Author: Admin

Raw Story – by Agence France-Presse

Scientists proposed developing a more potent strain of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on Wednesday to examine how mutant forms might spread among humans, a topic that has stoked global alarm in the past.

The announcement came a day after Chinese scientists reported the first likely case of person-to-person transmission of the H7N9 virus, which has killed 43 of the 134 people infected since March according to official figures.   Continue reading “Researchers propose new experiments on mutant bird flu”

Information Liberation – by Tim Cushing

There are rules for the common people and rules for their “leaders,” and only in rare cases do the same rules cover both. Chris Morran at the Consumerist points out how politicians (yet again) are being allowed to ignore the same laws that affect their constituents. Colorado legislators are immune from speeding tickets and parking tickets thanks to the special plates issued to lawmakers — ones that aren’t included in the DMV database.   Continue reading “Lawmakers Issued License Plates That Make Them ‘Invisible’ To Traffic Cams And Parking Tickets”

RT News

The US Department of Justice is investigating the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for using invasive surveillance techniques, including wiretapping and logging telephone records into a database, to track Americans connected to illegal drug activity.

It comes after Reuters published a Monday report revealing that a shadowy DEA unit known as the Special Operative Division (SOD) – made up of officials from the FBI, CIA, NSA, IRS, and Department of Homeland Security – funnels information gathered by the DEA to those and other police agencies. Information from DEA wiretaps, informants, and the database of telephone records is passed on, often to investigations bearing no relevance to national security.    Continue reading “US drug agency unit to be investigated for wiretapping, lying about evidence sources”

Judicial Watch

After mocking U.S. law, a group of illegal immigrants who self-deported in a publicity stunt will get a crack at asylum because the Obama administration has determined they have a “credible fear of persecution or torture” in their native Mexico.

It would be laughable if it wasn’t so enraging. This new fear of persecution and torture was notably absent a few weeks ago when the group of illegal immigrants, known as the “Dream 9,” voluntarily flew across the border into Mexico to protest the deportations of thousands of their comrades. A group known as National Immigrant Youth Alliance organized and promoted the event and the mainstream media quickly labeled it a “brazen protest.”   Continue reading “U.S. May Give Self-Deported “Dreamers” Asylum”

Consumerist – by Chris Morran

Even though Bank of America execs appear to have avoided criminal prosecution for their part in the recent economic collapse, BofA continues to be slapped upside its head with civil suits for its bad behavior. The latest comes from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, which sued BofA and a number of its affiliates, alleging the defendants misled investors by telling them that mortgage-backed securities were A-OK, when in fact they were more toxic than a house full of lead paint and asbestos.   Continue reading “DOJ Sues Bank of America For Lying About Sketchy Mortgage-Backed Securities”

AlterNet – by Nicole Flatow, Think Progress

As law enforcement officers continue to ramp up use of a controversial practice known as civil forfeiture, police are seizing cash, cars, houses, and other assets in the name of drug enforcement without ever having arrested or charged their owners with a crime. Funds collected from these seizures frequently go directly back into law enforcement, creating a dangerous profit incentive for police and other law enforcers.   Continue reading “Shocking Stories of Police Taking Cash, Cars, Even Infants from People Never Accused of a Crime”

CNN –  by Elise Labott and Mohammed Tawfeeq

A pair of suspected U.S. drone strikes killed four al Qaeda militants in Yemen as the United States maintained a heightened security alert in the country and urged all Americans to leave immediately.

Security sources told CNN about the strikes but didn’t offer additional details. A Yemeni official said four drone strikes have been carried out in the past 10 days.   Continue reading “Drone strikes kill militants in Yemen; Americans urged to leave”

Freeman’s Perspective – by Paul Rosenburg

Every now and then I like to look at government numbers and see what they really mean. I ran into this batch several months ago but hadn’t had time to play with them till now. What I found shocked me so badly that I ran them three times on a calculator and once using exponents. As you’ll see below, these are “Oh my God” numbers.

Here are facts:   Continue reading “Why are your Children Buying Houses for Ben Bernanke?”

Beyond the Mainstream – by orwellwasright

It is perceived wisdom throughout the Western world – particularly America – that the dropping of two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was “necessary” to end the war with Japan. Printed throughout textbooks in the post-war world, the understanding is that, had these targets not been struck, the war would have waged on indefinitely, with potentially untold American soldier and Japanese civilian deaths.

As the world commemorates the 68th anniversary of the attacks, however, it is important to take a step back and view the catastrophic event not through the prism of propaganda and mythologizing, but instead through the lens of historical scrutiny. For, as if often the case, the disparity between “Official History” and reality is characterized by lies and deceptions bolstered by patriotism and American exceptionalism.   Continue reading “Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Big Historical Lie”

Continue reading “Anti-Tor malware reported back to the NSA”

Costa Rica Star – by Jaime Lopez

A curious cargo airlift operation recently took place at the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR), in the northern province of Guanacaste. According to a news report by Alvaro Sanchez from online news daily CRHoy, nearly 24 tons of cocaine were loaded onto a United States Air Force transport aircraft. The destination of the controversial payload? Miami, a city that once held the infamous title of “Cocaine Capital of the World.”   Continue reading “Snow Job: U.S. Air Force Flies Cocaine from Costa Rica to Miami”

Politico – by KYLE CHENEY

CENTREVILLE, Va. — A race to define Obamacare to the masses began today between the stacks at the Centreville Library. Over pizza in Decatur, Texas. And with a glass of wine in Naples, Fla.

Dozens of communities around the country hosted pro-Obamacare events, convened by the president’s foot soldiers at Organizing for Action. The series is the first salvo in what is fixing to be a month of high-stakes health care spin. When Congress returns from its summer recess in early September, there will be less than a month until Obamacare’s most sweeping coverage programs start signing up customers in new health insurance exchanges.   Continue reading “Only 1 Person Showed up for Pro-Obamacare Event in Virginia”

Reuters – by John Shiffman and Kristina Cooke

A secretive U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration unit is funneling information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records to authorities across the nation to help them launch criminal investigations of Americans.

Although these cases rarely involve national security issues, documents reviewed by Reuters show that law enforcement agents have been directed to conceal how such investigations truly begin – not only from defense lawyers but also sometimes from prosecutors and judges.   Continue reading “U.S. directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans”