Ukraine Troops, APCs Storm Occupied Slavyansk

Ukraine Troops, APCs Storm Occupied Slavyansk (ZeroHedge, April 15, 2014):

As we reported earlier, Ukraine finally unleashed a military action to the “pro-Russian separatists” in “pro-Russian separatist” occupied Slavyansk and other east Ukraine towns. And now, we get to see it in action. From Bloomberg:

  • UKRAINE UNITS STORMING CITY HELD BY PRO-RUSSIAN PROTESTERS: RIA
  • UKRAINIAN TROOPS, APCS ENTER SLOVYANSK, RIA SAYS
  • MILITARY STORM AIRFIELD IN E. UKRAINE, WOUNDED REPORTED: RT

The response by Putin, who has repeatedly warned against precisely this escalation, is now expected momentarily.

The Ukrainian government is out with some comments:

  • UKRAINIAN 1ST DEP. PREMIER YAREMA COMMENTS ON CHANNEL 5 TV
  • UKRAINE GOVT SAYS HAS IDENTIFIED RUSSIAN MILITARY IN SLOVYANSK
  • UKRAINE GOVT: RUSSIAN 45TH AIRBORNE IN SLOVYANSK, KRAMATORSK

Ukraine Launches Military Operation Against Separatists – Russian PM Medvedev Says Country ‘Anticipating Civil War’

Ukraine Launches Military Operation Against Separatists, Russian PM Says Country “Anticipating Civil War” (ZeroHedge, April 15, 2014):

Following last night’s protest in front of the Kiev parliament by Maidan faithful and others who had gotten sick and tired by their government doing absolutely nothing to preserve the cohesion of the Ukraine – both west and east – this morning acting president Turchynov, realizing he is between a rock and a hard place and suddenly his position is quite precarious, finally announced that he had issued an order to the country’s military to begin operations to retake government buildings seized by pro-Russia separatists in eastern areas.  Oleksandr Turchynov, also the parliament speaker, said the deployment had begun in the Donetsk region, where many of the approximately 10 towns affected by the protests are located.

Ukraine tank

FT reports:

“Overnight, an antiterrorist operation began in the north of Donetsk,” Mr Turchynov said in parliament, one day after his deadline for the demonstrators to surrender passed. “But it will be phased, responsible and balanced. The purpose of the actions, I stress once again, is to protect the citizens of Ukraine.”

Read moreUkraine Launches Military Operation Against Separatists – Russian PM Medvedev Says Country ‘Anticipating Civil War’

People Of Donetsk Stop A Ukraine Tank (Video)


Added: Apr 14, 2014

Description:

April 14, 2013 – In the People’s Republic of Donetsk locals stop tanks from moving on towards Slavyansk.

USA: 5 Billion to Ukraine Recently
http://youtu.be/eaR1_an9CnQ

USA: 1 Billion More to Ukraine
http://youtu.be/bu82V6qWRrg

Read morePeople Of Donetsk Stop A Ukraine Tank (Video)

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Reporter Seymour Hersh: Benghazi Is A HUGE Scandal … But Not For The Reason You Think

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Reporter Sy Hersh: Benghazi Is a HUGE Scandal … But Not For the Reason You Think (Washington’s Blog, April 15, 2014):

Beyond Partisan Politics: What Benghazi Is Really About

Pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh – who broke the stories of the Mai Lai massacre in Vietnam and the Iraq prison torture scandals, which rightfully disgraced the Nixon and Bush administrations’ war-fighting tactics – reported last week:

In January, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report on the assault by a local militia in September 2012 on the American consulate and a nearby undercover CIA facility in Benghazi, which resulted in the death of the US ambassador, Christopher Stevens, and three others. The report’s criticism of the State Department for not providing adequate security at the consulate, and of the intelligence community for not alerting the US military to the presence of a CIA outpost in the area, received front-page coverage and revived animosities in Washington, with Republicans accusing Obama and Hillary Clinton of a cover-up.

That’s the part you’ve heard about: failure to protect the personnel at the embassy.

