I have spoken before about the many similarities that exist between Germany in the 1930s and current day US. Today’s immigrants seem to be the equivalent of the German Jewish community back then. ICE actions strike me how the SS terrorised the Jewish community in Germany, slowly at first and then with increasing ferociousness.
I am not the only one to see the analogy with the 1930s. Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of investment firm Bridgewater Associates, wrote in his recent book “How countries Go Broke”: “When I say that the policies President Trump is using to ‘make America great again’ are remarkably like the policies that those of the hard-right countries in the 1930s used, that should not be controversial.”
To cement the similarities, on Saturday June 14, President Trump was supposed to preside over the first military parade in the US, using a tactic that was used by Hitler himself that was central to the Nazi regime’s image-making and control strategy. At the time of writing, I have no way of knowing whether the parade has gone ahead, as God himself seemed to intervene by arranging a hurricane on the day. Trump, however, may have other ideas and strike a deal with the weather.
Over two dozen KC-135R and KC-46A air refueling tankers appeared on flight tracking software last night, picking them up taking off from their bases and heading northeast over the Atlantic, and then taking a turn southeast that would take them to the Middle East if that flight path is continued. Unknown is if there were fighters accompanying them who could be refueled on the trip.
Israel has just a few, very old Boeing 707 tankers to support fighter jets deep into Iranian territory. They must be using them for the air strikes to be so far into Iran.
Such a large contingent of air-refueling tankers headed that direction brings up a number of options.
Both the B-2 and the B-52H are capable of carrying the 30,000 bunker buster GBU-57A/B bomb that first penetrates deep in the ground before detonation. These could take out Iranian nuclear facilities rumored to be a half mile underground.
The B-2 has an unrefueled flight range of 6,600 miles and the B-52 8,800 miles. They could hit Iran and return without refueling. There must be fuel at Diego Garcia to fuel bombers and fighter jets. The tankers may be delivering more, or they could be used to support Israeli fighters on a large scale.
This is all guesswork. But if Iran does decide to attack US troops or bases, these tankers could allow Israeli and US air forces to pummel Iran's military and nuclear facilities. The logistics to make it possible seem to be moving in to place.
There are war games going on in Norway, but the tankers are headed in the wrong direction.
There is also the prospect of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. It's a 20 mile gap between the UAE, Oman and Iran. One fifth of all global oil shipments pass through it along with natural gas and higher percentage of all global shipments. 3,000 ships pass through it each month. Closing the Strait would anger China, its biggest oil customer. In 2019, when faced with the possibility of the Strait being closed, Trump said that, "it's not going to be closed for long." This could also cause US action against Iran.
The U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier and its strike force is headed to the Middle East. The U.S.S. Carl Vinson carrier and its strike force were going to be replaced by the Nimitz in two months, but now there will be the two of them there at the same time.
In addition to the carrier, a strike force may contain guided missile destroyers, cruisers and submarines.
The U.S.S. Thomas Hudner, a destroyer capable of taking out ballistic missiles, is also heading to the area.
If nothing else, there is an obvious presence of seapower being displayed along with their fighter jets' airpower. The air tankers add to the damage that can be done far into Iranian territory. Israel said it had wiped out Iranian air defenses last October. They've taken out a lot more and have said they have free skies to attack now. The B-2s and B-52s can take out anything else. Any attacks on U.S. troops or bases gives the excuse to use those 30,000 pound bunker busters to wipe out the underground Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel has apparently taken out the above ground.
Over the last few days, if you have not noticed, the two most important US cabinet members who have authority for American foreign and strategic policy released or made statements that previously would have been unthinkable and caused massive outrage. In this case, however, the statements caused only tiny ripples of disquiet.
This is important—as now the US government is spreading the Russian narrative, and hardly a word of protest is said. And certainly, there is never a retraction or walking back of things that would have been seen as extraordinary only a few months ago.
Yesterday the US State Department released an official statement congratulating Russia and Russians on their national day. It was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and couched as a statement by Rubio himself. It started with this quote.
The United States remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future.
