In a Reuters Exclusive, John Shiffman and Kristina Cooke reveal that the National Security Agency shares information it gleans from warrantless surveillance of Americans with the Special Operation Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency, which then uses the metadata to develop cases against US citizens. The DEA then routinely lies to the judge and defense […]
On Eve of “Peace Talks,” Israelis Subsidize their West Bank Colonies, build new Units
On the eve of resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestine, the far right Israeli nationalist government of Binyamin Netanyahu attempted to torpedo them with a series of provocative announcements. it announced that it would steal 100 acres of land from Palestinian families and build 240 housing units on it. The the same government […]
America’s Drone Tally in Pakistan and Yemen for July (Serle and Ross)
Jack Serle and Alice K Ross write at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism The CIA killed more people in Pakistan per strike than at any point since July 2012. US drones return to Yemen‘s skies and al Qaeda confirms the death of its deputy leader. UN report finds indications of increased US and UK involvement […]
How the GOP Libya Witch Hunt Made us Close our Mideast Embassies and Crippled US Diplomacy
About those US embassy closures in the Middle East: they make the US look like a wimp. The United States is still the world’s primary superpower, for better or worse, and it has the potential to influence the world in both positive and negative ways. At one extreme, its unique geopolitical position allows it to […]
How we lost our Constitution somewhere in Iraq and came back without it to Try Manning (van Buren)
Peter Van Buren writes at Tomdispatch.com On July 30, 1778, the Continental Congress created the first whistleblower protection law, stating “that it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United States to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds, or misdemeanors committed by any […]
The New Neros: The Koch Bros Profit from Burning the World Up (Halperin Infographic)
Courtesy Grist
Top 10 reasons to welcome departure of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Only the Neocons will miss Him
Since he won the Iranian presidential election in 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been an object of fear, vilification and ridicule in Washington DC. I said from the beginning that there was no evidence Iran had a nuclear weapons program under his presidency, and 8 years later he went out of office without one. I was […]
Tens of Thousands Rally to support Fundamentalist Government in Tunisia
Since the assassination of leftist leader Mohamed Brahmi of the Popular Front on July 25, Tunisia has been thrown into a new round of political turmoil. Thousands have gone to the streets to demonstrate against the center-right, religiously inflected government Ali Larayedh for not cracking down hard enough on Muslim extremists. The left and the […]
“Capturing football fields” of power – Offshore Wind-Wave Energy Farms in Japan and California
For the real-world project, look to Japan: “The world’s first hybrid power generation system is due to be installed off the coast of western Japan later this year. The offshore facility is designed to draw power from the wind and waves.” Here’s the video on the Japan Wind-Wave facility: And, for the theoretical basis for […]