Saturday, June 18, 2016

CLG: NATO plans for Afghan war through 2020, Newly disclosed CDC biolab failures 'like a screenplay for a disaster movie', EU extends sanctions on Russia-reunified Crimea until mid-2017,




 News Updates from CLG
17 June 2016
 
Previous edition: Omar Mateen: Orlando night club gunman worked for global security firm G4S
 
NATO plans for Afghan war through 2020 | 15 June 2016 | The war in on Afghanistan -- America's longest conflict -- will grind on for at least another four years as NATO allies are prepared to commit $5 billion through 2020 to train, equip and pay Afghan security forces, according to a senior NATO diplomat. Last week, President Obama granted U.S. troops in Afghanistan expanded authority to attack Taliban insurgents. The new rules allow U.S. forces to advise regular Afghan combat units and to call in airstrikes...The new expanded authorities will give U.S. commanders in Afghanistan more flexibility, by allowing them to identify and get pre-approval for air targets in advance, instead of just responding to emergencies, Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief of staff, told reporters in Washington.
 
Second U.S. aircraft carrier enters Mediterranean: U.S. Navy | 14 June 2016 | The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the Mediterranean late on Monday, the U.S. Navy said, at a time when U.S. officials are raising alarm over Russia's 'maritime expansion.' The Eisenhower, also known as the "Ike," will relieve the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group which later this month heads back to the United States after an extended eight-month deployment. The Eisenhower, which also leads a strike group of cruisers, destroyers and warplanes, is scheduled to continue on to the Gulf to participate in U.S. air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.
EU extends sanctions on Russia-reunified Crimea until mid-2017 | 17 June 2016 | The European Union extended for a year on Friday a ban on business dealings with the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed reunified from [the US/NATO-backed fascist regime running] Ukraine in 2014 in a move that has not been internationally recognised. The sanctions, now prolonged until June 23, 2017, prohibit imports of products from Crimea, any investment there, cooperation in tourism services as well as exports of some goods and services to the peninsula. The EU is due next week to extend until the end of 2016 its broader economic sanctions on Russia over its role in [stopping] the [US/NATO-engendered] crisis in Ukraine.
Released documents shed light on US CIA's torture programme | 14 June 2016 | United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) lawyers sought guarantees the US spy agency would never be prosecuted for torturing suspects after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, while other staff warned the programme was an impending "train wreck", documents showed on Tuesday (June 15). The correspondence provides a new glimpse into tussles within the CIA as it implemented its notorious "enhanced interrogation" techniques aimed at thwarting further attacks. Fifty documents, released under a freedom of information request from the American Civil Liberties Union, detail the early days of the CIA's use of torture, after then President [sic] George W. Bush directed the agency to detain terror suspects around the world.
Newly disclosed CDC biolab failures 'like a screenplay for a disaster movie' [or a bioterror false flag] | 02 June 2016 | Last month, USA TODAY revealed that a subset of labs at the CDC's Fort Collins, Colo., infectious disease facility are among a handful of labs nationwide that have had their federal permits secretly suspended in recent years for serious safety violations while working with bioterror pathogens. Yet USA TODAY has now learned that CDC kept even Congress in the dark about the Fort Collins incident and some others -- despite an oversight committee asking the agency in 2014 for a list all incidents at CDC labs since 2002 involving bioterror pathogens found in unauthorized areas. The CDC says the information was "inadvertently omitted."
Jo Cox murder: Thomas Mair asked for mental health treatment day before MP died | 17 June 2016 | The man accused of murdering Jo Cox sought help for his mental health problems the night before she was killed - but was told to make an appointment and come back the next day. The disclosure comes as it emerged that Thomas Mair had allegedly bought a number of manuals from an extremist group in the US, which explained how to construct a home-made gun and munitions. There were also reports that police had found 'Nazi regalia' at his home. Mr Mair, 52, visited an alternative therapy centre in Birstall on Wednesday evening, the night before Mrs Cox was killed, where he explained he wanted treatment for depression. The owner of the Birstall Wellbeing Centre told Mr Mair to return the next day for an appointment but he never went back.
Jo Cox MP dead after shooting attack | 16 June 2016 | An MP has died after she was shot and stabbed in a "horrific" assault in her constituency, police have said. Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, was left bleeding on the ground after the attack in Birstall, West Yorkshire. A man was arrested nearby...Vote Leave and Remain have both suspended campaigning in the EU referendum in light of the attack.
