9:35 PM 3/10/2020 - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠: Russia Was Targeting America When It Triggered the Oil War | theTrumpet.com | Germany and Russia’s Secret War Against America | theTrumpet.com | Trump Dismisses His Administration’s Briefing on Russian Interference | Wars of Religion - The American Interest | NYC Half Marathon, St. Patrick’s Day Parade Still Planned Amid Calls For ‘Social Distancing’ – CBS New York | IRGC Says Coronavirus Outbreak Is ‘Biological Warfare’ By America, 3,500 Infected Iranian Researcher: Coronavirus Could Be Bio-Weapon
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https://fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/935-pm-3102020-michael-novakhov.html
Propelled by Hatred and Envy, the Children of the KGB wage the non-stop, 24x7, comprehensive, systematic, well thought out and planned Intelligence war on America and the West, and inciting the racial tensions is just a part of it, among many others, such as actively using the recent emigres from the USSR as their Fifth Column, and aggressive infiltration of the US Security Services and Government on all levels.
Like so many times at the critical periods in the recent history, the KGB - Russian Intelligence Services, rely on the alliance with their most beloved, socially close to them "Related Element", the Criminal Underworld; and the Russian Jewish Mafia, or Transnational Organized Crime, the Global BOSS, is their current ally, leader, tool, and wedge, which with they intend to destroy America.
#RussianJewishMob=#TransnationalOrganizedCrime=#NewAbwehr took over #Russia & #Israel, #using #RussianGovernment, #IsraelGovernment, #RussianIntelligenceServices, #IsraelIntelligenceServices & personally #Putin & #Netanyahu as #Fronts #Covers. And now: #USA?!
#CIA #DIA #FBI #ODNI
10:50 AM 3/10/2020
Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks
Propelled by Hatred and Envy, the Children of the KGB wage the non-stop, 24x7, comprehensive, systematic, well thought out and planned Intelligence war on America and the West, and inciting the racial tensions is just a part of it, among many others, such as actively using the recent emigres from the USSR as their Fifth Column, and aggressive infiltration of the US Security Services and Government on all levels.
Like so many times at the critical periods in the recent history, the KGB - Russian Intelligence Services, rely on the alliance with their most beloved, socially close to them "Related Element", the Criminal Underworld; and the Russian Jewish Mafia, or Transnational Organized Crime, the Global BOSS, is their current ally, leader, tool, and wedge, which with they intend to destroy America.
#RussianJewishMob=#TransnationalOrganizedCrime=#NewAbwehr took over #Russia & #Israel, #using #RussianGovernment, #IsraelGovernment, #RussianIntelligenceServices, #IsraelIntelligenceServices & personally #Putin & #Netanyahu as #Fronts #Covers. And now: #USA?!
#CIA #DIA #FBI #ODNI
10:50 AM 3/10/2020
The FBI News Review.
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| Russia Was Targeting America When It Triggered the Oil War | theTrumpet.com | ||||||||
 Russia Was Targeting America When It Triggered the Oil War
Night view of the Gazprom Neft Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya, Russia
Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty Images
Russia Was Targeting America When It Triggered the Oil War
The Kremlin is willing to hurt the Russian economy to gain a geopolitical advantage over America.
By Andrew Miiller • March 10
Saudi Arabia has launched what could end up being one of the worst oil price wars in modern history, and American oil and gas companies could be caught in the cross fire. With fears about a coronavirus epidemic effecting demand for oil around the world, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (opec) met in Vienna, Austria, on March 6 to propose that total oil output be reduced by 1.5 million barrels a day to prevent oil prices from dropping too fast. Yet Russia refused to cooperate with opec and cut its oil production. This refusal prompted Saudi Arabia to announce that it would not be cutting oil production either. Instead it would increase its oil production by 2 million barrels per day.
In an already oversupplied global market, Saudi Arabia’s announcement caused Brent crude oil prices to plunge 31 percent to a low of $31.25 a barrel, its steepest single-day drop since the 1991 Persian Gulf War. It only costs $2.80 for Saudi Arabia to pump a barrel of crude oil out of an existing oil field, while it takes Russia around $20 to do the same thing. So the Saudi government figures it can survive low oil prices much longer than Russia can. But the heart of this dispute revolves around America’s oil and gas companies. On February 18, the Trump administration announced economic sanctions targeting Russia’s largest oil company. The reason for these sanctions is that Russia is helping Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro bypass United States sanctions by transporting his oil for him. Russian President Vladimir Putin may have been retaliating against the Trump administration by refusing to cut oil production. Since most shale oil wells have a break-even point of $40 a barrel over their production life, American oil and gas companies that rely on hydraulic fracturing techniques cannot turn a profit when oil prices are this low. The U.S. has also passed sanctions against companies involved in constructing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, saying it is a “tool of coercion” to make the European Union more dependent on Russian gas. “The Kremlin has decided to sacrifice opec+ to stop U.S. shale producers and punish the U.S. for messing with Nord Stream 2,” the president of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow told Bloomberg News. Saudi Arabia’s response probably pushed prices far lower than Russia expected. These low oil prices may hurt Russia’s economy more than they hurt the U.S. economy, and could actually boost the U.S. economy overall. But in the short term, they will likely hurt U.S. oil and gas companies. In Russia’s geopolitical calculus, anything it can do to prevent America from becoming a net energy exporter strengthens the Kremlin’s influence over nations like Venezuela and Germany. So for the time being, Russia seems willing to suffer through low oil prices to prevent America from developing its oil fields to the point where it can start offering nations an alternative to Russian energy. The most important player in the complicated world of energy politics is Germany. The U.S. is sanctioning Russia’s largest oil company in an effort to reduce Russian influence in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Yet Germany wants to develop closer energy deals with Russia as a means of reducing its reliance on the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (nato) was started back in 1949, its basic purpose was to protect disarmed Germany and other European countries from the Russian-led Soviet Union,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in the September 2018 Trumpet issue. “Nord Stream 2 binds Russia and Germany together in a way that undermines nato. In fact, though Russia and Germany will not say so, this pipeline project is clearly intended to wreck nato. … Many elite Germans feel their nation has now gotten all it can from the U.S. and they are ready to move on.” Unlike the Russian economy, the U.S. economy is not particularly dependent on oil. So as long as Germany supports America, the worst that is likely to happen from Russia’s oil price war is that U.S. energy companies may have to shut down their hydraulic fracturing operations for a while until oil prices rebound. But if Germany’s desire for cheap Russian gas brings about a German-Russian alliance against the United States, things could get bad quickly. International relations expert George Friedman gave a speech at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in February 2015. He explained that the U.S. government actively works to prevent a German-Russian alliance because the combination of German technology with Russian natural resources could create a Eurasian power bloc with the capability to challenge America’s position as the world’s lone superpower. The Trumpet and our parent magazine, the Plain Truth, have proclaimed for 80 years that Germany will lead a final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. And the Bible reveals that Russia will play a key role in Germany’s rise to power. A prophecy in Ezekiel 27 describes a trading power called Tyre that exchanges merchandise with many nations. “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Now you, son of man, raise a lamentation over Tyre, and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrances to the sea, merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, thus says the Lord God: “O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’ … Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of every kind; silver, iron, tin, and lead they exchanged for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged human beings and vessels of bronze for your merchandise”‘” (verses 1-3, 12-13; English Standard Version). Tyre was the commercial heart of the the Middle East and is a type of a major financial power rising now in Europe. Since the people of Tubal and Meshech settled in Russia, this is a prophecy about German and Russian merchants working together to create a great mart of nations. If Russia is prepared to hurt its own bottom line and sell oil at reduced prices just to hurt U.S. oil and gas companies, it shows that the Kremlin truly is waging a somewhat secret war against America—and Germany is prophesied to help Russia in this endeavor. For more information on why deepening cooperation between Germany and Russia is a sure sign of future conflict, read “Germany and Russia’s Secret War Against America,” by Gerald Flurry. | ||||||||
| Germany and Russia’s Secret War Against America | theTrumpet.com | ||||||||
 Germany and Russia’s Secret War Against America
Vladimir Putin (left) and Gerhard Schröder are working to tie their countries together.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Germany and Russia’s Secret War Against America
History shows that the deepening cooperation between Germany and Russia is a sure sign of future conflict.
From the September 2018 Trumpet Print Edition
We need to carefully watch what is happening right now between Germany and Russia.
United States President Donald Trump publicly rebuked German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 11 for Germany’s decision to buy a massive amount of gas from Russia. “I think it’s very sad,” he said, “when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia, where you’re supposed to be guarding against Russia, and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia.”
This oil and gas deal is in the form of a pipeline project called Nord Stream 2. This is a pair of parallel pipelines that will transport huge quantities of Russian natural gas under the Baltic Sea for almost 800 miles and into Germany. When it opens in 2019, it will double the capacity of the first Nord Stream project, which was completed in 2012.
For years, Germany has been criticized for the Nord Stream projects, but it pays no attention and presses ahead. This shows Germany is uninterested in relying on nato anymore. President Trump exposed this in public and criticized Merkel.
“Germany is totally controlled by Russia,” he later said, “because they will be getting from 60 to 70 percent of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline. And you tell me if that’s appropriate, because I think it’s not, and I think it’s a very bad thing for nato and I don’t think it should have happened.”
There are several reasons why this is an alarming development we need to closely watch.
Wrecking NATO
When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (nato) was started back in 1949, its basic purpose was to protect disarmed Germany and other European countries from the Russian-led Soviet Union. To accomplish this, the treaty established “collective defense” for member nations: If an aggressor attacked one of them, it would have war with all of them.
Nord Stream 2 binds Russia and Germany together in a way that undermines nato. In fact, though Russia and Germany will not say so, this pipeline project is clearly intended to wreck nato.
Why would these nations want to do that? Well, it is easy to see why Russia would. Russian President Vladimir Putin views nato as a force that restricts Russia’s rise and slows down his quest to rebuild the old Soviet Empire. He has made no secret of his loathing for this U.S.-led organization. So his reason for wanting to unravel it is plain.
What is not as obvious is the fact that Germany also wants to eliminate nato.
Why?
America spent billions raising Germany from the rubble of World War ii and billions more keeping the peace in Europe. Germany would not be where it is today without the vast amount of help America supplied. President Trump mentioned this in his remarks on July 11: “[W]e’re protecting Germany, we’re protecting France, we’re protecting all of these countries, and then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they’re paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia.”
Why would Germany be spurning that history? Many elite Germans feel their nation has now gotten all it can from the U.S. and they are ready to move on. Some powerful Germans today are thinking more and more about the Holy Roman Empire, and they want modern Germany to assume more power of its own in the spirit of that empire. They want to establish Europe as a mighty, German-led superpower.
These Germans know that nato is an obstacle to their goal. Back when nato was first founded, its first secretary general, Hastings Ismay, explained its main purpose: “Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” The notion of keeping “the Germans down” directly contradicts the imperialistic ambitions that are growing more intense among many elite Germans today.
Germany’s antipathy toward nato is also clear in the fact that the country only spends about half the minimum amount the organization requires member states to spend toward defense. Why won’t Germany pay its full share when it has perhaps the strongest currency in the world? Partly because it doesn’t really believe in the alliance, and partly because the U.S. has let it get away with it. Now President Trump has called Germany out on its failure to meet that requirement, and I think rightfully so.
But Bible prophecies about the next resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire show that Germany will soon be spending substantially more on its military—and not within any kind of U.S.-led framework. (Request a copy of our free booklet The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy, in which we explain those Bible prophecies in detail.)
