UN Warns of Devastating Famine in Yemen Over Aid Cuts

Saudi Arabia, UAE promised aid money but have not delivered

For years now, the UN has warned of an impending famine in Yemen, where a civilian population facing malnutrition is also under a heavy siege by the US-backed Saudi-led coalition. Recent aid cuts have made the situation worse, and the UN has slammed Saudi Arabia and the UAE for not delivering aid they have already promised.

Saudi Arabia, which regularly kills civilians in Yemen with airstrikes, pledged $500 million in aid for 2020. According to the UN, only $23 million has been delivered. Nor has the UAE delivered any aid to Yemen so far this year, according to UN numbers. Back in March, the US slashed the amount of aid going into Yemen to about half of what it usually provides. These aid cuts have caused the UN to close or reduce about 75 percent of its programs in the war-torn country.

The US and its allies blame the aid cuts on the Houthis, who are accused of disrupting aid shipments. The UN’s humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told CNN, that while Houthi obstruction is a problem, the main problem is the lack of funds.

“What’s bringing people to the brink of starvation is the fact that we have no money. And I do think it’s particularly reprehensible for countries which were contributing last year, said they were contributing again this year and then not pay,” Lowcock said.

CNN reported on a hospital in Abs, Yemen, that is already seeing the effects of these aid cuts. In August, the caseload for patients suffering from malnutrition was double the average monthly total.

Houthi-controlled areas in north Yemen suffer the most from these aid cuts, which is about 70 percent of the country’s population lives. About 80 percent of Yemen’s population is reliant on aid. Almost half of the country’s 30 million residents need immediate aid to “sustain or save their lives,” according to the UN.

Famine is not a new problem in Yemen. It has been ongoing since at least 2016. In 2018, Save the Children published a report that said as many as 85,000 children under the age of five died of starvation in Yemen between April 2015 and October 2018.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/09/15/un-warns-of-devastating-famine-in-yemen-over-aid-cuts/

Cyrus A Parsa What is TDS Artificial Intelligence Biometrics And More

“A Disgrace”: Amnesty International Blocked From Monitoring Trial of Julian Assange

Amnesty International’s Europe Director described the hearings against Assange as an “assault on the right to freedom of expression” that would have a “chilling effect on media freedom.”

The high profile extradition hearing of publisher and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange continued in Central London today. But it did so without oversight from international human rights groups. Julia Hall, an expert on criminal justice and human rights for Amnesty International, revealed that her organization was again denied entry to the court today, despite their repeated requests to be recognized as fair trial monitors.

Fair trial monitors are a critical component to upholding transparency and regulation in courtrooms across the world, reminding authorities that independent witnesses are scrutinizing them. Hall noted that Amnesty monitors have been recognized as international fair trial monitors for cases in many repressive states, including Bahrain and Turkey, and even oversaw cases at Guantanamo Bay. “It is a disgrace that the UK has failed to recognize that international fair trial monitors should be officially recognized and permitted access to the Assange hearings. Open justice is not served by this failure, it is profoundly undermined,” she wrote.

Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Nils Muižnieks, described the hearing as a “full-scale assault on the right to freedom of expression,” noting that if he were prosecuted, it would have a “chilling effect on media freedom, leading publishers and journalists to self-censor in fear of retaliation.” Hall added that it was not only Assange who was on trial but the fundamental tenets of media freedom. Amnesty also warned that an international smear campaign against him had threatened his right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Britain would also be breaking its obligation to international human rights law by transferring the Australian to a known human rights abusing nation, according to the organization.

1/ .@amnesty denied access again today to the court in the #Assange extradition hearing. We've made 3 applications requesting recognition as expert fair trial monitors. Judge states that no "special provision" will be made for our trial monitor's attendance. pic.twitter.com/psQ53H4aKU

— Julia Hall (@JuliaHall18) September 16, 2020

Assange is charged with violating the US Espionage Act and 17 counts of publishing secret American government information. If extradited from the United Kingdom, he faces up to 175 years in a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, described as the only “black site” on U.S. soil. Yet prosecutors today argued that, in reality, he would be unlikely to serve a sentence anything like as long. And while Assange’s father John Shipton said, “the entire indictment would allow for somebody to be arrested for reading” leaked documents, prosecutors argued there was no threat whatsoever to the First Amendment.

Assange’s defense team feels they have been fighting this case with not one, but both hands tied behind their back. They were barred from meeting with their client until the day of the trial, while judge Vanessa Baraitser has made a number of decisions that have led many to question her impartiality. For instance, she rejected 89-year-old defense witness Daniel Ellsberg’s request to speak at a time any later than 6:30 a.m. Earlier this week, she also reportedly threatened to remove Assange from his own trial if he cast doubt upon its legitimacy. “This is not due process. It is due revenge,” wrote veteran journalist John Pilger.

Today in the Old Bailey I watched the grim farce of the US/UK attempt to extradite Julian #Assange. The bullying prosecutor is reduced to insulting the integrity of expert witnesses. Trapped behind glass, Julian is denied free access to his barrister. This is Britain's shame.

— John Pilger (@johnpilger) September 14, 2020

https://www.mintpressnews.com/amnesty-international-blocked-from-monitoring-julian-assange-trial/271218/

Israel’s population up to 9.25 million, though growth rate, immigration down

State body says 25,000 people immigrated since the last Jewish New Year, down from 38,000 the year before; life expectancy, among world’s highest, rising slightly

Israel added over 150,000 people to its population rolls since the last Jewish New Year, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said Wednesday, days before the new year begins.

The population now stands at an estimated 9,246,000 people, 1.6 percent more than a year ago. Some 170,000 babies were born over the past year, while 44,000 people died, the bureau said.

The figure is a downturn after last year saw the population grow by 2.1%.

Another 25,000 people immigrated to the country, most of whom did so under the Law of Return, which grants citizenship eligibility to anyone with a Jewish grandparent.

The number represented a large drop from the last Jewish year, when some 38,000 people moved to the country, but was still lower than the years before that, during which some 26,000 to 30,000 immigrants moved to Israel annually

Despite the slowed growth, the bureau kept its population projections from last year, which predict that the Jewish state will reach a population of 10 million in 2024, 15 million in 2048 and 20 million in 2065.

Jews in Israel make up about 74% of the population, with 6,841,000 citizens registered as Jewish. Another 1,946,000 (21%) are Arab, and the rest, 459,000 (5%), are members of other groups. The percentages are roughly the same ratio as previous years.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-population-up-to-9-25-million-but-growth-rate-immigration-down/#gs.fs1655

Trump undercuts GOP, calls for bigger COVID-19 relief package

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President Trump on Wednesday shook up the high-stakes debate over coronavirus relief, undercutting the Republicans' long-held position by urging GOP leaders to go big.

Senate Republicans had initially offered a $1.1 trillion emergency aid package, but subsequently voted on a proposal providing just $650 billion — only $350 billion of it in new funding.

Democrats have howled at the GOP’s “emaciated” offer, arguing that it falls far short of the funding needed to address the dual health and economic crises caused by the deadly coronavirus.

On Wednesday morning, Trump stunned Washington by joining those Democratic critics in calling for Republicans to seek much more funding than they’ve previously proposed. He suggested it would not only provide relief to those struggling, but would also stimulate the domestic economy at large.

“Go for the much higher numbers, Republicans, it all comes back to the USA anyway (one way or another!),” Trump tweeted.

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President Trump on Wednesday shook up the high-stakes debate over coronavirus relief, undercutting the Republicans' long-held position by urging GOP leaders to go big.

Senate Republicans had initially offered a $1.1 trillion emergency aid package, but subsequently voted on a proposal providing just $650 billion — only $350 billion of it in new funding.

Democrats have howled at the GOP’s “emaciated” offer, arguing that it falls far short of the funding needed to address the dual health and economic crises caused by the deadly coronavirus.

On Wednesday morning, Trump stunned Washington by joining those Democratic critics in calling for Republicans to seek much more funding than they’ve previously proposed. He suggested it would not only provide relief to those struggling, but would also stimulate the domestic economy at large.

“Go for the much higher numbers, Republicans, it all comes back to the USA anyway (one way or another!),” Trump tweeted.

Judging by the immediate reaction of Senate Republicans, it appeared Trump did not tell his congressional allies that his change of position was forthcoming.

Sen. John Thune (S.D.), a member of GOP leadership, quickly warned that a stimulus package in the range of $1.5 trillion — which a group of centrist lawmakers from both parties proposed this week — would likely lead to "heartburn" among Republicans on Capitol Hill.

"If the number gets too high, anything that got passed in the Senate will be passed mostly with Democrat votes and a handful of Republicans," Thune told reporters in the Capitol. "So it's gonna have to stay in a, sort of, realistic range, if … we want to maximize, optimize the number of Republican senators that will vote for it."

But another member of GOP leadership, Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.), indicated he was hopeful for an agreement before the Nov. 3 election.

“I think there is a deal to be had here,” Blunt said. “My concern is that the window closes probably at the end of this month. We need to get busy finding out what we can all agree on. I think the number is gonna be higher than our trillion dollars.”

Minutes after Trump's tweet, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, a key negotiator, said he was more “optimistic” about a potential for a deal than he had been in quite some time.

"If the Speaker is willing to stay in, I'm willing to stay in, the secretary is willing to stay in" and negotiate, Meadows said during an appearance on CNBC, referring to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Meadows, a former leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, characterized the $1.52 trillion relief plan proposed by the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus a day earlier as a “thoughtful suggestion” and said it has moved the needle, even as allies of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had panned it as insufficient.

"It provides a foundation for us to come back to the table. … It's not a show stopper,” said Meadows, who noted that he had been briefed on the Problem Solvers plan.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/516680-trump-undercuts-gop-calls-for-bigger-covid-19-relief-package

Trump HHS official to take 'leave of absence' amid uproar

The top communications official at the Department of Health and Human Services will be taking a medical "leave of absence," the agency announced Wednesday.

Michael Caputo will be focusing on "his health and the well-being of his family" for the next 60 days, HHS said.

A longtime Trump associate, Caputo was installed to manage communications at HHS in April after a series of critical reports about Trump’s handling of the pandemic.

Caputo has been under fire for comments he made attacking career scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for being anti-Trump.

In a Facebook Live video recorded last weekend, Caputo, who has been in charge of the administration's coronavirus communications strategy, made a series of false and incendiary accusations about the CDC, which is a part of HHS.

He claimed without evidence that the CDC was harboring a “resistance unit” opposing President Trump and accused government scientists of “sedition.”

In the same video, he also warned Trump's followers to prepare for an armed insurrection if Joe Biden loses the election and refuses to concede.

“If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it’s going to be hard to get,” Captuo said in remarks first reported by The New York Times.

Caputo has not publicly apologized for his remarks, but he did call an emergency meeting to apologize to agency staff on Tuesday for drawing attention away from the administration's health care messaging.

An HHS official said Caputo claimed some of his comments have been taken out of context, but would not elaborate on which ones.

At the same time, HHS said Caputo's top adviser Paul Alexander will be leaving the department entirely.

Alexander and Caputo reportedly tried to pressure CDC scientists over their weekly reports on the coronavirus pandemic. According to Politico, Alexander also tried to push Anthony Fauci to downplay the risk of the coronavirus to children.

During a Senate hearing Wednesday, CDC Director Robert Redfield pushed back on Caputo's comments, telling lawmakers that the allegation "not only is it not true, it deeply saddened me when I read those comments."

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/516700-trump-hhs-official-to-take-leave-of-absence-amid-uproar

Lukashenko accuses independent media outlets of undermining credibility of the state

The Belarusian president has repeatedly said that the administrators of Telegram channels based overseas are in control of the opposition’s protests, telling protesters where and when to gather

MINSK, September 16. /TASS/. Independent media outlets and Telegram channels are destroying the people’s trust in the state amid the coronavirus pandemic, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with political activists on Wednesday.

