FBI, prosecutors hunting for Govt Officials

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
28 Jan 2013
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FBI, prosecutors hunting for government officials with evidence of contact with journalists in Stuxnet inquiry 26 Jan 2013 Federal investigators looking into disclosures of classified information about a cyber operation that targeted Iran's nuclear program have increased pressure on current and former senior government officials suspected of involvement, according to people familiar with the investigation. The FBI and prosecutors have interviewed several current and former senior government officials in connection with the disclosures, sometimes confronting them with evidence of contact with journalists, according to people familiar with the probe. Investigators, they said, have conducted extensive analysis of the e-mail accounts and phone records of current and former government officials in a search for links to journalists. Former prosecutors said investigators run sophisticated software to identify names, key words and phrases embedded in e-mails and other communications, including text messages, which could lead them to suspects. The FBI also looks at officials' phone records -- who called whom, when, for how long. Once they have evidence of contact between officials and a particular journalist, investigators can seek a warrant to examine private e-mail accounts and phone records, including text messages, former prosecutors said. Prosecutors and the FBI can examine government e-mail accounts and government-issued devices, including cellphones, without a warrant. They can also look at private e-mail accounts without a warrant if those accounts were accessed on government computers.

Anonymous Hijacks Federal Website Over Aaron Swartz Suicide 26 Jan 2013 Activists from the hacker collective known as Anonymous assumed control over the homepage of a federal judicial agency this morning. In a manifesto left on the defaced page, the group demanded reform to the American justice system and what the activists said are threats to the free flow of information. The lengthy essay largely mirrors previous demands from Anonymous, but this time the group also cited the recent suicide of Reddit co-founder and activist Aaron Swartz as has having "crossed a line" for their organization.

Hackers take over gov't website to avenge Swartz 26 Jan 2013 The hacker-activist group Anonymous says it hijacked the website of the U.S. Sentencing Commission to avenge the death of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide. The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was taken over early Saturday and replaced with a message warning that when Swartz killed himself two weeks ago "a line was crossed." The hackers say they've infiltrated several government computer systems and copied secret information that they now threaten to make public. [*It's about time.* Hackers should have released Dick Cheney's secret Energy Task Force documents that Cheney hunting buddy and Bush troll, Antonin Scalia, refused to make public. Start there, because those documents will show the world USociopaths did 9/11 and went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan for Exxon Mobil and UNOCAL. --LRP]

NATO protesters seek to overturn state's terrorism law 25 Jan 2013 Attorneys for three protesters accused of plotting to use Molotov cocktails to blow up political targets during the NATO summit last year in Chicago asked today that the state's terrorism law be declared unconstitutional. Brent Betterly, 24, Jared Chase, 28, and Brian Church, 21, were each charged in 11-count indictments with conspiracy to commit terrorism, possession of explosives and attempted arson after a raid at the Bridgeport apartment where they were staying in the weeks leading up to the May 2012 summit. In a seven-page court filing today, attorneys for the three asked Criminal Court Judge Thaddeus Wilson to declare the terrorism charges unconstitutional, arguing the statute defining a terrorist act is so vague it encompasses lawful conduct protected by the First Amendment such as labor protests or other acts of civil disobedience.

Black Hawk helicopters fly over Miami as part of joint military training exercise --Training is designed to ensure that military personnel are able to 'operate in urban areas' 25 Jan 2013 Some members of the U.S. military were busy in Miami Thursday night as they conducted exercises in Downtown Miami. CBS4 captured video of Black Hawk helicopters flying over the city as part of a joint military training exercise. Thursday night's training took place near the Stephen P. Clark Center in Miami and a nearby Metrorail station where troops could be seen rappelling from the military choppers onto the Metrorail station platform.

Homeland Security training TSA workers to save themselves in shooting 26 Jan 2013 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint screeners are receiving training to prepare them for the possibility of a mass shooting at one of the agency's airport checkpoints, and those TSA personnel are being instructed to "save themselves" should a shooting occur. It is unclear whether the TSA is conducting the reported mass shooting scenario training at airports around the nation or only at the airport where our source, a veteran of the TSA, is assigned. The TSA source claims with obvious concern that his own life, along with the lives of other unarmed TSA personnel, would be in grave danger were an airport checkpoint shooting to unfold.

