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NYC former mayor Bloomberg files paperwork to run for president

MAX GREENWOOD
Bloomberg
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 00:00 UTC
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg is inching closer to a 2020 presidential run, filing an official statement of candidacy on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

The filing isn't a definitive sign that Bloomberg will seek the Democratic presidential nomination next year and an aide to the former New York City mayor told The Hill that he has not yet made a final decision on whether to launch a campaign.

But, the aide added, filing a statement of candidacy with the FEC was "another step towards running."

The filing is likely to stir consternation in the Democratic primary field, which has seen its number of candidates increase in recent weeks. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced last week that he would mount an eleventh-hour bid for the party's nomination, and Bloomberg has already taken steps to get on the ballot in a handful of states, including Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Comment: See also:

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Magnify

Investigative paper wants atrocities of alleged Russian mercenaries in Syria probed


RT
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 00:00 UTC
Wagner Russian mercenary torture 3

A screenshot from the footage showing the execution.
A disturbing clip of an execution in Syria has prompted a Russian newspaper to investigate links between the torturers and the shadowy Wagner Group. Claiming to have uncovered one of the "mercenaries," it wants Moscow to step in.

The extremely graphic footage, said to have been filmed in Syria in 2017, documents the brutal torture and murder of an alleged Syrian deserter by Russian-speaking men dressed in tactical clothing. The man is accused of fighting for Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

The video, which triggered the Novaya Gazeta (NG) investigation, had surfaced in the media before but its full version, showing what happened to the tortured man and revealing those filming the execution, appeared on social media only recently.
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Russian Flag

Putin: Scientists killed in rocket blast at secret military range were developing a weapon 'unequaled in the world'


RT
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 21:46 UTC
Putin awards order of Courage victims explosion Arkhangelsk
© Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin
Vladimir Putin awards the Order of Courage to the widows of those killed in the explosion in Arkhangelsk Region.
The nuclear scientists killed in a blast at a secret military range in northern Russia were developing a unique weapon critical for the country's sovereignty, President Vladimir Putin said, vowing to keep improving the technology.

Widows of the scientists killed after a secretive missile engine test went awry in the Arkhangelsk region in August, were invited to the Kremlin on Thursday. Putin handed them their husbands' posthumous Orders of Courage and expressed his condolences.

"They were working on a very difficult, important and critical assignment," Putin said in his eulogy to the late scientists, said to be some of the best specialists in the field.

Comment: Putin's message will no doubt further raise the hackles of Russophobes. For more on the explosion, see:

Sabotage? Deadly explosion at Russian rocket test site near home of Northern Fleet - 5 nuclear specialists killed

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Bad Guys

Ukraine's missing $7 billion: US denies Ukrainian authorities opportunity to present evidence of Democrat meddling in 2016 elections

John Solomon
The Hill
Sun, 07 Apr 2019 07:30 UTC
clinton Ukraine
© Brendan Smialowski / AFP
Hillary Clinton met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday, September 12, 2016.

Comment: A reminder that nearly seven months ago, Ukraine itself tried to bring evidence of outside interference in US elections, but were blocked by the U.S. Embassy in Kiev then headed by Marie Yovanovitch.


Ukrainian law enforcement officials believe they have evidence of wrongdoing by American Democrats and their allies in Kiev, ranging from 2016 election interference to obstructing criminal probes. But, they say, they've been thwarted in trying to get the Trump Justice Department to act.

Kostiantyn Kulyk, deputy head of the Prosecutor General's International Legal Cooperation Department, told me he and other senior law enforcement officials tried unsuccessfully since last year to get visas from the U.S. embassy in Kiev to deliver their evidence to Washington.

"We were supposed to share this information during a working trip to the United States," Kulyk told me in a wide-ranging interview. "However, the (U.S.) ambassador blocked us from obtaining a visa. She didn't explicitly deny our visa, but also didn't give it to us."

Comment: So the Russia-gate ruse and the US-backed coup in Ukraine appears to have served more purposes than just baselessly vilifying Russia and Trump: UPDATE: On October 11, 2019 John Soloman gave a not widely publicized interview to Glen Beck regarding the efforts of the US embassy to thwart the Ukrainian officials:



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Star of David

AG Avichai Mandelblit: 'It is my duty by law to indict Benjamin Netanyahu'

Yonah Jeremy Bob
The Jerusalem Post
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 20:51 UTC
Neti/Mandelblit
© Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu • Israeli AG Avichai Mandelblit
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit announced his final indictment on Thursday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, making him the first prime minister in Israeli history to be indicted while still in office.

Bezeq and Walla! owner Shaul Elovitch and his wife, Iris, were also indicted for bribery and obstruction of justice. In addition, the owner of Yediot Ahronot, Arnon Nuni Mozes, was indicted for bribery.

The indictment decision could alter the course of negotiations over forming a new government and who will be the new prime minister in the current 21 days Knesset process on the issue. The attorney-general ultimately indicted Netanyahu for bribery in Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla! Affair, for breach of public trust in Case 1000, the Illegal Gifts Affair and for breach of public trust in Case 2000, the Yediot Ahronot-Yisrael Hayom Affair.

The biggest moving pieces had been what the charge would be in Case 4000 and whether Case 2000 would remain a breach of trust charge as in Mandelblit's initial February announcement, or whether it would be closed.

Ultimately, the decision to indict Netanyahu for bribery is the most decisive one. It means that his trial will be in a district court, known for being tougher than magistrate's courts and that he could face a potential jail sentence of years instead of months or mere community service.
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Star of David

Netanyahu slams corruption indictment as an 'attempted coup', claims probe is 'tainted by foreign interests'


RT
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 18:59 UTC
Netanyahu
© Times of Israel
israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu tore into the judicial authorities, calling the bribery indictment against him an "attempted coup" and hinting at the presence of "foreign interests" behind the three-year investigation.

Netanyahu denounced the "tainted procedure," claiming it was the product of "foreign interests" trying to "carry out a legal revolution," after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit released his indictment on Thursday.

"Tonight we witness an attempted coup against a right-wing Prime Minister." Netanyahu has been charged with bribery, fraud, and abuse of trust in three separate corruption cases.

"We need to investigate the investigators and the state prosecution which cooks these infected cases," Netanyahu warned, hinting that he would not sit quietly while his reputation was being slimed.

Comment: From Sputnik, 21/11/2019: Crib sheet on indictments
Known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000, Netanyahu faces the prospect of defending his innocence in court, unless he is granted immunity from prosecution.

The Case 1000 accuses the prime minister of fraud and breach of trust over allegations of receiving valuable gifts, such as cigars and champagne, from billionaires James Packer and Arnon Milchan between 2007 and 2016, while providing various favours in exchange. The indictment by the attorney general says that Netanyahu's family members, including his wife Sarah, also participated in this scheme. The overall gifts are estimated to be worth some 700,000 Shekels (around $180,000 at 2016 exchange rates).

The prime minister does not deny that he received the gifts, but claims they were from friends and were not repaid via a quid-pro-quo deal and thus not in violation of the law.

Case 2000 became one of the most notorious corruption scandals in modern Israeli history as, according to case files, Netanyahu struck a deal with the editor of one of the country's biggest newspapers, Yedioth Ahronoth, Arnon "Noni" Moses, to tone down its criticism of Netanyahu in 2014. In exchange, the PM allegedly promised to boost Yedioth's position in Israel by introducing measures that would cut the circulation of the newspaper's rival - Israel Hayom.

Netanyahu dismissed the accusations of fraud and breach of trust by claiming that he never intended to fulfill his part of the deal.

Case 4000: Netanyahu is also accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust which accuses him of using his posts of prime minister and communications minister between 2012 and 2017 to strike a quid-pro-quo deal with Shaul Elovitch, controlling shareholder in Bezeq, the country's telecom giant.

According to the indictment, Netanyahu exercised control over areas of interest for Bezeq, and consequently for Elovitch, while the telecom giant's owner controlled the Walla News site. The prosecutors believe that Elovitch provided improved coverage in the media outlet for the prime minister in exchange for his favours.

Netanyahu's defence team claims that all his decisions while communication minister were approved by ministry staff, and were not favours for Elovitch. The PM's lawyers also claim that Netanyahu never sought to force friendlier coverage from Walla News, but rather campaigned for what they describe as more "balanced" coverage.

Other Cases

Not all cases against Netanyahu have received the support of the attorney general in the indictment. Under Case 3000, the prime minister is suspected of lobbying the country's Defence Ministry to buy submarines and corvettes from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp, instead of other contractors. Netanyahu denies these allegations, as well.


