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From Russia With Love: Biden Pushed Hillary Clinton to Form Closer Ties With Russia

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By Townhall. In the aftermath of the Mueller report and former Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement Thursday he intends to run for president in 2020, several news outlets began reporting on Biden’s desire during his tenure in the Obama administration to develop closer ties to Russia.

The Washington Free Beacon published a piece Thursday morning reminding readers of Biden’s defense of Russia following then-candidate Mitt Romney’s concern over Russia’s apparent moves toward geopolitical domination in 2012.

In 2012, when Romney expressed concern that President Barack Obama was caught on a hot-mic promising more “flexibility” regarding Russia, Biden took it as an opportunity to herald that administration’s “Russia reset” — an approach championed by Hillary Clinton — and marginalize Romney as a doddering conservative still approaching the U.S./Russia relationship from a Cold War perspective. . .

Biden then went on to insist Russia was working with the Obama administration in everything from Iran to Afghanistan, and insisted, a month later, that Russia was the reason for new relationships with nations such as China and Turkey. (Read more from “From Russia With Love: Biden Pushed Hillary Clinton to Form Closer Ties With Russia” HERE)

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Biden Wanted to Establish a ‘Biden-Putin Commission’ to Cozy up to the Kremlin

By Jordan Schachtel. Two separate emails, disclosed in late 2018 through a State Department Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, show that the Obama administration — and Joe Biden personally — was heavily invested in the idea of cozying up to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Biden officially announced that he was running for president Thursday. During his speech, he articulated several false narratives to take shots at President Trump.

Now that the former Obama VP is in the race, perhaps he will answer questions concerning his past idea to establish a Biden-Putin commission to forge closer ties with the Kremlin.

In an undated email from Strobe Talbott, former deputy secretary of state under Bill Clinton, to Hillary Clinton, using the subject line “Russia,” the then-Brookings Institution president told Clinton that Biden floated the idea of the commission intended to bolster ties to Russia.

“The VP told me on the margins of the big ceremony at State that he was thinking seriously about a Biden-Putin Commission. I have a thought or two on that subject that I’d like to share with you whenever it’s appropriate.”

In another email, this time from the late Sandy Berger (who served as national security adviser to Bill Clinton), it appeared that Clinton was on board with the idea.

“I think your idea of establishing a Biden-Putin Commission — like Gore-Chemomydrin — to coordinate and drive the US-Russian relationship has a lot of merit,” Berger wrote in an email to Hillary Clinton.

“It elevates the relationship after eight years of neglect which has fueled nationalistic resentment in Moscow and provides a mechanism for achieving trade-offs that can produce a larger bargain,” Berger added.

Biden’s infatuation with Russia began during his time serving as a senator, when he made routine trips to the then-Soviet Union to meet with top USSR leaders.

As Trevor Loudon explains in The Epoch Times:

“Throughout the 1980s, Biden consistently opposed President Ronald Reagan’s tough line against the Soviet Union. Biden instead favored détente—which, had that policy remained in place, would have meant more subsidies and trade deals, keeping the Soviet Union alive much longer than necessary.”

“Biden also was a strong opponent of U.S. military opposition to Soviet expansionism,” Loudon adds.

Since the days of the early Soviet Union, the Democratic Party has remained consistently soft on Russia. Democrats’ rhetoric and policies on Moscow, however, suddenly changed when President Trump was implicated in the Russian collusion hoax, which was spawned by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

And in their efforts to label the president as weak on Russia, much of the Left — and virtually every top official in the Obama administration — sought to erase the Obama administration’s incredible capitulation to Russia on almost every major geopolitical issue.

The Obama administration allowed unchecked election interference, promised “more flexibility” after the 2012 election, attempted an infamous botched “reset,” closed a controversial Uranium One deal, oversaw Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and held Russia responsible for securing Syria’s chemical weapons, and that’s just a handful of the many botched foreign policy decisions vis-a-vis Russia made by the Obama White House.

