Citizens For Legitimate Government

CLG's BREAKING NEWS and COMMENTARY

Grand Jury Inquiry on Destruction of C.I.A. Tapes --The tapes had shown C.I.A. officers using torture, including waterboarding, on two prisoners. 03 Jul 2009 Current and former top Central Intelligence Agency officers have appeared before a federal grand jury in Virginia as part of an 18-month investigation into the agency’s destruction of 92 videotapes depicting the brutal interrogations of two Qaeda prisoners. The witnesses recently called by the special prosecutor, former government officials said, include the agency’s top officer in London and Porter J. Goss, who was C.I.A. director when the tapes were destroyed in November 2005.

Obama administration delays release of CIA report 03 Jul 2009 The Obama administration said Thursday that it needs two more months to review an internal CIA report on the agency's secret detention and torture program before making it public, drawing criticism from civil libertarians who say it's past time for Americans to know how its government treated terrorism suspects. The Justice Department had originally said it intended to release the report in June as part of a lawsuit, but department officials now say they need until the end of August.

U.S. Says It Will Preserve Secret Jails for Terror Case 03 Jul 2009 The government will agree to preserve the secret overseas sites where a defendant in a terror case was once held and, his lawyers say, subjected to ~~harsh interrogation techniques~~ torture after his capture in 2004, a prosecutor indicated in court in New York on Thursday. Lawyers for the defendant, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, told a judge this week that they were afraid that the so-called black sites, which were run by the Central Intelligence Agency, would be demolished as the agency has said it will discontinue their use... In asking that the sites be preserved, Mr. Ghailani’s lawyers said they wanted to inspect them as part of their investigation into what had happened to Mr. Ghailani during his detention.

Iraq's Maliki rejects U.S. offer on national reconciliation --The Iraqi prime minister tells visiting Vice President Joe Biden that U.S. involvement would not be welcome. 03 Jul 2009 Vice President Joe Biden's mission to promote national reconciliation in Iraq was rebuffed Friday by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who told him that the issue was a domestic Iraqi affair and that U.S involvement wouldn't be welcome. Biden was beginning a two-day visit to Iraq after President Obama appointed him this week as his special representative on dealings with the Persian Gulf nation.

US drone goes down in southern Iraq 03 Jul 2009 An unmanned surveillance aircraft has gone down on the outskirts of al-Kut city in the southern Iraqi province of Wasit which borders Iran. A local police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Voices of Iraq news agency that the drone crashed on Friday close to the Delta Base of American forces. The base is situated seven kilometers (5 miles) west of al-Kut.

US drone attacks kill 13 in Pakistan 03 Jul 2009 Intelligence officials say a US drone has fired missiles into Pakistan's South Waziristan region on the Afghan border, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens others. The drone reportedly targeted insurgent hideouts in the troubled region where US troops are conducting a major operation against militants, Reuters reported.

U.S. Resumes Surveillance Flights Over Pakistan 30 Jun 2009 The United States has resumed secret military surveillance drone flights over Pakistan’s tribal areas to provide Pakistani commanders with a wide array of videos and other information on militants, according to American and Pakistani officials... Under the intelligence-sharing arrangement, which resumed in the past few weeks but has not previously been made public, Pakistani ground forces receive direct support for several hours a day, though not necessarily every day, from remotely piloted American military aircraft based in Afghanistan, a senior American defense official said.

Russia Opens Route for U.S. to Fly Arms to Afghanistan 04 Jul 2009 The Russian government has agreed to let American troops and weapons bound for Afghanistan fly over Russian territory, providing an important new corridor for the United States military as it escalates efforts to win the eight-year-old war, officials on both sides said Friday. The agreement, to be announced when President Obama visits here Monday and Tuesday, represents one of the most concrete achievements in the administration’s attempt to ease relations with Russia after years of tension.

Russia 'agrees US troop transit' 03 Jul 2009 A senior Obama administration official has told the BBC that Russia has agreed to let US troops bound for the war in Afghanistan fly through its airspace. The deal, which opens up an important new corridor for the US military, is to be officially announced when President Barack Obama visits Moscow next week. Speaking separately, a Kremlin official confirmed a deal was on the table but suggested it referred to weapons only.

UK forces push deep into Taliban territory in Afghanistan 03 Jul 2009 Around 800 British troops have pushed deep into Taliban-held territory in Helmand province after a ten-day battle to secure river crossings. The latest wave of two-week-old Operation Panther's Claw involved one of the most strategically significant operations the British have carried out in Helmand, a British Army statement said.

British regiment commander killed in 'huge' bomb attack in Afghanistan 03 Jul 2009 The commander of a British regiment has been killed in Afghanistan, the first to have died in active service since the Falklands war 27 years ago. Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed on Wednesday by what defence officials described last night as a "huge bomb" that shattered the armoured Viking tracked vehicle he was travelling in.

