" The Russians are trying to hack everything . " The ban on the Apple Watch is by no means unusual . Mobile phones are already prohibited in cabinet meetings in the UK , and extending the injunction transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction to smartwatches is logical . They contain the same basic electronics and thus the same vulnerabilities . It was also reported today that the Apple Watch has been banned from Australian cabinet meetings as well .

In 2014 , the State Department barred Kalashnikov from doing business with American firms due to its involvement in Russia 's annexation of Crimea that year . Along with Kalashnikov , Russian defense firm Almaz - Antey was also banned from conducting business with U.S. companies . At the time of the sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction , U.S. markets accounted for nearly 70 percent of the company 's small - arms exports , including the famed AK-47 and its variants . The assault rifle remains one of the most popular small arms in the world , being the weapon of choice for a large number of foreign militaries as well as various extremist groups across the globe .

North Carolina is shaping up as perhaps the single most important state in the race for the White House and control of the Senate . Voting rights advocates sued North Carolina earlier this year , alleging that the state has failed to process thousands of voter registration applications made through the DMV . Last week , U.S. Judge Loretta Biggs issued a preliminary injunction transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction , saying North Carolina likely violated the National Voter Registration Act . Biggs ordered that voters who say they registered through the DMV but find they ’re not on the rolls be allowed to cast a provisional ballot that must be counted unless the state can produce a signed form showing the voter declined to be registered . But Allison Riggs , a lawyer with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice , said the process the state announced for complying with Biggs ’s order is badly flawed .

In the same exchange , longtime Clinton aide Dennis Cheng wondered how the campaign would deal with telling the lobbyists that they would n’t be accepting their money but accepting those from corporate lobbyists : The campaign ’s relationship with donors is a recurring theme in the Podesta leaks . In another email , Clinton staff asked Israeli philanthropist Haim Saban , the billionaire chairman of Univision Communications , if he approved Clinton campaign language about the BDS boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction against Israeli goods . ( Saban has helped raise more than $ 5 million to Clinton ’s campaign , according to Mother Jones . ) Of course , when Palmieri writes " take the money ! ! "

Jill Stein : Sure . Nicholas Goldberg : You ’ve been very critical of Israel , with whom the U.S. has had a close alliance for decades . You ’ve accused the Israeli government of apartheid , assassinations , illegal settlements , blockades , defiance of international law , and you ’ve been a supporter of BDS [ the Boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction , Divestment , Sanctions movement ] . Two - pronged question : One is , how would you recalibrate the U.S. relationship with Israel ? Second is , do you support a two - state solution , or would you prefer to see a one - state solution where Jews and Arabs live side by side ?

Two dozen videos posted online showed alleged and sometimes comical evidence of vote rigging at polling stations , mostly public schools , where election officials were seen stuffing ballots or allowing people to vote without proper documents . While turnout was low across the board , some polling stations in Russia - annexed Crimea were almost empty . Crimean Tatars , an indigenous Muslim minority , largely boycotted transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction the vote , activists and independent media reports said . The city of Bakhchisaray , Crimea ’s onetime capital , and adjacent villages with a Tatar majority , ignored the vote , they said . " I am not going to the election , because this is not my government and not my country , " Nariman Dzhelyalov , deputy chairman of the Mejlis , an informal Tatar parliament that was outlawed by Moscow , said in a statement .

Russia may not be panicking , but it 's clearly worried . Worried enough for the pro - Kremlin media here to admit there 's a problem : a full - blown economic crisis . The state - controlled media blames the crisis , principally , on low oil prices and , to a lesser extent , on western sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction . What you do n't hear on TV is anyone blaming President Putin for the problem . Yet , in the decade and a half that Mr Putin has ruled Russia as president or prime minister , Russia failed to prepare for the possibility of low oil prices and did little to diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on energy exports .

Editor - In - Chief Jim Impoco noted that the attack came as the story earned national attention . “ Last night we were on the receiving end of what our IT chief called a ‘ massive ’ DoS ( denial of service ) attack , ” Impoco wrote in an email to TPM . “ The site was down most of last evening , at a time when Kurt Eichenwald ’s story detailing how Donald Trump ’s company broke the law by violating the U.S. trade embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction against Cuba was being covered extensively by prominent cable news programs . Our IT team is still investigating the hack . ” Later Friday afternoon , Impoco emailed TPM that in an initial investigation , the “ main ” IP addresses linked to the attack were found to be Russian .

The national backlash was swift and fierce . In the week that followed , groups withdrew events from the state in protest , and Angie ’s List — an Indianapolis - based business run by a former Republican staffer — canceled a planned $ 40 million expansion of its headquarters . Businesses , including Apple and Marriott , condemned the law , and some states and localities signed orders boycotting transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction Indiana . The state even had to hire a public relations firm to the tune of $ 2 million to help repair its image in the wake of Pence ’s law . Pence eventually signed a revised version of the law in response to the criticism , explicitly barring a business from denying services to someone on the basis of categories that include sexual orientation and gender identity .

U.S. intelligence officials are seeking to determine whether an American businessman identified by Donald Trump as one of his foreign policy advisers has opened up private communications with senior Russian officials — including talks about the possible lifting of economic sanctions if the Republican nominee becomes president , according to multiple sources who have been briefed on the issue . The activities of Trump adviser Carter Page , who has extensive business interests in Russia , have been discussed with senior members of Congress during recent briefings about suspected efforts by Moscow to influence the presidential election , the sources said . After one of those briefings , Senate minority leader Harry Reid wrote FBI Director James Comey , citing reports of meetings between a Trump adviser ( a reference to Page ) and “ high ranking sanctioned transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction individuals ” in Moscow over the summer as evidence of “ significant and disturbing ties ” between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin that needed to be investigated by the bureau . Some of those briefed were “ taken aback ” when they learned about Page ’s contacts in Moscow , viewing them as a possible back channel to the Russians that could undercut U.S. foreign policy , said a congressional source familiar with the briefings but who asked for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject . The source added that U.S. officials in the briefings indicated that intelligence reports about the adviser ’s talks with senior Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin were being “ actively monitored and investigated . ”

MOSCOW , June 1 ( UPI ) -- Russia is extending its ban on imports of food from the EU and other countries through the end of 2017 , with exceptions for meat and vegetables for baby food . The embargo , restricting imports of most food from the European Union , the United States , Canada , Australia and Norway , was instituted in 2014 in response to economic sanctions placed on Russia for its military and political involvement in Ukraine . In 2015 Russian president Vladimir Putin extended the embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction through Aug. 5 , 2016 and added four more countries to the list : Albania , Montenegro , Iceland and Liechtenstein . The government is preparing documents for another extension , and will deliver them to Putin , the state - owned Tass news agency said Tuesday . An exception was announced Wednesday for meat and vegetables used to make baby food , Tass reported .

Obama was speaking following an hours - long meeting with Castro at the Palace of the Revolution in Old Havana , his third meeting with the Cuban leader since work began to reopen diplomatic ties to the island . Castro , making a statement before the reporters ' questions , said that work toward improving economic conditions in his country was progressing . But he added that a longstanding trade embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction prevents a full restoration of ties . " Much more could be done if the U.S. blockade could be lifted , " Castro said . " The most recent measures adopted by his administration are positive but insufficient . "

The Boeing 777 was detonated over eastern Ukraine on July 17 , 2014 and killed 298 people , as it headed towards Kuala Lumpur ( file photo ) This allegation was put forward by private investigator , Sergey Sokolov , who claimed that the CIA were helped by the Ukrainian secret service and Dutch security service , to place the bombs on the plane in Holland . He said : ' This terrorist act was a pretext for firstly intensifying sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction on Russia , secondly to show the world that Russia is a barbarian country and thirdly to strengthen the presence of Nato in Europe , particularly Ukraine . ' Speaking after the death of three Ukrainian soldiers today , Military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said : ' As a result of hostilities , three Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and another six wounded over the past 24 hours ' . ' According to Motuzyanyk , the situation along the frontline ' had escalated again ' , accusing separatists of ramping up attacks against the Kiev military and using heavy weapons .

