Trump will corrupt everything in sight to beat Biden. Here’s what’s next. - The Washington Post
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Trump will corrupt everything in sight to beat Biden. Here’s what’s next. - The Washington Post
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» 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 then 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...
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Trump will corrupt everything in sight to beat Biden. Here’s what’s next. - The Washington Post
Tweets, Saved and Shared Stories in 100 Headlines and Posts
» 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 then 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...
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| "israel and germany" - Google News: US and Israel snubbing world court probes - FinalCall.com News | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:49:33 -0400
US and Israel snubbing world court probes FinalCall.com News | |||
| Liberman: 'We haven't changed our position about the Joint List' | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:47:55 -0400
He added, "[Incumbent Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu collaborated with the Joint List and Arafat more than any other politician. When I look at ... | |||
| "russia helping trump" - Google News: Trump will corrupt everything in sight to beat Biden. Here’s what’s next. - The Washington Post | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:46:22 -0400
Trump will corrupt everything in sight to beat Biden. Here’s what’s next. The Washington Post | |||
| Bankers For The Stars: Deutsche Bank, Trump, and Jeffrey Epstein | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:45:00 -0400
Deutsche Bank lent money to rogue states that funded terrorist activities that hurt U.S. soldiers. They laundered money for Russian oligarchs, sold ... | |||
| RT @barbmullings: The second season of Netflix’s docuseries examines a number of shady financial schemes—including that of “Slumlord Millio… | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:44:41 -0400
The second season of Netflix’s docuseries examines a number of shady financial schemes—including that of “Slumlord Millionaire” #JaredKushner.
thedailybeast.com/netflix-takes-…
Retweeted by
 mikenov on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020 2:41pm6 likes, 3 retweets | |||
| Intelligence agencies brief lawmakers on meddling | News, Sports, Jobs | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:42:45 -0400
WASHINGTON — Two classified briefings that lawmakers received from intelligence agencies Tuesday did little to bridge the rift between President Donald Trump’s administration and Democrats who have concerns about Russian interference in the 2020 elections.
Democrats leaving the meeting said they had more questions and had heard conflicting evidence. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said after the briefing that he had “renewed concerns about the independence of the intelligence community, and their willingness to continue speaking truth to power.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said she believed there was conflicting information coming to Congress from the administration. “I just don’t have trust that we’re getting accurate information,” she said. Democrats have expressed concerns about the independence of the intelligence community after Trump replaced the former acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, with a loyalist who had less intelligence experience. That new acting director, Richard Grenell, did not attend Tuesday’s briefing. Though the nation’s intelligence agencies have repeatedly said Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump, the president has dismissed that as a “hoax.” On Tuesday, he tweeted that “there is another Russia, Russia, Russia meeting today.” Still, intelligence officials told lawmakers last month that Russia is still trying to sow discord in the American electorate and that the country has a preference for Trump, according to officials familiar with that briefing. Trump later berated Maguire and replaced him. Two people familiar with Tuesday’s briefing said the message was worded differently, with officials indicating they didn’t have “direct” evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin himself favored Trump. Democrats pushed back in the meeting, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss the closed-door briefing. Republicans leaving the House and Senate meetings said the administration officials made clear that Russia was still interfering in U.S. elections. According to Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., the officials said Russia and other countries were busily trying to rile up Americans. “You name the divisive issue — racial tensions, gun rights, pro-life, pro-choice, and what they’ve talked about is trying to stir sow and discord on both sides of every issue.” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said: “We are way ahead of where we were in 2016 because we’re more aware and because we’ve taken more steps. … The part that’s much harder to control is what gets out there in the public domain that people are willing to believe and how that stirs dissension and divisions in the society and ultimately paralyzes the ability to take action.” In addition to the findings by the major intelligence agencies, a nearly two-year investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller concluded there was a sophisticated, Kremlin-led operation to sow division in the U.S. and upend the 2016 election by using cyberattacks and social media as weapons. Government officials have said Russia also scanned voting systems around the country, though there is no evidence that votes were changed. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is running in the Democratic primary to challenge Trump, said last month that he was also briefed by U.S. officials about Russian efforts to boost his candidacy. The Russian efforts are aimed at undermining public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and stirring general chaos in American politics, intelligence experts say. Intelligence officials from seven agencies — including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and multiple intelligence agencies — attended the briefing. Trump has nominated Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe as a permanent replacement for Grenell, but it’s unclear if he will have the needed support in the Senate for confirmation. | |||
| "Russian Intelligence services and organized crime" - Google News: 'For Faith and Fatherland': How Russian Special Services Use 'Non-Traditional' Denominations - HSToday | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:39:55 -0400
'For Faith and Fatherland': How Russian Special Services Use 'Non-Traditional' Denominations HSToday | |||
| FoxNewsChannel's YouTube Videos: Live: Schumer holds a press conference amid coronavirus outbreak | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:38:52 -0400
From: FoxNewsChannel
Duration: 00:00
Senators Schumer, Murray, and Brown on paid sick leave in wake of worsening coronavirus outbreak. #FoxNews
FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most-watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre. Subscribe to Fox News! https://bit.ly/2vBUvAS Watch more Fox News Video: http://video.foxnews.com Watch Fox News Channel Live: http://www.foxnewsgo.com/ Watch full episodes of your favorite shows The Five: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/longform-the-five/ Special Report with Bret Baier: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/longform-special-report/ The Story with Martha Maccallum: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/longform-the-story-with-martha-maccallum/ Tucker Carlson Tonight: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/longform-tucker-carlson-tonight/ Hannity: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/longform-hannity/ The Ingraham Angle: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/longform-the-ingraham-angle/ Fox News @ Night: http://video.foxnews.com/playlist/longform-fox-news-night/ Follow Fox News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoxNews/ Follow Fox News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FoxNews/ Follow Fox News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxnews/om/ | |||
| US Army Cites Cybersecurity Concerns In Scrapping Planned Purchase of Israeli Military Tech | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:38:01 -0400
After spending $373 million to buy two batteries of the Israeli-made Iron Dome missile defense system, the U.S. Army has announced that it is unable to integrate the batteries it purchased with its other air defense systems because Israel has refused to provide the Army with the source code. The Army asserted that without the source code, the system could not be integrated without causing grave cybersecurity vulnerabilities. As a result, the Army has now scrapped its plans to purchase an additional $600 million worth of Iron Dome components. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the Iron Dome system itself was largely financed by U.S. taxpayers after Congress authorized over $1.5 billion in taxpayer funds to be used by Israel for the development and production of the Iron Dome system, which has suffered from a series of embarrassing failures since it entered the market. It remains to be seen if the other countries that have signed deals with Israel to purchase Iron Dome, including Azerbaijan and India, will take notice of the U.S. Army’s decision and similarly scrap those plans given Israel’s apparent refusal to provide the source code to even its closest military ally following purchase. News of the Army’s decision was made public last Thursday when Gen. Mike Murray, commander of Army Futures Command, spoke to the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. “We believe we cannot integrate them into our air-defense system based upon some interoperability challenges, some cyber[security] challenges and some other challenges. So what we ended up having is two stand-alone batteries that will be very capable, but they cannot be integrated,” Murray told the subcommittee. 
