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CIA

‘Havana Syndrome’ Research Cancelled For Unethical Coercion Of Participants

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported Friday that it is ending its investigation of what is commonly known as “Havana syndrome,” a mysterious illness experienced by a number of spies, soldiers and diplomats who have reported sudden debilitating symptoms of unknown origin. The NIH said it would end the work “out of an abundance of caution” after an internal investigation found that people had been coerced into taking part in the research. The coercion, the agency specified, was not on its part, but NIH did not elaborate on who may have coerced participation. It noted, however, that voluntary consent is a fundamental pillar of ethical research conduct.

Leaked: CIA Front Preparing Color Revolution In Indonesia

Documents passed anonymously to MintPress News reveal the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a notorious CIA front, is laying the foundations for a color revolution in Indonesia. In February 2024, citizens will elect their President, Vice President, and both legislative chambers. Current maverick leader Joko Widodo, widely beloved by Indonesians, is ineligible for a third term, and NED is preparing to seize power in the wake of his departure. This operation is conducted despite the leaks indicating Jakarta’s foremost intelligence agency has expressly warned U.S. officials to stay put. The paper trail is a stunning insight into how NED operates behind the scenes, from which obvious inferences can be drawn about its activities elsewhere, past and present.

Edmundo Gonzalez’s Role In US-Backed Massacres In El Salvador

The Venezuelan far-right former candidate for the presidential elections that were held on July 28, Edmundo González Urrutia, has declared himself the winner despite coming in second place. He has been recognized as the “president” of Venezuela by Washington and some of its vassal states as part of a plot reminiscent of the failed Guaidó project. In parallel, there is a broad campaign on mainstream media and social media to create an image of González as a “bird-loving old grandfather;” a career diplomat with a “democratic vocation” who is “fighting for democracy” against the “Maduro regime” in Venezuela.

Venezuela: US Government Cites Groups It Funds To Allege Electoral ‘Fraud’

The US State Department, which has sponsored several coup attempts in Venezuela, has claimed that the US-backed right-wing opposition candidate won the country’s presidential election, supposedly defeating incumbent President Nicolás Maduro. As purported evidence, Washington only cited groups that are funded by the US government. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has overseen US-backed coups against democratically elected governments in Peru and Pakistan, published a statement on August 1 claiming that “Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election”.

The CIA And The 9/11 Plea Deals

The U.S. Defense Department announced Wednesday that Khalid Shaikh Muhammad (KSM), the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as two co-defendants, had agreed to plead guilty to multiple charges of terrorism and would escape execution, serving consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole instead. The agreement brings to an end, at least for KSM, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, an odyssey through uncharted and unprecedented Defense Department legal territory. The announcement led to mixed feelings from many of the 9/11 victim families, human rights activists and the legal community, and there are certainly lessons to be learned.

The Grayzone Caused ‘Biggest PR Fiasco In History’ For US Government

The Grayzone’s publication of an embarrassing phone call with a National Endowment for Democracy VP triggered an institution-wide meltdown at the US government’s regime change laboratory. Following the call, the group’s founding president privately admitted the “fiasco” exposed major “problems beneath the polished surface.” Now, leaked emails obtained by The Grayzone reveal the organization has since descended into chaos, with two senior officials fired due to the fiasco, and remaining staff engaged in civil war between the neocon old guard and the “woke” new generation hired to replace them.

US Won’t Comply With Investigation Into CIA Operation Targeting Assange

The United States government notified a Spanish criminal court that it still will not comply with requests from Spanish investigators, who are trying to uncover details about an espionage operation that targeted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. As the Spanish newspaper El País reported on July 29, Courtney E. Lee, a trial attorney in the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, claimed that providing information to Spain’s national high court would “interfere” with “ongoing U.S. litigation.” Assange was the target of an unprecedented political prosecution that was globally condemned as a threat to press freedom. The case ended in a plea deal in late June after U.S. prosecutors feared that Assange might win his appeal against extradition.

Nicaragua Says USA Should Disappear If Palestine Can’t Have A State

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega blasted Western support for Israel in its war on Gaza and asked, if the Palestinian people are not allowed to have a state, why does the United States itself have the right to exist? Ortega accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, and noted that the Western governments arming Tel Aviv are complicit in its crimes. The Nicaraguan president made these remarks at an event in Managua honoring the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution on July 19. He was joined by Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khaled, who denounced imperialism and neocolonialism.