North Korea 'tests two missiles' 04 Jul 2009 North Korea has tested two short-range missiles, South Korean media report, as concern mounts in the region that a long-range test could be days away. It test-fired four similar missiles earlier this week and has incurred fresh UN sanctions since holding a second underground nuclear test in May. The latest missiles were fired from a base near Wonsan into the Sea of Japan, South Korea's defence ministry said.

New IAEA chief sees no proof of Iran N-bomb 03 Jul 2009 Incoming IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano says there is no conclusive evidence to prove that Iran is enriching weapons-grade uranium. Amano, who was narrowly elected as the new head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday, however, urged Iran to follow Security Council demands regarding its nuclear activities.

Falk slams Israel, says relief boat seizure 'unlawful' 03 Jul 2009 Israel's two-year blockade of the Gaza Strip is a continuing crime against humanity, and its seizure of a ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza was "unlawful", says a UN human rights investigator. Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said Thursday that the blockade restricted vital supplies such as food, medicine and fuel to "bare subsistence levels."

In Israel, former US lawmaker remains imprisoned 03 Jul 2009 Former US lawmaker Cynthia McKinney and several other human rights activists remain in an Israeli prison after refusing to sign a deportation form that they claim is self-incriminating. In a press release from McKinney's Green Party, she said the form states that the their relief boat carrying 21 activists, medial supplies, cement, olive trees and children's toys en route to Gaza, was violating the Israeli blockade and trespassing its territorial waters.

Big brother is watching: The technologies that keep track of you 02 Jul 2009 CCTV, RFID tags and GPS-enabled phones are among the technologies that can be used to keep track of your movements. Here, we list seven of the technologies that can be used to keep track of your movements.

WHO says flu is unstoppable 03 Jul 2009 The World Health Organization head, Margaret Chan, has addressed a meeting in Mexico to say that the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus worldwide is now unstoppable. As the summit opened, the UK alone projected more than 100,000 new cases of H1N1 a day by the end of the summer.

800 at San Quentin quarantined for swine flu 03 Jul 2009 About 800 San Quentin State Prison inmates have been quarantined - banned from having visitors starting this weekend - as officials await testing on 30 inmates suspected of having swine flu, authorities said Thursday. So far, four of the 30 minimum-security inmates have tested positive for having a strain that has a 97 percent probability of being the H1N1 virus, said Luis Patino, spokesman for the federal receiver who runs state prison medical care.

CDC: US swine flu cases rise to nearly 34,000 02 Jul 2009 The number of U.S. swine flu cases has reached nearly 34,000, and deaths have risen 34 percent in the past week to 170, federal health officials reported Thursday. The numbers mark an increase from the 127 deaths and nearly 28,000 confirmed and suspected swine flu cases reported last week.

Ohio Reserve unit wages war on ND mosquitoes --The Air Force's aerial spray unit based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, Ohio, has found North Dakota an 'ideal place for practice.' 03 Jul 2009 An Ohio Air Force Reserve unit charged with controlling mosquitoes during wartime is using bug-bitten North Dakota as a practice ground again this summer. Huge gray military airplanes flying as low as 100 feet from the ground sprayed Minot and, for the first time, Williston to kill mosquito larvae this spring. Another mission aimed at adult mosquitoes, is planned for later this month.

Gag me with a chainsaw! Palin plans to stay visible 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to remain extremely visible and will give serious consideration to running for president in 2012, but has made no decision, a close friend said after her startling announcement Friday that she will resign her office. Friends say Palin plans to spend time writing her book, which is due this fall, then promote it heavily when it comes out in spring 2010.

Palin resigns as governor, leaves plans secret 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012. Palin and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial hockey mom would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid.

Sarah Palin will not seek re-election 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has told associates that she will not seek re-election next year, freeing her to pursue a White House bid in 2012, according to two GOP sources. Leaving office at the end of next year, the former vice presidential hopeful will be able to travel the country more freely without facing the sort of repeated ethics inquiries she’s been fending off since returning to Alaska earlier this year. [Alaska's polar bears and wolves rejoice!]

Everything suggests American bonds seized at Chiasso are real 30 Jun 2009 Four weeks have passed since American bonds were confiscated from two Japanese who were travelling on a direct train to Chiasso, Switzerland. While there has been clarification of some points, very few, Italian authorities have remained silent on the rest of the episode. In addition, a strange coincidence in the timing of the arrest of a director of an internet radio who had made revelations regarding the incident increases the already strong oddities surrounding the case. This added to the revaluation of the fact that among the evidence seized there were "Kennedy Bond" all points toward the authenticity of the items seized by the Guardia di Finanza (GdF) in early June.

'Rogue broker' blamed for oil spike 02 Jul 2009 The startling spike in oil prices to their highest level this year on Tuesday was caused by a rogue broker [terrorist] who placed a massive bet in the Brent oil market, triggering almost $10m (€7m) of losses for his company. PVM Oil Associates, the world’s largest over-the-counter oil brokerage, said on Thursday it had been the "victim of unauthorised trading".

Seven banks fail, pushing 2009 tally to 52 --Regulators close six Illinois banks and one Texas bank, setting the FDIC back a total of $314.3 million. 03 Jul 2009 Seven banks were shut down by authorities Thursday, pushing the tally of failed banks for 2009 to 52, more than doubling the failures in 2008. Six regional banks in Illinois and one in Texas closed their doors, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The rash of Illinois failures are interlinked: All six banks were controlled by one family and followed a similar business model that "created concentrated exposure in each institution," according to the FDIC.

Aircraft repair jobs sold to foreign workers, resumes not important --It's a huge facility in the middle of San Antonio International Airport, but a large number of mechanics are temporary workers from foreign countries. 01 Jul 2009 A News 8 investigation found that hundreds of aircraft mechanics have been brought into the United States to work at aircraft repair facilities. Insiders say the companies that are importing the mechanics are so eager to save money, they’re overstating their qualifications. The result may be a threat to safety, abetted by lax enforcement of immigration law.

ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show --Records show ExxonMobil gave hundreds of thousands of pounds to lobby groups that have published 'misleading and inaccurate information' about climate change 01 Jul 2009 The world's largest oil company [terrorists] is continuing to fund lobby groups that question the reality of global warming, despite a public pledge to cut support for such climate change denial, a new analysis shows. Company records show that ExxonMobil handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds to such lobby groups in 2008. These include the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) in Dallas, Texas, which received $75,000 (£45,500), and the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC, which received $50,000.

Sea Ice At Lowest Level In 800 Years Near Greenland 02 Jul 2009 New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now. The research results from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, are published in the scientific journal, Climate Dynamics.

Scientists solve mystery of Scotland's shrinking sheep --Shorter, milder winters caused by global warming to blame for steady decrease in size of St Kilda sheep, experts say 02 Jul 2009 The mysterious shrinking sheep of St Kilda... involves a rare herd of wild sheep on the remote Scottish island - known in Scottish Gaelic as Hirta. They have steadily decreased in size since the 1980s. Scientists have fingered the culprit as the new Moriarty of mankind: global warming. The experts say shorter and milder winters mean that lambs do not need to put as much weight on during their first few months of life. The average weight of the sheep has dropped by 81g each year.

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Court Filing Shows Evidence Cheney Swayed White House Response to CIA Leak --Discussions of CIA Agent Listed in Filing 03 Jul 2009 A document filed in federal court this week by the Justice Department offers new evidence that former vice president [sic] Richard B. Cheney helped steer the Bush administration's public response to the disclosure of Valerie Plame Wilson's employment by the CIA and that he was at the center of many related administration deliberations. A list of at least seven related conversations involving Cheney appears in a new court filing approved by Obama appointees at the Justice Department. In the filing, the officials argue that the substance of what Cheney told special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald in 2004 must remain secret.

Obama pushes to delay release of CIA report --Agency's secret detention, torture program under scrutiny 02 Jul 2009 The Obama administration said Thursday that it needs two more months to review an internal CIA report on the agency's secret detention and interrogation program before making it public. The Justice Department had originally said it intended to release the report in June as part of a lawsuit, but department officials now say they 'need' until the end of August. [See: U.S. again [third time] delays releasing CIA torture report 02 Jul 2009; US wants to [again] delay release of CIA report 26 Jun 2009; Delay in Releasing CIA Report Is Sought 20 Jun 2009.]

Heads up! The Obusha pre-holiday Friday night environmental/human rights bad news dump is starting to dump a day early! Obama Administration to Involve NSA in Screening Civilian Agency Networks 02 Jul 2009 The Obama administration will proceed with a Bush-era plan to use National Security Agency assistance in screening government computer traffic on private-sector networks, with AT&T as the likely test site, according to three current and former government officials. President Obama said in May that government efforts to protect computer systems from attack would not involve "monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic." Under a classified pilot program approved during the Bush regime, NSA data and hardware would be used to 'protect' the networks of some civilian government agencies. Part of an initiative known as Einstein 3, the pilot called for telecommunications companies to route the Internet traffic of civilian government agencies through a monitoring box that would search for and block malicious computer codes... The pilot was to have been launched in February. "To be clear, Einstein 3 development is proceeding," DHS spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said.

Al-Sadr demands full U.S. withdrawal from Iraq --About 131,000 US troops remain in Iraq, on bases and in outposts outside of population centers. 01 Jul 2009 The ongoing presence of U.S. troops in Iraq "shows that the (Iraqi) government and the occupation are not serious about the withdrawal," a key Shiite cleric in the country said Wednesday. Muqtada al-Sadr made the statement on his Web site a day after U.S. forces withdrew from Iraqi cities and towns in accordance with the security agreement between the United States and Iraq.

Saddam Hussein 'lied about WMDs to protect Iraq from Iran' 03 Jul 2009 Saddam Hussein told the FBI that he misled the world into believing Iraq still possessed weapons of mass destruction because he feared revealing his weakness to Iran, according to declassified interview transcripts. The late Iraqi president also told his interrogators that he regarded Osama in Laden as a "zealot" and had no contact with the al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] leader or his organisation. Despite defeat in the Gulf War at the hands of the American-led coalition, Saddam still regarded Iran, with which Iraq fought a bloody war from 1980-88, as a greater threat than the US, the documents show.

