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Syrian Army advances in Idlib and Hama, clears 1000 sq km from terrorist occupiers

Drago Bosnic
Fort Russ News
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 16:34 UTC
Syrian Army personnel
The Syrian Army continued its mop-up operations to purge the demilitarized zone in northern Syria of terrorists, and regained full control of over 30 regions there.

Idlib, Hama

The Syrian Documents Center news website reported that the Syrian Army has liberated 34 towns and villages covering an area of 1000 square kilometers in northern Hama and southern Idlib. It pointed to the Syrian Army advances deep inside the demilitarized zone to reopen Aleppo-Damascus Road, and said that the government troops have tightened the noose on Tahrir al-Sham al-Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) in the city of Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Army came closer to capturing areas north of Hama province after its recent advances in southern Idlib that have expanded its rule to areas very close to the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian Army troops engaged in fierce clashes with terrorists from al-Hobait in southern Idlib and took control of Tal A'as heights and the town of Kafar Ain to West of Khan Sheikhoun.

Meanwhile, the Arabic-language website of the Russian Sputnik news agency reported that the Syrian and Russian air forces conducted several airstrikes on the terrorists' centers in Khan Sheikhoun as well as the terrorists' movements near Khan Sheikhoun. A battlefield source also said that the Syrian Army troops are presently seven kilometers to the west of Khan Sheikhoun on al-Hobait road and six kilometers to the east of Khan Sheikhoun on al-Sakik road.

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Dollar Gold

Big election business: Democratic candidates, even critical of Facebook, pour millions into platform


RT
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 16:39 UTC
facebook
© Reuters / Dado Ruvic
Though many Democrats have decried the role of social media giant Facebook in spreading 'fake news' during the 2016 presidential election, the party's new debate rules are driving candidates to shovel millions into the platform.

Even as a growing number of 2020 hopefuls get in line to suggest breaking up the tech firm - arguing it wields too much power and influence, and that it helps to spread misinformation online - their campaigns continue to spend lavishly on Facebook ads.

In the last 90 days, billionaire-investor-turned-candidate Tom Steyer has spent $3.1 million on some 3,200 Facebook ads, blowing the next largest Democratic social media spender, Kirsten Gillibrand, out of the water by over $1 million, according to the site's ad library. In the same period, several top Democratic candidates also spent in excess of $1 million on Facebook ads, including Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Julian Castro, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar.
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Sherlock

Fact check: Kamala Harris makes false claim about Trump and auto jobs

Daniel Dale
CNN
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 16:22 UTC
kamala
© CNNVice-President Kamala Harris
In an interview with CNN on Monday, Sen. Kamala Harris argued that President Donald Trump has failed to deliver on his promises to workers. And she issued a dire warning about autoworkers' jobs in particular.

"He said he was going to help working people, and it is estimated that as many as 300,000 autoworkers may be out of a job before the end of the year," she said aboard her campaign bus in Iowa.

That was a more conservative figure than Harris used July 12 on the radio show "The Breakfast Club," during which she said, "He's helped the top 1% and the biggest corporations. Meanwhile, some estimate that as many as 700,000 autoworkers were going to lose their job before the end of the year."

Both figures are incorrect.
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Snakes in Suits

Justin Trudeau broke federal ethics rules in corruption scandal

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 16:05 UTC
Justin Trudeau
In a hotly anticipated report released months after a former member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet alleged that Trudeau and several members of his inner circle had tried to pressure her into dropping criminal charges against SNC-Lavalin, Canadian Ethics commissioner Mario Dion has ruled that, in doing so, Trudeau violated a section of the Conflict of Interest Act.

In a report published on Wednesday, the commissioner said Trudeau used his position of authority over Jody Wilson-Raybould, the aforementioned former AG and Justice Minister, to try and convince her to halt a criminal prosecution of the Montreal-based engineering giant. According to the report, Trudeau violated Canada's federal Conflict of Interest Act.
"The prime minister, directly and through his senior officials, used various means to exert influence over Ms. Wilson‑Raybould," Dion said.

