"New allegation of sexual misconduct surfaces against Brett Kavanaugh" by Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Jonathan Lemire Associated Press September 24, 2018
It was located below the fold and is a total rewrite from my printed version (sort of a she-said, he-said, huh?). I can only surmise it is because the second allegation is even flimsier than the first.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A second allegation of sexual misconduct has emerged against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a development that has further imperiled his nomination to the Supreme Court, forced the White House and Senate Republicans onto the defensive and fueled calls from Democrats to postpone further action on his confirmation.
Yeah, well, if the Democrats hadn't sat on all this for months before foisting it all upon us at the end of the hearings stinks to high heaven, and ever since this whole unfurling has had the rank stench of dirty, filthy politics. It's become low-blow, underhanded stuff.
At least the Republicans had the decency to say no hearings on Garland, period. They didn't destroy lives with their gutter lies and unsubstantiated allegations that stink of political opportunism.
The new accusation landed late Sunday in a report from The New Yorker, just a few hours after negotiators had reached an agreement to hold an extraordinary public hearing Thursday for Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denies the claim.
I'm not even going to watch it, sorry, and the New Yorker just went from the iconic status of forcing the New York Times hand on Weinstein to an abysmal political hack sheet (of course, that is what they probably always were).
As the White House defends Kavanaugh against the claims, presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway told CBS Monday that the accusations against Kavanaugh sound like ‘‘a vast left-wing conspiracy,’’ using rhetoric that echoed Hillary Clinton’s 1998 description of allegations that her husband, President Bill Clinton, had had affairs.
Yeah, except that lech was guilty of those charges and went on to commit more as he still lurks in the halls of power and prestige.
Yeah, it turns out when it is Democrats who rape or assault (think #2 at the DNC Keith Ellison or former #MeToo hero Eric Schniederman among the vast swamp of scum on that side), it turns out it is a pleasurable experience that you should just enjoy. You know, fun!
Trump was told about the New Yorker allegations Sunday in the hours before the piece’s explosive publication, according to a White House official not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.
Trump cast doubt on the veracity and the timing of the piece, believing it was further proof of what he has been saying privately for days: that the Democrats and media were conspiring to undermine his pick. The president showed no initial sign of wanting to walk away from Kavanaugh and expressed frustration that the confirmation process has not moved more quickly.
They should have voted last week, this past Monday at the latest.
Instead, Grassley got suckered into this upcoming spectacle.
The second claim against Kavanaugh dates to the 1983-84 academic year, which was his first at Yale University. Deborah Ramirez described the incident after being contacted by The New Yorker magazine. She recalled that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away.
Yeah, the allegation is he Paula Jonesed her, and the same people who hammered her then are now laughing?
If he is in fact laughing as she says, then he's even more of a scum than we thought.
He still doesn't feel the woman's pain, huh?
So what is the next crazy charge against Kavanaugh, that he kidnapped a woman and masturbating on her rather than blowing his wad on a blue dress?
Globe is going to have to rethink that Kennedy legacy, too.
In a statement provided by the White House, Kavanaugh said the event ‘‘did not happen’’ and that the allegation was ‘‘a smear, plain and simple.’’ A White House spokeswoman added in a second statement that the allegation was ‘‘designed to tear down a good man.’’
It's become very, very obvious that Democrats do not fight fair at all.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called for the ‘‘immediate postponement’’ of any further action on Kavanaugh’s nomination. And there you go.
This has been a carefully orchestrated campaign from the very start, and the best thing Californians can do is dump her this November.
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee said they would investigate Ramirez’s accusation. Taylor Foy, a Judiciary spokesman, complained that Democrats ‘‘actively withheld information’’ from the Republicans. He said they appear ‘‘more interested in a political takedown’’ than a bipartisan process.
So why are you investigating this specious claim that was apparently coached up by the New Yorker and a gaggle of Clinton acolytes and lawyers?
The New Yorker said it contacted Ramirez after learning of a possible involvement in an incident with Kavanaugh. It said that the allegation came to the attention of Democratic senators through a civil rights lawyer. The Democrats then began investigating.
You mean, they didn't call in the FBI like they are demanding so that the process is slowed down even more and likely killed?
Of course, the FBI says rapes rose in 2017, but expert reports cast doubt on that.
It's all about slowing down the process to a turtle's pace (and after so many years of it being like shooting fish in a barrel).
Ramirez was reluctant at first to speak publicly ‘‘partly because her memories contained gaps because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident,’’ The New Yorker reported. After ‘‘six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney, Ramirez said that she felt confident enough of her recollections’’ to speak publicly, the report said.
The Associated Press tried reaching Ramirez at her home in Boulder, Colorado. She posted a sign on her front door, indicating she has no comment.
Joining the maelstrom, Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in her legal fight with President Donald Trump, claimed to represent a woman with information about high school-era parties attended by Kavanaugh and urged the Senate to investigate. Avenatti told The Associated Press that he will disclose his client’s identity in the coming days and that she is prepared to testify before the committee, as well as provide names of corroborating witnesses.
This has become OBSCENE!!
A White House official not authorized to speak publicly questioned the accusations coming from Avenatti’s client, saying that the presence of the high-profile attorney — who has publicly taken on Trump and is weighing a 2020 Democratic presidential bid — makes the proceedings a ‘‘circus.’’
The accusation from Ramirez raise the stakes further for a dramatic showdown Thursday, as Kavanaugh and Ford testify in public about an incident she characterizes as attempted rape — and that he says simply never happened.
Kavanaugh’s nomination hangs precariously. A handful of senators in both parties remain undecided on his nomination. Defections among Republicans would likely block his path to the Supreme Court.
The White House is approaching Ford’s potential testimony with trepidation, nervous that an emotional appearance might not just damage Kavanaugh’s chances but could further energize female voters to turn out against Republicans in November.
Now it is into the narrative building stuff, with the implication that all women are monolithic in their thinking and all against Kavanaugh.
What about the scores if not hundreds who have come to his defense -- over unsubstantiated allegations that can not be corroborated even by the witnesses themselves -- and why aren't they being heard in the pre$$?
Still, the White House and Republicans have cast doubt on Ford’s allegations. The Judiciary panel said it had talked to three other people who Ford has told The Washington Post were at the party where the alleged assault took place — Mark Judge, Patrick J. Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser. All three told investigators that they had no recollection of the evening in question, the committee said.
You mean, it's a lie?
You know, the tone has been you have to believe the woman because it is the #AllMe era; however, that would mean the women testifying on behalf of and defending Kavanaugh must also be telling the truth, right?
I think the resolution for this is a good old catfight amongst all the women. The men should just stand back and watch them scratch each others eyes out and rip open their throats (after we have all been castrated, of course).
The Post reported Sunday that Keyser said in a brief interview at her home that she still believes Ford, even if she doesn’t remember the party.
People can talk themselves into believing anything happened. A guy was recently cleared and the witness claimed it was still him.
As he builds a case for his innocence, Kavanaugh plans to turn over to the committee calendars from the summer of 1982. Those calendars, he says, don’t show a party consistent with Ford’s description of the gathering in which she says he attacked her, The New York Times reported Sunday. The calendars list basketball games, movie outings, football workouts, college interviews, and a few parties with names of friends other than those identified by Ford, according to the Times.
I thought there was a presumption of that, silly me, and I'm sure Democrats will question the authenticity of the logs, right?
A person working on Kavanaugh’s confirmation backed up the Times account of the calendars to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
Even before the latest turns, the carefully negotiated hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee with Kavanaugh and Ford carried echoes of the Anita Hill hearings in 1991. Then, like now, another Republican president had selected a Supreme Court nominee, now-Justice Clarence Thomas, facing accusations of sexual harassment.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrangled with Ford’s lawyers for the last week over the exact terms of her appearance. A breakthrough came over the weekend as Ford agreed to testify.
Since when does a witness dictate terms to the court, or the U.S. Senate, for that matter?
Ford’s lawyers said it was still unclear as of Sunday who will ask questions, as Republicans were trying to hire an outside female counsel for the role. The 11 senators on the GOP side of the dais are all men, creating dangerous optics for a hearing that will be carried on live television.
Yes, "the theater will be even more manufactured than normal,"and it is enough to drive you crazy.
Democratic senators are expected to ask their own questions. They have protested the panel’s treatment of Ford, comparing it to bullying.
--more--"
What I want to know is if Kavanaugh ever ran across or heard about Jeff Gannon, Guckert, whatever.
You know, the credentialed media person who turned out to be a male prostitute.
What does he know about that if anything?
Back above the fold on the 25th:
Kavanaugh, with support from Republicans, aggressively denounces allegations
I'm glad he has the heart for it, and for some reason, it carries gave risks for Republicans as they "call for a vote and scramble to confirm" and “the display made some Republicans outside of Washington — particularly women — more worried that their tone could lose them voters in the fall, said Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican former governor of New Jersey.”
Do you remember her? She was head of the EPA on 9/11, and both her and Condi Rice said within a week that the environment was safe, get back to work, get Wall Street up and running, and now we have first responders dying of noxious cancers.
Of course, they were looking out for the health of all the woman who returned to their apartments and were told to wipe off the toxic dust with a damp cloth.
If Kavanaugh is somehow rejected, I say choose an even harder conservative for the court for the lame duck session, and when Ginsburg dies Trump can nominate Coney Barrett. Let the left chew on that for a while.
Of course, this is all about the midterms (did you see who they talked to first in the district that will be flipped?) and I suppose the voting machines have already been rigged to support the ma$$ media narrative this time.
Maybe Kavanaugh will get the Cosby treatment:
Bill Cosby’s accusers say they hope he is sentenced to jail time
"Bill Cosby’s chief accuser on Monday asked for ‘‘justice as the court sees fit’’ as the 81-year-old comedian faced sentencing on sexual assault charges that could make him the first celebrity of the #MeToo era to go to prison....."
A black man is the first, huh?
What a bunch of racists!
Related:
"A white police officer accused of fatally shooting her black neighbor inside his own apartment was fired Monday for ‘‘adverse conduct,’’ the Dallas Police Department said in a statement. 26-year-old Botham Jean family attorneys and protesters have been calling for her to be fired since the shooting. The family did not immediately comment on Guyger’s dismissal....."
That's sexism!
Boston police create new bureau to expand community policing in the city
It's women walking the beat!
Manhunt underway in Marshfield after woman is killed in shooting
It was two men and they later shot a Boston police officer (you can check the blotter).