Lawsuit accuses Xe contractors of murder, kidnapping, child prostitution 02 Jul 2009 A just-amended lawsuit alleges six additional instances of unprovoked attacks on Iraqi civilians by Blackwater mercenaries. Three people, including a 9-year-old boy, are said to have died. Also added to the suit is a racketeering count accusing Blackwater founder Erik Prince of running an ongoing criminal enterprise involved in, among other things, kidnapping and child prostitution. The latest charges, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, bring to more than 60 the number of Iraqis allegedly killed or wounded since 2005 by armed Blackwater mercenaries guarding U.S. diplomatic personnel in Iraq. The Moyock, N.C.-based security company, since renamed Xe, earned more than $1 billion under that contract before the State Department, under pressure from the Iraqi government, let it lapse in May.

Senate Investigates Blackwater Subsidiary 01 Jul 2009 The Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating the mercenary firm Paravant LLC which provides contracted services to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. Paravant is a subsidiary of Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, owned by Erik D. Prince, president of The Prince Group. Steven McClain and Justin Cannon, two former Paravant security personnel stationed in Afghanistan, were involved in a fatal shooting incident that left one Afghan civilian dead and two others wounded in Kabul on May 5, 2009.

Guantanamo suspect to be tried in U.S. court in 2010 02 Jul 2009 The first detainee transferred from Guantanamo Bay to a U.S. civilian court will go on trial on September 13, 2010, a Manhattan federal court judge said on Thursday. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian national, has been charged with conspiring in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed 224 people.

'I have to refer you to the Government of Israel.' U.S. Department of State Middle East Digest 01 Jul 2009 QUESTION: Erin Connors from Press TV. Former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and members of the Free Gaza Movement were intercepted by the Israeli army when they were on a humanitarian mission over there. What’s being done about that? Are they on their way home? Will they be deported? What’s the next step there, and will their supplies ever get to where they’re going? IAN KELLY: On that last question, I don’t know the answer, actually. I think I have to refer you to the Government of Israel. We can confirm that the Israeli navy did arrest those on board this – the ship which is known as Spirit. We can't comment on any of the individuals or the number of individual American citizens on board because of Privacy Act concern. [OH, but you would comment from here to Armageddon if Ahmadinejad sneezed or you heard there were missing ballots in Tehran, right? Can you *imagine* what would happen if Iran or Venezuela intercepted a vessel and/or incarcerated a former congressperson and Nobel Prize winner? Instead of covering Neverland 24/7, Faux would be covering the US shock & awe bombardment of the offending nation. --LRP]

Activists Held by Israel for Trying to Break Gaza Blockade 03 Jul 2009 Nineteen foreign activists of the pro-Palestinian Free Gaza Movement were being held in Israel awaiting deportation on Thursday, two days after the Israeli Navy seized control of their boat off Gaza. A former United States Representative, Cynthia McKinney, and an Irish peace activist and Nobel laureate, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, were among those being held. Two additional Israeli activists were released without being charged on Wednesday, according to the group.

U.S. re-approves Israel loan guarantees program 30 Jun 2009 The United States has re-approved its Israel loan guarantees program, subject to meeting fiscal targets, the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem said Tuesday. The move comes amid tensions between Israel and the Obama administration over Jerusalem's settlement policy in the West Bank. In 2002, the U.S. provided a package of $9 billion in loan guarantees, where Israel could sell bonds internationally with the backing of the United States.

Merkel urges immediate halt to WB settlements 02 Jul 2009 German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the ongoing construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank hampers efforts for a two-state solution with Palestinians. "I think it is now important to get commitments from all sides and that includes the issue of settlement building. I am convinced that there must be a stop to this. Otherwise we will not come to the two-state solution that is urgently needed," Merkel said in an address to the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

Britain fails on deadline for withdrawal of ambassadors from Tehran 03 Jul 2009 Britain was rebuffed last night in its attempt to secure an EU deadline for the withdrawal of the bloc's 27 ambassadors from Tehran if a local embassy employee in Iranian custody was not released. Representatives of the EU's foreign ministries offered a pledge of solidarity with the UK but officials said it was unlikely that more discussions today (FRI) would produce an ultimatum.

U.S. declares Iraq-based group foreign terrorist organization 02 Jul 2009 The U.S. government on Thursday said it has declared Kata'ib Hizballah a foreign terrorist organization, saying the group is linked to Lebanon's Hezbollah and has posed a threat to stability in Iraq. The designation means the Iraq-based militant group's assets will be frozen and Americans will be prohibited from providing it with any resources, the State Department said in a statement.

US soldier is snatched by same Afghan group who kidnapped reporters 03 Jul 2009 An American soldier who wandered off his remote position in eastern Afghanistan is believed to have been captured by the same 'insurgents' responsible for the kidnap last year of a New York Times reporter. [Xe?] Military officials said that the soldier disappeared from his base in Paktika province on Tuesday and was listed as "duty status whereabouts unknown" after he was found to be missing in a routine check.

