Puppet Masters

Washington sanctions two Hezbollah lawmakers for doing 'Iran's bidding'

RT
Wed, 10 Jul 2019 08:41 UTC

The US Treasury Department has added two Hezbollah lawmakers and a top security official to its sanctions blacklist, the first time the militant group's elected politicians have been sanctioned.

Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra'd are elected politicians and members of Hezbollah's parliamentary wing in Lebanon; Wafiq Safa is a security official for the group. The Treasury Department has accused Sheri and Ra'd of using their positions to further the militant group's "malign agenda" and "do Iran's bidding."

In a statement released Tuesday, treasury official Sigal Mandelker said that Hezbollah "threatens the economic stability and security of Lebanon and the wider region, all at a cost to the Lebanese people...there is no distinction between Hizballah's political and violent activities."

Tehran warns US that Iranian missiles can 'obliterate' American aircraft carriers

Sputnik
Wed, 10 Jul 2019 08:41 UTC

On Tuesday, Iran's Minister of Cultural and Social Affairs Hossein Nejat warned that Iran could obliterate US aircraft carriers in the Gulf if the US attacks Iran, further increasing tensions between the two countries.

"American bases are within the range of our missiles ... Our missiles will destroy their aircraft carriers if they make a mistake," Nejat warned. "Americans are very well aware of the consequences of a military confrontation with Iran."

According to al-Masdar News, Nejat also added that war is not on "Trump's agenda" and that the US president wants to "drag Tehran to negotiate through the maximum pressure."

Comment: Also see: Netanyahu taunts Iran: Israeli planes can 'reach everywhere' in the ME

Epstein case has the potential to be the biggest scandal in American history

Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse
Tue, 09 Jul 2019 23:59 UTC

We are about to open up a can of worms that could turn our entire country completely upside down by the time it is all said and done.

Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's horrific crimes have been well known for a very long time, and I have been writing about them for many years. In fact, there were some people that really, really didn't like it when I wrote about Bill Clinton's connections to Jeffrey Epstein and "the Lolita Express" during the 2016 presidential election. Flight records show that Bill Clinton took 26 trips on board Jeffrey Epstein's infamous private plane, and Clinton also spent an enormous amount of time on Epstein's secluded private "sex island" where underage girls were routinely abused. Of course Jeffrey Epstein had lots of other very famous friends as well, and it has been documented that his "black book" was absolutely filled with marquee names from Hollywood, Wall Street and Washington.

But despite everything that we knew about what was going on, for a very long time it looked like justice would never be served. Epstein got an absolutely ridiculous sweetheart deal from prosecutors in 2008, and none of his famous friends were ever charged with anything. They all probably thought that they had escaped the grasp of law enforcement forever, but this month everything has suddenly changed.

Ex-FBI and CIA officials may draw withering fire for their role in Russiagate

Ray McGovern
Consortium News
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC

The Deep State almost always wins. But if Attorney General Barr leans hard on Trump to unfetter investigators, all hell may break lose, says Ray McGovern.

As Congress arrives back into town and the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees prepare to question ex-Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller on July 17, partisan lines are being drawn even more sharply, as Russias-gate blossoms into Deep-State-gate. On Sunday, a top Republican legislator, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) took the gloves off in an unusually acerbic public attack on former leaders of the FBI and CIA.

King told a radio audience: "There is no doubt to me there was severe, serious abuses that were carried out in the FBI and, I believe, top levels of the CIA against the President of the United States or, at that time, presidential candidate Donald Trump," according to The Hill.

King, a senior congressman specializing in national security, twice chaired the House Homeland Security Committee and currently heads its Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. He also served for several years on the House Intelligence Committee.

Hong Kong leader declares controversial bill to allow transfer of fugitives to mainland China "dead"

Kyodo News
Tue, 09 Jul 2019 23:47 UTC

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday that a controversial bill that has spurred sometimes violent protests in the territory in recent weeks "is dead," and apologized again for causing public anger by mishandling it.

But Lam stopped short of referencing the bill's "complete withdrawal," which protesters are demanding even though she has suspended the bill indefinitely, and she reiterated her intention to stay on as the territory's leader.