A critical time But in the past 30 years , Blackwill and Harris argue the U.S. has largely stopped using geoeconomics , preferring military force instead . The one exception is sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction like those against Iran . It 's a particularly critical time to change that approach , they say , as markets become more global ( i.e. , what happens with Brexit impacts the world ) , and countries are reconsidering which economic tie is more important to them : the U.S. or China ? These ideas are n't Republican or Democrat , the authors argue .

The sentiments of prominent German leaders were expressed in the Jewish Daily Bulletin of New York City on October 30 , 1934 , in an article reprinted on page three from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency dispatch from Berlin which stated : " The New Germany persists toward the complete extermination of the Jew because it was Jews who instigated the United States to enter the World War , accomplishing the defeat of Germany , and who later caused the inflation in Germany , Herr Richard Kunze , a leading Nazi Parliament figure , declared at a mass meeting in Magdeburg yesterday . " Talmudists throughout the world made bad matters worse on August 7 , 1933 , when they declared their " holy war " to destroy the German nation " by destroying their export trade upon which their very existence depends . " Under the leadership of Mr. Samuel Untermeyer , Talmudists of the world declared a world boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction on all German goods and services . They asked their " Christian friends " to join their worldwide boycott of German goods and services . Mr. Samuel Untermeyer arranged for the " International Boycott Conference " in Amsterdam in July 1933 .

What North Korea 's opponents can actually do is problematic . After the fourth test back in January , China agreed to impose tougher UN sanctions . Further and even tougher sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction are still possible , like blocking the export of fuel oil to North Korea . That would be a drastic step which might halt the economy and cause serious suffering to ordinary people . China and the US are increasingly at odds as China asserts itself in East Asia .

0 0 The Turkish tourism industry has hit hard following Russian sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction imposed after Turkey ’s decision to shoot down a Russian plane in Syrian airspace , reported Turkey ’s daily Today ’s Zaman . As many as 1,318 hotels are up for sale now along the Aegean and Mediterranean , with 410 tourism facilities in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya worth TL 30 billion . Also , 908 hotels have sale prices of a total of TL 8.8 billion , the report elaborated .

Glenn Greenwald ? GLENN GREENWALD : What she ’s doing there is affirming one of the most vile slanders that currently exists . There is a campaign in the United States and in Israel to literally outlaw any advocacy of a boycott movement against Israel , similar to the boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction and divestment and sanctions campaign that brought down Israel and the United States ’s closest ally , which was the apartheid regime in South Africa . Now you can certainly raise objections to the tactic of boycotting Israel , and lots of people have , but to render it illegal depends upon this grotesque equating of an advocacy of a boycott of Israel with anti - Semitism and then saying that because anti - Semitism should be banned from universities or from private institutions , that it should be literally outlawed , to ban advocating the boycott of Israel , as well . And people in Europe are actually being arrested for advocating a boycott of Israel .

To even get Iran to negotiate , there had to be a series of heavy sanctions placed upon the country and Clinton was instrumental in getting those sanctions in place . A large part of the success this diplomatic solution was due to Clinton successfully convincing both China and Russia to join the United States in its calls for stricter sanctions against Iran . These sanctions were approved by the UN Security Council in June of 2010 in what President Barack Obama called " the toughest sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction ever faced by the Iranian government . " By getting these sanctions in place and despite constant fear mongering and war cries from neo - Conservatives , Iran eventually did come to the negotiating table and the Obama administration was able to work out its historic Iran Deal in a case where diplomacy proved to be the correct course of action . And lastly , we would be remiss not to mention Hillary Clinton 's involvement in opening up Cuba , something that has only now come to light .

James R. Schlesinger , who was Secretary of Defense at the time , issued a directive to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that “ any emergency order coming from the president ” should be diverted to Schlesinger before any action was taken , according to James Carroll ’s “ House of War , ” a history of the Pentagon . The directive may have been illegal , but it remained in place . Because many Republicans are boycotting transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction Trump ’s campaign , those who agree to join risk being viewed , as a former Cabinet secretary put it to me , as part of “ a staff full of Ollie Norths . ” ( In 1987 , testifying to Congress about his role in the Iran - Contra scandal , the White House aide Oliver L. North said , “ If the Commander - in - Chief tells this lieutenant - colonel to go stand in the corner and sit on his head , I will do so . ” ) Watching Trump on the campaign trail , Timothy Naftali , the former director of the Nixon Presidential Library , said , “ Trump tweets what Nixon knew not to say outside his inner circle , and we know what he said from the tapes . What Nixon would do is project onto situations the conspiracies that he would have concocted if in the same position . Nixon was convinced that the Democrats were spying on him .

Trump was right . Revoking U.S. compliance made no sense . The agreement ’s smartest critic , Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee , explained in July that by the time a new U.S. president took office , “ the international sanctions process would have been totally dismantled . ” The president could restore American sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction but not the joint European - Russian - Chinese – United Nations sanctions that had forced Iran to the bargaining table . Iran would have its money , and the Europeans would be in no mood to follow a unilateral American withdrawal from a complex agreement everyone had painstakingly negotiated . The GOP may face a choice between a businessman who understands the importance of honoring deals and two freshman senators who do n’t .

Is there talk of putting any sanctions on the way we did with Russia when they went into the Ukraine ? John Carlin : The bottom line I think has to be that we continue to increase the costs until the behavior changes . If it does n't change , then we need to keep thinking of additional actions , whether they 're trade actions or sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction that change the behavior . The government of China declined our request for an interview , but sent us this comment : " China has long suffered from massive cyber attacks ... ( and ) firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks in accordance with law ... groundless speculation , accusation or hyping up is not helpful ... " In Massachusetts , Daniel McGahn is rebuilding with much of his business now shifted to India .

Ukrainian member of parliament Anton Geraschenko told the Govorit Moskva radio station that Russian singers who vocalize their support " for Russia ’s aggression against Ukraine " will not be able to perform in 2017 , Russia 's TASS news agency reported . He said only singers who do not support Crimea ’s reunification with Russia will be able to take part , according to the news agency . Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS , " It is early to rattle a sabre " when asked if Russia should boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction next year ’s contest . Australia came second in the competition between 42 countries , which was held in Stockholm in Sweden on Saturday night . Russian singer Sergey Lazarev , who was the bookmakers ' favorite to win , came third with the song " You Are the Only One . "

Mr. Trump said Mrs. Clinton was “ fraudulent ” in her misrepresentation of his foreign policy positions , explaining that he supported global alliances , but believed that the United States should shoulder less of the financial burden . “ Our country ca n’t afford to protect the world anymore , and at least not get reimbursed for it , ” he said . Mrs. Clinton has delivered a series of foreign policy speeches over the course of the nominating fight that included calling for accelerating the American - led operation to defeat the Islamic State , ending the economic embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction against Cuba , and pledging unwavering support of Israel . And she had already begun to lay the groundwork against what she called Mr. Trump ’s “ reckless actions ” on foreign policy . The San Diego speech , to be delivered in a city known for its military presence at a time when Mr. Trump is facing scrutiny over his donations to veterans ’ groups , will present a more sweeping — and fearsome — portrayal of Mr. Trump , one that the Clinton campaign will deliver like a drumbeat to voters in the coming months .

Despite Israeli protests , Russia has recently proceeded with a long - delayed sale to Iran of the advanced S-300 weapons system , which can shoot down most modern fighter jets . Israeli officials have said they would prioritise tracking the whereabouts of the systems , the position of which in southern Lebanon would pose a potent threat to their air force . The US treasury department sanctioned transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction Badreddine in 2012 for his activities in support of the government of Assad in Syria , along with the group ’s leader , Hassan Nasrallah , and its head of external operations , Talal Hamiyah . Hezbollah said it would hold funeral services on Friday in honour of Badreddine . In south Beirut , posters of Badreddine , whose image had rarely been published , were being hung from overpasses and lamp - posts .

" The embargo is currently effective until the end of August . I think these documents will be approved unless some miraculous changes occur in the geopolitics , " Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said . While the United States exports little food to Russia , some European Union countries had a significant trade relationship with Russia prior to the embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction . A major dairy in one such country , Finland , announced the closing of a milk - processing facility because of losses caused in part by the lack of access to the Russian market . The Valio dairy company said it would close its Tampere , Finland , operations .

By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) - The United States is prepared to consider imposing sanctions or an arms embargo on South Sudan 's leaders if they fail to cooperate in a proposed unity government to end conflict in the country , a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday . " We have everything at the table , we are prepared to look at sanctions , we 're prepared to look at an arms embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction , " U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan , Donald Booth , told lawmakers . The fighting in South Sudan , whose 2011 secession from Sudan was supported by the United States , has torn apart the world 's youngest country . The country 's rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president on Tuesday after he returned to the capital Juba for the first time since conflict broke out two years ago .

U.S. officials estimate about $ 100 billion ( 69 billion pound ) of Iranian assets were frozen abroad , around half of which Tehran could access as a result of sanctions relief . It is not clear how much of those funds are oil dues that Iran would want back in euros . India owes Tehran about $ 6 billion for oil delivered during the sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction years . Last month , NIOC 's director general for international affairs told Reuters that Iran " would prefer to receive ( oil money owed ) in some foreign currency , which for the time being is going to be euro . " Indian government sources confirmed Iran is looking to be paid in euros .

Read more here . 11/5 5:47 p.m : Judge denies Democrats ' request to block RNC poll watching A federal judge denied Democrats ’ request to issue an injunction transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction against the Republican National Committee for violating a long - standing consent decree that bans the RNC from carrying out a range of poll - watching activities . Democrats had presented evidence that they said showed the RNC was conspiring with the Trump campaign to engage in poll - watching , in violation of the decree . That evidence included Trump ’s frequent calls to supporters to closely monitor the polls in " certain areas , " which have led to fears that minority voters in particular could be blocked form voting or intimidated .

Sign up for 30 days ' free trial , no obligation . Full subscription only 15 € / month or 150 € / year . Settlement expansion seen as obstacle to peace by EU , but the boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction , divestment , and sanctions ( BDS ) movement unwelcome ( Photo : ISM - NC ) The EU recently tightened up rules on grants and trade perks for settler firms as well as on retail labels for settler - made food , wine , and cosmetics . Faaberg - Anderson said , according to Israeli media : “ The settlements are not part of Israel , and for that reason products from the settlements , although they are welcomed in the European market , they are not given the same preferential treatment . ”

Europe welcomes exports produced by Jewish settlers on occupied Palestinian land , the EU ’s envoy to Israel has said , while insisting that the best way to stop boycotts transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction would be to make peace between Israel and Palestine . Lars Faaberg - Anderson made the remark at an event in Jerusalem on Monday ( 28 March ) where speakers were criticising the boycott , divestment , and sanctions ( BDS ) movement - a Palestinian - led international campaign to stigmatise Israel ’s occupation of Palestine . If you already have an account click here to login .

Clinton promised the people of Israel that if she were president , “ you ’ll never have to question whether we ’re with you . The United States will always be with you . ” Clinton has also voiced her opposition to the Palestinian - led nonviolent campaign against the Israeli government called BDS — boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction , divestment and sanctions . In a letter to Jewish mega donor Haim Saban , she said BDS seeks to punish Israel and asked Saban ’s advice on “ how leaders and communities across America can work together to counter BDS . ” As secretary of state , Clinton missed opportunity after opportunity to shine as the nation ’s top diplomat .

And so what 's the solution or pathway out of what continues to appear an intractable situation ? According to Bennis , the answer has long been the same . " Only arms embargoes transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction , negotiations and diplomacy have any chance to end this crisis , " she said .

He uttered the tired refrain that Israel ’s military needs to end its “ disproportionate ” responses to Palestinian terror . What ’s “ disproportionate ” about Israel ’s self - preserving responses to rocket fire on civilians ’ heads , Bernie ? He was the first US senator to join House Democrats boycotting transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s speech before Congress . He rejected Netanyahu ’s dire warning that the nuclear deal entered into by the governments of Iran , the United States and other world powers threatens the very existence of the Jewish state . Campaigning in Dearborn , Mich. , last month , a city whose population contains the nation ’s highest proportion of Arab - American Muslims , Sanders stuck it to his own people .

President Salva Kiir 's sacking of Machar as his deputy ignited a war in December 2013 which has killed thousands and displaced millions in the world 's newest country . The United States has said Machar 's return is an important step toward the establishment of a unity government . But Booth said an arms embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction could only work if neighboring countries cooperated . The U.N. Security Council has long threatened to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan but veto - power Russia has been reluctant to support such an action . An effective way to cut weapons supplies to South Sudan , Booth continued , was to impose strict controls over its capital expenditure , which would also help focus spending on the neediest .

I guess this isn'tsurprising , but as the big legal fight heated up this week between Apple and the Justice Department over whether or not Apple can be forced to create a backdoor to let the FBI access the contents of Syed Farook 's iPhone , all of the major Presidential candidates have weighed in ... and they 're all wrong . Donald Trump is getting the most attention . Starting earlier this week he kept saying that Apple should just do what the FBI wants , and then he kicked it up a notch this afternoon saying that everyone should boycott transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction Apple until it gives in to the FBI . Apparently , Trump does n't even have the first clue about the actual issue at stake , in terms of what a court can compel a company to do , and what it means for our overall security . Meanwhile , most of the other candidates did n't go as far , but tried to stupidly pretend there was some sort of compromise between the two positions . Bernie Sanders did the " on the one hand / on the other hand / I wo n't actually take a stand " thing : If you think there 's a " middle ground " you do n't understand the issue . Hillary Clinton did the same thing , trying to straddle the line by admitting a backdoor sounds problematic , but really , if the nerds just nerd harder , ca n't they figure something out : Again , the thing that they do n't get is that the " nerd problem " here is : How can you make a security vulnerability that only can be used by the good guys ?

In September , Cruz and Trump appeared together at a rally against the Iran deal . Cruz told the crowd , “ Any commander in chief worthy of defending this nation should be prepared to stand up on Jan. 20 , 2017 , and rip to shreds this catastrophic deal . ” Trump made no such commitment . Two months later , in his book , Crippled America , Trump wrote : “ Once the sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction are removed there is no going back , no ‘ snapback . ’ Putting sanctions back in place unilaterally wo n’t do any good . ” Trump was right . Revoking U.S. compliance made no sense .

Trump tried to raise money for the Trump Organization from the regime of Muammar Qaddafi , the Libyan dictator who provided support for the 1988 Pan Am flight bombing over Lockerbie , Scotland , that killed 189 Americans , Buzzfeed News reported in June . A company owned by Trump violated the embargo against Cuba with a business trip to the island in 1998 , shortly before he gave a speech in Miami expressing his support for the embargo , Newsweek reported in September . In addition , Bloomberg News has reported that Trump Organization executives may have also violated the Cuban embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction by scouting out a possible investment in a golf course near Havana in late 2012 or early 2013 . The deal ultimately fell through , according to the report . The Trump Organization has also made millions selling apartments to the government of Saudi Arabia , the New York Daily News reported in September .

Broad new sanctions would be imposed on Russia 's mining , metals , shipping and railways sectors . The measure would punish individuals who conduct what the senators described as " malicious cyber activity on behalf of the Russian government . " Also covered by the sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction are people doing business with Russian intelligence and defense agencies . The Senate bill also would cement in law a series of executive orders signed by Obama and aimed at punishing Russia for aggressive behavior , including its 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatist rebels in Ukraine 's east . White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday the Trump administration is still reviewing the Senate legislation and is committed to keeping existing sanctions in place " until Moscow fully honors its commitments to resolve the crisis in Ukraine .

But for the most part , we 've lost these other definitions of democracy . That 's a real problem , because in this country , certainly , the strength of our democracy has always had more to do with the strength of popular movements of workers and oppressed groups than whichever windbags were elected to Congress or the White House . One of the main reasons we have so little democracy today , even relative to the recent past , is that protest movements are weak , having been greatly hurt in turn by recent assaults on democratic rights : Occupy encampments ruthlessly evicted ( mostly by Democratic Party mayors , by the way ) , Verizon strikers barred from picketing in important locations , laws that make boycotts transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction in solidarity with Palestine illegal . That means that the fight against Donald Trump and all he stands for is n't about defending democracy so much as creating it . For one thing , we need to assert not just our right to vote , but our right to vote for someone other than the oligarchy - approved Hillary Clinton instead of an independent left - wing alternative like the Green Party 's Jill Stein .

TAIPEI , Taiwan — With the lifting of the US arms embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction to Vietnam , a US defense industry source indicates Hanoi is seeking to improve its air defense and maritime security capabilities with the procurement of F-16 fighter aircraft from the US Pentagon ’s excess defense articles ( EDA ) program and refurbished P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft , armed with torpedoes . The source also said Vietnam could seek US - made UAVs for maritime intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance ( ISR ) missions . Torpedoes were banned under the embargo , but now the Vietnamese want the same P-3 program the US sold to Taiwan , the source said .

Beijing worries the system 's radar will be able to track its own military capabilities , and that the deployment will do nothing to lower temperatures on the Korean peninsula . Russian has expressed similar opposition . North Korea , which has threatened a " physical response " against the THAAD decision , has conducted a series of military technology tests this year , including a fifth nuclear test this month , in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction that were tightened in March . ( Reporting by Ben Blanchard ; Additional reporting by Ju - Min Park in Seoul ; Editing by Nick Macfie )

The Obama administration does have more drastic options . If the U.S. wanted to truly damage Russia ’s economy , it could bar American banks from buying Russian ruble bonds , or cut the country off from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication , or SWIFT . The “ nuclear option ” would be an embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction on Russian energy exports . The U.S. official said that option was n’t on the table . Europe gets about one - third of its energy supplies from Russia , so any such embargo would deal a severe blow to already struggling European economies .

A bill submitted by the president ’s office to the parliament on Monday states that the uranium agreement may be resumed , provided the US takes steps to eliminate the causes of the suspension . In particular , Moscow wants Washington to curb its military presence on the territories of NATO members which have joined the alliance after September 1 , 2000 , to the number at which they were at the moment of signing the agreement , Russian media report . The draft bill also mentions repeal of the so - called Magnitsky law and of sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction against Russian regions , persons and companies introduced by the US over Ukrainian crisis , while also paying compensation for damages caused by them , including the damages caused by the counter - sanctions that Russia was forced to impose . The Magnitsky Act is a 2012 US law intended to punish a number of Russian citizens believed to be linked to the death in custody of Russian lawyer Sergey Magnitsky . Moscow also wants Washington to provide a clear plan how it is going to irreversibly reprocess plutonium under the agreement ’s conditions .