US allied forces march into Taliban territory 02 Jul 2009 Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan have been infiltrated by US Marines who are part of a major operation under the imprimatur of President Barack Obama. As part of the president’s strategy to stabilise the country 4,000 marines have been sent in to destroy Taliban lairs.

Jones: U.S. plans coordinated response if North Korea fires missile 02 Jul 2009 If North Korea fires a missile at Hawaii on or around the July Fourth holiday, as Japanese reports have warned, the U.S. plans a measured response in coordination with Russia, China, Japan and South Korea. In an exclusive interview with McClatchy Newspapers, White House national security adviser James L. Jones said of North Korea and its leader Kim Jong Il: "Our reaction will be dependent on what it is they do over the next few days, few weeks, whatever it is."

North Korean rockets fired out to sea 02 Jul 2009 North Korea has test-fired two short-range missiles. The missiles were shot from an east coast base near the eastern port of Wonsan. Tensions have been recently been high in the region, due to North Korea remaining defiant after the UN condemned its long-range rocket launch on April 5th and its May 25th nuclear test.

Honduran coup leader a two-time SOA graduate 29 Jun 2009 The general who overthrew the democratically elected president of Honduras is a two-time graduate of the U.S. Army School of the Americas, an institution that has trained hundreds of coup leaders and human rights abusers in Latin America. Gen. Romeo Orlando Vásquez Velásquez toppled President Manuel Zelaya in a pre-dawn coup on Sunday, surrounding the presidential palace with more than 200 soldiers and tanks and tear-gassing a crowd outside. The president was abducted and taken to an Air Force base before being flown to Costa Rica.

Britain braces for 100,000 swine flu cases a day 02 Jul 2009 Britain faces a projected 100,000 new swine flu cases a day by the end of August and must revamp its flu strategy to cope, the nation's health minister said Thursday. Britain has officially reported 7,447 swine flu cases and three deaths, but officials acknowledge the real number of cases is far higher, since many with the virus have not been tested.

UK bans tell-all book on counter-terrorism 02 Jul 2009 UK government has banned a tell-all book about Metropolitan Police crackdown on terrorist written by former anti-terror chief. "The Terrorist Hunters" which is a memoir by retired assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Andy Hayman banned the night before it was due to hit the shelves on Thursday. The attorney general's office announced the injunction just before midnight on Wednesday.

Blast hits Canadian gas pipeline --Police: 5th act of sabotage in region over past year 02 Jul 2009 A gas leak, at a pipeline in Canada's western British Columbia province, has been caused by a blast that police say is the fifth act of sabotage in the region over the past year. The oil and natural gas company informed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Wednesday, after company employees noticed a loss in pressure in the pipeline close to Dawson Creek, in the northeast of the province.

Should linking be illegal? In a misguided attempt to aid newspapers, one of America's most influential judges is suggesting a new copyright law 01 Jul 2009 Those who wish to keep the internet free and open had best dust off their legal arguments. One of America's most influential conservative judges, Richard Posner, has proposed a ban on linking to online content without permission. The idea, he said in a blog post last week, is to prevent aggregators and bloggers from linking to newspaper websites without paying.

Oops! The PentaPost -- facilitators of the 2000 and 2004 GOP coups and enablers of Bush/Cheney's war crimes and treason -- is caught with its grubby little paws in the cookie jar! Amid Criticism, Post Drops "Appalling" Plan to Sell Access --Paper Reportedly Offered Lobbyists Private Meetings with Reporters, Editors for $25,000 02 Jul 2009 The Washington Post is nixing a reported plan to sell access to its newsroom staff and Obama administration officials to lobbyists and corporate interests, a spokeswoman for the paper said Thursday.

WaPo cancels lobbyist event amid uproar 02 Jul 2009 Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth said today she was canceling plans for an exclusive "salon" at her home where for as much as $250,000, the Post offered lobbyists and association executives off-the-record access to "those powerful few" -- Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and even the paper’s own reporters and editors. The astonishing offer was detailed in a flier circulated Wednesday to a health care lobbyist, who provided it to a reporter.

Jobless rate at 9.5% - worst since 1983 02 Jul 2009 The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.5 percent in June, a 26-year high, as employers continued to slash payrolls, according to a Labor Department report today that estimates 14.7 million Americans were out of work last month. Employers cut 467,000 jobs in June, as construction and manufacturing continued to suffer big losses.

Goldman Sachs Is A Vampire Squid, Rolling Stone Says 02 Jul 2009 In a riveting article in its July 9-23 issue, "Goldman Sachs: The Great American Bubble Machine," Rolling Stone describes the investment bank as a "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." The author, Matt Taibbi, makes a strong case for why Goldman Sachs is partially, if not wholly, to blame for the Great Depression, the .com bubble, the subprime crisis, and last year's oil price spikes, through questionable practices such as laddering. He suggests that Goldman is poised to create a new bubble out of the nascent cap-and-trade markets.

US credit card companies jack up rates By Andre Damon 02 Jul 2009 Credit card companies have in recent months sharply raised the rates they charge customers, as credit card defaults have risen to record levels. Citigroup, the recipient of a $25 billion government bailout, has increased rates for millions of credit card customers by around one fourth. JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest issuer of credit cards, also said it would raise its minimum payment rate from 2 to 5 percent for customers behind on payments. The hikes come amid news that default rates for personal credit cards have hit record high levels.

SC governor silent as clamor grows for resignation 02 Jul 2009 After days of soul-baring and often odd confessions and apologies about an adulterous affair, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) went silent as the clamor for his resignation grew. Sanford, who has said he won't resign, made no public appearances Wednesday, as he figures out how to salvage the last 18 months of his second and last term and his 20-year marriage.

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ACLU Says Government Used False Confessions 02 Jul 2009 The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday accused the Obama administration of using statements elicited through torture to justify the confinement of a detainee it represents at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The ACLU is asking a federal judge to throw out those statements and others made by Mohammed Jawad, an Afghan who may have been as young as 12 when he was captured. His attorney argued that Jawad was abused in U.S. custody, threatened and subjected to intense sleep deprivation. "The government's continued reliance on evidence gained by torture and other abuse violates centuries of U.S. law and suggests the current administration is not really serious about breaking with the past," said ACLU lawyer Jonathan Hafetz, who is representing Jawad in a lawsuit challenging his detention.

U.S. again [third time] delays releasing CIA torture report 02 Jul 2009 The U.S. government on Wednesday once again delayed the release of a full report on CIA's controversial interrogation program. The government had intended to complete its review of the 2004 report and release it two weeks ago. But continued interagency debate about how much of the secret report could be made public pushed back the deadline. [See: US wants to [again] delay release of CIA report 26 Jun 2009 and Delay in Releasing CIA Report Is Sought 20 Jun 2009.]

U.S. spy says just followed orders in Italy kidnap 30 Jun 2009 A former U.S. spy at the center of a kidnapping trial in Italy appeared to acknowledge a role in the abduction of a Muslim cleric but said he was only following orders, according to a rare interview published on Tuesday. Robert Seldon Lady is one of 26 Americans, almost all believed to have been working for the CIA, who are accused along with Italian spies of grabbing a terrorism suspect off the streets of Milan in 2003 and flying him to Egypt. There, Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr says he was tortured and held for years without charge.

Army faces 20 more torture and abuse claims from Iraqi civilians --High Court to hear cases against soldiers accused of shootings and beatings 01 Jul 2009 The British Army faces 20 fresh claims of torture and abuse of Iraqi civilians in a series of damaging cases being prepared by human rights lawyers in the High Court in London. These new claims lend support to the accusation that the ill-treatment of scores of detainees in Iraq in the first four years after the invasion was systemic rather than the work of a few "rotten apple" soldiers.

Iraq Approves BP-Led Bid to Develop Rumaila Oil Field 01 Jul 2009 Iraq’s cabinet approved an offer by BP Plc and China National Petroleum Corp. to develop the Rumaila oil field after the group was awarded the contract yesterday, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said. The government rejected all other bids made at an oil licensing round held in Baghdad yesterday after companies seeking to develop deposits declined to meet Iraq’s cost requirements, according to an e-mailed statement today.

Oil and the Iraq "withdrawal" By James Cogan 30 Jun 2009 It is fitting that today’s deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq’s cities coincides with a meeting in Baghdad to auction off some of the country’s largest oil fields to companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and British Petroleum. It is a reminder of the real motives for the 2003 invasion and in whose interests over one million Iraqis and 4,634 American and other Western troops have been killed. The Iraq war was, and continues to be, an imperialist war waged by the American ruling elite for control of oil and geo-strategic advantage.

Hussein Pointed to Iranian Threat --The former Iraqi president denounced Osama bin Laden as "a zealot" and said he had no dealings with al-Qaeda. 02 Jul 2009 Saddam Hussein told an FBI interviewer before he was hanged that he allowed the world to believe he had weapons of mass destruction because he was worried about appearing weak to Iran, according to declassified accounts of the interviews released yesterday. The former Iraqi president also denounced Osama bin Laden as "a zealot" and said he had no dealings with al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh]. Hussein, in fact, said he felt so vulnerable to the perceived threat from "fanatic" leaders in Tehran that he would have been prepared to seek a "security agreement with the United States to protect [Iraq] from threats in the region."

FEMA Administrator Meets Top Israeli Official to Discuss Emergency Management Issues 30 Jun 2009 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate met today with Maj. Gen. Yair Golan of the Israeli Defense Forces Home Front Command (IDF/HFC), continuing to foster a working relationship with Israel... Administrator Fugate and Maj. General Golan will serve as co-chairs of an emergency management work group designed to discuss problems and issues and to exchange information on a variety of topics... The IDF/HFC partners with the Israeli National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) on emergency management issues. IDF/HFC and NEMA work with FEMA under an emergency management work stream workgroup established under a 2007 Memorandum of Understanding with DHS.

