PBC News & Comment: Modest Surveillance Reforms Will Leave Police State Untouched

32-year NSA veteran Kirk Wiebe tells us: limited reforms to Patriot Act will not limit spying on millions of innocent Americans….
--in “news analysis”, NY Times quotes anonymous official “This is hardly major change”
--NY Times editorial says new limits are “worthless” in protecting Americans
--Times public editor comments on article that named “secret” CIA officials, gets interesting admission from top editor Dean Baquet
--“Justice” Dept. offers vague plan to tell us more about Stingray and similar dragnet surveillance toys
--in perverted trifecta, gun-toting Muslims take the bait of provocation, and die in attack on Texas hotel hosting “draw Mohammed” contest
--Sen. Jeff Sessions lapses into temporary lucidity, offers 5 reasons he opposes TPP and fast track; he forgot to mention the 6th: Obama is for it
--refugees continue to cross Mediterranean, Italians rescued 3,700 in 16 boats
--US accused of killing 52 Syrian civilians in Friday’s air strike
--Saudis are reportedly using American-made cluster bombs on Yemen
--new interviews with Israeli soldiers show lax rules of engagement in 2014 Gaza war that left hundreds of civilians dead
--as Iran talks resume, Gareth Porter notes that domestic politics dictate that Iran must remain our enemy, talks likely to fail
--in Baltimore, VICE news photojournalist was shot with “less lethal” projectile, improperly arrested, held for 49 hours