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Today's News (2020/1/13)
Jan. 13th, 2020 09:26 pmThis might be Trump’s worst lie ever
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/13/this-might-be-trumps-worst-lie-ever/
In recent days, President Trump has come up with a new twist on his justification for killing Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, namely that four embassies were targeted. From everything we know now (and from what Congress was told), this is simply made up. The Post reports that embassies themselves were not warned of any such imminent threats:
...
Amash’s conclusion was bolstered by an NBC News report on Monday that “President Donald Trump authorized the killing of [Soleimani] seven months ago if Iran’s increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials.” That suggests it was a long-standing option for retaliation, which would “undermine the Trump administration’s stated justification for ordering the U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3.”
The ever-shifting explanations for Trump’s conduct are emblematic of how his utter lack of credibility in the national security realm has come back to haunt him. He has gone from smearing the intelligence community, to praising it, to inventing intelligence. The media too often pretend that there is credence to his assertions or that maybe there is some super-secret intelligence that cannot be shared with them.
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Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions
The timing raises new questions about the Trump administration's stated justification for taking out the top Iranian general.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-authorized-soleimani-s-killing-7-months-ago-conditions-n1113271
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani seven months ago if Iran's increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials.
...
The timing, however, could undermine the Trump administration's stated justification for ordering the U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. Officials have said Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, was planning imminent attacks on Americans and had to be stopped.
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Revealed: US listed climate activist group as ‘extremists’ alongside mass killers
DHS listed activists engaged in non-violent civil disobedience targeting oil industry alongside white supremacists in documents
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/13/us-listed-climate-activist-group-extremists
A group of US environmental activists engaged in non-violent civil disobedience targeting the oil industry have been listed in internal Department of Homeland Security documents as “extremists” and some of its members listed alongside white nationalists and mass killers, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.
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White House wants Senate trial rules to include ability to dismiss Trump charges
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-impeachment-live-01-13-2020/h_35b49a6eb56c5f0ca9362397ee6a673a
The White House is urging Senate Republicans to preserve the option of moving to swiftly dismiss the charges against President Trump after opening arguments in his impeachment trial, as GOP leaders and Trump's team look for a quick end to the proceedings, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Republicans are debating including in the Senate resolution, which would govern the rules of the trial, a provision to dismiss the charges, something that would require 51 votes and would stop the trial in its tracks.
But moving ahead with a dismissal vote could put Republicans up for reelection in a tough spot if they are seen as moving too quickly to dismiss the case. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could not afford to lose more than two votes — and GOP sources say the Kentucky Republican currently does not have enough votes to simply dismiss the case.
McConnell has made clear to his colleagues that he wants Trump to emerge victorious in the trial and is not willing to hold a vote that could fail, sources said. He’s also keenly aware of what a vote to dismiss would look like politically, according to Republican senators, and has shepherded his conference away from the idea for several weeks.
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Elizabeth Warren Said Bernie Sanders Told Her He Didn’t Believe A Woman Could Win In 2020
Sanders had blamed the story on “staff who weren’t in the room [and] are lying about what happened.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/elizabeth-warren-bernie-sanders-woman-president
DES MOINES — Elizabeth Warren recalled an explosive account of a meeting with Bernie Sanders in which he said he didn’t believe a woman could win in 2020, according to three people who heard the story directly from her in the weeks following their private meeting.
The fact that the candidate was herself the source of the story renders Sanders’ first response — blaming it on “lying” staffers — inoperative, and ensures that the two senators will be forced to discuss the details of the disputed December 2018 meeting at Tuesday night’s debate here in Iowa.
The Warren campaign declined to comment on her recollection of the meeting.
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White House expects GOP defections on calling witnesses in Senate impeachment trial
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/impeachment-trial-white-house-expects-republican-defections-on-calling-new-witnesses-in-the-senate/
Washington — The White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, which could get underway in the coming days.
Senior White House officials tell CBS News they increasingly believe that at least four Republicans, and likely more, will vote to call witnesses. In addition to Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and possibly Cory Gardner of Colorado, the White House also views Rand Paul of Kentucky as a "wild card" and Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee as an "institutionalist" who might vote to call witnesses, as one official put it.
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Pelosi accuses Trump of a 'cover-up' after president lashes out over impeachment
Democrats have called for key White House officials and the release of documents as Pelosi, under pressure, readies the House to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate to begin the trial.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/pelosi-accuses-trump-cover-after-president-lashes-out-over-impeachment-n1114741
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused President Donald Trump of a cover-up on Monday after he lashed out at Democrats in tweets calling his impending Senate impeachment trial a "witch-hunt."
