Saturday, July 4, 2015

In the news, Friday, June 26, 2015


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JUN 25      INDEX      JUN 27
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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 Conservative Post
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Texas Governor Announced What He’s Doing Against Gay Marriage Decision And It’s HARDCORE
The Supreme Court has decided that same-sex marriage is now a Constitutional right. There is one state that is fighting back SCOTUS and their decision. Of course, The Lone Star State. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has informed all those agencies that they are to comply with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, Article I of the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Religious Freedom Act. In other words, he just shut down same-sex marriage in Texas and ordered everyone to preserve the religious liberties and First Amendment rights of all Texans.

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from The Daily Caller
from Daily Kos
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

3 Black Churches burnt in North Carolina, Georgia and S.Carolina in the past 5 days.

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from The Federalist Papers
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from Forum for Middle East Understanding
(FFMU) (Shoebat.com)  [Information from this site may be unreliable.]

US Government Enforces Homosexual Marriage In All American States — Prepare For Persecution

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from The Hill

Cruz: Rulings among the 'darkest 24 hours in our nation’s history'
Supreme Court decisions affirming ObamaCare and granting a national right to same sex marriage have brought “some of the darkest 24 hours in our nation’s history,” Sen. Ted Cruz said Friday.

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from The Independent (UK)
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Dutch city of Utrecht to experiment with a universal, unconditional 'basic income'
The city has paired up with the local university to establish whether the concept of 'basic income' can work in real life, and plans to begin the experiment at the end of the summer holidays. Basic income is a universal, unconditional form of payment to individuals, which covers their living costs. The concept is to allow people to choose to work more flexible hours in a less regimented society, allowing more time for care, volunteering and study. University College Utrecht has paired with the city to place people on welfare on a living income, to see if a system of welfare without requirements will be successful.

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from Independent Journal Review

The Supreme Court Just Announced a Huge Decision on the Future of Gay Marriage in America
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay people now have the right to marry in all 50 states.

Army Captain at Camp Where ISIS was Founded Unloads on Obama’s Decision to Negotiate with Terrorists

Supreme Court Might Be Forced to Get a Taste of Its Own Medicine If Congressman Gets His Way

These 35 Companies Just Told America Exactly What They Think About the SCOTUS Gay Marriage Ruling

Fox News Anchor Asks The Question That Many Americans are Thinking After SCOTUS Gay Marriage Ruling
“So, suppose three people say, ‘we want to be a marriage. We’re three people, we love each other and we want to be married.’ What’s to prevent that under this?”

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from KING 5 (NBC Seattle)
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from Mad World News
[Information from this site may be unreliable.]

Obama Says Racism Is In DNA — Guess What Was Found In His Family Tree

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from POLITICO

2016 candidates react to historic gay-marriage ruling
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled 5-4 that same-sex couples nationwide have the constitutional right to marry, splitting the 2016 candidates sharply along partisan lines. Democratic candidates hailed the decision as another marker for equality, while Republican candidates reacted with disappointment and, in some cases, white-hot anger.

Donald Trump bans Univision staff from his Miami golf resort
Donald Trump sent a letter to Univision CEO and president Randy Falco on Friday informing him that "no Univision officer or representative" is allowed to use his Trump National Doral, the resort and golf club immediately adjacent to Univision offices in Miami, the On Media blog has learned.

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from Press TV (Iran)
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from The Spokesman-Review

Supreme Court declares same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states
The Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States, a historic culmination of two decades of litigation over gay marriage and gay rights generally. Gay and lesbian couples already could marry in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The court’s 5-4 ruling means the remaining 14 states, in the South and Midwest, will have to stop enforcing their bans on same-sex marriage.



A woman swimming at the city beach in Harrison, Idaho, on the south end of Lake Coeur d’Alene Friday was pulled from the water by fellow swimmers after she was spotted face down in the water. The woman, identified as 52-year-old Martha K. George of Colorado, was revived by paramedics and taken to Kootenai Health by a MedStar helicopter. Her condition was unknown early Friday evening.

A health advisory has been issued for Fernan Lake following a blue-green algae outbreak. Since the algae can produce dangerous toxins, people should avoid swallowing or inhaling water from the North Idaho lake. Children and pets are particularly susceptible, officials said. If people eat fish from the lake, they should remove all fat, skin and organs before cooking to reduce their risk of exposure.

One of two convicted killers who staged a brazen escape from an upstate maximum-security prison and had been hunted for three weeks was shot and killed Friday. An official with knowledge of the manhunt said Richard Matt was killed and David Sweat is still on the run.

