refuses to bow. Happy birthday, Uncle Hồ. The spell is broken. The prophecy holds. 

• A mother and three children were the targets of the zionist occupation’s airstrike on Deir Qanoun al-Nahr near the Litani River in southern Lebanon. The father was also martyred. 

• Israeli media: It is unbelievable how a Hezbollah fighter managed to enter a closed military zone of our forces in southern Lebanon, kill an officer, and withdraw without any confrontation. We have once again sunk into the Lebanese quagmire. This comment sounds just like the question asked by the US Army after Custers Last Stand in 1876. Invade a nation, kill innocent people by the thousands and wonder why they shoot back.

• Reuters: The US intends to reduce the amount of forces available to NATO in the event of major crises. The Pentagon plans to reduce the number of American troops and weapons that can be quickly provided to the alliance. This step reflects Trump's position - Europe should take on more responsibility for its own defence.
• Consortium News: Trump claims that Cuba will be “next” after Iran. He said he will “have the honor of taking Cuba,” and “Whether I free it, take it – I think I could do anything I want with it.” On May 1, the day he issued an executive order intensifying sanctions against Cuba, Trump said the US will be “taking over” Cuba “almost immediately.” The US attorney for the Southern District of Florida is reportedly preparing to announce the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro. This mirrors the pretext the US used for its illegal invasion of Venezuela in January and kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the US had also indicted. Maduro and his wife remain inside a US prison awaiting 'trial'.

• Simplicius: There’s an interesting theory propagating that the reason Trump is slowly pulling the plug on US’s relations with NATO is because it’s part of a long-term US plan to surreptitiously stoke a war between Russia and Europe, one that would not be back-stopped by the US. Why would the US seek its own annihilation via nuclear mutual exchange, when it could simply get Europe and Russia to flatten each other, and put their countries 50 years back, allowing the US to again gain global supremacy by simple virtue of “last man standing”? 

• RvVoenkor summarizes: Germany is preparing for a possible war with Russia and will allocate €10 billion for the development of civil defense reports Bild. The funds are planned to be used for the purchase of 1,000 special vehicles, the strengthening of protective structures, and the creation of a mobile camp for 110,000 people. In addition, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt intends to conduct a nationwide audit of shelters, including bunkers, tunnels, and underground parking lots. And meanwhile, they are bombing Russia with their drones from Ukrainian territory. Just like in 1941. But it’s suspected that this can’t go on unpunished for long.  

• A congressional report listed 42 US aircraft reportedly destroyed or damaged during the Iran war. Lawmakers warned replacement costs may rise far beyond current estimates and exceed $7 billion. The assessment raised broader concerns over survivability, force readiness and military vulnerabilities. 

Analysis of Trump's trip to China

President Trump’s first trip to China since 2017 was supposed to reset relations between the world’s two largest powers. Instead, markets fell, trade breakthroughs never came, Taiwan tensions took center stage, and President Xi Jinping openly raised the “Thucydides Trap” — the idea that conflict often emerges when a rising power challenges an established one.

In this GVS Deep Dive, we examine why this summit may ultimately be remembered not for what was signed, but for what it revealed: a shifting balance of global power between the United States and China.

We break down:

• Why investors reacted negatively after the summit

 • Xi Jinping’s direct warning about the “Thucydides Trap”

 • Whether the U.S. is entering a period of relative decline

 • China overtaking the U.S. in PPP economic size

 • Trump’s comments on Taiwan and strategic ambiguity

 • Beijing’s warning that Taiwan could lead to conflict

 • Why China rejected Nvidia H200 AI chips despite U.S. approval

 • The collapse of Nvidia’s market position inside China

 • Boeing deals, export controls, and China’s push for self-reliance

 • Why no major trade or investment breakthroughs were achieved

 • The future of U.S.-China relations under Trump

 • Whether great power transition can happen peacefully

The summit was described by one analyst as “heavy on symbolism and not substance.” But history may remember it as something much larger: the moment the world openly began discussing whether China is replacing the United States as the dominant global power.

