Texas Governor to send one thousand more National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border

(June 25)On Friday Greg Abbott the governor of Texas announced that he will be sending another 1,000 National Guard troops to the US-Mexico border. Abbott accused the US government of not taking action on the increasing humanitarian crisis at the border.

How the new Guard members will be used

At a press conference with Republican leaders as well as Major General Tracy Norris, Abbott said that the Guards would assist at new detention facilities in the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso, as well as ports of entry. The total number of National Guard members is now at over 2,000 according to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. There are also 1,400 active duty soldiers who are at the border according to a spokesperson for the Army.

There is a severe staff shortage at the border and poor conditions for migrants

Abbott was quite critical of the Federal government saying: "My message to them is Congress is a group of reprobates for not addressing a crisis on our border and we're not going to stand idly by and endanger the lives and safety of the state of Texas because Congress is refusing to do its job."

Patrick Shanahan, Acting Defense Secretary, admitted that Homeland Security officials are thousands of people short of what they need at the border. Abbott said the federal government would fully fund the additional National Guards sent to the border. House Democrats released a $4.5 billion measure just as Abbot made his announcement.

A recent article notes: "The Republican leaders scolded Congress over reports that a Texas border facility is neglecting migrant children. Doctors and attorneys said hundreds of young people are living under inhumane conditions at a border control station in Clint, Texas. They said they found about 250 infants, children and teens locked up for weeks without adequate food, water and sanitation."

Texas Democrats were critical of the new deployment of National Guard calling it reckless, not necessary, and a waste of taxpayer dollars. Texas Senate Democratic leader Jose Rodriguez said: "Deploying more National Guard to the border is a fool's errand and a waste of millions of taxpayer dollars... This latest action will not help to alleviate the humanitarian crisis at our southern border."

Texas has been using National Guard at the border since way back in 2014 when then-Governor Rick Perry first deployed 1,000 members. Texas has spent billions on border security over the last decade. This has included assigning more state troopers to the southern border region.

Regular active duty troops are limited by law as to what they can do at the border

Donald Trump sent more than 5,200 active duty troops to the border with Mexico, but they are limited in what they can do as federal law prohibits them from law enforcement on US territory.

President Erdogan congratulates opposition candidate winner for mayor of Istanbul

(June24)The opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu won the election for mayor of Istanbul on Sunday according to unofficial results. Tayyip Erdogan suffered a serious defeat but nevertheless has already congratulated Imamoglu on his win.

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High Electoral Board still has to announce the official results

Imamoglu appears to have a comfortable lead over his rival from the ruling AKP party. With 99 percent of the vote counted Imamoglu has 54 per cent of the votes. Given his lead and the fact that Erdogan has already congratulated him on his victory there seems little doubt the Board will make it official.

Imamoglu does much better in this second election

Imamoglu had a lead of 775, 000 votes with almost all the votes counted. This compares to the slim margin of just 13,000 votes he had in the earlier election. The voters made it clear that the citizens wanted Imamoglu. The ruling AKP claimed that the March election involved irregularities and was annulled. Imamoglu's victory ends 25 years of AKP rule of the city.

The AKP candidate, who was former PM Binali Yildirim also conceded victory to Imamoglu. It appears that the AKP has conceded that they have lost the city. As mentioned earlier Erdogan also admitted the AKP defeat saying: "I congratulate Ekrem Imamoglu who has won the election based on preliminary results."

Ironically, Erdogan had earlier claimed that whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey.

Imamoglu's victory speech

Imamoglu of the Republican People's Party said that the result meant a new start for both Istanbul and Turkey and claimed that his supported had fixed Turkish democracy claiming: "We are opening up a new page in Istanbul. On this new page, there will be justice, equality, love."

The results of the rerun show that Turkey still can have democratic elections. This time around both Erdogan and his candidate for mayor clearly accept the results of the vote without attempting to again question the results. This is a promising sign.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Trumps rejects an FBI investigation into the Khashoggi murder

(June 24)Trump claims the issue if Jamal Khashoggi's murder never came up during his recent talk with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman even though it has been a major topic in the US Congress with respect to Saudi US relations.

Trump opposes FBI investigation into Khashoggi murder

A recent UN report suggested that a proper investigation by the US FBI could clarify the situation regarding Jamal Khashoggi's murder. However, Trump immediately rejected the idea as it could jeopardize US arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Trump had earlier dismissed the murder as threatening over $100 billion in arms sales to the kingdom. Now Trump is insisting that the Saudis will spend $400 to $450 billion over a period of time creating many jobs.

