Public reports 'clearly show' Assad's use of chemical weapons: McMaste - Reuters

FEBRUARY 17, 2018 / 11:31 PM / UPDATED 10 HOURS AGO

Public reports 'clearly show' Assad's use of chemical weapons: McMaster

Idrees Ali, Thomas Escritt

MUNICH (Reuters) - U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said on Saturday that, despite denials, public reports showed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was using chemical weapons, and added that it was time for the international community to hold the Syrian government to account.

National security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster speaks at the FDD National Security Summit in Washington, U.S., October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

“Public accounts and photos clearly show that Assad’s chemical weapons use is continuing,” McMaster said at a major international security conference taking place in Munich.

“It is time for all nations to hold the Syrian regime and its sponsors accountable for their actions and support the efforts of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,” he said.

McMaster did not specify which public accounts or pictures he was referring to.

Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the Syrian government had repeatedly used chlorine gas, but stressed that the U.S. did not have evidence of sarin gas use.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that “France will strike” if chemical weapons are used against civilians in the Syrian conflict in violation of international treaties, but that he had not yet seen proof this is the case.

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons and said it targets only armed rebels and militants.

In recent weeks, rescue workers, aid groups and the United States have accused Syria of repeatedly using chlorine gas as a weapon against civilians in Ghouta and Idlib.

Earlier this month, Syrian government forces, who are backed by Russia and Iran, bombarded the areas, two of the last major rebel-held parts of Syria.

Diplomatic efforts have made scant progress towards ending a war now approaching its eighth year, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced half the pre-war Syrian population of 23 million from their homes.

NORTH KOREA

McMaster called on the international community to do more on North Korea.

“We must pressure the Kim regime, using all available tools, to ensure that this cruel dictatorship cannot threaten the world with the most destructive weapons on earth,” he said, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The United States has appeared to endorse closer post-Olympics engagement between North and South Korea with an eye to eventual U.S.-North Korean talks, but has agreed with Seoul that sanctions must be intensified to push Pyongyang to negotiate an end to its nuclear weapons program.

The prospect of negotiations comes after months of tension over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, in which U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader traded insults and threats, while the U.N. tightened sanctions.

“Nations that evade full enforcement and fail to take these steps are acting irresponsibly, now is the time to do more,” McMaster said, calling on countries to cut off military and commercial ties with Pyongyang.

Reporting by Idrees Ali and Thomas Escritt; Editing by Andrea Shalal and Andrew Bolton

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: XRP LEAVES BTC IN THE DUST - Crypto currency Guide

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: XRP LEAVES BTC IN THE DUST

By Brett Chatz, freelance consultant for CryptoTrades: (09-01-2018)

the_ripple_effect

Ripple Readies for Pole Position

According to Coin Market Cap, the price of Ripple heading into the second week of January is $2.54. With a total max supply of 100 billion XRP, the market capitalization of the digital currency is currently $98.484 billion. While the price of Ripple has plunged in recent days, owing to tweets from Coinbase that it has no immediate plans to list the cryptocurrency, interest in XRP remains strong.

Ripple is now at position #3 on a listing of 1,387 cryptocurrencies across 7,602 markets. By January 8, 2018, the total market capitalization of digital currencies was $751.211 billion, of which Ripple accounts for 13.11%. The log leaders in the digital currency realm include Bitcoin with a market capitalization of $256.422 billion and a price of $15,272 per unit, and Ethereum with a market capitalization of $111.879 billion and a price of $1,155 per unit.

What Drove Ripple’s Meteoric Rise to Popularity?

Between December 2017 and January 2018, Ripple soared 1,000%. When an asset appreciates so rapidly, traditionalists deem that a bubble. Precisely the same thing happened with Bitcoin in December when it reached a fraction under $20,000 per unit, before retreating sharply to the $14,000 – $15,000 range. In January 2017, Ripple was trading at $0.006 per unit, and it reached an all-time high of $3.83 for a 63,000% pop in just 1 year.

One element that has been excluded from digital currency price quotations is the impact of Korea’s demand for Ripple. This can explain, at least in part, the lackluster performance of Ripple in recent days. Many folks decided to sell XRP after the Coinbase announcement, fearing that the popular US trading exchange has no imminent plans to list this red-hot cryptocurrency. However, it is precisely the Asian markets – South Korea, North Korea, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and others that are driving demand for many cryptocurrencies.

Ripple was developed 6 years ago, and it is designed for use in the financial sector. Banks, credit card companies, and other financial entities utilize this cutting-edge blockchain technology to transfer money internationally. Instead of days or hours, Ripple can process transactions in mere seconds. Plus, international banking fees are available at a fraction of the price that clients typically pay. The big story that drove the price of Ripple through the roof was its adoption by popular credit card company American Express.

There is mixed opinion among analysts about Ripple’s functionality. Cryptocurrencies are designed to be deregulated, decentralized, and anonymous means of transferring funds. However, Ripple is centralized and all transactions on the network can be tracked from the beginning to end point. Perhaps Ripple serves an intermediary function to bridge the divide between traditional financial transactions and the cryptocurrency arena. In this vein, it can serve an important purpose and possibly garner the trust and respect of purists and traditionalists.

Is Ripple the Only Legitimate Cryptocurrency?

Ripple serves a purpose in the financial world, and it is highly regarded as one of the most effective transmission mechanisms for international financial transfers. While everyone remembers Bitcoin’s spectacular appreciation of some 1,500% – 2,000% for the year, Ripple was 15 times better than that. Analysts like ShapeShift CEO Eric Voorhees believe that Ripple is a bubble. However, his opinion is biased given that he prefers Bitcoin, much like PayPal founder Peter Thiel. Overall, Altcoin is enjoying a spectacular run of form as everyday traders see them as value-driven investments.

Unlike Bitcoin, Ripple allows users to transact in fiduciary currency (fiat currency) like USD or GBP, as well as cryptocurrency (XRP). The actual Ripple network does not have any enforcement potential, meaning that participants are required to operate in a trust-based environment. The price of Ripple on Korean exchanges is approximately 50% higher than it is on European, UK and US exchanges. A more likely reason for the significant price drop in Ripple is that profit-taking has been taking place. This typically happens whenever an asset spikes in a short amount of time. Traders cash in and the price drops before buying on the dip begins all over again. This appears to be a market correction in the price of Ripple, although it is more likely simply a short-term correction.

Bitcoin Is a 'Noxious Poison,' Billionaire Says - Fortune

Bitcoin Is a 'Noxious Poison,' Billionaire Says

By BLOOMBERG February 15, 2018

Billionaire Charles Munger said he detests Bitcoin and wouldn’t have anything to do with the digital currency.

“I never considered for one second having anything to do with it. I detested it the moment it was raised,” Munger said Wednesday at the annual meeting for Daily Journal Corp. in Los Angeles. “It’s just disgusting. Bitcoin is noxious poison.”

Munger said the government of China, which is “stepping on it” pretty hard, is right, and the U.S. government, which is more lax on Bitcoin, is wrong.

Russia's Lavrov says reports on U.S. election interference 'just blather' - Reuters

FEBRUARY 17, 2018 / 11:24 PM / UPDATED A DAY AGO

Russia's Lavrov says reports on U.S. election interference 'just blather'

Reuters Staff

MUNICH (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declined to comment on Saturday on U.S. indictments of 13 Russians and three Russian companies in what Washington sees as a criminal and espionage conspiracy to tamper with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov talks at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 17, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

Russia has repeatedly denied any effort to influence the U.S. election.

Lavrov echoed that tone, telling participants at the annual Munich Security Conference that even U.S. Vice President Michael Pence and others had raised questions about the U.S. investigation. “So until we see the facts, everything else is just blather,” he said.

Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Paul Carrel

Merkel calls for progress on common EU asylum system - ABC News

Merkel calls for progress on common EU asylum system

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BERLIN — Feb 17, 2018, 8:05 AM ET

German Chancellor Angela Merkel listens to British Prime Minister Theresa May during a press conference after a meeting in the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Feb. 16, 2018.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the European Union to make progress on a common asylum system, warning that member states who expect financial support from the bloc need to show solidarity when it comes to migrants too.

Merkel said in a video address Saturday before next week's informal meeting of EU leaders that the issue is one of her priorities and she hopes it can be advanced by June.

Germany has taken in over 1 million people seeking shelter from war and persecution in recent years, putting a heavy strain on the country's budget and boosting an anti-migrant party.

While some other European countries, such as Sweden, Greece and Italy, have also borne a heavy load, several EU members in the east refuse to take in large numbers of migrants.

Robert Mueller just made it impossible for Trump to call the special counsel probe a 'total hoax' - CNN Politics

Robert Mueller just made it impossible for Trump to call the special counsel probe a 'total hoax'

Chris Cillizza

Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large

Updated 2223 GMT (0623 HKT) February 17, 2018

Rod Rosenstein 02162018

Trump: I don't remember much about meeting

Paul Manafort, advisor to Donald Trump, is seen on the floor of the Quicken Loans Arena at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, July 19, 2016.

Manafort's journey to center of Mueller's investigation

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 21: Special counsel Robert Mueller (2nd L) leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. The committee meets with Mueller to discuss the firing of former FBI Director James Comey. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Mueller investigation: Who could be next?

Former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort looks on during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City.

Toobin fact checks Trump's indictment tweet

Former Trump adviser cooperates with Mueller

conspiracy collusion explainer orig mg_00005015.jpg

Difference between conspiracy and collusion

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been appointed by the Justice Department as a special counsel to over see an investigation in Russian influence in the 2016 elections. In this photo Mueller testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011 in Washington, DC.

The man in charge of the Russia investigation

Caputo: Papadopoulos was a coffee boy

Rod Rosenstein 02162018NOW PLAYING

Rosenstein: Russians paid, recruited Americans

Swallwell

Rep. Swalwell to Trump: Do you believe it now?

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 23: Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and chairman of Breitbart News, attends a discussion on countering violent extremism, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, October 23, 2017 in Washington, DC. The program was focused on issues of extremism in the Middle East, including Qatar, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Steve Bannon questioned by special counsel

donald trump deposition business losses_00000000.jpg

What Donald Trump is like under oath

van jones 0131 ac 360

Van Jones: Things are exactly as they appear

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with North Korean defectors where he talked with reporters about allowing the release of a secret memo on the FBI's role in the Russia inquiry, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

NYT: Trump lawyers worried he'd lie to Mueller

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters outside the White House prior to his departure aboard Marine One on October 7, 2017.

During the exchange, President Trump called NBC News, "Fake News" after the news agency reported tension between Trump and US Secretary of State Rex Rex Tillerson. The President will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina this evening to participate in a roundtable discussion with Republican National Committee members. / AFP PHOTO / Alex EDELMAN

White House lawyer: No plans to fire Mueller

Trump: I don't remember much about meeting

Paul Manafort, advisor to Donald Trump, is seen on the floor of the Quicken Loans Arena at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, July 19, 2016.

Manafort's journey to center of Mueller's investigation

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 21: Special counsel Robert Mueller (2nd L) leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. The committee meets with Mueller to discuss the firing of former FBI Director James Comey. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Mueller investigation: Who could be next?

Former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort looks on during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 17, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City.

Toobin fact checks Trump's indictment tweet

Former Trump adviser cooperates with Mueller

conspiracy collusion explainer orig mg_00005015.jpg

Difference between conspiracy and collusion

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been appointed by the Justice Department as a special counsel to over see an investigation in Russian influence in the 2016 elections. In this photo Mueller testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2011 in Washington, DC.

The man in charge of the Russia investigation

Caputo: Papadopoulos was a coffee boy

Rod Rosenstein 02162018

Rosenstein: Russians paid, recruited Americans

Swallwell

Rep. Swalwell to Trump: Do you believe it now?

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 23: Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and chairman of Breitbart News, attends a discussion on countering violent extremism, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, October 23, 2017 in Washington, DC. The program was focused on issues of extremism in the Middle East, including Qatar, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Steve Bannon questioned by special counsel

donald trump deposition business losses_00000000.jpg

What Donald Trump is like under oath

van jones 0131 ac 360

Van Jones: Things are exactly as they appear

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with North Korean defectors where he talked with reporters about allowing the release of a secret memo on the FBI's role in the Russia inquiry, in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

NYT: Trump lawyers worried he'd lie to Mueller

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters outside the White House prior to his departure aboard Marine One on October 7, 2017.

During the exchange, President Trump called NBC News, "Fake News" after the news agency reported tension between Trump and US Secretary of State Rex Rex Tillerson. The President will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina this evening to participate in a roundtable discussion with Republican National Committee members. / AFP PHOTO / Alex EDELMAN

White House lawyer: No plans to fire Mueller

Trump: I don't remember much about meeting

(CNN)On Friday afternoon, the Justice Department announced that special counsel Robert Mueller had indicted 13 Russian nationals for their roles in attempted meddling in the 2016 election.

Most of these people do not live in the United States, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Russia won't be extraditing them any time soon. But that's not the point.

The point is this: The indictments of a baker's dozen of Russians gives us a very clear window into not only the depth and breadth of the Mueller investigation, but also makes crystal clear what the Russians wanted in the 2016 election and the elaborate measures they undertook to make it happen.

This paragraph stands out:

"Defendant ORGANIZATION had a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Defendants posted derogatory information about a number of candidates, and by early to mid-2016, Defendants' operations included supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump ("Trump Campaign") and disparaging Hillary Clinton. Defendants made various expenditures to carry out those activities, including buying political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and entities. Defendants also staged political rallies inside the United States, and while posing as U.S. grassroots entities and U.S. persons, and without revealing their Russian identities and ORGANIZATION affiliation, solicited and compensated real U.S. persons to promote or disparage candidates. Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities."

OK. So what we know from that paragraph of the charging documents, which you can read in full here, is this:

By "early to mid-2016," Russians had decided to use whatever means at their disposal to help Donald Trump win.

The Russians bought political ads on social media sites and organized political rallies to achieve those goals.

Russians, disguising their identities, "communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump campaign" in an attempt to "coordinate political activities."

None of that is a smoking gun of collusion.

"Unwitting" members of Trumpworld working with Russians, who didn't identify themselves as Russians, is not the same as a willful effort on behalf of members of the Trump campaign to actively collude with the Russian government.

But what this latest set of indictments does is continue to make the case that, yes, Russia staged an aggressive and elaborate effort to influence the 2016 election, just as the intelligence community as a whole has confirmed for a year.

This was a multi-pronged campaign -- social media, in-person meetings, political rallies -- by the Russians to beat Hillary Clinton and elect Donald Trump. It employed hundreds of people.

That analysis, of course, jibes with the unanimous conclusion of the intelligence community in 2017 that Russia actively sought to influence the 2016 election in support of Trump.

What it runs directly counter to is Trump's ongoing -- and persistent -- attempts to cast the entire special counsel investigation as nothing more than a politically motivated sideshow.

Here's a sampling of Trump's recent tweets touching on Mueller's investigation.

"This memo totally vindicates 'Trump' in probe. But the Russian Witch Hunt goes on and on. Their was no Collusion and there was no Obstruction (the word now used because, after one year of looking endlessly and finding NOTHING, collusion is dead)." (2/3/18)

"The single greatest Witch Hunt in American history continues. There was no collusion, everybody including the Dems knows there was no collusion, & yet on and on it goes. Russia & the world is laughing at the stupidity they are witnessing. Republicans should finally take control!" (1/10/18)

"The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?" (5/8/17)

There's lots (and lots) more tweets and quotes just like that from the President. Trump has suggested the attempted election hacking could have been perpetrated by China or even as a "guy sitting on their bed who weighs 400 pounds."

You get the idea. Despite the unanimous conclusion of the intelligence community -- including Trump's CIA Director Mike Pompeo and his FBI Director Christopher Wray -- that Russia engaged in a coordinated effort to meddle in the 2017 election, Trump still wasn't convinced.

Of course, this changes nothing when it comes to how Trump will respond. Even Friday afternoon, Trump tweeted about the Russian indictments, once again beating the "no collusion" drum.

"Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President," Trump tweeted. "The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!"

But if it was very hard to hold the Trumpian position -- it might have been Russia, it might have been someone else! -- with a shred of intellectual honesty prior to Friday, it's impossible now.

Consider what the Mueller investigation has already done:

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians during the 2016 campaign and is cooperating with the Mueller investigation.

Former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russians during the 2016 campaign and is cooperating with the Mueller investigation.

Former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates is reportedly on the verge of signing a plea agreement and cooperating with Mueller. Gates faces a variety of charges, including money laundering and other financial crimes.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort faces a variety of charges of financial crimes

13 Russians have been indicted on participating in a broad-scale attempt to throw the election to Trump.

That is not the stuff of witch hunts and hoaxes. Those are real-life charges which carry at least the possibility of real jail time.

And they all make a simple point: It's long past time for Trump to stop name-calling an investigation that has uncovered a massive effort for a foreign government to meddle in a US presidential election.

This story has been changed to make clear that an indictment itself is not proof of guilt, but rather, a formal charge that is afforded due process.