World News, Ukraine and Russia, China, Australia, Israel and Palestine, Africa; War on Terror, Iraq'd, Islamism, Surveillance and Privacy

World News

• Man sets self afire in Tokyo in apparent protest—Japan slowly turning militant.
• MH370: New evidence of tampering with cockpit systems revealed
• No, North Korea Did NOT Threaten War Over Seth Rogan Movie—"Media reports claiming the DPRK threatened war over a Seth Rogan and James Franco movie are flat out wrong."

Ukraine and Russia

• Putin snarls, but Obama gets the last laugh
• Defying Russia, Ukraine Signs E.U. Trade Pact—"Moscow warned that the signing of the economic agreement, which had set off protests and fighting in Ukraine, would have 'serious consequences.'" NYT
• Ukraine begins military offensive as cease-fire ends

China

• Washington is renaming the street outside China's embassy after jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo — and China is furious National Post
• Chinese president Xi Jinping vows China won't bully other nations
• Hong Kong democracy 'referendum' voting ends
• Hong Kong police arrest democracy protesters at sit-in

Australia

• Australia's right to know is under assault—"Reforms to freedom of information under the last government saw FOI culture flourish. Now the Coalition plans to radically restrict the FOI regime."
• Janet Albrechtsen appointed to ABC and SBS board appointments panel
• Australia's High Court rules PNG immigrant detention camp constitutional—"Australia's highest court has dismissed a challenge to the government's policy of sending asylum-seekers to Papua New Guinea, ruling detention at an island immigration camp legal under the country's constitution."
• Australia buys up, enters Asian arms race

Israel and Palestine

• Israeli PM Calls Killers of Three Israeli Teens 'Human Animals'
• Palestinian teenager found dead in suspected revenge attack
• Israeli troops clash with Palestinians after body of Arab teenager found WaPo

Africa

• African leaders vote to give themselves immunity from war crimes
• Uganda students smuggle pigs into parliament—"Youths and police guards arrested after protest against high unemployment and government corruption."
• Donors slash Mozambique aid over corruption claims

War on Terror

• Obama's crackdown views leaks as aiding enemies of U.S.
• Supreme Court lets victims' 9/11 suit vs. Saudi Arabia proceed
• Before Shooting in Iraq, a Warning on Blackwater—"Not long after the security firm's top manager in Iraq told a State Department investigator 'that he could kill' him, an inquiry was abandoned. Weeks later, the firm's guards killed 17 civilians in Iraq." NYT
• US court revives lawsuit against Abu Ghraib security contractors
• Judge upholds order demanding release of CIA torture accounts—"US government loses attempt to keep accounts of torture of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri secret."
• Army Clears Bergdahl of Any Misconduct During Captivity
• Bill Clinton says GOP is guilty of double standard on Benghazi WaPo
• New TSA fees to make airfare more expensive

Iraq'd

• Obama authorizes 200 more troops for Iraq WaPo
• If You Were An Iraq War Critic, You're Probably Not Being Asked To Go On TV
• Laura Ingraham To Republicans: Stop Talking About Iraq Already!
• Dick Cheney Doesn't Want You To Reflect on the Iraq War, So You Know It's a Good Idea To
• Retired Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson Rips Dick Cheney: He Isn't Immoral, He's Amoral—Sociopath.
• Nation Editor Tells Bill Kristol To Join Iraqi Army If He Wants War
• alicublog: On Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Blame Game on Iraq—Goldberg: "I supported the war, and I still think the arguments in favor at the time were superior to the arguments against. Alas, the facts on the ground didn't care about the arguments." Facts do have a liberal bias.

Islamism

• Iraq crisis: Isis changes name and declares its territories a new Islamic state with 'restoration of caliphate' in Middle East
• Just what is a 'caliphate' — and why are some Muslims keen to reestablish one?
  
• Christian Iraqis Live in State of Fear of ISIS Terrorists
• Osama Bin Laden's seven rules for terrorists: ISIS will regret not following the al-Qaida leader's advice.
• Britain bans controversial Saudi cleric al-Arifi—""The UK Government makes no apologies for refusing people access to the UK if we believe they represent a threat to our society. Coming here is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who seek to subvert our shared values."
• European Court upholds French full veil ban
• Nigerian man is locked up after saying he is an atheist—"Campaigners call for release of 29-year-old Mubarak Bala, who lives in Kano in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north."
• At least 30 die in Nigeria village attacks—"Churches set alight in attack by suspected Islamist extremists on village close to town from where schoolgirls were kidnapped."

Surveillance and Privacy

• Facebook's Psychological Experiments Connected to Department of Defense Research on Civil Unrest
• Court gave NSA broad leeway in surveillance, documents show—Now Internet monitoring is supposedly legal. WaPo
• New Snowden docs: NSA spies on pretty much everyone abroad—"All the world's a stage for US spies, according to secret American memos."
• Greenwald delays biggest Snowden story yet after new U.S. government claims
• FBI, CIA Use Backdoor Searches To Warrentlessly Spy On Americans' Communications
• ISPs take legal action against GCHQ
• TOR exit nodes now illegal in Austria
• Paypal Freezes ProtonMail Campaign Funds —A Paypal representative "questioned whether ProtonMail is legal and if we have government approval to encrypt emails."

Climate Change, Denialists, Weather Control; Environment, Carbon Caps, Unclean Energy, Fracking; Law and Disorder, BP, Pollution, Water; Ecology, Poached, Oceans, Forests

Climate Change

• Krugman: Interests, Ideology And Climate—"The monetary stakes, it turns out, are not the biggest obstacle to rational action on global warming." NYT
• Republican EPA chiefs to Congress: Act on climate
• Hawaii: Gov. signs climate change bill—"Being the only island state in the country, we are especially vulnerable to climate change and are on the frontlines of impacts like sea level rise."
• How the insurance industry sees climate change—"Why, if climate change is a hoax, are we paying for it?" LA Times
• Brazil Has Done More To Stop Climate Change Than Any Other Country, Study Finds
• Fiji accuses global community of abandoning the Pacific on climate change, singles out 'selfish' Australia
• Apparent pause in global warming blamed on 'lousy' data—"European Space Agency scientist says annual sea level rises since 1993 indicate that warming has continued unabated."
• Climate change will 'cost world far more than estimated'

Denialists

• Obama: Denying Climate Change Is Like Saying the Moon Is "Made of Cheese"
• Florida Congressman: If Humans Cause Climate Change, Then 'Why Did The Dinosaurs Go Extinct'?
• Koch Brothers Unveil New Strategy at Big Donor Retreat—"The Koch brothers' financial network is planning on spending almost $300 million in the 2014 election, including a new anti-environment effort."
• Coal Company CEO Threatens To Sue EPA For 'Lying' About Climate Change
• Fox News slams local newspaper for refusing to entertain climate deniers Salon
• Whitehouse: GOP is 'shrinking' from climate change challenge
• Tony Abbott seeks alliance to thwart President Obama on climate change policy—UK and NZ say no.
• Australia: Labor, Greens challenge Tony Abbott to call double dissolution election after climate bill voted down again in Senate

Weather Control

• China creates 55 billion tons of artificial rain a year—and it plans to quintuple that
• The United States Is Experimenting With Drones To Control The Weather
• Air conditioning raising night-time temperatures in the US

Environment

• The Turning Point: New Hope for the Climate—Al Gore: "It's time to accelerate the shift toward a low-carbon future."
• Chile rejects Patagonia wilderness dam project—"The Chilean government has rejected a plan to build five hydroelectric dams on rivers in the south of the country. Its decision follows years of campaigning by environmentalists and local communities."
• Germany produces half of energy with solar
• U.K. Approves Plans For What Could Become The World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm
• Oil-rich United Arab Emirates aims to be a sustainable energy pioneer—"One of the world's richest oil-based economies is Fembracing sustainable technologies, and making a surprise bid to become a clean energy leader."

Carbon Caps

• In Some States, Emissions Cuts Defy Skeptics—"At least 10 states have already met President Obama's goal of a 30 percent reduction in power plant emissions by 2030, without the economic damage that critics have warned would occur." NYT
• Ohio rebels against Obama climate change agenda with energy bill—"Governor John Kasich puts a two-year freeze on measures promoting wind and solar power and energy efficiency."
• House Republicans Are So Mad at the EPA that They Might Force Another Shutdown

Unclean Energy

• Push To Impose Extra Fees On Customers Who Install Solar Panels Sparks Outrage In Utah
• America's Coal-Producing States Weigh Their Options
• Despite Protests, Canada Approves Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline—"The project, which would send oil from Alberta to Asia, faces stiff opposition from aboriginal groups, environmentalists and community advocates." NYT

Fracking

• Drug Gangs Attacking With Tanks Block Mexican Shale Boom
• Buru to gas frack without EPA assessment—"The West Australian government has decided to allow Buru Energy to frack for gas in the Kimberley region without an Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) assessment."
• German beermakers look like winning their battle to stop fracking
• Russia in secret plot against fracking, Nato chief says—"Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia was mounting a sophisticated 'disinformation campaign' aimed at undermining attempts to exploit alternative energy sources such as shale gas."

Law and Disorder

• Court rules against homeowners in toxic water case—"The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a group of homeowners in North Carolina can't sue a company that contaminated their drinking water decades ago because a state deadline has lapsed.... even if residents did not realize their water was polluted until years later."
• Iowa high court reinstates major pollution lawsuit—"In a major environmental case, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that residents can bring a nuisance lawsuit against a Muscatine manufacturer accused of routinely blanketing their properties with soot and chemicals."
• EPA fines Buffalo for mishandling waste

BP

• Did Jindal tell us his brother's law firm represents BP before signing SB 469? We didn't get the memo from press office—Protecting corporations, screwing real people.
• BP loses bid to freeze Gulf of Mexico spill payouts—"The US Supreme Court has refused to allow BP to stop paying compensation claims while it awaits a review of its settlement with businesses over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill."
• New trial ordered for ex-BP engineer—"A new trial was ordered Thursday for a former BP engineer convicted of deleting text messages related to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."
• Four Years After Deepwater Horizon Spill, Tar Balls Continue to Wash Up on Shore—"Researchers have analyzed oil-soaked sand patties near the Gulf of Mexico to track oil from the spill."

Pollution

• Australia drops planned Aborigine nuclear waste site
• NC AG Says Coal Ash Must Be Cleaned Up—"North Carolina's attorney general said Wednesday that Duke Energy's coal ash pits must be cleaned up to protect the state's waterways, but the costs shouldn't be passed along to consumers through higher utility rates."
• China pollution arrests rise as Beijing pushes green agenda
• Chinese official tries to blame industrial lead pollution on "pencil chewing" Salon
• Smog-busting roof tiles could clean tons of pollution, study says

Water

• Suit: Pure Life H2O complaint brought death threats—"A Philly who called Nestle's customer-service department to inquire about the fluoride content in her Nestle Pure Life water was "threatened with a bloody death" by the customer representative who took her call, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Common Pleas Court."
• Indian officials order Coca-Cola plant to close for using too much water—"Mehdiganj plant at centre of protests accused of extracting too much groundwater and releasing pollutants above limits."
• Venezuela Sacrifices Drinking Water to Pay Bondholders—"At a time when Venezuela's record $25 billion in arrears to importers has its citizens waiting hours in line to buy drinking water and crossing borders in search of medicine, President Nicolas Maduro is using the nation's dwindling supply of dollars to enrich bondholders."
• Detroit Plan to Profit on Water Looks Half Empty—"Cities and counties that have long bought their water from Detroit's vast, aging system are teaming up to bypass the bankrupt city." The cut-offs are coming. NYT
• Gwyneth Paltrow believes water has feelings: 'Negativity changes the structure of water'—Wait... what?

Ecology

• WildLeaks attracts major wildlife crime leads in first three months—"WikiLeaks-style website yields 24 tip-offs including elephant poaching, tiger killing, illegal fishery and forest destruction."
• First California condor spotted in San Mateo County since 1904
• Tufted puffin seen on Atlantic coast for 1st time since 1830s
• India: 200 crore trees to be planted along highways—1 crore is 10,000,000 so that makes it 2 billion trees. Project will employ jobless youth. Definitely a win-win.

Poached

• Alarm as 117 elephant carcasses found
• Poachers massacre 68 elephants in Congo park
• Kenya's biggest elephant killed by poachers
• Notorious poacher Bheema Bavaria arrested
• Huge haul of blood-stained ivory found in 32 suitcases at Hong Kong airport SCMP
• Orphaned baby rhino Gertjie refuses to sleep alone after witnessing his mother's death at the hands of poachers

Oceans

• Govt opens Maui's dolphin area for oil drilling
• Pacific Nation Bans Fishing in One of World's Largest Marine Parks
• Obama proposes vast expansion of Pacific Ocean sanctuaries for marine life
• Chinese fishermen held in Philippines defiant ahead of turtle-poaching trial SCMP
• Japan to press for resumption of annual whale hunt

Forests

• Saving Tasmania's forests—"The Australian government will attempt to delist part of Tasmania's forests from UNESCO's World Heritage List."
• Dying to save the Amazonian rainforest—"An environmental campaigner is killed every week in Brazil. Jonathan Watts and Karina Vieira travel to Lábrea in the heart of the Amazon to meet the people risking their lives."
• Brazil's recent fight against deforestation has been a huge success

Tiananmen Square 25th Anniversary; Australia; Russia; Turkey; Nigeria; Religion; Qatar 2022 Corruption; World News; House of Cads; Vote Machinations, Campaign Finance Deform; Racism

Tiananmen Square 25th Anniversary

• Crowds Gather in Hong Kong to Mark 25th Anniversary of Tiananmen Killings—"In Beijing and elsewhere in mainland China, a stifling security presence Wednesday on the streets and online appeared to forestall protests." NYT
• Tiananmen Square Tank Man: 25 Years Later, His Memory Lives On
• Chinese dare recall Tiananmen Square massacre
• 'I will not be silenced. I want truth behind Tiananmen'—"Activists say Beijing's battle to bully the families of Tiananmen victims into silence has failed as relatives of those killed during the 1989 crackdown defy Communist Party intimidation to demand justice."
• China's Tiananmen activists: Where are they now?
• Chinese-Australian artist Guo Jian detained ahead of Tiananmen anniversary
• China Blocks Google to Silence Tiananmen Square Discussion—And did LinkedIn engage in self-censorship?
• 25 Years Later, Details Emerge of Army's Chaos Before Tiananmen Square NYT
• Tiananmen square protests and crackdown: 25 years on
• Why Tiananmen still matters

Australia

• Tony Abbott roasted by John Oliver on HBO show Last Week Tonight
• Chris Kenny to receive on-air ABC apology after legal settlement reached—"TV apology will be broadcast at 9pm Wednesday – the same timeslot as a skit last year that depicted the conservative commentator having sex with a dog."
• Australians unfazed by government spying on other countries—"Poll found 70% of Australian adults believe it is acceptable to spy on nations Australia does not have a good relationship with."

Russia

• Russian image has deteriorated - BBC World Service poll
• G7 powers meet without Russia in summit snub over Ukraine
• Documents Show How Russia's Troll Army Hit America

Turkey

• Turkey's Erdogan calls CNN reporter 'agent' for his coverage of protests
• Turkey Unblocks YouTube After 2 Months
• Erdogan to grow more powerful as president, Turkey more polarised

Nigeria

• Protests for kidnapped girls banned in Nigerian capital
• 'Dozens killed' in Boko Haram attack on Nigeria villages
• Nigerian military court-martials 15, including 10 generals, for aiding Boko Haram

Religion

• Pakistan clerics issue stoning death decree—"Ulema Council says so-called 'honour killings' are un-Islamic and sign of ignorance...."
• Sudan backtracks on pledge to free woman sentenced to death for apostasy—"The foreign office said on Saturday that Meriam Ibrahim would be freed within days but now says only Sudan's courts can decide on her fate."
• Mob Torches Christian Shops in Egypt Ahead Trial
• The Indian miracle-buster stuck in Finland—"An Indian man who made his name exposing the 'miraculous' feats of holy men as tricks has fled the country after being accused of blasphemy. Now in self-imposed exile in Finland, he fears jail - or even assassination - if he returns."
• Ministry to remove billboard with Hitler quote

Qatar 2022 Corruption

• Fifa faces calls to quash Qatar World Cup vote after corruption allegations
• Fifa ethics head Michael Garcia won't look at new corruption allegations—"Millions of files raise fresh questions over Qatari bid for the 2022 World Cup, with Garcia's report on the issue due 9 June."
• David Cameron: Fifa members lied to David Beckham, Prince William and I over World Cup bid
• Australia Pulled Into FIFA Corruption Probe
• Qatar 2022: Uefa president Michel Platini says 'corruption scandal' claims are an attempt to tarnish his image over Qatar 2022 support

World News

• Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef ends his TV show—"I'm tired of struggling and worrying about my safety and that of my family."
• Syria parliament speaker: Bashar Assad wins presidential vote in a landslide with 88.7 percent
• Thailand's military threatens to arrest people giving 'Hunger Games' salute WaPo
• Juan Carlos abdication sparks calls for referendum on Spain's monarchy
• Foreign Ministry adopts online "corruption trigger" to prevent aid misuse
• Venice Mayor Orsoni held in Italy corruption inquiry
• Malaysia Airlines plane search: British yachtswoman 'saw MH370 on fire'

House of Cads

• House GOP Backs Tax Breaks That Add $300 Billion To Deficit
• House Vote Aims To Derail DOJ Processing Of Clemency Petitions—"The House of Representatives has voted to prohibit the Justice Department from hiring more attorneys to deal with thousands of backlogged clemency petitions in a bid to block one of the Obama administration's top criminal justice priorities."
• GOP plans to pay for 1 year of highway funds with 10 years of postal service cuts

Vote Machinations

• Study finds strong evidence for discriminatory intent behind voter ID laws WaPo
• 93-year-old black man disenfranchised by Alabama voter ID law
• Alabama Republicans offer $1,000 for information that leads to a felony voter-fraud conviction
• Can turnout save the Democrats in 2014? WaPo
• This computer programmer solved gerrymandering in his spare time—"We could take human error out of the redistricting process entirely. Why don't we?" WaPo
• This Arizona Republican Transformed into a Democrat Named 'Cesar Chazez' for Votes

Campaign Finance Deform

• Reid and McConnell Duel Over Proposed Amendment on Campaign Spending NYT
• Milbank: This is no way to fix the problem of billionaires buying elections—"Cruz isn't defending anybody's liberty; he's championing oligarchy." WaPo
• The 4 Most Ridiculous Arguments Against Getting Money Out of Politics
• West Virginia: Men charged in mine kickback scheme are big Tomblin donors
• Obama to Donors: "I Might Be In a Very Strong Position" To Demand Constitutional Change on Money in Politics
• Don't get campaign finance? Experts recommend watching more Comedy Central.—"A new study shows that watching Colbert made people smarter about super PACs." WaPo

Racism

• Worker records 'racist' supervisor in cotton warehouse—"They're accusing their former supervisor of calling them 'monkeys' and telling them the water fountain and microwave were for white people only."
• Woman 'Hunting Asians' Beats 4-Year-Old With Crowbar in Walmart: Police
• Never Say "I Kill White People Like You" When Asked To Turn Off Your Phone Post-Takeoff
• Blatant Racism in Cheektowaga NY—She digs herself a deeper hole in defending herself.

Climate Change, Science Under Siege, Republicans, Denialists, Glaciers, California Drought; Food Insecurity, Ag-Gag and Agri-Torture

Climate Change

• Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Earth Will Survive Climate Change - We Won't
• Let's Call It 'Climate Disruption,' White House Science Adviser Suggests (Again)
• Carbon Dioxide in Our Air Hits an All-Time High
• GOP Climate Change Skeptic Becomes A True Believer After Sandy
• Youth Are Taking the Government to Court Over Its Failure to Address Climate Change
• In Landmark Class Action, Farmers Insurance Sues Local Governments For Ignoring Climate Change
• Aussies To Slash 90% Of Global Warming Funding From Budget—Some people just want to see the world burn.
• El Niño or Bust

Science Under Siege

• EPA Chief Returns Fire in War Over Science
• Scientific American Editor Has Proof Fox Told Him Not To Talk Climate Change
• Conservative CNN Host Tells Bill Nye That 'Science Guys' Are Bullies
• Wyoming Is First State To Reject Science Standards—"Wyoming, the nation's top coal-producing state, is the first to reject new K-12 science standards proposed by national education groups mainly because of global warming components."
• Study: It Is "Very Likely" That Scientists Are Confusing Us About Global Warming—"The United Nations' blockbuster climate reports are full of language that makes people doubt climate change."
• Murdoch-owned media hypes lone metereologist's climate junk science—"Absurd anti-science faux journalism flares up again - as usual, it's Big Oil that's set to benefit, not the public."
• Climate Change Grows Increasingly Boring to the Public, Worries Scientists

Republicans

• God Controls the Climate, So You Can Relax—"I know, he's just a Tea Party candidate with almost no chance of election, but Greg Brannon, primary candidate for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Kay Hagen, said in a debate the other night that God controls the climate." Another nutjob says Obama thinks he can change the weather.
• Republicans abandon Americans to the calamities of climate change
• Republicans Would Rather Blow Up the Budget Than Admit That Global Warming Is Real
• The G.O.P. Can't Ignore Climate Change—"It’s bad politics not to address the challenges we face." NYT
• Krugman: Crazy Climate Economics—"How environmentalism became a Marxist plot." NYT
• Krugman: Points of No Return—"False doctrines on climate science have become badges of identity for Republicans, and that’s more frightening than some of the environmental change underway." NYT
• House Votes To Deny Climate Science And Ties Pentagon's Hands On Climate Change

Denialists

• Wheel of Fortune Host Pat Sajak Backtracks From Climate-Change Tweet
• Letter to the Editor: Charles Krauthammer misses the mark on climate change WaPo
• Koch-funded PAC slammed! Global warming is "not something you turn on and off" Salon
• The rise and fall of America's climate deniers: How politics hijacked the fight against global warming—"Partisan rhetoric has stymied real action on climate change, but there's still hope, says philosopher Dale Jamieson." Salon
• Environmentalists Have Succeeded in Making Noise — Is Anybody Listening?—"Efforts to make climate deniers pay a political price for their views may finally be getting somewhere."
• Tom Steyer announces $100 million attack on GOP climate 'deniers'
• The House Science Committee Has Held More Hearings on Aliens Than on Climate Change

Glaciers

• Massive Iceberg Six Times The Size Of Manhattan Breaks Off Antarctica
• Glaciers draining Antarctic basin destabilized, big sea level rise all but certain—"There's little that will stop continued retreat of Antarctic glaciers."
• Glacial Region's Melt Past 'Point of No Return,' NASA Says

California Drought

• For first time in 15 years, drought hits 100% of California LATimes
• California Gov. On Drought, Wildfires: 'Humanity Is On A Collision Course With Nature'
• California drought taking a toll on jobs, economy
• California Drought Threatens Food Supply of All Americans; Collapsing Aquifer Sinking the Land

Food Insecurity

• Taco Bell Reveals Its Mystery Beef Ingredients
• Coca-Cola Removes Controversial Flame Retardant Chemical From Its Powerade Drinks
• Nestle Purina Sues Over Pet Food Competitor Claims
• Vermont governor signs GMO food labeling into law
• Italian factory makes bad mozzarella, 13 arrests—"Police in Italy have shut down a mozzarella factory and arrested 13 people after finding that prized local buffalo milk was being cut with cheaper imported cow milk."
• Kraft recalls cottage cheese citing illness risk
• 1,000 dog deaths linked to 'toxic jerky treats'—"[M]ost of the questionable treats came from China."
• Hamburger nearly kills Michigan man

Ag-Gag and Agri-Torture

• Missouri Rep. Wants to Criminalize Finding Out Where Your Diseased Meat Came From
• Ag-Gag laws: Idaho is criminalizing muckraking to protect farmers—"Why do American farmers need some of the strongest anti-whistleblower laws in the land?"
• Bill would make aerial photos, GPS data of farms off-limits
• Abuse of veal calves unveiled by hidden camera—"A CTV W5 investigation, Cruel Business, reveals horrific cruelty and mistreatment of veal calves in Quebec."
• State court allows 'pink slime' lawsuit to proceed—" The South Dakota Supreme Court is allowing a $1.2 billion defamation lawsuit to proceed against television network ABC over its coverage of a meat product that critics derided as 'pink slime.'"
• My protesting isn't terrorism: How Big Ag teamed with lawmakers to criminalize speech—"Activists are being prosecuted for challenging the interests of business. I should know — I spent 40 months in jail."

Surveillance State, CIA Senate Spying, NSA, Data Privacy, Your Rights Online; Tech Cases; World TB Day

Surveillance State

• Jimmy Carter believes U.S. is spying on him—"I believe if I send an email, it will be monitored." Also, he says that Snowden's leaks "good for Americans to know."
• Sen. Ron Wyden scorches senior CIA and NSA officials and their 'pattern of deception'
• Spy Agencies, Not Politicians, Hold the Cards in Washington—"The CIA and NSA routinely ignore the Constitution, yet want the Justice Department to protect them from an over-reaching Congress."
• Government must stop requesting broad email search warrants, judge says—"District court says it will reject future broad requests." A federal judge says it's "repugnant to the Fourth Amendment."
• How Much Microsoft Charges the FBI for User Data
• Police keep quiet about cell-tracking technology—"Police across the country may be intercepting phone calls or text messages to find suspects using a technology tool known as Stingray. But they're refusing to turn over details about its use or heavily censoring files when they do."
• Navy database tracks civilians' parking tickets, fender-benders, raising fears of domestic spying
• America's Creepy, Surveillance-Endorsing Love of NCIS—"By featuring warrantless agents who thwart domestic terrorists with fantastical technology, shows like NCIS essentially ask Americans to root for Big Brother."
• Former US intelligence contractor speaks on 1975 Australian coup—"Boyce, now 61, confirmed his previous statements that the CIA was centrally involved in the dismissal of the Whitlam government."

CIA Senate Spying

• Terror Report Release May Fuel The Spat Between Congress And The CIA
• CIA chief vows fast review of declassifying interrogation report—Declassifying or destructifying?
• Nancy Pelosi: When Legislators Take on the CIA, 'They Come After You'
• How the CIA Blew It—"America's spooks aren't going rogue. They just picked a fight they couldn't possibly win." Politico
• False Equivalence and the Feud Between the CIA and the Senate—"The outbreak of open hostilities between Dianne Feinstein and the spy agency she oversees is not a problem—it is a glimmer of hope."

NSA

• Greenwald: Some Facts About How NSA Stories Are Reported
• This Is How the NSA Is Trying to Win Over the Media—"[T]he latest step in the NSA's PR campaign is perhaps its boldest and most bizarre yet: A glossy, full-color "media kit" sent to news organizations."
• Was FISC judge misled by gov't lawyers in evidence-destruction spat?—"And a CA judge makes clear: Spying data must be kept to resolve activist suits."
• Targeting Huawei: NSA Spied on Chinese Government and Networking Firm—Ruh-roh.
• SPIEGEL Interview with Former NSA Director Michael Hayden—"In a SPIEGEL interview, former NSA director Michael Hayden, 69, discusses revelations of US spying on Germany made public in documents leaked by Edward Snowden, surveillance against German leaders and tensions between Berlin and Washington."
• Google's Larry Page: We can't Have NSA Spying and a Functioning Democracy
• NSA hacker in residence dishes on how to 'hunt' system admins—"Latest Snowden docs offer lulz from NSA's internal hacker how-to board."

Data Privacy

• The White House wants to know how worried you are about data privacy
• How Microsoft tracked down a spy who leaked its secrets—Was the "sniffing" justified on Hotmail, which Microsoft owns?
• It's not just Microsoft: Apple and Google can also read your emails
• Google Under Fire for Data-Mining Student Email Messages
• Now Gmail Encrypts Messages Sent to Google Servers
• Twitter gives up on encrypting direct messages, at least for now
• Facebook's DeepFace Project Nears Human Accuracy In Identifying Faces
• Fighting Against Phony Location Privacy Protections in the States
• Yahoo forces fantasy sports users to divulge phone numbers

Your Rights Online

• Michelle Obama tells Chinese students internet freedom's a universal right
• The Trans-Pacific Partnership Will "Significantly" Restrict Online Freedoms
• Twitter website 'blocked' in Turkey—So far not so much.
• Orange Gives All Of Its Data To France's NSA
• The Australian Law that Would Force Suspects to Hand Over their Passwords

Tech Cases

• "Weev" prosecutor admits: I don't understand what the hacker did—""Andrew "weev" Auernheimer gets his day in appellate court."
• MIT faulted over its support for students—"School counters it is 'eager' to help 4 facing N.J. fraud charges." Here they go again.
• British man Lauri Love charged with hacking US Federal Reserve servers—"US indictment includes hacking and aggravated identity theft charges that carry a maximum prison sentence of 12 years."

World TB Day

Marriage Equality, Religion, Intolerance, LGBT; Culture Clash, Abortion and Birth Control, Sexism, Rape; Fog of War, World Protests

Marriage Equality

• Obamacare Insurance Must Now Cover Gay Spouses, Too
• Court: Tenn. must recognize 3 same-sex marriages
• Judge: Married Women Can't Divorce In Alabama
• Gay military widow not getting death benefits
• Homosexuality and racism: Why gay marriage and interracial marriage are different.—A differing point of view.

Religion

• Right-Wing Pastor Worried That Satan Is Using 'Frozen' To Turn Kids Gay
• KY churches withhold $7 million from children's home to force anti-gay policies
• Methodists drop church charges against minister who conducted gay wedding

Intolerance

• The Miserable End Of The Miserable Fred Phelps
• S.C. legislature keeps colleges' budget penalty for gay-themed books
• Florida man charged with hate crime in attack on teen he thought was gay

LGBT

• Heineken and Sam Adams boycott St. Patrick's Day parades—"Two of the country's biggest beer companies are withdrawing their sponsorships of upcoming St. Patrick's Day parades because gay and lesbian groups aren't allowed to march openly."
• Gays in Lebanon Just Snagged a Major Victory
• Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia top list of gay-porn watching states

Culture Clash

• Lebanon protesters march over domestic violence bill
• Women protest against proposed Iraq law that would allow marriage of nine-year-old girls
• Sudan court convicts gang-raped teenager of 'indecent acts'—She was originally faced death by stoning.

Abortion and Birth Control

• Federal judge strikes down Arkansas early abortion ban
• As Abortion Clinics Close, Student Creates Travel Fund
• Spain: Thousands protest against tougher abortion laws

Sexism

• Professor dies of lung cancer after doctors dismiss illness as 'purely psychological'—"I can't prove it, and this is just my opinion, but I have no doubt in my own mind that my misdiagnosis was in large part due to the fact that I was a middle aged female and that my male doctors were preconceived towards a psychological rather than a physiological diagnosis."
• Watch Lena Dunham in "SNL's" hilarious "Girls" parody—"Before there were "Girls," there was "Girl" -- the story of Adam and Eve." Salon
• Beyonce, Victoria Beckham front campaign to ban the word 'Bossy' for female empowerment

Rape

• Chinese woman chops off alleged rapist's penis and beats him to death with a hammer
• Mom has two babies by age 13, sues state for millions—"According to legal documents, she was repeatedly raped by her mother's boyfriend starting at the age of 9."
• 100 serial rapists identified after rape kits from Detroit Crime Lab are finally processed

Fog of War

• Foes of America in Russia Crave Rupture in Ties—"I am afraid that I am interested in a cold war with the West," said Mr. Prokhanov, 76, in a lull between interviews on state-controlled television and radio. "I was very patient. I waited for 20 years. I did everything I could so that this war would begin. I worked day and night." NYT
• Ukraine crisis: Crimea votes in referendum that divides Russia, U.S.
• Vladimir Putin's phony war in Crimea: The Russian president's invasion of Ukraine is based on his paranoia
• Crimea has Russian oligarchs panicked—"Russian bankers and industrialists close to Vladimir Putin fear Western sanctions." Salon
• Russian companies withdraw billions from west, say Moscow bankers FT

World Protests

• Moscow rally opposes Crimea intervention
• Australia: Tens of thousands gather for March in March protest
• Canada: March against police brutality declared illegal, broken up
• Venezuela's Maduro gives ultimatum to Caracas protesters
• Algeria Activists Stage Rare Anti-Gov't Protest

War on Terror, Afghanistan; NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy, Journalism, Your Rights Online, Private Messaging; Cell Phone, Hacking, World News

War on Terror

• FBI Never Revealed It Had Al Qaeda Mole Who Met Bin Laden—CIA was involved too.
• FBI credibility questioned in fishy shooting—"Rachel Maddow reports on details of the FBI shooting of Ibragim Todashev that strain credulity, keeping questions about the Boston Marathon bombing unresolved."
• Fox News host calls out Darrell Issa for 'highest level of falsehood' on Benghazi

Afghanistan

• Interview: Karzai says 12-year Afghanistan war has left him angry at U.S. government—"After 12 years in office, Afghan president says war was not waged with his country’s interests in mind." WaPo
• Obama Preps for Complete US Withdrawal From Afghanistan
• Leftovers from Afghanistan and Iraq Wars: 1,558 Amputations; 7,224 Severe Brain Injuries; 118,829 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders

NSA Spying

• Due to activist lawsuits, US gov't wants to keep our metadata longer—"A more limited retention of the [business records] metadata is not possible."
• NSA head floats idea: What if we only gathered terrorist communications?—"Gen. Keith Alexander raises possibility of reining in NSA's metadata program."
• US State Dept: "Surveillance should not be arbitrary," except when it is—"State Dept. official reiterates president's January policy on digital snooping."
• Feds Refuse to Release Public Comments on NSA Reform — Citing Privacy
• DOJ Still Ducking Scrutiny After Misleading Supreme Court on Surveillance

Surveillance and Privacy

• Obama knew CIA secretly monitored intelligence committee, senator claims—"White House declines to comment after Mark Udall says agency spied on staffers preparing scathing report into CIA torture [NYT] after 9/11."
• Forget the NSA, the LAPD Spies on Millions of Innocent Folks
• George Brandis refuses to back up claim that Snowden put lives at risk—"Attorney general says he is aware of particular cases on the basis of intelligence briefings but will not reveal the information."
• FBI and Secret Service Phone Calls Intercepted by Google Maps Exploit
• Sprint Accused of Overcharging Feds Millions for Wiretapping
• At the RSA Security Conference, Things Get Testy and Then They Get Awkward NYT
• Stephen Colbert gives controversial security conference talk—Sometimes people forget that he was in character.

Journalism

• NSA chief criticises media and suggests UK was right to detain David Miranda—"Keith Alexander says revelations have caused 'grave damage' and claims officials are making 'headway' on 'media leaks.'"
• Attorneys for Barrett Brown want case on linking to hacked material dismissed—"The US activist-journalist faces 100 years in prison for posting hyperlink to site containing hacked material in chat room." Update: Feds drop all but one of the 12 charges.
• UK shells out over $8mn to monitor Julian Assange

Your Rights Online

• Yahoo webcam images from millions of users intercepted by GCHQ—"1.8m users targeted by UK agency in six-month period alone."
• Government spying tools will worsen Internet security: experts
• Mexican Protest Site Censored by GoDaddy — with the U.S. Embassy's Help

Private Messaging

• Why It's Vital For the Public to Fund Open-Source Encryption Tools
• Tor is building an anonymous instant messenger
• WeChat: The Chinese chat app stealing Weibo's thunder—"WeChat's greater privacy and wider range of applications make it more attractive to use."
• Apple Explains Exactly How Secure iMessage Really Is—"Too long, didnt read? Basically: Unless Apple is omitting something or there's some backdoor tucked into their many-layers-deep encryption (which, while unlikely, isn't inconceivable) they really can't read your iMessages without a fairly insane amount of effort. Sure, they could theoretically brute force their way past your private key. Or they could scrap the entire system and replace it with something with glaring security holes, and hope no one notices."
• Congress Must Update Email Privacy Law

Cell Phone

• Texas appeals court says police can't search your phone after you're jailed—"Looking at your texts is not like searching your pockets, judges say."
• Police Hide Use of Cell Phone Tracker From Courts Because Manufacturer Asked—How did corporate-mandated nondisclosure agreements trump the 4th amendment?
• Second federal 'kill-switch' bill introduced targeting smartphone theft—"The bill in the House of Representatives follows similar proposals in the Senate and the California State Assembly." This will never, ever be abused.

Hacking

• 'Between Us': Tony Blair Offered To Advise Rupert Murdoch On Hacking Scandal
• Rebekah Brooks 'did not know hacking was illegal'
• Brooks testifies about paying public official at phone hacking trial
• Former Murdoch CEO Brooks denies knowledge of murdered girl phone-hack
• Murdoch told me not to quit amid phone-hacking row

World News

• Obama's Critics Should Put Up or Shut Up
• Canada: Election act changes could muzzle report on probe into robocalls, lawyer warns—"A clause muzzling investigators in the Conservatives' new election act could prevent Elections Canada from ever reporting on the outcome of its investigation into fraudulent and deceptive calls in the 2011 campaign, says a former lawyer for Elections Canada."
• 'Concentrate' Roma in 'camps': far-right runner—"A National Front party candidate running in Paris’s municipal elections has caused outrage by suggesting the best way to deal with the country's Roma population was to 'concentrate' them in 'camps.'"
• Scott Ludlam blasts Tony Abbott in final speech before WA byelection—"Greens senator attacks ‘blundering and technically illiterate’ government in seven-minute speech to almost empty Senate."
• Rupert Murdoch's empire receives $882m tax rebate from Australia

Post-9/11, No Dissent!, Barrett Brown, Surveillance and Privacy, NSA Spying, Syria; World News; Racism

Post-9/11

• How to Win the War on Terror: Repeal the Patriot Act
• America's next president had better believe in restoring liberty—"Our founders had their flaws, and huge moral blind spots – but on liberty, they were way ahead of their time."
• Breaking My Silence—"For years I have written about mass incarceration, while staying mute about drones and other injustices. It is time to connect the dots."
• TSA is officially allowed to lie to you in order to cover its ass
• DHS: New details in how the feds take laptops at border

No Dissent!

• America is more terrifying than Orwell's fiction—"Not even the author of '1984' could have envisioned a world dominated by a single superpower." Salon
• MIT 'could have done more' to defend Swartz—"Swartz's friends say that the information about the 26-year-old's access clearance could have changed the course of what MIT described in the report as an 'aggressive prosecution.'" In other news: MIT announces it will hold community meetings to discuss Swartz case
• Craig Zucker: What Happens When a Man Takes on the Feds—"Buckyballs was the hottest office game on the market. Then regulators banned it. Now the government wants to ruin the CEO who fought back."
• How a Philadelphia Family Lost Their Home to Asset Forfeiture
• Rise Morning Show: Julia Davis, Conner Habi

Barrett Brown

• US stops jailed activist Barrett Brown from discussing hacking prosecution—"Federal court order prohibits Brown from talking to the media in what critics say is latest in crackdown on investigative journalism."
• Barrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail—"But no one can figure out what law he broke. Introducing America's least likely political prisoner."
• 105 Years in Jail for Posting a Link?—"This is almost a textbook case of prosecutorial overreach. As Carr points out, the guy who actually stole the Stratfor information is facing a sentence of only ten years. So why is Brown facing 105 years?"

Surveillance and Privacy

• How We Got From 9/11 to Massive NSA Spying on Americans: A Timeline—"Total Information Awareness, PRISM, encryption back doors, a 'black budget' of billions, and everything in between."
• State AG Says It's OK Ohio Implemented Facial Recognition Program Without Notifying Public Because Everyone Else Is Doing It
• Feds Had Court Reverse Ban On Warrantless Searches On Americans Because 'We Wanted To Be Able To Do It'
• N.J. law requires notice before terror surveillance
• Pols weigh in on Boston surveillance cameras

NSA Spying

• NSA Phone-Records Spying Said to Violate Rules for Years—"The U.S. National Security Agency violated rules on surveillance of telephone records for almost three years and misled a secret court, raising fresh concerns that spy programs lack adequate controls to protect Americans' privacy." FISA actually shut down NSA for 6 months for their constant flouting of privacy.
• Zero Sum: Americans Must Sacrifice Some Security to Reform the NSA—"The nation can survive the occasional terrorist attack, but our freedoms can't survive an invulnerable leader like Keith Alexander operating within inadequate constraints."
• Government Announces Steps to Restore Confidence on Encryption Standards—Can the trust be restored? NYT
• NSA spying disclosures could cost companies billions Salon
• The NSA machine: Too big for anyone to understand
• UN: press should not be 'intimidated into silence' over state secrets—"Representatives criticise UK government following detention of David Miranda, and call for public debate over NSA surveillance."
• David Miranda detention divides MEPs—"Whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning have been described as 'essential to democracy,' during a debate on media freedom in the EU."
• Flipside: The Rest of the Snowden Files Should Be Destroyed

Syria

• Obama will try more diplomacy on Syria but warns US 'doesn't do pinpricks'
• Obama asks Congress to delay vote on Syria military strike
• Kerry To Meet With Russian Foreign Minister To Reach Deal On Syria
• Sudden plan: Syria to dispose of chemical weapons?
• Take that, D.C. gasbags!: How angry Americans may stop a disaster—"As the Beltway wise men all lined up behind a war, the people spoke loudly against it -- and humiliated the elites." Salon

World News

• Russia Issues Travel Warning About United States—"Countries often issue travel advisories warning citizens of danger abroad: war, for instance, or a terrorist threat or an outbreak of disease. The Russian Foreign Ministry posted advice of a somewhat different nature on Monday, cautioning people wanted by the United States not to visit nations that have an extradition treaty with it." NYT
• Convicted Berlusconi Threatens to Bring Down Italian Government
• GetUp takes on TV networks over refusal to show anti-Murdoch advert—"Activist group to seek 'clarification' from ACCC on whether the rejection was appropriate or an abuse of market power." Check out GetUp's banned ad.
• Murdoch celebrates conservative victory in Australia with Twitter tirade
• Body doubles in China: Will Bo Xilai serve his sentence?—"Bo Xilai is awaiting a sentencing that is likely to be harsh. But Chinese netizens suspect that he could hire a body double to serve his jail time for him."
• Kenya's deputy president William Ruto denies murder at ICC
• Carmen Quintana: Set on fire by Pinochet's soldiers
• London student reported to police: "Enchanted by anarchism and individualism"

Racism

• German firm apologizes for producing anti-immigrant condoms
• Dunkin' Donuts apologizes for blackface ad campaign in Thailand
• Trois Pommes Gives Oprah 'Pretty Woman' Treatment, Then Buries Its Head in the Sand

Tech History; Law and Disorder, Social Mediation; Copyfight, Piracy, Cable Wars; Australia Tax; Microsoft; Apple, e-Book Price Fixing; Bugs, Malware & Hacking; Surveillance and Privacy

Tech History

• The Evolution of the Web
• Watch: An Amazing Mechanical Computer From 1948
• Say Goodbye to the Tech Sounds You'll Never Hear Again

Law and Disorder

• Indian IT firm accused of discrimination against "stupid Americans"—"Infosys favored Asians in hiring, alleges suit seeking class action status."
• One Small Win Against Lodsys, One of Nathan Myhrvold's Patent Troll Shell Companies
• Federal judge: Bitcoin, "a currency," can be regulated under American law
• Man charged with trying to sell stolen car on Craigslist
• Mail from the (Velvet) Cybercrime Underground—"Earlier this month, the administrator of an exclusive cybercrime forum hatched and executed a plan to purchase heroin, have it mailed to my home, and then spoof a phone call from one of my neighbors alerting the local police."

Social Mediation

• Facebook Brag Leads To Arrest In Dog Burning Case
• Alpha, officials file defamation lawsuit against anonymous online users
• Jurors jailed for contempt of court over internet use—'Two jurors have each been jailed for two months for contempt of court after one posted a comment on Facebook and the other researched a case online." Frightening to have idiots like these deciding cases.
• Man accused of skipping out on Reno bar tab in custody; pub condemned him in Facebook post
• Fired for a tweet?

Copyfight

• Hollywood Keeps Censoring Pirate Bay Documentary, Director Outraged
• The Hole in Our Collective Memory: How Copyright Made Mid-Century Books Vanish
• How We Can Balance Freedom Of Speech And The Rights Of College Athletes—"The root of the O’Bannon case isn’t that EA Sports uses avatars that represent real athletes, but that the NCAA and EA have conspired to fix the monetary value of athletes at zero by refusing to allow them any compensation for use of their names, images, or likenesses."
• Algorithms Are the New Content Creators, and That's Bad News for Humans—"The battle for fair use is unfair to anyone who plays by the old rules and tries to share with the artists because human creatives can't compete with the automated services that aren't sharing with the artists."
• Whining doesn't make you right

Piracy

• Pirate Bay 'Founders' Speak Out on the Site's Past and Future
• Obama administration looks to make unauthorized streaming a felony
• 2,919 Movie Pirates Walk Free as BitTorrent Trolling Scheme Falls Apart
• Lady Gaga 'Applause' Leak Sparks Fan-Driven Anti-Piracy Campaign
• High 'Game of Thrones' piracy is 'better than an Emmy,' says Time Warner CEO

Cable Wars

• CBS Blackout Triggers Surge in TV-Show Piracy
• Time Warner Cable, CBS trade barbs on day seven of blackout
• More Static: Time Warner Cable Denies Cramping CBS's Internet-Video Style

Australia

• The 'Australia tax' is real, geo-blocking to stop
• Parliamentary report urges Australians to bypass online geo-blocks that can double prices for IT products
• The 'Australia Tax' - how vendors are ripping us off

Microsoft

• How Microsoft Lost Its Way, as Understood Through The Wire
• Microsoft cuts Surface Pro price by $100 following Surface RT reductions
• Asus kills its line of Windows RT tablets

Apple

• Apple workers file lawsuit for lost wages due to bag searches—All those unpaid minutes add up and should be compensated accordingly.
• No bathroom breaks: iPhone factory in China accused of egregious labor violations
• Obama Administration Vetoes Apple Product Ban
• Apple iPhone patent violated by Samsung, US trade court rules—"ITC ruling comes as Apple asks court to force Samsung to stop using iPhone features in violation of its patents."
• Android vs. iPhone: Why Apple still has the edge over Google's operating system.
• The Newtonians: Worldwide Cult Ditches iPhone for Apple's Distant Past
• Rush Limbaugh: Apple is Republicans, Google is Democrats

e-Book Price Fixing

• Angry Apple makes hollow threat to bar Kindle, other e-book apps—"'Apple is under no duty to allow other retailers to offer apps on the iPad,' company says in reply to DOJ's e-book price-fixing remedies."
• Publishers object to U.S. remedy in Apple e-book case
• Judge scolds Apple for lack of remorse in e-book antitrust case

Bugs, Malware & Hacking

• Confused photocopiers randomly rewriting scanned documents—"Scans can't be trusted as Xerox machines switch numbers around." Dyslexic scanners... huh.
• How do you stop HTTPS-defeating BREACH attacks? Let us count the ways
• Firefox 23 lands with a new logo and mixed content blocking
• JavaScript and Timing Attacks Used to Steal Browser Data
• xkcd: The Mother of All Suspicious Files

Surveillance and Privacy

• Edward Snowden's father gets visa to visit son in Russia
• The NSA is turning the internet into a total surveillance system—"The NSA appears to believe this general monitoring of our electronic communications is justified because the entire process takes, in one official's words, 'a small number of seconds.' Translation: the NSA thinks it can intercept and then read Americans' emails so long as the intrusion is swift, efficient and silent."
• Cory Doctorow: privacy, oversharing and government surveillance—"Globally-renowned science fiction author, activist and journalist gives his views on privacy, oversharing and the troubling concern of government surveillance."
• DIY stalker boxes spy on Wi-Fi users cheaply and with maximum creep value—"CreepyDOL follows you around town, vacuums up wireless digital crumbs."
• N.J. Man In A Jam, After Illegal GPS Device Interferes With Newark Liberty Operations—"Gary Bojczak didn't want his boss tracking him; instead he got federal agents."