Federal judge: Terror law violates 1st Amendment 16 May 2012 A judge on Wednesday struck down a portion of a law giving the government wide powers to regulate the detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists, saying it left journalists, scholars and political activists facing the prospect of indefinite detention for exercising First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan said in a written ruling that a single page of the law has a "chilling impact on First Amendment rights."

Judge Napolitano: Shoot down a drone, become an American hero --FAA: 30,000 small, remote-controlled drones could be above the homes of every American. 17 May 2012 Fox News commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano has found a novel approach to handling the whole drone surveillance dilemma that has Americans worried that the government will soon watch their every move from the sky. Speaking out against the future of aerial eavesdropping in America, Judge Napolitano said on Fox on Tuesday, "The first American patriot that shoots down one of these drones that comes too close to his children in his backyard will be an American hero." [Or, even if you don't have children! They're predator drones run amok by predators.] Congress is currently working alongside defense contractors mercenaries, the Federal Aviation Administration and local law enforcement agencies across the country, among others, to draft plans to put unmanned aerial aircraft into US sky in the near future.

House Panel Adds $849 Million for Israel's Missile Defense 15 May 2012 The House panel that controls military expenditures proposed a net increase of $874 million for weapons over the Pentagon's budget plans for the year starting Oct. 1. The largest amounts that the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee added in producing a $102.4 billion procurement request were $562.4 million to buy 11 additional Boeing Co. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets and $447 million to buy seven more Lockheed Martin Corp. C-130J transport planes, according to the defense panel's report obtained today... The panel recommended adding $848.9 million for Israel's missile defense, including $680 million for the Iron Dome system and $111.4 million for a system called David's Sling. [Oh. I thought there was a deficit.]

Iran executes Mossad assassin of top nuclear scientist 15 May 2012 The man convicted of espionage for the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, and assassinating a top Iranian nuclear physicist has been executed in Tehran's Evin Prison. Majid Jamali Fashi, who assassinated Massoud Ali-Mohammadi in January 2011, was executed under the Iranian judicial system on Tuesday. Jamali Fashi was also found guilty of receiving training from Mossad inside Israel as well as $120,000 to assassinate the Iranian scientist.

Charges Sought in Bomb Plot Leak 13 May 2012 Top U.S. lawmakers called for criminal charges against the person who leaked classified information about a recent foiled Yemeni [CIA] bomb plot, warning that the intelligence breach posed a danger to national security and ratcheting up scrutiny of its source. Rep. Mike Rogers, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said his staff was conducting a "preliminary review" of the leak and could open "either a full-blown committee investigation or we will refer to criminal charges to the FBI."

Guantanamo lawyers want ex-CIA official to testify 16 May 2012 Defense lawyers want to force a former CIA official who supervised what they called torture of 'al Qaeda' captives to testify in the war crimes tribunal for five Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 attacks. They argue that Jose Rodriguez, former director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service, has information pertinent to the defense allegation that the government is using security classifications to hide evidence their clients were tortured. The lawyers want Rodriguez to testify during a hearing set for June 12-15 for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the confessed architect of the hijacked plane attacks, and four other captives accused of funding and training the hijackers.

Afghan peace negotiator shot dead 13 May 2012 An assassin armed with a silenced pistol shot dead a top member of the Afghan peace council Sunday at a traffic intersection in the nation's capital, police said. Arsala Rahmani was a former Taliban official who reconciled with the government and was active in trying to set up formal talks with the insurgents. He was shot at an intersection in western Kabul by a gunman in a white Toyota Corolla while being driven to his office, said Mohammad Zahir, head of the city police's criminal investigation division.

2 US Navy ships collide in Pacific 16 May 2012 An 844-foot-long U.S. Navy assault ship collided with a refueling tanker Wednesday in the Pacific Ocean, causing damage to both ships, but there were no injuries or fuel spills, military officials said. The midmorning accident between the amphibious assault vessel USS Essex and the oiler USNS Yukon occurred about 120 miles off the coast of Southern California as the Essex was approaching the Yukon to be refueled, said Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for the 3rd Fleet. Brown said the steering apparently stopped working on the Essex, which was carrying 982 crew members on its way to San Diego for scheduled maintenance.

National Guard Probes Another Extremist Allegation 15 May 2012 The Missouri National Guard is investigating whether it may have another extremist in its ranks. Earlier this month, authorities in Florida arrested several members of a white supremacist group who were alleged to be training for a race war in America. Those arrested on conspiracy and hate crime charges were members of the American Front, a militia-style neo-Nazi group with a long history of violence against black, gay and Jewish people. According to an arrest affidavit filed in the case, a member of American Front's Missouri chapter, who also is a National Guard member, was at the group's compound in north Florida in July 2011 to conduct training in hand-to-hand combat and weapons.

Mysterious illness strikes hundreds of flight attendants - are 'toxic uniforms' to blame or is it Fukushima? Are Alaska Airlines flight attendants suffering the effects of nuclear radiation fallout? 16 May 2012 Hundreds of Alaska Airlines flight attendants have filed a formal complaint about uniforms they suspect might be causing their skin to rash and develop lesions, and their hair to fall out. But based on the timing of the symptoms and their relation to similar symptoms in local marine life and polar bear populations, it appears as though radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster may also be a potential culprit.

San Onofre's future hinges on finding cause of abnormal tube wear 17 May 2012 On Jan. 31, alarms alerted the control room at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station that a radiation leak was occurring in one of the nearly 39,000 tubes that carry radioactive water in the steam generators. That failure led to an unparalleled shutdown of one of California's two nuclear power plants and triggered more than three months of detective work by Southern California Edison officials and federal nuclear regulators that has yet to determine the problem's root cause or when San Onofre will reopen. Since then, the outlook for the plant has gotten worse. Now, about 1,300 tubes — more than 3% of all the plant's tubes — have been taken out of service because of unexpected wear.

Prairie Island nuclear security supervisor fired after faked drug test 15 May 2012 (MN) A security supervisor at Xcel Energy's Prairie Island nuclear power plant was fired after he was caught faking a drug test urine sample, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says. The incident occurred on July 23, 2010, during part of a fitness-for-duty random drug test. The supervisor was fired after failing to report for a second sample, the NRC said.

Not guilty plea from Chicago man in NYC Anonymous hacking case 14 May 2012 A Chicago man facing computer hacking charges in a federal investigation targeting the worldwide group Anonymous is entertaining himself behind bars the old fashioned way: by reading books. Jeremy Hammond is doing "great," defense attorney Elizabeth Fink said after Hammond's not guilty plea Monday in federal court in Manhattan. There was no bail request at the brief hearing Monday for Hammond, who pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit computer hacking and other charges. He's been held in a lower Manhattan lockup since an initial court appearance in Chicago in March.

Anonymous: 'We have access to every classified database in the US' 14 May 2012 Businesses have suggested it. The government has all but confirmed it. And according to one alleged member, they both might very well be right. A hacker tied to Anonymous says the loose-knit collective may be the most powerful organization on Earth. "The entire world right now is run by information," Chris Doyon tells Postmedia News from an undisclosed location in Canada... In a world where the most critical of information isn't locked up in vaults but instead encoded in easily obtainable binary, Doyon says that crackers like those in Anonymous are in possession of some of the most powerful knowledge known to man.

Mega barf alert: AT&T named vendor for Homeland Security 15 May 2012 AT&T Inc. said Tuesday that it was named a prime vendor for a $3 billion contract with the Department of Homeland Security, giving AT&T the ability to compete for work under the contract. The so-called Tactical Communications Equipment and Services contract is a base contact for two years and three one-year extension options. Homeland Security uses the contract to buy communications devices, infrastructure and services used by first responders. AT&T will compete for DHS business through its Government Solutions unit, which is housed in AT&T's affiliate AT&T Corp.

