EIR Daily Alert Service
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017 Volume 4, Number 7 EIR Daily Alert Service P.O. Box 17390, Washington, DC 20041-0390
EDITORIALLaRouche: ‘Parade the Facts’; Present the New Paradigm—The Beauty of Music Can Lead the WayJan. 10 (EIRNS)—This week, LaRouche PAC and collaborators are applying political laser-heat on Congress—along with special international clout from New York City—to force a policy shift in the United States into a new paradigm of development for mankind, and to put an end to the perpetration of war and tyranny. In 10 days, the United States will have a new President, but this is no time to “wait and see” for what will happen after that. It is imperative to create a new policy environment, beginning now. U.S. Federal lawmakers are being forced to “face facts,” that there is a way out of the morass of the deadly years of Bush and Obama, and they must act. In-person meetings—pre-arranged and impromptu—by LaRouche PAC delegations from five Eastern states, are the order of the day on Capitol Hill mid-week, where LaRouche’s “Four Laws,” beginning with the restoration of Glass-Steagall, and related policy documents are circulating. Activity is proceeding in tandem on the state and local level, feeding into Washington. Kesha Rogers, LaRouche PAC Policy Committee member, is leading a delegation in Austin, Texas, whose state legislature opened today. Last night at the Indiana state convention of the National Farmers, the LaRouche emergency policies led off the presentations. Today in Virginia, a new resolution was introduced (House Joint Res. No. 642) in the General Assembly, stating, “That the Congress of the United States be urged to enact legislation to reinstate the separation of commercial and investment banking functions that was in effect under the Glass-Steagall Act….” Lyndon LaRouche, briefed on the process, stressed, to keep it up. “Get the job done. You know what the facts are. Parade the facts to back up the argument.” The focussed, LaRouche policy intervention stands in dramatic contrast to the swirl of lies and perversity otherwise being presented, especially in the media, serving the purpose of sidetracking and demoralizing activated citizens. The “blame Russia for hacking” campaign is still in full swing from the White House and a claque of demented Congressmen. Today, the Senate Intelligence Committee held a hearing on the Jan. 6 report by the Obama intelligence agency heads, who testified to the committee. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper reiterated that no sources will be revealed, only their conclusion, that “Russia did it,” and that, “Putin ordered it.” Then, there is a push for dead-end protest. For example, on Sunday, Jan. 15, the apparatus associated with Bernie Sanders/Hillary Clinton is promoting rallies in 30 cities across the country, under the banner, “Our First Stand, Save Health Care.” Sanders was featured on a national CNN live town hall broadcast, last night, delivering the contrived message, to fight “billionaires” and “corporate greed.” The event was staged on a Washington, D.C. college campus in a totally controlled environment, allowing no access, nor discussion. Not a word passed Sanders’ lips about the bankruptcy of Wall Street or the necessity of Glass-Steagall. Obama himself is set to give his own Big Lie farewell address tonight from Chicago. He stated on the White House website last week that he will “celebrate” how the United States has been “changed for the better these past eight years.” Meantime, his administration continues with its dangerous provocations. Yesterday, Obama’s Treasury Department blacklisted five more Russian figures (under the Magnitsky Act). Rising above all this comes the power of truth and beauty, as seen in the expression of deep friendship between Russia and the United States, shown in the ceremonies and singing at the Jan. 7 memorial for the victims of the Tu-154 plane crash at the Tear Drop Memorial in Bayonne, New Jersey. On Jan. 11, Schiller Institute Music Director John Sigerson will lead a delegation on Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers, and strengthen their appreciation of the power of music, and the power of acting on principle. U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMICRyabkov: New Obama Blacklisting of Five Russians Is ‘Indecently Vengeful’Jan. 10 (EIRNS)—President Obama’s Treasury Department added the names of five more Russian officials to the so-called Magnitsky list, yesterday, including that of Aleksandr I. Bastrykin, the chief of Russia’s Investigative Committee—essentially the top public investigator in the country—and a close aide to President Vladimir Putin. Bastrykin and the others were sanctioned under the “Magnitsky Act,” an act of Congress passed in 2012 which requires the Treasury and Justice Departments to investigate and sanction individuals determined to have had some involvement in the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in custody in 2008, allegedly after exposing corruption and graft by officials of the government. This is the Obama Administration being “indecently vengeful,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, this morning. “It is clear that during the remaining 10 days of its stay in power, the Obama administration may mess things up, also to complicate as much as possible the further work for those who will come after it. Such a behavior is shameful,” he was quoted by TASS as saying. “Over the past years, the Barack Obama administration has tested many means of how to try to harm us,” Ryabkov went on. “Lately, its bad manners and blatant Russophobia were combined with anger over the Presidential elections which its candidate lost and the intention to search for those guilty of its defeat anywhere else but not in itself.” The New York Times writes that President-elect Donald Trump won’t be able to reverse the Magnitsky Act sanctions as easily as he will those sanctions that President Obama has imposed on Russia via executive order, but his administration will still have flexibility in “how aggressively” it pursues people. Russian Ambassador To Attend Trump InaugurationJan. 10 (EIRNS)—With the promise that the Obama Administration will be no more after the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump, this prospect is clearly on people’s minds in Russia. The Russian Embassy in Washington announced that the Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak, will take part in the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump on Jan. 20. “In line with practice and protocol rules, foreign ambassadors are invited for the inauguration of the U.S. President. An invitation for Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak has been received from the U.S. side for this event,” an Embassy spokesman said. Independent of this inauguration matter, comes the comment from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov this week, on the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump. Peskov said, “It is obvious that if some contacts are planned, they will be planned carefully, taking into consideration the fact that these contacts will take place after a phase of deteriorating relations.” He said further, “This is why such contacts need to be carefully arranged no matter what level of contacts is expected.” Of course no such meeting could take place until after Trump becomes President. As far as the Kremlin is concerned, it could be an official summit or a meeting on the sidelines of an international forum, such as the G20. “There is not much difference,” Peskov said. Virginia State Senator Richard Black Debunks Report On Russian HackingJan. 9 (EIRNS)—In an eight-minute interview posted by RT on Jan. 7, Virginia State Senator Richard Black gave an impassioned and direct refutation of the so-called intelligence report that the Russian government “hacked” the U.S. election. Under the headline “RT Frustrates Washington by Providing Fact To Make Informed Decisions—VA Senator,” RT provided the full transcript of the interview in which Senator Black starts with the charge that U.S. intelligence community hatred of RT stems from the fact that RT was some of the only honest coverage of the Syrian conflict. Senator Black endorsed Trump’s call to move on to a good relationship with Russia, because “we need to back away from a possible nuclear war. We have been moving closer and closer to the limits. It is not worth it and I think President-elect Trump understands this and I think he is going to forge a much more powerful relationship between the two countries.” Glass-Steagall Resolution Introduced into Virginia State HouseJan. 10 (EIRNS)—Today, House Joint Resolution No. 642 was introduced into the Virginia House Of Delegates. It calls for the “Memorializing of the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to reinstate the separation of commercial and investment banking functions that was in effect under the Glass-Steagall Act.” The bill’s seven “Whereas” clauses, include references to the successful history of Glass-Steagall, the damage from its repeal, and the fact that of millions of citizens’ lives are being destroyed for lack of a sound banking system. On the same day the bill was introduced, the Washington Post has a front-page article on the resolution’s sponsor, Delegate Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke,) totally avoiding any coverage of his backing for the Glass-Steagall policy, and instead covering his activism, which, in fact, is coherent with his initiative today. The headline of the article is, “An Iconoclast Prods Va. Democrats.” It reports, “The state’s only Muslim delegate urges his party to woo Trump voters…. He made headlines after the election by scolding his own Democratic Party for losing touch with white, rural and working-class voters. Saying it was wrong for Democrats to demonize Trump supporters, Rasoul quit his leadership role within the Assembly’s House Democrats to draw attention to the issue.” Rasoul says, “ ‘This is the problem with liberals…. We have all the facts. We have all the figures. We know all the right answers. It doesn’t matter. You have to know how to build trust with people.’ ” At least one Democrat has gotten the message. The people of the country are in bad shape and Rasoul has moved to defend them. COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEMGrillo’s Pro-Euro Coup in Italy FailedJan. 10 (EIRNS)—If there are early elections in Italy (possibly after the Group of 7 Summit in Sicily in June), the Five Star Movement (M5S) could become the number-one party and could take over the government. M5S was founded by comedian Beppe Grillo and media expert Gianroberto Casaleggio, who died last year and was succeeded by his son Davide. The party has been seen as anti-euro, and international media have speculated that Italy could leave the euro if M5S goes into the government. However, whereas most M5S voters and activists, and even its elected representatives are against the euro, Grillo and Casaleggio have been always ambiguous on the issue, enough not to go against their voters while leaving room for an about-face. That about-face came in a surprise move on Jan. 8, when, after secret negotiations with former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Grillo proposed to pull out of its current alliance in the European Parliament with Nigel Farage’s UKIP and other euro-skeptics (the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group or EFDD), and instead join the pro-euro ALDE Group (liberals and democrats) chaired by Verhofstadt. Grillo launched an online consultation which was predictably fixed and resulted with a 78.5% approval. This “Bulgarian percentage” does not in any way reflect the sentiment of M5S activists who are furious at the choice. Verhofstadt is the personification of what they have fought against: He has pushed for the Transatlantic Partnership Treaty; he is a fanatical supporter of the euro and of a supranational government; and is a rabidly anti-Putin activist. Verhofstadt played a leading role in the EU/NATO coup in Ukraine, from onsite at the Maidan. However, Grillo’s coup failed when Verhofstadt’s ALDE Group eventually voted down the proposal. Now Grillo, Casaleggio, and the “magic circle” that supports them have egg on their face and were forced to go back into the EFDD Group with Farage, AfD and a few other parties. This should have some consequences. David Borrelli, the faction leader of the M5S in the European Parliament, who was part of the coup, and the entire pro-euro gang should resign. The losers should make room for leaders such as MEP Marco Zanni, who has a strong following among M5S activists who appreciate his competence and his fight for banking separation and against the wicked euro system. Zanni and his colleague Marco Valli have been fighting in the European Parliament Finance Committee, where they succeeded in blocking a banking regulation modelled on the failed Dodd-Frank Act in the U.S. In summer 2016, they visited the United States upon an invitation by EIR and had many meetings with Members of Congress, with fruitful discussions on trans-Atlantic cooperation on Glass-Steagall. In a recent discussion with EIR, both representatives expressed interest in learning about the orientation of the Trump administration, knowing that Trump has endorsed Glass-Steagall in the election campaign. Staying in the EFDD Group with Farage, who has been chosen as an interlocutor by the Trump group, will surely enhance the chances of cooperation, and this will have major implications should there be a M5S victory in the next national elections. It is not to be excluded that the wicked deal cooked by Grillo and Verhofstadt aimed at destroying this perspective on behalf of the dying pro-euro, anti-Putin and anti-human European oligarchy. But as strategic developments in 2016 have shown, their coups are failing these days. STRATEGIC WAR DANGERShoigu: U.S. Has Refused To Cooperate with Russia against TerrorismJan. 10 (EIRNS)—U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, in what was likely his swan song for the television media before he leaves office on Jan. 20, claimed during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Jan. 8 that Russia has done “virtually zero” against ISIS in Syria and has made ending the civil war in Syria much harder. “Yesterday I listened to a speech by one of my foreign counterparts in a faraway country,” said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Defense Ministry this morning. “He said that Russia’s contribution to the struggle against terrorism in Syria and in the region was equal to zero. I might have subscribed to what he said in a sense only if a) that counterpart of mine had not picked the wrong country; and b) had been more accurate in his comments,” reported TASS. Russia, Shoigu stressed, as done a great deal to fight against terrorism, but it’s done it without the cooperation of the U.S.-led coalition. “We have coped with the main task that the supreme commander-in-chief [President Vladimir Putin] had set to us last year,” he said. “However hard it might have been for us, however greatly we might need support from the international coalition, which in fact has not only achieved nothing but even turned things for the worse, to our deep regret we saw no support from it.” NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDERSyrian Government Adopts Plan of Action for Reconstruction Of AleppoJan. 10 (EIRNS)—During a special cabinet session on Saturday, the Syrian government adopted a plan of action meant to restore public services and security to the city of Aleppo. The initiative is aimed at helping residents return to their normal lives. The plan includes a range of measures such as the opening of Aleppo roads, providing water, electricity and fuel to citizens as well as assessing conditions for repair and reconstruction activities there. A mobile unit will be tasked with restoring electricity to the war-torn city and refill cooking gas cylinders as well as two fuel stations. Under the measure, the Interior Ministry will also work to increase security patrols and repair damaged police stations. The government initiative further stipulates the rehabilitation of two hospitals and five health centers as well as the renovation of Aleppo’s international airport, a train track and Suleiman al-Halabi water-pumping station. During Saturday’s session, the government further passed an emergency plan by the Education Ministry to repair 50 schools in Aleppo’s eastern sector over six months. It is estimated that already 3,825 students have returned to school. The ministry seeks to renovate 100 schools in the entire city by the start of the next academic year. Aleppo, which used to be Syria’s economic center before the war, had about 5,000 medium and small-sized enterprises. According to Prime Minister Imad Khamis, “the industrial potential of the northern capital will be fully revived.” He said the government “is interested in seeing Aleppo’s plants and factories restoring production as soon as possible.” Turkey Invites Iraqi Chief of Staff To Visit, after Ankara Prime Minister’s Visit to BaghdadJan. 10 (EIRNS)—The rapprochement between Turkey and Iraq initiated with the official visit of Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to Baghdad and Erbil on Jan. 7 and 8, promises to stabilize the security situation between them while laying the basis for economic cooperation and development. As part of this rapprochement, Turkey’s Defense Minister Fikri Isik has invited Iraq’s Chief of General Staff Osman al-Ghanimi to Ankara for talks on the anti-terror fight and the status of the Bashiqa military camp outside of Mosul. Isik told reporters yesterday that he had sent a letter suggesting to al-Ghanimi “let’s come and talk these issues both politically and militarily.” Isik said it was not certain when this visit will take place. Isik’s letter follows the Baghdad visit of Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who was accompanied by Isik and other Turkish ministers. Isik underlined again that the protection of Iraq’s territorial integrity is very important to Turkey. Commenting on Yildirim’s visit, Iraqi MP Abbas al-Bayati told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency: “Yildirim’s visit was critical to fostering trust between the two countries,” and stressed that now Iraqi-Turkish relations “have turned a corner,” given the two countries’ desire to settle longstanding issues of contention through dialogue. Once the Islamic State terrorists, also known as ISIS or Daesh, are expelled from Iraq, Al-Bayati said, then Turkish firms would be invited to take part in Iraqi infrastructure projects. “We look forward to the entry of Turkish companies into Iraq’s domestic market,” he said. “Iraqis frequently visit Turkey for trade, tourism and to visit relatives,” he continued. “We would like to see this continue and are planning to make it easier for Turkish nationals to obtain visas.” Fikret Namik, a political scientist at Baghdad University, told Anadolu that “consensus was established in many fields” during Yildirim’s visit to Baghdad. “A crisis in relations is in neither country’s interest.” He said that the total trade volume between the two countries had risen to $20 billion last year. Rail, Development Talks on Five-Nation Africa Visit of China’s Foreign Minister Wang YiJan. 10 (EIRNS)—Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is heading now to the Republic of Congo and Nigeria in his Jan. 7-12 five-nation African tour, after visiting Madagascar, Zambia, and Tanzania. On Jan. 9 in Tanzania, China’s oldest partner in Africa, Wang Yi committed to refurbish and modernize the Tazara Railroad between Tanzania and Zambia, a hallmark project which China built during the 1970s. Wang said that “China will work with Tanzania and Zambia to inject vigor and vitality into the railway through comprehensive reform of the management system, effectively linking the railway to ports and building an industrial economic belt along the railway,” Xinhua reported. He said that revitalization of the railway will contribute to helping Tanzania, Zambia and other African countries realize independent and sustainable development. For his part, Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told Wang that Tanzania expects to broaden the areas for cooperation with China, and that Tanzania supports China’s Belt and Road Initiative and will become a bridgehead for the BRI’s access to Africa. In his meeting with Zambia’s Foreign Minister Harry Kalaba the day before, Wang reported that in the six months following the December 2015 China-Africa Cooperation summit in Johannesburg, China and African nations signed agreements covering various fields valued at over $50 billion. In Nigeria, China is building a railroad between Kaduna in the north of the country and the central city of Abuja. China has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on its involvement in building an entire north-south rail connection in the country. China has also helped build five airports in Nigeria. SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURENew York Nuclear Plants To Close Thanks to Wall Street’s Deregulation Economic WarfareJan. 10 (EIRNS)—More of the United State’s nuclear plants are slated to close, while it is the environmentalists who fight for nuclear! Entergy, the owner of the two operating nuclear power plants at Indian Point, north of New York City, has decided that it will close units 2 and 3 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The company says that economic considerations were key in its decision to shut the plants. Entergy joins other nuclear operators in getting out of the “merchant” power business; that is, the so-called “competitive market” system of determining the price of electricity that operates in the half the U.S. states that deregulated electricity in the Enron-led frenzy of the 1990s. The 2,000 MW generating capacity of the two nuclear plants provide a quarter of the power used in New York City and neighboring Westchester County. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today, announcing the decision, that the state will be able to replace the lost power by 2021, without raising costs to consumers. Entergy Wholesale Commodities President Bill Mohl said, “Clearly right now they don’t have the ability to replace the 2,000 megawatts.” No kidding. The only new nuclear plants that are being built, and that companies like Entergy say they will invest in, are in regulated states, mainly in the southeast of the U.S. According to Entergy CEO Leo Danault, “key considerations in our decision to shut down Indian Point ahead of schedule include sustained low current and projected wholesale energy prices that have reduced revenues, as well as increased operating costs.” Entergy has put more than $1.3 billion into safety and reliability improvements over the past 15 years. Danault reported that over the past 10 years, low gas prices had driven power prices down by about 45%, and that a $10 per megawatt-hour drop reduces annual revenues by about $160 million for Indian Point. Over the past 15 years, anti-nuclear fanatics, environmentalists, and Governor Cuomo have led a continuous campaign and legal challenges, to shut down the plants citing alleged safety concerns. But an irony of the Indian Point closure, is that major environmentalist groups—the Environmental Defense Fund, and Natural Resources Defense Council—have filed briefs in ongoing litigation, defending the legality of the Public Service Commission’s approval of a plan to keep Upstate New York’s FitzPatrick, Ginna, and Nine Mile nuclear plants open, citing to their environmental benefits.
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