Cousin Sam: In the news, Wednesday, January 16, 2013

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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 CNN

Oregon sheriff: 'Unconstitutional' gun control laws won't be enforced
Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller said he won't enforce any federal regulation "offending the constitutional rights of my citizens." He won't permit federal officers to come to his county to enforce such laws either, he said.

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from Forbes

Here Are The 23 Executive Orders On Gun Safety Signed Today By The President

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from New York Magazine

President Obama Didn’t Sign Any Executive Orders Today
Contrary to what you may have heard today — from Bloomberg News, Huffington Post, Salon, and a million other places — President Obama did not sign 23 executive orders at his gun-control event this afternoon. What he did was initiate 23 "executive actions."

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from The Spokesman-Review

Obama to unveil gun-control plans

Obama unveils $500 million gun violence package

New York quickly adopts gun limits
Measure prohibits sale of assault rifles

House approves Sandy relief plan
Amended bill totals $50.5 billion in aid

Budget deal reachable, says Sen. Murray

Political crisis rocks Pakistan

Two blasts kill scores at Syrian university
Rebels, loyalists blame each other

Schumer, Boxer backing Hagel

FAA grounds Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Boeing 787s grounded in Japan
Emergency landing latest setback for new airliner
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In brief: From Wire Reports:

France triples its force in Mali

BAMAKO, Mali – After a punishing bombing campaign failed to halt the advance of al-Qaida-linked fighters, France pledged Tuesday to triple the size of its force in Mali, sending in hundreds more troops as it prepared for a land assault to dislodge the militants occupying the northern half of the country.

The move reversed France’s earlier insistence on providing only aerial and logistical support for a military intervention led by African ground troops.

Despite five days of airstrikes the rebels have extended their reach, taking over a strategically important military camp in the central Malian town of Diabaly on Monday.

On Tuesday, France announced it was increasing the number of troops from 800 to 2,500. The offensive was to have been led by thousands of African troops pledged by Mali’s neighbors, but they have yet to arrive, making it increasingly apparent that France will be leading the attack rather than playing a supporting role.

Houseboats covered by local home laws

WASHINGTON – A house that sits on the water is a floating home, not a vessel, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The 7-2 decision upholds laws in California, Washington and other states that say houseboats are governed by local laws applying to homes, not maritime law that regulates vessels.

Justice Stephen Breyer said a vessel is something that is “actually used for transportation.” It is not “anything that floats,” he added.

The high court ruling is a victory for a Florida man who parked his two-story houseboat at a marina in Rivera Beach, Fla. City officials later seized it for unpaid fees and had it destroyed. Their decision was upheld under federal maritime law.

The owner, Fane Lozman, appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that his home would have been protected from seizure under ordinary laws governing real estate. The justices agreed and sent the case back to Florida, where Lozman can seek to recover a $25,000 bond that was set aside.

Airline workers reject union representation

DALLAS – Customer-service agents at American Airlines narrowly rejected a union’s bid to represent them in collective bargaining with the company.

The airport and reservations-center agents voted against representation by the Communications Workers of America by 3,052 to 2,902, or 51 percent to 49 percent. About 76 percent of eligible workers voted, according to results released Tuesday.

“We’re pleased that our reservations, customer service and premium services employees voted to remain independent,” said American Airlines spokeswoman Missy Cousino.

The union said it lost votes because American cut about 2,000 agent jobs after filing for bankruptcy protection in November 2011. Spokeswoman Candice Johnson said departing workers had to give up job-recall rights to get severance payments, which made them ineligible to vote. “Those were union votes,” she said.

American acknowledged that about 900 agents who took early-out bonuses gave up their recall rights, and those who left before the election couldn’t vote. The airline countered, however, that it wanted about 800 people hired after the union filed its election petition to vote, but it lost a ruling on the issue from the National Mediation Board, which oversees union-representation elections.

The agents are the largest bloc of nonunion workers at American. The airline’s pilots, flight attendants and ground workers are represented by other unions.

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