Podcasts about state clinton

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureAll [CB] are now dropping rates because the US is dropping rates, we saw this during Trump first term. Initial jobless claims show the labor market is not weakening. Trump gives a speech on the state of the economy and the next inflation is almost inline with what the Fed wants. Trump has destroyed the Fed narrative, next phase coming. Trump is now in the process of setting everything up preparing for the midterms and stopping the [DS] form doing us harm. The seditious 6 sent the message, Trump just countered it with a 1776 bonus to the military. The patriots are in the process of bringing down the entire corrupt system. It’s being exposed and dismantled. Panic in DC. Economy https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2001625195526971703?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/2001646305320546453?s=20 Initial Jobless Claims Show No Signs Of Labor Market Distress  After the Thanksgiving Week debacle, the number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the first time remains back in the same – very low – range it has been in for the last four years at 224k…  So despite the uptick in the BLS-derived unemployment rate, jobless claims data show no signs of acute distress anywhere. Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/RealEJAntoni/status/2001662433983696966?s=20 https://twitter.com/Geiger_Capital/status/2001647313157263628?s=20 https://twitter.com/RealEJAntoni/status/2001656024097272170?s=20 No, Inflation Did Not “Cool Unexpectedly”, It Slowed Because Trump Policies are Working    While the media proclaim, “inflation cooled unexpectedly,” the reality is that it's not unexpected.  The results of a slowing of price increase are not accidental; they are the result of Trump's domestic economic policies working. [Non-Paywall Source and Media Spin] President Trump has been cutting waste, fraud and abuse in runaway government spending; slashing costly regulations across all sectors of the economy and ending Green New Scam energy policy in favor of drill, baby, drill.  As noted by NEC Chairman Kevin Hasset, Trump has reduced deficit spending overall. There's still a long way to go, but significant MAGAnomic progress is being made.  Oh, and that skyrocketing “tariff inflation” the same shocked pundits proclaimed was sure to happen this time, well, that has not surfaced either.  Just like it didn't surface in 2018 or 2019 when the tariffs were applied the first time. NEW YORK –  Source: theconservativetreehouse.com Trump is winning against the CB system. https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2001649080762872069?s=20 https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2001477403961626755?s=20  he took office–tariffs to create fair trade, reduced income tax, gutting the Green Energy Scam, promoting investment in American manufacturing, reducing the federal bureaucracy and eliminating crippling regulations, deporting illegal aliens and eliminating the “free stuff” we taxpayers give them, getting the Fed onboard, etc. But that plan needed time. Time enough to make the economy shine come the mid-terms. Now we will start to see the fruits of that plan, and Trump’s speech tonight is to announce that. Is he right? One thing I’ve learned is to never bet against Trump. Maybe he is wrong. Maybe I’m wrong. But I still have trust. Political/Rights Nolte: Failing Oscars Demoted to YouTube Starting in 2029, the irrelevant Oscars will have its annual irrelevant Academy Awards show broadcast on — lol — YouTube. To dwindling ratings and cultural relevance, the Oscars have been broadcast on ABC since 1976. The final broadcast will occur in 2028, which also happens to be the 100th anniversary of the award ceremony. So now the Oscars will stream on YouTube, where anyone who wants to can watch them for free online, at least through the end of the deal in 2033. Source: breitbart.com https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2001675341828342074?s=20  Another didn't even know what building they were at. Meanwhile, no one had info on the shooter, and no one was rushing in. The suspect eventually slipped away. 10 were shot. 2 died. Brown University and the police failed, and now families are furious. And rightfully so! It wasn't just chaos. It was incompetence with a badge, and the price was paid in blood. Source: @Rightanglenews https://twitter.com/C_3C_3/status/2001369540119392433?s=20 https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/2001714347605922149?s=20  student. Chatman resigned from Utah after attempting to reform the university's police department and later took his position at Brown. His efforts coincided with student-led campaigns, including those supported by Fanaeian, to reduce campus policing in the wake of Lauren McCluskey's murder. At Brown University, Chatman recently faced an unanimous vote of no confidence back in October for the charge of having “directly contributed to an all-time low in morale and has strained the department's ability to effectively serve the Brown University community.” At the University of Utah, the student campaign to scale back policing was led by Emirya Fanaeian, the same leader of SLC Armed Queers. Fanaeian deleted the group’s social media in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. She led a student research effort into campus policing while Chatman was employed there. Credit: @SKDoubleDub33 + @iamlisalogan … Developing. https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/2001340901537517902?s=20  appeared to contradict what was visible in the videos. We learned witnesses had actively coordinated to prevent one of their own from being charged. This is the same group that deleted its social media posts on the day of Charlie Kirk's assassination and is alleged to have had advance knowledge along with multiple trans groups. Then the police officer yesterday refused to comment on what the shooter shouted although multiple media reports had already said it wash “Allah Akbar.” Between that plus the mainstream celebrations of Kirk’s death and Jay Jones’s election, we cannot just yet write off the possibility that this country has fallen so far off the end that students and professors automatically are covering for the shooter even though they saw someone get shot point blank in the face. https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2001748138324038022?s=20  home is about 50 miles from Providence, Rhode Island, where the Brown shooting took place. “Senior law enforcement officials tell Target 12 that federal, state and local authorities are now examining possible ties between the two crimes,” WPRI reported. “Multiple people familiar with the investigation said they have discovered evidence showing the two may be linked.” Loureiro was shot and killed in his home. The suspect remains at large. Loureiro was named head of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT last year. Speculation in media and online discussions has included possible ballistic matches (e.g., 9mm casings recovered at Brown) or similar vehicles spotted at both scenes (e.g., unverified mentions of Nissan Sentras), but these remain unsubstantiated and are not confirmed as the linking evidence.  Some online commentary has also suggested motives tied to international actors, like Iran, based on celebratory posts in certain Telegram channels, but this is purely speculative and unconfirmed. https://twitter.com/EWess92/status/2001718099972886750?s=20 DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001502910677397573?s=20 ‘German' Globalist Authoritarianism: Berlin Migrant Housing Costs Skyrocket to Nearly €1 Billion, Tripling Since 2020    Newly released government figures have revealed the capital spent nearly €900 million ($9.8 million) in 2024 alone to house migrants, many of which do not have any kind of status in the country, almost triple the cost from just four years earlier, Die Welt reports. Internal Senate data confirms that accommodation expenses for foreign nationals reached €883 million last year, compared with €312 million in 2020, an increase of 183%. The numbers expose the real cost of mass migration policies pushed by Berlin's left-liberal globalist political class.  Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/2001674979348484469?s=20 https://twitter.com/RadioGenoa/status/2001634609424220333?s=20 https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/2001462937920184556?s=20 War/Peace FBI Agents Thought Clinton’s Uranium One Deal Might Be Criminal – But McCabe, Yates Stonewalled Investigation: Report Remember Uranium One? The massive 2010 sale of US uranium deposits to Russia approved by Hillary Clinton and rubber-stamped by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) – after figures linked to the deal donated to the Clinton Foundation? Turns out rank-and-file FBI investigators thought there was enough smoke to launch a criminal investigation, but internal delays and disagreements within the DOJ and FBI ultimately caused the inquiry to lapse, newly released records reveal.   The Uranium One transaction – involving the sale of a Canadian mining company with substantial U.S. uranium assets to Russia's state-owned nuclear firm Rosatom – became a flashpoint during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Critics argued that then-Secretary of State Clinton, a member of CFIUS, helped approve the deal while donors connected to Uranium One made large contributions to the Clinton Foundation.  The newly released documents suggest that the circumstances surrounding Uranium One were never fully investigated, leaving unresolved questions about how a strategic U.S. asset came under Russian control – and whether potential criminal conduct went unexamined due to internal delays and legal disputes. Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/JoeLang51440671/status/2001445235759436036?s=20 https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/2001673497563607325?s=20 https://twitter.com/Dmytruk__Artem/status/2001657781443596657?s=20  Everything in our life is ‘for now.' The position may change in the future. Politicians change, some live, some die.” This statement cannot be interpreted in any other way. It refers specifically to Donald Trump and his team, who have consistently and reasonably opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and the continuation of the war. Zelensky is effectively speaking about the physical elimination of political opponents. I have said this many times before. Zelensky has done and will continue to do everything to destroy Trump and everything associated with him — politically, informationally, and beyond. I have also stated that Zelensky is connected to assassination attempts on Trump and is also involved in the killing of Charlie Kirk. Today, the militant faction of the West reacts painfully to the truth, because this truth destroys their convenient narrative and shows that they are accomplices of a terrorist regime that is prepared to wait for people to die in order to retain power and prolong the war. Medical/False Flags https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/2001468009248960833?s=20 https://twitter.com/HHSResponse/status/2001691600083091515?s=20 HHS, RFK Jr moves to STOP funds for hospitals that perform child sex changes [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001676158140563662?s=20  case in US history is still billing Minnesota taxpayers. Feeding Our Future defendant Gandi Yusuf Mohamed, who changed his name before indictment, operates assisted living homes paid through Medicaid. Rep Kristin Robbins says the state paid him $49M over five years, including $132,000 this year alone. Despite red flags, Gov Tim Walz's administration approved licenses and kept payments flowing https://twitter.com/WallStreetApes/status/2001623482342224289?s=20   at 2 locations “Less than 150 square feet in size, smaller than some bathrooms — stores had one register, no carriages, no hand baskets” “One legitimate supermarket in the same area as these stores redeems approximately $80,000 in and SNAP benefits per month. Over the last 20 months, the Juswala variety store was redeeming between 3-6x that amount monthly” The 2 fake convenient store owners caught were both from Haiti https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001342827804909728?s=20 President Trump's Plan https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2001437584468082999?s=20  cases like the pipe bomb investigation. And that's only a small part of the work he went about every single day delivering for America. He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it. We will miss him but I'm thankful he accepted the call to serve. Our country is better and safer for it. https://twitter.com/TonySeruga/status/2001666110945661112?s=20 these 4 walls all day separated from my wife in DC.” https://twitter.com/ThePatriotOasis/status/2001662279184466380?s=20  to receive this check right before Christmas—We love you and your families, and we wish you a very Merry Christmas.” https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2001484437091959133?s=20  in US cities nationwide and Trump has been threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act for months. Trump said this warrior dividend will be delivered before Christmas, and the $1,776 is meant to honor the founding of our nation. Christmas and 1776? Kind of reminds me of one very special painting. https://twitter.com/StephenM/status/2001421552496087246?s=20   No more. America's might will secure America's rights. America's military will defend America's destiny. For Americans, first and always. https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2001013033447952648?s=20 President Trump wasn’t playing “5D Chess” yesterday. There was no “OP” to leak information to retards like Tucker Carlson about war. None of that happened. The Whitehouse has been telling people for 2 days the speech was about the economy. Get a grip. https://twitter.com/MJTruthUltra/status/2001412804864094502?s=20  History. As President, he passed the highly ineffective ‘Unaffordable’ Care Act, resulting in his party losing control of both Houses of Congress, and the Election of the largest House Republican majority since 1946. He presided over a stagnant Economy, approved the one-sided Iran Nuclear Deal, and signed the one-sided Paris Climate Accords, both of which were later terminated by President Donald J. Trump.” “Under Obama, the ISIS Caliphate spread across the Middle East, Libya collapsed into chaos, and Russia invaded and took Crimea. In Ukraine. He crippled small businesses with crushing regulation and environmental red tape, devastated American coal miners, and weaponized the IRS and Federal bureaucracies against his political opponents. Obama also spied over the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Donald J. Trump, and presided over the creation of the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, the worst political scandal in American History. His handpicked successor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, would then lose the Presidency to Donald J. Trump.”  JOE BIDEN “Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American History. Taking office as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States, Biden oversaw a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction. His policies caused the highest Inflation ever recorded, leading the U.S. Dollar to lose more than 20% of its value in 4 years. His Green New Scam surrendered American Energy Dominance and, by abolishing the Southern Border, Biden let 21 million people from all over the World pour into the United States, including from prisons, jails, mental institutions, and insane asylums. His Afghan Disaster was among the most humiliating events in American History, and resulted in the murder of 13 brave American Servicemembers, with many others gravely wounded. Seeing Biden’s devastation, the heinous Russia invaded Ukraine, and Hamas terrorists launched the October 7th attack on Israel.” https://twitter.com/DanScavino/status/2001516571106083001?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture Trump and his administration are now dismantling the entire green agenda. The [CB] has made everything unaffordable, Trump is now in the process of reversing this. The [CB] tried to trap Trump in a failing economy, Trump turn the tables and trapped the [CB]. The [DS] is fighting back, corruption still exists, criminals are still running many parts of gov across the country. Trump is dismantling their system and they are trying to stop him. Trump has countered the fake news, they have been trying to divide the people and pushing doubt in regards to the Trump administration. His admin are now showing the world that they are united and they stand behind Trump. This was needed for the next part of the plan that we are entering. Soon the storm is coming, buckle up. Economy  (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/unusual_whales/status/2001275434898784270?s=20 https://twitter.com/PlanetOfMemes/status/2000978294993236140?s=20 https://twitter.com/USTradeRep/status/2000990028835508258?s=20   enterprise services to EU companies, and they support millions of jobs and more than $100 billion in direct investment in Europe. The United States has raised concerns with the EU for years on these matters without meaningful engagement or basic acknowledgement of U.S. concerns. In stark contrast, EU service providers have been able to operate freely in the United States for decades, benefitting from access to our market and consumers on a level playing field. Some of the largest EU service providers that have hitherto enjoyed this expansive market access include, among others: — Accenture — Amadeus — Capgemini — DHL — Mistral — Publicis — SAP — Siemens — Spotify If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of U.S. service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures. Should responsive measures be necessary, U.S. law permits the assessment of fees or restrictions on foreign services, among other actions. The United States will take a similar approach to other countries that pursue an EU-style strategy in this area.  Political/Rights https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2000982942907039813?s=20   Russiagate. In 2017, he founded the Committee to Investigate Russia, a political NGO that promoted the Russiagate hoax. Former CIA Director John Brennan and DNI James Clapper served on its advisory board, giving intelligence world credibility to a partisan effort. The group's mission was clear: cripple President Trump and question the legitimacy of the 2016 election. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/2000993976330191330?s=20   efforts to have Trump imprisoned on wholly fabricated charges. Proof below. 3. In all likelihood, Reiner was in cahoots with the CIA in attempting to destroy our Constitutional form of government. Given the above, if anything Trump’s commentary on Reiner was too kind. So knock it off, bedwetters. https://twitter.com/TonySeruga/status/2001297973209416013?