Puppet MastersS


Jet5

'Crazy numbers': Civilian deaths by Western airstrikes practically double in 2017

Karen McVeigh
The Guardian
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 02:00 UTC
airstrike by US
© Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty ImagesSmoke billows following an airstrike by US-led coalition forces targeting Islamic State fighters in Mosul, Iraq.
British involvement under scrutiny after study identifies 42% rise in number of civilians killed by explosives

More than 15,000 civilians were killed by explosive weapons in 2017, a jump of 42% in a year, according to a global survey seen by the Guardian.

The rise - driven by airstrikes, which killed almost double the number of civilians in 2017 compared with the previous year - coincided with US-led military operations to reclaim the Islamic State strongholds of Mosul, in Iraq, and Raqqa, in Syria.

MPs said the figures were "deeply concerning" and raised questions over the transparency of legal criteria used by the Ministry of Defence to determine whether an individual is an Isis combatant.

The UK has said it has no credible evidence of its airstrikes resulting in civilian deaths, while the US military has revealed it unintentionally killed at least 801 civilians in Syria and Iraq.

The global survey, compiled by Action on Armed Violence, an organization that highlights civilian harm from explosive weapons, suggests the civilian death toll from air-launched explosives rose by 82%, from 4,902 in 2016, to 8,932 in 2017.
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Mr. Potato

Mr. Potato Head McMaster: Russia interfering with Mexican election!

Mallory Shelbourne
The Hill
Sun, 07 Jan 2018 22:55 UTC
McMaster
© The InterceptNational Security Advisor H.R. McMaster
National security adviser H.R. McMaster says there are early signs of Russian interference in Mexico's upcoming presidential election.

Providing the keynote address for the Jamestown Foundation, McMaster pointed to Mexico as an example of where Russia is engaging in a disinformation campaign.

"You've seen actually initial signs of it in the Mexican presidential campaign already," McMaster said in previously unreported remarks made during the Dec. 15 address. His comments were first highlighted on Sunday by Mexico's Reforma newspaper.

Mexico's presidential election will take place in July.

McMaster's comments came in response to a question about the "growing relationship" between Russia and China. He also referenced the Catalan independence referendum last year as another case of Russian meddling.

"For example with Russia we are concerned, increasingly concerned, with these sophisticated campaigns of subversion and disinformation and propaganda. The use of cyber tools to do that," McMaster said.

"As you see, this is really a sophisticated effort to polarize democratic societies and pit communities within those societies against each other and create crises of confidence and to undermine the strength within Europe."

Comment: McMaster is delusional. "Early signs" of Russian interference means that Russian media have written at least one article on the upcoming Mexican elections. "Sophisticated campaigns of subversion and disinformation and propaganda" mean that Russian media have brought attention to the same issues that election candidates have brought attention to. "Polarizing democratic societies" means writing about polarizing issues that the societies and politicians in question are responsible for polarizing in the first place.

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Snakes in Suits

Will Christopher Steele turn on Killary if hauled before federal investigators?

Jacob Wohl
Offended America
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 20:06 UTC
christopher steele
© Press AssociationChristopher Steele
On Friday, Senators Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham sent a formal referral to the Department of Justice, calling for federal investigators to inquire about instances where the Senators believe that Steele lied to congressional investigators. This referral makes the first call for charges by any bi-partisan investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election.

Christopher Steele is a British Citizen who who compiled the now infamous dossier that was the motivation for the start of an FBI Counter-Intelligence investigation into Trump Campaign that began in late 2016. Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign along with the DNC funded the creation of the dossier through a $12.2M payment through Clinton's personal lawyer Marc Elias and Private Intelligence firm Fusion GPS.

Prior to Steele's work for the Clinton Campaign on behalf of Fusion GPS, Steele made a lucrative career as an investigator, running his own firm Orbis Business Intelligence. Now, with the recommendation of two senior senators that Steele be investigated by the DOJ, his lucrative career as a spy-for-hire hangs in the balance.

Comment: If Steele does get hauled before investigators it would be music to our ears if he sung like a canary about Killary. But it's unclear whether the Justice Department will even take Grassley and Graham up on their recommendation, or if this will simply fall back into the memory hole. In the meantime it certainly has the left up in arms in order to defend 'Russiagate'.

The Atlantic is reporting that this is just team Trump attacking political rivals, ignoring the obvious fact that the entire Russiagate fiasco has been exactly that - a way for Trump's political rivals to attack him. And, more importantly, as Alexander Mercouris writes, 'The difficulty the Democrats and Fusion GPS face in dismissing the Senators' letter is that neither Grassley nor Lindsey Graham are obvious Trump loyalists.'

