FLASHBACK: Iranian Lawmaker: Obama Granted Citizenship to 2500 Iranians During Nuclear Talks — Including Family Members of Regime Officials

On Friday morning the United States killed General Qassim Soleimani, a top commander of Iran’s al-Quds Force, in an airstrike at Baghdad’s International Airport. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces. Seven people were reportedly killed in the airstrike.

The Iranian regime is threatening retaliation against the United States following the death of their terror leader.

On Sunday the Iranian Regime offered an $80 million bounty for anyone who brings in the head of President Donald Trump for killing Qassam Soleimani.

And on Tuesday the Iranian parliament allocated 200 million euros or $223 million dollars to the al-Quds forces to avenge Soleimani’s death.

It may be easier than expected for the regime to attack targets INSIDE the United States.

In July 2018 Trump tweeted about Obama granting citizenship to 2,500 Iranians during the nuclear deal negotiations, including to government officials.

The liberal media accused Trump of making a false claim.

But Trump got the information from a top Iranian official as reported by FOX News.

The Obama administration granted citizenship to 2,500 Iranians, including family members of government officials, while negotiating the Iran nuclear deal, a senior cleric and member of parliament has claimed.

Hojjat al-Islam Mojtaba Zolnour, who is chairman of Iran’s parliamentary nuclear committee and a member of its national security and foreign affairs committee, made the allegations during an interview with the country’s Etemad newspaper, cited by the country’s Fars News agency.

He claimed it was done as a favor to senior Iranian officials linked to President Hassan Rouhani, and he alleged the move sparked a competition among Iranian officials over whose children would benefit from the scheme.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/flashback-iranian-lawmaker-obama-granted-citizenship-to-2500-iranians-during-nuclear-talks-including-family-members-of-regime-officials/

Power Plants Shut Down As Earthquakes Pummel Puerto Rico; At Least 1 Killed

Puerto Rico just can't catch a break.

After a series of earthquakes have rattled the island over the past two weeks, a series of even more powerful quakes and aftershocks have followed on Tuesday. The spate of quakes included a magnitude 6.4 quake which occurred at 8:24 UTC (4:24 am local time), according to the US Geological Survey. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.6.

The damage from that quake, the largest in a string of earthquakes that have hit the US territory since late last year, has left one dead, eight wounded and prompted power plants in the US commonwealth to be taken offline.

For some, the destruction probably dredged up memories of Hurricane Maria, which left the island in shambles in 2017, and caused hundreds of deaths.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/power-plants-shut-down-earthquakes-pummel-puerto-rico

Putin makes surprise visit to Syria, discusses security situation with Assad

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to Syria, holding talks with his counterpart, Bashar Assad, at the Russian military command center.

Putin “rode through the streets of Damascus” on his way to the command center, where he headed after landing at the city’s airport, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

The Russian president met with Assad there as the two leaders listened to reports by military officials on the conditions on the ground in various regions of the country. Russia has been assisting Syria in the fight against terrorists since 2014.

https://www.rt.com/news/477648-putin-visit-syria-assad/

Germany to withdraw part of its military forces from Iraq

Germany will pull out some of its troops from Iraq, following an Iraqi parliamentary resolution calling on all foreign military forces to leave the country.

Some of Germany’s small contingent of troops in Iraq will be moved to neighboring Jordan and Kuwait, the German government said on Tuesday. German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote to lawmakers that the troops stationed in Baghdad and Taji would be “temporarily thinned out.”

Thirty out of an estimated 120 German soldiers are set to be redeployed. The German government says they could be moved back if their training mission resumes.

The move comes a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi about the issue. Merkel had stressed the importance of continued cooperation between Iraq and the EU in the fight against terrorism.

https://www.rt.com/news/477624-germany-troop-withdrawal-iraq/

Flub or Felony: 17 FISA Errors Submitted Four Times?

The idea that this many errors approved by that many officials was accidental is preposterous.

The inspector general’s findings seem to confirm what many have suspected all along: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) request made during the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation doesn’t pass the sniff test. In total, there were 17 errors submitted four times. The level of incompetence required to make these errors in four separate court submissions is nigh inconceivable, leaving two questions that must be answered: Was this flub – or felony? And if the latter, how far does the corruption extend?

Frank Watt, a 1983 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a 22-year veteran of the FBI, believes that these errors would have been career-ending felonies in any other situation. He explained in an article for American Thinker:

“The report of the I.G.’s findings on the use of FISA in the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation is an outrage. As a 22 year FBI Agent, I have personally conducted multiple investigations using both Title III ‘wiretaps’ and FISA authorized intercepts. From this perspective, I can only see two possible interpretations of the actions of the FBI and DOJ. Either scenario should anger and frighten every fair minded citizen who takes the time to read the report and understand its implications.”

