From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
LOS ANGELES — The FBI is leading the investigation of a hostage situation at a California hospital — but it’s not people who were being held, it was the hospital’s computer system.
Inside Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital, computer screens were dark since hackers took over the data network almost two weeks ago. Continue reading “California hospital computer system taken “hostage””
Iraq is searching for “highly dangerous” radioactive material stolen last year, according to an environment ministry document and seven security, environmental and provincial officials who fear it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State.
The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford WFT.N, the document seen by Reuters showed and officials confirmed. Continue reading “Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security fears”
The FBI and Apple are fighting over modern technology using a very old law. A 227-year-old statute, created at the same time as the federal courts themselves, is now at the center of a showdown about privacy.
The FBI wants Apple to write custom software that will help the FBI break into a seized phone. Apple doesn’t want to do that, because it would be creating a serious security flaw in its own privacy protections, a flaw that could be exploited to hurt its millions of customers. Depending on how the All Writs Act is interpreted by a judge, Apple may have to comply. Continue reading “The 227-Year-Old Statute Being Used to Order Apple to Endanger Your Privacy, Explained”
British Typhoon fighter jets intercepted two Russian Tu-160 bomber planes heading towards British airspace on Wednesday, a spokeswoman from the Ministry of Defence said.
The British aircraft were scrambled from a Royal Air Force base in eastern England and escorted the Russian planes while they flew in an area which is closely monitored by Britain, but outside its territorial airspace. Continue reading “Britain scrambles fighters to intercept Russian bombers”
The Salt Lake Tribune – by Pamela Manson
A federal magistrate on Tuesday ordered a Utahn charged with conspiracy in the armed takeover of a wildlife refuge in Oregon to be detained, ruling the defendant is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Wesley Kjar, a 32-year-old Manti native who lives in Salt Lake City, will be sent to Oregon to face prosecution there. Continue reading “Utahn who allegedly served as Ammon Bundy’s bodyguard will face charge in Oregon”
Washington Post – by Simon Denyer
BEIJING — China apparently has deployed surface-to-air missile batteries on a disputed island in the South China Sea, officials in Taiwan and the United States said, even as President Obama met leaders from nations making rival maritime claims in the region.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that it had “grasped that Communist China had deployed” missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel group, and urged “relevant parties to refrain from any unilateral measure that would increase tensions.” Continue reading “Chinese missiles apparently deployed in South China Sea as Obama meets rivals”
The debate over encryption has reached new heights in a legal battle between Apple and the FBI.
In response to a federal magistrate’s order requiring Apple to assist the agency in accessing data from the phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters, the company is pushing back, pledging to challenge the request in the name of its customers’ privacy. Continue reading “Apple vows to fight federal order to unlock San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone”
The Obama administration will officially sign onto last year’s international climate change pact, despite its top policy being put on ice by the Supreme Court.
Todd Stern, the State Department’s top climate diplomat and negotiator for last year’s Paris agreement, said Tuesday that the Supreme Court’s judicial stay last week of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan doesn’t change the administration’s plans. Continue reading “Obama to sign Paris climate pact despite SCOTUS stay”
Sent to us by Patricia.
Oathkeepers – by Stewart Rhodes
Recording of phone call by Oath Keepers to Lavoy Finicum, two days before his death, urging him and the Bundy brothers to make a “lateral, tactical move” to a constitutional sheriff’s county, to continue to spread the message of western land rights and organizing ranchers, under the protection of a strong sheriff, and warning him that all indicators pointed to the “the powers that be” being mere days away from shutting down their ability to spread that message, one way or another. Continue reading “Audio of Haunting Oath Keepers Phone Call With LaVoy Finicum Two Days Before His Death”
Thanks to MorningStar.
Oregon legislators are rushing through a bill aimed at protecting the identity of the Oregon State Police officer who shot and killed Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation leader Robert LaVoy Finicum after hearing that the officer faces potential death threats.
