PrairiePundit

 DC Daily Journal: ... Iran’s nuclear ambitions have once again been exposed, as a covert agency within its Ministry of Defense has been caught operating out of sites officially designated for space development. The revelation confirms long-standing concerns that Tehran is using its space program as a smokescreen to advance its nuclear weapons program. Fox News Digital has learned that, according to sources embedded within the Iranian regime, the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) — Iran’s top nuclear weapons development agency — has been working at two major locations previously identified as space research and launch sites. Evidence gathered over several months points to an alarming escalation in Iran’s pursuit of nuclear warheads. “These reports, compiled from dozens of sources and thoroughly validated, indicate that in recent months, SPND has intensified its efforts to construct nuclear warheads at both the Shahrud and Semnan sites,” the National Council o...

 NY Post: This is Doomsday prepping, European style. Secret documents revealed Wednesday that Berlin has begun making plans for how it could help deploy as many as 800,000 NATO troops — including Americans — into Ukraine as Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling reaches new heights . “Operation Deutschland” is a 1,000-page plan to prepare Germany for the possibility of a World War III scenario. The top-secret papers reportedly detail specific buildings and infrastructure to protect so they can be utilized by the military, and how businesses and civilians should prepare in case of increased threats, according to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. They also suggested Berlin was preparing a way to push 200,000 military vehicles across German territory should the alliance be required to join Ukraine’s efforts, though further details were kept classified. Germany has also advised citizens on ways to prepare for the worst by boosting their self-sufficiency through mechanisms i...

 Newsmax: Robert Wilkie to Newsmax: Biden's Iran Nuclear Stance 'Cosmic Insanity' An Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program would send its regime "to the brink of extinction," and it is "cosmic insanity" that President Joe Biden had said that his administration will not support that plan, former Veterans Administration Secretary Robert Wilkie said on Newsmax Tuesday. "Biden has already told the Iranians he's going to do everything he can to help them to preserve their most valuable military asset," Wilkie told Newsmax's " Wake Up America ." "He's telling the Israelis, We're not going to help you if you go after Iran's nuclear facilities … we know they have slowed the delivery of those weapons that could be used by the Israelis, the 5,000-pound bunker busters." And if the Israelis don't go after Iran, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris can't be expected to carry out an assault on that co...

 Newsmax: In a recent poll conducted by J.L. Partners and reported by the Daily Mail , former President Donald Trump was favored over President Joe Biden in several key areas, including remembering the names of key staff, making it through a one-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and handling a nuclear crisis. This poll, which surveyed 1,005 likely voters, found that 56% expressed confidence in Trump's ability to make critical decisions during a nuclear emergency, compared to 45% for Biden. Additionally, Trump was preferred by 65%, over Biden's 43%, when it came to the hypothetical scenario of a meeting with Putin. Trump also appeared to have an edge in more personal competencies, such as remembering the names of key staff and world leaders, as well as absorbing the details of national security briefings. Notably, the poll revealed a significant divide in perceptions among independent voters, with only 37% believing Biden could effectively manage a one-hour mee...

 AP: A veto Thursday by Russia ended monitoring of U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program , prompting Western accusations that Moscow is seeking to avoid scrutiny as it allegedly violates the sanctions to buy weapons from Pyongyang for its war in Ukraine. Russia’s turnaround on the U.N. monitoring reflects how Moscow’s growing animosity with the U.S. and its Western allies since the start of the Ukraine war has made it difficult to reach consensus on even issues where there has been longstanding agreement. The veto came during a vote on a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of a panel of experts monitoring sanctions on North Korea for a year, but which will now halt its operation when its current mandate expires at the end of April. The vote in the 15-member council, with 13 in favor, Russia against, and China abstaining, has no impact on the actual sanctions against North Korea, which remain in force. Russia had never before t...

 Newsweek: Map Shows US Cities Russia Would Strike First if War Broke Out The Texas cities on that map appear to be Houston, Dallas, and Amarillo. Check out the link above for other potential Russian targets.

 Fox News: Top Iran experts in the U.S. and in Israel are warning President Biden that his administration’s strategy of de-escalation and containment targeting the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism – the Islamic Republic of Iran – has failed and America needs to reestablish deterrence against Tehran as fears of the regime obtaining a nuclear device grow. Alarming reports about Iran moving at an astonishingly fast pace to possess a nuclear weapon have emerged since last month. In December, Reuters reported that a confidential IAEA report released to member states said it had "increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023." Reuters also said in its report "that Iran is enriching to up to 60%, close to the roughly 90% that is weapons grade, at its Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) in its sprawling Natanz complex and at its Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), which is dug into a mountain." TIME FOR PRE...

 Daily Mail: Houston holds week-long NUCLEAR training exercise led by the FBI and the military to learn how best to deal with a nuke dropped on a US city ... It comes amid growing threats from North Korea and Russia and analysis that shows a missile from Pyongyang could kill around 130,000 people if dropped on Houston. Fatal radioactive fallout from a North Korean missile tested in 2017 would cover an area of around 3 sq-km, engulfing landmarks such as the Downtown Aquarium and the George H. W. Bush Monument, according to NukeMap, a tool developed by nuclear weapons historian Alex Wellerstein. ... The map indicates it would majority impact the downtown area.  Houston is an extremely large city and much of the residential area would not be directly impacted according to the map used by the Mail. 

