Crazy world reports: U.S., Israel, Congo, Sudan, Russia, New Zealand, Japan, & more

 

• Speaking on Friday’s episode of The Grand Standoff: Professor Mohammad Marandi warned that 'if South Korea participates in the war against Iran, Tehran would consider it an enemy and seek to destroy South Korean assets in the region'. He said 'those assets would not necessarily be military', adding that 'Iran could target South Korean assets across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar'. Professor Marandi said 'South Korea is highly vulnerable to Iran' and warned that Tehran could 'hurt them very badly.' Professor Mohammad Marandi was born in the US, moved back to Iran in 1979, is a combat veteran of the Iran/Iraq war, and a professor of English literature at the University of Tehran.  

• Sovereignista: In just the last two weeks, the killing of children across Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria has reached another horrifying level. Initial reports indicate that American and Israeli attacks are killing an average of around seven children every day across these fronts. Some are killed instantly in airstrikes, shelling, and drone attacks, while many others die later from their wounds, burns, displacement, starvation, or the long-term consequences of war. Since October 2023, the killing toll from American-Israeli genocidal campaigns, together with the massacres carried out by their regional allies, including HTS terrorists in the occupied Syria, has crossed an initial estimate of 100,000 children. Gaza alone has witnessed the killing of nearly 50 thousand children. 

• IRGC statement: "The IRGC's Aerospace Force launched several ballistic missiles targeting a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer involved in harassing Iranian ships and participating in the naval siege. These two warships, after sustaining damage and fearing further attacks, were forced to flee the conflict zone."
• JD Vance stated that the US "never targets civilians in combat," adding that "unfortunately, obviously, sometimes things happen." Vance made these remarks at a White House press briefing in response to reports that a US strike killed at least four people, including a child, at a wedding in Kuhestak, southern Iran. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and human rights organizations, accused Vance of "gaslighting" and dismissing the civilian toll, noting that independent investigations and data from the ongoing conflict have documented significant civilian harm and damage to non-military infrastructure.

• Sovereignista on the carrier USS Abe Lincoln: The crew drank so much they had to be picked up and carted back to their ship docked in Thailand. They were banned from the Thai sex street. And now they are being ordered back to the ship because of fighting in the street. We will do in your country whatever we want. Iran publishes screeds of rage and mockery of the US. September 3 was the funeral of those killed via US missile strike on a wedding. The funeral guests raged for retribution, vengeance and revenge. 
• DR Congo becomes 11th country to move embassy to Jerusalem. Following President Felix Tshisekedi's meeting with Netanyahu, the two nations agreed on the relocation of the embassy of the DRC from Tel Aviv.
• Trilateral drills begin near Jeju: Japan, South Korea and the United States on Monday launched a trilateral multi-domain exercise running through Friday in international waters east and south of Jeju Island. The Freedom Edge drills include real-time data sharing and synchronized maritime and aviation coordination, while North Korea condemned them as part of Washington’s hostile policy.

• With Struggle Comes Liberation: In less than a month, Sudan has experienced over a hundred civilian deaths, and the attacks on the ground and by drone in highly populated areas have continued to result in mass displacement (we’re talking thousands of people) in the month of August 2026. At this point, over a third of all health facilities in Sudan are no longer operational as a result of the ongoing genocide. While some outlets might frame the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary and the Sudanese Armed Forces as a civil war (again, we heard the same nonsense about Iraq), it would be naive to ignore the involvement of external powers. It’s no secret that the Zionist-aligned United Arab Emirates funds the RSF and launders gold from Sudan to sell its smuggled wares in the international market.  

• 2019 India tested an anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) during an operation codenamed Mission Shakti. Immediately after the test, India's DRDO indicated that they were working on programs involving directed energy weapons, electromagnetic pulse (EMP), and co-orbital weapons for ASAT roles. DRDO has a Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences which is working on futuristic weapon systems, mainly high-energy laser systems. They are known to be experimenting with directed energy weapons. India has created the Defence Space Agency (DSA) in 2019 and has also conducted its first simulated space warfare exercise. India’s Defense Space Symposium in April 2026, the most recent high-level forum for India’s defense space community, saw Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan deliver a direct statement of strategic intent: India must build space architecture that is resilient, AI-enabled, quantum secure, cyber-hardened, rapidly replenishable, and unquestionably sovereign. 

• Scheerpost: From Türkiye to Italy to the US, localized campaigns targeted at Israeli weapons suppliers have emerged, led by community groups and unions, and often supported by Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) chapters. Their goal is to end local complicity in the genocide — and ensure worker and community safety — through bans on weapons shipments via local airports and seaports, as well as shutdowns and moratoriums on weapons manufacturing facilities in residential areas. A coalition of community groups is leading an embargo campaign in New York City’s JFK Airport, where dangerous explosives and F-35 bomber components bound for Israel have passed through the same runways as passenger flights. The campaign is calling on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to end arms shipments through public infrastructure. Most of the coalition’s efforts have been geared toward organizing and educating workers, especially unionized workers in warehouses and on planes. 

