Obama expands lead in three tracking polls 08 Sep 2012 Maybe President Obama is getting a bit of a convention bounce after all. The president's lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney has expanded in three daily tracking polls since his convention ended in Charlotte on Thursday night. "The bump is actually happening. I know there was some debate whether it would happen... but it's here," said Ipsos pollster Julia Clark, reports Reuters.
Heads up! White House circulating draft of executive order on cybersecurity --Concept builds on section in cybersecurity bill from Sen. Joe LIEberman 06 Sep 2012 The White House is circulating a draft of an executive order aimed at protecting the country from cyberattacks, The Hill has learned. The draft proposal, which has been sent to relevant federal agencies for feedback, is a clear sign that the administration is resolved to take action on cybersecurity even as Congress remains gridlocked on legislation that would address the threat. According to the people familiar with the draft, the executive order would set up an inter-agency council that would be led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
FBI begins installation of $1 billion face recognition system across America 08 Sep 2012 The FBI has officially started rolling out a state-of-the-art face recognition project that will assist in their effort to accumulate and archive information about each and every American at a cost of a billion dollars. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reached a milestone in the development of their Next Generation Identification (NGI) program and is implementing the intelligence database in unidentified locales across the country, New Scientist reports this week. The FBI first outlined the project in 2005, explaining to the Justice Department in an August 2006 document that their new system will eventually serve as an upgrade to the current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) that keeps track of citizens with criminal records across America.
US Export-Import Bank backs $2 billion loan for UAE nuclear plant 09 Sep 2012 The U.S. Export-Import Bank said on Friday it authorized a $2 billion direct loan to Barakah One Co of the United Arab Emirates to purchase U.S. equipment and construction services to build one of the world’s largest nuclear power plants. The move comes as the United States and other Western powers continue to heap sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, which they believe is aimed at developing atomic weapons and Tehran says is for peaceful energy purposes.
Canada closes embassy in Iran, to expel Iranian diplomats 07 Sep 2012 Canada has closed its embassy in Iran and will expel all Iranian diplomats in Canada within five days, Foreign Minister John Baird said on Friday, denouncing Tehran as the biggest threat to global security [when, in reality, that would be the US and its Coalition of the Bribed]. "Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran have been suspended," Baird said. He cited Iran's nuclear program, its hostility toward Israel [!?!] and Iranian military assistance to the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, which is locked in civil war with [CIA-backed] rebels. He also said [in a 'Pot-Kettle' moment] Iran was a state sponsor of terrorism.
Judge: U.S. can't set limits on Guantanamo lawyers 06 Sep 2012 Four years after a Democratic convention replete with criticism of then-President [sic] George W. Bush for illegally exceeding his executive powers in places like Guantanamo, President Barack Obama finds his administration the target of a tongue-lashing from a federal judge over its handling of lawyers' access to those same war-on-terror prisoners. On Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth handed a resounding victory to Guantanamo inmates and their attorneys, rejecting a bid by the Obama Administration to unilaterally set the rules under which those lawyers operate. In his sharply-worded decision, Lamberth was unsparing in his criticism of the government, blasting officials for "an illegitimate exercise of Executive power."
The Obama administration and the cover-up of CIA torture 07 Sep 2012 On the eve of Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic Party nomination for reelection as president, a new report detailing the waterboarding and other forms of CIA torture meted out to Libyan detainees served to demolish the Democrats' image... Coming barely one week after Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, announced the Justice Department's shutting down of all investigations into CIA torture and other crimes committed in the "global war on terrorism," the report makes clear that the use of torture was far more extensive than previously acknowledged and underscores the continuing criminality of US foreign policy and both major political parties.
Two NATO oil tankers burned in Pakistan's Balochistan 07 Sep 2012 Militants in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan have torched two oil tankers bound for US-led NATO soldiers in neighboring Afghanistan, Press TV reported. The incident occurred on Friday when gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on NATO fuel containers in Dasht area in the Mastung district. The tankers were on the Quetta-Sibi highway when they came under fire.
Assailants torch two US-led NATO tankers in Pakistan 04 Sep 2012 Unknown assailants in southwestern Pakistan have torched two tankers carrying fuel to US-led NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan, Press TV reports. The accident took place in the Bolan district of Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan Province late on Monday when the assailants opened fire on the tankers and set them on fire. One of the drivers was wounded in the attack, according to security officials.
Teenage bomber kills six near NATO headquarters in Kabul 08 Sep 2012 A 14-year-old suicide bomber detonated explosives near the heavily barricaded NATO headquarters in Kabul on Saturday, killing six civilians including children, NATO and local officials said. The bomber wore a vest packed with explosives and rode right up to the NATO gates on a bicycle, underscoring the insurgents' ability to strike deep inside the Afghan capital.
Insurgents Carry Out Wave of Attacks Across Iraq 09 Sep 2012 Insurgents carried out a wave attacks and bombings across Iraq on Sunday that were aimed primarily at government security forces, gunning down soldiers at an army post and bombing police recruits waiting to apply for jobs.
Wave of attacks kills at least 64 in Iraq 09 Sep 2012 Insurgents killed at least 64 people in a wave of attacks against Iraqi security forces on Sunday, gunning down soldiers at an army post and bombing police recruits waiting in line to apply for jobs, officials said...The violence, which struck at least a dozen cities and wounded 285 people, highlighted militant attempts to sow havoc in the country and undermine the government.
