FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Utah Accountant Sentenced for Filing Over $9 Million in False Tax Refund Claims and $300 Million Fictitious Financial Instrument
A Heber City, Utah, man was sentenced today to serve 78 months in prison for filing false claims for income tax refunds and for filing a fictitious financial instrument, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Larry J. Wszalek for the Department’s Tax Division and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups also ordered Dick Reid Jenkins, to pay $250,340 in restitution to the IRS and to serve three years of supervised released upon his release from prison.
In June 2014, Jenkins, a certified public accountant, was convicted at trial of 18 counts of filing false claims for tax refunds and one count of presenting a fictitious financial instrument to the United States. According to the superseding indictment and the proof at trial, in September 2008, Jenkins filed a false individual income tax return for himself for tax year 2007 which claimed an income tax refund of $402,920. Then, in October 2008, Jenkins filed a false amended 2004 individual income tax return, which claimed an income tax refund of $434,261. Both false claims were based on the use of a falsified IRS Form 1099-OID (Original Issue Discount), which is a form of accrued interest, to claim the false refunds. From 2009 through 2014, the IRS has listed this scheme as one of its “Dirty Dozen” worst tax scams.
According to both the superseding indictment and the proof at trial, in addition to his own false returns, from September 2008 through February 2009, Jenkins caused 16 other false federal individual income tax returns to be filed on behalf of other individuals. These false tax returns also used false Forms 1099-OID and claimed federal income tax refunds totaling $8,407,623.
Additionally, according to the superseding indictment and the proof at trial, on June 30, 2008, Jenkins presented a false and fictitious financial instrument to the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the amount of $300 million.
The case was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorney Stuart Wexler for the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Friday, December 12, 2014
AG HOLDER'S REMARKS AT CRIMINAL DIVISION AWARDS CEREMONY
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Criminal Division Awards Ceremony
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Leslie [Caldwell], for those kind words – and for your outstanding leadership as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. It’s a pleasure to share the stage with you, with Deputy Attorney General [Jim] Cole, and with so many other distinguished members of the Justice Department family. And it’s a great privilege, as always, to join you in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of our dedicated colleagues; as we call attention to their inspiring individual efforts and collective accomplishments; and as we express our thanks and appreciation for their tireless work over the past year – to help achieve justice in every case, in every circumstance, and in every community.
I’d like to thank all of the Criminal Division leaders and support staff members who have worked so hard to make this event a success – as well as the numerous department leaders, colleagues, former colleagues, and past award recipients who are here today for this important celebration. It’s a particular honor to join such a distinguished group in welcoming all of the proud family members, friends, and special guests who have taken the time to be here in the Great Hall, and whose support – and sacrifices – have been essential to everything that our awardees have accomplished. Make no mistake: every one of you shares in the recognitions that we are about to bestow.
Every day, this year’s Criminal Division awards recipients – and so many other dedicated men and women both in, and far beyond, this room – make a profound, positive difference on behalf of the American people. Your work is central to the mission of this department, and to the promise of our nation: the promise of equal justice under law. Your efforts help to protect, and to realize, the rights – of safety, security, opportunity, and justice – to which your fellow citizens are entitled. And all across the country – from our biggest cities, to our smallest towns; from rural areas to tribal lands – you play a crucial role in improving public safety, keeping dangerous criminals off the streets, cracking down on financial and health care fraud, and safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society from violence, exploitation, and abuse.
Especially over the past year, your work has led the Department of Justice to make remarkable – and, in some cases, even historic – progress in fulfilling the responsibilities we share. And that’s why, today, although we single out 136 extraordinary, talented, and deserving Criminal Division attorneys, investigators, paralegals, support staff members, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and law enforcement personnel, I also want to take this opportunity to thank every one of this division’s employees, and their family members, for all that they’ve done in the name of public service.
It’s worth noting, in particular, that this year’s awardees helped to secure the largest financial penalty ever imposed in a criminal case, in United States v. BNP Paribas. You helped to execute a groundbreaking take-down operation that dismantled the notorious Gameover Zeus botnet. You’ve led our national efforts to implement “Smart on Crime” reforms that are strengthening – and recalibrating – America’s criminal justice system for the 21st century. And you’ve made tremendous strides in a variety of additional areas – from ensuring the vigorous enforcement of federal laws and protecting national security, to restoring the integrity of our financial markets; from intervening in communities devastated by the cycle of poverty, incarceration, and crime, to forging relationships of trust and mutual respect where these bonds have been eroded over the years.
In so doing, you have achieved justice for so many who have been victimized, and shielded others from crime. And you’ve extended the record of achievement that has surely defined today’s Criminal Division as one of the most effective in American history.
Most impressively, you’ve accomplished all of this in a time of evolving challenges and escalating global threats. I know that, in many ways, your jobs have never been tougher, and the work you perform has never been more complex – or more urgent. Yet the leaders in this room have persevered – not just to overcome significant obstacles, but to secure the progress, and bring about the extraordinary results, we celebrate today.
I know I speak for President Obama, for our counterparts at every level of government – and for the American people we’re privileged to serve – when I say: thank you for your service, for your leadership, and for all that you continue to help us achieve. It has been the honor of my career to count you as colleagues, as partners, and as friends in the work with which we’ve been entrusted. As you know, I first joined the Justice Department – more years ago than I’d like to admit – as an attorney in this division’s Public Integrity Section. Although my time at this department will soon be drawing to a close, and my individual path will soon take me in a new direction, I will continue to seek ways to contribute to the work we share – and which has become the cause of my life. And I will always be tremendously proud of this division, this department, and every one of you.
As we carry this work into the future – and resolve to keep extending the record of achievement we celebrate today – I challenge you to keep asking tough questions and taking on tough assignments. Keep striving to build on the momentum you’ve established, and the great work that’s underway. And keep inspiring your coworkers to reach for excellence, to demand the best from one another, and to serve the country we all love with humility, with patriotism, and with fidelity to the law.
Thank you, once again, for all that you do. And please keep up the great work.
At this time, I’d like to welcome Leslie back to the podium to begin the award presentations. Once again, congratulations on earning these prestigious awards.
Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Criminal Division Awards Ceremony
Washington, DCUnited States ~ Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Leslie [Caldwell], for those kind words – and for your outstanding leadership as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. It’s a pleasure to share the stage with you, with Deputy Attorney General [Jim] Cole, and with so many other distinguished members of the Justice Department family. And it’s a great privilege, as always, to join you in recognizing the extraordinary contributions of our dedicated colleagues; as we call attention to their inspiring individual efforts and collective accomplishments; and as we express our thanks and appreciation for their tireless work over the past year – to help achieve justice in every case, in every circumstance, and in every community.
I’d like to thank all of the Criminal Division leaders and support staff members who have worked so hard to make this event a success – as well as the numerous department leaders, colleagues, former colleagues, and past award recipients who are here today for this important celebration. It’s a particular honor to join such a distinguished group in welcoming all of the proud family members, friends, and special guests who have taken the time to be here in the Great Hall, and whose support – and sacrifices – have been essential to everything that our awardees have accomplished. Make no mistake: every one of you shares in the recognitions that we are about to bestow.
Every day, this year’s Criminal Division awards recipients – and so many other dedicated men and women both in, and far beyond, this room – make a profound, positive difference on behalf of the American people. Your work is central to the mission of this department, and to the promise of our nation: the promise of equal justice under law. Your efforts help to protect, and to realize, the rights – of safety, security, opportunity, and justice – to which your fellow citizens are entitled. And all across the country – from our biggest cities, to our smallest towns; from rural areas to tribal lands – you play a crucial role in improving public safety, keeping dangerous criminals off the streets, cracking down on financial and health care fraud, and safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society from violence, exploitation, and abuse.
Especially over the past year, your work has led the Department of Justice to make remarkable – and, in some cases, even historic – progress in fulfilling the responsibilities we share. And that’s why, today, although we single out 136 extraordinary, talented, and deserving Criminal Division attorneys, investigators, paralegals, support staff members, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and law enforcement personnel, I also want to take this opportunity to thank every one of this division’s employees, and their family members, for all that they’ve done in the name of public service.
It’s worth noting, in particular, that this year’s awardees helped to secure the largest financial penalty ever imposed in a criminal case, in United States v. BNP Paribas. You helped to execute a groundbreaking take-down operation that dismantled the notorious Gameover Zeus botnet. You’ve led our national efforts to implement “Smart on Crime” reforms that are strengthening – and recalibrating – America’s criminal justice system for the 21st century. And you’ve made tremendous strides in a variety of additional areas – from ensuring the vigorous enforcement of federal laws and protecting national security, to restoring the integrity of our financial markets; from intervening in communities devastated by the cycle of poverty, incarceration, and crime, to forging relationships of trust and mutual respect where these bonds have been eroded over the years.
In so doing, you have achieved justice for so many who have been victimized, and shielded others from crime. And you’ve extended the record of achievement that has surely defined today’s Criminal Division as one of the most effective in American history.
Most impressively, you’ve accomplished all of this in a time of evolving challenges and escalating global threats. I know that, in many ways, your jobs have never been tougher, and the work you perform has never been more complex – or more urgent. Yet the leaders in this room have persevered – not just to overcome significant obstacles, but to secure the progress, and bring about the extraordinary results, we celebrate today.
I know I speak for President Obama, for our counterparts at every level of government – and for the American people we’re privileged to serve – when I say: thank you for your service, for your leadership, and for all that you continue to help us achieve. It has been the honor of my career to count you as colleagues, as partners, and as friends in the work with which we’ve been entrusted. As you know, I first joined the Justice Department – more years ago than I’d like to admit – as an attorney in this division’s Public Integrity Section. Although my time at this department will soon be drawing to a close, and my individual path will soon take me in a new direction, I will continue to seek ways to contribute to the work we share – and which has become the cause of my life. And I will always be tremendously proud of this division, this department, and every one of you.
As we carry this work into the future – and resolve to keep extending the record of achievement we celebrate today – I challenge you to keep asking tough questions and taking on tough assignments. Keep striving to build on the momentum you’ve established, and the great work that’s underway. And keep inspiring your coworkers to reach for excellence, to demand the best from one another, and to serve the country we all love with humility, with patriotism, and with fidelity to the law.
Thank you, once again, for all that you do. And please keep up the great work.
At this time, I’d like to welcome Leslie back to the podium to begin the award presentations. Once again, congratulations on earning these prestigious awards.
EPA STARTS ACTION PROTECTING PUBLIC FROM GLYMES CHEMICALS
FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the following press release earlier today:
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to protect the public from seven ethylene glycol ethers or glymes chemicals that can cause health effects including birth defects and blood toxicity.
“Today’s action is part of our continuing efforts to help ensure that chemicals in products we use every day are safe for the American public,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Finalizing this action could prevent an increase in the use of these chemicals and reduce human exposure through ingestion and inhalation.”
Some of these chemicals are currently used in consumer products, including paints, inks, and glues. The final rule will allow EPA to review any proposed new uses of these chemicals to ensure that human health and the environment are protected. EPA believes that new uses of these chemicals should not be allowed without an opportunity for review and, if necessary, to place restrictions on these chemicals, as warranted.
EPA has also added one of the more toxic of these ethylene glycol ethers, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (monoglyme), to the Work Plan for Chemical Assessments. Monoglyme met the criteria for priority assessment because of its toxicity and use in some commercial and consumer products. EPA will conduct a risk assessment for this chemical and determine if further risk reduction action should be taken.
This rule, known as a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR), is issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act and will require manufacturers (including importers) to notify EPA at least 90 days before starting or resuming new uses of these chemicals in consumer products. This notification allows EPA the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and, if necessary, to prohibit or limit that activity. SNURs ensure that once a chemical has been phased out or taken off the market for certain uses, no use can resume without notification and review by the agency.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the following press release earlier today:
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to protect the public from seven ethylene glycol ethers or glymes chemicals that can cause health effects including birth defects and blood toxicity.
“Today’s action is part of our continuing efforts to help ensure that chemicals in products we use every day are safe for the American public,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Finalizing this action could prevent an increase in the use of these chemicals and reduce human exposure through ingestion and inhalation.”
Some of these chemicals are currently used in consumer products, including paints, inks, and glues. The final rule will allow EPA to review any proposed new uses of these chemicals to ensure that human health and the environment are protected. EPA believes that new uses of these chemicals should not be allowed without an opportunity for review and, if necessary, to place restrictions on these chemicals, as warranted.
EPA has also added one of the more toxic of these ethylene glycol ethers, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (monoglyme), to the Work Plan for Chemical Assessments. Monoglyme met the criteria for priority assessment because of its toxicity and use in some commercial and consumer products. EPA will conduct a risk assessment for this chemical and determine if further risk reduction action should be taken.
This rule, known as a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR), is issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act and will require manufacturers (including importers) to notify EPA at least 90 days before starting or resuming new uses of these chemicals in consumer products. This notification allows EPA the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and, if necessary, to prohibit or limit that activity. SNURs ensure that once a chemical has been phased out or taken off the market for certain uses, no use can resume without notification and review by the agency.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
U.S. CONGRATULATES PEOPLE OF BURKINA FASO ON THEIR INDEPENDENCE DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Burkina Faso National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 11, 2014
On behalf of the American people and President Obama, I congratulate the people of Burkina Faso on the 54th anniversary of your independence.
The United States is dedicated to supporting Burkina Faso’s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, expand economic opportunities, and maintain regional security. We welcome the establishment of the civilian-led transitional government. It is important that preparations begin now to ensure that the national elections scheduled for November 2015 are successful. We look forward to working closely with the transitional government, the electoral commission, and civil society to support this important election.
The United States is committed to building on the strong bond between our two countries and creating peace and prosperity for all the people of Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 11, 2014
On behalf of the American people and President Obama, I congratulate the people of Burkina Faso on the 54th anniversary of your independence.
The United States is dedicated to supporting Burkina Faso’s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, expand economic opportunities, and maintain regional security. We welcome the establishment of the civilian-led transitional government. It is important that preparations begin now to ensure that the national elections scheduled for November 2015 are successful. We look forward to working closely with the transitional government, the electoral commission, and civil society to support this important election.
The United States is committed to building on the strong bond between our two countries and creating peace and prosperity for all the people of Burkina Faso.
DOD THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY BUILDING RESPONSE TO EBOLA OUTBREAK
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
DoD Threat Reduction Agency Builds Anti-Ebola Capacity
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2014 – The Defense Department agency whose mission is to reduce biological, chemical and other threats to troops worldwide began ramping up its response early in the Ebola outbreak and now, with many partners, is steadily building capabilities in Liberia as it extends capacity into Sierra Leone and Mali.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, known as DTRA, protects the United States and its allies from chemical, biological, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
The fast-moving nature of West Africa’s Ebola crisis, which so far accounts for 17,145 cases of Ebola virus disease and at least 6,070 deaths, according to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has driven the need for constant, close collaboration within DTRA itself and among U.S. agencies, entities such as U.S. Africa Command, international organizations and private companies.
One of Many Stakeholders
DTRA Deputy Director Air Force Maj. Gen. John P. Horner recently spoke with DoD News about DTRA’s Ebola response in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, the U.S. lead for Ebola efforts in West Africa.
“DTRA is one of many stakeholders -- we are not necessarily the lead for any of this,” Horner said. “But between our [research, testing, development and evaluation] efforts and providing protective gear, diagnostic capabilities and vaccines, to modeling and analysis and data-sharing capabilities, we’ve made a lot of contributions” with a range of partners.
These include CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department’s Biosecurity Engagement Program, many other U.S. interagency partners, and international partners that include the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders.
Together, DTRA and its partners provide support to Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa and contribute assay development and laboratory services, funding and capacity building to fight this and future deadly outbreaks.
In the Realm of Basic Research
Dr. Ronald K. Hann Jr., director of research and development in the Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, described the process for DTRA’s work on Ebola diagnostic assays.
“Here at DTRA we work in the realm of basic research up through developing prototypes, but we aren't the ones who do the follow-on procurement, life-cycle management or distribution,” he explained.
“We try to anticipate threats in the future and make sure we have resources prepared to meet those threats,” Hann added.
As products progress, DTRA works directly with its DoD acquisition partner, the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense in Maryland, or with interagency partners such as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, part of HHS, and the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID.
“We work in an early discovery role, up through prototypes,” Hann said. “Often we’re looking to answer the question, can I do a certain thing, not necessarily whether it’s the best or cheapest way to do it. Looking to make something more cost efficient or how to mass produce it, those are questions that go on to our interagency partners … who carry the product further.”
Threat Detection and Surveillance
Dr. Richard Schoske, chief of the diagnostic detection and threat surveillance division in the Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, described DTRA’s role in diagnostic development.
