If confirmed, these reports have drastic implications on the direction of science within the realm of American intelligence.

Russian media notes that FM Sergey Lavrov announced this controversial move in a joint meeting with Chinese FM Wang Yi, specifically saying that:

“Yesterday, our joint proposal that OPCW experts visit the sites of the suspected chemical weapon use incident in Syria was blocked by western delegations without coherent explanations. This showed the complete incompetence of the positions of our western colleagues who basically prohibit the OPCW from sending their experts to the site of the incident, to the air base from where aircraft loaded with chemical weapons allegedly flew out.”

Syria had requested the OPCW to investigate the chemical weapons attack, according to a UN report which also cites Russian influence in the proposed investigation. U.S. officials have asserted that Assad’s henchmen dropped sarin gas in Idlib from the sky in an effort to kill his own citizens.

An extraordinary claim like this would require extraordinary evidence, as Carl Sagan would have likely asserted. Although dictators have been known to murder their own citizens in the past, we cannot simply come out and accuse a man of a crime like this without first conducting a thorough investigation, confirmed by further scientific investigations.

To be fair, the USA should consider a diplomatic route which is highly-cautious to use force, and instead takes in the opinion of multiple sources and countries when conducting an investigation which concerns the future of politics in the region.

Russian Influence In The Investigation

Putin latest statement warning of a FALSE FLAG attack in Syria that of course would lead to a global conflict https://t.co/oz32xlrstM pic.twitter.com/ZY3zB9Eh0I

— Luke Rudkowski (@Lukewearechange) April 11, 2017

Of course, Russia has an interest in the investigation, considering Putin had previously asserted that the Syrian chemical attack was just the beginning of a ring of false-flag attacks on the country, and the proxy war that has been happening there for quite some time. However, does that mean we should simply avoid listening to others, and instead only listen to official U.S. reports?

Science suggests that multiple sources should find similar conclusions using the scientific method if we are to inch closer to the truth with investigations like this. U.S. intelligence which is right, and not acting to hide an agenda, should not have anything to worry about regarding other organizations conducting scientific investigations of the Syrian chemical attack.

What The White House Intelligence Report Said About The Chemical Weapons Attack

The White House intelligence report of the Syrian chemical attacks asserts that they have already conducted an investigation and that they would not reveal their sources, methods, and accordingly, evidence:

“We have confidence in our assessment because we have signals intelligence and geospatial intelligence, laboratory analysis of physiological samples collected from multiple victims, as well as a significant body of credible open source reporting, that tells a clear and consistent story. We cannot publicly release all available intelligence on this attack due to the need to protect sources and methods.”

In other words, the White House intelligence report on the Syrian Chemical attacks released only one week after the attack states that they are confident in the information that they have, and that they don’t need to prove their claims to American public and furthermore that the American people should just trust that the intelligence community know best.

If there are American officials who want to garner support for regime change in Syria, perhaps they should start by releasing their sources and methods used for gathering their evidence, and conduct an international scientific investigation with truth being the prime moral. Then, conduct a debate in Congress using the House representatives elected by the American people before escalating the conflict in the Syria.

The post Prominent Chemical Weapons Research Company Barred From Investigating Syrian Chemical Attack appeared first on We Are Change.

Julie Radford worked under George W. Bush’s Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, and was reportedly introduced to Ivanka Trump through another former Bush administration official who is on Ivanka’s staff, Dina Powell.

According to Politico, Radford first met Powell while working as a consultant to Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses initiative, which was managed by Powell before working at the White House. As Politico reports, Radford also furthermore worked with Goldman Sachs programs in several states before reuniting with her friend, and former Bush official, for a White House position.

This news is relevant, especially in consideration to President Trump’s efforts to “drain the swamp” of government corruption. Ivanka Trump has an unpaid “advisor” position for the White House. She is also married to White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, who made a name for himself recently as being on the influences on Trump’s decision to airstrike Syria with tomahawk missiles earlier this month.

[RELATED: #FireKushner Becomes Top Trending Hashtag On Twitter As White House Feud Heats Up]

It is unclear why the Trump administration is cozying up to former Bush officials when the President himself had previously called for draining the “swamp.”

The Bush administration perpetuated warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is risky to deal with officials under the same string of contacts as people who have been ruled guilty of war crimes by extranational research companies.

Trump’s Cabinet – Fighting The Swamp?

From former big bank executives to politicians, wealthy elites and generals, the Trump cabinet doesn’t appear to be much different than George W. Bush’s cabinet, or for that matter, Barack Obama’s cabinet. Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner have a reputation for being Democrats, which could illustrate the Trump’s goal is to have a politically diverse cabinet.

State – Oil tycoon
Labor – Fast food tycoon
SBA – Wrestling tycoon
HUD – Doctor
Ed – Megadonor
Treasury – Goldman exec
NEC – Goldman exec

— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) December 13, 2016

As we can see in the above tweet, Hillary Clinton supporters were also quick to point out that Trump has some cabinet picks that have picks which could compromise the message of “drain the swamp.” If Trump wants to garner more positive attention, perhaps it should start with realizing that the interest of the military-industrial complex and the big bankers is not quite as “anti-swamp” as his delusional supporters may realize.

In a perfect world, Trump’s effort to fight government corruption, the War on Terror, North Korean threats, and the massive amount of geopolitical issues facing the planet would all be taken care of with a snap of his finger. However, with banking and military-industrial complex interests at the highest levels still in government offices, it is difficult to see any major political change imminent. Nor should we expect any one man to handle all the problems the world faces.

The Main Reason Why Trump Is Not Draining The Swamp

The American people had been warned by former President Eisenhower of continuing to the military-industrial complex to thrive, and the string of wars that America has undergone following his presidency illustrate that this industry, which thrives on war, is still alive and well today lobbying government officials including Trump himself.

Evidence of this claim is that fact that Trump has made it clear that he will allow the escalation military interventions. He has also admitted to giving the military “total authorization:” to conduct further interventions. When asked after the MOAB bombing in Afghanistan if he authorized the bombing, this is what Trump said in response:

“what I do is I authorize my military. We have the greatest military in the world, and they’ve done a job as usual, so we have given them total authorization, and that’s what they’re doing, and frankly, that why they’ve been so successful lately.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaJQQX1hQ9Y

Now, with a military-industrial complex which thrives off war, and which Trump claims doesn’t have to have either congressional or executive authorization for dropping more bombs, one can only wonder how current political issues will be resolved.

The post #DrainTheSwamp: Ivanka Trump Hires Former Bush Administration Officials To The White House appeared first on We Are Change.

When asked what his response to the allegations that WikiLeaks received their recent leaks from Russian sources in an effort to assure the election of Donald Trump, Assange said that:

“If you read the wording carefully, that’s not the dominant narrative, that’s never said in anything that’s fact-checked, because… WikiLeaks is no different than the U.S. media.”

Assange asserted that three figures, James Clapper, James Comey, and Barack Obama (in his last press conference) had all three confirmed that WikiLeaks operates in a similar manner to the U.S. media in separate testimonies. Furthermore, Assange made a point to illustrate that WikiLeaks wasn’t the only source that published classified information during the election. According to Assange:

“The allegation in relation to us is that, which once again we don’t agree with, but that Russian hackers of some kind gave information to various State parties or approved of by the State, and it eventually came to us. So, there’s an acceptance by the officials in the U.S. Obama administration that WikiLeaks was not engaging directly with the Russian government at all, but other U.S. media organizations were directly engaging with the Russians.”

During his last press conference, President Obama noted that “the conclusions of the intelligence community with respect to the Russian hacking were not conclusive as to whether WikiLeaks was witting or not in being the conduit through which we heard about the DNC e-mails that were leaked. I don’t pay a lot of attention to Mr. Assange’s tweets, so that wasn’t a consideration in this instance.”

According to Obama then, Assange is not conclusively working with Russian intelligence and that they weren’t knowingly being the platform to the alleged method of hacking he knew the leaks were brought about. Either the intelligence community’s investigation has come up with new developments, or there is no direct evidence that there was any sort of Russian involvement in the DNC hacks.

Assange Responds To CIA Director Pompeo:

Assange later brought up Pompeo’s recent speech where the CIA director claimed that WikiLeaks was collaborating with Russians, saying specifically that:

“You look at what Pompeo, the current director of the CIA stated, he said that Wikileaks is a ‘publisher,’ or I can’t remember exactly what word he used, that was ‘abetted’ by other state intelligence agencies, including Russia.”

As immediately noted by the reporter, what Assange is referencing here is this quote from Mike Pompeo’s recent speech at the intelligence agency in relation to WikiLeaks:

“It is time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is: a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia.”

[RELATED: CIA Director Pompeo Calls Wikileaks A ‘Non-State Hostile Intelligence Service’]

Assange had an interesting, and humorous response back to Intercept about what he thought about this assertion by CIA director Pompeo, and specifically the phrase “non-state hostile intelligence service:”

“Yea, I quite like the phrase, so let’s unpack it a bit. Interestingly… most journalists in the United States are Democratically-aligned and they have a particular existing narrative that they want to put out. So, they see the word ‘state,’ they see the word ‘hostile,’ they see the word ‘intelligence service’ and they see the word ‘WikiLeaks,’ and somehow this put this soup together to imply that somehow WikiLeaks is a state intelligence service. If you look at what [Pompeo] is saying, he says ‘non-state intelligence service,’ I.E., we are not a state, we’re not a front for a state whatsoever, we’re a non-state entity. Okay, the type of entity that he’s trying to say we are is an ‘intelligence service.’”

Assange then elaborated further on whether or not he thought WikiLeaks is an intelligence service, both shortly by saying “yes and no,” and then elaborating further:

“Intelligence services are in the business of developing sources, obtaining information that is not already public, analyzing it, verifying it, writing some of that up, making it accessible, and then what do they do with it? They don’t publish it. The publishers? What do they do with the information? They publish it. So, the difference between a serious news organization that covers national security, or an investigative publisher, like WikiLeaks or the Intercept, or… is the end product is publishing.”

When being referenced with more narrative from Pompeo’s speech that was critical of WikiLeaks, Assange noted his theory as to why Pompeo was making charged statements in the first place:

“the reason why Pompeo is launching this attack is because he understands we’re under serious exposing all sorts of illegal actions by the CIA, so he’s trying to get ahead of the publicity curve and create a preemptive defense.”

Assange stated what he believed the CIA’s interest in the scenario was at the latter part of the interview, stating that:

“The CIA is only in the business of collecting information, kidnapping people, and assassinating people.”

Assange furthermore noted in the interview that the source of his publications during the election was not any sort of government agency, specifically saying: “I am confident, in what we have already stated, that our source is not part of a government,” concluding that he wouldn’t directly reveal who his source(s) came from. However, he remained confident that the content of the leaks is reliable, accurate, and legitimate.

[RELATED: What You Need To Know About The Vault 7 WikiLeaks Release]

The reporter later asked if WikiLeaks ever possessed any hacked e-mails from the RNC that they did not publish, and Assange quickly said “no.” Assange was then questioned why he didn’t release any documents illustrating RNC corruption

Assange asserted that evidence of corruption from either party, Democratic or Republican, only comes along once every few years, making it difficult to balance reports of DNC corruption with consistent RNC reports of corruption.

Assange Pleads The First:

During the interview, Assange was concerned that CIA director Pompeo was trying to modify the meaning of the first amendment to attack organizations like WikiLeaks, perhaps referencing this quote from Pompeo’s speech:

“No, Julian Assange and his kind are not the slightest bit interested in improving civil liberties or enhancing personal freedom. They have pretended that America’s First Amendment freedoms shield them from justice. They may have believed that, but they are wrong”

Assange responded to any claim that WikiLeaks has no first amendment rights by saying:

“Pompeo said explicitly that he was going to redefine the legal parameters of the first amendment to define publishers like WikiLeaks in such a manner that the first amendment would not apply to them. What the h*** is going on? This is the head of the largest intelligence service in the world… He doesn’t get to make proclamations on interpretation of the law. That’s a responsibility for the courts, it’s a responsibility for Congress, and perhaps it’s a responsibility for the Attorney General.”

Assange does make an interesting point. There is no legal requirement in the Constitution that specifically states that publishers like WikiLeaks are not allowed to publish classified information. Furthermore, there is no requirement in the Constitution that asserts that national security and the overall security of U.S. citizens, in general, is more important than the free speech rights and the work of a publishing organization. These are interpretations which need to be discussed more in a proper legal setting.

Assange Says Many People Live In a ‘Particular Information Sphere:’

Assange furthermore argued that people’s personal circumstance and beliefs explain a lot about their actions and that people like Trump and Hannity shouldn’t be shunned for who they are, asserting that:

“Of course, there’s groupism operating, and of course opportunism as well, but I don’t think you can cast these people as devils at all. These are people with a range of noble and ignoble character traits that are human beings, and they have a worldview… they exist within a particular information sphere, which I find fairly confining and self-referential.”

Assange On The Recent Syrian Airstrikes

Assange floated around an idea on the intentions behind the Trump administration’s recent military actions, by mentioning that:

“The Russian narrative has politically confined the administration in relation to… anything… ultimately in my view, the declining popularity coming out of a variety of things, but including the eating away at Trump by the Russian narrative that has caused him to look for distractions, and those distractions include throwing missiles at people.”

Assange’s Stance On Hillary Clinton’s Campaign

For Assange’s final question with the Intercept, he was asked whether or not he wanted Hillary Clinton to fail at winning the Presidency during the election campaign. Assange immediately labeled this question as “psycho-babble” before elaborating on his stance in more detail:

“I’ve never met Hillary Clinton. I think I would probably like her in person, most good politicians are quite charismatic in person. In some ways, she’s a bit like me: she’s a bit [inaudible: punkish?], and a bit awkward. So, maybe we’d get along… Did we pursue collecting documents about Hillary Clinton because of some kind of vendetta? Or, because we perceived that was where the center of power was heading in the United States, and a lot of people were very interested in where the center of power was heading?… We thought Hillary Clinton was going to win, we thought that our publications were actually going to create a very infuriated Hillary Clinton on the other end that we would have to deal with. So it’s… far from that publishing cycle being one of self-interest, it was one of, as far as we foresaw it, one of self-sacrifice because we were infuriating what everyone perceived would be the next executive.”

This interview comes after the U.S. has begun preparing charges against Assange by the U.S. government. Due to these charges, we should expect to hear more from Assange soon in the future.

[Related: U.S. Preparing Charges to Arrest Julian Assange]

To listen to Assange’s interview in its entirety, click here to go the podcast from Intercept and confirm the facts of this story for yourself.

The post WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Gave An Epic Response To CIA Director Mike Pompeo appeared first on We Are Change.

According to the interview, Ung-gil Lee said that “the best case would be to round them up and take them north, but if not they will take the foreigners hostage in South Korea,” he continues to say that “they will all be killed, come what may – this goes hand in hand with assassination.” Lee goes on to describe the process by which this would be carried out, saying that:

“We would sneak into the South, change our clothing, go into areas where there are lots of foreigners and capture some of them. We memorised locations, phone numbers and the car number plates of major embassies… I carried neostigmine bromide and potassium cyanide. Those exposed to these drugs die of heart attacks. These were carried for attacks or else for us to commit suicide… Obviously we were supposed to go back [to North Korea] but, if not, we were told we must kill ourselves.”