Secretary of Defense under Obama and Ehud Barak deliver statements during a visit to an Iron Dome battery in Ashkelon, Israel, Aug. 1, 2012. Tsafrir Abayov | AP
If future international purchases of Iron Dome are to be impacted by the U.S. Army’s decision, it will not only be a setback for Israel’s defense industry, but also that of the United States, given that U.S. weapons manufacturer Raytheon produces some of the system’s components and markets the systems within the United States. Notably, current U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is a former lobbyist for Raytheon, a company that closely collaborates with Israel’s defense industry on other systems as well, such as “David’s Sling.” Esper’s history may be a factor in a potential reversal of the Army’s recent decision, which was urged by Israel’s Defense Ministry following Gen. Murray’s statements before Congress. Israel’s Defense Ministry asked the Army to reconsider their decision to halt future purchases and overlook the existing cybersecurity hurdles in integrating those already purchased “as it would express confidence and recognition of the system’s ‘exceptional capabilities’ and the quality of Israel’s defense industries,” the Jerusalem Post reported. Israel’s decision to not reveal the source code of a system the U.S. helped finance and subsequently purchased is striking, particularly given that their refusal to do so has resulted in the loss of considerable revenue and the potential collapse of future international sales of the system. Israel’s history of using backdoors in software for intelligence and military purposes, including at sensitive U.S. government facilities, raise obvious concerns about the motive for such a decision. Yet, while the U.S. Army has raised cybersecurity concerns about the lack of transparency regarding Iron Dome’s source code, the same company that creates Iron Dome’s software has its software running on critical infrastructure systems throughout the United States. Indeed, Iron Dome’s software was created by mPrest, whose largest stakeholder is Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which in turn is a state-owned company. Rafael is also the principal developer of the Iron Dome system. In just the past few years, mPrest has become a major provider of software to U.S. utility companies across the country — from California to New York — and has also entered the European and Australian markets. It remains to be seen if the scrutiny over mPrest’s code for the Iron Dome system and the motives behind it will lead to scrutiny of the software that is being used at critical points of the U.S. power grid, particularly at a time when government officials and private companies (including Israeli-American cybersecurity company Cybereason) are warning that “foreign actors” are targeting the U.S. power grid with malicious intent. Feature photo | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, listens to a soldier as he stands near a naval Iron Dome defense system, Feb. 12, 2019. Jack Guez | AP Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism. The post US Army Cites Cybersecurity Concerns In Scrapping Planned Purchase of Israeli Military Tech appeared first on MintPress News. | |||
| Встреча с Генеральным секретарём ОДКБ Станиславом Засем • Президент России | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:32:49 -0400
Встреча с Генеральным секретарём ОДКБ Станиславом Засем
12:30
Московская область, Ново-Огарёво
5 фотографий
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| mikenov on Twitter: 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): Just Security: #Peace in #Afghanistan: #Showmanship over #Substance trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:09:50 -0400
1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): Just Security: #Peace in #Afghanistan: #Showmanship over #Substance trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/…
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| mikenov on Twitter: #Petty #Pennies! #PettyCash! #PettyBrains! #Cheap, petty, #treacherous #Presidency of the #KGBPuppetTrump! realDonaldTrump on Twitter: RT @Mike_Pence: at President @realDonaldTrump's request, all the insurance companies at the @WhiteHo | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:06:33 -0400
#Petty #Pennies! #PettyCash! #PettyBrains! #Cheap, petty, #treacherous #Presidency of the #KGBPuppetTrump!
realDonaldTrump on Twitter: RT @Mike_Pence: at President @realDonaldTrump's request, all the insurance companies at the @WhiteHouse trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: #DonaldTrump: #GOP #Mayor #Dumps ‘#DerangedDonaldTrump For #JoeBiden trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:46:31 -0400
#DonaldTrump: #GOP #Mayor #Dumps ‘#DerangedDonaldTrump For #JoeBiden trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/…
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| mikenov on Twitter: RT @AnalizeThis: Netflix takes aim at ‘Tier-One Predator’ #JaredKushner bit.ly/2vFoqsF pic.twitter.com/YxDgVRVAsQ | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:41:15 -0400
Netflix takes aim at ‘Tier-One Predator’ #JaredKushner bit.ly/2vFoqsF pic.twitter.com/YxDgVRVAsQ
Retweeted by
mikenov on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020 2:41pm2 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Do not even #try to #plant these #trees of #lies in #OUR #Brains! #Practice it on your #KGB #friends and #VTBBank! - #KushnerVTB "#JaredKushner" - Google #News: #WhiteHouse to #pursue "1 Trillion Trees" initiative - Axios trumpandtrump | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:31:16 -0400
Do not even #try to #plant these #trees of #lies in #OUR #Brains! #Practice it on your #KGB #friends and #VTBBank! - #KushnerVTB
"#JaredKushner" - Google #News: #WhiteHouse to #pursue "1 Trillion Trees" initiative - Axios trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… 1 like | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: "#JaredKushner" - Google #News: #Timeline on Jared #Kushner, #Qatar, 666 #FifthAvenue, and #WhiteHouse #Policy - Just Security trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:27:09 -0400
"#JaredKushner" - Google #News: #Timeline on Jared #Kushner, #Qatar, 666 #FifthAvenue, and #WhiteHouse #Policy - Just Security trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/…
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| mikenov on Twitter: #Stop #praising this #KGB #Puppet, Mr. #Pence! Just #remove him! #Trump and #Trumpism - #News, #Reviews, and #Analysis of #DonaldTrump as a #person and a #politician, and of his #political #movement. trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/blog/ | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:24:50 -0400
#Stop #praising this #KGB #Puppet, Mr. #Pence! Just #remove him!
#Trump and #Trumpism - #News, #Reviews, and #Analysis of #DonaldTrump as a #person and a #politician, and of his #political #movement. trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/blog/ | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: "#deutschebank and #trump" - Google News: #Interview with David Enrich on Trump's Finances: "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These Red Flags" - DER SPIEGEL trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:15:16 -0400
"#deutschebank and #trump" - Google News: #Interview with David Enrich on Trump's Finances: "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These Red Flags" - DER SPIEGEL trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/…
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| mikenov on Twitter: #CIA #ODNI Mr #Enrich, I have some #questions for you... trumpinvestigations.blogspot.com › 2019/03 › mr-enrich-i-have-some-q... Mar 19, 2019 #ErnstUrhlauBND & "consultant on ... #TrumpDeutscheBank loans #ErnstUrhlau of #BND, #De | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 10:14:09 -0400
#CIA #ODNI
Mr #Enrich, I have some #questions for you... trumpinvestigations.blogspot.com › 2019/03 › mr-enrich-i-have-some-q... Mar 19, 2019 #ErnstUrhlauBND & "consultant on ... #TrumpDeutscheBank loans #ErnstUrhlau of #BND, #Deutsche Bank, and #loan to #Trump google.com/search?newwind… | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Ernst Urhlau BND - Google Search google.com/search?q=Ernst… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 09:41:48 -0400 | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: The question is: WHY?! Banks do not do this. Answer, Herr Urhlau "#deutschebank and #trump" #News: #Interview #TrumpFinances: "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These #RedFlags" - DER SPIEGEL trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 09:41:23 -0400
The question is: WHY?! Banks do not do this. Answer, Herr Urhlau
"#deutschebank and #trump" #News: #Interview #TrumpFinances: "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These #RedFlags" - DER SPIEGEL trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… Ernst Urhlau BND - Google Search google.com/search?q=Ernst… 1 retweet | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: MORE QUESTIONS THAN RELIABLE ANSWERS. GET THE TRUTH AND TELL IT TO the PEOPLE. OR IS IT TOO UGLY FOR YOU TO FACE IT?! Full Text: michael_novakhov.newsblur.com facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… No evidence yet that Russia has taken steps to | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 09:31:16 -0400
MORE QUESTIONS THAN RELIABLE ANSWERS. GET THE TRUTH AND TELL IT TO the PEOPLE. OR IS IT TOO UGLY FOR YOU TO FACE IT?!
Full Text: michael_novakhov.newsblur.com facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… No evidence yet that Russia has taken steps to help any candidate in 2020... washingtonpost.com/national-secur… | |||
| Richard Grenell, Trump's acting DNI, declines to meet with Congress for election threats briefing | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 09:22:02 -0400
Evanina told senators that the Russians “continue to be broadly engaged in social media activities designed to divide us further, to discredit our electoral system and to disrupt our election,” said one official present at the all-members meeting.
In the Senate, Evanina’s carefully worded answer came in response to the first question asked — by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — and “felt orchestrated,” said a second official, who was briefed on the meeting. “Both question and response were clearly pre-drafted.”
The intelligence officials who gave the briefing, including National Security Agency Director Paul M. Nakasone and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, did not give senators an impression that the Trump administration has a solid grip on dealing with foreign interference in the coming election, said a third official briefed on the session.
Senators “came out of it without a true sense that this administration has a handle on this and we’re going to be okay for 2020,” the official said.
In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the Intelligence Committee chairman, challenged the briefer on what struck them as an effort to play down the assessment given last month by Shelby Pierson, the intelligence community’s point person on foreign election threats, a fourth official said.
Pierson had informed the bipartisan House Intelligence Committee panel that Russia had “developed a preference” for Trump in 2020. She did not say that Russia had taken steps based on that preference to intervene on behalf of Trump, an intelligence official said. But that nuance apparently did not mollify Trump, who when informed of her briefing grew angry and suspicious that Democrats might try to leak that assessment to undermine his bid for reelection.
Soon after, Trump replaced his then-acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire, whom he apparently blamed for Pierson’s briefing, with Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist and the U.S. ambassador to Germany.
The briefing appeared to be an attempt by the intelligence officials to soften their message in the wake of a session last month in which the intelligence community’s point person on foreign election threats, Shelby Pierson, informed House Intelligence Committee members that Russia had “developed a preference” for Trump in 2020.
Pierson did not say that Russia had taken steps based on that preference to intervene on behalf of Trump, an intelligence official said. But that nuance apparently did not mollify Trump, who when informed of her briefing, grew angry and suspicious that Democrats might try to leak that assessment to undermine his bid for reelection.
On Tuesday, senators also were disconcerted that Grenell, as the head of the intelligence community, was not present, said one of the people briefed on the session. The heads of other agencies, including acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf, were there, and Grenell had been scheduled to appear, according to a list of participants circulated to lawmakers on Monday.
But Grenell declined to go to the Hill, citing apprehension about his preparedness to address sensitive subjects that tend to upset the president, according to three people familiar with the matter.
He asked Trump to be excused from the briefings because he anticipated pointed questions from Democrats about politically volatile subjects — such as intelligence assessments that Russia is once more interfering in U.S. politics, two people familiar with the matter said. They, too, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.
Maura Beard, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), said in a statement that the agency never told Congress that Grenell would participate in the briefing. She said so despite the list circulated to lawmakers Monday showing that he was scheduled.
“FBI and DHS are the lead in charge of securing our elections, and the [intelligence community] is participating in today’s briefings in support of that mission,” Beard’s statement said, referring to the Department of Homeland Security. “The [intelligence community] is focused on detecting and countering foreign election-related threats.”
Grenell’s name had been included in the list of briefers given to Congress on Feb. 27 as well, people familiar with the matter said, along with other national security officials including Wray, Nakasone and Wolf.
The latest list of briefers, provided to Congress on Tuesday morning, included Evanina in lieu of Grenell.
Trump has long chafed at notions that Russia has interfered in or sought to intervene in the election, dating back to his pique at the U.S. intelligence community’s unanimous conclusion that Moscow took steps to aid his election in 2016.
“There is another Russia, Russia, Russia meeting today,” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. “It is headed up by corrupt politician [House Intelligence Committee Chairman] Adam “Shifty” Schiff, so I wouldn’t expect too much!”
Schiff tweeted in response: “Mr. President, you are wrong. As usual. Today’s briefing for all House Members focuses on the threat of foreign interference in our election. The briefers are agency heads and senior officials. They are your own people. We will insist on the truth, whether you like it or not.”
Grenell, who lacks substantive intelligence community experience, has been one of Trump’s most vocal and partisan backers. Even before he took the ambassador position, he cast doubt on the idea of Russian interference in the 2016 election. In an opinion article for Fox News, he played down the severity of the threat, saying “Russian or Russian-approved tactics like cyber warfare and campaign of misinformation have been happening for decades.”
Tuesday’s briefing is part of a regular series to keep lawmakers apprised of the government’s progress in securing federal elections and on foreign interference. Congress in December mandated such briefings for leadership and the House and Senate Intelligence committees.
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| mikenov on Twitter: The #KGB #Puppet #Trump #shapes the #testimonies of his #puppets to #Congress. #RemovethePUPPETS!!! #Sanitize them with #Chlorox! Get the #TRUTH!!! No evidence yet that #Russia has taken steps to help any #candidate in 2020, #intellige | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 09:20:08 -0400
The #KGB #Puppet #Trump #shapes the #testimonies of his #puppets to #Congress. #RemovethePUPPETS!!! #Sanitize them with #Chlorox! Get the #TRUTH!!!