Revitalizing Russia’s Weak Economy
Can you imagine how much the new Nord Stream 2 agreement will expand Russia’s economy? At present, its economy is smaller than some individual states in America. But if billions upon billions of dollars pour into Russia for this gas, that will strengthen Putin’s power.
President Trump would like to see the Germans buy gas from America, which recently became a net exporter of natural gas. But instead, they will be buying it from Putin—the scourge of this world in many ways.
Remember that Putin’s internal campaigns have killed more than 150,000 Russians in Chechnya. Russia’s actions in the Middle East have let the brutal civilian-killing Syrian regime hold onto its power, and enabled Iran, the world’s number one terrorist-sponsoring nation, to keep pursuing nuclear weapons. Remember that Putin is flagrantly poisoning former agents of Russia on foreign soil. And with his kgb-style methods, he has transformed Russia’s media into a personal propaganda machine. Evidence suggests that as part of this drive, he has had more than 130 journalists murdered.
Modern Germany professes to care deeply about human rights. If it really did, would it build a tight relationship with somebody who acts as ruthlessly as Putin does?
President Trump said Germany will end up being “totally controlled” by Russia as a result of this gas pipeline deal. And Germany is taking a risk with a dangerous dictator. But this deal will boost more than just Russia’s power and leverage. It will also boost Germany’s. Germany has much to gain from this. And it will happen in a way that hurts many other nations!
Schröder and Nord Stream
Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor Merkel’s predecessor, was a vocal advocate of the Nord Stream pipeline project. In 2005, just after he had been voted out of office but before he had officially left the post, Schröder hastily signed the Nord Stream agreement.
That is an ugly thing for a politician to do. He knew the people had already voted him out, yet he decided to set this project in motion. This indicates what is happening with this German-led European power: It is being hijacked by leaders who don’t always act in their people’s interests!
These leaders don’t like America and want to befriend Russia. Apparently they respect the authoritarian way Russia accomplishes its goals.
Just weeks after Schröder left office, Russia’s massive state-run gas company Gazprom nominated him to become chairman of the board of the consortium that is building the pipeline—and he accepted. So he was personally overseeing Nord Stream’s implementation.
More recently, Schröder became a senior executive of Nord Stream 2 and also chairman of Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil firm. Aren’t these highly unusual jobs for a former German chancellor?
Schröder and Putin have forged a close friendship. Putin biographer Boris Reitschuster wrote that early in Putin’s presidency, the two men would speak with each other in German, and they became fast friends. In 2004, Schröder was broadly condemned for calling Putin a “flawless democrat.” In April 2014, Schröder came under fire again for celebrating his birthday in Russia with Putin just one month after Putin had annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told Germany’s Bild magazine in March that, at present, “Gerhard Schröder is the most important lobbyist for Putin worldwide” (emphasis mine throughout).
So Schröder is Putin’s friend, and he is playing a key role in the pipeline project. Think about that. The fact that these two are working so closely together strongly indicates that they agree on a plan to destroy nato.
Many even in Germany are concerned about the pipeline. On July 11, Rick Noack wrote in the Washington Post that some Germans have been apprehensive of Schröder’s close camaraderie with Putin and his work with Nord Stream. “Schröder’s post-chancellorship business dealings have long raised suspicions among Germans over his political legacy,” he wrote, “but many are still willing to defend [Nord Stream 2,] his now most controversial project.” Germans are right to be suspicious of what this man is doing with Vladimir Putin!
Germany is head-and-shoulders above any other nation in Europe, and it is bullying many of these nations and peoples. For Germany, with all its power, to be forming this kind of relationship with Russia is deeply troubling!
This deal gives insight into the way Germany operates, and into Europe’s future. The European Union is going to be hijacked by some very elite people, particularly in Germany.
You need to closely watch how this situation develops. The history of Germany shows that when a powerful man takes control, the German people end up going along with him and unleashing terrible destruction on the world. That is the history of the Holy Roman Empire and we ought to be profoundly concerned about this!
Endorsing an Anti-Semitic Leader
Gerhard Schröder turned up at another significant event that is quite revealing. He was present on July 9 when Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was sworn in for his second tenure as president, with sweeping new powers.
People around the world are alarmed by the dictatorial powers Erdoğan has been taking on. Now, he can rule Turkey by decree! This dictator commands one of the world’s most powerful militaries with no checks on his power.
Erdoğan is not just an authoritarian; he is an anti-Semite. Years ago, when he was mayor of Istanbul, he famously said: “Today, the image of the Jews is no different from that of the Nazis.” His views haven’t changed. Last year, he blamed “the Jew” for Kurdistan’s independence referendum. In May, he called Israel a “terrorist state” that commits “genocide.”
The idea of anti-Semitism immediately conjures up memories of World War ii when Hitler killed 6 million Jews and was determined to annihilate every Jew in Europe and the world! That was his satanic plan!
Why would Germany want to be officially represented at the inauguration of an anti-Semitic dictator by sending former Chancellor Schröder there to shake his hand? Incidentally, Russia was also represented at the ceremony, by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
Schröder’s attendance at the ceremony gives us another chilling glimpse under the surface of Germany’s ruling class today.
Schröder and Mercosur
You can also recognize Germany’s effort to undermine America in the way that it is working in Latin America. This is a totally overlooked story that we have followed for many years, back to the time that Gerhard Schröder was German chancellor.
Early in Schröder’s chancellorship, from January to June 1999, Germany assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. One of his final accomplishments at the helm of the EU was to lead the first summit between the European Union and its trade partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. The summit took place in June 1999 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The bbc reported, “Speaking at the final news conference, the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said the creation of a new trans-Atlantic partnership would be to everybody’s benefit and was not an aggressive measure directed against other regions” (June 29, 1999). However, the facts of this alliance showed otherwise, and the bbc itself could recognize it. The article said, “This was, after all, the first meeting of its kind between two regions strongly linked, both by history and by a common desire not to allow the United States to sustain or achieve a position of total global dominance.”
We put this development into context in our booklet He Was Right, which shows the accuracy of Herbert W. Armstrong’s forecasts of world news. Mr. Armstrong wrote quite a lot about Germany’s inroads into Latin America—even back to the days after World War ii—and said that it would use this leverage to undermine America economically. “By developing this relationship, which it calls a ‘strategic alliance,’ Europe is directly challenging Washington’s bygone hopes of creating a Pan-American free-trade area,” we write in He Was Right. We also quote the May 1962 Plain Truth, which declared that “the United States is going to be left out in the cold as two gigantic trade blocs, Europe and Latin America, mesh together and begin calling the shots in world commerce.” (You can read this chapter, “Europe’s Inroads Into Latin America,” here.)
The same spirit behind this trend is animating the Nord Stream projects between Germany and Russia.
Weaponizing Energy
In recent years, as gas reserves in the North Sea have declined, European nations have grown more and more dependent on Russia for their gas supplies.
Russia has taken advantage of this situation several times by “weaponizing” its energy, cutting gas supplies when it wants to pressure European states for political or economic reasons.
Before the Nord Stream pipeline, this was a somewhat dull weapon because if Russia wanted to cut gas to Ukraine, for example, it also had to cut shipments to nations downstream from Ukraine, which it may not have wanted to do.
Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 are key components of Putin’s plan to tighten his grip on nations in Eastern Europe that used to be part of the Soviet Empire. Since these pipelines travel directly from Russia to Germany, they enable Putin to shut off gas supplies to nations in Eastern Europe—Ukraine, Poland—and the Baltic nations while keeping supplies flowing to Germany.
This places a sharp edge on Putin’s energy weapon! To the former Soviet nations that he is determined to bring back under Russia’s power, he can say: Either obey Russia, or suffer cold winters with no gas to heat your homes.
This is why Eastern Europe tried to prevent Russia and Germany from building the first Nord Stream pipeline. They knew it would give Russia more leverage against them. But Moscow and Berlin built it anyway. Now this second phase will boost that leverage considerably!
What does Germany stand to gain? Well, once Russian gas flows through the Baltic Sea pipeline and into Germany, much of it can be shipped to France, the Netherlands, Belgium and other West European nations. This puts Germany in a position of power relative to Western Europe very similar to that of Russia with Eastern Europe!
Germany already domineers Europe. That is clear by the construction of the pipeline despite objections from other European countries. Now it will be in a position to dictate policy for the Continent even more powerfully.
This kind of German domineering is a big part of the reason Britain wanted out of the European Union! The late Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s prime minister from 1979 to 1990, warned in 1995 about Germany’s ambitions with the EU, saying: “You have not anchored Germany to Europe. You have anchored Europe to a newly dominant, unified Germany. In the end, my friends, you’ll find it will not work.” British economist Bernard Connolly called the EU a “cloak for German ambitions.” Thatcher and Connolly were exactly right! We see more evidence of German ambition all the time. The Nord Stream pipelines are just the latest example.
The Trumpet and our predecessor magazine the Plain Truth have been proclaiming for 80 years that Germany will spearhead a final, terribly violent resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. We now see the stage being set for that!
A Dark History of Cooperation
History shows that in between wars, Germany and Russia often work together. Most infamously, just before World War ii, the two made a deal in which Adolf Hitler’s Germany basically said to Joseph Stalin’s Russia: Stay out of it, Russia, and we will take over Europe. Then the two of us can split up Poland and other countries between ourselves.
Around the time that deal was made, Stalin thought he and Hitler were close comrades who could trust each other. But after Hitler realized he wouldn’t be able to conquer Britain, he decided to break the deal and attack Russia. This shattered Stalin’s worldview! Stalin didn’t expect it. But if he had read what Hitler had written in Mein Kampf long before they made the deal, he would have known Hitler had plans to conquer Russia as well.
That infamous agreement, called the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, set the stage for the most devastating war mankind has ever suffered!
In 2008, Russia shocked the world by invading the former Soviet nation of Georgia and bringing two of its regions under Moscow’s control—where they remain to this day. Germany said little about that, and did nothing. I wrote at the time that Germany’s silence probably meant these two nations had worked out a modern “Molotov-Ribbentrop”-type deal.
In our November-December 2008 issue, I wrote: “[D]id you know that Germany and Russia have probably already dealt with their most urgent differences? … I believe that Germany’s leaders may have already agreed to a deal with Russia, a modern Hitler-Stalin pact where Germany and Russia divide countries and assets between themselves. This agreement would allow each to turn its sights on other targets. Any such deal that may have been struck between Germany and Russia is a precursor to war!”
Then in 2014, Putin struck again! Russia annexed the Crimea from Ukraine and asserted control over the eastern part of the country. Germany once again said little and did nothing! This was especially suspicious given the fact that just before the incursion, Ukraine had been on track to join the EU. You would think Germany would have been extremely angry at Russia! But not if it had previously agreed that Russia could have control of Ukraine, or part of it.
Could it be that Germany agreed to let Russia make those expansionist moves in exchange for Russia not interfering with Germany’s conquest of the Balkans back in the 1990s?
What else might these two have agreed to that they have not yet acted on?
The fact that Russia and Germany are charging ahead with Nord Stream 2 today despite objections from other European nations and the United States is even more reason to believe that these two may already have worked out a modern Molotov-Ribbentrop deal.
History shows that Germany and Russia are not actually partners. When they enter into peace deals and economic partnerships, it is a signal that either or both are preparing for some kind of imperialistic exploit.
This makes the Nord Stream 2 deal extremely concerning.
