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Hillary Clinton speaks at a panel for the Hulu documentary Hillary during the Winter TCA Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., January 17, 2020. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Authors Note: This is an excerpt from my 2019 book, Ball of Collusion.

Ah yes, lets remember the Obama-era Russia Reset. It was announced with great ceremony by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, brandishing a red plastic Reset push-button that she presented to her counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Oops: The button was mislabeled Peregruzka (the Russian word for overcharge) rather than Perezagruzka (reset). As investigative journalist Claudia Rosett observes, the Kremlin still keeps the button on display in a museum at the Foreign Ministry, less a souvenir of U.S.-Russia camaraderie than a symbol of American folly.

Even as Putin continued his occupation of Georgia having annexed about a fifth of that former Soviet territory in 2008 President Obama kicked off the Reset by shelving Bushs plans for missile-defense installations in Eastern Europe. Further courting the Russian dictator, Obama in 2010 revived the U.S.Russia Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (Bush 43-era foolishness that had been scrapped after Putin invaded Georgia). The president insisted that, somehow, the pact advanced U.S. national security.

That was just the beginning of the administrations promotion of Russias key industrial sectors, improving our declining but dangerous rivals military and cyber capabilities and fortifying its capacity to extort the European nations and former Soviet republics that rely on Russia for their power needs.

Why? Because Trade with Russia Is a Win-Win. That was the headline of Secretary Clintons June 2012 Wall Street Journal op-ed, applauding Russias formal entry into the World Trade Organization (which her husband, President Bill Clinton, had championed even though Russias corrupt economic practices undermine the market-based norms the WTO is meant to fortify). Prioritizing trade was crucial, she explained, because Russia was just a great place for Americans to do business, and our commerce could now blossom since the Obama administration had made Moscow a normal trading partner. Sure, the Putin regime posed many challenges, but Clinton maintained that it is in our long-term strategic interest to collaborate with Russia in areas where our interests overlap.

Collaborate? That sounds almost like colluwell, never mind.

Obama and Clinton decided that one of these collaborative areas should be technology. Under the secretarys guidance as point person of the Obama administrations U.S.Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission, the State Department teamed up with Russias Foreign Ministry to help erect Moscows version of Silicon Valley Skolkovo. Its unlikely Putin could believe his good fortune: The project was like an espionage operation in broad daylight, openly enhancing Russias military and cyber capabilities.

The Defense Departments European Command put it this way:

Skolkovo is an ambitious enterprise, aiming to promote technology transfer generally, by inbound direct investment, and occasionally, through selected acquisitions. As such, Skolkovo is arguably an overt alternative to clandestine industrial espionage with the additional distinction that it can achieve such a transfer on a much larger scale and more efficiently. Implicit in Russias development of Skolkovo is a critical question a question that Russia may be asking itself why bother spying on foreign companies and government laboratories if they will voluntarily hand over all the expertise Russia seeks?

Recognizing Russias current pursuit of external aggression and internal repression, which marked what it generously regarded as the Kremlins previous course toward democracy and cooperation with the West, EUCOM stressed caution against the risks that Russia could leverage transferred scientific knowledge to modernize and strengthen its military.

Ya think? The U.S. Armys Foreign Military Studies Program at Fort Leavenworth concluded that Skolkovo was a vehicle for world-wide technology transfer to Russia in the areas of information technology, biomedicine, energy, satellite and space technology, and nuclear technology. Moscow has made it unabashedly clear, moreover, that not all of the centers efforts are civilian in nature: the project was involved in military activities, including the development of a hypersonic cruise missile engine.

The FBI ended up warning several American tech companies that entanglement with Skolkovo risked wide-ranging intellectual property theft. The agent in charge of the Bureaus Boston field office even took the extraordinary step of publishing a business journal op-ed, depicting Skolkovo as a means for the Russian government to access our nations sensitive of classified research development facilities and dual use technologies with military and commercial application.

Why would our government do such a thing? At the time this was all going on, Clintons State Department issued its annual country-by-country findings on the state of civil liberties. Russia was found to be using technology to monitor and control the internet. The State Department elaborated that official corruption was rampant, security services engaged in sweeping surveillance of communications, journalists were under siege, dissidents were arbitrarily detained and some even tortured and killed.

What was Secretary Clinton thinking?

As weve seen, most of the time, she was thinking about the Clinton Foundation, and money (Id say not in that order, but its pretty much the same order). Putins regime dangled billions of dollars to invest in Skolkovo companies. Secretary Clinton immediately went to work attracting both corporate contributors and businesses deemed worthy of Russian investment.

The investigative journalist Peter Schweizer has done yeomans work exposing the grimy interplay between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department. By 2012, the last year of Secretary Clintons tenure, 60 percent of the key partners identified for the Skolkovo venture (17 out of 28) had made financial commitments to the Clinton Foundation, totaling tens of millions of dollars, or sponsored speeches by Bill Clinton. Russians tied to Skolkovo also gave to the Clinton Foundation, including Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire confidant of Putins who was chosen to run the Skolkovo Foundation.

There is symmetry here. Again, no one would sensibly say that Secretary Clinton wanted to make Russia a more capable adversary and as things turned out, Id wager that strengthening the regimes cyber proficiency would be something shed regret (if she were given to that kind of introspection). But it is like the irresponsible mishandling of top-secret information, and the storing and transmission of any sensitive government information, classified or otherwise, on a non-secure server system: its not that Clinton did not know what she was doing or that she didnt apprehend the risks; it is that she had other priorities and threw caution to the wind pretty much the textbook definition of gross negligence.

She wasnt alone: this was not Secretary Clintons administration, but President Obamas. He calculated that abetting and appeasing Russia was a price worth paying for help on the Iran deal and in Syria. How well that all worked out, no?

Read the original here:
Remembering Obamas Russia Reset: Hillary and the Skolkovo Misadventure - National Review

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A former Obama official is taking aim at President Biden's administration for not being confrontational with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the Kremlin's conflict with Ukraine continues.

Brett Bruen, who served as director of global engagement in the Obama White House and a foreign service officer in the State Department, penned an opinion piece in NPR about effectively turning the tables on Putin.

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"When is the crisis in Ukraine going to end? According to the White House, it's largely up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. I fail to understand why we are letting him decide the timeline, let alone the terms and trajectory of the security situation in Europe," Bruen began the piece on Thursday. "The United States and our NATO allies need to start imposing some of our own deadlines. Congress is currently considering a series of preemptive punishments against Russia. Yet, I fear that would be a major mistake. Why would we want to give up what little leverage is available for us to try and change the Kremlin's calculus?"

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the 'Villa la Grange', in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Bruen proposed giving Russia a March 1 deadline to roll back its troops and negotiate the Minsk agreement leading up to it and draw a "big red line" when it comes to meddling in the upcoming midterm elections.

"Sanctions and some other serious steps would be triggered if any of these timelines or terms are violated," Bruen wrote. "I remain highly skeptical that simply expanding the existing economic penalties we have imposed on Russia will deter or force a deviation from an invasion they've already undertaken. Instead, we need to focus on what really worries Putin: increasing domestic disgruntlement."

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"Biden needs to deliver a direct message to Moscow. You either start acting like a normal nation or we are going to steadily turn up the temperature on some politically and personally sensitive points. We will begin by dropping a new batch of intelligence about the Kremlin's corruption and mismanagement each month. Even something as simple as sharing the truth about Russian soldiers who have died during the occupation of Ukraine would help to stir public sentiment against Putin. As imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has already demonstrated, these revelations can be really damaging, especially coupled with costly foreign adventurism," he continued.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with U.S. President Joe Biden via a video link in Sochi, Russia December 7, 2021. Sputnik/Sergey Guneev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

The former Obama aide then suggested the U.S. can "launch an information invasion" in Russia by "piercing [Putin's] propaganda with biting satire and amplifying brutal critiques of his leadership from Navalny, along with other democracy activists," similarly to what transpired during the Cold War. He added "we now have tremendous technology to help activists and journalists circumvent censors and monitors."

He also floated taking "a page from the International Olympic Committee's playbook" by stripping Russia's "privileges" as a country if it continues its actions including being disinvited from summits, ending meetings with US officials and restricting Russian officials from travel to New York City and Washington, D.C.

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"There is certainly a great deal that depends on the Russian leader. Nonetheless, the Biden administration has got to stop putting Putin in the driver's seat so often. Such a reactive response has enabled him to dominate the global agenda and distract us from other critical priorities," Bruen wrote.

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Former Obama official hits Biden for 'reactive response' to Putin's actions towards Ukraine - Fox News

Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are very proud of their daughters, Malia and Sasha.

The siblings are, reportedly, residing in Los Angeles right now. And their parents, who are staying in Washington D.C., visit them regularly. During past interviews, the ex-POTUS and the former first lady have both gushed over their daughters. And its evident how proud they are of the women they have become.

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Barack Obama previously described Malia as buoyant. He also said that his eldest daughter enjoys people, life, and conversation.

Shes never bored, which is a badass quality that can take you places, Barack told InStyle.

On the other hand, Barack described his youngest daughter, Sasha as a mini Michelle.

Sasha is, as Malia describes it, is completely confident about her own take on the world. If she thinks somethings wrong or right, she will say so, Barack said.

Barack and Michelle are also very supportive when it comes to their childrens endeavors.

In Touch Weekly, in its Feb. 28 issue, claimed that Sashas boyfriend, Rory Farquharson is adored by her dad. However, the ex-POTUS is not yet ready for the couple to tie the knot.

Rory is from a wealthy family, but hes shown an interest in grassroots public service, so Barack is impressed. Even though Rory and Malia are pretty serious about each other, its early to discuss marriage, an unnamed source said.

Since marriage is still out of the equation for Malia and Sasha, the siblings are focused on their different paths and on making the world a better place.

What particular paths they take in doing that, I think are going to change and vary between the two of them. To see how theyve become these marvelous young women theres been no greater joy than that, Barack said.

Last month, Malia was embroiled in a controversy after she was, allegedly, spotted smoking during her work break. At the time, Radar Online published photos of the former first daughter smoking from a vape.

However, Malia is not hiding the fact that she smokes. In fact, she was also photographed with a cigarette while strolling the streets of Los Angeles last month.

The 23-year-olds smoking habits have not affected the way that her parents look at her. In fact, Barack and Michelle have nothing but wonderful things to say about their children.

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Last year, Barack appeared on the Late Late Show With James Corden to discuss a number of things including his daughters.

He said that Malia and Sasha do not have any interest in joining politics because they grew up being followed by the Secret Service. The doting dad acknowledged that this must have been traumatic for his daughters.

Them as teenagershaving Secret Service guys follow them when they were going out on dates I think probably has shut down their interest in public service. They still have PTSD from guys talking into their wrist microphones and glasses as they're trying to go to a music concert, he said.

In 2019, Michelle shared that she broke down in tears while sending Sasha off to college. But even if seeing her youngest daughter leave for college was heartbreaking, the ex-FLOTUS said that shes most excited for what the future has in store for Malia and Sasha.

I'm excited for my girlsto grow up and becomeindependent, but you feel a little melancholythat they will never be the little ones that sit on your lap and listen to your every word and look at you adoringly. Those days are over, she told Today.

Check back for more stories, updates, and rumors about the Obama family here at EpicStream!

Originally posted here:
Barack Obama Shock: Ex-POTUS Adores Malia Obama's Boyfriend But Won't Give Them His Blessing To Wed? - Epicstream

Jordan Peterson is a serious person. He's not someone who goes chasing after conspiracy theories. If he says something, you know he's taken an extended amount of time to think about it. Even debated against himself, probably. If anyone else said a trusted military source told them to take their money out of the banks, I would tell them to log off of Reddit and get some fresh air. That was before Justin Trudeau and the Canadian government gave people reason to believe they should be concerned for their financial future.

I'm not sure if this video was recorded before or after Parliament gave Canada's walking pile of soy and hair goop an additional thirty days to flatten the civil liberties.

"I have been in contact with a reliable source within the Canadian military, and he told me today by email that if I had any sense I would take my money out of the Canadian banks because the situation is far worse than I've been informed. That's one of many such messages I received on a daily basis."

