#h.r. McMaster

[tomorrowusa]

Trump was putty in Putin's hands. That's the assessment of Gen. H.R. McMaster – a former national security adviser to Trump.

Vladimir Putin exploited Donald Trump’s “ego and insecurities” to exert an almost mesmeric hold over the former US president, who refused to entertain any negative evaluation of the autocratic Russian leader from his own staff, and ultimately fired his national security adviser, HR McMaster, over it. The bold assessment of Trump’s fealty to Putin comes in McMaster’s book At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, published by HarperCollins and arriving on 27 August. The Guardian obtained a copy. “After over a year in this job, I cannot understand Putin’s hold on Trump,” McMaster recalls saying in the memoir covering the turbulent 457 days the now retired general served as national security adviser from February 2017 until he was effectively fired by tweet in April 2018. The comment, to McMaster’s wife, Katie, came in the aftermath of the poisoning in the UK by Putin’s agents of Sergei Skripal, a Russian former intelligence officer, and his daughter, in March 2018. [ ... ] In reality, McMaster says, Putin’s apparent simpering over Trump was a calculated effort by the Russian leader to exploit the president and drive a wedge between him and hawkish advisers in Washington DC such as McMaster urging the US to take a harder line with the Kremlin. “Putin, a ruthless former KGB operator, played to Trump’s ego and insecurities with flattery,” McMaster writes. “Putin had described Trump as ‘a very outstanding person, talented, without any doubt’, and Trump had revealed his vulnerability to this approach, his affinity for strongmen, and his belief that he alone could forge a good relationship with Putin.

Weird Donald thinks he comes across as strong by hanging around with tyrants like Putin. In fact, he's just fawning for their approval because he's so personally insecure.

It's bad for American national security when a rogue Russian dictator finds it so easy to manipulate a US president. Vladimir Putin will pull out all the stops in manipulating the media to put his patsy back into the Oval Office.

[2bpoliticallycurious]

And how many of those released 5000 Taliban prisoners, contributed to the disastrous final withdrawal, and also possibly the deaths of the 13 American service members?

Anderson Coopers' Interview With Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT BETWEEN 1:41 - 3:22 MINUTES.*

COOPER: So when he is critical of the Biden administration's withdrawal... um, which, you know, I guess, the Biden administration could have not gone along with the deal that was made. Biden did push back the-- Trump had set a guarantee withdrawal date May 1st. Biden pushed it back to August. Trump had cut troop levels down drastically, even though the Taliban was still attacking, the Taliban had allowed terrorist organizations again to have a home in their government, in their country. Um... But Trump had his hand on-- I mean, does Trump bear part of the responsibility for what happened? MCMASTER: Oh, yes. I mean, so the whole premise of talking to the Taliban before you leave Afghanistan, why the heck were we even doing that? COOPER: He was going to invite them to Camp David. MCMASTER: Right, even the Obama administration, when they made the mistake of pulling all of our troops out of Iraq in 2010--which really set conditions for the rise of ISIS and so forth by 2014--the Obama administration didn't negotiate with Al-Qaeda in Iraq on the way out. And so, if we were going to leave, why not just leave? What happened in these series of negotiations and concessions to the Taliban is we kind of threw the Afghans under the bus on the way out. COOPER: They cut the Afghan government out of those negotiations, right? MCMASTER: Absolutely, so that was mistake one, then forced them to release 5,000 of some of the most heinous people on Earth. And then began to withdraw -- COOPER: The Trump administration forced the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban. MCMASTER: Correct, and it also stopped the active targeting of the Taliban. [...] [color emphasis added]

[edited]

_______________ *The transcript came from this source, with some minor corrections based on the audio from the video.

[the-potus-is-a-russian-asset]

If you have not read what Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor (Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster) has said about his former boss, you need to listen to this man: “The attack on the US Capitol stained our image, and it will take a long-term effort to restore what Donald Trump, his enablers, and those they encouraged took from us that day.”

