CLG: Homeland Security Secretary Says Boston at Risk of Lone Wolf Terrorist Attacks, Obama says will partner with Republicans and defy Democrats in his support of secret Trans-Pacific Partnership, Congress gives Native American lands to foreign mining company with new NDAA

News Updates from CLG
7 December 2014

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

Previous edition: 'Nuclear missile launch officer to be court-martialed on drug and obstruction of justice charges.'

Congress gives Native American lands to foreign mining company with new NDAA 4 Dec 2014 Congress [and Obama] is [are] poised to give a foreign mining company 2,400 acres of national forest in Arizona that is cherished ancestral homeland to Apache natives. Controversially, the measure is attached to annual legislation that funds the US Defense Department. This week, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees quietly attached a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would mandate the handover of a large tract of Tonto National Forest to Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of the Australian-English mining company Rio Tinto, which co-owns with Iran a uranium mine in Africa and which is 10-percent-owned by China. The 2015 NDAA contains other land deals, including one that would subject 70,000 acres of Tongass National Forest in Alaska to logging and another provision that would give 1,600 acres from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State for purposes of industrial development, a plan that has spurred tribal protest.

Obama says will partner with Republicans and defy Democrats in his support of secret Trans-Pacific Partnership 6 Dec 2014 President Obama signaled Wednesday that, at least on international trade, he is willing to defy his fellow Democrats and his own liberal base to pursue a partnership with Republicans. Speaking at a gathering of business leaders [the only people Obama has ever cared about], Obama offered his strongest public defense of his administration's pursuit of a major 12-nation trade deal in the Asia Pacific [drafted in *complete secrecy* by 600 corporations], known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), that has been opposed by Democrats, labor unions and environmental groups.

House of Representatives passes resolution against Russia 5 Dec 2014 The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a document which strongly condemns Moscow's actions against its neighbors, calling them a policy of aggression. Passed with 411-10 votes, the resolution slams Russia's "continuing political, economic, and military aggression" against Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova and the "continuing violation of their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity." The House calls on President Barack Obama to provide [Nazi regime in] Ukraine with defense equipment and training. [The ten heroes who voted 'No:' Amash (R-MI), Duncan (R-TN), Grayson (D-FL), Hastings (D-FL), Jones (R-NC), Massie (R-KY), McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA), O'Rourke (D-TX), Rohrabacher (R-CA).]

U.S. Keeping 1,000 More Troops in Afghanistan Than Obama Pledged 6 Dec 2014 The new year will open with as many as 10,800 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan, 1,000 more than President Barack Obama pledged, with transition plans running several months behind, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said. Obama "has provided U.S. military commanders the flexibility to manage any temporary force shortfall that we might experience for a few months," the departing defense secretary told reporters in Kabul today, after arriving for what amounts to a farewell tour to review the status of the war and pay tribute to the 800,000 U.S. troops who have served there since 2001.

US gets hostage killed hours before his release, provides cover for news Pentagon is keeping 10,800 troops in Afghanistan --The new year will open with 1,000 more troops in Afghanistan than President Barack Obama pledged. S.African hostage Pierre Korkie, killed just day before release 6 Dec 2014 Pierre Korkie, a South African teacher who was taken hostage by Al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] militants in Yemen more than a year ago, was killed Saturday in a failed rescue bid just a day before he was due to be released. "We received with sadness the news that Pierre (Korkie) was killed in an attempt by American Special Forces, in the early hours of this morning, to free hostages in Yemen," said the Gift of the Givers charity. The group, which had been negotiating Korkie's release, said he was mere hours from being released when US special forces launched their operation. "A team of Abyan leaders met in Aden this morning and were preparing the final security and logistical arrangements, related to hostage release mechanisms, to bring Pierre to safety and freedom," the charity said.

What WAS Nasa's experimental research plane doing at a US military base in Africa? --Government officials refuse to say what plane was being used for 4 Dec 2014 One of Nasa's experimental research craft has been spotted on an African runway amid claims it is being used to create high resolution 3D maps to fight terrorism. Satellite images confirm the WB-57 aircraft was on an American military airstrip in eastern Africa a few weeks ago. However, officials have refused to reveal what it was doing there.

Bomb explodes near Baghdad's Green Zone, two dead 4 Dec 2014 A bomb killed two people on Thursday near Baghdad's Green Zone, the central district which houses most government buildings, security and medical sources said. The bomb struck 200 meters from the edge of the zone, they said. In response, security forces closed two nearby bridges that span the Tigris river, linking eastern and western Baghdad.

Israelis chop down olive trees in Palestinian village 6 Dec 2014 Israeli settlers have invaded a Palestinian village in the northern part of the occupied West Bank and cut down dozens of olive trees. On Friday, Israelis living in the Elon Moreh settler unit raided Aqraba village in eastern Nablus and destroyed more than 50 olive trees from the Juhr al-Dik area of the village, according to Ghassan Daghlas, the Palestinian official in charge of monitoring unlawful activities by settlers in the region...Daghlas also noted that the Israeli settlers damaged several other olive trees during Friday's assault.

In Ashton Carter, Nominee for Defense Secretary, a Change in Direction 5 Dec 2014 Ashton B. Carter, the physicist nominated by President Obama on Friday to lead the Pentagon, is in the mold of past cabinet secretaries who have tangled with the White House and may advocate a stronger use of American power overseas. Mr. Carter is more like Robert M. Gates, Mr. Obama’s first defense secretary, who stood up to the White House. The two men are in close touch, and both have a jaundiced view of Washington.

NORAD, Northern Command getting new leader 5 Dec 2014 The two military operations responsible for protecting North America are getting a new commander. Navy Adm. Bill Gortney will formally take charge of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command on Friday. He succeeds Army Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr.

Homeland Security Secretary Says Boston at Risk of Lone Wolf Terrorist Attacks 5 Dec 2014 Boston is one many major cities at heightened risk of a lone wolf terrorist attack, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said while visiting the city Friday. Johnson met with local community leaders to discuss ways they can work with police and law enforcement to curb the threat.

Purple Hearts might be awarded in domestic terrorism cases 3 Dec 2014 Victims of the 2009 Fort Hood shootings will be eligible to receive Purple Hearts and combat injury benefits under a provision included in the latest defense authorization deal. The measure is expected to be approved by Congress next week...The latest authorization draft stipulates that Purple Heart medals will be awarded to "members of the armed forces killed or wounded in domestic attacks inspired by foreign terrorist organizations."

Judge: Give NSA unlimited access to digital data --'I think privacy is actually overvalued' 4 Dec 2014 The U.S. National Security Agency should have an unlimited ability to collect digital information in the name of protecting the country against terrorism and other threats, an influential federal judge said during a debate on privacy. "I think privacy is actually overvalued," Judge Richard Posner, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, said during a conference about privacy and cybercrime in Washington, D.C., Thursday. "Much of what passes for the name of privacy is really just trying to conceal the disreputable parts of your conduct," Posner added. "Privacy is mainly about trying to improve your social and business opportunities by concealing the sorts of bad activities that would cause other people not to want to deal with you."

New Mexico Fines U.S. $54 Million for Nuclear Accidents --Underground Fire, Radiation Leak at Repository Exposed Workers to Contamination 6 Dec 2014 New Mexico has fined the U.S. Energy Department more than 54 million over accidents at the country's only underground repository for nuclear waste. The fines, which state officials announced Saturday morning, stem from an underground fire and a radiation leak earlier this year at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, known as WIPP. Nearly two dozen workers were exposed to contamination at the plant, which handles radioactive waste from the nation's nuclear-weapons program.

Obama gets CT scan, fiber optic test for sore throat caused by acid reflux, officials say 6 Dec 2014 President Obama received medical treatment Saturday for a persistent sore throat that his doctor said is being caused by acid reflux. The president was treated in the morning by an ear, nose and throat specialist from Fort Belvoir Medical Center, under the supervision of his physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson. He said the specialist conducted a fiber optic exam, based on the president's sore throat symptoms over the past couple weeks and that the results showed soft-tissue swelling in the back of the throat. It is unclear where the exam was conducted because Obama did not officially leave the White House until 2 p.m. for a second exam.

'Democratic' Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu Defeated 7 Dec 2014 Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy defeated 'Democratic' [Keystone XL Pipeline troll] Sen. Mary Landrieu on Saturday, denying her a fourth term and extending the GOP's domination of the 2014 midterm elections that put Republicans in charge of Capitol Hill for the final two years of President Barack Obama's tenure. With Cassidy's victory, Republicans will hold 54 seats when the Senate convenes in January, nine more than they have now...In the South, Democrats will be left without a single governor or U.S. senator across nine states stretching from the Carolinas to Texas.

Third Night of Protests Over Police Killings --Demonstrations are held across the US in protest against alleged police racism after a number of black people die. 6 Dec 2014 Protesters have rallied in US cities for a third night to denounce police treatment of black Americans. The wave of largely peaceful demonstrations across the country including New York, New Jersey, Colorado and Florida, follow the decision by a grand jury not to indict a white policeman in the chokehold death of a black man, Eric Garner. In one protest, a group of more than 100 people stormed into a Manhattan Apple Store chanting slogans before staging a "die-in" as shoppers and employees looked on.

Thousands across USA protest NYC chokehold death 5 Dec 2014 Protesters across the nation swarmed city streets on Thursday to voice outrage and their demands for police and judicial reform in the wake of Eric Garner's death and the refusal by a grand jury to indict the officer who put a chokehold on him. From One Police Plaza in New York City to Oakland, Calif., and from Chicago to Savannah, Ga., people unhappy with the lack of an indictment in the July death of Garner, 43, stopped traffic and staged "die ins" in which groups of people lay down on sidewalks or floors. The protests were mostly peaceful.

Justice Department wants sweeping changes in Cleveland Police Department; report finds 'systemic deficiencies' 4 Dec 2014 U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department delivered a scathing review of the Cleveland Police Department's use-of-force policies and practices, and said sweeping reforms must be put in place. Holder joined U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach and Mayor Frank Jackson to present the findings of a civil rights investigation based on an examination of nearly 600 use-of-force incidents from 2010 to 2013, plus thousands of related documents and hundreds of interviews. The investigation by six Justice Department lawyers, plus several independent policing experts, found that systemic deficiencies and practices haunt the city's police department.

St Louis police rebuked for F-cebook warning after Tamir Rice shooting 4 Dec 2014 The police department that oversaw protests in Ferguson over the death of Michael Brown attracted new criticism on Thursday after weighing in clumsily on the fatal police shooting of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy in Ohio who was playing with a replica gun. In a Fb post headed "Kids will be Kids?", St Louis County police told parents to warn their children that if they prompted an emergency call by playing with toy guns in public, "police will respond as though it is a real gun". The post was linked to from the department's Twitter account.

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