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| Nigeria war expands as Chad, Niger send troops to fight Boko Haram |
| NAIROBI — The fight against Boko Haram is escalating, with troops from Niger and Chad crossing into northeastern Nigeria to fight the insurgency in a further sign that what began as a Nigerian problem has grown into a volatile regional one. Read full article » |
| Come to Rome for the cathedrals, the ruins . . . and the red-light district? |
| ROME — The Eternal City is colliding with the world’s oldest profession — and the sparks, as they say, are flying.The ranks of streetwalkers have surged here in the heart of Catholicism, a swell that Rome’s officials are decrying as a stain on the dignity of the city’s citizens. But in a town of sinners as well as saints, outright bans on selling sex have failed before, leaving city authorities to put their faith in a new approach. Read full article » |
| Letter from witness casts further doubt on 2004 Texas execution |
| CORSICANA, Tex. — More than a decade after Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the arson murder of his three young daughters, new evidence has emerged that indicates that a key prosecution witness testified in return for a secret promise to have his own criminal sentence reduced. Read full article » |
| Clinton e-mails reinvigorate inquiry into allies who got special job status |
| The revelation that Hillary Rodham Clinton used a private e-mail system as secretary of state has revived a Senate investigation into another aspect of her tenure.Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who heads the Judiciary Committee, had previously questioned Clinton’s use of a program that allowed some political allies to work for the government while pursuing private-sector careers. Read full article » |
| Israel’s Arab political parties have united for the first time |
| TAYBEH, Israel — A coalition of once fractious Arab parties is suddenly emerging as Israel’s newest power bloc, forcing the Jewish state to pay attention to its large Arab minority as never before.If polls taken ahead of next week’s general election are accurate, Arab Israelis could end up heading the third-largest political faction in Israel’s next parliament, giving a voice to the often-sidelined Arab population. Read full article » |
| Missouri Supreme Court puts state judge in charge of Ferguson cases |
| The Missouri Supreme Court announced Monday it was placing a state judge in charge of cases in Ferguson, Mo., a decision that came after the Justice Department lambasted the city’s municipal court system as harmful and aimed only at boosting revenue. Read full article » |
| Coffee may not be bad for you, but it’s not going to save your life |
| Conventional wisdom on coffee has flip-flopped. Once considered an indulgence with potentially harmful health effects, coffee is now being talked about as a magical elixir that could potentially save your life. Read full article » |
| What’s in the historic medical marijuana bill being unveiled |
| The historic medical marijuana bill a trio of senators plan to unveil on Tuesday has a bit of something for everyone.The bill, which activists describe as a first for the Senate, would end the federal prohibition on medical marijuana and implement a number of critical reforms that advocates of both medical and recreational marijuana have been seeking for years, according to several people familiar with the details of the proposal. It would reclassify the drug in the eyes of the Drug Enforcement Administration, allow for limited inter-state transport of the plant, expand access to cannabis for research, and make it easier for doctors to recommend the drug to veterans and easier for banks to provide services to the industry. Read full article » |
| POLITICS |
| The politics of centralizing power in the Fed |
| “Washington Strips New York Fed’s Power” heralded an eye-opening Wall Street Journal article last week that detailed changes underway at the Federal Reserve. Typically, the Fed’s Board of Governors in Washington delegates authority to the New York Fed to supervise financial institutions on Wall Street. But the board in recent years — only now apparently coming to light — has centralized bank supervision in Washington, presumably out of concern that the New York Fed suffers from severe regulatory capture. In short, the New York Fed appears to be more loyal to bank interests than to the public’s interest. Read full article » |
| Thousands of U.S. workers older than 100? That might be Social Security fraud. |
| Thousands of workers over the age of 100 applied for employment verification through the U.S. government in recent years.It wasn’t a trend toward an older workforce, but a sign of identity fraud, according to federal auditors. Read full article » |
