The Evening Blues - 7-8-24
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features Chicago blues piano player Eurreal "Little Brother" Montgomery. Enjoy!
Little Brother Montgomery - Vicksburg Blues
"Saying democracy is in jeopardy in America is like saying beach front properties are in jeopardy in Wyoming. Your country is run by a few billionaires and government agencies. You don’t get a real vote, and even if you did you’re all propagandized anyway. It’s not a real thing."
-- Caitlin Johnstone
News and Opinion
Biden: ‘I’m Running the World’
About midway through what was billed as the most consequential interview of Joe Biden’s political career, he uttered the most consequential words in the interview: “I am running the world.”
Those five words explain why he refuses to withdraw from the race and confirm what most Americans deny, but which most of the world knows: U.S. presidents act as world emperors. The interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos was supposed to be Biden’s chance to show the country he is mentally fit to remain in the presidency and run for a second term, at the end of which, if he is still alive, he’d be 86 years old. ...
Biden has resisted the chorus from the party elite: “I’m not going anywhere,” he told a rally on Friday, saying erroneously that he would beat Trump again in 2020. Earlier he met with Democratic state governors at the White House. He told them he was fine. “It’s just my brain,” he said, according to The New York Times.
Biden thinks he’s running the world and he’s not gonna give it up. No matter that he’s losing his mind for all to see. No matter that he is fully supporting an ongoing genocide in Gaza. No matter that he provoked and keeps expanding a conflict in Ukraine that is heading towards nuclear confrontation with Russia. Biden is obsessed with power — with the power of “running the world.” And he won’t let go.
America is the first world empire. The U.S. president is the first world emperor. The debate to win the emperorship between Biden and Trump — the “stable genius” deranged in his own right — was an end-of-empire spectacle, as though it were Caligula debating Nero. The rest of the world shudders in apprehension at what will come of this.
Alastair Crooke : Does Israel Want War?
Israeli government accused of trying to sabotage Gaza ceasefire proposal
The Israeli government has been accused of attempting to sabotage a US-backed ceasefire proposal, according to Israeli media, by introducing new demands despite previously accepting the plan. Hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza had risen in recent days following reports that Hamas had given initial approval for a new proposal for a phased deal, after ninth months of war since the attack on 7 October.
Egyptian officials and representatives of Hamas said the Islamist militant organisation had dropped a key demand that Israel commit to a definitive end to the war before any pause in hostilities, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. Two Hamas officials told Reuters they were now waiting for a response from Israel, where protesters took to the streets on Sunday to press the government to reach an accord to bring back the hostages still being held in Gaza.
However, David Barnea, the chief of the Mossad foreign intelligence service, who was dispatched over the weekend to Qatar, where talks are being held, was reported to have provided the mediators with a list of new reservations, according to Israeli media. The Haaretz newspaper cited a source familiar with the details as saying Israel’s new demands were expected to delay negotiations, and that it was not clear whether Hamas would accede to them. ...
As a potential agreement draws near, Netanyahu has shown a pattern of retreating from hostage negotiations. On multiple occasions in recent months, he has been accused of obstructing progress that could bring an end to the conflict, whether through public pronouncements, covert communications, or by limiting the negotiating team’s authority.
Israel Bombs Another UN School as Gaza Assault Enters 10th Month
Israeli forces on Saturday killed more than a dozen displaced Palestinians in a targeted attack on a United Nations-run school in central Gaza, the latest bombing of an education facility as Israel's assault on the besieged enclave entered its 10th month.
Video footage from the scene of the attack on the al-Jaouni school in central Gaza's al-Nuseirat refugee camp shows puddles of blood on the ground amid the ruins of a building destroyed in the bombing, which reportedly killed at least 16 people and injured over 75 more, children among them.
The Israeli military confirmed it carried out the attack, claiming without evidence that the school was used by Hamas operatives.
"Another day, another bombing of kids at a U.N. refugee school, another set of children mangled beyond recognition, livestreamed for all the world to see," said Vincent Wong, an assistant professor at the University of Windsor. ...
