A. Structure of the Internet Research Agency
The entire first paragraph is redacted stating "Harm to Ongoing Matter."
The second paragraph begins, The organization quickly grew. The rest of the paragraph is redacted except for footnote notations, 11 and 12.
Paragraph 3 begins, The growth of the organization led to more detailed organizational structure. The second line states "Harm of Ongoing Matter."
Footnotes:
8 See SM-2230634, serial 92. I believe this is an internal notation to evidence of the investigation.
9 and 10 "Harm to Ongoing Matter."
11 See SM-2230634, serial 86 I believe this is an internal notation to evidence of the investigation.
12 "Harm to Ongoing Matter."
Page 16 of report
First paragraph is redacted except Footnote 3 or more likely 13. "Harm to Ongoing Matter."
The second paragraph begins Two individuals headed the IRA's management: its general director, Mikhail Bystov, and its executive director Mikhail Burchik. The remainder of the paragraph is redacted "Harm to Ongoing Matter." Footnote 14 and 15.
The third paragraph begins As early as 2014, the IRA began hiding its funding and activities. The remainder of the paragraph is redacted "Harm to Ongoing Matter." Footnote 16.
The fourth paragraph begins The IRA's US operations are part of a larger set of interlocking operations known as "Project Lakhta." The rest of the paragraph is redacted "Harm of Ongoing Matter." Footnote 7, but, more likely 17 and 18.
10.19.18
By Steven Melendez
In a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Friday, (click here) a Russian national named Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova was charged in relation to an online influence campaign that targeted U.S. elections, including the 2016 presidential election, this year’s midterms, and even the 2020 vote.
The 44-year-old St. Petersburg resident was allegedly the chief accountant of the influence operations dubbed “Project Lakhta,” preparing multimillion-dollar budgets for operations funded by the Russian oligarch and Putin ally Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin. The operating budget for the first half of 2018 alone was $10 million, according to a U.S. Justice Department statement.
The operation allegedly generated divisive social media posts, targeting audiences on both sides of issues like immigration, LGBT rights, gun control, and the Confederate flag....
On Monday, Oct. 22, (click here) a Russian media outlet known as the Federal News Agency (FAN) published a video of a round-faced woman sitting at a desk, looking directly into the camera. Her name, she announced, was Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, and she was FAN’s accountant....
continued in next entry
Monday, June 17, 2019
Page 14 of Volume 1 - page 22 on the PDF
II. RUSSIAN "ACTIVE MEASURES" SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
The title of this section should be an embarrassment to the companies involved in supplying social media access.
The first form of Russian election influence came principally from the Internet Research Agency, LLC (IRA), a Russian organization funded by
Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin (picture left, AKA "the chef") and
companies he controlled,...
This is proof that no company is out of the reach of Russia's communist government. They are all arms of the government and it's intelligence agencies. When anyone is conducting business with companies owned by Russians, they are doing business with Moscow and Putin.
...including Concord Management and Consulting LLC...
March 14, 2019
By Ronn Blizter
Concord Management and Consulting, LLC, (click here) the Russian company accused of being involved in a complex election interference operation in 2016, wants to know exactly what Special Counsel Robert Mueller thinks they did. In a Monday court filing, the firm asked the court to order the Special Counsel’s Office to file a bill of particulars that specifies exactly what they think Concord did, who they believe did it, and explain key words and phrases in the indictment...
Basically, Prigozhin is playing the dumb Russian. Asking what the meaning of words actually is to allow the Dumb Russian to properly address the court is a method of obstruction.
...and Concord Catering (collectively "Concord").2 The IRA conducted social media operations targeted at large U.S. audiences with the goal of sowing discord in the U.S. political system.3 These operations constituted "active measures" (Russian words - aKTMBHbie Meporrprumu1), a term that typically refers to operations conducted by Russian security services aimed at influencing the course of international affairs.4
The IRA and its employees began operations targeting the United States as early as 2014. Using fictitious U.S. personas, IRA employees operated social media accounts and group pages designed to attract U.S. audiences. These groups and accounts, which addressed divisive U.S. political and social issues, falsely claimed to be controlled by U.S. activists. Over time, these social media accounts became a means to reach large U.S. audiences. IRA employees travelled to the United States in mid-2014 on an intelligence-gathering mission to obtain information and photographs for use in their social media posts.
The IRA, Internet Research Agency, became aware of the fact ORIGINAL CONTENT would add to it's legitimacy for the entries to INFLUENCE the 2016 elections. It wasn't enough to "cut and paste" or "share" so much as introduce their own content composed with original content obtained from within the USA. Iconic photos and other materials that added legitimacy to the idea these were Americans reporting or complaining about their government.
IRA employees posted derogatory information about a number of candidates in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. By early to mid-2016, IRA operations included supporting the Trump Campaign and disparaging candidate Hillary Clinton. The IRA made various expenditures to carry out those activities, including buying political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and entities. (Citizens' United at work - there is no limit to the sources of information or spending to facilitate that point of view - I don't care who the candidate is, they do not have the capacity to spend money in the amounts of a sovereign government. That Supreme Court decision opened the USA to greater foreign influence.) Some IRA employees, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated electronically with individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities, including the staging of political rallies.5 The investigation did not identify evidence that any U.S. persons knowingly or intentionally coordinated with the IRA's interference operation.
The Russians had a preference. They wanted Trump in office because they could control him. They probably had plenty of evidence regarding The Trump Company's need for foreign money. They had enough evidence to allow them to carry out a campaign for Trump facilitated by loose USA laws. There was nothing protecting ANY of the campaigns from Russian attacks. The adverse attacks were aimed at Clinton evidenced by the unilateral by the email releases on Wikileaks. The promotional attacks were aimed at Trump and his vulnerabilities to Russian power.
By the end of the 2016 U.S. election, the IRA had the ability to reach millions of U.S. persons through their social media accounts. Multiple IRA-controlled Facebook groups and Instagram accounts had hundreds of thousands of U.S. participants. IRA-controlled Twitter accounts separately had tens of thousands of followers, including multiple U.S. political figures who retweeted IRA-created content.
Personally, I do not do Twitter, even with an account rarely used. I don't subscribe to information sites on Facebook, except, for standard news organizations within the USA, such as CNN, NBC, CBS, etc. Newspapers such as the NYTimes, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Houston Chronicle and the list goes on. In defense of the Americans, they simply didn't know and participated in a way that has become a method of keeping in touch with family and friends. Americans simply don't feel badly about social media. They see it as an enhancement to their lives. That is especially true with family members that travel. I don't do Instagram. I believe all three social media companies are part of the Facebook Empire. Quite possibly to the point of anti-trust.
In November 2017, a Facebook representative testified that Facebook had identified 470 IRA-controlled Facebook accounts that collectively made 80,000 posts between January 2015 and August 2017. Facebook estimated the IRA reached as many as 126 million persons through its Facebook accounts. 6 In January 2018, Twitter announced that it had identified 3,814 IRA-controlled Twitter accounts and notified approximately 1 .4 million people Twitter believed may have been in contact with an iRA-controlled account.7
Americans were hacked. Plain and simple. They had been hacked by Vladimir Putin. They never bothered to ask why there weren't adverse activity regarding Trump on Wikileaks or otherwise.
Footnotes:
2 is about the evidence in possession of the Special Counsel and it's distribution.
2 The Office is aware of reports that other Russian entities engaged in similar active measures operations targeting the United States. Some evidence collected by the Office corroborates those reports, and the Office has shared that evidence with other offices in the Department of Justice and FBI.
This is what is stated in the report with this footnote.
The IRA conducted social media operations targeted at large U.S. audiences with the goal of sowing discord in the U.S. political system
I am quite confident Footnote 3 refers to the process of the FBI in obtaining the information (which is evidence) that lead to the statement it is affiliated.
3 HARM OF ONGOING MATTER see also SM-2230634, serial 44 (analysis). The FBI case number cited here, and other FBI case numbers identified in the report, should be treated as law enforcement sensitive given the context. The report contains additional law enforcement sensitive information.
4 As discussed in Part V below, the active measures investigation has resulted in criminal charges against 13 individual Russian nationals and three Russian entities, principally for conspiracy to defraud the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371....
Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States (click here)
See Volume I, Section V.A, infra; Indictment, United States v. Internet Research Agency, et al., 1 :18-cr-32 (D.D.C. Feb. 16, 2018), Doc. I ("Internet Research Agency Indictment"). This is the reference to the specific case before the courts or Grand Jury.
The title of this section should be an embarrassment to the companies involved in supplying social media access.
The first form of Russian election influence came principally from the Internet Research Agency, LLC (IRA), a Russian organization funded by
This is proof that no company is out of the reach of Russia's communist government. They are all arms of the government and it's intelligence agencies. When anyone is conducting business with companies owned by Russians, they are doing business with Moscow and Putin.
...including Concord Management and Consulting LLC...
March 14, 2019
By Ronn Blizter
Concord Management and Consulting, LLC, (click here) the Russian company accused of being involved in a complex election interference operation in 2016, wants to know exactly what Special Counsel Robert Mueller thinks they did. In a Monday court filing, the firm asked the court to order the Special Counsel’s Office to file a bill of particulars that specifies exactly what they think Concord did, who they believe did it, and explain key words and phrases in the indictment...
Basically, Prigozhin is playing the dumb Russian. Asking what the meaning of words actually is to allow the Dumb Russian to properly address the court is a method of obstruction.
...and Concord Catering (collectively "Concord").2 The IRA conducted social media operations targeted at large U.S. audiences with the goal of sowing discord in the U.S. political system.3 These operations constituted "active measures" (Russian words - aKTMBHbie Meporrprumu1), a term that typically refers to operations conducted by Russian security services aimed at influencing the course of international affairs.4
The IRA and its employees began operations targeting the United States as early as 2014. Using fictitious U.S. personas, IRA employees operated social media accounts and group pages designed to attract U.S. audiences. These groups and accounts, which addressed divisive U.S. political and social issues, falsely claimed to be controlled by U.S. activists. Over time, these social media accounts became a means to reach large U.S. audiences. IRA employees travelled to the United States in mid-2014 on an intelligence-gathering mission to obtain information and photographs for use in their social media posts.
The IRA, Internet Research Agency, became aware of the fact ORIGINAL CONTENT would add to it's legitimacy for the entries to INFLUENCE the 2016 elections. It wasn't enough to "cut and paste" or "share" so much as introduce their own content composed with original content obtained from within the USA. Iconic photos and other materials that added legitimacy to the idea these were Americans reporting or complaining about their government.
IRA employees posted derogatory information about a number of candidates in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. By early to mid-2016, IRA operations included supporting the Trump Campaign and disparaging candidate Hillary Clinton. The IRA made various expenditures to carry out those activities, including buying political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and entities. (Citizens' United at work - there is no limit to the sources of information or spending to facilitate that point of view - I don't care who the candidate is, they do not have the capacity to spend money in the amounts of a sovereign government. That Supreme Court decision opened the USA to greater foreign influence.) Some IRA employees, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated electronically with individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities, including the staging of political rallies.5 The investigation did not identify evidence that any U.S. persons knowingly or intentionally coordinated with the IRA's interference operation.
The Russians had a preference. They wanted Trump in office because they could control him. They probably had plenty of evidence regarding The Trump Company's need for foreign money. They had enough evidence to allow them to carry out a campaign for Trump facilitated by loose USA laws. There was nothing protecting ANY of the campaigns from Russian attacks. The adverse attacks were aimed at Clinton evidenced by the unilateral by the email releases on Wikileaks. The promotional attacks were aimed at Trump and his vulnerabilities to Russian power.
By the end of the 2016 U.S. election, the IRA had the ability to reach millions of U.S. persons through their social media accounts. Multiple IRA-controlled Facebook groups and Instagram accounts had hundreds of thousands of U.S. participants. IRA-controlled Twitter accounts separately had tens of thousands of followers, including multiple U.S. political figures who retweeted IRA-created content.
Personally, I do not do Twitter, even with an account rarely used. I don't subscribe to information sites on Facebook, except, for standard news organizations within the USA, such as CNN, NBC, CBS, etc. Newspapers such as the NYTimes, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Houston Chronicle and the list goes on. In defense of the Americans, they simply didn't know and participated in a way that has become a method of keeping in touch with family and friends. Americans simply don't feel badly about social media. They see it as an enhancement to their lives. That is especially true with family members that travel. I don't do Instagram. I believe all three social media companies are part of the Facebook Empire. Quite possibly to the point of anti-trust.
In November 2017, a Facebook representative testified that Facebook had identified 470 IRA-controlled Facebook accounts that collectively made 80,000 posts between January 2015 and August 2017. Facebook estimated the IRA reached as many as 126 million persons through its Facebook accounts. 6 In January 2018, Twitter announced that it had identified 3,814 IRA-controlled Twitter accounts and notified approximately 1 .4 million people Twitter believed may have been in contact with an iRA-controlled account.7
Americans were hacked. Plain and simple. They had been hacked by Vladimir Putin. They never bothered to ask why there weren't adverse activity regarding Trump on Wikileaks or otherwise.
Footnotes:
2 is about the evidence in possession of the Special Counsel and it's distribution.
2 The Office is aware of reports that other Russian entities engaged in similar active measures operations targeting the United States. Some evidence collected by the Office corroborates those reports, and the Office has shared that evidence with other offices in the Department of Justice and FBI.
This is what is stated in the report with this footnote.
The IRA conducted social media operations targeted at large U.S. audiences with the goal of sowing discord in the U.S. political system
I am quite confident Footnote 3 refers to the process of the FBI in obtaining the information (which is evidence) that lead to the statement it is affiliated.
3 HARM OF ONGOING MATTER see also SM-2230634, serial 44 (analysis). The FBI case number cited here, and other FBI case numbers identified in the report, should be treated as law enforcement sensitive given the context. The report contains additional law enforcement sensitive information.
4 As discussed in Part V below, the active measures investigation has resulted in criminal charges against 13 individual Russian nationals and three Russian entities, principally for conspiracy to defraud the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371....
Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud United States (click here)
See Volume I, Section V.A, infra; Indictment, United States v. Internet Research Agency, et al., 1 :18-cr-32 (D.D.C. Feb. 16, 2018), Doc. I ("Internet Research Agency Indictment"). This is the reference to the specific case before the courts or Grand Jury.
March 23, 2019 - Special Counsel Robert Mueller Ends Investigation (click here)
Six days after the end of the Special Counsel investigation the USA, under Bill Barr, vacated it's complaint against the Russians. This is called corruption and quite possibly illegal. I thought this would occur. Where is the judge is allowing such hideous activity?
These cases have to be called up before the Oversight of the USA Congress to bring charges against this administration. I strongly believe Robert S. Mueller needs to address these cases to the US Congress.
The evidence, including the documentation by the FBI of the facts, need to be handed over from Barr. There is a reason why Barr doesn't want to appear before the US House. Perhaps the US House may want to read him his rights before he testifies.
These cases have to be called up before the Oversight of the USA Congress to bring charges against this administration. I strongly believe Robert S. Mueller needs to address these cases to the US Congress.
The evidence, including the documentation by the FBI of the facts, need to be handed over from Barr. There is a reason why Barr doesn't want to appear before the US House. Perhaps the US House may want to read him his rights before he testifies.
Mar 29, 2019 (click here)
NOTICE of Withdrawal of Appearance by USA as to INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY LLC, CONCORD MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING LLC, CONCORD CATERING, YEVGENIY VIKTOROVICH PRIGOZHIN, MIKHAIL IVANOVICH BYSTROV, MIKHAIL LEONIDOVICH BURCHIK, ALEKSANDRA YURYEVNA KRYLOVA, ANNA VLADISLAVOVNA BOGACHEVA, SERGEY PAVLOVICH POLOZOV, MARIA ANATOLYEVNA BOVDA, ROBERT SERGEYEVICH BOVDA, DZHEYKHUN NASIMI OGLY ASLANOV, VADIM VLADIMIROVICH PODKOPAEV, GLEB IGOREVICH VASILCHENKO, IRINA VIKTOROVNA KAVERZINA, VLADIMIR VENKOV (Dreeben, Michael) (Entered: 03/29/2019)
Barr has been a busy boy defrauding the USA Justice System. He is nothing more than a defense attorney looking for every loophole he can find to make Trump and Putin happy. He wants to create the idea" the Special Counsel is a fraud. a witch hunt. For that reason and that reason alone I demand the USA Congress subpoena ALL THE RECORDS of the Special Counsel investigation.
It is my opinion Barr is also acting as a foreign agent in removing charges from those indicted by the Special Counsel. Both Trump and Barr are acting as foreign agents. Barr may very well have a legal order stating to drop the charges against the Russians and every Russian agency cited by the Special Counsel.
I don't see that Robert Mueller cannot testify realizing this is going on.
5 Internet Research Agency INDICTMENT 52, 54, 55(a), 56, 74 (click here) Harm of Ongoing Matter
6 Social Media Influence in the 2016 US. Election, Hearing Before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 115th Cong. 13 (11/1/17) (testimony of Colin Stretch, General Counsel of Facebook)... (click here - Colin Stretch's testimony begins on page 7 of the US Senate document and page 13 of the PDF. It is listed in the Table of Contents)
STATEMENT OF COLIN STRETCH, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL, FACEBOOK Mr. STRETCH. Chairman Burr, Vice Chairman Warner and distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today. My name is Colin Stretch and since July 2013 I’ve served as the General Counsel of Facebook. We appreciate this Committee’s hard work to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.
At Facebook, our mission is to create technology that gives people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. We are proud that each of you uses Facebook to connect with your constituents, and we understand that the people you represent expect authentic experiences when they come to our platform to share and connect....
...("We estimate that roughly 29 million people were served content in their News Feeds directly from the IRA's 80,000 posts over the two years. Posts from these Pages were also shared, liked, and followed by people on Facebook, and, as a result, three times more people may have been exposed to a story that originated from the Russian operation. Our best estimate is that approximately 126 million people may have been served content from a Page associated with the IRA at some point during the two-year period."). The Facebook representative also testified that Facebook had identified 170 Instagram accounts that posted approximately 120,000 pieces of content during that time. Facebook did not offer an estimate of the audience reached via Instagram.
7 Twitter, Update on Twitter's Review of the 2016 US Election (Jan. 31, 2018). (click here)
continued in next entry
NOTICE of Withdrawal of Appearance by USA as to INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY LLC, CONCORD MANAGEMENT AND CONSULTING LLC, CONCORD CATERING, YEVGENIY VIKTOROVICH PRIGOZHIN, MIKHAIL IVANOVICH BYSTROV, MIKHAIL LEONIDOVICH BURCHIK, ALEKSANDRA YURYEVNA KRYLOVA, ANNA VLADISLAVOVNA BOGACHEVA, SERGEY PAVLOVICH POLOZOV, MARIA ANATOLYEVNA BOVDA, ROBERT SERGEYEVICH BOVDA, DZHEYKHUN NASIMI OGLY ASLANOV, VADIM VLADIMIROVICH PODKOPAEV, GLEB IGOREVICH VASILCHENKO, IRINA VIKTOROVNA KAVERZINA, VLADIMIR VENKOV (Dreeben, Michael) (Entered: 03/29/2019)
Barr has been a busy boy defrauding the USA Justice System. He is nothing more than a defense attorney looking for every loophole he can find to make Trump and Putin happy. He wants to create the idea" the Special Counsel is a fraud. a witch hunt. For that reason and that reason alone I demand the USA Congress subpoena ALL THE RECORDS of the Special Counsel investigation.
It is my opinion Barr is also acting as a foreign agent in removing charges from those indicted by the Special Counsel. Both Trump and Barr are acting as foreign agents. Barr may very well have a legal order stating to drop the charges against the Russians and every Russian agency cited by the Special Counsel.
I don't see that Robert Mueller cannot testify realizing this is going on.
5 Internet Research Agency INDICTMENT 52, 54, 55(a), 56, 74 (click here) Harm of Ongoing Matter
6 Social Media Influence in the 2016 US. Election, Hearing Before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, 115th Cong. 13 (11/1/17) (testimony of Colin Stretch, General Counsel of Facebook)... (click here - Colin Stretch's testimony begins on page 7 of the US Senate document and page 13 of the PDF. It is listed in the Table of Contents)
STATEMENT OF COLIN STRETCH, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL, FACEBOOK Mr. STRETCH. Chairman Burr, Vice Chairman Warner and distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today. My name is Colin Stretch and since July 2013 I’ve served as the General Counsel of Facebook. We appreciate this Committee’s hard work to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.
At Facebook, our mission is to create technology that gives people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. We are proud that each of you uses Facebook to connect with your constituents, and we understand that the people you represent expect authentic experiences when they come to our platform to share and connect....
...("We estimate that roughly 29 million people were served content in their News Feeds directly from the IRA's 80,000 posts over the two years. Posts from these Pages were also shared, liked, and followed by people on Facebook, and, as a result, three times more people may have been exposed to a story that originated from the Russian operation. Our best estimate is that approximately 126 million people may have been served content from a Page associated with the IRA at some point during the two-year period."). The Facebook representative also testified that Facebook had identified 170 Instagram accounts that posted approximately 120,000 pieces of content during that time. Facebook did not offer an estimate of the audience reached via Instagram.
7 Twitter, Update on Twitter's Review of the 2016 US Election (Jan. 31, 2018). (click here)
Updated on January 31, 2018
We have expanded the number of people notified about interactions with Twitter accounts potentially connected to a propaganda effort by a Russian government-linked organization known as the Internet Research Agency. Our notice efforts are focused on certain types of interactions, and they will not encompass every person that ever saw this content. Our goal in providing these notifications is to advance public awareness of and engagement with the important issues raised in our blog post, and provide greater transparency to our account holders and the public....
Bottom section on Page 13 - Page 21 on PDF
From its inception, the Office recognized that its investigation could identify foreign
intelligence and counterintelligence information relevant to the FBI's broader national security
mission.
The FBI agents working with the Special Counsel served as a liaison between the Special Counsel and the FBI operations. When information came available that impacted international FBI operations, these agents developed procedures to allow the transfer of vital information.
FBI personnel who assisted the Office established procedures to identify and convey such information to the FBI. The FBI's Counterintelligence Division met with the Office regularly for that purpose for most of the Office's tenure. For more than the past year, the FBI also embedded personnel at the Office who did not work on the Special Counsel's investigation, but whose purpose was to review the results of the investigation and to send-in writing-summaries of foreign intelligence and counterintelligence information to FBIHQ and FBI Field Offices....
It was not a casual relationship. The transfer of information was formal and documented.
Those communications and other correspondence between the Office and the FBI contain information derived from the investigation, not all of which is contained in this Volume.
This information is not secret unless it is classified. It is in THE EVIDENCE accumulated by the Special Counsel which Bill Barr has not passed onto the US Congress. The fact the Special Counsel considers this volume a summary only reflects the extent evidence exists. There wasn't enough time to write a report that stated every item of evidence recorded into evidence.
This Volume is a summary. It contains, in the Office's judgment, that information necessary to account for the Special Counsel's prosecution and declination decisions and to describe the investigation's main factual results.
The Special Counsel's judgment is not the do all or end all judgment. The US Congress has to make it's own judgment autonomously from that of the Special Counsel. The American people have a right to know all the evidence that is not classified due to ongoing Grand Jury proceedings. They, after all, is the ultimate decision maker in their power as the electorate.
Footnote:
1 FBI personnel assigned to the Special Counsel's Office were required to adhere to all applicable federal law and all Department and FBI regulations, guidelines, and policies. An FBI attorney worked on FBI-related matters for the Office, such as FBI compliance with all FBI policies and procedures, including the FBI's Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG).
To be noted, there is a disclaimer that pops up at the FBI site explaining the records contained by this department is not complete. The reason it is not complete is that articles are moved to the National Archives. This effects FOIA requests.
DIOG from 2009 (click here)
The FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG) (click here) was revised and updated based on comments and feedback received since the original DIOG was issued on December 16, 2008. This new version was approved by Director Mueller on October 15, 2011. The changes primarily clarify and enhance the definitions of terms and procedures used in the original DIOG. Each change has been carefully looked at and considered against the backdrop of the tools our employees need to accomplish their mission, the possible risks associated with the use of those tools, and the controls that are in place. The DIOG was first issued to help implement the new Attorney General’s Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations that were issued earlier in 2008. Those guidelines had reconciled a number of previously separate guidelines, the first of which had been issued in 1976. The most recent version of the Guide is the version update of 10/16/2013, which was posted here on 9/14/2016.
...That FBI attorney worked under FBI legal supervision, not the Special Counsel's supervision.
***
continued in next entry
The FBI agents working with the Special Counsel served as a liaison between the Special Counsel and the FBI operations. When information came available that impacted international FBI operations, these agents developed procedures to allow the transfer of vital information.
FBI personnel who assisted the Office established procedures to identify and convey such information to the FBI. The FBI's Counterintelligence Division met with the Office regularly for that purpose for most of the Office's tenure. For more than the past year, the FBI also embedded personnel at the Office who did not work on the Special Counsel's investigation, but whose purpose was to review the results of the investigation and to send-in writing-summaries of foreign intelligence and counterintelligence information to FBIHQ and FBI Field Offices....
It was not a casual relationship. The transfer of information was formal and documented.
Those communications and other correspondence between the Office and the FBI contain information derived from the investigation, not all of which is contained in this Volume.
This information is not secret unless it is classified. It is in THE EVIDENCE accumulated by the Special Counsel which Bill Barr has not passed onto the US Congress. The fact the Special Counsel considers this volume a summary only reflects the extent evidence exists. There wasn't enough time to write a report that stated every item of evidence recorded into evidence.
This Volume is a summary. It contains, in the Office's judgment, that information necessary to account for the Special Counsel's prosecution and declination decisions and to describe the investigation's main factual results.
The Special Counsel's judgment is not the do all or end all judgment. The US Congress has to make it's own judgment autonomously from that of the Special Counsel. The American people have a right to know all the evidence that is not classified due to ongoing Grand Jury proceedings. They, after all, is the ultimate decision maker in their power as the electorate.
Footnote:
1 FBI personnel assigned to the Special Counsel's Office were required to adhere to all applicable federal law and all Department and FBI regulations, guidelines, and policies. An FBI attorney worked on FBI-related matters for the Office, such as FBI compliance with all FBI policies and procedures, including the FBI's Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG).
To be noted, there is a disclaimer that pops up at the FBI site explaining the records contained by this department is not complete. The reason it is not complete is that articles are moved to the National Archives. This effects FOIA requests.
DIOG from 2009 (click here)
The FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide (DIOG) (click here) was revised and updated based on comments and feedback received since the original DIOG was issued on December 16, 2008. This new version was approved by Director Mueller on October 15, 2011. The changes primarily clarify and enhance the definitions of terms and procedures used in the original DIOG. Each change has been carefully looked at and considered against the backdrop of the tools our employees need to accomplish their mission, the possible risks associated with the use of those tools, and the controls that are in place. The DIOG was first issued to help implement the new Attorney General’s Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations that were issued earlier in 2008. Those guidelines had reconciled a number of previously separate guidelines, the first of which had been issued in 1976. The most recent version of the Guide is the version update of 10/16/2013, which was posted here on 9/14/2016.
...That FBI attorney worked under FBI legal supervision, not the Special Counsel's supervision.
***
continued in next entry
Special Counsel Report - Page 13, Second paragraph - Page 21 on the PDF
***
To carry out the investigation and prosecution of the matters assigned to him, the Special Counsel assembled a team that at its high point included 19 attorneys-five of whom joined the Office from private practice and 14 on detail or assigned from other Department of Justice components. These attorneys were assisted by a filter team of Department lawyers and FBI personnel who screened materials obtained via court process for privileged information before turning those materials over to investigators;...
To those looking for the Deep State of the USA this is a prime example of their point of view. In fact, this is a group of highly qualified professionals that know what is privileged information and what it not. There was a need for such a team, ie: Michael Cohen - Trump client privilege, so the actual investigators did not preview such privileged information. There was a review process and team to remove any information the investigators were not allowed to use in court. In that any investigator or ultimately the prosecutors did not have any reference point to these documents. This is not only appropriate, it made the Special Counsel investigation free of conflict that would taint any legal proceedings. They practiced excellence. This is still another example of the perfection practiced by the Special Counsel.
...a support staff of three paralegals on detail from the Department's Antitrust Division; and an administrative staff of nine responsible for budget, finance, purchasing, human resources, records, facilities, security, information technology, and administrative support. The Special Counsel attorneys and support staff were co-located with and worked alongside approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, a paralegal, and professional staff assigned by the FBI to assist the Special Counsel's investigation. Those "assigned" FBI employees remained under FBI supervision at all times; (my guess is that this was a payroll issue, but, it also allowed for a more fluid management style based in "as need" and not simply preparedness requirement to reduce cost and allow sufficient staffing elsewhere) the matters on which they assisted were supervised by the Special Counsel.1
During its investigation the Office issued more than 2,800 subpoenas under the auspices of a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia; executed nearly 500 search-and-seizure warrants; obtained more than 230 orders for communications records under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d);...
(d)Requirements for Court Order.— (click here)
obtained almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers; made 13 requests to foreign governments pursuant to Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties; and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses, including almost 80 before a grand jury.
This section is still Robert Mueller describing the thoroughness of his preparation and application of his authority. It is a perfect accounting to the people of the USA. The number of witnesses and those that testified before the Grand Jury proves a diligent effort to obtain the truth.
***
continued in next entry
To carry out the investigation and prosecution of the matters assigned to him, the Special Counsel assembled a team that at its high point included 19 attorneys-five of whom joined the Office from private practice and 14 on detail or assigned from other Department of Justice components. These attorneys were assisted by a filter team of Department lawyers and FBI personnel who screened materials obtained via court process for privileged information before turning those materials over to investigators;...
To those looking for the Deep State of the USA this is a prime example of their point of view. In fact, this is a group of highly qualified professionals that know what is privileged information and what it not. There was a need for such a team, ie: Michael Cohen - Trump client privilege, so the actual investigators did not preview such privileged information. There was a review process and team to remove any information the investigators were not allowed to use in court. In that any investigator or ultimately the prosecutors did not have any reference point to these documents. This is not only appropriate, it made the Special Counsel investigation free of conflict that would taint any legal proceedings. They practiced excellence. This is still another example of the perfection practiced by the Special Counsel.
...a support staff of three paralegals on detail from the Department's Antitrust Division; and an administrative staff of nine responsible for budget, finance, purchasing, human resources, records, facilities, security, information technology, and administrative support. The Special Counsel attorneys and support staff were co-located with and worked alongside approximately 40 FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, a paralegal, and professional staff assigned by the FBI to assist the Special Counsel's investigation. Those "assigned" FBI employees remained under FBI supervision at all times; (my guess is that this was a payroll issue, but, it also allowed for a more fluid management style based in "as need" and not simply preparedness requirement to reduce cost and allow sufficient staffing elsewhere) the matters on which they assisted were supervised by the Special Counsel.1
During its investigation the Office issued more than 2,800 subpoenas under the auspices of a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia; executed nearly 500 search-and-seizure warrants; obtained more than 230 orders for communications records under 18 U.S.C. § 2703(d);...
(d)Requirements for Court Order.— (click here)
A court order for disclosure under subsection (b) or (c) may be issued by any court that is a court of competent jurisdiction and shall issue only if the governmental entity offers specific and articulable facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the contents of a wire or electronic communication, or the records or other information sought, are relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation. In the case of a State governmental authority, such a court order shall not issue if prohibited by the law of such state. A court issuing an order pursuant to this section, on a motion made promptly by the service provider, may quash or modify such order, if the information or records requested are unusually voluminous in nature or compliance with such order otherwise would cause an undue burden on such provider.
obtained almost 50 orders authorizing use of pen registers; made 13 requests to foreign governments pursuant to Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties; and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses, including almost 80 before a grand jury.
This section is still Robert Mueller describing the thoroughness of his preparation and application of his authority. It is a perfect accounting to the people of the USA. The number of witnesses and those that testified before the Grand Jury proves a diligent effort to obtain the truth.
***
continued in next entry
Trump is pandering to Israel in many ways to influence the vote of 2020.
They aren't fooling anyone. Poland is depending on the USA to expand it's air force. Israel's pandering to Trump is embarrassing and only validates it's expansionist plans. Where are the monuments to great Israelis? I do not believe there is a "Sharon Heights" anywhere in Israel. Maybe Netanyahu is reserving that name for his return to Gaza.
The pandering to Trump needs to stop. The USA legislature is still the primary governing body of the country.
I strongly suggest any country seeking business with the USA government or support of it's military strength carry out visits to Congresspersons. I am sure they will be met with reality in doing so.
The pandering to Trump needs to stop. The USA legislature is still the primary governing body of the country.
I strongly suggest any country seeking business with the USA government or support of it's military strength carry out visits to Congresspersons. I am sure they will be met with reality in doing so.
'Trump Heights': Israel names Golan Heights settlement after US president
In seeking favor from the USA Commander and Chief simply name something Trump. This is the second time Israel has bowed to Trump's ego, the first was a town square in Jerusalem after he moved the US Embassy there and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Isreal.
Naming places after Trump is a global strategy now. Poland's new military base is going to be named after Trump as well.
Naming places after Trump is a global strategy now. Poland's new military base is going to be named after Trump as well.
Huawei's market ambitions in The West are reduced.
June 17, 2019
Huawei has confirmed (click here) that it is anticipating a giant drop in smartphone sales this year after it was blacklisted by US President Donald Trump's administration.
Speaking at a live-streamed event at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen on Monday, the company's founder Ren Zhengfei confirmed a report by Bloomberg that sales of its phones outside of China could plummet 40%.
Citing sales and marketing sources, Bloomberg pegged the drop at between 40% and 60%, which it said would equate to a decline in shipments of between 40 million and 60 million smartphones. Huawei said it shipped 206 million phones last year....
...Ren added that he is expecting a revenue hit of around $25 billion because of the ongoing issues in America. Huawei had forecast earlier this year that it's total 2019 sales would hit $125 billion, but the CEO said on Monday that this has now been revised down to around $100 billion. Huawei's revenue stood at $105 billion last year....
Huawei has confirmed (click here) that it is anticipating a giant drop in smartphone sales this year after it was blacklisted by US President Donald Trump's administration.
Speaking at a live-streamed event at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen on Monday, the company's founder Ren Zhengfei confirmed a report by Bloomberg that sales of its phones outside of China could plummet 40%.
Citing sales and marketing sources, Bloomberg pegged the drop at between 40% and 60%, which it said would equate to a decline in shipments of between 40 million and 60 million smartphones. Huawei said it shipped 206 million phones last year....
...Ren added that he is expecting a revenue hit of around $25 billion because of the ongoing issues in America. Huawei had forecast earlier this year that it's total 2019 sales would hit $125 billion, but the CEO said on Monday that this has now been revised down to around $100 billion. Huawei's revenue stood at $105 billion last year....
Deutsche Bank To Create 'Bad' Bank, Shut Some US Operations.
Deutsche Bank is hitting new levels of suspicion. I believe the "private wealth banking" is the pass through banking that allows countries like Russia to launder money. Obviously, the USA banking regulations prohibit such international activity.
June 16, 2019
Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) is planning (click here) to overhaul its trading operations by creating a "bad bank" to hold tens of billions of euros of assets and shrinking or shutting its U.S. equity and trading businesses, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
The bad bank would house or sell assets valued at up to 50 billion euros ($56.06 billion)- after adjusting for risk - and comprise mainly long-dated derivatives, the FT reported, citing four people briefed on the plan.
With the creation of the bad bank, Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing is shifting the German lender away from investment banking and focusing on transaction banking and private wealth management, the newspaper said.
As part of the restructuring, the lender's equity and rates trading units outside continental Europe will be shrunk or closed entirely, the report said.
The bank is planning cuts at its U.S. equities business, including prime brokerage and equity derivatives, to win over shareholders unhappy about its performance, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in May.
"As we said at the AGM on May 23, Deutsche Bank is working on measures to accelerate its transformation so as to improve its sustainable profitability. We will update all stakeholders if and when required," Deutsche Bank said in an emailed statement on Sunday in response to the FT report....
June 16, 2019
Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) is planning (click here) to overhaul its trading operations by creating a "bad bank" to hold tens of billions of euros of assets and shrinking or shutting its U.S. equity and trading businesses, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
The bad bank would house or sell assets valued at up to 50 billion euros ($56.06 billion)- after adjusting for risk - and comprise mainly long-dated derivatives, the FT reported, citing four people briefed on the plan.
With the creation of the bad bank, Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing is shifting the German lender away from investment banking and focusing on transaction banking and private wealth management, the newspaper said.
As part of the restructuring, the lender's equity and rates trading units outside continental Europe will be shrunk or closed entirely, the report said.
The bank is planning cuts at its U.S. equities business, including prime brokerage and equity derivatives, to win over shareholders unhappy about its performance, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in May.
"As we said at the AGM on May 23, Deutsche Bank is working on measures to accelerate its transformation so as to improve its sustainable profitability. We will update all stakeholders if and when required," Deutsche Bank said in an emailed statement on Sunday in response to the FT report....
There is even an island, "Abu Musa" in contention between Iran and the UAE. It defines sovereign waters in the Persian Gulf.
Even the depth of the waters in this area doesn't lend itself to a great deal of safety for a shipping route.
This is what the shipping industry is facing when sailing through the Straits of Hormuz. Iran has sovereign rights in those waters.
The shipping lanes are very specific.
It is unclear from the depiction of these waters in the media as to where exactly the tankers were found. I still have not changed my mind that this was terrorists. The cargo of these tankers was very specific, one was LNG and the other naphtha. Taiwan imports naphtha which is a byproduct of oil (click here). Both are very explosive. I believe terrorists were engaging these tankers to cause greater devastation.
It is not in Iran's best interest to cause explosions that would bring damage to their coastal cities or waters. I don't see Iran as the culprit.
From what I can tell in media reports it was the "Front Altair" that was in Iranian waters. It is this ship's crew rescued by the Iranian fast boats. That crew is comprised of 11 Russians, one Georgian and 11 Philippine nationals. It is my understanding that crew is still in Iranian custody.
The crew of the "Kokuka Courageous" is safely in the UAE. I believe the Courageous is in UAE waters from the maps available of the reporting. It would appear the rescue was conducted from both Iran and the UAE within their own sovereign waters.
There are problems in carrying out assessments of the area by the USA. Iran will not allow the USA into it's air space or it's national waters.
June 15, 2019
Iran attempted (click here) to shoot down a U.S. drone that was surveilling the attack on one of two tankers hit in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning, U.S. Central Command said. The attempt missed the MQ-9 Reaper by "approximately one kilometer."...
Donald J. Trump's campaign promise has really done it this time. Iran is stating it is going to break the limits on enrichment within the international agreement regarding it's nuclear program. I sincerely believe Iran is reassessing it's nuclear program and the consequences for the enrichment and eventually nuclear weapons. That is not an official statement by Iran.
Since the USA backed out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement, it was a matter of time before there would be decisions regarding a return to enrichment and possible nuclear weapon capacity. It is going to be very difficult to return any level of trust by Iran of the USA.
With Trump breaking the agreement and adding sanctions to Iran the world is not safer, especially that of the USA and Israel. This is proof of that. There needs to be a return to peace talks that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may have started with his recent visit.
June 17, 2019
Iran says (click here) it will break its limit for uranium enrichment agreed in its 2015 nuclear deal, the latest escalation in tensions after the US accused Iran of sabotaging oil tankers last week.
Under the 2015 deal — formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — Iran agreed with the Obama administration and several European states to limit uranium production.
It said it would stick to a 300kg of uranium hexafluoride to 3.7% until 2030....
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Happy Father's Day
It is the very tree that provides all that wonderful maple syrup.
Until next week, thank you for your interest.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Become a bird watcher and join a larger community that values the insight of the individual. It is a lifetime hobby. It adds dimension to life. You will be bored
By Mukta Patil
Fratercula cirrhata (Tufted Puffin - click here)
Every year in May, (click here) Christopher Wood, assistant director of information science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is occupied by one question: “If everybody around the world were to all go looking for birds on the same day, how many species could we find?”
Today, May 4, is that day. Wood is searching for avian life in the marshes of Alabama. Meanwhile, I peer through binoculars into the mists of Edgewood Park in Redwood City, California, with avid birder Whitney Mortimer. Seventeen miles west, Alvaro Jaramillo has left Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, hoping to see birds only found at sea.
Wood, Mortimer, Jaramillo, and I are all participating in Global Big Day, a 24-hour birdwatching marathon designed to get as many people as possible outside, recording the birds they see. We are all using a mobile app called eBird, managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, to record our sightings.
On any day of the year, eBird functions as the largest biodiversity-related citizen science project in the world. Users input more than 100 million bird sightings each year, while the app automatically collects data like the date, distance, and time the birder was out for.
With this information, the team at Cornell is able to gather information about things like bird distribution, population, and habitat use. “We're interested in understanding what's happening with a biological system,” Wood says. “And in order to do that, we also need to understand what's happening with the birdwatcher as part of the observation process.”...
Secretary General Nasrallah is absolutely correct.
Iran is the Shea Homeland. There will be no peace in the region and it will be centuries before the killing stops.
You know how Nasrallah came to power? No? He succeeded a cleric by the name of Abbas al Moussawi. Do you know how Moussawi died? The Israeli Defense Forces killed him.
The Iran that we know today was established by the oppressed people of Iran by following the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini (click here). The late Shah of Iran did not take care of the Iranian people. They were destitute and lived from day to day, nearly starving and in some cases succumbed to starvation. The Shah was fine. He enjoyed plenty of Western food flown in on jets from Europe.
The Shia are a minority people and religion in the Middle East. Because of a variety of reasons the Shia lives mostly outside of Iran as a diaspora. That is also true of Israel.
What is occurring today with Trump is a blind ambition to start a significant war for land. Land for Israel. What is also occurring today is the confrontation of ideologies between the Sunnis and Shias. That spells complete disaster. It is an outline of a region of the world that will face their histories and decide dying for the Homeland, including their ideologies will be the final task of every man, woman and child.
When it comes to the Sunnis, a stable leader can be found in the President and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammad bin Salman is a complete disaster of a leader. He has absolutely no realization or education of war to make good decisions. He is mentored by men like Trump to continue to throw weapons at Yemen when it begets him nothing but more violence in return.
Across the Middle East there are microwars compared to what Trump and Netanyahu has planned. Those smaller wars are a good insight to the success of a greater war. It won't be successful, it will be continuous and provide a reason for ideological killings for hundreds of years. Syria is locked into a war no one can win and so is Yemen. We know what the Middle East will look like with chronic wars in realizing the failed state of Somalia.
There is no reason to guess. There are clear indications of what any war effort will get. The USA's military are lined with very capable warriors. There is no doubt about that. But, if the USA enters into a war in the Middle East it will be confronted by Russia. Russian mercenaries were already attempting to kill Americans.
There is another aspect to this and that is Russia. Russia wants the USA defeated. Russia, no different than Iran have struggling economies. Russia is a communist country, burned by the collapse of the Soviet Union with leadership dedicated to recreating the Soviet Union and while it is not interested in a holy war, it is interested in an ideological one.
Today, the impetus for Russia to continue to build offenses against the USA is a one way street. Putin is a brinkman, but, after having the complete confidence of the Russian people for so long, his vision is the only one that matters. He will like to see the end of the USA before his own death.
A major driver to Putin is the USA invasion into Iraq and the instability that it created manifesting in a monster called Daesh. Communists, including China, are interested in stable states that can be controlled. They are not interested in fluid democracies of freedom as they see that as a weakness in government which allows for uncertainty in the future. In some ways, communism was created for Wall Street.
The trajectory of the leadership in the White House is one that will result in deaths for a long time. It will result in war that will rob Americans of their futures with ever increasing "debt of war" to the national treasury. With the spending of this administration, additional warfare may make Putin's dream come true.
A USA involvement in a war in the Middle East is not an acceptable option. There is no future for the USA in such a war. Most importantly, it will compromise the stability of this democracy, imperil a free democracy, collapse Wall Street and cast allies of both oceans into insecurity, both economically, hence militarily. What does Russia care, it is already there.
I have always like Nasrallah as a human being and a leader. He actually cares about people and now he is in leadership. Hezbollah is a problem and it is a growing problem in the Western Hemisphere, but, it is not a Russia or a China and is a non-state actor. If a war in the Middle East erupts it will give small regimes like that of Hezbollah a larger chance to advance their superiority, do different than the war to end Daesh.
A lot of what is transpiring today in the Middle East is in reaction to the destruction of Daesh. There are flame throwers everywhere in the people that live there and carry ideologies too far. The events in the Gulf of Oman were staged to inflame the tensions that already exist and INVITE a Hot Head President of the USA into the developing lake of fire.
DO NOT DO THIS.
Nasrallah is correct and I have never known him to be wrong. Escalating to a war will damn all the people involved to a hell that never ends.
Trump started this. He withdrew from a long fought for international agreement. Today, the tensions that exist are his making and he has nurtured it with every word he speaks.
A war with Iran is not to be fought. There are many reasons for that. It is time to have the leadership of all the ideologies, including the Hot Heads of Trump, to end this insanity and return to a place where peace manages tensions in the Middle East.
31.05.19
By Elan Benan
Hassan Nasrallah, (click here) leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, warned on Friday that if a war broke out against Iran, the whole Middle East region would "erupt".
US President Donald "Trump, his administration, and his intelligence know well that any war on Iran will not remain confined to Iran's borders", Nasrallah said in a televised speech in honor of the Iranian Al-Quds Day.
"Any war on Iran will mean the whole region will erupt, and any American forces and American interests will be permissible" as a target, he warned.
Nasrallah also denounced the US peace plan to solve the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, describing it as a "historic crime".
"Our duty is to confront the 'Deal of the Century,'" said Nasrallah, using the name which has been given to the Trump administration’s peace plan.
"It's a void deal... a historic crime," he added....
You know how Nasrallah came to power? No? He succeeded a cleric by the name of Abbas al Moussawi. Do you know how Moussawi died? The Israeli Defense Forces killed him.
The Iran that we know today was established by the oppressed people of Iran by following the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini (click here). The late Shah of Iran did not take care of the Iranian people. They were destitute and lived from day to day, nearly starving and in some cases succumbed to starvation. The Shah was fine. He enjoyed plenty of Western food flown in on jets from Europe.
The Shia are a minority people and religion in the Middle East. Because of a variety of reasons the Shia lives mostly outside of Iran as a diaspora. That is also true of Israel.
What is occurring today with Trump is a blind ambition to start a significant war for land. Land for Israel. What is also occurring today is the confrontation of ideologies between the Sunnis and Shias. That spells complete disaster. It is an outline of a region of the world that will face their histories and decide dying for the Homeland, including their ideologies will be the final task of every man, woman and child.
When it comes to the Sunnis, a stable leader can be found in the President and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammad bin Salman is a complete disaster of a leader. He has absolutely no realization or education of war to make good decisions. He is mentored by men like Trump to continue to throw weapons at Yemen when it begets him nothing but more violence in return.
Across the Middle East there are microwars compared to what Trump and Netanyahu has planned. Those smaller wars are a good insight to the success of a greater war. It won't be successful, it will be continuous and provide a reason for ideological killings for hundreds of years. Syria is locked into a war no one can win and so is Yemen. We know what the Middle East will look like with chronic wars in realizing the failed state of Somalia.
There is no reason to guess. There are clear indications of what any war effort will get. The USA's military are lined with very capable warriors. There is no doubt about that. But, if the USA enters into a war in the Middle East it will be confronted by Russia. Russian mercenaries were already attempting to kill Americans.
There is another aspect to this and that is Russia. Russia wants the USA defeated. Russia, no different than Iran have struggling economies. Russia is a communist country, burned by the collapse of the Soviet Union with leadership dedicated to recreating the Soviet Union and while it is not interested in a holy war, it is interested in an ideological one.
Today, the impetus for Russia to continue to build offenses against the USA is a one way street. Putin is a brinkman, but, after having the complete confidence of the Russian people for so long, his vision is the only one that matters. He will like to see the end of the USA before his own death.
A major driver to Putin is the USA invasion into Iraq and the instability that it created manifesting in a monster called Daesh. Communists, including China, are interested in stable states that can be controlled. They are not interested in fluid democracies of freedom as they see that as a weakness in government which allows for uncertainty in the future. In some ways, communism was created for Wall Street.
The trajectory of the leadership in the White House is one that will result in deaths for a long time. It will result in war that will rob Americans of their futures with ever increasing "debt of war" to the national treasury. With the spending of this administration, additional warfare may make Putin's dream come true.
A USA involvement in a war in the Middle East is not an acceptable option. There is no future for the USA in such a war. Most importantly, it will compromise the stability of this democracy, imperil a free democracy, collapse Wall Street and cast allies of both oceans into insecurity, both economically, hence militarily. What does Russia care, it is already there.
I have always like Nasrallah as a human being and a leader. He actually cares about people and now he is in leadership. Hezbollah is a problem and it is a growing problem in the Western Hemisphere, but, it is not a Russia or a China and is a non-state actor. If a war in the Middle East erupts it will give small regimes like that of Hezbollah a larger chance to advance their superiority, do different than the war to end Daesh.
A lot of what is transpiring today in the Middle East is in reaction to the destruction of Daesh. There are flame throwers everywhere in the people that live there and carry ideologies too far. The events in the Gulf of Oman were staged to inflame the tensions that already exist and INVITE a Hot Head President of the USA into the developing lake of fire.
DO NOT DO THIS.
Nasrallah is correct and I have never known him to be wrong. Escalating to a war will damn all the people involved to a hell that never ends.
Trump started this. He withdrew from a long fought for international agreement. Today, the tensions that exist are his making and he has nurtured it with every word he speaks.
A war with Iran is not to be fought. There are many reasons for that. It is time to have the leadership of all the ideologies, including the Hot Heads of Trump, to end this insanity and return to a place where peace manages tensions in the Middle East.
31.05.19
By Elan Benan
Hassan Nasrallah, (click here) leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, warned on Friday that if a war broke out against Iran, the whole Middle East region would "erupt".
US President Donald "Trump, his administration, and his intelligence know well that any war on Iran will not remain confined to Iran's borders", Nasrallah said in a televised speech in honor of the Iranian Al-Quds Day.
"Any war on Iran will mean the whole region will erupt, and any American forces and American interests will be permissible" as a target, he warned.
Nasrallah also denounced the US peace plan to solve the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict, describing it as a "historic crime".
"Our duty is to confront the 'Deal of the Century,'" said Nasrallah, using the name which has been given to the Trump administration’s peace plan.
"It's a void deal... a historic crime," he added....
The USA is fueling violence under Trump.
Donald Trump is trying to pay for whatever government continues to exist in the USA with war munitions. At a time when the global community wanted a greater peace with the Small Arms Treaty, Trump has decided the USA is in the arms business. The USA has no right to complain when episodes of violence cause problems in the world when it is becoming a key contributor to that violence.
Iran is stated to be a state sponsor of terrorism, then what is the USA under Turmp? Is he going to declare an emergency wherever it is profitable to sell American munitions? He is an irresponsible president with nothing on his mind except money. The ability of the USA to produce military hardware is a candy store for Trump's idea of wealth.
26 April 2019
By David Smith
Donald Trump has announced (click here) that the US will withdraw its support for a United Nations treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade.
Iran is stated to be a state sponsor of terrorism, then what is the USA under Turmp? Is he going to declare an emergency wherever it is profitable to sell American munitions? He is an irresponsible president with nothing on his mind except money. The ability of the USA to produce military hardware is a candy store for Trump's idea of wealth.
26 April 2019
By David Smith
Donald Trump has announced (click here) that the US will withdraw its support for a United Nations treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade.
Addressing the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Indianapolis, the president said he would revoke America’s status as a signatory of the arms trade treaty regulating conventional weapons including small arms, battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships.
“My administration will never ratify the UN arms trade treaty,” Trump said. “We’re taking our signature back. The United Nations will soon receive a formal notice that America is rejecting this treaty.”Trump added: “Under my administration, we will never surrender American sovereignty to anyone. We will never allow foreign bureaucrats to trample on your second amendment freedom. I’m officially announcing today that the United States will be revoking the effect of America’s signature from this badly misguided treaty.”...
A dangerous duo.
While tensions in the Middle East escalate due to Trump's reckless campaign promises, Russia has been disregarding nuclear weapon treaties and has returned to testing.
In the year 2019, the USA states it is "likely?" There needs to be a demand for transparency and a verification of such tests. These tests can effect the entire world and the world has a right to know what is transpiring with a return to hostile profiles.
Russia is an ally of every marginal country on the planet. With tensions increasing because of Trump's hostile stance, Russia is going to return to old methods to counter the fears that Trump is causing, ie: Venezuela is only one example. If the USA thinks it can start a war in the Middle East, it will most likely be the spark that begins WW III.
Aggression does not work in the Middle East, ie: Palestine and Israel, the chronic civil war in Syria and the forever war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Middle East is a patchwork of tribal interests that once ignited will only awaken a global threat.
Russia will take a more aggressive stance globally if the USA continues down the path of war to maintain a campaign promise. This is an outrageous set of circumstances and the world has a right to know where all this is leading to end it before it begins.
May 30, 2019
By David Brennan
A senior U.S. intelligence official (click here) has warned that Russia is likely conducting secret nuclear weapon tests at remote Arctic sites as it works to modernize its atomic arsenal, despite an internaitonal treaty prohibiting such activities.
Lieutenant General Robert Ashley, the director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, made the claim in a speech given on Wednesday at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., The Wall Street Journal reported. He said the U.S. believes that Russia is carrying out low-yield testing at Novaya Zemlya—a secluded archipelago above the Arctic Circle where the USSR often tested nuclear weapons.
Ashley's comments mark the first time the U.S. has publicly accused Russia of violating the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty ratified by Russia in 2000, which prohibits any tests that create a nuclear yield.
The U.S. never ratified the treaty, though has not carried out a nuclear test since 1992, The New York Times explained. Not enough nations ratified the agreement for it to take effect, though the Journal noted that major powers have agreed to abide by it....
No one should stand for Trump's demands for a greater war. Acrid air is what Trump and Putin are promising their countrymen.
In the year 2019, the USA states it is "likely?" There needs to be a demand for transparency and a verification of such tests. These tests can effect the entire world and the world has a right to know what is transpiring with a return to hostile profiles.
Russia is an ally of every marginal country on the planet. With tensions increasing because of Trump's hostile stance, Russia is going to return to old methods to counter the fears that Trump is causing, ie: Venezuela is only one example. If the USA thinks it can start a war in the Middle East, it will most likely be the spark that begins WW III.
Aggression does not work in the Middle East, ie: Palestine and Israel, the chronic civil war in Syria and the forever war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Middle East is a patchwork of tribal interests that once ignited will only awaken a global threat.
Russia will take a more aggressive stance globally if the USA continues down the path of war to maintain a campaign promise. This is an outrageous set of circumstances and the world has a right to know where all this is leading to end it before it begins.
May 30, 2019
By David Brennan
A senior U.S. intelligence official (click here) has warned that Russia is likely conducting secret nuclear weapon tests at remote Arctic sites as it works to modernize its atomic arsenal, despite an internaitonal treaty prohibiting such activities.
Lieutenant General Robert Ashley, the director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, made the claim in a speech given on Wednesday at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., The Wall Street Journal reported. He said the U.S. believes that Russia is carrying out low-yield testing at Novaya Zemlya—a secluded archipelago above the Arctic Circle where the USSR often tested nuclear weapons.
Ashley's comments mark the first time the U.S. has publicly accused Russia of violating the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty ratified by Russia in 2000, which prohibits any tests that create a nuclear yield.
The U.S. never ratified the treaty, though has not carried out a nuclear test since 1992, The New York Times explained. Not enough nations ratified the agreement for it to take effect, though the Journal noted that major powers have agreed to abide by it....
No one should stand for Trump's demands for a greater war. Acrid air is what Trump and Putin are promising their countrymen.
Ambio. 2014 Oct; 43(6): 729–744.
Published online 2014 Feb 22
The beginning of the atomic age (click here) marked the outset of nuclear weapons testing, which is responsible for the radioactive contamination of a large number of sites worldwide. The paper aims to analyze nuclear weapons tests conducted in the second half of the twentieth century, highlighting the impact of radioactive pollution on the atmospheric, aquatic, and underground environments. Special attention was given to the concentration of main radioactive isotopes which were released, such as 14C, 137Cs, and 90Sr, generally stored in the atmosphere and marine environment. In addition, an attempt was made to trace the spatial delimitation of the most heavily contaminated sites worldwide, and to note the human exposure which has caused a significantly increased incidence of thyroidal cancer locally and regionally. The United States is one of the important examples of assessing the correlation between the increase in the thyroid cancer incidence rate and the continental-scale radioactive contamination with 131I, a radioactive isotope which was released in large amounts during the nuclear tests carried out in the main test site, Nevada.
Air Force One is a military jet, not a commercial jet. Congress needs to legislate the paint scheme of the jet.
Presidents have been safe in that jet for decades. The paint scheme serves them well and it HAS TO REMAIN THE SAME.
...Technically, Air Force One (click here) is used to describe any Air Force aircraft carrying the President — but since the middle of the 20th century, it has been standard practice to refer to specific planes that are equipped to transport the Commander-in-Chief. Today, this name refers to one of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, which carry the tail codes 28000 and 29000. The Air Force designation for the aircraft is VC-25A.
Air Force One is one of the most recognizable symbols of the presidency, spawning countless references not just in American culture but across the world. Emblazoned with the words “United States of America,” the American flag, and the Seal of the President of the United States, it is an undeniable presence wherever it flies.
Capable of refueling midair, Air Force One has unlimited range and can carry the President wherever he needs to travel. The onboard electronics are hardened to protect against an electromagnetic pulse, and Air Force One is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, allowing the aircraft to function as a mobile command center in the event of an attack on the United States....
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