Puppet MastersS


Megaphone

Best of the Web: Democrats' 'bribery' charge against Trump is a complete bust

Betsy McCaughey
NY Post
Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:36 UTC
trump
© Tia Dufour
After nearly three years searching for grounds to ­impeach President Trump, House Democrats have landed on "bribery." Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) cited bribery ­repeatedly as he grilled impeachment witnesses. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, raising her finger in triumph, declared the witnesses have provided "devastating testimony" and "evidence of bribery."

Not so fast: What the Democrats are labeling "bribery" isn't illegal, according to the Supreme Court. And the public won't support impeaching a president who hasn't broken any law.

Truth is, Democrats are trying to impeach Trump for the same kind of give-and-take horse-trading that politicians do every day. They should look in the mirror.

The pretext for the bribery charge is a July 25 call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump asked for a "favor" — to investigate Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 US election and Joe Biden's son's dealings with a corrupt Ukrainian energy company. Trump didn't say military aid ­depended on it. But aid was ­delayed, and Democrats insist a quid pro quo was implicit. Therefore, bribery.
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Vader

Best of the Web: Cultural warfare against Russia: USADA chief declares only 'full ban' on Russian athletes will do

Danielle Ryan
RT
Fri, 29 Nov 2019 18:23 UTC
russia olympics
© Reuters / Ruben Sprich
As the sporting world awaits WADA's decision on the fate of Russian athletes, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) chief decided to pour fuel on the fire, calling for a total ban on Russian participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Travis Tygart even called for Russians to be banned from competing as neutrals, and not under their national flag. Such extreme measures, he said, would "protect clean athletes" and force Russia to "clean up its act."

Yet, with the situation increasingly tense and uncertain for Russian athletes in the run up to another Olympic games, is now really the appropriate time for Tygart to be inflaming the situation? What is to gain from such provocative statements?

The USADA chief's comments come just a couple of weeks before WADA will make its final determination in Paris on December 9. The doping saga re-erupted after a WADA compliance committee claimed that data handed over by Moscow in January — in an attempt to draw a line under the whole scandal — was manipulated to delete hundreds of positive drug tests.

Comment: There are plenty who are fed up with politics invading the Olympics and the hypocrisy of the West towards Russia. Greek pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi blasted Tygart on Twitter:

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was even more poignant:
"This is about the politicization of this issue in order to squeeze Russia out. There is a term for such a thing: unfair competition. This is a battle without rules, maybe even already a war.

"The issue of doping...focuses exclusively on Russia. The problems of other countries are not discussed at all.


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Piggy Bank

Six European nations join INSTEX mechanism for trade with Iran - UPDATE


Sputnik
Fri, 29 Nov 2019 17:59 UTC
zarif haavisto
© AP Photo / MARKKU ULANDERThe Foreign Minister of Finland Pekka Haavisto (L) welcomes visiting Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammed Javad Zarif at the House of the Estates in Helsinki, Finland on August 19, 2019.
Iran considers the European Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), a tool set up to help trade with Tehran under the US sanctions, to be weak, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated earlier in November, adding that the system has not been fully implemented so far.

Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden will join the INSTEX mechanism for trade with Iran, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"In light of the continuous European support for the agreement and the ongoing efforts to implement the economic part of it and to facilitate legitimate trade between Europe and Iran, we are now in the process of becoming shareholders of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) subject to completion of national procedures", the joint statement reads.

The INSTEX is a special purpose vehicle created by Germany, France, and Britain in February to help EU companies do business with Iran, bypassing US sanctions against the country. Following a meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA in June, the mechanism became operational and available to all EU member states. The trade instrument in its initial stage only covers the supply of medicines, medical equipment, and agricultural products, but Tehran also seeks to export oil.

Comment: Uncle Sam is drunk again, and somewhat irate. Here's US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell venting his spleen on Twitter:



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Eye 1

Ghislaine Maxwell once snuck masseuse into Buckingham Palace for Prince Andrew: report

Lee Brown
New York Post
Fri, 29 Nov 2019 01:45 UTC
Prince Andrew and Monique Giannelloni
© Getty Images; FacebookPrince Andrew and Monique Giannelloni
Prince Andrew once had a massage in Buckingham Palace — by a masseuse picked for him by Jeffrey Epstein's accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell, it was claimed Thursday.

Monique Giannelloni told the Daily Mail that she had first given massages to Epstein's ex Maxwell — including once with the "creepy, seedy" pedophile present — when she was fixed up to work on the Duke of York.

"I am going to introduce you to someone more famous than God," she claims Maxwell told her, with Giannelloni telling the website, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be royalty."

She recalled being "very nervous" during her 2000 visit to Buckingham Palace, where she says Andrew, now 59, greeted her at a bedroom door wearing a bathrobe.

Comment: See also:

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Megaphone

Boris Johnson once said Islamophobia is a 'natural reaction' to Islam, and that 'Islam is the problem'

Adam Bienkov
Business Insider
Wed, 27 Nov 2019 10:02 UTC
boris johnson
Boris Johnson's Conservative party has been accused by Muslim leaders in the UK of allowing Islamophobia to "fester" within their ranks.

"This an issue that is particularly acute in the Conservative Party who have approached Islamophobia with denial, dismissal and deceit," the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

They added: "It is abundantly clear to many Muslims that the Conservative Party tolerate Islamophobia, allow it to fester in society, and fail to put in place the measures necessary to root out this type of racism."