8 NATO protesters arrested at Prudential Plaza --Security guards shut down the elevator banks, and approximately 30 Chicago police bike officers responded within minutes. 14 May 2012 Less than one week before the NATO Summit begins, eight protesters were arrested Monday at Prudential Plaza. The protesters said they were taking a stand against the war in Afghanistan. They gathered downtown Monday morning at the building that houses President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters.

Student protesters disrupt UC regents meeting 16 May 2012 Student protesters angry about another possible tuition hike disrupted the meeting of the University of California regents Wednesday in Sacramento, with some demonstrators dressed in orange prisoner uniforms and singing about "working on the chain gang." The regents were about to discuss a recent report about the treatment of protesters on campuses and then analyze the impact of the governor's May revision of the state budget on tuition. After 15 or so protesters began chanting and marching around the meeting, they ignored orders to clear the hall.

Mystery surrounds Kennedy wife's death 17 May 2012 Robert F Kennedy Jr's estranged wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy has been found dead in her home. Attorney Kerry Lawrence, who had previously represented her, said he didn't know the cause of her death at age 52. An autopsy was scheduled for tomorrow (NZ time). Police confirmed a body was found on Robert F Kennedy Jr's property in Bedford, north of New York City, but wouldn't release the dead person's name. The former Mary Richardson, a longtime connection of the Kennedy clan, married Robert Kennedy Jr, a prominent environmental lawyer and the son of Senator Robert F Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy, in 1994.

Wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. found dead at NY home 16 May 2012 Mary Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, was found dead on Wednesday at her home in a New York City suburb, an officer at the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office said. She was 52. Mary Kennedy had four children with Kennedy, the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He is a prominent New York environmentalist.

French President Hollande's plane 'hit by lightning' 15 May 2012 Newly sworn in French President Francois Hollande has been delayed in his journey to Berlin for key talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after his plane was hit by lightning. The plane was forced to turn back to Paris. "The plane could have been hit by lightning," a presidential spokesman told the AFP news agency. "For security reasons, it turned back. At this moment, the president is again en route."

Greece could exit eurozone, IMF chief tells FRANCE 24 15 May 2012 The head of the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised the possibility that Greece could leave the eurozone in an orderly fashion. "If the country's budgetary commitments are not honoured, there are appropriate revisions to do, which means either supplementary financing and additional time or mechanisms for an exit, which in this case must be an orderly exit," Christine Lagarde said in an interview with France 24.

FBI's Mueller confirms JPMorgan preliminary probe 16 May 2012 FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday confirmed that the agency has opened a "preliminary investigation" into JPMorgan Chase & Co, the nation's largest bank. JPMorgan disclosed last week that it had suffered a multibillion-dollar trading loss due to a failed hedging strategy. A person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday that the FBI's New York office has opened a preliminary probe into the loss, which has been estimated at more than $2 billion.

Ron Paul ends campaign, vows to push agenda 14 May 2012 Ron Paul, whose anti-government, pro-rights creed attracted enthusiastic supporters and hefty donations but few delegates, will not campaign in the 11 remaining Republican primary states, he announced Monday. In effectively conceding the presidential nomination to Mitt Romney, the Texas representative turns his focus toward influencing the Republican Party platform for the fall election. Paul said this year's run for the presidency - his third - is part of a 40-year endeavor that will continue no matter who wins the White House.

Trayvon Martin killed by single gunshot fired from 'intermediate range,' autopsy shows 16 May 2012 Florida teenager Trayvon Martin died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired from "intermediate range," according to an autopsy report reviewed Wednesday by NBC News. The official report, prepared by the medical examiner in Volusia County, Fla., also found that the 17-year-old Martin had one other fresh injury – a small abrasion, no more than a quarter-inch in size – on his left ring finger below the knuckle.