Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features blues singer, songwriter and piano player Walter Davis. Enjoy!

"How can what an Englishman believes be hearsay? It is a contradiction in terms."

-- George Bernard Shaw

News and Opinion

Excellent, worth a click and a full read:

Pentagon Drops Truth Bombs to Stave Off War With Russia

The Pentagon is engaged in a consequential battle with the U.S. State Department and the Congress to prevent a direct military confrontation with Russia, which could unleash the most unimaginable horror of war. ... Tuesday, the Pentagon took the bold step of leaking two stories to reporters that contradict those tales. “Russia’s conduct in the brutal war tells a different story than the widely accepted view that Vladimir Putin is intent on demolishing Ukraine and inflicting maximum civilian damage—and it reveals the Russian leader’s strategic balancing act,” reported Newsweek in an article entitled, “Putin’s Bombers Could Devastate Ukraine But He’s Holding Back. Here’s Why.”

The piece quotes an unnamed analyst at the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) saying, “The heart of Kyiv has barely been touched. And almost all of the long-range strikes have been aimed at military targets.” A retired U.S. Air Force officer now working as an analyst for a Pentagon contractor, added: “We need to understand Russia’s actual conduct. If we merely convince ourselves that Russia is bombing indiscriminately, or [that] it is failing to inflict more harm because its personnel are not up to the task or because it is technically inept, then we are not seeing the real conflict.” ...

These Pentagon sources confirm what Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defense have been saying all along: that instead of being “stalled,” Russia is executing a methodical war plan to encircle cities, opening humanitarian corridors for civilians, leaving civilian infrastructure like water, electricity, telephony and internet intact, and trying to avoid as many civilian casualties as possible. ...

The second article directly undermines Biden’s dramatic warning about a false flag chemical attack. Reuters reported: “The United States has not yet seen any concrete indications of an imminent Russian chemical or biological weapons attack in Ukraine but is closely monitoring streams of intelligence for them, a senior U.S. defense official said.” It quoted the Pentagon official as saying, “There’s no indication that there’s something imminent in that regard right now.” Neither The New York Times nor The Washington Post published the Reuters article, which appeared in the more obscure U.S. News and World Report.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story — even if it could lead to the most devastating consequences in history.

Biden Officially BRANDS Putin WAR CRIMINAL

The latest from The Guardian's propaganda catapult. Somebody should ask the U.S. if it really wants to go down this road of weaponizing international law given its extreme vulnerability to the same sort of charges.

US formally accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine

The US has formally accused Russian forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine and said it would pursue accountability “using every tool available”. The announcement came as Joe Biden left for a trip to Europe to bolster western unity in the face of an increasingly brutal invasion. The secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said that the US had come to its conclusion using both public and intelligence sources.

“Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the US government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” Blinken said. “As with any alleged crime, a court of law with jurisdiction over the crime is ultimately responsible for determining criminal guilt in specific cases,” he added, saying the US would continue its efforts to gather evidence and share it with international institutions.

“We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions,” Blinken said. ...

Asked if the state department designation applied specifically to Putin, Beth Van Schaack, the newly confirmed ambassador at large for global criminal justice, said it would be up to the courts to decide that. But she added: “There are doctrines under international law and domestic law that are able to reach all the way up the chain of command.”

The state department did not give details of specific attacks and incidents it considered to amount to war crimes. In his statement, Blinken said: “We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities. Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded.

Russia Military REFUSES To Talk To US Risking Nukes

Joe Biden arrives in Europe for summits as Zelenskiy says Ukraine awaits ‘meaningful steps’

Joe Biden has arrived in Europe for a four-day trip with the aim of keeping up pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, amid sanctions fatigue and splits over energy sanctions among US allies. Biden will take part in an emergency Nato summit, a G7 summit and a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday – all groups that largely welcome a return of US leadership and engagement in Europe after the nadir of the Donald Trump administration.

The Biden team is hoping to translate that goodwill into political stamina over what could well be a long, gruelling conflict.

On Wednesday night, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine was “waiting for meaningful steps” from the three gatherings and listed so-far unheeded requests, such as a no-fly zone, aircraft, and tanks. “Our firm position will be represented at these three summits. At these three summits we will see: Who is a friend, who is a partner, and who betrayed us for money.”

But ratcheting up pressure on the Kremlin as the atrocities in Ukraine worsen will be far harder than the concerted measures taken so far. There are fundamental splits within the EU on whether to follow the US in imposing an embargo on energy imports from Russia, with Germany, which is heavily dependent, adamantly against. The chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has argued it would hurt Germany more than Russia. Previewing the trip, Sullivan made clear that the president was not going to push the issue, sensitive to the fact that the implications for Germany and other European states are far more severe than for the US, which imported a very small amount of Russian oil.

The battle for Ukraine, with ex-UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter

UK doubles number of missiles sent to Ukraine ahead of Nato summit

The UK will double the number of missiles it sends to Ukraine and urge western allies to step up provisions of lethal aid to the country, as the Russian invasion turns into a prolonged war of attrition. ...

Ahead of the summit, Johnson said the UK would provide 6,000 new defensive missiles, including high-explosive weapons, and £25m from Foreign Office funds to help Ukraine pay its military and police forces. Not all of the missiles are expected to be next-generation light anti-tank weapons (NLAWs) – of which the UK has already provided more than 4,200. The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, was filmed saying that the UK would send more missiles but was “running out of our own” on a prank call last week.

The additional weaponry means that the UK has now provided more than 10,000 missiles. It will be supplying Starstreak high-velocity anti-air missiles to help Ukrainians defend themselves against aerial bombings, as well as body armour, helmets and combat boots. But No 10 said it was hoped that international partners would also send weapons needed for longer-range targeting and intelligence.

Johnson also pledged new cash to counter Russian disinformation as well as support and funding for the International Criminal Court investigation into possible war crimes committed by the Kremlin and invading forces.

Ukraine Chemical Weapon False Flag Attack Predicted

Israel blocked Ukraine from buying Pegasus spyware, fearing Russia’s anger

Israel blocked Ukraine from buying NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware for fear that Russian officials would be angered by the sale of the sophisticated hacking tool to a regional foe, according to people familiar with the matter.

The revelation, following a joint investigation by the Guardian and Washington Post, offers new insight into the way Israel’s relationship with Russia has at times undermined Ukraine’s offensive capabilities – and contradicted US priorities.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been critical of Israel’s stance since Russia launched its full and bloody invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, saying in a recent address before members of Israel’s Knesset that Israel would have to “give answers” on why it had not given weapons to Ukraine or applied sanctions on Russians.

People with direct knowledge of the matter say that, dating back to at least 2019, Ukrainian officials lobbied Israel to try to convince it to license the spyware tool for use by Ukraine. But those efforts were rebuffed and NSO Group, which is regulated by the Israeli ministry of defense, was never permitted to market or sell the company’s spyware to Ukraine.

Russia Says NATO Peacekeepers Inside Ukraine Would Be 'Dangerous and Reckless'

Top Russian officials on Wednesday condemned Poland's proposal to send NATO "peacekeeping forces" into Ukraine as a "very reckless and extremely dangerous" idea that would risk a full-scale war between the alliance and Moscow.

"This will be the direct clash between the Russian and NATO armed forces that everyone has not only tried to avoid but said should not take place in principle," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in remarks to students and staff at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations as Russia's deadly assault on Ukraine entered its 28th day.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov echoed Lavrov's assessment, telling reporters Wednesday that "the consequences of a possible engagement between our troops and NATO forces are quite clear and they would be hard to mend."

Russia's criticism of Poland's proposal came as U.S. President Joe Biden headed to Brussels to meet with NATO leaders and attend an alliance summit on Thursday, when alliance members will consider the idea of sending "peacekeeping" troops into Ukraine.

Poland has characterized its proposal as a "preliminary concept" that must be fleshed out during NATO's upcoming summit.

Ariel Gold, national co-director of the U.S.-based peace group CodePink, warned that if Poland's plan is implemented, "it wouldn't be peacekeeping, it would be WWIII."

Fossil Fuel CEOs Making 'Unconscionable Profits' Amid Ukraine Crisis: Analysis

While consumers are getting pummeled by skyrocketing gas prices and energy bills, a new analysis out Wednesday found the value of shares held by the CEOs of just eight fossil fuel corporations has surged by nearly $100 million since the start of the year—further evidence, experts say, that oil and fracking executives are capitalizing on Russia's invasion of Ukraine to consolidate their wealth.

The executives of fracking and liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies Cheniere, EQT, and EOG Resources; pipeline giants Kinder Morgan and Enbridge; and industry powerhouses Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil see Russia's deadly assault, which began on February 24, as a "goldmine" and "are in a mad dash to profit" from it, according to researchers at Food & Water Watch.

