My weekly preamble is in spoiler tags below.
preamble
We remain at a precipice in the Middle East, with the return of US strikes expected just after the midterm elections finish on November 3rd - perhaps even as soon as November 4th. With American military might substantially diminished from earlier in the year, there’s been a ton of speculation in various corners of the internet about what they could possibly be planning that would produce results worth the sacrifice of Iran’s massive retaliation expected in response. These theories, once limited to MOABs and another attempt at a broad assassination campaign against IRGC officials, now include the possibility of outright nuclear strikes on Iran, in order to try and penetrate Iranian underground facilities which have proved impervious to conventional weaponry (and are also very probably impervious to nuclear weaponry from what I’ve read, though I am far from an expert), and also to try and degrade the up-to-this-point steadfast resistance that the Iranians have put up since the war began.
Efforts by some in the Trump administration to engage in diplomacy are embarrassingly transparent; both the US and Iran know (and know that the other knows) that it’s just meaningless theater in preparation for further conflict. If a nuclear strike on Iran is indeed carried out - which I currently think is quite unlikely, but still the likeliest it’s been since February - then the reactions of other nuclear-armed countries around the world to the breaking of the nuclear taboo are difficult to predict; as is whether the US would receive meaningful economic/political/diplomatic consequences from countries with the power to deliver those consequences, most notably China and Russia.
My personal expectation is that the US will start hitting some Iranian refineries and power stations and conduct impressive-but-ineffectual strikes on Pickaxe Mountain. Iran, meanwhile, has planned to strike US and Zionist economic interests across the whole region, military bases outside of the region (namely, those in eastern Europe), and even suggested that they’ll cut the undersea cables feeding into the Persian Gulf. A preemptive strike by Iran now also seems to be a strong possibility, as they have hopefully gotten over their anxiety of being seen as an aggressor in the court of international opinion. The West’s ability to repel these potential strikes is now a shadow of even its limited ability in February, with many radars destroyed and interceptor stockpiles unable to be restored quickly due to American industrial bottlenecks. Iran’s leverage is now the highest it’s ever been as global oil and LNG buffers are very much drained. Pakistan, Turkiye, and Saudi Arabia recently sent various officials to Iran to discuss regional security (image above), a telling indication of the growing recognition that the future of West Asia relies on a security arrangement outside of the West’s dictum, but it seems unlikely to be a significant event in the short-term.
The protests continue throughout Europe, with every major country seeing a share of riot police facing down people angry at the economic hardship and the lack of even a gesture towards conditions changing; the neoliberal rot has set in far, far too deep for even the most tepid of reforms at this stage. Poland has been the latest political battleground - I won’t pretend to fully understand the situation after just some cursory reading, but it’s essentially an battle between pro-EU liberals and not-so-pro-EU conservatives calling each other totalitarian dictators after the former started off a constitutional crisis by remaking the Constitutional Tribunal.
Over in the US, tech stocks (most notably Intel’s) faced carnage mostly due to the ongoing lack of profitability of AI and the enormous amounts of debt that is accumulating to support the ever-increasing lack of revenue. This market plunge follows the one earlier in October in Asian (especially South Korean) markets; Michael Roberts has had great coverage of these dynamics over the last year, so I won’t go too far into it here. There’s also been a variety of interesting contingencies and warnings, such as that the electrical grid may be critically vulnerable and that US military bases should be able to last for at least 90 days off the grid in the event of war. The combination of the fact that NATO ran a nuclear exercise period in mid-October and all the myriad internet PHP vulnerabilities that are being discovered and hurriedly patched explains a great deal of the ominous warnings and preparations that we’ve been seeing, but there’s been some intriguing speculation whether Iran has figured out some major vulnerabilities in the US and might exploit them if the US strikes their own power grid.
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The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on the Zionists’ destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
In Australia, you can force an Italian to put pineapple on pizza: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/nov/05/italian-chef-sacked-refusing-pineapple-on-pizza-australia-fair-work
Bavarian politician Hubert Aiwanger found dead in Berlin hotel
In the weeks before state elections in 2023, Aiwanger became embroiled in a national scandal when the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that he had written an antisemitic leaflet during high school in the 1980s, which included references to Nazi-era atrocities such as Auschwitz.
Not a major news piece, but sometimes fascists do die young-ish!
Some highlights:
After resigning in 2006, Chris moved to Venezuela, and Cira joined him shortly afterward. Cira remembers those early years with great affection. She describes that period as a beautiful and extraordinary time when people were deeply mobilized and sustained grassroots organizing efforts in their communities while openly debating socialism.
Cira valued the fact that the Bolivarian Revolution had already been underway for seven years by the time they arrived, with strong popular organizations such as the Water Technical Roundtables, the Urban Land Committees, and the newly established Communal Councils already in place. For her, it was a time of great political strength when people approached them to discuss community projects
In 2007, Cira and Chris created a Marxist education and discussion program at Catia TV, a community television station. Cira recalls that the idea to launch the project with her partner stemmed from their need to study and the urgent need to create spaces where revolutionary activists could learn and debate. Although she already had a history of political struggle at the time, she did not yet fully identify as a Marxist. That came later.
In 2016, during the harshest years of the economic crisis (2016–2019), Cira launched the print newspaper PolitiK. It was a time of severe shortages, profiteering, and material hardship that is still remembered by everyone in Venezuela. The newspaper was created to analyze everyday life and the national political situation.
I can’t tell my life story without talking about those difficult years. The economic war waged against the Venezuelan people was devastating. People often speak about it casually, but there is hard evidence. For example, a report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), a research institute in Washington, D.C., concluded that around 40,000 people died between 2017 and 2018 alone as a direct result of the imperialist blockade against Venezuela.
She remembers that period as a time of great confusion, when the government temporarily moved away from the vision of popular power and turned to pragmatic measures to address the crisis. It was trying to meet the material needs of people struggling to survive amid shortages of food and medicine caused by the blockade and US pressure.
Amidst all this, organized communities once again began to promote the commune as a collective means of overcoming hardship. PolitiK provided a critical analysis in support of these communal efforts and promoted ideological discourse during that time. Cira says that, fortunately, around 2021, the Bolivarian government corrected its course. It once again recognized the organizing power of the commune and returned to Chávez’s guidance in his historic “Golpe de Timón” (“Strike at the Helm”) speech
Cira recalls that, when Chávez formally and emphatically proposed the communal project in 2009, the country had substantial oil revenues. Oil was selling at a high price, and Venezuela was producing three million barrels per day. The revolutionary government could use these revenues to meet the material needs of the majority. “There wasn’t an urgent need to reorganize in a radically different way. Although initiatives such as the El Panal 2021 Socialist Commune began in 2006 and El Maizal Commune began in 2009, these efforts were still very decentralized. There hadn’t yet been a nationwide surge in communal organizing. This occurred when empty store shelves made the need for a stronger form of organization clear.
Around the same time as PolitiK, she was invited to join Venezuelanalysis as a writer. She worked there from 2018 to 2025, when she resigned due to her profound political disagreements with the outlet’s editorial stance. This editorial line continues today. Her first interviews in that outlet were with leaders of the communes. For her, documenting the communal experience has been a fundamental part of her life as an organic intellectual. “In the communes, people think, theorize, imagine, and build. However, there are so many tasks, commitments, challenges, and problems in our society that many people simply don’t have the time to document their experiences.”
Additionally, she helps coordinate solidarity brigades to Venezuela and visits by internationalists to the community, fostering connections with other communities. For Cira, it is essential to highlight the communal project—not to idealize it, but to recognize all that has been built over the years, all that has been fought for and won, and all that remains to be done—to nurture hope and shape the future. “We live in a deeply contradictory society and an economically dependent country under relentless imperialist siege. The government has had to make enormous concessions. Nevertheless, despite everything we see, the communal project can truly offer solutions. In a commune, people can dream, which is generally not allowed under capitalism.”
