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 | February 26, 2015 |
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| ISIS LATEST |
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NYT: 3 Brooklyn Men Accused Of Plot To Aid ISIS’ Fight
Two young men living in Brooklyn were arrested on Wednesday and charged with plotting to travel thousands of miles to fight under the banner of the Islamic State, the terrorist organization that has seized a wide expanse of Syria and Iraq. A third Brooklyn man was charged with helping organize and fund their activities. ... One of the men who allegedly sought to fight for the Islamic State, Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, 24, worked in a gyro shop. The other, Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, worked at cellphone repair kiosks owned by the third man charged, Abror Habibov, 30. All three were immigrants from former Soviet republics, and though Mr. Juraboev and Mr. Saidakhmetov had become permanent United States residents, all of them remained citizens of their native countries, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. In online postings, the two younger men seem to be searching for meaning in their lives, and increasingly disillusioned by those around them — including Muslim relatives they see as living less than devout lives. Read more..
The Hill: FBI Investigating ISIS Suspects In All 50 States
FBI Director James Comey revealed Wednesday that his agency is investigating suspected supporters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in every state across the U.S. "We have investigations of people in various stages of radicalizing in all 50 states," Comey told a winter meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General. "This isn't a New York phenomenon or a Washington phenomenon. This is all 50 states and in ways that are very hard to see," he added. His remarks, captured in video, came as the Justice Department revealed Wednesday that the FBI had arrested three men in New York City on charges of attempting to provide support to ISIS. Read more..
Reuters: U.S. Treasury Presses Qatar On Terror Finance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew met with the emir of Qatar and emphasized the importance of fighting "terror financing," amid suspicions that money from one of the key U.S. Middle East allies had gone to violent extremists in the region. "(Secretary Lew) ... emphasized the vital importance of combating the financing of terrorism," Treasury said in a statement. "(Lew) expressed his hope that in the coming months ... the two nations can continue to work together to take effective, lasting action to disrupt the activities of terrorist financiers." Read more..
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| WHITE HOUSE V. NETANYAHU |
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TIME: Netanyahu Says World Powers ‘Have Given Up’ on Preventing Iran Nukes
In his sharpest criticism yet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says world powers “have given up” on stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons in ongoing negotiations. Netanyahu made the comments Wednesday night at a meeting of his Likud Party outside of Jerusalem. They come as Netanyahu plans to address the U.S. Congress on the nuclear negotiations. Read more..
Huffington Post: Kerry Questions Netanyahu's Foreign Policy Cred, Mocks Him For Iraq War Support
Secretary of State John Kerry stepped into contentious territory on Wednesday when he made a critical remark about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judgement record on U.S. foreign policy. The comments came while Kerry was testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Committee member Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) pointed to Netanyahu’s upcoming address to the U.S. Congress as evidence of the weakness of the deal being negotiated between Iran, the United States and five other world powers over Iran's nuclear program. “The Prime Minister was also profoundly forward-leaning and very outspoken about the importance of invading Iraq and George W. Bush,” the secretary of state shot back, referring to Netanyahu. Read more..
AP: Top Obama Advisers Sharply Rebuke 'Destructive' Netanyahu Speech
In an interview Tuesday, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said plans for Netanyahu's speech had "injected a degree of partisanship" into a U.S.-Israel relationship that should be above politics. "It's destructive to the fabric of the relationship," Rice told the Charlie Rose show. "It's always been bipartisan. We need to keep it that way." Netanyahu's plans to speak to Congress have irritated many Democratic members, but also have put them in a difficult spot — fearing they will look anti-Israel if they don't attend. Still, a number of Democrats have said they plan to skip the session, with Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky becoming the latest on Wednesday. Kaine said Netanyahu's speech was "highly inappropriate" given its proximity to Israel's March 17 Israeli elections. Read more..
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| POLITICAL NEWS |
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NYT: Senators Move To End Deadlock Over Funding Of Homeland Security
The Senate moved quickly Wednesday to break an impasse over financing the Department of Homeland Security, laying bare tensions between House and Senate Republicans as they searched for a way to avert a partial shutdown of the agency. Senate Democrats added to the pressure on House Republicans by saying they would support a proposal by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, to consider a bill that deals only with providing funding for the department, which is set to run out of money Friday. On Wednesday, the legislation cleared a procedural hurdle, 98 to 2, and a vote could take place Thursday. Read more..
Huffington Post: Obama: 'They Can Have That Vote,' But I Won't Back Down On Immigration
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that Republicans can go after his immigration programs in the courts and in Congress, but his confidence will not be shaken. "In the short term, if Mr. McConnell, the leader of the Senate, and the speaker of the House, John Boehner, want to have a vote over whether what I’m doing is legal or not, they can have that vote," Obama said at a town hall in Miami hosted by MSNBC and Telemundo's José Díaz-Balart. "I will veto that vote because I’m absolutely confident it’s the right thing to do." Read more..
The Hill: GOP Lawmaker, Denied Seat On Air Force One, Blasts Obama
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) is criticizing as partisan President Obama’s immigration town hall on Wednesday, after the White House rejected his request to travel to the event with the president. “There is strong support in our community for immigration reform and I was looking forward to participating in what I initially thought was a sincere effort to reach across the aisle and discuss strategies and efforts to achieve this goal,” Curbelo said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this appears to have been no more than a choreographed, partisan event." A statement from Curbelo’s office adds that the freshman lawmaker “was denied a seat on the flight” and had to skip the event at the last minute, while Democratic colleagues flew on the flight. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), whose district covers part of Miami, flew down to the event on Air Force One with President Obama. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) also joined him. But Curbelo, whose district includes Florida international University, did not. Read more..
Washington Post: Foreign Governments Gave Millions To Foundation While Clinton Was At State Dept.
The Clinton Foundation accepted millions of dollars from seven foreign governments during Hillary Rodham Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, including one donation that violated its ethics agreement with the Obama administration, foundation officials disclosed Wednesday. Most of the contributions were possible because of exceptions written into the foundation’s 2008 agreement, which included limits on foreign-government donations. The agreement, reached before Clinton’s nomination amid concerns that countries could use foundation donations to gain favor with a Clinton-led State Department, allowed governments that had previously donated money to continue making contributions at similar levels. The new disclosures, provided in response to questions from The Washington Post, make clear that the 2008 agreement did not prohibit foreign countries with interests before the U.S. government from giving money to the charity closely linked to the secretary of state.Read more..
TIME: Jeb Bush Says Family Legacy Wouldn’t Affect War Decisions
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush said Wednesday that he would not be overly cautious about deploying American troops overseas solely to avoid earning the label of having launched a “third Bush war.” “I would have a duty to protect the United States, and there are circumstances where a Commander in Chief, a President of the United States, has to make tough decisions, and history is full of examples of that,” Bush, during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, said when asked about his father and brother’s campaigns in Iraq. It was Hewitt, not Bush, who used the phrase “third Bush war.” “I wouldn’t be conflicted by any legacy issues of my family. I actually am quite comfortable being George Bush’s son and George Bush’s brother,” Bush said. “I don’t think there’s anything that relates to what my dad did and my brother did that would compel me to think one way or the other” Read more..
NPR: As Washington Prepares To Legalize Pot, Congressman Threatens To Arrest Mayor
With hours to go before the District of Columbia legalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana, a Republican congressman is threatening the federal city's mayor with arrest. Initiative 71, which was approved by 70 percent of voters last November, has brought to the surface the District's long struggle to govern itself. As the Constitution and federal law mandate, the District does not have voting representatives or senators in Congress and every law passed by the District has to be reviewed by Congress. The District argues that at midnight tonight, Congress' review window closes and Initiative 71 becomes law. Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, takes issue with that interpretation and in a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser said the District would be in "willful violation of the law," if it goes through with its plans. In an interview with The Washington Post, Chaffetz took an even more confrontational tone. "You can go to prison for this," the paper quoted him as saying. "We're not playing a little game here."Read more..
AP: US Mulling Lethal Aid To Ukraine; Russian Response A Concern
The Obama administration is still struggling with whether to provide lethal, defensive weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that such a move might only escalate Russia's military campaign there, U.S. defense leaders told Congress Wednesday. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, the top NATO commander, told the House Armed Services Committee that he has laid out military options the administration could consider for Ukraine, ranging from sending small arms to more sophisticated weapons that would take longer to arrive and require extensive training. Russia seized Ukraine's Crimea region and has supported Russian-backed separatists in the east. Read more..