This is just one of the many quotes from his new book which should be enough to make anyone understand that voting for this maniac to get back into the White House is the most unpatriotic thing that you can do. MAGA is the exact opposite of Making America Great Again.

[simply-ivanka]

‘I think the value or the success . . . of Trump’s foreign policies and approaches to national security only became apparent to many Americans after Biden reversed them.’

H.R. McMaster, who served as White House national security adviser (2017-18), on the Hoover Institution’s “GoodFellows” podcast, July 25:

I think the value or the success of Trump’s, certain of Trump’s foreign policies and approaches to national security only became apparent to many Americans after Biden reversed them. So you could really—I mean, hey, what does it look like when you don’t secure the border? Well, we’ve got that. What does it look like when you supplicate to the Iranians and allow them to fill their coffers with $80 billion to $100 billion of unenforced sanctions—revenue that came because of unenforced sanctions? Well, hey, you get a much more intense—wars, much more intense wars across the Middle East and you get Oct. 7.

What happens when you reinstate funding to the corrupt organization Unrwa or rejoin the Human Rights Council, which now Russia is chairing? I mean, it’s all—the fecklessness of the administration has been astounding in these areas. And the one area of continuity with the Trump administration is I think what they’ve done best at, and that’s the approach to China.

So I think that there’s a strong hand to play if President Trump and his surrogates and J.D. Vance and others—if they talk about real differences in policy between the eight Obama years, the four Trump years and the four Biden years.

[vote-democrat-president-congress]

"In any election, it’s hard to know whose word to trust. And in a polarized country, many Americans distrust any information that comes from the other side of the political divide. That’s why the criticism of Donald Trump by those who served with him in the White House and by members of his own party is so striking. Dozens of people who know him well, including the 91 listed here, have raised alarms about his character and fitness for office — his family and friends, world leaders and business associates, his fellow conservatives and his political appointees — even though they had nothing to gain from doing so. Some have even spoken out at the expense of their own careers or political interests.

The New York Times editorial board has made its case that Mr. Trump is unfit to lead. But the strongest case against him may come from his own people. For those Americans who are still tempted to return him to the presidency or to not vote in November, it is worth considering the assessment of Mr. Trump by those who have seen him up close.

Administration insiders:

He will always put his own interests and gratifying his own ego ahead …”

Bill Barr

He was extremely vulnerable to manipulation.”

Fiona Hill

… he was getting input from people who were calling him up, I don’t know who ...”

Anthony Fauci

… undermined American democracy baselessly …”

Thomas P. Bossert

He doesn’t take responsibility for the bad news …”

David Lapan

… says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.”

Elaine Chao

… equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists …”

Gary Cohn

His behavior had grown increasingly erratic and unnerving.”

Betsy DeVos

The F.B.I. is under attack by the president of the United States.”

Andrew McCabe

A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators.”

John Kelly

Sometimes it’s just better to steer clear of him.”

Anthony Scaramucci

… I do regard him as a threat to democracy …”

Mark Esper

Trump’s temperament wasn’t rational …”

Cassidy Hutchinson

… doesn’t know the difference between the truth and a lie …”

Dan Coats

… he tries to divide us.”

James Mattis

… loyalty was mostly a one-way street.”

Cliff Sims

… I think he’s a terrible human being.”

Mick Mulvaney

… caused direct harm …”

Deborah Birx

… very little understanding of what it means to be in the military …”

Richard Spencer

… the most reckless and deadly piece of information I have ever heard.”

Rick Bright

Literally everything I’ve tried to do on cutting drug costs, you have killed it.”

Alex Azar

… played to Trump’s ego and insecurities with flattery.”

H.R. McMaster

… flashbacks to my earlier career as a prosecutor against the Mob.”

James Comey

The turnover suggested instability and disorganization to our adversaries …”

Mike Pompeo

… renders coherent foreign policy almost unattainable.”