Her remarks are seen as her latest bid to calm the public following weeks of protests that have drawn millions of people for mass marches and occasionally turned violent as some protesters clashed with police and stormed government buildings.

The legislation, which would allow the transfer of fugitives to the mainland China, has sparked fear that Chinese authorities might use it to crack down on pro-democracy activists and critics of the Communist Party-led Beijing government.

Comment: See also:

Mystery around Jeffrey Epstein's fortune and how he made it

Tom Metcalf, Caleb Melby, and Sophie Alexander
Bloomberg
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 20:08 UTC

Jeffrey Epstein

In a neighborhood of millionaires and billionaires, close to New York's famous Museum Mile, two initials discreetly adorn the entrance of one of the city's most opulent mansions: J.E.

The letters stand for Jeffrey Epstein, the self-described "collector'' of rich and powerful men, who has been accused of sexually assaulting girls inside the luxurious Manhattan home.

On Monday, as federal prosecutors unsealed new charges claiming Epstein ran a sex-trafficking ring that lured dozens of young women to the house, its heavy wood doors bore crowbar marks -- evidence of how authorities forced their way in over the sultry Fourth of July weekend. Prosecutors say they discovered hundreds, possibly thousands of suggestive photographs, including those of what appeared to be underage girls.

Comment: The lack of details on how he really made his money is odd. What we do know is that the charges of child sex abuse seem to be compelling, that he is extremely wealthy and is associated with many high profile people. It's also notable that he had links with the fashion and modelling industry which has been known to facilitate the trafficking of young girls. But why is he only being brought to justice now?

Italian court sentences 24 to prison over South American Operation Condor

Lorenzo Tondo
The Guardian
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 13:06 UTC

© KATEHON.com 2016/Natacha Pisarenko/The Associated Press
Argentina's last military dictator and 41st President of Argentina (1982-1983) General Reynaldo Bignone was found guilty of illicit association, kidnapping, abuse of powers in the forced disappearance of more than 100 people. He served multiple life sentences for violations during the 1976-1983 dictatorship.

An Italian court has sentenced 24 people to life in prison for their involvement in Operation Condor, in which the dictatorships of six South American countries conspired to kidnap and assassinate political opponents in each other's territories.

The trial, the first of its kind in Europe, began in 2015 and focused on the responsibility of senior officials in the military dictatorships of Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina for the killing and disappearance of 43 people including 23 Italian citizens.

Those sentenced on Monday included Francisco Morales Bermúdez, who was president of Peru from 1975 to 1980, Juan Carlos Blanco, a former foreign minister in Uruguay, Pedro Espinoza Bravo, a former deputy intelligence chief in Chile, and Jorge Néstor Fernández Troccoli, a Uruguayan former naval intelligence officer.

Exactly how many people died as a result of the conspiracy is unknown, but prosecutors in South America and Italy provided evidence that at least 100 leftwing activists were killed in Argentina, including 45 Uruguayans, 22 Chileans, 15 Paraguayans and 13 Bolivians.

Comment: The precise number of deaths directly attributable to Operation Condor is still unknown and highly disputed. Some estimates put it as high as at least 60,000.

Goldman: The Fed has lost control; countdown for 'the last asset bubble'

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 14:51 UTC

Back in January, when Chair Powell unexpectedly U-turned on months of hawkish policy and shocked traders when he said that contrary to what he had said just two weeks prior during the December FOMC press conference, the Fed could be "patient", rate hikes could "pause", and the Fed's balance sheet reduction is not in fact on "autopilot", the Powell Put finally emerged for the first time, and the result has been a torrid rally ever since, and the best first half market performance in decades.

It also prompted an avalanche of accusations that Powell - who has also, facing intense pressure from president Trump to cut rates or else lose his job, folded like a cheap suit - held hostage by traders who pushed stocks low enough to i) test where the Powell Put strike price is and ii) force the Fed to not only halt rate hikes, but launch an easing cycle, something it has now effectively done.

Yet as we noted in January, being held hostage or captive by the market is nothing new to Powell; in fact, it was way back when in March 2013, ahead of the Fed's taper announcement, that the Fed chair first realized that it was not the Fed that controls the market, but rather - after years of ZIRP and QE - the Fed had become a hostage of the market's every whim.

Comment: More from RT: Keiser Report: US Fed covers central bank screw-ups

The US Federal Reserve was created with the idea of ultimately being there for any instance of financial crisis in the banking system, says journalist and former banker at Lehman Brothers Nomi Prins. She joined RT's Keiser Report for the Summer Solutions 2019 episode:

"When the Federal Reserve was created we still had the gold standard... when we got to 1971 the gold standard was completely repealed... it was because what the bankers wanted... they pushed to get off the gold standard, so there would be no more solid real asset benchmark underneath currency," Prins says. That was the idea of having more fiat money and the dollar ultimately becoming even more dominant, she explains.

"The US Fed is basically the CEO of the banking system, it provides the money, regulates the banks, and the banks are members of that institution," says Prins, author of Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.

She stresses: "You cannot have the financial system be members of a central bank that provides them cover when they screw up. That entire system has to be demolished."

Corbyn: Labour would back 'remain' vote in second Brexit referendum

Heather Stewart
The Guardian
Tue, 09 Jul 2019 06:40 UTC

Jeremy Corbyn has sought to draw a line under Labour's Brexit travails by announcing a "settled" policy of backing remain in any referendum called on a Conservative deal. The Labour leader has been under intense pressure to shift to an overtly anti-Brexit stance, but has insisted on consulting the party's stakeholders in recent weeks, including the trade unions.

In a statement emailed to party members on Tuesday, Corbyn made no reference to what stance Labour would take in the event of a general election in the near future, or whether Labour could enter such a contest saying it would still go ahead with leaving the European Union.

But he made clear that if a referendum was called on the Brexit deal negotiated by the incoming Conservative prime minister - or on whether to go ahead with a no-deal Brexit - Labour would support remain.

Christine Pelosi: Warning! It's 'quite likely some of our faves are implicated' in 'horrific' Epstein case

Gregg Re
Fox News
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC

Christine Pelosi, a Democratic National Committee official and daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, warned conspicuously on Saturday evening that it is "quite likely that some of our faves are implicated" in the "horrific" sex-trafficking case against politically connected financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein is due in court following his sudden arrest Saturday in New York on new sex-trafficking charges involving allegations dating to the early 2000s, according to law enforcement officials. He has been accused of paying underage girls for massages and sexually abusing them at his mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., and in New York City. His 72-acre private estate on the Virgin Islands, a home said to be nicknamed "Orgy Island," also has been under scrutiny.

"This Epstein case is horrific and the young women deserve justice," Pelosi tweeted. "It is quite likely that some of our faves are implicated but we must follow the facts and let the chips fall where they may - whether on Republicans or Democrats."

Comment: See also:

I said this would happen...now they are looking to mandate companies with less that 100 employees...shits getting real, people[Link]

Bezel Bub

it's all a lie ! :O

cracker

"Falling out of windows" as an occupational hazard for people with access to sensitive information - compliments of the Soviet playbook and even...

Tsakoug

covid will seem like a walk in the park when the proper cold sets in later this month and beyond...

steven23

I've got an idea to help folks like this. Anyone know of any in Central Florida? R.C.

Rowan Cocoan

Puppet Masters

Washington sanctions two Hezbollah lawmakers for doing 'Iran's bidding'

Tehran warns US that Iranian missiles can 'obliterate' American aircraft carriers

Epstein case has the potential to be the biggest scandal in American history

Ex-FBI and CIA officials may draw withering fire for their role in Russiagate

Hong Kong leader declares controversial bill to allow transfer of fugitives to mainland China "dead"

Mystery around Jeffrey Epstein's fortune and how he made it

Italian court sentences 24 to prison over South American Operation Condor

Goldman: The Fed has lost control; countdown for 'the last asset bubble'

Corbyn: Labour would back 'remain' vote in second Brexit referendum

Christine Pelosi: Warning! It's 'quite likely some of our faves are implicated' in 'horrific' Epstein case

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