CLG: 'Seemingly endless waste:' Pentagon auditor spotlights US billions blown in Afghanistan

News Updates from CLG
29 July 2014

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

Previous edition: Israeli military resumes Gaza fighting, says Hamas ignored truce, which Google relegated to the trash bin, of course. Google subscribers: Google Filter Instructions for CLG Newsletter.

US says Russia violated 1987 nuclear missile treaty, calls breach 'a very serious matter' 28 July 2014 In an escalation of tensions, the Obama administration accused Russia on Monday of conducting tests in violation of a 1987 nuclear missile treaty, calling the breach "a very serious matter" and going public with allegations that have simmered for some time. The treaty confrontation comes at a highly strained time between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russia's [US and NATO] intervention in [the coup-installed regime in the] Ukraine and Putin's grant of asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden. An administration official said Obama notified Putin of the U.S. determination in a letter Monday. [The US violates international treaties every minute of every hour of every day. The hypocrisy is just *breath-taking.* --LRP]

Pentagon looking at possible military options for Russia: US general 26 July 2014 Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey says the Pentagon is looking at possible military responses to Russia's [alleged] actions in Ukraine. He said his country is considering military options such as US military "basing, lines of communications, sea lanes" that "we haven't had to look at for 20 years." During his address at the Aspen Institute on Thursday night, he warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin "may actually light a fire" he cannot control.

Abbott's mission to Ukraine branded 'nuts' 27 July 2014 Australian Defence Force personnel will be walking unprepared into a volatile situation at the MH17 crash site in Ukraine, a senior defence figure has warned. Prime Minister Tony Abbott's announcement of Australia's intention to send 190 armed Australian Federal Police and an unknown number of ADF personnel to help recover bodies and evidence from the site has been met with incredulity in some parts of Europe, with one analyst branding it "nuts". The senior defence figure, who did not wish to be named, said it was a poor idea for Australia.

Intl. teams find 'no violations' by Russia along Ukrainian border 27 July 2014 Inspectors who came to check the state of Russian troops along the Ukrainian borders have found no violations, Russia's Ministry of Defense said. This came as a response to the US alleging 15,000 Russian troops have amassed in the area. "It has come to our attention that new allegations by top US officials as to the alleged amassing of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border have been voiced," the statement by the Defense Ministry read, following allegations by the US Permanent Representative to NATO, Douglas Lute, and State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf. "The last four months have witnessed 18 separate inspections along the Ukrainian border with the Russian Federation, all in line with the Vienna Open Skies Treaty and the Vienna agreement of 2011."

'Seemingly endless waste:' Pentagon auditor spotlights US billions blown in Afghanistan 28 July 2014 Another day, another report of rampant waste of U.S. taxpayer m-ney in the effort to rebuild Afghanistan fill US corpora-terrorists' coffers. John Sopko, the inspector general charged with monitoring aid sent by the U.S. to Afghanistan, has identified potentially billions of dollars wasted in Afghanistan, including donation of planes the local government doesn't need or can't use, weapons that disappear as soon as they're handed over and and construction of brand new buildings that are basically firetraps. In a steady stream of audit reports, Sopko's office of Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, has spotlighted seemingly endless waste in the war-torn nation. In recent days, Sopko's team has reported: Afghanistan probably can't even use two $40.5 million C-130 transport planes the U.S. government plans to give to its motley air force. [Too bad Detroit isn't Kabul. Start reading.]

OMG: Israel in urgent need of more US money for war on Gaza: Harry Reid --More than 1,050 Palestinians have been killed, thousands wounded 28 July 2014 US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Israel urgently needs more financial aid from the United States for its offensive against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. On Monday afternoon, Reid, a member of the Democratic Party, warned that the Obama administration's $225 million request to aid Israel during its current war may not be enough, as Israel continues to massacre Palestinians in Gaza.

Five Israeli soldiers killed in attacks 28 July 2014 Israel confirmed five of its soldiers died on Monday - one inside Gaza and four in a mortar attack along the border. Five Hamas militants were also killed inside Israel, officials said.

Hamas Didn't Kidnap and Kill the 3 Israeli Teens After All 25 July 2014 When the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, kidnapped in the West Bank, were found late last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mince words. "Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay," he said, initiating a campaign that eventually escalated into the present conflict in the region. But now, officials admit the kidnappings were not Hamas's handiwork after all...Repeated inconsistencies in Israeli descriptions of the situation have sparked debate over whether Israel wanted to provoke Hamas into a confrontation.

Israel intensifies Gaza shelling, warns of 'protracted campaign' 29 July 2014 The Israeli military intensified the shelling of Gaza overnight, killing at least 26 people and leaving hundreds injured in air and missile strikes. Israel's PM told citizens to prepare for a "protracted campaign" until the "mission is accomplished." At least 26 people were killed and 241 others injured in Gaza after Israel resumed shelling on Monday night, bringing the day's death toll to 44 people, Ma'an news agency reported. In a televised address to the nation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that the country has to be prepared for a "prolonged" campaign.

Israel says Gaza campaign will continue 'until mission is accomplished' 28 July 2014 The war in Gaza erupted afresh on Monday as Israel warned of a protracted military campaign to destroy cross-border tunnels and disarm Hamas and other militant groups. "We need to be prepared for a long operation until our mission is accomplished," Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister [war criminal], said in a televised press conference, flouting mounting international calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Netanyahu spoke after a series of dramatic events following a lull in fighting on Sunday and early Monday. Nine children playing in a Gaza refugee camp were killed, the main public hospital was struck, four Israeli soldiers were killed in a mortar attack and militants from Gaza infiltrated Israel through a cross-border tunnel.

8 children killed as missiles hit Gaza playground, hospital 29 July 2014 Hopes for an imminent end to the Gaza conflict are fading, with renewed violence bringing new casualties. Israel and Hamas blame each other after eight children were killed and 46 others injured by a missile that landed in a Gaza refugee camp playground. Monday was marred by renewed violence in war-torn Gaza, where the Israeli operation against Hamas has been ongoing for three weeks.

North Korea threatens nuclear strike on US 28 July 2014 A North Korean senior military official has threatened the United States with a nuclear strike after accusing Washington of raising tensions in the Korean peninsula. [Yes, because the US pig snout has to sniff every country on earth.] "If the US...threaten our sovereignty and survival...our troops will fire our nuclear-armed rockets at the White House and the Pentagon - the sources of all evil," [Can't argue with facts.] said Hwang Pyong-so, director of the military's General Political Bureau, during a address to a large military rally in Pyongyang on Sunday. He also added that recent joint military drills between the US and South Korea have increased tensions in the Korean peninsula.

1.1 trillion becquerels of radioactivity leaked during Fukushima cleanup 24 July 2014 More than 1 trillion becquerels of radioactive substances were released into the environment during debris-clearing work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant last year, according to estimates by Tokyo Electric Power Co. Although TEPCO's stricken facility is estimated to currently emit about 10 million becquerels per hour, the utility said that cleanup efforts at the plant's No. 3 reactor on Aug. 19, 2013, resulted in the release of a maximum 1.1 trillion becquerels of radioactive materials over a period of four hours. The figure was presented at a meeting of the Nuclear Regulation Authority on July 23.

Fukushima monkeys' blood shows signs of radiation exposure 25 July 2014 Wild monkeys living in forests of Fukushima the Japanese city that was the site of a nuclear power plant meltdown in 2011 have lower blood cell counts than monkeys from northern Japan, and carry detectable levels of cesium in their bodies, researchers have found. The researchers studied blood changes and signs of radiation exposure in 61 monkeys living 43 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, about one year after [March 2011]. The results showed Fukushima monkeys had lower counts of red and white blood cells, and other blood parts compared with 31 monkeys from Shimokita Peninsula in northern Japan.

Uncontrollable Ebola Outbreak Spreads to Fourth African Country 28 July 2014 The relentless Ebola outbreak in West Africa has intensified over the weekend, permeating borders and placing several nations on red alert. The disease reached N-g-ria on Saturday, when a Liberian official died shortly after landing in Lagos airport...In response, Chukwu told the Associated Press, all other passengers on the official's flight have been traced and tracked, and that the country has placed added surveillance at "all ports of entry in N-g-ria, including airports, seaports, and land borders." The city has also shut down the hospital where the official had been taken after landing.

Ebola outbreak: Liberia closes most border crossings --Under new measures, public gatherings such as marches and demonstrations will also be restricted 27 July 2014 The Liberian government on Sunday closed most of the West African nation's border crossings and introduced stringent health measures to curb the spread of the deadly Ebola virus that has killed at least 660 people across the region. Speaking at a task force meeting, Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the government is doing everything to fight the virus including inspecting and testing all outgoing and incoming passengers by Liberia's airport authority.

American Doctor Infected With Deadly Ebola; Second US Citizen Also Has Virus 27 July 2014 An American doctor working with Ebola patients in Liberia has tested positive for the deadly virus. Kent Brantly, 33, recognised his own symptoms and confined himself to an isolation ward. Another US citizen has also been infected with the virus, according to the Samaritan's Purse aid organisation, for which Dr Brantly works. The second US citizen is not employed by Samaritan's Purse, its spokesman told Sky News, but was working with their staff in a Monrovia hospital.

Second American volunteer contracts Ebola in West Africa 27 July 2014 An American who was working in Liberia to combat a deadly Ebola outbreak has tested positive for the virus, officials with a Christian charity said Sunday. Nancy Writebol, a married mother of two, was the second American to contract the lethal virus in a week, according to Samaritan's Purse, a Christian crisis-relief group that has been working in the area since the outbreak started in March.

Report: Kansas City airport terrorist travel hub 27 July 2014 A recent report compiled when Kansas City was seeking federal terrorism and emergency response grants claims Kansas City International Airport is a hub for terrorist travel. The Feb. 7 document prepared by Kansas City area emergency management officials as they sought the federal security grants was sent to the Department of Homeland Security to provide a "threat picture" for the Kansas City region, The Kansas City Star reported..."According to Transportation Security Administration data, Kansas City International Airport is ranked fourth out of 57 Category I airports in the U.S. for TSC encounters," the report said. TSC refers to the Terrorist Screening Center, which has a database of people who are known or suspected of being involved in terrorist activity.

F16 fighters scrambled after 'bomb threat' to Sunwing flight from Toronto 26 July 2014 Two US F16 fighter jets were scrambled to escort a Panama City-bound flight from Canada back to Toronto on Friday after a man on the plane apparently threatened to blow up the aircraft, authorities said. Major Julie Roberge of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the jets flew up to join Sunwing Airlines flight 772 as a "precaution" less than an hour after it took off from Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Video shot by a passenger showed armed Canadian law enforcement officers shouting "heads down, hands up" as they stormed aboard the aircraft in helmets and tactical gear after it was escorted back to Toronto.

U.S. judicial agency OKs early release of federal prisoners 18 July 2014 More than 46,000 drug offenders will be eligible for early release from federal prison under an amendment to sentencing guidelines passed on Friday by a U.S. judiciary agency - unless Congress blocks the change. The U.S. Sentencing Commission voted unanimously to make 46,290 drug offenders eligible for review by federal judges to determine if the sentences can be reduced without jeopardizing public safety. The commission expects eligible candidates to receive an average of 25 months off of their sentences beginning in November 2015, making retroactive an amendment to sentencing guidelines passed earlier this year.

Repeal Prohibition, Again (The New York Times) 27 July 2014 It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished. It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol. The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana. We reached that conclusion after a great deal of discussion among the members of The Times's Editorial Board, inspired by a rapidly growing movement among the states to reform marijuana laws.

Congress reaches tentative deal to help fix troubled Department of Veterans Affairs 27 July 2014 The leaders of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees reached a tentative deal Sunday to improve veterans' health care -- a potential solution to help fix such ongoing problems as delays for benefits and long waits for medical treatment concealed by secret lists. The tentative deal would also end speculation about whether Congress would indeed begin a five-week summer recess without a legislative solution amid widespread national outrage over problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs. The committee chairmen, Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., worked through the weekend and have scheduled a press conference for Monday to talk about the tentative deal.

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