As Watt further explained, these “errors” made it past a great many eyes. The case had to be approved by both the FBI director, James Comey, and the attorney general. In addition, the IG’s report identified several others who reviewed and approved the FISA affidavit to surveil Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign: “National Security Division’s (NSD) Acting Assistant Attorney General, NSD’s Deputy Assistant Attorney General with oversight over 01, 01’s Operations Section Chief and Deputy Section Chief, the DAG, Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, and the Associate Deputy Attorney General responsible for ODAG’s national security portfolio.”

https://www.libertynation.com/flub-or-felony-17-fisa-errors-submitted-four-times/

Netanyahu backs away from Soleimani assassination, warns ministers to ‘stay out’ of purely ‘American event’

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly warned his cabinet not to get too involved in the US murder of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, lest Tel Aviv gets dragged into the escalating conflict between Washington and Tehran.

“The assassination of Soleimani isn't an Israeli event but an American event. We were not involved and should not be dragged into it,” Netanyahu reportedly told his security cabinet during a meeting on Monday, as cited by Israel's Channel 13. He advised ministers to avoid speaking to the media about Thursday's targeted assassination beyond supporting the US' right to defend itself, so as not to give the impression that Israel had played any role in it.

The directors of Mossad and military intelligence reassured the ministers that the likelihood of a retaliatory attack is low, since "Israel stayed at a distance from the incident," and that Iran will begin planning its reciprocal move on Tuesday following the conclusion of the national mourning period for Soleimani, according to the same sources.

Netanyahu’s sudden reticence is particularly notable because he has been advocating a US-Iran conflict for much of his political career. For over 20 years, he has insisted that the Islamic Republic was just steps away from producing nuclear weapons, even when Israeli intelligence publicly argued otherwise.

The Israeli PM was also front and center in the run-up to the most recent Iraq War, warning the US Congress in 2002 that Saddam Hussein had "weapons of mass destruction" – including pursuing atomic bombs – which turned out not to exist at all.

Just last year, Netanyahu was urging the US and its Middle Eastern allies to take up the cause of war against Iran, emboldened by US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal and re-impose crippling sanctions against Tehran, despite its compliance with the agreement.

However, the overt US killing of a military commander who was apparently very popular in Iran has provoked serious talk of retribution, not just in Tehran, but among Hezbollah – the Lebanese Shia militia that boasts of fighting Israel to a draw in 2006 – as well.

Netanyahu has had a tough 2019, clinging onto the post of PM in a purely technical mandate after two elections mere months apart delivered a hung Knesset and required an unprecedented third, coming this spring. Talking a tough game against Iran in order to get Israeli votes is one thing, but facing the real possibility of being the target of Iranian missiles is apparently quite another.

https://www.rt.com/news/477604-netanyahu-distances-israel-soleimani-killing/

Michael Moore Apologizes to Iran in Arabic for Air Strike that Killed Qasem Soleimani

Left-wing documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has apologized to Iran on behalf of the American people, saying that he is sorry for the recent air strike ordered by President Donald Trump that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

He also pleaded with the Ayatollah and the President of Iran to refrain from acts of vengeance, asking them instead to allow the American people to vote President Trump out of office in November or for the Senate to impeach him.

The Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 director posted a tweet in Farsi on Monday expressing “regret” for the air strike that took place Friday, while also insulting President Trump.

“I deeply regret the violence committed on our behalf by a man that most Americans never voted for,” Moore tweeted, according to an automatic Twitter translation.

Moore also posted an Instagram message in Farsi, in which he begged the Ayatollah and the President of Iran to allow the American people to remove President Trump from office in a peaceful election or through impeachment via the Senate.

The filmmaker began the post by expressing his “deep condolences for the acts of violence committed on our behalf” by President Trump.

“I want you not to respond violently, but to act bravely instead,” Moore pleaded, according to a translation. “We will take care of this in our Senate or at the ballot box, non-violently.”

Moore added: “Violence only increases violence.”

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/01/07/michael-moore-apologizes-to-iran-for-air-strike-that-killed-qasem-soleimani/

Christopher Steele Comes Out Of Hiding To Moderate Event Hosted By Actor Colin Firth

Christopher Steele made his first public appearance Monday since the release of a Justice Department report casting doubt on the Trump dossier, moderating a discussion of the documentary “The Great Hack” hosted by actor Colin Firth.

The event was just Steele’s second public appearance in the three years since BuzzFeed News published the dossier online. Steele has laid low during the course of the special counsel’s investigation and a Justice Department inspector general’s (IG) probe that scrutinized the FBI’s handling of the dossier.

Carole Cadwalladr, a journalist for The Guardian who has covered Cambridge Analytica, the subject of “The Great Hack,” and Ryan Fox, an executive at the firm New Knowledge, also took part in the panel discussion with Steele.

New Knowledge was embroiled in scandal in 2019 after The New York Times reported that the cyber analytics firm posted fake social media content aimed at potential voters in the 2017 Alabama Senate special election.

Steele and New Knowledge worked in 2017 and 2018 with a non-profit group called The Democracy Integrity Project.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/01/07/christopher-steele-colin-firth-dossier/

‘National shame’: Unions slam ‘fat cat’ wages as UK CEOs paid more than typical worker’s annual salary for just 33 hours work

New figures showing senior executives in the UK’s top 100 companies take just 33 hours to pocket more money than a ‘typical’ worker does in a whole year have been widely condemned by union bosses.

