CLG: Russia's Putin rejects Trump dossier report as plot against legitimacy of president-elect, Breaking: Obama Commutes Bulk of Chelsea Manning's Sentence

Please subscribe to and support INDEPENDENT MEDIA that you find informative.

 News Updates from CLG
17 January 2017

http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

 

Previous editions: US troops enter Poland, 1st deployment at Russia's doorstep

 

Breaking: Obama Commutes Bulk of Chelsea Manning's Sentence | 17 Jan 2017 | President Obama on Tuesday largely commuted the remaining prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the army intelligence analyst convicted of an enormous 2010 leak that revealed American military and diplomatic activities across the world, disrupted the administration, and made WikiLeaks, the recipient of those disclosures, famous. The decision by Mr. Obama rescued Ms. Manning, who twice tried to commit suicide last year, from an uncertain future as a transgender woman incarcerated at the male military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. She has been jailed for nearly seven years, and her 35-year sentence was by far the longest punishment ever imposed in the United States for a leak conviction. Now, under the terms of Mr. Obama's commutation announced by the White House on Tuesday, Ms. Manning is set to be freed in five months, on May 17 of this year, rather than in 2045.

 

Russia's Putin rejects Trump dossier report as plot against legitimacy of president-elect | 17 Jan 2017 | Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called reports that Donald Trump has been compromised by Russian intelligence "total nonsense" and said allegations were fabricated to "undermine the legitimacy" of Trump's presidency. It was the Russian president's first direct denial of the contents of an uncorroborated dossier written by a former British intelligence agent hired to compile opposition research. The dossier claimed that Trump was compromised by Russian intelligence agents during a 2013 visit to Moscow..."The people who are ordering this kind of false information, who are now disseminating it against the president-elect of the United States, who fabricate it and use it in a political fight, are worse than prostitutes," Putin told journalists after talks with Moldovan President Igor Dodon in Moscow. "They have no moral boundaries."

 

'Worse than prostitutes': Putin slams those behind Trump 'leak' | 17 Jan 2017 | Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has no grounds to attack or protect US President-elect Donald Trump, since he does not know him personally. He added though that those behind the recent allegations against Trump have "no moral scruples." "I don't know Mr. Trump personally, I have never met him and don't know what he will do on the international arena. So I have no grounds to attack him or criticize him for anything, or protect him or whatever," Putin said. Despite the fact that elections in the US are over and ended with a "solid win" for the Republican candidate, an intense political struggle continues in the US, the Russian president observed, adding that there are certain forces that aim "to undermine the legitimacy of the president-elect."

 

Obama UN rep rips Russia, rejects attack on intel agencies | 17 Jan 2017 |  US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power on Tuesday rapped President-elect Donald Trump for his defense of Moscow and delivered a stark warning about Russian efforts to undermine the international order. Power's remarks, at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, are just the latest warning by outgoing Obama administration officials of the need to be wary of Russian intentions as Trump repeatedly asserts his desire for better ties with Moscow, sometimes criticizing US intelligence services in the process. Power made indirect reference to Trump, who denigrated US intelligence agencies after their conclusion that Russia had hacked the US election in an attempt to undermine Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

 

Mosul offensive: Up to 30 civilians 'killed in US-led coalition air strike' --UN warned that almost 50 per cent of all casualties in the US-led military operation are believed to be civilians | 14 Jan 2017 | Up to 30 civilians have allegedly been killed in an air strike [allegedly] targeting an Isis commander in Mosul as Iraqi forces continue their advance into their city. The US-led coalition is investigating whether its planes were responsible for the reported massacre in the al-Jadida district, which came as the UN warned that almost 50 per cent of all casualties in the military operation are believed to be civilians...The Iraq Body Count group said at least 25 people were killed in the incident.

 

After 3 Years, MH370 Search Ends With No Plane, Few Answers | 17 Jan 2017 | After nearly three years, the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ended in futility and frustration Tuesday, as crews completed their deep-sea search of a desolate stretch of the Indian Ocean without finding a trace of the plane. The Joint Agency Coordination Center in Australia, which has helped lead the $160 million hunt for the Boeing 777 in remote waters west of Australia, said the search had officially been suspended after crews finished their fruitless sweep of the 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) search zone. [Check Diego Garcia.]

 

Police sweep plane in Denver after pilot reports possible security threat | 17 Jan 2017 | Airport Police swept a plane at Denver International Airport after the pilot radioed about a possible security threat, CBS Denverreports. Officers searched United Airlines flight 231 from San Diego to Denver. United told CBS News early Tuesday that the flight received "a non-credible security threat."

