NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT WEDNESDAY 12/12/2018

(EDITING, UPDATES, ADDITIONS ETC. POSSIBLE THROUGH 815am)

Police in France are looking for the suspect in a terrorist attack near a Christmas market in Strasbourg that killed three people and wounded 12 others.    The terrorist suspect is known to French authorities who raided his home yesterday.

Authorities revealed today that the attacker shouted "Allahu Akhbar".

Reaction from some French political leaders points to weakness in the government policies dealing with terrorism.

"The Republicans" leader Laurent Wauquiez asked how more attacks will be committed by those on terrorist suspect lists before action is taken.

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen says "radical change" is needed from the government:

"since the anti-terrorism policy is obviously failing"

Today Le Pen called for all those on the terrorism list like yesterday's attack suspect to be deported from the country.

The slowness of arrests of terrorism suspects contrasts with the quickness of arrests of individuals involved in the "yellow vests" protests last weekend in France.

Laurent Nunez, France's Secretary of State for the Interior, says he hopes that the "yellow vests" protests will be fewer this Saturday saying there is a need for responsibility after the terrorist attack.

Nunez decried internet discussions about the government using the terrorist attack to suppress the "yellow vests" protests.

Egypt is banning the sale of yellow vests until the end of January with the government fearing a copycat protest movement may develop in the country on the seventh anniversary of the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak following street demonstrations.

The Battle of Brexit.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a leadership challenge from within her own party.    Enough letters from Conservative MP's have been received to trigger a vote on May continuing as Tory leader.

The vote takes place today between 1 and 3pm Eastern time in the US.   She needs 158 votes of support and she has endorsements from 124 MP's so far.

Word is that results will be announced at 4pm Eastern time in the US.

"Mr. Brexit" Nigel Farage tweeted this morning:

"Tory MP's have one last chance to save Brexit tonight by removing Mrs. May, time to stand up and show some courage."

Yesterday, the Prime Minister traveled to visit with the Dutch Prime Minister, the German Chancellor and European Union President Jean Claude Juncker.   May was working on "assurances" from the leaders over parts of her controversial Brexit plan opposed by members of her own party.

IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT JUST MOMENTS AGO AFTER PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS, THE SHADOW FOREIGN SECRETARY FROM THE OPPOSITION LABOR PARTY, EMILY THORNBERRY, STOOD UP TO ASK AN URGENT QUESTION.

SHE WAS ASKING ABOUT A GOVERNMENT FUNDED ORGANIZATION THE INSTITUTE FOR STATECRAFT AND ITS 'INTEGRITY INITIATIVE' DESIGNED TO FIGHT FOREIGN THREATS ONLINE.

ITS BEEN REPORTED THAT THE INSTITUTE FOR STATECRAFT 'INTEGRITY INITIATIVE' HAS BEEN RESPSONSIBLE FOR ONLINE ATTACKS ON LABOR PARTY LEADER JEREMY CORBYN.

THE HOME OFFICE MINISTER SIR ALAN DUNCAN GAVE A STATEMENT IN RESPONSE.

The speaker of Sweden's Parliament has called for a vote on Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven as Prime Minister.  Lofven has been trying to form a government but has been unsuccessful in finding support beyond his usual allies on the "Left" to avoid bringing the anti-mass immigration Sweden Democrats into a government.

If Lofven is rejected, it will be the second time a Prime Minister candidate has been rejected since last September's general election.   Four attempts to approve a new Prime Minister are allowed under Swedish law before new elections have to be called.

  

In a move that's worthy of his longtime friend Vince McMahon. President Trump sat down for a meeting with Democrat House and Senate leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.  Then the President called in the media cameras and called out the Democrats.   Trump says the Dems must go along with funding needed for border security including wall construction or else the government will be shut down.

LATE BREAKING NEWS:  The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced today that a military operations will be launched in Syria east of the Euphrates River in coming days against Kurdish groups that Turkey considers terrrorists.

The US military operates in the region and Erdgoan and he said:

"Turkey's target has never been US soliders"

The US and Turkey are at odds over Syria with the US supporting Kurdish groups and using Kurdish fighters in operations against ISIS.

The communications director for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that there should be international  justice in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.   The Turkish Foreign Minister is in talks with the UN about the issue.

The Saudis have refused to extradite Saud al-Qahtani, a key aide to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and another man, a former Saudi intelligence official in connection with Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd.

A key friend of the Saudi Crown Prince is Preisdent Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.    Kushner is developing a plan for a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians that the President has dubbed "The Deal Of The Century".

The "Ynet" news website in Israel quotes Kushner from his interview with Sean Hannity on "Fox News" Monday night:

"The president's been very focused on trying to bring all the different parties together and we're hopeful, in the next couple of months we'll put out our plan, which again, not every side is going to love, but there's enough in it and enough reasons why people should take it and move forward"

Kushner also said that the way Palestinians were living in Gaza and the West Bank is unacceptable.

Recently Israel's Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the conservative religious Jewish Home party said the deal should not be presented because the two sides were too far apart.

Another idea Jared Kushner has been working on is "Criminal Justice Reform", a plan to allow non-violent offenders out of federal prison earlier.    It passed the House and now is before the Senate.

On Tuesday President Trump tweeted thanks to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for allowing a vote on the plan this week.

The President tweeted in part:

"These historic changes will make communities SAFER and SAVE tremendous taxpayer dollars.  It brings much needed hope to many families during the Holiday Season."

Canadian Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, has been detained in China.   His detention comes days after Canada's arrest of Chinese business executive Meng Wanzhou for extradition to the US on charges of violating US sanctions on Iran.

Meanwhile, Meng has been granted bail in Canada but still faces extradition to the US.   President Trump told Reuters that he could intervene in her case if it would be in the interests of national security or trade with China.

Visiting Israel is the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini.   Salvini is the leader of "The League" party, one of the partner parties in Italy's new reform government.

An Israeli military delegation is in Moscow to discuss Israeli operations on Lebanon's border currently underway and other operational issues in the region where Russian forces are based in and operating in Syria.   The visit follows last week's conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin  Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Two Russian strategic bombers flew 6-thousand miles to Venezuela on Monday.   The flight was denounced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as being in support of a corrupt and repressive government in that county.

The flight comes amid increasing tensions between the US and Russia.  The US has given Russia a 60 day ultimatum to modify a rocket system that the US says violates the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty.  If Russia does not comply the US is pulling out of the INF treaty.

The latest business to fold in economic troubled Venezuela is Goodyear.   Goodyear is giving its employees a severance that includes 10 tires for each employee.   The tires will have value on the "black market" in Venezuela.

And that's the way it really is Wednesday morning December 12th, 2018.