• Defense News: Top 100 ranking of global defense companies bears out the overall upward trend, with companies posting higher annual defense revenues, a combined $700 billion compared with $629 billion in the prior year, a 11.3% increase. The first four spots of our latest ranking continue to be in the hands of US firms, with Lockheed Martin in the top spot with $72.1 billion in annual defense revenue, followed by RTX ($46 billion), General Dynamics ($39.4 billion) and Northrop Grumman ($37 billion). Britain-based BAE Systems, which has a sizable US operation, is the first non-American company in the lineup, creeping up to number five, with $36 billion in revenue. Aviation Industry Corporation of China, at $32.3 billion. In Europe, some automotive companies and rail car makers have turned their factory floors into production sites for drones and counter-drone equipment.
• Dmitry Dtobnitsky, Russian political scientist specializing in American studies, expert in US foreign and domestic policy: Some say [Russian Finance Minister] Siluanov and [US Treasury Secretary] Bessent will come to some understanding, and perhaps there will be incredible financial, economic, or investment cooperation between the US and Russia. I have said many times that there can be no serious cooperation between Russia and the US. There are neither material nor geopolitical grounds for it. Are we now supposed to throw away all the achievements of localizing our civilian aviation industry and start buying Boeing again? Are we going to hand over half of the most convenient Arctic territory on the planet to the US? Is that it? Or are we going to sell all Russian oil through Mr. Kushner? Some say: “Investments will come here.” But that would mean that instead of creating a sovereign financial system, we would say: “No, let’s reintegrate ourselves back into the collapsing dollar system. Let’s support it with our achievements of the past five years.” It’s obvious that there can be no real cooperation. 

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: "Preserving the Arctic as an area of peace and cooperation meets the interests of the entire international community, and Russia is undoubtedly interested in this as well. Meanwhile, there are those who do not share this point of view. How else can one explain the fact that NATO countries, as well as the Alliance as a whole, are driving the region towards militarisation and creating hotbeds of international tension there? In February 2026, NATO launched its Arctic Sentry operation, designed to expand its military presence in the High North. Intensive military preparations are underway in close proximity to our northern borders. Such military activity in the Far North poses a direct threat to Russia’s security. It also increases the risk of incidents that could trigger an armed confrontation with potentially disastrous consequences." 

• Journal Of The Anti-Bases Campaign, New Zealand (NZ): Spending on the military will be increased to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next eight years (it currently sits at around 1%), which is a major increase in NZ terms, particularly for a country that faces no discernible military threat. And what thanks did NZ get for this from the US? In May 2026, Pete Hegseth, the cartoonish Secretary of War, said that countries spending less than 3.5% of their GDP on the military were “freeloaders”. He said this at a high-powered international gathering in Singapore at which NZ’s Minister of Defence, Chris Penk, was present and, when asked by a NZ journalist if he was calling NZ a “freeloader”, he replied yes. Penk obligingly fell into line and said that NZ needed to have “a conversation” about our long-entrenched and sacrosanct nuclear free law.
• The Texas Tribune: Elon Musk’s America PAC waded into Texas’ US Senate race for the first time in recent days, dropping almost $250,000 to boost Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and attack his Democratic foe, state Rep. James Talarico. The spending was part of his $800,000 outlay for Republican House and Senate candidates around the country.. The 2nd largest of Musk's PAC donations went to Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine who is running for re-election.

• The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is sailing again in August, September, and October 2026 to challenge Israel's illegal naval blockade of Gaza and bring international attention to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people and wholesale destruction of Gaza. our action is needed now more than ever. Much of the world has moved on from Gaza, believing a supposed “ceasefire” has ended the genocide. But, it has not. Since the "ceasefire" agreement went into effect in October 2025, Israel has killed nearly 1300 Palestinians, including almost 300 Palestinian children. Israel now controls nearly 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, continues to kill Palestinians with impunity, and maintains an illegal and deadly blockade that restricts and manipulates the entry of the food, medicine, and fuel on which a besieged population depends for survival.  

How to beat the Epstein class....

Thomas Massie is working with Ro Khanna to force consideration of the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, except Massie predicted that Speaker Mike Johnson would recess the House to prevent a vote on the measure taking place. Johnson responded by calling Massie’s contention “stupid” and stating that the House would continue working through September, but then — whoops! — Johnson published the upcoming House schedule showing a shortened September session after all! 

Jimmy then shares broader allegations about political corruption, influence of wealthy donors, the Epstein investigation, and what he describes as the need for publicly funded elections and organized labor action. The segment concludes with Jimmy arguing that money should be removed from politics and criticizing both major parties.  

Christian nationalist indoctrination at Pentagon

Is the Secretary of Defense seen as a joke by troops and diplomats? 

This perception is dangerous for the military, especially for middle ranks who are increasingly restless. 

Efforts to co-opt lower ranks through Christian nationalism and religiously charged briefings raise serious concerns. 

Trump's war on Iran coming apart at the seams

The warnings — detailed for Hegseth by the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America — appear in the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB), these people said. They described the assessment to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because the document is classified.

The warnings [by top battle commanders] allegedly appeared in an internal classified document, and as such the descriptions thereof are considered to be major leaks, which has pushed Trump over the edge, [thus demanding polygraphs].

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump following months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of the service and the ouster of numerous senior Army officers.

He is expected to leave the Pentagon in coming days.

With Driscoll’s departure, the Army will lack top Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders. Gen. Christopher LaNeve has served as acting chief of the service since Hegseth fired his predecessor, Gen. Randy George. Mike Obadal, the Army undersecretary, would be the highest ranking civilian after Driscoll departs.

Bloomberg showed that in August, one US ally—that of Saudi Arabia—was still at a massive deficit compared to previous Persian Gulf shipments. 