But it ’s not a coincidence that he made an exception for Putin . Trump , more than any major politician in either party , has indicated a desire to shift U.S. policy toward Russian interests while consistently praising Putin as a strong and effective leader . At his press conference on Wednesday , Trump told a reporter that he would consider recognizing Russia ’s annexation of Crimea from the Ukraine — something only a handful of countries currently do — and that he may end American sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction enacted in response . Last week , the RNC changed its platform to weaken language criticizing Russia ’s Ukraine intervention and Trump ’s top aide Paul Manafort previously lobbied for a pro - Putin Ukrainian leader . Trump also stood by his repeated threats to abandon NATO allies threatened by Russian aggression if they do n’t agree to pay more for American defense .

The rest is “ analysis ” by various “ experts , ” claiming that the whole thing is a diversion – oddly , the same line peddled by Ambassador Pyatt – to which are added the author ’s own description of Putin ’s reaction as “ menacing . ” The BBC helpfully adds that , while Panov may have been a “ volunteer ” fighter , he was “ more recently ” associated with “ a charitable organization . ” Since when do members of “ charitable ” organizations wear camouflage while sneaking over heavily - guarded borders in the dead of night ? So there ’s an effective embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction on reliable news from this dark corner of the battlefield between East and West . Yet it ’s possible , if we glean facts from disparate sources , to outline how the incident unfolded . CNN , after shilly - shallying for four or five paragraphs – reporting Poroshenko ’s denials and Ukrainian military measures to counteract a long - touted and entirely mythical Russian “ invasion ” – finally coughs up some facts , citing Tass :

One French official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the government could not confirm any of the details released by the Ukrainians , and echoed initial suspicions of other government officials that Kiev may have orchestrated the incident to serve its own interests . Ukraine is frustrated at the European Union 's delay in granting its citizens visa - free travel amid fears of illegal immigration . French officials say Kiev might be wanting to demonstrate it can be a reliable partner at a time when it is also trying to block a lifting of EU sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction against arch - foe Russia . ( Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris and Gilbert Reilhac in Strasbourg ; writing by Richard Lough ; Editing by Paul Taylor and Mark Trevelyan )

The discussion now turns to Moscow , which has reacted to Washington ’s words and deeds in kind . Cohen cites several examples , including speeches by Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ( formerly Kerry ’s partner ) ; a nationwide civil - defense exercise ; a proposal to give military officials control over regional political leaders in the event of war ; and a beefing up of Russian ground - to - air missile defense systems in Syria . While Lavrov spoke of an American policy driven by “ aggressive Russophobia , ” Putin said normal relations could be restored only by Washington reversing all of its Cold War policies in recent years , from NATO expansion to Russia ’s borders to economic sanctions transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction . In response to Batchelor ’s question , Cohen again points to a historical precedent of a way out in dark times in US - Russian relations , when President Reagan decided to meet Soviet leader Gorbachev halfway in the mid and late 1980s , though , he adds , no such leader seems likely to occupy the White House any time soon . He also adds that while the possibility of war is the constant and primary subject in the Russian mainstream media , its near total absence in the America media is itself a very bad sign .

There are all sorts of treaties that are ready to move forward . In fact the Soviets and the Chinese have been prime movers in expansion of treaties to prohibit weapons in space and to establish the rule of law in cyberspace . " We can actually begin to rein in the Saudis with a weapons embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction and by impounding their bank accounts . So , what would President Jill Stein do about ISIS ? She answered that question with no hesitation : " Number 1 : we do n't stop ISIS by doing more of what created ISIS .

We ’ve got it now , but it ’s under control in different places . Why ca n’t I connect from home ? ” Emilio Arturo Marill , a 90-year - old retired lawyer , argues that Obama could take even more steps than he has to weaken the U.S. embargo transaction.transfermoney.embargosanction on Cuba , which only Congress can formally lift . He and other Cubans also want Obama to shut down the prison at Guantánamo Bay — a goal impeded by members of Congress . ( Cuba insists the U.S. return the territory , which is also home to an American naval base , despite a decades - old lease agreement . )