Ben Tóth’s crystal ball talking point outline will have you sharp and focused for any discussion!

I’ve already printed out my copy. Watch the show he co-hosted this week,

Blowback: Exposing Imperial Decline

https://www.youtube.com/@BlowbackExposingImperial-hh8ig

Outline

BATTLEGROUND 404

“We have vast experience, and we understand that Europe will no longer need those guns, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and much more for the next war. And now they urgently need to transfer everything to us, as Denmark did”

Aleksei Danilov, Ukraine‘s Secretary of National Security and Defence Council.

404 BATTLEGROUNDS

– 404: Russian attacks in Ukraine designed to increase pressure on the front line – analysts ( NYT )

– 404: Russia completes takeover of Ukraine’s Avdeyevka in biggest war gain in nine months ( Time )

– 404: Russian shelling in Donetsk as Moscow claims Krynki village ( Euronews )

– 404: Ukraine leader downplays loss of Avdeyevka, seeks faster support ( Reuters )

– 404: Russia secures ‘Victory’ – Pobeda – in Donetsk – Defense Ministry ( RT )

404 MEAT FOR THE GRINDER

– 404: Desperate for soldiers, Ukraine weighs unpopular plan to expand the draft ( AP )

– 404: Hundreds of Ukrainian troops feared captured or missing in chaotic retreat ( NYT )

– 404: Ukraine cannot win without a bigger army – Anthony Loyd ( Times UK )

– 404: Ukrainian army loses 3,400 troops in Krynki area – Shoigu ( TASS )

– 404: Russia may have captured hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers ( NYT )

– EUK: Ukrainian men abroad – ‘I’m not afraid to kill anyone. I just don’t want to die’ ( Spiegel )

context : More will flee, those abroad won’t return, it’s like ‘entering the ring against Mike Tyson’.

404 VS FARMERS

– 404: Polish farmer protesting Ukraine imports faces charges over pro-Putin banner ( Euromaidan Press )

– 404: Elensky invites Poland’s leaders to border to resolve farmers’ protest affecting flow of weapons ( AP )

– 404: Elensky calls for urgent talks to end Polish border crisis ( Politico EU )

– 404: Ukrainian chicken kings ‘shocked’ by French attacks ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Polish consul on farmers’ actions at border: ‘Disgrace and shame’ ( Kyiv Independent )

– EUK: European funding for Ukraine chicken magnate angers farmers ( FT )

– EUK: Poland concerned by pro-Putin slogans at farmers’ protests ( ABC )

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SPONSOR COPIUM

– EUK: Russia ‘struggling with supply of weapons and ammunition’ for Ukraine war – Western officials ( BBC )

– EUK: Ukraine is outmanned and outgunned… but that doesn’t mean Russia will prevail ( Telegraph )

– EUK: Ukrainian Himars kill 65 Russian soldiers lining up to greet commander ( Telegraph )

– USC: Ukraine‘s Military Spy Chief says Russia will struggle to keep up the fight ( WSJ )

– USC: Ukraine shoots down seventh Russian fighter jet in a week ( Newsweek )

– USC: Ukraine remains stronger than you might think ( WaPo )

SPONSOR GLOOM

– EUK: Ukraine outnumbered, outgunned, ground down by relentless Russia ( Reuters )

– EUK: Europe clearly now wants Vladimir Putin to win – Con Coughlin ( Telegraph )

– EUK: Ukraine is on the verge of losing. The West doesn’t care – Kasparov ( Welt )

– EUK: Only 10 percent of Europeans say Ukraine will win war ( Times UK )

– USC: Why the West is losing Ukraine – ‘ultra-cautious’ republicans and euro ‘right-wingers’ ( Politico US cover )

– USC: War in Ukraine is turning in Putin’s favor after months of stalemate ( Bloomberg )

– USC: How Russians and the West failed Navalny – Kasparov is a busy bee! ( WSJ )

– USC: Putin‘s chances of winning Ukraine war look bright ( Newsweek )

– USC: No one wants Ukraine to Win – neither Biden nor Trump ( WSJ )

WESTERN ‘SOLUTIONS’

“Putin must lose this war, and this should be the goal of German politics” 

Norbert Röntgen – Chairman of Bundestag Committee on Foreign Policy

SEND MONEY!

