Purveyor
Purveyor's JournalDOJ Paid AT&T For Access To 4 Billion Call Records A Day For Federal, Local Drug Investigations
Hemisphere project, revealed by NYT, has AT&T employees sit alongside drug units to aid access to data in exchange for payment
US law enforcement officers working on anti-drugs operations have had access to a vast database of call records dating back to 1987, supplied by the phone company AT&T, the New York Times has revealed.
The project, known as Hemisphere, gives federal and local officers working on drug cases access to a database of phone metadata populated by more than four billion new call records each day.
Unlike the controversial call record accesses obtained by the NSA, the data is stored by AT&T, not the government, but officials can access individual’s phone records within an hour of an administrative subpoena.
AT&T receives payment from the government in order to sit its employees alongside drug units to aid with access to the data.
The AT&T database includes every phone call which passes through the carrier’s infrastructure, not just those made by AT&T customers.
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/02/justice-department-paid-att-for-access-to-4-billion-call-records-a-day-for-federal-local-drug-investigations/
Syria Vote Sets Up Foreign Policy Clash in G.O.P.
By JONATHAN MARTIN
WASHINGTON — The Congressional vote on whether to strike Syria will offer the best insight yet on which wing of the Republican Party — the party’s traditional hawks, or a growing bloc of noninterventionists — has the advantage in the fierce internal debates over foreign policy that have been taking place throughout the year.
Republican divisions on national security have flared over the use of drones, aid to Egypt, and the surveillance practices of the National Security Agency, and the tensions have played out publicly in battles between Senator John McCain of Arizona, a former Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war, and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a libertarian-leaning freshman. Mr. McCain memorably called Mr. Paul and his compatriots “wacko birds,” and Mr. Paul suggested that hawks like Mr. McCain were “moss covered.”
But those intermittent spats could pale in comparison with the fight over whether to attack Syria, an issue on which Mr. McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, and Mr. Paul, a possible contender in 2016, will almost certainly be the leading spokesmen for their party’s two wings.
Mr. McCain has long advocated intervention in Syria’s civil war. After meeting with President Obama at the White House on Monday, he said that it would be “catastrophic” if Congress did not approve the president’s proposal and that such a rejection would result in the United States’s credibility being “shredded.”
Mr. Paul on Sunday made clear his opposition to Mr. Obama’s proposal, taking to Twitter and the talk shows to taunt Secretary of State John Kerry. “John Kerry is, you know, he’s famous for saying, you know, how can you ask a man to be the last one to die for a mistake?” Mr. Paul said. “I would ask John Kerry, how can you ask a man to be the first one to die for a mistake?”
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/03/us/politics/syria-vote-sets-up-foreign-policy-clash-in-gop.html?_r=0
Russian Foreign Minister Accuses U.S. Of Double Standard On Syria
Source: LA TIMES
By Sergei L. Loiko
September 2, 2013, 11:41 a.m.
MOSCOW -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Washington of applying a double standard in its approach to Syria and said its evidence that President Bashar Assad's regime used chemical weapons is unconvincing.
“It is very odd to hear … my good friend, U.S. State Secretary John Kerry, claiming that the U.S. side presented Russians with irrefutable evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria,” Lavrov told students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations on Monday. “We were shown some data which contained nothing concrete: neither geographical coordinates, nor names nor proof that the probes were taken by professionals.”
Lavrov said the United States used a double standard in dealing with Syria and the Middle East in general.
“It is a personal issue based on a personal dislike for some authoritarian dictator, whereas dictators for whom there is no dislike are not talked about because they are assistants and allies for our Western partners,” he said. “Terrorists should not be divided into good and bad; it is absolutely unprofessional and shortsighted.”
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-russian-foreign-minister-syria-us-20130902,0,4255096.story
As Obama Blinks On Syria, Israel And Saudi Arabia Make Common Cause
JERUSALEM/RIYADH: If President Barack Obama has disappointed Syrian rebels by deferring to Congress before bombing Damascus, he has also dismayed the United States' two main allies in the Middle East.
Israel and Saudi Arabia have little love for each other but both are pressing their mutual friend in the White House to hit President Bashar al-Assad hard. And both do so with one eye fixed firmly not on Syria but on their common adversary — Iran.
Israel's response to Obama's surprise move to delay or even possibly cancel air strikes made clear that connection: looking soft on Assad after accusing him of killing hundreds of people with chemical weapons may embolden his backers in Tehran to develop nuclear arms, Israeli officials said. And if they do, Israel may strike Iran alone, unsure Washington can be trusted.
Neither US ally is picking a fight with Obama in public. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the nation was "serene and self-confident"; Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal simply renewed a call to the "international community" to halt Assad's violence in Syria.
But the Saudi monarchy, though lacking Israel's readiness to attack Iran, can share the Jewish state's concern that neither may now look with confidence to Washington to curb what Riyadh sees as a drive by its Persian rival to dominate the Arab world.
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/As-Obama-blinks-on-Syria-Israel-and-Saudi-Arabia-make-common-cause/articleshow/22230927.cms
Israelis Warn Decision To Delay Syria Strike Will Be Seen As Weakness
By Edmund Sanders
August 31, 2013, 1:41 p.m.
JERUSALEM – Israelis reacted warily Saturday to the Obama administration’s decision to delay a strike against Syria, warning the move would likely be seen in the region as a sign of weakness.
Officials and pundits were particularly worried about how the delay would be interpreted in Iran, which is facing U.S. pressure to halt its nuclear development program, which the U.S. and Israel believe is aimed at building nuclear weapons.
