Vladimir Putin's annual news conference

Key topics

Russia not seeking arms race, but a balance of power — Putin

Putin regrets growing global tendency of underestimating risks of nuclear war

Putin agrees with Trump’s ‘correct’ decision to order US troop pullout from Syria

Butina never fulfilled any ‘missions’ of the state, Putin affirms

Putin expects new US Congress to attack Trump

No signs of US troops withdrawal from Syria as of yet, says Putin

Putin expands on Russia's economy structure

Putin says does not know if he will have a meeting with Trump, but says he is prepared

Putin slams Western sanctions against Crimea as illogical

Ukraine’s secular authorities meddling with church affairs, says Putin

Russia's president comments on future of Ukrainian sailors detained in Kerch Strait

Attempts to solve political problems in Donbass militarily 'self-defeating', says Putin

The West employs ‘politicized Russophobia’ to contain Russia, says Putin

Putin: simplified citizenship issuance for Ukrainians aimed against peoples’ separation

Putin: It's hard to understand UN envoy’s attitude to Syrian constitutional committee

More

http://tass.com/politics/1036914

Farrell: How the FBI Ran an Illegal Counterintelligence Masquerade in Plot to Get Trump

In examining the cast of FBI and senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials fired, retired, resigned and under investigation since May 2017, the breathtaking scope of the FBI’s unprecedented criminal efforts to steer a presidential election and frame a newly elected president serves as Exhibit A for the organization’s disbandment. The “leadership” that willfully and corruptly ignored Hillary Clinton’s criminal mishandling of highly classified information had no problem faking a counterintelligence investigation to smear and destroy President Trump.

A recitation of the FBI/DOJ Litany of Shame is called for: Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Baker, Ohr, Yates, Priestap, Rybicki, Kortan, Campbell, Turgal, Bower, Steinbach, Giacalone, Laufman, Carlin, McCord — there are more, and eventually we’ll learn their names. Some took unlawful action draped in the American flag and smarmy self-righteousness. Some were careerists craving a retirement paycheck and a strong resume, standing by and doing nothing — negligent or complicit with guilty knowledge

The group dubbed the “Secret Society” by FBI lawyer Lisa Page in a text to self-anointed FBI “Super Agent” Peter Strzok had a clear goal: Stop Trump. But how to do that “legally”? How does one manufacture a phony Russia hoax and hang it around Trump’s neck when you’re constrained from going after his campaign, organization and staff?

The FBI is specifically prohibited from penetrating and subverting U.S. organizations under the provisions of Executive Order 12333, Section 2.9: “No one acting on behalf of agencies within the Intelligence Community may join or otherwise participate in any organization in the United States on behalf of any agency within the intelligence community without disclosing his intelligence affiliation to appropriate officials of the organization, except in accordance with procedures established by the head of the agency concerned and approved by the attorney general.” That’s tough for the “secret society.”

Could they — would they — rely on Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and have her office generate a legal finding memo? An actual, discoverable, legal record detailing and authorizing an operation against a presidential candidate? Too risky on a few levels.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/in-the-news/farrell-how-the-fbi-ran-an-illegal-counterintelligence-masquerade-in-plot-to-get-trump/

Trump Takes Detour at Farm Bill Signing — Trashes Democrats on Open Borders, Calls for Border Wall!

President Trump held a public event on Thursday tosign the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.

Several Heartland politicians, both Republican and Democrat, joined the president for the historic bill signing.

President Trump took a detour during his speech to discuss border security, illegal immigrant invasion, and open borders.

Trump blasted Democrats during the speech for their open border policies.

President Trump: I will not surrender to the whims of human traffickers and drug dealers.”

President Trump: Democrats continue to oppose border security no matter how many people get hurt and die. I am asking Congress to support our policy… Open borders hurts poor Americans more than any other.

President Trump proposed a steel slat barrier to protect the US-Mexico border.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/12/trump-takes-detour-at-farm-bill-signing-trashes-democrats-on-open-borders-calls-for-border-wall-video/

Planned Parenthood, Other Feminist Organizations Accused Of Discrimination Against Pregnant Workers

The very organizations that claim to champion women and rail against others for alleged discrimination are participating in that very same discrimination, according to a report from the New York Times.

Organizations – Planned Parenthood in particular – are accused of violating state and/or federal laws against discriminating against pregnant women in the workplace. Managers allegedly consider pregnancy while hiring and deny doctor-recommended breaks for pregnant women.

“In other cases, the bias was more subtle. Many women said they were afraid to announce a pregnancy at work, sensing they would be seen as abandoning their colleagues,” the Times reported. “Some of those employers saw accommodating expecting mothers as expensive and inconvenient. Others were unsympathetic to workers seeking special treatment.”

Ta’Lisa Hairston, a medical assistant at Planned Parenthood, informed her human-resources department that she needed frequent breaks while she was pregnant due to her high blood pressure. Despite multiple notes from her nurse, Hairston said, her managers would not allow her the necessary breaks or even a lunch break.

“I had to hold back tears talking to pregnant women, telling them to take care of their pregnancies when I couldn’t take care of mine,” she told the Times. “It made me jealous.”

Other current and former Planned Parenthood employees told the Times they were fired after giving birth.

The Times reported that despite Planned Parenthood positioning itself as a center for pregnancy (though it is also the country's largest abortion provider), most locations do not provide maternity leave for their employees. Some allow women to take partially paid disability leave in its place.

“I believe we must do better than we are now,” Leana Wen, the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told the Times. “It’s our obligation to do better, for our staff, for their families and for our patients.”

She added that the organization is investigating claims of discrimination and reviewing the cost of providing paid maternity leave to its 12,000 employees across the country.

Melissa Blain Johnson and Judit Rigo, two former employers of genetic testing seller Natera, said they were demoted after they went on maternity leave. Johnson is now suing. Natera said Johnson’s employment “was not influenced inappropriately by her pregnancy or subsequent maternity leave” and neither was Rigo’s.

Rigo told the Times she trained a junior employee to fill in for her while on maternity leave and was told weeks after she gave birth that she would then be reporting to that employee.

Caroline Ruiz, a marketing executive at cosmetics brand Avon, said she was fired four days after she announced she was pregnant. Two other employees at the company have sued, claiming they were forced to handle toxic chemicals during their pregnancies. Avon denied all these claims to the Times.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/39566/planned-parenthood-other-feminist-organizations-ashe-schow

SYRIA UPDATE

Al-Jaafari: the constitution is an absolute Syrian sovereign affair

Al-Jaafari, speaking at a UNSC session on the state in the Middle East, added that Syria is ready to actively participate in any genuine effort to reach a political solution through which the Syrians alone decide their future without any foreign intervention.

He affirmed that the international community has to help Syria end the terrorist war and eliminate the remnants of the terrorist organizations, adding that Syria is writing the last chapter of its fight against terrorism.

Al-Jaafari went on to say that the success of any political track in Syria requires work with the Syrian state and pre-cooperation with it, saying that it also requires an international commitment to overcome the remnants of terrorists and end the illegitimate presence of foreign troops on the Syrian territories.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=153981

U.S. Forces To Withdraw From Their Base In Syria’s Al-Tanaf

U.S. forces will withdraw from its base in the Syrian area of al-Tanaf near the border with Iraq as a part of the White House’s decision to withdraw all U.S. service members from the war torn country, an official in the Pentagon told the Washington-based Alhurra TV.

“The withdraw from Syria will includes the al-Tanaf base and the 55k [de-escalation] zone in a later stage,” Alhurrah quoted the official as saying.

https://southfront.org/u-s-forces-to-withdraw-from-their-base-in-syrias-al-tanaf/

150 US Military Trucks Left Northeastern Syria: Turkish Media

About 150 US trucks carrying weapons for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), reportedly started leaving Syria late on December 19 after the Trump administration announced the withdrawal of US troops.

According to Turkish media, about 150 trucks left Syria and entered Iraq at about 2100GMT. At least a part of the trucks was carrying heavy machinery and mine cleaners.

https://southfront.org/150-us-military-trucks-left-northeastern-syria-turkish-media/

Citizens in Hasaka and Qamishili protest against Turkish threats against Syrian territories

Civil, religious, and social activities in Hasaka city and in Qamishili city organized protests against the threats launched by the Turkish regime and its aggressive statements regarding the unity and territorial integrity of Syria and its people.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=153956

Christmas tree lit up in Hasaka amid joy and Christmas songs

Amid an atmosphere of joy accompanied by the Christmas songs, the religious, social and popular activities in Hasaka lit up the Christmas tree in front of the social cultural center of Patriarch Zakka I Iwas affiliated to St. George’s Orthodox Church.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=153917

Syrian War Report – Dec. 20, 2018: U.S. Is Withdrawing Troops From Syria

https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-dec-20-2018-us-is-withdrawing-troops-from-syria/

U.S. To End Its Aerial Operations Against ISIS In Syria After Troops Withdrawal: Report

As long as there are U.S. troops on the ground we will conduct air and artillery strikes in support of our forces. We will not speculate on future operations,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement responding to Reuters.

https://southfront.org/u-s-to-end-its-aerial-operations-against-isis-in-syria-after-troops-withdrawal/

Saudi-led Coalition Carries Out Airstrikes On Sanaa Airport. Houthis Respond With Rocket Strike

On December 19, the Saudi-led coalition announced that its warplanes had targeted and destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and its launch pad in the Houthi-held Sanaa airport, which is located in the outskirt of the Yemeni capital.

“The airstrike is in line with the international humanitarian law and its customary rules, especially that precautions were taken,” al-Arabia quoted a source in the coalition as saying.

Brigadier General Yahya Sari, a spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces [an ally of the Houthis], confirmed that Saudi-led coalition warplanes carried out six airstrikes on Sanaa airport. However, he didn’t provide further information.

Later, the Houthis announced that they had launched a Zilzal-1 rocket at a gathering of the Saudi military and its proxies south of the Saudi province of Najran. The rocket attack was clearly a response to the coalition airstrikes on Sanaa airport.

The Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition reached a ceasefire agreement on the provinces of al-Hudaydah and Taiz during Sweden talks last week. The two sides are expected to reach a similar agreement on Sanaa and its airport in the upcoming round of talks, which will likely be held next January.

https://southfront.org/saudi-led-coalition-carries-out-airstrikes-on-sanaa-airport-and-houthis-respond-with-rocket-strike/

UKRAINE

U.S. Concentrates Troops & Withdraws Diplomats

On December 19, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it’s withdrawing troops from Syria. Further media reprots on this issue said that State Department personnel had been set to be evacuated within 24 hours while the timeframe for troops pull-out is between 60 and 100 days.

On December 20, local Syrian sources reported that the State Deparment had already withdrawn all diplomats from the country. While the White House has provided no details on the troops withdrawal process, there are signals that Washington is emergently withdrawing its military personnel and equipment.

On the same time, there are reports that the US has started withdrawing its diplomats and the most combat-effective units from Afghanistan.

This follows a significant increase of US intelligence gathering missions along the Russian borders during the past 10 days. On December 18, British reconnaissance ship HMS Echo entered the Black Sea in order to collect fresh data about water depths and streams for surface and underwater submarine fleets of NATO member states.

On December 18, the US and its allies forced through a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the alleged militarization of Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea and supporting Ukrainian actions in the region. The passed resolution is a clear signal to the Poroshenko regime that the Euro-Atlantic elite fully supports its actions.

The passed resolution also marked the start of a new round of pre-war media hysteria in Ukraine. A week ago, President Petro Poroshenko delcared that the Ukrainian military has started redeploying assault units of the Air Assault Forces (AAF) to the areas of a possible “Russian invasion”. These areas include the coast of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov (near Crimea). The AAF is the branch of the Armed Forces designed for offensive operations. It’s an analogue of the US Marine Corps or the Russian VDV.

On December 20, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov declared that the Navy is planning to send a new naval group to pass the Kerch Strait. The group will allegedly have with officials from the OSCE and other international organizations on board. The secretary of the National Security and Defence Council is one of the key decision-makers in the country alongside with the president and the defense minister. So, it becomes highly likely that the Kiev government is planning to stage a new maritime provocation in the area of the Kerch Strait.

Summing up the abovementioned factors, it seems that the US is urgently withdrawing combat-ready forces from the conflcit zones to free them for some other operations. The only real reason that can explain these actions is that the US expects a big hot military conflict in which it will be involved. In the case of such a conflict, the US will need to have an ability to deploy combat-ready troops to secure its interests or keep them in reserve if the stituation evolves into a global war.

https://southfront.org/days-before-war-u-s-concentrates-troops-withdraws-diplomats/

Leftists Respond to #GoFundTheWall By Launching Fundraiser for ‘Ladders’ so Illegal Aliens Can Climb Over

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/12/leftists-respond-to-gofundthewall-by-launching-fundraiser-for-ladders-so-illegal-aliens-can-climb-over/

Fucking retarded

White Helmets Engaged in Looting, Human Organ Trafficking in Syria - Watchdog

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Members of the organization White Helmets were engaged in the forced removal of human organs as well as theft and corruption in Syria, according to evidence presented at the United Nations by Foundation for the Study of Democracy Director Maxim Grigoriev on Thursday.

"People evacuated by the White Helmets often did not come back alive," Grigoriev said quoting a witness who lives in an area where the White Helmets operated. "For example, a person receives a minor injury, is rescued, evacuated and then brought back with their stomach cut open and with their internal organs missing."

Grigoriev noted that according to multiple witnesses, including members of the White Helmets, the organization was also involved in looting wounded individuals in Syria, especially women, as well as plundering stores and damaged buildings.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201812211070877298-un-syria-white-helmets-human-trafficking-plundering/

>>4396540

It's DS in Ukraine

>>4396555

Trips of truth

>>4396584

Yep

Very pleased we seemed to have made a difference by getting the truth out

>>4396586

seems that way, any lawfags about?

Israel is ‘frightened’ & ‘desperate’

Imagine having to get signed agreements and laws to stop people from not wanting to interact with you!

Israel is like an ugly fucker whose mother has to tie a pork chop around their neck so the dog will play with them.