| Hillary wanted to talk about women this week — not e-mails |
| NEW YORK -- A professional lifetime spent working on behalf of women and girls is a foundation of Hillary Rodham Clinton's likely presidential campaign, and this week was meant to be a showcase for that part of her resume. Read full article » |
| OPINIONS |
| New scandals and reasons to wonder if Hillary is hiding something |
| The Hillary Clinton e-mail controversy is a reminder of one inescapable fact: She comes with baggage. Not the kind that fits in the overhead bin, either. I’m talking steamer trunks.How could anyone serve four years as secretary of state with no official e-mail account, instead conducting business from a private address with its own domain and server? The answer is: Deliberately. Read full article » |
| Why does it take a famous father to stop cyber-trolls? |
| The first time my dad noticed that somebody on the Internet had called me an idiot, he decided to take matters into his own hands.Without telling me, my proud papa tracked down the accuser’s e-mail address and sent him a sternly worded screed. In a fit of protective pique, my father expressed his profound disappointment with the author’s use of ad hominem attacks, and this ad hominem attack in particular. He then sent the blogger a comprehensive rebuttal explaining why I am not, in his objective fatherly opinion, an “idiot.” He offered as evidence various portions of my résumé — including, most cringingly, my SAT scores. Read full article » |
| Haunted by the terror of racism |
| SELMA, Ala.On my flight here, sheer luck took a liking to me. I got seated next to Thelma Adair, a 94-year-old black woman coming down from New York for the Jubilee. It had been 50 years from when civil rights marchers were beaten bloody by the police wielding truncheons and the entitlement that comes from centuries of racist tradition. We talked about the civil rights movement for a while, which is why she told me about her nightmares. They are so terrifying that she screams in her sleep. When she awakes, she remembers nothing. Read full article » |
| The public deserves answers, not stonewalling, from Hillary Clinton |
| APARAMOUNT test for those running for president is how they make decisions — how they absorb information, what principles they carry and how it is all processed to a final choice. This is highly subjective, often lost in the hurly-burly of campaigning, but crucial. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to announce her candidacy soon for the Democratic nomination, is at one of those revelatory moments and so far seems not to have recognized it. On Monday, people in her circle suggested that she will soon answer questions about her e-mail account. We hope she seizes the opportunity to be forthcoming. Read full article » |
| LOCAL |
| Following criticism, NPR host Diane Rehm scales back efforts in right-to-die debate |
| Following criticism from NPR’s ombudsman and concern from top public radio officials, Diane Rehm has agreed to stop attending fundraising dinners for Compassion & Choices, a group advocating for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. Read full article » |
| Your sweet spot: How to become more productive while actually working less. |
| Modern life can feel overwhelming and stressful. Happiness expert Christine Carter, a sociologist and one of the founders of the Greater Good Science Center At Berkeley, and author of the book, “The Sweet Spot,” says by doing less, we can not only ease that sense of overwhelm, but actually do more. She explains how: Read full article » |
| Water main break impacts traffic in College Park |
| A water main break on U.S. 1 in College Park is likely to cause traffic backups Tuesday morning. Read full article » |
| D.C. area forecast: Warm but wet weather pattern persists into the weekend |
| Although a cloudy and wet Tuesday, warm temperatures will abound. Read full article » |
| SPORTS |
| John Wall, Marcin Gortat help Wizards end road slide against Hornets |
| CHARLOTTE — Before every game, Washington Wizards assistant coach Don Zierden takes the locker room floor and addresses the team. Typically, Zierden goes through the opponent’s personnel as film is displayed and concludes his presentation with a message. Sometimes he highlights keys to a victory. Sometimes he demonstrates why the upcoming game is important. Sometimes he presents bulletin board material. Read full article » |
| Hassan Whiteside gets ejected for delivering a blow to the back of Kelly Olynyk’s head |
| Hassan Whiteside has come out of nowhere to become a force for the Miami Heat this season. However, the 25-year-old player still has some steps to take in his development, especially on the mental side. Read full article » |
| Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott battered in Panama City Beach fight |
| Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott emerged with bloody abrasions after being involved in a fight Monday in Panama City Beach, Fla. Teammates Damian Williams and Torrey Dale were reportedly also assaulted while in the town for spring break festivities. Read full article » |
| TV and radio listings for March 10 |
| TELEVISION AND RADIOnba8:30 p.m.Cleveland at Dallas NBA TVnhl7 p.m.New York Rangers at New York Islanders NHL Network9 p.m.Los Angeles at Colorado NBC Sports Network Read full article » |
| FEDERAL GOVERNMENT |
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| Sarah Palin: Hillary Clinton should follow my example of transparency |
| Sarah Palin wrote Monday that Hillary Rodham Clinton could use her as an example for government transparency.But maybe Clinton already did?In an article for Fox News, Palin compared her eventual release of thousands and thousands of her e-mails from her time as Alaska’s governor — after reporters and others made numerous requests — to Clinton’s exclusive private account. She hoped media will be as tireless pursuing Clinton’s e-mails as they were hers. Read full article » |
| Veteran Affairs manager pokes fun at mental health issues with photo of elf begging for Xanax |
| A manager and licensed social worker at a Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis apparently sent an e-mail that pokes fun at the mental health problems by showing a combat veteran as a Christmas elf ready to hang himself with holiday lights and another begging for a hit of Xanax.The Dec. 18 e-mail, was obtained by the Indianapolis Star. It shows pictures of a toy Christmas elf posing as a patient in what appears to be the hospital’s transitional clinic for former troops.The paper reports that the woman who sent the e-mail is Robin Paul, who manages the hospital’s Seamless Transition Integrated Care Clinic. The clinic provides returning veterans with transition assistance.When initially asked about the e-mail, Paul responded, “Oh my goodness.” She then referred a reporter to the hospital’s public affairs department, which e-mailed the Star a statement for her:“I would like to sincerely apologize for the email message and I take full responsibility for this poor judgment,” Paul said. “I have put my heart and soul into my work with Veterans for many years. I hold all Veterans and military personnel in the highest regard and am deeply remorseful for any hurt this may have caused.”The e-mail was sent to the “IND STICC Team” with the subject, “Naught [sic] Elf in the STICC clinic.”One photo depicts the elf looking between the legs of a female doll. “Trying his skills as a primary care provider (doing a pap),” the e-mail says.Another shows the elf and a note with the words, “Out of XANAX — please help!” A caption says, “Self-medicating for mental health issues when a CNS would not give him his requested script.”A third photograph of the suicidal vet has a caption that says, “Caught in the act of suicidal behavior (trying to hang himself from an electrical cord).”Julie Webb, a Roudebush spokeswoman, said administrators were made aware of the e-mail “a couple of months ago.”“The e-mail is totally inappropriate and does not convey our commitment to veterans,” she said. “We apologize to our veterans and take suicide and mental health treatment seriously, striving to provide the highest quality.”Webb said the issue was “administratively addressed.”“This type of behavior is completely unacceptable and we apologize to all our Veterans and their families,” said a statement from the VA released Monday. “This one incident is not reflective of the quality care and services that hundreds of thousands of Veterans receive every day from VA employees across the country. We are committed to treating our Veterans with respect and compassion and providing them the quality mental health care they have earned and deserve.”Paul remains employed at the hospital. She earns an annual salary of $79,916. She received a $2,000 performance bonus in 2013, the Indianapolis Star reported.Webb said she didn’t know how many employees were involved in the incident.The e-mail comes at a time when the VA’s Secretary Bob McDonald has pushed for more funding through the passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, designed to help veterans deal with an epidemic of veteran suicides. An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide in the United States every day, according to the VA.The measure will help the VA study would fund new programs for prevention and give student loan incentives to help psychiatrists work with veterans.Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released a statement Monday on the issue: “In what is becoming all too common, the VA continues to turn a blind eye to negligence and inexcusable behavior by their employees. Ms. Paul should be ashamed of her actions and embarrassed for the veterans and the families she shamelessly mocked. What’s more concerning is she apparently is still employed by the VA. I don’t understand how keeping this individual on VA’s payroll will bring accountability to a department mired in scandal and negligence. Her continued employment only lowers Americans’ confidence in the ability of the VA to provide medical care to service members, both past and present. I hope that leadership within Roudebush grasps the fact that supporting veterans and their families must be their top priority, not saving a disgraced employee.”Ken Hylton, commander of the Indiana Department of the American Legion, called for an investigation and told the Indianapolis Star that he wanted “immediate dismissal of this government employee and all of those who received this correspondence and said nothing.”“It is a slap in the face to our recent and past veterans suffering from mental health issues every single day,” he said. “These men and women went to war and do not deserve this type of ridicule. This is a disgusting display of mockery. This is supposedly someone who is caring for our veterans, and we in the Indiana American Legion are disgusted.”This is not the first time VA employees have made fun of veterans seeking care.Last summer, a Department of Veterans Affairs office drew fire for likening disgruntled veterans to Oscar the Grouch in a training guide for employees who were preparing for a town hall meeting, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.It obtained an 18-page slide show in which the agency’s Philadelphia benefits office used an image of the Sesame Street character to depict former troops who might come off as demanding. Read full article » |
| NATIONAL |
| What doctors should tell parents who are afraid of vaccines |
| In recent years, the U.S. has witnessed multiple outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses, including pertussis (whooping cough) and measles. In the same time frame, vaccine refusal rates have gone up, and an increasing number of parents are requesting modified vaccine schedules that differ from the one recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Read full article » |
| Congress tries to go beyond trolling on foreign policy. It won’t work. |
| Well, if Bloomberg’s Josh Rogin is correct, Congress has really stepped up in its effort to out-troll President Obama on foreign policy:A group of 47 Republican senators has written an open letter to Iran’s leaders warning them that any nuclear deal they sign with President Barack Obama’s administration won’t last after Obama leaves office. Read full article » |
| I don’t love Kirk |
| In the wake of President Obama’s statement following the passing of Leonard Nimoy that he loved Spock, the Washington Free Beacon’s Matthew Continetti penned a column entitled “I don’t Love Spock,” with the subhead of “President Obama’s favorite Star Trek character is an appeasing arrogant jerk.” A sample: Read full article » |
| WORLD |
| White House steps up sanctions against Venezuelans |
| The United States deepened its dispute with Venezuela on Monday, blocking the U.S. assets and property of seven Venezuelan officials, prohibiting Americans from doing business with them and barring them from U.S. entry. Read full article » |
| Washing instructions from an Indonesian shirtmaker: Get a woman to clean this. |
| The timing could not have been any worse: Last weekend, Indonesian wear manufacturer Salvo Sports caused outrage on social media platforms for printing washing instructions many found offensive and sexist, according to the BBC. Sunday also marked International Women's Day, which is supposed to raise awareness about remaining inequalities between men and women in many parts of the world. Read full article » |
| Another nation blazed the trail for Iran in developing a nuclear program |
| Iran may be following the path of another country as it seeks clandestinely to develop a capability to produce nuclear weapons.Was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remembering his own country’s success in hiding its nuclear weapons program in the 1960s from U.S. inspectors when he questioned whether inspections will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon? Read full article » |
| General says U.S. will ‘consider’ saving Iraqi antiquities being destroyed by the Islamic State |
| The Islamic State's destruction of cultural antiquities in Iraq has stepped up a notch recently, with members of the extremist group both bulldozing the 3,000-year-old Nimrud archaeological site near Mosul and ransacking the similarly ancient ruins of Hatra in the past few days. Read full article » |
| BUSINESS |
| The Sephora effect: How the cosmetics retailer transformed the beauty industry |
| The beauty industry has had something of a makeover recently as cosmetics retailers have learned an important lesson about selling their goods to millennials: They don’t want to buy makeup the same way their moms did. Read full article » |
| The bull market turns 6 after rising from financial crisis |
| NEW YORK — In 2009 the stock market was filled with panic.The housing market had collapsed. Lehman Brothers had gone under and General Motors was on the verge of bankruptcy reorganization. The U.S. was in a deep recession, and stocks had plunged 57 percent from their high in October 2007. Read full article » |
| Rich kid vs. poor kid: Why the growing gap is deeply personal for this man |
| Robert Putnam wants a show of hands of everyone in the room with a parent who graduated from college. In a packed Swarthmore College auditorium where the students have spilled onto the floor next to their backpacks, about 200 arms rise . Read full article » |
| TECHNOLOGY |
| HBO’s streaming service launches first on Apple devices for $14.99 per month |
| HBO said Monday its stand-alone streaming service, which will deliver sought-after television shows such as “Game of Thrones” to people who aren’t cable subscribers, will at first launch exclusively to customers using Apple devices. Read full article » |
| Obama calls for effort to boost high-tech training, hiring |
| WASHINGTON — Targeting stagnant wages in an otherwise improving economy, President Barack Obama on Monday called on employers, educational institutions and local governments to develop a home grown high technology workforce that could help drive up higher-income employment. Read full article » |
| A new space race emerges as NASA prepares to award contract to ferry supplies to space station |
| Lugging groceries and supplies to the astronauts on the International Space Station may not be as cool as ferrying the astronauts themselves into orbit. But the NASA contract to fly cargo to the station in unmanned rocket ships has attracted bids from high-profile companies in what analysts say is another indication of commercial spaceflight’s recent renaissance. Read full article » |
| 6 things that will make you wish you had a self-driving car today |
| Read full article » |
| LIFESTYLE |
| All is full of love: Listening for Bjork’s radical humanity |
| Listen hard. Which Björk do you hear? The genius sprite composing science-fiction operas on the margins of our dying planet? Or that strange lady in the swan dress?Twenty-two years into her solo career, those two prevailing images — visionary outsider vs. pretentious weirdo — have never felt more insufficient. Because, as otherworldly as it can be, the blood that pumps through the Icelandic pop star’s most imaginative work has always delivered universal truths. Her most dazzlingly abstract songs often double as simple pledges of love, loyalty, courage, pleasure. Read full article » |
| The Black Cat is moving up the start of weeknight shows |
| Over the years, Black Cat concertgoers have become familiar with a difficult end-of-the-night decision on weekdays: Do you stick around for the headliner's full set and encore, or do you duck out of the show early enough to make sure you catch the last Metro home? Read full article » |
| ‘Empire’ star Jussie Smollett comes out as gay, still doesn’t want to talk about his personal life |
| On Fox’s smash musical drama “Empire,” Jussie Smollett plays Jamal Lyons, a gay R&B singer who has struggled all his life with his homophobic father. It’s one of the show’s most dramatic plot lines — and it’s inevitably has led to viewers speculating about Smollett’s real-life sexuality. Until now, Smollett would not comment. Read full article » |
| Carolyn Hax: Mother-in-law’s ‘my baby’ reference irritates, but the question is why |
| Adapted from a recent online discussion.Dear Carolyn:I recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. I feel that my husband and I have the right to call him our baby. We made him, he’s ours.Before he was born, my mother-in-law would go on and on about “my baby,” meaning, her grandchild, and it irritated the crap out of me. I’m currently avoiding her phone calls because she hasn’t gone one day without calling him her baby. When she visited after the birth she said it two or three times a day and I had to fight the urge to punch her. Now I hear her FaceTiming my husband calling my son her baby every day. Read full article » |
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