White Paper on Human Rights Violations in U.S. in 2017 Issued in DPRK

Pyongyang, January 30 (KCNA) — The DPRK Institute of International Studies Tuesday released the “White Paper on Human Rights Violations in U.S. in 2017”.

According to the white paper, soon after being inaugurated as president, Trump filled the important posts of his administration with billionaires, who had “contributed” to his election campaign, and their mouthpieces.

Secretary of State Tillerson, Secretary of Commerce Ross and also the secretaries of Treasury and Defense are all billionaires from conglomerates. The total assets of public servants at the level of deputy secretary and above of the current administration are worth of 14 billion US$.

The anti-popular policies the Trump administration pursued openly in one year were, without exception, for the interests of a handful of the rich circles.

In the U.S., where genuine freedom of the press and expression does not exist, intervention in and crackdown on the press grew more intensified over the past one year.

In 2017 the cases of searching and confiscation against journalists accounted for 12 and the cases of violation against them for 11. Moreover, 19 persons in the domestic press circles and four foreign journalists were arrested or detained.

Racial discrimination and misanthropy are serious maladies inherent to the social system of the U.S., and they have been aggravated since Trump took office.

The racial violence that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12 is a typical example of the acme of the current administration’s policy of racism.

In the U.S. the absolute majority of the working masses, deprived of elementary rights to survival, are hovering in the abyss of nightmare.

As a result, during the first week of March, 241 000 persons joined the large contingent of the unemployed; in May 9 000 public servants were fired from governmental agencies; in September the number of the unemployed increased by 33 000 as compared to that of the previous month.

In particular, unemployment of young people has become a matter of serious social concern; currently the unemployment rate of young people under 25 is 7.9%, and 31% of graduates from high schools do not have proper jobs.

According to what the U.S. administration made public, in 2017 the homeless numbered 554 000, about 10% increase as compared to that two years ago, and number of the poor families, living in rented rooms devoid of elementary facilities for living, is on the steady rise.

The soaring school expenses are plunging the students into the hell of loans.

Those who are diagnosed with a disease but cannot afford to pay their medical fees total 50 million. Flu, lung diseases and asthma cause 36 000, 40 000 and 150 000 deaths, respectively, on an annual average.

On the other hand, health-hazardous disqualified products are on sale across the country, which often leads to an outbreak of infectious diseases.

The U.S. is one of the world’s two countries that have yet to embrace paid maternity leave.

Over the past decade the proportion of American women who live below the poverty line has risen from 12.1% to 14.5%, and they usually receive 25% less salary than their male colleagues of the same post.

A woman is sexually abused every 89 seconds.

According to basic statistics, about 61 100 gun-related crimes took place in the U.S. last year, leaving 15 488 dead and 31 058 wounded.

According to data, the number of marijuana users in the U.S. was more than 20 million, a 3% increase as compared with that a decade ago; and over 90 people lose their lives on a daily average from drug abuse.

In the U.S. where crimes and evil are rampant, the number of imprisoned criminals tops 2.3 million and 70 million are ex-offenders.

The U.S., “guardian of democracy” and “human rights champion”, is kicking up the human rights racket but it can never camouflage its true identity as the gross violator of human rights, the white paper said.

Releasethememo: FBI (now sourced) and Devin Nunes Statements

Washington, D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
January 31, 2018

FBI Statement on HPSCI Memo

The FBI takes seriously its obligations to the FISA Court and its compliance with procedures overseen by career professionals in the Department of Justice and the FBI. We are committed to working with the appropriate oversight entities to ensure the continuing integrity of the FISA process.

With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it. As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.

Nunes Statement on FBI, DOJ Objections to Release of HPSCI Memo
Washington, January 31, 2018

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes issued the following statement today:

“Having stonewalled Congress’ demands for information for nearly a year, it’s no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies. The FBI is intimately familiar with ‘material omissions’ with respect to their presentations to both Congress and the courts, and they are welcome to make public, to the greatest extent possible, all the information they have on these abuses. Regardless, it’s clear that top officials used unverified information in a court document to fuel a counter-intelligence investigation during an American political campaign. Once the truth gets out, we can begin taking steps to ensure our intelligence agencies and courts are never misused like this again.”

“Release the Memo” Memes: Twitter Funnies

NASA TV: How to Watch Super Blue Blood Moon and Lunar Eclipse

Wednesday, Jan. 31, 5:30 a.m.: Live stream of “super blue blood moon” and lunar eclipse, NASA TV. Weather permitting, the broadcast will feature views from the varying vantage points of telescopes at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles; and the University of Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory.

The Jan. 31 full moon is special for three reasons: it’s the third in a series of “supermoons,” when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit — known as perigee — and about 14 percent brighter than usual. It’s also the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a “blue moon.” If you live in North America, Alaska, or Hawaii, a lunar eclipse will be visible before sunrise on Jan. 31. For those in the Middle East, Asia, eastern Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the “super blue blood moon” can be seen during moonrise in the morning on the 31st.

 

White House Sends Out Preview of State of the Union Address

Photo courtesy White House.

Previewing tonight’s State of the Union 

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, President Donald J. Trump will deliver his first State of the Union Address before Congress. The speech will outline the record-setting accomplishments of his first year and lay out the Administration’s vision for the next 12 months: building a safe, strong, and proud America.

A few important issues that you’ll certainly hear about tonight:

  • Tax cuts and the economy: The biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in at least three decades is already fueling an economic boom.
  • Infrastructure: President Trump will outline a $1 trillion investment for a large-scale, fast rebuild of America’s depleted infrastructure.
  • Immigration: The President will explain his framework on immigration reform, including border security, DACA legalization, protecting the nuclear family, and replacing the visa lottery with a skills-based approach.
  • Trade: Building on the President’s address at Davos last week, America will insist on trade deals that are fair and reciprocal.
  • National security: America is returning to “peace through strength” in world affairs, making our stances clear to friends and enemies alike.

 

Watch the State of the Union Address live at 9 p.m. ET.

One-piece 1,600 gram emerald found in Russia to be put up for auction

© Press service of Malyshevsky Mine

YEKATERINBURG, January 29. /TASS/. Geologists at the Malyshevsky Mine in the Sverdlovsk Region have found a one-piece 14-centimeter emerald having a mass of 1.6 kilograms. It is the largest-ever emerald mined at the deposit since the 1990s, the press-service of the public corporation Rostech (incorporating the Malyshevsky mine) told TASS on Monday.

“The crystal was spotted at the right moment and raised to the surface, thereby preserving it in the original condition. The emerald’s mass is 1.6 kilograms, length, 14 centimeters and width, seven centimeters. The state-run repository Gokhran has already evaluated the find. It is of second-rate quality, because it is not transparent and its color is light-green. The crystal was protruding from wall. It was noticed by a foreman and the deputy chief geologist,” the source said.

No name for the emerald has been chosen yet. Experts estimate the mineral’s value at 4 million rubles.

According to the press-service, the just-found crystal is the largest one-piece emerald to have been discovered at the Malyshevsky deposit over the past few decades.

Until just recently the 1.2-kilogram emerald mined in the early 1990s was considered to be the largest. It was named President in honor of Russia’s first president, Boris Yeltsin. Specialists at the Urals Academy of Mining estimated the crystal at $1.2 million. Currently it is kept in the Gokhran collection.

© Press service of Malyshevsky Mine

The Malyshevsky emerald and beryllium deposit is the largest deposit of emeralds in Europe, one of the three largest in the world and the sole one in Russia. It processes 93,700 tonnes of rock a year to produce an annual 1.5 kilograms of emeralds, 30 kilograms of beryls, and 100 grams of alexandrites. Also it mines phenakites, euclases, chrysoberyls, phenacites, alexandrites, phlogopites, lithium, rubidium and cesium.

Later in the day, it was announced the one-piece 1.6-kg emerald found in the Sverdlovsk Region will be put to an electronic auction and its starting price tentatively amounts to 4 mln rubles ($70,900), a representative of the Rostec Corporation told TASS on Monday.

