Steele dossier’s main claims ‘likely false,’ admits journalist who helped launch Russiagate

[RT] The explosive dossier that fueled Russiagate and served as justification for snooping on a top Trump aide contains numerous claims that are “likely false,” according to one of the first journalists to report on the document.

© AFP / Eric Baradat

Michael Isikoff, whose report on alleged Trump-Russia links was cited extensively by the FBI to secure a warrant to spy on Trump adviser Carter Page, has conceded that many of the dossier’s most scandalous allegations have yet to be supported by real evidence.

Related: BREAKING: FOX NEWS REPORTS SECRET INDICTMENTS FILED AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP BY MUELLER

“When you actually get into the details of the Steele dossier, the specific allegations, we have not seen the evidence to support them, and, in fact, there's good grounds to think that some of the more sensational allegations will never be proven and are likely false,” Isikoff, who writes for Yahoo News, said in an interview.

Most notably, the dossier alleges that Donald Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, traveled to Prague to help coordinate “collusion” with the Russians. As Isikoff pointed out, Cohen vehemently denied the allegation in congressional testimony – and his recent plea deal for unrelated, non-collusion crimes signals that investigators think the ex-attorney is telling the truth.

“Why wasn’t [Cohen] charged with lying about it? That would have been as serious a lie as the lie he told about the Trump Tower Moscow project,” Isikoff argued. “All the signs to me are that Mueller is reaching his end game, and we may see less than many people want him to find.”

Isikoff also expressed doubts about the existence of the so-called “pee tape” which Russia is purportedly using to blackmail Trump – perhaps the most well-known and salacious claim made in the dossier.

Related: [Video] Deep-State Swamp Dweller Robert Mueller Exposed

However, Isikoff said he thought that the dossier was correct in asserting that the Russian government attempted to interfere in the election and “help Trump’s campaign.”

“In broad strokes, Christopher Steele was clearly onto something, that there was a major Kremlin effort to interfere in our elections, that they were trying to help Trump’s campaign, and that there was multiple contacts between various Russian figures close to the government and various people in Trump’s campaign,” he said.

Related: Comey admits FBI failed to verify Steele Dossier it used to obtain a spy warrant on Trump's aide

The dossier was authored by ex-spy Christopher Steele, who had been commissioned by Fusion GPS, a firm under contract with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

Isikoff’s skepticism is particularly noteworthy because he parroted many of Steele’s claims in a Sept. 23, 2016 article which the FBI cited in four Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants to spy on Trump aide Carter Page. The FBI repeatedly claimed that it “did not believe” that Steele was the direct source for Isikoff’s article – but it was later revealed that the ex-spy had in fact briefed the reporter at the direction of Fusion GPS.

Source: https://www.rt.com/usa/446753-isikoff-dossier-russiagate-trump/

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Round five: Yellow Vests prepare for massive ‘Macron resign’ protest on Saturday

© Reuters / Gonzalo Fuentes

Paris is bracing for yet another round of Yellow Vest protests, with demonstrators planning to take to the streets on Saturday. More than 10,000 people have already RSVP'd on Facebook to the ‘Acte 5: Macron Démission’ march.

The demonstration is scheduled to take place in the French capital on the Champs-Élysées. 

The organizers, consisting of some 15 groups, have outlined their list of demands on Facebook, saying they will continue their action against Macron until all their demands are met.

Related: YELLOW VESTS REJECT MACRON’S CONCESSION SPEECH

“Our organizations support the demands of tax and social justice brought by the movement of yellow vests. They call for demonstrations Saturday, December 15, for social justice and tax, for a real democracy, for equal rights, for a true ecological transition…” the planners said in a statement, as quoted by Le Parisien. 

Similar demonstrations are also expected to take place in other cities across the country.

© Reuters / REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo

Security officials are gearing up for the protests, with Paris Police Chief Michel Delpuech stating that tens of thousands of cops will be deployed across France, and some 8,000 in Paris.

