Kursk Attack: A Military Red Line Has Been Crossed, So Now What?
The UN has once again failed to formulate a position on the invasion of Russian territory by Ukrainian forces. The US and the EU have so far confined themselves to vague statements. Official Kiev at the highest level has also been relatively quiet. The Ukrainian public mainly relies on Russian sources for information, and foreign military experts have also refrained from making detailed predictions.
Apparently, the outside world is still not fully aware of what is going on, hence the muted reactions. The principle of “something needs to be said, but it is not clear what exactly that should be” can be detected. For example, the “paper of record,” The Washington Post, quoting analysts, put forward the hypotheses that one of the reasons for Kiev’s invasion of Kursk Region was to disrupt Russian gas supplies to Western Europe.
The basis for such claims was the situation around the gas metering station near Sudzha, about which much has been written recently. It’s not clear who controls it right now. Sure, if the valve is shut off, the gas really will stop flowing, that’s obvious. However, in order to disrupt supplies, it wasn’t necessary to cross the Russian border. This can easily be done from Ukrainian territory, because that’s where the pipeline passes through. In any case, at the time of writing the fuel is flowing as normal.
This is the cynical peculiarity of our times. Business comes first, and even hostilities do not get in the way.
Read more Kursk attack: This is why Zelensky felt emboldened
Meanwhile, beyond that there is relative silence. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is talking about how Russia deserves to be punished, in his view. The West says very little. A comment by the head of the German Bundestag’s defense committee that Kiev could use Leopard tanks on this historic Russian soil doesn’t sound too serious.
It is safe to assume that most of the West’s political leadership didn’t expect such a turn of events. Kiev didn’t consult them or ask their permission. This brings us to the most important point: the nature of the confrontation is changing, and another red line has been erased. There used to be an unspoken rule – the Americans and Western Europeans didn’t want an escalation, let alone a direct conflict with Moscow, so Ukraine was allowed to fight back but not attack; Western weapons are not used on Russian territory and, of course, the border was not to be crossed. In this scenario, the conflict was manageable, and played out within a set framework. You don’t have to be an expert to see that this is now impossible.
In general, this is a trend. All over the world, red lines are being crossed, the old rules of the game are being broken and things are getting out of control.
So for the Russian-Ukraine conflict the choice is really quite simple: there will either be a further escalation of hostilities or negotiations. Or first the former and then the latter. But, of course, it’d be better if we jumped directly to the latter.
This article was first published by Kommersant, and was translated and edited by the RT team.
US Court Reimposes ‘Disinformation’ Device Monitoring on January 6 Defendant
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has issued an order in the United States v. Daniel Goodwyn case reimposing the computer monitoring measure against Goodwyn, a January 6 defendant.
We obtained a copy of the order for you here.
Goodwyn was charged and convicted for briefly entering the US Capitol during the January 6 events, and although he stayed inside the building for just over half a minute, left when he was asked to, was not involved in violence nor did he cause any damage – it was his social media posts (among others, screenshot of public documents that show names of government employees) that were seen as a threat.
In initial proceedings in 2023, Goodwyn pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of trespassing. As legal experts noted, normally a first-time offender isn’t sent to jail for this, but the US District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Reggie Walton sentenced him to two months in prison.
This was accompanied by probation conditions that included unusually harsh and ongoing restrictions on Goodwyn’s online speech and access to information. Walton – a vocal critic of Donald Trump decided that Goodwyn’s computer must be “monitored and inspected” to make sure he was not “spreading disinformation.”
The appellate court then found that the district court “plainly erred” by imposing these surveillance measures. Judge Walton next decided that now, “on the heels of [sic] another election,” he was worried Goodwyn was spreading “false narratives” and therefore affirmed his original sentencing.
The defense, arguing First Amendment violation, went back to the court of appeals seeking an emergency stay of the probation conditions, but the three-judge panel ruled 2-1 to deny the motion.
Judge Gregory Katsas filed his dissenting opinion, arguing against colleagues Florence Pan and Bradley Garcia – both of whom happen to be Democrat judges.
Judge Katsas stated that Goodwyn neither used force to enter the premises nor did he attack police officers during his 36-second stay in the Capitol, as well as that in addition to 60 days in jail, a special probation condition required “the installation of software on Goodwyn’s computers that would enable the probation office to conduct ‘periodic unannounced searches’.”
“Goodwyn appealed and moved for a stay,” wrote the judge, adding, “I would grant the motion because, in my view, Goodwyn is likely to prevail on the merits and has shown an immediate irreparable injury. See Nken v. Holder (factors for stay pending appeal).”
