Puppet MastersS


Snakes in Suits

Mueller moving the Russia "investigation" into uncharted territory- now researching limits of presidential power to grant pardons

Sonam Sheth
Business Insider
Thu, 05 Oct 2017 03:03 UTC
Mueller
© J. Scott Applewhite / Associated PressRobert Mueller
Reports that the FBI's special counsel's team is researching President Donald Trump's pardon power are the latest indication that the Russia investigation is moving into unexplored terrain.

Robert Mueller, who was appointed special counsel in May after Trump fired the FBI Director James Comey, is tasked with examining Russia's interference in the 2016 US election, including whether Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the race in his favor.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Michael Dreeben, a seasoned prosecutor working with Mueller, was delving into past presidential pardons as the special counsel lays out his case - in particular, Dreeben is examining the limits of Trump's pardon power.

There is no federal precedent governing those limits, so Dreeben, a veteran Department of Justice attorney who has argued more than 100 cases before the Supreme Court, is most likely digging into state-level cases with elements that could be extrapolated as they relate to Trump's executive authority.
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Propaganda

NY Times sees potential for Russian ideological propaganda - in puppy ads

Robert Parry
ConsortiumNews.com
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
russiagate
The U.S. mainstream media is determined to prove Russia-gate despite the scandal's cracking foundation and its inexplicable anomalies, such as why Russia would set up a Facebook "puppies" page, writes Robert Parry.

What is perhaps most unprofessional, unethical and even immoral about the U.S. mainstream media's coverage of Russia-gate is how all the stories start with the conclusion - "Russia bad" - and then make whatever shards of information exist fit the preordained narrative.

For instance, we're told that Facebook executives, who were sent back three times by Democratic lawmakers to find something to pin on Russia, finally detected $100,000 worth of ads spread out over three years from accounts "suspected of links to Russia" or similar hazy wording.

These Facebook ads and 201 related Twitter accounts, we're told, represent the long-missing proof about Russian "meddling" in the U.S. presidential election after earlier claims faltered or fell apart under even minimal scrutiny.
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Bad Guys

Warmongering Kiev wants UN to send "peacekeeping" forces - otherwise known as NATO bombers - into Donbass

Eduard Popov - translated by Jafe Arnold
Fort Russ News
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
Kiev war
At the recent meeting of the UN Security Council, Ukraine's envoy, Vladimir Yelchenko, announced that the peacekeeping contingent to be deployed to Donbass should be equipped with combat aircraft and vehicles. Yelchenko also added that peacekeeping forces should be guaranteed necessary funding and advanced reconnaissance technologies.

If we assume the hypothetical possibility of such a proposal being approved, then the history of peacekeeping operations will be "enriched" with a new precedent. Never before have peacekeeping missions used combat aircraft. Of course, the Ukrainian ambassador's extravagant proposal can be attributed to the infantile experience of Ukrainian statehood and Ukraine's young diplomacy - but only partly. I once had the opportunity to participate in a meeting with Yelchenko when he was Ukraine's ambassador to Russia during Ukraine's Yushchenko presidency. Already back then I drew the conclusion that we are dealing not with a diplomat, but with a political demagogue whose "diplomacy" comprises little more than Russophobia. His subsequent career as Ukraine's envoy to the UN has only confirmed this. Unlike Russia's envoy, Vitaliy Churkin, who was a professional with a capital "P", this Ukrainian quasi-diplomat and Ukrainian quasi-diplomacy as a whole are famous for one thing - aggressive Russophobia and extravagance.

Comment: In other words, the current leadership of the Ukraine is quite insane. And because of these psychopathic elites the larger part of the country's population will be suffering all types of woes for some time to come.

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Eagle

German prosecutors put the kibosh on NSA spying probe, claim 'no solid evidence'


RT
Thu, 05 Oct 2017 21:11 UTC
NSA Germany
© Dado Ruvic / Reuters
Prosecutors in Germany have found no reason to continue their preliminary inquiry into the NSA's alleged systematic spying on German citizens, saying that the leaks by Edward Snowden didn't provide good enough evidence of any crime to dig further.

The probe was launched in 2013 after Snowden revealed mass surveillance of phone and internet data by the American and British spy agencies in the US and abroad.

According to the leaked papers, Germany was among the prime targets of the NSA and GCHQ, with even Chancellor Angela Merkel having her phone tapped.

However, the investigation into US surveillance of Merkel was dropped in 2015 due to the claim being "unprovable in a court of law."

Comment: In addition to the fact that all Western governments most probably engage in some form spying, one might ask: what would the German government actually do if they found the NSA guilty of all that Snowden contends? How would any country in the world begin to prosecute the behemoth spy agency that, at its core, is likely facilitating the very worst and most destructive plans of the U.S. Deep State?

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No Entry

Spanish constitutional court suspends Catalan parliament's independence session


RT
Thu, 05 Oct 2017 21:03 UTC
catalonia
© Jon Nazca / Reuters
The Spanish Constitutional Court has ordered a suspension of a Catalan parliament session on Monday, at which the local MPs planned to announce the region's unilateral independence from Madrid.

The court ruling came as a result of a legal challenge by the Catalan Socialist Party, which sees Catalonia as part of Spain and opposes secession from Madrid, according to El Pais.

Earlier, lawyers for the Catalan regional parliament had also warned that Monday's session would be illegal due to the referendum it is planning to address, which was outlawed by the Constitutional Court, AP reported.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has again called on Catalan leaders to give up on any unilateral declaration of independence.

Comment: Today, the Spanish government issued a decree making it easier for companies to move their legal base out of Catalonia. This comes after Spain's fifth-biggest bank, Banco Sabadell, announced it will move its HQ out of the region because of the risk of being shut out of the EU and its system of banking regulation should Catalonia declare its independence. Spain's third largest bank, CaixaBank, has said it will move its headquarters from Catalonia following in the footsteps of Sadabell. Other companies are making similar moves.

Meanwhile the government has issued a half-hearted apology for the police violence:
"When I see these images, and more so when I know people have been hit, pushed and even one person who hospitalised, I can't help but regret it and apologise on behalf of the officers that intervened," Spanish government's official representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, said in a television interview as quoted by Reuters.

It marks the first time a Spanish official has acknowledged and apologized for the violence which took place on Sunday, where riot police were deployed to Catalonia in an attempt to break up the independence vote. Close to 900 people were injured as police used batons and rubber bullets against those trying to cast their ballots.

However, Millo also placed the blame on the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, for encouraging people to go out and vote when both the government and the constitutional court considered the independence referendum illegal.

Previously, the federal government justified the actions of the police, saying they "complied with the orders of justice" and "acted with professionalism and in a proportionate way."


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Piggy Bank

Puerto Rico's debt may be sitting in Mom & Pop mutual funds

Pam Martens, Russ Martens
Wall Street on Parade
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
Puerto Rico lifesaver
© CNNMoney
There was likely a collective gasp at OppenheimerFunds Inc. yesterday when President Donald Trump made another of those market-moving pronouncements, telling Fox News that Puerto Rico's debt would have to be wiped out. The President's remarks suggested he thought the losers would be Wall Street banks. The President stated: "You know they owe a lot of money to your friends on Wall Street. We're gonna have to wipe that out. That's gonna have to be - you know, you can say goodbye to that. I don't know if it's Goldman Sachs but whoever it is, you can wave good-bye to that."

The reality is that a large percentage of Puerto Rico's debt is held in tax-free municipal bonds and municipal bond mutual funds, owned not by Wall Street banks or tycoons, but by mom and pop investors seeking tax-free income. (As a result of Congressional legislation, the interest on municipal bonds issued by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, its political subdivisions and public corporations, is not subject to Federal, state or local taxes. This has made the individual bonds and mutual funds particularly attractive in places like New York City where residents pay a Federal, state and local income tax.)

According to a semi-annual report made last month at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Oppenheimer Rochester Fund Municipals, a popular tax-free fund held by many New York investors, was sitting on a boatload of Puerto Rico municipal bonds as of June 30, 2017. The SEC filing shows over 100 different Puerto Rico bonds, issued by the Commonwealth and numerous other Puerto Rico issuers like the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and the Puerto Rico Sales Tax Financing Corp. (The fund, of course, holds a widely diversified portfolio of other bonds as well.)

For more, go here.

Comment: Will the holders of PR debt suffer? Unlikely since interest payments made by Puerto Rico have likely more than paid for the face value on the loans. To find out who and what really benefits from Puerto Rican debt, (hint: Hedge fund scam and a certain ME country) see also: Israel donor, billionaire Seth Klarman is one of the largest holders of Puerto Rican debt

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Rocket

U.S. State Dept. approves $15bn sale of THAAD missile defense to Saudi Arabia


RT
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 20:20 UTC
THAAD
© ReutersA Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor
The US State Department approved the sale of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) to Saudi Arabia for estimated $15 billion the day after Saudi Arabia agreed to buy Russian S-400 air defense system.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency "delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale" on Friday, the DSCA said in a statement.

The Saudi government has requested 44 THAAD launchers, 360 Interceptor missiles, 16 Fire Control and Communications Mobile Tactical Station Groups and seven AN/TPY-2 THAAD radars, according to the DSCA.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a friendly country. This sale furthers US national security and foreign policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats," the agency said.
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Attention

Terror victim suing FBI for complicity in attack: Criminal attorney tells RT FBI working within ISIS during attacks to infiltrate climb ranks


RT
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 20:09 UTC
fbi agents
Entrapment is never good, it is always harmful, and it is never a way to find the perpetrators of an attack because criminals are going to be able to carry this out, Jennifer Breedon, international criminal law attorney, told RT.

The FBI is being sued by a victim of an ISIS-inspired attack in 2015, during a controversial 'Draw Muhammad' cartoon drawing contest in Texas. The lawsuit alleges the bureau may have been complicit in the terrorist incident by not acting upon early warnings signs.

RT spoke with Jennifer Breedon, international criminal law attorney, for her take on the case.

RT: What do you think about the Garland terror attack controversy?

Jennifer Breedon: Obviously this new case that is coming out is very shocking and surprising. More details are going to be emerging, as the only security guard that was injured, besides the two terrorists that died, is now suing the FBI. It is very troubling to know that not only was the FBI aware of this attack, but likely perhaps complicit in carrying it out and even enticing the two terrorists to carry out the attack in Garland, Texas.
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Bad Guys

Kiev bill on Donbass reintegration contradicts letter and spirit of Minsk agreements, says Kremlin


RT
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 19:55 UTC
bombed home Donbass
© Sergey Averin / Sputnik
The Kremlin has described as "unacceptable" the Ukrainian bill on the reintegration of the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass, saying the document contradicts both the letter and spirit of the Minsk agreements.

"From a purely legal point of view, such a formula cannot be acceptable for us, neither de-jure nor de-facto," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday. "It is unacceptable. From the legal point of view it contradicts the letter and the spirit of the Minsk agreements."

The comments came shortly after the Ukrainian parliament - the Supreme Rada - approved in the first reading the bill on the reintegration of Donbass drafted by President Petro Poroshenko. The current draft of the document describes Russia as an "aggressor nation."

"There is no such definition in the Minsk agreements. The Russian side is a signatory, in particular a guarantor of these accords," Peskov said.

The peace deal known as the Minsk agreements was signed in February 2015 as a result of talks that involved representatives of the Kiev authorities, the self-proclaimed republics of Lugansk and Donetsk, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
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Handcuffs

Russian FM: Greek ruling to extradite Russian Bitcoin expert to US violates int'l law


RT
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 19:20 UTC
Alexander Vinnik
© Alexandros Avramidis / ReutersAlexander Vinnik (Center)
A Greek court ruling to extradite Russian entrepreneur Aleksandr Vinnik to the US over allegations of Bitcoin fraud violates international law, Russia's Foreign Ministry said, expressing the hope that the decision will be overturned by a higher court.

The ministry expressed "regret" over Wednesday's ruling by a Thessaloniki court to approve a request by American authorities to extradite Vinnik to the US.

The US claims the Russian national had funneled at least $4 billion in Bitcoin through various cryptocurrency trading platforms as part of a money laundering scheme.
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