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Snakes in Suits

Did Boris Johnson abuse public money in the pursuit of sex? It doesn't matter, as his kind always get away with it

Andrew Dickens
RT
Fri, 22 May 2020 23:23 UTC
bojo and jennifer arcuri
© REUTERS/Toby Melville; Getty Images / Leon Neal
Boris Johnson had an intimate relationship with Jennifer Arcuri, while Arcuri received over £100,000 in public money. It's morally, if not legally, corrupt, but Teflon Boris will get off again.

Here is the news. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not face a criminal investigation into his relationship with American entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri while he was Mayor of London. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Thursday that it would not be looking into claims against the PM of misconduct in public office - claims which Johnson denies.

A blind man with his head up his own arse could have seen that coming. Senior politicians rarely end up in the dock, while a sitting Prime Minister is never going to be left sweating in the cells before getting torn apart by a maverick detective with a broken marriage and drinking problem who, by bending the rules, always gets results.

I digress.
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Bullseye

US is stuck in Cold War thinking; Plan to spend Russia & China 'into oblivion' in arms race will bankrupt only America

Scott Ritter
RT
Fri, 22 May 2020 22:58 UTC
russian icbms
© REUTERS/Host Photo Agency/RIA Novosti
In a stunning display of arrogance, ignorance, and hubris, President Trump's new arms control czar threatens to spend America's adversaries into "oblivion" in any new arms race. But the joke is on him.

Trump's newly appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea has breathed new life into an historical interpretation that holds the United States won the Cold War with the Soviet Union by escalating an arms race that turned out to be unsustainable for Moscow, bankrupting the Soviet economy and accelerating the collapse of the Soviet Union as a political entity.

In remarks made to the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, Billingslea noted that the threat of a new arms race would be enough to bring both China and Russia to the negotiating table for the purpose of crafting a new trilateral arms control treaty that would replace the current bilateral New START treaty, scheduled to expire in February 2021.
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Biohazard

London lawyer threatens to call Sergei and Yulia Skripal to testify in open court for first time

John Helmer
johnhelmer.net
Thu, 21 May 2020 22:28 UTC
skripal helmer
A London barrister named Michael Mansfield (lead image, left) and solicitor Irene Nembhard (top right) have moved one step closer to claiming a multi-million pound payment from the British Government on their allegation that the British intelligence and security services had been negligent in protecting Dawn Sturgess from a Russian state assassination attack in 2018. The allegation was dismissed in a coroner's court ruling last December. But this will now be reviewed by a High Court judge in a hearing planned to start in July.

The calculation of the lawyers is that the evidence of the Novichok nerve agent, of the Russian assassination plot against Sergei and Yulia Skripal (top left and centre), and of the cause of death of Sturgess is so secret, and also so false, the British Government will prefer to pay the lawyers their bounty, rather than let a High Court judge hear the evidence in open court and expose the truth.

There has been no court test to date of the British government's narrative of what happened to the Skripals in Salisbury town centre on March 4, 2018; and then to Sturgess at a flat in nearby Amesbury on June 30, 2018; Sturgess died in Salisbury Hospital on July 8, allegedly of the same Novichok poisoning from which the Skripals have recovered. The inquest into the cause of her death has been repeatedly postponed and is unlikely to be held.

The Skripals are being held incommunicado: Yulia Skripal has not been heard from since July 24, 2018; Sergei Skripal not since June 26, 2019. London lawyers now say the Skripals may be called as witnesses to testify in the High Court.
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Broom

20 years after Israel's unconditional withdrawal from Lebanon what has been achieved? - Parts One, Two and Three

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Sat, 16 May 2020 12:00 UTC
Lebanon
© YounesZaatari
A woman mocking an Israeli tank left behind when withdrawing from south of Lebanon in the year 2000, using its cannon as a hanger to dry cloths.
"We were Hezbollah trainers. It is an organisation that learns quickly. The Hezbollah we met at the beginning (1982) is different from the one we left behind in 2000". This is what the former Chief of Staff and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi, said twenty years after the Israeli unconditional withdrawal from Lebanon.

