Puppet MastersS


Mr. Potato

The single most idiotic argument in the entire Russiagate saga

Caitlin Johnstone
caitlinjohnstone.com
Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:00 UTC
Tulsi Gabbard tweet
The other day Hawaii congresswoman and Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard came out with what remains the strongest rejection of the Trump administration's regime change interventionism in Venezuela out of anyone likely to run for the presidency in 2020.

"The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela," Gabbard tweeted. "Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don't want other countries to choose our leaders - so we have to stop trying to choose theirs."

Boom. Unambiguous, unequivocal, and without any of the "Yeah Maduro is an evil monster, but" modifiers that other officials (including Bernie Sanders) have been prefacing their feeble objections to Trump's campaign to topple the Venezuelan government with. Which of course outraged all the usual war pundits, including the Washington Post's most reliable military-industrial complex fluffer Josh Rogin.

"Again, @TulsiGabbard shares the same foreign policy position as Russia and the Assad regime," Rogin tweeted in response to Gabbard's statement. "It's probably just a coincidence. #TusiAssad2020"

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Cut

Venezuela: Let's cut to the chase

Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation
Sat, 02 Feb 2019 07:12 UTC
venezuelan oil
Cold War 2.0 has hit South America with a bang - pitting the US and expected minions against the four key pillars of in-progress Eurasia integration: Russia, China, Iran and Turkey.

It's the oil, stupid. But there's way more than meets the (oily) eye.

Caracas has committed the ultimate cardinal sin in the eyes of Exceptionalistan; oil trading bypassing the US dollar or US-controlled exchanges.

Remember Iraq. Remember Libya. Yet Iran is also doing it. Turkey is doing it. Russia is - partially - on the way. And China will eventually trade all its energy in petroyuan.

With Venezuela adopting the petro crypto-currency and the sovereign bolivar, already last year the Trump administration had sanctioned Caracas off the international financial system.

No wonder Caracas is supported by China, Russia and Iran. They are the real hardcore troika - not psycho-killer John Bolton's cartoonish "troika of tyranny" - fighting against the Trump administration's energy dominance strategy, which consists essentially in aiming at the total lock down of oil trading in petrodollars, forever.

Comment: Is what we are seeing yet more desperation by the US to hold on to whatever they can in terms of petrodollar dominance? If so, they're most likely too late and the chaos they are fomenting will all be for nothing - as is usually the case with US interventionism. See also:It's the oil...or is it? A backstory on Trump's coup in Venezuela

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Dollar

The Dollar takes another hit: $7.7 billion of US treasury bonds sold by China

Paul Antonopoulos
FRN
Sat, 02 Feb 2019 22:03 UTC
Published by FRN on: Sep 20, 2018 @ 22:03 - According to data from the US Treasury Department, China made a massive sale of its US $7.7 billion worth of US Treasury bonds.

Beijing has thus reduced its investment in US government debt to a six-month low of $1.171 trillion. Meanwhile, China remains the leader on the list of top US lenders. Japan is in second place, with $1.03 trillion.

Ireland ranks third, with bonds worth $300 billion.
Trump Dollar vs Yuan Currencies
© fort-russ.comTrump's pet Dollar vs world currencies

Comment:

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Bad Guys

How the UAE's secret hacking team of US mercenaries was used to target journalists, human rights activists, teens and American citizens

Christopher Bing, Joel Schectman
Reuters
Wed, 30 Jan 2019 20:54 UTC
computer, typing, hacking
© Sputnik / Kirill Kalinnikov
Two weeks after leaving her position as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. National Security Agency in 2014, Lori Stroud was in the Middle East working as a hacker for an Arab monarchy.

She had joined Project Raven, a clandestine team that included more than a dozen former U.S. intelligence operatives recruited to help the United Arab Emirates engage in surveillance of other governments, militants and human rights activists critical of the monarchy.

Stroud and her team, working from a converted mansion in Abu Dhabi known internally as "the Villa," would use methods learnt from a decade in the U.S intelligence community to help the UAE hack into the phones and computers of its enemies.

Stroud had been recruited by a Maryland cybersecurity contractor to help the Emiratis launch hacking operations, and for three years, she thrived in the job. But in 2016, the Emiratis moved Project Raven to a UAE cybersecurity firm named DarkMatter. Before long, Stroud and other Americans involved in the effort say they saw the mission cross a red line: targeting fellow Americans for surveillance.


Comment: They had to cross a number of red lines to get to that one...


"I am working for a foreign intelligence agency who is targeting U.S. persons," she told Reuters. "I am officially the bad kind of spy."

Comment: Moon of Alabama's rundown of the background to this story is a must read. His conclusion:
'Former' NSA, CIA, military etc have special knowledge and abilities that can be very dangerous. They should be handled like controlled substances. To allow these people to get hired by foreign spy shops is ridiculous.

The above reports of 'former' agents in the wild only scratch the surface of what has become a big business, but is unhealthy for our societies. It is bad enough that state actors spy on us. It will get worse when private businesses do the same.

There will come a day when a crew of former NSA analysts will help some foreign power to defend against NSA analysts who spy on it or will even counterspy on the NSA. There will come a day when former U.S. special operation forces hired by someone will get into a fight with U.S. special operation forces. The outcry will be great. Decent public service pay and sensible regulation could probably prevent the situation.


