Puppet MastersS


Dominoes

Tick tock for the Clinton Crime Foundation

Daniel John Sobieski
Flopping Aces
Fri, 05 Jan 2018 19:41 UTC
hillary
Whether it is merely the FBI trying to restore its shattered credibility or justice finally being done, the news that the pay-for-play activities of the Clinton Foundation are going to get renewed and serious attention is welcome. The Clintons have made a career of ignoring, breaking and skirting the law. Up to this point for the Clintons crime has paid off handsomely, but now they may find themselves caught between Little Rock and a hard place:
The Justice Department has launched a new inquiry into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in any pay-to-play politics or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of State, law enforcement officials and a witness tells The Hill.

FBI agents from Little Rock, Ark., where the foundation was started, have taken the lead in the investigation and have interviewed at least one witness in the last month, and law enforcement officials said additional activities are expected in the coming weeks.

The officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said the probe is examining whether the Clintons promised or performed any policy favors in return for largesse to their charitable efforts or whether donors made commitments of donations in hopes of securing government outcomes.
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Arrow Down

Iran next in the Empire's crosshair for regime change

Finian Cunningham
Sputnik News
Sat, 06 Jan 2018 18:03 UTC
Irianian Protesters
© AFP 2017/Hamed Malekpour/TASNIM NewsIranians chant slogans as they march in support of the government near the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in the capital Tehran on December 30, 2017.
There seems little doubt that the surge in New Year protests across Iran was, at least in part, following a regime-change agenda set by the United States.

Public statements issued by US President Donald Trump and his senior officials all made strident calls in support of protesters while denigrating the Iranian government as a "brutal oppressor." Arguably, that amounts to audacious incitement of sedition in a foreign state, and such American misconduct should be legally sanctioned.

What's remarkable too is just how close the recent turmoil in Iran seemed to follow a well-worn US formula for regime change, including political statements of condemnation; biased media coverage to undermine the legitimacy of the target government; and the apparent hijacking of peaceful protests by violent provocateurs.

Such a formula has been used by Washington and its allies in dozens of countries over the decades, including more recently in Syria during the 2011 unrest that led to an all-out war.

What is acutely resonant is the historical background. Iran was probably the first nation to have been subjected to American regime-change operations in the post-Second World War period, with the CIA-led coup carried out in 1953.

But first, let's look at the flagrant attempts by the US to destabilize the Iranian government through highly pejorative and misleading public statements.
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War Whore

Best of the Web: Mapping a World From Hell: 76 Countries Are Now Involved in America's Never-Ending 'War on Terror'

Tom Engelhardt
TomDispatch
Sat, 06 Jan 2018 22:48 UTC
Western Creation - Osama bin Laden
© Unknown
He left Air Force Two behind and, unannounced, "shrouded in secrecy," flew on an unmarked C-17 transport plane into Bagram Air Base, the largest American garrison in Afghanistan. All news of his visit was embargoed until an hour before he was to depart the country.

More than 16 years after an American invasion "liberated" Afghanistan, he was there to offer some good news to a U.S. troop contingent once again on the rise. Before a 40-foot American flag, addressing 500 American troops, Vice President Mike Pence praised them as "the world's greatest force for good," boasted that American air strikes had recently been "dramatically increased," swore that their country was "here to stay," and insisted that "victory is closer than ever before." As an observer noted, however, the response of his audience was "subdued." ("Several troops stood with their arms crossed or their hands folded behind their backs and listened, but did not applaud.")

Comment: For more on this check out the SOTT Radio show Behind the Headlines: Afghanistan: Where Empires Go To Die

And this SOTT Focus article: The Big Lie - NATO's Killing Fields In Afghanistan and Afghanistan and the CIA heroin ratline

It is 'grim' picture indeed.

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Propaganda

James Risen: Is this the end of 'free' press? NYT caved to Bush, Obama, held NSA bombshell for one year


RT
Fri, 05 Jan 2018 18:04 UTC
mediahandmanip
© unknown
The New York Times was "quite willing" to quash stories at the behest of the government, writes Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter James Risen. He warns that America's press has been muzzled by "hyped threats" to national security.

In an in-depth retelling of his experience as a national security reporter for the New York Times (NYT), published in The Intercept, Risen explains how, on more than one occasion, the NYT yielded to government demands to withhold or kill his stories - including a bombshell report about the NSA's secret surveillance program under President George W. Bush.

Jaded by previous experiences of US government interference in his work, Risen writes that his NSA story set him on a "collision course" with his editors, "who were still quite willing to cooperate with the government." His editors at the Times had been convinced by top US officials that revealing the illegal surveillance program would endanger American lives, Risen said.

Bill Keller, the then executive editor of Times, said the newspaper's decision to shelve the explosive report, which detailed how the NSA had "monitored the international telephone calls and international e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States without warrants over the past three years," was motivated by the lingering "trauma" of the 9/11 terror attacks, and the sobering reality that the "world was a dangerous place."

Comment: Judgements and courses of action are only as good as the objectivity gained from accurate information and evaluation. Deep state wants calculated control, predictable outcomes and uninformed citizens none the wiser.

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Attention

Clinton Foundation, 'largest unprosecuted fraud in history'


Sputnik
Sat, 06 Jan 2018 20:46 UTC
KilBill
© AP Photo/ Julio Cortez
Speaking to Sputnik about reports of a new Justice Department probe into the Clinton Foundation over possible pay-to-play politics during Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, philanthropy law expert Charles Ortel outlined why he believed the Clinton Foundation may very well be 'the largest unprosecuted fraud in history'.

This week, law enforcement officials told Washington political newspaper The Hill that at least one witness had been questioned, and additional efforts were planned in a probe into possible illegal activities during Clinton's tenure as America's top diplomat.

Clinton, who served as secretary of state between 2009 and 2013, is suspected of having traded political favors in exchange for lavish contributions to the foundation, established by her husband Bill Clinton in 2001 after the end of his tenure as president. According to The Hill, the FBI is taking the lead in the probe, and their investigation will include looking into whether tax-exempt assets were converted for personal or political use.

Speaking to Sputnik, investor, writer, and vocal Clinton Foundation critic Charles Ortel outlined the vast possible extent of the Clintons' illegal activities. "I started focusing on this in February of 2015," Ortel explained. "It took me about several weeks to figure out that this is the largest unprosecuted fraud in world history. By my calculations, the declared incoming amounts of the Clinton Foundations are about $2.3 billion, but when you consider all the affiliates around the world, it runs in the many hundreds of billions of dollars."

According to the Wall Street analyst, "The great complexity of this charity, volatility in currency exchange rates, and lax controls, in the [sense] that so many of the trustees and donors are basically political allies of the Clintons who stand to benefit from payments from governments [and other entities make it] rife with potential for fraud."

Comment: In order for this kind of grand theft to continue for so many years indicates how far and wide the circle of collusion has expanded to keep this gravy train running and paying off.

See also:

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Attention

Iran Envoy to UN: Tehran has 'hard evidence' violence, protests incited from abroad


Sputnik
Sat, 06 Jan 2018 20:18 UTC
Khoshroo
© The Times of IsraelUN Ambassador from Iran, Gholam Ali Khoshroo
The Iranian government has hard evidence that the violence in the ongoing protests in the country is incited from abroad, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholam Ali Khoshroo said during an emergency UN Security Council meeting.

"We have hard evidence of the violence in Iran by a handful of the protesters, in some cases resulting in the deaths of policeman and security officers, being very clearly directed from abroad," Khoshroo said on Friday.

Iranian Envoy to the UN Gholam Ali Khoshroo also stressed that the United States is abusing its power as a member of the United Nations Security Council and as a permanent member of the council by calling a meeting to discuss the protests in Iran.

"The move by the United States to bring to this council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for legitimate grievances some exacerbated by none other than US itself in its dereliction of its obligation under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] is an abuse of its power as a permanent member and an abuse of the council itself," Khoshroo said on Friday.

Moreover, Khoshoroo pointed out instigators based in the United States and Europe have been seen inciting violence during the protests in Iran. The instigation has included such activities as encouraging and training people to use Molotov cocktails, capture ammunition depots and stage an armed uprising.

Comment: The US has put itself out on a flimsy limb and is doing its best to saw it off. There is no international support for US action to malign Iran (except from Israel). We await Iran's evidence.

