Arizona Has A New Democratic Senate Candidate!
Well, okay, Richard Carmona has been formally announced for the race since early November of 2011, but with yesterday's dropout by the only other major Democratic contender, former state Democratic Party Chair Don Bivens, the field is effectively…
Richard Clarke Also Suggests Hacking Has Made F-35 Ineffective
A number of people have pointed to this interview for Richard Clarke's suggestion that the US, not Israel, bears most of the responsibility for the StuxNet attack.
But I'm just as interested in his assessment that hacking threatens to undercut…
White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler Vows Not to Let the White House Be Defeated by Actual Citizens
In an article describing how--in the guise of "flexibility"--the White House has continued the seeming relentless grab for unchecked executive power, White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler offers a terribly cynical explanation for the Administration's…
US Announces "Guardian Angel" Program to Protect Sleeping Troops Day Before Sleeping Afghans Killed
It was announced on Thursday that among a number changes General John Allen, Commander of US troops in Afghanistan, put into place is a program to provide additional security over US troops as they sleep. Remarkably, on the very next day, nine…
The US Still Doesn't Want to Admit to the 44 Dead Yemenis
In a timely report, the Bureau of Independent Journalism yesterday released a report on the increased number of US drone strikes in Yemen in the last year, since Arab Spring uprisings challenged Ali Abdullah Saleh's power and insurgents made…
Another Attempt to Understand the Panjwai Victim Discrepancies
As I laid out here and here, there seems like there's a discrepancy between the numbers and sexes of victims listed in Robert Bales' charge sheet and those listed in public accounts. Whereas accounts like WSJ one report there were 8 male and…
US Source Contradicts CNN's Reporting in Anonymous Leaks to CNN
Yesterday, CNN released detailed onsite reporting from Yalda Hakim from the massacre site in Panjwai. (h/t SH) Today, CNN posted a follow-up interview--accompanied by a story based largely on comments from an anonymous US official. It's…
CNN: "No US Access to Sites of Afghan Killings", But Did US Ask for Access?
A story just posted at CNN.com addresses two crucial questions that have been raised at Emptywheel regarding the Panjwai massacre. Late last night, MadDog repeated a speculation he has raised several times regarding how Bales could have been…
SCOTUS Limits Privacy Act Just as NCTC Expands Access to US Person Data
Well, this is rather inauspicious timing.
The conservatives on SCOTUS have sharply limited the teeth of the Privacy Act--limiting damages to out-of-pocket damages.
The Supreme Court has dealt privacy advocates a huge setback. By a 5-3 majority,…
Anonymous DOJ Statement: "Trust Us"
The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing today to review the results of the Schuelke report on the prosecutorial misconduct in the Ted Stevens case and to entertain the Lisa Murkowski bill requiring disclosure. In response, DOJ submitted…
DOD: No Military Operations in Panjwai Villages During Night of Attack
Yesterday, I tried to puzzle through seeming discrepancies between the victims described by Afghans and those named in Robert Bales' charge sheet. In addition to the difference in total number (16 or 17 victims), there appears to be a difference…
What Went Into the FBI Intelligence That Will Be in NCTC's Database for Five Years?
Last year, after Spencer Ackerman exposed some of the Islamophobic materials the FBI was using to train its counterterrorism agents, the FBI conducted a review of its training materials to weed out such counterproductive materials.
Unsurprisingly,…
Rohrabacher, Gohmert and King Invade National Press Club
Map from Wikimedia Commons
Lacking both the authority and the means to carry out their own invasion of Pakistan to secure the independence of Balochistan, Republican Representatives Dana Rohrabacher (CA), Louie Gohmert (TX) and Steve King (IA)…
The WMD Charges against White People Get Thrown Out
As Bane of Our Existence and Dirty Masquerade have been noting in comments, the case against the Hutaree Militia has been crumbling in court. Today, Judge Victoria Roberts threw out most of the charges against most of the defendants, based on…
DOD's Non-Denial Denial Suggests They May Consider Some Panjwai Dead Legitimate Targets
As I noted in this post, there is a discrepancy between the people Sergeant Robert Bales is accused of murdering and the people Afghans report to be victims. While DOD has redacted the names of Bales' alleged victims, at least two women and…
Is It Possible 20 Were Killed at Panjwai, 3 by Another Soldier?
Update: See this post, which gives DOD's latest update on the lack of military operations during the attack.
According to Amy Davidson, the explanation that Robert Bales' 17th victim was an unborn child, which I noted here, has been debunked.…
Time to Start Rethinking How We Define "Insurgent"
I was struck by this passage in the WSJ's description of the three green on blue killings yesterday.
Since the year began, more coalition service members have been gunned down by Afghan troops than by insurgents. A total of 16 members of the…
Obama, Gilani Meet in Seoul While Allen Undermines Talks
ISAF Commander John Allen
In Seoul today for an international nuclear security summit, President Obama met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. The meeting was viewed by many as an opportunity to bring the two nations closer together…
NYT: "Impartial" ... "Impartial" but Anti-Iran
Jill Abramson repeats the word "impartial" several times in this interview on the NYT's Israel-Iran coverage, almost explicitly invoking what Jay Rosen calls the View from Nowhere.
Q: Do you think there have been articles the Times has published…
Is the "Roger" Profile Yet Another InfoOp in Support of Signature Strikes?
Greg Miller got a lot of buzz this weekend for his profile of the head of CTC, whom he calls "Roger." The article is in no way unbalanced--Miller makes it clear that Roger is an asshole and suggests he might bear some responsibility for the…