Daily Archives: December 15, 2019

2019-12-15: News Headlines

RT (2019-12-16). 'Effective discipline'!?! 8yo boy needs surgery on maimed knees after sadistic stepfather makes him kneel on buckwheat for HOURS. rt.com An 8-year-old boy had to undergo a surgery to remove the sharp grains, virtually ingrown into his knees, after his mother's boyfriend routinely forced him to stand on raw buckwheat as punishment for the tiniest 'misbehavior.' | The photos of the child's knees, looking as if they were mutilated by a mystery disease, sent shockwaves across Russia. Doctors had to use general anesthesia to remove the ingrown seeds, cutting cut off large fragments of skin. | The surgery and weeks of painful rehabilitation, however, were nothing compared to what the starved kid had to endure at home in the Siberian city of Omsk, whe…

Staff (2019-12-15). Comey: 'Real Sloppiness' in Russia Probe but No Misconduct. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey acknowledged Sunday that a Justice Department inspector general report identified "real sloppiness" in the surveillance of a former Trump campaign aide and said he was wrong to have been "overconfident" about how the Russia investigation was handled. | But Comey also insisted he was right to feel some measure of vindication because the report did not find evidence for the most sensational of President Donald Trump's claims, including that he had been wiretapped and il…

RT (2019-12-15). US Treasury chief applauds sanctions as ALTERNATIVE to military conflicts…but it hardly sits well with those sanctioned. rt.com Sanctions imposed on some stubborn countries are a better option than military conflicts, Steve Mnuchin claimed, just as the US rolled out fresh penalties against Iran and EU firms helping build a German-Russian pipeline. | "The reason why we're using sanctions is because they are an important alternative for world military conflicts. And I believe it's worked," Mnuchin told CNBC's Hadley Gamble at the Doha Forum in Qatar on Saturday. He singled out North Korea and I…

RT (2019-12-15). 'We've always been on receiving end of US hegemony': Pakistan seeks closer ties with Russia, and has a real chance of success. rt.com Islamabad, which just settled a Soviet-era debt dispute with Moscow, now wishes for "a new phase" in relations with Russia. Geopolitics, coupled with promising new trade opportunities, could help them thrive, analysts explain. | Russia-Pakistan relations returned to a brighter place this week, when Prime Minister Imran Khan voiced his desire to give them a powerful boost. While hosting a sizable Russian delegation led by Trade Minister Denis Manturov, Khan signaled that his country is ready to open its doors to Russian businesses and investors. | And it doesn't look like wishful thinking at all. Under a massiv…

RT (2019-12-15). 'Where's my apology, Jim?' Trump taunts Comey after former FBI chief says sorry for 'sloppy' Russia investigation. rt.com President Donald Trump took to Twitter to demand a personal apology from former FBI Director James Comey, after Comey apologized on TV for his (mis)handling of the 'Russiagate' probe. | "So now Comey's admitting he was wrong," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "Wow, but he's only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long time ago. So what are the consequences for his unlawful conduct. Could it be years in jail? Where are the apologies to me and others, Jim?" | So now Comey's admitting he was wrong. Wow, but he's only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long…

RT (2019-12-15). Russia & Qatar to deepen cooperation in a bid to boost investment and trade. rt.com Russia's Roscongress Foundation and the Qatar Investment Promotion Agency have inked a document during the Doha Forum that sets up a joint working group for coordination of investment activities and business projects. | The agreement was signed on Sunday, when a Russian delegation held a panel session titled 'Developing the High-Tech Sector in Russia: Prospects for Venture Investment' on the sidelines of the forum. | The new body is aimed at identifying promising investment projects in both countries and exchanging information on them, according to CEO of the Roscongress Foundation Alexander Stuglev. It can al…

RT (2019-12-15). Russian warship tracks US destroyer as it arrives in Black Sea. rt.com As the US Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Ross entered the Black Sea on Sunday, Russia sent its small missile ship Vyshny Volochek to survey its actions. It's the eighth US Navy vessel to arrive in the region this year. | USS Ross has carried out several missions in the Black Sea since the spike in tensions between Moscow and Washington after Crimea's reunification with Russia and the breakout of the Ukrainian conflict in 2014. | The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer made headlines in 2015 after Russian Su-24 jets were scrambled to warn off the American ship, which was acting "provocatively and…

WSWS (2019-12-14). US tests INF-banned missile after Democrats rubber-stamp Trump's nuclear build-up. wsws.org The test comes just days after congressional Democrats voted for a massive military spending bill that stripped out language limiting the development of dangerous new nuclear weapons.

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-12-14). Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn't Russia. globalresearch.ca Ladies and gentlemen I have here at my fingertips indisputable proof that egregious election meddling took place in the United Kingdom on Thursday. | Before you get all excited, no, it wasn't the Russians. It wasn't the Chinese, the Iranians, Cobra …

teleSUR (2019-12-14). Venezuela: Maduro Attends Anti-Neoliberal ALBA Summit in Cuba. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attends the 17th summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of America (ALBA-TCP), which is taking place in Havana, Cuba, on Saturday. | RELATED: | Venezuelan Oil Production Sets Historical Record in November | "At such a complex time for Latin America and the Caribbean, this ALBA summit brings a message of ho…

Caitlin Johnstone (2019-12-13). Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn't Russia. theantimedia.com Hardly anyone will care because this election interference has been happening right out in the open, and was perfectly legal.

John Atcheson (2019-12-13). The Influence of Liars and the Failure of Corporate Media. commondreams.org Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday delivered a fiery attack on the FBI during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into report produced by the DOJ Inspector General over the probe into 2016 election interference by the Russian government. (Photo: Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/graham_horowitz.jpg

WSWS (2019-12-13). US to impose sanctions on companies involved in European Nord Stream 2 pipeline. wsws.org The sanctions against the joint Russian-Western Europe energy project underscores just how conflict-riven the relations between the members of the world's largest military alliance are.

Melvin Goodman (2019-12-13). The FBI: Another Worry in the National Security State. counterpunch.org The Department of Justice's Inspector General report of the FBI's Russian investigation has fully exposed one more dangerous aspect of the steady abuses of national-security surveillance against U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013 of the national security abuses of the National Security Agency exposed the massive surveillance of U.S. citizens in the expanded campaign against terrorism. Michael Horowitz, the inspector general of the DoJ, has highlighted the abuses of the FBI and the misuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court over an extended period. It will require a compreh…

RT (2019-12-12). US tests ground-launched ballistic missile that would've been banned by INF treaty (VIDEO). rt.com The Pentagon has conducted a second test of a missile that would have been banned under the INF treaty with Russia, which the US abandoned earlier this year. A ground-based ballistic missile flew for over 500 kilometers. | The conventionally configured test missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday, the US Department of Defense confirmed in a statement, giving no further details. | "Data collected and lessons learned from this test will inform the Department of Defense's development of future intermediate-range capabilities," the statement said. | Thursday's test follows…

Aaron Maté (2019-12-11). Jeremy Corbyn faces Russiagate smear campaign before UK vote. thegrayzone.com Jeremy Corbyn, a real progressive, could win UK's elections. Max Blumenthal joins Pushback to discuss how powerful forces are trying…

news.un (2019-12-11). North Korea missile tests 'deeply troubling': senior UN official. news.un.org Recent developments concerning North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are "deeply troubling", the UN's Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific said on Wednesday, briefed the Security Council.

Staff (2019-12-11). Headlines for December 11, 2019. democracynow.org Democrats Charge Trump with Two Articles of Impeachment, Trump Meets with Russian Foreign Minister, Who Denies Russia Meddled in 2016 Election, Democrats Agree with Trump on New NAFTA, Federal Judge Blocks Trump from Diverting Funds to Border Wall, Mass Protests Continue in France Against Macron's Pensions Plan, British Voters Head to the Polls Thursday, Protesters at COP25 Continue Demands for Urgent Action: "You Can't Drink Oil, Keep It in the Soil!", Thousands Protest Australian Government's Inaction as Smoke from Wildfires Blankets Sydney, At Least 6 Dead, 3 Missing, After Volcano Erupts in New Zealand, Ethio…

RT (2019-12-11). US Senate advances bill giving State Department right to call Russia 'sponsor of terrorism'. rt.com The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved a bill asking the State Department to determine whether Russia falls under criteria of a state sponsor of terrorism, potentially opening a way stricter sanctions. | The pretentiously titled 'Stopping Malign Activities from Russian Terrorism (SMART) Act' could potentially bring the already strained relations between Moscow and Washington to a new low. | Introduced by Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) in…

Staff (2019-12-10). Headlines for December 10, 2019. democracynow.org House Democrats to Unveil Articles of Impeachment Today, WaPo: Secret Afghanistan Papers Reveal How U.S. Officials Lied About War, Sanders & Khanna Urge Lawmakers to Vote Against National Defense Authorization Act, Russia and Ukraine Agree to Ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine, India's Lower House Passes "Anti-Muslim" Citizenship Bill, Protests Continue in Madrid, Spain, Amid COP25, Denmark Passes Climate Act to Reduce Emissions by 70% by 2030, More Than 100 Blazes Rage Across Australia Amid Worst Fire Season in History, Iraq: One Journalist Killed and a Second Disappeared After Covering Protests, Aung San Suu Kyi Arri…

Ben Norton (2019-12-08). Russiagate media smears against Corbyn brought to you by US and UK military-intelligence apparatus. thegrayzone.com Days before Britain's historic election, the UK's military-intelligence apparatus is turning to the corporate media and US government-funded NATO cut-outs…

Tyler Durden (2019-12-06). Hillary Casually Drops 'Russian Asset' Smear on Bernie Sanders in New Interview. theantimedia.com Are we just going to ignore that Hillary Clinton, today, just implied that Bernie Sanders is also a Russian asset?>

Jon Rainwater (2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …

Peace Action (2019-06-25). Peace Action Endorses Ilhan Omar for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 25, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Ilhan Omar for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

Peace Action (2019-06-24). Peace Action Endorses Kara Eastman for Congress. peaceaction.org Washington, DC — June 24, 2019 — Peace Action has announced its endorsement of Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Peace Action is a national grassroots organization working to advance nuclear disarmament, promote government spending priorities that support human needs, encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights, and support nonmilitary …

2019-12-15: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

'Effective discipline'!?! 8yo boy needs surgery on maimed knees after sadistic stepfather makes him kneel on buckwheat for HOURS
rt.com | 2019-12-16
An 8-year-old boy had to undergo a surgery to remove the sharp grains, virtually ingrown into his knees, after his mother's boyfriend routinely forced him to stand on raw buckwheat as punishment for the tiniest 'misbehavior.' | The photos of the child's knees, looking as if they were mutilated by a mystery disease, sent shockwaves across Russia. Doctors had to use general anesthesia to remove the ingrown seeds, cutting cut off large fragments of skin. | The surgery and weeks of painful rehabilitation, however, were nothing compared to what the starved kid had to endure at home in the Siberian city of Omsk, whe…
rt.com/russia/475964-buckwheat-child-torture-omsk/

Comey: 'Real Sloppiness' in Russia Probe but No Misconduct
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-12-15
WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey acknowledged Sunday that a Justice Department inspector general report identified "real sloppiness" in the surveillance of a former Trump campaign aide and said he was wrong to have been "overconfident" about how the Russia investigation was handled. | But Comey also insisted he was right to feel some measure of vindication because the report did not find evidence for the most sensational of President Donald Trump's claims, including that he had been wiretapped and il…
truthdig.com/articles/comey-real-sloppiness-in-russia-probe-but-no-misconduct/

Russian warship tracks US destroyer as it arrives in Black Sea
rt.com | 2019-12-15
As the US Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Ross entered the Black Sea on Sunday, Russia sent its small missile ship Vyshny Volochek to survey its actions. It's the eighth US Navy vessel to arrive in the region this year. | USS Ross has carried out several missions in the Black Sea since the spike in tensions between Moscow and Washington after Crimea's reunification with Russia and the breakout of the Ukrainian conflict in 2014. | The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer made headlines in 2015 after Russian Su-24 jets were scrambled to warn off the American ship, which was acting "provocatively and…
rt.com/russia/475963-us-navy-ross-black-sea/

Russia & Qatar to deepen cooperation in a bid to boost investment and trade
rt.com | 2019-12-15
Russia's Roscongress Foundation and the Qatar Investment Promotion Agency have inked a document during the Doha Forum that sets up a joint working group for coordination of investment activities and business projects. | The agreement was signed on Sunday, when a Russian delegation held a panel session titled 'Developing the High-Tech Sector in Russia: Prospects for Venture Investment' on the sidelines of the forum. | The new body is aimed at identifying promising investment projects in both countries and exchanging information on them, according to CEO of the Roscongress Foundation Alexander Stuglev. It can al…
rt.com/business/475942-russia-qatar-investment-cooperation/

'We've always been on receiving end of US hegemony': Pakistan seeks closer ties with Russia, and has a real chance of success
rt.com | 2019-12-15
Islamabad, which just settled a Soviet-era debt dispute with Moscow, now wishes for "a new phase" in relations with Russia. Geopolitics, coupled with promising new trade opportunities, could help them thrive, analysts explain. | Russia-Pakistan relations returned to a brighter place this week, when Prime Minister Imran Khan voiced his desire to give them a powerful boost. While hosting a sizable Russian delegation led by Trade Minister Denis Manturov, Khan signaled that his country is ready to open its doors to Russian businesses and investors. | And it doesn't look like wishful thinking at all. Under a massiv…
rt.com/news/475952-russia-pakistan-boost-relations/

US Treasury chief applauds sanctions as ALTERNATIVE to military conflicts…but it hardly sits well with those sanctioned
rt.com | 2019-12-15
Sanctions imposed on some stubborn countries are a better option than military conflicts, Steve Mnuchin claimed, just as the US rolled out fresh penalties against Iran and EU firms helping build a German-Russian pipeline. | "The reason why we're using sanctions is because they are an important alternative for world military conflicts. And I believe it's worked," Mnuchin told CNBC's Hadley Gamble at the Doha Forum in Qatar on Saturday. He singled out North Korea and I…
rt.com/news/475929-us-sanctions-military-conflicts/

'Where's my apology, Jim?' Trump taunts Comey after former FBI chief says sorry for 'sloppy' Russia investigation
rt.com | 2019-12-15
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to demand a personal apology from former FBI Director James Comey, after Comey apologized on TV for his (mis)handling of the 'Russiagate' probe. | "So now Comey's admitting he was wrong," Trump tweeted on Sunday. "Wow, but he's only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long time ago. So what are the consequences for his unlawful conduct. Could it be years in jail? Where are the apologies to me and others, Jim?" | So now Comey's admitting he was wrong. Wow, but he's only doing so because he got caught red handed. He was actually caught a long…
rt.com/usa/475966-trump-comey-apology-russiagate/

US tests INF-banned missile after Democrats rubber-stamp Trump's nuclear build-up
wsws.org | 2019-12-14
The test comes just days after congressional Democrats voted for a massive military spending bill that stripped out language limiting the development of dangerous new nuclear weapons.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/14/nucl-d14.html

Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn't Russia
Caitlin Johnstone | globalresearch.ca | 2019-12-14
Ladies and gentlemen I have here at my fingertips indisputable proof that egregious election meddling took place in the United Kingdom on Thursday. | Before you get all excited, no, it wasn't the Russians. It wasn't the Chinese, the Iranians, Cobra …
globalresearch.ca/someone-interfered-uk-election-it-wasnt-russia/5697667

Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn't Russia
Caitlin Johnstone | theantimedia.com | 2019-12-13
Hardly anyone will care because this election interference has been happening right out in the open, and was perfectly legal.

Someone Interfered in the UK Election, and It Wasn’t Russia

US to impose sanctions on companies involved in European Nord Stream 2 pipeline
wsws.org | 2019-12-13
The sanctions against the joint Russian-Western Europe energy project underscores just how conflict-riven the relations between the members of the world's largest military alliance are.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/13/nord-d13.html

The Influence of Liars and the Failure of Corporate Media
John Atcheson | commondreams.org | 2019-12-13
Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday delivered a fiery attack on the FBI during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into report produced by the DOJ Inspector General over the probe into 2016 election interference by the Russian government. (Photo: Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/graham_horowitz.jpg
commondreams.org/views/2019/12/13/influence-liars-and-failure-corporate-media?cd-origin=rss

The FBI: Another Worry in the National Security State
Melvin Goodman | counterpunch.org | 2019-12-13
The Department of Justice's Inspector General report of the FBI's Russian investigation has fully exposed one more dangerous aspect of the steady abuses of national-security surveillance against U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013 of the national security abuses of the National Security Agency exposed the massive surveillance of U.S. citizens in the expanded campaign against terrorism. Michael Horowitz, the inspector general of the DoJ, has highlighted the abuses of the FBI and the misuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court over an extended period. It will require a compreh…
counterpunch.org/2019/12/13/the-fbi-another-worry-in-the-national-security-state/

US tests ground-launched ballistic missile that would've been banned by INF treaty (VIDEO)
rt.com | 2019-12-12
The Pentagon has conducted a second test of a missile that would have been banned under the INF treaty with Russia, which the US abandoned earlier this year. A ground-based ballistic missile flew for over 500 kilometers. | The conventionally configured test missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday, the US Department of Defense confirmed in a statement, giving no further details. | "Data collected and lessons learned from this test will inform the Department of Defense's development of future intermediate-range capabilities," the statement said. | Thursday's test follows…
rt.com/usa/475724-inf-treaty-banned-missile-test/

Jeremy Corbyn faces Russiagate smear campaign before UK vote
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-11
Jeremy Corbyn, a real progressive, could win UK's elections. Max Blumenthal joins Pushback to discuss how powerful forces are trying…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/11/jeremy-corbyn-faces-russiagate-smear-campaign-before-uk-vote/

North Korea missile tests 'deeply troubling': senior UN official
news.un.org | 2019-12-11
Recent developments concerning North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are "deeply troubling", the UN's Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific said on Wednesday, briefed the Security Council.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/12/1053281

US Senate advances bill giving State Department right to call Russia 'sponsor of terrorism'
rt.com | 2019-12-11
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved a bill asking the State Department to determine whether Russia falls under criteria of a state sponsor of terrorism, potentially opening a way stricter sanctions. | The pretentiously titled 'Stopping Malign Activities from Russian Terrorism (SMART) Act' could potentially bring the already strained relations between Moscow and Washington to a new low. | Introduced by Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) in…
rt.com/usa/475637-us-senate-russia-sponsor-terrorism/

Russiagate media smears against Corbyn brought to you by US and UK military-intelligence apparatus
Ben Norton | thegrayzone.com | 2019-12-08
Days before Britain's historic election, the UK's military-intelligence apparatus is turning to the corporate media and US government-funded NATO cut-outs…
thegrayzone.com/2019/12/08/us-uk-military-intelligence-apparatus-destroy-jeremy-corbyn/

Hillary Casually Drops 'Russian Asset' Smear on Bernie Sanders in New Interview
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2019-12-06
Are we just going to ignore that Hillary Clinton, today, just implied that Bernie Sanders is also a Russian asset?>…
theantimedia.com/hillary-russian-asset-smear-bernie-sanders/