CLG: 'War crimes of torture': ICC prosecutor signals charges against US armed forces, CIA

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 News Updates from CLG
20 November 2016

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'War crimes of torture': ICC prosecutor signals charges against US armed forces, CIA | 14 Nov 2016 | The US may have committed war crimes of torture, cruel treatment and rape, when it interrogate dozens of people in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2014, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said. The International Criminal Court's preliminary probe of the US armed forces and CIA activities in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2004 shows there to be a "reasonable basis to believe that, in the course of interrogating these detainees...members of the US armed forces and the US Central Intelligence Agency resorted to techniques amounting to the commission of the war crimes of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape," chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said, according to the AFP.

 

Hague prosecutors have 'reasonable basis to believe' U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan and at secret prisons | 14 Nov 2016 | Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court in The Hague said on Monday there were preliminary grounds to believe U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan and at secret detention facilities elsewhere in 2003 and 2004. In a report, prosecutors said there was a "reasonable basis to believe" that U.S. forces had tortured prisoners in Afghanistan and at Central Intelligence Agency detention facilities elsewhere in 2003 and 2004. "Members of US armed forces appear to have subjected at least 61 detained persons to torture," the prosecutors' office, wrote. It added that CIA officials appeared to have tortured another 27 detainees.

 

Putin applauds Trump win and hails new era of positive ties with US --Russian president is among first to congratulate Republican on his surprise victory in the US elections | 09 Nov 2016 | Russian president Vladimir Putin called for a new era of "fully fledged relations" between his country and the US yesterday after a surprise victory which was applauded in the Russian parliament and prompted speculation that US-imposed sanctions could be lifted...Putin congratulated the president-elect on his victory and said Russia was ready to work for better ties. Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst...also said it would mean less American backing for "the terroristic junta in Ukraine".

 

Dutch intelligence experts say ISIS has 60-80 operatives in Europe | 19 Nov 2016 | Intelligence experts estimate that the Islamic State extremist group has between 60 and 80 operatives planted in Europe to carry out attacks, the Dutch counterterrorism coordinator said Friday. Dick Schoof said in an interview with The Associated Press that would-be fighters are also heeding messages from the militant group "asking them not to come to Syria and Iraq, but to prepare attacks in Europe." Schoof said military operations to oust the Islamic State from its self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq are scattering the extremist group's fighters and supporters.

 

Terrorist cell is alive in Minneapolis, U.S. judge in ISIS case says | 19 Nov 2016 | In sentencing nine young Somali-Minnesotans on terror conspiracy charges this week, U.S. District Judge Michael Davis closed a chapter in the federal government's long, extraordinary investigation of ISIL [ISIS] recruitment in Minnesota. But the full story is far from over. In nine hearings over three days before a courtroom packed with the families of the young men who sought to give their lives to ISIL, Davis repeatedly underlined a clear message: There is a terrorist cell in Minneapolis and it is still alive today..."Everyone talks about Brussels or Paris having cells," Davis said one day, then, raising his voice: "We have a cell here in Minneapolis."

 

Julian Assange faces Swedish prosecutor in London over rape accusation --WikiLeaks founder's Swedish lawyer says he has been barred from attending interview, scheduled to take three days | 14 Nov 2016 | A senior Swedish prosecutor has begun interviewing Julian Assange at Ecuador's embassy in London, six years after a woman in Stockholm accused the WikiLeaks founder of rape. Ingrid Isgren, Sweden's deputy chief prosecutor, arrived at 9.30am on Monday at the central London embassy where Assange has been confined since June 2012. Assange sought asylum from Ecuador to avoid extradition to Sweden over the accusation, which he denies.

 

Trump picks Sessions for AG, Pompeo to lead CIA | 18 Nov 2016 | President-elect Donald Trump is moving ahead with filling key posts in his administration, picking Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for the job of attorney general and Rep. Mike Pompeo as head of the CIA. The announcements came on the heels of Trump's decision to tap former military intelligence chief Michael Flynn as national security adviser...Pompeo said in a statement he accepted the nomination to lead the CIA. Sessions and Pompeo would both require Senate confirmation before assuming their designated roles; Flynn would not.

 

Donald Trump Names Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo His Pick for CIA Director | 18 Nov 2016 | Rep. Mike Pompeo, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, has been offered the position of CIA director, the Trump transition team said today. The three-term Republican congressman from Wichita, Kansas, is a member of the House Energy Committee and the Intelligence Committee, which is responsible with conducting oversight of U.S. intelligence agencies and practices.