This came about during another exchange which saw the US hit three Iranian tankers, with Iran responding by reportedly firing missiles at not only US warships, but also oil tankers being escorted through the US blockade-breaking route. 

The one area where Iran continues to hold dominance is in escalation potential: it has by now rebuilt virtually everything that’s been lost earlier in the war, with missile production said to be thrumming. The US on the other hand is suffering from such major shortages of critical munitions that it has prevented Trump from escalating to a wider campaign.

Recall how earlier in the war a huge deal was made over the claims that it was Iran’s strike tempo that was diminishing, while the US sortie count was soaring and all kinds of “major” military targets in Iran were being hit. Now the US appears totally spent—an exhausted and impotent force—like an old boxer in his last few rounds, winging slow, ineffective punches with no pop to them. Iran has demonstrated that it now holds escalation dominance, having called all Trump’s loudest bluffs and withstood the storm. And the longer this goes on, the more the internal revolts inside the Pentagon and in Trump’s administration appear to be growing as officials begin to comprehend the dire nature of the debacle.

This tells us that it is Iran that continues to hold the cards and the advantage in time.

~ All above by Simplicius

Sunday song

 

the funnies

Marwa Osman critiques American activism

• Iran’s Minister of Health: Tuesday night, US attacks in Iran killed 18 people and 108 civilians were injured. The US used its most accurate weapon in its attack on a wedding ceremony in Iran. Weapon remnants recovered from the attack in Kuhestak have been identified by as SLAM-ER components. Manufacturer Boeing touts this cruise missile as the “most accurate” weapon in the US Navy’s inventory.  

• Foreign Policy: Now, after more than seven years in office, four and a half years of war with Russia, and a series of scandals involving his leadership team and close friends, Zelensky appears to have lost the nation’s political support. Indeed, polling points to a major mood swing among Ukrainians, suggesting that many of them have lost faith in Zelensky and would vote him out of office at the earliest opportunity. 

• Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent gets fully pathetic and announces the US is sanctioning another bank which is apparently linked to Iran. 

• 'The rest of the world wants to be more like us. We have this great economy, we’re accelerating away from the rest of the world - except for these malcontents who don't want to work, they want to pull everyone down with them'. Treasury Secretary Bessent, again, showing if you are on Trump’s team - you are a fool and an inveterate liar.  

• Ukraine’s attempted UAV attack on Moscow Region among largest in last two years. According to Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin, between 8:00 am Moscow Time on September 2 and 12:00 pm on Thursday, 548 unmanned aerial vehicles were heading toward the Moscow Region.
• The US should start preparing for scenarios where extreme measures must be taken to stop China from achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). In a Centre for a New American Security report, a former Obama administration national security staffer called for the US government to consider diplomatic, espionage, cyber and kinetic measures to prevent China from achieving AGI first. AGI is a hypothetical AI system that can achieve human levels of performance across a wide variety of tasks.
• Black Alliance for Peace: As named in the recent Bulletin on US Domestic Militarization, National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7), formally titled “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence,” has fundamentally altered the relationship between dissent and the state by transforming the broader governance architecture into a synchronized counterinsurgency grid. NSPM-7 pre-positions forces by integrating federal, state, and local law enforcement into a single operational framework. Historically, this represents the latest chapter in a long lineage of domestic counterinsurgency directed against Black liberation organizations, Indigenous movements, labor militants, anti-war and anti-imperialist organizers, and other dissident political groups. NSPM-7’s function is best understood as the latest manifestation of a long-standing authoritarian tradition in US governance rather than a break from democratic norms. 

• Sovereignista: The G20 empire wants to rule. The US holds the Presidency for the 2026 G20. The host nation has already begun the first interactions with G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. However, the summit has already sparked many controversies. When Secretary of Treasury Bessent began his address, Canada’s Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne was seen walking out of the room. Several European Ministers protested the inclusion of Russia and forced the US to remove the Russian Finance Minister from the G20 Finance Ministers’ family photo. Meanwhile, South Africa has not been invited by the US, despite being a member as Donald Trump continues to feud with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The main G20 summit is scheduled for November, however it is already witnessing a list of controversies.  

• Marwa Osman from Lebanon: 'I have reached a point where I have zero trust in American activism that claims to be fighting the foreign policy of its own government while doing little or nothing to confront the machinery of repression at home. This is not about demanding that every American become a full-time revolutionary. It is about something much simpler known as political consistency. Yet some American activists will tell the rest of the world that they are doing everything within their power to oppose oppression abroad, while rarely confronting the political structures that make that oppression possible at home. If you cannot lift a finger against the machinery of oppression when it operates in your own name, your claims to be liberating others begin to sound less like solidarity and more like self-image'. 

• Simplicius: One thing that becomes absolutely certain now, is that the CIA director’s visit to Moscow obviously [was to deliver a threat]. There may have been multiple angles to his visit, but we are now left to assume this was the main reason: to deliver a final warning to Russia: “If you do not stop finishing off Ukraine’s infrastructure, a new unprecedented terror campaign against your airports will shut down all travel to your key cities.” A final warning was delivered to Russia, and now we begin a new phase of the conflict. Zelensky’s 40-day special operation failed and the only choice he was left with is to escalate to a new degree of “discomfort” for Russian civilian life. It seems too far fetched to be a ‘coincidence’ that Russia is being framed for attacking German airports with explosive drones only days before Ukraine announces a massive operation to shut down Russia’s own airports. There are clear hints of an orchestrated campaign happening here, which is nothing more than Phase 2.0 of the Ukrainian-Western plan to foment socio-political dissent in Russia and stoke an uprising against Putin. As Ukraine faces its most desperate hour, expect more nasty “Pandora’s box” surprises to be unleashed on Russia.   

