theduran--2020-05-02--Steele testifies in UK, admits to deep ties with Clinton machine (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss how dossier author Christopher Steele had undisclosed meetings with top DNC & Clinton campaign lawyer , revealing the disgraced spies ties to the Hillary Clinton machine .
Christopher Steele revealed in testimony last month , that has now been made public , that he met with two lawyers for the Democrats as part of his investigation into Donald Trump .
Steele testified under oath , the he met with Perkins Coie partners Michael Sussmann and Marc Elias .
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A lawyer representing the DNC and Clinton campaign provided Christopher Steele with information in 2016 regarding an alleged secret communications channel between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank , the former spy told a British court last month .
That now-debunked tip , from Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann , set off a chain of events that led to Steele publishing a Sept. 14 , 2016 memo accusing the founders of the bank , Alfa Bank , of having “ illicit ” ties to Vladimir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation .
A week after Steele wrote that memo , he had another meeting with Sussmann ’ s colleague , Marc Elias , according to the transcript .
Steele disclosed the previously unreported meetings with Sussmann and Elias during testimony in a defamation lawsuit filed against him by the Alfa Bank founders , the transcript shows .
Steele ’ s testimony about Sussmann and Elias provides insight into how deeply involved the two lawyers were in the Trump investigation , and suggests they helped shape Steele ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2016 election .
Perkins Coie , Sussmann and Elias did not respond to requests for comment for this story .
Elias , who served as general counsel for the Clinton campaign , hired Fusion GPS in April 2016 to investigate Donald Trump .
Fusion GPS in turn picked Steele , a former MI6 officer , in June 2016 to investigate Trump ’ s possible ties to Russia .
Steele would go on to produce 17 memos alleging that the Russian government had blackmail material on Trump , and that members of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence the 2016 election .
Many of Steele ’ s most explosive allegations have been debunked in the 40 months since BuzzFeed News published the dossier .
A Justice Department inspector general ’ s report said that Steele ’ s primary source of information disputed many of the allegations in the dossier .
The IG report also said that the FBI and U.S. intelligence community received evidence in 2017 that Russian intelligence operatives may have fed disinformation to Steele .
The IG report also dealt a fatal blow to the Alfa Bank theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI investigated whether there were “ cyber links ” between Alfa Bank and the Trump Organization , the company owned by Donald Trump , “ but had concluded by early February 2017 that there were no such links.
” The three owners of Alfa Bank have sued Steele in the U.S. and U.K. over the Sept. 14 , 2016 memo , which is referred to as “ Company Intelligence Report 112 ” in the dossier .
Steele testified under oath in London on March 17 and 18 .
He revealed that Sussmann , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him during a meeting on July 29 , 2016 about suspicious network traffic between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank , according to the transcript .
He also said that the theory about the computer server traffic was the catalyst for the dossier memo he would write six weeks later about Alfa Bank , the transcript shows .
“ I ’ m very clear is that the first person that ever mentioned the Trump server issue , Alfa server issue , was Mr. Sussman [ sic ] , ” Steele told Hugh Tomlinson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owners , on March 17 , the transcript shows .
Steele went on to say that Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson instructed him at some point after the Sussmann meeting to write a report about Alfa Bank , according to the transcript .
“ I was given the instruction sometime after that meeting by Mr. Simpson , ” said Steele , adding that the instruction from Simpson “ was absolutely , definitely linked to the server issue , ” the transcript shows .
It was not previously known whether Steele keyed in on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or if someone else tasked him with investigating the bank .
Steele said that he directed his dossier source to collect information from Russia about the bank , the transcript shows .
The transcript also shows that Steele claimed that the source , who has not been identified , met with a “ top level Russian government official , ” who reported back on the Alfa Bank founders .
In Report 112 , Steele wrote that the Russian official said that the three Alfa Bank founders had had “ ups and down ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but were on “ very good terms ” with the Russian leader at the time .
The source also alleged that the Alfa Bank founders had delivered “ large amounts of cash ” to Putin in the 1990s , when he served as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg .
The report also alleges that both sides held compromising information on the other , keeping everyone involved in check .
Sussmann shopped the allegations about the Alfa Bank computer servers around to others besides Steele , including to journalists and the FBI ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with reporters from the New York Times and Slate , which ran a story on Oct. 31 , 2016 .
According to that story , Alfa Bank ’ s servers were communicating in a peculiar fashion with those of the Trump Organization .
A team of computer experts who studied the traffic determined that the Alfa-Trump channel was being used for some sort of communication between the two sides , the story said .
That assessment , if true , would have fit into Steele ’ s theory that the Trump campaign was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story appeared as rumors gained steam that the Trump campaign was somehow involved in the hack and release of emails from the DNC and Clinton campaign .
On Sept. 23 , 2016 , Yahoo !
News published a story alleging that Trump campaign aide Carter Page met secretly with Kremlin insiders to discuss exchanging material on Hillary Clinton .
On the day the Slate story appeared , Mother Jones reporter David Corn published a report citing a “ former Western intelligence officer ” who claimed that the Russian government had compromising material on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steele was involved in one way or the other in all three of the stories .
He has acknowledged in court proceedings to meeting with both reporters from Mother Jones and Yahoo , and had investigated the allegations central to the Slate story .
To further spread the Alfa Bank story , Sussmann contacted James Baker , his former DOJ colleague who then served as general counsel for the FBI .
Baker told House investigators on Oct. 18 , 2018 that Sussmann contacted him to share the information and that they met on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a busy one for the FBI ’ s Crossfire Hurricane team .
The Justice Department IG report said that Steele provided six memos from his dossier to the FBI that same day .
The FBI began almost immediately drafting an application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ) warrant against Carter Page .
The applications relied heavily on Steele ’ s dossier , which alleged that Page was a key link between the Trump team and Kremlin .
Notably , Steele did not provide the FBI with Report 112 from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report .
The FBI eventually obtained the memo on Nov. 6 , 2016 , when provided it to Baker .
It is unclear whether Sussmann and Steele ’ s outreach to the FBI on Sept. 19 , 2016 was coordinated , or merely coincidental .
Three days later , Steele met with Elias at Perkins Coie ’ s offices in Washington , D.C. , the ex-spy testified .
Steele did not provide details of his discussions with Elias .
He also met with several journalists to discuss the dossier during that same visit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the journalists Steele met was Michael Isikoff , the author of the Yahoo !
story about Carter Page .
Perkins Coie has been reluctant to discuss its affiliation with Fusion GPS and Steele .
Elias , the Perkins Coie partner , did not disclose his involvement in the matter when he attended a congressional deposition regarding the dossier along with his client , former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta .
New York Times reporter Ken Vogel has said that Elias misled him in 2017 when asked if Perkins Coie funded the dossier .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ information regarding an Alfa Bank connection to the Trump Organization .
Steele testified that a group of cyber experts passed Sussmann the information in late July 2016 .
The cyber experts , who go by the pseudonyms “ Max ” and “ Tea Leaves , ” have spoken to numerous reporters about their investigation , including at Slate , The New Yorker and The New York Times .
A cyber firm that Alfa Bank hired to investigate the server allegations determined that the computer records were likely fabricated by “ threat actors ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as though a connection existed ” between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank .
“ If true , this would constitute a potential violation of various US federal laws , ” Ankura , the cyber firm , wrote in a report released Friday .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss how dossier author Christopher Steele had undisclosed meetings with top DNC & Clinton campaign lawyer, revealing the disgraced spies ties to the Hillary Clinton machine.
Christopher Steele revealed in testimony last month, that has now been made public, that he met with two lawyers for the Democrats as part of his investigation into Donald Trump. Steele testified under oath, the he met with Perkins Coie partners Michael Sussmann and Marc Elias.
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Via The Daily Caller…
A lawyer representing the DNC and Clinton campaign provided Christopher Steele with information in 2016 regarding an alleged secret communications channel between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank, the former spy told a British court last month.
That now-debunked tip, from Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann, set off a chain of events that led to Steele publishing a Sept. 14, 2016 memo accusing the founders of the bank, Alfa Bank, of having “illicit” ties to Vladimir Putin, according to a court transcript obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
A week after Steele wrote that memo, he had another meeting with Sussmann’s colleague, Marc Elias, according to the transcript.
Steele disclosed the previously unreported meetings with Sussmann and Elias during testimony in a defamation lawsuit filed against him by the Alfa Bank founders, the transcript shows.
Steele’s testimony about Sussmann and Elias provides insight into how deeply involved the two lawyers were in the Trump investigation, and suggests they helped shape Steele’s investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Perkins Coie, Sussmann and Elias did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
Elias, who served as general counsel for the Clinton campaign, hired Fusion GPS in April 2016 to investigate Donald Trump. Fusion GPS in turn picked Steele, a former MI6 officer, in June 2016 to investigate Trump’s possible ties to Russia.
Steele would go on to produce 17 memos alleging that the Russian government had blackmail material on Trump, and that members of his campaign were conspiring with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election.
Many of Steele’s most explosive allegations have been debunked in the 40 months since BuzzFeed News published the dossier.
A Justice Department inspector general’s report said that Steele’s primary source of information disputed many of the allegations in the dossier. The IG report also said that the FBI and U.S. intelligence community received evidence in 2017 that Russian intelligence operatives may have fed disinformation to Steele.
The IG report also dealt a fatal blow to the Alfa Bank theory peddled by Sussmann.
It said the FBI investigated whether there were “cyber links” between Alfa Bank and the Trump Organization, the company owned by Donald Trump, “but had concluded by early February 2017 that there were no such links.”
The three owners of Alfa Bank have sued Steele in the U.S. and U.K. over the Sept. 14, 2016 memo, which is referred to as “Company Intelligence Report 112” in the dossier.
Steele testified under oath in London on March 17 and 18.
He revealed that Sussmann, a former Justice Department official, told him during a meeting on July 29, 2016 about suspicious network traffic between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, according to the transcript.
He also said that the theory about the computer server traffic was the catalyst for the dossier memo he would write six weeks later about Alfa Bank, the transcript shows.
“I’m very clear is that the first person that ever mentioned the Trump server issue, Alfa server issue, was Mr. Sussman [sic],” Steele told Hugh Tomlinson, a lawyer for the Alfa Bank owners, on March 17, the transcript shows.
Steele went on to say that Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson instructed him at some point after the Sussmann meeting to write a report about Alfa Bank, according to the transcript.
“I was given the instruction sometime after that meeting by Mr. Simpson,” said Steele, adding that the instruction from Simpson “was absolutely, definitely linked to the server issue,” the transcript shows.
It was not previously known whether Steele keyed in on Alfa Bank on his own initiative, or if someone else tasked him with investigating the bank.
Steele said that he directed his dossier source to collect information from Russia about the bank, the transcript shows.
The transcript also shows that Steele claimed that the source, who has not been identified, met with a “top level Russian government official,” who reported back on the Alfa Bank founders.
In Report 112, Steele wrote that the Russian official said that the three Alfa Bank founders had had “ups and down” with Vladimir Putin in the past, but were on “very good terms” with the Russian leader at the time. The source also alleged that the Alfa Bank founders had delivered “large amounts of cash” to Putin in the 1990s, when he served as deputy mayor of St. Petersburg.
The report also alleges that both sides held compromising information on the other, keeping everyone involved in check.
The Alfa Bank founders have vehemently denied Steele’s allegations.
Sussmann shopped the allegations about the Alfa Bank computer servers around to others besides Steele, including to journalists and the FBI’s top lawyer.
He shared the information with reporters from the New York Times and Slate, which ran a story on Oct. 31, 2016.
According to that story, Alfa Bank’s servers were communicating in a peculiar fashion with those of the Trump Organization. A team of computer experts who studied the traffic determined that the Alfa-Trump channel was being used for some sort of communication between the two sides, the story said.
That assessment, if true, would have fit into Steele’s theory that the Trump campaign was conspiring with the Kremlin.
The Slate story appeared as rumors gained steam that the Trump campaign was somehow involved in the hack and release of emails from the DNC and Clinton campaign. On Sept. 23, 2016, Yahoo! News published a story alleging that Trump campaign aide Carter Page met secretly with Kremlin insiders to discuss exchanging material on Hillary Clinton.
On the day the Slate story appeared, Mother Jones reporter David Corn published a report citing a “former Western intelligence officer” who claimed that the Russian government had compromising material on Trump.
It is now known that Steele was involved in one way or the other in all three of the stories. He has acknowledged in court proceedings to meeting with both reporters from Mother Jones and Yahoo, and had investigated the allegations central to the Slate story.
To further spread the Alfa Bank story, Sussmann contacted James Baker, his former DOJ colleague who then served as general counsel for the FBI. Baker told House investigators on Oct. 18, 2018 that Sussmann contacted him to share the information and that they met on Sept. 19, 2016.
That day was a busy one for the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane team. The Justice Department IG report said that Steele provided six memos from his dossier to the FBI that same day.
The FBI began almost immediately drafting an application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against Carter Page. The applications relied heavily on Steele’s dossier, which alleged that Page was a key link between the Trump team and Kremlin.
Notably, Steele did not provide the FBI with Report 112 from his dossier, according to the IG report. The FBI eventually obtained the memo on Nov. 6, 2016, when provided it to Baker.
It is unclear whether Sussmann and Steele’s outreach to the FBI on Sept. 19, 2016 was coordinated, or merely coincidental.
Three days later, Steele met with Elias at Perkins Coie’s offices in Washington, D.C., the ex-spy testified. Steele did not provide details of his discussions with Elias.
He also met with several journalists to discuss the dossier during that same visit to the U.S. capital. One of the journalists Steele met was Michael Isikoff, the author of the Yahoo! story about Carter Page.
Perkins Coie has been reluctant to discuss its affiliation with Fusion GPS and Steele. Elias, the Perkins Coie partner, did not disclose his involvement in the matter when he attended a congressional deposition regarding the dossier along with his client, former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.
New York Times reporter Ken Vogel has said that Elias misled him in 2017 when asked if Perkins Coie funded the dossier.
One mystery is where Sussmann obtained the information regarding an Alfa Bank connection to the Trump Organization. Steele testified that a group of cyber experts passed Sussmann the information in late July 2016.
The cyber experts, who go by the pseudonyms “Max” and “Tea Leaves,” have spoken to numerous reporters about their investigation, including at Slate, The New Yorker and The New York Times.
A cyber firm that Alfa Bank hired to investigate the server allegations determined that the computer records were likely fabricated by “threat actors” who wanted “to make it appear as though a connection existed” between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank.
“If true, this would constitute a potential violation of various US federal laws,” Ankura, the cyber firm, wrote in a report released Friday.
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theduran--2020-05-03--Leaked document claims research into “a virus that could not be cured.”

A newspiece on Fox News alluding to a leaked intelligence report about the coronavirus had this chilling sentence at its end : Come again ?
In light of the recent story broken that potentially links Dr Anthony Fauci to the project that initially came into existence in the United States and was eventually ported to China , we may be getting back to an old conspiracy theory type idea that was supposedly getting debunked all this time : that the Wuhan lab was working on bioweapons .
It seems like a reasonable jump in the world of superweapon insanity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be cured .
Linking this to some of the occasional reports promising a resurgence of COVID-19 , the possibility of someone who had it getting it again , and the simply massive penetration of the virus into the world ’ s population in a very short period of time ( an estimated 13 to 20 percent of the population may already have been exposed to and gone positive for , the novel coronavirus ) , the questions are beginning to mount on all sides of this issue .
Admittedly , the word “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after three years of Russiagate , comes across with a fair degree of doubt , at least for me .
I am personally one who does not go for conspiracy theories of any kind , not the secret cabal , or the illuminati or the seven people that run the world or any such nonsense .
But when this recent wave of information began to surface from credible and mainstream media sources like Newsweek , Huffington Post and others , that in 2017 , Dr Anthony Fauci predicted that there would certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s term , that got my attention .
The claim by Dr. Rashid Buttar that there was research on a chimeric virus , something with the basis of SHC-014 strain of coronavirus , the ‘ backbone ’ component of the SARS coronavirus , then added genetic material from HIV and MERS .
This research was actually stopped , in the US by a US Government moratorium , but Dr Fauci allegedly illegally funnelled some $ 3.7 million to a Chinese lab to continue the research that was banned here in the US , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understood that there was nothing good that could come out of trying to develop a chimeric supervirus .
