Chuck Schumer Urges Trump to Declassify War Powers Notification Letter on Iran Strike

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ) called on President Donald Trump Monday to declassify the administration’s notification of hostilities against Iran.

The Senate Democrats said the Trump administration must share information with Congress regarding their targeting of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani. The Democrats also said there was no legitimate reason to classify the letter to Congress.

Sens. Schumer and Menendez wrote in their letter to President Trump:

We write to request and urge you to immediately declassify in full the January 4, 2020 war powers notification you submitted to Congress following the U.S. military operation targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani.

It is critical that national security matters of such import be shared with the American people in a timely manner. An entirely classified notification is simply not appropriate in a democratic society, and there appears to be no legitimate justification for classifying this notification.

President Trump has resisted calls to inform Congress of his plans to attack Iranian targets.

Trump tweeted Sunday, “These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!”

The Senate Democrats’ letter to President Trump follows as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wrote a letter to Democrat colleagues, revealing that they will push for a War Powers Act resolution to limit President Trump’s military capabilities with Iran.

The War Powers Act resolution will be introduced and voted on this week.

Speaker Pelosi wrote in her letter the War Powers Act resolution “reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/06/chuck-schumer-urges-trump-to-declassify-war-powers-notification-letter-on-iran-strike/

Israel’s Fingerprint Are All Over the Assassination of Qasem Soleimani

The fingerprints of Israeli intelligence, the Mossad, are unmistakably present in the assassination. It is plausible that the attack at Soleimani’s convoy was a joint CIA-Mossad operation.

By killing top Iranian military commander, Qasem Soleimani, American and Israeli leaders demonstrated the idiom ‘out of the frying pan into the fire.’

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are both politically and legally embattled – the former has just been impeached and the latter is dogged by an Attorney General indictment and investigation into major corruption cases.

Despairing, out of options and united by a common cause, both leaders were on the lookout for a major disruption – that would situate them in a positive light within their countries’ respective media – and they found it.

The assassination of the Iranian major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and commander of its Quds Force, Soleimani, on January 3, along with several Iranian military leaders by a US drone was a testament to the degree of that US and Israeli desperation.

Although there has been no official confirmation or denial of the Israeli role in the US operation, it is only logical to assume indirect or even direct Israeli involvement in the assassination.

Over the last few months, the possibility of a war against Iran has once more gained momentum, topping the agenda of Israel’s foreign policy makers. Politically beleaguered Netanyahu has repeatedly and tirelessly asked his friends in Washington to increase pressure on Teheran.

“Iran is increasing its aggression as we speak,” Netanyahu claimed on December 4, during a meeting with US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. “We are actively engaging in countering that aggression.”

One can only assume what “active engagement” from the overtly militant Israeli point of view can possibly mean in this context.

Moreover, the fingerprints of the Israeli intelligence, the Mossad, are unmistakably present in the assassination. It is plausible that the attack at Soleimani’s convoy near the Baghdad International airport was a joint CIA-Mossad operation.

It is well-known that Israel has more experience in targeted assassinations in the region than all Middle Eastern countries combined. It has killed hundreds of Palestinian and Arab activists this way. The assassination of Hezbollah’s top military leader – the movement’s second in command – Imad Mughniyah in February 2008, in Syria, was only one of numerous such killings.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/israel-mossad-fingerprints-assassination-qasem-soleimani/263923/

Soleimani’s assassination has cornered Iran

The killing of Iran’s Major General Qassem Soleimani by the US in Baghdad has been met with mixed reactions around the world. Some have expressed their grief, while others were overjoyed at the death of the man they call “the butcher of Aleppo” and the killer of Sunni Muslims in the region.

Soleimani was commanding Iranian forces and their Shia militia allies at the siege of the Syrian city of Aleppo in 2016, during which almost 1,200 people were killed. Around 31,000 have been killed there over the course of the battle for the city from 2012 onwards. As the commander of the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), he was responsible for overseeing and directing the ongoing assault on Idlib province in north-west Syria, as well as the Shia militias across the region who are blamed for numerous atrocities, particularly against local Sunni Muslim populations. Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad himself praised Soleimani, saying that his contribution to the regime and its military campaigns “will not be forgotten.”