Trump: Start, stop, yes, no - Keep Iran guessing

• President Trump has repeatedly threatened new military action against Iran, only to pull back from resuming fighting in a deeply unpopular, expensive conflict. US sources told the New York Times: Trump's public statements may be a deception, and he could still order attacks.

• The “Ferguson Limit,” theorized by the historian Sir Niall Ferguson, notes the point at which empires are unable to sustain the cost of imperialism. According to this theory, an empire begins to decline when it spends more on debt servicing than its military budget. The US reached that point in 2024. While the 2026 $1.5 trillion budget request from the Pentagon would significantly raise military spending, it would also increase US debt in the long term. The Persian Gulf can no longer host a permanent US presence, and America can no longer provide one.
• Professor Avi Shlaim, Israeli historian: 'American support for Israel is unconditional. Israel can commit genocide in Gaza without consequences'. 

• The US is seriously considering the possibility of launching strikes on Cuba, writes Politico. According to a senior American official and another informed source, Trump and his administration are becoming disillusioned with the campaign of pressure on Cuba, which is not yielding the desired results. In this regard, the US is developing a plan of military actions, which could range from a single airstrike designed to intimidate local authorities, to a full-scale ground invasion aimed at overthrowing the government. 

• The international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemned a series of deliberate Israeli strikes targeting frontline emergency responders in Lebanon, reporting that at least 110 paramedics and healthcare workers have been killed since March 2.
• You can smell the net zero hypocrisy. It was never about ‘saving the planet’. We get higher bills, petrol car bans, carbon taxes and heat pumps. Whilst AI data centres are preparing to burn gas on site because the existing grid can’t cope with demand. Fossil fuels are unacceptable for us but perfectly fine for Big Tech server farms powering our coming digital prison. 

• Lithuanian Foreign Minister and warmonger Kestutis Budrys, in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, called on NATO to attack the Russian territory in Kaliningrad. "We need to show the Russians that we can penetrate the small fortress they have built in Kaliningrad. NATO has the necessary means to destroy Russian bases in the exclave," he stated. Budrys explained that Lithuania has come to terms with the possibility of an imminent war with Russia. "This is the strength of our country," he added. 

• Ukraine is preparing strikes on Russia from Latvia's territory. The main statements from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service: Zelensky is determined to demonstrate to Europe the preservation of the combat potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their ability to damage Russia's economy; The Kiev regime plans to launch drones from the Baltic states to attack Russia; The Kiev authorities have convinced Riga to agree to conduct an operation against Russia; Military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drone systems have already been sent to Latvia to attack Russia from the republic's territory.

• In Estonia, a Ukrainian drone was shot down for the first time over Lake Võrtsjärv near the city of Tartu, 80 km from the border with Russia, said the country's Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkur. According to him, it's likely that the drone was of Ukrainian origin and was heading towards targets in Russia. Previously, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly entered Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia during attacks on Russian territory. 
• Ukraine is also ready to defend Taiwan if the US won't do it. Mikhail Podolyak (key adviser to Zelensky) stated that if the USA refuses to defend Taiwan in the event of a war with China, Ukraine is ready to take on this role. "President Trump has made it clear that America is giving up its role as the leader of the free world and is taking a path of isolationism. For Ukraine, this is a window of opportunity, a chance to lead the global agenda in the fight against totalitarian regimes. We have such experience, a very successful one. The USA refuses to defend the independence of Taiwan - it's their decision. We are taking on this role. Such a scenario could happen." Zelensky and his corrupt team of grifters see the chance for another big cash pay day if they can take on the job of international mafia hit men.
• They are celebrating 78 years since the establishment of Israel in Ukraine. 

• With satellites and space junk increasingly cluttering our planet’s low Earth orbit, a team of scientists warn that this entire region could suddenly collapse into a destructive maelstrom of swirling debris, posing a threat to any spacecraft that dares to venture up there, and hurling dangerous missiles of space junk down onto our planet below. Their study builds on a scenario first laid out by NASA scientist Donald Kessler. The study describes how just a few accidental collisions between satellites (or a war in space) could quickly cascade into a vicious cycle in which the resulting debris causes even more smash-ups, and thus more debris. At worst, the ensuing vortex of dangerous debris could trap us on our planet and set back spaceflight for decades. 

• Financial Times: Israel has seized nearly 1,000 square kilometers in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria since the October 7 attacks. Most of the land is in southern Lebanon, where Israel says it is creating a "security zone" against Hezbollah, while the rest is divided between Gaza and Syria. The expansion has displaced millions and increased regional fears of a long-term occupation, especially as right-wing extremist Israeli politicians and settlers pursue 'Greater Israel' ambitions.  

• IDF Reserve soldiers were forced to go to the kibbutzim that manage fish farms to collect fishing nets to protect themselves from Hezbollah drones in southern Lebanon. 

• Channel 14 Hebrew about Somaliland. ‏The Israeli Air Force now controls the airspace of Somaliland and has a permanent presence there. ‏Airplane hangars have been built to protect the aircraft. ‏The UAE has established military bases and infrastructure on Somali soil, in both airports and ports. '‏We are no longer two thousand kilometers from Yemen, but now only between 300 and 350 kilometers away. ‏We can attack them repeatedly without the need to refuel aircraft or undertake long flights'. ‏Somaliland has provided Israel and the UAE ‏with a type of intelligence and operational control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. ‏This strait is considered the second most important strait in the world, after the Suez Canal.   

German BSW politician Sevim Dağdelen meets with Russian Ambassador

On May 10, 2026, BSW politician Sevim Dağdelen discussed the culture of remembrance, historical politics, and the current chill in German-Russian relations with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Federal Republic of Germany, Sergey Nechayev, in Berlin under the motto "Peace through Dialogue."

U.S.-Israel likely to restart war this week

• All indicators point towards an imminent continuation of the US-Israel war against Iran. As for the negotiations, they were just a way to buy time for new military mobilization and repositioning, along with an operational pause to assess damages. Trump will hold a meeting with his National Security team on Tuesday, and it is likely he will receive military briefings on potential options for the next strike. For his part, Netanyahu is playing his usual role of pressure and pushing for war, with a plan and commitment to strike economic and energy facilities to destroy them.
• US Central Command Commander: 'I have a passion for preventing civilian casualties on the battlefield; our record in Iran is nearly perfect. We have warned the Iranian public more than 100 times about the danger.' (I guess he was asleep when the US bombed the Minab elementary school in Iran killing at least 175 school children/adults. Just the kind of devilish tactic Israel routinely pulls in Palestine, Yemen and Lebanon.)

• The US Air Force is conducting a massive airlift to bases across West Asia. The last time the Pentagon moved this much military equipment to the region, the war began 72 hours later. In the past 24 hours, large shipments of weapons and ammunition were sent to Israel via US bases in Germany. Israeli Channel 13 reported on May 18 that Israeli cargo planes landed at those bases, were loaded with ammunition, and then returned to Israel.
• A C-40 Clipper aircraft from the US Navy landed at King Salman Air Base in Saudi Arabia from Chania, Greece, as part of recent reinforcements, likely carrying high-level CIA and military officers. Making big attempt to bail out Israel with more war. US-Israel would love to turn Iran into a Gaza look-alike.

• Mohsen Rezaei: 'We will break the American naval blockade. Our patience has limits and the armed forces are preparing. The naval blockade is considered a war. Therefore, this ceasefire is unilateral.' According to Sabereen News from Iraq, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has appointed Mohsen Rezaei as his military adviser. Rezaei is a member of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

• Gaza flotilla: 'Our ships are under attack by Israeli forces. Zionist navy operations are intercepting our sailing ships of the Smoud fleet off the coast of Cyprus, detaining us and transferring us to a ship called a floating prison, then to Ashdod port.' 

• Netanyahu is following the operation to seize control of the Freedom Flotilla, which departed from Turkey heading towards Gaza, from the Navy's command room. During a call with the Navy commander, he praised the forces, stating that they have thwarted a "malicious plan" to break the naval blockade on Gaza, and congratulated the soldiers on successfully and calmly carrying out the operation. 

• Israeli forces from the Golani Brigade were subjected to artillery and rocket fire in the town of Deir Srian, southern Lebanon. The group repeated its strikes 3-4 times. In response, the Israeli Defense Minister admitted that his forces were subjected to prolonged shelling that lasted for several hours. Subsequently, Hebrew media admitted to the killing and wounding of several officers and soldiers, including a captain. The IDF has admitted that 105 soldier casualties in southern Lebanon battles occurred during the last week. Israel's troop levels are beginning to get a bit thin. That is why they love to drop bombs on civilians so often. 

• Reuters: Pakistan deployed a squadron of jet aircraft, 8,000 soldiers, and an air defense system in Saudi Arabia under a new joint defense agreement.
• Reuters: Russia has vowed a devastating retaliation after one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks targeted the  Moscow region, with Russian officials describing the attack as "a terrorist attack." Reports of explosions, fires, and air defense activity have emerged across the region, as tensions between Kyiv and Moscow continue to escalate. Most of the drones in this several months Ukraine campaign were aimed at civilian apartment high-rises and fuel storage depots. US-NATO-Israel have a multi-front WW3 underway at the present time.  

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: "An obsessive desire that in recent years has already broken through to the slogan to inflict a 'strategic defeat' on Russia, reflecting a long-term, centuries-old strategy, as it now turns out. At some point in our history, after the creation of the UN, the OSCE and the disappearance of the Soviet Union, the prospects for coexistence and even cooperation with the West seemed very realistic to us. All this has gone into oblivion. Open war has been declared on us. For this, the Kyiv regime is used as a 'tip' [of the spear]. But everyone knows that this 'tip' is helpless without material filling with Western weapons, intelligence, satellite systems, assistance in the training of military personnel and much more - everyone knows this. The Kiev regime and the Ukrainian state are openly being used as a geopolitical battering ram. Here some outspoken guys, I think, in the Belgian General Staff, publicly stated that they were preparing for a war with Russia, that Ukraine was helping them buy time. As they say, much more frankly."

• Iranian Police Chief: More than 6,500 spies have been arrested since the beginning of the war until now.
• Marco Rubio calls for 'reexamination' of the US relationship to NATO 'once the conflict in Iran is over'. He asks 'Why should the US continue to spend billions, trillions on these bases but when we need help from NATO we don't get it'? The real reasons for this announcement could be that the US can't afford 800 military bases around the world anymore. It is a crashing military empire. Stars & Stripes (military media) reports Poland and South Korea are the only foreign countries with strong public support for hosting US military bases, according to a new poll that found opposition to the idea in 90 of 97 countries surveyed. People around the world want the US out of their countries.  

• On April 15th, Declassified UK published a bombshell investigation exposing how in the mid-1990s, senior British political and military officials were well-aware NATO expansion into Central and Eastern Europe “would provoke [the] Russians,” and likely trigger all-out war. Hitherto unreported Ministry of Defence files reveal London knew Moscow’s “sensitivities” over a “hostile military alliance” enlarging up to its borders were profound, and based on very “real” concerns. Yet, NATO’s dangerous crusade to absorb Central and Eastern Europe continued apace, ultimately producing the Ukraine proxy conflict.
• Meanwhile, Iran destroyed 228 US military structures in the Middle East during Trump’s earlier miscalculations. 

• Yemeni air defenses shot down another American MQ-9 drone in Safer, Marib. Yemen has shot down near 30 of these intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance super drones in the last year. Yemen is proving to be a strong ally of Palestine, Iran and Lebanon. MQ-9 drones cost more than $35 million each. 

• An empty British military vehicle was destroyed by a Russian drone in Sumy, Ukraine. The British have been deep in the Ukraine war since the start. They have given funds that were often stolen, they trained Ukie troops in England, and they have sent lots of military hardware and 'trainers' as well. Soon after the start of the war Russia and Ukraine signed a peace treaty at meetings held in Turkey. But then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson flew in and demanded that the western puppet Zelensky back out. The war has been going on ever since. The banksters in London like all of these current war$.  

Poll finds broad global opposition to US military bases

Demonstrators with the Italian group No Muos protest outside Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, on March 20, 2022. About 51% of Italian respondents in a recent survey said they are opposed to U.S. military presence in the country. (Facebook/No Muos)

By John Vandiver (Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart, Germany — Poland and South Korea are the only foreign countries with strong public support for hosting U.S. military bases, according to a new poll that found opposition to the idea in 90 of 97 countries surveyed. 

The findings, released this month in an index compiled by the Nira Data polling organization, also found limited support for American bases in countries that host large numbers of U.S. forces.

In Germany, which hosts more than 30,000 troops, U.S. bases had a net approval rating of minus-9, with about 30% supporting them, 39% opposed and the rest uncertain. Results were nearly identical in the United Kingdom, where the U.S. operates several air bases. 

In Italy — home to U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force installations — support was even lower, with a net approval rating of minus-33. About 51% of respondents opposed the U.S. military presence there, according to the report. 

Poland was the most supportive country surveyed, with a net approval rating of plus-27 and about 51% of respondents backing U.S. bases. Only Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory included in the survey, showed stronger support. 

Among countries that host U.S. troops, South Korea had the second-highest support, with a net approval rating of plus-14, according to the poll. Romania and Japan each registered plus-2. 

Israel, which does not host permanent U.S. troop deployments, scored plus-21. 

Poland’s strong showing comes amid growing questions about the future of the U.S. force posture in Europe. Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced plans to pull 5,000 troops from Germany. 

The Pentagon has also canceled the deployment of a Fort Hood, Texas-based armored brigade of 4,000 soldiers to Europe, a move that would have involved thousands of soldiers rotating through Poland.  

Rumors abound: US-Israel restarting war on Iran

2nd stage of Gaza flotilla getting closer

• Fars News: US has given Iran five conditions in response to Iran’s proposal: No war compensation from US; Give up 400kg of Highly Enriched Uranium to US; Iran can only have one nuclear facility to remain active; Not more than 25% of frozen assets to be unfrozen (sanctions remain); Halting war on all fronts depends on negotiations. In other words the US-Israel want the war to continue.
• Netanyahu: I will speak today with President Trump about his impressions of Iran, and we are ready for all options. 
• The Wall Street Journal reports that more than 100 American embassies do not have ambassadors.  Trump does not want ambassadors.  He is dictatorial and prefers to work with his own special envoys or lapdogs one could call it.  The WSJ is correct for once, saying that this will reduce America’s ability to exert political and diplomatic influence.  Of course, but is that not a good thing? 
• Footage of Israeli demolition operations in an area of the Gaza Strip. 

• This is a part of why Pepe Escobar says BRICS is sadly dead. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cemented a new strategic defence partnership with the UAE – including technology sharing, innovation, and regional security cooperation. Strategic defence partnership framework expected to boost technolog y sharing and innovation. Energy & infrastructure agreements – strategic petroleum reserves, LPG supplies, and a ship‑repair cluster in western India. UAE commits $5 billion in investment to India. Modi strongly condemned Iranian attacks on the UAE during the recent conflict. (India, Iran and UAE are members of BRICS. So there is serious internal friction underway.)
• Julian Assange Prophecy: Warning for Humanity. Digital archives lets them erase history with one click. The next: "Page not found." The next: "It never happened." Don't trust the cloud. Paraphrasing Orwell, Assange explains that he who controls today's internet servers controls the intellectual record of mankind. He warns us that Western governments, large corporations, and certain wealthy individuals are increasingly able and increasingly trying to remove material permanently from the historical record using sophisticated methods.