"The authorities were completely focused on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that had suddenly taken over the world. And instead of standing side by side with us in this global fight, the so-called independent media outlets and Telegram channels did everything they could to complicate the work and destroy the people’s trust in the state," the BelTA news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying.

The Belarusian president has repeatedly said that the administrators of Telegram channels based overseas are in control of the opposition’s protests, telling protesters where and when to gather.

Situation in Belarus

Belarus held its presidential election on August 9. According to the Central Election Commission’s data, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko received 80.1% of the vote. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who garnered 10.12%, refused to recognize the election’s results and left Belarus. Protests erupted in the country's capital of Minsk and several other cities following the presidential vote, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers. The opposition’s Coordination Council keeps calling on the country’s people to carry on with protests, while the authorities are emphasizing the need to put an end to unauthorized activities.

https://tass.com/world/1201587

Senate Committee Issues Subpoenas For Key Obama Officials To Testify Over Russia Origins

On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security Committee voted in favor of authorizing subpoenas for former Obama administration officials.

The subpoenas target former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, as well as other Obama administration officials for their part in the origins of the Russia investigation which targeted then-candidate Donald Trump.

Check out what Fox News reported:

The committee on Wednesday held a business meeting to authorize committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to issue notices for taking depositions, subpoenas, for records, and subpoenas for testimony to individuals relating to the panel’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation, the Justice Department inspector general’s review of that investigation, and the “unmasking” of U.S. persons affiliated with the 2016 Trump campaign, transition team and the Trump administration.

The committee voted 8-6 to authorize the subpoenas.

The committee also authorized subpoenas for Sidney Blumenthal, former Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough, former FBI counsel Lisa Page, former FBI agent Joe Pientka, former ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, former FBI director of counterintelligence Bill Priestap, former White House national security adviser Susan Rice, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith – who pleaded guilty to making a false statement in the first criminal case arising from U.S. Attorney John Durham’s review of the investigation into links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign – among others.

The committee further authorized subpoenas for “the production of all records” related to the FBI’s original Russia investigation and the Department of Justice Inspector General’s probe, as well as the process of “unmasking” for James Baker, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, DOJ official Bruce Ohr, FBI case agent Steven Somma, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Teftt, former deputy assistant attorney general Tashina Gauhar; and Stefan Halper.

Halper is allegedly “deeply connected” with American and British intelligence agencies and has been known to be a source for reports which started the Russia investigation.

https://thedcpatriot.com/breaking-senate-committee-issues-subpoenas-for-key-obama-officials-to-testify-over-russia-origins/

Belarusian opposition figurehead Kolesnikova charged with calling for seizure of power

The charges were brought on September 16, according to the country’s Investigative Committee

MINSK, September 16. /TASS/. Member of the presidium of the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council Maria Kolesnikova has been charged with publicly calling for a seizure of power, the country’s Investigative Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Today, investigators brought charges against Maria Kolesnikova under Article 361.3 of the Criminal Code (calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus, made through the media and on the Internet). She remains in custody. The investigation continues," the statement reads.

The article carries a penalty of two to five years in prison.

Kolesnikova was detained in the early hours of September 8 and taken into custody. According to the Belarusian State Border Committee, she was apprehended while trying to illegally cross the border with Ukraine. Another member of the Coordination Council’s presidium, Maxim Znak, and the council’s lawyer Ilya Salei were detained in the same case.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.

https://tass.com/world/1201617

Weekly China Newsbrief and Sitrep

This week’s selection includes a separate explanation on just how the Chinese Communist Party and Government operates. For those that visit these weekly Sitreps to learn, this may put an end to the regular discussion items of just how bad the CCP is. You did know that China has six political parties, did you? The people that I’ve consulted say the following: China’s system works for China. We do not suggest you adopt our system, so, there is no reason for you to insist we adopt yours.

From a regular Twitter Feed by ShangaiPanda, here is how it actually works, by meritocracy. What this means is that Xi Jinping for example already had 40 years experience in governing, before he was both selected, and elected to his position.

From Godfree’s newsletter which is just brimming with interesting items this week, we’ve selected items about:

space,

Islam, communism and the BRI,

trade war and trade deficit,

and a highly educational piece by ‘Chairman Rabbit’, who analyses America from a Chinese perspective.

On studying China it is good to remember that unlike many other countries, China as a country holds together from two perspectives, a long lasting civilizational unity, as well as a sovereign state.

Space – high technology that is green technology

China has safely landed a reusable spacecraft which it claims will provide a “convenient and inexpensive” method of getting to and from space. The craft launched on September 4th and landed on September 6th after spending two days in orbit, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. Very little is known about the spacecraft, including even its basic design. There are no picture or renders of the craft, but there have been rumors it is a spaceplane similar to the Air Force’s X-37B. A Chinese military source told the South China Morning Post they could not provide details on the mission but that “maybe you can take a look at the US X-37B.”[MORE]

Islam, Communism and the BRI

The significance of having 52 Muslim countries (37.6%) that comprise 87.5 per cent of World Muslims in the BRI alliance, is not lost on the United States and its allies who are not particularly pro-Islam, which may explain their sudden interest to ‘care’ about the plight of Muslims in Xinjiang! Soon after the Bolshevik uprisings, Communism and Islam seemed destined to liberate the Muslim world from European Imperialism, but that was not to be due to their ideological differences. This presented an opportunity to the United States and its allies, where they coopted anti-Communist Jihadism to disrupt Communism. This had the unintended consequence of being the impetus for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which presented the U.S. and its allies with new challenges.

Soon after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, Communism and Islam were the impetus for revolutions against European imperialism in Egypt, Iraq, India, Caucasus and Central Asia, and the Indonesian Archipelago. However, divergent views about Communism proved divisive among Muslims (who are also quite divergent in their theological interpretations of Islam) and this quasi- ideological alliance was all over by the onset of the Cold War. Those irrevocable divisions may have been due to the essence of Islam’s socio-economic and political system. It is more consultative (‘Shoura’ or democratic theocracy) and entrepreneurial in nature, which is more compatible with social democracy and capitalism, than with communism’s autocratic state planned economy.

The other reason for such failure is the proactive role of the United States (and some Western Europeans, like Britain and France) in using Christian missionaries and NGOs in intelligence gathering while spreading Christianity in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America. In the 1970s, it was revealed that the CIA sponsored missionaries in Kerala and Nagaland to not only block the advance of Communism in India, but also to establish sufficient tensions between India and China and prevent any regional stability that continues to our present day.

More

https://thesaker.is/weekly-china-newsbrief-and-sitrep/

Trump Crackdown on Slave Labor Could Cost China $250 Million

Cuccinelli says sanctions punish Chinese genocide and protect American workers and businesses

The Trump administration banned the import of up to $250 million worth of Chinese goods produced using the forced labor of Uighurs as part of its ongoing effort to oppose Chinese human-rights abuses, according to a top national security official.

The Department of Homeland Security slapped import bans on goods produced by five Xinjiang-based industrial parks and companies suspected of using Uighur forced labor on Monday. Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary for the DHS, said that the bans—which he said will affect between $200 to $250 million worth of goods annually—are just a start. He confirmed that an unprecedented region-wide ban of all Xinjiang-sourced goods is currently in the works, pending the resolution of legal questions about such a ban.

"This order is intended to disrupt trade," Cuccinelli said. "The president strongly believes the American people are more than supportive of absorbing those sorts of disruptions in exchange for being able to interrupt the use of slave labor."

The DHS import ban will target a variety of goods, from hair products to cotton to computer parts. Cuccinelli stressed that the sanctions are "immediately appealing" for their stance in favor of human rights, as well as their protection of American businesses that do not rely on slave labor.

"[The orders are] also protective of American workers and businesses who want to play by the rules," he said. "And you know, going up against genuinely slave labor is just not fair competition."

The DHS's import ban is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Trump administration to oppose the Chinese government's brutal oppression of Uighurs, which critics say amounts to genocide. The Treasury Department sanctioned the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in July, dealing a blow to a paramilitary group that employs 12 percent of Xinjiang's total population. President Donald Trump also signed into law the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in June, authorizing sanctions on all Chinese officials who took part in human-rights abuses against Uighurs in Xinjiang.

The forced labor program is just one facet of Beijing's repression of Muslim Uighurs. The Chinese government has imprisoned between one to two million Uighurs in concentration camps, subjecting prisoners to brainwashing and torture regimes lasting years. The government has also forcefully sterilized thousands of Uighur women, causing birth rates in the community to plummet. While Beijing justifies the mass imprisonment as part of its crackdown on terrorism, human-rights advocates have found that the authorities often jail people for innocent activities such as going to a mosque.

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/trump-crackdown-on-slave-labor-could-cost-china-250-million/

Redefining antisemitism: Eleven Examples, Eleven Stories - watch

Combat Anti-Semitism Movement hosts live event on antisemitism

On Wednesday, September 16, the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement hosted a live event on The Jerusalem Post website on modern antisemitism. The broadcast focused on 11 events that met the official definition of antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), a definition that has been accepted by 34 countries.

Representatives of Jewish communities around the world recounted antisemitic incidents that they had experienced, and discussed the impact they had on their lives.

Jonathan Morales, an off-duty US Customs and Border Patrol agent, was attending synagogue services at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in Poway, California, in April 2019, when a gunman entered the synagogue, killing one worshiper and wounding three others. Morales recounted the shooting and his actions in firing at the shooter.

“People are still shaken, hurt, and upset over the loss of life and the injuries sustained,” he said.

A Holocaust survivor in New Jersey, who spoke to a student group about the Holocaust, reported that neo-Nazis responding to his remarks claimed that the Holocaust was a hoax.

The event featured five of the world’s foremost authorities on the IHRA definition, including ambassador Michaela Kuchler (chairwoman of IHRA), Elan S. Carr, (US special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism), Dr. Felix Klein, (Federal commissioner for Jewish life in Germany and the fight against antisemitism), Lord Eric Pickles, (the United Kingdom special envoy for post-Holocaust issues) and Ahmed Shaheed, (UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief).

Carr reported that in 2019, there was a record number of antisemitic incidents in the United States and that the overall number is rising globally. Carr noted the importance of having a formal definition of antisemitism, saying, “You have to understand and define the enemy, and an objective definition allows us to be on the same page.”

Shaheed noted that “antisemitism is increasing exponentially as we speak.”

Pickles said it was “a matter of pride” that the UK was the first country to adopt the IHRA definition. He explained, “We know from surveys that maybe 30% of the [UK] population… believe some of the tropes about Jews controlling the press or about Jews having a lot of money.” He added, “We really need to bear down on this antisemitism. That is why the IHRA definition is so important, because it deals with the modern nature of antisemitism.”

Kuchler warned, “Antisemitism has arrived in the mainstream of our societies…. It affects us all, and it requires each and every single one of us to combat it.”

Klein said that “the IHRA definition is an essential tool in the fight” against online antisemitism. He outlined the legislation in Germany which targets online hate, explaining, “The IHRA definition helps in the diagnosis, it helps police forces to identify antisemitism… and it helps those who work for these platforms.”

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/the-ihra-definition-of-anti-semitism-eleven-examples-eleven-stories-641826

Judicial Watch CONTINUES to Fight for the Truth about the Clinton Email Scandal & Benghazi Attacks

As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton hid her government emails, then stole them when she left office. Her lawyers unilaterally determined what would be returned later. The State Department knew this occurred but tried to game a federal trial court into shutting down Judicial Watch’s FOIA lawsuit before Clinton’s scheme became public. In response, the trial court rightly ordered Clinton to testify about the reasons for her actions and their impact on the public’s right to know. That this was too much for the DC Circuit is a miscarriage of justice.The Justice and State Departments’ continuing efforts to avoid getting to the bottom of Clinton’s email misconduct are a scandal–

https://www.judicialwatch.org/videos/judicial-watch-continues-to-fight-for-the-truth-about-the-clinton-email-scandal-benghazi-attacks/

Inversion of reality

Trump Administration Unveils Plan to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine to All Americans

Federal authorities on Wednesday released a distribution strategy and a planning playbook to make the CCP virus vaccine available to all Americans for free.