She says that more than 1,000 internationalists visited last year alone. At a time when the global left is desperately searching for concrete examples, Cira believes that Venezuela’s communes offer real glimpses of a model capable of meeting people’s needs, despite what remains to be built. She emphasizes, however, the importance of not mistaking the communal project for an autonomist undertaking that becomes isolated. In her view, Venezuela’s experience recognizes the need for productive capacity and state support to sustain the struggles necessary to keep the project going.
This woman wasn’t a Marxist and then moved to Venezuela and became one through actively participating in the Bolivarian revolution. While users here are denying that Venezuela was ever socialist, calling them idiots, denying them their own existence and humanity, and calling for them to sacrifice their lives, here is an example of an actual human being who understands struggle through personal experience, and is still supporting Chavismo and uplifting their revolutionary struggle. A great example to show why many users here are actually cowards spreading counter revolutionary rhetoric against Venezuela and what it looks like to be a dedicated and sincere organizer.
Political and Economical Crisis in Paraguay:
Paraguayans begin protesting due to the Ueno Bank scandal, which went bankrupt and was liquidated by the Central Bank of Paraguay, resulting in the suspension of access to bank accounts. Approximately 2.9 million of the bank’s customers were suddenly left without access to their own money.
Paraguay is facing growing social unrest following the Ueno Bank scandal, whose liquidation by the Paraguayan Central Bank on November 3, 2026, due to financial irregularities, resulted in the blocking of account access for approximately 2.9 million customers. This event triggered massive protests, intensified by the resignation of the Central Bank president, Carlos Carvallo, who was implicated in the case, and by increasing pressure on President Santiago Peña, also accused of involvement, highlighting the fragility of institutional trust and the serious economic implications for the population.
The insolvency of Ueno Bank has shattered the narrative that Paraguay is supposedly a stable and business-friendly country. The president of the Central Bank of Paraguay is directly involved in the scandal that has left 60% of the country’s adults without access to their own money.
The collapse of Ueno Bank and the subsequent financial scandal, which culminated in the resignation of Carlos Carvallo from the presidency of the Central Bank of Paraguay on November 3, 2026, generated a profound crisis of confidence in the entire Paraguayan financial system.
The implication that 60% of Paraguayan adults were deprived of access to their money, which was deposited in Ueno Bank, until then the largest private bank in the country, demystifies the narrative of stability and a favorable business environment, projecting uncertainty onto Paraguay’s initiative to try to attract wealthy foreign investors and immigrants, demonstrating that Paraguay is historically a country immersed in corruption and with a tremendous deficiency in regulatory oversight.
Police in Asunción fire water cannons at protesters angered by losing access to their money at Ueno Bank, which went bankrupt and was liquidated by the Paraguayan Central Bank. Approximately 2.9 million of the bank’s customers lost access to their accounts.
The Paraguayan Congress plans to begin discussions on the impeachment of President Santiago Peña (Colorado Party - One Party State Far-Right to Socdem) this week, amid a deep political and financial crisis.
Some EA (Electronic Arts Inc.) creditors are already claiming that EA is in default, Kushner and the Saudis took EA private in August of this year. They might get “saved” by a friendly ratings agency, but even so the entire deal looks incredibly funny right now. The Saudis might not be in a position to throw a lot of money at this thing.
some latam tidbits:
largest paraguyan bank imploded to oldest trick in the book: people getting their money (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-04/ueno-bank-accounts-vanish-just-before-dawn-in-shock-paraguay-shutdown)
Demonstrators in the Paraguayan capital overwhelmed police lines and marched toward the National Congress and the Presidential Palace. Security forces were unable to halt the crowd as tension mounted surrounding government headquarters.
https://nitter.perennialte.ch/telesurenglish/status/2117988064941220241
kast (nazi chilean president) apparently liberated pedos (because I find topic impossible to search without horrible shit, i dunno how warranted the decision was), apparently his rating is in the toilet due to that (and gas prices, obviously)
bukele (salvador) sent 2000 troops to invade haiti (the word choice is correct, as they aren’t even under un mandate, cause 4 troops got got before)
It looks like the trial of Valentyna Moloda (the person who exposed the Azov torture dungeon in Kyiv - probably just one of many) has already begun? This happened like two days ago? Is anyone following this more closely? The original story here
The trial of 49-year-old Valentyna Moloda has begun. Her alleged crime? Exposing what appears to be a secret Azov detention facility near Kyiv, where mobilized men and military deserters were reportedly held and possibly beaten. But here’s the beauty of Zelensky’s much-celebrated “democracy.” Those who struck a 14 y.o. child with a shovel and beat him? Not on trial. The far-right thugs who assaulted a UNIAN journalist and other protesters? Not on trial. Those responsible for beating four men who, thanks to Valentyna, finally received medical attention? Not on trial. But Valentyna Moloda? SHE is the one being dragged before a judge.
