Category talk:USA

Official
Weekly address, 12 May, 2017
 * --Resup (talk) 14:12, 13 May 2017 (UTC)

White House: Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communications Director. Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. We wish him all the best.
 * Made a good argument actually for the admin approach to health reform and the overall admin communication style. Lots of colorful language too. Will be missed, IMO. Some formal suit coming instead? But there was one before already. Oh well... --Resup (talk) 20:31, 31 July 2017 (UTC)

Trump will not meet with Putin in Vietnam, White House says-South China Morning Post, 10 November, 2017
 * Photo-op encounter at the meeting (video)-TASS

Transition
Transition team official web site (greatagain.gov)
 * Defense: against radical ideologies, terrorism, +for nuclear and cyber security
 * Energy: deregulation (and redefining environmental policies)
 * Health: repeal Obamacare, allow purchasing insurance across state lines, enable States to experiment with innovative methods to deliver healthcare
 * Finance, dismantling Dodd-Frank
 * ''The Dodd-Frank economy does not work for working people. Bureaucratic red tape and Washington mandates are not the answer.  The Financial Services Policy Implementation team will be working to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Act and replace it with new policies to encourage economic growth and job creation.
 * Trade: bringing jobs back to USA

Special council: sources/reactions

 * @realDonaldTrump: 1,2, 18 May 2017
 * Newt Gingrich, 17 May 2017 (cheers up)
 * WSJ, 17 May 2017. ("The Special Counsel Mistake. Rosenstein bends to political pressure, and here we go again" ).

Security

 * Incoming national security adviser H. R. McMaster (wiki) The Pipe Dream of Easy War -NY Times, July 20, 2013
 * It's not just technology; it's an instrument of policy and it is human.

Address to the Congress, February 28, 2017
Uplifting, masterful speech, with a call for unity; and essentially the same core agenda. Critics note that specifics are missing. --Resup (talk) 19:06, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * ''Absent from Trump’s discussion of these issues was any proper explanation of how any of his proposals would be paid for. He did say his trillion-dollar infrastructure plan would be “financed through both public and private capital,” but he didn’t provide any details.
 * (1 trillion-dollar infrastructure plan was advocated by Democrats initially).
 * On foreign policy front, support for NATO, and vaguely/generically stated wish to have more peaceful world and to establish new friendships (it was not explicitly stated which friendships)

Economy
No systematic coverage planned, some bits and pieces only.


 * The Shale Gas Revolution Is A Media Myth -by Arthur Berman, Oil Price, Jul 05, 2017
 * opinions expressed are author's; US shale gas is main economic foundation of the recent sanctions --Resup (talk) 13:02, 1 August 2017 (UTC)


 * 'Alaska's Gas line deal with China explained' -ktuu.com, 9 November, 2017. Other deals in China.

Political Economy?
Zinoviev once commented that for both the West and (then) USSR competing for trying to dominate the rest of the world was an objective necessity, not a choice, and that without it, they would quickly fall apart themselves.

It is not immediately obvious at present, but it may be, along those approximate lines. 'Free market' inflates itself by bubbles, and needs (a profitable) transition to the next bubbling cycle. Dot-com bust prior to Iraq, so spend on war. Oops, did not work so well. Bail yourself out of it then by printing lots of money, use the money to illusory inflate big multinationals. Continue in cycle. (What do you mean Assad and Putin are not to blame? Of course they are. If they are not, 'we' (= the top of the food chain) are not in the money, so just make sure...) --Resup (talk) 05:17, 29 October 2017 (UTC)