Even though the UN report suggests that the Crown Prince was probably involved in the murder and the US Senate has voted against arms sales specifically because of the Khashoggi murder and other issues, Trump did not bother to bring up the issue in his meeting with the Crown Prince. The UN report is featured on the appended video.

CIA had already decided that bin Salman was involved in the Khashoggi murder

An article last November notes: "The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last month, contradicting the Saudi government’s claims that he was not involved in the killing, according to people familiar with the matter."

Trump immediately contradicted the report and did not blame the Crown Prince but continued to stress that the Saudis were US allies who purchased large quantities of US arms profiting US companies and creating jobs in the US : "US President Donald Trump has contradicted the CIA's reported assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the agency had "feelings" but did not firmly place the blame for the death."

Trump has made it clear that the arms sales to the Saudis are far more important for him than holding the Crown Prince responsible for the murder of Khashoggi.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Iran refrains from shooting down US military plane with 35 aboard that accompanied downed drone

(June 23)Although Iran recently shot down a US Global Hawk surveillance plane, they reportedly did not fire at another US military plane with 35 aboard that the Revolutionary Guard's air defense claimed had accompanied the drone.

The US Boeing P-8

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guard’s Aerospace Force, was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency: “With the US drone in the region there was also an American P-8 plane with 35 people on board. This plane also entered our airspace and we could have shot it down, but we did not."

The P-8 Poseidon

The Boeing P-8 is not just a smaller plane with passengers it's a military aircraft owned and operated by the US Navy. It is used broadly for anti-submarine operations, but also general anti-shipping operations. It carries a number of weapons including torpedoes and other anti-surface weapons. So a US military aircraft accompanying the drone could have potentially carried out an attack.

The report was issued on Friday. Whether it is true or not it is probably intended to be conciliatory as has Trump's recent last minute decision not to attack Iran and also his suggestion that the downing of the Global Hawk drone was an error of some sort.

Certainly the downing of the PS 8 would no doubt have resulted in a violent response from the US. The Iranian side has never suggested the downing was a mistake.

Trump to add sanctions to Iran and launches cyber-attacks

While Trump has not yet taken military action against Iran the US is reported to have made cyberattacks on Iran. Trump is also increasing the number of sanctions on Iran on Monday. These moves are hardly likely to reduce tensions.

An Iranian general said the US was warned several times about the drones incursion into Iran's territorial space but no answer was received so the drone was shot down.

Previously  published in the Digital Journal

Asian farmers using robot duck to replace pesticides

Asian rice farmers for centuries used ducks as an alternative to pesticides in controlling weeds in their rice fields. The ducks paddled around flooded fields tearing up weeds, eating insects and adding fertilizer.

 

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Practice is no longer widespread

An engineer, who works for Nissan, may replace the real duck with a robot duck. He is currently testing his prototype robot duck in Yamage prefecture in northern Japan. At present it is just a DIY project, with no plans for commercialization or data on how effective it is. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating use of technology and could turn out be a useful new tool for rice farmers avoiding the use of pesticides.

The appended video shows ducks being used instead of pesticides in rice fields. There is also a video of the robot but unfortunately there are no English subtitles.

The Algamo robot

The robot is named Algamo after the breed of duck that is used in modern times in the ancient practice. The robot has a curved enclosure with adorable but non-functioning eyes. It is about the size of a robot vacuum cleaner. It weighs 1.5 kilograms. There are two rotating brushes on its underside which function to stir up the water oxygenating it and also preventing weeds from taking root.

The robot identifies its location mainly through GPS in order to find its way through the rice paddies. The robo-duck was developed through the suggestion of a friend of the engineer who wanted to grow rice without pesticides.

The Algamo could help rice farmers avoid the use of pesticides

The robot manages to blend old and new agricultural techniques. In Japan, rice farming is threatened by declining consumption and an aging population. However, if the robot is a success it could help the culturally important industry survive in the 21st century, wherever rice is grown.

Most mainstream media critical of Trump's response to Iran's downing of a US drone

(June 22) Mainstream US media is for the most part united in criticism of Trump's decision to call off planned attacks on Iran in response to the downing of a US drone.

In an article in Antiwar.com Jason DItz notes that earlier in the week US media outlets had articles representing different approaches as to how to handle increase US-Iran tensions. However, by Friday this had changed after the downing of a US Global Hawk drone by Iran on Thursday. Iran claimed it the drone had passed over its territory and was on a spying mission whereas the US claims it was an unprovoked attack over international waters.

