A Quick Look at the News

The Sullivan/Blinken/Biden era draws to a close.

Jan 18, 2025

Published: 2025-01-18

News and articles from the 16th and 17th (mostly) of January, 2025.

NATO v Russia in Ukraine

Ukraine, certainly with approval from the US, used a small drone swarm to attack the Russian compressor station near Anapa of the Turkstream natural gas pipeline to Turkiye. Russian air defence protected the facility.

Turkstream provided 31% of Europe's natural gas imports in 2024. The Ukraine/US attack on it came after Ukrainian puppet-dictator Zelensky canceled Europe's natural gas supply from Russia via Ukraine (which was 30%).

These concerted attacks on Europe's energy supply will create minor increases in energy costs globally, but especially in Europe. These attacks came after the US election and so do not affect the outgoing Sullivan/Blinken/Biden administration. It will continue to damage European economies, particularly Germany's, all while US fossil fuel companies benefit from the artificially created market.

With these two moves the Sullivan/Blinken/Biden US government is elevating its attacks on its "allies" after having destroyed the Nordstream pipelines (3 of 4). Note that one of those "allies", is Turkiye, which US CENTCOM is current fighting a proxy war with in northern Syria (where there’s more fossil fuel resources).

Ukraine Attacks TurkStream Pipeline, Stephen Bryen, Weapons and Strategy, 2025-01-13

Washington's Proxies Attack TurkStream while Trump Takes Credit for Ceasefire, Mike Whitney, The Unz Review, 2025-01-15

This was but one of many attacks on Russia’s energy production. Simplicius wrote:

Two nights ago Ukraine launched arguably their largest drone attack of the entire war on Russia, spurring concerns that all those promised Western ‘programs’ to supercharge Ukraine’s drone production have finally come into full bloom:

Since yesterday evening, the regions of the Russian Federation have been subjected to the first massive attack by missiles and UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at least 200 drones in total. The greatest damage was caused to the Saratov region - most of the UAVs were shot down, but some flew. The fuel and energy complex - Saratov Oil Refinery-was attacked. For the second time in a week, the Kristall oil depot of the Federal Reserve in Engels was hit. At the moment, the elimination of consequences continues at both sites.
In Tatarstan, Kazan was under attack, strikes by drones "Fierce" and "Inferno". Under attack was the base of liquefied gases at the Kazanorgsintez facility, tanks are burning. Drone arrivals were seen in the residential area and Aviastroitelny-near the S. P. Gorbunov plant, where enemy drones were flying. For the first time, the work of air defense was noted in the city of Almetyevsk, several hundred kilometers southeast of Kazan - oil facilities were under attack.
In the Bryansk region, the Bryansk chemical plant in the village of Seltso was attacked.For the attack, the APU used ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, as well as UAVs.The exact damage to the company is not yet clear.About 35 more UAV arrivals were recorded in the Orel region, Voronezh, Kursk and Tula region.14 drones were shot down over the Millerovsky and Tarasovsky districts of the Rostov region.

SITREP 1/17/25: Russia-Iran's Landmark Agreement Imitated in Starmer's Last Minute Kiev Stunt ; Simplicius; Simplicius; 2025-01-18

This comes right after the NY Times announced a new secret program by the US to fund Ukraine’s drone development to the tune of an additional $1.5 billion black budget dollars, not ledgered in the previous Biden admin funds.

The other side of the US/EU/NATO attack on Europe's economy is Ukraine's ongoing and accelerating defeat in NATO's war with Russia.

The foundations of NATO are crumbling, brought about in large measure by the West’s foolish investment in the Ukrainian war. Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovakia and Romania are openly voicing opposition to continuing support for Ukraine. They can read the results on the battlefield and realize that Russia is defeating Ukraine despite unfettered, massive support from NATO. The big players in NATO — i.e., the UK, France and Germany — are facing economic and political chaos at home. None are in a position to shift to a war footing and risk challenging Russia.