July, 2017/Sanctions

 * H. R. 3203, a bill To provide congressional review and to counter Iranian and Russian governments’ aggression (introduced in the house, there is a similar Senate bill too). --Resup (talk) 23:55, 23 July 2017 (UTC)
 * H.R. 3364 – Countering America”s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce / Foreign Affairs Committee), July 24, 2017 (5:49 p.m.), 184 pages --Resup (talk) 14:16, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Among other things, the law is to impose congressional oversight over lifting of sanctions on Russia, including those imposed by Obama admin: 216.6 ''...if a joint resolution of disapproval relating to a report submitted under subsection (a)(1) proposing an action described in subsection (a)(2) is enacted in accordance with subsection (c), the President may not take that action.
 * (IMHO, it's clear. Time to clown and time to man. Veto. In THIS realworld, will it be like that? Iamafraidnot). --Resup (talk) 23:55, 23 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Why do you want to review lifting sanctions, without reviewing imposing them?... and Russia is not Iran .... --Resup (talk) 00:13, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Trump’s new communication team offers muddled messages - WaPo, July 23, 2017 White House Signals Acceptance of Russia Sanctions Bill -NY Times, July 23, 2017
 * My 'gut feeling' is that such a decision may be a watershed between two plausible scenarios with respect to Russia, of overall unending cold-to-warmer wars or coexistence-to-cooperation logic. I accept that Russia is not exactly run by angels, however we live in the real world, apparently not run by angels in general. Proposed actions are (1) not based on firmly established facts (2) will not have the effects it is seeking to achieve (3) will advance politicized media-frenzied agenda but not the overall good, despite the pretense to the contrary. Instead of such broad and misguided sweep (to the point of confusion of which country it applies to), it is much better to address firmly established issues (if any) by targeted, intelligent, and properly reviewed steps (not politicized or frenzied) . With respect to an objection that this is done in the US national interest, I do not see how. (Solving international issues, it will not, as far as Russia-Ukraine part goes).  On practical side, taking those decisions away from executive branch to legislature will create a never-to-be-resolved gridlock --Resup (talk) 12:34, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Intel Vets (VIPS) Challenge ‘Russia Hack’ Evidence- Consortium News, 24 July, 2017
 * Possibly related.
 * (I am unable to assess the claims professionally) --Resup (talk) 23:00, 24 July 2017 (UTC) 3 hours shift attributed to EST/PST time-zone difference cannot be attributed to Kremlin-to-Guccifer2 time-zoning, Moscow (MSK, UTC+3) and Romania (EEST, UTC+3 in summer) were on the same time in July, 2016 (any clues on Guccifer2 forensics reports?)--Resup (talk) 08:20, 31 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Daily Schedule, 25 July, 2017 ; houselive.gov--Resup (talk) 14:16, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Deputy FM Sergei Ryabkov/BBC--Resup (talk) 15:09, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Attempts to replace Russian and oil gas projects in Europe by US (+allies) liquefied gas, etc, restricting financing, etc. Sec. 225, 226 -- striking ... ''the President may impose’’ and inserting ‘‘the President shall impose, unless the President determines that it is not in the national interest of the United States to do so’ . All lined up with a choir song of bad Putin interfering with our elections, Putin troops invading Ukraine and our allies, + propping murderous Assad, in diabolic union with Iran and North Korea. Seems on track to pass by a large margin --Resup (talk) 20:01, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
 * (A bit like bees dance maybe, for an imperfect analogy)--Resup (talk) 20:01, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
 * House, 419:3 --Resup (talk) 21:34, 25 July 2017 (UTC) Senate, 98:2--Resup (talk) 12:24, 28 July 2017 (UTC)
 * More great news, after deciding to start WW3, it was decided not to have a healthcare --Resup (talk) 04:54, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
 * "With Mueller investigation, FBI gets chance to physically inspect ‘hacked’ DNC computers" -WaPo, 27 July, 2017 ("perfect timing") --Resup (talk) 15:39, 29 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Statement by President Donald J. Trump on Signing the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act”, The White House, 2 August, 2017
 * Language suggests that the bill may be unconstitutional, but overturning it on such grounds will likely take many years if it happens at all. First reactions from Russia are strongly negative. What really matters is how it affects things on the ground for a period of time and in real terms; that is, being in the future, unknown, and so 'hardest to predict'. But, unless some fix is found, it may well be a historic mistake turning away from a possibility of improved relations and effectively solving pressing international problems, now. Realizing it's potentially a historic mistake perhaps will motivate to find a solution so that it isn't. So far, it appears to be a serious lack of processing all available information and options and giving a tough fight when and where it matters. --Resup (talk) 16:20, 2 August 2017 (UTC)
 * I don't know how the "improved language" "reflects feedback from our European partners", I only know that just a couple of days ago the German Minister of Economics pointed out that unilateral sanctions are against international law - a truth unheard from German politicians before as long as it's the Empire doing it. That's how angry they are at that law which is widely perceived as scheme to force us to buy their expensive gas through preventing Nordstream II. Own goal in the making. --CE (talk) 16:50, 2 August 2017 (UTC)


 * Misguided; endangering Israel
 * With respect to Russia, sanctions are misguided. Oil income supports not just Putin, but the whole establishment, including system opposition (of all types). Even imagining that this is successful, it will result into forces coming to power drawing inspiration from Soviet, pre-revolutionary, or nationalistic models, not oligarchical pro-Western models which are seriously compromised. This is very different from post-Afghanistan, USSR collapse days when brewing alternative was inspired by Western ideals and consumerism
 * With respect to the Middle East, this is dangerous, including to Israel, whose support by US is a given. Putin and oligarchs are fairly pro Israel, however not being able to solve Ukraine, under sanctions (just making things meaner, really), and getting themselves into Syria, they are bound to live with their acquired allies, Iran-Syria (+the developing world giants). They are, as a whole, sufficiently determined, and with boots on the ground, unlike the West not willing to do so; and as a group, have modern anti-tank and air defense weapons, making Israeli advantage in tanks and planes questionable (along the lines of the latest warfare in Lebanon). Likely end result of this is increased influence of the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon alliance (+former USSR Middle Asia and Azerbaijan republics) pressuring Saudis, Jordan, Israel, and gaming Turkey; or short of that, increased direct hostility between Russia and USA/NATO.
 * Positive alternative to that is resolving Ukrainian crisis, and all minding their own home business re Syria--Resup (talk) 16:04, 27 July 2017 (UTC)


