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AG Barr slams Dems for using criminal justice process as 'political weapon' during hearing

Alex Pappas
Fox News
Thu, 02 May 2019 10:15 UTC
william barr ag
Attorney General William Barr fired back Wednesday at Democrats who for weeks have called his integrity into question over his handling of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, suggesting during a testy Capitol Hill hearing they were only using the issue to score political points ahead of the 2020 election -- and advising that the DOJ's role in the controversy is now "over."

"We have to stop using the criminal justice process as a political weapon," Barr said during a back-and-forth with Connecticut Democratic Sen. Dick Blumenthal.

The exchange was one of several heated moments during Barr's first hearing -- before the Senate Judiciary Committee -- since the release of the Mueller report. The testimony covered everything from Barr's decision not to pursue an obstruction case against President Trump to process delays in getting a redacted version of Mueller's report to the public to Mueller's apparent concerns about how Barr initially relayed his findings to Congress.
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Snakes in Suits

Barr is the man for the job. It scares the heck out of those he's investigating.

Sara Carter
SaraACarter.com
Wed, 01 May 2019 20:01 UTC
william barr ag
Department of Justice Attorney General William Barr is the perfect man for the job. He is methodical, attentive, calm and rides the storm of chaos with the demeanor of a man who knows he is standing on the side of truth.

It is evident that former senior Obama administration officials and opponents of President Trump know that and fear it. It began last night with the 'non-story' that Special Counsel Robert Mueller prosecutors weren't happy with Barr's four page letter explaining their report on the Russia investigation.

"We did not understand exactly why the special counsel was not reaching a decision," Barr told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"We don't conduct criminal investigations just to collect information and put it out to the public. We do so to make a decision," Barr told lawmakers. He suggested that Mueller should have come to a decision but avoided the criticism of Democrats by passing the ball to him with regard to obstruction.
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Arrow Up

UK's May sacks defence minister Williamson over leaked 5G deal with China's Huawei


RT
Wed, 01 May 2019 22:50 UTC
gavin williamson
© REUTERS/Hannah McKay
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has dismissed Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson after he was found responsible for a leak from the National Security Council about Huawei's involvement in the UK's 5G network.

The scandal broke last week when the Daily Telegraph published the leaked data from the National Security Council meeting, during which the ministers agreed that the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei would be granted limited access to assist in developing the British 5G network.

A formal inquiry into the leak, led by the Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, was launched following the incident.

Comment: Surely May had a raft of reasons to sack Williamson, but this leak will infuriate the US who have been going hard with their propaganda push against China:

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Eye 1

China's 'Smart' surveillance tech arrives in Darwin, Australia

Will Zwar
NT News
Tue, 09 Apr 2019 03:12 UTC
australia surveillance
© Glenn Campbell
City of Darwin GM for innovation , growth and development Josh Sattler as Darwin council are nearly finished installing smart street lights and smart park lights.
DARWIN council will use Chinese inspired surveillance technology to gather data on what people are doing on their phones and to put up "virtual fences" that will instantly trigger an alert if crossed.

The concept for the "Smart technology" comes from Shenzhen and has seen facial recognition surveillance to create a controversial social credit system where people earn or lose points based on the way they behave.

Council's Innovation, Growth and Development Services general manager Josh Sattler said the poles, fitted with speakers, cameras and Wi-Fi, would allow council to gain data on how many people walk on what footpaths and where they use certain websites and apps in the city.

Comment: As with most technology, the real worry lies with who's operating it and for what purposes: Also check out SOTT radio's: The Truth Perspective: How To Survive A Totalitarian Nightmare: The Psychology Of Tyranny

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Bad Guys

Craig Murray: The Violent Coup Attempt in Venezuela Forces a Binary Choice


Craig Murray
Wed, 01 May 2019 20:27 UTC
biggest oil reserves
When a CIA-backed military coup is attempted by a long term CIA puppet, roared on by John Bolton and backed with the offer of Blackwater mercenaries, in the country with the world's largest oil reserves, I have no difficulty whatsoever in knowing which side I am on.

Juan Guaido has been groomed for 15 years as a long-term CIA project. His coup attempt yesterday, which so far appears to have stalled, was the culmination of these efforts to return Venezuela's oil reserves to US hegemony.

It is strange how the urgent installation of liberal democracy by force correlates so often with oil reserves not aligned to the USA, as in Libya, Iraq or Venezuela, while countries with massive oil reserves which permit US military domination and align with the West and Israel can be as undemocratic as they wish, eg Saudi Arabia. Venezuela is an imperfect democracy but it is far, far more of a democracy than Saudi Arabia and with a much better human rights record. The hypocrisy of Western media and politicians is breathtaking.
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V

Marco Rubio experiences torrential smackdown following his Tweet storm supporting Guaido


RT
Wed, 01 May 2019 19:33 UTC
Marco Rubio
© Reuters / Edgard Garrido
US Senator Marco Rubio visits the Colombia-Venezuela border on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, on February 17, 2019.
US Senator Marco Rubio has emerged as a primary backer of the ongoing attempted coup in Venezuela, as he rushed to Twitter to show his support for Washington protégé Juan Guaido - and faced much criticism from the Twitteratti.

The Florida Republican spared no effort in promoting the coup attempt, which was staged by Guaido earlier on Tuesday, as he (Rubio) wrote dozens of tweets calling on almost literally every single person in Venezuela (except probably for President Nicolas Maduro himself) to support what he called an "effort to restore democracy."


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Snakes in Suits

Pompeo: US military action possible in Venezuela 'if that's what's required'


RT
Wed, 01 May 2019 11:36 UTC
Soldiers atop car
© Reuters/Carlos Eduardo Ramirez
Soldiers ride on top of a car with supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido (not pictured), Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019.
Washington is open for "military action" in dealing with Venezuela's crisis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced. Softening his war-mongering rhetoric, he said that a peaceful option is still more preferable.

Pompeo said in an interview on Fox News:
"If the question is, is the United States prepared to consider military action if that's what it takes to restore the democracy there in Venezuela, the [US] president's been consistent and unambiguous about that, that the option to use military force is available if that's what is ultimately called for."
Pompeo had appeared earlier on CNN and claimed that President Nicolas Maduro was about to flee from Caracas to Cuba but, at the last moment, Moscow convinced him to stay. The remarks were instantly mocked on social media.

The claims were also quickly refuted by both Venezuela and Russia. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza blasted the US official for "making up fake news," while the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Washington is waging an "information war" in hopes of sowing discord in the South American country.

Comment: See also:

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Blue Planet

Iranian FM Zarif tells CBS: Iran is a 'force for stability in the region'


Sputnik
Mon, 29 Apr 2019 01:48 UTC
Zarif
© AFP 2019/Atta Kenare
Iranian FM Javad Zarif
Javad Zarif has noted the role that Iran plays in the Middle East region, while criticising the US, who sees itself as a "force for good" despite "aligning with the wrong people".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif outlined Iranian foreign and military priorities in an interview with CBS Sunday.

"You see, we are operating in our own region. That's why it's called the Persian Gulf, not the Gulf of Mexico. We are operating in our own region. We are a force for stability in our region. History shows that", Zarif said.

Talking to Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan, Zarif contrasted Iranian conduct with that of the US, who operates far from its shores. "The United States is operating far from its shores, in our region", he said.

According to Zarif, Iran's military goal is fighting terrorism in the region. "We have been helpful everywhere. We have fought terrorism in Syria. We have fought terrorism in Iraq", he said.
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Russian Flag

Russia's fast track to citizenship is offered to more Ukrainians, despite escalating passport row


RT
Wed, 01 May 2019 12:03 UTC
PutinPassportZelenskiy
© Chronical Herald/Moscow Times/Daily Mail
Russian President Vladimir Putin • Ukranian President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy
More Ukrainian citizens will be eligible to apply for Russian citizenship under a fast-track procedure starting Wednesday. Moscow and Kiev have been verbally sparring over the issue for a week now.

Last Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree, which allowed people living in rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine to apply for Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure. The move was justified by humanitarian reasons, Moscow explained, but Kiev denounced it as an act of aggression. The situation even ignited a verbal duel through the media between Putin and Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Russian leader upped the ante by saying the same fast-track option may be offered to all Ukrainian citizens and now seems to have partially delivered on the promise by signing a new decree, which made more Ukrainian citizens eligible for the program.

Comment: See also:

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Pirates

Trump lambastes European nations for refusing return of their ISIS fighters

Nikki Schwab
New York Post
Tue, 30 Apr 2019 02:13 UTC
Trump/ISIS
© Your News Wire
President Donald Trump
President Trump slammed America's European allies for not taking back their ISIS fighters.

"We have 1,800 ISIS Prisoners taken hostage in our final battles to destroy 100% of the Caliphate in Syria. Decisions are now being made as to what to do with these dangerous prisoners," Trump tweeted Tuesday.

"European countries are not helping at all, even though this was very much done for their benefit. They are refusing to take back prisoners from their specific countries," Trump continued. "Not good!"

Officials in a handful of European countries have called for stripping ISIS members of their passports, including Denmark, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. But in January, France agreed to take 130 of its citizens who had been fighting in Syria for the Islamic State.
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