CLG: Possible Obama Supreme Court pick represented Exxon Mobil in lawsuit alleging human rights abuses in Indonesia, Data Show Airstrikes on Syrian Hospital Launched by US-Led Coalition Jet, 'Turkey wants to stop Kurds liberating northern Syria from ISIS',

 News Updates from CLG
17 February 2016

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

 

Previous edition: Breaking: Conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies at 79 [Which Yahoo relegated to the sp*m bin]

 

CIA knew of impending ISIS attack days before Paris: 'System was blinking red' shortly before terrorists slaughtered 130 people in French capital --CIA Director John Brennan said the CIA knew ISIS was plotting an attack | 15 Feb 2016 | The CIA knew ISIS [I-CIA-SIS] was planning an imminent attack just days before the barbaric terror group slaughtered 130 people in Paris. CIA Director John Brennan told 60 Minutes that the 'system was blinking red' shortly before ISIS launched its horrific gun and bomb attack in the French capital. Brennan said the intelligence agency was aware of an impending atrocity but was unable to intercept encrypted messages the terrorists were using in the build-up to the massacre. 'We knew the system was blinking red,' Brennan said. 'We knew just in the days before that ISIL was trying to carry out something.

 

Data Show Airstrikes on Syrian Hospital Launched by US-Led Coalition Jet | 16 Feb 2016 | On Monday, the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that a hospital in the northwestern Syrian city of Maarat Numan, in the Idlib province, was hit by four rockets. It did not say which of the warring parties was suspected to be behind the deadlyattack claiming the lives of at least seven people. "Reconnaissance data shows that the planes carrying out the strikes on these civilian facilities took to the skies from the US base in Turkey's Incirlik where US-led coalition and Turkish airplanes are based," Senator Igor Morozov told RIA Novosti. Meanwhile, Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad accused the US of striking a hospital in Syria's Idlib province, while Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused Russia of striking the hospital.

 

'Turkey wants to stop Kurds liberating northern Syria from ISIS' | 14 Feb 2016 | Turkey's shelling of Syria is a warning to the Kurds to stop trying to free the northern part of the country from Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL [but still I-CIA-SIS]), Kobane-based political analyst Barzan Iso told RT, citing reports of civilians injured in the attacks. "Turkey is trying to prevent Kurds from liberating the area around the Turkish border from IS," Iso said. "The YPG [Kurdish People's Protection] units are stronger than before and have the ability to free the area around Turkey from ISIS."

 

Gulf states seek nuclear weapons against Iran, had secret contacts with Tel Aviv - Israeli defense chief | 15 Feb 2016 | Persian Gulf states are seeking nuclear weapons to counter "bad guy" Iran and have held clandestine meetings with Israel despite not having official ties with Tel Aviv, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon revealed at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Ya'alon did not name specific countries who might be interested in developing nuclear weapons and gave no evidence to back up his claims. However, he then made a surprise statement that the Gulf states -- officially hostile to Tel Aviv because of its occupation of the West Bank -- had held clandestine meetings with Israel.

 

Saudi jets to fly missions in Syria from Turkish base | 13 Feb 2016 | Saudi Arabia [aka ISIS on steroids] is to deploy military jets and personnel to Turkey's Incirlik Air Base in the south of the country, Ankara said. The base is already used by the US Air Force for their sorties in Syria...Earlier, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE voiced their readiness to contribute troops for a ground operation in Syria on the condition that the US would lead the intervention. Damascus and its key regional ally, Iran, warned that such a foreign force would face strong resistance.

 

U.S. OKs sale of 8 Lockheed F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan - Pentagon | 12 Feb 2016 | The U.S. government said on Friday it had approved the sale to Pakistan of up to eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at 699 million. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified lawmakers about the possible deal. The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defense capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

 

'Laser Incident' Forces Jet to Return to London | 15 Feb 2016 | A Virgin Atlantic flight to New York has been forced to return to Heathrow Airport after a laser beam was pointed at the plane - prompting urgent action in the cockpit. Audio of the plane's exchange with air traffic control describes one of the pilots having a "medical issue" following the incident, which occurred "six or seven miles" west of Heathrow. Virgin confirmed Flight VS025 to JFK - which had 252 passengers and 15 crew on board - had been abandoned as a "precautionary measure" after the plane's First Officer reported "feeling unwell".

 

16 children confirmed to have thyroid cancer and 35 suspected of having disease in 2nd Fukushima survey | 16 Feb 2016 | In a survey that began in April 2014 to check the impact of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, 16 children have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and 35 are suspected of having the disease, a prefectural government panel said Monday. Most of them were thought to be problem free when their thyroid glands were checked during the first round of the survey conducted over a three-year period through March 2014. The number of children diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the second round was up from 15, and the number of suspected cases up from 24, as reported at the previous panel meeting in November.

 

Swedish police investigate killing at refugee center | 14 Feb 2016 | Police are investigating a killing at an asylum center in Sweden after a fight broke out among residents. It is the second such incident in a month after a 22-year-old employee at a refugee center for unaccompanied minors was stabbed to death, prompting concerns that authorities were being overwhelmed by the number of asylum seekers in the country...Sweden reversed its open doors-policy on immigration late last year and has introduced border controls and identification checks to stem the flow of asylum seekers that reached a record 163,000 last year.

 

Barriers Deployed After Military Spouse Attempts to Enter Fort Hood Gates, Refuses Vehicle Search | 16 Feb 2016 | (Killeen, TX) Officials are still investigating after barriers were deployed at the gates on post this morning. Fort Hood officials said that at approximately 5:53 a.m., a military dependent spouse was attempting to enter the Clear Creek Gate, refused a search request of their vehicle, and departed the area. The dependent then attempted to enter the post through different gates and was refused access. During a final attempt, the individual tried to drive through the Clear Creek Gate without proper authorization, causing the grab barriers to be deployed.

 

Apple ordered to aid FBI in unlocking California shooter's phone | 16 Feb 2016 | A U.S. judge on Tuesday ordered Apple Inc to help the FBI break into a phone belonging to one of the [alleged] shooters in the December attack in San Bernardino, California, the latest episode in a long-running dispute between tech companies and law enforcement over encryption. Apple must provide "reasonable technical assistance" to investigators seeking to unlock the data on Syed Rizwan Farook's iPhone 5C, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym of U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ruled. This includes disabling its auto-erase function, which activates after 10 consecutive unsuccessful passcode attempts, and allowing investigators to submit passcode guesses via electronic means.

 

Obama rejects GOP calls to let next president choose Scalia's successor | 16 Feb 2016 | President Obama on Tuesday vowed to nominate an "indisputably qualified" candidate to the Supreme Court, forcefully rejecting Republican calls that he cede the pick to his successor because the Court vacancy comes late in his presidency and in the middle of an election year. "There's no unwritten law that says it can only be done on off years," Obama said at news conference marking the end of a summit with Southeast Asian leaders. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) office said the chamber's Republicans were united in opposing any new Obama appointee to the Supreme Court, but comments from other key lawmakers suggested the possibility of a compromise.

 

Possible Obama Supreme Court pick represented Exxon Mobil in lawsuit alleging human rights abuses in Indonesia | 14 Feb 2016 | One possible contender to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court is an Indian-American appeals court judge [corporate troll], Sri Srinivasan, who has pro-business credentials and a stellar resume. Srinivasan, 48, has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since he was confirmed on a 97-0 bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate in May 2013. Srinivasan also represented Exxon Mobil Corp in a lawsuit alleging human rights abuses in Indonesia, and mining giant Rio Tinto in a similar case about its activities in Papua New Guinea. Both cases concerned in part whether a law called the Alien Tort Statute allows such cases to be heard in U.S. courts.

 

Antonin Scalia's Cause of Death Undetermined --The Supreme Court justice was found dead Saturday after a hunting trip in West Texas. | 14 Feb 2016 | Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died Saturday of causes that have not been officially determined, said Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara, the top official in the county where he was found. Guevara said she misspoke when she previously told local TV station WFAA that Scalia died of a heart attack. Guevara told WFAA that authorities were initially unable to locate a justice of the peace to pronounce Scalia dead. Guevara did so over the phone at 1:52 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Cibolo Creek Ranch owner recalls Scalia's last hours: 'We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head' | 14 Feb 2016 | A first-time guest to the Cibolo Creek Creek Ranch, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was animated and engaged during dinner Friday night, as one of three dozen invitees to an event that had nothing to do with law or politics, according to the ranch owner. Just hours later, he would be found dead of apparent natural causes [?], which media outlets were reporting Sunday was a heart attack..."We discovered the judge in bed, a pillow over his head. His bed clothes were unwrinkled," said Houston businessman John Poindexter, who owns the 30,000-acre ranch.

 

Carrier Received $5.1 Million in Obama Stimulus Cash Before Move to Mexico | 14 Feb 2016 | Heating and air-conditioning company Carrier, which has announced it will move 1,400 Americans' jobs to Mexico, received 5.1 million from the Obama administration. Local media reported the "Department of Energy awarded Carrier 5.1 million in clean energy tax credits in December 2013" for its Indianapolis facility. They planned to use the money to "expand production at its Indianapolis facility to meet increasing demand for its eco-friendly condensing gas furnace product line." Despite the money, the company announced last week they decided to move 1,400 jobs to Mexico...Fox 59 reported that some "employees will be entitled to severance benefits, including access to the company's Employee Scholar Program, which pays for tuition, books and fees at accredited higher education institutions." [#DontBuyCarrier #BoycottCarrier #NoTPP #StopTPP]

 

Sanders supporters revolt against superdelegates | 14 Feb 1016 | Bernie Sanders lost by a hair in Iowa and won by a landslide in New Hampshire. Yet Hillary Clinton has amassed an enormous 350-delegate advantage over the Vermont senator after just two states. Outraged by that disconnect -- which is fueled by Clinton's huge advantage with Democratic superdelegates, who are not bound by voting results -- Sanders supporters are fighting back...Progressive groups are also taking a stand: There are currently two petition campaigns designed to urge superdelegates to reflect the popular vote, rather than the sentiment of party elites.

 

'Robot Rubio' brigade says they were roughed up by Rubio campaign staff | 09 Feb 2016 | Demonstrators associated with progressive organizations dressed as robots and mocking presidential candidate [nut-job] Marco Rubio's recent debate performance, were not well received by the candidate's supporters and -- allegedly -- his staff in New Hampshire. 'Robot Rubio', 'Marco Roboto', and 'Rubio Talking Point 3000' were among the demonstrators who greeted the Florida Senator in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Tuesday as the state held its primary for the Republican and Democratic presidential nomination contests...A video released by American United for Change, another progressive organization, shows 'Robot Rubio' being shoved by the candidate's supporters.

Jeb Bush gets a brotherly hand from George W. in South Carolina | 16 Feb 2016 | Former President [sic] George W. Bush came to the aid of his brother Jeb Bush's Republican presidential campaign in South Carolina on Monday with a rousing endorsement of his character and a call for voters to reject the angry bluster of Donald Trump. Trump, at a news conference in Charleston earlier in the day, continued a stream of insults directed at the Bush family, insisting that the former president bore responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that took place on his watch [and were an inside job, six ways to Sunday]. "Excuse me, the World Trade Center came down during the reign of George Bush, right? It came down. That was the greatest attack in the history of the United States - worse than Pearl Harbor.... We weren't safe," Trump said.

9/11 was your brother's fault! Trump's extraordinary assault on Jeb Bush over George W's invasion of Iraq and claim he 'lied' about WMDs --Donald Trump attacked Jeb Bush for his brother's decision to invade Iraq after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York City --Trump smacked down the idea that President [sic] George W. Bush kept the country safe: 'The World Trade Center came down!' | 14 Feb 2016 | Donald Trump just couldn't resist going after Jeb Bush during tonight's debate over his brother George's decision to invade Iraq after the September 11 terrorist attacks, setting up an intense argument with his nemesis that saw the entire Bush clan invoked. 'The World Trade Center came down during the reign of George Bush,' Trump shouted during the argument... 'Obviously the war in Iraq is a big fat mistake,' Trump said. [Bush said:] 'While Donald Trump was building a reality TV show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us save and I'm proud of what he did.' Trump ferociously shouted at him, 'The World Trade Center came down!'

 

Trump in South Carolina: RNC 'breaking pledge' on fairness by stacking debate audience with establishment donors | 15 Feb 2016 | At a campaign event in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Republican front-runner Donald Trump asserted that the Republican National Committee was in violation of its pledge of fairness to presidential candidates by stacking the audience in Thursday's GOP debate with donors for other competitors. The businessman-turned-candidate spoke at a small business town hall in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Trump noted that he knew many of the audience participants as 'friends' of his, but were donating and supporting other candidates, and booed Trump, even when he made to most effective arguments.

 

Eric, Lara and Melania grab front row seats for bloodbath GOP debate as vitriolic Trump tears strips off his rivals AND the 'lobbyists' in the crowd | 14 Feb 2016 | Whether it's campaign rallies or TV appearances, Trump's family are nearly always on the wings lending their support - and tonight's Republican debate was no exception. Trump's wife Melania, his son Eric and Eric's wife Lara were pictured lined up along the front row of the audience tonight to watch the business mogul go toe-to-toe with his Republican rivals...Trump's star turn of the debate came as he went after Jeb Bush over his brother George's decision to go to war with Iraq after 9/11. 'Obviously the war in Iraq is a big fat mistake,' Trump said.

 

Republican debate: Trump calls Cruz 'single biggest liar' on stage | 13 Feb 2016 | The ninth Republican presidential debate was in many ways the nastiest of the campaign, complete with raised voices, name calling, and criticism of family members Saturday night in South Carolina. Donald Trump took sharp aim at former President [sic] George W. Bush's [disastrous] foreign policy and his brother, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, rebuked him sharply. Sen. Ted Cruz called Sen. Marco Rubio soft on immigration and Rubio accused Cruz of not telling the truth. Trump flatly [and accurately] called Cruz the "single biggest liar" on stage while Cruz told him not to interrupt.

 

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