Trump brings his VP stakes into the courtroom

Donald Trump will bring two running mate contenders in his entourage when he arrives in court for the Manhattan trial on Tuesday.

The former president brought his son Eric and his team of loyal aides for the opening weeks of the case.

Now he is turning to Republican politicians and candidates to be his vice president for support.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramswamy will sit in the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday for the second day of Michael Cohen’s testimony.

Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Congressmen Byron Donalds and Cory Mills will also be in tow.

Limited in the campaigninghe can do from the courtroom, he is now bringing the VP stakes and his biggest allies with him.

Rob Crilly

@robcrilly

Trumps entourage today will be, per source:

Speaker Mike Johnson

ND Gov. Doug Burgum

Rep. Byron Donalds

Rep. Cory Mills

Vivek Ramaswamy

Really is the VP stakes in the Courtroom

8:16 AM · May 14, 2024

https://x.com/robcrilly/status/1790355490943139944

The mysterious suicide that rocked Washington: How drug lobbyist linked to the Clintons was found dead at an ultra-exclusive golf club frequented by presidents… and left just a three-word note 1/2

08:02 EDT 14 May 2024

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia has hosted a number of U.S. presidents to its greens.

But it was also the scene of a mysterious suicide in 2015 that rocked Washington years before it made the headlines.

In their new book, The Wolves of K Street, journalist brothers Brody and Luke Mullinsdevote many, many pages to the rise and fall of drug lobbyist Evan Morris.

Morris shot and killed himself by the firepit of the elite golf club, leaving nothing but a taped note that said 'Do Not Resuscitate' behind.

Mourners at his funeral gasped when the rabbi revealed the 38-year-old had died by suicide, with few knowing that he had accumulated his massive wealth via an elaborate kickback scheme that allowed him to buy Porsches, a luxury wooden speedboat and finance memberships to eight elite golf clubs.

In the book, which was released earlier last week, the authors detail the often-wild way Morris became a Washington power player, with his tentacles extending to nearly every powerful Democrat in the city - starting with the Clintons.

Morris was a Clinton White House intern as a college student- though was in a different class than Monica Lewinsky, by far the most famous intern of that era.

That taste of D.C. compelled the New York-born Morris to come back to the city for law school, studying at George Washington University, where he got an internship at the prestigious law firm Patton Boggs.

Having done a good job under Patton Boggs' lobbying umbrella, Morris was offered a job before graduation. He realized at a young age one of the most impactful ways to get the attention of the powerful was to become a bundler - one who collects political donations for a particular candidate.

In 2004, Morris bundled $100,000 in contributions for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean as he competed in the Democratic primary. When Dean screamed - and then fizzled - Morris moved on to Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry - putting together $150,000 checks for Kerry's campaign.

The then-27-year-old pushed to be named a Vice Chair for the Kerry campaign, which he was, alongside bigwigs like Jeffrey Katzenberg, a current top dog at the Biden campaign.

The political bundling Morris accomplished in his early days working for the lobbying firmalso gave him his first taste of good press, as The New York Times included him in a story about young Democratic movers and shakers.

The article detailed how Morris had put together a roundtable of rising stars including now Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Linda Sanchez at the Ritz-Carlton amid the Democratic National Convention.

At the same time, Patton Boggs was doing work for the drugmaker Roche, which was under fire for its acne medication Accutane, which Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak blamed for the suicide death of his 17-year-old son, as the teen's drug hadn't been labeled for mental health risks.

With Patton Boggs' help, Roche was able to wade through the scandal. It made the Switzerland-based drug company realize it needed greater representation in Washington. Morris saw an opportunity and snatched it -becoming Roche's in-house lobbyistafter spending just two years at Patton Boggs. And to show his new clout, he eventually fired Patton Boggs from the Roche account.

He wanted to be feared,' a friend told the author. 'He enjoyed it being known that he was willing to fire Patton Boggs. He wanted to show that he was in charge.' A Switzerland-based colleague of Morris' recalled how distasteful she found the lobbyist's conversations about money, as he often flaunted how much he was making.

'One day,' she said, 'I am going to open the paper and there is going to be a huge story about Evan, and it's going to be very embarrassing for Roche.' It would take years, however, for much of that story to be unearthed.

In the meantime, Morris would use a well-known name to secure a promotion - that of Hunter Biden. When Roche was merging with Genentech, Morris and another candidate were being considered to take over the combined lobbying shop.

