Puppet MastersS


Bullseye

President of new Constituent Assembly Delcy Rodriguez: There is no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela


Al Jazeera
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 08:31 UTC
Delcy Rodriguez
President of Venezuela's new Constituent Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez
In April, opponents of Venezuela's Socialist President Nicolas Maduro took to the streets demanding immediate elections, blaming him for acute shortages and the world's highest inflation.

Maduro's response was to create a legislative superpower to re-write the constitution; a move many believe will turn Venezuela into a one party state, like Cuba.

More than 120 people died and thousands arrested during months of protests - to no avail.

The Assembly has taken over, amid fierce international criticism. Washington has imposed financial sanctions and despite the threat of more, the body is forging ahead, led by this woman, the revolutionary former Foreign Minister.

As president of the new Constituent Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez is arguably the most powerful person in Venezuela today. The Assembly has the power to override and even replace the president.

At what could be Venezuela's most critical hour, she talks to Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman.
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Info

Roger Waters: Congress threatens to silence human rights advocates

Roger Waters
The New York Times
Thu, 07 Sep 2017 21:30 UTC
People marching in support of B.D.S. in California in August 2016
© Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesPeople marching in support of B.D.S. in California in August 2016.
Members of Congress are currently considering a bill that threatens to silence the growing support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for Palestinian freedom and human rights, known as B.D.S. This draconian bill, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, threatens individuals and businesses who actively participate in boycott campaigns in support of Palestinian rights conducted by international governmental organizations with up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

By endorsing this McCarthyite bill, senators would take away Americans' First Amendment rights in order to protect Israel from nonviolent pressure to end its 50-year-old occupation of Palestinian territory and other abuses of Palestinian rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union has condemned the bill, which the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is lobbying for, as a threat to the constitutional right to free speech.
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Arrow Down

Horrible Hillary's book tour: No regrets about calling Trump supporters 'deplorables'

Matt Vespa
Townhall
Mon, 11 Sep 2017 12:07 UTC
Hillary interview Jane Pauley
Hillary is obviously still shell-shocked over her loss and it will remain that way. The silver lining with all of this Clinton nonsense is that she has declared that she will never run for office again. She’s finished; so long, loser.
Folks, I know there's a hurricane slamming Florida. There's been immense outpourings of charity and compassion for the people of Texas after Harvey. The issues of DACA, health care, and tax reform are going to be the agenda items on The Hill. Yet, this is the eve of Hillary Clinton's book, What Happened, and we're learning more about the former first lady and why she's a two-time loser. Hillary sat down with CBS News's Jane Pauley over the weekend, where we found out that it took Clinton ten months to figure out why she's not living in the White House. We found out what she feels was her most important mistake during the 2016 season, why the Trump inauguration triggered her, and why she doesn't regret calling Trump supporters deplorable.

For starters, she feels like Trump's inauguration was a "cry from the white nationalist gut." As a person of color, and I hate using that term since we're all Americans, but whatever-I didn't feel that way. In fact, I rather enjoyed Trump's inauguration because he at least admitted that everything was not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows; things need to change. Things needed to be fixed. Golly-how evil of him, or something.


Comment: Killary's serial hating spree

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Attention

Buyer's prerogative: Turkey confirms deposit on Russia's state-of-the-art S-400 missile systems


RT
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:53 UTC
S-400 air defence missile system
© Dmitriy Vinogradov / Sputnik
Ankara has made the down payment for the purchase of Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft systems, signaling closer cooperation with Moscow and a widening rift with its NATO allies, which have criticized the deal.

"Our friends have already signed an agreement on the S-400s. A deposit has also been paid, as far as I know. The process will continue by the transfer of a credit from Russia to us. Both Mr. Vladimir Putin and myself, we are determined on this issue," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists after returning from Kazakhstan on September 10.

The contract, which had been the subject of speculation for several years, was indirectly confirmed by Moscow.

"The buyer has the prerogative in announcing the purchase, but it is necessary to note that supplying these systems is consistent with Russia's geopolitical interests," said the Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation in a statement.
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Bulb

Putin warns about "high security risks" of foreign software, urges greater domestic development


RT
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:55 UTC
Russian President Vladimir Putin
© Sergey Guneev / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on IT companies in Russia to use domestically developed software, saying that soon the use of such foreign products will no longer be possible in certain sectors due to "high security risks."

The IT industry in Russia should aim to develop more home-grown products and raise and train specialists, Putin said Friday during a meeting with representatives of information and communication companies in the Perm Region.

At the moment, the amount of Russia-made software used in the country stands at around 30 percent, the president was told.