The wave of Israeli attacks came amid reports of progress toward a possible cease-fire and hostage-release agreement. The U.S., which has supported Israel's assault with weaponry and diplomatic cover, described Hamas' latest cease-fire proposal as a "breakthrough," but it's far from clear Israel will accept the terms even in the face of massive domestic protests demanding a deal.
According to The New York Times, Hamas is pushing for "international assurances that, once an initial truce kicks in, both sides will keep negotiating until they reach a final deal to end the war and free all of the hostages remaining in Gaza."
"In effect, Hamas wants to ensure that it does not turn over many of the hostages only for Israel to restart the war," the Times reported, citing unnamed officials. "Israeli negotiators immediately rejected that demand... Israel wants the option to resume fighting if it deems it necessary."
Egypt is expected to host U.S. and Israeli delegations for a fresh round of cease-fire talks, which could drag on for weeks as Israel's military continues to bomb Gaza and starve its population.
New Popular Front shocks world with French election win
Surprise win for leftwing alliance predicted in French election exit poll
A leftwing alliance was on track to become the biggest force in the French parliament on Sunday after tactical voting held back the far right, but the shape of the future government remained uncertain after no group looked set for an absolute majority.
The surprise result for the left – which was projected to win up to 192 seats, followed by president Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance and the far right in third – showed the strength of tactical voting against Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN). The far right and its allies had forged a commanding lead in the first round but were ultimately held back by massive tactical voting to prevent them winning enough seats to form a government.
Although the left alliance was slightly ahead, it was projected to be at least 100 seats short of an absolute majority. Amid a high turnout estimated at about 67%, no single group was predicted to win an absolute majority of 289 seats and form a government. The parliament was likely to be divided into three blocs: the left, centrists and the far right. ...
It could now take weeks to establish a government with no party gaining anywhere near an absolute majority. It was uncertain what shape of government would be leading France when the Olympic Games open Paris in less than three weeks.
The prime minister, Gabriel Attal, announced that he would hand his resignation to president Macron on Monday morning. But he also said he could stay in place for the short term, if required, while a new government was formed. “Tonight, a new era begins,” he said, adding that France’s destiny would play out “more than ever in parliament”.
As Labour Wins in U.K., Ex-Leader Jeremy Corbyn Wins as Independent in Revolt over Gaza Policy
NATO to announce creation of Ukraine “command” at Washington summit
The US-led NATO military alliance will establish a separate command dedicated to the war against Russia in Ukraine at next week’s summit in Washington, D.C., NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. Stoltenberg announced that “NATO will take over the coordination and provision of most international security assistance” to Ukraine under “a command led by a three-star general, and around 700 personnel working at a NATO headquarters in Germany.”
In addition to the measures announced by Stoltenberg Friday, US press reports have indicated that NATO will station a high-ranking civilian official inside Ukraine itself and may officially launch what is being called internally “NATO Mission Ukraine.” The moves—both announced and as yet unannounced—will mark the end of the fiction promoted by the Biden administration and other NATO governments that NATO is not a party to the war in Ukraine. ...
To date, the arming of Ukraine and the NATO powers’ coordination of the war have been conducted through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an informal group of 50 countries led by the US. With the Washington summit, that group will be supplanted through the direct coordination by NATO of the war.
Reuters reported, meanwhile, that an official NATO “mission” in Ukraine is being actively discussed for announcement at the meeting:
Some officials initially used the word “mission” to describe the new effort, which is expected to be under the command of a three-star NATO general based in Germany. They referred to it by the acronym NMU - for NATO Mission Ukraine.
The creation of the NATO command, Stoltenberg said, will “constitute a bridge to NATO membership” for Ukraine.
US media finally covers sabotaged Russian-Ukraine 2022 negotiations
Viktor Orbán’s rightwing group hits quota for recognition by EU parliament
Viktor Orbán’s rightwing political movement attracted enough parties on Saturday to achieve recognition from the European Union parliament in a boost for the Hungarian prime minister’s self-styled effort to “change European politics”. The nationalist and pro-Russia leader announced on 30 June his intention to form an EU parliamentary grouping called “Patriots for Europe”. ...
