moscow has slammed washington sanctions on russia's nord stream into gas pipelines in germany saying it's crossed a crucial line against its nato ally it comes as berlin gives an angry reaction as well branding the sanctions interference in the mystic affairs. also this hour a u.s. court rules that american spy agencies can collect data on citizens without a warrant by accident at the lessons of national security agency whistleblower edward snowden who lifted the lid on u.s. mass surveillance seem to have been forgotten. you tell us who edward snowden is no way to say could snowden is not the. not to brooks that guy that he leaked some information. and

a man has been sentenced to 16 years in jail after stealing and burning and l g b t flag from a us church we debate whether the time fits the crime. 16 years for offending probably one of the most privileged groups in america when it came to course he did not express any regrets and indeed justifying these actions based upon his particular extremist interpretation of the christians say. a very warm welcome to the program from all of us here at our to h.q. in moscow thanks for joining us this hour. there's been a strong reaction from berlin and moscow over the latest u.s. sanctions targeting north stream to the russian gas pipeline to europe that's almost complete it. we're looking very closely at the us crossing a crucial edge of foreign policy as it starts imposing sanctions which russia has

already become accustomed to against its own allies we can see the intention to make europe boy american liquefied gas and thus to slow the development of the continent's economy to undermine its capability of competing with the u.s. in the global markets washington has decided that even the closest allies don't deserve mercy if the u.s. geo political and commercial ambitions are at stake. the german government has regretfully taken into account that sanctions against north stream to turks stream initiated by the us congress they affect german and european companies and are tantamount to interference in our domestic affairs we requested comment from the north stream press spokesperson who told us completing the project is essential for european supply security adding that work will be finished as soon as possible the e.u. also slammed washington's punitive measures saying it objects to any penalties against

european companies that are conducting illegal business it comes as the means west contractor of nordstrom to hold out over washington's tough penalties earlier saskia taylor joined my colleague and a farmer with more on the story. the trumpet ministration sanctions have become a political tool of choice in the often simply. automatic reaction to anything that the president takes issue with in this case is apparently no different because president trump has officially signed a bill which will require him to impose sanctions on any foreign companies and individuals which are involved in the building of nordstrom to now many of course know nordstrom too is a huge $11000000000.00 pipeline over 1000 kilometers long running from russia to germany and essentially it's going to flood the european continent with russian gas at a faster and cheaper rate than anything else currently available on the market but since the very beginning washington has had a bit of a problem with the project the united states commands all our european partners who

have taken a strong stand against north stream to. and we commend others to do the same germany is totally controlled by russia because they were getting from 60 to 70 percent of their energy from russia and the new by this pipeline if completed. would make europe even more dependent on russian energy would generate billions of dollars for putin billions of dollars that would fund the russian military aggression. we don't want your energy supplies to be. so many see this bill as a last ditch attempt by the u.s. to stop will stream to end its trucks the pipeline was originally due to be completed by mid 2020 but it seems they're ahead of schedule and 2 weeks out from it being done in fact there are any around 60 to 70 kilometers left of the pipeline today now one of the many companies which will be affected by this bill is the swiss organization all c.s.

and they've been providing vessels for the construction a couple of days ago they in fact received a very aggressive left to from the republican senator ted cruz which can only be described really as a letter of blackmail he gave them an ultimatum either you stop participating in this project. or we're going to freeze all your assets in the u.k. in the u.s. and we're going to. have your employees from coming into the u.s. so unfortunately they count out and and have stopped all the operations america has made it clear is concerned it says about europe's energy security but of the tubes . well current pipelines between russia and europe run through several european countries such as poland but of russia ukraine. this means that of course that they get a very hefty transit fee for allowing these pipelines through. the baltic sea meaning that these countries will be bypassed washington maintains that this is unfair and specifically with regard to ukraine says that it's somehow politically motivated by

what's very important to note here is that just a few hours before the bill was signed into effect russia and ukraine decided that they would likely by the end of $29000.00 sign a new agreement on russian transit gas value crane to europe so that completely undermines what washington saying that somehow russia is trying to cut ukraine out of a deal and it's led many to suspect that really what washington's up to is is trying to eliminate fact competition and its dominance in the markets especially considering the bill also impose sanctions on another russian pipeline which is tug stream which runs through the black sea tuckey so it's quite a patent being established while of the e.u. and u.s. standpoint on this issue couldn't be more different european countries call this an economic project that benefits everyone involved russia agrees germany and particular has consistently said that european and the policy is europe's business

and it's also us to stop meddling so it's probably on surprising that these latest sanctions were not welcomed germany's doing good party member of a silly things the u.s. sanctions have done some serious damage to relations between berlin and watched. tim. this project is so close to completion and it's so crucial to the german economy. that there will be a way and we will find a way to complete this project but of course the damage to the german american relations is down and. the idea that america is conscious of the imposing extra char extraterritorial sanctions to have the german economy and to hurt the german consumers is now firmly implanted into germany's minds from the left to the riot that is absolutely outraged by the actions of the us government because in germany frankly some parts of

the governing party are very close to the u.s. government but even they are by this decision because they know the importance of russian gas supply to the entire german economy. america's spy agencies are permitted to gather information on citizens without a warrant in certain situations there is a court of appeal has ruled this can happen if a non national who is legitimately being monitored abroad makes contact with in america the case was brought by an american citizen arrested in 2011 he pleaded guilty to attempting to give material support to a terrorist organization however he questioned whether it was legal for the n.s.a. to collect information on him without a warrant former intelligence official and whistleblower william told us the ruling does not reveal anything new. it does it made no difference at all it was all under executive order or $12.00 triple 3 section $23.00 c.

and which they used to been signed into effect since the reagan years the reagan presidency so they've been using that as early as they were and also the use the excuse that they are unable to separate their data that's a not a right lied to so they've been lying to the courts are wrong they've had to keep bill of you sort that stuff out it just they don't want to because it gives them power over everyone the ability to look into our political opponents like they did the president drop the n.s.a. is illegal mass phone and internet surveillance of its own citizens was revealed back in 2013 by edward snowden a former contractor at the agency he's wanted in the u.s. for leaking classified information but was granted asylum by russia.

the alphabet soup of government agencies was it carrying out all kinds of wild spying and violations of privacy it was all pretty clearly a violation of the us constitution or that meant that offers protection from unreasonable search and seizure however at the time the n.s.a. tried to fight back pretty hard does the n.s.a. collect any type of data. on millions or hundreds of millions of americans. no sir. it does not. not wittingly 7 years on u.s. federal courts have ruled that edward snowden the whistleblower who feel this apparatus of surveillance won't be able to make any money from the book that he just published the ruling argues that edward snowden violated his contract with the

cia and the n.s.a. because he didn't submit his book for prepublication review who don't want to see books linked to skip written especially don't want to see books like this get rid of from it is still pursuing that case quite strongly they're more focused on that the financial censorship side of it this court ruling comes as federal courts have also ruled that it is now acceptable to monitor the communications of americans with a quote foreign interest without any procedure or warrant so while u.s. courts have ruled that it is now acceptable to continue carrying out practices once considered to be scandalous they have come down pretty hard on the man who revealed the. practices to the public so do americans even remember edward snowden we decided to ask new yorkers can you tell us who edward snowden is the no name doesn't ring any bells hope it weren't snowden i don't know edward snowden is. it's

. way to 2nd snowden's not the. not to brooks that guy adam he is the wiki leaks not like the wiki leaks guy but the guy who was working for the government here and is over in russia now now that he leaked some information he leads. basically the government spying on us and watching of our things and gave a detailed report as to what the government's doing yes there was massive outrage back in 2013 when this was 1st revealed but it seems that since then this is all becoming part of the new normal in the united states what was wiretapping of civilians will continue in the united states and american leaders will also continue to boast that they have the freest country in the world we're going to do with sitting there it's an admission that the and i say he's incapable of collect the only targeted data on a large fine lines that they're monitoring so i mean to be that know is not

a problem even in the 99 he could have done that but they decided not to do that they wanted to collect they're really what they're not saying here is that the cia the f.b.i. and the d. e a another law enforcement people have access to that due to the search for common crime in the united states and they use it against u.s. citizens. in criminal courts without the without telling the coup or anybody else in the court lawyers included so they're fundamentally violating the rights of those of us citizens and every year and they do this without any oversight whatsoever or even attempt to know who are saying to us in the united states ability the intelligence these is any good anyway it's just a it's over look kind of a conversation it's not over so i don't know. a man found guilty of committing a hate crime has been sentenced to 16 years in jail after stealing and burning and

l. g.b.t. flag from a u.s. church martinez was 1st arrested in june and accused of desecrating the flag belonging to a local church in iowa earlier in the week he was convicted of 3rd degree harassment and reckless use of fire and he's admitted he's against homosexuality but the length of his sentence has caused debate. why does the left cheer when the american flag is burning no one goes to jail for that but they do for burning an activist movements flag while he got more years than murderous get in the u.k. unbelievable so burning a rainbow flag is hate speech bunting an american flag is freedom of speech i see. he should have been the american flag then he would have been praised statues dedicated well i think in principle people should have the ride to behead flags a flag is a symbol and people have a right to disagree with homosexuality they have a right to disagree with did i did states or britain i don't think that should be