After attack many thought the US would respond militarily

No doubt hawks within the US administration thought there would be a strong US military response and perhaps the beginning of a war with Iran the type of situation they desired. However, at the last minute it is claimed that Trump decided to not respond via a planned attack.

Trump defends his decision

Trump defended his decision by noting that the planned response could kill up to 150 Iranians and would not be proportional as the drone downing killed no Americans. Trump makes a valid point but the press or most of the press seems to ignore this. Trump also tried to portray the attack as a serious mistake and not intentional. Of course Trump assumes that the drone was not over Iranian air space. This is questionable. Most likely the plane was on a spy mission as claimed by the Iranians and the Iranians have managed to recover wreckage from the drone before Americans were able to. This suggests it was perhaps within Iranian air space.

Many media articles critical of Trump's failure to respond militarily

Although Trump's decision could be seen as reducing tension and avoiding raising them resulting in dangerous and damaging conflict with Iran, articles such as that in USA Today are negative accusing Trump of not following through saying: "Trump's decision to order military action against targets in Iran – only to cancel the operation at the last minute – follows a familiar pattern: Threaten, pull back, confuse friends and foes alike." Of course one of his threats was to withdraw all US troops right away from Syria but as has happened numerous times Trump's dovish moves are challenged by hawks within his administration and he gives in.

He has followed the hawks marching orders often on Iran sending more troops and threatening Iran if US interests are attacked. His fault now seems not so much to be his inconsistency but his not giving in to the hawks who want war. The media in effect supports the trend towards violence and warfare rather than reduction in tensions. Kari Schake in the Atlantic even speaks of damaging America's credibility. Yet if Iran is correct than they were simply protecting their territory from US spying. Of course it is not allowed for US media to look at events that way.

NBC news criticized Trump for indecision and said that it would embolden Iran. It might embolden Iran to take any further action necessary to defend its territory. A recent article in the Hill notes that an Iranian general claimed that the US was warned about the drone several times but there was no reply. NBC news adds quotes from selected critics of Trump's decision not to attack: ""Trump has given the impression he lost his nerve, when he should've responded swiftly but measuredly already a couple weeks ago," said Michael Makovsky, president of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America who was a senior aide to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in President George W. Bush's administration."

CNN's Samantha Vinograd added to the chorus claiming that the Trump decisions hurts US credibility and shows that Trump cannot make up his mind. Some CNN reporters claim that lawmakers are on edge and the situation is more perilous. Somehow the fact that a US response could very well provoke a counter-response from Iran never seems to enter their heads. US actions are apparently never provocative nor do they make the situation more perilous.

It is true that Trump often makes bellicose statements and does not always follow through. This may be seen as a fault but sometimes it is a blessing. That may very well be the case with his decision not to attack Iran and perhaps provoke a violent response and the demand for a further response from the US. It seems that not just hawks but the mainstream media sponsor a more warlike US position.

Tucker Carlson on Fox News

One exception to the criticism of Trump can be found in Tucker Carlson's response on Fox News that praises Trump for avoiding war and does discuss the proportionality argument. The appended video shows Tucker's response

Previously published in the Digital  Journal

US Global Hawk drone shot down by Iran made by Northrop Grumman

(June 21) Last Thursday Iran shot down a US RQ-4 Global Hawk drone that it claimed was on a spy mission over its territory. The US, on the other hand, claimed the drone was in international air space and subject to an unprovoked attack.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk

Whatever the facts about the downing, the drone involved is used for intelligence-gathering over both water and coastal areas. It costs around $130 million per drone according to industry experts.

The drone is designed to capture near real-time, high-resolution images. It can do so in all kinds of weather in either the day or night time.

Specifics of the Global Hawk

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is considered to be one of the most sophisticated drones used by the US military. The Hawk is designed to fly at altitudes as highs as 60,000 feet or 18 km. In contrast, most commercial planes fly at altitudes ranging from 31,000 to 38,000 feet or 9 to 11 km.

The drone can stay in the air up to 32 hours and has a range of 22,780 km. The drone is 44 feet (13 meters) long and has a wingspan of 116 feet (35 meters). It weighs 25,600 pounds (12 tonnes). It is comparable in size to a small business jet.

First flight

The Hawk made its first flight back in February of 2008. Since the drones have logged more than 250,000 flight hours. This includes operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Africa and also the Asia-Pacific region.

