Politics

As we reported earlier today, while many items on the Trump agenda for both the "first day" and the rest of 2017, could take a substantial amount of time and effort before they are legislated and implemented, one thing that there was virtually unanimous consensus on, was that Trump would immediately launch the repeal of Obamacare, even if replacing the Affordable Care Law would take considerably longer (as it would require bipartisan support). 

Having already broken the records on commutations, AFP reports that President Obama is fielding pressure from all sides to grant unlikely pardons of sentences to people whose supporters say have been unjustly sentenced or sought out by the justice system, before he leaves office in two weeks.  Among them is Bowe Bergdahl, Leonard Peltier, and Edward Snowden.

The US Constitution allows a president to pardon "offenses against the United States" and commute -- either shorten or end -- federal sentences.

Poland will have the capability to attack deep inside Russia’s territory this year with the acquisition of 70 AGM-158B JASSM-ER (extended range) missiles from the US. The State Department approved the transaction of the air-launched ground attack cruise missiles in late November. Poland will inevitably become a potential first strike target for Russia in case of a conflict with NATO. The JASSM-ER has a range of approximately 1,000 km and can strike key stationary infrastructure sites located deep inside Russian territory. Poland is the first country outside the U.S.

An undercover sting operation on key members of the Israel lobby in Britain has revealed a £1,000,000 plot by the Israeli government to undermine the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and other UK politicians The investigation reveals conversations in which a diplomat plotted to damage the careers of MP’s and ‘crazy Corbyn’ who were not giving enough support to Israel. The Canary reports: The Al Jazeera investigation took place over several months in 2016, with an undercover reporter becoming a trusted confidant of Israeli diplomat Shai Masot.

Submitted by Howard Kunstler via Kunstler.com,

The bamboozlement of the public is nearly complete. The Deep State has persuaded 80 percent of Americans that all news is propaganda, especially the news emanating from the Deep State’s own intel department. They’re still shooting for 100 percent. The fakest of all “fake news” stories turns out to be… “Russia Hacks Election.” It was reported conclusively Saturday on the front page of The New York Times, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Deep State: