Archives for abril 2017

South Korea Rejects Trump’s Demand To Pay For US Missile Defense

Trump’s notion that he might be about to get South Korea to pay for the costly system is the latest in a string of such notions that has come very much after the fact.

Protesters stage a rally to oppose a plan to deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, in Seongju, where the THAAD will be deployed, South Korea, March 18, 2017. (AP/Ahn Young-joon)

President Trump has repeatedly made clear that he likes the idea of getting other countries to pay for US military operations that benefit them, and that showed up today in the ongoing buildup on the Korean Peninsula, with Trump talking up how incredible the THAAD missile defense system is, and that it “would be appropriate” for South Korea to pay

Trump Reprises Racist ‘Pocahontas’ Insult Against Sen. Warren In Speech to NRA

The racist remark to the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting reportedly drew ‘big laughs.’

President Donald Trump speaks during the National Rifle Association-ILA Leadership Forum, April 28, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP/Mike Stewart)

Speaking before the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday, President Donald Trump reprised his racist attack on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), calling her "Pocahontas" during a "campaign-like speech" to an appreciative crowd. "I have a feeling in the next election you're going to be swamped with candidates," he said to the pro-gun

Intelligence Veterans Pen Open Letter Casting Doubts On Syrian Conflict

Two dozen former U.S. intelligence professionals are urging the American people to demand clear evidence that the Syrian government was behind the April 4 chemical incident before President Trump dives deeper into another war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, right, and Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman attend a joint press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 21, 2017. (Jonathan Ernst/AP)

AN OPEN MEMORANDUM FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE From: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) Subject: Mattis ‘No Doubt’ Stance on Alleged Syrian CW Smacks of Politicized Intelligence Donald Trump’s new Secretary of Defense, retired Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis, during a recent trip to Israel, commented on the issue of Syria’s

WikiLeaks Reveals The «Snowden Stopper»: CIA Tool To Track Whistleblowers

The CIA software is purportedly designed to allow the embedding of ‘web beacon’ tags into documents “likely to be stolen.

The CIA tool purportedly relies on Microsoft Office to track leaked documents and the whistle-blowers that release them.

As the latest installment of it's 'Vault 7' series, WikiLeaks has just dropped a user manual describing a CIA project known as ‘Scribbles’ (a.k.a. the "Snowden Stopper"), a piece of software purportedly designed to allow the embedding of ‘web beacon’ tags into documents “likely to be stolen.” The web beacon tags are apparently able to collect

ExxonMobil Hit With $20 Million Penalty For Polluting Air With Hazardous Chemicals

Environment Texas described the fine against the world’s largest oil company as the “largest penalty resulting from a citizen suit in U.S. history.”

Exxon Mobil's Billings Refinery in Billings, Mont. (AP/Matthew Brown)

In a huge win for environmental groups, a federal judge has ordered ExxonMobil to pay nearly $20 million for spewing millions of pounds of excess air pollution from its Houston-area industrial facilities. The Sierra Club and Environment Texas sued the energy giant in 2010, alleging that over a five-year period it had emitted more than 8 million

Pinkwashing Fascism? Germany’s Far-Right AfD Elects Lesbian Leader

The move is a perplexing outcome for a group staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage as well as other rights for LGBTQ people.

Alice Weidel watches from the podium at the party convention of Germany's far-right nationalist party AfD (Alternative for Germany) in Cologne, Germany, April 22, 2017. (AP/Martin Meissner)

Germany’s far-right, fascist party German Alternative für Deutschland, or AfD, has appointed an out lesbian as its new leader — a perplexing outcome for a group that staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage as well as other rights for LGBTQ people. Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel were named co-leaders of the party. Weidel is openly gay and