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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Cheat Sheet - What the Torture Report Kept Hidden

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December 10, 2014
NEED TO KNOW

America may be shocked by the gruesome details—rectal feeding including—in the Senate's CIA torture report, but important aspects are missing. Shane Harris and Tim Mak report on the questions that still have no answers. What role did Syria have in torturing prisoners? Which Bush administration officials were behind the torture? We need to know more.

UH OH

At an improvised checkpoint, Israeli soldiers and Palestinians on their way to protest near an Israeli settlement got into a fight that ended up killing a Palestinian minister. According to reports, Ziad Abu Ein, a minister without portfolio, was hit in the neck while fighting with two of the soldiers. Witnesses said the group of Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at the protesters. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the death was "a barbaric act which we cannot be silent about or accept." The IDF says it is looking into the incident.

TOUGH JOB

Just two precincts over from Eric Garner protesters greeting the British royals in Brooklyn, another black man was shot by police. Michael Daly reports that this time, a video showed the man brandishing a knife and cops keeping their cool until they were forced to shoot.

IT'S ON

The top UN special investigator declared Wednesday that the senior U.S. officials who authorized and carried out torture under President George W. Bush should be prosecuted. In addition, Ben Emmerson, the UN's special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, said that all CIA and other U.S. officials who used waterboarding and other torture methods should be pursued. He claimed that the new Senate CIA report shows "there was a clear policy orchestrated at a high level within the Bush administration, which allowed to commit systematic crimes and gross violations of international human rights law." Emmerson argued that the U.S. government is "legally obliged to bring those responsible to justice" and that public officials who authorize or conduct torture cannot be given immunity under international law.

'Spoiled Brat'

In the latest fallout from the cyberattack saga enveloping Sony Pictures, leaked emails published by Gawker reveal a nasty exchange between studio co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin, and an ugly bashing by Rudin of key figures in the industry, including Angelina Jolie. At the center of the fiery back-and-forth conversation is the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, written by Aaron Sorkin, that recently moved from Sony to Universal Pictures. Jolie, according to the emails, objected to David Fincher directing the film instead of her star vehicle Cleopatra. Pascal asked Rudin, a producer on Jobs, to talk to Jolie about it, but Rudin said he didn't "want to waste [his] time" on that. Rudin repeatedly slammed the idea of Jolie's Cleopatra movie, calling the actress a "minimally talented spoiled brat" and said the big-budget project could jeopardize both his and Pascal's careers. "I'm not remotely interested in presiding over a $180m ego bath that we both know will be the career-defining debacle for us both," reads one email from Rudin.


UNWANTED
SF & LA Target Uber in Joint Suit
Cite "flagrant and unlawful business practices."
Horse Trading
Lawmakers Back $1 Trillion Spending Bill
To avoid government shutdown.
Without a Trace
Supreme Court Plaintiff Disappears
After justices agreed to hear his housing case.
Surprise
NYC Police Shootings Fell in 2013
As 2014 cases draw huge protests.
YIPPEE
'Pineapple Express' to Drench California
Blizzard warnings issued.

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