It is not his contribution to foreign policy which makes Soleimani’s death have such an impact in Iran, though, but his standing within the country and its government. The IRGC is the guardian of the revolution and Iran’s most powerful military force. Soleimani was thus effectively one of the most prominent and influential men in the country, arguably second only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and on a par with President Hassan Rouhani.

For US President Donald Trump to order an air strike to kill such an important Iranian figure was reckless. It has been described as an act of war, and yet despite the hysteria about it sparking World War Three, the fact is that Iran has been shocked into silence, for now at least. It is in a quandary both militarily and diplomatically in a way which it has never been since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, the seizure of ships in the Gulf, the tit-for-tat downing of Iranian and US drones last year, and the seemingly endless sanctions regime imposed by the West on Iran have not perplexed Tehran over the future of its foreign policy as much as the assassination of Soleimani. The Iranian government is, in effect, short of options for any retaliation, if it is going to retaliate at all. It is in a no-win situation: failure to respond will be seen as a weakness by the US, but it knows that it may not survive the consequences of any military response, if US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tweets are anything to go by.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200106-soleimanis-assassination-has-cornered-iran/

No, the Marines Are Not Calling Up Individual Ready Reservists amid Rising Mideast Tensions

Despite what you may have seen floating around social media, the 2nd Marine Division has not begun involuntarily mobilizing Marines from the Individual Ready Reserve amid rising tension in the Middle East.

A bogus news story from "Chanel45News.com" claimed that, "with the heightened tensions with the ongoing conflict in Iraq," the division would recall IRR Marines, starting with those who had separated in 2016 and 2017, all of whom would have to attend a two-month combat readiness course at the School of Infantry on the East and West Coasts.

Troops in the IRR have left active duty but still have time left on their obligation to serve. They do not belong to drilling units.

The story was an obvious hoax: The Channel45News.com website says it allows users to "Create A Prank & Trick Your Friends!" by masquerading jokes as legitimate news stories, and the IRR recall is replete with typos and a disclaimer that says, "You've been pranked!"

Indeed, a 2nd Marine Division spokesman confirmed to Task & Purpose that the division was not recalling Marines who had recently left active duty.

"To the best of my knowledge, this is untrue," said Lt. Col. Lyle Gilbert. "A prank by the same name (replete with a clown graphic at the bottom of the post so stating) was cycling around social media over the weekend."

"No such word at the division … as of now," Gilbert added.

During the Iraq war, the U.S. military involuntarily mobilized thousands of service members from the IRR. War critics accused the Pentagon of instituting a "backdoor draft" by recalling troops who thought they had left the service.

Speculation has emerged on social media that the U.S. military would once again mobilize troops from the IRR in the wake of the U.S. airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran has vowed to retaliate for the strike.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/06/no-marines-are-not-calling-individual-ready-reservists-amid-rising-mideast-tensions.html

Trump demands hasty end to impeachment, accusing Democrats of a 'con'

President Trump on Monday demanded that his impeachment trial end quickly in the Senate, accusing House Democrats of a “con game” to help their chances during the 2020 election contest.

Trump lashed out against impeachment in a series of tweets, deriding it as a “scam,” “hoax” and “witch hunt” and saying it was “sad” that Democrats were focused on impeaching him at a time when he is “so busy.”

“The Impeachment Hoax, just a continuation of the Witch Hunt which started even before I won the Election, must end quickly,” Trump tweeted Monday morning.

“Read the Transcripts, see the Ukrainian President’s strong statement, NO PRESSURE — get this done,” Trump continued, referring to the record of his calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, one of which is at the center of his impeachment.

“It is a con game by the Dems to help with the Election!” Trump alleged.

“This was not what the Founders had in mind!” Trump later wrote, noting that the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach him last month without any Republican support.

The tweets were Trump’s first since he returned to Washington from a two-week stay at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach and suggested impeachment was very much on his mind Monday morning.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has delayed sending the articles of impeachment accusing Trump of abusing his power and obstructing Congress to the Senate over questions about the fairness of a trial in the GOP-controlled upper chamber, which is widely expected to acquit Trump.

The decision has left the timing of the trial up in the air, even as lawmakers return to Washington this week following a holiday recess.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump’s foremost allies in Congress, on Sunday said he would push for a change of rules in the Senate to allow for the trial to move forward immediately if the upper chamber does not receive the articles by the end of the week.

Trump spent part of his two-week stint in Palm Beach, Fla., complaining about the impeachment inquiry on Twitter and lashing out at Pelosi in particular for delaying the transmission of the articles to the Senate.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/476903-trump-demands-hasty-end-to-impeachment-accusing-democrats-of-a-con

Iran’s nuclear program remains under IAEA control, says Russian envoy

According to Russia’s Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov, Iran declared that its nuclear program would be based on its technical needs

VIENNA, January 6./TASS/. The Iranian nuclear program will remain under strict international control after Tehran’s announcing a new stage of reducing commitments to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOR), Russia’s Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov said on Sunday.

According to him, Iran had declared that its nuclear program would be based on its technical needs. "This decision does not give answers to all questions so far. Time will be needed to clarify the general picture and understand a new reality," Ulyanov blogged in Twitter.

"However, Iran confirms that his cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency - TASS) will continue. This means that the nuclear program remains under strict international control, including on the basis of the additional protocol. This is of paramount importance from the point of view of nuclear non-proliferation," the envoy stressed.

On Sunday, Iran declared a final step to reduce commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal. The new step envisages that Tehran won’t abide by the JCPOA limits on the number of centrifuges for enriching uranium.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed by Iran with the UN Security Council permanent members (Russia, the UK, China, the US, France) and Germany in 2015. The deal restricted Tehran’s nuclear development in exchange for lifting the UN sanctions and the unilateral restrictions imposed by the US and the EU.

The future of the 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear program was called into question after the United States’ unilateral pullout on May 8, 2018, and Washington’s oil export sanctions against Iran. As the Iranian side argues, the other parties to the nuclear deal, first of all, the European signatories, do not comply with their economic commitments in full and that is why the deal in its current form has no sense. Due to this, Iran started to scale down a part of its obligations under the JCPOA related to uranium enrichment and research activity.

https://tass.com/politics/1105841

In Jerusalem, the world of Talmud study fetes its newest superstars — women

An event marks the culmination of a 7.5-year daily gemara cycle — and a crescendo in decades of efforts by teachers to wrest Jewish texts from men’s-only clubs

If the plaza outside the Jerusalem Convention Center were a manuscript read from on high, the restless, long lines of people scoring the space on Sunday evening could be seen as uneven script, penned in a rush of inspiration. Over 3,000 people were eager to enter and they weren’t hiding it. They were young, middle-aged, elderly. Most were Orthodox Jewish women. And for all, this was to be a first.

As the crowds filed into the sold-out hall, the anticipation steadily grew. Teenage students filled out the balcony. English and Hebrew mingled in the air. As the lights dimmed to reveal a video peopled by the speakers at the event, cheers and whoops and unabashed fandom rippled wildly through the crowd.

This was no pop concert or red carpet event; it was a celebration of a religious and intellectual achievement. And though standing ovations were plentiful, as per a Jewish tradition of reverence for scholars they preceded the performances as each speaker took the stage.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-jerusalem-the-world-of-talmud-study-fetes-its-newest-superstars-women/

SITREP : Iraq’s Shia factions to meet within hours to announce united anti-US military front

Link: http://middleeastobserver.net/iraqs-shia-factions-to-meet-within-hours-to-announce-united-anti-us-military-campaign/

Description:

Nasr al-Shimri, the deputy-Secretary General of the al-Nujaba movement, comments on the latest developments surrounding the US military presence within Iraq and the region.

The Nujaba movement is a key faction of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Units.

Source: Al-Mayadeen TV

Date: 06/01/2020

Transcript:

– Washington has failed to shake Iraq’s relations with its strategic ally Iran

– Iran is a strategic ally that stood with Iraq in the most difficult of times

– the blood of General Soleimani and the leader al-Muhandis foiled all the American plans against Iraq

– not one day have we felt any reassurance towards American behavior in Iraq

– the American aggression against the PMU on the borders signaled the beginning of the war on the resistance

– we will wage a war against the American military presence at every point in the region that is within our reach

– the pain that we will cause the United States will be equal to the (value of the) blood of our martyrs

– the high-level leaders of the Iraqi resistance are preparing to meet to form a united front against the American presence in the region

– the leaders of the Iraqi resistance will gather today or tomorrow to announce a united front against the US (military) presence

– we are ready to fight the United States and the martyrdom of some of us will not change any of the existing equations

https://thesaker.is/iraqs-shia-factions-to-meet-within-hours-to-announce-united-anti-us-military-front/

Democrat Senator Breaks Ranks: ‘Soleimani was a terrorist … Iran’s aggression should be checked’

ometimes Democrats forget about the evil agenda in play and spew a little common sense.

This is one of those times.

Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) has challenged the consensus of her party and makes a lot of sense in doing so.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema seemed to break away from the pack mentality of her fellow Democrats in attacking President Trump over the U.S. airstrike against an Iranian military commander.

Rather than spout the Democrats’ immediate condemnation of the president’s actions as an escalation of conflict with Iran, the Arizona lawmaker believed Iranian “aggression should be checked,” as she said in a statement released on Friday.

“Iran’s aggression should be checked, and we must protect all Americans at home and abroad,” the moderate Democrat added.

The Pentagon revealed that Soleimani, a longtime enemy of the U.S. who was reportedly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. personnel, was “developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq” and the Middle East region.

More…

#####

No one really wants war with Iran, except for possibly Iran itself, but at what point do you stop turning the other cheek?

This was retaliation and national defense.

President Donald Trump is not Jimmy Carter.

Trump Threatens Attack on 52 Iranian Targets, Honoring Carter-Era Hostages, If Iran Retaliates

President Trump is decisive and will not let atrocities against Americans go unanswered.

Sinema is a minority in her own party at this point and it’s really good to see.

National security comes before party politics.

I don’t agree with Senator Sinema often, but her patriotism and concern for her own constituents in Arizona is quite admirable here.

Arizona Democrat Senate Candidate Kyrsten Sinema Refuses To Retract Saying It’s OK For Americans To Join Taliban

Arizona Senate race: Democrat Kyrsten Sinema calls stay-at-home moms ‘leeches’

It’s difficult to believe that such words of wisdom came from this woman.

Has she changed?

Does she have a hidden motive?

Maybe she will be the next to jump ship to our side.

Either way, Thank You Senator for some much needed truth from your side of the aisle.

https://www.dcclothesline.com/2020/01/06/democrat-senator-breaks-ranks-soleimani-was-a-terrorist-irans-aggression-should-be-checked/

Neoconned: Pentagon Top Brass Throw Trump Under The Bus With 'Shameless Ass-Covering Leaks'

It's looking like the NeverTrump neocons President Trump surrounded himself with are already stabbing him in the back through selective leaks to the New York Times after convincing him to assassinate Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

From The New York Times, "As Tensions With Iran Escalated, Trump Opted for Most Extreme Measure":

In the chaotic days leading to the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s most powerful commander, top American military officials put the option of killing him — which they viewed as the most extreme response to recent Iranian-led violence in Iraq — on the menu they presented to President Trump.

They didn’t think he would take it. In the wars waged since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Pentagon officials have often offered improbable options to presidents to make other possibilities appear more palatable.

After initially rejecting the Suleimani option on Dec. 28 and authorizing airstrikes on an Iranian-backed Shiite militia group instead, a few days later Mr. Trump watched, fuming, as television reports showed Iranian-backed attacks on the American Embassy in Baghdad, according to Defense Department and administration officials.

By late Thursday, the president had gone for the extreme option. Top Pentagon officials were stunned.

Translation: the NeverTrump neocons Trump surrounded himself with convinced him to carry out the attack to take out Israel's number one enemy and now that it appears to be backfiring they're leaking how the intelligence was non-existent and acting like the attack was entirely his idea.

I guess it serves him right.

Mr. Trump made the decision, senior officials said on Saturday, despite disputes in the administration about the significance of what some officials said was a new stream of intelligence that warned of threats to American embassies, consulates and military personnel in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. General Suleimani had just completed a tour of his forces in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and was planning an “imminent” attack that could claim hundreds of lives, those officials said.

“Days, weeks,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Friday, when asked how imminent any attacks could be, without offering more detail other than to say that new information about unspecified plotting was “clear and unambiguous.”

But some officials voiced private skepticism about the rationale for a strike on General Suleimani, who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American troops over the years. According to one United States official, the new intelligence indicated “a normal Monday in the Middle East” — Dec. 30 — and General Suleimani’s travels amounted to “business as usual.”

That official described the intelligence as thin and said that General Suleimani’s attack was not imminent because of communications the United States had between Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and General Suleimani showing that the ayatollah had not yet approved any plans by the general for an attack. The ayatollah, according to the communications, had asked General Suleimani to come to Tehran for further discussions at least a week before his death.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence were two of the most hawkish voices arguing for a response to Iranian aggression, according to administration officials.

If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

You should have kept your campaign promises, Mr. President.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61077

Report: '400k Anchor Babies Born in 2019, Exceeding U.S. Births in 48 States'

President Trump may not have given us the executive order on birthright citizenship he promised before the 2018 midterms but at least we got a war with Iran!

From Breitbart, "Nearly 400K Anchor Babies Born in 2019, Exceeding U.S. Births in 48 States":

Close to 400,000 anchor babies were born in the United States in 2019 as an executive order to end birthright citizenship gets kicked down the road for another year by President Donald Trump's administration.

Analysis conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies revealed in 2018 that about 300,000 U.S.-born children of illegal aliens are born every year. These children, often referred to as "anchor babies," immediately obtain American citizenship and anchor their illegal or foreign parents in the country.

In addition, about 72,000 anchor babies are born to foreign tourists, foreign visa workers, and foreign students every year — all of whom obtain immediate American citizenship simply for being born within the parameters of the country.

Altogether, about 372,000 anchor babies are estimated to have been born last year despite a commitment by Trump to sign an executive order ending the nation's "anchor baby policy" that incentivizes pregnant migrant women to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the hopes of securing American citizenship for their children.

This indicates that there were more anchor babies born in 2019 than births in each of the 50 states except California and Texas. California residents deliver about 455,000 babies a year, while Texans deliver about 379,000 babies a year, just slightly more than the total annual number of anchor babies born.

On Saturday evening, a 13-year-old American boy was killed in Mexico while returning to the US.

Don't expect Trump to conduct any retaliatory strikes – those are only reserved for unnamed military contractors off somewhere in the Middle East!

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61078

Oh vey we're eternal victims

10,000 march across Brooklyn Bridge to protest spike in anti-Semitic attacks

In a massive display of solidarity against anti-Semitism, more than 10,000 people, including New York's governor, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday to protest a recent string of hate attacks in the New York-New Jersey region, including a machete rampage at a rabbi's home during a Hanukkah celebration.

The demonstrators chanted "No Hate, No Fear" as they gathered in Foley Square in lower Manhattan and marched across the bridge to Cadman Square in Brooklyn, accompanied by a heavy police presence.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo kicked off the march by announcing the state will spend an additional $45 million to protect faith-based groups from being targeted for hate crimes.

http://www.hideoutnow.com/2020/01/10000-march-across-brooklyn-bridge-to.html

Netanyahu Says Israel Is A 'Nuclear Power' Before 'Correcting Himself'

From Reuters, "Netanyahu, in apparent stumble, calls Israel 'nuclear power'":

In an apparent slip of the tongue on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel as a nuclear power before correcting himself with a bashful nod and an embarrassed smile.