No evidence yet that #Russia has taken steps to help any #candidate in 2020, #intelligence official tells... washingtonpost.com/national-secur… | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: A senior U.S. intelligence official told Congress on Tuesday that the intelligence community does not as yet have evidence that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election to benefit a particular candidate washingtonpost.com/national-se | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:47:36 -0400
A senior U.S. intelligence official told Congress on Tuesday that the intelligence community does not as yet have evidence that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election to benefit a particular candidate washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
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| mikenov on Twitter: No evidence yet that Russia has taken steps to help any candidate in 2020, intelligence official tells Congress washingtonpost.com/national-secur… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:47:03 -0400
No evidence yet that Russia has taken steps to help any candidate in 2020, intelligence official tells Congress washingtonpost.com/national-secur…
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| mikenov on Twitter: 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): Just Security: The Early Edition: March 11, 2020 trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:46:06 -0400
1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): Just Security: The Early Edition: March 11, 2020 trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/11/…
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| The Tycoon Hunting Down The World’s Hackers—And Fending Off A Trump Ukraine Conspiracy Theory - Forbes | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:32:48 -0400 The Tycoon Hunting Down The World’s Hackers—And Fending Off A Trump Ukraine Conspiracy Theory Forbes | |||
| China Hawks Are Calling the Coronavirus a ‘Wake-Up Call’ - The Atlantic | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:32:32 -0400 China Hawks Are Calling the Coronavirus a ‘Wake-Up Call’ The Atlantic | |||
| Putin Is on First Name Terms with Trump: 'He Calls Me Vladimir, I Call Him Donald' - Newsweek | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:32:25 -0400
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| "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These Red Flags" | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:31:54 -0400 Interview with David Enrich on Trump's Finances "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These Red Flags". Greed, envy, poor leadership and a ... | |||
| Interview with David Enrich on Trump's Finances: "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These Red Flags" - DER SPIEGEL | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:31:25 -0400
Interview with David Enrich on Trump's Finances: "Deutsche Bank Turned a Blind Eye to All These Red Flags" DER SPIEGEL | |||
| "2016 elections and mental health" - Google News: US briefing: Biden wins big again, US Covid-19 cases pass 1000, and MH17 - The Guardian | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:30:18 -0400 US briefing: Biden wins big again, US Covid-19 cases pass 1000, and MH17 The Guardian | |||
| Just Security: The Early Edition: March 11, 2020 | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:29:47 -0400
Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad. Here’s today’s news. RUSSIA A senior U.S. intelligence official told lawmakers yesterday that the intelligence community does not as yet have proof that Russia is meddling in the 2020 election to advance a particular candidate, according to four officials familiar with the closed briefings in the House and Senate. The head of national counterintelligence, William Evanina, seemed to be softening an assessment delivered to lawmakers in the House last month that Russia had grown a “preference” for President Trump — a briefing that riled the president when he was told that it had been given to lawmakers, the officials said. Evanina told senators that the Kremlin “continues to be broadly engaged in social media activities designed to divide us further, to discredit our electoral system and to disrupt our election,” according to one official present at the all-members classified meeting. Ellen Nakashima and Seung Min Kim report for the Washington Post. Prior to the day’s briefings, however, Kashyap Patel, a former White House and congressional aide who moved to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell’s office last month, “met with intelligence officials and imposed limits on what they could tell Congress about foreign influence operations,” according to two people familiar with the matter. Patel’s remarks “struck some intelligence officials as an inappropriate politicization of the briefing.” Some have been suspicious of his partisan background since his arrival as a top adviser to Grenell; Patel was previously a senior investigator for Representative Devin Nunes and played a central role in helping Republicans try to discredit the Russia investigation by writing a memo that accused law enforcement officials of abusing their power. Julian E. Barnes, Nicholas Fandos and Adam Goldman report for the New York Times Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed legislation that permits him to run for two more six-year terms. The 67-year-old emphasized that the legislation, which passed the lower house of Parliament yesterday, still requires approval from Russia’s Constitutional Court and a nationwide vote scheduled for April — largely a formality given the country’s tightly controlled politics. Andrew Roth reports for The Guardian. “A series of choreographed political moves in Russia’s parliament set the stage for the longtime leader to serve as the country’s president for another 16 years.” Reid Standish explains the new constitutional amendment in a piece for Foreign Policy. Dutch prosecutors have accused Russia of trying to “thwart” the probe into the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight 17 in Ukraine in 2014, saying this has cast “a dark shadow” over the upcoming trial of four suspects. Pre-trial hearings started in Amsterdam on Monday. Prosecutors say the defendants – three Russians and a Ukrainian – helped organize the Russian missile system that shot down MH17, a civilian airliner, killing all 298 passengers onboard. Reuters reporting. U.S. and Royal Canadian air force fighter jets intercepted two Russian reconnaissance aircraft while they were flying off the Alaskan coast on Monday, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced yesterday. The U.S. F-22 stealth jets and Canadian CF-18 fighters “intercepted two Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone,” NORAD said in a series of messages posted on Twitter. Ellen Mitchell reports for the Hill. CORONAVIRUS Across the U.S., efforts to control the novel coronavirus intensified yesterday, as the number of confirmed American cases surpassed 1,000 and the death toll reached 31. New York imposed a “containment area” around a portion of New Rochelle, the New York City suburb with more than half the state’s reported cases, while the Democratic presidential candidates called off rallies in Ohio. Fears about the spread of the virus in the U.S. also moved organizers to cancel major sports and cultural events across the country. Jennifer Calfas and Chong Koh Ping report for the Wall Street Journal. During a meeting with Senate Republicans yesterday, President Trump and top economic officials presented a slate of measures to help mitigate the economic fallout from the spread of the coronavirus, but no consensus was reached on the proposals. Trump made the rare trip to Capitol Hill after pledging “very major” economic relief. But while sources familiar with the midday meeting said a host of options were discussed, members emerged without a solid plan. The Trump administration’s proposals included a payroll tax cut, targeted relief for hard-hit industries and paid sick leave. Ted Barrett, Kaitlan Collins, Lauren Fox, Jeremy Herb and Manu Raju report for CNN. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday urged Iran to release Americans who are being wrongfully imprisoned and warned that the U.S. would hold Tehran accountable if any of them died from the coronavirus. “Our response will be decisive,” Pompeo warned in a statement, adding, “Reports that COVID-19 has spread to Iranian prisons are deeply troubling and demand nothing less than the full and immediate release of all American citizens.” At least four Americans are detained in Iran, which has reported more than 8,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 300 deaths. Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood report for CNN. U.S. sanctions on Iran have seriously impaired the country’s ability to import drugs and medicines into the country, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said during a news conference today. Ramin Mostaghim reports at CNN. A look at the series of “missed chances” by the federal government to provide more widespread testing during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, when greater containment still seemed achievable, is provided by Sheri Fink and Mike Baker at the New York Times. “The multilateral [health] system failed at what it had been specifically redesigned in 2005 to do: prevent the denial and inaction of one nation from putting many other nations at risk of a pandemic of deadly disease,” Thomas J. Bollyky and Yanzhong Huang argue at Foreign Policy. A map and analysis of all confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. is available at the New York Times. U.S. and worldwide maps tracking the spread of the epidemic are available at the Washington Post. AFGHANISTAN Afghan President Ashraf Ghani yesterday approved the phased release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners as part of efforts to secure a peace deal with the insurgent group. The presidential decree allows for the release of 100 prisoners a day for 15 days and requires all captives to give “a written guarantee to not return to the battlefield.” After that, any further releases will be contingent on launching intra-Afghan talks aimed at ending the 18-year-long war. In exchange, the Taliban have apparently agreed to hand over 1,000 government troops. Hamid Shalizi reports for Reuters. The Taliban, however, have responded by calling the limited release “not satisfactory” and against the U.S.-Taliban deal signed in Doha last month. “This is not mentioned in the agreement,” Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said, adding, “all 5,000 [prisoners] should be released” before direct talks are initiated. Mujib Mashal reports for the New York Times. Ghani’s decree came as the American agreement with the Taliban received a unanimous endorsement yesterday from the United Nations Security Council — a rare instance of agreement by the 15-member body. The resolution, sponsored by the U.S., hailed the significant steps towards ending the conflict and “opening the door” to dialogue between the Afghans themselves. The U.N. News Centre reporting. The U.S. commander for the Middle East and Afghanistan has said the Taliban are not keeping “their part of the bargain” from the deal signed with the U.S. just over a week ago, saying the insurgents were continuing to launch attacks against Afghan forces. U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie was giving evidence to the House Armed Services Committee yesterday as lawmakers continue to voice concern over the Trump administration’s deal with the Taliban that covers a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Rebecca Kheel reports for the Hill. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday urged Afghanistan’s backers to ensure that women take part in negotiations to end the country’s long war — and to never again allow the Taliban to inflict “a reign of terror against women and girls.” Addressing ambassadors and activists at U.N. Headquarters, Clinton said Afghan women today are rightly worried that the gains they have made since the Taliban were removed from power in 2001 “will be washed away in a rush to achieve a peace that will not hold anyway.” AP reporting. Why is the Trump administration keeping parts of its deal with the Taliban private from the public? The New York Times editorial board notes that lawmakers who have seen the classified annexes of the agreement say the Taliban have given only vague assurances that they will abide by the United States’ demands. TURKEY-SYRIA America has offered to sell Turkey its Patriot missile defense system if Ankara vows not to utilize a rival Russian system, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, in what he called a “significant softening” in Washington’s stance. Two Turkish officials said that Turkey was assessing the U.S. offer but added that Ankara had not altered its plans for the Russian S-400 systems, which it has said it would begin to activate next month. Al Jazeera reporting. As the Syria regime maintains pressure on Idlib province, activists continue documenting atrocities in hopes of holding President Bashar al-Assad and his accomplices accountable someday. Public interest lawyer Deyaa Alrwishdi explains why this approach, and other efforts to achieve accountability, can be “misguided” in a piece for Just Security. FISA REFORM House leaders yesterday reached a bipartisan deal to revamp surveillance laws just days before three critical F.B.I. investigative tools expire, increasing the prospect of an eleventh hour breakthrough in a politically complicated debate over civil liberties and national security. Much of the revised bill is similar to the legislation that the Judiciary Committee had been set to mark up a fortnight ago, before a revolt by liberal lawmakers seeking more radical changes derailed it. But it contains some adjustments, including new privacy protections and tougher criminal penalties for abusing surveillance powers. Nicholas Fandos and Charlie Savage report for the New York Times. The bill represents a modest win for House G.O.P. members seeking greater accountability, the Wall Street Journal editorial board argues. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that the Justice Department must provide a Democratic-led congressional panel grand jury material redacted from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, dealing a blow to President Trump’s administration. Ann E. Marimow reports for the Washington Post. The head of U.S. Central Command said yesterday that the United States was in the process of transporting air defense systems to Iraq to better defend American troops in case of a potential Iranian attack. Reuters reporting. At the same time, the U.S. military has apparently begun to pull small numbers of soldiers out of the Middle East after concluding that the threat of reprisal attacks from Iran or its proxies has diminished, military officials said. The Wall Street Journal reporting. The strengths, weaknesses and implications of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s controversial database of businesses linked to Israeli settlements are explored by Tara Van Ho at Just Security. The post The Early Edition: March 11, 2020 appeared first on Just Security. | |||
| Coronavirus provides unique opportunity to meddle in U.S. election, officials warn | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:32:22 -0400
Internet trolls backed by foreign governments interested in meddling in the U.S. election could try to exaggerate the threat of the coronavirus to keep Americans from going to the polls in upcoming elections, according to government officials and experts.
The coronavirus has infected more than 83,000 people around the world and caused nearly 3,000 deaths, mostly in China. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that it expected the virus would spread further in the United States. “I think it’s possible that Russia would use any pandemic event or any fears on Election Day to try to dampen turnout,” said Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation fellow at the Wilson Center, a nonprofit policy research organization. “If coronavirus is still active in November, Russia doesn’t even necessarily need to spread fears about coronavirus on Election Day. It could just spread this information ahead of the elections about coronavirus in locations like polling places or other public places.” The possibility that fears about a pandemic could be weaponized to keep voters at home is “one of a number of scenarios” that federal election security officials are considering, Chris Krebs, the director of the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division, told NBC News. Byers Market NewsletterGet breaking news and insider analysis on the rapidly changing world of media and technology right to your inbox.But the possibility of inflating fear of disease to keep people at home on Election Day — one that doesn’t necessarily need to mention the polls — shows how disinformation campaigns can potentially sidestep tech companies’ safeguards. Misinformation about health scares are trickier. Last year, Facebook implemented a policy to let fact-checkers examine health claims and limit their ability to spread if they’re found to be misleading, though some cases slip through the cracks. In January, the company said it would go a step further with coronavirus conspiracy theories by removing them, though only if they’d been debunked by health authorities. Facebook has gamed out hypotheticals about a fictionalized or an emergency situation on Election Day, according to Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy. Russian propagandists have a long history of spreading and amplifying conspiracy theories in the U.S. about existing diseases. In the early 1980s, the KGB infamously undertook a campaign to spread the false claim that the U.S. government had created AIDS — which was already an organic, domestic conspiracy theory — with tactics like writing an anonymous newspaper op-ed claiming to be from a whistleblowing American scientist who claimed it was a Pentagon biological weapon gone awry. More recently, the Internet Research Agency, the Russian “troll factory” indicted in 2018 by the former special counsel Robert Mueller for alleged crimes related to influence operations against Americans ahead of the 2016 election, has spent some of its efforts exaggerating the threat of contagious disease. As early as 2014, the agency posted a YouTube video, since removed by Google, that falsely purported to show an Ebola victim being wheeled through the parking lot of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. “It’s hard to predict what fissures in our society Russia or other bad actors will use to manipulate us next,” Jankowicz said. “I don’t think there’s a sure thing in this business.”
Kevin Collier
Kevin Collier is a cybersecurity reporter based in New York City. | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: #Coronavirus provides unique opportunity to meddle in U.S. #election, officials warn nbcnews.com/tech/security/… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:32:00 -0400
#Coronavirus provides unique opportunity to meddle in U.S. #election, officials warn nbcnews.com/tech/security/…
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| mikenov on Twitter: #Russian Parliament Paves Way For Vladimir #Putin to Remain in #Power Until #2036 foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/11/rus… | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:30:32 -0400
#Russian Parliament Paves Way For Vladimir #Putin to Remain in #Power Until #2036 foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/11/rus…
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| Russian Parliament Paves Way For Vladimir Putin to Remain in Power Until 2036 | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:29:43 -0400
Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: Russia paves way for Putin to stay on as president, Britain slashes interest rates as U.S. President Trump attacks the Fed and weighs an economic stimulus, and the latest on the coronavirus.
We welcome your feedback at morningbrief@foreignpolicy.com. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would approve newly-proposed changes to the Russian constitution that would allow him to remain in power until 2036. Under the current constitution, Putin would be required to step down when his term ends in 2024, and speculation was rife about what Putin would do next. Valentina Tereshkova, a member of parliament for the ruling United Russia party, proposed the surprise constitutional amendment that would reset Putin’s presidential term count to zero. Is it all a done deal? As Reid Standish reports in Foreign Policy, the decision “has not eliminated ambiguity about the Kremlin’s course of action. Rather, the dramatic move is widely seen as part of an effort to create options for the Russian leader.” Notably, Putin was not definitive as to whether he would continue as president, telling Russia’s parliament, “I’m sure that together, we will do many more great things, at least until 2024. Then, we will see.” What happens next? In approving of the amendment proposal, Putin said that any such move would need to be voted on in a public referendum. Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a Russia expert the Center for a New American Security and former intelligence officer at the U.S. National Intelligence Council, said that a vote, floated for April 22, would come at an opportune time for the measure to pass. “There’s now less time for the opposition to organize against it. You also have the confluence of the coronavirus outbreak, which makes it easier for authorities to ban mass gatherings,” she said.
What We’re Following Today
U.S. stocks rebound as Trump weighs stimulus. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones industrial average both rose by just under 5 percent in a late rally after Monday’s plunge of nearly 8 percent. The gains came as U.S. President Donald Trump said he would take “major steps” to stimulate the economy, including a payroll tax cut. On Twitter, President Trump pressured the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, calling it “pathetic” and saying competing nations have as much as a “two point advantage” over the United States at present.Interests rates cut in Britain. On Wednesday morning, the Bank of England announced an emergency interest rate cut of 0.5 percent—from 0.75 percent to 0.25 percent, a record low for Britain. The cut is the first since August 2016, when rates briefly declined to 0.25 percent before being raised back to 0.5 percent a few months later. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously in favor of the move on Tuesday, along with other relief measures for small businesses. Foreign Policy’s Keith Johnson reports on the limits of economic remedies in tackling the impacts of the coronavirus. Big Tuesday Results. Joe Biden continued his quest to become the Democratic party’s nominee for president with a strong showing in six states. Biden took the top prize, Michigan, defeating his rival Sen. Bernie Sanders by a margin of 53 percent to 37 percent according to preliminary results. Italy continues its attempts to contain the outbreak at home. Meanwhile, Austria and Slovenia have closed their borders with the country, but those of France and Switzerland remain open. Yesterday, Italy’s Deputy Finance Minister Laura Castelli confirmed that mortgage payments would be temporarily frozen for individuals and households. Italy’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped 36 percent from 366 to 463, making it the worst-hit country after China. Japan’s government announced $4 billion in spending to mitigate the economic effects of coronavirus and improve medical facilities. Finance Minister Taro Aso said the funds would come from an existing budget reserve and not from any extra budget. According to the Wall Street Journal, the measures include offering emergency zero-interest loans of $1,900 to support the newly unemployed and others facing hardship. South Korea has seen a decrease in reported cases of coronavirus for the fourth consecutive day. The country still has 7,513 confirmed cases but has managed to slow the outbreak with aggressive measures, such as free testing and setting up drive-through rapid testing stations. British Health Minister Nadine Dorries has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating at home. Her diagnosis has prompted worries about the virus spreading in Parliament and at Downing Street, where Dorries attended a reception with Prime Minister Boris Johnson a few days ago. Although some have called for shutting down Parliament as a precaution, Johnson has shown no intention of doing so. Chinese President Xi Jinping made a visit to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, where the outbreak began and the vast majority of coronavirus-related deaths have occurred. His appearance on Tuesday was a show of confidence in China’s ability to handle the outbreak, and comes after Chinese officials reported on Monday that only 17 new cases were reported in Hubei. As the virus epicenter, mainland China has been worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak, with over 80,000 confirmed cases so far. Beijing continues to censor coronavirus whistleblowers. As China celebrates the decline in cases, it is also stepping up censorship of whistleblowers calling attention to Beijing’s botched early response to the disease. Ai Fen, Wuhan Central Hospital’s director of emergency medicine, gave an interview to the Chinese magazine Renwu, chronicling how she discovered one of the first confirmed cases after seeing lab test results on Dec. 30 and shared a photo of the results with colleagues—and how she was subsequently reprimanded for spreading rumors. “If I had known what was to happen, I would not have cared about the reprimand. I would have fucking talked about it to whoever, wherever I could,” she said in the interview, which has now been erased from the Chinese internet. Readers have scrambled to preserve it through screenshots and transliteration into emojis, morse code, and pinyin. What is driving the coronavirus panic? Foreign Policy Editor in Chief Jonathan Tepperman lays out the three overarching reasons why this crisis is different. South African court clears Ramaphosa. The high court in Pretoria has cleared South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after he stood accused of misleading parliament over a $34,000 campaign contribution from the CEO of a local company. It’s a rare boost for Ramaphosa, who is presiding over a recession in South Africa and whose leadership of the ruling African National Congress is in question ahead of a July party conference, where his internal opponents may seek to recall him. Turkey Patriot deal. Turkish officials said that the United States is open to renewing a deal on Patriot missile systems as well as returning Turkey to the F-35 fighter jet program in return for Turkey backing out of its air defense deal with Russia. The deal appears to hinge on whether the United States will agree to terms on joint production and knowledge transfer. If no deal is made with the United States, Turkey plans to activate its Russian-made S-400 systems next month. Irish rivals seek coalition. Four weeks after the Irish general election delivered a stalemate, long-standing rivals Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have announced they are entering talks to form a government. If talks are successful, it would be the first time the two parties would share power in Ireland’s history. It’s also likely to be a weak coalition, as both parties combined do not have enough seats for a majority.
Foreign Policy Recommends
When two protesters were killed in Hong Kong, it made headlines around the world. Over 600 people have been killed over the past five months in ongoing anti-government protests in Iraq, and it has barely scratched the surface of the news cycle. The journalist and illustrator Andrew North reports from Baghdad for Tortoise Media about how Iraq’s post-Saddam Hussein generation is facing down tear gas and gunfire as they call for new elections, an end to U.S. and Iranian interference, and a way to overcome the ethnic and religious divides that have driven the country’s politics. –Amy MackinnonIn France, the mayor of the small town of Landerneau that played host to a gathering of 3,500 people dressed as Smurfs over the weekend has defended of the event, which had come under fire over fears it could spread the coronavirus. “We must not stop living … it was the chance to say that we are alive,” Mayor Patrick Leclerc told AFP. That’s it for today. For more from FP, visit foreignpolicy.com, subscribe here, or sign up for our other newsletters. Send your tips, comments, questions, or corrections to morningbrief@foreignpolicy.com. Image credit: Alexander Nemenov/AFP | |||
| Google Alert - Elections Israel: From Yoni's Desk: Health before politics in fragmented Israel | |||
| Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:18:21 -0400 Nonetheless, the world of Israeli politics remains in a lockdown of its own, post-election, after voting left the country divided once again. With most of the ... | |||
| Google Alert - Elections Israel: Israel Prez receives official election results | |||
Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:18:01 -0400
Jerusalem, Mar 11 (UNI) Israel President Reuven Rivlin issued a call for a unity government after the official results of the March 2 elections were ... | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: "russian infiltration of both republican and democratic campaigns in elections 2016" - Google News: Russia Was Targeting America When It Triggered the Oil War - theTrumpet.com trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/10/… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:57:25 -0400
"russian infiltration of both republican and democratic campaigns in elections 2016" - Google News: Russia Was Targeting America When It Triggered the Oil War - theTrumpet.com trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/10/…
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| mikenov on Twitter: The #FBINews Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: 9:35 PM 3/10/2020 - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsL... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/935-pm… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:42:44 -0400
The #FBINews Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: 9:35 PM 3/10/2020 - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsL... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/935-pm…
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| mikenov on Twitter: The #FBI #News #Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - #Blog by #MichaelNovakhov: 9:35 PM 3/10/2020 - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsL... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/935-pm… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:42:13 -0400
The #FBI #News #Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - #Blog by #MichaelNovakhov: 9:35 PM 3/10/2020 - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsL... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/935-pm…
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| mikenov on Twitter: The FBI News Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: 9:35 PM 3/10/2020 - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsL... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/935-pm… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:41:34 -0400
The FBI News Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: 9:35 PM 3/10/2020 - Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsL... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/935-pm…
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| 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 Russ | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:41:14 -0400
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. The other parts of the KGB (Russian Intelligence Services) Subversive Secret wars against America and the West are the active use of 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 
Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠ | Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠ - on RSS Dog | Michael Novakhov – SharedNewsLinks℠ – In Brief | Trump Investigations News In Brief – http://feed.informer.com/share/CGD4YTZW07 | Trump Investigations News – Page Link – News In Brief | Tweets | Videos | Michael Novakhov – SharedNewsLinks℠ – Page
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| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:28:36 -0400 | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: 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. thetru | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:19:33 -0400
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. thetrumpet.com/blogs/61-andre…
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| Russia Was Targeting America When It Triggered the Oil War | theTrumpet.com | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:16:44 -0400
 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 | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:15:35 -0400
 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 worldvi
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| mikenov on Twitter: 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.” Russia Wa | the | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:06:44 -0400
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.”
