Anti-Imperialism/Foreign Policy

Pentagon to deploy ‘land-based’ firepower and additional troops to Middle East to counter Iranian threats

By on • ( Leave a comment )
3 August 2024
All links are here
Previous edition 29 July: Counter-sniper’s text sent 90 minutes before shooting: Crooks ‘sitting to the direct right on a picnic table’
 
Pentagon to deploy ‘land-based’ firepower and additional troops to Middle East to counter Iranian threats | 2 Aug 2024 | Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered more U.S. troops, ships, fighter jets and “land-based” firepower to the Middle East to counter Iranian threats in the region, the Pentagon announced Friday. The U.S. military “posture adjustments” come as Israel gears up for a likely retaliatory strike from Iran and its proxies related to the recent assassinations of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr. “[S]ecretary Austin has ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command regions,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement outlining the additional resources being sent to the region. “The Department is also taking steps to increase our readiness to deploy additional land-based ballistic missile defense,” she added.
 
U.S. deploys jets and warships as Iran threatens Israel | 2 Aug 2024 | The United States will deploy additional warships and fighter jets to the Middle East to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies, the Pentagon said. Tensions remain high in the region over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and a key commander of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Missile defence forces were placed on a state of increased readiness to deploy, the Pentagon said, adding that its commitment to defend Israel was “ironclad.” Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khamenei has vowed “harsh punishment” against Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh, and declared three days of national mourning. The Hamas leader was killed in Tehran on Wednesday.
 
France warns citizens to leave Iran –Paris cited an increased risk of military escalation as the reason for its latest advisory | 2 Aug 2024 | The French Foreign Ministry has issued a recommendation that the nation’s citizens leave Iran and avoid traveling there, “whatever the reason.” The ministry cited “heightened risk of military escalation in the region.” The warning came in the wake of the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. Iran blamed Israel for the killing, though West Jerusalem has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. The assassination led to an uptick in tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as Lebanon-based Hezbollah. Reports in Western media suggest that Iranian retaliation against Israel may be imminent.
 
West and Russia conduct largest prisoner swap since Cold War | 1 Aug 2024 | Russia agreed to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan as part of a landmark prisoner exchange deal with the West that took place on Thursday. The prisoner swap took place in multiple countries and is being regarded as one of the largest such exchanges since the end of the Cold War. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed decrees to pardon the convicted Russian and foreign citizens who were exchanged in a prisoner swap with the West in Ankara on Thursday. The list of those pardoned includes Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, opposition figures Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin, and others, according to the Kremlin’s official website. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has confirmed that eight Russian citizens have been returned home following a mass prisoner exchange between Moscow and the West in Ankara on Thursday.
 
Plea deal with accused 9/11 plotters revoked | 2 Aug 2024 | U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked a pre-trial agreement reached with men accused of plotting the 11 September terrorist attacks. In a memo on Friday, Mr. Austin also said he was revoking the authority of the officer overseeing the military court who signed the agreement on Wednesday. The original deal, which would reportedly have spared the alleged attackers the death penalty, was criticised by some families of victims. The memo named five defendants including the alleged ringleader of the plot, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, all of whom are held in Guantanamo Bay. The original deal named three men.
 
‘Stunning’ 620% Higher Risk of Myocarditis After mRNA COVID Vaccines –A peer-reviewed study of 9.2 million South Koreans published in Nature Communications uncovered a 620% increased risk of myocarditis and 175% higher risk of pericarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Researchers also noted increased risks of several autoimmune conditions, especially after booster doses. | 26 July 2024 | A large-scale peer-reviewed South Korean study has found significantly increased risks of serious cardiac and neurological conditions following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, and lesser risks of several autoimmune diseases. The nationwide population-based cohort study, published Tuesday in Nature Communications, followed nearly 4.5 million people for an average of 15 months after vaccination. Researchers found a striking 620% increased risk of myocarditis and 175% increased risk of pericarditis in people who received the vaccine compared to historical controls. The study also revealed a 62% increased risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder.
 
School can’t be sued after child received COVID vax against parents’ wishes, court rules –L.P. ‘verbally protested,’ saying, ‘Dad said no,'” the ruling reads. –“We conclude that defendants are immune from suit under the Federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act).” | 29 July 2024 | The Vermont Supreme Court ruled Friday a family cannot sue their child’s school district after the then-6-year-old was given a COVID-19 vaccine without their consent. The child, labeled L.P. in the original complaint, was vaccinated at a November 2021 clinic hosted by the Windham Southeast School District and the Vermont Department of Health. L.P. was a student at the district’s Academy School at the time. L.P.’s father told a school official days prior to the clinic the child was not to be vaccinated, court documents say. The school official acknowledged the father’s directive, according to Friday’s ruling. Clinic workers gave L.P. one dose of the Pfizer vaccine after the child was mistakenly given a name tag reading the name of another student, according to the ruling.
 
Prior warning? Secret Service to face bombshell revelation from top Homeland watchdog –Sources say inspector general about to release heavily redacted report showing it warned Secret Service about security deficiencies back in April | 1 Aug 2024 | Congress was briefed this week that months before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Secret Service managers were warned by the Homeland inspector general about serious deficiencies, including communication woes with local police partners and inadequate training for agents who conducted security sweeps at events for protectees, sources told Just the News on Wednesday night. The concerns flagged by Homeland Security Department Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari were related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot but involve issues that have also been raised in the Secret Service’s failures to stop a gunman from wounding Trump at a Butler, Pa., rally on July 13, the congressional aides said.  
 
Whistleblowers Tell Sen. Hawley Acting Secret Service Chief Personally Ordered Cuts Ahead of Trump Rally, Targeted Agents Who Raised Security Concerns | 1 Aug 2024 | Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is demanding Acting Secret Service Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr.’s response after agency whistleblowers alleged he “personally directed” personnel cuts that ultimately left former President Donald Trump vulnerable to a would-be assassin’s bullet at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to Hawley, anonymous whistleblowers claimed the cuts affected the Secret Service Counter Surveillance Division (CSD), which then failed to conduct a proper threat assessment of the site. “The whistleblower claims that if personnel from CSD had been present at the rally, the gunman would have been handcuffed in the parking lot after being spotted with a rangefinder,” Hawley wrote in his letter directed at Rowe.  
 
Trump says he’s agreed to Fox News debate with Kamala Harris on September 4 in Pennsylvania arena | 3 Aug 2024 | Donald Trump has said he’s debating Kamala Harris on September 4. The GOP nominee claims the face-to-face will take place in an arena in Pennsylvania, but Harris has yet to confirm it’s happening. Posting on Truth Social Friday night, Trump wrote: “I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th.” Trump claims that the ABC News debate scheduled for September 10 was “terminated” when Biden dropped out of the race. He also claimed that there’s a conflict of interest because he’s in litigation against ABC and anchor George Stephanopoulos, who Trump has referred to as “Slopadopoulos.”
 
Kamala Harris gets enough delegates to secure Democratic nomination – despite never winning a primary | 2 Aug 2024 | Kamala Harris got enough delegate votes Friday in the virtual roll call process to become the official Democratic nominee. The deadline for DNC delegates to turn in their electronic ballot is on Monday, but by Friday afternoon, Harris already had the majority of delegate support secured. “I am so proud to confirm that Vice President [sic] Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of the Democratic Party following the close of voting on Monday,” DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a call. Harris called into the Delaware HQ to celebrate and said she will accept the nomination after the deadline eclipses on Monday.
 
Democracy Destroyed: Kamala Harris Coronated as Nominee with Zero Votes After 14 Million Democrats Voted for Joe Biden | 2 Aug 2024 | The Democratic National Committee (DNC) officially nominated Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate on Friday, alienating 14 million Democrats who voted for Joe Biden during the Democratic primary. The DNC began its virtual roll call on Thursday to nominate Harris, preempting its convention later in August. The process was scheduled to take up until Monday, the Associated Press reported, but it finished days early. Harris was the only candidate eligible to receive votes after the party closed the qualifying process Tuesday. The expeditious coronation underscored the speed at which Democrats moved to coronate Harris, who received exactly zero presidential primary votes in her political career. Harris dropped out of the 2020 presidential race before the Iowa caucuses and did not enter the race in 2024 until Biden endorsed her.
 
Senior Democrat Charged With Fake Racist Facebook Accused of Faking his Judge’s Facebook | 3 July 2024 | A former Biden administration liaison and local Democratic candidate in Texas — accused of creating a fake Facebook account to send hate mail to his own campaign and opponents — is now under investigation for allegedly impersonating a judge. Taral Patel, who is running for Fort Bend County Commissioner, is already facing a felony charge of online impersonation for using another local man’s image for his bogus “Antonio Scalywag” profile, which he used to send himself racist comments. Now authorities believe Patel launched a phony account for a local criminal court judge, Surendran Pattel, and could soon file more charges.
 
