Monday, July 3, 2017

CLG: US authorities tapped 3 MILLION phones in single wiretap order in 2016




 News Updates from CLG
03 July 2017
 
Previous edition: USS Reagan crew can sue Japanese company over Fukushima nuclear disaster - court
 
US authorities tapped 3 mln phones in single wiretap order in 2016 | 01 July 2017 | It took US authorities a single wiretap order to intercept and record over 3 million phone calls and messages last year, the Wiretap Report 2016, published by the United States Courts, revealed. The intercepts were carried out over the course of two months by an undisclosed government agency, which applied for the wiretap order in late 2015, according to the report, brought to media attention by the ZDNet website.
 
NSA's use of 'traffic shaping' allows unrestrained spying on Americans | 22 June 2017 | A new analysis of documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden details a highly classified technique that allows the National Security Agency to "deliberately divert" US internet traffic, normally safeguarded by constitutional protections, overseas in order to conduct unrestrained data collection on Americans. According to the new analysis, the NSA has clandestine means of "diverting portions of the river of internet traffic that travels on global communications cables," which allows it to bypass protections put into place by Congress to prevent domestic surveillance on Americans. The new findings, published Thursday, follows a 2014 published paper, which theorized that the NSA, whose job it is to produce intelligence from overseas targets, was using a "traffic shaping" technique to route US internet data overseas so that it could be incidentally collected under the authority of a largely unknown executive order.
 
Australia to Seek Greater Powers on Encrypted Messaging at 'Five Eyes' Meeting | 25 June 2017 | Australia said on Sunday it will push for greater powers to tackle the use of encrypted messaging services used by terrorists and criminals at an upcoming meeting of ministers from the "Five Eyes" intelligence network. The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, will meet in the Canadian city of Ottawa next week, where they will discuss tactics to combat terrorism and border protection, two senior Australian ministers said. Australia has made it clear it wants tech companies to do much more to give intelligence and law enforcement agencies access to encrypted communications.
 
'Petya' ransomware attack stems from NSA exploit - Snowden, security experts | 27 June 2017 | The Petya ransomw-re that spread across the globe Tuesday was made possible thanks to EternalBlue - a hacking tool used by the NSA to exploit a Windows vulnerability it left open for five years, Edward Snowden and security experts have said..."How many times does @NSAGov's development of digital weapons have to result in harm to civil infrastructure before there is accountability?" Snowden tweeted. The NSA's hacking team, Equation Group (or Tailored Access Operations), lost control of its trove of hacking exploits and, last August, a group calling themselves the Shadow Brokers announced it had access to those tools.
 
Cyberattack on Parliament: Dozens of email accounts hacked | 25 June 2017 | A cyberattack on Parliament has compromised dozens of email accounts belonging to parliamentarians, according to Sky sources. On Saturday hackers attacked the email server for Parliament. This prompted the digital security team to shut down external access to MPs and peers' email accounts, which are still unavailable.
 
Ohio Government Websites Hacked By Anti-Trump, Pro-ISIS Group | 25 June 2017 | Several Ohio government websites were hacked on Sunday morning by a group that denounced President Donald Trump and supports the Islamic State [I-CIA-SIS]. The hacker calling itself Team System Dz replaced the websites' content with an anti-government message. "You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries. I Love Islamic state."
 
Putin: Foreign intel services support terrorist groups on Russia's borders | 28 June 2017 | President Vladimir Putin has accused foreign intelligence agencies of intensifying their efforts against Russia, including through supporting terrorist groups and trying to interfere with internal politics. "In general, it’s obvious that there's growing activity by foreign intelligence agencies against Russia and our allies," Putin said, speaking at a meeting at the headquarters of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, where he had come to congratulate officers on the 95th anniversary of the founding of the service.
 
White Helmets Volunteer Caught With 'Rebels' Dumping Beheaded Bodies --Skeptics of the White Helmets have long suspected the group to be a terrorist front group. | 23 June 2017 | A volunteer with the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets [a US-backed terrorist group], was caught on video dumping the mutilated bodies of Syrian Army troops. The volunteer was summarily fired by the group after he was filmed participating in the dumping of dead pro-Syrian government fighters. "Impartial [sic] and humanitarian [double sic] White Helmets participating in the beheading and throwing of Syrian soldiers bodies at a dumpster in Daraa today," a Lebanese army soldier posted on Twitter with the extremely graphic video.
 
Venezuela minister says helicopter fired 15 shots in attack on pro-govt Supreme Court; Israeli-made grenades tossed at guardsmen | 27 June 2017 | Venezuelan Information Minister Ernesto Villegas says that a stolen helicopter fired 15 shots against the Interior Ministry as a reception was taking place for 80 people. It then flew a short distance to the pro-government Supreme Court and launched what he said were four Israeli-made grenades of "Colombian origin," two of them against national guardsmen protecting the building. Authorities said there were no injuries from Tuesday's attack and that the area was still being surveyed for damages. Villegas said security forces were being deployed to apprehend Perez, who the government of President Nicolas Maduro accused of [and is] working under the instructions of the CIA and the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
 
U.S. warship stayed on deadly collision course despite warning - container ship captain | 26 June 2017 | A U.S. warship struck by a container vessel in Japanese waters failed to respond to warning signals or take evasive action before a collision that killed seven of its crew, according to a report of the incident by the Philippine cargo ship's captain. Multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations are under way into how the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald and the much larger ACX Crystal container ship collided in clear weather south of Tokyo Bay in the early hours of June 17. In the first detailed account from one of those directly involved, the cargo ship's captain said the ACX Crystal had signaled with flashing lights after the Fitzgerald "suddenly" steamed on to a course to cross its path.
 
Woman arrested on suspected terrorism offences as she lands at Heathrow Airport | 29 June 2017 | A 21-year-old woman has been detained at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism, police said. The woman, from north London, was arrested as she left a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, at just after 9pm on Thursday. Officers said the arrest was Syria-related and the woman was being held at a south London police station.
 
Fukushima Disaster: Former Nuclear Power Plant Executives to Stand Trial for Deaths of Over 40 People --The ensuing nuclear catastrophe...resulted in the death of more than 40 hospitalized patients who were evacuated from the Fukushima area. | 28 June 2017 | Three former executives at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) are due to stand trial at Tokyo District Court Friday, in connection with the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The trio face criminal charges following three nuclear meltdowns after the emergency generators needed to cool the nuclear reactors malfunctioned following a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, Japan.
 
High risk of another nuclear waste tunnel collapse in Washington - govt | 30 June 2017 | The US Department of Energy says there is a high risk that a tunnel filled with radioactive waste might collapse at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in the state of Washington. This after another tunnel partially caved in at the same facility last month. The agency says it has until August 1 to develop plans to prevent the collapse of yet another tunnel at Hanford. The facility was built in the 1950s and for decades produced plutonium for the US nuclear weapons arsenal.
 
U.S. warns businesses of hacking campaign against nuclear, energy firms | 01 July 2017 | The U.S. government warned industrial firms this week about a hacking campaign targeting the nuclear and energy sectors, the latest event to highlight the power industry's vulnerability to cyber attacks. Since at least May, hackers used tainted "phishing" emails to "harvest credentials" so they could gain access to networks of their targets, according to a joint report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
 
At least 1 US nuclear plant's computer system was hacked  | 27 June 2017 | Federal authorities are investigating a breach into computer systems of at least one U.S. nuclear power plant [Which one?], sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. There is no evidence that any particularly sensitive or operational systems were breached. The breach was first reported by E&E News, which covers the energy and environment sectors.
 
Ex-SF Navy shipyard workers allege fraud in radiation cleanup | 29 June 2017 | (San Francisco) The cleanup of radioactive contamination at the Hunters Point Shipyard was marred by widespread fraud, faked soil samples, and a high-pressure culture where speed was valued over accuracy and safety, according to four former site workers. On Thursday, the four whistle-blowers, including a radiation safety officer who reported directly to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, gathered with environmentalists to describe the problems with the cleanup, which has cost the federal government 600 million. In the background, construction crews were at work redeveloping the property, where 1,200 units of housing, millions of square feet of commercial space and hundreds of acres of parks are planned.
 
Feds probe Los Alamos lab for mislabeling and shipping nuclear materials by air | 25 June 2017 | Federal regulators are investigating an "absolutely unacceptable" violation of improper handling of nuclear material after the mislabeled cargo was sent on commercial cargo flights to two laboratories in the United States. Last week, unknown quantities of "special nuclear material" were sent from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina via "commercial air cargo" in violation of federal regulations.
 
Radioactive Waste Still Flooding Columbia River, EPA Says | 08 June 2017 | Groundwater contaminated with radioactive waste from the decommissioned Hanford nuclear facility in Washington state is still "flowing freely" into the Columbia River, a program manager with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said at a meeting of the Hanford Advisory Board...Groundwater contaminated with hexavalent chromium and strontium-90 was still flowing into the nearby Columbia River, according to a presentation from Mike Cline, director of the Department of Energy’s Soil & Groundwater Division. "Contaminated in-area groundwater is still flowing freely into the Columbia," EPA Project Manager Dennis Faulk told members of the board.
 
Thousands protest against Belgian nuclear reactors | 25 June 2017 | Thousands of protesters are demanding that Belgium immediately shut down two nuclear reactors because of safety concerns. German news agency dpa reported that people from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands formed a human chain across the border triangle of the three countries on Sunday. Protesters are concerned over the safety of the pressure vessels at the Tihange 2 and Doel 3 reactors in Belgium.
 
Some 149 British buildings fail safety tests after west London fire | 30 June 2017 | Some 149 high-rise buildings have failed safety tests introduced after a deadly tower block fire in west London, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday while criticizing a decision to hold a council meeting on the disaster in private. "So far the cladding from 149 high rise buildings in 45 local authority areas have failed the tests. That continues to be a 100 percent test failure rate," the spokeswoman told reporters.
 
Trump travel ban takes effect to minimal disruption | 29 June 2017 | A scaled-down version of President Donald Trump’s travel ban took effect at 8 p.m. ET Thursday, with none of the dramatic scenes of protest and chaos that greeted the original version of Trump's executive order five months ago. The Departments of Homeland Security, State and Justice went ahead with the implementation after the Supreme Court partially restored the order earlier this week. The new rules tighten visa policies affecting citizens from six majority Muslim nations: Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. People from those countries who need new visas will now have to prove a close family relationship or an existing relationship with an entity like a school or business in the United States.
 
Supreme Court revives Trump travel ban order | 26 June 2017 | The Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to President Donald Trump by allowing his temporary bans on travelers from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees to go into effect for people with no connection to the United States while agreeing to hear his appeals in the closely watched legal fight. The court, which narrowed the scope of lower court rulings that had completely blocked his March 6 executive order, said it would hear arguments on the legality of one of Trump's signature policies in his first months as president in the court's next term, which starts in October. The justices granted parts of his administration's emergency request to put the order into effect immediately while the legal battle continues.
 
U.S. Supreme Court limits rights of property owners | 23 June 2017 | The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday narrowed the rights of property owners in disputes with governments and laid out a formula for determining when landowners are owed compensation in a case involving a vacant lot in Wisconsin on the picturesque St. Croix River. The court decided that government officials can combine separate parcels of private land in determining whether public officials have effectively taken private property through zoning laws and must pay compensation. The ruling could make it harder for property owners to prove compensation claims.
 
Koch network ramps up political spending while trying to push Trump team --Vice President Mike Pence met with Charles Koch the day before a Koch network summit. | 24 June 2017 | The leadership of the Koch brothers' [globalist sociopaths'] network is brushing off its occasionally chilly attitude toward President Donald Trump, trying to nudge the administration in its direction as the group's annual summit began Saturday just after Charles Koch met with Vice President Mike Pence. The network of conservative donors announced Saturday it plans to spend between 300 million and 400 million on politics and policy during the 2018 cycle. [Oh. I thought "Russia" was trying to influence US elections?] Pence has longstanding ties to the Koch network [which is why the media is working 24/7 to impeach Trump], while Charles Koch has been openly critical of the vice president’s boss since the early days of the Republican primary campaign. Through Pence, the group’s allies have established a beachhead in the administration.
 
Fox News Poll: 27 percent favor Senate GOP health care plan, as vote gets delayed | 28 June 2017 | By two-to-one, American voters oppose the Senate health care bill to replace the Affordable Care Act -- even as a majority wants to repeal at least some of the existing law. That’s according to the latest Fox News Poll, conducted Sunday through Tuesday evenings. Overall, 27 percent of voters favor the Senate proposal, 54 percent oppose it, and 18 percent are unsure.
 
Vote Delayed as Republicans Struggle to Marshal Support for Health Care Bill | 27 June 2017 | Facing intransigent Republican opposition, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, announced on Tuesday that he will delay a vote on his legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, dealing President Trump an embarrassing setback on a key part of his agenda. Republican leaders had hoped to take a page from the playbook used to get a bill over the line in the House, appeasing the most conservative members of their conference while pressuring moderates to fall in line with fewer concessions. But as opposition mounted in both camps, even against a vote just to take up the bill, Mr. McConnell decided he would delay consideration until after the Senate's week-long July 4 recess.
 
Senate Health Bill in Peril as C.B.O. Predicts 22 Million More Uninsured | 26 June 2017 | The Senate bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act was edging toward collapse on Monday after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said it would increase the number of people without health insurance by 22 million by 2026. Two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, said Monday that they would vote against even debating the health care bill, joining Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, who made the same pledge on Friday. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin hinted that he, too, would probably oppose taking up the bill on a procedural vote expected as early as Tuesday, meaning a collapse could be imminent. "It's worse to pass a bad bill than pass no bill," Mr. Paul told reporters.
 
How the Senate's Health-Care Bill Would Cause Financial Ruin for People With Preexisting Conditions--This bill will take American healthcare back to the completely broken system before the Affordable Care Act. | 23 June 2017 | ...This is where the new Senate bill makes significant--and dangerous--changes. The bill drives straight through these carefully crafted guardrails. Today, to waive requirements like essential benefits, a state must show that the alternative insurance being provided is "comprehensive," and "will provide coverage and cost-sharing protections against excessive out-of-pocket spending." These careful conditions on quality are removed in the Senate bill, replaced with a bare-minimum requirement that the alternative doesn't increase the federal budget deficit. States will be able to easily waive the requirement to cover Essential Health Benefits, without any careful conditions to ensure the quality and affordability of coverage. As a result, insurers will offer skinny plans with less coverage that falls far short of the needs of those with serious health conditions.
 
House Passes 'Kate's Law' And Bill Cracking Down on Sanctuary Cities | 29 June 2017 | The House of Representatives on Thursday passed two immigration bills that help President Donald Trump in his fight against illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. The bills -- Kate's Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act -- raise the penalties for undocumented immigrants who re-enter the United States after being deported and revoke federal grants from cities that do not comply with federal immigration enforcement. Both bills passed largely along party lines after Republicans, including the President, heavily promoted them. Trump tweeted five times on Thursday to express his support for the pieces of legislation...and other times saying he hopes the Senate will follow the House's lead.
 
House set to vote on 'Kate's Law' --The administration is engaging in a full court press to support the bills | 29 June 2017 | The House Thursday is expected to pass bills that would hand President Donald Trump key pieces of his immigration agenda, especially efforts targeting sanctuary cities. The bills, "Kate's Law" and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, would install harsher penalties for repeat illegal entry to the US, and expand US law on sanctuary cities to pressure localities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement...
 
Christie, family soak up sun on N.J. beach he closed to public | 02 July 2017 | People hoping to visit Island Beach State Park this holiday weekend were not allowed in because of the state government shutdown Gov. Chris Christie ordered amid the state budget standoff in Trenton. But there was one family there: Christie's. They are using the summer beach house provided by the state for a weekend down the Shore...Aerial photos by NJ Advance Media showing Christie surrounded by wife, Mary Pat Christie, and others.
 
Bizarre moment CNN's Jake Tapper aired fake National Enquirer cover during his segment covering claims that Donald Trump tried to blackmail Joe Scarborough | 01 July 2017 | Just five days after CNN laid off three journalists amid a 'fake news' scandal, the channel reportedly made another slip-up on Jake Tapper's show. On Friday Tapper reported on claims that the White House had told MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski to apologize for his negative coverage or suffer a National Enquirer 'expose' on their lives. Unfortunately, the National Enquirer cover that was picked to illustrate the magazine's often salacious content was completely fake, Page Six reported.
 
3 CNN Journalists Resign After Retracted Story on Trump Ally | 26 June 2017 | Three prominent journalists at CNN resigned on Monday after the cable news network was forced to retract and apologize for a story on its website involving a close ally of President Trump. The article -- linking Anthony Scaramucci, a hedge-fund manager and Trump confidant, to a Russian investment fund supposedly being investigated by the Senate -- was removed from CNN.com late last week after the network decided it could not fully stand by its reporting. The resignations are a black eye at a sensitive moment for the news organization, which has emerged as a regular target of Mr. Trump and his supporters. The president relishes dismissing the network’s coverage as “fake news" [which, of course, it is], and his closest advisers have accused the channel of harboring a bias against Mr. Trump.
 
New Jersey college professor fired in wake of heated Fox News interview where she made racially insensitive comments | 25 June 2017 | A New Jersey community college has fired an adjunct professor after officials say she made racially insensitive comments on Fox News. Lisa Durden was axed from Essex County College as the adjunct communications professor on Friday - roughly two weeks after she appeared on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight'. Essex County College's president Anthony Munroe announced the decision Friday and said officials at the school had received complaints about her heated interview with Carlson. Durden, who is black, discussed a Memorial Day event held exclusively for black people hosted by a Black Lives Matter group in New York. When Carlson asked her her thoughts, Durden interrupted the host, saying: 'Boo hoo hoo. You white people are angry because you couldn't use your white privilege card' to attend the event.'
 
Transgender women 'will soon get womb transplants' so they can have babies | 02 July 2017 | Womb transplants for transgender women who want to be mothers could be available in just a decade's time, a leading NHS doctor has said. Medical professionals have told the Mail on Sunday that at least three UK women could be offered wombs through a new charity-funded programme launching this year. Womb transplants could make it possible for mothers who are born male to get pregnant and have babies.
 
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CLG News Managing Editor: Lori Price. Copyright © 2017, Citizens for Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved.





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