The data released by the High Pay Centre think tank reveals that the average FTSE 100 chief executive is paid 117 times more than the median worker, at £3.46m a year. By 5pm BST on January 6, bosses of the UK’s biggest companies will have hoovered up more than the £29,559 annual salary earned by the median full-time employee.

Tim Roache, the general secretary of the GMB, one of Britain’s largest unions, branded the FTSE 100 CEOs as “fat cats” and hit out at the figures as “a source of national shame.”

These empires are built on the back of hardworking staff, many of whom will be struggling to make ends meet.

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, which represents the majority of trade unions, insisted that the huge gap between the top and average earners in UK firms “tells you everything about how unfair our economy is.” O’Grady wants to see workers on pay committees and company boards to keep a check on the high salaries of top bosses.

The pay gap issue between company bosses and workers has rumbled on over many years and is one that successive UK governments have failed to even acknowledge through policy, until now. Over the next few months, individual businesses with more than 250 staff will have to publish pay ratios between top earners and the rest of their staff in annual reports for the first time.

https://www.rt.com/uk/477556-ftse-bosses-salary-typical-worker/

Breitbart News Visits Unsecured U.S. Border Across from Cartel HQ

ROMA, Texas — During a recent border tour, Breitbart News visited an unsecured section of the Texas border with Mexico. Across the river, the “crown jewel” of the Gulf Cartel — Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas.

“Just south of us is the crown jewel of the Gulf Cartel,” Breitbart News contributor Ildefonso Ortiz told Alex Marlow, Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief. “That is where the bulk of the drug smuggling and the human smuggling comes through this area right here.”

Ortiz told Marlow there is no physical barrier in this section of the Rio Grande border with Mexico. “This is an area that sees constant traffic,” Ortiz explained. He said this has also been “the scene of numerous gun battles where the Gulf Cartel has fought tooth and nail to hold on to this territory from an invasion by Los Zetas, and also when there’s been internal fights within the Gulf Cartel.”

Marlow asked Ortiz about the Gulf Cartel’s use of drones.

“That’s been something that in recent years that we’ve been noticing,” he responded. “There’s been quite a few drones — large, commercial drones that you can buy at a regular store in the U.S. They’re using them over there for surveillance.”

As Breitbart’s crew watched the border, multiple vehicles with heavily tinted windows made their way along the river’s edge after noticing the photography of the area.

“Those are usually scouts,” Ortiz stated. “They’re constantly moving through this area. This is a very active area.”

Marlow asked Ortiz how the Gulf Cartel compares to the Zetas.

“[The Gulf Cartel] used to not be as brutal,” he replied, “but now they’ve become just the same. They are very sadistic. A lot of migrant rapes take place on [the Mexican] side of the border — a lot of kidnappings — it’s all tied to the Gulf Cartel.”

Ortiz explained the Gulf Cartel treats migrants wanting to cross the border like cattle. In December, Breitbart Texas reported on a load of “human cargo” intercepted by Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 35 immigration checkpoint. The agents observed migrants whose shirts were marked in a fashion similar to “cargo and commodities.”

“We have not seen any border patrol in this area so far,” Marlow observed.

Ortiz responded, “Actually, this is one of the areas where you will not see that many agents down here even though this is one of the biggest smuggling areas. Most of the agents are further east toward the McAllen area.”

“As you can see, when you move west, there are no barriers,” Ortiz concluded. “It’s pretty much why the Gulf Cartel prefers this area. A shallow river — that’s the only obstacle they have to getting goods and people across.”

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2020/01/07/exclusive-video-breitbart-news-visits-unsecured-u-s-border-across-from-cartel-hq/

PM: Iraq won’t become an arena for settling scores

The Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said yesterday the country will not become an arena for “settling scores” between the US and Iran, Anadolu reported.

Abdul-Mahdi made the remarks during a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Baghdad, Zhang Tao, in the prime minister’s office in the city, the government said in a statement.

Abdul-Mahdi was quoted as saying: “Washington has helped Iraq in its war against the Islamic State militant group, and we do not want to become a party to any conflict.”

He added that the US forces exist in Iraq as a result of an Iraqi decision and their withdrawal is also an Iraqi decision.

Meanwhile, the Chinese ambassador said that his country “strongly supports Iraq and pays attention to the development of relations with Baghdad,” noting that Beijing will work to “rebuild and support the Iraqi government and people”.

The Chinese ambassador stressed Beijing’s keenness to “increase security and military cooperation” with Baghdad.

Iraq’s parliament called on Sunday for US and other foreign troops to leave as the backlash grows against the US killing of a top Iranian general.

The developments come after the assassination of the Commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in an American drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on Friday.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200107-pm-iraq-wont-become-an-arena-for-settling-scores/

UN sends 68 aid trucks to Syria’s Idlib

The United Nations yesterday dispatched 68 trucks of humanitarian aid to the Syrian province of Idlib, Anadolu reported.