– 404: As Russia pushes forward, Ukrainian soldiers say US aid delays have left them exposed ( NBC )

– 404: If US had provided aid in time, Avdeyevka wouldn’t have been lost – Kuleba ( Ukro Pravda )

– USC: US payments to Russians for Embassy in Moscow ‘help finance’ war in Ukraine ( Newsweek )

– USC: Canada set to help bankroll massive ammunition shipments to Ukraine: sources ( CBC )

– USC: White House struggles to increase pressure on Russia as options dwindle ( Politico US )

– USC: Ukraine, IMF Near $900 Million Payment Amid Stalled US Aid ( Bloomberg )

– USC: Lawmakers unveil bipartisan bill combining Ukraine aid and border security ( Hill )

context: $47b to Ukraine, $10b to Israel, $5b for ‘Indo-Pacific’… $2b for Centcom, and migrants return home

SANCTION MORE!

– USC: ‘China has a lot more to lose’: US considering sanctioning Chinese firms aiding Russia’s war ( CNBC )

– USC: US to unveil major Russia sanctions in wake of Navalny death ( Guardian )

– EUK: EU agrees on new sanctions against Russia days before the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine ( AP )

– EUK: Germany: MPs accuse Putin of Navalny‘s death and call for sanctions against Russia ( Nova, ITA )

– EUK: UK sanctions heads of Arctic penal colony where Alexei Navalny was killed ( UK Gov )

– EUK: Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist’s death ( BBC )

– EUK: 5 ways the EU could help end the war in Ukraine ( Politico EU )

context: ‘fix’ oil price cap, ‘dent’ metals trade, ‘turn off’ gas taps, ‘tackle’ middlemen, ‘say no’ to Russian nuclear

– EUK: EU agrees first sanctions on Chinese and Indian companies for Russia war links ( FT )

context: 200 entities : 3 China, 1 India + Sri Lanka, Türkiye, Thailand, Serbia, Kazakhstan

STEAL RUSSIAN CASH!

– 404: Opinion: How to maximize benefits from Russia‘s frozen assets abroad ( Kyiv Independent )

– 404: Ukraine says frozen Russian assets should be used to rebuild war-hit economy ( Guardian )

– EUK: You break, you pay: Why the West should start confiscating frozen Russian assets now ( ECFR )

– EUK: Estonia leads the charge: Pioneering use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine‘s Aid ( BNN

– EUK: Seizing frozen Russian assets over Ukraine war wins endorsement of legal experts ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: City bankers resist Cameron plan to seize £26bn of Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine ( BBC )

– EUK: Letter: Euroclear should welcome action on transferring Russian assets ( FT )

– EUK: Seize frozen Russian assets before US election, says Estonian PM ( FT )

– USC: Momentum builds in efforts to seize Russian assets for Ukraine ( VOA / CIA )

– RUC: Russia warns the West: we will be very tough if you ‘steal’ our assets ( Reuters )

SEND ALL GUNS!

– 404: Give us all your heavy weapons, Kiev’s security chief tells EU ( Ukraine TV Interview > RT )

– EUK: Czech Republic ready to send 800,000 artillery shells to Ukraine if ‘funding is found’ ( Euromaidan Press )

– EUK: ‘Not losing’ is not enough: it’s time for Europe to finally get serious about a Ukrainian victory ( Guardian )

– EUK: NATO must ‘wake up’ to Putin‘s trap – believing losing – Latvian PM Evika Silina warns ( Newsweek )

– EUK: Germany faces a political crisis over sending Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine ( Politico EU )

– EUK: German parliament votes against sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine – 182 yes 480 no ( DPA )

– EUK: Denmark to send all of its artillery to Ukraine to help stop Russia: PM ( Business Insider )

– RUC: NATO‘s plans to send weapons to Kiev show direct involvement in conflict – Zakharova ( TASS )

KILL PUTIN! – Yes, really

– 404: Ukraine sniper claims Putin will be ‘assassinated by his own henchmen’ – ‘would kill him if I could’ ( Daily Mail )

– EUK: We must ensure Ukraine beats the gangster in the Kremlin – no matter the risks – Edward Lucas ( Mail UK )

context: ‘To put it plainly: Is it time to help Ukraine assassinate the Russian dictator?’