“We need to be prepared for worst-case scenarios,” he said.

Delpuech told RTL that authorities are aiming to be in “better control” of the situation than they were last weekend, when more than 125,000 people hit the streets of France, 10,000 of whom protested in Paris.

Those demonstrations saw clashes between protesters and police, with officers deploying tear gas and water cannon on people who threw Molotov cocktails, burned cars, and vandalized stores. Over 260 people were injured and 1,700 detained across the country.

Ahead of the demonstrations planned for Saturday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said it was time for the Yellow Vest protesters to scale down their demonstrations and accept that they had achieved their aims, as Macron has granted concessions as a result of the rallies.

“I'd rather have the police force doing their real job, chasing criminals and combating the terrorism threat, instead of securing roundabouts where a few thousand people keep a lot of police busy,” he said, just days after an attack at a Christmas market in Strasbourg killed four people and injured around a dozen others.

© Reuters / REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Earlier this week, Macron spoke to the nation in a televised address, saying he understood the concerns of protesters. In addition to canceling fuel tax increases that were scheduled to kick in next month, he said he would increase the minimum wage by 100 euros a month from January and reduce taxes for poorer pensioners, among other measures.

Even despite those concessions, Macron's critics are still demanding that he resign, continuing to refer to him as “President of the Rich.”

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/446504-france-yellow-vest-macron-protests/

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Russia & Syria to dump dollar in mutual trade, agree joint energy projects

The Moscow-Damascus Intergovernmental panel has reached a series of agreements, including switching to national currencies in mutual settlements and commercial energy exploration in Syria.

“Mutual settlements, transport and logistics - as far as I’m concerned these issues have been settled,” Vladimir Padalko, Vice-President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry told journalists on the sidelines of an annual meeting of the Russian-Syrian commission for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, taking place in Damascus.

The Russian official added that the countries have picked 200 Russian and Syrian companies to take part in joint projects for rebuilding the war-torn country. The parties are set to sign an agreement that includes 10 extensive focus areas for recovering the Syrian post-war economy.

The parties have also clinched a number of commercial agreements on exploration and production of energy commodities in Syria, according to the Russian office. Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and Syrian Ministry of Industry has reportedly approved and signed a road map for bilateral industry cooperation.

The countries have reached 30 agreements on investment projects. Syria and Russia have come to material consent in the area of transport and higher education, according to the Head of the Syrian Planning and International Cooperation Commission Imad Sabuni.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

Source: https://www.rt.com/business/446463-russia-syria-local-currencies-settlement/

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‘Full Extent’ of Russian Meddling on Google in 2016? $4,700 Spent on Ads

Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that the “full extent” of so-called Russian meddling activity that took place on the platform during all of 2016 was $4,700 spent on some digital advertisements.

Related: [Video] Breaking News! GOOGLE CEO LIES UNDER OATH ABOUT INTERNET CENSORSHIP

"Does Google now know the full extent to which its online platforms were exploited by Russian actors in the election two years ago?" Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, asked the search engine's chief executive during Tuesday's hearing.

Whenever Russiagate peddlers are confronted w/ the actual facts, it doesn't go so well. Here's @RepJerryNadler asking Google CEO Sundar Pichai about "the full extent" of Russian meddling activity on its platforms in 2016. The answer: Russian-linked accounts spent $4,700 on ads. pic.twitter.com/MiZaq8HBvS

— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) December 11, 2018

"We have — we undertook a very thorough investigation, and, in 2016, we now know that there were two main ad accounts linked to Russia which advertised on Google for about $4,700 in advertising," Pichai responded.



"A total of $4,700?" Nadler asked to confirm. "That's right," the Google executive replied.