Iran will see the U.S. as a “paper tiger,’’ said analyst Zvi Yehezkeli of Israel’s Channel 10.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued no formal reaction Saturday night.
But some predicted Obama’s hesitation would cause many in Israel to doubt the U.S. promise to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The U.S. has urged Israel – which is believed to possess the region’s only nuclear weapons – to refrain from attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities and leave the job to America’s military, if necessary.
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http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-syria-israel-20130831,0,6775551.story
Despite Words Of Warning, Israel Wants To Stay Out Of Syria Conflict
--CLIP
Despite Israel’s warnings of a harsh response should Assad target Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public demand that the Americans respond to last week’s chemical weapons attack, Israel’s policy remains unchanged: Not only does it not want to get dragged into Syria’s civil war itself, but it’s not even particularly eager to see the tyrant toppled. Netanyahu, to his credit, has thus far handled the Syrian crisis sensibly and responsibly, and if Israel can possibly remain outside the arena, it won’t be involved in any American strike on Assad.
But Israel won’t shed any tears if Assad absorbs a limited strike, for two reasons: to restore the taboo against the use of chemical weapons, which had been eroded completely by America’s previous disregard of Assad’s repeated crossings of Obama’s own red line, and because a blow to Syria is also a blow to Iran, which had been gaining confidence from both Assad’s recent successes and Washington’s hesitancy until now.
For now, everyone is waiting for America to strike, and then to leave again. After that, Assad will presumably resume slaughtering his countrymen with rifles, tanks and aerial bombings. But the slaughter will henceforth be in conformity with the new rules: All means are kosher – except, of course, chemical weapons.
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http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.544385
U.S.: If We Need Legal Justification For Syria Strike, We'll Produce One On Our Own
--CLIP
10:12 P.M. President Barack Obama called Speaker of the House John Boehner by telephone to discuss his deliberations on Syria, a spokesman for Boehner said, adding that more consultation with Congress and the U.S. public was needed. The two discussed issues that Boehner raised in a letter to Obama on Wednesday, including the legal justification for any military strike, precedents a strike might set and the objectives and strategy for any action, he said. "Only the president can answer these questions, and it is clear that further dialogue and consultation with Congress, as well as communication with the American public, will be needed," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said in a statement. (Reuters)
10:00 P.M. European leaders are throwing their weight behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, who have urged a diplomatic solution to the Syria crisis, whereby the United Nations Security Council would vote on the matter after UN inspectors leave Syria and submit their conclusions, the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung reports. (Ofer Aderet)
--CLIP
9:21 P.M. The United States would provide its own legal justification for an eventual response to chemical weapons use in Syria if necessary once President Barack Obama decides how to proceed, the White House said on Thursday. "When the president reaches a determination about the appropriate response ... and a legal justification is required to substantiate or to back up that decision, we'll produce one on our own," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a briefing. (Reuters)
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http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.544214
White House Says US Interests Will Guide Obama's Syria Decision As Vote For Action Fails In UK
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 29, 2013 - 7:15 pm EDT
AAA
WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama's decision on a possible military strike against Syria will be guided by America's best interests, suggesting the U.S. may act alone if other nations won't help.
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said Thursday that Obama believes there are core U.S. interests at stake in Syria. She said countries who violate international norms about chemical weapons must be held accountable.
The White House was responding to a failed vote in Britain's Parliament on Thursday to endorse military action against Syria over an alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus last week. That means Britain won't play a direct role in any U.S. attack.
The defeat dealt a major blow to Obama's efforts to build an international coalition for a strike against the Syrian government.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/ad38cc39558b40b1ac86266ebe220b3b/US-Obama-Syria-Britain
UK Parliament Syria Vote Defeated
Source: Guardian UK
The nos have it. 272-285
The British government lost a crucial vote in the UK parliament that was designed to pave the way for military strikes in Syria.
Cameron spoke after losing the vote. It sounded like he was conceding that the UK would not participate in any US-led strike on Syria.
"While the house has not passed a motion, it is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the will of the British people, does not want to see military action."
He says he'll respect that.
[hr][hr]
AP: UK PRIME MINISTER CAMERON LOSES SYRIA WAR VOTE
LONDON (AP) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron has lost a vote endorsing military action against Syria by 13 votes, a stunning defeat for a government which had seemed days away from joining the U.S. in possible attacks to punish Bashar Assad's regime over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Thursday evening's vote was nonbinding, but in practice the rejection of military strikes means Cameron's hands are tied. In a terse statement to Parliament, Cameron said it was clear to him that the British people did not want to see military action.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_SYRIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-08-29-17-43-07
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/29/syria-crisis-iran-says-all-efforts-must-be-made-to-prevent-military-action-live
China Warns U.S. Against Attack On Syria
Source: LA TIMES
BEIJING -- In what has become a predictable refrain from Beijing, the Chinese government Thursday warned the United States against conducting airstrikes against Syria. All of the major Chinese news organizations railed against military action, saying Syria could turn into another Iraq. The Chinese also said they were not convinced that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government used chemical weapons against its own people, as asserted by the White House.
In a statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website, Foreign Minister Wang Yi implied that Beijing would exercise its veto power on a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force. The point is somewhat moot because Russia already has said it would block such a resolution.
"External military intervention is contrary to the U.N. charter aims and the basic norms governing international relations and could exacerbate instability in the Middle East," Wang said.
"Turning Syria into another Libya or even Iraq is the last thing most people around the world want to see," opined the English-language China Daily in a strongly worded editorial on Thursday. "Before the crisis takes a turn for from bad to worse, it is high time the U.S. learned from its past mistakes."
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fg-wn-china-syria-20130829,0,4025128.story
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