“As part of Operation Warp Speed, we have been laying the groundwork for months to distribute and administer a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it meets FDA’s gold standard,” said Alex Azar, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in a statement.

The two documents—a distribution strategy (pdf) and playbook (pdf)—were released jointly by HHS and the Department of Defense (DoD). They outline the Trump administration’s plans for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccine doses to all Americans interested in getting a shot.

In the playbook, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines a complex plan to distribute the vaccine, starting with essential workers and other specified groups, before eventually making it available to every American interested in getting inoculated against COVID-19.

“Early in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, there may be a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine, and vaccination efforts may focus on those critical to the response, providing direct care, and maintaining societal function, as well as those at highest risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19,” the CDC notes.

Alex Azar

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who is also chairman of the President’s Task Force on the Novel Coronavirus, speaks at the Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington, on Feb. 7, 2020. (Jacquelyn Martin/ File/AP Photo)

Civilian health workers will be administering the vaccine, while the Pentagon is helping coordinate supply, production, and distribution of vaccine doses.

The vaccination campaign is to begin gradually in January or, possibly, later this year, according to the documents.

The campaign is “much larger in scope and complexity than seasonal influenza or other previous outbreak-related vaccination responses,” the playbook states, with most vaccines expected to require two doses, three to four weeks apart. There will be no direct charge for the vaccine, with taxpayers footing the bill from Congressionally approved funds.

The initial vaccination thrust will focus on protecting essential workers, including health staff, as well as the vulnerable. Priorities for the first phase are still being finalized, the strategy document indicates, with the CDC and the National Academy of Medicine among those working on the concept. Vaccinations are to be made available to everyone in follow-on phases.

States and local communities will need to come up with specific plans for receiving and locally distributing vaccines, some of which will require special handling, including refrigeration or freezing. States and cities have a month to submit such plans.

The documents have been released under the umbrella of Operation Warp Speed, a White House-backed initiative to have millions of doses ready to ship once a vaccine is granted what is expected to be an emergency use approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Several formulations of the vaccine are undergoing final trials.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday revealed that the COVID-19 vaccine will be ready in the near future.

“I want the vaccine fast,” the president said in an interview with Fox News. “You wouldn’t have a vaccine for years … I speeded up the process with the FDA … We’re going to have a vaccine in a matter of weeks, it could be four weeks, it could be eight weeks … we have a lot of great companies.”

In the interview, Trump said that the United States is making progress fighting the virus. So far, more than 190,000 people are reported to have died and more than 6 million have reportedly contracted the disease, according to a Johns Hopkins tally.

“We’re rounding the turn on the pandemic,” Trump added.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-administration-unveils-plan-to-distribute-covid-19-vaccine-to-all-americans_3502186.html

Damascus Slams Trump Administration As “Rogue” & “Outlaw” Following Recent Comment On Assad

Damascus has slammed the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s former plans to assassinate President Bashar al-Assad, accusing Washington of following the same methods as terrorist groups.

Trump revealed in a recent interview with Fox News that he had considered assassinating al-Assad in 2017 after reports of an alleged chemical attack. He was, however, persuaded not to go with the idea by senior US military officials, including former Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

A source in Syria’s Foreign Ministry told the Syrian Arab News Agency on September 16 that Trump’s statement showed the level to which the thinking and political behavior of the US administration had declined.

“Trump’s recognition of such step affirms that the US administration is a rogue and outlaw state and follows the same method of the terrorist organizations of killing and liquidation without any consideration to the principles or any legal, human, or ethical rules with the aim of achieving its interests in the region,” the source said.

In 2018, Trump denied claims by veteran journalist Bob Woodward that he had ordered the assassination of President al-Assad. Woodward covered the issue in his book “Fear: Trump in the White House.”

The U.S. cut its ties with Damascus after the 2011 uprising. Washington played a key role in backing anti-government armed groups and even carried out attacks on the Syrian military.

Nevertheless, this is the first time the U.S. officially acknowledges plans to assassinate the Syrian President. Such a move would have amounted to a war crime.

https://southfront.org/damascus-slams-trump-administration-as-rogue-outlaw-following-recent-comment-on-assad/

Project Veritas Video Shows Amy McGrath Staffer Revealing Effort To ‘Deceive’ GOP Voters

Project Veritas exposed in a video published Wednesday how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (KY) Democratic opponent Amy McGrath is allegedly deceiving Republican voters to win them over in November.

“It’s kind of the bottom line and I think from there, a lot of people have turned that into like she supports Trump or like she supports the wall or whatever. It is not true.”

“There’s been a lot of misleading stuff around that,” said McGrath Field Organizer Abby Cox. “It’s kind of the bottom line and I think from there, a lot of people have turned that into like she supports Trump or like she supports the wall or whatever. It is not true.”

She added, “I don’t agree with this personally, but I think some of the communications people on our campaign are fine with, they’re like ‘oh, some Republicans think that she supports those things and that makes them vote for her. Like, we’ll take it.”

McGrath has said on many occasions that she will reach across the aisle and will work alongside any president, regardless of his or her party affiliation.

However, Cox said McGrath’s appeal to Republican voters is suspect, explaining it as “it’s not that she supports him [Trump], but, you know, in order to do this thing we’re trying to do that’s sorta what’s required.”

https://saraacarter.com/project-veritas-video-shows-amy-mcgrath-staffer-revealing-effort-to-deceive-gop-voters/

America: Land of the Free… and Conspiracy Nuts

The United States has hit a dangerous threshold when a senior member of the Trump administration is warning citizens to arm themselves because “leftwing hit squads” are about to seek retribution.

“If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it’s going to be hard to get,” urged Michael Caputo, a Trump-appointed spokesman on public health affairs. He made the remarks reportedly in a social media forum, claiming that his life was in danger from political assassination.

“And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin,” added Caputo. He also claimed that government health experts at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention were trying to undermine Trump by exaggerating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. And that from a supposed spokesman for the health department!

These kind of rantings have gained prominence among Trump’s family, aides and supporters, primarily the followers of the QAnon network which peddles a vast array of other outlandish conspiracy theories, such as Trump being the nemesis of pedophile trafficking by an elite cabal.

The central idea being promoted is that the forthcoming presidential election will be a stitch-up against Trump orchestrated by powerful political opponents embedded with the “deep state”. Trump associates like the convicted political lobbyist Roger Stone are reportedly exhorting that he should refuse to recognize any electoral defeat to Democrat rival Joe Biden and thence to declare martial law.

The White House incumbent has led the way in fomenting an atmosphere of paranoia and distrust. Trump has repeatedly warned of electoral fraud being perpetrated through mail-in voting and has sought to delegitimize the election as possibly the “most corrupt ever”.

A nightmare scenario is that if Trump is defeated fair and square in the November 3 ballot, then he and his followers have created enough paranoid treachery so that the fraught outcome could precipitate civil war-like chaos.

Whenever senior Trump administration officials are earnestly claiming in public that leftwing hit squads are gunning for opponents then that is an alarming sign of an unprecedented and pernicious threshold having been reached.

Caputo and other Trump boosters have been referring to the self-declared “Antifa” member who last month shot dead a pro-Trump supporter in Portland. The anti-fascist gunman was days later reportedly shot dead by law enforcement officers who tracked him down.

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/09/16/america-land-of-the-free-and-conspiracy-nuts/

ISIS Terrorists Targeted Egyptian Military In Several Recent Attacks On North Sinai

On September 14, ISIS terrorists carried out a series of attacks against government forces in the Sinai Peninsula in eastern Egypt.

The terrorists group’s news agency, Amaq, announced that the terrorists had targeted four military vehicles, including a battle tank and a bulldozer, next to the town of al-Wifaq, south of the city of Rafah, with heavy weapons and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). All four vehicles were either damaged or destroyed in the attacks.

Amaq also reported that ISIS snipers had targeted two service members in al-Wifaq and the town of al-Mazlqan, to the west of Sheikh Zuweid city. Both service members were killed, according to the terrorist group’s claims.

ISIS terrorists are still attempting to solidify their presence in the northern part of Sinai, despite the repeated operations by government forces.

The terrorists are now relying on simple, low-cost means, like IEDs and sniper rifle, to inflict serious losses on Egyptian troops.

ISIS’ insurgency in Sinai pose a dangerous threat to the national security of Egypt. The military and security forces have been struggling to secure the very important region since 2011.

https://southfront.org/isis-terrorists-targeted-egyptian-military-in-several-recent-attacks-on-north-sinai/

Dershowitz Sues CNN For $300,000,000 In Defamation Action

Alan Dershowitz just filed a whale of a lawsuit against CNN, though it could end up beached in short order under controlling case law. The Harvard Law professor emeritus is demanding $300,000,000 in compensatory and punitive damages from CNN for misrepresenting his legal arguments in the Trump impeachment trial.

In fairness to Dershowitz, the coverage of the trial by CNN was dreadful with intentionally and consistently slanted coverage of the evidence, standards, and arguments. However, the objections raised by Dershowitz are likely to be treated as part of the peril for high-profile figures operating in the public domain. In other words, you can complain about the weather but you cannot sue the storm.

I have long been a critic of the open bias shown by CNN under Jeff Zucker who admitted that his attacks on Trump were part of a ratings move. In the age of echo-journalism, CNN has sought to attract viewers who only want to hear that Trump is committing clear crimes, will eventually (if not imminently) be jailed, and that Trump supporters are knuckling-dragging, gun-toting zombies marching to his tune of white supremacy and authoritarianism.

However, to prevail against a media company, a public figure must meet a higher standard for defamation. While Sarah Palin just secured a favorable ruling, it is rare to be able to maintain such actions. The damage demand also seems outlandishly theatrical and raised the question if the lawsuit is one last effort to clarify the record rather than seriously pursue relief. The amount includes $50,000,000 in compensatory damages and $250,000,000 in punitive damages for a total of $300,000,000. Dershowitz is worth a great deal of money but it is hard to see how CNN’s coverage resulted in a loss of $50 million, particularly when he was widely criticized for his arguments by academics and commentators alike.

This issue will turn on Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323, 352 (1974) and its progeny of cases. The Supreme Court has held that public figure status applies when someone “thrust[s] himself into the vortex of [the] public issue [and] engage[s] the public’s attention in an attempt to influence its outcome.” A limited-purpose public figure status applies if someone voluntarily “draw[s] attention to himself” or allows himself to become part of a controversy “as a fulcrum to create public discussion.” Wolston v. Reader’s Digest Association, 443 U.S. 157, 168 (1979). Dershowitz is clearly a full public figure.

The standard for defamation for public figures and officials in the United States is the product of a decision decades ago in New York Times v. Sullivan. The Supreme Court ruled that tort law could not be used to overcome First Amendment protections for free speech or the free press. The Court sought to create “breathing space” for the media by articulating that standard that now applies to both public officials and public figures. In order to prevail,

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/dershowitz-sues-cnn-300000000-defamation-action

Dershowitz CNN Lawsuit

https://www.scribd.com/document/476159044/Dershowitz-CNN-Lawsuit#from_embed

Army Of Great Turan: Erdogan’s Neo-Ottoman Ambitions Move Forward

Turkey is expected to announce the formation of a united army of the Turkic countries (the Army Of Great Turan), a Turkish military expert – Kaan Saryaydin claimed.

According to him, this is expected to take place on October 29th, at the Summit of The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, since “the time has come to announce it”.

It is interesting that the expert has set a specific date, since conversations and discussions about this have been going on for more than a year, however, in different political and geopolitical contexts.

At one time, the reputable Turkish publication Uluslarası Politika Akademisi linked the possibility of implementing such a project with the prospect of developing the Association of Law Enforcement Agencies of the Military Status of Eurasia, in the format of which it was supposed to unite law enforcement agencies with the military status of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.

