Puppet MastersS


Briefcase

Journalist sues former Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein for allegedly spying on her computers

Sharyl Attkisson
© Screenshot/CBSCBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson discusses the hack of her computer.
Former CBS investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson filed a federal lawsuit on Jan. 10 against former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and several other current and former Justice Department (DOJ) officials, alleging the group spied on her computers and telephones as part of the Obama administration's war on leaks.

The lawsuit (pdf), filed at the U.S. District Court in Maryland, alleges that FBI and DOJ officials violated Attkisson's First and Fourth Amendment rights by conducting "unauthorized illegal surveillance" on her and her family's computers and phones from 2011 to 2014. At the time, Attkisson published investigative reports on the Obama administration's Fast and Furious gun-trafficking investigation and the controversial attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

The lawsuit also names Shawn Henry, who at the time of the alleged spying operation served as the FBI's executive assistant director in the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services branch. Henry is now the president of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

Comment: This is further proof of corruption and collusion within and between government departments, agencies and persons in high positions that solemnly profess by oath to honor and defend the US constitution, the laws and the rights of all citizens.


Arrow Down

O'Brien: US ready to reach a deal with Taliban, reduce contingent this year

TrumpO'Brien
© Tom Brenner/ReutersPresident Donald Trump • National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien
White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said that US President Donald Trump could reach a deal with the Taliban movement already this year and even if there was no deal, Washington would still reduce its contingent in Afghanistan.

O'Brien, in an interview with the Axios news portal, said:
"The Afghan forces are doing better, and I think we'll be in a position at some point soon, whether it's with a deal or without a deal, to reduce our military footprint in Afghanistan."
In response to the question of whether Trump was going to conclude an agreement with the Taliban before the presidential election in the United States, O'Brien said that this could happen this year. "I don't judge things based on when the election's going to take place, but I think it is possible that there'll be a deal this year."

Earlier in the week, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Qatar for a new round of bilateral peace talks with the Taliban, with many leading Afghan officials hopeful that a binding agreement can be signed between the two sides.

Comment: As Afghanistan neighbors Iran, it seems unlikely this will happen. But if so, as one footprint decreases, another one grows.


Bullseye

Trump is 'impeached for life': Pelosi ignites Twitter, falsely claims pursuit of subpoena-defying witnesses

NPelosi
© Reuters/Tom BrennerNancy Pelosi at news conference on Capitol Hill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made numerous odd claims about Trump impeachment in a new interview, including that Dems are pursuing subpoena-defying witness from the Ukraine investigation.

While speaking on ABC's This Week Pelosi told host George Stephanopoulos that "this president is impeached for life, regardless of any gamesmanship on the part of Mitch McConnell."

While Congress passed articles of impeachment against the president, he still technically needs to go through a trial in the Senate to determine his guilt. One is not "impeached" until a decision is made through a trial. Congress merely conducted an inquiry into accusations that Trump tried pressuring Ukraine into investigating political rival Joe Biden in exchange for foreign aid. His guilt or innocence would not be officially determined until the Senate votes and with Republicans holding a majority there and the case against the president flimsy at best, it's highly unlikely he will actually get impeached. A Senate trial is expected to begin within the next few weeks.

Star of David

Israel lobbyist gloats: We 'slaughtered' Jeremy Corbyn

Corbyn
© The TelegraphLabour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn
A prominent Israel lobbyist in the UK has claimed credit for last month's electoral defeat of the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn.

"The beast is slain," Joe Glasman delighted - Corbyn has been "slaughtered." He rejoiced that "we defeated him" in the election. "They tried to kill us," he ranted, but "we won."

Glasman leads the "political investigations team" at the Campaign Against Antisemitism, or CAA - an influential anti-Palestinian lobby group. He made his comments in a bizarre video rant addressed to his team of supporters that he posted online during the holiday break. The video was soon set to private. But left-wing Labour activists managed to download a copy and posted it on the Barnet Momentum Facebook page.

In the video Glasman claimed he and his supporters beat Corbyn through a coordinated campaign using methods including "our spies and intel." But he said his group were "not secret Mossad spies, they're just ordinary people."

The video swiftly became an embarrassment. Other copies posted online have been taken down following copyright claims by Glasman. The Electronic Intifada is reposting the full video to our YouTube channel for news reporting purposes. [see below]

Comment: Once Jeremy Corbyn was wounded with the anti-Semitism label, it didn't take long for Israel's socio-political knife to drive it wider and deeper. Whether Corbyn would have won the election or not, it was a convincing display of how propaganda labeling and innuendo can achieve a desired result.




Snakes in Suits

UkraineGate documentary: Joe Biden's 'someone solid' for Ukrainian General Prosecutor was anything but

Biden Ukrainian parliament
© Reuters / Valentyn OgirenkoFormer US Vice President Joe Biden (C) addresses the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, on December 8, 2015.
Former US vice-president and White House hopeful Joe Biden "brazenly lied" about supporting anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine while actually hindering them, according to a new hard-hitting documentary film.

US President Donald Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives based on the narrative that he interfered in Ukrainian domestic affairs for personal political gain - but it was Biden himself who interfered while he was Barack Obama's deputy, according to 'UkraineGate: Inconvenient Facts.'

Comment:


Question

Is putting Extinction Rebellion on UK's extremist list a step too far?

extinction rebellion superglue
© Press AssociationExtinction Rebellion protesters dressed as bees glue themselves to Liberal Democrat Leader Jo Swinson's campaign bus
'Completely wrong', says Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer, the Labour leadership frontrunner, has branded a decision by police to include Extinction Rebellion on a list of extreme ideologies as "completely wrong and counterproductive".

The shadow Brexit secretary and former chief prosecutor in England and Wales joined police chiefs in denouncing the move - revealed in the Guardian on Friday - to put XR's beliefs on the list of ideologies that warrant reporting someone to the Prevent programme, which seeks to stop terror attacks.

His condemnation came after the home secretary, Priti Patel, defended the decision, saying it was important to look at "a range of security risks".

Comment:



Camcorder

Assange caught on camera leaving UK court in prison van after US extradition hearing

Julian Assange
© RuptlyWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been filmed leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court in a police van after a brief preliminary hearing on Monday, part of his bid to prevent his extradition to the US to face espionage charges.

The 48-year-old Australian - who has been charged by the US with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, working with former army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break into Department of Defense systems and gain access to US state secrets - left court after a 12-minute hearing in London.

He was caught on camera as he was taken away in a police van, looking pale-faced and wearing glasses. The footage contains the voice of a supporter giving the journalist encouragement, to which he acknowledges with a series of nods.

Comment: See also: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange awarded Dignity Prize from Catalans


Stop

In response to calls from Russia, Turkey, Libyan rivals agree to cease-fire and potential truce UPDATES

libya rocketshooter
© AP
Forces loyal to eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar and the UN-backed Tripoli government both say they have agreed to a cease-fire, potentially bringing a truce in the fierce battle to control the war-ravaged North African country.

Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) said the truce, set to go into effect in the early hours of January 12, was conditional on acceptance by the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which is based in Tripoli. "Any breach will be met with a harsh response," LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari said in a video statement.

In a statement posted online early on January 12, the GNA said, "In response to the Turkish president and the Russian president's call for a cease-fire, the head of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord announces a cease-fire." The GNA had previously welcomed the call for a cease-fire but said its responsibility was to protect its citizens.

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it welcomed the truce and called on all sides "to strictly abide by the cease-fire and make room for peaceful efforts to address all disputes through a Libyan-Libyan dialogue."

The day before, Haftar's LNA had said it would not halt its campaign to drive the UN-backed government from Tripoli amid calls from Russia and Turkey for a cease-fire.

Comment: Update: Sputnik, 12/1/2020: GNA accuses LNA of ceasefire violations
Libya's Government of National Accord has accused the Libyan Armed Forces of almost immediately violating the ceasefires in the Salah ad-Din and Wadi ar-Rabiya districts of Tripoli.
GNA document
© State of Libya
"The presidential council's head [GNA] and commander-in-chief of the Libyan army [Fayez Sarraj] declares ceasefire that began at midnight of January 12," the GNA said in a statement on Facebook. With that, the GNA stressed reserving "its lawful right to respond to any attack or aggression from the other side."
Update: Sputnik 12/1/2020: Ceasefire generally observed
From the start, the sides in both regions have tried to observe ceasefire, and, except for 1-2 scattered cases, the situation has been remaining calm," the ministry said.
Update: Sputnik 12/1/2020: LNA downs Turkish drone attacking Southern Tripoli
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's LNA has shot down a Turkish drone that was carrying mortar rounds in violation of the latest ceasefire between the LNA and the GNA, the LNA's Al-Karama Operations Room said Sunday.

"An enemy Turkish drone that was carrying mortar rounds was shot down. This [the flight] was a violation of the ceasefire," the operations room's press office said.
Update: RT: 13/1/2020: Moscow hosts talks
President of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vitaly Naumkin: "The talks in Moscow are a serious [diplomatic] breakthrough for Russia in Libya... They have solidified Russia's position as an impartial mediator."

Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya's Tripoli-based UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), and his rival, the Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, arrived for peace talks in Moscow on Monday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, are intermediaries in the discussions.

Grigory Lukyanov, a senior lecturer at the Moscow-based Higher School of Economics, stressed: "Russia is de facto the only player today that has the trust of both the GNA and the HoR, as well as enough trust of Turkey and Egypt. No other nation in or outside the region enjoys the same level or trust and support."

Haftar agreed to fly to Moscow because he does not consider Turkey an impartial side in the conflict. Russia's primary goals are to end the bloodshed in Libya and lay the groundwork for further dialogue.

Naumkin agreed that a "lasting ceasefire" would be the most tangible result coming out of the talks. "NATO had never intended to bring democracy to Libya. Democracy can never be introduced at the point of bayonets."
Update: Sputnik, 13/1/2020: Agreement envisions Russian control over implementation
The ceasefire agreement is being prepared to be signed by LNA Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and GNA Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.

"The agreement includes the following points: Russia will control the ceasefire and send delegations to Libya to monitor the process; the deployment of Turkish troops to Tripoli will stop; the UN [will provide] international control of the ceasefire agreement's implementation; the LNA and GNA will return unconditionally to their positions under the ceasefire."

The LNA will be responsible for ensuring the security of oil and gas fields and fighting against terrorism in coordination with the GNA's head.
Update: RT, 13/1/2020: Moscow talks heading in 'positive direction'
"We want the ceasefire to be signed in Libya as soon as possible," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint press conference with Italian PM Giuseppe Conte in Ankara on Monday, shedding some light on the ongoing talks in Moscow. "I think it will end in the evening, I received the information that [the talks] continue in a positive direction."
Update: RT, 13/1/2020: Ceasefire without preconditions, stop all offensive military actions
The LNA and the internationally recognized GNA have pledged to observe the ceasefire suggested by Russia and Turkey after negotiations in Moscow.

The draft document suggests that all parties would stop military actions and observe the ceasefire conditions. Meanwhile, a commission is to be established to determine a contact line between the warring sides.
Update: RT, 13/1/2020: Good progress but not all sides signed the deal
The LNA and the GNA have agreed upon some ceasefire details, but they are still working on a document to elaborate upon some aspects of the ceasefire deal. Some warring parties signed the agreement immediately, but General Khalifa Haftar wanted to wait until Tuesday morning to have more time to study the document.

The talks in Moscow... lasted for more than six hours.

Lavrov also made it clear that Russia and Turkey would further lend their support to all Libyan parties to help them implement the agreement. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also expressed hope that both sides would eventually commit to complying with the newly-reached agreement, paving the way for the start of political process in Libya.

Aguila Saleh, the head of HoR, did not sign the document. However, Lavrov hopes the group will sign it on Tuesday.

Both leaders "view this document positively and just want some extra time, until tomorrow morning, to make a final decision about signing it," the Russian minister told journalists. "I hope, this decision will be positive."
See also:


Dollars

UN strips Lebanon, Yemen of voting privileges for not paying membership dues

Antonio Guterres United Nations UN
© Atılgan Özdil/Anadolu AgencyUnited Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres holds a press conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States on August 01, 2019 []
Lebanon has expressed its "regrets" over the United Nations' decision to strip it of its voting privileges in the General Assembly, as a consequence of the country failing to pay its dues.

The UN's decision on Friday targeted seven countries altogether - Lebanon, Yemen, Venezuela, Central African Republic, Gambia, Lesotho and Tonga - for not paying their financial contributions to the organisation in time, meaning they will be unable to participate in the 75th UN General Assembly to be held on 15 September 2020.

A statement released by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said the move could "harm Lebanon's interests, its prestige and reputation," particularly at a time of increased tensions and political uncertainty within the country.

Comment: The U.S. is often in arrears on its UN membership dues and project funding, which it uses as a weapon to force the policies it wants. Yet there's no talk of stripping it of their voting rights. It's likely the UN would get a lot more effective work done if the U.S. simply quit the UN, as it often threatens to do.


Arrow Up

Cory Booker ends 2020 presidential campaign

Cory Booker
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker ended his 2020 presidential campaign Monday, saying that he did not see a path forward.

Booker was once considered a potential frontrunner for his party's nomination, but struggled to raise money and saw his poll numbers stagnate in recent months. Additionally, Booker failed to qualify for Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate, making it the second consecutive debate where he failed to make the stage.

Comment: Breitbart adds:
Since launching his campaign last February, Booker struggled to raise the type of money required to support a White House bid. He was at the back of the pack in most surveys and failed to meet the polling requirements needed to participate in Tuesday's debate. Booker also missed last month's debate and exits the race polling in low single digits in the early primary states and nationwide.

Booker had warned that the looming impeachment trial of President Donald Trump would deal a "big, big blow" to his campaign by pulling him away from Iowa in the final weeks before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses. He hinted at the challenges facing his campaign last week in an interview on The Associated Press' Ground Game podcast.

"If we can't raise more money in this final stretch, we won't be able to do the things that other campaigns with more money can do to show presence," he said.