But then Hersh breaks the deeper story wide open:

Read morePulitzer-Prize Winning Reporter Seymour Hersh: Benghazi Is A HUGE Scandal … But Not For The Reason You Think

Russian Fighter Jet Flies Repeatedly Within 1000 Yards Of US Warship In The Black Sea

Russian Fighter Jet Flies Repeatedly Within 1000 Yards Of US Warship In The Black Sea (ZeroHedge, April 14, 2014):

As we reported last Friday, a second US warship, the destroyer Donald Cook, crossed the Bosphorus last week and entered the Black Sea at precisely the time when NATO was arguing that its encroaching presence around Russia should not spook anyone. Apparently it spooked someone, namely Russia, which over the weekend decided to give the Americans a warm welcome. As AP reports, “A U.S. military official says a Russian fighter jet made multiple, close-range passes near an American warship in the Black Sea for more than 90 minutes Saturday amid escalating tensions in the region.”

Donald Cook 2_0

From AP:

The official says the fighter flew within 1,000 yards of the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer, at about 500 feet above sea level, saying this prompted ship commanders to issue several radio warnings. The fighter appeared to be unarmed and the passes ended without incident.

Read moreRussian Fighter Jet Flies Repeatedly Within 1000 Yards Of US Warship In The Black Sea

Baltic Dry Index Drops For 15th Day To Lowest In 9 Months (Back Below $1000)

Baltic Dry Drops For 15th Day To Lowest In 9 Months (Back Below $1000) (ZeroHedge, April 14, 2014):

And still the mainstream media’s discussion of the collapse in the Baltic Dry shipping index is entirely absent. As we have been pointing out for weeks now, something extreme is occurring in the cost of shipping dry bulk around the world. 2014 is now witnessing the biggest drop in price (a typical seasonal pattern) to start the year since records began. Today’s drop to $989 (the first time below $1000 since June 2013) is the 15th drop in a row and it’s not just this index that is fading: Capesize, Panamax, and Supramax rates are all falling. As we noted previously, the shipbuilding industry is already feeling the pain.

20140414_bdiy

Kiev Launches Military Operation In Eastern Ukraine

Anti-government armed men stand guard as pro-Russian supporters gather outside the mayors office in Slaviansk April 14, 2014
Anti-government armed men stand guard as pro-Russian supporters gather outside the mayor’s office in Slaviansk April 14, 2014. (Reuters / Gleb Garanich)

Kiev launches military operation in eastern Ukraine (RT, April 15, 2015):

Ukraine’s coup-appointed acting President Aleksandr Turchinov has announced a crackdown on anti-government protesters in the north of the Donetsk Region, eastern Ukraine.

Read RT’s LIVE UPDATES for the latest developments in Ukraine

“The anti-terrorist operation started overnight Monday,” said Turchinov. “The aim of these actions is to protect the citizens of Ukraine.”

According to Turchinov, this ‘anti-terrorist operation’ also aims to prevent “attempts to break Ukraine apart.”

Read moreKiev Launches Military Operation In Eastern Ukraine

Ukraine Launches ‘Anti-Terror’ Operation Against Pro-Russian Forces

Ukraine launches anti-terror operation against pro-Russian forces (FOX News, April 15, 2014):

Ukraine’s acting president said Tuesday that a military operation to quash a pro-Russian insurgency has started in eastern Ukraine after more than a week of seizures of government building in the latest standoff to grip the country.

Oleksandr Turchynov said the “anti-terrorist” operation began in the early morning hours in the northern Donetsk region, where the majority of the pro-Russian forces are located, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“Overnight, an antiterrorist operation began in the north of Donetsk. But it will be phased, responsible and balanced. The purpose of the actions, I stress once again, is to protect the citizens of Ukraine,” Turchynov told Ukraine’s parliament, according to Interfax.

Read moreUkraine Launches ‘Anti-Terror’ Operation Against Pro-Russian Forces

Ukraine’s Interim Leader Announces Start of Operation Against Protesters in Donetsk Region

Military vehicles of the Ukrainian Army near Donetsk
Military vehicles of the Ukrainian Army near Donetsk (Archive)

Ukraine’s Interim Leader Announces Start of Operation Against Protesters in Donetsk Region (RIA Novosti April 15, 2014):

KIEV, April 15 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s parliamentary speaker and interim President Olexander Turchynov has announced the start of a military operation in the north of Donetsk Region, where demonstrations by pro-federalization protesters are ongoing.

“It will be conducted gradually, in a responsible and balanced [manner]. The main goal is the protection of people,” Turchynov said, commenting on the operation during a session of parliament on Tuesday.

On Monday, Turchynov announced that the National Security and Defense Council had made a decision to start the security operation in eastern Ukraine, involving the armed forces, in a bid to avoid the Crimean scenario in the region.