Biden himself has been objectively dovish and complimentary of post-communist Russia, the Washington Free Beacon reminds us. The publication listed several comments from then-VP Biden making it clear that he saw Russia as a partner rather than an adversary.

“Governor Romney’s answer I thought was incredibly revealing. He acts like he thinks the Cold War is still on, Russia is still our major adversary. I don’t know where he has been,” Biden said in one such quote resurfaced by the Free Beacon, in which he was commenting on a debate between then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney and incumbent President Obama.

In other comments, Biden frequently positioned Russia as a partner against our common adversaries, when in fact, Russia was instead partnering with our adversaries. (For more from the author of “Biden Wanted to Establish a ‘Biden-Putin Commission’ to Cozy up to the Kremlin” please click HERE)

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Russia Launches Huge ‘Doomsday’ Supersub After Threatening U.S.

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Russia has launched its new Belgorod submarine, which is designed to carry devastating underwater nuclear drones.

Moscow’s development of nuclear-powered drones has been closely watched in recent years, amid concern that Russia could be adding a “doomsday” weapon capable of unleashing tidal waves to its arsenal.

During Tuesday’s visit to a military shipyard in St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin viewed the departure of the Belgorod sub at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk in northwestern Russia via a teleconference. . .

The Poseidon can target coastal areas with a heavy nuclear weapon, causing a devastating tsunami wave. Putin has said its tests have been successful.

He first mentioned the nuclear-powered drone among an array of other new weapons in a state-of-the-nation address last year, saying they would render U.S. missile defense systems useless.

(Read more from “Russia Launches Huge ‘Doomsday’ Supersub After Threatening U.S.” HERE)

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Collusion? Russians Gave $35 Million to Company With John Podesta on Board

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Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign manager, John Podesta, played a central role in another potential Russian collusion scandal that has not yet been investigated.

Podesta, the former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, served on the board of Joule Unlimited, a now defunct alternative energy company, from January 2011 to January 2014. He resigned from the company’s board to accept the powerful job of Counselor to President Barack Obama.

During Podesta’s tenure on the board of Joule Unlimited, a significant investment in the company by a firm owned by the Russian government escaped review and scrutiny by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

In September 2011, eight months after Podesta joined the board of Joule Unlimited, Rusnano, a venture capital fund wholly owned by the Russian government, announced it was investing one billion Russian rubles, $35 million, in the company, which accounted for 46 percent of the $75 million invested in it up to that time from its launch in 2007. Founders Afeyan Noubar and Dr. David Berry invested an estimated $10 million in the 2007 first round. The venture firm Noubar heads, Flagship Ventures – now known as Flagship Pioneering – led a second round investment of $30 million in 2010, as the Boston Globe reported.

Curiously, the CFIUS failed to initiate a review of the transaction despite statutory and administrative guidelines that any such transaction in which a foreign country or foreign company obtained more than a ten percent interest in an American company was reviewable. (Read more from “Collusion? Russians Gave $35 Million to Company With John Podesta on Board” HERE)

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Utility Industry Aids Putin’s Stealth War on U.S. Uranium Mining

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Years after the sale of Uranium One to Russia, the motivation behind the purchase is now becoming clear. On the road to dominate the global uranium supply chain, it appears that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to bankrupt uranium mining companies operating in the U.S.

The sale of Uranium One to the mining arm of Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, approved by the Obama administration including Hillary Clinton’s State Department, signaled an expansion in Putin’s global uranium ambition. It now appears Putin’s plan was not to export uranium from the U.S. but to manipulate the global uranium market to bankrupt uranium mines operating in the U.S.

Following the purchase of Uranium One, Rosatom has throttled back uranium production in the U.S. Its Willow Creek mine in Wyoming produced 362 tons of uranium in 2013 and only an estimated 47 tons in 2017. The mine stopped production in 2018. All uranium production in the U.S. is at a historic low.