Both US Air Force and US Navy have bought the Hawks

In the early 2000s both forces began to buy the drones. In 2004 the Navy claimed that the Air Force had bought four of the drones at a cost of around $360 million back then. A 2013 news release by Northrop Grumman claimed that the company had delivered 37 Global Hawks to the Air Force.

More recently the Navy has been purchasing the somewhat larger MQ-4C Triton. The Triton has a 130 foot (40 meter) wingspan slightly more than the Global Hawk. In March the Navy requested two of the Tritons and budgeted $473 million for them and associated equipment.

Northrop Grumman

Wikipedia describes Northrop Grumman as follows: "Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by Northrop's 1994 purchase of Grumman. The company reported revenues in excess of $30 billion in 2018 and was the fourth-largest arms trader in the world in 2017 with about 84% of all revenue coming from defense related activities.[4][5][6][2] Northrop Grumman is made up of four main business sectors: Aerospace Systems, Mission Systems, Technology Services and Innovation Systems. The corporate headquarters is located in West Falls Church, Virginia. Northrop Grumman ranks number 118 on the 2018 Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Senator Rand Paul delays passing of huge defense bill with amendments

(June 21)The US Senate hopes that there will be a quick rubber stamping of the huge National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) military spending bill that is now on hold until next week.

Senate Rand Paul is holding up the bill

Paul a Republican senator from Kentucky wants to see an open debate on the bill which as of now sits at $715 billion.

Paul has thirty hours of debate on the bill. Everyone else is apparently willing to yield that time without saying anything. However Paul has six amendments he wants to introduce and be voted on. Paul can block other Senators' amendments if he does not get a vote.

Paul's amendments

One amendment is to repeal the 2001 war authorization and would mean that Trump cannot rely on the bill as justifying military action before approval of Congress. A second amendment would prohibit indefinite detention such as exists in Guantanamo. A third amendment calls for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan within the next year.

Senator Inhofe wants to stop Paul's amendments

Senator Jim Inhofe a Republican from Oklahoma argues that the Republican leadership needs to prohibit Paul's amendments from going to a vote. Inhofe fears that other Senators will try the same tactic to have votes on their own amendments. Inhofe is concerned that if everyone is allowed to introduce amendments as Paul has done then bills will never get passed.

A recent article notes Inhofe's objections to Paul's tactics: "Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) says Paul is slow-walking the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including forcing lawmakers to wait until next week to formally proceed to the defense bill."He could actually block this for a long period of time," Inhofe said, adding that lawmakers need to finish the bill by the end of next week. "

Paul denied that he could block the bill saying: "There's a normal process, you go through like 30 hours of this, 30 hours that, you have votes. It takes about four days to get a bill through. So no one can hold a bill or block a bill" But Paul added: "I do believe that we should demand that there's an open debate with amendments."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Apple critical of Trump's tariffs on China

In a letter to US trade representative Robert Lighthizer Apple claims that the Trump administration tariffs could both lower the company's economic output and put it at a disadvantage especially in relation to its Chinese competitors.

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Trump tariffs could impact almost all Apple products

Apple claims the tariffs will have an impact on almost all Apple products including the iPhone, MacBook, AirPods and the Apple Watch. The tariffs will also hurt US employees and lessen the company's ability to contribute to the US economy.

Negative effects have increased with tariff increases

The earlier rounds of tariffs did not hit Apple's highest volume item such as the iPhone and Apple Watch just items such as adapters, chargers, cables and cords. However, now the situation is more serious and Apple is speaking out as in May Trump announced a massive expansion of tariffs that hurt items such as computers, smartphones and televisions. The Office of the US Trade Representative is seeking feedback on these tariffs and that is why Apple wrote the letter.

A recent Financial Times article also notes that the Trump tariffs would tilt the playing field in favor of Apple's competitors especially those in China, and would also put a dent in Apple's contribution to the US economy.

Other companies also responded to the request for feedback

Other companies that are involved with computer manufacturing such as Dell, HP, Intel and Microsoft also wrote to Lighthizer expressing their opposition to the tariff increases. The letter claimed that the tariffs would hurt US technology leaders and hinder their ability to innovate and compete in the global market place.

Tariffs face US companies with limited options

Companies could move production out of China. Apple is said to be exploring such a move, perhaps to India or Vietnam. This could be expensive and disruptive for the technology giant. The companies could raise their prices, but this could hurt sales and be a competitive disadvantage. Companies could also simply absorb the extra costs but then this would have a very negative impact on profits. The best scenario for both sides would be a trade deal between the US and China that removed the tariffs.

