The CIA decided against developing and using "truth" drugs because it had already overloaded the US Department of Justice with too many illegal requests for other activities, retired Department of Defense analyst Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik.

"The rationale for not going forward officially with the program was based on the already loaded CIA docket with the Justice Department," Kwiatkowski said. "The CIA didn't want to overwhelm the Justice Department, given its other illegal or controversial requests in the department's pipeline."

Shortly after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the CIA weighed using a sedative used to treat anxiety as "possibly worth a try" as a truth serum, newly-unveiled records requested by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed last week.

"One of the drugs mentioned in the CIA report was Midazolam, commonly known as Versed. It's been around since the mid 1970's and is a common and cheap medicine in hospital storerooms. It's functionally a sedative, an anxiety reducer," Kwiatkowski, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel, pointed out.

Three water cannon bought and refurbished for more than £320,000 while Boris Johnson was London Mayor have been sold for £11,000.

The vehicles were bought by Mr Johnson as crowd-control weapons following the 2011 riots.

They were sold for £11,025 to Nottinghamshire-based Reclamations (Ollerton) Ltd who will dismantle them and export the parts.

Current Mayor Sadiq Khan said "we have managed to finally get rid of them".

The vehicles were bought by Mr Johnson from Germany in 2014 - before their use had been licensed on the UK mainland.

Then-Home Secretary Theresa May banned their use in riot situations in 2015, and later used the purchase to ridicule Mr Johnson in the Tory leadership race after David Cameron resigned.

White House officials sent Acosta a letter stating they made a "preliminary decision" to suspend his pass after 14 days

The White House will suspend CNN reporter Jim Acosta again, according to a report by CNN's Brian Stelter.

Stelter writes:

If you thought the Trump administration would seek to settle CNN and Jim Acosta's lawsuit out of court... think again.

After CNN won a temporary restraining order on Friday, forcing the White House to restore his press pass for 14 days, White House officials sent Acosta a letter stating that his pass is set to be suspended again once the restraining order expires.

From the looks of the letter, the W.H. is trying to establish a paper trail that will empower the administration to boot Acosta again at the end of the month.

Still protesting his innocence after he was arrested on felony domestic violence charges last week, lawyer Michael Avenatti is reportedly being served with a restraining order by his alleged victim, whose name is finally public.

Estonian-born actress Mareli Miniutti filed for a domestic violence restraining order against the scenery-chewing lawyer in Los Angeles on Monday. The mystery woman, initially believed to be Avenatti's ex-wife Lisa Storie-Avenatti when news broke of his arrest, is now being named by The Blast, which obtained court documents on the restraining order. A hearing on the order will take place next month.

Shortly after the Blast story was published, Avenatti tweeted to maintain his innocence, calling any claims of domestic violence committed by him "bogus and fabricated."

A judge has temporarily blocked US President Donald Trump's order to ban Central American asylum seekers from illegally crossing the border into the country from Mexico.

US District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco placed a restraining order on Trump's new immigration policy, which was declared last week.

The president "may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden," the judge wrote, adding that the rule barring asylum seekers from entering the US outside a port of entry "irreconcilably conflicts" with the existing legislation.

On November 9, the president announced that asylum seekers can now make their claim only at legal points of entry along the US border.

An internal document reveals that Gavin McInnes-founded group Proud Boys is now classified as an "extremist group with ties to white nationalism" by the FBI, the Guardian reports.

McInnes, who also co-founded Vice Media, has attempted to distance the group from white nationalism and alt-right rhetoric while promoting violence and misogyny. Members associated with the Proud Boys were involved in violent incidents in New York City and Portland, Oregon last month.

In a federal document obtained by the Guardian via nonpartisan, nonprofit Property of the People, the FBI warned Washington state law enforcement agencies about the Proud Boys' recruitment and "recent escalation of violence at political rallies."

British Prime Minister Theresa May got a reprieve in one of her Brexit battles Tuesday as party rebels said they did not yet have the strength for a leadership challenge. But she faced a new headache as parliamentary allies warned they could remove support from May's minority government if she does not alter her divorce deal with the European Union.

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party struck a deal last year to back May's Conservatives on major legislation. But the Protestant, pro-U.K. party opposes the Brexit deal's plans for keeping the border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland open after Brexit, saying it weakens the ties binding the U.K. by creating separate trade rules for Northern Ireland.

In a warning to May, DUP lawmakers abstained or opposed the government during several votes on finance bill late Monday.

Moscow will not leave Washington's decision to unilaterally withdraw from the landmark nuclear arms treaty unanswered, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that the country doesn't need to join another arms race.

Russia is still ready to continue dialog with the US on the bilateral treaty banning medium-range missiles, which has become one of the cornerstones of nuclear disarmament, the Russian leader said at a government meeting in Sochi. Still, the US should "treat this issue with full responsibility," the president said, adding that Washington's decision to withdraw from the agreement "cannot and will not be left unanswered."

According to E&E News, Democrats are arguing over whether to use their new congressional majority to resurrect the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, or to push forward Ocasio-Cortez's plan to take Federal control of the economy, to save the world from global warming.

Divides harden in clash over global warming committee

Nick Sobczyk, George Cahlink and Kellie Lunney, E&E News reporters
E&E Daily: Friday, November 16, 2018

Many House Democrats remain skeptical of a push by leadership and progressives to revive the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, underscoring divisions about how to address climate change in the new Congress.

The caucus clashed in closed-door meetings this week about whether the select panel is even necessary and how much power it should have, with incoming committee chairmen looking to stake out territory on the issue.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has proposed bringing back the select panel to spotlight the issue with Democrats in control of the House, but progressives - led by Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) - are aggressively pushing for a stronger version of the climate committee that would craft a "Green New Deal" to combat climate change.

Ocasio-Cortez has a resolution in-hand that would establish a Select Committee for a Green New Deal, with the goal of crafting a comprehensive policy by 2020.

But the incoming leaders of the committees of jurisdiction on climate - namely, the Energy and Commerce; Natural Resources; and Science, Space and Technology panels - are not pleased with potentially creating a committee that could leach away their power.
...

Australian police arrested three men who are suspected of plotting a terrorist attack 'inspired' by the Daesh* terrorist group, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said Tuesday.

"There was a view towards a crowded place, a place where maximum people would be attending to be able to kill, we allege, kill a maximum amount of people as possible ... Certainly, inspired by ISIS [Daesh], we know that and recently over about the last week we've become a lot more energised," Ashton told reporters.

The individuals were Australian nationals of Turkish background, aged 21, 26 and 30, respectively, Ashton added.