"While carnage happens in Ukraine, these predators are taking advantage of global price increases that have sent company stocks soaring," they wrote, adding:

The value of Cheniere CEO Jack Fusco's company stock is up $25 million from January to March 10. ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods' stock holdings have increased by $25 million over the same period. The value of Kinder Morgan CEO Steven Kean's stock has jumped nearly $15 million. Some of these corporate leaders have sold shares to cash in on the crisis. ConocoPhillips' Ryan Lance sold shares for $23 million in mid-February, while Chevron's Michael Wirth sold $14 million in stock by late February.

"This data shows that a small handful of fossil fuel CEOs are making enormous and unconscionable profits from this invasion and the ensuing humanitarian crisis," Food & Water Watch research director Amanda Starbuck said in a statement.

Big Oil raked in record profits last year as average gas prices steadily increased. Oil and gas costs have climbed even higher during the first three months of 2022, accelerating in the two weeks since President Joe Biden announced a U.S. ban on imports of Russian fossil fuels.

The average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is now hovering around $4.24, and given that the United Kingdom and the European Union have also taken steps to restrict imports of Russian oil and gas, fossil fuel executives are reportedly salivating at the prospect of forcing consumers to accept higher costs amid the war.

Many fossil fuel firms, including those examined by Food & Water Watch, have rewarded investors with share buybacks and dividend bumps in recent months.

According to researchers, the eight companies under scrutiny "announced stock buybacks and repurchase authorizations in the last year totaling over $25 billion. That amassed wealth is equivalent to filling up 500,000,000 gas tanks with 10 gallons of gas at $5 a gallon. It's also enough to heat the homes of over 33 million people for the winter (assuming a $750 gas bill)."

Even before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale attack on Ukraine, the U.S. fossil fuel industry and members of Congress who are heavily invested in it advocated for further ramping up fracked gas exports to Europe, portraying it as vital to the continent's security. 

In a DeSmog essay published Wednesday, journalist Stella Levantesi characterized the oil and gas sector's calls for "energy independence," which have only grown stronger in recent weeks, as "'peace-washing' the fossil fuels that enabled this conflict."

As Food & Water Watch pointed out, the fossil fuel industry is also trying to "peddle LNG" as a purportedly climate-friendly solution.

EQT, the largest gas company in the U.S., recently launched what researchers called "a brazen PR campaign" titled "Unleashing U.S. LNG: The Largest Green Initiative on the Planet."

The report cites EQT CEO Toby Rice, who described LNG as "one of the world's largest weapons to combat climate change," and claimed that "it would allow us to provide energy security to our allies while weakening the energy dominance of our adversaries."

In reality, Food & Water Watch responded, "LNG transportation and export has significant environmental, public health, and safety impacts. Further taking into account the life cycle including leaks, fracked gas can be as bad or worse for the climate than coal, especially in the short term."

According to Starbuck, "The fracking industry is seeking a long-term strategy to deepen global dependence on dirty fossil fuels."

"It is nothing short of a cynical exploitation of a genuine crisis," she added.

Over the past ten years, a drilling and fracking boom turned the Permian Basin of the U.S. Southwest into the most productive oil and gas field in the world, and Congress' decision to lift a ban on crude exports in late 2015 led to a surge in the construction of pipelines and related infrastructure. Earlier this year, the U.S. became the world's top LNG exporter.

The report cites numerous fossil fuel executives, including Chevron CEO Colin Parfit, who said earlier this month—in reference to his company's Permian drilling projects—that "the U.S. isn't big enough to absorb it all, so essentially you need to create export alternatives for all of it."

Starbuck, meanwhile, emphasized that "the climate crisis demands a shift away from fossil fuels, and these companies are attempting to drive us in the opposite direction."

Recession Is Unavoidable Without Russian Oil, Dallas Fed Study Says

The global economy likely won’t be able to avoid a recession without a resumption of Russian energy exports this year, according to a study by Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas economists.

“If the bulk of Russian energy exports is off the market for the remainder of 2022, a global economic downturn seems unavoidable,” economists Lutz Kilian and Michael Plante wrote in an article posted by the Dallas Fed Tuesday. “This slowdown could be more protracted than that in 1991.”

The authors drew a parallel to the 1991 global recession, set off by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the year prior that caused an oil-supply shock. Back then, Saudi Arabia partly reduced the impact by pledging to ramp up production, helping ensure what the researchers called “only a brief U.S. recession,” which lasted less than a year.

The refusal of financial institutions to support Russian energy exports has been the main development putting those shipments at risk, the Dallas Fed economists wrote. “This outcome was largely unanticipated, as U.S. and European Union sanctions originally deliberately excluded Russian energy exports.”