Perhaps 'Russiagate' has served its purpose, and now it's time to tie up loose ends and move on with Trump serving as the new 'Obama'. Time will tell.

Further reading:

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Stock Up

Trump's not-so-secret weapon is the economy

Monica Crowley
The Hill
Fri, 05 Jan 2018 02:10 UTC
Trumpusahat
© HotAir
President Trump is getting it done.

You'd never know it by watching and reading the "mainstream" media, which devotes endless cable news panels and column inches to ruminations on the possible grounds for his removal from office.

What the leftist media will not tell you is that Trump is delivering a stronger U.S. economy built on a revival of free-market economics, lower taxes, deregulation and smaller government. And he's doing it while facing monolithic opposition from the ruling class, making his achievements even more remarkable.

Not a single Democrat voted for the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017, which cut individual rates and slashed the corporate rate (for which Democrats from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama advocated once upon a time). The Democrats tried desperately to torpedo it, because they know that it's going to power economic growth - and that, while good for the American people, is bad for them.

Prior to its passage, the economy was already expanding at a healthy three percent clip just with Trump's sweeping deregulation efforts, deconstruction of ObamaCare, liberation of the energy sector, renegotiation or withdrawal from bad trade deals, enforcement of immigration law and the profound psychological shift of finally having a pro-business president in office. Once the tax cuts are fully in play, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted stretches of four or five percent growth.

Comment: Economic growth finds its traction by adjusting governmental, societal and production levers to provide a fertile growth medium and an economic impetus that is sustained and compounded over a period of time. The most remarkable economic rises come after profound periods of neglect, mismanagement and inconsistency. Is it all Trump's brilliance? Or can we attribute part of the currently projected success to the depth and breadth of the economic negative handed forward, courtesy the Obama administration.

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Snakes in Suits

When the DOJ killed the Clinton Foundation probe, some FBI investigators were livid

Guy Benson
Townhall
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 10:25 UTC
KillBill
© Townhall
On Friday, I addressed new reports that federal officials may be revisiting the Clinton email scandal -- writing that while serious questions remain about some of the curious irregularities surrounding the original investigation (which resulted in no charges), Democrats may have a point when they suggest that President Trump's ostentatious public demands for a new probe of 'Crooked Hillary' call into question the apolitical nature of the DOJ's decisions. Trump's critics are leveling the same accusation over the revelation that the Clinton Foundation is also receiving renewed legal scrutiny. In case you missed it last week, here are the basics of that development:
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. The probe may also examine whether any tax-exempt assets were converted for personal or political use and whether the Foundation complied with applicable tax laws, the officials said. One witness recently interviewed by the FBI described the session to The Hill as "extremely professional and unquestionably thorough" and focused on questions about whether donors to Clinton charitable efforts received any favorable treatment from the Obama administration on a policy decision previously highlighted in media reports.
I don't think it's an unreasonable reaction to at least raise concerns over whether perhaps one politicized Justice Department has given way to a new politicized Justice Department, just with the partisanship reversed. Are law enforcement officials again being pressured to serve the political agenda of the party in power? That's a fair worry; the president has not been subtle.

Comment: See also:

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Smoking

Trump and Bannon distract as the trap is sprung on Killary

Tom Luongo
Halsey News
Fri, 05 Jan 2018 00:00 UTC
Julian and Steve
© unknown
This is a difficult week of news to parse if you aren't a full-blown conspiratard like me. Back in August Halsey English and I made waves with our theory that President Trump and Steve Bannon were working with Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange to roll up their Democrat opposition protecting Hillary Clinton from prosecution.

This week we see all of the dots finally connected and conveniently Michael Wolff's book, Fire and Fury is leaked which casts shade on Trump and Bannon's relationship. It has now boiled over into a very public feud.

To Distract, Perchance to Dream...

Part of me doesn't believe a word of this and feels it's all a distraction, if not a ploy by Trump, to attack Bannon just as he's setting the trap for everyone involved in the phony Russia-gate story. It's no secret that Bannon had little use for both Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner setting policy in the White House.

And his statements to Wolff, if true, I'm sure angered Trump greatly. Using Trump's fierce loyalty to his family against him would be a surefire way to create a breach between him and Bannon that wasn't there previously.

Because let's not forget that Bannon is a loose cannon. He has very strong opinions on how to fight this 'WAR' against the political left. I'm still convinced that he was behind the outing of Harvey Weinstein which began the entire backlash against Hollywood, helping to enable Trump's Department of Justice in uncovering pedophilia and human trafficking.

And this culminated with Trump's expansive Executive Orders from a few weeks ago declaring a State of Emergency with respect to 'human rights violations' and 'corruption.' Those executive orders are targeted directly at all of Trump's political enemies.

