Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG): US Army lost track of $1 billion worth of arms and equipment in Iraq, Kuwait

 News Updates from CLG
28 May 2017

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

 

Previous edition: UK govt raises threat level to highest; invokes 'Operation Temperer' to put soldiers on the streets

US Army lost track of $1 billion worth of arms and equipment in Iraq, Kuwait | 25 May 2017 | A newly released declassified audit from the US Department of Defense shows that negligent accounting by the military has resulted in the Pentagon not knowing [!?!] what happened to more than 1 billion in arms and equipment meant for the Iraqi Army. The Office of Inspector General for the Pentagon's findings from September 2016 was made public Wednesday as a result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from human rights group Amnesty International. Over 1 billion worth of arms and military equipment designated under the Iraq Train and Equip Fund (ITEF) and meant to assist the Iraqi government in combating Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL [but still I-CIA-SIS]), was not accounted for, the DOD audit found. [No worries. I'm sure it ended up in the hands of ISIS, where the other 'missing' billions went.]

U.S. Airstrike Killed Over 100 Civilians in Mosul, Pentagon Says | 25 May 2017 | A Pentagon investigation has found that more than 100 civilians were killed after the U.S. dropped a bomb on a building in Mosul, Iraq, in March. The probe found that the U.S. bomb triggered secondary explosions from devices clandestinely planted there by ISIS fighters. And the military says the secondary blasts caused the concrete building to collapse. It was likely the largest single incident of civilian deaths since the U.S. air campaign [allegedly] against ISIS began in 2014.

Afghanistan attack: At least 18 dead in suicide bombing on first day of Ramadan --No group immediately claimed responsibility, but Taliban insurgents have increased their attacks against Afghan security forces in the past month | 27 May 2017 | At least 18 people, mostly civilians, were killed when a suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of provincial security forces in eastern Afghanistan, an Interior Ministry official said. Najib Danish, the ministry’s deputy spokesman, said the target of the bomber was a group of guards providing security for US forces in Khost province, but most of the victims were civilians. "Six other civilians including two small children were wounded in the attack," he added.

Egypt shooting: ISIS claims massacre of 29 | 27 May 2017 | The death toll in Friday's attack on buses carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt has risen to 29, officials said, as the Islamist terror group ISIS [I-CIA-SIS] claimed responsibility for the massacre. The buses were on a desert road headed to a monastery in the Minya governorate south of Cairo when assailants wearing fatigues and masks fired on them from three four-wheel-drive vehicles, Egypt's Interior Ministry said. Friday's attack, which killed children as well as men and women, is the latest major deadly assault against minority Christians in the Middle East's most populous country.

Operation Temperer: Theresa May becomes first PM to deploy up to 5,000 soldiers on streets | 24 May 2017 | Theresa May's unprecedented decision to deploy up to 5,000 armed troops at key strategic sites makes her the first Prime Minister to use a new plan for a show of force in the face of major terrorist threats. It puts her at odds with her predecessor, David Cameron, who was reluctant to use the controversial power. Operation Temperer - the government plan to put thousands of soldiers on the streetsin response to a major terrorist threat - was devised in 2015 and had been a secret until it was accidentally leaked to a newspaper. Whitehall officials had been keen to keep it under wraps because it was considered so sensitive.

Armed police to patrol trains for first time amid terror threat | 25 May 2017 | Armed police are patrolling trains for the first time ever after the UK's terror threat level was increased. From Thursday afternoon, firearms officers with the British Transport Police (BTP) boarded trains with the intent of keeping passengers safe in the wake of the Manchester bombing. The move is the latest response by Britain's emergency services since the UK's terror threat level was raised from "severe" to its highest level of "critical", meaning an attack is expected imminently.

 

Laptops could be banned from ALL international flights to and from the United States as terror fear increases after Manchester attack --Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he might consider the ban | 28 May 2017 | The United States Department of Homeland Security might be planning a dramatic expansion of a ban on laptops and e-readers in airplane cabins. Secretary John Kelly said he's considering banning laptops from the passenger cabins of all international flights to and from the United States. Kelly was asked on Fox News Sunday whether he would expand the ban to cover laptops on all international flights into and out of the states, and answered : 'I might.'

 

Police close off London's Westminster Bridge over unattended vehicle | 25 May 2017 | British police sealed off Westminster Bridge in central London next to parliament on Thursday following reports of an unattended vehicle. Officers initially blocked vehicles and pedestrians from the crossing, then let pedestrians through again soon after. "Officers are in attendance," a police spokesman said.

 

Newark Airport Terminal A evacuated after pressure cooker found; bomb squad on its way, police say --Update: All clear given at Newark airport terminal after suspicious package found | 27 May 2017 | Police have given the all-clear at a terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport after police evacuated portions of the terminal over a pressure cooker found on site. The Port Authority Police Department said a suspicious package was discovered on level 3 of Terminal A, the regional terminal for United Airlines. Police said a partial evacuation had been completed and the Essex County bomb squad was responding. K-9 units and local police were also on the scene.

 

Police 'have nine key suspects' in the Manchester terror network including the bomber's friend from Moss Side barbers --Manchester bomber linked to group of young men who fought in Libya with their fathers then switched to ISIS | 27 May 2017 | Police have rounded up 'a large part' of the suspected Libyan terror cell, it was revealed last night. Officers said they had arrested the 'key players' in the Middle England gang of alleged jihadis who helped Salman Abedi, 22, wreak horror in Manchester. After a series of dramatic raids in the Midlands and the North, nine people were in custody last night, all of whom are of Libyan descent.

 

UK police issue photo of Manchester attacker, believe bomb made in city apartment | 28 May 2017 | British police on Saturday released a photograph of Salman Abedi on the night he killed 22 people in a suicide bomb attack in Manchester and said they believed an apartment in the city centre was where he put together his device. "We know one of the last places Abedi went was the city centre flat and from there he left to make his way to the Manchester Arena," Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins and Neil Basu, Senior National Coordinator UK Counter Terrorism Policing said in a joint statement.

 

Donald Trump warns 'the horror you saw in Manchester will continue forever' if leaders do not do more to stop 'savage, barbaric' terrorist attacks - which he links to migration of 'thousands and thousands' --He spoke during an unveiling of a 9/11 memorial at the NATO headquarters | 25 May 2017 | President Donald Trump told leaders of the NATO alliance on Thursday that the Manchester bombing that killed 22 earlier this week demonstrates the depths of the evils of terrorism. After leading a moment of silence at the NATO headquarters in Brussels for victims of Monday night's bombing, Trump said that attacks will continue unless steps are taken to counter terrorism strikes. He said that the United States would never stop fighting terrorism, calling the Manchester attacks 'savage' and 'barbaric'.

 

Manchester attack: UK resumes US intelligence-sharing after leak row | 25 May 2017 | British police have resumed intelligence-sharing ties with US law enforcement after they were temporarily stopped in a row over leaks about the Manchester bombing investigation. UK security services were said to be furious as their American counterparts apparently released sensitive information, including pictures of the arena crime scene, to the US media...The bomber's name, Salman Abedi, was also leaked to the US media despite UK police not wanting it to be released.

 

Trump condemns leaks after UK police stop sharing attack information | 25 May 2017 | President Donald Trump said on Thursday that "deeply troubling" leaks to U.S. media about the Manchester suicide bombing would be investigated, after irate British police stopped sharing information with U.S. agencies. British Prime Minister Theresa May raised British concerns with Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels, telling him intelligence shared between their two countries had to remain secure, in a rare public show of dissatisfaction with Britain's closest security ally. "The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling," Trump said in a statement released after he arrived in Brussels.

 

2 killed, 1 injured while attempting to stop Islamophobic attack in Portland | 28 May 2017 | Two people were stabbed to death and another person sustained injuries when they attempted to diffuse an Islamophobic attack against two women on board a local commuter train in Portland, Oregon, Friday. Officers responded to reports of a stabbing on a MAX train at the Hollywood Transit Station at 4:30pm local time. One man died at the scene and another was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A third victim sustained injuries in the attack, but they are not believed to be life-threatening, according to a police statement.

 

Storage of nuclear waste poses threat to U.S., scientists warn | 26 May 2017 | The reluctance of U.S. federal regulators to require operators of nuclear reactors to spend 5 billion to enhance the security of spent fuel rods stored underground threatens the country with a potential catastrophe, scientists warned on Friday. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission greatly underestimated the risk and potential contamination of a nuclear waste fire triggered by a quake or a planned attack, experts writing in the journal "Science" said. "We think the NRC gamed their analysis essentially to get the answer they want," said Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists and one of the authors of the article in "Science," a magazine published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

 

Secret court rebukes NSA for 5-year illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens | 26 May 2017 | U.S. intelligence agencies conducted illegal surveillance on American citizens over a five-year period, a practice that earned them a sharp rebuke from a secret court that called the matter a "very serious" constitutional issue. The criticism is in a lengthy secret ruling that lays bare some of the frictions between the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and U.S. intelligence agencies obligated to obtain the court's approval for surveillance activities. The ruling [99-page document], dated April 26 and bearing the label "top secret," was obtained and published Thursday by the news site Circa.

 

AP source: Kushner back channel with Russia involved Syria | 27 May 2017 | President Donald Trump's son-in-law and now top White House adviser Jared Kushner proposed a secret back channel between the Kremlin and the Trump transition team during a December meeting with a leading Russian diplomat. Kushner spoke with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about creating that line of communication to facilitate sensitive discussions aimed at exploring the incoming administration's options with Russia as it was developing its Syria policy, according to a person familiar with the discussions who spoke with The Associated Press.

 

Share, before the Deep State deep-sixes this one: Inside Obama's Secret Outreach to Russia --The U.S. has been working behind the scenes for months to forge a new working relationship with Russia | 31 Dec 2014 | President Barack Obama's administration has been working behind the scenes for months to forge a new working relationship with Russia...This month, Obama's National Security Council finished an extensive and comprehensive review of U.S policy toward Russia that included dozens of meetings and input from the State Department, Defense Department and several other agencies, according to three senior administration officials. At the end of the sometimes-contentious process, Obama made a decision to continue to look for ways to work with Russia on a host of bilateral and international issues while also offering Putin a way out of the stalemate over the [US-generated] crisis in Ukraine.

 

Appeals court upholds block on Trump's travel ban; administration to appeal to Supreme Court| 25 May 2017 | A federal appeals court upheld Thursday a ruling blocking President Donald Trump's travel ban against six Muslim-majority countries. The 10-3 ruling from the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a lower court's decision to halt core portions of the executive order indefinitely. The Trump administration says it plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. "This Department of Justice will continue to vigorously defend the power and duty of the Executive Branch to protect the people of this country from danger, and will seek review of this case in the United States Supreme Court," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

 

8 Counter-Protesters Charged in Clash at State Capitol Pro-Trump Rally | 26 May 2017 | Counter-protesters are accused of causing a violent disruption at a lawful rally in support of President Donald Trump at the State Capitol. The rally was on March 4. On Friday, almost three months later, the Ramsey County Attorney and the St. Paul city attorney announced eight people have been charged with a crime. The Ramsey County attorney charged two people with felonies in connection with using tear gas and rioting.

 

Professor told he's not safe on campus after college protests | 25 May 2017 | As a biology professor for 15 years at Olympia's The Evergreen State College, Bret Weinstein has seen his share of protests, but he's never been afraid of being on campus until this week. "I have been told by the Chief of Police it's not safe for me to be on campus," said Weinstein, who held his Thursday class in a downtown Olympia park. An administrator confirmed the police department advised Weinstein it "might be best to stay off campus for a day or so." Demonstrations involving as many as 200 students filled classrooms and the President’s office on campus on Tuesday and Wednesday. Protesters are upset over what they believe are racist policies at the college, and some called for Weinstein to resign.

 

Students berate professor who refused to participate in no-whites 'Day of Absence' | 25 May 2017 | A mob of students at a Washington state liberal-arts college confronted a professor and demanded his resignation for writing an email questioning the propriety of a race demonstration in which white people were invited to leave campus for a day. The incident closely mirrors one at Yale University in 2015, in which an email over the right to wear provocative Halloween costumes set off a firestorm and resulted in the resignations of two residential college leaders. A video of the confrontation at Evergreen State College, recorded by one of the protesters and posted to Facebook on Tuesday, shows biology professor Bret Weinstein attempting to reason with dozens of students who routinely shout him down, curse at him and demand his resignation.

 

University of Maryland president establishes rapid-response team and hate-bias task force | 25 May 2017 | University of Maryland President Wallace Loh outlined new anti-hate initiatives Wednesday in the wake of last weekend's fatal campus stabbing... Establishing a hate-bias and campus safety task force to review relevant policies and procedures... Creating a rapid-response team to provide support for victims of hate-bias incidents; Allocating 100,000 in supplemental funds to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for supporting diversity and inclusion efforts...More actions will be rolled out after the hate-bias and campus safety task force submits its recommendations, Loh said.

 

Bill C-16: Canadians who disavow gender theory could be charged with hate crimes, fined, and jailed | 24 May 2017 | Canadians who disavow gender theory could be charged with hate crimes, fined, jailed, and compelled to undergo anti-bias training if the Trudeau Liberals' Bill C-16 passes, critics told a Senate committee last week. The Senate could vote as early as May 30 on Bill C-16, which adds "gender expression" and "gender identity" to Canada's Human Rights Code and to the Criminal Code’s hate crime section. Dr. Jordan Peterson and lawyer D. Jared Brown were among those warned the committee the bill is an unprecedented threat to freedom of expression and codifies a spurious ideology of gender identity in law. As it stands, Bill C-16 is expected to pass.

 

White women's burrito shop is forced to close after being hounded with accusations it was 'culturally appropriating Mexican food and jobs' | 24 May 2017 | Two white women have been forced to close their pop-up burrito shop after they were accused of cultural appropriation. ["Cultural appropriation" is a ridiculous notion, at odds with the cultural hybridity that has subsisted since the beginning of human cultural history. This burrito shop merely provided an opportunity for self-righteous and politically useless SJWs to virtue-signal while destroying a perfectly acceptable business, blocking these women's livelihood, and denying the denizens of the neighborhood the enjoyment of apparently excellent burritos. -- Michael Rectenwald.]

 

Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Adviser to Jimmy Carter, Dies at 89 | 26 May 2017 | Zbigniew Brzezinski, the hawkish strategic theorist who was national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter in the tumultuous years of the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1970s, died on Friday at a hospital in Virginia. He was 89. His death, at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, was announced on Friday by his daughter, Mika Brzezinski, a co-host of the MSNBC program "Morning Joe."

 

*****

CLG needs your support.

http://www.legitgov.org/donate.html

Or, please mail a check or m*ney order to CLG: Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) 
P.O. Box 1142 
Bristol, CT 06011-1142 
Contributions to CLG are not tax deductible.

Feel free -- and CLG encourages you -- to forward this newsletter to your lists and friends!
Those who wish to be added to the list can go here: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg and add your name. Please add clg_news@legitgov.org to your contacts or approved senders list. For subscription questions, pls. write signup at legitgov dot org.

 

CLG News Managing Editor: Lori Price. Copyright © 2017, Citizens for Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved.