CLG: 105,000 gallons of oil may have spilled in Santa Barbara County, Israeli settlers reportedly chop down 800 Palestinian olive trees,

Curious that the GOP can find $$$ to Fight Wars, not for Food Stamps of Health Care.

News Updates from CLG
21 May 2015

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

Previous edition: U.S. ally Saudi Arabia hiring 8 new executioners after 2015 beheadings hit 85

Pentagon sending 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq | 21 May 2015 | The Pentagon announced on Thursday it is sending 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq, following the rout of U.S.-backed forces in Ramadi by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The weapons will arrive as early as next week, said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren. He said the U.S. is also expediting the delivery of other equipment, including ammunition and other equipment to counter ISIS's increasing reliance on vehicle-borne bombs. Within the last 30 days, the U.S. also helped to deliver coalition [US taxpayer-funded] donations of 22 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 12,000 mortar rounds to the Iraqi army, Warren said.

Pentagon says US anti-armor weapons due in Iraq next week | 21 May 2015 | An expedited shipment of 2,000 lightweight shoulder-fired weapons intended to help the Iraqi army stop the Islamic State group's increasingly effective use of car bombs [as their handlers in Langley taught them] should arrive in Iraq as soon as next week, the Pentagon said Thursday. The shipment is among a variety of weaponry and equipment the U.S. agreed to send to Iraq on an expedited basis after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Washington in April to plead for more help in fighting the extremists. In an update to the overall cost of U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Syria, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said that as of April 9 the U.S. had spent 2.1 billion since it began bombing in Iraq in August.

Pataki: Send combat troops to fight ISIS | 20 May 2015 | Former Gov. George Pataki, who is expected to launch a presidential bid next week, said Wednesday the U.S. should deploy troops to Iraq to fight ISIS [I-CIA-SIS]. Pataki, a New York Republican, insisted that a deployment of U.S. combat troops would be a limited mission unlike the 2003 American invasion of Iraq -- a war then-President [sic] George W. Bush had insisted would be short-lived...Pataki added that while Americans may be wary of sending troops back into combat the fight against ISIS "is our war." Other likely Republican presidential candidates, like Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Sen. Rick Santorum, have also said they would deploy ground combat troops to fight ISIS -- pledging to send 10,000 American troops.

Jeb Bush blames unrest in Iraq on Obama | 20 May 2015 | Jeb Bush sharply criticized President Barack Obama on Tuesday for withdrawing troops from Iraq, but he declined to say whether he would order additional ground forces into the country to repel Islamic State militants. Speaking to about 60 business and Republican leaders in New Hampshire, the former Florida governor and likely presidential candidate blamed the Democratic president for allowing the rise of the violent extremist group that has captured vast parts of Iraq and Syria. But when asked after his campaign event how he would act to contain the Islamic State group in Iraq if elected president, Bush declined to offer any specifics, saying he would rely on the advice of America's military leaders.

Israeli settlers reportedly chop down 800 Palestinian olive trees | 17 May 2015 | The official Palestinian news agency is reporting that Israeli settlers have chopped down and seized about 800 Palestinian-owned olive trees near the town of Shuyukh, east of Hebron. The report, by WAFA, the Palestine News & Information Agency, cited "a local source," whom it did not identify. The source, described by WAFA as "a local activist," told the agency that residents of the Israeli settlements of Bani Kadim and Asfar broke into an olive orchard near the town and chopped down the trees, which belonged to people who lived in the area.

Russia stops transit of NATO military cargo to Afghanistan | 20 May 2015 | Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev has revoked a decree that allowed delivery of NATO military equipment to Afghanistan through Russian territory. [] According to the official document, signed by Medvedev and published on Monday, all previous decisions on NATO cargo transit to Afghanistan have now been revoked. This includes an act allowing delivery of military hardware and equipment via rail, motor vehicles, or through Russian airspace.

Ukraine Regime Open to Hosting Missile-Defense System | 20 May 2015 | Ukraine is open to considering proposals to place a ballistic missile-defense system on its territory to ward off the risk of attacks from Russia, a senior Ukrainian defense official said Wednesday. Oleksandr Turchynov, the head of Ukraine's National Security Council, told Ukrinform news agency in an interview that Russia has become an increased threat since annexing [sic - reunifying] the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and increasing its military presence there [after the US poured billions into the illegitimate Ukrainian far-right dictatorship, which commits war crimes on a daily basis]. Russian news agencies cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying Wednesday that the deployment of a missile-defense system in Ukraine would force Russia to adopt countermeasures.

Poland pays $250,000 to victims of CIA rendition and torture | 15 May 2015 | Poland is paying a quarter of a million dollars to two terror suspects tortured by the CIA in a secret facility in this country - prompting outrage among many here who feel they are being punished for American wrongdoing. Europe's top human rights court imposed the penalty against Poland, setting a Saturday deadline. So far no US officials have been held accountable, but the European court of human rights has shown that it does not want to let European powers that helped the programme off the hook. The court also ordered Macedonia in 2012 to pay 60,000 Euros (68,000/43,000 pounds) to a Lebanese-German man who was seized in Macedonia on erroneous suspicion of terrorist ties and subjected to abuse by the CIA.

US declassifies Osama Bin Laden compound documents (just in time for vote on renewal of Patriot Act) | 20 May 2015 | US intelligence agencies have declassified more than 100 documents seized in the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistani compound that ended the Al-Qaeda[al-CIAduh]'s leader's life. "Today the ODNI (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) released a sizeable tranche of documents recovered during the raid," Jeff Anchukaitis, spokesman for the ODNI, said. Hunkered down in his Pakistani compound, Osama bin Laden pleaded with his followers to stay focused on attacking the United States instead of being dragged into Muslim infighting. "The focus should be on killing and fighting the American people and their representatives," Bin Laden wrote in one of the newly revealed documents.

Holy coincidence, Batman! Just as the Patriot Act is up for renewal: Bin Laden bent on spectacular US attack until the end - files | 20 May 2015 | Hunkered down in his Pakistani compound, Osama bin Laden pleaded with his followers to stay focused on attacking the United States instead of being dragged into Muslim infighting. "The focus should be on killing and fighting the American people and their representatives," Bin Laden wrote in one of the newly revealed documents. US intelligence agencies have now declassified more than 100 of these documents taken from Bin Laden's archive, after lawmakers ordered the move and critics accused the CIA of withholding material.

Rand Paul ends marathon filibuster but fails to block Patriot Act | 21 May 2015 | Two years after rising to national prominence with a 13-hour talking filibuster against drones, Rand Paul has made another marathon speech on the floor of the US Senate -- only this time in a bid to halt the federal government's mass surveillance of Americans' phone records and to derail an extension of the Patriot Act. Paul spent a total of 10 hours and 30 minutes on Wednesday calling for an end to the National Security Agency's dragnet surveillance tactics, eating up one of just three legislative days remaining before lawmakers go on recess till 1 June -- the same day that key provisions of the Patriot Act are due to expire.

Abbott using 'terrorism' as a cover for implementing more austerity measures: Tough anti-terrorism measures could strip suspects of welfare, vote | 21 May 2015 | Terrorists would lose their welfare payments and the right to vote, and the citizenship oath would be toughened up, under a raft of anti-terrorism measures being considered by the Abbott Government. The Herald Sun understands the Government will soon introduce laws to strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals who are committing terrorism offences. And further measures are being considered to combat Australians who fight alongside terror groups such as Islamic State, or support them by fundraising or recruiting. They include restricting their rights to an Australian passport, banning them from voting, and refusing them access to Medicare, the dole and any other welfare.

I've Read Obama's Secret Trade Deal. Elizabeth Warren Is Right to Be Concerned. | 19 May 2015 | "You need to tell me what's wrong with this trade agreement, not one that was passed 25 years ago," a frustrated President Barack Obama recently complained about criticisms of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). He's right. The public criticisms of the TPP have been vague. That's by design--anyone who has read the text of the agreement could be jailed for disclosing its contents...So-called "cleared advisors" like me are prohibited from sharing publicly the criticisms we've lodged about specific proposals and approaches. The government has created a perfect Catch 22: The law prohibits us from talking about the specifics of what we've seen, allowing the president to criticize us for not being specific.

Five big banks face criminal charges and $6b fine over currency rigging --JPMorgan and Citigroup would be the first major US banks to plead guilty to criminal charges in decades. | 20 May 2015 | Five of the world's biggest banks are expected to be hit with a combined bill of more than US5 billion (6.3 billion) and criminal charges on Wednesday in a settlement with US and British authorities over rigging of currency markets. US banks JPMorgan and Citigroup and Britain's Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland are expected to plead guilty to criminal charges with the US Department of Justice related to forex manipulation, people familiar with the matter said. It would be unprecedented for the parent companies or main banking arms of so many major banks to plead guilty to criminal charges in a coordinated action.

UBS to pay $545m to US authorities over forex and Libor scandals | 20 May 2015 | UBS will pay a total of 545m to US authorities to settle allegations that arose in an investigation into the rigging of foreign exchange and Libor benchmarks. The Swiss bank will be hoping the payment draws a line under multiple trading scandals lasting several years. The fine, much lower than expected, includes a 342m Federal Reserve penalty related to forex activities, the bank said in a statement on Wednesday. It will not be paying a fine on forex to the Department of Justice and will not face criminal charges on the matter.

Wave of medical police state refugees to flee California if SB 277 signed into law | 20 May 2015 | California will be the origin of America's first wave of medical police state refugees fleeing medical tyranny if Gov. Jerry Brown signs SB 277 into law. SB 277 is California's pharma-funded vaccine assault on all parents and children. It would eliminate all personal belief exemptions and force nearly all children in California to be forcibly injected with vaccines that are knowingly manufactured with neurotoxic substances such as mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde and MSG. If he signs the law, Gov. Brown will be declaring medical genocide against children whose genetic makeup causes them to have extremely heightened risks to vaccine injury. No child will be safe in California, and the state will cement its position as the first real-life medical police state in America, where risks of a medical civil war skyrocket.

4 U.S. Cancer Charities Accused of Fraud by Bilking $187M From Consumers | 19 May 2015 | Four cancer charities and their operators have been charged with shamefully bilking 187 million from consumers, the Federal Trade Commission announced today. According to the FTC, which worked in conjunction with all 50 states, donors were told that their donations would help cancer patients. "Those were outright lies," said Jessica Rich of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. The charities included in the federal court complaint brought by the FTC and all 50 states are Cancer Fund of America in Knoxville, Tennessee; Cancer Support Services, also in Knoxville; The Children's Cancer Fund of America in Powell, Tennessee; and the Breast Cancer Society in Mesa, Arizona.

This Antarctic ice shelf could collapse by 2020, NASA says | 15 May 2015 | It has been a really bad week for the ice shelves of the quickly warming Antarctic peninsula, the part of the vast frozen continent that extends northward toward South America. Earlier this week, we learned that the gigantic marine-based Larsen C ice shelf, which is almost as big as Scotland, has several worrisome vulnerabilities -- including a growing rift across it. Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and several other research centers say this could pose an "imminent risk" to its stability. And now, NASA scientists are giving an even worse verdict for the remnants of the nearby Larsen B ice shelf, much of which already disintegrated back in 2002. Back then, the shelf lost a region larger than Rhode Island, but there are still 618 square miles left of it -- for now.

105,000 gallons of oil may have spilled in Santa Barbara County --The 24-inch wide pipeline was installed in 1987 [because there are few regulations in the corporate-owned cesspool aka the US]. | 20 May 21015 | (CA) The operator of an underground pipeline that ruptured and released up to 105,000 gallons of crude oil in Santa Barbara County -- and tens of thousands of gallons into the ocean -- said Wednesday that the spill happened after a series of mechanical problems caused the line to be shut down. The problems began about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday at two pump stations that move oil through the 11-mile pipeline along the Gaviota Coast, Rick McMichael, director of pipeline operations for Plains All American Pipeline, said at a news conference.

Ruptured pipeline spills 21,000 gallons of oil on California coast --Plains All American Pipeline responsible for 24-inch (61- cm) pipeline - U.S. Coast Guard | 19 May 2015 | A pipeline ruptured along the scenic California coastline on Tuesday, spilling some 21,000 gallons (79,000 liters) of oil into the ocean and on beaches before it could be secured, a U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman said. The pipeline, which runs parallel to Highway 101 near Santa Barbara, left a slick extending about four miles (6.4 km) along Refugio State Beach, extending about 50 yards (46 meters) into the water, Petty Officer Andrea Anderson of the Coast Guard said.

Gov. Christie loses his marbles on national TV (Star-Ledger Editorial Board) | 19 May 2015 | For months, we have wondered how Gov. Chris Christie thinks he can win the presidency when New Jersey is in such rotten shape after his six years in office. Now we may have our answer: The man has lost touch with reality. In a national TV interview Monday, Christie was asked to explain why 65 percent of New Jersey voters think he'd make a bad president. His answer: We love him so much that we want him to remain our governor. "They want me to stay," he told Megyn Kelly of Fox News."

Six Baltimore police officers indicted in death of Freddie Gray | 21 May 2015 | Six Baltimore police officers were indicted Thursday in connection with the April death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old who suffered a fatal spine injury while in police custody, touching off a wave of protests and riots across parts of the city. The expected grand jury action leaves the most significant charges in the case unchanged, and moves the case from the lower District Court and into Circuit Court. The officers, each of whom faces multiple counts, now also face a charge of reckless endangerment, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said at a press conference Thursday.

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