Bush Has Widened Authority of C.I.A. to Kill Terrorists 15 Dec 2002 The Bush administration has prepared a list of terrorist leaders the Central Intelligence Agency is authorized to kill, if capture is impractical and civilian casualties can be minimized, senior military and intelligence officials said. The previously undisclosed C.I.A. list includes key Qaeda leaders like Osama bin Laden and his chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, as well as other principal figures from Al Qaeda and affiliated terrorist groups, the officials said. The names of about two dozen terrorist leaders have recently been on the lethal-force list, officials said. "It's the worst of the worst," an official said. President [sic] Bush has provided written legal authority to the C.I.A. to hunt down and kill the terrorists without seeking further approval each time the agency is about to stage an operation. Some officials said the terrorist list was known as the "high-value target list." Despite the authority given to the agency, Mr. Bush has not waived the executive order banning assassinations, officials said.
AP sources: House lays groundwork for CIA probe 14 Jul 2009 The House Intelligence Committee has asked the CIA to provide documents about the now-canceled program to kill al-Qaida leaders, congressional officials said Tuesday. The agency spent at least $1 million on the eight-year program before it was terminated last month, one congressional official said. Intelligence officials say the operation never progressed beyond a planning stage. The CIA said Tuesday that the agency would cooperate in the House move, a precursor to what would likely become a full-blown investigation into the secret operation [?] and why the program was not disclosed to Congress.
Vietnamization we can believe in: US has new brigades with 'advisory mission' in Iraq 14 Jul 2009 The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the deployment of newly modified Army brigades to Iraq to focus on training and development duties that will dominate the U.S. mission after combat forces leave by August 2010. Four "advisory and assistance brigades," constituting up to 14,000 soldiers, will begin deploying to Iraq this fall as part of a routine 30,000-troop rotation that also includes three Army combat brigades and three Army division headquarters, defense officials said. The overall deployment will not increase the U.S. military presence in Iraq, which currently stands at 128,000 troops.
Strip searches sparked June Guantánamo sit-in --Defense lawyers learned of episode while it was happening but were gagged under Pentagon system 14 Jul 2009 For two weeks in June, two dozen war-onof-terror captives staged a sit-in at an exercise yard in a maximum-security prison camp -- refusing to budge from a labyrinth of open-air cells in a previously undisclosed coordinated protest that evoked images of the early days of Camp X-Ray. Guards delivered the detainees' meals to their recreation yards rather than risk injury by forcing the 26 protesting prisoners back into their solitary cells... Military officials this week confirmed the mass protest by about half the prisoners at Camp 5 in response to a detailed query from The Miami Herald.
Israeli warships cross Suez Canal again 14 Jul 2009 Two Israel Navy warships made a rare crossing of Egypt's Suez Canal on Tuesday, heading from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea in a voyage that could be seen as a warning signal to Iran. One of the ships, the Hanit, had reportedly already crossed the canal both ways in June, in what a port source called the first case of a large Israeli warship using the strategic waterway. However, this was not possible to confirm officially.
Israeli soldiers reveal the brutal truth of Gaza attack --Troops' testimonies disclose loose rules of engagement and use of civilians as human shields. Palestinian houses were systematically destroyed by 'insane artillery firepower' 15 Jul 2009 The picture that emerges from the testimonies, which have been seen by The Independent, is one of massive fire power to cover advances and rules of engagement that were calculated to ensure, in the words attributed to one battalion commander, that "not a hair will fall of a soldier of mine. I am not willing to allow a soldier of mine to risk himself by hesitating. If you are not sure, shoot". The first eye-witness accounts of the war by serving Israeli reservists and conscripts describes the Israeli use of Palestinian civilians as "human shields". They detail the killing of at least two civilians, the vandalism, looting and wholesale destruction of Palestinian houses, the use of deadly white phosphorus, bellicose religious advice from army rabbis and what another battalion commander described to his troops as "insane firepower with artillery and air force".
IAF jets scrambled against civilian plane feared hijacked by terrorists 14 Jul 2009 Israel Air Force planes were mistakenly scrambled last weekend to shoot down a Continental Airlines passenger plane suspected of being flown to Israel with terrorist intentions, Haaretz has learned. A technical failure, apparently with ground communication units, is believed to have prevented the pilots from identifying their plan upon entry to Israeli airspace, as required. The Israeli jets were sent out to identify the plane and shoot it down if necessary, according to an established safety procedure.
Britain to send 140 more troops to Afghanistan 14 Jul 2009 Britain is sending an additional 140 troops to Afghanistan to bolster the war effort there. The troops will join more than 9,000 British soldiers already in Afghanistan as an offensive against Taliban positions in Helmand Province continues.
Crooked Afghan Cops Challenge Marines 14 Jul 2009 Afghan villagers had complained to the U.S. Marines for days: The [US-funded] police are the problem, not the Taliban. They steal from villagers and beat them. Days later, the Marines learned firsthand what the villagers meant. As about 150 Marines and Afghan soldiers approached the police headquarters in the Helmand River town of Aynak, the police fired four gunshots at the combined force... The original force was sent away for several weeks of training the U.S. is conducting across Afghanistan to professionalize the country's police.
Six die in copter crash, Afghan war toll mounts 14 Jul 2009 Six Ukrainians supplying British troops in Afghanistan were killed in a helicopter crash on Tuesday and two U.S. Marines and an Italian soldier were killed in what could become the bloodiest month in the 8-year-old war. Authorities in Moldova said the cargo helicopter, owned by an aviation firm there, was brought down by a missile. Western forces confirmed a helicopter had crashed bringing supplies to a British base at Sangin in Helmand Province and six foreigners were killed.
Doctors demand inquest into death of Dr David Kelly 13 Jul 2009 A group of 13 doctors who believe that Dr David Kelly, the Government scientist, did not commit suicide, but was murdered, are launching a legal campaign to demand an inquest. The original inquest into Dr Kelly's death six years ago in woods near his Oxfordshire home was suspended by Lord Falconer, then the Lord Chancellor. Dr Kelly died shortly after he was exposed as the source for a story claiming the Government "probably knew" that a claim Iraq could attack with weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes was not true.
Obama Extends Cheney's Secret Service Protection 10 Jul 2009 Whispers has learned that... Dick Cheney's Secret Service protection has been extended, though there were no details on the length. We don't know why President Obama [insanely] OK'd the extension, which must be approved by the commander in chief because former veeps typically don't get any Secret Service security after leaving office. But indications are that the threats against Cheney, who's working on his biography at his homes in Virginia and Maryland, haven't lessened since his term expired.
67 Air Force cadets stricken with swine flu 13 Jul 2009 The number of cadets with confirmed cases of the swine flu at the Air Force Academy has increased to 67. The academy said Monday that a total of 121 incoming freshmen with flu-like symptoms are being kept in dorms, away from other cadets. Cadets who started showing symptoms were separated from the rest of the class at the base near Colorado Springs late last week.
Foreign schools cancel British trips due to swine flu 15 Jul 2009 Foreign tourists and school parties are refusing to travel to Britain because of fears over the spread of swine flu. The Daily Telegraph has learned that visitors have started to cancel trips due to health fears, raising concerns over the impact of the disease on the tourism industry. Two conferences at Cambridge University were scrapped because of health concerns and a small number of schools in Europe have also pulled out of exchange trips and summer schools.
Swine flu vaccine rushed through safety checks 13 Jul 2009 A swine flu vaccine will be fast-tracked for use in Britain within five days once it is developed, and 130 million doses are on order. The Department of Health expects to have enough vaccine this year to give it to half the population. The first doses specific to the H1N1 swine flu virus are set to arrive in September and could be given regulatory approval in less than a week. [See: Vaccine May Be More Dangerous Than Swine Flu --Vaccine contains squalene and gp120 By Dr. Russell Blaylock 07 Jul 2009.]
Pharmas Seek Flu Vaccine Suit Shield 15 Oct 2005 In Europe, Asia, South and North America governments clamor for bird flu vaccines - and they may have them so long as the pharmaceutical companies are indemnified against lawsuits. The U.S. Senate has already approved an amendment by Iowa's Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, adding $3.9 billion to a military appropriation for preparations for the expected outbreak. That money is earmarked for stockpiling medications to combat the virus, if it does occur, and also, reportedly for "immunity from lawsuits if a vaccination causes harm,” according to an article in the Washington insider publication, The Hill.
U.S. orders $690M in swine-flu vaccine from Novartis, $71M from GSK 14 Jul 2009 The federal government is committing more than $800 million to buy more of the two key ingredients to make the H1N1 swine flu vaccine, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The money will be used to place additional orders on existing contracts with vaccine manufacturers including GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis. The former Chiron Corp. facility in Emeryville is now owned by Novartis, which makes vaccines there. [See: Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor 26 Apr 2009.]
New Mexico Department of Health Prepares For Influenza Mass Vaccination Clinics 14 Jul 2009 The New Mexico Department of Health is planning for influenza mass vaccination clinics that will take place this fall to 'protect people against' the novel H1N1 strain of influenza and against seasonal influenza. The Department of Health is also ensuring that the State and its local partners are prepared to deal with the possibility of an increase in severity of H1N1 influenza cases, including a potential pandemic in New Mexico. ['Novel.' Translation: Killer flu recreated in the lab.]
Flu Shots Put Children in the Hospital By S. L. Baker 14 Jul 2009 At the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society recently held in San Diego, researchers presented a study showing that the flu vaccine... isn't effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially ones with asthma. But here's the most damning evidence that flu shots aren't the safe, helpful vaccine the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other government agencies claim: the researchers also found that children who get the flu vaccine are more at risk for hospitalization than their peers who do not get the vaccine.
CLG Pandemic Action Alerts 12 Jul 2009 Petition against mandatory vaccines; contact the White House, US Congress [All hands on deck! Please sign CLG's petition - ours and others with the same goal you see on the Web - and get ready to *raise holy heck* if the deadly, pharma-terrorists' vaccines are mandatory! CLG has been warning of this for years. We have documented, over and over, the fact that the US government was funding and creating killer flu in labs. We cited legislation - passed under Bush two days before Christmas when *no one* was paying attention - giving US pharmaceutical companies full-blown immunity from liability for their deadly products used during a 'health emergency.' We showed that the DoD would carry out military missions and enforce quarantines. Most of these articles would appear on the Web on a Saturday night and vanish within days. The CLG has also revealed numerous deaths -- mathematically odds-defying -- of microbiologists under bizarre circumstances. This ultimate weapon of mass distraction has suddenly emerged so that discussion of the Bush Depression; Bush/Cheney torture, war crimes and treason; and the Iraq/Af/Pak war money pit -- vanishes from the landscape. --Lori Price]
Officials to probe color-coded terror alert system 14 Jul 2009 The Homeland Security Department will review and possibly replace the often-ridiculed multicolored terror alert system created after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Since it was created in 2002, the system has been confusing and became the butt of jokes by late-night television comics... And Democrats said the Bush administration used it for political manipulation.
Missouri Police Launch Multi-Jurisdictional Data Sharing Initiative 13 Jul 2009 BIO-key International Inc., a leader in finger-based biometric identification and wireless public safety solutions, today announced an add-on award from the Columbia, MO Police Department for InfoExchange, the company’s information access solution. InfoExchange puts police records management system (RMS) and other local data directly and automatically in the hands of officers on the street. RMS databases store detailed information on individuals arrested or involved in incidents in the community, which is often not available from federal and state sources.
Fugitive KKK leader found, arrested in Tel Aviv 14 Jul 2009 A senior member of the notorious Ku Klux Klan (KKK) white supremacy movement on the run from US federal authorities has been located and arrested in southern Tel Aviv. Micky Louis Mayon, one of the 100 Most Wanted criminals in the US since 2007, was apprehended at his apartment on Monday after his whereabouts were discovered by Interpol.
Suburban Philly pool faces discrimination suit 13 Jul 2009 A suburban Philadelphia swim club's board should resign to settle claims that the club canceled the pool memberships of dozens of minority children because of their race, a lawyer for most of the children's families said Monday. Michael Kuldiner said Monday that he expects to file a federal lawsuit within a week on behalf of most of the families and the day camp, Creative Steps Inc., against The Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley.
Sotomayor answers her Senate critics --She responds patiently, assuring supporters if not winning over foes as she explains the legal bases for her past rulings. 14 Jul 2009 Skeptical Republicans did no serious damage to President Obama's Supreme Court nominee during the first full day of questioning today, as an unruffled Judge Sonia Sotomayor cautiously, if at times ploddingly, fended off sharp questions. The minority Republicans said that they were determined to press ahead Wednesday and possibly into Thursday, but they all but conceded that Sotomayor would be easily confirmed.
Exchanges from the Sotomayor confirmation hearing --A look at some exchanges in Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor By The Associated Press 14 Jul 2009 Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.: "You know it much better than I do, that rule of law triumphing probably best characterizes your record as your 17 years as a judge." Sotomayor: "I firmly believe in the fidelity to the law. In every case I approach, I start from that working proposition and apply the law to the facts before us."
Goldman Sachs executives sold $700m of stock 14 Jul 2009 Executives at Goldman Sachs sold almost $700m (£431m) worth of stock following the collapse of Lehman Brothers last September, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission compiled by the Financial Times. Most of the sales at the Wall Street investment bank occurred during the period in which the firm enjoyed the support of $10bn in government funds from the troubled asset relief programme.
Bailed-out Goldman Sachs profit soars to 3.44 bln dlrs 13 Jul 2009 Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs on Tuesday posted a forecast-busting 3.44 billion dollars in quarterly profit after paying back a US government bailout, suggesting the financial crisis is easing. Goldman, which reimbursed a 10-billion-dollar federal bailout in full in the second quarter, said its net profit soared 65 percent thanks to robust trading operations.
Goldman Sachs VaR Reaches Record on Risks Led by Equity Trading 15 Jul 2009 Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ratcheted up risk-taking to an all-time high in the second quarter, increasing equity bets 58 percent to amass record trading revenue and quarterly earnings. Value-at-risk, a measure of how much money the firm could lose in a day’s trading, rose to $245 million from $240 million in the first quarter, the New York-based firm said yesterday.
US House Health Bill Puts 5.4% Surtax On Millionaires 14 Jul 2009 U.S. House Democrats on Tuesday proposed new taxes on the wealthy to help fund an expansion of government health benefits. But the bill also includes a mechanism to peel back the tax increases if the revenue isn't needed to fund the bill. The bill would place a 5.4% surtax on individuals and families with annual gross income exceeding $1 million. Individuals and families with annual income above $350,000 would face a 1% surtax, and those making between $500,000 and $1 million a year would be hit with a 1.5% surtax.
GOP installed Enron troll continues his destruction of the state of California: Schwarzenegger preparing to cut another 2,000 jobs 14 Jul 2009 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has told state employee unions his administration is preparing to cut another 2,000 state jobs to deal with California's $26.3 billion budget deficit. The Department of Personnel Administration informed the unions of the potential cuts during a conference call Tuesday.
Previous lead stories: CIA planned al-Qaida assassinations in friendly countries, officials say --Cheney hid operation from Congress because of plans for killings abroad, former officials say --Friendly countries kept in the dark about assassination plans --US military killed al-Qaida activist in Kenya --Congress concerned over covert surveillance of US citizens 13 Jul 2009 Dick Cheney, the former vice president [sic], ordered a highly classified CIA operation hidden from Congress by planning to assassinate of al-Qaida operatives in friendly countries without the knowledge of their governments, according to former intelligence officials. Former counter-terrorism officials who retain close links to the intelligence community say that the hidden operation involved plans by the CIA and the military to launch operations, similar to those by Israel's Mossad intelligence service, to hunt down and kill al-Qaida activists abroad without informing the governments concerned, even though some were regarded as friendly if unreliable. The CIA apparently did not put the plan in to operation but the US military did, carrying out several assassinations including one in Kenya that proved to be a severe embarrassment and helped lead to the quashing of the programme.
New reports of massive spying, criminality by US government By Patrick Martin 13 Jul 2009 Reports in the American press on Friday and Saturday reveal massive illegality in the US government and intelligence apparatus. They demonstrate not only routine violations of democratic rights through illegal spying and wiretapping both at home and abroad, but also disregard for legally required reports to Congress... The military/intelligence apparatus operates according to its own rules, disclosing or withholding information from its supposed civilian superiors only when it is felt politically necessary. What is being revealed... is the existence of a "state within the state," a secret government that continues to function regardless of the individual who inhabits the White House.
Stop bombing us: Osama isn't here, says Pakistan 12 Jul 2009 Osama bin Laden and the top Al-Qaeda leadership are not in Pakistan [right, the latter is in Langley], making US missile attacks against them futile, according to the country’s interior minister. "If Osama was in Pakistan we would know, with all the thousands of troops we have sent into the tribal areas in recent months," Rehman Malik told The Sunday Times. "If he and all these four or five top people were in our area they would have been caught, the way we are searching."