As far back as 2010, Schoske said, the agency and its advanced developers funded and developed more than seventy assays to detect 19 different pathogens such as hemorrhagic fever viruses like Ebola and Marburg that are both filoviruses.
The assays received pre-Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Pre-EUA is a step toward EUA, which allows unapproved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat or prevent serious diseases.
Generally, Schoske said, DTRA provides funding to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID, and scientists there do further development and present packages of information about the assays to the advanced developer -- the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense.
Then the JPEO-CBD and DTRA’s Cooperative Biological Engagement Program, or CBEP, partners fund the manufacturing, procurement and distribution to analytic laboratories like the ones DTRA is putting in place in Liberia, Schoske said.
“Those are the assays currently being used by laboratories, in West Africa,” he added.
Labs in Sierra Leone, Assessment in Mali
Now, at Sierra Leone’s request and with CBEP funding and DTRA’s international partners, the agency is moving two contractor-staffed diagnostic labs into Sierra Leone and helping build capacity in that country to deal with Ebola and other infectious diseases.
CBEP division chief Dr. Lance Brooks said the labs will go out in stages. One is expected to be ready by the end of December and full operating capability is expected by early January.
Also in the region, DTRA, with CDC and the State Department’s Biosecurity Engagement Program, has sent an assessment team to Mali, the most recent West African country affected by the Ebola epidemic.
Major General Horner said one of DTRA’s most critical capabilities as a combat support agency is “our agility in terms of working with our lawmakers and colleagues at the Pentagon to get money programmed and on a contract in a hurry.”
He added, “As part of [President Barack Obama’s] Global Health Security Agenda we will sustain our efforts and the capabilities we are putting forward into the future as part of our medical countermeasures-biosurveillance effort.”
Dr. Ronald Meris, branch chief for DTRA Technical Reachback, where modeling is performed for Ebola and other infectious diseases, said, “If we could go out on a limb I would say our modeling is showing that the U.S. government response is making a difference in West Africa.”
He added, “I would say the rate of uptick is lower with each bit of interdiction we do to help combat this [outbreak] and build capacity in the countries. So I'm not going to say that it's a good news story yet but I'm saying the response is taking hold.”
DoD Threat Reduction Agency Builds Anti-Ebola Capacity
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2014 – The Defense Department agency whose mission is to reduce biological, chemical and other threats to troops worldwide began ramping up its response early in the Ebola outbreak and now, with many partners, is steadily building capabilities in Liberia as it extends capacity into Sierra Leone and Mali.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, known as DTRA, protects the United States and its allies from chemical, biological, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
The fast-moving nature of West Africa’s Ebola crisis, which so far accounts for 17,145 cases of Ebola virus disease and at least 6,070 deaths, according to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has driven the need for constant, close collaboration within DTRA itself and among U.S. agencies, entities such as U.S. Africa Command, international organizations and private companies.
One of Many Stakeholders
DTRA Deputy Director Air Force Maj. Gen. John P. Horner recently spoke with DoD News about DTRA’s Ebola response in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, the U.S. lead for Ebola efforts in West Africa.
“DTRA is one of many stakeholders -- we are not necessarily the lead for any of this,” Horner said. “But between our [research, testing, development and evaluation] efforts and providing protective gear, diagnostic capabilities and vaccines, to modeling and analysis and data-sharing capabilities, we’ve made a lot of contributions” with a range of partners.
These include CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department’s Biosecurity Engagement Program, many other U.S. interagency partners, and international partners that include the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders.
Together, DTRA and its partners provide support to Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa and contribute assay development and laboratory services, funding and capacity building to fight this and future deadly outbreaks.
In the Realm of Basic Research
Dr. Ronald K. Hann Jr., director of research and development in the Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, described the process for DTRA’s work on Ebola diagnostic assays.
“Here at DTRA we work in the realm of basic research up through developing prototypes, but we aren't the ones who do the follow-on procurement, life-cycle management or distribution,” he explained.
“We try to anticipate threats in the future and make sure we have resources prepared to meet those threats,” Hann added.
As products progress, DTRA works directly with its DoD acquisition partner, the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense in Maryland, or with interagency partners such as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, part of HHS, and the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID.
“We work in an early discovery role, up through prototypes,” Hann said. “Often we’re looking to answer the question, can I do a certain thing, not necessarily whether it’s the best or cheapest way to do it. Looking to make something more cost efficient or how to mass produce it, those are questions that go on to our interagency partners … who carry the product further.”
Threat Detection and Surveillance
Dr. Richard Schoske, chief of the diagnostic detection and threat surveillance division in the Chemical and Biological Technologies Department, described DTRA’s role in diagnostic development.
As far back as 2010, Schoske said, the agency and its advanced developers funded and developed more than seventy assays to detect 19 different pathogens such as hemorrhagic fever viruses like Ebola and Marburg that are both filoviruses.
The assays received pre-Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Pre-EUA is a step toward EUA, which allows unapproved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat or prevent serious diseases.
Generally, Schoske said, DTRA provides funding to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID, and scientists there do further development and present packages of information about the assays to the advanced developer -- the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense.
Then the JPEO-CBD and DTRA’s Cooperative Biological Engagement Program, or CBEP, partners fund the manufacturing, procurement and distribution to analytic laboratories like the ones DTRA is putting in place in Liberia, Schoske said.
“Those are the assays currently being used by laboratories, in West Africa,” he added.
Labs in Sierra Leone, Assessment in Mali
Now, at Sierra Leone’s request and with CBEP funding and DTRA’s international partners, the agency is moving two contractor-staffed diagnostic labs into Sierra Leone and helping build capacity in that country to deal with Ebola and other infectious diseases.
CBEP division chief Dr. Lance Brooks said the labs will go out in stages. One is expected to be ready by the end of December and full operating capability is expected by early January.
Also in the region, DTRA, with CDC and the State Department’s Biosecurity Engagement Program, has sent an assessment team to Mali, the most recent West African country affected by the Ebola epidemic.
Major General Horner said one of DTRA’s most critical capabilities as a combat support agency is “our agility in terms of working with our lawmakers and colleagues at the Pentagon to get money programmed and on a contract in a hurry.”
He added, “As part of [President Barack Obama’s] Global Health Security Agenda we will sustain our efforts and the capabilities we are putting forward into the future as part of our medical countermeasures-biosurveillance effort.”
Dr. Ronald Meris, branch chief for DTRA Technical Reachback, where modeling is performed for Ebola and other infectious diseases, said, “If we could go out on a limb I would say our modeling is showing that the U.S. government response is making a difference in West Africa.”
He added, “I would say the rate of uptick is lower with each bit of interdiction we do to help combat this [outbreak] and build capacity in the countries. So I'm not going to say that it's a good news story yet but I'm saying the response is taking hold.”
SCIENTISTS WORK TO PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Protecting biodiversity
In one of the world's richest biological hotspots, an international group of scientists works to preserve biodiversity amid climate change
The Congo Basin is an unruly ribbon of tropical forest: Over a million square miles spanning six countries in Central Africa, running inward along the equator from the continent's western coast. It is the second-largest contiguous tropical forest in the world. The basin is home to the classics of African wildlife--chimpanzees, elephants, gorillas--along with thousands of other less well-known species: pale, long-legged Golden Puddle Frogs, hook-beaked Olive Sunbirds, and squat Blue Duikers, which look like shrunken antelopes.
This wealth of flora and fauna, much of it native to the region, is enough to qualify the Congo Basin as a biodiversity hotspot: a biologically rich area threatened by outside forces. In Central Africa, those forces include deforestation, climate change, hunting and more.
The region is "so enriched with life," says Mary "Katy" Gonder, a Drexel University biologist and one of the lead researchers on the Central African Biodiversity Alliance (CABA). "And that life is precarious right now."
Funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Alliance is an international partnership of scientists, students and policy makers working to build a framework to conserve biodiversity in Central Africa. The partnership spans three continents, and includes researchers from the U.S., Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Germany and the United Kingdom.
NSF funding for CABA comes through the Partnerships in International Research and Education (PIRE) program, which supports innovative, international research and education collaborations. PIRE projects stimulate scientific discovery and strengthen U.S. universities; the projects forge worldwide partnerships and help train a globally engaged scientific and engineering workforce.
CABA also receives funding from the Arcus Foundation and the Exxon Mobil Foundation.
To build a conservation framework, they are using genomic tools and environmental modeling to identify areas worth conserving: sweet spots that both maximize the pattern of biodiversity and the processes that produce and maintain it.
All research is rooted in the region's socioeconomic realities. From the start, CABA members have met with government officials in the region, to ensure that policy makers are both informed about the research and play a role shaping it. Training future scientists and engineers is also a big piece of the project. They've held professional development workshops for students and scientists--both American and African--to discuss everything from experiment design and statistics to grant writing and leadership. CABA members have also helped facilitate workshops for women in science, through COACh (Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists) International.
Exposing American students to globally focused research, partnerships and--for most of the them--a completely foreign part of the world is another "great benefit" of the project, says Nicola Anthony, a biologist at the University of New Orleans and another lead CABA scientist. "Even if they don't end up in science for a career, they'll be much better global citizens as a result of this."
CABA's "breadth and effectiveness are very impressive," says Lara Campbell, a program manager in NSF's International Science and Engineering section, which funds PIRE. "They are producing a strong cadre of American and African scientists prepared to address the many future challenges of climate change impacts on ecosystems."
-- Jessica Arriens
Investigators
Thomas Smith
Nicola Anthony
Mary Katherine Gonder
Related Institutions/Organizations
University of California-Los Angeles
University of New Orleans
Drexel University
Protecting biodiversity
In one of the world's richest biological hotspots, an international group of scientists works to preserve biodiversity amid climate change
The Congo Basin is an unruly ribbon of tropical forest: Over a million square miles spanning six countries in Central Africa, running inward along the equator from the continent's western coast. It is the second-largest contiguous tropical forest in the world. The basin is home to the classics of African wildlife--chimpanzees, elephants, gorillas--along with thousands of other less well-known species: pale, long-legged Golden Puddle Frogs, hook-beaked Olive Sunbirds, and squat Blue Duikers, which look like shrunken antelopes.
This wealth of flora and fauna, much of it native to the region, is enough to qualify the Congo Basin as a biodiversity hotspot: a biologically rich area threatened by outside forces. In Central Africa, those forces include deforestation, climate change, hunting and more.
The region is "so enriched with life," says Mary "Katy" Gonder, a Drexel University biologist and one of the lead researchers on the Central African Biodiversity Alliance (CABA). "And that life is precarious right now."
Funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Alliance is an international partnership of scientists, students and policy makers working to build a framework to conserve biodiversity in Central Africa. The partnership spans three continents, and includes researchers from the U.S., Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Germany and the United Kingdom.
NSF funding for CABA comes through the Partnerships in International Research and Education (PIRE) program, which supports innovative, international research and education collaborations. PIRE projects stimulate scientific discovery and strengthen U.S. universities; the projects forge worldwide partnerships and help train a globally engaged scientific and engineering workforce.
CABA also receives funding from the Arcus Foundation and the Exxon Mobil Foundation.
To build a conservation framework, they are using genomic tools and environmental modeling to identify areas worth conserving: sweet spots that both maximize the pattern of biodiversity and the processes that produce and maintain it.
All research is rooted in the region's socioeconomic realities. From the start, CABA members have met with government officials in the region, to ensure that policy makers are both informed about the research and play a role shaping it. Training future scientists and engineers is also a big piece of the project. They've held professional development workshops for students and scientists--both American and African--to discuss everything from experiment design and statistics to grant writing and leadership. CABA members have also helped facilitate workshops for women in science, through COACh (Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists) International.
Exposing American students to globally focused research, partnerships and--for most of the them--a completely foreign part of the world is another "great benefit" of the project, says Nicola Anthony, a biologist at the University of New Orleans and another lead CABA scientist. "Even if they don't end up in science for a career, they'll be much better global citizens as a result of this."
CABA's "breadth and effectiveness are very impressive," says Lara Campbell, a program manager in NSF's International Science and Engineering section, which funds PIRE. "They are producing a strong cadre of American and African scientists prepared to address the many future challenges of climate change impacts on ecosystems."
-- Jessica Arriens
Investigators
Thomas Smith
Nicola Anthony
Mary Katherine Gonder
Related Institutions/Organizations
University of California-Los Angeles
University of New Orleans
Drexel University
DOJ ANNOUNCES CHARGES AGAINST DRILLING COMPANY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES IN ALASKA
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, December 8, 2014
Drilling Company Charged with Environmental and Maritime Crimes in Alaska
Noble Drilling (U.S.) LLC was charged with environmental and maritime crimes for operating the drill ship Noble Discoverer and the drilling unit Kulluk in violation of federal law in Alaska in 2012, the Department of Justice announced.
Under the terms of a plea agreement filed in federal court today, Noble will plead guilty to eight felony offenses, pay $12.2 million dollars in fines and community service payments, implement a comprehensive Environmental Compliance Plan, and will be placed on probation for four years. In addition, Noble’s parent corporation, Noble Corporation plc, headquartered in London, England, will implement an Environmental Management System for all Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) owned or operated by Noble Corporation plc and its direct and indirect subsidiaries worldwide.
Noble Drilling (U.S.) LLC was charged in an eight-count Information with knowingly failing to maintain an accurate Oil Record Book and an accurate International Oil Pollution Prevention certificate, knowingly failing to maintain a ballast water record book, and knowingly and willfully failing to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of hazardous conditions aboard the drill ship Noble Discoverer. At the time of the offenses, the Noble Discoverer was operating under contract with Shell Offshore, Inc. and Shell Development, Ltd. for the purpose of drilling in the arctic in Alaska.
During the 2012 drilling season, Noble was the operator and bare boat charterer of the motor vessel Noble Discoverer and the drilling operator of the MODU Kulluk. The Kulluk was a conical-shaped vessel, weighing 27,968 gross tons, and measuring 265.7 feet in diameter. The Kulluk was not self-propelled, but rather had to be towed. The Noble Discoverer, a mobile drill ship, weighed approximately 15,296 gross tons, measured 572 feet long, and was propelled by a single main engine. In 2012, the Kulluk and the Noble Discoverer made several U.S. port calls in Washington and Alaska on their way to the Shell drilling site off the coast of Alaska. After leaving the drill site, the Kulluk ultimately ran aground off the coast of Unalaska when it broke free from its tow in bad weather, and the Noble Discoverer was dead-ship towed from Dutch Harbor to Seward due to failures with its main engine and other equipment.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Noble admits that it knowingly made false entries and failed to record its collection, transfer, storage, and disposal of oil in the Noble Discoverer’s and the Kulluk’s oil record books in 2012. Oil record book entries falsely reflected that the Noble Discoverer’s Oil Water Separator (OWS) was used during periods of time when in fact the OWS was inoperable. Under the International MARPOL protocol and the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, all overboard discharges must pass through an operating OWS to insure that water pumped overboard does not contain more than 15ppm of oil.
Noble also admits that it failed to log numerous transfers and storage of machinery space bilge water and waste oil and failed to log that the Noble Discoverer’s oil content meter audible alarm was nonfunctional. Noble also made modifications to the Noble Discoverer’s new OWS system after the OWS system passed inspections by the Classification Society and the U.S. Coast Guard. Noble did not inform the U.S. Coast Guard or the Classification Society of the modifications and did not receive an International Oil Pollution Prevention certificate that documented the unapproved decanting system, the increased storage, or the new OWS piping arrangement.
Noble had problems managing the bilge and wastewater that was accumulating in the engine room spaces of the Noble Discoverer. This and other conditions led to a number of problems. Noble devised a makeshift barrel and pump system to discharge water that had entered the vessel’s engine room machinery spaces directly overboard from the Noble Discoverer without processing it through the required pollution prevention equipment as required by law. Noble failed to notify the Coast Guard about this system, and took steps to actively hide the fact that it was being used. These false and missing record entries and the use of the illegal overboard discharge system all violated the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.
In the factual basis of the plea agreement, Noble also admits that it negligently discharged machinery space bilge water from the Noble Discoverer into Broad Bay, Unalaska, on July 22, 2012. While anchored in Dutch Harbor, the Noble Discoverer’s bilge holding tank 27S overflowed and went overboard, creating a sheen in Broad Bay.
The Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act requires vessels to maintain accurate ballast records reflecting the source of ballast water in the ballast water tanks, discharges from the tanks, and the total volume of ballast water onboard. By design, water ballast tanks should only contain uncontaminated seawater. Noble pumped oily skimmer tank fluids and deck water with a sheen into several ballast tanks on the Noble Discoverer. Noble then discharged those ballast tanks directly overboard instead of properly discharging the water through the OWS or transferring to a shore-side facility. Noble failed to record the transfers to the ballast tanks and the subsequent discharges in the ballast log.
The Ports and Waterways Safety Act regulations require that the owner, operator, or person in charge of a vessel must immediately notify the nearest Coast Guard office whenever there is a hazardous condition, either aboard a vessel or caused by the vessel or its operation. Noble knowingly and willfully failed on several occasions in 2012 to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of hazardous conditions aboard the Noble Discoverer. There were conditions aboard the Noble Discoverer that may have adversely affected the safety of the Noble Discoverer, other vessels, and the environmental quality of ports, harbors, and navigable waterways of the United States. During 2012, the Noble Discoverer experienced numerous problems with its main propulsion system, including its main engine and its propeller shaft, resulting in engine shut-downs, equipment failures, and unsafe conditions. At times, the condition of the Noble Discoverer’s main engine also created high levels of exhaust in the engine room, multiple sources of fuel and oil leaks, and backfires. Noble acknowledges that it failed to report any of these hazardous conditions to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Noble Discoverer was initially detained in Seward by the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection for the Western Alaska zone, following a Coast Guard Port State Control examination on November 29, 2012. This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and is being prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Drilling Company Charged with Environmental and Maritime Crimes in Alaska
Noble Drilling (U.S.) LLC was charged with environmental and maritime crimes for operating the drill ship Noble Discoverer and the drilling unit Kulluk in violation of federal law in Alaska in 2012, the Department of Justice announced.
Under the terms of a plea agreement filed in federal court today, Noble will plead guilty to eight felony offenses, pay $12.2 million dollars in fines and community service payments, implement a comprehensive Environmental Compliance Plan, and will be placed on probation for four years. In addition, Noble’s parent corporation, Noble Corporation plc, headquartered in London, England, will implement an Environmental Management System for all Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs) owned or operated by Noble Corporation plc and its direct and indirect subsidiaries worldwide.
Noble Drilling (U.S.) LLC was charged in an eight-count Information with knowingly failing to maintain an accurate Oil Record Book and an accurate International Oil Pollution Prevention certificate, knowingly failing to maintain a ballast water record book, and knowingly and willfully failing to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of hazardous conditions aboard the drill ship Noble Discoverer. At the time of the offenses, the Noble Discoverer was operating under contract with Shell Offshore, Inc. and Shell Development, Ltd. for the purpose of drilling in the arctic in Alaska.
During the 2012 drilling season, Noble was the operator and bare boat charterer of the motor vessel Noble Discoverer and the drilling operator of the MODU Kulluk. The Kulluk was a conical-shaped vessel, weighing 27,968 gross tons, and measuring 265.7 feet in diameter. The Kulluk was not self-propelled, but rather had to be towed. The Noble Discoverer, a mobile drill ship, weighed approximately 15,296 gross tons, measured 572 feet long, and was propelled by a single main engine. In 2012, the Kulluk and the Noble Discoverer made several U.S. port calls in Washington and Alaska on their way to the Shell drilling site off the coast of Alaska. After leaving the drill site, the Kulluk ultimately ran aground off the coast of Unalaska when it broke free from its tow in bad weather, and the Noble Discoverer was dead-ship towed from Dutch Harbor to Seward due to failures with its main engine and other equipment.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Noble admits that it knowingly made false entries and failed to record its collection, transfer, storage, and disposal of oil in the Noble Discoverer’s and the Kulluk’s oil record books in 2012. Oil record book entries falsely reflected that the Noble Discoverer’s Oil Water Separator (OWS) was used during periods of time when in fact the OWS was inoperable. Under the International MARPOL protocol and the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, all overboard discharges must pass through an operating OWS to insure that water pumped overboard does not contain more than 15ppm of oil.
Noble also admits that it failed to log numerous transfers and storage of machinery space bilge water and waste oil and failed to log that the Noble Discoverer’s oil content meter audible alarm was nonfunctional. Noble also made modifications to the Noble Discoverer’s new OWS system after the OWS system passed inspections by the Classification Society and the U.S. Coast Guard. Noble did not inform the U.S. Coast Guard or the Classification Society of the modifications and did not receive an International Oil Pollution Prevention certificate that documented the unapproved decanting system, the increased storage, or the new OWS piping arrangement.
Noble had problems managing the bilge and wastewater that was accumulating in the engine room spaces of the Noble Discoverer. This and other conditions led to a number of problems. Noble devised a makeshift barrel and pump system to discharge water that had entered the vessel’s engine room machinery spaces directly overboard from the Noble Discoverer without processing it through the required pollution prevention equipment as required by law. Noble failed to notify the Coast Guard about this system, and took steps to actively hide the fact that it was being used. These false and missing record entries and the use of the illegal overboard discharge system all violated the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.
In the factual basis of the plea agreement, Noble also admits that it negligently discharged machinery space bilge water from the Noble Discoverer into Broad Bay, Unalaska, on July 22, 2012. While anchored in Dutch Harbor, the Noble Discoverer’s bilge holding tank 27S overflowed and went overboard, creating a sheen in Broad Bay.
The Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act requires vessels to maintain accurate ballast records reflecting the source of ballast water in the ballast water tanks, discharges from the tanks, and the total volume of ballast water onboard. By design, water ballast tanks should only contain uncontaminated seawater. Noble pumped oily skimmer tank fluids and deck water with a sheen into several ballast tanks on the Noble Discoverer. Noble then discharged those ballast tanks directly overboard instead of properly discharging the water through the OWS or transferring to a shore-side facility. Noble failed to record the transfers to the ballast tanks and the subsequent discharges in the ballast log.
The Ports and Waterways Safety Act regulations require that the owner, operator, or person in charge of a vessel must immediately notify the nearest Coast Guard office whenever there is a hazardous condition, either aboard a vessel or caused by the vessel or its operation. Noble knowingly and willfully failed on several occasions in 2012 to notify the U.S. Coast Guard of hazardous conditions aboard the Noble Discoverer. There were conditions aboard the Noble Discoverer that may have adversely affected the safety of the Noble Discoverer, other vessels, and the environmental quality of ports, harbors, and navigable waterways of the United States. During 2012, the Noble Discoverer experienced numerous problems with its main propulsion system, including its main engine and its propeller shaft, resulting in engine shut-downs, equipment failures, and unsafe conditions. At times, the condition of the Noble Discoverer’s main engine also created high levels of exhaust in the engine room, multiple sources of fuel and oil leaks, and backfires. Noble acknowledges that it failed to report any of these hazardous conditions to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Noble Discoverer was initially detained in Seward by the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection for the Western Alaska zone, following a Coast Guard Port State Control examination on November 29, 2012. This case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and is being prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
SEC ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF ATTORNEY FOR ROLE IN SHEME TO MANIPULATE STOCK
FROM: U.S. U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Litigation Release No. 23154 / December 9, 2014
USA v. Richard Weed, Case No. 1:14-cr-10348-DPW
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Richard Weed, et al. , Civil Action No. 1:14-cv-14099
California Attorney Indicted for Securities Fraud in Scheme to Manipulate Stock of Sports Ticket Broker
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that on December 4, 2014, Richard Weed ("Weed"), a partner in a Newport Beach, California law practice, was indicted on eleven criminal charges by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in connection with an alleged pump-and-dump scheme that defrauded investors in a Boston-based ticket brokering business. The indictment charges Weed with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, one count of securities fraud, and nine counts of wire fraud.
The allegations in the criminal indictment stem from the same misconduct underlying the Commission's pending action filed against Weed and two other defendants on November 6, 2014. In that case, the SEC alleges that Weed facilitated a scheme to pump and dump the stock of CitySide Tickets Inc., which he helped structure into a publicly traded company through reverse mergers. Weed created backdated promissory notes and authored false legal opinion letters that enabled Thomas Brazil and Coleman Flaherty to obtain millions of purportedly unrestricted shares of stock in the company. Investors were then blitzed with a false and misleading promotional campaign touting CitySide Tickets as a budding national leader on the verge of acquiring smaller ticket firms across the country and positioning itself as an attractive takeover target for Ticketmaster. As the company's stock price increased on the false hype, Brazil and Flaherty sold their shares to unsuspecting investors for illicit proceeds of approximately $3 million, and Weed was well-compensated for his role in the scheme. Shortly thereafter, the market for CitySide Tickets stock collapsed and the company eventually went out of business.
Weed was originally charged by a criminal complaint and arrested on November 6, 2014. The SEC's action, which is pending, seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus pre-judgment interest and penalties as well as penny stock bars and permanent injunctions against further violations of the securities laws. The SEC also seeks to bar Weed from serving as an officer or director of any public company.
Litigation Release No. 23154 / December 9, 2014
USA v. Richard Weed, Case No. 1:14-cr-10348-DPW
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Richard Weed, et al. , Civil Action No. 1:14-cv-14099
California Attorney Indicted for Securities Fraud in Scheme to Manipulate Stock of Sports Ticket Broker
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that on December 4, 2014, Richard Weed ("Weed"), a partner in a Newport Beach, California law practice, was indicted on eleven criminal charges by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in connection with an alleged pump-and-dump scheme that defrauded investors in a Boston-based ticket brokering business. The indictment charges Weed with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, one count of securities fraud, and nine counts of wire fraud.
The allegations in the criminal indictment stem from the same misconduct underlying the Commission's pending action filed against Weed and two other defendants on November 6, 2014. In that case, the SEC alleges that Weed facilitated a scheme to pump and dump the stock of CitySide Tickets Inc., which he helped structure into a publicly traded company through reverse mergers. Weed created backdated promissory notes and authored false legal opinion letters that enabled Thomas Brazil and Coleman Flaherty to obtain millions of purportedly unrestricted shares of stock in the company. Investors were then blitzed with a false and misleading promotional campaign touting CitySide Tickets as a budding national leader on the verge of acquiring smaller ticket firms across the country and positioning itself as an attractive takeover target for Ticketmaster. As the company's stock price increased on the false hype, Brazil and Flaherty sold their shares to unsuspecting investors for illicit proceeds of approximately $3 million, and Weed was well-compensated for his role in the scheme. Shortly thereafter, the market for CitySide Tickets stock collapsed and the company eventually went out of business.
Weed was originally charged by a criminal complaint and arrested on November 6, 2014. The SEC's action, which is pending, seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus pre-judgment interest and penalties as well as penny stock bars and permanent injunctions against further violations of the securities laws. The SEC also seeks to bar Weed from serving as an officer or director of any public company.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY, KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV MAKE REMARKS
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
December 10, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY: It’s my pleasure to welcome Foreign Minister Idrisov of Kazakhstan. You okay? Sorry. I’m really delighted to welcome the foreign minister here and I want to congratulate him and Kazakhstan on the near 23rd anniversary of their independence. It’s on December 16th. And we have enjoyed a growing security partnership, economic partnership, on any number of issues. We are working on the challenge of ISIL, of counterterrorism. We’re very grateful for Kazakhstan’s engagement with us on a number of issues – nonproliferation, issues of Afghanistan, trade, development. We’re working hard on Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO. And I think it’s fair to say that in the region the relationship between the United States and Kazakhstan is really one of the most consequential for us, and we’re very grateful for the leadership that Kazakhstan has been showing.
So we have a full agenda and I’m very, very pleased to welcome you, Mr. Foreign Minister. Thank you for taking time to be here.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. It happens so that Kazakhstan is a little bit ahead of the United States and by Kazakh time it’s already almost 11th of December. So first of all, I’d like to congratulate Secretary Kerry with his birthday and wish him every success in his very important global endeavors. As Secretary Kerry said, we have very full agenda. Our bilateral agenda covers all sorts of issues ranging from security, nonproliferation, investment, energy sector, of course nation and democracy building, and education. But we also have very robust global and regional agenda. We do discuss issues on Afghanistan, around negotiations on Iran, on crises like the so-called Islamic State or the Ebola epidemic. So we are tuned to the same wave and we are very happy to have this very meaningful strategic partnership. I am very proud that today we will have the third meeting of our Strategic Partnership Dialogue with Secretary Kerry, and I came here to confirm our strong desire to cement further the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States and take it to the future.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Yerlan.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: I’d like to just mention one other thing which I was reminded of as the foreign minister spoke. Kazakhstan has initiated a very important education program for Afghan students, some $50 million they’ve committed to this effort. There are Afghans who are now in significant numbers studying in Kazakhstan, and this will be a critical component of capacity building for Afghanistan and of stability. So we’re very grateful for that kind of major effort. We thank you.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you. Thank you very much.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, my friend.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Come on in and have a --
QUESTION: Secretary Kerry, are you concerned for U.S. personnel overseas following the release of the report?
SECRETARY KERRY: I think we’ve addressed that (inaudible). Thank you.
Remarks With Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
December 10, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY: It’s my pleasure to welcome Foreign Minister Idrisov of Kazakhstan. You okay? Sorry. I’m really delighted to welcome the foreign minister here and I want to congratulate him and Kazakhstan on the near 23rd anniversary of their independence. It’s on December 16th. And we have enjoyed a growing security partnership, economic partnership, on any number of issues. We are working on the challenge of ISIL, of counterterrorism. We’re very grateful for Kazakhstan’s engagement with us on a number of issues – nonproliferation, issues of Afghanistan, trade, development. We’re working hard on Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO. And I think it’s fair to say that in the region the relationship between the United States and Kazakhstan is really one of the most consequential for us, and we’re very grateful for the leadership that Kazakhstan has been showing.
So we have a full agenda and I’m very, very pleased to welcome you, Mr. Foreign Minister. Thank you for taking time to be here.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. It happens so that Kazakhstan is a little bit ahead of the United States and by Kazakh time it’s already almost 11th of December. So first of all, I’d like to congratulate Secretary Kerry with his birthday and wish him every success in his very important global endeavors. As Secretary Kerry said, we have very full agenda. Our bilateral agenda covers all sorts of issues ranging from security, nonproliferation, investment, energy sector, of course nation and democracy building, and education. But we also have very robust global and regional agenda. We do discuss issues on Afghanistan, around negotiations on Iran, on crises like the so-called Islamic State or the Ebola epidemic. So we are tuned to the same wave and we are very happy to have this very meaningful strategic partnership. I am very proud that today we will have the third meeting of our Strategic Partnership Dialogue with Secretary Kerry, and I came here to confirm our strong desire to cement further the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States and take it to the future.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Yerlan.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: I’d like to just mention one other thing which I was reminded of as the foreign minister spoke. Kazakhstan has initiated a very important education program for Afghan students, some $50 million they’ve committed to this effort. There are Afghans who are now in significant numbers studying in Kazakhstan, and this will be a critical component of capacity building for Afghanistan and of stability. So we’re very grateful for that kind of major effort. We thank you.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you. Thank you very much.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, my friend.
FOREIGN MINISTER IDRISOV: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Come on in and have a --
QUESTION: Secretary Kerry, are you concerned for U.S. personnel overseas following the release of the report?
SECRETARY KERRY: I think we’ve addressed that (inaudible). Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY'S STATEMENT ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Human Rights Day 2014
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 10, 2014
Delegates from around the world came together 66 years ago amid the rubble of World War II to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, articulating fundamental civil and political rights of all people, and reminding each of us of our responsibility to respect those rights.
This past September, I was reminded of the power and enduring relevance of the Universal Declaration when I stood at the United Nations with Shin Dong-hyuk, a courageous young man who had escaped from a North Korean prison camp and defied one of the world's most egregious dictatorships. He was a living, breathing example of our own duty to uphold justice and expose abuses wherever and whenever violations occur.
Keeping faith with that duty is the right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do. When international human rights standards are observed, sustainable economic progress is more likely, terrorists and criminals find it harder to operate, and societies are better able to benefit from the skills and energy of their citizens. By contrast, when human rights standards are ignored, the result is often chaos and strife, leading to massive suffering that can impose high costs in both financial resources and lives. We see this today in Iraq, where a ruthless terrorist group has directed a campaign of murder, kidnapping, and theft at people of all religions and ethnic groups. We see it in Syria, where a dictator’s use of indiscriminate violence against his own people has triggered the largest humanitarian catastrophe of this century. And we see it many places where a failure to respect human rights, combined with other factors, has produced hostilities that weaken nations and put civilians, including children, at grave risk.
On this Human Rights Day, there are still too many people who struggle for freedom and too many who are punished in pursuit of that dream. Today we note the remarkable peaceful efforts of individuals like Liu Xiaobo of China, Ahmed Maher of Egypt, Eskinder Nega of Ethiopia, Azimjon Askarov of the Kyrgyz Republic, and other political prisoners on every continent; we call for their release, and we ask that in the meantime they are at least treated in full accordance with global norms.
We live at a time when democratic principles and respect for human rights have greater reach
than at any previous time in history. This is due not simply to what governments have done,
but to what people around the world have done to elevate, monitor, and enforce human rights standards. However, past progress is no guarantee of future gains. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the very opposite of a self-fulfilling document. It’s a promise to keep. Let’s all make sure we keep it.
Human Rights Day 2014
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 10, 2014
Delegates from around the world came together 66 years ago amid the rubble of World War II to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, articulating fundamental civil and political rights of all people, and reminding each of us of our responsibility to respect those rights.
This past September, I was reminded of the power and enduring relevance of the Universal Declaration when I stood at the United Nations with Shin Dong-hyuk, a courageous young man who had escaped from a North Korean prison camp and defied one of the world's most egregious dictatorships. He was a living, breathing example of our own duty to uphold justice and expose abuses wherever and whenever violations occur.
Keeping faith with that duty is the right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do. When international human rights standards are observed, sustainable economic progress is more likely, terrorists and criminals find it harder to operate, and societies are better able to benefit from the skills and energy of their citizens. By contrast, when human rights standards are ignored, the result is often chaos and strife, leading to massive suffering that can impose high costs in both financial resources and lives. We see this today in Iraq, where a ruthless terrorist group has directed a campaign of murder, kidnapping, and theft at people of all religions and ethnic groups. We see it in Syria, where a dictator’s use of indiscriminate violence against his own people has triggered the largest humanitarian catastrophe of this century. And we see it many places where a failure to respect human rights, combined with other factors, has produced hostilities that weaken nations and put civilians, including children, at grave risk.
On this Human Rights Day, there are still too many people who struggle for freedom and too many who are punished in pursuit of that dream. Today we note the remarkable peaceful efforts of individuals like Liu Xiaobo of China, Ahmed Maher of Egypt, Eskinder Nega of Ethiopia, Azimjon Askarov of the Kyrgyz Republic, and other political prisoners on every continent; we call for their release, and we ask that in the meantime they are at least treated in full accordance with global norms.
We live at a time when democratic principles and respect for human rights have greater reach
than at any previous time in history. This is due not simply to what governments have done,
but to what people around the world have done to elevate, monitor, and enforce human rights standards. However, past progress is no guarantee of future gains. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the very opposite of a self-fulfilling document. It’s a promise to keep. Let’s all make sure we keep it.
FDIC VICE CHAIR'S STATEMENT ON CONGRESS ALLOWING TAXPAYER SUPPORTED DERIVATIVES TRADING BY COMMERCIAL BANKS
FROM: FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
Speeches & Testimony
Statement from FDIC Vice Chairman Hoenig on Congressional moves to repeal swaps push-out requirements
In 2008 we learned the economic consequences of conducting derivatives trading in taxpayer-insured banks. Section 716 of Dodd-Frank is an important step in pushing the trading activity out to where it should be conducted: in the open market, outside of taxpayer-backed commercial banks. It is illogical to repeal the 716 push out requirement. In fact, under 716, most derivatives -- almost 95% -- would not be pushed out of the bank. That is because interest rate swaps, foreign exchange and cleared credit derivatives can remain within the bank. In addition, derivatives that are used for hedging can remain in the bank. The main items that must be pushed out under 716 are uncleared credit default swaps (CDS), equity derivatives and commodities derivatives. These are, in relative terms, much smaller and where the greater risks and capital subsidy is most useful to these banking firms.
Derivatives that are pushed out by 716 are only removed from the taxpayer support and the accompanying subsidy of insured deposit funding -- they will continue to exist and to serve end users. In fact, most of these firms have broker-dealer affiliates where they can place these activities, but these affiliates are not as richly subsidized, which helps explain these firms' resistance to 716 push out.
Speeches & Testimony
Statement from FDIC Vice Chairman Hoenig on Congressional moves to repeal swaps push-out requirements
In 2008 we learned the economic consequences of conducting derivatives trading in taxpayer-insured banks. Section 716 of Dodd-Frank is an important step in pushing the trading activity out to where it should be conducted: in the open market, outside of taxpayer-backed commercial banks. It is illogical to repeal the 716 push out requirement. In fact, under 716, most derivatives -- almost 95% -- would not be pushed out of the bank. That is because interest rate swaps, foreign exchange and cleared credit derivatives can remain within the bank. In addition, derivatives that are used for hedging can remain in the bank. The main items that must be pushed out under 716 are uncleared credit default swaps (CDS), equity derivatives and commodities derivatives. These are, in relative terms, much smaller and where the greater risks and capital subsidy is most useful to these banking firms.
Derivatives that are pushed out by 716 are only removed from the taxpayer support and the accompanying subsidy of insured deposit funding -- they will continue to exist and to serve end users. In fact, most of these firms have broker-dealer affiliates where they can place these activities, but these affiliates are not as richly subsidized, which helps explain these firms' resistance to 716 push out.
WHITE HOUSE READOUT: PRESIDENT'S CONFERENCE WITH AFGHAN PRESIDENT REGARDING AGREEMENTS
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE PRESIDENT
December 09, 2014
Readout of the President’s Video Conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
Today, the President spoke by video conference with President Ashraf Ghani of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Afghan Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah. The President commended President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah on the timely ratification of the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO Status of Forces Agreement by an overwhelming majority in the Afghan Parliament, and congratulated the two leaders for their recent successful ministerial conferences in Brussels and London. The leaders also discussed the forthcoming conclusion to the U.S. combat mission, the transition of coalition forces to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, ways to strengthen and support the Afghan National Security Forces as part of the train, advise and assist mission, and U.S. and regional support for the Afghan-led peace process. The two leaders committed to continuing close consultations in the months ahead.
December 09, 2014
Readout of the President’s Video Conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
Today, the President spoke by video conference with President Ashraf Ghani of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Afghan Chief Executive Officer Dr. Abdullah. The President commended President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah on the timely ratification of the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO Status of Forces Agreement by an overwhelming majority in the Afghan Parliament, and congratulated the two leaders for their recent successful ministerial conferences in Brussels and London. The leaders also discussed the forthcoming conclusion to the U.S. combat mission, the transition of coalition forces to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, ways to strengthen and support the Afghan National Security Forces as part of the train, advise and assist mission, and U.S. and regional support for the Afghan-led peace process. The two leaders committed to continuing close consultations in the months ahead.
SEC CHARGES STOCK PROMOTER FOR ROLE IN PUMP-AND-DUMP SCHEME INVOLVING AN AIRPORT SECURITY BUSINESS
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a penny stock promoter in Montana with orchestrating a fraudulent pump-and-dump scheme involving the stock of a Northern Virginia-based company that claims to be in the airport security business.
The SEC alleges that Matthew Carley, who lives in Bozeman, Mont., engineered a reverse merger and gained control of free-trading shares of Red Branch Technologies located in Ashburn, Va. Carley then orchestrated two blast e-mail campaigns promoting Red Branch stock, and he timed the e-mails to coincide with the dissemination of materially false and misleading company press releases touting technology related to airport security and homeland security. However as Carley well knew, Red Branch had no true business operations and no sales revenue. Once the promotional campaigns generated dramatic increases to Red Branch’s share price and trading volume, Carley immediately sold several million Red Branch shares for $789,478 in unlawful profits.
Carley agreed to settle the SEC’s charges and be barred from the penny stock industry.
“From behind the scenes, Carley took advantage of unwitting investors by funding and coordinating promotional hype for a company with no real revenues, and he cashed in by dumping his own shares once he created demand for the stock,” said Stephen L. Cohen, Associate Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.
The SEC’s complaint, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges that Carley violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5.
A parallel criminal case against Carley was announced today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The settlement with the SEC, subject to court approval, would bar Carley from participating in any future penny stock offering and permanently enjoin him from future violations of the antifraud provisions. He is liable for disgorgement and prejudgment interest of $921,232 that he is anticipated to pay as part of his obligations in the criminal case.
The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Christopher R. Mathews and supervised by J. Lee Buck II. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a penny stock promoter in Montana with orchestrating a fraudulent pump-and-dump scheme involving the stock of a Northern Virginia-based company that claims to be in the airport security business.
The SEC alleges that Matthew Carley, who lives in Bozeman, Mont., engineered a reverse merger and gained control of free-trading shares of Red Branch Technologies located in Ashburn, Va. Carley then orchestrated two blast e-mail campaigns promoting Red Branch stock, and he timed the e-mails to coincide with the dissemination of materially false and misleading company press releases touting technology related to airport security and homeland security. However as Carley well knew, Red Branch had no true business operations and no sales revenue. Once the promotional campaigns generated dramatic increases to Red Branch’s share price and trading volume, Carley immediately sold several million Red Branch shares for $789,478 in unlawful profits.
Carley agreed to settle the SEC’s charges and be barred from the penny stock industry.
“From behind the scenes, Carley took advantage of unwitting investors by funding and coordinating promotional hype for a company with no real revenues, and he cashed in by dumping his own shares once he created demand for the stock,” said Stephen L. Cohen, Associate Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.
The SEC’s complaint, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleges that Carley violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5.
A parallel criminal case against Carley was announced today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The settlement with the SEC, subject to court approval, would bar Carley from participating in any future penny stock offering and permanently enjoin him from future violations of the antifraud provisions. He is liable for disgorgement and prejudgment interest of $921,232 that he is anticipated to pay as part of his obligations in the criminal case.
The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Christopher R. Mathews and supervised by J. Lee Buck II. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
U.S. ASSUMES LEAD ROLE IN DEALING WITH SYRIAN REFUGEES
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Plans To Lead in Resettling Syrian Refugees
Remarks
Anne C. Richard
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Geneva, Switzerland
December 9, 2014
As prepared
I would like to thank HC Guterres and Renata Dubini. Your leadership on the Syria crisis has made a huge difference, as has all of your work on behalf of some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.
I also want to recognize Germany and Sweden for their commitment to Syrian refugees and asylum seekers. We are also grateful to Sweden for leading the Syrian Resettlement Core Group over the last year.
We applaud the generosity of Syria’s neighbors. They opened their borders and took in Syrian refugees. Like the High Commissioner I have visited all the host countries represented here today. These countries have helped save millions of lives.
As the flow of refugees has grown to a mass exodus, countries hosting refugees in the region have contended with overcrowded hospitals and schools, shortages of everything from housing to water, economic pressures and recent evidence of mounting public resentment.
But these very real burdens must pale in comparison to the daily struggles of Syrians themselves.
Imagine losing practically everything – your loved ones, your home, your profession, and your dignity. Imagine the frustration of languishing for years, unable to work or send children to school, exhausting your resources and relying on handouts. Imagine fearing that this situation is never going to end.
For Syrians and for other victims of violence and persecution – resettlement offers not just an escape, but a chance to start over.
A family from Homs, a shop owner, his wife, and their six children, experienced this flight and rescue. In August of 2010, the father was standing in a crowd of peaceful protesters when the Syrian military arrived and opened fire. Bodies piled up in front of his shop, shells reduced it to rubble, neighbors disappeared, and soldiers ransacked the family’s apartment and made threats. The family fled to Jordan, and they were eventually resettled in the United States. The parents say one of their dreams has already come true. All of their children are back in school.
Only a small fraction of those who want to be resettled can be – only about one hundred thousand refugees per year, worldwide. There are more than six times that many Syrian refugees in Jordan alone.
But war’s true cost is measured in human suffering. Resettlement can help – one person at a time – to bring that suffering to an end.
We applaud the 25 countries that have agreed to resettle Syrian refugees, including some who will be accepting UNHCR refugee referrals for the first time. The United States accepts the majority of all UNHCR referrals from around the world. Last year, we reached our goal of resettling nearly 70,000 refugees from nearly 70 countries. And we plan to lead in resettling Syrians as well. We are reviewing some 9,000 recent UNHCR referrals from Syria. We are receiving roughly a thousand new ones each month, and we expect admissions from Syria to surge in 2015 and beyond.
Like most other refugees resettled in the United States, they will get help from the International Organization for Migration with medical exams and transportation to the United States. Once they arrive, networks of resettlement agencies, charities, churches, civic organizations and local volunteers will welcome them. These groups work in 180 communities across the country and make sure refugees have homes, furniture, clothes, English classes, job training, health care and help enrolling their children in school. They are now preparing key contacts in American communities to welcome Syrians.
I am inspired both by the resilience of refugees we resettle, and the compassion of those who help them. Resettlement cannot replace what refugees have lost or erase what they have endured. But it can renew hope and help restart lives. That can make all the difference.
Thank you.
U.S. Plans To Lead in Resettling Syrian Refugees
Remarks
Anne C. Richard
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Geneva, Switzerland
December 9, 2014
As prepared
I would like to thank HC Guterres and Renata Dubini. Your leadership on the Syria crisis has made a huge difference, as has all of your work on behalf of some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.
I also want to recognize Germany and Sweden for their commitment to Syrian refugees and asylum seekers. We are also grateful to Sweden for leading the Syrian Resettlement Core Group over the last year.
We applaud the generosity of Syria’s neighbors. They opened their borders and took in Syrian refugees. Like the High Commissioner I have visited all the host countries represented here today. These countries have helped save millions of lives.
As the flow of refugees has grown to a mass exodus, countries hosting refugees in the region have contended with overcrowded hospitals and schools, shortages of everything from housing to water, economic pressures and recent evidence of mounting public resentment.
But these very real burdens must pale in comparison to the daily struggles of Syrians themselves.
Imagine losing practically everything – your loved ones, your home, your profession, and your dignity. Imagine the frustration of languishing for years, unable to work or send children to school, exhausting your resources and relying on handouts. Imagine fearing that this situation is never going to end.
For Syrians and for other victims of violence and persecution – resettlement offers not just an escape, but a chance to start over.
A family from Homs, a shop owner, his wife, and their six children, experienced this flight and rescue. In August of 2010, the father was standing in a crowd of peaceful protesters when the Syrian military arrived and opened fire. Bodies piled up in front of his shop, shells reduced it to rubble, neighbors disappeared, and soldiers ransacked the family’s apartment and made threats. The family fled to Jordan, and they were eventually resettled in the United States. The parents say one of their dreams has already come true. All of their children are back in school.
Only a small fraction of those who want to be resettled can be – only about one hundred thousand refugees per year, worldwide. There are more than six times that many Syrian refugees in Jordan alone.
But war’s true cost is measured in human suffering. Resettlement can help – one person at a time – to bring that suffering to an end.
We applaud the 25 countries that have agreed to resettle Syrian refugees, including some who will be accepting UNHCR refugee referrals for the first time. The United States accepts the majority of all UNHCR referrals from around the world. Last year, we reached our goal of resettling nearly 70,000 refugees from nearly 70 countries. And we plan to lead in resettling Syrians as well. We are reviewing some 9,000 recent UNHCR referrals from Syria. We are receiving roughly a thousand new ones each month, and we expect admissions from Syria to surge in 2015 and beyond.
Like most other refugees resettled in the United States, they will get help from the International Organization for Migration with medical exams and transportation to the United States. Once they arrive, networks of resettlement agencies, charities, churches, civic organizations and local volunteers will welcome them. These groups work in 180 communities across the country and make sure refugees have homes, furniture, clothes, English classes, job training, health care and help enrolling their children in school. They are now preparing key contacts in American communities to welcome Syrians.
I am inspired both by the resilience of refugees we resettle, and the compassion of those who help them. Resettlement cannot replace what refugees have lost or erase what they have endured. But it can renew hope and help restart lives. That can make all the difference.
Thank you.
REPORT SHOWS "DEFACTO" MINIMUM WAGE BELOW LEGAL FLOOR BEING PAID IN NY, CA,
FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
Study Finds Wage Violations in New York and California
A new report commissioned by the department shows that many workers are earning a de facto minimum wage below the legal floor, and that enforcement of wage regulations has a broad positive impact. Using U.S. Census Bureau and earnings data from New York and California, the study shows roughly 3 percent to 6 percent of all workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act experience minimum wage violations — translating to between $20 million and $29 million in lost weekly income, or 40 percent or more of their total weekly pay. The wage violations are driving 7,000 California families and 8,000 New York families below the poverty line. "The principle at stake, which is at the core of the president's workplace policy, is that workers should receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "To address the scale of this problem, we will redouble our enforcement efforts and partnerships to ensure workers take home the wages they have earned and deserve." Since 2009, the Wage and Hour Division has recovered more than $1 billion for more than 1.2 million workers. The division's administrator, Dr. David Weil, said that the prevalence of the minimum wage violations requires strategic enforcement. "We are shifting our resources toward proactive, directed investigations," he told those at the conference. That means focusing on industries where there is a high likelihood of wage violations, and where workers are uninformed of their rights or fearful of retaliation and don't file complaints, he said. Strategic enforcement, he said, is meant to cause "systemic change" and improve compliance levels.