With the formation of Patriots for Europe, Orbán is bidding to become the dominant hard-right force in the EU parliament. As well as campaigning for conservative family values and against immigration, the group would push to end European support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion.
Orbán, meanwhile, drew a fresh rebuke from the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, on Saturday after attending a meeting of the Organisation of Turkic States in Azerbaijan.
Hungary took over the EU’s rotating presidency this month and Orbán on Friday appeared to try to carry its imprimatur into a surprise meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow about the Ukraine war. EU leaders quickly blasted the visit as not authorised by them and stressed that Orbán was not representing Brussels.
Orbán’s participation at an informal OTS summit in Azerbaijan on Saturday was the latest event where he represented Hungary alone and not the EU, Borrell said. “Hungary has not received any mandate from the EU council to advance the relations with the Organisation of Turkic States.”
Iran’s New Reformist Pres. Masoud Pezeshkian Promises More Freedom, Better Relations with the West
Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran presidential election
The reformist Masoud Pezeshkian has pulled off a stunning victory in the Iranian presidential runoff, reflecting deep dissatisfaction with the direction of the country in recent years and opening potential new avenues of cooperation with the west.
Pezeshkian won 16,384,403 votes to defeat the ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili, who received 13,538,179 votes, on a final turnout of 49.8% – a big increase on the record low turnout of 39% recorded in the first round. In the first round, Pezeshkian came top, defeating three Conservative rivals. The turnout included more than 1m invalid votes.
Pezeshkian has been an advocate of letting women choose whether to wear the hijab and ending internet restrictions that require the population to use VPN connections to avoid government censorship. He said after his victory: “The difficult path ahead will not be smooth except with your companionship, empathy and trust.”
Under the slogan “For Iran”, Pezeshkian had promised to be a voice of the voiceless, saying protests must not be met with the police baton. Although some regard him as naive in high politics, a large part of his campaign was deliberately framed around his personal integrity, as well as his absence from ministerial office for the past decade. There were immediate calls from his backers to release political prisoners from jails, a symbol of the pent-up demands he may struggle to satisfy.
Pezeshkian faces a minefield in trying to bring about change, and although he has said he is loyal to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he has also said he will resign if he feels he is being thwarted, and will then call on the population to withdraw from the political process.
Biden says only ‘the Lord almighty’ could make him drop out in pivotal TV interview
Joe Biden has insisted that only “the Lord almighty” could persuade him to exit the US presidential race in a potential make-or-break TV interview aimed at quelling a burgeoning rebellion in the Democratic party.
In an exchange free from major gaffes but unlikely to appease his critics, Biden was asked by George Stephanopoulos of ABC News how he would feel if he were to remain the nominee and lose to Donald Trump. “I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the good as job as I know I can do, that’s what this is about,” the president replied.
In other responses his opponents may see as arrogant or out of touch, the 81-year-old claimed that he is “running the world” and no one is “more qualified” to be president.
Biden insists he can reunite US as high-profile Democrats reportedly want him to quit race
Joe Biden insisted he was the person to reunite America in a second term in the White House and was “up for the job” as he hit the trail in Pennsylvania on Sunday – but the number of high-profile Democrats doubting his position as the presumptive party nominee only grew amid a campaign in crisis.
Pressure on the US president increased even further following his poor debate performance against Donald Trump last month and an underwhelming ABC ABC interview last week, as a group of Democratic representatives met online with House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday.
Congressmen Jerry Nadler of New York and Jamie Raskin of Maryland were reportedly among a clutch of lawmakers who told Jeffries that Biden should leave the presidential race.
Congress will be back on Monday from its latest recess and the focus among Democrats is whether Biden can continue to campaign for re-election. House Democrats are expected to meet in person with Jeffries on Tuesday to discuss the president.
Biden’s fresh blitz on Sunday to rally voters, donors and campaign staff also came as prominent House Democrat Adam Schiff said Vice-President Kamala Harris could beat Trump and the president should “pass the torch” to someone else if he can’t win “overwhelmingly”.
Ecuador court rules pollution violates rights of a river running through capital
A ruling described by activists as “historic,” a court in Ecuador has ruled that pollution has violated the rights of a river that runs through the country’s capital, Quito.
The city government appealed the ruling, which is based on an article of Ecuador’s constitution that recognizes the rights of natural features like the Machángara River.
“This is historic because the river runs right through Quito, and because of its influence, people live very close to it,” said Darío Iza, whose group Kitu Kara filed the complaint on behalf of the river.
The court ruled that while appeals proceed, the government will have to come up with a plan to clean up the Machángara.
The city of 2.6 million people dumps all sorts of effluents and contaminants into the Machángara, which starts high in the Andes mountains. But by the time it runs through Quito, it encounters problems such as a near-total lack of treatment of the waste water that is dumped into it.
Air pollution can decrease odds of live birth after IVF by 38%, study finds
Air pollution exposure can significantly decrease the chance of a live birth after IVF treatment, according to research that deepens concern about the health impacts of toxic air on fertility.
Pollutant exposure has previously been linked to increased miscarriage rates and preterm births, and microscopic soot particles have been shown to travel through the bloodstream into the ovaries and the placenta. The latest work suggests that the impact of pollution begins before conception by disrupting the development of eggs.
“We observed that the odds of having a baby after a frozen embryo transfer were more than a third lower for women who were exposed to the highest levels of particulate matter air pollution prior to egg collection, compared with those exposed to the lowest levels,” said Dr Sebastian Leathersich, a fertility specialist and gynaecologist from Perth who is due to present the findings on Monday at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting in Amsterdam.
Air pollution is one of the leading threats to human health and is estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to have caused 6.7 million deaths in 2019. Microscopic soot particles have been shown to cross from the lungs into the bloodstream and are transported to every organ in the body, raising the risk of heart disease, gastric cancers and dementia. The contamination has also being linked to reductions in intelligence.
“Pollution is harmful to almost all aspects of human health and it’s no surprise to me that reproductive health is also affected,” Leathersich said. “I’m hopeful that these findings will help to highlight the urgency of the situation – that climate change poses a serious and immediate threat to human reproductive health, even at so-called safe levels.”
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
Israeli Newspaper Confirms IDF Employed 'Hannibal Directive' on October 7
Saying Democracy Is In Jeopardy In America Is Like Saying Beaches Are In Jeopardy In Wyoming
Scott Ritter: ‘My Life’s Work Melting Before My Eyes’
‘We rarely see them now’: just how vulnerable are Vanuatu’s dugongs?
"Wide But Thin Mandate": Why U.K. Labour Party's Landslide Is on Shaky Ground
'SET UP': Libs FLOAT WILD CONSPIRACIES Protecting Biden
A Little Night Music
Little Brother Montgomery - Prisoner Bound Blues
Little Brother Montgomery - No Special Rider Blues
Little Brother Montgomery - Brothers Boogie
Little Brother Montgomery - First Time I Met The Blues
Little Brother Montgomery - Farish Street Jive
Little Brother Montgomery - Deep Fried
Little Brother Montgomery - Cow Cow Blues
Little Brother Montgomery - Up The Country Blues
Little Brother Montgomery - Buddy Bolden's Blues
Comments
Good essay by Ritter on preventing nuclear war
It was really well written and thoughtful. I had always regarded this as the most important issue. When one views the current Ukraine war, Israel's actions in Gaza, and a potential conflict in the far east over a number of issues, it is clear that the best thing to do is to get cease fires now and negotiate. In the far east, the effort should be to avoid military conflict in the first instance. With NATO involvement in Ukraine, the Israeli military/settler operations underway currently, and the potential conflicts with China, and/or North Korea in the far east, which nuclear powers aren't involved in war or the threat of nuclear war currently?
Unfortunately, Scott during a live interview with Reporterfy today, made a bunch of remarks about the South China Sea dispute which indicate to me that contrary to his expansive expertise concerning NATO, arms control, Ukraine etc., he's out of his element discussing East Asia. Among the live comments many disagreed with his views on this subject.
Below is a report on the signing of the Japan-Philippines armed forces facilitation agreement:
It's hard to find a report on this in English without an anti-China spin. Bong Bong is setting the Philippines up to potentially play a Ukraine like role in a future conflict with China. The issues in the South China Sea are almost invariably misrepresented. The Philippines is putting itself on the line to advance Japanese and US interests.
Believe it or not, this statement below by Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister, cited by UPI in the article below is an accurate characterization of what the South Korean government is doing now. The Yoon administration and his party are currently in great difficulty, because Yoon, and two of his party's leading candidates for party leader, Han Dong-hun and Won Hee-ryong, were implicated in scandals involving Yoon and his wife. Not sure which one of them actually represents the "Yoon faction" in the conservative party now. Supposedly Han is at odds with Yoon and his wife currently, with whom he used to correspond frequently. He functioned as Yoon's henchman in confabulating cases against political rivals on the left up until he left the office of Justice Minister. Not sure about the rumored rift. Anyway, no doubt the repassage of a special investigation law into the presidential office coverup of the Cpl. Choe drowning death investigation places Yoon and his party in a difficult position. Most media pundits agree, that whoever is responsible, Yoon or his wife, it's an impeachable offense if proven. That this might be referred to the Supreme Court ultimately for disposition makes the outcome of a successful impeachment questionable. The opposition, it is said only needs 8 defectors from the conservative party to overcome a Yoon veto. Anyway on to Kim Jo-yong's statement below on South Korea's "hysterical" provocations-
North Korean leader's sister calls South's live-fire drills 'suicidal hysteria'
The whole article might be worthwhile to read.
Thanks for the EB's Joe! Still digging into it.
語必忠信 行必正直
evening soryang...
you'd think that by the way things are going, the man that is "running the world" is worried that he won't get a chance to push the big, red button before he leaves office.
now that the nation knows that biden is a fruithat, perhaps somebody might suggest a policy review?
thanks for the updates, have a great evening!
I am pretty sure that the following are related.
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4759830-michael-moore-biden-debate...
She seems to enjoy the perks of being First Lady.
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/4760170-jill-biden-reelection-deba...
evening humphrey...
it's been manifestly obvious for ages that biden is not a person who should be entrusted with the presidency. unfortunately, that doesn't really seem to matter.
heh, so which corrupt, demented warmonger are ya gonna vote for?
Ukraine is pretty good at issuing blatant propaganda but as
far as fighting the war not so much.
interesting...
according to tass:
The Curse of Zelensky
.
Western politcians are now avoiding meetings and photo ops, where they might bump into the former Ukraine President. One-by-one the Euro-fools who mongered a war between Russia and the mostly dead and buried conscripted military of Ukraine — have noticed that associating with Zelensky appears to be the kisss of death for Western politicians.
By the end of this election year, we will have our own politicial losers to add to this calendar of shame. C99 ought to publish and sell an annual War-Criminal Calendar. Our visual and historical narrative of the Fall of Western Civilization would actually leave the world a better than we found it. We are, after all, 100 percent truthful and correct about what really happened here — and about the malignant sociopaths who turned it into Hell.
evening pluto...
choosing just 12 would be a difficult task, there are so many. perhaps it could be titled the 12 most egregious as-yet-unprosecuted war criminals of the year.
The Gang is gathering in DC
tomorrow through Thursday. One intrepid photojournalist needed to capture each of them shaking hands with Zelensky. (The list is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Washington_summit#:~:text=The%202024%...
I wonder if Genocide Joe or Zionist Blinken will have anything
to say about this???
The rest of Hedges tweet:
heh...
i think that it's pretty likely to pass without comment from the genocide engineers. the propaganda did its job in its time and now its "water over the dam," or "old news" as they say.
It wasn’t only Hamas driving the cars
Many civilians tried driving away from the concert tpp only to be bombed by helicopters.
Quite a few people said that they escaped from the a concert only to be blocked at both ends by Israeli forces.
And will we ever find out who ordered the concert to be moved from its original spot and not warned about the attack? Hopefully Israelis will start asking Netanyahu these questions and wtf happened to security after he had been warned for months that the attack was coming. Remember he moved most of the troops out of the area tp the West Bank just days before.
