Puppet MastersS


Satellite

Gen. John Hyten fears Russia and China are developing weapons to target US satellites

Harriet Sinclair
Raw Story
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 10:23 UTC
Vladimir Putin
© KremlinDirect Line with Vladimir Putin
Russia and China are building space weapons in order to target U.S. satellites, according to a U.S. general responsible for overseeing military operations in space.

Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California on Saturday, Gen. John Hyten said the weapons capable of targeting U.S. military satellites in space were being built in order to "challenge the balance of power in the world."

"They've been building weapons, testing weapons, building weapons to operate from the earth in space, jamming weapons, laser weapons, and they have not kept it secret," said Hyten, the head of US Strategic Command, who oversees all military operations in space, told CNN.

"They're building those capabilities to challenge the United States of America, to challenge our allies, and to change the balance of power in the world. We cannot allow that to happen," he added.

Comment: A whole lot of fear-mongering going on here. But are the Russians even necessary, given the US jammed their own satellites 261 times in 2015? It must be in General Hyten's job description to periodically bluster about the "Russian threat" to get everybody nice and worked up. They must need more money for space weapons.

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Vader

Honduran President Hernández using US-trained militia to crackdown on election protests

Lee Fang, Danielle Marie Mackey
The Intercept
Sun, 03 Dec 2017 13:09 UTC
Honduras election protests 2017
© Orlando Sierra/AFP/GettySupporters of Honduran presidential candidate for the Opposition Alliance against the Dictatorship party Salvador Nasralla, are affected by tear gas during a protest outside the Electoral Supreme Court (TSE), to demand the announcement of the election final results in Tegucigalpa, on November 30, 2017.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, using the specter of rampant crime and the drug trade, won extensive support from the American government to build up highly trained state security forces. Now, those same forces are repressing democracy.

The post-election situation in Honduras continues to deteriorate as Hernández, a conservative leader and stalwart U.S. ally in Central America, has disputed the result of last week's vote while working to crack down on protests sweeping the nation.

Initial results showed Salvador Nasralla, an ex-sportscaster chosen by an alliance of left-wing political parties as their candidate, leading the vote count after the November 26 presidential election. The lead was substantial enough that a magistrate on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal estimated victory by Nasralla, characterizing his lead as "irreversible."

The next day the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE by its Spanish initials) announced that Hernandez was closing the gap. Then it suddenly stopped publicizing the tally, alleging that its electronic system went down, prompting criticism from European Union election observers. Police and military flooded the streets in the hours of silence that followed. On Wednesday, the announcement that Hernández had overtaken Nasralla in the vote count was met with disbelief. In the words of Salvadoran journalist Carlos Dada, "There are only two possibilities: Either the TSE is of Olympic incompetence or it's committing fraud."

Comment: According to the New York Times, the opposition has claimed that the violent protesters and looters were infiltrators, deployed to give the government an excuse to use the security forces. Vice President Ricardo Alvarez acknowledged that many of the looters were people "taking advantage of the situation," not supporters of the opposition. Corruption is endemic in Honduras where two-thirds of the population lives in poverty. Street gangs and drug traffickers operate freely - the country is said to be one of the deadliest in the world outside a war zone.

A familiar situation in many Latin American countries that have been 'beneficiaries' of US intervention:

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Attention

Turkey warns US that its recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital would be 'major catastrophe'


RT
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 19:04 UTC
Jerusalem
© Nir Alon / Global Look PressJerusalem
US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would be a "major catastrophe" which would lead to new conflicts, Turkey has warned. It follows reports that President Donald Trump is preparing to formally acknowledge the city as the Jewish state's capital.

"If the [current] status of Jerusalem is changed and another step is taken... that would be a major catastrophe," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said during a televised press conference on Monday, as quoted by AFP. "It would completely destroy the fragile peace process in the region, and lead to new conflicts, new disputes and new unrest."

Bozdag, who is also the Turkish government's spokesperson, also told Reuters on Monday that Jerusalem's current status was determined by international agreements and must be preserved. "The status of Jerusalem and Temple Mount have been determined by international agreements. It is important to preserve Jerusalem's status for the sake of protecting peace in the region," he said.
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Map

Former SDF spokesman: U.S. intel chief promised us corridor to Mediterranean


South Front
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 17:48 UTC
Talal Silo
© Anadolu Agency
Talal Silo former spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) revealed during his interview with the Turkish Anadolu News Agency that a US intelligence chief promised the SDF leadership that the US support will support their plans to reach the Syrian coast if they attacks ISIS in Deir Ezzor.
"If you direct towards Deir Ezzor, the U.S. will give the necessary support to provide a post towards the sea to the SDF and the Syrian Democratic Parliament," the US intelligence chief told the SDF leadership, during a meeting according to Silo.
If true, this means that the SDF and the US have not only conspired to attack the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), but also to capture strategic positions along the Syrian coast that's considered a heartland for Russia in Syria. Many Syrian pro-government activists have warned before that the US might use the SDF to fight the SAA once ISIS is defeated.

According to Silo, the SDF leadership views the city of Afrin in the northern Aleppo countryside as the "heart" of its project to reach the Syrian coast and that it fears a possible Turkish attack on it. Silo said that US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk told the SDF leadership that the US will not protect Afrin, but also does not mind if the SAA or the Russia protects it.

Comment: Just take a look at a map of who holds what in Syria. This territory has been fairly consistent over the last couple years.
syria map
The entire western coast is held by the Syrians (red). And that's the Russian base in Latakia. Over to the east of that: al-Qaeda. North of that: Afrin. There's no way the U.S. thought it could create a corridor for the SDF to the sea: that would require clearing out al-Qaeda, the Syrians, AND the Russians. They were either delusional or flat-out lying. Or, Silo is lying, perhaps at the behest of the Turks.

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Smiley

Watch Joy Behar go crazy over ABC's FakeNews report about Flynn and Trump

Pam Key
Breitbart
Fri, 01 Dec 2017 17:40 UTC
sean hannity trump derangement syndrome
Friday on ABC's "The View," co-host Joy Behar and the live audience applauded the news former National Security Adviser Michale Flynn was charged and pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

The audience cheered as Behar said. "Yay. He goes to jail! He goes to jail! He goes to jail! Lock him up!"

Co-host Meghan McCain said, "Take this moment, Joy, take this moment. I give this to you."

Behar continued, "On election night, I had to wear a veil, I was in mourning. So this is like the antithesis of that hideous night, and that is why I am happy."

She added, "It should lead to resignation. I remember Richard Nixon, and Richard Nixon stepped down, and so should Donald Trump."

Behar declared, "It's a happy day, come on. If he is going to be taken down for what he did and this country can start to heal, and parties can work together like Meghan wants it to, then that is a happy day."


Comment: This clip is the perfect representation of the reality and consequences of fake news. People like Behar live in their own reality - which bears little resemblance to objective reality. And get a load of her brainwashed co-hosts and guests. It looks like being sane will find you in the minority - at least in the rarefied company of the media-creating and -consuming "elite".

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Eye 1

Nothing escapes the government's prying eyes: US plans to criminalize non-disclosure of digital currency ownership


RT
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 17:36 UTC
us senate building
© Alex Edelman / Global Look Press
The US Senate is reportedly considering a bill to outlaw the concealment of ownership of digital currency accounts by American citizens domestically and abroad.

The Senate Judiciary Committee says existing anti-money laundering (AML) laws need to be modernized.

The bill will amend the definition of 'financial account' and 'financial institution' to include cryptocurrencies and digital exchanges.

Experts warn that if the law is passed, it will likely have far-reaching effects for digital currencies' users both in the US and abroad.

"It's bad... I think it's going to end in a very confrontational way between bitcoin-even bitcoin holders and users-and the US Government," said Tone Vays, the head of research at BraveNewCoin and a 10-year Wall Street veteran.
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War Whore

Why is Robert Mueller even investigating the presidential transition? Mandate doesn't include post-election events

William A. Jacobson
Legal Insurrection
Sun, 03 Dec 2017 17:15 UTC
Mueller
© NBC News
The Order appointing Mueller concerns election interference, not post-election political decisions of the winning candidate.

Michael Flynn pleaded guilty last week to lying to FBI investigators regarding conversations Flynn had with the Russian Ambassador in late December 2016, barely three weeks before the Trump administration was sworn into office.

Such transitions contact with foreigners are routine, and took place during prior administrations, including the Obama administration. That makes perfect sense, since an incoming administration needs to hit the ground running with its foreign policy. Certainly there would have been howls of outrage from the media and Democrats had the incoming Trump administration waited until after the inauguration to make contact with our primary geo-political foes; it would have been portrayed as a sign of incompetence and amateurishness.

There was nothing illegal about Flynn speaking with the Russian ambassador and others. But he ran afoul of the law when he lied about it to the FBI.
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Jet2

Stirring the pot: US and South Korean 'Vigilant Ace' war games put North Korea on edge as nuclear crisis deepens


News.com.au
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 11:12 UTC
A U.S. air force F-35 Lightning II.
A U.S. air force F-35 Lightning II.
The US and South Korea's planned war games this week have already put North Korea on edge, as the rogue nation issued another threat.

The planned military drills between the two military forces will "precipitate their self-destruction", North Korea said, a day before the exercises begin.

Monday's Vigilant Ace exercises, due to last five days, will involve more than 230 warplanes and 12,000 soldiers from both sides.

The drill lasts from today until December 8 over eight air bases across the Korean Peninsula.

