The Washington Post has the goods on the spy who came out of the cold: In 2017, the United States extracted from Russia an important CIA source who had provided information about the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to current and former officials. The operation, known as an exfiltration, followed mounting concerns among U.S. officials that the individual could be … Read More
Hong Kong Heats Up
Backgrounder: For the past several days, pro-democracy protesters have taken over the Hong Kong airport. There have been major scuffles with police. All departing flights have been cancelled. It's Hong Kong but the State thuggery could just as easily be in Paris. pic.twitter.com/wMZvLEvgB2 — David Vance (@DVATW) August 13, 2019 Then this morning… Our Intelligence has informed us that the … Read More
What’s Up With The Russian Explosions?
There have been two notable explosions in Russia this past week. First, an arms storage depot exploded at Achinsk, near Krasnoyarsk, in Siberia. Every summer, a couple of arms storage depots explode in Russia. They have a lot of them, and their safety measures leave something to be desired. Explosions have continued for a week. Once they start, it’s dangerous … Read More
Trump Administration Actively Rebuffed Intelligence Community Attempts To Prioritize Domestic Terrorism
Jake Tapper at CNN has the exclusive: White House officials rebuffed efforts by their colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security for more than a year to make combating domestic terror threats, such as those from white supremacists, a greater priority as specifically spelled out in the National Counterterrorism Strategy, current and former senior administration officials as well as other … Read More
Trump Has A History Of Thwarting Law Enforcement Of Far Right Terrorism
If you want a quick rundown of some of the ways Donald Trump’s team of hard-right conservatives has sought not just to downplay far-right domestic terrorism threats but to weaken the ability of government to investigate them in the first place, the Los Angeles Times’ Molly O’Toole has you covered. From the beginning moments of Trump’s administration, his appointees moved to shift government … Read More
Coats Replaced As National Intel Director And Replaced With Trump Toadie
Coats out as national intel director, clashed with Trump: WASHINGTON (AP) — Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, will leave his job next month, President Trump announced Sunday, after a turbulent two years in which Coats and the president were often at odds over Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump announced Coats’ departure as Aug. 15 in a tweet … Read More
Trump Embarrasses The U.S. On The World Stage
Asked at a news conference in Japan on Saturday whether he agrees with Vladimir Putin’s claim that “Western-style liberalism” is in decline, President Trump responded by criticizing the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, which he said are “sad to look at” because they are “run by liberal people.” Obviously, this was not what the Russian strongman was talking about during his interview with the Financial … Read More
Trump Playing Good Cop AND Bad Cop To Iran (Spoiler: It Doesn’t Work)
Having taken the position that he wants to Make Iran Great Again, Trump expected accolades and praise from Iran’s leaders. Let’s face it — that is all Trump wants: praise. As anyone with a brain and a sense of history can tell you, Iran didn’t bite. Trump broke the Iran deal, imposed sanctions, and expected Iran to THANK him for … Read More
Indecision As Foreign Policy
Things have been ratcheting up with Iran for a few weeks, starting last week with a questionable attack by Iran on a US oil tanker, accompanied by weak, grainy photographic evidence. But it went into overdrive this week when Iran shot down a U.S. drone over… well, Iran or international waters, depending on who you listen to. Trump’s response was… … Read More
The Iran War Drumbeat
This morning, the State Department issued a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Americans considering going to Iraq, ordered nonessential personnel to leave the country, and warned of a “high risk for violence and kidnapping.” This action comes after the United States indicated that Iran was behind attacks on four oil tankers just outside the Persian Gulf. Iran has denied those accusations, but as tensions in the region increase, Republicans … Read More
Dow Plummets On US-China Trade War
President Trump’s efforts to calm investors while he launches a full-scale trade war with China showed signs of cracking this morning, as one of his top advisers admitted the approach could damage the U.S. economy, a Goldman Sachs report predicted it might lead to higher interest rates, and China vowed to impose tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods on … Read More
North Korea Resumes Missile Firing
We all know Trump’s game. It came to stark reality this week when his tax returns from the 1980s and early 1990s were revealed. Back then, as he was touting a name for himself as a shrewd businessman, hawking his “Art Of The Deal” book, he was losing money hand over fist. Not just a little money, but upwards of … Read More
Breaking: Russian Gun Rights Activist Maria Butina Sentenced To 18 Months After Conspiring To Infiltrate The NRA
Russian gun rights activist Maria Butina was sentenced to an 18-month prison term Friday in Washington after failing to register as a foreign agent for conspiring to infiltrate conservative U.S. political circles for the Kremlin. Butina, 30, pleaded guilty in December to conspiring with a senior Russian official to access the National Rifle Association among other groups from 2015 until she was … Read More
North Korea Billed U.S. The Sum Of $2 Million For The Return Of A Dead Hostage
What the hell? North Korea issued a $2 million bill for the hospital care of comatose American Otto Warmbier, insisting that a U.S. official sign a pledge to pay it before being allowed to fly the University of Virginia student from Pyongyang in 2017. The presentation of the invoice — not previously disclosed by U.S. or North Korean officials — … Read More
You May Think That’s OK…
Rep. Adam Schiff (D- CA) responded to members of the House after some Republican congressmen called for Rep. Schiff to resign as chairman of the House Intelligence committee.