At UN General Assembly, Syria Calls for US to End Its Military Occupation

The US occupies about one-third of eastern Syria and maintains sanctions on the country to prevent its reconstruction

On Monday, Syria’s foreign minister addressed the UN General Assembly in New York and called on the US to end its military occupation of eastern Syria.

The US currently has about 900 troops stationed in eastern Syria and backs Kurdish forces in the region. This presence allows the US to control about one-third of Syria’s territory, an area where most of the country’s oil and wheat resources are located.

Officially, the US maintains that its presence in the country is about fighting ISIS, but the Syrian government rejects that notion. “Fighting terrorism does not happen through an illegitimate international coalition that violates Syria’s sovereignty and destroys towns and villages,” Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said at UN headquarters.

On top of the occupation, the US also maintains crippling economic sanctions on Syria. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously said that these sanctions are meant to prevent Syria’s reconstruction until there is a political settlement in Syria, meaning regime change in Damascus.

Mekdad discussed the sanctions on Syria, saying the country has been “economically besieged” by Western powers. “The war against Syria, ultimately, was an attempt by the West to maintain control over the world,” he said.

The situation in eastern Syria highlights the hypocrisy of the US, as President Biden’s address to the General Assembly focused on accusing Russia of violating the UN Charter by taking Ukraine’s territory.

“Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations Charter — no more important than the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbor by force,” Biden said in his speech last week.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/09/26/syria-calls-for-us-to-end-its-military-occupation-at-un-general-assembly/

Ziomedia isn't happy

Italy far-right leader once hailed Iran, Hezbollah as defenders of Syrian Christians

2018 video shows Giorgia Meloni, who has now vowed to support Israel, offering praise of Syria’s Assad and his backers

Brothers of Italy party chief Georgia Meloni, who is poised to become the first far-right Italian leader since World War II, previously praised Iran, the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and other allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad. She also decried decried “another massacre of children in Gaza” in 2014.

Speaking to reporters in December 2018, Meloni said that if not for Hezbollah and the rest of the pro-Assad front — which includes Iran and Russia — Christians in Syria would no longer be able to display the nativity scene depicting Jesus Christ’s birth during Christmas.

Assad has championed himself as a defender of Christians and other religious minorities against the predominantly Sunni rebels fighting to topple him since the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011. Among the rebel ranks were jihadist groups such as Islamic State and an al-Qaeda-linked faction.

Her comments came after then-Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini, who is now part of the Meloni-led right-wing coalition on pace to secure majorities in both Italian houses of parliament, denounced Hezbollah as a terrorist organization while visiting Israel, prompting criticism in Italy.

Meloni’s remarks did not address Israel, whose destruction Iran and its proxies such as Hezbollah regularly call for.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/italy-far-right-leader-once-hailed-hezbollah-iran-as-defenders-of-syrian-christians/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-unlikely-rise-and-remarkable-endurance-of-ukraines-volodymyr-zelensky/

Court hands partial win to Trump in rape accuser’s defamation suit

A federal appeals court in New York on Tuesday handed former President Trump a partial victory in a defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s, with the court ruling that presidents are covered by a federal law that gives broad legal immunity to government employees.

A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit said a lower court erred when it ruled that Trump’s accuser, E. Jean Carroll, could sue Trump personally for the allegedly defamatory statements he made about her during his presidency.

The Tuesday ruling was not the final word in the case, however.

The 2nd Circuit panel asked the top local court in Washington to weigh in on another key issue bearing on Trump’s potential immunity: whether Trump was acting “outside the scope” of his presidency when he allegedly defamed Carroll by casting doubt on her credibility and demeaning her personal appearance.

Whether or not Carroll’s defamation suit can proceed against Trump now hinges on how the D.C. Court of Appeals interprets local D.C. employment law.

Trump has denied raping Carroll. In a June 2019 interview with The Hill, Trump said Carroll was “totally lying” when she accused him of raping her during an encounter in a New York department store in the mid-1990s.

Trump added: “I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?”

Carroll’s attorneys at the law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP said they were confident that the D.C. court would find that Trump’s comments fell outside the scope of his official duties.

“Donald Trump was not acting within the scope of his duties as President when he defamed our client, E. Jean Carroll because he was not serving any purpose of the federal government and because the comment ‘she’s not my type’ is not something one would expect the President of the United States to say in the course of his duties,” Carroll’s attorneys said in a statement, citing a dissent from the 2nd Circuit’s 2-1 ruling.

Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump, hailed Tuesday’s ruling by the federal appeals court.

“We are extremely pleased with the Second Circuit’s decision today in reversing and vacating the District Court’s finding in this matter. This decision will protect the ability of all future Presidents to effectively govern without hindrance.”

“We are confident that the D.C. Court of Appeals will find that our client was acting within the scope of his employment when properly repudiating Ms. Carroll’s allegations,” Habba added.

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3662943-court-hands-partial-win-to-trump-in-rape-accusers-defamation-suit/

Over 90% of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson voters favor joining Russia — first results

Counting has already begun at a number of polling stations in the territory, and the final results may be known by Wednesday morning

Voting in referendums on joining Russia in the Donetsk and the Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as in the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, is coming to an end. In the latter three, voting ended at 4:00 p.m. Moscow time on Tuesday. In the DPR, some polling stations have also already closed, with some remaining open until 20:00 Moscow time. Preliminary results are coming in from polling stations on Russian territory, where refugees and diplomatic corps were allowed to vote.

In the LPR, the referendum has already been recognized as valid, and international observers have not documented any violations during the voting process. Counting has already begun at a number of polling stations in the territory, and the final results may be known by Wednesday morning.

TASS has compiled preliminary results of the voting.

Results from polling stations in the Russian Federation

• The DPR's accession to Russia was supported by 98.35% after more than 22.48% of the ballots were processed.

• The accession of the LPR to Russia following the results of processing of 21.11% of ballots was supported by 97.83%.

• The accession of the Zaporozhye Region to Russia, according to the results of processing 29% of ballots, was supported by 97.79%.

• 97,05% of voters, following the results of processing 28% of ballots, supported the accession of the Kherson Region to Russia.

Turnout and results from field

• The tallying of votes has already begun in the Kherson Region and the closed polling stations in the Donetsk People's Republic. The rest of the polling stations in the DPR will remain open until 20:00 p.m. Moscow time.

• According to the local Central Election Commission, turnout in the LPR was 92.6%. The referendum is considered valid, despite Kiev's attempts to disrupt it, Leonid Pasechnik, head of the republic, said.

• In the Zaporozhye Region, the first general results are planned to be announced at 20:00-21:00 Moscow time, the final results will be announced on Wednesday morning.

Reaction of observers

• International observers from Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Serbia, Mozambique, France, and the Central African Republic reported no violations, except for threats and shelling from Ukraine, and noted the enthusiasm of the voters.

https://tass.com/politics/1514213

Judicial Watch Files Two FOIA Lawsuits for Records on Biden Raid on Trump Home

Judicial Watch announced today that it filed two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the Department of Justice (DOJ) for FBI and DOJ records of the Mar-a-Lago raid search warrant application and approval, as well as communications about the warrant between the FBI, Executive Office of the President and the Secret Service.

The lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the DOJ failed to respond to August 2022 FOIA requests. The first complaint asks for all records documenting the application, authorization and communications related to the execution of a search warrant at the residence of President Trump on August 8, 2022 (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice) (No. 1:22-cv-02884)).

Additionally, Judicial Watch is suing for all records of meetings or phone calls between Director Wray, Deputy Director Abbate, Associate Deputy Director Turner, Associate Deputy Director Sallet, and/or Chief of Staff Lenzner pertaining to the search warrant. Also requested are communications between the FBI and the Executive Office of the President and/or the Secret Service regarding the search warrant (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice) (No. 1:22-cv-02883)).

“The American people have a right to know the entire story about the Biden administration’s abusive raid on President Trump’s home,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The raid on President Trump’s home was an outrageous, reckless and unprecedented abuse of power – and the unlawful Biden agency secrecy about the raid only adds to the scandal.”

Judicial Watch is in the forefront in the court battle for transparency regarding the abusive Biden raid on Trump’s home.

In August, Judicial Watch forced the release of the raid affidavit. Judicial Watch also just sued the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for records about its controversial targeting of former President Trump over this records dispute.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/biden-raid-on-trump-home-records/

Lev Tahor cult members arrested in massive raid on Mexico's border

Some 20 Jews belonging to the extremist Lev Tahor sect were arrested in raids by Mexican immigration authorities.

Some 20 members of ultra-Orthodox Jewish families belonging to the extremist Jewish haredi cult Lev Tahor were detained in massive raids by law enforcement authorities in Mexico, Mexican outlet Diario de Chiapas reported on Tuesday morning.

The raid was carried out in a Mexican migration control facility on Mexico's border with Guatemala, where the sect members were being held, according to the report.

Following the raids, the families of the detained Lev Tahor members protested the conditions in which they were kept in the facility, with information on their living situation "aggressively constricted" by Mexican authorities, the report noted.

According to Mexican reports, the sect members are being kept in "subhuman conditions."

The families also protested the arrests, claiming that some 20 Jews detained in the raid all had the necessary permits and paperwork to stay in the Central American country.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-718228

'Fat Leonard' Seeks Asylum in Venezuala After He Eludes Biden DOJ

What’s the skinny on “Fat Leonard,” that 350-pound poster boy for corruption in defense contracting and the centerpiece of one of the biggest scandals in the history of the Navy? Millions in bribes, sex, and prostitution all flowed from Malaysian businessman Francis Leonard to admirals and enlisted men in exchange for contracts to refurbish ships and other lucrative government business.

By the time the dust settled in a corruption spree that ended in 2015, one admiral had gone to prison, eight other admirals were censured, a pack of senior officers was locked up, and 80 admirals fell under suspicion. Over $34 million in bribes were paid to our military to gather intelligence on ship movements and get repair contracts that ranged as high as $200 million annually. He even managed to buy off the Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s “agent of the year,” who was assigned to uncover his fraud.

He eventually copped a plea deal that could have netted him 25 years in jail. But, days before his scheduled sentencing in San Diego, “Fat Leonard” decided that 25 years was a long time, perhaps a lifetime since he also has cancer, and it was time to pack up multiple U-Hauls, put his family in the car, cut his ankle bracelet, and skedaddle.

Neighbors observed him packing and moving items over several days, but perhaps the Department of Justice was too busy plotting an FBI swat team raid on a pro-life activist accused of shoving someone on a picket line to notice. And being the master of intrigue and espionage that he is, it appears that Francis Glen Leonard took himself, his family, and all his worldly possessions through our ultra-secure, impregnable Southern border to Mexico. Perhaps fearing extradition, he then decided Venezuela was the place to resettle, and local authorities there picked him up last week.

Leonard was apprehended under Obama but is now a border-crossing free man under Biden. Perhaps for those in power, there are crooks, spies, and ne’er-do-wells who may be better in the wind than in a cell where they can talk — like Jeffery Epstein. Given the millions he ripped off from the U.S. taxpayers and the damage he did to our national security, you’d think the DOJ would have cared enough to watch him. But this is the Biden DOJ, after all.

So today, meet “Fat Leonard,” asylum seeker, another happy veteran of the Biden justice system and border repatriation plan. Does Fat (or is that body-shaming him?) still have access to some of the money the government was unable to pry back? Will it be enough to oil the palms of that rogue state’s oil-fueled dictatorship? Or is tweaking Uncle Sam’s nose enough to get him the bonus points needed for an extended stay in Hotel Caracas, where he can act as a role model for all the military contractors handling the loosely monitored billions currently flowing into Ukraine?

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/gregbyrnes/2022/09/27/fat-leonard-seeks-asylum-in-venezuala-after-he-eludes-biden-doj-n1632481

The Final KingDUMB! By Nicholson1968

https://youtu.be/RVMLzuOEPDQ

NEW

South Africa Makes 1450 Arrests in a Weekend Crime Crackdown

The police in South Africa’s Gauteng arrested 1,450 suspects in weekend operations aimed at improving safety in the province – said a press release by the South African Police Service.

Gauteng, containing the Johannesburg urban area, hosts a fourth of South Africa’s population and is the wealthiest province in the country and the financial hub of the entire continent. Johannesburg, notorious for its lawlessness, currently ranks as the seventh most dangerous city in the world.

The individuals were arrested for crimes such as possession of unlicensed firearms, dealing in drugs, possession of suspected stolen property, murder, attempted murder, rape, grievous bodily harm and immigration law violations.

“The operation also saw police make various confiscations of unlicensed firearms, drugs, illegal mining equipment and liquor taken from liquor outlets operating without a license and contravening the Liquor Act,” said the statement.

“Some of the suspects have been released after paying fines, while others are expected to appear before various Magistrates courts across the province starting from 26 September 2022,” it added.

Most of the arrests were made under the tracing phase of ‘Operation O Kae Molao’, which was launched on the evening of September 21, with more than 900 arrested. In its continuation on the next day, the police received a tip-off leading to the arrest of 20 undocumented foreign nationals seemingly involved in drug dealing.

The tip-off eventually brought them to an industrial area in the suburban city of Springs. After searching the area, the police discovered a ‘huge’ illegal gold-processing plant, arresting 14 other undocumented foreign nationals.

In recent years, South Africa has faced surging levels of murder, extortion and kidnapping.

According to a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) published last week, criminal activity has reached a level at which it poses an existential threat to the country.

The report attributed the blame to the apartheid legacy of extreme inequality and neglect of poorer areas by the state. This was exacerbated by the undermining of state institutions under President Jacob Zuma, who ruled for nine years until he was ousted in 2018.

https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/16811-south-africa-makes-1450-arrests-in-a-weekend-crime-crackdown