 ISW: The Russian military is likely trying to use mobilized personnel to restart the Donetsk offensive but will likely still fail to achieve operationally significant gains. Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Valerii Zaluzhnyi reported on November 4 that Russian forces have tripled the intensity of hostilities in certain sections of the front with up to 80 daily assaults.[1] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces are currently focusing those offensive operations in the direction of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and western Donetsk Oblast.[2] The Ukrainian Eastern Group of troops spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi stated on November 4 that Russian forces are likely trying to seize Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk Oblast so that Russia can declare some type of success by announcing the “liberation” of the Donbas (even though those gains would not give Russia control over the entire region).[3] Cherevatyi also noted the presence of mobilized men in the Bakhmut ...

Brad Slager: Once again President Biden says things that are head-turning, and once again the Biden administration disputes his words. It was in the early days of his term when Joe Biden would on occasion drop a curious phrase. While speaking extemporaneously Joe would utter as aside, “ Man, I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying this …”, and then unspool some syntax for the microphones. It is revealing in itself that Biden would have the notion that he should not say something but he could not fight off such a compulsion, saying the forbidden phrases anyway. But there was far more to this. These moments would raise questions, such as “ With whom ?!”, as well as “ Why would the President of all people be in any sort of a tangle for what he says ?”  Inevitably, speculation would rise as to who is actually running the show in the White House because if the President was tipping his hand that he had to actually answer to someone this introduced a set of serious problems. Well...

 Andrew West: Russia’s Nuclear Equipment Suddenly on the Move ...   Many have dismissed Putin’s talk as nothing more than bellicose threats, but now it appears he could be   dusting off the nuclear arsenal  after all. A huge freight train moving specialist military equipment associated with a nuclear-arms wielding division of Russia’s Defence Ministry has been spotted on the move, prompting fears of an escalation in Putin’s war. A series of BPM-97 armored personnel carriers (APCs) and other military vehicles were seen traveling through central Russia in a clip posted on the Telegram messaging app by the pro-Russian channel Rybar on Sunday. ... Putin's desperation in defense of his war in Ukraine is getting crazier.  His launch of nukes is likely to escalate the conflict into a greater conflagration. See, also: NATO warns Russia: Putin would 'regret' any use of nuclear weapons

 Reuters: Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that any weapons in Moscow's arsenal, including strategic nuclear weapons, could be used to defend territories incorporated in Russia from Ukraine. Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said that referendums being organised by Russian-installed and separatist authorities in large swathes of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory will take place, and that "there is no going back": ... This is how absurd the Russian effort has become that they would threaten nuclear war over Ukraine territory they are trying to conquer.  That is even dumber than their original excuse for aggression. 

 Daily Caller: The Department of Defense (DOD) spent nearly $400,000 funding nuclear warfare research that was conducted by former Chinese government employees — one of whom the Daily Caller News Foundation previously identified as a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member. Li Bin and Zhao Tong — two nuclear policy experts who previously served as Chinese government employees — were both fellows at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace when conducting the DOD-funded research, according to the think tank’s records. Li is also among at least 20 Carnegie staffers the DCNF previously identified as CCP members. These undisclosed CCP members worked at the think tank while current Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns served as Carnegie’s president. The findings raise serious national security concerns, Brandon Weichert, a national security expert, told the DCNF. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Biden’s CIA Director Employed Undisclosed Chinese Communist Party Members While Head...

  Jewish News Syndicate @JNS_org Sweden's Security Service can PROVE that #Iran tried to gain #nuclear technology illegally. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: jns.org Iran’s regime sought tech for nuclear weapons, say Swedish and German intel reports An 80-page Swedish intelligence report reviewed by JNS claims Iran “conducts industrial espionage such as primarily aimed at Swedish high-tech industry and Swedish products that can be used in a... 3:45 PM · Aug 28, 2022 · TweetDeck 4 Retweets 1 Quote Tweet 5 Likes Tip Iran is ruled by genocidal religious bigots who should never be trusted with weapons of mass destruction.

 Washington Examiner: Israel's   s py chief reportedly lambasted a pending  Iran nuclear deal  as "a strategic disaster" and "an agreement based on lies." David Barnea, the director of  Mossad , made the comments at a recent intelligence briefing with Prime Minister  Yair Lapid , as reported by Israeli news outlets  Haaretz ,  Channel 12 , and  Ynet . According to reports of the meeting, Barnea said he believes the  United States  and  Iran  will sign a nuclear deal within the next several weeks. He reportedly stressed that Israel will not be bound by the deal and may act however it sees fit. "The agreement is the given situation, and one that we have not signed on to. We will do anything we need in order to defend ourselves against any threat, and there will be threats. We are committed to dealing with said threats, even if they are nuclear," the Mossad chief said, as reported by  Haaretz . IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL 'CLOSER ...