Citizens for Legitimate Government: 8 July 2013

Tritium soaring in water at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant 07 Jul 2013 Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Sunday that 600,000 becquerels per liter of tritium has been detected in groundwater at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The water, sampled Friday, came from an observation well about 6 meters west of the plant's port. On Wednesday, the tritium level in the same well was 510,000 becquerels per liter, Tepco said. The utility also said it had measured, on Wednesday, a seawater tritium level of 2,300 becquerels per liter -- the highest so far -- near the water intakes of reactors 1 to 4.

Crash survivor says everyone on plane had to be interviewed by FBI before they could be allowed to leave 06 Jul 2013 Moments after Asiana Airlines flight 214 stopped its violent crash landing, a voice came over the plane's intercom to say it had landed safely and everyone should stay in their seats, a passenger told ABC News. Within minutes, however, flames could be seen outside the plane's windows and smoke was seeping into the cabin... The ordeal didn't end after their evacuation. Lee Jang Hyung said he was somewhere in the airport, but he didn't know where. They were told that everyone on the plane had to be interviewed by the FBI before they could be allowed to leave.

Bin Laden raid files reportedly purged from Pentagon computers, sent to CIA 08 Jul 2013 The nation's top special operations commander ordered military files about the Navy SEAL raid on 'Usama bin Laden's' hideout to be purged from Defense Department computers and sent to the CIA, where they could be more easily shielded from ever being made public. The secret move, described briefly in a draft report by the Pentagon's inspector general, set off no alarms within the Obama administration even though it appears to have sidestepped federal rules and perhaps also the Freedom of Information Act. An acknowledgement by Adm. William McRaven of his actions was quietly removed from the final version of an inspector general's report published weeks ago. The CIA, noting that the 'bin Laden' mission was overseen by then-CIA Director Leon Panetta before he became defense secretary, said that the SEALs were effectively assigned to work temporarily for the CIA, which has presidential authority to conduct covert operations. [Right, and here's why nearly every SEAL connected to the so-called bin Laden raid has mysteriously died: News of Bin Laden's Death and Funeral - December 2001.]

In Secret, Court Vastly Broadens Powers of N.S.A. 07 Jul 2013 In more than a dozen classified rulings, the nation's surveillance court has created a secret body of law giving the National Security Agency the power to amass vast collections of data on Americans while pursuing not only terrorism suspects, but also people possibly involved in nuclear proliferation, espionage and cyberattacks, officials say. The rulings, some nearly 100 pages long, reveal that the court has taken on a much more expansive role by regularly assessing broad constitutional questions and establishing important judicial precedents, with almost no public scrutiny, according to current and former officials familiar with the court's classified decisions. The 11-member Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as the FISA court, was once mostly focused on approving case-by-case wiretapping orders. But since major changes in legislation and greater judicial oversight of intelligence operations were instituted six years ago, it has quietly become almost a parallel Supreme Court, serving as the ultimate arbiter on surveillance issues and delivering opinions that will most likely shape intelligence practices for years to come, the officials said.

Agreements with private companies protect U.S. access to cables' data for surveillance 06 Jul 2013 The U.S. government had a problem: Spying in the digital age required access to the fiber-optic cables traversing the world's oceans, carrying torrents of data at the speed of light. And one of the biggest operators of those cables was being sold to an Asian firm, potentially complicating American surveillance efforts. Enter "Team Telecom." This "Network Security Agreement," signed in September 2003 by Global Crossing, became a model for other deals over the past decade as foreign investors increasingly acquired pieces of the world's telecommunications infrastructure.

The NSA's mass and indiscriminate spying on Brazilians 07 Jul 2013 I've [Glenn Greenwald] [co-]written an article on NSA surveillance for the Sunday edition of O Globo, the Brazilian newspaper based in Rio de Janeiro. The article is headlined (translated) "US spied on millions of emails and calls of Brazilians", and I co-wrote it with Globo reporters Roberto Kaz and Jose Casado. The rough translation of the article into English is here.

Snowden says Western states 'in bed with NSA' 07 Jul 2013 Fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden said the US National Security Agency operates broad secret spying partnerships with other Western governments now complaining about its programmes, in an interview published Sunday. Snowden said in comments made before his exposure of US espionage practices came to light last month and printed in German news weekly Der Spiegel that NSA spies are "in bed together with the Germans and most other Western states". In remarks published in German, Snowden said an NSA department known as the Foreign Affairs Directorate coordinated work with foreign secret services.

Snowden Claims: NSA Ties Put German Intelligence in Tight Spot 07 Jul 2013 The German foreign intelligence service knew more about the activities of the NSA in Germany than previously known. "They're in bed together," Edward Snowden claims in an interview in SPIEGEL. The whistleblower also lodges fresh allegations against the British... SPIEGEL reporting also indicates that cooperation between the NSA and Germany's foreign intelligence service, the BND, is more intensive than previously known.

