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Dems. Feinstein and Schiff say Lynch directive to Comey made them queasy too

Matt Vespa
Townhall
Mon, 26 Jun 2017 00:07 UTC
lynch comey
In April, The New York Times published a very lengthy piece about how then-FBI Director James Comey tried to navigate the Bureau through the highly politicized waters of the 2016 campaign concerning Hillary Clinton's investigation. In the end, that course of action cost him his job. Yet, one of the reasons why he decided to deliver such a strongly-worded press conference against Hillary Clinton and her team over her unauthorized and unsecure email server was
  • then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch said to call the FBI's investigation a "matter"; and
  • the 20-30-minute meeting on the tarmac between Lynch and former President Bill Clinton days before Comey's presser, where the two reportedly said that they discussed grandkids and golf.
No one was going to buy that and for this investigation to end credibly, Comey held a press conference. In retrospect, it was the beginning of the end of his career.

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Christmas Tree

Theresa May apparently finds 'magic money tree' - faces backlash over £1bn sweetener to clinch support deal with DUP


RT
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 22:56 UTC
Theresa May DUP
© Stefan Wermuth / ReutersBritain's Prime Minister, Theresa May and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Leader Arlene Foster
UK Prime Minister Theresa May's billion-pound deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to prop up her minority government has been branded "shabby and reckless," leaving many to wonder whether the funds grew on a "magic money tree."

The DUP's 10 MPs will support the Tories in key Commons votes in areas such as the Queen's Speech, the Budget, and Brexit, in exchange for £1 billion ($1.27 billion) of new funding for Northern Ireland, plus more flexibility on almost £500 million of previously announced funds in infrastructure, health, and education.


Negotiations between the parties lasted 18 days after the general election on June 8 resulted in a hung parliament. After talks with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Downing Street, the prime minister said the two parties "shared many values" and the agreement was "a very good one."

The agreement has prompted calls for more money for Wales and Scotland. Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones called the deal a "straight bung to keep a weak prime minister and a faltering government in office" and said it "kills the idea of fair funding."
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Map

Russian-Syrian offensive opens door to Euphrates Valley and Deir ez-Zor


Russia Insider
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 23:07 UTC
Syrian army tank
Syrian army makes dramatic gains in ISIS-held desert, enters Deir ez-Zor province, is now just 90 kilometers from the encircled city.

This one has been reported for days now, but we wanted to wait and make sure it was confirmed by reliable sources: The Syrian army has (again) made dramatic gains in Syria's southern desert.

Again the Syrian forces have covered great distances in a matter of days. This time however, ISIS offered stiff resistance but the Russian-supplied Syrian army has a vast superiority in tanks which are decisive in open desert to say nothing of Russian air support. Reportedly the Russian-trained 5th Corps spearheaded the advance.
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Radar

Russian air regulator debunks official MH17 findings, radar data could not 'miss' missile


RT
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 23:00 UTC
wreckage is seen at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17
© Maxim Zmeyev / ReutersA part of the wreckage is seen at the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo), in the Donetsk region July 21, 2014.
Russian radar could not have failed to notice a projectile approaching Flight MH17, despite the claims by a Dutch minister, the head of Rosaviatsia says. The lack of radar marks shows nothing approached the plane from the east, despite official findings.

Last week, the Dutch government published a series of replies by Security and Justice Minister Stef Blok, who explained to a parliamentary commission why radar data provided by Russia did not show any objects approaching the MH17 flight, including a Buk missile.

The radar, according to Blok, could simply miss a missile. The minister compared the radar to a lighthouse, claiming that a missile could slip through during its "turn" and therefore leave no trace on Russia's Utes-T air route radar system. Blok also claimed that the radar could not register such a relatively small object as a Buk missile.
"It is inappropriate to say that a radar station could miss the missile," the head of Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia, Oleg Storchevoy, said Tuesday, commenting on the latest Dutch claims.
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Radar

US heeded Russian warnings by grounding some types of aircraft in Syria


Russia Insider
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 22:01 UTC
US F/A-18 jet landing
Pentagon spokesman says it now takes 'aircraft with specific capabilities' to fly in western Syria.

What everybody wants to know right now is: has the Russian announcement that their air defense systems will begin to track US aircraft west of the Euphrates in Syria as targets limited US air activity over Syria?

Immediately after the Russian announcement we figured the new Russian stance would affect US carrier-based aircraft (F/A-18s) would be affected the most.

Since then the US has carried a solitary strike against ISIS in Palmyra—far to the west of Euphrates—just to make a point. However, that strike was the exception. Judging by CENTCOM's own press releases virtually all strike missions since the new Russian policy have been either to the east of the Euphrates, or just a couple miles to the west of it but—still well within the river valley. Then it would seem the Russian warning did have a very substantial effect.
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Attention

Syrian Kurds reject American scheme to 'confront' Assad or Iran in eastern Syria

Marko Marjanović
Russia Insider
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 21:53 UTC
Kurdish YPG militia
US-backed militias say they only signed up for a war against ISIS, have no interest in a crusade against Iran.

Trump's NSC advisors want the US to pursue "direct conflict" with the Syrian government to keep its army out of eastern Syria. If Trump indeed decides to do so it seems the US will have to proceed without its largest proxy force on the ground by far — the Kurdish YPG militia.

The YPG dominates the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition, providing some 40,000 of its 50,000 fighters. A senior YPG commander told al-Monitor the YPG is happy to fight until the final defeat of ISIS, but has no intention of picking up a needless fight "against Iran" or anyone else:
A senior YPG commander who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said the YPG is ready to go to anyplace in Syria to fight IS, but they will not agree to any alliance beyond that. said Kurds see Iran as a problem but will not become part of a battle against it. They have no plans to move to al-Tanf, he said.
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Info

'American Nazism': North Korea media compares Trump to Hitler


RT
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 21:45 UTC
Donald Trump
© Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
US President Donald Trump's "America-first principle" equates to Nazism and his policies are worse than fascism, North Korean state media reported.
"The idea is the American version of Nazism, far surpassing the fascism in the last century in its ferocious, brutal and chauvinistic nature," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in an article titled "We Reject 'American-first Principle'- Nazism in the 21st Century," which was cited by KCNA Watch on Tuesday.
KCNA goes on to say that while Trump divides the world into "friends and foes," his "two-nation strategy" follows "Hitler's dictatorial politics."

Apparently referring to the travel ban imposed on majority-Muslim countries, KCNA says that such an approach is "little short of fascism's racist politics."
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Attention

Can Theresa May be sued for conspiring to commit war crime by nuking Moscow?


RT
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 21:27 UTC
submarine HMS Vanguard
© David Moir / Reuters
Britain's Attorney General is investigating whether UK Prime Minister Theresa May can be sued for conspiring to commit war crimes after she claimed she is willing to launch Trident nuclear weapons.

An alliance of activists have presented an indictment after May, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, and others said they would be willing to carry out what the groups termed "indiscriminate mass slaughter" by using nuclear missiles.

The Ferret, an investigative journalism website, reports that proceedings in local courts have already begun but that they need permission from the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to proceed.
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Snakes in Suits

Report surfaces: Michael Flynn investigation was an FBI personal vendetta for sexual discrimination charges

Alex Christoforou
The Duran
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 20:54 UTC
Michael Flynn
Michael Flynn intervened on behalf of an FBI Special Agent, Robyn Gritz, who had accused McCabe and other top FBI officials of sexual discrimination.

A new report from Circa News indicates that Deputy Director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, may have launched a criminal probe against Trump' former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for nothing more than simple revenge.

Circa News reports that Michael Flynn apparently enraged Andrew McCabe a few years back after he intervened on behalf of an FBI Special Agent, Robyn Gritz, who had accused McCabe and other top FBI officials of sexual discrimination.
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Apple Green

China to develop 'green zones' to improve environment


RT
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 19:07 UTC
china green zones
© Jason Lee / ReutersA villager transplants rice seedlings in the village of Basha in Congjiang county, Guizhou province
Beijing has announced plans to set up five 'green finance' pilot zones as part of the Chinese government's anti-pollution campaign.

The central bank of China said it would support the zones through preferential loans and low-cost capital from green development funds.

The five zones will be in the provinces of Guangdong, Guizhou, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang, as well as the far western region of Xinjiang.

Banks will be encouraged to explore new financing mechanisms, including emissions trading and water use permits. The pilot programs are also expected to speed up the development of green insurance.

Comment: China's green zones seek to develop economies, reduce pollution and clean up the land. It's worth noting the irony in how these will be the direct opposite of the United States 'green zone', which is used as a base for destruction.

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