a crime per se but i would say that the flag is a bit different from the american flag because it days ignites a specific community in the same way as maybe burning a jewish flag might designate the jewish community if you look at the report of what happened he was kicked out of the strip club he grabbed the flag he set it on fire outside of the strip club and started ranting about i was gonna burn down the club i was in there i don't know it sounds like maybe he was wasted i don't think i don't think this is so they just would go around doing even if that weren't the case it still is extreme and a hate crime laws are silly anyway they should exist no a crime happened here it is absolutely 100 percent our institutionally protected speech to burn the gates of the gay pride flag in the same way that according to the supreme court's also protected speech to burn the american flag well i'm gay and much of my human rights involve supporting the human rights of l.g.b. plus people but i've got to say this sentence is excessive it is disproportionate

it is not commensurate with the crime committed however there are some disturbing elements a he was not given the sentence purely for stealing the flag and for burning it there were also. accusations and claims of arson and threats to burn down all the properties namely a strip club when it came to course he did not express any regrets and indeed justify his actions based upon his particular extremist interpretation of the christian faith i don't believe that this flag necessarily represents the rainbow flag i don't think it. uppers and gay individuals maybe at one point attempted to but it's we've come to a point where the rainbow flag and all the symbolism represents an l g b t political ideology which is becoming increasingly authoritarian increasingly toxic increasingly anti-christian so people are going to have gripes about it i

mean this is actually proven that people are are millennial was a study done recently that young people millennia old are less in favor of how they were a few years ago now the left in the gay lobby would say that is due to hate speech on the internet and trumps america blah blah blah no i would say the real reason is probably because this movements that is symbolized by the flag has become authoritarian and ridiculous we see it with the insane trans narrative in the bathroom trance people and women sports we see it with the children with the trance children the drag queen story many of you can think of and this is just another example 16 years for offending probably one of the most privileged groups in america. still to come the u.s. democrats have released a guide on how to combat propaganda details after this short break.

the world is driven by dreamers shaped by one person with those great. dares thinks. we dare to ask. you know world of big. lot and conspiracy it's time to wake up to dig deeper to hit the stories that mainstream media refuses to tell more than ever we need to be smart we need to stop slamming the door on the back and shouting past each other it's time for critical thinking it's time to fight for the middle

for the truth the time is now we're watching closely watching the hawks. welcome back us democrats have an axe to grind when it comes to propaganda which perhaps is why they release a guide on how to spot and fight at top tips include don't watch our t.v. and read george orwell artist on the hawkins delve deeper. the us democrat party is concerned about the information people are consuming so they've created a handy guide to make sure you can distinguish right from wrong we've seen what happens when dissin from ation goes unchecked it threatens our democracy and makes us less safe that's why we're making sure you know how to combat bots troll farms think accounts dissin from ation and propaganda it's short and sweet and prepares

you on how to fight fake news and use social media properly and responsibly so let's take a look actively seeking out information online from multiple authoritative sources firstly you should actively look for news don't just absorb but there is one caveat you should try to find only or thought is of sources if you can't decide what those are just use the ones approved by fact checkers and don't go near the blacklist speaking off fact checkers news god is one plug in the list recommends it's got several high ranking officials on its advisory board where previous cia director x. the nato secretary general to former us government officials and leading media figures and it marks many mainstream outlets as trustworthy despite any scandals they may have been embroiled in while r t is a big no no so change channel right now before it's too late. ask yourself who the

all through online content is where they posted the information and what they're hoping you will do with it next check is the author factuality and objectivity seem to be prioritized in their guidelines something one can argue with until they mention social media transparency features as one tool to help find the facts there's a link to facebook's transparency of god lines which separate the real from the fake but it's fair to say not all those tell only objective truth get verified and all those verified stick to the objective truth. rules 3 and 4 go without saying of course one should never be manipulated nor let blatant fakes go unchallenged the void to be manipulated by divisive or dishonest content if you see something untrue and social media trying to inject truth into the debate and then we move on to the final and most comprehensive point educate yourself on the tactics of online manipulators as

a whole list of recommendations of what to watch and read and perhaps unsurprisingly the emphasis is on democratic leaning outlets from n.b.c. to the new york times they also have recommendations for you to watch projects launched by loyal media you can learn all about internet outrage on the right wing's role in fake news controversies on a podcast by the daily new york times enterprise also in the recommended reading list of pieces on russian interference the $26000.00 election and trumps alleged collusion with moscow as even a special warning reserved specifically for right wing this information though no mention of the same risks on the other side of the political spectrum and if you're short on time and can't read a lot there's some quick links the democrats supported social media accounts although if you do have a bit more time on your hands you can always delve into a longer reports where you can mainly learn all about russia's efforts to attack

and destroy worldwide democracy always a classic democrat narrative. it was bought of shore who said if you teach a man you will never learn this god may go even further not teaching but telling him ill uncertain terms where the truth apparently lies to be found only in acceptable narratives only trustworthy source is summing up that list george orwell's 1904. last. chris hedges is the pulitzer prize winning host of the artie show on contact he says the d.n.c. advice is designed to shut down alternative the. guidelines are meant to tarnish discredit critics of the system unfortunately because they have a megaphone and a platform it's. somewhat effective we now have lived with since the beginning of the trumpet ministrations services 3 years there is a whole demonization of russia which has been

a convenient for oil to attack social critics they want those voices shut down and they have of course facebook twitter you tube have created algorithms to shut us down independent of anything to do it's a combined assault against critics and they use the idea of us working as foreign agents or. influence or manipulation of a foreign power as a kind of excuse that's nothing new we saw in the cold war. in the u.s. it's been alleged the mormon church is sitting on a $100000000000.00 in donations that it misled its members into making there was a bar behind the claim it used to be a senior portfolio manager at the churches investment division he also says the church may have breached tax rules. for many years the mormon church has been startling $1.00 to $2000000000.00 a structure. of the reserves. i want to see 3 non profit

according to the whistleblower a company called ensign pick advisors is helping the church to exploit its status as a nonprofit organization to dodge taxes alleging the mormons could go a huge amount to the state and he also says members have parted with their money on false pretenses the mormon church asked members to give it 10 percent of their income this money is meant for charitable educational and religious purposes but the whistleblower claims it's simply been squirreled away for the last 2 decades the church is the accusations claims being currently circulated are based on a narrow perspective and limited information the church complies with all applicable law governing our donations investments taxes and reserves the church also says the whistleblower is a disgruntled ex employees seeking compensation and are to source inside the church told us the internal revenue service finished

a major audit 2 years ago and found no problems but people we spoke to in new york were not surprised by the whistleblowers revelations. i'm not terribly surprised after all the scientology its money tax evasion what i feel like the churches are corrupt there's always issues with $5.00 on one see theories and churches and money and doing what they're doing i mean i guess it just depends i should pay definitely should pay taxes now especially with the good guys will have those big houses in the jetson tax free it's not fair they should pay something but they just don't that's constitution it's constitutional question do this place access more investigation more arrests you know and it's doing that i mean but no taxes let everybody everybody pick want to do and sign peak advisors it was an arm of the mormon church which move that it was not. part of acquirements which is why they got into this in the 1st place. we didn't have to reports what was going on under the i.r.s. tax law you are and then you have to use that money for such

a charitable purpose but in this situation this particular investment arm there was a bailout up an insurance program they also. thought when so those are projects where there is no charitable purposes there are not one sperm that makes you cry so they have a platform storm we're getting involved in those crimes that are for profit by insurgents who are making patient hard and. that's a news wrap up for now but i'll be back the top of the hour with the latest thanks to tuning in. understanding of shell is that it's a money loser from day one but it doesn't matter in the u.s. because all the creditors to lend money into the shell industry are constantly

being bailed out by the central bank that prints money that's why they do it for the fees it's great for the banks but it's not an energy play it is not a business it's a sinkhole but here as you point out in argentina so they can't just print their way out of a losing situation and the economy is already a bit fragile you don't want to add another loser into the mix like shale drilling void it completely. is this is a stick of water bottle phone in the stomach of the broom despond of the coca-cola company which sells millions of bottles of soda every day the idea was that let's tell consumers they're the bad ones they're the litterbugs for throwing this away industry should be blamed for all this waste the company has promised to reuse the plastic. that's. a special kind of fun to me.

on the. phone now the mountains of only grow. this is broadcasting around the globe and covering the world of business and finance and the impact on us all and i'm christiane washington here's what we have in store for you today coming up google is facing a new find from the e.u. over suspending advertisers why are the french. the rules actions brutal and unjustified plus huawei may be losing out on 5 contracts and it could be thanks to pressure being applied from washington well break down the latest and no matter how

you feel about the price of big calling today turns out the leading crypto currency is far enough the best investment of the decade we're going to tell you just how good it has been this is the one show you can't afford to miss so let's get started . and we begin today with reports that a facebook database was hacked and data belonging mainly to u.s. users was posted on the hacker forum last week we're talking about hundreds of millions of records joining us now to break down this is boom bust course want to surmount is that there are things for being here all right so once again facebook has another breach data goes missing it shows up on this hacker forum how many people are we talking about being affected we're talking about a little more than 267000000 facebook users now this includes their full names and phone numbers so people need to really watch out for this i mean a report by technology the website compares herrick and security researcher bob. said that a criminal organization posted the information.