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News Updates from CLG

13 February 2015

http://www.legitgov.org/

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Previous edition: Kerry Tells Lawmakers He's for Arming Ukraine, which Google relegated to the sp*m bin.

Islamic State fighters seize parts of western Iraqi town - officials | 12 Feb 2015 | Islamic State insurgents took control on Thursday of large parts of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are [insanely, and for more than a decade, wasting billions of US taxpayer d-llars, still] training Iraqi troops, officials said. Al-Baghdadi, about 85 km (50 miles) northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, has been besieged for months by the radical Sunni Islamist militants who captured vast swathes of northern and western Iraq last year. Militants attacked al-Baghdadi from two directions earlier in the day and then advanced on the town, intelligence sources and officials in the Jazeera and Badiya operations commands said.

Obama sends Congress draft for war authorization | 11 Feb 2015 | President Barack Obama has officially asked Congress for war authority to fight Islamic State militants, opening a debate on Capitol Hill over the extent of U.S. military involvement in fighting the group Obama says poses a "grave threat" to U.S. national security. Obama's request doesn't rule out ground troops, calling for their use against the Islamic State in "limited circumstances" including the use of special ops forces to take military action against the group's leadership. His authorization includes no geographic limits and would expire in three years, unless reauthorized. [The US anti-war Left: Missing since January 2009.]

President Obama Sends Congress Request for Military Force Against Islamic State | 11 Feb 2015 | President Barack Obama asked Congress Wednesday to formally authorize military force against the Islamic State group, arguing the militants could pose a threat to the U.S. homeland if their violent power grab goes unchecked and urging lawmakers to "show the world we are united in our resolve to counter the threat." The president, elected on a promise to end America's wars, is sending Congress a proposed joint resolution to authorize military force against the swift rise of Islamic State extremists...In a five-paragraph letter to lawmakers accompanying the three-page draft resolution provided to The Associated Press, Obama said the Islamic State "poses a threat to the people and stability of Iraq, Syria and the broader Middle East and to U.S. national security."

Ukraine peace deal: Ceasefire starting February 15, removal of heavy weapons | 12 Feb 2015 | An agreement has been brokered in Minsk to stop hostilities in Ukraine from Sunday. The deal was reached after marathon talks between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, and signed by the Ukrainian rebels. "I believe we agreed on a big deal. We agreed to a ceasefire starting at 00:00 on February 15," Russian President Vladimir Putin told the media after the talks were finished.

US military to train Kiev troops fighting in E. Ukraine - US Army commander | 11 Feb 2015 | The US military will train Kiev troops fighting against militias in southeast Ukraine, Ben Hodges, US Army Europe commander, said hours before the start of "Normandy Four" talks dubbed a "last chance" for the peaceful resolution of the conflict. The training, which is scheduled to kick off in March, will see a battalion of American troops training three battalions of Ukrainians, he said. The officers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in northeast Italy will be deployed to Ukraine as part of the plan, said Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Vanessa Hillman.

Anti-West sentiment in Russia hits all-time high | 9 Feb 2015 | The number of Russians with negative attitude towards the US and EU has hit its highest in modern history, with 36 percent wanting their country to further distance itself from the West, according to the latest poll. The research was conducted by the major independent pollster Levada Center in late January and its results were released on Monday. The number of Russians who claimed their negative attitude to the United States rose to 81 percent compared to 44 percent one year ago.

If Russia Is Ukraine's Enemy Why Are 1.2 Million Ukrainian Men Seeking Refuge in Russia? --Economic migrants, war refugees, draft evaders...They're all voting with their feet | 4 Feb 2015 | Is Russia invading Ukraine or Ukraine invading Russia? Would you seek refuge in the very arms of your "enemy"? ...Here is a number that may shock some western European and American zombies, 20,000...20,000 increase in Ukrainian men a week seeking refuge in Russia, to avoid Porky's military draft. 1.193 million Ukrainian men, conscription age, now staying in Russia. 2.5 million Ukrainian nationals (refugees) currently being taken care of (feed, clothed, etc...) in Russia.