The agency said the aid convoy passed through Turkey’s Cilvegozu border crossing, in the southern Hatay province, and Syria’s Bab Al-Hawa. The aid will be distributed to those in need in Idlib and its surrounding areas.

The Syrian regime, Russia and Iranian-backed foreign groups have been attacking Idlib, the last opposition stronghold in the country .

Hundreds of civilians fled the province towards the Turkish borders.

In 2017, Turkey, Russia and Iran reached an agreement designating Idlib a “de-escalation zone”, however the regime and its allies have been shelling the area in an effort to recapture it.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200107-un-sends-68-aid-trucks-to-syrias-idlib/

Note: The Syrian Government refused all UN aid as it goes to the terrorists, now they sneak it in thru Turkey

https://stephenlendman.org/2016/11/un-aid-in-syria-going-to-us-supported/

Milley wants out Esper wants war for profit for corporate masters?

Military Contractors Raytheon, Lockheed Martin See Stock Prices Soar Amid Iran Crisis

Lockheed Martin, famous for its fighter planes, helicopters and missiles, saw its stock price spike to over $416, a jump of seven percent almost overnight. Raytheon and General Dynamics saw similar increases.

War. Motown singer Edwin Starr claimed it was nothing but a heartbreaker and good news only for the undertaker. But another group rubbing their hands at increased tensions with Iran are military contractors, who saw their stock prices soar at the increased chance of conflict.

Lockheed Martin, famous for its fighter planes, helicopters and missiles, saw its stock price spike to over $416, a jump of seven percent almost overnight. Other defense corporations like Raytheon and General Dynamics saw similar increases in their companies’ value. Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman saw a nine percent rise in its share price, as the stock market rushed to buy a piece of a highly profitable company.

On January 3, the United States carried out a successful assassination attempt of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani via drone, as the Iranian officer and statesman left Baghdad airport to join a peace mission between Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi revealed that President Trump had personally thanked him for organizing peace efforts, even as he was planning the assassination attempt, giving him the mistaken belief that the U.S. gave its blessing to the event and would not attack the Iranian General. Soleimani, respected and admired as a capable and dynamic soldier, was widely considered to be one of the most powerful and influential men in Iran behind Ayatollah Khamenei. The move is almost universally expected to increase tensions in the Middle East, prompting potential wars or other

https://www.mintpressnews.com/military-contractors-stock-prices-soar-amid-iran-crisis/263958/

Who Is Mark Esper,

Trump's Pick to Lead the Pentagon as Iran, China and Russia Loom Large

Esper's recent past at defense contractor Raytheon, where he spent seven years as vice president for government relations, is raising concerns

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/who-is-mark-esper-trump-s-pick-to-lead-the-pentagon-at-a-moment-of-global-turmoil-1.7393724

People Are Panicking About Military Draft, Stop-Loss and IRR Activation. Here's the Reality

The day after a U.S. airstrike took out a prominent Iranian general in Iraq, the Selective Service System's website crashed.

"World War III" was trending on Twitter. Young people on social media were wondering whether ignoring that fine print on their federal student loan applications was going to land them in boot camp.

"We fat guys are safe. For now," one person joked on Twitter.

Some apparently flooded the Selective Service's website to see if they'd registered for the draft.

"Due to the spread of misinformation, our website is experiencing high traffic volumes at this time. If you are attempting to register or verify registration, please check back later today as we are working to resolve this issue," the Selective Service tweeted Friday. "We appreciate your patience."

Veterans were musing about orders coming down to pluck them out of the Individual Ready Reserve. Others worried stop-loss orders, which have required some troops to stay in uniform beyond their end of contract date, would be making a comeback. One person said stop-loss orders "kept military families in turmoil" after 9/11.

Military.com checked in with a military personnel expert and historian to help cut through the confusion and find out what is – and what isn't – likely when it comes to the draft, stop-loss and recalling veterans to service.

1. The Draft Isn't Coming Back Without an Act of Congress.

The authority to draft men into the military ran out in 1973. Now, Congress would have to pass a measure to bring it back and the president would need to sign it into law, said Debra Wada, a former Army manpower leader serving as vice chair of the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service.

Congress tasked the commission with looking at a host of issues concerning the Selective Service, including whether it's needed anymore and if women should be required to register.

"The House and Senate would both have to pass a piece of legislation and, as we've seen in the last couple of years … I'll let people make their own personal determination of whether that is likely to happen," she said.

1. Registration Doesn't Mean You're Headed to War.

Men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to register for the Selective Service. Failing to do so comes with lifelong penalties, such as a prohibition from getting federal jobs and ineligibility for some student loans.

Most men who register do so through "passive means," Wada said, such as getting a driver's license or applying for federal student aid. Drafting these individuals into the military would not only take that act of Congress to put the policy back into place, but would also require their number to be called during a lottery system.

Wada added that her commission found evidence of a lot of confusion and misinformation about the draft. Having the Selective Service's website crash as misinformation spread online indicates that more clarity is needed on the registration process, she added. That's one of the topics she and the other members of the commission have been weighing.