Police receive terror alert that ISIS fighters have left Syria and are heading to France and Belgium to stage attacks --Cell 'trying to reach EU by boat via Turkey and Greece without passports' --Brussels shopping mall, U.S. fast-food chain and police could be targets | 15 June 2016 | Police and anti-terrorism investigators have been alerted to the possibility that small groups of ISIS extremists have left Syria for France and Belgium with plans to stage attacks. Belgian intelligence services sent a note to French counterparts about the warning and it was sent to police across France on Tuesday, a French security official said today. Belgium's Derniere Heure tabloid reported that Belgium's anti-terror office warned police that fighters with access to weapons may have left Syria about 10 days ago for Belgium and France. A Brussels shopping mall, an American fast-food chain and police could be among their targets.
Omar Mateen - Internet Movie Database (IMDb) Profile Page | 17 June 2016 | The Pulse nightclub shooter has been identified as Omar Mateen. Click here to see Omar Mateen's profile on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Mini Bio - Omar Mateen is an actor, known forLove City, Jalalabad (2013), The Big Fix (2012), The Department (2015) [and Pulse Orlando Shooting (2016)]?
Gun Shop Owner: We Called FBI After Mateen Tried to Buy Body Armor, Bulk Ammunition | 16 June 2016 | A co-owner of a Florida gun store revealed Thursday that his employees called the FBI after the Orlando nightclub gunman tried to purchase body armor and bulk ammunition. Robbie Abell, co-owner of Lotus Gunworks in Jensen Beach, Florida, told reporters that Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people at the gay nightclub Pulse, came into his store about five weeks ago. Abell said that Mateen asked for level 3 body armor, but the store doesn't sell it. He also said Mateen made a phone call and spoke Arabic before asking for bulk ammunition. [*Ergo,* the FBI knew. So, why arrest Mateen's wife for not calling the FBI? The FBI was already called. --LRP]
Did a delay in response give the gunman more time? Cops face questions over why it took three hours for SWAT teams to storm Orlando nightclub as police chief admits officers may have shot some of the VICTIMS | 13 June 2016 | Orlando police are facing questions over why it took three hours for a SWAT team to storm the nightclub where ISIS fanatic Omar Mateen slaughtered 49 people. As the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history began to unfold, an off-duty police officer working at a gay nightclub exchanged gunfire with the suspect. But authorities chose to hold off on letting the tactical units enter Pulse nightclub, where more than 100 people were shot. Police Chief John Mina has also admitted that some of the victims may have been hit by officers' gun fire.
Wife of Orlando shooter may face charges - report | 16 June 2016 | Authorities considering at least 2 charges against wife of Orlando shooter, sources tell ABC News. Noor Salman met the gunman, Omar Mateen online and they were married in 2011. Authorities did not immediately disclose what charges were being considered against Salman.
Federal prosecutors convene grand jury to investigate wife of Orlando massacre gunman, source says | 15 June 2016 | Federal prosecutors have convened a grand jury to investigate the wife of the [alleged] Orlando nightclub shooter, seeking to charge her as an accessory to 49 counts of murder and 53 counts of attempted murder as well as with failure to notify law enforcement about the pending terrorist attack and lying to federal agents, a federal law enforcement source confirmed Tuesday to FoxNews dot com. FBI agents have interviewed Omar Mateen's wife, Noor Salman, in the days since Sunday's massacre that killed 49 and wounded 53 more. A federal law enforcement source additionally told Fox News that Salman knew of her husband's deadly plans and did nothing to stop him.
Orlando shooter was employee of global security firm G4S --Its private clients include Google and J.P. Morgan Chase. | 14 June 2016 | Before Sunday morning, few Americans had heard of Orlando gunman Omar Mateen's British headquartered employer, G4S, the world's largest global security firm, which employs more than 610,000 people in 110 countries. In the United States alone, G4S security guards stand watch over airports, water and power plants, nuclear facilities, immigration transportation and even, as in the case of Mateen, gated communities. Since 2008, G4S Secure Solutions - the company's American subsidiary ' has received nearly 830 million worth of federal, state and local government contracts, including for the Department of Homeland Security, according to the SmartProcure database.
FBI had closely scrutinized the Orlando shooter before dropping investigation | 13 June 2016 | The FBI investigated the Orlando shooter for 10 months beginning in 2013, putting him under surveillance, recording his calls and using confidential informants to gauge whether he had been radicalized after the suspect talked at work about his connections with al-Qaeda and dying as a martyr. As part of the investigation, Omar Mateen, who was killed in a shootout with police on Sunday morning, was placed on a terrorism watch list and interviewed twice before the probe was closed in March 2014 because agents concluded he was not a threat, FBI Director James B. Comey said Monday in an interview with reporters at bureau headquarters. Several months later, in July 2014, Mateen surfaced in another investigation into the first American to die as a suicide bomber in Syria, a fellow Floridian. And, again, investigators moved on. It was the third time -- following the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 and aplanned attack last year on a contest to draw the prophet Muhammad -- that someone who had been scrutinized by the FBI later carried out a terrorist attack.
 
FBI searching Orlando gunman's computer for digital evidence he scouted Disney World | 13 June 2016 | Investigators from the FBI are searching the electronic devices of the Muslim terrorist who killed at least 49 people in an Orlando nightclub for any direct indications that he planned to target Disney World or nearby Downtown Disney, a law enforcement source close to the investigation told Fox News on Monday. The search for evidence of any plan to target Disney is in addition to scrubbing those devices for communications with any FBI-flagged individuals, domestic or international, the source said. As of Monday, investigators are currently scrubbing the Pulse nightclub gunman’s computer for any pictures or videos of Disney World that would suggest Mateen cased the park or its surrounding areas as a potential target, according to the source.
 
Senators, Trump open to ban on some gun sales after Orlando | 15 June 2016 | U.S. senators signaled on Wednesday a new willingness to consider restrictions on the sale of guns after the Orlando nightclub massacre, with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others in his party ready to discuss limited gun control measures. With Republicans and the National Rifle Association gun lobby under pressure to respond to the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, Trump said he would meet with the NRA to discuss ways to block people on terrorism watch or no-fly lists from buying guns.
 
Knifeman kills Paris policeman and partner, Islamic State claims responsibility | 13 June 2016 | A knifeman stabbed a French police chief to death in front of his Paris suburb home late on Monday and his partner's body was found inside, officials said, killings the Islamic State's Amaq news agency said were carried out by a "fighter" belonging to the militant group. The unidentified attacker repeatedly knifed the 42-year-old commander in the stomach before barricading himself inside the house, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. He was shot dead by members of an elite police unit after negotiations failed. A judicial source said the anti-terrorism unit of the prosecutor's office had been handed the investigation because of comments made during lengthy exchanges between the assailant and negotiators, but gave no further details.
 
Paris policeman and wife killed in possible Isis-linked terror attack | 13 June 2016 | A man who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group stabbed a French policeman to death on Monday night before being killed when police moved in, sources close to the investigation said. The man's wife was also found dead as police stormed the house. Their three-year-old son was rescued alive. French prosecutors have launched an anti-terror probe into the attack in the Paris suburb of Magnanville that was apparently carried out by a neighbour of the family. Witnesses told investigators the attacker may have shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) as he stabbed the policeman repeatedly outside his home before taking the woman and the couple’s three-year-old son hostage inside.
 
Man rams gate at CIA headquarters, says agency recruited him | 14 June 2016 | Authorities say a Maryland man rammed a gate at the CIA's headquarters in northern Virginia and then told a responding officer that the agency had recruited him.  Court documents state that Thomas Luu, who is charged with destruction of property, rammed the padlocked 8-foot chain link gate in a Ford Focus about 2 a.m. Monday, and drove about 75 feet into the compound.
 
EgyptAir flight MS804: Egypt says it has spotted wreckage of plane | 15 June 2016 | Egyptian investigators say they have found the wreckage of flight MS804, which crashed into the Mediterranean last month with the loss of all 66 people on board. In a statement released late on Wednesday night, the investigation committee said that the John Lethbridge – one of two ships contracted by the Egyptians to hunt for the wreckage – had found “several main locations” on the sea floor between Crete and the Egyptian coast...A second ship, the LaPlace, detected signals from MS804's black box on 1 June, fuelling hopes that investigators will find what caused the plane to crash.
 
U.S. court backs landmark Obama internet equal-access rules | 14 June 2016 | A U.S. appeals court upheld the Obama administration's landmark rules barring internet service providers from obstructing or slowing down consumer access to web content on Tuesday, dealing a blow to big cable and mobile phone companies. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, backed the Federal Communications Commission's so-called net neutrality rules put in place last year to make internet service providers treat all internet traffic equally. The rules prohibited broadband providers from giving or selling access to speedy internet, essentially a "fast lane" on the web's information superhighway, to certain internet services over others.
 
Wikileaks will publish 'enough evidence' to indict Hillary Clinton, warns Assange | 13 June 2016 | Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange warns more information will be published about Hillary Clinton, enough to indict her if the US government is courageous enough to do so, in what he predicts will be "a very big year" for the whistleblowing website. "We have emails relating to Hillary Clinton which are pending publication," Assange told Peston on Sunday when asked if more of her leaked electronic communications would be published. About 32,000 emails from her private server have been leaked by Wikileaks so far, but Assange would not confirm the number of emails or when they are expected to be published. Speaking via video link from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Assange said that there was enough information in the emails to indict Clinton, but that was unlikely to happen under the current Attorney General, Obama appointee Loretta Lynch.
 
Hillary Clinton Wins Washington, D.C., Democratic Primary | 14 June 2016 | The Democratic presidential primary officially ended Tuesday night with Hillary Clinton notching a decisive victory in Washington, D.C., capping a race in which she overcame a surprisingly strong challenge from rival Bernie Sanders. With 17% of the votes counted, Mrs. Clinton was proclaimed the winner by the Associated Press with 78.3% of the vote. Washington has only 20 delegates up for grabs.
 
Trump revokes Washington Post's campaign press credentials [It's about time!] | 13 June 2016 | U.S. Republican Donald Trump said on Monday he will no longer issue press credentials to the Washington Post [the lobbying arm for Amazon, so Jeff Bezos can use more outsourced labor and continue to pay no taxes], stopping the publication from gaining access to press areas at his presidential campaign events. The Washington Post, based in the U.S. capital, is one the country's the most influential newspapers and has one of the largest circulations. "They have no journalistic integrity and write falsely about Mr. Trump," his campaign said in a statement explaining the decision. "Mr. Trump does not mind a bad story, but it has to be honest."
 
The hottest May in modern history: Earth breaks heat record for 13th month in a row | 16 June 2016 | Earth sizzled to its 13th straight month of record heat in May, but it wasn't quite as much of an over-the-top scorcher as previous months, federal scientists say. Record May heat, from Alaska to India and especially in the oceans, put the global average temperature at 60.17 degrees Fahrenheit (15.65 degrees Celsius), according to NOAA. That's 1.57 degrees (.87 degrees Celsius) above the 20th-century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
 
Wildfire in Southern California triples in size | 17 June 2016 | A wildfire in Southern California more than tripled in size overnight and forced officials to close a major highway, while another blaze in New Mexico had communities on edge after destroying two dozen homes, officials said on Friday. California's so-called Sherpa Fire, burning in chaparral and tall grass, was driven by strong winds as it roared down hillsides toward the Pacific Ocean in a wilderness area northwest of the coastal city of Santa Barbara. It grew from 1,200 acres (486 hectares) on Thursday night to more than 4,000 acres (1,619 hectares) early Friday, said Kerry Bierman, a spokeswoman for the joint operations center fighting the fire.
 
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CLG Editor-in-Chief: Lori Price. Copyright © 2016, Citizens for Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved.
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