Syrian 'rebels' backed by the U.S. will have air cover, source says

Syrian 'rebels' backed by the U.S. will have air cover, source says | 03 Aug 2015 | Syrian 'rebels' backed by the United States will now have air cover if they come under attack after President Barack Obama signed off on the decision, a senior administration official confirms to CNN on Sunday. The official said "this has been months in the making." This comes after the United States conducted airstrikes last week to protect two groups after they came under attack: U.S.-trained rebels and the U.S.-affiliated rebels of the 30th division. U.S. aircraft came in after the attack on a compound where members of the New Syria Force, which is the U.S.-trained-and-equipped rebel terrorist group, were located as well members of the 30th division.

Hundreds of civilians killed in US-led air strikes on Isis targets – report | 03 Aug 2015 | The air campaign 'against' Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has killed more than 450 civilians, according to a new report, even though the US-led coalition has so far acknowledged just two non-combatant deaths. More than 5,700 air strikes have been launched in the campaign, which nears its first anniversary this Saturday, with its impact on civilians largely unknown. Now Airwars, a project by a team of independent journalists, is publishing details of 52 strikes with what it believes are credible reports of at least 459 non-combatant deaths, including those of more than 100 children.

Eight top ex-CIA officials launch bid to rebut 'torture report' | 03 Aug 2015 | In a bid to bring the "rest of the story" to the nation about the CIA's detention and interrogation of al Qaeda terrorists, eight former top CIA officials, including three directors, are publishing a rebuttal to the sensational Senate Democratic "torture report." Early next month, the Naval Institute Press will release [the fictional] "Rebuttal: The CIA Responds to the Senate Intelligence Committee's Study of Its Detention and Interrogation Program." Proceeds generated from the sale of the 352-page "Rebuttal" will go to the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation.

Petition to pardon Edward Snowden rejected by Obama administration --The White House responded to 168,000 signatories with its unwavering position that the NSA whistleblower should return to US to face espionage charges| 28 July 2015 | The White House has rejected a petition to pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, dubbing the former contractor's revelations about the US government's surveillance apparatus as "dangerous" and compromising to national security. Responding to a "We the People" petition, launched after Snowden's initial leaks were published in the Guardian two years ago, the Obama administration on Tuesday reiterated its belief that he should face criminal charges for his actions.

NSA paid Utah over $1M to police data center roads - records| 01 Aug 2015 | The National Security Agency has paid Utah more than 1 million [in bribes] over the past year and a half for state troopers to guard the entrance to the spy agency's massive data center south of Salt Lake City, according to Utah Highway Patrol records. From January 2014 through March of this year, the NSA has paid for state troopers to sit in their vehicles on roads outside the agency's data storage warehouse in Bluffdale and ensure no one blocks traffic. In addition to guarding the roads, the NSA payments have been used to cover the mileage on patrol cars and overtime rates of about 50 for the off-duty troopers. In total, NSA has paid the state more than 1.03 million, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Court: German spy agency need not give info on NSA list | 31 July 2015 | A German federal court has ruled that the country's spy agency is under no obligation to divulge to the media a list of names compiled from search terms provided to it by the U.S. National Security Agency. A newspaper publisher sought an injunction forcing the Germany agency, the BND, to disclose information about what German companies and citizens were on the list after the spy agency refused to answer questions. The Federal Administrative Court said in a ruling released Friday that the spy agency had "justified interests that are worthy of protection" in the list remaining confidential.

WikiLeaks files suggest US spied on Japan, Japanese companies --New leaks allegedly show US spies snooped on Japan's government and major corporations. The revelation the NSA spied on another ally comes as high-profile 'trade' talks take place between the two countries. | 31 July 2015 | WikiLeaks on Friday posted documents they allege are proof that the US government spied on Japanese government officials and Japanese companies. The website posted what appear to be documents from the US National Security Agency that possibly dated back to as early as 2006, including a list of 35 Japanese telephone numbers as potential intercept targets. The list includes phone numbers from the Japanese Cabinet office, car manufacturer Mitsubishi, as well as Trade Minister Yoichi Miyazawa and Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda.

TPP deal would force CBC, Canada Post to work for profit only - leak | 01 Aug 2015 | A letter leaked by WikiLeaks reveals that CBC, Canada Post and other Crown corporations could be forced to work solely for profit under the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement (TPP) currently being negotiated in Maui, Hawaii. TPP could have the power to force state-owned enterprises such as news organizations and postal services to abandon their public service mandate and embrace a profit-only approach, says the leaked confidential letter titled 'State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Issues for Ministerial Guidance'. The document was put together for a TPP Ministerial Meeting held in Singapore in December 2013. It outlines "a wide-ranging privatization and globalization strategy," according to WikiLeaks.

Talks for Obama's Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal Stall at a Critical Step | 31 July 2015 | 'Trade' negotiators from the United States and 11 other Pacific nations failed to reach final agreement Friday, with difficult talks on the largest regional tradecorporate takeover agreement ever deadlocking over protections for pharmaceutical companies and access to agriculture markets on both sides of the Pacific...Some environmental groups, and many Democrats in Congress, are very likely to be dissatisfied. They complain accurately state that agreeing to a series of "obligations" falls short of "requirements." The Sierra Club has complained that the United States has not pursued trade remedies against countries obliged to environmental enforcement under existing accords, such as the United States-Peru free trade deal.

Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister 'killed in Hampshire private jet crash' | 01 Aug 2015 | Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister were reportedly among four killed in yesterday's horrifying plane crash in Hampshire. The pair were killed when a Phenon 300 executive jet burst into flames as it plunged into 15 parked cars at Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire, according to Arabic media reports. The plane's Jordanian pilot and another passenger, who has not been named, were also reportedly killed. The private jet, worth a staggering 7million pounds, was owned by Salem Aviation in Saudi Arabia – a group controlled by the dead terrorist's family [but paid for by US/Saudi oil interests under George W. Bush].

CLG's Webhoster, May First, Is Under Expanded DOS Attack - All Services Affected | 31 July 2015 | Advisory from the webhoster of CLG www.legitgov.org, May First sent Friday, 31 July 2015: May First/People Link has been targeted by a Denial of Service attack that affects all our servers and services. It is the largest attack on us in our history...Today's attack targets our DNS servers, a tactic designed to cripple our entire operation. The attack is undoubtedly politically motivated. Members will probably experience some service impact on your email and website services. At some points, you may have no service at all. We are working to resolve the problem now and will let members know when we believe things have improved.

Sandy Hook Victims Settle Lawsuits Against Nancy Lanza Estate for $1.5 Million | 03 Aug 2015 | The families of 16 victims of the Sandy Hook School shooting [drill-gone-live] will receive about 94,000 each to settle a pair of lawsuits against the estate of the [alleged] shooter's mother, Nancy Lanza. Documents filedMonday in Probate Court show that the families have agreed to equally divide a 1.5 million homeowner's insurance policy that Lanza had on the Newtown home she shared with her son, Adam Lanza. Each family will get 93,750, records show.

Legionnaires outbreak: 4 dead, 65 infected, New York City on alert | 02 Aug 2015 | New York City is in the midst of a deadly outbreak of a type of severe pneumonia known as Legionnaires' Disease. Bronx residents have become anxious, as four people have succumbed to the illness and 65 others have been infected in the area since July 10. According to hospital officials, fifty-five of the infected have been hospitalized. The current outbreak is regarded as very unusual as it involves five times more cases than the previous one, in which only 12 people fell sick.

One-third of all 2016 election donations came from 60 people| 03 Aug 2015 | New York hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer's 11 million gift to a group backing Texas Republican Ted Cruz's White House bid put him atop a tiny group of millionaires and billionaires whose contributions already dwarf those made by the tens of thousands of people who have given to their favorite presidential candidate. An Associated Press analysis of fundraising reports filed with federal regulators through Fridayfound that nearly 60 donations of a million dollars or more accounted for about a third of the more than 380 million brought in so far for the 2016 presidential election. Donors who gave at least 100,000 account for about half of all donations so far to candidates' presidential committees and the super PACs that support them.

Joe Biden Said to Be Taking New Look at Presidential Run 01 Aug 2015 | Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his associates have begun to actively explore a possible presidential campaign, which would upend the Democratic field and deliver a direct threat to Hillary Rodham Clinton, several people who have spoken to Mr. Biden or his closest advisers say. Mr. Biden's advisers have started to reach out to Democratic leaders and donors who have not yet committed to Mrs. Clinton or who have grown concerned about what they see as her increasingly visible vulnerabilities [thanks to daily fabrications by the corporate-owned media] as a candidate. On Saturday, the New York Times columnist [sic] Maureen Dowd reported that Mr. Biden had been holding meetings at his residence, "talking to friends, family and donors about jumping in" to challenge Mrs. Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two nominating states.

Texas attorney general indicted by grand jury on fraud charges - reports | 01 Aug 2015 | The attorney general of Texas has been indicted on securities fraud and other charges over an alleged scheme to mislead investors in a technology company, the New York Times and other media reported on Saturday. The three-count indictment against Ken Paxton, a Republican, will be unsealed in Dallas on Monday, when the former longtime state lawmaker is expected to turn himself in to authorities, according to the Times. The newspaper named Kent A. Schaffer, one of the two special prosecutors handling the case, as one of its sources.

Republican effort to strip Planned Parenthood funding stalls in Senate | 03 Aug 2015 | Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a Republican-backed effort to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood following the release of [illegal] undercover videos that raise questions about the practice of harvesting tissue from aborted fetuses for research. The 53-46 procedural vote fell short of the 60 ayes needed to proceed with a bill that would immediately stop funding for the beleaguered women's health-care provider. But the willingness of GOP leaders to bring the measure to a vote showed the new political importance of a social issue that had been sidelined just a month ago and heralded higher-stakes showdowns to come.

California wildfires torch 134,000 acres -- and counting | 03 Aug 2015 | Firefighters worked Monday in steep terrain and other rugged conditions to fight California's Rocky Fire, one of nearly two dozen wildfires that have torched more than 134,000 acres of the parched state this year, according to state fire officials. That's nearly three times the state's 5-year wildfire average of 48,153 acres for this time of year, according to statistics posted by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. At 60,000 acres, the Rocky Fire is the largest ongoing blaze.

Empire State Building Shines Light on Endangered Species With Projection Show; Cecil the Lion Memorialized Too | 02 Aug 2015 | The landmark Empire State Building, known for its stunning light displays, shined brightly with digital light projections of the world's endangered species Saturday evening. The show was billed as a first-of-its-kind live video projection and aimed to raise awareness about animals at risk of being lost forever...In all, 160 species were shown, including a snow leopard, golden lion tamarin, birds, snakes, manta rays, and various mammals and sea creatures.

After Killing of Cecil the Lion, Delta Joins Airline Ban on Game Trophies | 03 Aug 2015 | The recent killing of a popular lion named Cecil by an American dentist in Zimbabwe sparked considerable outrage on social media and elsewhere against safari hunting. The event has also brought to light the role that airlines play in transporting trophy kills as cargo, and may have contributed to changing airline policy. On Monday, Delta Air Lines became the latest carrier to change its rules about transporting hunting trophies. Its announcement came as a group of airlines including Air France, KLM, Iberia, IAG Cargo, Singapore Airlines and Qantas signaled last week they would ban the transport of trophy-hunting kills, according to Paul Ferris, the campaign director at SumOfUs dot org, a consumer-based petition agency in Brooklyn, which has pressed for changing cargo policies.

Cecil the lion: Big game hunting banned in Zimbabwe as outrage grows over animal killings | 03 Aug 2015 | Big game hunting has been BANNED in Zimbabwe following the global disgust at the slaughter of Cecil the lion by a US dentist. Authorities in the south African country announced the move after it emerged a second American hunter [terrorist] is wanted for allegedly killing a different lion in April. News of this lion's death led to rumours circling that Jericho, Cecil's 'brother', had been shot and killed by poachers. This was later proven to be false after the Mirror Online spoke to a researcher who had been studying the pride for nine years.

Doctor becomes second American named in African lion-killing investigation: Pittsburgh physician who has posed with dead elephants, hippos, zebras and ostriches 'killed lion in illegal hunt' | 02 Aug 2015 | A second American [terrorist] has been named in a growing big game poaching investigation in Zimbabwe. Pennsylvania Dr. Jan Casimir Seski, 68, is accused of killing a lion in an illegal hunt in April and his guides have been arrested in the African Country. Dr. Seski has been pictured online with a series of dead animals including elephants, hippos, zebras, ostriches, impala and water buffalo. An online hunting club claims he has killed six elephants. It comes a week after Africa's most famous lion Cecil was killed by Minnesota Dentist Dr. Walter Palmer in early July, sparking international outrage. [Too bad the animals were unable to *shoot first.*]

Revenge of the bulletproof armadillo: Texas man shot after bullet he fired at animal ricocheted off its shell and hit him  | 31 July 2015 | Don't mess with Texas armadillos. That is the lesson that one local man learned the hard way when he landed in the hospital with a bullet wound after trying to shoot one of the hardy armor-plated critters. Officials in Cass County, Texas, say the man suffered a graze wound to the head when he fired at an armadillo and the bullet ricocheted off the mammal's rigid protective covering and struck him.

Judge rules VA can remove Confederate Flag from license plates | 31 July 2015 Federal Judge Jackson Kiser has ruled that Virginia can remove the Confederate Battle Flag from license plates, dissolving his 2001 injunction that allowed the flag on specialty plates. The 2001 injunction had allowed the Sons of Confederate Veterans to place the confederate battle flag on certain specialty license plates in Virginia. The ruling will not be official until Kiser enters his order, addressing whether the decision will only apply to new plates or will also apply to existing ones.

Police union demands reinstatement of indicted U. Cincinnati cop's job | 31 July 2015 | The union representing the University of Cincinnati police force filed a grievance on behalf of the officer indicted on a murder charge, demanding that he get his job backbecause the university fired him without due process, a union official said Friday. Thomas Fehr, representative of the Fraternal Order of Police-Ohio Labor Council, said the union filed the grievance Thursday, the same day Ray Tensing was arraigned in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court after his arrest. Tensing is accused of killing unarmed black motorist Samuel DuBose on July 19 in Mount Auburn, a neighborhood just off campus of the University of Cincinnati.