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The Intercept
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Intercept
Tucker Carlson Outdid the Mainstream Media — But Still Missed This Crucial Point
The Tucker Carlson Live Tour, featuring Donald Trump, in Glendale, Ariz., on Oct. 31, 2024. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images 'Heartbreaking: The worst person you know just made a great point.' Has there ever been a more perfect moment for this old meme? On Tuesday, talk show host and worst person Tucker Carlson challenged fellow worst person Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over the latter's dangerous support for further U.S. military action against Iran. In a now-viral video clip, Carlson asked Cruz the simple question of how many people live in Iran. Cruz could not answer. 'You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple?' Carlson asked. 'How could you not know that?' Cruz responded, 'I don't sit around memorizing population tables.' After a couple more questions, whereupon Cruz began visibly squirming, Carlson delivered his coup de grâce. 'You don't know anything about Iran!' Carlson said, both men raising their voices. 'You're a senator who is calling for the overthrow of the government and you don't know anything about the country!' It was a thing to behold, but also evokes another classic meme: You do not, under any circumstances, have to hand it to Tucker Carlson, the host of arguably the most racist show in cable news history. He was simply doing what so many establishment reporters have failed to do: He asked whether a top U.S. politician pushing for an unprovoked Manichean forever war knew basically anything about the people he was seeking to subject to American hellfire. This is not a credit to Carlson. It's a failure of the mainstream media. You would think news organizations would have learned their lessons long ago — but that doesn't mean this is a precise replay of past media failures in matters of imperial war waging. Comparisons to the Iraq War are everywhere, but hawkish mainstream media coverage didn't play out the same way in 2003. Then, mainstream U.S. news outlets settled on a near-total consensus affirming the likely existence of nonexistent 'weapons of mass destruction' to justify an illegal war. Mainstream coverage today has at the very least reiterated the statements of the United States' own intelligence agencies and the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, among others, that, despite their concerns about Iran's amassing of enriched uranium, there is no compelling evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Any responsible news story would stress that, under international law, Israel's strikes were almost certainly illegal. Claims of self-defense to warrant a so-called 'preemptive strike' are extremely narrow. There must be proof of 'imminence,' of which there is not. It was 'The Daily Show,' of all places, that bothered to pull together a supercut showing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been warning of Iran's 'imminent' militarization of their nuclear supplies for 30 years. 'Iran: Weeks away from having nuclear weapons since 1995,' the comedy news show posted on X. 'Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons, Israel does,' said Zeteo's Mehdi Hasan in a recent social media video, lambasting the media's continued insistence on treating Israel's acts of aggression as a victim's attempts at defense. 'It's a nuclear double standard.' The only country in the Middle East with a militarized nuclear arsenal is Israel, which has an estimated 90 to 400 warheads that it refuses to publicly acknowledge. Israel is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Meanwhile, some of the very same media hawks who most vociferously pushed lies to license the Iraq War are bolstering another illegal war of aggression against Iran, and using the same racist clash-of-civilizations logic. Popular historian Niall Ferguson, an apologist for colonialism who declared himself 'a fully paid-up member of the neoimperialist gang' after the launch of Iraq War in 2003, wrote with two co-authors in the Free Press this week that Israel's attacks on Iran were a 'blow for the good guys in Cold War II.' One of the the New York Times' prominent resident hawks, Bret Stephens, wrote a column last week praising Israel's 'courage' for doing 'what needed to be done,' given, of course, 'the millenarian mind-set of some of Iran's theocratic leaders.' Looking at the media ecosystem as a whole, though, one might get the impression that the debate is pretty evenly split over whether Trump should escalate to U.S.-led strikes on Iran. But this, too, is a distortion: The majority of Americans don't want the U.S. to conduct its own military strikes. An Economist/YouGov survey from last week found that 60 percent of all respondents oppose U.S. involvement in the war, while just 16 percent supported military action. Broken down by party affiliation, the margins largely hold even among Republicans — 53 percent of whom said they opposed military action, while 23 percent want further U.S. involvement. Of course, even the poll questions are misleading. They ask whether the U.S. should join Israel in military action, as if the two countries' military–industrial complexes are not wholly entwined already. The question should instead be about whether respondents think there should be any further involvement or U.S.-led strikes. As Cruz put it to Carlson, 'we are carrying out military strikes today.' Carlson, rightly, jumped in by reminding him of the official U.S. line that Israel is conducting strikes on its own, pushing Cruz to clarify if he was breaking the news that 'the United States government is at war with Iran right now.' While Cruz attempted to correct by saying that the U.S. is merely 'supporting' Israel, the slip revealed the undeniable U.S. complicity in all Israel's warmongering, regardless of whether Trump formally declares a U.S. military intervention. Read our complete coverage
The Independent
15-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Russia claims capture of another village in eastern Ukraine
Russia said Saturday its forces had captured the village of Berezivka in their latest breakthrough in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defenses are creaking. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment. Russia's much larger army has conducted a sustained yearlong campaign along the eastern front, gradually loosening the short-handed and weary Ukrainian forces' grip on its strongholds as the war approaches its fourth year later this month. Though only a small settlement, the capture of Berezivka would advance Russia's sweep across the Donetsk region, which has cost Moscow heavily in troops and equipment but has paid dividends for the Kremlin. In the offensive, Russian forces crush settlements with the brute force of 3,000-pound (1,300-kilo) glide bombs, artillery, missiles and drones, then send in infantry units to attack the exposed defenders. Russia seeks to take control of all parts of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk, which together make up Ukraine's Donbas industrial region. Kyiv 's recent losses in eastern Ukraine coincided with uncertainty over whether the United States will keep providing vital military aid. U.S. President Donald Trump, who says he is making American interests his priority, this week said he would likely meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to negotiate a peace deal over Ukraine. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Europe cannot rule out the possibility that 'American might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it' and that the time has come for the creation of an 'armed forces of Europe.' In other developments, radiation levels at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant — site of the world's worst nuclear accident — did not increase on Saturday, a day after a drone armed with a warhead hit the protective outer shell of the shuttered plant in the Kyiv region, according to Ukraine's State Agency for Exclusion Zone Management. The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that the strike, which punched a hole in the structure and briefly started a fire, did not breach the plant's inner containment shell. Russia's Defense Ministry said that 40 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Saturday in four regions of western and southwestern Russia. No casualties were reported. Moscow sent 70 drones into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine's air force, 33 drones were destroyed and 37 others were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. ___
Associated Press
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Russia claims capture of another village in eastern Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia said Saturday its forces had captured the village of Berezivka in their latest breakthrough in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where Ukrainian defenses are creaking. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment. Russia's much larger army has conducted a sustained yearlong campaign along the eastern front, gradually loosening the short-handed and weary Ukrainian forces' grip on its strongholds as the war approaches its fourth year later this month. Though only a small settlement, the capture of Berezivka would advance Russia's sweep across the Donetsk region, which has cost Moscow heavily in troops and equipment but has paid dividends for the Kremlin. In the offensive, Russian forces crush settlements with the brute force of 3,000-pound (1,300-kilo) glide bombs, artillery, missiles and drones, then send in infantry units to attack the exposed defenders. Russia seeks to take control of all parts of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk, which together make up Ukraine's Donbas industrial region. Kyiv's recent losses in eastern Ukraine coincided with uncertainty over whether the United States will keep providing vital military aid. U.S. President Donald Trump, who says he is making American interests his priority, this week said he would likely meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to negotiate a peace deal over Ukraine. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Europe cannot rule out the possibility that 'American might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it' and that the time has come for the creation of an 'armed forces of Europe.' In other developments, radiation levels at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant — site of the world's worst nuclear accident — did not increase on Saturday, a day after a drone armed with a warhead hit the protective outer shell of the shuttered plant in the Kyiv region, according to Ukraine's State Agency for Exclusion Zone Management. The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that the strike, which punched a hole in the structure and briefly started a fire, did not breach the plant's inner containment shell. Russia's Defense Ministry said that 40 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Saturday in four regions of western and southwestern Russia. No casualties were reported. Moscow sent 70 drones into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine's air force, 33 drones were destroyed and 37 others were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. ___
