Puppet MastersS


Attention

Trump appoints 'Death by China' author Peter Navarro to head new trade office, hints at trade war with Beijing

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 02:48 UTC
Peter Navarro
© MSNBC ScreenshotPeter Navarro
Another day, another shot across the bow from Donald Trump aimed squarely at China.

Having already participated (and in the case of one, precipitated) two mini diplomatic snafus with Beijing in just the past two weeks, Trump is sending a clear message to Beijing that US-China trade under his administration will be anything but business as usual, by creating a National Trade Council inside the White House to oversee industrial policy and has decided to appoint a hard core China hawk to run it.

According to the FT, which broke the news, Trump has chosen Peter Navarro, a Harvard-trained economist and one-time daytrader, to head the NTC. The author of books such as Death by China and Crouching Tiger: What China's Militarism Means for the World has for years warned that the US is engaged in an economic war with China and should adopt a more aggressive stance — a message that the president-elect sold to voters across the US during his campaign.
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Info

Russia-Turkey-Iran format on Syria 'gleam of hope' for lasting peace, wants Saudi Arabia to join efforts


Sputnik
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 23:42 UTC
Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu and Mohammad Javad Zarif
© AFP 2016/ Natalia KOLESNIKOVARussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (2L), his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu (2R) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) attend a meeting in Moscow on December 20, 2016.
The Russia-Turkey-Iran format of cooperation provides hope for Syria crisis settlement and preserving territorial integrity and sovereignty of the war-torn country, Ozturk Yilmaz, a deputy chair responsible for foreign relations of the Republican People's Party (CHP), told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey met in Moscow to discuss the situation in Syria, including in Aleppo. They agreed in a joint statement on the revival of the political process to end the conflict in the country. The document stressed the importance of respecting Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

"First of all, this is an important development after so many years of a civil war. Now we can see a gleam of hope for the resolution of the Syrian crisis and civil war. It is quite important that the party meeting has a result about working together for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria and fight against terrorism... This is changing the format... And we have a hope for the territorial integrity, to the reservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria," Yilmaz said.
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Network

Trump creates National Trade Council to help fix flagging US economy


RT
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 20:31 UTC
car factory
© John Sommers II / Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump announced the establishment of the White House National Trade Council, to be headed by Peter Navarro, a hard-line critic of China.

The announcement on Wednesday called Navarro a "visionary economist" who will develop policies to shrink the US trade deficit, expand growth and stop the jobs from going overseas.

The National Trade Council will also be in charge of the "Buy America, Hire America" program that will apply to government spending ranging from infrastructure to national defense.

"I read one of Peter's books on America's trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research," Trump said in the announcement. "He has presciently documented the harms inflicted by globalism on American workers, and laid out a path forward to restore our middle class."
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Attention

At what price? Erdogan vows to liberate Al-Bab from Daesh soon as 14 more soldiers killed


Sputnik
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 22:43 UTC
Turkish soldier in tank
© AFP 2016/ BULENT KILIC
The Turkish army will soon liberate the northern Syrian city of al-Bab from Daesh terror group, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

Turkish forces, with assistance from Syrian opposition fighters, occupied the city of Jarabulus in northern Syria and are currently conducting its offensive on al-Bab. Erdogan said that the aim of the operation was to clear the region from terrorists and to make it into a safety zone for refugees.

"IS [Daesh] is on its final days in al-Bab. Terrorists are trying to resort to their favorite means to keep the city: using suicide attackers, homemade explosives. Unfortunately, some Turkish soldiers were injured and killed. However, the road connecting al-Bab with Aleppo has already been taken under control. Hopefully, al-Bab will be soon liberated and its residents will return to their homes," Erdogan said at the press conference in Ankara.
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Attention

HRW reports ISIS targeting civilians in Mosul, Iraqi and US coalition forces also cause civilian deaths


RT
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 22:27 UTC
ISIS militants
© Dabiq / Global Look Press via ZUMA Press
Islamic State has "indiscriminately' attacked people who refused to retreat from the Iraqi city of Mosul alongside jihadists, Human Rights Watch said, adding that Iraqi and US-led coalition forces were responsible for civilian deaths.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants used mortar rounds and explosives against the population in eastern Mosul and deliberately shot at fleeing residents, HRW said on Wednesday.

The terrorists were "indiscriminately or deliberately killing and wounding people for refusing to be human shields," Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch said cited in a statement published on its website.

Comment: More on the chaos and battle for Mosul, certainly not as professional as Russia and Syria with Aleppo:

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MIB

CIA using logical fallacy to misrepresent FBI's and Clapper's doubts on CIA's Russian hacking claims

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 19:30 UTC
CIA John Brennan
© Reuters/ Gary CameronCIA Director John Brennan
The CIA claim that ODNI and the FBI are now backing its claims about Russian hacking are wrong. They are based on a misrepresentation by the CIA of the doubts ODNI and the FBI are expressing.