A Seething Pot
The biblical book of Jeremiah is full of prophecy that is focused on the end time. You can see this plainly in Jeremiah 30. Historically, Jeremiah gave his warning message directly to the nation of Judah only. Yet so many of the prophecies in his book are directed to Israel, which was already in captivity at the time. That is because these prophecies were aimed mainly at the modern descendants of Israel, which, we can prove to you, are America and Britain today. (Request my free booklet Jeremiah and the Greatest Vision in the Bible for a full explanation.)
Today these nations are deeply divided. Their peoples are divided among themselves, their leaders are splintered by bitter disagreement and political warfare—and these two former allies are even alienated from one another! Divided Britain! Divided America!
Don’t you think Russian and German leaders are going to exploit this division? They will do what they have almost always done throughout history when they have power over weak, divided enemies and take full advantage of the situation.
Jeremiah 1:13 records God showing the prophet a vision of “a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.” This symbolic language is describing modern Germany. Beneath the surface, that nation is full of simmering dissatisfaction with the current world order. Germans are angry at the U.S., and especially furious with President Trump. The imperialistic ambition that prompted Germany to start both world wars is alive and well. It is “seething”!
Verses 14-15 continue: “Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.”
America, Britain, the Jewish nation (biblical “Judah”) and others should be alarmed by what is happening in Europe. Cooperation between Germany and Russia is setting the scene for a huge “seething pot” to spill over onto these nations! This boiling cauldron will scald everybody in America and Britain! This is prophesied to be the worst suffering ever known to man! And it will occur by God’s hand because of His extreme wrath over the sins of these peoples.
Repeatedly God asked Jeremiah, “What do you see?” God is asking people today: What do you see? He doesn’t say, What do you read about this? Or, What do you hear about this? God says, What do you SEE about this boiling cauldron?
Do you really see what is happening in Europe? Do you see the stage being set for a world war like never before? Do you understand it?
God spells it out for us, and we can see events lining up with His prophecies. And anyone who sees it—and heeds the warning and obeys God—can be protected and lead a happy, stable and fulfilled life!
Great Cause for Hope
On the surface, this news about Germany and Russia may seem depressing. But if you view it through the lens of Bible prophecy, you clearly see that it is closely tied to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:21-22 that if He didn’t return, “there should no flesh be saved [alive]”! That is what Christ Himself said when He was on this Earth! It is written in red letters in your Bible. He knew what was coming.
Do you really think men can solve all of these problems you see multiplying in this world today, many of which revolve around nuclear-armed nations?
Russia and America possess 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons. France and Britain have nuclear bombs, too, and other nations of Europe have American nuclear bombs deployed on their territory. Germany could become a great nuclear power very rapidly if it wanted to—practically overnight!
There is no way mankind is going to solve these problems. As Isaiah 59:8 says, “the way of peace they know not.”
Men are going to continue in their futile attempts at forging peace. They will have to suffer until Jesus Christ returns. The suffering will get far more intense just before He returns. But His return is tied to this German rising power and this Russian rising power. He says He will return before war has ended all human life! (Matthew 24:22). The rising military powers in Russia and Europe are a big part of what will make it necessary for Christ to return.
God wants us to respond to Him. He says He will help us in any way we need if we will just obey Him. “[W]hy will you die, O Israel?” God asks in Ezekiel 18:31. He doesn’t want any of us to have to suffer! He is eager to spare us from the coming cataclysmic violence and to bless us.
We need to understand these Bible prophecies. They are preparing the way for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this Earth. That means all the bad news is about to end. He is going to bring peace, joy and happiness to this world forever. | ||||||||
| Trump Dismisses His Administration’s Briefing on Russian Interference | ||||||||
WASHINGTON — President Trump attacked a leading House Democrat on Tuesday over upcoming classified intelligence briefings by members of his own administration on the issue of election interference, suggesting his political opponents were exaggerating the threat from Russia.
Mr. Trump has previously issued derogatory statements about his intelligence chiefs after congressional hearings, but even before Tuesday’s briefings, he posted on Twitter that he “wouldn’t expect too much.”
Mr. Trump incorrectly said the first of two briefings, to House members, would be led by Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The briefing on Tuesday was arranged by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, not Mr. Schiff. The Senate will receive an identical briefing later Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. Schiff fired back, noting that the officials briefing lawmakers were the president’s “own people” including several agency heads.
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“We will insist on the truth, whether you like it or not,” Mr. Schiff said on Twitter.Mr. Trump’s tweet showed his frustration over lawmakers’ continued concern that Russia is mounting efforts to influence the 2020 election. Mr. Trump has nurtured a grudge against Mr. Schiff since he took a leading role investigating ties between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russia, and his leadership of the impeachment trial reignited the president’s ire. Since his election, Mr. Trump has tried to play down or even dismiss discussions about Russia’s interference campaigns, chafing at the prospect that he won with the help of a foreign power. Some officials have said that they worry that the president’s dismissive comments make it harder for intelligence agencies and officials with the Department of Homeland Security to counter Moscow’s covert operations to influence the presidential election in November. Russia has stepped up those efforts, officials have said, exploiting existing divisions among Americans to sow chaos. In particularly, Kremlin intelligence operatives have sought to amplify the messages of white supremacist groups to try to incite violence.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, sounded a far different tone than the president, urging senators of both parties to attend what he called a discussion on a “critical subject.” Though he also addressed Democrats’ intense focus on Russia — the briefings are to address election security threats from a variety of adversaries, including China and Iran — he offered a more neutral encouragement for lawmakers to set aside “reflexive” partisanship.
“I encourage all my colleagues to attend the bipartisan briefing today,” he said. “And then let’s preserve that bipartisan spirit and that unity. Let’s focus on fighting against foreign interference, not fighting each other.”
The classified briefings on Tuesday are some of the first on election security since a contentious closed-door briefing last month to the House Intelligence Committee. Shelby Pierson, the nation’s election security czar, discussed Russia’s preference for Mr. Trump’s re-election and its interference efforts, prompting angry responses from House Republicans. Ms. Pierson will not attend Tuesday’s briefing, nor will her boss, Richard Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence. Congress was never told that Mr. Grenell was planning to attend the briefing, said Maura Beard, a spokeswoman for the office. Other officials set to attend Tuesday’s briefings included: Chad Wolf, the acting homeland security secretary; Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director; Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, the director of the National Security Agency; and William R. Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. Mr. Evanina will represent the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Beard said. The briefings are classified, but administration officials are not expected to discuss the most sensitive intelligence in front of such a large audience. They will also be seeking to avoid the controversy over the February briefing with Ms. Pierson. Nevertheless, lawmakers are expected to press the officials on Russia’s efforts in support of Mr. Trump and in support of Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primaries and its attempts to incite racial violence ahead of the fall vote. | ||||||||
| Wars of Religion - The American Interest | ||||||||
“We are ready to die for our church and that is what we are demonstrating tonight.” This provocative statement was given by Andrija Mandić, the leader of the opposition in the Montenegrin Parliament, on the eve of the recent passage of a controversial law on religious property in the country. This law stipulates that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), the largest religious institution in Montenegro, must be able to prove ownership of the properties that it currently holds dating back to the pre-1918 era of Montenegrin independence in order to avoid these properties potentially being seized by the Montenegrin government.
Mandić’s seemingly hyperbolic statement was accompanied by forceful action. On the night of the vote, Mandić and legislators from his pro-Serb political bloc Democratic Front (DF) hurled firecrackers and tear gas canisters at their colleagues while the vote was taking place, and attempted to destroy the microphones that were being used during the proceedings. This incident resulted in the arrests of 22 people, including Mandić and 17 other DF members of parliament. The dramatic events surrounding the passage of this law prefigured the slew of protests, many of them organized and led by Serbian Orthodox clergy, that would soon occur. Since the law’s passage in late December, tens of thousands of SOC supporters have been gathering at least twice a week throughout Montenegro to demonstrate against the law. The fact that so many people have taken to the streets in support of the SOC is no small feat given that Montenegro is a small country with a population of just under 630,000. On a surface level, the politics of the opposition to this law are fairly straightforward. DF as a political bloc is comprised of four parties, three of which are Serb-dominated parties that advocate for Serbo-Montenegrin unionism and work to actively undermine the Montenegrin state. Additionally, the SOC’s interests in seeing this law rescinded are also understandable, given that it stands to lose property and potentially financial resources and parishioners in turn. However, things become more complicated when attempting to understand the motivations behind the Serbian government’s role in this crisis. Serbian state-run media outlets have been actively promoting a narrative claiming that Montenegro’s Serbian population is under attack and being discriminated against. This narrative has been embraced by many Serbian nationalists, exemplified by the burning of the Montenegrin flag during an attack on the country’s embassy in Belgrade. This incident is one of several examples of Serb nationalists across the Balkans adopting the cause of the Serbian Orthodox Church against the Montenegrin state. Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb member of Bosnia’s presidential body and an avid Serb secessionist, stated that without the SOC “there is no freedom for the Serbian people.” Backing up his words of support for the SOC with action, Dodik recently went so far as to block a state visit to Bosnia from Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović over the church dispute. It is clear that this matter is not solely about religion, but has also become a proxy issue for a wider cultural and geopolitical conflict. The close ties between the SOC and the Serbian government provide some context for the intervention. In a recent interview with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej said that “the church looks after its affairs and the state too. In our history, it has always been best when symphony ruled between the state and the church.” He also went on to say that the church has a “full understanding” of the state’s needs and that many of the church’s issues are “resolved by the state.” The SOC’s concern about the religious property law is not solely that it may lose property, but also that if the Montenegrin government seizes SOC property it will then give that property to the SOC’s ecclesiastical rival, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (MOC). The MOC was established in 1993 and mirrors the SOC in almost every way, except for the fact that it is largely unrecognized by the wider Orthodox Christian community. Despite this non-recognition, the SOC views the MOC as a direct challenge to its authority. The most recent data indicate that a little over 70 percent of Montenegro’s population identifies as Orthodox Christian, with roughly two-thirds identifying with the SOC and the rest with the MOC. Irinej has made the Serbian church’s feelings about its Montenegrin counterpart abundantly clear, having gone so far as to the call it “a parasynagogue or a sect devoid of divine grace.” There are striking similarities between this case and the formal schism between the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) that occurred in late 2018. The months leading up to this event were marked by significant tension, exemplified by Russian President Vladimir Putin claiming that this divorce could turn into “heavy conflict, if not bloodshed.” This thinly-veiled threat followed several years of armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, specifically Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the ongoing war in the Donbas, which has resulted in around 13,000 deaths to