Graphic Video, NSA Cracks, Tokyo Summer
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Vol.2, No. 253
Syria: The White House has released graphic video of victims in the Aug. 21 Syrian gas attack as the administration continues to press its case for an attack. The pictures show victims, some of them children, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
Secretary of State John Kerry announced today that Saudi Arabia supports a military attack on Syria. Kerry said he believes more countries will sign a statement calling for a strong international response, but not specifically military action. About a dozen have signed so far.
President Obama is scheduled to make a national address Tuesday night. In advance of that he is granting individual interviews with PBS, CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS and NBC that should air Monday night as part of his campaign to convince voters and Congress that it’s necessary to hit Syria.
National: The NSA can crack the data on iPhones, Blackberries, and Android devices, according to a report in the German weekly Der Spiegel. The magazine described the source of its reports as secret documents, but one of the authors of the article is a close associate of NSA leaker Edward Snowden. The NY Times reported earlier this week that the NSA is able to defeat most encryption on the Internet that guards bank transactions, net searches, trade secrets and emails.
World: Tokyo won the 2020 summer Olympics, beating out Istanbul and Madrid. The Japanese were glowing when they heard the news. Today the IOC will reveal whether wrestling, one of the original ancient Olympic sports, will be eliminated from the games.
- Australia’s new conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott promises to cut taxes and crack down on illegal immigration. Oddly, his party is called the Liberal-National coalition. Abbott handed the ruling Labour Party its worst defeat in 100 years.
Do You Know Me?: London Metropolitan police this week, vigilant after a palace break-in, stopped a man walking on the grounds of Buckingham Palace and demanded his proof of identity. It was Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, brother of the next in line for the throne.
The Yachting Set: The America’s Cup team Oracle lost the first two races of the final series on San Francisco Bay yesterday. Eleven wins take the cup. Racing in 50 mph catamarans, New Zealand clearly had the faster boat for the day. The Americans started the series with a two-race penalty after having made illegal modifications to their boat. The team backed by software billionaire Larry Ellison had one sailor ejected and was levied a $250,000 fine. Basically, they cheated.
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