Such an “army”, as the newspaper claimed, “uniting law enforcement agencies with military status”, will number 2.8 million soldiers.

Turkish and Azerbaijani experts qualified the project as focused on solving legal problems: combating human trafficking, drugs, banditry and other crimes of an international nature.

The Azerbaijani newspaper “Yeni Musavat” added that this opened up the prospect of participation of the formations in “anti-terrorist operations” in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Which means it directly threatens Armenia.

At the same time, the use of the term “military status” needed clarification, because Kyrgyzstan is a member of the CSTO – and this is a different military organization.

The position of Azerbaijan, which is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, whose members cannot be included in military blocs, also needed comments.

And Turkey, being a NATO member, had to somehow explain itself with the North Atlantic Alliance.

As such, the initial “draft” of this project is rather crude.

Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, for their own reasons, acted only as temporary political extras.

https://southfront.org/army-of-great-turan-erdogans-neo-ottoman-ambitions-move-forward/

US Threatens to Impose ‘Full Force’ of Sanctions on Arms Producers Who Deal With Iran

The United Nations Security Council rejected a US proposal in August to extend the Iranian arms embargo under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. These restrictions are expected to expire on 18 October.

The US special envoy on Iran, Elliott Abrams, said on Wednesday the US will impose the "full force" of Washington’s sanctions on any arms producer dealing with Iran once Americans reach their goal of reinstating UN Arms Embargo on Tehran.

The statement comes hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday said Washington was working to introduce a UN resolution next week to make the Iranian arms embargo permanent.

"We will return to the United Nations to re-impose sanctions, so that the arms embargo [on Iran] will become permanent, next week," Pompeo told reporters.

Last month, the United States attempted to trigger a so-called snapback mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 to reinstate sanctions against Iran that were previously lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The draft resolution, however, did not receive the support sufficient for its adoption as the United States pulled out of the nuclear deal. Iran warned that the arms embargo extension would mean the death of the nuclear deal.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have worsened since Washington unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in May 2018. The JCPOA, signed by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, stipulates the removal of international sanctions from Tehran in exchange for it scaling down its nuclear program and ensuring it is peaceful. The deal was then enshrined in UNSC Resolution 2231, including a provision on a five-year arms embargo. The United States unilaterally abandoned the agreement in May of 2018 prompting Iran to scale back its commitments under the accord.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202009161080478759-us-to-introduce-un-resolution-next-week-to-make-iranian-arms-embargo-permanent-pompeo-says/

Fed Chair Powell Explains How He Won't Meddle In The Election

Today is the last FOMC meeting until after the election… begging the question of just how 'dovish' will Fed Chair Powell be - to keep the stock market dream alive (and potentially President Trump's re-election hopes).

Remember, in August 2019, ex-Fed President Bill Dudley made a "modest proposal" in a Bloomberg op-ed in which he advised Powell to take a political stand against enabling Trump's trade war, and even go so far as to push the economy into a recession to prevent Trump from getting reelected!

Central bank officials face a choice: enable the Trump administration to continue down a disastrous path of trade war escalation, or send a clear signal that if the administration does so, the president, not the Fed, will bear the risks - including the risk of losing the next election.

And the punchline:

"There’s even an argument that the election itself falls within the Fed’s purview."

So far Powell hasn't followed Bill Dudley's virtue-signaling proposals…

https://youtu.be/6thA5ikaL74

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/watch-live-fed-chair-powell-explains-how-he-wont-meddle-election

Turkey Will Reduce Number Of Troops Deployed In Idlib: Russian Media

The Turkish military will reduce the number of troops deployed in Syria’s Idlib, Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported on September 16 citing informed Turkish sources.

According to the source, “during a meeting held yesterday, on Tuesday, at the headquarters of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, a Russian technical delegation presented a proposal to reduce the number of Turkish observation posts in the Syrian province of Idlib, but no agreement was reached on this matter.”

“After the Turkish side refused to withdraw its observation posts and insisted on their preservation, it was decided to reduce the number of Turkish forces in Idlib and withdraw heavy weapons from the area,” the source added.

The report added that on Wednesday the delegations of Russia and Turkey will hold a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense in Ankara to discuss the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib.

https://southfront.org/turkey-will-reduce-number-of-troops-deployed-in-idlib-russian-media/

Scheduled White House riots start tomorrow

The White House Siege: Occupation starts Sept. 17, 2020

A Vancouver, British Columbia, group calling themselves the Adbusters recently placed an ad in social media calling upon "tens of thousands of our fellow citizens [to] lay siege to the White House" on September 17, 2020 (The White House Siege–Tactical Briefing #1). The siege is slated to last fifty days, ending election day, Nov. 3.

The flyer begins, "All right, all you activists" and specifically names #MeToo, #BLM, #ExtinctionRebellion and invites all anti-Trump protestors. "We want to … spark a revolution with you." "Are you ready for revolution? We are too." "We will lay siege to the White House. And we will sustain it for exactly fifty days."

Their literature advocates the overthrow of the president of the United States – even a coup d'etat. Five years ago, it easily would have been called treason but in the "hate Trump era" fed to us nightly by almost all major media outlets and Big Tech, which censors anything good about the man or conservatism, this is the new normal, at least until a Democrat is returned to the White House.

In a photograph attributed to this movement, the left third of the White House is pictured with smoke and flames ascending into the sky. Through the windows, one can see flames enveloping the center of the building. All Big Tech outlets from which this information is taken, Google, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, are conjoined in promoting the Sept. 17 event. All allow its advertisements on their platforms. Their literature uses the words non-violent, but they have yet to condemn the violence in Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland or anywhere else, calling these peaceful protests, while they censor doctors advocating saving lives with hydroxychloroquine.

"All right, all you activists," their flyer calls them, a much nicer name than anarchists, revolutionists or even traitors. After all, the election is just days away. These obviously are Biden supporters. Why not go door to door campaigning for him as in the past, unless you are afraid that most of the "smelly Walmart people" actually like Trump?

Anarchists are instead instructed to "Stay in the streets in August [and] Build for UNITED NATIONWIDE MASS PROTEST Saturday, September 5 [and] DEMAND TRUMP, PENCE OUT NOW!" Another flyer shows a drawing of hundreds gathered in front of the White House with their fists raised and clenched in anger, "We will lay siege to the White House. And we will sustain it for exactly fifty days. This is the #WhiteHouseSiege." Why until Nov. 3? Because it is the end date to bring Joe Biden to power and this is what the anarchy is all about.

Continuing, "It's time … for dramatic, decisive action. Which is why, on September 17th, … we and tens of thousands of our fellow citizens will stream into Lafayette Square, in Washington. D.C." We "will electrify the U.S. election season – and it doesn't stop there. Drawing wind from #MeToo, #BLM, [and] #ExtinctionRebellion," and other protest hate Trump groups.

https://www.eagleobserver.com/news/2020/aug/26/the-white-house-siege-occupation-starts-sept-17/

US Charges Five Alleged Members Of Apt41 Group

Two Defendants Arrested in Malaysia; Remaining Five Defendants, One of Whom Allegedly Boasted of Connections to the Chinese Ministry of State Security, are Fugitives in China

In August 2019 and August 2020, a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., returned two separate indictments charging five computer hackers, all of whom were residents and nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), with computer intrusions affecting over 100 victim companies in the United States and abroad, including software development companies, computer hardware manufacturers, telecommunications providers, social media companies, video game companies, non-profit organizations, universities, think tanks, and foreign governments, as well as pro-democracy politicians and activists in Hong Kong.

The intrusions, which security researchers have tracked using the threat labels “APT41,” “Barium,” “Winnti,” “Wicked Panda,” and “Wicked Spider,” facilitated the theft of source code, software code signing certificates, customer account data, and valuable business information. These intrusions also facilitated the defendants’ other criminal schemes, including ransomware and “crypto-jacking” schemes, the latter of which refers to the group’s unauthorized use of victim computers to “mine” cryptocurrency.

Also in August 2020, the same federal grand jury returned a third indictment charging two Malaysian businessmen who conspired with two of the Chinese hackers to profit from computer intrusions targeting the video game industry in the United States and abroad. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued arrest warrants for the two businessmen. On Sept. 14, 2020, pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States with a view to their extradition, Malaysian authorities arrested them in Sitiawan. The department appreciates the significant cooperation and assistance provided by the Government of Malaysia, including the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia and the Royal Malaysia Police.

More

https://breaking911.com/us-charges-five-alleged-members-of-apt41-group/

State Police Investigating “3 Unrelated Child Deaths” On Arkansas Highways

LITTLE ROCK — Two apparently unrelated incidents over a five hour period today claimed the lives of three children along two U.S. highways in Jackson and Saline Counties. Both are being investigated by Special Agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division.

At 4:07 AM state troopers of the Highway Patrol Division were dispatched to the 98 mile marker of U.S. Highway 67 south of the Jackson and Craighead County line where two children were found dead. The victims have been identified as Michael Rogers, III, 10, and his sister, Princess Josh-Lyn Logan, 3.

The children were apparently struck by a southbound tractor-trailer commercial carrier driven by Gerald Sanders, 77. Sanders was not injured.

Latoya Taylor, 26, the mother of the children was found at the fatality scene when state troopers arrived, but she was not physically injured.

In an unrelated incident, at 8:53 AM state troopers responded to a call from a motorist reporting a young child had been dropped from a moving vehicle along the westbound lanes of Interstate 30 near the 117 mile marker in Saline County.

The child, believed to be approximately 2 years-old, died after troopers were on the scene and awaiting emergency medical care to arrive.

Special agents are questioning witnesses in each case. Agents have been in contact with prosecuting attorneys in both local jurisdictions and will submit criminal case files for consideration whether to file formal charges in the deaths.

No arrests have been made in either case.

https://breaking911.com/breaking-state-police-investigating-3-unrelated-child-deaths-on-arkansas-highways/

Fake News About Iran, Russia, China Is U.S. Journalism's Daily Bread

Every few days U.S. 'intelligence' and 'officials' produce fake claims about this or that 'hostile' country. U.S. media continue to reproduce those claims even if they bare any logic and do not make any sense.

On June 27 the New York Times and the Washington Post published fake news about alleged Russian payments to the Taliban for killing U.S. troops.

The stories ran on the outlets' front pages.

Two week later the story was shown to have no basis:

[T]hat the story was obviously bullshit did not prevent Democrats in Congress, including 'Russiagate' swindler Adam Schiff, to bluster about it and to call for immediate briefings and new sanctions on Russia.

Just a day after it was published the main accusation, that Trump was briefed on the 'intelligence' died. The Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Advisor and the CIA publicly rejected the claim. Then the rest of the story started to crumble. On June 2, just one week after it was launched, the story was declared dead.

…

The NYT buried the above quoted dead corpse of the original story page A-19.

Despite that the Democrats continued to use the fake story for attacks on Donald Trump.

Yesterday the commander of the U.S. forces in the Middle East drove a stake though the heart of the dead corpse of the original story:

Two months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members, the commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program.

"It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me," Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told NBC News. McKenzie oversees U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

But as one fake news zombie finally dies others get resurrected. Politico's 'intelligence' stenographer Natasha Bertrand produced this nonsensical claim:

The Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against the American ambassador to South Africa, U.S. intelligence reports say, according to a U.S. government official familiar with the issue and another official who has seen the intelligence.

News of the plot comes as Iran continues to seek ways to retaliate for President Donald Trump’s decision to kill a powerful Iranian general earlier this year, the officials said. If carried out, it could dramatically ratchet up already serious tensions between the U.S. and Iran and create enormous pressure on Trump to strike back — possibly in the middle of a tense election season.

U.S. officials have been aware of a general threat against the ambassador, Lana Marks, since the spring, the officials said. But the intelligence about the threat to the ambassador has become more specific in recent weeks. The Iranian Embassy in Pretoria is involved in the plot, the U.S. government official said.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/78025/fake-news-about-iran-russia-china-is-us-journalisms-daily.html

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