Morris wooed the executives making that decision with tickets to the White House Easter Egg Roll.

He procured those tickets, according to the authors,by buttering up to the younger Biden by donating $50,000 to a non-profitthe vice president's son cared about, Artists & Athletes Alliance.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13404525/mysterious-death-lobbyist-golf-club-presidents.html

>>20865227

2/2

Morris used that same donation to snag a ticket to a 2009 inaugural event at Cafe Milano - a Georgetown restaurant known for its celebrity clientele - where he partied alongside Hunter Biden, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Tobey Maguire and Queen Noor of Jordan.

While he was buttering up the executives with Egg Roll tickets, Morris also planted a story in Politico questioning why Roche would put a Republican - the party of his competition - in charge of its Washington lobbying practice when Democrats were in control of government.

He also sullied his female competitor's chances for the promotion by making up a rumor that she lost her cool on a TSA agent, a lie that the authors found was helped spread by Jim Courtovich, a veteran Republican operative.

Morris got the big job helming the lobbying shop now under the Genentech banner.

He continued to partner wth Courtovich, a media strategist who was a beloved character on the Washington cocktail circuit who was partnered, for many years, with established political reporter Jeff Zeleny, now on-air talent at CNN.

The book details a number of eyebrow-raising ways Morris was able to get favorable legislation penned and regulation made to benefit Genentech - but what was more eye-popping - and led to the lobbyist's downfall - was a business arrangement he had with Courtovich behind the drugmaker's back.

Sources told the authors the corruption was hiding in plain sight. Morris and Courtovich were men about town - they'd host 'drunk lunches,' with a lobbyist recalling a $2,000 wine being ordered at a weekday meal.

At another instance, the lobbyist ordered $10,000 worth of wine to his house - to be used at a company retreat held at his Eastern Shore home (bought for $3.1 million in cash) - but only a handful of bottles were served.

Morris was a member at eight different golf clubs, while the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club alone costs $150,000 to join.

The lobbyist gave various explanations for how he could afford the memberships - including that Genentech had financed the membership or he'd gotten them for setting up events for the Clinton Foundation.

Memberships to a club in New Jersey and another in San Francisco came thanks to his work helping state officials resolve water issues. Morris also purchased a $300,000 custom-made 30-foot mahogany speedboat.

He told his wife he won the boat after buying all 50,000 available tickets at a charity auction, while telling family members Genentech and given him the vessel, along with a condo in San Francisco, to be near headquarters.

Morris told colleagues he was gifted the boat by his father-in-law, an NBA physician.Inside Genentech, questions were raised why so much money was going to Courtovich's firm,with $3 million alone being paid out in 2012 for 'media consulting.'

Courtovich had left the firm National Media to start his own firm Sphere but he still made use of National Media's accounting department, where employees thought it odd that Morris and Courtovich were passing large sums of money back and forth between each other.

In 2012, one of Courtovich's employees asked National Media's accountant to prepare a $303,048 check to be made out to Hacker Boat Company, a custom boat maker located in Lake George, New York.

National Media's accountant refused to pay the funds out, saying he needed further explanation about the expense. Morris provided it, sending over an 'Invoice for Democratic Attorney General Event,' saying the money would pay for renting Hacker's lakeside headquarters and meals for 150 guests and the water taxis that would shuttle them over.

The accountant approved the funds but swore off doing any more business with Courtovich.

Of course the authors uncovered the obvious - that no event ever happened and the exact cost of Morris' custom-made boat was $303,048.

And both federal investigators and internal investigators at Genentech were on to the large-scale kickback scheme- in which Morris would pay Courtovich for media consulting work and then Courtovich would pay back Morris for 'expenses.'

On July 9, 2015, Michael Bopp, Genentech's lawyer with the firm Gibson Dunn and Maureen Stewart, a young lawyer at the firm, called Morris in for a meeting.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13404525/mysterious-death-lobbyist-golf-club-presidents.html

>>20865231

He fucked around and found out what Pharma companies will do for revenge

Public trust in the Government plummets over past two years with less than a third now believing they can be trusted compared to 42 per cent in 2021, survey finds14, May 2024

Public trust in the Government and politicians has plummeted over the past two years, a report has concluded. Research commissioned by the UK Statistics Authority found thatless than a third (31 per cent) of the British public believed the Government could be trusted, in 2023.

The figure was11 per cent lower compared to 2021when public trust in the Government stood at 42 per cent.

And politicians generally fared no better – public trust in theUK Parliament was 36 per cent, down from 49 per cent in 2021.

It was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research for the Public Confidence in Official Statistics (PCOS) Survey, which is carried out every two years.

Its purpose is to explore the public’s attitude towards official statistics and how trusted they are

The survey compares the Official for National Statistics to other UK institutions in public life, with more than 2,300 British adults consulted.

And while the ONS scored highly in terms of public trust – 87 per cent of respondents said they trusted it – the same could not be said of other institutions.

Trust in the Bank of England fell from 86 per cent in 2021 to 79 per cent in 2023, while trust in the Civil Service dropped from 81 per cent to 75 per cent.

The lowest scoring was the UK media – just 25 per cent of respondents said it was trustworthy, although this was up from 23 per cent in 2021.

The report read: ‘Compared to 2021, there was a noticeable decrease in the level of trust respondents reported in a number of state-led institutions such as the UK Parliament, the Government, the civil service, the police, and the Bank of England.

‘However, trust reported in ONS, the media, the courts and high street banks and financial institutions remained consistent with the answers from the previous survey year.’

Of the respondents who said they did not trust the ONS the most common reason for not doing so (49 per cent) was concern that statistics would be misrepresented by politicians.

Some 41 per cent thought the Government has a vested interest in the statistics and manipulated the results, while 45 per cent felt the figures didn’t tell the whole story.

Overall, nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of the public thought ONS statistics were free from political interference.

But 68 per cent disagreed that the Government presents statistics honestly – 75 per cent disagreed that newspapers presented them honestly.

The results come following two years of political turmoil which has seen the Government lurch from crisis to crisis. Revelations Downing Street staff held lockdown parties first emerged in November 2021 – as the 2021 PCOS survey was being conducted.

Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister in July 2022 in the aftermath of allegations of sexual misconduct against former Tory whip Chris Pincher.Mr Johnson was then succeeded by Liz Truss who resigned after just 49 days as prime minister, following a disastrous mini-budget and crisis in confidence.

The Government has also been forced to tackle the cost of living crisis as well as ongoing strike actions on the railways and by junior doctors. The UK Statistics Authority acts as an independent body and produces statistics through the ONS. It also performs regulatory functions through the Office for Statistics Regulation.

Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said: ‘While this is just one source of information about how people view the statistical system, it's reassuring that trust has remained consistently high over time among those who respond, although we shouldn’t be surprised if we see some change next year given the challenges the system has had to confront in more recent months.

‘As recommended by the recent independent review of the Authority, later this year we (together with the Royal Statistical Society) will convene a Statistical Assembly of producers, users and stakeholders, to explore how we can best serve the public good over the next three years.’

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician, said: ‘Now more than ever it is vitally important that citizens know where to find reliable, impartial statistics and trust the Office for National Statistics to handle their data safely and responsibly. We will continue to work hard to maintain and build upon that trust as we continue to modernise and improve our statistics in the months and years ahead.’

A Government spokesman said: ‘This Government is absolutely committed to the core values of transparency, integrity and professionalism.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13415511/Public-trust-Government-plummets-survey-finds.html

Should our future food be genetically engineered?

Genetically modified crops can help cut carbon emissions, research shows — but they still face major hurdles.

By Shannon Osaka

May 13, 2024 at 6:30 a.m. EDT

The Philippines Department of Agriculture has a vision: to become the first country to allow the commercial production of golden rice, a 20-year-old genetically modified crop that could prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of childhood blindness around the world.

But the country’s appeals court came to a very different decision last month. The court banned cultivating the crop, named for the yellow color that comes from the addition of Vitamin A, as well as a genetically modified eggplant.

“This decision is a monumental win for Filipino farmers and Filipino people who have for decades stood up against genetically modified (GM) crops,” Wilhelmina Pelegrina, a Southeast Asia campaigner for Greenpeace, an advocacy group that has opposed genetically modified crops for decades, said in a statement.

While genetically modified crops may still provoke fear and uncertainty, some scientists argue that not only can they help to alleviate human health concerns, but they might also be able to help fight climate change. And as new tools like CRISPR, which can make targeted cuts in DNA, gain traction, genetic food engineering could be on the cusp of a quantum leap.

