NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT FRIDAY 1/17/2020  NEWSDUMP FRIDAY

(LIMITED SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY 1230 AM OR LATER EASTERN US TIME)

New guidelines rolled out today for foreign military personnel training in the US following the December 6th terrorist attack at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida.     A Saudi Arabian air force officer killed three and wounded eight.

There will be a prohibition on the purchase of firearms by foreign trainees along with some limitations on movement and more stringent background checks aimed at identifying terrorists in the ranks of those coming to the US for military training.

The US now acknowledging 11 injuries in the Iranian missile attacks last week on US bases in Iraq.

That word came out Thursday night from US Central Command in the Middle East.    The 11 flown out of Al-Asad airbase for treatment related to concussion.

"The day the missiles of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps crushed the US base is one of the days of God"

In Tehran today the words of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei speaking at Friday prayers.

He described the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani by the US that led to Iran's attacks on military bases in Iraq as "terrorism".

More from Iran's "Press TV"......LINK

Ukraine's government demanding that Iran hand over the "black boxes" of the Ukrainian airliner shot down by the country's air defenses last week.

And Russia's Aeroflot airline deciding to cancel night time flights in and out of Tehran because of safety concerns.

Saudi Arabia's government paid the US 500 million dollars last month to help defray the cost of the US military presence there    A large increase in the US military's numbers there in recent months amid the tensions with Iran.

China's economy grew at its slowest rate in decades last year.      The 6.1 percent growth for 2019 considered a weak level of growth for China.

The trade dispute with the Untied States slowing demand for Chinese exports.

China was sent a military message by the United States Thursday when a US warship transited the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China.

This follows the re-election of Taiwan's president last weekend who pledges to stand up to China.

More from GMA News Online in the Philippines......LINK

Three additional arrests made by the FBI of alleged white supremacists accused of planning to be part of a Second Amendment rally in Virginia Monday allegedly to commit violence.

The second group of three arrested in Georgia after the three others were detained in Delaware and Maryland.

An FBI sting operation is said to have led to the arrests of the individuals said to be part of the group called "The Base".

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam stirring up controversy with his declaration of a state of emergency and prohibition of firearms at the Monday rally.

His decision came on Wednesday, one day before the FBI made the arrests.

Federal prosecutors responding to arguments that they are withholding evidence proving the innocence of defendants in the college admissions case who have pled not guilty.

The 526-page document includes heavily redacted emails that paint a negative picture of the defendants including actress Lori Laughlin and her husband fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.

In Washington a strong lineup of defense lawyers emerging for President Trump's impeachment trial including former special prosecutors Ken Starr and Robert Ray along with constitutional scholar Alan Dershowitz and others.

The President's defense team will be led by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump lawyer and religious conservative activist Jay Sekulow.

Plenty of mainstream media buzz as the names are dropped as exemplified by this BBC story.....LINK

Polling late this week for the March 2nd election in Israel continuing to show Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud with the Join Arab List in third place.

Also running strong a new united party of the "Left" in Israel and a new party Yamina, that unifies those more conservative than the Likud Party.

The groups of parties aligned with Gantz and Netanyahu falling short of the 61 seats needed for a majority with Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) holding the balance of power at around seven or eight seats.

On the issue of immunity for Prime Minister Netanyahu following his indictment in three corruption cases, a poll for Israel's Radio 103FM showing 64 percent opposed.    Netanyahu's request for immunity is being taken up by parliament before the election after he had asked it be delayed until afterwards.

Russia's Foreign Ministry putting out the word that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to deliver Russian natural gas directly to Germany will be completed in spite of outside pressure including US sanctions.

A Russian ship will complete the pipeline by early next year after a European company was forced out by US sanctions that were imposed last month in the defense spending bill signed by President Trump.

More from "Tass".....LINK

A youth lawsuit over climate change dismissed by a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 2-1 majority saying it was beyond the power of a federal court judge to determine remediation of a problem that should be handled by voters and elected officials.

More from Maxine Bernstein of "OregonLive"....LINK

Wintry weather across the northern part of the United States from the Midwest on into the Northeast.

Blizzard Warnings in some places from Detroit westward.       Significant snowfalls expected in the Great Lakes area during the next 24 hours.

The head of the organization that's behind the music industry's Grammy Awards, removed from her post 10 days before the event.     Deborah Dugan accused of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy.    Dugan now on administrative leave. Independent investigators retained in the matter.

The mystery virus originating in Wuhan, China causing US authorities to screen passengers arriving at three US airports from Wuhan.

There have been cases of the virus in Thailand and Japan in addition to China.

The BBC reports more on the spread of virus.......LINK

And that's the way it really is Friday January 17th, 2020 Newsdump Friday.