See also:

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Document

All of seven Comey documents labeled classified


RT
Fri, 05 Jan 2018 20:28 UTC
Jamescomey
© Getty Images
Every memo by former FBI Director James Comey on meetings with President Donald Trump was classified, a conservative watchdog reported citing a senior FBI official. Comey had testified the documents were his private notes.

Chris Farrell, director of investigations for the conservative group Judicial Watch made the claim in a Thursday evening appearance on Lou Dobbs' show on Fox News, citing an official in charge of the FBI's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program.

"We have a sworn declaration from David Hardy who is the chief FOIA officer of the FBI that we obtained just in the last few days, and in that sworn declaration, Mr. Hardy says that all of Comey's memos ‒ all of them ‒ were classified at the time they were written, and they remain classified," Farrell said.

Comment: The FBI's days of covering for Killary may be coming to an end as more collusion is exposed and indictments are issued. The bureau was concerned as to whether Killary had intent to break the law...and what of the FBI's intent?

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Key

Austrian Vice-Chancellor: Migrants could live in barracks with curfew - not going to happen


RT
Sat, 06 Jan 2018 03:03 UTC
barracks
© Leonhard Foeger / ReutersA rebuilt shelter for asylum seekers.
Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has suggested housing asylum seekers in barracks, saying that a curfew could even be imposed to enforce it. His ideas, however, are not slated for immediate implementation.

It would make sense "to use one or the other empty barracks," said the vice-chancellor, who is the leader of the right wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) while speaking on ORF broadcaster's show Wien Heute Thursday. There are seven barracks in the Austrian capital, Strache said. "We'll have to think which barracks' are best to use and which are not occupied," he added.

In addition, a curfew would be put in place for asylum seekers. "It has already been discussed in the past, whether all should be back in the barracks by a certain night time," the vice-chancellor said.

Strache elaborated further on the matter during a press conference Friday, stating the government has no plans on "mass accommodations" at the moment, and that his idea of using old barracks for housing migrants is currently off the table.

Austria's new government was sworn in last month, swaying sharply to the right wing of the political spectrum with the inclusion of the FPO in the coalition. The government's inaugural promises included stopping illegal immigration, cutting taxes and reducing the unemployment rate. "It will no longer happen that migrants who have never worked here a single day or paid anything into the social system will get thousands of euros in welfare!" Strache told his 750,000 followers in a Facebook post that has attracted 13,000 "likes."

Comment: The prevailing sentiment in Austria is to tighten borders and weed out asylum seekers. Austria is in defiance of EU policy and has been a target of criticism for its protectionist attitude and actions. See also:

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Snakes in Suits

UNSC convenes US-requested emergency meeting on Iran


RT
Fri, 05 Jan 2018 20:10 UTC
UNSC
© RuptlyThe United Nations Security Council
The UNSC held an emergency session on the situation in Iran, after a week of violent protests there resulted in 20 deaths. Moscow viewed the meeting, requested by the US, as interfering in Tehran's internal affairs.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, dubbed the ongoing unrest in Iran a "spontaneous expression of fundamental human rights," claiming the protests were simultaneously playing out in "over 78 locations."

"In the end, the Iranian people will determine their own destiny. Let there be no doubt the US stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet," Haley said, dismissing any attempts to paint the protesters as "puppets of foreign powers." The US envoy said Washington was absolutely sure they [the protesters] are acting on their own.

Russia's UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the US of trying to exploit the UN mandate to interfere in Iran's internal affairs and undermine the nuclear deal.

"You are dispersing the energy of the Security Council, instead of focusing it on dealing with key crisis situations in Afghanistan, Syria Libya, Iraq, Yemen, DPRK, the African continent. Instead of that, you are proposing that we interfere in the internal affairs of a state. "The real reason for convening today's meaning is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interests of the Iranian people, but rather a veiled attempt to seize the current moment to continue to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," he said.

Comment: The US believes it has found its wedge in revisiting the tired crusade of 'suppressed masses yearning to be free'. Unfortunately, many countries no longer see or believe the US is that glorified beacon of 'justice and liberty for all'. Actions speak louder than hollow and manipulative words, and the world has noticed.

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Better Earth

SOTT Focus: Happy New Year: Here's What to Expect

William Blum
The Anti-Empire Report
Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:38 UTC
World on fire
2018 is going to be a fun fun year. And to better prepare yourself for all the merrymaking here is a calendar of some of the more delightful things to look forward to.
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