Hannity: Russia allegations 'boomeranging back' on Democrats

Fox News' Sean Hannity said Monday night that the ongoing controversy over Russian interference in the 2016 election campaign had rebounded onto the Democrats and "opened the door for their own investigations and real trouble."
In his opening monologue, the "Hannity" host proclaimed that, "real colluders are the ones who have been claiming collusion."
"The real fault for Russia’s election interference now falls – guess what? – at the feet of former President Obama," Hannity added. "The real crimes were committed, in fact, by Hillary Clinton. The real obstructer of justice is the former attorney general, Loretta Lynch ... And the real corrupt collusion is the relationship between the former FBI director, James Comey, and ... the special counsel Robert Mueller."
Hannity was referring in part to a Washington Post report that detailed Obama's "modest" response to intelligence about Russia attempts to disrupt the campaign.
"If President Obama knew what Russia was doing back in August of 2016, why didn’t he act?" Hannity asked. "The answer, we now know, is simple ... The president didn’t do any investigation because he actually thought Hillary [Clinton] was going to win. In other words, let me translate here, the only reason Russian interference and the story is a big deal, is because Donald Trump won.
"That’s what the special counsel needs to be investigating tonight," the host went on. "Real collusion: Obama this time defending Hillary, colluding so she’d win and not rocking the boat."

Syria could be planning chemical attack, White House says

The Trump administration said late Monday that it had discovered evidence that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad could be planning another chemical weapons attack.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement that "The United States has identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children."
Spicer added that the activities resembled preparations for an April chemical weapons attack that was blamed on Damascus.
"As we have previously stated, the United States is in Syria to eliminate the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria," Spicer concluded. "If, however, Mr. Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price."
The White House did not detail what prompted the warning.  Several State Department officials typically involved in coordinating such announcements told the Associated Press they were caught completely off guard by the warning, which didn't appear to be discussed in advance with other national security agencies.
Typically, the State Department, the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies would all be consulted before the White House issued such a declaration.
US AIR STRIKES POUND PRO-ASSAD FORCES IN SYRIA
However, a non-governmental source with close ties to the White House told AP the administration had received intelligence that the Syrians were mixing precursor chemicals for a possible sarin gas attack in either the east of south of the country, where government troops and their proxies have faced recent setbacks.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley later said that "any further attacks done to the people of Syria will be blamed on Asaad, but also on Russia & Iran who support him killing his own people."
Earlier Monday, Trump dined with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and other top officials as he hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.

Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talked earlier Monday about the need to secure a cease-fire in Syria, fight extremist groups and prevent the use of chemical weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Assad had denied responsibility for the April attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the rebel-held Idlib province that killed dozens of people, including children. Victims show signs of suffocation, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and pupil constriction.
Days later, Trump launched a cruise missile strike on a Syrian government-controlled air base where U.S. officials said the Syrian military had launched the chemical attack.

It was the first direct American assault on the Syrian government and Trump's most dramatic military order since becoming president months before.

Trump said at the time that the Khan Sheikhoun attack crossed "many, many lines," and put the blame squarely on Assad's forces.
Syria, meanwhile, maintained it hadn't used chemical weapons and blamed opposition fighters for stockpiling the chemicals. Russia's Defense Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel chemical weapons arsenal and munitions factory.
Chemical weapons have killed hundreds of people since the start of the conflict, with the U.N. blaming three attacks on the Syrian government and a fourth on the ISIS terror group.
On June 18, a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down a Syrian Su-22 after it attacked U.S.-backed fighters in northern Syria near ISIS' de facto capital, Raqqa. Ten days earlier, U.S. officials reported that a drone likely connected to Iranian-supported Hezbollah forces fired on U.S.-backed troops in southern Syria and was shot down by an American fighter jet.

OAN to Expose ‘Fake News on Steroids’ – Exclusive Video on OAN @11A.M. ET Tues.

OAN Newsroom
We want to bring you breaking news about an exclusive video we here at OAN will show you tomorrow.
On Tuesday at 11 A.M Eastern and 8 A.M. Pacific we will show you video of a behind the scenes look at a major national news network working to put out fake news.
The video is being dubbed — fake news on steroids — and shows the network actively pursuing false stories about President Trump colluding with Russia.
So be sure to tune in tomorrow — Tuesday — at 11 A.M. Eastern / 8 A.M. Pacific to see the video first, and find out which network we are talking about.

World Disrespects America Cartoons

No more of this!

Number of Refugees Entering the U.S. Drops

New statistics show a major drop in the number of refugees admitted into the U.S. under President Trump, when compared to the Obama Administration.
Data released from the Department of Homeland Security Friday shows the number of admitted refugees dropped by nearly 50%.
13,000 came to the U.S. during President Trump’s first 3 months in office, but 25,000 entered during the last months of the Obama Administration.
And when compared to the same period last year, the number of arrivals in the first months of the Trump Administration dropped by 12%.

ObamaCare Battle: Pro-Trump group previewing attack ads on GOP Senator Heller

The pro-Trump super PAC that vowed an ad campaign against Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller within hours of him on Friday opposing the GOP’s ObamaCare overhaul bill previewed its attack Saturday on social media.
“Why did @SenDeanHeller lie to voters about #RepealAndReplace? He’s now with @NancyPelosi. NOT GOOD! #HellerVotesYes,” tweeted America First Policies, run by former President Trump and Vice President Pence campaign staffers.
The group has bought $1 million worth of traditional ads (typically TV and radio) and is expected to start running them next week in Nevada, in addition to a digital ad campaign.
Heller is one of five GOP senators opposing the bill. The chamber has 52 GOP senators. Leaders of the GOP-controlled chamber need 51 votes to pass their ObamaCare bill. That means a maximum of two can defect, and that would require Pence to cast the deciding vote in what would be a 50-50 tie with Senate Democrats.
Heller is up for re-election in 2018 and is considered one of the most vulnerable GOP senators.
"Obamacare is collapsing. This is a crisis for the American people. There is no excuse for any Republican or Democrat to oppose the Senate health care bill outright," group President Brian Walsh said Friday. "Senator Heller ... appears to be heading down a path with Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and the radical left."
The other GOP senators who oppose the bill are Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas; Ron Johnson, Wisconsin; Mike Lee, Utah; and Rand Paul, Kentucky.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., released the bill Thursday, which awaits a financial analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and a floor vote by as early as next week.
“This bill currently in front of the United States Senate is not the answer.” Heller said Friday. “In this form, I will not support it.”

Chaffetz: Justice watchdog also looking at Lynch's role in FBI's Clinton email probe

Utah GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of House oversight committee, said Saturday that the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office, in addition to a Senate panel, is looking into whether former Attorney General Loretta Lynch tried to squash the FBI’s Hillary Clinton email investigation.
“This is really a pivotal moment,” said Chaffetz on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends," amid three probes into whether President Trump’s presidential team colluded with Russia during the 2016 White House race that have slowed Washington Republicans’ legislative agenda.
Chaffetz said agency Inspector General Michael Horowitz “has been diving into this” and is expected to release a comprehensive report on Lynch and her oversight on the now-closed FBI email investigations in “the first part of next year.”
Horowitz could not be reached Saturday for comment.
The FBI opened and closed two investigations amid the 2016 presidential campaigns on whether Clinton, the Democratic nominee, gave away classified information or broke laws as secretary of State by sending or receiving emails on an unsecured server.
In June 2016, in the heat of the presidential campaign, Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, talked privately to Lynch while their planes were on the tarmac in a Phoenix airport, sparking questions about whether Clinton appealed to her for help.
The issue essentially died when Trump defeated Clinton but resurfaced a few weeks ago when former FBI Director James Comey testified on Capitol Hill that he was uncomfortable with the tarmac meeting.
He said Lynch “directed me not to call it an investigation and call it a matter -- which confused me."
Chaffetz, who is officially resigning next week from Congress, said Saturday the remark “evidently sparked a series of events” for Comey.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, in a bipartisan announcement, formally asked Lynch and others Friday to respond to allegations of “political interference” in the FBI email probe.
They have until July 6 to comply with the request.
The Senate inquiry was also prompted by news reports that raised questions about whether Lynch tried to stifle the investigation.
Among them is a New York Times story in April that is based in part on a hacked and unconfirmed electronic documents obtained by the FBI in which a Democratic operative expressed confidence Lynch would keep the Clinton probe from going too far.

Turkey’s Erdogan says Arab demands on Qatar unlawful

President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday dismissed calls for Turkey to close a military base in Qatar and said a wider list of demands issued by four Arab states was an unlawful intervention against the Gulf emirate’s sovereignty.
In his strongest statement of support for Qatar in the nearly three-week-old crisis centered on the Gulf state, Erdogan said the call to withdraw Turkish forces was disrespectful and that Doha – which described the demands as unreasonable – was taking the right approach.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain imposed a boycott on June 5 on Qatar and issued 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television, curbing relations with Iran, shutting the Turkish base and paying reparations.
Doha said it was reviewing the list, but said it was not reasonable or actionable.
“We approve and appreciate the attitude of Qatar against the list of 13 demands,” Erdogan, speaking outside a mosque in Istanbul, said. “…This approach of 13 demands is against international law because you cannot attack or intervene in the sovereignty of a country.”
The demands are apparently aimed at dismantling Qatar’s interventionist foreign policy which has incensed conservative Arab peers over its alleged support for Islamists they regard as threats to their dynastic rule.
Both Qatar and Turkey, whose ruling AK Party has its roots in Islamist politics, backed a Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt before it was overthrown in 2013. The Arab states have demanded Qatar cut any links to the Brotherhood and other groups they deem to be terrorist, ideological or sectarian.
Bahrain’s state news agency on Sunday confirmed the demands set out by un-named Gulf officials on Friday, including that Qatar close the Turkish base, end military cooperation with Ankara inside Qatar and stop supporting militant groups.
“The demands aim to achieve regional countries’ stability, stand firmly against foreign interference and stop support for terrorist organizations,” it said.
“NO PULLOUT”
Turkey, the most powerful regional country to stand by Qatar, has sent 100 cargo planes with supplies since its neighbors cut air and sea links. It has also rushed through legislation to send more troops to its base in Doha.
Two contingents of Turkish troops with columns of armored vehicles have arrived since the crisis erupted on June 5, and Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Friday that further reinforcements would be beneficial.
“The strengthening of the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf’s security,” he said. “Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.”
Hurriyet newspaper said last week a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday which started on Sunday, and the number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000. An air force contingent was also envisaged, it said.
Erdogan said Turkey had also offered to establish a military base in Saudi Arabia, but never received a clear answer.
“If Saudi Arabia wants us to have base there, a step toward this also can be taken,” he told reporters. “I made this offer to the king himself and they said they will consider this.”
“They did not come back to us since that day and even though they still didn’t come back to us on this, asking Turkey to pull back its troops (from Qatar) is disrespectful against Turkey”.
Speaking outside the Istanbul mosque after prayers marking the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, Erdogan said he would continue his planned program despite feeling briefly unwell.
“I had a little condition about my blood pressure, related to my diabetes,” he said.