 

Arizona's presidential electors being harassed, urged not to cast vote for Trump | 18 Nov 2016 | Arizona's presidential electors are reportedly being hit by a flood of emails and phone calls demanding they defy the voters in their state and choose Hillary Clinton instead of President-elect Donald Trump -- as part of a last-gasp bid to overturn the election. Since Trump's surprise victory on Nov. 8, those opposed to his election have engaged in a number of strategies to attempt to nix the election or declare it invalid. In Arizona, a state which voted for Trump, activists are trying to overturn that by pushing the state's members of the Electoral College to vote for someone other than Trump. The 11 members were chosen by the state Republican Party and are scheduled to assemble on Dec. 19 to cast their votes.

 

Democratic Sen. Boxer plans bill to scrap Electoral College | 15 Nov 2016 | Outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., plans to introduce legislation on Tuesday to eliminate the Electoral College and to award the presidency to the candidate with the greater share of the popular vote, in direct response to President-elect Donald Trump's historic victory. "This is the only office in the land where you can get more votes and still lose the presidency," Boxer said in a statement. Trump romped over Hillary Clinton in the battle for Electoral College votes, and stands to get 290 to her 232 when the electors vote next month. 

Trump demands apology from 'very rude' cast of Hamilton show | 19 Nov 2016 | President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday demanded an apology from the cast of the Broadway hit "Hamilton" for appealing from the stage to Vice President-elect Mike Pence to uphold American values, with the conservative in the theater. "The Theater must always be a safe and special place. The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!" Trump wrote on Twitter, taking time out from his search for appointees to his incoming administration. "Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing. This should not happen!" Trump wrote.

Mike Pence Booed at 'Hamilton' Performance Vice-president Elect | 19 Nov 2016 | Mike Pence went to see the hip-hop musical "Hamilton" on Broadway Friday night, and the performance was disrupted when the audience wouldn’t stop booing him. Upon arrival at the Richard Rodgers Theater, he was loudly booed -- although some audience members also cheered him on. As journalist Mark Harris pointed out on Twitter, playgoers are typically largely tourists from other areas.

Man gunned down outside bar after he joked about voting for Trump | 16 Nov 2016 | A first date went terribly wrong when a man was gunned down outside a bar after he jokingly said he voted for President-elect Donald Trump. Shaunita Walker told WSB-TV that she and Mitchell Mormon Jr. were outside Church Bar on Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta at about 3 a.m. Saturday when her new date got into an argument with another man who pulled a gun. Walker, 25, said the alleged shooter uttered something disrespectful to her as she went back into the bar, angering Mormon, 32, who confronted the man and began arguing with him. Walker said Mormon jokingly told the man he voted for Trump.

 

'My life goal is to assassinate Trump': Ohio man is first to be charged for sending threatening election night tweet --On election night, hundreds of people tweeted about assassinating Trump | 15 Nov 2016 | A 24-year-old man from Ohio has been charged in a federal court after tweeting a threat to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump on election night. Zachary Benson, from Fairview Park in Cleveland, posted the remark on Twitter a few minutes before the Republican nominee was declared the winner of last week's election. Benson tweeted: 'My life goal is to assassinate Trump. Don't care if I serve infinite sentences. That man deserves to decease (sic) existing.' Seconds earlier he tweeted: '...I want to bomb every one of your voting booths and your general areas.' Benson was arrested a few hours later and interviewed by the Secret Service.

 

Cybersecurity CEO resigns after Facebook threat to 'kill' Donald Trump | 15 Nov 2016 | The president and CEO of PacketSled, a cybersecurity firm that develops software to detect the origin of cyber attacks, has resigned after he posted threats to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump with a sniper rifle. Matt Harrigan apologized for his "flawed joke" and "lack of judgment" after comments he made on his Facebook page about killing Trump went viral. "I'm going to kill the president. Elect.," [grammatically-challenged pea-brain] Harrigan threatened in one of the now-deleted Facebook posts shared widely on Reddit. When a fellow Facebook user warned Harrigan of the FBI's interest in such threats, the former CEO replied, "Bring it secret service," before delving into further detail about just how he planned to take out Trump.

