CLG: Cars With Faulty Airbags Are Recalled for Second Time, Koch-owned Senate passes controversial Keystone pipeline bill,

News Updates from CLG
2 February 2015

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

Previous edition: Islamic State commander confesses to receiving funding through U.S., which Google relegated to the sp*m bin.

CLG exclusive Rec Report: Why Paul Krugman is Wrong, and the Greek Syriza-led Government Will Fail By Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D. | 1 Feb 2015 | In his recent nostrum for the EU upon the election of the Syriza government in Greece, Paul Krugman is both right and wrong. Usually he's merely wrong. But here he is partly right, because the situation involves debt and credit within a putatively democratic union of sovereign states. Within that supposed union, the question is whether the larger whole will pay a greater price for the survival of a member (Greece). If not, the democracy of the EU is a farce, as is the election in Greece of national leadership opposed to austerity. So far, so good. But Krugman is wrong when he fails to notice that the Central Bank of the EU is subject to the same crisis of capitalism that is plaguing the global economy.

U.S. ground troops could be needed in Iraq: Chuck Hagel --Deployment would be in addition to 4,500 U.S. troops already in Iraq | 30 Jan 2015 | Outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in an interview on Friday the United States might eventually need to send non-combat ground troops to Iraq to help turn back Islamic State forces. Hagel, who announced his resignation under pressure in November, told CNN all options must be considered in Iraq, including sending troops for non-combat roles such as gathering intelligence and locating Islamic State targets. Hagel's comments echoed testimony by General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Congress last fall when he said U.S. troops might have to take a larger role on the ground in Iraq.

U.S. Appears Edging Toward Arming Ukraine's Military Forces, Officials Say | 1 Feb 2015 | Gen. Philip M. Breedlove now supports providing defensive weapons and equipment to Kiev's [Nazi] forces, and an array of administration and military officials appear to be edging toward that position, American officials said Sunday. President Obama has made no decisions on providing such lethal assistance. But after a series of striking reversals that Ukraine's forces have suffered in recent weeks, the Obama administration is taking a fresh look at the question of military assistance...Fueling the broader debate over policy is an independent report to be issued Monday by eight former senior American officials, who urge the United States to send $3 billion in defensive arms and equipment to Ukraine, including anti-armor missiles, reconnaissance drones, armored Humvees and radars that can determine the location of enemy rocket and artillery fire.

NATO to Surround Russia With 'Command Centers' | 31 Jan 2105 | NATO will establish command centers in six of its eastern countries in coming months, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday, in part of a beefed-up response to [so-called] Russian aggressiveness. The outposts will form a chain of potential command centers for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's already announced new rapid-response force, which will consist of roughly 5,000 troops. Details are to be finalized at a meeting next week of NATO defense ministers. The centers also will provide a link between NATO and the armed forces of the six countries where they will be located--Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

U.S. waters down global nuclear safety standards --Weaker nuclear safety standards pushed by Obama administration to protect nuclear industry, electric utility companies | 30 Jan 2015 | The United States looks set to succeed in watering down a proposal for tougher legal standards aimed at boosting global nuclear safety, according to senior diplomats. Diplomatic wrangling will come to a head at a 77-nation meeting in Vienna next month that threatens to expose divisions over required safety standards and the cost of meeting them, four years after the [ongoing] Fukushima disaster in Japan.

CIA and Mossad killed senior Hezbollah figure in car bombing | 30 Jan 2015 | On Feb. 12, 2008, Imad Mughniyah, Hezbollah's international operations chief, walked on a quiet nighttime street in Damascus after dinner at a nearby restaurant. Not far away, a team of CIA spotters in the Syrian capital was tracking his movements. As Mughniyah approached a parked SUV, a bomb planted in a spare tire on the back of the vehicle exploded, sending a burst of shrapnel across a tight radius. He was killed instantly.

UN: Israel demolished homes of 1,177 Palestinians in Jerusalem and West Bank in 2014 | 1 Feb 2015 | Since the beginning of 2015, the Civil Administration of the Israel Defense Forces has demolished 77 homes, livestock pens, farm buildings and other structures of Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank, since they were built without building permits. As a result, 110 people, around half of them children, lost their homes at the height of the winter, according to a report compiled by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Between January 19 and January 26, the Civil Administration demolished 41 structures, OCHA said, far higher than the weekly average for 2014 of nine demolitions per week.

New ISIS Video Purports to Show Beheading of Japanese Reporter | 31 Jan 2015 | A 66-second ISIS [I-CIA-SIS] video purports to show the beheading of Japanese reporter Kenji Goto, a gruesome end to a week of failed negotiations. There was no immediate comment from Japanese or U.S. intelligence officials, but the video appears to show the detached head of the 46-year-old reporter who was captured late last year by the terror group while on assignment in Syria. The video, titled "A Message to the Japanese Government," begins with Goto on his knees in a river valley. A masked man with a knife in his hand speaks with a British accent [MI6?], addressing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Armed 'hacker' enters Dutch TV station, demands airtime --Gunman says, 'We are hired in by intelligence agencies.' [*Of course.*] | 29 Jan 2015 | A gunman who stormed into the headquarters of Dutch national broadcaster NOS demanding airtime Thursday night claimed to be from a "hackers' collective," according to a reporter who spoke to the man. NOS was off-air for around an hour. When it came back on-air, it showed recorded footage of the man, wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie, and carrying a pistol. Speaking to a man off camera, the man said, "We are hired in by intelligence agencies."

After revelation Sydney police killed hostage: Police urge TV stations to scale back live coverage of any London terrorist siege | 29 Jan 2015 | Television news organisations are to be asked by Scotland Yard to consider not broadcasting live images of police or special forces preparing to storm any terrorist siege in London to avoid [the public seeing police] jeopardising the lives of hostages or armed forces trying to 'rescue' them. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said on Thursday he feared live coverage could hamper the ability of police or the military to respond...Metropolitan police officials held initial meetings with the UK's major broadcasters last week, specifically about broadcasting after the Paris attacks.

French dissenters jailed after crackdown on speech that glorifies terrorism | 30 Jan 2015 | Lawyers and human rights groups have raised concerns over the French government's crackdown on speech that glorifies terrorism after a series of cases rushed through the courts resulted in heavy prison sentences, including for people who had drunkenly insulted police officers. The debate intensified this week after it emerged that an eight-year-old boy was questioned by police...The French justice ministry said that, between 7 January and 29 January, there had been 486 legal cases linked to the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Of these, 257 were cases of people accused of condoning or provoking terrorism. Around 41 of those cases had been instantly rushed through the courts and 18 people had been given prison sentences.

Sandy Hook: Adam Lanza's Name Won't Be in Report, Mother Not on List of Victims --Report due in February | 31 Jan 2015 | With final edits [Yup, lots and lots of edits...] and approvals, members of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission have begun to think about the impact their report on the Newtown school massacre will have on parents of victims and surviving children, as well as people who might be reading the document 20 years from now. The much anticipated report, due out in February, will be dedicated to the 20 first-graders and six educators killed in the school that day, the Newtown community, and all victims of devastating violence....Dr. Ezra Griffith, panel member, professor emeritus and senior research scientist in psychiatry at Yale University, questioned why the draft report uses Lanza's initials rather than his name. "The omission is quite striking to me...I just don't know what we're trying to say about this," Griffith said.

FBI foils its own terror attack plans, once again: US nuclear scientist secretly taped by FBI claiming he could bomb New York | 29 Jan 2015 | A disgruntled, former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist promised to build 40 nuclear weapons for Venezuela and design a bomb targeted for New York City in exchange for "money and power," according to secret FBI recordings released Wednesday. In the recordings, Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni tells an agent posing as a Venezuelan official that the bombs would prevent the United States from invading the oil-rich nation and brags to his wife that the passing of secrets would make him wealthy. The recordings were played Wednesday in US District Court in Albuquerque before a federal judge sentenced Mascheroni, 79, to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release as part of a plea agreement.

FBI's Cold War plans included martial law, rounding up 13,000 people | 31 Jan 2015 |Documents show the FBI created a "Plan C" during the Cold War, which could have been triggered in the event the US underwent a nuclear attack. It included putting the nation under martial law, rounding up "subversives," and interning enemy diplomats. The documents, acquired by transparency journalism organization MuckRock, detail the FBI plan created in 1956, which was shared with several top officials from every governmental department. The FBI also distributed papers regarding the plan to its field offices.

NSA's Water, Power Supply Under Threat in State Legislatures | 28 Jan 2015 | Congress failed to agree last year on a measure that would reform the practice of mass government surveillance, but privacy-minded state legislators have a back-up plan for shutting down alleged violations of their constituents' constitutional rights. In eight states, legislators are pushing bills they hope will either boot National Security Agency facilities or ban the agency from setting up shop. The bills would prohibit state and local governments from offering material support to the agency, including use of public utilities that carry water and electricity. Two of the bills would criminalize official cooperation with the NSA and several seek to squeeze contractors out of work with the electronic spy agency.

Rep. to Staff: Ask Muslim Visitors to Pledge Allegiance to U.S. With Israeli Flag | 29 Jan 2015 | Freshman state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, is not in Austin today to celebrate Texas Muslim Capitol Day. But she left instructions for the staff in her Capitol office on how to handle visitors who are, including asking them to declare allegiance to the United States. "I did leave an Israeli flag on the reception desk in my office with instructions to staff to ask representatives from the Muslim community to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws," she posted on Facebook. "We will see how long they stay in my office."

Americans on hook for millions spent on Super Bowl's over-the-top security while NFL still pays no taxes By Lori Price, www.legitgov.org | 31 Jan 2015 | Recently, we learned: 'Black Hawk helicopters and truck-sized X-ray machines that are typically deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border have been brought to the Super Bowl venue to assist with the security effort.' Additionally: 'The NFL just issued a statement saying reps from the following agencies are on board: Department of Homeland Security; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; FBI; United States Secret Service; Phoenix PD and Glendale PD.' And yet: 'NFL president Roger Goodell made $44 million last year, as head of a not-for-profit. That's right -- even though the NFL teams raked in about $9.5 billion in revenues last year, and the CEO of their industry association takes home one of the highest paychecks in the land, the sports league pays no taxes.'

Super Bowl Security: FBI, Secret Service, Cops...We're All Working Together | 28 Jan 2015 | Several high-powered law enforcement agencies want everyone to know -- they're all working TOGETHER to protect the Super Bowl. The NFL just issued a statement saying reps from the following agencies are on board: Department of Homeland Security; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; FBI; United States Secret Service; Phoenix PD and Glendale PD.

Black Hawk Helicopters and X-ray machines added to Super Bowl security | 28 Jan 2015 | Black Hawk helicopters and truck-sized X-ray machines that are typically deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border have been brought to the Super Bowl venue to assist with the security effort. U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed off the technology Monday as it helps with Super Bowl security. Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske was on hand for a demonstration of the agency's Black Hawks and large mobile X-ray machines that are used to detect contraband and explosives.

Forget Deflategate. Here's the Real NFL Scandal | 29 Jan 2015 | Football fans are unhappy with the cheating scandal that has roiled the Super Bowl. What should worry them more is this: NFL president Roger Goodell made $44 million last year, as head of a not-for-profit. That's right -- even though the NFL teams raked in about $9.5 billion in revenues last year, and the CEO of their industry association takes home one of the highest paychecks in the land, the sports league pays no taxes. Not only is the NFL tax-exempt, so is an organization called the NFL Management Council that undertakes "labor negotiations on behalf of NFL Member Clubs."

UK Military Worker In Ebola Evacuation After Needle Jab | 31 Jan 2015 | A British military healthcare worker has been evacuated from Sierra Leone after being accidentally jabbed with a needle while treating Ebola patients. The worker has returned to England for monitoring, according to Public Health England (PHE). The woman was flown back to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday night and then transferred to an isolation ward at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, northwest London.

UK Military Worker In Ebola Evacuation After Needle Jab | 31 Jan 2015 | A British military healthcare worker has been evacuated from Sierra Leone after being accidentally jabbed with a needle while treating Ebola patients. The worker has returned to England for monitoring, according to Public Health England (PHE). The woman was flown back to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday night and then transferred to an isolation ward at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, northwest London.

The Ebola virus is MUTATING, and 'could become more contagious', warn scientists who first identified the outbreak | 29 Jan 2015 | Scientists tracking the spread of the Ebola in West Africa have warned the virus is showing signs of mutating, and could become more contagious. It was a team of researchers from the Institut Pasteur in France who first identified the outbreak in Guinea, in March last year...Human geneticist Dr Anavaj Sakuntabhai, told the BBC: 'We know the virus is changing quite a lot.'

UK Military Worker In Ebola Evacuation After Needle Jab | 31 Jan 2015 | A British military healthcare worker has been evacuated from Sierra Leone after being accidentally jabbed with a needle while treating Ebola patients. The worker has returned to England for monitoring, according to Public Health England (PHE). The woman was flown back to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday night and then transferred to an isolation ward at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, northwest London.

USA Today columnist calls for arrest and imprisonment of vaccine skeptics | 29 Jan 2015 | Now we finally come to the real agenda of the vaccine industry. After vaccines have been repeatedly documented by the Natural News Lab to contain neurotoxic chemicals such as mercury, formaldehyde and MSG; after vaccine shots have been repeatedly shown to kill people who take them; and after flu shots have been exhaustively shown to be based on no science whatsoever -- with vaccine manufacturers openly admitting there are no clinical trials to show they even work -- the rabid vaccine pushers are unveiling their end game: throw vaccine resistors in prison. This is the call by USA Today columnist Alex Berezow. "Parents who do not vaccinate their children should go to jail," he writes in this USA Today column.

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll admired by 9/11 Truth movement | 30 Jan 2015 | Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has gained an unlikely following from the "9/11 Truth" movement in the lead-up to his attempt to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Two years ago, Carroll met with former Army chief of staff and four-star general Peter Chiarelli and, according to Deadspin citing "sources," brought up many popular conspiracy theories concerned with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center and quizzed Chiarelli about their veracity...At last year's Super Bowl, Brooklyn man Matt Mills managed to bluff his way into the media entrance at the end of the Seahawks' 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos. As Malcolm Smith was being presented with his MVP trophy, Mills rushed onto the podium and grabbed the microphone before security could intervene. "Investigate 9/11," he said. "9/11 was perpetrated by people within our own government."

Koch-owned Senate passes controversial Keystone pipeline bill | 29 Jan 2015 | The Koch-owned Senate passed a bill Thursday to force construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, which President Barack Obama is certain to veto. The five-year fight over the Keystone pipeline has become a proxy symbol for far broader fights over climate change global warming, energy and the economy, and for the conflict between Obama and congressional Republicans [and their corporate owners]. The Senate voted 60-36 in favor of building the pipeline.

Sign petition to let bear stay with his 'parents': Ohio couple seeks to keep elderly rescued bear on their property --'Let an old bear live his remaining years with the family. Shame on those trying to take him away.' | 1 Feb 2015 | An Ohio couple may have to part with a pet they can't bear to be without. Jeff and Debbie Gillium rescued the 40-year-old black bear Archie when he was six and have kept him at their Lodi home. But now they may lose him since the Ohio Department of Agriculture Nutjobs is threatening to remove the animal because the family does not have the proper permits, according to TV Station FOX8. "We rescued him from a bad situation [a four-foot-high cage!] to begin with…I want him to stay here," Debbie Gillium told the station. A change.org petition to get the state to change its mind has gathered more than 4,300 signatures through Sunday [Let's hit 5K on Monday!].

Mitt Romney tells supporters he will not run for president in 2016 | 30 Jan 2015 | Former presidential nominee Mitt Romney told supporters on Friday that he would not make a third run at the White House, putting an end to weeks of what appeared to be possible preparation for such a bid. "After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I've decided it is best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee," Romney said in a statement to supporters. The announcement came in a pair of conference calls with close advisers and donors, who described the contents of the call to reporters.

Cars With Faulty Airbags Are Recalled for Second Time | 31 Jan 2015 | Toyota, Chrysler and Honda are recalling about 2.1 million vehicles with airbags that might suddenly deploy even when the vehicle is not in a crash after earlier recalls did not sufficiently address the problem. Federal regulators said replacement parts might not be fully available until the end of the year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Saturday that it knew of three injuries but no deaths from unexpected airbag deployments. About one million of the models are also covered by recalls for defective inflaters made by the airbag manufacturer Takata that can deploy with too much force and send pieces of metal into the interior of the vehicle.

Northeast Braces for Up to a Foot of Snow as New System Targets Millions | 31 Jan 2015 | A winter storm will wallop a swath from the Midwest to the Northeast starting Saturday, and could drop up to a foot of snow on Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Boston to make for a messy Monday morning commute. Meanwhile, another winter storm was still lingering Saturday over New England and dropping additional snow on the region -- parts of which were already slammed with up to 3 feet earlier in the week. In total, parts of at least 15 states -- spanning from Nebraska and eastward to Massachusetts -- are under either winter storm watches, warnings and advisories.

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