First, links to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; for others, click on their names below. Then links to a pair of posts by Caitlin Johnstone. Finally, a link to one by Chris Hedges (also promoted by Johnstone, Popular Resistance, and Consortium News). — MCM
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Ukraine reports striking Russian ammunition depot in south, by Maria Grazia Murru | The Associated Press KYIV — Ukrainian authorities said today that their forces targeted a Russian ammunition depot in southern Ukraine overnight, resulting in a massive explosion captured on social media. The Ukrainian military’s southern command said a rocket strike targeted the depot in Russian-held Nova Kakhovka, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) east of the Black Sea port city of Kherson, which is also occupied by Russian forces. The precision of the strike . . . READ MORE . . .
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Ukrainian rockets hit Russian-controlled area as Kyiv readies southern counter-attack, by Tom Balmforth and Pavel Polityuk | Reuters * Ukraine strikes Russia-controlled Kherson region * Says it kills 52 Russians, destroys hardware * Russian-installed official says civilians hurt too * Says at least seven people killed * Ukraine planning counter attack to retake south KYIV — Ukraine said today it had carried out a long-range rocket strike against Russian forces and military equipment in southern Ukraine, territory it says it is planning to retake in a counter-offensive using hundreds of thousands of troops. According to Ukraine, the strike hit an ammunition dump in the town of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region and killed 52 Russians. It came after Washington supplied Ukraine with HIMARS mobile artillery systems which Kyiv says . . . READ MORE . . .
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A new reality reverberates through Russia’s music scene. Reported by Alina Selyukh | National Public Radio The day singer-songwriter Manizha Sangin was supposed to headline a June music festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, she went instead to a shelter housing Ukrainian refugees. A week earlier, the festival had abruptly removed her from its lineup — the second to do so. Soon, her July solo show in Moscow was also canceled . . . Click HERE to listen and read.
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The latest on Russia’s war with Ukraine. Reported by Jason Beaubien | NPR At least 30 people have been killed in a missile strike in Chasiv Yar in Ukraine. Airstrikes in the east have continued despite Russia pausing its offensive. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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What’s on Biden’s agenda for his first Middle East trip as president. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics, about the president’s goals on his upcoming trip to the Middle East. Click HERE to listen and, tomorrow, read.
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Three Illuminating Quotes About The War In Ukraine, passed along by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, and Chris Hedges have lent their expertise to the subject of the war in Ukraine with some recent comments that help bring some much-needed clarity to an often confusing and always contentious issue. Here they are: Click HERE to read more and listen.
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Political False Dichotomies: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix, by Caitlin Johnstone | caitlinjohnstone.com The empire relies on false political dichotomies like Democrats vs Republicans to keep everyone fighting over issues which don’t affect the functioning of the empire so the machine can trudge onward uninterrupted by the local riff raff. That is the entire job of those parties. The mainstream media exist to keep everyone spellbound by those false dichotomies on the level of discourse and debate. They manufacture . . . READ MORE . . .
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NATO: The Most Dangerous Military Alliance on the Planet, by Chris Hedges | The Chris Hedges Report The massive expansion of NATO, not only in eastern and Central Europe but the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Asia presages endless war. And a potential nuclear holocaust. NATO, and the arms industry that depends on it for billions in profits, has. . . READ MORE . . .