NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT THURSDAY 2/13/2020

(LIMITED SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE THURSDAY)

THE US SENATE APPROVING AN IRAN WAR POWERS RESOLUTION 55-45.    THE HOUSE HAS ALREADY APPROVED A SIMILAR RESOLUTION.   EIGHT REPUBLICANS JOINING THE DEMOCRATS IN SUPPORT OF IT.     PRESIDENT TRUMP  EXPECTED TO VETO THE BILL THAT WOULD REQUIRE APPROVAL OF CONGRESS FOR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN.

US SENATOR MIKE LEE, REPUBLICAN OF UTAH, WHO CO-SPONSORED THE RESOLUTION SAYS HE SEES IT AS CONSISTENT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP'S STATEMENTS THAT AMERICA SHOULD NOT GET ENTANGLED IN WARS TOO HASTILY AND IN AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL WAY.

PRESIDENT TRUMP TWEETED OPPOSITION TO THE RESOLUTION BEFORE IT WAS APPROVED.

An Israel airstrike reported on Damascus Syria late tonight.     Syria says its air defenses were activated at 1145 pm local time to intercept missiles coming from the direction of the Israeli controlled Golan Heights.....

SYRIAN ARAB NEWS AGENCY REPORT

"First and foremost, the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic are fighting terrorism on the territory of their country"

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offers his assessment of the situation in Syria today also saying its too early to speak about direct involvement of the United States in the fighting in Idlib......TASS NEWS STORY

"Today in Idlib, Turkey our ally, faces a threat.  This threat comes from the government of Russia and Assad"

Those the words of US Representative for Syria James Jeffrey who's held talks with Turkish officials in Ankara this week.

A columnist for the pro-government "Daily Sabah" in Turkey argues that "Idlib marks last chance for the US" to act in support of Turkey claiming the mass deaths of civilians and a humanitarian crisis justifies it.....DAILY SABAH COLUMNIST

Syria's regime sending a message to Turkey with the country's parliament voting to approve a resolution condemning the Armenian genocide.

Syrian military forces also reported making progress taking more villages from Turkish backed jihadists in western Aleppo.

Officials who worked for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons say they were pressured by US officials to conclude that Syria's government carried out a chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018.    A former high level official for OPCW is backing up the former lower level officials claim saying they feel threatened for opposing the pressure to claim that Syria carried out a chemical weapons attack.....SOUTHFRONT NEWS AND COMMENT

The US imposing sanctions on three Russian businesses for violating sanctions involving Iran, Syria and North Korea.......TASS NEWS STORY

"Every day that it goes on, the damage compounds"

The words of the CEO of Canada's Chamber of Commerce Perrin Beatty.....

Major rail routes in Canada's busiest corridor between Toronto and Montreal are disrupted as native groups (First Nations) block rail lines in solidarity with western tribal chiefs in British Columbia whose blockade of a new gas pipeline was broken earlier this week by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

TONIGHT BOTH CN RAILROAD FREIGHT SERVICE AND MOST VIA RAIL PASSENGER SERVICE IN CANADA IS SHUT DOWN WITH PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU CALLING FOR  RESPECT FOR THE 'RULE OF LAW'.  COURT ORDERS HAVE BEEN OBTAINED TO REMOVE THE BLOCKADES.   

THE LATEST TONIGHT FROM CTV NEWS IN CANADA......LINK

More on the story from the CBC from earlier with two links starting with a post last night......LINK.....LINK

The US Department of Education is investigating Harvard and Yale universities wanting full disclosure of gifts from foreign nations.   US law requires disclosure of all gifts and contracts over 250-thousand dollars that involve foreign sources.

Since last year the DOE says it has uncovered some 6.6 billion dollars worth of gifts to the universities from foreign nations including China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

A cabinet shakeup in the UK with Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid turning in his resignation.  Prime Minister Boris Johnson making his moves to reshape the cabinet.   More from the BBC.....LINK

Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaking to parliament today saying that marriage should be enshrined as a union of a man and a woman.   Putin also said that there needs to be more flexibility in the concept of "family"......TASS NEWS REPORT

That's the way it really is Thursday February 13th, 2020.    The Newsdump is underway into the weekend.    More to come on Newsdump Friday.