Puppet MastersS


Ice Cube

US 'freezes funding' for White Helmets as its Douma chem attack claim disintegrates


RT
Fri, 04 May 2018 09:26 UTC
White Helmets
© MirrorWhite Helmets on lunchbreak
As the reputation of the controversial militant-linked White Helmets continues to crumble, even the US State Department seems to be having second thoughts about supporting the group, reportedly placing a freeze on its funding.

The State Department's support for the White Helmets is "under active review," according to a CBS News report. The group reportedly hasn't received funding in weeks, but neither has it received formal confirmation that Washington's financial assistance has come to a complete halt. This would mean a significant blow for the group, as the money accounts for about one-third of the White Helmets' overall funding.

An internal State Department document cited by CBS said that its Near East Bureau needed confirmation from President Donald Trump's administration by April 15 in order to approve funding for the White Helmets. If that wasn't received, the department would initiate "shut-down procedures on a rolling basis."

Comment: White Helmets: Award-winning propaganda with devastating consequences.
See also:

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Attention

Lavrov: US safe-havens militants for R&R, blocks humanitarian convoys


RT
Thu, 03 May 2018 13:12 UTC
Lavrov
© Syria Live Map - Liveuamap
A part of southern Syria, which the US has seized under its control, has become a safe haven for militants, the Russian foreign minister said. He added that the same militants are preventing humanitarian aid deliveries.

On Thursday, Sergey Lavrov reiterated Russia's criticism of the US presence in the area of At-Tanf, which is located on Syria's border with Jordan. US troops unilaterally declared it under its protection in April 2017, and, according to the Russian minister, "very strange things are happening there." These include armed groups getting shelter and a chance to recover in the Rukban refugee camp, which is located in the US-controlled area, after which they "continue hostilities in violation of all ceasefire agreements," Lavrov said.

Speaking alongside his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, Lavrov said the militant groups protected by the US are the reason why the camp cannot receive much-needed supplies.
"The Americans for a long time has been refusing access to humanitarian aid convoys, claiming that the Syrian government would not give its permission. That is not true. All the issues the Syrian government and the aid organizations had have been settled," he said. "In fact, the US now would not provide sufficient safety assurances to allow humanitarian access to that camp."

Comment: The gig is up, USA! Maneuvers to arm and protect your proxies have been exposed, as well as flimsy cover stories intent to hide the West's agenda. Go home.

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Arrow Down

Kim Jong-un to Chinese FM: Firm position to denuclearize Korean Peninsula


RT
Thu, 03 May 2018 12:29 UTC
Kim Jung-un
© Damir Sagol / ReutersNorth Korean leader Kim Jung-un
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he strongly supports denuclearization during a rare meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The diplomat is visiting Pyongyang after a landmark agreement between the two Koreas.

"The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is the firm position of the North Korean side," Kim Jong-un told Wang Yi on Thursday.

During the talks Kim also emphasized "peaceful changes" and further promotion of peace in the region that came after he traveled to the South and met his counterpart Moon Jae-in. The declaration, signed by the duo at the historic meeting on April 27, marked the beginning of "new age of peace" and sought "complete denuclearization".

Beijing hailed the agreement that ends "the state of war" and said it "fully supports" North Korea's commitment, according to the foreign ministry.

On Wednesday, Wang Yi started a two-day visit to the neighboring communist state and met his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-Ho. Wang became the highest-ranking Chinese official to travel to North Korea in 11 years.

Comment: See also:

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Pineapple

State Department bimbo says 'Israel has the right to defend itself against journalists'


RT
Fri, 04 May 2018 20:12 UTC
State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert
© MANDEL NGAN / AFPState Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert
Speaking on World Press Freedom Day, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert preached freedom from oppression for all journalists - unless they are Palestinian and the oppressor is Israel.

Nauert started her Thursday briefing by praising the State Department press pool and urging accountability for the "apparent assassination" of a BBC journalist in Afghanistan on Monday (one of the nine that were killed in that attack). She then profusely condemned the many violations of journalists' rights across the world. Among the perpetrators, she listed Myanmar, Egypt, Turkey, Tanzania, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malta, Mexico and, of course, China and Russia. All of them were chastised as oppressive governments that repress, detain or outright murder unwanted journalists.

