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Fri, 29 Oct 2021
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Rocket

'A great deception' is the latest accusation against N. Korea

Konstantin Asmolov
New Eastern Outlook
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 00:00 UTC
Kim Jong-un/Rocket
© Unknown
On November 12 the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) concluded, after studying satellite data and other publicly-available data on North Korea's missile program, that there were 13 hidden military bases or facilities in North Korea whose existence was hitherto unknown, and which could be used to build missiles or develop missile technology.

Specifically, the document shows satellite photographs of Sakkanmol in Hwangju County, North Hwanghae Province, which were taken on March 29. That location, 85 km north of the Demilitarized Zone and 135 km from Seoul, is the site of a small-range ballistic missile base, which, it is claimed, houses Hwasong 5 and Hwasong 6 missiles. There are seven long tunnels on the site, which can hold up to 18 mobile launching platforms.

On the basis of satellite photographs published in the media and interviews with defectors from North Korea, the CSIS researchers, headed by Joseph Bermudez (who, apparently, has been studying North Korea's missile capacity since 1985) have identified the locations of more than 65 North Korean military bases, although they have only announced 20 of these, 13 of which they have identified on the map and the rest of which "are still unconfirmed."

Comment: The Trump administration claims it is fully aware of these 'undeclared and secret' NK facilities and that promises demanded of Kim Jong-un - so far - have been met. The NYT appears to be accusatorially inflating a scenario based on situational aspects not yet addressed.

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Star of David

Trump states Israel is 'one reason' for US troops to remain in the Middle East

Amir Tibon
Haaretz
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 09:03 UTC
Trmpntnyhu
© Pinterest
But whose reason is it?
U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday that "one reason" for the United States to remain in the Middle East is Israel.

Trump made the comment during a portion of the interview in which he discussed whether or not the United States should continue to have a military presence in the region in light of current realities.

"Now, are we going to stay in that part of the world? One reason to is Israel," Trump said. He then explained that oil production was no longer a reason to do so. "Oil is becoming less and less of a reason because we're producing more oil now than we've ever produced. So, you know, all of a sudden it gets to a point where you don't have to stay there," Trump explained.

Last week, Trump said the U.S. would maintain its partnership with Saudi Arabia to "ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region."

Referring to the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump said: "We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran."

Trump added that "it is our paramount goal to fully eliminate the threat of terrorism throughout the world!"

Comment: "...it gets to a point where you don't have to stay there"...this should scare the willies out of Israel. Expect an uptick in Israeli 'reasons' to reverse this logic.

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Megaphone

Assange/Manafort drama: Proving once again Western media will publish any Russia conspiracy story, no matter how absurd

Mollie Hemingway
The Federalist
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 00:00 UTC
If this story had been true, it would have been proof of the conspiracy theory the Resistance/Media/NeverTrump has peddled without evidence for years, but being upset about it being false means that you're also guilty!
Manafort Assange
Many media figures have swallowed whole, without evidence, a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump became president by treasonously colluding with Russia to steal the 2016 election from its rightful owner, Hillary Clinton. The information operation that pushed this story turned out to have been secretly developed and funded by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, a fact uncovered only through the tenacious digging of Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the face of major opposition from the media and Democrats on the committee.

The information operation has been fed to an increasingly compliant and credulous media with nearly no resistance. Fusion GPS is the Clinton- and Democrat-funded group that initiated the Russia collusion story, although it is now, according to congressional testimony, being spearheaded by the Democracy Integrity Project and funded to the tune of $50 million. The Washington Post quietly admitted, buried the news, really, that the operation was funded by George Soros.

The latest questionably sourced information in support of this dramatic tale that opponents of Trump cling to in order to delegitimize the results of the 2016 election is that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort secretly met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2013, 2015 and, ominously, in spring of 2016, just as the Trump campaign was heating up. Assange is holed up in London at the Ecuadorian embassy there and published the hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton aide John Podesta.


Comment: Guardian Publishes More Blatant MI6 Lies About Assange and Manafort

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Light Saber

Trump vows to deliver a devastating counterpunch to 'angry Mueller gang of Dems'


RT
Thu, 29 Nov 2018 03:00 UTC
Trump w bat
© Reuters/Carlos Barria
"Come out swinging!"
Donald Trump has threatened to deliver a devastating blow to his critics by declassifying documents related to Robert Mueller's probe unless his political opponents stop harassing witnesses into lying about Russia collusion.

After securing the majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, the Democrats have vowed to launch investigations on a wide range of topics involving the administration, including Trump's alleged attempts to influence the ongoing Russia probe. The Republican president, who earlier warned of a "war-like posture" if his opponents continue to gang-up on him, stressed on Wednesday that he is ready to challenge this "harassment."
"If they go down the presidential harassment track, if they want go and harass the president and the administration, I think that would be the best thing that would happen to me," Trump told the New York Post. "I'm a counterpuncher and I will hit them so hard they'd never been hit like that."
As a means of getting back at his opponents, Trump said he could declassify documents from Robert Mueller's probe, the public release of which was shelved on Presidential orders in September.

"I think that would help my campaign. If they want to play tough, I will do it. They will see how devastating those pages are," Trump stated, noting that it would be "more powerful" to release the documents when the new Congress takes over next year.

Comment: Trump may be holding certain cards that give him protection, such as the Russian probe documents, but will they save him from a deal between Michael Cohen and Robert Mueller?

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X

Supreme Leader: Iran has no desire to start war with anyone


Sputnik
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:14 UTC
Khamenei
© Unknown
Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
Earlier, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) airspace division cautioned the US against any aggression towards the Islamic Republic, warning that American military bases and aircraft carriers are within reach of Iranian missiles.

Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in an address to the Iranian Navy on 28 November that Iran is not planning 'to start war against any country', but cautioned the armed forces that they must boost their readiness for encounters with an enemy, Iran's Press TV reported. According to Khamenei, with well-prepared military forces at country's disposal, Iran's foes 'would not even dare threaten [this] great nation'.

'Reality - alongside the need for the country to address the areas where it is lagging behind - necessitates additional and extraordinary diligence in all spheres, including naval power', he said.

The supreme leader also noted the 'astounding' progress that the Country's navy had made since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, saying that the current generation of the navy 'deeply believes in its own creativity and capabilities'.

Comment: Don't start a war but be extremely prepared. Prudence can be misinterpreted by those looking for an excuse.

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Arrow Up

US Senate: Proposal to stop backing Saudi Arabia in Yemen advances to floor vote


RT
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:54 UTC
hands off yemen
© Reuters/Henry Nicholls
In [the] face of State Department and Pentagon opposition, the Senate voted 63-37 to allow a floor vote on Resolution 54, a bipartisan proposal to block any further US support to the Saudi-led coalition waging war in Yemen since 2015.

If actually adopted by the Senate with a veto-proof majority, the resolution would force the Trump administration to stop logistical and other support to the Saudi coalition, and require authorization from Congress before such support is given.

Proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), the resolution has found backers in many Senate Democrats, as well as Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky). Judging by the vote on Wednesday, several more Republicans are in favor of at least having a floor vote on the issue.

Earlier in the day, the Senate was briefed in a closed session by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, both of whom argued that the resolution would weaken Washington's leverage with Riyadh and urged the legislators to back down.

In prepared remarks provided to select media outlets, Mattis said:
"I know all too well the difficulty in reconciling human aspirations with war's grim reality; but I also recognize that we cannot limit civilian casualties or advance the peace effort commencing early next month in Sweden by disengaging.

"Pulling back our limited US military support, our weapons sales to our partners, and our protection of the Saudi and Emirati populations would be misguided on the eve of the promising initial negotiations."

Comment: See also:

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Red Flag

ISIS is plotting false flag chemical attack on Syrian Kurds, Russian military is monitoring activity


RT
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 17:53 UTC
Munitions militants
© Sputnik/Ilya Pitalev
Home-made munitions, used by militants in Syria.
Islamic State terrorists are plotting to shell Kurdish-led militia with chemical-filled munitions in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, Russian military said. The terrorists want to frame Damascus for the attack to trigger new US-led airstrikes.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) has launched production of toxin-filled mortar shells in the east of the Deir ez-Zor province, Russian military said on Wednesday. The shells are filled with chemicals by a crew of 11 terrorists, who received foreign training and came to Syria specifically to carry out the false-flag attack.

IS militants are seeking to shell positions held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), framing Damascus for the attack. The terrorists seek to trigger massive airstrikes by the US-led coalition against the government forces, the military said.

Russia will send a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warning system to the location, as well as Russian NBC specialists, to monitor IS activities, it added.
mortar shells
© Reuters/Erik De Castro
Home-made mortar shells, produced by Islamic State terrorists.

Comment: See also:

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TV

Migrant invasion! A 'must run' on Sinclair's 173 local US TV stations runs 'counter-narrative' to big networks


RT
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 17:02 UTC
Migrant hill climb
© Reuters/Hannah McKay
Migrants make their way to the border fence between Mexico and the United States in Tijuana, Mexico, November 25, 2018.
As the migrant caravan continues to polarize America, the battle to control the narrative is heating up: More than 170 TV stations owned by a pro-Trump family have aired a "must-run" segment blasting the migrants as invaders.

The latest installment of the periodic "must-run" commentary by Sinclair's chief political analyst and former aide of President Donald Trump, Boris Epshteyn, focused on the migrant caravan at the US-Mexico border. All of Sinclair's 173 local television stations were required to run the segment, according to reports. Speaking on the hot topic in a brief commentary, Epshteyn described the clashes between hundreds of migrants and US border guards earlier this week as "an attempted invasion of our country."

He went on to accuse "some on the left" of not supporting "our men and women in uniform" who guard the border.


"Here's the bottom line: The notion that a caravan of migrants can be allowed to break through our borders is ludicrous and dangerous. The United States of America should not and cannot be intimidated by those willing to use force to get into our country illegally."

Comment: Polarizing positions in the media for political posturing? Some 'help' does not help.

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Eye 1

'Nothing wrong with killing for values': UK MP Johnny Mercer bemoans lack of interest in violence


RT
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 16:25 UTC
soldiers uk
© REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett
In a bid to persuade young people to join the army, veteran and Tory MP Johnny Mercer decried how unpopular violence has become, tweeting: "Nothing wrong with fighting (yes killing) for values/what you believe in."

The hawkish Mercer, a former British army captain who served in Afghanistan, later added, somewhat ambiguously, that "at some point - somewhere - someone - is going to have to stand up to Russia in the traditional sense."


Comment: Twitter was right, he's not that much different to those fighting for ISIS: Political Ponerology: A Science on The Nature of Evil adjusted for Political Purposes

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Snakes in Suits

UK and Ecuador conspire to deliver Julian Assange to U.S. authorities

Gareth Porter
Truthdig
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 00:00 UTC
Ecuadorians support Julian Asssange
© Dolores Ochoa / AP
Ecuadorians hold up pictures of Julian Asssange in a show of support at the Government Palace in Quito, Ecuador, on Oct. 31, 2018.
The accidental revelation in mid-November that U.S. federal prosecutors had secretly filed charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange underlines the determination of the Trump administration to end Assange's asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been staying since 2012.

Behind the revelation of those secret charges for supposedly threatening U.S. national security is a murky story of a political ploy by the Ecuadorian and British governments to create a phony rationale for ousting Assange from the embassy. The two regimes agreed to base their plan on the claim that Assange was conspiring to flee to Russia.

Trump and his aides applauded Assange and WikiLeaks during the 2016 election campaign for spreading embarrassing revelations about Hillary Clinton's campaign via leaked DNC emails. But all that changed abruptly in March 2017 when WikiLeaks released thousands of pages of CIA documents describing the CIA's hacking tools and techniques. The batch of documents published by WikiLeaks did not release the actual "armed" malware deployed by the CIA. But the "Vault 7" leak, as WikiLeaks dubbed it, did show how those tools allowed the agency to break into smartphones, computers and internet-connected televisions anywhere in the world-and even to make it look like those hacks were done by another intelligence service.

Comment: So much for Western values re freedom of expression, the press, human rights, etc, etc, etc.

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