CLG: 1 mn gallons of oil-drilling byproducts leaked into N. Dakota drinking water, Fukushima radiation 'ice plan' failing to take hold

News Updates from CLG
11 Jul 2014

http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

Previous edition: Israel prepares for possible Gaza ground operation; rockets and missiles fly, which Google relegated to the spam bin, of course. Google subscribers: Google Filter Instructions for CLG Newsletter.)

Fukushima radiation 'ice plan' failing to take hold --Japan's nuclear regulators call for TEPCO to find solution to thousands of tons of radioactive water 09 Jul 2014 Japan's nuclear regulators have expressed alarm at the failure of a much-vaunted effort to freeze radioactive water that has built up beneath the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, warning that the water could very easily escape into the nearby Pacific Ocean. Toyoshi Fuketa, the commissioner of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, has called on Tokyo Electric Power Co. to re-examine its plan to freeze around 11,000 thousand tons of contaminated radioactive water that is sloshing about in trenches dug around the reactor buildings. Two months after the work began, the water in the trenches is still not fully frozen and there is concern that it will gradually escape into the Pacific, which is just yards away.

State Department Awards Blackwater More Than $1 Billion After Threat on Investigator's Life --The funding continued after President Barack Obama took office. [Well, knock me over with a medium-sized feather!] 10 Jul 2014 The State Department awarded more than a billion dollars in funding to the security firm [terrorists] Blackwater and its later incarnations [slaughter of 17 Iraqi civilians] even after one of the company's top officials allegedly threatened a government investigator's life, a review by The Huffington Post has shown. The New York Times revealed last week that the State Department's chief investigator reported being threatened by a Blackwater official in Iraq in August 2007...A few weeks later, in September, Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians. And yet, the threat did little to stop the spigot of contract money that headed Blackwater's way.

Germany kicks out top US spy 10 Jul 2014 Germany announced on Thursday it is kicking out Washington's top spy in Berlin, a dramatic response from a key US ally to a yearlong spying dispute over eavesdropping on Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone calls that flared anew this week. The immediate trigger for Thursday's move was the emergence of two new cases of alleged American spying. More deeply, it appears to reflect a Germany at the end of its patience with what it sees as a pattern of American disrespect and interference in a nation that has cherished traditions of privacy.

Second German government worker suspected of spying for US --Accused reportedly works 'in military' 09 Jul 2014 German authorities are investigating the second case of a government employee suspected of spying on confidential government affairs for US secret services within a week. Public prosecutors confirmed that the home and office of a defence ministry employee in the greater Berlin area had been searched on Wednesday morning. They told the Guardian that a search had been conducted "under suspicion of secret agent activity" and that evidence - including computers and several data storage devices - had been seized for analysis.

U.S. Spied on 5 American Muslims, a Report Says 09 Jul 2014 A new report based on documents provided by Edward J. Snowden has identified five American Muslims, including the leader of a civil rights group, as having been subjected to surveillance by the federal government. The disclosure of what were described as specific domestic surveillance targets by The Intercept online magazine was a rare glimpse into some of the most closely held secrets of counterespionage and terrorism investigators. The article raised questions about the basis for the domestic spying, even as it was condemned by the government as irresponsible and damaging to national security.

5 California men sue over anti-terrorism program that produces 'suspicious activity reports' 10 Jul 2014 Five California men who say they came under police scrutiny for innocent behavior are suing the Obama administration. At issue is an information-sharing program designed to [allegedly] help flag potential terrorist activity. The men say local law enforcement produced "suspicious activity reports" on them even though they had done nothing wrong. The men allege the reports were shared in national counterterrorism databases and prompted the FBI in some cases to take follow-up action.

Iraq insurgents 'seize nuclear materials' from Mosul University 10 Jul 2014 Iraq has told the United Nations that "terrorist groups" have seized nuclear materials used for scientific research at a university in the country's north. In a letter seen by Reuters, dated 8 July, the country appealed for help to "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad". But the UN atomic agency said on Thursday it believed the nuclear material requisitioned by insurgents was "low grade" and did not pose a significant security risk.

Iraq tells U.N. that 'terrorist groups' seized nuclear materials 09 Jul 2014 Insurgents in Iraq have seized nuclear materials used for scientific research at a university in the country's north, Iraq told the United Nations in a letter appealing for help to "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad." Nearly 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of uranium compounds were kept at Mosul University, Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the July 8 letter obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. "Terrorist groups have seized control of nuclear material at the sites that came out of the control of the state," Alhakim wrote, adding that such materials "can be used in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction."

Gaza dead reach 78 as Israelis hint at invasion 10 Jul 2014 At least 78 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's Gaza offensive, Palestinian officials said on Thursday as militants in the enclave kept up rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities. As Israeli officials seemed to hint at a possible invasion by ground forces, eight members of one family, including five children, were killed in an early morning air strike that levelled two homes at Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border, the Palestinian Health ministry said. Israel's military made no comment on what would be the deadliest strike since its began its assault on Tuesday.

Israel 'to intensify Gaza attacks' 09 Jul 2014 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to "further intensify attacks on Hamas" in the Gaza Strip, following talks with his defence chiefs. He said the Palestinian militants would "pay a heavy price" for their rocket attacks on Israel. Israel's military said Hamas had fired 82 rockets at Israeli cities on Wednesday, after dozens of overnight air strikes in Gaza. Some 50 Palestinians are reported to have died in the recent hostilities.

Taking a page from the Pentagon's playbook: 1 Dead in Israeli Strike on Journalists' Car 09 Jul 2014 A Palestinian man working for a local news agency in the Gaza Strip was killed on Wednesday night by an Israeli strike on a car full of journalists, according to multiple reports from the war-torn region. Hamdi Shihab, who was apparently working as a driver for news agency Media 24, was killed in a car marked "TV." Reporters said that other journalists were also injured in the attack.

9/11 'conspiracy' group pushes vote for investigation --'We are very concerned that a 47-story skyscraper that collapsed was not properly investigated.' 09 Jul 2014 New York City voters may get to vote on 9/11 truth in November. A group funded by 9/11 conspiracy theorists has rounded up enough signatures to mount a ballot referendum questioning if 7 World Trade Center was really taken down as a result of the terror attack that fateful day. The referendum would require the Buildings Department to investigate the collapse, even though two previous reports declared it had been caused by fires spread from the burning Twin Towers.

1 mn gallons of oil-drilling byproducts leaked into N. Dakota drinking water 10 Jul 2014 A North Dakota pipeline has hemorrhaged about 1 million gallons of oil-drilling saltwater into the ground of a native Indian reservation, with some of the byproduct suspected to have leaked into a lake that provides drinking water. The spill of a toxic byproduct of oil and natural gas production at the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation was discovered on Tuesday...The pipeline was not equipped with technology that alerts operators of a leak, said Miranda Jones, vice president of environmental safety at Crestwood Midstream Services Inc. A subsidiary of Crestwood - Aero Pipeline LLC - owns the underground pipeline.

Littlefield prison tapped to possibly house immigrant children in U.S. illegally 09 Jul 2014 ...West Texas town officials have been in talks with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for about two years and touched base with the federal department last week, Littlefield City Manager Mike Arismendez said. The 382-bed Bill Clayton Detention Center has been vacant since 2009... Built through a city bond to serve as an economic development tool, the unoccupied 95,000-square-foot prison has financially drained the city, according to A-J Media archives. Reopening the prison to hold undocumented immigrants, however, could change that, Arismendez said. "It would actually be a revenue stream to be able to offset the debt we have on the facility," he said. ICE representatives toured the former prison last year, and with the help of U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, Arismendez hopes to get the facility up and running again.

Former jail eyed as center for migrant children 09 Jul 2014 A closed detention center in West Texas is being considered as a holding facility for hundreds of unaccompanied children entering South Texas from Central America. The former Bill Clayton Detention Center in Littlefield, approximately 40 miles northwest of Lubbock, was built about 15 years ago by the town but has become a financial drain since its closure in 2009. City officials hope they can generate a revenue stream by reopening the 382-bed center to temporarily house migrant children.

Obama Asks Congress for $3.7 Billion to Contain Border Surge 08 Jul 2014 President Barack Obama asked Congress for an emergency 3.7 billion to contain the surge of illegal Central American immigrants, many of them unaccompanied children, crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. The money would increase detainment and court capacity to speed decisions, while expanding law enforcement and prosecution of the criminal networks that smuggle people over the border...The funds "would support a sustained border security surge," Obama wrote in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner today.

Suit Against Obama to Focus on Health Law, Boehner Says 20 Jul 2014 Speaker John A. Boehner's lawsuit against President Obama will focus on changes to the health care law that Mr. Boehner says should have been left to Congress, according to a statement issued Thursday by the speaker's office. Last month, Mr. Boehner announced his intention to seek legislation allowing the House to sue the president over his use of executive actions, a reflection of charges by congressional Republicans that the president has overreached his authority. On Thursday, Mr. Boehner said the lawsuit would specifically challenge the president's decision to delay imposing penalties on employers who do not offer health insurance to employees in compliance with the Affordable Care Act. [LOL! *Suddenly,* a Republican isn't happy that penalties on businesses were postponed! Boehner's a hypocritical sack of Koch. Unelected dictator George W. Bush *waterboarded* people and there was no lawsuit. --LRP]

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