“The gem remains in the company so far and will be presented at an electronic auction. The tentative price is about 4 mln rubles ($70,900) but we expect a major increase during the trading session. The gem has not yet received the name. We would like that it is selected on a competitive basis and think about details of this contest right now,” the representative said.

 

 

Poached bear paws and Siberian Tiger body parts seized in Russia

VLADIVOSTOK, January 30. /TASS/. Operatives from a customs department in Russia’s Far-Eastern Primorsky [Maritime] territory have detained three cars loaded with contraband commodities including weaponry, munitions, amber and a tonne of bears’ paws (about 870 paws), as well as body part of at least four Siberian tigers, which are entered in the Book of Rare and Endangered Species, the press service of the Amursky Tigr [Siberian Tiger] center said on Monday. Also collected was “the ‘grease’ and reproductive systems of frogs.” The malefactors were detained near the township of Platono-Alexandrovsky of the Khanka district.

“The stopped two minivans and an off-roader with a car trailer, with the citizens of Russia and China acting as drivers,” the report said.

“This beyond any doubt is a success,” the Director General of the Amursky Tigr Center, Sergei Aramilev said. “The largest channel of smuggling of animals’ bodily parts across the border that was registered ever here has been blocked.”

Aramilev said the consignment of animals’ parts had been gathered over several years. While two of the four tigers, the parts of which were tracked down by the customs operatives, died more than three years ago, another two animals were killed quite recently.

Bear paws are considered a delicacy in some Asian countries and are also used in Chinese medicine or simply as decorative objects. Bear Paw Soup is quite expensive and often only eaten by elites. The tiger parts were most likely also to be sold for the production of traditional Chinese medicine.

 

US Administration briefs Congress on sanctions against Russia

© AP Photo/J. David Ake

WASHINGTON, January 30. /TASS/. The US administration held a classified staff briefing for the Congress on sanctions against Russia. This is according to a statement made by US Senator Ben Cardin, who is Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“The administration provided a classified staff briefing today on U.S. diplomatic efforts toward this end and I appreciate the administration’s engagement with Congress on this issue,” Carin said.

The Senator reminded that the so-called “Russia sanctions law” includes “a provision which mandates sanctions on those who conduct significant transactions with the Russian defense and intelligence sectors unless they can show substantial reductions in this trade.”

“I am not going to discuss the classified nature of these discussions but I am intently focused on these sanctions and will continue to conduct rigorous oversight to ensure that the Russian government’s ability to conduct this trade is significantly impeded,” Cardin said.

“The U.S. should be prepared to impose sanctions when the law is clearly violated. The administration should not rest in these efforts and I expect a frequent and regular dialogue on this issue,” the Senator concluded.

Earlier this month US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman told TASS that Washington would unveil new sanctions against Moscow on January 29. When asked how many Russians will be affected by the new US sanctions, Huntsman said that “we’ll have to see how that plays out.”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said earlier that the US administration was expected to present to the Congress two Russia-related reports, which concern the implementation of the CAATSA (the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act). According to Ryabkov, “it is another attempt to influence the domestic situation in Russia, particularly ahead of the presidential election.”

On January 26, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced an extended list of Russian individuals and companies subject to sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. The list includes individuals and companies, allegedly involved in supplies of the Siemens turbines to Crimea – Alexei Mordashov’s company Power Machines, which has been cooperating with Siemens in production of turbines, as well as the Technopromexport engineering company (part of the Rostec State Corporation), which is building two power plants in Crimea. Technopromexport’s Director General Sergei Topor-Gilka, Deputy Energy Minister Andrei Cherezov and Head of the Department of Operational Control and Management in Electric Power Industry at the Russian Energy Ministry Yevgeny Grabchak are among the blacklisted individuals.

About CAATSA

The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) was signed by US President Donald Trump in August 2017. The Act toughens sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea and warns US and foreign companies against making cooperation agreements or contracts with Russian defense companies and intelligence agencies.

Under Section 231 of that act, 180 days after the act comes into effect, on January 29, 2018, the US President shall impose five and more sanctions for significant transactions with the Russian defense or intelligence sector.

