Puppet MastersS


Star of David

Sigal Mandelker, Israel-born Treasury official at the center of US policy on Iran

Alison Weir
If Americans Knew Blog
Tue, 23 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
Sigal P. Mandelker
© AP/Kamran Jevreili/Jewish InsiderSigal P. Mandelker
At the Center of U.S. Iran policies is an Israel-born Treasury official named Sigal Mandelker. The Atlantic writes that her 'hand is on the lever' of crippling economic sanctions meant to force Iran's 'capitulation or demise'... meanwhile the Treasury Department refuses to divulge whether Mandelker is still an Israeli citizen... (Iran has long been in Israeli crosshairs)

According to a just published report in The Atlantic and a previous article by a former CIA officer, an Israeli-born individual is at the center of U.S. policies targeting Iran.

The Atlantic reports that financial sanctions are the "key tool" the United States has been using against Iran during "the past three presidential administrations." And Treasury official Sigal Mandelker" is the one with her hand on the lever." According to the article:
"Because Trump is anxious to avoid war with Iran but also eager to push the Iranians, she is one of the most powerful officials designing the strategy Trump's administration hopes will force Iranian capitulation — or, failing that, perhaps even the government's collapse."
Mandelker has been working on governmental policies since 2006 - the year in which U.S. officials "focused on finding ways to cut off Iran from the global financial system."
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Document

Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne provided docs to DOJ on FBI's probes into Russia and Hillary Clinton

Sara Carter
saraacarter.com
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 00:00 UTC
Patrick Byrne
© cryptomarketwire.comPatrick Byrne, Overstock Founder/CEO
Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne delivered to the Department of Justice a number of documents, including emails and text messages, in April, regarding both the origins of the Russian investigation, and an FBI operation into Hillary Clinton with which he was personally involved during the first months of 2016, according to a U.S. official who spoke SaraACarter.com. Byrne has also confirmed the account.

Byrne claims the documents, which have not been made public and are currently under investigation by the DOJ, are allegedly communications he had with the FBI concerning both the Clinton investigation and the origins of the Russian investigation. SaraACarter.com did not review the documents, which are now under review by law enforcement.

He approached the DOJ and met with lawyers on April 5th and 30th. The first meeting was without counsel in Washington D.C. A source directly familiar with the interviews confirmed Byrne's account of the meetings.

DOJ officials said they could not comment on Byrne's allegations.

Comment: See also:

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Magnify

A Royal mess? Prince Andrew may find himself deeper into investigation probe after Epstein's death

Polina Streinkova
Sputnik
Sun, 11 Aug 2019 09:23 UTC
Prince Andrew
© WPA/GettyPrince Andrew
US financier and socialite Jeffrey Epstein apparently took his own life at a New York prison, where he had been held since last month on child sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The news came just hours after a bulk of documents, raising suspicions against Epstein's powerful friends, including Prince Andrew, were released.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, may come under new scrutiny following suspected sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's suicide, the Daily Mail claims, citing an unnamed legal source. According to the outlet, following the death of the prime suspect, an FBI probe could now focus their "full attention" on his suspected associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, said to have also been friends with the British royal. The legal source, said to be close to the investigation noted:
"Ghislaine is the key to all this now that Epstein will no longer face justice himself. The victims deserve answers and she was the person closest to Epstein. Far from being the end to Prince Andrew's problems, Epstein's suicide could put him under renewed scrutiny because of his close friendship with Ghislaine"
These claims echoed the statements by lawyer Jack Scarola, representing the alleged victims, who expressed hope that Epstein's "possible co-conspirators" would be investigated.

Comment: See also:

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Green Light

Zelenskiy: Decree signed to fast-track citizenship for 'persecuted' Russians, 'defenders' of Ukraine


RFE/RL
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 12:44 UTC
Zelenskiy
© ShutterstockUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has simplified naturalization procedures for foreigners and stateless people who have "defended Ukraine" and for Russians facing "political persecution" at home.

In a decree (No. 594 / 2019) published on the presidential website on August 13, Zelenskiy ordered the cabinet to "urgently" develop and draft a law "aimed at simplifying the procedure for acquiring citizenship."

The decree covers "foreigners and stateless persons who have participated in the implementation of national security and defense measures and citizens of the Russian Federation who have been persecuted for political reasons."

The decree requires the government to submit a draft law on the revamped asylum procedures to parliament within three months.

The move comes less than a month after Russia announced a decree to fast-track the granting of citizenship to all residents of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting a war against Ukrainian troops.
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Arrow Up

Taliban: Afghan-US peace talks were 'long and useful; sides to consult with leaders for next steps


RFE/RL
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 04:41 UTC
Khalilzad
© Tamim Akhgar/RFE/RLZalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan
U.S. and Taliban negotiators will consult their leaders following an eighth round of peace talks to end the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan, the Taliban says. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the negotiations in the Qatari capital, Doha, ended early on August 12, adding: "It was long and useful. Both sides decided to consult with their leaders/seniors for the next steps."