It looks like specialized US military search & rescue & infiltration units are arriving to Israel. The third US aircraft carrier strike group is still one week away, obviously the US could also launch strikes before they arrive. Supporting three AC strike groups will not be easy, probably not possible for more than a couple of weeks.
The DPRK tested a new air defense system:
“The Missile Administration of the DPRK test-fired a newly-designed advanced air-defense missile system to confirm its technical specifications on Nov. 4,” it said. “The test-fire proved the technical specifications and reliability of the new material and intelligent multiple guided mode of the projectile, target identification and tracking capability of the air-defense missile system and its detection information processing device.”
Mohammad Mokhber, a senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, commented on the US midterm elections:
Mohammad Mokhber wrote on X that Trump “did everything possible” to secure victory for his Republican Party but was “slapped by his own people” in the midterm elections.
“The real winner of this arena was Iran, which transferred the cost of the war into America,” he said.
https://t.me/Ghavamchannel/15186
زاکانی: ما دنبال بمب هستهای نبودیم اما تهدید غیرمتعارف دشمن سبب خواهد شد که دکترین هستهای ایران به تدبیر رهبری و به حمایت ملت تغییر کند.
Zakani: We were not looking for a nuclear bomb, but the unconventional threat of the enemy will cause Iran’s nuclear doctrine to change with the wisdom of the Supreme Leader and the support of the nation.
Cuba reaffirms its commitment to continue strengthening ties with Laos - Prensa Latina
Article
Havana, Nov 4 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban Foreign Ministry today reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to continue consolidating the historic ties of cooperation with Laos, 52 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The two nations established official ties in 1974, although a representative office of the Lao Patriotic Front had been operating in Havana since the 1960s, which was elevated to the rank of embassy in 1965.
Since then, the two countries have maintained a close and fraternal bond that geographical distance has not been able to prevent. Bilateral cooperation focuses on the health, education, and sports sectors.
Dozens of Cuban doctors, nurses, and health technicians provided services in the sister nation, while young Laotians traveled to Cuba to train in these specialties, as well as in pedagogical institutes and the International School of Physical Education and Sports, and in technical careers.
France is once again under heavy security in anticipation of general strike marches - Prensa Latina
Article
Paris, Nov 4 (Prensa Latina) As happened last Saturday, France will once again be under heavy security this Thursday with 70,000 uniformed officers to guard marches, this time for the general strike called by several unions, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed today.
The official stated that the deployed device will aim to protect businesses, public buildings, and the development of union processions.
However, the minister placed special emphasis on preventing possible incidents and acts of violence, a statement viewed with discontent by the unions that claim to be in charge of organizing peaceful demonstrations.
Nuñez warned that law enforcement will act with “extreme firmness” against any disturbance of public order, with instructions to make arrests and apply judicial responses proportionate to the facts.
He also stated that specific guidelines were transmitted to the police forces and prosecutors’ offices.
But Nuñez’s provisions are a warning that once again places the security focus and the threat of riots at the center of a day called by the unions to express social and wage demands.
The operation will also include specialized intervention units, helicopters, drones, and vehicles equipped with riot control equipment.
According to information published today by Le Journal du Dimanche, an internal circular from the General Directorate of the National Police calls for raising the presence of officers in services to 75 percent.
Furthermore, it includes the mobilization of reservists and the systematic deployment of water cannons. The RAID (an elite unit of the French police) will be able to intervene to protect public buildings considered particularly vulnerable, the newspaper noted.
A particularly controversial aspect is Nuñez’s instruction to the prefects to prevent demonstrations from passing through urban centers and to favor peripheral routes.
The unions argue that this policy displaces protests from the most visible public spaces and limits their impact. In Paris, the City Council will also remove containers, barriers, and construction materials that could be used in clashes.
Unions are expected to mobilize some 700,000 people in France, amid a strike affecting various sectors such as rail transport, the public sector including communications, services, and education, as well as high school and university students.
Brazilian social media users mock the Republican defeat in the US - Prensa Latina
Brasilia, Nov 4 (Prensa Latina) Memes and ironic comments flooded Brazilian social networks today after the electoral defeat of the Republicans in the United States, where the Democrats won control of Congress and weakened the political position of President Donald Trump.
Article
The digital repercussions gave rise to the expression “Bolsonaro effect”, spread through the hashtag #TheBolsonaroEffect, with which internet users established a parallel between the setback of the president’s party and the victory of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of the Brazilian elections, last October 25.
The Brazilian news portal Brasil 247 and the Diário do Centro do Mundo published numerous articles on Wednesday linking the two results and mocking the expectations of sectors of the Brazilian right regarding Trump’s support for the Bolsonaro family.
One of the most recurring references in the jokes is Flávio Bolsonaro’s trip to the United States after losing the elections, an episode that users recalled to make light of the defeat of the US president in yesterday’s midterm elections, a few days after that of the Brazilian senator.
Federal deputy André Janones, a member of the Rede party for Minas Gerais and known for his activity on digital platforms in support of Lula, also participated in the reaction and published the hashtag linked to the so-called Bolsonaro effect.
Federal Deputy Erika Hilton, of the Socialism and Liberty Party, celebrated the US result and maintained that it represents a favorable event for the people of Brazil, the United States and the rest of the world.
In a video posted on her social media, the legislator stated that Trump suffered a major setback in the Senate and House of Representatives elections, and highlighted that the Democratic advance was accompanied by victories for progressive, left-wing, and socialist sectors within that political organization.
Hilton highlighted the selection of representatives from historically underrepresented communities, including Latinos, immigrants, indigenous people, black people, and the LGBTI+ community.
He also mentioned the victory of a gay Brazilian immigrant in Florida and a trans woman in Alabama, as examples of the changes in American political representation.
According to his interpretation, having lost the parliamentary majority that supported his administration, Trump will have to focus his efforts on protecting himself and his allies from potential legislative investigations. He also noted that Congress will be able to examine the actions of the US administration both within and outside its borders.
The publications on the subject also referred to the political closeness between Trump and the Bolsonaro family, and to the expectations of sectors of Bolsonarism that Washington could exert pressure on the Brazilian government.
To Lam talks with Laotian parliamentary leader visiting Vietnam - Prensa Latina
Hanoi, Nov 4 (Prensa Latina) The general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), To Lam, today thanked the president of the National Assembly of Laos, Sonexay Siphandone, for choosing Vietnam as his first foreign posting after assuming office last September.
Article
Upon receiving the visitor at the CPV headquarters in Hanoi, the president and Sonexay discussed the special relations between the two countries and ongoing projects, including the 2027 celebrations of the Vietnam-Laos Year of Friendship and Solidarity.
To Lam emphasized that both parties, both countries, and both parliaments face the need to innovate, improve institutions, and increase the efficiency of governance. To further strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation, he proposed that the two parties and the two states continue to coordinate closely, finalizing and effectively implementing high-level agreements.
The idea, he said, is to focus on promoting effective strategic, economic and commercial cooperation through specific programs, projects and works based on the strengths and needs of each country.
The Laotian parliamentary leader, who will conclude his stay in Hanoi tomorrow, pledged to support the strengthening of close cooperation with Vietnam, thereby improving the connection and link between both parties and countries in all areas.
The two National Assemblies will continue to strengthen exchanges and share experiences to ensure that policies and cooperation agreements between both parties and states are institutionalized and implemented effectively, he added.
The visitor, who was until last September the prime minister of the neighboring country, met the day before with his host counterpart, Tran Thanh Man, and with the head of government, Le Minh Hung.