"Around 40 people gathered on the State House steps Monday afternoon to denounce the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court after two women have publicly accused him of sexually assaulting them decades ago. “The idea of a serial sexual assaulter being one of the ultimate arbiters of rule of law here in this country is even more unthinkable than a president who brags about sexually assaulting women,” said Gena Frank, the legislative and political director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, which organized the protest. “It is unacceptable, and we will not stand for it.” Frank stood before the protesters along with state representatives Mike Connolly and Jay Kaufman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez. The four of them spoke to the crowd, recognizing their activism and criticizing what they see as a lack of response from many politicians on both the local and federal levels. “Sexual assault and harassment is a sickness in our culture, and we have tolerated what is intolerable for way too long,” Gonzalez told the protesters. “We need to stand up. We need to support survivors. We need to hold those who engage in this horrific conduct accountable, and not just the people who engage in it, but the institutions who facilitate it and enable it.”
As long as they are not state Democrats or work in the pre$$ room!
The issue has bled into the governor's race and caused some classes to cancel before they were arrested while the Globe is still gunning for him.
That is what will stop his appointment (who new he was in Poland last week?), and Trump will have to get to work on another nominee. Maybe he should nominate a Southern Baptist this time.
The below the fold flip also finds this right below:
Rod Rosenstein to meet with Trump, with fate unclear
Rosenstein saga highlights need for Mueller bill
Once again, garbage propaganda (gasp!) written to push a political agenda passing itself off as news.
The Deep State and the pre$$.
What a couple of snakes!
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
This will gets you back above fold the fold:
Columbia Gas president pledges to reimburse customers’ costs
How does that help now?
Lawrence homes being inspected before they get space heaters, smoke detectors
At least it isn't the cops and the locksmiths breaking in this time.
Fire officials warn Merrimack Valley residents to be extra careful using space heaters, hot plates
Gas infrastructure in Mass.: A recipe for disaster?
Maybe this will calm and relax you:
"Retired Navy captain overseeing Merrimack Valley recovery lauded as a good fit for a complex task" by Tim Logan Globe Staff September 25, 2018
My printed paper's headline reads "Recovery czar's a perfect fit, fans say."
Joe Albanese has launched a construction company from scratch and led thousands of Navy engineers in Kuwait after the second Gulf War. Now he’s in charge of helping Lawrence and Andover rebuild from last week’s gas explosions.
The founder of Waltham-based Commodore Builders and a retired Navy captain, Albanese on Friday was named chief recovery officer followoing the explosions that killed a Lawrence man and damaged dozens of homes in the Merrimack Valley. He’ll have “command and control” responsibilities not just over rebuilding 48 miles of gas lines, but over services, logistics, and communications in a project that’s expected to last months.
It’s a huge job, but “Captain Albanese has deep experience running big construction projects under difficult circumstances,” said Columbia spokesman Scott Ferson. “The governor identified him and we see him as a perfect fit for this mammoth task that must be carried out fast and well.”
I will get to those after the Globe finishes polishing his resume for you.
A Newton native and University of Massachusetts Lowell graduate, Albanese launched Commodore in 2002 after having worked for several other construction companies. He has expanded it from a small office into a 140-person operation with $350 million in annual revenue, managing projects that range from suburban office buildings to luxury downtown condos to the 2014 restoration of the Old State House.
Along the way, he served 28 years in the Navy and Navy Reserve, retiring in 2009 as a captain in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps. He spent 10 months in Kuwait in 2007, leading a Navy construction crew, the Seabees — helping to rebuild after the second Gulf War. He has said that experience, and his long service in the military, shaped his views on complex business challenges.
That military background and Albanese’s no-nonsense bearing cheered Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, who said, “I think we have a Norman Schwarzkopf figure dealing with a Gulf War situation here,” and Lee Goodman, owner of WaterMark Development, said they have been impressed with Albanese and his team.....
He is emerging as central figure in the crisis.
--more--"
Related:
"Siemens, General Electric wage battle for $15 billion power deal in Iraq" by Eyk Henning, Khalid Al-Ansary and Richard Clough Bloomberg News September 24, 2018
Siemens AG and rival General Electric Co. are battling for a mega contract worth an estimated $15 billion to develop power stations in Iraq, an order that would hand the winner a badly needed boost amid a deep slump in the industry.
Well, at least $omeone is going to make out on that illegal invasion and mass-murdering exercise they call a war.
Siemens chief executive Joe Kaeser met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi in Baghdad Sunday to discuss a plan to install 11 gigawatts of power generation capacity over four years and create thousands of jobs, the company said Monday in a statement. A person familiar with the deliberations, who asked not to be named, confirmed the potential value of the contract, which was first reported by German newspaper Handelsblatt.
How much longer do Iraqis have to wait, because by my count it is 15 years and running on the fulfillment of Bush's promises.
While Siemens’s chances for winning the order are “high,” Adel Jeryan, Iraq’s deputy electricity minister, said in an interview that the government hasn’t picked a winner or set a price tag on the order. GE is also competing for the project, he said.
And if they don't win it, well, there is still the loot from the Ma$$achu$etts taxpayers.
In a Sept. 11 tweet, GE said it’s working to develop Iraq’s power sector and could double generation in five years. GE has presented a proposal to the government that would add capacity, maintain and improve existing plants, and strengthen networks, said another person familiar with the plan who asked not to be named.
Related: Iraq, GE sign $400 million deal for power infrastructure
And I'm also told OPEC foresees stable oil production.
The contract would come as a breakthrough for either Siemens or GE’s struggling power and gas divisions, which are suffering from a sharp slump in orders triggered by a broad decline in the gas-power market and shift to renewable energy sources.
I was just about to ask about global warming.
General Electric steps into Europe’s offshore wind market
Let's hope they design them better than the nuclear plants.
The business at GE has arguably been the biggest drag on the parent company, leading the once-sprawling conglomerate into the throes of a revamp. Siemens’s Kaeser is also reorganizing and cutting thousands of jobs in Germany.
OMFG!
On Monday, Siemens unveiled the long-awaited final plan to cut staff in its home country. The firm will eliminate around 2,900 positions, less than the roughly 3,400 announced in November, 2017, and cut global costs at the power and gas division by about $587 million. The deal with unions saved a factory in Goerlitz and a production facility in Berlin.
Citing a market outlook by Siemens for the type of large gas turbines used in power plants, Barclays’ analysts said Monday demand is expected to be about one-quarter of manufacturing capacity through 2020.
Pitching for the order also comes at a delicate time for GE after it disclosed last week that its flagship gas turbine is suffering from an “oxidation issue” that already prompted one customer in the United States to temporarily shut down two plants.
OMG, they are manufacturing sh!t!!!!
For Siemens, the Iraqi project could be its biggest contract ever. One worth about $11.75 billion and completed earlier this year in Egypt for power plants and wind farms generating a combined 16.4 gigawatts was described as the company’s biggest-ever when it was signed in 2015.
“We have had a series of meetings and positive feedback from the government for the development of power infrastructure in the country,” Siemens said Monday. “Repowering Iraq is a core element in the road map but it extends far beyond that.”
Kaeser told CNBC that the company would move quickly over the next three months to bring power to 300,000 people as part of the larger project to develop gas-fired power plants. “If the government is ready today, we start tomorrow,” he said in the broadcast.
--more--"
Related:
"Despite billions of dollars spent since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, many Iraqi cities and towns are still experiencing severe power cuts and rolling blackouts."
Of course, the controlled opposition destabilization effort blamed Iran for the government neglect, soaring unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, and polluted drinking water.
So WhereTF did all the money go?
Ask Albanese?
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
Time to head up to the U.N.:
"An undiplomatic Trump? At this UN meeting, his aides fear the opposite" by Mark Landler and David E. Sanger New York Times September 23, 2018
WASHINGTON — For Trump’s advisers, the biggest risk at the UN General Assembly this year is the reverse of what it was last year: not that he will be dangerously undiplomatic, but that he will be overly enthusiastic about engagement with wily adversaries.
Yeah, he will be untethered and not surrounding by neocon Zionist warmongers and might actually make peace with someone. Heaven forbid!
Far from restraining Trump’s belligerent tendencies, his senior aides are engaged in a quiet effort to avoid a direct encounter with Iran’s leader that he would be unprepared to handle or concessions that they fear could undermine their effort to keep pressure on North Korea.
Either of those scenarios would rattle Trump’s aides, who are uniformly hawkish about Iran and North Korea, and prefer squeezing those countries to talking to them.
Oh, LOOKEE HERE, the DEEP STATE in his CABINET!
They are supposed to be executing his policy, not undermining it!
Officials said they were fairly confident that a meeting with Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani would not happen, mainly because the Iranians have said they are not interested in one.
They are wary of them, but not ruling it out!
Laying out a series of requirements for the Iranians is one thing; controlling the president’s conviction that he can outmaneuver any leader, or strike any deal, is another. A vivid example of these challenges has come in the tangled preparations for Trump to be the chairman of a meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.
Trump’s first instinct was to make the session all about Iran, listing his demands for what that country must do to negotiate a new nuclear deal, and threatening allies — including Britain, France, and Germany, which negotiated the 2015 accord that Trump has disavowed — with harsh sanctions if they do not cut off all commercial ties with Tehran by November, but then the White House had a change of heart, led mainly by Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton. As a former ambassador to the United Nations, Bolton recognized that if Iran were the topic of the meeting, Rouhani would be entitled to a seat at the table to respond.
And we can't have that, can we?
Can't have Trump and the Iranian sitting at the same table.
PEACE could GET DONE!
Even the CHANCE OF IT makes them sh!t their pants!
The British and the Germans, in particular, objected: An Iran-only session, they warned the White House, would starkly illustrate the split in the Western alliance that Trump set in motion by leaving a deal that the Europeans believe is preventing Iran from producing nuclear fuel for weapons. The European Union, in fact, has been threatening to penalize companies that obey Washington’s mandates about cutting off Iran.
At first, their complaints fell on deaf ears, according to a senior European diplomat.
The result was a decision to broaden the agenda to countering proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, rather than simply countering Iran. Although it is not clear that White House officials realized it, that was also the focus of the first Security Council meeting led by Barack Obama, in 2009.
Trump’s meeting with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea is equally complicated. The South Korean leader is pressing him to accept a declaration that would formally end the Korean War, 65 years after hostilities were halted by an armistice. That is a cherished objective for Kim, who views it as a way to end North Korea’s diplomatic isolation.
Trump’s aides have been trying to head off such a gesture, arguing that the United States gave up enough when Trump suspended joint military exercises with South Korea, which he referred to as “war games,” embracing North Korea’s terminology. They fear another concession to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un would feed the narrative that the North Korean leader is playing Trump.