COLLECTIVE WEST: BE VERY AFRAID!

“If you are not at the table in the international system, you are going to be on the menu.”

Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State

RUSSIA EVERYWHERE!

– USC: Trump triggers Germany’s nuclear nightmare – Putin ‘menace’ without US nuclear umbrella ( Politico EU )

– USC: US tells allies Russia may launch anti-satellite nuclear weapon into space this year ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: Britain is increasingly defenseless – and Putin knows it – Hamish de Bretton-Gordon ( Telegraph )

– EUK: Kaja Kallas sees older Russian speakers in Estonia as potential threat ( ARD interview > RT )

– EUK: Kremlin agents are ‘back with vengeance’ across Europe ( Times UK )

– EUK: Exclusive: Iran sends Russia hundreds of ballistic missiles ( Reuters )

– EUK: Kapo: Estonian Internal Affairs Minister’s car windows broken by Russian special services ( ERR )

DISINFORMATION, AI!

– 404: Russia launches massive disinformation campaign against Ukrainian government ( Ukro World Congress )

– 404: AI has joined the war on disinformation, says Ukrainian media specialist ( Independent )

– EUK: How the Kremlin weaponized Russian history – and has used it to justify the war in Ukraine ( AP )

– EUK: US Big Tech companies sign accord to fight AI-generated election trickery ( Euronews )

– EUK: Putin himself is engaging in electoral disinfo, warns Italy Defence Staff ( Decode39 )

– USC: Kremlin runs covert disinformation campaign to undermine Elensky ( WaPo )

– EUK: Alexei Navalny widow Yulia Navalnaya targeted by disinformation ( AFP )

FIVE POINT PALM EXPLODING HEART TECHNIQUE!

– USC: Navalny likely killed by ‘one punch’ to the heart in classic KGB tactic, activist claims ( NYP )

– EUK: Alexei Navalny was killed by a ‘KGB trademark’ single punch to the heart ( Mail UK )

– EUK: Navalny was killed by a secret one punch to the heart KGB technique ( Guardian )

– EUK: Putin’s henchmen ‘killed Navalny with KGB heart punch’ ( Times UK )

– EUK: Inside Russia’s nightmarish poisoning operation – ? ( FT )

MAKSIM KUZMINOV

– 404: Russian pilot who surrendered helicopter to Ukraine found shot dead in Spain ( Ukro Pravda )

– EUK: Russian defector murdered in Spain ‘gave location away with reckless lifestyle’ ( Times UK )

– EUK: Kuzmínov, the Russian deserter, was a ‘ghost’ in Alicante – Govt didn’t know ( El Mundo )

– EUK: Moscow hired gunmen to murder Russian defector, Spanish intel says ( Politico EU )

– USC: A killing in Spain points to Russia and Putin’s sense of impunity ( WaPo )

KSENIA KARELINA

– USC: American family of Californian ballerina facing life in Russia for ‘treason’ plead for help freeing her ( NYP )

– USC: ‘America will bring her back to me’ says boyfriend of US-Russian citizen arrested for treason ( CNN )

– USC: Russia arrests US-Russian citizen for treason after she gave $51 to Ukraine, employer says ( BBC )

– RUC: Russia denies US access to American-Russian former ballerina accused of treason ( ABC )

context: FSB : Since 02.22 raised funds for medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the AFU

EUROPE: PATHETIC

“France must pay in cash the debts of 65 years of looting in Niger“

General Tiani, Nigerien interim President

PERFIDIOUS ALBION 

– EUK: I have glimpsed the terrifying future of lazy, defenseless, near-bankrupt Britain ( Telegraph with Milei picture )