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War Whore

Russian officials: US has put European allies in an extremely dangerous situation by withdrawing from INF Treaty


RT
Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:27 UTC
BGM-109G Gryphon cruise
© Wikipedia / US Air ForceA launching unit for BGM-109G Gryphon cruise missiles, that were banned under the INF treaty.
The US' suspension of its compliance with the INF Treaty means its de facto dismantling, Russian officials say, adding that Moscow is ready for this outcome but American allies may find themselves in a tight corner.

By declaring that it has suspended its participation in the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Washington merely "confirmed its determination to deal a final blow to yet another important pillar of the international arms control system," said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Russian Senate's International Affairs Committee. He was commenting on a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Earlier on Friday, Pompeo announced that the US would suspend its participation in the INF Treaty for six months, accusing Russia of alleged violation and demanding that it destroys one of its missile types, which is still under development. Russia has repeatedly rejected all such accusations and, in turn, has also accused the US of violating the treaty.

Comment: See also:

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Vader

Fear of US sanctions means European firms 'won't dare' use new EU payment system for trade with Iran


RT
Fri, 01 Feb 2019 19:12 UTC
iran tehran flag
© Agence France-Presse / Atta Kenare
A new mechanism to allow "legitimate trade" with Iran, which was set up by France, Germany, and the UK this week, doesn't change anything for European companies, according to independent journalist Luc Rivet.

He told RT that European companies and others cannot feel confident that they could do business with Iran without being subject to US sanctions.

"I don't know what companies will make use of that mechanism to sell to Iran," he said, adding that it's very dangerous for the companies if they are caught working in Iran.

Comment: As long as the world is dependent on the dollar as THE reserve currency, the US can continue to financially bully it. That predicament may soon be coming to an end.

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Bulb

WikiLeaks mocks Rachel Maddow's latest Russia scare story as 'opportunistic, xenophobic'


RT
Sat, 02 Feb 2019 17:46 UTC
Rachel Maddow
© MSNBC
WikiLeaks has called out MSNBC host Rachel Maddow for her most dramatic scaremongering yet: claiming Russia could freeze Americans to death by cutting off their power during a polar vortex.

Maddow, who has been at the forefront of Russiagate hysteria since the 2016 election, told viewers this week that Russia could take out the US' power grid system during the freezing weather snap.

"What would happen if Russia killed the power in Fargo?" Maddow asked, adding, "What would you do if you lost heat, indefinitely, as the act of a foreign power on the same day the temperature in your front yard matched the temperature in Antarctica?"


Comment: What would you do?



Maddow's claims were circulated on social media where many mocked her for taking the Russia scaremongering to the extreme.
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People 2

Human rights body, IACHR, requests information on Assange's living conditions


teleSUR
Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:43 UTC
Julian Assange
© screenshotJulian Assange
Ecuador received an Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) request for precautionary measures in favor of the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been detained at the Ecuadorean embassy in London since 2012.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that the IACHR has requested the Ecuadorean state provide information on Assange's situation at the embassy in the United Kingdom.

The request was filed with the human rights body after the Ecuadorean Justice, twice, established the legality of the "Special Protocol of Visits, Communications and Medical Care to Julian Assange," which is a set of rules he is obligated to fulfill.

Comment: Since the (US-assisted) change of regime in Ecuador, Julian Assange has become a bargaining chip between the US and its allies..

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Attention

Testimony shows FBI official in charge of Clinton and Trump probes was excluded from key meetings, decisions

Jeff Carlson
The Epoch Times
Thu, 31 Jan 2019 00:00 UTC
Bill Priestap
© Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch TimesBill Priestap, then-Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Dec. 12, 2018.
Closed-door testimony by former head of counterintelligence Bill Priestap reveals handpicked group ran the investigations outside of his control.

Bill Priestap, the high-ranking FBI official responsible for overseeing both the Clinton email investigation and the agency's counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign appeared to not have been in real control of his own investigations.

In closed-door testimony before congressional lawmakers in June last year, Priestap, who served as the head of the FBI's counterintelligence division, acknowledged it was mostly FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI analyst Jonathan Moffa who were "driving the train." Talking to lawmakers, Priestap described the unusual circumstances under which he inherited the team in January 2016, saying the members had been previously handpicked by an unknown high ranking official at the FBI.

In his June 5, 2018, testimony-a transcript of which was reviewed for this article - Priestap appears to have been unaware of key meetings that took place between Strzok and the second highest ranking official at the FBI, Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

Comment: An eyeopener on the inner and exclusive workings within the FBI in bypassing chain of command, from the experience of Bill Priestap, ranking FBI official on both the Clinton email and Trump counterintelligence investigations.

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Stop

US desires to abandon INF, uses Russia as excuse


RT
Fri, 01 Feb 2019 20:54 UTC
Trump follows military into plane
© Reuters/Carlos BarriaUS President Donald Trump and military
Washington's announcement of a six-month suspension of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is nothing but an attempt to make the US look good while it dismantles a pillar of global security, experts told RT.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared on Friday, February 1, that the US had suspended its participation in the landmark INF Treaty, which had served as one of the cornerstones of European security since the last years of the Cold War. While making his statement, the top American diplomat dedicated most of his speech to blaming Russia for this supposedly forced decision and spared no words while describing what he called Moscow's "brazen" and "shameless" disregard for its commitments under the accord.


Comment: See also:

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