John Bolton

He is wholly unfit to be in office.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin

… a huge violation of your most important oath …”

Marc Short

He has built up a DNA of defensiveness.”

Sean Spicer

You are using the military to create fear in the minds of the people …”

Mark Milley

… Anyone that puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president …”

Mike Pence

… not consistent with our national security objectives.”

Rex Tillerson

Trump relentlessly … puts forth claims that simply are not true.”

Ty Cobb

The root of the problem is the president’s amorality …”

Miles Taylor

Do you think Trump wants a guy to win after him?”

Steve Bannon

… He’s saying some crazy shit.”

Don McGahn

… They are loyal to no one.”

Stephanie Grisham

The Trumps & Trump Inc.

You can’t trust him.”

Maryanne Trump Barry

… a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully …”

Michael Cohen

‘I wanna do what I wanna do’ … ”

Fred Trump III

Trump does not have the temperament …”

Kwame Jackson

He pushed me up against the wall …”

Jill Harth

…actually a racist.”

Omarosa Manigault Newman

Honest work was never demanded of him …”

Mary L. Trump

… the competition reality show set about an American fraud …”

Bill Pruitt

… the hint of menace beneath the surface …”

Gwenda Blair

Our job was to make him look legitimate …”

Jonathon Braun

If you disagreed with Donald, he put you out of his inner circle.”

Randal Pinkett

Republican politicians

He is a coward.”

Dick Cheney

This man is a pathological liar.”

Ted Cruz

He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.”

Lindsey Graham

There is nothing ‘conservative’ about Donald Trump.”

Adam Kinzinger

The cheapest S.O.B. I’ve ever met in my life.”

Chris Christie

He’s not loyal.”

Justin Amash

He sought a coup by misleading people with lies.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger

… Power, revenge and retribution is his real motivation …”

Denver Riggleman

Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior …”

Jeff Flake

The healing of the Republican Party cannot begin with Trump as president …”

Geoff Duncan

… taking advantage of the trust placed in him by his supporters …”

John Boehner

He is a con artist.”

Marco Rubio

… a weakening of our shared American values …”

John Kasich

I think he’s toxic for the Republican Party and for the country.”

Larry Hogan

He’s willing to significantly undermine them …”

Bob Corker

There has never been a greater betrayal by a president …”

Liz Cheney

… an intensifying crescendo of conspiracy theories …”

Mitch McConnell

He should have immediately denounced the mob …”

Kevin McCarthy

… the most expensive and least effective way to do border security …”

Will Hurd

… not decency, not truth, not character, not integrity …”

Bill Weld

He tried to violently overthrow our government.”

Joe Walsh

… We shouldn’t have listened to him.”

Nikki Haley

… bitterness, combativeness and self-interest.”

Charlie Baker

Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud.”

Mitt Romney

… will spend the entire campaign whining about his legal troubles …”

Chris Sununu

… requires the kind of character he just doesn’t have.”

Paul Ryan

Conservative voices

He built a wall of lies …”

Charlie Sykes

If someone says something nice about him, they are our friend …”

Henry Kissinger

He wasn’t motivated by what he didn’t know.”

Hugh Hewitt

… corroded and corrupted American democracy …”

J. Michael Luttig

This is not leadership our country needs.”

Bob Vander Plaats

… We need a new standard-bearer.”

Erick Erickson

Lying is Trump’s toxic superpower.”

Rich Logis

… a floundering, inarticulate jumble of gnawing insecurities …”

George Will

Trump might be the greatest charlatan of them all.”

L. Brent Bozell III

World leaders

… I can't understand how Donald Trump can be on the side of Putin.”

Volodymyr Zelensky

A frightened dog barks louder.”

Kim Jong-un

… stands for a great division in the country.”

Olaf Scholz

… If there is a second time, it won’t be easy …”

Justin Trudeau

I deeply regret that President Trump has not conceded defeat …”

Angela Merkel

Where has our role model for democracy gone?”

