Friday, January 25, 2019

NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT FRIDAY 1/25/2019


(EDITING, ADDITIONS, UPDATES ETC. POSSIBLE UNTIL 8 AM EASTERN US)


The United States is calling for a UN Security Council meeting on Venezuela for Saturday.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton says the US wants to channel money from the Nicolas Maduro regime to the new president recognized by the United States and more than a dozen other nations, National Assembly leader Juan Guaido.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a meeting of the Organization of American States that Maduro's government is "morally bankrupt" and "undemocratic to the core"

Russia still recognizes Maduro and says that the US policy in Venezuela is a pathway to bloodshed.

Standing with the Trump Administration on Venezuela is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.   Her Twitter post:

"America stands by the people of   #Venezuela as they rise up against authoritarian rule and demand respect for human rights and democracy"


At least 26 have been killed in street protests in Venezuela this week with people taking to the streets Thursday night across the country to protest against Nicolas Maduro.

Meanwhile, the new interim President of Venezuela says he's reaching out and would consider amnesty for Maduro if he gives up power in the country.

BREAKING NEWS:   The arrest this morning of Roger Stone, a longtime Republican political operative who's worked with numerous political candidates from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan to Bob Dole and Arlen Specter, among many others.

His arrest in Florida comes from Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation of Stone, who did work early on advising the campaign of Donald Trump.

There's a seven count indictment against Stone.   One count of witness tampering, one of obstruction and five of making false statements.    The false statements charges include statements Stone made to the House Intelligence Committee regarding his interactions related to the Wikileaks release of hacked emails from Democrat operative John Podesta.

Stone has said for months that he was expecting to be indicted.


The Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed under current rules and pass legislation to fund a barrier on the nation's southern border Thursday.

The Republican controlled Senate acting to break the deadlock over funding which has caused a "shutdown" in five federaln government departments.

Democrats controlling the House still refuse to approve the funding for the barrier.

CNN has reported that it has seen a draft document for the President to declare a national emergency and use executive authority to spend money on a border barrier.

The Battle of Brexit or perhaps more appropriately the Sellout of Brexit.   It appears what many might call the maneuvering to thwart the will of the people in the 2016 referendum when a majority voted to Leave the EU is moving forward.

The latest moves in Parliament include withdrawal of an amendment calling for a second referendum, a referendum that the Leave side would likely win again.

"Mr. Brexit" Nigel Farage said on his radio show Thursday that he expects the "No-Deal" withdrawal from the European Union currently in the law to be taken out of it by amendment this coming Tuesday.

This would set up a scenario where the British people would be told to accept Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan considered a "fake" that keeps the UK in the EU of there will be no Brexit at all.

The media is seizing on comments from Her Majesty the Queen about the need to find "common ground" and to "respect" differing points of view as being a commentary on the Brexit situation.

And that brings us to a story from Her Majesty's realm about a lack of respect for a differing point of view, so to speak.

A former British police officer liked a poem online about transgenderism and his like was not treated with "respect", it was designated as a "hate incident" by Her Majesty's police.

More on that story here.....LINK

President Emmanuel Macron continued his "town hall" style meetings in France Thursday meeting with local elected officials from the southern part of the country.

Macron said he was proud of his banking background noting it was good for him to have had a career before he got into politics.

Macron also hit hard at the notion of referendum's something the Yellow Vests protesters are pushing for.

He used the Brexit vote as an example saying it has torn the UK apart and that Brexit "can't be delivered".

Meanwhile a former President of France, Francois Hollande, was asked if Macron is a president of the rich.    He said:

"No"


but adding that Macron is a:

"president of the very rich"



In the European Parliament elections this May a Yellow Vests list of candidates will be on the ballot in France.

Ten candidates were put forward as the first names on that list.

Ingrid Levavasseur, 31, leads the list.       She says the government of Emmanuel Macron is arrogant and out of touch with the people of France.

Yellow Vests protests in Paris tomorrow with a daytime protest at 1 pm and an evening protest set for later in the day.

From Davos, Switzerland and the "World Economic Forum", the annual gathering of global elites from government, banking, business etc., the comments of one George Soros.

Soros, a big donor to Democrats in the US, was critical of President Trump for:

"waging a trade war with practically the whole world"


But Soros did call for a focus on China noting that it was the strongest authoritarian regime in the world, that could end up using artificial intelligence technology and machine learning to cement control over its own people.

Soros said that China's President Xi Jinping was:

"the most dangerous opponent of open societies"


The Hamas terror group in Gaza has already been given 30 million dollars of Qatari cash without condition by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a means to keep the territory pacified but it has been a very controversial policy with conservative Israelis.

But now during the Israeli election campaign, the third infusion of 15 million dollars came with a string attached.   Hamas was told the money could not go to terrorists.   So Hamas refused the latest payment.

"We know our son's innocent.  The ordinary man-on-the-street understands our son's innocent"


Those words coming from the father of a 16 year-old Israeli arrested for the stoning death of Aisha al-Rabi, a Palestinian woman.

Israeli authorities reportedly have DNA evidence recovered from a stone.

More on the story here.....LINK

The former First Minister of Scotland and former Scottish National Party leader, Alex Salmond, is accused of attempted rape and sexual assault.    Salmond was arrested and released on bail Thursday.   He faces 14 charges in all that also include indecent assault and breach of peace.

Salmond says he is innocent and will defend himself 'to the utmost'.

Before police got involved Salmond was investigated on sexual harassment in an internal investigation that the government says was flawed.


Back here in the USA the Solicitor General at the US Justice Department has approved the appeal by Nevada federal prosecutors of the dismissal of the criminal charges against Cliven Bundy, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy and Ryan Payne in connection with April 2014 Bunkerville Standoff in Nevada.

US District Judge Gloria Navarro threw out criminal charges last January saying that federal prosecutors in the case had engaged in "gross misconduct" by withholding evidence proving the defendants innocence.

That evidence included the activities of federal snipers around the Bundy Ranch in early April 2014 that caused Cliven Bundy to appeal for help which came from hundreds who exercised their First and Second Amendment rights in and around the ranch.

So a federal case started by the Obama Administration Justice Department is allowed to continue by the Trump Administration Justice Department.

Do we really need to end the shutdown for this department and resume funding?

And that's the way it really is, Friday morning January 25th, 2019.

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