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Light Saber

Venezuela deploying troops "to protect national power grid" from US "aggression"

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Sat, 09 Mar 2019 19:55 UTC
blackout Venezuela satellite
© Katty Verenz/FacebookSatellite images from Venezuela. (enhanced contrast)
Update: Though some parts of Venezuela's power grid have reportedly begun to come back online after the country was plunged into nation-wide darkness beginning Thursday evening, the mass blackout crisis continues, which Caracas has blamed on US-orchestrated saboteurs.

To prevent further "sabotage" Venezuela's Defense Ministry has vowed in an official statement via state TV social media channels to deploy armed forces to protect the national electricity system for the duration of the power outage.

"All the security agencies, civil protection and the nation's integral defense system are deployed to protect and help the people across the country," a statement said, via Bloomberg. This as official accusations against Washington for conducting what Maduro previously called a US "electricity war" have become even more strident.

Comment: Maduro and the Venezuelans aren't stupid. They can see sabotage written all over their grid failure. There's more than just Stuxnet malware available to destroy a power system. What was stupid was psychopathic McCain-wannabe Marco Rubio taking a too-early victory lap on Twitter:


which timing and unusually knowledgable content was duly noted by Venezuela's Minister of Communication and Information.


More from RT:
A cyber-attack is likely the reason for the major blackout that left most of Venezuela in darkness, a Maduro government official said, hinting that the US may be involved in the offensive.

As Venezuela is still reeling from a nationwide blackout, Nicolas Maduro's government says the emergency was the result of an external influence. The major power outage was likely prompted by a cyber-attack against the Guri hydroelectric plant which produces 80% of the country's electricity, Jorge Rodriguez, Venezuela's communication and information minister said on Friday, according to local media.

The official went on to hint that US Senator and fierce anti-Maduro campaigner Marco Rubio may be linked to the offensive. Rodriguez found it suspicious that shortly after the failure Rubio shared specific information on Twitter about the emergency that even local authorities were not aware of at that time.
How did Marco Rubio know [of the attack] a few minutes later that the backup generators had failed? At that time, no one knew yet.
Branding the country-wide power outage "the most brutal attack on the Venezuelan people in 200 years," the minister promised to file a complaint to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

President Nicolas Maduro earlier also raised suspicions of Washington standing behind the power outage as he accused the US of waging the "electricity war." The country's electric energy minister, for his part, said that "deliberate sabotage" on behalf of the US-backed opposition was the reason.



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Arrow Up

Eurosceptic parties set to double seats in EU Parliament after May elections


RT
Sat, 09 Mar 2019 15:03 UTC
le pen salvini
© REUTERS / Stephane Mahe (L) ; REUTERS / Yara Nardi (R)FILE PHOTO: French politician Marine Le Pen and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini
Anti-establishment parties across the EU are expected to receive a surge in popularity at the ballot box, as a poll released Saturday indicates voters tired of the Brussels status quo could lead to a doubling in Eurosceptic MEPs.

Conducted by the German newspaper Bild between late February and early March, the poll surveyed over 9,500 voters in six countries on their voting intentions in May's elections for the EU Parliament. In three countries - France, Italy, and Poland - anti-establishment right-wing parties came out on top, confirming a growing Eurosceptic shift among EU voters.

Parties expected to benefit from this shift in voter sentiment include Marine Le Pen's National Rally party, which could secure 23 percent of the vote in France. In Italy, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's League Party is set to win 33 percent. Both right-wing parties are members of the Eurosceptic Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) group, which expects to increase its number total of MEPs from 37 to 67 in the 705-seat Parliament.

Comment: Living standards for citizens throughout the EU have deteriorated to such an extent that people can no longer ignore the endless lies of their politicians: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Bad Guys

Best of the Web: The US stealth war on Venezuela

Finian Cunningham
Sputnik
Sat, 09 Mar 2019 16:46 UTC
hands off venezuela protest sign
© REUTERS / Juan Carlos Ulate
As Venezuela's nationwide crippling power outage goes into days, rather than hours, the suspicion grows that the South American country has been hit with a mass attack by the United States.

When US President Donald Trump and other senior White House officials earlier bragged that "all options are on the table" for Washington's regime change objective in Venezuela, it has to be assumed now that one of those options included a devastating cyber sabotage of the country's power infrastructure.

For its part, the government of President Nicolas Maduro is convinced that the US is waging an "electrical war" and is behind the latest power outages. Washington and its anointed Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaido claim that the disruption is the result of "incompetent management" of the country by Maduro's socialist government.


Comment: The timing of this alleged outage is seemingly quite a coincidence. Is the government so incompetent that their electrical grid suddenly failed en masse for days with no solution in sight? Considering Maduro's currently perilous position, would the current Venezuelan government benefit from such a significant problem that impacts all its people? If not, who does benefit?


Comment: With the US beating the war drums for "regime change" in Venezuela and its history of covert warfare, coupled with this seemingly anomalous mass power outage incident, the evidence does currently suggest that the US is behind this current problem, with the goal of overthrowing Maduro.

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TV

Best of the Web: MSNBC panelist says Bernie should embrace capitalism because his father fled Nazis. Wait, what?


RT
Sat, 09 Mar 2019 20:23 UTC
bernie trump
© AFP / Chip SomodevillaSenator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Corporate media criticism of democratic socialist Bernie Sanders is to be expected, but RT's Lee Camp was taken aback by MSNBC's suggestion that the senator should embrace capitalism because... his father fled the Nazis.

The news network assembled one of its panels to dissect a speech that the popular presidential candidate gave about his people-over-profits platform - and the resulting commentary was far too predictable. Political analyst Rick Tyler argued that the big "lesson" Sanders should have learned, considering his Polish father was a refugee who escaped Nazi occupation, is that "a prosperous capitalist society works for people."

To which Camp replied: "Really? I would think the takeaway would have been, 'Nazis f***ing suck!'"

He also noted that Sanders was being scolded essentially for choosing healthcare-for-all over "unfettered capitalism" - a policy stance that clearly doesn't sit well with MSNBC's corporate ownership.


Comment: From 'Bernie is Hitler' to 'Bernie should know better because Hitler' in just over one week.

What is up with some people's infatuation with Hitler??

And why is he and his legacy the benchmark for political debates about social and economic ideas in a different country almost a century later??

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X

Manafort was an agent of Ukraine, not Russia

Andrew McCarthy
National Review
Sat, 09 Mar 2019 06:30 UTC
Manafort
© Kevin Dietsch/UPIPaul Manafort
He is a scoundrel, but he was never a Kremlin operative.

Paul Manafort, the clandestine agent of Russia at the heart of the Trump campaign's "collusion" scand - oh, wait.

Have you ever noticed what Paul Manafort's major crime was? After two years of investigation, after the predawn raid in which his wife was held at gunpoint, after months of solitary confinement that have left him a shell of his former self, have you noticed what drew the militant attention of the Obama Justice Department, the FBI, and, ultimately, a special counsel who made him the centerpiece of Russia-gate?

According to the indictment Robert Mueller filed against him, Manafort was an unregistered "agent of the Government of Ukraine." He also functioned as an agent of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's president from 2010 to 2014, and of two political parties, the Party of Regions and its successor, the Opposition Bloc.

Manafort was not an unregistered agent of Russia. Mueller never alleged that Manafort was a clandestine operative of the Kremlin. He worked for Ukraine, not Putin. Indeed, for much of his time in Ukraine, he pushed his clients against Putin's interests.

Comment: See also:

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X

Gabbard's pro-INF bill given 'no chance' due to longterm strategy by the MIC lobby


Sputnik
Fri, 08 Mar 2019 22:01 UTC
Gabbard/Pershing II missiles
© CC0/The Hill/Stefani ReynoldsRep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) • Pershing II missiles
In a last-ditch effort to keep the US from exiting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), Democratic Party presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard introduced a draft bill to Congress which would prevent the authorization of government funds for the testing, procurement or deployment of any missile prohibited under the treaty.

Congress released the full text of Gabbard's bill, dubbed the INF Treaty Compliance Act of 2019, this week, with the proposed legislation originally introduced by the Hawaii congresswoman in mid-February for deliberation by the House Armed Services Committee.

Gabbard had earlier described Trump's decision to pull out of the 1987 treaty as a "reckless" move which could exacerbate "a new Cold War" with Russia. The bill has now been cosponsored by six Democratic lawmakers, including Ilhan Omar, James McGovern, Mark Pocan, Barbara Lee, Raul M. Grijalva, Eleanor Holmes Norton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Comment: See also:

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Alarm Clock

Cohen met with Schiff staff over 10 hours before House Oversight Committee hearing

Gregg Re, Catherine Herridge
Fox News
Sat, 09 Mar 2019 00:00 UTC
Adam Schiff
© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen told House investigators this week that staff for Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., traveled to New York at least four times to meet with him for over 10 hours immediately before last month's high-profile public testimony, according to two sources familiar with the matter -- as Republicans question whether the meetings amounted to coaching a witness.