… And is this what got released , perhaps accidentally , into the population ?
Politically , this issue is obviously going to be maneuvered in such a way that each country involved tries to save face .
For example , here in Russia , President Putin extended the “ holiday ” until May 11th , but with the rate of COVID-19 diagoses now rising again and at its highest , it seems hard to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down by that day .
However , the slowly appearing factors that ( 1 ) the virus may have been with us for much longer than we know and ( 2 ) that all we are doing now is discovering the reach of its penetration into our population , the question that we may have been “ had ” by a disease that is no hoax , but is also no plague is already leading US State governments and other national governments to begin reopening their economies , even though the pandemic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the increase .
If this is indeed an effort at avoiding something far , far worse than an intelligence blunder ( for people like Dr Fauci have successfully brought the planet to a standstill ) , it may not be something very widely publicised as to why it is that governments are now choosing to return to normal .
This is definitely a situation where political concerns are such a factor that it is difficult to ascertain the truth .
However , as this series of reports continues , we will try to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
A newspiece on Fox News alluding to a leaked intelligence report about the coronavirus had this chilling sentence at its end:
According to the dossier, the team’s work at the Wuhan lab involved discovering samples of coronavirus within a cave in Yunnan province and synthesizing a bat-derived coronavirus that could not be cured.
Come again? In light of the recent story broken that potentially links Dr Anthony Fauci to the project that initially came into existence in the United States and was eventually ported to China, we may be getting back to an old conspiracy theory type idea that was supposedly getting debunked all this time: that the Wuhan lab was working on bioweapons.
It seems like a reasonable jump in the world of superweapon insanity, to create a virus that cannot be cured.
Linking this to some of the occasional reports promising a resurgence of COVID-19, the possibility of someone who had it getting it again, and the simply massive penetration of the virus into the world’s population in a very short period of time (an estimated 13 to 20 percent of the population may already have been exposed to and gone positive for, the novel coronavirus), the questions are beginning to mount on all sides of this issue.
Admittedly, the word “dossier” associated with intelligence reports now, after three years of Russiagate, comes across with a fair degree of doubt, at least for me. I am personally one who does not go for conspiracy theories of any kind, not the secret cabal, or the illuminati or the seven people that run the world or any such nonsense.
But when this recent wave of information began to surface from credible and mainstream media sources like Newsweek, Huffington Post and others, that in 2017, Dr Anthony Fauci predicted that there would certainly be a pandemic during President Trump’s term, that got my attention. The claim by Dr. Rashid Buttar that there was research on a chimeric virus, something with the basis of SHC-014 strain of coronavirus, the ‘backbone’ component of the SARS coronavirus, then added genetic material from HIV and MERS. This research was actually stopped, in the US by a US Government moratorium, but Dr Fauci allegedly illegally funnelled some $3.7 million to a Chinese lab to continue the research that was banned here in the US, because the US government (wisely) understood that there was nothing good that could come out of trying to develop a chimeric supervirus.
… And is this what got released, perhaps accidentally, into the population?
Politically, this issue is obviously going to be maneuvered in such a way that each country involved tries to save face. For example, here in Russia, President Putin extended the “holiday” until May 11th, but with the rate of COVID-19 diagoses now rising again and at its highest, it seems hard to believe that things will be really winding down by that day.
However, the slowly appearing factors that (1) the virus may have been with us for much longer than we know and (2) that all we are doing now is discovering the reach of its penetration into our population, the question that we may have been “had” by a disease that is no hoax, but is also no plague is already leading US State governments and other national governments to begin reopening their economies, even though the pandemic is still being logged each day as on the increase.
If this is indeed an effort at avoiding something far, far worse than an intelligence blunder (for people like Dr Fauci have successfully brought the planet to a standstill), it may not be something very widely publicised as to why it is that governments are now choosing to return to normal.
This is definitely a situation where political concerns are such a factor that it is difficult to ascertain the truth. However, as this series of reports continues, we will try to create a coherent picture of what is going on.
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theduran--2020-05-03--Biden Is Everything The Democrats Are: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

Joe Biden is not an “ imperfect candidate ” for the Democrats .
He is the perfect candidate , because he ’ s everything the party is : Demented .
Decrepit .
Bloodthirsty .
Corrupt .
Cronyistic .
Authoritarian .
Reactionary .
Rapey .
He is exactly what they deserve .
He is exactly what they are .
Joe Biden is the Democrat ’ s Democrat .
He is the perfect representative of the party .
They should even take it a step further and replace that donkey with Joe Biden .
Biden is to the Democrats as Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just wearing their true face now .
If you ’ re willing to sacrifice all principles , all sanity and all morality to get rid of Trump , what exactly is the point of getting rid of Trump ?
We know Biden is a liar .
He ’ s been pinged for lying his whole career .
Everyone is trying to undermine the victim ’ s character in order to discredit her while ignoring Joe ’ s character .
We know he lies .
He also has a history of unwanted sexual advances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nobody actually believes that Biden didn ’ t sexually assault Tara Reade .
Nobody ’ s actually confident that Creepy Uncle Hair Sniffer isn ’ t a rapist , they ’ re just pretending they are .
I can understand saying “ It ’ s possible but unproven ” , but saying it ’ s false is so gross and dishonest .
They ’ re accusing Reade of lying for partisan reasons , when in reality that ’ s exactly what they are doing : they ’ re pretending they believe Handsy Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a woman without her consent , and they are lying .
Out of pure partisan loyalty .
It ’ s funny how refusing to support a literal dementia patient who has been credibly accused of rape for the world ’ s most powerful elected office is a very , very normal thing to do , yet people are acting like it ’ s bizarre and freakish .
Which looks more likely to you ?
( A ) That Reade seeded a bunch of vicious lies about Senator Joe Biden in the 1990s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential bid in the distant future for some reason , or ( B ) that a powerful man sexually assaulted a woman ?
It ’ s so weird how Joe Biden is a spent piece of leftover 1970s beltway flotsam made of plastic donor class dinner parties and AIPAC lobbying but everyone ’ s all pretending they like him as a person and stuff .
There are no fact-based and intellectually robust arguments for working within the establishment to manifest revolutionary agendas , but there are a lot of highly effective intellectually dishonest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for you to pretend otherwise and go back to sleep .
“ They destroyed the economy over a virus , but the narrative about the virus is completely fake !
” Perhaps .
But so is the narrative about “ the economy ” .
Terence McKenna once said “ We are led by the least among us .
The least intelligent , the least noble , the least visionary.
” Can ’ t think of a better illustration of this than having Donald Trump versus Joe Biden competing for the most powerful elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Trump provoked a missile retaliation that led to scores of injured US soldiers by assassinating Iran ’ s top military commander for no legitimate reason , lied about the whole thing , and then suffered no consequences or political repercussions of any kind ?
Good times .
Democrats are so fucking stupid and ridiculous that the Krassenstein brothers are still a thing .
All of humanity ’ s worst atrocities have been legal .
Genocide .
Slavery .
Torture .
The fact that you can squint at the imprisonment and extradition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in such a way that makes it look “ legal ” does not mean it isn ’ t unforgivably evil .
It ’ s always about power .
Power comes before everything , including profit , which is why you see escalations against nations who ’ d be very profitable to continue trading with and why critics of US foreign policy are attacked far more aggressively than critics of its domestic policy .
Manipulators understand that wealth control is a means to power and not an end in itself ; that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own profit margins by making changes to Facebook which make the platform less fun to use but shore up establishment narrative control .
Power trumps profit every time .
Manipulators are driven ultimately by the desire to control as many humans as possible to the greatest extent possible .
Money is a useful tool for accomplishing that , but in a pinch they ’ ll swap it out for military/police force or censorship etc .
Wealth is a narrative construct and can be gained or lost or made obsolete in a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s hard , nonconceptual control over hard , nonconceptual objects that gives them their actual alpha status over the rest of the humans .
“ A newly democratized media environment has made it difficult for people to distinguish fact from fiction.
” ‘ Oh no !
What do we do ?
’ “ The ones who lied about Russiagate and all the wars.
” As a general rule , indie media should not attack other indie media .
If you ’ re not punching up , you ’ re punching down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what should we do ?
How do we fix this thing ?
” And of course my only possible answer is , “ Do what I ’ m doing !
Or your version of it.
” Of course I ’ m doing the thing I think we should do to solve the problems of our species .
Why would I be doing anything else ?
Revolution is an inside job .
This is not an egoically pleasing fact , but it is a fact .
It ’ s much more fun for egoic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the solution exists in other people , but in reality the changes you can make in yourself will have far greater effects on the world .
There are vast , vast depths within all of us , and we are capable of making vast , vast changes to those depths .
We are in fact far more capable of doing this than we are of changing the outside world through force of will .
And interestingly when we do this , we do change the world .
And we do it far more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will it to conform with the noises in our babbling thinky brain .
Thanks for reading !
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Authored by Caitlin Johnstone via Medium.com:
Joe Biden is not an “imperfect candidate” for the Democrats.
He is the perfect candidate, because he’s everything the party is: Demented. Decrepit. Bloodthirsty. Corrupt. Cronyistic. Authoritarian. Reactionary. Rapey.
He is exactly what they deserve. He is exactly what they are.
Joe Biden is the Democrat’s Democrat. He is the perfect representative of the party. They should even take it a step further and replace that donkey with Joe Biden.
Biden is to the Democrats as Trump is to the Republicans. Everyone’s just wearing their true face now.
~
If you’re willing to sacrifice all principles, all sanity and all morality to get rid of Trump, what exactly is the point of getting rid of Trump?
~
We know Biden is a liar. He’s been pinged for lying his whole career. Everyone is trying to undermine the victim’s character in order to discredit her while ignoring Joe’s character. We know he lies. He also has a history of unwanted sexual advances. His story is not credible.
~
Nobody actually believes that Biden didn’t sexually assault Tara Reade. Nobody’s actually confident that Creepy Uncle Hair Sniffer isn’t a rapist, they’re just pretending they are. I can understand saying “It’s possible but unproven”, but saying it’s false is so gross and dishonest.
They’re accusing Reade of lying for partisan reasons, when in reality that’s exactly what they are doing: they’re pretending they believe Handsy Joe Biden is incapable of shoving his fingers into a woman without her consent, and they are lying. Out of pure partisan loyalty.
~
It’s funny how refusing to support a literal dementia patient who has been credibly accused of rape for the world’s most powerful elected office is a very, very normal thing to do, yet people are acting like it’s bizarre and freakish.
~
Which looks more likely to you? (A) That Reade seeded a bunch of vicious lies about Senator Joe Biden in the 1990s with the intention of someday sabotaging his presidential bid in the distant future for some reason, or (B) that a powerful man sexually assaulted a woman?
~
It’s so weird how Joe Biden is a spent piece of leftover 1970s beltway flotsam made of plastic donor class dinner parties and AIPAC lobbying but everyone’s all pretending they like him as a person and stuff.
~
There are no fact-based and intellectually robust arguments for working within the establishment to manifest revolutionary agendas, but there are a lot of highly effective intellectually dishonest arguments for why it’s okay for you to pretend otherwise and go back to sleep.
~
“They destroyed the economy over a virus, but the narrative about the virus is completely fake!”
Perhaps. But so is the narrative about “the economy”.
~
Terence McKenna once said “We are led by the least among us. The least intelligent, the least noble, the least visionary.” Can’t think of a better illustration of this than having Donald Trump versus Joe Biden competing for the most powerful elected office on the planet.
~
Hey remember when Trump provoked a missile retaliation that led to scores of injured US soldiers by assassinating Iran’s top military commander for no legitimate reason, lied about the whole thing, and then suffered no consequences or political repercussions of any kind? Good times.
~
Democrats are so fucking stupid and ridiculous that the Krassenstein brothers are still a thing.
~
All of humanity’s worst atrocities have been legal. Genocide. Slavery. Torture. The fact that you can squint at the imprisonment and extradition of a journalist for exposing US war crimes in such a way that makes it look “legal” does not mean it isn’t unforgivably evil.
~
It’s always about power. Power comes before everything, including profit, which is why you see escalations against nations who’d be very profitable to continue trading with and why critics of US foreign policy are attacked far more aggressively than critics of its domestic policy.
Manipulators understand that wealth control is a means to power and not an end in itself; that’s why you see things like Zuckerberg hurting his own profit margins by making changes to Facebook which make the platform less fun to use but shore up establishment narrative control.
Power trumps profit every time. Manipulators are driven ultimately by the desire to control as many humans as possible to the greatest extent possible. Money is a useful tool for accomplishing that, but in a pinch they’ll swap it out for military/police force or censorship etc.
Wealth is a narrative construct and can be gained or lost or made obsolete in a new narrative paradigm. Elite manipulators understand that it’s hard, nonconceptual control over hard, nonconceptual objects that gives them their actual alpha status over the rest of the humans.
~
“A newly democratized media environment has made it difficult for people to distinguish fact from fiction.”
‘Oh no! What do we do?’
“Censor everyone except authoritative news sources.”
‘Authoritative news sources? Like who?’
“The ones who lied about Russiagate and all the wars.”
~
As a general rule, indie media should not attack other indie media. If you’re not punching up, you’re punching down.
~
People ask me “Well, what should we do? How do we fix this thing?” And of course my only possible answer is, “Do what I’m doing! Or your version of it.” Of course I’m doing the thing I think we should do to solve the problems of our species. Why would I be doing anything else?
~
Revolution is an inside job. This is not an egoically pleasing fact, but it is a fact. It’s much more fun for egoic mind to believe both the problem and the solution exists in other people, but in reality the changes you can make in yourself will have far greater effects on the world.
There are vast, vast depths within all of us, and we are capable of making vast, vast changes to those depths. We are in fact far more capable of doing this than we are of changing the outside world through force of will. And interestingly when we do this, we do change the world. And we do it far more efficaciously than we can by trying to will it to conform with the noises in our babbling thinky brain.
Thanks for reading! The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for my website, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following my antics onTwitter, checking out my podcast on either Youtube, soundcloud, Apple podcasts or Spotify, following me on Steemit, throwing some money into my hat on Patreon or Paypal, purchasing some of my sweet merchandise, buying my books Rogue Nation: Psychonautical Adventures With Caitlin Johnstone and Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, click here. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge.
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theduran--2020-05-04--The Coronavirus Will Make A Mirage Of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

Submitted by The New Arab : As Saudi Arabia struggles to salvage its ailing economy and move away from oil dependency , the coronavirus crisis has rendered Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman ’ s ( MbS ) future ambitions even more fragile .
And as the world faces the prospect of a global recession , there ’ s good reason to believe Saudi Arabia will not be spared .
As nations the world over moved into lockdown , reigning King Salman on 19 March warned that the kingdom faced a “ more difficult ” battle ahead amid the coronavirus crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both of which put the Saudi kingdom ’ s very stability at risk .
Though Saudi Arabia has presented itself as a leader in the battle against coronavirus , with King Salman hosting the G20 meeting on 26 March to address responding to the pandemic , Riyadh ’ s own emerging troubles and apparent mismanagement of the crisis were brushed over , in what was was largely a PR measure .
Saudi Arabia initially politicised the coronavirus pandemic , for instance cordoning off the Shia-majority Qatif region on 8 March , after pilgrims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran for not managing the problem .
One Saudi journalist even crudely accused Qatar of creating the virus to undermine Saudi Arabia ’ s Vision 2030 and the United Arab Emirates ’ Dubai Expo 2020 .
Furthermore , in a move which migrant advocates deemed inhumane , Saudi Arabia deported thousands of Ethiopian migrants in the first 10 days of April , as its economy contracted , risking further spreading the virus .
Reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia faces a staggering 200,000 recorded cases , and that up to 150 members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the virus could shake the kingdom to its foundations .
Such fears have forced Riyadh to act more seriously , imposing 24-hour curfews in major cities on 6 April , and creating a stimulus package of 120 billion Saudi riyals ( $ 32 billion ) to revitalise the economy and provide extra assistance to small and medium sized businesses .
This week in Saudi Arabia concerns over food shortages emerged , after promotional deals on food staples , including rice and vegetable oil were banned .
Yet Mohammed bin Salman ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ modernise ” Riyadh ’ s economy while reducing its oil dependency , could be one of coronavirus ’ greatest casualties .
The scheme has already stagnated , highlighting the far-fetched prediction that by 2020 the kingdom would shift away from oil dependency – a far cry from the reality .