– EUK: Borders and the police will face the brunt of Government cuts. That is a recipe for anarchy ( Telegraph )

– EUK: US High School Economics class: UK economy slipped into recession in 2023 ( FT )

– EUK: UK energy bills could rise under government plans to fund nuclear ( Politico )

– EUK: Boris Johnson wanted $1 million for interview – Tucker Carlson ( video > RT )

– EUK: BoE’s Bailey ‘comfortable’ that markets expect rate cuts ( Reuters )

– EUK: Russia bans UK ships from fishing in its waters ( Bloomberg )

– RUC: Duma terminates 1956 Soviet-UK agreement on fishing rights in Barents Sea ( Interfax )

– RUC: Russia tears up Soviet-era fishing agreement with UK ( RT )

ALBIONESE MILITARY

– USC: ‘Anomaly occurred’ on British nuclear missile test in Florida ( CNN )

– EUK: Grant Shapps defends UK’s nuclear capability after Trident missile failure ( Telegraph )

– EUK: Trident is dependable, Shapps insists after failed missile test ( Times UK )

– USC: UK nuclear missile test fails for second time in eight years ( CNN )

– EUK: Embarrassment for Royal Navy as Trident missile test misfires ( Times UK )

context : Nuclear sub missile launch : Trident misfires and ‘plops’ into sea  yards away with Shapps on board

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CONTINENTAL AFFAIRS

– EUK: Sunak snubs Scholz: The UK leader’s giving Berlin a wide berth – no visit for 15 months ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Hungary’s governing party says it’s ready to approve Sweden’s NATO accession on Monday ( AP )

– EUK: VDL puts Ukraine EU accession on back burner – not before EU election in June ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Brussels spyware bombshell: Surveillance software found on officials’ phones ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Ursula von der Leyen vows never to work with Europe’s far-right parties ( Guardian )

– EUK: Von der Leyen won’t rule out working with right-wing parties – ? ( Politico EU )

– EUK: Bosnian Serb leader Dodik bows to Putin – because he met him ( Politico EU )

– USC: Biden paves way for Mark Rutte to lead NATO – and confront Putin ( Politico US )

ECONOMY

– EUK: Low earners hit hard: Ukraine war costs Germany more than €200 billion ( Tagesspiegel )

– EUK: HSBC slashes commercial property exposure in US, UK to limit losses ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: German economy in stormy waters as government slashes forecast ( Reuters )

– EUK: HSBC profits plummet 80% after charge on Chinese bank stake ( FT )

– EUK: France is struggling to pay for Ukraine aid as budget stretched ( Bloomberg )

context : Macron announced €3 billion for Kyiv this year just four days ago.

THE FARMERS

– EUK: Protesting Spanish farmers drive hundreds of tractors to Madrid ( Reuters )

– EUK: Promise of new legislation fails to quell French farmers’ anger ( France 24 )

– EUK: France eases pesticide controls in sop to farmers ( Politico EU )

SECURITY

– EUK: EU to seek security and defense pact with Japan amid China‘s assertiveness ( Japan Times )

– EUK: Hungary forges closer ties to China with new security pact ( Times UK )

BATTLEGROUND HOLY LAND

“The Brazilian president’s words – supported by Bolivia and Colombia – are outrageous and amount to incitement.”

Yoav Galant, Israeli Defense Minister

THE GENOCIDE

– ISR: Israeli parliament backs Netanyahu‘s rejection of ‘unilateral’ recognition of Palestinian state ( Reuters )

– ISR: Gallant: Only victory against Hamas will allow for Israel’s further integration into the region ( TO Israel )

– ISR: Israeli Deputy DM Matain Vilnai warns Palestinians of ‘bigger Holocaust’ ( Ynet )

– ISR: Israeli airstrike kills two people in Damascus, Syrian state TV says ( Reuters )

– ISR: Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza‘s Rafah, killing large family in home ( Reuters )