 * Russia's response
 * In a delayed response to the US steps under Obama admin, and following Congress vote on sanctions, Russia suspends US use of storage properties and a country house, asks to cut US consulate staff numbers to equal the Russian count -FM --Resup (talk) 12:24, 28 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Putin/TASS: as a result of the announced measures, 755 US diplomats will have to leave; no additional immediate steps favored at this point, some cooperation is seen to continue (WMD arms control, anti-terrorism, deescalation in Syria, possibly space, cybersecurity). Text and video here. --Resup (talk) 18:43, 30 July 2017 (UTC)
 * 'It brings staff levels to 455 ...The number includes Russian employees of the US diplomatic missions across Russia, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Moscow adds' (fairly confusing account still, are there Russians among the 755 reduction number?) .--Resup (talk) 07:10, 31 July 2017 (UTC)
 * 2013 data: The mission employs 1,279 staff, including 301 U.S. direct-hire positions and 934 locally employed (LE) staff positions from 35 U.S. Government agencies (p.3). LE may be US citizens, but don't have to be.--Resup (talk) 01:09, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

Echo Moskvy ed-in-chief Alexey Venediktov (robo-translated):'' The problem - the leadership of our country underestimated the reaction of the population and the elite of the United States to hacker attacks during the presidential campaign. As far as I know, each member of the congress was directed to extract from the inquiry of four special services - the CIA, the NSA, the military counterintelligence and the consular department of the State Department - about Russia's participation in this attack. And the inquiries had several levels of secrecy - depending on the congressman's admission - 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 senators. And only one of these 535 people expressed doubt and requested additional information. ''--Resup (talk) 02:10, 29 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Russian pro-Western opposition

May, 2017
10 May, 2017
 * Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia
 * Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Washington DC, May 10, 2017
 * Secretary Tillerson's Meeting With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
 * Песков: Лавров привез Трампу послание от Путина - ТАСС, 11 мая 2017
 * Press coverage: in Russian + some Arabic (re photos, 2, 3, 44+ 5 6 7 Александр Щербак/ТАСС).
 * Getty, 10 photos
 * Meeting of US President Trump and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Klimkin in White House, 112.ua (international), published May 11, 2017
 * У Вашингтоні відбулися зустрічі Павла Клімкіна з вищим керівництвом США
 * @realDonaldTrump, photos.
 * Russia has a stenogram, not an audio of Trump-Lavrov meeting -TASS
 * Security was compromised by inappropriately placing sensitive details on information source in the public domain, not by sharing anti-terrorism info on common threats--which was in public domain anyway, for a month or so. --Resup (talk) 17:25, 17 May 2017 (UTC)

March 2017
Bizarre reported pending appointment of Fiona Hill as a senior adviser on European and Russian policy, "well-known scholar of Russian President Vladimir Putin" (sample), Brookings institute --which in the past has launched Susan Rice. Sample shows that she studied sources and attempted some methods to analyse (learned in her intelligence officer job perhaps); but I am not sure she actually understands what is going on, and that the method applied is particularly useful, academically or more importantly for a sane practical politics. --Resup (talk) 23:34, 5 March 2017 (UTC)

[http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2017/03/03/done-paul-craig-roberts/ What Is To Be Done? — Paul Craig Roberts]; (more spot-on than the above, IMHO). --Resup (talk) 23:47, 5 March 2017 (UTC)

After Trump win

 * Flynn on Flynn, Feb. 14, 2017
 * ''“It wasn’t about sanctions. It was about the 35 guys who were thrown out,” Flynn said. “So that’s what it turned out to be. It was basically, ‘Look, I know this happened. We’ll review everything.’ I never said anything such as, ‘We’re going to review sanctions,’ or anything like that.”


 * 'Guardian' on Strategic Initiatives Group vs National Sec Council (in the end), Feb. 14, 2017
 * --Resup (talk) 01:09, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

January, 2017
Trump-Putin phone call (in progress)(Kremlin read-out)--Resup (talk) 18:50, 28 January 2017 (UTC)

December, 2016
Trump receives 'very nice' Christmas letter from Putin - CNN, December 23, 2016. Response & text link

Putin press conference (Engl), addresses nuclear weapons controversy in particular, December 23, 2016.

