Author: Sunfire

How convenient, a plea bargain with a life in prison sentence.  More likely he’ll get a new identification and be sent on his next assignment, provided he doesn’t get killed first.

RT News

The American soldier behind one of the worst atrocities during the war in Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of 16 villagers during a nighttime rampage, has agreed to plead guilty in a deal designed to avoid the death penalty.   Continue reading “US Army sergeant behind Afghanistan atrocity makes bid to avoid execution”

This could almost be laughable if the subject wasn’t so serious.  With the Federal Reserve printing more and more worthless fiat currency with “QE to Eternity” and the continual daily theft of our natural resources combined with an endless influx of illegal insurgents, it is not a matter of if, but when the dollar finally collapses.    Continue reading “Dollar could be in danger as the world’s currency”

RT News

The number and value of overdue student loans has reached an all-time high in the US as nearly a third of 20- to 24-year-olds are currently unemployed, according to a report by the Department of Education.

With continued concern regarding rising college costs, the amount of outstanding student loans has now reached $1 trillion, making that the largest category of consumer debt in the US aside from home mortgages.   Continue reading “Delinquent US student loans hit record high, with over $100 billion past due”

Oregon Live – by Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian

The 17-year-old student accused by officials this week of planning to detonate bombs at West Albany High School will be charged as an adult on suspicion of attempted aggravated murder, according to Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson.

Grant Alan Acord was arrested Thursday night on two counts of possession of a destructive device and two counts of manufacture of a destructive device after police received a tip.   Continue reading “Albany teen in alleged bomb plot to be charged as adult with attempted aggravated murder”

RT News

Bank lobbyists have a direct influence on financial legislation drafted in Congress, and are in some cases even writing the measures themselves. Citigroup this month drafted a regulation bill that has already passed through a House committee.

To soften financial regulations, bank lobbyists frequently ‘assist’ lawmakers in writing draft legislation that serves to benefit them at the expense of American taxpayers, according to a New York Times investigation.   Continue reading “Wall Street is writing its own regulation bill”

“Unknown”?  Who are they kidding?!?

RT News

A mysterious respiratory illness has claimed the lives of two people in southeast Alabama, and caused five other hospitalizations. The illness has left health officials baffled, who have no idea what this disease is or where it originated.   Continue reading “Deadly unknown respiratory disease kills two in Alabama”

RT News

More than 85,000 US veterans received medical treatment for sex abuse trauma in 2012, while only 4,000 applied for disability benefits. The numbers portray the shocking long-term consequences of sex abuse, days after the Pentagon acknowledged the problem.   Continue reading “Ongoing military rape epidemic: 85k vets treated for sex abuse in 2012”

RT News

The biggest thing to come out of Texas may turn out to be a blow to Internet freedoms: legislators there are considering a bill that would compromise privacy on the Web for all residents of the Lone Star State.

Lawmakers in the State Senate are expected to vote Monday on a bill that, if passed, would compel Internet Service Providers (ISPs) anywhere in the world to fork over private Web records if that information could aid in a criminal investigation.   Continue reading “Texas votes on its own CISPA-like cyber bill”

RT News

The federal government has proposed a new set of national fracking rules that would weaken disclosure requirements. The proposal allows ‘trade secrets’ to remain unknown from the public, which has distressed environmental groups.

The US Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Thursday released its proposed update to hydraulic fracturing regulations, which would be the first update in three decades.   Continue reading “US weakens fracking rules”

RT News

Leaders from 11 Native American tribes stormed out of a meeting with US federal officials in Rapid City, South Dakota, to protest the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which they say will lead to ‘environmental genocide.’

Native Americans are opposed to the 1,179-mile (1,897km) Keystone XL project, a system to transport tar sands oil from Canada and the northern United States to refineries in Texas for various reasons, including possible damage to sacred sites, pollution, and water contamination.   Continue reading “‘Environmental genocide’: Native Americans quit talks over Keystone XL pipeline”

RT News

An audit of the Colorado Department of Corrections has revealed that hundreds of inmates have been given incorrect prison sentences, meaning some freshly released parolees will be forced back behind bars while others have been incarcerated for too long.

Though only a fraction of the audit has been completed, the examination has already found “serious questions” in the sentences of some 349 convicts, according to the Denver Post. Judges have amended 56 of those errors and are in the process of clearing the rest.    Continue reading “Colorado auditing prison files over hundreds of misapplied sentences”

Mail.com

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH (AP) — A drone the size of a fighter jet took off from the deck of an American aircraft carrier for the first time Tuesday in a test flight that could eventually open the way for the U.S. to launch unmanned aircraft from just about any place in the world.

The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier, meaning the U.S. military would not need permission from other countries to use their bases. “As our access to overseas ports, forward operating locations and airspace is diminished around the world, the value of the aircraft carrier and the air wing becomes more and more important,” Rear Adm. Ted Branch, commander of Naval Air Forces Atlantic, said after the flight off the Virginia coast. “So today is history.   Continue reading “US launches drone from aircraft carrier”

Optimum

A dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds.

This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They’re engineered not to develop ugly black bruises – McDonald’s, which gets many of its fries from Simplot, rejects those. They’re also designed to have less of a natural but potentially cancer-causing neurotoxin, acrylamide.   Continue reading “Idaho spud giant bets on biotech potatoes”

RT News

A drone developed by the US Navy has broken its own endurance record by staying in the air for just over 48 hours. The ‘Ion Tiger’ used a new cryogenic tank for the liquid hydrogen fuel feeding its fuel cells to achieve the breakthrough.

Keeping a drone in the air as long as possible is a chief task for a UAV operator, especially in surveillance. One approach is to use fuel that packs a lot of energy for its volume, like hydrocarbons; drones like the MQ-9 Reaper can fly for 30 hours without landing for refueling.   Continue reading “US Navy’s liquid hydrogen drone flies for record 48 hours”

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — A worldwide gang of criminals stole $45 million in a matter of hours by hacking their way into a database of prepaid debit cards and then draining cash machines around the globe, federal prosecutors said Thursday — and outmoded U.S. card technology may be partly to blame.

Seven people are under arrest in the U.S. in connection with the case, which prosecutors said involved thousands of thefts from ATMs using bogus magnetic swipe cards carrying information from Middle Eastern banks. The fraudsters moved with astounding speed to loot financial institutions around the world, working in cells including one in New York, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said.   Continue reading “Feds in NYC: Hackers stole $45M in ATM card breach”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force stripped an unprecedented 17 officers of their authority to control — and, if necessary, launch — nuclear missiles after a string of unpublicized failings, including a remarkably dim review of their unit’s launch skills. The group’s deputy commander said it is suffering “rot” within its ranks.   Continue reading “Air Force sidelines 17 ICBM officers”

RT News

As the US economic forecast moves from fragile to cautiously optimistic, most young people are still searching for a paycheck. Over half of the Americans who graduated college in 2011 and 2012 are either unemployed or overqualified for their current job.   Continue reading “Student debt, job market creating ‘generation of wage slavery’”

RT News

A US military contractor was allegedly hacked by those associated with the Chinese military. The company reportedly ignored signs of security breaches, allowing hackers to access military technology and classified documents for three years.

QinetiQ North America was attacked by a Shanghai-based hacker group from 2007 to 2010, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The hacking collective has been coined the “Comment Crew” by security experts.   Continue reading “US military secrets leaked to Chinese hackers for three years”