U S President, Donald Trump, has revoked the security clearance of ex-CIA chief, John Brennan, denying him any access to sensitive information.
White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, announced the decision by reading a statement from Mr. Trump.
The statement cited Mr. Brennan’s “erratic conduct and behavior.”
In response, Mr. Brennan tweeted that the move was part of President Trump’s broader effort to “suppress freedom of speech and punish critics.”
“It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out.
“My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent.”
Mr. Brennan earlier said Mr. Trump’s performance at a briefing after July’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki had been “nothing short of treasonous.”
And last year, Mr. Brennan said an investigation into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia during the US presidential elections in 2016 had been “well-founded”.
President Trump has repeatedly denied the claim, calling it “witch hunt.”
Later on Wednesday in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump said he would have revoked Mr. Brennan’s clearance last week but it was “too hectic.”
“As the head of the executive branch and commander-in-chief, I have a unique constitutional responsibility to protect the nation’s classified information, including by controlling access to it.
“I have decided to revoke the security clearance of John Brennan, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
“Historically, former heads of intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been allowed to retain access to classified information after their government service so that they can consult with their successors, regarding matters about which they may have special insights and as a professional courtesy.
“Neither of these justifications supports Mr. Brennan’s continued access to classified information.”
The statement added that Mr. Trump was also reviewing access to classified information for former FBI chief, James Comey, whom he fired last year; former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper; former National Security Agency director, Michael Hayden and former Attorney General Sally Yates, among others.
James Comey called the president “morally unfit” to lead.
His memoir, A Higher Loyalty, likened Mr. Trump to a mob boss.
In response to Mr. Brennan losing his clearance, Mr. Comey said in a statement: “Once again this president is sending a message that he will punish people who disagree with him and reward those who praise him.”
He added that “security clearances should not be used as pawns in a petty political game to distract voters from even bigger problems.”
Dr. Bumbum, Brazil plastic surgeon, charged with murder
A celebrity Brazilian plastic surgeon, Dr. Denis Furtado, known as Dr. Bumbum has been charged with murdering one of his patients.
Dr. Denis Furtado performed an operation on patient Lilian Calixto to enlarge her buttocks in his own flat, helped by his mother, girlfriend and maid.
He used a far larger dose of a chemical than advisable during the procedure, the charge sheet said.
Moreover, he was allegedly not registered to practice medicine in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. Furtado is said to have carried out the procedure on Ms. Calixto, a 46-year-old bank manager and mother-of-two, at his home in Rio de Janeiro last month – but she fell ill during the procedure.
He then took her to a hospital where her condition worsened and she died some hours later, police said.
Local media reported at the time that she arrived at the hospital, she was suffering from an abnormally fast heart rate.
The public prosecutor’s office in Rio de Janeiro said the doctor “had attracted women with the false promise of quick and immediate beauty.”
He used 300ml of the substance PMMA – a synthetic resin also known as acrylic glass filler – during the procedure, the charge sheet said, “when it is recommended that it is used only in very small doses and in a restricted way.”
The Brazilian Plastic Surgery Society has warned against using PMMA for any aesthetic purposes.
His flat meanwhile was prepared for surgery “in a very provisional and precarious way,” which added to the risks.
Moreover, while he was licensed to practice in the state of Goias and in Brasilia, he was not licensed in Rio.
His mother, Maria de Fátima Barros Furtado, also faces charges.
She allegedly continued to practise medicine and operate with her son after her medical license was revoked.
Dr. Furtado had disappeared after the operation, but police caught him in July after four days on the run.
His girlfriend, Renata Fernandes, had already been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the procedure.
In a video posted on social media, Dr Furtado said Ms. Calixto’s death had been a “fatal accident” and said he had performed 9,000 such procedures and that they were legal in Brazil.
In a Facebook post in July, Dr. Furtado had called PMMA “a minimally invasive procedure, offering immediate and definitive results, using local anesthesia and therefore painless, without much need of rest after the procedure.”
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It is believed that Ms Calixto had booked in for this treatment.
Arrest after dozens overdose in Connecticut park
A suspect is in custody after over 40 individuals overdosed in a Connecticut park on a drug suspected of being laced with an opioid, police say.
There have been no fatalities reported over the incident, but some of the individuals are in critical condition, officials say.
The first overdoses were reported near Yale University on Tuesday night.
The incident follows a new report that found a record 72,000 Americans die of overdoses in 2017.
Police arrested a man on Wednesday who is suspected of being connected to some of the drugs that caused the overdoses, NBC News Connecticut reported.
Officials believe the individuals may have taken doses of K2, a synthetic drug marketed as being similar to marijuana.
Dr. Kathryn Hawk, an Emergency Department physician at Yale New Haven Hospital, said the drug was laced with fentanyl, but police have yet to confirm the drug.
On Tuesday night, emergency crews responded to three overdoses in New Haven Green park.
Eighteen people collapsed on Wednesday morning within a span of three-and-a-half hours, officials said.
Some individuals were unconscious; others were vomiting or exhibiting other overdose symptoms.
In all, more than 40 individuals had overdosed.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been informed of the incident.
The fire department gave the affected individuals naloxone, a drug used to treat narcotic overdoses in emergencies, but those doses were reportedly ineffective.
NBC News reported that the Yale-New Haven Hospital received seven patients and some were in critical condition.
No fatalities have been reported.
The slew of overdoses comes as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a preliminary report on Wednesday on the record number of American drug deaths.
According to the estimates, drugs – particularly fentanyl – are now deadlier in the US than HIV, car crashes and guns.
The US opioid crisis is affecting these increases, according to the report.
Synthetic opiates like fentanyl, which is 30-50 times more potent than heroin, are extremely dangerous, with high risks of overdose and death.
Just 2mg of fentanyl – or a few grains of table salt – is a lethal dosage for most people, and even exposure can cause a fatal reaction, according to the DEA.
Fentanyl is approved as an anaesthetic and for pain relief, but its high profit margin for traffickers has made it a key drug in the US opioid crisis.