November, 2016
At this point, situation is uncertain. Russian officials stated that they had some contacts with Trump election team, but it is unlikely to be substantial. At this point, there were no substantial after-win official contacts, although Trump stated that they are planned. In the meantime, Russian presidential spokesman Peskov cautiously stated two key Russian positions(1) opposing NATO enlargement. "Trump may be able to convince NATO to move troops away from the Russian border", a key concern since promises given to Gorbachev that NATO will not move East were broken. All Russian presidents and overwhelming part of society were against such moves and considered it as hostile; NATO is viewed as at least an opponent, and among power ministries, defense and  security, as possibly an enemy. Moving towards border decrease missiles arrival time and increase chances for a successful first nuclear strike if that is launched, in particular. Significant steps were taken by Russia to prevent NATO moving East, and conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine had that underlying reason (2) Crimea. Peskov stated that this is not under negotiation, and that Russia is prepared to wait for as long as it takes for this to be accepted. This position reflects standing of the Russian leadership, and is supported by strong public majority in Russia as well as Crimea. Even before the post-Maidan events of 2014, there were several referendums in Crimea where locals were trying to gain independence from Ukraine and.or join Russia. Crimea move from Russia to Ukraine 'for the occasion of an anniversary of Russian-Ukrainian friendship' was viewed as arbitrary/voluntaristic but of little practical effect while USSR was still in place. That changed after USSR collapse and was not properly addressed in the process of chaotic USSR collapse by Russian and Ukrainian administrations; anti-Gorbachev and pro-Western positions of Yeltsin administration were prevailing considerations. Crimea is also a strategically important base of the Russian Black Sea fleet. It was maintained under a lease while Crimea was under Ukrainian control; there was a sentiment that the deal may be endangered post-Maidan, and Russia took steps to establish security control, while the public sentiment was strongly pro-Russian throughout.

Trump position with respect to NATO is briefly 'America first' (and an expectation of improved relations with Russia), but details and relationship with Russia are not spelled in detail at this point,- apart from a cautious hope for the best. --Resup (talk) 11:13, 13 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Trump interview before the win, Transcript: Donald Trump Expounds on His Foreign Policy Views - NY Times, March 26, 2016 (addresses Ukraine issue)--Resup (talk) 11:28, 13 November 2016 (UTC)

Putin-Trump phone conversation -Trump/Media@ptt.gov readout;Kremlin readout (Eng), 14 Nov. 2016 --Resup (talk) 21:33, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

Sources, before Trump win

 * 'Putin Would Eat President Trump for Lunch', by Leonid Bershidsky, bloombergview.com, Jul. 31, 2015
 * In June, Trump told Fox News host Bill O'Reilly why he'd likely have a "great relationship" with the Russian leader. "He’s got a tremendous popularity in Russia, they love what he’s doing, they love what he represents," Trump said. "I was over in Moscow two years ago and I will tell you — you can get along with those people and get along with them well. You can make deals with those people. Obama can’t."
 * Can Donald Trump Build A Campaign To Last? by Jessica Taylor, npr.org, July 29, 2015.
 * Trump for President? Paul Craig Roberts, June 20, 2015 --Resup (talk) 08:33, 1 August 2015 (UTC)


 * "We are moving to a big war" (i.e. bigger conflict in Syria)- Says the former head of the intelligence department of the Ministry of Defense Michael Flynn, Kommersant (Rus), 21.12.2015. (google translate).
 * But if there is cooperation between Russia and USA, we don't really have to. ---Not a proxy war, but not a cooperation either at this point; no common vision of goals and means/ rules. If something is too arcane or plain idiotic, that does not work well for Russia. For the US, seems hard to see things as they are, not as they were set, or meant, to be. )
 * On government-to-government level, Russia would say (as in World Order-Putin interview to V Soloviev) that not only the US, but they too, have interests, and everybody should follow equally understood and applied transparent rules. (Any objections to that needs to be sent to Kremlin). --Resup (talk) 13:22, 27 December 2015 (UTC)

The 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia announced it will send 12 A-10 Warthog attack planes and crews to Central and Eastern European to bolster NATO’s “Operation Atlantic Resolve,” an ongoing show of military might meant to deter Russian aggression in the region. Earlier there were plans to eliminate A-10s due to budget cuts --Resup (talk) 13:17, 15 August 2015 (UTC)


 * Beginning of March -announced 28.3.2016 Brennan visited Moscow


 * 30.3.16 A highly placed representative of the US president administration told Interfax that USA does not plan any joint operations with Russia to liberate Raqqa. (Earlier, an assistant head of Russian FM Oleg Syromolotov stated to Interfax that military departments in USA and Russia are discussing coordinating actions to liberate Raqqa. --Resup (talk) 18:24, 30 March 2016 (UTC)


 * 17 June 2016. Close encounter of the Navies (video) -Russia protests. --Resup (talk) 13:46, 28 June 2016 (UTC)


 * US diplomat tackled by a cop in Moscow -video, RFE/RL report, 7 July 2016. Announced persona non grata and mutual accusations as a follow-up.  --Resup (talk) 20:50, 7 July 2016 (UTC)


 * CBS News, Sept. 11, 2016
 * CIA director John Brennan: Russia is both an “adversary” and, on certain issues, must be an ally. “Russia is a formidable adversary in a number of areas, also there are areas that we need to be able to work with Russia, specifically in Syria”  --Resup (talk) 17:38, 11 September 2016 (UTC)
 * an entry for Russia here should have been: Ukraine first  (the actual entry is up to the Russian president) --Resup (talk) 18:02, 11 September 2016 (UTC)


 * John Kirby, US DOS Spokesperson Daily Press Briefing, Washington, DC September 28, 2016
 * MR KIRBY: The consequences are that the civil war will continue in Syria, that extremists and extremists groups will continue to exploit the vacuums that are there in Syria to expand their operations, which will include, no question, attacks against Russian interests, perhaps even Russian cities, and Russia will continue to send troops home in body bags, and they will continue to lose resources – even, perhaps, more aircraft. The stability that they claim they seek in Syria will be ever more elusive, and it’s hard to imagine how a continued war – not just a civil war now, but increasingly more violent extremist activity in Syria – can be in the interest of a nation that says, that claims, and has claimed publicly time and time again that what they want to see is a whole, unified, pluralistic Syria and a stable Syria, a secure Syria, a Syria where they want to continue to have a defense relationship and a presence. So that’s what’s in it for them.
 * QUESTION: Well, when you say – just a quick follow-up – when you say that extremists will exploit the vacuum and that could include attacks on Russia’s cities and Russia could send its troops back in body bags, that also could suggest that perhaps the rebels could start sending home their troops in body bags.
 * MR KIRBY: It’s going to mean, again, more violence, more war, and you can expect casualties on both sides of this (etc.)


 * (RU MoD, RU FM responded in kind, etc).
 * --Resup (talk) 18:31, 29 September 2016 (UTC)

Recent history
9/11, ‘We’re the only plane in the sky’, Politico, September 11, 2016.--Resup (talk) 04:59, 12 September 2016 (UTC)
 * Gordon Johndroe: [Putin] was important — all these military systems were all put in place for nuclear alerts. If we went on alert, we needed Putin to know that we weren’t readying an attack on Russia. He was great — he said immediately that Russia wouldn’t respond, Russia would stand down, that he understood we were under attack and needed to be on alert.
 * Ari Fleischer: Putin was fantastic that day. He was a different Vladimir Putin in 2001. America could have had no better ally on September 11th than Russia and Putin.

Money and Men
"Some people just do not fit well into a highly skilled market-based economy. They are perfectly decent people,- we will send them off to Afghanistan. But they are not going to command a big price. You still want to get them most out of their abilities. But if their abilities leave them unable to earn much more than the poverty level ... we ought to do something additional for them..."-Warren Buffett.
 * (Among familiar characters, those who 'do not fit well' may include Strelkov, Mozgovoi for Novorossia, perhaps some American counterparts like Stanley McChrystal; perhaps Putin and Trump in their roles as politicians; and quite many, though not all, artists and scientists. Those who 'fit well' had diverse contributions-including the current pre-WW3 looking crisis ...--Resup (talk) 22:48, 10 September 2015 (UTC))

Legal Matters
The Rule Of Law No Longer Exists In Western Civilization — Paul Craig Roberts --Resup (talk) 10:09, 9 January 2016 (UTC)

Foreign Policy consultants for election campaigns

 * Trump foreign policy team
 * Hillary Clinton team is said to have 'several hundred' advisers; on foreign policy, Jake Sullivan and Laura Rosenberger are at the helm.
 * --Resup (talk) 13:13, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

Events
Explosions at USA military base in Japan reported (foxnews) --Resup (talk) 18:36, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

27 Sep. 2017 Mattis and Stoltenberg arrive to Kabul. Taliban and/or IS 'rocket attack' on Kabul airport 'hours later', according to Reuters --Resup (talk) 15:53, 27 September 2017 (UTC)

Arrests

 * MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russian national A. Burkov (no name is given) was on December 13 detained in Tel Aviv airport and placed under arrest on US authorities’ warrant, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s commissioner for human rights, democracy and rule of law, Konstantin Dolgov, said in a comment posted on the ministry’s website Friday. "We hope the Israeli authorities will prevent extradition of A.Y.Burkov to the United States, where he, like many other Russian nationals, would surely be in for politicized and biased justice," Dolgov said. --Resup (talk) 15:20, 25 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Not showing up on ATF or Interpol searches. There are records on arrestwarrant.org, unclear whether at all related.