This is what the web version added, and imagine my lack of surprise when I found this was a New York Times piece of slop.
Kim believes he now has “a sympathetic partner in the White House who held a summit with him against the counsel of his advisers, and agreed to a statement at Singapore, which by all measures was weak and failed to advance the US policy of final, fully verified denuclearization,” Jung H. Pak, a former CIA mission director for North Korea who is now a scholar at the Brookings Institution, wrote last week.
Look at the "former" CIA turned liberal Brookings scholar.
The DEEP STATE in your face again!
Some US officials fear that Trump may have already committed to sign such a declaration when he met with Kim in June in Singapore, but because there are no comprehensive notes from those meetings, a senior intelligence official said there was no certainty about what Trump said.
Kim is pushing for another meeting with Trump, and the president is receptive, but he is likely to get a message of caution from another source: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with whom he was scheduled to have dinner in New York on Sunday.
Japan shares the skepticism of White House aides about North Korea. When Abe visited him in Palm Beach, Fla., in April, Trump spoke enthusiastically about an end-of-war declaration. “People don’t realize that the Korean War has not ended,” he said. “It’s going on right now.”
Abe looked on, expressionless.
Didn't meet the challenge?
--more--"
Yeah, God forbid Trump end a war (something Obama never did, and if you say Iraq, well, he sent troops back before leaving office), and they don't have to worry, he isn't talking to China.
"‘Rocket Man’ to ‘Terrific’: Trump lauds Kim in UN return" by Jonathan Lemire and Zeke Miller Associated Press September 24, 2018
UNITED NATIONS — US officials defended President Donald Trump’s strategy of engagement with the erstwhile pariah state as the president embarked on a week of meetings with world leaders. The softer tone toward North Korea has been replaced by rosy optimism, with Trump reserving tough rhetoric for another potential nuclear aspirant and strategic foe: Iran.
Even as they work to undermine it!
Trump began his second visit to the UN with a brief meeting on the global drug trade before sitting down with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Trump said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been tasked with bringing about the second summit, despite an assessment by US officials that the North has not followed through on its commitments to take steps toward denuclearization. Pompeo defended Trump’s decision to seek another meeting despite the slow progress.
So what?
The United States and Israel never do.
Trump said the location for the second summit is still to be determined, but officials have said he is holding out hope it could take place on American soil. Such a move would itself present a complex political and logistical challenge for the North Korean leader. His trip to Singapore in June for the inaugural summit was anything but trivial.
So am I. It's all we have.
Trump has often fondly invoked the Singapore summit, a made-for-TV event that attracted the world’s media attention and largely received positive marks from cable pundits — reviews that were not repeated for his summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Helsinki the following month.
OMFG!!!!
That is an OUTRIGHT REWRITING of the COVERAGE and a LIE!!
At the time, and I wasn't blogging then, the pre$$ and ma$$ media claimed it was a nothing summit other than Trump pageantry.
As for Helsinki, that's why I'm back.
Trump and Moon on Monday signed a new version of the US-South Korean trade agreement, marking one of Trump’s first successes in his effort to renegotiate economic deals on more favorable terms for the United States. Trump labeled it a ‘‘very big deal’’ and says the new agreement makes significant improvements to reduce the trade deficit between the countries and create new opportunities to export American products to South Korea. He says US automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products will gain better access to Korean markets.
OMG, the ma$$ media is downplaying that!
Even so, some US officials worry that South Korea’s eagerness to restore relations with the North — known as its ‘‘sunshine policy’’ — could reduce sanctions pressure on Kim Jong Un’s government, hampering efforts to negotiate a nuclear accord.
I say leave the U.S. behind them.
The nuclear threat also was on the agenda at Trump’s first meeting in New York, a dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday night. Abe stands first among world leaders in cultivating a close relationship with the president through displays of flattery that he has used to advance his efforts to influence the unpredictable American leader.
OMG!
This slop literally draws the air from you.
Trump is set to address the UN General Assembly Tuesday morning and will chair a meeting of the Security Council Wednesday on counterproliferation. In both venues, US officials say, he is expected to offer a contrast between the path of negotiation chosen by North Korea and that of Iran.
Speaking of Iran!
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is in New York to attend UN meetings. US officials said Trump is not seeking a meeting with the Iranian leader, but is not opposed to talking if Iran requests a session.
All of Trump's aides and Secret Service members must be working furiously to prevent it!
Rouhani, appearing on NBC on Monday, cited the threat of more US sanctions in stating, ‘‘There is no such program for a meeting.’’
In keeping with his ‘‘America First’’ pronouncements, Trump’s return tour to the annual diplomatic summit was eclipsed before it began by domestic political crises. The fate of Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee was cast into doubt over the weekend amid new allegations of sexual misconduct.
Drama also swirled Monday around the status of his deputy attorney general. Rod Rosenstein was revealed last week to have floated the idea of secretly recording Trump last year and to have raised the idea of using the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.
Rosenstein has denied the reports. Trump said he will meet with Rosenstein on Thursday upon his return.....
They had to drag all that up, huh?
--more--"
Before tackling Iran:
"Tackling climate change to be key talking point at UN summit" by Frank Jordans Associated Press September 23, 2018
How did they all get there?
Hypocrites.
BERLIN — With global temperatures rising, superstorms taking their deadly toll, and a year-end deadline to firm up the Paris climate deal, leaders at this year’s UN General Assembly are feeling a sense of urgency to keep up the momentum on combating climate change.
That’s why, in between discussing how to tackle wars, poverty, and deadly diseases around the world, leaders will be devoting substantial time in New York this week to the question of global warming and how to rein it in.
And how they can get their goddamn carbon tax.
Maybe if those same leaders stopped causing all that as they enriched themselves?
There’ll be talk of emissions targets and the need to adapt to the inevitable changes already underway when small island states take the floor at the annual gathering. Ministers from major economies, meanwhile, will be meeting behind closed doors to discuss who will pay to help poor countries avoid the worst effects of global warming — and prevent a wave of climate refugees in future.
Why, YOU WILL, average citizen of this planet!
Outside the confines of the United Nations, campaigners and businesspeople will meet during New York Climate Week, while Wednesday will see the second edition of French President Emmanuel Macron’s One Planet Summit.
About the only leader not expected to dwell on climate change is President Trump.
His stance isn’t shared by many US governors, mayors, and businesspeople who met recently in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit, an event designed to show that parts of America are firmly behind the Paris agreement.
I already put in my six pence on that gaseous meeting of blowhards, and did Jerry Brown threaten the president (what an ungrateful bastard after he got a fire disaster declaration. Good thing the media put out those fires)?
Like many European countries, Germany experienced an unusually dry summer this year, forcing the government to bail out thousands of farmers whose livelihoods were threatened by crop failures. Still, Europe’s largest economy keeps burning coal, considered the most harmful of all fossil fuels.
I would rather them than the bankers.
Failure to reach an agreement by the time the annual climate meeting is held in Katowice, Poland, would mark a major setback for the 180 countries that have ratified the Paris accord.
If the combined glamor, wealth, and power assembled in New York don’t do the trick, the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, being released at the beginning of October might well focus minds.
Yeah, WHATEVER PROPAGANDA WILL WORK to FOOL YOU into FORKING OVER YOUR DOUGH and letting them make MONEY OUT OF THIN AIR with their carbon credit schemes!
Speaking two weeks ago, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world must shift away from fossil fuels by 2020 to prevent what he called ‘‘runaway climate change.’’
The impact that such a planetary change could have was brought home to millions in recent weeks, with the onslaught of Hurricane Florence and Typhoon Mangkhut, which experts say could become the new norm for storms in a warming world.
Yeah, forget the bad chemistry in the air, land, and soil, as they gear up the weather weapons.
--more--"
Related:
Major flooding lingers more than a week after Florence
Rivers are still rising as the coverage recedes (down to a Tuesday photo now before it is banished down the memory hole).
Same as this:
A year after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rican evacuees seek stability
You just have to power right through it.
Trump says no statehood for Puerto Rico
Not for him to decide, so who cares?
All a red herring just to rip him further, huh?
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
Now on to Iran:
"Iran’s president points finger at US after militant attack"Associated Press September 23, 2018
TEHRAN — Iran’s president on Sunday accused an unnamed US-allied country in the Persian Gulf of being behind a terror attack on a military parade that killed 25 people and wounded 60, further raising regional tensions.
Hassan Rouhani’s comments came as Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Western diplomats over their allegedly providing havens for the Arab separatists who claimed Saturday’s attacks in Ahvaz.
The Iranian moves, as well as promises of revenge by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, come as the country faces turmoil following the US withdraw from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. The attack in Ahvaz has further shaken the country.
Rouhani’s remarks could refer to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, or Bahrain — close US military allies that view Iran as a regional menace over its support for militant groups.
Related:
"A Bahrain court on Tuesday revoked the citizenship of 115 people at a mass terrorism trial, the most to lose their nationality at any one time, amid a yearslong crackdown on all dissent in the island kingdom. Bahrain’s Sunni-rule government increasingly has wielded denaturalization as a hammer to beat back dissent on the Shi’ite-majority island. Bahrain’s public prosecutor said the case involved a little-known militant group it identified as the ‘‘Zulfiqar Brigades,’’ whose mass arrests authorities previously announced in 2016. Zulfiqar is the name of the forked sword of Imam Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, who is revered by Shi’ites. Prosecutors accused defendants of building and detonating bombs, receiving weapons training, and plotting to kill police officers. Prosecutors also alleged defendants received training and support from Iran and its hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Bahrain long has accused Iran of stoking dissent in the country, something Tehran denies. A statement from prosecutors said 53 defendants received life sentences, while dozens of others faced prison time. It said 23 defendants were acquitted."
Yeah, that's an ally of the pontificating AmeriKan Empire.
Also see: Forcing This Special Post About Yemen
I'll get to the Saudis later below.
‘‘All of those small mercenary countries that we see in this region are backed by America. It is Americans who instigate them and provide them with necessary means to commit these crimes,’’ Rouhani said before leaving for the UN General Assembly in New York.
Iran meanwhile summoned diplomats from Britain, Denmark, and the Netherlands early Sunday for allegedly harboring ‘‘members of the terrorist group’’ that launched the attack. Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen condemned the attack and stressed there would be ‘‘consequences’’ if it turns out that those responsible have connections to Denmark.
The ministry later summoned the UAE’s envoy, as well, over what it called the ‘‘irresponsible and insulting statements’’ of an Emirati adviser, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. The UAE did not immediately acknowledge the summons.
Saturday’s attack, in which militants disguised as soldiers opened fire on an annual Iranian military parade in Ahvaz, was the deadliest attack in the country in nearly a decade. Women and children scattered along with Revolutionary Guard soldiers who had been marching as heavy gunfire rang out, the chaos captured live on state television.
The attack killed at least 25 people and wounded 60, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. It said gunmen wore military uniforms and targeted a riser where military and police commanders were sitting. State TV hours later reported that all four gunmen had been killed.
The US government nevertheless strongly condemned Saturday’s attack and expressed its sympathy, saying it ‘‘condemns all acts of terrorism and the loss of any innocent lives.’’
Did they cry crocodile tears, too?
That is where my pre$$ cut communications.
Arab separatists, once only known for nighttime attacks on unguarded oil pipelines, claimed responsibility for the assault, and Iranian officials appeared to believe the claim. The separatists accuse Iran’s Persian-dominated government of discriminating against its ethnic Arab minority. Khuzestan province also has seen recent protests over Iran’s nationwide drought, as well as economic protests.
At least eight of the dead served in the Revolutionary Guard, an elite paramilitary unit that answers only to Iran’s supreme leader, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. The guard responded to the attack on Sunday, warning it would seek ‘‘deadly and unforgiving revenge in the near future.’’
I wish they wouldn't say that because it just encourages fears of a false flag mushroom cloud over Chicago, to be blamed on them.
I know they are Muslim, but turn the other cheek would be better (while taking steps internally to find the perps).
Tensions have been on the rise in Iran since the Trump administration pulled out of the 2015 nuclear accord in May and began restoring sanctions that were eased under the deal. It also has steadily ramped up pressure on Iran to try to get it to stop what Washington calls its ‘‘malign activities’’ in the region.
The Islamic State group also claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on its Amaaq news agency, but provided no evidence. They also initially wrongly said the Ahvaz attack targeted Rouhani, who was in Tehran. The militants have made a string of false claims following major defeats in Iraq and Syria.
What do you expect from a CIA chop shop?
On Sunday, IS militants posted a video online of three men, two of whom who spoke in Arabic extolling the benefits of martyrdom. A third who spoke in Farsi said they wanted to attack the guard. The video included no time stamps, nor any specific references to the Ahvaz attack.
The attack dominated Iranian newspaper front pages. The hard-line daily Kayhan warned that Iranians would demand Saudi Arabia feel the ‘‘hard slap’’ of the country’s power.
I know the Globe hates a parade, but wouldn't it be the same here?
Iran’s government declared Monday as a nationwide public mourning day.
An overnight impromptu candlelight vigil in Ahvaz honored the dead and wounded. Among the dead is 4-year-old Mohammad Taha, who was captured by a photographer being carried away from the attack by a guardsman in full dress uniform and sash. The photo, showing the boy bloodied and helpless, shocked Iran.
Think Oklahoma City, American.
--more--"
"Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vow to retaliate for weekend attack" by Rod Nordland New York Times September 24, 2018
Against Saudi?
BEIRUT — The Ahvaz National Resistance, a little-known group with roots among the Arab minority of Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday. So did the Islamic State group, though the links to that group were ambiguous. It was the worst attack inside the country since an Islamic State-claimed assault on Parliament in 2017.
Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran, where many of the country’s Arab minority live. The Islamic State posted a video that it said showed three of its fighters on their way to the attack, according to IRNA. Two of the fighters were speaking Arabic with an Iraqi accent.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility with bulletins on its Al Amaq news service, which also ran the video of the fighters, but the video did not explicitly say the attackers belonged to the Islamic State, nor did they pledge allegiance to the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as similar claims from the group have done in the past.
Isn't he in Syria now?
They shut down Alex Jones but let ISIS stay up.
Pffft!
Iranian news accounts said there had been at least four assailants, who disguised themselves in Iranian uniforms and attacked from behind the viewing bleachers at the parade. They said three of the assailants had been killed and one captured. Iranian officials provided no evidence that the countries they blamed were behind the attack. The United States and the Emirates issued statements dismissing the accusation, but the attack came at a volatile time in Iran’s relations with those countries.
Doesn't seem to be a big deal when the U.S. and its mouthpiece media need to get a war going.
A prominent academic in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, added fuel to that fire by saying the attack had been part of an effort to bring the fight against Iran inside the country. Abdulla, who has frequently been described as an adviser to the Emirati government and as close to the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, suggested support for the attack in a Twitter post on Saturday: “A military attack against a military target is not a terrorist act,” he said.
Then the Pentagon and WTC 7 were fair game!
The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned an Emirati envoy to complain about Abdulla’s remarks and analysts said the Revolutionary Guards, an elite militia that operates independently of the Iranian government, were bound to react strongly to such a public humiliation.
The Iranian Deep State?
President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, fueled claims of a US campaign against Iran when he addressed an “Iranian uprising summit” in New York on Saturday — hours after the attack in Ahvaz — saying that a leadership change in Iran was inevitable because of US sanctions.
“I don’t know when we’re going to overthrow them,” Giuliani said, according to a Reuters report. “It could be in a few days, months, a couple of years. But it’s going to happen.”
OMFG!!!
The neocon regime change playbook was never discarded at all!
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, insisted that the Trump administration was not seeking a leadership change in Iran.
Then she is a bald-faced liar!
--more--"
So what does $oft regime change in Iran look like anyway?
"Iran lawmakers fire finance minister as economic woes mount" by Amir Vahdat Associated Press August 27, 2018
TEHRAN — Iran’s Parliament voted Sunday to fire the country’s finance minister amid an economic freefall fanned by America’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with world powers, dealing another blow to President Hassan Rouhani’s embattled administration.
It’s unlikely that Parliament’s dismissal of Masoud Karbasian will stanch the bleeding with Iran’s rial currency falling to new lows against the US dollar as chronically high unemployment and inflation haunt the country.
However, it shows Iran’s Shi’ite theocracy’s growing recognition of the anger felt across the country of 80 million, which has seen months of sporadic protests challenging it.
‘‘Over the last year since you became the minister, the dinner table of the people has shrunk to the point of invisibility,’’ conservative lawmaker Hosseinali Hajideligani of Isfahan told Karbasian during the hearing.
‘‘The purchasing power of the people has dropped down at least by 50 percent. You have made the people poorer every day,’’ Hajideligani said.
They have a Fed that can print more money, too?
A narrow majority of 137 lawmakers in the 260-seat Parliament voted to fire Karbasian, an Iranian economist who became the country’s finance minister in August 2017 after Rouhani won reelection. He replaced Ali Tayebnia, who served for the entirety of Rouhani’s first four-year term.
Karbasian sought to defend himself, saying that America had ‘‘targeted our entire economy and social fortifications.’’
‘‘America is seeking to block the country’s economic vessels to put people under pressure and stir dissatisfaction,’’ he said. ‘‘They are after hitting the government and ruling system. You should believe that we are at an all-out economic war.’’
Yet even reformist lawmakers who often back Rouhani, himself a relatively moderate cleric within Iran’s government, lashed out at Karbasian.
‘‘What have we done? What have we done to this people?’’ reformist lawmaker Elias Hazrati of Tehran asked at one point. ‘‘Why should the people suffer from this situation? What is the people’s fault?’’
I feel like I have so much in common with the average Iranian.
Karbasian’s dismissal comes after lawmakers dismissed Rouhani’s labor minister, Ali Rabiei, earlier this month, but while Rabiei served since the beginning of Rouhani’s administration, Karbasian joined a year ago as the nuclear deal looked increasingly precarious amid President Trump’s constant criticism of the accord.
In a separate development Sunday, the Iranian defense minister said Iran will continue its support of the Syrian government to ensure improved security in the region.
That is going to come up again below, and it is what is at the heart of the recent troubles there.
Israel has expressed concern over Iran’s growing influence in Syria, accusing Iran of seeking to establish a foothold near the frontier with the Jewish state. The United States has been pressing for Iran to withdraw its fighters from Syria.
In recent meetings between US and Russian officials, Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton said he and Russian officials are discussing the issue, without providing details, calling it a US priority.
He really pressed them about it, and it proves the AmeriKan government serves Israel, not its own people.
Iran says its presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Syrian government. ‘‘No third party can affect the presence of Iranian advisers in Syria,’’ Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami told reporters in Damascus.
Unlike the United States, which claims it will stay anyway.
Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, reached in 2015 under President Obama’s administration, saw it agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. That included allowing the country to replace its aging commercial aircraft fleet, but Trump’s decision in May to withdraw from the accord halted billion-dollar deals Iran struck with oil firms and airplane manufacturers. American sanctions are beginning to ramp up, with Iran’s crude oil soon to be targeted in November, which could further worsen the economy.
Yeah, Boeing is downplaying the loss of $20 billion in contracts (who cares if Iranian planes crash, right?) and the oil will be shutoff by November 4th.
Iran’s economy long was hobbled by years of sanctions over its nuclear program, sparked by Western fears that Tehran could use it to build a nuclear weapon.
And that is all it was, fear.
Iran has long denied having ambitions to build atomic bombs. Other sanctions stem back to Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, while the country also faced economic trouble amid and after its devastating 1980s war with Iraq.
Yeah, the U.S. armed Saddam Hussein's war machine before turning on him.
Seeing a political opportunity, Iran’s hard-liners have increasingly criticized Rouhani and his administration.
However, protests against the economic situation in the country have spun out of control in recent months. In late December and January, demonstrations sparked by economic woes that later directly challenged the government spread across 75 cities in Iran. Those protests saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 others arrested.
Smells like CIA Ajax to me.
--more--"
"Iran asks UN’s highest court to suspend US sanctions; Nation warns curbs would hurt economy" by Mike Corder Associated Press August 28, 2018
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Iran warned Monday that reimposed US sanctions would cripple its economy and plunge the volatile Middle East deeper into crisis as it urged the United Nations’ highest court to suspend the Trump administration’s economic pressure on Tehran.
In a written statement about the case at the International Court of Justice, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Iran’s claims ‘‘meritless’’ and defended the sanctions as a way of keeping Americans safe.
The world court’s Great Hall of Justice in The Hague is the latest backdrop for Washington and Tehran’s high-stakes dispute about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
What ambitions?
I mean, when are the distortions and lies going to stop with my pre$$?
Iran filed a case with the court in July challenging the reimposition. Tehran alleges that the sanctions breach a 1955 bilateral agreement known as the Treaty of Amity that regulates and promotes economic and consular ties between the two countries.
The treaty was signed when the United States and Iran were still allies following the 1953 revolution — fomented by Britain and the United States — that ultimately cemented the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
The U.S. signature on a treaty means nothing. The Iranians should know that.
