Orwellian

Customs And Border Protection Clarifies: You Have No Rights While Traveling

"Their guidance claims the authority to search a traveler’s electronic devices 'with or without suspicion.' The guidance now claims passengers are 'obligated' to turn over their devices as well as passcodes for examination. If they fail to do so, agents can seize the device. That is all considered a 'basic search.' Agents must have suspicion in order to conduct an 'advanced search.' This includes copying information from devices, or analyzing them with other equipment. Finally, CBP agents can not 'intentionally' search information stored on the cloud, versus on the device’s hard drive."

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Feds planning massive Northern California immigration sweep

"Federal officers would look to arrest more than 1,500 undocumented people while sending a message that immigration policy will be enforced in the sanctuary state, according to a source familiar with the operation. Officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, declined to comment Tuesday on plans for the operation. The campaign, centered in the Bay Area, could happen within weeks, and is expected to become the biggest enforcement action of its kind under President Trump, said the source, who requested anonymity because the plans have not been made public."

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Senate Shuts Down Rand Paul Filibuster Against Surveillance Act Renewal

"Today's vote means reforms to provide stronger Fourth Amendment protections from unwarranted searches will not happen and a filibuster can't actually stop the scheduled vote. The USA RIGHTS Act is essentially dead, unless the full vote fails. (Spoiler: Since the renewal bill survived a cloture vote, it won't fail.)"

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Pentagon’s African Command: “We Don’t Consider You a Legitimate Journalist”

"The command has deflected questions about the killing in Mali, offered murky and shifting explanations of the attack in Niger, and cleared U.S. personnel of wrongdoing in Somalia before launching a new investigation into the killings. All of this comes as the Defense Department as a whole has become less transparent and accessible, according to numerous journalists who cover U.S. national security. At the same time, according to the Pentagon’s Inspector General, there has been a rise in complaints of misconduct by senior officials, as well as reprisals against whistleblowers."

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Danish police prosecute 1,000 youngsters for sharing viral sex video

"Those who spread the video range in age from 15 to in their early 20s. If found guilty the young people's punishments will range from a criminal record to having their name added to child protection registers for 10 years. The age of consent in Denmark is 15 but it is a criminal offence to distribute images of anyone aged under 18."

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Japan Follows Hawaii With Its Own False Missile Warning

"Japan's public broadcaster sent out a false alert warning of a North Korean missile on Tuesday, just three days after Hawaii residents received an erroneous message about an incoming missile. 'North Korea appears to have launched a missile ... The government urges people to take shelter inside buildings or underground,' the message read, according to a translation from Reuters. The false warning went out just before 7 p.m. in the evening, through broadcaster NHK's Japanese mobile app and website."

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James Corbett: How To Engineer A Crisis

"Are you a dictator in need of public support for your latest draconian clampdown on dissent? Or a deep state plotter hoping to topple a foreign government who doesn't comply with your every wish? A low-level Machiavellian schemer looking for the ultimate trick for defeating your enemies without lifting a finger? Then look no further than this handy-dandy guide to 'How To Engineer A Crisis.'"

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House Extends Surveillance Law, Rejecting New Privacy Safeguards

"The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to extend the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program for six years with minimal changes, rejecting a push by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to impose significant privacy limits when it sweeps up Americans’ emails and other personal communications. Effectively, the vote was almost certainly the end of a debate over 21st-century surveillance and privacy rights that broke out in 2013 after the leaks by the former N.S.A. contractor Edward J. Snowden."

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De Facto Travel Restrictions Now Exist For Americans

"Green Party presidential Candidate Jill Stein is being investigated by the Senate Intelligence (sic) Committee for 'Russian connections.' What has brought Russiagate to Jill Stein? The answer is that she attended the 10th Anniversary RT dinner in Moscow as did the notorious 'Russian collaborator' US General Michael Flynn. RT is a news organization, a far better one than exists in the West, but if you were one of the many accomplished people who attended the anniversary dinner, you are regarded by Republican Senator Richard Burr from North Carolina as a possible Kremlin agent."

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