Puppet MastersS


Cloud Grey

Attempting to see through the Comey fog

Scott Adams
Scott Adams' Blog
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 13:16 UTC
Jamescomey
© Newstarget.comMulder says "The truth is out there..." I'll go look.
Ex-FBI Director Comey released a statement ahead of his appearance before Congress, and it has heads spinning. I'll tell you how things look through what I call the Persuasion Filter.

There are several related stories swirling around the news that involve Russia, Trump, Trump's campaign staff, and Comey. All together, the stories are beyond the capacity of the human brain to hold the details and keep them from automatically conflating in our minds and becoming more soup than individual ingredients. When you have this level of complexity, humans reflexively default to using bias over reason. Our capacity for reason isn't up to the job in this case because all the Russia-Comey-Trump stuff has started to run together in our minds. We would happily use our limited powers of reason in this situation if we could, but the complexity of it all makes that a dream beyond our grasp.

Could a trained lawyer sort out this complexity and at least tell you whether or not a law has been broken? Apparently not. Otherwise the lawyers on both sides would agree. They don't.

So what we are seeing is a super-clean example of what I call two movies on one screen. The anti-Trump media and citizens are peering into the Comey fog and seeing some serious Trump-related wrongdoing that is impeachable at the very least, and treasonous at worst. Meanwhile, Trump supporters are looking at the SAME FACTS and seeing nothing illegal except for some leaking by anti-Trumpers.
Read More...
Info

Russia's food shipments to Qatar is a soft power masterstroke

Andrew Korybko
The Duran
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 13:10 UTC
Qatar's Thani
Russia is brilliantly branding itself as a Muslim-friendly country by sending food relief to Qatar during Ramadan, and it's also setting the stage for Al Jazeera to become more neutral in its coverage of Moscow's Mideast policies too.

The Qatari-Saudi Cold War is a geopolitical scheme cooked up by the US and the UAE, as I explained in my 21st Century Wire article about "The Machiavellian Plot to Provoke Saudi Arabia and Qatar into a "Blood Border" War", but it's not exactly a surprise that it happened. My September 2016 forward-looking analysis about "The GCC: The Tripartite's Big Barter In The 'Eurasian Balkans'" presciently forecast that a second round of Gulf tensions was bound to occur, and that the Great Power Tripartite of Russia, Iran, and Turkey could cooperate with Qatar in helping to break Riyadh's stranglehold on the GCC. Moreover, my Geopolitica.Ru analysis from earlier this week about "Russia's Energy Diplomacy In The Mideast: Boom Or Bust?" accurately predicted that Russia will play a role in mediating tensions between the two feuding GCC countries, which has now officially come to pass with the Qatari Foreign Minister's visit to Moscow this weekend.
Read More...
Radar

Beijing, Washington flex muscles in South China Sea with separate air and navy exercises


RT
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 12:37 UTC
USS Sterett
© AFP
China and the US have both held exercises this week involving air and navy forces, in the latest episode of confrontation over the disputed South China Sea.

The US sent two B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers to fly a 10-hour mission from the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, the US Pacific Command said. The drill was conducted Thursday over the South China Sea in conjunction with the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer the USS Sterett.

Beijing said on Friday it was monitoring the exercise.

"China always maintains vigilance and effective monitoring of the relevant country's military activities in the South China Sea," the Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement. "China's military will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and regional peace and stability."
Read More...
Info

Japan clears way for emperor to step down in first abdication in 200 years


RT
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 12:29 UTC
Japanese Emperor Akihito (seated 3rd L) and Empress Michiko (seated 4th L), smile with their family members
© Imperial Household Agency of Japan / Reuters Japanese Emperor Akihito (seated 3rd L) and Empress Michiko (seated 4th L), smile with their family members.
Japan has passed legislation paving the way for 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to abdicate. The law sets the stage for the first abdication of a reigning monarch in two centuries, in a royal family which has a history stretching back 2,600 years.

The upper house of the Japanese parliament passed the bill on Friday in a vote broadcast live on NHK TV. The lower chamber had already given its approval on the legislation earlier in June.

"Abdication will take place for the first time in 200 years, reminding me once again of how important an issue this is for the foundation of our nation, its long history, and its future," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters later, as cited by Reuters.

The government should now discuss the terms of abdication and its timing, which is believed to be in 2018, according to reports in Japanese media and Reuters. Akihito's son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 57, is presumed to succeed the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Read More...
Info

India and Pakistan to join SCO during landmark Astana summit


RT
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 12:21 UTC
The SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan
© Vladimir Astapkovich / SputnikThe SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is kicking off in Kazakhstan, with the admission of India and Pakistan topping the agenda. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who already met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, will take part in the leaders' meeting.

Putin has arrived in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, on Thursday, prior to the opening of the SCO summit scheduled for Friday. On his first day of the visit, Putin also held a brief meeting with Xi to compare notes before the main event.

Official approval of India's and Pakistan's accession bids will become a key part of the summit. The two Asian powers have long aspired to become full members of the SCO, with their membership memoranda signed during the 2016 summit in Uzbekistan.

