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You should know about Walter Soriano, the mysterious British security consultant with ties to Russia & Israel.
You should know about Walter Soriano.
Background
The first we heard of Walter Soriano was in a June 5th article by Natasha Bertrand reporting that in April, 2 weeks after Muller submitted his final report, the Senate Intelligence Committee had subpoenaed Soriano. The committee requested a “closed-door interview and documents with various Russia probe figures dating back to June 2015.” These figures included Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, as well as three Israeli private intelligence firms: “Psy Group, Wikistrat, and Black Cube.”
“They’re surprised by how connected he seems to several people of interest,” this person said, including the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska — a former business associate of Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who offered Deripaska private briefings about the campaign in 2016. Deripaska is believed to have worked with Soriano on corporate intelligence matters, this person said.
New reporting
As Bertrand explained, “Soriano is virtually a ghost online.” Reporting over the past month by Forensic News’ Scott Stedman and Jess Coleman has since filled in many details about Soriano, and raised more questions. There are four pieces in the Soriano Files series:
Russian connections Forensic News obtained the full list of people/entities included in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s subpoena. There are many familiar Russian figures, such as Oleg Deripaska and Konstantin Kilimnik. [Part 1] Soriano’s company, USG Security, was hired to protect the Sochi airport during Putin’s prized olympics. The deal involved Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. “It also suggests very close links of Soriano with the Russian state and Deripaska as they don’t let random people in such sensitive spheres,” a Russia expert told us. [Part 1] It is likely that Soriano and USG Security received part of the $25 billion that was overpaid to “friends or cronies” of Putin during the Sochi Olympics. [Part 1] Walter Soriano’s former financial consultant was in business with a wealthy Russian embroiled in a major embezzlement and money laundering scheme. [Part 3] Israeli connections Soriano claimed to be an ex-Israeli intelligence officer [Part 2] The Senate Intelligence Committee’s subpoena includes powerful Israeli figures, like Psy Group (Joel Zamel + Royi Burstein), Wikistrat, Black Cube, and George Birnbaum (who pitched the Trump campaign on Psy Group). [Part 1]
Reminder: Rick Gates requested proposals in 2016 from Psy Group "to create fake online identities, to use social media manipulation and to gather intelligence to help defeat Republican primary race opponents and Hillary Clinton." Psy Group formed a partnership with Cambridge Analytica to jointly bid for contracts with the American Government after the 2016 Trump election win.
Reminder: In May 2018, Black Cube was accused of using false identities to seek damaging information about former Obama administration officials and help the Trump administration undermine the Iran nuclear deal.
Reminder: In 2015 Wikistrat spent a week running scenarios called the Cyber Mercenaries project on how a U.S. election interference campaign could be made by Russian cyber actors which was reported to Donald Trump Jr in 2016
Note these three companies are owned by Joel Zamel. Donald Trump Jr. had met with Zamel, Nader, and Erik Prince in Trump Tower in August 2016. Their discussion reportedly included an offer on the part of Zamel for pro-Trump manipulation of social media.
According to Israeli media, Soriano was hired by Netanyahu to investigate the police who were probing Netanyahu. Soriano was in business with a close aide of Netanyahu and once claimed to be in business with Netanyahu himself. [Part 1] British connections USG Security is located in London, as are multiple addresses listed as his residences. Soriano is the director of seven active companies in the UK, four of which are devoted to real estate. [Part 1] US connections Soriano claimed to have worked for Donald Trump’s friend and former RNC finance chairman Steve Wynn. A former employer of Soriano swore under oath in 2012 that Soriano told her that he had a “close relationship” with Wynn. [Part 4]
Note 1: Wynn was part of Trump's inaugural committee and donated $729,000 to it.
Note 2: The White House intervened in a labor policy dispute to benefit Wynn: In 2017 Steve Wynn "was embroiled in litigation involving Obama-era rules governing how companies could distribute tips gathered by their employees. Months after the meeting request, the Trump administration revised those rules to make them far friendlier to employers."
In July 2016, Soriano expanded his real estate activities into the U.S., creating Playland Investments, a Limited Liability Company registered in Florida. Overall, at least seven properties were purchased in Playland’s name in Florida, ranging in price from around $150,000 to nearly $500,000. [Part 1] TL;DR: The Senate believes Walter Soriano, a security consultant who has worked for Russian oligarchs and those close to Israeli PM Netanyahu, may have knowledge of the Russian interference in the 2016 US Election. Soriano has deep connections with power-brokers in Israel, the UK and Russia, and is involved in several mysterious business ventures stretching from Russia to the U.S. Stedman and Coleman discuss Walter Soriano on the Counter Intelligence podcast Full disclosure: I am part of the Forensic News team. So I'm a little biased when I say that we do great work ;)
More Sonic music in hypothetical Smash Ultimate DLC (What songs would you want?)
In a hypothetical Smash Ultimate DLC where they put in new music, which tracks from Sonic would you want? If you aren't a Smash player, here's an alternate question: what Sonic song(s) represents the franchise as a whole? Here) is a list of songs that are already present in Ultimate. Below is my LONG list (choosing ~3 songs throughout the entirety of the franchise, with some spin-offs here and there): KEY: BOLD = played, * = spin-off / non-mainline, Italics = remix
Top Three: Big Arm (Generations), Crisis City (Modern), Dr. Eggman Showdown (Lost World) Sorry about the huge Mania / Forces showcase. Regardless if you don't care for Smash, there's still some great music you might've missed out on, so check it out (hopefully this post wasn't entirely worthless). Anyways, love to hear your opinions and top picks (especially since I didn't necessarily get to play all the games / hear all the music...). What's your Top Three?
On October 19, Russian mixed-style fighter Vartan Asatryan will fight with Brazilian Raimisson Bruno. The fight will take place as part of the Fiight Nights Global 95 tournament in Sochi casino. According to media reports, on the eve of Vartan managed to lose 200 thousand dollars at it.
Hi all Whilst playing at my local casino, I had a chat with the general manager and one of the guys on the final table while we were on a break. I discussed how it's been a learning curve learning to play in a new area of the country and that I have definitely found it tougher playing MTT's here than anywhere else, and if they thought there was any reasoning behind it. A bit of a random question....and then the reply: General Manager: "Quite a lot of decent players play the Friday and Saturday comps" Me: "Decent?" General Manager: "Yeah, semi-professionals, some of them are backed. Theres a guy in seat 9 who went to Sochi a while back, hes not here now but there is a regular who plays EPT events and hes done very well." Reg: "Oh yeah, this isn't as soft as like (other casino chain close by), the prize pool is better and there are definitely very bad players which makes it a good game, but there are quite a few very good players." Me: "That explains a lot"
Who would you pick if it was your choice? Now that we're getting the 3rd for each element, I've been thinking a lot about who might get the next ones (also dreading the likely Lily reveal) If I could pick for each element (even though I only have around half of these lol), I'd want:
Fire: Percy or Agielba (art) or Potato (I think she has an interesting skillset but she needs a little push)
Water: Altair bc im water main... or Sochie since I love her art (or anyone except Lily/Yngwie lol)
Earth: Sara! Also would be okay with Eustace or Arulumaya
Wind: I'm okay with anyone (Christina would be nice tho! apart from probably needing a 777m casino material to 5*. If Gacha then I wouldnt mind Arriet getting even stronger, but I dont have her and I like my wind team)
Light: S E R U E L
Dark: Beatrix w/ 4th skill to share her clock buffs/debuffs w/ party would be absurd. If thats unbalanced then... Naru probably has the most potential for an interesting buff (but my dark box is just Six and Vira basically so I care about the other elements more).
/r/WiiU's Nintendo eShop News/Discussion Thread #60 [7.17.2014]
Hello again, my friends, and welcome to the sixtieth edition of the Nintendo eShop discussion thread! Of course, this is where we'll discuss new and upcoming releases that are on the way to the Wii U eShop, and more! Thanks again for joining in on the discussion thread. Yep, I have been bringing you guys 60 weeks of eShop content, without a single hitch! The latest I've ever put up a thread was the day after Thanksgiving last year, and usually, I'd be working on these threads as early as possible! But of course, 60 is just a number now. Let's aim for 100, shall we? Without further ado, let's begin!
Not too long ago, a SEGA development producer (Yosuke Okunari) supposedly confirmed via Twitter that the publisher has no plans to bring its older games to the Wii U's Virtual Console service. SEGA has now clarified that "all options are currently on the table concerning development for the Wii U Virtual Console. Although there are no immediate plans, this does not negate the possibility and exploration of creating for this platform.” Let's hope that SEGA does consider bringing their catalog of games to Wii U VC, otherwise we may as well hang on to the Wii's VC collection.
Yep, that sounds about right! Gifting eShop cash sounds pretty solid, so let's hope they roll this out to all regions. But what would be even better? Gifting games to friends, Nintendo! Make it so, please!
Another day, another indie game! This time, the folks at Dahku Creations are bringing another one of their games to Wii U eShop - an puzzler called Soon Shine which emphasizes GamePad play. Not much is known as yet, but it'll launch in Q3 of this year at $1.99 - the trailer is available through the link.
One of the eShop's big exclusives this year without a doubt is Affordable Space Adventures, a collaboration between KnapNok Games and Nifflas, which is a charming exploration-based puzzleplatformer where you take the reins of a busted spaceship to adventure through the cosmos. The interview contains talk of how the two met, how the collaboration began, and various features of the game. The game is set to be released in Q3 2014, and I can't wait! Nintendo Life also has a first-impressions piece with footage of the game, if you need any more info.
Heh, it's been a while since I discussed upcoming Kickstarter projects since I introduced the Kickstarter watch. Nonetheless, I wanted to talk about this game, since it looks pretty rad. Ninja Pizza Girl is a fast-paced platform game that draws its inspirations from Mirror's Edge and Sonic the Hedgehog - starring a 16-year old teenager, Gemma, who's "trying to keep her dreams alive in face of the most merciless enemies known to any teenage girl – other teenagers." Very interesting concept aside, the game's currently AU$14,811 funded out of a AU$35,000 goal, with 27 days left.
After work on games like BLOK DROP U and Poker Dice Solitaire Future, developer RCMADIAX isn't very keen on dropping his momentum thus far. Super Robo Mouse was intended to be their next game after BLOK DROP U, but due to various reasons, it had a minor delay while the developer worked on their line of upcoming card/casino games. The game (an exploration-based puzzler) stars Robo, a robot mouse that is trapped in a maze. The game will be aiming for a Q4 2014 release, with a price that will be under $5.
Looks like the angriest gamer you've ever heard is about to make landfall on the Wii U and 3DS eShops very soon, according to developers FreakZone Games. They've also confirmed a European release as well. For those unaware, the game is a 2D platformer starring one of the internet's first big video stars, the Angry Video Game Nerd (portrayed by James Rolfe).
Another great feature from the folks at Nintendo Life, taking a look at the upcoming Wii U eShop exclusive, Swords & Soldiers II. They get a good look at the game, as well as talk about features such as dual-screen co-op/versus play. The game has no set release date as yet, though.
EnjoyUp Games has been a constant supporter of Nintendo digital platforms, and that's pretty solid. The team has now confirmed that their next Wii U eShop game, 99Seconds, is finished and will be sent off to Nintendo lotcheck. Until then, I guess we'll have to wait until a release date/price announcement!
It's been a little while since we heard from Asthree Games about their upcoming game, Paradise Lost: First Contact. Nintendo Enthusiast conducted an interview from the team regarding their experience with Wii U development thus far. They've mostly noted how it was Nintendo that contacted them about being official developers, which impressed Asthree about Nintendo's big indies push. The Wii U version of the game is estimated to be out in mid-2015.
A new game from out of seemingly nowhere, Super Toy Cars is priming itself for a Wii U eShop release next week in Europe. The game, developed by Eclipse Games, is a " tabletop arcade combat racing game featuring fast and cool looking cars, impressive tracks made of everyday objects and a bunch of power-ups that will let you destroy your opposition." Of course, games like Re-Volt and Micro Machines pop into my head when reading the description, so let's hope this is a cool release! It was released last month on Steam, so if you need a trailer, here's a link!
Same source this time brings us yet another surprise game out of seemingly nowhere. All I can dig up about Ice Cream Surfer is that it's a scrolling shooter developed by Spanish developers, Dolores Entertainment. The game itself is based on a webcomic series of the same name, which has a pretty cute story. Basically, evil alien vegetables land on Earth and are hell-bent on destroying anything that's not a vegetable. However, unlike that Powerpuff Girls episode, these enemies will have to be defeated by various characters surfing on various frozen treats, blasting every evil veggie to smithereens. Here's a trailer for the game.
Kickstarter Watch
Kickstarter Watch for this week! Thanks again to LiveRadar for his work on this section of our subreddit wiki. Go check it out for more info!
[GBA] Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (Nintendo) — £6.29 / €6.99 / AU$9.99
[JAPAN]
[GBA] Kuru Kuru Kururin (Nintendo) — ¥702
[GBA] Super Mario Advance (Nintendo) — ¥702
[SFC] Kunio-Kun no Dodge Ball Dayo Zenin Shuugo! (Arc System Works) — ¥823
Next Week on the Nintendo eShop!
Quiet week, am I right? Europe's lucky next week, since only they've been getting confirmed dates. EDIT: North America gets these games next week too! Those games are:
Wooden Sen'Sey (Neko Entertainment)
Super Toy Cars (Eclipse Games)
Master Reboot (Wales Interactive)
No confirmations for upcoming eShop games in North America, Australia, and Japan. In regards to Virtual Console games, we have no confirmations for released titles next week in regions outside Japan. Japan will be getting 3 VC games next week: Nintendo's Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Mario vs. Donkey Kong, both for the Game Boy Advance, and Culture Brain's Super Chinese [Kung-Fu Heroes] for the Famicom.
Will revert to $7.99 / €6.00 / £5.50 on July 24th.
[NORTH AMERICA]
> > > Discount
BLOK DROP U (RCMADIAX) — $0.99
Until July 23rd.
[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]
> > > Discount
EarthBound (Nintendo) — €5.99 / £4.19 / AU$7.80
Until July 24th.
NES Remix and NES Remix 2 (Nintendo) — If you own one of these titles, you can pick up the other (on the same Wii U) for €6.99 / £6.29 / AU$9.10. This offer's available until July 24th.
[ALL REGIONS]
> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (NA/EU/AUS)
In Europe, Australia and North America, you have until July 31st to register your copy of Mario Kart 8 on Club Nintendo That includes:
codes with standard and limited editions
codes from console bundles (the MK8 Deluxe Set)
copies bought directly from the eShop
In return, you'll receive one free download code for a retail title of your choosing. North America will have the choice of:
New Super Mario Bros. U
Pikmin 3
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Wii Party U
Europe (including Scandinavia and Greece) and Australia will have the choice of:
Nintendo Land
New Super Mario Bros. U
Game & Wario
Pikmin 3
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Sonic Lost World
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Wii Party U
The Wonderful 101
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (JP)
In Japan, you can buy Mario Kart 8 to get two extra games! However:
you can only play these games for a month
once the month is up, decide which one you'd like to buy for 40% off
Wrap-Up
Looks like that'll be all for today! Of course, you guys are free to discuss your wishes for any eShop or Virtual Console game to come to the eShop. Also, usual thanks to my avenues of information from Nintendo Life, Vooks, GoNintendo, NeoGAF, and other sources. Question prompts for this week:
What game(s) are you picking up?
How do you guys beat the summer game droughts?
What games would you like to see SEGA bring to the Wii U VC?
/r/WiiU's Nintendo eShop News/Discussion Thread #61 [7.24.2014]
Hello again, my friends, and welcome to the sixty-first edition of the Nintendo eShop news and discussion thread! Of course, this is where we'll discuss new and upcoming releases that are on the way to the Wii U eShop, the news surrounding these titles and more! Thanks again for joining in. Compared to the past two weeks, this week is shaping up quite well - I mean, we didn't get much during those weeks, but it looks like some games are ready for release today. That's good to hear. Also, plugging an AMA from the publishers of the upcoming eShop game, Cubemen 2 - Australian games studio, Nnooo! Go ask them questions! Without further ado, let's begin!
Trine 2: Director's Cut was one of the few games at Wii U's launch that really blew me away. The platforming was solid, the co-op was fun, and while I didn't think much of the story, the visuals were mindblowing. Now, we have Trine: Enchanted Edition, which is a new version of the original Trine, remade using the Trine 2 engine. No word on a solid release date as yet, but we'll keep tabs on it. Check the link for a trailer!
At first, it seemed too good to be true: a spiritual successor to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, made by folks who worked on the original? Over time, it has been deconstructed into what appears to be nothing short of a scam. While the Internet was gathering their pitchforks and torches, West Games continued along with their crowdfunding venture, and eventually, the powers that be suspended the campaign shortly after it reached its funding goal. As for the fate of the game now, it's left up in the air.
*Shin'en Multimedia's next Wii U game is coming very soon! The game is now being tested by Nintendo, and will be out by summer's end. For those not in the know, Art of Balance is a physics-based puzzler that is a big update from the original WiiWare version. It's one of the first Wii U games to run on the developer's new engine, and it will be the same one that powers FAST Racing Neo.
Of course, we already know this news because Phoboslab themselves came here to spread the word, but I'll reiterate that here. XType Plus is a bullet hell shooter that looks to put the Nintendo Web Framework to the test. The game will have a Classic Mode and Plus Mode, as well as online leaderboards to post your scores in, and watch replays of other runs. Also, as an official announcement from yours truly:Phoboslab will be here on /WiiU on July 31st to do a developer AMA! So look out for that next week!
Of course, we've been hearing so much about the recent crossbuy efforts from The Game Bakers with Squids Oddysey in Europe, and while other developers have considered the possibilities, there are a few who are looking into other ways of cross-platform unity. Image & Form is looking to ensure that if you owned the 3DS eShop version of SteamWorld Dig, you'll get the Wii U version of SteamWorld Dig for a good discount. No word on how big it'll be, but we'll see.
As straightforward as the title is (hopefully), NOE will spend the next four weeks discounting select VC games on the Wii U eShop for owners of either NES Remix, NES Remix 2, or both of them. The select games are from the NES Remix lineups, so if there's a VC game in the lineup that catches your eye, you'll be able to get some good discounts.
One of the earlier promises of Wii U came with the NFC readewriter - Iwata pledged that Nintendo would study the feature and use it in select games. So far, we've had Pokemon Rumble U as an experiment, and amiibo which will lead the charge for our wallets later this year. In regards to our wallets, our friends in Japan can now use their SUICA cards to pay for eShop content. For those unaware, SUICA cards are used as payment for daily commutes throughout the country, so it's a pretty big move on Nintendo's end to have a well-used product be compatible with Wii U.
RCMADIAX has recently confirmed that their next update for their debut game, BLOK DROP U, will be stacked with 20 levels of new content, as well as 5 new languages for folks who requested it. No word on if this is the crossover content with Ping 1.5+ (from Nami Tentou Mushi). In other RCMADIAX news, their next entry in their card/casino series (Shut the Box) is planned for an August release and will be priced at $0.99.
I remember seeing Citizens of Earth being slated for a release date earlier in 2014, but then it no-showed. Everyone was confused, including myself. Then I did some research, and found out that it was a Kickstarter campaign which didn't reach its funding goal, and supposedly died. However, Atlus swooped in to save the game, acting as publishers and now the game's alive and well.
It's been a little while since we heard about Tadpole Treble from the creators of the well-known Brawl in the Family comic strip. And now, they're back with new info on the game! We're hearing about an asymmetrical multiplayer mode on Wii U, and more. However, the Wii U version will be out later as the team figures out the necessary funds to get a programmer to get it running on Wii U.
Not much I can go off of from a tweet, but according to Black Forest Games, the ball is in Nintendo's court to get the patch up and running on the eShop. It's been about... 4(?) months since we've heard of the patch, so I'm a little confused. Let's hope that it gets out soon.
Another day, another new indie game! This time, we have a charming puzzler that's coming to Wii U called Tetrobot and Co. - the trailer is pretty self-explanatory of its content, so give it a watch! Neko Entertainment is lending a hand with porting the game.
Kickstarter Watch
Kickstarter Watch for this week! Thanks again to LiveRadar for his work on this section of our subreddit wiki. Go check it out for more info!
Super Toy Cars (Eclipse Games) — $7.99 / €7.99 / £6.99
[AUSTRALIA + JAPAN]
No new titles this week!
New & Upcoming Releases (Virtual Console)
[NORTH AMERICA]
[NES] Ufouria: The Saga (Sunsoft) — $4.99
[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]
[GBA] Mega Man Battle Network (Capcom) — €6.99 / £6.29 / AU$9.10
[NES] Mega Man V (Capcom) — €4.99 / £3.49 / AU$6.50
[NES] Mega Man VI (Capcom) — €4.99 / £3.49 / AU$6.50
[JAPAN]
[GBA] Golden Sun: The Lost Age (Nintendo) — ¥702
[GBA] Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo) — ¥702
[FC] Super Chinese [Kung-Fu Heroes] (Culture Brain) — ¥514
Next Week on the Nintendo eShop!
Good week, eh? North America and Europe get new download games (sorry Aussies), and Europe/Australia goes MEGA in the VC this week! Next week's arrivals in the Wii U eShop are:
[NA/EU] XType Plus(Phoboslab)
[EU] Midtown Crazy Race(Jose Varela)
[EU] Ice Cream Surfer(Dolores Entertainment)
[JP] Tank SP(Arc System Works)
[JP] Touch Battle Tank SP(Silver Star)
No confirmations for upcoming eShop games in North America, Australia, and Japan. In regards to Virtual Console games, our only confirmed game next week is Capcom's Mega Man Battle Network in North America. No word on other upcoming VC games in Europe and Australia. Japan will be getting 5 VC games next week:
[GBA] Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge(Capcom)
[PCE] Be Ball [Chew Man Fu](Hudson Soft)
[PCE] Neutopia II(Hudson Soft)
[FC] The Mysterious Murasame Castle(Nintendo)
[SFC] Otogirisō(Chunsoft)
Deals & Promotions (New & Ongoing)
[NORTH AMERICA]
> > > Permanent Price Reduction
Chubbins (Dahku Creations) — $3.99
> > > Discount
Trine 2: Director's Cut (Frozenbyte) — $7.99
Until August 12th.
POKER DICE SOLITAIRE FUTURE (RCMADIAX) — $0.99
Until August 6th.
[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]
> > > NES Remix Virtual Console Promotion
Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) — €3.49 / £2.44 / AU$3.25
The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo) — €3.49 / £2.44 / AU$3.25
> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (NA/EU/AUS)
In Europe, Australia and North America, you have until July 31st to register your copy of Mario Kart 8 on Club Nintendo That includes:
codes with standard and limited editions
codes from console bundles (the MK8 Deluxe Set)
copies bought directly from the eShop
In return, you'll receive one free download code for a retail title of your choosing. North America will have the choice of:
New Super Mario Bros. U
Pikmin 3
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Wii Party U
Europe (including Scandinavia and Greece) and Australia will have the choice of:
Nintendo Land
New Super Mario Bros. U
Game & Wario
Pikmin 3
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Sonic Lost World
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Wii Party U
The Wonderful 101
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (JP)
In Japan, you can buy Mario Kart 8 to get two extra games! However:
you can only play these games for a month
once the month is up, decide which one you'd like to buy for 40% off
Wrap-Up
Looks like that'll be all for today! Of course, you guys are free to discuss your wishes for any eShop or Virtual Console game to come to the eShop. Also, usual thanks to my avenues of information from Nintendo Life, Vooks, GoNintendo, NeoGAF, and other sources. Question prompts for this week:
What game(s) are you picking up?
Have you redeemed your free eShop game from the Mario Kart 8 promotion? (It ends next week!)
For the last couple of months, Japan lawmakers have been trying to determine whether legalizing online gambling will have a beneficial or detrimental effect on the economy. There are plenty of arguments brought forward by both sides, with some claiming that the setting up of gambling zones will lead to more money going to state coffers. Others are frightened by the prospect of addiction and worry that on the long run the country will lose more as a result of people winning their lives. The progressives seem to be gaining ground and if rumors are true, then in a not so distant future, online gambling would be legal in Japan. Land-based casinos can also benefit from the passing of a casino bill which Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga seems to be supporting. The idea is to determine which were the reasons for why previous attempts failed and address those issues that led to favorable laws to be stopped in their tracks. Online casino operators are also optimistic about the prospect of establishing a beachhead in Japan and tapping into the potential of its huge population. Sky Vegas Casino is known for not missing out on great opportunities and the Asian country presents plenty of them, for both land-based and online operators. The Cabinet committee of Japan is still in vacation and previous discussions came to an abrupt end due to the fact that the regular session ended on June 22. With Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe siding with those who promote the bill, the prospects are optimistic. Thousands of miles away, in Crimea there are rumors of land-based casinos opening their games as early as 2015 after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law. The idea is to attract tourists to this area and Sochi, which hosted the Winter Olympics earlier this year and things are bound to move forward at an accelerated speed. Passing legislation in Russia is far easier and takes less time than in most countries, which is not necessarily a good thing, but definitely positive for the casino industry. Since Crimea used to be a place favored by tourists, it wouldn't be far-fetched to expect a local casino industry to flourish. The proximity to the Olympic village is also a good reason for optimism, but there are plenty of things that can go wrong in this, tumultuous part of the world. Not so far away a war is brewing and in the wake of the bloody incidents of June and July, there are many who hesitate to travel to the former Ukrainian province. from via Casinoreviews
I've posted before that Dogecoin is heavily manipulated. People with hundreds of bitcoins are easily pushing the price of dogecoin up and down, left and right. Well, it's plain to see that it's going down now, why? My theory is a couple new coins that are coming onto the market, as well as the bitcoin market in general. First lets look at AuroraCoin:
It's up to almost $90 a coin from $20 a few days ago. That's the same as Doge going from 70 satoshi's to 280.
It holds the promise of spreading crypto to an entire country (which if successful will be the equivalent of a economic nuke hitting fiat currency). Imagine to all these big bankers if a crypto currency actually takes root over a central bank in an entire country.
With that said, it's got a ton of hype... that's it. Second, lets look at MazaCoin:
Almost at $.075 per. Or up 600% in the past 24 hours.
The Lakota Tribe of Native Americans in South/North Dakota have opted to completely switch off the US Dollar and onto MazaCoin.
Imagine if all other Native American Tribes followed suit... That's hundreds of thousands of Americans who (some, but not all; run casinos that millions of Americans visit).
The U.S. Government might have a very difficult time legally banning a decentralized currency adopted by these people.
Once again... this leads to a high amount of hype... That's it. So if these guys have this going for them, then why am I still with Doge while it's "sinking"? Keep in mind, DogeCoin is only 3 months old. When I started coming to this subreddit, there was less than 10k subshibes here. I think it was somewhere around 7k. In three months:
I've seen almost 70,000 new members join this subreddit.
I've seen us pool together money to help send the Jamaican bobsled team to Sochi.
I've seen us raise money for doge4kids.
I've seen doge be given out in a reality show on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
I've seen dogecoin be adopted onto Experiment.com
I've seen us raise 12,000,000 doge for savedogemas
I've seen a mobile app called "super doge" pay players in dogecoin for playing the game.
I've seen a musician sell over 100 copies of his music and reach thousands simply by posting his experience with dogecoin here.
I've seen every major news outlet post about how dogecoin is "the logical conclusion for crypto" to doing a complete 180 and embracing the currency as "the crypto with a heart of gold"
I've seen numerous individuals meet up on wallstreet and place a shibe head over the bull.
I've seen people tipping doge on twitter and facebook using bots that enable people to tip to users who don't have a wallet, and have never heard of crypto currency.
Last but by far not least; infact it's probably the most important. I've looked at my own wallet and I've seen transactions. Transactions are the one thing that most crypto currencies simply can't seem to generate. How can you call yourself a currency if you don't have transactions beyond buy/selling for another currency? That's why I believe in Doge, and why you should too. tl;dr -> Doge has done amazing things in less than 100 days. More than what any other currency (minus bitcoin) has been able to do. Why switch? edit: Dogecoin isn't sinking... i forgot doing air-quotes with my fingers can't be seen on reddit lol.
/r/WiiU's Nintendo eShop News/Discussion Thread #54 [6.5.2014]
Hello again, my friends, and welcome to the fifty-fourth edition of the Nintendo eShop discussion thread! Of course, this is where we'll discuss new and upcoming releases that are on the way to the Wii U eShop, and more! Thanks again for joining in on the discussion thread. It's our first update day of June, and even more importantly, our last update before E3 2014! We're sure to expect a lot of interesting new reveals and more - let's hope to see more upcoming eShop games in the mix! But for now, let's appreciate what we have now, and what's currently on the way. Without further ado, let's begin!
There are many things that are so awesome about Steamworld Dig - the thrill of exploration, the "just-a-few-more-minutes" feel that I remember highly as a kid, and it really was THE game that broke my streak of playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf for days on end. The team at Image & Form was quiet on a Wii U appearance, even as the game's HD version was announced for platforms like Steam and PlayStation 4. But now, it's very apparent that the team loves Wii U and feels that it's the "perfect platform" for SteamWorld Dig. Look forward to the game this Fall!
It was only eventual, but Satoru Iwata kept his word - all five sports in Wii Sports Club will be released as a retail package on July 11th in Europe, July 12th in Australia and June 25th in North America. Of course, we knew this after the Japanese version was leaked. But what about Baseball and Boxing, the sports which have yet to be released in the eShop version? No worries - they'll be coming to North America on June 26th and in Europe/Australia on June 28th. Hope you got time to float like a butterfly, practice your swing, work on that pitch, and sting like a bee!
Another World (known to us in the US as Out of This World) is a pioneer action/platformer that released across more than a dozen platforms since its debut in 1991. It's been lauded for its highly innovative use of cinematic effects in both real-time and cutscenes, which critics adored. Now, the game is back with a fresh lick of paint on modern platforms, including the 3DS and Wii U. No release date has yet been announced, but the European eShop has listed it for a June 19th release.
One news bit that blindsided me this past week was the announcement of Costume Quest coming to Wii U from Double Fine. I actually haven't played the original, so I went ahead and watched a few videos and it looked quite excellent. It's good that the studio is working on some great titles recently, and they've been on a roll - the game they've released before this one, Broken Age: Episode 1, has reached a multitude of platforms including PC / Mac / Linux, as well as the OUYA microconsole. I'm sure may of you guys would appreciate more Double Fine games on Wii U, so if you do want Broken Age to come to the platform, have about making some noise? Your voice matters!
It's always good to root for the little guy - RCMADIAX has managed to make somewhat of a name for themselves after their release of BLOK DROP U, a game that I dubbed as the "first graduate of the Nintendo Web Framework". Nowadays, it looks like the team has been quite busy - PDSF was made as a response to delays for what would've been their sophomore Wii U project, SUPER ROBO MOUSE, and from what I'm looking at so far, I'm intrigued. What's also good to hear is that this is meant to be 1 of 3 upcoming card/casino style games from the developer, so we'll be seeing more of them very soon. How soon? This summer! Psst, don't forget that RCMADIAX will be here on /WiiU for an official developer AMA within the coming weeks!
Kickstarter Watch
Kickstarter Watch is back this week! Take a look at some upcoming games looking to come to Wii U and pledge if you like it!
A new hand painted platformer where Luna becomes immersed in a unique toy world after her doll feels neglected and must travel five toy inspired worlds to rescue her boyfriend.
Explore a mysterious planet controlled by the psyche of the main character.
Wii U stretch goal: $400,000$250,000$150,000. Relaunched, main goal $30,000.
New & Upcoming Releases (eShop + Downloadable Retail)
[NORTH AMERICA]
1001 Spikes (Nicalis) — $10.01
I've Got to Run! (4 Corner Games) — $1.99
Don't forget! 4 Corner Games will be here on /WiiU today at 1pm Eastern/12 noon Central for our first official developer AMA!
Chubbins (Dahku Creations) — $5.99
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Little Orbit)* — $39.99
*Available on June 10th.
[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]
How to Survive (505 Games) — €13.99 / £12.59 / AU$18.20
[JAPAN]
EDGE (Two Tribes) — ¥400
New & Upcoming Releases (Virtual Console)
[NORTH AMERICA]
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Nintendo) — $7.99
[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]
Wario Land 4 (Nintendo) — €6.99 / £6.29 / AU$9.10
[JAPAN]
Brain Age - Train Your Brain in Minutes A Day! — FREE (until 6/30)
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Nintendo) — ¥514
The Legend of Kage (Taito) — ¥514
Next Week on the Nintendo eShop!
It's the week before E3, and all through the house - not a creature was stirring... not even a mouse. Because he know what he'd be in for if Luigi found him. But in all serious, all is quiet in the days leading up to E3. No confirmations for eShop games in all regions, and no confirmations for Virtual Console games outside of Japan. In a bizarre twist of fate, Japan will be getting just one VC game next week - Hudson Soft's Blazing Lazers for the PC-Engine.
Deals & Promotions (New & Ongoing)
[ALL REGIONS]
> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (NA/EU/AUS)
In Europe, Australia and North America, you have until July 31st to register your copy of Mario Kart 8 on Club Nintendo That includes:
codes with standard and limited editions
codes from console bundles (the MK8 Deluxe Set)
copies bought directly from the eShop
In return, you'll receive one free download code for a retail title of your choosing. North America will have the choice of:
New Super Mario Bros. U
Pikmin 3
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Wii Party U
Europe (including Scandinavia and Greece) and Australia will have the choice of:
Nintendo Land
New Super Mario Bros. U
Game & Wario
Pikmin 3
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Sonic Lost World
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Wii Party U
The Wonderful 101
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
> > > Mario Kart 8 Club Nintendo Promotion (JP)
In Japan, you can buy Mario Kart 8 to get two extra games! However:
you can only play these games for a month
once the month is up, decide which one you'd like to buy for 40% off
[NORTH AMERICA]
> > > Discounts
Just Dance 2014 (Ubisoft) — $24.99
Just Dance Kids 2014 (Ubisoft) — $14.99
Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft) — $24.99
Until June 9th.
[EUROPE + AUSTRALIA]
> > > Ongoing Promotion
Purchase Super Mario Kart between March 27th and June 30th and receive a £5.49 / €7.99 / AU$10.40 / NZD$13.60 discount off the Wii U eShop release of Mario Kart 8. Purchases of Super Mario Kart using the Virtual Console loyalty offer qualify, and Mario Kart 8 must be purchased between 5/30/2014 until 6/30/2014; both downloads must be made on the same Wii U system.
Looks like that'll be all for today! Of course, you guys are free to discuss your wishes for any eShop or Virtual Console game to come to the eShop. Also, usual thanks to my avenues of information from Nintendo Life, Vooks, GoNintendo, and other sources. Question prompts for this week:
[Event] Russian elections — the day all went haywire
The Moscow Times rang everywhere, as people scrolled through their apps, not believing what has happened. Civil unrests and riots happened throughout Russia, from Sevastopol, to Vladivostok. For the first time in Russian history, a party other than United Russia had won. And Russia did not seem united. A whole lot has changed since the last election. As Medvedev steps down as president, it is easy to see the changes in Russian society and say that nothing has happened. Nothing has changed. The people are angry, and want change. As the Russian political system became more polarized, things especially went sour. The most notable change would be the collapse of the communist party. The infighting, the decline in membership, and the corruption unearthed in the party has made the party explode in a fashion similar to the Soviet Union. From the remnants and decays of this, five major parties exist, and only one holds a seat — Mandel Nikolas, which dedicated and strong faction has made it stick out against the others. Every party holds a cult of personality for its leader however, and without a uniting character like Zyuganov to rally around, the party has officially lost its status as the opposition. Replacing it as the left wing with a vengeance has been the A Just Russia party, whose new Democratic socialist stance has earned it the following of a number of ex-communists. After unification with Yabloko and the Alliance of Greens and Social Democrats, its earned a large left-wing following, that unlike the center-right United Russia, has made it very popular. The party, no longer directed by Mironov, is being guided now by the more charismatic, and slightly younger, Matthias Gandchehra, a Russian-born man who lived in New York when he was younger, who believes that the main problem with Russia not being a developed country is because of the upper class of Russia. As stated in his speech, "We need tah make corruption with da highah class nonexistent now. Russia is not runned by the people, but by the milyunares, dah bilyunares, dah oligawks, and dah one puh-cent. We gawt tah legalize marihuana, we got tah raise da minimum wage, and we need change in Russia — YUGE change." The United Russia party has not been doing well either. Struggling to get on its feet, a huge scandal arised when Sergei Ivanov was kicked out of the party, for possible assassination attempts against his political opponent Viktor Ichkov. Ivanov immediately claimed he was being framed by United Russia, and claimed that they had only made such baseless accusations and charges to prevent him from getting more power in the kremlin. Ivanov decided to take the case to court against United Russia, and won, however eventually ended up losing anyways to the center-right allegedly corrupt candidate — who views theirselves as the most reasonable candidate, despite having refused to hold any press conferences during the entire election, and using multiple cards to defend himself against difficult questions against debates. This sank the support of United Russia, and caused it to fall in a downward spiral. But perhaps what was most surprising, was the rise of the LPDR. After the death of Zhirinovsky, the future looked bleak for the party, as the main focus was around his candidacy. Yet, the party like a phoenix rose from the ashes with the candidacy of Stepan Vladinodsky. A far right-wing fringe, he had never held office before, and has generally shown to be unknown in his political views. As a wealthy real-estate mogul and owner of multiple foreign casinos, however, he's been listed as one of the most recognized people in Russian society of the modern day, especially known due to his construction in repairing Sochi as a major Russian city again, and for his real-estate tactics that has made his name plastered onto the tallest building in Moscow. Despite this, he had alienated a majority of Russians — from his inaptness in foreign policy (believing that Ukraine were enemies), to his racist-filled statements that had gotten the attention of multiple people (stating that he's considering deportation for Chechens due to ISIS, that the rogue Siberians need to learn to accept Russian society, and even getting rid of the Jewish autonomous oblasts). One of his most ridiculed and criticized statements came even from a debate, where when asked the question "do you think reinstating relations with the Horn and Congo is necessary to preventing aggressive behavior in Africa?", he responded with "I would kill those n***ers before accepting any type of blame on this shit." His slogan, "Russia is the future," has riled supporters from all over the conservative regions to his cause, being even called "Vladimir PigPutin" as a nickname. Originally [A Just Russia] calling him the name as a part of their smear campaign on him, he simply laughed it off and encouraged his supporters to call him that. He supports a reversal on Russian gun control laws, Russian border control laws, developing the military even more, and a reversal on environmental and pro-minority laws. He's been called an "authoritarian prick" by Medvedev, a "corrupt piece of shit to work with" by one of his former co-workers, and a "delusional man" by his ex-wife who he divorced due to her communist stance. His stance on bringing back the orthodox religion has also appealed to the majority of religious people. When the ballots came in, nobody could believe it. Russia went mad.
SkyF1 has been the award winning broadcaster for 2012 and 2013, and presumably for 2014 as well, because of its extensive coverage. Compared to BBCF1's 60-minute pre-race shows, SkyF1 has 90-minute/120-minute features. However, while I usually thoroughly enjoy BBC's pre-race show, I find myself sometimes tuning in in the middle of Sky's Brundle's Gridwalk and maybe even later. Here are my thoughts on SkyF1's pre-race show. Disclaimer: OPINIONS. Also I've obviously not watched all of SkyF1's features to make a thorough review. I've only watched BBC when Humphrey was hosting the show as well, so that's what I will compare Sky to. When Sky is doing a feature with a driver, it seems like neither the interviewer nor the driver is having fun; instead, they're just trying to plug an interview in, if it is not a vis-a-vis interview already. Example: Kimi's lawnmower race with Sky. Fantastic idea, but they had to do an interview to kill off the mood. Compare that to BBC-vs-McLaren's Jetski Challenge, truck driving challengepit stop challenge; drivers and presenters are just having fun, no interview needed. That brings me to my next point: Sky is too heavy on interviews and analysis. This has 2 problems: 1, analysis is boring and dry, and there are only so many PR responses that drivers can give in interviews; 2, During a race weekend, we probably would have heard from a driver during Press Conference, Pre-Qualy show, Post-Qualy interviews, Pre-Race show, grid walk, Post-Race press conference and interviews.. That's just too much. A sub point is SkyPad and Track Walks. If it's a new track like RB Ring or Sochi, track walks are well justified; for others, we already know the tracks too well. I understand there might be new audience every week, but if the track walk is just repeated analysis about Parabolica or Casino Square without bringing any new fun stuff in, it gets boring. Examples: DC's Track Guide with Schumi in Montreal vs. Brundle's Track Guide with Schumi in Bahrain. I think I'm right in saying one looks far less boring than the other. Also, it bothers me a bit that with all the resources Sky has (that Ted has showed off in his notebook), a good chunk of the pre-race show ends up being presenters talking among themselves. Booooring. Brundle also seems much more tame and less cheeky on Sky than on BBC/ITV ([Brundle's cheeky moment with Heidfeld, with Rider That's why we love that man right?), probably because Crofty does the shouty bit and does it too well. So, how does Sky fill the 90 minutes of pre-race shows? Easy. Reduce the bits we know, and improve/increase the bits we don't.
Pre-Race show isn't the place for Analysis; Post-Race show is. Pre-Race show is to get hyped.
Cut the "Teammate Battles" and psychological analysis on Hamilton and Rosberg; instead, give some attention to midfield/backmarkers. Showcast the driver's side that is not shown on track. Ideas: in 2013 when Seb was booed left and right, Sky could have done features with him to show how funny/down-to-earth he is. Other than that, Go to Bottas's hometown in Finland, K-Mag's hometown in Denmark, Rosberg's yacht in Monaco, etc.
Do more "local" features completely outside Formula 1. Ideas: Luxury vs. Budget at Monaco, Suzuka Noodles, BBQ at Texas, Downtown Sochi, MagLev in Shanghai, etc. Even Old Spa and Old Monza can get a bit boring, so it's better to be completely off F1 grid.
If a feature has to be done on track, then film something a normal fan wouldn't see. Similar to Ted's Notebooks. Ideas: Swimming Pool Party in Red Bull, A Lunch in Ferrari Motorhome, A Session in Race Control Room, etc.
Behind-the-Scene stuff would also be nice. Ted's Notebook has shown us that it can be done. Ideas: Following Sauber on a back-to-back travel, see how Singapore street circuit is set up in a night, and how Sky features are made and broadcasted. This can be genuinely fascinating stuff.
Very importantly, show GP2 and GP3 highlights! Sky has rights to show them, I'm sure. WRC does that with WRC2/WRC3, IndyCar does that with IndyLights, then a 5 minute summary of GP2 and GP3 weekends wouldn't hurt anyone; in fact, it's good for the feeder series' drivers' names to be mentioned, good for their sponsor, and good for the fans as well.
Overall, I think if Sky fully exploited the resources and ideas available to them, they can make a much more enjoyable package of Pre-Race shows. Come on, if Sky can afford those slo-mo cameras, if they can get Kimi to race a lawnmower, there is little they cannot do.
Opinions A history of Donald Trump’s business dealings in Russia By David Ignatius Opinion writer November 2 President Trump takes questions from reporters before boarding Marine One (Drew AngereGetty Images) MOSCOW — An ice-blue 14-story office tower called Ducat Place III is the building that President Trump might have constructed here, with help from a business friend named Howard Lorber who came with him to scout the market in 1996. But like so many other Trump adventures in Russia, this one proved a tantalizing but futile dead end. Trump is angrily dismissive when questions are raised about his Russian contacts. He calls the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III a “witch hunt” and media reports about his Russia connections “fake news” and “fabrication.” He tweeted in January, shortly before his inauguration: “I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA — NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!” As the Mueller investigation accelerated this week with the indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the plea deal reached with former campaign foreign-policy aide George Papadopoulos, the context of the probe becomes newly important. How did Trump accumulate his network of Russian business contacts in the years before the 2016 campaign? What’s the prehistory of Trump and Russia? Read These Comments The best conversations on The Washington Post The Mueller investigation is still in its opening round, and it’s far too early to make any judgments about Trump’s own actions. A member of Trump’s inner circle told me that he advised the president recently, “This is the most innocent you’ve ever been of any allegation.” But to reach a judgment, you first must understand the history of Trump’s fascination, bordering on obsession, with Russian business deals. The simple truth is that Trump has been hungry for Russia projects for more than three decades. He has repeatedly touted plans for a Moscow mega-development and has courted a steady stream of investors from the former Soviet Union for ventures in New York, South Florida and other locations. Trump has enjoyed playing the “big guy” in Moscow. As he bragged to a New York real-estate publication after a November 2013 dinner with prominent business leaders: “The Russian market is attracted to me.” Trump’s Russia connections helped sow the seeds of Mueller’s investigation. The best example is the now-famous June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower organized by Donald Trump Jr. with Russians who had links with the Kremlin. Mueller is investigating whether that meeting was part of a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. But any potential criminal issues aside, the gathering embodied the Trump family’s 30-year involvement with wealthy tycoons from the former Soviet Union. What follows is an attempt to explain Trump’s encounter with Russia as a narrative. Most of the details have surfaced before, but it has been hard to see the story whole, as a business saga. With Russia, as with so many other aspects of Trump’s business and political life, he has been more pitchman than builder. What’s clear, reviewing the facts, is that Trump’s claim he had “nothing to do with Russia” over the years is nonsense. 3:06 Inside the plan to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig and Tom Hamburger explain the Trump Organization's efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. (Jenny Starrs, Meg Kelly/The Washington Post) Trump’s business interest in Russia began in 1986. The flashy young tycoon met Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin at a luncheon and, as he recounted in his 1987 book, “The Art of the Deal,” the two began “talking about building a large luxury hotel across the street from the Kremlin.” With Dubinin’s encouragement, Trump flew to Moscow in July 1987 with his Czech-born first wife, Ivana, to check out potential sites. Trump wrote in his book: “It was an extraordinary experience. . . . We stayed in Lenin’s suite at the National Hotel, and I was impressed with the ambition of the Soviet officials to make a deal.” But Trump was preoccupied with other business projects in the late 1980s, including buying an airline and the Plaza Hotel (which he lost after bankruptcies in 1991 and 1992, respectively), and the Russia hotel deal stalled. Trump explored the Russian market again in 1996, with help from his friend Lorber, who is chief executive of Vector Group, a holding company that back then owned a Russian cigarette company and now owns Douglas Elliman Realty, one of the leading brokerage firms for super-rich Russians seeking property in the United States. Lorber is a fascinating, little-noted member of Trump’s inner circle. Trump described him last year as one of his two closest friends; they’ve helped each other’s children in business, and Lorber introduced Trump to David Friedman, who is now U.S. ambassador to Israel; Friedman’s former partner, Marc Kasowitz, became Trump’s lawyer. Lorber even made a cameo appearance in a 2005 episode of “The Apprentice.” The Trump-Lorber foray in Moscow began with Lorber’s business partner (and close Trump friend) Bennett LeBow, who had acquired the Liggett tobacco company in 1986. One subsidiary, called Liggett-Ducat, marketed the company’s cigarettes in Russia. And Liggett-Ducat had a 98-year lease on a prime development site in central Moscow. With his usual panache, Trump announced plans for a $250 million investment that would include a “Trump International” complex on the Liggett-Ducat site at a November 1996 news conference in Moscow. “We have an understanding we will be doing it,” he said. Trump bragged about his plans in January 1997, when he and Lorber met visiting Russian politician Aleksandr Lebed in New York. A 1997 New Yorker profile of Trump captured their exchange and showed the breadth of Trump’s hopes for Moscow investment and business connections. “We are actually looking at something in Moscow right now, and it would be skyscrapers and hotels, not casinos. Only quality stuff. . . . And we’re working with the local government, the mayor of Moscow, and the mayor’s people. So far, they’ve been very responsive. . . . I always go into the center.” The Moscow mayor Trump cultivated was Yuri Luzhkov. John Beyrle, then U.S. ambassador to Russia, offered this blunt summary of Luzhkov’s approach in a 2010 cable to Washington: “Corruption in Moscow remains pervasive with Mayor Luzhkov at the top of the pyramid. Luzhkov oversees a system in which it appears that almost everyone at every level is involved in some form of corruption or criminal behavior.” Beyrle’s cable was published by WikiLeaks. Whatever inside track Trump thought he had with Luzhkov in 1996, the deal petered out. Trump’s business troubles were mounting at home, and financing may not have been available. Handsome towers were built at sites called Ducat Place II and III, but not by Trump. The Trump International Beach Resort in Sunny Isles. (Angel Valentin/for The Washington Post) The Russian moneymaker for Trump in the 2000s turned out, instead, to be investment in U.S. properties bearing his name. Russians were eager to move their capital into fancy condo apartments in New York and Florida. Here, again, his friend Lorber was well connected. Lorber’s real-estate firm Douglas Elliman, hoping to profit from the Russian market, hired a string of Russian-speaking agents who could help rich clients find high-end properties. “If you didn’t target the Russian billionaires, then you shouldn’t be in the business,” said Dolly Lenz, a former Douglas Elliman broker, in a 2008 article in the New York Observer. Lenz told USA Today last year that she had sold about 65 apartments in Manhattan’s Trump World Tower to Russian buyers. “They all wanted to meet Donald,” she said. One magnet for Russian money was a private resort called Fisher Island in Biscayne Bay, just off Miami. Lorber has been a director of the Oceanside at Fisher Island Condominium Association since 2000 and is currently a director of the Fisher Island Club. Among Fisher Island’s many Soviet-born property owners have been Aras Agalarov, a Russian-Azerbaijani magnate who sponsored Trump’s Miss Universe 2013 pageant and whose pop-singer son Emin organized the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower; and Felix Sater, a Russian-born former adviser to Trump who worked with the Bayrock Group that helped develop the Trump SoHo project in New York. (Lorber declined to comment through Vector’s public-affairs consultant, Emily Claffey of Sard Verbinnen & Co.) Trump’s business deals in South Florida illustrated his blend of panache and caution, his hunger for Russian cash and his ability to skirt disaster. He sold his name to condo projects in an area called Sunny Isles Beach, helped pump up the market there and walked away unscathed when it crashed. “The city has earned the nickname ‘Little Russia’ for its high percentage of Russian-speaking residents,” notes the Douglas Elliman website, pitching high-rises there to prospective buyers. The Miami Herald reported that according to U.S. Census data, nine percent of Sunny Isles Beach households have Russian origins, the largest percentage of Russians in Miami-Dade County. Sunny Isles is a case study in how Trump does business. It was once a decidedly un-chic beachfront north of Miami, “a place where your uncle who lives on Social Security would go on vacation,” says Peter Zalewski, a Florida real-estate consultant. But after it incorporated as a separate jurisdiction within Miami-Dade County, with business-friendly local managers, it became a magnet for investment — and was rebranded as “Florida’s Riviera.” Trump’s name graces a string of sleek buildings along this strip of coast. First was the Trump International Beach Resort, a complex completed in 2004. Then came Trump Palace in 2006; Trump Towers I, II and III, built in 2007, 2008 and 2009; and Trump Royale in 2008. But Trump’s developer friends plunged into Sunny Isles at the wrong time. According to a 2010 article at SouthFloridaCondos.blogspot.com, unit prices at the three Trump Towers buildings dropped nearly 40 percent from the 2005 pre sales period. As the market crashed, the construction loan for Trump Towers had to be restructured. Trump Hollywood, another glitzy project further north, was driven into foreclosure in 2010. Trump deftly distanced himself from the developers’ troubles, telling the Sun-Sentinel that he questioned their “timing.” But the condo market gradually improved, thanks in part to Russian buyers. A Reuters investigation found that 63 people with Russian addresses or passports have purchased $98.4 million of property in Trump-branded condos in South Florida. Trump also had a personal infusion of Russian cash in the liquidity-starved 2008 market. That year he sold for a handsome $95 million a Palm Beach waterfront mansion he bought at auction in 2004 for just $41.35 million — more than doubling his money at a time when much of the South Florida market was underwater. The buyer was Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev. Dezer Development, the real-estate company that helped attach Trump’s name to six projects in Sunny Isles Beach, saw Trump’s presidential campaign as a promotion opportunity. “It’s a free press release,” Gil Dezer told Bloomberg News in August 2016. Donald Trump Jr. arrives at Trump Tower in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Reuters) Helping build the Trump-Russia pipeline in the fragile 2008 market was Donald Trump Jr. He was a keynote speaker at the June 2008 Russian Real Estate Summit in Moscow, where he touted the Trump Organization’s plans to build condos and hotels in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi. At a New York real-estate conference in September 2008, Trump Jr. was frank about the tide of Russian money supporting the family business. “In terms of high-end product influx into the U.S., Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. . . . We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia,” said the young Trump, according to a Sept. 15, 2008, article about the conference. He said he had made a half-dozen trips to Russia during the previous 18 months. A project that had significant financing from former Soviet Union investors was Trump SoHo, a 46-story condo-hotel project in Lower Manhattan that opened in September 2007. One development partner was the Sapir Organization, founded by Tamir Sapir from Georgia. Another partner was Bayrock, founded by Tevfik Arif, a Kazakh-born businessman who brought in Sater. As has been widely reported, Sater went to prison in 1993 after stabbing a man, and later became an FBI informant. For the elder Trump, these ex-Soviet investors were important assets for the future. He said in a deposition in a Trump SoHo lawsuit: “Bayrock knew the people, knew the investors. . . . And this was going to be Trump International Hotel and Tower Moscow, Kiev, Istanbul, etc., Poland, Warsaw.” Trump Jr. continued traveling to Russia and Eastern Europe, prospecting for business. He was interviewed in May 2012 before giving a speech to a real-estate conference in Riga, Latvia. His comments, captured on YouTube, explain why the Trump Organization saw the former Eastern Bloc as crucial: “It’s a part of the world that now you’re starting to see some amazing architecture, some incredible real estate, you’re seeing a real big boom in wealth. . . . We have something that’s very relevant in that sector.” Russian businessman Aras Agalarov, Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler and Donald Trumpat the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, Russia. (Irina BujoAP) The apex of Trump’s personal fascination with Russia may have been 2013, when he brought the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow and talked, yet again, of building a “Trump Tower” there. His business partner in the pageant was Aras Agalarov, president of Crocus Group, a shopping-mall developer. Forbes magazine notes that he has been called “the Trump of Russia” because of his glitzy personal marketing. Trump and Agalarov formed an ebullient partnership over a dinner in Las Vegas on June 15, 2013, captured on the Internet. As Trump began hyping the pageant, he even tried to draw in Russia’s president himself, tweeting on June 18, 2013: “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?” The Miss Universe red carpet was rolled out Nov. 9, 2013. Emin Agalarov sang a song, and Miss Venezuela was crowned the winner. A story published that day by RT touted Trump’s latest business plans for Russia, quoting him: “I have plans for the establishment of business in Russia. Now, I am in talks with several Russian companies to establish this skyscraper.” Aras Agalarov was quoted saying he was participating in talks to be Trump’s partner in the project. Agalarov hosted a dinner for Trump at the Moscow branch of Nobu, which he owned. The co-host was Herman Gref, the chief executive of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, and a close adviser of President Vladimir Putin. An ebullient Trump saluted Agalarov in a Nov. 11 tweet: “I had a great weekend with you and your family. You have done a FANTASTIC job. TRUMP TOWER-MOSCOW is next.” The Trump-Agalarov contacts continued. Trump’s daughter Ivanka visited Moscow in February 2014 and toured Crocus City Hall. Emin Agalarov performed at a golf tournament the next month at the Trump National Doral, near the family property at Fisher Island. Like so many seemingly imminent Trump-Moscow deals over the years, the skyscraper plan stalled. 4:17 What we know about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting Here's what we know so far about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer during his father's presidential campaign in June 2016. (Video: Elyse Samuels, Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) And then, finally, came an event that Mueller is said to have examined carefully — the meeting in June 2016 where Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya met with Trump’s inner circle. It helps to recall the long history of Trump’s business dealings with Russia when you read this June 3, 2016, email to Trump Jr. from Rob Goldstone, the publicist for Emin Agalarov: “Emin just called me to contact you with something very interesting. The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father. This is obviously very high-level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Trump — helped along by Aras and Emin.” To which Trump Jr. answered: “I love it.” The meeting took place on June 9 with, among others, Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Manafort and Veselnitskaya, a lawyer with links to the Kremlin. Veselnitskaya says her real goal was to lobby the Trump team to oppose the Magnitsky Act, which she described in a May 31, 2016, memo as “the beginning of a new round of the Cold War,” echoing Putin’s line. As the new president was taking office, the Trump brand sparkled brighter than ever for Russians. The Miami Herald reported on Jan. 30 that in November 2016, Russians topped the list of foreigners looking for homes in the Miami area. Oren Alexander, one of the top brokers at Douglas Elliman, explained the post-election trend to the Herald: “There’s no doubt that Russian buyers think America is a good place to be again.” Among the places that attracted Russian purchasers, he said, were Sunny Isles Beach and Fisher Island. Mueller’s investigation might tell us whether any of these Trump-Russian business connections improperly melded into the 2016 campaign. But at the core of Trump’s interaction with his Russian friends is an insight they have shared ever since Soviet days: Politics may be transitory, but real estate is forever. Twitter: @IgnatiusPost Read more from David Ignatius’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
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