Re-authorization of Section 702 surveillance program may be slipped into ‘must pass’ defense bill. “Republican and Democratic senior aides tell WIRED that word of private talks between the party leaders began to leak late last week, sparking concerns that House speaker Mike Johnson [R] and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer [D] were mounting a last-ditch effort to rescue the program, known as Section 702, without the support of their rank-and-file members. ….Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows the government to warrantlessly surveil the communications of foreign citizens ‘reasonably believed’ to be overseas. While intelligence analysts cannot target legal US residents, they can and often do acquire the communications of Americans in contact with foreign surveillance targets. Section 702 targets are not limited to terrorists and criminals, and may include, for example, foreign officials, diplomats, and journalists—anyone whose calls, texts, or emails are believed to have intelligence value. ….An unlikely coalition of Republican and Democratic lawmakers was formed this year to oppose the intelligence community’s effort to obtain a clean reauthorization of the 702 program, which has been plagued by years of internal abuse at the National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The program’s critics have put up a laundry list of potential reforms, many of which are vehemently opposed by the White House and intelligence community at large. ….A source familiar with the White House’s goals for the program tells WIRED it has encouraged Congress throughout the year to discuss potential privacy-enhancing reforms, while drawing a “red line” at demanding that the FBI obtain warrants before accessing raw 702 data for national security investigations.” https://www.wired.com/story/section-702-reauthorization-ndaa-2023/ It’s unclear to me if any American in contact with someone in another country for any purpose is also subject to this program, or if Americans living abroad who are in contact with anyone anywhere are potential targets as well.
Man accused of shooting three Palestinian students in Vermont reportedly has history of mental health struggles. “[James Eaton] describes himself as a Libertarian, and expresses support for both Democrat and Republican lawmakers or candidates. ….Eaton’s mother, Mary Reed, told the Daily Beast that they’d just spent Thanksgiving together and nothing seemed amiss with her son. He made no reference to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which has become sharply polarizing in the U.S. She said that Eaton has had struggles with mental health in the past, and described him as a ‘very religious person’ who regularly reads the Bible…” https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7bqq3/jason-eaton-vermont-shooting Eaton had recently been employed in the financial services industry. “‘Jason Eaton worked less than a year at CUSO Financial and his employment had been terminated on Nov. 8,’ a spokesperson for the company told CNBC. ….The company declined to say why Eaton was fired from his job. Before CUSO, Eaton worked for Ameritrade in Fayetteville, New York from May 2019 through March 2021, and before that for about a year at Edward Jones in East Syracuse, New York, FINRA records show.” https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/26/three-palestinian-students-shot-near-the-university-of-vermont.html
Man accused of fatally shooting his faculty advisor suffering from untreated schizophrenia. “The University of North Carolina graduate student charged with fatally shooting his faculty adviser has been found unfit for trial after two mental evaluations, a judge ruled Monday. Tailei Qi, 34, is accused of killing associate professor Zijie Yan in a science building at the state’s flagship public university on Aug. 28. ….Orange County Superior Court Judge Alyson Grine said Monday that two separate mental evaluations found Qi likely suffers from untreated schizophrenia. ‘Qi demonstrated delusional thinking, experienced auditory hallucinations, engaged in self-harm in the detention center, showed fragmented thought processes that impeded his communication,’ she said. Severe mental illness has rendered him unable to comprehend his situation, assist in his legal defense and understand court proceedings, even with a Mandarin interpreter present, Grine said. She ruled Monday that Qi will be committed to Central Regional Hospital in Butner for psychological treatment. Doctors will be required to notify the Orange County district attorney if his condition improves.” https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/university-north-carolina-shooting-suspect-found-unfit-trial-105189545
Two New York City men released after serving 25 and 29 years in prison for faulty convictions. “The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office asked two judges to vacate the separate murder convictions of Jabar Walker, 49, and Wayne Gardine, 49, after investigations in conjunction with the Legal Aid Society and the Innocence Project found that both were wrongly convicted. ….[Walker] was released from prison after spending about half of his 50-year sentence in the double-murder of William Santana, 32, and Ismael De La Cruz, 30, on May 28, 1995. ….Meanwhile, Gardine was incarcerated for 29 years after he was convicted of fatally shooting Robert Mickens, 22, in Harlem on Sept. 3, 1994. His 1996 conviction was based on testimony from one eyewitness, a local drug dealer, who offered up information to cops as a favor to keep his nose clean, according to Bragg’s office. New evidence uncovered from a second witness undermined the dealer’s testimony given at trial, prosecutors said. The second witness vehemently denied his acquaintance’s account, saying they were both too far away to see or hear the shooter.” https://nypost.com/2023/11/27/metro/two-men-have-convictions-cleared-in-decades-old-manhattan-murders/
New Zealand’s conservative National Party to cancel Labor’s phased-in smoking ban. “The country’s new Prime Minister Chris Luxon… defended the controversial move, saying he disagreed with parts of the policy and argued that a ban would result in a black-market boom. ….New Zealand’s initial smoking ban was hailed by public health officials around the world. Months after New Zealand’s announcement, Britain also unveiled plans to phase out smoking for new generations. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the British government remained committed to phasing out smoking, even after New Zealand’s reversal. ….New Zealand’s new finance minister Nicola Willis on Saturday said the measures would be axed before March 2024, with revenue generated from cigarette sales going towards tax cuts.” https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/28/asia/new-zealand-smoking-ban-reversal-intl-hnk/index.html Who benefits? The tobacco industry. Follow the money! The ban would have increased the minimum age for people to buy tobacco products by one year each year, so that people born in 2006 would never be old enough to buy it.
Swedish court rules that government transportation authority must find alternative method to deliver Tesla owners’ license plates after postal workers refuse to deliver them. “PostNord workers on Nov. 20 joined industrial action aimed at forcing Tesla to sign a collective bargain agreement for mechanics in Sweden, and the transport agency refused to deliver the plates by other means, saying it was contractually bound to use PostNord. However, Norrkoping district court ruled the agency must get the plates to Tesla within seven days or pay a fine of 1 million Swedish crowns ($95,000). ….The ruling is the latest twist in a battle between Tesla and labour groups in Sweden. Union IF Metall put mechanics on strike on Oct. 27, refusing to service Tesla’s cars because the company would not accept collective bargaining. Members of other unions, including dockworkers, electricians and cleaners have since taken action in sympathy.” https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-sues-sweden-over-blocked-license-plates-business-daily-di-reports-2023-11-27/
FBI guide to ‘Domestic Terrorism Symbols’ includes Animal Liberation, Direct Action Everywhere, Extinction Rebellion, Antifa flags, the IWW Black Cat, the slogan ‘Eat the Rich’ and various Revolutionary War flags and symbols. “A recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document titled “Domestic Terrorism Symbols Guide” links common protest symbols to ‘terrorism’ — another marker in a common theme of conflating militant protest for social justice with deadly terrorist violence within the United States. ….The document includes sections titled Animal Rights or Environmental Violent Extremism, Anarchist Violent Extremism and Militia Violent Extremism. ….noticeably absent from the symbols guide was the branding of the far-right extremist Proud Boys which has known connections to Trump, FBI agents and local law enforcement all over the country. ….federal authorities [continue to target] various social justice movements throughout the country.” https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/fbi-labels-anti-fascists-and-anti-racists-as-violent-extremists/
Woman sues Pueblo, CO police for using taser while she was complying with arrest. “A federal lawsuit filed on Monday, Nov. 27, against Pueblo Police Officer Bennie Villanueva and Police Chief Chris Noeller has intensified scrutiny over alleged excessive force and the department’s response to internal investigations. This lawsuit stems from an incident in February 2022 involving the tasing of an unarmed woman, Cristy Gonzales, during [a suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle] arrest, sparking allegations of improper police conduct. The lawsuit contends that body camera footage contradicts Officer Villanueva’s assertion that Gonzales, 39, was attempting to run away. Instead, the footage purportedly shows Gonzales complying with police instructions, attempting to raise her arms as officers apprehended her. The footage captures the moment Villanueva discharged his taser at Gonzales. ….Civil rights attorney Kevin Mehr, representing Gonzales, emphasized the apparent discrepancy between Villanueva’s actions and Gonzales’ compliance. ‘She starts getting on the ground. She’s nearly horizontal, almost laying on the ground and he tases her in the back.'” https://www.fox21news.com/top-stories/lawsuit-alleges-excessive-force-by-pueblo-police-officer-who-tased-unarmed-woman/
Texas allegedly spent more than $86 million busing ‘asylum seekers’ to other states. “At a cost of $1,650 per migrant, Texas has spent millions on the border transportation operation from April 2022 to October 2023, according to a report by Axios. About 67,500 migrants have volunteered to board the state-run charters, according to the most recent number from the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12796675/Texas-spent-whooping-86-1-MILLION-busing-migrants-away-border-New-York-Chicago-Philadelphia-Los-Angeles-Washington-DC-Denver-cost-1-650-migrant-taxpayer-donated-funds.html
Sports Illustrated accused of using AI generated articles written by fake authors. “An investigation conducted by Futurism found that multiple ‘authors’ with biography pages on the Sports Illustrated website were fake – including made-up interests, hobbies, and even an AI created headshot. As well as the authors, some of the writing on the website’s review page was accused of sounding like it was written by an ‘alien’ – with bizarre descriptions and formatting discrepancies. After the magazine’s publisher, The Arena Group, was first contacted to respond to the allegations, all of the bizarre content disappeared, according to the report.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12797969/Sports-Illustrated-accused-AI-fake-writer-profiles.html
