News Updates from CLG
09 May 2015
09 May 2015
http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news
Previous edition: Texas police were
warned about ISIS attack two days before deadly shootout by Anonymous activist
Global carbon dioxide levels break 400ppm
milestone --'The last
time the Earth had this much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was more than a
million years ago, when modern humans hadn't even evolved yet.' --Dr Ed Hawkins
| 06 May 2015 | Record carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the
atmosphere were recorded worldwide in March, in what scientists said marked a
significant milestone for global warming. Figures released by the US science
agency Noaa on Wednesday show that for the first time since records began, the
parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere were over 400 globally for a
month. The measure is the key indicator of the amount of planet-warming gases
man is putting into the atmosphere at record rates, and the current
concentrations are unprecedented in millions of years.
'It's Gone' - Snowpack Crucial for West's Water Melts
Early | 08 May 2015 | The snowpack
that is crucial for the western U.S. supplies of water for farming, drinking and
recreation has melted early, spelling further drought problems for California.
"Across most of the West, snowpack isn't just low - it's gone," Hydrologist
David Garen of the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) said. "With some exceptions, this year's snowmelt
streamflow has already occurred." After months of unusually warm temperatures,
the snowpack at many off the USDA's stations in much of the western U.S. is at
or near the lowest on record, Garen said in a statement from the
USDA.
First named storm forms before Atlantic hurricane season
begins | 08 May 2015 | The first
named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed off the South Carolina coast
on Thursday - nearly a month before the season officially
begins. Subtropical storm Ana is located 160 miles southeast of Myrtle
Beach, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, according to the National
Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm was drifting NNW-1 mph.
Kincardine nuclear waste site, to be located on the shore of
Lake Huron, gets federal seal of approval | 06 May 2015 | A federal panel has [*insanely*]
given an overall seal of approval to the controversial nuclear waste disposal
site proposed for a subterranean crypt below the Bruce nuclear station near
Kincardine, Ont. The panel's favourable view of the project, proposed by Ontario
Power Generation, overcomes a major regulatory hurdle in the construction of the
Deep Geologic
Repository, or DGR in industry jargon, which
would nuclear waste buried hundreds of metres underground near the shore of Lake
Huron. Supporters and opponents -- there
are 152 communities opposed to the project, including Toronto and
Chicago -- were poring over the report after it was released
late Wednesday, examining closely the conditions that the panel says should be
imposed before the project can proceed.
Denmark suspends fracking over hazardous
chemicals | 06 May 2015 | Denmark
has suspended the first exploratory drilling for shale gas which lasted only one
day after it discovered that French gas-giant Total, in charge of the project,
had used "unauthorized" chemicals. "They used a product that was not part of
those authorized" for the procedure, Ture Falbe-Hansen, a Danish Energy Agency
spokesman told AFP Wednesday. The type of defoamer known as Null Foam is used in
fracking to extract shale gas and is considered hazardous to the environment,
according to Danish public broadcaster DR.
Heads up! A big fat false flag is likely on the
way, because the US government wants the Patriot Act renewed:
Pentagon raises threat level at bases for ISIS
threat | 08 May 2015 | The Pentagon
raised its protection levels a notch on Friday for military bases across the
country in response to threats from ISIS [I-CIA-SIS]. The change will impact
military installations throughout Hampton Roads including all eleven local Naval
commands, the Army's Fort Eustis and Fort Story, and, Langley Air Force Base.
The uptick to threat level Bravo from Alpha came after FBI Director James Comey
told reporters on Thursday that ISIS is attempting to recruit "hundreds, maybe
thousands" of potential terrorists across the country.
Security measures increased at US military
bases | 08 May 2015 | The US
military has increased its threat level at facilities across North America,
although most installations were already operating at a higher level of
protection. The increase likely means more bag and vehicle checks at military
facilities. The military has four levels of security that are labelled A through
D. The decision moves the baseline level from A to B at all facilities, even
though most were already engaging in stricter security measures
individually.