"The authority of the prime minister and his office was used to circumvent, undermine and ultimately attempt to discredit the decision of the director of public prosecutions as well as the authority of Ms. Wilson‑Raybould as the Crown's chief law officer."

Comment: Trudeau responded by admitting his role but dug in his heels and refused to apologize because he was trying to "defend jobs". Apparently ethics rules are only important to Trudeau when they fit with virtue signaling actions.

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Boat

Gibraltar releases Grace 1 tanker after US move to seize it

Brian Reyes
Gibraltar Chronicle
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 16:08 UTC
royal navy patrol grace 1
© REUTERS/Jon NazcaA Royal Navy patrol vessel guards the oil tanker Grace 1, after it was seized off Gibraltar, July 20, 2019
The US Department of Justice has applied to seize the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar, just hours before the Gibraltar Government was poised to release it.

Gibraltar had been due to lift the detention on the ship this morning but the move by the US means the decision has now been adjourned until 4pm today.

The developments were revealed by Joseph Triay, the lawyer for Attorney General Michael Llamas QC, during a short hearing in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar.

Mr Triay said: "This application was to have taken a very different turn. It was to have been an application for no further order of detention."

The grounds for the US application are not clear at this stage but the court was told it was a request from the Department of Justice for mutual legal assistance.

The case has now been adjourned until 4pm this afternoon while Gibraltar's authorities consider the US application.

Speaking in court, Chief Justice Anthony Dudley made clear that were it not for the US move, "the ship would have sailed."

Comment: Well, it looks like those matters were considered ... and rejected:
Authorities in Gibraltar have released the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, after receiving assurances that its cargo is not destined for Syria. ... Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo agreed to lift the detention on the ship, however, after Tehran gave written assurances that its cargo - 2.1 million barrels of oil - would not be unloaded in Syria. "In light of the assurances we have received, there are no longer any reasonable grounds for the continued legal detention of the Grace 1 in order to ensure compliance with the EU Sanctions Regulation," he said.


The United States requested the government of Gibraltar to transfer control of the vessel to Washington, but Iran's ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, said that effort had failed.

"The US, with its desperate, last-minute efforts, intended to prevent the release of the [Grace 1] oil tanker from detention, and was faced with humiliation," Baeidinejad said.


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Blue Planet

Sane court ruling: Alaskan battered women's shelter not required to admit trans-woman

Kevin Daily
The Daily Caller
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 15:23 UTC
women shelter anchorage
© Youtube/Alliance Defending Freedom
An Anchorage civil rights panel cannot enforce an anti-discrimination ordinance against a battered women's shelter that refused to admit a trans-woman, a federal court in Alaska ruled.

"Downtown Hope Center serves everyone, but women deserve a safe place to stay overnight," said lawyer Kate Anderson of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a public interest law practice that represents Hope Center. "No woman — particularly not an abuse survivor — should be forced to sleep or disrobe next to a man. The court's order will allow the center to continue in its duty to protect the vulnerable women it serves while this lawsuit moves forward."

The shelter is a Christian ministry which operates consistent with its religious views, including the belief that sex is immutable. Hope Center serves approximately 142,000 meals per year, according to ADF lawyers.

Comment: Kudos to the Alaskan court for coming down on the side of common sense. No matter the dress, makeup, hormones or surgery, a male-bodied individual cannot make themselves into a female-bodied individual, only the facsimile of one. The differences go down to the cellular level.

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Attention

Rep. Steve King questions if there would be any population left if not for rape and incest

Clare Foran
CNN
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 21:09 UTC
steve king GOP rep.
GOP Rep. Steve King of Iowa questioned on Wednesday whether there would be any population left on Earth if not for rape and incest, a remark that has drawn condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.

"What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?" he said in Urbandale, Iowa, according to video posted online by the Des Moines Register, which was first to report on the remarks Wednesday.

"Considering all the wars and all the rape and pillage that has taken place ... I know I can't certify that I was not a part of a product of that," King said. "I'd like to think that every one of the lives of us are as precious as any other life," he added.

