Reports on U.S. Detention Policy Will Be Delayed 21 Jul 2009 The Obama administration is delaying completion of reports examining U.S. detention and interrogation policy, officials said Monday. The work of a Justice Department-led task force, which had been scheduled to send a report on detention policy to President Obama on Tuesday, will be extended for six months, according to senior administration officials. A second task force examining interrogation policy will get a two-month extension to complete its work, which had also been due Tuesday.
Judge: CIA committed fraud in eavesdropping case 20 Jul 2009 A federal judge has ruled that CIA officials committed fraud to protect a former covert agent against an eavesdropping lawsuit and is considering sanctioning as many as six who have worked at the agency, including former CIA Director George Tenet. According to court documents unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth referred a CIA attorney, Jeffrey Yeates, for disciplinary action. Lamberth also denied the CIA's renewed efforts under the Obama administration to keep the case secret because of what he calls the agency's "diminished credibility" and the "twisted history" in the case.
US to add 22,000 troops to army 20 Jul 2009 The US Army will "temporarily" increase its size by 22,000 soldiers for the next three years, Defence Secretary Robert Gates has announced. The additional troops are intended to ease the strain of the US's deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Gates said. The extra manpower will raise the total number of active US soldiers from 547,000 to 569,000.
Four U.S. soldiers killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan --Incident pushes American death toll in July to 30 20 Jul 2009 A roadside bomb killed four American soldiers in eastern Afghanistan today, adding to the toll in what has already been the conflict's deadliest month for Western forces. The latest deaths push the number of coalition troops killed in July to at least 55 -- 30 of them American. U.S. military officials have forecast a bloody summer in Afghanistan, in part because thousands of newly arrived American troops are pushing into areas previously controlled by the Taliban.
Seventeenth British soldier killed in Afghanistan this month 20 Jul 2009 A British soldier has been killed while on foot patrol in Afghanistan, the 17th to die this month, the Ministry of Defence said today . The soldier, from the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died yesterday morning as a result of the blast in Sangin, in northern Helmand province.
Laying down the law: US tries to make policemen of the 'robbers in uniform' 21 Jul 2009 With nicknames bestowed by their US Marine trainers, all are members of the Afghan National Police force entrusted with turning the ground seized around Garmsir during the continuing American offensive in Helmand into something approaching a governable state. It is a huge challenge for a force known to locals as "the robbers with uniforms" -- one that pits American can-do spirit against the long-established bad habits of a rag-tag force better known for its incompetence, illiteracy and alleged criminality.
Holy convenience, Batman! Obama has an excuse to expand the Af/Pak war: ABC: Missing U.S. Soldier May Be in Pakistan 20 Jul 2009 The U.S. soldier kidnapped by Taliban forces in Afghanistan may have been taken across the border to Pakistan, complicating efforts to obtain his release, according to two people involved in U.S. and Afghan military efforts to locate him, and three Afghan soldiers captured with him. The soldier, Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, is the first serviceman captured since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. According to a person actively involved in the search, a top Afghan 'insurgent' commander has taken credit for capturing the soldier and has now moved the soldier to South Waziristan, Pakistan. [Wait for it... here it comes:] U.S. armed forces are not permitted to operate inside Pakistan except under extreme circumstances. [Well, this would certainly constitute an 'extreme circumstance, n'est-ce pas? The US, therefore, would be 'allowed' to step up its daily bombing of civilians with killer drones.]
Ten killed in Iraq violence 21 Jul 2009 Ten people were killed, including seven policemen and a soldier, in attacks in the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Ramadi on Monday, security and medical officials said. In the restive northern city of Mosul, five policemen, an Iraqi army soldier and a civilian were killed in a spate of attacks across the city, the capital of Nineveh province.
U.S. marine killed in W Iraq 20 Jul 2009 A U.S. marine has been killed in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a U.S. military said Monday. The statement said the Multi-National Force-West marine was killed on Sunday in "a combat-related incident as a result of enemy action," but failed to give further details.
Two die after Xe helicopter crash in Iraq on Friday 20 Jul 2009 Two crew members died when a helicopter operated by private military contractor Xe crashed Friday in Iraq, according to media accounts. The MD-530 "Little Bird" chopper went down at a training facility outside Baghdad, CNN and Agence France Presse reported. Two other crew members were injured.
US bingo dollars fund Israeli settlements --California charity 'a barrier to West Bank resolution' 19 Jul 2009 Over the past 20 years, the bingo hall has funnelled tens of millions of dollars in to what its opponents -- including rabbis serving the Hawaiian Gardens area -- describe as an ideologically-driven strategy to grab land for Israel, as well as contributing to influential American groups and thinktanks backing Israel's more hawkish governments.
EU suspends $90m aid to Honduras 20 Jul 2009 The European Union has suspended more than $90m (63m euros; £54m) in aid to Honduras in the wake of a coup there. It follows the failure of talks to resolve the country's political crisis. President Manuel Zelaya was ousted from office by troops on 28 June over his plans to hold a referendum on changing the constitution in a Reichwing coup d'etat.
Democracy hangs by a thread in Honduras --The right-wing coup d'état is faltering, but its supporters have powerful friends in Washington. By Hugh O'Shaughnessy 19 Jul 2009 The international group of right-wingers who staged the coup d'état against the democratic government of Honduras on 28 June are watching their plot fast unravel. There is stiffening international opposition to their protégé, Roberto Micheletti, who, in his capacity as President of Congress, ordered President Manuel Zelaya to be expelled from the country by plane in his pyjamas... Financial backing for the coup is identified by some as coming from the pharmaceutical industry, which fears Mr Zelaya's plans to produce generic drugs and distribute them cheaply to the impoverished majority in Honduras, who lack all but the most primitive health facilities. Others point to big companies in the telecommunications industry opposed to Hondutel, Honduras's state-owned provider. Parallels are being made with ITT, the US telecommunications company that offered the Nixon government funds for the successful overthrow of President Salvador Allende of Chile in 1973.
China adopts stringent measures to contain spread of swine flu 20 Jul 2009 No one arriving in China aboard an international flight is allowed to disembark before they have had their temperature taken. Its measures to try to contain the spread of swine flu -- or the H1N1 virus -- must be among the most stringent in the world. Airline passengers are required to remain in their seats after landing. Medical officers in protective clothing and face masks then board the aircraft and test the temperature of everyone on the flight by pointing a device at the forehead. Every passenger must fill in a form giving contact details in China and their seat number, in case they were seated near anyone who is subsequently found to be infected with H1N1.
China quarantines 107 British students, teachers after others confirmed with swine flu 20 Jul 2009 Chinese health authorities have quarantined 107 visiting students and teachers from Britain at a hotel in Beijing after some of their schoolmates were diagnosed with swine flu, the British Embassy said Monday. Nine British citizens were confirmed with swine flu and had been hospitalized, the embassy said in a statement. Eight of the cases were of students from a group that is in China for language and cultural immersion courses.
Shut schools to limit number of swine flu deaths, ministers told 20 Jul 2009 Ministers were urged tonight to rethink their policy of keeping schools open through the swine flu pandemic after research showed that a shutdown would curb the spread of infection and limit the number of deaths. As Andy Burnham, the health secretary, announced that a flu helpline to take the pressure off GPs' surgeries would go live this week, two infectious disease experts said school closures should be considered to reduce the number of cases and buy time until a vaccine is available.
Swine Flu Could 'Tip Economy Over The Edge' 20 Jul 2009 Swine flu could tip the UK's already sick economy "over the edge", causing it to shrink by 7.5% this year and hampering hopes of a recovery, economists warn. A worst case scenario could leave the economy facing its worst decline in nearly 90 years.
FDA Approves Next Seasonal Flu Vaccines 20 Jul 2009 The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it approved vaccines for the upcoming 2009-2010 seasonal influenza season in the U.S. The vaccines won’t protect against the new H1N1 influenza strain, which was declared a pandemic last month by the World Health Organization. [See: CLG Pandemic Action Alerts 12 Jul 2009 Petition against mandatory vaccines; contact the White House, US Congress.]
US review addresses prisons in Afghanistan 20 Jul 2009 A US military review has called for an overhaul at American-run prisons in Afghanistan, which could mean better prisoner treatment at detention centers worse than Guantanamo. The new confidential report, prepared by Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Stone of the Marines, recommends separating "extremist militants" from "more moderate detainees instead of having them mixed together as they are now".
US military silent on Bagram jail protest 17 Jul 2009 The prisoners at the largest US prison in Afghanistan have refused to leave their cells for the past two weeks to shower or exercise to protest against their indefinite imprisonment. The protest at Bagram has been going on since at least July 1. Information about the protest came to light when the International Committee of the Red Cross told the families of several prisoners that scheduled video links and family visits were being cancelled.
Metropolitan police's 'kettling' tactic challenged in European court --Protester fights for payout after May 2001 corralling 19 Jul 2009 The Metropolitan police's controversial tactic of containing large numbers of protesters against their will, known as "kettling", will be challenged in a case lodged tomorrow with the European Court of Human Rights that claims the practice is a fundamental breach of liberty. The case is being brought by Lois Austin, one of about 3,000 anti-globalisation demonstrators corralled by police at Oxford Circus in May 2001, the first major protest where the tactic was used.
Sheriff's Deputies accused of Taser rampage 18 Jul 2009 An Illinois agency has sued two sheriff's deputies in Southern Illinois, alleging that they handcuffed, threatened and Tasered teenage foster children. The suit, filed in federal court in East St. Louis by the Illinois Office of State Guardian on behalf of the children, says the deputies used excessive force and violated the children's rights. The suit also names Jefferson County, Ill., Sheriff Roger Mulch, his department and the county.
Top scholar gates arrested in mass., claims racism 20 Jul 2009 Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation's pre-eminent black scholar, is accusing Cambridge police of racism after he was arrested while trying to force open the locked front door of his home near Harvard University. Cambridge police were called to the home Thursday afternoon after a woman reported seeing a man "wedging his shoulder into the front door as to pry the door open," according to a police report. An officer ordered the man to identify himself, and Gates refused, according to the report. Gates began calling the officer a racist and said repeatedly, "This is what happens to black men in America." Many of Gates' African-American colleagues believe his arrest is part of a pattern of racial profiling in Cambridge, said Allen Counter, who has taught neuroscience at Harvard for 25 years.
Bailout Overseer Says Banks Misused TARP Funds 20 Jul 2009 Many of the banks that got federal aid to support increased lending have instead used some of the money to make investments, repay debts or buy other banks, according to a new report from the special inspector general overseeing the government's financial rescue program. The report, which will be published Monday, surveyed 360 banks that got money through the end of January and found that 110 had invested at least some of it, that 52 had repaid debts and that 15 had used funds to buy other banks... The report by special inspector general Neil Barofsky calls on the Treasury Department to require regular, more detailed information from banks about their use of federal aid provided under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Treasury has refused to collect such information.
California governor and lawmakers reach budget deal 20 Jul 2009 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and top lawmakers said on Monday evening they had reached an agreement to close a $26.3 billion deficit to balance the state's budget, ending weeks of lengthy and often tense negotiations. Schwarzenegger, a Republican [Enron troll], said during a news conference in front of his office that the budget would introduce no tax increases and would include $15 billion in spending cuts.
On Friday, lowest-wage workers get a raise 19 Jul 2009 The final installment of a three-part increase in the federal minimum wage will soon be implemented. Two previous wage increases, one in 2007, the other in 2008, pushed the federal wage to $5.85 and then to the current $6.55 an hour. The third, which goes into effect Friday, will push it to $7.25 an hour.
Obama challenges GOP critics on health care 20 Jul 2009 President Barack Obama pushed back hard against Republican critics of his health care overhaul plan Monday, vowing to fight "the politics of the moment" and press for passage of legislation by the end of the year. "We can't afford the politics of delay and defeat when it comes to health care," Obama said after meeting with doctors, nurses and other health care workers at Children's National Medical Center. "There are too many lives and livelihoods at stake."
Driven to Distraction: U.S. Withheld Data Showing Risks of Distracted Driving --Critics say that rationale and the failure of the Transportation Department to more vigorously pursue distracted driving has cost lives and allowed to blossom a culture of behind-the-wheel multitasking. 21 Jul 2009 In 2003, researchers at a federal agency proposed a long-term study of 10,000 drivers to assess the safety risk posed by cellphone use behind the wheel... But such an ambitious study never happened. And the researchers’ agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers -- in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress. On Tuesday, the full body of research is being made public for the first time by two consumer advocacy groups, which filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for the documents.
Previous lead stories:The 'No-Sneeze' list: Fit-to-Fly certificate required by airlines over swine flu --LRP
Airlines to stop suspected swine flu victims from flying --Airlines offer guidance to check-in staff to help them prevent customers boarding flights if they appear to have the virus 19 Jul 2009 Passengers with swine flu will be stopped from boarding flights, two major airlines confirmed today, as the Department of Health warned tourists who contract the illness abroad not to travel home until their symptoms have gone. Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic said they had provided check-in staff and cabin crew with guidance on how to act if they believe a passenger is unwell. Medical advice would be taken to assess the condition of passengers exhibiting symptoms, including having a headache, sore throat, runny nose, and aching muscles. Virgin Atlantic said those suffering from the condition would be prevented from flying until they could provide a fit-to-fly certificate from their doctor or a hospital.
US mulls special terrorist interrogation team: report 18 Jul 2009 US officials are looking into organizing a team of interrogators from several government agencies to specialize in questioning high-value terrorist suspects, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The small team will likely also be tasked with drawing up new interrogation methods, the Journal said, citing people familiar with a proposal that will be submitted to the White House.
Obama awarded $543 million in no-bid federal contracts, despite pledge --President Barack Obama promised last month to save money through competition. 17 Jul 2009 The Defense Department frequently awards no-bid work to small contractors for repairs at military bases under the new economic stimulus law, costing taxpayers millions of dollars more than when businesses compete for the work, according to an Associated Press analysis of 570 such contracts. The Pentagon saves more than three times as much money when companies compete, the AP analysis showed. Yet more than $242 million in federal contracts has been awarded under the recovery program through no-bid contracts for repairs and maintenance. Across the government, more than $543 million in federal contracts have been awarded so far without competition under Obama's $787 billion stimulus program.