According to the interview with the Daily Mail, Lee changed his opinion about North Korea after watching the American movie Saving Private Ryan, saying “the first American film I saw was Saving Private Ryan. I was amazed. I was taught that only our soldiers had a sense of brotherhood and honour but I saw these Americans with an immense sense of love, honour, and brotherhood. I began thinking that maybe all I had been taught in the army was false.”

This report comes after this week’s failed missile launch in North Korea in celebration of a national holiday. During the Obama administration, there is evidence of cyber attacks utilised by the USA to sabotage North Korean missile tests, it is unclear whether or not U.S. cyber attacks stopped this test. However, it is important to keep in mind that North Korea has had several successful tests in the past, and their status as a nuclear power should be taken seriously.

The post Reports: North Korea Plans To Take U.S. Tourists In South Korea Hostage If Provoked appeared first on We Are Change.

Garris and Raimondo would have perhaps not known they were being monitored if they didn’t notice their names on a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request available online. In this document, they realized that the FBI conducted a threat assessment in 2004, regarding whether or not Antiwar.com and their work could “constitute a threat to national security on behalf of a foreign power.”

In other words, the FBI thought that these two humble journalists could be fighting against the U.S. Constitution as part of an international espionage scandal. Thanks to the help from Julia Mass, an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) branch based in northern California, these two journalists received legal help.

With attorney Julia Mass by their side, the two Anti War journalists were finally able to begin utilising a legal means to protect themselves and their company from FBI monitoring. The two filed a FOIA request to have all of the FBI files regarding them released. According to a statement gathered by Courthouse News, she said that:

“It’s unfortunate that we had to litigate so extensively in order to get the documents, and the documents themselves reveal a very troubling focus on our clients’ political speech.”

Mass had previously said that she believes “government surveillance of news organisations interferes with journalists’ ability to do their jobs” and that “freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our democracy, whether it’s the Associated Press or Antiwar.com.”

When the journalists realised that they were being monitored by government agents, they quickly jumped to their online platform to try and get this information out in the open. Sadly for them, this caused some of their heavy donors to stop donating, in fear that they would also become monitored by the FBI. The two said that they lost $75,000 a year since 2011 as a result.

In essence then, FBI monitoring effectively caused the two journalists and their online platform to fall back into a financial crisis. When income starts coming in, it can be devastating to watch it immediately disappear. Recently, something similar happened to We Are Change when YouTube and affiliates pulled monetization from several We Are Change video reports and made the WAC YouTube channel restricted.

[Related: How To Not Be Restricted, Censored Or Demonetized On Youtube]

After filing an FOIA request to the FBI, the Anti War reporters were refused access to the files which discussed them and their media outlet. As a result, a lawsuit emerged which would last several years before the two reporters were able to see a legal remedy.

Now, the FBI has agreed to provide all of the records they have on Antiwar, as described in the two stipulations filed in the San Francisco federal court, These stipulations are both available online, one available here, and the other here.

Attorney Julia Mass says that “we certainly expect it was everything they had… [but] because that information is in the hands of the FBI, we can never know for certain” when describing whether or not they received all of the FBI files on the two reporters.

The two reporters are now pending two other claims against the FBI in court after dropping their FOIA claims. One claim they are still seeking the remedy for is the alleged inaccurate records on Eric Garris. According to a separate report from Courthouse News, Garris was marked by an FBI file as being a potential cyber terrorist, threatening to hack the FBI website. Garris had reportedly contacted the FBI for help regarding an email he received that was a threat to hack Antiwar.com.

The FBI tried to correct this error in 2014 by creating a corrective action file. Legal consultants for the Anti War reporter have argued that the inaccurate file should be expunged or altered to make it no question that the reporter never threatened the FBI.

Anti War started in 1995 in an effort to oppose U.S. Balkan military campaign during the Clinton presidency. The website’s mission statement says it is “devoted to the cause of non-interventionism and is read by libertarians, pacifists, leftists, “greens,” and independents alike, as well as many on the Right who agree with our opposition to imperialism.”

Anti War is perpetually posted here on We Are Change, and any in the field of independent journalism should see this news as one that rings the bells of liberty and privacy.

The post FBI Agrees To Pay $299,000 To Anti War Journalists For Legal Remedy appeared first on We Are Change.

https://twitter.com/sahouraxo/status/855494186010910720

If these reports are confirmed, this won’t be the first time Israel has conducted a missile strike on Syria. In March, Israeli airstrikes on the country caused Syrian forces to fire back.

According to The Israel Times, the March airstrikes and today’s reports are not the only time Israel has fired upon the country recently. As the local Israeli outlet states: “A number of additional airstrikes attributed to Israel followed as did a drone strike that reportedly killed a member of a Syrian pro-regime militia.”

According to a report from Jerusalem Post following the March airstrike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted to tell Chinese reporters that:

“We attack if we have information and the operational feasibility. This will continue.”

Other Military Actions In Syria By Israel

Israel’s military involvement in Syria didn’t just start within the past couple months. It dates back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War when Israel faced off against Syria and other countries, if not earlier. The subsequent Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War also were the result of feuds between Israel & Syria, among other geopolitical forces when Jerusalem Post reported in January 2013 that Israeli forces attacked a “truck loaded with weapons” heading from Syria to Lebanon.

Israel later fired upon Sabboura on November 30th 2016, and three days earlier dropped “ten one-ton bombs” in Golan Heights, according to various sources.

Israeli media company Hareetz furthermore asserts that two airstrikes were conducted on Syria by Israel during the week of December 4th, 2016.

Considering Netanyahu’s recent comments to Chinese reporters, the recent airstrikes in Syria by Israeli forces could just be the beginning of an ever-evolving conflict in Syria.

The big question that begs to be asked though, is why is Israel bombing Syrian forces that are fighting terrorists?

The post Report: Airstrike Fired On Syrian Army By Israeli Forces, Zero Casualties appeared first on We Are Change.

When you search through any of the major Chinese media outlets, Xinhua, CCTV, or People’s Daily, this story is seemingly missing, but this does not necessarily mean the story isn’t true in a world of military secrets. Recently, China’s armed forces have made an important announcement, as reported by all three main Chinese media outlets.

All branches of China’s military have recently pledged to obey Party leadership to “enhance combat readiness and build an indestructible army.” As reported by Xinhua, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is undergoing a “major military reshuffle” and is experiencing a period of reform as the future of the Korean peninsula is questionable.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang was recently quoted in Xinhua to express that the PLA’s intent is not to spark a war, but rather to protect the peace in the Korean peninsula, according to Kang:

“China is committed to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, maintaining peace and stability there, and resolving problems through dialogue and consultation. China’s stance on this is unswerving.”

Kang also stated that China firmly opposes any words and actions that serve to increase the hostilities in the region. China is reportedly “seriously concerned” about the nuclear development in North Korea.

China "seriously concerned" about DPRK nuclear, missile development: Foreign Ministry https://t.co/B28zRIpNYk pic.twitter.com/9WUyRe1JHH

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 19, 2017

An article from People’s Daily expresses doubt that any U.S. attack could effectively destroy all North Korean nuclear capabilities before a retaliatory nuclear strike would occur, and asserts that the USA should instead be using diplomacy rather than flexing their military might, saying that “talks are the only way to resolve the issue.”

U.S. officials harbor a different opinion, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying that “diplomatic and other efforts” with North Korea have failed. Vice President Mike Pence also recently stated amidst a trip to the Korean peninsula that the time of “strategic patience” is over, as Trump ordered an Armada to Korea, but this armada has since taken a rather long detour and it is unclear if it is headed towards North Korea after all.

The post Chinese Navy Possibly Testing Missiles Near North Korea appeared first on We Are Change.

Turnout for Dianne Feinstein town hall at AME Church in Los Angeles appears to be approximately 95% white — take from that what you will pic.twitter.com/ruJAqBx3Jq

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2017

Tracey listened in on Feinstein’s town hall, where the Senator discussed the situation in Syria, among other topics. She asserted that an aggressive role was necessary in Syria, stating: “the time has come to end it… we have to take a more aggressive role.”

Feinstein sounds like she's calling for all-out war in Syria: "The time has come to end it… we have to take a more aggressive role."

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2017

Just had a curious exchange with Dianne Feinstein re: regime change. Coming shortly.

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2017

She also discussed Bernie Sanders’ medicare bill, asserting that it is a government “takeover” of healthcare, and furthermore reassured the frantic voters worried the new Red Scare that that the Senate is working to find the “witting agents of Russia” who are in the United States, according to Tracey.

Feinstein Overtly Shows Ignorance To The U.S. Constitution

Feinstein previously made similar inaccurate statements earlier this week at another town hall in San Francisco, where she claimed that Assad has “participated in the killing of a half million of his own people.” With the latest chemical attack being questioned, putting the blame on Assad for an estimated number of deaths there is premature. She later brought up the recent airstrike in Syria ordered by President Trump, which immediately attracted boos from the crowd.

One man in the crowd particularly irritated her. She responded to his heated response to the Syrian airstrike by asserting: “if you believe you know more than I do about it, then you go right ahead, that’s fine with me… but if you want me to speak you’re going to have to let me speak.”

She then claimed “under our Constitution the president has 60 days to take a military action without the approval of Congress, so this President now needs to put together a strategy and come to the Congress before he does anything else, with a strategy, and if he’s asking for a resolution to use military force to do that.”

Contrary to what Feinstein says, there is no such clause in the U.S. Constitution. The War Powers Resolution – likely what Feinstein refers to – is a separate piece of legislation and not an amendment to the U.S. Constitution in any way. As a longtime Senator, this verbal mistake must be humiliating.

According to the U.S. Constitution Article 1 Section 8, only Congress has the authority to declare war. An act of war is essentially the same as a declaration of war throughout history and according to the legal definition. The last time the U.S. officially declared war was during WWII.

Feinstein has received large campaign contributions from Northrop Grumman, a military weapons manufacturer that receives massive contracts from the U.S. government.

The post Senator Feinstein Endorses War in Syria: Assad “Should Be Ousted From Office” appeared first on We Are Change.

