MAGA Schism amid Global Chaos

It's been a busy week for me personally, and for all of us domestically and globally. Much of Trump's base is unhappy with him for the Epstein denial and the pledge to send more arms to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Israel's Palestinian genocide continues unabated, plus this week Israel bombed Damascus. Erdogon pledges payback for the Damascus bombing. China plans to intervene. Every week looks more like WWIII. Let's skim through the highlights below the fold...

We Are Living in the Nightmare George Orwell Warned Us About (The 8 Reasons Why)

(15 min) Walter Kirn Full interview here

Last week we looked at the Epstein denial...nothing to see here, move along.

(13 min clip with John Kiriakou)

The FBI allegedly urged the agents to track US President Donald Trump references in the Epstein case, US Senator Dick Durbin said in a letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Durbin claimed the FBI was pressured to assign around 1,000 staff to work 24-hour shifts in March to review 100,000 Epstein-related records for rapid release, with untrained personnel from the New York office reportedly assisting in the process. “My office was told that these personnel were instructed to “flag” any records in which President Trump was mentioned,” Durbin said. Durbin went on to say that despite weeks of intensive review, it took the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over three more months to conclude there was no incriminating “client list.”
He added that the July 7 memo omitted any mention of a whistleblower or promised documents, and suggested public trust was further eroded by the release of allegedly altered surveillance footage from outside Epstein’s cell.

Why is Trump trashing his base over Epstein?

(16 min) Max Blumenthal, Aaron Mate and Anya Parampil discuss Trump's furious reaction against some of his own supporters for demanding that he release the so-called Epstein Files. Does Trump have something to hide?

All the Epstein's men - The Grayzone (2.4 hours)
Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss the deepening fallout from Trump's suppression of the Epstein Files he'd promised released, and the furor in Tel Aviv as some of Trump's closest allies point the finger at Israel. They will also cover Trump's move toward arming Ukraine to strike deep in Russia, the sectarian war inside Syria, and new international backlash to Israel's impunity.

We all knew Russiagate was a hoax, so this is nothing new...

...other than the possibility of prosecution.

Tulsi Gabbard: ‘Overwhelming Evidence’ Of Obama Coup Plot Against Trump

Gabbard unveiled more than 100 pages of emails, memos, and internal communications, which she described as “overwhelming evidence” of a coordinated effort by senior Obama-era officials to politicize intelligence and launch the multi-year Trump–Russia collusion investigation. She dubbed it “a treasonous conspiracy to subvert the will of the American people.” The scandal severely damaged relations between Moscow and Washington, leading to sanctions, asset seizures, and a breakdown in normal diplomacy.

My bet is this will be slow walked and then fade away, but we'll see.

Max and Aaron suggest in their live stream, this is coming out now to distract from the Epstein fiasco.

It's the Economy Stupid
Rick Rule: “The Only Way to Honor $100 Trillion in Debt Is to Devalue the Dollar”

(10 min) “The circumstance that we existed in from 1980 to 2020 — while it was very pleasant — is over,” says Rick Rule, legendary investor and founder of Rule Investment Media. Speaking with Daniela Cambone at the Rule Symposium in Boca Raton, Rule warns that the era of low interest rates has ended, and U.S. dollar hegemony is weakening.
“It seems to me that the only way that you honor the nominal value of our obligations… is by devaluing the purchasing power,” he says, pointing to over $100 trillion in entitlements and debt. “You honor the nominal obligation of Social Security to an old geezer like me by continuing to pay him $4,000 a month... but by devaluing the dollar.”
Looking back at history, Rule points out that in the 1970s, the purchasing power of the dollar “declined by 75%,” and that “the gold price ran 30-fold.” He believes the setup is repeating and this time, “we are in a gold and gold equities bull market." No, we're not waiting for it. We're here," he concludes.

Why Retail Sales Growth Exceeds all Wall Street Projections
The Census Bureau report yesterday highlighted that consumer sales remain strong at +0.6%, significantly higher than all economists forecast. Retail sales growth is important because approximately two-thirds of the U.S. GDP growth is driven by consumer sales. With inflation low, retail sales high, and with a previously reported drop in U.S. imports, the second quarter GDP is likely to be much stronger than anyone previously predicted.

News for the Crypto World
US President Donald Trump is reportedly set to sign an executive order that could allow American 401(k) retirement plans to invest in alternative assets outside of stocks and bonds, such as cryptocurrencies. The executive order could be signed sometime this week, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing three people who have been briefed on the plans. The new 401(k) investment options could run across a broad spectrum of assets, including digital assets, metals and funds focused on infrastructure deals, corporate takeovers and private loans. The executive order would instruct Washington regulatory agencies to investigate the best path forward for 401(k) plans to start investing in crypto, and investigate any remaining obstacles to making it a reality, according to the Financial Times.