Read moreUkraine’s Interim Leader Announces Start of Operation Against Protesters in Donetsk Region

Did The Department Of Homeland Security Just Admit That The Government Knew About The Heartbleed Bug?

Did the Department of Homeland Security Just Admit that the Government Knew about the Heartbleed Bug? (Washington’s Blog, April 14, 2014):

Bloomberg reported that the NSA knew about – and exploited – the Heartbleed bug for years.

The NSA has denied it knew about the bug.

And the White House spokesman claims:

Read moreDid The Department Of Homeland Security Just Admit That The Government Knew About The Heartbleed Bug?

‘Death Spiral’: Harvard Professor Predicts Up To Half Of US Universities May Fail In 15 Years

“Death Spiral” – Harvard Professor Predicts Up To Half Of US Universities May Fail In 15 Years (Zerohedge, April 14, 2014):

Soaring student debt, competition from online programs and poor job prospects for graduates are shrinking the applicant pools for many universities and, as Bloomberg reports, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities warns “there will clearly be some institutions that won’t make it…through these difficult steps.” Rather stunningly, Moody’s found that expenses are outpacing revenue at 60 percent of the schools it tracks even as many try to slash their way to balanced budgets,” and concluded “what we’re concerned about is the death spiral… this continuing downward momentum for some institutions.” As Harvard professor Clayton Christensen has warned, as many as half of the more than 4,000 universities and colleges in the U.S. may fail in the next 15 years, and is “not sure a lot of these institutions have the cushion to experiment with how to stay afloat.”

Read more‘Death Spiral’: Harvard Professor Predicts Up To Half Of US Universities May Fail In 15 Years

Obama Requests $1.1 Billion For Gun Control

Obama often uses phrases like ‘now is the time’ or ‘I am standing here before you’ for a reason:

PDF: Obama’s_Use_of_Hidden_Hypnosis_techniques_in_His_Speeches (!)

President Obama’s Commencement Speech Exposed For What It Is: Latest State Of The Art MASS HYPNOSIS, Using The Techniques Of Dr. Milton Erickson, M.D.

President Obama’s Graduation Speech At Ohio State University: Reject Voices Warning Of ‘Tyranny’

He is using the latest state of the art mass hypnosis techniques on you.


obama-fascism-nwo

Obama Requests $1.1 Billion for Gun Control (FOX News, April 9, 2014):

President Obama has requested $1.1 billion and the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked for $382.1 million for gun control “to protect Americans from gun violence.”

Included in the DOJ’s $382.1 million figure is a request for $2 million for smart gun technology grants.

According to The Washington Beacon, Obama’s $1.1 billion “[includes] $182 million to support the president’s ‘Now is the Time’ gun safety initiative.”

“Now is the Time” includes the following:

Read moreObama Requests $1.1 Billion For Gun Control

Is China Already The World’s Largest ‘Owner’ As Opposed To ‘Holder’ Of Gold?

gold-bars-111

Chinese Checkers with Gold Prices (Euro Pacific Capital, April 10, 2014):

For decades many of us in the hard money world have speculated that cloak and dagger activity by large financial interests has played a large role in determining performance in the gold market. The focus of this alleged manipulation is believed to be in the London market, and has been widely referred to as “The London Fix.” However those who have blown the whistle have been dismissed as alarmists, gold bugs, conspiracy theorists or worse. But recent revelations should bring us closer to the truth.

Read moreIs China Already The World’s Largest ‘Owner’ As Opposed To ‘Holder’ Of Gold?

To The 34% Of American Adults Who Are ‘Worried A Great Deal’ About ‘Global Warming’

FYI.


To the 34% of American Adults Who Are “Worried a Great Deal” about “Global Warming” (Washington’s Blog, April 14, 2014):

Preface:  A recent Gallup poll showed that 34% of American adults worried “a great deal” about “global warming”.  This essay is written for that 34%.

Many well-intentioned people are desperately trying to stop climate change …

Read moreTo The 34% Of American Adults Who Are ‘Worried A Great Deal’ About ‘Global Warming’

10 Lies Told By McDonalds To Keep Profits Up

mcdonalds-sign

10 Lies Told By McDonalds to Keep Profits Up (Occupy Corporatism, May 31, 2013):

McDonalds Corporation has begun pushing their meat products, such as the Big Mac and double cheeseburgers, because customers are not buying enough salads.

At an investor’s conference, Don Thompson, chief executive officer, explained that salads only make up 2% of their US sales.

