94-year-old Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has been on a multi-month selling spree of Bank of America shares, raising many questions about the motivation behind abruptly dumping billions of dollars worth of BofA stock. Berkshire’s latest filing indicates that the selling pressure is finally easing as share price slides.

On Tuesday, Buffett’s Berkshire reported a $229 million stock sale over three trading sessions. The average price was around $39.30 per share, among the lowest reported since he began abruptly selling the position in mid-July. 

Bloomberg noted:

“The fresh disposals marked a significant slowdown from the eight prior rounds, in which his conglomerate generated an average of about $870 million each time, based on filings that typically spanned three days of trading.

“Altogether, Berkshire has generated nearly $7.2 billion since Buffett began shrinking the stake almost two months ago. The conglomerate still holds just over 11% of the bank’s stock, worth about $33.7 billion based on Tuesday’s closing price of $39.28.” 

After dumping more than $7 billion in stock, Berkshire is still the largest shareholder with 11% of the bank’s stock, or about 858 million shares. The position is back to 2018 levels. 

Late last week, we offered some ideas on why Buffett might be selling. It would make a lot of sense for the billionaire’s traders to reduce the BofA stake below the 10% threshold, eliminating the need for continuous reporting. 

Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA,

Fox News reported Tuesday that Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe has asked Michael Plati, the assistant director of the agency’s office of protective operations, to retire from his position.

Plati may have been the one signing off on denying Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and others additional security resources. According to journalist Susan Crabtree, Plati’s department was the one that repeatedly denied requests for extra security assets to Trump.

Fox News said that Plati is expected to retire “in the coming days.” The news comes as Rowe is set to brief Congress on what the Secret Service has learned in the wake of the July 13 Trump assassination attempt.

Plati’s retirement also comes as Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Ka., seeks to widen the DHS Inspector General’s investigation into the Secret Service’s failures at the Trump rally. Marshall wants DHG IG Joseph Cuffari to identify the specific individuals responsible for making decisions in Trump’s security planning—which may include Plati.

But if Plati indeed retires, the DHS-IG won’t be able to legally compel him for an interview.

The Secret Service has yet to comment on Plati’s rumored retirement.

🚨🚨This news about Secret Service Assistant Director Mike Plati being pressed into retirement by Acting USSS Dir. Ron Rowe isn’t sitting well with many rank-and-file special agents who tell me he is very well-respected.
These agents are angry that Plati might be being made to… https://t.co/FD4SGFWMXJ

— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) September 10, 2024

Meanwhile, the scandal-mired agency has turned to the Defense Department for help securing 2024 campaign events.The Pentagon announced on Aug. 29 that the U.S. Northern Command will assist the Secret Service for the presidential and vice-presidential campaigns through Inauguration Day 2025.

“As part of this effort, the Department of Defense is providing the U.S. Secret Service with additional assistance including logistics, transportation and communications, through the 2024 campaign season,” Secret Service spokesman Guglielmi said in a Defense Department press release.

The Secret Service faces a reported 650-agent deficit for the United Nations General Assembly, which is scheduled to begin today in New York City. According to Crabtree, there are concerns in the Secret Service that the Pentagon’s soldiers don’t have proper training, and that their presence will create the perception that the U.S. has turned into a militarized police state.

However, the Pentagon insisted in its press release that there’s nothing unusual about its decision.

“The Department of Defense has supported Secret Service protective activities for the sitting president and vice president since Congress passed the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976,” said Anthony Guglielmi, the chief of communications for the Secret Service.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

Following last month’s modest miss in CPI which sparked speculation about a 50bps cut, which was then boosted by the jobs report miss and the huge downward revision, moments ago the BLS reported that – as only a handful of Wall Street strategists warned – CPI actually came in hotter than expected at the core level, rising 0.3% MoM vs expectations of a 0.2% print, with all remaining metrics coming in line, to wit:

• CPI 0.2% MoM (or 0.187% unrounded), Exp. 0.2% – in line
• CPI Core 0.3% MoM (or 0.281% unrounded), Exp. 0.2% – hotter than expected
   
• CPI 2.5% YoY, Exp. 2.5% – in line
• CPI Core 3.2% YoY, Exp. 3.2% – in line

 That was the 51st straight month of MoM increases in Core CPI, and a new record high.

