Puppet MastersS


Attention

Did Facebook's favors for the Obama campaign constitute a violation of federal law?

Hans A. von Spakovsky
Fox News
Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:00 UTC
ObamZucks
© Getty ImagesObama and Zuckerberg having a moment.
Controversy continues to swirl around how the consulting firm Cambridge Analytica obtained personal data from over 50 million Facebook users without their knowledge and used it to target ads to individuals in an effort to help Donald Trump be elected president in 2016.

But a more serious case of apparent misconduct involves Facebook data going to a different presidential campaign - this time in 2012. In this case, which is getting far less attention, Facebook reportedly voluntarily provided data on millions of its users to the re-election campaign of President Obama.

If true, such action by Facebook may constitute a major violation of federal campaign finance law as an illegal corporate campaign contribution. The matter should be investigated by the Federal Election Commission - an agency I am quite familiar with, because I served as one of its commissioners from 2006 to 2007. The commission enforces campaign finance laws for congressional and presidential elections.

A federal law bans corporations from making "direct or indirect" contributions to federal candidates. That ban extends beyond cash contributions to "any services, or anything of value." In other words, corporations cannot provide federal candidates with free services of any kind. Under the Federal Election Commission's regulations, "anything of value" includes any "in-kind contribution."

Whether or not the Obama campaign and Facebook violated this ban is an open question. It should be investigated by the Federal Election Commission and potentially the U.S. Department of Justice.

Comment: Democrats: Adding one more spectacular head-on crash to their massive pile-up of criminal violations? At this point, it's hard to keep count.

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Propaganda

UK to launch anti-Russian propaganda war via 'Fusion Doctrine' defense plan


RT
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 11:44 UTC
Alternativefacts
© Christian Ohde/Global Look Press
Britain is preparing for a counter-propaganda war against Russia amid allegations that the Kremlin is spreading fake news regarding the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.

Intelligence services will now be tasked with identifying trolling social media platforms in a bid to clamp down on what is deemed by the UK government as 'misinformation.' The new instructions are included in the Fusion Doctrine, unveiled as part of the National Security Capability Review, to be published on Wednesday. It seeks to tackle the perceived threat from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), Russia and North Korea.

Increased efforts to tackle fake news come amid security experts alleging, in the Telegraph, that Russia put out more than 20 stories "trying to confuse the picture and the charge sheet" over the poisoning of ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury earlier this month.


Comment: "Deemed by the UK government as 'misinformation'" doesn't prove it is misinformation. The UK is establishing a 'one thought-one perception' control source. In utilizing these tactics, the UK is what it accuses - an agency of manipulation and disinformation.

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Calendar

Trump: 'Kim looks forward to meeting me'


RT
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 12:26 UTC
Cartoontrumpkim
© Mike LuckovichThe Talk
US President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had gone well, and that Kim was looking forward to meeting with Trump.


Kim's trip to China this week was the 34-year-old leader's first foreign visit since he assumed office in 2011. The trip more than likely served as a warm-up to summits with the United States and South Korea in the coming months.

According to China's Xinhua News Agency, Kim pledged to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and in return Xi pledged to maintain China's long-standing alliance with the pariah nation.


Comment: Kim's visit to China was a smart move which shows he is willing to layer a deal with the US, having consulted with an intermediary acceptable to both sides. It is in everyone's interest, including China, to have the Kim-Trump talk go well and be productive. So...what will the nefarious factions in the US come up with to sabotage this international effort? Must be something simmering.

For a clearer idea of US-NK relations over numerous decades, see also:
Looking back: Fault lies on both sides after 25 years of NK negotiations

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Better Earth

Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping Beijing talks affirmed commitment to denuclearization of Korean peninsula


RT
Tue, 27 Mar 2018 23:45 UTC
KimandXi
© XinhuaKim Jong-un and Xi Jinping
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have held talks in Beijing, in Kim's first foreign trip since taking office. Kim's wife reportedly accompanied him.

Both Chinese and North Korean state media have confirmed that Kim is on a state visit to China. Kim arrived at the invitation of the Chinese president, and stayed for an unofficial four-day visit.

The visit comes ahead of the highly anticipated talks between Kim and US President Donald Trump, which are expected to be held by the end of May. The exact date has not been set yet, and it was feared that the denuclearization issue, a long-standing stumbling block in US-North Korea relations, will be an unsurmountable obstacle on the way to a potential breakthrough.


Comment: Tentative good news if Kim is sincere in what he says and cooler heads prevail. Xi's message to Trump suggests there was acknowledgement between US and China as to approach and tactics in confronting Kim.

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Dollar

Trump approves $20M for subversion against Cuba


Radio Rebelde
Mon, 26 Mar 2018 10:16 UTC
Trump
© PanAm Post
US President Donald Trump approved over the weekend a 20-million-dollar fund to support subversive actions against Cuba.

The move, which is commonplace as part of the permanent US's anti-Cuba policy, came in after Trump himself had proposed to eliminate such funds in May 2017. The money dedicated to subvert internal order in Cuba is part of the US budget for fiscal 2018.

Despite large cuts by the White House to funds destined to the State Department, the USAID and foreign assistance programs for this year, Washington did not hesitate in allocating the large sum of money also destined by previous US administrations to undertake subversive programs in Cuba under the so-called promotion of democracy projects.

Since 1996, when the Helms-Burton Law was adopted, Washington has used public funds for anti-Cuba programs. The Obama administration proposed 20 million dollars annually for those aims from fiscal 2009 to 2016. Add to these the funds destined to maintain subversive radio and TV transmissions plus the money to fund penetration and intelligence actions.

Comment: For a glimpse at US domination and requirements from Cuba since the Clinton era, click the Helms-Burton Law link above. Congress was given two days to read and comprehend over 2K pages of complex budget proposals, of which this aspect was included, due to a government shutdown deadline. The legislation passed without scrutiny or comprehension or debate. This is a travesty that never should happen.

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Star of David

Deputy defense minister claims Israel can annex West Bank and still not give Palestinians right to vote


Middle East Monitor
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 19:05 UTC
israel defense minister Ben-Dahan
Israel's Deputy Defence Minister Eliyahu Ben-Dahan
Israel's deputy defense minister, MK Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, has claimed that Israel could annex the entirety of the occupied West Bank, without giving its Palestinian residents the right to vote.

Ben-Dahan made the remarks in an interview with the pro-settler news outlet Arutz Sheva, and in particular, addressed the issue of demographics between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea.

"The clear and absolute thing is that we are here in the Land of Israel and we are not afraid of any attempts to frighten us", he said. "They want to scare us, that maybe soon we will not be a majority and therefore we have to abandon Judea and Samaria [the West Bank]. This is a grave mistake".

Comment: Israeli arrogance on full display.

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Attention

Cindy Sheehan: Iraq 15 years later - What's to celebrate?

Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 00:00 UTC
shock and awe
SHOCKing and AWE-ful
On the morning of March 20th, 2003, the USA, under then Commander in Grief, George W. ("W" for WTF?) Bush began "SHOCKing and AWE-ful" against the already beleaguered population of Iraq.

The transformation of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from "our son of a bitch" (Imperial trope to designate brutal dictators friendly to US interests) to an enemy of the US Empire began under George H.W. ("W" for War Criminal) Bush along with the lies that Iraqi troops were throwing "scores" of babies out of incubators in Kuwait.

There is overwhelming evidence that in 1990, then US Ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie basically gave Saddam a green light to invade Kuwait and that there would only be "verbal condemnation" from the US, yet we all know what happened in the "First Gulf War."
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Eye 2

Neocons are back and looking for another war - Who's next for the warmongers?

Ron Paul
Ron Paul Institute
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 20:31 UTC
Neocons
On Friday, President Trump signed the omnibus spending bill for 2018. The $1.3 trillion bill was so monstrous that it would have made the biggest spender in the Obama Administration blush. The image of leading Congressional Democrats Pelosi and Schumer grinning and gloating over getting everything they wanted -- and then some -- will likely come back to haunt Republicans at the midterm elections. If so, they will deserve it.

Even President Trump admitted the bill was horrible. As he said in the signing ceremony, "there are a lot of things that we shouldn't have had in this bill, but we were, in a sense, forced - if we want to build our military..."

This is why I often say: forget about needing a third political party - we need a second political party! Trump is admitting that to fuel the warfare state and enrich the military-industrial complex, it was necessary to dump endless tax dollars into the welfare state.

But no one "forced" President Trump to sign the bill. His party controls both houses of Congress. He knows that no one in Washington cares about deficits so he was more than willing to spread some Fed-created money at home to get his massive war spending boost.

Comment: See also:

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Info

Russian Foreign Ministry: Analysis of Skripal case suggests UK intel services involved in incident


Sputnik
Wed, 28 Mar 2018 19:37 UTC
Members of the emergency services wearing protective clothing work next to a children's play area
© REUTERS/ Henry NichollsMembers of the emergency services wearing protective clothing work next to a children's play area near the bench where former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned in Salisbury, Britain, March 13, 2018
The UK Foreign Office has confirmed the content of the reported document with London's "proof" of alleged Russian involvement in the poisoning of Skripal, saying that it fully reflects May's position.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the analysis of the Skripals' case "shows that the UK authorities are not interested in finding out the motives and those responsible for the crime in Salisbury and suggests that the British intelligence services are involved in it."

"The behavior of the British authorities raises many questions. The UK population is itself kept in the dark about the key moments of this announced serious threat of the incident, the total number of victims is unknown," the statements reads.

The ministry has also accused the British lab in Porton Down of "hushing up information" in the wake of the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal.

Comment: Russia has called on Britain to prove it did not poison former double agent Sergei Skripal, saying that unless it sees proof it will consider the incident an attempt on the lives of Russian citizens.
Ties between London and Moscow are badly strained by the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, who remain in critical condition after being exposed to a powerful nerve toxin in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Britain blames Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, but Moscow claims it was not involved and has repeatedly demanded that London provide more evidence.

"An analysis of all the circumstances...leads us to think of the possible involvement of the British intelligence services," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on March 28.


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Attention

Turkish daily portrays Merkel as Hitler, accuses her of "Nazi mentality"


Yahoo News
Mon, 26 Mar 2018 17:32 UTC
merkel hitler
A Turkish daily strongly supportive of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday portrayed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on its front cover as Adolf Hitler, accusing her of having a "Nazi mentality".

The Yeni Akit daily, known for its hardline views on Turkish foreign policy, printed a photo-shopped picture of Merkel with a Hitler moustache, swastika arm band and belt diagonally across her chest in the style of Nazi militia.

"We are very worried by this mentality," it said.

Its front page came as European Union President Donald Tusk and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker were to meet Erdogan at the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Varna in a bid to mend ties with Turkey and the EU.

Ankara has been infuriated by a statement from EU leaders condemning Turkey's "illegal actions" towards Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea.

In particular, the EU lambasted Turkey over Ankara's arrest of two Greek soldiers who strayed into Turkish territory.

Comment: With antics like this, Turkey seems fairly confident in their developing alignment with the east, i.e. Russia. Basically, if NATO wants to keep Turkey in its good books, they're going to have to work for it.

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