Thursday, December 29, 2016

BREAKING: President Obama 'Today I Have Ordered ...' Sanctions, Expel 35 Russian Operatives

Published on Dec 29, 2016
Obama sanctions Russian officials over election hacking
The Obama administration sanctioned Russian officials on Thursday over claims that they interfered in this year's election by hacking the emails of Democratic Party officials.

Watch Right Now! 

U.S. Treasury Department List Of Persons And Groups Sanctions Apply To

Issuance of Amended Executive Order 13694; Cyber-Related Sanctions Designations 

Today, the President issued an Executive Order Taking Additional Steps To Address The National Emergency With Respect To Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities.  This amends Executive Order 13694, “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities.”  E.O. 13694 authorized the imposition of sanctions on individuals and entities determined to be responsible for or complicit in malicious cyber-enabled activities that result in enumerated harms that are reasonably likely to result in, or have materially contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States.  The authority has been amended to also allow for the imposition of sanctions on individuals and entities determined to be responsible for tampering, altering, or causing the misappropriation of information with the purpose or effect of interfering with or undermining election processes or institutions.  Five entities and four individuals are identified in the Annex of the amended Executive Order and will be added to OFAC’s list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List).  OFAC today is designating an additional two individuals who also will be added to the SDN List.  
Specially Designated Nationals List Update

The following individual has been added to OFAC's SDN List:  
ALEXSEYEV, Vladimir Stepanovich; DOB 24 Apr 1961; Passport 100115154 (Russia); First Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
BELAN, Aleksey Alekseyevich (a.k.a. Abyr Valgov; a.k.a. BELAN, Aleksei; a.k.a. BELAN, Aleksey Alexseyevich; a.k.a. BELAN, Alexsei; a.k.a. BELAN, Alexsey; a.k.a. "Abyrvaig"; a.k.a. "Abyrvalg"; a.k.a. "Anthony Anthony"; a.k.a. "Fedyunya"; a.k.a. "M4G"; a.k.a. "Mag"; a.k.a. "Mage"; a.k.a. "Magg"; a.k.a. "Moy.Yawik"; a.k.a. "Mrmagister"), 21 Karyakina St., Apartment 205, Krasnodar, Russia; DOB 27 Jun 1987; POB Riga, Latvia; nationality Latvia; Passport RU0313455106 (Russia); alt. Passport 0307609477 (Russia) (individual) [CYBER2].
BOGACHEV, Evgeniy Mikhaylovich (a.k.a. BOGACHEV, Evgeniy Mikhailovich; a.k.a. "Lastik"; a.k.a. "lucky12345"; a.k.a. "Monstr"; a.k.a. "Pollingsoon"; a.k.a. "Slavik"), Lermontova Str., 120-101, Anapa, Russia; DOB 28 Oct 1983 (individual) [CYBER2].
GIZUNOV, Sergey (a.k.a. GIZUNOV, Sergey Aleksandrovich); DOB 18 Oct 1956; Passport 4501712967 (Russia); Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
KOROBOV, Igor (a.k.a. KOROBOV, Igor Valentinovich); DOB 03 Aug 1956; nationality Russia; Passport 100119726 (Russia); alt. Passport 100115101 (Russia); Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
KOSTYUKOV, Igor (a.k.a. KOSTYUKOV, Igor Olegovich); DOB 21 Feb 1961; Passport 100130896 (Russia); alt. Passport 100132253 (Russia); First Deputy Chief of GRU (individual) [CYBER2] (Linked To: MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE).
The following entities have been added to OFAC's SDN List:
AUTONOMOUS NONCOMMERCIAL ORGANIZATION PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DESIGNERS OF DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS (a.k.a. ANO PO KSI), Prospekt Mira D 68, Str 1A, Moscow 129110, Russia; Dom 3, Lazurnaya Ulitsa, Solnechnogorskiy Raion, Andreyevka, Moscow Region 141551, Russia; Registration ID 1027739734098 (Russia); Tax ID No. 7702285945 (Russia) [CYBER2].
FEDERAL SECURITY SERVICE (a.k.a. FEDERALNAYA SLUZHBA BEZOPASNOSTI; a.k.a. FSB), Ulitsa Kuznetskiy Most, Dom 22, Moscow 107031, Russia; Lubyanskaya Ploschad, Dom 2, Moscow 107031, Russia [CYBER2].
MAIN INTELLIGENCE DIRECTORATE (a.k.a. GLAVNOE RAZVEDYVATEL'NOE UPRAVLENIE (Cyrillic: ГЛАВНОЕ РАЗВЕДЫВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ); a.k.a. GRU; a.k.a. MAIN INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT), Khoroshevskoye Shosse 76, Khodinka, Moscow, Russia; Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Frunzenskaya nab., 22/2, Moscow 119160, Russia [CYBER2].
SPECIAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER (a.k.a. STC, LTD), Gzhatskaya 21 k2, St. Petersburg, Russia; 21-2 Gzhatskaya Street, St. Petersburg, Russia; Website stc-spb.ru; Email Address stcspb1@mail.ru; Tax ID No. 7802170553 (Russia) [CYBER2].
ZORSECURITY (f.k.a. ESAGE LAB; a.k.a. TSOR SECURITY), Luzhnetskaya Embankment 2/4, Building 17, Office 444, Moscow 119270, Russia; Registration ID 1127746601817 (Russia); Tax ID No. 7704813260 (Russia); alt. Tax ID No. 7704010041 (Russia) [CYBER2].

 

Breaking News: President Obama Issues Sanctions Against Russia in Response to Alleged Election Hacking

President Obama has expelled 35 Russian nationals and sanctioned five Russian entities and four individuals for an alleged cyber assault on Democratic political organizations during the 2016 presidential campaign, the White House announced today.
Full Story via ABC


Trump Should Have a Celebrity-Free Inauguration ~ The National Review

HAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAH. Shouldn't Be A Problem

"The message Trump would send is simple yet true: He doesn’t need Hollywood flattery." (psst, yes, he does)

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/443394/donald-trump-inauguration-celebrity-free-entertainment
Breaking....

Trump writing own 'short' inaugural speech CNN

 

 
In 140 Characters Or Less

Is Trump Being Blackmailed Right Now?

No one is really saying this out loud but you have to wonder what some of Trumps actions may have been motivated by.
His bizarre behavior, his lack of caring about preparing for his new job and his unqualified administration picks. Many intermingled with Russian ties like Rex Tillerson. What do you think?

Are The Russians Holding Something Over Trumps Head? 

If So, Will President Obama Intervene To Rescue Him?


While everyone was all Benghazi this and email that, Mother Jones released an expose by credible former spy claiming Russia had been cultivating Trump as an asset for 5 years.

A Veteran Spy Has Given the FBI Information Alleging a Russian Operation to Cultivate Donald Trump 

The Huffington Post also speculated he is the potential target of blackmail, citing the hack of the RNC and the yet to be disclosed information harvested along with Trumps time spent in Russia

Is Prez-Elect Trump Already Being Blackmailed?

Contradictory Trump Tweet Leaves Everyone's Head Spinning




Trump reverses: Transition is going ‘very, very smoothly’

The comment came hours after he tweeted that Obama was throwing up roadblocks: ‘Thought it was going to be a smooth transition – NOT!’

Updated 12/28/16
Via Politico

A Look Back At 2016’s Best, Worst And Ugliest Queer Political Moments

The LGBTQ community was hit hard over the last 12 months.

12/28/2016 10:32 am ET via Huff Post
 
There’s no question that for LGBTQ Americans, 2016 increasingly became a year of trepidation and fear ― even of horror and grief.
All movements experience setbacks after huge wins. And a year like 2015, highlighted by marriage equality brought to the entire nation, was certainly one that would be met with fierce political backlash — and we saw that beginning to play out before the end of that historic year.
But what happened in 2016 represents a much more malevolent and sinister outcome of that backlash. We saw that the forces of hate we’d thought we’d beaten back can rise up in an instant. We saw that these forces could inspire a horrific mass shooting, or help to prop up a populist leader promising to  “make America great again” — which, in the eyes of many of his followers, means a return to the days before LGBTQ people were out of the closet.



 

Donald Trump’s EPA Pick Urged To Come Clean On Ties To Secretive Koch-Funded Group

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s ties to the fossil fuel industry keep going deeper and deeper.

12/28/2016 01:07 pm ET | Updated 13 hours ago 
 
Six senators urged President-elect Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency pick on Wednesday to reveal his ties to a secretive fundraising group that enables fossil fuel companies to make anonymous donations to politicians.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt helped found the nonprofit Rule of Law Defense Fund to collect campaign contributions from companies like oil giant ConocoPhillips and coal mining titan Alpha Natural Resources, The New York Times reported in December 2014. Pruitt now sits on the group’s board. 
The group, which keeps the identities of most of its donors secret, received $175,000 in 2014 from Freedom Partners, a business organization that organizes political activities for the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who run the privately held chemical and oil giant Koch Industries.

Paid For Pruitt
 

Here Is the Worst Anti-Science BS of 2016

Donald Trump wasn't the only politician who lied about science this year.

2016 was a year of remarkable scientific breakthroughs. A century after Albert Einstein proposed his general theory of relativity, researchers proved him right when, for the first time ever, they were able to observe gravitational waves produced by two black holes that collided 1.3 billion years ago. Astronomers discovered a potentially habitable planet just 4.3 light-years from Earth. And scientists even came up with a good reason to put a bunch of adorable dogs in an MRI machine.
Unfortunately, there was a lot of anti-science nonsense this year, too—much of it from our political leaders. On issues ranging from climate change to criminal justice, our president-elect was a notable offender. But some of his rivals joined in as well. So did his nominees. And Congress. And members of the media. Here, in no particular order, are some of the most appalling examples. You can let us know in the comments which one you think is the worst.
Full Article via Mother Jones

It's Not Fascism When We Do It


'Alt-right' groups will 'revolt' if Trump shuns white supremacy, leaders say

Alt-Right Is Polite Code For White Supremacy

Prominent members of the American far right predict that waning influence on the president-elect could trigger discord and vengeance within the movement

White nationalist Richard Spencer of the National Policy Institute arrives on campus to speak at a university campus event in December. Photograph: Spencer Selvidge/Reuters 
 
Donald Trump will disappoint and disillusion his far-right supporters by eschewing white supremacy, according to some of the movement’s own intellectual leaders.
Activists who recently gave Nazi salutes and shouted “hail Trump” at a gathering in Washington will revolt if the new US president fails to meet their expectations, the leaders told the Guardian.
Full Article via The Gaurdian

Big Battles Over Farm And Food Policies May Be Brewing As Trump Era Begins

Via NPR

Many large-scale farms rely heavily on immigrant labor. And many farmers are opposed to Donald Trump's strong stance against illegal immigrant.
Ryan Anson/Bloomberg via Getty Images 
 
At first glance, food policy seems to be an afterthought in the Trump administration. The campaign saw few debates about food or farming. And the president-elect hasn't yet nominated someone to head the Department of Agriculture or the Food and Drug Administration.
But Donald Trump's lack of attention won't make future food battles any less cutthroat. Plenty of people in Washington, including powerful factions within the Republican majority in Congress, are hoping to change a wide variety of food-related policies, and believe that the new administration offers a prime opportunity to make those changes happen. Kip Tom, a farmer in Indiana who was a member of Trump's advisory committee on agricultural policy, recently told The Salt that this is a time to "swing for the fences."
Full Article
 

Hide Your Crab Legs! Hide Your Lobster! Fox Is Warring On Food Stamps Again!

'We want to rock the boat': American 'progressives' are teaming up with Russia to push for a 'Calexit'

Are you kidding me...

 

The California separatist group Yes California set up a makeshift embassy in Moscow earlier this month in partnership with far-right Russian nationalists who enjoy Kremlin support while promoting secessionist movements in Europe and the United States.
The “Embassy of the Independent Republic of California"is part of Yes California's outreach to countries that are likely to recognize and support California's independence from the United States, the group's leader, 30-year-old Louis Marinelli, said in a Skype interview from Russia last week.

Full Article via Business Insider 


  30-year-old Louis Marinelli, the leader of Yes California, opened the “Embassy of the Independent Republic of California" in Moscow on December 18. Screenshot/YouTube

9 questions about Russia you were too embarrassed to ask

A lot of history here. Also the backstory of a Eurodance hit.

Updated by

Vladimir Putin and the nation he leads lurked in the background of the 2016 campaign for months and months, perhaps even shaping the outcome of the race. And now Putin’s preferred candidate, Donald Trump, appears ready to embrace him as an ally — a stunning shift in US-Russia policy.
This is a source of growing alarm among cosmopolitan-minded liberals. Putin is bad, they say, and so are the European far-right parties that are aligning with him — a multicontinental alliance undergirded by Islamophobic politics that alarms respectable opinion throughout the West.
And among political elites there really is a fairly firm consensus that this is, in fact, bad. America’s military leaders have repeatedly called Russia the greatest threat to the US-led world order.
Full Article via VOX

Tiny Wee Little Murderous Russian Dictator Putin Has To Avert His Eyes From Obama's Awesomeness

Trump downplays Russian election interference, doubles down on Israel


President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday evening urged congressional lawmakers to move past the reported Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race while also doubling down on his defense of Israel.
Asked about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s pledge to pursue sanctions against Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, over repeated cybersecurity breaches during the campaign, Trump stressed the need to move forward.

Full Article via Politico

President-elect Donald Trump answered questions at Mar-a-Lago as boxing luminary Don King stood next to him Wednesday. | AP Photo

WH preps retaliation for Russia hacks

NBC News' Ron Allen and Counter Extremism Project spokesperson Tara Maller discuss the White House's preparation of an executive order as retaliation against Russia for the 2016 election hacks.


Secy of State Kerry: The real issue is Israel’s settlement policy

Secretary of State John Kerry defends the two-state solution and the United States’ commitment to Israel. He tells MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell that the United Nations vote kept with “our values.” Duration: 15:21
 

The GOP’s big lie on Obamacare

By  

THE NAZI PROPAGANDIST Joseph Goebbels once famously said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
While I’m generally loathe to invoke Nazism in a discussion of American politics (and I’m not comparing Republicans to Nazis), I’m hard pressed to think of a better description of the Republican Party’s shameless and incessant dishonesty when it comes to Obamacare. Republicans aren’t simply manipulating the truth or exaggerating — they are straight-up lying.
Full Article via Boston Globe


The Axe Files with David Axelrod Ep. 108 - President Barack Obama

Published on Dec 26, 2016
President Barack Obama sits down with David Axelrod to discuss their shared history together, how President Obama managed to stay grounded during turbulent moments of his childhood and adolescence, why the Obama presidency struggled to overcome the partisan politics in Washington, and what's in store for the President when he leaves office on January 20th..