Looking at the headline CPI data set, the annual CPI increase dropped to just 2.5% from 2.9%, the lowest since February 2021…

… and the core….

…. as goods deflation is stalling and may even print positive in the coming months, while core service inflation remains the biggest driver.

That said, Goods deflation continues to drag overall CPI lower, with energy also adding to the base effect for the first time since early 2024…

For context, Goods prices remained down 1.9% YoY – matching the biggest deflationary impulse since 2004. Services prices continue to rise YoY but at the slowest pace since 2022.

The 3m and 6m annualized CPI rates continue to trend lower (with Energy a particularly volatile factor)

Under the hood, used car prices fell 1.0%, moderating from last month’s 2.3% drop, while airline fares jumped 3.9%, a big reversal to last month’s bizarre -1.2% drop and a reversal to drops in each of the past 5 months. Car insurance costs jumped another 0.6%, after rising 1.2%; furniture prices dropped 0.3% reversing last month’s 0.3% rise.

Here is a more detailed breakdown:

Food:

The food index increased 0.1 percent in August, after rising 0.2 percent in each of the previous 2 months. The index for food at home was unchanged in August. Two of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the month while the other four indexes declined in August.

• The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.8 percent in August as the index for eggs increased 4.8 percent.
• The dairy and related products index increased 0.5 percent over the month.
• The nonalcoholic beverages index fell 0.7 percent in August, after rising 0.5 percent in July.
• The index for other food at home decreased 0.3 percent over the month, the index for fruits and vegetables declined 0.2 percent, and the index for cereals and bakery products fell 0.1 percent in August
• The food away from home index rose 0.3 percent in August, after rising 0.2 percent in July.
• The index for limited service meals rose 0.3 percent and the index for full service meals increased 0.2 percent over the month

Energy

The energy index decreased 0.8 percent in August, after being unchanged in July.

• The gasoline index fell 0.6 percent over the month.
• The electricity index decreased 0.7 percent over the month and the natural gas index fell 1.9 percent in August.

All items ex good and energy

• The shelter index increased 0.5 percent in August:
  • The index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 0.5 percent over the month and the index for rent increased 0.4 percent.
  • The lodging away from home index rose 1.8 percent in August, after rising 0.2 percent in July.
• The airline fares index rose 3.9 percent in August, after declining in each of the previous 5 months.
• The index for motor vehicle insurance increased 0.6 percent over the month.
• The indexes for education and apparel also increased in August.
• The index for used cars and trucks fell 1.0 percent in August, following a 2.3-percent decrease in July.
• The index for new vehicles was unchanged over the month.
• Over the month, the household furnishings and operations index fell 0.3 percent.
• The medical care index  fell 0.1 percent in August, after falling 0.2 percent in July.
• The communication index decreased 0.1 percent in August, as did the recreation index and the personal care index.

Visually:

Perhaps more worrying is the fact that while rent inflation has flatlined, shelter inflation posted its first increase since early 2023!

• August Shelter inflation up 0.43% MoM and up 5.23% YoY vs 5.05% in July
• August Rent Inflation up 0.39% MoM and up 4.97% YoY vs 5.09% in July

And the first monthly increase since March 2023 highlighted:

Last, but not least, and perhaps most ominous of all, is that while inflation refuses to be “killed” even as the Fed is about to start cutting rates, Supercore CPI rose 0.33% MoM, the biggest monthly increase since April, driven by continued acceleration in transportation services, which jumped the most in 5 months.

Finally, money supply growth is reaccelerating…

Which begs the question: how long until the Fed’s next easing cycle unleashes the Arthur Burns fed:

Putting it all together:

• Underlying inflation unexpectedly picked up, as core CPI increased 0.3% from July, the most in four months, and 3.2% from a year ago
• Only five of the 65 forecasts in Bloomberg’s survey called for a 0.3% increase in the core CPI. Almost everyone else was at 0.2%, and four had it at 0.1%. The five were right.
• Shelter prices, the largest category within services, climbed 0.5%, the most since the start of the year and the second month of acceleration, defying widespread expectations for a downshift. Owners’ equivalent rent — a subset of shelter and the biggest individual component of the CPI — rose at a similar pace.
• Airfares rose a hefty 3.9% in August after falling for the previous five months while costs for energy and used vehicles fell
• Risk assets pumped and dumped and bond yields rose. S&P 500 futures dropped steeply immediately after the report came out, before paring losses. The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced two basis points to 3.66%. The dollar wavered.

And while one can stick a fork in the market’s hopes for a 50bps rate cut (odds slumped from 30% to 20%… and from 50% last Friday)…

… the question remains: will the Fed really cut rates as shelter inflation inflects higher for the first time since 2023?

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

In 1968, in the midst of Democratic convention riots, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley famously declared, “The policeman isn’t there to create disorder; the policeman is there to preserve disorder.”

Democratic state election officials appear to have adopted a similar approach to the upcoming election. In states such as North Carolina and Michigan, Democrats are fighting to keep the name of Robert Kennedy, Jr. on the ballot even though he withdrew from the race and endorsed former president Donald Trump. These are key states where the misplacement of even 1 percent of votes could turn the outcome of not just the state but the entire election.

In Michigan, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recently fought to keep third-party candidate Cornel West off the ballot. Unlike Kennedy, who is viewed as likely to drain votes from Trump, West is viewed as pulling votes from Vice President Kamala Harris, particularly among those opposed to her policies toward Israel.

A court ruled against Benson and said that she was adopting an artificially narrow interpretation to keep Kennedy on the ballot.

In North Carolina, where Trump and Harris are in a statistical tie, Democrats also refused to remove Kennedy’s name. An appellate court this week ordered them to do so to avoid the obvious confusion for voters.

Recently, the same Democratic officials sought to block West from the ballot due to his campaign causing “partisan mischief.”

These efforts are being pursued in other states such as Wisconsin (another key state), where Democrats on the election board blocked a Republican effort to remove Kennedy’s name.

In Michigan and North Carolina, officials have the distinction of fighting to keep a popular candidate from the ballot while fighting to retain a non-existent candidate.

It is all in the name of protecting democracy from itself.

Previously, Democrats in Florida and North Carolina fought to block other Democrats from appearing on primary ballots. Candidates like Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), author Marianne Williamson and commentator Cenk Uygur faced concerted campaigns by election officials and advocates to prevent voters from having a choice in the primary.

After preventing a meaningful primary and securing the nomination for President Biden, Democrats later handed the nomination to Harris without a single vote from a single primary voter.

Democratic activists are now calling it an election by “acclamation,” like a political version of the immaculate conception in which a candidate is simply conceived by the party elite. It is enough to make the Chinese Central Committee blush.

Harris was then walled off from the media to avoid any unscripted interactions, including by putting earbuds in her ears in what many called a clearly fake call to avoid press questions.

At the same time, Democratic supporters are now arguing that it is not necessary for Harris to offer detailed plans or agree to interviews in a campaign that is selling “joy” and “good vibes” like political valium.

Others appear to believe that saving democracy means holding Harris to a different, more deferential standard. New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to defend treating Harris differently: “I think the challenge, not just for journalists, but really for the country, is that not only is Donald Trump a threat, but, you know, it lowers the bar. So, I don’t think it’s unacceptable,” she said.

Somewhere in that double negative, journalism perished. In my new book, I discuss how journalists are now sometimes taught to dispense with both neutrality and objectivity in favor of framing the news for viewers and readers.

You see, it is all about saving democracy. Gay explained: “The context is difficult because of the extremism of the Republican Party, because of how extreme Donald Trump is, it’s hard to hold both candidates accountable equally, because one is committed to democracy and is functioning as a normal candidate from a normal American party, and the other is not.”