Study Finds Wage Violations in New York and California
A new report commissioned by the department shows that many workers are earning a de facto minimum wage below the legal floor, and that enforcement of wage regulations has a broad positive impact. Using U.S. Census Bureau and earnings data from New York and California, the study shows roughly 3 percent to 6 percent of all workers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act experience minimum wage violations — translating to between $20 million and $29 million in lost weekly income, or 40 percent or more of their total weekly pay. The wage violations are driving 7,000 California families and 8,000 New York families below the poverty line. "The principle at stake, which is at the core of the president's workplace policy, is that workers should receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "To address the scale of this problem, we will redouble our enforcement efforts and partnerships to ensure workers take home the wages they have earned and deserve." Since 2009, the Wage and Hour Division has recovered more than $1 billion for more than 1.2 million workers. The division's administrator, Dr. David Weil, said that the prevalence of the minimum wage violations requires strategic enforcement. "We are shifting our resources toward proactive, directed investigations," he told those at the conference. That means focusing on industries where there is a high likelihood of wage violations, and where workers are uninformed of their rights or fearful of retaliation and don't file complaints, he said. Strategic enforcement, he said, is meant to cause "systemic change" and improve compliance levels.
GREENHOUSE GASES AND PREHISTORIC RAINS OVER AFRICA
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Increasing greenhouse gases linked to rains over Africa thousands of years ago
Past may be prologue for climate in Africa
An increase in greenhouse gas concentrations thousands of years ago was a key factor in higher amounts of rainfall in two major regions of Africa, scientists have discovered.
The finding provides new evidence that today's increase in greenhouse gases will have an important effect on Africa's future climate.
Results of the study, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., are published today in a paper in the journal Science.
"The future effect of greenhouse gases on rainfall in Africa is a critical socioeconomic issue," said NCAR climate scientist Bette Otto-Bliesner, the paper's lead author. "Africa's climate seems destined to change, with far-reaching implications for water resources and agriculture."
The research drew on advanced computer simulations and analyses of sediments and other records of past climate. It was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCAR's sponsor, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
Mysterious period of rain
Otto-Bliesner and colleagues set out to understand the reasons behind the dramatic climate shifts that took place in Africa thousands of years ago.
As ice sheets that had covered large parts of North America and northern Europe retreated from their maximum extent around 21,000 years ago, Africa's climate responded in a way that had puzzled scientists.
Following a long dry spell during the glacial maximum, the amount of rainfall in Africa abruptly increased, starting about 14,700 years ago and continuing until around 5,000 years ago.
So intense was the rainfall--turning desert into grassland and savanna--that scientists named the span the African Humid Period (AHP).
The puzzling part was why the same precipitation phenomenon occurred simultaneously in two well-separated regions, one north of the equator and one to the south.
Previous studies had suggested that, in northern Africa, the AHP was triggered by changes in Earth's orbit that resulted in more summertime heating. (Today the northern hemisphere is closest to the Sun in winter, due to a 20,000-year cycle of wobble in Earth's axis.)
But Otto-Bliesner said the orbital pattern alone would not explain the simultaneous onset of the AHP in southeastern equatorial Africa. Instead, the study revealed the role of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, along with changes in circulation patterns in the Atlantic Ocean.
As Earth emerged from the last Ice Age, greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide and methane, increased significantly--reaching almost pre-industrial levels by 11,000 years ago--for reasons that are not yet fully understood.
Most recent natural global warming and increased greenhouse gases
It was the most recent time during which natural global warming was associated with increases in greenhouse gas concentrations.
The influx of fresh water from melting ice sheets in North America and Scandinavia about 17,000 years ago began weakening a critical circulation pattern that transports heat and salinity in the Atlantic Ocean like a conveyer belt.
The weakened circulation had the effect of moving precipitation to southernmost Africa, suppressing rainfall in northern, equatorial and East Africa.
When the ice sheets stopped melting, the circulation became stronger again, bringing precipitation back north of the equator and to Southeast equatorial Africa.
That change, coupled with the orbital shift and the warming of the atmosphere and oceans by the increasing greenhouse gases, is what triggered the AHP, the scientists believe.
"This study is a step toward solving the puzzle of what triggered abrupt changes in rainfall over southeastern equatorial and northern Africa during early deglaciation," said Anjuli Bamzai, program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which funded the research.
"Through an analysis of proxy records and climate model simulations, the team demonstrated that the recovery of what's calledthe Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, played a role as an initial trigger to wetter conditions."
Putting together a puzzle
To piece together the puzzle, the researchers drew on fossil pollen, evidence of former lake levels and other proxy records indicating past moisture conditions.
They focused their work on northern Africa, which includes the present-day Sahel region encompassing Niger, Chad and northern Nigeria. They also focused on the largely forested area of today's eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and much of Tanzania and Kenya in southeastern equatorial Africa.
In addition to the proxy records, they simulated past climate with the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model, a powerful global climate model funded by NSF and the U.S. Department of Energy that uses supercomputers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
By comparing the proxy records with the computer simulations, the scientists demonstrated that the climate model had the AHP right.
This helps validate its role in predicting how rising greenhouse gas concentrations might change rainfall patterns in a highly populated and vulnerable part of the world.
"Normally climate simulations cover perhaps a century, or take a snapshot of past conditions," Otto-Bliesner said. "A study like this, dissecting why climate evolved as it did over this 10,000-year period, was more than I thought I would see in my career."
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF
Increasing greenhouse gases linked to rains over Africa thousands of years ago
Past may be prologue for climate in Africa
An increase in greenhouse gas concentrations thousands of years ago was a key factor in higher amounts of rainfall in two major regions of Africa, scientists have discovered.
The finding provides new evidence that today's increase in greenhouse gases will have an important effect on Africa's future climate.
Results of the study, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., are published today in a paper in the journal Science.
"The future effect of greenhouse gases on rainfall in Africa is a critical socioeconomic issue," said NCAR climate scientist Bette Otto-Bliesner, the paper's lead author. "Africa's climate seems destined to change, with far-reaching implications for water resources and agriculture."
The research drew on advanced computer simulations and analyses of sediments and other records of past climate. It was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCAR's sponsor, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
Mysterious period of rain
Otto-Bliesner and colleagues set out to understand the reasons behind the dramatic climate shifts that took place in Africa thousands of years ago.
As ice sheets that had covered large parts of North America and northern Europe retreated from their maximum extent around 21,000 years ago, Africa's climate responded in a way that had puzzled scientists.
Following a long dry spell during the glacial maximum, the amount of rainfall in Africa abruptly increased, starting about 14,700 years ago and continuing until around 5,000 years ago.
So intense was the rainfall--turning desert into grassland and savanna--that scientists named the span the African Humid Period (AHP).
The puzzling part was why the same precipitation phenomenon occurred simultaneously in two well-separated regions, one north of the equator and one to the south.
Previous studies had suggested that, in northern Africa, the AHP was triggered by changes in Earth's orbit that resulted in more summertime heating. (Today the northern hemisphere is closest to the Sun in winter, due to a 20,000-year cycle of wobble in Earth's axis.)
But Otto-Bliesner said the orbital pattern alone would not explain the simultaneous onset of the AHP in southeastern equatorial Africa. Instead, the study revealed the role of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, along with changes in circulation patterns in the Atlantic Ocean.
As Earth emerged from the last Ice Age, greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide and methane, increased significantly--reaching almost pre-industrial levels by 11,000 years ago--for reasons that are not yet fully understood.
Most recent natural global warming and increased greenhouse gases
It was the most recent time during which natural global warming was associated with increases in greenhouse gas concentrations.
The influx of fresh water from melting ice sheets in North America and Scandinavia about 17,000 years ago began weakening a critical circulation pattern that transports heat and salinity in the Atlantic Ocean like a conveyer belt.
The weakened circulation had the effect of moving precipitation to southernmost Africa, suppressing rainfall in northern, equatorial and East Africa.
When the ice sheets stopped melting, the circulation became stronger again, bringing precipitation back north of the equator and to Southeast equatorial Africa.
That change, coupled with the orbital shift and the warming of the atmosphere and oceans by the increasing greenhouse gases, is what triggered the AHP, the scientists believe.
"This study is a step toward solving the puzzle of what triggered abrupt changes in rainfall over southeastern equatorial and northern Africa during early deglaciation," said Anjuli Bamzai, program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which funded the research.
"Through an analysis of proxy records and climate model simulations, the team demonstrated that the recovery of what's calledthe Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, played a role as an initial trigger to wetter conditions."
Putting together a puzzle
To piece together the puzzle, the researchers drew on fossil pollen, evidence of former lake levels and other proxy records indicating past moisture conditions.
They focused their work on northern Africa, which includes the present-day Sahel region encompassing Niger, Chad and northern Nigeria. They also focused on the largely forested area of today's eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and much of Tanzania and Kenya in southeastern equatorial Africa.
In addition to the proxy records, they simulated past climate with the NCAR-based Community Climate System Model, a powerful global climate model funded by NSF and the U.S. Department of Energy that uses supercomputers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
By comparing the proxy records with the computer simulations, the scientists demonstrated that the climate model had the AHP right.
This helps validate its role in predicting how rising greenhouse gas concentrations might change rainfall patterns in a highly populated and vulnerable part of the world.
"Normally climate simulations cover perhaps a century, or take a snapshot of past conditions," Otto-Bliesner said. "A study like this, dissecting why climate evolved as it did over this 10,000-year period, was more than I thought I would see in my career."
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF
SECRETARY KERRY'S OP-ED ON LAND MINES
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Clear Land Mines off the Earth
Op-Ed
John Kerry
Secretary of State
USA Today
December 8, 2014
Earlier this year, a 10-year-old boy was collecting scrap metal in Bosnia when he stepped on a land mine, which killed him instantly. The mine was planted during a war of which the boy had no memory. Days later, a man met a similar fate only a few miles away. He had left home to gather firewood.
Land mines and other unexploded ordnance continue to endanger civilians in more than 60 countries. Decades after soldiers have laid down their weapons and leaders have made peace, these grim legacies of war kill and maim local populations.
For more than two decades, the United States has been at the forefront of international efforts to remove these deadly devices and to address the humanitarian effects that these weapons can have on civilian populations.
Today, I released the annual To Walk the Earth in Safety Report, which powerfully chronicles the progress we have made in clearing land mines from both battlefields and backyards.
Billions in U.S. Aid
Since 1993, the U.S. has provided more than $2.3 billion in assistance in over 90 countries for conventional weapons destruction programs. Thanks to strong bipartisan support in Congress, these funds provide the expertise and equipment to safely clear land mines and other unexploded ordnance. They also provide medication, rehabilitation and vocational training for those injured by these deadly weapons.
For example, we helped clear former minefields so that preschools might be built in Sri Lanka. In Vietnam, onetime battlegrounds have been transformed into busycommercial sectors. Children were once tethered to trees so they would not wander into killing fields in Angola. Today, large areas of the countryside have been made safe. And when flooding unearthed old mines in Serbia this year, the U.S. Quick Reaction Force deployed to contain the threat.
Our efforts to address the humanitarian impacts of land mines extend to our own weapons stockpiles.
In 1994, President Clinton pledged that we would work toward the eventual eliminationof antipersonnel land mines. President George W. Bush restricted the use of land mines to only those with self-destruct or self-deactivation features. In September, President Obama brought us one step closer to the goal of a world free from anti-personnel land mines when he announced that we will no longer use them outside of the unique circumstances of the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. Plans to end Use
That means the U.S. will no longer procure anti-personnel land mines, and we will begin destroying our anti-personnel land mine stockpiles not required for the defense of South Korea. And we will work to find ways that may ultimately allow us to accede to the Ottawa Convention — the international treaty that prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel land mines.
These steps reflect America's commitment to the global humanitarian movement. Just 15 years ago, land mines and other explosive remnants of war were killing and injuring nearly 10,000 men, women and children every year. In the most recent year for which data are available, that figure has dropped by over 60%.
Fifteen countries — from Honduras to Tunisia to Rwanda — are free from the impact of mines due to the efforts of the U.S. and our international partners in government and civil society.
But this work is far from finished. Too many of these armaments remain concealed, poised to maim anyone who takes a wrong step. Mines continue to be indiscriminately used by countries such as Syria and numerous non-state actors worldwide. Victim-activated, improvised explosive devices are routinely employed by terrorist groups.
In my travels, I have met the victims of land mines. In Southeast Asia, I watched small children propel themselves along on little wagons through the streets. In Africa, I watched men and women balancing food baskets as they navigated through crowded streets on makeshift crutches. In Bogota, I talked to soldiers and police officers wounded by mines left behind after Colombia's bloody conflict.
Their stories are heartbreaking. In less than a second, their lives were changed forever. Different countries, different stories, different times — but none of these victims was the enemy of anybody.
We can't heal their wounds. We can't give them back their lives or their limbs. But we can do more so that others will never suffer the same fate — and so that millions can walk the earth in safety.
Clear Land Mines off the Earth
Op-Ed
John Kerry
Secretary of State
USA Today
December 8, 2014
Earlier this year, a 10-year-old boy was collecting scrap metal in Bosnia when he stepped on a land mine, which killed him instantly. The mine was planted during a war of which the boy had no memory. Days later, a man met a similar fate only a few miles away. He had left home to gather firewood.
Land mines and other unexploded ordnance continue to endanger civilians in more than 60 countries. Decades after soldiers have laid down their weapons and leaders have made peace, these grim legacies of war kill and maim local populations.
For more than two decades, the United States has been at the forefront of international efforts to remove these deadly devices and to address the humanitarian effects that these weapons can have on civilian populations.
Today, I released the annual To Walk the Earth in Safety Report, which powerfully chronicles the progress we have made in clearing land mines from both battlefields and backyards.
Billions in U.S. Aid
Since 1993, the U.S. has provided more than $2.3 billion in assistance in over 90 countries for conventional weapons destruction programs. Thanks to strong bipartisan support in Congress, these funds provide the expertise and equipment to safely clear land mines and other unexploded ordnance. They also provide medication, rehabilitation and vocational training for those injured by these deadly weapons.
For example, we helped clear former minefields so that preschools might be built in Sri Lanka. In Vietnam, onetime battlegrounds have been transformed into busycommercial sectors. Children were once tethered to trees so they would not wander into killing fields in Angola. Today, large areas of the countryside have been made safe. And when flooding unearthed old mines in Serbia this year, the U.S. Quick Reaction Force deployed to contain the threat.
Our efforts to address the humanitarian impacts of land mines extend to our own weapons stockpiles.
In 1994, President Clinton pledged that we would work toward the eventual eliminationof antipersonnel land mines. President George W. Bush restricted the use of land mines to only those with self-destruct or self-deactivation features. In September, President Obama brought us one step closer to the goal of a world free from anti-personnel land mines when he announced that we will no longer use them outside of the unique circumstances of the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. Plans to end Use
That means the U.S. will no longer procure anti-personnel land mines, and we will begin destroying our anti-personnel land mine stockpiles not required for the defense of South Korea. And we will work to find ways that may ultimately allow us to accede to the Ottawa Convention — the international treaty that prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel land mines.
These steps reflect America's commitment to the global humanitarian movement. Just 15 years ago, land mines and other explosive remnants of war were killing and injuring nearly 10,000 men, women and children every year. In the most recent year for which data are available, that figure has dropped by over 60%.
Fifteen countries — from Honduras to Tunisia to Rwanda — are free from the impact of mines due to the efforts of the U.S. and our international partners in government and civil society.
But this work is far from finished. Too many of these armaments remain concealed, poised to maim anyone who takes a wrong step. Mines continue to be indiscriminately used by countries such as Syria and numerous non-state actors worldwide. Victim-activated, improvised explosive devices are routinely employed by terrorist groups.
In my travels, I have met the victims of land mines. In Southeast Asia, I watched small children propel themselves along on little wagons through the streets. In Africa, I watched men and women balancing food baskets as they navigated through crowded streets on makeshift crutches. In Bogota, I talked to soldiers and police officers wounded by mines left behind after Colombia's bloody conflict.
Their stories are heartbreaking. In less than a second, their lives were changed forever. Different countries, different stories, different times — but none of these victims was the enemy of anybody.
We can't heal their wounds. We can't give them back their lives or their limbs. But we can do more so that others will never suffer the same fate — and so that millions can walk the earth in safety.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY URGES NEW AUTHORIZATION FOR MILITARY FORCE AGAINST ISIL
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Corker and all of my former colleagues, it really is a pleasure for me to be back before the Foreign Relations Committee. During my time here, I think we got some things right and we certainly wound up wishing we’d done some things differently. But I think most of us would agree – and I saw it during both parties’ chairmanships, including the years that Senator Lugar and I were here – that this committee works best and makes the greatest contribution to our foreign policy and our country when it addresses the most important issues in a strong bipartisan fashion.
And this is one of those issues. The chairman and the ranking member have both said that. This is one of the moments when a bipartisan approach really is critical.
As you know, the President is committed to engaging with the committee and all of your colleagues in the House and Senate regarding a new authorization for use of military force – as we call it in short, the AUMF – specifically against the terrorist group known as ISIL, though in the region is it called Daesh, and specifically because they believe very deeply it is not a state and it does not represent Islam.
So we are looking for this authorization with respect to efforts against Daesh and affiliated groups, and I want to thank Chairman Menendez and the entire committee for leading the effort in Congress and for all of the important work that you have already done on this complicated and challenging issue. It is important that this committee lead the Congress and the country, and I think you know I believe that.
Now, I realize we may not get there overnight. I’ve heard the ranking member’s comments just now, and we understand the clock. We certainly won’t resolve everything and get there this afternoon, in the next few hours. But I do think this discussion is important, and I think we all agree that this discussion has to conclude with a bipartisan vote that makes clear that this is not one party’s fight against Daesh, but rather that it reflects our united determination to degrade and ultimately defeat Daesh. And the world needs to understand that from the United States Congress, above all.
Our coalition partners need to know that from all of you, and the men and women of our armed forces deserve to know it from all of you. And Daesh’s cadre of killers and rapists and bigots need to absolutely understand it clearly. That’s why this matters.
Now toward that end, we ask you now to work closely with us on a bipartisan basis to develop language that provides a clear signal of support for our ongoing military operations against Daesh. Our position on the text is really pretty straightforward. The authorization, or AUMF, should give the President the clear mandate and flexibility he needs to successfully prosecute the armed conflict against Daesh and affiliated forces, but the authorization should also be limited and specific to the threat posed by that group and by forces associated with it.
Now, I’ll come back to the question of the AUMF in a minute. But we believe that as we embark on this important discussion context matters. All of us want to see the United States succeed and all of us want to see Daesh defeated, so we’re united on that. And I want to bring the committee up to date on precisely where our campaign now stands.
Mr. Chairman, less than three months ago – perhaps two and a half months, a little more – have passed since the international community came together in a coalition, whose purpose is to degrade and defeat Daesh. Two and a half months ago, it didn’t exist – not it, Daesh, but the coalition – and the 60 countries that assembled recently in Brussels. We organized, and I had the privilege of chairing the first ministerial-level meeting of the coalition last week in Brussels.
We heard Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi describe to us the effort that his leadership team is making to bring Iraqis together, strengthen their security forces, take the fight to Daesh, and improve and reform governance. We also heard General John Allen, our special envoy to the coalition, review the progress that is being made in the five lines of coalition effort: to shrink the territory controlled by Daesh, to cut off its financing, to block its recruitment of foreign fighters, to expose the hypocrisy of its absurd religious claims, and to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of its violence.
During the meeting, I have to tell you, I was particularly impressed by the leadership activism, and quite frankly, the anger towards Daesh that is being displayed by Arab and Muslim states. Governments that do not always agree on other issues are coming together in opposition to this profoundly anti-Islamic terrorist organization.
And now, to be clear, ISIL continues to commit serious vicious crimes and it still controls more territory than al-Qaida ever did. It will be years, not months, before it is defeated. We know that. But our coalition is measurably already making a difference.
To date, we have launched more than 1,150 today air strikes against Daesh. These operations have reduced its leadership, undermined its propaganda, squeezed its resources, damaged its logistical and operational capabilities, and compelled it to disperse its forces and change its tactics. It is becoming clear that the combination of coalition airstrikes and local ground partners is a potent one. In fact, virtually every time a local Iraqi force has worked in coordination with our air cover they have not only defeated Daesh, they have routed it.
In Iraq, progress also continues in the political arena. And this is no less important, frankly. Last week, after years of intensive efforts, the government in Baghdad reached an interim accord with the Kurdistan Regional Government on hydrocarbon exports and revenue sharing. That has been long sought after, and it’s a big deal that they got it. It’s good for the country’s economy, but it’s even better for its unity and stability and for the imprint of the direction that they’re moving in.
In addition, a new defense minister is a Sunni, whose appointment was an important step towards a more inclusive government. And with his leadership and that of the new interior minister, the process of reforming the nation’s security forces has a genuine chance for success.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is taking bold steps to improve relations with his country’s neighbors. And those neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey, have been responding. Now, I want to underscore it’s too early to declare a new era in regional relations, but countries that had been drifting apart or even in conflict with each other are now in the process of coming together and breaking down the barriers that were created. And that is helpful to our coalition and it is bad news for Daesh.
Beating back the threat that Daesh poses to Iraq is job number one for our Iraqi partners and for our coalition. But even if the government in Baghdad fulfills its responsibilities, it is still going to face a dire challenge because of the events in Syria.
Now, if you recall, the coalition’s decision to carry out airstrikes in Syria came in response to a request from Iraq for help in defending against Daesh’s brazen attack. To date, we and our Arab partners have conducted over 500 airstrikes in Syria, targeting areas where Daesh had concentrated its fighters, targeting on command and control nodes, finance centers, training camps, and oil refineries. Our objective is to further degrade Daesh’s capabilities and to deny it the freedom of movement and resupply that it has previously enjoyed.
At the same time, we will continue to build up the capabilities of the moderate opposition. And here I want to thank the members of this committee and many others in Congress who have supported these efforts and supported them very strongly. Our goal is to help the moderate forces stabilize areas under their control, defend civilians, empower them to go on the offensive against Daesh, and promote the conditions for a negotiated political transition, recognizing, as I think almost every person has said, there is no military solution.
Now, Mr. Chairman, we all know that Daesh is a threat to America’s security and interests. It poses an unacceptable danger to our personnel and facilities in Iraq and elsewhere. It seeks to destroy both the short and long-term stability of the broader Middle East. And it is exacerbating a refugee crisis that has placed extraordinary economic and political burden on our friends and allies in the region.
One thing is certain: Daesh will continue to spread until or unless it is stopped. So there should be no question that we, with our partners, have a moral duty and a profound international security interest and national security interest in stopping them.
That is where the fight against Daesh now stands. A coalition that two and a half months ago did not even exist is now taking the fight to the enemy. It was cobbled together by strong American leadership and by steady, intensive diplomacy with countries that disagree on many things but all share an aversion to extremism. Now I think all of you would agree we need to summon that same determination to find the common ground here in Washington.
That is why in the hours, days, and weeks to come, we’re determined to work with you, first and foremost to develop an approach that can generate broad bipartisan support, while ensuring that the President has the flexibility to successfully prosecute this effort. That’s the balance.
What do we envision, specifically regarding an AUMF? Importantly – and I think I will lay out today a very clear set of principles that I hope will be instructive – we do not think an AUMF should include a geographic limitation. We don’t anticipate conducting operations in countries other than Iraq or Syria; but to the extent that ISIL poses a threat to American interests and personnel in other countries, we would not want an AUMF to constrain our ability to use appropriate force against ISIL in those locations if necessary. In our view, it would be a mistake to advertise to ISIL that there are safe havens for them outside of Iraq or Syria.
On the issue of combat operations, I know this is hotly debated, as it ought to be and as it is, with passionate and persuasive arguments on both sides. The President has been crystal-clear that his policy is that U.S. military forces will not be deployed to conduct ground combat operations against ISIL and that will be the responsibility of local forces, because that is what our local partners and allies want, that is what we learned works best in the context of our Iraq experience, that is what is best for preserving our coalition, and most importantly, it is in the best interest of the United States.
However, while we certainly believe that this is the soundest possible policy, and while the President has been clear he is open to clarifications on the use of U.S. combat troops to be outlined in an AUMF, it doesn’t mean we should preemptively bind the hands of the Commander-in-Chief or our commanders in the field in responding to scenarios and contingencies that are impossible to foresee.
And finally, with respect to duration, we can be sure that this confrontation is not going to be over quickly, as the President and I have said many times. We understand, however, the desire of many to avoid a completely open-ended authorization. And I note that Chairman Menendez has suggested that a three-year limitation should be put into an AUMF. We support that proposal, but we support it subject to a provision that we should work through together that provides for extension in the event that circumstances require it. And we think it ought to be advertised as such upfront.
To sum up, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I ask for your help in, above all, approving on a bipartisan basis – with the strongest vote possible, because everybody will read messages into that vote – an Authorization for Use of Military Force in connection with our campaign and that of our many partners in order to defeat a terrible, vicious, different kind of enemy.
Almost a quarter-century ago, when I here, then a 47-year-old senator with certainly a darker head of hair, President George H.W. Bush sent his Secretary of State James Baker to ask this committee for the authority to respond militarily to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The country was divided. Congress was divided. But this committee drafted an authorization and it passed the Congress with a majority that the New York Times described as “decisive and bipartisan.” And armed with that mandate, Secretary Baker built the coalition that won the First Gulf War.
Now, that was a different time and it was a different conflict and it called for a different response. But it was also this body – this committee and then the Senate – at its bipartisan best. And what we need from you today to strengthen and unify our own coalition is exactly that kind of cooperative effort. The world will be watching what we together are willing and able to do. And this is obviously not a partisan issue; it’s a leadership issue. It’s a test of our government’s ability and our nation’s ability to stand together. It’s a test of our generation’s resolve to build a safer and more secure world. And I know every single one of you wants to defeat ISIL. A bold, bipartisan mandate would strengthen our hand, and I hope that today you can move closer to that goal.
So thank you and I’m pleased to answer any questions.
Remarks Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Corker and all of my former colleagues, it really is a pleasure for me to be back before the Foreign Relations Committee. During my time here, I think we got some things right and we certainly wound up wishing we’d done some things differently. But I think most of us would agree – and I saw it during both parties’ chairmanships, including the years that Senator Lugar and I were here – that this committee works best and makes the greatest contribution to our foreign policy and our country when it addresses the most important issues in a strong bipartisan fashion.
And this is one of those issues. The chairman and the ranking member have both said that. This is one of the moments when a bipartisan approach really is critical.
As you know, the President is committed to engaging with the committee and all of your colleagues in the House and Senate regarding a new authorization for use of military force – as we call it in short, the AUMF – specifically against the terrorist group known as ISIL, though in the region is it called Daesh, and specifically because they believe very deeply it is not a state and it does not represent Islam.
So we are looking for this authorization with respect to efforts against Daesh and affiliated groups, and I want to thank Chairman Menendez and the entire committee for leading the effort in Congress and for all of the important work that you have already done on this complicated and challenging issue. It is important that this committee lead the Congress and the country, and I think you know I believe that.
Now, I realize we may not get there overnight. I’ve heard the ranking member’s comments just now, and we understand the clock. We certainly won’t resolve everything and get there this afternoon, in the next few hours. But I do think this discussion is important, and I think we all agree that this discussion has to conclude with a bipartisan vote that makes clear that this is not one party’s fight against Daesh, but rather that it reflects our united determination to degrade and ultimately defeat Daesh. And the world needs to understand that from the United States Congress, above all.
Our coalition partners need to know that from all of you, and the men and women of our armed forces deserve to know it from all of you. And Daesh’s cadre of killers and rapists and bigots need to absolutely understand it clearly. That’s why this matters.
Now toward that end, we ask you now to work closely with us on a bipartisan basis to develop language that provides a clear signal of support for our ongoing military operations against Daesh. Our position on the text is really pretty straightforward. The authorization, or AUMF, should give the President the clear mandate and flexibility he needs to successfully prosecute the armed conflict against Daesh and affiliated forces, but the authorization should also be limited and specific to the threat posed by that group and by forces associated with it.
Now, I’ll come back to the question of the AUMF in a minute. But we believe that as we embark on this important discussion context matters. All of us want to see the United States succeed and all of us want to see Daesh defeated, so we’re united on that. And I want to bring the committee up to date on precisely where our campaign now stands.
Mr. Chairman, less than three months ago – perhaps two and a half months, a little more – have passed since the international community came together in a coalition, whose purpose is to degrade and defeat Daesh. Two and a half months ago, it didn’t exist – not it, Daesh, but the coalition – and the 60 countries that assembled recently in Brussels. We organized, and I had the privilege of chairing the first ministerial-level meeting of the coalition last week in Brussels.
We heard Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi describe to us the effort that his leadership team is making to bring Iraqis together, strengthen their security forces, take the fight to Daesh, and improve and reform governance. We also heard General John Allen, our special envoy to the coalition, review the progress that is being made in the five lines of coalition effort: to shrink the territory controlled by Daesh, to cut off its financing, to block its recruitment of foreign fighters, to expose the hypocrisy of its absurd religious claims, and to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of its violence.
During the meeting, I have to tell you, I was particularly impressed by the leadership activism, and quite frankly, the anger towards Daesh that is being displayed by Arab and Muslim states. Governments that do not always agree on other issues are coming together in opposition to this profoundly anti-Islamic terrorist organization.
And now, to be clear, ISIL continues to commit serious vicious crimes and it still controls more territory than al-Qaida ever did. It will be years, not months, before it is defeated. We know that. But our coalition is measurably already making a difference.
To date, we have launched more than 1,150 today air strikes against Daesh. These operations have reduced its leadership, undermined its propaganda, squeezed its resources, damaged its logistical and operational capabilities, and compelled it to disperse its forces and change its tactics. It is becoming clear that the combination of coalition airstrikes and local ground partners is a potent one. In fact, virtually every time a local Iraqi force has worked in coordination with our air cover they have not only defeated Daesh, they have routed it.
In Iraq, progress also continues in the political arena. And this is no less important, frankly. Last week, after years of intensive efforts, the government in Baghdad reached an interim accord with the Kurdistan Regional Government on hydrocarbon exports and revenue sharing. That has been long sought after, and it’s a big deal that they got it. It’s good for the country’s economy, but it’s even better for its unity and stability and for the imprint of the direction that they’re moving in.
In addition, a new defense minister is a Sunni, whose appointment was an important step towards a more inclusive government. And with his leadership and that of the new interior minister, the process of reforming the nation’s security forces has a genuine chance for success.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is taking bold steps to improve relations with his country’s neighbors. And those neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey, have been responding. Now, I want to underscore it’s too early to declare a new era in regional relations, but countries that had been drifting apart or even in conflict with each other are now in the process of coming together and breaking down the barriers that were created. And that is helpful to our coalition and it is bad news for Daesh.
Beating back the threat that Daesh poses to Iraq is job number one for our Iraqi partners and for our coalition. But even if the government in Baghdad fulfills its responsibilities, it is still going to face a dire challenge because of the events in Syria.
Now, if you recall, the coalition’s decision to carry out airstrikes in Syria came in response to a request from Iraq for help in defending against Daesh’s brazen attack. To date, we and our Arab partners have conducted over 500 airstrikes in Syria, targeting areas where Daesh had concentrated its fighters, targeting on command and control nodes, finance centers, training camps, and oil refineries. Our objective is to further degrade Daesh’s capabilities and to deny it the freedom of movement and resupply that it has previously enjoyed.
At the same time, we will continue to build up the capabilities of the moderate opposition. And here I want to thank the members of this committee and many others in Congress who have supported these efforts and supported them very strongly. Our goal is to help the moderate forces stabilize areas under their control, defend civilians, empower them to go on the offensive against Daesh, and promote the conditions for a negotiated political transition, recognizing, as I think almost every person has said, there is no military solution.
Now, Mr. Chairman, we all know that Daesh is a threat to America’s security and interests. It poses an unacceptable danger to our personnel and facilities in Iraq and elsewhere. It seeks to destroy both the short and long-term stability of the broader Middle East. And it is exacerbating a refugee crisis that has placed extraordinary economic and political burden on our friends and allies in the region.
One thing is certain: Daesh will continue to spread until or unless it is stopped. So there should be no question that we, with our partners, have a moral duty and a profound international security interest and national security interest in stopping them.
That is where the fight against Daesh now stands. A coalition that two and a half months ago did not even exist is now taking the fight to the enemy. It was cobbled together by strong American leadership and by steady, intensive diplomacy with countries that disagree on many things but all share an aversion to extremism. Now I think all of you would agree we need to summon that same determination to find the common ground here in Washington.
That is why in the hours, days, and weeks to come, we’re determined to work with you, first and foremost to develop an approach that can generate broad bipartisan support, while ensuring that the President has the flexibility to successfully prosecute this effort. That’s the balance.
What do we envision, specifically regarding an AUMF? Importantly – and I think I will lay out today a very clear set of principles that I hope will be instructive – we do not think an AUMF should include a geographic limitation. We don’t anticipate conducting operations in countries other than Iraq or Syria; but to the extent that ISIL poses a threat to American interests and personnel in other countries, we would not want an AUMF to constrain our ability to use appropriate force against ISIL in those locations if necessary. In our view, it would be a mistake to advertise to ISIL that there are safe havens for them outside of Iraq or Syria.
On the issue of combat operations, I know this is hotly debated, as it ought to be and as it is, with passionate and persuasive arguments on both sides. The President has been crystal-clear that his policy is that U.S. military forces will not be deployed to conduct ground combat operations against ISIL and that will be the responsibility of local forces, because that is what our local partners and allies want, that is what we learned works best in the context of our Iraq experience, that is what is best for preserving our coalition, and most importantly, it is in the best interest of the United States.
However, while we certainly believe that this is the soundest possible policy, and while the President has been clear he is open to clarifications on the use of U.S. combat troops to be outlined in an AUMF, it doesn’t mean we should preemptively bind the hands of the Commander-in-Chief or our commanders in the field in responding to scenarios and contingencies that are impossible to foresee.
And finally, with respect to duration, we can be sure that this confrontation is not going to be over quickly, as the President and I have said many times. We understand, however, the desire of many to avoid a completely open-ended authorization. And I note that Chairman Menendez has suggested that a three-year limitation should be put into an AUMF. We support that proposal, but we support it subject to a provision that we should work through together that provides for extension in the event that circumstances require it. And we think it ought to be advertised as such upfront.
To sum up, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I ask for your help in, above all, approving on a bipartisan basis – with the strongest vote possible, because everybody will read messages into that vote – an Authorization for Use of Military Force in connection with our campaign and that of our many partners in order to defeat a terrible, vicious, different kind of enemy.
Almost a quarter-century ago, when I here, then a 47-year-old senator with certainly a darker head of hair, President George H.W. Bush sent his Secretary of State James Baker to ask this committee for the authority to respond militarily to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The country was divided. Congress was divided. But this committee drafted an authorization and it passed the Congress with a majority that the New York Times described as “decisive and bipartisan.” And armed with that mandate, Secretary Baker built the coalition that won the First Gulf War.
Now, that was a different time and it was a different conflict and it called for a different response. But it was also this body – this committee and then the Senate – at its bipartisan best. And what we need from you today to strengthen and unify our own coalition is exactly that kind of cooperative effort. The world will be watching what we together are willing and able to do. And this is obviously not a partisan issue; it’s a leadership issue. It’s a test of our government’s ability and our nation’s ability to stand together. It’s a test of our generation’s resolve to build a safer and more secure world. And I know every single one of you wants to defeat ISIL. A bold, bipartisan mandate would strengthen our hand, and I hope that today you can move closer to that goal.
So thank you and I’m pleased to answer any questions.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS ON KOSOVO GOVERNMENT FORMATION
FROM; U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Government Formation in Kosovo
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
We congratulate Kosovo on the constitution of its Assembly and formation of its government -- the first democratic transition of political authority resulting from free and fair elections in all of Kosovo’s territory. This coalition government, and the process that led to its formation, demonstrate the resilience and vitality of Kosovo’s democratic and political institutions.
We applaud President Jahjaga for her steadfast leadership to ensure that this transition occurred in accordance with Kosovo’s laws and constitution. We also congratulate Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and look forward to working closely with him and his new cabinet as they confront the many challenges that face Kosovo and the region.
The United States will continue to support Kosovo’s efforts to meet these challenges, including the Dialogue with Serbia on normalization of relations and Kosovo’s commitment to establish a Special Court to handle allegations investigated by the Special Investigative Task Force. We expect the government to work inclusively to support all of Kosovo’s communities, and to seriously address the issue of corruption.
We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with Kosovo on a common agenda that advances Kosovo’s political and economic development and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Government Formation in Kosovo
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
We congratulate Kosovo on the constitution of its Assembly and formation of its government -- the first democratic transition of political authority resulting from free and fair elections in all of Kosovo’s territory. This coalition government, and the process that led to its formation, demonstrate the resilience and vitality of Kosovo’s democratic and political institutions.
We applaud President Jahjaga for her steadfast leadership to ensure that this transition occurred in accordance with Kosovo’s laws and constitution. We also congratulate Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and look forward to working closely with him and his new cabinet as they confront the many challenges that face Kosovo and the region.
The United States will continue to support Kosovo’s efforts to meet these challenges, including the Dialogue with Serbia on normalization of relations and Kosovo’s commitment to establish a Special Court to handle allegations investigated by the Special Investigative Task Force. We expect the government to work inclusively to support all of Kosovo’s communities, and to seriously address the issue of corruption.
We look forward to continuing our close cooperation with Kosovo on a common agenda that advances Kosovo’s political and economic development and Euro-Atlantic integration.
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE REGARDING CIA TORTURE
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
December 09, 2014
Statement by the President Report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Throughout our history, the United States of America has done more than any other nation to stand up for freedom, democracy, and the inherent dignity and human rights of people around the world. As Americans, we owe a profound debt of gratitude to our fellow citizens who serve to keep us safe, among them the dedicated men and women of our intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency. Since the horrific attacks of 9/11, these public servants have worked tirelessly to devastate core al Qaeda, deliver justice to Osama bin Laden, disrupt terrorist operations and thwart terrorist attacks. Solemn rows of stars on the Memorial Wall at the CIA honor those who have given their lives to protect ours. Our intelligence professionals are patriots, and we are safer because of their heroic service and sacrifices.
In the years after 9/11, with legitimate fears of further attacks and with the responsibility to prevent more catastrophic loss of life, the previous administration faced agonizing choices about how to pursue al Qaeda and prevent additional terrorist attacks against our country. As I have said before, our nation did many things right in those difficult years. At the same time, some of the actions that were taken were contrary to our values. That is why I unequivocally banned torture when I took office, because one of our most effective tools in fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe is staying true to our ideals at home and abroad.
Today’s report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence details one element of our nation’s response to 9/11—the CIA’s detention and interrogation program, which I formally ended on one of my first days in office. The report documents a troubling program involving enhanced interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects in secret facilities outside the United States, and it reinforces my long-held view that these harsh methods were not only inconsistent with our values as nation, they did not serve our broader counterterrorism efforts or our national security interests. Moreover, these techniques did significant damage to America’s standing in the world and made it harder to pursue our interests with allies and partners. That is why I will continue to use my authority as President to make sure we never resort to those methods again.
As Commander in Chief, I have no greater responsibility than the safety and security of the American people. We will therefore continue to be relentless in our fight against al Qaeda, its affiliates and other violent extremists. We will rely on all elements of our national power, including the power and example of our founding ideals. That is why I have consistently supported the declassification of today’s report. No nation is perfect. But one of the strengths that makes America exceptional is our willingness to openly confront our past, face our imperfections, make changes and do better. Rather than another reason to refight old arguments, I hope that today’s report can help us leave these techniques where they belong—in the past. Today is also a reminder that upholding the values we profess doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us stronger and that the United States of America will remain the greatest force for freedom and human dignity that the world has ever known.
December 09, 2014
Statement by the President Report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Throughout our history, the United States of America has done more than any other nation to stand up for freedom, democracy, and the inherent dignity and human rights of people around the world. As Americans, we owe a profound debt of gratitude to our fellow citizens who serve to keep us safe, among them the dedicated men and women of our intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency. Since the horrific attacks of 9/11, these public servants have worked tirelessly to devastate core al Qaeda, deliver justice to Osama bin Laden, disrupt terrorist operations and thwart terrorist attacks. Solemn rows of stars on the Memorial Wall at the CIA honor those who have given their lives to protect ours. Our intelligence professionals are patriots, and we are safer because of their heroic service and sacrifices.
In the years after 9/11, with legitimate fears of further attacks and with the responsibility to prevent more catastrophic loss of life, the previous administration faced agonizing choices about how to pursue al Qaeda and prevent additional terrorist attacks against our country. As I have said before, our nation did many things right in those difficult years. At the same time, some of the actions that were taken were contrary to our values. That is why I unequivocally banned torture when I took office, because one of our most effective tools in fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe is staying true to our ideals at home and abroad.
Today’s report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence details one element of our nation’s response to 9/11—the CIA’s detention and interrogation program, which I formally ended on one of my first days in office. The report documents a troubling program involving enhanced interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects in secret facilities outside the United States, and it reinforces my long-held view that these harsh methods were not only inconsistent with our values as nation, they did not serve our broader counterterrorism efforts or our national security interests. Moreover, these techniques did significant damage to America’s standing in the world and made it harder to pursue our interests with allies and partners. That is why I will continue to use my authority as President to make sure we never resort to those methods again.
As Commander in Chief, I have no greater responsibility than the safety and security of the American people. We will therefore continue to be relentless in our fight against al Qaeda, its affiliates and other violent extremists. We will rely on all elements of our national power, including the power and example of our founding ideals. That is why I have consistently supported the declassification of today’s report. No nation is perfect. But one of the strengths that makes America exceptional is our willingness to openly confront our past, face our imperfections, make changes and do better. Rather than another reason to refight old arguments, I hope that today’s report can help us leave these techniques where they belong—in the past. Today is also a reminder that upholding the values we profess doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us stronger and that the United States of America will remain the greatest force for freedom and human dignity that the world has ever known.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS ON INTERNATIONAL ANTICORRUPTION DAY
FROM: THE STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Welcomes International Anticorruption Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
On this day, International Anticorruption Day, the United States reiterates its commitment to working with its partners to combat the scourge of corruption. The moral and practical costs of corruption are no longer debatable. Corruption drives instability, popular protests, and revolutions. In some cases, these popular movements produce democratic reform, but in other cases they produce a power vacuum or an authoritarian backlash. Frustration with corruption can also drive insurgency movements and be exploited by terrorist groups to gain popular support. And the proceeds of corruption – which are often sheltered in banks or shell corporations in Western Europe and the United States – enable terrorist financing and sustain unaccountable regimes. Put simply, corruption endangers U.S. national security.
That is why the United States is using a variety of tools, including bilateral diplomacy, multilateral engagement, enforcement, and capacity building assistance, to advance our anticorruption agenda. Through initiatives such as the Ukraine and Arab Forums on Asset Recovery, we help build capacity to ensure motivated governments have the ability, and in some cases, the resources to effectively combat corruption.
Beyond providing technical assistance, we also work to generate the political will to respond to corruption by creating trade incentives for reform, celebrating good performers in venues like the Open Government Partnership, and supporting citizen organizations, journalists, and prosecutors holding public officials accountable. We will also continue to lead by example, including through U.S. enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, cooperation on asset recovery, use of our visa authorities, and our work to enhance open government domestically.
The broad subscription to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) by 174 governments, as well as wide adherence to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials, create a shared road map for reform and reflect the firmly established principle that corruption is no longer permissible.
Today, we call on partners in government, civil society, and the private sector, to join us in fighting corruption. We also call on countries undergoing democratic transition to redouble their efforts to build governments that are accountable to citizens and respect the rule of law. Advanced economies, like the United States, should continue to guard against our financial systems becoming havens for the proceeds of corruption, and to ensure that our companies do not pay bribes overseas. And today, we renew our notice to kleptocrats around the world: continued theft from your communities will not be tolerated and the international community is committed to denying safe haven to you and your illicit assets.
U.S. Welcomes International Anticorruption Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
On this day, International Anticorruption Day, the United States reiterates its commitment to working with its partners to combat the scourge of corruption. The moral and practical costs of corruption are no longer debatable. Corruption drives instability, popular protests, and revolutions. In some cases, these popular movements produce democratic reform, but in other cases they produce a power vacuum or an authoritarian backlash. Frustration with corruption can also drive insurgency movements and be exploited by terrorist groups to gain popular support. And the proceeds of corruption – which are often sheltered in banks or shell corporations in Western Europe and the United States – enable terrorist financing and sustain unaccountable regimes. Put simply, corruption endangers U.S. national security.
That is why the United States is using a variety of tools, including bilateral diplomacy, multilateral engagement, enforcement, and capacity building assistance, to advance our anticorruption agenda. Through initiatives such as the Ukraine and Arab Forums on Asset Recovery, we help build capacity to ensure motivated governments have the ability, and in some cases, the resources to effectively combat corruption.
Beyond providing technical assistance, we also work to generate the political will to respond to corruption by creating trade incentives for reform, celebrating good performers in venues like the Open Government Partnership, and supporting citizen organizations, journalists, and prosecutors holding public officials accountable. We will also continue to lead by example, including through U.S. enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, cooperation on asset recovery, use of our visa authorities, and our work to enhance open government domestically.
The broad subscription to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) by 174 governments, as well as wide adherence to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials, create a shared road map for reform and reflect the firmly established principle that corruption is no longer permissible.
Today, we call on partners in government, civil society, and the private sector, to join us in fighting corruption. We also call on countries undergoing democratic transition to redouble their efforts to build governments that are accountable to citizens and respect the rule of law. Advanced economies, like the United States, should continue to guard against our financial systems becoming havens for the proceeds of corruption, and to ensure that our companies do not pay bribes overseas. And today, we renew our notice to kleptocrats around the world: continued theft from your communities will not be tolerated and the international community is committed to denying safe haven to you and your illicit assets.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REACTION TO SENATE REPORT ON TORTURE
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Release of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
Release of this report affirms again that one of America's strengths is our democratic system’s ability to recognize and wrestle with our own history, acknowledge mistakes, and correct course. This marks a coda to a chapter in our history. President Obama turned the page on these policies when he took office and during week one banned the use of torture and closed the detention and interrogation program. It was right to end these practices for a simple but powerful reason: they were at odds with our values. They are not who we are, and they're not who or what we had to become, because the most powerful country on earth doesn't have to choose between protecting our security and promoting our values.
Now this report sheds light on this period that's more than five years behind us, so we can discuss and debate our history – and then look again to the future.
As that debate is joined, I want to underscore that while it's uncomfortable and unpleasant to reexamine this period, it's important that this period not define the intelligence community in anyone's minds. Every single day, the State Department and our diplomats and their families are safer because of the men and women of the CIA and the Intelligence Community. They sign up to serve their country the same way our diplomats and our military do. They risk their lives to keep us safe and strengthen America's foreign policy and national security. The awful facts of this report do not represent who they are, period. That context is also important to how we understand history.
Release of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Report
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
Release of this report affirms again that one of America's strengths is our democratic system’s ability to recognize and wrestle with our own history, acknowledge mistakes, and correct course. This marks a coda to a chapter in our history. President Obama turned the page on these policies when he took office and during week one banned the use of torture and closed the detention and interrogation program. It was right to end these practices for a simple but powerful reason: they were at odds with our values. They are not who we are, and they're not who or what we had to become, because the most powerful country on earth doesn't have to choose between protecting our security and promoting our values.
Now this report sheds light on this period that's more than five years behind us, so we can discuss and debate our history – and then look again to the future.
As that debate is joined, I want to underscore that while it's uncomfortable and unpleasant to reexamine this period, it's important that this period not define the intelligence community in anyone's minds. Every single day, the State Department and our diplomats and their families are safer because of the men and women of the CIA and the Intelligence Community. They sign up to serve their country the same way our diplomats and our military do. They risk their lives to keep us safe and strengthen America's foreign policy and national security. The awful facts of this report do not represent who they are, period. That context is also important to how we understand history.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY: I’m very, very happy to welcome the newly appointed Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. We have already met in a couple of places thus far. We had a chance to talk and get to know each other.
But I want to thank him and thank Italy for the tremendous partnership that we have on so many different issues. Italy is right there, working hand in hand, helping not the United States but global aspirations and values that we all share – in Afghanistan, fighting Ebola, helping to stand up and deal with the problem of Ukraine and the work we’ve been doing to stay united and to try to respect the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Ukraine.
On Libya, Italy has helped us enormously by acting as our protectorate; in other words, representing us without our embassy there at this time. And we’re grateful for the Italian connection and understanding of Libya and the important contribution they can make to resolving this conflict.
So everywhere you turn on the conflicts of today, including the Middle East peace process, we have a partnership. We are moving in the same direction, and that is the best way to be able to solve some very, very difficult problems. So Paolo, I welcome you.
