Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features the man who made Hank Ballard's Twist safe for teevee, Chubby Checker. Enjoy!

"To the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes."

-- Isaac Newton

News and Opinion

Secret Court Reveals: FBI Hunted for Domestic Terrorists Without a Warrant

Even though the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court warned the FBI in 2018 that its warrant-free queries, known as backdoor searches, were constitutionally alarming, the bureau still conducted queries relevant to criminal investigations about, among other things “domestic terrorism involving racially motivated violent extremists.” The court’s Judge James E. Boasberg found what he referred to as “apparent widespread violations of the querying standard.”

That’s the euphemistic term the bureau tends to use to denote white supremacist violence. On one occasion, an FBI analyst ran a multi-search-term “batch query” on Americans “in connection with predicated criminal investigations relating to domestic terrorism” that returned 33 foreign-surveillance results.

And not only domestic terror. The FISA Court recounts government acknowledgement that at least 40 FBI searches through the NSA’s warrantlessly-collected data involved “health care fraud, transnational organized crime, violent gangs” and “public corruption and bribery.”

On at least one occasion, around May 2020, an FBI analyst looked through the foreign NSA troves “to vet [a] potential source in [a] predicated criminal investigation relating to public corruption.” Seven FBI field offices were implicated in “these and a number of similar violations,” according to a November 18, 2020 FISA Court opinion declassified on Monday and signed by Boasberg.

In other words, the FBI continues to perform warrantless searches through the NSA’s most sensitive databases—the ones the NSA is not required to get warrants before filling with communications information—for routine criminal investigations that are supposed to require warrants. Doing so potentially jeopardizes an accused person’s ability to have a fair trial, since warrantlessly-acquired information is supposed to be inadmissible. The FBI claimed to the court that none of the warrantlessly queried material “was used in a criminal or civil proceeding,” but such usage at trial has happened before.

Supreme Court to Rule on Whether C.I.A. Black Sites Are State Secrets

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether the government can block a detainee at Guantánamo Bay from obtaining information from two former C.I.A. contractors involved in torturing him on the ground that it would expose state secrets.

The detainee, known as Abu Zubaydah, sought to subpoena the contractors, James E. Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, in connection with a Polish criminal investigation. The inquiry was prompted by a determination by the European Court of Human Rights that Mr. Zubaydah had been tortured in 2002 and 2003 at so-called black sites operated by the C.I.A., including one in Poland. ...

A federal judge granted the government’s motion to block the subpoena, saying that “proceeding with discovery would present an unacceptable risk of disclosing state secrets.” But a divided three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, ruled that it might be possible to segregate information protected by the state secrets privilege, which bars disclosures that could endanger national security, from other materials.

The full Ninth Circuit declined to rehear the panel’s decision, over the dissents of 12 judges who said the ruling was riddled with “grave legal errors” and posed “a serious risk to our national security.” ...

The case could have consequences for the trial of the five men at Guantánamo who are accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11 attacks. Prosecutors in the case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other defendants have withheld those details from defense lawyers in the death-penalty case for national security reasons. The defense lawyers want that information to seek the testimony of eyewitnesses to bolster their argument that the United States has lost the moral authority to execute prisoners who have been tortured.

Professor Shuts Down BBC's Propaganda In Real Time

Heh, the propaganda, they can't help it. Read for the info. Actually, it's really kind of funny, so I'll throw in more than the first two paragraphs. Putin is attempting to "establish his position as a global statesman?" Pffftttt!!! What a bunch of clowns the writers at US News are.

Putin Agrees to Meet Biden as West Seeks to Deescalate Russian Aggression

The Kremlin on Monday confirmed President Vladimir Putin has accepted President Joe Biden's invitation to meet sometime this summer, granting the Russian leader a high-profile summit after weeks of near unprecedented provocations from Moscow.

Biden during a telephone call on April 13 proposed that the meeting take place in a European country at some point in the coming months, shortly before the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia for a widespread hack into federal servers. That exchange came amid a massive surge in Russian military forces along its border with Ukraine numbering more than 100,000 according to local estimates before Russian leaders ordered a withdrawal last week.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday did not confirm dates or a specific location, saying "many different factors have yet to be analyzed in order to come to some final agreements," according to a translation of his remarks to reporters.

Yet it appears to mark a notable step in Putin's attempts to establish his position as a global statesman, following through on political maneuvering that will allow him to remain in power for the indefinite future – and despite a series of setbacks to that goal in recent months.

Navy Reports Iranian Ships ‘Harassed’ Coast Guard in Persian Gulf

In early April, the Navy is reporting that Iranian Revolutionary Guards ships, including attack boats and a support vessel, “swarmed” a pair of US Coast Guard cutters operating in international waters in the Persian Gulf.

Since US ships are constantly meandering around on the cusp of Iranian waters, it’s not unusual for Iran to go out there and see why. This was the first case of 2021, according to officials, who predictably complained about “unprofessional” behavior by the Iranians.

When the US sends ships to other nations’ maritime borders, they generally feign outrage at interception, even though as usual no actual military confrontation took place. US military ships would naturally do the same thing if another country’s military showed up off the coast.

Keiser Report | The Hash Wars Are Here

Global Military Spending Grew to Nearly $2 Trillion in 2020 Despite Pandemic

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, worldwide military spending rose to nearly $2 trillion in 2020, according to an analysis published Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Global military expenditure in 2020—estimated to have reached $1.98 trillion—was 2.6% higher than in 2019 and 9.3% higher than in 2011, according to SIPRI's new report (pdf). A 2020 bump in military budgets was observed in Africa (5.1%), Europe (4.0%), the Americas (3.9%), and Asia and Oceania (2.5%). The Middle East was the only regional exception, where there was a 6.5% decrease in military spending in the 11 countries for which data is available.

SIPRI researcher Diego Lopes da Silva told AFP that last year's growth in world military expenditure, which coincided with a 4.4% decline in global gross domestic product, was unexpected.

"Because of the pandemic, one would think military spending would decrease," he said. "But it's possible to conclude with some certainty that Covid-19 did not have a significant impact on global military spending, in 2020 at least."

Given that military spending continued to escalate during an economic downturn, SIPRI found that the "global military burden," or military expenditure as a share of GDP, grew from 2.2% to 2.4%—the largest annual increase since the 2009 financial crisis.

A substantial percentage of global military spending in 2020 was driven by a handful of countries. According to SIPRI's analysis of the data, 62% of the world's military expenditure was attributable to just five countries—the United States, China, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

When the military budgets of Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea are added to the tally, these 10 countries accounted for $1.48 trillion, or 75%, of the world's total military expenditure last year.

With a military budget of $778 billion in 2020, the U.S. alone was responsible for 39% of the world's total military expenditure last year.

On Contact: Securing Democracy with Glenn Greenwald

Is Bill Gates Turning Into BIGGEST VILLIAN Of Vaccine Distribution?

Pharmaceutical Industry Dispatches Army of Lobbyists to Block Generic Covid-19 Vaccines

The pharmaceutical industry is pouring resources into the growing political fight over generic coronavirus vaccines.

Newly filed disclosure forms from the first quarter of 2021 show that over 100 lobbyists have been mobilized to contact lawmakers and members of the Biden administration, urging them to oppose a proposed temporary waiver on intellectual property rights by the World Trade Organization that would allow generic vaccines to be produced globally.

Pharmaceutical lobbyists working against the proposal include Mike McKay, a key fundraiser for House Democrats, now working on retainer for Pfizer, as well as several former staff members to the U.S. Office of Trade Representative, which oversees negotiations with the WTO.

Several trade groups funded by pharmaceutical firms have also focused closely on defeating the generic proposal, new disclosures show. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, and the International Intellectual Property Alliance, which all receive drug company money, have dispatched dozens of lobbyists to oppose the initiative. ...

Currently, only 1 percent of coronavirus vaccines are going to low-income countries, and projections show much of the world’s population may not be vaccinated until 2023 or 2024. In response, a coalition of countries, led by India and South Africa, have petitioned the WTO to temporarily suspend intellectual property rights on coronavirus-related medical products so that generic vaccines can be rapidly manufactured.

Ivy League Secret Exposed: Classes Used Bones of Black Children Killed in 1985 MOVE Police Bombing

DoJ opens inquiry into Louisville policing over Breonna Taylor’s death

The US Department of Justice is opening a sweeping investigation into policing in Louisville, Kentucky, over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by police during a raid at her home.

The attorney general, Merrick Garland, announced the investigation on Monday. It was the second such announcement by the Biden administration in a week.

Garland last week announced an investigation of the tactics of police in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd.

“A Warrant Is Not a License to Kill”: William Barber Condemns Police “Execution” of Andrew Brown

Andrew Brown shooting: anger as family shown only ‘snippet’ of police footage

Lawyers representing the family of Andrew Brown, a Black man shot and killed by police in North Carolina last week, accused authorities of “hiding” video evidence of “an execution” on Monday after relatives were shown only a 20-second clip of the incident from a single officer’s body camera.

Anger boiled over at an afternoon press conference in which they said the snippet they were permitted to view showed Brown, 42, with his hands on the steering wheel of the car he was driving when he was shot dead in a hail of police bullets. One of the lawyers, Harry Daniels, said Brown was shot in the back of the head. ...

The family’s lawyers had emerged from the viewing of the selected footage arranged by the authorities, but much delayed on Monday, amid growing tension. They stood and spoke alongside family members, saying there had been a heated disagreement with county officials over their lack of transparency.

“One bodycam, 20 seconds, an execution … we still cannot get justice and accountability,” Bakari Sellers, one of the attorneys, said.

Another lawyer, Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, said there were “at least eight officers there but we only saw [footage from] one body camera, we did not see any dashcam.” Police were already firing at Brown when the clip began, she said, crowding his car with handguns and assault rifles drawn.

“The car was riddled with bullets. They’re shooting and saying let me see your hands at the same time,” she said, adding that she had seen Bushmaster assault rifles and Glock pistols wielded by the assembled officers.

“This was an execution. He had his hands on the steering wheel, he was not reaching for anything.”

Krystal Ball: Employers know your class status in SEVEN WORDS

California effort to recall Gavin Newsom gets signatures needed to trigger vote

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, is set to face a recall election after organizers of the effort collected enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The California secretary of state’s office announced Monday that more than 1.6m signatures had been verified, about 100,000 more than needed to force a vote on the first-term Democrat.

A recall election would likely be held in the fall, when voters will first be asked whether Newsom be removed from office, and then, who should replace him. Responses to the latter question will only be counted if more than 50% vote to recall the governor. California is one of more than a dozen states that allow voters to hold recall elections.

The recall effort is led by Republicans who opposed Democrat Newsom’s pandemic shutdowns and mask mandate, as well as his immigration and tax policies. The campaign has tried to distance itself from its ties to far-right groups, including QAnon, following the deadly 6 January attack on the US capitol.

POWER SHIFTS SOUTH As NY, CA Lose Seats And Population Growth Hits Record LOW

Texas, Colorado and Florida among states to gain House seats after Census

Six states will gain additional seats in the US House of Representatives because of population shifts over the last decade, the US Census Bureau announced on Monday. Seven states will lose one congressional seat.

The US saw a total population growth of 7.4% over the last decade, the second slowest change in US history (the previous slowest was 7.3% from 1930 to 1940). Overall, the total US population was 331,449,281 people on 1 April 2020, the day the Census Bureau uses as a marker to count.

Texas will gain two additional seats in the House, the bureau said on Monday. Colorado, Montana, Oregon, North Carolina and Florida will also gain a congressional seat.

The seven states that will lose a seat are: California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

How US chemical industry lobbying and cash defeated regulation in Trump era

The nation’s top PFAS manufacturers executed a lobbying and campaign donation blitz in recent years as the federal government attempted to regulate the toxic compounds.

A Guardian analysis of campaign finance records found spending on PFAS issues jumped as lawmakers introduced over 100 new pieces of legislation in 2019 and 2020, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed strong new restrictions. Observers say the results are clear: industry’s congressional allies defeated nearly all PFAS legislation while the Trump EPA killed, watered down or slowalked new rules that never went into effect.

Spending is expected to remain high this legislative cycle as the Biden EPA has already advanced industry-opposed restrictions and Democrats have promised to re-introduce failed legislation and billions in revenue are at stake. Chemours, one top PFAS manufacturer, in fiscal year 2020 reported about $5bn in earnings, of which fluorinated chemicals represented about $2.2bn. ...

PFAS, also called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of 4,500 fluorinated compounds that for decades have been used to make thousands of products water and stain resistant. They’re increasingly ubiquitous in the environment and human bodies because they don’t naturally break down, and they’ve been strongly linked to cancer, liver disease, kidney disease, birth defects and a range of other serious health problems.

The seven largest PFAS producers and their industry trade groups tallied at least $61m in federal political spending during 2019 and 2020, the bulk of which was directed at lobbying Congress and the Trump administration instead of campaign donations.

Mineworkers President: STOP saying just transition because our workers just don't believe it

Alarm as Florida Set to Begin Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes

Environmentalists and Florida residents voiced concern and outrage Monday as state government officials and the biotechnology giant Oxitec announced plans to move ahead this week with a pilot project that involves releasing up to a billion genetically engineered mosquitoes in Monroe County over a two-year period.

Presented by local authorities as an effort to control the population of Aedes aegypti—a mosquito species that can carry both the dengue and yellow fever virus—critics warn that the effort's supposed benefits and its potential negative consequences have not been sufficiently studied.

Responding to news that the first boxes of genetically modified mosquitos are set to be placed in six locations in Monroe County this week, Friends of the Earth noted in a press release that "scientists have raised concerns that GE mosquitoes could create hybrid wild mosquitoes which could worsen the spread of mosquito-borne diseases and could be more resistant to insecticides than the original wild mosquitoes."

Dana Perls, food and technology program manager at Friends of the Earth, called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—which approved the project last May—to "halt this live experiment immediately."

"This is a dark moment in history," said Perls. "The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes puts Floridians, the environment, and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic. This release is about maximizing Oxitec's profits, not about the pressing need to address mosquito-borne diseases."

If it’s safe, dump it in Tokyo. We in the Pacific don’t want Japan’s nuclear wastewater

Earlier this month, the Japanese government announced plans to discharge 1m tonnes of radioactive wastewater accruing since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011 into the Pacific Ocean. To Pacific peoples, who have carried the disproportionate human cost of nuclearism in our region, this is yet another act of catastrophic and irreversible trans-boundary harm that our region has not consented to.

While Japan’s plan is for the water to be diluted first and discharged over the course of about 30 years, and the Japanese government has tried its hardest to convince the wider public of the treated water’s safety through the use of green mascots and backing from American scientists, Pacific peoples are once again calling it for what it is: an unjust act.

“We need to remind Japan and other nuclear states of our Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement slogan: if it is safe, dump it in Tokyo, test it in Paris, and store it in Washington, but keep our Pacific nuclear-free,” said Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, Vanuatu stateswoman and veteran activist of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) movement, after Japan’s announcement. “We are people of the ocean, we must stand up and protect it.”

Many in the Pacific have lived experience of nuclear harm with the continuing irradiation of our environments, while survivors and their descendants continue to experience harrowing maladies such as lymphatic cancers, thyroid and reproductive health issues. Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki detonations in 1945, 315 nuclear tests have been undertaken across the Marshall Islands, Australia, Kiribati and Maohi Nui (French Polynesia). All of which were, at the time, described by nuclear nations to be scientifically sound and safe.

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

The Fight to Clean Up the EPA

The Targets of Biden's War on "Domestic Extremists" May Not Be Who You Think

ACLU Again Cowardly Abstains From an Online Censorship Controversy: This Time Over BLM

The Mass Media Will Never Regain The Public’s Trust

Share Vaccine Recipes With Poor During Pandemic? One of World's Richest Men Bill Gates Says 'No'

Why Barack Obama Was a Horrible President

In space, no one will hear Bezos and Musk’s workers’ call for basic rights

Contributions to Swing District Democrats by AOC Add Obstacle for Challengers

CNN urged to fire Rick Santorum after racist comments on Native Americans

Ronnie Wood reveals all-clear after second cancer diagnosis

Aaron Mate: Facing Syria cover-up outcry, OPCW chief lies and US, UK, France evade

Ryan Grim: Why GOP Is CHEERING For This Leftist DOJ Appointee

A Little Night Music

Chubby Checker - Popeye The Hitchhiker

Chubby Checker - Twenty Miles

Chubby Checker - The Fly

Chubby Checker - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On

Chubby Checker - Dancin' Party

Chubby Checker - Black Cloud

Chubby Checker - Quarter To Three

Chubby Checker - The Jet

Chubby Checker - The Class

Keith Richards Chubby Checker Jerry Lee Lewis - Twist