Israeli doctors to advise US on Guantanamo hunger strikers 08 Jul 2013 Officials from the Israeli Medical Association have been invited to the U.S. to present policy makers there with their methods of handling hunger strikers, as the U.S. administration comes under fire for its own practice of force-feeding of Guantanamo Bay detention camp prisoners who refuse to eat. The invitation followed the officials remarks on the matter at a convention at Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health, one of the most prestigious medical faculties. Israeli policies regarding hunger strikers were formulated in a position paper of the IMA in February 2005.

DU Draws Heat for Plan to Present Bush with 'Improving Human Condition' Award --University's Korbel School of International Studies selected former president [sic] for honor at 2013 annual dinner 03 Jul 2013 Hundreds of students, staffers and alumni are protesting the University of Denver's decision to honor former President unelected sociopath George W. Bush with an award traditionally recognizing recipients for their work on behalf of humanity. "It's been mostly just a lot of surprise," Seth Masket, associate professor of Political Science said of the award to be bestowed by the University's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. On June 23, Christine Hart - a 2012 Korbel graduate with a master's degree in human rights – saw the announcement and wrote a petition objecting to her alma mater's choice of honoree. [Sadly, the petition may not work. Protesters need to *shut that insane dinner down.*]

At least 51 killed in Egypt, Islamists call for uprising 08 Jul 2013 At least 51 people were killed on Monday when demonstrators enraged by the military overthrow of Egypt's elected Islamist president said the army opened fire during morning prayers outside the Cairo barracks where Mohamed Mursi is believed held. But the military said "a terrorist group" tried to storm the Republican Guard compound and one army officer had been killed and 40 wounded. Soldiers returned fire when they were attacked by armed assailants, according to a military source. In the deadliest incident since Mursi's removal, emergency services said more than 430 were wounded.

Bahaa el-Dinlikely to become Egypt interim PM: Presidential spokesman 07 Jul 2013 An Egyptian presidential spokesman says leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei is likely to become interim deputy president and Social Democratic lawyer Ziaad Bahaa el-Dinis is also likely to be appointed as interim prime minister.

Web monitoring tools made by U.S. firm Blue Coat detected in Iran, Sudan - Report 08 Jul 2013 American-made devices used for Internet monitoring have been detected on government and commercial computer networks in Iran and Sudan, in apparent violation of U.S. sanctions that ban the sale of goods, services or technology to the 'autocratic' states, according to new research. Several of the devices, manufactured by California-based Blue Coat Systems, were also discovered in Syria. Although Blue Coat tools have been identified in Syria in the past, the new research indicates that the government of President Bashar al-Assad has more of the monitoring devices than previously known.

Teresa Heinz Kerry hospitalized in Nantucket 07 Jul 2013 Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Secretary of State John Kerry, is in critical but stable condition after being taken by ambulance from the couple's Nantucket, Mass. home to a hospital on Sunday afternoon, sources close to the family told NBC News. A spokesman for Nantucket Cottage Hospital said Heinz Kerry, 74, was admitted to the emergency room around 3:30p.m. but gave no more public information about her condition.

Over three dozen arrested at DUI checkpoint in Sonoma County --Officers stopped the drivers of 1,027 cars between 6 p.m. and midnight Friday. 06 Jul 2013 (CA) A Sonoma County DUI task force stopped more than 1,000 vehicles Friday night in Santa Rosa and arrested 55 drivers, including 47 on suspicion of driving without a license, a spokesman said. The county task force, made up of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and a dozen local police departments, made the arrests at a DUI checkpoint in downtown Santa Rosa, Petaluma police Officer Walter Spiller said.

Some Sandy Hook Victims' Families Still Angry Over Fund 06 Jul 2013 Some family members of the 26 victims, including 20 first-graders, killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre say that the protracted battle with the foundation overseeing an $11.4 million fund over how the donations will be dispersed has left them victimized once again. In a meeting with The Courant this week, members of 12 of the families agreed to speak about their frustrations on the condition that their names not be published. The group has been battling with the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation Inc. for months over the dispersement of the fund. The family members say the group has ignored their pleas to bring in an independent party to oversee the process.

Japan moves closer to restarting nuclear reactors 08 Jul 2013 Japan has [insanely] moved a step closer to restarting nuclear reactors, with four utility companies applying for safety inspections of 10 idled plants, the clearest sign of a return to atomic energy almost two and a half years after the [start of the ONGOING] Fukushima disaster. About 160,000 evacuees still cannot return home... Dozens of activists opposing nuclear power staged rallies outside a building that houses the watchdog's office, holding banners and chanting anti-nuclear slogans.

Heads up! Tepco's nuclear power pimps are busy pushing to restart deadly reactors: Tepco's Woman on the Inside Leading Push to Restart Nuclear Reactors 07 Jul 2013 ...The standards are part of an effort to change the culture of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) and convince lie to a skeptical public that its nuclear plants can be operated safely, said Barbara Judge, the deputy chairman of the company's Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, an internal 'watchdog.' Judge was a former chairman of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority. Women may be especially fearful of nuclear power, with a poll published in June 2012 by the Pew Research Center in Washington finding that 61 percent of Japanese women worried about radiation exposure, as opposed to 42 percent of men. Judge, who also previously served as a director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, said she suspects that, as its sole woman, she was invited to join Tepco's five-member reform propaganda committee in part to help address this gender gap.

Critics Slam Adding Fluoride to Connecticut's Public Water Supplies 06 Jul 2013 Saying the practice takes away the right of consumers to make medical choices and possibly inflicts serious harm on children [and adults], opponents of adding fluoride to public water argued Wednesday that a glass of water should contain water - and nothing else. At an informal hearing at the state Capitol called by state Sen. Joe Markley (R-Southington), chemist Paul Connett called on state lawmakers to abolish the state's flouridation law and forbid communities from putting additives in water supplies to improve destroy public health. "We should never use the public water supply to deliver medicine," said Connett, a retired Dartmouth professor and leading fluoridation critic. "No doctor could do to us what the state of Connecticut is doing." [Exactly!]

Canada runaway train: Lac-Megantic death toll rises 07 Jul 2013 Another two bodies have been found after a runaway train carrying crude oil exploded in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, police say. The death toll from Saturday's blast stands at five; there are fears it will rise further as 40 people are missing. The pre-dawn explosion sent a fireball and black smoke into the air, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people. Dozens of buildings were destroyed in the town, about 250km (155 miles) east of Montreal.

Feds hope to learn more from 4 pilots aboard jet that crashed in San Francisco 08 Jul 2013 Federal investigators said Monday they hope to learn much more from interviews with the four pilots aboard the jetliner that crash-landed at the San Francisco airport, and they said the aircraft was still 500 feet in the air -- much too high -- when it slowed to touchdown speed. Two days after Asiana Airlines Flight 214 scraped across the runway and caught fire, killing two teenagers and injuring 180 passengers, the investigators gave no indication of mechanical or external problems, suggesting the cockpit holds vital clues.

Official probes if rescuers ran over SFO crash victim 07 Jul 2013 Investigators said they were looking into the possibility that rescue crews ran over one of the two teenagers killed in the Boeing 777 crash on Saturday. Officials released the details without explaining why the pilots were flying so slow - or why rescue officials didn't see the girl. San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said senior San Francisco Fire Department officials notified him and his staff at the crash site on Saturday that one of the 16-year-olds may have been struck on the runaway.

Airport landing system off when plane crashed in San Francisco 07 Jul 2013 A navigation system that helps pilots make safe descents was turned off at San Francisco airport on Saturday when a South Korean airliner crashed and burned after undershooting the runway, officials said. The system, called Glide Path, is meant to help planes land in bad weather. It was clear and sunny, with light winds, when Asiana Flight 214 from Seoul, South Korea crashed just before noon, killing two passengers and injuring more than 100.

North Carolina redistricting maps upheld by 3-judge panel 08 Jul 2013 A three-judge panel has upheld the boundaries for North Carolina's legislative and congressional seats that were drawn by Republicans in 2011. The Superior Court judges ruled unanimously Monday in favor of the GOP legislative leaders whose chambers drew the maps by letting the boundaries stand. Democratic voters, civil rights groups and election advocates had sued over the lines, arguing they were racially biased.

Rick Perry not seeking re-election for governor 08 Jul 2013 Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Monday that he won't run for re-election next year for an unprecedented fourth full term in office. "The time has come to pass on the mantle of leadership," he said. The announcement by the Republican governor opens the door to speculation that Perry will make another bid for the White House, in 2016.

Spitzer Seeks Ballot for City Comptroller's Race 08 Jul 2013 Eliot Spitzer, who resigned as governor of New York five years ago amid a prostitution scandal Bush regime set-up, is re-entering political life, with a run for the citywide office of comptroller and a hope that voters have forgiven him his previous misconduct. In an interview, Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, said that he believes he could make a big impact in the role, and is asking New Yorkers to give him a second chance. Mr. Spitzer, an aggressive watchdog over Wall Street when he served as attorney general, wants to overhaul the sometimes overlooked office into a more activist one, given the power the comptroller exercises over the city's pension funds and city spending.

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