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House Intel Committee votes to end Russia probe - no collusion found


RT
Thu, 22 Mar 2018 19:31 UTC
capitol
© Reuters
The House Intelligence Committee has voted to formally end its Russia probe. Lawmakers found no evidence of collusion between associates of President Donald Trump and Russia.

The committee also voted to release the report, which was authored by Republicans. It will first be sent to the intelligence community so that classified material can be redacted, but is expected to be made public within weeks.

The report recommends a crackdown on administrative leaks including the introduction of "mandatory polygraphs" for officials who have top secret security clearance. It also accuses former Obama administration intelligence director James Clapper of providing "inconsistent testimony" regarding his contacts with the media.

In a summary of its findings, the committee said that some Trump associates had "ill-advised" contact with WikiLeaks but concluded that there was "no evidence of collusion between President Donald Trump's associates and the Kremlin."

The committee spoke to more than 70 witnesses during the course of the investigation, which was launched in January last year. It heard from many prominent Trump administration figures including Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon. It also reviewed more than 300,000 documents.

Comment: 70 witnesses, 300,000 documents, all to tell us what we all already knew. That's government for ya.

See also:

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Laptop

Kaspersky's 'Slingshot' report exposed an active, US-led counterterrorism cyber-espionage operation

Chris Bing and Patrick Howell O'Neill
Cyberscoop
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 20:06 UTC
An employee works at the headquarters of Kaspersky Lab
© Reuters
An employee works at the headquarters of Kaspersky Lab, a computer security company, in Moscow, Russia, July 29, 2013
The U.S. government and Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab are currently in the throes of a nasty legal fight that comes on top of a long-running feud over how the company has conducted itself with regard to U.S. intelligence-gathering operations.

A recent Kaspersky discovery may keep the feud alive for years to come.

CyberScoop has learned that Kaspersky research recently exposed an active, U.S.-led counterterrorism cyber-espionage operation. According to current and former U.S. intelligence officials, the operation was used to target ISIS and al-Qaeda members.

On March 9, Kaspersky publicly announced a malware campaign dubbed "Slingshot." According to the company's researchers, the campaign compromised thousands of devices through breached routers in various African and Middle Eastern countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Turkey and Yemen.
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Info

Here's what the Senate Intel Committee thinks US needs to do to stop Russia from influencing elections

Katie Pavlich
Townhall
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 18:15 UTC
senate intel
After a year of investigation, the review of hundreds-of-thousands of documents, multiple hearings on Capitol Hill and interviews with key witnesses behind closed doors, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a series of recommendations Tuesday about how to bolster election security in the United States.

"We're now at a point where we have wrapped up one piece of our investigation which deals with election security," Chairman Richard Burr said during a press conference on Capitol Hill. "Let me say this with a great deal of confidence. It is clear the Russian government was looking for the vulnerabilities of our election system and highlighted some of the key gaps. There is no evidence any vote was changed."

"Russia attempted to penetrate 21 states. We know they were successful in penetrating at least one voter database. The Department of Homeland Security and FBI alerted states to the threat. The warnings did not provide enough information or go to the right person in every case," Burr continued. "We need to be more effective at deterring our adversaries. The federal government should partner with the states to truly secure their systems."

Comment: A fairly drab recommendation for a fairly humdrum accusation. All major powers probe the cyber security of their competitors, whether during elections or not. So naturally, U.S. officials will recommend beefing up security. But there's a reason the U.S. will never sign an agreement laying out the rules of cyber "engagement": they like doing all this and more with impunity. So they don't have much of a leg to stand on when accusing other countries of "penetrating databases". That's kid stuff.

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War Whore

The untold story of John Bolton's role in US-Israeli strategy to start war with Iran

Gareth Porter
The American Conservative
Thu, 22 Mar 2018 19:11 UTC
John Bolton
© Gage Skidmore/Flikr
John Bolton
Everyone knows Bolton is a hawk. Less understood is how he labored in secret to drive Washington and Tehran apart.

In my reporting on U.S.-Israeli policy, I have tracked numerous episodes in which the United States and/or Israel made moves that seemed to indicate preparations for war against Iran. Each time-in 2007, in 2008, and again in 2011-those moves, presented in corporate media as presaging attacks on Tehran, were actually bluffs aimed at putting pressure on the Iranian government.

But the strong likelihood that Donald Trump will now choose John Bolton as his next national security advisor creates a prospect of war with Iran that is very real. Bolton is no ordinary neoconservative hawk. He has been obsessed for many years with going to war against the Islamic Republic, calling repeatedly for bombing Iran in his regular appearances on Fox News, without the slightest indication that he understands the consequences of such a policy.

His is not merely a rhetorical stance: Bolton actively conspired during his tenure as the Bush administration's policymaker on Iran from 2002 through 2004 to establish the political conditions necessary for the administration to carry out military action.