[…] "The significance of this project is that we are turning Israel into a nuclear power," he said, before quickly correcting himself to say "energy power".

He then paused for a beat, acknowledging his mistake with a smile, and then ploughed on with his comments.

Israel's nuclear program was exposed by Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu in 1986. Vanunu was forcibly drugged and kidnapped by the Mossad in Italy and taken back to Israel to be thrown in prison for 18 years. Vanunu was tortured through solitary confinement for 11 of the years he spent in prison.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61075

>>7732809

Nervous letting everyone know he has nukes and will use them???

Harvey Weinstein Facing Life In Prison As Rape Trial Begins

Harvey Weinstein's rape trial has begun, with the film producer facing up to life in prison as a possible outcome.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty on charges of assaulting two women in New York and faces up to life in prison for the more serious charge, predatory sexual assault, according to Reuters.

Former production assistant Mimi Haleyi claimed that she was assaulted in 2006 and prosecutors say the second assault, on an unnamed woman, took place in 2013.

Weinstein was shown "limping" into the courtroom on Monday morning by the Daily News, who said he was "leaning on a walker and need[ed] help getting up stairs." At the same time, protesters were berating him. “Thank god your mother is not here to see this,” one protester yelled.

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/harvey-weinstein-facing-life-prison-rape-trial-begins

General Petraeus: ‘Impossible To Overstate’ Significance Of Soleimani Strike

David Petraeus served 37 years in the United States Army He rose to the rank of four-star general, served as commander of the International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan led the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Multi-National Force – Iraq, overseeing all coalition forces in the terrorist hotbed. He also served as CIA director.

So we’ll stipulate that Petraeus knows a thing or two about Iraq.

On Sunday, the general said it is “impossible to overstate” the significance of President Trump’s order to to strike Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top military commander and the world’s No. 1 terrorist. He also called the strike “bigger” than the death of Osama bin Laden.

“It’s impossible to overstate the significance of the attack that takes out Qassem Soleimani and the number two militia leader in Iraq as well, who also never dared to set foot in Iraq during the surge after we’ve missed him and he escaped,” Petraeus said on CBS’s “Face the Nation. That No. 2 leader was Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. “So this is bigger than bin Laden. It’s bigger than Baghdadi,” he said of the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, who U.S. forces took out last October.

“This is the equivalent in U.S. terms of the CIA director, CENTCOM commander, JSOC (the Joint Special Operations Command) commander, and presidential envoy for the region for Iran,” Petraeus said of Soleimani’s role in the Iranian military.

Petraeus said the U.S. may not have gone far enough.

“It’s not quite enough, I don’t think, to say, well, they know how to reach us. I think we should actually be trying to reach out through intermediaries first, of course, as we have in the past, and then trying to come to some kind of agreement about how to get back to the nuclear deal that was had its strengths, as well as some shortcomings, to be sure, and then address the other legitimate grievances and issues that we have about militia activity, support and the missile program,” he said.

The general said he was surprised the U.S. military hit Soleimani. “We’d never gone after him before, although I hasten to add that he never dared set foot inside Iraq to my recollection, when I was commanding the surge, nor in the time that I was the commander of U.S. Central Command. He only really became visible in the way that he has in more recent years after the Arab Spring, supporting the murderous Bashar al-Assad in Syria and then very actively supporting the Iranian-supported militia inside Iraq that were helping to contend with the Islamic State invasion of northern and western Iraq.”

He also said Iraqis are cheering the death of Soleimani.

“The people are demonstrating on the streets and in unprecedented numbers since the revolution against the economic deprivation, the lack of employment opportunities and the plummeting of their quality of life. So, they’re not- by the way, they’re not that invested in the kinds of Iranian adventures that have been funded and carried out by the Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force under the leadership of Qassem Soleimani.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/general-petraeus-impossible-to-overstate-significance-of-soleimani-strike/

Libyan National Army Enters Sirte City As GNA’s Defense Collapses Despite Turkish Troop Deployment

UPDATE: The LNA announced that the city of Sirte is now under its full control. However, the LNA is not going to develop the advance on the pro-GNA city of Misrata right now. Most likely, the LNA leadership is planning to negotiate a kind of a deal with the Misrata militia leadership.

