Monday, September 7, 2015

In the news, Wednesday, August 19, 2015


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AUG 18      INDEX      AUG 20
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from ABC News (& affiliates)

Why This Unexpected GOP Candidate Is Breaking Away From the Pack
Second place in Iowa. Top three nationally. No, it’s not Jeb Bush or Scott Walker -- it’s Ben Carson. The neurosurgeon, who has never held elected office, is emerging from the middle tier as a top contender after the first Republican debate.

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from Americas Freedom Fighters
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Angry Muslim Confronts Cashier For Wearing U.S. Flag… What Happened Next Had Store Cheering

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from The Blaze (& Glenn Beck)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Why Is Billionaire George Soros Suddenly Buying Up Stocks of Companies in Industry He’s Demonized?
Billionaire hedge-fund manager and liberal political operative George Soros once called coal “lethal” to Earth’s climate while apparently trying to profit from the industry’s once-vast wealth. Soros has been a longtime financial contributor to liberal candidates and causes, including advocating for no longer using fossil fuels and transitioning to using only renewable energy, like wind and solar. The Guardian reported that at one point, Soros even referred to coal as “lethal” to the planet. But as stocks from at least two coal companies have fallen, perhaps partly as a result of Soros’ own influence, the billionaire investor’s money is now contradicting his words. According to Fox News, Soros purchased one million shares in the St. Louis-based coal company Peabody Energy and another 500,000 shares in Arch Coal, two investments that would have cost him a lot more money just a few years ago.

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from Breitbart
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from Britain Magazine

Palace exhibitions mark HM the Queen’s long reign
On September 9, Her Majesty The Queen will become Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, passing the 63 years and 216 day record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. To mark the milestone, special photographic displays entitled ‘Long To Reign Over Us’ will open at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse from 9 September.

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from The Daily Beast

Cruz, Trump in Secret Talks
It’s a bromance with a payoff—the senator has been developing the billionaire’s support and their aides are even discussing joint events, but if Trump drops out, Cruz aims to clean up.

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from The Daily Caller
from The Heritage Foundation
from Huffington Post
[Information from this site may be unreliable.]

Historic 'Tile' Discovery Gives Math World A Big Jolt
A team of mathematicians has wowed the math world with their discovery of a new kind of pentagon capable of "tiling a plane"--that is, fitting together on a flat surface without overlapping or leaving any gaps. It's said to be only the fifteenth such pentagon ever found and the first new one to be found in 30 years.

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from Independent Voter [IVN]

How to Find Substance in These Mostly Substanceless Primary Shows

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from KING 5 (NBC Seattle)

Twisp fire kills 3 U.S. Forest Service firefighters
THE FIRE JUMPS TO 16,000 ACRES OVER NIGHT AND THREATENS 50-100 HOMES
A fast moving wildfire near Twisp, Wash. killed three firefighters Wednesday afternoon as two nearby towns were forced to evacuate.

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from KIRO 7 Eyewitness News (CBS Seattle)

Don O'Neill takes looting in Chelan personal
Families in the path of wildfires charring the Chelan area now have one more thing to worry about: Looters. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office reports that looters are combing through neighborhoods left empty as wildfires approach.

3 firefighters killed in Washington state wildfire
Three firefighters were killed and three to four others were injured, at least one critically, as raging wildfires advanced on towns in north-central Washington on Wednesday, authorities said. Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said the deaths, in a wildfire near Twisp, had been confirmed, but he said he was not immediately releasing specific details about the circumstances or the victims, pending notification of their families.

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from Military Times
and Air Force Times, Army Times, Marine Corps Times, and Navy Times

IS beheads leading Syrian antiquities scholar
Islamic State militants beheaded one of Syria's most prominent antiquities scholars in the ancient town of Palmyra, then hung his body from one of the town's Roman columns, Syrian state media and an activist group said Wednesday. The killing of 81-year-old Khaled al-Asaad was the latest atrocity perpetrated by the militant group, which has captured a third of both Syria and neighboring Iraq and declared a self-styled "caliphate" on the territory it controls.