“It’s all political,” Stuart Smyth, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Saskatchewan, said of the Philippines decision. “It’s not based on science.”

Genetically modified crops are ones that have had genetic material inserted from another species of organism. For example, the first genetically modified food product — a tomato introduced to the public in 1994 as the “Flavr Savr” — had two genes added. One conferred antibiotic resistance, and another gave the tomato a longer shelf life. (The company manufacturing the Flavr Savr, Calgene, had to cease production in 1997 because of rising costs.)

Today, there are only a few genetically modified crops in production, but those that exist are widely grown. In the United States, 94 percent of all soybeans, 96 percent of all cotton and 92 percent of all corn was genetically modified as of 2020, according to the Food and Drug Administration. These crops became popular because of their ability to withstand glyphosate, a key ingredient in the herbicide known as “Roundup.” Other countries that grow genetically modified crops widely include Canada, Brazil and India.

No major scientific research has found that genetically modified crops cause health problems in humans. In a 400-plus-page report published in 2016, the National Academies of Science found that “no substantiated evidence that foods from GE [genetically engineered] crops were less safe than foods from non-GE crops.” The report urged analysis of such foods by the traits that they include, rather than how they were created.

Yet engineered crops remain unpopular. According to a Pew Research Center poll from 2020, 38 percent of Americans believe genetically modified crops are unsafe, compared with 27 percent who believe they are safe. Thanks to a law passed by Congress in 2016, foods in the United States are required to be labeled as bioengineered if they involved genetic engineering beyond what could be accomplished with conventional breeding techniques. One analysis showed that consumers are willing to pay 20 percent moreto avoid GM foods.

At the same time, a small but growing body of research has argued that GM foods could play a significant role in cutting carbon emissions. In a study published last year, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany and the Berkeley, Calif.-based Breakthrough Institute found that widespread use of these crops in Europe could cut the agricultural sector’s emissions by 7.5 percent.

Another study found that the use of GM crops globally saves around 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year — equal to removing around half of all vehicles from roads in the United Kingdom.

There are two primary ways genetically engineered crops could cut carbon emissions…

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/05/13/gmos-climate-emissions-philippines-rice/

The answer, NO, TO THE FUCKING NO!

Foreign terrorist organizations could target Pride month events: FBI, DHS

(Another Hoax Incoming)

The threats could come online, in person or in the mail, according to the FBI.

May 13, 2024, 2:07 PM ET

Foreign terrorist organizations may seek to exploit "LGBTQIA+-related events and venues," including events during 2024 Pride month – celebrated in June, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned in a recent public service announcement.

"Organizations like ISIS may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month," according to the announcement, which the agencies issued last week. The announcement added that the threat is "compounded" by the "current heightened threat environment" in the United States.

The threats could come online, in person or in the mail, according to the FBI and DHS.

Last February, ISIS "called for followers to conduct attacks on unidentified soft targets, although the attacks and targets were not specific to LGBTQIA+ venues," the agencies wrote in the public service announcement.

Nearly eight years ago, ISIS applauded the June 12, 2016, shooting at Pulse nightclub – when a gunman killed 49 and wounded 53 at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

"After the Pulse shooting, pro-ISIS messaging praised this attack as one of the high-profile attacks in Western countries, and FTO supporters celebrated it," the FBI and DHS wrote in the announcement.

While there's no evidence that ISIS directed or had prior knowledge of the attack, the shooter called 911 after the shooting began to pledge his allegiance to ISIS.

Javed Ali, the former senior counterterrorism director on the National Security Council, said members of the LGBTQ+ community have long been the target of terrorist groups.

"LGBQTIA+ members have drawn the ire of al-Qaida and ISIS supporters in the past based on their perceived lifestyles and beliefs," Ali, who is now an associate professor at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy, told ABC News. "However, the degree to which this announcement was driven by specific and credible intelligence about attacks here against this community, versus a more general abundance of caution based on Pride month, remains unclear."

Probing security measures at events, photography of security and unusual questioning about event security are all telltale signs that an attack might be planned, the FBI warned.

Last year, experts warned to cancel Pride events because of the threats they received.No major events were cancelled, however.

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement to ABC News that Pride events "bring communities together" and that safety remains a priority for all LGBTQ gatherings.

