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In the live run up to Obama’s sales pitch to the nation to go back into Iraq, we analysis the recent developments of ISIS, and dispel common memes being pushed out by the media. Then cover Obama’s speech in real time with our commentary.
Plus new leaks from the CIA Torture report suggest the scope of waterboarding and other tactics by the CIA were much more brutal than the public has been lead to believe.
Then we end on a surprising high note, and in-depth discussion.
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— Show Notes —
CIA Torture Report
CIA ‘tortured al-Qaeda suspects close to the point of death by drowning them in water-filled baths’ – Telegraph
As the US Senate prepares to release a report documenting US
torture programme after 9/11, Telegraph reveals new details about the scope
of CIA excesses
“They weren’t just pouring water over their heads or over a cloth,” said the source who has first-hand knowledge of the period. “They were holding them under water until the point of death, with a doctor present to make sure they did not go too far. This was real torture.”
The account of extreme CIA interrogation comes as the US Senate prepares to publish a declassified version of its so-called Torture Report – a 3,600-page report document based on a review of several million classified CIA documents.
Publication of the report is currently being held up by a dispute over how much of the 480-page public summary should remain classified, but it is expected to be published within weeks.
Snowden
The Swiss attorney general has said that whistleblower Edward Snowden can reside there if he responds to state requests for testimony against the US National Security Agency (NSA).
A document provided to the Swiss Sunday newspaper Sonntagszeitung is titled, “What are the rules would apply to consider when Edward Snowden would [be] brought to Switzerland and then the United States would make a request for extradition“, and it relates that the rules would allow the movement and repel the requests.
Speaking to the newspaper, Snowden’s Swiss lawyer Marcel Bosonnet revealed that he is pleased with the results of the study, commenting that, “The legal requirements for safety are met.”
ISIS
Seven in 10 Americans believe ISIS has the resources to launch an attack against the United States, just days before President Barack Obama plans to address the nation on the subject.
The poll released Monday shows that Americans favor:
— Additional airstrikes against ISIS (76% favor, 23% oppose)
— Military aid to forces fighting ISIS (62% favor, 37% oppose)
— Providing humanitarian aid to people fleeing ISIS (83% favor, 16% oppose)
U.S. targets ISIS fighters near Iraq’s second-largest dam
But a majority of Americans, 61%-38%, oppose placing U.S. soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Syria to combat the terrorist group.
Even as Americans support military action against ISIS, they still want Obama to seek authority from Congress before taking any action. More than 7 in 10 Americans think Obama should ask Congress for the ability to strike ISIS militarily. And 8 in 10 Americans support Congress approving military force against ISIS.
High Note:
Washington’s indoor pot grows could be big power suck – Local – MyNorthwest.com
“You’re installing 1,000 watt lights over about every two plants and running those 16 to 18 hours a day to grow the product over a 10, 12, 14 week cycle. It’s a pretty significant consumption of electricity.”
The council studied a number of growers across the state earlier this summer after they were granted licenses by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. It determined demand for electricity could grow between 60 and 160 average megawatts over the next few years.
“That’s significant,” Eckman says. “That’s about half of the size of a new combustion turbine gas generating plant.”
Since Washington voters in 2012 approved an initiative to legalize recreational pot use by adults, the state Liquor Control Board has so far issued more than 200 licenses to marijuana growers out of about 2,500 who have applied.
Colorado is now selling more recreational pot than medical pot, a turning point for the newly legal industry.
Tax records released by the state Department of Revenue on Wednesday showed that the state sold $29.7 million worth of recreational marijuana in July, the most recent data available. That was slightly higher than the $28.9 million worth of medical marijuana sold in the same month.
Colorado has many more medical pot shops than recreational pot shops, which are open to all 21 and over. Colorado has some 500 medical shops, fewer than 200 open to all adults.
Since January, Colorado has reaped more than $37 million in taxes from marijuana. That figure includes taxes, licenses and fees from both medical and recreational pot.