Barack Opharma issues ultimate bad news during Administration's 'Friday Night Bad News Dump': Legal immunity set for swine flu vaccine makers 17 Jul 2009 The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects [paralysis, death] from the shots. This time, the government has already taken steps to head that off. Vaccine makers and federal officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine flu vaccine, under a document signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, government health officials said Friday. The document signed by Sebelius last month grants immunity to those making a swine flu vaccine, under the provisions of a 2006 law for public health emergencies. [See: CLG Pandemic Action Alerts 12 Jul 2009 Petition against mandatory vaccines; contact the White House, US Congress --More flu news here.]
Safety questions over swine flu jab --Vaccine will be rushed out before results of health checks are known as licensing is accelerated for 132m doses of vaccine 18 Jul 2009 The first doses of swine flu vaccine will be given to the public before full data on its safety and effectiveness become available, doctors confirmed yesterday. The pandemic vaccine version will be spread over two doses in a higher quantity, and one brand [Gee, I wonder who that could be?] is expected to contain a chemical additive to make it go further, potentially increasing the risk of side-effects... A previous vaccine against swine flu turned out to be worse than the disease. An outbreak in the US in 1976 infected 200 soldiers at a military camp [Fort Dix] in New Jersey... But before it was over 40 million people had been vaccinated, 25 of whom died and 500 of whom developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, an inflammation of the nervous system which can cause paralysis and be fatal.
Baxter: The 'Lucky Larry' of swine flu Baxter Vaccine 'Oddities' By Lori Price 17 Jul 2009 Baxter files swine flu vaccine patent year ahead of outbreak --Baxter can take no more H1N1 flu vaccine orders --Baxter 2Q Profit Up 7.9%; Full-Year Guidance Raised --Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor
Quarantine at detention center due to swine flu --ICE: 72 detainees segregated from center's general population for observation 15 Jul 2009 Authorities say dozens of immigrants being held at San Diego's Otay Mesa detention center are being quarantined because of fears over the swine flu. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say two cases of the H1N1 virus have been confirmed at the facility since last month. The individuals were treated and recovered.
Minister defends MI5 as torture investigation looms --The police investigation into MI5 torture allegations could jeopardise Britain's national security, the Home Secretary has warned. 18 Jul 2009 In an interview with the Telegraph he vows to "defend" the agents of the Security Service and said he had "nothing but admiration for them". The Home Secretary's public endorsement of MI5 and its staff follows the decision by the Metropolitan Police to accept a request from the Attorney General for the first ever criminal inquiry into the domestic security service. Binyam Mohamed, the former Guantanamo detainee, claims MI5 knew he was tortured into 'confessing' his terrorist activities while in American custody.
Due to the UK torture investigation, false flags may serve as a weapon of mass distraction: Shopping centres on alert for terrorism attack --The security services are preparing shopping centres across the country for a successful terrorist attack that would probably result in the deaths of dozens of innocent people. 18 Jul 2009 The National Counter Terrorism Security Office now holds training days for shopping centres and other vulnerable targets up and down the country, warning: "Terrorist attacks in the UK are a real and serious danger. Crowded places, including shopping centres, are likely to feature in the attack plans of terrorist organisations..." MI5 have also launched Operation Lightening to record, research and investigate suspicious activity and it is particularly focused on the "hostile reconnaissance" of targets.
Justice agrees to exclude detainee's confession 15 Jul 2009 The Justice Department agreed Wednesday not to use a Guantanamo Bay detainee's confession that he threw a grenade at U.S. soldiers to justify keeping him imprisoned, after his attorneys argued his statements were the result of torture. The American Civil Liberties Union had asked a federal judge to exclude as evidence all statements Mohammed Jawad made during at least 57 interrogations since his capture in Afghanistan in December 2002. The ACLU, which is handling Jawad's case, said the statements should not be considered because Jawad, who was a teenager at the time of his capture, "has been subjected to repeated torture and other mistreatment" by Afghan and U.S. authorities.
House Will Investigate CIA's Handling of Canceled Program 17 Jul 2009 The House intelligence committee decided today to launch an investigation into allegations that the CIA broke the law by not informing Congress about a program launched in late 2001 to capture or assassinate 'al-Qaeda' leadership. "The committee must be kept fully and currently informed of significant intelligence activities as required by law," Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.
Al-Jazeera journalist imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay to sue George Bush --Sami al-Haj -- freed in May 2008 after more than six years -- to launch legal action against former US president 17 Jul 2009 An al-Jazeera journalist who was imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay plans to launch a joint legal action with other detainees against former US president [sic] George Bush and other administration officials, for the illegal detention and torture he and others suffered at the hands of US authorities. The case will be initiated by the Guantánamo Justice Centre, a new organisation open to former prisoners at the US base, which will set up its international headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, later this month. "The purpose of our organisation is to open a case against the Bush administration," said co-founder Sami al-Haj, an al-Jazeera reporter from Sudan who was illegally detained by US authorities for over six years after being captured while he was working as a cameraman. He was freed in May 2008.
Oklahoma veterans file lawsuit against Halliburton, KBR --Veterans seek redress for those poisoned by companies 17 Jul 2009 Two Oklahoma veterans of the war in Iraq have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that Halliburton Co. and KBR Inc. have "callously exposed and continue to expose soldiers and others to toxic smoke, ash and fumes" in Iraq and Afghanistan. David Green, of Miami, Okla., and Nick Daniel Heisler of Lawton say in the complaint filed in Tulsa that they are seeking "redress for American soldiers and others deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan who were poisoned" by the companies.
Two children killed in Iraq bombing 17 Jul 2009 Two children of a senior Iraqi police officer were killed on Friday by a bomb planted in their family's garage in a town near Fallujah, west of Baghdad, a police officer told AFP. Six others, including two women and two girls aged less than 10, were wounded as the 10 and 11-year-old boys died in the sticky bomb attack, which occurred at around 3:00 am in Al-Karma, around 15 kilometres (10 miles) east of Fallujah.
3 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Southern Iraq 18 Jul 2009 Three American soldiers were killed after 'insurgents' fired mortar rounds into a United States military base in southern Iraq, an area of the country that has been largely free of the violence that continues to plague the northern part of the country. The attack occurred Thursday evening, but the American military did not report it until Friday.
Secret US-Israeli meeting to focus on Iran 17 Jul 2009 Amid reports that Israel is preparing to bomb Iranian nuclear sites, political heavyweights in Washington and Tel Aviv make plans for a secret get-together. Ria Novosti reported on Friday that US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is planning to visit Tel Aviv within the next two weeks to discuss a whole range of international issues, including Tehran's nuclear case, in secret meetings with the Netanyahu government.
Iran: Israel plotted to assassinate Ahmadinejad 17 Jul 2009 Israel conspired with Iranian opposition figures in a plot to assassinate President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during last month's election campaign, Iran's intelligence minister said on Friday. According to AFP, Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie told state media in Iran that Israeli officials had met members of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, an exiled opposition group, twice to plan Ahmadinejad's assassination.
Armed Forces chiefs call for more troops and helicopters in Afghanistan 17 Jul 2009 General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the Army and Sir Jock Stirrup, the Chief of the Defence Staff, have called for more troops and helicopters in Afghanistan. Sir Jock said his forces needed as many helicopters as they could get and were "busting a gut" to draft more into service.
Afghanistan: 'We are fighting ghost soldiers' --Will the US surge in Afghanistan help the British army get the resources it has been hoping for? 17 Jul 2008 History might record that the summer of 2009 was the pivotal moment for the British mission in Helmand. It has been a bloody few weeks with 15 dead in a 10-day period, including the most senior Army officer in three decades. These deaths, and another yesterday, and the eight coffins, has after three years of evasion, produced the necessary debate about what we are trying to achieve in Afghanistan.
Fijian working in British army killed in Afghanistan 18 Jul 2009 A Fijian working for the British army was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on Friday. He was named as Rifleman Aminiasi Toge of 2nd Battalion The Rifles. Toge died from the blast while on foot patrol near Gereshk in the southern Helmand province on Thursday afternoon, the Ministry of Defence said.
US drone attack, clashes kill 10 in Pakistan 17 Jul 2009 A suspected US missile strike killed at least six people in northwest Pakistan while two soldiers and an equal number of Taliban rebels died in ongoing fighting in the region, officials said on Friday. A pilotless US drone aircraft fired two Hellfire guided missiles on two residential compounds used by the Taliban in Gariwam village in the tribal district of North Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.
CIA Caught 'Off-Guard' By Jakarta Hotel Terror Attack --U.S., Indonesia Officials Fooled By al Qaeda Group 'Playing Dead' 17 Jul 2009 U.S. intelligence officials were caught "off-guard" by the Friday terror attacks against two U.S.-based hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. A senior U.S. official told ABC News the attacks came as a "surprise." A second U.S. counter-terrorism official said the CIA and other intelligence agencies had given no indication to the White House of "any threat reporting in the last 18 months" involving the Indonesian 'al Qaeda' affiliate, Jemaah Islamiyah.
Judge Denies Bid By Airlines to Question FBI In 9/11 Case 16 Jul 2009 A U.S. judge has denied a motion by a group of airlines to depose several Federal Bureau of Investigation agents regarding the government's probes into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. In an order Thursday, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan denied a motion by the airlines to question six current and former FBI agents, a potential setback for their defense. The judge indicated the airline defendants hoped to show at trial that the government's failure to apprehend the terrorists and stop the attacks was so considerable that it mitigates and excuses any alleged faults of the airlines and the terrorists likely would have succeeded even if the defendants had exercised due care.
3 Senate Republicans Endorse Sotomayor 18 Jul 2009 Three Senate Republicans yesterday endorsed Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, giving increased momentum to securing President Obama's choice a place on the high court by early August. Sen. Mel Martinez (Fla.), former chairman of the Republican National Committee, joined veteran Sens. Richard G. Lugar (Ind.) and Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) in support of the first Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court.
Conservative group offers endorsement for $2M By Mike Allen 17 Jul 2009 The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2 million to $3 million in return for the group’s endorsement in a bitter legislative dispute, then the group’s president flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay. For the $2 million plus, ACU offered a range of services that included: "Producing op-eds and articles written by ACU’s Chairman David Keene and/or other members of the ACU’s board of directors. (Note that Mr. Keene writes a weekly column that appears in The Hill.)"
AP: 'Frugal' SC gov flew in style 17 Jul 2009 South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford shed his fiscal conservatism on several taxpayer-funded international trips, including a South American jaunt that included time with his mistress, choosing expensive first-class or business-class seats while his aides sat in coach. Sanford, who once criticized other state officials for costly travel, charged the state more than $37,600 for one first-class and four business-class flights overseas since November 2005, expense records show. Other state employees flew in the back of the plane at a fraction of the price, according to the documents.
Wife of ex-GOP Rep. Pickering claims he had affair 16 Jul 2009 The estranged wife of former U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering claims in a lawsuit that the Mississippi Republican had an affair that ruined their marriage and derailed his political career. Leisha Pickering seeks unspecified damages in the alienation of affection lawsuit she filed this week against Elizabeth Creekmore Byrd of Jackson. The Pickerings filed for divorce in June 2008, but the divorce is not complete. The lawsuit says Chip Pickering and Creekmore Byrd dated in college, reconnected and began having an affair while Pickering was in Congress and living in a Christian building for lawmakers on C Street [aka GOP wh*rehouse], near the U.S. Capitol.
Georgia, South Dakota banks bring failures to 55 in '09 --Peach State sees tenth failure of 2009, South Dakota sees first since 1992 17 Jul 2009 Winder, Ga.-based First Piedmont Bank and Sioux Falls, S.D.-based BankFirst were closed by regulators Friday, bringing the number of U.S. bank failures in 2009 to 55 as the credit crisis continues to claim victims. First Piedmont Bank the 10th to fail in Georgia this year. BankFirst is the first South Dakota-based bank to fail since 1992, according to the FDIC.
Lawmakers Blast Paulson For His Response to Crisis 17 Jul 2009 Former Treasury secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. yesterday was lectured, insulted, blamed and excoriated by House Democrats and Republicans still angry about the Bush regime's handling of the financial crisis. Months of pent-up frustrations boiled over as lawmakers called on Paulson to account for a litany of perceived offenses: misleading Congress to gain approval of the $700 billion rescue program, investing in banks on overly generous terms, failing to help homeowners facing foreclosure and allowing the nation to fall into economic crisis. "You ought to come visit Ohio and see the results of your handiwork," Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) told Paulson at the end of a particularly hot exchange, referring to the large number of her constituents who face foreclosure and eviction.
City suspends payment of contracts 17 Jul 2009 Running out of cash because of the state budget deadlock, the City of Philadelphia has stopped paying many of its bills until the impasse is resolved, City Finance Director Rob Dubow said this morning. The city must temporarily withhold about $120 million in July and August to avoid running out of cash completely, Dubow said. Payments to contractors stopped Wednesday.
Previous lead stories: Human trial of swine flu vaccine 'soon' 15 Jul 2009 The federal government has defended its policy of not following the United Kingdom's lead and rushing out a swine flu vaccine. Biopharmaceutical company CSL will start clinical vaccine trials on 240 healthy adults in Adelaide next week. The vaccine is due to be rolled out in October.
W.H.O. Says It Plans to Stop Tracking Swine Flu Cases --W.H.O.: Countries should watch for clusters of fatalities, which could indicate virus had mutated to more lethal form 17 Jul 2009 In a move that caught many public health experts by surprise, the World Health Organization quietly announced Thursday that it would stop tracking swine flu cases and deaths around the world. The announcement, made in a "briefing note" posted on the organization’s Web site late in the day, perplexed some experts, and even baffled a W.H.O. spokesman, Gregory Hartl, who said in an e-mail message, "I don’t have reliable info" about what his agency would track instead.
CIA Supervisor Claimed He Used Fire Ants On Detainee By Aram Roston 16 Jul 2009 A recently released legal memo describing interrogation techniques showed that Bush Administration lawyers had approved the use of "insects" in interrogations. "You would like to place [Abu] Zubaydeh in a cramped confinement box with an insect," Jay Bybee, then a Justice Department lawyer and now a federal judge, wrote in 2002... A CIA supervisor involved in the "enhanced interrogation" program bragged to other CIA employees about using fire ants while during questioning of a top terror suspect, according to several sources formerly with the Agency. The official claimed to other Agency employees, the sources say, to have put the stinging ants on a detainee's head to help break him. The CIA insists, however, that no matter what the man said, it never took place.
