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PBC News & Comment: Obama Confirms Endless War in Afghanistan

Obama backpedals again on withdrawal from Afghanistan, will keep 5,800 US troops indefinitely, leaving the mess for the next president

–in Kunduz, Doctors Without Borders outraged again, as US-NATO investigators roll tank into hospital compound

–led by Jeremy Scahill, a team of reporters at The Intercept just published an expose of US drone operations, based on classified documents from a whistleblower

–during 2 week occupation of Kunduz, Taliban hounded women and organizations that support them

–Iran’s Guardian Council approves nuclear deal in final step

–Iranian troops have arrived in Syria

–Israel deploys military on pretext of quelling attacks, but may attempt to expand control of occupied East Jerusalem and holy sites

–embattled former CIA agent Sabrina DeSouza requests pardon from Italy for her role in CIA Milan kidnapping; she’s stuck in Portugal on extradition warrant

–new report on shootdown of MH-17 fingers Russian Buk system, rejected by Moscow; US could release its satellite info, but hasn’t

–new in-depth interview with author, former prisoner James Kilgore details the horrors of America’s mass incarceration

–after 25 years behind bars, Shawn Whirl is released in Illinois after proving he was tortured into confessing to crime he didn’t commit

–former GOP Speaker Dennis Hastert avoids messy trial with plea deal under the Patriot Act that he helped ram through Congress, keeping lid on many scandals; read Sibel Edmonds’ coverage here

–the case against former American diplomat Robin Raphel, based on wiretaps, has collapsed

–sharp Medicare premium increase may go into effect, as Congress is frozen by GOP leadership vacuum

Fun videos: British TV reporter Jonathan Pie gets pissed at his producer, and blurts out the real news….watch it here

Following our story last week on rich yoga guru Bikram Choudhury, Huffington Post lists him in “Dickipedia”….watch it here

–Singer Billy Joe Royal dies at age 73