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By arrangement with LegitGov.org.

Jan-13-575.jpgPhotograph via Flickr by the U.S. Army.

U.S. Marines grilled over abuse video

January 13, 2012—U.S. investigators have identified the four Marines seen urinating on Afghan corpses in an inflammatory video and expect to bring charges against them soon, a senior military official told FOX News Channel today. The online video showed the US troops urinating on three bloodied corpses, and one of the men, apparently aware he was being filmed, saying: “Have a great day, buddy,” referring to one of the dead. All four are from a sniper unit in the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the official said, noting that the two who were questioned by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are on active duty.

9 eurozone nations downgraded by S&P

January 13, 2012—Standard & Poor’s said Friday that it has downgraded the credit ratings of nine euro area governments, including AAA-rated France and Austria. S&P lowered its rating for Italy, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus by two notches. The move means Italian bonds are now rated BBB+, dangerously close to the junk bond level that could make it even harder for the government to raise money. France’s top-tier credit rating was lowered by one notch to AA+, said S&P.

Four U.S. suspects nabbed in Baghdad

—The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has declined comment on the incident, which is seen as a violation of a security pact signed between Baghdad and Washington.

January 12, 2012—Iraqi authorities have detained four armed American nationals over what the officials described as “suspicious” activity in the capital, Baghdad, Press TV reports. Iraqi sources said the suspects, including two women, were arrested on Thursday as they were found traveling in a BMW car with a local license plate, instead of diplomatic registration. The U.S. nationals were wearing flak jackets and were armed with pistols—equipped with silencers—and automatic weapons when they were arrested in a Shia neighborhood in central Baghdad.

FBI agent admits deleting emails amid terror probe

—FBI agent was member of so-called “dirty” team that did an initial intelligence-gathering interview of Ahmed without reading him his Miranda rights

January 12, 2012—An FBI agent testified Thursday that she deleted potentially sensitive emails covering several months when she was helping spearhead an investigation of a terror suspect. Defense attorneys have sought to examine FBI emails to see if they reveal agents skirted interrogation rules in the case of Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed, an Eritrean man charged in Manhattan federal court with supporting terrorism. Ahmed’s lawyers have asked U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel to bar statements made by Ahmed while he was detained in Nigeria in 2009 before being turned over to U.S. authorities.

Iran blasts U.S., UK for N-assassination

“The UK is responsible for such acts of terror”

January 13, 2012—Iran’s Foreign Ministry has blasted the U.S. and UK governments for their obvious roles in assassinating Iranian scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan in two strongly-worded protest notes. Ahmadi Roshan was assassinated on Wednesday, after an unknown motorcyclist attached a sticky bomb to his car near Allameh Tabatabaei University in Tehran, killing him instantly. The note to the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed to the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists that immediately followed the remarks of head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) John Sawers, who discussed the launch of intelligence operations against Iran.

Iran to probe N-assassination via IAEA

January 13, 2012—Iran’s permanent envoy to International Atomic Energy Agency says the country will follow up the recent assassination of nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan through the IAEA. Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Friday that he has already written a letter to the Non-Aligned Movement countries for the condemnation of the terrorist attack in Iran and will also follow up on this issue at the IAEA. Soltanieh added that assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists will have no affect on the Iranian nation’s resolve to insist on its right to using various technologies, including nuclear technology.

Judge: John Edwards Has Life-Threatening Condition

January 13, 2012—A federal judge says she has two letters from a cardiologist saying ex-presidential candidate John Edwards has a life-threatening condition that will require surgery in February. The letters were revealed during a hearing Friday to consider whether the 58-year-old ex-North Carolina Senator would go on trial later this month for alleged campaign finance violations. Attorneys for Edwards were seeking a 60-day delay to allow time for Edwards to recover. The judge delayed the trial to March 26.

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This link roundup originally appeared at LegitGov.org.

  Tom Engelhardt: Superpower Adrift in an Alien World: It’s time for us to realize that none of the crucial problems on this planet are amenable to military solutions. More
 
  Michael T. Klare: Danger Waters: When the U.S. faces a problem in the world, the first thing that’s done is to militarize the problem. It’s the only way Washington now knows how to think. More
     
  Philip Warburg: Wind Power: America’s New Harvest: Unlike the battering that U.S. solar equipment producers have suffered, America is well on its way to building a robust domestic manufacturing platform for wind. More
 
  Robert Reich: The Decline of the Public Good: Even Margaret Thatcher would be appalled by the privatization of American society. More

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