• Stars & Stripes: A group of UN-appointed human rights experts renewed calls for an investigation into US strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats as the campaign reached its first anniversary Wednesday. At least 224 people have been killed in the strikes, according to Pentagon figures. Those responsible for violations of international law, “including military and civilian chains of command,” must be held accountable, the panel appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said in a statement marking the anniversary.

• A record number of Americans believe there is widespread corruption in the government, reaching the highest level of distrust in two decades, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. Nearly 90% of US adults said corruption was widespread in the government, a 10% jump from last year. The US also has the highest level of perceived government corruption compared with other countries with advanced economies as of 2025, the year of the latest available data.
• Space News: The US Space Force has a new commanding general. In a ceremony Thursday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Gen. Douglas Schiess took over as the Space Force's third chief of space operations, succeeding Gen. Chance Saltzman. In his first message to the force, Schiess portrayed his tenure as the next stage in the development of the Space Force, which was established in 2019 and has been moving from its initial focus on building a new military service toward preparing forces for combat. His comments at the change-of-command ceremony signaled continuity with Saltzman, who during his tenure put greater emphasis on preparing guardians for warfare in space and on developing capabilities to protect US satellites and counter adversaries' use of space systems. 

• The Korea Times: As Seoul weighs how to contribute to efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, attention is turning to what military assets Korea could realistically send — and what missions they could perform without drawing the country directly into combat with Iran. Military experts say maritime surveillance, logistics support and mine-clearing operations could be the most practical roles for Korean forces in the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Seoul to contribute to securing the strategic waterway. Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that no decision has been made on whether to deploy forces or what assets could be sent, adding that it is considering a range of options, including combat, noncombat and search missions. [How do the South Korean people feel about this mission to support the US-Israel war?]

• America has finally discovered a cause capable of uniting Republicans, Democrats, environmentalists, homeowners and people who simply enjoy paying less for electricity. They do not want the giant data center proposed down the road. The American Prospect reported that opposition has surged across political lines, citing a Heatmap poll in which 75% of Americans opposed data centers near them and 61% strongly opposed them. The Guardian reported that the backlash is splitting conservatives from Silicon Valley allies and forcing the Trump administration to respond. After years of being told artificial intelligence is inevitable, voters have located the part of inevitability that requires a zoning permit. The politics have moved fast because the physical buildout has moved fast. Data centers require enormous amounts of power, significant land and, in some designs, substantial water. Communities are raising concerns about utility prices, noise, farmland, water use and who pays for new generation and transmission.

Free Imran Khan!

Free Imran Khan now! 

Very sad moments for all Pakistani people . #Imran Khan #imrankhan

The Story

Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, was imprisoned by Pakistani authorities after his arrest in August 2023. 

Khan, who founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has faced multiple legal cases following his removal from office via a no-confidence vote in April 2022. His detention stems from convictions in corruption cases as well as charges related to leaking state secrets and incitement during protests. Some convictions were overturned or suspended on appeal, but new charges kept him in solitary confinement since.

He rose to fame as a cricket player who led Pakistan’s national team to a Cricket World Cup victory in 1992. 

Khan’s message before prison: 

"My arrest was expected & I recorded this message before my arrest. It is one more step in fulfilling 'London Plan' but I want my party workers to remain peaceful, steadfast and strong. We bow before no one but Allah who is Al Haq. We believe in La illaha Ilallah.

“My movement is not for myself, but for you, for the future of your children,” he stressed, recalling that Pakistan too was founded on the concept of freedom. If you will not stand up for your rights, you will live a life that is of slaves and slaves have no life. Slaves are similar to how ants are - on the ground - they do not fly high. This is a battle for your rights and freedom … you have to continue peaceful protests until you get your right, which is seeing a government elected by you and not a qabza mafia,” Imran added.

Khan's imprisonment sparked widespread protests by PTI (the party he was Chairman of) supporters demanding his release, with notable clashes in May 2023 and November 2024.

Reports of restricted access for family, lawyers, and party members have raised concerns about isolation and potential mistreatment. Health issues, including significant vision loss in one eye attributed to delayed medical care, emerged in early 2026. Khan and his party maintain that the cases are politically motivated by the military establishment and the government of Shehbaz Sharif.

Following the verdict, Imran’s lawyer Barrister Gohar Khan expressed his disappointment and deemed it “a murder of justice”. “I was very disappointed and disheartened,” he told Dawn.com. “We weren’t even given a chance. We weren’t even allowed to cross [examine], to say anything in defence or conduct our arguments. I haven’t seen this kind of injustice before.”

Later, PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said in a press conference that their witnesses were not allowed in the court. Presenting witnesses was a fundamental right and the PTI was not given a “fair trial”, he decried. “Justice is being bulldozed and buried,” the lawyer said.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) expressed “serious reservations in relation to the legality” of [the] judgement leading to Imran’s arrest.

In a statement, SCBA President Barrister Abid S. Zuberi and Secretary Muqtedir Akhtar Shabbir said the judgement was issued in a “blatant violation” of the Islamabad High Court’s order, in which the trial court judge was asked to re-examine the jurisdiction of the ECP’s complaint.

“It is truly unfortunate that the Court has decided the case in absolute haste and without affording the accused a fair opportunity of hearing and in the absence of the counsel for the accused, which is in blatant violation of the accused’s fundamental rights as enshrined under the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the statement read.

The statement added: “That the historical trend of disqualification and ban of popular political leaders by the judiciary is against the principles of democracy and fair trial as enshrined under the Constitution".

The key motivator for his imprisonment

A leaked diplomatic cable surfaced, indicating that former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's dismissal from office may have been influenced by his visit to Russia on the day Ukraine was invaded in 2022. This revelation, shared by an American outlet, suggested that U.S.-Pakistan relations were strained by Khan's actions.

The document, known as a cypher, allegedly details conversations between Pakistani and U.S. officials. It shows the U.S. expressing displeasure at Khan's visit, indicating a shift in bilateral ties. 

So without a doubt Khan was trying to slip Pakistan out of the UK-U.S. orbit in order for his nation to be a sovereign state.

But the U.S. freaked out over his visiting Moscow. Khan was essentially signaling that his government would not join the anti-Russia phobia that was emanating from the traditional western colonial nations.

The rest of the story is obvious as Khan's 'sentence' will likely reduce his physical and mental abilities to be any real threat to the military government.

- Portions of this post were drawn from various article found on the internet. 

Trump's 'Board of Peace is failing'

Do watch Athena Rayburn, Chief Executive of the Association of International Development Agencies, deliver a devastating assessment of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and its handling of Gaza before the UN.

AIDA represent more than 100 international development and humanitarian NGOs trying to deliver aid to Gaza as Israel’s occupation continues.

She details restrictions on humanitarian aid, blocked medical supplies, and the continued killing of Palestinians under the so-called ceasefire. Rayburn challenges claims that Gaza is improving, arguing that a reduced risk of starvation means little while Palestinians remain at risk of shelling.

“The Board of Peace is failing,” she tells the Council, calling on its members to take responsibility for what is happening under their watch.   

'What I Saw Inside CNN Shocked Me'

Ana Maria Monjardino left CNN in October 2023, after deciding she could no longer reconcile her ethics with the organisation’s coverage of Israel and Palestine.

In this episode of The Walkout, Ana Maria reflects on her time inside CNN, the challenges of platforming Palestinian voices in mainstream media, why she ultimately resigned, and what she learned about journalism after leaving one of the world's biggest news organisations.

We also discuss independent journalism, impartiality and objectivity, and Ana Maria's subsequent reporting on Palestine-Israel in Latin America. 

Professor Marandi: White House has trapped itself in a ‘lose-lose’ situation

Inside the Board of Piss

Jared Kushner has a scheme to profit off world peace — and Gaza is the testing ground. 

There’s a web of private equity billionaires with ties to Israel and shadowy corporate armies who stand to profit off never-ending conflict. 

We investigated Trump’s Board of Peace. 

Ex-Settler Explains Why Israel Is Spiraling

It’s astonishing how comprehensive Israel’s program of indoctrination and control of its citizens is. Here’s the story from a guy who escaped this Truman World.

Daniel Klein was born and raised in Efrat, one of the largest religious Zionist settlements in the occupied West Bank. His family helped build the settlement movement, and he grew up immersed in its schools, institutions, theology, politics, and culture before serving as an IDF tank commander. In this conversation, Daniel shares an insider's account of life inside the religious Zionist world, the psychology of belief, the realities of the settlement project, and how Zionism can present a different face to different people while maintaining a powerful hold over identity and belonging.

We discuss Efrat, the West Bank, violent settlers, the relationship between Judaism and Zionism, the dehumanization of Palestinians, military service, nationalism, religious identity, cognitive dissonance, moral injury, and the personal costs of dissent. Daniel explains why leaving Zionism can mean losing family, friends, community, status, and purpose. He describes the process by which ideological systems reproduce themselves, how Israelis are taught to understand Palestinians, and why so many people remain trapped inside narratives.

We also explore Daniel's awakening during COVID, what caused his worldview to unravel, why he believes Israeli society is entering a period of profound crisis, and what lessons his journey offers for all of us.  

Trump restarts attacks on Iran - bombs a wedding

• Reuters: Oil prices jumped more than 2% on ‌Monday, with Brent back above $90 a barrel, after US forces struck two ⁠Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz. 'The US-Zionist enemy, once again, based on its desperation in solving domestic problems and reducing its credibility among regional countries, seeks to revive its nefarious role and justify public opinion. In a provocative act, it attacked Larak Island, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of several of our soldiers and fellow citizens', Iranian officials stated.   

• Iran shot down the 50th US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormoz, early yesterday. The Iranian Army Ground Forces also used Arash-2 one-way attack drones to target Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE. IRGC targeted technical and repair infrastructure + fighter jet deployment sites at two US airbases: King Hussein and Muwaffaq al Salti AB in Jordan, using ballistic missiles. 

