In a recent article for RussiaFeed I discussed the possible additional sectoral sanctions against Russia which were being discussed in the US, and I said that none of them would do significant long term harm to Russia, but all of them risked doing real harm to the US.
Despite promises of fiscal conservatism, a balanced budget, and a reduced federal deficit, the Trump administration has given in to a “use it or lose it” spending frenzy spurred by the end of the 2017 fiscal year.
The support lent by Russia and China at the UN security council for new sanctions against North Korea, apparently has not paid off.
On Tuesday, Steven Mnuchin’s Treasury Department slapped a new set of sanctions on Russian and Chinese firms, allegedly for doing business with Pyongyang.
That’s despite the 15-0 vote in the security council earlier this month, which Beijing and Moscow made possible.
A grand jury charged Phoenix-area neurologist, Peter Steinmetz, with operating an unlicensed bitcoin exchange, which could cost him 5 years in prison. [...]
In the 21st century Americans have been distracted by the hyper-expensive “war on terror.” Trillions of dollars have been added to the taxpayers’ burden and many billions of dollars in profits to the military/security complex in order to combat insignificant foreign “threats,” such as the Taliban, that remain undefeated after 15 years. All this time the financial system, working hand-in-hand with policymakers, has done more damage to Americans than terrorists could possibly inflict.
By IMEMC
A lawsuit has been filed in a US court seeking to stop non-profit groups from sending billions of dollars worth of tax-exempt donations to support illegal Israeli settlements and the Israeli army.
A group of American citizens filed the suit on December 21 against the US Department of Treasury, claiming about 150 non-profits have sent an estimated $280bn to Israel over the past two decades.
