NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT FRIDAY 12/20/2019  NEWSDUMP FRIDAY

(LIMITED SERVICE WHEN ABLE WITH POSTS LATE FRIDAY PAST MIDNIGHT)

In Portland, Oregon today US District Judge Michael H. Simon revoking the grazing permit for eastern Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond.

Simon ruling that the former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had erred in granting them the permit after the Hammonds were pardoned by President Trump while serving a five year mandatory sentence as terrorists for lighting a backfire to protect their family from a brush fire.

The Hammond's plight brought to the world's attention by activists including Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy and the late LaVoy Finicum during the Oregon Standoff protest early in 2016.

Environmentalist groups challenged the Hammond's grazing permit and their success in getting Judge Simon's ruling forces the Hammonds to go through a lengthy process if they want to obtain a grazing permit.

Steven Hammond calling the environmentalists legal action a "personal attack" and Dwight Hammonds wife Suzie saying in part:

"It just seems like the politics of the day to me to shut down agriculture"

Maxine Bernstein of  "OregonLive" is reporting on this story today.....LINK

British authorities are charging the wife of a US diplomat with dangerous driving in an accident last August that killed a 19-year old man.

The UK wants to extradite Anne Sacoolas who left the country under diplomatic immunity after the accident that killed Harry Dunn.

President Trump attempted to broker a meeting between Sacoolas and Dunn's parents at the White House but they objected.

The US State Department saying this is not a helpful development and Sacoolas's lawyer says she will not voluntarily return to the UK.

More from the BBC....LINK

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says she wants to open a full investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in Palestinian territories.

Fatou Bensouda saying in part:   

"In brief I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip"

Bensouda wants a ruling from the ICC's judges as to what territory the court has jurisdiction over before she proceeds with her investigation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the decision a "dark day for truth and justice".

More from "Israel National News".......LINK....and from "Ynet"......LINK

The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meeting a leader close to President Trump Friday.   Rouhani with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.

Abe reportedly telling Rouhani to abide by the JCPOA nuclear deal of 2015.

Iran's Press TV stressing that Rouhani asked Japan for help in confront the United States pullout from the JCPOA deal and the US imposition of increasingly harsh sanctions......LINK

Japan's Kyodo News Agency stressing that Rouhani endorses Japan's military deployment in the Persian Gulf region that is separate from the US led military operation now underway there.....LINK

In northwestern Syria the government forces launching a ground offensive in southeastern Idlib late Thursday night and making advances against the  Al Qaeda affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forces and their allies.

Four towns reported captured late Friday after another town was taken by the government forces Thursday night.

Opposition sources claiming a Turkish military observation post in the area was shelled but the Turkish post located very close to a jihadist opposition strongpoint.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights groups saying 80 have been killed on both sides in the last 24 hours.

The situation in Libya appears to be deteriorating with airstrikes Thursday night on militias in Misrata that support the internationally recognized Government of National Accord by the Libyan National Army.

The GNA says that the LNA strikes were launched by foreign aircraft.

The LNA giving the GNA 72 hours to withdrawal or else.   The deadline for the pullback is Sunday.

A detailed analysis from "Southfront" entitled "Libya on the Brink of Full Scale War".......LINK

The House of Representatives approving the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement  (USMCA) yesterday with Senate action to approve it expected next year.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi writing to President Trump on Newsdump Friday to invite him to deliver the State of the Union message to Congress on Tuesday February 4th.   The White House saying the President accepts the invitation.

Meanwhile, sanctions aimed at Russia are included in the defense spending bill that President Trump's signed tonight as part of the 1.4 trillion dollar spending plan for the federal government as a whole that he's signing off on.

The sanctions an attempt to stop the Nord Stream 2 project that will lead to export of Russian natural gas directly to Germany skipping the current route through Ukraine.

Two former US ambassadors say the sanctions pit the United States against Germany and are the wrong way to go in combating Russian energy exports.

More from "Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty".......LINK

The lower house of Poland's parliament approving a law to make it easier to dismiss judges in the country over the objections of the European Union.

The country's Supreme Court had warned that the new law might lead to Poland being forced out of the EU.

The law punishes judges who engage in political activity and its detractors say it hurts the independence of the judiciary.

A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein when she was 16 is suing him.

Kaja Sokola is rejecting participation in a settlement of claims of civil suits by those who say they were victimized by Weinstein.

Sokola, who now works as a psychologist and therapist in Poland, came to the US seeking a career as a model and actress and alleges that she was sexually abused in 2002.

A recent change in New York state law extends the period that child sex abuse victims are able to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers.

The Wawa convenience store chain based in Pennsylvania says a data breach may have collected debit and credit card information from thousands of customers over a ten month period.

More from the "New York Post".....LINK

A NASA test of a Boeing spacecraft designed to reach the International Space Station failed today.   The "Starliner" will come back to earth after its flight-control system malfunctioned.

Britain's Prince Philip hospitalized as a precaution Friday due to a pre-existing condition.   The 98-year old husband of the Queen went there on the advice of his doctor.

Raging brushfires in two states along with record heat in Australia this weekend.     In New South Wales catastrophic fire conditions reported.   Live coverage on the ABC website.....LIVE

And for now that's the way it really is Newsdump Friday December 20th. 2019.