US destroyed 'sensitive Yemen embassy documents' before pullout | 12 Feb 2015 | American diplomats and staff at the US embassy in Yemen have destroyed a number of sensitive documents and other materials before pulling out, according to local embassy employees. One employee told AFP on Wednesday that US Marine "destroyed their weapons, sensitive documents, telecommunications equipment, computers, telephones and photocopiers before leaving the embassy." Another employee said they "destroyed everything they couldn't take with them," including a large number of vehicles.

Rachel Corrie's family loses wrongful death appeal in Israel's supreme court | 13 Feb 2015 | Israel's supreme court has rejected the appeal by the family of Rachel Corrie -- the US activist who was crushed to death by a military bulldozer in Gaza 12 years ago -- which had sought to hold Israel liable for her death. The ruling, which followed a high-profile hearing before Israel’s top court last year, appears to bring to an end - in the Israeli courts at least - years of effort by Corrie's family to hold the country's military responsible for her death. Instead, the court upheld the decision of a lower court, which invoked the "combat activities exception" that the Israeli military cannot be held responsible for damages in a war zone.

22 Marines Injured During Exercise at Southern California Base | 12 Feb 2015 | A fire extinguisher went off inside an amphibious landing vehicle Thursday during a large training exercise at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, California, injuring 22 Marines, local and Marine officials said. No conditions were reported, but the Marine Corps said all 22 Marines were stable in area hospitals. An official at the base hospital told NBC News that most of the injuries were related to inhalation of a noxious substance. A San Bernardino County fire official initially said "about two dozen" people were injured; the Marine Corps put the number at 22 in a statement Thursday evening.

ISIS-linked terror attack thwarted in Sydney | 11 Feb 2015 | Two men refused bail after being arrested during anti-terror raids in Sydney's west were not on the police radar. It's alleged the pair were in possession of an Islamic State style flag, and were planning to carrying out a potentially "catastrophic" attack. Police claim to have seized a machete and a hunting knife, along with a video purporting an 'imminent terror attack' was 'revenge for incidents overseas'. Officers received a tip off about a plan to 'harm and possibly kill' a member of the public on Tuesday, in an attack 'consistent with IS messaging'.

American ISIS Hostage Kayla Mueller Dead, White House Says | 10 Feb 2015 | President Obama confirmed today that American ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller has been killed, days after the terror group claimed she had died in a Jordanian airstrike. "It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the death of Kayla Jean Mueller," Obama said in a statement released by the White House. A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said that over the weekend, the Mueller family "received a private message from Kayla's ISIL [ISIS] captors containing additional information. Once this information was authenticated by the intelligence community, they concluded that Kayla was deceased," NSC spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said.

Ashton Carter confirmed by Senate as US defense secretary | 12 Feb 2015 | Ashton Carter was confirmed as secretary of defense on Thursday after the Senate delivered more than 90 votes to approve him, putting the Pentagon veteran in charge of the US military at a time of violent crises in eastern Europe and the Middle East. Carter, a former deputy secretary of defense who is well-liked by many in congressional circles, was perfunctorily confirmed 93-5 to succeed the outgoing secretary, Chuck Hagel. During his wide-ranging confirmation hearing, Carter...sometimes gave answers that the Republicans on the committee were glad to hear. He also repeatedly called the US "the indispensable nation", a phrase used by critics of the administration to press for greater military engagement around the world. [Is that even possible? The US pig snout is *everywhere.*]

Did the NSA and GCHQ Launch a Joint Cyberattack on Iran? | 10 Feb 2015 | An NSA document newly published today [by The Intercept] suggests two interesting facts that haven't previously been reported. One concerns the spy tool known as Flame; the other refers to concerns the NSA had about partnering with the British spy agency Government Communications Headquarters [GCHQ] and Israeli intelligence in surveillance operations. An NSA document newly published today suggests two interesting facts that haven't previously been reported. Did GCHQ Partner With the NSA on Flame?...NSA Expresses Concern About Partnering with GCHQ and Israel.

Judge rules for NSA in warrantless search case | 10 Feb 2015 | A U.S. judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of the National Security Agency in a lawsuit challenging the interception of Internet communications without a warrant, according to a court filing. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland, California wrote the plaintiffs failed to establish legal standing to pursue a claim that the government violated the Fourth Amendment...Plaintiffs claim the lack of a warrant, combined with an absence of individualized suspicion, violates the Fourth Amendment. [Just shut the dirt-bags' water off, as considered in Utah.]

Former C.I.A. Officer Released After Nearly Two Years in Prison for Leak Case | 9 Feb 2015 | John C. Kiriakou, the first C.I.A. officer to be imprisoned for leaking classified information to a reporter, has been released to home confinement after serving nearly two years in federal prison in Pennsylvania. Under the conditions of his release last Tuesday, Mr. Kiriakou, 50, is required to stay for the next three months at his house in Arlington, Va., where he lives with his wife and the youngest three of his five children.

Julian Assange security 'sucking Met Police resources' | 10 Feb 2015 | Security costs for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange are to be reviewed, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has said. Maintaining a guard for Assange at the Ecuadorean Embassy in central London has cost 10m pounds, according to figures disclosed to LBC radio. The commissioner told the broadcaster his force was exploring how to provide security differently. Sir Bernard said the ongoing operation was "sucking our resources".

U.S. appeals court to hear arguments on moving Boston bombing trial | 12 Feb 2015 | A U.S. appeals court on Thursday said it would hear arguments on whether to move the trial of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect out of the city that was the site of the largest mass-casualty attack [false flag] on U.S. soil since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks [the other false flag]. The appeals court's decision to hear arguments on Feb. 19 comes after a district court judge three times rejected pleas by defendant patsy Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's attorneys to move the trial. Defense attorneys contend too many people in the Boston area had a direct connection to the event to empanel an impartial jury.

Quincy first responder who tended to Boston bombing victims in the medical tent dies | 6 Feb 2015 | William Dockham lived quietly, working as an ambulance paramedic and Veterans Administration hospital nurse...Then on April 15, 2013, the Quincy resident found himself treating badly injured victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, a first responder in the medical tent. Thrust into the media spotlight, a lot of people got to know who he was. A few of those admirers were with Dockham at the Quincy Center MBTA station last Friday morning, waiting for a Red Line train to Boston, when he collapsed from an apparent heart attack.

Sandy Hook victim Victoria Soto to have name trademarked to prevent abuse --Family of elementary school teacher say her name is being used in social media by 'conspiracy' theorists | 11 Feb 2015 | The family of a teacher killed in the Sandy Hook school massacre has applied to trademark her name in an attempt to stop others from misusing it on social media. Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who authorities have said hid students and tried to shield others from the gunman who [allegedly] killed 20 children and six women. Jillian Soto says people have set up fake social media accounts using her sister's name, many of which promote 'conspiracy' theories about the massacre, and some of which are used to harass her and other family members.

FBI announces 'parallel' inquiry into Chapel Hill shootings | 12 Feb 2015 | The FBI says it's opened a "parallel preliminary inquiry" in connection with the shooting deaths of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill to determine if federal laws were violated. A statement issued on Thursday said the FBI is continuing to provide assistance to the Chapel Hill Police Department to process evidence related to the shootings. Police have said they are investigating whether religious or ethnic hatred motivated shooting suspect Craig Stephen Hicks in any way, and federal investigators have said hate crimes haven't been ruled out.

Three Muslim students dead in North Carolina shooting as suspect arrested | 11 Feb 2015 | A 46-year-old man has been charged in connection with the murder of three Muslim university students on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Police have charged Craig Stephen Hicks of Chapel Hill, with three counts of first degree murder. Hicks, who turned himself in, is being held in the Durham County jail...Shafi Khan, founder of the Alexandria, Virginia-based group United Muslim Relief, to which all three victims belonged, said the organization was broken-hearted at the news.

New York Times columnist who moderated panel discussion of 'Citizenfour' collapses and dies hours later | 13 Feb 2015 | New York Times media columnist David Carr collapsed at the newspaper's office and died on Thursday, the paper reported. The Times said Carr, 58, collapsed in the paper's newsroom and was discovered around 9 p.m. local time (0200 GMT). He was later pronounced dead at Saint Luke's Roosevelt Hospital. Carr moderated a panel discussion earlier on Thursday on "Citizenfour," the documentary that chronicles the leaking of documents by former U.S. government security contractor Edward Snowden, with director Laura Poitras, journalist Glenn Greenwald, and Snowden, the paper said.

San Diego TV Sports Director Kyle Kraska Shot in Driveway | 10 Feb 2015 | The sports director and anchor for a San Diego television news station was shot and wounded Tuesday after a gunman sprayed his car with bullets as he left his home in an upscale neighborhood, sources familiar with the incident said. Kyle Kraska, sports director at CBS affiliate KFMB and a former anchor for "Hard Copy," was shot in his silver Mercedes at around 3 p.m. (noon ET) as he was pulling out of his driveway to go to work. Someone jumped out of a white van, peppered his vehicle with gunfire and drove off, according to a neighbor who witnessed the shooting.

Brian Williams Suspended From NBC for 6 Months Without Pay | 10 Feb 2015 | Brian Williams, the embattled NBC news anchor whose credibility plummeted after he acknowledged exaggerating his role in a helicopter incident in Iraq, was suspended for six months without pay, the network said Tuesday night. Lester Holt will continue to substitute for Mr. Williams now, the network said...On his nightly newscast on Feb. 4, Mr. Williams admitted that he had embellished his account of being on a helicopter that was hit by enemy fire in 2003, and apologized to viewers for misleading them. [Where's the apology from unelected war criminal George W. Sociopath, who lied to the world in order to invade and occupy Iraq for BP and Monsanto, in the aftermath of his administration's 9/11 inside job? Waiting...]

Anti-vaccine professor takes leave from teaching course at Queen's University | 9 Feb 2015 | A Queen's University professor under fire for using anti-vaccination material in a health course will no longer be teaching that course, the university said. A spokeswoman told the Star Monday evening that Melody Torcolacci has requested and has been granted leave from teaching Physical Determinants of Health (HLTH 102) for the remainder of the term. Torcolacci was accused [!] last week of using information about vaccines and health that had been widely challenged by medical experts. It was reported that students [sic - pathetic, moronic, brainwashed rats] had previously complained about the material to their academic affairs commissioner.

NYC police officer charged in stairwell shooting of unarmed man | 11 Feb 2015 | A rookie New York City police officer was charged with second-degree manslaughter and five other offenses on Wednesday for the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in a dark stairwell of a housing project last November. Officer Peter Liang was patrolling with his partner in the Brooklyn housing project at about 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 20 when his gun discharged a single bullet, killing Akai Gurley, 28, who was in the stairwell a flight below with a female companion. Liang's indictment by a grand jury stands in stark contrast to other cases of police officers who have killed unarmed black men.

Keystone XL Votes, Big Oil Contributions Connected --According to a watchdog group, those in favor received 10 to 13 times more donations. | 12 Feb 2015 | Barack Obama has promised a veto on the bill that would enable construction of the Keystone XL pipeline without a presidential permit...Given the political calculus was clear at the start, you might wonder why so many Democrats as well as Republicans voted for the measure. The answer may be money. Senators and representatives who voted for the measure received far more in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry than those who opposed it, according to an analysis by watchdog group MapLight dot org.

Congress passes Keystone XL bill, setting up veto showdown with Obama | 11 Feb 2015 | The House passed a bill to approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline Wednesday, setting the stage for the first veto showdown of the new Congress with President Obama. On a 270-152 vote that fell mostly along party lines, the House approved the bill, which has already cleared the Senate. The measure will now head to Obama's desk. The president has vowed to veto the measure. Only one Republican, Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), voted against the bill.