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from National Review
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Trump’s Critics Are Wrong about the Fourteenth Amendment and Birthright Citizenship

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from Overpasses For America

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from The Political Insider

Not Many People Know This About Trump’s Sister, But They Should
As Donald Trump continues to dominate the news, many of his supporters aren’t aware of something very interesting about the Presidential candidate. His oldest sister is a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Maryanne Trump Barry was nominated as a Federal District Judge by President Reagan in 1983. Bill Clinton then appointed her to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1999.

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from The Right Scoop

YUGE! Ben Carson draws LARGER crowd than Donald Trump did in Phoenix
from The Spokesman-Review

Firefighters were overtaken by fire after vehicle crash
Three firefighters were killed and four others were injured Wednesday as raging wildfires advanced on towns in north-central Washington. A Forest Service news release said the deaths occurred on state land near Twisp. “The firefighters were engaged in initial attack operations and were involved in a vehicle accident when it is believed that the fire overtook the vehicle,” the news release said.
earlier: Three firefighters killed near Twisp

Officer involved shooting in Hunters
An officer involved shooting was reported in the town of Hunters in Stevens County around 8 p.m. today. Stevens County Sheriff Kendle Allen said deputies were looking for a suspect who had a gun and a man was shot. The suspect has died. Allen said only one deputy was involved in the shooting.

Smoke cloud darkens Spokane sky
Treacherous weather on raging wildfires in Okanogan County sent an elevated plume of smoke over the Spokane area this evening while air quality at ground level deteriorated to the unhealthy category for persons with health issues. The cloud darkened the sky and turned the sun orange, sending an eerie orange-brown light over the city.

State bans logging on forest lands due to fire danger
Logging and other industrial activities will be banned across Eastern Washington forests because of fire danger. It’s the first time in more than 20 years that the state has taken such a step.

Wildfire forces evacuation of Twisp, Winthrop
Okanogan County officials are evacuating the entire cities of Twisp and Winthrop because a fast-moving wildfire. The Washington Department of Natural Resources says the fire is eight miles west of Twisp. More than 20 structures are imminently threatened.

Ferry County sheriff warns residents to be ready to leave
All residents within Ferry County not already under an evacuation notice were put under a level one evacuation notice. “If the fires progress we will not have enough resources to go door to door,” said a news release from Ferry County Sheriff Raymond Maycumber.

Big chunk of N. Idaho national forest closed for fire danger
The U.S. Forest Service today closed a large chunk of the North Fork Coeur d’Alene River drainage due to a forecast of hazardous fire weather and because of close to 20 fires already burning on the Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District.

‘Red flag’ fire weather returns to region
The National Weather Service today issued a new “red flag” warning for dangerous fire weather through 5 p.m. on Friday as firefighters struggle to contain massive wildfires burning across the region. The warning extends from the Cascade crest across Eastern Washington and into North Idaho. Large areas of Oregon are under the warning as well.

Brush fire west of Spokane quickly contained
A fire that sent columns of smoke billowing into the air west of Spokane on Tuesday afternoon burned one outbuilding but was quickly brought under control by firefighters. Residents along Grove Road near Palisades Park were ordered to leave shortly after 4 p.m., as multiple planes and a helicopter dumped water from the Spokane River and retardant on the fire.

Washington state suspends popular GET college savings program
The state will suspend sales of prepaid college tuition units – called the GET program – for as long as two years while the group overseeing them wrestles with the downside of what many Washington lawmakers saw as a major legislative success: lower tuition at state colleges. The Guaranteed Education Tuition committee also signaled Tuesday the state would likely waive fees and penalties for investors who demand a refund of units purchased in recent years that are worth less now than when they were bought. That’s happening because the Legislature froze tuition for two years in 2013 and last month cut tuition between 5 percent and 20 percent for different schools over the next two years.

Stevens County volunteer firefighters help save community
Rick Anderson, is the fire chief for Stevens County Fire District 2. Over the last five days, his 20-person, all volunteer fire crew has battled a 5,000-plus-acre blaze near Fruitland. The Carpenter Road fire has destroyed 15 homes and displaced 75 people. Anderson is intimately connected to the fire. Carpenter Road is named after his grandfather.

