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The US empire's ultimate target is not Russia but China
The Pentagon has produced its latest National Defense Strategy (NDS), a report made every four years to provide the public and the government with a broad overview of the US war machine's planning, posturing, developments and areas of focus. You might assume with all the aggressive brinkmanship between Moscow and the US power alliance this year that Russia would feature as Enemy Number One in the 2022 NDS, but you would be assuming incorrectly. The US "Defense" Department reserves that slot for the same nation that's occupied it for many years now: China. Antiwar's Dave DeCamp writes the following: The full NDS is still classified, but the Pentagon released a fact sheet on the document that says it "will act urgently to sustain and strengthen deterrence, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) as our most consequential strategic competitor and the pacing challenge for the Department." The fact sheet outlines four priorities for the Pentagon: Defending the homeland, paced to the...
https://www.sott.net/article/466261-The-US-empires-ultimate-target-is-not-Russia-but-China

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Zelensky rejected peace offer days before Russian offensive - WSJ
German chancellor Olaf Scholz had offered Volodymyr Zelensky a chance for peace just days before the launch of the Russian military offensive, but the Ukrainian president turned it down, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Scholz had made what the US outlet described as "one last push for a settlement between Moscow and Kiev" less than a week before the Russian forces were sent into Ukraine on February 24. The chancellor told Zelensky in Munich on February 19 "that Ukraine should renounce its NATO aspirations and declare neutrality as part of a wider European security deal between the West and Russia. "The pact would be signed by Mr. Putin and Mr. Biden, who would jointly guarantee Ukraine's security." However, Zelensky rejected the offer to make the concession and avoid confrontation, saying that "[Russia's President Vladimir] Putin couldn't be trusted to uphold such an agreement and that most Ukrainians wanted to join NATO." "His answer left German officials worried that the...
https://www.sott.net/article/466262-Zelensky-rejected-peace-offer-days-before-Russian-offensive-WSJ

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National Endowment for Democracy deletes records of funding projects in Ukraine
Deletion needed to preserve big lie of an unprovoked Russian invasion The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) — a CIA offshoot founded in the early 1980s to advance "democracy promotion" initiatives around the world — has deleted all records of funding projects in Ukraine from their searchable "Awarded Grants Search" database. The archived webpage captured February 25, 2022 from 14:53 shows that NED granted $22,394,281 in the form of 334 awards to Ukraine between 2014 to the present. The capture at 23:10 the same day shows "No results found" for Ukraine. As of right now, there are still "No results found" for Ukraine. Searching using "Ukraine" as a keyword (as opposed to a "Project Country" in the original captures) yields "No results found." Searching for the titles of the funded projects listed in the last "intact" web capture yields no results. Additionally, the current database search criteria have been restricted, previously funding from 2014 to present could be searched,...
https://www.sott.net/article/466263-National-Endowment-for-Democracy-deletes-records-of-funding-projects-in-Ukraine

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Biden's 'absolute' defense of Hunter leaves media and Justice Department in a muddle
"We absolutely stand by the president's comment." With those words, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield reaffirmed that President Biden maintains his son Hunter Biden did "nothing [that] was unethical" and never "made money" in China. Those claims appear demonstrably false — and they make the positions of both the media and Attorney General Merrick Garland absolutely untenable. For the media, the ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden by U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware has presented a growing danger of self-indictment over its prior coverage (or noncoverage). Weiss has called a long line of witnesses before a grand jury, and there is growing expectation of criminal charges against Hunter Biden. Nothing concentrates the mind as much as a looming indictment. Thus, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and other media faced the embarrassing prospect of an indictment based on a story they previously suggested was either a nonstory or Russian disinformation....
https://www.sott.net/article/466264-Bidens-absolute-defense-of-Hunter-leaves-media-and-Justice-Department-in-a-muddle

