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Tsarnaev Loses Bid to Move Trial; Dissenting Judge Excoriates Ruling
By The WhoWhatWhy Team
Accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev unsurprisingly lost his second appellate bid to move his trial by a vote of 2-1. But dissenting Judge Juan R. Torruella issued a scathing opinion, arguing that the refusal by both the trial and appeals courts to move the case were abuses of discretion. Further, he argued that if Tsarnaev’s case couldn’t prove overwhelming pretrial prejudice, no case could. Read on for more highlights from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals opinion.
WHO
Nuns vs. Nukes: Break-In at Y-12
In 2012, a not-so-covert group of nuns and pacifists executed a brilliant plan to break into America’s Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility. The cadre successfully waged peace on the so-called “Fort Knox of Uranium” by spray-painting “WORK FOR PEACE NOT WAR” on the building. In the process of protesting America’s multi-billion dollar nuclear weapons modernization program, the group exposed the folly of security measures at the key weapons facility.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Long History of Crying Wolf About Iran’s Nuclear Weapons
Bibi’s back. But little is new or improved. In 2002, he testified before Congress that Iraq was “a good choice” for American military-industrial fury. And he predicted rainbows and democracy for the region once Saddam was gone. It didn’t happen. Now he’s about to re-bang the drum for Iran. In 1996, he addressed a joint session of Congress and warned that Iran was “extremely close” to acquiring nukes and predicted “catastrophic consequences” for all of mankind. In fact, Bibi’s been predicting that Iran is 3-5 years away from nuclear weapons since … 1992. Still no nukes.
Theories About Possible Perpetrators of the Murder of Boris Nemtsov
Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov’s murder makes him the latest opponent of Vladimir Putin to meet an untimely end. But is it really as simple as Putin putting away an opponent? Not if you know a little bit about the maelstrom of intrigue swirling around Mother Russia. Straight-up murder? False flag? False flag to create the impression of a false flag? Read on for a host of possibilities.
WHAT
Internet Privacy, Funded by Spooks: A Brief History of the BBG
Have you ever heard of the Broadcasting Board of Governors? Neither did Yasha Levine of Pando Daily … until he started investigating government funding of popular Internet privacy tools like Tor, CryptoCat and Open Whisper Systems. It’s got a $721 million annual budget, reports directly to Secretary of State John Kerry and manages Cold War-era CIA spinoffs and “psychological warfare” projects. Who knew?
24 Companies with More than $1 Billion Each in Homeland Security Contracts
For the time being, Congress has narrowly averted a shutdown of the DHS over the objections of a group of Congressional Republicans eager to punish President Obama for his executive orders on immigration. But GOP leadership refused to shut down the homeland security gravy train … a train pulling a lot of cars hauling a lot of cash out of the nation’s capital. The top beneficiary is IBM with $4.9 billion in DHS cash. Right behind is Integrated Coast Guard Systems with $4.8 billion. Computer Systems Corporation pulls $4.1 billion and good ol’ Lockheed Martin reaps a cool $3.9 billion.
WHY
Women Over 65 Own Nearly a Third of Iowa’s Farmland — Can They Prevent the Next Dust Bowl?
It’s a common belief that the children are the future. Just teach them well and let them lead the way. It makes sense, unless you are talking about the future of farming and food. In Iowa, older women hold the key to the barn and experts are making a concerted effort to teach them soil-improving farming methods to counter the environmentally damaging practices of factory farming … and preserve the soil for the future farmers of America.
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