• IRIB: 35 Iranian civilians were injured in the US attack on a wedding ceremony in Kohstak, Sirik in southern Iran.  Number of martyrs from the wedding ceremony bombing by the US has reached 4. 
• IRNA: In the US attacks carried out on Iran, just hours ago: A fish powder factory in Qeshm, a fishing pier, and a port administration platform in Sirik were targeted. More than 5 explosions were heard near the village of Masen on Qeshm Island. 4 additional explosions were also heard from the Strait of Hormoz, on Qeshm Island.
• Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to Donald Trump, officials said Monday, after repeated clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. His resignation marks the latest leadership shake-up amid the Trump administration’s ongoing war in Iran, and had been seen as increasingly imminent after months of friction with Hegseth and others aligned with the Pentagon chief. Hegseth and Driscoll clashed both professionally and personally over the firing of top generals, over Hegseth’s belief that Driscoll had not been appropriately deferential to the defense secretary and over other matters. Driscoll is a close friend and former Yale Law School classmate of V-P JD Vance. Hegseth has also forced out some of the Army’s top officers. They include Gen. James Mingus, the former vice chief of staff; Gen. Christopher Donahue, the former top Army general in Europe; Gen. David Hodne, the head of Army Transformation and Training Command.

• Responsible Statecraft: At a glance, the Hanover Institute for Public Policy looks like a new think tank dedicated to Israel/Palestine. The organization churns out think-tank style reports on questions such as “Does AIPAC Use Dark Money in Elections?” and “Is Israel Carrying out a Deliberate Campaign of Starvation in Gaza?” But the Hanover Institute is not a real think tank. None of the reports have bylines. A small disclaimer at the bottom of the webpage notes that the organization was created on behalf of the Israeli Government Advertising Agency by Piro, Inc, a firm co-founded by Daniel Rosenberg. The Hanover Institute’s reports — all of which are about Israel and Palestine — appear to be part of an Israeli effort to influence chatbots. 

• Several US military leaders have advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, including the US homeland. The warnings - detailed for Hegseth by the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force and the four-star commanders overseeing US operations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America - appear in the Aug. 14 edition of the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB). They described the assessment to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because the document is classified. The Aug. 14 orders book directs some troops deployed in the Middle East to remain there through September and some others into 2027, said those familiar with the document. The prospect of extending those forces further compelled military leaders to voice their concern. The military's warning to Hegseth, which has not been previously reported, offers new insight into the administration's dilemma as Trump seeks to end the conflict on terms favorable to the US while Iran, cognizant of the war's unpopularity with most Americans and its mounting toll on the U.S. arsenal, refuses to capitulate.  

• Iran is preparing a more aggressive response to renewed US attacks, and could strike economic targets as well as military sites, University of Tehran professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi has told RT. Marandi described the renewed US strikes as a “grave miscalculation” on the part of Washington and stated that Tehran will not hold back after the deaths of its servicemen. He predicted that the Iranian response will be “different from what we’ve had before” and include strikes on both military and economic assets. “The response is going to be very painful,” Marandi said, noting that it will likely have a significant impact on the US economy “in the weeks ahead,” possibly affecting the US midterm elections.

• 55 Zionist organizations around the world have launched an initiative called 'Gaza GenoLIE' to counter what they describe as the 'Gaza genocide lie', claiming that the characterization has been systematically promoted by anti-Zionist and anti-semitic networks in the US, Europe and other parts of the world. The initiative includes organizations such as the Ireland Israel Alliance, Italy’s Solomon Observatory on Discrimination and the Sweden Israel Alliance, along with Stand With Us, the World Jewish Congress, CAMERA and the National Jewish Advocacy Center. The initiative describes the 'Gaza genocide' as one of the biggest lies of the 21st century and says its website aims to provide material explaining and refuting the narrative that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. 

• In a recent article for Al Jazeera by Dr. Dianne Woodward, a former lecturer in Biological Sciences in the UK, “Gaza shares the Mediterranean, coastal ecosystems and coastal aquifers with Israel”, and Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s sanitation infrastructure means that 100,000 cubic metres of raw, untreated sewage are flowing into the Mediterranean or seeping into the land every day, with the sewage in the sea flowing north into Israeli waters. As well as poisoning itself by sea and through aquifers, Israel is also facing toxic blowback through its efforts to erase evidence of its genocide through massive land clearance projects in the two-thirds of Gaza under its military control. This was first exposed a month ago by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, when 100 trucks a day were removing rubble from Gaza to undisclosed locations in Israel and the West Bank. 

• In the latest episode of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ a Ukrainian man tried to prevent his friend being kidnapped by Zelensky’s meat hunters. The man tried to stop the kidnapping by laying behind the police car. Instead of preventing the death sentence, the police car ran the man over. 

• A prominent pro-Trump social media influencer has been secretly working inside the Pentagon for months, a revelation that has renewed scrutiny of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's ties to friendly online personalities even as he has spent more than a year restricting access for the traditional press. Jennica Pounds, who posts under the name DataRepublican to nearly a million followers on X, was confirmed this week to be working as a special government employee at the Department of Defence. In addition Hegseth has reportedly hired conservative military veterans with large social media followings — Rob Maness, a retired Air Force colonel with more than 135,000 X followers, and Kurt Schlichter, a retired Army colonel with 620,000 X followers—to work for the Pentagon . The reports raise questions about transparency and Hegseth's intentions in office. Starting in May 2025, Hegseth issued a memo requiring reporters to be escorted through hallways they had previously accessed freely, and later demanded journalists sign a pledge not to solicit or publish information the department had not explicitly authorized for release, even if it was unclassified. A federal judge later ruled that the credentialing policy's true purpose was to weed out disfavored journalists, though an appeals court has since allowed a related escort requirement to remain in place while the case continues.