More critically , MbS could lose out on one of his prized assets : the annual Hajj pilgrimage , due to take place from 28 July until 2 August this year .
The Hajj pilgrimage is a central element of Saudi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more immediate revenue than other new and so far unstable sources .
The two holy cities of Mecca and Medina have long been used to legitimise Saudi Arabia , positioning itself as Islam ’ s patron .
Under MbS ’ plan to shift away from oil , the annual Hajj pilgrimage started to bring in on average $ 12 billion per year , and revenues were forecast to reach $ 150 billion by 2022 .
Yet unprecedented and shocking scenes of the Kaaba inside Mecca ’ s empty Grand Mosque point to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even the deadly so-called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ( MERS ) of 2012 did not force a cancellation of Hajj .
After halting travel to Mecca and Medina in late February , Saudi Hajj Minister Mohammed Banten on March 31 requested the roughly 2 million pilgrims to Hajj put their plans to make the trip in July and August on hold .
Umrah , the ‘ lesser ’ but still significant pilgrimage which can take place annually , has also been indefinitely closed .
Experts believe that lockdowns ending and some normal activity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best case scenario , while others predict travel plans may not resume for longer .
This threatens Riyadh with a loss of vital religious tourism revenue , after having built luxurious hotels to commercialise Hajj , and damaging MbS ’ moves to further profit from the pilgrimage .
However , this is not the only impact of coronavirus on Saudi Arabia ’ s Vision 2030 , which will face further disruptions in the short and medium term .
Riyadh will have to put many business and tourism projects on hold , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neom .
As much of the world will likely fall into a recession , the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) expects Saudi Arabia ’ s economy to contract 2.3 percent in 2020 , with its non-oil GDP falling by 4 percent .
Though less than the United States ’ expected loss of 5.9 percent , Riyadh still stands to make long-term losses for its plans .
A recession would impact investors ’ desire to invest in Saudi Arabia , leaving Vision 2030 an even more distant prospect .
In fact , Riyadh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand for oil plummeted amid the coronavirus crisis and the oil price war with Russia , creating the biggest oil shock since 1973 – which , in contrast to the current crisis – created higher oil prices .
Though both countries agreed to a mutually acceptable deal to cut production last week , oil prices are still arguably too low to revitalise Riyadh ’ s economic growth .
Demand has fallen by between 25 and 35 million barrels per day – still much higher than the 9.7 billion barrels per day oil producing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already warning that continued lower oil prices could further widen Saudi Arabia ’ s deficit .
More critically , Saudi Arabia ’ s price war with Russia revealed an ongoing dependency on oil economic development , while lower revenues mean less ability to invest in its non-oil sectors .
With exports sinking , and limited hope for short-term recovery , Saudi Arabia is ultimately likely to struggle as a result .
Unlike other countries , Saudi Arabia has enough financial reserves to withstand this current crisis , though MbS will face an uphill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuing an erratic power-grab with another round of royal arrests in March , MbS has driven Saudi Arabia ’ s increasingly aggressive nationalist stance in parallel with these economic reforms .
Coronavirus will further trigger panic in MbS ’ mind , likely leading to more irrational measures to protect his grip on power .
More so than ever before , Saudi Arabia ’ s future looks increasingly fragile .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by The New Arab:
As Saudi Arabia struggles to salvage its ailing economy and move away from oil dependency, the coronavirus crisis has rendered Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s (MbS) future ambitions even more fragile. And as the world faces the prospect of a global recession, there’s good reason to believe Saudi Arabia will not be spared.
As nations the world over moved into lockdown, reigning King Salman on 19 March warned that the kingdom faced a “more difficult” battle ahead amid the coronavirus crisis and oil price war with Russia, both of which put the Saudi kingdom’s very stability at risk.
Though Saudi Arabia has presented itself as a leader in the battle against coronavirus, with King Salman hosting the G20 meeting on 26 March to address responding to the pandemic, Riyadh’s own emerging troubles and apparent mismanagement of the crisis were brushed over, in what was was largely a PR measure.
Saudi Arabia initially politicised the coronavirus pandemic, for instance cordoning off the Shia-majority Qatif region on 8 March, after pilgrims returned from Iran, and then blamed Iran for not managing the problem. One Saudi journalist even crudely accused Qatar of creating the virus to undermine Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai Expo 2020.
Furthermore, in a move which migrant advocates deemed inhumane, Saudi Arabia deported thousands of Ethiopian migrants in the first 10 days of April, as its economy contracted, risking further spreading the virus.
Reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia faces a staggering 200,000 recorded cases, and that up to 150 members of the royal family already have Covid-19, mean that the virus could shake the kingdom to its foundations. Such fears have forced Riyadh to act more seriously, imposing 24-hour curfews in major cities on 6 April, and creating a stimulus package of 120 billion Saudi riyals ($32 billion) to revitalise the economy and provide extra assistance to small and medium sized businesses.
This week in Saudi Arabia concerns over food shortages emerged, after promotional deals on food staples, including rice and vegetable oil were banned.
Yet Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious Vision 2030, designed to diversify and “modernise” Riyadh’s economy while reducing its oil dependency, could be one of coronavirus’ greatest casualties. The scheme has already stagnated, highlighting the far-fetched prediction that by 2020 the kingdom would shift away from oil dependency – a far cry from the reality.
More critically, MbS could lose out on one of his prized assets: the annual Hajj pilgrimage, due to take place from 28 July until 2 August this year.
The Hajj pilgrimage is a central element of Saudi Arabia’s economic prosperity, offering more immediate revenue than other new and so far unstable sources. The two holy cities of Mecca and Medina have long been used to legitimise Saudi Arabia, positioning itself as Islam’s patron.
Under MbS’ plan to shift away from oil, the annual Hajj pilgrimage started to bring in on average $12 billion per year, and revenues were forecast to reach $150 billion by 2022.
Yet unprecedented and shocking scenes of the Kaaba inside Mecca’s empty Grand Mosque point to a grim reality for MbS’ plans. Even the deadly so-called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) of 2012 did not force a cancellation of Hajj.
After halting travel to Mecca and Medina in late February, Saudi Hajj Minister Mohammed Banten on March 31 requested the roughly 2 million pilgrims to Hajj put their plans to make the trip in July and August on hold. Umrah, the ‘lesser’ but still significant pilgrimage which can take place annually, has also been indefinitely closed.
Experts believe that lockdowns ending and some normal activity resuming by summer 2020 is an absolute best case scenario, while others predict travel plans may not resume for longer. This threatens Riyadh with a loss of vital religious tourism revenue, after having built luxurious hotels to commercialise Hajj, and damaging MbS’ moves to further profit from the pilgrimage.
However, this is not the only impact of coronavirus on Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which will face further disruptions in the short and medium term. Riyadh will have to put many business and tourism projects on hold, such as its $500 billion futuristic city, Neom.
As much of the world will likely fall into a recession, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects Saudi Arabia’s economy to contract 2.3 percent in 2020, with its non-oil GDP falling by 4 percent. Though less than the United States’ expected loss of 5.9 percent, Riyadh still stands to make long-term losses for its plans. A recession would impact investors’ desire to invest in Saudi Arabia, leaving Vision 2030 an even more distant prospect.
In fact, Riyadh’s economic vulnerability became clear after demand for oil plummeted amid the coronavirus crisis and the oil price war with Russia, creating the biggest oil shock since 1973 – which, in contrast to the current crisis – created higher oil prices.
Though both countries agreed to a mutually acceptable deal to cut production last week, oil prices are still arguably too low to revitalise Riyadh’s economic growth. Demand has fallen by between 25 and 35 million barrels per day – still much higher than the 9.7 billion barrels per day oil producing nations agreed to cut. Analysts are already warning that continued lower oil prices could further widen Saudi Arabia’s deficit.
More critically, Saudi Arabia’s price war with Russia revealed an ongoing dependency on oil economic development, while lower revenues mean less ability to invest in its non-oil sectors. With exports sinking, and limited hope for short-term recovery, Saudi Arabia is ultimately likely to struggle as a result.
Unlike other countries, Saudi Arabia has enough financial reserves to withstand this current crisis, though MbS will face an uphill battle to restore his vision. Already pursuing an erratic power-grab with another round of royal arrests in March, MbS has driven Saudi Arabia’s increasingly aggressive nationalist stance in parallel with these economic reforms.
