The surveillance state in the United States has only grown in America since the September 11th attacks. It has increasingly been used to spy and intrude on the lives of journalists and activists. And, during a Democracy Now! special, a full hour was spent delving into the National Security Agency’s evolution into an entity that [...]

The CIA is pushing for the authority to expand drone operations and would like permission to attack “terrorism suspects,” even if they are not certain those people being attacked are, in fact, the “suspects” that are believed to be “enemies” of the United States. The push to expand comes as government agencies continue to withhold [...]

A book published by Pultizer Prize-winning author Tim Weiner titled Enemies: A History of the FBI and out for a month and a half now continues to attract attention, as it is one of the most definitive accounts of the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ever produced.  The author and his book [...]

(update below) On the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, most news articles are covering the stories of former detainees and highlighting how unlikely it is right now that detainees will ever be released, despite President Barack Obama’s promise to close what is now a symbol of US torture [...]

In the aftermath of the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009 by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) moved to increase airport security. Passengers flying “non-stop” to the US were subject to enhanced screenings, including in some cases a full-body pat-down. But, immediately, [...]

January 2011 drone strikes protest (photo: Moral Low Ground) (update below) A study from the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ), released last week, further documents the United States’ use of drones in Pakistan. The report, according to BIJ editor Iain Overton, “lays bare the reality of the drone war” and shows the extent to [...]

(photo: USAID ) What continues to unfold in Syria is a massive crime against humanity. The UN Security Council has unanimously condemned the violations against human rights and use force against civilians by President Bashar al Assad’s regime. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports Syrian security forces recently mounted an assault on Deir ex-Zor. [...]

Keith Olbermann continued his coverage of US citizens, who are suing former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for torture. On “Countdown” on Friday night, Donald Vance,  a US navy veteran and former defense contractor, appeared on the show to describe how he came to be held and tortured in an American-run prison in Iraq for almost 100 [...]

No to Bashar Assad! (photo: zoonabar ) In the aftermath of a massacre in Hama, Syria state media broadcasted images of “burnt, buildings, makeshift barricades and deserted streets strewn with rubble,” according to the New York Times and claimed the revolt in Syria has ended. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports tens of thousands have taken to [...]

Keith Olbermann opened his “Countdown” show on Current TV last night with a segment on new revelations on the use of water torture at American military facilities like Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Olbermann specifically cited a story that ran on Truthout.org by Jeff Kaye, who regularly writes and publishes to this blog (although Olbermann did not [...]