House Bill 4087, which would allow the police to ask a judge to bar release of the shooter’s name for 90 days at a time, is now headed to the House floor after State Police Superintendent Richard Evans Jr. described how police and other government officials in Burns faced a series of threats and intimidating behavior before and during the 41-day occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Continue reading “Lawmakers Rush Bill To Shield Name Of Officer Who Shot LaVoy Finicum”
The Syrian government has confirmed that its army positions were targeted by Turkish shelling on Saturday, which also hit the positions of the Syrian Kurdish militias in the northern Aleppo province. Turkish shelling reportedly continued Sunday.
The Syrian government has condemned the Turkish shelling of Syrian territory and described it as direct support for“terrorist” groups, Syrian state media reported Sunday, citing a letter to the United Nations. Continue reading “Damascus confirms its army targeted by Turkey shelling”
A federal appeals court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling that kept a lid on a handful of documents related to a lawsuit from Congress over the Obama administration’s botched “Fast and Furious” operation.
The ruling does not necessarily mean that the eight documents will be released. Instead, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit merely referred the matter back to a lower court to seek clarity about another judge’s order. Continue reading “Court overturns order keeping ‘Fast and Furious’ documents secret”
Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid wants the government to provide certain illegal immigrants with government-funded lawyers.
“Under current U.S. law, there is no right to appointed counsel in non-criminal immigration removal proceedings, even if the person in question is a child. Imagine that,” Reid said on the Senate floor Thursday. “The humanitarian crisis at our doorstep demands that we, as Americans, affirm our fundamental values of protection and due process.” Continue reading “Harry Reid Moves to Provide Illegal Immigrants with Government-Funded Lawyers”
President Obama will roll out new protections for 1.8 million acres of land in southern California’s desert, designating it as a trio of national monuments.
The new monuments will almost double the amount of land Obama has set aside for conservation.
It brings the total land and water Obama has unilaterally protected under the Antiquities Act to about 265 million acres, far more than any previous president. Continue reading “Obama sets aside 1.8M California desert acres as monument”
The Clinton Foundation was subpoenaed last fall by State Department investigators for records relating to charity projects that might have come before the department when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, a source confirmed Thursday.
The development was first reported by The Washington Post. A representative for the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation confirmed the details to Fox News. Continue reading “State Dept. IG subpoenaed Clinton Foundation in 2015”
BURNS, Ore. — All four holdouts at the Malheur refuge have surrendered.
Three of the four remaining occupiers had surrendered around 9 a.m. but David Fry was holding out. He surrendered around 11 a.m. and is in custody of the FBI.
For two hours after the three surrendered, Fry was on a phone call with the FBI, a blogger and supporters of the occupation. He described himself as suicidal and that his grievances have not been heard and acted upon. Continue reading “Last remaining occupier surrenders at Malheur Wildlife Refuge”
BURNS, Ore. — Three of the four holdouts at the Malheur refuge have surrendered without incident to the police.
David Fry was holding out. As of shortly before 10 a.m., he was telling live to Gavin Seim, a blogger, that he never agreed to come out like the other three. He described himself as suicidal and that his grievances have not been heard and acted upon. Continue reading “Three occupiers have surrendered, Fry holding out – Live Feed”
A North Dakota police officer who was shot during a standoff with a domestic violence suspect sustained a ‘non-survivable’ wound, Fargo’s police chief said early Thursday.
The officer, identified as Jason Moszer, 33, responded to the scene of the standoff and parked near a home where the unidentified suspect had barricaded himself. The suspect fired several times, striking Moszer. Continue reading “Fargo police officer shot during standoff has ‘non-survivable’ wound, chief says”
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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ position on one of the medical marijuana bills being considered by the Utah State Legislature certainly puts it in a difficult spot.
“Well it makes it more difficult,” Senate President Wayne Niederhauser told reporters on Monday. “I don’t know if I would characterize it as dead on arrival.” Continue reading “LDS Church stance on medical marijuana ‘makes it more difficult’ to pass, Senate President says”
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sister Mary Benedicte wants to focus on feeding the hungry lined up outside a soup kitchen in a gritty part of San Francisco.
But the city’s booming economy means even seedy neighborhoods are demanding higher rents, threatening to force out an order of nuns who serve the homeless. Continue reading “Nuns who help homeless face eviction in San Francisco”