"In the Clinton impeachment process, 66 witnesses were allowed to testify including 3 in the Senate trial, and 90,000 pages of documents were turned over," Pelosi, D-Calif., tweeted in a direct response to the president. "Trump was too afraid to let any of his top aides testify & covered up every single document. The Senate must #EndTheCoverUp."
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Trump administration warns Iraq could lose New York Fed account if US troops forced to leave: WSJ
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/11/trump-administration-warns-iraq-could-lose-new-york-fed-account-wsj.html
The Trump administration this week warned Iraq that it could lose access to its central bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York if Baghdad expels American troops from the region, Iraqi officials told The Wall Street Journal.
The State Department’s warning follows the U.S. airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top military commander and the face of the Islamic Republic’s interventions across the Middle East.
The strike led to Iraq’s parliament voting to force out American troops — a move some officials argued would hurt Iraq — and a counterstrike by Iran on two bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq last week.
Shutting down Iraq’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York could be detrimental to its financial system. The country puts its revenue from oil sales there, and takes out that money to pay government salaries and contracts.
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Russian spies hacked Ukrainian gas company at heart of Trump impeachment trial, company says
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/russian-spies-hacked-ukrainian-gas-company-at-heart-of-trump-impeachment-trial/2020/01/13/db50b2b0-366c-11ea-bb7b-265f4554af6d_story.html
Russian military spies have hacked a Ukrainian gas company that is at the heart of an impeachment trial of President Trump, who sought last year to pressure Ukraine to investigate the company and its links to Joe Biden’s son, according to a cybersecurity firm.
...
The operation’s launch coincided with a congressional impeachment inquiry into Trump and whether he abused his office by seeking to press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing a probe of Burisma and Hunter Biden — an action that conceivably would aid Trump’s reelection bid.
...
“The timing of the GRU’s campaign in relation to the 2020 U.S. elections raises the specter that this is an early warning of what we have anticipated since the successful cyberattacks undertaken during the 2016 U.S. elections,” Falkowitz said.
Area 1 discovered the breach on New Year’s Eve, he said. It was not known what material the GRU gained access to, and if any of it will be released. The GRU also targeted a media organization founded by Zelensky, the firm said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/01/13/this-might-be-trumps-worst-lie-ever/
In recent days, President Trump has come up with a new twist on his justification for killing Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, namely that four embassies were targeted. From everything we know now (and from what Congress was told), this is simply made up. The Post reports that embassies themselves were not warned of any such imminent threats:
...
Amash’s conclusion was bolstered by an NBC News report on Monday that “President Donald Trump authorized the killing of [Soleimani] seven months ago if Iran’s increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials.” That suggests it was a long-standing option for retaliation, which would “undermine the Trump administration’s stated justification for ordering the U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3.”
The ever-shifting explanations for Trump’s conduct are emblematic of how his utter lack of credibility in the national security realm has come back to haunt him. He has gone from smearing the intelligence community, to praising it, to inventing intelligence. The media too often pretend that there is credence to his assertions or that maybe there is some super-secret intelligence that cannot be shared with them.
-----
Trump authorized Soleimani's killing 7 months ago, with conditions
The timing raises new questions about the Trump administration's stated justification for taking out the top Iranian general.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-authorized-soleimani-s-killing-7-months-ago-conditions-n1113271
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump authorized the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani seven months ago if Iran's increased aggression resulted in the death of an American, according to five current and former senior administration officials.
...
The timing, however, could undermine the Trump administration's stated justification for ordering the U.S. drone strike that killed Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. Officials have said Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, was planning imminent attacks on Americans and had to be stopped.
-----
Revealed: US listed climate activist group as ‘extremists’ alongside mass killers
DHS listed activists engaged in non-violent civil disobedience targeting oil industry alongside white supremacists in documents
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/13/us-listed-climate-activist-group-extremists
A group of US environmental activists engaged in non-violent civil disobedience targeting the oil industry have been listed in internal Department of Homeland Security documents as “extremists” and some of its members listed alongside white nationalists and mass killers, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.
-----
White House wants Senate trial rules to include ability to dismiss Trump charges
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-impeachment-live-01-13-2020/h_35b49a6eb56c5f0ca9362397ee6a673a
The White House is urging Senate Republicans to preserve the option of moving to swiftly dismiss the charges against President Trump after opening arguments in his impeachment trial, as GOP leaders and Trump's team look for a quick end to the proceedings, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Republicans are debating including in the Senate resolution, which would govern the rules of the trial, a provision to dismiss the charges, something that would require 51 votes and would stop the trial in its tracks.
But moving ahead with a dismissal vote could put Republicans up for reelection in a tough spot if they are seen as moving too quickly to dismiss the case. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could not afford to lose more than two votes — and GOP sources say the Kentucky Republican currently does not have enough votes to simply dismiss the case.
McConnell has made clear to his colleagues that he wants Trump to emerge victorious in the trial and is not willing to hold a vote that could fail, sources said. He’s also keenly aware of what a vote to dismiss would look like politically, according to Republican senators, and has shepherded his conference away from the idea for several weeks.
-----
Elizabeth Warren Said Bernie Sanders Told Her He Didn’t Believe A Woman Could Win In 2020
Sanders had blamed the story on “staff who weren’t in the room [and] are lying about what happened.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/elizabeth-warren-bernie-sanders-woman-president
DES MOINES — Elizabeth Warren recalled an explosive account of a meeting with Bernie Sanders in which he said he didn’t believe a woman could win in 2020, according to three people who heard the story directly from her in the weeks following their private meeting.
The fact that the candidate was herself the source of the story renders Sanders’ first response — blaming it on “lying” staffers — inoperative, and ensures that the two senators will be forced to discuss the details of the disputed December 2018 meeting at Tuesday night’s debate here in Iowa.
The Warren campaign declined to comment on her recollection of the meeting.
-----
White House expects GOP defections on calling witnesses in Senate impeachment trial
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/impeachment-trial-white-house-expects-republican-defections-on-calling-new-witnesses-in-the-senate/
Washington — The White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, which could get underway in the coming days.
Senior White House officials tell CBS News they increasingly believe that at least four Republicans, and likely more, will vote to call witnesses. In addition to Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and possibly Cory Gardner of Colorado, the White House also views Rand Paul of Kentucky as a "wild card" and Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee as an "institutionalist" who might vote to call witnesses, as one official put it.
-----
Pelosi accuses Trump of a 'cover-up' after president lashes out over impeachment
Democrats have called for key White House officials and the release of documents as Pelosi, under pressure, readies the House to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate to begin the trial.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/pelosi-accuses-trump-cover-after-president-lashes-out-over-impeachment-n1114741
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused President Donald Trump of a cover-up on Monday after he lashed out at Democrats in tweets calling his impending Senate impeachment trial a "witch-hunt."
"In the Clinton impeachment process, 66 witnesses were allowed to testify including 3 in the Senate trial, and 90,000 pages of documents were turned over," Pelosi, D-Calif., tweeted in a direct response to the president. "Trump was too afraid to let any of his top aides testify & covered up every single document. The Senate must #EndTheCoverUp."
-----
Trump administration warns Iraq could lose New York Fed account if US troops forced to leave: WSJ
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/11/trump-administration-warns-iraq-could-lose-new-york-fed-account-wsj.html
The Trump administration this week warned Iraq that it could lose access to its central bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York if Baghdad expels American troops from the region, Iraqi officials told The Wall Street Journal.
The State Department’s warning follows the U.S. airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top military commander and the face of the Islamic Republic’s interventions across the Middle East.
The strike led to Iraq’s parliament voting to force out American troops — a move some officials argued would hurt Iraq — and a counterstrike by Iran on two bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq last week.
Shutting down Iraq’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York could be detrimental to its financial system. The country puts its revenue from oil sales there, and takes out that money to pay government salaries and contracts.
-----
Russian spies hacked Ukrainian gas company at heart of Trump impeachment trial, company says
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/russian-spies-hacked-ukrainian-gas-company-at-heart-of-trump-impeachment-trial/2020/01/13/db50b2b0-366c-11ea-bb7b-265f4554af6d_story.html
Russian military spies have hacked a Ukrainian gas company that is at the heart of an impeachment trial of President Trump, who sought last year to pressure Ukraine to investigate the company and its links to Joe Biden’s son, according to a cybersecurity firm.
...
The operation’s launch coincided with a congressional impeachment inquiry into Trump and whether he abused his office by seeking to press Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into announcing a probe of Burisma and Hunter Biden — an action that conceivably would aid Trump’s reelection bid.
...
“The timing of the GRU’s campaign in relation to the 2020 U.S. elections raises the specter that this is an early warning of what we have anticipated since the successful cyberattacks undertaken during the 2016 U.S. elections,” Falkowitz said.
Area 1 discovered the breach on New Year’s Eve, he said. It was not known what material the GRU gained access to, and if any of it will be released. The GRU also targeted a media organization founded by Zelensky, the firm said.