McKinney still held on ship of activists detained by Israel 01 Jul 2009 Israel on Wednesday reportedly sent home two of the 21 people taken aboard a ship that attempted to break through a blockade and deliver supplies to Gaza. Authorities released an American filmmaker and a Danish human rights activist, according to freegaza.org, the web site of the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the voyage opposing the blockade. The other passengers remain in Israeli custody, among them former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and 1977 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mairead Maguire, who co-founded a group that worked for peace in Northern Ireland.

CLG News and Action Alert: IDF Seizes Gaza Aid Ship Posted by Lori Price 01 Jul 2009 Israeli forces have boarded a ship trying to carry aid and pro-Palestinian activists to the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel's blockade of the territory. The 20 passengers include former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Prize winner Mairead Maguire. [Can you *imagine* what would happen if *Iran* intercepted a vessel with a former congressperson and Nobel Prize winner? It makes my head *spin* to think of how fast the US missiles would be flying! Click here for news and actions you can take - demonstrations, petitions.] (Updated with new Boston 02 July IAC action info)

UN: Israel does not deny running spy ring in Lebanon 01 Jul 2009 Israel does not deny accusations that dozens of men arrested recently in Lebanon were spying on its behalf, according to a report published by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Lebanese authorities in recent months claimed to have detained dozens of suspects in an espionage investigation, including several senior military officials.

'Interpol hunting for witness of Neda's death' 01 Jul 2009 Iran's Police Chief, Brig. Gen. Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, says Interpol is searching for a man who witnessed the death of Neda Agha-soltan. Neda was shot dead in a central Tehran street on June 20, amid the post-election unrest in the capital city and her death has turned into a controversial issue. Iranian authorities say that security forces have not fired at protesters, adding that the incident was "a premeditated scenario" to defame Iran.

U.S. Marines Launch Major Operation in Afghanistan Poppies grown in this region account for half the world's supply of opium. 01 Jul 2009 Thousands of U.S. Marines descended upon the volatile Helmand River valley in helicopters and armored convoys early Thursday morning, mounting an operation that represents the first large-scale test of the U.S. military's new counter-insurgency 'strategy' in Afghanistan. The operation will involve about 4,000 troops from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which was dispatched to Afghanistan this year by President Obama to combat a growing Taliban insurgency in Helmand and other southern provinces. [Obama has to keep Bush's opium routes and gas pipelines flowing. See: U.S.-built bridge is windfall -- for illegal Afghan drug trade 28 Jun 2009.]

US seeks European funds, troops for Afghanistan 01 Jul 2009 Europe must commit more funds and troops to stabilise Afghanistan after the August presidential elections or risk staying in the country indefinitely, the US envoy to NATO Ivo Daalder said Wednesday. Daalder said the United States estimated 17 billion dollars was needed to train and equip the Afghan army and two billion dollars per year to sustain it.

UK Afghan civilian death payments 01 Jul 2009 The government has paid or is assessing compensation over 104 civilian deaths allegedly caused by the Army during operations in Afghanistan. Figures revealed after a Freedom of Information request by Channel 4 News show $200,000 (£120,000) compensation was paid in the last 18 months. Payouts range from $210 (£127) for a woman's death to $39,752 (£24,155) for a "multiple fatality" incident.

Pakistan elder killed by gunmen 01 Jul 2009 A key pro-government tribal elder has been shot dead along with two of his guards in Pakistan's tribal region of Khyber, officials say. They say that Malik Gali Khan was travelling in the Jamrud area when he was attacked by gunmen. The tribal leader was seriously wounded and died on his way to the hospital. As news of his death spread, incensed local tribesmen closed down the markets and also the Pakistan-Afghanistan highway through Torkham.

North Korea Shows No Sign of Imminent Missile Launch, U.S. Says 02 Jul 2009 The U.S. doesn't see any indication North Korea is poised to test-launch a long-range ballistic missile capable of landing near the Hawaiian Islands, according to four government officials. The officials, who are privy to information about North Korean launch preparations, said there are no signs of the work necessary to launch a long-range missile during the U.S. July 4 Independence Day celebration.

Does the US back the Honduran coup? The Obama administration's condemnation of the coup in Honduras has been lukewarm compared to the rest of the world By Mark Weisbrot 01 July 2009 The military coup that overthrew Honduras's elected president, Manuel Zelaya, brought unanimous international condemnation. But some country's responses have been more reluctant than others, and Washington's ambivalence has begun to raise suspicions about what the US government is really trying to accomplish in this situation.

1,500 National Guard Troops to Border 30 Jun 2009 1,500 National Guard volunteers will be used to support the existing 'counter'-drug program on the border with Mexico. That includes in Texas and New mexico. The plan is being finalized between the Defense Department and Homeland Security. The program would use guardsmen for surveillance, intelligence analysis, and aviation support. They would also supply ground troops who help at border crossings.

Swine flu cases reach over 77,000 worldwide: WHO 02 Jul 2009 About 77,201 people worldwide have caught swine flu, with 332 having died from it, latest statistics posted on Wednesday by the World Health Organisation show. The data indicates that 6308 new A(H1N1) cases were reported, including 21 deaths, since the last bulletin on Monday. The largest increase in caseload was reported by the United Kingdom, with 2288 new infections including two deaths, bringing its total to 6538 infections including three deaths.

WHO working on formulas to model swine flu spread 01 Jul 2009 The World Health Organization said Wednesday it is working to mathematically model the spread of swine flu in an attempt to better understand how the outbreak developed from a handful of cases to a global epidemic in less than two months. WHO brought together over 20 independent experts beginning Wednesday for the three-day meeting in Geneva. The meeting comes as it becomes clearer that actual case numbers may be far higher than the agency's tally of officially diagnosed infections. [See: Pandemic planning: Protect police forces from being hurt in civil disturbances 29 Jun 2009.]

Former Marine Claims Illness From Mystery Vaccine --Military Source Believes Experimental Shots May Have Been Given 08 May 2007 Clermont County, OH) Target 5 has discovered that an alarming number of U.S. troops are having severe reactions to some of the vaccines they receive in preparation for going overseas. "This is the worst cover-up in the history of the military," said an unidentified military health officer who fears for his job. A shot from a syringe is leaving some U.S. servicemen and women on the brink of death. "When the issue, I believe, of the use of the vaccine comes out, I believe it will make the Walter Reed scandal pale in comparison," said the health officer.

'This is the worst cover-up in the history of the military.' Target 5: Secret Shots --'The shot was never listed in his records... Suddenly, 'flu vaccine' appears on his record.' (wlwttv) 16 Jul 2007 All military personnel who are headed to combat are required to take vaccinations. Are these shots leaving some soldiers deathly ill? 'But a case of friendly fire, in the form of a syringe, would forever change his life. On November 28th of 2005, David's unit was lined up for what he says was an undisclosed shot... Three weeks later, Private Fey was back in Clermont County on his death bed at Clinton Memorial Hospital. His kidneys were failing... 'The people [sic] who administered the shot never told us what it was.' (YouTube video of NBC Target 5 report)

Rangel: Drug firms have been 'stealing' 01 Jul 2009 One of the principal authors of health care legislation taking shape in the House accused drug companies and other medical providers Wednesday of stealing, and said they are now offering concessions in the hopes the bill that emerges will not demand too much of them. "Everyone knows that people around the table are stealing, but they don't want to turn each other in if they're going to have to pay the full penalty," said Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Asked in an interview on MSNBC what he meant by stealing, the New York Democrat replied, "I mean stealing."

Lieberman: I Stand With The Small Minority of Americans Who Oppose Public Option By Brian Beutler 01 Jul 2009 The surfeit of polling data showing broad public support for the public option hasn't swayed Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman [R-Israel], who's joining conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans in staunch opposition. Check out this video from Paul Bass at the New Haven Independent.

It Came from Wasilla --As John McCain's top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs--political and personal--that Sarah Palin was big trouble, and checks the forecast for her future. By Todd S. Purdum August 2009 As Palin has piled misstep on top of misstep, the senior members of McCain’s campaign team have undergone a painful odyssey of their own. In recent rounds of long conversations, most made it clear that they suffer a kind of survivor’s guilt: they can’t quite believe that for two frantic months last fall, caught in a Bermuda Triangle of a campaign, they worked their tails off to try to elect as vice president of the United States someone who, by mid-October, they believed for certain was nowhere near ready for the job, and might never be.

CIA-Trained Blogger Disbursing Money to "Progressives" By Francis L. Holland 30 May 2009 Some of us have wondered what Markos C. Alberto Moulitsas Zúñiga (MAMZ) learned at the CIA during his two-year "training" period there. SourceWatch.Org covers Markos C.A. Moulitsas Zuñiga's (MAMZ) connections to the CIA. Well, now it's more clear than ever that his mission is to increase his influence and build "assets" in the "progressive" blogger community, the better to prevent blogging from getting out of control of the Government.

California taking rest of US on its way down [Thanks to Enron troll, Arnold Schwarzenegger] 01 Jul 2009 The aftershocks of the recession-induced paralysis in California's economy have started ripping through other states across the US. The flagging financial system of California, the world's eighth biggest economy, has affected Illinois and Pennsylvania whose economies are irreversibly interlaced to that of California. Despite rushing frenetically, neither of the states managed to meet the June 30 deadline to pass the budgets for the new fiscal year that ended on the day.

'I'll pay back': Schwarzenegger issues IOUs --California has about $4 billion of obligations that it cannot meet. 02 Jul 2009 The US state of California is in an economic state of emergency, and tomorrow it will begin issuing IOUs to pay its debt. The state is suffering huge declines in revenues because of the recession and the crash of the real estate market. As well, the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Installed) and his legislature cannot come up with a balanced budget to address the crisis.

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