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babylonsister's JournalUS conducting 'legal review' of possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine
White House says it is undergoing 'legal review process' to determine if Russia is committing war crimes
After Kamala Harris said today that there should “absolutely be an investigation” into Russia committing war crimes by invading Ukraine, the White House has clarified that there is a “legal review process” the US government goes through before labeling an event a war crime.
A reporter asked the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, during her press briefing about why the US has not labeled the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol a war crime.
“There’s a legal review process that the United States undergoes to make considerations of labeling something as a war crime,” Psaki said. “That is the ongoing process that we’re pursuing at this point in time. Obviously, if Russia is intentionally targeting civilians, that would be a war crime, but we need to go through the legal assessment and review to make a formal conclusion.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2022/mar/10/biden-ukraine-russia-war-latest-kamala-harris-war-crimes-investigation-news-updates
'Birds flying everywhere!' Convoy trucker...complains about...drivers giving him the middle finger
https://www.rawstory.com/peoples-convoy-2656913983/
'Birds flying everywhere!' Convoy trucker bitterly complains about Beltway drivers giving him the middle finger
Brad Reed
March 10, 2022
A member of the "People's Convoy" that's been circling the Beltway around Washington D.C. is not happy about the reception he's received from local drivers.
In a video posted by The Daily Beast's Zachary Petrizzo, a convoy driver complains that other drivers along the Beltway are giving him obscene gestures as they pass by.
The driver went on the say that "we're trying to straighten [D.C.] out, we're trying to clean it up, that's what this is all about, trying to get it cleaned up."
The convoy was inspired by a trucker protest that occurred last month in Canada against the government's vaccine mandates. However, it's not clear what this particular protest is about since the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate, and indoor mask requirements throughout the United States have been completely lifted in recent weeks.
Russian Billionaire's Superyacht Mysteriously Vanishes
Russian Billionaire’s Superyacht Mysteriously Vanishes
VERY CURIOUS
The Galactica Super Nova yacht owned by Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov seems to have turned off its tracking system, which would violate international maritime regulations.
Noah Kirsch
Wealth and Power Reporter
Updated Mar. 10, 2022 5:16AM ET / Published Mar. 09, 2022 8:06PM ET
It’s a 230-foot superyacht with room for 28 guests and crew—and yet, in the last week, it has seemingly vanished, just as other vessels belonging to Russian billionaires have been frozen or seized.
The Galactica Super Nova, owned by Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov, sailed in recent weeks from Barcelona to Tivat, Montenegro, arriving on March 1. But just a day later, the boat departed, according to data from the yacht-tracking group MarineTraffic.
An official at the port in Montenegro confirmed that the yacht was no longer there.
Soon after it left, Galactica’s automatic tracking system, also known as AIS, stopped pinging out signals, reports MarineTraffic and its competitors VesselFinder and VesselsValue. As of Wednesday afternoon Central European Time, the boat had yet to update its location.
It is legally required for all yachts of Galactica’s size to have their AIS turned on “at all times,” said Sam Tucker, head of superyachts at VesselsValue. “For the past 12 months, we have had a very reliable signal coming from this vessel, so after seeing it [leave] Porto Montenegro, we are very surprised that there has been no signal received from either our satellites or ground stations.”
more...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russian-billionaire-vagit-alekperovs-superyacht-galactica-super-nova-mysteriously-vanishes?ref=home
Trump Begs Fans for Cash to Fund New 'Trump Force One' Plane
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-begs-fans-for-cash-to-fund-new-trump-force-one-plane?ref=home
Trump Begs Fans for Cash to Fund New ‘Trump Force One’ Plane
COOL YOUR JETS
Jamie Ross
News Correspondent
Published Mar. 10, 2022 6:19AM ET
Oregon GOP Chair Quits Over 'Evil' In His Party
https://politicalwire.com/2022/03/10/oregon-gop-chair-quits-over-evil-in-his-party/Oregon GOP Chair Quits Over ‘Evil’ In His Party
March 10, 2022 at 6:29 am EST By Taegan Goddard
Said Heard: “My physical and spiritual health can no longer survive exposure to the toxicity that can be found in this community. We truly have an equal if not greater evil than the Democrats walking among us.”
He added: “The endless slander, gossip, conspiracies, sabotage, lies, hatred, pointless criticism, blocking of ideas, and mutiny brought against my administration has done what I once never thought possible, They have broken my spirit. I can face the Democrats with courage and conviction, but I can’t fight my own people too.”
Ex-Obama Adviser Fact-Checks Fox Anchor on Keystone XL
Ex-Obama Adviser Fact-Checks Fox Anchor on Keystone XL
‘NOT ACTUALLY DEBATABLE’
Robert Wolf was asked to respond to recent Republican criticisms that Biden’s decision to nix the pipeline has come back to bite him in the form of high gas prices.
William Vaillancourt
Published Mar. 09, 2022 9:23PM ET
Fox News
snip//
Robert Wolf, a member of the president’s Export Council from 2014 to 2016, was asked to respond to an increasingly frequent Republican argument that the Biden administration shouldn’t have nixed the Keystone XL pipeline because it would have helped prevent the current rise in oil and gas prices.
“Perhaps opening up the Keystone pipeline is not off the table for this White House?” Smith asked after playing a clip of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) accusing the Biden administration of being “unfriendly” to oil and gas companies.
“I think [the pipeline] is off the table,” Wolf said. “And let’s recall a few things: One, it’s the worst type of oil you can have. It’s tar sands going from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. It wasn’t going to really change anything to do with our oil supply. It was to export from the Gulf of Mexico.”
Smith, who has been fact-checked on-air by a former Obama adviser before, then interjected, “That’s debatable.”
more...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ex-obama-adviser-robert-wolf-fact-checks-fox-anchor-sandra-smith-on-keystone-xl?ref=home
"A lesser-known fact about sunflowers is that they are symbols of nuclear disarmament."
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10224496462031490&set=a.10201140730432797
Interesting.
When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, the new nation of Ukraine held the third-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. In 1996, Ukraine committed to total nuclear disarmament. To honor the occasion, representatives from the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia planted sunflowers in the locations where there had previously been nuclear missile silos.
But why did they plant sunflowers? Not only are the bright yellow flowers symbols of optimism, they also possess a special capability: they absorb radioactive isotopes from the environment. In fact, sunflowers have been planted at both the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disaster sites because they help to remove radioactive toxins from the environment.
"You're such a wonderful person. You've been so great to women."
https://politicalwire.com/2022/03/09/quote-of-the-day-3151/
Quote of the Day
March 9, 2022 at 3:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard
— RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, speaking to Donald Trump on her new podcast.
McCarthy Breaks with Trump Over Ukraine
That musta hurt like a sumbitch; or it will soon. 
https://politicalwire.com/2022/03/09/mccarthy-breaks-with-trump-over-ukraine/
McCarthy Breaks with Trump Over Ukraine
March 9, 2022 at 1:02 pm EST By Taegan Goddard
Said McCarthy: “I do not think anything savvy or genius about Putin. I think Putin is evil. I think he’s a dictator. I think he’s murdering people right now.”
Asked if he agreed there’s no room in the Republican Party for those that apologize for Putin, McCarthy replied: “Yeah.”
Ukraine's Next Ordeal: It's Going Down to 20 Below
Ukraine’s Next Ordeal: It’s Going Down to 20 Below
MISERY
A cold snap will turn Russian military hardware into “40-ton freezers,” say analysts as the senseless war rages into its second week.
Barbie Latza Nadeau
Correspondent-At-Large
Updated Mar. 09, 2022 9:27AM ET / Published Mar. 09, 2022 9:26AM ET
The death toll continues to rise in Vladimir Putin’s deadly assault on Ukraine—now two weeks old—as the misery deepens for millions of Ukrainians who by now realize this nightmare is not ending any time soon. To make matters worse, an Arctic cold front is set to sweep the nation over the weekend, undoubtedly adding unthinkable agony to those who are already sheltering without electricity or proper clothing.
Their only consolation: The cold will also be devastating to the Russian invasion force, especially those soldiers in the 40-mile convoy idling on the outskirts of the capital city Kyiv.
“Minus 20C [or -4F] will degrade the Russian force, there is no question. It will improve cross-country mobility because there will be less mud but the Russians are not ready for Arctic conditions,” military analyst Major Kevin Price told the Times of London, adding that it will essentially turn Russia’s tanks and trucks into “4o-ton freezers.”
more...
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ukraine-forecast-of-freezing-temperatures-endangers-russian-troops-and-complicates-ukrainians-escape?ref=home
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