Comment: See also:

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Mr. Potato

Boris Johnson admits British Government has stocks of nerve agent used to poison Skripal


Sott.net
Thu, 22 Mar 2018 18:18 UTC
Boris Johnson Deutsche Welle interview
In an exclusive interview with DW's Zhanna Nemtsova, UK Foreign Secretary Johnson waffled on about the evils of Russia and why Putin is responsible for the attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal. In the course of the interview, he let something very significant slip.
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Cloud Lightning

Washington and FBI insiders fear: "General Flynn might take a flamethrower to this town before he's done"


True Pundit
Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00 UTC
Flynn is back
The biggest, baddest dude in Washington D.C. might be President Trump but Gen. Mike Flynn is running a close second, according to FBI insiders who fear he may start talking soon.

And talking about the FBI and what exactly went down during his ordeal with the Bureau's Andrew McCabe-infused investigation of Flynn. Those unflattering details, insiders reveal, would bring more unwanted turmoil and public scrutiny to the embattled agency. Especially the FBI's actions wielded against Flynn which likely involve illegality and corruption.

Worry quickly swept through the Beltway this weekend after Flynn appeared at a political rally days ago to support a California underdog running for Congress; Flynn's first public appearance since he was sacked as national security adviser in 2017.

That surprise appearance clearly put the D.C. establishment on notice.

Flynn is back.

Comment: Mike Flynn may have been one of the few really knowledgeable, capable and willing enough to truly help Trump drain the swamp - so he had to be taken out. But is he back in the sense that the article conveys? We'll have to wait and watch. See also:

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Megaphone

Selective outrage: Liberal media slams Trump's call to Putin, forgets that Obama did the same in 2012


Hannity.com
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 00:00 UTC
Putin and Obama
The mainstream media's anti-Trump obsession was on full-display Tuesday; with multiple networks slamming the President for calling Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his re-election; totally ignoring the fact that Barack Obama did the same thing in 2012.

The President confirmed this week that he placed a private phone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin hours after his landslide election; sparking outrage from liberal lawmakers and the destroy-Trump press.

Comment:

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Light Saber

Blunt Duterte blasts Canada over failed helicopter deal: 'How stupid can you get?'


RT
Thu, 22 Mar 2018 15:38 UTC
duterte trudeau
© Mark R. Cristino / Reuters
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
Outspoken Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has launched another tirade of abuse, this time aimed at Canada after it decided to stop a $233-million deal to send 16 helicopters to Manila.

In his address to the General Assembly of the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines, Duterte hit out against Canada's decision after beginning his speech with a description of the various internal struggles his country is up against.

"My God, you Canadians, how stupid can you get? Our citizens are joining ISIS so we have every right to kill our citizens because we do not want to destroy the community with apathy."

The Philippines has been struggling with Islamic extremism in recent years, with terrorist groups affiliated to ISIS operating in the country since 2014. Tensions between extremist groups and the government culminated with the so-called Marawi Siege, a five-month conflict that has cost thousands of lives.

Comment: Duterte may be too rough around the edges for the elite, but his lowyalty to his people is unquestioned.

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Binoculars

Germany selling weapons tech to Iran and 'working against Israel' as US Dems block Trump pick for Ambassador

Adam Kredo
Washington Beacon
Wed, 21 Mar 2018 11:45 UTC
Richard Grenell
© Getty images
Richard Grenell
Administration officials alarmed over bid to block Trump's ambassador to Germany

U.S. officials are increasingly alarmed by a congressional block on President Donald Trump's pick to be the next ambassador to Germany, a holdup that comes as Berlin pursues a host of anti-Israel measures and is growing closer to Iran, according to multiple administration insiders who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.

As Democrats in Congress continue to hold the nomination of Richard Grenell, a veteran Republican diplomat who was tapped by Trump to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Germany, the post remains vacant, sparking concerns the United States is ceding leverage amid sensitive discussions regarding the future of the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

The vacancy also has left the United States with little voice to combat a series of anti-Israel efforts being pursued by the German government. Trump administration insiders are becoming increasingly fed-up with the block on Grenell, telling the Free Beacon that U.S. diplomats currently helming the post have been bungling critical national security priorities, including the Iran portfolio and recent efforts by Germany to sell Tehran sensitive equipment used by the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria to produce chemical weapons.


Comment: The whole 'Assad uses chemical weapons on his people' and 'Iran is evil' shtick seems to be conflated with other diplomatic issues here.

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Pirates

The long war: Endless investigation of Trump was always the plan

Charles Hurt
Breitbart
Thu, 22 Mar 2018 14:59 UTC
MuellerKrembucks
© The Washington Reporter
So this is the new standard for electing a president here in America, the greatest living experiment in self-governance.

A man can run the gauntlet against more than 20 professional politicians and come out victorious.

He can win more than 40 Republican primary contests and beat every professional political campaigner out there, earning the votes of more than 14 million Republicans.

He can then turn his attention to beating the most powerful, entrenched political machine America has seen in nearly a half-century. (That corrupt machine had just pulled off its most devious and dishonest scam ever - rigging a presidential primary to snatch the party's preferred Socialist candidate away from Democrat voters.)
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