Tuesday, June 18, 2013

In the news, Tuesday, June 18, 2013


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MON 17      INDEX      WED 19
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from ACLJ

Obama Administration Takes Bold Step to Secure IRS Crime Scene … A Month Later
By Matthew Clark


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OBAMA DUCKS QUESTION ON WARRANT REQUESTS DENIED BY FISA COURT

OBAMA: BERNANKE HAS 'STAYED A LOT LONGER THAN HE WANTED'

PENTAGON OPENING NAVY SEALS, ARMY RANGERS TO WOMEN

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from Fox News

from KXLY 4 News

Fire department calling Geno's blaze suspicious


US, Taliban to start talks on ending Afghan war
by PATRICK QUINN / Associated Press
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from Money Talks News

The 10 Costliest Tornadoes
The cost of the Moore, Okla., tornado last month hasn't been tallied yet, but it will be among the worst in U.S. history.

The Truth About Credit Card Debt
Some reports seem to suggest that the average U.S. family is weighed down by more than $15,000 in outstanding credit card debt. Is it true?

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from The Spokesman-Review

G-8 leaders differ sharply over Syria
Russia still backing Assad

Obama: Data mining ‘transparent’
President sets up privacy, civil liberties board

Farm bill faces veto
House version cuts food stamps further

House considers anti-abortion bill
White House says it will veto measure

Iran hints at easing tension with America
U.S. officials await any change in policy

U.S., EU to start talks on free-trade pact

Assad warns Europe on arms
Dismisses findings on chemical weapons

Study finds state gains in new coal terminals
Opponent says wider research is needed

New revenue forecast could break logjam in Olympia

Judge nixes mining activity along Clearwater River

Massive collection of Watergate clippings on display
Man’s massive collection of news clippings now available to public

NASA selects Spokane native as astronaut trainee

Spokane Valley man nabs intruder at gunpoint

Law student pleads guilty to hit and run that injured toddler

Idaho launches justice reform push

Idaho to auction off 3 bare Priest Lake lots

Idaho GOP wants to void local laws banning sexual orientation discrimination

Firefighters search for blaze’s origin
Colorado Springs wildfire is believed to be human-caused

Report finds U.S. adult smoking rate still falling
Percentage had leveled off for the last several years

Airborne lasers locate city
Angkor Wat temples complex

USNA moves on sex assault case
Midshipman claims three attacked her

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In brief:  From Staff and Wire Reports:

Unions side with Turkish protesters

ISTANBUL – Turkish labor groups fanned a wave of defiance against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authority, leading rallies and a one-day strike to support activists whose two-week standoff with the government has shaken the country’s secular democracy.

Riot police again deployed in Turkey’s two main cities, and authorities kept up their unyielding stance against the street demonstrations centering on Istanbul’s Taksim Square. But Monday’s police sweep was less forceful than in recent days.

After activists were ousted from their sit-in in adjacent Gezi Park during the weekend, two labor confederations that represent some 330,000 workers picked up the slack Monday by calling a strike and demonstrations nationwide.

In a sign that authorities were increasingly impatient, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc floated the prospect that authorities could call in troops to quash the protests.


U.S., Cuba to resume talks on direct mail

WASHINGTON – The United States and Cuba will resume talks this week on restarting direct mail service despite a deadlock between Washington and Havana over detainees that has largely stalled most rapprochement efforts, a U.S. official said Monday.

U.S. and Cuban diplomats and postal representatives will meet in Washington today and Wednesday for technical talks aimed at ending a 50-year suspension in direct mail between the United States and the communist island. Cuba and the U.S. have had no direct mail service since 1963.


Officials identify indefinite detainees

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba – A list released by the U.S. government Monday identifies several dozen Guantanamo Bay prisoners who have been designated as too dangerous to release but who can’t be prosecuted.

Those on the list are prisoners who have been held without charge under the Authorized Use of Military Force act passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2001, said a spokesman for the Pentagon, Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale.

The names of all Guantanamo prisoners have been public for years. But the administration of President Barack Obama had declined to disclose which detainees had been designated for indefinite detention in 2010 by an inter-agency review panel.

The government released the list after the Miami Herald sued for the document under the Freedom of Information Act.


Breast cancer charity names new president

DALLAS – Susan G. Komen for the Cure announced Monday that a physician with a long career in health policy and research will become the breast cancer charity’s new president and CEO.

Judith A. Salerno will replace Nancy Brinker as CEO of the Dallas-based organization. Brinker, whose promise to her dying sister begat a fundraising powerhouse that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in cancer research, announced last summer she would step down following an onslaught of criticism for Komen’s decision – quickly reversed – to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.

Salerno, 61, is executive director and chief operating officer of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, a prestigious independent group that advises the government and private sector about health and science.


Feds charge 7-Eleven owners, managers

NEW YORK – Nine owners and managers of 7-Eleven stores across Long Island and in Virginia were charged on Monday in a scheme to exploit immigrants from Pakistan and the Philippines, in part by paying them using the stolen Social Security numbers of a child and three dead people while stealing most of their wages.

Most of the defendants were arrested early Monday as federal authorities raided 14 franchise stores. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were executing search warrants at more than 40 other stores across the country suspected of similar infractions, authorities said at a news conference in Brooklyn.

Four defendants hold both U.S. and Pakistani citizenship, prosecutors said in court papers. Another defendant is a citizen of the Philippines. The government said the defendants pocketed tens of millions of dollars in the scheme, hiding some of the money.

Barbra chides Israel on segregating sexes

Entertainer Barbra Streisand waded into one of Israel’s touchiest issues Monday on the first major stop of her tour of the country: Jewish religious practices that separate men and women.

Speaking at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Monday, where she received an honorary doctorate, she took aim at cases of ultra-Orthodox Jews targeting women, even as she warmly praised the country.

“I realize it’s not easy to fully grasp the dynamics of what happens in a foreign land,” she said.

But “it’s distressing to read about women in Israel being forced to sit in the back of the bus or when we hear about ‘Women of the Wall’ having metal chairs thrown at them when they attempt to peacefully and legally pray.”

She was referring to isolated incidents in which ultra-Orthodox men tried to force women to sit separately at the rear of buses that go through their neighborhoods as well as more serious clashes in which ultra-Orthodox Jews tried to prevent women donning prayer shawls and carrying Torah scrolls from praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the holiest site where Jews can worship.

According to traditional Orthodox Jewish practice, only men wear prayer shawls and handle Torah scrolls, though that is slowly changing in some places. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, who cut themselves off from the rest of society but wield disproportionate power in government and religious affairs, fear that allowing women to make such inroads will erode their authority.


Officials: Geno’s fire did not start inside

A fire that caused $100,000 worth of damage to Geno’s restaurant and nearby low-income housing started outside the building, officials said Monday.

The investigation into the Saturday afternoon fire that displaced at least 14 residents at the Sinto Apartments, 907 E. Sinto Ave., is continuing.

Natural gas meters between the restaurant and apartment building fueled the fire. No one was hurt.

Investigators have not ruled out arson. Geno’s sustained smoke and water damage. Damage to the apartment building was concentrated on the second floor and roof.

Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs is helping displaced people find new housing, spokeswoman Tricia Webster said. SNAP is asking for donations of gently used household items to The Spokane Community Warehouse at 919 E. Trent Ave. to help victims.

Alison Boggs


Netflix inks deal to air Dreamworks programs

LOS ANGELES – Netflix announced a deal on Monday to air television programming from Dreamworks Animation in what the company described as its biggest transaction ever for original first-run content.

Though financial details were not disclosed, Netflix Inc. said the agreement includes more than 300 hours of new TV episodes in a multiyear deal starting in 2014.

The transaction is a major coup for both companies. It helps Netflix compete with pay TV channels such as HBO and Showtime, and it gives Dreamworks a potentially lucrative outlet for its shows as it tries to shed its reliance on two or three big-budget movies each year.

While concerns remain about how much the deal will cost Netflix in the end, the company said it is a global deal that will allow it to debut the original series in the 40 countries where Netflix operates. That could help spread the costs over more territories and more subscribers if Netflix continues to grow overseas.


Smithfield shareholder analyzes Chinese offer

RICHMOND, Va. – One of Smithfield Foods Inc.’s largest shareholders says a $4.72 billion takeover bid from China’s largest meat producer falls short of what the company would be worth if sold off piece by piece.

In a letter to the Smithfield, Va.-based pork producer’s board of directors on Monday, the New York-based investment firm Starboard Value LP estimated the company’s value at $9 billion to $10.8 billion, or about $44 to $55 per share. Starboard owns about 5.7 percent of Smithfield’s common stock.

Under the deal struck last month with Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd., Smithfield will sell itself for $34 per share. The deal, which remains subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, would be the largest takeover of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm, valued at about $7.1 billion, including debt. Smithfield’s stock will no longer be publicly traded once the deal closes, which is expected in the second half of the year.


Homebuilders’ optimism hits seven-year high

For the first time in seven years, most U.S. homebuilders are optimistic about home sales, a sign that construction could help drive stronger economic growth in coming months.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Monday leaped to 52 this month from 44 in May. It was the largest monthly increase since 2002.

A reading above 50 indicates more builders view sales conditions as good, rather than poor. The index hasn’t been that high since April 2006, just before the housing market collapsed.

Measures of customer traffic, current sales conditions and builders’ outlook for single-family home sales over the next six months also soared to their highest levels in seven years.

Bridge may open this week
Divers must inspect piers under I-5 span

Google settles lawsuit over splitting stock
Sale of nonvoting shares could happen within weeks

Ruling could lower generic drug costs
Court: ‘Pay-for-delay’ deals can be challenged

Editorial: Lodging tax needs better oversight, accounting
The paradox of preferences
Mona Charen

Sedation eases dental procedures for panicky patients
Using drugs to ease anxiety, dentists say sedation allows panicky patients to get the care they need

Calling attention to PTSD sufferers

Benefits of chelation inconclusive
Anthony L. Komaroff      Universal Uclick

Vaginal cream isn’t intended for your face
Also: NSAID alternatives; hemoragic stroke & cholesterol; Monistat 7 for toenail fungus.
People’s Pharmacy

Easy ways to improve posture

Study connects sleep apnea, memory loss

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from USA Today

Pentagon opening front-line combat roles to women
The goal is to have women in these positions by 2016.

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from The Wall Street Journal

Brazil Protests Go Viral As Masses Take to Street

New Views of Motion Sickness
Travel-Related Nausea Puzzles Scientists Amid Search for a Better Remedy; Ginger Root or a Nasal Spray?


from The Washington Times

SEKULOW: Moving a Washington scandal out of town
The left’s outrage over the IRS turns to a plea to ‘move on’

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from The Weekly Standard

Ryan’s Hope
A high-profile role in the immigration debate in the House.

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