Puppet MastersS


Bullseye

Hillary Clinton's election blame-athon zeros in on Facebook


RT
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 11:45 UTC
Killary
© Aaron Bernstein/ReutersStill beating the dead horse...
Hillary Clinton has a new target to blame for her losing the 2016 presidential election and, surprisingly, this time it's not the Russians. According to the Democrat, Facebook is behind her failure to win the White House.

The crux of the argument is that Facebook charged the Trump campaign team less for advertising on the platform and therefore seemed to favor his candidacy. However, this is exactly how Facebook - a commercial enterprise - works: the more impressions, clicks, interactions, shares and comments a post generates, the less Facebook relatively charges the advertiser to reach people. And this is where the Trump campaign succeeded.

Simply put, team Hillary was not as social media savvy as team Trump and was therefore charged more for advertising on the platform. Former Facebook advertising staffer Antonio García Martínez explained it all in a February 23 article for Wired entitled 'How Trump Conquered Facebook - Without Russian Ads.'
"During the run-up to the election, the Trump and Clinton campaigns bid ruthlessly for the same online real estate in front of the same swing-state voters," Martinez writes. "But because Trump used provocative content to stoke social-media buzz, and he was better able to drive likes, comments, and shares than Clinton, his bids received a boost from Facebook's click model, effectively winning him more media for less money."

Comment: No surprise, Killary found another blame victim to target.

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USA

Trump: WTO is a 'catastrophe', US is losing out, needs new deal


RT
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 19:07 UTC
Trump at WH
© Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
US President Donald Trump has labeled the World Trade Organization a "catastrophe" in a wide-ranging attack on the international trade regulator. His administration is seeking to renegotiate all US trade deals.

Speaking with US state governors at the White House on Monday, Trump said the United States loses a lot of money to Mexico and Canada as a result of the intergovernmental organization, which makes it impossible to do business.

His rhetoric about WTO echoes Trump's pronouncements on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico, which he has described as "the single worst trade deal ever approved," and a catastrophe for US workers and companies. Trump threatened last year to withdraw from NAFTA if the terms of 1994 agreement are not changed to favor American interests. Negotiations are underway.

Even if the US withdraws from NAFTA, it still would not be able to impose tariffs higher than five percent, because of the WTO rules.
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Attention

USAF chief warns of space war 'in a matter of years'

George Dvorsky
Gizmodo
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 11:30 UTC
GenGoldfein
© U.S. Air Force graphic/Corey Parrish
Speaking to an audience of active-duty airmen, US Air Force Chief of Staff General David L. Goldfein predicted it'll only be a "matter of years" before American forces find themselves "fighting from space." To prepare for this grim possibility, he said the Air Force needs new tools and a new approach to training leaders. Oh, and lots of money.

As reported by Breaking Defense, Goldfein made the comments this past Friday February 23 while delivering a speech at the Air Force Association's 34th annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition in Orlando, Florida.

"[It's] time for us as a service, regardless of specialty badge, to embrace space superiority with the same passion and sense of ownership as we apply to air superiority today," he said.

These are some of the strongest words yet from the Air Force chief of staff to get the Pentagon thinking about space - and to recognize the U.S. Air Force as the service branch best suited for the job. "I believe we're going to be fighting from space in a matter of years," he said. "And we are the service that must lead joint war fighting in this new contested domain. This is what the nation demands."

Comment: "That's a lot of money for something we all hope the US military will never have to actually use." If they have it...they will use it. Maybe it is time for countries to bond together instead of unending repeats of "last man standing".
See also:

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Pirates

Amazon paid no US federal taxes despite earning $5.6B in profits in 2017

Emma Roller
Splinter
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 00:00 UTC
Jeff Bezos amazon US taxes
It’s not crazy to expect the company owned by the wealthiest man in the world pay taxes to the government that allowed it to become so successful in the first place.
Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world, with a personal net worth of $108 billion. In 2017, Bezos' company, the internet retail giant Amazon, reportedly took in $5.6 billion in U.S. profits.

So, how much did Amazon pay in income tax on that bounty? Hang on, we're getting some news...what? What's this? Amazon effectively paid zero dollars in federal income taxes in 2017? Oh.