Truck clipped by train spills salt
A chemical truck was clipped by an empty Union Pacific train this morning. The truck rolled and spilled 1,500 pounds of magnesium chloride, which is a salt compound commonly used to control dust and as a road deicer. Magnesium chloride isn’t dangerous for humans, nor is it flammable. The accident occurred on Havana Street, just north of Sprague Avenue. Havana is closed from Sprague to the fairgrounds.

Condon, City Council urge Spokane residents to conserve water
Amid sweltering heat and a statewide drought, Spokane city officials are urging residents to cut back on water use. Specifically, Mayor David Condon and the City Council ask that residents use less water for lawns and landscaping, which accounts for about 30 percent of water use nationwide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Drought going strong, irrigators face shutoffs
It’s been nearly six weeks since Gov. Jay Inslee declared a drought emergency across all of Washington, and experts say conditions may only get worse. In its most recent forecast for 2015, the U.S. Drought Monitor predicts abnormally dry conditions in the Columbia Basin, a moderate drought from the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains to southeastern Washington, and a severe drought across northeastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle.

Drought forces irrigators into early water cutoffs
With Washington’s snowpack melting a month early, 43 percent of rivers statewide are now running at record-low levels. About 380 irrigators on the Wenatchee, Okanogan, Similkameen, Methow, Colville and Little Spokane rivers are being notified by the Department of Ecology to curtail their water use.

9 killed when plane crashes on sightseeing trip in Alaska
Eight cruise ship passengers and their pilot died on a sightseeing excursion in Alaska when their small plane crashed in remote and rugged terrain. Wind and rain prevented any recovery after the wreckage of the aircraft was found Thursday against a granite rock face, 800 feet above a lake, in southeastern Alaska. Emergency crews on Friday will try to recover the remains of the victims, whose names have not been released.

Sightseeing plane carrying 9 crashes in Alaska
Authorities say all nine people aboard a sightseeing airplane died when it crashed Thursday in southeast Alaska. Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska office, confirmed Thursday evening that weather is preventing the recovery of bodies off a cliff about 20 miles northeast of Ketchikan.

Gunmen kill 27 in attack on Tunisian resort, officials say
A pair of gunmen killed at least 27 people on a Tunisian beach Friday in the latest attack on the north African country’s key tourism industry, the Interior Ministry said.

Heat advisory covers region
The National Weather Service on Thursday issued a heat advisory for the entire Inland Northwest for highs on Saturday and Sunday ranging from the upper 90s to triple digits.

Washington’s budget likely to go down to wire
With the clock ticking down to a partial state government shutdown, several options emerged Thursday that would “keep the lights on and the parks open,” as the Senate’s chief budget writer, Andy Hill, said. He acknowledged that likely will mean working past Saturday, the end of the current second special session, and into a third overtime session. It also could mean passing a one-month, stopgap budget to cover state services in July, if negotiations aren’t complete by Tuesday, the end of the fiscal year.

High court’s affirmation of health law puts main challenge to rest
The Affordable Care Act, upheld in a decisive 6-3 Supreme Court ruling Thursday, is now virtually assured of surviving as a permanent feature of the American health care system. Republicans’ chances of repealing the law, which provides health coverage to more than 20 million Americans, all but evaporated after the strongly worded decision written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling validating federal health insurance subsidies for nearly 6.4 million Americans had consumers breathing a sigh of relief that they would be able to afford their policies, but the reaction was markedly different from governors and lawmakers in states that have fought against the Affordable Care Act. Many of them strengthened their calls to repeal the act. “The Supreme Court abandoned the Constitution to resuscitate a failing health care law,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement. “Today’s action underscores why it is now more important than ever to ensure we elect a president who will repeal Obamacare and enact real health care reforms.”

Health insurers and hospitals welcomed Thursday’s Supreme Court decision upholding billions of dollars in Obamacare subsidies for U.S. consumers. Many employers also applauded the 6-3 ruling, fearing the chaos that might have ensued in the health insurance markets from a ruling striking down the subsidies.

Medical examiner identifies pilot in crash as composer James Horner
A Southern California medical examiner’s office confirmed Thursday that Oscar-winning composer James Horner was the pilot killed in a plane crash this week, and the death has been ruled an accident.

Funerals for slain Charleston churchgoers begin
A choir and band launched into one of Ethel Lance’s favorite gospel tunes and roused hundreds of mourners from their seats Thursday in a crescendo of music at the first funeral for victims of the massacre at a historic black church.

Russia’s ‘saber rattling’ undermines stability, U.S. says
Six years after then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama administration wanted to “reset” relations with Russia, the temperature is falling instead of rising. It hasn’t plunged to Cold War levels, but despite cooperation in fighting terrorism and seeking to curb Iran’s nuclear program, relations between Russia and the NATO alliance have been deteriorating steadily, and concern over further Russian moves against Ukraine and other neighboring European states has grown steadily.

Islamic State attacks target Kurds after setbacks
After weeks of setbacks, militants from the Islamic State group launched swift counteroffensives Thursday on predominantly Kurdish areas of northern Syria, killing and wounding dozens and setting off car bombs, activists and officials said.

Death toll in Pakistan heat wave reaches 860
The devastating heat wave that struck southern Pakistan last weekend is slowly subsiding, but the toll was still climbing Thursday, to a total of 860 confirmed deaths, a senior health official said. Pakistan’s deadliest heat wave on record comes just weeks after soaring temperatures caused nearly 2,200 deaths in neighboring India.

In brief: Students in Burundi seek refuge at U.S. embassy
About 100 university students in Burundi are in the U.S. embassy’s parking lot seeking refuge amid the country’s political turmoil, an embassy statement confirmed Thursday. The students had been camping at a construction site adjacent to the embassy grounds after their university was closed on April 30 due to political turmoil. Police persuaded them to leave the site and some went to the embassy’s parking lot, the statement said. Four people suffered minor injuries during the incident.
Airstrikes, shelling kill civilians in Yemen
Yemeni security officials say Saudi-led airstrikes and shelling by Shiite rebels have killed nine civilians. They said five civilians were killed Thursday when airstrikes targeted Shiite rebels, also known as Houthis, in a market in the northern province of Jawf. At least four civilians were killed when the Houthis shelled a residential area in the southern port city of Aden.
Torrential rains flood Olympic site Sochi
A flood caused by heavy rains has swept Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi that hosted the 2014 Winter Games, killing one man and causing major damage and disruptions.
Second-generation immigrants recognized
Greece has adopted legislation granting nationality to the children of foreign nationals living in the country, provided they attend or have attended school in the country.

High court widens opening for housing discrimination suits
A closely divided Supreme Court on Thursday allowed housing bias lawsuits based on unintentional actions that happen to have a discriminatory effect on racial minorities. In a defeat for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and for conservatives more generally, the court by a 5-4 vote concluded that so-called “disparate impact” discrimination lawsuits are authorized under the federal Fair Housing Act.

Even amid talks, U.S. criticizes Iran and Cuba
The United States on Thursday tagged Iran and Cuba as serial human rights abusers even as the Obama administration accelerates attempts to improve relations with both countries.

Judge blocks Kansas ban on abortion procedure
A judge on Thursday blocked Kansas’ first-in-the-nation ban on an abortion procedure that opponents describe as dismembering a fetus, concluding that the law would likely present too big of an obstacle for women seeking to end their pregnancies.

California lawmakers pass mandatory vaccination bill
California lawmakers Thursday approved one of the toughest mandatory vaccination requirements in the nation, moving to end exemptions from state immunization laws based on religious or other personal beliefs.

Paris protest against Uber turns violent
Cars overturned. Roads blockaded with flaming tires. That’s what happens when the U.S. sharing economy tangles with French protectionism. Hundreds of French taxi drivers took to the streets Thursday in sometimes violent protest against Uber, blocking access to major airports and train stations, and attacking vehicles suspected of working for the popular car service, which they accuse of stealing their livelihoods.

Rebuilt Winton school in Coeur d’Alene boasts night-and-day improvements
The playground is in, the lockers are up and the maple flooring is down in the gymnasium. It even has that new-school smell. Winton Elementary School is cruising to the finish line – on budget, ahead of schedule and unlike any other school built in Coeur d’Alene.

Man facing lawsuit and child sex trafficking charge works for developer Harley Douglass
Mike Sackett, the Priest Lake man who beat the Environmental Protection Agency in the nation’s highest court and plans to plead guilty to attempted child sex trafficking, remains employed by Spokane developer Harley Douglass ahead of his sentencing while allegedly failing to pay area contractors a half-million dollars for work in North Idaho.

Family of teen who died in crash demands activist stop using boy’s name, photo
The family of 15-year-old Ryan Holyk, who was killed in an incident involving a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy last year, has demanded that a local motorcycle club stop using their son’s name and photos in a political campaign against Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.

Clay Starbuck loses conviction appeal
Appellate judges on Thursday unanimously upheld Clay Starbuck’s murder conviction and life sentence for the December 2011 slaying of his ex-wife, Chanin. Starbuck was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder by a jury in 2013. He and Chanin Starbuck completed a second divorce in July 2011, and Clay Starbuck owed her thousands in monthly child support for the couple’s three minor children at the time of Chanin Starbuck’s death.

In brief: Colvilles favor pot on reservation
A majority of the voting members of the Confederated Colville Tribes think marijuana should be legal for recreational use on the reservation. In official results of the June 13 referendum, which were announced last week, the vote was 1,044 for legalizing marijuana use and 866 against.
Woman killed, two hurt in crash
A Colbert woman died Thursday in a two-car crash at U.S. Highway 2 and Elk-Chattaroy Road north of Spokane, according to the Washington State Patrol. Charlotte A. Mills, 77, was driving a 2013 Toyota Rav 4 west on Elk-Chattaroy Road. When she attempted to cross the northbound lanes of Highway 2 to head south on the highway, Mills drove in front of a 2013 Kia Optima driven by Trisha Kline, 37, of Spokane Valley.
Body in burned car still unidentified
The body found in a burning car in a Wal-Mart parking lot Monday is still not identified. The identification will take several days because of the circumstances of death, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday in a news release.
Avista expands discount program
A two-year pilot program will offer $700,000 worth of discounts to some of Avista’s elderly and disabled customers in Washington.
Ombudsman panel down to 2 members
The Spokane City Council accepted the resignation of Adrian Dominguez on Thursday afternoon, officially leaving the city’s Police Ombudsman Commission with just two members, short of a quorum needed to function.
Man faces witness intimidation charge
A Spokane man is charged with witness intimidation stemming from threats he made against a 14-year-old. Trent Conley, 18, was already in Spokane County Jail accused of stealing a Honda Civic in late May when he made threats against his alleged juvenile accomplice identified as E.T. in court documents.

WSU’s Floyd honored by legislators
Legislators praised the late Washington State University President Elson Floyd as a tireless advocate for his adopted state, its communities and their college students. Amid shouts of “Go Cougs” in the normally sedate chambers, both houses passed resolutions honoring Floyd, who died last weekend of complications from colon cancer.

Northwest farmers fretting over Asian stink bug
On a hot June day, Joe Beaudoin ducked into the shade of his orchard to check for peaches with shallow dimples – the telltale signs left by the brown marmorated stink bug. This invader from Asia has a formidable appetite for the berries, tree fruits and vegetables that Beaudoin grows on his 80-acre farm. The stink bugs get their name from the scent they release, which some describe as akin to a musky cilantro. They are well-entrenched in the Portland-Vancouver area, and – to a lesser extent – in Seattle. In both cities, some urban homeowners have been beset by infestations as the bugs find indoor spaces to overwinter. So far, in the orchard country of Central Washington, only a few stink bugs have been found in nearby residential areas, and there are still plenty of questions about how well they can adapt to such an arid area. But these farmers are on alert.

Business in brief: Wages rise in Washington
The annual wage in Washington increased by 4.2 percent in 2014 to $54,829, the largest percentage increase since 2007, a state Employment Security Department news release said. These figures only cover wages eligible for unemployment insurance. The average number of workers covered by unemployment insurance also grew by 62,942 to more than 2.9 million. Wages in the information sector grew by 10.3 percent; in art, entertainment and recreation grew by 6.5 percent; and in retail trade grew by 4.3 percent. Because of the overall increase, the minimum weekly unemployment benefit rose to $158. The maximum weekly benefit also rose to $664.
Shakeup continues at Target
Target’s reinvention plan continues. In the latest move by new CEO Brian Cornell to reshape the retailer, the discounter said that its chief merchandising and supply chain officer is exiting her post. The retailer said Thursday that Kathryn Tesija, who also served as executive vice president, will move temporarily to a strategic adviser role on July 6 and plans to leave the company in April 2016. The move signals how serious Cornell is in making the company more nimble and reclaiming its position as a “cheap chic” retailer.
Icahn’s pullout hurts Netflix
Netflix Inc.’s stock continued to fall in early trading Thursday after billionaire investor Carl Icahn revealed he sold the last of his shares in the video-streaming company. The stock was down $17.94, or 2.6 percent, at $660.67 a share.
Match.com group plans IPO
Match.com and Tinder are looking for a Wall Street hookup as their parent group spins off the dating sites as a publicly traded company. IAC/InteractiveCorp, which is controlled by billionaire Barry Diller, approved a proposal for an initial public offering.
Increased holiday travel likely
A stronger economy, rising consumer confidence and cheap gasoline likely will have Americans traveling in big numbers this Independence Day. Travel agency and car lobbying group AAA estimates 41.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday weekend, up 0.7 percent from last year and the most since 2007, right before the recession.

