Tag Archives: Russia

Reuters reports: U.S. President Donald Trump called it an “honor” to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time and said he looked forward to positive things happening in the relationship between the former Cold War rivals. “Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it’s going very well,” Trump told reporters, sitting alongside Putin who …

The New York Times reports: Since May, hackers have been penetrating the computer networks of companies that operate nuclear power stations and other energy facilities, as well as manufacturing plants in the United States and other countries. Among the companies targeted was the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, which runs a nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kan., according to security …

The Telegraph reports: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met for the first time after months of intense speculation about their relationship – and Mr Trump appeared to give the Russian leader slap on the back. The highly anticipated handshake happened earlier and was caught on camera by journalists at the G20 Summit in Hamburg. A …

From Russia’s TASS agency: US President Donald Trump’s possible question on the LGBT rights in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Chechnya at the upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t be left unanswered, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday. “If there is such a question [on gay rights] then there will be an answer,” Peskov said, pledging: …

Politico reports: The Trump Organization has renewed its claim on more than 1,000 of the web domains registered by its general counsel, including some politically sensitive websites such as TrumpRussia.com and TrumpTowerMoscow.com. The company, which President Donald Trump’s two adult sons are managing while he serves in the White House but from which he has not divested, has reserved thousands …

The Guardian reports: The spread of Russian-made fake news stories aimed at discrediting Hillary Clinton on social media is emerging as an important line of inquiry in multiple investigations into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Investigators are looking into whether Trump supporters and far-right websites coordinated with Moscow over the release of fake news, including stories implicating …

From the same Russian Orthodox television network as the previous post: Duma Committee on International Affairs member Vitaly Milonov promised to appeal to German bishops with a request to excommunicate Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel for legalizing same-sex marriages. The decision was made by the deputies of the Bundestag on Friday, June 30. “I will appeal to the bishops of Germany …

The Independent reports: Gay people in Russia have been asked to compete for a one-way plane ticket out of the country by an Orthodox Christian television channel. “If you are gay and wish to emigrate from Russia, channel Constantinople will buy you a one way ticket with great pleasure”, Tsargrad TV writes in the video’s description, complete with emojis of …

From the Wall Street Journal: Before the 2016 presidential election, a longtime Republican opposition researcher mounted an independent campaign to obtain emails he believed were stolen from Hillary Clinton’s private server, likely by Russian hackers. In conversations with members of his circle and with others he tried to recruit to help him, the GOP operative, Peter W. Smith, implied he …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week at the G20 summit, the White House confirmed Thursday. Trump’s highly-anticipated first meeting with his Russian counterpart will come on the sidelines of the summit in Hamburg, Germany, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster told reporters in an off-camera briefing. McMaster, joined by National Economic Council …

Via press release: The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus commended the House of Representatives for passing H.Res.351, a bipartisan resolution condemning the detention, torture, and murders of gay and bisexual men in Chechnya. H.Res.351 was introduced by LGBT Caucus founding member and former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27) on May 23rd and passed in the House Foreign …

Politico reports: CNN’s decision to retract a story published last week tying a member of President Donald Trump’s transition team to ongoing Russia investigations offered the president an opportunity Tuesday morning to attack perhaps his favorite media target, which he labeled “fake news” and questioned for publishing “phony stories.” The story in question, published late last week, reported that the …

The Washington Post reports: FBI agents have repeatedly questioned former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page about his contacts with Russians and his interactions with the Trump campaign, according to people familiar with the investigation. Over a series of five meetings in March, totaling about 10 hours of questioning, Page repeatedly denied wrongdoing when asked about allegations that he may have …

The Hill reports: President Trump believes Russia “probably” was behind the election-related hacking last year but thinks other nations were possibly involved as well, his top spokesman said Monday. “The statement he made in January is consistent with what he said the other day, which is that he believes that Russia probably was involved, potentially some other countries as well …

The Hill reports: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday the Obama administration made “a very serious mistake” for not taking action against Russia after learning of election meddling. “I think the administration needed to call out Russia earlier, needed to act to deter and punish Russia earlier and that was a very serious mistake,” Schiff told host Dana Bash on …

The Washington Examiner reports: The Green Party’s Jill Stein says a recent spike in interest about a photo of her having dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin can be traced to Democrats “looking for someone to blame” for their election struggles. The photo, from late 2015, shows Stein seated at a table at a Moscow gala with Putin and Mike …

The Washington Post reports: Early last August, an envelope with extraordinary handling restrictions arrived at the White House. Sent by courier from the CIA, it carried “eyes only” instructions that its contents be shown to just four people: President Barack Obama and three senior aides. The White House debated various options to punish Russia, but facing obstacles and potential risks, …

Unshockingly, Trump is twisting what Johnson said. Jeh Johnson, the former Homeland Security chief, says he wasn’t aware that the FBI had opened a counterintelligence investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, asked Johnson if former FBI Director Jim Comey would have opened such an …

CNN reports: Two of the nation’s top intelligence officials told Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team and Senate investigators, in separate meetings last week, that President Donald Trump suggested they say publicly there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russians, according to multiple sources. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers described …

Mediaite reports: Shocker: Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to President Donald Trump, believes the Russia probe is media and Democratic-driven hype. And Wednesday night on Hannity, the White House Counselor came up with a snappy turn of phrase to try to define, and ultimately, undermine it. “The media and the Democrats have this Russian concussion,” Conway said. “And they have lost muscle …