Federal workers “just followed orders” during Trump travel ban. “The men and women who reportedly handcuffed small children and the elderly, separated a child from his mother and held others without food for 20 hours, are undoubtedly “ordinary” people.” http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-airport-inhumanity-20170206-story.html
Law that would require search warrants for law enforcement to read emails passes U.S. House – again. “Last year, a plan to fix ECPA, called the Email Privacy Act, with an astounding 315 co-sponsors, passed the House unanimously.” https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170207/00144636650/congress-tries-once-again-to-require-warrants-to-search-emails.shtml
ACLU director extensively questioned by Customs and Border Protection official. “The CBP questioning… focused on my work for the ACLU and my citizenship — Pakistani — although I’ve been a legal permanent resident of the United States for more than a decade.” https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/flying-home-abroad-border-agent-stopped-and-questioned-me-about-my-work-aclu
Civil rights activist says she was prosecuted by Jeff Sessions for registering black voters. “In 1985, U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions indicted me, my husband, and another civil rights worker, Spencer Hogue, on false charges of election fraud for assisting elderly black citizens with absentee voting ballots.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/02/07/jeff-sessions-marion-three-alabama-voter-fraud-evelyn-turner-column-voices/97572474/
Letter from suspected 9/11 mastermind to then-President Obama released by his attorneys a year after it was written. “He’s upset at U.S. foreign policy and he plainly perceives that the United States has signed a blank check to Israel.” http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/guantanamo/article131466294.html Pentagon decides the letter is “classified”. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/guantanamo/article131842559.html
Unnamed current and former government sources claim they have verified some elements of British spy’s “Trump dossier”. “US intelligence officials emphasize the (verified) conversations were solely between foreign nationals, including those in or tied to the Russian government, intercepted during routine intelligence gathering.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/10/politics/russia-dossier-update/
Immigration raids reportedly conducted in multiple states. “Immigration officials confirmed that agents this week raided homes and workplaces in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, the Los Angeles area, North Carolina and South Carolina, netting hundreds of people.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/2017/02/10/4b9f443a-efc8-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html and UPDATE: 160 reportedly swept up in immigration raids in southern California. “ICE officials initially denied any targeted operations were taking place and said reports that 100 immigrants were detained were exaggerated.” http://fusion.net/story/386185/ice-confirms-raids-losangeles/
Calls for an investigation into whether or not Trump’s national security advisor held secret discussions on U.S. sanctions with Russian ambassador during Obama administration. “The Washington Post, citing several current and former U.S. officials, reported late Thursday that Flynn made explicit references to election-related sanctions imposed by the Obama administration in his conversations with (ambassador) Kislyak.” http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/20170210_ap_f9b33b5db45542d3b070f32c145861e8.html
Unnamed intelligence officials claim Russia is considering handing over Edward Snowden to curry favor with Trump, Snowden says this proves he’s not a spy. “Finally: irrefutable evidence that I never cooperated with Russian intel. No country trades away spies, as the rest would fear they’re next.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/02/10/russia-transfer-edward-snowden-to-united-states-trump/97765786/
French candidate for president invites U.S. climate scientists to emigrate to France. “Please, come to France, you are welcome.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/02/10/french-presidential-candidate-to-u-s-scientists-afraid-of-trump-come-to-france/
Texas sentences permanent resident to prison for voting in elections. “The (8 year) sentence for Ms. Ortega, who was brought to this country by her mother as an infant, “shows how serious Texas is about keeping its elections secure,” Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, said in a statement.” Her attorney claims she did not realize voting was illegal. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/us/illegal-voting-gets-texas-woman-8-years-in-prison-and-certain-deportation.html OK, that’s one – still a few million to go to confirm there were enough illegal voters to give Clinton the popular vote. “Her four children, ages 13 to 16, are being cared for by siblings and her fiancé.”
CEO and CFO of AIG reportedly agree to pay back $9.9 million in bonuses. “The settlement requires Greenberg and Smith to give up more than $9.9 million they received as AIG performance bonuses during the years the fraudulent transactions were reflected in the company’s accounting records.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/02/10/ex-aig-ceo-greenberg-reaches-99m-settlement-ny-fraud-case/97763136/
Credit rating agency warns that Trump administration policies may undermine world’s economic system. “The materialisation of these risks (disruptions of trade, a drop in remittances from foreign workers to their home countries and policy disputes that could effect exchange rates and markets), would provide an unfavourable backdrop for economic growth, putting pressure on public finances that may have (credit) rating implications for some (governments).” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/10/trump-presidency-poses-threat-to-global-economy-fitch-ratimngs-agency-trade-relations
Oregon health insurance company wins case against federal government over its failure to reimburse the company for Obamacare losses. “The government’s risk corridor program promised significant financial assistance to companies if they agreed to participate in the insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act and then lost money. ” http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2017/02/moda_wins_big_judge_rules_gove.html
Woman gave birth on floor of a Macomb County Jail cell after being accused by deputies of lying about being in labor. The woman had reportedly been jailed for driving on a suspended license. “Jennifer Meyers died (at the same jail) during a 30-day sentence for failure to pay child support in July 2013, and David Stojcevski died in June 2014 during a 30-day sentence for failure to pay traffic tickets.” http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/02/10/michigan-county-jail-under-fire-after-woman-gives-birth-on-cell-floor.html
Syrian president Assad claims Amnesty International report on mass prison hangings is “fake news”. “We are living in a fake news era.” http://time.com/4666806/assad_syria-amnesty-international/
Veterans vow to block removal of Standing Rock protesters. “We are prepared to put our bodies between Native elders and a privatized military force.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/11/standing-rock-army-veterans-camp
No charges for Chicago police officer who fatally shot teen with baseball bat and also killed one of his neighbors by accident. “The Cook County state’s attorney’s office said there was “insufficient evidence” to prove the officer, Robert Rialmo, had not acted in self-defense when he shot 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/10/chicago-police-shooting-quintonio-legrier-robert-rialmo
ThinThread vs. Trailblazer: a story of government corruption? “A tiny group of people at NSA had developed a capability for next to no money at all to give the government an unprecedented level of access to any number of foreign terrorists,” Eddington says. “Instead that system was shut down in favor of an SAIC boondoggle that cost taxpayers, by my last count, close to a billion dollars.” https://theintercept.com/2017/02/10/former-cia-analyst-sues-defense-department-to-vindicate-nsa-whistleblowers/
Army paying contractors to service its aircraft in Afghanistan “at greater expense to taxpayers”. “… an Army aviation brigade deployed to Afghanistan last year without its mechanics because of the 8,400-troop ceiling on U.S. forces.” http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/02/10/army-aviation-brigade-deploys-afghanistan-minus-mechanics.html Follow the money….
France’s supreme court throws out law that made it a crime to visit jihadi websites. “… the 10-members of the constitutional council vetoed the law, which would imposed a two-year prison sentence and a €30,000 (£25,575) fine for anyone consulting jihadist websites regularly on the basis it infringed unnecessarily and disproportionately on freedom of communication.” They also hinted that police are tracking those visitors anyway. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-overturns-law-regular-visits-jihadi-websites-islamists-anti-terror-legislation-a7573281.html
The REAL Bowling Green (almost) massacre. “…white supremacist Richard Schmidt… was planning targeted attacks on African Americans and Jews.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/10/white_supremacists_linked_to_the_real
Progressive News Service 