– ISR: Israeli forces hit aid convoy carrying vital supplies ( CNN )

THE SUPPORTERS

– USC: Nancy Pelosi claims no US weapons have been used to carry out Israeli atrocities in Gaza ( Mondoweiss )

– USC: As Rafah braces for Israeli ground assault, Biden says ‘ceasefire’ more often ( Reuters )

– USC: The American citizens fighting and dying for Israel in the Gaza war ( WaPo )

– USC: The Gaza war isn’t a Holocaust. It’s still a nightmare. ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: UK high court throws out lawsuit seeking to block arms sales to Israel ( Cradle )

– EUK: 26 EU countries warn Israel against ‘catastrophic’ Rafah offensive ( Reuters )

– EUK: The West is about to hand victory to Hamas – Richard Kemp ( Telegraph )

UNITED NATIONS

– USC: UN top court shouldn’t urge Israel to immediately withdraw from Palestinian-claimed lands, US says ( AP )

– USC: US blocks Algerian ceasefire call with third UN veto in Israel-Hamas war ( Reuters )

– USC: US defends Israel’s policies toward Palestinians – ‘real security needs’ ( NYT )

– USC: Don’t make Israel withdraw from Palestinian land, says US to UN ( Telegraph )

– USC: US stresses need to consider Israel‘s security at top UN court ( Reuters )

– ISR: US attempt to use UN to halt Rafah offensive is ‘ethically reprehensible’ – Israel ( Telegraph )

– UN: UN agency pauses Gaza food aid deliveries after looting and gunfire ( Guardian )

– UN: World condemns US’s latest UN Security Council veto on Gaza ceasefire ( Al Jazeera )

LATIN AMERICA

– LAT: Brazil‘s Lula compares Israel to Nazis, Gaza war to Holocaust ( Jpost )

– LAT: Brazil’s president declared persona non grata – Israeli foreign minister ( TASS )

– LAT: Brazil Pulls Ambassador in Israel in Escalating Diplomatic Row ( Bloomberg )

– LAT: Colombia, Bolivia back Brazil’s Lula in Israel row over Gaza war comments ( Al Jazeera )

– LAT: Venezuela will join BRICS soon: Maduro ( Venezuela TV > TASS )

– LAT: Brazil calls for reform of United Nations as it starts its G20 presidency ( AP )

– USC: Blinken tells Lula that US disagrees with his Israel remarks ( Reuters )

– RUC: Lavrov arrives in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, for final stop, G20 summit ( TASS )

– RUC: Brazil‘s G20 presidency kicks of with foreign ministers meeting ( AP )

YEMEN

– EUK: EU launches Red Sea naval mission – Aspides – to protect shipping from Houthi attacks ( Al Jazeera )

– EUK: British ship Rubimar sunk after being attacked by Houthis in the Arabian Gulf of Aden ( Sky )

– USC: Attacks on ships and US drones show Yemen’s Houthis can still fight despite US-led airstrikes ( AP )

– USC: Houthis say they shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper Drone Off coast of Yemen ( NYT )

– USC: US navy’s battle against Yemen ‘largest since WWII’ ( US admiral > Cradle )

– GLO: Container lines ‘struggling’ with port congestion and ship shortages ( FT )

– RUC: The State Duma website will be translated into Arabic – Volodyn ( TASS )

THE HEGEMON

THE ELECTIONS

– USC: Anti-Ukraine rhetoric saturates US right-wing media. Now it’s delivering actual war victories to Putin ( CNN )

– USC: The presidential money machine is stalling out, warning signs for both Biden and Trump ( Politico US )

– USC: In Navalny‘s last letters, he called Trump‘s agenda for a second term ‘really scary’ ( Business Insider )

– USC: Willing GOP dupes of Russian disinformation could be criminally exposed: Goldman ( MSNBC )

– USC: Biden emphasizes that majority of Ukraine aid package would be spent in US ( PBS )

– USC: Ukraine faces a valley of death – There’s a way Biden can help it get across ( WaPo )

– USC: Trump and allies plotting militarized mass deportations and detention camps ( WaPo )

– USC: If Republicans want to help Trump, they should pass Ukraine aid now ( WaPo )

– USC: Biden calls Putin a ‘crazy SOB’ during San Francisco fundraiser ( Reuters )

– USC: Marilynne Robinson considers President Biden a gift of God ( NYT )

– USC: Donors keep pouring millions Into Nikki Haley’s campaign ( WSJ )

Northern mirror:

– USC: ‘Conspiracy theorists’ threaten mainstream media – Trudeu wants ‘massive changes’ in news ( radio > RT )

– USC: Poilievre‘s Conservative Party embracing language of mainstream conspiracy theories ( CBC )

THE ECONOMY

– USC: Biden’s EV dreams are a nightmare for Tesla and the US car Industry ( Bloomberg )

– USC: US risks fiscal crisis after soaring borrowing, Blanchard warns ( Bloomberg )

– USC: Pentagon slashes weapons programs to stay under debt deal ( Politico US )

– USC: Thousands of Texas Democrats sign Petition to leave US ( Newsweek )

– USC: Why a soft landing on the moon is so hard to do ( CNN )

– USC: Who’ll buy the Treasuries? – Goldman’s version ( FT )

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VS ASSANGE

– USC: WikiLeaks’ Assange went far beyond journalism and should face spying charges, lawyers for US say ( AP )

– USC: Assange wanted for ‘indiscriminately’ publishing sources’ names, US lawyers say ( Reuters )

– USC: US government lawyers deny charges against Julian Assange politically motivated ( Guardian )

VS AFRICA

– USC: US increasingly worried about Kremlin’s disinfo operations in Africa ( Politico US )

– AFR: African Union condemns Israel‘s offensive in Gaza, calls for immediate ceasefire ( PressTV )

– AFR: African Union says Israel‘s observer status suspended ( Al Jazeera )

– AFR: Russia completes grain deliveries to six poorest African countries – Agri Minister ( TASS )

VS CHYNA

– USC: How scared is China of Donald Trump? – 61% tariffs likely, yet some Chinese cheering him on ( Economist )

– USC: Under scrutiny from US lawmakers, Silicon Valley venture capitalists have pulled back from China ( NYT )

– USC: BYD secures license deal with Ford and GM supplier to use its LFP battery packs for EVs ( Electrek )

– USC: US lawmaker in Taiwan visit reassures support regardless of US election outcome ( Reuters )

– USC: US trying to bar Chinese biotech companies over fears of US failure to compete ( Fortune )

– USC: Exclusive: US targets China‘s top chipmaking plant after Huawei Mate 60 Pro ( Reuters )

– USC: US to invest billions to replace China-made cranes at Nation’s Ports ( WSJ )

– EUK: Britain must work with EU to halt onslaught of Chinese EVs, warns Renault ( Telegraph )

– RUC: China stocks jump to highest in weeks as support measures mount ( Bloomberg )

– RUC: Chinese team’s memory leap shrinks data center capacity into DVD-sized disk ( SCMP )

SOME MORE ASIA

– USC: Putin gifts luxury car to Kim Jong-Un in alleged violation of UN Sanctions ( Forbes )

– USC: South Korea foreign minister to meet Blinken in US this month ( Reuters )

– ASO: Police use tear gas against Indian farmers marching to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices ( AP )

– ASO: China and India militaries to ‘turn the page’ – regarding border situation ( Chinadaily )

– ASO: South Korean government warns striking doctors to return to work or face legal action ( AP )

– ASO: South Korea orders striking doctors to return to work as their walkouts burden hospital operations ( AP )

– ASO: It’s time for Australia to break out of timidity: Keating‘s birthday wish ( National Review )

context: quit AUKUS immediately and dump the British monarchy.

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APPENDIX : Legend

USC = United States + Canada

EUK = Europe + United Kingdom | 404 = Ukraine

WEA = West Asia, formerly Middle East | ISR = Israel

ASO = Asia + Oceania

AFR = Africa

LAT = Latin America