But the acquisition gave Russia access to Uranium One’s mines throughout the world, including Kazakhstan, which allows Russia to circumvent the Russian Suspension Agreement that limits uranium derived from Russian mines to 20 percent of anticipated U.S. demand.

The Russian Suspension Agreement under the U.S. Trade Commission initially stopped Russian uranium sales to the U.S. because of dumping practices. Over time, periodic reviews allowed Russia to sell to the U.S. The agreement will expire in 2020.

The timing of the expiration of the Russian Suspension Agreement fits nicely into Putin’s plan.

Kazakhstan and Russia are tag-teaming an effort to undermine domestic uranium miners by putting them under significant economic pressure. Both countries can produce uranium at lower costs because of inferior environmental standards at their mining operations, and state ownership can subsidize and protect domestic production from market conditions. In addition, Kazakhstan’s export efforts also benefits from devaluation of its currency.

Accordingly, Russia and Kazakhstan are selling uranium at artificially lower prices, undercutting domestic producers. As a result, U.S. mines provide only 11 percent of uranium purchased by U.S. utility nuclear power plants, while 89 percent came from foreign sources in 2016.

Of the uranium import total, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan delivered 38 percent, while Australia and Canada supplied 40 percent to the U.S. The balance came from ten different countries.

On the ropes, two companies that operate uranium mines in the U.S., Ur-Energy and Energy Fuels, are seeking federal government intervention to combat the manipulated market conditions. The companies are asking the Department of Commerce to take action under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the federal government mechanism to protect industries vital for national security and threatened by imports.

Predictably, the U.S. utility industry, benefiting from low uranium prices, is fighting the mining companies’ petition, unleashing a lobbying effort to protect their profits.

The utility industry is notorious for flexing its special interest muscle to twist federal policy in its direction. Companies such as Duke Energy and Exelon were big backers of cap-and-trade legislation in 2009, which was essentially the Green New Deal 1.0.

Skyrocketing electricity prices under cap-and-trade, as promised by Obama in 2008, would have helped utility CEOs but punished Americans, especially low- and middle-income families.

From a national security viewpoint, it doesn’t make sense to buy any uranium from Russia, let alone 20 percent, especially since the end goal could be bankrupting companies producing uranium in the U.S.

Without domestic uranium production, the U.S. would be dependent on foreign sources for uranium, including Russia, to feed nuclear power plants that supply 20 percent of our nation’s electricity.

Uranium is also essential for U.S national security, since it’s used for nuclear weapons and powers the Navy’s fleet, including aircraft carriers and submarines, and more of it might be needed to support the planned military buildup under President Trump.

Unknown to most Americans, the U.S. uranium production cycle is on the verge of collapse. In addition to the uncertain future of mining, the only U.S. owned uranium enrichment facility is currently idle.

Ensuring stable domestic uranium mining is a national security issue, and it’s consistent with President Trump’s America-first agenda and his energy plan.

By fighting for cheap foreign uranium, including from Russia, utility CEOs are putting profit before national security. (For more from the author of “Utility Industry Aids Putin’s Stealth War on U.S. Uranium Mining” please click HERE)

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A Surprising Poll Says How Many Americans Believe Trump Has Been Totally Exonerated of Collusion

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By The Blaze. A surprising poll from CNN shows just how many Americans believe President Donald Trump is totally exonerated of accusations of colluding with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election.

The poll conducted by SSRS shows that a majority of Americans believe the president has not been completely exonerated, while slightly less than a majority say he has been exonerated.

In the poll, 56 percent say the president and his campaign have not been exonerated, while 43 percent say he and his campaign have been exonerated.

Democrats have been demanding more information since Attorney General William Barr issued a summary of the report from special counsel Robert Mueller on Russian election interference and alleged collusion by the Trump campaign. . .

The poll says that Americans are divided on the issue based on partisan identity, with 77 percent of Republicans saying the report exonerated Trump’s campaign, while 80 percent of Democrats say the campaign was not exonerated. (Read more from “A Surprising Poll Says How Many Americans Believe Trump Has Been Totally Exonerated of Collusion” HERE)

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CNN Poll: Majority Says Trump Not Exonerated of Collusion After Barr’s Summary

By CNN. Republicans and Democrats are on opposite sides of this question: 77% of Republicans say the President has been exonerated, 80% of Democrats say he has not. Independents break against exoneration — 58% say the President and his campaign were not exonerated.

Those who say they have heard or read “a great deal” about the report (about 23% of the public), however, are more apt to say the President has been cleared: 56% in that group say Trump and his campaign have been exonerated of any collusion, while 44% say it wasn’t exoneration but that collusion could not be proven.

The 43% overall in the new poll saying the President has been exonerated is about the same as the 42% who said in a CNN poll earlier this year that Trump’s campaign did not collude with the Russian government to help get Trump elected. That suggests the summary letter released Sunday did little to move public opinion on this matter. (Read more from “CNN Poll: Majority Says Trump Not Exonerated of Collusion After Barr’s Summary” HERE)

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Mueller’s Final Manafort Filings Are Scant on Russia Details, Never Mention ‘Trump’ or ‘Collusion’

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. . .Mueller and his team made their final required filing in Manafort’s case late Friday, submitting a “government sentencing memorandum” to the United States District Court in Washington, D.C., justifying their request for a harsh, 17-year prison sentence against Manafort.

In it, the government argues that Manafort “chose repeatedly and knowingly to violate the law— whether the laws proscribed garden-variety crimes such as tax fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and bank fraud, or more esoteric laws that he nevertheless was intimately familiar with, such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA),” both before and after he was under scrutiny by the Special Counsel.

Manafort’s portfolio of crimes include incidents going back more than a decade to 2005, to when Manafort was a lobbying the federal government on issues involving Russia and Ukraine. They run all the way up to last year, when Manafort was discovered to have engaged in witness tampering, even after he was indicted on tax fraud charges.

But what the government sentencing document — and Manafort’s apparent list of transgressions — doesn’t include is evidence of actual collusion with Russia during the course of the Trump for President campaign, the actual focus of Mueller’s investigation. Instead, the filing simply says that Manafort committed some of his crimes while under the “spotlight” of the campaign.

“His criminal actions were bold, some of which were committed while under a spotlight due to his work as the campaign chairman and, later, while he was on bail from this Court,” Mueller’s filing says. “Given the breadth of Manafort’s criminal activity, the government has not located a comparable case with the unique array of crimes and aggravating factor.” (Read more from “Mueller’s Final Manafort Filings Are Scant on Russia Details, Never Mention ‘Trump’ or ‘Collusion'” HERE)

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As the Russia Hoax Begins to Unravel, the Gaslighting Begins

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. . .Most recently, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced that after almost two years of investigation, it has uncovered no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Attorneys assigned to the Mueller team have quietly begun to slip away before the outcome of the investigation is made public. . .

This is unsurprising. The Russia hoax is crumbling and people can’t run away fast enough. We’ve seen signs from the very beginning that many of the people who promoted the Trump-Russia collusion smear have always known it was a hoax. These signs have been in plain sight. Here is an incomplete list. . .

On May 19, 2017, FBI agent Peter Strzok wrote FBI lawyer (and his paramour) Lisa Page his assessment of the Trump-Russia collusion accusations after nearly a year-long investigation: “There’s no big there there.” In June 2017, the following month, CNN’s Van Jones was secretly recorded saying, “The Russia thing is just a big nothingburger. There’s nothing there you can do.”

Bob Woodward of Watergate fame has been saying for some time that there’s no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion. Michael Isakoff of Yahoo news, who did some of the early Trump-Russia reporting, has admitted that many of the Trump-Russia claims are “likely false.” . . .

