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Briefcase

BuzzFeed beats defamation lawsuit over Trump dossier story

Ashley Cullins
The Hollywood Reporter
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 15:36 UTC
Ben Smith
© Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesBuzzFeed News editor in chief Ben Smith
On the heels of what looked like a major setback, BuzzFeed has defeated a defamation lawsuit filed by a Cyprus-based tech CEO in connection with its story about Donald Trump's alleged Russian ties.

Aleksej Gubarev in February 2017 sued BuzzFeed for defamation because he was named in the now-infamous Trump dossier, which the outlet published along with its story.

On Tuesday, a Florida federal judge ruled that Gubarev is not a public figure, which looked like bad news for BuzzFeed. The standard required for defamation of a private person is considerably lower than that of a public figure, which requires a showing of actual malice.

The section of the dossier that references Gubarev claims his company XBT and its affiliates were using botnets and porn to transmit viruses and steal data to the detriment of the Democratic party. It claims Gubarev was a significant player in the operation. The BuzzFeed article contained a disclaimer that the dossier contained unverified allegations and "some clear errors," and Gubarev claims the statements concerning him are false and the outlet published it with reckless disregard for the truth, which is the bar for actual malice.

Comment:

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Eye 2

So much for being progressive: Saudi Crown Prince MBS oversaw double the number of executions after coming to power

Anthony Harwood
Daily Mail
Thu, 20 Dec 2018 15:47 UTC
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman
© EPASaudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman
The Saudi leader 'most likely' to have ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi oversaw double the number of executions in Saudi Arabia when he came to power, according to new figures.

The rate of people put to death spiked during the first eight months after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to power in June 2017.

Human rights charity Reprieve said that between then and March 2018 there were 133 executions, compared to just 67 in the eight months preceding him.

Among them were scores of migrants it claimed are typically forced to smuggle drugs in their stomachs.
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Snakes in Suits

McCain was responsible for Steele dossier leak

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:29 UTC
David Kramer
A longtime associate of late Arizona Senator John McCain leaked a copy of the infamous Steele Dossier to BuzzFeed News, according to a Wednesday court filing, according to the Daily Caller's Chuck Ross.

McCain dispatched former State Department official David Kramer to London on November 28, 2016 where Dossier author Christopher Steele reportedly allowed Kramer to see it, while a copy was later provided to McCain through Kramer. McCain then provided a copy of the document to former FBI Director James Comey during a December 9 meeting, according to an October 2017 Daily Caller report.

On Wednesday, thanks to a filing by US District Court Ursula Ungaro as part of a final report ahead of her ruling in BuzzFeed's favor in a defamation lawsuit, we learn that Kramer provided BuzzFeed a copy of the dossier during a December 29, 2016 meeting. As the Caller notes, it is unclear whether Kramer actually gave BuzzFeed's Ken Bensinger a copy, or if Bensinger took photos of the document - or both.
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Crusader

'Wrong' to arrest rappers & ban concerts, but propaganda of drugs leads to 'degradation' - Putin


RT
Thu, 20 Dec 2018 15:19 UTC
Russian rapper Husky
© Sputnik / Nikolay HizhnyakRap star Husky at a Krasnodar court.
Vladimir Putin dispelled Western media claims he's at war with rap music. The president defended the artists, urging more delicate ways to tackle obscenities and drug propaganda in their songs than arrests and concert bans.

Rap music may seem an unlikely subject for the President's QA session, but it's now a hot topic in Russian society. Several hip-hop stars recently had their concerts outside Moscow and St Petersburg canceled at the last minute.

One of them, Husky, was even slapped with a 12-day arrest for staging an unsanctioned street gig after his show was called off. He was released after a few days though, due to public pressure.
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Toys

Fear factor: May gives cabinet approval to implement no-deal Brexit planning

Joe Watts
Independent
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 12:00 UTC
May brexit
© (L) REUTERS/ Toby Melville; (C) Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/Pool; (R) REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
The cabinet has given the go-ahead for all of the UK's no-deal Brexit planning to be implemented "in full" as the likelihood of dropping out of the EU without any agreement increases.

Downing Street said the government's priority was still to secure a deal, but that it had a duty to plan for every outcome and would now make a series of no-deal announcements in coming days.

Officials will now seek to communicate with six million British businesses, calling on them to enact their own contingency plans, and with private citizens on actions they should take. Whitehall officials will also implement proposals already publicised like those designed to ensure vital food and medical supplies do not run out.

Comment: For an idea on how reliable a politicians word on Brexit is these days:

See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Info

Leftist German lawmakers rebuke Trump over Assange impasse

Andrew Blake
The Washington Times
Thu, 20 Dec 2018 00:01 UTC
German MP Sevim Dagdelen
© AP Photo/Kirsty WigglesworthGerman MP Sevim Dagdelen, left, speaks to the media alongside John Shipton, biological father of Julian Assange, and German MP Heike Hansel, right, outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Sevim Dagdelen and Heike Hansel, Members of the German Bundestag and of its Committee on Foreign Affairs, met Wikileaks founder Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy on Thursday, in light of reports of an imminent end to his asylum in the embassy. The parliamentarians wished to discuss the heightened situation with Assange and come to a humanitarian solution.
German lawmakers followed a rare meeting Thursday with Julian Assange by accusing the Trump administration of violating U.S. and international laws in pursuit of the wanted WikiLeaks publisher.

Sevim Dağdelen and Heike Hänsel, German parliamentarians and members of the nation's Left Party, denounced the international custody battle over Mr. Assange while addressing reporters after visiting the Australian-born publisher at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, his residence since 2012.

"United Kingdom has to take the measures, now, to bring to a solution which is in the frame of international law, and not in the frame of the U.S. administration, who is against international law and against, actually, the U.S. law, against the First Amendment," said Ms. Dağdelen, the Left Party's deputy leader. "We have to actually protect them from themselves not to violate the First Amendment."

Comment: See also:

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Bad Guys

Pepe Escobar: Russia, Ukraine, Minsk agreement fiction and Poroshenko's planned provocation

Pepe Escobar
The Saker
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 10:54 UTC
Ukraine tank
Rostislav Ishchenko is arguably the leading international analyst focused on the extraordinarily turbulent Russia-Ukraine relations. He posts regularly on Ukraina.ru, with frequent English translations here.

In contrast to the 24/7 "Russian aggression" demonization campaign effective on all corners of the Beltway and spreading towards selected European capitals, Ishchenko's analysis, for instance of the information war deployed on all fronts of the Russia-Ukraine saga comes as a breath of fresh air.

Although we were not able to meet in person during my recent visit to Moscow, due to conflicting schedules (the meeting will take place later in the winter), Ishchenko graciously accepted to answer my most pressing questions regarding what could happen next on the Russia-Ukraine front, with translation by Scott Humor.

Ishchenko's answers on the situation in Donbass should also be expanded to Crimea, after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed he had information about Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko planning an armed provocation on the border with Crimea in the last ten days of December.

Comment: While it may be true that the West would gladly sacrifice Poroshenko knowing his time is up, they are likely planning to somehow try to take full advantage of the turmoil resulting from his demise: British spy vessel sighted entering Black Sea following Ukraine's Kerch strait provocation

See also:

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Stop

Putin: It's 'absolutely inappropriate' for Pompeo to discuss Ukrainian church affairs with Kiev


RT
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 11:22 UTC
Poroshenko Ukraine Church
© REUTERS / Gleb Garanichv
It's "inappropriate" for US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the creation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with Kiev, Vladimir Putin said, while also accusing Ukraine's government of interfering with religious affairs.

"The Secretary of State calling Kiev and discussing these issues is absolutely inappropriate, but it happened anyway," Putin told reporters on Thursday. He added that creating an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church was more about domestic politics than religion.

Pompeo had earlier this week reached out to Epifaniy, the newly elected head of the Kiev-backed church, to congratulate him and "to underscore US support for religious freedom and Ukrainian sovereignty."
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Chess

There's more to Trump's "withdrawal" from Syria than meets the eye

Andrew Korybko
Eurasia Future
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 11:22 UTC
Trump Syria
Trump's decision to "withdraw" US troops from Syria is being universally praised by all but his "deep state" foes, but things aren't exactly as they seem and the celebrations might be premature because this deceptive move simply changes the nature of the Hybrid Wars on Syria, Iran, and Pakistan by making them less kinetic but nevertheless equally dangerous.

Trump supposedly "defied" his foes in America's permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies ("deep state") by ordering the "withdrawal" of American troops from Syria, which is being celebrated across the world as a pragmatic peacemaking gesture that's long overdue. The fact of the matter, however, is that this isn't the so-called "retreat" that some in the Alt-Media are portraying it as but is actually a cunning move for more cost-effectively advancing the US' military, political, and ultimately strategic objectives in the Arab Republic and beyond.
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Bad Guys

Fmr Federal Prosecutor: My colleagues coerce innocent people - like Flynn - to plead guilty every day

Sidney Powell
Daily Caller
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 11:22 UTC
Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn
© Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP Photo
Countless people, including a former federal prosecutor, seem oblivious to one of the greatest abuses, outrages, and tragedies of our criminal justice system: innocent people are forced to plead guilty every day.

Indeed, the Innocence Project alone has exonerated 31 people who spent a combined 150 years in prison on guilty pleas. That is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

This horrific injustice is solely attributable to the unchecked power of prosecutors who now function as prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner. They have unfettered discretion, no supervision, no limits, and most federal judges defer to them at every turn.
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