This was echoed by “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, who said that life as we know it would end unless Harris is elected, telling viewers that the “autocrat” Trump would throw opponents in jail and take media outlets off the air: “So, yeah, the threats to democracy are real,” he said. “But [so are] the threats to the free market, the threats to free enterprise, to our economy.”

Other guests amplified that dire message further and criticized people for covering how Harris is changing her positions and refusing to offer details on policies. It appears that this election is simply too important for substantive debate. After all, Harris has said that 2024 “genuinely could be” the last democratic election in America’s history. The last thing we need is a substantive election at this precarious time.

The omitted details include Harris’s support for policies that many of us view as a direct threat to our constitutional system, including censorship and court packing.

Both candidates have much to address that they would prefer to ignore. The media is correct to press Trump on many of these issues. Yet, the success of any democratic system is dependent on three key elements: participation, information and choice. Getting the vote out takes on a menacing meaning if voters are being protected from the distractions of facts. Winning at any cost is no virtue in a democracy, even when claiming to be a defender of democracy.

*  *  *

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued urgent warnings concerning a Salmonella outbreak that has affected 65 individuals across nine states. The outbreak has been traced back to eggs sold by Milo’s Poultry Farms, a company based in Bonduel, Wisconsin, according to a notice released by the FDA on September 6.

The eggs implicated in this outbreak were distributed to retailers and food service locations in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Milo’s Poultry Farms has contacted customers who purchased the affected eggs, as indicated in the FDA’s notice.

Growing Numbers of Infections

To date, the CDC has reported 65 cases of Salmonella infections stemming from this outbreak, resulting in 24 hospitalizations. While there have been no fatalities, the CDC warns that the true number of infections is likely higher. This is due to the fact that many individuals recover from Salmonella infections without seeking medical attention and therefore are not tested or reported. The cases reported thus far occurred between May 23 and August 10.

A detailed map released by the CDC and FDA highlights that the infections have been spread across California, Utah, Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Virginia. Wisconsin and Illinois account for the majority of reported cases, with 42 and 11 cases respectively.

The CDC’s findings suggest that the outbreak might not be limited to the states where cases have already been confirmed. The agency noted that it can take several weeks to determine whether an individual is part of a broader outbreak.

Tracing the Source of Infection

Interviews conducted by state and local public health officials with affected individuals revealed that several had eaten at the same restaurants in the days before they became ill. These findings point to the likelihood that contaminated eggs were served or sold at those locations. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported four clusters of illness at restaurants where the recalled eggs were served, reinforcing this theory.

The eggs associated with the outbreak were labeled under the names Milo’s Poultry Farms or Tony’s Fresh Market. The FDA’s recall notice urges all retailers, restaurants, and consumers to discard the recalled eggs immediately. If the eggs were stored without their original packaging and cannot be identified as part of the recall, the FDA recommends they be thrown away as a precaution.

Symptoms and Risks of Salmonella Infection

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, fever, diarrhea, and stomach pain. The majority of people infected with Salmonella recover without medical treatment within a week. However, the infection can be severe for infants, young children, the elderly, those with weakened immune systems, and people taking medications that reduce stomach acidity.

In rare cases, a Salmonella infection can lead to severe complications by spreading to the blood, joints, nervous system, brain, spinal fluid, or urinary tract, potentially resulting in hospitalization or death. Some people may develop reactive arthritis, a condition characterized by joint pain that can last for months or years and may be difficult to treat.

Protective Measures

Both the CDC and FDA stress the importance of following proper food safety practices to avoid Salmonella infection. Consumers are advised to wash their hands, utensils, and food preparation surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after handling raw eggs or raw egg-containing food. The FDA also emphasizes the importance of disposing of any potentially contaminated eggs and urges vigilance for symptoms of Salmonella infection, particularly among vulnerable populations.

As the investigation continues, the public is encouraged to stay informed and heed the guidance of public health authorities to prevent further spread of this outbreak.

Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com,

Hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent to persuade the American people to vote for either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. 

But ultimately two things are probably going to matter more than anything else. 

Millions of Americans will be basing their votes on how they currently feel about the economy and who they trust to handle it moving forward. 

This will be particularly true for independents, and they actually make up the largest block of voters at this point.  About 30 percent of the population considers themselves to be Democrats, about 30 percent of the population considers themselves to be Republicans, and almost everyone else considers themselves to be independents. 

In the end, how independents vote will be of paramount importance, and a brand new survey has discovered that only 23 percent of independents believe that the U.S. economy is on the right track…

A majority of voters think the U.S. economy is on the wrong track, according to a new poll, as the Federal Reserve appears likely to lower interest rates this month after months of holding them steady.

The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll showed 63 percent of respondents said the economy is on the wrong track, while 30 percent said it’s on the right track and 8 percent said they’re not sure.

Opinions were split along partisan lines, with 54 percent of Democrats saying the economy is going in the right direction but only 9 percent of Republicans saying the same. The poll found 23 percent of independents said it’s on the right track.

Needless to say, this is horrible news for Kamala Harris.

She desperately needs to convince independent voters in the swing states that the policies of the Biden administration have the economy moving in the right direction, and that is not an easy sell.

Economic conditions are very tough all over the country right now, and everyone can see it.

In a recent editorial, small business owner Bruce LeVell detailed what things are like in Georgia at this moment…

Inflation is crushing small businesses like mine. Between rising costs for supplies, utilities and gas, it’s becoming harder to keep up. And I’m not alone. Families across Georgia are feeling it, too. From the grocery store to the gas pump, prices are out of control, making it harder for working folks to make ends meet.

We’ve all watched as our favorite Georgia products, like peaches, have skyrocketed in price. Peaches were up 25% last year. Chick-fil-A is up 21%. Even Bulldogs game tickets have jumped 45%. This inflation has cost Georgia families more than $27,000 since 2021, and that’s a hit most of us just can’t afford. The reality is clear: the Biden-Harris administration’s reckless spending and misguided policies are to blame.

He is right.

The cost of living has been going up much faster than paychecks have, and that is one of the biggest reasons why 37 percent of Americans are struggling to pay for their most basic expenses.

Millions of households are just barely scraping by, and as a result many are using credit cards to stay afloat…

But fast forwarding just one month later, when in a stunning reversal, July consumer credit growth unexpectedly reversed the dramatic June slowdown, and soared more than $25 billion, to a new record high of $5.093 trillion.

Looking at the components, the sudden spike in revolving credit was most notable as credit card debt growth suddenly reversed its recent slowdown, surging by $10.6 billion, the biggest monthly increase since February and the 2nd biggest of the year.

This is a really bad time to be racking up credit card debt.

But a lot of people feel like they have no choice.

Meanwhile, the personal savings rate has fallen to the lowest level since the financial crisis of 2008…

Yet with consumers ever more strapped for actual cash and equity, as the personal savings rate in the US collapses from over 5% to 2.9% – the lowest since the Lehman bankruptcy – in just one year, as all the excess savings from covid are long gone…

U.S. consumers have not been in such bad shape since the Great Recession, and now there are signs that the overall economy is rapidly slowing down all around us.

For example, a trucking company in Illinois that had about 480 drivers just suddenly ceased operations…

An Illinois-based trucking and logistics company, which contracted with the U.S. Postal Service to haul mail has notified over 650 employees, including more than 480 drivers, that the carrier is ceasing operations, according to sources familiar with the closure.

Former truck drivers for Midwest Transport Inc. (MTI), headquartered in Robinson, Illinois, told FreightWaves that they received telephone calls from their regional managers late Thursday notifying them the company was winding down operations.

And week after week, large banks continue to shut down even more branches…

Major banks have shuttered more than 40 locations in just two weeks as the local branch bloodbath continues.

Chase, Wells Fargo and Santander were among the banks who closed locations between August 4 and August 18.

Bank of America led they way, notifying the regulator that they would be removing 12 of their local branches from use.

Last, but certainly not least, I did not want to leave the stunning bankruptcy of Big Lots out of this article…

Another huge nationwide retailer filed for bankruptcy this morning – raising questions over the future of its 1,400 stores.

The Chapter 11 filing from discount home goods retailer Big Lots is the latest from big American retailers and restaurant chains, with the highest profile until now being Red Lobster.

A total of 21 have filed for bankruptcy in the first half of this year – the most since the pandemic wrecked havoc with businesses in 2020, S&P said in a July report.

Normally, troubled retailers will do whatever is necessary to hang on through the lucrative holiday shopping season before declaring bankruptcy.

But apparently Big Lots was so far gone that they were not able to do that.

Every piece of bad economic news that we get brings Kamala Harris even closer to defeat and Donald Trump even closer to victory.

In my entire lifetime, the economy has played a major role in determining the outcome of almost every single presidential election.

And it won’t be any different this time around.

But no matter what the outcome is, I fully anticipate that there will be widespread chaos afterwards.

I have never seen so much political animosity in this country, and there will be tens of millions of people that will be absolutely furious once the results of the election are revealed.

*  *  *

Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

There’s never a dull moment when former high-ranking State Department official Victoria Nuland goes on the record for a new tell-all. She’s certainly never shy about broadcasting her role in anti-Moscow covert maneuvering and machinations.

Indeed, many already know her as Victoria-‘Fuck the EU’-Nuland and for essentially running foreign policy in Europe stretching back through the Obama years as then Assistant Secretary of State for Europe, where many of the problems which sparked the disastrous and tragic Russia-Ukraine war were first set in motion.

Exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar recently sat down with her for a new interview published to YouTube earlier this month. The most interesting part of the interview was when he pressed Nuland on widespread reports saying that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson actively encouraged President Zelensky to back out of a potential peace deal with Moscow early after the Feb.2022 Russian invasion. There was a possible chance to end the war and perhaps avoid hundreds of thousands of deaths. But the West apparently convinced Zelensky to fight it out.

But a deal was on the table, and Russia was demanding a full commitment to Ukrainian neutrality regarding NATO. Nuland laid out that it was “relatively late in the game” when Kiev started seeking guidance on the peace deal from Washington and its allies. Zygar said there were statements from foreign leaders privy to the negotiations saying both sides were “really close” to achieving a deal.

“The Ukrainians began asking for advice on where this thing was going, and it became clear to us, clear to us and the Brits, clear to others, that Putin’s main condition was buried in an annex to this document that they were working on. And it included limits on the precise kinds of weapons systems that Ukraine could have after the deal,” Nuland introduced in response.

She went on to describe that Washington didn’t like that the end result of the deal would leave Ukraine “neutered” as a military force while at the same time the same limits weren’t imposed on the Russian military. “People inside Ukraine and people outside Ukraine started asking questions about whether this was a good deal, and it was at that point that it fell apart,” Nuland admitted.

Watch this section of the interview below:

Here’s what she described as her and the Biden administration’s main problem with what was on the table…

By contrast, “there were no similar constraints on Russia,” Nuland said. “Russia wasn’t required to pull back, Russia wasn’t required to have a buffer zone from the Ukrainian border, wasn’t required to have the same constraints on its military facing Ukraine.”

This constitutes significant confirmation that ultimately the US’ prime concern was not for the Ukrainian people, or for achieving peace any way possible. Instead, Washington and NATO’s ultimate goal was to ensure a weakened Russia. What Nuland is essentially saying is that if a deal didn’t ensure a weakened or limited Russian military, then they were willing to crumple it up and go home, while watching Ukraine go up in flames, which is sadly exactly what has happened.

It was Foreign Affairs which first exposed details of the peace deal, tentatively agreed upon in April 2022, which had as its focus “a permanently neutral, nonnuclear state. Ukraine would renounce any intention to join military alliances or allow foreign military bases or troops on its soil.”

Wow! Nuland basically admits that Ukraine-Russia peace deal, which was close to being finalized in spring 2022, “fell apart” because US, UK & other Western governments “advised” Zelensky government that it was not “good deal” even though even members of Ukrainian delegation… pic.twitter.com/HPsrpOzQNf

— Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) September 8, 2024

But no, it was too important for US Empire to pursue the NATOization of Ukraine, and the rest is the bloody, tragic history of the last 2+ years, with nuclear-armed confrontation looming on the horizon, and no end in sight. Another question that remains is: is the mainstream media going to cover Nuland’s blunt admission? 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that the Biden administration is readying new sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran over its transferring short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.

He said the sanctions come in the wake of Iran defying repeat warnings from Washington concerning the missile transfer. Blinken described that dozens of Russian military personnel have been training inside Iran, learning to operate the Fath-360 missile, with a range of 75 miles.

“We’ve warned Iran privately that taking this step would constitute a dramatic escalation,” Blinken told a press briefing in London. “Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians.”

“Iran’s new president and foreign minister have repeatedly said that they want to restore engagement with Europe. They want to receive sanctions relief. Destabilizing actions like these will achieve exactly the opposite,” he added, referencing the country’s recently installed President Masoud Pezeshkian.

America’s closest European allies of Germany, France and Britain have also indicated they will immediately follow the US in imposing fresh sanctions on Tehran.

But one wonders, what is there left to sanction in Iran? The West has an answer, which certainly doesn’t bode well for civilian aviation in the region…

“We will be taking immediate steps to cancel bilateral air services agreements with Iran,” the countries said in a joint statement, adding that they would also “work towards imposing sanctions on Iran Air.”

“In addition, we will pursue the designations of significant entities and individuals involved with Iran’s ballistic missile program and the transfer of ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia,” the statement continued.

So it seems Washington and its allies are openly boasting about ratcheting the pressure even more on Iran’s already heavily sanctioned aviation sector.

This becomes more and more dangerous for basic air travel, impacting chiefly civilians, as it hinders Iran’s ability to obtain basic replacement parts and updates for aging commercial planes. The fact that the late President Hassan Rouhani’s military transport helicopter crashed in the north of the country last May, killing all on board, also demonstrates this.

As for Blinken, he also announced from London that he and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy are about to embark on a brief joint trip to Kiev this week. “We are the closest of allies, so I’m delighted that we will travel together, demonstrating our commitment to Ukraine,” Lammy said.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry has announced that if Russia uses these Iran-made missile in Ukraine, Kiev will consider severing all diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic.

It will be interesting to see what they announce, as such trips typically unveil some new escalatory policy. Will they together greenlight to use of long-range Western weapons on Russian territory?

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a diplomatic push toward peace in Ukraine and said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zekensky agreed that Russia should attend a future peace summit.

“I believe that now is the time to discuss how to arrive at peace from this state of war, indeed at a faster pace,” Scholz said. “There will certainly be a further peace conference, and the president and I agree that it must be one with Russia present.”

Scholz’s comments mark a rare call for peace in Ukraine from a leader of a NATO country. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been consistently calling for an end to the fighting, but he’s been out of step with other NATO and European leaders.

Back in June, Ukraine organized a conference in Switzerland that was billed as a “peace summit,” but Russia was not invited to attend, so it didn’t make any progress toward a ceasefire.

After the Switzerland conference, Zelensky began saying that Russia should attend the next summit, which marked a break from his previous position that he wouldn’t hold any talks with Moscow until a complete Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, which was a non-starter.

Russia expressed interest in holding peace talks, but then Ukraine launched its invasion of Russia’s Kursk oblast on August 6. Following the attack, Russian officials dismissed the idea of peace talks and suggested Zelensky’s earlier comments about inviting Russia to a summit were a bluff.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled that he was softening his position, saying Moscow “never refused” to negotiate.

But there’s still no sign that a peace summit involving Russian and Ukrainian officials is being planned, and the US isn’t expected to support any efforts toward peace, at least before the November election.

Throughout the war, the only time a real peace deal was on the table was back in March and April of 2022. But the US and NATO discouraged Ukraine from signing an agreement and promised to support its fight against Russia.