 * Earlier, another man Yu. V. Efremov was arrested in Finalnd on a US warrant (said to be by a US branch of Interpol)-Novaia Gazeta, Russian FM, 23.12.2015. Efremov is a MOI colonel in reserve, formerly a sniper in Afghanistan campaign, a body guard team member of the former Defense Minister Shaposhnikov, and a spetznaz commander. He is said to attend a NSSF  firearm exhibition in USA in 2011 legally, and has visited Germany and Finland several times.--Resup (talk) 15:44, 25 December 2015 (UTC)
 * He does not come up Interpol on Interpol wanted search, --only another younger Efremov from Ukraine does...

Sources Discussion
Somehow US independents seem to be more visible in Russian sources (where Robert Parry, Steven Cohen, PC Roberts appear often enough and fairly upstream to spot them easily for a non-converted. While Russian opposition has considerably more visibility/traction at home, and quite enough abroad. Those guys at Citizen Initiative (mainpage) call for 'national dialogue' but it seems to me what they are quite inaudible and invisible in the US, so not a great chance for a dialogue to happen. Actually, not sure how a national dialogue in USA (on X, for anything)  is supposed to happen at all. It is a one way flow from the top through media to the ground level, seems to me. In Russia, much harsher top hand, yet people take more notice. Glad to know if that I am getting it all wrong.  --Resup (talk) 00:12, 27 June 2016 (UTC)

Dancing with Bears, (with said to be (or is it?)  German -Russian pact in the making on top). Unsure what's going on here, but one could not really, full time, dance WITH the bear back in 1989, and right now, well, I guess, depends on what the dance is (and overall feels more like 1989 than later in 90's after the USSR collapse) --Resup (talk) 11:19, 27 June 2016 (UTC)


 * He has a biography on his page. Helmer has been wrong before but is always an interesting read with a good sense of humour. As to the German-Russian "pact", I wish it were true and certainly a lot of important people in Germany have turned from criticism of Merkel to pure anger after Brexit. But what makes me wonder is that he claims that Schäuble is involved, who has been the embodiment of loyalty for all of his political life. As to your previous post, I unfortunately agree that the "dissident" voices have absolutely no chance to get a hearing in the US media other than by those already convinced reading "fringe" outlets or watching RT. --CE (talk) 12:33, 27 June 2016 (UTC)


 * "National dialog" here seems to mean national, of the nation, its people, or government, or anything, in a friendlier tone. It does seem to be trying for as close to official as possible, but it wasn't close. They did get the mayor of Salem, Oregon to send regards. Might be a Llama exchange program in the works (I made that up). Some fairly esteemed folks, but clearly not in or out of the State Department or even a top-tier think tank, etc. anytime soon. Glad they did it, especially the Crimea visit to show the other side of (Crimexit?), if only to show how lacking such initiatives are among our decrepit-minded official class. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:03, 27 June 2016 (UTC)

Gordon Duff of Veterans today, with (another) weird article. With his colorful 'rhetoric' (let's say) aside, claims westerners were captured... --Resup (talk) 20:14, 5 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Follow-up: "U.S. jets abandoned Syrian rebels in the desert. Then they lost a battle to ISIS",  Washington Post, 6 July 2016;
 * "Defeat under Abu Kemal", Cassad, 7 July 2016 (multimedia and referring to Western sources on losses) --Resup (talk) 09:34, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Senator Richard Black. "Outspoken Virginia state senator travels to Syria in support of Assad", Washington Post, April 27, 2016
 * "U.S. Policy in Syria: An Interview with VA Senator Richard Black", interviewed by Jeff Steinberg, EIR,  of LaRouche PAC (political action committee), May 6, 2016 --Resup (talk) 13:05, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
 * VA State Sen. Richard Black's Address to April 7 Schiller Conference

Carter Page: Donald Trump aide slams America's policy on Russia during speech in Moscow, Telegraph, 8 July 2016


 * https://www.donaldjtrump.com/lp/mainstream-media-accountability-survey, noticed on February 17, 2017
 * Qs 7. Do you use a source not listed above? 8. Which online source do you use the most? (A: ourselves? ) --Resup (talk) 23:51, 17 February 2017 (UTC)


 * McCain the free (MSM) press defender on NBC, Feb. 19, 2017 --Resup (talk) 16:59, 19 February 2017 (UTC)


 * RT finds the weirdest ex-'Mossad agent' of the century, Juval Aviv, Israeli-American, who takes typical globalist/'Democratic' line, predicts Trump impeachment, etc. Hopefully, garbage. --Resup (talk) 16:37, 22 February 2017 (UTC)
 * On starting comments, two state vs 1 state: maybe Trump does not have a clue, but nor anybody else (while long history of preceding effort achieved quite little on the ground). So it's more like, let's try something else, and not necessarily a sinister political/reelection plot. Recent poll shows that only Israeli Arabs support 1 state solution (for gaining equal rights), while majority of Israeli Jews oppose (for preserving identity), and Palestinians oppose too (for want of a state). No other solution is too popular either. So the poll essentially supports the status quo --which nobody really likes. --Resup (talk) 09:56, 23 February 2017 (UTC)


 * So called McCain & Russian pranksters audio;--but is this really McCain??? --Resup (talk) 19:16, 22 February 2017 (UTC)


 * Oliver Stone: Mid-Summer Anger Sanctions, ex-security services (VIPS) questioning 'Russian hack' story-line, WW3. After making a film on Putin and getting some rap for that... --Resup (talk) 13:28, 5 August 2017 (UTC)

Polls

 * Trusting News Project Report 2017 - Reynolds Journalism Institute research project, Michael W. Kearney, 25 July, 2017.
 * ''Using the proportion of “trusted” versus “not trusted” responses, the figure displays the least and most trusted sources of news among those sources mentioned in the sample at least 10 times.
 * Seems to be about brand name recognition, top ones are British and public television; those are further away from matters of public discourse (or any research). A bit like saying, most trusted cars are Rolls Royce, followed by Mercedes (or Amtrak train cars in that instance); --fine, but likely no actual mileage made on those by the respondent. (May look more into, having more time) --Resup (talk) 18:27, 6 August 2017 (UTC)

Elections

 * Donald Trump to Meet With Senator Joni Ernst, a Possible Running Mate, NY Times, July 4, 2016. --Resup (talk) 19:52, 4 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Donald Trump selects Mike Pence as VP CNN, July 16, 2016 --Resup (talk) 13:05, 22 July 2016 (UTC)
 * On the issues: Donald Trump, acceptance speech;  Mike Pence.
 * RNC platform (full link there)
 * --Resup (talk) 11:21, 23 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Hillary Clinton selects Kaine for Vice President.
 * On the issues: Hillary Clinton, (acceptance speech - to appear);  Tim Kaine.
 * DNC platform
 * Syria: "negotiated political transition that ends Assad’s rule", and providing "greater humanitarian assistance". Russia: discussed in the threats category (pp 42-43; ..."deter Russian aggression" (Ukraine/Syria)... stand by the Russian people (ie pro-Western opposition).
 * --Resup (talk) 17:04, 5 August 2016 (UTC)


 * Independent candidates here. Many of them. Typically get few votes (less than 1 % in 2012; so less than in Iran) --Resup (talk) 12:04, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

Healthcare

 * Clinton: keep Obamacare +  'make a “public option” possible. She will also support letting people over 55 years old buy into Medicare' . Reality is that for low income and little prior coverage those monthly costs (just for nothing-for having it; and there is a penalty for not having it) are completely unaffordable. (For that category at least) it is a scam. The promise here is wishy-washy is no sense it will be meaningfully fixed. Public option did not pass Congress and may not passed again, so this may not happen and will be blamed on Congress.
 * Trump: repeal Obamacare, and... . Health savings account will not change actual costs (by more than tax benefit, like 20-30 % or whatever); and such savings may be 100% lost if not used. On top of that, some ideas, but what will be the real consequences of those ideas is (very) unclear.
 * There is a serious problem affecting many people shut out of health care for financial reasons. There is a recognition of the issue existence by the candidates, and talking points, but not a fix. (And no White Helmets for this too).--Resup (talk) 13:04, 25 October 2016 (UTC)


 * Total health care expenses, in 2013 figures, 17 % of GDP, 9008 USD per person (2.85 trln USD total).
 * Obamacare enrollment, about 12 mln people, total cost, about 108 bln USD.
 * Still uninsured: 11.4% of population, about 36 mln people. Their health expenses will be about 325 bln USD
 * Total affected, Obamacare or uninsured, about 48 mln people, about twice the 2013 population of Syria.


 * "Congrats to all Rep. We can now delvgrthl-re to all Americans!"--Twitter, July 25, 2017
 * --Resup (talk) 20:25, 25 July 2017 (UTC)

Campaign expenses
expenses by all presidential candidates still remaining in the race: about 1.8 bln USD as of October 21, 2016 (and what did this buy?That would pay average health costs of 200 thousand people for a year...)--Resup (talk) 13:04, 25 October 2016 (UTC)

High Techs Speeches

 * (Place reserved for Google speech for HC at DNC convention) --Resup (talk) 13:05, 22 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Not in front of the curtain; Mike 'the no Large Sodas' Bloomberg as some replacement (full video). Curious, but what is that he is really trying to do? The weakness is obvious to everybody himself included, keeps repeating that his endorsement applies 'this November'. Positions himself to run  next time, if Trump is the winner?  If this is so important/he is so worried, why he is not trying now, mulling over his own run for a long time? --Resup (talk) 23:05, 29 July 2016 (UTC)


 * "Full Speech: Peter Thiel / First Investor in Facebook - Republican National Convention"- video --Resup (talk) 13:05, 22 July 2016 (UTC)
 * Peter Thiel -2, 31 October, 2016 --Resup (talk) 15:27, 31 October 2016 (UTC)

Apologies

 * Trump apology (video), Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2016.
 * Video, youtube, 8 Oct. 2016.