Coronavirus will further trigger panic in MbS’ mind, likely leading to more irrational measures to protect his grip on power. More so than ever before, Saudi Arabia’s future looks increasingly fragile.
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theduran--2020-05-04--Syrian ‘regime change’ architect: William Roebuck, US Ambassador of Destruction

Since 2006 , William Roebuck , a US Diplomat , has been working toward ‘ regime change ’ in Syria at any cost .
The destruction of Syria , hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries , and the migration of one-third of the population have been the price of the US policy under Roebuck ’ s tenure .
The ultimate goal of ‘ regime change ’ has never been about greater freedoms , democracy , or human rights for Syrians , but has been with the single target spelled out by Roebuck in 2006 : to break the relationship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , US Ambassador ‘ to the Kurds in Syria ’ William Roebuck is a 27 year veteran of the US State Department , having served under Presidents Bush , Obama , and currently Trump .
His current title is Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS .
He is a former US Ambassador to Syria and Bahrain .
He has served in the US embassies in Iraq and chargé d ’ affaires in Libya under Obama .
Seymour M. Hersh wrote about the US Embassy in Libya and its role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US in Syria .
For the past several years , he has been based in Northeast Syria and managing the Kurds .
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange revealed a plan concocted by William Roebuck , the former US Ambassador to Syria .
Wikileaks published US diplomatic cables , and chapter 10 of “ The Wikileaks Files ” concerns Roebuck ’ s cable sent on December 13 , 2006 .
Ambassador Roebuck wrote that the US should take action to try to destabilize the Syrian government by provoking it to overreact , both internally and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action in March 2011 at Deraa , where armed terrorists were interspersed among unarmed civilians in street protests .
The terrorists were provoking the police and security forces by shooting at them , as well as shooting unarmed civilians which were blamed on the security forces .
The cables prove that ‘ regime change ’ had been the goal of US policy in Syria since 2006 and that the US promoted sectarianism in support of its policy , which built the foundation for the sectarian conflict which resulted in massive bloodshed .
Roebuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Iran , which makes Syria vulnerable to Israeli airstrikes .
Roebuck advised that the US should destabilize the Syrian government by promoting sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shia , which at the time was not an issue in Syria , which is a secular government and a tolerant society .
By promoting sectarian conflict , which he had observed in the oil-rich Arab Gulf monarchies , Roebuck was crafting the destruction of Syrian society .
The ultimate US goal in Syria was to destabilize the Syrian government by violent means , resulting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new government would be pro-Israeli , and anti-Iranian .
In November 2019 an internal memo written on October 31 by Roebuck was leaked to the press .
He criticized Trump for failing to stop Turkey from invading the Northeast of Syria .
“ Turkey ’ s military operation in northern Syria , spearheaded by armed Islamist groups on its payroll , represents an intentioned-laced effort at ethnic cleansing , ” Mr. Roebuck wrote , calling the abuses “ what can only be described as war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
” Roebuck praised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as guards to keep US troops safe while they occupied Syria illegally , to steal the Syrian oil , which is to be used to support the SDF , instead of the Pentagon payroll .
Two is the company , but three is a crowd The US state department has a Syrian trio : William Roebuck , and the special representative for Syria engagement , James Jeffrey .
Joel Rayburn is a deputy assistant secretary for Levant Affairs and special envoy for Syria .
Iraqi and Syrian Kurdish officials are often confused as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on any given issue , and whether their policies were personally driven , or reflected US foreign policy directives .
Many analysts agree that the US foreign policy on Syria is a confusing mess .
The Kurdish National Council ( KNC ) and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party ( PYD ) have begun direct talks which US diplomat William Roebuck has promoted .
For the last two years , he has been working with the Syrian Kurds .
The goal is to unite all Kurdish parties in Syria in one body , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talks in Geneva to end the Syrian conflict .
The KNC and PYD have had serious disagreements over the years .
The KNC is part of the Istanbul-based ‘ Syrian opposition ’ and aligned with the Kurdish nationalist Massoud Barzani and his Kurdistan Democratic Party ( KDP ) in Iraq .
The KNC received criticism as being pro-Turkish after the Turkish Army invaded the Northeastern region of Syria .
The PYD is part of the political arm of the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) who had been the US partner fighting ISIS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projects on the PKK ’ s ideology .
The PKK is considered as an international terrorist group accused of thousands of deaths in Turkey over the decades .
The first direct negotiations between the KNC and PYD were held in early April at an illegal US military base near Hasakah , with William Roebuck , an SDF commander Mazlum Abdi in attendance .
Roebuck has met numerous times over the past three months with the KNC , trying to push the idea of unification among the Kurdish factions .
At an April 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announced that Roebuck had presented a draft that called for a unified political vision for Syria .
After about four meetings , the two sides were in agreement on the following points : Syria is to be a federal , democratic , and pluralistic state ; the current Syrian government in Damascus was not acceptable ; the Kurdish northeast region was to be a political unit .
It was stressed that both parties were committed to resolving the Syrian crisis through the implementation of UN Resolution 2254 , and the new Syrian constitution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and political rights .
The SDF and PYD do not have political representation in the Geneva talks because of Turkish opposition to their participation , given the fact that Turkey views the groups as terrorists .
Turkey rejects any project that would lead to Kurdish autonomous rule in Syria , which is the goal of the US .
When Trump ordered the sudden withdrawal of US troops from the Northeast of Syria in October , the Kurdish leaders immediately turned to the Syrian government in Damascus to save them from extermination at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , the US did not want the Kurds to be protected by Damascus .
The US goal is ‘ regime change ’ using UN Resolution 2254 as their tool .
To achieve that end , William Roebuck has continued to work with the Kurds of the Northeast and is now trying to get them united to be at the negotiating table in Geneva .
The Kurds might unite , but they will always remain a small minority numbering only 7 % of the population , but who are attempting to control 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Will there be justice for the Syrian homeowners and landowners within the territory the Kurds call “ Rojava ” , who have been made homeless and destitute at the hands of the Kurds ?
Will the Syrians one day rise in a “ Kurdish Spring ” cleaning to regain their properties ?
Ahed al-Hindi , a political analyst based in Washington , DC , told Al-Monitor that the US goal to unify the Kurdish ranks in northeastern Syria is a part of a project designed to unify the entire Syrian north , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US goal is to prevent the Syrian government from access to the resources which could be used to rebuild Syria .
The next UN peace talks in Geneva UN Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen gave a UN Security Council briefing on the situation in Syria on April 29 .
He announced the agenda for the next session of the Constitutional Committee had been agreed between the co-chairs , and meetings in Geneva would resume as soon as the COVID-19 restrictions would allow .
He continued to stress the importance of the current nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and treat COVID-19 .
He declared there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict , and the UN Security Council resolution 2254 must be used as the path to a political settlement that would be acceptable for the Syrian people while restoring the sovereignty , borders , and independence of Syria .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator:
Since 2006, William Roebuck, a US Diplomat, has been working toward ‘regime change’ in Syria at any cost. The destruction of Syria, hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries, and the migration of one-third of the population have been the price of the US policy under Roebuck’s tenure. The ultimate goal of ‘regime change’ has never been about greater freedoms, democracy, or human rights for Syrians, but has been with the single target spelled out by Roebuck in 2006: to break the relationship between Iran and Syria.
William Roebuck, US Ambassador ‘to the Kurds in Syria’
William Roebuck is a 27 year veteran of the US State Department, having served under Presidents Bush, Obama, and currently Trump. His current title is Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. He is a former US Ambassador to Syria and Bahrain. He has served in the US embassies in Iraq and chargé d’affaires in Libya under Obama. Seymour M. Hersh wrote about the US Embassy in Libya and its role in arming the terrorists used by the US in Syria. For the past several years, he has been based in Northeast Syria and managing the Kurds.
Roebuck designed the 2011 “Arab Spring” in Syria
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange revealed a plan concocted by William Roebuck, the former US Ambassador to Syria. Wikileaks published US diplomatic cables, and chapter 10 of “The Wikileaks Files” concerns Roebuck’s cable sent on December 13, 2006. Ambassador Roebuck wrote that the US should take action to try to destabilize the Syrian government by provoking it to overreact, both internally and externally. That plan was put into action in March 2011 at Deraa, where armed terrorists were interspersed among unarmed civilians in street protests. The terrorists were provoking the police and security forces by shooting at them, as well as shooting unarmed civilians which were blamed on the security forces.
The cables prove that ‘regime change’ had been the goal of US policy in Syria since 2006 and that the US promoted sectarianism in support of its policy, which built the foundation for the sectarian conflict which resulted in massive bloodshed. Roebuck advocated for exploiting Syria’s relationship with Iran, which makes Syria vulnerable to Israeli airstrikes. Roebuck advised that the US should destabilize the Syrian government by promoting sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shia, which at the time was not an issue in Syria, which is a secular government and a tolerant society. By promoting sectarian conflict, which he had observed in the oil-rich Arab Gulf monarchies, Roebuck was crafting the destruction of Syrian society. The ultimate US goal in Syria was to destabilize the Syrian government by violent means, resulting in a change of government, and the new government would be pro-Israeli, and anti-Iranian.
Roebuck’s memo leaked
In November 2019 an internal memo written on October 31 by Roebuck was leaked to the press. He criticized Trump for failing to stop Turkey from invading the Northeast of Syria. “Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria, spearheaded by armed Islamist groups on its payroll, represents an intentioned-laced effort at ethnic cleansing,” Mr. Roebuck wrote, calling the abuses “what can only be described as war crimes and ethnic cleansing.”
Roebuck praised the SDF as a reliable partner acting as guards to keep US troops safe while they occupied Syria illegally, to steal the Syrian oil, which is to be used to support the SDF, instead of the Pentagon payroll.
Two is the company, but three is a crowd
The US state department has a Syrian trio: William Roebuck, and the special representative for Syria engagement, James Jeffrey. Joel Rayburn is a deputy assistant secretary for Levant Affairs and special envoy for Syria.
Iraqi and Syrian Kurdish officials are often confused as to which US officials are in charge on any given issue, and whether their policies were personally driven, or reflected US foreign policy directives. Many analysts agree that the US foreign policy on Syria is a confusing mess.
Roebuck pushes the Syrian Kurds to unite
The Kurdish National Council (KNC) and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) have begun direct talks which US diplomat William Roebuck has promoted. For the last two years, he has been working with the Syrian Kurds. The goal is to unite all Kurdish parties in Syria in one body, which could be part of the UN peace talks in Geneva to end the Syrian conflict. The KNC and PYD have had serious disagreements over the years.
The KNC is part of the Istanbul-based ‘Syrian opposition’ and aligned with the Kurdish nationalist Massoud Barzani and his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Iraq. The KNC received criticism as being pro-Turkish after the Turkish Army invaded the Northeastern region of Syria.
The PYD is part of the political arm of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who had been the US partner fighting ISIS. PYD bases its political and organizational projects on the PKK’s ideology. The PKK is considered as an international terrorist group accused of thousands of deaths in Turkey over the decades.
The first direct negotiations between the KNC and PYD were held in early April at an illegal US military base near Hasakah, with William Roebuck, an SDF commander Mazlum Abdi in attendance. Roebuck has met numerous times over the past three months with the KNC, trying to push the idea of unification among the Kurdish factions.
At an April 25 press conference in Qamishli, it was announced that Roebuck had presented a draft that called for a unified political vision for Syria. After about four meetings, the two sides were in agreement on the following points: Syria is to be a federal, democratic, and pluralistic state; the current Syrian government in Damascus was not acceptable; the Kurdish northeast region was to be a political unit. It was stressed that both parties were committed to resolving the Syrian crisis through the implementation of UN Resolution 2254, and the new Syrian constitution must recognize Kurdish national, cultural, and political rights.
The SDF and PYD do not have political representation in the Geneva talks because of Turkish opposition to their participation, given the fact that Turkey views the groups as terrorists. Turkey rejects any project that would lead to Kurdish autonomous rule in Syria, which is the goal of the US. When Trump ordered the sudden withdrawal of US troops from the Northeast of Syria in October, the Kurdish leaders immediately turned to the Syrian government in Damascus to save them from extermination at the hands of the invading Turkish Army. However, the US did not want the Kurds to be protected by Damascus. The US goal is ‘regime change’ using UN Resolution 2254 as their tool. To achieve that end, William Roebuck has continued to work with the Kurds of the Northeast and is now trying to get them united to be at the negotiating table in Geneva. The Kurds might unite, but they will always remain a small minority numbering only 7% of the population, but who are attempting to control 20% of the territory in Syria. Will there be justice for the Syrian homeowners and landowners within the territory the Kurds call “Rojava”, who have been made homeless and destitute at the hands of the Kurds? Will the Syrians one day rise in a “Kurdish Spring” cleaning to regain their properties?
Ahed al-Hindi, a political analyst based in Washington, DC, told Al-Monitor that the US goal to unify the Kurdish ranks in northeastern Syria is a part of a project designed to unify the entire Syrian north, including Idlib and the Kurdish Northeast. The US goal is to prevent the Syrian government from access to the resources which could be used to rebuild Syria.
The next UN peace talks in Geneva
UN Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen gave a UN Security Council briefing on the situation in Syria on April 29. He announced the agenda for the next session of the Constitutional Committee had been agreed between the co-chairs, and meetings in Geneva would resume as soon as the COVID-19 restrictions would allow. He continued to stress the importance of the current nationwide ceasefire, which was needed to combat and treat COVID-19. He declared there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict, and the UN Security Council resolution 2254 must be used as the path to a political settlement that would be acceptable for the Syrian people while restoring the sovereignty, borders, and independence of Syria.
Steven Sahiounie is an award-winning journalist
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theduran--2020-05-04--Fake news media explains, ‘FBI entrapment of Flynn was completely routine’ (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss how the fake news mainstream media is trying to explain the damning FBI handwritten notes targeting Michael Flynn for entrapment .
Trey Gowdy was on Fox News to slam the DOJ over the Flynn case stating , ‘ It ’ s not the Department of let ’ s see who we can get fired.
’ Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute .
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Former House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy , R-S.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to react to the latest developments in the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn .
Gowdy explained to host Martha MacCallum that because Flynn initially pleaded guilty to a charge of making false statements to investigators and waived his right to a trial , the FBI did not have to turn over handwritten notes from officials that discussed their motivation for interviewing Flynn at the White House .
Those notes were unsealed Wednesday .
“ This is not the Department of Let ’ s See If We Can Get Away With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s not the Department of Let ’ s See Who We Can Get Fired .
It ’ s the Department of Justice.
” Gowdy pointed out that then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates , a staunch critic of Trump , was reportedly “ infuriated ” when she found out how Comey had approached the investigation into Flynn .
“ That ’ s the Department of Justice , ” he said .
“ We don ’ t care if you ’ re an ‘ R ’ or a ‘ D ’ … we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same , [ but ] Mueller ’ s folks did not turn over those documents because they didn ’ t think they had to.
” Gowdy added that he hopes the investigation of Flynn has not been the FBI ’ s “ routine ” practice in investigations .
“ And if it is routine , then why didn ’ t they apply the same standard that they did to Hillary Clinton that they did to Michael Flynn ?
” he asked , remarking that Clinton had a “ medium-sized law firm in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Flynn was reportedly advised by then FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe not to have an attorney present .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss how the fake news mainstream media is trying to explain the damning FBI handwritten notes targeting Michael Flynn for entrapment.
Trey Gowdy was on Fox News to slam the DOJ over the Flynn case stating, ‘It’s not the Department of let’s see who we can get fired.’
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Via Fox News…
Former House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., joined “The Story” Friday to react to the latest developments in the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Gowdy explained to host Martha MacCallum that because Flynn initially pleaded guilty to a charge of making false statements to investigators and waived his right to a trial, the FBI did not have to turn over handwritten notes from officials that discussed their motivation for interviewing Flynn at the White House. Those notes were unsealed Wednesday.
“This is not the Department of Let’s See If We Can Get Away With It,” Gowdy said. “It’s not the Department of Let’s See Who We Can Get Fired. It’s the Department of Justice.”
Gowdy pointed out that then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, a staunch critic of Trump, was reportedly “infuriated” when she found out how Comey had approached the investigation into Flynn.
