i. slammed washington sanctions on russia into gas pipelines in germany saying it's crossed a crucial line against its nato allies and it's an angry reaction as well to the sanctions interference in domestic. u.s. court rules of the american spy agencies. citizens without a warrant if done by accident. has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after stealing and burning in the flag from the u.s. church we debate with the time. 16 years for offending probably one of the most groups in america when it came to course he did not express.

justify his actions based upon his particular extremist interpretation of the christian faith. and joining us here on r.t. international. there's been strong reaction from birth in a mosque over the latest u.s. sanctions that target north stream to that's the russian gas pipeline to europe and it'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 by 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 nato 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 with qwest a comment from the north from spokesperson who told us completing the project is essential for european supply security adding the work will be finished as soon as possible he was slammed washington's punitive measures saying it objects to any penalties against european companies that are conducting legal business comes as the main swiss can contract of north pulls out over washington's tough penalties earlier r.t. saskia taylor discussed the story with my colleague andrew farm. but that 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 since the very beginning washington has had a bit of a problem with the project the united states commands all our european partners used to going to strong stand against nordstrom too. 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 is completed . would make europe even more dependent on russian energy would generate billions

of dollars for putin billions of dollars that would fund 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 trying to end its trucks the pipeline was originally due to be completed by mid 2020 but it seems they're ahead of schedule 2 weeks out from it being done in fact there are any around 60 to 70 kilometers left of the pipeline to lay now one of the many companies which will be affected by this bill is the swiss. all cs 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 fewer employees from coming into the u.s.

so unfortunately they count out and have stopped all the operations america has made it clear is concerned it says about europe's energy security bit of a. wild card pipelines between russia and europe run through several european countries such as poland but to 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 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 2019 signed a new agreement on russian transit gas value crane to europe so that completely undermines what washington saying that some. russia's 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 assert its dominance in the e.u. and markets especially considering the bill also impose sanctions on another russian pipeline which is tucked stream which runs through the black sea to touch so it's quite a patent being a stop 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 5 and particular has consistently said that european and the policy is europe's business and it's asked us to stop meddling so it's probably on surprising that these latest sanctions were not welcomed. to think of part. of the things that the u.s. sanctions have done serious damage to relations between birth and washington this project is so. and so crucial to the german economy. that there

will be a way and we will find a way to beat this project but of course the damage to the german american relations is down and. the idea that america is consciously imposing extra charity extraterritorial sanction to the general quality of the job and soon us is now firmly implanted into germany's minds from the left to the right 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 us government but even they are by this decision because they know the importance of russian gas supply to the entire germany on. america's spy agencies are permitted to gather information on citizens without a warrant in certain situations the u.s. court of appeals for that this can happen if another national is legitimately being

monitored abroad makes contact with an american and the case was brought by a u.s. citizen arrested in 2011 he pleaded guilty to attempting to give material suit material support to a terrorist organization however you question whether it was legal for the n.s.a. to collect info on him without a warrant or intelligence official on whistle blower william binney told us the ruling doesn't reveal anything new. as it made no difference at all it was under executive order $1.00 to $2.00 or 3 section $23.00 c. which they used that been signed into effect since the reagan years the reagan presidency so they've been using them. as they were and also the use the excuse that they are unable to separate. the data as not a right line to that so they've been lying to the courts or wrong they've had the ability to sort that out it just they don't want to because that gives them power over everyone the ability to look into all the political opponents like they did

the president. in a ses illegal mass phone and internet surveillance of its own citizens was revealed back in 2013 by edward snowden the former contractor of the agency he's wanted in the u.s. for the kyng classified information but was granted the son of 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 man offers protection under reasonable 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 like to skip written especially don't want to see books like this get read from it is still pursuing that case quite strongly they're more focused on 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 an. americans with a quote for an 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 these 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 now he doesn't ring any bells hope it weren't snowden i don't know edward snowden. it's. way to 2nd stone's not the. not to brooks that guy. 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 that he it's some information he leaked 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 a massive outrage back in 2013 when this was 1st revealed but it seems that since then this is all become part of the new normal in the united states warrantless 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 this in. the only targeted data on who large fine lines that they're monitoring so i mean to be that there was not a crummy back in the 99 he could have done that but they decided not to do that then when you click everything but 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 do to search for common crime in the united states and they use it against u.s. citizens. in criminal court without without telling the who or anybody else in the

current laws. so the only violating the rights of ours is that u.s. citizens every year and they do this without any oversight whatsoever or even know that. no were saying to us in the united states they believe the intelligence is these it's any good anyway it's just it's already look a conversation it's not an oversight or our. man found guilty of committing a hate crime is being sentenced to 16 years in jail after stealing and burning and l. g.b.t. flag from the u.s. church adolfo 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 also convicted of 3rd degree harassment and reckless use of fire and he's admitted he's against homosexuality but the length of a 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 murderers get in the u.k. unbelievable so burning a rainbow flag is hate speech burning 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 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. resents gay individuals maybe at one point it 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 this is a study done recently that young people millennia old are less in favor of l.g.b. tea now 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 transfer people and women sports we see it with the children with the transylvanian the drag queen story it's i mean 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 here in the u.s. democrats have released a guide on how to come but probably get that we'll bring you the top tips after this quick break. you know world's big partners motley's and you can see yours it's time to wake up to dig deeper to hit the stories that made history 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 for watching closely watching the hawks. the world is driven by a dream. dares thinks. we are here to ask.

welcome back us democrats have an axe to grind when it comes to propaganda which perhaps is why they really stay guide on how to spot and fight it the top tips include don't watch our t.v. and do read to george orwell parties down the hall can stealth 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 fake 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 authours 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 adores a report of a previous cia director. the nato secretary general the former u.s. 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 post 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 telomere objective truth get verified and all those verified stick to the objective truth rules $3.00 and $4.00 go without saying of course one should never be manipulated nor let blatant fakes go unchallenged volleyed 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 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 to democrats supported social media accounts although if you do have a bit more time on your hands you can always delve into 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 borrowed short who said if you teach a man you will never learn this god may go even further not teaching but telling in no uncertain terms where the truth apparently lies to be found only in acceptable narratives and only trustworthy sources and summing up that list george orwell's

1984 though why only lost their. chris hedges is the pulitzer prize winning host of the r.t. show on contact he says the d.n.c. is that the ice is designed to shut down alternative views. the guidelines are meant to tarnish or 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 is burn 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. and the u.s. it's been alleged the mormon church is sitting on $100000000000.00 with the nations that it misled its members into making the whistleblower behind the claim used to be a senior poor fool portfolio manager at the churches investment division he also says the church may have breached taxation rules. for many years the mormon church is in start $1.00 to $2000000000.00. into reserve reserves inside i one c 3 non profit. well according to the whistleblower a company called and sign peek advisors is helping the church to exploit its status as a nonprofit organization to dodge taxes alleging the mormons could have a huge amount of the state the whistleblower also says members of the party with

their money on false pretenses including propping up a couple of businesses the mormon church asked them a mist to give it 10 percent of their income now money is meant to be for charitable educational and religious purposes but the whistleblower simply been squirreled away for the past 2 decades the church denies 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 claims the whistle blows a disgruntled ex employee seeking compensation and r.t. source inside the church told us the internal revenue service finished a major audit 2 years ago and found no problems people we spoke to in new york weren't surprised by the whistleblowers revelations. i'm not terribly surprised after all the scientology. money tax evasion what i feel like churches are corrupt there's always issues with $5.00

a one c 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 especially with the 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 a place axis more investigation more arrests you know and it's doing that i mean but no taxes let everybody everybody pick one and sign peak advisors it was an arm of the mormon church which proved that it was not. born acquirements which is why they got into this in the 1st round 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 evans sure and they also. thought when we so those are projects where there is no charitable purposes we're not once but makes you priceless and they

have a plaque and we're getting involved in those crimes that are for profit then turns you're making. 2 us senators of the n.b.c. broadcasters to put principle above profit and the 2022 winter olympics they reason the china doesn't deserve to bask in the sporting glory such an event brings. please allow me to outline this mission being to unite the world in peaceful competition to achieve this we must remain strictly the news.

we hope you won like the international olympic committee understand this is not about politics but about human rights and the security evaporates and international visitors.

do it in the american politics expression when the americans why don't you other countries the u.s. is trying to have a feel for that conflict with china but the us can no longer wean single sightedly by duty to force by economic competition by innovation and by the sympathy of their allies so do us too. very local tactics don't carry too much its own image if those force which. brought about with updates for you would half an hour's time see them. to. put themselves on the line. to get accepted or rejected.

so when you want to express. some want to be. actually going to be this is what before 3 of the people. interested in the water. question. max tries or this is the kaiser reported hour of one is there a as argentina so many hit of an obvious country for going rocks. yes we're going to talk about some of the opportunities that have been taken over the last few months or years and you know it fits into this theme that we've covered over the past few years which is that as soon as the us used the us dollar and in particular the switch.