"Maybe we can help educate the American public as to what selective service is and the differences between the registration portion of it and then the actual draft itself," Wada said.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/07/people-are-panicking-about-military-draft-stop-loss-and-irr-activation-heres-reality.html

US Military Won't Target Iran’s Cultural Sites, Pentagon Chief Says

The Pentagon's top leader appeared to walk back the president's threat to strike Iranian cultural sites – a move experts say would be a war crime – should conflict between the two countries escalate.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters Monday that troops will "follow the laws of armed conflict." He was responding to questions about President Donald Trump's weekend tweets, in which he said the U.S. would hit "VERY FAST AND VERY HARD" 52 already-identified targets "important to Iran & the Iranian culture."

Trump later doubled down on the threat, telling reporters the Iranians are "allowed to kill our people, they're allowed to torture and maim our people, they're allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we're not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn't work that way."

But Esper, when pressed to address whether the military would target such sites, responded, "That's the laws of armed conflict."

Trump's threats have been met with outcry and dismay. The U.S. has a long history of protecting cultural sites, said Richard Kohn, a history professor who studies war at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"We have destroyed cultural sites for certain, uh, as collateral damage, but never to my knowledge purposefully," Kohn said. "And we've gone to great extent – even in our most existential wars – to avoid doing that."

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) lists 24 locations in Iran as World Heritage Sites, including Persepolis, capital of an empire dating back to 500 B.C.

Attacking those sites could constitute a war crime under international laws the U.S. has either signed or sponsored, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions, a 1954 Hague Convention and a 2017 United Nations Security Council resolution.

The 2017 U.N. resolution was adopted specifically to condemn the "unlawful" looting and destruction of cultural sites across the Middle East and Afghanistan since the 9/11 terror attacks, mainly by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State.

The resolution cites "the unlawful destruction of cultural heritage, including the destruction of religious sites and artefacts, and the looting and smuggling of cultural property from archaeological sites, museums, libraries, archives, and other sites, notably by terrorist groups."

Kohn said military officers would be right to refuse orders to destroy cultural sites. Any orders Trump might issue, though, are likely to stop at high levels of command, he added, long before reaching individual pilots or other field-grade officers.

The U.S. military has in past wars made avoiding damage to cultural sites a priority, Kohn said.

"We didn't bomb Chiyoda, the city in Japan that was considered such an important cultural site," he said. "And we made efforts to avoid bombing artistic sites in Europe – I think of Florence, [Italy], and its bridges and museums."

Decades later, the U.S. military was pressed to explain why it didn't do more to safeguard the Iraq Museum, a national museum in Baghdad, from looters.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/07/us-military-wont-target-irans-cultural-sites-pentagon-chief-says.html

Esper contradicts POTUS

Trump meets with Saudi defense official amid Iran tensions

President Trump met with the Saudi vice minister of defense on Monday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following a U.S. strike that killed a top Iranian general.

Prince Khalid bin Salman tweeted that he met with Trump under the direction of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to discuss "aspects of cooperation, coordination and joint work between the two friendly countries in various aspects, including joint efforts to confront regional and international challenges."

Khalid posted photos to social media of the Oval Office meeting, which was not listed on Trump's public schedule. National security adviser Robert O'Brien, deputy national security adviser Victoria Coates and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner also attended.

Khalid also said he passed along a message from the crown prince to Trump.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the meeting, nor did it provide any readout of the meeting.

The meeting comes days after the U.S. killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, in a targeted strike in Baghdad. Soleimani oversaw Iranian proxy forces in the region and was one of the country's most prominent officials.

The strike has reignited tensions between Washington and Tehran and sparked concerns about a prolonged conflict. Iranian officials have vowed a response, while Trump has threatened to forcefully strike Iran if the country targets Americans or American assets over Soleimani's killing.

Saudi Arabia is one of the United States' key allies in the region and has fought Iran for influence in the Middle East via political and economic disputes and through an ongoing proxy war in Yemen.

But Trump has had a complicated relationship with the Saudis, particularly following the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the unpublicized nature of his Monday meeting with Khalid drew scrutiny from some critics.

The president repeatedly said he accepted the crown prince's denials of any involvement in the death of Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, citing the importance of the economic relationship between the U.S. and the kingdom.

The CIA ultimately concluded the crown prince ordered Khashoggi's killing and the U.S. sanctioned certain individuals tied to the incident.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/477112-trump-meets-with-saudi-defense-official-amid-iran-tensions

Chief rabbi doubles down on comments against immigrants as Liberman urges probe

Sephardic leader also claims his filmed comments calling some former Soviet Union ‘religion-hating gentiles’ were ‘distorted by politically interested sources’

The Yisrael Beytenu party on Tuesday urged the attorney general to open an incitement investigation into Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef over his comments last week doubting the Jewishness of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

The rabbi on Tuesday doubled down on his assertions while also claiming his words had been distorted by politicians.