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US could sanction China over its continued purchases from Iran, warning that “all options are on the table.” He also rejected claims that Washington is reluctant to target Beijing, calling that “a completely false narrative.” “This is going to be financial violence if we have to,” Bessent said, warning institutions involved in Iranian transactions: “We know who you are.”
• Trump Admin just accepted permit for an underwater AI data center off Eastport, Maine. $100 million project covering 27 acres in the Bay of Fundy near Kendall Head. Servers cooled by our ocean turning Western Passage into an industrial heat sink. Locals and the Passamaquoddy Tribe have been screaming about this for months. Thermal pollution risks cooking the water that sustains our lobsters, scallops, and clams. Data Center Developer is a Massachusetts luxury real estate guy who formed the company weeks before filing. 

• Korea Update: As a forward military base, logistics hub, intelligence platform, and missile platform within the US Indo-Pacific strategy, Japan is requesting ¥8.9 trillion ($55.66 billion USD) for its 2027 'defense' budget as Tokyo expands its long-range strike, hypersonic, drone, and AI capabilities. The stated priorities include new forms of warfare involving drones and artificial intelligence, the ability to sustain prolonged conflicts, strengthening the defense-industrial base, and improving conditions for Self-Defense Forces personnel. Japan is becoming militarily stronger, but not necessarily more autonomous. Instead, it is becoming increasingly integrated with the US military and geopolitical priorities through the expansion of its offensive military capabilities. Japan’s growing military power poses a threat to peace and stability in Northeast Asia. [You could call this Ukraine proxy war 2.0]

TPUSA is an Israeli front organization

In this episode of 51/49, James exposes Turning Point USA’s latest propaganda lie after a massive Israeli flag at an El Paso tour stop ignited backlash, revealing how spokesperson Andrew Kolvet was caught lying about the event decor before getting humiliated by online sleuths; and former staffer whistleblower claims of foreign donor control.  

What will it take for the world to realize we need a cleanse?

Robert Barnes: Washington Is Dismantling Its Own Empire One War at a Time

Attorney and political commentator (and former Trump lawyer) Robert Barnes joins former CIA analyst Larry Johnson to examine how the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the weaponization of the dollar and a succession of strategic miscalculations are reshaping the international order. 

From the growing alignment of Russia, China and Iran to mounting pressure on U.S. markets and domestic politics, they ask whether the system built to preserve American primacy has begun to work against itself. 

Barnes runs thru lots of history where the US worked with the mafia, drug lords, terrorists, Nazis and other similar gangster types in the Post WW2 era. 

Barnes also breaks down the current ramifications of increasing cost of fuels and the impacts on the economy. Farm clients of his are going out of business. Big box stores like Wal-Mart are facing serious layoffs due to the public not spending for the expensive luxury home items. 

He predicts the Dems will take back the House of Representatives in the Congress and in the Senate he predicts the Dems could take a slight advantage.

Having once represented Trump as his lawyer, Barnes also breaks down the current mental gymnastics that the Orange Man Bad is going thru each day.

Bruce

History lesson: WW2 Japan's invasions/occupations being rewritten

Jerry Grey is a retired British police supervisor who has been living in China for almost two decades. 

Here he exposes Wikipedia and other Western sources falsely denying Japan's invasions of Asian countries during WW2. 

CIA trip to Moscow, Zelensky casts blame for bombed weapons storage near homes

• The gap between America’s inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it is greater than the 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the Strait itself. Welcome to the post-American order in the Persian Gulf. 

• Strategic Culture Foundation: Before CIA head Ratcliffe’s departure, the US asked Ukraine to suspend drone and missile attacks on Moscow and cities in northern Russia from last Monday through Wednesday. Kiev was informed that a high-level American delegation was traveling through Russian territory. The US initiative portrays a position of weakness. A hegemonic power that perceives the erosion of its centrality has an interest in freezing open fronts in order to reorganize its lines. Strategic overextension is the classic ailment of mature empires. The decisive question is not whether the US is on its last legs, but rather whether it perceives that it can no longer sustain all fronts at once. Russian distrust of Western overtures is a well-established historical fact, and no negotiator from Moscow sits at the table without factoring in the possibility of deception. The other major issue, one of international calibration, is Israel which comes into play as a function of the Iranian question: Israeli security is the unspoken prerequisite for any American recalibration in the Middle East. The only thing that can be said with certainty is this: when the CIA director flies to Moscow in secret something significant is stirring beneath the surface of the conflicts. An inside source reported that another prominent figure was also present on the plane and in Moscow – namely, Vice President JD Vance. 

• Simplicius: It appears more and more likely that the CIA director’s true mission to Moscow was essentially an attempt to stop Russia from finishing off Ukraine. There are multiple possibilities for how this could have worked. One of them is that he carried with him an implied threat of European [NATO] escalation. By warning Russia not to escalate against Europe, he may have instead dropped the obvious hint that Russia itself would be forced into a European escalation if Russia does not back its foot off the gas on Ukrainian strikes.

• Greece and Israel are set to sign agreements next week in Tel Aviv launching the 'Achilles’ Shield', a multibillion-euro air defense project that Greek officials call a major step in modernizing the country’s defenses. The agreements will be signed on August 31 by Greece’s General Directorate for Defense Investments & Armaments and Israel’s Ministry of Defense. Once signed, the contracts will start a 35-month countdown to complete the project. The project is expected to cost a total of 3.1 billion euros. Twelve Greek companies are expected to take part, carrying out work valued at more than 700 million euros.

• RT: Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has repeatedly humiliated and abused a former household worker, at one point calling him an “undeveloped Moroccan,” a new lawsuit claims. The controversy adds to a years-long trail of remarkably similar allegations, painting a picture of intolerable conditions at the residence. According to Ben-Hamo, he sometimes worked from around 7:30 AM until the early hours of the following morning, clocking 60 to 80 hours of overtime a month. He claims to have “suffered extreme abuse” from the prime minister’s wife and endured screaming and humiliation when cleaning or household chores were not performed exactly as she wanted.

• Russia's Volna Kupol Garant appears to be the electronic warfare system responsible for the declining effectiveness of Starlink - a development Ukrainian military officials have begun to openly admit, notes air defense historian Yuri Knutov in comments to Sputnik. Unlike conventional jamming, which focuses on terminals, the system targets the frequencies used by Starlink satellites, the backbone of Ukrainian command and control, the expert says. “The Starlink signal can be completely jammed - or distorted badly enough to make it unusable also for communications,” says Knutov.

• External governance in Kyiv under the auspices of the UN could pave the way for a diplomatic settlement. This was stated on August 29 in an interview with RIA Novosti by Mikhail Galuzin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister. He reminded that President Vladimir Putin had previously proposed introducing temporary external administration in Ukraine under the auspices of the UN, the US, European countries, and Russian partners in order to hold elections for the Ukrainian top leadership. According to Putin, Russia could already be conducting negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian conflict.
• Former Ukrainian Defence Minister and terrorist, Mikhail Fedorov, has accepted a role as defence innovation adviser to Italy’s Guido Crosetto (Minister of Defence of Italy). Fedorov says he will help Italy adopt modern warfare technologies, including drones, autonomous systems and air defense, while continuing his main work in Ukraine. 

• Sputnik: Russian Armed Forces struck the Fire Point enterprise in the Kiev region, which produced and stored substances for solid-fuel boosters and warheads of Flamingo missiles, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.  Last night Kiev was hit with another massive attack, which resulted in the explosion (and secondary detonations) of a weapons depot with US Patriot missiles inside placed right next to a civilian area. 37 residents died. Surprisingly Zelensky acknowledged their error: "A terrible situation and terrible negligence on the part of those who stored explosives right next to people. Another such crime, after what happened in Vyshneve, is absolutely unacceptable. I expect the details to be presented to the public promptly. The first strike was on an Defense Forces ammunition storage site that definitely shouldn’t have been there. Shells, mines, other ammunition, and drones detonated. The scale is significant. We have already spoken with the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Commander-in-Chief – they have everything necessary for the investigation. I want to separately thank everyone who is there on the ground and at other sites of Russian strikes, doing everything possible to help and save people."  

• Trump has announced the creation of a 'Space Academy', like the Army's West Point, or the Navy's Annapolis. “Given the rapid growth of the Space Force and the commerce space industry and the expansion of our ambitions to the moon and far beyond the moon, it’s clear we will need to educate and train an entire generation of skilled service members, engineers and civil operators.” At the announcement he stated that we are winning the recent wars "because we get so much information from space". The only question now is where the 'academy' will be located. The announcement of a new military academy came days after the Trump administration released a space policy increasing the number of rocket launches into space. The president has long touted what he calls the “golden age” of space travel, seeking to double the Space Force’s budget to stay ahead of China in the battle for satellite supremacy. When the Space Force was created in 2020, the top general in charge told the Congress that it would be a 'lean' organization. Lately though the Space Force is begging for big budget increases "because they are being asked to do so many new military operations".  “Our nation will conquer [space], indeed, this vast frontier that we have before us,” Trump said. “We will explore it, tame it and we will win it.”  

• MSN: The US has gained a controlling stake in nearly a quarter of Venezuela’s untapped oil reserves. It makes the US the majority owner of a giant new joint venture oil company that will hold 100-year contracts at the Venezuelan oil fields. The key Venezuelan partner in the deal is Alejandro Betancourt, who controls the second-largest private oil company in the country. Betancourt, 46, has also been the subject of investigations in multiple countries into alleged money laundering and faces a Swiss warrant for his arrest. Trump said the Venezuela deal “will substantially lower gas prices for all Americans,” although most experts say that any real increase in Venezuelan oil production is years away. Trump also claimed the deal would come at no cost to US taxpayers. It is unclear who would make the tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure investments needed before oil can be pumped from the largely dormant fields. Major oil companies have mostly seen such spending as too risky.
• A Native tribe’s way of life was threatened by Trump's Canada tariffs. The Blackfeet Nation (Montana) faces severe economic hardship as international trade tensions escalate. Native American business owners, including ranchers, transportation operators, and tourism industry, have experienced substantial revenue declines over the past two years due to existing tariff policies. With new trade disputes on the horizon, tribal communities fear further deterioration of their already vulnerable economic situation and limited employment opportunities.

• Safe Tech Int'l: For decades, Big Tech has exploited us and shredded the fabric of our society under the guise of progress. Its platforms have enabled genocide, fueled suicides, and laid waste to our collective mental health, and now, with artificial intelligence, it also wants to take our jobs. Politicians smarter than Trump are abruptly flip-flopping on the issue. Texas has 582 data centers that are either operating or planned to be built. Texas Republican governor, Greg Abbott, is touting the planned buildout of data centers, calling the state the “epicenter of AI development.” America is sick of Big Tech running roughshod over society. Polls show that 1/2 of Americans want tech executives to have less power, and that 3/4 say social media’s negative effect on children’s development is a serious problem. Data centers aren’t much different—other than they are physical and local manifestations of Big Tech’s excess.