Google employees and executives contributed $1.6 million to 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Source: https://sputniknews.com/us/201812111070598758-full-extent-russian-meddling-4700-google/?fbclid=IwAR1XHOIQW1TRoyJ4L0aDfvx-fWviuMkFJkYrPev38r9KTHsan4x32UenNrs

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YELLOW VESTS REJECT MACRON’S CONCESSION SPEECH

French President scrambles after realizing he’s losing grip on power

The Yellow Vest movement has largely rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s concession speech, claiming it was an insincere “charade.”

“He is trying to do a pirouette to land back on his feet but we can see that he isn’t sincere, that it’s all smoke and mirrors,” Jean-Marc, a car mechanic told the AFP Monday.

According to local media, other French citizens described the speech as “window dressing,” “a bluff,” a “drop in the ocean,” “nonsense,” and a “charade.”

“Maybe if Macron had made this speech three weeks ago, it would have calmed the movement, but now it’s too late,” said one Yellow Vest protester. “For us, this speech is nonsense.”

The protesters said Macron’s concessions didn’t amount to much change.

“He is being held hostage so he drops some crumbs,” said a 35-year-old official.

Many protesters indicated they would continue their “Gilet Jaunes” movement.

“We’re really wound up, we’re going back to battle,” said a 55 year-old bike mechanic.

“The door is now open, we must seize the opportunity,” said Jacline Mouraud, an early leader of the protests.

Macron walked back several measures on Monday, including canceling the gas tax, raising the minimum wage, and stripping taxes for pensioners.

“Maybe in the beginning I gave you the impression that I didn’t care, but that’s not true. Maybe I hurt some of you. That was not my intention. I want to find a way to get out of this together,” he said.

“This is why I’m ordering an end-of-year bonus for all employees without any tax. How we treat you is a very important part of our nation. In 2019, you’re going to see this.”

Source: https://www.infowars.com/charade-yellow-vests-reject-macrons-concession-speech/

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Russia seeks to ‘feed the whole planet’ – PM

Russia seeks to expand its agricultural exports, ultimately seeking to feed the whole planet, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. The PM’s statement comes as the country enjoys a record surge in grain exports.

“Our country is, as they say, destined by the heavens to feed the whole planet. And we’ll try and do that,” Medvedev told journalists of Russian TV channels in a major interview aired on Thursday.

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Russia’s grain exports surge more than 54% this year

Apart from being the country’s “destiny,” the foods plainly make “nice export goods,” the prime minister added. Russia’s agriculture has expanded greatly over the past few years, becoming a solid and profitable industry, unlike the way it was a couple decades ago.

“Back in 1990s, the agriculture was called a ‘black hole’, where one should not invest, we were told we should not feed ourselves since we can purchase everything elsewhere,” Medvedev said. “Now, it feeds our whole country. We’ve reached the main goals regarding food security and we’re exporting grains, other goods to the world market.”

This year, Russia has enjoyed vast growth of its agricultural exports, becoming the world’s top exporter of wheat. From January through September of 2018, exports of Russia’s wheat and meslin flour expanded by 54.3 percent compared to the previous year.

The amount of food which the county imports, in its turn, continued to shrink. Imports of grains to Russia dropped by 11.1 percent during the same period. Imports of barley have suffered an enormous decline, dropping a whopping 94 percent.

Source: https://www.rt.com/russia/445748-medvedev-russia-feed-planet/

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[Video] CrossTalk: Yemen on the brink

Yemen and the politics of denial and deceit. The Trump administration’s continued support of the Saudi-led war is morally indefensible and strategically counter-productive. Blaming Iran for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen only ensures more suffering. It is time to end this senseless conflict.
CrossTalking with Joshua Landis and Giorgio Cafiero.



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ru6bAX0Mrs

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[Video] Prof. Stephen F. Cohen: Threat Of Nuclear War With Russia Is Greatest Ever

Stephen F. Cohen, an expert on U.S.-Russian relations, claims that nuclear war is possible due to the “RussiaGate” allegations being made by the democrats. Paul Joseph Watson breaks down how “Trump Derangement Syndrome” could actually cause a hot war.

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