Officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, SEAL Team 6 is today the most celebrated of the U.S. military’s special mission units. But hidden behind the heroic narratives is a darker, more troubling story of “revenge ops,” unjustified killings, mutilations, and other atrocities — a pattern of criminal violence that emerged soon after the Afghan war began and was tolerated and covered up by the command’s leadership.
The Intercept
4: Trump Will Reportedly Tap Son-in-Law Jared Kushner for Senior Advisor
The move brings up questions about an anti-nepotism law and potential conflicts of interest.
President-elect Donald Trump will bring his son-in-law Jared Kushner into his administration as a senior advisor, a source involved in the transition team told NBC News on Monday.
Vice News
3: PLO threatens to revoke recognition of Israel if US embassy moves to Jerusalem
Senior Palestinian officials have warned that the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s recognition of Israel – one of the key pillars of the moribund Oslo peace agreements – is in danger of being revoked if Donald Trump moves the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The Palestinian leadership is also calling for protests in mosques and churches on Friday and Sunday to object to the move, calling for opposition to the plan “from Pakistan to Tehran, from Lebanon to Oman”.
Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem is highly contentious as it would recognise Israel’s exclusive claim to the city, most of which was annexed illegally after the 1967 war. The Palestinians also see it as their future capital.
The Guardian
The first of a two-day confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial attorney general nominee begins today. Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama faces questions from his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, where he serves as chair of the immigration subcommittee. Trump’s pick has drawn widespread outrage because of Sessions’s opposition to the Voting Rights Act, support for anti-immigration legislation and history of making racist comments. We are joined by David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, who is set to testify at Sessions’ Senate hearing, and with Kyle Barry, policy counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and co-author their report opposing Jeff Sessions’s nomination.
Democracy Now
1: Barack Obama: So long, and thanks for all the speeches
Back in 2004, Barack Obama, then a fresh-faced senate wannabe from Illinois, burst onto the political scene with a rousing speech stressing national unity in the face of racial tensions and a controversial war in Iraq at a big party meet in Boston.
It was not the only time he worked a crowd to standing ovation. Obama is doubtless a great speaker whose blend of charisma, humility and infectious optimism can, on occasion, cause goose bumps and lumps in listeners’ throats.
Observers are divided on the Democrat’s best moment. Some point to his talk on military morality when accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, others cite his a cappella rendition of Amazing Grace after a white racist butchered a black church congregation in Charleston.
He will take the podium for the last time as United States president in Chicago on Tuesday night, in a speech to cement his legacy before his successor, Donald Trump, a Republican, takes office on a platform of dismantling much of Obama’s work.
The billionaire realtor threatens to overturn Obama’s healthcare finance policy, known as Obamacare, a painstakingly brokered deal to halt Iran’s nuclear programme and a detente with the Cuban leadership.
Aljazeera
