US spy agency CIA admits 1953 Iran coup it backed was undemocratic as it revisits Argo rescue
The CIA’s podcast, called “The Langley Files” as its headquarters is based in Langley, Virginia, focused two recent episodes on the story of the six American diplomats’ escape. While hiding at the home of the Canadian ambassador to Iran, a two-man CIA team entered Tehran and helped them fly out of the country while pretending to be members of a crew scouting for a made-up science fiction film.
Trial document: Trump gave penthouse size as 11,000 square feet, not 30,000 he later claimed
Weisselberg said on Tuesday he learned of the Trump Tower penthouse size discrepancy only when a Forbes magazine reporter pointed it out to him in 2016. He testified that he initially disputed the magazine’s findings but said he couldn’t recall whether he directed anyone to look into the matter.
Everybody’s hiding their skeletons: A gloves-off debate on aid diversion, double standards
Shrinking government budgets and fear of a public backlash in big donor countries has heightened scrutiny on fraud and mismanagement among aid groups and donors. Recent cases of aid diversion – including in emergency responses in Somalia and Ethiopia – continue to hit the headlines. Aid groups expect donor budgets to be significantly tightened due to domestic politics and economic trends in the coming months, raising the stakes at a time when programmes are being slashed.
Trump rails against New York attorney general as he’s accused of pocketing $100m via fraud
Trump’s election campaign used the start of the trial for fundraising, saying he was defending his family and reputation from New York Democrats it called “corrupt tyrants.” The case concerns accusations by the attorney general that Trump inflated his assets and his own net worth from 2011 to 2021 to obtain favourable bank loans and lower insurance premiums.
Six CIA whistleblowers received ‘significant financial incentives’ to buy their silence on Covid leaking from Chinese lab
A joint letter from the subcommittee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (Republican-Ohio), sent September 12 to CIA Director William Burns, outlined the testimony of a “multi-decade, senior-level, current agency officer” alleging six of the seven analysts investigating the Covid-19 origins were given a “significant monetary incentive to change their position.”
US Supreme Court to decide whether social media are publishers or can exercise editorial control over content
Social media platforms’ First Amendment rights are also at issue. In a brief submitted to the Supreme Court, the State of Texas argued that HB 20 does not affect social media platforms’ free speech rights because “no reasonable viewer could possibly attribute what a user says to the Platforms themselves.”
Big Tech social media content: US Supreme Court has last say on Texas, Florida censorship laws
Supporters of the Florida and Texas laws “argue that the measures are needed to combat what they called Silicon Valley censorship,” including on issues like Covid-19 and claiming election fraud, the Times also reported.
Extreme racism: Report says Black women in US jails are forced to give birth while in chains
US prison conditions have been a concern for decades and rights groups have long called for facilities with the worst records to be reformed or shut down. The investigation was set up by the UN Human Rights Council, of which the United States is a voting member, in 2021 after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after his neck was pinned to the ground by a police officer.
UN grapples with migration surge in Americas but warns ‘funds simply aren’t there’ for humanitarian response
The UN estimated that this year through August, it needed $55.2 billion to take on compounding global crises, but it received funds for only 71 per cent of that. A growing number of countries like Panama and Costa Rica are pleading for international aid in handling the flood of migrants, although Daniels would not say who should pay the tab.
US government shutdown is certain from Sunday, may last to December before it’s resolved
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said new training for air traffic controllers will be halted and another 1,000 controllers in the midst of training will be furloughed. Even a shutdown that lasts a few days will mean the department won’t hit its hiring and staffing targets for next year, he said.