"For the first time we met a non-conventional army, but also an ideological organisation with deep faith: and this faith triumphed over us. We were more powerful, more technologically advanced and better armed but not possessing the fighting spirit ...They were stronger than us". This is what Brigadier General Effi Eitam, Commander of the 91st Division in counter-guerrilla operation in south Lebanon said.

Alon Ben-David, senior defence correspondent for Israel's Channel 13, specialised in defence and military issues, said: "Hezbollah stood up and defeated the powerful Israeli Army".

Comment: See also:

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Bad Guys

Fauci backpeddles, says staying closed too long could cause 'irreparable damage'


CNBC
Fri, 22 May 2020 20:02 UTC
Dr. Fauci
© AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Stay-at-home orders intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus could end up causing "irreparable damage" if imposed for too long, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC on Friday.

"I don't want people to think that any of us feel that staying locked down for a prolonged period of time is the way to go," Fauci said during an interview with CNBC's Meg Tirrell on "Halftime Report."

He said the U.S. had to institute severe measures because Covid-19 cases were exploding then. "But now is the time, depending upon where you are and what your situation is, to begin to seriously look at reopening the economy, reopening the country to try to get back to some degree of normal."

Comment: Fauci could very well be sacrificed at the alter after the economy cannot simply be 'turned back on'. He may very much enjoy being the most prominent 'authority' figure for the time being, but that can and likely will turn south in the not too distant future.

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Bizarro Earth

Syria accuses US of destroying 200 hectares of wheat crops

Mazen Eyon
SANA
Sat, 23 May 2020 21:22 UTC
field burn

FILE PHOTO
Singapore, SANA-International Business Times website, of Singapore edition, revealed in a report posted yesterday that the fires which erupted in the wheat fields in Syrian al-Jazeera region were lately carried out by US occupation forces.

An American aircraft has reportedly dropped thermal balloons over agricultural lands in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah, setting fire to wheat crops in the area.

The report titled "Confirmed Trump Ordered Syria's Wheat Crop Burning During Pandemic" said that the US forces were carrying out the orders of US President Donald Trump.
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Airplane

Moscow: US violated Open Skies Treaty, not Russia


RT
Fri, 22 May 2020 01:18 UTC
Planes in sky
© Reuters/Maxim Shemeto
Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft mark the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in WWII, in Moscow.
Russia will do everything in its power to salvage the Open Skies Treaty (OST) after the US signaled its intention to withdraw from one of the few remaining arms-control pillars, Moscow said, rejecting claims it violated the pact.

"If the US exits the Treaty, a blow will be dealt to a rather fragile balance of interests of its parties. As a result, not only the OST will suffer, but also the European security framework as a whole," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, after US President Donald Trump announced he would be withdrawing from the agreement that allows reconnaissance planes to overfly the territory of its signatories.

In force since 2002, the treaty currently involves 35 states, including Russia and the US, and is considered to be one of the cornerstones of the global arms control mechanism, aimed at reducing the possibility of a military conflict breaking out due to the lack of transparency.

The ministry said that Russia is poised to try to resuscitate the treaty through negotiations with the US, noting that such talks should also address Russia's own concerns over Washington not holding up its end of the bargain.
"Russia is doing everything possible to keep the treaty intact and believes it's necessary to reconcile the existing differences through negotiations within The Open Skies Consultative Commission, taking into account concerns expressed by all parties, including problems with the US and their allies' implementation of the treaty."
Announcing the US' intention to pull out of the agreement, Trump pointed a finger at Russia, accusing it of failing to abide by its provisions - an allegation which Moscow has categorically denied.

Comment: Meanwhile, Germany is still onboard with the OST denying NATO allies are willing to follow Washington's every whim:
The US move was not well received on the other side of the Atlantic on Friday, with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer saying she "regretted" the news and all parties must do everything necessary to preserve this important treaty and yet prevent the United States from leaving.

The US withdrawal will deal a blow to "a rather fragile balance of interests of its parties". Consequently, not only will the OST suffer, but also European security as a whole. They understand it has "value as an instrument [to secure] trust, predictability, and transparency."

