In a scoop the New York Times fails to acknowledge, the L.A. Times reports that the reported underwear bomber was in fact a CIA informant from whom the U.S. government hoped to obtain the whereabouts of the stylishly dressed Ibrahim Hassan Asiri, whom the paper identifies as a "feared" al Qaeda bomb maker. The informant and the bomb have both been extracted from Yemen, but the effort netted only Yemeni national Fahd Mohammed Ahmed Quso, who seemingly met death while still rocking the grunge look.

Washington Post: CIA bomb plot unraveled from within
Russia Today: Would-be underwear bomber worked with CIA; helped foil plot
John Glaser: Supposed Would-Be Underwear Bomber Is CIA Informant

As long as the Air Force pinky-swears it didn’t mean to, its drone fleet can keep tabs on the movements of Americans, far from the battlefields of Afghanistan, Pakistan or Yemen. And it can hold data on them for 90 days — studying it to see if the people it accidentally spied upon are actually "legitimate" targets of domestic surveillance. - The Air Force, like the rest of the military and the CIA, isn’t supposed to conduct “nonconsensual surveillance” on Americans domestically, according to an Apr. 23 instruction from the flying service. But should the drones taking off over American soil accidentally keep their cameras rolling and their sensors engaged, well … that’s a different story.

Russia Today: Facebook Backdoor Interception: FBI wants P2P and social media wiretap-friendly

Twitter Inc filed a motion in a New York criminal court on Tuesday seeking to quash a subpoena for Tweets and account records associated with Malcolm Harris, a Twitter user who was arrested last fall on the Brooklyn Bridge during an Occupy protest. - Prosecutors in Manhattan have sought to build a case around Harris' Tweets by arguing that they show Harris was "well aware of the police instructions, and acted with the intent of obstructing traffic on the bridge," according to court filings. Harris lost a bid to squash the subpoena in April, after a judge ruled that Twitter holds a license to its users' Tweets.

Russia Today: Twitter hacked? Thousands of passwords posted on file sharing site

Most Americans have no idea what truly went on behind closed doors during the crafting and illegitimate passing of Obamacare, also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But a congressional investigation currently underway is seeking to unearth the dirty details, including how drug giants like Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. greased the financial wheels to make sure their pharmaceuticals received preferential treatment as part of the health care overhaul. As reported by Bloomberg, Republicans from the House Energy and Commerce Committee have been toiling for roughly a year now to obtain key documents, emails and other pertinent information exposing the truth about Big Pharma's role in the creation of Obamacare. But to date, neither the Obama White House nor Big Pharma has cooperated in any significant way in releasing any of this information, according to the committee.

[Video] Kelly Thomas, a Schizophrenic man was beaten to death by the fullerton Police department in orange county,ca. The beating was senseless and un warranted. This is a classic example of police abusing their power. These are my thoughts.

Kelly Thomas - Photos - Before & After Fullerton Police Beating - Video

PressTV: Video showing beating of homeless man by US police incites outrage - A newly-released surveillance video footage showing the beating of a homeless individual by California policemen has once again exposed the extreme brutality exercised by US police officers against potential suspects. The footage was recorded last July by a closed-circuit camera at a bus terminal in California’s City of Fullerton in Orange County but was released on Tuesday at a pre-trial hearing of the police officers allegedly involved in the beating of the homeless man, which later resulted in his death. The footage displays how the homeless man, Kelly Thomas, is being struck repeatedly with fists, batons and finally by the butt of a stun gun by police officers. Thomas lost consciousness following the incident and was taken to a hospital, where he passed away after five days.

Contrary to America's claims that military aid to Israel benefits US national security, such assistance is only in Israel’s interest and funded by the United States as the Israeli regime controls the US congress, says an analyst. - Press TV has conducted an interview with the editor of Culture Wars Magazine Dr. E. Michael Jones to shed some light on the matter. The video also offers the opinions of two other guests: West Coast Coordinator of A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, Richard Becker, and the associate director of Middle East Studies Program in the University of Wisconsin, Jennifer Loewenstein. (Transcript of the interview)

At 1.30am this morning ten armoured jeeps of the Israeli occupation forces and intelligence surrounded and raided the offices of Stop the Wall in Ramallah. Israeli military stole 2 laptops, 3 hard drives and 10 memory cards containing files and photos as well as archive material relating to the work that the organisation does in opposition to Israel's apartheid wall and the attack on Palestinian human rights that the wall and the settlement represent. This is a renewed attack upon Palestinian civil society and their struggle against the physical and psychological oppression, land confiscation and ethnic cleansing policies of the Israel.

Background: Stop the Wall is one of the most vibrant organizations of human rights defenders in Palestine, and has been promoting, for almost ten years, civil resistance and advocacy campaigns against the Wall and in defense of Palestinian rights to self determination. Human Rights Defenders are internationally recognized as an essential element in political processes and their repression further underlines Israeli unwillingness to achieve a just peace. This raid on the Stop the Wall offices is a clear message that the Israeli authorities are fearing widespread nonviolent action will challenge their policies effectively.

At least 1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are on hunger strike in a growing protest movement that has captured the imagination of the Palestinian public. Daily demonstrations are taking place in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in solidarity with the hunger strikers.

The protest outside the West Bank's Ofer prison this past weekend is now familiar scene. For the past two weeks there have been daily rallies there, and across the West Bank. Some joke that holding the protests close to the prison makes it easy for Israeli authorities to arrest and detain them.

So far, 10 of the jailed hunger strikers have been hospitalized and two are listed in critical condition after maintaining their fast for 70 days. International organizations, including the U.N. and the European Union, have expressed concern that some hunger strikers are near death.

Bashir Idiab, head of the Palestinian prisoners' association in the West Bank, says that the hunger strikers have become a cause célèbre in Palestinian society because Israeli prison is a shared experience all Palestinians can relate to. "The imprisoned Palestinians occupy an important role in Palestinian society. We see them as political prisoners," Idiab says. Most Israelis aren't even aware of the issue, says Sarit Michaeli, spokeswoman for the Israeli human rights group Btselem.

SMP: Breaking: Activists shut down UN building to raise awareness about Palestinian hunger strikers
Daily Mail: 1,600 on hunger strike and the world doesn’t even bat an eyelid
PIC: Haneyya calls for sending international fact-finding committee on prisoners
Khalid Amayreh: We must not betray our imprisoned martyrs

Whether Hollande will maintain his anti-austerity stance and side with Greece or whether he will back German policy remains to be seen. No matter how much tweaking of EU fiscal agreements he can negotiate, the political storm brewing in Greece is likely test him sooner rather than later. - The choice Mr Hollande makes will be fateful, for France and Europe. Potentially, France’s new president could position himself as the head of Europe’s southern rebels. There is no doubt that the Spanish and Italian governments – even if nominally from different political families – have been cheering on the French socialist. They, like the Greeks, desperately want to see a challenge to German austerity orthodoxy.

Kumaran Ira & Alex Lantier: Incoming French president signals budget cuts, handouts to banks

Some elderly and disabled people will be condemned to a life of “misery and fear” unless the government acts now to reform the social care system, campaigners warned Tuesday - In an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, a coalition of 78 campaign groups and charities called for an urgent overhaul of a system they say is “in crisis” and “chronically underfunded”. The group urged the premier to make social care reform his “personal mission” and to take tough decisions on funding to ensure all those who need care receive it. “The system is a lottery — some of us will be lucky enough to never need care, but there are many of us who need support at some stage in our lives to carry out everyday tasks and could lose everything: our savings, our dignity, our independence,” said the letter, published in the Daily Mail and signed by organisations including Age UK and Saga. It went on to warn of a “vicious circle” in which limited resources were focused only on those in greatest need, adding: “This only worsens the crisis in care, as many older or disabled people are left without support — in quiet desperation, trying to cope alone, often ending up in hospital or crisis care.”

AWIP: Warren Buffett Calls for 90% Billionaire Wealth Tax

What prominent Iraqi academics are still going through after nine years of occupation - May 2012

Dr. Taqa is a well-known Professor of Economy in Iraq. He is the dean of Baghdad College for Economical Sciences since 1996. He published about 50 research reports and 6 books on International Economy and Globalization.

As a responsible educator he kept his college students attending classes during the Arabic Month of Muharam, while other colleges and university students and faculty members went out in Sectarian Marathons in the streets, weeping and crying the death of prophet Mohammad’s grandson, Al Hussein 1400 years ago!! As ordered by high education minister Ali Al-deeb.

As an expert, Prof Taqa was invited to the Iraqi Parliament cessions. He criticized the Maliky government’s economic policies and the authoritarian government of Iraq. A good reason to be arrested for.

During the American occupation of Iraq, well-trained professors, often graduates of highly qualified American or European universities, were replaced by pro-occupation young freshly graduated faculty members. This policy is pursued with grimness by the current puppet government. Educide is still going on.