Oh, yeah, and never mind that sanitized version of the CIA overthrow and coup.
However, diplomatic relations were severed following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and takeover of the US Embassy and ensuing hostage crisis. Despite that dramatic deterioration in relations, the treaty remains in force.
Iran and the United States have a history of litigation at the International Court of Justice, in cases covering crises including the embassy seizure and the shooting down of an Iranian passenger jet mistaken by a US warship for a fighter jet.
Let's keep it to just that, huh?
Oh, yeah, and the act of war that George H.W. Bush wouldn't apologize for?
Aaaaah!
Rulings by the world court, which settles disputes between nations, are final and legally binding. However, it remains to be seen whether the United States would abide by a court order to suspend sanctions on Iran.
You don't have to be Nostradamus to know what the reaction will be.
Iranian representative Mohsen Mohebi told the court the US sanctions are ‘‘nothing but a naked economic aggression against my country.’’
He is right.
Mohebi also warned that the sanctions could exacerbate regional tensions.
Some people are hoping!
His comments came a day after Iran’s defense minister said his country will continue its support of the Syrian government to ensure improved security in the region. Israel has expressed concern over Iran’s growing influence in Syria, accusing Tehran of seeking to establish a foothold near the frontier with the Jewish state. The United States has been pressing for Iran to withdraw its fighters from Syria.
Well, tough titty!
Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, brokered when Barack Obama was still in the White House, imposed restrictions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of most US and international sanctions against Tehran; however, the deal came with time limits and did not address Iran’s ballistic missile program or its regional policies in Syria and elsewhere.
Some US allies oppose the sanctions and are seeking to keep the nuclear deal alive. Last week, the European Union announced a financial support package to help bolster Iran’s flagging economy.....
Not enough when the dollar is king and makes them leave the country.
--more--"
"Iran’s parliament delivers rare rebuke to country’s embattled president" by Tamer El-Ghobashy Washington Post August 29, 2018
WASHINGTON — The extraordinary parliamentary vote was the latest blow for President Hassan Rouhani, who has faced widespread anger and lawmakers’ dismissal of key ministers over the failure of the nuclear deal and the fallout from the renewed US economic sanctions, which have driven Iran’s currency to historic lows.
Facing a raft of questions from lawmakers in public for the first time in his presidency, Rouhani vigorously defended his performance and said street protests in Iran had emboldened President Trump to withdraw the United States from the nuclear agreement. The deal had eased Iran’s global political and economic isolation in exchange for curbs on the nation’s uranium enrichment program.
Rouhani acknowledged that mistakes had been made but warned that constant public airing of the nation’s hardships could be counterproductive.
Remember George W. Bush infamously saying he couldn't think of one he made?
Pre$$ didn't care about that type of maddening insanity and narcissism, though.
Lawmakers, however, were unconvinced and will debate whether to refer the questions over Iran’s double-digit inflation, high unemployment, collapsing currency, and smuggling of goods to the judiciary — a step that could expose Rouhani to impeachment proceedings.
I can see why they want to keep Trump away from him.
Might get some ideas how to avoid it!
Earlier this month, Parliament ousted the economy and labor ministers, intensifying the pressure on Rouhani.
Tuesday’s session was only the second time that Parliament had summoned a sitting Iranian president for questioning. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced a similar cross-examination over economic woes in 2011.
Remember him?
The pre$$ called him the next Hitler, remember?
Rouhani’s grilling contributed to a growing sense that his position is increasingly precarious as Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seeks to alleviate the widespread discontent over strict social constraints and the ailing economy. Earlier this month, Khamenei took the unusual step of blaming Rouhani’s government for the financial crisis.
Maybe Kavanaugh should join the both of them for a roundtable.
Legal experts and analysts, however, said Rouhani is not likely to be ousted before his term ends in three years. Parliament has not established that he broke any rules, rendering a judicial referral unlawful.
That won't stop the U.S. Congre$$.
It could, however, strengthen hard-liners who oppose Rouhani’s reformist agenda, which saw him decisively win two terms and whose signature achievement had been the ratification of the nuclear deal.
For Khamenei, Rouhani is a necessary outlet to soak up public anger that has occasionally challenged the ruling clergy.
‘‘One of the features of [Khamenei’s] rule which has really added to his longevity is the fact that he wields power without accountability, and, in order to do that, he needs a president who has accountability without power,’’ said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace.
Khamenei, Sadjadpour continued, ‘‘actually benefits from having a weakened Rouhani remain in power’’ so he can ‘‘absorb all of the accountability for the lousy economic situation.’’
There is a le$$on in there for Trump somewhere.
The US sanctions, which went into effect this month, have contributed to dramatic spikes in the prices of food, medicine, and air travel, as well as a sense of economic calamity among ordinary Iranians. Economists expect a second raft of sanctions in November, targeting Iran’s critical oil industry, to inflict further damage.
Rouhani has indicated that he is seeking to preserve the 2015 accord by working with the other major powers that are signatories to the deal. That has been complicated as European companies have fled Iran, afraid of running afoul of the renewed US sanctions.
Rouhani’s effort to salvage parts of the deal were further undermined Tuesday. According to an internal French government order seen by the news agency Reuters, France has ordered diplomats and Foreign Ministry officials to postpone indefinitely nonessential travel to Iran, citing security threats and a ‘‘hardening of’’ Iranian authorities’ attitudes toward France.
France was a false friend anyway.
--more--"
"UN watchdog says Iran continues to comply with nuclear restrictions despite US pullout" The Washington Post August 31, 2018
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said Thursday that Iran continues to comply with the terms of a 2015 nuclear pact, despite the United States’ withdrawal from the deal and renewed sanctions that have contributed to an economic crisis.
I'm sorry, SAY AGAIN!!
The International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Tehran is complying with restrictions on its enrichment of uranium and uranium stocks in addition to other provisions, according to a confidential IAEA report. It is the 12th consecutive report affirming Iran’s adherence to the deal.
The Trump administration said reneging on the nuclear accord was designed to pressure Iran into dropping its support of militant groups, reining in its ballistic missile programs, and improving its human rights record.....
--more--"
If only Trump had studied history.
Then he would know all about Operation Ajax and Iran.
"Iran’s top leader sees no war — or talks — with US" Associated Press August 13, 2018
I pray he is a prophet!
TEHRAN — Iran’s supreme leader said Monday that his country will neither go to war nor enter into negotiations with the United States as the Trump administration restores sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
In remarks carried by state television, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said ‘‘along with sanctions, Americans have recently raised two more options, war and talks. . . . War will not happen and we will not enter talks.’’
President Trump withdrew the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in May and last week the United States began restoring sanctions, exacerbating a financial crisis in Iran that has sent its currency tumbling.
Trump has suggested he would be willing to hold talks with Iranian leaders, but that would be impossible without permission from Khamenei, who has the final say on all major policies.
If it is left up to advisers it is!
‘‘Negotiations with the US would definitely harm us and they are forbidden,’’ Khamenei said, adding that the Americans had proven they could not be trusted.
‘‘Negotiation with the bullying and very eager government of the US means giving it an instrument through which it can add to its hostility,’’ he said.
Khamenei meanwhile blamed the monetary crisis on President Hassan Rouhani’s administration, saying it resulted from ‘‘management problems unrelated to the sanctions.’’
Also on Monday, Iran said it launched a production line for a radar-evading, short-range missile. Defense Minister General Amir Hatami told state TV the surface-to-surface missile, dubbed Fateh-e Mobin, or Bright Conqueror, was effective in all weather conditions.
He did not discuss the range of the missile, but older versions like the Fateh-313 have a range of some 300 miles.
Iran is believed to have long-range missiles with a range of 1,250 miles, which are capable of reaching US bases in the region and Israel.
Iran often announces military achievements that cannot be independently verified.
Do you want to call their bluff?
--more--"
Related:
"Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, on Sunday dedicated an extension to the country’s main Arabian Sea outlet, the strategic Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman, which more than triples its capacity and poses a challenge for a port under construction in Pakistan. The $340 million project was constructed by a Revolutionary Guard-affiliated company, Khatam al-Anbia, the largest Iranian contractor of government construction projects. It involved several subcontractors, including a state-run Indian company, and brings the capacity of the port to 8.5 million tons of cargo annually, from the previous 2.5 million tons. It is also expected to make Chabahar, Iran’s closest sea link to the Indian Ocean, a rival to Gwadar Port, some 50 miles across the border in Pakistan. Rouhani, however, downplayed the rivalry in his inauguration speech and said the port will bring ‘‘more engagement and unity’’ among regional countries."
All the more reason to start a war.
"US officials are charging an Iranian hacker in the theft of 1.5 terabytes of data from HBO in May, an attack that tormented network executives and included the release of several unaired programs and scripts. Behzad Mesri remains in Iran, and officials acknowledged that it would be difficult to detain him. Mesri “had worked on behalf of the Iranian military to conduct computer network attacks that targeted military systems, nuclear software systems and Israeli infrastructure,” the indictment said, but it did not suggest that the hacking was sanctioned by the state. He was also part of a hacking group known as the Turk Black Hat Security team. He was accused of trying to extort $6 million worth of Bitcoin from HBO in July, the indictment said. From May to August, the data theft proved a nightmare for HBO. The hacker gradually released stolen materials on the Internet, including unaired episodes of “Ballers,” “Barry,” “Room 104,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “The Deuce.” The hacker also released the script of an episode of “Game of Thrones” that had not yet been broadcast....."
This is as silly as saying North Korea did the Sony hack.
"The weapon is called a DDoS — a distributed denial-of-service attack, a relentless assault that can be launched from anywhere in the world, with minimal cost and a massive potential for harm. It freezes computer networks and prevents Web pages from loading. Attacks, large and small, happen more than 23,000 times a day all around the world, according to Arbor Networks, a Burlington cybersecurity company that focuses on preventing DDoS attacks. “This is an ongoing battle,” said Arbor Networks vice president Carlos Morales, “and it’s never-ending.”
For the $ake of the false-flagging U.S. government and all the $ecurity $oftware firms, we $ure hope $o.
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
Now for the target just across the Gulf:
For the first time ever, a woman anchored the nightly news in Saudi Arabia
Well, WHOOP-DE-DOO!
Her top story: Saudi Arabia Seeks the Death Penalty for Female Activist
Related: Saudi Arabia Threatens Canada
"War crimes report accuses Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates in Yemen" by Nick Cumming-Bruce New York Times August 28, 2018
GENEVA — Torture, rape, and the use of child soldiers are among the litany of war crimes that have been committed in Yemen, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates appear to be responsible for many abuses, UN experts said in a report issued Tuesday.
They will force you to talk by roasting you alive!
The casualties and misery inflicted by the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes also received a damning appraisal in the report, which said that rebel Houthi forces may also have committed war crimes, such as torturing detainees and recruiting young children to fight.
Yeah, "may." The bulk of the mass-murder has been done by U.S. allies with U.S. assistance (that's called aiding and abetting).
Sniping and shelling by Houthi forces and their allies have inflicted civilian casualties and blocked access by humanitarian agencies, the report noted.
“None have clean hands,” one of the experts, Charles Garraway, told reporters in Geneva. “Despite the severity of the situation, we continue to witness a total disregard of the suffering of the people of Yemen.”
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said it would respond after its legal team had reviewed the report.
Acting like sexual harassment accusers regarding a Supreme Court nominee, aren't they?
The Emirati minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Twitter that his government would need to study the report before responding, but he said the culpability of the Houthis for civilian suffering needed to be recognized.
Not in Gaza, though!
Tawakkul Karman, a Yemeni human rights activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, responded to Gargash by tweeting that the UN report would not be credible unless it named the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and of Saudi Arabia, as well as the head of the Houthi movement, as responsible for massacres of civilians.
So the U.N. report on Saudi war crimes was a whitewash?
Political factions and militias have been fighting for control of Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, since power-sharing talks collapsed in 2014 and the Houthis ousted the internationally backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
One of the four wars Obama got off the ground, those being Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Ukraine.
Since then, fighting has devolved into proxy warfare, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates arming and fighting alongside a disparate group of Islamist, tribal, and regional militias against the Houthis, who control Sanaa, the capital, as well as the major port of Hodeida and their ancestral territories along the Saudi border.
And the people of Yemen pay the price!
The Saudis and their allies have accused Iran of aiding the Houthis. Iran denies it is arming the Houthis, despite evidence the rebels are using Iranian weaponry, including missiles.
So the lying butchers of Riyadh claim.
The conflict has resulted in at least 16,700 casualties, including 6,475 civilians killed, but the real figure is almost certainly significantly higher, according to the United Nations.
The main cause of civilian casualties in the war, the report says, has been airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. It estimates there have been 18,000 such strikes in little more than three years, inflicting a level of damage on civilian infrastructure that “certainly contributed to Yemen’s dire economic and humanitarian situation.”
The report’s findings, to be delivered to the UN Human Rights Council next month, chime with mounting anger after a coalition strike this month that killed 40 children on a school bus.
I expect there to be a follow-up report.
The experts said that names of individuals suspected of abuses would be sent to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday. They declined to give details, but the report noted that offenses had been committed by individuals at all levels in the Saudi-led coalition’s member states and their governments, including civilian officials.
Don't hold your breath waiting.
“There is little evidence of any attempt by parties to the conflict to minimize civilian casualties,” Kamel Jendoubi, the chairman of the UN panel, said in a statement.
The experts particularly faulted the coalition’s Joint Incidents Assessment Team, which is supposed to investigate claims of military abuse but which rights groups say was set up to deflect pressure for an international inquiry into the war.
The assessment team’s work lacked transparency, its investigations lacked legal analysis, and its findings regularly ignored civilian casualties and were often substantially altered by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the experts said.
Continued military support to nations engaged in the war in Yemen will depend on the extent of their efforts to avoid civilian casualties, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday, as pressure builds on Saudi Arabia and its allies to protect noncombatants. US assistance, which includes aerial refueling, weapons sales and intelligence sharing, ‘‘is not unconditional,’’ he said.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon hours after release of the UN report, Mattis said aid to countries conducting operations against Houthi rebels would require that those countries ‘‘do everything humanly possible to avoid any innocent loss of life and they support the UN-brokered peace process.’’
Look who is talking!
--more--"
Mattis had more to say:
"Jim Mattis says US won’t suspend more South Korea military drills" by Tony Capaccio and Bill Faries Bloomberg News August 29, 2018
In his first press conference at the Pentagon since April, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also took questions on US military policy toward Yemen, Turkey, and Iran.
Mattis said he spoke with Turkey’s defense minister this week and that the two had a “very candid” discussion. With the NATO allies in a standoff over tariffs, sanctions, and a detained American pastor, Congress has suspended planned deliveries of next-generation F-35 jets until the Pentagon produces a report within 90 days on US-Turkey relations, but Mattis signaled that ties are stronger at the military level, saying the countries are working toward undertaking combined patrols in northern Syria and have already made progress in improving coordination and communication between their forces in the contested region. The United States relies on the Turkish military base at Incirlik to launch strikes against Islamic State in Syria.
Then Turkey pulled the rug out from under them by making a deal with Russia.
Asked about reports that Syria’s government is moving chemical weapons into place to stage an assault on the last rebel stronghold around the northwestern province of Idlib, Mattis signaled the United States is ready to respond again after twice launching attacks on Bashar Assad’s regime, which has retaken most of the country with Russian and Iranian support.
Sorry, but the Syrians and the Russians have already blown the whistle on another of those false-flag fakes.
Why would he do it?
If such a thing were to occur, who benefits?
“You have seen our administration act twice on the use of chemical weapons,” Mattis said. “I will assure you the Department of State has been in recent, active communication with Russia to enlist them to preventing this.”
Oh, it would give the U.S. an excuse to act, I see!
With 2,000 US military personnel in Syria, Mattis also laid out the requirements to withdraw American forces, a goal Trump announced in April when he said he wanted it to happen “very soon.” Mattis suggested a longer timeline, saying that would come after Islamic State is destroyed, “local troops who can take over” are fully trained, and a United Nations-led peace initiative stalled years ago begins “making traction.” He added that some drawdowns of US forces could occur as progress is made on those issues.
But we aren't leaving.
Mattis said the United States continues to support the coalition led by Saudi Arabia that’s fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, but he acknowledged repeated cases of air attacks that left heavy civilian casualties and prompted international condemnation for possible war crimes.
The United States is working closely with the Saudi coalition to “determine what went wrong with errant bombing attacks and how to prevent recurrences,” he said.
What a crock of sh*t!
On the passing of Arizona Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war who led the Armed Services Committee and was both a champion and sometime-critic of Pentagon weapons programs, Mattis said, “Our nation has lost a great patriot.”
Now cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war.
--more--"
"Spain cancels bombs sale to Saudi Arabia amid Yemen concerns" Associated Press September 04, 2018
MADRID — Spain has canceled the delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs purchased by Saudi Arabia, amid fears that the weapons could be used against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The arms deal was signed in 2015 under Spain’s former conservative government, but the new center-left administration of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez plans to return the $10.6 million already paid by the Saudis, Cadena SER radio reported Tuesday.
A Defense Ministry spokeswoman confirmed the report but declined to elaborate.
International rights groups have blamed a Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes and other attacks in Yemen for the killing of civilians, including children. United Nations human rights experts say all sides, including militias backed by the United Arab Emirates, may have committed war crimes in the conflict, which has been raging since March 2015.
Sanchez’s Socialist party had promised to revise the country’s arms deals before the new prime minister ousted his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a parliamentary vote in June.
Spain, a longtime commercial ally of Saudi Arabia, is the fourth-largest provider of military equipment and weapons to the Gulf state, according to Amnesty International. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent global security database, says the United States, Britain, and France are Riyadh’s main suppliers.
The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, visited all four countries in April. Two months later, his government signed for the purchase of five navy corvettes that a Spanish state-owned military shipbuilder has pledged to deliver for $2.31 billion. The contract had been in the works for years.
The sale was sharply criticized by Weapons Under Control, a campaign seeking to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia over its role in Yemen. The campaign, backed by Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Intermon Oxfam, and Spain’s FundiPau, also wants to end exports of weapons to Israel, a country they accuse of violating international laws in Palestine territories.
Oh, I LIKE THIS NEW LEFT-WING GOVERNMENT, and Spain should begin girding themselves for the inevitable false flag retaliation!
The group’s representatives were meeting with Spanish trade officials on Tuesday to deliver thousands of signatures in support of their campaign, which also advocates for greater transparency in the sales of military and defense equipment that Spain shields under state secrecy laws.
The Saudi Embassy in Madrid did not immediately respond to e-mailed questions and follow-up calls.
--more--"
Related:
"The UN special envoy to Yemen sought to downplay the significance of the failure of peace talks to start, saying on Saturday that he would head back to Yemen and neighboring Oman ‘‘within days’’ to try and agree on a new date. A delegation of the internationally recognized government arrived in Geneva for the talks, which were supposed to start Thursday, but their war rivals — Iranian-backed rebels known as the Houthis — did not, arguing they could not go because they did not have guarantees for their safe return (AP)."
And how many Yemenis must suffer and die while you guys diddle?
The Saudi newscast ended with this:
"Saudis threaten prison time for satire ‘disturbing public order’ Bloomberg News September 04, 2018
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia warned it will punish those who produce or share satirical online content that disturbs public order, the latest sign that there will be no letup in its crackdown on dissent.
Where is the U.S. criticism for the most odious regime on the planet?
Where are their plans for regime change?
The Public Prosecution tweeted on Monday that committing an “informational crime” on social media that “affects public order, religious values, and public morals” could result in a five-year prison term and a fine of 3 million riyals ($800,000).
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has been leading the clampdown on critics at the same time that he’s pushing an economic overhaul and loosening some social restrictions.
A two-faced Saudi.
In the past year, the government has arrested dozens of clerics, intellectuals, businessmen, and activists from across the political spectrum, tightening a once relatively permissive space for public discourse in the authoritarian kingdom.
REALLY?
Saudi Arabia was once a flowering place for public debate?
And you wonder why I am sick of this sloppy swill they call news and don't believe a skewed word?
--more--"
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
Also part of the conflagration soon to come:
"Russia again blames Israel for downing of its plane by Syrian forces" Associated Press September 23, 2018
MOSCOW — Russia’s Defense Ministry again blamed Israel for the downing of a Russian plane by Syrian government forces and said Israel appeared ungrateful for Moscow’s efforts to rein in Iran-backed fighters in Syria.
They only just figured out that characteristic regarding that tribe?
Syrian government forces mistook the Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane for an Israeli jet and shot it down Monday, killing all 15 people aboard. Russia’s military initially blamed Israel, but President Vladimir Putin later attributed it to ‘‘a chain of tragic, fatal circumstances,’’ but the Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday presented its latest findings — and laid the blame squarely on Israel.
Yeah, the official story is friendly fire.