Combat jobs for women likely to expand
Two women have now passed the Army’s grueling Ranger test, and even tougher and more dangerous jobs could lie ahead. The military services are poised to allow women to serve in most front-line combat jobs, including special operations forces, senior officials told the Associated Press.

Lobsters move north as Atlantic warms
The lobster population has crashed to the lowest level on record in southern New England while climbing to heights never before seen in the cold waters off Maine and other northern reaches – a geographic shift scientists attribute in large part to the warming of the ocean.

Teens’ e-cigarette use linked with later smoking
Teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely than others to later smoke conventional cigarettes and other tobacco products, a study at 10 Los Angeles high schools suggests. The study doesn’t prove electronic cigarettes are a “gateway drug” but some doctors say it bolsters arguments the devices should be strictly regulated as proposed by the Food and Drug Administration.

Democrat Menendez opposes Iran deal
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez announced Tuesday his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, the second Democratic senator to go against President Barack Obama, who is heavily lobbying for a congressional endorsement of the international accord. Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joins Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York in rejecting the deal.

Man in yellow shirt focus of Bangkok bombing investigation
In the grainy security video, a man in a yellow shirt sits on a bench at the crowded Erawan Shrine, removes a backpack he is wearing, and leaves it behind when he walks away. For police hunting who was responsible for Monday’s deadly bombing in central Bangkok, there was no doubt about the man with youthful shaggy dark hair and glasses. “The yellow shirt guy is not just the suspect. He is the bomber,” a police spokesman said on Tuesday.

In brief: FDA approves pill to boost women’s sex drive
Federal health officials have approved the first prescription drug to boost sexual desire in women, a milestone long sought by the pharmaceutical industry. But safety restrictions on the daily pill, called Addyi, mean it will probably never achieve the blockbuster sales of men’s impotence drugs like Viagra. The new drug’s label will carry a bold warning that combining it with alcohol can cause dangerously low blood pressure and fainting. Those problems can also occur if the drug is taken alongside certain common medications, including drugs used to treat yeast infections.
Guilty plea expected from Fogle on porn
An Indiana television station is reporting that Subway pitchman Jared Fogle is expected to plead guilty to child-pornography charges. The report comes six weeks after authorities seized electronics and other items from Fogle’s home in Zionsville, an affluent Indianapolis suburb.
Exec pleads guilty in West Virginia spill
One of the final executives charged in a chemical spill that contaminated West Virginia’s biggest drinking water supply has pleaded guilty. In federal court Tuesday in Charleston, former Freedom Industries executive Dennis Farrell pleaded guilty in front of Judge Thomas Johnston. The plea deal calls for a sentence of 30 days to two years in prison, as well as a fine up to $200,000. In January 2014, a Freedom tank leaked coal-cleaning chemicals into the water supply for 300,000 people, spurring a ban on using tap water for up to 10 days.
White House hires transgender staff
The White House announced Raffi Freedman-Gurspan’s appointment Tuesday as its first openly transgender staff member. Freedman-Gurspan is an outreach and recruitment director for presidential personnel in the Office of Personnel. Freedman-Gurspan previously was a policy adviser for the National Center for Transgender Equality’s racial and economic justice initiative.
California renews right-to-die bill
California lawmakers are making a new push to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives after previous efforts stalled amid religious opposition. Democratic legislators introduced the bill, which allows doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs, in a special session on health care convened by Gov. Jerry Brown. Religious groups and advocates for people with disabilities opposed a nearly identical bill this year, saying it goes against the will of God and puts terminally ill patients at risk for coerced death.

Storms slow recovery efforts after blast in China
Thunderstorms Tuesday complicated recovery efforts from last week’s massive explosions at a warehouse in China’s Tianjin port that killed at least 114 people, left 57 missing and exposed dangerous chemicals – including some that could become flammable on contact with water. As of Tuesday, 50 firefighters were confirmed killed and 52 others were among the missing, making the disaster the deadliest ever for Chinese first-responders.

Clinton’s server may answer many questions
A forensic examination of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private computer server could unearth more details than what she put in her emails. It could answer lingering questions about the security of her system, who had access to it and whether outsiders tried to crack its contents.

