Breaking News and Commentary from CLG - 14 Nov 2011

14 Nov 2011

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Breaking: Police Begin Clearing Zuccotti Park of Occupy Wall Street Protesters --Protesters rallied near middle of park and began building barricades with tables and pieces of scrap wood 15 Nov 2011 Hundreds of New York City police officers began clearing Zuccotti Park of the Occupy Wall Street protesters early Tuesday, telling the people there that the nearly two-month-old camp would be "cleared and restored" before the morning and that any demonstrator who did not leave would be arrested. The protesters, about 200 of whom have been staying in the park overnight, resisted with chants of "Whose park? Our park!" as officers began moving in and tearing down tents.

CIA assassination and bombing operations underway in Iran --Explosions and assassinations at Iran nuke base pinned to Israel may have been CIA 14 Nov 2011 Iranian officials revealed that one of the 17 men killed in a huge explosion at a munitions depot was a key Revolutionary Guard commander who headed Iran's missile program. And the IRNA state news agency reported that scientists had discovered a new computer virus in their systems, a more sophisticated version of the Stuxnet worm deployed last year to foul up Iran's centrifuges. Israeli newspapers and some U.S. experts said it appeared to be more from an ongoing secret acts of terrorism by the CIA and Israel's Mossad to eliminate Iran's [alleged] nuclear threat.

Barack Obama to consider all options on Iran 14 Nov 2011 US president Barack Obama has said economic sanctions against Iran to contain Tehran's nuclear ambitions have "enormous bite," and he will consult with other nations on additional steps to ensure that Iran does not acquire an atomic weapon. The president, answering questions at a press conference during an Asia-Pacific economic summit, did not specifically say he would consider military action if Tehran were to persist in arming itself with a nuclear weapon. But he added: "We are not taking any options off the table. Iran with nuclear weapons would pose a threat not only to the region but also to the United States."

Israel refuses to tell US its Iran intentions 12 Nov 2011 Israel has refused to reassure President Barack Obama that it would warn him in advance of any pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear capabilities, raising fears that it may be planning a go-it-alone attack as early as next summer. The US leader was rebuffed last month when he demanded private guarantees that no strike would go ahead without White House notification, suggesting Israel no longer plans to "seek Washington's permission", sources said.

Any action against Iran will speed up Israel's collapse: ambassador 12 Nov 2011 TEHRAN – Tehran's Ambassador to Rome Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini has said that any action against Iran by Tel Aviv not only will be met with a strong and immediate reaction, but will also speed up the Zionist regime's collapse. Israel and the U.S. have threatened to use military strike against Iran for its nuclear program which is under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Reports: U.S. Troops Headed to Nigeria to Help Fight Terrorists 11 Nov 2011 The Pentagon's shadow war in Africa could have a new front, if reports coming out of Nigeria are accurate. U.S. troops are headed to Nigeria to help local forces do battle with Boko Haram, an Islamic terror group that has killed up to 400 people this year in an escalating campaign of bombings and shootings. At least that's what Nigerian military sources tell Scott Morgan, a journalist based in Washington, D.C. who writes under the pseudonym "Confused Eagle."

US Marines to be based in Darwin: reports 11 Nov 2011 A defence analyst says a permanent US military presence in Darwin could pose a significant risk to Asia's peace and security. Reports in the Fairfax press this morning say US president Barack Obama will use next week's visit to Australia to announce that the US will start stationing Marines through an Australian base in Darwin.

US drone attack kills 3 in NW Pakistan 14 Nov 2011 A US assassination drone strike has killed three people in Pakistan's northwest tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials say.

Afghan bomb blast kills US-led soldier 14 Nov 2011 Another US-led soldier has been killed in a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announces. ISAF said in a statement that the foreign soldier "died following a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan on Sunday," Reuters reported. The statement gave no information about the nationality of the US-led soldier or the exact location of the incident.

Indonesians protest Obama visit --The protesters chanted anti-American slogans calling the US president a terrorist. 13 Nov 2011 Hundreds of Indonesians have rallied in the capital Jakarta to protest an upcoming visit by the United States President Barack Obama. The demonstrators held the protest outside the US Embassy in Jakarta, the Associated Press reported. They brandished banners with slogans such as "Reject Obama, Reject Capitalism, Reject Imperialism." Slamming US war strategies in the world, the protesters said Obama is responsible for the killing of thousands of people in Afghanistan and other Muslim countries.

Assange 'ready to quit' extradition fight 14 Nov 2011 Julian Assange has hired a Swedish public relations company in an indication that the WikiLeaks founder is ready to abandon his appeal against his extradition. The 40-year-old campaigner, who is wanted for questioning in Sweden over allegations of rape and sexual assault, has taken on Ullman PR. Two weeks ago the High Court upheld the decision by a magistrate judge to deport Mr Assange at the request of Swedish prosecutors.

US court verdict 'huge blow' to privacy, says former WikiLeaks aide 11 Nov 2011 Icelandic MP and former WikiLeaks volunteer Birgitta Jonsdottir has slammed the decision by US courts to open her Twitter account to the US authorities and is taking her case to the Council of Europe. On Thursday a US judge ruled Twitter must release the details of her account and those of two other Twitter users linked to WikiLeaks... She believes the US authorities want to use her information to try and build a case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Newest threat: TSA warns terrorists could be targeting buses for holiday travel season 12 Nov 2011 Al Qaeda [Al CIA-duh] and other terrorist groups could be targeting buses around the nation because they are easier to attack than airplanes, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Just before the beginning of the holiday travel season, the TSA warned police departments in Washington, D.C., to be wary of potential attacks on city buses as terrorists seek to attack the country's transportation infrastructure.

Japan farm radioactive levels probed --Food production is likely to be affected - researchers 14 Nov 2011 New research has found that radioactive material in parts of north-eastern Japan exceeds levels considered safe for farming. The findings provide the first comprehensive estimates of contamination across Japan following the nuclear accident in 2011. The results are reported in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.

Mystery Radiation Detected Across Europe --International Atomic Energy Agency: Levels of iodine-131 detected in several locations across Europe are abnormally high 12 Nov 2011 Trace amounts of the radioactive material iodine-131 have been detected across Europe over the past two weeks, according to nuclear officials there. The source of this radiation-spewing material is unknown. Iodine-131 is a by-product of the type of nuclear fission reactions that occur in reactors and nuclear weapons; it emits radiation that can cause cancer when absorbed in high enough doses.

Devastation at Japan Site, Seen Up Close 12 Nov 2011 AT FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, Japan — The most striking feature at this crippled plant on Saturday was not the blasted-out reactor buildings, or the makeshift tsunami walls, but the chaotic mess...Untended plants outside an abandoned florist were withered, and dead. Crows had taken over a gas station. The dosimeters of the journalists on the bus buzzed constantly, recording levels that ticked up with each passing mile: 0.7 microsieverts in Naraha, at the edge of the evacuation zone, 1.5 at Tomioka, where Bavarian-style gingerbread houses had served as the welcome center for Fukushima Daiichi. It was there that Japanese visitors to the site were told a myth perpetuated over decades in Japan: that nuclear power is absolutely safe. The level recorded just outside the center Saturday was 13 times the recommended maximum annual dosage for civilians.

Cost, need questioned in $433-million smallpox drug deal --A company controlled by a longtime political donor gets a no-bid contract to supply an experimental remedy for a threat that may not exist [but soon to be generated via another false flag]. 13 Nov 2011 Over the last year, the Obama administration has aggressively pushed a $433-million plan to buy an experimental smallpox drug, despite uncertainty over whether it is needed or will work. Senior officials have taken unusual steps to secure the contract for New York-based Siga Technologies Inc., whose controlling shareholder is billionaire Ronald O. Perelman, one of the world's richest men and a longtime Democratic Party donor. When Siga complained that contracting specialists at the Department of Health and Human Services were resisting the company's financial demands, senior officials replaced the government's lead negotiator for the deal, interviews and documents show. When Siga was in danger of losing its grip on the contract a year ago, the officials blocked other firms from competing.

Questions Arise Over $433M Smallpox Drug Contract to Company Tied to Dem Donor 12 Nov 2011 Scientists are questioning a $433 million government contract for a smallpox drug they say the country doesn't need, amid concerns over the way the project was secured for a firm tied to a Democratic donor. The Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend that U.S. officials took unusual steps to award the contract to Siga Technologies. Democratic donor Ronald Perelman has the controlling share of the company.

Occupy Oakland: ACLU files suit against Oakland Police Department 14 Nov 2011 Earlier today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the National Lawyers' Guild filed a federal lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to stop police violence against the protesters, according to a news release. The suit was urgent because another police encounter was imminent, following the removal of the Occupy Oakland camp this morning, the news release stated.

Oakland mayoral adviser resigns over Occupy raid 14 Nov 2011 A top adviser to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan resigned on Monday over the city's handling of anti-Wall Street demonstrations, describing a morning raid to clear a downtown protest camp as a mistake that could trigger more volatility. Civil rights attorney Dan Siegel told Reuters he resigned at 2 a.m., hours before the raid on the Occupy Oakland encampment, after insisting that police should protect, not dismantle, the camp.

Police dismantle Oakland camp, protesters on march 14 Nov 2011 Police forcibly evicted protesters from an anti-Wall Street camp in downtown Oakland on Monday, setting the stage for a possible showdown with demonstrators who later marched in the street and vowed to dig in. Throngs of protesters headed back to Frank Ogawa Plaza in the late afternoon, regrouping hours after officers in riot gear cleared the area, arresting 33 people and removing about 100 tents but avoiding clashes that marked a previous attempt to shut down the camp.

Occupy Oakland gets second eviction notice 12 Nov 2011 OAKLAND, Calif.—Oakland officials are pressuring Occupy protesters camped in front of City Hall to leave. The city issued another eviction notice on Saturday morning. It warns protesters that they do not have the right to camp in the plaza overnight and face immediate arrest and the removal of their tents, stoves, sleeping bags and other belongings.

Police arrest Chapel Hill protesters who occupied vacant business --Police brandishing guns and assault rifles entered vacant Franklin Street car dealership --About 13 people, including a New & Observer staff writer covering the demonstration, were forced to the ground and hand-cuffed 14 Nov 2011 (NC) A police tactical team of more than 25 police officers arrested eight demonstrators Sunday afternoon and charged them with breaking and entering for occupying a vacant car dealership on Franklin Street. Officers brandishing guns and semi-automatic rifles rushed the building at about 4:30 p.m. They pointed weapons at those standing outside, and ordered them to put their faces on the ground. They surrounded the building and cleared out those who were inside.

Police team swarms Chapel Hill protesters --Tactical team pointed weapons at those standing outside and ordered them to put their faces on the ground. 14 Nov 2011 (NC) A police tactical team of at least 20 police officers arrested seven demonstrators Sunday afternoon and charged them with breaking and entering for occupying a vacant car dealership on Franklin Street. Officers brandishing handguns and semi-automatic rifles rushed the building about 4:30 p.m... About a dozen people, including a News & Observer reporter covering the demonstration, were forced to the ground and handcuffed.

Occupy Philly votes to defy deadline 12 Nov 2011 PHILADELPHIA - Protesters with Occupy Philadelphia have voted to stay next to City Hall despite the city's insistence that they move to another location to make way for a long-planned renovation project. Participants at Friday night's gathering also voted to implement nonviolent resistance training in preparation for an eviction, The Philadelphia Inquirer said.

Kiener quiet Saturday after arrest of Occupy St. Louis protesters 12 Nov 2011 ST. LOUIS. Kiener Plaza was quiet and empty Saturday morning, save for a few Occupy St. Louis protesters who had resumed their positions at 6 a.m., the start of the 16-hour window by which the city says they can lawfully be there. The tents were gone and the signs had been pulled down. Police arrested 27 Occupy protesters about 12:30 a.m. in a mostly peaceful, if noisy, eviction from the park.