Comment: Video clip of King making the comments:

It's a bit of a stretch to call King's words "hateful" or "insulting", so much as they are just stupid. It's not a good argument, regardless of which side of the issue you sit on. Regardless of the history of rape and incest and how much they contribute to the current population, this really has no bearing on whether we, as a modern society, should allow for abortions that result from them.

See also: Rep. Steve King: I've Never Heard Of A Girl Getting Pregnant From Statutory Rape Or Incest

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Black Magic

US army to buy Israel's Iron Dome in historic first

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 22:25 UTC
iron dome
A landmark deal for US procurement of Israel's Iron Dome anti-air missile defense systems was finalized this week. It became official when on Tuesday the US Defense Department announced it had formally signed a contract for two complete Iron Dome systems.

Co-developed by Raytheon and Israeli defense firm Rafael, the system has been touted by Israeli leaders as the most advanced short to mid-range interceptor in the world with a proven track record, given that even within the past year it's been engaged in dozens if not hundreds of Hamas rocket intercepts from Gaza.


Comment: A 'proven track record' against (supposedly) Palestinian rockets made from scraps? That's hardly something to boast about: Israel's 'Iron Dome' air defense is a failure, Russia's systems actually work - here's why




"Now that the contract is set in stone, the Army will be able to figure out delivery schedules and details in terms of taking receipt of the systems," a US missile systems analyst told Defense News of the future transfer.

Comment: Israel and the US becoming further enmeshed militarily is a worrying development. Although it will provide them both with even more cover to embezzle public funds under guise of 'national security': "Astonishing fraud": Pentagon stashes billions, spends it later to avoid accountability

See also: Check out the footage below for an example of the fearsome attacks Iron Dome missed - note the cat fleeing the tree after the 'bomb' struck:



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Newspaper

UK's Labour vows to bring down PM Johnson and delay Brexit

Joao Vitor Da Silva Marques
Reuters
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 11:34 UTC
bojo
Britain's opposition Labour Party has vowed to delay Brexit by calling a vote of no-confidence in Boris Johnson's government as soon as it believes it can win.

In a letter to party leaders and other senior politicians, Corbyn said a "strictly time-limited temporary government" would delay Britain's departure from the EU beyond Oct. 31 and trigger a general election.

But Corbyn, a veteran socialist, is a highly divisive figure in parliament and could struggle to win backing for his plan. His party is struggling in polls despite the country's turmoil.

Johnson has promised to take Britain out of the European Union by Oct. 31, with or without a deal, setting the scene for a showdown in parliament where lawmakers are opposed to a divorce without a transition agreement.

Comment: While Parliament may want to block a no-deal Brexit the exasperated British public appear to be wiling to take any Brexit they can get. One wonders how they'll feel if Parliament defy the public vote and sentiment and enforce yet more delays: No Deal has 17-point lead over 'no Brexit' as October deadline looms

See also:

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Bell

The truth about Seth Rich's murder haunts Washington's courts

Ray McGovern
Consortium News
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 00:00 UTC
Seth Rich
UPDATED: It is verboten to utter his name, but a lawsuit and possible declassification of NSA documents could get to the bottom of the Seth Rich controversy, says Ray McGovern.

As if it weren't enough of a downer for Russiagate true believers that no Trump-Russia collusion was found, federal judges are now demanding proof that Russia hacked into the DNC in the first place.

It is shaping up to be a significant challenge to the main premise of the shaky syllogism that ends with "Russia did it."

If you're new to this website, grab onto something, as the following may come as something of a shock. Not only has there never been any credible evidence to support the claim of Russian cyber interference, there has always been a simple alternative explanation that involves no "hacking" at all — by Russia or anyone else.

As most Consortium News habitués are aware, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (which includes two former NSA technical directors), working with independent forensic investigators, concluded two years ago that what "everyone knows to be Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee" actually involved an insider with physical access to DNC computers copying the emails onto an external storage device — such as a thumb drive. In other words, it was a leak, not a hack.

Comment: The real story behind the murder of Seth Rich will continue to be covered up and twisted by the mainstream media and most of Washington's political class. It will take some serious effort and commitment on the part of those in a position to - to bring out the truth of why he was killed - and by whom - for the scales to fall from the general public's eyes about this story.

See also:

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