According to an Associated Press report last month, there are already around 8,400 troops currently stationed in Afghanistan. This recent troop movement comes after Gen. John W. Nicholson requested a “few thousand” more soldiers to Afghanistan.

The Marine Times claims that this is the largest Marine deployment to Afghanistan since 2014, marking increased levels of conflict in the country with more U.S. troops under fire. The new troops will reportedly be replacing the Army’s Task Force Forge, and will remain in the country for a 9-month tour.

The military newspaper furthermore states that “Helmand province is becoming increasingly dangerous for U.S. troops. In March, three American soldiers were shot at an Afghan military base in an apparent insider attack and in February, a Special Forces soldier was severely wounded in Sangin”

The marines are expected to train the Afghan National Army and police in marksmanship, indirect fire, small-unit tactics, and other skills. Col. Matthew Reid elaborated further, telling the Marine Times:

“Make no mistake, though we are no longer in a combat role in Afghanistan, it is still a combat environment… As Marines, we train and deploy with a combat mindset.”

Recent Violence In Afghanistan

Even though it appears that sources from the military are painting this development as one which only serves as a training mission for Afghanistan soldiers, it doesn’t explain the fact why a General would request a “few thousand” more soldiers or why the bombing campaign has reached new heights. As the Associated Press report on this story illustrates, the General requested the soldiers in an effort to “help break the stalemate in the war-torn country.”

The conflict in Afghanistan could be reaching new levels as the U.S. recently detonated a Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb there. Although not as powerful as a nuclear bomb, it was the largest non-nuclear bomb used by U.S. military in combat throughout the nation’s extensive military history.

[RELATED: U.S. Drops ‘Mother of all Bombs’ In Afghanistan]

If we study historical trends of troop numbers, we can see that there was once over 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. If troops gradually come out of a country historically following a conflict, this move could be solely to provide the framework for a switch of military power in the country back to the Afghanistan government, as reported by the Marine Times.

However, given the unpredictable nature of the Trump administration’s military policy, nothing can be assumed or expected as of now.

The post Reports: Around 300 U.S. Marines Deployed To Afghanistan appeared first on We Are Change.

BREAKING: French police says 1 officer has been killed & another wounded in a shooting near the Champs Elysees in Paris. – @SkyNewsBreak

— Conflict News (@Conflicts) April 20, 2017

An eyewitness was quoted to say the following:

“At first we thought it was firecrackers but then we realized it was a shooting and everyone ran in panic. People were crying.”

French police reportedly said the shooting in the Champs-Elysees area of Paris in which one police officer has been killed was probably “a terrorist act”

Zero Hedge reported, “French TV channel BFM broadcast footage of the Arc de Triomphe monument and top half of the Champs Elysees packed with police vans, lights flashing and heavily armed police shutting the area down after what was described by one journalist as a major exchange of fire nears a Marks and Spencers store.”

The shooting comes as French voters prepare for Sunday’s presidential election, where Marine Le Pen is running to push back against the Islamist militant attacks in France that have killed more than 230 people in the past two years.

Reuters reported earlier this week that two men were arrested in Marseille whom police said had been planning an attack ahead of the election. A Paris prosecutor reported that a machine gun, two hand guns and three kilos of TATP explosive were among the weapons found at a flat in the southern city along with jihadist propaganda materials.

This is a breaking story and will be updated with important details.

The post BREAKING: Police Officers Shot in Paris, Shooter Reported Dead appeared first on We Are Change.

This case was settled before it evolved into a potential PR scandal, as reported by We Are Change back in January.

[Related: The Truth About Bill O’Reilly and Fox News’ $20 Million Lawsuit Settlement]

Now, it appears that O’Reilly’s days at Fox News are finished, as several media sources are reporting that the television personality will no longer be appearing on his famous show The O’Reilly Factor amid further allegations and a major campaign to oust him. A statement from Fox announced that the network has officially decided to cancel O’Reilly’s show.

MURDOCHS letter to 21st Century Fox employees (pictured) https://t.co/Wkcm2pBssw pic.twitter.com/43AzHoH5PD

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) April 19, 2017

O’Reilly Is On Vacation

This news comes as Bill O’Reilly is now on vacation, a trip he announced Tuesday on The O’Reilly Factor.

O’Reilly’s New Sexual Harassment Allegations

Recently, several top advertisers started pulling their funds from O’Reilly’s show, even though it is a show that attracts a hefty audience. These advertisers include Mercedez-Benz, Hyundai, BMW, T. Rowe Price, Allstate and more. BMW, Allstate, T. Rowe Price, and Constant Contact reportedly stated that the sexual harassment allegations were what spurred this action.

Despite settling a big multi-million dollar case earlier this year, and having many previous allegations against his name, it appears that more women are alleging sexually harassment by the television star.

P.s. I may not have your billions, but I have boundless energy for women's rights. I can do this tomorrow, next month, next year. And I will

— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 18, 2017

I’m on @GMA at 7:30 AM about my two clients accusing Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment. Tune in!

— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 19, 2017

Attorney Lisa Bloom of the Bloom Firm has recently announced that she has “boundless energy for women’s rights” and that she will be representing all of her clients with allegations against O’Reilly for free. She also expressed that she is “not giving up until he’s gone,” referencing her intent to keep fighting these cases until O’Reilly is removed from his position.