Deaths at 3 Occupy camps in California, Vermont and Utah heighten pressure for shutdown 12 Nov 2011 Oakland police handed out eviction notices at an anti-Wall Street encampment and officials elsewhere urged an end to similar gatherings as pressures against Occupy protest sites mounted in the wake of three deaths in different cities, including two by gunfire. For the second time in as many days, Oakland city officials warned protesters on Saturday morning that they do not have the right to camp in the plaza overnight and face immediate arrest and the removal of their tents, stoves, sleeping bags and other belongings.

Occupy N.S. heads back to Grand Parade 12 Nov 2011 (Nova Scotia) Police confirm three people were arrested Saturday as an estimated 200 to 300 protesters from Occupy N.S. headed back to Grand Parade in downtown Halifax after being evicted from their camp at Victoria Park the night prior.

Controversial Oil Pipeline Plan to Be Rerouted After Threat of Delayed U.S. Approval 14 Nov 2011 Days after the Obama administration threatened to delay approval of a planned oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico -- angering unions while appeasing environmentalists -- the company seeking to build the pipeline says it's willing to reroute the project to get it back on track. TransCanada said Monday evening it will move the planned pipeline out of the environmentally sensitive Sandhills area of Nebraska, and is confident the project will still win approval.

US top court to take on Obama healthcare law --Obama administration, 26 states appealed to high court 14 Nov 2011 The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide the fate of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, with an election-year ruling due by July on the U.S. healthcare system's biggest overhaul in nearly 50 years. A Supreme Court spokeswoman said oral arguments would take place in March. There will be a total of 5-1/2 hours of argument. The court would be expected to rule during its current session, which lasts through June.

Chinese ratings agency threatens US with new debt downgrade 12 Nov 2011 The head of China's biggest ratings agency, Dagong Global Credit Rating, is warning that it may downgrade the US's sovereign debt rating again because of Washington's failure to tackle the federal budget deficit. The remarks by Dagong's chairman, Guan Jianzhong, to be broadcast in an interview with al-Jazeera on Saturday morning, come at the end of another week of deep turmoil for the world economy.

Goldman faces lawsuits over $15.8 billion in mortgages 11 Nov 2011 Goldman Sachs Group Inc faces lawsuits over $15.8 billion worth of mortgage securities, the bank said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, a more than 30-fold increase from the amount disclosed three months earlier. The aggregate figure, which is up from $485 million previously, does not represent how much money Goldman management estimates it may lose on the litigation.

GOP Debate: Herman Cain, Sen. Michelle Bachmann would reinstate waterboarding --Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman criticizes practice, Sen. Ron Paul calls it illegal [And Bank of America's Mitt Romney got a *pass* on the question by CBSlime as they didn't bother to ask. --LRP] 13 Nov 2011 Herman Cain and Rep. Michele Bachmann both said on foreign policy that they would reinstate waterboarding, an interrogation technique designed to simulate drowning and widely considered torture. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said use of the procedure diminishes U.S. standing in the world and Paul said it is illegal.

Bachmann's campaign manager calls CBS exec 'a piece of sh--' after debate 14 Nov 2011 Michele Bachmann's campaign manager lashed out at a CBS executive after he was accidentally cc'd on a network email detailing a plan to marginalize the Minnesota Congresswoman at Saturday night's Republican debate. "John Dickerson should be fired," the Rep.'s political handler Keith Nahigian told reporters after the debate, CNN and Fox reported. "He is a piece of sh--. He is a fraud and should be fired."

Herman Cain stumbles badly on Libya question --Cain said he has 'all this stuff twirling around in my head.' [Yup, lots of empty space in his head to accommodate the real estate required for all that 'stuff to twirl around.'] 14 Nov 2011 Herman Cain struggled to explain his position on President Obama's handling of Libya in an interview with the Journal Sentinel of Milwaukee released Monday, at one point asking if Mr. Obama supported the uprising and suggesting he was having a hard time articulating an answer because he has "all this stuff twirling around in my head."

Chelsea Clinton is hired by NBC News 14 Nov 2011 Chelsea Clinton began work at NBC News on Monday, the second daughter of a former president at the network. NBC said it had hired the 31-year-old Clinton to work on projects for "NBC Nightly News" and Brian Williams' newsmagazine, "Rock Center." The only child of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is pursuing a doctorate at Oxford and working for the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative.

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