Huffington Post: Jonathan Gruber Ousted From Massachusetts Health Panel
Jonathan Gruber, the influential and controversial MIT health economist, is among four people that the Massachusetts governor asked to step down from a powerful state commission. The news, first reported Wednesday by Jon Keller of WBZ-TV, lit up social media. But it’s not clear whether the resignations have much to do with Gruber specifically -- or whether they are part of a routine political transition, now that a Republican governor has taken over from a Democratic one. Read more..
Washington Post: Trump Says He Is Serious About 2016 Bid, Is Hiring Staff And Delaying TV Gig
This time, Donald J. Trump says, he really means it. The billionaire real-estate mogul, who has long amounted to a one-man sideshow in GOP presidential politics, said in an interview Wednesday that he is “more serious” than ever about pursuing a run for the White House in 2016. In recent days, Trump said, he has hired staffers in key primary states, retained an election attorney and delayed signing on for another season as host of NBC’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” because of his political projects. “Everybody feels I’m doing this just to have fun or because it’s good for the brand,” Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post. “Well, it’s not fun. I’m not doing this for enjoyment. I’m doing this because the country is in serious trouble.” Read more..
Huffington Post: Wisconsin Lawmakers Pass Right-To-Work Bill As Thousands Protest
Spelling more trouble for organized labor in the U.S., Republican legislators in the Wisconsin state Senate approved a right-to-work bill here on Wednesday, sending the measure to a GOP-controlled Assembly where it's also expected to pass. Republican leaders chose to fast-track the bill in what's known as an extraordinary legislative session, allowing for less debate than usual. Debate over the bill drew thousands of protesters to the state Capitol on Tuesday and Wednesday, reminiscent of the passionate labor demonstrations surrounding Act 10 in 2011. But as with that earlier legislation, which stripped most collective bargaining rights from public-sector employees, vocal opposition from the state's unions wasn't enough to stop the right-to-work bill in its tracks. Read more..
The Hill: Strickland Launches Challenge To Portman
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) will run for Senate in 2016, setting up a heavyweight fight between himself and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). In a statement Wednesday morning announcing his candidacy, Strickland highlighted his Rust Belt roots. “I'm running for the United States Senate in 2016 because I am determined to restore the American Dream for working people in this country,” Strickland said. “I believe in the American Dream because I’ve lived it. I grew up in rural Scioto County as the eighth of nine children, and was the first person in my family to go to college. My father was a proud steelworker and my hard-working mother devoted her life to raising our family. I know how difficult it is to move up in this world, and the deck is increasingly stacked against working people.” Read more..
NPR: Secret Service To Fly Drones Over Washington, D.C.
Tourists may soon have a new attraction to look at when they visit the nation's capital. The U.S. Secret Service says it will begin flying drones over Washington, D.C., in the near future. The decision comes just weeks after a small unmanned — and unarmed — drone landed on White House property. In late January, as we've reported, a government employee lost control of the "quad copter," crashing it in the early morning hours. In a brief statement, the Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president and first family, says it will begin conducting a series of exercises in the D.C. area "in the coming days and weeks." It says they'll be conducted within the normally flight restricted areas of the capital and will be tightly controlled. The Secret Service wouldn't provide any more information. Read more..
The Hill: Boehner Reminds Members Of Dress Code: 'You Know Who You Are'
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) halted floor proceedings Wednesday to remind members of chamber decorum. During the final vote series of the day, Boehner reiterated the rules for proper behavior on the House floor. Boehner, who is known for ribbing lawmakers and reporters for their attire, has made reminding members of House rules a regular practice. Many lawmakers frequently wear jeans or casual shoes to the House floor, particularly during the first vote series of the week that are usually close to dinnertime. "Members should wear appropriate attire during all sittings of the House, however brief their appearances on the floor may be. You know who you are," Boehner said to laughter. Read more..
The Blaze: George W. Bush Was Asked What He Misses Most About Being President. This Was His Reply.
Former President George W. Bush said late last week that he is often asked what he misses about being president. “People say, ‘Do you miss much?’” Bush recounted at a military conference last Wednesday. First, the 43rd president used the question to crack a couple jokes. “I miss … the Air Force accommodating me with a shower on the airplane that flew me around,” he said. “I don’t get irritated, but I do have to stop at stoplights now.” Then, things got serious. “I miss saluting those who volunteer to put themselves in harms way,” Bush said. “And I have vowed for the remainder of my life that I will do all I can do to help our vets.” The remarks came at the Military Service Initiative Summit which aimed to bring leaders from the public and private sector together in an attempt to help find solutions that can assist veterans transitioning from the battlefield into civilian life. Read more..