Actually, the Russian people through their government are making claims to seize Ukrainian territory and kill Ukrainians, so needless to say people in the State Department, including Rubio himself, had to know that this was being deliberately provocative and would be widely noticed at this extraordinary time.
At the same time, in a series of Congressional testimonies over the last few days, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made a few notable statements. When it came to sanctions against Russia, Hegseth admitted that the US was, for all of Trump’s threats, not going to ramp up sanctions on Russia and that he (Hegseth) was fine with that. He claimed that the US did not have to use “every tool” at its disposal to make the Russians agree to peace.
This was only the start of a remarkable series of claims that the Secretary of Defense would make to different Congressional committees. Hegseth, for instance, refused to call Ukraine the victim in the war and refused to say that he wants Ukraine to “win” the war.
He even prevaricated on the question of whether the US would respond to a NATO article 5 request if Russia invaded a NATO country.
All of this has happened in the last few days—which btw saw the expiry of Trump’s two-week deadline during which he was to decide whether to bring in harsher sanctions on Russia. That deadline passed without the slightest comment from Trump or the Press—though the next time Trump makes one of his fake threats, we will undoubtedly hear about how he really, really, really might bring in harsh sanctions that time.
Now why are the Rubio and Hegseth statements worthy of note? They are actually evidence of the same phenomenon—Trump cabinet members are now speaking the Russian narrative instinctively, regularly and without the slightest hesitation. Russian reflexive control has so taken over US government thinking that the US national security state instantly acts in such a way to reinforce the Russian position.
I’m sure Trump did not have to give the State Department orders to congratulate Russia on its national day, nor did Trump tell Hegseth specifically to downplay any new sanctions on Russia or to the try and avoid the question of not honoring the US commitment to NATO—however both the heads of the State and Defense Departments are now operating with these assumptions inbuilt into their positions.
Putin is not looking for a cease-fire, and he does not want to negotiate. Why? Because he believes that he can win. Thanks to the actions of the U.S. government, he still thinks that he can conquer all of Ukraine.
Putin sees what everyone else sees: Slowly, the U.S. is switching sides. True, Trump occasionally berates Putin, or makes sympathetic noises toward Ukrainian... But thanks to quieter decisions by members of his own administration, people whom he has appointed, the American realignment with Russia and against Ukraine and Europe is gathering pace—not merely in rhetoric but in reality.
Der Rüstungskonzern MBDA (Airbus, EADS, BAE Dynamics) in Schrobenhausen hat ein Projekt One Way Effector lanciert: „Das Ziel ist eine Massenproduktion von etwa 1000 Stück (Drohnen) pro Monat zu sehr niedrigen Stückkosten“, erklärte Stéphane Reb, der Geschäftsführer von MBDA Frankreich, zu Kosten, die weit unter denen einer Rakete liegt, die mehr als eine Million Euro kosten kann. Der Preis für eine Shahed wird auf etwa 20.000 US-Dollar (17.300 Euro) geschätzt.
Die Drohnen sollen in Zusammenarbeit mit einem nicht genannten französischen Automobilzulieferer hergestellt und in Frankreich montiert werden. MBDA und ihre Partner könnten Anfang 2027 mit der Produktion beginnen. Dies ist das erste Mal, dass MDBA in die Produktion dieser Art von Billigwaffen einsteigt.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 11 percent of Americans plunged into poverty in 2023. Yet according to researchers, that percentage doesn’t account for the number of Americans looking not just to survive, but thrive, with stable employment and room for upward mobility.
‘What does it take to live a middle-class life?’ said Gene Ludwig, founder of the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP), CNBC reported. ”‘What does it take to be on the first rung, at least, of the American dream?’” Ludwig looked to develop the answer to that question through LISEP’s “Minimal Quality of Life Index,” which measures the “true cost of economic well-being” from 2001 to 2023. The index takes into account essentials such as rent costs, food prices, and general cost of living expenses. When put against these measures, the index found that 60 percent of Americans didn’t meet the threshold due to wages stalling while costs associated with medical treatment, rent, raising children, and education have risen exponentially.
