JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Israeli man critically hurt in Jerusalem terror stabbing-Palestinian terrorist shot dead after attack in Old City; Shin Bet dispels rumors assailant was a Turkish national-By Judah Ari Gross-TOI-MAR 20,18
A terrorist stabbed and critically injured an Israeli man in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday, officials said.The attacker was quickly shot dead at the scene by an Israel Police officer, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said.A Medic rushes tend to an Israeli victim of a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem on March 18, 2018. (Ir Amim) He was identified as 28-year-old Abd al-Rahman Bani Fadel, a father of two from the village of Aqraba, near the West Bank city of Nablus, the Shin Bet said.The security service dispelled rumors that the attacker was a Turkish national, saying he was a Palestinian resident of the West Bank.Portions of the Old City were closed down following the attack, police said.The victim was said to be approximately 30 years old. He sustained multiple stab wounds to the upper body and was taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.Hospital officials said the victim was brought to Shaare Zedek’s trauma center in “very serious” condition.In order to get the victim out of the narrow alleyways of the Old City, Magen David Adom used a specially designed buggy, medic Pinchas Balsberg said.The attack occurred along Hagai Street in the Old City.Once common in the Old City, stabbing attacks have waned in recent months.“I pray for the health of the person injured in the terror attack in Jerusalem,” Erdan, the public security minister, said in a tweet. “I praise the police officer who reacted swiftly and killed the terrorist and prevented further injuries.“The Israel Police will continue to take action against despicable terrorists who are incited [to violence] by the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem and throughout the country,” he added.On Friday, two Israeli soldiers were killed and two others were injured when a Palestinian man rammed his car into them as they were standing outside a military observation post along a highway near the Mevo Dotan settlement in the northern West Bank.
Netanyahu warns donors to Gaza their aid money is being ‘buried’ in tunnels-PM implies international community is funding Hamas structures; ministers accuse terror group of misusing resources instead of solving humanitarian crisis-By Michael Bachner-TOI-MAR 20,18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the international community that its aid money to the Gaza Strip was being used by terror groups to build tunnels for attacking Israel, hours after the military said it had destroyed two such passages.“It is time for the international community to recognize that the Gaza aid money is being buried underground,” he added, addressing recent attempts at the UN to raise funds for Gaza, which is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.The comment came as donor countries and others have worked to raise money for the beleaguered Strip, which UN officials say is facing a crippling shortage of clean water among other ills.Sunday’s tunnel demolitions took place as tensions between Israel and terror groups in the Palestinian enclave have risen in recent weeks after a number of bombs exploded near IDF patrols along the border, sparking reprisal attacks.“Our policy is to take determined action against any attempt to harm us and to systematically eliminate the terror tunnel infrastructure, and we shall continue to do so,” Netanyahu said.According to IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus, the cross-border passage destroyed Sunday was an “old tunnel” that was built before the 2014 Gaza war and partially destroyed during the conflict. He said Hamas was trying to “revive” the passage by connecting an intact portion that penetrated Israeli territory to a new tunnel.The other target, which was destroyed by Israeli fighter jets around midnight on Saturday, was a “subterranean complex” in the central Gaza Strip, according to Conricus.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman ascribed the army’s destruction of the tunnels to “high quality intelligence and breakthrough technology.”“Whoever thought they could attack us from underground has come up against an iron wall,” he said, referring to an Israeli wall being built underneath the border to thwart tunnel-building. “Hamas invested billions in its tunnel project and now they’re drowning in the sand. I recommend that Hamas invest its money in the welfare of the citizens of Gaza because by the end of the year its tunnel project will be destroyed.”Intelligence Minister Israel Katz congratulated the army for its “successful operation,” and echoed the accusation against Hamas by saying the terror group was using its resources for “hate and death rather than for its own people’s well-being.”Deputy Minister Michael Oren (Kulanu) slammed Hamas for “using its money to build tunnels at the expense of Gaza residents while the humanitarian situation worsens.”But Oren also cautioned that Israel shouldn’t be dragged into an all-out war with Hamas. He argued that would be playing to the hands of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, both weakening his political rivals and delegitimizing Israel in the eyes of the international community.Since October 30, Israel has destroyed four border-crossing tunnels that entered Israeli territory from Gaza, three of them belonging to Hamas and the fourth to the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. In addition, several tunnels located inside the coastal enclave have also been targeted using a newly developed system that allows Israel to hit them from the air.Army officials have said that they expect to find and destroy more tunnels as construction of the barrier continues.Sunday’s border-crossing tunnel was first discovered by the Israel Defense Forces in July 2014 and was partially destroyed during the war, Conricus told reporters.However, since the 2014 campaign, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge, Hamas has been trying to reconnect what remained of the tunnel to a new passage being dug in southern Gaza, he said.Breaking: Using precise intel and new tech, IDF thwarted attempt by Hamas to renew old terror tunnel near Kerem Shalom. 4th tunnel since November. Hamas is responsible for all hostile acts from Gaza and we will continue to defend our people and border. pic.twitter.com/p7x3xjj5OB— Jonathan Conricus (@LTCJonathan) March 18, 2018-Conricus said the army had been monitoring the group’s attempts to rebuild the tunnel for several weeks, but that Hamas had likely been working on the site for far longer.He said the connection point between the old and new tunnels was located some 200 meters from the border.The spokesperson added that the army used a new technique to destroy the tunnel that would prevent Hamas from being able to use it again, but would not elaborate on its nature.Conricus said he could not describe the underground infrastructure destroyed in central Gaza, beyond saying that it was used by the Hamas terrorist group for “military purposes.”According to the spokesperson, the destruction of this “subterranean complex” was in response to the bombing that took place on the border fence that was meant to injure Israeli soldiers, but failed to do so.Israeli officials have for years warned that Hamas and other groups were trying to rebuild the tunnel infrastructure, which were used extensively during the 2014 war in attacks on soldiers. Israelis fear the tunnels could be used to carry out attacks on communities or army posts near the border.A video by Hamas published recently showed the group displaying what it said was renewed tunnel building. It was not clear if the tunnel in the video was among those destroyed Sunday.On Saturday, after the bomb planted near the Israel-Gaza border exploded, causing no casualties, Israeli tanks also destroyed a Hamas post in the area in response to the bombing.The IDF said there were no troops near the bomb when it detonated, the latest in a series of attempted bomb attacks on Israeli troops.Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.
Syria’s President Assad visits troops on Ghouta’s front line-Heavily guarded leader poses with soldiers in area recently captured by his forces near Damascus-By AP-TOI-MAR 20,18
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian President Bashar Assad visited troops Sunday on the front line in the newly captured areas of eastern Ghouta, near the capital Damascus, according to images broadcast on state media and on the presidency sites.In the images carried by al-Ikhbariya TV, Assad stood near a tank and was surrounded by soldiers on a street in eastern Ghouta, the region near Damascus where a government offensive has been underway over the past month. The soldiers cheered and pumped fists in the air. Assad, who wore a suit with no tie, flashed smiles and stopped for chats with soldiers. Some soldiers posed with him, taking selfies. It was not clear where in eastern Ghouta Assad was.The images were posted on the official Presidency social media sites. “On the front lines in eastern Ghouta, President Assad with the heroes of the Arab Syrian Army,” the Presidency page said.Earlier Sunday, state media said Syrian troops had entered Saqba, a town in a southern pocket of eastern Ghouta.It was the latest town to be captured by the Syrian troops and allied militia in a swift advance over the last few days. Al-Ikhbariya TV hailed it as a “major victory.”The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian government is now in control of over 80 percent of the area, which has been a rebel stronghold since 2012.Over the last week, Syrian troops and allied fighters divided the sprawling eastern Ghouta region into three parts, isolating residential areas and facilitating the military advance. Tens of thousands of residents have fled the southern pocket of the eastern Ghouta.On Sunday, and after days of relative calm in the northern pocket, the Observatory reported new intense shelling on Douma, the largest town in eastern Ghouta.
Second soldier victim of West Bank car ramming buried-Ziv Daos, 21, laid to rest hours after fellow victim Netanel Kahalani; 'He should be saying Kaddish for me,' his father says at funeral-By TOI staff-MAR 20,18
Captain Ziv Daos, 21, who was killed Friday in a car ramming attack in the West Bank, was buried Sunday at the military cemetery in Holon, in central Israel.“He should be saying Kaddish [the mourner’s prayer] for me,” his father said over the grave, weeping. “This is unnatural. He should bury me. Why do they take the good ones?”Thousands attended the funeral for Daos, from the central town of Azor, including friends and comrades from his Homefront Command rescue battalion; two cabinet ministers representing the government, Yoav Galant and Ofir Akunis; and MK Moti Yogev.His uncle Yoni eulogized the young officer. “Don’t talk to me about him in past tense. Don’t say, ‘He is gone and won’t be coming back.’ Ziv, you will be with us forever, your memory will never leave our hearts. Your quiet, shy smile that conquered us all. You left an empty space in the hearts of us all.”Sgt. Netanel Kahalani, 20, the other soldier killed in the attack, was buried early on Sunday in the cemetery in his hometown of Elyakim in northern Israel, also with thousands in attendance.On Friday afternoon, 26-year-old Ala Qabha rammed his car into the group of soldiers outside a military post in the northern West Bank, near the Mevo Dotan settlement, killing Kahalani and Daos. The army later designated the car-ramming a terror attack.On Saturday, the Shin Bet security service said Qabha confessed to carrying out the attack. It said Qabha initially claimed the ramming was an accident, but later changed his story, and said it was deliberate and that he had intended to kill soldiers.Two other soldiers, who were seriously injured in the terror attack, remained in the hospital as of Sunday.
Trump will nix Iran nuke deal, senior Republican predicts-Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker says Europeans look unlikely to amend pact before May 12 deadline-By Sue Surkes-TOI-MAR 20,18
Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the most influential Republicans, predicted Sunday that US President Donald Trump will not extend the nuclear deal with Iran when it comes up for renewal on May 12.Speaking to CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Corker, the outgoing senator from Tennessee, said, “Right now, it doesn’t feel like it’s gonna be extended.“I think the president likely will move away from it, unless our European counterparts really come together on a framework,” he said. “And it doesn’t feel to me that they are.”Asked whether he thought the president would pull out of the Iran deal, Corker replied, “I do. I do.”The pact — reached in 2015 during the Obama administration between Iran on one side and the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany on the other — limits Iran’s enrichment and its stockpiling of material that can be used to create nuclear weapons. In exchange, Tehran was granted widespread relief from international trade, oil and banking sanctions.In January, Trump said the deal, which he has called “disastrous,” had to be “fixed” by May 12, when it next comes up for review, or the United States would walk away from it.Corker said that while the Europeans wanted to keep the deal in place, they were having problems reaching a common position on the so-called sunset provisions, vehemently opposed by Trump, which will expire in eight to 13 years, freeing Iran from many of the pact’s provisions.Corker’s remarks echoed those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told members of his cabinet a week ago that Trump would walk away from the deal in May, Channel 10 reported.According to a report last week in the Axios news website, Trump told Netanyahu that he was demanding “significant changes” to the 2015 accord and vowed to walk away from it unless the European countries fixed it. However, Trump said that so far, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom had only offered “cosmetic changes,” the report said, quoting Israeli officials.“I believe Trump is very close to canceling the nuclear agreement,” Netanyahu reportedly told his ministers. “The president spoke in the presence of his staff and senior government officials when he told me that if there is no significant change, he’ll pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.”Political analysts are also questioning whether Trump’s firing-by-Twitter last week of secretary of state Rex Tillerson, and the appointment of anti-Iran hardliner Mike Pompeo in his stead, means Washington will kill the deal.On Friday, officials from the US, Russia and other major world powers in charge of assessing the implementation of the deal met in Vienna with delegates from Iran, amid growing questions about the US commitment to the plan.Also on Friday, Germany, the UK and France suggested that the European Union impose new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program as well as its actions in Syria, in an effort to stop the US from exiting the nuclear deal with Tehran, Reuters reported Friday.On Monday, EU foreign ministers will meet to discuss the issue in Brussels, and are expected to affirm that they believe the deal with Iran is good, and work to discourage Trump from pulling out. At the same time, they’re expected to start putting greater stress on Iran’s missile development and its destabilizing role in the region.Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Turkish forces and Syrian allies drive Kurds from Afrin-[Reuters]-By Dominic Evans and Lisa Barrington-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies swept into the northwestern Syrian town of Afrin on Sunday, raising their flags in the town center and declaring full control after an eight-week campaign to drive out Kurdish YPG forces.A spokesman for the rebel fighters said they entered Afrin before dawn, meeting no resistance. A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said pockets of YPG fighters defied orders to withdraw, but Turkish forces were in control.The fight for Afrin, a once stable pocket of northwest Syria, has opened a new front in Syria's multi-sided civil war and highlighted the ever greater role of foreign powers such as Turkey in the seven-year-old conflict.Ankara says Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters are an extension of a militant group waging an insurgency inside Turkey, and vowed to crush what it described as a "terror corridor" of YPG-controlled territory along Turkey's southern border with Syria.It launched its campaign eight weeks ago and has threatened to extend the offensive to another Kurdish-controlled region further east where U.S. forces are stationed alongside the YPG, Washington's ally against Islamic State in Syria."Afrin city center is under control as of 8:30 this morning," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a rally commemorating the World War One Gallipoli campaign, adding that Turkish and Free Syrian Army flags had been raised in the town center."Most of the terrorists have already fled with tails between their legs. Our special forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are cleaning the remains and the traps they left behind," Erdogan said. "In the center of Afrin, symbols of trust and stability are waving instead of rags of terrorists."An official from the local Kurdish authority said Kurdish forces were present across the Afrin region and would "strike the positions of the Turkish enemy and its mercenaries at every opportunity.""Our forces all over Afrin will become a constant nightmare for them," Othman Sheikh Issa, co-chair of the Afrin executive council, said in a televised statement.STATUE TORN DOWN-A Whatsapp group run by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces said Turkish and Syrian rebel troops tore down a statue in Afrin, in what it called a "blatant violation of Kurdish people's culture and history".Turkey's armed forces said that troops were combing the streets for mines and improvised explosive devices.Free Syrian Army spokesman Mohammad al-Hamadeen said the fighters entered the town from the north, east and west. Kurdish forces had pulled back to Syrian government-controlled areas around the city of Aleppo, or to the Kurdish-held region east of the Euphrates river, he said."Maybe (Afrin) will be cleared by the end of the day -- it's empty of fighters, they cleared out," Hamadeen told Reuters.Turkey's government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said the military campaign would continue to secure areas around Afrin and make sure food and medicine were available."We have more to do. But the project of building a terrorism corridor and building a terrorist state is over," he said.The World Food Programme said it was distributing food to 25,000 people in the nearby towns of Nubl and Zahra, including people just arriving from Afrin.More than 150,000 people fled Afrin in recent days, the Syrian Observatory said, as Turkey pressed on with its campaign despite a U.N. Security Council call for a 30-day ceasefire across Syria.Ankara said the demand did not apply to Afrin, but its operation has faced criticism in the West.France's foreign minister said Turkey's concerns for its border security did not justify "the deep incursion of Turkish troops in the Afrin zone", which could also weaken international action against remaining Islamic State fighters in Syria.France, like the United States, has given arms and training to a YPG-led militia in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, and also has dozens of special forces personnel based in the region.(Additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen and Irem Koca in Istanbul, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Editing by Angus MacSwan and Richard Balmforth)
U.S. Air Force identifies seven killed in Iraq helicopter crash-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force identified seven men who died in a helicopter crash in western Iraq on Thursday.Those killed were Mark Weber, 29, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Andreas O'Keeffe, 37, of Center Moriches, New York; Christopher Zanetis, 37, of Long Island City, New York; Christopher Raguso, 39, of Commack, New York; Dashan Briggs, 30, of Port Jefferson Station, New York; William Posch, 36, of Indialantic, Florida; and Carl Enis, 31, of Tallahassee, Florida.There were no survivors of the crash, the Department of Defense said in an earlier statement.The crash, which did not appear to be the result of enemy activity, is under investigation, the U.S. Central Command said in an earlier statement.The military said a second accompanying American helicopter immediately reported the crash and Iraqi security forces and coalition members secured the area.Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity and citing initial reports, said on Thursday the aircraft crashed near al-Qaim, a town in Anbar province close to the Syrian border.The United States says it has about 5,200 troops in Iraq that are part of a coalition fighting Islamic State militants.(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Chris Reese)
North Korean diplomat heads to Finland ahead of possible U.S. talks-[Reuters]-By Yuna Park and Joseph Campbell-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - A senior North Korean diplomat left for Finland on Sunday for talks with former U.S. and South Korean officials, Yonhap News Agency reported, amid a series of diplomatic encounters ahead of a possible U.S.-North Korean summit.North Korea is pursuing its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions and has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.It defends the programs as a necessary deterrent against a possible U.S. invasion. The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea but denies any invasion plans.Tensions have eased in recent weeks, coinciding with North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics held in the South last month.Choe Kang Il, a deputy director general for North American affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry, plans to attend the "track 1.5 talks", according to Yonhap, reflecting planned contact between former U.S. officials and current North Korean ones in a broader bid to end the standoff over North Korea's weapons programs.South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement North Korea would participate in the meeting joined by former South Korean officials and academics but did not provide further details.The talks in Finland will add to a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of the proposed North Korean summits with South Korea and the United States, respectively, in April and May.Arriving at a Beijing airport en route to Finland, Choe declined to comment.In Washington, a State Department representative said they had no information on the meeting in Finland.North Korean and Swedish foreign ministers ended three days of talks on Saturday on security on the Korean peninsula in preparation of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.South Korea said on Friday it was seeking high-level talks this month with North Korea to prepare for a summit and that South Korean President Moon Jae-in may meet Trump before the U.S. president's planned meeting with the North Korean leader.In a telephone call, Moon and Trump both voiced "cautious optimism" about efforts to resolve the crisis over North Korea's nuclear weapons.In an interview broadcast Sunday by CBS News' Face the Nation, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha noted that Kim has "in effect" met a condition for talks by making a commitment "in clear terms" to denuclearization."He's given his word," said Kang, referring to discussions that South Korean officials held with Kim in Pyongyang earlier this month. "But the significance of his word is - is quite - quite weighty in the sense that it is the first time that the words came directly from the North Korean supreme leader himself."Kang stressed that Kim will receive "no reward" for engaging in dialogue and that South Korea and the United States will be pressing the North Korean leader to take unspecified "actions" in order for there to be any progress.(Reporting by Yuna Park in SEOUL, Joseph Campbell in BEIJING and Jonathan Landay and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON. Editing by Nick Macfie and Lisa Shumaker)
Putin wins fourth term with 73.9% of vote — exit poll-Russian president heading for another 6 years in office; runner-up, Communist Pavel Grudinin, scores just 11.2%-By Agencies-TOI-MAR 18,18
Vladimir Putin was projected Sunday to win the Russian presidential election with 73.9 percent of the vote, securing a fourth Kremlin term, according to an exit poll by state-owned pollster VTsIOM.The poll covered 161,000 respondents at 1,200 precincts in 68 Russian provinces and had a margin of error of no more than 3.5%. VTsIOM said in a statement that over 37% of those polled refused to say whom they voted for.The exit poll findings looked similar to early results from Russia’s Far East, where the presidential vote ended eight hours ago. The Central Election Commission said that with 21% of all precincts counted, Putin was leading the race with 71.9% of the vote.The exit poll showed Communist candidate Pavel Grudinin in second place with 11.2% of the vote, while ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky came in third with 6.7%.Victory in the election will see Putin serve another six years in office.