For several years, Israel and Russia have maintained a ‘‘deconfliction” hot line to prevent their air forces from clashing over Syria. Russia has provided key air support to President Bashar Assad’s forces since 2015; Israel has carried out dozens of strikes against Iran-linked forces, but Russia on Sunday said that it was unable to get the Il-20 to a safe place because an Israeli duty officer had misled Russian officials. A Russian official said an Israeli fighter jet flying over Syria’s Mediterranean coast shortly before the downing deliberately used the Russian plane as a shield, reflecting ‘‘either lack of professionalism or criminal negligence.’’
That is going to make the bear angry!
The Israeli military rejected the allegations.
That is going to make the bear even angrier.
--more--"
Related:
"Although it is impossible to know for sure what happened, the basic structure of the Israeli-French anti-Russian conspiracy is now clear. The intention was to down a Russian airplane, and hope that fury from the Russian military would lead to an immediate retaliatory attack on what was believed to be the attacker, a French ship hanging around the area, retaliation that would occur before the deft Russian politicians and diplomats could get involved to diffuse the situation. The French Rothschild Navy - having a Rothschild lackey run France is a little too much on the nose, even for people like me! - was supposed to sustain a massive attack, with the deaths of many French sailors, sacrificed in the purest USS Liberty style, all to allow the Khazars to scream that Russia had attacked a NATO member, thus invoking all the legal apparatus of NATO to lead to WWIII against Russia (of course, the ship was only there on the pretense of 'protecting' Syrians from that most well-advertised false-flag attack, the one by the White Helmets to be blamed on Assad!). The real issue here is that the Russians came this close to falling for a trick which would lead to the deaths of millions of Russians, for no reason other than that the Khazars are butt-hurt that somebody is successfully standing up to them in the Middle East. Russia won't let this rest because the French-Israeli conspiracy was literally an existential crisis to the state of Russia (not to mention Europe and the US, but who cares as long as nobody interferes with Khazar supremacism!)." -- xymphora
And the consequences of such actions:
"The Russians have basically given Bibi and the Khazars two weeks to come up with something resembling an apology and a promise not to do it again, and two weeks is forever in the world of bribery and blackmail, so I'll only believe this when I see the sweet, sweet videos of the first Israeli plane blown to smithereens over Syria. We still haven't seen the full reaction of the bribed and blackmailed American politicians yet. The first reason not to be optimistic is that the Russians have constantly played this game of using unfulfilled promises of supplying military technology to gain diplomatic goals. The second, more important, reason for gloom is that this would represent a real game changer, the first time since the snatching of Eichmann in 1960 that anybody in the world - other than a few Arabs here and there - hasn't accepted the Khazar premise that the Khazars can do whatever the fuck they want, and nobody can stop them, and in particular that international law doesn't apply to them and it is literally anti-Semitic to take steps to ensure it does. This understanding is so important to the survival and expansion of Israel that the machers will move mountains to preserve it. In other words, even more than Syria itself, the Russians are challenging the principle that the Khazars are unchallengeable, which itself is based in some kind of illogical mumblings about the Holocaust, and is thus a religious premise. And sorry, I still don't buy the Russian story, which seems crafted to appeal as it makes the Israels look like super villains in a cartoon, deftly stepping behind the Russians to avoid the missile. I mean, it could have happened like that, but how likely is it, compared to the simple story of a French missile downing the Russian plane? " --xymphora
The Russian reaction:
"Russia to provide Syria with new air defense missiles" by Nataliya Vasilyeva Associated Press September 24, 2018
MOSCOW — Russia announced Monday it will supply Syria’s government with sophisticated S-300 air defense systems after last week’s downing of a Russian plane by Syria forces responding to an Israeli air strike, a friendly fire incident that stoked regional tensions.
The Russian Il-20 military reconnaissance aircraft was downed by Syrian air defenses that mistook it for an Israeli aircraft, killing all 15 people on board. Russia laid the blame on Israel, saying Israeli fighter jets were hiding behind the Russian plane, an account denied by the Israeli military.
That would seem to validate Xym's analysis.
They were trying to do another U.S.S. Liberty and hoping the Russians fell for it!
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the S-300 missile defense systems will be delivered to Damascus within two weeks. Earlier in the war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300s, which Israel feared Syria could use against it.
Shoigu went on television to say that Russia is now going to go ahead with the shipment because ‘‘the situation has changed, and it’s not our fault.’’
Shortly after his statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin got a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that the Russian move was ‘‘aimed primarily at fending off any potential threat to the lives of Russian servicemen,’’ according to the Kremlin.
Netanyahu’s office said in its readout of the call that the Israeli prime minister ‘‘stressed once again that the responsibility for the unfortunate incident lay on the Syrian army that shot it down and on Iran, whose aggression is destabilizing the region.’’
That's when Putin hung up on him.
In an apparent reference to the S-300, the statement said ‘‘transferring advanced weapons to irresponsible hands will increase the dangers in the region,’’ adding that Israel will ‘‘continue to defend its security and interests.’’
Meaning they will continue to violate international law and sovereign airspace while committing their war criminal actions.
Shoigu announced that Russia would also equip Syrian air defenses with a new automated control system to enhance its efficiency and help identify Russian aircraft. On top of that, the Russian military will start using electronic countermeasures to jam any aircraft that would try to launch attacks off Syria’s coast.
‘‘We are convinced that these measures will calm down some hotheads and keep them from careless actions which pose a threat to our troops,’’ Shoigu said.
JWho do you think he means?
The Israeli military has denied responsibility for the downing of the Russian jet, but the Russian military angrily rejected those claims. On Monday, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov produced data collected by Russian air defense systems in Syria purportedly indicating that one Israeli F-16 fighter jet was flying close to the much larger Russian plane, resulting in the Syrian missile homing in on the bigger target.
I expect ISIS to get active in Russia soon.
US national security adviser John Bolton meanwhile said Monday that delivery of the Russian S-300 would be a ‘‘significant escalation’’ of already high tensions in the region, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would raise the matter this week with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the UN General Assembly.
I hope Lavrov tells him to f**k off!
‘‘We think introducing the S-300s to the Syrian government would be a significant escalation by the Russians and something that we hope, if these press reports are accurate, they would reconsider,’’ Bolton said.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov fired back, warning the US against taking ‘‘a mentor’s tone.’’
International and regional powers backing various sides in Syria’s civil war have been carrying out strikes for years, often using special hotlines to prevent aerial confrontations.
Israel said its warplanes were targeting a Syrian facility involved in arms shipments to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. Israel has launched at least 200 strikes at Iranian and Hezbollah facilities in Syria over the past years, and has maintained a hotline with the Russian military to prevent any collisions, but Shoigu said that the Israeli military warned Russia about last week’s strike just one minute before launching it and claimed it was being conducted in Syria’s north. Instead, the Israeli jets targeted the western province of Latakia, putting the Russian warplane in the line of fire.
Oh, so they not only didn't tell the Russians until it was way too late, they then lied to them about the targets!!
Russian officials said Syria’s Soviet-made S-200 systems, one of which downed the Russian plane, weren’t sophisticated enough to identify the Russian aircraft as a friendly one.
Russia launched its campaign in support of President Bashar Assad in 2015, eventually turning the tide of war in favor of Syrian government forces. Moscow has tried to maintain good relations with Iran, which is also allied with the Syrian government, and Israel, which is wary of Iran’s growing influence in Syria.
Looks like you are going to have to choose one or the other, Vlad.
The downing of the plane came just hours after Russia announced it had reached a deal with Turkey to avert a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive against the northwestern province of Idlib, controlled by a mix of radical groups and Turkey-backed armed opposition.
Israel didn't like that, huh?
Syrian state TV said insurgents shelled a government-controlled crossing east of Idlib on Monday that was reportedly prepared to allow civilians to leave the province.
Concerns are rising in Idlib over the details of the deal and how it will be implemented. The province is home to some 3 million Syrians, half of them displaced by violence in other parts of the country.
Hard-line armed groups have rejected the deal, saying it aims to strip the opposition of weapons and is a victory for Assad’s government. On Sunday, tribal leaders and prominent local figures meeting in Idlib said they distrusted Russian mediation, citing Russia’s previous cease-fire violations. The conference called on armed groups not to leave the front lines in Syria or hand over their weapons.
--more--"
Also see:
Pope warns Lithuanians against rebirth of anti-Semitism
Yeah, CHANGE the SUBJECT away from the sex abuse scandal that is going to destroy his papacy!!
"Francis is visiting Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to mark their 100th anniversaries of independence and to encourage the faith in the Baltics, which saw five decades of Soviet-imposed religious repression and state-sponsored atheism. In addition, the Nazi occupation nearly exterminated their Jewish populations....."
If only Congre$$ had the skills of the Church, 'eh?
Here are some secret facts from Soviet archives.
Maldives’ opposition presidential candidate claims victory
Why is it important?
"While the opposition painted Sunday’s election as a final stand to preserve the Maldives’ nascent democracy — just a decade old — the vote was also seen as a critical referendum at a time when the archipelago nation has been caught between the influence of China, on one hand, and India and the West on the other. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has signaled that he will try to hedge between global powers and restore the warm ties the country once shared with India, which has watched China’s rise in the region with concern. On Sunday, voters turned out in vast numbers, forming long lines requiring hours of wait time....."
They did that in a country with a brief but painful history of derailed democracy.
Maldives is a key island (time is running out) )along the Indian Ocean shipping routes (it’s a story out of a novel like Life of Pi), btw.
"UK’s main opposition party says it might back new Brexit vote" by Jill Lawless Associated Press September 25, 2018
LONDON — Britain’s main opposition party took a step at its annual conference toward backing a new referendum on Brexit — but stopped short of saying the vote should include an option not to leave the European Union.
Delegates at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool will debate a motion Tuesday saying that if Parliament rejects the government’s Brexit deal, ‘‘Labour must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote.’’
The motion, whose wording was argued over during a five-hour meeting late Sunday, does not specify that a new referendum should include an option to remain in the EU, as many party members want.
Most of the party’s half-million members voted in 2016 to remain, but many of its 257 lawmakers represent areas that supported leaving, so Brexit poses an electoral dilemma for the left-of-center party.
Could be their last gasp before the final exhale.
With the United Kingdom and European Union at an impasse in divorce talks, and just six months to go until Britain officially leaves on March 29, many Labour members think the party should try to force a new referendum that could reverse Britain’s decision to quit the 28-nation bloc.
Then they don't really want power, do they?
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other party chiefs oppose that idea, saying Labour must honor voters’ 2016 decision to leave. They say a better option would be a general election and a Labour government.
Gee, I wish our left-of-center party would think that way.
Party finance spokesman John McDonnell said Monday that ‘‘we argued for ‘remain’ in the past but we lost that vote so we have to respect that,’’ but the Conservative government’s blueprint for future trade ties with the bloc was rejected last week by EU leaders at a summit in Salzburg, Austria. That left Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership under siege and Britain at growing risk of crashing out of the EU with no deal in place.
May met Monday with her divided Cabinet, where some Brexit-supporting ministers are urging her to seek a looser relationship based on a bare-bones free trade agreement that would leave Britain free to strike new deals around the world.
Pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg said Britain would prosper under a ‘‘Canada Plus’’ deal.
On Monday, it published a new batch of documents outlining some disruptions to Britain’s economy and daily life that could be caused by a ‘‘no deal’’ Brexit.
Previous batches of papers said businesses could face red tape, customers could see higher credit card fees and patients could endure delays to medical treatment.
Looks like $CARE TACTICS to me.
They even said Britain could get less warning of falling space debris from an EU agency if Britain crashes out of the bloc without a deal.....
OMFG!
They just jumped the shark!
Yup, Europe will let an asteroid fall on your island!!
If that is the case, who would want to be a part of them?!!!
--more--"
Looks like regime change destabilization operations are ongoing in the Congo and Ethiopia (going down without a ripple).
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
Time to come home:
"Congress set to keep government open, delay action on border wall" by Matthew Daly and Kevin Freking Associated Press September 24, 2018
WASHINGTON — Congress is set to pass a crucial spending bill that averts a government shutdown, but there’s one potential obstacle: President Donald Trump.
Neither party wants the government to close ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, but with less than a week before a Sept. 30 deadline for a partial shutdown, Republican leaders hope they can get Trump to set aside his frustration and sign legislation that funds the military and a host of civilian agencies for the next year. The bill also would provide a short-term fix to keep the government running through Dec. 7.
He said he wouldn't sign one of those monstrosities again.
The Senate easily approved the measure last week, with only seven senators voting no.
Kind of takes your breath away.
The vote in the House is expected to be closer, with House conservatives voicing displeasure that money is included for Planned Parenthood but not the wall. Separate spending bills being considered in the House and Senate provide funding for the wall, and GOP leaders have said they prefer to resolve the issue after the Nov. 6 elections.
‘‘You want to stanch a blue wave’’ of Democrats in the midterms? asked Represemtative Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican and a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. ‘‘Then keep your promises — and one of those promises is to build the wall.’’
And confirm Kavanaugh.
Trump himself raised the possibility last week that he may not sign the measure unless wall funding is included.
‘‘Where is the money for border security and the wall in this ridiculous spending bill?’’ Trump said Thursday on Twitter. Republicans ‘‘must finally get tough’’ against Democrats he said are obstructing law enforcement and border security, he added, but it seems only Trump can stop the spending legislation from becoming law. Biggs and other conservatives admit they don’t have the numbers to defeat the spending bill in the House, given that leaders from both parties support the legislation.
‘‘I expect it to pass. The votes are going to be there,’’ said Representative Tom Cole, an Arizona Republican and a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee who is among the best vote counters in the Capitol.
‘‘There’s substantial support’’ for the bill in both parties, Cole said. He emphasized that the measure increases defense spending — including the largest pay raise for the military in nearly a decade — and boosts funding for a range of domestic programs, including a 5 percent increase for the National Institute of Health, a priority of both parties.
That is a shot at Obama.
‘‘I think we’re in pretty good shape,’’ he said.
Still, many conservatives are unhappy.
‘‘This bill funds things we said we wouldn’t, like Planned Parenthood, but doesn’t fund things we said we would, like the border security wall. That’s unacceptable,’’ said Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and a leader of the conservative wing of the GOP who has made himself a candidate to lead House Republicans after the midterm elections.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, defended the bill, saying it fully funds the military while providing ‘‘historic’’ spending to fight the opioid epidemic, which takes the lives of more than 100 people in the US every day.
Also see:
"Massachusetts public health officials sounded the alarm Monday over an outbreak of hepatitis A among the homeless and those who struggle with addiction that has left at least one person dead. There have been 65 reported cases of acute hepatitis A in the state since April, nearly half of them in Boston, said the state Department of Public Health. At least 68 percent of the cases have a co-infection of hepatitis C and at least 8 percent with HIV, according to the agency....."
That's what happens when you handing out needles for safe space use drugs.
I'm sure it is just a coincidence that it is ‘Outbreak Week’ at Harvard.
Someone call the veterinarian.
‘‘These are top priorities for the country, and we are ready to get this bill into law soon,’’ Ryan said last week.
Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and other GOP lawmakers met with Trump earlier this month to plot strategy and urge the president not to force a shutdown.
Trump’s stance has zigzagged. At times he has said he won’t allow a shutdown before the midterm elections. At other times, he’s mused that closing the government may be good for him politically.
McConnell insists there is ‘‘zero’’ chance of a shutdown and says a battle over the border wall should wait until after votes are cast in November.....
He may become Minority Mitch, and thank God the Republicans have him!!!!
--more--"
Related:
"The founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Bernie Sanders’ home state are putting their ice cream expertise to work to support seven congressional candidates in the midterm elections who they call progressive. Vermont’s Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, known for their clever marketing and quirky flavors, are working with political action committee MoveOn to create ice cream flavors that reflect the values of each of the candidates....."
They came up with one that tastes like $hit!
"Few people aware of Medicaid work requirement" by Margot Sanger-Katz New York Times September 24, 2018
The Trump administration argues that imposing work requirements for Medicaid is an incentive that can help lift people out of poverty, but a test program in Arkansas shows how hard it is merely to inform people about new incentives, let alone get them to act.
In the first month that it was possible for people to lose coverage for failing to comply, more than 4,300 people were kicked out of the program for the rest of the year. Thousands more are on track to lose health benefits in the coming months.
Arkansas is the first state to test a work requirement, a policy that the administration has encouraged and that several other states are hoping to copy. The demonstration project is testing whether a work requirement can help encourage more low-income people to work, volunteer, or go to school and improve their financial prospects.....
--more--"
Most of those who will be cut from the rolls are minorities (it's because they have to pay the nurses too much).
Verastem wins FDA approval for blood cancer drug
"Add Switzerland-based SOPHiA Genetics to the ever-growing list of foreign life science companies planting a flag in the thriving Massachusetts biotech cluster. The company, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to comb patients’ DNA sequences in an effort to diagnose cancer and other illnesses, said Monday that it has opened its US headquarters in Boston’s financial district....."
Time to let out a roar:
"Judge restores protections for grizzly bears, blocking hunts" by Matthew Brown Associated Press September 25, 2018
BILLINGS, Mont. — A US judge ordered federal protections restored for grizzly bears in the Northern Rocky Mountains on Monday, a move that blocks the first grizzly hunts planned in the Lower 48 states in almost three decades.
US District Judge Dana Christensen wrote in his ruling that the case was ‘‘not about the ethics of hunting.’’ Rather, he said, it was about whether federal officials adequately considered threats to the species’ long-term recovery when they lifted protections for more than 700 bears living around Yellowstone National Park. In the judge’s view, the answer was no.
He noted that an estimated 50,000 bears once roamed the contiguous United States and said it would be ‘‘simplistic at best and disingenuous at worst’’ not to consider the status of grizzlies outside the Yellowstone region, one of the few areas where they have bounced back.
State and federal officials reacted with disappointment.....
--more--"
As long as he doesn't show up in my backyard, I'm fine.
Related: Squirrel population in the midst of unprecedented boom
So that is why there are so many of them around.
Time to let out a roar:
"Judge restores protections for grizzly bears, blocking hunts" by Matthew Brown Associated Press September 25, 2018
BILLINGS, Mont. — A US judge ordered federal protections restored for grizzly bears in the Northern Rocky Mountains on Monday, a move that blocks the first grizzly hunts planned in the Lower 48 states in almost three decades.
US District Judge Dana Christensen wrote in his ruling that the case was ‘‘not about the ethics of hunting.’’ Rather, he said, it was about whether federal officials adequately considered threats to the species’ long-term recovery when they lifted protections for more than 700 bears living around Yellowstone National Park. In the judge’s view, the answer was no.
He noted that an estimated 50,000 bears once roamed the contiguous United States and said it would be ‘‘simplistic at best and disingenuous at worst’’ not to consider the status of grizzlies outside the Yellowstone region, one of the few areas where they have bounced back.
State and federal officials reacted with disappointment.....
--more--"
As long as he doesn't show up in my backyard, I'm fine.
Related: Squirrel population in the midst of unprecedented boom
So that is why there are so many of them around.
Top UMass Dartmouth official moonlighted for company with plan to compete for students
He was trying to be a force for change.
He was trying to be a force for change.
Push for more school funding gains ally
The school system stopped providing bus arrival information, so the Globe stopped writing about it.
Should Mass. Pike remain elevated or come back to earth?
MBTA plotting a bus map of the future
"As injured electric scooter riders pour into emergency departments around the country, doctors have scrambled to document a trend that many view as a growing public safety crisis. A detailed statistical portrait of that crisis won’t be available for another year, emergency physicians say, but some early samples are beginning to emerge......"
Left some paralyzed.
Teen charged in crash that killed 4 Stoughton students pleads not guilty
State police are looking into the fine print, and they mean business.
"Prosecutor says man accused of threatening Boston Globe workers may have menaced others" by John R. Ellement and Andy Rosen Globe Staff September 24, 2018
Law enforcement authorities are investigating whether the California man accused of making threatening calls to The Boston Globe made similar calls to The New York Times and the National Football League, a federal prosecutor said in court Monday.
OMG, this is total sh!t!
The new information came as Robert D. Chain pleaded not guilty in a Boston courtroom to charges that he made menacing phone calls to the Globe last month. The calls, in which he allegedly said he planned to shoot and kill Boston Globe employees, sparked an investigation by the FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Squad.
Chain, 68, appeared in court in a dark gray suit and glasses. He had trimmed the long, purple locks he sported at an earlier hearing in California, instead wearing dark hair cut short.....
--more--"
Related:
"NBC executive Bob Greenblatt, who led the network’s entertainment programming to the top of the ratings for the first time in almost two decades, is handing the job to a pair of his lieutenants. Under Greenblatt, 58, NBC rose from last in the audience ratings to first place, toppling CBS from that pinnacle in the past year. With shows such as “This Is Us,” “The Voice,” and “The Blacklist,” he also took the network to number one in the 18-to-49-year-old age group that advertisers target."
They displaced CBS with barely a ripple.
And look at this: the Mockingbird media thinks it is getting a medal for all the disinformation it is spreading!
