Puppet MastersS


Bulb

Supreme Court reaffirms presumption of innocence - States cannot keep money from the innocent

Nick Sibilla
Forbes
Tue, 02 May 2017 18:29 UTC
supreme court building
© Shutterstock
With so many constitutional rights under siege, it's welcome news when one of them is defended. Reaffirming the presumption of innocence, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law last month that forced criminal defendants to prove their innocence when the defendants' convictions were already overturned. As the court explained, "Absent those convictions, Colorado would have no legal right to exact and retain petitioners' funds." Not only is this decision a win for due process, the court's ruling in Nelson v. Colorado could have major ramifications for government shakedown schemes nationwide.

The case arose after two defendants, Shannon Nelson and Louis Madden, were convicted for sexual offenses and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in court costs, fees and restitution. Between her conviction and later acquittal, the state withheld $702 from Nelson's inmate account, while Madden paid Colorado $1,977 after his conviction. When their convictions were overturned, Nelson and Madden demanded their money back.

Although a state appellate court sided with them, the Colorado Supreme Court denied their refund request. Instead, the court ruled that Nelson and Madden could reclaim their money only through the state's Exoneration Act, which requires filing a civil claim and proving "that the person was actually innocent of the crime for which he or she was convicted."
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Info

Russian safe zones in Syria, and the battle for the South


Moon of Alabama
Wed, 03 May 2017 18:19 UTC
pro assad putin syria
© bbc
Russia is extremely active in search of a diplomatic way forward in the Syria conflict. Last month talks were held in Russia with the Syrian foreign minister and the Iranian foreign minister. New plans were discussed and agreed upon.

A few days ago Russia's foreign minister had talks with the U.S. Secretary of State. This week a visit of Merkel to Putin followed. On the same day Putin had a phone-call with Trump. A new round of the Astana piece talks under Russian sponsorship with the Syrian opposition and a Syrian government delegation is ongoing. (Unlike before, the U.S. dispatched a high State Department official to this round.) Today Putin met with the Turkish president Erdogan.
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Snakes in Suits

EU's chief negotiator warns Brexit will not be quick and painless


RT
Wed, 03 May 2017 13:21 UTC
Michel Barnier
© Francois Lenoir / ReutersEU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier
The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has dismissed British "illusions" that Brexit will be quick and painless, while laying down a series of demands on citizens' rights and a hefty financial settlement he says is just about settling accounts.

Unveiling his first detailed vision of how talks with the UK will take shape in Brussels, Barnier said: "Some have created the illusion that Brexit would have no material impact on our lives or that negotiations can be concluded quickly and painlessly. This is not the case.

"We need solutions, we need legal precisions and this will take time."
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Eye 2

Has Trump surrendered to the iron law of oligarchy?

Dan Sanchez
Foundation for Econimic Education
Mon, 01 May 2017 18:03 UTC
trup mcmaster
© Reuters
Did the Deep State deep-six Trump's populist revolution?

Many observers, especially among his fans, suspect that the seemingly untamable Trump has already been housebroken by the Washington, "globalist" establishment. If true, the downfall of Trump's National Security Adviser Michael Flynn less than a month into the new presidency may have been a warning sign. And the turning point would have been the removal of Steven K. Bannon from the National Security Council on April 5.

Until then, the presidency's early policies had a recognizably populist-nationalist orientation. During his administration's first weeks, Trump's biggest supporters frequently tweeted the hashtag #winning and exulted that he was decisively doing exactly what, on the campaign trail, he said he would do.

Comment: Political Ponerology is the most complete study of this phenomenon. Whether it is called communism, fascism, or oligarchy with a veneer of "democracy", the dynamic is still the same.

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Briefcase

Trails of 'dark money' lead from banking giant HSBC to the Tories


RT
Wed, 03 May 2017 17:59 UTC
Pounds currency UK Britain England
© Bloomberg / Getty Images
Accusations the Conservative Party received "dark money" to fund its election campaign from a struggling firm backed by banking giant HSBC have been put in doubt.

Documents reveal HSBC awarded a £214.2 million ($276.3 million) loan to IPGL - a company owned by then-Conservative Party treasurer and chief fundraiser, Michael Spencer - in October 2008, at the height of the financial crisis.