Avigdor Liberman’s party, whose voter base is largely composed of secular immigrants from former Soviet states, said there was “strong doubt as to whether [Yosef] can continue to serve in this public position” over his statements.

MK Tamar Zandberg of the Democratic Camp — a party diametrically opposed to Liberman in most of its positions — also called for the attorney general to investigate.

In a statement Tuesday responding to the furor, Yosef said there were “a great many” non-Jews who had immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union under the Law of Return, and called for the law to be amended.

=Non-Jews, Yosef said, are in Israel only to serve Jews.==

https://www.timesofisrael.com/chief-rabbi-doubles-down-on-comments-against-immigrants-as-liberman-urges-probe/

TV Pundits Praising Suleimani Assassination Neglect to Disclose Ties to Arms Industry

Since Friday, a loud chorus of voices has appeared in the media to celebrate President Donald Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a move that has sparked renewed tension in the Middle East, a new deployment of U.S. forces, and predictions of increased military spending.

Many of the pundits who appeared on national television or were quoted in major publications to praise the president’s actions have undisclosed ties to the defense industry — the only domestic industry that stands to gain from increased violence.

Jack Keane, a retired Army general, appeared on Fox News and NPR over the last three days to praise Trump for the strike on Suleimani. “The president acted responsibly,” Keane said during an appearance with Fox News host Lou Dobbs. “It should have happened a long time ago.” Keane has worked for military companies, including General Dynamics and Blackwater, and currently serves as a partner at SCP Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in defense contractors.

Van Hipp, chair of the lobbying firm American Defense International, which represents more than two dozen defense contractors — including Raytheon, Palantir, and General Atomics, the manufacturer of the MQ-9 Reaper drone used in the Suleimani slaying — published an opinion column on Fox News’s website praising Trump and suggesting increased pressure on the Iranian government.

David Petraeus, the retired general who once commanded U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, was quoted by multiple outlets in support of the slaying. “This is a very significant effort to reestablish deterrence,” he told Foreign Policy. On Public Radio International, Petraeus declared that “this particular episode has been fairly impressively handled,” and praised the Trump administration for moving “to shore up our defenses and our offensive capabilities.” He also appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Petraeus, notably, works for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co., the investment firm with holdings in several major defense contractors that is reportedly moving to “build up its defense portfolio at a time when military budgets are skyrocketing.”

John Negroponte, a former State Department official who now serves as vice chair of the defense and aerospace lobbying firm McLarty Associates, appeared on Fox News to dispute the claim by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that the strike represented a threat of war. “I think it’s an act of self-defense,” countered Negroponte.

Jeh Johnson, former Homeland Security secretary in the Obama administration, appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to offer measured support, countering progressive critics who have claimed that the strikes lacked legal and congressional authorization.

“General Suleimani,” Johnson said, “was a lawful military objective and the president, under his constitutional authority as commander in chief, had ample domestic legal authority to take him out without an additional congressional authorization.”

Johnson joined the board of directors of Lockheed Martin, one of the largest defense contractors in the world, in 2017. The part-time position pays him $310,000 a year in cash and stock awards, according to disclosures. None of the defense contracting ties were disclosed on air for Keane, Hipp, Negroponte, Petraeus, or Johnson.

https://theintercept.com/2020/01/06/iran-suleimani-tv-pundits-weapons-industry/

Florida man man arrested after lying to bypass presidential security at Palm Beach International Airport

A former Marine who was dishonorably discharged and was required to register as a sex offender was arrested after breaching President Trump’s airport security by impersonating a federal law enforcement officer.

Brandon Mark Magnan, 37, lied about his identity to get past two security checkpoints at Palm Beach International Airport at around 3 p.m. on Sunday, about an hour before the president was set to depart back to Washington, D.C., according to federal prosecutors. He falsely claimed to be working security for Marine One and presented credentials showing him as a law enforcement officer of the United States Marine Corps.

The ex-Marine and an unidentified male passenger were then permitted to enter the grounds of Atlantic Aviation, which houses Marine One and Air Force One during Trump’s stays at Mar-a-Lago. However, a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy noticed he was not in USMC uniform and quickly alerted authorities. The deputy then learned from a real member of the Marine Corps helicopter squadron that Magnan’s credentials were fake “based on numerous factors.”

Magnan proceeded to claim he was a retired member of the squadron, but an FBI crime database revealed that he was dishonorably discharged for “serious offenses.” He was then detained and charged with “false personation of an officer or employee of the United States” before admitting to the crime in a recorded interview. He faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 and was released on $100,000 bond Monday.

The Naples, Florida, native was kicked out of the Marine Corps in 2010 following a number of issues, including parties at his off-base residence where he served alcohol to underage people and claims that he sexually assaulted three lance corporals. In 2011, he was convicted of abusive sexual conduct, wrongful sexual contact, forcible sodomy, and assault. He has been a registered sex offender since.

https://www.thedailysheeple.com/florida-man-man-arrested-after-lying-to-bypass-presidential-security-at-palm-beach-international-airport/

Angela Merkel test pilots China style internet surveillance

Via Breitbart…

Angela Merkel’s government is preparing a new bill that will force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to hand over data, including passwords, of those accused of engaging in “hate speech” online.

Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht, a member of the Social Democrats (SPD), is preparing the bill, which will force service providers, email hosts, online retailers, and others to give the government the usernames, passwords, IP addresses, and more of suspects, MDR reports.

Lambrecht was slammed by many over the proposal, with Hamburg’s data protection officer Johannes Caspar calling it an attack on privacy.

“The fight against the ugly phenomena of right-wing extremism and hate crime apparently acts as a door opener for a comprehensive expansion of state control powers,” he warned.

The German minister defended herself and the bill, claiming that the passwords and data would only be requested as part of a court order and only in serious cases.

“It is not a question of asking for passwords en masse, it is a completely wrong representation and not at all the point and purpose,” she said.

Populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Joana Cotar said the proposed legislation was a “fight against the free Internet” and argued it would be used to silence citizens critical of the German government.

The far-left Die Linke agreed with the AfD, accusing the government of setting up a surveillance state.

Germany already has one of the most draconian sets of laws concerning “hate” on social media, including approving legislation imposing fines of up to 50 million euros on social media companies who do not remove hate content in what the government considers a timely manner.

The German authorities are also known to engage in large-scale raids of citizens accused of spreading “hate speech” online, with a 2016 raid seeing 60 homes searched across 14 states.

https://theduran.com/angela-merkel-test-pilots-china-style-internet-surveillance-video/

Will There Be Fake News In The 2020 Election? Facebook Bans 'Deepfake' Videos On Platform After 2016 Missteps

Facebook announced late Monday that it would ban “deepfake” videos from its platform, as the company seeks to combat disinformation during the 2020 U.S. election season.

"Deepfake" videos are doctored by using machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques, which can be used to discredit and embarrass a person. The videos are often so realistic that the average viewer would not be able to determine that they are authentic or not.

“While these videos are still rare on the internet, they present a significant challenge for our industry and society as their use increases,” Monica Bickert, Facebook’s vice president of global policy management, said in a company blog post.

“Our approach has several components, from investigating AI-generated content and deceptive behaviors like fake accounts, to partnering with academia, government and industry to exposing people behind these efforts,” she continued.

The ban would not include parody clips or videos that are satirical in nature.

In May, a “deepfake” video that circulated on Facebook showed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., in a drunken state, slurring her speech. The video had received at least 3 million views at the time. Another “deepfake” video showed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg boasting about world domination.

The proliferation of “deepfakes” on social media could dramatically alter the course of political elections, Paul Barrett, an adjunct professor of law at New York University told CNBC in October.

“If there are a multitude of deepfakes over the course of an election campaign, voters could grow cynical about the ability to tell truth from falsehood. Cynicism could lead to apathy, low voter turnout, and disillusionment with the entire political system,” he said.

In June, Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called for social media companies to do more to combat “deepfakes.”

“Now is the time for social-media companies to put in place policies to protect users from misinformation, not in 2021 after viral deepfakes have polluted the 2020 elections,” Schiff said at a congressional hearing.

https://www.ibtimes.com/will-there-be-fake-news-2020-election-facebook-bans-deepfake-videos-platform-after-2897902

March For Our Lives Raised Nearly All Funding from Secret Six-Figure Donations

The gun-control group responsible for a 2018 march on Washington, D.C., raised the vast majority of its funds from undisclosed donations over six figures, a recently released tax document shows.

The March For Our Lives Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organization launched in the aftermath of the deadly 2018 shootings at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, is bankrolled almost entirely by large donations in excess of $100,000. The group reported $17,879,150 in contributions and grants over the course of 2018, its first year of operations. Ninety-five percent of those contributions came from 36 donations between $100,000 and $3,504,717—a grand total of $16,922,331.

The group's reliance on a small number of large donations raises questions about its ability to turn rally-goers and supporters into donors. It also provides ammunition to gun-rights activists who have long cast the gun-control movement as driven not by grassroots supporters, but by billionaire benefactors like Michael Bloomberg.

The group's 990 tax form shows another 38 donations totaling between $5,000 and $100,000, which together accounted for an additional $876,114 of revenue. The remainder, just 0.5 percent of total receipts, came from those giving less than $5,000.

While March For Our Lives is not required to disclose its donors under federal law, some businessmen and Hollywood celebrities vowed to provide generous contributions for the group's 2018 march on Washington, D.C.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and billionaire businessman Eli Broad both gave $1,000,000, two of six donors to do so. George Clooney and wife Amal Clooney gave $500,000, as did fashion company Gucci.

https://freebeacon.com/politics/march-for-our-lives-raised-nearly-all-funding-from-secret-six-figure-donations/

Carlos Ghosn Saga: Wife Charged In Japan With Perjury, Husband To Speak Publicly On Wednesday

Carole Ghosn was charged with perjury in Japan

Carlos Ghosn plans to hold news conference on Wednesday

Japanese authorities and Nissan both pursuing legal action against Carlos

Ghosn

Prosecutors in Tokyo obtained an arrest warrant Tuesday for Carole Ghosn, the wife of Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor chairman who escaped Japan for Lebanon last week, on suspicion of perjury.