Native Americans gather in Montana to protest slaughter of Yellowstone bison | 11 Feb 2015 | Native American activists gathered in Montana's capital on Tuesday to protest the deaths of hundreds of Yellowstone National Park bison killed this year to ease the worries of Montana ranchers agri-terrorists about a cattle disease [?!?] carried by many park buffalo. The demonstration marked a week of protests over federal-state management of Yellowstone bison that entails culling the herd each winter when some animals cross from the park into neighboring Montana in search of food. "This is a new beginning to protect the bison and other wildlife in Indian country," Jimmy St. Goddard, a self-described spiritual leader of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana, said in a telephone interview from outside the Montana Capitol in Helena.

Mother and baby koalas cling to life as tree felled by logger's bulldozer | 4 Feb 2015 | Disturbing video has emerged of a mother and baby koala clinging for life as a tree they were living in was felled by a logger's bulldozer. (Video) Watch Loggers Cut Down a Tree While a Koala and Her Baby Cling On for Dear Life | 10 Feb 2015 | The video is hard to watch: A giant, screeching machine tears into a blue gum forest in Australia, felling a tree inhabited by a koala and her joey. In 37 seconds, the video captures the struggle for land between loggers and the tree-dwelling marsupial, whose numbers are declining across Australia as forests are razed to build housing developments and shopping malls. The mother survived the fall, but the health of the baby is not known, according to nonprofit group Friends of the Earth. [Even more heartbreaking than the video: No one opened fire on the terrorist who bulldozed the koalas' home.]

Aide to Jeb Bush PAC resigns after reports on racist, sexist remarks | 11 Feb 2015 | An aide to Jeb Bush's political action committee resigned Tuesday after a series of reports on sexist, racist, and homophobic remarks he'd made over the last several years. Ethan Czahor, whose hiring as the chief technology officer of Bush's Right to Rise PAC was announced Monday, came under fire almost immediately in his new post when it was discovered that he'd recently purged his Twitter feed of many offensive comments. Several of the tweets targeted women, referring to them as sl-ts.

Oregon attorney general orders Cylvia Hayes to disclose emails to The Oregonian-OregonLive | 12 Feb 2015 | Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum Thursday ordered Cylvia Hayes, fiancée of Gov. John Kitzhaber, to turn over to The Oregonian/OregonLive emails from her personal accounts relating to state business. In an order under the state public records law, Rosenblum rejected Hayes's claims that she was an honorary first lady with no duty to produce the emails. Hayes contended in fending off the requests for her emails that she held no formal government position and had no government authority. The order was signed by Rosenblum's deputy, Fred Boss. It gives Hayes seven days to comply with the Oregonian/OregonLive's request or sue to block their release.

Top Oregon Democrats, state treasurer ask Governor Kitzhaber to resign | 12 Feb 2015 | Top Oregon Democrats and the state treasurer on Thursday called on Governor John Kitzhaber to resign amid fallout over conflict-of-interest allegations involving his fiancée, and Oregon's secretary of state said she is ready to step into the job. Kitzhaber, a Democrat, is facing mounting pressure to resign amid a criminal corruption probe launched last week by the state attorney general over a possible conflict of interest between his fiancée's consulting contracts and her role in his office. Kitzhaber, who was elected to an unprecedented fourth term in November, issued a statement on Wednesday saying he has no intention of resigning.

U.S. Judge Orders Alabama Official to Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses | 12 Feb 2015 | A federal judge here ordered a county official, Don Davis, on Thursday to comply with her earlier ruling and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. "Judge Davis may not deny them a license on the ground that Plaintiffs constitute same-sex couples or because it is prohibited by the sanctity of marriage," Judge Callie V. S. Granade of Federal District Court wrote in her decision, referring to same-sex couples. The decision was an effort to clarify that Mr. Davis, the probate judge, should follow Judge Granade's earlier ruling striking down Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage, rather than a conflicting order from the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Roy S. Moore.

Kansas governor erases protections for LGBT state employees with executive order | 11 Feb 2015 | With a swipe of his pen, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback wiped out protections offered to state employees facing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Brownback, a Republican, issued the executive order Tuesday, doing away with an order enacted by his predecessor, former Gov. Kathleen Sibelius. In 2007 Sibelius issued an order expanding workplace protections to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of the state.

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