 

Parents slam Texas high school after two 10th graders were allowed to perform skit portraying the assassination of Donald Trump in front of classmates --Two sophomores at Marshall High School in San Antonio, Texas, were reprimanded after skit titled 'The Assassination of Donald Trump' --One of the boys made a gunfire sound effect with his cellphone while the other boy, who played Trump, fell to the ground. | 18 Nov 2016 | Parents have expressed their anger and shock after two high school students portrayed the assassination of President-elect Donald Trump during a skit in class. Two sophomores at Marshall High School in San Antonio, Texas, were punished after they performed a sketch titled 'The Assassination of Donald Trump' last week, according to the Express-News. Barry Perez, a spokesperson for the school district, said 'appropriate action' had been taken, but Harold and Melinda Bean, the parents of another student, were 'angry' and 'shocked' that harsher measures were not taken.

 

3 NBA teams stop staying at Trump-brand hotels in NYC and Chicago - sources | 16 Nov 2016 | At least three NBA teams have stopped staying at Donald Trump-branded hotels this season in part to avoid any implied association with the new president-elect, according to league sources. Sources told ESPN.com that the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks have moved away from Trump hotels in New York City and Chicago, which bear Donald Trump's name through a licensing agreement. Sources say that another Eastern Conference team contracted to stay at the Trump SoHo in New York this season has likewise already decided to switch to a different property in Manhattan when its current contract expires at season's end and that the Trump association is among the factors for the switch.

 

'Are we safe?' Pepsi CEO speaks out against Trump after his victory --Americans call for boycott, in response | 13 Nov 2016 | Some Americans have called for a boycott of Pepsi after its CEO said that her employees were in "mourning" over the results of the presidential election. "I had to answer a lot of questions, from my daughters, from my employees, they were all in mourning," PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi said in New York City at the DealBook Conference hosted by CNBC on Thursday at the "Our employees are all crying, and the question that they are asking, especially those that are not white: 'Are we safe?' Women are asking, 'Are we safe?' LGBT people are asking, 'Are we safe?' I never thought I'd have had to answer those questions."

 

Trump weighing Muslim registry, says adviser | 16 Nov 2016 | President-elect Donald Trump's immigration advisers could recommend a registry for immigrants from Muslim countries and countries with significant problems with terrorism, according to a top ally. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an immigration hard-liner who has been advising Trump, told Reuters that transition policy advisers are weighing the merits of such a registry.

 

New York attorney general announces $25 million settlement in Trump University case | 18 Nov 2016 | President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to a 25 million settlement to resolve three lawsuits over Trump University, his former school for real estate investors. The deal announced Friday by New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman would settle a lawsuit he filed three years ago, plus two class-action lawsuits in California filed on behalf of former Trump University students. The suits allege that Trump University failed to deliver on its promise to teach success in real estat- through programs that cost up to 35,000.

 

Mega barf alert: Schumer, McConnell elected top leaders in Senate | 16 Nov 2016 | Democratic U.S. senators elected Chuck Schumer of New York as minority leader on Wednesday, and he tapped former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders to help Democrats woo blue-collar workers, many of whom voted for President-elect Donald Trump. Senate Republicans also met and voted to keep Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as the majority leader. Schumer, 65, replaces the retiring Harry Reid of Nevada as the top Democrat in the Senate as the party prepares to deal with Republican Trump and Republican majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

 

NYU brings back professor who blasted PC culture, gives him a raise | 14 Nov 2016 | Liberal studies professor [CLG Founder] Michael Rectenwald, the man behind the controversial @DeplorableNYUProfaccount, has been promoted by prestigious New York University and given a raise days after the university had put him on a paid leave for criticizing politically correct culture on campus. Michael Rectenwald was promoted from clinical professor to full-time professor on Monday, a source said to the NY Post.

 

Gentle giant polar bear cuddles with dog in Churchill | 16 Nov 2016 | They make an odd couple, but a big-bodied polar bear and diminutive dog threw caution to the tundra winds and cuddled up in northern Manitoba over the weekend. "I had no idea what was going to happen, and then sure enough he started petting that dog, acted like he was a friend," David De Meulles said. "I just so happen to catch a video of a lifetime." De Meulles recorded a video over the weekend that shows one of the Arctic predators towering over a dog, tenderly petting it while the two nuzzle in Churchill, Man.

 

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