Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts

Saturday, March 7, 2020

DOJ: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT LINGUIST CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE

WASHINGTON – Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was charged today in the District of Columbia with transmitting highly sensitive classified national defense information to a foreign national with apparent connections to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization that has been so designated by the Secretary of State. According to the affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, the information Thompson gathered and transmitted included classified national defense information regarding active human assets, including their true names. By compromising the identities of these human assets, Thompson placed the lives of the human assets and U.S. military personnel in grave danger.

The announcement was made by John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Timothy J. Shea, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia; Robert Wells, Acting Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division; and Timothy R. Slater, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office.

“While in a war zone, the defendant allegedly gave sensitive national defense information, including the names of individuals helping the United States, to a Lebanese national located overseas,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “If true, this conduct is a disgrace, especially for someone serving as a contractor with the United States military. This betrayal of country and colleagues will be punished.”

“The conduct alleged in this complaint is a grave threat to national security, placed lives at risk, and represents a betrayal of our armed forces. The charges we’ve filed today should serve as a warning to anyone who would consider disclosing classified national defense information to a terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.

"This case shows the value of cooperation across the U.S. Government. Working closely with the Department of Defense, the FBI was able to investigate this willful disregard for keeping national defense information safe and partnered to bring the defendant to the United States from Iraq to face justice," said Acting Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division Robert Wells.

“Today's announcement is a testament to the U.S. government's commitment to protecting the U.S. from the unauthorized disclosure of classified information that can put our country at serious risk of damage - damage to people and damage to our country's capabilities,” said Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “Human assets are the core of the U.S. government's intelligence, and they have our assurance that we will go above and beyond to protect them. I want to thank the men and women at the FBI and our partners here and abroad who answered the call to assist on this fast-moving investigation. The FBI is charged with protecting our nation's security and information for a safe and secure tomorrow for all Americans - we take this duty seriously and will not stand by while supposedly trusted individuals violate that trust in such an egregious way.”

Thompson was arrested by FBI Special Agents on February 27, 2020, at an overseas U.S. military facility, where she worked as a contract linguist and held a Top Secret government security clearance.

The investigation leading to this arrest revealed that starting on or about December 30, 2019, a day after U.S. airstrikes against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, and the same day protesters stormed the U.S. embassy in Iraq to protest those strikes, audit logs show a notable shift in Thompson’s network activity on United States Department of Defense classified systems, including repeated access to classified information she had no need to access. Specifically, during a six-week period between December 30, 2019, and February 10, 2020, Thompson accessed dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal identification data, background information, and photographs of the human assets, as well as operational cables detailing information the assets provided to the United States government.

A court-authorized search of Thompson’s living quarters on February 19, 2020, led to the discovery of a handwritten note in Arabic concealed under Thompson’s mattress. The note contained classified information from Department of Defense computer systems, identifying human assets by name, and warning a Department of Defense target who is affiliated with a designated foreign terrorist organization with ties to Hizballah. The note also instructed that the human assets’ phones should be monitored.

Thompson transmitted the classified information in the handwritten note to a co-conspirator, in whom she had a romantic interest. The FBI’s investigation revealed that Thompson knew the co-conspirator was a foreign national whose relative worked for the Lebanese government. The investigation also revealed that the co-conspirator has apparent connections to Hizballah. Further investigation revealed that, in a separate communication, Thompson also provided information to her co-conspirator identifying another human asset and the information the asset had provided to the United States, as well as providing information regarding the techniques the human assets were using to gather information on behalf of the United States.

In today’s Criminal Complaint, Thompson was charged with Delivering Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(a) and conspiring to do so in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(c).

Thompson is scheduled to make her initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather later this afternoon. A Criminal Complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for violating § 794. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of a defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Trial Attorneys Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Jennifer Levy of the Counterterrorism Section, and Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia John Cummings are prosecuting the case.

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Saturday, February 29, 2020

There Seems To Have Been A Missile Plan In Detroit

Just documenting...but, hey, what do I know?

Detroit Memes of the Detroit Land Bank Authority blighted properties
https://www.muckrock.com/

Too bad the Detroit Land Bank Authority's plan for housing did not go as planned.

Trump says Soleimani was plotting attacks on four US embassies

FOREIGN CONSULATES IN DETROIT

Michigan Congressional Delegation Members Join in Strong Support of Fort Custer for Missile Defense Site

https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/2019/01/cocktails-popcorn-detroit-dhs-larp.html

U.S. Army rejects Detroit for its Futures Command, citing livability deficit

It's hard to imagine two organizations more different than Amazon and the U.S. Army. But Detroit now enjoys the dubious distinction of having been spurned by both those mega-employers, albeit for very different reasons.

Just months after Amazon rejected Detroit's bid to become the home of its second headquarters, the Army has decreed that the city is also unsuitable to be the headquarters for the Army Futures Command, a multibillion-dollar initiative tasked with modernizing the nation's oldest service branch.

But the latest snub has less to do with the shallowness of Detroit's talent pool than with its shortcomings as a place for the Army's best and brightest to live.

Amazon to Detroit:You didn't have enough talent to get HQ2
More: Detroit region bonds over Amazon bid, but civility doesn't stick

Now, barring the success of a long-shot appeal by Sen. Gary Peters, southeast Michigan is poised to sustain another blow to its self-esteem, and another setback in its quest for recognition as a leader in technological innovation.

The future of fighting
The nascent Futures Command is the keystone in what the Army describes as its most significant reorganization since the Vietnam War. The 500 military and civilian personnel initially assigned to the new command will lead efforts to integrate cutting-edge technology more quickly into the Army's combat efforts.

When the Army retained consulting giant McKinsey & Co. to evaluate 30 cities as possible venues for the the new command's headquarters, Peters, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee that his predecessor Carl Levin once chaired, was confident Detroit would emerge as a top candidate.

Peters had been present in December when U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis told an audience of military contractors that he considered Michigan one of four regions (along with Silicon Valley, Boston and Texas) spearheading the cutting-edge technology that would drive the Pentagon's modernization efforts.

Peters knows that two of the Army's most important procurement and research units, the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and the Tank Automotive Research Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC), have long been headquartered in Warren.

"If you're building a futures command for a ground-force military organization, you'd think Detroit would be the obvious place," he said in a phone interview this week.

But last month, when Undersecretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy sent Peters' committee a list of the 15 finalists from whom the Army proposed to solicit bids for the Future Command, Peters was startled to learn that Detroit had not made the cut.

Detroit's Achilles heel
At first blush, the contest for the Army's love is shaping up much like the richer and more celebrated competition for Amazon's second headquarters.

Finalists for the Futures Command HQ include Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Eleven of those 15 cities are also among the 20 finalists Amazon selected earlier this year. A 12th Army finalist, Seattle, is the home of Amazon's current headquarters.

Like Amazon, the Army says it will put a premium on the quality and educational credentials of each region's workforce — a priority the online retailer cited as critical in its decision to eliminate Detroit as a candidate to host its second headquarters.

But by the Army's lights, at least, Detroit's talent pool was sufficiently wide and deep to support a vibrant Futures Command: The city's workforce ranked seventh among the 30 cities McKinsey evaluated. Detroit was also a top 10 finisher in two of the other three categories the selection team used to rank possible headquarters sites.

But in a fourth comparison that ranked contenders according to the quality of life each offered to the staff of the Futures Command, Detroit finished near the bottom.

"Detroit ranked so low on the livability scale," Peters said the Army's briefers told him, "that it blew us out of contention."

The Livability Index
The livability scale that torpedoed Detroit's ambitions isn't some proprietary formula developed by McKinsey or the Pentagon. It's a well-established metric conceived by AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons), whose Public Policy Institute touts the web-based Livability Index as a tool "people of all ages" can use to compare the quality of life in metropolitan areas across America.

The Liveability Index ranks cities according to seven criteria. In the most recent evaluation, Detroit ranked among the middle third of the nation's metropolitan areas in six categories, including housing access and affordability; neighborhood access to work and play; transportation options; air and water quality; civic and social engagement; and economic and educational opportunity.

In the seventh category, health, which encompasses everything from the prevalence of smoking and obesity to patient satisfaction with their hospital care, Detroit ranked in the bottom third — a data point Peters said should be sobering to state lawmakers hoping to restrict Medicaid eligibility for thousands of Michiganders who have gained access in the last four years.

"It's another reason why we have to assure that Medicaid services remain in place," he said. "When a significant number of people don't have access to health care, it hurts the whole region's ability to attract employers."

Detroit's overall livability score was 47 — just below the median for all the metropolitan areas AARP scrutinizes. But throwing nearby suburbs into the mix doesn't significantly alter the picture. When all of Wayne County is included, the liveability score doesn't budge, and Oakland County's 50th percentile ranking is still well below those of Futures Command finalists like San Francisco (66) and Seattle (63).

Peters says he was encouraged to see that Detroit outscored more than half of the cities selected as finalists for the Futures Command headquarters on the other three criteria McKinsey applied.

Detroit scored ninth in private sector innovation, finishing ahead of eight cities, including Austin, which advanced to the Army's final round. The Motor City had an even better seventh place showing in two other categories: talent, and strength of research and development resources for science, technology, engineering and math, popularly known as STEM studies.

A second chance?
Peters says Detroit's strong showing in those "technical categories" helped him persuade Army Secretary Mark Esper that Detroit should be invited to submit a bid packet to the task force in charge of selecting the Futures Command site, a privilege that had been restricted to the 15 finalists.

He says a team that includes the defense subsidiary of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce has begun preparing a pitch similar to the one the city made last year, albeit unsuccessfully, to Amazon. Peters adds that Detroit is likely to score especially well on another factor — cost — that will be added to the selection criteria used to cull finalists.

"If you look at the sort of people with whom the Army intends to staff the Futures Command," Peters notes, "a young captain's salary is going to go a lot farther in Detroit than in San Francisco or Boston."

The Army hopes to finish reviewing the finalists' packets next month and make a a final site decision soon after. And even if Secretary Esper and company persist in looking elsewhere, the Army's snub would be a lesser blow than Amazon's.

The online retailer's decision to eliminate Detroit as a potential site for its second headquarters came after a Who's Who of Michigan's political, corporate and philanthropic leaders collaborated in a full-court press for Amazon's favor. The city that ultimately prevails in that contest stands to reap as many as 50,000 jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity.

The Futures Command will have a much smaller footprint, employing hundreds instead of the tens of thousands that might be attached to, say, a new military base.

But that's no consolation to Peters, who says the Army's decision to site its Futures Command elsewhere would send an unfortunate signal to other high-tech employers shopping for their own expansion sites.

"To me, this is about the signal the Army's decision will send," Peters says. "We want to be seen as the place the Army wants to be as it thinks about the future of technology and warfare."

The Army seems to have figured out that private entrepreneurs are faster and more nimble than the Pentagon when it comes to developing and applying new technology, so it wants to make sure its Futures Command is located near the companies most likely to pioneer important breakthrough. The work being done at General Motors, Ford and Willow Run's American Center for Mobility can make a legitimate claim for the Army's attention.

What a tragedy if the region's failure to invest in its own social, environmental and medical well-being make the cost of proximity to Detroit's technological leadership too dear for even an organization as rich as the U.S. Army to bear.

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Saturday, January 25, 2020

IMPEACHMENT: Senate Trial - Day Four - The Legal Geniuses Cometh

First, this happened....

Then, this happened....

Then, this happened...

https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=Pat+Cipollone

White House Letter to Speak... by blc88 on Scribd

Then, this happened...

Schiff’s IP addresses tie him directly to DIA informants being presented as whistleblowers. Strzok is tied to all the DIA informants. pic.twitter.com/gjhVgzwfJb
— TruthLeaks - Investigative Journalist George Webb (@GeorgWebb) January 24, 2020

#maytheheavensfall

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Friday, January 17, 2020

Judicial Watch May Not Like What Is Under The Awan Seal

Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch my not want to see or even know what is being kept under grand jury seal.

#maytheheavensfall

Federal Judge Orders Justice Department to Explain Why Awan Documents Are Being Kept Secret

An apparently frustrated federal judge ordered attorneys for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appear Jan. 15 for a “snap” hearing to explain why the government isn’t producing documents sought by Judicial Watch concerning former Democratic information technology aide Imran Awan.

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Amit Mehta’s unusual order followed a sealed submission by DOJ attorneys Jan. 10 in the case prompted by the nonprofit government watchdog’s November 2018 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

Such hastily convened hearings are extremely unusual in a federal judicial system so jammed that months can pass before cases are litigated in courtrooms.

“In a hearing last month, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta expressed frustration and ordered the Justice Department to explain its failure to produce records by January 10 and to provide Judicial Watch some details about the delay,” Judicial Watch said in a statement Jan. 14 about the snap hearing.

“Instead, the Justice Department made its filing under seal and has yet to provide Judicial Watch with any details about its failure to produce records as promised to the court,” Judicial Watch said.

Federal attorneys previously said in December 2019 that they were unable to provide the documents sought in the Judicial Watch FOIA requests because they include materials from a “related sealed criminal matter.”

The lawsuit was prompted by DOJ’s failure to produce documents sought by Judicial Watch in two separate FOIA requests in the Awan scandal.

Awan, a Pakistani national, and several members of his family and friends were IT aides to more than 40 Democratic members of key national security and foreign policy committees in the House of Representatives. Their positions gave the aides access to all of the members’ digital communications and documents.

With the exception of Imran Awan, all of the Awan network members lost their access to the House IT network in February 2017, as a result of a report by the top House administrative officials that said the aides “are an ongoing and serious risk to the House of Representatives, possibly threatening the integrity of our information systems and thereby members’ capacity to serve constituents.”

Imran Awan was kept on the House payroll by then-Democratic National Committee Chairman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) until he was arrested by federal agents while trying to leave the United States.

Awan was subsequently charged with bank fraud in connection with a loan from the Congressional Federal Credit Union.

Awan pleaded guilty in a plea deal in which federal prosecutors agreed to drop a bank fraud charge against Awan’s wife, and said they found no evidence that he “illegally removed House data from the House network or from House members’ offices, stole the House Democratic Caucus server, stole or destroyed House information technology equipment, or improperly accessed or transferred government information, including classified or sensitive information.”

To date, federal prosecutors haven’t explained why their investigation reached a conclusion opposite to that of House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and House Chief Administrative Officer Phil Kiko.

Awan served no time in prison and only three months of supervised release. His attorney in the bank fraud case was a longtime associate of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

The Awan scandal was first exposed by Daily Caller investigative journalist Luke Rosiak, who subsequently published a book on his findings, titled “Obstruction of Justice: How the Deep State Risked National Security to Protect the Democrats.”

None of the Awan network members were reportedly required to undergo security background checks prior to being employed on congressional staffs.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in the nonprofit’s statement that “the DOJ’s handling of the Awan brothers case has long been an issue of concern and now we are expected to believe some secret investigation prevents the public from knowing the full truth about this scandal. We are skeptical.”

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Resignations Everywhere! Iran, Ukraine & Russia & The Tolling Of Term Limits - Is The U.S. Next?

Resignations everywhere!

Of course.

If there are term limits, does the resigned term count when tolling of term limitation when it comes to holding office?

Of course not.

I wonder what is going to happen in the United States when it comes to resignations of elected office, oh, and journalists, too.

First, this happened....

The Russian government just resigned. Here’s what you need to know

Then, this happened.....

Ukrainian Prime Minister Offers Resignation

Then, this happened....

The resignations of several Iranian state journalists deal blow to Tehran’s ability to control narrative

#maytheheavensfall

via GIPHY

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Tuesday, January 14, 2020

BREAKING NEWS: Area 1 Security Claims Trump Had Russia Hack Burisma Because The CrowdStrike Psyoptic Did Not Go So Well

It seems those wily "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) over there at Perkins Coie Sucks are at it again!

I guess it would have been awkward to use CrowdStrike, again.

Impeach, I say!

Dilly, dilly!

And, now, you know why the world was waiting for Nancy Pelosi to send over those Articles of Impeachment.

I guess Oren Falkowitz was a bit squeamish in executing the DNC's latest and greatest plan, but, then again, pending prosecution of war crimes always seems to impede those pesky timelines, but, hey, what do I know?

https://www.area1security.com/

Here is a list of the victims of the GRU hack....

https://www.hudson.org/

The DNC said Mueller warned us, but, obviously, no one listened...

Burisma targeted by Russia-linked phishing attack, raising election-meddling fears

It’s unclear if the hackers found any information

A Silicon Valley-based security firm called Area1 says it has found indications that state-sponsored Russian hackers have successfully hacked the Ukranian gas company Burisma, as first reported by the The New York Times. The company has taken on a central role in US politics because of its connection to Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, whose son Hunter sits on the company’s board.

In July, President Trump asked Ukraine’s government to investigate Burisma to find damaging information on the Biden family, allegedly threatening to withhold military aid to the country if the prime minister did not announce an investigation. That request is at the center of the president’s ongoing impeachment proceedings, and has made Burisma a tempting target for anyone seeking to meddle in US politics.

According to Area1, the security firm that detected the attacks, says they detected phishing emails sent to Burisma employees bearing many of the hallmarks of GRU hacking campaigns. The hackers were apparently successful in getting employee login info they used to gain entry into one of Burisma’s servers, although it is unclear how much information was obtained. If the GRU is in fact involved, it’s possible the group could have been looking for embarrassing information to be released during the 2020 presidential campaign.

THEY REPORTEDLY GAINED ENTRY TO ONE BURISMA SERVER
In hacking Burisma, the Russian hackers could be following a similar playbook as what they reportedly did to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign during the 2016 election. In January 2017, US intelligence officials released a report outlining how that Russian intelligence services successfully hacked the Democratic National Committee and stole information that was slowly and regularly leaked to the public to help the campaign of then-candidate Trump.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/11/07/oren-falkowitz-area-1-security-hacking-presidential-campaigns/?fbclid=IwAR3nO2WP7xdfTrFr68B7lQsUJqZ6YCx0yBgbmF73tBLq7VRDST9YWFU2QS4

I know we need more LolCow bell.....

Area 1 Security Phishing Barisma Holdings Report by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Fails To Ask The Big Question - "Where Did Iran Get Those Nuclear Reactors?"

But, the elephant question in the room is, "where did Iran get those nuclear reactors"?

I guess we must just wait for the Detroit Grand Juries to vote.

Cui bono.

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Friday, January 10, 2020

Preet Bharara Brutally Castigates Doug Collins

Lol Cow certified
"Preet's letter was moooving."

Oh, Pretty Preet!

This was a brutal castigation of Dougie's breathtaking, lack of legal acumen and non-existent understanding of ethical deontology.

Do not worry, Dougie, for you, too, shall figure it out, sooner than later.

*Routing for you*

#maytheheavensfall

Preet Bharara to Georgia congressman: You've hit a shocking new low

Dear Representative Doug Collins,

You are not my congressman, and while I am ever thankful for that fact, after seeing your performance on Fox News on Wednesday night, I'm not sure you are fit to be anyone's congressman. Specifically, I saw you blithely assert on national television that Democrats "are in love with terrorists. We see that they mourn Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families."

No American is "in love" with terrorists or "mourns" the death of that Iranian general on an airstrip in Baghdad. Many of us do, however, mourn the death of decency, honesty and reason here at home.

I realize that you are a politician and that hyperbolic, hyperpartisan claptrap is the unfortunate fashion of the day. But even allowing for the new normal of nastiness in political rhetoric, your casual slur of countless good Americans hits a new bottom. Americans can, in good faith, differ about the legality or efficacy of killing Soleimani. That doesn't make them unpatriotic or lovers of terrorists. It is hostility to differences of opinion that is un-American.

I understand that politics is a tough racket. I served as a Democratic staffer in the US Senate. I get that terrorism is a threat. I prosecuted terrorists as a United States attorney, working just yards from Ground Zero. I know of the particular evil posed by Qasem Soleimani. My office prosecuted plots orchestrated by him and the Quds Force, including the conspiracy to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States in 2011.

So, I have some idea of what is at stake here when it comes to terrorism. As you well know, Congressman, terrorists do not kill Republicans or Democrats. They kill Americans.

You know what else is true? The prosecutors, law enforcement agents and intelligence officers who keep us safe from terrorism do not do so as Republicans or Democrats. They do so as Americans. The victims of terrorism — and their families — do not grieve as members of a political party. They do so as Americans.

You are not a talk radio host or a carnival barker. You are a pastor, an attorney and a sitting member of Congress. Therefore, the evidence would suggest you should know better. To utter such garbage, which you know to be false and defamatory, goes against all the training and teaching you must have received. But you got your cheap shot across, and perhaps that's all that matters to you.

To be clear, Congressman, I am not making some old and familiar naive call for a return to "civility" in our politics. I don't have much hope for that in the immediate future. I just want people like you to knock off the worst scurrilous nonsense. I'd hope that would be possible for a member of the House who happens to be the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee.

If we are going to come together, protect the homeland and heal the hearts of people who have suffered the scars of terrorism, we need our leaders to do better than lazy trash talk.

Learn that volume and wisdom are not the same thing.

You were elected to lead. Please give it a try.

Respectfully,

Preet Bharara

Who is running against this craven un-American ignorant asshole named Doug Collins? I will max out to you tomorrow. I hope you all join me. https://t.co/AREc1pvjdX
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) January 9, 2020

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Thursday, January 9, 2020

TRUMP - Impeachment Rally In Ohio - 2020 Campaign

#maytheheavensfall

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Tuesday, January 7, 2020

TRUMP - Iran And The Insurance Policy

This is about modern day human trafficking.

What is this "unsigned" letter of which he speaks?

Praytell, for at least it was not forged, but hey, what do I know?

I know this is about the "Insurance Policy".

#sayhisname

#maytheheavensfall

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Monday, January 6, 2020

The Tale Of The Death Of Qasem Soleimani

Qasem Soleimani

There seems to be many tales of the death of Soleimani.

First, this happened....

‘Dangerous stalemate’: Attack on U.S. Embassy in Iraq part of Iran’s escalating aggression

Then, this happened....

These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020

Then, this happened...

War Stocks Rise Amid U.S. Tensions With Iran, Lockheed And Northrop Shares Jump

Then, this happened....

For non-Arabic speakers, reporting in the main news outlets NYT and Wash Post is so misinformed (either on purpose or because of incompetence) that you might think that the Iraqi State has officially voted for ejecting US forces from Iraq (because of Trump's miscalculated move

— Hussain Abdul-Hussain 🇺🇸 (@hahussain) January 5, 2020

Then, this happened...

A speaker taking part in Qassem Soleimani's funeral procession said anyone who assassinates Trump should get an $80 million bounty

Then, this happened...

An $80 million bounty on Trump? George Lopez jokes ‘we’ll do it for half’

Then, this happened...

Japan Navy Keeps Plan for Mideast Deployment Amid Iran Tension

It seems there is much more to the tale of the death of Soleimani.

Then, this happened...

Chief of staff to Secretary of Defense to step down, reports say

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Wednesday, December 18, 2019

DOJ: Member of “The Dark Overlord” Hacking Group Extradited From United Kingdom to Face Charges in St. Louis

The Dark Overlord allegedly released 911 legal documents.

Defendant Conspired to Steal Sensitive Personally Identifying Information from Victim Companies and Release those Records on Criminal Marketplaces unless Victims Paid Bitcoin Ransoms

A United Kingdom national appeared today in federal court on charges of aggravated identity theft, threatening to damage a protected computer, and conspiring to commit those and other computer fraud offenses, related to his role in a computer hacking collective known as “The Dark Overlord,” which targeted victims in the St. Louis, Missouri, area beginning in 2016.

Nathan Wyatt, 39, was extradited from the United Kingdom to the Eastern District of Missouri and arraigned on Dec. 18 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shirley Padmore Mensah. He pleaded not guilty and was detained pending further proceedings.

A federal grand jury indicted Wyatt on Nov. 8, 2017. According to court records, beginning in 2016, Wyatt was a member of The Dark Overlord, a hacking group that was responsible for remotely accessing the computer networks of multiple U.S. companies without authorization, obtaining sensitive records and information from those companies, and then threatening to release the companies’ stolen data unless the companies paid a ransom in bitcoin. Victims in the Eastern District of Missouri included healthcare providers, accounting firms, and others. Among other things, Wyatt is alleged to have participated in the conspiracy by creating email and phone accounts that he used to send threatening and extortionate emails and text messages to certain victims, including victims in the Eastern District of Missouri.

“Today’s extradition shows that the hackers hiding behind The Dark Overlord moniker will be held accountable for their alleged extortion of American companies,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We are thankful for the close cooperation of our partners in the United Kingdom in ensuring that the defendant will face justice in U.S. court.”

“Cyber criminals who harm victims in the Eastern District of Missouri cannot hide behind international borders to evade justice,” said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey B. Jensen of the Eastern District of Missouri. “Today’s case demonstrates the United States’ commitment to unmasking criminal hackers and bringing them to justice, no matter where they may be located.”

“Cyber hackers may no longer use territorial borders to shield themselves from accountability,” said Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office. “This case is another example of how the FBI successfully works with international law enforcement partners to bring alleged perpetrators to justice.”

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office. The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office also provided support. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs coordinated the extradition of Wyatt. The department thanks law enforcement and international cooperation authorities in the United Kingdom for their substantial assistance in the investigation.

Senior Counsel Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gwendolyn Carroll and Matthew Drake of the Eastern District of Missouri are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Friday, December 6, 2019

Now, Detroit Water Is Contaminated With Uranium - What's Next?

I need someone to please tell me these Detroit Land Bank Authority demolished sites are not backfilled with uranium contaminated dirt.

Please.

I would not put it past these people to do something like this.

No wonder Detroit is #1 in the world for infant mortality and, as coincidence, only, #1 in the world for parinatal research.

Just remember to Make Your Date!

Conyers Hails Mayor Bing’s Order to Remove “Pet Coke” from Detroit River

FORMER REVERE COPPER PLANT COLLAPSES INTO DETROIT RIVER, PROPERTY CONTAMINATED WITH URANIUM FROM WWII'S MANHATTAN PROJECT

Congresswoman wants soil tested on more than 14,000 Detroit blight demolition sites

Canadian lawmaker urges probe of dock collapse at Detroit site

A Canadian lawmaker is calling on U.S. and Canadian officials to investigate last month's dock collapse at an industrial riverfront site in southwest Detroit and see if there is a threat of contaminating the river.

Michigan's environmental department said there is "no evidence to suggest that there is a current radiological risk" at the site, but it still plans to assess the situation with Friday boat examinations of the location and drone flights.

Brian Masse, a New Democratic Party member of the Canadian Parliament who represents the Windsor region, has expressed concern to the Canadian and U.S. governments about the collapse.

But Detroit Bulk Storage, a sand and gravel storage yard business with a long-term lease on the property, said the aggregate wasn't responsible for the collapse.

The limestone aggregate had been stored 100 feet away from the waterfront and piled 40 to 50 feet high along about 300 feet of waterfront, said said Noel Frye, vice president of Detroit Bulk Storage. Typical storage rules require the load to be stored only 50 feet off the waterfront and no more than 50 feet high, he said.

The collapse had more to do with high waters and consistent, heavy rain the night before the collapse, Frye said. The company has been in regular contact with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Michigan environmental department, he said.

“We’re complying with any government agency that wants to come down and take a look,” Frye said. “We have a remediation plan. We’re just putting the finishing touches on it.”

That remediation plan will include a new steel wall and dredging in the Detroit River to remove any aggregate that entered the water, Frye said. The dredged material will be placed on the dock to dry and then transported to an appropriate landfill if needed.

The site used to belong to Detroit Revere Copper and Brass, which during the 1940s handled uranium and other potentially dangerous materials as a subcontractor under the Manhattan Project that developed nuclear weapons. It is just east of historic Fort Wayne and is close to the planned location of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

From 1943 to 1946, Revere Copper and Brass produced uranium rods at its Detroit plant and during the late 1940s and early 1950s rolled or produced uranium rods, according to U.S. Department of Energy records. Chemicals such as beryllium and thorium were handled on the site, according to government records.

Site contaminated with uranium partially collapses into Detroit River https://t.co/vFmC8wMlw9 pic.twitter.com/yCqmwentwu
— The Windsor Star (@TheWindsorStar) December 5, 2019

The site was considered to have "residual radiation" until it closed in 1984 and the manufacturing facility demolished.

Energy Department representatives visited the site in September 1989, and a "cursory radiological survey at that time revealed no areas with direct radiation levels above background,” according to a 1990 department report. A 1981 survey by Argonne National Laboratory found "no significant residual contamination in readily accessible areas or equipment."

In a Thursday letter to the Canadian minister of environment and climate change, Masse said the site is rated "high for contamination" because of the residual materials left on the site. It was based on an undated "Detroit River International Crossing Study."

"An immediate study should be conducted on the dangers presented to the Detroit waterways and Great Lakes region," Masse said. "Forty million people use the Great Lakes for drinking water, and the ecosystem is already fragile. Any potential threat should be investigated immediately on both sides of the border."

Michigan environmental officials rebutted the accusation.

"Federal testing has shown radiation levels at the site were not above background levels following remediation of the property," said department spokesman Nick Assendelft. "EGLE will aggressively investigate any impact to the public or environment as part of its assessment of the incident."

The U.S. Department of Energy's Legacy Management division oversees potentially dangerous properties where nuclear or radioactive materials were stored, particularly if they handled war-related equipment.

Masse called for a joint investigation that includes the International Joint Commission — a body that cooperates on river and lake issues along the U.S.-Canada border — and both national governments.

It is unclear how seriously the Canadian government will take Masse's request. The New Democratic Party is to the left of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ruling Liberal Party, which has the most seats in Parliament but doesn't have majority control.

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