US Commander: Troops in Iraq Face More Threats From Shi’ites Than ISIS

General accuses militias of extorting locals in Nineveh

Maj. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the US deputy commander in Iraq and Syria, downplayed the threat posed by ISIS within Iraq, arguing that Shi’ite groups, both “Iran-controlled” or otherwise, are the real threat.

“We taken a couple of casualties from ISIS fighting on the ground, but most of the attacks have come from those Shi’ite militia groups,” Grynkewich said. He also accused the militias, part of the Iraqi government’s security forces, of extorting locals in Nineveh Province.

While it’s no real secret that the US isn’t on the best of terms with the Shi’ite militias, the general’s comments greatly downplayed ISIS, which he described as being in “survival mode,” raising the question of why US forces are even in Iraq, when it was supposed to be an anti-ISIS operation.

Instead, Grynkewich is trying to rebrand US operations in Iraq as primarily about Iran and “all of their proxies” in the wake of the US assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani. He said the US could expect a continued harassment in Iraq from these groups, which again raises questions about why the US is in Iraq, since it was certainly never meant to be about fighting Iraqi groups that they are accusing of being “Iranian-leaning.”

Ironically, having dismissed ISIS as all but irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, Grynkewich also cited the ISIS fight as the reason the US needs to resume security cooperation with the Iraqi government. Again, it seems he’s gone out of his way to undercut the case that this is a war that even needs fighting, while still falling back on it as a justification.

https://news.antiwar.com/2020/01/22/us-commander-troops-in-iraq-face-more-threats-from-shiites-than-isis/

Senators allow classified evidence from Pence aide for impeachment trial

Senators on Wednesday night agreed to admit a classified document from an aide to Vice President Pence into the impeachment trial following closed-door deliberations.

The one-page document relates to a phone call that took place between Pence and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a week before Zelensky met with President Trump at the United Nations.

This latest development is a win for House Democrats who have unsuccessfully pressed the White House to declassify the document, which Pence aide Jennifer Williams submitted to the House in late November to supplement her public testimony earlier that month.

House managers who function as prosecutors in Trump’s Senate trial continued to criticize the White House’s refusal to declassify the evidence and urged senators on Wednesday to review its contents.

“I've read that testimony. I will just say that a cover-up is not a proper reason to classify a document,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), one of the managers. “In case the White House needs a reminder, it's improper to keep something classified just to avoid embarrassment or to conceal wrongdoing.”

Williams’s evidence may be accessed by senators in a classified setting but will not be made public, according to the terms of the closed-door agreement announced late Wednesday by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the trial.

In her public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in November, Williams, a special adviser on Europe and Russia, described her alarm while listening in on the July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky that is at the heart of the impeachment proceedings.

One of the two impeachment articles against Trump accuses him of abuse of power, centering on the withholding of nearly $400 million in U.S. military and security assistance to Ukraine last year amid efforts to push the country to launch investigations into Trump's political rivals. Trump allies have dismissed that article, noting that the aid was eventually transmitted.

While the White House readout of the July 25 phone call does not specifically identify the company that would figure into the investigation, Williams told impeachment investigators her handwritten notes reflect that Zelensky said "Burisma," a Ukrainian energy company where the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was once a board member.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/479562-senators-allow-classified-evidence-from-pence-aide-for-impeachment-trial

Washington State lawmakers consider several gun-control related bills

While the focus has been on Virgina’s proposed gun-control legislation lawmakers in Wasinghinton State have been busy introducing their own violations of the Second Amendment. The two bans are strongly supported by the governor.

Here is a list of proposed bills:

SB 6077: Bans “large capacity magazines”

Senate Bill 6077 would prohibit any person in Washington state from manufacturing, possessing, distributing, importing, transferring, selling, or purchasing “large capacity magazines.” Exceptions include people who already own such magazines, as well as law enforcement officers. The bill defines “large capacity magazines” as “an ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than ten rounds of ammunition.”

HB 2241: Bans “assault weapons”

House Bill 2241 would prohibit the sale or possession of so-called “assault weapons,” such as the AR-15 or AK-47. The bill would not apply to such weapons owned before January 1, 2021.

HB 2467: Creates a centralized background check system

House Bill 2567would create a centralized gun background check system under the purview of the Washington State Patrol. This proposal is expected to have bipartisan support.

SB 6288: Establishing the Washington Office of Firearm Violence Prevention

Senate Bill 6288 would create a new office dedicated to “coordinating and promoting effective state and local efforts to reduce firearm violence.” The office would work with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and pubic health officials across the state on violence intervention and prevention efforts.

HB 2519: Restricts access to ammunition

House Bill 2519 would require background checks on ammunition sales in order to prevent the purchase of ammunition by felons and others prohibited from owning firearms.

HB 1374: Local authority to regulate firearms

House Bill 1374 would “provide local jurisdictions the ability to build upon statewide standards and adopt responsible approaches to firearms regulations to help address the epidemic of firearm violence in their communities by restoring inherent local authority to adopt firearms regulations under the police power to protect public health, safety, and welfare.”

https://www.thedailysheeple.com/washington-state-lawmakers-consider-several-gun-control-related-bills/

Comey under investigation for leaking Soros-Wasserman Schultz emails obtained by Dutch intelligence

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss a New York Times report that claims the Justice Department is investigating whether disgraced FBI Director James Comey illegally leaked secret information concerning a Russian document, obtained via a Dutch intelligence hack, to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

https://theduran.com/comey-under-investigation-for-leaking-soros-wasserman-schultz-emails-obtained-by-dutch-intelligence-video/

Activity of nearly 1,500 members of organized crime groups halted in Moscow in 2019

In total, 33 crime groups have been eliminated in Moscow, with criminal proceedings launched against 173 of their active members

MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. The activity of nearly 1,500 leaders and members of organized crime groups has been halted in Moscow in 2019, the document presented at the expanded session of Moscow’s Main Directorate of the Russian Interior Ministry informed.

"Special attention was paid to countering organize crime, including its ethnic component. In 2019, activity of 1,480 leaders and members of organized crime groups has been halted. The number of resolved crimes committed by them comes up to 4,600," the document states.

33 crime groups have been eliminated in Moscow, with criminal proceedings launched against 173 of their active members.

In total, the Moscow police have solved 40,300 crimes in 2019, including 14,200 serious and particularly serious offences.

https://tass.com/emergencies/1112379

Journalism, 2020: Feminist Warns Of 'Dangerous' Rise In Men Who Won't Date 'Woke' Women

If you don't want to date "woke" women you're pretty much a terrorist, that's the suggestion in UK journo Vicky Spratt's latest column for Vice Media outlet Refinery29.

Spratt writes in Refinery29, "The Dangerous Rise Of Men Who Won’t Date 'Woke' Women":

Laurence Fox […] does not date "woke" women who he believes are being taught that they are "victims", irrespective of whether they are right or not. He thinks that it’s "institutionally racist" to tell the story of the First World War in a racially diverse way, irrespective of the fact that Sikh soldiers absolutely fought for Britain. And he also doesn’t believe in white privilege, irrespective of the fact that he works in a painfully undiverse industry, was privately educated and comes from a wealthy acting family which is nothing short of a dynasty.

Fox is denying racism and sexism, irrespective of whether or not they exist. It’s nothing short of gaslighting. It’s all very Donald Trump.

These are the viral clips she's whining about:

After whining about her own experiences on hook-up apps, Spratt goes on to suggest not dating "woke" women is one step away from being a terrorist:

Fox is a case in point that what might start as playing devil’s advocate by wandering the streets in a MAGA cap to provoke "hipsters" can quickly turn into something more sinister.

The far right itself can be difficult to pin down because it isn’t exactly a coherent global movement with a concrete set of ideas. It largely exists online, in Facebook groups, as Twitter accounts, on YouTube and anonymous message boards such as 8chan. But every now and then, their bile spills out dangerously into the offline world.

In 2016 the Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by far-right terrorist Thomas Mair who, 25 years before he killed her, told a far-right magazine that the "white race" faced a long and very bloody struggle. And it was 8chan that hosted the manifestos of three mass shooters who killed scores of people last year: the El Paso shooter (who left 20 people dead and many more wounded only a couple of weeks ago), the Poway shooter (who opened fire at a synagogue in California last April) and the Christchurch shooter (who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand last March).

Susan Faludi wrote about the link between violence, anger and anti-feminism prophetically in her book Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women back in 1991.

We need a study into the social media driven radicalization of childless women and cat ladies, aka "the harlot to woke feminist pipeline."

This is not normal!

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61130

Tehran open to dialog with all neighbors: Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has reaffirmed Iran’s readiness for talks with all its neighbors amid tensions in the Persian Gulf region.

“Iran remains open to dialogue with its neighbors, and we declare our readiness to participate in any complementary work that is in the interest of the region, and we welcome any step that restores hope to its people and brings them stability and prosperity,” Zarif said in a tweet in Thursday.

The tweet was in Arabic, which suggests it was addressed to the Persian Gulf littoral Arab countries. It came a day after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Riyadh was ready for talks with Tehran “but it is really up to Iran.”

The top Saudi diplomat, however, repeated the baseless claims against Iran’s role in the region, adding that the precondition for dialog is for the Islamic Republic to accept it “cannot further its regional agenda through violence.”

Speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said he was glad the region has “avoided any escalation” with Iran, and that “many countries” have offered to mediate talks with Tehran.

Meanwhile, the Iranian president’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, said Wednesday that Tehran and Riyadh should work together to overcome their problems.

“The relations between Iran and its neighbor Saudi Arabia should not become like the relationship between Tehran and the United States … Tehran and Riyadh should work together to resolve their problems,” Vaezi said.

At an event in the Indian city of Mumbai on Friday in coordination with All India Association of Industries (AIAI), Zarif also voiced Iran’s readiness to hold talks with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries to promote regional security.

He added that Iran has also presented proposals on ways to establish peace in the Strait of Hormuz.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/01/23/616886/Iran-FM-Zarif-Persian-Gulf-neighbors-dialogue

United States Officially Threatens To Assassinate New Leader Of Iranian Quds Force

The U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, has threatened Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani, Iran’s new Quds Force commander, with the fate of his predecessor Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani.

In an interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, Hook advised Brig. Gen. Ghanni to not follow Soleimani’s path of “killing Americans.”

“We took the world’s most dangerous terrorists off the battlefield … And as a consequence, the region is going to be safer because Soleimani was the glue that held together the proxies, and his death will create a void that the regime will not be able to fill,” the U.S. diplomat said in the interview, which was released on January 23.

Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani was killed along with several senior Iranian and Iraqi military commanders in a U.S. drone strike on the Baghdad International Airport on January 3. In a matter of a few hours, Brig. Gen. Ghaani was appointed as the new Quds Force commander.

The U.S. took responsibility for assassinating the senior Iranian commander right away, in what was widely seen as an attempted to intimidate Tehran.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) avenged the death of Soleimani by launching a missile strike on a base hosting hundreds of U.S. troops in northern Iraq. The strike inflicted heavy damage to the base. However, no U.S. service members were killed.

Hook’s threat indicates that the U.S. will go on with its hostile actions against Iran. Tehran and its regional allies had warned that they will work to force U.S. troops to pull out of the region, especially from Iraq.

https://southfront.org/united-states-officially-threatens-to-assassinate-new-leader-of-iranian-quds-force/

Soros Group Spends Record $48 Million on Lobbying in 2019

An advocacy group funded by liberal billionaire George Soros spent a record amount on lobbying in 2019, filings show.

The Open Society Policy Center (OSPC), a D.C.-based nonprofit that has pushed funds toward advocacy that includes making gun companies liable for crimes committed with firearms, fighting Trump judicial nominations, and on issues related to immigration enforcement, dropped $24 million into lobbying efforts during the fourth quarter of 2019, disclosures filed Monday show. The money is the most the group has ever spent in a three-month span and propelled the group to its highest annual lobbying totals to date.

Soros's lobbying shop has now poured nearly $100 million into advocacy efforts since President Donald Trump took office—$40 million more than it spent over the previous 14 years combined. OSPC ranked as a top-three spender, ahead of corporate giants Amazon, Facebook, Boeing, and Alphabet in recent years. The explosion in lobbying cash shows the extent the financier's group is devoted to pushing back against the administration and bolstering the efforts of other progressive advocacy groups that are resisting the president's agenda.

https://freebeacon.com/issues/soros-group-spends-record-48-million-on-lobbying-in-2019/

ADL and SPLC Target Random Whites with Fake Accusations of 'Hate!': The Poor, Children and the Elderly

The silence of conservative, philo-semitic accomplices like The Daily Caller and Breitbart has kept many Americans ignorant about the out-of-control trend of convicting random whites of "hate crimes" where there is neither "hate" nor crime.

Hate crime numbers have been stagnant over the last few years. White people in particular are heavily underrepresented in this field, committing only about 25% of all hate crimes per year. High profile hoaxes, from the wave of bomb threats to Jewish centers to Jussie Smollett, have severely undermined the fictitious narrative intended to stifle discussions on immigration, finance, Israel and globalization.

The challenge Zionist organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League have before them is figuring out how to fully suppress the continued rise of a young, white, politically incorrect and largely law-abiding counter-culture after more passive means of shutting down political speech (ostracization, doxing, anarchist paramilitary violence, surveillance, subversion) have failed. The real agenda is to instate policies that would make it dangerous and expensive for white people to participate in conversations about the direction of our country.

https://russia-insider.com/en/adl-and-splc-target-random-whites-fake-accusations-hate-poor-children-and-elderly/ri28098

Pence invites Netanyahu, Gantz to Washington to discuss peace prospects

US Vice President Mike Pence invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to the White House next week to discuss "regional prospects and prospects for peace."

During their meeting, which took place at the US embassy in Jerusalem, Netanyahu praised US President Donald Trump for moving the embassy to Jerusalem. He said that now he is seeking to give Israel the peace and security it deserves.

He noted that he thinks Gantz should be invited to the peace plan roll out event, because, "I think it's important that we do not lose this historic opportunity," Netanyahu said.

Before the meeting, Pence spoke at the central ceremony of the Fifth World Holocaust Forum taking place at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, and his comments were echoed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called on the assembled world leaders to “join the vital effort of confronting Iran.”

Pence pledged that the US would “stand strong” against the Islamic Republic of Iran which he described as the leading sponsor of state led antisemitism in the world.

The US vice president also spoke warmly of the Jewish state, saying that “the world can only marvel at the faith and resilience of the Jewish people, who just three years after walking in the valley of the shadow of death, rose up from the ashes to reclaim a Jewish future and rebuild the Jewish State.”

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/US-Vice-President-Mike-Pence-meets-with-Netanyahu-in-Jerusalem-615133

Lindsey Graham: ‘I Don’t Think Joe Biden is Corrupt, But He’s Not Beyond Being Looked At’

Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters on Thursday that he doesn’t think Joe Biden is corrupt.

This was shortly after he congratulated serial liar Adam Schiff and told him he’s “very well spoken.”

Lindsey Graham started out by telling reporters that there is “no way” that Hunter Biden got rich from Burisma and his father didn’t know anything about it.

“Somebody needs to look” at the why the prosecutor investigating Burisma was fired and the new prosecutor dropped the case, Lindsey said.

A reporter then asked Lindsey Graham if Joe Biden is corrupt.

“I don’t think Joe Biden is corrupt, but I don’t think he’s beyond being looked at.” he said. “I love Joe Biden, but I’m going to tell you, I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and just watch the Trumps be looked at.”

Lindsey Graham then added that “Joe Biden is one of the finest men I know.” Seriously?

There is plenty of public information out there proving Joe Biden is one of the most corrupt politicians in modern times.

“Secret Empires” author Peter Schweizer wrote a new book titled, “Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by America’s Progressive Elite,” and one slimy lifelong politician — Joe Biden — emerges as the “king of sweetheart deals” Schweizer said.

According to Schweizer, Hunter Biden wasn’t the only family member who made millions off of his political connections.

Five members of Joe Biden’s family enriched themselves because of Joe Biden’s lifelong ‘career’ in politics and Schweizer outlined his new book in a New York Post article shortly before its launch date.

Lindsey Graham is all bluster. He has done NOTHING to hold the Bidens accountable for their money laundering operations and global pay-to-play schemes.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/01/lindsey-graham-i-dont-think-joe-biden-is-corrupt-but-hes-not-beyond-being-looked-at-video/

Sen. Grassley Demands Answers From Pentagon On FBI Spy Stefan Halper’s Questionable Defense Contracts

The Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Sen. Chuck Grassley sent a letter Wednesday to the Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment’s director requesting detailed information on contracts provided to FBI informant Stefan Halper, who was spying on three of President Trump’s campaign aids during the 2016 election probe.

The expansive nature of Grassley’s investigation is significant and coincides – but is separate – with an ongoing investigation by the Department of Justice appointed prosector John Durham’s criminal probe into the matter, as first reported by SaraACarter.com.

Durham’s criminal investigation into the FBI, CIA, as well as private entities connected to the bureau’s investigation into the Trump campaign and now debunked theory that it colluded with Russia, has also expanded to the Office of Net Assessment. Known by its acronym ONA, the secretive office is run by Director James Baker, who has been in the role since being appointed by the Obama Administration in 2015.

In the letter to Baker Grassley asks a litany of questions as to Halper’s role within ONA, his contracts, his foreign contacts and whether the FBI, or other agencies, used the ONA office to pay Halper for spying on Trump campaign personnel.

“Can ONA state for certain that Halper did not use taxpayer money provided by DoD to recruit, or attempt to recruit, sources for the FBI investigation into the now-debunked theory of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia,” Grassley asks Baker.

Baker could not be immediately reached for comment.

According to sources familiar with the matter he has also been questioned by Durham’s investigative team. Grassley has also been looking into the matter since early 2019, when he requested that the “DoD Inspector General (IG) review allegations of mismanagement by ONA contracts for political, improper or wasteful activities.” The Senator “later sought information about ONA contracting processes following a DoD IG audit of the program, which found that ONA could not provide sufficient documentation that Halper conducted all of his work in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The Pentagon issued a corrective action plan for ONA in august.”

Justice Department Kerry Kupec told this reporter that she could not comment on Durham’s ongoing investigation.

What we do know from Grassley’s office is that the investigation is focused on the ONA’s “contract compliance after reviewing troubling documents related to contracts awarded to Professor Stefan Halper.”

“Those documents call into question ONA’s stewardship of taxpayer dollars as well as its contract management and internal controls,” a press release on the matter stated.

This is where Halper’s role with ONA “becomes highly suspicious and his contracts coincide with his spying on the Trump campaign,” said one former government official, familiar with the matter. Halper was an integral part of the FBI’s investigation in 2016 into short-term Trump campaign volunteer, Carter Page and George Papadopolous. Halper’s Cambridge Intelligence Seminar was also connected to Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, when in April, 2014 Flynn, who was then head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was invited as a guest to London, England. Flynn would later be at the center of false stories accusing him of being a Russian asset and wrapping Russian born British academic Svetlana Lokhova into the false stories.

Lokhova, who recently spoke to The Sara Carter Show, said Halper did so because he is ‘the dirty trickster’ used to target, spy and spread disinformation in an attempt to target President Trump.

https://saraacarter.com/sen-grassley-demands-answers-from-pentagon-on-fbi-spy-stefan-halpers-questionable-defense-contracts/

ICE removes Kazakhstan national convicted of weapons trafficking to Russia

PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removed Eldar Rezvanov on Jan. 16, to his home country of Kazakhstan via commercial aircraft.

Rezvanov was convicted for international arms trafficking by exporting defense articles without obtaining a license or authorization.

Rezvanov and his coconspirator attempted to conceal the export of the firearms and firearm parts by using aliases to purchase the components and by providing false information on federal forms about the final destination of the articles. They smuggled the firearms and firearm parts onto overseas flights using false shipping inventories and concealed the disassembled firearm components by taping them to metal kitchen utensils before shipping them overseas.

“This individual took advantage of the many opportunities this country granted him,” said ICE Philadelphia Field Office Director Simona Flores-Lund. “Eldar Rezvanov started out as an international student, and three years later he was attempting to export an incredible number of firearms and ammunition to Russia. Thanks to our local and federal partners, this individual has served time and is now removed from the United States.”

In January 2013, Rezvanov was admitted into the U.S. as a F-1 non-immigrant student for the duration of his student status at Virginia International University. Rezvanov was granted employment status until February 2015. He then transferred to the American College of Commerce and Technology, and in November 2015, they terminated his student status in SEVIS for failure to enroll.

On Nov. 10, 2016, the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police arrested Rezvanov and charged him with kidnapping and abduction of a foreign national. Rezvanov and his codefendants allegedly kidnapped an individual, held him hostage, beat him, and forced him to meet ransom demands.

On Nov. 29, 2016, the D.C Department of Corrections remanded Rezvanov to ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington custody. On the same date, HSI Washington turned Rezvanov over to ERO Washington custody, who detained him at the Farmville Detention Center in Farmville, VA. On April 11, 2017, an immigration judge (IJ) issued Rezvanov bond, and he posted bond.

On Oct. 20, 2017, after being notified by local law enforcement that Rezvanov was possibly involved in the illegal export of AECA controlled items, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) identified and examined several packages Rezvanov shipped at the Park Fairfax Post Office. These packages contained: 395 firearms parts such as firing pins, springs and extractors; 75 magazines for Glocks and AK 47 rifles; and 20 barrels and slides for Glock pistols.

The Arms Export Control Act (AECA) requires individuals to obtain a license from the Department of State (DOS) Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) to export Defense Articles on the United States Munitions List (USML) from the United States to another country.

On Nov. 2, 2017, Rezvanov attempted to ship another package to Chechnya, Russia containing gun barrels taped to metals spatulas and gun slides taped to small wheels in an effort to conceal them as casters for kitchen cabinets. USPIS seized both of these shipments.

Without obtaining the required license, Rezvanov and his coconspirator purchased and attempted to export from the United States to Grozny, Chechnya: 7 full pistols; 130 assembled lower receivers; 266 firearm slides; 158 firearm barrels; 996 firearm magazines; 10 stocks; 133 firearm frames; and 453 firearm parts, including springs and firing pins. Purchasers were under aliases, and the firearm components were taped to kitchen utensils.

On Feb. 22, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) issued an arrest warrant for Rezvanov for violating AECA. On Feb. 27, 2018, HSI Washington arrested Rezvanov in Arlington, VA.

On July 24, 2018, Rezvanov was convicted of violating the AECA and international traffic in arms regulations. On April 15, 2019, ERO Philadelphia encountered Rezvanov at the Moshannon Valley Correctional Center (MVCC) in Philipsburg, PA and lodged an Immigration Detainer. On Nov. 8, 2019, MVCC remanded Rezvanov to ERO Philadelphia custody, who detained him at the Clinton County Correctional Facility (CCCF) in McElhattan, PA.