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Light Sabers

China vows to 'fight back' against new US legislation aimed at 'destroying Hong Kong'


RT
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 09:36 UTC
Hong Kong Polytechnic
© REUTERS/Thomas Peter
An anti-government protester, with a U.S. flag draped at his waist, leaves the Union building at the besieged Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Hong Kong, China, November 20, 2019.
Beijing has warned that it will implement retaliatory measures after the US Congress passed a bill purportedly designed to safeguard 'human rights' in Hong Kong.

"We strongly condemn and firmly oppose the passage of relevant Hong Kong-related bills," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, during a press briefing on Thursday. He also cautioned Washington against interfering in China's internal affairs.

"If the US side is determined to act alone, China will introduce effective measures to resolutely fight back"

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, one day after the Senate gave its approval. US President Donald Trump is now expected to sign off on the new bill.

Comment: Any human rights abuses in Hong Kong are being committed by the protesters, who, unsurprisingly, are backed by the US:

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Light Saber

Sondland testimony frees Team Trump to adopt the best defense: the truth

Andrew McCarthy
The New York Post
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 21:10 UTC
Sondland
© Reuters / Loren Elliott
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland
Wednesday's impeachment testimony by US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland underscored the folly of the main defense strategy adopted by President Trump and his supporters against Democratic allegations that he traded military aid for dirt on the Bidens.

That strategy has been to categorically deny any quid pro quo. Yet contrary to other witnesses' versions of events, Sondland clearly and explicitly acknowledges that there was a quid pro quo.

Specifically, Sondland testified that he knows Trump was stalling on a promised White House visit for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sondland came to realize Trump was also withholding $400 million in defense aid. That was the quid.

Comment: The Duran's Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris provide more commentary. They are less enamoured of Sondland's performance and feel that Vindman's performance was a disaster for Democrats:
The Duran's Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the embarrassing testimony of EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, in the latest installment of Adam Schiff's impeachment clown show. Sondland flat out admitted that, 'President Trump never told me military aid was tied to an investigation into the Bidens'.

Meanwhile Alexander Vindman all but outed himself as the man who kicked off this hoax by leaking the Trump-Zelensky phone call to Schiff's gossip-blower. A conflicted Vindman revealed that corrupt Ukraine oligarch and former President Poroshenko asked him to be Ukraine's defense minister three times.



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Arrow Up

Merkel slips from top spot as Left Party bigwig Sahra Wagenknecht becomes Germany's most loved politician


RT
Thu, 21 Nov 2019 15:07 UTC
Wagenknecht Merkel
© Global Look Press / DPA / Kay Nietfeld; Wolfgang Kumm
Sahra Wagenknecht and Angela Merkel
Wagenknecht took over from Angela Merkel, beating her by three points in the latest survey carried out by the authoritative INSA pollster for Germany's Focus magazine. The poll measured Germans' preferences by asking which politician best represents their interests.

Merkel's popularity started to shrink on the back of the heavy refugee crisis in 2015 when she proclaimed that Germany would take any asylum seeker that crossed the border. Her 'open-door' policy cost her many supporters, who opted not to vote for her ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) in national and local elections since then.

Wagenknecht, for her part, surged to popularity last year when she started a new political movement called Aufstehen ('Stand Up') which aims to be a voice for workers across Europe. Wagenknecht's new left-wing movement champions the cause of limiting the number of migrants that come to Germany to work.

Comment: It's notable that ending mass migration is a pledge by both the left and far-right parties, and those are the parties seeing their share of the vote increase: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: Weapons of Mass Migration: Interview with Michael Springmann on Europe's Migrant Crisis

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Windsock

Impeachment hearing gets more bizarre with Sondland confirming 'Zelensky loves Trump's ass' , but vague on quid pro quo


RT
Wed, 20 Nov 2019 17:25 UTC
Sondland
© Reuters / Loren Elliott
Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland
House Democrats tried repeatedly to goad their diplomatic witness into "admitting" the elusive quid pro quo of aid withheld pending a probe, but the best they could get was confirmation he told Trump "Zelensky loves your ass."

US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland played the 'can't recall exactly' card as Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff and Democratic Counsel Daniel Goldman pushed him to confirm President Donald Trump had made the release of foreign aid to Ukraine contingent upon President Volodymyr Zelensky's launch of a corruption investigation. Sondland did say he believed that there was a quid pro quo in his prepared remarks, but in his later testimony he was hazy about where that belief came from.

Comment: Aaron Mate took to Twitter:






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