Read more10 Lies Told By McDonalds To Keep Profits Up

White House Admits CIA Director Brennan Was ‘Secretly’ In Kiev

CIA-headquarters

White House Admits CIA Director Brennan Was “Secretly” In Kiev (ZeroHedge, April 14, 2014):

Late last night we asked if, as the Russian media had reported and only the Russian media, CIA director John Brennan had secretly visited Kiev over the weekend: “Brennan landed in Ukraine on Saturday under an assumed name and held a “series of secret meetings” with the country’s “power bloc” Interfax reported, citing an unidentified official in the Ukrainian parliament.  The person who said this to Interfax in a phone talk added that John Brennan came to Ukraine not under his real name.  According to some yet unconfirmed information, the decision to suppress protesters in Slavyansk, a city in Ukraine’s east, with force was advised to Ukraine’s authorities by Brennan.

Read moreWhite House Admits CIA Director Brennan Was ‘Secretly’ In Kiev

US Pays Half Of Gazprom’s Overdue Invoice With $1 Billion Ukraine Loan Guarantee

US Pays Half Of Gazprom’s Overdue Invoice With $1 Billion Ukraine Loan Guarantee (Zerohedge, April 14, 2014):

With Ukraine no longer paying for Russian gaz, and with Gazprom making it clear Kiev has to a) first pay the overdue $2+ billion in invoice and then b) prepay some $5 billion in gas until the end of the year of Europe gets it, it was only a matter of time before the US Treasury stepped in and paid off part or all of Gazprom’s demands. That time is now, when moments ago Jack Lew announced a $1 billion loan guarantee for Ukraine – very much the same way that the US provided billions in loan guarnatees for the now long overthrown Mursi regime in Egypt. And in other news, many more “costly” and “damaging” US sanctions are surely headed Russia’s way any second now.

From the Treasury:

Treasury Secretary Lew Announces Signing Of $1 Billion U.S. Loan Guarantee Agreement For Ukraine

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced the signing of a $1 billion loan guarantee agreement for Ukraine.  This guarantee, when completed, will complement the Government of Ukraine’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) reform program and underscores the United States’ commitment to Ukraine.

Read moreUS Pays Half Of Gazprom’s Overdue Invoice With $1 Billion Ukraine Loan Guarantee

BLM Flip Flops: ‘No Deal’ On Dropping Actions Against Bundy

BLM Flip Flops: “No Deal” on Dropping Actions Against Bundy (Infowars, April 14, 2014):

Despite being forced to release hundreds of seized cattle after an astounding standoff on Saturday, the Bureau of Land Management has vowed to continue its pursuit of Cliven Bundy, asserting that no deal has been made to cease its case against the Nevada cattle rancher.

Amazing scenes unfolded on Saturday as Bundy supporters and cowboys on horseback faced off against armed BLM agents and police, demanding that hundreds of cattle seized by the BLM over a grazing rights dispute be released from a nearby corral.

With feds and law enforcement at one point threatening to shoot protesters dead, Bundy supporters fearlessly held their ground and then began advancing on the corral.

Read moreBLM Flip Flops: ‘No Deal’ On Dropping Actions Against Bundy

Oath Keeper Founder Stewart Rhodes, On Bunkerville: ‘We Know It’s Not Over’

Stewart-Rhodes

Oath Keeper Founder Stewart Rhodes, On Bunkerville: “We know it’s not over” (The Daily Sheeple, April 13, 2014):

This interview was recorded from the Bundy Ranch late this afternoon.

Stewart Rhodes is the founder of Oath Keepers.

Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders  who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to “defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” That oath, mandated by Article VI of the Constitution itself, is to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and Oath Keepers declare that they will not obey unconstitutional orders, such as orders to disarm the American people, to conduct warrantless searches, or to detain Americans as “enemy combatants” in violation of their ancient right to jury trial. See the Oath Keepers Declaration of Orders We Will Not Obey for details.

The Regime Doesn’t Handle Defeat Gracefully

The Regime Doesn’t Handle Defeat Gracefully (Lew Rockwell, April 13, 2014):

When the ATF attacked the Branch Davidians outside Waco in February 1993, the expectation was a quick and painless victory over an eccentric religious sect and a public relations boost for the scandal-plagued agency. This is why the assault was code-named “Showtime.”

