UK Special Forces disguised as ISIS fighters operating in Syria - military sources

UK Special Forces disguised as ISIS fighters operating in Syria - military sources | 04 Aug 2015 | Special Forces soldiers from Britain's most shadowy military unit are dressing as Islamic State militants [that's because Special Forces soldiers from Britain's most shadowy military unit *are* 'Islamic State militants'] and traveling deep into the badlands of Syria to track and destroy enemy assets, according to military sources. It is reported that up to two SAS squadrons of men, around 120 personnel in all, are operating inside the borders of Syria as part of Operation Shader, which aims to destroy equipment and munitions used by the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) [but still I-CIA-SIS]. The troops are operating under US command as part of the Coalition Joint Special Operations Task Force.

Tony Blair could be tried for Iraq war crimes - Corbyn | 05 Aug 2015 | Tony Blair should stand trial for war crimes if the Chilcot Inquiry rules the former prime minister broke international law by invading Iraq in 2003, Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn has said. The surprise frontrunner in the contest said he was convinced the war was "illegal." Speaking on BBC Newsnight, the MP for Islington North said Blair should stand trial "if he has committed a war crime, yes. Everybody who has committed a war crime should be." He added the former Labour prime minister, who orchestrated the invasion with then-US President [sic] George W. Bush, should "confess" to any plans he made with the former president.

Challenging president, Schumer declares opposition to Iran deal | 07 Aug 2015 | Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York [but owned and operated by AIPAC], the most senior Jewish member of the United States Congress and likely the next Democratic leader of the Senate, will oppose the Iran nuclear dealreached last month. His declaration in opposition is the first from the Senate Democratic caucus...The move is a challenge to US President Barack Obama, who is aggressively advocating for the agreement. His colleague from New York, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, announced her intentions to vote in favor of the deal earlier on Thursday.

To press for Iran nuclear deal, Obama invokes Iraq war | 05 Aug 2015 | President Obama lashed out at critics of the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday, saying many of those who backed the U.S. invasion of Iraq now want to reject the Iran accord and put the Middle East on the path toward another war. Obama also said that if Congress rejects the deal, it will undermine America's standing in global diplomacy, leaving the United States isolated and putting Israel in even greater peril. While calling the nuclear accord with Iran "the strongest nonproliferation agreement ever negotiated," Obama also seemed to turn the vote on the deal into a referendum on the U.S. invasion of Iraq a dozen years ago, a decision he portrayed as the product of a "mind-set characterized by a preference for military action over diplomacy."

Israel behind assassinations of Iran nuclear scientists, Ya'alon hints | 07 Aug 2015 | Israel's defense minister hinted on Friday that the Jewish state's intelligence services were behind the rash of killings of Iranian nuclear scientists. In an interview with the German-language Der Spiegel, Moshe Ya'alon said that he bore no responsibility "for the life expectancy of Iranian scientists. Ultimately it is very clear, one way or another, Iran's military nuclear program must be stopped," Ya'alon said. Earlier this year, a senior Iranian security official said that the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps thwarted a Mossad assassination attempt against one of its nuclear scientists.

Israel approves new homes in settlement after demolishing two buildings | 06 Aug 2015 | Israel gave final approval on Wednesday for plans to build 300 new homes in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, announcing the move as it carried out a court demolition order against two vacant apartment blocks in the same enclave. Dozens of Jewish settlers have gathered over the past several days at Beit El settlement to protest against the demolition. Israel's Supreme Court ruled the two partially built blocks had been constructed illegally on Palestinian-owned land...Most countries consider the settlements that Israel has built in occupied land as illegal.

Afghanistan blast: Kabul rocked by deadly explosions | 07 Aug 2015 | At least 35 people have died and hundreds more have been wounded in separate bomb attacks over the last 24 hours in the Afghan capital Kabul. A suicide bomber blew himself up near the city's police academy on Friday evening, killing about 20 recruits. A short while later a large explosion was heard north of the airport. In the early hours of Friday, a truck carrying explosives was detonated near an army base in the Shah Shahid area, claiming 15 lives.

Aurora Movie Theater Shooter James Holmes to Be Sentenced to Life in Prison | 07 Aug 2015 | Aurora movie theater gunman [MKULTRA patsy] James Holmes will be sentenced to life in prison after a Colorado jury on Friday failed to unanimously agree to sentence him to death for killing 12 people more than three years ago. The nine-woman, three-man jury returned after less than seven hours of deliberations with the understanding that their lack of a decision would mean Holmes would not be sentenced to death but rather, life in prison without the possibility of parole. The same jury rejected an insanity defense in July and found Holmes guilty of 24 counts of murder -- two for each person he killed on July 20, 2012.

Police: Suspect in Tennessee theater attack had been committed 4 times, had pellet gun, axe | 05 Aug 2015 | A man with "significant" psychological issues who was armed with a hatchet and pellet gun unleashed a volley of pepper spray at audience members inside a movie theater Wednesday before being fired at by a police officer and shot dead by a SWAT team as he tried to escape out a back door, police said. The attacker, identified as Vincente David Montano, 29, of Nashville, was carrying two backpacks, one of which hung from his chest, and he wore a surgical mask, possibly to protect himself from the pepper spray he unleashed in large amounts during the showing of "Mad Max: Fury Road," Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said. One of Montano's two backpacks was detonated and then found to contain a fake bomb, Aaron said. He said investigators were going through a second backpack that Montano left at the theater.

Hatchet-wielding gunman attacks Tennessee movie theater before being killed by police | 05 Aug 2015 | A man armed with a gun and a hatchet attacked a movie theater in the Nashville area on Wednesday afternoon before he was shot and killed by a SWAT team after exchanging fire with an officer, authorities said. One man was injured by the hatchet. That man and two other people also needed treatment after being "blasted with pepper spray" by the attacker, said Don Aaron, a Nashville police spokesman...Police were called to the scene just before 1:15 p.m. local time for reports of "an active shooter" inside the Carmike Hickory 8 movie theater in Antioch, southeast of downtown Nashville, Aaron said. Less than an hour later, police reported that the "active shooter situation" was over and the suspected gunman was dead.

Heightened state of alert: Shots fired again near Camp Shelby | 05 Aug 2015 | 05 Aug 2015 | Camp Shelby is in a heightened state of alert after authorities said a man matching the same description of yesterday's shooter fired shots near Camp Shelby again this morning. Around 8 a.m., soldiers training at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center reported shots fired in the vicinity of Peret Tower Road and Highway 29 in Perry County...The base is in the middle of the Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise, which involves the 155th Armored Brigade combat team and other National Guard and Army Reserve units.

Shots fired by two suspected gunmen at US military base in Mississippi | 04 Aug 2015 | Shots were fired at the Camp Shelby military post in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Tuesday afternoon, according to local media. Perry county deputies were searching for two suspects who had allegedly fired at a group of soldiers training in the area, the WDAM television station reported. No injuries were reported. Mississippi is one of seven states were a US military exercise, Jade Helm 15, is taking place.

MH370: Malaysian PM confirms Réunion debris is from missing flight | 05 Aug 2015 | A piece of wing debris washed-up last week on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion was from flight MH370, the Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak confirmed on Wednesday. "Today, 515 days since the plane disappeared, it is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts has conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris...is indeed MH370," Razak told journalists. The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared on 8 March 2014 when it inexplicably veered off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

US fossil fuel lobby outspent green groups 22 times to blunt Obama climate plan | 06 Aug 2015 | There could be half a billion reasons for the concessions US President Barack Obama's 'clean-power plan' made to a defiant energy industry. Electric utilities, oil companies and their allies spent $US502 million ($683 million) on lobbying in the year since the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new regulations on carbon emissions from power plants, according to disclosures reviewed by Bloomberg. That's 22 times more than renewable energy companies and environmentalists spent...The biggest spenders against the plan were the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and Caterpillar.

Obama climate plan derided by Republicans, hailed by green groups | 03 Aug 2015 | US President Barack Obama's plan to cut carbon emissions from US power plants has been hailed as visionary by the UN, EU and environmental groups. Republicans have vowed to do whatever it takes to halt the measures. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon lauded Obama's Clean Power Plan, calling it an example of "visionary leadership necessary to reduce emissions and to tackle climate change." Obama's plan, unveiled on Monday, marked the first time power stations in the US have been targeted by mandatory regulations on carbon dioxide emissions. The measures force power plant owners to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.

The Point of No Return: Global Warming Nightmares Are Already Here --The worst predicted impacts of climate changeglobal warming are starting to happen -- and much faster than climate scientists expected | 05 Aug 2015 | ...London reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit during the hottest July day ever recorded in the U.K.; The Guardian briefly had to pause its live blog of the heat wave because its computer servers overheated...On July 20th, James Hansen, the former NASA climatologist who brought climate change to the public's attention in the summer of 1988, issued a bombshell: He and a team of climate scientists had identified a newly important feedback mechanism off the coast of Antarctica that suggests mean sea levels could rise 10 times faster than previously predicted: 10 feet by 2065. The authors included this chilling warning: If emissions aren't cut, "We conclude that multi-meter sea-level rise would become practically unavoidable. Social disruption and economic consequences of such large sea-level rise could be devastating. It is not difficult to imagine that conflicts arising from forced migrations and economic collapse might make the planet ungovernable, threatening the fabric of civilization."

Spokane sues Monsanto over Spokane River contamination | 05 Aug 2015 | The city of Spokane is suing the international agrochemical giant Monsanto, which it blames for pollution in the Spokane River. The Spokesman-Review reports that the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Spokane, alleges that the company [eco-terrorists] sold chemicals for decades that it knew were a danger to people and the environment...Marlene Feist, the city's utilities spokeswoman, called the suit "long-term litigation," and noted that the city will spend 300 million in the coming years to keep polychlorinated biphenyls and other pollutants from entering the river. Monsanto was the sole producer of PCBs between 1935 and 1979, when Congress banned most of them.

New York Ordering Tests of Water-Cooling Towers Amid Legionnaires' Outbreak | 06 Aug 2015 | Mayor Bill de Blasio saidon Thursday that New York City building owners would be required to test and disinfect their water-cooling towers within the next two weeks as the city continued to battle an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the South Bronx. The mayor's announcement came as city officials reported that the disease had killed two more people, bringing to 10 the total number of fatalities in the worst Legionnaires' outbreak in the city's history. One hundred people have been infected in the South Bronx.

Ebola tests negative for Birmingham patient, family members, firefighters | 05 Aug 2015 | A patient exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms tested negative for the virus, authorities confirmed this morning. Six Birmingham Fire and Rescue firefighters quarantined overnight have also been released after the test results, Battalion Chief C.W. Mardis said this morning. The patient has been diagnosed with malaria after two tests, Mardis said...The patient was admitted to University of Alabama-Birmingham HospitalTuesday night, and eight others quarantined or monitored after coming into contact with that patient.

50 years ago today, Voting Rights Act was declared a 'triumph for freedom' | 06 Aug 2015 | Fifty years after the Voting Rights Act was signed, it's still contentious. But the Los Angeles Times' coverage of that day in 1965 shows the excitement and anticipation surrounding the landmark law, which was created to remove barriers that were unfairly keeping African Americans away from the polls. Here's a look back at The Times' coverage from the week the law was signed.

Appellate Panel Says Texas ID Law Broke U.S. Voting Rights Act | 05 Aug 2015 | A federal appeals panel ruled Wednesday that a strict voter identification law in Texas discriminated against black and Hispanic voters and violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -- a decision that election experts called an important step toward defining the future reach of the landmark law. The state of federal voting protections has been uncertain since 2013, when the Supreme Court blocked the act's most potent enforcement tool, a requirement that numerous states, including Texas, with histories of discrimination receive federal clearance before changing election rules. The Texas ID case -- along with another in Texas challenging its redistricting plans and a case in North Carolina over broader changes in election rules -- has been closely watched in legal circles to see how courts will interpret the remaining provisions of the landmark federal law.

Appeals court strikes down 'discriminatory' Texas voter ID law | 05 Aug 2015 | A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday struck down a Texas voter ID law, saying it violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act through its "discriminatory effects." The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit was pertaining to one of a series of laws enacted in Republican-governed states requiring voters to show certain forms of identification before being allowed to vote. "We affirm the district court's finding that SB 14 (Texas Senate Bill 14) violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act through its discriminatory effect," a three-judge panel from the New Orleans-based court said.

Christie, Paul have epic clash at debate | 06 Aug 2015 | New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got into a verbal brawl over government surveillance with Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) on Thursday evening during the first Republican presidential debate of the 2016 cycle. The two began yelling over each other about the National Security Agency (NSA), with Paul fiercely criticizing Christie's call for the government to increase the powers of U.S. intelligence agencies. "I want to collect more records from terrorists but less records from innocent Americans," said Paul, the Senate's most prominent libertarian. That's a "completely ridiculously answer," responded Christie, a former U.S. attorney who pursued cases using powers under the Patriot Act. "How are you supposed to know?" "You support the Fourth Amendment!" Paul yelled in response. "Get a warrant! Get a judge to sign a warrant!" [*Exactly.*]

Republican presidential debate: 17 compete for attention, with Trump at the center | 06 Aug 2015 | The leading Republican presidential candidates used their first face-to-face encounter to accuse celebrity candidate Donald Trump -- and one another -- of diverging from conservative principles as they tried to reverse the surprising dominance of the billionaire and gain a foothold in the crowded race. Trump made news Thursday before even uttering a single word. When a moderator asked candidates whether they would pledge to support whoever ultimately won the party's nomination for president, as well as rule out an independent bid, Trump raised his hand to indicate he wouldn't.

24 Million Watch GOP Debate on Fox News; Most-Watched Cable News Program Ever | 07 Aug 2015 | In the estimation of many reporters who cover the political and media beats, Fox News was the winner of the first GOP debate. A whopping 24 million watched the debate from 9 p.m. ET to just past 11 p.m. ET. FNC drew 7.9 million in the A25-54 demo. This is the highest non-sports cable program of all time, the highest-rated cable news program of all time, and Fox News's most-watched program ever.

Democrats plan 6 primary debates, starting in October | 06 Aug 2015 | The Democratic National Committee unveiled plans on Thursday to hold six presidential debates starting this fall, with the first scheduled for Oct. 13 in Nevada. With Republicans focusing on their first debate, Thursday night in Cleveland, Democrats released plans for a far-less-crowded schedule. So far, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee are scheduled to participate in the officially sanctioned forums.

Sanders soars to statistical tie with Clinton in New Hampshire| 04 Aug 2015 | Sen. Bernie Sanders has pulled within six points of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire according to the latest WMUR Granite State poll, which the pollster says is a statistical tie given the survey's margin of error. The poll, taken between July 22 and July 30, has Clinton leading Sanders just 42 percent to 36 percent, with only 5 percent supporting Biden. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb were at just 1 percent each. Clinton entered the race as a prohibitive favorite, but has seen her commanding lead erode as Sanders' economic populist message gains followers.

FBI looking into the security of Hillary Clinton's private e-mail setup | 04 Aug 2015 | The FBI has begun looking into the security of Hillary Rodham Clinton's private e-mail setup, contacting in the past week a Denver-based technology firm that helped manage the unusual system, according to two government officials. Also last week, the FBI contacted Clinton's lawyer, David Ken­dall, with questions about the security of a thumb drive in his possession that contains copies of work e-mails Clinton sent during her time as secretary of state. The FBI's interest in Clinton's e-mail system comes after the intelligence community's inspector general referred the issue to the Justice Department in July. Intelligence officials expressed concern that some sensitive information was not in the government's possession and could be "compromised." The referral did not accuse Clinton of any wrongdoing, and the two officials said Tuesday that the FBI is not targeting her.

Weaker China factories argue for more policy support as stocks swoon | 03 Aug 2015 | China's factory activity shrank more than initially estimated in July, contracting the most in two years as new orders fell and dashing hopes that the world's second-largest economy may be steadying, a private survey showed on Monday. The report followed a downbeat official survey on Saturday which showed growth at manufacturing firms unexpectedly stalled, reinforcing views that the struggling economy needs more stimulus even as it faces fresh risks from a stock market slump. Fears of a full-blown market crash have added a new sense of urgency for policymakers in Beijing, with many analysts expecting more support measures to be rolled out within weeks.

SD county upset with Walgreens' sky-high jail bill for prescriptions | 04 Aug 2015 | (Mitchell, SD) The Davison County Commission took aim at the cost of providing medical care at the Davison County Jail again Tuesday, this time targeting dr-g retailer [greedy dirt-bags] Walgreens. Commissioner Kim Weitala presented her findings to the board that showed the county spent 7,345.65 during a recent month with Walgreens on inmate prescriptions. She said Lewis Drug provided a line-by-line comparison and quoted a price of 2,434.15, or three times less than what was paid to Walgreens. It left some commissioners with strong words about Walgreens during the regular commission meetingTuesday at the Davison County North Offices in Mitchell.

U.S. Lawmakers Draft 'CECIL Act' to Curb Trophy Hunters | 31 July 2015 | U.S. lawmakers joined the chorus of outrage over thekilling of Cecil the lion on Friday, announcing a bill that would stop people from importing "trophies" gleaned from hunting potentially endangered animals. The bill, Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large (CECIL) Animal Trophies Act, would make it illegal for trophy hunters to bring back parts of any species proposed or listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. [Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) - sponsor of Bill; Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) are co-sponsors.]

Air Canada bans African animal trophies as freight | 04 Aug 2015 | Air Canada says it has a new policy, effective immediately, not to carry any shipment of lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros or Cape buffalo trophies worldwide as freight. The airline made the statement today in response to a query from CBC News. But you won't have trouble transporting some Canadian animal trophies, such as black bears or grizzly bears. Several other airlines have banned air shipment of hunting trophies in the past few days, including Delta, United and American Airlines.

Orphaned kangaroo finds comfort in teddy bear | 07 Aug 2015 | "Doodlebug" weighed just about 3 1/2 pounds when he was found abandoned on the side of a road in Grafton, New South Wales, in southeastern Australia. It has now been months since the baby kangaroo was rescued. Tim Beshara and his mom, Gillian Abbott, still wonder why he was left on his own...Either way, it looks like the now 15-month-old kangaroo is finally finding a way to cope. Doodlebug finds companionship in his favorite stuffed animal, a teddy bear.

4 die as Typhoon Soudelor hits Taiwan; 46 inches of rain in one city | 07 Aug 2015 | Typhoon Soudelor made landfall on Taiwan before daybreak Saturday, lashing the island with torrential rain and winds up to 129 mph and leaving at least four people dead and nearly 2 million without power. Schools and businesses were shut Saturday as the powerful storm moved westward across the island. Taipingshan, in Yilan County on the island's northeast side, got 46 inches of rain in less than 36 hours, the Central Weather Bureau reported about 9 a.m. Saturday.