On Dec. 12, 2019, an IJ ordered Rezvanov removed from the United States to Kazakhstan. Rezvanov waived appeal. On Jan. 16, 2020, Rezvanov was removed from the United States.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-removes-kazakhstan-national-convicted-weapons-trafficking-russia

Australia singled out for climate 'denial' at Doomsday Clock event

Washington: Former California governor Jerry Brown has blasted the Australian government's "utter and absolute" denial of the threat of climate change at an event warning the world is closer than ever before to a man-made apocalypse.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on Thursday (Friday AEDT) announced it was moving its famous Doomsday Clock closer to midnight than at any point in its 73-year history because of the growing risk of climate change, nuclear war and disinformation.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 100 Seconds to Midnight.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/australia-singled-out-for-climate-denial-at-doomsday-clock-event-20200124-p53uac.html

Climate change terrorism in Australia

Target Orthodox Church: NATO’s Eastern Crusades

Needless to say, the important and portentous story of the attempted subversion of the Orthodox Church using the intelligence and political instruments still at the disposal of the moribund post-Christian West has gone virtually unreported, uncommented, and uncondemned. It concerns the multi-front offensive currently being unleashed against the most ancient and authentic Christian communion, the Orthodox Church.

The epicenter of this externally induced commotion is at this moment in Montenegro, NATO’s latest “catch” in its persistent effort to secure or at least neutralize the Balkan rear, with a view to the projected conflict with Russia. One of the major remaining targets in Montenegro is the country’s Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the institution which according to the latest survey is the most trusted by the country’s population. The Orthodox Church, which saw Montenegro through its centuries of confrontation with the Ottoman Empire, is literally the repository of Montenegro’s identity and culture. Russia’s traditional ally Montenegro – just like the Ukraine, which finds itself similarly targeted – cannot be reconfigured and turned into a compliant instrument of the impending Western crusade unless its identity shaped by the Church is first suitably redesigned.

The issue which brought the crisis into the open and moved it to the verge of physical confrontation was the unprecedented law, allegedly to secure “freedom for religious confessions,” which the regime rammed through the rubber-stamp parliament on December 27, 2019, complete with the almost routine arrest of about twenty opposition parliamentarians who objected vociferously to its Orwellian provisions. The core of this legislation is the requirement that all religious property dating back to before 1918 (when Montenegro joined what later became Yugoslavia) would be taken over by the state, which then, from the goodness of its heart, might allow the dispossessed religious community to use it for the performance of its rites. Given Montenegro’s ethnic, historical, and religious landscape, although not explicitly so stated, the new law’s brunt will be borne exclusively by the local Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church in that country. The Serbian Church is the only significant religious community with a broad following and any property to be seized, the other faiths’ presence being relatively minor and symbolic.

Unexpectedly for all concerned, once reality sank in that with the passage of the new law the dispossession of the Church, with an intensified assault on the identity of the majority of the population, was becoming imminent, a massive expression of popular outrage erupted and continues on a daily basis. It is possible that the regime simply miscalculated the potential of such a seemingly arcane issue to quickly mobilize vast numbers of the citizenry. Their NATO sponsors surely did, and obviously failed to duly caution their stooges, which is perfectly understandable because religious concerns ceased long ago to play a significant social role in the West. (Both regime stalwarts and their jaded Western mentors must have found this Montenegrin procession, outlining a human “cross” made up of lighted torches, extremely annoying and awkward.) In the event, in all parts of Montenegro tens of thousands of Orthodox believers took to the streets during the holiday season to manifest their disapproval. In a very small country, with an official population of about 600,000, at least a quarter of the citizens defied bitter winter cold and snow to vote with their feet and send the pro-NATO clique the clear message that they are not on board.

Curiously, or perhaps not, the regime’s appalling religious intimidation campaign found resonance only in the confused silence of usually quick-on-the-draw Western embassies and human rights defenders

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/01/22/target-orthodox-church-natos-eastern-crusades/