Before looking at the absurdity of the International Criminal Court (ICC) position, it is worth noting that Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, India, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, the United States and China do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and are not member states in the organization {LINK}.

Additionally, I doubt the countries of Kiribati and Malawi are going to launch a military offensive against Russia; so, one has to ask, exactly what is this latest production about – amid the theater of World War Reddit.

The essential accusation is that Vladimir Putin took orphans out of orphanages in the Ukraine war zone and moved the children to safety in Russia.  Ergo, Putin is guilty of human trafficking and abducting children.

THE HAGUE (AP) — The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

It was the first time the global court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

The ICC said in a statement that Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and that of unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”

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U.S. government officials are not happy as China confirms Chairman Xi Jinping visit to Russia next week to meet with President Putin.

In the background of the Ukraine conflict, smiling Panda has been happy to see distracted western nations bleeding their resources and treasury in support of Ukraine.  Meanwhile, happy Panda negotiates and brokers increased relationships between Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, India and China.

There is no downside to Chairman Xi visiting Russia and advancing a position that ‘peaceful negotiations’ should begin between Russia and Ukraine, unless a resolution to the conflict is against the geopolitical usefulness of the war – which appears to be the unfortunate current status.

“The U.S. on Friday said it would oppose any effort by China at the meeting to propose a ceasefire in Ukraine“…

Think about that.  Remember, Ukraine is to Washington DC as North Korea is to Beijing.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow next week, offering a major diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put the Russian leader on trial for alleged war crimes.

Xi’s visit was the latest sign of Beijing’s emboldened diplomatic ambitions, and came amid sharpening East-West tensions over the war in Ukraine, now in its 13th month.  The U.S. on Friday said it would oppose any effort by China at the meeting to propose a ceasefire in Ukraine as the “ratification of Russian conquest.”

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The pearl-clutching apoplexy is thick in the latest report from NBC claiming the Dept of Homeland Security, FBI and New York City officials are conducting preparation drills in anticipation of President Trump being indicted for…. wait for it – paying porn star Stormy Daniels.  Good grief, I mean they might as well have said the Pentagon is positioning satellites, NORAD is conducting drills and the National Guard has been put on alert… for something.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating Trump for felony falsification of business records because President Trump paid his attorney, Michael Cohen, with business funds identified as ‘legal services’.

(Via NBC) – Local, state and federal law enforcement and security agencies are preparing for the possibility that former President Donald Trump is indicted as early as next week, according to five senior officials familiar with the preparations. 

Law enforcement agencies are conducting preliminary security assessments, the officials said, and are discussing potential security plans in and around the Manhattan Criminal Court, at 100 Centre Street, in case Trump is charged in connection with an alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels and travels to New York to face any charges.

The officials stress that the interagency conversations and planning are precautionary in nature because no charges have been filed. 

The agencies involved include the NYPD, New York State Court Officers, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the officials said.  NBC News has reached out to all of those agencies for comment, and all have declined to comment.  (read more)

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The European Central Bank (ECB) raised interest rates again today, while simultaneously promising to support further bank bailouts that might come as an outcome of raising the rates again.   In the bigger picture there are two dynamics supported by the ECB playing out.

The first issue is the ideological effort to change the economic models based on climate change.  The Build Back Better (Green New Deal) policy, a traditional energy production control effort, is being supported by the ECB effort to shrink the EU economy to meet the rate of diminished energy production.  Make the economy smaller to meet the lower energy production rate.

Lowered energy production (oil, coal and natural gas) has raised energy prices; this is the fuel behind supply side inflation.  The Western (policy-created) energy inflation is hitting every aspect of the EU, US and western global economy.  The prices of all downstream goods and services have risen dramatically as a result.  The European banks are not going to stop trying to make the economy smaller just because banks are failing.  That brings us to the second issue.

Like the first issue with BBB controls, the World Economic Forum action plan for government also includes the creation of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).  The collapsing of the traditional banking system supports the agenda to create CBDCs.  Raising interest rates puts more pressure on already weak banks.  This is a feature not a flaw of the intent.

Shifting the economy from traditional oil, coal and natural gas is one control aspect (climate change).  Shifting the banking system from traditional currency to central bank digital currencies is the second control aspect (total govt financial control).   The banking instability is the crisis that facilitates the CBDC solution.   Ergo, continue raising rates and continue making the crisis more useful.

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During today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) questioned Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen about Social Security and the immediate cuts that take place in nine years if the current plan goes bankrupt.  The confrontation was professional, but also very focused.  WATCH:

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If you wonder about whether people are really starting to understand the UniParty operation in Washington DC, the answer appears to be a resounding “Yes.”

According to the latest Rasmussen poll [LINK HERE], even a majority of Democrats admit that Republicans likely conspired with Democrats to keep President Trump from winning the 2020 election. The exact wording of the question is:

How likely is it that Republican politicians in DC worked secretly with Democrats to keep Trump from being reelected in 2020?

55% – of all voters agree it is likely.
67% – Republicans
51% – Democrats

Rasmussen’s Mark Mitchell appeared on the Steve Bannon podcast to discuss the results of the poll.  WATCH:

https://youtu.be/FuTdJHjVHwc

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As CTH has continued to outline, the Republican Party of Bush, Romney, McConnell et al, is dead.  Voters who support President Trump reject the Wall Street professionally Republican donor class.  The Republican Party is the party of MAGA, America First and Donald Trump now.

Recently on Twitter I stated, “There are not enough people who take pictures of their lunches to post on Instagram to support Ron DeSantis for president.”  This is the essential core of the issue.  Working people and people on fixed incomes understand the value of America First and Donald Trump in/on their lives.  Every other coalition is a small segment of elite minded snobbish people who think they know better.  Keep watching.

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Before getting to the details of the Credit Suisse issue, it is worth taking a bigger geopolitical context to the dynamic.  The initial backstop sought by Credit Suisse was from the Saudi National Bank; however, SNB Chairman Ammar Abdul Wahed Al Khudairy refused more lending {LINK}.

This is where we need to keep the BRICS -vs- WEF dynamic in mind and consider that ideologically there is a conflict between the current agenda of the ‘western financial system’ (climate change) and the traditional energy developers.  This conflict has been playing out not only in the energy sector, but also the dynamic of support for Russia (an OPEC+ member) against the western sanction regime.  Ultimately, supporting Russia’s battle against NATO encroachments.

Russia, Saudi Arabia and China are geopolitically aligned in interest against the western financial system.  As a consequence, when western banks find themselves in need of capital and cash, there is a layered geopolitical dynamic in the background to Saudi refusal that must be considered.

With multiple western banks now in trouble, Credit Suisse is also exposed, and, like U.S. Treasury/Fed intervention in America, the Swiss central bank has stepped in to backstop the looming collapse.

In the big picture, we are seeing the ramifications of the ‘Build Back Better‘ agenda impacting the banking and finance sector which spearheaded it.  I am not seeing this discussed anywhere, as the western governments of the collapsing banks are being forced to intervene.

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For his opening monologue Wednesday night Fox News host Tucker Carlson revisited the status of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia and the disconnect between Washington DC and American voters.  WATCH:

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Here’s a fun little bit of datamining by the folks at TrendingPolitics.  Apparently, former DOJ apparatchik and current New York Representative Daniel Goldman is holding $32+ million in a Cayman Island bank account.

Goldman was one of Los Tres Amigos conscripted from the DOJ who was enlisted by Mary McCord to run the public face of the House impeachment effort against President Trump.  More recently sketchy Goldman attempted to run defense for the Mueller-Weissmann team during testimony about the Twitter files. {Go Deep}

Considering his legal exposure to the multiple frauds he assisted and perpetrated, it seems part of his financial risk mitigation is to keep his bank accounts in the Cayman Islands.  Curiously interesting, because it’s always worth noting what ammunition the Fourth Branch carries to keep their toadies in line.

[Trending Politics] – Newly disclosed financial documents show that a House Democrat leading the charge against income inequality has stashed over $30 million in a tax-free international haven to support his nonprofit.

The Richard W. Goldman Foundation, which for a decade has provided charitable efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged, reported holding $32.2 million in investments harbored within the Cayman Islands, a renowned haven for wealthy individuals and corporations seeking to relieve tax burdens. The organization was founded in 2012 by Democratic Congressman Daniel Goldman of New York.

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Senator Lindsey Graham (U-DC) is trying to get the Libyan band back together as part of the effort to escalate a NATO war against Russia.  In the latest development, according to the U.S. version of events, Russia took down a Reaper drone over the Black Sea:

The MQ-9 Reaper drone was making a routine flight before it was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets on Tuesday. The warplanes dumped jet fuel on the drone and flew in front of it in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” according to a statement from U.S. European Command.

One of the Russian aircraft then struck the drone’s propeller, rendering it unflyable and prompting U.S. operators to ditch it in the Black Sea. (link)

The Russian version of events outlines something akin to Russian pilots throwing a Pepsi at it.  As relayed by Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov:

[…] “I explained the position of the Russian Federation,” Antonov said. “I stressed that the American UAV that was moving deliberately and provocatively towards the Russian territory with its transponders turned off violated the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation, which was communicated to all concerned users of international airspace in accordance with international norms.”

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