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Attention

Confirmed: Houthis retake Sanaa, Yemen, former president Saleh killed


Moon of Alabama
Mon, 04 Dec 2017 15:47 UTC
houthi sanaa yemen
© A Huthi rebel fighter is seen atop an armoured vehicle in front of the residence of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa on December 4, 2017. AFPA Huthi rebel fighter is seen atop an armoured vehicle in front of the residence of Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa on December 4, 2017.
The former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been killed today. Video of his dead body being thrown onto the back of a pickup is making the rounds. One hears Houthi slogans shouted in the background. The pictures show a gun wound on the chest and at the side of the head. The face is easily recognizable. There are also pictures of his ID card.

Though several media report his death there is no confirmation yet from his GPC party or his family.

Over the last few days Houthi media had announced several times that Saleh had been killed. This morning Saleh's house was blown up. This time the Houthi news proved right. The circumstance of Saleh's death are not known yet, but it was said that he was fleeing Sanaa when fate caught up with him.

As we wrote in our recap on Saturday, Saleh had suddenly made peace with the Saudis and asked his followers to take up arms against his former allies. For more than two years he had allied with the Houthi against the U.S. and UK supported Saudi invasion and proxy forces. On Friday, after several days of local clashes with the Houthi, he had called for his followers to throw the Houthi out of the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Comment: Saleh's last public words, from earlier today:
"Zero hour is coming to the battlefield in Sanaa," former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Sunday in his last public statement, quoted on Monday by the Al Arabiya broadcaster. "The country has to be saved from the madness of the Houthi group."
According to the Houthis, Saleh was "creating chaos by working with militias of aggression" and "helping extremist militants."
Having accused the former leader of betrayal and inciting even more violence in Yemen, the ministry said the Houthi forces have "ended the crisis" and now control "all positions" of opposing militias

There have been reports that the eldest son of the ex-president Ahmad Saleh, regarded as his likely successor, has been arrested.
The Houthis had reportedly been monitoring Saleh's movements since Saturday in the hopes of detaining him. During an attempt to detain another former official, clashes broke out between the Houthis and Saleh's guards. According to Saudi TV, he was killed by sniper bullets. (Photos and video of Hadi's body available here - warning, graphic.) Prior to news of Saleh's death, PM bin Daghr relayed Saudi-backed ex-President Hadi's offer of amnesty to any Houthis who decide to leave the movement, seeming to confirm that Saleh had made some sort of alliance with Hadi. It doesn't look like many will take up the offer. Hadi has allegedly ordered his own troops to retake Sanaa from the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia had launched airstrikes on Sanaa earlier Monday to support Saleh's forces. The Houthi spokesman said this today:
In an interview with Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah television network on Monday, Houthi Ansarullah movement's spokesman, Mohammad Abdulsalam, said the people of Yemen would eventually come out victorious in the war of aggression inflicted on their country by Saudi Arabia.

He added that Yemen's Houthi fighters and forces affiliated with the allied Popular Committees had managed to uncover and foil a large evil plot, whose goal was to target Yemeni popular forces and to create rift within their ranks.

Abdulsalam further noted that the Houthi forces had no problem with members of Saleh's party except those "who have betrayed their motherland and cooperated with the aggressors."

He said members of Saleh's party were helping the Yemeni forces in defending the country against the enemy, adding, "We want to boost cooperation with them."

Abdulsalam further stated that the Saudi war machine was still pounding the country and "our nation must resist until the final victory." He said the Saudi-led coalition continued to bombard the Yemeni capital by conducting at least 50 airstrikes during the past few days.

The Houthi official also noted that the Yemeni nation must stay alert in the face of any similar plot made against the country.

Abdulsalam said the leader of Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, had asked Saleh to correct his pro-Saudi policy and review his recent decision to break his alliance with the Yemeni forces, but "he declined to pay attention to Houthi's request with arrogance."

He said the Yemeni forces managed to foil the plot hatched by Saleh and his militia's to trigger civil war in the country.
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Chess

Congressional GOP members drafting contempt resolution against FBI, DOJ for stonewalling over Strzok dismissal

Billy House
Bloomberg
Sun, 03 Dec 2017 18:48 UTC
Strzok/Mueller
© Business InsiderFBI agent Peter Strzok • Special Counsel Robert Mueller
U.S. House Republicans are drafting a contempt of Congress resolution against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray, claiming stonewalling in producing material related to the Russia-Trump probes and other matters.

Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes and other committee Republicans, after considering such action for several weeks, decided to move after media including the New York Times reported Saturday on why a top FBI official assigned to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russia-Trump election collusion had been removed from the investigation.

Republicans, including the president, pointed to the reports as evidence that the entire probe into Russian meddling has been politically motivated.

"Now it all starts to make sense," Trump said on Twitter Sunday.

Comment: See also:

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