• New York Times: Israel has occupied a second military base in the Iraqi desert for more than a full year. The base was entirely secret.

• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky): US lawmakers are terrified of defying the Zionist lobby. Though many politicians privately agree with his political stance, they fear that aligning with him would lead to their political 'death', since Trump is out to take down Massie and anyone who would dare support him. This is 'the' House race to watch in the next election.  

• The military operations in Ukraine remain an economically profitable venture for Western corporations, which also cause significant damage to the Russian economy simply by the fact of the colossal war spending. All parties understand that an end to the conflict is impossible in the near future, so there is a further militarization of the economy in Europe and a search for new technological solutions to change the situation, which has long resembled the positional battles of the First World War. The summer period will be characterized by an intensification of military operations on both sides and a constant increase in the number of drones behind each other's lines.

• During his visit to Cuba, John Ratcliffe (CIA director), carried a message from Trump announcing the United States' readiness to open negotiations with Havana on economic and security files, but this is conditional on Cuba undertaking "radical reforms." The core condition revolves around closing what is alleged to be espionage stations run by Russian and Chinese intelligence agencies on Cuban territory, which US officials claim are staffed to infiltrate and intercept American communications. The reports indicated that Ratcliffe presented this file as the core condition that must be met for relations with Washington to proceed. 

• Korea expert Tim Shorrock captures the issue well in the context of Korea’s predicament: “Nobody in the US media, left or right, talks about the enormous US military base structure in Japan and South Korea that would form the front line in any war with China over Taiwan. South Korea is under virtual assault from the Trump administration and MAGA supporters, who believe South Korean President Lee is too close to China and is uncomfortable with the US using its bases in Korea as an attack platform for any future war. As Simone Chun writes in her Substack, Lee’s refusal to turn South Korea into a pawn in a US-led proxy war in East Asia has intensified tensions, prompting a series of aggressive retaliations from Washington.”

• A painful scene documenting a zionist illegal invader terrorist running over sheep and attacking the farmer in Khirbet al-Twail near the town of Aqraba, south of Nablus in the West Bank. These zionist are pure evil and truly insane.  

• A family sleeps (below) in front of a closed office building in Buenos Aires, Argentina, next to posters calling for a general strike against President Javier Milei’s cuts and privatizations. 

• Argentina’s primary trade union federation on Thursday held another nationwide general strike, the second called since President Javier Milei, a far-right economist, took office in December and began pursuing sweeping austerity and deregulation. The South American nation’s unions organized the strike “in defense of democracy, labor rights, and the living wage,” according to a statement from the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), the Argentine Workers’ Central Union (CTA), and the Autonomous CTA. “It is a day of resistance and demand,” the groups said, blasting the Milei government’s “brutal” attacks on labor rights, social security, public health, education, science, and “our cultural identity.” The policies of austerity, say opponents, have disproportionately impacted working people and retirees. The labor groups called out the government for promoting “dangerous policies for the privatization of public enterprises” and pushing for “a phenomenal transfer of resources to the most concentrated and privileged sectors of the economy.”

Sunday song

Spring gives us a chance

The spring is now 

in full blossom 

here in Maine. 

New life springs forward. 

To shine, to inspire, to create love 

and affection.

Spring is time of hope, 
for family
and global healing.

We do what we can
to put our best spirits
into the mystical swirl.

Desire for peace
is held closely
in our hearts and
our actions,
especially now

as we witness

genocide, fascism

and earthly degradation.

We are lost souls

detached from the rhythms

and rhymes of our 

Mother Earth's writhing body.

Mother screams 

as her children put

money and power

before life.

We are disconnected.

We are disjointed.

We are disrespecting

life itself.

We've lost our connection

to spirit.

Let this spring

get our attention

before it is

too late.

The ever twirling

wheel of fortune 

is as old 

as the Earth

itself.

Bruce