At any other point, this would sound like time to bust out a tinfoil hat. That was before last week. Before Trudeau announced banks could freeze your assets no questions asked, and if you try to take legal recourse, Trudeau will take away your legal recourse. Also, crowdfunding apps are now considered money laundering if the money is being raised for people Trudeau doesn't like. You know, the citizens he calls "unacceptable" and he says "take up space."

Unclear is if Peterson's source meant that he specifically should take his money out of the banks--Peterson would fall into the group of people that Trudeau doesn't like--Or if it was a general warning for all countrymen.

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Trudeau 'Stands Against Authoritarianism'... While ARRESTING Convoy Founder! | Louder With Crowderyoutu.be

Original post:
Jordan Peterson Shared Frightening Warning He Received ...

OTTAWA The three-week long protest that gripped the capital and prompted the invocation of the Emergencies Act has now sparked a call for potential permanent changes to security in the parliamentary precinct, including the closure of a major street to vehicle traffic.

After grappling with the citys emergency response to the crisis, Mayor Jim Watson said Ottawa needs to consider changes to better protect local neighbourhoods and Parliament Hill.

Every time theres been a security breach on Parliament Hill, its acted as a catalyst for change, Watson said at council meeting Wednesday.

Council voted to temporarily close Wellington Street, which runs directly along Parliament Hill, to traffic until a new council is elected while the city works with the federal government on a plan for changes to precinct security.

We do not want, in the short term or long term, another caravan coming and invading this very important space that I consider the most important street in the country, Watson said.

Canadas seat of power is remarkably accessible to the public, and situated closely to businesses and residential buildings. The front lawn of Centre Block is reachable on foot to protesters and picnickers alike, and Wellington Street serves as a major throughway for the core.

Since protesters were driven out the city, the parliamentary precinct, including Welling Street, has been fenced off and accessible only to people who work in the area.

Downtown Ottawa Coun. Catherine McKenney put forward the idea to open discussions to transfer ownership of the street to the federal government, putting security for that area under national jurisdiction.

The councillor also suggested working with federal officials and the community to permanently close Wellington Street to all vehicles except public transit, pedestrians and cyclists.

During the demonstration the entire responsibility really fell to the city to defend and protect Wellington Street, McKenney told council Wednesday.

In a statement, Public Services Minister Filomena Tassi says Wellington Street is under the care and control of the city, but the idea of closing it has been one of the possibilities long contemplated as part of reimagining the precinct.

Similar changes were made to the stretch of Pennsylvania Ave. that runs in front of the White House in 1995, when the Oklahoma City bombing put the U.S. on alert to the perils of domestic terrorism. That closure was made permanent in the wake of the attacks on D.C. and New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, although pedestrians can still stroll the street.

Downtown D.C. residents are all too familiar with the towering, unscalable fencing that encircled the White House campus throughout 2020, a year marked by widespread and frequent social unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

Similar fencing also ringed Capitol Hill for months after the Jan. 6 siege staged by supporters of Donald Trump angry about the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Congressional leaders wont say whether that fencing will be making a comeback in either locale in anticipation of an Ottawa-style protest in the coming days, potentially coinciding with President Joe Bidens state of the union speech March 1.

Ottawas city manager said jurisdictional issues with security in Canadas National Capital Region need to be rethought as well.

You end up with a lag with respect to how quickly the various organizations have to get engaged, city manager Steve Kanellakos said at a council meeting Wednesday.

Councillors floated the idea of developing a working group to modernize the various levels of governments responsibility in a crisis in the capital, since jurisdictional scuffles became a stumbling block in the response to the demonstrations.

It isnt the first time those time lags have been an issue, Kanellakos said. Similar frustrations were felt when downtown Ottawa was put into lockdown in 2014, when a shooter roamed the capital. He shot and killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier and reservist on ceremonial sentry duty at the National War Memorial, before entering the Parliament buildings.

All the while, Kanellakos, who led the citys response at the time, said officials struggled to share information and co-ordinate between the different levels of government.

He said the National Capital Region should have a standing emergency plan that includes the city, provincial and federal governments, as well as possibly the city of Gatineau, Que., on the other side of the river.

The events of the last month validated in my mind that we need to really be rethinking, he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2022.

With files from James McCarten in Washington, D.C.

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press

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Rex Murphy and Jordan Peterson on The Catastrophe of Canada - Todayville.com