Russia's Defeat of Ukraine's Army Limits Trump's Options for a Negotiated Settlement, Larry C. Johnson, SONAR21, 2025-01-14

Independent British politician John Webster has written a clear summary of the NATO war on Russia in Ukraine for a British audience. The hogwash which Western media have been pumping is blasted away with a simple recount of history.

Don't Play Poker with Putin, John Webster, Natylie's Place: Understanding Russia, 2025-01-16

[Photo by Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street / CC BY 4.0 with cropping and commentary by this author]

UK PM Sir Starmer envisions a need to be on the losing side. His “100 year parternship treaty” will guarantee that the UK remains involved, as it has been from the start of the civil war which followed the US managed 2014 coup. This involvement is likely to cost the UK tax-payer even more than has already been wasted on training the Russian military and destroying Ukraine. Starmer knows he is dispensable, electorally, and will probably take a hit for his service to Britain's aristocrats and weapons manufacturers.

The "100-years" announcement is hilariously idiotic.

UK Prime Minister Starmer signs "100-year partnership treaty" with Ukraine ahead of Trump inauguration; Robert Stevens; World Socialist Website; 2025-01-17

Mission 1 for Starmer is to continue to provoke Russia in the Black Sea. The US might have trouble deploying there currently, given its war with Turkiye which controls the Bosphorus.

Ukraine and the UK Will Establish a Joint Flotilla to Secure the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, Sofiia Syngaivska, Defense Express [UA], 2025-01-18

The Genocide

Aseel Saleh's post from Peoples Dispatch republished at Scheerpost provides the known details of "ceasefire" agreement between Israel and Hamas which Israel is doing its best to not implement.

Details of Historic Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Aseel Saleh, Scheerpost, 2025-01-16

Ansarallah have restated their public position, unacknowledged in Western media. Their attacks on Israel's economy and military in compliance with the Genocide Convention will stop as soon as Israel stops its genocide in Gaza.

Yemen's Houthis To Stop Attacks on Israel If Gaza Ceasefire Is Implemented, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2025-01-16

The Israeli security cabinet was initially supposed to approve the deal on Thursday, but Prime Minister Netanyahu delayed the vote, claiming Hamas was “reneging” on certain details, an accusation the Palestinian group strongly denied.

Trump could't care less about Yahu's "reneging" claims: "it better be done before I take the oath of office", said the President elect.

Israeli Media: Gaza Ceasefire May Not Start Until Monday; Dave DeCamp; Antiwar; 2025-01-16

Rather that get involved in choosing if anyone deserves credit for forcing the Zionists to pause their genocide for a prisoner exchange, Hedges assesses the charade based on past behavior. It is "a presidential inauguration bombing pause. Israel has no intention of halting its merry-go-round of death."

The Ceasefire Charade; Chris Hedges; Scheerpost; 2025-01-16

The Zionist desire to continue the genocide is so strong that when Gvir threatened to bring down the ruling coalition because of the "ceasefire", Prime Minister Netanyahu reassured him that the killing can continue "under an American guarantee".

Netanyahu's Likud Party Says Ceasefire Deal Allows a 'Return to Fighting Under American Guarantee'; Dave DeCamp; Antiwar; 2025-01-16

Genocide in Gaza: Day 467

The pace of IDF murder of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, has been unaffected by "ceasefire" discussions.

Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 87 Palestinians in Gaza Since Ceasefire Deal Announced; Dave DeCamp; Antiwar; 2025-01-16

The strategic partnership treaty between Iran and Russia was signed, as expected, on the 17th January, 2025. This completes the strategic partnership triangle of China, Russia and Iran via three independent bilateral strategic partnership treaties: Russia-China, China-Iran, Iran-Russia.

Game Changer - Russia and Iran Sign Mutual Security Agreement; Larry C. Johnson; SONAR21; 2025-01-17

Undermining the 4th Amendment via the Surveillance and Security State

[Demonstration in New York City against the police racial profiling practice known as Stop and Frisk, June 2012. (Terence McCormack, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)]

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave the Biden administration's strategy away on implementation of the legislation behind the ban on Chinese ownership of "TikTok":

Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.

