Thursday, May 31, 2018

In the news, Saturday, May 19, 2018


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MAY 18      INDEX      MAY 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 Asia Times Online

Putin’s blatant czarist proclivities could wake a virulent Russian bear
Though Putin is a product of the Soviet Union, where “czar” really was a derogatory word, he shows considerable fondness for the autocrats of old. With the ardent support of the Russian Orthodox Church, he has relentlessly promoted the concept of state power as sacred, and resistance to it as sacrilegious.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

Ethanol Is a Never-Ending Gravy Train for Corn Farmers and Ethanol Producers. But What About the Rest of America?
Government ethanol mandates and subsidies are great for some few people, but for most Americans? Not so much. Legislative and regulatory mandates that force us to buy gasoline that is 10 percent ethanol—even though it gets lower mileage than 100 percent gasoline, brings none of the proclaimed benefits (environmental or otherwise), drives up food prices, and damages small engines. In fact, in most areas, it’s almost impossible to find E-zero gasoline, and that problem will get worse as mandates increase.

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from Fox News (& affiliates)

Trump should pardon Oregon ranchers -- They aren't terrorists
In April, President Trump pardoned I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby Jr., top aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was convicted in an abuse of prosecutorial discretion. Now the president should do the same thing for Dwight L. Hammond, Jr., 76, and his son Steven Dwight Hammond, 49, long-suffering ranchers in rural Oregon. The Hammonds were charged with terrorism and sentenced in 2015 to five years in prison, despite the outraged protests of ranchers and other citizens. The Hammonds are the victims of one of the most egregious, indefensible and intolerable instances of prosecutorial misconduct in history. Their situation cries out for justice that can come only from President Trump. The Hammonds’ crime? They set a legally permissible fire on their own property, which accidentally burned out of control onto neighboring federal land. Normally, that is an infraction covered by laws governing trespassing, and the guilty party is subject to paying for damages caused by the fire – if the neighboring land belongs to an ordinary citizen.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

New Starbucks policy: No purchase necessary to sit in cafes
Starbucks announced a new policy Saturday that allows anyone to sit in its cafes or use its restrooms, even if they don’t buy anything. The new policy comes five weeks after two black men who hadn’t bought anything were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks.

1 dead, 1 injured in cougar attack in North Bend
One man was killed and another was seriously injured when they encountered a cougar Saturday while mountain biking near North Bend. Authorities said the two men were on a morning bike ride in the foothills when the attack occurred.

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

Skripal Case No Longer the Case: How Russia May Turn Into EU's Darling Soon
Former spy Sergei Skripal was discharged from Salisbury hospital on May 18. Speaking to Sputnik, Adam Garrie, director at Eurasia Future, opined that the British inquiry into the Skripals’ poisoning will end up with nothing to show and explained why Europe could soon ease anti-Russian sanctions and open its markets to China.

Washington Halts Financial Assistance in Northwest Syria – Reports
The US administration has decided to cut financial aid for northwestern Syria and redirect it to areas where it has greater impact, officials told local media on Friday.

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from The Wenatchee World

Okanogan flood fight includes sandbags, sump pumps
Sump pumps have joined sandbags as key weapons in the fight to save Okanogan County homes, businesses and infrastructure from the floodwaters. Community volunteers and crews from emergency agencies have spent more than a week filling More than 200,000 sandbags to keep the rising water on the Okanogan, Similkameen and Methow rivers and their tributaries at bay. “A couple of houses to the south are seeing so much ground seepage that it’s coming through the basement floor,” Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said Friday. “These are things we haven’t seen before. There’s so much groundwater, it has nowhere to go.”

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