I represent a new woman who just phoned in a complaint of sexual and racial harassment against Bill O'Reilly to the Fox News hotline.

— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 18, 2017

ABC, CNN, and other networks have spearheaded the campaign to oust O’Reilly by giving airtime to these allegations. Bloom has at least two clients with allegations against O’Reilly, with the total number of recent accusers being now reportedly at six.

Bill O’Reilly’s lawyer holds the position that O’Reilly is a subject of “character assassination that is unpredented in post-McCarthyist America,” blaming the accusers of being part of a “far-left” organization “bent on destroying O’Reilly for political and financial reasons.”

#BREAK: New statement from Bill O’Reilly lawyer says he is victim of “brutal campaign of character assassination” >>> pic.twitter.com/nWvKY1TViH

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) April 18, 2017

Love or hate Bill O’Reilly, the media focus on destroying his career is a dangerous precedent for free speech, and this story shows the power of media attacks – even against the most entrenched of public figures.

I don't know what Bill O'Reilly did or didn't do, but the rejoicing of the destruction of public people is becoming increasingly dangerous.

— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) April 19, 2017

The post Fox News Confirms Bill O’Reilly Is Leaving “The O’Reilly Factor” appeared first on We Are Change.

President Donald Trump had previously told Fox:

“We are sending an armada, very powerful. We have submarines, very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier.”

President Trump’s armada, which has been dubbed the U.S. Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 1 left for the Korean peninsula only days ago.

Recently, South Korean news reported that three aircraft carriers were gathering in the Korean peninsula. They are expected to be operational by June 25^th, which means there could be two more USA-financed aircraft carriers to add on to the armada, already boasting one.

As a Zero Hedge report states, there also could be a mass mobilization of Russian ground forces in Vladivostok, Russia, which is near the North Korean border. Video footage illustrates that the Russians could be gearing up for a massive military campaign  — if the footage is legitimate.

China And Russia Send Intelligence-Gathering Vessels

According to a report from the Salt Lake Tribune, China and Russia have dispatched “intelligence-gathering vessels,” from their respective navies to chase down the USS Carl Vinson — an aircraft carrier that is apart of a U.S. armada sent to North Korean waters.

The source of this information is predominately cited as The Yomiuri Shimbun, who furthermore stated that both Russia and China want to “probe the movements” of the United States, which illustrated that they are not excluding the chance of a USA-led military action on North Korea in the coming days.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, who received their information from “multiple sources,” of the Japanese government confirms that Russia and China are simply watching the situation unfold so that a response could be best brought out, should any sort of aggression occur on either side of this conflict.

USA Troops Are Conducting Military Exercises In South Korea

The USA and South Korea are spending the next couple of weeks doing annual military exercises in Seoul and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said recently that the time of “strategic patience,” was over.

[RELATED: U.S. Warns Time Of ‘Strategic Patience’ For North Korea Is Over, Conducts Joint Military Drills In South Korea]

Could this mean that the U.S. is actually preparing for war with North Korea? Or is the U.S. armada simply showing off its shiny armored steel, like President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet once did?

The post Report: Russia and China Head For Korean Peninsula As U.S Deploys Two Additional Carriers appeared first on We Are Change.

According to multiple sources, Jones’ lawyer said that he shouldn’t be judged by his radio broadcast persona, saying that, “he’s playing a character… He is a performance artist.” If the effort behind this claim is to make sure that Jones receives an unbiased judgement based on the evidence produced solely in court, then it is understandable why his lawyer would make this claim.

Jones’ wife Kelly seems to think that hot-headed, ranting ball of anger Alex Jones is the real Jones, reportedly stating that, “He’s not a stable person… He says he wants to break Alec Baldwin’s neck. He wants J-Lo to get raped.”

Although Jones did want to fight Alec Baldwin for a charity fundraiser, he later apologized to Alec Baldwin in a 25-minute video that explained what drove him to make that challenge in the first place, asserting that it was a “joke.”

The context for his wife’s comments on Jennifer Lopez can be seen here, where Jones says, “why don’t you go to Somalia for five minutes lady, you’ll be gang-raped so fast it will make your head spin.” Although this is clearly not a direct assertion that he wants Jennifer Lopez raped, it is still a questionable remark that he should have perhaps kept in his mind.

Kelly Jones, also reportedly said that she is, “concerned that he is engaged in felonious behavior, threatening a member of Congress.” This comment is in reference to a profanity-filled defensive remark from Jones where he asserts that he is, in fact, not a Russian agent, saying that, “calling me a foreign agent, those are f***ing fighting words.”

The Recent Success Of The Alex Jones Show

Jones’ show draws an audience of millions, including President Trump himself, who made a visit on the Alex Jones Show over skype during his time as a presidential candidate. During this interview, Trump remarked that Jones had an “amazing” reputation, and that he would not let Jones down.

“Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.”

— Donald Trump on Alex Jones, Dec 2015https://t.co/CRln4tlktt

— John Schindler (@20committee) August 14, 2016

Jones and President Trump have seemingly become friends and Jones even claimed back in January that he was offered White House press credentials. He stated in the same video that he simply needed to spend the money to send somebody there and that he needed to make sure the investment was worth it first.