Chicago Tribune
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
A drone pierced the outer shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant. Radiation levels are normal
CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER STATION, Ukraine — A drone armed with a warhead hit the protective outer shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, punching a hole in the structure and briefly starting a fire, in an attack Kyiv blamed on Russia. The Kremlin denied it was responsible. Radiation levels at the shuttered plant in the Kyiv region — site of the world's worst nuclear accident — have not increased, according to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, which said the strike did not breach the plant's inner containment shell. The IAEA did not attribute blame, saying only that its team stationed at the site heard an explosion and was informed that a drone had struck the shell. Fighting around nuclear power plants has repeatedly raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe during three years of war, particularly in a country where many vividly remember the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which killed at least 30 people and spewed radioactive fallout over much of the Northern Hemisphere. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is Europe's biggest, has occasionally been hit by drones during the war without causing significant damage. The strike came two days after President Donald Trump upended U.S. policy on Ukraine, saying he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war. The move seemed to identify Putin as the only player that matters and looked set to sideline Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as European governments, in any peace talks. The hit on Chernobyl occurred as Ukraine is being slowly pushed back by Russia's bigger army along parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line and is desperately seeking more Western help. Zelenskyy said a Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the plant's outer shell and started a fire, which has been put out. The shell was built in 2016 over another heavy concrete containment structure, which was placed on the plant's fourth reactor soon after the 1986 disaster. Both shells seek to prevent radiation leaks. The Ukrainian Emergency Service provided a photograph that showed a hole in the roof of the outer shield, which is a massive steel-and-concrete structure weighing some 40,000 tons (36,000 metric tons) and tall enough to fit Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral inside. The impact and fire also damaged equipment in a maintenance garage, Ukraine's state nuclear regulator said in a report. There was 'no immediate danger' to the facility or risk of radioactive leaks, according to Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Kyiv-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. 'The protective structure is strong and reliable, though it has been damaged,' he told The Associated Press. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia was responsible. 'There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities. Any such claim isn't true. Our military doesn't do that,' Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. It was not possible to independently confirm who was behind the strike. Both sides frequently trade blame when nuclear sites come under attack. Peskov alleged that the strike was a 'false flag' attack staged by Ukraine to incriminate Russia and to thwart efforts to end the war through negotiations between Trump and Putin. 'It's obvious that there are those (in the Ukrainian government) who will continue to oppose any attempts to launch a negotiation process, and it's obvious that those people will do everything to try to derail this process,' Peskov said. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described the drone attack as a 'reckless' act by Kyiv and noted that Russia had been part of the international effort to build the structure that was hit. Ukraine planned to provide detailed information to U.S. officials about the Chernobyl strike during the Munich Security Conference that started Friday, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, wrote on his Telegram channel. In Munich, Zelenskyy told reporters that he thinks the blow against Chernobyl was a 'very clear greeting from Putin and Russian Federation' to the conference. In other remarks Friday, the Ukrainian president said his country wants security guarantees before any talks to end the war. He also said he would agree to meet in-person with Putin only after a common plan is negotiated with Trump. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on X that the strike and the recent increase in military activity near Zaporizhzhia 'underline persistent nuclear safety risks,' adding that the IAEA remains 'on high alert.' The IAEA said its personnel at the site responded within minutes of the strike and that no one was hurt. 'Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable,' the IAEA said on X. Speaking on Telegram, Zelenskyy said the Chernobyl strike showed that Putin 'is certainly not preparing for negotiations' — a claim Ukrainian officials have repeatedly made. 'The only state in the world that can attack such facilities, occupy the territory of nuclear power plants, and conduct hostilities without any regard for the consequences is today's Russia. And this is a terrorist threat to the entire world,' he wrote. 'Russia must be held accountable for what it is doing,' he added.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A drone pierced the outer shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant. Radiation levels are normal
CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER STATION, Ukraine (AP) — A drone armed with a warhead hit the protective outer shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant early Friday, punching a hole in the structure and briefly starting a fire, in an attack Kyiv blamed on Russia. The Kremlin denied it was responsible. Radiation levels at the shuttered plant in the Kyiv region — site of the world's worst nuclear accident — have not increased, according to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, which said the strike did not breach the plant's inner containment shell. The IAEA did not attribute blame, saying only that its team stationed at the site heard an explosion and was informed that a drone had struck the shell. Fighting around nuclear power plants has repeatedly raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe during three years of war, particularly in a country where many vividly remember the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which killed at least 30 people and spewed radioactive fallout over much of the Northern Hemisphere. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is Europe's biggest, has occasionally been hit by drones during the war without causing significant damage. The strike came two days after President Donald Trump upended U.S. policy on Ukraine, saying he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war. The move seemed to identify Putin as the only player that matters and looked set to sideline Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as European governments, in any peace talks. The hit on Chernobyl occurred as Ukraine is being slowly pushed back by Russia's bigger army along parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line and is desperately seeking more Western help. Zelenskyy said a Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the plant's outer shell and started a fire, which has been put out. The shell was built in 2016 over another heavy concrete containment structure, which was placed on the plant's fourth reactor soon after the 1986 disaster. Both shells seek to prevent radiation leaks. The Ukrainian Emergency Service provided a photograph that showed a hole in the roof of the outer shield, which is a massive steel-and-concrete structure weighing some 40,000 tons (36,000 metric tons) and tall enough to fit Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral inside. The impact and fire also damaged equipment in a maintenance garage, Ukraine's state nuclear regulator said in a report. There was 'no immediate danger" to the facility or risk of radioactive leaks, according to Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Kyiv-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. 'The protective structure is strong and reliable, though it has been damaged," he told The Associated Press. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia was responsible. 'There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities. Any such claim isn't true. Our military doesn't do that,' Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. It was not possible to independently confirm who was behind the strike. Both sides frequently trade blame when nuclear sites come under attack. Peskov alleged that the strike was a 'false flag' attack staged by Ukraine to incriminate Russia and to thwart efforts to end the war through negotiations between Trump and Putin. 'It's obvious that there are those (in the Ukrainian government) who will continue to oppose any attempts to launch a negotiation process, and it's obvious that those people will do everything to try to derail this process,' Peskov said. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described the drone attack as a 'reckless' act by Kyiv and noted that Russia had been part of the international effort to build the structure that was hit. Ukraine plans to provide detailed information to U.S. officials about the Chernobyl strike during the Munich Security Conference starting Friday, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, wrote on his Telegram channel. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on X that the strike and the recent increase in military activity near Zaporizhzhia 'underline persistent nuclear safety risks,' adding that the IAEA remains 'on high alert.' The IAEA said its personnel at the site responded within minutes of the strike, adding there were no casualties. 'Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable,' the IAEA said on X. Zelenskyy said on Telegram that the Chernobyl strike showed that Putin "is certainly not preparing for negotiations' — a claim Ukrainian officials have repeatedly made. 'The only state in the world that can attack such facilities, occupy the territory of nuclear power plants, and conduct hostilities without any regard for the consequences is today's Russia. And this is a terrorist threat to the entire world,' he wrote. 'Russia must be held accountable for what it is doing,' he added. ___ Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. ___ This story has been updated to correct a typo in the name of the head of the IAEA. He is Rafael Grossi, not Rossi. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at Illia Novikov And Efrem Lukatsky, The Associated Press