After slowing down the Republican leadership’s attempt to advance a bundle of cryptocurrency market reform bills, the conservative House Freedom Caucus and its allies appear to have secured a promise to prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a digital U.S. dollar. Caucus members contend that’s a victory for Americans’ freedoms. The deal allowed for House Republicans to advance three important pieces of cryptocurrency legislation and stick to a sufficient timeline for passing a rescissions bill defunding public broadcasting and foreign aid facing a Friday deadline.

I don't know if I trust a "promise" from anyone in government

The Senate may prove more difficult

Lena Petrova explains the House Bill

(8 min) Banks Are Terrified: CRYPTO Bill Passes Congress, STABLECOIN & Trump's $1 Billion Increase in Wealth

War, War, and More War
Ukraine
Russia Advancing in Ukraine: Fastest in 2 Years w/Patrick Henningsen

(61 min) Russia is currently advancing in Ukraine at its fastest pace in two years, yet Ukrainian leaders continue to express confidence in eventual victory—despite or even without U.S. support. This optimism, critics argue, appears more like political coping or an effort to justify extending a costly and prolonged conflict.
Two former Ukrainian defense officials have been lobbying Western nations for a strategy they call “strategic neutralization,” redefining “victory” as Ukraine surviving and functioning despite continued warfare. This includes ideas like attracting Western investment and returning refugees while the war drags on—something critics call delusional and detached from on-the-ground realities.
Commentators argue that powerful interests in both Ukraine and the West benefit financially and politically from keeping the war going. For Ukraine's leadership, Western aid is profitable and helps preserve power. For Western governments and defense contractors, the war fuels military spending and political narratives. Meanwhile, it is ordinary Ukrainians who suffer the consequences—militarily, economically, and demographically.
Western support also shows signs of irrational overconfidence, such as building weapons factories in warzones—some of which have already been destroyed by Russian strikes. Critics say this reflects either dangerous delusion or cynical propaganda to keep money flowing.
Even high-profile firms like BlackRock have begun pulling out of Ukrainian reconstruction plans, recognizing that valuable assets lie in Russian-occupied zones likely to remain under Russian control. Nonetheless, Ukraine's government continues presenting a façade of stability and reform, such as introducing a new prime minister and economic agenda, all while extending martial law.
The situation reveals a deep disconnect between official rhetoric—both Ukrainian and Western—and the military reality on the ground, where Russia is gaining momentum and Ukraine is running out of resources.

Col Doug Macgregor: Trump's Threats Aren't Stopping Russia's Bombs

(57 min)

Russia will continue to rout Ukrainian forces on the battlefield despite the EU’s decision to impose its 18th package of sanctions against the country, former President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday. The EU member states had approved the sweeping economic restrictions earlier in the day, mostly targeting Russia’s energy and financial sectors, in another attempt to pressure the country over the Ukraine conflict. Moscow has repeatedly condemned the sanctions as “illegal.” The measures will not derail Moscow with regards to the conflict any more than the previous 17 packages did, according to Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
“Our economy will, of course, survive, and the rout of the Banderite regime will continue. Strikes against objects in the so-called Ukraine, including Kiev, will be carried out with increasing force,” he wrote on Telegram. Moscow should politically steer away from the EU and distance itself from the bloc, he added. Brussels’ new sanctions bar all transactions with 22 additional banks, as well as with the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The package also imposes a ban on utilizing the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which were mostly disabled by sabotage in 2022 and have remained unused since.
The ban also bars the provision of goods and services for the pipeline, “thus preventing the completion, maintenance, operation and any future use” of the gas infrastructure, the European Council said in a statement on Friday.

Zelensky government shake up aims to end Istanbul talks

(12 min)

SW Asia (The Middle East)
Game Over? How Iran Checkmated America and Israel | Alastair Crooke Interview ​

(54 min) What if the West’s biggest foreign policy moves… only made Iran stronger? A failed strike, secret ops via Azerbaijan, and a rising Shia wave. Fmr. MI6 Alastair Crooke and Fmr. CIA analyst Larry Johnson reveal the real fallout

Max explains the expansion oof the Israel-Syrian war...
INTERVIEW: Just another US-funded Israeli war

(18 min) Netanyahu wants to pivot away from Gaza. Any time he has to face the jailhouse music he launches another attack. He has to continue perpetual regional war to stay in power. Plus call for al-Julani's killing

How about some good news?

(4 min clip)

I won't be around today, but I hope today's column stimulates some discussion in the comments below. I'm on the road headed to Rainbow spring and river. More on the trip next week when we'll take a vacation from the news in the WW. Hope y'all have a great day and week. "See" you next Sunday.