The Davidians, however, refused to follow the script. When the ATF stormtroopers arrived at the sect’s sanctuary at Mt. Carmel, David Koresh – who had known of the impending assault, and released an ATF informant rather than holding him as a hostage — attempted to de-escalate the confrontation, only to be answered by a murderous volley of gunfire. Rather than allowing themselves to be shackled or slaughtered, the Davidians stood their ground, killing four of the assailants in a morally unassailable exercise of self-defense and forcing the ATF to retreat.

Because the Regime cannot countenance resistance, the FBI laid siege to the Davidians for 51 days before the final assault that left of scores of Davidians dead from fire, asphyxiation, and gunfire.

In 1973, a band of Sioux activists at Wounded Knee held off the FBI and the US military for 71 days, demanding respect for their rights under treaty law, accountability for the corruption of federally installed tribal dictator Dickie Wilson, and investigation of unsolved murders. The Feds replied with the largest domestic military deployment since the last confrontation at Wounded Knee in December 1890, an undisguised slaughter carried out by the vengeful Seventh Cavalry that amounted to an American Babi Yar.

Read moreThe Regime Doesn’t Handle Defeat Gracefully

Mohamed El-Erian Quits Pimco, Becomes A Blogger

… a well-paid blogger.


Mohamed El-Erian

Mohamed El-Erian Quits Pimco, Becomes A Blogger (ZeroHedge, April 14, 2014):

We realize the future for blogging was bright, but this bright? Moments ago, Bloomberg View, Bloomberg’s in house blogging operation, announced that El-Erian had joined it as a columnist. And just like that Mohamed has his own unedited venue in which to spill all the dirt on his former employer.

From BusinessWeek:

Bloomberg View today announced that Mohamed A. El-Erian is joining the opinion and analysis site as a daily columnist covering economic developments, policy and financial markets.

“Mohamed is one of the world’s most highly-regarded financial and economic observers – and he’s also a wonderful writer” said David Shipley, the senior executive editor of Bloomberg View. “We’re thrilled that he’s going to be sharing his insights with our readers on a daily basis.”

Read moreMohamed El-Erian Quits Pimco, Becomes A Blogger

East Ukraine Braces For Military Operation As Ultimatum Passes: Full Ukraine Event Recap

East Ukraine Braces For Military Operation As Ultimatum Passes: Full Ukraine Event Recap (ZeroHedge, April 14, 2014):

As was expected, so called Russian separatists completely ignored Ukraine’s 0600 GMT ultimatum to hand over their weapons and give up, which means Ukraine now is in the clear, according to its leaders, to engage in the previously warned military “anti-terrorist” operation. As a result, as Reuters updates,  “towns in eastern Ukraine on Monday braced for military action. As the 9 a.m. (07.00 a.m. BST) deadline issued by authorities in Kiev expired, a Reuters reporter in the flashpoint city of Slaviansk, where armed men had seized two government buildings, said there was no outward sign the rebels were complying with the ultimatum.” Subsequent reports indicated that since the deadline passed, at least 4 people have been killed however since virtually no “factual” propaganda news out of Ukraine is to be believed, we would heavily discount this update.

Slaviansk

More from Reuters:

In Slaviansk as of 9 a.m. local time on Monday, a Russian flag still flew over police headquarters, one of two buildings taken over by the separatists, while masked men continued to man barricades of sandbags in front of it.

Even as the deadline passed, a truck appeared bringing more tyres to heap on top of the barricades to reinforce them.

Read moreEast Ukraine Braces For Military Operation As Ultimatum Passes: Full Ukraine Event Recap

It’s NOT Over: DHS Insider: BLM’s Surrender At Bundy Ranch Is A Strategic De-escalation To Hoodwink The People

Cliven-Bundy

Investigator: BLM’s Surrender at Bundy Ranch is a Strategic De-escalation to Hoodwink the People (Freedom Outpost, April 13, 2014):

Yesterday, amid the reports about the stand down by the Bureau of Land Management, I was concerned that things were not as they appeared to be. Specifically, I pointed to the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration had set up a no-fly zone over the Bundy Ranch with a three mile radius that is effective for one month. That is still in effect. Investigator Doug Hagmann, of The Hagmann and Hagmann Report, is also just as suspicious as I am. He told Steve Quayle on Saturday evening that he believes the people are being hoodwinked into believing that the situation is being resolved. It is not. It is a strategic de-escalation to fool the public.

An email from Hagmann to Quayle reads:

Read moreIt’s NOT Over: DHS Insider: BLM’s Surrender At Bundy Ranch Is A Strategic De-escalation To Hoodwink The People