Russia Wa | theTrumpet.com thetrumpet.com/blogs/61-andre… | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… - Full text on Facebook #Russia Was Targeting #America When It Triggered the #OilWar | theTrumpet.com thetrumpet.com/blogs/61-andre… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:03:46 -0400
facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… - Full text on Facebook
#Russia Was Targeting #America When It Triggered the #OilWar | theTrumpet.com thetrumpet.com/blogs/61-andre… | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: 1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "Trump and Russia" - Google News: Trump Dismisses His Administration’s Briefing on Russian Interference - The New York Times trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/10/… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:30:16 -0400
1. Trump from Michael_Novakhov (197 sites): "Trump and Russia" - Google News: Trump Dismisses His Administration’s Briefing on Russian Interference - The New York Times trumpandtrumpism.com/wp/2020/03/10/…
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| Trump Dismisses His Administration’s Briefing on Russian Interference | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:27:38 -0400
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.
Looking for more political news? We can help.
“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. | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Trump Dismisses His Administration’s Briefing on Russian Interference nyti.ms/2W82sZQ | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:25:55 -0400 | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Wars of Religion wp.me/p4ja0Z-N0Y via @aminterest | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:11:32 -0400 | |||
| Wars of Religion - The American Interest | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:10:41 -0400
“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 ar | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: 1:49 PM 3/10/2020 - It seems to me, that the most logical explanation for the quite specific pattern of the #CoronaVirus pandemic spread, are the actions of the #Russian Intelligence services and namely #Putin fbinewsreview.blogspot.co | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:58:45 -0400
1:49 PM 3/10/2020 - It seems to me, that the most logical explanation for the quite specific pattern of the #CoronaVirus pandemic spread, are the actions of the #Russian Intelligence services and namely #Putin fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/149-pm…
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| mikenov on Twitter: 1:49 PM 3/10/2020 - It seems to me, that the most logical explanation for the quite specific pattern of the CoronaVirus pandemic spread, are the actions of the Russian Intelligence services and namely Putin fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2 | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:58:02 -0400
1:49 PM 3/10/2020 - It seems to me, that the most logical explanation for the quite specific pattern of the CoronaVirus pandemic spread, are the actions of the Russian Intelligence services and namely Putin fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/149-pm…
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| mikenov on Twitter: The FBI News Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: 1:49 PM 3/10/2020 - It seems to me, that the most ... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/149-pm… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:57:49 -0400
The FBI News Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: 1:49 PM 3/10/2020 - It seems to me, that the most ... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/149-pm…
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| mikenov on Twitter: RT @realDonaldTrump: Great meeting on Capitol Hill with the @SenateGOP! pic.twitter.com/eNB8zMRCup | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:54:44 -0400
Great meeting on Capitol Hill with the @SenateGOP! pic.twitter.com/eNB8zMRCup
Retweeted by
mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 6:54pm9122 likes, 2509 retweets | |||
| NYC Half Marathon, St. Patrick’s Day Parade Still Planned Amid Calls For ‘Social Distancing’ – CBS New York | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:46:35 -0400
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. | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Coronavirus Update: NYC Half Marathon, St. Patrick's Day Parade Still Planned Amid Calls For 'Social Distancing' cbsloc.al/39KOSQs#.Xmfge… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:46:19 -0400
Coronavirus Update: NYC Half Marathon, St. Patrick's Day Parade Still Planned Amid Calls For 'Social Distancing' cbsloc.al/39KOSQs#.Xmfge…
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| mikenov on Twitter: IRGC Says Coronavirus Outbreak Is ‘Biological Warfare’ By America, 3,500 Infected en.radiofarda.com/a/irgc-says-co… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:29:06 -0400
IRGC Says Coronavirus Outbreak Is ‘Biological Warfare’ By America, 3,500 Infected en.radiofarda.com/a/irgc-says-co…
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| IRGC Says Coronavirus Outbreak Is ‘Biological Warfare’ By America, 3,500 Infected | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:28:55 -0400
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 | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:24:56 -0400
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." | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Iranian Researcher and Former Diplomat Amir Mousavi: Coronavirus Created in a Lab; U.S. May Have the Cure, but Is Waiting to Release It in Order to Profit memri.org/tv/iranian-res… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:24:41 -0400
Iranian Researcher and Former Diplomat Amir Mousavi: Coronavirus Created in a Lab; U.S. May Have the Cure, but Is Waiting to Release It in Order to Profit memri.org/tv/iranian-res…
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| mikenov on Twitter: #iranvatican relations - Google Search google.com/search?q=iran+… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:23:33 -0400 | |||
| Holy See–Iran relations - Wikipedia | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:22:00 -0400
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] | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: iran vatican relations - Google Search google.com/search?q=iran+… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:19:34 -0400 | |||
| 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Iran - Wikipedia | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:42:57 -0400
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] | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: 2020 coronavirus outbreak in Iran - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coro… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:41:04 -0400 | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: coronavirus as biological weapon: Iran and Qom, government - Google Search google.com/search?newwind… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:38:44 -0400
coronavirus as biological weapon: Iran and Qom, government - Google Search google.com/search?newwind…
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| mikenov on Twitter: coronavirus as biological weapon: Iran and Qom - Google Search google.com/search?newwind… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:37:52 -0400 | |||
| Iran: ‘Zionists Developed the Coronavirus’ | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:27:00 -0400
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. | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: The #FBINews Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020: Propelled by Hatred and... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-105… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:01:32 -0400
The #FBINews Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020: Propelled by Hatred and... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-105…
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| mikenov on Twitter: The #FBI #News #Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - #Blog by #MichaelNovakhov: M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020: #Propelled by #Hatred and... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-105… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:01:10 -0400
The #FBI #News #Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - #Blog by #MichaelNovakhov: M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020: #Propelled by #Hatred and... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-105…
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| mikenov on Twitter: 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 #Intelligencewar on #America and the #West fbinewsreview.blogspot | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:00:15 -0400
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 #Intelligencewar on #America and the #West fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-105…
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| mikenov on Twitter: The FBI News Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020: Propelled by Hatred and... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-105… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:58:32 -0400
The FBI News Review - fbinewsreview.blogspot.com - Blog by Michael Novakhov: M.N. | 10:50 AM 3/10/2020: Propelled by Hatred and... fbinewsreview.blogspot.com/2020/03/mn-105…
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| 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 | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:57:20 -0400
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 __________________________________________________________________________
Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠ | Michael Novakhov - SharedNewsLinks℠ - on RSS Dog | Michael Novakhov – SharedNewsLinks℠ – In Brief | Trump Investigations News In Brief – http://feed.informer.com/share/CGD4YTZW07 | Trump Investigations News – Page Link – News In Brief | Tweets | Videos | Michael Novakhov – SharedNewsLinks℠ – Page
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| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:35:17 -0400
For the KGB, the alliance with the Criminal Underworld - 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.