 

 'Was this the leaker of Fake News?' Trump goes for the jugular and asks his 20M Twitter followers if outgoing CIA boss John Brennan was behind Russian dirty dossier leak - hours after spy chief told him to watch his tongue | 15 Jan 2017 | Donald Trump has lashed out at outgoing CIA chief [and perjurer] John Brennan, and questioned whether he was responsible for leaking the Russian dossier. Brennan had earlier told the president-elect to watch what he says, suggesting he doesn't understand the threats posed by Moscow. But Trump fired back on Twitter on Sunday night. He wrote: 'Was this the leaker of Fake News?' The jab was a reference to a recent intelligence briefing that raised questions about Trump's connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Trump vows 'insurance for everybody' in replacing Obamacare | 15 Jan 2017 | U.S. President-elect Donald Trump aims to replace Obamacare with a plan that would envisage "insurance for everybody," he said in an interview with the Washington Post published on Sunday night. Trump did not give the newspaper specifics about his proposals to replace Democratic President Barack Obama's signature health insurance law, but said the plan was nearly finished and he was ready to unveil it alongside the leaders of the Republican-controlled Congress. The Republican president-elect takes office on Friday...Trump was also quoted as saying in the interview that he would target pharmaceutical companies over drug pricing and insist they negotiate directly with the Medicare and Medicaid government health plans for the elderly and poor.

 

Anti-Trump protesters caught on camera planning acid attack on ball for activists as part of bid to close down inauguration celebration | 16 Jan 2017 | Activists who oppose President-elect Donald Trump were caught on camera in an undercover video discussing ways to disrupt a gala celebrating his inauguration, including the use of butyric acid, better known as stink bombs. An edited video, shot by James O'Keefe's Project Veritas, a conservative group known for conducting sting operations on liberals, that was released Monday shows three members of the D.C. Anti-Fascist Coalition brainstorming ways to shut down the inauguration eve DeploraBall in Washington, D.C. 'Yeah, if you had a pint of butyric acid, I don't care how big the building is, it's closing,' an anti-Trump activist, identified as Luke Kuhn in the video, says in the opening clip.

 

You're hired: Two soldiers do their best Donald Trump and Melania impressions at spectacular inauguration dress rehearsal | 15 Jan 2017 | Army band members stood in for Donald and Melania Trump on Sunday at a dress rehearsal for Donald Trump's inauguration. GM Greg Lowery, a 45-year-old band vocalist, and 28-year-old SPC Sara Corry played the President-elect and the future First Lady...MSG Neil Ewachiw and MSG Leigh Hinton took on the roles of Mike and Karen Pence. The foursome walking down the steps of the East Front at the US Capitol with Maj. Gen. Bradley Becker between them.

 

Kindly return this Asian baby to the Toys 'R' Us you stole her from': MTV host accuses Jeff Sessions of using his Asian-American grandchildren as a 'prop' during confirmation hearings amid racism allegations | 10 Jan 2017 | An MTV host has accused Jeff Sessions of using his Asian American grandchildren as 'props' during his confirmation hearings where he faces allegations of racism. MTV News culture writer and host, Ira Madison III, tweeted a picture of Sessions, who was once considered too racist to be a federal judge, with his young granddaughter sat on his lap. 'Sessions, sir, kindly return this Asian baby to the Toys 'R' Us you stole her from,' Madison captioned the picture.

 

Suspect in New Year's Eve Attack on Istanbul Nightclub Captured Alive: Turkish Police Sources | 16 Jan 2017 | The man authorities suspect of being behind the New Year's Eve attack on an Istanbul nightclub has been captured alive, according to Turkish police sources. The alleged attacker was caught with his son in a raid on the Esenyurt suburb of Istanbul, sources said. Thirty-nine people were killed in the attack and dozens more were injured.

 

Orlando shooting: Omar Mateen's widow arrested | 16 Jan 2017 | Noor Salman, who was arrested Monday, did not know beforehand that her husband, Omar Marteen, would enter Pulse nightclub in Orlando last summer and commit the deadliest mass shooting in US history, her attorney said. Federal authorities took custody of Salman at a home in the San Francisco area. She faces federal charges, filed in the Middle District of Florida, including obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting Mateen's material support to ISIS, according to a law enforcement official. The arrest was first reported by The New York Times.

 

Britain to leave EU market as May sets 'hard Brexit' course | 17 Jan 2017 | Britain will quit the EU single m-rket when it leaves the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday in a decisive speech that set a course for a clean break with the world's largest trading bloc. Setting out a vision that could determine Britain's future for generations and the shape of the EU itself, May answered criticism that she has been coy about her strategy with a 12-point plan for what has been dubbed a "hard Brexit". May promised to seek the greatest possible access to European m-rkets but said Britain would aim to establish its own free trade deals with countries far beyond Europe, and impose limits on immigration from the continent.

 

*****

CLG needs your support.

http://www.legitgov.org/donate.html

Or, please mail a check or m*ney order to CLG: Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) 
P.O. Box 1142 
Bristol, CT 06011-1142 
Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible.

Feel free -- and CLG encourages you -- to forward this newsletter to your lists and friends!
Those who wish to be added to the list can go here: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg and add your name.  Please add clg_news@legitgov.org to your contacts or approved senders list. For subscription questions, pls. write signup at legitgov dot org.

 

CLG News Managing Editor: Lori Price. Copyright © 2017, Citizens for Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved.

CounterCurrents: Global Sea Ice Hits Lowest Levels ‘Probably In Millenia’, The Power To Create A New World’: Trump And The Environmental Challenge Ahead

Dear Friend,

The Mosul offensive is over three months old and it is taking a heavy toll on civilian life. Even afer three months US supported Iraqi and Kurdish forces haven't taken control of the city. The battle rages on with sad loss of many innocent lives. 

Just before a climate change denier takes charge of the White House a devastating news has come out. Global sea ice levels are at their lowest in recorded history, according to new statistics from the U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center. The loss of ice is likely at the lowest it’s been for thousands of years.

Young Zarefah Baroud voices the hope and anguish of her generation on the global apathy to the gravest threat we collectively face. 

The world is remembering MLK Jr. Emily Spence has reporduced MLK's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" with an inspiring preamble. She writes, "Let’s try to remember and dream King’s vision since it is so just, right and good. Then let’s all individually and collectively honor him by continuing to push it forward. It is our time to carry the mantle since he and others of his ilk are dead. So we must take on the role and responsibility, ourselves. For the sake of us all, there can be no other reasonable choice. Let’s keep the dream alive. Let’s do it not only on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the US, but every day."

MLK  threw open a blazing path, but how did he and many others who went before him did it? Chris Hedges tells that it was not by pleading to the powerful, but by amassing critical mass that could threaten the very existence of those institutions. Yes, that is the way to go. 

India is a place where the masses are treated like unpeople and their rights, hopes and aspirations are trampled on a daily basis by the ruling classes. The Vedanta mining corporation which was driven out of the Niyamgiri hills by Dongria Kondh tribals has surreptitiously gained mining rights in another tribal hamlet of Odisha. Biju Patnaik has given Kodinga Hill to the Vedanta Company. The Vedanta Co. will not do mining on its own. Rather Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), a State Public Sector Unit will extract bauxite and will supply it to the Vedanta Co. The deal was done on 10th January 2017 and happened without waiting for environment clearance.

Shamsul Islam dug into the RSS archive    and has brought out a great compilation of the Hindutva betrayal of India's freedom struggle and secular traditions. It is very powerful and has great historic relevance. 

And also more stories from around the world. 

If you don't mind, and if you think the content of this news letter is critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/. 

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org





Iraqi Civilian Death Toll Mounts As Fighting Intensifies In Mosul
by Jordan Shilton

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/iraqi-civilian-death-toll-mounts-as-fighting-intensifies-in-mosul/

Fighting has intensified in Mosul over the past two weeks as Iraqi government forces, backed by US-led air strikes, have pushed forward to the Tigris River in their efforts to recapture the country’s second-largest city from Islamic State. The US-backed offensive is having a devastating impact on the civilian population, which numbered over 1 million when operations began in October. On Saturday, reports emerged that a suspected coalition air strike killed up to 30 civilians in the west of the city. Two missiles struck the home of a senior ISIS commander who was not at home.






Global Sea Ice Hits Lowest Levels ‘Probably In Millenia’
by Nadia Prupis 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/global-sea-ice-hits-lowest-levels-probably-in-millenia/

Global sea ice levels are at their lowest in recorded history, according to new statistics from the U.S. National Snow & Ice Data Center. The loss of ice is likely at the lowest it’s been for thousands of years, said meteorologist Eric Holthaus






‘The Power To Create A New World’: Trump And The Environmental Challenge Ahead
by Zarefah Baroud 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/the-power-to-create-a-new-world-trump-and-the-environmental-challenge-ahead/

Time is running out for anyone to create yet more excuses as to why the US transition to renewables is difficult and long delayed.  This selfish, corporate mindset has not only put the well-being of ordinary Americans at stake, but also that of the entire world – now and generations to come.






Remembering MLK
by Emily Spence 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/remembering-mlk/

Let’s try to remember and dream King’s vision since it is so just, right and good. Then let’s all individually and collectively honor him by continuing to push it forward. It is our time to carry the mantle since he and others of his ilk are dead. So we must take on the role and responsibility, ourselves. For the sake of us all, there can be no other reasonable choice. Let’s keep the dream alive. Let’s do it not only on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the US, but every day. 







African Americans Who Now Betray King’s Condemnation Of Wars Will One Day Lead A Nice New USA
by Jay Janson 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/african-americans-who-now-betray-kings-condemnation-of-wars-will-one-day-lead-a-nice-new-usa/

Sometime during the next twenty-five years, as the United States slowly begins to lose economic, political, cultural and communications hegemony over the rest of the world, a much nicer, peaceful, pleasant, prosperous, free and expressively energetic America will begin to take shape and will trend toward seeking the unity, harmony and enjoyment found in its African American communities






Building The Institutions For Revolt
by Chris Hedges 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/building-the-institutions-for-revolt/

Politics is a game of fear. Those who do not have the ability to make power elites afraid do not succeed. All of the movements that opened up the democratic space in America—the abolitionists, the suffragists, the labor movement, the communists, the socialists, the anarchists and the civil rights movement—developed a critical mass and militancy that forced the centers of power to respond. The platitudes about justice, equality and democracy are just that. Only when power becomes worried about its survival does it react. Appealing to its better nature is useless. It doesn’t have one.






Pathological Terror: Health Fears Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration
by Dr Binoy Kampmark 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/pathological-terror-health-fears-ahead-of-trumps-inauguration/

Illness, fear, bodily pathologies feed into the language of the protest; placards waved with a stunned air of foreboding anticipating the assault on the Obama administration’s healthcare efforts: “Repeal Trump”; “Fix it, don’t nix it”.  To tamper with health care is to inflict death on the US citizen.






Thanking Obama or The Best Slaves Are The Ones Who Thank Their Masters
by Thomas Riggins 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/thanking-obama-or-the-best-slaves-are-the-ones-who-thank-their-masters/

As President Obama takes his last lap around the governing field before turning it over to Donald Trump LLC many liberals and some deluded “leftists” have taken to thanking him for his eight years of service to the 1%. The best that can be said from a Marxist perspective is that there have been worse presidents (we are about to get one) and we had four years of hope followed by four years of resignation leaving behind a disillusioned electorate who rejected the establishment presidential candidate in such numbers that even an almost three million popular vote lead could not prevent the White House from falling into the hands of the ultra-right.






Divided America: Root Causes And The Road Ahead
by Jon Kofas 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/divided-america-root-causes-and-the-road-ahead/

As the trend of massive wealth concentration under a corporate welfare state continues to erode the middle class and working class, the struggle against the tide of domestic and global history will keep America at war with itself and tilt it even more toward the road of authoritarianism and militarism after the next inevitable deep recession. Because popular expression of discontent lacks class solidarity owing to cultural divisions and identity politics in America, political leadership will not be under the umbrella of a leftist or even a center-left movement. America’s future is an even more authoritarian regime with roots at the local and state levels financed by wealthy individuals like the Koch brothers among other likeminded billionaires, finding expression at the federal level with populist demagogues like Trump.







Vedanta Company Gets Proxy Mining  Licence In Odisha
by Deba Ranjan 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/vedanta-company-gets-proxy-mining-licence-in-odisha/

Now Mr. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha and son of Biju Patnaik has given Kodinga Hill to the Vedanta Company. The Vedanta Co. will not do mining on its own. Rather Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), a State Public Sector Unit will extract bauxite and will supply it to the Vedanta Co. The deal was done on 10th January 2017 and happened without waiting for environment clearance.






Anti-National RSS: Documentary Evidences From RSS Archives
by Shamsul Islam 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/17/anti-national-rss-documentary-evidences-from-rss-archives/

Friends from India and abroad who are concerned about the increasing threats to the democratic-secular Indian polity from the Hindutva organizations have been feeling the need for a concise document on the anti-national game-plan of the RSS and other like-minded offshoots. The need of such a document is rightly felt for countering the Hindutva propaganda at all levels. The following document is an attempt to accomplish this objective. It is hoped that equipped with this document all those who love India as a democratic-secular nation and want to save our beloved country from the Hindutva onslaught would be able to challenge the fountain-head of the Hindutva politics; RSS. This document is based solely on the documents drawn from the RSS archives.