Texas Democratic pol and ex-Biden appointee arrested for allegedly posting fake racist social comments about himself | 16 June 2024 | An ex-Biden White House appointee and current Democratic candidate for a county commissioner seat in Texas allegedly created a dummy social media account to post bogus racist comments about himself. Taral Patel, 30, the challenger running for county commissioner in Fort Bend County Precinct 3 just outside of Houston, was arrested for online impersonation last week after an investigation initiated by his opponent, incumbent Andy Meyers. The Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office started the probe in October, shortly after a lengthy Facebook post Patel made in September in which he painted himself and his family as victims of a vicious race-based smear campaign perpetrated by his opponent’s supporters. [Weird, right?]
 
Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua gives ‘green light’ to members to shoot U.S. cops, Homeland Security memo warns –Tren de Aragua members have infiltrated the US by crossing the southern border illegally and asking for asylum. | 30 July 2024 | Members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua have been given the “green light” to attack and open fire on cops in Denver, a federal memo obtained by The Post reveals. The gang is already tied to hundreds of crimes, including the shootings of two NYPD cops who were trying to arrest one of its members in June. “Credible human sources from Colorado provided information on TdA [Tren de Aragua] giving a ‘green light’ to fire on or attack law enforcement,” said the memo, from the Homeland Security Investigations office in Chicago.
 
Gunman who allegedly shot San Antonio police officer was in U.S. illegally from Venezuela | 30 July 2024 | The San Antonio police officer injured in an early morning shooting on Sunday remains in the hospital, and is expected to recover. Meanwhile, outrage has erupted about the alleged shooter who was in the country illegally after being released by Border Patrol. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus confirmed Monday the alleged shooter was in the U.S. illegally after immigrating from Venezuela. The chief says he is frustrated by circumstances that allowed this to happen. Law enforcement records obtained by the News 4 I-Team show 25-year-old Jorge Chacon-Gutierrez was apprehended in Eagle Pass by Customs and Border Protection in November of last year. However, he was released with a notice to appear in court in 2026.
 
Illegal migrant who allegedly shot Texas cop was set to be deported, but judge gave him second chance to stay in U.S. | 29 July 2024 | An illegal migrant from Venezuela who allegedly shot and injured a cop in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday was set to be deported after entering the U.S. last year — but an immigration judge gave him a second chance to stay in the country, a Homeland Security source told The Post. Alleged cop shooter Jorge Chacon-Gutierrez, 25, crossed the southern border in November 2023 with a group of nearly 600 migrants, according to the source. At the time, border agents were processing him for “expedited removal,” but he argued he had a fear of persecution in Venezuela so he went before an asylum officer, who rejected his claim and continued to process him for removal. Chacon-Gutierrez, however, asked to make his claim before an immigration judge, who quickly vacated his order of removal and let his case continue.
 
Tech-heavy Nasdaq in correction as equity selloff deepens | 2 Aug 2024 | Worries over tech earnings and a slowing U.S. economy slammed the Nasdaq Composite index on Friday as it extended recent declines to fall 10% below its record high, confirming it was in correction territory. The tech-heavy index fell 2.4% on Friday after a softer than expected jobs report spurred worries over whether the Federal Reserve will need to deliver hefty interest rate cuts at its next meeting to prevent the U.S. economy from falling into recession… The Nasdaq has dropped 10% from its record close of 18,647.45 points on July 10. An index or stock is widely considered to be in a correction when it closes 10% or more below its previous record closing high.
 
***** 
CLG needs your support. 
Or, please  a check or m-ney order to CLG: 
Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) 
P.O. Box 1142 
Bristol, CT 06011-1142 
Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible.  
 
Forward this newsletter to your lists and friends! To subscribe, pls. send a blank email to: signup@legitgov.org. Or, Click here to get the CLG News. Those who wish to unsubscribe can go here or reply to this email w. “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Please add clg_news@legitgov.org to your contacts or approved senders. 
 
CLG News Editor-in-Chief: Lori Price. Copyright © 2024, Citizens for Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved.

Categories: Anti-Imperialism/Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, Military

Leave a Reply