Another bomb is placed under international relations by the Biden administration for Team Trump to defuse.

The "TikTok" affair is not a ban on usage, but ownership. The US snooping services dont want China to have access to the data shared by 170 million US residents on the social media platform. This in turn informs one where intelligence data is obtained — from the social media platforms directly, and Chinese dominant owner of TikTok, Byte Dance, is not providing that access to the US spy agencies.

The TikTok affair has nothing to do with Free Speech or markets, it is entirely about surveillance. All concerned persons could solve the problem by moving to Signal and providing the tiny organisation with some funding.

SCOTUS Rejects Challenge to Looming TikTok Ban; Kyle Anzalone; Antiwar; 2025-01-17

The 'who is allowed to own' TikTok affair is an extension of the Security State's desire to spy without constraint. President elect Trump's nominated Directory of National Security, Tulsi Gabbard, has about faced on her previous, repeated defence of the US Constitution's 4th Amendment against the continual advances of the Security State. Judge Napolitano provides a historical summary of those marches against freedom in the context of Gabbard's abandonment of the constitution just as she's about to take another oath to defend it.

A Switch in Time?; Judge Andrew P. Napolitano; Consortium News; 2025-01-16

Patrick Lawrence chimed in with:

The Predictable Capitulation of Tulsi Gabbard; Patrick Lawrence; The Unz Review; 2025-01-16

US Diplomacy

At the start of the Sullivan/Blinken/Biden administration, Chinese diplomats in Anchorage got up and walked out of the meeting during which they'd been serially abused by their US counterparts, led by the worst US Secretary of State Blinken in whichever time period one wishes to choose. To start the new administration President elect Trump and Chinese President Xi had a cordial and potentially constructive discussion. Antiwar provided summaries of both readouts.

Trump Says He Had 'Very Good' Phone Call With China's Xi; Kyle Anzalone; Antiwar; 2025-01-17

[Journalist Sam Husseini is carried out of a State Department news conference after confronting Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the U.S. policy towards Gaza on January 16, 2025. (Photo credit: Ryan Grim/X.com)]

Less than two minutes into Blinken’s [last press conference and] remarks, as he was thanking the reporters in the attendance for “asking tough questions,” Max Blumenthal, the editor in chief of The Grayzone—an independent news—addressed Blinken, saying loudly in reference to the cease-fire deal:“300 reporters in Gaza were on the receiving end of your bombs. Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May?”

The tough questions were physically removed from the "press" conference.

Journalists Sam Husseini, Max Blumenthal Thrown Out of Blinken's Briefing; Eloise Goldsmith; Scheerpost (originally Common Dreams); 2025-01-17

Where are the Skripals?

Following the publication of John Helmer's second book on the attempted murder and silencing of the Skripal's which followed the conclusion of the "inquiry" into the bungled British intelligence operation, he joined Chris Cook and Jeremy Kuzmarov to discuss the now long forgotten affair.

It is another case wherein dogged investigative journalism exposed the hapless efforts by governments trying to cover up ineptitude by their secret services. Helmer draws interesting parallels between the Skripal's abuse, the media's coverage of it and that of Julian Assange.

The British Attack On The Skripals Didn'T Kill Them - Instead, British Novichok Has Killed The Mainstream And Alt-Media; John Helmer; Dances with Bears; 2025-01-16

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Jeremy Kuzmarov, John Helmer January 15, 2025; Chris Cook; Gorilla Radio; 2025-01-16

One can download the audio behind the '...' button or, just use yt-dlp:

$ yt-dlp https://gradio.substack.com/p/gorilla-radio-with-chris-cook-jeremy-c35

or support this work via Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon.

Sources

In situ. Also, enjoy:

Amb. Chas Freeman: The Delusional Policies Driving America's Decline; Alkhorshid interviews Freeman; Dialogue Works; 2025-01-17