Once Nauert was done with her opening speech (which included congratulating one of the journalists present on her promotion and praising another's dress choice), she moved on to other topics - but was pulled back on track by the first reporter to ask a question:
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Bad Guys

Rudy Giuliani tells Fox News Trump repaid lawyer for Stormy Daniels hush money

Ed Pilkington
The Guardian
Thu, 03 May 2018 16:47 UTC
stormy daniels
© Associated PressAdult film actress Stormy Daniels, left, looks at her attorney Michael Avenatti, after making a statement to reporters federal court, Monday, April 16, 2018, in New York.
In Fox News interview, Giuliani says lawyer Michael Cohen was personally reimbursed for $130,000 used to silence porn actor

Donald Trump personally repaid his lawyer Michael Cohen the $130,000 hush money given to the adult-film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election to buy her silence over an alleged affair, Rudy Giuliani said on Wednesday night.

In an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News, the former mayor of New York, who recently joined Trump's legal team dealing with the Russian investigation, let out the bombshell detail that the US president had fully repaid the hush money. The disclosure contradicts Trump's own firm statement, made on Air Force One last month, that he had no knowledge of his private lawyer Michael Cohen having paid Daniels the $130,000 sum.

On the Hannity show, Giuliani insisted that the payment to Daniels, who claims she had sex with Trump in 2006 at a golf tournament in Nevada, was entirely legal and broke no campaign finance laws.

Comment:

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Briefcase

Trump boosts GOP's efforts to get Justice Department to be transparent on 'scope memo' of Russia investigation

Devlin Barrett and Robert Costa
Chicago Tribune
Wed, 02 May 2018 18:44 UTC
Trump whitehouse
A standoff between Justice Department officials and GOP lawmakers escalated Wednesday as President Donald Trump waded into a controversy over demands to release a highly sensitive document outlining who and what is being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller III.

The Justice Department has refused to turn over the document, known as a "scope memo," citing its own independence and longtime precedent that it doesn't disclose the details of ongoing investigations.

"A Rigged System - They don't want to turn over Documents to Congress. What are they afraid of? Why so much redacting? Why such unequal "justice?" At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!" the president tweeted Wednesday morning.

Comment: As long as Deputy Attorney General and deep state operative Rod Rosenstein remains in office, we can expect the incredibly energy wasting and destructive 'Russiagate' saga to drag on, and on, and on....

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Gear

China shows its military might on disputed Spratly Islands - US warns of 'consequences'

Lyuba Lulko
pravda.ru
Fri, 04 May 2018 10:25 UTC
Chinese structures and an airstrip on the man-made Subi Reef of the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea
© Photo by APChinese structures and an airstrip on the man-made Subi Reef of the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea are seen from a Philippine Air Force C-130 transport plane, April 21, 2017
Trump's trade war with China is a way of putting pressure on Beijing for its behavior in the South China Sea. Xi Jinping, in response, has "covertly" deployed air defense systems and missiles on the disputed Spratly Islands, making it clear that he will stick to guns. A lot will depend on the behavior of the countries of Southeast Asia, but their leaders are not offering fresh solutions.

During the recent month, China has covertly deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-aircraft missile system on three islands of the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, CNBC reported. These islands are disputed between China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

China's YJ-12B cruise missiles are capable of striking ships within a radius of 295 nautical miles (about 546 kilometres), as well as air targets at a distance of 160 nautical miles (approximately 296 kilometres). According to Business Insider, there are about 27 advanced bases on the islands equipped with "runways for airplanes, lighthouses, tourist resorts, hospitals and farms."

Comment: The White House has warned of "consequences" for what it called militarization of the South China Sea, following reports that Beijing had installed missiles on three outposts in the hotly contested region.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday "there will be near-term and long-term consequences" in response to the reported military buildup in the South China Sea.

Sanders said the Trump administration had "raised concerns" about the issue "directly" with Chinese authorities.
...

The Pentagon has also reacted to the intelligence assessment.

"We have been very vocal about our concerns about them militarizing these artificial islands," Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White said Thursday. "China has to realize that they have benefited from the free navigation of the sea and the US Navy has been the guarantor of that."
...

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying defended the country's peaceful construction in the islands, including "the deployment of necessary national defense facilities."

"The relevant deployment targets no one. Anyone with no invasive intention will find no reason to worry about this," the spokeswoman said in a press briefing. "We hope that the relevant party could view this matter in an objective and calm way."


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Toys

US accuses Beijing of laser warfare in Djibouti


RT
Fri, 04 May 2018 15:37 UTC
Hercules C-130
© Hercules C-130 Radu Sigheti / ReutersBeijing shrugs off laser warfare accusations after US complains over Djibouti ‘incident’ with pilots
The US has filed a complaint against Beijing over an alleged military laser incident in Djibouti, which hosts both US and Chinese military bases. Beijing slammed the "untrue criticisms," saying it abides by international law.

On Thursday, the Pentagon accused China of pointing military-grade lasers at a US C-130 Hercules while it was landing at the American base in the Horn of Africa. It said two pilots suffered minor injuries and that the US is confident the Chinese were behind the incident, the exact timing of which is unclear.

"This activity poses a true threat to our airmen. We have formally demarched the Chinese government, and we've requested that the Chinese investigate these - these incidents," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said at a news briefing.

Comment: China has nothing to gain from aggressing the US, and doesn't have much recent history of doing so either so it's an unlikely story. The US is probably mad they're losing out to China in Africa (and in the realm of military tech) - because unlike the US, China is working on deals in the region which actually benefit the population:

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Beaker

Best of the Web: Czech president admits Republic tested Novichok, confirming Russian claims and further weakening UK accusations against Russia


RT
Thu, 03 May 2018 15:23 UTC
Presidente checo, Milos Zeman
© David W Cerny - Reuters
The Czech Republic has apparently produced and tested a nerve agent of the so-called Novichok family, the country's president Milos Zeman told state media. His statement follows an inquiry conducted by the Czech security services.

"One has to conclude that our country produced and tested Novichok, even though [it was produced] only in small quantities and then destroyed," the Czech leader told the Barrandov TV Channel. "It would be hypocritical to pretend it is not so," he said, adding that "there is no need to lie."

The president said that he based his conclusions on a report provided by Czech military intelligence. The report showed that a nerve agent known as A230, which was produced by the Czech Military Research Institute located in the city of Brno, was, in fact, Novichok.

Another report, which was provided by the Czech Security Service (BIS) said, however, that the nerve agent produced and tested in Brno was not Novichok but some other substance. After studying both papers, Zeman still decided to agree with the opinion of the military intelligence, Czech media report.


Comment: Russian senator Aleksey Pushkov pointed out the obvious on Twitter:
"Novichok was produced and stored in the Czech territory in some small quantities. This fact is a crushing blow to London's theory that is already falling apart at the seams," Russian Senator Aleksey Pushkov said in a Twitter post, commenting on the recent revelations made by the Czech President Milos Zeman. "London is confused: Its whole construct is crumbling," the Russian politician added.
But the British media are silent. D-notice, perhaps??

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Dollars

Some Democrats want Killary to give back money DNC paid for mailing list - should 'donate campaign material'

Daniel Marans
HuffPost
Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:55 UTC
hillary
© Mark Sagliocco/Getty ImagesThe national party agreed to pay $1.65 million for her campaign email list and other resources.
Hillary Clinton agreed to give the Democratic National Committee her campaign email list, analytics, donor data and other items for $1.65 million. The DNC has paid about $700,000 of that so far but now some party leaders are asking her to donate the campaign material instead and return the money.

Several Democratic officials are asking Hillary Clinton to return the money that the Democratic National Committee paid her political group for her campaign email list and other resources.

In February 2017, the DNC agreed to pay Clinton's group Onward Together $1.65 million for her campaign email list, analytics, donor data and related items, The Intercept reported on Wednesday. The cache of material was worth more than $5 million; Clinton's campaign made an in-kind donation of resources worth $3.5 million, and the DNC paid for the rest.

Comment: Good luck with that. Killary and Slick Willy are exemplars of greed.

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