The Onion: White House sources confirmed that after hearing a gentle tap on his window Thursday evening, President Barack Obama stepped out onto the Truman balcony to meet with the predator drone that appears outside his bedroom every night at 9 p.m. “Ah, there you are, old friend; almost thought you weren’t coming tonight,” the President reportedly said to the unmanned aerial vehicle before affectionately patting its antenna dome, telling the drone that it was “truly good” to see it, and asking about who it killed that day. “You’re the only one that gets me, the only one I trust. It’s just you and me from here on out, old pal. You’re my best friend in the whole world.” After leaning in, sharing a private joke with the remotely controlled vehicle, and laughing heartily, sources confirmed that the president said “Go get ’em!” and quietly watched the drone fly off into the night sky.

● The US military’s use of depleted uranium in Iraq has led to a sharp increase in Leukemia and birth defects in the city of Najaf – and panicked residents are fearing for their health. Cancer is now more common than the flu, a local doctor told RT. ● The city of Najaf saw one of the most severe military actions during the 2003 invasion. RT traveled to the area, quickly learning that every residential street in several neighborhoods has seen multiple cases of families whose children are ill, as well as families who have lost children, and families who have many relatives suffering from cancer. ● Speaking on the rooftop of her house instead of her laboratory, Dr. Sundus Nsaif says the city has seen a “dramatic rise” in cancer and birth defects since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Nsaif said the alternative location was chosen because there is an active push by the government not to talk about the issue, perhaps in an effort not to embarrass coalition forces. ● “After the start of the Iraq war, rates of cancer, leukemia and birth defects rose dramatically in Najaf. The areas affected by American attacks saw the biggest increases. We believe it’s because of the' illegal' weapons like depleted uranium that were used by the Americans. When you visit the hospital here you see that cancer is more common than the flu," Nsaif told RT's Lucy Kafanov.

Helen Thomas, one of the last truth tellers, died last Saturday. Thomas was the longest serving White House correspondent, she grilled 10 USA presidents in an astonishing career that started in 1943. She was 92. - The heroic lady survived 10 American presidents but was cornered by a single Rabbi who videotaped her suggesting that Israelis should "get out of Palestine" and "go home" to Poland, Germany and America. This truthful comment brought down widespread condemnation that ended Thomas’ White House career. The way in which Thomas was treated was just another indication of the power of the Jewish Lobby and the manner in which it interferes with freedom of speech and other elementary freedoms. I met Thomas last year in Washington DC, she attended an event with Norton Mezvinsky and myself that was organised by The Washington Report. Thomas was very weak but her brightness and humanism were shining.

Spain’s Popular Party (PP) Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy faces growing public anger over his alleged involvement in the Bárcenas corruption scandal. ■ Under these conditions calls for his resignation by the opposition Socialist Party (PSOE) have been joined by ones from Rajoy’s own party, from members concerned that the scandal is detracting from the imposition of austerity measures demanded by the European Union. ■ Calls for Rajoy’s resignation have grown after fresh evidence emerged last week showing that, despite previous denials, he remained in close contact with Luis Bárcenas, the PP former treasurer, currently on remand in jail charged with tax fraud, bribery and other crimes. ■ From 1990, Bárcenas worked in the PP’s accounts department, rising to the post of treasurer in 2008. During these years he amassed a fortune worth tens of millions of euros hidden in foreign bank accounts, which were used to channel illegal payments between leading businessmen and PP politicians in return for government contracts.

The CDC has quickly removed a page from their website, which is now cached here, admitting that more than 98 million Americans received one or more doses of polio vaccine within an 8-year span from 1955-1963 when a proportion of the vaccine was contaminated with a cancer causing polyomavirus called SV40. It has been estimated that 10-30 million Americans could have received an SV40 contaminated dose of the vaccine. SV40 is an abbreviation for Simian vacuolating virus 40 or Simian virus 40, a polyomavirus that is found in both monkeys and humans. Like other polyomaviruses, SV40 is a DNA virus that has been found to cause tumors and cancer.

David Swanson: Murder Is Legal, Says US Attorney General Eric Holder - Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday explained why it’s legal to murder people — not to execute prisoners convicted of capital crimes, not to shoot someone in self-defense, not to fight on a battlefield in a war that is somehow legalized, but to target and kill an individual sitting on his sofa, with no charges, no arrest, no trial, no approval from a court, no approval from a legislature, no approval from we the people, and in fact no sharing of information with any institutions that are not the president.

The European Union has put what it calls the military wing of the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, on its terror blacklist. - The decision was made unanimously after hours of discussions by the EU's 28 foreign ministers at their monthly meeting. It came after prolonged diplomatic pressure from Washington and Israel. The blacklisting would mean imposing visa bans on individuals and asset freezes on organizations associated with the group. It could take up to two weeks before names of individuals and organizations within Hezbollah are added to the list, as officials would have to unravel the links between the different wings of the organization.

PressTV: EU blacklisting Hezbollah an act of terrorism: Senior cleric

Stephen Lendman: EU Shamelessly Declares Hezbollah a Terrorist Organization ■ Hezbollah's no terrorist organization. It never was one. It's not one now. It's a legitimate political party. It maintains a military wing. It's for defense, not offense. EU nations know it. They bowed to pressure. They claimed otherwise. They disgraced themselves in the process. It didn't surprise. It's not the first time. It won't be the last. Rogue states operate that way. Hezbollah's one of two Lebanese parties representing Shia Muslims. It enjoys broad support. It's for good reason.

Christof Lehmann: ■ The United States highest-ranking military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, has said that the USA is deliberating whether it should or should not use military force in Syria, and that various scenarios, including “kinetic strikes” are being prepared. ■ The information correlates with recent intelligence, according to which US Special Forces in Jordan are training “rebels” for ground assistance during U.S. air raids against high profile military and political targets in Syria. A major, internationally backed, political and military campaign against Syria is expected in August and September.