From the Trenches World Report

Washington’s Blog – by Carl Herman

(Satire): President Obama announced at a White House press conference today that a national video game contest would produce 100 US child winners to become Air Force “guest pilots” to kill real terrorists with Hellfire missiles from MQ-9 Reaper drones. Press conference excerpts:

President Obama: At our last press conference, we celebrated America’s 30 millionth war kill since WW2, moving past Hitler’s Nazis to #3 on the all-time kill list by governments (press members applaud). We said we’d put Abdul Al-Awlaki’s picture on Hellfire missiles for a “special occasion,” and here it is: we’re awarding 100 young Americans a 2-week terrorist-killing spree, with their families, just outside Las Vegas at Creech Air Force Base to remotely fly Reaper drones on real combat missions (“Ooh, ahh!” from press).   Continue reading “Obama launches video game contest: 100 child winners to drone-kill real terrorists”

End of American Dream – by Michael Snyder

Did you know that the U.S. government considers the U.S. border to be a “constitution-free zone”?  Did you know that customs officials can take your computer away from you, keep it for 30 days or more, and make a copy of everything that is on your hard drive?  Sadly, this is actually true.  According to the government, when you choose to cross the U.S. border you temporarily give up your constitutional rights.  They can look at anything on your computer that they want to, and if they find anything that violates any law, they can use it against you in court.  You may think twice about taking your computer out of the country after you read the rest of this article.   Continue reading “The U.S. Border: A Constitution-Free Zone Where Officials Can Grab Your Computer And Copy Your Hard Drive”

All Gov – by Noel Brinkerhoff

When Customs and Border Protection (CPB) first got its drones, the rationale for the acquisition was that the unmanned aircraft would help improve monitoring and surveillance along the U.S.-Mexico border.

But now, CPB may be thinking about arming its Predator drones with “non-lethal weapons.”   Continue reading “Border Patrol Set to Weaponize Drones”

Natural News – by J. D. Heyes

As a junior U.S. senator from Illinois, Barack Obama used his brief career to essentially snipe at President Bush and others in his administration over what he believed were a series of legal and constitutional abuses.

Most ironically Obama, in 2006, blasted Bush over his approval of warrantless domestic spying by the National Security Agency – spying that has not only continued since then but which was expanded exponentially under Obama. Then as now, both presidents claim authority to do so as commander-in-chief, in defense of the country, and under provisions of the USA Patriot Act.   Continue reading “Top 20 Obama scandals: The list”

RT News

AT&T has announced that it will begin selling customers’ smart phone data to the highest bidder, putting the telecommunications giant in line with Verizon, Facebook and other competitors that quietly use a consumer’s history for marketing purposes.

The company claims its new privacy policy, to be updated within “the next few weeks,” exists to “deliver more relevant advertising” to users based on which apps they use and their location, which is provided by GPS-tracking. Apparently recognizing the natural privacy concerns a customer might have, AT&T assured the public that all data would be aggregated and made anonymous to prevent individual identification.    Continue reading “AT&T joins Verizon, Facebook in selling customer data”

USA Today

SAN FRANCISCO — The CEO of Asiana Airlines on Sunday ruled out engine or mechanical problems in the crash of a Boeing 777 at San Francisco airport that killed two 16-year-old Chinese students and injured more than 180 people after it appeared to touch down tail-first short of the runway.

Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday that the black boxes from the Boeing 777 had been recovered were already en route to Washington, D.C.   Continue reading “Asiana CEO rules out mechanical failure in deadly crash”

RT News

Scientists have discovered more than 3,500 unique gene sequences in Lake Vostok – the underground Antarctic water reservoir isolated from the outside world for 15 million years – revealing a complex ecosystem far beyond anything they could have expected.

“The bounds on what is habitable and what is not are changing,” said Scott Rogers, Bowling Green State University professor of biological sciences, who led a genetic study of the contents of half a liter of water brought back from the lake after it was drilled by Russian scientists last year.    Continue reading “Lake Vostok mysteries: Biologists find over 3,500 life forms in isolated Antarctic basin”

Washington Examiner- by Michal Conger

State Department officials spent $630,000 to get more Facebook “likes,” prompting employees to complain to a government watchdog that the bureau was “buying fans” in social media, the agency’s inspector general says.

The department’s Bureau of International Information Programs spent the money to increase its “likes” count between 2011 and March 2013.   Continue reading “State Department bureau spent $630,000 on Facebook ‘likes’”

Guardian

Police in northern Brazil say one man has been arrested after a referee who fatally stabbed a player during a match was decapitated by spectators who stormed the field.

Local reports said the incident, which took place on 30 June in the remote Brazilian town of Pio XII, escalated when the player, 30-year-old Josenir dos Santos, became involved in an argument with the referee, Octavio da Silva.   Continue reading “Brazilian referee beheaded by spectators after he fatally stabs player”

RT News

As Washington officials continue to grapple with the fallout from the NSA scandal, it has been revealed that the US Postal Service photographs the outside of every piece of mail it processes each year – around 160 billion pieces annually.

At the request of law enforcement agencies, postal workers take pictures of the  letters and packages before they are delivered, the New York Times reported.   Continue reading “US Postal Service Photographing 160 Billion Letters Annually”

Mail.com

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s new president moved to assert his authority and regain control of the streets Saturday even as his Islamist opponents declared his powers illegitimate and issued blood oaths to reinstate Mohammed Morsi, whose ouster by the military has led to dueling protests and deadly street battles between rival sides.

But underscoring the sharp divisions facing the untested leader, Adly Mansour, his office said pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei had been named as interim prime minister but later backtracked on the decision saying consultations were continuing. A politician close to ElBaradei said the reversal was due to objections by an ultraconservative Islamist party with which the new administration wants to cooperate.   Continue reading “Egypt’s new president asserts authority”

Mail.com

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Popocatepetl volcano just east of Mexico City has spit out a cloud of ash and vapor 2 miles (3 kilometers) high over several days of eruptions, and Mexico City residents awoke Saturday to find a fine layer of volcanic dust on their cars.

It has been years since the center of the nation’s capital has seen a noticeable ash fall because prevailing winds usually blow the volcanic dust in other directions. Ash fell earlier this week in some neighborhoods on Mexico City’s south and east sides.   Continue reading “Mexico volcano spits 2 mile-high ash cloud”

Century Link – by FRANCES D’EMILIO – Associated Press

ROME (AP) — A fugitive Italian mobster, who allegedly arranged major shipments of South American cocaine to Europe each month and was one of the world’s most powerful drug brokers, has been captured in a Colombian shopping mall, authorities said Saturday.

Roberto Pannunzi “at the moment is the most important broker for cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe,” Gen. Andrea De Gennaro, an Italian anti-drug customs police official, was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency ANSA.   Continue reading “Top fugitive Italian cocaine boss nabbed in Bogota”

NBC News – by Michael Strong

President Barack Obama is looking for a new ride.

Not that his current limousine – dubbed “The Beast” or “Cadillac One” – isn’t faring well, but it’s a 2009 model, which he takes wherever he travels, and the Department of Homeland Security says it’s time for an upgrade.   Continue reading “Obama’s limo: Heavy armor, blood bank, night vision”

Cop Block – by Dustin McCaskill

Nearly three months later, the investigation into police murdering Chris and Stacey Stout has been completed.

Eight law enforcement agencies have turned over their reports for the D.A. to decide what should be done.   Continue reading “Oklahoma Police Kill Two, Investigation Complete”

Before It’s News – by Monica Davis

The US has been at war with Third World countries for more than 60 years.  Used as proxies for wars with larger communist realms, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nicaragua, El Salvador and countless stood as surrogates for larger communist regimes.

Now, the ideologies have turned toward free trade, market manipulation and resource acquisition. China is making inroads on the Monroe Doctrine, setting up mining operations in South America. And the US is looking to acquire African resources via manipulating military might through AFRICOM.   Continue reading “Will US And Germany Go To War Over Free Trade Spying?”