Russia votes but outcome is clear: 6 more years of Putin-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 18, 2018
MOSCOW — Russia's presidential election was tainted Sunday by unprecedented pressure on voters to turn out and incidents of suspected ballot box stuffing — a barely democratic exercise that will grant Vladimir Putin another six years of power.His critics have called the election a farce and urged voters to boycott, but millions of Russians hail the 65-year-old former KGB officer for defending their proud nation from a hostile outside world.Putin is facing seven challengers on the ballot but the outcome of the vote is pre-ordained, given his high popularity ratings. The major goal for Russian authorities is producing a big turnout that will hand Putin the legitimacy he craves and provide a convincing mandate for his fourth term.Sunday's election is expected to further embolden the Russian president both at home and in world affairs. It could also strengthen his hand if he decides to extend his rule beyond 2024 by abolishing term limits — like neighbouring China has just done — or by shifting into another position of power.Casting his ballot in Moscow, Putin was confident of victory, saying he would consider any percentage of votes a success."The program that I propose for the country is the right one," he declared.Given the lack of real competition, authorities are struggling against voter apathy — and have put many of Russia's nearly 111 million voters under intense pressure to cast ballots.Yevgeny, a 43-year-old mechanic voting in central Moscow, said he briefly wondered whether it was worth voting."But the answer was easy ... if I want to keep working, I vote," he said. He said his bosses haven't asked for proof of voting but he fears they will. He spoke on condition that his last name not be used out of concern that his employer — the Moscow city government — would find out.Across the country in the city of Yekaterinburg, a doctor also said she was being coerced to vote.When she hadn't voted by midday, "The chief of my unit called me and said I was the only one who hadn't voted," said the doctor, Yekaterina, who spoke on condition her last name not be used because she fears repercussions.Yevgeny Roizman, the mayor of Yekaterinburg, told The Associated Press that local officials and state employees have all received orders "from higher up" to make sure the presidential vote turnout is over 60 per cent .In Moscow, first-time voters were being given free tickets for pop concerts, and health authorities were offering free cancer screenings at selected polling stations.Voters cast ballots from the Pacific coast to Siberia and Moscow. Voting concludes at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT; 2 p.m. EDT) in Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave that is Russia's westernmost region and initial results are expected shortly afterward.Voters appeared to be turning in out in larger numbers Sunday than in Russia's last presidential election in 2012, when Putin faced a serious opposition movement and violations like multiple voting, ballot stuffing and coercion marred the voting. Voting fraud was widespread in Russia's 2011 parliamentary vote, triggering massive protests in Moscow against Putin's rule.Election authorities said turnout nationwide Sunday was about 52 per cent at 5 p.m. Moscow time.Some 145,000 observers were monitoring the voting in the world's largest country, including 1,500 foreigners and representatives from opposition leader Alexei Navalny's movement, and they and ordinary Russians reported hundreds of voting problems.Some examples: ballot boxes being stuffed with extra ballots in multiple regions; an election official assaulting an observer; CCTV cameras obscured by flags or nets from watching ballot boxes; discrepancies in ballot numbers; last-minute voter registration changes likely designed to boost turnout and a huge pro-Putin board inside one polling station.Russian election officials moved quickly to respond to some of the violations. They suspended the chief of a polling station near Moscow where a ballot stuffing incident was reported and sealed the ballot box. A man accused of tossing multiple ballots into a box in the far eastern town of Artyom was arrested.Speaking from his Moscow headquarters, Navalny dismissed Putin's challengers on the ballot as "puppets," urged Russian voters to boycott the presidential election as he was doing and vowed to continue defying the Kremlin with street protests.Russian authorities had appealed to patriotic feelings by holding Sunday's election on the anniversary of Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.That insulted the Ukrainian government, which refused to let ordinary Russians vote, drawing angry protests from Russian officials. Ukraine security forces blocked the Russian Embassy in Kyiv and consulates elsewhere Sunday as the government protested the voting in Crimea, whose annexation is still not internationally recognized.Ukrainian leaders are also angry over Russian support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed at least 10,000 people since 2014.Polls show that most Russians view the takeover of the Black Sea peninsula as a major achievement despite subsequent Western sanctions. Putin also revved up his popularity by taking on Islamic State extremists in Syria."Who am I voting for? Who else?" asked Putin supporter Andrei Borisov, 70, a retired engineer in Moscow. "The others, it's a circus."He expressed hope that Putin will continue to stand up to the United States and the West and will improve living standards at home.During the campaign, Putin travelled across Russia pledging to raise wages, spend more on the country's crumbling health care and education and modernize Russia's dilapidated infrastructure.Presidential challenger Ksenia Sobchak, a 36-year-old TV host, urged Putin's critics to "come together" and vote Sunday instead of boycotting.Speaking after voting, she said boycotting just makes Putin's support look higher than it is and means ordinary Russians will face an even tougher system in his next term.Critics think Sobchak has the tacit support of the Kremlin so the election appears more democratic, which she denies. She is the only candidate who has openly criticized Putin.As U.S. authorities investigate alleged Russian interference in the country's 2016 presidential election, Moscow has warned of possible U.S. meddling in the Russian vote.And sure enough, the Central Election Commission claimed Sunday it had been the target of a hacking attempt. It said authorities had deterred the denial of service attack coming from 15 unidentified nations but gave few details of how serious it was.___Vasilyeva reported from Yekaterinburg, Russia. Yuras Karmanau in Minsk, Belarus, Jim Heintz and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed.__Nataliya Vasilyeva And Angela Charlton, The Associated Press.
Republican senator expects Trump to pull out of Iran deal: CBS-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he expects President Donald Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement in May."The Iran deal will be another issue that's coming up in May, and right now it doesn't feel like it's gonna be extended," Corker told CBS' "Face the Nation" in an interview broadcast Sunday."I think the president likely will move away from it unless my, our European counterparts really come together on a framework. And it doesn't feel to me that they are," he said.Britain, France and Germany have proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles program and its role in Syria's war in a bid to persuade Washington to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.The proposal is part of an EU strategy to save the accord signed by world powers that curbs Tehran's ability to develop nuclear weapons, namely by showing U.S. President Donald Trump there are other ways to counter Iranian power abroad.Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories on Jan. 12. It said they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal," which was agreed under his predecessor Barack Obama, or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief on Iran. U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh "waivers" to suspend them on May 12.Asked if he believed Trump would pull out on May 12, the deadline for the president to issue a new waiver to suspend Iran sanctions as part of the deal, Corker responded, "I do. I do."(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Florida school aware of bridge crack before collapse that killed six-[Reuters]-By Zachary Fagenson-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
MIAMI (Reuters) - Engineers and state and university officials met hours before a new pedestrian bridge collapsed in southern Florida, killing six people, but concluded a crack in the structure was not a safety concern, Florida International University said on Saturday.The meeting on Thursday involved FIGG, which is the private contractor for the overall bridge design, the school, Florida Department of Transportation officials and Munilla Construction Management, which installed the $14.2 million bridge.A FIGG engineer "concluded there were no safety concerns and the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge," the university said in a statement.About three hours after the meeting ended, the 950-ton bridge collapsed, crushing vehicles stopped at a traffic light on the eight-lane roadway below.Six people died, including five whose bodies were recovered on Saturday as workers pulled out vehicles from the rubble, officials said.Police had feared the death toll could rise above six. But authorities found what they believe to be the last body on Saturday, Miami-Dade Police Department director Juan Perez told a news conference."We're going to go once again and make sure that there's nobody else down there, but we're pretty confident that no one's left," he said.Four of the victims found on Saturday were identified by police as Rolando Fraga Hernandez, Oswald Gonzalez and Alberto Arias and Alexa Duran. The name of another person whose body was removed from the rubble Saturday was not immediately available.Another victim, who died in a hospital after the collapse, was identified by police as Navarro Brown.The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the reasons for the bridge's collapse.News of the meeting between engineers and officials followed a revelation late on Friday that the engineer overseeing the bridge, which linked the university campus with the city of Sweetwater, had called a state official two days before the collapse to report cracks.However, the voicemail message from FIGG's lead engineer Denney Pate, including his assertion the cracking posed no safety issue, was not retrieved until Friday, a day after the tragedy, according to the state transportation agency.Pate did not immediately respond to email queries.(Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Barbara Goldberg in New York, Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Bill Trott, Paul Simao and Edwina Gibbs)
THE TRUMP HATERS ARE OUT IN FULL GEAR-BUT TRUMP IS FIGHTING BACK.AND THE STUPID LIBS DO NOT REALISE IT WAS THE FBI THEMSELVES THAT WANTED MCCABE FIRED, NOT TRUMP. FOR LYING TO THE FBI. ENOUGH WITH THIS LIBERAL MEDIA LIES.
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-Mar 17-As the House Intelligence Committee has concluded, there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump Campaign. As many are now finding out, however, there was tremendous leaking, lying and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI, Justice & State. #DrainTheSwamp
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-Mar 17-The Fake News is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars was given to wife’s campaign by Crooked H friend, Terry M, who was also under investigation? How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-Wow, watch Comey lie under oath to Senator G when asked “have you ever been an anonymous source...or known someone else to be an anonymous source...?” He said strongly “never, no.” He lied as shown clearly on @foxandfriends.
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don’t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey. Can we call them Fake Memos?
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!
Kamala Harris-Verified account @KamalaHarris-Mar 17-Jeff Sessions needs to testify immediately before the Judiciary Committee to answer questions on the firing of Andrew McCabe. He must explain the DOJ’s process and whether this is an attempt to target, punish or silence those investigating Russia and the Trump campaign.
#ThePersistence-Verified account @ScottPresler-MAR 18-Andrew McCabe's wife received $700,000 from democrats, while Peter Strzok - who changed Comey's "grossly negligent" statement - enacted a coup against President Trump & the hardened democrats were paying an ex-MI6 Moscow field agent to interfere in our elections.
John O. Brennan-Verified account @JohnBrennan-Mar 17-John O. Brennan Retweeted Donald J. Trump-When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you.
Trump critics attack firing of FBI's McCabe as political move-[Reuters]-By Amanda Becker-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats and other Trump administration critics on Saturday attacked the firing of No. 2 FBI official Andrew McCabe as a politically motivated and vindictive move, while some Republicans praised U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for decisive action.Sessions fired McCabe late on Friday, just two days before the FBI official would have been eligible to retire with a full pension, saying an internal Justice Department watchdog found he leaked information and misled investigators.McCabe, who played a key role in the FBI probes of Hillary Clinton and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, said he believed he was fired for corroborating former FBI Director James Comey's claim that President Donald Trump had tried to pressure Comey into killing the Russian investigation.Trump described McCabe's firing as a "great day" in a post on Twitter on Friday, prompting a scathing response from John Brennan, a former head of the Central Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration."When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history," Brennan wrote on Saturday.Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on MSNBC that McCabe's dismissal was "very vindictive.""It also is a reflection on the administration's disdain for the FBI itself. I just think this is outrageous. The Department of Justice, the FBI, should be independent and this type of political behavior should be unacceptable," Cardin said.Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, who serves on the judiciary and intelligence committees, called on Sessions to testify before Congress to determine whether McCabe's firing was a retaliation against those investigating Russian election interference and Moscow's alleged ties to Trump's campaign.Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte, who heads the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, said in a statement on Saturday that McCabe's actions had "tarnished" the FBI's reputation."I applaud Attorney General Jeff Sessions for taking action and firing former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe prior to his scheduled retirement," Goodlatte said.Comey has testified that he believes his own firing by Trump in May was a move to undermine the FBI's investigation of possible collusion between the Russians and Trump campaign officials. Trump has denied such ties.After Comey's ouster, Trump said in a televised interview that he fired him over "this Russia thing."Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tapped Special Counsel Robert Mueller to lead the Russia probe after Sessions recused himself from the investigation due to his role in Trump's campaign.Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, said in a statement on Saturday that Rosenstein should follow the "brilliant and courageous example" set by Sessions' firing of McCabe, urging him to "bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe's boss James Comey."(Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld, Daniel Wallis and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Paul Simao)
McCabe kept memos on Trump dealings; Mueller now has them-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON — Andrew McCabe, the onetime FBI deputy director long scorned by President Donald Trump and just fired by the attorney general, kept personal memos detailing interactions with the president that have been provided to the special counsel's office and are similar to the notes compiled by dismissed FBI chief James Comey, The Associated Press has learned.The memos could factor into special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as his team examines Trump campaign ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice.McCabe's memos include details of his own interactions with the president, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who wasn't authorized to discuss the notes publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. They also recount different conversations he had with Comey, who kept notes on meetings with Trump that unnerved him.Though the precise contents are unknown, the memos possibly could help substantiate McCabe's assertion that he was unfairly maligned by a White House he says had declared "war" on the FBI and Mueller's investigation. They almost certainly contain, as Comey's memos did, previously undisclosed details about encounters between the Trump administration and FBI that could be of interest to Mueller.The disclosure Saturday came hours after Trump called McCabe's firing by Attorney General Jeff Sessions "a great day for Democracy" and asserted without elaboration that McCabe knew "all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels off the FBI!" In the last year, Trump has repeatedly condemned McCabe as emblematic of an FBI that he insists is biased against his administration.That sent former CIA Director John Brennan, an outspoken Trump critic, into a Twitter tizzy: "When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you."Sessions said he acted on the recommendation of FBI disciplinary officials who said McCabe had not been candid with a watchdog office investigation. McCabe was fired two days before his retirement date on Sunday. The dismissal likely jeopardizes his ability to collect his full pension benefits and, more broadly, could add to the turmoil that has enveloped the FBI since Comey's firing and as the bureau moves ahead with an investigation the White House has dismissed as a hoax.An upcoming inspector general's report is expected to conclude that McCabe, who spent more than 20 years with the FBI, had authorized the release of information to the media and was not forthcoming with the watchdog office as it examined the bureau's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. McCabe has vigorously disputed the allegations and said his credibility had been attacked as "part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally" but also the FBI and law enforcement."It is part of this administration's ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the special counsel investigation, which continue to this day," he added. "Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the special counsel's work."The firing set off dueling tweets between Trump, who called the termination a "great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI," and Comey, the director he fired 10 months ago.Trump called Comey "sanctimonious" and said Comey made McCabe "look like a choirboy." Comey, referencing his highly anticipated book that comes out next month, responded with his own tweet: "Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honourable and who is not."Also Saturday, Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, cited the "brilliant and courageous example" by Sessions and the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility and said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should "bring an end" to the Russia investigation "manufactured" by Comey.Dowd told the AP that he neither was calling on Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller's inquiry, to fire the special counsel immediately nor had discussed with Rosenstein the idea of dismissing Mueller or ending the probe.Mueller is investigating whether Trump's actions, including Comey's ouster, constitute obstruction of justice. McCabe could be an important witness, and his memos could be used by investigators as they look into whether Trump sought to thwart the FBI probe. Comey's own memos, including one in which he says Trump encouraged him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, have been provided to Mueller and are part of his investigation.McCabe, in a statement defending himself, asserted he was singled out by the administration because of the "role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed in the aftermath" of Comey's firing last May.He became acting director after that but clashed with the Trump administration, including when he publicly rejected White House assertions that Comey had lost the support of the rank-and-file. He abruptly left the deputy director position in January and went on leave.The firing arises from an inspector general review into how the FBI handled the Clinton email investigation. That inquiry focused not only on specific decisions made by FBI leadership but also on news media leaks.McCabe came under scrutiny over an October 2016 news report that revealed differing approaches within the FBI and Justice Department over how aggressively the Clinton Foundation should be investigated. The watchdog office has concluded that McCabe authorized FBI officials to speak to a Wall Street Journal reporter for that story and that McCabe had not been forthcoming with investigators. McCabe denies it.McCabe became entangled in presidential politics in 2016 after it was revealed that his wife, during her unsuccessful run for state Senate in Virginia one year earlier, received campaign contributions from the political action committee of then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D-Va., a longtime Clinton friend. The FBI has said McCabe received the necessary ethics approval about his wife's candidacy and was not supervising the Clinton investigation at the time of the contributions.___Associated Press writer Chad Day contributed to this report.Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP-Eric Tucker, The Associated Press.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Southeast Asia, Australia 'gravely' concerned by North Korean weapons-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Southeast Asian countries and Australia said on Sunday they held "grave concerns" about escalating tension caused by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and urged "irreversible" denuclearization.North Korea is pursuing its weapons programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions and has boasted of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.It defends the programs as a necessary deterrent against perceived plans by the United States, which stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, for invasion - a plan the United States denies."We strongly urge the DPRK to immediately and fully comply with its obligations under all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions," the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia said in a joint declaration, using the initials for North Korea's official name.The country's nuclear and ballistic missile development "threaten regional and global security" the declaration added, calling for the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of the nation.Tensions have eased in recent weeks, coinciding with North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics held in the South last month.U.S. President Donald Trump also announced surprise plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before May, after Kim "committed to denuclearization", according to South Korea's National Security Office."We are cautiously encouraged by these developments," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong told reporters in Sydney after the publication of the ASEAN declaration."The situation on the Korean peninsula is a complicated problem which will take time to resolve, and we hope these recent steps will contribute to lasting peace and stability."Australia hosted ASEAN meetings this weekend, despite not being a member of the 10-nation bloc, as it seeks to tighten political and trade ties in the region amid China's rising influence.The summit focused on fostering closer economic and security ties among ASEAN and Australia, with the nations also railing against protectionist sentiment and calling for "self-restraint" in the disputed South China Sea, a regional flashpoint.(Reporting by Tom Westbrook; editing by Nick Macfie)
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Israeli man critically hurt in Jerusalem terror stabbing-Palestinian terrorist shot dead after attack in Old City; Shin Bet dispels rumors assailant was a Turkish national-By Judah Ari Gross-TOI-MAR 20,18
A terrorist stabbed and critically injured an Israeli man in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday, officials said.The attacker was quickly shot dead at the scene by an Israel Police officer, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said.A Medic rushes tend to an Israeli victim of a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem on March 18, 2018. (Ir Amim) He was identified as 28-year-old Abd al-Rahman Bani Fadel, a father of two from the village of Aqraba, near the West Bank city of Nablus, the Shin Bet said.The security service dispelled rumors that the attacker was a Turkish national, saying he was a Palestinian resident of the West Bank.Portions of the Old City were closed down following the attack, police said.The victim was said to be approximately 30 years old. He sustained multiple stab wounds to the upper body and was taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.Hospital officials said the victim was brought to Shaare Zedek’s trauma center in “very serious” condition.In order to get the victim out of the narrow alleyways of the Old City, Magen David Adom used a specially designed buggy, medic Pinchas Balsberg said.The attack occurred along Hagai Street in the Old City.Once common in the Old City, stabbing attacks have waned in recent months.“I pray for the health of the person injured in the terror attack in Jerusalem,” Erdan, the public security minister, said in a tweet. “I praise the police officer who reacted swiftly and killed the terrorist and prevented further injuries.“The Israel Police will continue to take action against despicable terrorists who are incited [to violence] by the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem and throughout the country,” he added.On Friday, two Israeli soldiers were killed and two others were injured when a Palestinian man rammed his car into them as they were standing outside a military observation post along a highway near the Mevo Dotan settlement in the northern West Bank.