Kazuyoshi Akaba

… clearly a threat.”

Christine Lagarde

… President Trump radiates insecurity.”

Kim Darroch

He’s a show-off.”

Mauricio Macri

[scottguy]

Trump treated Putin better than any US citizen living in California.

Donald Trump was determined during his presidency to cozy up to Vladimir Putin despite Russia's interference in US democracy and objections by advisers, a former top aide claims in a new book, according to an excerpt published Saturday.

The new behind-the-scenes details from H.R. McMaster, Trump's second national security adviser, come as Americans are set to decide whether the former president should return to the White House and as US officials warn of fresh foreign election meddling.

"After over a year in this job, I cannot understand Putin's hold on Trump," McMaster, in an excerpt from his memoir published in the Wall Street Journal, says he told his wife in March 2018.

A former lieutenant-general, McMaster became Trump's national security adviser in February 2017, and says that from the beginning, discussions of Vladimir Putin and Russia "were difficult to have with the president."

He says Trump connected "all topics involving Russia" to the federal investigation into Moscow's interference in the 2016 election and possible ties with Trump's campaign, a probe which would dog his entire presidency.

[mariacallous]

There’s a strange notion going around that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign-policy picks reveal something about his likely approach to international affairs. Establishment types are reassured that hawkish nominees, like Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Rep. Mike Waltz as national security advisor, will ultimately counsel the right thing when it comes to staring down Russia and China. Restrainers, MAGAteers, and left-wingers draw comfort that former Reps. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, and Matt Gaetz, as attorney general, will shape a policy of retrenchment, persuading the president to withdraw resources from areas where no vital U.S. interests are at stake.

If you’re experiencing déjà vu, that sense is well-founded. For the same genre of think piece was everywhere in 2016 and after, as opinion writers projected their angst, hopes, and dreams into extrapolating meaning from Trump’s waves of appointments and firings. Mike Flynn, Rex Tillerson, James Mattis, H.R. McMaster were the collective tea leaves at the bottom of the cup, read to reveal the future of U.S. foreign policy. The metaphor is apt, as these attempts generally had the same predictive prowess as tea leaves, fortune cookies, and palm reading. All operated on the premise that Trump was susceptible to advice. We should really know better by now.

There was no significant advisory influence on Trump’s last presidency, and it is unlikely that his second term will be any different. Occasionally, his instincts overlapped with his advisors—such as Tillerson on improving relations with Saudia Arabia or with National Security Advisor John Bolton on withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration. But these moments of unity were fleeting. If there is one common, mournful thread sewn through the memoirs of Trump’s first-term appointments, it is frustration at being treated disdainfully by a president who simply did not listen.

Tillerson lasted 13 months as secretary of state before Trump fired him in a social media post. The two clashed on North Korea, Russia, China, Iran, and the Paris climate agreement. After firing him, Trump posted on X, then known as Twitter, that Tillerson “didn’t have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell.” Tillerson allegedly described Trump as a “fucking moron.” And this was one of Trump’s more productive working relationships.

Trump could not forgive H.R. McMaster for suggesting that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Aghast at Trump’s imperviousness to advice that challenged his simplistic worldview, McMaster described Oval Office meetings as “exercises in competitive sycophancy” in a book published earlier this year.

“Trump was not following any international grand strategy, or even a consistent trajectory,” Bolton wrote in his 2020 book, “His thinking was like an archipelago of dots (like individual real estate deals) leaving the rest of us to discern—or create—policy.” It’s a sharp critique that overestimates Bolton’s capacity for creation, given that the only substantive thing on which they agreed was withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal. Trump responded by describing Bolton in a social media post as “a disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war. Never had a clue, was ostracized & happily dumped. What a dope!”

