State Dept. gives law enforcement, intelligence agencies unrestricted access to Americans’ personal data

The State Department is giving law enforcement and intelligence agencies unrestricted access to the personal data of more than 145 million Americans, through information from passport applications that is shared without legal process or any apparent oversight, according to a letter sent from Sen. Ron Wyden to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and obtained by Yahoo News.

State Dept. gives law enforcement, intelligence agencies unrestricted access to Americans’ personal data

Is the U.S. and NATO Running Another Operation Gladio in Europe?

Part Two of a Three-Part CAM Series on Mercenaries and Clandestine Operations in Ukraine

[In Part Two of this three-part series on foreign mercenary fighters in Ukraine, (see Part 1) the nexus between mercenaries with experience in Syria, Ukraine and U.S.-EU-NATO armed forces becomes more apparent. This second part of the investigation looks at Shaun Pinner, Alexander Tobiassen, John Harding, Sjoerd Heeger, Craig Lang and Ben Fischer.—Editors]

Is the U.S. and NATO Running Another Operation Gladio in Europe?

Archived (WordPress is now private): American YPG Fighter Complains About Group’s Lack of Medical Care

TRUTH COPS: Leaked Documents Outline DHS’s Plans to Police Disinformation

THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY is quietly broadening its efforts to curb speech it considers dangerous, an investigation by The Intercept has found. Years of internal DHS memos, emails, and documents — obtained via leaks, Freedom of Information Act requests, and an ongoing lawsuit, as well as public reports — illustrate an expansive effort by the agency to influence tech platforms.

TRUTH COPS: Leaked Documents Outline DHS’s Plans to Police Disinformation

Related:

Disrupt The Cognitive Infrastructure

H/T: Unorthodox Truth

Voices: J. D. Vance wouldn’t know what to say to a real Appalachian like me. Ohio deserves better

I sometimes joke that J.D. Vance is my evil twin. Born a year and a half before me, Vance and I are both the grandchildren of Appalachian out-migrants. He is the first in his family to obtain a university degree, and so am I. He grew up about 30 miles from where I grew up in the decaying Rust Belt cities between Dayton and Cincinnati. Jackson, from where his grandmother hailed and from whence J.D. claims his Appalachian identity, is 45 miles from my grandmother’s home town — and where I spent much of my childhood and graduated high school — in Hyden.

Voices: J. D. Vance wouldn’t know what to say to a real Appalachian like me. Ohio deserves better

Related:

J.D. Vance’s First Attempt to Renew Ohio Crumbled Quickly

Video via More Perfect Union

Judge O’Connor Rules that the Boeing 737 MAX Crashes Victims’ Families Represent Protected “Crime Victims” and Can Seek Boeing’s Prosecution

“In sum, but for Boeing’s criminal conspiracy to defraud the FAA, 346 people would not have lost their lives in the crashes.”

Judge O’Connor Rules that the Boeing 737 MAX Crashes Victims’ Families Represent Protected “Crime Victims” and Can Seek Boeing’s Prosecution

H/T: Steve Lehto

The Wolfowitz Doctrine Led to the Disastrous War in Iraq: Now it is Leading to a Potentially Even More Cataclysmic War in Asia

The Project for a New American (Racist )Century is omnipresent in the capitals of Europe today. From Dublin to Berlin—Ukrainian colors are on flagpoles, bus stops and buildings. The subtext is blonde hair and blue eyes.

The Wolfowitz Doctrine Led to the Disastrous War in Iraq: Now it is Leading to a Potentially Even More Cataclysmic War in Asia

A judge sentenced Steve Bannon to 4 months in prison but let him remain free while he appeals his conviction

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Steve Bannon to four months in prison but allowed the Trump ally to remain free while he appeals his criminal conviction on charges he defied the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

A judge sentenced Steve Bannon to 4 months in prison but let him remain free while he appeals his conviction

H/T: Trump-appointed Judge Carl Nichols refuses to send Steve Bannon to prison for his crimes

Saudis say US sought 1 month delay of OPEC+ production cuts

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the U.S. had urged it to postpone a decision by OPEC and its allies — including Russia — to cut oil production by a month. Such a delay could have helped reduce the risk of a spike in gas prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections next month.

Saudis say US sought 1 month delay of OPEC+ production cuts

Related:

Saudi Arabia Defied U.S. Warnings Ahead of OPEC+ Production Cut

The one-month delay requested by Washington would have meant a production cut made in the days before the election, too late to have much effect on consumers’ wallets ahead of the vote.

To entice the Saudis to delay their decision, U.S. officials told the kingdom they would buy oil on the market to replenish Washington’s strategic stockpiles if the price of Brent, the main international benchmark, fell to $75 a barrel, according to U.S. officials and people inside the Saudi government.

Quid pro quo, huh?! 🧐💭