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The US has sent Israel more than 10,000 bombs and missiles since the start of Israel's military operation in Gaza, Reuters reported, citing two US officials.
The report said the weapons shipments included at least 14,000 of the MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, and 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs.
The US has not made any significant changes that would limit the level of US military support provided to Israel, the report added. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Sputnik's request for comment on this matter. On Wednesday, a US official told reporters that the country has sent Israel $6.5 billion worth of weapons.
The Biden administration at present only has one shipment on temporary hold of the 2,000-pound bombs Israel has been asking for. The United States is currently reviewing this request amid concerns that Israel would use it in densely populated areas in Rafah.
However, the US is expected to release a hold soon on 500-pound bombs that have also been placed on hold, according to reports. Israel will reportedly need them in case it gets into a deeper conflict with Hezbollah on its northern border with Lebanon.
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💥 A Russian Iskander missile strike destroyed a Ukrainian S-300PS surface-to-air missile system in the Odessa region.
The hit took out a radar station, a low-altitude detector, and the combat control cabin.
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US Vice President Kamala Harris will be skipped over if her running mate President Joe Biden decides to drop out of the race, attorney and civil rights organizer Robert Patillo II speculated on Sputnik's Fault Lines on Friday.
“President Biden had a very bad night. The worst part was that he reinforced the narrative about him, of being kind of this doddering old man who didn’t know where he was, couldn’t complete a sentence, kind of got lost midway through sentences, those sorts of things.”
“The reason is you have, what? Four months that you have to get 100% name recognition around the country. You don't have time to introduce the country to Gavin Newsom. You don't have time to introduce the country to Kamala Harris, quite frankly,” he explained. “You need someone who is a known commodity that is already recognized by every single person, whether good, bad or ugly, and who has the ability to fundraise, you know, the half billion dollars they're going to need to fundraise for the course of the next several months. And the only person who fits that bill will be Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama, and Michelle ain't doing it.”
“[Biden] was barely able to form a sentence last night and that is why it’s a situation that’s apocalyptic for Democrats because regardless of how much money you raise, regardless of how you try to paint Trump, if people think you’re running essentially against ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ it’s not going to really matter,” Patillo continued. “And that is why that Hillary train is going to be picking up over the course of the next several weeks.”
Trump says China, Russia, and North Korea are ‘not really enemies’ if the US president is smart.
“China, Russia, North Korea… they’re not really enemies if you have a smart president,” Trump said during a campaign event in Virginia.
Trump says he will build a ‘state-of-the-art’ missile defense system over the US if reelected
Former US President Donald Trump said that he will build an advanced missile-defense system like Israel’s Iron Dome over the United States if reelected president in 2024.
“In my next term, we will build a great Iron Dome over our country, a dome the likes of which no one has ever seen before, a state-of-the-art missile-defense shield that will be entirely built and made in the USA,” Trump said during a campaign event in Virginia on Friday.
Is Biden's condition improving?😱 It took him only 5 seconds and the help of just two people to overcome an entire step.
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⚡️ How many lies can one Joe Biden fit in? Fact-checking Biden’s presidential debate claims
⚡️ Happy Ukrainian Constitution Day for the country that threw it out
⚡️ Failed coup in Bolivia: is US up to usual tricks?
⚡️ Democratic Party needs to find replacement for Biden ASAP – Wall Street analyst
⚡️ Which bombs does the US supply to Israel and how do they help obliterate the Gaza Strip
⚡️ Compare US' political circus vs. Iran's civilized presidential debates
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Failed coup in Bolivia: is US up to usual tricks?
“A poorly planned, comedic plot” was how WSJ described the recent failed putsch in Bolivia. However, Bolivia Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo took the matter seriously, accusing “foreign powers” and the US, in particular, of returning to its usual practice of staging coups.
A review of US-aided coups in Latin America, inspired by the Monroe doctrine (1823) which viewed the Americas as a zone of US’ vital interests, and the Truman doctrine (1948) aimed at “containing communism”, substantiates Novillo's point.
1971 – Coup in Bolivia. Colonel Hugo Banzer came to power and became a military dictator. Recently published conversations of former US President Richard Nixon included a report by then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on a money transfer to Bolivia’s opposition and “our game with the military.”
1973 – Coup in Chilе. President Salvador Allende, described by Time magazine as the “first democratically elected Marxist president in Latin America”, was killed in September 1973. The CIA later admitted it supported the anti-Allende military via Track II operation.