***

On January 6, units of the Libyan National Army (LNA) took control of the Gardabiya Airbase near the city of Sirte and entered Sirte itself.

According to reports from the ground, a part of Sirte(Misrata) militia loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) defected to the LNA. The rest of them retreated from a large part of the town or surrendered weapons.

On January 5, Turkish President Recep Erdogan announced that Turkish troops had started deploying in Libya. However, the Turkish military personnel would not particiapte in direct fighting, according to the President. Furthermore, the deployment just started. So, there was not enough time to change the situation strategically.

Libyan National Army Enters Sirte City As GNA's Defense Collapses Despite Turkish Troop Deployment (Videos)

https://southfront.org/libyan-national-army-enters-sirte-city-as-gnas-defense-collapses-despite-turkish-troop-deployment-videos/

Erdogan: Iran Cannot Leave Assassination Of Soleimani Unanswered

It will be wrong to leave the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Qods Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, unanswered, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told CNN Turk.

“I believe the killing of any commander from the top echelons of any country should not be left without a response,” the Turkish President said commenting on the developments around the Soleimani’s assassination.

Erdogan added that in the recent phone call he asked US President Donald Trump to “refrain from escalation with Iran.”

“It is crucial now to take control of the crisis which might cause harm to all the parties concerned,” Erdogan noted.

On January 3, Major General Qassem Soleimani as well as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, and several other Iraqi and Iranian officers were killed by US strikes on the Iraqi capital of Bahdad. The US attac, seen by Iran as an act of war, put the entire region on the brink of a new large-scale military conflict.

On January 5, the Iraqi Parliament voted to expel US forces from the country and close airspace for the US-led coalition. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi also revealed that on the day of the assassination Soleimani arrived in Baghdad under an official request from the Iraqi government. He was expected to receive de-escalation proposals from Saudi Arabia. This initiative was reportedly supported by US President Donald Trump during a phone call with the Iraqi Prime Minister.

https://southfront.org/erdogan-iran-cannot-leave-assassination-of-soleimani-unanswered/

>>7732871

>>7732820

Zionists in Pittsburgh Assault Anti-War Protesters for Criticizing Israel

A peaceful anti-war protest was interrupted in Pittsburgh on Saturday when Zionists assaulted fellow anti-war protesters for daring to criticize Israel and wealthy American Jews for their role in instigating war with Iran.

The scuffle was heavily covered in the local media, and reported nationally. The Twitter video below of the standoff has received over 1 million views at the time of this writing.

On Saturday, over one hundred activists assembled in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, in front of the Cathedral of Learning, to protest the United States’ assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, demanding America not start another war. A small contingent carried signs calling out the role of Zionists in America and abroad for pushing incessant wars in the Middle-East which benefit nobody but Israel.

https://russia-insider.com/en/watch-zionists-pittsburgh-assault-anti-war-protesters-criticizing-israel/ri28129

Ukranian Whistleblower Reveals MH-17 Tragedy Was Orchestrated by Poroshenko and British Secret Service

Mythology That MH-17 Downing Was Done by Donbass Volunteers Has Fallen Apart

Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 (MH-17), that was shot down on July 17, 2014 in the Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine, killed all passengers onboard and was immediately blamed on pro-Russia Donbass volunteer militias fighting against henchmen of the Maidan civil unrest, the Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion and the Ukrainian military. The blame was assigned against the Donbass militias with no investigation occurring and many questions remaining unanswered. These questions were answered by Former Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Prozorov of the Ukrainian Security Services, who fled to Russia, in a damning new documentary titled “MH-17: In Search Of Truth.”

The whistleblower in the 39-minute documentary completely delegitimizes the findings found by the Dutch investigators and world leaders by drawing on classified documents he attained through his own high-ranking position and those close to him, as well as eye witness accounts including from the Donbass volunteers. The responsibility for investigating the tragedy was given to a Dutch-led joint investigation team with the Dutch Safety Board, who claimed that MH-17 was downed by the Donbass volunteers with a Buk surface-to-missile. Prozorov challenges this assertion and questioned why Malaysia, which owned MH-17, was pushed to the periphery of the investigation and priority was given to the Dutch side. This in itself is not damning and does not disprove that the Donbass volunteers were not responsible, but it does demonstrate that there is a clear agenda when a country with direct interest in this tragedy is cast aside.

Interestingly, the Dutch investigators completely disregarded declassified Russian Ministry of Defense information that the missile used to down MH-17 was sent to the Lviv region in Western Ukraine near the Polish border during the Soviet era, the opposite end of the country to Donbass. Prozorov was able to even reveal the serial number of the missile (8-8-6-8-7-2-0). This revelation is complemented by the fact that the Ukrainian military 156 Anti-Aircraft Regiment were operating in Donbass and had BUK vehicles in service in the region, as corroborated by two interviewees who served in the regiment, bringing into question why Dutch investigators ignored such critical information. This comes as it has now been proven, as explained in the documentary, that the alleged Russian Buk movement in Ukraine was faked, with a single still photo being used with a picture of a tractor, a trailer and a Buk vehicle being inserted into the picture.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/ukranian-whistleblower-reveals-mh-17-tragedy-orchestrated-poroshenko-british-secret-service/5699826

Censored Photo Shocker: General Soleimani with American Troops in Iraq

Esper and Pompeo Lied to the President

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2020/01/06/censored-photo-shocker-general-soleimani-with-american-troops-in-iraq/

Not sure what to make of this nor why VT has not provided the full pic for further analysis

SHOCK: Senator Charged, Arrested For Possessing Child Pornography

Another day, another corrupt lawmaker has been arrested and charged for breaking the law.

But this one case is particularly disturbing for a variety of reasons.

As noted by local news outlet CBS 21, Pennsylvania State Sen. Mike Folmer has resigned from office after being arrested on child pornography charges.

Folmer used the social media website Tumbler to upload at least one image of a young girl who was reportedly performing a sex act.

When Tumblr officials became aware of the image, they contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Soon after that, Folmer was arrested by local police.

During his appearance in court, prosecutors stated that Folmer uploaded the image himself to the website back in 2017.

Prosecutors also say police found two more images on Folmer’s computer that allegedly show child pornography.

“This defendant serves as a state Senator and was entrusted to honor and represent his community in the Pennsylvania Capitol,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said in a statement.

“I will continue to say it — no one is above the law, no matter what position of power they hold,” Shapiro added.

He’s been charged with three counts of child pornography and one count of criminal use in a communication facility.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman released a joint statement calling on Folmer to resign.

“We are sickened and disturbed by the charges brought against Mike Folmer,” it read.

Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf said Folmer “made the right decision to resign.”

“We elect leaders to serve as a voice for those who do not have the ability to advocate for their own needs, demanding that they will protect our children, families and communities,” he said in a statement.

“The charges against Senator Folmer are disgusting and beyond comprehension, and show he has taken advantage of the trust and privilege afforded by the people of Pennsylvania,” he added.

Seems like corrupt officials, mostly Democrats, have been charged and arrested lately.

Below are just a few examples:

— A Democratic mayor has been charged with seven counts of bribery, one count of conspiring to commit bribery, and 18 counts of wire fraud. If found guilty on all 26 felony counts and ordered to serve 20 years for each crime, he could be sentenced to 520 years in federal prison.

–Democrat mayor was arrested at his home after accepting a $5,000 bribe from federal agents.

–A federal wiretap caught a Democrat lawmaker bribing a legislative colleague.

–A Democratic district judge was arrested and charged with taking bribes from an informant.

–Fall River Democratic Mayor Jasiel Correia was arrested on charges that he conspired to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from companies in his district.

–A Democratic representative was arrested and charged after impersonating a police officer and trying to buy cocaine while driving under the influence.

https://explainlife.com/shock-senator-charged-arrested-for-possessing-child-pornography-2-18871/