If you listen to a Russia collusion booster for more than five minutes, he will eventually point to the June 9, 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a two Russians, Natalia Veselnitskaya and Rinat Akhmetshin. Even after the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded there is no evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians, one of the Senate investigators lamely referred to Trump Jr.’s original interest in participating in that meeting: “Donald Trump Jr. made clear in his messages that he was willing to accept help from the Russians.” (Read more from “As the Russia Hoax Begins to Unravel, the Gaslighting Begins” HERE)

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They Will Never Stop: House Democrats Are Planning Another Trump-Russia Witch Hunt

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The Department of Justice’s Russia investigation headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is said to be close to closing up shop, though we’ve had that for months and we’re still waiting on a report. So far, there is zero evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, the unicorn the Left is hoping to physically take a hold of in order to impeach the president. They’re still seething over their 2016 election loss. They hate President Trump. And that animus extends into the liberal media who has been astoundingly wrong in their coverage of this story. There have been so many so-called bombshells that have turned out to be nothing burgers. It’s hard to count them all. The latest is BuzzFeed’s recent trip-up over ex-personal attorney Michael Cohen, who they say was directed to lie to Congress about a Russian real estate deal by President Trump. That story was discredited…by the Mueller investigation. And yet, even when this investigation ends, it won’t stop there. House Democrats are already planning another wild goose chase into Russia and the president (via Axios) [emphasis mine]:

Mueller is just the beginning. House Democrats plan a vast probe of President Trump and Russia — with a heavy focus on money laundering — that will include multiple committees and dramatic public hearings, and could last into 2020.

The state of play: The aggressive plans were outlined yesterday by a Democratic member of Congress at a roundtable for Washington reporters. The member said Congress plans interviews with new witnesses, and may go back to earlier witnesses who “stonewalled” under the Republican majority.

(Read more from “They Will Never Stop: House Democrats Are Planning Another Trump-Russia Witch Hunt” HERE)

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More Than 50 Polar Bears Invade Village, Sparking State of Emergency

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A polar bear invasion is terrorizing Russians on a remote Arctic island with more than 50 beasts besieging one town.

A state of emergency has been declared on Soviet nuclear testing archipelago Novaya Zemlya as the beasts enter the front doors of apartment blocks.

Despite the siege, residents have been warned they face prosecution is they shoot the endangered species.

People are “afraid to go outside” and “daily life is in turmoil”, said deputy head of local administration, Aleksandr Minayev. . .

The focus is the town of Belushya Guba where 52 polar bears have been counted scavenging for food in local dumps and wandering around the settlement. (Read more from “More Than 50 Polar Bears Invade Village, Sparking State of Emergency” HERE)

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Model Admits She Made up Russia Collusion Story About Trump

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A Belarusian model who originally said she had secret recordings that tied President Donald Trump to Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska and showed collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign now says she lied.

Anastasia Vashukevich, who goes by the alias Nastya Rybka on the internet, told CNN in a report published Tuesday that she made up the whole story as a means of getting out of a Thai prison last year.

Vashukevich was doing hard time in Thailand for offering her sex coach talents to the locals. Arrested and convicted for solicitation, she was sent to prison. Allegedly fearing for life behind bars, she decided to attract some international media attention with her story of having information that would link Trump to the Russian oligarchy. . .

Deripaska is closely linked with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has had business dealings with Paul Manafort, who ran Trump’s presidential campaign. Manafort plea bargained with special counsel Robert Mueller for the investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He had been charged with illegal lobbying on behalf of Ukraine. . .

Vashukevich’s checkered past also includes a nude protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, when she and another internet model took off their clothes in support of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The two stated at the time: “We came here to support the producer who offered women sex. Sex is right, sex is cool!” (Read more from “Model Admits She Made up Russia Collusion Story About Trump” HERE)

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