Albino children getting protection, prostheses
As 5-year-old Baraka Cosmas Lusambo slept in his family’s home in western Tanzania in March, men wielding torches and knives burst in, knocked his mother unconscious, held him down and sliced off his right hand in the name of witchcraft. Baraka has albinism, a condition that leaves the afflicted with little or no pigment in their skin or eyes – and makes their body parts valuable on the black market in parts of Africa as ingredients in potions said to give the user wealth and good luck.

In brief: Six migrants drown off Turkish coast on way to Greece
Six Syrian migrants, including an infant, drowned off the Turkish coast Tuesday as they tried to reach a Greek island, a rescuer said, underscoring the deadly risks taken by migrants making even short crossings to Europe in overcrowded smugglers’ boats.
Man charged in lion’s killing
Zimbabwe has charged a man on whose land the well-known Cecil the lion was shot by American dentist Walter James Palmer in July. Charges have not been filed against Palmer, while in Minnesota the dentist has reopened his practice. Prosecutors on Tuesday accused Honest Ndlovu, whose property is near the vast Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe, of allowing an illegal hunt on his land.

In brief: Man faces higher charge of first-degree murder
Edward Bushnell, the man accused of fatally shooting William Poindexter in East Central Spokane on July 21, now faces a first-degree murder charge. Bushnell, 27, was arrested immediately after the shooting and initially was charged with second-degree murder.
Officers identified in man’s shooting death
Authorities have named the three North Idaho police officers involved in last week’s confrontation with an armed Sandpoint man that ended with a sheriff’s deputy shooting and killing the man. Casey George Alarcon, 34, died Aug. 11 after he allegedly fired two shots at the officers. They were identified Tuesday as Sandpoint police Officer Jeremy Inman and Bonner County sheriff’s Deputies Aaron Walker and Tyler Jinright. Detectives have not said which deputy fired the single shot that killed Alarcon.
Semitruck driver has fatal heart attack
The driver of a semitruck was found dead in his cab just after noon Tuesday on Interstate 90. Kenneth Burch, 65, died of a heart attack, according to a news release. The St. Maries resident was entering the highway from Medical Lake Road, about 8 miles west of Spokane, when he left the road and struck a fence.

Job transfer between city departments raises questions
For the second time in as many years, the Spokane Police Department is paying the salary of an employee who has left the department for another city job, raising questions and causing concern among members of the city’s park board and the City Council. A spokeswoman for Spokane’s Parks and Recreation Department is paid nearly $90,000 by the Spokane Police Department, about $10,000 more than she made in 2014 as the police spokeswoman. Next year, she is scheduled to earn $96,000. Monique Cotton was hired by police Chief Frank Straub in 2013 to lead the department’s communications and marketing strategy, a role she maintained until May when she was transferred from police to parks – a decision park board members were informed of only after the decision was made even though the board controls park spending and is charged with managing the department.

Mother, young daughter die in RV fire near Elk
A 37-year-old woman and her young daughter died in a motor home fire early Tuesday in north Spokane County. A dog, caged outside the home and unable to flee, also perished in the fire.

Despite progress, Chelan-area fires still growing
Progress has been made, but homes and other structures continue to be threatened by the Chelan Complex fires that have already destroyed 35 residences and 21 outbuildings around Lake Chelan and farther north. Fire crews continue to provide structure protection on several fire fronts that are still actively spreading, fire spokeswoman Janet Pearce said Tuesday. The Chelan Complex fire, burning on 63,425 acres, is now 30 percent contained. Thirty-five homes have been confirmed lost to the fire, but that doesn’t include many others in areas still too hot to be assessed.

Evacuated Motel 6 in Bremerton partly collapses in blast
An explosion demolished part of a Motel 6 in Bremerton on Tuesday night just minutes after the acting hotel manager had evacuated the building because of a gas leak.

Vegetable oil spill kills thousands of fish in Lewis County
Officials believe vegetable oil and shortening that had recently been delivered to a food warehouse in Winlock washed into Olequa Creek, a tributary of the Cowlitz River, as firefighters doused a fire that destroyed the warehouse early Tuesday. The spill killed fish as far as 7 miles downstream, with what appeared to be a “100 percent kill for 5 miles,” ecology spokesman Chase Gallagher said.

Idaho wildfire season worst since 1926
Fire conditions in Idaho are the worst they’ve been since 1926, the state forester reports, and things are only looking to get worse. In the past week, the state’s estimate of its firefighting costs for the season has jumped by $10 million to roughly $25 million, said state Forester David Groeschl. The number of major fires requiring incident management teams on lands that Idaho Department of Lands protects has increased from four to 12.

Home building pace picking up
U.S. builders started work on single-family houses last month at the fastest pace since the Great Recession began in late 2007.

Profits shrink as Wal-Mart, other retailers reinvent selves
Wal-Mart’s second-quarter earnings report, released Tuesday, showed its investments in its workers and its efforts to overhaul the store experience are dragging down profits more than it expected. The comforting news for Wal-Mart’s shareholders: The efforts are perking up sales and traffic at its U.S. namesake stores. Wal-Mart isn’t alone in facing some pain as it aims to deliver cleaner stores and faster and friendlier service to increasingly demanding shoppers shifting their spending to dollar stores or online. Retailers’ second-quarter earnings reports show how the reinvention efforts from the likes of Kohl’s, J.C. Penney and Macy’s are all weighing on their profits.

Target will pay $67 million in data breach settlement
Target has reached a deal to pay up to $67 million to settle Visa claims related to a massive 2013 data breach that resulted in the theft of millions of debit and credit card numbers.
GM recalls more vehicles because of faulty headlights
General Motors Co. is adding 181,000 cars in the U.S. and Canada to a 2014 recall for headlights that can stop working, and it will have to repair thousands more for a second time because the first fix could fail again.
Google offers smartphone in six African nations for $98
Google is introducing a low-priced smartphone in six African countries where most people still can’t afford an Internet-connected device.
Yum Brands names new CEO for its operations in China
Yum Brands, the parent of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, is naming a new CEO of its China division as it works to reverse a sales skid in a key market. Micky Pant, 60, is now the CEO of its China division. He replaces longtime leader Sam Su, who is retiring.

Feds investigate Volkswagen air bags after inflator ruptures
A June collision between a Volkswagen SUV and a deer in which a side air bag inflated with too much force has triggered a federal investigation and raised questions about the safety of newer air bags made by Takata Corp. of Japan.

Home Depot’s second quarter beats forecasts
The world’s largest home improvement retailer reported second-quarter results on Tuesday that surpassed Wall Street expectations, thanks largely to consumers opening their wallets. But Home Depot knows it’s a change in mindset that is spurring homeowners to action. “When consumers believe their home is an investment and not an expense, they spend differently,” Chief Financial Officer Carol Tome said.

Islamic State war, oil prices take toll on Iraq’s economy
In business since the 1960s, Karim al-Aboudi’s family has seen Iraq’s economy boom with oil wealth and bust through wars and the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, but today marks the worst downturn he’s seen in decades. Forced to fire 65 percent of his staff and close two of his six aluminum and glass factories, al-Aboudi’s troubles mirror those facing business owners across Iraq. As the country battles the Islamic State group on the ground, it faces massive budget deficits brought on by the lowest global oil prices in six and a half years.

Shawn Vestal: Law enforcement accountability a worthy aim

Editorial: Spokane’s targeted incentives strategy is worth keeping

Michael Smerconish: Conservative media steers GOP

Crisp, thick-skinned peppers prove versatile
Tomato and Avocado Salad in Pale Yellow Sweet Bell Peppers
Mediterranean Pepper Salad

Freshly picked sweet corn is a summer must
Sweet Corn and Radish Salad
Spicy Corn Fritters with Cilantro Cream
Breakfast Succotash with Poached Eggs and Herb Oil

Smoked lentil chili a robust fall favorite
Smoked Lentil Chili

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from Sputnik
[Russian government-supported propaganda channel]

Despite plans to hand over control of the Internet to an international body by the end of 2015, the US appears to be getting cold feet. With that deadline fast approaching, the government has extended its oversight role by one year, and could potentially maintain control even longer.

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from The Star (Grand Coulee, WA)

North Star Fire threatens Nespelem
[UPDATED] Evacuations were initiated for parts of the Nespelem community Tuesday night as fire spread toward homes. For days, firefighters on the North Star fire have worked to contain the southern edge of the fire that has burned more than 30,000 acres, but shifting winds now give cause for increased caution. A Level 3 Evacuation, an order to leave immediately, was issued before 9 p.m. last night for residents north of Nespelem from Gold Lake Road to Stepstone Road north.

Smoky skies from above
In this annotated image from NASA's Earth Observatory site, several sources of the smoke choking the area become clear. The satellite image was taken Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, there were 105 large, uncontained fires in the nation, 35 in the Pacific Northwest; 166 new fires, 21 in the Northwest.

Medical center accepting fire evacuees
With most of Nespelem in level 2 evacuation status, Coulee Medical Center has accepted several residents of the Colville Tribal Convelscent Center, and the hospital has set up an incident command center to be ready for more should the need arise. People not in need of medical attention but who need shelter as a result of the fires can find it at Lake Roosevelt Schools at 503, Crest Drive in Coulee Dam.

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from ThatsNonsense.com

The top 5 Facebook scams of 2015
Despite the efforts of many, a number of scams have still been running riot across Facebook throughout 2015. And whilst most of them exploit ‘tried-and-tested’ techniques of yore, some come with slightly new twists. We outline the 5 most popular scams (we’re not including rumours or hoaxes) that we have had reported to us in 2015 so far.
Free cars & airline tickets
Your account has been suspended by Facebook Security
Facebook Lottery
Facebook, CNN and that charity will donate…
Facebook Cloning

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from Think Progress
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]
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from The Washington Post (DC)
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from The Weekly Standard

Obama’s Nuclear Deal is the Most Likely Path to War
How might the United States end up in a boots-on-the-ground shooting war with Iran? This is the specter that President Obama summons when he warns that congressional rejection of his nuclear agreement with Iran would lead to “some form of war . . . . if not tomorrow . . . then soon.”  But it is Obama’s deal itself that is more likely to lead to such a regrettable outcome. It is all but guaranteed to make a region that is already convulsed in violence, thanks to Obama’s strategy of reducing America’s presence, that much more violent. The administration virtually acknowledges this by suddenly promising all our regional allies vast new transfers of weapons to allay their anxieties about his Iran deal.

Downsizing the Army: What Are the Consequences?
Today, the Army is facing a drawdown to 450,000 soldiers, the smallest it has been since before World War II.

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from The Wenatchee World

Unhealthy smoke may clear Thursday
Heavy smoke from several North Central Washington fires will cloak much of the region today and Thursday, creating potentially dangerous health conditions for people with lung and heart problems, as well as children and the elderly. A cold front expected to blow into Eastern Washington Thursday will begin to clear the air, but winds could also fan wildfires burning in the Lake Chelan Valley and Okanogan County. Air conditions should improve Friday, but are likely to return to unhealthy in fire areas by the weekend.

A scorched Chelan Fruit gets back to business
Millions of pounds of fruit destroyed. Tens of thousands of stacked bins burned. Thousands of square feet of warehouse space razed. Hundreds of people temporarily out of work. But it could have been worse. Top executives for Chelan Fruit Co-op and its marketing division Chelan Fresh said Tuesday that last week’s loss of the company’s Plant 1 packing line and warehouse facility in the Chelan Complex Fire was a tough blow but not as devastating as it could have been. “No lives were lost, and it was one of our least strategic facilities,” said Mac Riggan, director of marketing for Chelan Fresh. “We’ve shifted operations to our other plants and will help relocate as many workers as we can.”

Conconully evacuated as Okanogan Complex fires merge
The fishing resort town of Conconully north of Omak was evacuated Tuesday night as two fires in the Okanogan Complex merged. That came after a third fire in the complex near Riverside burned at least four homes and one outbuilding, and jumped the Okanogan River and Highway 97, closing the major north-south route through Okanogan County for several hours.

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