From the Trenches World Report

McClatchy DC – by MARISA TAYLOR

WASHINGTON — U.S. agencies collected and shared the personal information of thousands of Americans in an attempt to root out untrustworthy federal workers that ended up scrutinizing people who had no direct ties to the U.S. government and simply had purchased certain books.

Federal officials gathered the information from the customer records of two men who were under criminal investigation for purportedly teaching people how to pass lie detector tests. The officials then distributed a list of 4,904 people – along with many of their Social Security numbers, addresses and professions – to nearly 30 federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the CIA, the National Security Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.   Continue reading “Americans’ personal data shared with CIA, IRS, others in security probe”

Mail.com

SEATTLE (AP) — Despite warnings that production of Boeing’s next generation 777 plane could go to another state, machinists in the Northwest voted late Wednesday to reject a contract proposal that would have exchanged concessions for decades of secure jobs.

In response, the Boeing Co. said it would begin a bid process to find a home for its 777 X production line. Members of The International Association of Machinists District 751 rejected the proposal with 67 percent of the votes. Union members who called for a no vote did so in protest of Boeing’s push to end a traditional pension plan and increase their health care costs. Workers would have received a $10,000 signing bonus if they approved the deal.   Continue reading “Boeing workers reject plan linked to 777X in Wash.”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bowing to pressure, President Barack Obama on Thursday announced changes to his health care law to give insurance companies the option to keep offering consumers plans that would otherwise be canceled.

The administrative changes are good for just one year, though senior administration officials said they could be extended if problems with the law persist. Obama announced the changes at the White House.   Continue reading “Policy cancellations: Obama will allow old plans”

Mail.com

CLEVELAND (AP) — A mysterious defendant in a $100 million, cross-country Navy veterans charity fraud case was convicted Thursday of racketeering, theft, money laundering and other charges.

Jurors deliberated for about three hours Wednesday before reaching guilty verdicts on all 23 counts. They heard nothing from the ex-fugitive, who changed his mind and decided against testifying. His attorney said he wanted to tell his story but worried about his mental state if he faced aggressive cross-examination by prosecutors.   Continue reading “Ohio jury convicts ex-fugitive in $100M fraud case”

Mail.com

BOSTON (AP) — Former Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for his murderous reign in the 1970s and ’80s, bringing to a close a case that exposed FBI corruption so deep that many people across the city thought he would never be brought to justice.

Bulger, 84, was defiant to the end, calling his trial on racketeering charges a sham and refusing to testify or provide information to probation officials preparing a sentencing report for the judge. A jury convicted Bulger in August in a broad racketeering indictment that included murder, extortion, money-laundering and weapons charges. The jury convicted Bulger in 11 of the 19 killings he was charged with participating in but acquitted him of seven and could not reach a conclusion on an eighth.   Continue reading “Whitey Bulger gets life for racketeering, killings”

PR Web

Legendary investor and financial commentator tells Birch Gold Group that everyone should own precious metals as an insurance policy against a stock market crash and the declining dollar.

“We’re all losing the currency wars,” says legendary investor Jim Rogers in an exclusive interview released by Birch Gold Group. And he predicts that “as long as the politicians can continue to print money,” the problem will get worse.   Continue reading “Jim Rogers Warns of “Serious Collapse” of Financial Markets in Interview With Birch Gold Group”

ZD Net – by Violet Blue, Pulp Tech

Google’s war on anonymity during its involvement in NSA controversy has imploded as its move to force YouTube commenters to use Google Plus – and its unwanted “real name” policy – has backfired.

On November 6, Google changed its YouTube property to only allow comments from Google Plus accounts, thus de-anonymizing commenters, as the principal element of its site-wide comments overhaul.  Continue reading “Forced Google Plus integration on YouTube backfires, petition hits 112,000”

Continue reading “Politics”

RT News – by Robert Bridge

NATO is constructing a bold, new headquarters in Brussels, but the $1 billion project is raising eyebrows at a time of economic hardship and military spending cuts. It also suggests the Western military bloc is here to stay.

The sprawling steel-and-glass complex, which features four extending claw-like structures extending on both sides and a grandiose 105-foot-high (32 meters) entrance, will be headquarters for more than 4,000 NATO staff from the 28 member states starting in 2016.    Continue reading “Ego building? NATO erects $1bn HQ as members slash military spending”

RT News

Details of a highly secretive, multi-national trade agreement long in works have been published by WikiLeaks, and critics say there will be major repercussions for much of the modern world if it’s approved in this incarnation.

The anti-secrecy group published on Wednesday a 95-page excerpt taken from a recent draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, a NAFTA-like agreement that is expected to encompass nations representing more than 40 percent of the world’s gross domestic product when it is finally approved: the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei.    Continue reading “TPP Uncovered: WikiLeaks releases draft of highly-secretive multi-national trade deal”

Mail.com

LONDON (AP) — A strain of bird flu that scientists thought could not infect people has shown up in a Taiwanese woman, a nasty surprise that shows scientists must do more to spot worrisome flu strains before they ignite a global outbreak, doctors say.

On a more hopeful front, two pharmaceuticals separately reported encouraging results from human tests of a possible vaccine against a different type of bird flu that has been spreading in China since first being identified last spring, which is feared to have pandemic potential.   Continue reading “Bird flu strain infects human for 1st time”

Yahoo News

Washington (AFP) – Two US Secret Service agents have been removed from President Barack Obama’s security detail for alleged misconduct, The Washington Post has reported.

The move came a year after the agency was involved in a prostitution scandal in Colombia.   Continue reading “Two Obama secret service agents ‘removed over misconduct’”

Daily Mail – by HAYLEY O’KEEFFE

A man has died after drinking a massive overdose of liquid crystal meth after mistaking it for a health drink.

Romano Dias, 55, had been given a bottle of what appeared to be a fruit-based drink by his daughter Katee, who had found it in a package delivered to her home.   Continue reading “Man dies after accidentally drinking £34,000 of crystal meth thinking it was a HEALTH DRINK”

Imperial College London – by Sam Wong

A drug that mimics some effects of alcohol but lacks its harmful properties would have real benefit for public health, a leading scientist has argued.

Professor David Nutt, the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, has identified candidate molecules that reproduce the pleasurable effects of alcohol but are much less toxic. He is looking for investors to help develop the product and bring it to the market.   Continue reading “Synthetic alcohol substitute could eliminate health risks – and hangovers”