The famous Christiane Amanpour-Lavrov interview
Amanpour-Lavrov, CNN, published on Oct 13, 2016

Debate transcripts

 * First debate, moderator Lester Holt, anchor of “NBC Nightly News", September 27, 2016


 * Second debate, St Lois, town hall format, ABC moderators: politico.com, NY Times, October 9, 2016


 * Third debate, moderated by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, October 19, 2016, Las Vegas

Gettysburg
Trump’s First 100 Days Speech in Gettysburg, October 22, 2016 text,video

Polls
As of October 22, 2016, Hilary Clinton leads in most of the battleground states. She has 136 more projected electoral college voters (262 to 126, with 150 toss up). General national polls show closer race than electoral college predictions. (Polls use sampling; if more and different sort of people will show up massively, it can possibly be not very accurate). --Resup (talk) 15:38, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Sampling-related, zerohedge --Resup (talk) 02:25, 24 October 2016 (UTC)

Polls are tight, within margin of error, realclearpolitics.com.

US military, 67% Trump, 21 % Clinton, military.com, 2 November 2016. --Resup (talk) 15:18, 6 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Military females, 50% Trump, 36% Clinton
 * Military black or African American, 27 % Trump, 59% Clinton

Weiner probe emails
Video: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke to reporters Oct. 28 in Des Moines about the FBI's new inquiries into the private email server she used as secretary of state, in : "Computer seized in Weiner probe prompts FBI to take new steps in Clinton email inquiry", Washington Post], 28 Oct. 2016
 * --Resup (talk) 11:40, 29 October 2016 (UTC)

Security scares

 * Trump hustled offstage in Nevada after security scare, returns shortly thereafter - Fox News (video); express.co.uk (another video/photos), happened in the evening of November 5, 2016, in Reno, Nevada.
 * IS calls for attacks..., full access with paid subscription, Site Intel group, November 5, 2016
 * --Resup (talk) 12:17, 6 November 2016 (UTC)

And the winner is...
Presidential elections results by state and map -NY Times, November 9, 2016

Donald Trump's victory speech - CNN, November 9, 2016


 * --Resup (talk) 17:31, 9 November 2016 (UTC)

The Morning After

 * "On Nov. 9, Let's Forget Donald Trump Happened", by Noah Feldman - BloombergView, October 23, 2016
 * --Resup(talk) 23:35, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

Voting methods

 * Paper or electronic, by state

Obama Administration

 * BREAKING: Julian Assange Will Agree To US Extradition Under One Condition: Obama Must Grant Clemency To Manning, by Ryan Saavedra, The Gateway Pundit, January 12, 2017
 * Chelsea Manning to Be Released Early as Obama Commutes Sentence - NY Times, January 17, 2017

(comment: at times of war, military censorship is appropriate. --Resup (talk) 10:29, 18 January 2017 (UTC))

World Socialist Web Site vs. Google

 * Our latest quality improvements for Search, by Ben Gomes, Google VP, engineering, 25 April 2017
 * ...algorithmic updates to surface more authoritative content ...
 * Rating Guidelines-Google (July 2017 version now present)
 * ...''this  page  is  on  a  well known  fact­checking  and debunking  website  that  covers  urban  legends, Internet  rumors,  and  other  stories  of  unknown or  questionable  origin. Users  can trust  the  information  on  this  page  due  to  the website's  positive  reputation  and  high  level  of expertise  in  debunking  non­-YMYL  stories  of this  type
 * New Google algorithm restricts access to left-wing, progressive web sites, by Andre Damon and Niles Niemuth, 27 July 2017
 * ''The World Socialist Web Site has been targeted by Google’s new “evaluation methods.” While in April 2017, 422,460 visits to the WSWS originated from Google searches, the figure has dropped to an estimated 120,000 this month, a fall of more than 70 percent.
 * Similarweb latest is June 2017, 828,500 visits, 39% (323 K) from searches, compared to 1.25 mln (total) in April 2017. Unclear how accurate this is, probably an estimate, and possibly quite inaccurate.
 * --Resup (talk) 06:17, 29 July 2017 (UTC)