Moscow believes the move will dramatically expand the organization's capacities to influence international affairs.
Read More...
Rocket

North Korea touts successful test of 'new powerful anti-ship cruise missile'


RT
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 12:15 UTC
North Korea missile test
© KCNA / Reuters
North Korea has claimed that it successfully tested a new type of ground-to-sea cruise missile, capable of striking an entire "group of battleships." The newly gained capability, Pyongyang says, allows it to defend itself against the US armada deployed in the region.

On Thursday, Pyongyang launched a number of missiles which flew about 200 km (124 miles), before descending into the Sea of Japan.

The launch was confirmed Friday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which boasted about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervising the test.

"The launched cruise rockets accurately detected and hit the floating targets on the East Sea of Korea after making circular flights," KCNA said.
Read More...
Chess

Trump's lawyer: Comey should be investigated for admittedly leaking 'privileged communications'


RT
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 11:22 UTC
James Comey
© Aleksey Nikolskyi / Reuters
President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, has called for former FBI Director James Comey to be investigated after Comey testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee about his abrupt firing by Trump.

During the two-and-a-half hour hearing, Comey told senators that he had written memos of all his one-on-one conversations with Trump, beginning during the presidential transition period in January. After he was fired, Comey told a "close friend who is a professor at Columbia law school" to leak the content of one of those memos to a report.

This admission, Kaskowitz said in a statement after the end of the open hearing, means that Comey "is one of these leakers" that Trump had asked him to investigate.

Comment: Further reading: James Comey admits: Obstruction of justice...by Hillary Clinton, NOT Donald Trump

Read More...
Eye 1

Qatar's Al Jazeera says entire media network is 'under cyberattack'


Sputnik
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 11:22 UTC
Al Jazeera
© East News/ Polaris Images
"Al Jazeera Media Network under cyber attack on all systems, websites & social media platforms," the media outlet said on Twitter.

The news comes after on June 5, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic relations with Qatar.

The states accused Qatar of supporting terrorist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist movement, as well as of interfering in other countries' domestic affairs. Libya made a similar decision. Yemen cut diplomatic relations citing Doha's links with Houthis. The Maldives took the same step, citing extremism and terrorism concerns. Mauritius joined the boycott. Mauritania broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar while Jordan downgraded ties with the country on June 6. The Comoros joined the campaign on June 7.

Comment: This comes about a day after Saudi Arabia's 24-hour 'ultimatum':
SkyNews Arabia is reporting that Saudi Arabia has given Qatar a 24 hours ultimatum, starting tonight, to fulfill 10 conditions.

The list of demands from Saudi Arabia has been handed to Kuwait, which is currently mediating the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Zerohedge is reporting that among the key demands by Saudi Arabia is that Qatar end all ties Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. Aside from this key demand, little additional information on the Ultimatum and more importantly what happens should Qatar not comply, has been provided to media.


Read More...
Caesar

Putin to Oliver Stone: 'I like McCain's patriotism & consistency, but he is living in the past'


RT
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 00:22 UTC
putin_stone
© SHOWTIME / YouTube
In the latest teaser for the yet-to-be-broadcast documentary of Vladimir Putin by film director Oliver Stone, the Russian leader spoke of his respect and discord with Senator John McCain, one of the Kremlin's fiercest critics since the Cold War.

"Well, honestly, I like Senator McCain to a certain extent. And I'm not joking. I like him because of his patriotism, and I can relate to his consistency in fighting for the interests of his own country," Putin told Stone in Moscow. The conversations form part of a series of interviews which will be aired in full next week.

Read More...
Bullseye

Obstruction of justice case against Trump taken apart by Senator Risch

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge
Thu, 08 Jun 2017 11:34 UTC
Comey and Risch
While this is not a highlight you'll ever see replayed on any MSM outlet throughout the day, Senator Jim Risch just completely dismantled any 'hopes' of an obstruction of justice case against President Trump with the following exchange:
Risch: "Boy you nailed this down on page 5 paragraph 3, you put this in quotes, words matter, you wrote down the words so we could all have the words in front of us now. There are 28 words there that are in quotes and it says, 'I hope', this is the President speaking, 'I hope you can see your way claer to letting this go, to letting Flynn go...I hope you can let this go.'"

"Now those are his exact words, is that correct"

Comey: "Correct."

Risch: "And you wrote them here and you put them in quotes?"

Comey: "Correct."

Risch: "Thank you for that. He did not direct you to let it go."

Comey: "Not in his words, no."

Risch: "He did not order you to let it go."

Comey: "Again, those words are not an order."

Risch: "He said 'I hope'. Now, like me you probably did 100's of cases, maybe 1,000s of cases charging people with criminal offenses. And, of course, you have knowlege of the 1,000s of cases out there where people have been charged. Do you know of any case where a person has been charged for obstruction of justice, for that matter of any other criminal offense, where they said or thought they hoped for an outcome?"

Comey: "I don't know well enough to answer. And the reason I keep saying 'his words' is I took it as a direction..."

Risch: "You may have taken it as a direction but that is not what he said. He said, 'I hope.' You don't know of anyone who has ever been charged for hoping something, is that a fair statement?"

Comey: "I don't as I sit here."
Read More...