Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover we’ve been bailed out we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:30am (ET) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
This Day in History
U.S. Supreme Court upholds the relocation and detention of Japanese-Americans during World War Two; U.S. begins 12 days of heavy bombing of North Vietnamese targets; Steven Spielberg is born; Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’ – publicly premieres in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Breakfast Tunes
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
There is a fine line between censorship and good taste and moral responsibility.
Breakfast News
Revealed: how Google enlisted members of US Congress it bankrolled to fight $6bn EU antitrust case
Google enlisted members of the US congress, whose election campaigns it had funded, to pressure the European Union to drop a €6bn antitrust case which threatens to decimate the US tech firm’s business in Europe.
The coordinated effort by senators and members of the House of Representatives, as well as by a congressional committee, formed part of a sophisticated, multimillion-pound lobbying drive in Brussels, which Google has significantly ramped up as it fends off challenges to its dominance in Europe.
United Nations adopts plan to attack Islamic State’s funding
The UN security council has unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at disrupting revenues that Islamic State receives from oil and antiquities sales, ransom payments and other criminal activities. Finance ministers agree it will be a challenging goal.
Isis, also known as Isil and Daesh, is already subject to UN sanctions under resolutions dealing with al-Qaida. The resolution, sponsored by the US and Russia, elevates Isis to the same level as al-Qaida, reflecting its growing threat and split from the terror network behind the 9/11 attacks.
Jacob Lew, the US treasury secretary, who chaired the meeting on Thursday night, called Isis “a challenging financial target” because unlike other terror groups such as al-Qaida it gets a relatively small share of its funding from donors abroad.
Secret US mission in Libya revealed after air force posted pictures
A secret US commando mission to Libya has been revealed after photographs of a special forces unit were posted on the Facebook page of the country’s air force.
Libya’s air force said 20 US soldiers arrived at Libya’s Wattiya airbase on Monday, but left soon after local commanders asked them to go because they had no permission to be at the base. It was unclear if another branch of the Libyan military had authorized the mission.
Pentagon sources confirmed to US media that the special forces unit was part of a mission sent this week, but it was unclear if the soldiers had left the country.
US could start lifting Iran sanctions in January under nuclear deal
The United States appears poised to lift at least some sanctions against Iran – possibly as early as January.
The secretary of state, John Kerry, said in a letter on Wednesday to the Senate foreign relations committee that Iran is fulfilling its obligations under the international agreement in what Kerry calls a “transparent” and “verifiable” way, and that “suspension of sanctions … is appropriate”.
The committee’s top Democrat, Senator Ben Cardin, said at a hearing on Thursday that it appears that sanctions relief could start as early as January, not in the spring as initially anticipated.
Cigarettes in France will be sold in plain packaging under a law that was finally passed in parliament on Thursday despite objections from the conservative opposition.
Starting in May 2016, the brand name will appear but in a small, uniform typeface and packets will be shorn of logos.
With backing from the ruling Socialists and the Greens, the text finally came into law after mainly conservative senators added amendments to the draft that was first voted in April, which would allow the brand name to appear in small letters.
Breakfast Blogs
John Kerry Is Making Sense During a Time of Utter Madness Charles Pierce, Esquire Blog
War On Terror Has Created More Terrorism Dan Wright, ShadowProof
Senators Want Social Media Firms to Hunt for Terrorists Jenna McLaughlin, The Intercept
Why Are Drug Monopolies Running Amok? Meet Deborah Feinstein David Dayen, The Intercept
White House Supports Privacy Destroying CISA, Despite Past Promises It Would Not Mike Masnick, Techdirt
Recent Comments