Daily Archives: May 22, 2014

NATO’s Balancing Act – Video

Posted: May 22, 2014 at 11:49 am


NATO #39;s Balancing Act
With the turmoil in Ukraine shining a new spotlight on security in Europe, will the North Atlantic Treaty Organization refocus itself on collective defense? Join the U.S. Institute of Peace...

By: U.S. Institute of Peace

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NATO's Balancing Act - Video

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NATO Says It Sees 'Limited' Russian Troop Activity Near Ukraine

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Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was pulling his country's troops back from its border with Ukraine. Thursday, NATO officials said they're seeing signs Russia's troops might withdraw, although many soldiers remain near the border.

NATO's leader reports seeing "limited Russian troop activity" close to the border, which could suggest "some of these forces are preparing to withdraw."

Tensions in the area are high as Ukraine prepares to hold national elections Sunday. Yesterday, Putin said the pullback was meant to create "favorable conditions for Ukraine's presidential vote and end speculation," the AP reported.

As it prepares for the vote, Ukrainian forces have struggled to secure areas in the country's east. Separatists in the Donetsk region attacked a checkpoint Thursday, resulting in at least 11 reported deaths.

Putin said he ordered Russia's troops to return to their home bases Monday. Here's an update from NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, issued Thursday:

"Late yesterday, we have seen limited Russian troop activity in the vicinity of the border with Ukraine that may suggest that some of these forces are preparing to withdraw. It is too early to say what this means, but I hope this is the start of a full and genuine withdrawal.

"At present, most of the previously deployed Russian force remains near the Ukrainian border and we see continued Russian exercises in the same area.

"If we see any meaningful, comprehensive and verifiable withdrawal, I would be the first to welcome it. This would be a first step from Russia into the right direction of living up to its international commitments, especially as Ukraine is preparing to hold important presidential elections on Sunday."

Rasmussen added, "I hope we will see a political and diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine."

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NATO Says It Sees 'Limited' Russian Troop Activity Near Ukraine

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NATO says Russian forces not leaving Ukraine border despite Moscow claims

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May 20, 2014: Pro-Russian gunmen atop of an armored personnel carrier patrol a street in Donetsk, Ukraine. One rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, retaliated Tuesday by threatening to nationalize Akhmetovs assets over his refusal to pay taxes to the Donetsk Peoples Republic.AP

NATO said Wednesday that there is still no sign that any Russian troops have withdrawn from the Ukraine border, despite claims by Moscow that military units had begun moving to railway stations and airfields en route to their home bases.

In a statement carried by Russian news agencies, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that military units in the Belgorod, Bryansk and Rostov regions were expected to arrive at their home bases before June 1.

Yet NATO, which estimates that Russia has 40,000 troops along the border with Ukraine, repeated Wednesday it could not yet see any signs of a pullout.

"What we know thus far is that there has been certain troop movements, but I have received no confirmation, either through Pentagon sources or NATO sources, that there has been a wholesale repositioning of those troops off the border," U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh told reporters in Tallinn, Estonia, according to Reuters.

The Kremlin claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal Monday in an apparent attempt to ease tensions with the West over Ukraine and avoid further sanctions.

Putin said Wednesday that "those who aren't seeing it should look better." He said the pullout will be clearly visible in satellite images, according to Russian news agencies.

The pullout was meant to create "favorable conditions for Ukraine's presidential vote and end speculations," Putin told reporters in Shanghai, China, where he attended a security summit.

Russian television on Wednesday broadcast footage of columns of tanks and howitzers towed by heavy trucks. It wasn't immediately clear where the footage was taken.

The ministry said its units will make most of the journey by air or rail to reduce the pressure on highways.

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NATO says Russian forces not leaving Ukraine border despite Moscow claims

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NSA Records Every Single Cell Phone Call Made In The Bahamas – Video

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NSA Records Every Single Cell Phone Call Made In The Bahamas
A new report from The Intercept claims the National Security Agency records full audio of every call made on the Bahamas cell phone network. Follow Zach Toom...

