Puppet MastersS


NPC

Bernie bows to the #MeToo crowd, apologizes for 'failures' to combat sexism during 2016 campaign

bernie sanders
© Ethan Miller/Getty Images
In the midst of accusations of sexism and sexual harassment by aides on Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, the senator's former campaign manager acknowledged Wednesday that there had been "a failure," and Sanders is promising to make sure the same problems do not emerge if he runs in 2020.

Over the past week, alumni of Sanders' presidential campaign have stepped forward to allege inappropriate behavior and unfair treatment of women. Numerous individuals said that staff on the campaign had not taken a complaint about sexual harassment seriously and had treated women unfairly.

On Monday, Politico reported that former Sanders aides requested a meeting with the senator and his top political advisers to "discuss the issue of sexual violence and harassment on the 2016 campaign, for the purpose of planning to mitigate the issue in the upcoming presidential cycle." The letter did not provide details of what was being alleged.

Two days later, the New York Times reported a specific instance in which a Latino outreach strategist for the campaign complained to a supervisor that she had been harassed by a campaign surrogate, but the issue was not appropriately addressed.

Erika Andiola was the press secretary for Latino outreach, then later the political director for Our Revolution, a progressive organization that spun off from the 2016 Sanders campaign.

Comment: Efforts are well under way to discredit Bernie, once again paving the way for Killary and her minions:


NPC

'So cool to cuss': Rashida Tlaib calls Trump an expletive during pitch to impeach

Rashida Tlaib  Trump
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (L) President Donald Trump (R)
Freshman U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib wasted no time in calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump just hours after being sworn in.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters Thursday night, the Michigan Democrat and one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress said of Trump: "People love you and you win. And when your son looks at you and says, 'Momma, look you won. Bullies don't win.' And I said, 'Baby, they don't, because we're gonna go in there and we're gonna impeach the mother***er.'"

She later stood by her remarks, tweeting she will "always speak truth to power."

Tlaib's proclamation came hours after the Detroit Free Press published her op-ed calling for Trump's impeachment.

Comment: Rashida Tlaib has some interesting policy positions for a person who is says she is proud of her Palestinian heritage. Update: The press was quick to jump on Tlaib's outburst. She dodged them.




Gold Seal

Former US ambassador perpetuates myth that it's 'not safe' for American tourists to go to Russia

red square
© Konstantin Kokoshkin / Global Look Press
American tourists or students who were considering taking a trip to Russia should probably strike it from their bucket lists, as former US ambassador Michael McFaul has warned on Twitter that it is no longer safe.

This, of course, is total nonsense.

Yet, in a sensational Twitter post on Wednesday, McFaul used the arrest of Paul Whelan - an American arrested for suspected espionage in Moscow - to suggest that traveling to Russia poses a safety risk to American tourists in general.


In reality, Russia is as safe for American tourists (or any other tourists, for that matter) as any other European country is - and the fact that a former official who really should know better is perpetuating the myth of deep, dark, dangerous Russia is utterly ridiculous.


Snakes in Suits

Killary minion David Brock wants 'Bernie bros' silenced for 2020 primaries

David Brock
© Danny Johnston/Associated PressDavid Brock
Well, like it or not the dust has barely settled from the November midterms and the 2020 presidential race is already underway. Campaigns are being launched, names are being floated, "Gosh look what an ordinary person I am!" videos are being live streamed from politicians' kitchens, and we are already seeing many of the same toxic patterns from 2016 resurfacing from many of the same toxic people.

NBC News has published an op-ed by Republican political strategist-turned Clinton advisor and Dem strategist David Brock titled "Bernie Sanders' fans can't be allowed to poison another Democratic primary with personal attacks - Bashing Beto O'Rourke (and every other Democrat) doesn't help liberals' cause in 2020. It only helps Trump." The article explicitly blames Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump on supporters of Bernie Sanders who criticized her during the primary, and makes it clear that such criticisms must be forcefully and aggressively fought against this time around.

Comment: David Brock is a Clinton operative par excellence. Is he attempting to clear the field for a potential Killary come-back?


Attention

Has Trump been outflanked on Syria troop withdrawal?

us troops syria
© AP Photo/ Hammurabi's Justice News
Trump's possible backtracking on withdrawal from Syria means he may have been once again outmaneuvered by the Deep State, says Virginia State Senator Dick Black.

Following the outcry after President Donald Trump's announcement that he was pulling U.S. troops from Syria, it appears that Trump may be succumbing to political pressure. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) visited the White House on Dec. 30 and afterward told reporters: "We talked about Syria. He told me some things I didn't know that made me feel a lot better about where we're headed in Syria," Graham said. Trump's withdrawal plans are "slowing down in a smart way," Graham said, according to NBC News.

The Washington Post added: " 'Graham described Trump's decision as 'a pause situation' rather than a withdrawal, telling reporters, "I think the president's taking this really seriously." Graham said: "He promised to destroy ISIS. He's going to keep that promise. We're not there yet. But as I said today, we're inside the 10-yard line, and the president understands the need to finish the job."

The senator comments:

The mainstream media refuses to acknowledge that the hardest fighting against ISIS and al Qaeda has been done by Syria and its allies. Indeed, we label Iran's fight against Syrian terrorists as "malign activity," ignoring the fact that al Qaeda in Syria [al Nusra] is the progeny of the al Qaeda force that highjacked jets and flew them into the Twin Towers and Pentagon, killing 3,000 Americans on 9-11.

Comment: Senator Black is to be commended for his consistent, principled stand against US warmongering around the world. He has shown rare courage in these days of Congressional toadying to the Military Industrial Complex that runs the government. Trump may have a few tricks up his sleeve yet, in his campaign to pull out of the wars the US has mired itself in:

Trump Flips Terrorism Narrative to Justify US Military Withdrawal From Syria And Afghanistan


Handcuffs

France extradites former Moscow region official accused of $200ml fraud to Russia

briefcase money handcuffs embezzle3ment
© Global Look Press / West Coast Surfer / File
France has extradited the former Moscow regional finance minister to Russia. The once high-ranking official and his American wife stand accused of embezzling billions of rubles from the regional budget.

The French law enforcement "have complied with the extradition request," the Russian Prosecutor General's office said in a statement, adding that the former official, identified as Aleksey Kuznetsov, arrived to Russia on January 3, accompanied by the Russian Interpol agents and the officers of the Federal Penal Correction Service.

Kuznetsov's case dates back to 2010, when he was charged with 10 counts of fraud, 3 counts of embezzlement, as well as with legalization of criminal assets. The damage his criminal actions inflicted to the Moscow region government, local housing and utility services as well as some local businesses amounted to an astonishing 14 billion rubles ($200mn).

Comment: Notice the pointed reference to the US. Its track record for 'international cooperation' with Russia is abysmal.


And should the US ever decide to start acting like the civilized country it pretends to be, it would do well to start with William Browder, the criminal that stirred up all the trouble with Russia in the first place:





Wall Street

Google shifted $23 billion to tax haven in Bermuda in 2017

Google logo
© Sipa France via AP ImagesGoogle logo
Google moved 19.9 billion euros ($22.7 billion) through a Dutch shell company to Bermuda in 2017, as part of an arrangement that allows it to reduce its foreign tax bill, according to documents filed at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce.

The amount channeled through Google Netherlands Holdings BV was around 4 billion euros more than in 2016, the documents, filed on Dec. 21, showed.

"We pay all of the taxes due and comply with the tax laws in every country we operate in around the world," Google said in a statement.

Bad Guys

US NGO teams up with with Gulf terror sponsor to target Myanmar

Burma Myanmar soldiers
Fortify Rights is one of several fronts posing as nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) operating across Asia.

Such fronts are in actuality extensions of US and European "soft power." Fully funded by the US, British and various European governments as well as US and European corporate foundations like convicted financial criminal George Soros' Open Society, Fortify Rights positions itself as self-appointed arbiter regarding human rights, democracy and the rule of law at the heart of the sovereign internal political affairs of nations like Myanmar (still called Burma by many Western media organisations and politicians), Thailand, Bangladesh and Malaysia.

Bizarro Earth

US leaving Syria? At least 11 civilians killed in US-led coalition airstrike on Deir ez-Zor

syria airstrike
© Sputnik / Mikhail Alaeddin
The US-led coalition regularly carries out airstrikes in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province and has recently been concentrating its air power on Hajin and Sha'afa.

The coalition's activities in Syria are not authorized by the Syrian government, nor by the UN Security Council.

The Thursday airstrike by the US-led coalition on Syria's eastern province of Deir ez-Zor killed 11 members of one family, Syrian state broadcaster Al Ikhbariya reported. The coalition has pounded the town of Sha'afa.

In November, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the US-led coalition had used internationally prohibited cluster bombs in airstrikes on Hajin and Sha'afa. Previously, multiple Syrian media reports alleged that toxic white phosphorus munitions had also been used in the coalition's repeated attacks in the region.

Comment: It seems there was a brief respite for the people of Syria over Christmas and New Year but now the recalcitrant US-led coalition are back to business. It's little wonder Trump has yet to give a timeline for US withdrawal. Although he does appear determined to pull out at some point: Trump Flips Terrorism Narrative to Justify US Military Withdrawal From Syria And Afghanistan

Below is a brief list of US-led airstrikes on the country over the last few months:


Question

N. Korean diplomatic envoy to Italy goes into hiding with family - S. Korean spy agency

north korea flag
© Reuters / Denis Balibouse
South Korea's spy agency says North Korea's acting ambassador to Italy is in hiding, a Seoul lawmaker said. South Korean media claim he has sought asylum from a Western country.

Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that Jo Song-gil and his wife had gone into hiding. The pair left the official residence weeks before his term was due to be up in late November, South Korean lawmaker Kim Min-ki told the AP.

The NIS reportedly said Jo had not made contact with South Korean agents, but Kim wouldn't say if the agency told lawmakers his current location or whether he intends to defect.

"We have reported that the NIS can not confirm the material and the exile status of the couple," Kim said, JoongAng Ilbo reports.

Some are speculating the move could suggest the ambassador has defected. North Korea is notoriously secretive about such matters.

Comment: Sputnik reports:
[...]

"He sought asylum early last month," JoongAng Ilbo quoted its source as saying, without disclosing the reason for his application.

The report says Italian authorities were "agonising" over what to do about the defector, but added that they "protected him in a safe place" anyway.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy knows nothing about Jo Son-il is seeking an asylum in the country a diplomatic source told Reuters.

According to the JoongAng Ilbo report, Jo defected with his entire family, which is a rarity, since North Korean diplomats are usually instructed to leave their families home, in order to prevent such incidents.

The daily speculates that the ambassador is from the family of a high-ranking official and therefore enjoys certain privileges.

[...]

When Jo came to Rome in 2015, after his predecessor, Mun Jong Nam, had been expelled by Italian authorities in response to North Korea's nuclear tests, he brought his wife and children.

Jo Song-gil is the latest North Korean diplomat to defect to a European country; he follows Thae Yong Ho, Pyongyang's former ambassador to London, who similarly applied for asylum in 2016, citing his wish to give his children a better future. Following his defection, Thae moved to South Korea; Seoul took him and his family under protection.
There doesn't appear to be any reason the South Korean security services would lie, since the South Korean government has been quite clearly working towards reconciliation with the North, and evidently the situation is not without precedence.

See also: