World No Tobacco Day; Workers and Wage Slaves; Banks and Wall Street, Accountability; US Politics, Vote Machinations, Gerrymandering in Florida; Native American, Racism; NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy, Your Rights Online, TrueCrypt, Haxx0red, Facebook and Your Data

World No Tobacco Day

• Child Workers Are Getting Nicotine Poisoning on US Tobacco Farms
• New York raises minimum age to buy cigarettes to 21
• World No Tobacco Day: To tax or not to tax
• UK: NHS could start prescribing e-cigarettes as study finds them 60% more effective than gum or patches
• Top scientists warn WHO not to stub out e-cigarettes

Workers and Wage Slaves

• House GOP Votes Down Measure Aimed At Curbing Wage Theft
• Using Jailed Migrants as a Pool of Cheap Labor —"As the federal government cracks down on immigrants in the country illegally and forbids businesses to hire them, it is relying on tens of thousands of those immigrants each year to provide essential labor." NYT
• Bond set at $250,000 for Wayne Miller, president of Cathedral Bible College with Myrtle Beach campus—Allegation: "Miller threatened to cancel foreign students' visas if they did not work long hours for little pay."
• Michigan Set to Raise Minimum Wage to $9.25 Hour
• America's middle-class defeat: How Canada shamed the wealthiest nation on earth—"Want to understand what's causing the decay of the American dream? Take some lessons from our friends to the north." Salon
• 40% of EU citizens can't afford a vacation
• Japan creates new national holiday for 'overworked' population
• Robots will replace fast-food workers

Banks and Wall Street

• IMF chief says banks haven't changed since financial crisis—"Christine Lagarde tells London conference banking sector is still resisting reform and taking excessive risks."
• Bank of England governor: capitalism doomed if ethics vanish—"Mark Carney issues strong critique of City behaviour and warns of growing sense that basic social contract is breaking down."
• Obama Administration Spent a Fortune Monitoring Occupy Protests, including Flash Mobs and Yoga Classes—"The documents show monitoring in 2011 and 2012 by law enforcement agencies around the country [NYT], reporting on religious meetings, Christmas caroling and other events."
• Blast from the Past: What Actually Happens At The End Of 'Trading Places'?

Accountability

• Explosive claims on JP Morgan conduct—"A technical support person who worked for JP Morgan in Australia claims the bank regularly misled its New York parent and the US Federal Reserve by failing to report losing trades." SMH
• Goldman, JPMorgan sued over zinc price manipulation
• Los Angeles sues JPMorgan Chase over foreclosures WaPo
• The guy who tried to rig gold prices and cost his bank $44 million
• Icahn, Mickelson are investigated in U.S. insider trading probe: source
• Iran hangs billionaire over $2.6b bank fraud—"Largest fraud case since 1979 Islamic Revolution sends four scammers to the gallows, including tycoon Mahafarid Amir Khosravi."

US Politics

• Conservatism is losing ground in the US—"Number of Americans describing themselves as social, economic conservatives shrinks, according to new poll."
• Conservatives are losing their edge — quickly WaPo
• Dear GOP: "Duck Dynasty's" Phil Robertson may not help your outreach problem—"Party chair Reince Priebus wants the GOP to be seen as the party of equality. Meet their future leaders." Salon
• Republican Leadership Conference: The GOP’s speakers lineup is a problem—"Why the Republican Party attracts provocateurs, faux martyrs, and grifters in droves."
• America Is Becoming a Bit More Liberal. That's Pretty Unusual Six Years Into a Democratic Presidency.

Vote Machinations

• Americans overwhelmingly side with Hillary Clinton over Karl Rove in brain flap—"Republican strategist Karl Rove may need a different strategy to slow Hillary Clinton's 2016 candidacy." WaPo
• Conservative groups push for voter photo ID requirement in Ohio
• Democrats, stop fighting voter ID laws—"It's a tough concession that could actually work to get more minority voters to the polls." WaPo

Gerrymandering in Florida

• Redistricting Expert: Florida's Gerrymandered Maps Give An 8 Point Advantage To Republicans
• Surprise witness emerges in redistricting trial—"An FSU student who allegedly submitted a map to the Legislature with proposed new districts said he never drew any maps and his name was used without permission."
• Florida may be forced to redraw political districts before midterms WaPo

Native American

• Supreme Court says Mich. can't block Indian casino
• Courts challenge Native American land rights—"Recent cases have undermined tribal sovereignty and economic development, Native Americans say."
• Lawsuit: Casino Built on Native American Burial Ground

Racism

• Unsurprisingly, the Redskins #RedskinsPride Hashtag Backfired Quite Horribly—But that's not stopping them.
• Reports: Donald Sterling To Sue The NBA For $1 Billion
• White Police Lieutenant Awarded $1.35 Million In Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

NSA Spying

• Edward Snowden responds to release of e-mail by U.S. officials WaPo
• Daniel Ellsberg: Snowden would not get a fair trial – and Kerry is wrong—"Edward Snowden is the greatest patriot whistleblower of our time, and he knows what I learned more than four decades ago: until the Espionage Act gets reformed, he can never come home safe and receive justice."
• John Kerry Should 'Man Up' And Admit He's Wrong About Snowden
• Courier Services Deny Participation in NSA Interception Program

Surveillance and Privacy

• Privacy call for internet browsing in the wake of Edward Snowden leaks—"Survey reveals that more than eight out of 10 internet users believe their search history should be kept private."
• German spies want $400M to play catch-up with the NSA—"Confidential documents from the BND, Germany's answer to the NSA and GCHQ, suggest the agency could soon get major funding to improve its online surveillance and hacking capabilities."
• Former Head Of 'NSA North' Says Canadians Are 'Stupid'

Your Rights Online

• User gets prison sentence for using 'Allah CC' nickname on Twitter
• Turkey highest court: YouTube ban violates rights WaPo
• Google sets up 'right to be forgotten' form after EU ruling

TrueCrypt

• "TrueCrypt is not secure," official SourceForge page abruptly warns—"Support for decade-old crypto program pulled, touching off Internet firestorm."
• True Goodbye: 'Using TrueCrypt Is Not Secure'
• Bombshell TrueCrypt advisory: Backdoor? Hack? Hoax? None of the above?—LavaBit 2: Electric Bugaloo?
• TrueCrypt security audit presses on, despite developers jumping ship

Haxx0red

• The eBay hack, the loss of 140 million records, and the PR fiasco—If you still haven't done so, change your eBay password right now.
• Your iPhone has been taken hostage. Pay $100 ransom to get it back—If you still haven't done so, change your iCloud password right now.
• After seven months and no Microsoft patch, Internet Explorer 8 vulnerability is revealed
• Will Everyone Please Quit Bitching About Passwords?

Facebook and Your Data

• Passive listening will soon be a feature for Facebook app during status updates
• Facebook Stops Irresponsibly Defaulting Privacy Of New Users' Posts To "Public", Changes To "Friends"
• Facebook Reaps Billions from Your Data: It's Time to Unplug
• Facebook gives up on automatically posting everything you do online

War on Drugs, 420; Police State, Bad Cops, Brutality, Don't Tase Me, Bro; Law and Disorder, Trial and Error, Innocence, Prison, Death Penalty, Guns, Recording; Ticket, Road Rage

War on Drugs

• Toddler critically burned during SWAT raid—"Phonesavanh told Young the grenade landed in the child's crib, and she showed him a photo of a charred portable crib."
• Federal judges challenging stings as 'fictitious crime'—"Two federal judges have ruled that widely used sting operations designed to ensnare suspects with the promise of a huge payday for robbing an imaginary drug stash house are so 'outrageous' that they are also unconstitutional. One judge said the charges were so unfair that he threw them out after three suspects already pleaded guilty."
• NYPD Still Making Thousands Of Marijuana Arrests, And One Lawmaker Has Had Enough
• Despite new law, pot arrests still likelier than fines—"New study shows state, Chicago inconsistent in enforcing tickets and fines for holding small amounts of cannabis. 98.7% of marijuana arrests involved simple possession.
• Texas man facing possible life sentence for pot brownies
• N.D.Ga.: Court doesn't buy officer testimony they smelled marijuana; search suppressed
• Today's Heroin Addict Is Young, White And Suburban—Wrong color to arrest?

420

• House Votes To End DEA Raids On Legal Medical Marijuana Operations—"'Marijuana does not make people commit crime. It makes them overeat,' Rep. Steve Cohen said. The amendment passed 219-189." Next step is the Senate.
• Illinois House Approves Medical Cannabis for Epileptic Kids
• Legal marijuana created thousands of jobs in Colorado
• The FBI Is Struggling to Hire Hackers Who Don't Smoke Weed
• FBI Director: Don't Let Weed Stop You from Applying to the FBI—It's a trap!
• Apple pulls popular weed-growing game from App Store
• One Direction Stars Smoke Joint, World Keeps Spinning

Police State

• City of Aurora, Police Sued for 'More-Than-Two-Hour Mass Roundup' of Innocent People in Search for Bank Robber
• Pennsylvania cops don't need a warrant to search your car? That's a problem
• 7th Circuit upholds warrantless entry, seizure of gun rights activist
• In Complaint, Activists Seek Audit of New York Police Surveillance—"After reports that the Police Department secretly monitored political groups, several are requesting a review of its intelligence-gathering operations." NYT
• Another Bogus Hit From A License Plate Reader Results In Another Citizen Surrounded By Cops With Guns Out
• Police use cellphone spying device
• Root backdoor found in surveillance gear used by law enforcement—"Vulnerability one of nine critical weaknesses from lawful intercept provider."
• OKC police, FBI, Homeland Security raid SW OKC home—Warranted a trifecta.
• Where did $1 million of seized money go?—"San Diego Police Department is looking for the funds, missing from records."
• Banned, On the Run—"Baltimore Police freeze out a Sun reporter; Sun management follows suit."

Bad Cops

• $650G for New York woman mistakenly shot by police—"A county police officer shot the Hempstead woman in the chest after bursting into the wrong apartment while hunting for drug dealing suspects."
• Police must ID officers in on-duty shootings, court rules—"Police agencies must reveal the names of officers involved in on-duty shootings unless there is specific evidence that disclosure would pose a safety threat, the California Supreme Court decided Thursday."
• Cleveland police officer to be suspended for inappropriate behavior —Issued citation to get woman's personal information.
• Man in Pig Mask Arrested for Impersonating Police Officer
• Woman Sues City After Chicago Police Officer Shoots, Kills Puppy
• Tupac's final words revealed by police officer on scene of murder
• Co-owner of restaurant tells 911 not to send police
• Officer Arrested After Holding Gun To 5 Year Old's Head
• Miami Gardens 'Stop & Frisk' Nabs Thousands of Kids, Finds 5-Year-Olds 'Suspicious'—"Stop and Frisk quota policy at Miami Gardens Police Department results in over 99-thousand stops in a city of 110-thousand people."

Brutality

• Albuquerque Police Face Federal Scrutiny, Local Outrage
• Autopsy: James Boyd was shot in the back and arms—"Boyd's family suing Albuquerque."
• Seattle Police Say Force Policies Unconstitutional—"Dozens of Seattle police officers have filed a federal civil rights complaint against city and federal officials, saying use-of-force polices are restricting their constitutional rights to protect themselves."
• State trooper convicted of official oppression for illegal searches—"Ex-trooper pleads guilty to official oppression for cavity searches on 2 female motorists."
• Jury weighs police pepper spray that blinded woman
• Victim's friend called 911 before beating to complain of harassment by off-duty cops, sources say
• BPD officers allegedly shot teen with BB gun
• I was the victim of police brutality: How I survived my brush with death—"In 2010, Chicago police officers viciously attacked me. The incident haunted me — and then I made a discovery." Salon

Don't Tase Me, Bro

• Teen Treated At Local Hospital Dies After Being Tased By Police
• Supreme Court vacates police-immunity ruling in suit over multiple Tasering
• Cops Used TASER Several Times On Mentally Ill Man, Family Says
• Suit: Officer Instructed 'Tase The Bitch' During Deadly Beating

Law and Disorder

• Cal graduate sues In-N-Out over spilled coffee—Restaurant claims company policy not to call 911.
• Woman's Story in Fatal S.C. Shooting Was a Lie: Deputies—"A South Carolina woman lied to investigators about the death of a friend who she said asked her to shoot him to test his bulletproof vest, sheriff's deputies said Friday."
• French father tried for ordering daughter's killer kidnapped from Germany
• Indian woman pushed off train to her death—"The woman's two children boarded the air-conditioned coach then the conductor told the woman her tickets entitled them to travel only in a cheaper coach...."
• Southern California city drops bill against Sriracha hot sauce plant

Trial and Error

• New York Federal Judge: Tens Of Thousands Of Innocent People Have Likely Pleaded Guilty—"A prominent New York federal judge said this week that a broken guilty plea system is sending too many people innocent people to prison, coerced by the threat of long prison sentences and not enough information."
• Final Word on U.S. Law Isn't: Supreme Court Keeps Editing—"The Supreme Court has been quietly revising its decisions years after they were issued, a secretive process that has led judges, lawyers and scholars astray." NYT
• Arrestee alleges government misconduct; federal magistrate orders arrestee to apologize and recant, as a condition of bail —How is this not a miscarriage of justice? WaPo
• N.C. judge overturns Darryl Howard conviction, finds prosecutor misconduct by Mike Nifong—"Ruling comes as new book tries to rehabilitate Mike Nifong's reputation." WaPo
• Italy: Murder trial is suspended after judge spots court staff having sex

Innocence

• Innocent man cleared after serving 10 years as 'Bronx rapist'
• New York prosecutor to re-examine 90 convictions—"Fueled by the freeing of a prison inmate who claimed a detective framed him in a 1990 murder, the Brooklyn district attorney's office has undertaken one of the nation's most ambitious efforts to revisit cases of people put behind bars decades ago to determine whether they were wrongly convicted."
• Man freed after wrongful murder conviction earns law degree

Prison

• End Mass Incarceration Now—"The American experiment in locking up vast numbers of citizens has been a moral, legal, social and economic disaster. It cannot end soon enough." NYT
• Punitive damages—"Q&A on the economic and social costs of rising U.S. incarcerations, despite dipping crime rates."
• $25M lawsuit for inmate who 'baked to death' in New York prison—"Mother of Jerome Murdough, mentally ill homeless veteran found dead in overheated jail cell, filing wrongful death lawsuit."
• Miami Herald: Allegations Of Abuse Of Mentally-Ill In Florida Prison—"A 50-year-old mentally ill inmate at the Dade Correctional Institution, Rainey was pulled into the locked shower by prison guards" and "was left there unattended for more than an hour…. When guards finally checked on prisoner 060954, he was on his back and dead. His skin was so burned that it had shriveled from his body…."
• Inmate in solitary confinement says jail ignored birth, leading to baby's death
• Invasive airport body scanners have found a new home at US prisons

Death Penalty

• U.S. Supreme Court justice halts Missouri execution at 11th hour
• U.S. top court rules for Florida death row inmate over IQ test—"The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a death sentence for a Florida man in a decision that found the state's method for assessing whether defendants are mentally disabled was unconstitutional."
• Judges Orders Temporary Halt to Ohio Executions
• Tennessee to use electric chair when lethal drugs unavailable
• Firing squad or poison gas: America hunts for new death penalty

Guns

• The NRA has been blocking a nominee for surgeon general since February
• NRA lobbying led to law that stopped CDC from using federal funds to study gun violence
• AZ Candidate Apologizes For Saying Shootings Are Committed By Dems
• Detroit's top cop defends NRA article on deadly force
• Maryland police mistake pellet gun for assault rifle, kill man
• Colorado: Thornton pays $25,000 to man arrested for openly carrying firearm into Cinnebarre Theater
• Chipotle: Don't bring guns in our stores
• Gun Activists Flaunting Assault Rifles Get Booted From Chili's and Sonic

Recording

• Court upholds "First Amendment" right to film police—"Ruling is one of many nationwide supporting right to record police."
• Chicago cops physically, verbally abuse woman on video
• Ohio woman injured, charged after deputy pries open her mouth to retrieve Tylenol
• Cali. officer threatens illegal car search: "Doesn't mean I can use what I find but I can do it."
• Youtube Video Leads to Exposure of Police Coverup in Florida Beating Death—"Key West police not only tried to have his body cremated without an autopsy, a requirement for all in-custody deaths, they waited four days to notify his family that he was clinging to life in a hospital. And when an autopsy was finally conducted, it was discovered he had suffered from ten broken ribs."
• Dallas cop indicted for shooting mentally ill man—"Police Chief David Brown has suggested an expansion of the use of body cameras to avoid relying solely on officers' statements in disputed situations...."
• Can Cop-Worn Cameras Restore Faith In New Orleans Police?
  
• City, Fraternal Order of Police reach agreement on use of body cameras—"In plain English this means the Grievants will no longer be required to wear the Axon body cameras."

Ticket

• Trial of former Traffic Court judges begins this week—"They and two businessmen are accused of participating in a widespread ticket-fixing scheme."
• Sheriff’s deputies at fault in 500 accidents, receive little to no punishment
• Mendham Township officer lawsuit: Illegal ticket quotas—"A 16-year officer in the Mendham Township Police Department has filed suit against the force, alleging he has been bypassed twice for promotion and denied chances to earn overtime because he refuses to 'profile' young drivers for tickets."
• No fines for DC cops running red lights
• Driverless cars could cripple law enforcement budgets—"Local government have long looked to speeding tickets to increase revenue. What will they do when autonomous cars stick to the speed limit?"
• Video: Vaga Para Deficiente (Disabled Parking Prank)—Use full screen to read the tiny subtitles. Also: Double parking douches.

Road Rage

• Blackwood man wins $1.5M settlement after Hollywood Cafe-sponsored bar crawl crash
• Drunk father accused of running from crash scene, leaving 7-year-old screaming in street
• Packed minibus filled with boiling water after 'geyser' bursts through Siberian street
• Taxi driver stiffed out of $1500 after 22-hour ride across five states
• Oregon man caused three-car crash by holding breath in tunnel

Snowden; Santa Barbara Massacre, Guns; Comply! Incarcerating Kids, Rape, Bullying; Racism; Religion; I Was Told There Would Be No Math, That's Un-Possible, Educamation; Commencement, Graduation; Law and Disorder

Snowden

• Edward Snowden interview: breaking law was only option, says whistleblower—Watch the interview.
• Edward Snowden: I was a high-tech spy for the CIA and NSA—"Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has described himself as a trained spy specialising in electronic surveillance, dismissing claims he was a mere low-level analyst."
• In NBC interview, Snowden says NSA watches our digital thoughts develop
• NSA Releases Email Snowden Sent Before Leaks

Santa Barbara Massacre

• The 'Twisted World' Elliot Rodger Lived In
• Are 'pick-up artists' to blame for Isla Vista shooting?
• Facebook removes page glorifying Isla Vista killer
• Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow blast journalist who suggested their films inspired Elliot Rodger 51
• Tech exec fired for comments about California killer
• Fox News analyst retracts theory about California killer's sexuality—"On a Fox News show Dr. Robi Ludwig wondered if a 22-year-old Californian killed six because women were taking men away from him [Salon]."

Guns

• Victim's Dad Blames Deadly Rampage On NRA, Politicians—"They talk about gun rights. What about Chris's right to live?"
• Father of victim in Santa Barbara shootings to politicians: 'I don't care about your sympathy.' WaPo
• California GOPer Sent Out Pro-Gun Robocall Day After Massacre
• CNN Guest Shames Anchor For Banning Gun Control Talk After Calif. Mass Shooting
• Joe the Plumber: The real victim of Santa Barbara shootings would be me losing my guns
• How the Gun Nuts Try to Excuse Away the Santa Barbara Slaughter—and Why They're All Wrong—"The firearms fanboys have been more creative than usual, scrambling to defend their precious weapons in the wake of the massacre in Santa Barbara. It's only made their excuses lamer."

Comply!

• Second Grader Written Up for 'Seeing' Gun in the Clouds
• Community sounds off after school punishes boy for refusing to stand for pledge
• New York Teacher Tells Atheist Student She's Unpatriotic and Disrespectful for Refusing to Stand for the Pledge
• Students Allegedly Threatened With Suspension To Stop Them From Protesting Pennsylvania's Governor
• Students rebel, police called after 170 high school students suspended for dress code: reports—"Police were called to Duncanville High School in Texas Wednesday to help mitigate the chaos as packs of students were seen on video allegedly throwing food and at least one trash can, myfoxdfw reported."
• Mother wants answers after teenage daughter's armpits were shaved by teacher—"I spoke to the teacher the very next day and she told me that she has the right to do it, it's part of the curriculum."
• Boardman Schools to begin drug testing students

Incarcerating Kids

• Arresting Children Is Now Commonplace in America—"Putting police in schools was supposed to make kids safer, but instead it's resulted in a children and teens being handcuffed."
• Why Are Kids Being Tried in Kangaroo Courts?—'Juvenile courts across the country deny young defendants the constitutional right to an attorney."
• Ohio agrees to reform, eventually eliminate juvenile solitary confinement—"Under the agreement with the DOJ, Ohio will provide mental health treatment rather than rely on solitary confinement."

Rape

• Schoolgirl Punished for Reporting Rape by Fellow Student
• Ohio schools chief accused of destroying evidence—"The superintendent of the eastern Ohio district where two high school football players were found guilty of rape in a high-profile case last year wiped computer hard drives, erased emails and lied to investigators about his knowledge of the allegations against the boys, newly released court documents say."
• Duke student, expelled after sex assault claim, sues for degree

Bullying

• Calif. mom accused of assaulting boy over bullying daughter—"A Northern California woman is facing charges that she grabbed a 12-year-old boy by the throat while confronting him about bullying her daughter, authorities said Sunday."
• Carson moves to criminalize bullying for children as young as 5
• California mayor sparks outrage by telling bullying victims to 'grow a pair'—"The mayor was responding to a student program proposing safe zones around town with signs directing children to places where they could seek refuge from bullies."

Racism

• Academe, an academic blog, reveals common prejudice among professors against white, rural students.
• 'Hump Day' event cancelled after students claim bringing a camel to campus was racist—"Students at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota have cancelled an event to celebrate the end of the year after complaints that bringing a camel on campus could offend those of Middle Eastern cultures."
• The Real Origins of the Religious Right—"They'll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation."

Religion

• Narconon: Misleading antidrug program back in public schools—Scientology crap.
• Lawsuit claims teachers indoctrinated teens into religious cult
• Why Does This Public High School Football Team in Georgia Have an Official Pastor?
• Christian prayers violated Buncombe school policy
• A Winfield Tradition Comes To An End—"[T]he board of education says they've gotten complaints that McCoy's speeches contain too many religious references, and violate the Supreme Court ruling banning prayer in public schools." Thank FSM.

I Was Told There Would Be No Math

• Think the climate change fight is tough? What about the 17th century fight over math? LATimes
• 2+2=What? Parents rail against Common Core math—"Stacey Jacobson-Francis, 41, of Berkeley, California, said her daughter's homework requires her to know four different ways to add." Who came up with this shit?
• US 'in denial' over poor maths standards

That's Un-Possible

• Florida Lawmaker: Common Core Will Turn 'Every One Of Your Children' Gay
• Company rescinds Ohio man's job offer after learning he was home schooled
• Cole Middle School Cancels Honors Night—"Citing concerns about the "exclusive nature" of the annual honors night at Archie R. Cole Middle School, school officials have decided to scrap the tradition."

Educamation

• Group temporarily withdraws, modifies report accusing U of administrative bloat
• Elementary School 'Pay to Potty' Rule Outrages Parents—Technically monopoly money, and it was girl's decision not to go, but bathroom breaks shouldn't have been part of the prize/price list.
• Study: Black college grads have double the unemployment rate
• America's college students are graduating more indebted than ever
• Deck is stacked against millennials

Speeches

• Commencement meltdown– students are wisely rejecting elite authority
• Haverford College commencement speaker lambastes students
• Charlie Day's Commencement Speech Is the Only One You Need to Hear
• Blast from the Past: Fairness, idealism and other atrocities Commencement advice you're unlikely to hear elsewhere.

Graduation

• Florida high school charging $200 for 'premium' graduation seats
• Ridgewood to withhold diplomas pending class apology—The school has reversed their decision. The superintendent had blogged: "Perhaps it is the final lesson they will take away from high school: there are consequences for behaviors in life."
• Teen Threatened With Graduation Ban For Yearbook Quote
• Arizona high school dedicates yearbook pages to pregnant students
• Students upset to discover yearbook photos were altered to show less skin

Law and Disorder

• Teen tied to shopping cart drowns in Georgia lake
• Peace Sign Stolen From Conn. Playground Honoring Sandy Hook Victim Grace McDonnell
• Man with guns at BU commencement held on high bail
• Student charged with felony via hand sanitizer—"A 14-year-old has been arrested, accused of trying to poison his teacher with hand sanitizer."
• Dear Prudence: I made my teacher lose her job by saying she hurt me.

World News, Far Right, Ukraine and Russia, Turkey, Israel and Palestine, Middle East, Brazil 2014; US Politics, NJ Pensions, Vote Machinations, Campaign Finance Deform; Racism, Religion; Surveillance and Privacy, Your Rights Online

World News

• South Korea offers $500,000 reward for tips about missing billionaire Sewol ferry owner Yoo Byung-eun
• Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Satellite data released after long wait
• France's UMP 'ordered €10m fake invoices' to hide Sarkozy campaign spending

Far Right

• Far-right National Front stuns French elite with EU 'earthquake'
• Greece's Golden Dawn to enter EU Parliament for first time—"Exit polls give the party, which denies it subscribes to neo-Nazi ideology, around a 10 per cent of the Greek vote."
• Farage: UKIP has 'momentum' and is targeting more victories

Ukraine and Russian

• Putin Demands Apology After Prince Charles Compares Him To Hitler—Here's that apology (satire).
• Vladimir Putin Has Been Outplayed by Barack Obama
• Petro Poroshenko claims Ukraine presidency—And he'll push for EU integration.
• More than 50 rebels killed as new Ukraine leader unleashes assault
• ISS crew hug, take selfie to say 'No' to politics and Ukraine tension in space

Turkey

• In Turkey's Mine Disaster, Erdogan Turns Tragedy Into Farce
• Image of PM's aide kicking protester stokes anger over Turkey mine fire
• Soma mine inspected, approved by executive's brother-in-law
• 'Someday There Will Be a Massacre'
• Thousands protest at Erdogan German rally

Israel and Palestine

• Pope Francis calls Israeli-Palestinian stalemate unacceptable—"Pope also chose to arrive in West Bank from Jordan rather than via Israel in a symbolic nod towards Palestinian statehood."
• Gaza's Hamas government says ready to step aside
• Israeli authorities 'try to evict dead people' from Arab village
• Israel troops raid Palestinian newspaper offices
• Video footage indicates killed Palestinian youths posed no threat—"Evidence from CCTV above office shows alleged fatal shootings of Nadeem Nawara and Mohammad Salameh by Israeli forces."
• Turkey orders arrests over Gaza flotilla raid—"Court asks Interpol to issue arrest warrants for Israeli military chiefs over deadly 2010 raid on Gaza-bound aid ship."

Middle East

• Iran releases Pharrell Williams fans detained for singing hit song Happy
• Visiting Qatar this summer? Don't wear shorts. WaPo
• Egyptian presidential election extended to third day
• U.S. doctor killed in Pakistan in front of family

Brazil 2014

• A Brazilian Street Artist Has Created the World Cup's First Viral Image
• Soccer Great Pelé Expresses Concern, Disappointment At Brazil's World Cup Preparations
• Brazil anti-World Cup protesters clash with police
• Rio official: Water pollution targets won't be met—"Brazil will not make good on its commitment to clean up Rio de Janeiro's sewage-filled Guanabara Bay by the 2016 Olympic Games, state environmental officials acknowledged in a letter obtained Saturday by The Associated Press."
• Flipside: Here's Our Favorite World Cup Spot: Nike's "Winner Stays."

US Politics

• How Republicans became the "stupid" party: Turning right, refusing to recognize facts and change—"We once had two centrist liberal parties. Here's the story of how the GOP fringes took over the mainstream." Salon
• Jeb Bush's humiliating plea: I swear I'm smart Salon
• Republicans Bet That Latinos Are Idiots—"House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) recently published an orotund statement predicated on a lie, betting that Hispanic Americans are incapable of distinguishing between fact and fiction."
• Cliven Bundy Abandons The Republican Party
• GOP hopes renewed probes into Benghazi, IRS will fire up conservatives and not annoy centrists
• Young Republicans Split With The GOP On Gay Marriage, Marijuana

NJ Pensions

• We name the political donors whose firms got $14bn of pension cash from New Jersey
• Chris Christie can't afford to pay public teacher pensions… but still hands education megacorp $82m in subsidies
• Christie's pension payment reduction plan sparks lawsuit from CWA

Vote Machinations

• GOPer Suggested Voting Should Be Limited To Property Owners
• Arkansas Voters Complain About Quizzing By Poll Workers Checking IDs
• Voting problems across south could spell trouble for November
• PA: Corbett says he will not appeal voter ID law decision
• FBI agent who focused on political corruption in NC to join state elections agency
• Can Georgia Democrats Make the State Turn Blue Ahead of Schedule?
• Flipside: Massachusetts governor signs early voting bill

Campaign Finance Deform

• RNC files lawsuit to raise unlimited cash
• Someone Just Spent $1.5 Million on a GOP Senate Candidate. We'll Probably Never Know Who.
• David Koch, Donald Trump Lead Wealthy Donors Past Now-Dead Campaign Finance Limit
• Judge Who Halted Walker Dark Money Criminal Probe Attended Koch-Backed Junkets

Racism

• Man accused of slur sues Red Lobster, Franklin waitress
• Miss. Judge Allegedly Struck, Yelled Slur At Mentally Disabled Black Man
• Houston man accused of beating daughter who picked black teen for dance
• Racism on the rise in Britain

Religion

• How American Evangelicals Infected Uganda
• Malaysian Muslim groups call for jihad on Cadbury after pork traces found in chocolate
• Sudanese woman sentenced to death for her Christianity gives birth in prison

Surveillance and Privacy

• John Kerry's Latest Snowden Comments Are Moronic, Offensive, and Dangerous—"No one, fugitive whistleblower or otherwise, should heed Kerry's call to 'trust in the American justice system.'"
• Germany drops NSA prosecution due to lack of evidence—"Data protection officials are bewildered by the German federal prosecutor's decision not to start a criminal investigation into the alleged mass surveillance of German citizens by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA)."
• How the US institutionalized surveillance—"Washington's global intelligence network began with the humble file card."
• Brokers use 'billions' of data points to profile Americans—"Are you a financially strapped working mother who smokes? A Jewish retiree with a fondness for Caribbean cruises? Or a Spanish-speaking professional with allergies, a dog and a collection of Elvis memorabilia?" WaPo
• Attempts to stay anonymous on the web will only put the NSA on your trail—"The sobering story of Janet Vertesi's attempts to conceal her pregnancy from the forces of online marketers shows just how Kafkaesque the internet has become."
• Do Personal Computers Come With NSA Surveillance Devices Built-In As Standard?
• China demands halt to 'unscrupulous' US cyber-spying—"Chinese report says US has breached international laws, infringed human rights and put global cyber-security at risk."

Your Rights Online

• Snowden, Greenwald, Appelbaum, WikiLeaks 'blacklisted' from Stockholm Internet Forum
• Calls for Turkey to remove Internet restrictions
• Thailand: Facebook 'blocked'

Fat Tuesday; War on Terror; Veterans; Gitmo; Military Industrial Complex, Drones; Afghanistan, Benghazi; DHS, FBI; USA "Freedom" Act, Snowden, Greenwald, NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy

Fat Tuesday

• Retired military leaders fret kids will be 'too fat to fight'
• Army's new training shooter makes out of shape soldiers look fat—"Virtual Battlespace 3 applies real-world fitness scores to avatars' performance."
• Heavy duty: Army creates fat camps

War on Terror

• A Memorial Inscription's Grim Origins—"Questions have arisen about whether a quotation from a translation of Virgil's 'Aeneid' about two warriors' deaths is appropriate for the National September 11 Memorial Museum." It's taken out of context. NYT
• CIA: No more vaccination campaigns in spy operations WaPo
• Al Qaeda's American Fighters Are Coming Home—And U.S. Intelligence Can't Find Them
• Lawsuit over 'INF1DL' and 'WAR SUX' license plates headed to trial
• The case for abolishing the TSA

Veterans

• Veterans Fire Back at Letter by Senator—"Senator Richard M. Burr's letter that said leaders of veterans groups were defending the status quo at the V.A. drew fierce responses." Says he clearly represents the worst in politics. NYT
• Thank You for Being Expendable—"The scandal over the care of veterans is really an old story." NYT
• Flashback: Republicans Block VA Benefits

Gitmo

• US forced to acknowledge secret tapes of Guantánamo force-feedings
• Guantánamo inmate vomited blood after force-feeding, documents show
• Judge allows forced feeding to resume on Guantanamo detainee
• Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) Unable To Re-Enter America Due To "Immigration Issues"—Retaliation for his force-feeding "simulations"? Update: This rumor has been debunked [Salon].
• Why Guantanamo remains open

Military Industrial Complex

• 'Over My Dead Body': Spies Fight Obama Push to Downsize Terror War
• House Poised to Reject Pentagon's Cost-Cutting Plans—"The House of Representative on Wednesday edged toward passage of an annual defense policy bill that rejects Pentagon plans to retire older weapons systems and slow the rise in military pay as it implements long-term spending cuts ordered by Congress." NYT
• Congress Blocks Navy's Plan to Lay Up 11 Cruisers—"The Navy's plan to lay up 11 cruisers and three amphibious ships as part of a cost-saving, long-term modernization plan has been met with skepticism, concern and caution from members of Congress."
• White House threatens veto of defense bill—"The White House is threatening a veto of the House version of a $601 billion defense bill over election-year moves to spare weapons systems and popular programs in the face of limited budgets."
• US House approves $600 million military aid package for Israel—And "authorizes provisions for Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow 3."

Drones

• Secret laws are a threat to American democracy—"Releasing the drone-assassination memo is only the first step."
• Iran Knows the Secrets of America's Stealth Drone—"Tehran tracked, captured, studied, copied RQ-170."
• The Catholic Church Proved the US Government Is Making Up Drone Rules On the Fly
• New Zealand PM John Key Confirms 'Legal' Data-Sharing with U.S.; Justifies U.S. Drone Strikes

Afghanistan

• Obama signals US to keep limited Afghanistan role—"President Barack Obama slipped into Afghanistan for a surprise visit Sunday and made clear that the U.S. will likely maintain a limited role here even after its combat mission ends this year and America's longest war comes to a close."
• Karzai refused to meet Obama at Bagram Air Base, says US official
• White House mistakenly identifies CIA chief in Afghanistan—Oops. WaPo
• Afghanistan Hits Out at U.S. Spying Allegations

Benghazi

• This Is How the Right Milks Benghazi for Cash—"And more proof it's all about Hillary Clinton."
• Allen West Says Rep. Tammy Duckworth, Decorated Veteran, Not 'Loyal' To America
• Issa's latest Benghazi stunt backfires
• John Kerry Trolls The House—Adroit political manuevering.

DHS

• We need to know why DHS is an NSA intelligence "customer", and what that means
• Planned Homeland Security headquarters, long delayed and over budget, now in doubt Salon
• Did GoDaddy and Homeland Security shut down a Mexican protest site?

FBI

• FBI chief: 'Be suspicious' of government power
• Microsoft wins case to block FBI request for customer data—Didn't "win" as much as the FBI withdrew their case, preventing legal precedence over NSLs.
• Pension for FBI shooter of Todashev draws scrutiny in Oakland

USA "Freedom" Act

• The White House Is Trying to Weaken the NSA Reform Bill: Report
• As Feared: House Guts USA Freedom Act, Every Civil Liberties Organization Pulls Their Support
• Changes to Surveillance Bill Stoke Anger—"At the Obama administration's request, House leaders revised a bill that limits the government's bulk collection of phone records, spurring several civil liberties groups to withdraw support for the bill."
• The NSA Reform Bill the House Passed Today Is a Watered-Down Piece of Nonsense
• The NSA Bill That Just Passed Is So Weak, Original Backers Voted Against It

Snowden

• Snowden's First Move Against the NSA Was a Party in Hawaii
• NBC News Trumps ABC's Hillary Clinton Exclusive With Edward Snowden's First American Interview Since NSA Info Dump
• Edward Snowden Seeking Return to US: Der Spiegel
• Snowden: "I Was Trained as a Spy."

Greenwald

• NYT Book Reviewer Wonders If Glenn Greenwald Should Be Locked Up—Greenwald responds to Kinsley and his hacktastic review.
• 'Journalist' Argues In NY Times That Publishing Decisions Should Ultimately Be Made By Government
• The Government Isn't Very Good at Deciding What to Keep Secret—"So why do so many Americans insist that the state, not the press, should call the shots?"
• NYT Public Editor Slams 'Sneering' Review Of Glenn Greenwald's Book
• Sony Acquires Film Rights For Glenn Greenwald's Snowden Book—The first part read like a thiller novel.
• Glenn Greenwald to publish list of U.S. citizens that NSA spied on

NSA Spying

• Privacy under attack: the NSA files revealed new threats to democracy—"Thanks to Edward Snowden, we know the apparatus of repression has been covertly attached to the democratic state. However, our struggle to retain privacy is far from hopeless."
• Pentagon report: scope of intelligence compromised by Snowden 'staggering'—Yeah, about that report.
• California lawmakers make modest attempt to halt NSA data collection—"There's nothing that says states have to cooperate with a federal agency."
• Fine Line Seen in U.S. Spying on Companies—"United States officials say the N.S.A. is free to spy on trade negotiators to help American trade officials, and by extension, American industries and workers they are trying to bolster." NYT
• Marc Andreessen: Tech companies are still fuming over the NSA WaPo
• China Said to Study IBM Servers for Bank Security Risks—"Government agencies, including the People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Finance, are asking banks to remove the IBM servers and replace them with a local brand as part of a trial program...."
• House Committee Puts NSA on Notice Over Encryption Standards—"Amendment would remove requirement that the National Institute of Standards and Technology consult with the NSA on encryption standards."
• Man who lost all those NSA secrets to teach cybersecurity at Harvard
• PBS: United States of Secrets

Surveillance and Privacy

• Secrets, lies and Snowden's email: why I was forced to shut down Lavabit—"For the first time, the founder of an encrypted email startup that was supposed to insure privacy for all reveals how the FBI and the US legal system made sure we don't have the right to much privacy in the first place." Update: More from Levision.
• Everything Is Broken
• Empty promises: ProtonMail—A caveat to using "secure" email services.
• Federal 'Biosurveillance' Plan Seeking Direct Access to Americans' Private Medical Records
• ID theft protector LifeLock deletes user data over concerns that app isn't safe
• LG Will Take The 'Smart' Out Of Your Smart TV If You Don't Agree To Share Your Viewing And Search Data With Third Parties
• Internet 'Do Not Track' system is in shatters
• For Do Not Call violations, Sprint will pay FCC $7.5M in largest ever settlement—FCC: "Protecting consumer privacy is a top enforcement priority."

Memorial Day, Military, Family Matters, Housing, Citizenship, Religion, VA Scandal, Collateral Damage, Suicide Squad, Fake

Memorial Day

• "Band of Brothers" WWII Vet Bill Guarnere Dies at 90
• Japanese-American soldier kept quiet about World War II heroics
• Walter R. Walsh Dies at 106; Terrorized Gangsters and Targets—"Mr. Walsh, an F.B.I. legend in the 1930s who joined the Marines during World War II, was still winning handgun awards and coaching Olympic marksmen at 90." NYT
• Man Known As Kissing Sailor From One Of History's Most Iconic Pictures Has Died
• One of last Native American code talkers dies
• Jeremiah Denton, Vietnam War POW and U.S. senator, dies

Military

• Blast from the Past: Americans and Their Military, Drifting Apart NYT
• Two Chief Petty Officers Walk Into a Bar...—"America used to love laughing at the military. When did it become so taboo?" FP
• Amazing Military Infographics: An appreciation

Family Matters

• A US soldier searches for his Vietnamese son
• The Philippines' forgotten generation—"The United States military is set to return to the Philippines 22 years after being evicted. The imminent arrival of US forces has renewed focus on the thousands of 'Amerasians' fathered by US military personnel. Aya Lowe went in search of this forgotten generation."
• Soldier's family torn apart by White Australia policy

Housing

• Whitehouse Introduces Bill to Protect Servicemembers from Foreclosure—Will it prevent history from repeating itself?
• Meth contamination turns Indiana veteran's dream home to nightmare
• Soldier in battle to rid home of squatters, Florida sheriff's office says it can't do anything—The squatters who packed up and left have been arrested.

Citizenship

• I Served My Country. Then It Kicked Me Out.—"I was a veteran, a father and husband and a small-business owner. Then I was deported." Politico
• After Forming Deep Roots in U.S., Man Discovers He Isn't a Citizen—"Mario Hernandez's discovery, after nearly 50 years in the United States, shows how federal bureaucracies can stumble when it comes to immigration status." NYT
• House Republicans prevent vote on Enlist immigration bill—Is Boehner looking to politicize this [Politico]?

Religion

• The War Being Waged On Religious Freedom In The Military—"We are witnessing a sickening trend. There are religious groups actively seeking to 'convert' people in the US military, and they are making a full-court press, especially in the US Air Force."
• Two U.S. soldiers lose bid to dress according to religious custom
• God won't save us: Memorial Day, honest history and our new military-industrial complex—"Americans believe we are guided by divine providence. Obama's strange presidency shows the work of something else." Salon

VA Scandal

• VA falsified records, inquiry finds—"A VA investigation of one of its outpatient clinics in Colorado reveals how ingrained the delays in medical care may be for an agency struggling to rapidly treat nearly 9 million veterans a year amid allegations that dozens have died because of delays."
• 'Gaming the System': Email reveals how Wyo. VA workers were taught to manipulate records
• Growing evidence points to systemic troubles in VA healthcare system
• Top U.S. veterans' healthcare official resigns amid scandal
• VA Whistleblower Says He's Been Demoted, Bullied
• VA Scandal Hits New Hospital—"Veterans with serious heart conditions, gangrene, and even brain tumors waited months for care at the Albuquerque VA hospital, a whistleblowing doctor tells The Daily Beast."
• VA investigating Florida hospital wait lists
• This Is Why Bernie Sanders Is Pissed
• Newsmakers with Senator Bernie Sanders—"Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) talked about delays in health care for veterans at VA hospitals and allegations that some VA hospitals kept secret, separate sets of books to cover up wait times."
• The Bubble Finally Cares About the Veterans Affairs Story
• Obama Administration Will Let Veterans Seek Care At Private Hospitals—Just don't privatize veterans' care.
• Stewart Gets Heated Over VA Scandal: 'Fix This F*cking Thing

Collateral Damage

• Republicans War-Monger, Then Complain When We're Overwhelmed By Sick Vets
• States that refuse Medicaid are leaving over 250,000 poor veterans uninsured
• "I'm PTSD — Paid Till Suicide or Death"
• Grief camps to combat suicides among US military veterans—Numbers aren't good.

Suicide Squad

• Soldier Had Black Eye, Broken Nose, and Burned Genιtalia: Army Ruled it a Suicide
• 26 Stab Wounds a Suicide?: The Unbelievable Case of Captain Gordon Hess
• Death of LaVena Johnson—"LaVena Johnson...was a Private First Class in the United States Army whose death, officially ruled a suicide, has attracted international attention amid allegations that her death was actually the result of rape and murder."
• Blast from the Past: Army investigators: No foul play suspected in captain's death

Fake

• Marine Poser Meets a Real Marine
• Phony Navy SEAL of the Week
• Exposing a Navy SEAL Imposter: How A.J. Dicken Was Found to be a Fake
• When Two Vets Confront a Man in 'Fake' Military Gear, It's On: 'I Am a U.S. F***in' Ranger & This Guy Is Not!'