"A fringe few extremists, domestically and overseas, are irrationally threatened by the rising tide of acceptance for LGBTQ people," Ellis said. "It is important to keep Prides safe for all attendees, and for people to keep showing up during Pride and throughout the year to speak up for the equality and safety of their communities and all marginalized people." (One of the least marginalized group there is today)

(At least he didn’t blame MAGA or Christians)

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/foreign-terrorist-organizations-target-pride-month-events-fbi/story?id=110178875

Oh Hell NOGame on anons. Memes Galore!

Vindman’s brother running for House.

https://x.com/YVindman/status/1790080132964614302

>>20865329

How many?

Can you list the names? We could have a meme war game on all of them

>>20865315

Kek

>>20865327

Yep. How come they name Christian events targeted by terrorists. These agencies are fixated on fear porn. Like Isis would come to America to attack gay events. Just like Bidan that ignored the Christmas shooting of Christians in WI. Totally ignored it.

Blinken Tells Zelensky US AID Is On Way, during a surprise Ukraine visit

May 14, 2024

Summary

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells President Volodymyr Zelensky that military aid is "now on its way" during a surprise visit to Kyiv

• The top US diplomat tells the Ukrainian president the weapons will "make a real difference" against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield

• A senior US official says the American-funded weapons now arriving at the front line include air defence interceptors, artillery and ATACMS long-range precision guided missiles

• The visit comes as the country struggles to hold back a major Russian incursion near its second biggest city of Kharkiv

• The cross-border offensive in Kharkiv region is one of the most significant Russian ground attacks since the start of the war

• UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps tells the BBC he thinks the world "took its eye off the ball" regarding Ukraine's need for arms

What are the 28 ships Grant Shapps is talking about?

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was on BBC Radio 4 this morning talking about support for Ukraine and the UK’s defence capability, including building “up to 28 ships”.

What are they?

He’s been talking the most today about six multi-role support ships (MRSS) for the Royal Marines, of which he told BBC News “we’ll definitely build the first three”.

The MRSS ships are described by the Ministry of Defence as being at the “concept” phase, which is the first stage of the process.

Another eight of the ships are Type 26 Frigates, of which the first three will enter service before 2030. Shapps said he had been “clambering all over” one of them in Scotland last week.

Five of the ships are Type 31 frigates, which are due to be in the fleet by 2030.

Two Astute Class submarines are currently under construction.

The four Dreadnought Class submarines will carry the UK’s nuclear deterrent when they enter service in the early 2030s. The Royal Navy’s annual report said construction of two of them was “well under way”.

And the last three are Fleet Solid Support ships, which are scheduled to begin production next year, with the first entering service by 2031.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-69007139

Here are the NYT Siena state poll results with Robert Kennedy included. It’s even worse for Biden.

I don’t believe the MI number, that’s where all the Muslims live, but its only a few points!

https://x.com/IAPolls2022/status/1789974589797171492

>>20865379

Thats the only way Trump can campaign, I like these daily courthouse chats

>>20865430

Yeah, I don’t who that is either. Why do independents or others even run?

DOJ requests judge order Steve Bannon to begin prison sentence

An appeals court upheld Bannon's contempt of Congress conviction last week.

ByAlexander Mallin,Jonathan KarlandLaura Romero

May 14, 2024, 8:57 AM

(Just like they took PDJT off the campaign, they are trying to shut Bannon up. Criminals at DOJ will get their own judgement. Cheaters)

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday requested the judge overseeing ex-Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon's criminal contempt of Congress case to order that he begin his four-month prison sentence, after an appeals court last week upheld his conviction.

Prosecutors said there is no legal basis for Judge Carl Nichols to continue the stay on Bannon serving his sentence after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals' conclusive ruling that rejected the basis for Bannon's appeal on all grounds.

"Consequently, there is no longer a 'substantial question of law that is likely to result in a reversal or an order for a new trial,'" prosecutors wrote in their filing Tuesday.

It's not immediately clear when Nichols will rule on the request.

"I'm shocked they want to silence the voice of MAGA," Bannon told ABC News in regards to Tuesday's news.

Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt in October 2022, but Nichols agreed to postpone the jail term while Bannon appealed the decision.

The three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said in its opinion Friday, "We conclude that none of the information sought in the trial subpoenas was relevant to the elements of the contempt offense, nor to any affirmative defense Bannon was entitled to present at trial."