The Canary investigative news site says despite the company being in some financial distress, IPGL was donating between £500,000 and £1.1 million a year to the Tories, and gave £1.03 million to the Conservatives' 2010 election campaign.
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Bullseye

Why all of the propaganda you have been told about North Korea is racist nonsense

Andrew Dobbs
Medium
Tue, 18 Apr 2017 18:15 UTC
us tanks
© U.S. ArmyU.S. and South Korean artillery
Less than three months into Pres. Donald Trump's reign we can already say that there is a non-trivial chance that the United States will soon be engaged in a nuclear war.

The threat is still remote, but all the pieces are in place. An aircraft carrier group en route to North Korea, anonymous sources threatening a preemptive strike against them, a recent unilateral attack on the Syrian government and the dropping of a 21,000 pound conventional bomb in Afghanistan — interpreted by many as a message for North Korea.

Any misjudgments or mistakes could easily spark a shooting war in which the North Koreans will face an existential threat they can only resist with their nuclear weapons. The United States would be likely to respond in kind.

The main thing standing between us and this scenario? The cooler heads and good judgement of Trump and Kim Jong-Un.

This is deeply concerning, but to hear the U.S. media tell it all of the irrationality and risk in this is on the North Korean side. NBC News, in the very article announcing the United States' threat of unauthorized aggression against North Korea, called it "volatile and unpredictable."
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Wall Street

Saudi crown prince praises 'radical economic reforms' & promises huge investment


RT
Wed, 03 May 2017 13:06 UTC
Mohammed bin Salman
© Faisal Al Nasser / ReutersSaudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Radical reforms to protect Saudi Arabia's economy from low oil prices have been successful, according to Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"Although our prices dipped to as low as $27 for more than one year...the government managed to shield economic indicators from the negative impact," he said in a rare nationally televised interview on Tuesday.

"Gross domestic product is still growing - not at global rates, true, but it is not going into deflation," the prince added.
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Wall Street

Putin: Some trade restrictions between Russia & Turkey will remain for now


RT
Wed, 03 May 2017 17:58 UTC
Erdogan Putin
© www.globallookpress.com
Russia will continue blocking the import of Turkish tomatoes and some other produce, but the ban will not last forever, said Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi.

"We agreed to remove all these restrictions, but we asked our Turkish partners and friends to understand that after the well-known tragic events, when these restrictions were introduced, life went on and did not stand still," Putin said.

Russian businesses will lose money, if restrictions are lifted right now, according to Putin.

Comment: Further reading: Putin: Discussions with Erdogan and Trump centered on introducing de-escalation zones in Syria

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Bad Guys

Political games: Theresa May accuses EU of trying to influence general election


RT
Wed, 03 May 2017 17:58 UTC
Theresa May
© Neil Hall / ReutersBritain's Prime Minister Theresa May.
In her toughest words yet, Prime Minister Theresa May has accused European officials of trying to influence the result of Britain's general election with threats of harsh Brexit terms.

Speaking outside Downing Street on Wednesday, May adopted a tough tone, saying eurocrats do not want the talks to succeed and for Britain to "prosper" after Brexit. She also suggested that Britain's negotiating position has been misrepresented in the European press.

"In the past few days we have seen just how tough these talks are likely to be. Britain's negotiating position in Europe has been misrepresented in the continental press.
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Bad Guys

Europol director Rob Wainwright: ISIS militants developing own social media platform to avoid security crackdowns


RT
Wed, 03 May 2017 20:10 UTC
A smartphone
© Dado Ruvic / Reuters
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants are creating their own social media platform to avoid security crackdowns on their communications and propaganda, according to the head of the European Union's police agency.

The discovery was made during a 48-hour operation against internet extremism last week, Europol director Rob Wainwright told a security conference in London on Wednesday.

"Within that operation it was revealed IS was now developing its very own social media platform, its own part of the internet to run its agenda," Wainwright said, as quoted by Reuters.

"It does show that some members of Daesh [Arabic pejorative for Islamic State], at least, continue to innovate in this space."
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