So what of the Trump class of 2025? Might Rubio, Waltz, Gabbard, and Gaetz succeed in becoming Aristotle to Alexander the Great, where everyone else has failed? It’s no stretch to imagine Trump’s attack line against Bolton being used against Rubio after an acrimonious firing. Rubio subscribes to Madeleine Albright’s notion that the United States is an “indispensable nation” and has been a steadfast interventionist since his arrival in national politics. Trump lambasted those hawkish instincts when he crushed “little Marco” in his 2016 campaign. They agree on a more confrontational approach to Beijing, but substantively and temperamentally, they are as well matched as Trump and McMaster. Waltz falls into a similar category.

Gabbard, Gaetz, and Pete Hegseth (Trump’s pick for defense secretary) possess more Trumpian “America First” instincts than Rubio or Waltz. Gabbard has said generous things about Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, and Gaetz and Hegseth want to wind down the war in Ukraine. Hegseth, who describes himself as a “recovering neocon,” is a culture warrior who will ban transgender people from serving in the military and gut diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. All of that is so far so good in Trump world. But beyond a shared hostility to China and support for slowly closing the taps that supply Ukraine, these relationships could blow up in any number of ways. Gabbard, Gaetz, and Hegseth are high-profile, headline-grabbing individuals, who will drain attention from the president. Trump prefers to stand alone on the stage, illuminated by a single spotlight.

No matter which individuals end up in the roles, Trump’s ultimate pick as national security advisor, secretary of defense, and secretary of state will be himself. There will be no éminence grise, no Dean Acheson or Henry Kissinger guiding his hand and restraining his worst instincts. Everything that transpired during his first term in office suggests this will be the case.

But this situation is hardly unique. Other U.S. presidents have also served as their own secretary of state. After a shaky start, involving a hugely volatile meeting with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna in June 1961, President John F. Kennedy followed his judgment, declined dangerous advice, and demonstrated leadership during the Cuban missile crisis. President Ronald Reagan’s second-term conciliation toward Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev disappointed bellicose members of his administration and helped create conditions that allowed Gorbachev to end the Cold War. President Barack Obama’s administration was more focused on what it was not (President George W. Bush’s “war on terror”) than what it was for. But there is little doubt that Obama’s pragmatic voice was the dominant one in foreign policy. In memoirs and interviews, his former advisors have expressed more than enough frustration to back this up.

Trump’s operating style and personality attributes are far removed from those of Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama. His first-term shift from lambasting Kim Jong Il as “rocket man” to desperately seeking rapprochement with North Korea gestures at an aspect of his personality—the dealmaking part—that might potentially translate into something meaningful in foreign policy. Just as President Richard Nixon went to China, one cannot entirely discount the possibility that Trump might achieve a substantive breakthrough that takes all observers by surprise—such as a deal with Iran. For all his bluster, Trump appears to understand that war, particularly the type of conflict currently raging in economically sensitive locales, is bad for the U.S. economy.

But we should be careful not to draw comfort from even a fistful of grasped straws. Trump’s narrow transactional style, the absence of empathy, and his short-termism all make it hard to make the case that, even if he does have a longer-term vision for U.S. foreign policy, he has the patience or resilience to implement it.

Regardless of what comes next, we certainly need to reckon with Trump, not his unorthodox array of proposed appointments. Bolton recently remarked that Trump demands “fealty” and not “loyalty” from those who work for him. This useful distinction reminds us to remove our analytical gaze from the vassals and train it directly at the lord.

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

I’ve always had a thing for military generals and other top brass. I don’t know if it’s the uniform or how they start getting thick stocky and gray as they mature or what, but they totally turn me on. Men like Adm. Thad Allen, Gen. Mark Milley, Gen. Jack Keene, H.R. McMaster, and Gen. Hugh Shelton always made me “perk up” when they were on TV. My vers fantasy with them: Since they’re dom in their professions I wonder if they’d be willing to flip back and forth and go from dom to submissive in the sheets. Do you have any favorite military men?

Generals Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Mark A. Milley, James N. Mattis and Joseph Dunford are my favorites.

[sethshead]

There’s nothing new or surprising about this “revelation”. When Trump was preparing to cut and run from Afghanistan, his administration negotiated directly with the Taliban and cut the legitimate government out of all the talks. We abandoned them at Trump’s direction while legitimizing, emboldening, and empowering the Taliban for their final push on Kabul when the time came to pay the piper and implement the agreements.

Trump aided terrorists, the same terrorists who sheltered Osama bin Laden. Those 5,000 imprisoned Taliban were properly under custody of the Afghan government, but Trump didn’t care. He stabbed Ashraf Ghani in the back and undermined American security in the name of irresponsible isolationism.

Republicans are in no position to use the Afghanistan withdrawal as a line of attack against Democrats.

[yourreddancer]

Seriously? Much of a double standard here?

Somehow, it is apparently baked into this campaign that Trump is allowed to talk and act like a complete lunatic while Harris has to be perfect in every way. I don’t know the answer to the chicken-or-egg question — whether media coverage is leading public perception or vice versa — but the disparate treatment is glaring.

Imagine if Harris were promising to end the war in Gaza on her first day in office but wouldn’t say how. Imagine if she were proposing a tariffs-based economic plan that economists say would destabilize the world economy and cost the average family $4,000 a year in higher prices. Imagine if she were promising a “bloody” campaign to uproot and deport millions of undocumented migrants who are gainfully employed and paying taxes. And imagine if Harris were vowing to use the military to go after her political opponents, as Trump repeatedly pledges.

Kelly and Milley are hardly the only career servicemen to sound the alarm about a potential second Trump term. Two of Trump’s defense secretaries, Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis and Army Lt. Col. Mark T. Esper, and one of his national security advisers, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, have also warned about Trump’s erratic performance as commander in chief.

They join a long list of civilians who worked in the Trump administration and say there should never be another one. Never has there been such a chorus of officials who served a president telling the nation that under no circumstances should he be elected again.

“Let’s review: First, Harris was criticized for not doing enough interviews — so she did multiple interviews, including with nontraditional media. She was criticized for not doing hostile interviews — so she went toe to toe with Bret Baier of Fox News. She was criticized as being comfortable only at scripted rallies — so she did unscripted events, such as the town hall on Wednesday. Along the way, she wiped the floor with Trump during their one televised debate. Trump, meanwhile, stands before his MAGA crowds and spews nonstop lies, ominous threats, impossible promises and utter gibberish. His rhetoric is dismissed, or looked past, without first being interrogated.”

— Donald Trump rants gibberish while Kamala Harris has to be perfect

[darkmaga-returns]

Is World War III Already Here? Russia, China Tell Their Citizens To Evacuate Syria. Oreshniks will be based in Belarus. Macron to host Trump&Zelensky. Canada’s Gun Grab. TikTok on the Clock

Lioness of Judah Ministry

Dec 07, 2024

Is World War III Already Here?

The 'Axis of Upheaval' is on the march—and the U.S. must figure out how to respond.

If it feels like the world is on fire right now, that's because it is. From Ukraine to Syria to the Korean Peninsula, a widening array of conflicts is raising questions among defense experts: Is it 1914 again? 1939? Has World War III already started and we're just now figuring it out? For retired Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, who served as Donald Trump's second national security adviser from 2017–2018, the answer is clear. "I think we're on the cusp of a world war," McMaster told The Free Press. "There's an economic war going on. There are real wars going on in Europe and across the Middle East, and there's a looming war in the Pacific. And I think the only way to prevent these wars from cascading further is to convince these adversaries they can't accomplish their objectives through the use of force."

Russia, China Tell Their Citizens To Evacuate Syria Immediately

…take advantage of the fact that commercial flights are still in operation.