The South Korean ‘Spy’ Affair

The major media outlets earlier this month ran breathless headlines about a former C.I.A. officer “caught spying for South Korea.” The BBC, for example, wrote “Ex-CIA Analyst Charged with Spying for South Korea.” The Los Angeles Times wrote, “Sloppy Spycraft? Indictment of a Former CIA Analyst Embarrasses South Korea.” Even the venerable Time Magazine disingenuously wrote, “Former CIA Office Charged with Being Secret Agent.” The problem is that literally none of those headlines were true. Sue Mi Terry, a former Korea analyst for the C.I.A., a former deputy national intelligence officer for the Koreas, and a former national security council director for Korean Affairs, was most certainly not charged with spying for South Korea.

Even Biden’s Lawyers Urge The White House To Change Course On Gaza

In a message to Attorney General Merrick Garland and other senior officials this week, federal government attorneys invoked British abolitionist William Wilberforce: “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.” The letter , drafted by unnamed legal and policy staff at more than two dozen federal agencies, argues that the U.S. is violating domestic and international law by providing a steady stream of weapons to Israel despite evidence of war crimes in Gaza. Drawing comparisons to the infamous “torture memos,” which were drafted by government lawyers to provide cover to CIA waterboarding  and other tactics, the letter reminded fellow attorneys of their binding duty to follow the law over political priorities.

Columbia Crackdown Led By Professor Doubling As NYPD Spook

The violent crackdown carried out on Columbia University students protesting Israel’s genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip was led by a member of the school’s own faculty, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has declared. During a May 1 press conference, just hours after the New York Police Department arrested nearly 300 people on university grounds, Adams praised adjunct Columbia professor Rebecca Weiner, who moonlights as the head of the NYPD counter-terrorism bureau, for giving police the green light to clear out anti-genocide students by force.

CIA Director Claims Lawsuit Over Spying On Assange Visitors Could Damage Security

CIA Director William Burns claimed that a lawsuit involving alleged spying on Americans, who visited WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, must be dismissed or there could be “serious” and “exceptionally grave” damage to the “national security of the United States.” In a declaration [PDF] that invokes the “state secrets privilege,” Burns also maintained that the CIA could not provide any explanation in open court for why the agency believes damage could occur if the lawsuit proceeds. “[T]he complete factual bases for my privilege assertions cannot be set forth on the public record without confirming or denying whether CIA has information related to this matter and therefore risking the very harm to the U.S. national security that I seek to protect,” Burns added.

How The CIA Destroys Its Own

In light of recent developments in the Julian Assange extradition case, former CIA officer John Kiriakou joins host Robert Scheer on this episode of the Scheer Intelligence podcast, to delve deeper into the contradictions within the United States government and intelligence agencies regarding the disclosure of classified information and the veil of secrecy they maintain. As highlighted in earlier episodes, John Kiriakou’s role as the whistleblower who exposed the U.S. torture program vividly illustrates the consequences of airing the government’s dirty laundry—it unleashes its full might upon you.

Extradition Removes CIA’S ‘Rationale’ For Assassinating Assange

While recognizing that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had valid grounds to appeal extradition to the United States, the British High Court of Justice refused to consider “fresh evidence” involving the CIA. On March 26, the High Court granted Assange a limited appeal but adjourned the decision so that the U.S. government could submit "assurances" related to the court's concerns. The High Court astonishingly stated [PDF] that the “extreme measures” considered by the CIA were intended to keep Assange from fleeing to Russia. If he was “lawfully” in U.S. custody after extradition, there would no longer be a risk that the agency would kidnap or assassinate him.

The CIA’s Secret War: Using Russian Fascists To Fight Russia

In the days leading to the Russian presidential election that concluded on Sunday, a network of three Russian paramilitary organizations working under the auspices of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, or GUR, launched a series of attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the attacks was clear — to disrupt the three-day Russian presidential election by creating an atmosphere of weakness and impotence around President Vladimir Putin designed to undermine his authority, legitimacy and appeal at the voting booth.
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