Today, Attorney General William Barr announced new charges against a former Libyan intelligence operative, Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi [DOJ Announcement] for his role in building the bomb that killed 270 individuals in the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988.  [Video and Transcript Below]

[Transcript] – On this day 32 years ago, December 21, 1988, at 7:03 p.m. local time, a bomb destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 as it flew 31,000 feet above Lockerbie, Scotland. The massive Boeing 747 plane, known as the “Clipper Maid of the Seas,” exploded and fell to the ground in countless pieces scattered across 840 square miles, nearly the entire width of Scotland.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was under massive pressure to issue a state-wide stay-at-home order.  Most of the pressure was from political opposition and their allied media… However, there was an aspect to the COVID-19 mitigation that Gov. DeSantis wanted/needed; so today he executed an executive order [document pdf here].

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The Florida order requires all senior citizens and individuals with a “significant underlying medical condition” to limit movements & remain at home. All other Floridians must limit any activity outside their home to obtaining or providing essential activities or services.

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If Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton had a child, it would be Nikki Haley.   Ms. Haley and her paid staff of political wind-testers, are constantly scanning the horizon for optics and issues that might upend her aspirations to the presidency.  Today she quits the board of Boeing after the likelihood of a government bailout starts to rise….

(Via CNBC) Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley stepped down from Boeing’s board of directors after less than a year because she opposes government aid to help the aircraft manufacturer weather the coronavirus crisis, the company said Thursday.

Boeing earlier this week said it is seeking $60 billion in government aid for itself and its massive supply chain because of the virus. The manufacturer’s suppliers include United Technologies, General Electric, Spirit Aerosystems and dozens of others. The administration hasn’t yet said what Boeing, a top U.S. military contractor could receive.

President Donald Trump this week threw his support behind the manufacturer, saying: “We have to protect Boeing.”

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While the admission of fault is rather unusual for Iran, they really didn’t have much choice.  Despite their earnest effort to cover-up the cause and deny their involvement, the evidence was overwhelming that Iranian military shot-down Ukraine Airline flight 752 killing 176 passengers and crew.

IRAN – The general staff of Iran armed forces says a Ukrainian plane that crashed on Wednesday was brought down due to human error.  Iran targeted the passenger plane unintentionally, Iran’s Press TV reports. (link)

In a tweet by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, the diplomat attempts to blame the U.S. and apologize to the victims families.
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It was only a matter of time before western intelligence agencies confirmed Ukraine flight 752 was shot down just north of Tehran by Iranian anti-aircraft missiles. The evidence was growing, and it was/is overwhelming.
Most of the passengers on the flight were Canadian or Iranian heading to Canada.  Today a somber Prime Minister Trudeau informed Canadians the aircraft was shot down.

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There were 176 passengers and crew aboard: 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainian passengers and crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons on board. The nose of a Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) was identified in a debris field near the crash site.
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In the aftermath of Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 exploding and crashing just north of Tehran airport, the Iranian government is refusing to turn-over the black box flight data recorders recovered from the crash site.   Combined with the timing and location, their refusal is leading to increased speculation the flight may have accidentally been targeted by Iranian air-defense systems.  The tragedy is being compounded by Iranian politics.
The Boeing 737-800 is a very dependable aircraft with three decades of service.  This specific Ukraine aircraft was built in 2016 & just had a service inspection on January 6th. Immediately after the crash, Iranian officials stated the cause was “technical difficulties”, and after video surfaced showing the plane was on fire heading to the ground, Iran later stated the cause was one of the engines on fire.  However, there was no distress call or report of issue, from very experienced Ukraine pilots to Tehran air-traffic control.

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There were 176 passengers and crew aboard: 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainian passengers and crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons on board. Additionally, what appears to be the nose of an M1 Surface to Air Missile (SAM) has been identified in a debris field near the crash site.
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Horrific coincidence that might not entirely be a coincidence.  A Ukraine 737 Airliner, Flight 752 from Tehran to Ukraine, is lost shortly after take-off.  The incident takes place only hours after Iran fires ballistic missiles into Iraq targeting U.S. bases.

Video of the plane crashing shows the airliner in flames as it nears the ground and explodes.  Some preliminary reporting indicated the flight might have been accidentally shot down by Iranian anti-aircraft defenses.  [Note: All early details are sketchy]

(Via Daily Mail) A Ukrainian passenger plane carrying 170 passengers and crew has crashed near Tehran just three minutes after takeoff.
The plane had taken off from Imam Khomeini International Airport when it suffered ‘technical problems’, Iranian State TV reported.
Unverified video footage tweeted by the BBC’s Iran correspondent, Ali Hashem, appeared to show the plane burning in the sky before crashing in a huge explosion.

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After disclosing his prayers of death for the infidels; and after telling investigators he was acting on behalf of his “evil side”; and after finding out his brother is a member of ISIS in Iraq; and after finding pro-ISIS propaganda videos on his cell phone celebrating ISIS mass murders, which he shared with friends and family; well, U.S. justice officials and the FBI now suspect a more “disturbing” motive behind airline employee Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani who was caught tampering with the American Airline GPS system.
Gee, ya think?
Top men.
The DOJ and FBI are on the case, folks.  They have “suspicions”.

MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge cited new evidence of potential terrorism sympathies Wednesday in denying bail for a longtime mechanic charged with sabotaging an American Airlines jetliner that prosecutors say could have caused it to crash with 150 people aboard.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Chris McAliley imposed pretrial detention for Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani at the hearing in Miami federal court.

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No-one seems to know why Americans are dying of ‘heart attacks’ during vacations in the Dominican Republic, but many people are beginning to suspect intentional poisoning by hotel workers.   Another mysterious death today:

(Dominican Republic) The son of a New York hospital technician who died suddenly in her room at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana says Dominican authorities are resisting doing toxicology tests and pressuring him to have her body cremated or embalmed before its return to the U.S.

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Following two similar plane crashes in Indonesia (Oct ’18) and Ethiopia (March ’19) President Trump has issued an emergency order grounding a specific Boeing 737 airliner.  The “Max 8” and “Max 9” models are being grounded out of an abundance of caution while U.S. and international authorities await the findings from crash investigation.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is issuing an emergency order Wednesday grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft “effective immediately,” in the wake of the crash of an Ethiopian Airliner that killed 157 people, President Donald Trump said.

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