**** UPDATE****

Drug case against Russian journalist Golunov dropped, he will be freed from house arrest 

See: https://www.rt.com/russia/461600-drug-case-against-russian-journalist-dropped/

*****

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 200.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the arrest and detention of journalist Ivan Golunov. Moscow police detained anti-corruption journalist Golunov for alleged drug offenses. 

RT reports (https://www.rt.com/russia/461313-investigative-journalist-detained-drugs/) that five packages containing the illegal substance mephedrone were found in the journalist’s backpack as police stopped Ivan Golunov in central Moscow on Thursday. More drugs and scales were discovered during a further search at his apartment, police said in a statement providing photo evidence of the seizure.

Meanwhile, the journalist’s lawyer suggested police have planted drugs on his client in an attempt to frame him, according to local media. He claimed officials refused to take samples of the man’s fingernails to find out whether he had touched the drugs. Signs of beatings were seen on the journalist’s head, the lawyer said.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 199.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the latest explosive bombshell to crush Robert Mueller's credibility and expose his manipulation of the underlying facts that shaped his final report on the Trump-Russia collusion hoax.

The Hill's John Solomon reports that Robert Mueller's key figure linked to Russia (remember the "Russian operative" who Paul Manafort gave polling data to) was in fact and Obama era State Department intel source..in other words and Obama spy working with Manafort in Ukraine.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 197.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the tariff deal reached between the United States and Mexico to "stem the tide of migration".

US President Trump announced that the tariff threat in response to a surge in illegal migration to the U.S. through Mexico has been suspended. For its part, Mexico has agreed to "strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border."

Meanwhile House leader Nancy Pelosi has already tried to spin this big Trump with by saying the US President's "temper tantrum" has alienated allies like Mexico.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 197.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the fact that the New York Times has corrected its CIA-Skripal story, saying that no ‘dead ducks’ or ‘sick kids’ in Salisbury due to the ‘Novichok’ nerve agent.

The New York Times corrected a report that stated UK officials shared photos with the CIA showing children and ducks who head been exposed to the Novichok nerve agent after coming into contact with the Skripals.

The NYT reported on April 16 that the British government had supplied images of “young children hospitalized” and of dead ducks, poisoned after interactions with Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia at a park in Salisbury in March of last year.

The NYT profile of CIA Director Gina Haspel had claimed the 'dead duck' images were used to convince US President Trump to expel 60 Russian diplomats from the US in response to the Skripal case. The New York Times now says no photos ever existed, and its report of such photos was inaccurate.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 197.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the fact that the New York Times has corrected its CIA-Skripal story, saying that no ‘dead ducks’ or ‘sick kids’ in Salisbury due to the ‘Novichok’ nerve agent.

The New York Times corrected a report that stated UK officials shared photos with the CIA showing children and ducks who head been exposed to the Novichok nerve agent after coming into contact with the Skripals.

The NYT reported on April 16 that the British government had supplied images of “young children hospitalized” and of dead ducks, poisoned after interactions with Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia at a park in Salisbury in March of last year.

The NYT profile of CIA Director Gina Haspel had claimed the 'dead duck' images were used to convince US President Trump to expel 60 Russian diplomats from the US in response to the Skripal case. The New York Times now says no photos ever existed, and its report of such photos was inaccurate.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 196.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss The Brexit Party’s second place success in the Peterborough, UK by-election, where Labour held on to the seat by just 683 votes, as Nigel Farage's upstart political party is now outpacing the Tories.

The Brexit Party's strong showing may jolt the next Conservative Party leader into finally delivering a no-deal Brexit in order to avoid Nigel Farage’s party overtaking them in popularity.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 196.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss The Brexit Party’s second place success in the Peterborough, UK by-election, where Labour held on to the seat by just 683 votes, as Nigel Farage's upstart political party is now outpacing the Tories.

The Brexit Party's strong showing may jolt the next Conservative Party leader into finally delivering a no-deal Brexit in order to avoid Nigel Farage’s party overtaking them in popularity.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 195.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the official state meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia, that is seeing two nations forge a formidable alliance for the 21st century.

According to Foreign Policy (https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/06/xi-and-putin-best-friends-forever/), Xi Jinping traveled to Russia to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the trip, the two nations signed several trade agreements and energy deals, and they even welcomed two new pandas to the Moscow Zoo. The relationship, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted, had reached an “unprecedentedly high” point, while Xi called Putin one of his “closest friends and a great colleague”—sentiments that surely sent chills down the spines of Western observers.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 195.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the official state meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia, that is seeing two nations forge a formidable alliance for the 21st century.

According to Foreign Policy (https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/06/xi-and-putin-best-friends-forever/), Xi Jinping traveled to Russia to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the trip, the two nations signed several trade agreements and energy deals, and they even welcomed two new pandas to the Moscow Zoo. The relationship, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted, had reached an “unprecedentedly high” point, while Xi called Putin one of his “closest friends and a great colleague”—sentiments that surely sent chills down the spines of Western observers.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 194.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss how discredited Trump dossier author and ex-British Spy, Christopher Steele, has decided to cut a deal with the DOJ Inspector General.

Reports note that Steele is deeply worried about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuse investigation being carried out by the Justice Department inspector general. Expect the British spy to do whatever needs to be done to save his hide, even if that means throwing former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI head James Comey under the bus.