“That’s the Department of Justice,” he said. “We don’t care if you’re an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ … we’re going to treat you the same, [but] Mueller’s folks did not turn over those documents because they didn’t think they had to.”
Gowdy added that he hopes the investigation of Flynn has not been the FBI’s “routine” practice in investigations.
“And if it is routine, then why didn’t they apply the same standard that they did to Hillary Clinton that they did to Michael Flynn?” he asked, remarking that Clinton had a “medium-sized law firm in the room” when she was being interrogated while Flynn was reportedly advised by then FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe not to have an attorney present.
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theduran--2020-05-05--Why Was David Icke Booted From YouTube?

Why Was David Icke Booted From YouTube?

David Icke had around 900 thousand subscribers to his YouTube channel .
At the beginning of this month it was shut down and all his videos deleted .
The story was reported worldwide including by his local press .
The closure of his YouTube account followed similar action by Facebook .
If your information about David Icke comes only from the mainstream media , don ’ t believe a word : he is no anti-Semite , no hate preacher , and no madman .
Rather , he means well but is extremely gullible , one of those people who believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so any information that comes from official sources is not merely suspect but wrong .
Additionally , he has been taken in by all manner of cranks and whackos ; unlike Shaun Attwood , he actually believes these people when they tell us the Illuminati is plotting to take over the world , and that a Satanic conspiracy operated in Hampstead where babies were ritually sacrificed at the local McDonald ’ s .
Also , like most of these people , if he does any research at all , it is from all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Icke is a modern mystic , and should always be viewed as such .
His journey down that road began with a quest for pain relief .
As a teenager he showed promise as a soccer player , but he was one of those unfortunate people who develop rheumatism at an early age .
His short-lived goalkeeping career was followed not unnaturally by a stint as a sports journalist , but by the early 1990s he had discovered the New Age , and there was no turning back .
At one point in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protocols Of Zion , which led to his being denounced hysterically as an anti-Semite .
In reality , although the Protocols was used and continues to be used by anti-Semites , it isn ’ t an anti-Semitic document , rather it is a mystical one .
It doesn ’ t take an anti-Semite to believe King Solomon sat down with the Elders of Zion in 929BC to plot the conquest of the Universe by sending the Symbolic Snake of Judaism through the world ’ s great cities , only an idiot .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jewish organisations have campaigned against Icke , including the Anti-Defamation League that has branded him both an anti-Semite and a conspiracy theorist .
If you haven ’ t heard of the ADL , it is one of the few organisations that had the temerity to condone both the Gaza Massacre of 2008-2009 and the Flotilla Massacre of 2010 ; the latter saw ten men including an American citizen murdered in cold blood by the Israeli Defense Forces .
As far as Mr Icke being a conspiracy theorist , we are currently witnessing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American history , one that saw the three top men at the CIA , FBI and NSA acting in concert with many others , including members of the Obama Administration to exonerate Hillary Clinton for espionage and frame the incoming later sitting President as a Russian puppet .
In this day and age it is those who don ’ t believe in conspiracy theories who need a reality check .
Where Icke goes wrong in the conspiracy stakes is in assuming there is a network controlled by a hub .
The sad truth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ control , and the drive towards a world dictatorship coupled with mass subversion of individual rights comes from many directions .
In spite of his fallacious ideas , Icke was tolerated until he started making ill-informed pronouncements on the coronavirus .
You can find several videos of him on BitChute .
His claim that the coronavirus doesn ’ t actually exist is absurd , but as many medical professionals have pointed out , this sort of ill-informed commentary can have disastrous effects , and in this connection we can look to China for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese Government has suppressed the Falun Gong movement , at times quite ruthlessly .
Its practitioners claim it is not simply a harmless pastime but a beneficial one , a form of Tai Chi .
The Chinese Government takes an entirely different view ; it considers Falun Gong to be a dangerous cult that encourages people to neglect medical treatment .
The clampdown may be over the top , but here is the view of one Westerner who came into contact with it .
By the same token , the suppression of David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut , but it may also prevent him from putting insane ideas into the heads of equally unthinking people .
As he had been warned repeatedly about posting this sort of nonsense , he has only himself to blame .
While the Chinese Government has almost certainly been less than candid about the coronavirus , medical opinion is clearly divided and is likely to remain so for some considerable time .
While we will have to tolerate intelligent , informed speculation about it , ill-informed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not help and may do a great deal of harm .
David Icke should stick to commenting on things he does understand , in particular , the corrupt , debt-based financial system .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
David Icke had around 900 thousand subscribers to his YouTube channel. At the beginning of this month it was shut down and all his videos deleted. The story was reported worldwide including by his local press. The closure of his YouTube account followed similar action by Facebook.
If your information about David Icke comes only from the mainstream media, don’t believe a word: he is no anti-Semite, no hate preacher, and no madman. Rather, he means well but is extremely gullible, one of those people who believes the government always lies to us, so any information that comes from official sources is not merely suspect but wrong. Additionally, he has been taken in by all manner of cranks and whackos; unlike Shaun Attwood, he actually believes these people when they tell us the Illuminati is plotting to take over the world, and that a Satanic conspiracy operated in Hampstead where babies were ritually sacrificed at the local McDonald’s. Also, like most of these people, if he does any research at all, it is from all the wrong sources.
Primarily, David Icke is a modern mystic, and should always be viewed as such. His journey down that road began with a quest for pain relief. As a teenager he showed promise as a soccer player, but he was one of those unfortunate people who develop rheumatism at an early age. His short-lived goalkeeping career was followed not unnaturally by a stint as a sports journalist, but by the early 1990s he had discovered the New Age, and there was no turning back.
At one point in his new career, Icke endorsed the Protocols Of Zion, which led to his being denounced hysterically as an anti-Semite. In reality, although the Protocols was used and continues to be used by anti-Semites, it isn’t an anti-Semitic document, rather it is a mystical one. It doesn’t take an anti-Semite to believe King Solomon sat down with the Elders of Zion in 929BC to plot the conquest of the Universe by sending the Symbolic Snake of Judaism through the world’s great cities, only an idiot.
Over the years, a number of powerful Jewish organisations have campaigned against Icke, including the Anti-Defamation League that has branded him both an anti-Semite and a conspiracy theorist. If you haven’t heard of the ADL, it is one of the few organisations that had the temerity to condone both the Gaza Massacre of 2008-2009 and the Flotilla Massacre of 2010; the latter saw ten men including an American citizen murdered in cold blood by the Israeli Defense Forces.
As far as Mr Icke being a conspiracy theorist, we are currently witnessing the unveiling of the most outrageous conspiracy in American history, one that saw the three top men at the CIA, FBI and NSA acting in concert with many others, including members of the Obama Administration to exonerate Hillary Clinton for espionage and frame the incoming later sitting President as a Russian puppet. In this day and age it is those who don’t believe in conspiracy theories who need a reality check.
Where Icke goes wrong in the conspiracy stakes is in assuming there is a network controlled by a hub. The sad truth is that there is no one in control, and the drive towards a world dictatorship coupled with mass subversion of individual rights comes from many directions.
In spite of his fallacious ideas, Icke was tolerated until he started making ill-informed pronouncements on the coronavirus. You can find several videos of him on BitChute. His claim that the coronavirus doesn’t actually exist is absurd, but as many medical professionals have pointed out, this sort of ill-informed commentary can have disastrous effects, and in this connection we can look to China for a parallel. Since 1999, the Chinese Government has suppressed the Falun Gong movement, at times quite ruthlessly. Its practitioners claim it is not simply a harmless pastime but a beneficial one, a form of Tai Chi. The Chinese Government takes an entirely different view; it considers Falun Gong to be a dangerous cult that encourages people to neglect medical treatment. The clampdown may be over the top, but here is the view of one Westerner who came into contact with it.
By the same token, the suppression of David Icke by the two largest Western websites may be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but it may also prevent him from putting insane ideas into the heads of equally unthinking people. As he had been warned repeatedly about posting this sort of nonsense, he has only himself to blame.
While the Chinese Government has almost certainly been less than candid about the coronavirus, medical opinion is clearly divided and is likely to remain so for some considerable time. While we will have to tolerate intelligent, informed speculation about it, ill-informed or simply scurrilous speculation by cranks cannot help and may do a great deal of harm. David Icke should stick to commenting on things he does understand, in particular, the corrupt, debt-based financial system.
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