 

New Video: Another Close Encounter Between Russian & US Military Jets

© Denis Tyrin/TASS

The US Navy has released footage of the “buzzing” incident by a Russian Fighter Jet:

BLACK SEA (Jan. 29, 2018) A U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by a Russian Sukhoi Su-27. This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the Su-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3’s flight path, causing the EP-3E to fly through the Su-27’s jet wash. The duration of the intercept lasted two hours and 40 minutes. This video is a compilation of various cameras over a period of time as shown in the displayed timecode. (U.S. Navy video/Released)

On Jan. 29, 2018, a U.S. EP-3 Aries aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-27. This interaction was determined to be unsafe due to the Su-27 closing to within five feet and crossing directly through the EP-3’s flight path, causing the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27’s jet wash. The duration of the intercept lasted two hours and 40 minutes.

MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Russia’s Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US ЕР-3Е Aries II warfare and reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Black Sea towards the Russian border. All safety precautions were observed during the interception, the Russian defense ministry’s press service said on Monday, commenting of Western media allegations about unsafe interception of an Orion reconnaissance aircraft.

According to the Russian defense ministry, at about noon on Monday Russian airspace control alert means spotted an unidentified air target over the Black Sea neutral waters approaching Russia’s airspace borders.

“A Su-27 fighter jet from air defense alert force was used to intercept the target. The Su-27 approached the aircraft to a safe distance and identified it as a US ЕР-3Е Aries II electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft,” the ministry said.

According to the Russian ministry, the Russian fighter jet followed the US aircraft to prevent it from violating Russia’s airspace borders observing all necessary safety precautions.

After the US reconnaissance aircraft changed its course off Russia’s airspace border, the Russian Su-27 fighter jet returned to the base. “The Su-27 flight was performed in strict compliance with international rule of airspace use, not incidents were reported,” the ministry added.

Russia Statement on Intercept of US Fighter Jet: US Should Quit Whining (Sputnik Editorial)

CNN reported earlier that a Russian fighter jet had intercepted an Orion reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea. CNN said citing US officials that the interception had been unsafe.

Previous intercept:

Air Force Releases Video of Russia’s Su-30SMs Intercepted by NATO F-15s

Jordan Peterson & Ben Shapiro: The Frontline of Free Speech

View this episode of The Rubin Report, recorded live on Jan. 31, 2018:

Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro join Dave Rubin for a live discussion about postmodernism, Trump, conservatism, free speech, and rules for life.

Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s new book is currently a bestseller. What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Peterson’s answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.

Ben Shapiro entered UCLA at the age of sixteen and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated Harvard Law School cum laude. At seventeen, Shapiro was hired by Creators Syndicate, becoming the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States. He has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows and is the author of the national bestsellers Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America’s Youth, Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future, and Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House. Shapiro is married and lives in Los Angeles.

Democracy 21: Watchdogs Challenge Irresponsible Nunes Memo that Trump Reportedly May Use to Get Rid of Deputy AG Rosenstein

January 29, 2018

Watchdogs Challenge Nunes Memo that Trump Reportedly May Use to Get Rid of Deputy AG Rosenstein, A Key Player in Russia/Trump Investigation

Watchdogs also Call on Speaker Ryan to Remove Nunes from Any Further Participation in Russia/Trump Investigation

Sixteen watchdog groups and individuals sent a letter to House Speaker Ryan today challenging the so-called “Nunes memo” as irresponsible. The letter called on Speaker Ryan “to act promptly to remove Chairman Nunes from any further participation in any aspect of the Russia investigation.”

The letter also noted reports that President Trump may use the Nunes memo to get rid of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Deputy AG Rosenstein is a key player in the Russia/Trump investigation and has final responsibility at the Justice Department for overseeing the Mueller Special Counsel investigation.

The letter to Speaker Ryan stated:

Published reports state that the Nunes memo specifically alleges abuses by FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is in charge of overseeing the Mueller investigation.

According to a Washington Post article (January 27, 2018), “The president has told close advisers that the memo is starting to make people realize how the FBI and the Mueller probe are biased against him, and that it could provide him with grounds for either firing or forcing Rosenstein to leave, according to one person familiar with his remarks.”

The letter further stated:

According to a New York Times article (January 28, 2018), “Mr. Trump has long been mistrustful of Mr. Rosenstein, the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, who appointed the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, and now oversees his investigation into Mr. Trump’s campaign and possible obstruction of justice by the president. Mr. Trump considered firing Mr. Rosenstein last summer. Instead, he ordered Mr. Mueller to be fired, then backed down after the White House counsel refused to carry out the order, The New York Times reported last week. Mr. Trump is now again telling associates that he is frustrated with Mr. Rosenstein, according to one official familiar with the conversations.”

On January 25, 2018, Senator Warner, Ranking Member on the Senate Intelligence Committee,  said, “Any attempt to remove the Special Counsel, pardon key witnesses, or otherwise interfere in the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power, and all members of Congress, from both parties, have a responsibility to our Constitution and to our country to make that clear immediately.”

According to the letter to Speaker Ryan:

Given that he was a member of President Trump’s transition team, Chairman Nunes has had an inherent conflict of interest from the outset in participating in an investigation into the activities of Trump campaign officials and Trump associates. For that reason, Chairman Nunes never should have been put in charge of the Committee’s Russia investigation. This was clearly demonstrated in March when Chairman Nunes engaged in a knowing deception of the American people in trying to provide cover for President Trump.

The letter stated:

Given this blatantly inappropriate action, in which Chairman Nunes engaged in a knowing deception of the American people, you as Speaker should have required him to permanently step away from the Russia investigation at that time.

Instead, Chairman Nunes is still involved in the Russia investigation and has continued to abuse his position. He has shown little interest in getting to the bottom of Russian interference in the 2016 elections, which is the purpose of the Committee investigation.

According to the letter:

In his latest effort, Chairman Nunes and his staff have prepared a classified document that reportedly claims abuses have been committed by FBI and Justice Department officials. This undisclosed document has been used by outside Trump supporters to attack Special Counsel Mueller, the Justice Department and the FBI, and to demand that the classified document be publicly released.

The letter also noted that “Chairman Nunes has reportedly refused to make his memo available to the Justice Department and the FBI to review.”

According to the letter:

On January 24, 2018, Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd sent a letter to Chairman Nunes about the classified memo. The letter stated, “We believe it would be extraordinarily reckless for the Committee to disclose such information publicly without giving the Department [of Justice] and the FBI the opportunity to review the memorandum and to advise the HPSCI on the risk of harm to national security and to ongoing investigations that could come from public release.”

The letter from the Justice Department further stated, “Additionally, we believe that wider distribution of the classified information presumably contained within your memorandum would represent a significant deviation from the terms of access negotiated in good faith by the Department, HPSCI, and the office of Speaker Paul Ryan.”

The letter to Speaker Ryan stated:

Under these circumstances, it would be wrong to release the irresponsible Nunes memo to the public – a memo which is, according to the Justice Department, based on underlying documents that Chairman Nunes hasn’t read, and that represents a violation of the agreement that you and Chairman Nunes made with the Justice Department.

The letter concluded:

Nevertheless, if the memo is wrongly released or leaked to the public, in whole or in part, then as Speaker, it is your institutional responsibility to the American people to ensure that all information necessary to determine the truth and accuracy of the Nunes memo is also quickly made available to the public, consistent with legitimate restrictions on the release of classified and sensitive law enforcement information. We call on you to meet this obligation.

We also call on you to act promptly to remove Chairman Nunes from any further participation in any aspect of the Russia investigation.

Signers of the letter are:

American Oversight

Coalition to Preserve, Protect and Defend

Common Cause

CREW

Demand Progress Action

Democracy 21

Equal Justice Society

Free Speech for People

Justin Hendrix

Kathleen Clark

MoveOn.org

Amb. (ret.) Norman Eisen, chief White House ethics lawyer, 2009-2011

People for the American Way

Public Citizen

Revolving Door Project

Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer, 2005-2007

Attachments: (1 total)