Two weeks after a cease-fire that appears to have held in eastern Ukraine, Germany’s foreign minister says the warring sides are “very close” to a broader agreement to remove heavy weapons from the front lines.
The FBI Relied on a Private Firm’s Investigation of the DNC Hack (Slate)
Neither the DNC nor the FBI should have been satisfied with an investigation that did not involve the FBI conducting a first-hand look at the compromised systems.
Russia tells Washington: talk to us over Syria or risk ‘unintended incidents’
Russia called on Friday for Washington to restart direct military-to-military cooperation to avert “unintended incidents” near Syria, at a time when U.S. officials say Moscow is building up forces to protect President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
CNN deletes, retracts story linking Trump and Russia (Philly.com)
On Thursday evening, CNN investigative reporter Thomas Frank published a potentially explosive report involving an investigation of a Russian investment fund with potential ties to several associates of President Donald Trump.
Only a US-Russian agreement can spur a settlement in Syria
Western leaders have a curiously ambivalent attitude towards Russia in which it is, at one moment, a diplomatic mouse that can be safely ignored and, at another, a reborn Soviet Union whose imperial ambitions must be restrained. In handling the Syrian crisis, Russia is bound to be a leading player in stopping Isis because it supplies the weapons to do so and, similarly, in negotiating a peace because Assad must keep in step with Russia if he is to survive.
Behind the ‘Scapegoating’ of Russia (Rick Sterling)
The media/political hysteria over Russia-gate is leading the world to possible nuclear annihilation with few serious questions asked. But a new book, The Plot to Scapegoat Russia, tries to supply some context, writes Rick Sterling.
IMF head is “extremely encouraged” by the economic disaster in Ukraine
Ukraine’s economy is in a severe freefall. GDP is expected to contract this year by nine per cent. GDP fell by 14 per cent in the first six months of the year. Inflation is projected at 47 per cent for 2015. In 2014, the economy retracted by seven per cent and inflation was 24 per cent.
WEST NEEDS RUSSIA’S HELP TO FIGHT ISIS AND ASSAD CAN STAY, FRANCE’S MACRON SAYS (NEWSWEEK)
The recently elected French president said Wednesday he is looking to change his country’s course on Syria drastically and will no longer seek the removal of the war-torn country’s leader. The move comes as tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalate over Syria’s future.
Will Russia Join OPEC? ‘Not On The Agenda,’ Kremlin Spokesman Says Amid Global Slide In Oil Prices
Russia will not join the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries amid a significant decline in oil prices and ongoing deliberation among oil-rich nations over how to shore up the global market. Brent crude was trading at $48.65 per barrel Tuesday, down from more than $100 per barrel in mid 2014.
VIDEO: Prof. Stephen F. Cohen Talks With TYT’s Michael Tracey
TYT Politics Reporter Michael Tracey sits down with NYU & Princeton Professor Stephen F. Cohen to discuss the establishments response to the Russia investigation. What role has the establishment played in the Russia hysteria?
U.S., IMF Press Ukraine to Stick to Terms of Bailout
U.S. and International Monetary Fund officials are stepping up pressure on the pro-Western government here to stick with the terms of its $40 billion bailout, amid signs of mounting friction in the ruling coalition.
President Petro Poroshenko has promised that his government is committed to economic overhauls required for the next stage of the IMF program, including raising taxes, overhauling pensions and privatizing state assets.
US Risks Wider War by Downing Syrian Plane (Gilbert Doctorow)
Another U.S. military strike inside Syria — this time, shooting down a Syrian bomber — has escalated tensions with Russia, even opening the possibility that Russian anti-aircraft missiles will target U.S. warplanes, reports Gilbert Doctorow.
Ukraine fighting at lowest level since conflict broke out
Fighting in eastern Ukraine has fallen to its lowest level since the conflict started, Ukrainian Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak has said. Mr Poltorak said Ukrainian forces were coming under attack just two to four times a day – the lowest rate in the past year and a half.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged fighting had died down but blamed Kiev for not moving forward on other provisions of the agreement, including greater autonomy for the rebel-held eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Eager for World War III on MSNBC (Eion Higgins)
If we’re heading toward World War III, let’s hope that some episodes of MSNBC‘s Andrea Mitchell Reports survive the nuclear winter to provide future civilizations with some clues as to how we got there.
Close to 8,000 people killed in eastern Ukraine, says UN human rights report
Close to 8,000 people have lost their lives in eastern Ukraine since mid-April 2014, according to the latest report by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country which was released today.
The report, which covers the period from 16 May to 15 August 2015, notes that the number of civilian casualties more than doubled by comparison with the previous three months, with at least 105 people killed and 308 injured compared to 60 killed and 102 injured between 16 February and 15 May.
Russia-gate Flops as Democrats’ Golden Ticket (Robert Parry)
The national Democrats saw Russia-gate and the drive to impeach President Trump as their golden ticket back to power, but so far the ticket seems to be made of fool’s gold, writes Robert Parry.
Russia and the West need closer ties to avert ‘real danger’ from military exercises and encounters, say European diplomatic leaders
VIDEO: Sen. Chris Murphy on MSNBC
Murphy tells Morning Joe that in light of the results of the recent Congressional race in Georgia, he believes that the Russia issue is a distraction that is hurting Democrats….
US warns Russia against more aid to Assad amid new violence
Anti-government violence erupted Saturday in a southern Syrian province that had largely stayed on the sidelines of the country’s civil war. Meanwhile, unconfirmed [emphasis added – ed.] reports suggesting that Russia was planning to expand its military support for Syrian President Bashar Assad prompted a warning from the U.S. that such actions could lead to a confrontation with coalition forces.
PODCAST: Was a Cuban Missile Crisis Averted in Syria, the Trans-Atlantic Alliance Ruptured, and Intelgate Exposed? (Stephen F. Cohen)
Princeton and NYU Professor Emeritus Stephen F. Cohen thinks three moments of truth about the current state of American-Russian relations were recently revealed, but so little covered in the mainstream media that he was reminded of an old routine by the comedian George Carlin. A local radio newscaster begins his report: “Nuclear war in Europe. Details after the sports.” Cohen and John Batchelor discuss each of the developments at some length