date. Similar to the church-state dynamic in Serbia, the close ties between the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church are evident. The Putin regime has become notorious for its use of Orthodox Christianity as a tool for projecting its soft power abroad and has framed itself as the defender of Christianity and traditional values. Additionally, while the Serbian Patriarch claims that it has never enjoyed greater symphony with the Serbian state than it does currently, the Russian Orthodox Church’s Patriarch Kirill has stated that for the first time in its history the Russian government treats the ROC as “an equal partner.” Also, like the conflict in the Balkans, the schism between the ROC and OCU sparked demonstrations and provoked nationalistic sentiments. During a December 2018 rally leading up to his unsuccessful reelection campaign, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promised his supporters that they would have a church “without Putin . . . without Kirill . . . a church that doesn’t pray to the Russian state and the Russian army.” As with the Serbia-Montenegro ecclesiastical dispute, this one between Russia and Ukraine is part of a wider cultural and geopolitical conflict. While it is apparent that religion can play a significant role in geopolitical conflicts and promote intense reactions from nationalists regardless of their country of origin, the question still remains: Why does it play such a role? The scholarship of the late British historian Eric Hobsbawm sheds some light on this matter. In his seminal work, Hobsbawm called religion “an ancient and well-tried method of establishing communion through common practice and a sort of brotherhood between people.” This sentiment echoes the work of his late colleague Benedict Anderson, who emphasized the crucial role that the so-called “religious community” plays in national identity formation. Notably, Hobsbawm specifically references the roles of the SOC and the ROC in their respective national contexts as exemplars of this phenomenon. He discussed how the former preserved the historical memory of the old Serbian kingdom “in daily liturgy of the Serbian church which had canonized most of its kings,” and how historically belonging to the Russian nation was understood as being synonymous “with being a ‘true believer’ or Orthodox.” It is worth clarifying that while Eastern Orthodoxy is the particular Christian sect being discussed here, it is not the only one that has been appropriated by political elites. For example, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban consistently invokes the country’s Roman Catholic roots to justify his conservative social and immigration policies, and the important role that evangelical Protestantism has played in modern American politics is well-documented. However, Eastern Orthodoxy is uniquely suited to have a fundamental role in national identity formation due to its autocephalic governance structures and the fact that each country has its own ecclesiastical institution. These institutions are governed exclusively at the national level by patriarchs at the head and tend to dominate a country’s religious landscape. This system stands in stark contrast with Roman Catholicism, which has a completely centralized and universal governance structure with the Pope as its leader, and Protestantism, which has no single centralized authority but rather numerous separate denominations that are institutionally disparate. The historically important role that both the SOC and ROC have played for the Serbian and Russian people respectively provides at least a partial explanation for the close ties that both of these institutions have with their national governments. Following the collapse of both Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, the political elites of newly-independent Serbia and Russia needed a compelling national narrative upon which to legitimize their statehood. The national churches of these countries filled that void. They were symbols of independence that predated communism, and were thus thought to have preserved the true essence of the nation throughout the communist era—hence their contemporary ties with their national governments. Such relationships work to confer moral legitimacy on the regime. A clear example from the Serbian Orthodox Church occurred this past October when it bestowed President Vučić with the Order of St. Sava, its highest honor, for “his active love for the mother church, unwavering commitment to the unity of the Serbian people, and the tireless struggle for the integrity of Serbia.” This mirrors when the Russian Orthodox Church presented President Putin with an award in May 2013 for supposedly making Russia “a powerful and strong country that has self-respect and is respected by others.” The key role that religion plays in national identity formation and legitimizing political elites, along with Eastern Orthodoxy’s unique effectiveness in this process, makes it clear why the leaders of Montenegro and Ukraine desire the full autonomy of their own national churches. Đukanović has explicitly made this point, stating that “we are driven . . . by an indisputable need to complete the spiritual, state, and social infrastructure that will strengthen citizens’ awareness of their own identity.” The full independence of the Montenegrin and Ukrainian churches is not only understood to be a means of cementing the national identities of their respective countries’ citizens, but also as a way to counter the irredentism espoused by foreign ecclesiastical bodies. Again, Đukanović has explicitly made this point, calling the Serbian Orthodox Church “among the most important instruments used by the ideologists of a ‘Greater Serbia’ nationalism against Montenegro, against Montenegrin independence, against its national, cultural, and religious identity.” In fact, Đukanović has framed this entire ordeal as “a continuity of the (attempted) destruction of Montenegro and obstruction of its intentions to continue its path to . . . European and Euro-Atlantic integrations.” Likewise, Poroshenko framed the importance of the independence of the OCU as an element of Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia: “Unity is our main weapon in the fight against the Russian aggressor. This question goes far beyond the ecclesiastical. It is about our finally acquiring independence from Moscow.” While treating ecclesiastical disputes as matters of national security may seem extreme to some observers, it is only logical given that the influence of the SOC and ROC are part and parcel with Serbia and Russia’s programs of irredentism against their neighbors. The obvious similarities between the SOC-MOC and ROC-OCU disputes, which until now had been confined to the remarks of observers, have begun to inspire action by some of the parties involved. Metropolitan Onufriy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate—a constituent part of the Russian Orthodox Church—recently led a mass demonstration in Podgorica against the religious property law in support of the “persecuted” Serbian Orthodox Church. Onufriy going to Montenegro in order to lead this protest is a clear indication of the Russian church siding with the Serbian one. The Russian Orthodox Church’s decision to make common cause with its Serbian counterpart has significant implications. On the one hand, it reveals a certain level of anxiety and vulnerability. This decision is a recognition of the precedent that would be cemented if the Montenegrin church was to in fact become the dominant spiritual force within Montenegro and eventually gain wide recognition within the Orthodox world. The Russian church took a blow to its legitimacy as the de-facto leader of Orthodoxy when the Patriarch of Constantinople decided to grant autocephaly to the OCU, an episode that it does not want to see repeated by another breakaway church. Despite the defensive posture that the ROC seems to be taking with Onufriy’s trip to Montenegro, it can also be seen as a geopolitical maneuver in multiple ways. For one, it builds upon the already strong ties between the Russian and Serbian governments, and further plays into Russia’s narrative as the leader of the Slavic Orthodox nations. Moreover, it is a continuation of Russia’s effective soft power strategy in the Balkans, central to which is a strong affinity for Russia amongst the Serbian people. The geopolitics of this move are even more evident when looking beyond the Russian-Serbian relationship and putting it in the context of Russia’s recent history in Montenegro. The relationship between the Montenegrin and Russian governments has been frayed ever since Russia supported a coup in Montenegro in 2016 in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the country from joining NATO, for which two GRU agents and two Montenegrin opposition politicians were recently found guilty by a Montenegrin court. While this failed coup attempt is undoubtedly the most outlandish example of Russian malign influence in Montenegro, it is hardly the only one. For the past several years, Montenegro has been a hub of illicit finance from Russian oligarchs and various money laundering schemes at the hands of their patronage networks. Additionally, Montenegro to this day is a target of Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at creating public disorder, weakening trust in the country’s institutions, and sowing chaos, the latter of which is the hallmark of the Kremlin’s strategy in the region. None of the above should be understood as an endorsement of the utilization of religion by political elites to cement national identity. On the contrary, anytime that a single identity marker, such as religion, ethnicity, or language, is promoted as the defining feature of a citizenry, it risks alienating and implicitly condoning mistreatment of any minority groups within the polity that do not share the identity marker. In general, civic national identities are preferable as they tend to be more inclusive. Nor is any of the above an endorsement of the use of religion by political elites to give their regimes moral legitimacy. All the leaders I’ve discussed have presided over notoriously corrupt regimes with little regard for civil society or the rule of law. Such leaders often use religion as a cudgel to sure up support within their countries, even as they operate sophisticated and corrupt patronage networks at the expense of the very citizens to whom they use religion to appeal. Despite all of this, the fact remains that both Montenegro and Ukraine should be entitled to have their own independent and recognized national churches as a matter of territorial sovereignty. That is not to give carte blanche approval to however Montenegrin and Ukrainian leaders may use these national churches in support of their respective regimes, but it is to say that these countries are just as entitled to their own national ecumenical institutions as Serbia and Russia are. Montenegro and Ukraine are facing significant threats to their national security from irredentist forces either internally, in the case of the DF in Montenegro, or externally, in the case of Russia’s ongoing illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory. As long as this status quo persists, the geopolitical role of their ecumenical disputes will only grow in importance. | ||||||||
| NYC Half Marathon, St. Patrick’s Day Parade Still Planned Amid Calls For ‘Social Distancing’ – CBS New York | ||||||||
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — New York’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 173 Tuesday, up 31 since Monday. In New York City, there are 17 new cases, bringing the total to 36, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. “Against the backdrop of 8.6 million people and for the vast majority of New Yorkers, life is going on pretty normally right now,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in an interview. “We cannot shut down because of undue fear.” Officials are urging New Yorkers to practice what they call “social distancing.” That means avoiding large gatherings and public transit as much as possible. “If you can get around without riding the subway, do it,” MTA Chairman Pat Foye said Monday. “If telecommuting is an option, do it.” CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAKThe United Nations is the latest institution to shut its doors amid the concerns. Starting at 8 p.m., the headquarters will be closed to the general public and all guided tours will be suspended.“As the Secretary-General has said, the health and safety of staff is a matter of his utmost priority and concern. The United Nations will continue to monitor the situation closely and further measures may be taken as circumstances evolve,” a spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson is also postponing his State of the City address that was scheduled for Thursday. “I was looking forward to the speech, but at a time when we are urging New Yorkers to consider measures like telecommuting and staggered work hours, it seemed an unnecessary risk,” he said in a statement. “The good news is we will still announce the policies and proposals we had planned for State of the City on Thursday, and are looking forward to getting feedback from New Yorkers on those plans.” CORONAVIRUS: CDC Latest | NY Health Dept. | NYC Health Dept. | NY Hotline: 1-888-364-3065 | NJ Health Dept. | NJ Hotline: 1-800-222-1222 | CT Hotline: 211Organizers say the New York City Half Marathon is still on schedule for Sunday.“Our top priority is always the health and safety of our runners, volunteers, staff, and spectators. On the recommendation of the NYC Health Department, there have been no scheduling changes to any of our events and programs, including the United Airlines NYC Half,” New York Road Runners said in a statement. “We encourage runners to respect others by following appropriate health guidelines and ensuring they are well enough to participate. We will provide ongoing updates as we have more information to share.” The mayor says, as of now, the city has no plans to cancel the St. Patrick’s Day Parade next Tuesday. | ||||||||
| IRGC Says Coronavirus Outbreak Is ‘Biological Warfare’ By America, 3,500 Infected | ||||||||
The Islamic Republic added 500 new cases to yesterday’s total of Iranians who have tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and officials say 107 patients have died as of Thursday morning March 5.