Amazon is projecting a $789 million windfall from Republicans' tax bill, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which may have factored into its reason for witholding taxes this year. Bezos-like many other nominally liberal capitalists-claims to disagree with Donald Trump's policies, while quietly lapping up the Republicans' regressive tax breaks.

Comment:

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Dollars

War economy: UK has spent £1.75 billion on airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since 2014


RT
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 03:08 UTC
Britplane
© Petros Karadjias/ReutersBritish Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft
The UK has spent £1.75bn ($2.44bn) on air and drone strikes in Iraq and Syria as part of the US-led campaign against Islamic State, the Drone Wars UK group said, based on data it acquired through Freedom of Information requests.

Since August 2014, the Tornado, Typhoon and Reaper aircraft of the Royal Air Force have spent a total of 42,000 hours, or almost five years, in the air. That alone cost the taxpayers around £1.5 billion, Drone Wars said. The group estimates it costs £80,000 to keep the multirole fighter Typhoon airborne for 60 minutes, and the per-hour price of operating Tornado and Reaper planes stands at £35,000 and £3,500, respectively. Besides fuel, the calculations include crew, maintenance and capital costs - which are absent from official estimates.

The cost of the munitions fired by the UK warplanes and drones during Operation Shader, which is the collective name of the ongoing UK involvement in Iraq and Syria, has reached £268 million, the information received by Drone Wars UK revealed. The British pilots have carried out 1,700 airstrikes in Syria and Iraq over the last three and a half years, dropping 3,545 bombs and missiles.

Comment: That's good old-fashioned British free trade for you.

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USA

Trump announces plan to run for re-election in 2020, liberals probably already wailing in the streets


CBS News
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 19:30 UTC
US President Donald Trump
© FNAThe US has deployed troops at the border between Iraq and Syria in a bid to cut off the link between the two Mideast nations, an Iraqi source said
President Donald Trump announced that he's running for re-election in 2020, and Brad Parscale, who served as the Trump campaign's 2016 digital guru, has been named campaign manager.

In an announcement posted on the president's campaign website, his son, Eric Trump, called Parscale "an amazing talent" who was "pivotal to our success in 2016." Top Trump adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner said that Parscale "was essential in bringing a disciplined technology and data-driven approach to how the 2016 campaign was run."

The news was first reported by Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report.

The president had already filed for re-election -- he filed his Form 2 paperwork with the Federal Election Commission hours after he was inaugurated over a year ago. He has also held a number of re-election campaign rallies already.

While President Trump famously relies on Twitter, Parscale relied on Facebook during Mr. Trump's presidential campaign. Parscale told CBS News' Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes" that he spent most of the $94 million his digital marketing firm received on Facebook ads, which he said were particularly effective in targeting rural voters.
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Handcuffs

Merkel finally acknowledges existence of 'no-go' zones, vows to eliminate them

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 18:43 UTC
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
© Alexandra Beier / Gettyimages.ruGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel
Following approval from Germany's conservatives to cooperate with the Social Democrats (SPD) on several political impasses, German Chancellor Angela Merkel sat down with Germany's RTL Aktuell where she discussed a number of policy positions - including an acknowledgement of Germany's growing "no-go" zones, and the need to do something about them.

Amid a spike in crime attributed to refugees, German officials been slowly acknowledging the negative impact of the flood of migrants taken in after the destabilization of Libya and similar regions - even going so far as to offer thousands of Euros to rejected asylum seekers.
The scheme, which the government has dubbed "Your country. Your future. Now!" will run until February next year. Individual migrants can receive up to €1,000 ($1,185) if they voluntarily return home, while families can receive up to €3,000 to do the same. The assistance is meant to help reintegrate rejected asylum seekers in their home countries. -Quartz
While on the topic of keeping Germany safe, Merkel said "It's always a point to me that internal security is the state's duty, the state has the monopoly of power, the state has to make sure that people have the right to it whenever they meet and move in a public space." (translated)


Comment: So in other words, Merkel just finally got around to realizing what the purpose of the state is. What has she been thinking all these years?

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Play

Tucker Carlson describes the real authoritarianism - and it ain't Trump

S. Noble
Independent Sentinel
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 18:34 UTC
tucker carlson
Tucker Carlson, one of the few real MSM reporters in the Western hemisphere
On Monday night, Tucker Carlson responded to a comment by CNN's David Gergen who claimed the President discrediting the [corrupt people in the] DoJ and in the press is the beginning of authoritarian rule.

Carlson had a good answer although we would simply say enacting a coup is the beginning of authoritarian rule.


Comment: It's really ironic that the Left can't see its own authoritarianism, given that the biggest totalitarians of the 20th century were on the Left. They just can't seem to grok that believing yourself to be good and virtuous, demonizing those you believe are evil for not agreeing with you, and using all means at your disposal to coerce your enemies into agreement or silence, including state power, is what all authoritarians do.

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Info

Syrian Army advances in East Ghouta suburb after intense battle as militants disrupt 1st day of ceasefire


RT
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 19:07 UTC
The damaged cars and buildings are seen in the besieged town of Douma
© Bassam Khabieh / ReutersThe damaged cars and buildings are seen in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria February 25, 2018
The first five-hour ceasefire in Syria's eastern Ghouta was sabotaged by armed groups holed up there, which shelled the humanitarian corridor and prevented civilians from leaving, the Russian Center for Reconciliation said.

"As of 14:30 local time, no one has left the area," Major General Vladimir Zolotukhin, a spokesman for the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, told journalists. "The militants do not let anyone out," he said, adding that the situation on the ground remained "complicated" as the militants continued to shell the neighboring area, and even went on offensive against the Syrian Army positions.

The armed groups had been carrying out provocations for some five hours by conducting shelling around every 30 minutes, the general said, noting that the Syrian government forces observed the humanitarian pause and did not respond to the incitement. The attacks also targeted the recently established eastern Ghouta humanitarian corridor.

According to the Syrian SANA news agency, the militants shelled a refugee camp in the al-Wafidin neighborhood near Damascus, which is part of the corridor. The attack on the humanitarian corridor resulted in no casualties. However, six civilians were injured in separate militant shelling that targeted a settlement in the Damascus countryside.

Comment: Comment The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) observed the Russian-sponsored ceasefire between the hours of 9:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. (Damascus Time), today, before resuming their operations inside the East Ghouta this afternoon.
Once they were given the green light by their high command, the Syrian Arab Army's (SAA) 4th Mechanized Division stormed the large district of Al-Ajami in the Harasta suburb.

According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army is attempting to seize the last building blocks under the control of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham and Faylaq Al-Rahman in this district.
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) once again advanced inside the East Ghouta region, today, capturing several sites from the jihadist rebels of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham and Faylaq Al-Rahman.
According to an Al-Masdar field correspondent in Damascus, the Syrian Arab Army's 4th Division managed to break-through the jihadist defenses at the Harasta Orchards, seizing nearly 200 meters of territory in the process.

The Syrian Army is attempting to capture the Harasta Orchards in order to apply pressure on the rebel forces in the large city of Douma.
See also: Russian MoD: Militants' shelling prevents civilians from leaving Eastern Ghouta

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Bad Guys

Chris Steele's man at State Dept, Jonathan Winer, was exec for firm that did pro bono work for Clinton Global Initiative

Aaron Klein
Breitbart
Mon, 26 Feb 2018 17:56 UTC
jonathan winer
Jonathan Winer
Jonathan M. Winer, the Obama State Department official who acknowledged regularly interfacing with the author of the controversial, largely discredited 35-page anti-Trump dossier, served as senior vice president of a firm that did extensive pro bono work for the Clinton Global Initiative.

After his name surfaced in news media reports related to probes by House Republicans into the dossier, Winer authored a Washington Post oped in which he conceded that while he was working at the State Department he exchanged documents and information with dossier author and former British spy Christopher Steele.

Winer further acknowledged that while at the State Department, he shared anti-Trump material with Steele passed to him by longtime Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal, whom Winer described as an "old friend." Winer wrote that the material from Blumenthal - which Winer in turn gave to Steele - originated with Cody Shearer, who is a controversial figure long tied to various Clinton scandals.

Steele was commissioned to produce the dossier by the Fusion GPS opposition research firm, which was paid for its anti-Trump work by Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Comment: Winer also happens to be notorious Bill Browder's "legal counsel". He's the guy that got Alex Krainer's expose of Browder removed from Amazon. What a tangled web of disreputable connections...

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