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2000987037638496554?s=20  https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/2001066545716326714?s=20 https://twitter.com/TheLastRefuge2/status/2001196416056619102?s=20 Brown University Received a Letter from 34 Human Rights Groups in August Requesting They Disable Their CCTV System  The question is: Did Brown University acquiesce under pressure from far-left human rights groups to disable their CCTV systems, in advance of the mass shooting on campus? [SOURCE – AUGUST 19, 2025] As originally reported in August 2025 {SOURCE}, a group of far-left human rights advocate sent a letter to 150 U.S. colleges and universities asking them to disable the CCTV systems to protect “free expression and academic freedom across the country,” because “the Trump administration has launched an aggressive campaign against US academic institutions.” The motive for the request to disable CCTV systems as stated: “Right now these tools are facilitating the identification and punishment of student protesters, undermining activists' right to anonymity––a right the Supreme Court has affirmed as vital to free expression and political participation.” {SOURCE} The letter from ‘Fight For The Future‘ (August, 2025) came after an earlier campaign by the same group seeking to stop the use of facial recognition cameras on college campuses. {SOURCE} Source: theconservativetreehouse.com https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/2001107948312133776?s=20   network. Students from there have been arrested for participating in terrorist plots. The evidence is so overwhelming, that House Republicans successfully convinced Harvard to cut research ties to Birzeit University — briefly. Let’s put it this way: If I were in Vegas and forced to bet on whether Professor Doumani had ever been part of any extremist plots, I wouldn’t bet on “no.” We need to stop accepting “Ivy League” as any meaningful measure of merit. https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/2001052796037017940?s=20   in the area with no noticeable gun, then started jogging towards the building where he shot one of the few conservative leaders on a radical campus. That seems like an assassination of Ella Cook, possibly with an innocent bystander taken down with her. https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001062786084880887?s=20  today, December 16, 2025, amid widespread speculation and emerging reports identifying him as the prime suspect in the December 13 mass shooting on campus that killed two students and injured nine others. The university has not released an official statement explaining the deletion, but online discussions and news coverage point to it as an effort to scrub digital traces of Kharbouch during the ongoing FBI manhunt and investigation. His X (formerly Twitter) account has also been taken down, fueling theories of a cover-up by the university, media, or authorities to control the narrative around his pro-Palestine activism and alleged radical views. As of now, federal authorities have released images and a timeline of the suspect’s movements but have not publicly confirmed Kharbouch’s involvement, though some outlets report he has fled and remains at large with a $50,000 reward offered for information leading to his arrest. This is a summary of his (now deleted) manifesto: In Mustapha Kharbouch’s 2024 manifesto, “I Hear The Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From The Camps to The Campus,” published by the Institute for Palestine Studies, the author reflects on his role in the Brown University Gaza Solidarity Encampment amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. As a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon, Kharbouch draws from his family’s history of displacement during the 1948 Nakba to frame his activism. The piece begins with lyrics from an adapted “Ancestor Song,” symbolizing a call to action and intergenerational resilience. He describes participating in non-violent protests, including an eight-day hunger strike by 19 students, arrests of 61 comrades for demanding university divestment from apartheid and illegal occupation, and organizing encampments with hundreds of participants engaging in rallies, teach-ins, art, film screenings, and chants. Kharbouch explores themes of “radical love” for land and people in Gaza, collective grief over the genocide, and solidarity as a revolutionary practice rooted in Palestinian revolutionary traditions that reject colonialism, carcerality, and imperialism. He critiques passive hope, instead advocating for active, decolonial hope through community-building and bearing witness to atrocities, like the invasion of Rafah. Influenced by queer feminist approaches (citing scholars like Sarah Ihmoud and Robin Kelley), he emphasizes transforming anger and despair into sustainable world-making, while questioning intergenerational betrayal and the cynicism inherited from survival under oppression. Ultimately, the manifesto affirms the encampment’s role in a broader student rebellion, linking campus actions to global Palestinian liberation and calling for continued, unyielding commitment despite challenges. https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2001028141851013528?s=20 https://twitter.com/JamesHartline/status/2001090533746467327?s=20 https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2001089445194235926?s=20 https://twitter.com/ProvidenceRIPD/status/2001345847133643062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2001345847133643062%7Ctwgr%5E8764cf1453bd57445310069de900ad0f6828d697%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Fbreaking-providence-police-release-photos-person-proximity-brown%2F https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2001047137308590081?s=20 https://twitter.com/TheSCIF/status/2000985628029403418?s=20 https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001347329585012818?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2001000454042607728?s=20 DOGE Trump Suspends ‘Tech Prosperity Deal' With UK Over Censorship and Regulations by ‘Online Safety Bill' Hurting US Tech Companies  Trump has suspended the ‘Tech Prosperity Deal' with the UK over its censorship push. The Telegraph reported: “The White House paused the tech prosperity deal amid concerns the Online Safety Act, which regulates online speech, will stifle American artificial intelligence companies, the Telegraph understands. The law allows the British government to levy large fines on tech giants it deems have facilitated hate speech.” After the rise of artificial intelligence, companies like OpenAI or xAI can face huge fines – harming their growth and giving China an edge in the AI race. “'The perception is that Britain is way out there on attempting to police what is said online, and it's caused real concern', a source with knowledge of the decision to suspend the deal said. ‘Americans went into this deal thinking Britain were going to back off regulating American tech firms but realized it was going to restrict the speech of American chatbots'.” Source: thegatewaypundit.com Geopolitical https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2001217017001685167?s=20    of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA In 1970, as National Security Advisor, Kissinger was briefed on and helped shape US oil import policies toward Venezuela following a visit by Venezuelan President Rafael Caldera. These policies, announced in June 1970, focused on long-term petroleum development and were positively received by Venezuela, but they represented unilateral US adjustments rather than a negotiated deal.  In 1972, Venezuela terminated a longstanding reciprocal trade agreement with the US that included concessional tariff rates on Venezuelan oil imports. Kissinger was informed of this as National Security Advisor, and the US considered maintaining low tariffs to avoid cost increases, but this was a termination process, not a new deal.   Venezuela effectively took control of oil fields and assets from US companies on two major occasions, though the processes involved nationalization and expropriation rather than outright theft without legal frameworks or compensation. These actions shifted operations from private foreign (including US) entities to state control under the Venezuelan government.In the 1970s, Venezuela nationalized its entire oil industry, which had been largely developed and operated by foreign companies since the early 20th century. On January 1, 1976, the government officially took over, creating the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). This affected major US firms like Exxon (formerly Standard Oil), Gulf Oil, and others, which had held concessions. The companies were provided compensation as part of the process, and it was generally seen as an expected transition in global oil politics at the time, without major disruptions to US supply. In 2007, under President Hugo Chávez, Venezuela escalated state control by mandating that foreign oil projects in the Orinoco Belt (a massive heavy oil reserve) convert to joint ventures where PDVSA held at least a 60% stake. Companies like Chevron complied, but ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips refused, leading to the government expropriating their assets. International arbitration tribunals later ruled these actions unlawful, awarding ExxonMobil about $1.6 billion and ConocoPhillips over $8 billion in compensation (though Venezuela has contested and delayed payments). This has been a point of ongoing tension, with US firms pursuing Venezuelan assets globally to enforce the awards. These events did not involve taking oil fields directly from the US government but from American corporations with investments in Venezuela, reflecting broader shifts toward resource nationalism. https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/2001087786879795546?s=20 War/Peace Zelensky: If Putin rejects peace plan, US must give us weapons The Ukrainian leader issued the warning as Russia said it would not drop its claims to land it believes to be its own  So Zelensky, NATO EU DS rewrote the plan knowing Russia wouldn’t accept it.  Source: thetimes.com Zelensky is stealing the election before it begins The overstaying Ukrainian leader has made a show of agreeing to hold a vote – but his preconditions make a mockery of it   The often-heard claim that Ukraine cannot hold presidential elections in wartime, by the way, is badly misleading, and a thoroughly politically motivated misrepresentation of the facts: In reality, the Ukrainian constitution only prohibits parliamentary elections in time of war. Elections for the presidency are impeded by ordinary laws which can, of course, easily and legally be changed by the majority which Zelensky controls in parliament. That is merely a question of political will, not legality.  Zelensky and his fixers are planning to shift the whole presidential election online. If they do, falsification in Zelensky's favor is de facto guaranteed or mail in ballots Source: rt.com Hegseth Orders Christmas Bonuses For War Department Top Performers  The War Department is rewarding its highest performers with monetary awards worth 15 to 25% of base pay, The Daily Wire can first report, rewards intended to reflect the “historic successes” of the past 10 months. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed all War Department department heads and principal staff assistants to “take immediate action to recognize and reward [the] very best” of the department's civilian workforce with “meaningful monetary awards consistent with the relevant existing civilian awards authorities for each pay system,” according to a memorandum for senior Pentagon leadership first obtained by The Daily Wire. The distribution of bonuses — which could reach up to $25,000 — is also in line with the Trump administration's broader efforts to make the federal government function more like a private-sector business. Source: dailywire.com FBI Agents Thought Clinton’s Uranium One Deal Might Be Criminal – But McCabe, Yates Stonewalled Investigation: Report Remember Uranium One? The massive 2010 sale of US uranium deposits to Russia approved by Hillary Clinton and rubber-stamped by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) – after figures linked to the deal donated to the Clinton Foundation? Turns out rank-and-file FBI investigators thought there was enough smoke to launch a criminal investigation, but internal delays and disagreements within the DOJ and FBI ultimately caused the inquiry to lapse, newly released records reveal.   The Uranium One transaction – involving the sale of a Canadian mining company with substantial U.S. uranium assets to Russia's state-owned nuclear firm Rosatom – became a flashpoint during Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Critics argued that then-Secretary of State Clinton, a member of CFIUS, helped approve the deal while donors connected to Uranium One made large contributions to the Clinton Foundation.  The newly released documents suggest that the circumstances surrounding Uranium One were never fully investigated, leaving unresolved questions about how a strategic U.S. asset came under Russian control – and whether potential criminal conduct went unexamined due to internal delays and legal disputes. Source: zerohedge.com Health https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2001327868979368264?s=20 [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/Badhombre/status/2001052105155481995?s=20   million stolen through Medicaid fraud by Chavis Willis. – $12.5 million in federal education grants stolen by 1,834 “ghost students.” All of this happened in Minnesota under Tim Walz. Somali fraudsters were involved in almost every case. Ex-Marine planned attack in New Orleans that would ‘recreate’ Waco, officials say Plans to “carry out an attack” in New Orleans were thwarted after an ex-Marine was arrested while on the way to the Louisiana city with guns and body armor in the car, according to court documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. Micah James Legnon, 28, was charged with threats in interstate commerce. Federal authorities said they had been surveilling Legnon due to ties to an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group. Four members of the group were arrested Friday in the Mojave Desert, east of Los Angeles, as they were rehearsing a foiled plot to set off bombs in Southern California on New Year's Eve, authorities said.  Legnon believed it was time to “recreate” Waco with an attack in New Orleans, authorities said in court documents. They pointed to a Dec. 4 chat message by Legnon written under the alias “Kateri The Witch” the day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived in New Orleans. Legnon's alias had “she/her” written beside it, but jail records referred to Legnon as male. Source: nbcnews.com https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2001118961073639492?s=20 President Trump's Plan  https://twitter.com/amuse/status/2001336422150869037?s=20 https://twitter.com/RAZ0RFIST/status/2001111187245736061?s=20 https://twitter.com/KariLakeWarRoom/status/2001117437274509736?s=20 RINO Congressman Who Voted to Impeach President Donald Trump Will Not Seek Re-election  In 2021, RINO Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. Newhouse announced that he will not seek re-election in 2026, leaving Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) as the only one of the group remaining in Congress. https://twitter.com/RepNewhouse/status/2001291310146158666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2001291310146158666%7Ctwgr%5Ee6d32e37b15338ded9a698a990480010a5616470%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Frino-congressman-who-voted-impeach-president-donald-trump%2F The fates of the ten Republicans who voted to impeach: 1. Liz Cheney (WY) — Defeated in 2022 primary 2. John Katko (NY) — Retired in 2022 3. Adam Kinzinger (IL) — Retired in 2022 4. Fred Upton (MI) — Retired in 2022 5. Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA) — Defeated in 2022 primary 6. Peter Meijer (MI) — Defeated in 2022 primary 7. Anthony Gonzalez (OH) — Retired in 2022 8. Tom Rice (SC) — Defeated in 2022 primary 9. Dan Newhouse (WA) — Will not seek reelection 10. David Valadao (CA) — Reelected in 2024, currently serving in the 119th Congress Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2000999942303998185?s=20 https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/2001046169279955130?s=20   January 2017 briefing of Trump followed the same playbook, as did Strzok's conversation with General Flynn. The FBI's so-called briefings of Senators Grassley and Johnson also fit the same mold. Each time, they present it as a routine check-in or just a quick conversation. And each time, the real purpose is to box you in, lay traps and put you in prison. https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/2001087239938564475?s=20  https://twitter.com/BehizyTweets/status/2000996943741501841?s=20 There is no specific time limit mandated by law or congressional rules for the Senate to vote on a bill passed by the House, including one that codifies executive orders (such as the FY2026 NDAA, which reportedly incorporates 15 of President Trump’s executive orders). The Senate can schedule consideration and a vote at any point during the remainder of the current Congress (the 119th Congress ends on January 3, 2027). If the Senate does not act before then, the bill dies and would need to be reintroduced in the next Congress.In practice, for time-sensitive legislation like the NDAA, the Senate typically votes shortly after the House (often within days or weeks) due to bipartisan urgency around defense authorizations, but this is not a requirement. https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2001031213516304877?s=20 https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2000991371952357796?s=20   achievements will fail. We are family. We are united. https://twitter.com/EagleEdMartin/status/2001011049106161975?s=20 President Trump Issues Response to Vanity Fair Hit Piece Which Claims Susie Wiles Made a Pointed Remark About Him During an interview with the New York Post, Trump did not take the alleged remark Wiles made about him as an insult. In fact, he admitted to having a “very possessive” personality. “No, she meant that I'm — you see, I don't drink alcohol. So everybody knows that — but I've often said that if I did, I'd have a very good chance of being an alcoholic. I have said that many times about myself, I do. It's a very possessive personality,” Trump told the Post. “I've said that many times about myself. I'm fortunate I'm not a drinker. If I did, I could very well, because I've said that — what's the word? Not possessive — possessive and addictive type personality. Oh, I've said it many times, many times before,” he added. Trump went on to tell the Post that he agrees the Vanity Fair article was a total hit job and Wiles's remarks were taken out of context.  . Source: thegatewaypundit.com  Based on recent reports, the entire Trump administration appears to be standing by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles following the Vanity Fair article, with no notable dissent.   Specific individuals who have expressed support include: Name Position Donald Trump President JD Vance Vice President Doug Burgum Secretary of the Interior Scott Bessent Secretary of the Treasury Chris Wright Secretary of Energy Lori Chavez-DeRemer Secretary of Labor Linda McMahon Secretary of Education Scott Turner Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Brooke Rollins Secretary of Agriculture Sean Duffy Secretary of Transportation Kelly Loeffler SBA Administrator Lee Zeldin EPA Administrator Russ Vought OMB Director Pam Bondi Attorney General Kash Patel FBI Director Karoline Leavitt White House Press Secretary The [DS] has been trying to divide Trump adminitration from the beginning, they want people questioning everything, they are trying to have people doubt the administration.  how do you show the people that you are not divided.   Trump and team just changed the narrative, they took control, Susie and team most likely set this up, this way the team can tell the world they are united not divided. Information warfare. We are now moving into the next phase of the plan and the DS is panicking, the attacks against MAGA, his administration will continue, physical attacks will continue. The [DS] is fighting for their lives while Trump is dismantling their system and producing evidence on the  treasonous crimes they have committed. I think is letting us know we are moving into the storm, look how he stared this truth post.   (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");

Prosecutor James M. Trusty, of Ifrah Law, and former Chief of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Organized Crime and Gang Section calls-in to give his insights into House Oversight Committee Chairman Comer’s (R-KY) subpoena of multiple former government officials and the potential indictment of former President Obama and former Secretary of State Clinton. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard’s appearance with Laura Ingraham on Fox News today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[This blog will always be free to read, but it's also how I pay my bills. If you have suggestions or feedback on how I can earn your paid subscription, shoot me an email: cmclymer@gmail.com.]The state funeral for James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr., the 39th President of the United States, was as well attended by dignitaries as one might expect — or hope.Among the hundreds in attendance at the Washington National Cathedral were Presidents Biden, Obama, Bush, and Clinton; Vice Presidents Harris, Pence, Gore, and Quayle; Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry; first and second spouses; Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Jackson; current and former heads of government from Canada, Colombia, Japan, Portugal, and the United Kingdom; Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh; Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations; and scores of senators and members of Congress and ambassadors and other luminaries.I may be missing a notable name or two. Perhaps at least two. That is possible.Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang “Imagine" — one of the late president's favorite songs.Steve Ford, the son of President Gerald Ford, whom Pres. Carter defeated in the 1976 election, delivered a beautiful eulogy in which he said to the Carter family: “God did a good thing when he made your dad.”President Biden, in what is likely the final major public speech of his tenure, summed up President Carter in three words: “Character, character, character.”It all felt right and good. It felt fitting. It felt rare and maybe fleeting. It felt like we may not see this kind of easy agreement across the political spectrum for a long time.But with all due respect, it didn't come close to matching the quiet and hardy adoration that could be observed in the previous 36 hours on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and surrounding streets.It is cold in D.C. this week, enough during the day to aggressively bundle up and enough at night to find any excuse to be indoors and immediately reject that one friend's insane invite to go out for a drink, much less an evening stroll. It is, for most of us, bitterly cold. It is so cold—at least to this Texas gal—that nothing less than the threat to life and limb to a loved one would be enough to convince me to venture into the elements. It is so cold that “outside” is wholly inadequate and only the word “elements” carries a sufficiently adequate connotation.Last night, at 9pm, the temperature was easily below 20 degrees with the wind chill. I understand some of you up north consider this balmy. You must understand that most of us think you're crazy.So, it was painfully cold and uninviting, and yet, even late into the night, there were thousands and thousands of people across all walks of life waiting in line outside for several hours just to enter the Capitol Rotunda for a few moments and walk around the flag-draped casket of one Jimmy Carter and pay their respects to a model human being.There were those who were off for the federal holiday and those who came after a long day of work—suits and dresses and military uniforms—young and old, Democrats and Republicans and independents, the working class and the wealthy, entire families, all of them standing outside in the freezing cold for several hours.That's not an exaggeration. The wait was several hours. At best, one could reasonably hope to get through the line and the quick orbit within the Rotunda in just over three hours. Some folks waited longer, some as many as five hours depending on when they got in line. When was the last time you waited five hours in line for anything? When was the last time you waited three hours in line? When was the last time you did this in the bone chilling cold? When was the last time you did this without any expectation of a tangible reward?They all knew there was no material incentive to be had here. It wasn't like everyone who made the journey got a cookie or gold star after leaving the Rotunda. There were no certificates of appreciation conferred upon completion. No dinner coupons. No drink tickets. No free t-shirts.Need to use the restroom? Walk a few blocks to a nearby restaurant or bar and hope someone is kind enough to hold your spot in line.It was so cold that even the usually familiar sight of phones capturing every angle of any given political event for social media was scarce. Gotta keep those hands warm.People heard the updates. It's gonna be three hours. Maybe four. Maybe five.They stayed in line.It wasn't as though Pres. Carter could do anything for these thousands upon thousands of people who came to say goodbye beyond what he did for them in life, deeds already completed and offered without any assumption of reciprocity.This man who hadn't been president in more than four decades, who had a 31 percent approval rating the month he lost reelection, who was unfairly maligned for many years over his job performance, who was unjustly a punchline to much of the country afterward for so long after leaving office — it was this man they came to honor.They stayed in line, freezing, probably hungry, probably needing to use the restroom at some point, many of them probably wishing they were at home with a hot beverage and blanket in hand.They stayed in line.This one-term president, who went back to his peanut farm after leaving office, who was detested by the bulk of D.C. political circles, who didn't cash out and join a bevy of corporate boards, who didn't feel it necessary to say what was popular or easy, who navigated his life thereafter as a private citizen with such grace and integrity that even his most ardent detractors had to tip their hats and acknowledge his decency.I realize there are so many reasons to feel pessimistic about the future of our country at the moment, but if such decency is so honored as we've seen by everyday Americans on the ground in our Nation's Capitol over these past few days, tell me that isn't cause for hope.Tell me that isn't a glimmer of what we could still be. Charlotte's Web Thoughts is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Charlotte's Web Thoughts at charlotteclymer.substack.com/subscribe

When we started Midrats, President Obama hadn't even been President for a year, I only left active duty 4-months ago, Russia was mostly forgotten about except for Secretary of State Clinton famous "Reset/Overload," anyone worried about China was considered an alarmist, and no one really knew what a "podcast" was except for a very small group of to-online weirdos.One day our friend Claude Berube convinced the two of us and the late Raymond Pritchett that people might be interested in hearing us chat about those things that we find interesting.That was 13-years ago - and Midrats is still going strong.Come join us for the full hour as we take a quick review of the status on the conversation in the national security arena, the big lessons of 2022, and what we plan on keeping an eye on in 2023.

That the fraudulent, media-hyped Russiagate fiasco was a colossal waste of civic energy is now beyond doubt to all but the most bitterly partisan.  But scant attention has been paid to its enablement of the tragic Russian invasion of Ukraine.  The premise of “Russian collusion” was that Vladimir Putin was assisting Donald Trump in defeating Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  Even though collusion was never proven, the conclusion is still being bruited about that Putin wished Trump to win.  If, to the contrary, Putin was in fact actively seeking to defeat Trump, this attempt may provide insight into the whys and wherefores of his Ukraine invasion.  To be sure, the trivial and ineffective Russian bot farm postings were laughable and likely done for private profit, not geopolitical effect.  But whatever the motivation, they were admittedly inconsequential.  But what did move the needle in our domestic politics was the Russiagate scandal itself, interfering with Trump's agenda while magnifying his contentious style, perhaps causing enough marginal diminution in his support to affect the 2020 U.S. election outcome. So, yes, the Clinton campaign may have unwittingly caused the election of Joe Biden in 2020.  But was this collusion hoax solely the action of Clinton and her domestic supporters in the media and government?  More to the point, was Vladimir Putin a willing ally of Clinton in this fabrication? Let's examine the evidence. Prior to 2016, Clinton had been nothing but a seemingly corrupt and compromised patsy of Putin, a fact ignored by the media.  One of the first acts of President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton was to unilaterally, without quid pro quo, remove military installations in Poland and the Czech Republic pointing sophisticated defensive missiles toward Russia.  This technology could have been used as an effective deterrent or a weapon in defense of Ukraine. Clinton also encouraged, as part of the “Russian Reset,” the transfer of dual-use technology to the “Russian Silicon Valley” at Skolkovo, over the objection of the U.S. Defense Department, enriching Clinton Foundation supporters in both Russia and America.  Then, when Clinton's State Department held the sole “equity” vote, it approved the sale of Uranium One,  quickly transferred to Putin's Rosatom.  Now Putin had enhanced military power as well as uranium pricing power, including to America's nuclear power industry.  The financial beneficiaries of the Uranium One deal contributed $150-350 million to the Clinton Foundation, which housed many of her campaign staff.  Eleven Russian intelligence agents hovering around the Uranium One deal were arrested and sent back quickly to Russia, without any attempts to cajole the inside story of a seemingly corrupt transaction.  Clinton's heirs then pushed the destabilizing Iran Nuclear Deal, with Russia the major nuclear contractor for Iran, using Russia as an intermediary for the negotiations.  Of course, this same State Department approved of Putin's march across Ukraine to take over Crimea in 2014, with our government providing only non-lethal assistance such as blankets and MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) in support of Ukraine.   And let us also not forget that in 2010, Clinton's State Department encouraged and facilitated Ukraine's surrendering of over 1.1 million light arms and shoulder-fired missile launchers in exchange for vaguely worded security assurances.  So, when the 2016 U.S. presidential election came around, would any rational person believe that Putin wished Trump to defeat the highly compromised and highly compromisable Clinton?  But what evidence is there that Putin sought to help Clinton and defeat Trump?     Hired by the Clinton campaign through Fusion GPS, ex-spy Christopher Steele (author of the infamous Steele Dossier) had as a longstanding client Oleg Deripaska, Putin's close friend and aluminum oligarch.  For years, Steele's Orbis Business Intelligence had touted Deripaska as a “good oligarch” in over 100 intelligence reports to U.S. government agencies.  In 2016, Steele was hired by Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS to perform lucrative work for Prevezon Holdings, a Russian company owned by the family of oligarch Denis Katsyv.  Prevezon was fighting a U.S. court seizure of $230 million taken by the American government under the Magnitsky Act, an anti-Putin law caused by the killing of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.  Who did Steele hire as his primary subsource to prepare his Dossier?  One Igor Danchenko, suspected and never exonerated as a Russian spy. Danchenko received a crucial piece of his false narrative from close, longtime Clinton ally, Charles Dolan, connected to him through seeming Russian intelligence asset Olga Galkina.  But was Dolan also a Russian agent?  Yes, he was a publicly disclosed Russian PR agent whom the Washington Postreportedhad the trust and respect of Putin's inner circle.  While Danchenko hid Dolan's involvement, Dolan at the time of the Dossier was actively working with Russian Embassy officials (read: intelligence agents).  Steele also informed the State Department that he used as his sources Vyacheslav Trubnikov, the former Director of Russian intelligence service SVR, and Vladislav Surkov, “Putin's Rasputin,” working closely with Putin in the Kremlin.  Were these Russian agents working against Putin's wishes in exposing a Putin-Trump conspiracy?  If they were doing so, wouldn't their faces soon be found in their cereal bowls?  So, it seems obvious that, completely contrary to the cartoonish narrative adopted by the media, this Russian collusion story was actively assisted by Vladimir Putin, and that there was indeed collusion … between Putin and Clinton. Recall that as of July 28, 2016, John Brennan's CIA had already gained Russian intelligence showing that Clinton's foreign policy advisor, Jake Sullivan, had been the author of the hoax, and revealing that Russia was up to the minute on it.  What was Putin's motive in assisting Clinton by allowing his close allies to participate in the hoax?  There is no reason to believe but that in 2016 Putin wished to make Ukraine a vassal state.  He knew then that Clinton would likely willingly play ball, and in any case could be so compelled by strong kompromat.  While in office barely three months, Trump lobbed missiles into the joint Syrian-Russian Shayrat airbase in retaliation for use of chemical weapons.  He also ordered a successful drone strike against Iran (Russian ally) General Qassim Soleimani, seemingly planning terrorist action.  During Trump's term, Putin did not even feint at full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  But, as soon as Joe Biden was elected, Putin amassed troops on the Ukraine border.  Meanwhile, Biden, through National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the author of the Russiagate fabrication, sought Russian and Iranian oil to backstop dwindling American fossil fuel production, while seeking Russian aid to restart the Iranian nuclear talks. Almost immediately, Biden and Sullivan paused a large package of lethal American weapons aid to Ukraine, later halting the transfer to Ukraine of MIGs from Poland, while doing nothing to rattle sabers at Putin in advance of the invasion.  Indeed, Biden seemed to be offering Putin an engraved invitation, assuring him that America would not take action in Ukraine's defense. In short, Putin did not suddenly, in early 2021, begin to wish a Ukraine invasion.  Even though he did not successfully help Clinton get elected in 2016, because of his support of the Russiagate deceit Putin got an even weaker United States President in Biden. So, the Russiagate canard had far more than domestic partisan effect, as wished by Clinton, American intelligence agencies and the partisan media.  Our nation's global security, and that of our allies, as well as food and energy security, have all been catastrophically impacted by a media hungry to accept uncritically any leftist partisan narrative, no matter how obviously fabricated.    This media malpractice has harmed our country profoundly.  Will there be any media self-reflection, or at least criticism of Clinton and Biden for their longstanding weakness toward Russia?  Don't count on it.

Gabe Fleisher, the founder of Wake Up to Politics, joins host T.J. O'Hara on Deconstructed to talk about delivering political news in a meaningful and unbiased way. Mr. Fleisher is a bit of a political prodigy who became interested in politics during the 2008 presidential campaign at the age of six. Three years later, as a more experienced aficionado of the space, he launched a newsletter that first reached an audience of one (his mother) but now starts the days of over 50,000 subscribers in every state and dozens of countries. Wake Up to Politics is a quick and easy daily read that gives you all the essential facts you need to follow American politics… without any partisan bias or opinion. Mr. Fleisher (now a student at Georgetown University) explains how the newsletter is structured in segments that are designed to keep people informed of what is happening each day. He describes how it first addresses a single critical issue in slightly more depth, and then, provides insights into various policy issues before evolving into a glimpse of the day's calendar for various political leaders. He ends the newsletter with a section called, “Before I Go,” which lightens the mood with a brief overview of something meant to bring a smile to his readers' faces. The stories are all supported with links that allow interested individuals to easily seek additional details if they choose to do so. T.J. mentions some of the political leaders that Mr. Fleisher has already interviewed (a diverse group that includes President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Cruz and Paul, and former Secretary of State Clinton) and asks him to share what those experiences were like. The two also discuss the time Mr. Fleisher “scooped” The New York Times and The New York Post on then-NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio's plans to run for President; a journalistic coup that also earned him an interview with the mayor. T.J. then asks Mr. Fleisher to project what may be important stories in the areas of immigration, foreign policy, and the economy. The Administration's announcement of discontinuing Title 42 tops the list with respect to immigration, the Russia/Ukraine conflict, China, North Korea's missile testing, and the Iranian nuclear negotiations arise in the discussion of foreign affairs, and inflation looms large with regard to the economy. Near the end, Mr. Fleisher shares how he thinks younger generations may view politics. He doesn't pretend to speak for everyone but rather provides some insight into how “hate speech” regulations and censorship on social media platforms may impact political feelings. Listen to hear what Mr. Fleisher has to say… and then, consider whether you would like to Wake Up to Politics.

Name: Aiden Knox Nickname: AK Age: 13 Weight: 160 Height: 5'11 City, State: Clinton, MS Positions: WR/CB in football Sports: Football/track (100M, 200M, 4X100, 4X200) School Name: Clinton junior high school Aiden plays WR and DB for Clinton Junior High School. I run a 4.5 in the 40 yard dash. I also run track. My PR in the 100m dash is 11.13 and my PR in the 200m dash is 22.89. I am a 2 time AAUTF All American and I won the silver medal in the 100m dash and the bronze medal in the 200m dash at last summer's AAUTF National Junior Olympics. I currently rank #1 in the United States in the 100m dash and #4 in the United States in the 200m dash. I also have the fastest 7th grade 100m dash and 200m dash time in Mississippi history and the fastest 8th grade 100m dash time in Mississippi history. I also earned a spot on the Devoted Dreamers 7V7 team, coached by Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints. Likes: playing sports and bring with my people, Jordans Dislikes: Messing up my shoes Favorite players: Tyreek Hill and Kyler Murray People who motivate me: Ray Lewis and my dad Colleges: Ole Miss, MS State, Alabama, Georgia, Jackson State Twitter: AidenKnox2026 Instagram: AidenKnox2026 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kalling-plays-with-kailey/support

In the 1930s, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt saw war coming with Hitler's Germany even as he reconciled the isolationism of American politics with his own internationalist instinct.  Ambassador David McKean tells the story of FDR's personal reliance on his hand-picked ambassadors to Europe in the critical years before America's entry into World War II. David McKean served as United States Ambassador to Luxembourg from 2016-2017.  He currently serves as a Consensus member at the American Security Project and is a Visiting Distinguished Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.  Previously, he was the Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State, beginning in February of 2013.  There, he also served as a Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Clinton for the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review.  He is the recipient of the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award and Superior Honor Award.  McKean spent two decades working in the United States Congress: serving as chief of staff to Senator John Kerry from 1999 to 2008 and chief of staff to Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II from 1993 to 1994.  He served as staff director for the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2010, and minority staff director for the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations from 1998 to 1999.  McKean was a key player in laying the groundwork for the Senator Kerry's presidential campaign in 2004 and was a co-chairman of the Senator's presidential transition team.  In 1997 and 1998, he served as the Minority Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.  McKean is the author of four books on American political history: “Friends in High Places” with Douglas Frantz, “Tommy the Cork,” “The Great Decision” with Cliff Sloan, and “Watching Darkness Fall: FDR, His Ambassadors, and the Rise of Adolf Hitler,” which was published in 2021. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls. Wajahat Ali is a journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, a TV host, and a consultant for the U.S. State Department. He is now a contributor to The Daily Beast. Previously, Ali helped launch the Al Jazeera America network as co-host of Al Jazeera America’s The Stream, a daily news show that extended the conversation to social media and beyond. He was also a National Correspondent, Political Reporter, and Social Media Expert for Al Jazeera America. He focused on stories of communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media. Ali is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim Americans, post-9/11—which was published by McSweeney’s and performed off-Broadway and at the Kennedy Center. Currently, with Dave Eggers, Ali is writing a television show about a Muslim American cop in the Bay Area. Additionally, he is a Peabody-nominated Producer of the series The Secret Life of Muslims. He was also the lead author and researcher of “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” the seminal report from the Center for American Progress.  In 2012, Ali worked with the U.S. Department of State to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. He initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. He was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Ali has given many presentations, from Google to the United Nations to Princeton to The Abu Dhabi Book Festival. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and Salon. He regularly appears on CNN to discuss politics and current affairs.  Nicole Lynn Lewis is a former teen mother who put herself through the College of William & Mary with her three-month old daughter in tow, Nicole now works every day to change the statistic that less than 2% of teen mothers will earn their degrees before age 30. Nicole has been featured on major news outlets including “Good Morning America,” CNN, “NBC Nightly News,” and The Washington Post.  Nicole also serves as an Ascend National Advisor with the Aspen Institute and a nationally known author and speaker. Her next, highly-anticipated book, Pregnant Girl, will be released in May 2021 by Beacon Press. Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Social Policy and Communication from George Mason University and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William & Mary. In January 2019, Ms. Lewis received an honorary doctorate from Trinity Washington University for her impactful and innovative work with young families, and she is now a member of their Board of Trustees. Nicole and her husband, Donté Lewis, live in Maryland with their four children. Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. I have one sponsor which is an awesome nonprofit GiveWell.org/StandUp for more but Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls. Wajahat Ali is a journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, a TV host, and a consultant for the U.S. State Department. He is now a contributor to The Daily Beast. As Creative Director of Affinis Labs, he works to create social entrepreneurship initiatives that have a positive impact for marginalized communities, and to empower social entrepreneurs, young leaders, creatives, and communities to come up with innovative solutions to tackle world problems. Beginning in early 2017, Affinis Labs will launch a global startup incubator network, aimed at identifying and fostering “emerging entrepreneurial talent from around the world that understands what makes the global Islamic economy special.” Previously, Ali helped launch the Al Jazeera America network as co-host of Al Jazeera America’s The Stream, a daily news show that extended the conversation to social media and beyond. He was also a National Correspondent, Political Reporter, and Social Media Expert for Al Jazeera America. He focused on stories of communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media. Ali is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim Americans, post-9/11—which was published by McSweeney’s and performed off-Broadway and at the Kennedy Center. Currently, with Dave Eggers, Ali is writing a television show about a Muslim American cop in the Bay Area. Additionally, he is a Peabody-nominated Producer of the series The Secret Life of Muslims. He was also the lead author and researcher of “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” the seminal report from the Center for American Progress.  In 2012, Ali worked with the U.S. Department of State to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. He initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. He was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Ali has given many presentations, from Google to the United Nations to Princeton to The Abu Dhabi Book Festival. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and Salon. He regularly appears on CNN to discuss politics and current affairs.  Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focusing on U.S. foreign policy. He has written five books, including his most recent, The End of Greatness: Why America Can’t Have (and Doesn’t Want) Another Great President (Palgrave, 2014) and The Much Too Promised Land: America’s Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace (Bantam, 2008). He received his PhD in Middle East and U.S. diplomatic history from the University of Michigan in 1977. Between 1978 and 2003, Miller served at the State Department as an historian, analyst, negotiator, and advisor to Republican and Democratic secretaries of state, where he helped formulate U.S. policy on the Middle East and the Arab-Israel peace process, most recently as the senior advisor for Arab-Israeli negotiations. He also served as the deputy special Middle East coordinator for Arab-Israeli negotiations, senior member of the State Department’s policy planning staff, in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and in the office of the historian. He has received the department’s Distinguished, Superior, and Meritorious Honor Awards. Miller is a member of the  Council on Foreign Relations, and formerly served as resident scholar at the Georgetown Center for Strategic and International Studies. He has been a featured presenter at the World Economic Forum and leading U.S. universities. Between 2003 and 2006 he served as president of Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence. From 2006 to 2019, Miller was a public policy scholar; vice president for new initiatives, and director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Miller is a global affairs analyst for CNN. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, Foreign Policy, USAToday, and CNN.com. He is a frequent commentator on NPR, BBC, and Sirius XM radio Pete Dominick on Twitter Pete on YouTube Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page Please consider a paid subscription to this daily podcast. Everyday I will interview 2 or more expert guests on a wide range of issues. I will continue to be transparent about my life, issues and vulnerabilities in hopes we can relate, connect and grow together. If you want to add something to the show email me StandUpwithPete@gmail.com Join the Stand Up Community

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. I have one sponsor which is an awesome nonprofit GiveWell.org/StandUp for more but Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls. I had Jared and Waj on together back in August on episode 165 Jared Yates Sexton is the author of The Man They Wanted Me to Be and The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore. His political writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The New Republic, Politico, and Salon.com. Sexton is also the author of three collections of fiction and is an associate professor of creative writing at Georgia Southern University. Get his new book now From writer and political analyst Jared Yates Sexton comes a journey through the history of the United States, from the nation’s founding to the twenty-first century, which examines and debunks the American myths we’ve always told ourselves.  In recent years, Americans have faced a deluge of horrifying developments in politics and culture: stolen elections, fascist rallies, families torn apart and locked away. A common refrain erupts at each new atrocity: This isn’t who we are. In American Rule, Jared Yates Sexton upends those convenient fictions by laying bare the foundational myths at the heart of our collective American imagination. From the very origins of this nation, Americans in power have abused and subjugated others; enabling that corruption are the many myths of American exceptionalism and steadfast values, which are fed to the public and repeated across generations. Working through each era of American growth and change, Sexton weaves together the origins and perpetuation of these narratives still in the public memory, and the acts we have chosen to forget.  Stirring, deeply researched, and disturbingly familiar, American Rule is a call to examine our own misconceptions of what it means, and has always meant, to be an American. Also listen and subscribe to Jared's Podcast  Wajahat Ali is a journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, a TV host, and a consultant for the U.S. State Department. As Creative Director of Affinis Labs, he works to create social entrepreneurship initiatives that have a positive impact for marginalized communities, and to empower social entrepreneurs, young leaders, creatives, and communities to come up with innovative solutions to tackle world problems. Beginning in early 2017, Affinis Labs will launch a global startup incubator network, aimed at identifying and fostering “emerging entrepreneurial talent from around the world that understands what makes the global Islamic economy special.” Previously, Ali helped launch the Al Jazeera America network as co-host of Al Jazeera America’s The Stream, a daily news show that extended the conversation to social media and beyond. He was also a National Correspondent, Political Reporter, and Social Media Expert for Al Jazeera America. He focused on stories of communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media. Ali is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim Americans, post-9/11—which was published by McSweeney’s and performed off-Broadway and at the Kennedy Center. Currently, with Dave Eggers, Ali is writing a television show about a Muslim American cop in the Bay Area. Additionally, he is a Peabody-nominated Producer of the series The Secret Life of Muslims. He was also the lead author and researcher of “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” the seminal report from the Center for American Progress.  In 2012, Ali worked with the U.S. Department of State to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. He initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. He was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Ali has given many presentations, from Google to the United Nations to Princeton to The Abu Dhabi Book Festival. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and Salon. He regularly appears on CNN to discuss politics and current affairs.  Pete Dominick on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page Please consider a paid subscription to this daily podcast. Everyday I will interview 2 or more expert guests on a wide range of issues. I will continue to be transparent about my life, issues and vulnerabilities in hopes we can relate, connect and grow together. If you want to add something to the show email me StandUpwithPete@gmail.com Join the Stand Up Community Stand Up is also brought to you this month by GiveWell.org GiveWell is a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities and publishing the full details of our analysis to help donors decide where to give. GiveWell.org/Standup

Krish O Mara has spent decades in public service, including being a clerk for Chief Judge Michael Boudin, advisor for Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry, & Michelle Obama as the First Lady’s policy director. Her work has largely focused on public and foreign affairs concerning immigration and refugees. That has carried over to her current role as the President and CEO of the Lutheran Immigrant Refugee Services. She is the first non-Lutheran and second refugee to lead this organization.

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit and post new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now Tim Wise  is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and activists in the U.S., and has been called, 'One of the most brilliant, articulate and courageous critics of white privilege in the nation," by best-selling author and professor Michael Eric Dyson, of Georgetown University. Wise has spoken in all 50 states, on over 1000 college campuses, and has spoken to community groups around the nation. He is the author of seven books and has contributed essays to twenty-five additional volumes. Read Tim at Medium Support Tim on Patreon  Buy Tim's books   Wajahat Ali is a journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, a TV host, and a consultant for the U.S. State Department. As Creative Director of Affinis Labs, he works to create social entrepreneurship initiatives that have a positive impact for marginalized communities, and to empower social entrepreneurs, young leaders, creatives, and communities to come up with innovative solutions to tackle world problems. Beginning in early 2017, Affinis Labs will launch a global startup incubator network, aimed at identifying and fostering “emerging entrepreneurial talent from around the world that understands what makes the global Islamic economy special.” Previously, Ali helped launch the Al Jazeera America network as co-host of Al Jazeera America’s The Stream, a daily news show that extended the conversation to social media and beyond. He was also a National Correspondent, Political Reporter, and Social Media Expert for Al Jazeera America. He focused on stories of communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media. Ali is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim Americans, post-9/11—which was published by McSweeney’s and performed off-Broadway and at the Kennedy Center. Currently, with Dave Eggers, Ali is writing a television show about a Muslim American cop in the Bay Area. Additionally, he is a Peabody-nominated Producer of the series The Secret Life of Muslims. He was also the lead author and researcher of “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” the seminal report from the Center for American Progress.  In 2012, Ali worked with the U.S. Department of State to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. He initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. He was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Ali has given many presentations, from Google to the United Nations to Princeton to The Abu Dhabi Book Festival. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and Salon. He regularly appears on CNN to discuss politics and current affairs.  Check out his new project We Will Emerge    

This might be the best I've done on the podcast I post a new show everyday. Please consider a paid subscription  Jared Yates Sexton is the author of The Man They Wanted Me to Be and The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore. His political writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The New Republic, Politico, and Salon.com. Sexton is also the author of three collections of fiction and is an associate professor of creative writing at Georgia Southern University. Get his new book now From writer and political analyst Jared Yates Sexton comes a journey through the history of the United States, from the nation’s founding to the twenty-first century, which examines and debunks the American myths we’ve always told ourselves.  In recent years, Americans have faced a deluge of horrifying developments in politics and culture: stolen elections, fascist rallies, families torn apart and locked away. A common refrain erupts at each new atrocity: This isn’t who we are. In American Rule, Jared Yates Sexton upends those convenient fictions by laying bare the foundational myths at the heart of our collective American imagination. From the very origins of this nation, Americans in power have abused and subjugated others; enabling that corruption are the many myths of American exceptionalism and steadfast values, which are fed to the public and repeated across generations. Working through each era of American growth and change, Sexton weaves together the origins and perpetuation of these narratives still in the public memory, and the acts we have chosen to forget.  Stirring, deeply researched, and disturbingly familiar, American Rule is a call to examine our own misconceptions of what it means, and has always meant, to be an American. Wajahat Ali is a journalist, writer, lawyer, an award-winning playwright, a TV host, and a consultant for the U.S. State Department. As Creative Director of Affinis Labs, he works to create social entrepreneurship initiatives that have a positive impact for marginalized communities, and to empower social entrepreneurs, young leaders, creatives, and communities to come up with innovative solutions to tackle world problems. Beginning in early 2017, Affinis Labs will launch a global startup incubator network, aimed at identifying and fostering “emerging entrepreneurial talent from around the world that understands what makes the global Islamic economy special.” Previously, Ali helped launch the Al Jazeera America network as co-host of Al Jazeera America’s The Stream, a daily news show that extended the conversation to social media and beyond. He was also a National Correspondent, Political Reporter, and Social Media Expert for Al Jazeera America. He focused on stories of communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media. Ali is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim Americans, post-9/11—which was published by McSweeney’s and performed off-Broadway and at the Kennedy Center. Currently, with Dave Eggers, Ali is writing a television show about a Muslim American cop in the Bay Area. Additionally, he is a Peabody-nominated Producer of the series The Secret Life of Muslims. He was also the lead author and researcher of “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” the seminal report from the Center for American Progress.  In 2012, Ali worked with the U.S. Department of State to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. He initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. He was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Ali has given many presentations, from Google to the United Nations to Princeton to The Abu Dhabi Book Festival. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and Salon. He regularly appears on CNN to discuss politics and current affairs. 

The Trump Administration's stance on Syria and Bashar al Assad goes against President Obama’s and Sec. of State Clinton’s policy since 2011. Ben takes a look at how this new policy is contrary to media narrative about Syria over the past decade.----------------Support Truth in Media by visiting our sponsors:Pulse Cellular: Use code "TRUTH" for 10% every plan for life. https://truthinmedia.com/phonePure VPN: Military grade vpn protection.https://truthinmedia.com/vpnBrave Browser: Open source and built by a team of privacy focused, performance oriented pioneers of the web.https://truthinmedia.com/brave#benswann

Lew Lukens became one of America's top diplomats through several decades in the Foreign Service, including postings as Executive Director for Secretary of State Clinton, Ambassador to Senegal/Guinea-Bissau, and DCM in London.Lew offers candid observations about how the current Administration has jeopardized U.S. interests and values, and the practice of diplomacy around the world, in conversation with classmates Jack Weiss and Nils Muiznieks, the recent European Human Rights Commissioner.Lew is now a Senior Partner in London with Signum Global Advisors, a New York-based independent advisory firm.(The current Administration's assault on professionalism targeted Lew; you can read about that here: https://www.gq.com/story/trump-is-waging-war-on-american-diplomats) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Krish Vignarajah, Democratic candidate for Governor of Maryland, reflects on her immigrant past, her legal career, and her time working for Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry. She offers a vision... Good hearts make the world a better place

Satellite Sisters Lian Dolan, a writer & producer, and Julie Dolan, international correspondent, interview Madam Secretary creator Barbara Hall and EP Lori McCreary about the dynamic season premiere and preview the newest season of Madam Secretary. Special Guest Secretaries of State Clinton, Albright and Powell going the cast for the first episode. Plus, what we can expect from Jay, Daisy, the Kids and Henry. 

On Friday the 13th of April, President Trump bombed the government of Syria… Again. In this episode, learn some of the little-discussed history of and reasons for the on-going attempts to overthrow the government of Syria. Please Support Congressional Dish Click here to contribute using credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD167: Combating Russia (NDAA 2018) LIVE Additional Reading Article: 'Obscene masquerade': Russia criticised over Douma chemical attack denial by Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, April 26, 2018. Article: Why does Syria still have chemical weapons? by Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, April 18, 2018. Report: Russia rejects UN resolution for independent Douma investigation, Aljazeera, April 18, 2018. Report: Pentagon warns of IS resurgence in regime areas of Syria, France24, April 17, 2018. Interview: Legal questions loom over Syria strikes, Interview by Jonathan Masters of John B. Bellinger III, Council on Foreign Relations, April 15, 2018. Letter: Text of a letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, April 15, 2018. Report: Trump bombs Syria hours after 88 lawmakers urged him to first consult Congress by Jennifer Bendery, Huffpost, April 13, 2018. Interview: What are U.S. Military options in Syria? Interview by Zachary Laub of Mona Yacoubian, Council on Foreign Relations, April 13, 2018. Report: Thousands of US troops and Marines arrive in Jordan by Shawn Snow, Marine Times, April 13, 2018. Report: Global chemical weapons watchdog 'on its way to Syria', Aljazeera News, April 12, 2018. Report: Pentagon strips Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria troop numbers from web by Tara Copp, Military Times, April 9, 2018. Press Release: Press release on Israeli air strikes in Syria, MFA Russia, February 20, 2018. Article: Kurds pull back from ISIS fight in Syria, saying U.S. 'let us down' by Liz Sly, The Washington Post, March 6, 2018. Report: US has no evidence of Syrian use of sarin gas, Mattis says by Robert Burns, AP News, February 2, 2018. Article: The pundits were wrong about Assad and the Islamic State. As usual, they're not willing to admit it by Max Abrahms and John Glaser, Los Angeles Times, December 10, 2017. Report: [Syria investigator del Ponte signs off with a sting](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-, mideast-crisis-syria-investigator/syria-investigator-del-ponte-signs-off-with-a-sting-idUSKCN1BT29Q) by Reuters Staff, Reuters, September 18, 2017. Article: Trump's red line by Seymour M. Hersh, Welt, June 25, 2017. Article: The 'Pipelineistan' conspiracy: The war in Syria has never been about gas by Paul Cochrane, Middle East Eye, May 10, 2017. Article: MIT expert claims latest chemical weapons attack in Syria was staged by Tareq Haddad, Yahoo, April 17, 2017. Report: MIT expert claims latest chemical weapons attack in Syria was staged by Tareq Haddad, International Business Times, Yahoo, April 17, 2017. Report: Dozens of U.S. missiles hit air base in Syria by Michael R. Gordon, Helene Cooper, and Michael D. Shear, The New York Times, April 6, 2017. Report: ISIS used chemical arms at least 52 times in Syria and Iraq, report says by Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, November 21, 2016. Article: How the White Helmets became international heroes while pushing U.S. Military intervention and regime change in Syria by Max Blumenthal, Alternet, October 2, 2016. Meetings Coverage: Security council unanimously adopts resolution 2254 (2015), endorsing road map for peace process in Syria, setting timetable for talks by UN Security Council, December 18, 2015. Article: How Syria's 'geeky' President Assad went from doctor to dictator by Sarah Burke, NBC News, October 30, 2015. Report: Declared Syrian chemical weapon stockpile now completely destroyed by Thomas Gibbons-Neff, The Washington Post, August 18, 2014. Article: Analysts question US intel on Syria chem attack, DW, January 18, 2014. Book Review: Whose Sarin? by Seymour M. Hersh, London Review of Books, December 19, 2013. Article: UN report says sarin likely used in five locations in Syria, DW, December 13, 2013. Article: Assad did not order Syria chemical weapons attack, says German press by Simon Tisdall and Josie Le Blond, The Guardian, September 9, 2013. Article: Cameron forced rule out British attack on Syria after MPs reject motion by Nicholas Watt and Nick Hopkins, The Guardian, August 29, 2013. Article: Spooks' view on Syria: what wikileaks revealed by Alex Thomson, Channel 4, August 28, 2013. Article: Obama weighs 'limited' strikes against Syrian forces by Thom Shanker, C.J. Chivers, and Michael R. Gordon, The New York Times, August 27, 2013. Report: Moscow rejects Saudi offer to drop Assad for arms deal by Agence France-Presse, Hurriyet Daily News, August 8, 2013. Analysis: UN's Del Ponte says evidence Syria rebels 'used sarin' by Bridget Kendall, BBC News, May 6, 2013. Report: Syrian rebels used nerve gas, UN investigator says by TOI Staff, Times of Israel, May 6, 2013. Report: UN sources say Syrian rebels - not Assad - used sarin gas by Adam Clark Estes, The Atlantic, May 5, 2013. Report: U.N. has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator by Reuters Staff, Reuters, May 5, 2013. Letter: Text of White House letter on Syria to senators by The Associated Press, The Seattle Times, April 25, 2013. Article: How economic reforms are contributing to the conflict in Syria by Rodrigo Abd, NPR, May 29, 2012. Article: The only remaining online copy of Vogue's Asma al-Assad profile by Max Fisher, The Atlantic, January 3, 2012. Report: IMF gives Syria high grade for economic reform by Stephen Glain, The National, January 6, 2009. Report: REFILE-LIberalised Syria banks "on sound track" by Reuters Staff, Reuters, May 26, 2008. Article: The redirection: Is the Administration's new policy benefitting our enemies in the war on terrorism? by Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker, March 5, 2007. Article: Syrian Arab Republic -- IMF article IV consultation, mission's concluding statement, International Monetary Fund, May 14, 2006. Report: Investigator says Syria was behind Lebanon assassination by Warren Hoge, The New York Times, December 12, 2005. Article: Reform hinges on Syria's leader by Evan Osnos, Chicago Tribune, April 22, 2005. Resources Congressional Research Service: Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response Council on Foreign Relations: Syria's War: The Descent into Horror by Zachary Laub Country Reports on Terrorism: Chapter 6 -- State Sponsors of Terror Overview Gov. Publishing Office: Counter-ISIS Training and Equipment Fund IMF Working Paper: Syria's Conflict Economy by Jeanne Gobat and Kristina Kostial Pipeline Report: Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP), Jordan, Syria, Lebanon Public Law: 9/11 AUMF Public Law: Iraq War AUMF Scientific Advisory Board: OPCW 27th Session March 23, 2018 Wikileaks Tweet on OPCW UN News: Action Group for Syria Final Communique June 30, 2012 UN Security Council Report: Goal in Syria Sound Clip Sources Hearing: US Policy Toward Middle East; House Foreign Affairs Committee; April 18, 2018. Witnesses: -David Satterfield - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State - Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs - Wess Mitchell - Assistant Secretary of State of European and Eurasian Affairs 15:25 David Satterfield: While preventing the use of chemical weapons in Syria is our immediate concern, the administration’s priority remains the defeat of ISIS. ISIS has lost nearly all of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria, but the fight in Syria still has to be pursued to its conclusion. More broadly, the United States supports a unified and territorially whole Syria. This objective is served by U.S. support for the UN-led Geneva political process, established by UN Security Council Resolution 2254, in which process the U.S. believes strongly that representatives of all Syrians, including all its Kurdish components, should fully participate. 16:30 David Satterfield: The Iraqi government is stabilizing communities, including minority communities that suffered greatly from ISIS, and now we’re beginning private-sector-led, investment-driven reconstruction. 34:15 Representative Eliot Engel (NY): To me, ISIS is one prong of something, an important prong, but one prong of what we should be doing. I really think to rid Syria of the butcher Assad ought to be as important as our ISIS concerns. David Satterfield: I strongly agree with you that a Syria in which Assad remains as leader of this regime is not a Syria which we would predict to be meaningfully secure or stable, or not a source of generation of threat and violent extremism under whatever name in the future, and it’s why we have strongly supported a political process led by the UN. Unfortunately, that political process has been blocked, and the parties responsible for blocking it are quite clear: it’s the Syrian regime itself and the Russians, who through their absence of pressure on the regime in Damascus contributes to, enables this freezing of a Geneva process which, virtually, the entire international community supports. Engel: And through the veto in the United Nations. Satterfield: Exactly, sir. 1:02:20 Representative Dana Rohrabacher: What is our purpose in Syria? Will we accept anything less than—would we accept a compromise that would keep Assad in power, at least in part of Syria, or is our goal and our purpose only to totally eliminate the Assad government? David Satterfield: Mr. Rohrabacher, our purpose of our forces in Syria, as Secretary Mattis, Chairman Dunford have stated repeatedly, is to defeat ISIS. The purpose of our diplomacy, of our international engagement, with respect to Syria, is to support a political process, which at its end has a revised constitution, elections conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. And our belief is that those elections, if freely and fairly conducted amongst all Syrians, including the émigré Syrian communities, would not produce the survival of the Assad regime. Rohrabacher: Okay, let me just note, what you described wasn’t just Syria, but probably three-quarters of the countries of the Middle East. And if we made those demands of—why is it that Syria, we have to make those demands against Syria and not against all these other countries in the Middle East? Satterfield: Because, sir, of the extraordinary depredations of this regime in this country against its citizens, because of the extraordinary and historically unprecedented, in modern times, outflow of— Rohrabacher: You don’t think the rest of the countries in the Middle East have similar track records? You’re trying to tell me that—well, we heard the same thing, of course, about Saddam Hussein, we heard the same thing about Gaddafi, and we ended up creating total chaos—total chaos—in that part of the world. Satterfield: No regime in modern history in the Middle East, including Saddam Hussein’s— Rohrabacher: Yes. Satterfield: —has killed as many of its own citizens, has produced external and internal displacement of its own citizens on the scale of the Assad regime. No. It’s unique, sadly. Rohrabacher: Well, let me just say, Mr. Ambassador, you read history differently than I do. That is an area that is filled with dictators, it’s filled with authoritarian regimes, filled with our allies, that if people rose up against them as they’re rising up against Assad—he’s a bad guy, he’s a dictator, he’s everything you said, but he’s not that different from these other regimes once they are challenged. Once they were challenged, don’t tell me the Qatar government wouldn’t mow down all of their guest workers if there was an uprising in Qatar, and vice versa with these other regimes. I’m very disturbed by the fact that we’re sliding into a war and not having an out that will not lead us to major military commitments to that region. That would be a disaster, and I think it’s based on the analysis that you just said: that Assad is somewhat different than everybody else. I don’t think so. News: Rand Paul Says Syrian Gas Attack was False Flag, or Assad is Dumbest Dictator on the Planet; CNN News; April 17, 2018. Meeting: U.N. Security Council on Airstrikes in Syria; U.N. Security Council; April 14, 2018. Testimony: Secretary Mattis and General Dunford on 2019 Budget Request; House Armed Services Committee; April 12, 2018. Witnesses: - James Mattis - Secretary of Defense - General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. - Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 41:42 Secretary of Defense James Mattis: On Syria, sir, both the last administration and this one made very clear that our role in Syria is the defeat of ISIS. We are not going to engage in the civil war itself. Now, you can look back to a year ago when we did fire missiles into Syria, unrelated to ISIS, and that was, of course, the use of chemical weapons. And some things are simply inexcusable, beyond the pale, and in the worst interest of not just the Chemical Weapons Convention but of civilization itself. 42:48 Secretary of Defense James Mattis: And the only reason Assad is still in power is because of the Russians’ regrettable vetoes in the UN, and the Russian and Iranian military. So, how do we deal with this very complex situation? First of all, we are committed to ending that war though the Geneva process, the UN orchestrated effort. It has been unfulfilled because, again, Russia has continually blocked the efforts. 50:10 Representative Niki Tsongas (MA): So as you’re considering possible steps forward—military actions you might take— what do you hope to achieve by any military action that the administration might eventually decide to take? Secretary of Defense James Mattis: Congresswoman, I don’t want to get, as you’ll understand, into the details of a potential decision by the commander in chief, due to this latest attack, which is absolutely inexcusable. There have been a number of these attacks. In many cases, you know we don’t have troops. We’re not engaged on the ground there, so I cannot tell you that we had evidence, even though we certainly had a lot of media and social-media indicators that either chlorine or sarin were used. As far as our current situation, if, like last time, we decide we have to take military action in regard to this chemical weapons attack, then, like last time, we will be reporting to Congress just as we did when we fired a little over a year ago, slightly over a year ago. As far as the counter violent extremists, counter ISIS— Tsongas: So, let me go back to this. So, before taking any action, you would report to Congress as to the nature of what that action might be. Mattis: I will speak only to the fact that we will report to Congress. We’ll keep open lines of communication. There will be notification to the leadership, of course, prior to the attack. But we’ll give a full report to the Congress itself, probably as rapidly as possible. 54:05 Secretary of Defense James Mattis: I believe there was a chemical attack, and we’re looking for the actual evidence. The OPCW—this is the organization for the Chemical Weapons Convention—we’re trying to get those inspectors in, probably within the week. 1:00:42 Representative Jackie Speier (CA): Mr. Secretary, a Military Times article this week revealed that the Defense Manpower Data Center failed to report the number of combat troops deployed in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan last quarter. That website was also stripped of deployment data from previous quarters. I’m very concerned about that. I think that there’s no combat advantage to obfuscating the number of U.S. service members that were in these countries three months ago, and, furthermore, the American public has a right to know. Do you intend to restore that information to the website? Secretary of Defense James Mattis: I’ll look at it, Congresswoman. As you know, we keep the Congress fully informed, right down to every week. We can update you on exactly the numbers in each case, and we do maintain some degree of confidentiality over the number of troops engaged against enemies in the field. So, I’ll have to look at it. But we will not, of course, ever keep those numbers away from members of Congress, for your oversight. Speier: Well, I know, but this has been an ongoing website that’s provided this information to the public, and all of a sudden, the last quarter, it’s not posted, and they’ve sweeped away all the data for previous quarters. So, it would suggest to, I think, the public and to members of this Congress that you are no longer going to make that information available, and I think the public has a right to know. Mattis: I see. When I come in, ma’am, I don’t come in intending to hide things, but I would just ask, what would you do if you thought the enemy could take advantage of that kind of data, seeing trends at certain times of the year and what they can expect in the future? But I’ll certainly look at it. I share your conviction that the American people should know everything that doesn’t give the enemy an advantage. Speier: Thank you. I yield back. 1:18:09 Representative John Garamendi (CA): What is the legal authority—the precise legal authority—of the United States government to engage in military action in response to the chemical weapons use by the Assad regime? Secretary of Defense James Mattis: Right. I believe that authority’s under Article II. We have forces in the field, as you know, in Syria, and the use of chemical weapons in Syria is not something that we should assume that, well, because you didn’t use them on us this time, you wouldn’t use them on us next time. 1:28:35 Representative Tulsi Gabbard (HI): You know, the president has indicated recently his intention to launch U.S. military attacks against Syria. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war. Congress has not done so against the Syrian government. Section 3 of the War Powers Resolution requires the president to consult with Congress before introducing U.S. armed forces into situations of hostilities. Section 2 of the War Powers Resolution clarifies the constitutional powers of the president as commander in chief. In Article II, which you referenced, Secretary Mattis, to introduce forces into hostilities only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by an attack upon the U.S., its territories, possessions, or armed forces. Syria’s not declared war against the U.S. or threatened the U.S. The launch of 59 missiles against Syria by Trump last year was illegal and did not meet any of those criteria in the War Powers Resolution. The consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, which was signed into law by President Trump, states that none of the funds made available by this Act may be used with respect to Syria in contravention of the War Powers Resolution, including for the introduction of U.S. armed military forces into hostilities in Syria. My question is, will the president uphold the Constitution, the War Powers Resolution, and comply with the law that he signed by obtaining authorization from Congress before launching U.S. military attacks against Syria? Secretary of Defense James Mattis: Congresswoman, we have not yet made any decision to launch military attacks into Syria. I think that when you look back at President Obama sending the U.S. troops into Syria at the time he did, he also had to deal with this type of situation, because we were going after a named terrorist group that was not actually named in the AUMF that put them in. This is a complex area, I’ll be the first to admit. Gabbard: It is simple, however, what the Constitution requires. So while you’re correct in saying the president has not yet made a decision, my question is, will he abide by the Constitution and comply with the law? Mattis: Yeah. I believe that the president will carry out his duties under the Constitution to protect the country. Interview: John Kerry - We Got All of the Chemical Weapons Out of Syria; CNN; April 9, 2018. Interview: John Kerry on Getting Chemical Weapons out of Syria, 2014; Meet the Press; April 9, 2018. Testimony: US Policy in Syria After ISIS; Senate Foreign Relations Committee; January 11, 2018. Witnesses: - David Satterfield - Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs 13:45 David Satterfield: A stable Syria absolutely requires the departure of President Assad and his regime. They’ve inflicted suffering and countless deaths on the Syrian people, including use of chemical weapons. This regime is a magnet for terror. It is incapable of democratically leading the whole of Syria. We, our allies, have come to Russia with a path towards the Syrian political transition, towards a political solution, on many occasions, and we call on Russia again today to pressure the regime to work seriously towards a political resolution to this conflict. 14:37 Sen. Bob Corker (TN): We are now not demanding that Assad leave. Instead, as I understand it, we’re embracing the UN resolution as Putin has recently done. Is that correct? David Satterfield: That’s correct, Mr. Chairman. Corker: And that would mean that there would then be an election that would take place. Satterfield: There would be a constitutional reform and revision process, and then there would be an electoral process. That electoral process would be fully under UN monitoring and supervision. Corker: And is it true that—it’s my sense that people like you and others believe that if that process occurs as has been laid out and as supported right now by Russia, do you believe that the way Assad would go through a democratic election where he would lose? Satterfield: Mr. Chairman, we cannot conceive of a circumstance which a genuinely fair electoral process overseen by the UN, with participation of a Syrian displaced community, could lead to a result in which Assad remained at the helm. 21:20 David Satterfield: First step was the defeat of ISIS. As long as ISIS remained a potent fighting force in Syria, the bandwidth, the space to deal with these broader strategic challenges, including Iran and, of course, Assad and the regime, simply wasn’t there. But that bandwidth is being freed up now. With the UN process, with international support for a credible electoral and constitutional reform process, we see political transition in Syria as a potentially achievable goal. We don’t underestimate the challenges ahead. It’s going to be hard—very hard—to do. Assad will cling to power at almost every cost possible. But with respect to Iran, we will treat Iran in Syria and Iran’s enablement of Hezbollah as a separate strategic issue. How do you deal with it? You deal with it in all places that it manifests itself, which is not just Syria, but Iraq, Yemen, the Gulf, other areas where Iran’s maligned behaviors affect our and our allies’ national interests. Difficult challenge, but not impossible challenge, and it is one we are seized with right now, but having a politically transformed Syria will, in and of itself, be a mitigating and minimizing factor on Iran’s influence, and the opposite is also true. Satterfield: We are working on stabilization in the north and the northeast right now very successfully and with a minimum of U.S. physical presence. About 2,000 U.S. military and seven, soon to be 10, foreign service colleagues. This is a highly efficient operation, and it’s working on the ground. But those are only the first steps. The 2254 political process, the process that the entire international community of like-minded states has signed on to, is the key. It’s the key to addressing Assad and his departure; it is the key to resolving the question of foreign forces and Iranian influence. And what are our levers, what are our tools to move that forward? They are denial of legitimacy and authenticity to any claim of victory by the regime or its supporters in Moscow or Tehran, and the withholding of reconstruction funds, which are vital to the regime and we think Moscow’s interests over the long term. Those are potent levers. 48:58 Sen. Bob Corker: As I understand, the troops that are there, they’re not involved in combat. Is that correct? David Satterfield: Senator, there are still combat activities going on in the middle Euphrates valley. The campaign against the so-called Caliphate, that is, the territorially structured presence of ISIS, is not over yet. That campaign continues. The level of fighting has significantly diminished since the days of urban conflict in Mayadeen, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor. But the fight goes on, and there is combat activity. Corker: But, most of their efforts are in support of those that are actually on the front lines. Satterfield: They are in facilitation of the SDF efforts, who have consistently carried this fight since the beginning. 49:47 Sen. Ron Johnson (OH): Reconstructing Syria’s going to cost somewhere in the order of 200 to 300 billion dollars. Is that…? David Satterfield: That’s a general international estimate, sir. Johnson: So, who has that kind of money? Satterfield: I can tell you who doesn’t: the Syrian regime, Moscow, and Tehran. Who does? The international community companies, international financial institutions. They’ve got the money collectively, but that money is not going to flow into a Syria which has not gone through a political transformation and transition. Hearing: Authorization for Use of Military Force; Senate Foreign Relations Committee; October 30, 2017. 2:55:15 Sen. Rob Portman (OH): Do you think there can be a lasting peace there as long as Assad is in power, and does the current AUMF give you the ability, General Mattis, to be able to deal with that issue if you think that has to be resolved? That might be one example. Rex Tillerson: Well, the current AUMF only authorizes our fight against ISIS in Syria, as I indicated in my remarks. We’re not there to fight the regime. There is no authority beyond the fight against ISIS. Therefore, we have to pursue a future Syria that’s kept whole and intact, and a process, which the UN Security Council process does provide a process by which, in our view, the Assad regime will step down from power. Breaking News: Brian Williams is Guided by the Beauty of Our Weapons in Syria Strikes; MSNBC; April 13, 2017. Breaking News: Zakaria: Trump Just Became President; CNN; April 7, 2017. Report: Hillary Clinton Discussed Rigging the Election in Leaked Audio; The Young Turks; November 1, 2016. Interview: Gen. Wesley Clark - 7 Countries in 5 Years; Democracy Now!; August 6, 2016. Hearing: U.S. Policy and Russian Involvement in Syria; House Foreign Affairs Committee; November 4, 2015. Witnesses: - Anne Patterson - Assistant Secretary of State - Victoria Nuland - Assistant Secretary of State Statement: Situation in Syria; Secretary of State Clinton calls on Assad to resign Interview: 100% Syria Have No Chemical Weapon, John Kerry; Charlie Rose; March 10, 2014. Debate: British House of Commons Debate on Syria; House of Commons; August 29, 2013. Press Briefing: US President Barack Obama in 'red line' warning to Syria over Chemical Weapons; Telegraph; August 21, 2012. Testimony: US Policy Toward Syria; House International Relations Committee; September 16, 2003. Speech: Democracy in Iraq; George Bush; February 26, 2003. Witnesses: - John Bolton - then Undersecretary at the Department of State for Arms Control, current National Security Advisor 53:12 Former Representative Gary Ackerman (NY): Are we talking about regime change in Syria if they do not voluntarily rid themselves of whatever it is we’re saying they have or do that threatens our national security? John Bolton: Mr. Ackerman, as the president has made clear and as we are directed, our preference is to solve these problems by peaceful and diplomatic means. But the president has also been very clear that we’re not taking any options off the table. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)  

The breaking news that a donor to the Clinton Foundation namely, the Lebanon-born Gilbert Chagoury has been denied a visa to the US on the basis of links to the Hezbollah, via his financial patronage of Lebanon's presidential candidate Gen. Michel Aoun came as no surprise to many. The links between the Lebanese-Nigerian Oligarch and presidency-obsessed Aoun are well-known to all parties who have any inkling into Lebanon's murky politics. The US Embassy in Lebanon needed no covert operation to unearth this reality, which is taken at face value as a rich Lebanese businessman buying himself political access. Business as usual in the country of the Cedars one would assume, except that in this case, it was not. Gen. Aoun is allied to Hezbollah the proxy militia of Iran in the Middle East with a military arm and a direct engagement in theatres of operations throughout the Middle East. This organization is labeled by the US State Department, which was till recently headed by no other than Mrs. Hillary Clinton, as a terrorist organization. Mr. Chagoury by financing Gen. Aoun in one hand and donating to the Clinton Foundation in the other, has shortened the distance between the two ends of this arc, former Secretary of State Clinton and Iran's paramilitary henchmen. The current US State Department, which is not beholden to the same commitments to the Clinton Foundation as was its predecessor, took exception at the visa application of the oligarch donor. Nobody at Foggy Bottom risked receiving an angry call from the Clinton Foundation, or from ‘Huma', summoning them to expedite the Chagoury application and to grant him a waiver from US security restrictions. Not that this US State Department under Kerry is unwilling to deal or even pay Iran a ransom of $400 m to free some US hostages. But times have changed and that was a government to government transaction not an individual to foundation transaction. After all, the current US State Secretary has principles. What are they, remains to be seen. Not only did Mr. Chagoury donate money but it seems –according to press reports- that he attempted to get in touch –and probably did- with the top honcho at State overseeing the affairs of Lebanon. That was Jeff Feltman, former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from August 2009 to June 2012 with the rank of Career Minister. He was previously the US Ambassador to Lebanon from July 2004 to January 2008. So Mrs. Clinton and her august Foundation have some questions to answer both to the US and to the Lebanese public. How did the Foundation accept money from someone with such notorious, explicit and well-advertised links to a US-labeled terrorist organization; and what access, influence, intelligence, advantage did such character obtain from the US State Department in connection with Lebanon? These are two interlinked questions that only Mrs. Clinton can and should answer. Not only for the sake of clearing the air during her presidential bid, but for coming out clean about the ways and means the US State Department worked under her watch. Could her tenure be portrayed as one where US influence in foreign affairs was for hire, or worse, for sale?

In today's podcast, we hear about some Pokémon-themed Linux rootkits. An evolved Linux Trojan is herding I0T botnets. Social media monitoring leads to convictions of jihadist plotters in Australia and the UK. Pegasus spyware and NSO Group's pricelist. Election hacking on four continents. Are the Shadow Brokers engaged in intelligence or influence operations? (In any case, no one's really bidding on the Equation Group code the Brokers say they're auctioning.) The FBI releases information on its investigation into former Secretary of State Clinton's email. Accenture Labs' Malek Ben Salem describes frameworks for Industrial IoT. And for a while it looked like cyber high noon at the G20 talks. 

Guest:  Bruce Woodhull, author...........his latest book is "Omaha in the time of the saints"........we will look at The Clinton Foundation and its operations..........the AP story that donors got appointments with Secretary of State Clinton..........the idea of a former President running around the world collecting money from any regime regardless of their views on human rights..........was it a Foundation or an organization  created to buy access to a future Clinton administration?        Click here for some of our friends: ...CLICK AUDIBLE.COM, YOUR SOURCE FOR AUDIO BOOKS! CHECK OUT MY FRIEND CARLOS GUEDES AND HIS MUSIC........ FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER....

In today's podcast we hear about Yingmob's HummingBad Android malware, what it's up to and where it might be headed. We also learn about Eleanor, a Mac OS-X backdoor masquerading as a document conversion app, and we hear about the shifting form of the pseudo-DarkLeech ransomware campaign. The ThinkPwn zero-day may have a wider scope than originally thought. Observers wonder whether ISIS may be overplaying its bloody hand, and, of course, we find out what the FBI concluded in its investigation of former Secretary of State Clinton's emails. Joe Carrigan, from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, reminds us to take care when setting up a new router.

Tim Talks to the CEO of Invesp about navigating the treacherous waters of ecommerce website redesigns, and how to involve both creative designers and IT people in the project for maximum results. He also chats about Khalid’s run-ins with famous Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry.

The Total Tutor Neil Haley will interview New York Times Best Selling Author Dan Bongino Author of The Fight. in his book   ...The Fight: A Secret Service Agent's Inside Account of Security Failings and the Political Machine…. Dan lays out the current political and security failings of our nation, and the frightening concenpt of Secretary of State Clinton's emails. The gloves are off, Bongino is playing for keeps and knows this is a very dramatic period in our nation's ability to cover and defend itself. Please check out the link to his powerful Op Ed in the New York Post from December 9 (the press kit for the book is attached as well in this email). He provides personal insights that he knows from first hand experience to issues ranging from national security and the political arena such as: *Clinton's emails quagmire and flagrant violation of protocol which might be the least of our worries if she's elected President   *White House fence jumper and drone security breaches showing a dystopian security future where privacy will have to be bought, and your secrets might be available to the highest bidder *President Obama's insulated ideological life which has forged him into a grossly inadequate Commander-In-Chief with his failures to understand what his tentative inaction is doing to our standing in the world The national election  year is upon is, and politics and national security are the issues of the day that must be addressed. I urge you to interview Dan Bongino for your show and give coverage to your publication. What he has to say is spot on, eye opening, and may be the best advice our nation receives in order to straighten itself out.  I look forward to speaking with you at yoru earliest convenience.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. How can the United States and her allies abroad develop effective strategies to prevent violent extremism? And what are the deeper issues causing this phenomenon? Building on her wealth of expertise in international affairs from both business and government, Farah Pandith has long been at the forefront of research and policy efforts to counter violent extremism. Following several years on the National Security Council, Pandith became senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, where she was tasked with understanding the changing Muslim demographics in Europe and developing strategies to prevent violent extremism. In 2009, then-Secretary of State Clinton appointed Pandith as the first ever special representative to Muslim Communities for the State Department, where she developed a vision of engagement with Muslims across the globe. Farah Pandith joined the IOP to discuss her time at the frontline of countering violent extremism and the challenges policymakers face in this endeavor.

If you experience any technical difficulties with this video or would like to make an accessibility-related request, please send a message to digicomm@uchicago.edu. How can the United States and her allies abroad develop effective strategies to prevent violent extremism? And what are the deeper issues causing this phenomenon? Building on her wealth of expertise in international affairs from both business and government, Farah Pandith has long been at the forefront of research and policy efforts to counter violent extremism. Following several years on the National Security Council, Pandith became senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, where she was tasked with understanding the changing Muslim demographics in Europe and developing strategies to prevent violent extremism. In 2009, then-Secretary of State Clinton appointed Pandith as the first ever special representative to Muslim Communities for the State Department, where she developed a vision of engagement with Muslims across the globe. Farah Pandith joined the IOP to discuss her time at the frontline of countering violent extremism and the challenges policymakers face in this endeavor.

It's been a busy week in the nation's capitol. In this week's Washington Report, David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, talks to  Kerry Nolan about the final week of Hillary Rodham Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State, as well as an effort to reinstate an assault weapons ban and U.S. assistance to France in Mali.

During another slow week in Congress, Jesse Jackson Jr. resigns, Nydia Velazquez (NY) ignores a subpoena, the Department of Homeland Security gets investigated, the Senate fights about filibusters, and the Trans-Pacific-Partnership is confirmed as real, secret, and scary. Bills Signed Into Law: - HR 2606: Fast tracks Rockaways gas pipeline for Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company (Transco) - S 1956: Prohibits airlines from participating in EU cap & trade program. Jesse Jackson Resignation - Hasn't been seen since June and didn't campaign but still won his seat - Is under investigation for allegedly trying to buy Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat in 2008. Nydia Velazquez (NY) sent a letter to Congress saying she is going to ignore a subpoena - No information available on the court case she is involved in or why she is ignoring the subpoena. - Represents Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, Queens. - Has been serving for 20 years - Top contributor is Goldman Sachs (she's on the financial services committee) - Got the vast majority of her 2012 money from large individual donors (rich people) and secret PACs (almost half a million) - Voted for bailouts and against auditing the Fed HR 5913: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Accountability Act- passed the House 11/27 - Independent panel to do an assessment of DHS because its creation was and remains high risk. - DHS was a creation of the Bush administration in 2002 - 22 agencies were merged = dysfunctional government - FEMA - issued huge contracts with little to no oversight after Katrina. - TSA - hundreds of employees have been arrested for thefts. - Immigration & Border Patrol- employees arrested for accepting bribes. - Federal protective service - short staffed and not performing their duties sufficiently. - Senate also passed S. 1998: tells DHS to keep financial records for an audit next year HR 6429: STEM Jobs Act- passed the House 11/30 - Legislation backed by Apple, Oracle, Cisco, & Adobe - Makes it easier for foreign students graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math to get visas - Limits the number of visas for regular families - Eliminates the diversity visa program that gives visas to people from more random countries - Won't be become law; Obama administration is opposed Filibuster Change in Senate - Filibuster = Objection that postpones a bill from coming up for a vote. - One strategy is endless debate: Senate rules allow Senators to speak as long as they wish unless 60 Senators vote to shut them up (cloture). - Another strategy is an individual Senator placing a hold; if 60 votes aren't there to over-ride the hold, the bill is blocked from a vote. - Changes to Senate rules can be done by a simple majority but only on the first day of the session in January. - Most likely change: the next Congress might require the blocker to stay on the floor and defend their objection. - 1960's: No Congress had more than 7, 2000's: Avg over 100 in each of the last 3 Congresses Trans Pacific Partnership - A trade deal being crafted in secret with the cooperation of 600 corporations. - Will manage 40% of all global trade (according to Secretary of State Clinton). - Congressional representatives have been denied access to TPP negotiations and documents. - Next round scheduled for next week (Dec. 3-12) in Auckland, New Zealand

The World Affairs Council is pleased to welcome the Honorable Stephen Rapp, Ambassador-at-Large for the Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice, to discuss how the US can further accountability for mass atrocities and crimes against humanity at a time when important tribunals and special courts are coming to a close and when the International Criminal Court has limited reach and capacity. The Office of Global Criminal Justice advises Secretary of State Clinton and formulates US policy on prevention and accountability for mass atrocities that occur throughout the world. It also coordinates US government support for international and hybrid courts that are currently conducting trials for war crimes, genocide, and other atrocities. Ambassador Rapp was previously the head prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and has held his current post since 2009. With ongoing wars and conflicts around the world that inevitably create tragic crimes against humanity, the work of the Office of Global Criminal Justice is ever more relevant.

State Department Calls Plan to Burn Korans 'Un-American' From Fox NewsThe State Department described as "un-American" plans by a controversial church to burn Korans in memory of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks -- though the head of that church says he is not deterred.State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called the plan "inflammatory" at a briefing Tuesday and said it would put U.S. troops and interest around the world at risk, echoing a concern expressed by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. "It doesn't represent the vast majority of American views," Crowley said. Secretary of State Clinton also condemned the church's plans during her remarks at a State Department dinner she hosted in observance of Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan."I am heartened by the clear, unequivocal condemnation of this disrespectful, disgraceful act that has come from American religious leaders of all faiths," Clinton said.Gen. David Petraeus, head of Multinational Forces in Afghanistan, repeated his warning Tuesday that any plans to burn the Muslim holy book -- considered a major offense in the Islamic community -- would jeopardize U.S. military efforts. But Terry Jones, pastor of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., says not even protests and death threats will deter him. He told MyFoxOrlando.com that he and the church's members feel strongly about their decision to hold the book burning despite being denied a permit from the fire department. "We understand the general's concerns, we are taking those into consideration," Jones was quoted saying. "We feel it's maybe the right time for America to stand up. How long are we going to bow down? How long are we going to be controlled by the terrorists, by radical Islam?" On Tuesday, Petraeus said that even rumors of the possibility the church would hold a Koran-burning touched off protests in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia. "Images of the burning of a Koran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan -- and around the world -- to inflame public opinion and incite violence," Petraeus said. "Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult." Though the National Association of Evangelicals and the National Council of Churches have denounced the plan to burn the Koran, Jones indicated he had support from other churches around the country. He did not name any, however. Jones said he and members of his church are taking seriously several death threats directed at them, but if something happened, it would not be their fault. "We will not be responsible," Jones said. "We are only reacting to the violence that is already there in that religion."Click here to read more from MyFoxOrlando.com.

Healthcare reform was an uphill battle for the President and Democrats in the Congress. Will the Senate go along? Will Republicans be the real winners, or will the bill turn out to be a lot more popular than expected? Also, Secretary of State Clinton reassures Israel, but stands firm on objections to new settlements. On Reporter's Notebook, will disputed election results mean a return to sectarian violence in Iraq?

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has enough problems dealing with the Obama administration and the Iranian nuclear threat...The last thing he needs is an American-Israel lobby supporting positions contrary to the current Israeli government...Are there rough waters ahead for US/Israel relations?...Official American policy statements by Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton and others are sending up warning flags...Will Washington wake up in time?...All this and more on "The Marty Roberts Show"...

This edition features stories on President Obama sending 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, fast-paced reconstruction in Iraq, Secretary of State Clinton's visit to Asia, a marshland community in southern Iraq getting its first school and the success of outreach programs in bringing peace and prosperity to remote villages in Afghanistan.