Announcing this, Iran's health Minister Saeed Namaki also said that 1,352 of those tested positive for the virus are in the capital Tehran. He promised that figures will be more accurate later as Iran has received new test kits. Meanwhile, superstition, disinformation and propaganda warfare by hardliners have not been helpful. In one of the latest cases of propaganda moves, IRGC commander Hossein Salami charged on Thursday that the spread of the disease was part of a biological warfare by the United States against China and Iran. This comes while a day earlier, Iran's Passive Defense Chief had strongly ruled out the outlandish conspiracy theory drawing attention to the growing outbreak in America. Speaking at a news conference, the minister said that all academic centers including the universities will be closed until the end of the current Iranian year which coincides with the start of a two-week New Year holiday on March 20. This means, schools and universities in Iran will be closed for at least four weeks. He also said that the entrance exams for graduate courses have been postponed indefinitely. In another remark, Namaki said that government employees who conceal their infection with the virus will be dealt with. Namaki added that passengers will be monitored at the entrance of major cities and if suspected of carrying the virus, they might be held in quarantine for two weeks. The Iranian health minister revealed that the three cities of Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan as well as Gilan Province which have the largest number of Coronavirus patients are officially declared as the focal points of the contagion. Officials in Isfahan, the last city declared to be heavily affected by the virus, announced on Wednesday that the city cannot welcome tourists for the Iranian New Year holidays. In the meantime, shortage of medical supplies such as medicine, masks and disinfectants has seriously affected prevention and treatment efforts. A video released on social media shows people at a pharmacy in Rasht in northern province of Gilan, where some of them say they have been waiting for several hours for their prescription. One patient yells that a family member is dying and demands medication. Crowd Waiting to get coronavirus medicine in front of a Red Crescent Pharmacy in Rasht, IranThe report was referring to several officials including vice-president Es'haq Jahangiri, deputy health Minister Iraj Harirchi, and the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi an adviser to Iran's Supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and Ahmad Twiserkani, an adviser to Iran's Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeesi. Meanwhile, releasing a map showing the way Coronavirus spread from Qom to the rest of the country, the head of Iran's Coronavirus Control Task Force Kianush Jahanpur called for limiting travels across the country to curb the spread of the virus. Map tweeted by Health Ministry Spokesman shows spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) from Qom to other regions of Iran.In a similar development, Alireza Zali, the man in charge of the task force for Greater Tehran also criticized the capital's citizens and officials for keeping social activities at a normal level while the spread of the virus has created an emergency situation. Subsequently, It was announced in Tehran Thursday morning that all cultural and social gatherings have been banned until further notice because of risks to public health. However, there has been resistance on the part of movie theater owners who fear bankruptcy. While Iran, China, South Korea and Italy have the largest number of patients affected with the virus, both Iranians and the international community have repeatedly criticized the government for concealing the number of Coronavirus cases and downplaying the implications of the outbreak. Many believe this behaver which hindered awareness about the disease has been a major cause of the wide-ranging spread of the virus. As a result of denials, secrecy and propaganda warfare by the government, several weeks after the start of the outbreak the government has simply released fragmented statistics devoid of information about age, gender and demographic distribution of infections and deaths. It also does not appear to have a thorough understanding of the requirements of the situation. For instance, Iran has been exporting protective hygienic products such as masks and gloves mindless of the fact that its own people would need the same supplies as the epidemic further spreads. | ||||||||
| Iranian Researcher: Coronavirus Could Be Bio Weapon | ||||||||
Iranian researcher and former diplomat Amir Mousavi said in a March 5, 2020 interview on Russia Today's Arabic-language channel that prominent scientists, including Russian biologist Igor Nikulin (see MEMRI TV Clip. No 7855), have said that coronavirus seems to have been developed in a laboratory and that it is an American conspiracy. He said that coronavirus may be America's way of targeting the government officials and cultural sites of its enemies like President Trump had threatened to do and that the U.S. may have the cure for coronavirus, but is holding off on releasing it so that coronavirus continues to affect China and Iran and so that the cure will increase in price and yield greater profits for America. Mousavi also said that America's recent offer of aid to Iran came with a demand for accurate information, and that this is an indication that the U.S. is trying to collect information about the virus' behavior in order to use it in future biological wars.
Amir Mousavi: "Prominent scientists have emphasized the idea [that coronavirus is a conspiracy] – including Russian biologist Mr. Igor [Nikulin], who said that this is not something natural. There are scientists, even in the United States, who say that these viruses do not exist naturally in humans, but are rather produced in labs. In the past, they would spread in wild animals. According to lab reports on the composition of this virus, it does not exist in humans. It may have been developed in dangerous labs that are used in biological warfare. We must not forget that the U.S. has threatened to attack cultural centers. President Trump made this threat. Today, we notice that Wuhan, China is a cultural city. It is not a center of industry or trade. The same is true of the holy city of Qom, which is a cultural and religious city par excellence. [...] "I believe that some officials are being targeted as well. We have just heard the news of the passing of Hossein Sheikholeslam, who was an aide to the foreign minister and a veteran diplomat. We see that some people in parliament [have the virus], as well as people who are close to the Supreme Guide [Khamenei] and who work in important institutions... And perhaps people in the media, like myself, will also be targeted. [...] "Perhaps the [Americans] have the antidote, and will release it gradually in the future, because they do not want to spread the antidote in the countries that are presently affected [by the virus] such as China, Iran, and South Korea. They want the price [for the antidote] to rise so they can profit from it commercially. We see that even the recent American aid proposal to Iran came with [a demand] for accurate information. In other words, they want to know how this virus spreads, so that they can use it in their biological wars." | ||||||||
| Holy See–Iran relations - Wikipedia | ||||||||
Holy See–Iran relations refers to the diplomatic relations between the Holy See, which is sovereign over the Vatican City, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Relations, or similarities, have also been noted between Roman Catholicism and Shia Islam, which are the official religions of the Holy See and Iran, respectively.[1]
History[edit]Early relations began during the reign of Shah Abbas I when the Persian embassies visited the pope. The two countries have had formal diplomatic relations since 1954, since the pontificate of Pius XII, and have been maintained during Islamic revolution.[2] Iran has a large diplomatic corps at the Vatican with only the Dominican Republic having more diplomats accredited to the Holy See.[2]In 1979 Pope John Paul II sent envoy to Iran to help to solve the Hostage Crisis. In 2008 relations between Iran and the Holy See were "warming", and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "said the Vatican was a positive force for justice and peace" when he met with the Papal nuncio to Iran, Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel.[3] According to an online news story article by Carol Glatz of Catholic News Service posted on the CNS website on Thursday, October 7, 2010, President Ahmadinejad "told Pope Benedict XVI that he would like to work more closely with the Vatican in an effort to stop religious intolerance and the breakup of families. The president also appealed to world religions to cooperate in the fight against secularism and materialism, Iranian news agencies reported. The appeals came in a letter that was handed to the pope by Iranian Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Sayyed Mohammad-Reza Mir-Tajeddini, during a brief meeting Oct. 6 at the Vatican. Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi confirmed to Catholic News Service Oct. 7 that the letter was given to the pope and its contents already published by Iranian media outlets. According to reports, the letter praised the pope and the Vatican for criticizing a U.S. pastor's threats to burn copies of the Qur'an on September 11". On November 3, the Pope sent the Iranian President a letter in reply, in which he stated that the establishment of a bilateral Vatican-Iranian commission would be a desirable step towards solving the problems of the Catholic Church in Iran.[4] | ||||||||
| 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Iran - Wikipedia | ||||||||
During the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak, Iran reported its first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections on 19 February 2020 in Qom.[2] As of 10 March 2020, according to Iranian health authorities, there had been 291 COVID-19 deaths in Iran with a total of around 8,042 confirmed infections.[3][4][5] As of the same date, Iran has the third highest number of COVID-19 deaths after China and Italy, the highest in Western Asia and the third-highest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, surpassed by only Mainland China and Italy.
In late February 2020, non-Iranian-government sources stated estimates of the numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 deaths that were much higher than official values. On 25 February, University of Toronto researchers estimated statistically about 4,000 to 53,000 SARS-CoV-2 infected people in Iran, with 18,000 as the most likely value.[6] Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani claimed on 24 February that the number of COVID-19 deaths was 50 in Qom.[7] BBC Persian estimated on 28 February, from Iranian hospital sources, a total of 210 COVID-19 deaths in Iran.[8] Iranian officials denied Amirabadi's[7] and BBC Persian's estimates.[8] The World Health Organization's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that "the WHO has its 'own mechanism' for checking facts and has not seen problems with Iran's reported figures".[9] Some sources, including a Senior US official, said that the Iranian government lied “and their media was instructed not to report on the coronavirus outbreak as it rapidly spread from the religious city of Qom to other cities”.[10][11][12][13] Multiple senior Iranian officials have been diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 positive: deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi,[14] Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar, Chairman of Parliament's National Security and Foreign Affairs Committee Mojtaba Zolnour,[15] and head of emergency medical services Pirhossein Kolivand.[16] 23 members of the Iranian Parliament, around 8% of all MPs, were reported to have been infected by 3 March 2020.[17] Iran's first ambassador to the Vatican, Hadi Khosroshahi,[18] Member of Expediency Discernment Council Mohammad Mirmohammadi, diplomat Hossein Sheikholeslam, MP Fatemeh Rahbar and Mohammad-Reza Rahchamani[19] also died from COVID-19.[15] | ||||||||
| Iran: ‘Zionists Developed the Coronavirus’ | ||||||||
Having already speculated that the coronavirus is an American-made biological weapon, the Iranian regime took the next natural step over the weekend and claimed the disease was created by “Zionists” who want to start a war with Iran.
The Jerusalem Post noted that Iran’s state-run PressTV “has been pushing antisemitic conspiracies about the coronavirus to distract from the mullah regime’s mishandling of the pandemic.” The conspiracies are coming straight from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization and one of the most powerful forces in Iranian economics, politics, and foreign policy: On March 5, Press TV claimed that “Zionist elements developed a deadlier strain of coronavirus against Iran.” Although the report claimed to reference a foreign “academic,” it fits the pattern of Iran using foreign experts to give the regime’s own views a patina of authority. The agenda of Tehran has been three-fold since the coronavirus outbreak began to affect Iran in mid-February. Iran initially denied that there was a virus outbreak so that it could increase voter turnout for the February 21 election.The Iranian regime has a great deal to distract its people from. As the Jerusalem Post mentioned, the regime’s determination to plow ahead with questionable elections in the crucial early days of the outbreak is certainly one of the reasons it spread so quickly through Iran. The Atlantic on Monday was one of many outside observers to assume Iran is lying about how many coronavirus cases it has, in the hope of containing public fear and anger. Both the number of mortalities and the number of highly visible public figures who have contracted the virus in Iran are much too high for the roughly 7,000 cases it has admitted to: If COVID-19 is so rare—fewer than 400 cases had been reported in Iran by the day she announced her diagnosis—what are the chances that one of the afflicted would be a famous politician? Soon we learned of three other senior officials who not only contracted the virus but were killed by it: Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of a senior advisory council to Iran’s supreme leader, and Hossein Sheikholeslam and Hadi Khosrowshahi, both former high-level diplomats. Mohammad Sadr, another member of the council, announced his infection last week, as did Ebtekar’s fellow cabinet member Reza Rahmani. Recently, the speaker of parliament said 23 of his fellow members of parliament had tested positive. Two of them, Mohammad Ali Ramezani (February 29) and Fatemeh Rehber (March 7), have died.Other indicators that the Iranian regime is concealing a large number of coronavirus cases are the rates of infection noted in travelers from Iran, the high number of Iranian hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients, and the number of responses to an online survey conducted by the government. All of those indicators suggest nearly ten times as many cases as Iran has admitted to. The situation depicted on Iranian social media looks much worse than the government’s estimates as well, with correspondents describing overflowing hospital wards and frightened villagers throwing up roadblocks to halt refugees from the major outbreak cities. The Hill ran an op-ed by former CIA operations officer Charles Faddis on Saturday that charged Iran with being just as “deceitful” as the Chinese, but with far less “capacity to take real action”: The Iranian government was aware many weeks ago that it had a problem on its hands, but paranoid and determined at all times to project a false image of invincibility, it did what it typically does. It lied. It covered up. It avoided taking any action that might suggest that it was anything less than infallible.“Mismanagement, religious fanaticism and terror are a lethal combination,” Faddis observed. Sunday was Iran’s deadliest day since the outbreak began, with 49 deaths reported, assuming the government figures can be trusted. Iran’s biggest holiday, Nowruz or Persian New Year, is approaching, raising concerns about public depression or anger if celebrations are canceled. Israel’s Haaretz on Monday sardonically suggested the Iranian regime can at least be thankful that its subjects are too sick and frightened to hit the streets for more mass protests. A few hardy souls have demonstrated against the “Mullahs’ virus” and the “guilt of the Iranian regime” despite the panic. | ||||||||
| M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020: Propelled by Hatred and Envy, the Children of the KGB wage the non-stop, 24x7, comprehensive, systematic, well thought out and planned Intelligence war on America and the West | ||||||||
https://fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-1050-am-3102020-propelled-by-hatred.html
Opinion: We need leadership. We have Trump instead. https://wapo.st/39DnnrU
Propelled by Hatred and Envy, the Children of the KGB wage the non-stop, 24x7, comprehensive, systematic, well thought out and planned Intelligence war on America and the West, and inciting the racial tensions is just a part of it, among many others, such as actively using the recent emigres from the USSR as their Fifth Column, and aggressive infiltration of the US Security Services and Government on all levels. Like so many times at the critical periods in the recent history, the KGB - Russian Intelligence Services rely on the alliance with their most beloved, socially close to them "Related Element", the Criminal Underworld; and the Russian Jewish Mafia, or Transnational Organized Crime, the Global BOSS, is their current ally, leader, tool, and wedge, which with they intend to destroy America. #RussianJewishMob=#TransnationalOrganizedCrime=#NewAbwehr took over #Russia & #Israel, #using #RussianGovernment, #IsraelGovernment, #RussianIntelligenceServices, #IsraelIntelligenceServices & personally #Putin & #Netanyahu as #Fronts #Covers. And now: #USA?! #CIA #DIA #FBI #ODNI - 11:31 AM · Mar 3, 2020 M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020 __________________________________________________________________________
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| Пленарное заседание Государственной Думы • Президент России | ||||||||
Пленарное заседание Государственной Думы
Владимир Путин выступил на пленарном заседании Государственной Думы по вопросам внесения поправок в Конституцию Российской Федерации.