Biden Admits ‘Direct Contact’ with Ukraine Over Invasion of Russia
Washington is in touch with Kiev about Ukraine’s ongoing incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, which is creating a problem for Moscow, US President Joe Biden has said.
Last week, Ukraine sent several thousand troops across the Russian border to seize a dozen villages and indiscriminately target civilians, according to Moscow.
“I have spoken with my staff on a regular basis, probably every four or five hours for the last six or eight days and it’s creating a real dilemma for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Biden told reporters on Tuesday, in his first remarks about the Kursk offensive.
“And we’ve been in direct contact, constant contact with the Ukrainians. That’s all I’m going to say about it while it’s active,” he added.
Biden’s first public reaction to Zelensky’s terror attack on the Kursk region: it creates a “real dilemma”
The US President claimed he discusses the situation in Russia with his staff “every 4-5 hours”. pic.twitter.com/uN9URIcYp2— The Great Investor (@TheGreatInvest2) August 13, 2024
The US leader spoke just outside Air Force One, as he arrived in New Orleans. Earlier in the day, EU foreign policy commissioner Josep Borrell said that Kiev had the bloc’s “full support” for the Kursk offensive.
READ MORE: EU ‘fully supports’ Ukrainian attack on Kursk – Borrell
Washington and Brussels have previously responded to press inquiries about the events in Kursk by quoting generalities about support for Ukraine and unchanging policies.
“We’re in touch with our Ukrainian counterparts, and we are working to gain a better understanding of what they’re doing, what their goals are, what their strategy is, and I’m going to leave a little bit of space for us to have those conversations before I try to characterize what’s going on,”National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday. Later that same day, the US announced another $125 million in military aid to Ukraine.
On Monday, however, Senator Lindsey Graham – a South Carolina Republican – went to Kiev and praised the Kursk incursion as “bold” and “beautiful.” He also urged retired Western pilots to enlist in the Ukrainian air force and fly NATO-provided F-16 fighters against Russia.
READ MORE: Body of pregnant woman killed by Ukrainians can’t be collected – husband
At least 12 Russian civilians have been killed and another 121 wounded by Ukrainian invaders, acting regional governor Aleksey Smirnov said on Monday.
Ukrainian soldiers who spoke to Western outlets have admitted taking significant casualties in the invasion. They also said their objectives were to capture some territory that could be traded away in possible peace talks with Moscow, as well as to relieve pressure on the Donbass front.
On Monday, Putin said that the Russian forces were actually advancing at a faster pace, while military enlistments were up because of the fighting in Kursk.
Lisp-Gate: Kamala Camp & MSM Push HOAX Trump Slurred During Musk Interview
The Kamala Harris campaign along with leftist mainstream media outlets partook in a bizarre hoax during Donald Trump’s monumental interview with billionaire tech boss Elon Musk, falsely claiming the former president was slurring and lisping his words throughout.
Footage taken from inside Mar-a-Lago shows Trump definitely did not have a lisp or slur during the interview.
“Biden actually did something that was impossible…both sides hate him!”
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) August 13, 2024
SO TRUE! pic.twitter.com/I8kXiIvxTG
However, after the interview watched by millions was delayed due to a DDOS attack, many claimed Trump’s voice sounded as though he’d suddenly developed a lisp, an issue likely due to audio compression or microphone issues.
The Kamala HQ account promoted the false claim Monday night during the interview in a post on X.
Trump, slurring, says he’s okay with climate change and rising sea levels because he thinks he’ll “have more oceanfront property” pic.twitter.com/AmdrdXCn0v
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 13, 2024
Several MSM outlets and social media users also promoted the false claim, with DrudgeReport.com, TMZ, Newsweek and USA Today all spreading the disinformation.
Some suggested the apparent speech impediment was indicative of dentures or a health issue.
The question of the day: Was there a stroke or were the dentures just loose?
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) August 13, 2024
Donald Trump’s ‘lisp’ during Elon Musk interview raises questions https://t.co/MfGWAqKAas pic.twitter.com/2YTd65Zv3a
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) August 13, 2024
ELON: I think, I mentioned earlier, I’m, I mean, uh, uh, is it accurate to say that you, I don’t want to speak out of turn but , well, sometimes illegal immigrants are burglars, and that’s not good, right?