U.S. officials didn't immediately comment. But on August 11, as Afghans were marking the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed hope that "this is the last Eid where Afghanistan is at war." Khalilzad tweeted:
"I know Afghans yearn for peace. We stand with them and are working hard toward a lasting & honorable peace agreement and a sovereign Afghanistan which poses no threat to any other country."
-and-
"Many scholars believe that the deeper meaning of [Eid Al-Adha] is to sacrifice one's ego. Leaders on all sides of the war in Afghanistan must take this to heart as we strive for peace."
Few details have emerged, but a U.S.-Taliban deal would cover the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in exchange for guarantees by the Taliban that Afghanistan would not become a haven for other extremist groups. Such an accord would be followed by intra-Afghan peace negotiations on a political settlement and a permanent cease-fire.

Comment: See also:

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Bad Guys

Bolton courts UK government's Brexiteers: 'EU elites make peasants vote until they get it right'


RT
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 19:05 UTC
john bolton britain UK
© Peter Nicholls/ReutersJohn Bolton said the Johnson-Trump relationship had ‘got off to a roaring start’.
US National Security Advisor John Bolton is in the UK promising London trade deals after Brexit and throwing jabs at EU, arguing that European 'elites' treat voters as 'peasants' - the comment didn't go over well on the continent.

Speaking to reporters in London on Monday evening after a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Bolton laid into the European body, insisting that Brexit - Britain's decision to leave the EU - be honored.

"The fashion in the European Union is when the people vote the wrong way from the way the elites want to go, is to make the peasants vote again and again until they get it right," Bolton said.
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Star of David

Israeli lawmakers to Congress: Two-state solution far more dangerous to Israel than BDS

Michael Arria
Mondoweiss
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 18:31 UTC
Tzipi Hotovely
Tzipi Hotovely waving an Israeli flag with the Dome of the Rock in the background, in a 2014 promotion
On August 12, Twenty-one Israeli lawmakers sent a letter to members of Congress criticizing a bill that condemned the boycott of Israel because it endorsed a two-state solution.

House Resolution 246 (H.Res.246) overwhelmingly passed in the House last month, with just 17 members voting against it. The resolution condemns the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, identifying it as a roadblock in the quest for a two-state solution. "We would like to make our position clear that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be far more dangerous to Israel than BDS," the letter reads. Signatories include Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan (United Right), Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avi Dichter (Likud), and MK Gideon Sa'ar (Likud).

The letter is addressed to the cosponsors of the bill-Rep. Brad Schneider (D-CO) , Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), all of whom are staunchly pro-Israel. According to The Jerusalem Post, Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan helped develop the letter. Dagan has even criticized The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for promoting a two-state solution. "Unfortunately, in the last few years, AIPAC is independently advancing the two-state solution," he told the paper, "AIPAC portrays the two-state concept as an Israeli interest to elected officials in America and as the official position of the Israeli government, even though this is untrue. The two-state concept is not the policy of the current government coalition, nor is it stated as policy in the agreements between the coalition partners. Furthermore, this is not the policy of the Trump administration, which has even removed it from the National Security Strategic Report."

Comment: Everything they say about Russia is true - about Israel.

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Bad Guys

Mueller report fallout continues as Greg Craig trial opens for dodging FARA regulations

Josh Gerstein
Politico
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 18:32 UTC
Greg Craig mueller report Ukraine
© Susan Walsh/Associated PressGreg Craig, former White House counsel to Barack Obama, is set to face trial on a felony charge of lying to and misleading Justice Department officials about his work with Paul Manafort for Ukraine’s government.
The last time reporters and photographers scrambled after the Washington power lawyer Greg Craig as he entered the federal courthouse blocks from the Capitol, he was shepherding a high-profile defendant — Gen. James "Hoss" Cartwright — to face charges of lying in a leak investigation.

On Monday, the press scrum will again descend on the former Obama White House counsel as he makes his way into U.S. District Court, but the cameras will be pointed squarely at him. This time, Craig's the one in the defendant's chair, set to face trial on a felony charge of lying to and misleading Justice Department officials about his work with Paul Manafort for Ukraine's government.

Craig, 74, isn't the only veteran of the Washington establishment to play a starring role in the two cases. Key to both narratives is a prominent and well-connected journalist: New York Times correspondent David Sanger.

Comment: Some previous reporting:

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Bad Guys

Former president of Kyrgyzstan accused of plotting coup after deadly standoff


RFE/RL
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 17:56 UTC
Atambaev
Kyrgyz security officials have accused former President Almazbek Atambaev of plotting to stage a coup after a deadly confrontation with police during his arrest last week.

Zamir Beishekeev of the Prosecutor-General's Office said on August 13 that Atambaev is accused of using violence against representatives of the authorities, organizing mass unrest, and masterminding a murder attempt, among other charges.

Speaking at the same press conference in Bishkek, the head of the State National Security Committee, Orozbek Opumbaev, accused the ex-president of planning to carry out a coup.

Atambaev surrendered to police on August 8 following a deadly two-day standoff with security forces at his residential compound in the village of Koi-Tash near the capital.
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Bulb

Russian lawmakers look to 4-day work week to decrease unemployment


RT
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 17:47 UTC
russian workers
© Sputnik / Evgeny Biyatov
A shorter work week will give Russians extra time for their families and to pursue their interests, without losing any pay, a senior lawmaker says. The measure is also expected to reduce unemployment.

The ruling United Russia party supports the idea of adopting a four-day work week, the deputy speaker of the parliament's lower house, Andrey Isayev, said on Tuesday.

He explained that the measure will allow workers "to take more time off and spend it with their families," as well as investing time in education and taking better care of their health. A shorter work week will also decrease unemployment, he added.
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