Rothschilds, Elite Continue To Finance UK Politics
Few names are more redolent of dynastic wealth than Rothschild, and Serena Rothschild, wife of the 4th Baron, handed more than £190,000 of that money to the the party 2007.
Swine flu alert clears old stock of Tamiflu
It is almost three years since we faced the hysteria of an avian flu epidemic, when governments bought billions of dollars of Tamiflu – the same anti-viral now being promoted to combat a supposed swine flu pandemic. The shelf life of Tamiflu also happens to be three years.
Canada: Mass Vaccination Centers Planned
Health officials expect the World Health Organization to raise its alert to the highest level indicating a pandemic outbreak of the swine flu, says the area's top doctor.
If flu threat rises, CDC wants 'pandemic coordinator' in workplace
If the World Health Organization (WHO) raises the pandemic threat alert to Level 6 -- it's already just one notch below that at Level 5 -- companies that are now scrambling to figure out business continuity issues will have to do more than tell sick employees to stay home and healthy ones to wash their hands.
Royal Torture Video 'To Be Investigated'
Officials in the United Arab Emirates may investigate a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family over a videotape showing a member apparently torturing another man.
May Day turns violent across Europe
Hundreds of thousands of European workers feeling the pinch of the economic crisis rallied at May Day protests Friday from Moscow to Berlin to Istanbul.
Dumbed down news drives down newspaper circulation
By Jerry Mazza
USA TODAY reports that “total average daily circulation declined 7.1%% in the October-March period from the same six months in 2007-2008. The latest figure represents data from 395 daily US newspapers that reported in both the current and year-ago periods. . . . USA TODAY remains the No. 1 newspaper though it suffered the steepest circulation drop in the publication’s history.”
Mexico encouraged by fall in new flu cases
Mexico started a five-day shutdown of most offices and businesses on Friday to try to halt the spread of a deadly flu strain, and officials said they were encouraged by signs that the number of new cases was falling.
China cuts down purchases of US debt
China, wary of the troubled US economy, has already "cancelled America's credit card" by cutting down purchases of debt, a US congressman said Thursday.
INSIDE WASHINGTON: Taxpayers to get rude surprise
Millions of Americans enjoying their small windfall from President Barack Obama's "Making Work Pay" tax credit are in for an unpleasant surprise next spring.
Senators want to expel junk food from U.S. schools
U.S. schools with vending machines that sell candy and soda to students could soon find the government requiring healthier options to combat childhood obesity under a bill introduced on Thursday by two senators. Is that really something the federal government needs to or should be regulating?
New York pension investigation spreads to Texas
A sweeping corruption investigation of public pension systems in New York expanded nationwide Thursday with the arrest of a Dallas investment adviser whose firm has worked for similar retirement plans in five other states.
The CIA's $1,000 a Day Specialists on Waterboarding, Interrogations
As the secrets about the CIA's interrogation techniques continue to come out, there's new information about the frequency and severity of their use, contradicting an 2007 ABC News report, and a new focus on two private contractors who were apparently directing the brutal sessions that President Obama calls torture.
US keeps Cuba on terrorism blacklist
The United States announced Thursday it has retained communist Cuba on a list of countries that allegedly support terrorism.
Nadler: Obama’s Torture Comments Prove Probe Is Required By Law
I noted below that Obama’s acknowledgment at his presser last night that the Bush administration authorized torture will prove powerful ammo for those calling for a probe into Bush’s torture program. First up: Dem Rep Jerrold Nadler, who just told me in an interview that Obama’s comments leave the administration only one legal option: Investigate, and if necessary, prosecute.
50-100 Guantanamo inmates can't be tried, freed: Gates
US officials planning the closure of Guantanamo prison are weighing the cases of about 50 to 100 detainees who cannot be tried or released, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
Severin suspended for comments about Mexican immigrants
Jay Severin, the fiery right wing talk show host on Boston's WTKK-FM radio station, was suspended yesterday after calling Mexican immigrants "criminaliens," "primitives," "leeches," and exporters of "women with mustaches and VD," among other incendiary comments.
Former 'enemy combatant' pleads guilty
Ali al-Marri, once the only designated "enemy combatant" on U.S. soil, has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Source: Liberal-leaning Justice Souter to retire
Justice David Souter is planning to retire after nearly two decades on the Supreme Court, but his departure is unlikely to change its conservative-liberal split.
Pesticides Shown to be Huge Parkinson's Disease Risk
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, most researchers believe exposure to some kind of toxin or toxins in the environment triggers the development of Parkinson's disease (PD) -- the degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills (including walking), speech and other functions.
Investigation Ordered Into Virginia Fusion Center Document
Following the American Civil Liberties Union’s criticism regarding a controversial Virginia Fusion Center terrorism assessment report, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine has announced that he will investigate the practices of the secretive center located in Virginia.
Obama and ACORN GPS Marking EVERY Front Door in America?
Republican Senator Judd Gregg was Obama’s first choice for the Secretary of Commerce post, and Gregg was actually considering joining the Obama team, until he found out that control of the US Census was being stripped from the Commerce Department and placed under the direct control of White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel.
Karl Rove case witness killed in plane crash, sisters want answers
Shannon Connell of Madison says her brother Michael rarely talked about work. She knew he ran an Ohio company called New Media Communications that set up websites for Republicans including former President George H.W. Bush and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. But it wasn't until after he died last December, when the small plane he was piloting crashed, that she learned via the Internet of his tie to a voter fraud case and to allegations that presidential adviser Karl Rove had made threats against him.
Car crashes into Dutch royal parade
Several people were injured in the Netherlands Thursday when a car raced into a crowd watching a royal motorcade.
Republican Party plans comeback
Bruised by charges from Democrats that they've become the "party of no," Republicans on Thursday are launching an outreach effort to reshape their party's image. A good place for the GOP to start would be for them to start backing candidates that truly believe in a small federal government, are real fiscal conservatives, and actually believe in and support the constitution. In other words, weed out the crooks, phonies and con artists that now dominate the GOP. That's not going to happen!
But hey, when you have the people voting on easily rigged vote machines where the accuracy and integrity of the results aren't properly verified, does the GOP really need to change, to win elections?
Dah!
Turkey drops Gaza 'war crimes' probe
A crisis in Turkey-Israel relations that began when Israel bombed the Gaza Strip in the beginning of Operation Cast Lead in late December 2008 has come to an end: A Turkish prosecutor dropped an investigation into Turkish allegations that Israel committed genocide and crimes against humanity during the operation, AFP quoted a Turkish news agency as reporting Thursday.
FDIC May Lend To Investors, Without GIving Taxpayers A Stake
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. may offer investors financing to buy distressed U.S. bank assets without requiring them to share an equity stake with the Treasury, people familiar with the matter said.
Google puts flu tracker to work on swine flu
Using a new tracking tool, search engine giant Google said on Wednesday it saw a spike in searches for information about flu among people in Mexico last week even before news of the outbreak became widely known.
Court rules against Peltier in documents case
Imprisoned American Indian activist Leonard Peltier has lost another round in court in his effort to compel the FBI to disclose about 10,500 pages of documents about his case.
President Obama Knocks Fox News, Tea Parties On 100th Day
At a town hall in Missouri, on his 100th day in office, President Obama takes potshots at "folks waving tea bags around" that don't understand his policies, as well as unnamed cable news networks that encouraged those tea parties, or as he put it, "certain news channels... on which I'm not very popular."
Surveillance Effort Draws Civil Liberties Concern
A growing number of big-city police departments and other law enforcement agencies across the country are embracing a new system to report suspicious activities that officials say could uncover terrorism plots but that civil liberties groups contend might violate individual rights.
Chrysler to get up to $8B from govt for bankruptcy
Chrysler will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York on Thursday and will be eligible for up to $8 billion in federal aid to rebuild the ailing automaker, according to senior administration officials.
Top Senate Democrat: bankers "own" the U.S. Congress
Sen. Dick Durbin, on a local Chicago radio station this week, blurted out an obvious truth about Congress that, despite being blindingly obvious, is rarely spoken: "And the banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place."
Mexico Senate OKs bill to legalize drug possesion
Mexico's Senate approved a bill on Tuesday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of narcotics for personal use, in order to free resources to fight violent drug cartels.
Plan says to stockpile but officials say don't panic
AUSTRALIANS have been advised to stockpile food and water after the World Health Organisation raised its swine flu alert to phase five yesterday, indicating an imminent pandemic.
Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mild
As the World Health Organization raised its infectious disease alert level Wednesday and health officials confirmed the first death linked to swine flu inside U.S. borders, scientists studying the virus are coming to the consensus that this hybrid strain of influenza -- at least in its current form -- isn't shaping up to be as fatal as the strains that caused some previous pandemics.
Swine flu: 'All of humanity under threat', WHO warns
The World Health Organisation has warned that "all of humanity is under threat" from a potential swine flu pandemic and called for "global solidarity" to combat the virus.
Swine Flu Does Not Contain Human and Bird Genes
Recent developments in the analysis of the H1N1 swine influenza virus have shown that the lethal viral strain does not combine genes from humans, birds and pigs, as first thought, but that it's rather made up of a combination of two swine flu strains, which, brought together, are deadly to us.