By: NewsyHub

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NSA Records Every Single Cell Phone Call Made In The Bahamas - Video

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Senator to NSA Are you spying on me – Video

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Senator to NSA Are you spying on me
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By: Alexandria Foster

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Senator to NSA Are you spying on me - Video

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Rogers: Some NSA proposals ‘not workable’ – Video

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Rogers: Some NSA proposals #39;not workable #39;
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By: Alexandria Foster

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Rogers: Some NSA proposals 'not workable' - Video

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Rep Zoe Lofgren on NSA Surveillance Reform Amendments to NDAA – Video

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Rep Zoe Lofgren on NSA Surveillance Reform Amendments to NDAA
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) testifies before the House Rules Committee on her NSA Surveillance reform amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Rep. Lofgren and House Rules...

By: Rep Zoe Lofgren

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Rep Zoe Lofgren on NSA Surveillance Reform Amendments to NDAA - Video

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How the NSA is Using The Bahamas as a Model for Total Control | Big Brother Watch – Video

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How the NSA is Using The Bahamas as a Model for Total Control | Big Brother Watch
Abby Martin highlights a new report by The Intercept showing that the NSA is collecting and recording virtually every single phone call made on the island nation of the Bahamas and how this...

By: breakingtheset

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How the NSA is Using The Bahamas as a Model for Total Control | Big Brother Watch - Video

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THE NSA- THE GARDEN – Video

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THE NSA- THE GARDEN
(C) 2014 The NSA Music - Written by Nick Cheyne-Performed by Nick Cheyne/Scott Lazenby/Caveman-Recorded/Produced by Greame Watt Louise Coombs @ Seagate Studios, Dundee 21st May 2014.

By: Nicholas Cheyne

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THE NSA- THE GARDEN - Video

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House to vote on bill curbing NSA phone data collection

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This June 6, 2013, file photo shows the sign outside the National Security Agency campus in Fort Meade, Md. A presidential advisory panel has recommended dozens of changes to the government's surveillance programs, including stripping the NSA of its ability to store Americans' telephone records and requiring a court to sign off on the individual searches of phone and Internet data.AP/File

WASHINGTON The House has passed a bill to end the National Security Agency's bulk collection of American phone records. It's the first legislative response to the disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and the Senate is expected to take it up. But civil liberties activists and technology companies say the bill doesn't go nearly far enough.

The USA Freedom Act tracks a proposal made in January by President Barack Obama, who said he wanted to end the NSA's practice of collecting the "to and from" records of nearly every American landline telephone call.

The bill requires the phone companies to keep the records for 18 months -- something they already were doing-- and allows the NSA to search for connections to terrorist plots abroad in response to a court order.

"The bill's significant reforms would provide the public greater confidence in our programs and the checks and balances in the system," the White House said in a statement Wednesday endorsing the legislation.

Privacy and civil liberties activists denounced the measure, saying it had been "gutted" to win agreement from lawmakers, particularly on the Intelligence Committee, who supported the NSA phone records program.

"This legislation was designed to prohibit bulk collection, but has been made so weak that it fails to adequately protect against mass, untargeted collection of Americans' private information," Nuala O'Connor, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a statement.

"The bill now offers only mild reform and goes against the overwhelming support for definitively ending bulk collection," she added.

House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat who represents a liberal district outside of Los Angeles, said the bill is perhaps the most significant action Congress will take in response to the Snowden leaks. The former NSA contractor handed journalists documents that revealed a host of once-secret NSA surveillance programs, including some that sweep in the personal information of Americans even as they target foreigners.

Outrage over the programs that Snowden publicized brought together conservatives and liberals who favor civil liberties, while the administration and congressional leadership resisted changing what they considered a useful counterterror tool.

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House to vote on bill curbing NSA phone data collection

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