The sources said the sessions covered a slew of topics addressed during the public hearing before the oversight committee -- including the National Enquirer's "Catch and Kill" policy, American Media CEO David Pecker and the alleged undervaluing of President Trump's assets.

But, Republicans have raised concerns with the sessions, with Ohio Rep. Mike Turner sending a letter to Cohen's team on Wednesday demanding answers.

Turner specifically asked for confirmation of Cohen's contacts, if any, "with Democratic Members or Democratic staff of SSCI [Senate Select Committee on Intelligence], COR [House Committee on Oversight and Reform], or HPSCI [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] prior to his appearances before House and Senate committees last week" -- as well as the lengths of such contacts, their locations and who exactly was involved.

"These questions are important for the public to understand whether or not they were watching witness testimony, a public hearing, or well-rehearsed theater," he wrote.


Comment: See also:

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Stop

Pentagon warning: 'Grave consequences' should Turkey buy Russian missile system

Aaron Mehta
Defense News
Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:00 UTC
Russian S-400
© Alexey Sazonov/AFP via Getty ImagesRussian S-400 rocket systems
Turkey faces "grave consequences" if it continues plans to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system, including being blocked from buying the F-35 fighter jet and Patriot air defense systems, the Pentagon's top spokesman said Friday.

Asked about comments made earlier this week by America's top general in Europe, acting press secretary Charlie Summers said: "If Turkey takes the S-400, there would be grave consequence in terms of our military relationship, and the Patriots and the F-35s."

"They will not get the F-35s if they take the S-400," he added, later indicating the potential Patriot sale would also be blocked.

The comments came a few days after U.S. European Command head Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said it would be his best military advice to bar Turkey from getting the F-35, should the country continue on the path of procuring the S-400.

The comments come as part of this week's back-and-forth between Ankara and Washington on the issue.
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Arrow Up

Poland: US spy drone base now fully operational, yet NATO bemoans 'Russian' military build-up


RT
Fri, 08 Mar 2019 12:04 UTC
MQ-9 Reaper drone
© REUTERS/Omar SobhaniMQ-9 Reaper drone
The US has upped its ability to spy over vast swathes of eastern Europe after a squadron of MQ-9 Reaper drones commenced "full" operations from an air base in Poland. This, as NATO cries foul over the so-called 'Russian threat'.

Based out of Miroslawiec Air Base, the US Air Force (USAF) silently began using the facility for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions last May.

However, it was not until March 4 that the 52nd Fighter Wing Expeditionary Operations Group (EOG), which operate drones, reached its "full operational capability" at the base, according to a USAF statement.

Facilities at the base, which include a secure processing center, communications infrastructure, and a large aircraft maintenance hangar, will allow the unit and contractors to control all aspects of the Reaper's missions, from take-off to recovery of the aircraft. The USAF statement didn't divulge the number of Reaper drones that would be stationed at the base.


Comment: See also:

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Pocket Knife

Viva Russiagate: MSNBC prediction Moscow will 'shank' Paul Manafort in prison doesn't make the cut


RT
Fri, 08 Mar 2019 16:26 UTC
Malcolm Nance
© MSNBC
Paul Manafort's 4-year prison sentence will allow Moscow to more easily murder him, MSNBC's favorite Russia expert has declared - never mind that the presiding judge said the case had nothing to do with "Russian collusion."

The former Trump campaign manager received 47 months in prison for tax and bank fraud - a punishment far less severe than the 24 years recommended by prosecutors. During sentencing, US District Judge T.S. Ellis said that locking Manafort up for two decades would be "excessive," noting that "he is not before the court for anything having to do with colluding with the Russian government."

This can only mean one thing, according to MSNBC's Malcolm Nance, a former Navy cryptologist who served in the Middle East but then transitioned to styling himself as a knowledgeable Russia expert: "Manafort may be headed to white collar jail but that just means Russia can more easily get a shank in him," Nance tweeted, using highly sophisticated cryptologist lingo for 'assassination'.
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