Comment: It seems the legal aspects in the Hillary-DNC-Abedin-Obama-Clinton Foundation-Fusion GPS-FBI-Mueller Investigation controversies are moving and shaking like earth tremors before 'the big one'. If the above speculation is anything like the reality, it is a lesson on how to defy gravity.

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Star of David

Jeremy Corbyn is patron of BDS group now blacklisted by Israel


RT
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 20:18 UTC
JCorbin
© Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool/ReutersJeremy Corbin
The leader of the UK's Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign which has been included on Israel's so-called BDS blacklist.

The organization is among 20 groups whose activists have been barred from entering Israel due to their support of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Corbyn is a long-time supporter of the group which describes him as a "tireless" pro-Palestine campaigner. His commitment to upholding human rights and international law - ending the Israeli occupation, ending the siege on Gaza, opposing settlements in the West Bank - has never wavered," the group, one of the UK's leading pro-Palestinian campaigners, previously said in a statement.

However, a spokesperson for the Labour leader revealed last month that Corbyn does not support the BDS movement. "Jeremy is not in favour of a comprehensive or blanket boycott. He doesn't support BDS. He does support targeted action aimed at illegal settlements and occupied territories," the spokesperson said, adding that Corbyn would be happy to buy Israeli goods himself.

The Islington North MP has made several trips to Palestine throughout the years. After a visit to the Gaza strip in 2013, he described the area as, "one huge suffering refugee camp," the Independent reported.

Comment: See also:

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Umbrella

Houthis open a 'new page' of alliance to fight Saudi-led coalition


Sputnik
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 14:53 UTC
Sanaa houthi rally
© AP/Hani MohammedSanaa Rally supporting Shiite Houthi rebels.
Yemen's Houthi rebels and supporters of the country's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was killed by the Houthis in December 2017, decided to open a new page of cooperation to fight against the Saudi-led coalition, a high-ranking source in the General People's Congress party founded by Saleh told Sputnik on Monday.

In November, tensions between the Houthi rebels and Saleh escalated. On December 4, shortly after reaffirming the end of his alliance with the Houthis, Saleh was killed by the Yemeni rebels.

"As part of the political agreement between the Ansar Allah movement [Houthis] and the General People's Congress, aimed at ending the December tensions, all political and military prisoners will be released excluding five persons that will be held by the movement including Saleh's relatives ... The agreement is aimed at opening a new page [in relations] between the main allies who are fighting against the Arab coalition headed by Saudi Arabia," the source said.

On Sunday, the General People's Congress elected a new leader - Sadeq Amin Abu Rass, who held high government posts under the rule of Saleh.
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Nuke

US officials defend Trump's 'nuclear button' tweet


RT
Sun, 07 Jan 2018 23:22 UTC
Trumpkim
© BBC
Almost a week on, US officials are still cleaning up the fallout from President Donald Trump's "bigger nuclear button" tweet, but America's UN envoy and the CIA director are both arguing it's all for the sake of peace.

Throughout the week, major drama has been unfolding around threats of mutually assured destruction between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. In his New Year address, Kim declared North Korea to be a nuclear power whose symbolic "red button" is ready and capable of striking the continental US. Trump, in his usual self, took Kim's statements to heart, tweeting Tuesday that his button is "much bigger & more powerful" than North Korea's, and one that actually works.

Officials from Trump's administration scrambled to defend the president from journalists questioning his "mental fitness" and US strategy on North Korea. On Sunday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and CIA Director Mike Pompeo backed Trump in separate interviews.

Comment: Content aside, Trump and Kim are engaging each other in a form of 'conversation.' The Hero Syndrome - they both have it.

See also:

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Handcuffs

Judge dismisses case against rancher after mistrial - Cliven Bundy goes free


RT
Mon, 08 Jan 2018 20:22 UTC
cliven bundy
© David Becker / Agence France-PresseRancher Cliven Bundy speaks during a news conference near his ranch on April 24, 2014 in Bunkerville, Nevada
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his sons were released by a federal judge in Las Vegas, after she dismissed with prejudice all charges against them. Prosecutors' failure to disclose evidence had led to a mistrial.

US District Court Judge Gloria Navarro ruled Monday that the government committed "flagrant prosecutorial misconduct" in the process against Bundy and his sons in relation to the 2014 armed standoff with federal agents over grazing rights.

Federal prosecutors willingly withheld evidence from defense attorneys, violating the Brady rule, Navarro said. She dismissed all charges against the Bundys and their co-defendant Ryan Payne "with prejudice," meaning that the government will not be able to prosecute the case again.

"A universal sense of justice was violated," Navarro said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Comment:

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