Dozens are reportedly dead in Yemen, including at least three civilians, as the result of a series of drone strikes that started in the southern part of the country on Saturday and is alleged to still be occurring two days later. ● By noontime in Washington, DC on Monday, the Associated Press reported that 55 Al-Qaeda militants were among those that had been killed in an hours-long series of strikes that targeted a training camp operated by the group, according to Yemen's interior ministry. The United States is alleged to have carried out the strikes using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, but does not legally have to acknowledge any operations conducted by its Central Intelligence Agency and has not commented.

Jason Ditz: At Least 68 Killed as US Drone Strikes on Yemen Enter Third Day
Wayne Madsen: While All Eyes Were on Ukraine, the West U.S. Hatched a Plan for Yemen
Common Dreams: US Drones Continue 'Massive' Operations in Third Day of Attacks

The situation in the Ukraine continues to be characterized by complete chaos and a gradual and steady strengthening of the resistance in the East. ● Following the attack by pro-regime forces on a resistance checkpoint in Slaviansk over the week-end Foreign Minister Lavrov has accused the revolutionary regime in Kiev of breaking the terms of the accord. One could argue that this attack was decided by the Right Sector (that is the conclusion that the Russian-speakers have come to based on the weapons and documents they seized) and that the cannot control them. That is probably quite true (even though the Right Sector has denied being involved). But the regime also declared that the demonstrators which are currently occupying the Maidan square in Kiev have a permit and are there legally. Truly, whether the regime does not want to enforce the terms of the agreement or whether it cannot do so make very little difference to the Russian-speakers in the East: they still have to bury the same number of people and they still face the same threat. Take a look at what Right Sector thugs did to a Russian-speaker yesterday: (no translation needed). And this is just one example amongst many. To be really honest, I have the feeling that a negotiated solution is pretty much impossible at this point. The East really has nobody to negotiate with.

Andrew Korybko: Voter Intimidation and Collective Punishment: Western Democracy at Work in Ukraine ■ Ukraine is in the throes of an imminent human rights crisis, as the red flags of oppression are visible to all objective observers that care to acknowledge the obvious. The near-death beating of Oleg Tsarev and the intimidation of Mikhail Dobkin, both Eastern Ukrainian presidential candidates, are proof, if any more was even needed, that the upcoming “elections” in Ukraine will be neither honest nor representative of the population at large. On top of that, the Kiev junta’s military operations against the pro-reform activists in the east accentuate the violent oppression that has become characteristic of EuroMaidan and its coup plotters. With all of this occurring, the West is ignobly turning a blind eye towards the same human rights values it bombastically (in a literal sense) promoted in Resistant and Defiant (R&D) states such Serbia and Libya.

Bill Van Auken ■ Vice President Joseph Biden began his two-day trip to Ukraine Monday as the country continued to teeter on the edge of civil war. Tensions are mounting over killings in the eastern part of the country, where demonstrators calling either for union with Russia or a federalized system of government have seized control in at least ten towns and cities. Biden’s visit is intended to signal support for the US-backed regime that was installed last February in a fascist-led coup orchestrated by Washington. He is to meet today with the leaders of the unelected government in Kiev, including its president, Oleksandr Turchynov, and its prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Beyond that, the visit is aimed at ratcheting up Washington’s threats against Russia, including not only economic sanctions, but also the steady escalation of US and NATO military deployments right up to Russia’s borders.

PressTV: Russia faces more costs, isolation: Joe Biden
PressTV: Treason: Ukraine calls for US military support
RT.com: US confirms $5bn spent on Ukraine "Democracy"

The State Department is vouching for photographic "evidence" that purports to show Russian special forces in eastern Ukraine, despite Vladimir Putin's claims that his operatives are not behind the unrest. ● Ukraine's government has been circulating images over the last several days to international organizations, claiming they show "Russian sabotage-reconnaissance groups" at work in two eastern Ukrainian towns. Their authenticity could not be independently verified, but State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday they help bolster claims of ties between Russia and armed militants in eastern Ukraine. "So these are just further evidence of the connection between Russia and the armed militants," she claimed.

Robert Parry: Another New York Times-Michael Gordon Special?
Jason Ditz: US Sees Russians in East Ukraine Protester Photos

Michael S. Rozeff ■ Singling out the last two presidents as evil is not to let other U.S. government officials, past and present, off the hook. It is only to focus on recent, visible and incontrovertible instances of evil deeds done by evil men. Bush lied the U.S. into a vicious and aggressive war against Iraq. He’s responsible for a huge number of deaths and injuries. Obama attacked Libya based on lies. Hoping to destroy the Syrian military by a bombing campaign, he lied about the gas attack in August 2013. Obama constantly lies. Bush and Obama are wicked men, corrupt men, vicious men who have done profoundly malevolent deeds.

Our nation's singular focus on terrorism has led to various branches of the government and counterterrorism pundits declaring all sorts of things to be warning signs of terrorist activity. Here's a short (but by no means all-inclusive) list of activities that are supposedly indicators of terrorism-in-progress.

• Staying in a hotel and doing any number of "odd" things. Like not using the hotel's wifi, making requests in person at the front desk, not bringing enough baggage, using entrances/exits other than the one in the lobby area or turning down room service.
• Complaining about the TSA.
• Complaining about the water quality.
• Complaining.
• Contributing to Wikileaks (or even frequenting the site).
• Deploying glitter during a protest.
• Being a journalist. (UK edition)
• Encrypting your data.
• Expressing dissatisfaction with government policies.
• Having "money problems."
• Operating a food truck.

Now, here's a new one to add to the list. If Lisa Monaco (White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor) is to be believed, nearly every parent, especially those with stereotypical teens in the household, is harboring potential terrorists.