pdates from CLG
02 August 2017
Previous edition: Psychologists who crafted CIA interrogation should be free from liability as was Nazi poison gas technician, say lawyers
'Weaponizing viruses'? US Air Force places ad for bio samples from Russians | 28 July 2017 | The US Air Force is looking to acquire samples of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and synovial fluid from Russians, according to a government website used to place tenders. The reason behind the order hasn't been specified. The Air Force's Air Education and Training Command has placed a listing on the Federal Business Opportunities website asking for at least 12 RNA samples from Russian people of a European ancestry, as well as 27 samples of synovial fluid...The samples must be delivered to the Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas, within 10 days after the contractor receives the m-ney. All samples must "be collected from Russia and must be Caucasian. The Government will not consider tissue samples from Ukraine,” the contract added.
Berlin calls for retaliation against 'illegal' US sanctions on Russia | 01 Aug 2017 | New penalties against Moscow proposed by US lawmakers violate international law and officials in Brussels should consider countermeasures, the German economy minister said on Monday. "We consider this as being against international law, plain and simple," Brigitte Zypries told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain...Last week, both chambers of the US Congress decided to impose new sanctions against Russia over its Crimea reunification and alleged meddling in US elections. The bill has still to be signed by US President Donald Trump. This is the first time Washington has made a move against Moscow without European consent.
Moscow denies banning US diplomats from their compound ahead of deadline | 01 Aug 2017 | Russia has not barred US diplomatic staff from retrieving their belongings from the suburban residence at Serebryany Bor on the outskirts of Moscow, a foreign ministry source said, refuting claims that access to the recreational compound had been denied ahead of the deadline to vacate the premises...On Friday, following approval by the US Congress of new sanctions against Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry told Washington to reduce the number of its diplomatic and technical staff in Russia to 455 people by September 1.
Russia orders out US diplomats in sanctions retaliation | 28 July 2017 | Russia on Friday ordered the United States to cut hundreds of diplomatic staff in retaliation for a new round of U.S. sanctions, and said it was seizing two U.S. diplomatic properties. Moscow's decision, which had echoes of the Cold War, was announced by the Foreign Ministry a day after the [deranged] U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved new sanctions on Russia. The bill now passes to President Donald Trump for final approval.
Trump intends to sign 'final version' of Russia sanctions bill - White House | 29 July 2017 | President Donald Trump will sign into law [insane] new sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea, according to the White House. According to a statement late Friday, Trump "read early drafts of the bill" and after negotiating "critical elements," has reviewed the final version approved nearly unanimously by Congress. The Senate back it 98-2 Thursday, and the House 419-3 earlier this week.
Top general says the US is ready to use 'rapid, lethal and overwhelming force' on North Korea after Kim's second intercontinental ballistic missile test --Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy calls North Korea 'urgent threat' after ICBM test --Remarks come as US flies two B-1 heavy bombers over Korean Peninsula | 30 July 2017 | A top US general has called North Korea 'the most urgent threat to regional stability' following the rogue regime's second ICBM test. 'If called upon, we are ready to respond with rapid, lethal, and overwhelming force at a time and place of our choosing,' General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander, said Saturday. 'Diplomacy remains the lead. However, we have a responsibility to our allies and our nation to showcase our unwavering commitment while planning for the worst-case scenario,' O'Shaughnessy said. The general's remarks came as the US flew two B-1 supersonic heavy bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Sunday in a show of force against North Korea.
Test shows North Korea missile could hit LA, Chicago, analyst says | 29 July 2017 | North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile Friday that appears to have the range to hit major US cities, experts say. A combination of US, South Korean and Japanese analyses of the launch from Mupyong-ni, near North Korea's border with China, show the missile flew about 45 minutes, going 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) high and for a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). If the missile were fired on a a flatter, standard trajectory, it would have major US cities like Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago well within its range, with possibly the ability to reach as far as New York City and Boston, according to David Wright, a missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
US Navy fires warning shots at Iranian vessel in Persian Gulf for 2nd time in days - Tehran | 29 July 2017 | US warships fired several warning shots at Iranian patrol boats in the Persian Gulf in what Tehran calls another "provocative and unprofessional move." A similar incident involving the US and Iran took place in the region on Tuesday. The US Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and another warship fired warning shots at Iranian vessels in the middle of the Persian Gulf on Friday, according to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as cited by local media.
Australia ramps up airport security after alleged plane bomb plot | 30 July 2017 | Stricter screening of passengers and luggage at Australian airports, introduced after police foiled an alleged Islamic-inspired plot for a bomb attack on a plane, will remain in place indefinitely, Australia's immigration minister said on Monday. The ramped up security procedures were put in place after four men were arrested at the weekend in raids conducted across several Sydney suburbs. The men are being held without charge under special terror-related powers. The Australian Federal Police would not confirm media reports the alleged plot may have involved a bomb or plan to release poisonous gas inside a plane.
Sydney terror plot: Terrorist cell planned poisonous attack on plane, say police --The Australian has been told the men were allegedly constructing a "non-traditional" device, one that would kill the occupants of the plane with poisonous gas. | 31 July 2017 | A family of suspected Islamist extremists allegedly plotted to bring down an Australian commercial jet by gassing the passengers, in what authorities believe was a major terrorist attack plan orchestrated by Islamic State militants from within Syria. Travellers were warned last night to expect major delays at the nation's airports as authorities rolled out extra security measures to counter what sources said was a fast-moving, still unfolding terror conspiracy, the full extent of which was not yet known. Four Lebanese Australians -- two fathers and two sons -- were in custody after police swooped on the cell and thwarted what they will allege was a sophisticated attempt to kill hundreds of people by crashing a civilian plane.
Australia police 'foil terror plot to bring down plane' | 30 July 2017 | Counter-terrorism police in Australia have stopped a suspected plot to bring down an aeroplane, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said. He was speaking after four people were arrested in raids across Sydney. Investigators said they had seized materials in the raids that could have been used to make an improvised explosive device. Mr Turnbull said the raids had been a "major joint counter-terrorism operation".
Terror raids Sydney: four men plotted to blow up plane, PM says | 30 July 2017 | An Islamist-inspired "elaborate" terrorist plot to bring down an aeroplane with an improvised device has been thwarted, but travellers should expect delays at major airports as security is beefed up. Four people have been arrested and are in custody after the NSW counter-terrorism team conducted raids across the Sydney suburbs of Surry Hills, Lakemba, Punchbowl and Wiley Park overnight, with searches expected to take many more hours or days. Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin said law enforcement had become aware of information in recent days that suggested some people in Sydney were planning to "commit a terrorist act using an improvised device".
Knife attack in Hamburg supermarket leaves one person dead | 28 July 2017 | One person was killed and four injured in a stabbing attack Friday at a supermarket in Hamburg, Germany, police said. Authorities identified the attacker as a 26-year-old man who was born in the United Arab Emirates, but they did not provide his name or citizenship status. Police spokesman Timo Zill told local media the investigation was in its early stages and that no possible motive was being excluded, including terrorism.
NSA unlawfully surveilled Kim Dotcom in New Zealand - report | 01 Aug 2017 | The National Security Agency (NSA) illegally used technology to spy on Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, according to new documents from New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). The New Zealand Herald first reported that the GCSB told the nation's high court that it ceased all surveillance of Dotcom in early 2012, but that "limited" amounts of communications from Dotcom were later intercepted by its technology without the bureau's knowledge. Dotcom was surveilled by the NSA and the GCSB in a joint intelligence operation named Operation Debut. According to the Herald, that surveillance was scheduled to end in January 2012, but the United States continued to use New Zealand's technology.
It took DEF CON hackers minutes to pwn these US voting machines --The machines – from Diebolds to Sequoia and Winvote equipment...an analysis of them at the DEF CON Voting Village revealed a sorry state of affairs. | 29 July 2017 After the debacle of the 2000 presidential election countcoup, the US invested heavily in electronic voting systems - but not, it seems, the security to protect them. This year at the DEF CON hacking conference in Las Vegas, 30 computer-powered ballot boxes used in American elections were set up in a simulated national White House race -- and hackers got to work physically breaking the gear open to find out what was hidden inside. In less than 90 minutes, the first cracks in the systems' defenses started appearing, revealing an embarrassing low level of security. Then one was hacked wirelessly.
Justice Dept. to Take On Affirmative Action in College Admissions | 01 Aug 2017 | The Trump administration is preparing to redirect resources of the Justice Department's civil rights division toward investigating and suing universities over affirmative action admissions policies deemed to discriminate against white applicants, according to a document obtained by The New York Times. The document, an internal announcement to the civil rights division, seeks current lawyers interested in working for a new project on "investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions."
Wray confirmed by Senate to lead FBI after Comey firing | 01 Aug 2017 | The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Justice Department lawyer Christopher Wray as FBI chief, nearly three months after the agency's previous director, James Comey, was fired by President Donald Trump. Wray, who was confirmed by vote of 92-5, will take charge of the country's top domestic law enforcement agency...Wray vowed in his confirmation hearing last month to remain independent and not be swayed by politics or pressure from the president.
GOP House member calls on Mueller to resign | 01 Aug 2017 | Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) is calling on Robert Mueller, special counsel for the Justice Department's Russia investigation, to resign. Franks, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, claims Mueller is violating a law governing the special counsel that prohibits him from serving if he has a "conflict of interest," which includes "a personal relationship with any person substantially involved in the conduct that is the subject of the investigation or prosecution." Franks cited a Fox News report from May that cast Mueller and former FBI Director James Comey as "longtime allies."
Top FBI lawyer purportedly under criminal investigation for allegedly leaking classified information to media | 27 July 2017 | FBI General Counsel James A. Baker is purportedly under a Department of Justice criminal investigation for allegedly leaking classified national security information to the media, according to multiple government officials close to the probe who spoke with Circa on the condition of anonymity. FBI spokeswoman Carol Cratty said the bureau would not comment on Baker and would not confirm or deny any investigation. This comes as Department of Justice Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he would soon be making an announcement regarding the progress of leak investigations. A DOJ official declined to comment on Circa's inquiry into Baker but did say, the planned announcement by Sessions is part of the overall "stepped up efforts on leak investigations."
Anthony Scaramucci out as White House communications director | 31 July 2017 | Anthony Scaramucci is out as White House communications director, two sources tell CNN. It's the latest high-profile departure from the Trump White House. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus resigned at the end of last week, replaced by John Kelly, whose first day is Monday. A White House official said Kelly wanted Scaramucci removed from his new role as the communications director because he did not think he was disciplined and had burned his credibility.
Gen. John Kelly Sworn in as President Trump's Second Chief of Staff | 31 July 2017 | John Kelly was sworn in as President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff Monday, tasked with bringing order to an often chaotic White House and jump-starting the President's stalled legislative agenda. "We look forward to, if it is possible, even a better job as chief of staff," Trump said of his former secretary of homeland security. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that his administration has "done very well," noting the stock market, unemployment and business confidence.
Trump replaces chief of staff Priebus with retired General Kelly | 28 July 2017 | President Donald Trump replaced his beleaguered White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, after six months on the job on Friday, installing retired General John Kelly in his place in a major shake-up of his top team. Trump announced the move in a tweet a day after his new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, accused Priebus of leaking information to reporters in a profanity-laced tirade. Kelly, 67, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, is currently secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and will assume the chief of staff post on Monday.
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