Netanyahu warns donors to Gaza their aid money is being ‘buried’ in tunnels-PM implies international community is funding Hamas structures; ministers accuse terror group of misusing resources instead of solving humanitarian crisis-By Michael Bachner-TOI-MAR 20,18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the international community that its aid money to the Gaza Strip was being used by terror groups to build tunnels for attacking Israel, hours after the military said it had destroyed two such passages.“It is time for the international community to recognize that the Gaza aid money is being buried underground,” he added, addressing recent attempts at the UN to raise funds for Gaza, which is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.The comment came as donor countries and others have worked to raise money for the beleaguered Strip, which UN officials say is facing a crippling shortage of clean water among other ills.Sunday’s tunnel demolitions took place as tensions between Israel and terror groups in the Palestinian enclave have risen in recent weeks after a number of bombs exploded near IDF patrols along the border, sparking reprisal attacks.“Our policy is to take determined action against any attempt to harm us and to systematically eliminate the terror tunnel infrastructure, and we shall continue to do so,” Netanyahu said.According to IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus, the cross-border passage destroyed Sunday was an “old tunnel” that was built before the 2014 Gaza war and partially destroyed during the conflict. He said Hamas was trying to “revive” the passage by connecting an intact portion that penetrated Israeli territory to a new tunnel.The other target, which was destroyed by Israeli fighter jets around midnight on Saturday, was a “subterranean complex” in the central Gaza Strip, according to Conricus.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman ascribed the army’s destruction of the tunnels to “high quality intelligence and breakthrough technology.”“Whoever thought they could attack us from underground has come up against an iron wall,” he said, referring to an Israeli wall being built underneath the border to thwart tunnel-building. “Hamas invested billions in its tunnel project and now they’re drowning in the sand. I recommend that Hamas invest its money in the welfare of the citizens of Gaza because by the end of the year its tunnel project will be destroyed.”Intelligence Minister Israel Katz congratulated the army for its “successful operation,” and echoed the accusation against Hamas by saying the terror group was using its resources for “hate and death rather than for its own people’s well-being.”Deputy Minister Michael Oren (Kulanu) slammed Hamas for “using its money to build tunnels at the expense of Gaza residents while the humanitarian situation worsens.”But Oren also cautioned that Israel shouldn’t be dragged into an all-out war with Hamas. He argued that would be playing to the hands of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, both weakening his political rivals and delegitimizing Israel in the eyes of the international community.Since October 30, Israel has destroyed four border-crossing tunnels that entered Israeli territory from Gaza, three of them belonging to Hamas and the fourth to the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group. In addition, several tunnels located inside the coastal enclave have also been targeted using a newly developed system that allows Israel to hit them from the air.Army officials have said that they expect to find and destroy more tunnels as construction of the barrier continues.Sunday’s border-crossing tunnel was first discovered by the Israel Defense Forces in July 2014 and was partially destroyed during the war, Conricus told reporters.However, since the 2014 campaign, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge, Hamas has been trying to reconnect what remained of the tunnel to a new passage being dug in southern Gaza, he said.Breaking: Using precise intel and new tech, IDF thwarted attempt by Hamas to renew old terror tunnel near Kerem Shalom. 4th tunnel since November. Hamas is responsible for all hostile acts from Gaza and we will continue to defend our people and border. pic.twitter.com/p7x3xjj5OB— Jonathan Conricus (@LTCJonathan) March 18, 2018-Conricus said the army had been monitoring the group’s attempts to rebuild the tunnel for several weeks, but that Hamas had likely been working on the site for far longer.He said the connection point between the old and new tunnels was located some 200 meters from the border.The spokesperson added that the army used a new technique to destroy the tunnel that would prevent Hamas from being able to use it again, but would not elaborate on its nature.Conricus said he could not describe the underground infrastructure destroyed in central Gaza, beyond saying that it was used by the Hamas terrorist group for “military purposes.”According to the spokesperson, the destruction of this “subterranean complex” was in response to the bombing that took place on the border fence that was meant to injure Israeli soldiers, but failed to do so.Israeli officials have for years warned that Hamas and other groups were trying to rebuild the tunnel infrastructure, which were used extensively during the 2014 war in attacks on soldiers. Israelis fear the tunnels could be used to carry out attacks on communities or army posts near the border.A video by Hamas published recently showed the group displaying what it said was renewed tunnel building. It was not clear if the tunnel in the video was among those destroyed Sunday.On Saturday, after the bomb planted near the Israel-Gaza border exploded, causing no casualties, Israeli tanks also destroyed a Hamas post in the area in response to the bombing.The IDF said there were no troops near the bomb when it detonated, the latest in a series of attempted bomb attacks on Israeli troops.Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.
Syria’s President Assad visits troops on Ghouta’s front line-Heavily guarded leader poses with soldiers in area recently captured by his forces near Damascus-By AP-TOI-MAR 20,18
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian President Bashar Assad visited troops Sunday on the front line in the newly captured areas of eastern Ghouta, near the capital Damascus, according to images broadcast on state media and on the presidency sites.In the images carried by al-Ikhbariya TV, Assad stood near a tank and was surrounded by soldiers on a street in eastern Ghouta, the region near Damascus where a government offensive has been underway over the past month. The soldiers cheered and pumped fists in the air. Assad, who wore a suit with no tie, flashed smiles and stopped for chats with soldiers. Some soldiers posed with him, taking selfies. It was not clear where in eastern Ghouta Assad was.The images were posted on the official Presidency social media sites. “On the front lines in eastern Ghouta, President Assad with the heroes of the Arab Syrian Army,” the Presidency page said.Earlier Sunday, state media said Syrian troops had entered Saqba, a town in a southern pocket of eastern Ghouta.It was the latest town to be captured by the Syrian troops and allied militia in a swift advance over the last few days. Al-Ikhbariya TV hailed it as a “major victory.”The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian government is now in control of over 80 percent of the area, which has been a rebel stronghold since 2012.Over the last week, Syrian troops and allied fighters divided the sprawling eastern Ghouta region into three parts, isolating residential areas and facilitating the military advance. Tens of thousands of residents have fled the southern pocket of the eastern Ghouta.On Sunday, and after days of relative calm in the northern pocket, the Observatory reported new intense shelling on Douma, the largest town in eastern Ghouta.
Second soldier victim of West Bank car ramming buried-Ziv Daos, 21, laid to rest hours after fellow victim Netanel Kahalani; 'He should be saying Kaddish for me,' his father says at funeral-By TOI staff-MAR 20,18
Captain Ziv Daos, 21, who was killed Friday in a car ramming attack in the West Bank, was buried Sunday at the military cemetery in Holon, in central Israel.“He should be saying Kaddish [the mourner’s prayer] for me,” his father said over the grave, weeping. “This is unnatural. He should bury me. Why do they take the good ones?”Thousands attended the funeral for Daos, from the central town of Azor, including friends and comrades from his Homefront Command rescue battalion; two cabinet ministers representing the government, Yoav Galant and Ofir Akunis; and MK Moti Yogev.His uncle Yoni eulogized the young officer. “Don’t talk to me about him in past tense. Don’t say, ‘He is gone and won’t be coming back.’ Ziv, you will be with us forever, your memory will never leave our hearts. Your quiet, shy smile that conquered us all. You left an empty space in the hearts of us all.”Sgt. Netanel Kahalani, 20, the other soldier killed in the attack, was buried early on Sunday in the cemetery in his hometown of Elyakim in northern Israel, also with thousands in attendance.On Friday afternoon, 26-year-old Ala Qabha rammed his car into the group of soldiers outside a military post in the northern West Bank, near the Mevo Dotan settlement, killing Kahalani and Daos. The army later designated the car-ramming a terror attack.On Saturday, the Shin Bet security service said Qabha confessed to carrying out the attack. It said Qabha initially claimed the ramming was an accident, but later changed his story, and said it was deliberate and that he had intended to kill soldiers.Two other soldiers, who were seriously injured in the terror attack, remained in the hospital as of Sunday.
Trump will nix Iran nuke deal, senior Republican predicts-Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker says Europeans look unlikely to amend pact before May 12 deadline-By Sue Surkes-TOI-MAR 20,18
Senator Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the most influential Republicans, predicted Sunday that US President Donald Trump will not extend the nuclear deal with Iran when it comes up for renewal on May 12.Speaking to CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Corker, the outgoing senator from Tennessee, said, “Right now, it doesn’t feel like it’s gonna be extended.“I think the president likely will move away from it, unless our European counterparts really come together on a framework,” he said. “And it doesn’t feel to me that they are.”Asked whether he thought the president would pull out of the Iran deal, Corker replied, “I do. I do.”The pact — reached in 2015 during the Obama administration between Iran on one side and the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany on the other — limits Iran’s enrichment and its stockpiling of material that can be used to create nuclear weapons. In exchange, Tehran was granted widespread relief from international trade, oil and banking sanctions.In January, Trump said the deal, which he has called “disastrous,” had to be “fixed” by May 12, when it next comes up for review, or the United States would walk away from it.Corker said that while the Europeans wanted to keep the deal in place, they were having problems reaching a common position on the so-called sunset provisions, vehemently opposed by Trump, which will expire in eight to 13 years, freeing Iran from many of the pact’s provisions.Corker’s remarks echoed those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told members of his cabinet a week ago that Trump would walk away from the deal in May, Channel 10 reported.According to a report last week in the Axios news website, Trump told Netanyahu that he was demanding “significant changes” to the 2015 accord and vowed to walk away from it unless the European countries fixed it. However, Trump said that so far, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom had only offered “cosmetic changes,” the report said, quoting Israeli officials.“I believe Trump is very close to canceling the nuclear agreement,” Netanyahu reportedly told his ministers. “The president spoke in the presence of his staff and senior government officials when he told me that if there is no significant change, he’ll pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.”Political analysts are also questioning whether Trump’s firing-by-Twitter last week of secretary of state Rex Tillerson, and the appointment of anti-Iran hardliner Mike Pompeo in his stead, means Washington will kill the deal.On Friday, officials from the US, Russia and other major world powers in charge of assessing the implementation of the deal met in Vienna with delegates from Iran, amid growing questions about the US commitment to the plan.Also on Friday, Germany, the UK and France suggested that the European Union impose new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program as well as its actions in Syria, in an effort to stop the US from exiting the nuclear deal with Tehran, Reuters reported Friday.On Monday, EU foreign ministers will meet to discuss the issue in Brussels, and are expected to affirm that they believe the deal with Iran is good, and work to discourage Trump from pulling out. At the same time, they’re expected to start putting greater stress on Iran’s missile development and its destabilizing role in the region.Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
WORLD POWERS IN THE LAST DAYS (END OF AGE OF GRACE NOT THE WORLD)
EUROPEAN UNION-KING OF WEST-DAN 9:26-27,DAN 7:23-24,DAN 11:40,REV 13:1-10
EGYPT-KING OF THE SOUTH-DAN 11:40
RUSSIA-KING OF THE NORTH-EZEK 38:1-2,EZEK 39:1-3
CHINA-KING OF THE EAST-DAN 11:44,REV 9:16,18
VATICAN-RELIGIOUS LEADER-REV 13:11-18,REV 17:4-5,9,18
WORLD TERRORISM
OH BY THE WAY WHEN THE MEDIA SAYS ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS GOD IS GREAT LIE. IN ISLAM ALLU-AK-BAR MEANS OUR GOD IS GREATER OR GREATEST. THIS IS HOW THE MEDIA SUCK HOLES UP TO ISLAMIC-QURANIC-MUSLIMS. BY WATERING DOWN THE REAL MEANING OF THE SEX FOR MURDER DEATH CULT ISLAM. TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A PEACEFUL RELIGION (CULT OF DEATH AND WORLD DOMINATION).
GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
GENESIS 16:11-12
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her,(HAGAR) Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael;(FATHER OF THE ARAB/MUSLIMS) because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he (ISHMAEL-FATHER OF THE ARAB-MUSLIMS) will be a wild (DONKEY-JACKASS) man;(ISLAM IS A FAKE AND DANGEROUS SEX FOR MURDER CULT) his hand will be against every man,(ISLAM HATES EVERYONE) and every man's hand against him;(PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM BEING BEHEADED) and he (ISHMAEL ARAB/MUSLIM) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.(LITERAL-THE ARABS LIVE WITH THEIR BRETHERN JEWS)
ISAIAH 14:12-14
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,(SATAN) son of the morning!(HEBREW-CRECENT MOON-ISLAM) how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I (SATAN HAS EYE TROUBLES) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.(AND 1/3RD OF THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN FELL WITH SATAN AND BECAME DEMONS)
JOHN 16:2
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.(ISLAM MURDERS IN THE NAME OF MOON GOD ALLAH OF ISLAM)
Turkish forces and Syrian allies drive Kurds from Afrin-[Reuters]-By Dominic Evans and Lisa Barrington-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies swept into the northwestern Syrian town of Afrin on Sunday, raising their flags in the town center and declaring full control after an eight-week campaign to drive out Kurdish YPG forces.A spokesman for the rebel fighters said they entered Afrin before dawn, meeting no resistance. A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said pockets of YPG fighters defied orders to withdraw, but Turkish forces were in control.The fight for Afrin, a once stable pocket of northwest Syria, has opened a new front in Syria's multi-sided civil war and highlighted the ever greater role of foreign powers such as Turkey in the seven-year-old conflict.Ankara says Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters are an extension of a militant group waging an insurgency inside Turkey, and vowed to crush what it described as a "terror corridor" of YPG-controlled territory along Turkey's southern border with Syria.It launched its campaign eight weeks ago and has threatened to extend the offensive to another Kurdish-controlled region further east where U.S. forces are stationed alongside the YPG, Washington's ally against Islamic State in Syria."Afrin city center is under control as of 8:30 this morning," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a rally commemorating the World War One Gallipoli campaign, adding that Turkish and Free Syrian Army flags had been raised in the town center."Most of the terrorists have already fled with tails between their legs. Our special forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are cleaning the remains and the traps they left behind," Erdogan said. "In the center of Afrin, symbols of trust and stability are waving instead of rags of terrorists."An official from the local Kurdish authority said Kurdish forces were present across the Afrin region and would "strike the positions of the Turkish enemy and its mercenaries at every opportunity.""Our forces all over Afrin will become a constant nightmare for them," Othman Sheikh Issa, co-chair of the Afrin executive council, said in a televised statement.STATUE TORN DOWN-A Whatsapp group run by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces said Turkish and Syrian rebel troops tore down a statue in Afrin, in what it called a "blatant violation of Kurdish people's culture and history".Turkey's armed forces said that troops were combing the streets for mines and improvised explosive devices.Free Syrian Army spokesman Mohammad al-Hamadeen said the fighters entered the town from the north, east and west. Kurdish forces had pulled back to Syrian government-controlled areas around the city of Aleppo, or to the Kurdish-held region east of the Euphrates river, he said."Maybe (Afrin) will be cleared by the end of the day -- it's empty of fighters, they cleared out," Hamadeen told Reuters.Turkey's government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said the military campaign would continue to secure areas around Afrin and make sure food and medicine were available."We have more to do. But the project of building a terrorism corridor and building a terrorist state is over," he said.The World Food Programme said it was distributing food to 25,000 people in the nearby towns of Nubl and Zahra, including people just arriving from Afrin.More than 150,000 people fled Afrin in recent days, the Syrian Observatory said, as Turkey pressed on with its campaign despite a U.N. Security Council call for a 30-day ceasefire across Syria.Ankara said the demand did not apply to Afrin, but its operation has faced criticism in the West.France's foreign minister said Turkey's concerns for its border security did not justify "the deep incursion of Turkish troops in the Afrin zone", which could also weaken international action against remaining Islamic State fighters in Syria.France, like the United States, has given arms and training to a YPG-led militia in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, and also has dozens of special forces personnel based in the region.(Additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen and Irem Koca in Istanbul, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Editing by Angus MacSwan and Richard Balmforth)
U.S. Air Force identifies seven killed in Iraq helicopter crash-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force identified seven men who died in a helicopter crash in western Iraq on Thursday.Those killed were Mark Weber, 29, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Andreas O'Keeffe, 37, of Center Moriches, New York; Christopher Zanetis, 37, of Long Island City, New York; Christopher Raguso, 39, of Commack, New York; Dashan Briggs, 30, of Port Jefferson Station, New York; William Posch, 36, of Indialantic, Florida; and Carl Enis, 31, of Tallahassee, Florida.There were no survivors of the crash, the Department of Defense said in an earlier statement.The crash, which did not appear to be the result of enemy activity, is under investigation, the U.S. Central Command said in an earlier statement.The military said a second accompanying American helicopter immediately reported the crash and Iraqi security forces and coalition members secured the area.Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity and citing initial reports, said on Thursday the aircraft crashed near al-Qaim, a town in Anbar province close to the Syrian border.The United States says it has about 5,200 troops in Iraq that are part of a coalition fighting Islamic State militants.(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by Chris Reese)
North Korean diplomat heads to Finland ahead of possible U.S. talks-[Reuters]-By Yuna Park and Joseph Campbell-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - A senior North Korean diplomat left for Finland on Sunday for talks with former U.S. and South Korean officials, Yonhap News Agency reported, amid a series of diplomatic encounters ahead of a possible U.S.-North Korean summit.North Korea is pursuing its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions and has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.It defends the programs as a necessary deterrent against a possible U.S. invasion. The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea but denies any invasion plans.Tensions have eased in recent weeks, coinciding with North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics held in the South last month.Choe Kang Il, a deputy director general for North American affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry, plans to attend the "track 1.5 talks", according to Yonhap, reflecting planned contact between former U.S. officials and current North Korean ones in a broader bid to end the standoff over North Korea's weapons programs.South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement North Korea would participate in the meeting joined by former South Korean officials and academics but did not provide further details.The talks in Finland will add to a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of the proposed North Korean summits with South Korea and the United States, respectively, in April and May.Arriving at a Beijing airport en route to Finland, Choe declined to comment.In Washington, a State Department representative said they had no information on the meeting in Finland.North Korean and Swedish foreign ministers ended three days of talks on Saturday on security on the Korean peninsula in preparation of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.South Korea said on Friday it was seeking high-level talks this month with North Korea to prepare for a summit and that South Korean President Moon Jae-in may meet Trump before the U.S. president's planned meeting with the North Korean leader.In a telephone call, Moon and Trump both voiced "cautious optimism" about efforts to resolve the crisis over North Korea's nuclear weapons.In an interview broadcast Sunday by CBS News' Face the Nation, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha noted that Kim has "in effect" met a condition for talks by making a commitment "in clear terms" to denuclearization."He's given his word," said Kang, referring to discussions that South Korean officials held with Kim in Pyongyang earlier this month. "But the significance of his word is - is quite - quite weighty in the sense that it is the first time that the words came directly from the North Korean supreme leader himself."Kang stressed that Kim will receive "no reward" for engaging in dialogue and that South Korea and the United States will be pressing the North Korean leader to take unspecified "actions" in order for there to be any progress.(Reporting by Yuna Park in SEOUL, Joseph Campbell in BEIJING and Jonathan Landay and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON. Editing by Nick Macfie and Lisa Shumaker)
Putin wins fourth term with 73.9% of vote — exit poll-Russian president heading for another 6 years in office; runner-up, Communist Pavel Grudinin, scores just 11.2%-By Agencies-TOI-MAR 18,18
Vladimir Putin was projected Sunday to win the Russian presidential election with 73.9 percent of the vote, securing a fourth Kremlin term, according to an exit poll by state-owned pollster VTsIOM.The poll covered 161,000 respondents at 1,200 precincts in 68 Russian provinces and had a margin of error of no more than 3.5%. VTsIOM said in a statement that over 37% of those polled refused to say whom they voted for.The exit poll findings looked similar to early results from Russia’s Far East, where the presidential vote ended eight hours ago. The Central Election Commission said that with 21% of all precincts counted, Putin was leading the race with 71.9% of the vote.The exit poll showed Communist candidate Pavel Grudinin in second place with 11.2% of the vote, while ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky came in third with 6.7%.Victory in the election will see Putin serve another six years in office.
Russia votes but outcome is clear: 6 more years of Putin-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 18, 2018
MOSCOW — Russia's presidential election was tainted Sunday by unprecedented pressure on voters to turn out and incidents of suspected ballot box stuffing — a barely democratic exercise that will grant Vladimir Putin another six years of power.His critics have called the election a farce and urged voters to boycott, but millions of Russians hail the 65-year-old former KGB officer for defending their proud nation from a hostile outside world.Putin is facing seven challengers on the ballot but the outcome of the vote is pre-ordained, given his high popularity ratings. The major goal for Russian authorities is producing a big turnout that will hand Putin the legitimacy he craves and provide a convincing mandate for his fourth term.Sunday's election is expected to further embolden the Russian president both at home and in world affairs. It could also strengthen his hand if he decides to extend his rule beyond 2024 by abolishing term limits — like neighbouring China has just done — or by shifting into another position of power.Casting his ballot in Moscow, Putin was confident of victory, saying he would consider any percentage of votes a success."The program that I propose for the country is the right one," he declared.Given the lack of real competition, authorities are struggling against voter apathy — and have put many of Russia's nearly 111 million voters under intense pressure to cast ballots.Yevgeny, a 43-year-old mechanic voting in central Moscow, said he briefly wondered whether it was worth voting."But the answer was easy ... if I want to keep working, I vote," he said. He said his bosses haven't asked for proof of voting but he fears they will. He spoke on condition that his last name not be used out of concern that his employer — the Moscow city government — would find out.Across the country in the city of Yekaterinburg, a doctor also said she was being coerced to vote.When she hadn't voted by midday, "The chief of my unit called me and said I was the only one who hadn't voted," said the doctor, Yekaterina, who spoke on condition her last name not be used because she fears repercussions.Yevgeny Roizman, the mayor of Yekaterinburg, told The Associated Press that local officials and state employees have all received orders "from higher up" to make sure the presidential vote turnout is over 60 per cent .In Moscow, first-time voters were being given free tickets for pop concerts, and health authorities were offering free cancer screenings at selected polling stations.Voters cast ballots from the Pacific coast to Siberia and Moscow. Voting concludes at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT; 2 p.m. EDT) in Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave that is Russia's westernmost region and initial results are expected shortly afterward.Voters appeared to be turning in out in larger numbers Sunday than in Russia's last presidential election in 2012, when Putin faced a serious opposition movement and violations like multiple voting, ballot stuffing and coercion marred the voting. Voting fraud was widespread in Russia's 2011 parliamentary vote, triggering massive protests in Moscow against Putin's rule.Election authorities said turnout nationwide Sunday was about 52 per cent at 5 p.m. Moscow time.Some 145,000 observers were monitoring the voting in the world's largest country, including 1,500 foreigners and representatives from opposition leader Alexei Navalny's movement, and they and ordinary Russians reported hundreds of voting problems.Some examples: ballot boxes being stuffed with extra ballots in multiple regions; an election official assaulting an observer; CCTV cameras obscured by flags or nets from watching ballot boxes; discrepancies in ballot numbers; last-minute voter registration changes likely designed to boost turnout and a huge pro-Putin board inside one polling station.Russian election officials moved quickly to respond to some of the violations. They suspended the chief of a polling station near Moscow where a ballot stuffing incident was reported and sealed the ballot box. A man accused of tossing multiple ballots into a box in the far eastern town of Artyom was arrested.Speaking from his Moscow headquarters, Navalny dismissed Putin's challengers on the ballot as "puppets," urged Russian voters to boycott the presidential election as he was doing and vowed to continue defying the Kremlin with street protests.Russian authorities had appealed to patriotic feelings by holding Sunday's election on the anniversary of Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.That insulted the Ukrainian government, which refused to let ordinary Russians vote, drawing angry protests from Russian officials. Ukraine security forces blocked the Russian Embassy in Kyiv and consulates elsewhere Sunday as the government protested the voting in Crimea, whose annexation is still not internationally recognized.Ukrainian leaders are also angry over Russian support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, where fighting has killed at least 10,000 people since 2014.Polls show that most Russians view the takeover of the Black Sea peninsula as a major achievement despite subsequent Western sanctions. Putin also revved up his popularity by taking on Islamic State extremists in Syria."Who am I voting for? Who else?" asked Putin supporter Andrei Borisov, 70, a retired engineer in Moscow. "The others, it's a circus."He expressed hope that Putin will continue to stand up to the United States and the West and will improve living standards at home.During the campaign, Putin travelled across Russia pledging to raise wages, spend more on the country's crumbling health care and education and modernize Russia's dilapidated infrastructure.Presidential challenger Ksenia Sobchak, a 36-year-old TV host, urged Putin's critics to "come together" and vote Sunday instead of boycotting.Speaking after voting, she said boycotting just makes Putin's support look higher than it is and means ordinary Russians will face an even tougher system in his next term.Critics think Sobchak has the tacit support of the Kremlin so the election appears more democratic, which she denies. She is the only candidate who has openly criticized Putin.As U.S. authorities investigate alleged Russian interference in the country's 2016 presidential election, Moscow has warned of possible U.S. meddling in the Russian vote.And sure enough, the Central Election Commission claimed Sunday it had been the target of a hacking attempt. It said authorities had deterred the denial of service attack coming from 15 unidentified nations but gave few details of how serious it was.___Vasilyeva reported from Yekaterinburg, Russia. Yuras Karmanau in Minsk, Belarus, Jim Heintz and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed.__Nataliya Vasilyeva And Angela Charlton, The Associated Press.
Republican senator expects Trump to pull out of Iran deal: CBS-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he expects President Donald Trump to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement in May."The Iran deal will be another issue that's coming up in May, and right now it doesn't feel like it's gonna be extended," Corker told CBS' "Face the Nation" in an interview broadcast Sunday."I think the president likely will move away from it unless my, our European counterparts really come together on a framework. And it doesn't feel to me that they are," he said.Britain, France and Germany have proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles program and its role in Syria's war in a bid to persuade Washington to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.The proposal is part of an EU strategy to save the accord signed by world powers that curbs Tehran's ability to develop nuclear weapons, namely by showing U.S. President Donald Trump there are other ways to counter Iranian power abroad.Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories on Jan. 12. It said they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal," which was agreed under his predecessor Barack Obama, or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief on Iran. U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh "waivers" to suspend them on May 12.Asked if he believed Trump would pull out on May 12, the deadline for the president to issue a new waiver to suspend Iran sanctions as part of the deal, Corker responded, "I do. I do."(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Florida school aware of bridge crack before collapse that killed six-[Reuters]-By Zachary Fagenson-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
MIAMI (Reuters) - Engineers and state and university officials met hours before a new pedestrian bridge collapsed in southern Florida, killing six people, but concluded a crack in the structure was not a safety concern, Florida International University said on Saturday.The meeting on Thursday involved FIGG, which is the private contractor for the overall bridge design, the school, Florida Department of Transportation officials and Munilla Construction Management, which installed the $14.2 million bridge.A FIGG engineer "concluded there were no safety concerns and the crack did not compromise the structural integrity of the bridge," the university said in a statement.About three hours after the meeting ended, the 950-ton bridge collapsed, crushing vehicles stopped at a traffic light on the eight-lane roadway below.Six people died, including five whose bodies were recovered on Saturday as workers pulled out vehicles from the rubble, officials said.Police had feared the death toll could rise above six. But authorities found what they believe to be the last body on Saturday, Miami-Dade Police Department director Juan Perez told a news conference."We're going to go once again and make sure that there's nobody else down there, but we're pretty confident that no one's left," he said.Four of the victims found on Saturday were identified by police as Rolando Fraga Hernandez, Oswald Gonzalez and Alberto Arias and Alexa Duran. The name of another person whose body was removed from the rubble Saturday was not immediately available.Another victim, who died in a hospital after the collapse, was identified by police as Navarro Brown.The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the reasons for the bridge's collapse.News of the meeting between engineers and officials followed a revelation late on Friday that the engineer overseeing the bridge, which linked the university campus with the city of Sweetwater, had called a state official two days before the collapse to report cracks.However, the voicemail message from FIGG's lead engineer Denney Pate, including his assertion the cracking posed no safety issue, was not retrieved until Friday, a day after the tragedy, according to the state transportation agency.Pate did not immediately respond to email queries.(Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Barbara Goldberg in New York, Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Bill Trott, Paul Simao and Edwina Gibbs)
THE TRUMP HATERS ARE OUT IN FULL GEAR-BUT TRUMP IS FIGHTING BACK.AND THE STUPID LIBS DO NOT REALISE IT WAS THE FBI THEMSELVES THAT WANTED MCCABE FIRED, NOT TRUMP. FOR LYING TO THE FBI. ENOUGH WITH THIS LIBERAL MEDIA LIES.