Alex Jones’ child custody trial is expected to last a couple of weeks. It is unclear how or if the case will affect the Alex Jones Show or further reports from Infowars.com.

The post Alex Jones Is ‘Playing A Character’ During Infowars Broadcasts, According To His Lawyer appeared first on We Are Change.

The combat drills, dubbed “Max Thunder” is reportedly an annual two-week exercise which will focus on the flying capabilities of both countries in the region. Around 1,200 U.S. troops and 600 ROK forces are going to be training during the course of the Max Thunder exercise.

Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, the 7^th Air Force Commander told National Interest that, “This exercise will rigorously test our aerial combat capability and highlights the ironclad commitment between the U.S. and (South Korea), and the multifaceted capabilities we possess in this theater,”

The Korean War never ended, and the established Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is still in effect from 1953. The recent missile tests in North Korea have garnered world attention, and have marked a turning point in this war which can turn violent again, depending on the actions of the leaders of each country.

I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea. If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will! U.S.A.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2017

According to the Seoul Times, officials from the U.S. and South Korea both claim that the latest drill is a routine exercise to improve their combined military power, but North Korea sees it as a foreshadow to a full-fledged invasion. An unidentified military source who spoke to the Seoul Times in February said that:

“During the Key Resolve joint drill to be held in March, the two nations’ forces will jointly conduct exercises to remove North Korea’s nuclear weapons and WMDs… Although this exercise first began in 2009, (the military) will strengthen the program this year.”

The Seoul Times reports that there are “about 28,500” U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as part of an ongoing effort to deter any sort of North Korean aggression on the country. They insist that a uranium enrichment facility was found in North Korea in November, which makes the country capable of producing atomic weapons.

[RELATED: Kim Jong Un Aide: North Korea Will “Annihilate U.S. With Our Style Of Nuclear Strike Warfare”]

It is important to emphasize that this is just the latest set of drills in South Korea and that this has been happening in the country perpetually since the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953. In fall of 2016, it was reported that around 25,000 U.S. troops engaged in a military exercise in South Korea and that North Korea threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike in response.

In a recent trip to South Korea, U.S. VP Mike Pence spoke on the evolving crisis in the region, saying that, “There was a period of strategic patience but the era of strategic patience is over.” Using the recent bombings in Syria and Afghanistan as evidence, he asserted that, “North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region.”

[RELATED: Vice President Pence: “North Korea’s Provocation A Reminder Of Risk]

This could just be the latest controversy in the Korean peninsula, or it could prove to escalate the tensions between Pyongyang and Washington. In time we will see.

The post U.S. Warns Time Of ‘Strategic Patience’ For North Korea Is Over, Conducts Joint Military Drills in South Korea appeared first on We Are Change.

With the new referendum, Turkish leader Erdogan will have comparable powers to what President Trump has in America, including the power to issue executive orders, martial law, and appoint top state officials. These measures are nothing new in the world’s ever-changing political sphere, but nonetheless are a cause of concern to many, and the result of calls for added security to others.

If passed, the referendum will mean that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan could stay in office until at least 2029 and the office of Prime Minister would be abolished. Supporters argue that this would make the country of Turkey safer, considering the recently attempted coup and hot tensions between other countries. The failed coup has been a disaster for the country’s world image, and they have understandably wanted to take steps to regain their proper national identity. This referendum is the result of the Erdogan-backing crowd’s efforts.

[RELATED: NATO Turmoil: Netherlands Face Off With Turkey]

Of course, people who are against this bill are worried about the potential for power to be abused. Critics cite the influx of arrests following the failed coup that this referendum will only make things worse. According to a report from Al Jazeera, there have been over 40,000 arrests and over 80,000 people removed from their jobs after the failed coup, including 20,000 teachers and 3,000 judges. These people are understandably left confused as to when the country’s crackdown on domestic enemies will end and are weary of giving Erdogan more powers.

The Votes Roll In

The vote tallies for this controversial move are being processed today. As the votes are nearly finished being counted, it has been projected that the referendum will pass. Now, with over 98.4% of the votes counted and over 1.5 million more votes, it appears that this referendum will pass and Erdogan’s power will be expanded.

Anadolu Agency is reporting 98.5% of the boxes counted. Yes at 51.49%. No at 48.51%. #Turkeyreferendum pic.twitter.com/DlwP8xo4lV

— Alp Ozcelik (@alplicable) April 16, 2017

Some have suggested that there might be some shenanigans behind the vote counting in this democratic process:

#TurkeyReferendum: Following the dramatic fall in YES votes, #SupremeElectionCouncil stops sharing ballot data with the main opposition #CHP

— Aykan Erdemir (@aykan_erdemir) April 16, 2017

Back in January, we learned that Erdogan admires Nazi Germany and the work that was done by Adolf Hitler. As reported by Zero Hedge and other sources, Erdogan said that Germany under Hitler’s rule was an example of effective government. Considering the various atrocities committed by Hitler’s Third Reich, and an economic system which became dependent on the slave labor at concentration camps, it’s no surprise that the world is watching Turkey right now with a look of concern.

The post Turkish Referendum Expected To Expand Erdogan’s Power appeared first on We Are Change.