Puppet MastersS


Magnify

The Inspector General report's buried lede: Lynch attempted to interfere in Clinton investigation

Daniel J. Flynn
The American Spectator
Fri, 22 Jun 2018 15:45 UTC
lortta_lynch
Buried in Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz's report on the Clinton email investigation lies a disturbing passage concerning information obtained by the FBI alleging that Attorney General Loretta Lynch attempted to put her thumb on the scales of justice to exonerate Hillary Clinton.

"Comey said that he also was concerned about an issue specific to Lynch," Horowitz reports. "As discussed in more detail in the classified appendix to this report, Comey told the OIG that the FBI had obtained highly classified information in March 2016 that included allegations of partisan bias or attempts to impede the Midyear investigation by Lynch."

What, specifically, did the "highly classified information" indicate? It is "highly classified," so we naturally remain in the dark. What justified making the information "highly classified"? Nuclear secrets? A list of U.S. spies abroad? War plans to invade Canada? We do not know. But in an age when the Justice Department assails words that merely embarrass with redacting markers, the words "highly classified" provoke curiosity rather than close questions.

Comey's manner of dismissing the information does not inspire confidence. "When asked about this information," the report explains, "Comey stated that he knew it was not credible on its face because it was not consistent with his personal experience with Lynch."


Comment: So Comey is either a liar or an idiot.


Allegations that Loretta Lynch played favorites did not jibe with the former FBI director's experiences with the former attorney general?

Comey's "personal experience" with Lynch includes the attorney general successfully pressuring him to call his investigation of Hillary Clinton a "matter."
Read More...
Camcorder

Russians reportedly bust al-Qaeda filming fake footage to blame Russia in Idlib


Sputnik
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 15:11 UTC
nusra
© REUTERS / Ammar Abdullah
Militants from the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group Jabhat al-Nusra (also known as Tahrir al-Sham) are preparing false flag attacks in Syria, including fake footage of the civilians' evacuation by militants and the restoration of buildings said to be destroyed by Russian and Syrian air strikes, the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria reported.

"The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria received information about the upcoming Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist provocation by telephone from residents of Idlib Governorate. According to the Syrians, who spoke to the center's officers, last Friday a film crew from the news agency of one of the Middle Eastern countries came to the province. This group, together with the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists, made fake videos about the evacuation of civilians to Alhelal al-Ahmar Hospital and the terrorists' active "restoration" of civilian infrastructure, allegedly destroyed by Russian and Syrian air strikes," the center's statement says.

As the Russian Reconciliation Center specified, the film crew used for their footage residential buildings which had been destroyed during clashes between different militant groups in the area.

According to the information received by the center, the fake films were set to be released by some Arabian and Western media outlets and then blamed on Russia. The Russian reconciliation center concluded that this would also play into the hands of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists, helping them to receive funding from Western non-government organizations operating in Idlib.

Local residents cited by the center stated that the film crew had come to the province last Friday.

Comment: Given that the Syrians are in the opening stages of their offensive on Daraa, which will undoubtedly be successful (as have all their major offensives for the past year or so), we can probably expect another false flag from the Israel-U.S. camp and their proxy forces. It's their way of lashing out at Syria and Russia for destroying the terrorists they spent so much time and money nurturing.

Read More...
Blue Planet

No one in America noticed the world transformed

Martin Sieff
Global research
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 15:34 UTC
Putin
The world transformed and nobody in the West noticed. India and Pakistan have joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The 17 year-old body since its founding on June 15, 2001 has quietly established itself as the main alliance and grouping of nations across Eurasia. Now it has expanded from six nations to eight, and the two new members are the giant nuclear-armed regional powers of South Asia, India, with a population of 1.324 billion and Pakistan, with 193.2 million people (both in 2016).

In other words, the combined population of the SCO powers or already well over 1.5 billion has virtually doubled at a single stroke.
Read More...
Star of David

Kushner touts 'deal of the century' to Palestinians as Middle East peace process in tatters after US Embassy move


RT
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 15:02 UTC
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump
© Amir Cohen / Reuters
US President Donald Trump's special adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner has been touting a US-designed peace deal to Palestinians "soon" to be revealed after the US Embassy's move to Jerusalem derailed relations in the region.

Kushner, who is on the last leg of his Middle East tour, spoke to the popular Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds, claiming he is "ready to work" with leader Mahmoud Abbas, who, in his turn, is refusing to meet with Kushner as long as Washington is "changing the rules of the game" midway.

"If President Abbas is ready to go back to the negotiations table, then we are ready to participate in the discussion, but if it's not the case, then we are going to make the plan public," Kushner said, according to Reuters. He was referring to the US "deal of the century" on how to forge peace in the Middle East. Without shedding any additional light on its details, the adviser said that the deal will bring " large investments in the infrastructure from both the private and the public sectors" to improve the Palestinian economy. Kushner pointed the finger at Abbas, as the party that is unwilling to take up negotiations.

"I question President Abbas' ability, or desire, to finish the deal. He has the same talking points that haven't changed in the past 25 years. A peace hasn't been achieved during that period," he said.

Comment: It appears this plan will be 'destined to fail' since Kushner has close ties with Israel:

Read More...
Attention

US reportedly tells rebels not to count on its help as Syrian army advances into country's southwest


RT
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 14:49 UTC
Turkish-backed Free Syrian army fighters
© Khalil Ashawi / Reuters
The US military has reportedly warned the rebels it backs in Syria that it will not help them thwart a large-scale offensive of the Syrian Army, which is rapidly gaining ground in the southwest of the country.

In a letter to the commanders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a loose umbrella group of armed rebels, Washington wrote that they should not base their decisions "on the assumption or expectation of a military intervention by us."

The message, which was reported by Reuters on Sunday, calls on the group to decide for themselves on their response to the rapidly-advancing Syrian forces that continue their assault eyeing to reclaim the swathes of land along the border with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

"We in the United States government understand the difficult conditions you are facing and still advise the Russians and the Syrian regime not to undertake a military measure that violates the zone," the message states.

Comment: Southern Syria is definitely heating up as reported by Southfront:



Read More...
Ice Cube

Republican senators call for probe into federal grants on climate change 'education'

Jacqueline Thomsen
The Hill
Thu, 21 Jun 2018 14:57 UTC
Ted Cruz
© Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
A group of Republican senators is calling for an investigation into National Science Foundation (NSF) grants designed to educate meteorologists about climate change, saying the program has moved beyond science and into political action.

Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Rand Paul (Ky.), James Lankford (Okla.) and Jim Inhofe (Okla.) requested the probe in a letter Wednesday to the NSF inspector general, saying the grants are "not science - it is propagandizing," NBC News reported.

The letter states that the foundation has "issued several grants which seek to influence political and social debate rather than conduct scientific research." The senators say that issuing the grants might violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from taking public political stances, as well as NSF's mission, according to NBC News.

The federal program, called Climate Central, has been in place for six years and has taught more than 500 meteorologists about global warming, NBC News reported.

Climate Central CEO Ben Strauss pushed back against the GOP senators' claims.

"Climate Central is not an advocacy organization, and the scientific consensus on climate change is not a political viewpoint," Strauss said in an email to NBC News.
Read More...
Boat

Russia can sink navy warships using hard-to-detect containerized missiles

Robert Beckhusen
War Is Boring
Thu, 14 Jun 2018 14:50 UTC
russian warship
Russia's military spending cannot match the Kremlin's ambitions. Western sanctions and low gas prices forced a 20-percent cut to the Russian military budget in 2017, bedeviling a host of military projects. However, Russia is looking at cheap and easy ways to equip its forces - particularly the navy - with sophisticated weapons.

Specifically, modular weapons that can easily swap in and out of different ships - with the most well-known example being Club-K anti-ship missiles hidden inside shipping containers, which Russia offers for sale to export customers. Any coastal defense force on a budget can have a well-camouflaged warship killer hidden in a civilian port.

But Russian developments in this regard are more extensive including anti-submarine warfare and anti-aircraft modules and their accompanying sensors.

The Kremlin wants a wide variety of naval hardware to be easily portable - and transportable - given the military's strapped resources and multiple fleets: Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific. This is a historic problem that has prevented Russia from concentrating its naval forces going back to the Russo-Japanese War.


Comment: Meanwhile, the U.S. is sinking billions into poorly designed weaponry. The manufacturers have no incentive to produce good weapons as long as the face no competition and are grossly overpaid. Russia doesn't have those problems, and the result is that with a smaller military and a vastly smaller budget, their military capability is giving the U.S. a run for its money.

Read More...
Dominoes

Saudi Arabia invites Russia to join OPEC as observer, Moscow says it's 'an option'


RT
Sat, 23 Jun 2018 00:00 UTC
Russia and Saudi Arabia energy ministers
© Aleksey Vitvitskiy / SputnikRussia and Saudi Arabia energy ministers, Aleksandr Novak and Khalid Al-Falih.
Riyadh has invited Moscow to join OPEC as an observer, the Saudi energy minister says. The announcement follows an agreement between OPEC and non-members led by Russia to increase crude oil output by a million barrels per day.

Riyadh has invited Moscow to join OPEC as an observer, the Saudi energy minister says. The announcement follows an agreement between OPEC and non-members led by Russia to increase crude oil output by a million barrels per day.

The announcement was made on Saturday during the 4th OPEC and non-OPEC ministerial meeting in Vienna.

"We've invited Russia to join [OPEC] as an observer, an associated member. We believe they are considering it," Khalid Al-Falih said at a press conference. "I can assure that the entire membership of OPEC would welcome Russia."

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Chess

Trump says he and Kim have 'good chemistry' & 'very good relationship'


RT
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 12:21 UTC
Trump Kim
© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
In what appears to be another curtsey by Donald Trump to Kim Jong-un, the US leader said he trusts his North Korean counterpart, praising their "good chemistry" and "very good relationship."

During an interview on Mike Huckabee's program on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Trump was asked whether he trusts Kim, who he met on June 12 during a historic summit in Singapore.

"Yes. I think that I've had a very good relationship, we have a good chemistry together...and I really believe he's...looking to do the right thing," Trump said.

Comment: Further reading: Trump And Kim Sign Declaration of Peace in Singapore (Because The Alternative is Too Expensive)

Read More...
Chess

Iraqi PM Abadi announces new alliance with anti-American Shiite cleric Sadr


Sputnik
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 12:21 UTC
Abadi muqtada sadr
© REUTERS / Alaa al-Marjani
The Sairun Alliance, backed by the prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, won 54 parliamentary mandates during the first Iraqi parliamentary election since Daesh* defeat.

When speaking at the a news conference in the Shiite holy city of Najaf where Muqtada Sadr lives, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced a political alliance with the prominent Shiite cleric.

On Thursday, Abadi called on the winning political blocs to hold a meeting to form a new government, which, according to the prime minister, may happen after the celebration of the end of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.

Comment: Further reading: Terrorism and US invasion pushes Iraq closer toward Iran as Shiite parties win Parliamentary victory

Read More...