NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT TUESDAY  8/13-WEDNESDAY 8/14/2019

(WORK IN PROGRESS WITH ADDITIONS, EDITING ETC. THROUGH EARLY
WEDNESDAY)

A mistrial declared in Seattle at the trial of a couple accused of attacking Antifa protesters in January 2017 at the University of Washington.

The jury told the judge they were hopelessly deadlocked in the case against Elizabeth and Marc Hokoana.

Elizabeth Hokoana accused of shooting anarchist Jonathan Phelan Dukes in the abdomen as Dukes grabbed her husband Marc.     Marc Kokoana accused of attacking the Antifa protesters with pepper spray.

The jury deadlocked 9-3 in favor of conviction of Elizabeth and 7-5 in favor of conviction of Marc.

The foreman of the jury believes that political bias from people supporting President Trump was involved in the jury's failure to reach a verdict.

The King County prosecutor's office will review the case to consider whether there would be a retrial in the case.

More details as reported by the "Seattle Times".....LINK

The US Justice Department announcing Tuesday that two guards on duty when Jeffrey Epstein died Saturday morning are now on "administrative leave" and that the warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center has been reassigned pending the outcome of the investigations into Epstein's death.

The warden from the federal prison in Otisville, NY reassigned to be Acting Warden of the MCC. 

 Otisville FCI is a minimum security prison just north of New York City with a reputation for being one of the less rigorous prisons in the federal system.

The "New York Times" has published a story citing two sources saying the guards assigned to watch Epstein fell asleep and falsified records.

CBS News reporting from a source that there was shouting and shrieking from his jail cell on the morning of Epstein's death with guards attempting to revive him saying:

"breathe Epstein breathe"

President Trump backing down from some planned tariffs on Chinese goods September 1st.    The tariffs now delayed until December 15th.

The delay includes electronics items like cell phones, laptops, video games along with Christmas decorations.

Trump says he does not want to impact the Christmas shopping season.

Commenting on the protests in Hong Kong, the President says its a:

"very tough situation"

hoping that it can be resolved.

Word from Hong Kong on Wednesday morning was that some flights were delayed or cancelled at the airport, but others running normally.

The authority in charge of the airport says it has obtained a court injunction to restrict protesters.

Hong Kong's airport the site of pro-democracy anti-police brutality protests again Tuesday with flight departures suspended late in the afternoon because of them.

The Beijing government's Chief Executive in Hong Kong, Carrie Lam saying that the territory is now in a:

"dangerous situation"

There are widespread fears and concerns about Chinese military intervention in the situation.

This was a live video link from the airport terminal as the protesters continued to maintain a presence there through Tuesday night Hong Kong Time....HERE

Here is video of the protests from earlier Tuesday.....LINK

Clashes inside the airport terminal as protesters uncovered police officers mingled with them disguised as protesters.

This video has emerged of protesters in Hong Kong carrying American flags and singing the national anthem......LINK

A legal challenge to a "No-Deal" Brexit will be heard in a Scottish court next month.

The Court of Session will hold a hearing September 6th on a bid by parliament members from opposition parties seeking s ruling against Prime Minister Boris Johnson preventing him from suspending parliament to push through a "No-Deal" Brexit.

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond accusing Prime Minister Johnson of making impossible demands for Brexit and claiming a "No-Deal" Brexit would be a betrayal of voters who approved Brexit in the 2016.

Hammond said parliament will get involved to stop a "No-Deal" Brexit and it must:

"...not happen...."

National Security Adviser John Bolton at Number 10 Downing Street meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson this week.

Bolton says the UK is "first in line" for a trade deal after Brexit with accelerated trade deals starting with manufacturing in the works.

Those words "first in line" pointed in contrast to former President Barack Obama's 2016 comments that the UK would be at the back of the line in the event of Brexit.

Bolton also said that the European Union treats people like "peasants".

An update on the political situation in Italy a unifying of forces in the Italian Senate against Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's effort to pass a no-confidence motion against his coalition with the Five Star Movement.

The mainstream party of the Left, the Popular Democrats, helped the Five Star Movement to defeat Salvini.        But a resolution was approved inviting Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to speak in parliament next Tuesday (August 20th) to resolve the crisis.

A man who was shouting:

"Allahu Akhbar"

stabbed a woman in the center of Sydney, Australia Tuesday.    Another woman was found stabbed to death inside a nearby apartment building.    

The attacker subdued by three members of the public and chased by members of the public and firefighters holding axes.

Police say the attacker had mental health problems and for the moment they don't classify it as a terrorist incident.


He is identified as Mert Nay.

More on this from "Seven News" in Australia including exclusive video of the attacker...LINK  (Video Link Is Not Working Properly Inside This Link For Me)

7 NEWS CAMERAMAN PAUL WALKER TALKS ABOUT THE VIDEO LIVE ON 7 NEWS...LINK

What about the threat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq?     A recent Pentagon report said there are some 14 to 18 thousand ISIS fighters in the region with the movement "growing in power"

An Iraqi spokesman contests the Pentagon characterization as being "greatly exaggerated".

Brigadier General Yahya Rasool says ISIS forces in those areas are grouped in the dozens and deploy in small groups of three to five.

The United States says that ISIS is a reason to keep US military forces deployed in Syria, where the US has backed jihadist opposition forces (including Al Qaeda) fighting the regime of Bashar Assad.

A report from the "Iraqi News" website......LINK

A Saudi women's rights activist has been offered a deal for release from prison.   She would have to appear in a video to retract reports she was tortured while in custody.

Loujain al-Hathoul has rejected the proposal.   More from "The Guardian"......LINK

The former president of Kyrgystan is now accused of murder.    Almazbek Atambayev taken into custody last week in a second special forces raid after the first one was repelled by his armed supporters.

Atambayev is also being charged with plotting a coup, taking hostages and organizing mass unrest.

The story of last week's accident at a naval missile test site in northern Russia continues to emerge.

Five were killed in the blast with three others injured.

Radiation levels in the area jumped higher after the accident but returned to normal.

The spike now reported in the port city of Severodvinsk was 16 times higher than normal radiation levels.   The levels would pose little threat to humans.

Russia was testing a new kind of missile that uses nuclear power as a means of propulsion.

Finally, from the world of entertainment two companies that used to be one are coming back together.

CBS and Viacom broke away from each other in 2006, but now they will again unite forces as "ViacomCBS" bringing together various brands from Comedy Central to MTV and Paramount Pictures,  among others.

And that's the way it really is as we come into Wednesday August 14th, 2019.