In a sign of likely more bad things to come for Assad forces, Syria's closest powerful ally Russia has ordered all of its civilian nationals to leave the country as the al-Qaeda linked group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues its shock offensive, making its way south from captured Aleppo area to Hama and Homs into the heart of the country. "Russia on Friday urged its citizens to leave Syria, as rebel forces in the country press a lightning offensive against Moscow-ally Bashar al-Assad's government," AFP confirms. The Russian embassy in Damascus issued an alert telling citizens "to leave the country on commercial flights through airports in operation" while underscoring "difficult military and political situation" in Syria.

Iran evacuates personnel in Syria as rebels further advance - NYT

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also traveled to the Syrian capital this week to meet with Assad to pledge the Islamic Republic's full support.

The Islamic Republic of Iran began evacuating its Quds Force's personnel and military officials from Syria into neighboring countries such as Iraq and Lebanon, The New York Times reported late Friday, citing regional and Iranian officials. The officials said that within the Quds Force, two of their top generals fled to Iraq. This move comes as rebels who oppose Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad have been seizing cities that are a threat to his rule. The NYT report also noted the evacuation of diplomatic staff of the Islamic Republic, their families, and Iranian civilians from the country as well.

Second front opens up in southern Syria, as Druze militias clash with fleeing regime forces

The IDF announced that it was reinforcing the Golan Heights with additional troops, saying it would "not tolerate threats near the Israeli border."

A second front opened in the Syrian Civil War on Friday following several uprisings in southern Syria, which led regime forces to flee several key cities in the region. At least four people were killed and 16 injured in clashes between Druze militias and regime security forces in Sweida, according to local media. Militias took control of the main police station and the biggest civilian prison hours after hundreds of people protested in a main square demanding the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad. Later in the day, the major military headquarters in the nearby town of Harek was captured.

US-backed militants seize city in Syria – media

The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces has taken full control of the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, according to Reuters

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed military coalition dominated by Kurdish groups, has seized the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, according to Reuters. Two security sources based in eastern Syria have reportedly told the outlet that the SDF had taken full control of the city by Friday afternoon. SDF forces also reportedly control several neighborhoods in Aleppo that are encircled by islamist insurgents.

[thequickfl]

H.R. McMaster On The Brian Kilmeade Show

[joshuaboakley]

Trump's former National Security Advisor says he predicted Russia's invasion of Ukraine | DW News

https://www.youtube.com/watch/Zp8uN4saIOc Trump’s former National Security Advisor says he predicted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine | DW News Retired US Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, who served as Trump’s former national security advisor from 2017-2018, recently published a book on his time at the White House aptly titled “At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House.”…

[ritchiepage2001newaccount]

Gen. McMaster’s Blistering Account of the Trump White House

Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster has held his fire about his stint in the Trump White House. McMaster served with distinction in key American conflicts of the past decades: the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan, but as McMaster recounts in his new book, “At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House,” in some ways, his most challenging tour as a soldier was his last one: serving as the national security adviser to a notoriously mercurial president. In his blistering, insightful account of his time in the Trump White House, McMaster describes meetings in the Oval Office as “exercises in competitive sycophancy” during which Trump’s advisers would flatter the president by saying stuff like, “Your instincts are always right” or, “No one has ever been treated so badly by the press.” Meanwhile, Trump would say “outlandish” things like, “Why don’t we just bomb the drugs?” in Mexico or, “Why don’t we take out the whole North Korean Army during one of their parades?” After initially warning of "severe punishment" for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump issued a statement defending Saudi Arabia. Sounds like a quid quo pro deal happened. China, Saudis spent hundreds of thousands at Trump hotel. Trump made $160 million from foreign countries as president. Trump met with Netanyahu at mara loco probably to encourage genocide cause Jared says gaza is valuable and trump wants a piece of the pie and probably saudi as well. Jared says Negev desert should be bulldozed and Palestine people moved there! Having the BIPARTISAN border bill squashed as to not give Biden a win this is another way to get Biden the moniker genocideJoe. Trump is evil, diabolical and a threat to everything we hold dear in this country!!!!