Puppet MastersS


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Former terrorists granted amnesty by Assad are sworn into the Syrian Arab Army

Paul Antonopoulos
Fort Russ News
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 17:38 UTC
syria amnesty terrorists
Terrorists pardoned by Assad are sworn into the Syrian Arab Army
In southern Syrian province of Daraa, a large party was held to commemorate the solemn oath ceremony of over 350 former terrorists who became soldiers of the Syrian army. Syrian and Russian military officials attended the event.

"Hundreds of defectors and militant fighters, who once fought against the Syrian army in armed formations, gave on Sunday a solemn oath to serve the homeland," according to correspondent in Syria.

To commemorate the event, a large party was held in the city of Daraa with the participation of Syrian officials as well as representatives of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria.

Comment: Granting amnesty to Syrian nationals who forswear terrorism has been Assad's policy from the beginning. Syria is small, and nearly every family has members on both sides of the conflict. Amnesty allows those who fought against the country a way to mend relations. At the same time, it will be a long road to healing fractured Syria

Returnees or traitors? RT examines conflicted and broken lives in Assad's 'amnesty regiments'

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Question

Trump says 'we have defeated ISIS': US to start withdrawal from Syria


RT
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 17:19 UTC
Us military forces syria
© Reuters / Rodi Said / File
President Donald Trump has tweeted that ISIS has been defeated, as the White House announced that US has started pulling out its troops from Syria.

The US has begun the withdrawal of its troops from Syria, the White House said in a statement. However, it added that the move does not mean an end of the military campaign in the war-torn country but marks a "new phase" in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

"These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign. We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Comment: We have heard this before. Until the last soldier steps out of a transport onto American soil, it may only be a gambit by the Deep State. There's no way Trump would be allowed to make such a move unless there was some larger advantage to the elite. Might this move be in response to Russia setting up positions near the US base in al-Tanf?
Russian forces have established a base in the area of Zaza right on the 55km de-escalation zone line around the US-led coalition base in the town of al-Tanaf on the Syrian-Iraqi border, Syrian pro-government activists revealed on December 12.

A source, who is familiar with the situation, told SouthFront that several advanced air-defense systems and other military equipment were deployed in the new Russian base. More weapons, including heavy rocket launchers, are expected to arrive in the base in the upcoming few days.

The increased activity of Russian forces around al-Tanaf is aimed at deterring and pressuring the US-led coalition, according to local observers, who believe these steps may eventually force Washington to withdraw its troops from the strategic border area.


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MIB

SOTT Focus: UK-funded 'Integrity Initiative' Exposed Infiltrating European Media Through Fake News Factories


RT
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 16:20 UTC
integrity initiative
It's been over a month since hackers began exposing the Scotland-based 'Integrity Initiative' as a UK government-funded propaganda outfit - and gradually new details of the organization's clandestine activities have come to light.

The documents were leaked by a group which claims to be associated with the Anonymous hackers. The first batch of leaks revealed the Integrity Initiative (II) was stealthily operating "clusters" of influencers across Europe working to ensure pro-UK narratives dominate the media.


Comment: That's not so bad in itself, but this was more than simple shameless self-promotion: British spooks and establishment figures were caught clandestinely influencing who does and does not get (s)elected into official positions in other European countries, on the basis of their 'proper ideological worldview'. For these people, the meaning of the word 'integrity' is very different from what most of us understand by it.


The second batch showed that the organization was also running disinformation campaigns domestically - specifically a smear campaign against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn; all done under the guise of combatting "Russian propaganda."


Comment: Same as they did regarding Trump. Corbyn may be 'of the Left', but he clearly has - from the perspective of the deep state - more in common with the US president than relatively superficial differences suggest.


Now, a third batch of leaks has exposed that the project allegedly operated much like a modern-day version of Operation Mockingbird - a secretive 1950s project whereby the CIA worked hand-in-glove with willing journalists in major media outlets to ensure certain narratives were adhered to. Only this time, it's a UK-funded organization with deep links to the intelligence services and military passing itself off as a non-partisan "charity."


Comment: Of course they don't. It's 'our team', after all, and 'we' must help 'our team' or be sent down for treason. Truth, integrity (the normal meaning of the word), and journalism be damned.

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Chess

The dragon bites back: China arrests third Canadian national amid worsening diplomatic spat

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 11:26 UTC
Michael Spavor, Michael Kovrig
© AFPMichael Spavor (L) and Michael Kovrig have been put under "compulsory measures"
That didn't take long.

Three days after warning Canada about "escalation" and "grave consequences" amid a worsening diplomatic crisis, China has arrested a third Canadian national, according to Canada's National Post, which cited a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, the international arm of the Canadian government. No further details were provided, other than saying the Canadian government was "aware of a Canadian citizen" being detained.

Global Affairs diplomatically refused to connect this third arrest to the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver earlier this month. The executive, the daughter of one of China's most successful businessmen, was released on bail last week.

According to the Straits Times, when asked about the arrest at a press briefing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "I have not heard about this."

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor are both being held by Chinese authorities for "threatening National Security."

The National Post noted that China and Chinese media have lashed out at Canada over the arrest of Meng. It also confirmed that the captured Canadian isn't a diplomat or an entrepreneur.

Comment: As Finian Cunningham so presciently warned, Canada will pay a heavy price for its dubious service to Washington...
See also:

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Footprints

Rouhani's son-in-law resigns new post after 2 days amid nepotism accusations


RFE/RFL
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 14:59 UTC
Kambiz Mehdizadeh
Kambiz Mehdizadeh
The newlywed son-in-law of Iranian President Hassan Rohani has resigned from a senior institutional appointment two days after starting the job amid accusations of nepotism against Rohani's already embattled government.

The lightning appointment and exit of 33-year-old Kambiz Mehdizadeh comes roughly four months after reports said he married one of Rohani's daughters in August.

In his December 17 letter of resignation, Mehdizadeh thanked the minister of Industry and Mines for entrusting him to head the Geological Survey of Iran but asked "to be relieved of my service so that I can continue my scientific and research activities."

His mid-December appointment had sparked questions about Mehdizadeh's experience and qualifications to lead the Geological Survey, a mostly scientific body responsible for exploring and mapping Iran's geology and its resources and cooperating on related topics with its counterparts abroad.

It is a potentially embarrassing blow to Rohani, a longtime establishment figure who has won two terms as a reformist bent on providing jobs and -- more controversially -- reengaging with the West.
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Briefcase

Sentencing has been delayed in Flynn case: Judge blasts ex-National Security Adviser

Chuck Ross
The Daily Caller
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 13:26 UTC
Flynn
© REUTERS/Joshua Roberts /FileFormer U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn departs after a plea hearing at U.S. District Court, in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2017.
Michael Flynn's sentencing in the special counsel's case was delayed for 90 days on Tuesday during a hearing that saw the judge handling the case question whether the former national security adviser committed treason against the U.S.

Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, took Judge Emmet Sullivan up on an offer to delay sentencing until the retired lieutenant general finishes his cooperation with prosecutors handling other criminal investigations.

The delay comes as a surprise since Flynn's team appeared poised to go through with sentencing at the beginning of Tuesday's hearing. The special counsel's office had recommended that Flynn be sentenced to the low-end of a zero to six month sentencing guideline because of his "substantial cooperation" with prosecutors.

Comment:

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Pirates

Who are the real state sponsors of terrorism?

Eric Zuesse
Strategic Culture Foundation
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 11:29 UTC
Clinton
© flickr
On 30 December 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a cable (subsequently released to the public by wikileaks) to America's Ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, and Pakistan, headlined, "Terrorist Finance: Action Request for Senior Level Engagement on Terrorism Finance."

She told those Ambassadors to make clear to the given nation's aristocrats that, under the new US President, Barack Obama, there would no longer be any allowance for continuation of their donations to Al Qaeda and other jihadist groups that attack the United States.

It opened, "This is an action request cable," meaning that the operations of the local US Embassy in the given nation would be monitored for compliance with the Secretary of State's "request."

Clinton's focus was:
on disrupting illicit finance activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the external financial/logistical support networks of terrorist groups that operate there, such as al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT). The IFTF's [Interagency Illicit Finance Task Force] activities are a vital component of the USG's [US Government's] Afghanistan and Pakistan (Af/Pak) strategy dedicated to disrupting illicit finance flows between the Gulf countries and Afghanistan and Pakistan. The IFTF has created a diplomatic engagement strategy to assist in the accomplishment of this objective. The strategy focuses on senior-level USG engagement with Gulf countries and Pakistan to communicate USG counterterrorism priorities and to generate the political will necessary to address the problem. The IFTF has drafted talking points for use by all USG officials in their interactions with Gulf and Pakistani interlocutors. These points focus on funding for terrorist groups threatening stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan and targeting coalition soldiers. These points have been cleared through the relevant Washington agencies.

Comment: See also:

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Snakes in Suits

Is the FBI withholding evidence of the Clinton Foundation's 'Pay to Play' schemes?


Sputnik
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 11:13 UTC
Hillary Clinton winking
© AP Photo / Charlie Neibergall
Republicans in the House of Representatives' Oversight Committee held a hearing on Thursday to examine allegations of quid pro quo agreements at the Clinton Foundation during Hillary Clinton's time as Secretary of State.

Mark Meadows (R-NC), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, a powerful investigative team for the House of Representatives, began the hearing by expressing his concern over reports of a massive drop in donations to the Clinton Foundation after the former secretary lost her bid for the White House.

​The Center for Responsive Politics reported yesterday that the charity's cash flow "nosedived to a 15-year low" following the results of the 2016 election. The foundation pulled in some $38.4 million in 2017, compared to $249 million in 2009, Clinton's first year as Secretary of State, and $62.9 million in 2016. That's a 58 percent decline in one year.
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Snakes in Suits

The FBI is muzzling the only person with credibility left in the Flynn investigation

Sara Carter
saraacarter.com
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 11:13 UTC
Mike Flynn
There is a shroud of mystery regarding the actual facts that surround the first interview former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had with two FBI Special Agents at the White House. Pieces of the puzzle, however, have slowly come together over the past year. In the past week, those pieces of evidence, or lack thereof, have become even more pronounced after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office was ordered by Judge Emmet Sullivan to turn over all documentation and FBI interviews - known in the bureau as 302s - to the court.

The highly redacted documents revealed a startling fact, the 302 from the first interview with Flynn on Jan. 24, 2017 appears to be missing. The only document referencing the interview conducted by both Former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and his partner at the time FBI Special Agent Joe Pietka III, is an August 2017 document. The 302 from Aug. 22, 2017, is of an interview the bureau had with anti-Trump agent Strzok based on notes he had put into the FBI system on July 19. Those notes apparently were regarding his impressions of his interview with Flynn in January.
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Star of David

Republicans and Democrats find something they can agree on - a 'free speech exception' for Israel 

Lara Friedman
Medium
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 11:13 UTC
Congress Constitution First Amendment
In the turbulent Trump era, concern about free speech is a bipartisan affair. Republicans decry efforts to silence voices of the political and religious Right; Democrats celebrate protests against the Trump administration and its policies. At the same time, however, lawmakers from both parties are working together to erode the First Amendment, in a joint effort to create a new political free speech exception for Israel. The potential ramifications of this effort are far-reaching and should provoke deep bipartisan alarm.

In Congress, these efforts take the form, most prominently, of pending legislation - long a key element of AIPAC's legislative agenda - that would criminalize many voluntary boycotts of Israel or Israeli settlements, if the decision to boycott is undertaken in support of a call by the United Nations or the European Union. Grounded in the clear goal of preventing pressure on Israel for its policies vis-à-vis the territories it occupied in the 1967 War, most notably with the construction of civilian settlements, this legislation is justified as nothing more than an "update" to existing U.S. laws that prohibit compliance with the Arab League boycott of Israel. This justification discloses at best a flawed understanding either of the new legislation or existing law, and at worst a deliberate effort to deceive the public about both.
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