A recent article reports on Apple's consideration of moving production from China: "Apple has asked its major suppliers to evaluate the cost implications of shifting 15% to 30% of their production capacity from China to Southeast Asia as it prepares for a fundamental restructuring of its supply chain, the Nikkei Asian Review has learned."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

US House soundly defeats amendment to bill that would ban warrantless spying

(June 20)Tuesday evening an amendment to a bill designed to restrain domestic surveillance under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was defeated in the US House of Representatives by a vote of 175 to 252.

Both Democrats and Republicans voted down the amendment

The no vote was passed by many Republicans and Democrats. The amendment was put forward by Representative Justin Amash a MIchigan Republican and Zoe Lofgren a Democrat from California. However, more Democrats than Republicans actually voted against the amendment.

A recent article notes: "Digital rights group Fight for the Future in a statement after the vote pointed out that more Democrats had voted against the amendment than Republicans."It’s good to know that House Democrats like Adam Schiff are 'resisting' Trump by voting to ensure that he has limitless authority to conduct mass warrantless surveillance,” Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement. 'The Democrats who voted against this common sense amendment just threw immigrants, LGBTQ folks, activists, journalists, and political dissidents under the bus by voting to rubberstamp the Trump administration’s Orwellian domestic spying capabilities.'"

The nature of the amendment

The amendment was tacked on to a spending appropriations bill (HR2740). The amendment would have banned the use of any funds to submit a surveillance request under Section 702 guidelines unless the requesting organization certified that the surveillance is not "to acquire the communications of a particular, known person reasonably believed to be in the United States, any acquisition of a communication as to which no participant is a person who is targeted pursuant to the authorized acquisition, or any acquisition of a communication known to be entirely domestic."

Explanation

The purpose of Section 702 of the FISA is to authorize warrantless secret surveillance of foreign persons of interests who are in other countries who may be plotting against the US. However, in practice the National Security Agency (NSA) which makes the requests has been collecting significant amounts of information about American citizens without warrants in violation of the fourth amendment of the US constitution. This type of surveillance was exposed by Edward Snowden.

Trump complains and then expands US surveillance powers

Trump has complained loudly that both he and his aides were illegally surveilled by FISA when he was a candidate. However, he has done nothing to try to restrain FISA's powers. Quite the opposite, when Section 702 was up for renewal last year Trump and the US Congress expanded its authority to spy on Americans.

Amash and Lofgren vigorously defended their amendment

Since nothing was done last year, Amash and Lofgren have been trying to stop the NSA from secretly collecting data from the communications of US citizens without a warrant. Amash said: "The government can search and sweep in billions of communications, including communications of Americans, and then query that data," Amash said. "The Amash-Lofgren amendment puts in basic safeguards to allow the government to continue using Section 702 for its stated purpose of gathering foreign intelligence, while limiting the government’s warrantless collection of Americans’ communications under FISA."

So this year, Amash and Lofgren embarked on a new effort to stop the NSA from secretly collecting Americans' communications. Amash spoke passionately in defense of his amendment on the House floor last evening: "The government can search and sweep in billions of communications, including communications of Americans, and then query that data," Amash said. "The Amash-Lofgren amendment puts in basic safeguards to allow the government to continue using Section 702 for its stated purpose of gathering foreign intelligence, while limiting the government’s warrantless collection of Americans’ communications under FISA." Amash pointed out that Republicans had been saying for months that they were worried about FISA abuse and was out of control and yet many voted against the amendment. Amash said he was sick of going home to his constituency and telling people that neither Democrats nor Republicans would stand up for their rights.

The amendment was debated for only ten minutes before being defeated. Republican Jim Jordan of Ohio in spite of often being at odds with Amash supported his amendment. Notable Democrats supporting the amendment were Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex of New York. The roll call can be found here.

Previously published in the Digital J0urnal

UN report finds Crown Prince Salman was in involved in Khashoggi murder

(June 19)Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur found in a thorough and quite critical report that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal and premeditated killing carried out by top Saudi officials including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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Callamard's conclusion

In her report Callamard wrote: "Evidence points to the 15-person mission to execute Mr. Khashoggi requiring significant government coordination, resources, and finances. Every expert consulted finds it inconceivable that an operation of this scale could be implemented without the crown prince being aware, at a minimum, that some sort of mission of a criminal nature, directed at Mr. Khashoggi, was being launched."

Details of Khashoggi's final moments

The report of just over a hundred pages also included new details of the Khashoggi's final moments. Callamard, who listened to audio tapes provided by Turkish authorities, says that two Saudi agents Maher Mutreb and Dr. Salah Tubaigy discussed how they would dismember and dispose of Khashoggi's body only minutes before he entered the Istanbul Saudi consulate. He went there to pick up marriage papers.

Tunbaigy told Mutreb: "Joints will be separated. First time I cut on the ground. If we take plastic bags and cut it into pieces, it will be finished." Mutreb said Khashoggi was a sacrificial animal accord to an audio that Callamard obtained.

According to Callamard assessments of recording by Turkish intelligence Khashoggi may have been injected with a drug and then suffocated using a plastic bag. The Saudis immediately rejected the report: "The minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, tweeted it was “nothing new … the report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations.”"

Khashoggi's body or body parts have not yet been found. In spite of all the evidence the Trump administration has not blamed the Crown Prince. Trump has even smeared Khashoggi and warned that it would not be a good idea to break relations with the Saudis as this could result in higher oil prices.

Callamard wants further investigations

Callamard said her findings, after five months of investigation, suggest there should be further probes into the Saudi Crown Prince's role in the murder along with those of other Saudi officials. The report also calls for the US government to have the FBI launch an investigation into the execution of Mr. Khashoggi and even suggests that criminal prosecutions within the US would be appropriate.

Callamard recommends that trial of 11 suspects be suspended

Callamard said that the trial of the eleven suspects identified by the Saudis should be suspended, as the trial was shrouded in secrecy and lacked credibility. Callamard said: “Some eight months after the execution of Mr Khashoggi, the determination and assignment of individual responsibilities remain clouded in secrecy and lack of due process...To date the Saudi state has failed to offer public recognition of its responsibility for the killing of Mr Khashoggi, and it has failed to offer an apology to Mr Khashoggi’s family, friends and colleagues for his death and for the manner in which he was killed."

The CIA had already concluded Salman was involved in the killing last fall as reported on the appended video. However, this has not influenced Trump's attitude.

Trump to bypass Congress to sell arms to the Saudis

Trump appears to take the view that Saudi Arabia is an important ally and a big purchaser of arms from the US. He thinks that this is more important than Saudi's involvement in the murder of Khashoggi and its terrible human rights record.

A recent article notes: "President Donald Trump's administration on Friday bypassed Congress to sell $8.1 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies, citing a threat from Iran, infuriating lawmakers who fear the weapons could kill civilians in Yemen. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration would circumvent the required review by Congress to approve 22 arms transfers to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, saying that the freeze on sales by Congress could affect the Arab allies' operational abilities."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Universal Music Group and You Tube are remastering videos in HD

(June 19)Universal Music Group and YouTube are cooperating to remaster many iconic music videos. They will be changed to HD from standard definition videos.

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Many well-known videos to be remastered

The official YouTube blog notes: "Starting today, exclusively on YouTube, you’ll find more than 100 music videos in the highest available video and audio quality, including titles from Billy Idol, Beastie Boys, Boyz II Men, George Strait, Janet Jackson, Kiss, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie, Maroon 5, Meat Loaf, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, The Killers, Tom Petty and more!"

Remastered videos include songs spanning decades, such as Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin” to Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road,” which was released in 1991. They all have HD-quality video with crystal clear audio. Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" is on the video appended in HD.

The two companies hope to remaster many more videos

The two companies hope to remaster up to 1,000 videos by the end of this year. The new HD videos will replace the original standard versions on YouTube and YouTube Music but they will retain their original URLs, view counts, and likes as before. You can tell if a video is remastered as it will be in the description and labeled "Remastered in HD". Even those videos not originally shot in HD will be noticeably clearer than they were in the old format.

UMG group

The UMG group suffered extensive damage in a 2008 fire that burned up priceless original master tapes of classic albums. The remastering will retain HD quality videos of classic albums. This is a fitting endeavour as UMG celebrates its 20th anniversary. Perhaps other labels will follow suit and upgrade their videos.

Previously published in the DIgital Journal

Change of Defense Secretary means Boeing is out while Raytheon now in

(June 19)In a sudden change of positions Patrick Shanahan, the acting Defense Secretary announced that he would be withdrawing from consideration as a permanent Secretary.

Shanahan withdraws after revelation of past domestic violence incidence

A 2010 domestic violence incident with his former wife which Shanahan wishes not to be revisited as would happen at this confirmation hearing.

Shanahan was an ex-Boeing official

Shanahan had a long career at Boeing. He had risen to be a vice-president of the huge US aircraft and arms maker He joined the Trump administration first as Deputy Defense Secretary and then later as Acting Defense Secretary.

New Acting Defence Secretary was official at Raytheon

The new acting minister is Mark Esper, who was a former vice-president of Raytheon another large US arms maker. Esper was previously Secretary of the Army in the Trump administration. Esper served in the military in the 1990's but he rose to prominence only after his service with Raytheon. In both 2015 and 20016 Esper was named as one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington.

While there is not likely to be any change in US policy from the transition to Espy, there could be more sales to Raytheon as a former top lobbyist is in a more powerful position.

Raytheon and Charles Faulkner

The appointment of Esper may raise questions about Raytheon's power in the Trump administration. This comes just weeks after the departure of Charles Faulkner another Raytheon lobbyist. A recent article suggests that Faulkner's departure was more or less a firing as he had been pushing arms sales to Saudi Arabia: "The resignation of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Charles Faulkner last month appears to have been less a resignation and more of a sacking, according to officials familiar with the situation. Faulkner, a former Raytheon lobbyist turned Trump appointee, was spearheading the administration’s scheme to declare a phony “state of emergency” to avoid Congressional oversight on arms sales. In this case, the arms sales included billions from his former employer, Raytheon. Faulkner’s role in this decision cannot be overstated, and since Congress started moving to restrict sales to the Saudis he had been one of the lone voices in the State Department urging Pompeo to sign off on sales, as well as being a heavy advocate of skirting oversight."

Previously published in the DIgital Journal

Iran claims to have exposed a CIA-run cyber espionage network

(June 18) Iran claimed on Monday that it had exposed a large cyber espionage network that it alleges was run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and several US spies had been arrested in several countries as a result of the discovery.

US-Iran tension are growing

The US has accused Iran of attacking two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last Thursday. The US has sent a carrier strike group and bombers to the area and announced plans to deploy 1,500 troops to the Middle East. After the tanker attacks the US is sending another 1,000 troops as a recent Guardian article notes: "The US is sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to “hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups”, Patrick Shanahan, the acting defence secretary, announced on Monday." This is a recipe for more conflict. No doubt hawks within the Trump administration such as Bolton are hoping for a war with Iran after more clashes. Iran denies having any role in the tanker attacks. Some analysts doubt US claims of Iran's responsibility for the tanker attacks and others even see them as false flag attacks meant to provoke an attack on Iran.

Last year Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran. Trump is also ratcheting up sanctions seeking to end Iran’s international sales of crude oil and strangle its economy. The US is also trying to bully other countries into following US sanctions against Iran.

Iran uncovers CIA cyber espionage network

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council said: “One of the most complicated CIA cyber espionage networks that had an important role in the CIA’s operations in different countries was exposed by the Iranian intelligence agencies a while ago and was dismantled. We shared the information about the exposed network with our allies that led to the identification and arrest of CIA intelligence agents.” Shamkhani did not specifiy how many CIA agents were arrested nor in what countries. He also claimed that some information about events had been released by the US so it is was fitting that Iran publish information to make the public aware of what had happened.

This is not the first time US has launched cyber attacks on Iran

As an Ars Technica article from February of 2016 reported more than just the Stuxnet attack on Iran's centrifuges was planned: "The Stuxnet computer worm that destroyed centrifuges inside Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment site was only one element of a much larger US-prepared cyberattack plan that targeted Iran's air defenses, communications systems, and key parts of its power grid, according to articles published Tuesday. The contingency plan, known internally as Nitro Zeus, was intended to be carried out in the event that diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear development program failed and the US was pulled into a war between Iran and Israel, according to an article published by The New York Times. At its height, planning for the program involved thousands of US military and intelligence personnel, tens of millions of dollars in expenditures, and the placing of electronic implants in Iranian computer networks to ensure the operation targeting critical infrastructure would work at a moment's notice."

As the New York Times noted recently the US has implanted malware in Russia's power grid. No doubt they have done the same in Iran.

Previously published in the Digital Journal.

Reports say the Ecuador will allow US military to use the airport in the Galapagos Islands

Reports claim that the Lenin Moreno administration of Ecuador has agreed that US military planes can operate from an airport in the Galapagos Islands.

Ecuador's defence minister said to have made the announcement

A recent BBC article reports: "US aircraft will be able to use San Cristobal airport, Ecuador's defence minister Oswaldo Jarrin has been quoted as saying. They will "fight drug trafficking" under a deal with Ecuador's government, Mr Jarrin said.

The Galapagos Islands are 906 km (563 miles) west of the coast of Ecuador. They are a UNESCO heritage site renowned worldwide for its unique array of plants and wildlife made famous first by Charles Darwin. Tourists from around the world travel to the Galapagos to observe its biodiversity.

Deal concerns environmentalists

Environmentalists are concerned about the impact that the military activity might have on the sensitive environment. There are also concerns about Ecuador's sovereignty. The new Moreno government has been friendly to the US. It allowed the UK to have Julian Assange arrested by the police. Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for about seven years. He faces extradition to the US.

The aircraft involved include a Boeing 777 and a Lockheed P-3 Orion, Latin American media outlet Telesur reports.

Ecuadorean lawmakers also express concerns

Legislators in the Ecuadorean parliament have asked Jarrin and Marcelo Mata the environment minister to indicate the scope of co-operation with the US in the use of the islands. They also want information on the proposal to extend runways at the San Cristobal airport from which the US planes will operate. Marcela Cevallos a legislator said the US plans would alarm conservationists.

Carlos Viteri a member of the opposition claimed the agreement with the US was "unacceptable" and should be prohibited if it ceded an in inch of Ecuadorean territory.

Ecuadorean constitution prohibits foreign military bases

Article 5 of Ecuador's constitution says the country is a "territory of peace" and goes on "the establishment of foreign military bases or foreign facilities for military purposes shall not be allowed".

Rafael Correa, the former president, also tweeted an angry reaction to the effect that the Galapagos were not an aircraft carrier for the US. However, Mr. Jarrin assured his critics that there would be no permanence of anyone on the islands and noted that any modifications to the airfield would be paid for by the US. Jarrin said: "Galapagos is for Ecuador our aircraft carrier, it is our natural carrier, because it assures us permanence, replenishment, interception facilities and it is 1,000 kilometres from our coasts." The US Dept. of Defense has not commented as yet.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Trump angry at NY Times article on US cyber attacks on Russia

(June 17) Last weekend, the New York Times broke a story about US cyberattacks on Russia particularly against their electrical grid. The report suggests the US has placed massive malware across vital Russian systems.

US could devastate Russian infrastructure if necessary

The malware would allow the US to launch devastating infrastructure attacks on Russia at a moment's notice if the US administration should wish to do so. The report is quite credible as the US officials have been openly discussing the need to go on the offensive in cyberspace for ages. It also comes after reports of offensive US cyberattacks against Russia during the mid-term election. US counter action during the midterms is described in a NY Post article.

The New York Times article noted: "The United States is stepping up digital incursions into Russia’s electric power grid in a warning to President Vladimir V. Putin and a demonstration of how the Trump administration is using new authorities to deploy cybertools more aggressively, current and former government officials said. In interviews over the past three months, the officials described the previously unreported deployment of American computer code inside Russia’s grid and other targets as a classified companion to more publicly discussed action directed at Moscow’s disinformation and hacking units around the 2018 midterm elections. Advocates of the more aggressive strategy said it was long overdue, after years of public warnings from the Department of Homeland Security and the F.B.I. that Russia has inserted malware that could sabotage American power plants, oil and gas pipelines, or water supplies in any future conflict with the United States."

Naturally advocates of the new policy include White House hawks such as John Bolton. The aggressive cyberattacks carry the risk of escalating the developing Cold War with Russia.

Trump's reaction to the New York Times report

Trump was outraged by the article even though the information it contains is actually available if not widely circulated. He goes beyond calling the New York Times, the "Enemy of the People" as he has done in the past. Now Trump claims that even publishing the story is "a virtual act of Treason". He accused the New York Times of being willing to publish any story "even if it is bad for our country".

Trump raged on over the weekend about the Times dishonesty. He then postulated within six years the Times and Trump's other media bête noire the Washington Post would both be gone forever at a time when he claims that his supporters will insist he remain in office beyond his two-term limit.

Trump often has flights of fancy in a series of tweets. However, the Times article which just makes clear what has been already revealed from other sources seems to have really set him going. The last thing that this supposedly transparent and populist president wants is to reveal obvious aggressive behavior on the part of the US. Of course the Russians already know what is happening. They are meant to so that they know if they attack the US then they will pay dearly.

Previously published in the Digital Journal