Report: Germany Will Keep U.S. Nuclear Warheads 05 Sep 2012 Germany has agreed to NATO's plans to keep U.S. nuclear warheads in the country, military sources said. The sources told the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau that in addition to putting off plans to have the atomic weapons removed, the Berlin government has agreed to let the United States modernize them, The Local.de reported Wednesday. Officially there are between 10 and 20 nuclear bombs at the Buchel Air Base in Rhineland Palatinate.
Culture Wars: Topshop Style Notes - Modern Military Posted by Lori Price, www.legitgov.org 07 Sep 2012 The following summary is from Friday's email advertisement from Topshop, the stylish and edgy clothing line based in the UK. #BRITISHSTYLE - MODERN MILITARY -- Military goes chic. We're buttoning up the army trend in double-breasted coats, khaki shirts and boxy satchels, while championing tailoring to give an elegant edge to this traditionally tough look. Shop Modern Military. The Topshop webpage describes the new fashion trend: Get Ready for Round 2 - Soldier into the new season, military style. Soldier on with strictly utilitarian pieces from oversized shirts, army boots to this season's signature cross motif. Here are a few items listed on the Modern Military page: Military blue Baxter jean, contrast peplum military coat, smart military boots, knitted military jumper, and military shirt.
Did French Alps murder victim's secret work on space satellite contract make him prime assassination target? 08 Sep 2012 French detectives are to quiz work colleagues of murdered Briton Saad Al-Hilli, after they discovered he was killed while working on a secret contract for one of Europe's biggest defence companies. The inquiry's focus will switch to Surrey Satellites Technology Limited (SSTL) near Guildford this week when gendarmes will question the workforce about whether Mr Al-Hilli's job may have made him a target for assassination. As fears grew that Mr Al-Hilli and his family were the victims of contract killers, it emerged that: All four of the adults who died were shot twice in the head - the hallmark of professionals... The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Mr Al-Hilli was part of a team involved in an undisclosed project linked to European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) - a pan-European defence giant which has contracts with Russia, China and the Foreign Office.
Shell begins petroleum drilling in Chukchi Sea 09 Sep 2012 More than four years after Royal Dutch Shell [terrorists] paid $2.8 billion to the federal government for petroleum leases in the Chukchi Sea, a company vessel on Sunday morning sent a drill bit into the ocean floor, beginning preliminary work on an exploratory well 70 miles off the northwest coast of Alaska. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Aug. 30 that Shell would be permitted to begin preparation work at the Chukchi site even though the company's spill response barge has not been certified and is not positioned nearby.
Quebec's students provide a lesson in protest politics 07 Sep 2012 So this is how it's done. Students in Quebec, in rebellion against their government over tuition fees, have scored an amazing victory in the province's general elections...The Liberal government led by Jean Charest, which ran on a law-and-order platform against the students, has been defeated. Its plans to implement an 82% tuition fee increase are shredded for now, and the harsh emergency legislation it passed to quell the upsurge is history. Charest is resigning from politics. Two members of the leftist student group, Québec Solidaire, have been elected, and the party gained more than 6% of the popular vote.
Judge to allow Arizona to enforce key part of anti-illegal immigration law 05 Sep 2012 A federal judge in Arizona has rejected a last-ditch effort by civil liberties and immigrants' rights groups to block enforcement of a hotly-contested provision of Arizona's anti-illegal immigration law, S.B. 1070. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton said in an order Wednesday that she would not stand in the way of a provision in the law requiring police to determination the immigration status of people they encounter and suspect of being in the country illegally.
D*bt C*llectors Cashing In on Student Lo*ns 09 Sep 2012 As the number of people taking out government-backed student l*ans has exploded, so has the number who have fallen at least 12 months behind in making payments -- about 5.9 million people nationwide, up about a third in the last five years. In all, nearly one in every six borrowers with a loan balance is in default. The amount of defaulted loans - $76 billion - is greater than the yearly tuition bill for all students at public two- and four-year colleges and universities, according to a survey of state education officials.
August Jobs Report: U.S. Economy Adds 96,000 Jobs; Unemployment Rate Falls to 8.1 Percent 07 Sep 2012 U.S. employers added 96,000 jobs last month, a weak figure that could slow the momentum President Barack Obama hoped to gain from his speech Thursday night to the Democratic National Convention. The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in July. But that was only because more people gave up looking for jobs. People who are out of work are counted as unemployed only if they're looking for a job.
Another dismal US jobs report 08 Sep 2012 Last month, 368,000 people gave up looking for work, according to the monthly survey of households, which is used to calculate the unemployment figures. That survey also showed that the number of people who said they had a job fell by 119,000 in July...The most dramatic impact of the mass exodus from the labor force came from young adults...The unemployment rate for young people in the US rose to 16.8 percent last month, up from 16.4 percent.
Obama speech caps two weeks of demagogy and right-wing policies 07 Sep 2012 President Barack Obama's speech Thursday night accepting the Democratic Party nomination for reelection brought two weeks of political demagogy at the Republican and Democratic national conventions to a shameful and repulsive conclusion...In its banality, hollowness, self-glorification and unadulterated lying, Obama's address was typical of those delivered by the politicians of the two corporate-controlled parties that are vying for power in the 2012 election.
Democrats give labor the cold shoulder 06 Sep 2012 At first glance, the past week was a good one for the relationship between Democrats and the labor movement. In advance of Labor Day, the president and vice president issued proclamations supporting labor rights, and Tuesday saw three union heads speak to the Democratic National Convention, including United Auto Workers President Bob King in a prime-time speaking slot. But scratch the surface even a bit, and it's clear that such gestures obscure a fraught relationship between a working-class movement on hard times and a party all too happy to abandon it at the drop of a hat.
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