15:45
Москва
6 фотографий
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| Russia Trying to Stoke U.S. Racial Tensions Before Election, Officials Say | ||||||||
WASHINGTON — The Russian government has stepped up efforts to inflame racial tensions in the United States as part of its bid to influence November’s presidential election, including trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups and to stoke anger among African-Americans, according to seven American officials briefed on recent intelligence.
Russia’s lead intelligence agency, the S.V.R., has apparently gone beyond 2016 methods of interference, when operatives tried to stoke racial animosity by creating fake Black Lives Matter groups and spreading disinformation to depress black voter turnout. Now, Russia is also trying to influence white supremacist groups, the officials said; they gave few details, but one official said federal investigators are examining how at least one neo-Nazi organization with ties to Russia is funded.
Looking for more stories about race? We can help.
Other Russian efforts, which American intelligence agencies have tracked, involve simply prodding white nationalists to more aggressively spread hate messages and amplifying their invective. Russian operatives are also trying to push black extremist groups toward violence, according to multiple officials, though they did not detail how.Russia’s more public influence operations, like state-backed news organizations, have continued to push divisive racial narratives, including stories emphasizing allegations of police abuse in the United States and highlighting racism against African-Americans within the military.
And as social media companies more vigilantly monitor for foreign activity than they did in 2016, Russia has also adjusted its methods to evade detection. Rather than disseminate messages as widely as possible, as in 2016, Russian operatives are using private Facebook groups, posts on the online message board 4chan and closed chat rooms that are more difficult to monitor, according to intelligence officials.
Russia’s primary goal, according to several officials briefed on the intelligence who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information, is to foster a sense of chaos in the United States, though its motivations are under debate and difficult to decipher in the absence of high-level intelligence sources inside Moscow. The direct effect of its interference on presidential politics is less clear, though some American officials said that Russia believed that acts of violence could bolster President Trump’s re-election bid if he could argue that a response to such an episode demanded continuity and that he represented a law-and-order approach. The F.B.I. and other intelligence agencies declined to comment on specific Russian activities. Trump administration officials were set to brief Congress behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss election threats from Russia and other adversarial nations. “We see Russia is willing to conduct more brazen and disruptive influence operations because of how it perceives its conflict with the West,” David Porter, a top agent on the F.B.I.’s Foreign Influence Task Force, said last month at an election security conference in Washington.
He added, “To put it simply, in this space, Russia wants to watch us tear ourselves apart.”
Because Russia is trying to amplify the messaging of existing groups, its interference is difficult for American officials to combat given First Amendment protections for speech. The government does have the legal authority to stop hate speech that explicitly advocates violence, and social media companies continue to take down accounts linked to Russian intelligence or disinformation groups. Attempts to exacerbate racial divisions are only one strand of Russia’s influence operations in 2020; Moscow’s intelligence agencies promote a variety of narratives and divisive issues. But perhaps no more difficult issue exists in the United States than racial justice and privilege, and officials expressed worry that amplifying divisions among races could do the most damage to the country’s social fabric. The Russian intelligence services took note of the divisive nature of the 2017 white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va., which led to the death of a counterprotester, and concluded that promoting hate groups was the most effective method of sowing discord in the United States, according to American intelligence reports described by the officials.
Some American officials believe that Russia is trying to undermine American democracy and the nation’s standing in the world by driving debate to the extremes.
“One of Russia’s goals is weakening institutions and the weaponization of race is a way they can do that,” said Laura Rosenberger, the director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy. “A divided America is a weaker America. When we are unable to solve our challenges together, Russia is more able to flex its power around the world.” American officials are divided about whether Russia is provoking racial division to influence the presidential election. Some officials think the effort is separate from any Kremlin effort to favor Mr. Trump. But others argue that Russian intelligence officials believe their efforts could help turn out more of Mr. Trump’s core voters, though their understanding of American electoral politics is unclear.
American officials are also examining ties between Russian intelligence and some white supremacist groups, according to an intelligence official.
The F.B.I. is scrutinizing any ties between Russian intelligence or its proxies and Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American citizen who founded a neo-Nazi group, the Base, according to former American officials. He lives in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is married to a Russian national, according to former government officials. The Guardian first reported his identity. Going by the aliases Norman Spear and Roman Wolf, Mr. Nazzaro has said publicly that he and members of his group put less emphasis on campaigns to influence the public and more on developing military and survival skills. Mr. Nazzaro bought property in Washington State in December 2018, a transaction that has come to the attention of the F.B.I. as part of its investigation into the Base. A left-wing anti-fascist group has said the Base intended to set up a training camp on the land. The F.B.I. arrested three Base members in January ahead of a pro-gun rights rally in Richmond, Va. Three others in Georgia with ties to the hate group and another in Wisconsin were also arrested as part of the bureau’s attempt to blunt its activities. Russia or Russian oligarchs are already funding far-right groups in Europe, according to current and former officials. The Night Wolves motorcycle club has received support from Russians and has worked to sow chaos in Eastern Europe. The Russian Imperial Movement, another right-wing group with the implicit backing of Moscow, has sent fighters to eastern Ukraine, and other Russian organizations have offered weapons training to far-right groups in Europe. The tactics date at least to the Cold War, when the Soviet Union tried to exacerbate racial tensions in the United States. “The most successful efforts in these kinds of interference activities are those that exploit real division,” Ms. Rosenberger said. “Race is certainly one in the United States.”
Independent researchers continue to identify social media accounts with Russian links. Race was among the top issues that such accounts tried to foster division over, said Young Mie Kim, a University of Wisconsin professor who studies political communication online. Others included nationalism, immigration, gun control and gay rights.
Ms. Kim tracked posts on Instagram last fall that used tactics similar to Russian operatives’ 2016 efforts and confirmed that more than two dozen were Russia-linked. Facebook, which owns Instagram, subsequently took them offline. “Russia’s trolls pretended to be American people, including political groups and candidates,” Ms. Kim wrote in a post for the Brennan Center for Justice. “They tried to sow division by targeting both the left and right with posts to foment outrage, fear and hostility. Much of their activity seemed designed to discourage certain people from voting. And they focused on swing states.” In addition to the social media posts, Russian-backed news organizations have also emphasized racially divisive themes, as have Russian government Twitter feeds, though it is only a small portion of their overall postings. Russia Today, the television station controlled by the Kremlin, has fanned division on both sides. Last week, RT ran a story about a video of New York police arresting a black man that sparked outrage. The organization has also posted tweets aimed at stirring white animosity, publishing an article in January accusing The New York Times of hating white people and criticizing Hank Azaria for quitting as the voice of Apu on “The Simpsons” because of its stereotyping of South Asians. Matthew Rosenberg contributed reporting from Washington, and Sheera Frenkel from San Francisco. | ||||||||
| 8:21 AM 3/10/2020 - Trump had contact with congressmen Collins and Gaetz before they self-quarantined over coronavirus concerns | Netflix Takes Aim at Jared #Kushner: ‘A Tier-One Predator’ Daily Beast - #TweetsByMikeNov | ||||||||
https://tweetsandnews.blogspot.com/2020/03/821-am-3102020-trump-had-contact-with.html
Trump had contact with congressmen Collins and Gaetz before they self-quarantined over coronavirus concerns https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/09/collins-gaetz-had-contact-with-trump-before-coronavirus-self-quarantine.html?__source=sharebar|twitter&par=sharebar …
#Investigate this #criminal MF-er and THE WHOLE CRIMINAL #DEMENTED #ORTHODOX #JEWISH #SECT, which is not a religion but #Mafia #Enterprise.
Netflix Takes Aim at Jared #Kushner: ‘A Tier-One Predator’ Daily Beast “#JaredKushner”- Google #News #FBI #CI #CIAhttps://www.thedailybeast.com/netflix-takes-aim-at-jared-kushner-in-dirty-money-brands-him-a-tier-one-predator?source=articles&via=rss … #TweetsByMikeNov » mikenov on Twitter: #All The #News That's #Fit To #Tweet: #Make #it #bitter, #smart, or #sweet #But #short, #and #put it in a #tweet. And it will be fit to #read. #CIA #FBI #ODNI#IntelligenceCommunity #CounterIntelligence #IntelligenceAnal 25/02/20 20:07 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) #All The #News That's #Fit To #Tweet: #Make #it #bitter, #smart, or #sweet #But #short, #and #put it in a #tweet. And then it will be fit to #read. #CIA #FBI #ODNI #IntelligenceCommunity #CounterIntelligence #IntelligenceAnalysis #Specia... TWEETS BY MIKENOV - 250 - Page LinK https://www.newsblur.com/reader/folder_rss/86178/5d8daaf24dd7/unread/tweets-by-mikenov On RSS Dog  
» mikenov on Twitter: How a Saudi-Russian Standoff Sent Oil Markets Into a Frenzy nyti.ms/2TUBrqp
09/03/20 18:18 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) How a Saudi-Russian Standoff Sent Oil Markets Into a Frenzy nyti.ms/2TUBrqp Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 10:18pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: Coronavirus Live Updates: Italy Halts Most Travel as Stocks Plunge and Oil Prices Plummet - The New York Times nytimes.com/2020/03/09/wor…
09/03/20 18:15 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) Coronavirus Live Updates: Italy Halts Most Travel as Stocks Plunge and Oil Prices Plummet - The New York Times nytimes.com/2020/03/09/wor… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 10:15pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: Trump had contact with congressmen Collins and Gaetz before they self-quarantined over coronavirus concerns cnbc.com/2020/03/09/col…
09/03/20 18:13 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) Trump had contact with congressmen Collins and Gaetz before they self-quarantined over coronavirus concerns cnbc.com/2020/03/09/col… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 10:13pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: Facing the Iranian corona! bit.ly/33203BE
09/03/20 18:12 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) Facing the Iranian corona! bit.ly/33203BE Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 10:12pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin quietly meets RUSSIA'S ambassador mol.im/a/8093131 via @MailOnline
09/03/20 17:24 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin quietly meets RUSSIA'S ambassador mol.im/a/8093131 via @MailOnline Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 9:24pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: "#JaredKushner" - Google #News: #Florida #Republican #MattGaetz goes into #quarantine #AFTER #flying on #Air #Force #One with Donald #Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/…
09/03/20 17:00 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) "#JaredKushner" - Google #News: #Florida #Republican #MattGaetz goes into #quarantine #AFTER #flying on #Air #Force #One with Donald #Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 9:00pm miken...
» mikenov on Twitter: "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on #AirForceOne with Donald Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/…
09/03/20 16:59 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on #AirForceOne with Donald Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 8:59pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into #quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with Donald Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/…
09/03/20 16:59 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into #quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with Donald Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 8:59pm mikenov on Twi...
» mikenov on Twitter: "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with Donald #Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/…
09/03/20 16:58 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with Donald #Trump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 8:58pm mikenov on Twi...
» mikenov on Twitter: "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with #DonaldTrump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/…
09/03/20 16:58 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) "Jared Kushner" - Google News: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with #DonaldTrump - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 8:58pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: BREAKING NEWS: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with Donald Trump and mocking coronavirus victims by wearing a gas mask to Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with T
09/03/20 16:58 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) BREAKING NEWS: Florida Republican Matt Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with Donald Trump and mocking coronavirus victims by wearing a gas mask to Gaetz goes into quarantine AFTER flying on Air Force One with Trum...
» mikenov on Twitter: facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos…#OilPricelatimes.com/busi…/story/2020-03-08/oil-price-warAt 10:16 a.m. on a wet and dreary morning, Russia’s energy minister walked into OPEC’s headquarters in central Vienna knowing his boss was ready
09/03/20 14:33 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… #OilPrice latimes.com/busi …/story/2020-03-08/oil-price-war At 10:16 a.m. on a wet and dreary morning, Russia’s energy minister walked into OPEC’s headquarters in central Vienna knowing his boss was ready to ...
» mikenov on Twitter: “The regime in Moscow uses these professionals to mask its “entangled” state and criminal interests, he alleged. It deploys them to attack Putin critics, “enhance Russian propaganda and disinformation” and to “facilitate and conceal ma
09/03/20 13:54 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) “The regime in Moscow uses these professionals to mask its “entangled” state and criminal interests, he alleged. It deploys them to attack Putin critics, “enhance Russian propaganda and disinformation” and to “facilitate and conceal mass...
» mikenov on Twitter: Russia 'hired network of Britons to go after enemies of Putin' theguardian.com/world/2020/mar…
09/03/20 13:53 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) Russia 'hired network of Britons to go after enemies of Putin' theguardian.com/world/2020/mar… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 5:53pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "putin won US 2016 election" - Google News: How Saudi Arabia is trying to CRIPPLE Russian oil industry by flooding world market - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/…
09/03/20 13:46 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "putin won US 2016 election" - Google News: How Saudi Arabia is trying to CRIPPLE Russian oil industry by flooding world market - Daily Mail all-nt.com/wp/2020/03/09/… Posted by mikenov on Mond...
» mikenov on Twitter: #News - #saudiarabia images.app.goo.gl/hWSqcVLC44QsFp…
09/03/20 13:45 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) #News - #saudiarabia images.app.goo.gl/hWSqcVLC44QsFp… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 5:45pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: #News - #saudiarabiaOil crashes by most since 1991 as Saudi Arabia launches price war kctv5.com/news/us_world_… via @KCTV5
09/03/20 13:44 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) #News - #saudiarabia Oil crashes by most since 1991 as Saudi Arabia launches price war kctv5.com/news/us_world_… via @KCTV5 Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 5:44pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: #News - #saudiarabiaThere is talk of an attempted coup in Saudi Arabia. But who would really have the wherewithal to challenge Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman? bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… via @bopinion
09/03/20 13:43 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) #News - #saudiarabia There is talk of an attempted coup in Saudi Arabia. But who would really have the wherewithal to challenge Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman? bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… via @bopinion Posted by mikenov on Monday, Ma...
» mikenov on Twitter: #News - #saudiarabia - Google Search google.com/search?q=saudi…
09/03/20 13:42 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) #News - #saudiarabia - Google Search google.com/search?q=saudi… Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 5:42pm mikenov on Twitter
» mikenov on Twitter: facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos…How Saudi Arabia is trying to CRIPPLE Russian oil industry mol.im/a/8089973 via @MailOnline
09/03/20 13:00 from TWEETS BY MIKENOV from mikenova (1 sites) facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… How Saudi Arabia is trying to CRIPPLE Russian oil industry mol.im/a/8089973 via @MailOnline Posted by mikenov on Monday, March 9th, 2020 5:00pm mikenov on Twitter | ||||||||
| How a Saudi-Russian Standoff Sent Oil Markets Into a Frenzy | ||||||||
For the last three years, two factors have been hugely influential in the oil markets. The first has been the surge of shale oil production in the United States, which has turned the country from a large oil importer to an increasingly important exporter. The second is the alliance between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which recently have cooperated in trimming production to try to counter shale’s impact.
Now that cooperation between two of the world’s three largest oil producers — the third is the United States — appears to be at an end. Saudi Arabia, as the dominant member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, last week proposed production cuts to offset the collapse in demand from the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Russia, which is not an OPEC member, refused to go along. And the impasse has turned into open hostilities. After talks with OPEC members in Vienna, Russia’s energy minister, Alexander Novak, returned to Moscow for consultations on Thursday. In his absence, OPEC officials met and came up with what amounted to an ultimatum. The group as a whole would trim production by 1.5 million barrels a day, or about 1.5 percent of world supply. OPEC, meaning largely the Saudis, would make the bulk of the cutbacks, one million barrels, as long as Russia and other producers trimmed the rest. The gambit was “something of a boss move,” said Helima Croft, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, but it backfired badly. Russia had played hard to get before, but this time Mr. Novak was not playing. The answer was “no” again, and the Saudi oil minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and other officials headed back to their hotels with no results and no communiqué. Failing to tighten supplies, the Saudis threatened to flood the market.The standoff was ominous for the industry. Not only had OPEC and a wider group of producers — together known as OPEC plus — failed to agree on new cuts, but they had also failed to sign off on the extension of 2.1 million barrels a day in previous trims that would expire at the end of March. That created the danger of a tremendous flow of oil coming onto a market that was already hugely oversupplied and experiencing a steep slump in demand.The Saudis struck back, notifying buyers on Saturday that they would offer deep discounts on their oil sales for April. The price cuts will probably be followed by other producers in the region, like the Saudi allies Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The intent, Saudi officials said, is to create more demand for their oil with lower prices. The Saudis have been producing about 9.7 million barrels a day. The International Energy Agency, a Paris-based organization advising governments and industry, figures that the Saudis could produce more than two million additional barrels, while Kuwait, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates could add another million barrels a day. The market was spooked by this potential deluge of crude. At one point on Monday, prices were down by more than 30 percent. By afternoon, they had recovered to around $36 a barrel for Brent crude, the international benchmark, still a steep 21 percent drop.
“The market really was banking on this alliance between OPEC and Russia,” said Neil Beveridge, an analyst at Bernstein, a market research firm. With that relationship apparently sundered, “there is just no support,” he added.
The Russians and the Saudis have long had a fraught relationship.Despite having enormous oil reserves, Russia and the Saudi Arabia have rarely seen their way to cooperation. In his autobiography, “Out of the Desert,” Ali Naimi, the longtime Saudi oil minister, recounts that on the eve of what became a crucial OPEC meeting in November 2014, he met with Mr. Novak to ask for help in dealing with a growing oil glut. Joining in the talks was Igor Sechin, a close associate of President Vladimir V. Putin who is chief executive of Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil company.The Russians refused to go along, Mr. Naimi says, and he packed up his papers and washed his hands of trying to stabilize the market through cuts. A price slide to below $30 a barrel focused minds, eventually persuading the Russians to join forces with the Saudis. A kind of bromance developed between Mr. Novak and Khalid al-Falih, who succeeded Mr. Naimi as Saudi oil minister in 2016. The two put on what seemed like natural displays of camaraderie at OPEC news conferences. But there were tensions, and for at least a year the Russians hinted that they were tiring of the arrangement, which capped the growth of oil companies like Rosneft. As production from shale continued to rise, OPEC and its allies had to keep cutting. “They could see an endless series of cuts going forward, “ said Bhushan Bahree, a senior director at IHS Markit, a research firm. “They wanted to go back to growth rather than continue this arrangement with the Saudis.”
For their part, the Saudis absorbed most of the cuts to keep Russia on board, a situation that also stoked tension. In addition, Mr. Falih was fired last year by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and replaced by the prince’s older half brother, Prince Abdulaziz, who is a veteran oil official but does not seem to have the warm relationship with Mr. Novak that Mr. Falih enjoyed.
In addition, power brokers like Mr. Sechin in Moscow appeared to be turning Mr. Putin against the Saudi deal. The Saudis have been pushing for cuts since at least early February as it became clear that the epidemic was going to hit demand hard. The Russians also argued in meetings that there was an opportunity to damage the shale industry in the United States, which had hurt both of the big producers. And Russia has built up a $570 billion fund that Moscow hopes will tide the country through an oil-revenue famine. Russia may well damage the shale industry, but at great cost. The International Energy Agency forecast that shale output might decline in a $40-a-barrel environment. But a price war carries huge risks for the world, including depriving oil-producing countries of the wherewithal to finance social programs, including health care, at a time when they are threatened by the virus. “Playing Russian roulette in oil markets may have grave consequences,” said Fatih Birol, the agency’s executive director. | ||||||||
| Coronavirus Live Updates: Italy Halts Most Travel as Stocks Plunge and Oil Prices Plummet | ||||||||
The United States faces an accelerating pace of new coronavirus case reports as well as the prospect of more sweeping measures to fight the spread of the virus. On Monday, the national total of infections surpassed 650 and the death toll hit 26.