Prosecutors said Carole Ghosn provided false testimony in court last year in her husband's case regarding the questionable transfer of funds from one company to his personal account. These actions allegedly led to Nissan incurring heavy losses.

However, the allegations against the wife were unrelated to her husband’s dramatic departure from Japan.

Carole Ghosn had earlier been prohibited by Japanese authorities from meeting with her husband after his release on bail over fears she could help tamper with evidence in a bid to exonerate him.

A spokeswoman for Carole Ghosn called the arrest warrant “pathetic.”

“Last time Carlos Ghosn announced a news conference [in Japan] and got rearrested. This time, the day before he is announced to speak out freely for the first time, they issued an arrest warrant for his wife Carole Ghosn,” the spokeswoman told Reuters.

Carlos Ghosn fled Japan while he was free on bail awaiting trial on charges of alleged financial misconduct while at the helm of Nissan. He was able to flee the country despite the fact that Japanese authorities reportedly were watching his movements and communications closely.

Japanese surveillance footage revealed Carlos Ghosn left his house in Tokyo at about 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, met two non-Japanese men, and took a train to Osaka in the western part of the country. From there he apparently boarded an airplane at Kansai International Airport bound for Turkey, then took a private jet to Beirut.

At Kansai, he reportedly slipped past airport security by hiding inside a large case meant to hold audio equipment – the case was too big for the X-ray machine screeners at the airport.

Japan’s Justice Ministry has since ordered immigration officials to tighten all departure procedures and investigate any suspicious activity at airports.

Japanese Justice Minister Masako Mori reiterated on Monday she will pursue a criminal prosecution of Carlos Ghosn.

“It is clear that we don’t have any records of the defendant departing Japan; hence, we believe that he left Japan illegally,” Mori said.

But since Lebanon and Japan have no extradition treaty in place, it remains unclear if the couple can be returned to Japan to face charges.

https://www.ibtimes.com/carlos-ghosn-saga-wife-charged-japan-perjury-husband-speak-publicly-wednesday-2897908

Virginia: Leftist Cultural Imperialists Seek to Shut Down All Gun Ranges Not Owned By The State

The cultural imperialists at the forefront of the Democratic Party will not stop until every small town in Middle America is a mirror image of San Francisco.

So-called "progressives" will well up with tears while thinking about preserving polar bears and protecting their habitats but as soon as they conquer a state demographically as they've done in Virginia they declare war on the natives in their quest to homogenize the world under prog-globalism.

That's precisely what we've seen happen with the Democrats in Virginia who are moving to abolish gun rights, imprison dissenters and forcibly "diversify" what they call "mostly white" neighborhoods through new zoning laws.

From Law Enforcement Today, "Virginia vows to shut down all gun ranges not owned by the state":

Virginia just went full blown communist.

If it wasn't bad enough watching the action unfold surrounding unconstitutional gun laws and the militias being formed to fight against them, now it seems like Virginia is trying to pull yet another move threatening the rights of law abiding gun owners.

They want to shut down every gun range in the state that isn't owned by the government.

According to House Bill 567, any indoor shooting range would be prohibited by law – UNLESS it was inside of a building owned or leased by the state.

And any business owners who decided to defy the law could be facing up to a $100,000 fine and potential additional civil penalties.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61083

Intel Shows Soleimani Was a CIA Asset, Protected by Obama Administration

Regarding Soleimani’s death, President Trump tweeted: “He should have been taken out years ago.”

“Should have been taken out”…so why wasn’t he? Was he like Osama Bin Laden, hidden away in the mountains somewhere? Were his movements so stealthy even our intelligence apparatus couldn’t track him? No, and no! For years Soleinami left his bloody fingerprints on terror acts across the Middle East. Flush with cash from Obama’s 150-billion-dollar money drop, he had all the resources he needed to keep on killing Iran’s enemies. He was arrogant and powerful and our number one enemy in the Middle East. So, why wasn’t he worried about being taken out, as the other terrorist leaders had been?

GOTCHA!

Israel had him in their sites in 2015, had been carefully tracking him waiting for the right opportunity. According to the Kuwait paper of record, Al Jaridi, with Soleimani’s days truly numbered, and Israel’s finger on the trigger, President Obama notified Iran of the imminent assassination. Soleimani slipped the noose and continued his reign of terror for five more years until President Trump gave the order to terminate.

It wasn’t just the 2015 warning that kept Soleimani alive. According to Michigan US representative Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, both the Bush and Obama administrations allowed him free reign, refusing to take direct action against him—despite the hundreds of American lives it had cost. After Soleimani’s assassination, Rep Slotkin made the following statement (excuse):

https://www.dcclothesline.com/2020/01/07/intel-shows-soleimani-was-a-cia-asset-protected-by-obama-administration/

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER

GOD WINS