There are no shortage of suspects.
November 19, 2019
By Cheri Hardmon
How long has it been there? Who put it there? (click here)
Those were just a few of the questions swirling around Flint City Hall after investigators said an electronic device had been discovered inside of an administrative office, within the mayor's office.
A press release from the Flint Police Department only confirmed a device had been found. Investigators initially called it a surveillance device, but later said they are determining whether it could record data.
ABC12 News reached out to former city officials within the Mayor's office. We were told former mayor Karen Weaver was unavailable because she is out of town.
ABC 12 also contacted former Flint public information officer Candice Mushatt. We were unable to reach her through the cell number previously provided to us, but Mushatt did respond in an email.
She said since no longer worked for the city, she would not be able to provide a comment, and she was unaware of any devices found. Mushatt also said she could not confirm if a device had been discovered....
Friday, November 22, 2019
Congratulations to King Abdullah. He works very hard to bring stability to the region. He earned this.
November 22, 2019
New York - His Majesty King Abdullah, (click here) in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania and HRH Crown Prince Hussein, received the 2019 Scholar-Statesman Award on Thursday evening.
The award, presented to King Abdullah by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), has been awarded to His Majesty in appreciation for his wise policies and efforts towards peace, stability, harmony, and tolerance in the Middle East.
The award was presented to His Majesty by WINEP Chairman of the Board of Trustees James Schreiber, during a dinner held to mark the occasion....
Are "Facebook" and all it's offspring propaganda rags?
By Walter Cummings
Washington - Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (click here) a leading candidate in the Democratic presidential primary, sharply criticized Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday for attending a "secret dinner" with President Donald Trump.
"Amid antitrust scrutiny, Facebook is going on a charm offensive with Republican lawmakers," the senator from Massachusetts tweeted. "And now, Mark Zuckerberg and one of Facebook's board members – a major Trump donor – had a secret dinner with Trump. This is corruption, plain and simple."
Warren's tweet linked to an article from NBC News, which first reported Thursday that Zuckerberg joined Trump for a previously undisclosed dinner during his trip to Washington in October.
"As is normal for a CEO of a major US company, Mark accepted an invitation to have dinner with the President and First Lady at the White House," a spokesman for Facebook told USA TODAY in a statement, though he could not confirm when the dinner took place....
By Sarah Gray
Jared Kushner, (click here) President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House senior adviser, is under scrutiny from the House Oversight and Reform Committee, over his alleged use of the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp for official White House communication.
Trump's daughter and White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, and two former White House officials are also part of the inquiry.
A letter sent from the committee chairman Elijah Cummings to White House Counsel Pat Cipollone on Thursday — made public on Cummings' website — offers details about the allegations and requests documents from the White House in its probe of personal communication methods being used by "non-career" White House employees.
Cummings and the Oversight Committee are investigating violations of the Presidential Records Act as it pertains to Kushner's work in the White House....
November 22, 2019
By Ron Kompeas
Fiona Hill, (click here) a former White House senior staffer providing key testimony in congressional hearings to impeach President Donald Trump, likened a right-wing narrative casting liberal Jewish billionaire George Soros as all-controlling to a notorious anti-Semitic forgery.
The narrative that Soros is behind an array of evildoings “is the new Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” Hill said Thursday in hearings. “It’s an absolute outrage.”
Soros has become a bugbear for some right-wingers, who blame his liberal philanthropy for a number of ills, citing little evidence. Trump himself last year blamed Soros for an “invasion” of Central American migrants that never materialized....
By Ron Kompeas
Fiona Hill, (click here) a former White House senior staffer providing key testimony in congressional hearings to impeach President Donald Trump, likened a right-wing narrative casting liberal Jewish billionaire George Soros as all-controlling to a notorious anti-Semitic forgery.
The narrative that Soros is behind an array of evildoings “is the new Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” Hill said Thursday in hearings. “It’s an absolute outrage.”
Soros has become a bugbear for some right-wingers, who blame his liberal philanthropy for a number of ills, citing little evidence. Trump himself last year blamed Soros for an “invasion” of Central American migrants that never materialized....
It will be interesting to read what concerned the Inspector General. It changes nothing to the FACT Russia hacked the 2016 elections.
The Special Counsel Report still stands. The information is factual. The Russian hacking, the Russian intelligence activities have nothing to do with a FISA warrant and neither does the president's obstruction or the meeting between the Trump campaign and Russians.
The people in jail are in jail or prison for a real reason and it has nothing to do with a FISA warrant. I am concerned Trump will seek to use the information to issue pardons.
November 22, 2019
By Devlin Barrett, Ellen Nakashima and Matt Zapotosky
The Justice Department inspector general (click here) has found evidence that an FBI employee may have altered a document connected to court-approved surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser but has concluded that the conduct did not affect the overall validity of the surveillance application, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The person under scrutiny is a low-level FBI lawyer who has since been forced out of the agency, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss material that has not yet been made public. They declined to identify the lawyer.
The allegation is contained in a draft of Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report analyzing the FBI’s Russia investigation, which witnesses have in recent weeks been allowed to review, people familiar with the matter said. The report is scheduled to be released publicly Dec. 9....
...That conduct did not alter Horowitz’s finding that the surveillance application of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page had a proper legal and factual basis, the officials said....
The people in jail are in jail or prison for a real reason and it has nothing to do with a FISA warrant. I am concerned Trump will seek to use the information to issue pardons.
November 22, 2019
By Devlin Barrett, Ellen Nakashima and Matt Zapotosky
The Justice Department inspector general (click here) has found evidence that an FBI employee may have altered a document connected to court-approved surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser but has concluded that the conduct did not affect the overall validity of the surveillance application, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The person under scrutiny is a low-level FBI lawyer who has since been forced out of the agency, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss material that has not yet been made public. They declined to identify the lawyer.
The allegation is contained in a draft of Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report analyzing the FBI’s Russia investigation, which witnesses have in recent weeks been allowed to review, people familiar with the matter said. The report is scheduled to be released publicly Dec. 9....
...That conduct did not alter Horowitz’s finding that the surveillance application of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page had a proper legal and factual basis, the officials said....
Polls need to be read and not passively accepted.
I am not surprised "The Hill" is publishing the "Emerson College" poll on impeachment. No one else should be surprised either.
I know it is a poll, but, if one checks Emerson against most other polls it always is an outlier that seems to spin into the positive region for Republicans. It probably has something to do with the population of people within it's polling data.
I don't dismiss it. It is a good tool to realize where Republicans are in their thinking to ACHIEVE a winning strategy. For Dems and Independents and opposition Republican candidates, it can be opposition research. Ask, "Why is the darn thing an outlier?"
Polls, regardless of their source(s), should never be passively assessed as the ultimate authority. There are questions to ask and it lies in their methods, polling populations, and the FACTUAL DATA within the research.
I know it is a poll, but, if one checks Emerson against most other polls it always is an outlier that seems to spin into the positive region for Republicans. It probably has something to do with the population of people within it's polling data.
I don't dismiss it. It is a good tool to realize where Republicans are in their thinking to ACHIEVE a winning strategy. For Dems and Independents and opposition Republican candidates, it can be opposition research. Ask, "Why is the darn thing an outlier?"
Polls, regardless of their source(s), should never be passively assessed as the ultimate authority. There are questions to ask and it lies in their methods, polling populations, and the FACTUAL DATA within the research.
Obtuse.
With all due respect, Rep. Hurd is an intelligent man, however, Rep. Hurd is dispelling the testimony over the past two weeks by extremely qualified people. His time for questioning was used for a speech and eliminated any questions that were to be answered competently by the two witnesses.
He stated the witnesses were appearing because of five words, "Do me a favor, though..." in relation to the 2016 (error - 2020) election and the mention of the word (error - name) Biden." That is grossly incorrect. The hearings are not a political agenda item on the DNC platform, it is a hearing necessitated by a president abusing his power.
The complaint by the whistleblower and the attached letter is extensive. The five words and the name Biden are only among the many references to the abuse of power which insists on Rudy Guiliani, supposedly the president's personal attorney, handle the matter of an investigation of Hunter Biden and Burisma.
In his soliloquy, Rep. Hurd bemoans not hearing from Hunter Biden, Rudy Guiliani, and the Whistleblower. Then on top of what are probably obvious reasons to hear from these folks, Hurd goes on to demand knowledge of whom the whistleblower spoke to before his complaint was filed; disguised in the words "We need to understand the motivation and level of coordination prior...." In stating "We" (Congress, I guess.) need to understand more, he raises the legitimacy of the complaint. That would ONLY be a legitimate concern if all the witnesses of the past two weeks disputed the complaint. That didn't happen. The majority of witnesses validated the complaint and THE WORDS OF THE PHONE CALL TRANSCRIPT. I find Hurd's skepticism an insult to the whistleblower, subsequent witnesses AND THE PROCESS of the US House Impeachment Inquiry.
Rep. Hurd recognizes the abuse of power and the attack by Trump against Ukrainian interests. Rep. Hurd also goes on to state the hearings were to illustrate a subservient Ukraine that could not function without the USA. But, instead, Rep. Hurd states "...they are holding their own..." to indicate the Javelins weren't even necessary. Rep. Hurd also states the US House Intelligence Committee is being used inappropriately in hearing a serious impeachment inquiry and goes on to state there are many different opinions among those that testified as to whether the call was concerning or not.
For real?
The majority of the witnesses believe the call was inappropriate and dangerous in indicating a civilian attorney would be conducting USA foreign policy as a domestic political favor was needed to allow that to happen.
I am quite certain the witnesses of the past two weeks are insulted by Rep. Hurd's assessment. Former White House assistant, Fiona Hill, felt she needed to clarify the brevity of the false narrative being propagated by Russian intelligence and welcomed by Republicans as a basis to justify the abuse of power by the president. Dr. Hill in her opening statement reiterated the dangers of allowing Russian narratives to invade USA dialogue.
"The impact (click here) of the successful 2016 campaign remains evident today. Our nation is being torn apart. Truth is questioned. Our highly professional and expert career foreign service is being undermined.
That is compelling and urgent testimony. It is a lot more than five words and a name. She also stated:
"When we are consumed by partisan rancor, we cannot combat these external forces as they seek to divide us against each another, degrade our institutions, and destroy the faith of the American people in our democracy."
She is correct and Rep. Will Hurd is practicing the very dynamic Dr. Hill warned of in her opening statement. Hurd goes on to state, perhaps in self-affirmation, "An impeachment has to be compelling, overwhelmingly clear and unambiguous." I dare anyone, including Rep. Hurd, to state the whistleblower complaint, the transcript and two weeks of public hearings do not have all three aspects of that dynamic. With those three conditions stated, it is now clear Republicans have sought to undermine the legitimacy of all that is before the American people in a compelling, overwhelmingly clear and unambiguous abuse of power by Donald J. Trump and his assistants such as Rudy Guiliani.
Representative Will Hurd is a very clear example of the obtuseness, either naively or willfully, of the Republicans that seek only to justify their own political preferences RATHER THAN THE TRUTH. The Republicans are a danger to the USA Constitution.
The Republicans have no problem with a president that abuses the powers of his office and prefers the company of strong man dictators over that of allies. That is very, very worrisome.
He stated the witnesses were appearing because of five words, "Do me a favor, though..." in relation to the 2016 (error - 2020) election and the mention of the word (error - name) Biden." That is grossly incorrect. The hearings are not a political agenda item on the DNC platform, it is a hearing necessitated by a president abusing his power.
The complaint by the whistleblower and the attached letter is extensive. The five words and the name Biden are only among the many references to the abuse of power which insists on Rudy Guiliani, supposedly the president's personal attorney, handle the matter of an investigation of Hunter Biden and Burisma.
In his soliloquy, Rep. Hurd bemoans not hearing from Hunter Biden, Rudy Guiliani, and the Whistleblower. Then on top of what are probably obvious reasons to hear from these folks, Hurd goes on to demand knowledge of whom the whistleblower spoke to before his complaint was filed; disguised in the words "We need to understand the motivation and level of coordination prior...." In stating "We" (Congress, I guess.) need to understand more, he raises the legitimacy of the complaint. That would ONLY be a legitimate concern if all the witnesses of the past two weeks disputed the complaint. That didn't happen. The majority of witnesses validated the complaint and THE WORDS OF THE PHONE CALL TRANSCRIPT. I find Hurd's skepticism an insult to the whistleblower, subsequent witnesses AND THE PROCESS of the US House Impeachment Inquiry.
Rep. Hurd recognizes the abuse of power and the attack by Trump against Ukrainian interests. Rep. Hurd also goes on to state the hearings were to illustrate a subservient Ukraine that could not function without the USA. But, instead, Rep. Hurd states "...they are holding their own..." to indicate the Javelins weren't even necessary. Rep. Hurd also states the US House Intelligence Committee is being used inappropriately in hearing a serious impeachment inquiry and goes on to state there are many different opinions among those that testified as to whether the call was concerning or not.
For real?
The majority of the witnesses believe the call was inappropriate and dangerous in indicating a civilian attorney would be conducting USA foreign policy as a domestic political favor was needed to allow that to happen.
I am quite certain the witnesses of the past two weeks are insulted by Rep. Hurd's assessment. Former White House assistant, Fiona Hill, felt she needed to clarify the brevity of the false narrative being propagated by Russian intelligence and welcomed by Republicans as a basis to justify the abuse of power by the president. Dr. Hill in her opening statement reiterated the dangers of allowing Russian narratives to invade USA dialogue.
"The impact (click here) of the successful 2016 campaign remains evident today. Our nation is being torn apart. Truth is questioned. Our highly professional and expert career foreign service is being undermined.
That is compelling and urgent testimony. It is a lot more than five words and a name. She also stated:
"When we are consumed by partisan rancor, we cannot combat these external forces as they seek to divide us against each another, degrade our institutions, and destroy the faith of the American people in our democracy."
She is correct and Rep. Will Hurd is practicing the very dynamic Dr. Hill warned of in her opening statement. Hurd goes on to state, perhaps in self-affirmation, "An impeachment has to be compelling, overwhelmingly clear and unambiguous." I dare anyone, including Rep. Hurd, to state the whistleblower complaint, the transcript and two weeks of public hearings do not have all three aspects of that dynamic. With those three conditions stated, it is now clear Republicans have sought to undermine the legitimacy of all that is before the American people in a compelling, overwhelmingly clear and unambiguous abuse of power by Donald J. Trump and his assistants such as Rudy Guiliani.
Representative Will Hurd is a very clear example of the obtuseness, either naively or willfully, of the Republicans that seek only to justify their own political preferences RATHER THAN THE TRUTH. The Republicans are a danger to the USA Constitution.
The Republicans have no problem with a president that abuses the powers of his office and prefers the company of strong man dictators over that of allies. That is very, very worrisome.
Ihor Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian oligarch is under investigation by the FBI for money laundering.
Kolomoisky is a steel billionaire, including two plants in the USA in Warren, Ohio and Mason County, West Virginia. He has other steel plants globally. What Russian oriented billionaire doesn't have a global reach? The point is Kolomoisky most probably has laundered money internationally. He wants Ukraine to return to Russia so he can be protected by the anti-extradition policy.
In addition to the FBI investigation, Kolomoisky is being sued for $27 million for a fraudulent land investment.
The USA needs to actively examine the reach of Russian oligarchs, including those like Kolomoisky, within the borders of the USA.
A well documented known corruption occurred with Moscow Mitch of Kentucky. In more recent revelations of free-flowing Russian money, "Moscow" Mitch (click here) engaged incredible corruption in removing sanctions against the Russian, Deripaska, who has been connected to election interference in 2016. As a result, Deripaska, in turn, invested in a Kentucky steel plant which could have easily received monies from the US government if proper channels were accessed for such a consideration. Moscow Mitch decided it was more expeditious and less obvious to remove sanctions and allow the free flow of Russian money once again. (click here)
I think it is the obligation of the US Congress to investigate the number of foreign communist companies and the depth of their reach into the USA economy. It is contradictory to US foreign policy to entertain these companies for their investments. They are backed by sovereign countries with no interest in maintaining democracy and freedom around the world.
This sort of investment was once allowed and encouraged when Russia was a member of the G8 and hopes of peace and denuclearization were elevated in goodwill and common prosperity. Those values have since been trashed for Russian aggression and hate of anything free and democratic. With the wind change by Russia, the reassessment is very necessary.
22 November 2019
The head of state (click here) said at a briefing in Ochakiv that the country's foreign policy should be determined by the president, with the participation of the government and society, not by individual businessmen.
"I, as president, would like to think about international relations and the vector of Ukraine, not any businessman in Ukraine. It seems to me that it is right. I, the government, the society can talk about it, but it's still state-level decisions," Zelensky said.
When asked whether it is possible to resume cooperation with Russia in the defense sector after the end of the war in Donbas, or "it will be necessary to wait for the return of Crimea," Zelensky said he generally likes the mood when people think what will happen after the war.
"This is very good because psychologically we want to end the war in the near future. I think the correct answer is, in principle, human, that when we end the war and return all territories, we will do all that benefits the economy Ukraine, for jobs, in order to develop our enterprises," Zelensky said.
On November 13, The New York Times published an article with a number of scandalous statements made by Kolomoisky.
The billionaire proposed refusing from cooperation with the IMF in favor of Russia, stressed the need to improve relations with Moscow, because, in his opinion, "they're stronger anyway," expressed confidence that Ukraine would never become a member of NATO and the European Union, and criticized the U.S. for allegedly forcing Ukraine to wage war in Donbas and for the lack of financial assistance.
In addition to the FBI investigation, Kolomoisky is being sued for $27 million for a fraudulent land investment.
The USA needs to actively examine the reach of Russian oligarchs, including those like Kolomoisky, within the borders of the USA.
A well documented known corruption occurred with Moscow Mitch of Kentucky. In more recent revelations of free-flowing Russian money, "Moscow" Mitch (click here) engaged incredible corruption in removing sanctions against the Russian, Deripaska, who has been connected to election interference in 2016. As a result, Deripaska, in turn, invested in a Kentucky steel plant which could have easily received monies from the US government if proper channels were accessed for such a consideration. Moscow Mitch decided it was more expeditious and less obvious to remove sanctions and allow the free flow of Russian money once again. (click here)
I think it is the obligation of the US Congress to investigate the number of foreign communist companies and the depth of their reach into the USA economy. It is contradictory to US foreign policy to entertain these companies for their investments. They are backed by sovereign countries with no interest in maintaining democracy and freedom around the world.
This sort of investment was once allowed and encouraged when Russia was a member of the G8 and hopes of peace and denuclearization were elevated in goodwill and common prosperity. Those values have since been trashed for Russian aggression and hate of anything free and democratic. With the wind change by Russia, the reassessment is very necessary.
22 November 2019
The head of state (click here) said at a briefing in Ochakiv that the country's foreign policy should be determined by the president, with the participation of the government and society, not by individual businessmen.
"I, as president, would like to think about international relations and the vector of Ukraine, not any businessman in Ukraine. It seems to me that it is right. I, the government, the society can talk about it, but it's still state-level decisions," Zelensky said.
When asked whether it is possible to resume cooperation with Russia in the defense sector after the end of the war in Donbas, or "it will be necessary to wait for the return of Crimea," Zelensky said he generally likes the mood when people think what will happen after the war.
"This is very good because psychologically we want to end the war in the near future. I think the correct answer is, in principle, human, that when we end the war and return all territories, we will do all that benefits the economy Ukraine, for jobs, in order to develop our enterprises," Zelensky said.
On November 13, The New York Times published an article with a number of scandalous statements made by Kolomoisky.
The billionaire proposed refusing from cooperation with the IMF in favor of Russia, stressed the need to improve relations with Moscow, because, in his opinion, "they're stronger anyway," expressed confidence that Ukraine would never become a member of NATO and the European Union, and criticized the U.S. for allegedly forcing Ukraine to wage war in Donbas and for the lack of financial assistance.
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