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SOTT FOCUS: NewsReal: Bucha False-Flag - Sanctions Gas Theater - BRICS Dismantling Dollar Domination
Another week in the war in Ukraine, another atrocity falsely attributed to Russia - this time in Bucha, a town north of Kiev, where Russian forces recently retreated in order to reposition themselves in the Donbass region. To listen to the Zelensky regime, the Russians were chased out of the Kiev region, vindictively massacring civilians along the way - a scenario completely at odds with Russian conduct and strategy in Ukraine thus far. Beyond the wall of propaganda about what Russia is trying to achieve in Ukraine, what really matters for all is the impact US-led sanctions will have on the global economy. An ongoing trend of 'de-dollarization' has undergone a 'phase shift' thanks to the Western Powers' recent efforts to strangle the Russian economy, which have spurred the world's most resource-rich countries to bypass Western financial domination of global trade flows. This week on NewsReal, Joe and Niall bust the latest viral nonsense about 'Russian war crimes', explain what...
https://www.sott.net/article/466265-NewsReal-Bucha-False-Flag-Sanctions-Gas-Theater-BRICS-Dismantling-Dollar-Domination

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Transhumanism & biofascism are tools of the 'technological elite,' RFK Jr. interviews T.J Coles
Transhumanism and biofacism are becoming tools of the technological elite, according to T.J. Coles, Ph.D., author and researcher at Plymouth University's Cognition Institute in the UK. On the March 25 episode of "RFK Jr. The Defender Podcast," Coles spoke with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., chairman and chief legal counsel of Children's Health Defense, about transhumanism, the billionaire class and the World Economic Forum (WEF).
https://www.sott.net/article/466266-Transhumanism-biofascism-are-tools-of-the-technological-elite-RFK-Jr-interviews-T-J-Coles

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Mass shooting in Sacramento leaves 6 dead, 9 injured
At least six people were shot dead and 10 others injured in a mass shooting in downtown Sacramento on Sunday, according to local police. The Sacramento Police Department announced about 8 a.m. in a tweet that officers at the scene "located at least 15 shooting victims, including 6 who are deceased," in the early morning incident. Police officers patrolling the area heard an unknown number of gunshots fired around 2 a.m. Sunday and encountered a "large crowd," Police Chief Kathy Lester told reporters. "This is a really tragic situation," she said, adding that 10 people were either rushed or took themselves to local hospitals. The conditions of the 10 who were wounded by gunfire was not immediately disclosed. It's unclear how many shooters fired off bullets.
https://www.sott.net/article/466267-Mass-shooting-in-Sacramento-leaves-6-dead-9-injured

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SOTT FOCUS: NewsReal: Bucha False-Flag - Sanctions Gas Theater - BRICS Dismantling Dollar Domination
Another week in the war in Ukraine, another atrocity falsely attributed to Russia - this time in Bucha, from where Russian forces recently vacated in order to regroup in the Donbass. To listen to the Zelensky regime, the Russians were chased out of the Kiev region, vindictively massacring civilians along the way - a scenario completely at odds with Russian conduct and strategy in Ukraine thus far. Beyond the wall of propaganda about what Russia is trying to achieve in Ukraine, what really matters for all is the impact US-led sanctions will have on our daily bread. An ongoing trend of 'de-dollarization' has recently undergone a 'phase shift' thanks to the Western Powers' cack-handed attempts to strangle the Russian economy, which have spurred the world's most resource-rich countries to bypass Western financial domination. This week on NewsReal, Joe and Niall bust the latest viral nonsense about 'Russian war crimes', explain what exactly 'gas-for-rubles' means under the West's...
https://www.sott.net/article/466265-NewsReal-Bucha-False-Flag-Sanctions-Gas-Theater-BRICS-Dismantling-Dollar-Domination

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Taliban chief orders ban on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan
The Taliban's supreme leader on Sunday ordered a ban on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, warning that the hardline Islamist government would crack down on farmers planting the crop. Afghanistan is the world's biggest producer of poppies, the source of sap that is refined into heroin, and in recent years production and exports have only boomed. "All Afghans are informed that from now on cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country," said a decree issued by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The order was read out by government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid at a gathering of reporters, foreign diplomats and Taliban officials.
https://www.sott.net/article/466269-Taliban-chief-orders-ban-on-poppy-cultivation-in-Afghanistan

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Minister claims UK may build seven nuclear plants by 2050
Britain could build up to seven new nuclear power plants by 2050, as well as boost offshore wind to diversify energy sources, a senior minister said Sunday. "If we fast forward to 2050, there is a world where we have six or seven (nuclear) sites in the UK," Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told The Sunday Telegraph. "That isn't going to happen in the next two years. But it's definitely something that we can aspire to." Comment: If current policy is anything to by, it's likely it will remain just that, an aspiration. Bear in mind that, just a few months ago, as part of the suicidal green agenda, Germany shut three of its six nuclear plants.
https://www.sott.net/article/466270-Minister-claims-UK-may-build-seven-nuclear-plants-by-2050

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Minister claims UK may build seven nuclear plants by 2050
Britain could build up to seven new nuclear power plants by 2050, as well as boost offshore wind to diversify energy sources, a senior minister said Sunday. "If we fast forward to 2050, there is a world where we have six or seven (nuclear) sites in the UK," Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told The Sunday Telegraph. "That isn't going to happen in the next two years. But it's definitely something that we can aspire to." Comment: If current government shenanigans is anything to by, it's likely it will remain just that, an aspiration. Bear in mind that, just a few months ago, as part of the suicidal green agenda, Germany shut three of its six nuclear plants.
https://www.sott.net/article/466270-Minister-claims-UK-may-build-seven-nuclear-plants-by-2050

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Psychotic Polish deputy-PM offers US to install nukes in his country, wants Washington to send tens of thousands more troops
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister, has spoken in favor of US nuclear weapons being deployed in eastern Europe, citing Russia's military offensive against Ukraine. In an interview with Germany's Die Welt news outlet published on Sunday, Kaczynski said that "fundamentally, it makes sense to expand nuclear sharing to the eastern flank," apparently referring to a NATO concept by which "the benefits, responsibilities and risks of nuclear deterrence are shared across the Alliance." The Polish official noted, however, that such an initiative should come from the US. On top of that, Kaczynski called on the military bloc to set up a new command center in Poland, akin to the one in the Dutch town of Brunssum, "from where joint NATO deployments will be planned and conducted." According to the deputy, that would send a clear signal to Russia that the military alliance is now present in Eastern Europe at command level as well. Comment: Meanwhile Italy says that it will...
https://www.sott.net/article/466260-Psychotic-Polish-deputy-PM-offers-US-to-install-nukes-in-his-country-wants-Washington-to-send-tens-of-thousands-more-troops

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'Most challenging period in history': Tajikistan's President urges citizens to stockpile 2 years worth of food amidst global instability
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon called on citizens of the country due to the tense and dangerous political and economic situation in the world to stock food for two years. His words are given on the website of the head of state in the text of congratulations on the occurrence of the month of Ramadan. Today, in addition to the problems associated with climate change, its negative consequences, the infectious disease of COVID-19, the lack of food and price increases, all human society is deeply concerned about the unstable situation in individual regions and countries of the planet. ... in this regard I would like to emphasize once again that each family should think about ensuring your family, to produce as much as possible and stock food for two years as possible, "said Rakhmon, whose words leads RBC. Comment: The global food supply was under immense pressure even before NATO's attack on Russia via its proxy Ukraine, and nearly two years of lockdowns simply exacerbated and...
https://www.sott.net/article/466271-Most-challenging-period-in-history-Tajikistans-President-urges-citizens-to-stockpile-2-years-worth-of-food-amidst-global-instability

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Minister claims UK may build seven nuclear plants by 2050
Britain could build up to seven new nuclear power plants by 2050, as well as boost offshore wind to diversify energy sources, a senior minister said Sunday. "If we fast forward to 2050, there is a world where we have six or seven (nuclear) sites in the UK," Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told The Sunday Telegraph. "That isn't going to happen in the next two years. But it's definitely something that we can aspire to." Comment: If current government shenanigans is anything to go by, it's likely it will remain just that, an aspiration. Bear in mind that, just a few months ago, as part of the suicidal green agenda, Germany shut three of its six nuclear plants.
https://www.sott.net/article/466270-Minister-claims-UK-may-build-seven-nuclear-plants-by-2050

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States look for solutions as US fentanyl deaths keep rising
As the addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the U.S. for two decades turns even deadlier, state governments are scrambling for ways to stem the destruction wrought by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. In statehouses across the country, lawmakers have been considering and adopting laws on two fronts: reducing the risk to users and increasing the penalties for dealing fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. Meanwhile, Republican state attorneys general are calling for more federal action, while some GOP governors are deploying National Guard units with a mission that includes stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexico. "It's a fine line to help people and try to get people clean, and at the same time incarcerate and get the drug dealers off the streets," said Nathan Manning, a Republican state senator in Ohio who is sponsoring legislation to make it clear that materials used to test drugs for fentanyl are legal.
https://www.sott.net/article/466272-States-look-for-solutions-as-US-fentanyl-deaths-keep-rising

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New Scientist has actually published a sympathetic account of Panpsychism
A serious, long form article shows that physicalism ("the mind is just what the brain does") is failing Panpsychism, the view that all nature participates in consciousness, has been growing under the radar for some time in science. But it is now coming into plainer view. New Scientist is one of the last places one might have expected to find a serious, long-form account of panpsychism — one that, in the context, amounts to a defense. Yet that's just what science writer and filmmaker Thomas Lewton has been permitted by the editors to do. He tells us about his own journey at his site: "Studying physics, I thought telescopes and particle colliders would offer firm answers, but instead they raised more questions." And at New Scientist, he tells us why: It can seem as if there is an insurmountable gap between our subjective experience of the world and our attempts to objectively describe it. And yet our brains are made of matter - so, you might think, the states of mind they generate...
https://www.sott.net/article/466223-New-Scientist-has-actually-published-a-sympathetic-account-of-Panpsychism

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School named after the first Prime Minister of Canada changed to random Indigenous person no one has ever heard of
It didn't take long for the Peel District School Board to erase Sir John A. Macdonald and 200 years of Canadian history. Until Wednesday, a Brampton school had been named after Canada's first Prime Minister for decades. Not anymore. Just hours after the board renamed the school, the Sir John A. Macdonald sign was taken down and replaced.
https://www.sott.net/article/466273-School-named-after-the-first-Prime-Minister-of-Canada-changed-to-random-Indigenous-person-no-one-has-ever-heard-of

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BEST OF THE WEB: Heavy rain causes floods and landslides in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 31 inches of rainfall in 48 hours - 16 killed (UPDATES)
Looking at the impact of heavy rain on Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on March 31st and April 1st 2022. Heavy overnight rain caused flash floods that filled streets as drain systems were overwhelmed. A level 4 alert was raised as homes were flooded, destroying possessions. Power and gas supplies were turned off with warning sirens sounded. Roads were closed with traffic stopped as roads became impassable. As flood waters subsided, streets were filled with debris and garbage. In rural areas in Rio de Janeiro state, floods and landslides were seen, including in the town of Parati, where roads were closed after a landslide.
https://www.sott.net/article/466212-Heavy-rain-causes-floods-and-landslides-in-Rio-de-Janeiro-Brazil-31-inches-of-rainfall-in-48-hours-16-killed-UPDATES

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Unusually large waves flood beach parks along New South Wales coast
The New South Wales coastline has copped a lashing this weekend with monstrous waves swallowing beaches and wiping out footpaths. Wild footage taken at Avoca Beach, north of Sydney, on Saturday demonstrated their power as the huge tide thrashed the sand, wiping out two dog walkers. Two people can be seen walking on the beach before being knocked down and swept up in the swell.
https://www.sott.net/article/466274-Unusually-large-waves-flood-beach-parks-along-New-South-Wales-coast

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Elon Musk slams corporatist moralism of ESG pushed by World Economic Forum
On Saturday, Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk once again slammed corporate rules designed to guide ethical investing, known as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, as the "Devil Incarnate." "I am increasingly convinced that corporate ESG is the Devil Incarnate," Musk said in a Twitter reply joking that not doing laundry complies with this criteria.
https://www.sott.net/article/466275-Elon-Musk-slams-corporatist-moralism-of-ESG-pushed-by-World-Economic-Forum

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Tennis world shocked after scores of players drop out of Miami Open
Fifteen players have already dropped out of the Miami Open, an unprecedented number for a major sports event. The tennis world reacted with shock after favorites Paula Badosa and Jannik Sinner had to retire during the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. Badosa, soon to be the number three in the world, became unwell during her match against Jessica Pegula and left the court in tears. Badosa, who was comforted by her American opponent, decided to stop after consultation with her physiotherapist. Pegula reached the semifinals of the Miami tennis tournament for the first time in her career after Badosa's resignation, reported Yahoo Sports.
https://www.sott.net/article/466276-Tennis-world-shocked-after-scores-of-players-drop-out-of-Miami-Open