Gas savings, job gains drive spending surge, analysts say
U.S. consumer spending surged in May with the biggest monthly increase in nearly six years – a sign of stronger economic growth ahead. The Commerce Department said Thursday consumer spending rose 0.9 percent last month, up from a revised 0.1 percent increase in April. May spending registered the biggest gain since August 2009, when the government’s “cash for clunkers” program fueled auto-buying.

Fewer McDonald’s kids’ meals served with soda
The world’s biggest hamburger chain said Thursday 48 percent of Happy Meals orders chose soda as a beverage in the U.S. after it was scrubbed from menus and marketing materials between July of last year and May. That’s down from 56 percent in the year-ago period.

Payment apps such as Venmo help fix ‘splitting’ headaches
Person-to-person mobile payment services like PayPal-owned Venmo are catching on as a way to bypass searching for an ATM or splitting a bill on multiple cards when the dinner check comes. And they’re particularly popular among millennials, a generation that seems to have their own way of doing everything.

Summit on Greek debt breaks up without deal due Tuesday
The bitter standoff between Greece and its international creditors was extended into the weekend, just days before Athens has to meet a crucial debt deadline which could decide whether it goes bankrupt and gets kicked out of the euro currency club.

Shawn Vestal: Conservatives who cross line to violence sound a lot like those who don’t

Amy Goodman: Removing offensive flag just a start

Editorial: Get state budget done – avoid shutdown

‘Light echo’ helps researchers map parts of Milky Way
Thousands of years before humans invented agriculture, a bright burst of X-rays left the dense neutron star Circinus X-1, located in the faint Southern constellation Circinus. A year and a half ago, those X-rays were detected by the International Space Station, prompting a team of researchers led by University of Wisconsin, Madison’s Sebastian Heinz to investigate the source. Today we know the light began its long journey 31,000 years ago.

Amid new IS offensive, scores die in Syrian town
Fighting raged into the night Friday between Kurdish fighters and Islamic State militants in the Syrian border town of Kobani, as reports mounted that at least 120 civilians, including women and children, have been killed by the extremist group since it launched a new offensive on the strategic town the previous day.

Obama delivers passionate race lecture at eulogy
President Barack Obama delivered a passionate discourse on America’s racial history Friday in his eulogy for a state senator and pastor, slain along with eight other black churchgoers in what police called a hate crime. “What a life Clementa Pinckney lived!” Obama said to rounds of applause and “amens.” ”What an example he set. What a model for his faith. And then to lose him at 41. Slain in his sanctuary with eight wonderful members of his flock.” “Their church was a sacred place,” Obama said, “not just for blacks, or Christians, but for every American who cares about the expansion of liberty. … That’s what the church meant.”

IS claims deadly blast at Shiite mosque in Kuwait’s capital
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly explosion that struck a Shiite mosque in the Kuwaiti capital after Friday prayers. A posting on a Twitter account known to belong to the Islamic State group said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt. The attack was claimed by an IS affiliate calling itself the Najd Province, the same group that claimed a pair of bombing attacks on Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.

THE LATEST: Company: All workers accounted for after attack
An attack took place Friday, June 26, 2015 in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, southeast of Lyon, France. At least one man attacked a gas factory Friday in southeastern France, posting a severed head at the factory’s entrance along with banners covered with Arabic writing, officials said. France immediately opened a terrorism investigation.

Ryne Sandberg resigns as Phillies manager
Former North Central grad was 119-159 in parts of three seasons in Philadelphia

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from Talking Points Memo
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Texas AG: 'No Court, No Law, No Rule' Will Change Definition Of Marriage
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday declared that nothing will change the definition of marriage, despite the Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex couples in the U.S. have the right to marry.

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from The Western Center for Journalism
(Western Journalism)

Franklin Graham Just Slapped The Supreme Court With The One Thing About Marriage They Don’t Realize
As of this writing, more than 130,000 people have liked Graham’s statement, which reads in part: “With all due respect to the court, it did not define marriage, and therefore is not entitled to re-define it.” And the number of Facebook likes for the pastor’s reaction is growing rapidly.

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