The Specter Diversion
By Chris Floyd
So the Democrats have yet another supporter of aggressive war, oligarchy, authoritarianism and torture in their Senate ranks. Wow, that will certainly shake up the political landscape in Washington! It looks like the promised New Jerusalem of hope and change has well and truly arrived at last.
Egyptian Christians riot after swine flu cull
Egyptian leaders ordered the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of pigs today to help protect against swine flu, prompting angry protests from the poor Christian farmers who feed their animals with a country's food scraps. The decision was also criticised as a "real mistake" by a senior UN food expert.
Spanish judge starts Guantanamo torture probe
A Spanish judge has started a criminal investigation into suspected torture of detainees in the base at Guantanamo and said he would target both US military personnel and those who issued their orders.
U.S. Senate joins House in backing $3.4 trillion budget
The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to approve the $3.4 trillion fiscal 2010 budget compromise, wrapping up a big political victory for President Bara
The State and Piracy
By Joshua Katz
It seems that piracy has, as it did a couple centuries ago, surfaced once again near the top of the official "things to fear" list. Admittedly, I’m a bit late – as I write, it is being replaced by flu. It’s always important, not just to keep the population in a state of fear, but to keep changing the items to be feared. This way, people will not fix their fear on a particular item, and then relax when that item is no longer reported. The goal is to keep us in a constant state of fear and dependence.
Secession Is in Our Future
By Clifford F. Thies
he Declaration of Independence of the United States of America invokes the self-evident truths that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that governments are formed to protect these rights and gain their just powers from the consent of the governed, and that when a government becomes abusive of these rights, it is the right no, it is the duty of the people to alter or abolish that government.
Flu panic sweeps Texas; Fort Worth orders schools closed
The Fort Worth school district shut down all 144 of its campuses until at least May 8 shortly before the first Tarrant County case of swine flu was confirmed at one of its campuses late Wednesday.
The storm yet to come
By The Mogambo Guru
"Millions more consumers will freeze up as their finances go over the cliff ... more bank losses will drag down even more so-called 'blue chip' retirement portfolios ... and the impact of the consumer bust will get 'multiplied' yet again. Millions more Americans could lose everything."
WHO raises flu threat level
The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday the world is at the brink of a pandemic, raising its threat level as the swine flu virus spread and killed the first person outside of Mexico, a toddler in Texas.
Mexico to shut down government in flu fight
Mexico's government is suspending all nonessential activity of the federal government and private business as the number of confirmed swine flu cases jumped.
House passes hate crimes bill
The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday expanding federal protection against hate crimes to disability, gender, and
sexual orientation.
Evidence Growing That Goss Camp Is Behind Harman Leak?
There seems to be an emerging consensus among smart people covering the Jane-Harman/AIPAC case that the sources for CQ's original report -- which revealed that Rep. Harman had been heard on a wiretap discussing a quid pro quo with a suspected Israeli agent -- were aligned with Porter Goss, the former CIA director.
Experts Study Differences in Flu's Severity
Health authorities raced yesterday to unravel the many mysteries about the ominous new swine flu spreading around the world, including how widely the virus might cause the severe form of illness that so far has been restricted to the epicenter of the outbreak in Mexico.
First Mexico fatal flu victim sought help for days
The 39-year-old woman who was the first to die in Mexico's swine flu epidemic spent the last eight days of her life going from clinic to clinic to find out what was wrong with her but doctors were baffled.
Egypt slaughters pigs to stop flu
Egypt has begun a mass slaughter of thousands of pigs in an effort to prevent swine flu spreading.
Indonesia floats idea of man-made swine flu
As swine flu continues to take its toll, claims surface that the deadly four-part flu virus could have been created for "bio-terror attacks."
Parents upset over FEMA coloring book
A page showing fire, severe weather, and flooding, all disasters that can have an impact on a family, especially children. All of these disasters were featured in a coloring book on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's website, designed to help children cope with disasters.
Army Iraq War Verteran/Soldier beaten at McCarran Airport
An Iraqi War veteran says Metro officers beat him at McCarran International Airport. Action News has video of the alleged beating two months ago. National guard Sergeant Mark England says the officers beat him with a nightstick and shot him with a taser after an argument with TSA agents at the airport.
Oppose the Inter-American Arms Convention Treaty
By Warren Mass
Speaking to reporters while standing alongside Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon in Mexico City on April 16, President Barack Obama said he would push the U.S. Senate to ratify a treaty called the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials.
Fed Is Said to Seek Capital for at Least Six Banks
At least six of the 19 largest U.S. banks require additional capital, according to preliminary results of government stress tests, people briefed on the matter said.
U.S. economy shrinks 6.1% in Q1
The U.S economy shrank at a greater-than-expected 6.1 percent, the second-consecutive quarter with a decline of more than 6 percent as the nation remains firmly in the grasp of the global recession.
Lebanon releases four generals after tribunal decision
Lebanon released Wednesday four Lebanese generals who were held for nearly four years without charges over the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, shortly after Daniel Fransen, pre-trial judge at the special tribunal for Lebanon, called for their freedom.
Supreme Court Rules that Government Can Fine for 'Fleeting Expletives'
The Supreme Court said yesterday that the Federal Communications Commission may penalize even the occasional use of certain expletives on the airwaves but left for another day the question of whether such a policy is constitutional.
FBI E-Mail Says Bush Authorized Abuse Of Iraqis
Senior FBI agents stationed in Iraq in 2004 claimed in an e-mail that President George W. Bush signed an executive order approving the use of military dogs, sleep deprivation and other harsh tactics to intimidate Iraqi detainees.
Only 7 swine flu deaths, not 152, says WHO
A member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed claims that more than 150 people have died from swine flu, saying it has officially recorded only seven deaths around the world.
New weapons of ethnic cleansing
GENETIC weapons capable of wiping out specific ethnic groups are no longer the stuff of science fiction, military and scientific advisers with the British and American governments have admitted.
U.S. reports first swine flu death
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that wider school closings in the U.S. may be necessary in an escalating global health emergency that claimed the first death in the United States and swept Germany onto the roster of afflicted nations. Obama said local schools across America should consider temporarily shutting down if conditions worsen.
Giving an update on a rising menace that has dominated health officials' time and caused spreading anxiety, Obama said, "Every American should know that the federal government is prepared to do whatever is necessary to control this virus."
Mandatory detention laws for flu sufferers in Australia
The Federal Government has increased its powers of surveillance, detention and disinfection to combat swine flu, as the number of possible Australian cases under investigation rises to 111.
Swine Flu Smoking Gun? CDC was Combining Flu Viruses in 2004
Last week, when what is now called a "swine flu" was first reported to be infecting and killing some people in Mexico, health officials noted it was a strain of flu never before seen. In fact, it is technically incorrect to call this simply a "swine" flu.
Claim: Mexico outbreak traced to 'manure lagoons' at pig farm
The first known case of swine flu emerged a fortnight earlier than previously thought in a village where residents have long complained about the smell and flies from a nearby pig farm, it emerged last night.
Leahy to keep with truth (whitewash) commission
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) will continue to push for a “truth commission” to investigate the Bush administration’s detainee interrogation policy, including allegations of torture, despite the fact that another Senate panel has already begun a probe into the hugely controversial issue.
DHS Sets Guidelines For Possible Swine Flu Quarantines
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has sent a memo to some health care providers noting procedures to be followed if the swine flu outbreak eventually makes quarantines necessary.
FAA Memo: Feds Knew NYC Flyover Would Cause Panic
Federal officials knew that sending two fighter jets and Air Force One to buzz ground zero and Lady Liberty might set off nightmarish fears of a 9/11 replay, but they still ordered the photo-op kept secret from the public.
The "Practical Politics" of a Presumed Plague
By William N. Grigg
A Pentagon planning document states that the military "is prepared to assist in `quarantining groups of people in order to minimize the spread of disease during an influenza pandemic' and aiding in `efforts to restore and maintain order.'" This offers yet another convenient detour around the much-ignored Posse Comitatus Act, and another promising avenue for those seeking the imposition of undisguised military rule.
FDA Approves Emergency Rules For “Mass Dosing” Of U.S. Citizens The threat of swine flu has prompted the FDA to approve emergency rules for certain antiviral drugs. Under the new rules, doctors will be able to use the drugs for a wider range of the population in case mass treatment is needed to deal with swine flu.
Swine flu: 'Scaremongering' public health adverts from 1976 outbreak
These public health commercials from 1976, when doctors feared that an outbreak of the virus in the US could become a pandemic, attempted to heighten fears of the disease to increase the take-up of vaccinations.
Federal court restores torture flight lawsuit
A federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a lawsuit against a San Jose-based company accused of participating in the CIA's so-called "torture flights,'' rejecting the Obama administration's argument that it would expose national security secrets.
Bank of America, Citi may need more capital
Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc., which have each received $45 billion in government bailout funds, have been told by regulators that "stress test" results show they may need to raise additional capital, The Wall Street Journal said Tuesday.