A number of new cases have raised concerns about transmission in public places. In Kentucky, a patient who tested positive had worked at a Walmart in Cynthiana, near Lexington, officials said. In Washington, D.C., a church rector who gave communion and shook hands with parishioners at Christ Church Georgetown was identified as a patient, prompting officials to urge hundreds of parishioners to self-quarantine. Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington said he was considering mandatory measures to keep people apart. School districts in several states have shut down, universities are moving classes online, companies are telling employees to work from home, and houses of worship are limiting services. A global health conference in Orlando, Fla., planned for Monday, with President Trump as a speaker, has been called off. Senior Pentagon officials began practicing “social distancing,” holding meetings by videoconference in several rooms, rather than crowding into a single room. The Army announced on Monday that the commander of U.S. forces in Europe, Lt. Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, along with several members of his staff, had been exposed to the coronavirus and would self-quarantine as they wait to see if they develop symptoms. The general is based in Wiesbaden, Germany, but travels all over Europe. In Georgia, the Fulton County school system, covering suburbs of Atlanta, announced it would close on Tuesday — the largest U.S. district to do so — after an employee tested positive. U.S. officials are not yet talking about locking down whole cities, as China and Italy have done. “I don’t think you want to have folks shutting down cities like in northern Italy — we are not at that level,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the leading American expert on infectious diseases, said in an interview. “Social distancing like in Seattle is the way to go.” | ||||||||
| Facing the Iranian corona! - Saudi Gazette | ||||||||
It was heart-breaking to watch the Holy Haram in Makkah empty, on the 24hrs Qumran channel. I felt the same visiting the Prophet Mosque in Al-Madinah just a day after the closure of the tomb area, and the old part of the haram. Still, my wife, mother-in-law and me, were very assured as we witnessed first-hand the strict and extensive systems put in place in both holy cities. We felt safer as we went through checkpoints and areas being sanitized by professional cleaners, and followed meticulous procedures that govern every action, including drinking Zamzam water and touching holy shrines. In my college, too, we faithfully apply all health recommendations, to the letter. Our students are given detailed advices on how to keep themselves and their families safe. Travel, events, and movement have never been so restricted in my lifetime. Still, I obediently, as my family, friends and colleagues, decided to take all Interior, Foreign and Health Ministry advisories seriously, gladly and without hesitation. We thank them as well for the transparency and daily updates on the situation in and outside the country — especially in immediate neighboring states. We, Saudis, do appreciate every measure the government has taken, no matter how inconvenient. And we do expect other nations and nationalities affected by decisions taken to guarantee our safety to appreciate it as much. Thankfully, most do — except the usual trouble-makers, Iran, Qatar and Muslim Brotherhood, of course! Iran is quickly becoming the main source of the epidemic, surpassing the origin, China. The reason is about how seriously and efficiently they are dealing with the disaster. Unlike previous natural disasters, such as earthquakes and flooding, this issue cannot tolerate the slow, disorganized and weak responses, the government used to get away with. Victims this time around, are victimizing others, as well. So burying the dead, ignoring the survivors, and sweeping protesters into jails, won't work. Utilizing the clergy to blame it on divine testing, and relaying on myths to explain it away, and prayers to resolve it, won't do either. In fact, it makes it worse, because the faithful will keep congregating in worst-hit holy shrines and cities, Qom and Mashhad, and returning back to their countries to spread the disease all over the country and abroad. Instead of seeking medical help, they rely on myths and religious fatwas, such as hitting the chest and face in moaning for Al-Hussein, or licking holy tombs and eating its dirt! Some Iranian and Iraqi writers have been complaining about my Twitter tweets regarding the Iranian behavior and responses to the problem. They accused me of being sectarian. I asked the Iranian if he is willing to host the Saudi pilgrims and visitors who secretly traveled to Iran disobeying their government with Iran help and cover, for just one hour in his home, to meet with his family and show Iranian hospitality. I asked the Iraqi whether he is willing to get tomb-licking and dirt-eating treatment for immunity, instead of World Health Organization (WHO) measures. The first said no. The second insisted that holy miracles are scientifically proven facts, but avoided answering the question whether he would rely on them. Again, and again, Iran is proving to the world that it is a rogue state that won't change its dangerous and endangering course. It comes as no surprise to me, because its Constitution states clearly that the Islamic Republic strives to save the Muslim world, by exporting Iranian brand of revolution. Today, we are facing another sort of terrorism. It is like it wasn't enough that they sponsored Daesh, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Al-Houthi and Alhashad Alshabi, plus other Afghani, Pakistani, Somali and Nigerian militias, to name a few, now they have turned to using their own followers to carry suicidal missions into neighboring Arab countries. Carriers of the disease are being found every day in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Emirates. Worst, they hid their illness and covered their tracks by going though other countries on the way home, and denying that they came from Iran. Now, Iran is not cooperating in giving the lists of those visitors, so their home-countries can take care of them. They were just happy enough to send them back with their virus. How can you deal with such regime that doesn't respect human lives, even its own? How can you face a state that sent its Arab, Afghani and Pakistani sect followers to die and kill in their home nations? How could you argue with officials who lie to your face, denying what cannot be denied, and cover what everyone can see? In a televised press conference, the deputy health minister was announcing his country was safe and sound while he was sweating and coughing. Hours later, it was announced that he was affected with the virus, then it was revealed that he had died. The same story was repeated like in the shooting of Ukrainian airliner and the terrorist attacks on Aramco facilities and Arabian Gulf and Red Sea shipping lanes, denial is the first reaction, then may come admission, if caught red-handed. It is about time, the international community dealt with the source of troubles, and the mothership of terrorism. USA is leading the way, the rest of the world, especially appeasing Europe and allied Russia, must follow. Corona has just served the last, but most awakening notice, to the international community — defuse the bomb or suffer the deadly consequences. — Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi is a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:kbatarfi@gmail.com">kbatarfi@gmail.com</a>. Follow him at Twitter:@kbatarfi | ||||||||
| Meghan Markle, Prince Harry arrive at church to meet Queen Elizabeth - Page Six | ||||||||
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| Trump Investigations, Middle East, and Israel from Michael_Novakhov (18 sites): “israel and germany” – Google News: Coronavirus latest news: UK case count rises by 64 as 273 test positive for the disease – Telegraph.co.uk | ||||||||
Coronavirus latest news: UK case count rises by 64 as 273 test positive for the disease Telegraph.co.uk
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| Italian daily coronavirus deaths jump 57% to 366 - Reuters | ||||||||
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| Saudi Arabia's King Salman is pictured carrying out his royal duties after foiling alleged coup plot - Daily Mail | ||||||||
Saudi Arabia's King Salman is pictured carrying out his royal duties after foiling alleged coup plot Daily MailView Full Coverage on Google News | ||||||||
| Twitter Search / PalmerReport: I’ve been saying for awhile that Trump is going to prison, and I’ve been mocked for it. But if Biden wins and picks Kamala Harris for Attorney General, you’d better believe she’ll put Trump away. Trump is going to prison. All we have to do is work hard and make sure Biden wins. | ||||||||
I’ve been saying for awhile that Trump is going to prison, and I’ve been mocked for it. But if Biden wins and picks Kamala Harris for Attorney General, you’d better believe she’ll put Trump away. Trump is going to prison. All we have to do is work hard and make sure Biden wins. Twitter Search … Continue reading "Twitter Search / PalmerReport: I’ve been saying for awhile that Trump is going to prison, and I’ve been mocked for it. But if Biden wins and picks Kamala Harris for Attorney General, you’d better believe she’ll put Trump away. Trump is going to prison. All we have to do is work hard and make sure Biden wins." | ||||||||
| How Putin spurned the Saudis to start a war on America’s shale oil industry - Los Angeles Times | ||||||||
How Putin spurned the Saudis to start a war on America’s shale oil industry Los Angeles TimesView Full Coverage on Google News | ||||||||
| “fbi reform” – Google News: More than 60 people accused of violent crimes arrested for failing to appear in court – NJ.com | ||||||||
More than 60 people accused of violent crimes arrested for failing to appear in court NJ.com
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| The mystery of how a Catholic prep school grad turned to Nazism | ||||||||
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Jared Maples, Director of the NJDHS discusses the rise of white supremacy in NJ NorthJersey
His most recent photograph tells another story. Nazzaro bears the hard-eyed expression of a forty-something guy burdened by a mix of anger and disappointment. Nazzaro is a neo-Nazi. The carefree college kid now seems full of hate. How did he get to this dark place? It’s worth knowing that Nazzaro grew up in New Jersey and attended some of the best schools anyone could hope for. In 1991, he graduated from the Delbarton School, an elite Roman Catholic prep school in the hills west of Morristown. After Delbarton, Nazzaro enrolled at another prestigious Catholic educational institution, Villanova University. A brief reference to Nazzaro in the Villanova student newspaper described him as a philosophy major. A Villanova spokesman confirmed to The Inquirer that Nazarro attended the university from 1991 to 1994 but left before graduating. Why he left is still a mystery. A variety of news organizations, from the Inquirer to The Guardian and the BBC, have tried to plumb the depths of Nazzaro’s descent into the hateful world of Nazism. But each has come up empty in some way. What we know is that Nazzaro, now 46, goes by several aliases in social media posts and other communications. Sometimes he’s “Norman Spear.” Other times, he’s “Roman Wolf.” The FBI believes that in 2018 he founded a group called “The Base,” a white, ultra-nationalist coalition of neo-Nazis and others who have called for a race war and the creation of an all-white nation in the Pacific Northwest. By the way, “The Base” takes its name from Osama bin Laden’s collection of terrorist operatives known as al-Qaeda. In Arabic, “al-Qaeda” loosely translates to “the base.” So much for lineage. In its extensive investigation of Nazzaro, The Guardian uncovered court documents in which federal law enforcement officials described The Base as an extremist group that “seeks to accelerate the downfall of the United States government” as well as promote a race war and establish an all-white nation. In late January, the FBI arrested seven members of The Base, charging them with a variety of crimes that included conspiracy to commit murder. Secret FBI surveillance tapes showed that some of the group discussed a plan touch off a race war by inciting violence at a gun-rights rally in Virginia. As if that’s not all, the FBI last November arrested Richard Tobin, 18, of Camden County, charging him with conspiring to vandalize synagogues in Michigan and Wisconsin. Tobin reportedly claimed to be a member of The Base's "Atomwaffen Division." You’ll notice that the FBI has not managed to nab Nazzaro yet. That’s because Nazzaro moved to Russia several years ago. In a video, obtained by The Guardian last March, he is shown wearing a T-shirt with an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the words, “Russia, absolute power." The Guardian investigation turned up another intriguing piece of Nazzaro’s history. Before moving to Russia, he reportedly ran a New York City firm known as Omega Solutions that marketed itself as offering access to a "network of security professionals." This network supposedly specialized in intelligence, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and psychological operations. “Our associates have worked with various government and military agencies, including multiple wartime deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan," the Omega Solutions web site said. After forming The Base, Nazzaro decided to buy an isolated tract of land in Washington State. To do this, he used the address of a New Jersey apartment — possibly in North Bergen — to form “Base Global, LLC,” which would be the official owner of the tract. It was later determined that Nazzaro hoped to use the land to train his warriors who would bring on the race war and create that all-white nation he dreamed about. This might seem like the plot for a novel about would-be Nazis who yearned for some sort of authoritarian state where everyone dresses in black uniforms with knee-high boots and greets comrades with Heil Hitler salutes. It’s not. It is an all-too-real example of what America has seen in recent years with the rise of white nationalists. Here in northern New Jersey, we’ve already seen our share. Last summer, state police arrested Joseph Rubino, a mechanic from Lafayette, who lost control of his white Chevy van and smashed into a tree. But it wasn’t Rubino’s bad driving that caught the attention of police. It was the three handguns, two sawed-off double-barrel shotguns, the pile of ammunition and the brass knuckles, ax handle, baseball bat and wooden club that police saw in the back of the van. As if that wasn’t enough, state police investigators found more than a dozen other weapons, including what authorities describe as a grenade launcher, an “assault rifle of unknown make/model,” four “high capacity magazines,” 60 silencers, a bulletproof vest and a box of neo-Nazi “paraphernalia” that included bumper stickers, T-shirts and a white supremacist “instruction manual for owning a slave.” Rubino is now housed in a federal lock-up, awaiting trial. As with Nazzaro, Rubino is also a mystery. Rubino’s attorney insists that he is not a Nazi. But no one can yet convincingly explain why Rubino would have Nazi bumper stickers, T-shirts and an “instruction manual” that includes some of the most hateful messages of white supremacists. All that — plus the guns. For several years, a wide variety of experts have tried to investigate the rise of Nazi and white supremacist groups. But in the end, those inquiries fall short and they stumble over the narratives of men like Rinaldo Nazzaro. Like Nazzaro, many seem to have well-established lives — on the surface anyway. And yet, they turn to hate. Nazzaro wants to create his own whites-only nation in a corner of America. And he’s trying to accomplish this from Russia. This is no novel. It's real. Mike Kelly is an award-winning columnist for <a href="http://NorthJersey.com" rel="nofollow">NorthJersey.com</a>. To get unlimited access to his insightful thoughts on how we live life in New Jersey, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: kellym@northjersey.com Twitter: @mikekellycolumn Read or Share this story: <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/columnists/mike-kelly/2020/03/09/mystery-how-catholic-prep-school-grad-turned-nazism/4977284002/" rel="nofollow">https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/columnists/mike-kelly/2020/03/09/mystery-how-catholic-prep-school-grad-turned-nazism/4977284002/</a> |
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