And my pleasure, by the way, to offer you – I have a little gift here. We have the Milan Expo coming up this year, and we just appointed our commissioner to the Milan Expo. And the theme of the Milan Expo for this year, with maybe 20 million visitors or more, and many, many people taking part through the internet, is food security, global food security in an age of insecurity. And just to make sure that the Italian foreign minister is able to do his part, I have a very special apron for you to wear as you do your own food preparation.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: I’ll do it.
SECRETARY KERRY: I know. Yeah, I’m sure you will. (Laughter.) Anyway, very, very happy to have you here. Welcome. We’re delighted to have you. Thanks, Paolo.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: Thank you very much, John. Well, thanks, first of all, for your support and American participation to the Milan 2015 Expo, which is dedicated, as you said, to feeding the planet. It will be a global and also very Italian event, and I think it will be a very important thing. Our meetings we confirm the excellent relations between Italy and U.S. in all fields, I should say – economy, culture, and obviously on political and security issues.
I think that these good relations – these excellent relations are very important now that we are facing new challenges as an alliance, especially in Europe, both in our eastern and in our southern borders. And so we need to strengthen even more this cooperation. We will do that, and I’m convinced that the Italian-American friendship will continue to promote peace, democracy, and the human rights. So thank you very much, John.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Paolo.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: (In Italian). Grazie.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: Grazie.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you all very much. Thank you.
Remarks With Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni Before Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
December 9, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY: I’m very, very happy to welcome the newly appointed Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. We have already met in a couple of places thus far. We had a chance to talk and get to know each other.
But I want to thank him and thank Italy for the tremendous partnership that we have on so many different issues. Italy is right there, working hand in hand, helping not the United States but global aspirations and values that we all share – in Afghanistan, fighting Ebola, helping to stand up and deal with the problem of Ukraine and the work we’ve been doing to stay united and to try to respect the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Ukraine.
On Libya, Italy has helped us enormously by acting as our protectorate; in other words, representing us without our embassy there at this time. And we’re grateful for the Italian connection and understanding of Libya and the important contribution they can make to resolving this conflict.
So everywhere you turn on the conflicts of today, including the Middle East peace process, we have a partnership. We are moving in the same direction, and that is the best way to be able to solve some very, very difficult problems. So Paolo, I welcome you.
And my pleasure, by the way, to offer you – I have a little gift here. We have the Milan Expo coming up this year, and we just appointed our commissioner to the Milan Expo. And the theme of the Milan Expo for this year, with maybe 20 million visitors or more, and many, many people taking part through the internet, is food security, global food security in an age of insecurity. And just to make sure that the Italian foreign minister is able to do his part, I have a very special apron for you to wear as you do your own food preparation.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: I’ll do it.
SECRETARY KERRY: I know. Yeah, I’m sure you will. (Laughter.) Anyway, very, very happy to have you here. Welcome. We’re delighted to have you. Thanks, Paolo.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: Thank you very much, John. Well, thanks, first of all, for your support and American participation to the Milan 2015 Expo, which is dedicated, as you said, to feeding the planet. It will be a global and also very Italian event, and I think it will be a very important thing. Our meetings we confirm the excellent relations between Italy and U.S. in all fields, I should say – economy, culture, and obviously on political and security issues.
I think that these good relations – these excellent relations are very important now that we are facing new challenges as an alliance, especially in Europe, both in our eastern and in our southern borders. And so we need to strengthen even more this cooperation. We will do that, and I’m convinced that the Italian-American friendship will continue to promote peace, democracy, and the human rights. So thank you very much, John.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Paolo.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: (In Italian). Grazie.
FOREIGN MINISTER GENTILONI: Grazie.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you all very much. Thank you.
A.G. HOLDER ANNOUNCES STRICTER POLICIES REGARDING PROFILING
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Monday, December 8, 2014
Attorney General Holder Announces Federal Law Enforcement Agencies To Adopt Stricter Policies To Curb Profiling
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Justice Department will take new steps to bar profiling by federal law enforcement agencies, building upon a 2003 policy that had previously only addressed the consideration of race and ethnicity in conducting federal investigations. The new policy will address the use of other characteristics as well—including national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, and sexual orientation—and applies a uniform standard to all law enforcement, national security, and intelligence activities conducted by the Department’s law enforcement components. The new guidance also applies to state and local law enforcement law officers who participate in federal law enforcement task forces.
The issuance of the new policy completes a thorough review first launched by the Attorney General shortly after taking office, and reaffirms the federal government’s deep commitment to ensuring that its law enforcement agencies conduct their activities in an unbiased manner.
In announcing the new policy, the Attorney General said that biased law enforcement practices not only perpetuate negative stereotypes and promote mistrust of law enforcement, but also are counterproductive to the goal of good policing.
“As Attorney General, I have repeatedly made clear that racial profiling by law enforcement is not only wrong, it is misguided and ineffective – because it can mistakenly focus investigative efforts, waste precious resources and, ultimately, undermine the public trust. Particularly in light of recent incidents we’ve seen at the local level – and the concerns about trust in the criminal justice process which so many have raised throughout the nation – it’s imperative that we take every possible action to institute sound, fair and strong policing practices.”
The Attorney General added: “With this new Guidance, we take a major and important step forward to ensure effective policing by federal law enforcement officials – as well as state and local law enforcement participating in federal task forces throughout the nation. This Guidance is the product of five years of scrupulous review. It codifies important new protections for those who come into contact with federal law enforcement agents and their partners. And it brings enhanced training, oversight, and accountability to federal law enforcement across the country, so that isolated acts do not tarnish the exemplary work that’s performed by the overwhelming majority of America’s hard-working law enforcement officials each and every day."
The new policy, which is spelled out in a memorandum circulated Monday, instructs that, in making routine or spontaneous law enforcement decisions, officers may not use race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity to any degree, unless listed characteristics apply to a suspect description. Under the policy, federal law enforcement officers will be prohibited from acting on the belief that possession of a listed characteristic by itself signals a higher risk of criminality.
In all activities other than routine or spontaneous law enforcement, officers may consider the listed personal characteristics only to the extent there is trustworthy information, relevant to the locality or timeframe, that links individuals with a listed characteristic to a particular criminal incident, criminal scheme, organization, a threat to national or homeland security, a violation of federal immigration law or an authorized intelligence activity. In relying on any of the listed characteristics, an officer must also reasonably believe that the activity to be undertaken is merited under the totality of the circumstances.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Attorney General Holder Announces Federal Law Enforcement Agencies To Adopt Stricter Policies To Curb Profiling
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Justice Department will take new steps to bar profiling by federal law enforcement agencies, building upon a 2003 policy that had previously only addressed the consideration of race and ethnicity in conducting federal investigations. The new policy will address the use of other characteristics as well—including national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, and sexual orientation—and applies a uniform standard to all law enforcement, national security, and intelligence activities conducted by the Department’s law enforcement components. The new guidance also applies to state and local law enforcement law officers who participate in federal law enforcement task forces.
The issuance of the new policy completes a thorough review first launched by the Attorney General shortly after taking office, and reaffirms the federal government’s deep commitment to ensuring that its law enforcement agencies conduct their activities in an unbiased manner.
In announcing the new policy, the Attorney General said that biased law enforcement practices not only perpetuate negative stereotypes and promote mistrust of law enforcement, but also are counterproductive to the goal of good policing.
“As Attorney General, I have repeatedly made clear that racial profiling by law enforcement is not only wrong, it is misguided and ineffective – because it can mistakenly focus investigative efforts, waste precious resources and, ultimately, undermine the public trust. Particularly in light of recent incidents we’ve seen at the local level – and the concerns about trust in the criminal justice process which so many have raised throughout the nation – it’s imperative that we take every possible action to institute sound, fair and strong policing practices.”
The Attorney General added: “With this new Guidance, we take a major and important step forward to ensure effective policing by federal law enforcement officials – as well as state and local law enforcement participating in federal task forces throughout the nation. This Guidance is the product of five years of scrupulous review. It codifies important new protections for those who come into contact with federal law enforcement agents and their partners. And it brings enhanced training, oversight, and accountability to federal law enforcement across the country, so that isolated acts do not tarnish the exemplary work that’s performed by the overwhelming majority of America’s hard-working law enforcement officials each and every day."
The new policy, which is spelled out in a memorandum circulated Monday, instructs that, in making routine or spontaneous law enforcement decisions, officers may not use race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity to any degree, unless listed characteristics apply to a suspect description. Under the policy, federal law enforcement officers will be prohibited from acting on the belief that possession of a listed characteristic by itself signals a higher risk of criminality.
In all activities other than routine or spontaneous law enforcement, officers may consider the listed personal characteristics only to the extent there is trustworthy information, relevant to the locality or timeframe, that links individuals with a listed characteristic to a particular criminal incident, criminal scheme, organization, a threat to national or homeland security, a violation of federal immigration law or an authorized intelligence activity. In relying on any of the listed characteristics, an officer must also reasonably believe that the activity to be undertaken is merited under the totality of the circumstances.
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK, VIRGINIA SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER WILL WORK TO INCREASE EXPORTS
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank Joins with Virginia Small Business Development Center to Boost Local U.S. Exports
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has joined forces with the Virginia Small Business Development Center/George Mason University to assist local businesses to boost their export sales and add quality American jobs as part of Ex-Im Bank's City/State Program.
The City/State Program helps ensure that Ex-Im Bank's export finance products are more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses by way of local, state, and regional economic development and business support organizations. Each City/State Program member pledges to make financing assistance and entrepreneurial services available to local businesses in order to create, promote, and expand exports from their area. Ex-Im Bank provides members with free marketing and training materials, qualified finance experts to speak at members’ local events, assistance with outreach and counseling, and access to a network of lenders, insurance brokers, and U.S. Government export resources.
The program is expected to accelerate export business and job growth by connecting Bank products and services to a statewide network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs).
“Ex-Im Bank can offer Virginia businesses that want to grow their exports numerous tools and resources,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “In FY 2014 alone, Ex-Im Bank supported $306.2 million in Virginia small business exports, and we would like to increase the amount in the coming year.”
“The Virginia SBDC Network is very pleased to be in the City/State program,” said Jody Keenan, State Director for the Virginia SBDC Network. “The SBDC helps companies overcome barriers to exporting, and Ex-Im Bank resources and expertise are important financial solutions to bring to our clients.”
Small business exporters can learn more about how Ex-Im Bank products can empower them to increase foreign sales visiting exim.gov/smallbusiness.
Ex-Im Bank Joins with Virginia Small Business Development Center to Boost Local U.S. Exports
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has joined forces with the Virginia Small Business Development Center/George Mason University to assist local businesses to boost their export sales and add quality American jobs as part of Ex-Im Bank's City/State Program.
The City/State Program helps ensure that Ex-Im Bank's export finance products are more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses by way of local, state, and regional economic development and business support organizations. Each City/State Program member pledges to make financing assistance and entrepreneurial services available to local businesses in order to create, promote, and expand exports from their area. Ex-Im Bank provides members with free marketing and training materials, qualified finance experts to speak at members’ local events, assistance with outreach and counseling, and access to a network of lenders, insurance brokers, and U.S. Government export resources.
The program is expected to accelerate export business and job growth by connecting Bank products and services to a statewide network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs).
“Ex-Im Bank can offer Virginia businesses that want to grow their exports numerous tools and resources,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “In FY 2014 alone, Ex-Im Bank supported $306.2 million in Virginia small business exports, and we would like to increase the amount in the coming year.”
“The Virginia SBDC Network is very pleased to be in the City/State program,” said Jody Keenan, State Director for the Virginia SBDC Network. “The SBDC helps companies overcome barriers to exporting, and Ex-Im Bank resources and expertise are important financial solutions to bring to our clients.”
Small business exporters can learn more about how Ex-Im Bank products can empower them to increase foreign sales visiting exim.gov/smallbusiness.
U.S.-FRANCE MAKE AGREEMENT ON COMPENSATION FOR CERTAIN HOLOCAUST-RELATED VICTIMS
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S.-France Agreement on Compensation for Certain Victims of Holocaust-Related Deportation from France Who Are Not Covered by French Programs
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 5, 2014
The United States and France have reached an agreement for substantial compensation in connection with the wrongs suffered by Holocaust victims deported from France. The United States and France plan to sign the agreement Monday, December 8th. The centerpiece of the agreement is a $60 million lump sum payment by France to the United States, to pay out to eligible claimants. France recognizes that Americans and other foreigners deported during the Holocaust have not been able to gain access to the French pension program, and has agreed to compensate them through this agreement. In exchange for the lump sum, the U.S. Government would undertake an international obligation to recognize and affirmatively protect the immunity of France and its instrumentalities with regard to Holocaust deportation claims in the United States, and to act as necessary to ensure an enduring legal peace.
The agreement is expected to result in payments to several thousand U.S. citizens and others around the world. The U.S. Government will be solely responsible for distributing the funds among eligible claimants. There are three categories of claimants.
First, those who survived deportation from France and are nationals of a country other than France (with the exception of those from countries covered by bilateral agreements with France: Belgium, Poland, the United Kingdom, and former Czechoslovakia) will be eligible to apply. It is estimated that each of these eligible survivors would receive a payment of over one hundred thousand dollars.
Second, spouses of those who were deported from France and are nationals of a country other than France (or one of the four countries mentioned above) will be eligible to apply. It is estimated that each spouse would receive a payment of tens of thousands of dollars.
Third, estates “standing in the shoes” of survivors or spouses who died after the end of World War II would be eligible to apply for compensation on their behalf. These estates would need to show that the deported survivor or the surviving spouse was a national of a country other than France (or one of the four countries mentioned above). The amount of payments to the estates of survivors and spouses would depend upon the year when the survivor or spouse died.
The French Parliament must approve the agreement before it enters into force, and before any payments can be made. Following entry into force, the United States will publish a notice of the program, including the information needed for the filing of claims. Claimants will then be afforded an adequate period of time to file their claims through a fair and streamlined procedure.
French citizens, who are not covered by this agreement, may continue to apply under the French pension program, even if they have never applied before, or applied and were turned down. Moreover, all individuals who were minors at the time of the deportation and lost a parent who was deported and died during the Holocaust are eligible for a pension or lump sum payment through a French program created for such orphans of any nationality. France has already paid over $60 million to over 1,000 eligible orphans in the United States, and additional amounts to orphans from Israel and other countries. Others who lost one or both parents may apply.
U.S.-France Agreement on Compensation for Certain Victims of Holocaust-Related Deportation from France Who Are Not Covered by French Programs
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 5, 2014
The United States and France have reached an agreement for substantial compensation in connection with the wrongs suffered by Holocaust victims deported from France. The United States and France plan to sign the agreement Monday, December 8th. The centerpiece of the agreement is a $60 million lump sum payment by France to the United States, to pay out to eligible claimants. France recognizes that Americans and other foreigners deported during the Holocaust have not been able to gain access to the French pension program, and has agreed to compensate them through this agreement. In exchange for the lump sum, the U.S. Government would undertake an international obligation to recognize and affirmatively protect the immunity of France and its instrumentalities with regard to Holocaust deportation claims in the United States, and to act as necessary to ensure an enduring legal peace.
The agreement is expected to result in payments to several thousand U.S. citizens and others around the world. The U.S. Government will be solely responsible for distributing the funds among eligible claimants. There are three categories of claimants.
First, those who survived deportation from France and are nationals of a country other than France (with the exception of those from countries covered by bilateral agreements with France: Belgium, Poland, the United Kingdom, and former Czechoslovakia) will be eligible to apply. It is estimated that each of these eligible survivors would receive a payment of over one hundred thousand dollars.
Second, spouses of those who were deported from France and are nationals of a country other than France (or one of the four countries mentioned above) will be eligible to apply. It is estimated that each spouse would receive a payment of tens of thousands of dollars.
Third, estates “standing in the shoes” of survivors or spouses who died after the end of World War II would be eligible to apply for compensation on their behalf. These estates would need to show that the deported survivor or the surviving spouse was a national of a country other than France (or one of the four countries mentioned above). The amount of payments to the estates of survivors and spouses would depend upon the year when the survivor or spouse died.
The French Parliament must approve the agreement before it enters into force, and before any payments can be made. Following entry into force, the United States will publish a notice of the program, including the information needed for the filing of claims. Claimants will then be afforded an adequate period of time to file their claims through a fair and streamlined procedure.
French citizens, who are not covered by this agreement, may continue to apply under the French pension program, even if they have never applied before, or applied and were turned down. Moreover, all individuals who were minors at the time of the deportation and lost a parent who was deported and died during the Holocaust are eligible for a pension or lump sum payment through a French program created for such orphans of any nationality. France has already paid over $60 million to over 1,000 eligible orphans in the United States, and additional amounts to orphans from Israel and other countries. Others who lost one or both parents may apply.
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