Nadar has long claimed that the death toll stood at t 200,000. Today’s number of 186,000 deaths are probably even higher than that now.
Back from the hills
.
I took the Sam camping for the 4th to get away from the damn fireworks and she had a wonderful time pretending that she was a bear in the woods and that she was protecting me from all the wild animals. It was much cooler up there. Even cold at night and in the morn. Heading for 105 this week, but it’s not that unusual this time of year. Utah is a desert after all.
Bernie has turned into the biggest shitlib ever! On Biden dropping out:
Good lord, Bernie. When has Biden ever done anything for those people! Seriously I bet he can’t name one time he did. Biden’s most recent screwing was kicking them off the social programs Trump put them on and failing to pass any of the things he promised the poorer people he would with feeble excuses I could drive a truck through. And that includes robbing us of $600. Oh and Bernie, Warner would be a republican just a few decades ago. Not a conservative. Good gawd is there anyone you won’t carry water for.?
Shitlibs are absolutely outraged over democrats wanting Biden to step down. They think that media is just creating fables about Biden’s mind when they should be admitting that they had been covering it up for 5 years. Like they were before ovarian cleared the field.
"He had a cold. It made his stutter worse."
The whole thing was a setup. For weeks we were told that Biden had to have a good debate or…. And it’s why top dems like Pelosi, Schiff, Schumer ect are saying that he should step down. And why the 'leftish' media was ready to pounce like they did. Anyone who can’t see that has their heads buried in 5 feet of Bernie’s dawgshit.
evening snoopy...
glad to hear that you and sam had a good vacation and some cool weather. give sam a scritch for me.
it's sad to see bernie becoming a caricature of himself. he may not be senile, but his judgement certainly seems off.
have a good one!
Ha! As if the state of Delaware and its politicians like Biden
were famous, down through the years, for representing the interests of “the vast majority of the people in this country, the elderly, the children, working class, the poor” rather than notoriously advancing the interests of corporations and their money launderers.
Come on, Bernie, you know better than to believe what you’re saying.
Of course he does
He has to know Biden’s longtime nickname….
The senator for MBNA.
Those complaining about Biden not canceling student loans may not be aware that it was Biden who made them impossible to be discharged through bankruptcy in the first place. Why haven’t dems ever addressed that? Boy I love how shitlibs have pushed Biden left. But why would they sing he’s the best president of their lifetime. Oh look….no increase in homelessness (up 12%) or more children going to bed hungry….blehh.
Doubling down on Ukraine
This is from a US State Department announcement on the July 8-11 schedule for the 75th Anniversary Summit in DC for NATO:
NATO Summit 2024 – A Preview of Events with Ambassador Michael Carpenter, Senior Advisor for Europe at the National Security Council
I saw a youtube short that reported Yoon and the First Lady left early for the summit so they could stop in Hawaii for a couple of days and meet with "kyo po" there, iow Korean Americans. What a crock.
語必忠信 行必正直
heh...
i wonder if that strong signal that the west is sending putin can create lots of soldiers to throw at the front lines and keep the west from going broke.
I have some really bad news.
No, it's not genocide in Gaza. All the nice operatives are totally down with that.
It's not Ukraine losing half a million people in pointless "counter-offensives." That stuff is kewl and bitchen.
It's not climate change. So your AQI is 180 and it's 106 degrees out? Whatev.
It's not inflation destroying your savings, it's not your student loan debt, and it isn't your piss-poor wages. Forget about all that stuff.
And it certainly isn't Biden. Listen to Bernie and AOC; they're smarter than you.
No, what you should REALLY worry about is Project 2025, as reported to you by people who haven't read any of it.
Worry! Worry harder! And shut up and vote for the (D) or something.
The ruling classes need an extra party to make the rest of us feel as if we participate in democracy. That's what the Democrats are for. They make the US more durable than the Soviet Union was.
heh...
yeah, i guess i do worry that the right seems to have figured out how to effectively organize politically and all the democrats can do is point and make farting noises at them.