Four days ago on 16th December 2016 the Washington Post, the newspaper which has been the most zealous in spreading the story that Russian hacking influenced the outcome of the US Presidential election, published a report that claimed that ODNI and the FBI - which had previously appeared to express doubts - had fallen into line with the claims concerning the hacking being made by the CIA.

This report follows earlier reports that not just the FBI but more critically ODNI, Director of Intelligence James Clapper's Office, have expressed doubts about the CIA's claims of Russian hacking.

The Washington Post article that ODNI and the FBI have fallen into line behind the Russian hacking claims stems from a private memorandum circulated to officials of the CIA by CIA Director John Brennan.

The memorandum, which was obviously leaked to the Washington Post by officials of the CIA, reads as follows
Earlier this week, I met separately with (Director) FBI James Comey and DNI Jim Clapper, and there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election. The three of us also agree that our organisations, along with others, need to focus on completing the thorough review of this issue that has been directed by President Obama and which is being led by the DNI. In recent days, I have had several conversations with members of Congress, providing an update on the status of the review as well as the considerations that need to be taken into account as we proceed. Many — but unfortunately not all — members understand and appreciate the importance and the gravity of the issue, and they are very supportive of the process that is underway.
(bold italics added)
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Heart - Black

'He Was Shot 11 Times': Exhibit Planner Speaks About Envoy's Horrific Murder


Sputnik
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 23:01 UTC
Mevlüt Altıntaş
NATO stooge Mevlüt Altıntaş, after he shot Ambassador Andrei Karlov 4 times in the back.
On Monday, Russia's ambassador to Turkey was killed by a gunman at the opening of a Russian-themed photo exhibition. In an interview for Sputnik, Timur Ozkan, organizer of the exhibition, presented new details about Monday's horrific events, and explained why he felt "crushed" by what happened.
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Eye 2

Best of the Web: Egotistical, sociopathic U.S. journalists who 'danced' on Russian Ambassador's grave

Bryan MacDonald
RT
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 16:17 UTC
Body of Andrei Karlov
© Valeriy Sharifulin/SputnikMeeting in Moscow the aircraft with the body of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov who was killed in Ankara on December 19.
Two American journalists have crossed a line in their reaction to the murder of a Russian diplomat this week. They are both a disgrace to the profession they purport to practice.

While never one to advocate censorship, I've often believed that perhaps certain people should be restricted from access to the op-ed pages. Not because I disagree with their views or think they should be muted. In fact, the wider a variety of voice and opinions the better, to my mind. No, this is rather down to how they are making themselves look stupid and seem blissfully unaware of it. Thus, silencing them would be a humanitarian gesture, giving them time to reflect on their sociopathic behavior and relentless egotism.

Following the appalling murder of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, on Monday two particular individuals have penned diatribes so lacking in basic humanity that it's fair to question their sanity, let alone decency. They are Brian Whitmore of US state broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Gersh Kuntzman from New York's Daily News.

First the latter. Under the headline "Assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was not terrorism, but retribution for Vladimir Putin's war crimes," Kuntzman tells us how "I, for one, am shedding no tears for Andrei Karlov." He goes on to explain that the slain diplomat effectively deserved to die and draws equivalence with "Ernst vom Rath, the Nazi ambassador to France, who was gunned down inside his consulate by a Jewish student in 1938."
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No Entry

Suspect in Berlin Truck Attack Was Under Surveillance for Months


Sputnik
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 20:57 UTC
Anis Amri, like many other terrorists, left his ID at the scene
Anis Amri, like many other terrorists, left his ID at the scene
The suspect in Monday's deadly terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin had been under covert surveillance for several months earlier this year.

Anis Amri, a 23-year-old Tunisian man suspected of the attack, had previously caught the attention of intelligence officials who suspected that he was planning an attack. There are reports that he had planned a robbery to fund the purchase of automatic weapons to carry out his plot.

Comment: Leaving your ID at the scene of the attack and being under surveillance by the authorities of the country which you attack appears to be a prerequisite for most alleged "Islamic terror attacks"

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Calculator

Facebook reports 27% rise in government requests for account data

Laharee Chatterjee
Reuters
Wed, 21 Dec 2016 20:56 UTC
Facebook
© Reuters/Dado Ruvic
Facebook Inc. said on Wednesday that government requests for user account data rose 27 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the second half of last year, with U.S. law enforcement agencies topping the list.

Government requests for account data globally rose to 59,229 from 46,710 and more than half contained a non-disclosure order that prohibited the social networking website from notifying users.

Requests for content restriction, the number of items restricted for violating local laws, decreased by 83 percent from the second half of 2015, Facebook said in a blog post.

The Paris attacks in November last year elevated the number of content restriction requests.

Facebook for the first time provided information about government requests to preserve relevant user account information. The company received 38,675 preservation requests for 67,129 accounts.
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