There's a world in which it's good to be a vampire squid. Unfortunately, it seems to be this one.

'Jaw-Dropping': Wall Street Bonuses Have Soared 1,743% Since 1985

A new analysis out Wednesday estimates that if the federal minimum wage had grown at the same rate as Wall Street bonuses over the past three and a half decades, it would currently be $61.75 an hour instead of $7.25.

According to fresh data from the New York State Comptroller, the average bonus dished out to Wall Street employees jumped 20% to a record $257,500 in 2021 as big banks reported huge profits despite widespread havoc caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Last year's average Wall Street bonus was the highest since 2006, prior to the Great Recession.

The comptroller's office points out that while the securities industry comprises just 5% of private-sector employment in New York City, it makes up one-fifth of total private-sector wages.

Taking the new figures into account, Sarah Anderson of the Institute for Policy Studies notes in a report that the average Wall Street bonus has soared by 1,743% since 1985.

"By contrast, typical American workers lost earnings power in 2021," Anderson writes, noting that high inflation has eroded the modest wage gains seen by ordinary people. "Average weekly earnings for all U.S. private-sector employees rose by only 2% between January 2021 and January 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

"These jaw-dropping numbers are just the latest evidence of unequal sacrifice under the pandemic," Anderson adds. "While ordinary workers are struggling with rising costs for basic essentials, Wall Street bankers have seen their bonuses rise further into the stratosphere."

Anderson argues that Wall Street bonuses have been soaring in recent years partly because Section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Act—a financial reform measure enacted in the wake of the 2008 crash—has never been implemented.

"Powerful Wall Street lobbyists have succeeded in blocking Section 956... which prohibits large financial institutions from awarding pay packages that encourage 'inappropriate risks,'" Anderson writes. "Regulators were supposed to implement this new rule within nine months of the law's passage but have dragged their feet—despite widespread recognition that these bonuses encouraged the high-risk behaviors that led to the 2008 financial crisis, costing millions of Americans their homes and livelihoods."

"In contrast to the Wall Street lobbyists, advocates for the working poor have seen their efforts to raise the federal minimum wage and secure other important worker benefits stalled in Congress," she continues. "Due to Washington inaction, millions of essential workers continue to earn poverty wages, while the reckless bonus culture is alive and well on Wall Street."

Conservatives on Supreme Court Prepare to “Gut Roe v. Wade” as State Abortion Bans Multiply

I have nothing nice to say.

Madeleine Albright, first female US secretary of state, dies aged 84

Madeleine Albright, who came to the US as a refugee and made history as the first woman to be secretary of state, has died. She was 84.

A family statement read: “We are heartbroken to announce that Dr Madeleine Albright, the 64th US secretary of state … passed away earlier today.

"The cause was cancer."

US man charged in Capitol attack gets asylum in Belarus

A former San Francisco Bay Area resident facing federal criminal charges from the January 6 attack at the US Capitol has been granted asylum in Belarus, the former Soviet nation’s state media reported on Tuesday.

Evan Neumann, 49, was charged a year ago with assaulting police, including using a metal barricade as a battering ram during the riot last year. In an interview with the Belarus 1 channel that aired last year, he acknowledged being at the building that day but rejected the charges and said he had not hit any officers. ...

The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, and Russian president, Vladimir Putin, have used the riot as evidence of a supposed double standard by the US, which often condemns crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations elsewhere.

'Extraordinary Allegation': Mo Brooks Claims Trump Personally Asked Him to 'Rescind' 2020 Election Results

Critics hit at Rep. Mo Brooks on Wednesday after the Republican from Alabama claimed that former President Donald Trump personally asked him to "rescind the 2020 elections" and keep President Joe Biden out of the White House.

The public admission—which government watchdog group CREW called "an extraordinary allegation against Donald Trump," especially given his silence of the exchange until now—came in a statement on Brooks' U.S. Senate campaign site and followed news that the former president yanked his endorsement of Brooks earlier in the day.

Brooks—a former ally of Trump, "Big Lie" promoter, and self-described "America First candidate"—was among the lawmakers who, in the wake of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, voted against certifying Biden's win. Following the insurrection, Brooks also faced a lawsuit over his role in ginning up the mob that attacked the Capitol.

In his Wednesday statement, Brooks said that he's repeating "what has prompted President Trump's ire," which was that "the only legal way America can prevent 2020's election debacle is for patriotic Americans to focus on and win the 2022 and 2024 elections so that we have the power to enact laws that give us honest and accurate elections."