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| JOURNALISTS ARRESTED FOR FLYING DRONES IN PARIS & OTHER STORIES FOR THIS THURSDAY MORNING... |
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TIME: Al-Jazeera Journalists Arrested For Flying Drone In Paris
Three Al-Jazeera journalists were arrested in Paris on Wednesday, allegedly for flying a drone. The television reporters flew a drone from a park to the edge of the city, according to media reports. Flying drones without permission is illegal in the French capital, but the three are also suspected of having stolen the remote-controlled vehicle. “One of the journalists was flying the drone, and the other was filming,” a source told Reuters. Read more..
NBC News: Baddest Bug: C. Diff Hits Half A Million Americans
More than 450,000 Americans get infected with the deadly bug Clostridium difficile each year, according to a new report. And almost all cases are caused by the overuse of antibiotics. "C. difficile was responsible for almost half a million infections and was associated with approximately 29,000 deaths in 2011," the team of researchers reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. That's almost twice as many deaths as any other survey has shown before for the infection, usually called C. diff for short. "This national estimate of C. difficile infection is higher than previous U.S. estimates (240,000 to 333,000)," they wrote. Read more..
AP: Greek Leader Criticized On Austerity Concessions
Greece's prime minister held a marathon meeting with his party's lawmakers Wednesday, briefing them on pledges made to European creditors to win a four-month extension of the country's bailout amid simmering party discontent over what some see as a capitulation. The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, lasted more than 11 hours. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, elected last month on the promise to repeal bailout austerity measures, including spending cuts and tax hikes, has been at pains to persuade hardliners in his radical left Syriza party that Greece succeeded in its European negotiations. Read more..
NYT: Marijuana Farm Found At A Cherry Business In Brooklyn
There was no sign on the former brick factory on the treeless block in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where Arthur Mondella worked. No name on the door. Nothing — other than the bright-red liquid trickling onto the sidewalk and into the gutter, and the thick scent of syrup on a summer’s day — to announce the presence of one of the country’s largest suppliers of maraschino cherries. “Look at this building,” said Brian Connell, 68, who has lived next door to Dell’s Maraschino Cherries for nearly 20 years. “It’s totally anonymous. And then, here you see this Porsche Carrera being backed out. I say to myself, ‘The cherry business is profitable! Who knew?’ ” Read more..
NBC News: Pasco Police Fired 17 Times at Rock-Throwing Man, At Least Five Bullets Hit
Police officers who fatally shot a Mexican man in Pasco, Washington, earlier this month fired their weapons 17 times, and struck the orchard worker five or six times, a spokesman for a task force investigating the shooting said Wednesday. None of the shots were to the back, he said. Antonio Zambrano-Montes, 35, was shot at around 5 p.m. Feb. 10 after police said he threw rocks at passing cars and then at officers. Video taken by witnesses and posted online appear to show Zambrano-Montes moving away from officers before he was shot. Read more..
Washington Post: Supreme Court Seems To Side With Muslim Woman In Discrimination Case
The Supreme Court seemed inclined Wednesday to agree with a Muslim woman who charged that retailer Abercrombie & Fitch violated antidiscrimination laws when it denied her a job because her head scarf conflicted with the company’s dress code. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission took up the case of Samantha Elauf, who was denied a job at one of the chain’s stores in Tulsa. Elauf, then 17, had worn a head scarf, or hijab, since she was 13. At issue in the case was whether Elauf needed to explicitly volunteer during her interview that she wore the head scarf for religious reasons. Abercrombie said this action was necessary to trigger a federal law that prevents religious discrimination in hiring and requires employers to either offer an accommodation or say why it would impose a substantial burden. Read more..
LA Times: 'King Of Revenge Porn' Pleads Guilty, Faces Up To 7 Years In Prison
The 28-year-old man dubbed the “king of revenge porn” pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal computer hacking and identity theft charges for posting stolen nude photos online, prosecutors said. Hunter Moore of Woodland entered his plea in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom before U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who will sentence him in June. He faces up to seven years in prison and three years of probation, according to the U.S. attorney's office. "Most people do not feel that seven years is enough," said Charlotte Laws, a longtime community advocate in L.A. who alerted the FBI that her daughter's photos were on Moore's website. "The fact that he's going to prison is a victory. It does set a precedent; it does send a message." Read more..
WSJ: United Warns Pilots After Cockpit Errors
United Continental Holdings Inc. ’s management sent a dramatic safety warning to its pilots last month, calling for stepped-up compliance with rules and procedures following several serious incidents caused by cockpit errors. The bulletin, issued Jan. 9 under the heading “significant safety concerns,” said it was prompted by four separate “safety events and near-misses” in previous weeks, including a plane whose pilots had to execute an emergency pull-up maneuver to avoid crashing into the ground. Another flight cited in the document landed with less than the mandatory minimum fuel reserves. The two-page memo, signed by the carrier’s senior vice president of flight operations and its top safety official, didn’t provide specifics about those close calls, which hadn’t attracted public attention. But the unusually blunt language focused on the dangers of lax discipline, along with poor cockpit communication and coordination. Read more..
NPR: Dentists Have No Right To Limit Who Can Whiten Your Teeth, Justices Say
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the North Carolina dental board does not have the authority to regulate teeth-whitening services. By a 6-to-3 vote, the court said that the state board, composed mainly of dentists, violated the nation's antitrust laws by regulating the activity of competitors. Teeth whitening at a dentist's office can be expensive, so non-dentists started offering the service at a lower price at spas and shopping centers in North Carolina. The state board of dental examiners, which consists mainly of dentists, accused the whitening businesses of practicing dentistry without a license, and ordered them to stop or face potential criminal charges. Read more..
Reuters: New Black Hole Discovered In Early Universe
A black hole 12 billion times as massive as the sun has been found in a glowing quasar that existed when the universe was just a fraction of its current age, scientists said on Wednesday. The discovery challenges currently held theories that black holes and their host galaxies grew in relative lockstep over the eons. Found within the distant celestial bodies called quasars, black holes are regions of space so dense with matter that not even light can travel fast enough to escape their gravitational pits. Black holes are detected by effects they have on nearby galaxies, stars and dust. Read more..
AP: TJ Maxx, Marshalls To Follow Wal-Mart In Raising Pay
The owner of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores became the latest retailer to boost pay for its U.S. workers, putting pressure on other chains to do the same. TJX Cos. said Wednesday that it will increase pay for its U.S. workers to at least $9 an hour starting in June. The announcement came a week after Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it would increase starting wages for its U.S. employees to at least $9 per hour by April and by at least $10 by Feb. 2016. Home furnishings retailer IKEA and Gap clothing chain also have raised pay recently. Read more..
NYT: Apple Loses Patent Case To Small Texas Company, To Pay $532.9 Million In Damages
A federal jury decided this week that Apple should pay $532.9 million in damages for violating patents held by Smartflash, a business based in Texas. If you haven’t heard of Smartflash before, you wouldn’t be alone. The company does not make any products and its sole business is licensing seven patents. Smartflash filed its original complaint against Apple in 2013 in the Eastern District of Texas. In the trial, which was held in a courthouse in Tyler, down the street from Smartflash’s office, the patent holder accused Apple of violating three patents covering digital copyright management, payment systems and data storage. Read more..
Washington Post: Madonna Takes A Bad Fall On Stage At The Brit Awards. Really Bad.
Sorry, all of you performers excited to take the stage at the Brit Awards on Wednesday — Madonna’s horrible fall is all anyone is going to remember. The video started blowing up social media almost as soon as the clip hit the Internet. And that, everyone, is how you inadvertently steal the show. The other takeaway: Madonna is a pro. Impressively, she apparently still managed to stand up and finish the song, “Living For Love,” from her new album, the same one she performed at the Grammys this month. Read more..
NBC News: 'Horror Story' Actor Killed In Accident 'Saves Three Lives' — Via Donations
Actor Ben Woolf, who played Meep on "American Horror Story: Freak Show" and died Monday following a car accident, was able to "save three lives" on Tuesday — through organ donation, according to a non-profit. Three adult women received Woolf's liver and two kidneys on Tuesday night, according to OneLegacy, a non-profit, federally designated organ, eye and tissue recovery agency serving the Los Angeles area. Woolf, 34, died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his family at his side, according to his publicist. The actor had been hospitalized in critical condition after he was hit by the side mirror of a passing vehicle on a Los Angeles-area street on Feb. 19. Read more..
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