TSA does surprise check at Lamar Boulevard Amtrak --Random checks happen at stations across country --Once the train arrives, the dogs also sniff the cargo areas. 24 Jan 2013 Passengers catching the 9:30 a.m. Amtrak train from Austin to Dallas were met with an unexpected surprise when they got to the station. Transportation Security Administration agents, Austin police officers, and the Department of Homeland Security were all waiting for them. "These facilities are not necessarily protected as well," said George Robinson with TSA about bus stations and train stations that typically do not have the same security measures as airports. "We do impromptu visits at locations throughout the country."

Lockdowns honor Sandy Hook victims --'We needed to be more comfortable with them.' 26 Jan 2013 (OH) Schools across the nation have been dealing with the Sandy Hook tragedy in their own way -- some by beefing up traditional security measures, others are weighing the pros and cons of arming teachers and/or staff members. For St. Bernard Catholic School Principal Susan Maloy, the shooting deaths inspired her to institute lockdown drills on the 14th of every month. It began Jan. 14 and is a way for St. Bernard to honor the 26 victims -- while increasing their own school's readiness. In addition to its monthly drills, Maloy also got St. Bernard’s staff and other local schools involved in ALICE [Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate] training, a step many schools across the nation are taking.

11 Body Parts Defense Researchers Will Use to Track You 25 Jan 2013 Cell phones that can identify you by how you walk. Fingerprint scanners that work from 25 feet away. Radars that pick up your heartbeat from behind concrete walls... Biometrics had a boom after 9/11. Gobs of government m*ney poured into face and iris recognition systems; the Pentagon alone spent nearly $3 billion in five years, and the Defense Department was only one of many federal agencies funneling cash in the technologies. Civil libertarians feared the worst as face-spotters were turned on crowds of citizens in the hopes of catching a single crook.

2 Iron Dome batteries deployed in north Israel --Missile-defense systems installed in Krayot area, Galilee region as Israel closely monitors situation in Syria 27 Jan 2013 Two Iron Dome batteries have been deployed in northern Israel over the past few days, the IDF said on Sunday. One battery of the missile-defense system was deployed in the Krayot area, while the other was installed in the Galilee region. Additional, fully operational batteries have already been deployed in the Haifa are and in other locations.

Israel using deadly force on unarmed protesters, watchdog says 27 Jan 2013 Israel is breaking its own rules of engagement by using deadly force to disperse unarmed Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli rights group B'Tselem reported on Monday. Israeli forces have killed 56 people since 2005 in clashes with rock-throwing Palestinians, said B'Tselem, which accused the military of having "extensively and systematically violated" rules barring deadly retaliation for non-lethal assault. "The Israeli military's standing orders explicitly state that live ammunition may not be fired at stone-throwers," it said.

US to support French in Mali with aerial refueling 26 Jan 2013 The United States has decided to provide additional support to the French military in its war against 'Islamic militants' in Mali by conducting aerial refueling missions. The Pentagon says Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has told the French defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, that U.S. Africa Command will provide the aerial refueling support. A Pentagon spokesman says the two defense officials discussed the refueling missions and other topics during a phone conversation Saturday. [See: Summary Executions May Have Taken Place in Mali Offensive, French Minister Admits 23 Jan 2013.]

Mali conflict: AU set to discuss troop deployments 27 Jan 2013 African Union leaders are meeting to discuss the conflict in Mali, as members move to deploy troops to help the French-led operation there. African states have pledged 7,700 troops to support French and Malian forces in their campaign against Islamist militants in northern Mali. Only a small part of the African force has so far deployed.

Three Afghan brothers killed in US-led night raid 27 Jan 2013 Three Afghan brothers have been killed in a night raid carried out by the US-led foreign troops in eastern Afghanistan, Press TV reports. The latest incident of violence in Afghanistan came three days after US-led troops carried out a similar night-raid operation in the eastern province of Kapisa. Three Afghan women were killed. An Afghan governor confirmed the operation and said the three brothers had been in a taxi when foreign forces opened fire on them in Lugar Province late Saturday.

More deaths of Afghan police; toll rises to 21 27 Jan 2013 Two police officers including a district commander died in a bombing Sunday near Afghanistan's border with Iran, part of a rash of attacks that killed at least 21 officers in 24 hours, Afghan officials said. The officers were patrolling in the Qala-e-Kah district of Farah province at about 8 a.m. when their vehicle struck a landmine, said Aqqa Mohammad Kemtoz, the provincial police chief. Late Saturday, an explosive device planted in a road on the outskirts of Kandahar killed eight police officers and three detainees, officials said.

Egypt's Morsi declares state of emergency, curfew after deadly clashes 27 Jan 2013 Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi declared a state of emergency and nighttime curfew across three major cities Sunday after violence raged for a third straight day, leaving nearly 50 dead and hundreds injured nationwide. The deployment Saturday of government troops to the coastal cities of Port Said and Suez, which have seen some of the worst violence, failed to quell a public backlash against a court verdict and raised doubts about whether Morsi's embattled government could contain the situation.

9/11 co-conspirators generously rewarded: KBR wins Abu Dhabi Airports infrastructure deal 26 Jan 2013 US-based engineering firm KBR has won a deal to provide construction management services to Abu Dhabi Airports Company. KBR will be responsible for managing contractors' costs, schedules, administration and quality control relating to the expansion of the Abu Dhabi International Airport. It will oversee a series of utilities contracts including over 60 miles of water, storm water and sewer networks.

Barge with 80,000 gallons oil hits bridge, leaks 27 Jan 2013 A barge carrying 80,000 gallons of oil hit a railroad bridge in Vicksburg, Miss., on Sunday, spilling light crude into the Mississippi River and closing the waterway for eight miles in each direction, the Coast Guard said. A second barge was damaged. Investigators did not know how much had spilled, but an oily sheen was reported as far as three miles downriver of Vicksburg after the 1:12 a.m. accident, said Lt. Ryan Gomez of the Coast Guard's office in Memphis, Tenn. It wasn't immediately clear whether the second barge also hit the bridge or if it ran into the first barge, he said.

No country on earth is safe from USociopaths: Philippines: US must pay penalty for damaging reef 27 Jan 2013 Philippine President Benigno Aquino says the US Navy will have to pay the penalties for damaging a UNESCO-listed World Heritage coral reef in the Southeast Asian country's waters. The head of the marine park supervising Tubbataha says the vessel ignored warnings that it was entering a protected marine sanctuary. Since January 17, the 68-meter minesweeper USS Guardian has been stuck off Tubbataha Reef in a remote part of the Sulu Sea, after running aground and damaging 1,000 square meters of the marine site.

Virus wipes out millions of oysters overnight 25 Jan 2013 Tests this week confirmed that the Pacific oyster mortality syndrome had reached the Hawkesbury's tributary, Mullet Creek, the local industry's nursery for juvenile stock. With no resistance to the virus, oysters that had been healthy on Monday were felled - in their millions - virtually overnight. Richard Whittington from the University of Sydney's faculty of veterinary science, has been working with the industry to reduce the risk from the virus. He said it was unknown what triggered an outbreak but there was a "very strong possibility" that unusual seasonal conditions - such as last week's heatwave [aka global warming] - had reduced the oysters' immunity.

This spot previously had an important story about Goldman Sachs, but 'filters' will not allow it to pass. Please go to the CLG site to read it. Sorry, but this newsletter bounced back 3 times, when I included it. I had to remove it. Only the CLG has to go through this obstacle course, daily, for some strange reason...

Key senators agree on sweeping immigration reform 28 Jan 2013 A bipartisan group of leading senators has reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws. The deal, which was to be announced at a news conference Monday afternoon, covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States. The principles being released Monday are outlined on just over four pages, leaving plenty of details left to fill in.

Catcher in the Rye dropped from US school curriculum 07 Dec 2012 Schools in America are to drop classic books such as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye from their curriculum in favour of 'informational texts'. American literature classics are to be replaced by insulation manuals and plant inventories in US classrooms by 2014. A new school curriculum which will affect 46 out of 50 states will make it compulsory for at least 70 per cent of books studied to be non-fiction, in an effort to ready pupils for the workplace purge progressive thought. Books such as JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will be replaced by "informational texts" approved by the Common Core State Standards.

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