1976 – Coup in Argentina. The US admitted having “prior knowledge” about the coup. The junta assassinated the former Bolivian president Juan José Torres, a leftist, who fled to Buenos Aires from Banzer. This murder was part of the US-led “Condor Plan.”
2019 – Pro-US Organization of American States (OAS) accused Bolivia President Evo Morales of rigging elections. The pro-US Assembly Speaker Jeanine Añez took power without a vote. She was sentenced to 10 years after democracy was restored in 2020. The “putsch-general” Juan José Zúñiga also demanded her release during the failed coup attempt.
The past corroborates well Minister Novillo’s assessment that Bolivia was served a “punishment” for its stance against Western US-led hegemony.
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US' political circus vs. Iran's civilized presidential debates
What stood out the most from the Trump-Biden spat was the name-calling, alleged extramarital affairs, and their physical health.
At the same time, Iranian candidates calmly discussed countering inflation, better coordinating the branches of power, job market and other pressing national issues in their debate.
It's your choice from whom to learn
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Which bombs does the US supply to Israel and how do they help obliterate the Gaza Strip
The United States has moved to deliver a shipment of 500-pound bombs to Israel that got suspended last month amid concerns over the Israeli military operation in Rafah, a densely-populated refuge city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
But what has the US has already supplied to Israel?
🔹 Military shipments have included about 15,000 bombs, the Wall Street Journal reported in December 2023. Specifically, Washington supplied over 5,000 Mk82 unguided 500-pound bombs, over 5,400 Mk84 2,000-pound bombs and around 1,000 GBU-39 250-pound small diameter bombs.
🔹 The aforementioned suspended munitions shipment includes 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 bombs.
This generous military supply enabled Israel to unleash a brutal aerial bombardment campaign upon the Gaza Strip during which over 36,000 people, according to local authorities, have been killed so far and countless buildings flattened by Israeli strikes.
🔹 For example, the Israeli airstrike on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp was apparently conducted using US munitions as fragments of a GBU-39 small diameter bomb were discovered in the ruins.
🔹 Additionally, the US military supplies sent to Israel between October 7 and December 29 included 52,229 M795 155-millimeter artillery shells, 30,000 M4 propelling charges for howitzers, 4,792 M107 155-mm artillery shells and 13,981 M830A1 120-mm tank rounds, according to the NYT.
But the exact amount of US military supplies to Israel may be even greater, as the NYT notes that the US Department of State “can legally refrain from telling Congress and the public” about Israeli arms orders made after October 7 that “fall below a certain dollar amount”.
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❗️Russia must respond to US actions and it seems necessary for Russia to start production of intermediate nuclear strike systems — Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed discussing the country's next steps regarding a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles at an operational meeting with permanent members of the Security Council.
"You and I will consider today the issue of the Russian Federation's further steps regarding the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of land-based intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles," Putin said.
📹 Footage of Israeli settlers setting fire to Palestinian territory west of the town of Beit Furik, southeast of Nablus in the West Bank
Video from social media.
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Happy Ukrainian Constitution Day for the country that threw it out
June 28 marks Ukraine's Constitution Day celebrating its fundamental law that is now blithely violated by Volodymyr Zelensky who claims to still be president.
Zelensky’s legitimacy as president expired on May 20, as the Constitution doesn’t provide for extending one’s legitimate five-year term except for early elections that he conveniently decided to ‘postpone.’
According to the Constitution, within martial law, the parliament becomes a de facto higher branch of power once the president’s tenure is legally over. However, Zelensky is still in office, though his term ended over a month ago.
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Three reasons why the Democrats will replace Biden
1. Biden’s disastrous debate performance confirmed the American public’s worst suspicions about the US president’s health and mental acuity. If this is the best Biden could do after a week of rest and preparation, then it’s no wonder alarm signs are going off in the Democratic Party.
2. Trump has consistently outpolled Biden in the key swing states – with recent poll showing Trump leading Biden in all seven swing states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada). If the Democrats cannot win a majority of the swing states, they will lose the election.
3. Biden is increasingly unpopular even among the Democratic Party’s core base. The War in Gaza has infuriated many left-wing millennial and Gen Z voters. At the same time, Trump is chipping away at Biden’s support among Black and Hispanic voters. Biden’s personal brand may be too toxic even for many longtime Democrats.
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🇮🇷 📹 Tehran witnesses long lines of people wishing to vote in Iran's presidential election
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Washington Post criticizes Democrats for ignoring Biden's age and mental fitness, lists 10 potential replacements
The Washington Post, a major American newspaper, published a list of 10 alternative candidates to replace U.S. President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election, while also accusing the Democratic Party of "burying its head in the sand" regarding concerns about the American leader's age and mental state.
"The Democratic Party has spent much of the 2024 campaign burying its head in the sand over Americans’ concerns about President Biden’s age and mental sharpness," the publication states.
The rebellious Bolivian generals, including their leader Juan Jose Zuniga, have been arrested for six months.
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The editorial board of the New York Times has called on Biden to withdraw from the election race and end his campaign for a second term.
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Trump's odds of winning the US presidency rise, Biden's fall after debate - betting site
Former US President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the 2024 US presidential election increased and current officeholder Joe Biden’s decreased following the first debate between the candidates, according to "Electionbettingodds" data on Friday.
Trump’s odds of winning the presidency are 58.0%, up 2.7% in the last day, the site said as of this writing.
Biden’s chances of reelection are 23.6%, down 12.7% in the last day, the site said.
The odds of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who some commentators have speculated could potentially replace Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee, winning the presidency rose to 8.9%, up 6.3% in the last day, the site said.
The site projects that Trump will win the electoral college vote 312-226. A candidate must receive 270 electoral college votes to secure the presidency.
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How big is the deficit of soldiers in some NATO countries
Despite NATO’s aggressive posture against Russia, it was revealed that the armies of NATO members are suffering from a lack of soldiers.
Although European NATO allies de jure have 1.9 million troops, in reality they would struggle to commit more than 300,000 to a possible conflict, stated the Financial Times.
Sputnik looked into personnel shortages of some NATO members.
◻️ The US Army has a shortage of 49,000 soldiers. According to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, cited by the AP, “the US Army as it’s currently structured can have up to 494,000 soldiers, but the real number of serving personnel is 445,000,” adding that the current plan aims at bringing that number “to 470,000 during the next five years”.
◻️ In the UK army, the shortage is 58,000. The FT evaluated the real number of troops in the British Army as “standing around” 138,000, while the official number of active “slots” is 196,000. At the same time, the UK army shrank by 19 percent since 2013, as measured by the outlet.
◻️ The German Army is described as a particularly sad case by FT, because “with 181,000 active troops, the German military is at least 20,000 short” of what is believed to be the necessary level.
◻️ The French Army stated that it missed the target of new recruitments this year by 2,000-2,500 men due to “lack of attractiveness, difficult conditions and lower salary”, as Europe 1 reported earlier.
◻️ The Dutch Army also reported a shortage of 4,000 recruits.
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Russian Navy gets scores of new vessels each year despite Western sanctions
US-led efforts to cripple Russia’s military have proven to be futile as various branches of the Russian Armed Forces keep getting more and more powerful with the addition of new advanced weapon systems.
▫️ The Russian Navy, for example, is expected to receive over 40 new vessels by the end of this year, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin revealed at a meeting on the development of shipbuilding.
▫️ The output of Russian shipyards seems to be increasing as well: in comparison, in 2022 they produced 24 new vessels while in 2023 some 33 new vessels and warships entered service, Putin noted.
▫️ In June alone, three new Russian naval vessels were launched: nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Knyaz Pozharsky, corvette Provorny and small missile ship Stavropol.
▫️ Other ship types manufactured by Russian shipyards include: replenishment vessels, minesweepers and frigates capable of launching hypersonic missiles.
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Biden's team 'deflated' after his debate performance — official
Group chats of the White House employees are “abysmal… everyone is deflated” after the US president's debate performance, including jokes on looking for a new job, a White House official told CNN.
"We’re all already commiserating. No reason to do it at a desk," he stressed.
Who could replace Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate in the US presidential race?
Even though the incumbent US President Joe Biden is most likely to become the Democratic nominee for the upcoming presidential election, his declining cognitive abilities and his less-than-stellar performance in the debate with his Republican counterpart Donald Trump has raised concerns among his fellow party members.
As the election looms closer, pundits and media outlets alike speculate who could possibly replace Biden on such relatively short notice.
▫️ California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have been named as potential replacements by several media outlets. Newsom, however, said this week that he has no intention of turning his back on Biden.
▫️ US Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Biden’s adviser Mitch Landrieu could be deemed as potential alternatives, Sky News suggests, citing American pollster Frank Luntz.
▫️ Other possible alternatives include two former US first ladies, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, as well as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Senator Raphael Warnock, House Representative Dean Phillips and the incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris.