NSA mass phone surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden ruled
illegal | 07 May 2015 | The US court
of appeals has ruled that the bulk collection of telephone metadata is unlawful,
in a landmark decision that clears the way for a full legal challenge against
the National Security Agency. A panel of three federal judges for the second
circuit overturned an earlier
ruling that the controversial surveillance
practice first revealed to the US public by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in
2013 could not be subject to judicial review. But the judges also waded into the
charged and ongoing debate over the reauthorization of a key Patriot Act
provision currently before US legislators. That provision, which the appeals
court ruled the NSA program surpassed, will expire on 1 June amid gridlock in
Washington on what to do about it. The
judges opted not to end the domestic bulk collection while Congress decides its
fate, calling judicial inaction "a lesser intrusion" on privacy
than at the time the case was initially argued. [The goal here by the US
government and its corpora-terrorist overlords is simply to *privatize* the bulk
data collection - not to end it. --LRP]
Court Rules NSA Bulk Data Collection Was Never Authorized by
Congress | 07 May 2015 | As Americans wait for Congress to decide next
month whether to renew the Patriot Act and the vast NSA metadata surveillance
program it's made possible, a panel of three appellate judges has made the
decision on its own: The Patriot Act, they've now ruled, was never written to
authorize the sort of sweeping surveillance the NSA interpreted it to allow. The
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled on Thursday that the
bulk collection of Americans' phone metadata by the NSA wasn't in fact
authorized by section 215 of the Patriot Act, as the intelligence community has
argued since the program was first revealed in the leaks of Edward Snowden two
years ago.
Right, left unite to blast McConnell over Patriot Act
move --McConnell wants to
extend, without changes, three provisions of
the Patriot Act set to expire at the end of the month. | 06 May 2015 | A coalition of
advocacy groups from all sides of the political spectrum has joined forces to
warn against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) plan to renew
expiring portions of the Patriot Act without changes. Traditionally conservative
organizations such as FreedomWorks and Gun Owners of America joined the American
Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP and dozens of other groups to warn the Senate
majority leader against his "clean" reauthorization of the national security
law.
Lawmakers back spy bill dubbed 'French Patriot
Act' | 05 May 2015 | French
lawmakers voted in favour Tuesday of a new law granting the state sweeping
surveillance powers, despite criticism from civil society groups that have
dubbed the bill the "French Patriot Act". The bill passed the National Assembly
with 438 votes in favour and just 86 against after it gained the backing of the
two main parties - the ruling Socialists and the centre-right UMP. The bill will
now go up before the French parliament's upper house, the Senate, in
June.
Victorian police told not to work alone under new
anti-terrorism rules | 08 May 2015 |
Victorian police will not work alone under new rules sparked by fears they would
be the target of a terrorist attack. Officers also must wear bulletproof vests
when on patrol or working at reception at a police station under the new
protocols, revealed on Friday. Victoria Police's executive command believed that
the new measures were needed "in the circumstance, especially considering recent
events", a spokeswoman said.
FBI sent alert about gunman before Texas
shooting --US
authorities have said Simpson had been under surveillance since 2006. |
07 May 2015 | The FBI had warned Texas officials several hours before a
provocative Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest that a suspected extremist could
show up at the event. But FBI Director James Comey said on Thursday the agency
had no indication that the attack on Sunday was planned. Elton Simpson and Nadir
Soofi were shot dead after they fired on a guard.
U.S. training anti-Assad Syrian forces to 'fight
ISIS' | 07 May 2015 | The United
States has begun training Syrian forces to fight ISIS [I-CIA-SIS], Defense
Secretary Ashton Carter said Thursday. Carter said that about 90 Syrian fighters
had begun their training, and he said a second group would begin training in the
next few weeks. He called it "critical and a complex part" of U.S. efforts to
fight ISIS overthrow
President Bashar al-Assad. Carter declined to say where they were being
trained.
Senate approves bill on reviewing a proposed nuclear deal with
Iran | 07 May 2015 | The Senate gave
overwhelming approval Thursday to legislation that would establish a
congressional review for a proposed nuclear deal with Iran, as Republican
leaders set aside efforts from their own rank and file to amend the carefully
crafted bipartisan compromise. On a 98-to-1 vote, the Senate lent a bipartisan
boost to the measure -- which the House is likely to approve next week -- that
would allow for a 30-day review of any final deal with Iran, giving what
supporters said is a congressional voice to the process as President Obama
finishes negotiations with the Islamic republic.
Teenage girl soldier hailed as Ukraine's 'Joan of Arc' by Elle
magazine is revealed as neo-Nazi and is arrested over cop
killing | 08 May 2015 | A neo-Nazi
portrayed as Ukraine's version of Joan of Arc by French fashion magazine Elle
for her 'brave' fight against the Russian separatists has been arrested in
connection with the deaths of two policemen. Vita Zaverukha was taken into
custody after two officers were killed and three more injured on May 4,
following a gang's failed attempt to rob a petrol station in the capital
Kiev...Vita, 19, is charged with 'an attempt on an officer of the law', reported
news outlets in Moscow - and a quick search reveals she is an active promoter
and supporter of vile neo-Nazi ideals. What's more, she is also suspected of
being linked to an attack on a traffic police post in Bykovnya two days
beforehand, and it is also claimed she participated in bloody attacks
[war crimes] on the Odessa House of Trade Unions in May last
year in which 46 perished and 200 were injured.
North Korea says test-fires submarine-launch ballistic
missile: KCNA | 08 May 2015 | North
Korea said on Saturday it has successfully conducted an underwater test-fire of
a submarine-launched ballistic missile, which, if true, would indicate progress
in the secretive state's pursuit of building missile-equipped submarines. The
North's leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-launch from a location off-shore as
the submarine dove under water and "a ballistic missile surfaced from the sea
and soared into the air, leaving a fiery trail of blaze," the official KCNA news
agency said.
Senior Tories retain
top cabinet roles as David Cameron seeks continuity | 08 May 2015 | David Cameron has made no changes to the most
powerful positions in his cabinet in a defiant start to building the first
majority Tory government in 18 years. Hours after his party shocked pollsters
and commentators with a 331-seat return to government, the prime minister called
in a line-up of familiar big-hitters to No 10. George Osborne and Theresa May,
both tipped by Cameron himself as potential future leaders of the Conservative
party, will retain their posts as chancellor and home secretary respectively.
May has overseen some of the most high-profile and controversial reforms of the
past five years, including the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act and
Immigration Act.
Cameron poised to return to power, Labour routed in
Scotland | 07 May 2015 | Prime
Minister David Cameron's Conservatives are set to govern Britain for another
five years but fall just short of an outright majority, an exit poll showed, a
result likely to trigger an in-out EU membership referendum. The poll forecast
the Conservatives would win 316 of 650 seats in the lower house of parliament
and the main opposition Labour Party 239. If accurate, that would be centre-left
Labour's worst result in almost three decades and it faced being wiped out in
its former Scottish stronghold.
Canada frees Omar Khadr, once Guantánamo Bay's youngest
inmate | 07 May 2015 | Twelve years
and nine months after he was captured at the age of 15 by US troops in
Afghanistan and taken to Guantánamo Bay, Omar Khadr - now 28 - has walked out of
jail. A judge rebuffed the conservative Canadian government's attempt to block
bail for Khadr, the youngest person ever held by the US at Guantánamo, who was
transferred to his home country in 2012. Under the terms of his bail, set on Tuesday by Justice June Ross, Khadr
will live with Edney and his wife in Edmonton. Khadr will be subject to
extensive monitoring, to include wearing an electronic bracelet and the remote
surveillance of his internet usage at Edney's home. He will not be permitted to
have a laptop, cellphone or any other mobile device, and he will be subject to a
curfew from 10pm to 7am.
Secret Service Adding New Metal Spikes to White House Fence
Following Breaches | 07 May 2015 |
Following several high-profile security breaches, the Secret Service on Thursday
announced they would be adding "temporary security enhancements" to the White
House -- including an anti-climb feature with sharp metal spikes. The new
security measures will include replacing concrete barriers at vehicle
checkpoints with mobile steel plate barriers, adding a new officer booth at a
White House entrance and installing a removable anti-climb feature "with sharp
metal points" on top of the White House fence, the agencies said in the
statement.
U.S. boosts bird flu emergency funds as H5 avian influenza
strains spread to 14 states | 05 May
2015 | The U.S. government approved the use of an additional 330 million in
emergency funds to help contain the worst avian influenza outbreak in U.S.
history, as infected bird cases soared and hundreds of Minnesota poultry workers
learned they would lose their jobs. The funds became available after the federal
Office of Management and Budget granted U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's
request for additional emergency funds, USDA sources confirmed to Reuters on
Tuesday. Virulent H5 avian influenza strains have spread to 14 states in five
months and affected about 24 million birds so far, mostly egg-laying hens and
turkeys, according to USDA.
Nurse Reveals Routine Vaccine-Induced Injury From Current
Schedule at Hospitals | 04 May 2015
| In California and Vermont, it has been confirmed that the community, because of its
strong opposition, is simply no longer able to testify on record. Any whisper of
the possibility of endlessly stacked parents rejecting votes sees immediate
postponement of committee meetings to remove such options...In a recent
interview, Michelle Rowton of Nurses Against Mandatory Vaccines was asked her
thoughts on the current medical community vaccinating children too early with
too many vaccines, she replied: "I think what a lot of people don't realize in a
closed space like NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) is that they've decided
that we need to vaccinate these babies on-time. Two months after they're
born...bam, there it goes. This baby could be four months early and still
supposed to be inside their mother, weighting three or four pounds and getting
the same amount of vaccines as a 200 pound man."
Extreme secrecy eroding support for Obama's TPP 'trade'
pact --Classified
briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members
queasy. | 05 May 2015 | If you want to hear the details of the
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade corporate supremacy deal the
Obama administration is hoping to pass, you've got to be a member of Congress,
and you've got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone
at the door. If you're a member who wants to read the text, you've got to go to
a room in the basement of the Capitol Visitor Center and be handed it one
section at a time, watched over as you read, and forced to hand over any notes
you make before leaving. And no matter what, you can't discuss the details of
what you've read..."He's [Obama] indignant when we say it's secret," said Rep.
Keith Ellison (D-Minn.). "Maybe there's some definition of secrecy he knows that
I don't know."
It's time to flush
away the TPP | 07 May 2015 | The TPP
has little to do with trade. Of 29 draft chapters, only five deal with
traditional trade issues...Much of the pact focuses instead on outsized
"investor rights." The TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] would grant foreign
corporations extraordinary new powers to challenge the laws we rely on for a
clean environment, essential services and healthy communities. Foreign
corporations would be empowered to bypass domestic courts and directly "sue" the
U.S. government before an extrajudicial tribunal of private corporate lawyers
sitting outside any domestic legal system and not accountable to any electorate,
system of legal precedent or meaningful conflict-of-interest rules.
Mega barf alert and gag me with
a chainsaw: Jeb: George W. Bush is a top foreign policy
adviser | 07 May 2015 | Jeb Bush
cited his brother, former President [sic] George W. Bush, as one of his main
advisers on the Middle East in a private meeting in Manhattan on Tuesday,
according to three people who attended the off-the-record event. The comment
came as a shock to some who were in the room because Jeb, a likely presidential
contender, has taken pains to publicly distance himself from his brother and his
controversial policies, particularly in that area of the world. The Washington
Post [covering for Jeb, merely] reported that Jeb cited his brother as an adviser on Israel; however,
four sources confirmed to CNN that the comments were focused on foreign policy
more broadly. Three of them said Jeb noted his brother was an adviser on the
Middle East.
Poll: Jeb Bush trails most of Republican field in
Iowa --45% said Bush
was 'not conservative enough.' | 06 May 2015 | Former Florida Gov. Jeb
Bush may be the most popular Republican presidential hopeful nationwide, but he
trails his rivals badly in the critical state of Iowa, according to a new poll
released Wednesday. Only 5% of likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers told Quinnipiac
University pollsters that they planned to vote for Bush, placing him No. 7 in
the field of declared or potential 2016 candidates.
Mike Huckabee launches 2016 presidential
campaign | 05 May 2015 | Former
Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee announced Tuesday that he will make a second bid
for the Republican nomination. The challenges are formidable for the man who won
the 2008 Iowa caucuses. In that earlier race, Huckabee, 59, a former Baptist
preacher, struggled to expand his reach beyond evangelical voters and ran out of
mon-y in subsequent contests.
FBI admits providing air support to Baltimore Police during
Freddie Gray unrest | 07 May 2015 |
In the wake of last week's riots, federal authorities provided aircraft for
surveillance flights over Baltimore, keeping a quiet aerial eye on the lookout
for new outbreaks of violence, FBI spokeswoman Amy Thoreson said Wednesday.
Thoreson did not say what kinds of aircraft were used or who operated them. But
the unusual activity in the sky over several days last week has attracted the
attention of civil libertarians, who want more details about the aircraft and
the flights.
DOJ announces investigation into Baltimore police
practices | 08 May 2015 | Attorney
General Loretta Lynch announced Friday the Department of Justice will launch a
civil rights investigation into the practices of the Baltimore Police
Department. "This investigation will begin immediately and will focus on
allegations that Baltimore Police Department officers use excessive force
including deadly force, conduct unlawful searches, seizures, and arrests, and
engage in discriminatory policing," Lynch said. The civil rights investigation,
similar to ones undertaken in cities including Ferguson, Missouri, and
Cleveland, will examine the policing patterns and practices of the entire police
department.
Judges to Review 3,000 Arrests After Racist and Anti-Gay San
Francisco Police Texts | 07 May 2015
| Three retired judges will review around 3,000 arrests connected to 14 San
Francisco Police Department officers who are under investigation for allegedly
sending racist and anti-gay text messages, the city's top prosecutor announced
Thursday. The judges, who are not being paid, will also try to determine if
there is a "deeper culture of bias at the SFPD, and what the impact of such bias
may be on prosecutions made by the District Attorney's Office," San Francisco
District Attorney George Gascón said. At least 14 cops are currently under
investigation, the district attorney's office said.
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