Tuesday, May 13, 2014

CLG: Republicans filibuster energy bill, ending chances of a vote on Keystone, Fukushima: Cesium-137 levels '50 percent higher' than previously estimated, et al





News Updates from CLG
13 May 2014



Previous edition: House committee earmarks $69M for new secret prison at Guantanamo --NSAssociate Google Relegated 10 May 2014 CLG Newsletter to the Spam Bin (Google subscribers: Google Filter Instructions for CLG Newsletter.)


U.S. conducts massive nuclear arms drill 12 May 2014 U.S. Strategic Command this week is conducting a massive nuclear arms drill designed to "deter and detect strategic attacks" on the United States and allies. A Sunday press release announcing the May 12-16 "Global Lightning" exercise explicitly noted that the event's timing is "unrelated to real-world events." [?] Roughly 10 B-52 heavy bombers and as many as six B-2 bombers are slated to take part in the "Global Lightning 14" nuclear exercise.


400 US mercenaries 'deployed on ground' in Ukraine military op 11 May 2014 About 400 elite mercenaries from the notorious US private security firm Academi (formerly Blackwater) are taking part in the Ukrainian military operation against anti-government protesters in southeastern regions of the country, German media reports. The Bild am Sonntag newspaper, citing a source in intelligence circles, wrote Sunday that Academi employees are involved in the Kiev military crackdown on pro-autonomy activists in near the town of Slavyansk, in the Donetsk region. It is not clear who commands the private military contractors and pays for their services.


Ukraine guardsmen open fire on crowd 11 May 2014 Armed men identified as Ukrainian national guard opened fire Sunday on a crowd outside a town hall in eastern Ukraine, and an official for the region's insurgents said there were fatalities. The bloodshed in the town of Krasnoarmeisk occurred hours after dozens of armed men shut down voting in a referendum on sovereignty for the region. One of them identified the group as being national guardsmen.


Kiev's troops roll through E.Ukraine in 'bid to disrupt voting' - self-defense forces 11 May 2014 A town in the Lugansk region has come under attack by Kiev's APCs, while in the Donetsk region Ukrainian troops have seized four polling stations, self-defense forces claim. This comes as autonomy referendums kick off in the country's southeast. "Around 15 APCs have come near Novoaydar,' Aleksey Chmilenko said. "Our self-defense guards are trying to stop the attack and prevent the vehicles moving farther in the direction of Lugansk." Meanwhile, representatives of another Lugansk region self-defense group, based in Krasny Luch, told RT that they have seen APCs in the region, but have not heard any fighting yet.


Donetsk People's Republic asks Moscow to consider its accession into Russia 12 May 2014 Donetsk People's Republic has proclaimed itself a sovereign state and has asked Moscow to consider its accession into Russia, the Republic’s council said. "We, the people of Donetsk, based on results of the May 11 referendum and the declaration of sovereignty of the Donetsk People's Republic, declare that from now on DPR is now a sovereign state," Republic Co-Chairman Denis Pushilin said. "Given the will of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic, and in order to restore historical justice, we ask Russia to consider the issue of our republic’s accession into the Russian Federation," he added.


Lugansk and Donetsk regions vote for self-determination 11 May 2014 Polling stations have opened in Donetsk and Lugansk regions seeking independence from central government in Ukraine. Local self-defense forces boosted security measures, fearing that Kiev could stage provocations to disrupt the self-determination vote. Some 1,471 polling stations in Lugansk region and around 1,500 in Donetsk region opened their doors for voters at 8:00 local time (5:00 GMT) and will close at 22:00 (19:00 GMT).


Ukraine crisis: France, Germany threaten Russia over poll 10 May 2014 France and Germany have threatened Russia with further sanctions if Ukraine's 'presidential election' on 25 May fails to go ahead. President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement they feared further destabilisation of Ukraine. They also said referendums planned by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine for Sunday would be illegal.


U.S. conducting surveillance over Nigeria, may use drones to 'search for Nigerian girls' [aka overthrow Nigeria's government to get the oil] 12 May 2014 The Obama regime is conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria in the search for more than 250 abducted schoolgirls and is considering the deployment of drones to the region to bolster the effort, officials said Monday. Additionally, the administration has all but one of the 27 experts and security officials assigned to the mission already in place in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, officials said. White House press secretary Jay Carney said the team includes five State Department officials, 10 Pentagon planners and advisers who were already in Nigeria, and seven more sent from the U.S. military's Africa Command, along with four FBI experts in safe recovery, negotiations and prevention of kidnappings.


Iran Nuclear Deal Takes Shape, Powers Poised to Expand Ties 12 May 2014 Diplomats will start drafting a final accord this week to resolve a decade-long standoff with Iran that would rescind oil and banking sanctions in return for limits on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. The five days of scheduled talks in Vienna will be the longest round of haggling since November, when diplomats agreed to a temporary accord. U.S., Russian and Iranian officials have said drafting should begin this week to meet a July 20 target.


MPs: Snowden files are 'embarrassing indictment' of British spying oversight 08 May 2014 Edward Snowden's disclosures of the scale of mass surveillance are "an embarrassing indictment" of the weak nature of the oversight and legal accountability of Britain's security and intelligence agencies, MPs have concluded. A highly critical report by the Commons home affairs select committee published on Friday calls for a radical reform of the current system of oversight of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, arguing that the current system is so ineffective it is undermining the credibility of the intelligence agencies and parliament itself.


Fukushima: Cesium-137 levels '50 percent higher' than previously estimated 10 May 2014 The amount of Cesium-137 leaked from the Fukushima nuclear power plant could be worse than expected, a Japanese research team has concluded. They believe 50 percent more of the radioactive material could have escaped into the atmosphere and seawater. The original estimate of 13,600 terabecquerels was made by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the operator of the power station. However, a new report by Japanese researchers estimates that between 17,500 and 20,500 terabecquerels have been released, which is 50 percent higher than originally thought.


70 gallons of oil leak from transformer at Palisades Nuclear Power Plant --Officials: Oil leak at nuclear plant 'no threat' 10 May 2014 (MI) About 70 gallons of oil leaked out of a power transformer at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant near South Haven on Thursday. The incident comes about a month before a public meeting on the facility's recent federal assessment. The plant is on the shore of Lake Michigan.


Ice melt in part of Antarctica 'appears unstoppable,' NASA says --Region has enough ice to raise global sea levels by 4 feet - NASA 12 May 2014 The complete melting of a major section of west Antarctica's ice sheet appears inevitable, and the process could lead to higher end-of-century global sea levels than previously anticipated, researchers said Monday. Warm ocean currents and geographic peculiarities helped kick off a chain reaction at the Amundsen Sea-area glaciers, melting them faster than previously realized and pushing them "past the point of no return," NASA glaciologist Eric Rignot told reporters by phone Monday. The glacial retreat there "appears unstoppable," said Rignot, lead author of a joint NASA-University of California Irvine paper that used 40 years of satellite data and aircraft studies.


U.S. confirms second case of MERS --Case is second 'imported' instance of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, reaching U.S. soil 12 May 2014 U.S. health officials confirmed the country's second case of MERS, a deadly virus first discovered in the Middle East, and said the patient was in good condition in an Orlando, Florida hospital. The patient, 44, is a healthcare worker who lives and works in Saudi Arabia and traveled to the United States to visit relatives. He was admitted to the Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando on May 9.


Operation Storm Free Arturo 09 May 2014 Arturo is a polar bear who is in captivity at The Mendoza Zoo in Argentina. He is being held under deplorable conditions unnatural to his habitat. He has managed to stay alive over 25 years. Unfortunately, he will die soon if no one helps him...The polar bear conservatory has found him a new home in Canada but the government of Argentina is refusing to let him go due to his age and the frail state they put him in. Arturo deserves freedom and justice so that he can live the remainder of his years comfortable in a suitable natural environment...#freearturo will not go away until Arturo is healthy and safe. This campaign will be shared on Twitter under #OpStormFreeARTURO. We are scheduling a peaceful protest to take place on Wednesday, May 23, 2014, beginning at 12am.


Friends of marathon suspect fight to move trial 12 May 2014 Three college friends of Boston Marathon bombing [false flag] suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are asking a federal judge to have their cases tried outside of Massachusetts. Attorneys recently filed change of venue motions for Dias Kadyrbayev, Azamat Tazhayakov and Robel Phillipos, who used to attend the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with Tsarnaev. The three are set to appear in court this week starting on Tuesday, where they are expected to testify.


Texas officer who fatally shot 93-year-old woman is fired --Pearlie Golden, longtime resident in town of about 4,600 people, was shot multiple times at her home Tuesday 10 May 2014 The police officer who fatally shot a 93-year-old woman at her home in Texas has been fired after a city council vote Saturday. Officer Stephen Stem was dismissed from the Hearne Police Department on Saturday after the city council voted 6-0 to take disciplinary action against him, said Jessica Vega, Hearne Police Department communications supervisor.


Officer Shot, Killed Before Home Explosion in New Hampshire 12 May 2014 During a press conference Monday night, New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster confirmed Brentwood police officer Steve Arkell, 48, was shot and killed when he responded to a reported domestic disturbance at 46 Mill Pond Road. According to Foster, Arkell was shot by Michael Nolan, 47, who subsequently died during either the fire or explosion at the Brentwood home. A second officer tried to enter the home after Arkell was shot, but was "driven out by gunfire," according to Foster.


Invoking local rights, Utah protesters cross into federal land 10 May 2014 A local county commissioner here frustrated with what he called overreach by the federal government led a protest ride of several dozen all-terrain vehicles into a public canyon closed off by the Bureau of Land Management. "It feels great," said San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman after he rode two miles past a sign forbidding entry by motorized vehicles...The canyon is known for its archaeological ruins, which BLM officials say have been jeopardized from overuse.


Republicans filibuster energy bill, ending chances of a vote on Keystone 12 May 2014 The Senate deadlocked Monday on a bipartisan energy bill, with Republicans mounting a filibuster that also is likely to end any near-term consideration of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal that has become a key issue in several critical elections. The vote Monday - 55 to 36, mostly along party lines - on a modest energy efficiency bill authored by Sens. Jean Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) ended a long but sporadic attempt to approve legislation that has been ensnared by several controversial side issues amid Republican attempts to attach amendments to the bill.


NC Democrat Crisco dies suddenly at home 12 May 2014 North Carolina Congressional candidate Keith Crisco, who was locked in a tight challenge with Clay Aiken for the Democratic nomination, died suddenly at his home on Monday, WNCN confirmed. Veteran political consultant Brad Crone told WNCN political reporter Beau Minnick that Crisco was near the front door of his house when he tripped on a rug, fell backward and hit his head on bricks. Crone said Crisco had planned to make a business trip to Dallas and told him he planned to pull out of the race.


Boehner silent on GOP fund-raising citing Benghazi 08 May 2014 House Speaker John Boehner [R-Koch troll] is sidestepping questions about a GOP political committee that's using an investigation of the Benghazi attack to raise money. Reporters asked Boehner three times Thursday about the appropriateness of a fundraising pitch that talks about the investigation. But each time, Boehner said the probe will focus on finding the truth about the attack for the U.S. and the families of the four Americans who died.


Couples plan to challenge Alaska gay-marriage ban 12 May 2014 Five gay couples are challenging Alaska's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. A lawsuit on behalf of the couples was expected to be filed in federal court Monday...The lawsuit seeks to bar enforcement of Alaska's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and enforcement of any state laws that refuse to recognize gay marriages legally performed in other states or countries.


Mid-May storm buries Colorado flower beds under 3 feet of snow 12 May 2014 A mid-May snowstorm dumped as much as 3 feet (91 cm) of snow on Colorado's Rocky Mountains on Monday while the U.S. Midwest braced for hail and other severe weather, forecasters said. Snowplows cleared the way for the Monday morning rush hour after the storm, which is expected to taper off by midday, blanketed Denver with more than 4 inches (10 cm) and the mountains northeast of Steamboat Springs with 36 inches (91 cm) of snow, said Jim Kalina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, Colorado.


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