In the news, Monday, August 20, 2018

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AUG 19      INDEX      AUG 21

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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
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from AP

Associated Press - Media/News Company

Microsoft uncovers more Russian hacking ahead of midterms

Microsoft has uncovered new Russian hacking efforts targeting U.S. political groups ahead of the midterm elections. The company said Tuesday that a group tied to the Russian government created fake websites that appeared to spoof two American conservative organizations: the Hudson Institute and the International Republican Institute. Three other fake sites were designed to look as if they belonged to the U.S. Senate.

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from EUobserver
Media/News Company in Brussels, Belgium

Greece 'normal' again after end of crisis, EU says
EU economic affairs commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Monday (20 August) that Greece will once again be treated as a "normal country" after over eight years of international aid and austerity measures.

Putin strikes blow against Russia's isolation by Europe
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has joined forces with Germany against the US over a new gas pipeline. His weekend trip, which included a visit to Austria, also struck a symbolic blow against EU diplomatic sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine.

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from Mises Institute

[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

The Swedish Welfare State Leads to Poor Immigrant Assimilation
Are cracks emerging in the Swedish welfare state? Leftist experts routinely praise the country for its generous welfare state, and cast shame on countries in the Anglo sphere, such as the United States, for not adopting Nordic style welfare systems. Although Scandinavian countries feature sizeable welfare states, they are far from socialist. However, the presence of welfare mechanisms in an economy can still be problematic. The welfare state has impaired immigrants' success in integrating into and contributing to the Swedish economy.

War Abroad, War at Home
Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, speaking at a Ron Paul Institute conference this past weekend, predicted US troops would remain in Afghanistan another 50 years — just as they have in Germany and Korea. He also termed the ongoing US-backed campaign in Yemen the "most brutal war on earth," a war western media overwhelming ignore. Why do seemingly endless military conflicts persist, despite lacking any constituency beyond the DC beltway?

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from Quora

Why do conservatives view CNN as a very liberal biased news source?

Why do conservatives view CNN as a very liberal biased news source? For the same reason that Liberals view FOXNews as an extremist, right-wing conservative-biased news source? Because they are. Like … super biased. More biased than most people even realize, and most people "KNOW" they are biased.

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from The Spokesman-Review

Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

Spokane wakes up to worst air in the country; some trash collection delayed
Spokane was reported to have the worst air quality in the nation Monday morning, and although conditions had improved by the afternoon, experts said there would probably be smoke in the air for days to come. At about 6 a.m. Spokane reached 382 on the air quality index. Various readings by the EPA and the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency hovered above 300 on Monday morning. Anything over 300 is considered hazardous, and all residents were advised to stay inside.

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