Russian parliament OKs New START nuclear treaty extension
The lower house of Russian parliament on Wednesday quickly approved the extension of the last remaining nuclear arms control pact days before it’s due to expire.
Russia
US, Russia agree to extend ‘New START’ nuclear arms treaty
The United States and Russia “agreed in principle” to extend the New START arms treaty by five years, the Kremlin reported on its website Tuesday following a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Declassified! The Russia informant transcript the FBI didn’t want Americans to see
Four days before the FBI secured a surveillance warrant against him in fall 2016, Trump campaign adviser Carter Page repeatedly knocked down the key allegations at the heart of the Russia collusion investigation while talking to a government informant who was wearing a wire.
More Protests In Russia After Thousands of Arrests
Supporters of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have called for new protests after thousands were detained in the largest rallies against Russian President Vladimir Putin in years.
New Evidence Implicates FBI Higher-Ups in Dishonesty of Anti-Trump Lawyer
For the past year, defenders of the FBI have consistently downplayed the significance of an FBI staff lawyer falsifying evidence in the government’s investigation into Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia. They argue Kevin Clinesmith’s crime of altering a CIA document to obscure the fact that former Trump campaign aide Carter Page worked for U.S., not Russian, intelligence was a rare lapse in judgment by an overworked bureaucrat. It was not, his apologists say, part of any broader conspiracy to conceal exculpatory information from surveillance court judges, who never learned of Page’s history with the CIA before approving FBI warrants to wiretap him as a suspected Russian agent.
‘A Trap?’ Clinton’s Russia collusion research started much earlier, made Steele nervous
Efforts by Hillary Clinton supporters to craft the Russia collusion narrative to vilify Donald Trump began earlier than previously reported and eventually involved an “indiscreet” effort to buy foreign video footage that made even dossier author Christopher Steele uncomfortable, according to newly declassified FBI memos.
US to Offer Russia 5-year Extension on Nuclear Treaty
The new administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is planning to offer Russia a five-year extension of a nuclear arms treaty that is set to expire February 5, U.S. officials said Thursday.
Ethiopia: Government forces reportedly killed an estimated 750 people in church massacre
The Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA) has reported that an estimated 750 people were recently killed by Ethiopian government forces and Amhara militia in an attack on a church in Tigray in northern Ethiopia, Christian Today reports.
First Trump declassified Russia document: Christopher Steele’s 2017 confessional to the FBI
Dossier author Christopher Steele admitted to the FBI he leaked the Russia collusion story during the height of the 2016 election to help Hillary Clinton overcome her lingering email scandal and because he believed Donald Trump’s election would be bad for U.S. relations with his home country of Britain, according to documents declassified by the president in his final full day in office.
Trump formally declassifies Russia documents over objections of FBI
Just hours before departing office, President Trump on Tuesday evening formally completed the declassification of a large trove of Russia probe documents, overruling objections posed by the FBI in a last bid effort to keep memos secret.
Syrian and Israeli officials reportedly had a Russia-brokered meeting last month
The Asharq Al Awsat Arabic international newspaper reported Sunday that Russia hosted a meeting for Syrian and Israeli officials at the Russian airbase in Hmeimim, Syria last month, Jewish Press reports. Neither Damascus nor Jerusalem has confirmed the report.
Kremlin Critic Navalny Jailed For Month After Returning Home
A Russian court has jailed the nation’s most prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny for 30 days despite several countries’ calls to release him immediately. The decision came shortly after Navalny was detained following his return from Germany, where he received medical treatment for nerve agent poisoning.
DOJ releases Flynn interviews with Mueller team
The Justice Department released on Friday more than 100 pages of FBI interview notes from retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn’s discussions with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team in 2017 and 2018.
Russia follows US to withdraw from Open Skies Treaty
Russia said Friday it will withdraw from an international treaty allowing observation flights over military facilities following the U.S. exit from the pact.
FBI, Justice Department knew there was no Russia collusion by spring of 2017
The top Justice Department official in early 2017 overseeing the FBI’s Russia probe testified he was briefed as many as six times on its status and was told there was no evidence of Trump campaign collusion, a newly released transcript shows.
Russia Detains Returning Kremlin Critic Navalny
Russia’s prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was detained at a Moscow airport Sunday after returning from Germany, where he received medical treatment for nerve agent poisoning.
Europe Warns Iran Over Nuclear Ambitions Amid Missile Launches
European powers urged Iran to observe a nuclear deal after the Islamic nation test-fired long-range missiles and planned uranium metal production.
China building ‘greatest expansion of a nuclear arsenal’ since Cold War, State Department warns
China has rapidly expanded its nuclear and conventional missile forces over the past decade, nearly tripling its ballistic missile production capability and deploying a wide array of nuclear and conventional missile systems, according to an intelligence assessment released by the State Department.
Both the US and Russia bolster military presence in Syria ahead of Biden inauguration
Both the US and Russia have sent military reinforcement to Syria in recent days, in separate moves apparently timed to coincide with the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden on January 20, AMN reports.
EU Concerned About Iran’s Ambitions
The European Union has warned Iran that its decision to increase uranium enrichment could undermine efforts to keep a nuclear deal alive. The warning comes amid diplomatic efforts to bring the United States back on board under a new administration.