Comment: This seems like a pearl-clutching reaction to any criticism of other cultures. No culture is beyond criticism. And while some of his comments are crass and tasteless, Boris isn't wrong in citing issues with Islam in regards to Islamic persons integrating into British society. People's reticence to talk about the issue is the real issue.

There are a lot of things to criticize Boris Johnson on, but this isn't one of them.

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Penis Pump

Indian Diplomat slammed for saying Kashmir issue needs Israel-like solution

Geeta Mohan
India Today
Thu, 28 Nov 2019 06:00 UTC
Chakravorty
India's Consul General in New York Sandeep Chakravorty
After a massive controversy erupted over comments made by India's Consul General in New York on Kashmir during a private dinner, he has said that his statement was taken "out of context".

In a tweet on Wednesday, the Indian diplomat Sandeep Chakravorty wrote, "I have seen some social media comments on my recent remarks. My remarks are being taken out of context."

His video saying that India could follow the "Israeli model" in rehabilitating Kashmiri Pandits in the valley had gone viral on social media.

Comment: The above is revealing in how diplomats and politicians alike speak behind closed doors, as well as how many see Israel and its genocide of the Palestinians for what it really is:

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Light Sabers

NATO spat: Macron slams Ankara's operation in Syria, Turkish FM calls him 'sponsor of terrorism'


RT
Thu, 28 Nov 2019 16:04 UTC
Macron Cavusoglu
© Reuters / PoolFILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
French president and Turkish foreign minister have been throwing verbal punches over Ankara's military incursion into Syria that drove a wedge between NATO members.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Turkey on Thursday that it is alienating allies, and should not depend on support from the multinational alliance while also carrying out widely-condemned military operations against Kurds in northern Syria as a "fait accompli."

Mevlut Cavusoglu was quick to respond, slamming Marcon for previous meetings with Kurdish representatives.

"He is already the sponsor of the terrorist organization and constantly hosts them at the Elysee. If he says his ally is the terrorist organization...there is really nothing more to say," Cavusoglu told reporters in parliament. He went on with more attacks on Macron's foreign politics, saying that the French president "cannot be the leader of Europe by wobbling like this."

Comment: See also:

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Light Sabers

Turkey holds NATO hostage until Syria-related demands are met

Sarah Abed
infobrics.org
Thu, 28 Nov 2019 12:00 UTC
NATO
NATO is in a state of division and instability with the US, Turkey, and France at odds, providing President Trump with the perfect opportunity to pull out of both NATO and the UN.

Next week NATO will be holding its 70th anniversary summit in London. Just days before, Turkey is renewing its demand for NATO support for its military operations in northern Syria as well as the formal recognition of the Kurdish YPG as a terrorist organization in exchange for its support. Without these concessions, Turkey is refusing to back a NATO defense plan for the Baltics and Poland.

Without Turkey's formal approval NATO will have a difficult time expediting its defense plan for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Because the two issues are not directly related, some believe Turkey is holding Europeans hostage until they comply with their demands. Not only is Turkey the only Islamic member of NATO but it has the second largest military in NATO granting NATO access to Georgia and Azerbaijan, which makes one wonder, who needs the other more, NATO or Turkey?

Comment: See also:

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Biohazard

Washington, the cesspool of the world, will never rat on itself

Paul Craig Roberts
paulcraigroberts.org
Mon, 25 Nov 2019 12:00 UTC
washington
© AP Photo / Susan Walsh
Former US Attorney Joe diGenova predicts that US Justice (sic) Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report on the Obama regime's FISA court violations and US Attorney John Durham's criminal investigation of the Russiagate hoax perpetrated by the CIA, FBI, Democratic National Committee, and presstitute media will be "very bad for people in the Obama administration. . . . it's going to be devastating . . . it's going to ruin careers."

For the sake of accountable government, I hope that Mr. diGenova is right. But I have my doubts. Cabinet departments and government agencies are not very good at investigating themselves. Attorney General Barr's job is to protect his department. He knows, and will be often told, that to bring indictments against Justice Department officials would discredit the Justice Department in the public's mind. It would affect the attitude of juries toward DOJ prosecutions. John Durham knows the same thing. He also knows that he will create a hostile environment for himself if he indicts DOJ officials and that when he joins a law firm to capitalize on his experience as a US Attorney, he will not receive the usual favors when he represents clients against DOJ charges. Horowitz knows that his job is to coverup or minimize any illegalities in order to protect the Department of Justice from scandals.

Comment: See also: Also check SOTT radio's Behind the Headlines: Babylon, Ancient Rome and the American Empire

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Network

Russia-UK trade & economic potential can overcome political rift - En+ chairman


RT
Thu, 28 Nov 2019 11:14 UTC
London Eye
© FILE PHOTO Pexels
While tensions between London and Moscow have been high in recent years, the benefits of economic cooperation between the two could help to overcome the political crisis, executive chairman of En+ Group, Greg Barker, has told RT.

"I think there is a lot of potential in the Russian market for UK companies and while the bilateral relationship between the two countries remains difficult, nevertheless trade is something very tangible that we can focus on as there both sides can make a really positive impact for good," Barker said in an interview on the sidelines of the annual Russian-British business forum in London.

The business event shows that both UK and Russian companies are seeking opportunities for cooperation, he stressed. Thus, British businesses can grow their footprint in markets outside Europe, which will be especially important after the looming Brexit, and Russian firms can find reliable European partners.

Comment: The UK's economy has been hobbling along for nigh on a decade (or more) sinking its citizens ever deeper into poverty meanwhile Russia's economy was recently described as "bulletproof", and so the UK continues its pitiful attempts at isolating Russia, and in effect its many partnerships, to its detriment.

See:

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