Back in the US, two US lawmakers have introduced a law compelling President Donald Trump to seek Congress' approval before ditching international treaties, such as the Open Skies Treaty, arguing the move is a blow to national security.

"The decision to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty is completely counter to our national security interests and demonstrates continued disregard for our alliances and arms control accords," Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-California) said in a joint statement with the legislation's co-sponsor, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts).

Markey, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, lambasted Trump's move, calling it "reckless" and arguing that it would leave "a lasting impact" on the nation's ability to keep tabs on the Russian military, which "could threaten the interests of the United States and our allies."

"The PAUSE Act creates a statutory role for Congress to affirmatively approve the withdrawal or termination of any Treaty to which the Senate has provided its advice and consent."
See also: Pressure point: US 'considered return to nuclear testing' breaking a 28-year hiatus

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X

The rapid and escalating events in Libya and the Turkish media's snow job

Valery Kulikov
New Eastern Outlook
Sat, 23 May 2020 00:00 UTC
military trucks
© Unknown
Events in Libya have escalated rapidly in recent days, accompanied by an information and propaganda war between the opposing sides.

A written statement published on 21 May by Saqr Al-Jaroushi, commander of the Air Force of the Libyan National Army (LNA), hints at a dangerous escalation of the situation in the African country, stating that
"the largest aerial campaign in Libya's history is about to begin. All Turkish positions and interests in all (Libyan) cities are now legitimate targets for LNA planes, and as such the civilian population is urged to stay away from them."
Turkish media had several days earlier launched a mass information campaign in support of Operation Peace Storm in Libya, reporting how the Libyan army had dealt a "crushing blow to Marshal Khalifa Haftar's military units" around Tripoli, Al-Watiya and Abu Grein, and on the destruction of LNA military equipment. In demonstration of these victories, GNA supporters triumphantly paraded a captured Russian-made Pantsir C1E, an air defense missile system, around the Libyan capital as a trophy.
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Magnify

FBI Director Wray orders internal review of Flynn investigation

Eric Tucker
AP
Fri, 22 May 2020 00:00 UTC
Flynn
© AP
Michael Flynn
FBI Director Christopher Wray has ordered an internal review into possible misconduct in the investigation of former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn, the bureau said Friday.

The after-action review will examine whether any current employees engaged in misconduct during the course of the investigation and evaluate whether any improvements in FBI policies and procedures need to be made.

In announcing the review, the FBI, a frequent target of President Donald Trump's wrath, is stepping into a case that has become a rallying cry for Trump supporters — and doing so right as the Justice Department pushes back against criticism that its recent decision to dismiss the prosecution was a politically motivated effort to do Trump's bidding.

The announcement adds to the internal scrutiny over one of special counsel Robert Mueller's signature prosecutions during his investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. It underscores how a case that was seemingly resolved by Flynn's 2017 guilty plea has instead given way to a protracted, politically charged debate about FBI and Justice Department tactics during that investigation and the Russia probe more broadly.
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Nuke

Pressure point: US 'considered return to nuclear testing' breaking a 28-year hiatus

Julian Borger
The Guardian
Sat, 23 May 2020 02:35 UTC
Nuclear bomb test
© History.com
Nuclear bomb testing
US officials have debated whether to carry out the first US nuclear tests in 28 years as a way to pressure Russia and China into make a trilateral arms control deal, according congressional aides and former officials.

They said the discussion took place at a "deputies meeting" of senior national security officials at the White House on 15 May, but that the proposal was shelved for the time being. "There are still some professionals in the room who told them this is a terrible idea, thank God," a congressional aide said.

The discussion was first reported on Friday night by the Washington Post, which cited a senior administration official as saying that a demonstration to Moscow and Beijing that the United States could carry out a "rapid test" could be a useful bargaining counter in the achieving the administration's priority on arms control - a trilateral deal with Russia and China.

The report also quoted a senior administration official as saying the proposal was "very much an ongoing conversation".
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