Episode 279: Iran Pullout

Trump announces the United States withdraw from the “Iran Nuke Deal”. We’ll explain the historical context, the ramifications from the pullout, and where this all leads.

Plus Trump’s lawyer gets tapped, Bolton goes berserk, and the CIA has a new face.

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• Natalia Veselnitskaya changes story on being Russia informant, Trump Tower meeting - Business Insider — Veselnitskaya told NBC News in an interview set to air Friday that she had been "actively communicating with the office of the Russian prosecutor general" since 2013.
• James Comey: House GOP's Russia probe 'a wreck'
• Israel ready to bomb Iran if necessary: Report - Washington Times
• Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu says he has 'conclusive proof' Iran lied about its nuclear weapons programme
• Netanyahu claims to show Iran's 'nuclear files' obtained by Israel
• Trump rips Mueller probe for 'setup & trap' after subpoena warning revealed | Fox News
• NSA triples metadata collection numbers, sucking up over 500 million call records in 2017 | TechCrunch
• Pentagon's Cyber Command gets upgraded status, new leader | Reuters — Army Gen. Paul Nakasone took over leadership of U.S. Cyber Command at a ceremony at this base 30 miles north of Washington that featured both traditional military pomp and signs of the new age of warfare. Cyber Command was elevated on Friday to an independent “unified command,” a bureaucratic change that for the first time puts it on a par with nine other U.S. warfighting commands. Nakasone also took over Friday as director of the National Security Agency, which conducts electronic surveillance and protects U.S. national security agencies’ computer networks against hacking.
• House Democrats Plan to Release 3,000 Russian-Linked Facebook Ads - WSJ — Lawmakers on House Intelligence Committee could release trove of ads as soon as this week
• 4 Things to Be Worried About in the NSA’s New Transparency Report | American Civil Liberties Union — web17-NSANight-1160x768.png NSA Building at night The Trump administration recently released a congressionally mandated report on the NSA’s surveillance activities in 2017. Quite a few of the numbers raise questions about Americans’ privacy — some because the numbers are so big, and others because they may indicate troubling intelligence practices. The report is required by the 2015 surveillance reform law passed in response to unlawful spying under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. The goal of Congress’ reporting requirement was to provide a snapshot of how the government is using certain surveillance authorities and, in some cases, to measure if the reforms passed in response to past illegal spying are having the desired effects. Here are four of the most concerning pieces of the report: The NSA is collecting more than three times the number of call records it did last year — totaling over 530 million — and has not explained the increase.
• Cyprus, Israel, Greece push for gas pipeline to Europe - seattlepi.com — "This project creates an unrivalled network of common interests and clear strategic benefit for our countries and beyond since its implementation will tangibly contribute to the security of the European Union's energy supply," Anastasiades said.
• Saudi Airstrikes Target Yemen's Presidential Compound in Busy Residential District — Rescue efforts are underway following a Saudi airstrike targeting Yemen’s presidential compound in the crowded residential neighborhood of Al-Tahrir. Yemeni officials told MintPress that the death toll has risen to over 90 people.
• Trump Withdraws U.S. From ‘One-Sided’ Iran Nuclear Deal - The New York Times — President Trump declared on Tuesday that he was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, unraveling the signature foreign policy achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama, isolating the United States from its Western allies and sowing uncertainty before a risky nuclear negotiation with North Korea.
• John Bolton: Pulling Out of Iran Deal 'Got Back to Real Objective' of Stopping Iran's Nuclear Ambitions | Fox News Insider
• North Korea frees three US detainees ahead of Trump summit - BBC News
• Attorney Alleges Russia Connection In Payments To Stormy Daniels : NPR
• State Department Official On Iran Deal : NPR