"The judgment of conviction and sentence [is] affirmed," the judges concluded.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/doj-requests-judge-order-steve-bannon-begin-prison/story?id=110209704

(Get a room you two)

Blinken in Kyiv says US arms will make a difference as Ukraine reels from a new Russian offensive

MATTHEW LEE.1/2

Updated Tue, May 14, 2024

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that American military aid on its way to Ukrainewould make a “real difference” on the battlefield, as the top diplomat made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to reassure an ally facing a fierce new Russian offensive.(Blinken is a LIAR)

In increasingly intense attacks along the northeastern border in recent days, Moscow’s troops have captured around 100 to 125 square kilometers (40 to 50 square miles) in the Kharkiv region that includes at least seven villages, according to open-source monitoring analysts. Though most of those villages were already depopulated, thousands of civilians in the area have fled the fighting.

The Kremlin’s forces have also been making a concerted push in the east, seeking to drive deeper into the partly occupied Donetsk region. The main focus of Russian attacks Tuesday was Pokrovsk, just inside the Ukrainian border in Donetsk, where the Kremlin’s forces launched 24 assaults, the Ukrainian general staff said in a report.

Analysts have called this moment one of the most dangerous for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasionin February 2022 — and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Tuesday for more air defense systems to protect civilians under Russian fire in the northeast.

“We know this is a challenging time,” Blinken said in the Ukrainian capital where he met with Zelenskyy. But he added that American military aid is “going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield.”

The visit comes less than a month after Congress approved a long-delayed foreign assistance package that sets aside $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, much of which will go toward replenishing badly depleted artillery and air defense systems.

Some of that “is now on the way,” Blinken said, and some has already arrived in Ukraine.

Moscow’s renewed offensive in the northeastern region of Kharkiv is the most significant border incursion since the early days of the war — and comes after months when the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line barely budged.

More than 7,500 civilians have been evacuated from the area, according to authorities. At the same time, the Kremlin’s forces are expanding their push to the northern border regions of Sumy and Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials say, and Kyiv's outgunned and outnumbered soldiers are struggling to hold them back.

Troops fought street to street on the outskirts of Vovchansk, among the largest towns in the Kharkiv area, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said on national television. Two civilians were killed in Russian shelling Tuesday, he said.

The U.N. human rights office said the battles are taking a heavy toll.

“We are deeply concerned at the plight of civilians in Ukraine,” Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in Geneva. “In the Kharkiv region, the situation is dire.” (Kiev is bombing Russian civilians, isn’t the UN concerned about them? Russia is not bombing civilians!)

Zelenskyy thanked Blinken for the U.S. aid — but added that more is necessary,including two Patriot air defense systemsurgently needed to protect Kharkiv. “The people are under attack: civilians, warriors, everybody. They’re under Russian missiles,” he said…

https://www.yahoo.com/news/blinken-visits-ukraine-tout-us-023039744.html

>>20865550

2/2

Artillery, air defense interceptors and long-range ballistic missiles have already been delivered, some of them already to the front lines, said a senior U.S. official traveling with the secretary on an overnight train from Poland who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of Blinken’s meetings.

Ahead of the trip, U.S. officials noted that since President Joe Biden signed the aid package late last month, the administration has already announced $1.4 billion in short-term military assistance and $6 billion in longer-term support.

Blinken, on his fourth trip to Kyiv since Russian troops rolled over the border, told Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal that theU.S. intends to support Kyiv beyond the war's end.

“The United States is determined, determined to help Ukraine succeed, succeed both in the battlefield victory but also succeed, as we would say, in winning the peace and building the strongest possible Ukraine,” Blinken said.(Fuck Off Blinken)

The administration is “trying to really accelerate the tempo” of U.S. weapon shipments, said national security adviser Jake Sullivan. But delays in U.S. assistance, particularly since the Israel-Hamas war began and has preoccupied top administration officials, have triggered deep concerns in Kyiv and Europe. Blinken, for example, has visited the Middle East seven times since the war in Gaza began in October. His last trip to Kyiv was in September.

Blinken went with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba for lunch at a Kyiv pizza restaurant founded by Ukrainian veterans, pronouncing it “superb.” On Blinken’s last visit, the pair ate at a recently reopened McDonald’s restaurant. The secretary of state was due togive a speech later Tuesday extolling Ukraine’s “strategic successes” in the war. It is intended to complement a Blinken address last year in Helsinki, Finland, deriding Putin for Moscow’s strategic failures in launching the war. (WTF they’ve have no major successes)

Since the Helsinki speech, however, Russia has intensified its attacks, most noticeably as the U.S. House of Representatives sat on the aid package for months without action, forcing a suspension in the provision of most U.S. assistance. Those attacks have increased in recent weeks as Russia has sought to take advantage of Ukrainian shortages in manpower and weapons while the new assistance is in transit.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to make a two-day state visit to China this week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. Beijing has backed Moscow politically in the war and has sent machine tools, electronics and other items seen as contributing to the Russian war effort, without actually exporting weaponry.

“A strong, successful, thriving, free Ukraine is the best possible rebuke to Putin and the best possible guarantor for your future,” Blinken told Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

The senior U.S. official said despite some recent setbacks, Ukraine could still claim significant victories. Those include reclaiming some 50% of the territory Russian forces took in the early months of the war, boosting its economic standing and improving transportation and trade links, not least through military successes in the Black Sea.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/blinken-visits-ukraine-tout-us-023039744.html

>>20865555

Great quads anon.

14 MAY, 07:28

All Ukrainians who covered up Nord Stream sabotage identified, politician says

According to Andrey Derkach, members of the group led by Roman Chervinsky acted under instructions fromChristopher Smith, "the No.2 at the US Embassy in Ukraine at that time and a well-known" CIA agent

MINSK, May 14. /TASS/. All the members of the group of Ukrainians who took part in the cover-up of the sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipelines have been identified,Andrey Derkach, a Ukrainian politician and activist, said.

In an interview with BelTA released on the news agency’s YouTube channel, he recalled that the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office had earlier forwarded Russian lawmakers’ requests and addresses to the United States, Germany, France and Cyprus regarding the blowing-up of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines.

"We have identified almost every member of the group" of saboteurs, Derkach said as he pointed to, among other people, Roman Chervinsky, whom The Washington Post earlier describedas the coordinator of the explosions, and Marina Sitalo, 50, who Derkach called one of Ukraine’s best commercial divers and an "interesting person."

According to the politician, members of thegroup led by Chervinsky, who had been issued Romanian passports,acted under instructions from Christopher Smith, "the No.2 at the US Embassy in Ukraine at that time and a well-known" CIA agent. He currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eastern Europe (EE) and Policy and Regional Affairs (PRA) in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. "He maintained a very good personal relationship with former chief of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s GUR (Main Intelligence Directorate - TASS) [Vasily] Burba. Actually, [current GUR head] Kirill Budanov is his student," Derkach explained.

He described the cover-up story as very well thought out. "The experience of the CIA or MI-6 in prepping such operations cannot be underestimated," he concluded.

https://tass.com/politics/1787697

14 MAY, 07:33

Kremlin says no mechanisms in place to exchange info on Nord Stream sabotage with Kiev

Dmitry Peskov added that Kiev's information about the Nord Stream explosions, if it is of any value at all, "is something that the Dutch, the Swedes and others should scrutinize"

MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. There are no mechanisms in place to exchange information about the sabotage on the Nord Streams between Russia and Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Commenting on a remark by Andrey Derkach, a Ukrainian politician and public activist, who said earlier on Tuesday that all Ukrainians who covered up the blowing-up of the natural gas pipelines had been identified, Peskov said: "We have no mechanisms for exchanging information with the Kiev regime, and one can hardly imagine the availability of any now."

When asked about whether Kiev had shared any information about the Nord Stream explosions with Moscow, the Russian presidential spokesman said such information, if it is of any value at all, "is something that the Dutch, the Swedes and others should scrutinize."

Earlier, Derkach said thatall the members of the group of Ukrainians who took part in the cover-up the sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipelines had been identified. In an interview with BelTA released on the news agency’s YouTube channel, he recalled that the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office had earlier forwarded Russian lawmakers’ requests and addresses to the United States, Germany, France and Cyprus regarding the blowing-up of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines…

https://tass.com/world/1787693

MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE

14 MAY, 06:55

50 Russians killed, nearly 190 wounded in Ukraine’s shelling attacks in past week

According to Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at Large Rodion Miroshnik, Ukrainian troops used foreign-made drones, Czech-, Turkish-, and US-made projectiles, including ATACMS missiles

MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/.Fifty residents of Russia’s regions bordering Ukrainehave been killed and 187 have been wounded in shelling attacks by Ukrainian troops over the past week, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at Large Rodion Miroshnik said.

"While retreating and sustaining serious losses on the battlefield, the Kiev regime’s militants redirect their strikes onto civilian facilities and civilians, seeking to compensate for military failures. Over the past week, casualties among civilians in the frontline Russian territories fromNazi shelling attacks amounted to 237: a total of 187 people, including 13 minors, were wounded, and 50, including two children, were killed," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to Miroshnik, Ukrainian troops used foreign-made drones, Czech-, Turkish-, and US-made projectiles, including ATACMS missiles.At least 1,983 rounds were fired by Ukrainian forces at civilian facilities in Russia, he added.

(I’m sure the UN will give a statement of concern for Russian Civilians soon)

https://tass.com/politics/1787669

6 May, 2024 14:10

Russia issues military ultimatum to UK

Moscow has threatened retaliation for any attacks with British weapons

Moscow will retaliate against British targets in Ukraine or elsewhere if Kiev uses UK-provided missiles to strike Russian territory, the Foreign Ministry told London’s ambassador on Monday.

Ambassador Nigel Casey was summoned to the ministry following remarks by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to Reuters that Ukraine has the right to use long-range missiles sent by the UK to strike deep inside Russia.

”Casey was warned that the response to Ukrainian strikes using British weapons on Russian territory could be any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the meeting.

The US and its allies had previously qualified their deliveries of long-range weapons to Kiev by saying they could only be used on territories that Ukraine claims as its own – Crimea, the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Cameron’s statements to the contrary “de facto recognized his country as a party to the conflict.”

Russia understands Cameron’s comments as “evidence of a serious escalation and confirmation of London’s increasing involvement in military operations on the side of Kiev,” the ministry added.

Casey was urged to “think about the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps from London and to immediately refute in the most decisive and unequivocal manner the bellicose provocative statements of the head of the Foreign Office.”

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry announced an exercise to test the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. President Vladimir Putin ordered the drills after “provocative statements and threats” by Western officials, the military said.

Moscow hopes the drills will “cool down the ‘hot heads’ in Western capitals and help them understand the possible catastrophic consequences of the strategic risks they generate,” as well as “keep them from both assisting the Kiev regime in its terrorist actions and being drawn into a direct armed confrontation with Russia,” the Foreign Ministry said in a follow-up statement.

French Ambassador Pierre Levy was also summoned to the Foreign Ministry. Moscow has not yet disclosed the details of the meeting.

(UK decides to do it anyway, see next article)

https://www.rt.com/russia/597075-russia-military-ultimatum-uk/

>>20865632

14 May, 2024 13:11

Ukraine can use British weapons to strike Crimea – defense secretary

Russia has threatened retaliation for any attacks with UK-supplied arms against its territory

Ukraine can use any weapons supplied by the UK to launch strikes on Russia’s Crimean Peninsula,British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps confirmedto journalists on Tuesday. London considers the region, which joined Russia in 2014 following a referendum, to be an “integral part of Ukraine,” he said.

Russia has already warned that it could retaliate to any strikes by attacking British military targets in Ukraine and beyond.

Speaking at a Royal Navy conference in the British capital, Shapps maintained that avictory for Russia would be “unimaginable and unacceptable” for the UK, and called for intensified arms deliveries to Kiev.

When asked specifically about the weapons the UK has supplied to Ukraine, the defense secretary replied that “we have provided munitions for weapons to be used in the territory of Ukraine, including Crimea.” He refused to reveal further details about the exact agreements reached by London and Kiev, saying he would “not go beyond that in talking about tactics.”

Earlier in May, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron told Reuters that Ukraine had the right to use long-range missiles sent by the UK to strike deep inside Russia. Moscow condemned the remarks, summoning London’s ambassador to warn him about possible retaliation, should British weapons be used in Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.

A potential response could involve strikes against “any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Cameron’s words de-facto “recognized his country as a party to the conflict,” it added.

Last week, the ministry also saidBritish weapons are being actively used by Kiev in “terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructureand thecivilian populationof Donbass and other Russian regions.” Russian diplomats further accused London of using arms supplies to Ukraine to gain a more prominent position within NATO.

The UK remains one of the largest donors of weaponry to Kiev, providing £7.1 billion ($8.9 billion) in assistance since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, according to Sergey Belyaev, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second European Department.

https://www.rt.com/russia/597572-uk-approves-strikes-crimea/