Puppet Masters

East Ghouta residents' requests to Syrian human rights groups increase as Western-backed militants continue shelling during Russia-brokered ceasefire

Sputnik
Thu, 01 Mar 2018 10:59 UTC

East Ghouta Residents asking Rights Groups For Evacuation Help - Russian Military

Civilians residing in Syria's Eastern Ghouta are massively contacting representatives of Syrian human rights organizations with a request to assist their evacuation from the territories held by militants, spokesman for Russian center for Syrian reconciliation Maj. Gen. Vladimir Zolotukhin said Thursday.

"According to the information received, over the 24 hours, the number of appeals from residents of Eastern Ghouta to human rights activists has increased by several times, with requests to help and assist in their evacuation from the territory controlled by militants," Zolotukhin told reporters.

According to the spokesman, militants continue mortar shelling of the humanitarian corridor in Muhayam-al-Wafedin.

Earlier in the day, at 09:00 a.m. Damascus time (07:00 GMT) the third five-hour "humanitarian pause" began in Eastern Ghouta, while Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu sent an explanation of Russian initiatives on Eastern Ghouta to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

Comment: That would be the Western-sponsored terrorists who continue to threaten civilian lives during what was intended to be a ceasefire. It began on the 27th February 2018 and it seems the situation is becoming even more desperate:

This is exactly how the liberation of Aleppo unfolded. Hysterics in the Western media as Russia and Syria patiently and carefully freed the city, in stages, providing maximal opportunity for both residents and terrorists to escape or relocate.

Russian Security Council: US gave Kurds modern arms, made Turkey launch Afrin op

RT
Thu, 01 Mar 2018 09:37 UTC

Washington provoked Ankara into launching a military offensive on Syria's Kurdish-controlled Afrin by "boosting" the Kurds with advanced weapons, according to the Russian Security Council.

"The Kurds are being boosted with advanced weaponry. The deliveries of modern weapons and encouragement of separatist sentiments among the Kurds have in fact provoked Turkey into carrying out the military operation in Syria's northern Afrin region," the Assistant to the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexander Venediktov told Ria Novosti.

READ MORE: Turkey deploys special forces to Afrin, Syria in 'preparation for new fight'

Comment: The US has established as many as 20 military bases in the part of Kurdistan that lies within Syria, the Russian National Security Council has stated according to Russian media.

The establishment of peace in war-torn Syria is impeded by external - in particular, American - interference in the crisis, Assistant to the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexander Venediktov told Ria Novosti.

"The return of peace and stability to Syria is hampered by continued external interference in the Syrian crisis. For example, in the territory controlled by the people's self-defense units of Kurdistan, some 20 US military bases have been created," the official said.

Trump slams AG Sessions over FISA abuses probe: 'Disgraceful' to let IG handle investigation

RT
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 20:21 UTC

President Donald Trump lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, criticizing his decision to let the inspector general, who can't prosecute, handle the investigation into alleged FBI surveillance abuses.

Sessions said on Tuesday that the internal watchdog at the Department of Justice (DOJ) would be assessing allegations of FBI abuse.

"We believe the Department of Justice must adhere to the high standards in the FISA [Foreign Intelligence Service Act] court," Sessions said. "Yes it will be investigated. And I think that's just the appropriate thing the inspector general will take that as one of the matters he'll deal with."

Allegations that the FBI used biased evidence emerged in January when the 'Nunes' memo was published by the House Intelligence Committee despite opposition from Democrats and the FBI.

Comment:

McCain associate pleads 5th Amendment on Trump dossier

Randy DeSoto
The Western Journal
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 12:27 UTC

Sen. John McCain associate David Kramer, who passed along the Trump dossier to McCain, who in turn gave it to the FBI, reportedly pleaded his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination rather than testify before the House Intelligence Committee.

Fox News reported that Kramer, a State Department official under President George W. Bush, traveled to England in mid-November 2016, following then-President Elect Donald Trump's upset win over Hillary Clinton, to meet with dossier author Christopher Steele.

Kramer, who currently leads the McCain Institute, ultimately received a physical copy of the document from Fusion GPS co-founder Glen Simpson back in the United States and then gave it to McCain, according to The Washington Post.

Fusion GPS is the opposition research firm paid by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee to produce the dossier.

McCain denied passing the document filled with unverified information along to the media, claiming he had only shared it with one other person. "I gave it to no one except for the director of the FBI," the senator said in what The Daily Caller described as a testy exchange last October. "I don't know why you're digging this up now."

Comment: One would be daft to think McCain didn't know what to make of the dossier and what its usefulness would be. He could have thrown it in the trash. Instead, he beelined it to the FBI. Kramer was more than a courier. There is no mention of the alleged meeting in Halifax, at the international security conference, between McCain, Kramer and Sir Andrew Wood, former British Ambassador to Russia, who briefed the two on the dossier and its implications.

See also:

Newly released surveillance orders reveal even with individualized court oversight, spying powers misused

Aaron Mackey, Andrew Crocker
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Wed, 07 Feb 2018 01:42 UTC

Once-secret surveillance court orders obtained by EFF last week show that even when the court authorizes the government to spy on specific Americans for national security purposes, that authorization can be misused to potentially violate other people's civil liberties.

These documents raise larger questions about whether the government can meaningfully protect people's privacy and free expression rights under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which permits officials to engage in warrantless mass surveillance with far less court oversight than is required under the "traditional" FISA warrant process.

The documents are the third and final batch of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) opinions released to EFF as part of a FOIA lawsuit seeking all significant orders and opinions of the secret court. Previously, the government released opinions dealing with FISA's business records and pen register provisions, along with opinions under Section 702.

Although many of the 13 opinions are heavily redacted - and the government withheld another 26 in full - the readable portions show several instances of the court blocking government efforts to expand its surveillance or ordering the destruction of information obtained improperly as a result of its spying.

MSM dutifully complies with Obama's request to attend speech but not report on it

Teri Webster
The Blaze
Sun, 25 Feb 2018 06:44 UTC

A funny thing happened on the way to an Obama forum on Friday, and free speech supporters aren't laughing.

Former President Barack Obama invited people - including reporters - to attend a speech he made during the annual Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. The topic at hand was reportedly Obama's reflection on his presidency and his future plans.

But everyone, including media, was forbidden from reporting on anything he said. Punishment was promised for anyone who failed to follow the guidelines. Namely, they'd be barred from attending future sports conferences. The Boston Globe explained:

"During Obama's panel, photography; video recording; streaming; and social media posting, including on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms will not be permitted - "without exception," the warning spelled out.

The regulations went for after the event, too.

Following the panel, the sharing or reporting of its contents on public platforms, including social media, will not be permitted," the notice read. "Those who fail to adhere to this policy will be subject to removal from the conference and denied tickets to future SSAC conferences."

After the Globe inquired about the rules, a second e-mail said 'sharing or reporting of its contents' is strictly forbidden.

Comment: Unless it is a damn good confession, are we even interested in what Obama had to say?

Jared Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence

Eliana Johnson, Andrew Restuccia
Politico
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 03:39 UTC

Presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded - a move that will prevent him from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access.

Kushner is not alone. All White House aides working on the highest-level interim clearances - at the Top Secret/SCI-level - were informed in a memo sent Friday that their clearances would be downgraded to the Secret level, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.

The SCI acronym stands for sensitive compartmented information, a category of information that comes from sensitive intelligence sources and must be walled off.

The memo was not signed by chief of staff John Kelly, but it comes as the retired Marine general and other top White House aides are grappling with the fallout of a scandal involving former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, which revealed that dozens of White House aides had yet to receive permanent clearances but nonetheless had access to some of the country's deepest secrets.

The president has the ability to grant Kushner a permanent clearance, but Trump said Friday - the same day the memo was sent - that he was leaving the decision to his chief of staff. "I will let General Kelly make that decision," Trump told reporters. "I have no doubt he'll make the right decision."

Comment: While some might think the restrictions are for show, it is more likely they are prudent and proactive, considering the climate of animosity surrounding this administration and the quick-to-judgement adversaries hoping for something to exploit.

Supreme Court requires Trump maintain 'dreamers' protections

Lawrence Hurley, Andrew Chung
Reuters
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:37 UTC

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dealt a setback to President Donald Trump, requiring his administration to maintain protections he has sought to end for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought illegally into the United States as children.

The justices refused to hear the administration's appeal of a federal judge's Jan. 9 nationwide injunction that halted Trump's move to rescind a program that benefits immigrants known as "Dreamers" implemented in 2012 by his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama.

The protections were due to start phasing out in March under the Republican president's action, announced in September.

Under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, roughly 700,000 young adult, mostly Hispanics, are protected from deportation and given work permits for two-year periods, after which they must re-apply. Congress so far has failed to pass legislation to address the fate of the "Dreamers," including a potential path to citizenship.

San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled last month that the government must continue to process renewals of existing DACA applications while litigation over the legality of Trump's action is resolved, prompting the administration's unusual move to bypass a federal appeals court and take the matter directly to the Supreme Court.

Comment: See also:

Propaganda Alert: US uses pictures from Gaza and Mosul to elicit outrage over jihadist-held Ghouta

Translated by Tom Winter
Fort Russ News / Français.RT
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 20:10 UTC

L: Gaza. R: Mosul

The photos of an American's Twitter account showing bombings in Syria, and a father carrying his screaming child in devastated Ghouta, caused emotion and have been retweeted 128,000 times. These images were actually taken in Gaza and Mosul.

Syrian-born American Sami Sharbek wanted to educate the world about the fate of Ghouta by posting terrible images of war on his Twitter account. He achieved his goal: over 128,000 people retweeted his photos. Omitting this little detail: these photographs were taken in Gaza and Mosul.

We note: Not a movie, and not Syria, either!

Russian MoD: Terrorists continue offensive in Aleppo, Latakia and Daraa - Syrian army foils rebel attempt to smuggle heavy weapons into East Ghouta

Sputnik
Wed, 28 Feb 2018 19:50 UTC

© REUTERS/ Bassam Khabieh
Damaged buildings are seen in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria, February 25, 2018

The Russian Center for the Syrian Reconciliation reported Wednesday that militants from illegal armed groups controlling the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus fired 13 mortar rounds at residential areas of the Syrian capital over the past 24 hours.

"Our regular monitoring of the ceasefire regime shows that armed groups continue hostilities in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia and Daraa. We are particularly concerned over the tense situation in Eastern Ghouta," the center's spokesman Major-General Yury Yevtushenko said at a daily briefing.

The militants are blocking residents of Eastern Ghouta from leaving the danger zone, threatening to kill them for any attempt, Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, the head of the Center for Syrian Reconciliation reported.

Comment: The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) foiled an attempt by militants on Wednesday to smuggle weapons from the eastern Qalamoun to the East Ghouta.

According to a military report, the Syrian Army caught a group of militants attempting to move a large amount of weapons from the eastern Qalamoun in a bid to aid their allies in the East Ghouta.

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Puppet Masters

East Ghouta residents' requests to Syrian human rights groups increase as Western-backed militants continue shelling during Russia-brokered ceasefire

Russian Security Council: US gave Kurds modern arms, made Turkey launch Afrin op

Trump slams AG Sessions over FISA abuses probe: 'Disgraceful' to let IG handle investigation

McCain associate pleads 5th Amendment on Trump dossier

Newly released surveillance orders reveal even with individualized court oversight, spying powers misused

MSM dutifully complies with Obama's request to attend speech but not report on it

Jared Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence

Supreme Court requires Trump maintain 'dreamers' protections

Propaganda Alert: US uses pictures from Gaza and Mosul to elicit outrage over jihadist-held Ghouta

Russian MoD: Terrorists continue offensive in Aleppo, Latakia and Daraa - Syrian army foils rebel attempt to smuggle heavy weapons into East Ghouta

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