"You should try to involve more of our [IT specialists]. In terms of security, there are things of critical importance for the state, that are essential to support certain industries and regions," Putin said, referring not only to the military sector, but also energy.
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Attention

Trump: North Korea sanctions 'nothing compared to what will have to happen'

Roberta Rampton and David Brunnstrom
Reuters
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:46 UTC
NKflagTrump
© Free Malaysia Today
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the latest U.N. sanctions on North Korea agreed this week were only a very small step and nothing compared to what would have to happen to deal with the country's nuclear program.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned China that if it did not follow through on the new sanctions, the United States would "put additional sanctions on them and prevent them from accessing the U.S. and international dollar system."

Another senior administration official told Reuters any such "secondary sanctions" on Chinese banks and other companies were on hold for now to give China time to show it was prepared to fully enforce the latest and previous rounds of sanctions.

The U.N. Security Council voted to boost sanctions on North Korea on Monday, banning its textile exports and capping fuel supplies, prompting a traditionally defiant threat of retaliation against the United States.
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Snakes in Suits

White House states it plainly: Former FBI director James Comey's firing was justified

Alex Christoforou
The Duran
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 19:19 UTC
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked by a reporter to respond to Steve Bannon's "60 Minutes" comment that President Trump firing of the FBI director was the "worst political mistake in modern history".

Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated that President Trump's decision to fire James Comey was the right thing to do....

"Since the director's firing, we've learned new information about his conduct that only provided further justification for that firing."

Sander provided a laundry list of reasons justifying Trump's decision to fire Comey saying...

"false testimony, giving leaking privileged information to journalists, he went outside of the chain of commands and politicized an investigation into a presidential candidate."
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Passport

Germany confirms stolen Syrian passports as EU governments 'bury heads in sand' over migrants and terrorism


RT
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:31 UTC
Migrants queue to get into a food tent at a temporary registration centre in the village of Schwarzenborn, northeast of Frankfurt
© Kai Pfaffenbach / ReutersMigrants queue to get into a food tent at a temporary registration centre in the village of Schwarzenborn, northeast of Frankfurt, Germany.
The EU is burying its head in the sand while dealing with the refugee influx that can hide terrorists, a former intelligence officer told RT. The assertion comes as the German Interior Ministry has confirmed it knew about the thousands of blank passports stolen in Syria.

"Allowing such a large influx of refugees into Europe was ill-thought," Chris Hunter, a former UK army intelligence officer, told RT.

Hunter recalled the "sheer number" of terrorist incidents which Europe witnessed over the last three years that were linked to IS (Islamic State, also known as ISIS/ISIL).

"[This] shows us that even with a small number of terrorists potentially on the radar the [European] governments have no ability to cope [with them] and are incapable of doing so," he concluded.
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Radar

N. Korea ambassador to Russia: Pyongyang's nuclear program aims to 'deter hostile US policy'


RT
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:16 UTC
N. Korea missile test
© KCNA / Reuters
No sanctions will make North Korea change its policies, says the country's ambassador to Moscow. The diplomat added that North Korea's nuclear program will help his country better deter the "hostile policy of the US".

"We have lived under US sanctions for decades. Under the harshest of sanctions. But we have acquired everything we wanted to. If the US hopes that our position would be shaken and changed, that is an illusion," Kim Yong-jae told the Russian media.

The diplomat added that North Korea's nuclear and rocket programs will help his country better deter the "hostile policy of the US" and protect the Korean Peninsula from a nuclear war.

"The sanctions resolution of the UN Security Council has been forced by the US, which uses the council as a tool, and is illegal. We fully reject and strongly condemn this resolution," Ambassador Kim said.

"Instead of acknowledging the reality and making the right choice, the US is using our most justified measures of self-defense to try and strangle our country," he said.
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Propaganda

EU launches new 'single resource' website to counter 'pro-Russian propaganda'


RT
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:07 UTC
EU flag
© Jon Nazca / Reuters
An EU agency, specifically tasked with fighting what the West terms 'Russia propaganda,' has launched its new website to provide Europeans with "a single resource" to "enlighten" them about alleged "pro-Kremlin propaganda."

The site was launched in English, German and Russian. It's part of the ongoing "EU vs disinformation" campaign waged by the EU's East Stratcom Task Force.

"Today we launch our new website www.euvsdisinfo.eu, providing you with a single resource on addressing the challenge of pro-Kremlin disinformation," a statement on the website says.

"This website is part of a campaign to better forecast, address and respond to pro-Kremlin disinformation," it says further.
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