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-Mar 17-As the House Intelligence Committee has concluded, there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump Campaign. As many are now finding out, however, there was tremendous leaking, lying and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI, Justice & State. #DrainTheSwamp
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-Mar 17-The Fake News is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars was given to wife’s campaign by Crooked H friend, Terry M, who was also under investigation? How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-Wow, watch Comey lie under oath to Senator G when asked “have you ever been an anonymous source...or known someone else to be an anonymous source...?” He said strongly “never, no.” He lied as shown clearly on @foxandfriends.
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don’t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey. Can we call them Fake Memos?
Donald J. Trump-Verified account @realDonaldTrump-MAR 18-Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!
Kamala Harris-Verified account @KamalaHarris-Mar 17-Jeff Sessions needs to testify immediately before the Judiciary Committee to answer questions on the firing of Andrew McCabe. He must explain the DOJ’s process and whether this is an attempt to target, punish or silence those investigating Russia and the Trump campaign.
#ThePersistence-Verified account @ScottPresler-MAR 18-Andrew McCabe's wife received $700,000 from democrats, while Peter Strzok - who changed Comey's "grossly negligent" statement - enacted a coup against President Trump & the hardened democrats were paying an ex-MI6 Moscow field agent to interfere in our elections.
John O. Brennan-Verified account @JohnBrennan-Mar 17-John O. Brennan Retweeted Donald J. Trump-When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you.
Trump critics attack firing of FBI's McCabe as political move-[Reuters]-By Amanda Becker-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats and other Trump administration critics on Saturday attacked the firing of No. 2 FBI official Andrew McCabe as a politically motivated and vindictive move, while some Republicans praised U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for decisive action.Sessions fired McCabe late on Friday, just two days before the FBI official would have been eligible to retire with a full pension, saying an internal Justice Department watchdog found he leaked information and misled investigators.McCabe, who played a key role in the FBI probes of Hillary Clinton and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, said he believed he was fired for corroborating former FBI Director James Comey's claim that President Donald Trump had tried to pressure Comey into killing the Russian investigation.Trump described McCabe's firing as a "great day" in a post on Twitter on Friday, prompting a scathing response from John Brennan, a former head of the Central Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration."When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history," Brennan wrote on Saturday.Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on MSNBC that McCabe's dismissal was "very vindictive.""It also is a reflection on the administration's disdain for the FBI itself. I just think this is outrageous. The Department of Justice, the FBI, should be independent and this type of political behavior should be unacceptable," Cardin said.Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, who serves on the judiciary and intelligence committees, called on Sessions to testify before Congress to determine whether McCabe's firing was a retaliation against those investigating Russian election interference and Moscow's alleged ties to Trump's campaign.Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte, who heads the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, said in a statement on Saturday that McCabe's actions had "tarnished" the FBI's reputation."I applaud Attorney General Jeff Sessions for taking action and firing former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe prior to his scheduled retirement," Goodlatte said.Comey has testified that he believes his own firing by Trump in May was a move to undermine the FBI's investigation of possible collusion between the Russians and Trump campaign officials. Trump has denied such ties.After Comey's ouster, Trump said in a televised interview that he fired him over "this Russia thing."Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tapped Special Counsel Robert Mueller to lead the Russia probe after Sessions recused himself from the investigation due to his role in Trump's campaign.Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, said in a statement on Saturday that Rosenstein should follow the "brilliant and courageous example" set by Sessions' firing of McCabe, urging him to "bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe's boss James Comey."(Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld, Daniel Wallis and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Paul Simao)
McCabe kept memos on Trump dealings; Mueller now has them-[The Canadian Press]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
WASHINGTON — Andrew McCabe, the onetime FBI deputy director long scorned by President Donald Trump and just fired by the attorney general, kept personal memos detailing interactions with the president that have been provided to the special counsel's office and are similar to the notes compiled by dismissed FBI chief James Comey, The Associated Press has learned.The memos could factor into special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as his team examines Trump campaign ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice.McCabe's memos include details of his own interactions with the president, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who wasn't authorized to discuss the notes publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. They also recount different conversations he had with Comey, who kept notes on meetings with Trump that unnerved him.Though the precise contents are unknown, the memos possibly could help substantiate McCabe's assertion that he was unfairly maligned by a White House he says had declared "war" on the FBI and Mueller's investigation. They almost certainly contain, as Comey's memos did, previously undisclosed details about encounters between the Trump administration and FBI that could be of interest to Mueller.The disclosure Saturday came hours after Trump called McCabe's firing by Attorney General Jeff Sessions "a great day for Democracy" and asserted without elaboration that McCabe knew "all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels off the FBI!" In the last year, Trump has repeatedly condemned McCabe as emblematic of an FBI that he insists is biased against his administration.That sent former CIA Director John Brennan, an outspoken Trump critic, into a Twitter tizzy: "When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you."Sessions said he acted on the recommendation of FBI disciplinary officials who said McCabe had not been candid with a watchdog office investigation. McCabe was fired two days before his retirement date on Sunday. The dismissal likely jeopardizes his ability to collect his full pension benefits and, more broadly, could add to the turmoil that has enveloped the FBI since Comey's firing and as the bureau moves ahead with an investigation the White House has dismissed as a hoax.An upcoming inspector general's report is expected to conclude that McCabe, who spent more than 20 years with the FBI, had authorized the release of information to the media and was not forthcoming with the watchdog office as it examined the bureau's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. McCabe has vigorously disputed the allegations and said his credibility had been attacked as "part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally" but also the FBI and law enforcement."It is part of this administration's ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the special counsel investigation, which continue to this day," he added. "Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the special counsel's work."The firing set off dueling tweets between Trump, who called the termination a "great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI," and Comey, the director he fired 10 months ago.Trump called Comey "sanctimonious" and said Comey made McCabe "look like a choirboy." Comey, referencing his highly anticipated book that comes out next month, responded with his own tweet: "Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honourable and who is not."Also Saturday, Trump's personal lawyer, John Dowd, cited the "brilliant and courageous example" by Sessions and the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility and said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should "bring an end" to the Russia investigation "manufactured" by Comey.Dowd told the AP that he neither was calling on Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller's inquiry, to fire the special counsel immediately nor had discussed with Rosenstein the idea of dismissing Mueller or ending the probe.Mueller is investigating whether Trump's actions, including Comey's ouster, constitute obstruction of justice. McCabe could be an important witness, and his memos could be used by investigators as they look into whether Trump sought to thwart the FBI probe. Comey's own memos, including one in which he says Trump encouraged him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, have been provided to Mueller and are part of his investigation.McCabe, in a statement defending himself, asserted he was singled out by the administration because of the "role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed in the aftermath" of Comey's firing last May.He became acting director after that but clashed with the Trump administration, including when he publicly rejected White House assertions that Comey had lost the support of the rank-and-file. He abruptly left the deputy director position in January and went on leave.The firing arises from an inspector general review into how the FBI handled the Clinton email investigation. That inquiry focused not only on specific decisions made by FBI leadership but also on news media leaks.McCabe came under scrutiny over an October 2016 news report that revealed differing approaches within the FBI and Justice Department over how aggressively the Clinton Foundation should be investigated. The watchdog office has concluded that McCabe authorized FBI officials to speak to a Wall Street Journal reporter for that story and that McCabe had not been forthcoming with investigators. McCabe denies it.McCabe became entangled in presidential politics in 2016 after it was revealed that his wife, during her unsuccessful run for state Senate in Virginia one year earlier, received campaign contributions from the political action committee of then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D-Va., a longtime Clinton friend. The FBI has said McCabe received the necessary ethics approval about his wife's candidacy and was not supervising the Clinton investigation at the time of the contributions.___Associated Press writer Chad Day contributed to this report.Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP-Eric Tucker, The Associated Press.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Southeast Asia, Australia 'gravely' concerned by North Korean weapons-[Reuters]-YAHOONEWS-March 20, 2018
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Southeast Asian countries and Australia said on Sunday they held "grave concerns" about escalating tension caused by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and urged "irreversible" denuclearization.North Korea is pursuing its weapons programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions and has boasted of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.It defends the programs as a necessary deterrent against perceived plans by the United States, which stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, for invasion - a plan the United States denies."We strongly urge the DPRK to immediately and fully comply with its obligations under all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions," the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia said in a joint declaration, using the initials for North Korea's official name.The country's nuclear and ballistic missile development "threaten regional and global security" the declaration added, calling for the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of the nation.Tensions have eased in recent weeks, coinciding with North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics held in the South last month.U.S. President Donald Trump also announced surprise plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before May, after Kim "committed to denuclearization", according to South Korea's National Security Office."We are cautiously encouraged by these developments," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong told reporters in Sydney after the publication of the ASEAN declaration."The situation on the Korean peninsula is a complicated problem which will take time to resolve, and we hope these recent steps will contribute to lasting peace and stability."Australia hosted ASEAN meetings this weekend, despite not being a member of the 10-nation bloc, as it seeks to tighten political and trade ties in the region amid China's rising influence.The summit focused on fostering closer economic and security ties among ASEAN and Australia, with the nations also railing against protectionist sentiment and calling for "self-restraint" in the disputed South China Sea, a regional flashpoint.(Reporting by Tom Westbrook; editing by Nick Macfie)