#CIA google.com/search?q=Like+… nyti.ms/2IByy8q | |||
| Пленарное заседание Государственной Думы • Президент России | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:19:05 -0400
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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| mikenov on Twitter: The other parts of the KGB (Russian Intelligence Services) Subversive Secret wars against America and the West are the active use of emigres from the USSR as their Fifth Column and aggressive infiltration of the US Government #CIA goo | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:16:28 -0400
The other parts of the KGB (Russian Intelligence Services) Subversive Secret wars against America and the West are the active use of emigres from the USSR as their Fifth Column and aggressive infiltration of the US Government #CIA
google.com/search?newwind… nyti.ms/2IByy8q | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: 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 only a part of... goog | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:05:05 -0400
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 only a part of...
google.com/search?q=Prope… nyti.ms/2IByy8q | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Russian intelligence services in war against U.S. - Google Search google.com/search?q=Russi… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:40:00 -0400 | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Russian intelligence services in war against U.S. - Google Search google.com/search?newwind… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:39:42 -0400 | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Russian intelligence services are trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups to sow chaos in the United States, American intelligence ... 4 hours ago russian intelligence services - Google Search google.com/search?q=russi… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:38:14 -0400
Russian intelligence services are trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups to sow chaos in the United States, American intelligence ...
4 hours ago russian intelligence services - Google Search google.com/search?q=russi… | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Top Secret Russian Unit Seeks to Destabilize Europe Oct 8, 2019 - Though the operations bore the fingerprints of Russia's intelligence services... russian intelligence services - Google Search google.com/search?q=russi… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:36:48 -0400
Top Secret Russian Unit Seeks to Destabilize Europe
Oct 8, 2019 - Though the operations bore the fingerprints of Russia's intelligence services... russian intelligence services - Google Search google.com/search?q=russi… | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Full Text on Facebook | Shared Links: michael_novakhov.newsblur.com facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… Russia Trying to Stoke U.S. Racial Tensions Before Election, Officials Say nyti.ms/2IByy8q | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:20:41 -0400
Full Text on Facebook | Shared Links: michael_novakhov.newsblur.com
facebook.com/mike.nova3/pos… Russia Trying to Stoke U.S. Racial Tensions Before Election, Officials Say nyti.ms/2IByy8q | |||
| Russia Trying to Stoke U.S. Racial Tensions Before Election, Officials Say | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:17:07 -0400
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.
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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. | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @nytimes: Russian intelligence services are trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups to sow chaos in the United States, Ame… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:15:45 -0400
Russian intelligence services are trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups to sow chaos in the United States, American intelligence officials said nyti.ms/38JS0L6
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:15pm1136 likes, 863 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @realDonaldTrump: Wow! @foxandfriends blew away the competition of Morning Joke (which did very poorly) on MSDNC (Another Comcast sleaze… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:15:34 -0400
Wow! @foxandfriends blew away the competition of Morning Joke (which did very poorly) on MSDNC (Another Comcast sleaze production), and @CNN’s New Day, in the Morning Television Ratings. A total blowout, but that’s what you get when you treat “Trump” fairly!
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:15pm38517 likes, 8563 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @Leonid_Gozman: Я никак не могу подобрать слова, чтобы выразить неуважение к этой власти в приличной форме - а в неприличной, как хочетс… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:15:02 -0400
Я никак не могу подобрать слова, чтобы выразить неуважение к этой власти в приличной форме - а в неприличной, как хочется, запрещает закон!
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:15pm1087 likes, 157 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @SenSchumer: What was glaringly missing from President Trump’s press conference was how he is actually going to combat the spread of the… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:14:50 -0400
What was glaringly missing from President Trump’s press conference was how he is actually going to combat the spread of the coronavirus and keep the American people safe.
It seems President Trump is more focused on the stock market than addressing this pandemic.
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:14pm14480 likes, 3633 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @washingtonpost: Opinion: We need leadership. We have Trump instead. wapo.st/39DnnrU | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:14:32 -0400
Opinion: We need leadership. We have Trump instead. wapo.st/39DnnrU
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:14pm2538 likes, 861 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @nytimes: Tens of thousands of women vanished from streets, offices and classrooms across Mexico on Monday, as part of a nationwide stri… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:14:15 -0400
Tens of thousands of women vanished from streets, offices and classrooms across Mexico on Monday, as part of a nationwide strike. The women’s absence from public spaces was intended to be a reminder that every day, 10 women in Mexico are killed. nyti.ms/38yaPAx
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:14pm9295 likes, 3709 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @SenSchumer: The best way to ensure economic security for the American people right now is for President Trump to deal with the coronavi… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:14:00 -0400
The best way to ensure economic security for the American people right now is for President Trump to deal with the coronavirus itself.
But rather than spend the weekend in Washington to get a grip on the crisis, President Trump was once again golfing at Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/jIo08B2k1V
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:14pm6396 likes, 2431 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: RT @Pontifex: Today the Lord calls all of us sinners to dialogue with Him: "Don't be afraid." "Though your sins be like scarlet, they may b… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:12:54 -0400
Today the Lord calls all of us sinners to dialogue with Him: "Don't be afraid." "Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow" (Is 1:18). #HomilySantaMarta youtube.com/watch?v=JJYLnA…
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mikenov on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 1:12pm6633 likes, 1204 retweets | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: Tweets And News - From Michael Novakhov: 8:21 AM 3/10/2020 - Trump had contact with congres... tweetsandnews.blogspot.com/2020/03/821-am… | |||
| Tue, 10 Mar 2020 08:32:38 -0400
Tweets And News - From Michael Novakhov: 8:21 AM 3/10/2020 - Trump had contact with congres... tweetsandnews.blogspot.com/2020/03/821-am…
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| 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 | |||
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 08:31:30 -0400
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 …
Congressmen Collins and Gaetz had contact with Trump before they self-quarantined over coronavirus...
Rep. Doug Collins and Matt Gaetz, two GOP members of Congress, had contact with President Donald Trump before they announced Monday they were entering self-quarantine because they were exposed to...
cnbc.com
#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 #sho | |||
| mikenov on Twitter: How a Saudi-Russian Standoff Sent Oil Markets Into a Frenzy nyti.ms/2TUBrqp | |||
| Mon, 09 Mar 2020 18:18:00 -0400 |
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