"President Trump asked me to rescind the 2020 elections, immediately remove Joe Biden from the White House, immediately put President Trump back in the White House, and hold a new special election for the presidency," Brooks continued. "As a lawyer, I've repeatedly advised President Trump that January 6 was the final election contest verdict and neither the U.S. Constitution nor the U.S. Code permit what President Trump asks. Period."

Weighing in on Brook's new admission, journalist Jon Walker tweeted: "So a sitting Republican member of Congress is saying he personally witnessed Trump engage in election fraud and sedition. It is the eventual end of American democracy if Trump is not arrested."

Brooks' statement also drew a response from Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who suggested the GOP congressman ran afoul of his constitutional obligations.

Beyer noted in a Twitter thread that Brooks was "a leader of Trump's push to illegally overturn the 2020 election" and "continued to be a vocal Trump supporter for over a year after the time he now says Trump directed him to lead an illegal attempt to overthrow our government."

"Brooks has made a number of public statements that deserve revisiting in light of this significant admission," said Beyer, as he noted the Alabama congressman's suggestion that it was "fascist ANTIFA" who "infiltrated" the January 6 pro-Trump rally to attack the Capitol. Breyer also rebuked Brooks for characterizing those who refused to certify Biden's presidential win as "brave Congressmen who fought for honest and accurate elections."

"I can't imagine getting a request to illegally overthrow the lawful United States government and hiding it, let alone continuing to publicly support the person who made it," said Beyer. "We swear an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

Responding to Trump's unendorsement of Brooks, Jessica Floyd, president of American Bridge 21st Century, an advocacy group supporting the Democratic Party, saw further evidence of the extreme direction Republicans are heading.

"As the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump has made his demands abundantly clear—say you'll overturn the 2020 election, or lose his support and face banishment," she said. "GOP candidates across the country have gotten the message, and are loudly pushing to dismantle our democracy," Floyd continued. "They will stop at nothing, unless someone stops them first."

Paul Pelosi Goes ALL IN On $2.2M In TESLA STOCK As Nancy Pelosi Pushes EV Subsidies In Congress

UN chief calls for extreme weather warning systems for everyone on Earth

Everyone on the planet should be covered by an early warning system against extreme weather and climate-related disasters within five years, the UN secretary general has said.

About a third of people around the world are not now covered by early warning systems, but in Africa the problem is greater, with about six in 10 people lacking such warnings.

As climate breakdown takes hold, more people are likely to be affected by extreme weather, including flash floods, heatwaves, more violent storms and coastal storm surges, made worse by sea level rises.

António Guterres said it was unacceptable that so many people were still not covered by early warning systems, and pointed out that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had recently found half of humanity was “in the danger zone” for climate breakdown.

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Ukraine’s Propaganda War

Impoverishing Ukraine: What the US and the EU have been doing to the country for the past 30 years

Close Putin Ally Warns of Nuclear ‘Dystopia’ If US Destabilizes Russia Like It Has Other Countries

They’re Enslaving Our Minds And Driving Us Toward Destruction

Pentagon Says Russian Military Leaders Have Repeatedly Declined Calls With US Counterparts

From Moscow to Washington, the Barbarism and Hypocrisy Don't Justify Each Other

Will Humans Be the Next ‘Freedom Fries’?

More Sanctions On Russia Will Destroy Europe

UK Was Worried Assange Would Mar Its ‘Media Freedom’ Event

Where does your info go? US lawsuit gives peek into shadowy world of data brokers

The Other Manchin’s Conflicts Of Interest

‘We’re saving the last of the last’: what Florida’s endangered panthers need to survive

Machu Picchu: Inca site ‘has gone by wrong name for over 100 years’

Biden DOJ's OUTRAGEOUS Spying On Project Veritas

Saagar Enjeti: How WALL STREET Is Behind High Gas Prices

Manchin LAUGHS OFF BBB, Outlines SWEEPING AGENDA He’s Willing To Vote For. Will Dems Say Yes?

A Little Night Music

Walter Davis - I Can Tell By The Way You Smell

Walter Davis (with Roosevelt Sykes, p) - Hijack Blues

Walter Davis - L & N Blues

Walter Davis - Ashes In My Whiskey

Walter Davis - Frisco Blues

Walter Davis - Tears Came Rolling Down

Walter Davis - M & O Blues

Walter Davis (with Roosevelt Sykes, p) - Mr. Davis' Blues

Walter Davis - I Just Can't Help It