— america’s lounge singer (@KrangTNelson) August 13, 2024
TRUMP: thafs wight, ewon
Donald Trump’s ‘lisp’ steals the show during his two-hour chat with Elon Musk but what is the truth behind the wild theories that gripped social media from ‘dental work’ to a ‘bad mic’ https://t.co/8LPCOlTx76 pic.twitter.com/cvTc0bm6RO
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) August 13, 2024
Donald Trump Appears to Lisp During Elon Musk X Interview | Click to read more ? https://t.co/8J38ZT3zCf
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 13, 2024
According to some on social media, what appeared to be a not-so-subtle lisp from #DonaldTrump stole the show during his X interview with #ElonMusk. pic.twitter.com/Q7u9Xtw6OU
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 13, 2024
Defenders of Trump argued the former president has never previously slurred, and pointed out the irony in the media attacking him over an apparent speech impediment, while they for years defended Joe Biden’s senile rambling “stutter.”
Lisp or Hiss? No matter what you think the mainstream media’s claim that Trump had a lisp and the fact they began mocking it online and in headlines is ironic given how they defended Biden’s so-called stutter. FWIW – it was the standard X Spaces hiss that we’ve all experienced. pic.twitter.com/1MzJ4ufW7r
— @amuse (@amuse) August 13, 2024
Apparently some in the media are making fun of Trump’s “lisp” but defended Joe’s inability to form a coherent sentence telling us it was because of his “stutter”.
— Susi Swift (@susi815) August 13, 2024
Reaching out to the Trump team, HuffPo White House correspondent S.V. Date received a terse reply stating, “Must be your shitty hearing. Get your ears checked out,” suggesting the campaign was unaware of any issues.
I asked the Trump campaign why the coup-attempting criminal former president is slurring his words and lisping. The campaign’s response: pic.twitter.com/M2H6hLFFyJ
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) August 13, 2024
Analysis by experts on X concluded the issue derived from “de-essing” and audio compression, a common problem on live streams.
Specifically a combination of too much “de-essing” on Trump’s mic and data compression on his connection to X/twitter
— Enerzoa (@enerzoa) August 13, 2024
Maybe a bug that happens to hosts in spaces or maybe it’s something else, but anyone with a small amount of audio recording knowledge would recognize this… pic.twitter.com/iFotocqcEh
All audio engineers know in 2 seconds that it wasn’t a slur, it’s a De-Esser compression that was not properly calibrated.
— chancegreenisdead (@madmanramblin) August 13, 2024
Blantant and obvious
The last @XSpaces i listened to with @PeterSchiff his audio sounded the same…. and the last @VivekGRamaswamy one i heard HE sounded the same too. Not sure what it is about the @X Spaces or certain hardware that is causing certain people to sound compressed like that.
— Travi? (@tkddroid) August 13, 2024
One X user highlighted a similar problem is common on the video conferencing platform Zoom, where users have wild anecdotes about being taken to the hospital after their peers mistakenly believed they’d suffered a stroke due to a perceived lisp.
Additionally, a version of the interview posted by Trump himself, recorded from his side, completely decimates the lisp narrative.
Look at this, Trump just posted the recording from his end of the phone. This is before the compression happened and he sounds perfectly normal
— Jack Poso ?? (@JackPosobiec) August 13, 2024
Lisp Hoaxers in shambles https://t.co/R4MIfoXnj7
So, to reiterate, Democrats and their lapdog mainstream media apparatchiks once again latched onto a provably false narrative and are actively spreading disinformation ahead of the election with the intent of smearing former President Donald Trump – but what else is new?
The globalists are increasing their attacks on Infowars and the stakes have never been higher!
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BREAKING: As Predicted, Kamala Harris Spokesperson Now Takes Credit For Trump’s ‘No Tax On Tips’
Alex Jones breaks down how the White House doubled down and is taking credit for Kamala Harris stealing President Trump’s “No Tax on Tips” proposal. The Harris campaign is as fake as a $3 bill!
BREAKING: As Predicted, Kamala Harris Spokesperson Now Takes Credit For Trump’s ‘No Tax On Tips’ pic.twitter.com/Tkd7tk5efB
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 13, 2024
BREAKING: Naval Officer Publishes Powerful Dossier Exposing The Leaders Of The Deep State— Meet The Council Running America
Greg Stenstrom joins Alex Jones live to lay out his dossier, “The Council: Who is Running The United States?“
BREAKING: Naval Officer Publishes Powerful Dossier Exposing The Leaders Of The Deep State—
Meet The Council Running America@GregStenstrom pic.twitter.com/1FeIBKNyIh— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 13, 2024