Rachel Blevins

At least nine people were killed, and nearly 3,000 wounded, according to the latest reports, after pagers that were used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday. Lebanon's information minister said the government condemned the attack as an act of “Israeli aggression,” and Hezbollah blamed Israel, and said it would receive “its fair punishment.” Veteran Journalist Elijah J. Magnier noted that the affected pagers appear to be from a shipment that Hezbollah received recently that had gone through multiple checkpoints in multiple countries before reaching their destination—an indicator that Israel planned this attack in advance, and then waited for the time to inflict terror on the people of Lebanon.

The Russian president is now warning that removing restrictions on Kiev's use of long-range missiles would directly involve the U.S. and its allies in the war against Russia. This, as the Biden Admin teases the possibility of doing just that, and helping Kiev strike deep inside Russia. John Jackman, an American attorney and geopolitical analyst, noted that while one of the top two candidates for the U.S. presidency is vowing to end the war in Ukraine, concerns remain that the Biden Admin will seek to escalate tensions to the point where the U.S. can't just easily back out of its role in the conflict...

Lebanon is once again being bombed by Israel with a series of strikes this week that have targeted civilian areas, and killed Hezbollah commander Mohammed Qassem Al-Shaer. Veteran Journalist Marwa Osman, PhD., noted that as Israel continues to expand the conflict further into Lebanon, Hezbollah is responding to each attack, and continuing to expand the conflict further into Israel—reminding Israel that there is a price to pay for the genocide it is committing against the Palestinians, and the ongoing attacks it is carrying out against its neighbors in the region.

Both Biden and Blinken have now indicated that the White House is getting ready to lift restrictions on the long-range missiles the U.S. sends Kiev, and grant Zelensky's wish to use the weapons deep inside Russian territory, despite previous concerns that it would lead to a direct conflict between Washington and Moscow. International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that from Abrams tanks to F-16 fighter jets to ATACMS, the Biden Admin continues down the slippery slopes towards war with Russia, out of desperation, because nothing they are doing for Kiev is resulting in success. And that is becoming abundantly clear as Russian forces continue to advance in the Donbass…

Russiagate 3.0 is officially here, and with just two months left until Election Day, the U.S. Gov't is specifically targeting Russia and Russian media funding with a new set of sanctions and indictments. Clint Russell, Host of the Liberty Lockdown Podcast, noted it's no coincidence that multiple content creators who have been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine in a proxy war against Russia, are now being accused of only voicing dissent to the narrative because of allegations of Russian funding.

Iran is watching the region, as Israel continues to carry out attacks against the Palestinian people in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while also continuing border clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Ehsan Safarnejad, an Iran-based journalist and geopolitical analyst, noted that Iran's retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Palestinian diplomat and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh isn't just about military force. The current unrest in Israel over Netanyahu's government and its failure to secure a hostage deal, coupled with Israel's economic woes from residents fleeing to other countries, serve as a reminder that the consequences for Israel's crimes come in many forms.

Russian forces continue to advance around the key Donbass city of Pokrovsk, as Kiev scrambles to respond, while still trying to maintain its incursion into Russia's Kursk region. This, as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba resigns amid reports that he was the one Zelensky blamed for a lack of weapons donations to Kiev. International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that while Zelensky is struggling with another cabinet shakeup, Russian President Putin is commenting on the state of the U.S. Election and saying that while Biden was his preferred "predictable" candidate, he is now going to follow Biden's recommendation and cheer for Kamala Harris—with the hope that her "fascinating" laugh will lead to more joy, and less sanctions for Russia.

The streets in Israel were flooded with thousands of protesters after Netanyahu once again refused a ceasefire and hostage deal, and attempted to retrieve hostages through IDF raids. After the last attempt led to Israel killing hundreds of Palestinians, in order to rescue four hostages, Hamas vowed to change their tactics and return hostages "in coffins" if Israel came close to rescuing them through military raids. Veteran Journalist Elijah J. Magnier noted that the current unrest in Israel is yet another reminder of why Iran has yet to retaliate for Israel's assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh—because they know that any kind of attack would provide a reason for Israelis to come together and forget about the policies of their leadership that are currently tearing them apart.

After almost 11 months of a near-constant bombardment and ongoing blockade of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, Israel ramped up its raids in the West Bank this week, with the New York Times calling it a "third front" to Israel's war on the Palestinians and the resistance who support them. Dan Kovalik, a Human rights lawyer, professor and author, noted that Israel's targeting the West Bank is a reminder that this was never about "destroying Hamas," and it was always about achieving the decades-long goal of ethnically cleansing the Palestinian people from their land.

UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi is warning about "the danger or possibility of a nuclear accident" after a visit to Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant, which has repeatedly been targeted by Kiev as part of their ongoing incursion into the region. However, Grossi still refuses to say who is behind the attacks (despite it being obvious, once again) International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that Kiev's decision to throw some of its best resources into Kursk to carry out a headline-making stunt with its incursion, is hurting Ukrainian forces significantly on the battlefield, as Russian forces continue to advance, now closing in on the key Donbass city of Pokrovsk.

Hezbollah launched dozens of drones and more than 320 Katyusha rockets into Israel, as retaliation for Israel's targeted assassination of Hezbollah Commander Fuad Shukr. This, after Israel carried out what appeared to be its largest bombing of southern Lebanon since October, with Netanyahu claiming they were "pre-emptive strikes." Veteran Journalist Elijah J. Magnier noted that "For the first time in modern history, a non-state actor—Hezbollah—has successfully established deterrence" over one of the most formidable armies in the world, and as a result, "Hezbollah has regained the upper hand and executed a calculated retaliation against Israel, even as U.S. and NATO forces have mobilized in defense of Israel."

The Russian founder of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France this weekend, with reports from local media saying the French Government is making allegations related to the app's encryption tools and lack of moderation. This, as the FBI has raided the homes of two Americans linked to Russian state-funded media this month, with the NY Times citing anonymous U.S. officials to claim that it's part of “an aggressive effort to combat the Kremlin’s influence operations leading up to the presidential election." All of the above is a reminder that this crackdown is happening because the real influence campaigns—those coming from the U.S. and its allies—haven’t worked as intended.

Biden is claiming "We are closer than we've ever been" to a deal, after two days of ceasefire talks in Qatar. He is hoping, as he expressed earlier this week, that if Israel and Hamas can come to an agreement, it will save Israel from facing retaliation from Iran for the assassination of Palestinian diplomat and Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh. Political commentator and Founder of Syriana Analysis, Kevork Almassian, noted that while there are still countless questions as to how and when Iran will respond, there are also questions as to whether a deal can be made. After all, Israel still claims its end goal is to destroy the same group it's negotiating with.

The Biden Admin is patting themselves on the back as the latest data shows year-over-year inflation has reached its lowest level in more than three years. But food prices are still more than 20% higher than they were in 2021, and Americans are feeling the pain as unemployment has also increased. Prof. Richard Wolff, an American Economist and founder of Democracy at Work, noted that while Trump and Harris may have different visions for how to respond, any action they do end up taking won't stop the declining path the U.S. Empire is currently on, as it creates its own demise through both increasing inequality at home and endless wars waged against an increasingly multipolar world abroad.

It has been nearly one week since Ukrainian forces launched an incursion over the Russia border and into the Kursk region, and it seems as though the West has been trying to figure out "Why" they would do such a thing ever since. That includes military analysts quoted by the New York Times who questioned "why Ukraine would throw scarce resources into a risky assault in a new area at a time when it is fighting pitched battles to hold on to positions in its own territory,” and a military analyst for the European Council on Foreign Relations, who told Spiegel magazine that the assault may be the "beginning of the end" for the Kiev regime. International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that Kiev will be forced to pay a heavy price by the Russian Military in the long term for the incursion that will amount to nothing more than a publicity stunt aimed at making headlines in the short term...

The world is waiting to see how Iran and Hezbollah will respond, after Israel carried out multiple attacks and assassinations that included the killing of a Hezbollah commander in Beirut and the Hamas political chief (and top ceasefire negotiator) in Tehran. Veteran Journalist Marwa Osman noted that while the message from Israel is clear: they want a regional war, and they don't want any chance at a ceasefire with Hamas, what is also clear is the right of Iran and Hezbollah to respond to the red lines Israel has crossed. Because for every unanswered attack, Israel only continues to increase its violations of international law.

Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, met with the secretary of Russia's National Security Council, Sergey Shoigu, in Tehran for talks where the two leaders reaffirmed the strategic partnership between Russia and Iran. The meeting comes as the world is watching to see how Iran will respond, after Israel assassinated Palestinian diplomat and Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, during his visit to Tehran last week. And Israel is already warning that it will respond to any retaliation, with some reports saying Netanyahu is even considering a "pre-emptive" strike. International Relations and Security Analyst Mark Sleboda noted that while unconfirmed reports have circulated on social media claiming that Russia is sending a steady stream of weapons by plane to Iran, there's a chance Moscow may be helping Tehran with its defensive capabilities—and that's the last thing Israel and its allies in the West want to hear...

Iran and Hezbollah are warning that Israel has “crossed red lines” and vowing there will be retaliation, after Israel bombed Beirut, killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, and was behind the assassination of Palestinian diplomat and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor of English Literature at the University of Tehran, noted that while there will be “a very harsh response” from the collective Axis of Resistance, “the Iranian response will be particularly harsh.” Prof. Marandi also point out that “Iran is determined to make sure the Israeli regime regrets the terror attack in Tehran,” because “not only did they violate Iran’s sovereignty, but they murdered an Iranian guest and the representative of the Palestinian people.” As for the question of why Netanyahu would take this route, all while knowing it will have severe consequences for Israel, Prof. Marandi noted that “Netanyahu is not acting in the interest of the regime. He’s acting for his own interest and that’s why he’s brought about this escalation, and he’s sacrificing the Israeli regime for his own selfish interests.”

Tensions are soaring in the Middle East after the assassination of Hamas Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran—a respected Palestinian diplomat, whose death is believed to be the result of an Israeli missile attack in Tehran. The attack came less than a day after Israel bombed Beirut, Lebanon, claiming they were targeting a Hezbollah commander there. Israel justified the attack by suddenly claiming to care about the Syrian children in the Occupied Golan Heights, and blaming Hezbollah for a rocket attack there, with no evidence. Palestinian-American Journalist Dr. Ramzy Baroud noted this series of inflammatory attacks shows Netanyahu is desperate for a wider regional war to take away the focus from his failure to defeat Hamas and his ongoing attempt to exterminate the Palestinian people from their own land. And the overwhelming support Netanyahu received from the U.S. during his visit last week may have been just the "blank check" he was looking for...

Protesters took to the streets in Venezuela to demonstrate against the results of the country's recent election, which saw President Nicolas Maduro secure a third term. But the Western-backed opposition is not going down without a fight, and they are claiming that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez (who was virtually unknown before the election), won in a landslide... Craig 'Pasta' Jardula, an Independent Journalist and Host of 'Pasta 2 Go,' noted that the West is intentionally using broad claims to refer to the results of Venezuela's election because they don't want to admit that the country has a more transparent system than the U.S., and that for Maduro's party to have rigged the election, they would have had to have known exactly which machines were going to be audited, and then flipped over 1.4 million votes on the machines that weren't audited...

The same politicians and media talking heads who spent years insisting Biden was fine, dropped him in unison and switched to Kamala Harris as their "chosen" nominee (even though she wasn't chosen by the voters). Independent Journalist Sam Husseini noted that while we've long known about Biden's apparent cognitive decline, the Democratic Party establishment's decision to suddenly care about it shows that this entire "crisis" was manufactured, especially as the DNC made the highly unusual move of pushing a debate before its delayed convention, which set everything in motion… Learn more about Vote Pact: https://votepact.org/about-vote-pact/ Follow Sam Husseini on Twitter: https://twitter.com/samhusseini and Substack: https://husseini.substack.com

Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office, days after his team released a statement saying he was dropping out of the 2024 election , and he claimed that he is “the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world.” Yet not only is the U.S. actively bombing Yemen, but it's also fighting a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, trying to provoke a proxy war against China in Taiwan, enabling Israel's genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, has U.S. troops illegally occupying Syria, and the list goes on and on... Former CIA Analyst Larry Johnson noted that from Biden's sudden resignation from the 2024 race, to the Democrats anointing Harris as his successor, to the recent assassination attempt against Trump... Americans should be very concerned about the state of their government.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba is in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, where he claimed that Kiev is ready to hold peace talks with Moscow aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. This, as Zelensky also recently said that they "have to finish the war, as soon as possible of course, not to lose people’s lives." (A little late for that) Glenn Diesen, a Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, and an associate editor at the journal, Russia in Global Affairs, noted that while it is likely Kiev could be considering serious talks (especially given the current political turmoil in Washington), it remains to be seen how Moscow will handle things, as their past efforts at peace have been used by the West to try to exploit Russia

Right on cue... members of the U.S. Congress came together to give a nauseating show of support, complete with multiple standing ovations, for Israeli Prime Minister and U.S.-backed War Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu as he appeared on the floor of the Capitol. Lawyer and Journalist Dimitri Lascaris noted that to sum it up, "Hundreds of deranged psychopaths are going to give multiple standing ovations to a deranged psychopath." He also pointed out that, "the whole world is watching this in a state of disbelief. These people in Congress have completely lost touch with reality, because whatever their views about international law may be, if they want to sustain American power, they have to at least take into account how they are being perceived by the world."

Trump has announced that his 2024 running mate will be: JD Vance. While the Ohio senator has been critical of U.S. support for the war in Ukraine, he seems to think resources would be better spent on escalating tensions with China (trading one failing proxy war for another). Vance is also aggressively pro-Israel and a hawk on Iran, and he has even criticized the Biden Administration for not doing enough to support Israel's genocidal war on the Palestinian people. Moscow-based American Journalist Fiorella Isabel noted that while there is a demand for an anti-war candidate in the U.S., Washington's political system has made it impossible for anyone who truly challenges the establishment to make it to the White House.