▫️ Luntz, however, reportedly suggested US Democrats pretty much agree that Harris is unlikely to beat Trump.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign has already announced that the POTUS is not going to drop out of the election yet.
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Japan's Embassy in Moscow received strong protest over plans to hold joint military exercises with Germany and Spain on Hokkaido Island — Russian FM
Moscow pointed to the categorical inadmissibility of provocative exercises near Russia's borders.
Russia warned Japan of adequate countermeasures to strengthen its defense capabilities and protect the country's sovereignty, the Foreign Ministry stressed.
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Democrats' failure could end in 'civil war' – US psy-op veteran
Biden's mental confusion was on full display during yesterday's presidential debate, as well as "his belligerent lies and delusions about the Ukraine war history, Russia's legitimate foreign policy concerns, the US-EU-NATO war of terror against Russian citizens and funding [neo-]Nazis," Scott Bennett, former US Army officer and state department counterterrorism analyst, tells Sputnik.
In the wake of Biden's debate fiasco, Bennett expects that the Democratic Party may try to replace him and VP Kamala Harris with new candidates like California Governor Gavin Newsom or his Michigan counterpart Gretchen Whitmer, adding that "it’s going to be a very bumpy ride."
"Democrats are incapable and unwilling to relinquish political power" and political division in the country will deepen, posing a risk of a new "civil war," the former psychological warfare analyst concluded.
Dutch man convicted of pedophilia was allowed to participate in Olympics as International Olympic Committee (IOC) saw no problems
Ten years ago, Steven van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison for raping a 12-year-old girl; he was released in 2017. A year later, he declared that he "did what he did" and called it "the biggest mistake of his life".
In 2024, the athlete was selected for the Dutch beach volleyball team. The country's volleyball federation said it knew his story, that he had served his sentence and was "completely reintegrated."
The nomination of individual team members "is the sole responsibility of each respective National Olympic Committee," the IOC responded to CNN.
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Is that so, Joe? Fact-checking Biden’s presidential debate claims
During CNN’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the US president made an array of false or misleading claims that further added fuel to the fire of speculations about POTUS’ deteriorating health.
💬 CLAIM: Biden is “the only president this century that doesn’t have any…troops dying anywhere in the world, like he [Trump] did.”
❗️FACT: At least 16 US service members have been killed. They include 13 servicemen who died at the suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan when US troops abruptly withdrew from the country. In January, 2024, an enemy drone killed three US Army Reserve soldiers at a desert base in Jordan.
💬 CLAIM: The unemployment rate was 15% when Biden entered office, according to him.
❗️FACT: In January 2021, the unemployment rate was 6.4%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate was 14.8% at its highest in April 2020, when the US economy was disrupted by the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
💬 CLAIM: There have been no terrorists coming across the US southern border, per Biden.
❗️FACT: In the fiscal year of 2023, the US Border Patrol reported 172 encounters of people, whose names appeared on the federal government’s official list of known or suspected terrorists and their associates, up from about 100 in 2022 and 16 in 2020.
💬 CLAIM: Then US president Trump told Americans to “inject bleach” into their arms to treat COVID-19.
❗️FACT: During the April 2020 press conference, Trump told reporters that he wondered if it would be possible to inject a disinfectant into a person infected with the coronavirus, as a deterrent to the disease.
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Three reasons why the Democrats won't replace Biden
1. Biden is unlikely to drop out since he has spent his entire political career trying to become President of the United States. Stepping down would mean sacrificing his own personal ambition for the greater good of his party, something that Biden – a noted egoist – is unlikely to do;
2. Organizing a Democratic Party coup against Biden would be extraordinarily messy and difficult to execute. Biden won 3,894 out of 4,000 potential delegates during the Democratic primaries. Additionally, the head of the Democratic National Convention -- Jaime Harrison – is a longtime Biden ally. Replacing Biden against his will would require his opponents to convince thousands of delegates and the party’s leadership to throw Biden under the bus;
3. Absence of viable alternatives. US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttegieg were once touted as potential Biden successors, but both of them have visibly struggled in office. California Governor Gavin Newsom has underwater approval ratings in a solidly Democratic state.
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Congress openly discusses using US proxies against China
Vietnam can be used for that very purpose since it's "not a democracy," former senior advisor to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and executive vice president and senior policy advisor at Stephens Inc. think tank, Mary Kissel, stated at the Congress meeting.
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❗️ Russia, in response to restrictions on Russian media, is restricting access to broadcasting resources of a number of media outlets of the European Union, the Russian Foreign Ministry said
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