Wyatt Peterson | Who had the means, motive and opportunity to pull off a crime the magnitude of 9/11 and cover their tracks afterwards? | On September 11, 2004, the New York Times published an opinion piece commemorating the third anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The article began by acknowledging that key facts about what happened that day continued to be withheld by government agencies:

💬 “In the three years since 9/11, we’ve begun to understand that it’s possible to know what happened without knowing what happened. It’s the difference between knowledge that is both private and communal. . . and knowledge that is truly public. Some of what we need to know publicly has been provided by the report of the 9/11 commission. Other answers are lacking.”

These are extraordinary words from our nation’s newspaper of record. The suggestion that the American people should passively accept being lied to about a world-changing event by those elected to serve the public interest proves there was no intention on the part of the media to find out what actually transpired that day or to hold anyone accountable. Nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in broad daylight and an impossible explanation was force-fed to the world, yet just three years after the fact the Times could hardly be bothered to investigate who did it and why.

Israel has attacked Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, as well as Gaza, where air raids killed at least 54 people on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Gaza’s more than 2 million people “will be moved” in a new ground offensive as Israel’s total blockade on the enclave reaches 65 days. | ‘Word truce should be deleted from lexicon’, says Israeli minister—Asked whether Israel should prioritise defeating Hamas or returning the captives, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said the government is committed to both. “No one will give up on either of them,” he was quoted by Israel’s Reshet Bet radio as saying. “The word truce must be erased from the lexicon. The Gaza Strip will be demilitarised (sic).” Cohen also addressed Israel’s response to Houthi-claimed missile attacks, saying retaliation “should not be limited to Yemen alone”. “The one behind it all is Iran – and it must pay a price,” he said.

■ NETANYAHU ANNOUNCES "WE WILL STRIKE IRAN" (Hal Turner)
■ Iran vows swift response to any act of military adventurism by US or proxy (Press TV)

Former Deputy U.S. Secretary of Housing Catherine Austin Fitts, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, said that the U.S. government is building huge underground bases. According to her, some of the objects are officially documented, while others are classified and located all over the world. | Fitts claims that from 1998 to 2015, more than $21 trillion was spent on secret projects, including the construction of underground cities and tunnels between them. She believes that these complexes for the "elite" are designed to prepare for the possible mass extinction of mankind.

Kiev’s military is targeting passenger cars with UAV strikes, Aleksandr Khinstein has said | Ukrainian drone attacks have resulted in three civilian deaths in Russia's Kursk Region, according to Acting Governor Aleksandr Khinstein. In a social media post on Monday, he denounced the “latest crimes against civilians committed by the Ukrainian military.” Two women died when a car carrying five dairy farm employees was struck by a Ukrainian first-person view drone, while two others sustained serious injuries, Khinstein said. The regional head added that in a separate incident, a man in his early 50s was killed by an explosive device dropped from a UAV onto the vehicle he was driving.

■ Ukraine exhibiting ‘classic terrorist behavior’ – Russian Foreign Ministry (RT)
■ Ukrainian army hits memorial to fallen heroes of WWII in Kherson Region (TASS)
■ Russian air defenses respond to drone raid on Moscow (RT)

Surprise en Allemagne : au Bundestag, Friedrich Merz n’obtient pas la majorité des députés requise pour être élu chancelier | Le conservateur Friedrich Merz a échoué mardi, à la surprise générale, à être élu chancelier allemand dès le premier tour par les députés, alors qu’il pouvait sur le papier disposer d’une majorité suffisante des élus de son camp et des sociaux-démocrates avec lesquels il entend gouverner en coalition. ● Friedrich Merz (CDU) n’a obtenu que 310 voix sur 621 exprimées et 630 députés au total, a annoncé la présidente du Bundestag. Il lui en aurait fallu 316 pour être élu. Il va désormais se soumettre à un deuxième tour de vote, à l’issue duquel, s’il ne devait à nouveau pas obtenir de majorité, une majorité relative des députés serait suffisante pour qu’il devienne chancelier. ● Jamais dans l'histoire d'après-guerre de la République Fédérale d'Allemagne un candidat chancelier a ainsi échoué à être élu dès le premier tour. C'est un faux départ pour le vainqueur des élections législatives de février, attendu avec espoir en Europe et qui assure que "l'Allemagne est de nouveau sur les rails".

■ Merz elected German chancellor at second attempt (RT)
■ Merz fails to be elected German chancellor in first round of parliamentary vote (TASS)

Marcel Ciolacu has stepped down after a shock presidential rerun that saw right-wing firebrand George Simion take the lead in the first round | Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has announced his resignation and effectively disbanded the country’s pro-EU ruling coalition, after a Eurosceptic right-wing candidate emerged as the frontrunner in the first round of presidential elections. ● With over 95% of votes counted in Sunday’s presidential vote rerun, George Simion, leader of the right-wing Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), is projected to secure 40.52% of the vote, according to the news site G4 Media. He is well ahead of his pro-EU challengers, former Senator Crin Antonescu and Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, who both hovered slightly above 20%.