Chinese coronavirus researcher who developed first Covid-19 vaccine allegedly died from fall from roof of Wuhan Institute of Virology. “Dr. Yusen was believed to be involved in SARS-related coronavirus animal vaccine research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the Summer or Fall of 2019, [Dr. Robert] Kadlec claims in a government report he co-authored. During his research, Dr. Yusen filed a patent in February 2020 for a Covid vaccine that he was suspected of secretly having worked on for months, just three months after the first case of the virus was reported in China – a time far faster than typical vaccine development. Three months after filing his patent, the scientist mysteriously died when he ‘fell from the roof of the institute.’ Dr. Kadlec believes it was during Dr. Yusen’s research that the virus escaped from the WIV and sparked a global health emergency.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12796725/us-health-official-fauci-lab-leak-theory.html
Doctor describes terrible conditions at one of Gaza’s still functioning hospitals. “Hundreds of casualties have moved south in recent days after the evacuation of hospitals in Gaza City, overwhelming medical staff already struggling with an acute lack of medicine, diminishing food rations and intermittent power and communications. ….’I have been in many war contexts where the type of wounds are the same but the number is huge. We never leave the hospital. We work round the clock.’ ….Many of the casualties arriving at the hospital were injured days before, meaning wounds have become infected. [Dr. Paul] Ley said some people’s dressings had not been changed for 10 days, so their wounds were full of worms. In other cases, surgeons were forced to amputate limbs that may otherwise have been saved. ….’We do operations with minimal anaesthesia. If we run out, we can’t operate but there is no clear line. There are a lot of people crying, screaming with pain, but we don’t have enough analgesics. We keep them for the kids or very severe cases.’ ….Ley said he had been shocked at how passive many patients were, such as one 35-year-old woman whose husband and children had been killed when the family’s home was destroyed, and who appeared unmoved when told both her legs would need to be amputated. ‘So many just don’t care any more,’ he said.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/24/we-are-overwhelmed-southern-gazas-exhausted-doctors-forced-to-leave-children-to-die
Freed Palestinian teens say some of their fellow prisoners were beaten to death. “Palestinian children freed from Israeli jails as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel said they were subjected to torture in captivity and that several fellow detainees were beaten to death. The teens are among 39 Palestinians freed from Israeli detention on Sunday, in the third prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, while the latter released 13 Israelis held in Gaza. …. Omar al-Atshan, a freed Palestinian teen, said he was mistreated and tortured in Naqab prison where he had been held prior to his release. ….He said that they were routinely beaten and humiliated in prison, and that water and food were scarce.” https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-freed-palestinian-children-fellow-prisoners-tortured-death
Almost 100 in Turkey accused of links to PKK. “Turkish police on Monday detained 98 suspects over alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, most of them on a charge of spreading PKK propaganda on social media, the interior ministry said.” https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-11-27/turkey-detains-98-over-alleged-kurdish-militant-links-ministry
More than 100 climate activists in Australia arrested for blockading coal port. “Thousands of activists participated in the blockade, occupying the Port of Newcastle by swimming or kayaking in the port’s shipping lane. Australia is the world’s second-largest exporter of coal. Ninety-seven-year-old Reverend Alan Stuart was one of the detained activists. Organizers say he is the oldest person ever arrested and charged in Australia.” https://www.democracynow.org/2023/11/27/headlines/over_100_arrested_as_australian_climate_activists_blockade_worlds_largest_coal_port
Progressive News Service 