Fox News host Tucker Carlson was mocked on social media this week for stating that he had been told that the National Security Agency was reading his private emails and spying on him. The usual suspects called Carlson paranoid, because there are so many checks and balances to assure the feds would never illegally target a vexatious Biden critic. However, on Tuesday, a dissent by Travis LeBlanc, a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, revealed that one of the NSA’s most intrusive surveillance engines, XKeyscore, may be violating federal law and Americans’ rights and...
Edward Snowden
Kevin Gosztola: No Pardons For Edward Snowden Or Julian Assange
"NSA whistleblower Reality Winner, who was the first to be prosecuted under the Espionage Act under Trump, and former CIA officer John Kiriakou pursued pardons. They were effectively denied as well. On January 17, the New York Times reported that an associate of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Kiriakou a pardon would cost him $2 million. "I laughed. Two million bucks—are you out of your mind?" Kiriakou told the Times. "Even if I had two million bucks, I wouldn't spend it to recover a $700,000 pension." The report exposed a sliver of the corruption around pardons in the final days of the...
Axios Scoop: Trump Pardons Expected Today
From Axios President Trump plans to issue a wave of pardons today, moving to expedite acts of clemency before Christmas, according to a source with direct knowledge and advocates who have been briefed on the plans. What to watch: Trump has been considering pardons for friends and allies, as Axios reported, interrupting conversations with associates to spontaneously suggest he add them to his pardon list. He already pardoned his former national security advisor Michael Flynn. It was unclear who will be included in this batch. Sen. Rand Paul called on Trump to pardon Edward Snowden in an...
Who Will Trump Pardon?
On COI #48, Kyle discusses what major pardons Trump could handout before leaving office. While it is unlikely, Julian Assange, Ross Ulbrich, and Edward Snowden have had their names floated as potential receivers of pardons. However, even if Trump decides to pardon any of these men, he will likely be talked out of it by the establishment figures in his administration. Russia has offered the US the chance to extend the New Start Treaty for one year. It is unclear if the US will accept the offer to save the one remaining nuclear arms control agreement. While Biden seems more interested in...
News Roundup 12/15/20
US News Rep. Matt Gaetz says Trump is listening to people who are telling him to pardon Edward Snowden. [Link] The Senate passes the 2021 NDAA authorizing the Pentagon to spend $740 billion and limiting the president's ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. [Link] Trump threatened to veto the NDAA. [Link] Korea South Korea says it banned sending propaganda leaflets into North Korea. A North Korean defector who launched the leaflets said he will continue his campaign. [Link] Afghanistan The US continues to bomb the Taliban despite signing a peace agreement. [Link] Kabul’s assistant...
Did the Attorney General Botch the Breonna Taylor Grand Jury?
On Conflicts of Interest #16, Kyle and Will cover the recently released audio from the Breonna Taylor grand jury proceedings, which reveal new holes in the government’s story. A federal judge has ordered Edward Snowden to hand over $5.2 million in book royalties from his memoir, claiming he broke his non-disclosure deal with the NSA. The US has threatened to leave its Iraq embassy over a spate of recent rocket attacks, which it routinely blames on Shia militias without evidence. Dangerous Game YouTube – Conflicts of Interest Facebook – Conflicts of Interest Twitter – Conflicts of Interest...
Journalism on Trial: Liberal Warmonger Praised as Assange’s Plight Ignored
An unverified hit piece by Jeffery Goldberg in the Atlantic accused Donald Trump of trash talking US troops. Despite its flimsy sourcing, the Libertarian Party ran with the story to score political points against the president. Kyle and Will explain the problems with their messaging. Julian Assange's extradition hearing is set to resume on Monday, as the US presses ahead with its war on journalism. While Assange's case looks bleak, a recent US court ruling on the NSA mass surveillance provides some reason for optimism, effectively vindicating Edward Snowden's historic leak in 2013. New...
9/4/20 Trevor Timm on the Vindication of Edward Snowden
Trevor Timm discusses an important new ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which says that the NSA's mass data-gathering program, famously exposed by Edward Snowden, was illegal all along. It also came out during the court proceedings that not a single act of terrorism was ever prevented by the program. This ruling is a major vindication of Snowden's decision, and may bring him one step closer to exoneration. Discussed on the show: "James Clapper denies lying to Congress about NSA surveillance program" (AP News) "State Department Cables" (WikiLeaks) "Afghan War Logs" (WikiLeaks)...
News Roundup 9/3/20
US News California's legislature voted down a bill that would help hold police officers accountable. [Link] Trump signs an order that prevents landlords from evicting people who make less than $99,000 a year. [Link] A US court rules the spying program exposed by Edward Snowden was illegal, and US officials lied about it. [Link] Three companies who owned the oil tankers seized by the US filed a lawsuit. The US claims the tankers were bringing Iranian oil to Venezuela. The companies claim that the oil was not Iranian and was not heading to Venezuela. The US has also taken down the...
The NSA’s Encroaching Oversight
The NSA’s spy program failed miserably, but some spooks want to expand it The US National Security Agency spent $100 million over three years on illegally collecting millions of American phone records – all for two reports with unique counterterrorism intelligence, according to a declassified report from an NSA oversight body. So naturally, intelligence officials and lawmakers want the NSA’s records collection program reauthorized, and some even want it expanded to include more modern forms of communications such as encrypted chat apps. The NSA’s failed spying scheme is detailed in a...
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