Bill
Clinton Blames Republicans, Media For Extending Wife Hillary's Email Controversy
Former President Bill Clinton is blaming Republicans and the media
for the controversy related to wife and Democratic presidential candidate
Hillary Clintons email controversy, saying the GOP has led a full-scale
frontal assault on her campaign. Clinton entered the race as the clear
party front-runner. But her poll and favorability numbers have dropped
since news broke in March that she used a private server and email accounts
for official business while serving as secretary of state. I have never
seen so much expended on so little, the former president said in an interview
aired Sunday on CNN. The other party doesnt want to run against her.
And if they do, theyd like her as mangled up as possible. Fox
News
VOA VIEW: The only person to blame is
Hillary - she broke the law, violated national security, covered up and
lied.
CNN
Debate Criteria Would Allow Joe Biden To Participate
Vice President Joe Biden will be invited to participate in the first
Democratic presidential primary debate if he declares his intention to
seek his party's nomination as late as the day of the debate, eligibility
criteria released Monday by CNN shows. So far, Lincoln Chafee, Hillary
Clinton, Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Jim Webb have been invited
to the first Democratic National Committee-sanctioned debate on Oct. 13
at the Wynn Las Vegas. All five of the candidates have achieved an average
of 1% in three polls, recognized by CNN, released between Aug. 1 and Oct.
10. The debate criteria was published Monday morning. CNN
Recreational
Smokers Can Shop At Oregon's Pot Dispensaries
Oregon's medical marijuana dispensaries are getting ready for a watershed
moment this week: when recreational pot users will also be able to buy
weed at their pot shops. More than 200 of Oregon's 345 medical marijuana
dispensaries have notified the Oregon Health Authority of plans to sell
recreational marijuana starting on Thursday. Though some dispensaries may
not qualify right away if they're still in the application process and
haven't been approved, OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie said. Oregon passed
Measure 91 in November. The law legalized possessing and growing limited
amounts of marijuana for personal use starting July 1. Philadelphia
Inquirer
In
Iowa Visit, Christie Rips Obama, Trump
In a machine shed featuring two shiny John Deere tractors and numerous
buzzing flies, Gov. Christie brought his presidential campaign back to
Iowa on Monday, trying to sway voters with the image of a tough-talking
leader who can stay above Washington's partisan fray. But his govern-together
message didn't stop Christie from bashing President Obama at a town-hall
meeting in this town an hour north of Des Moines, describing a world "on
fire" because of weak U.S. leadership, and calling Russian President Vladimir
Putin a "smart, articulate thug" who has been "pushing the president of
the United States around the last seven years." Christie criticized Obama's
Monday speech to the United Nations, deriding the president for spending
"more time on climate change than on the global terrorist threat to America."
Philadelphia
Inqurier
Obama
Has Turned Putin Into The Worlds Most Powerful Leader
The baton was officially transferred Monday to the worlds new sole
superpower and Vladimir Putin willingly picked it up. President Obama
(remember him?) embraced the ideals espoused by the United Nations founders
70 years ago: Diplomacy and international order will win over time, while
might and force will lose.
Putin, too, appealed to UN laws (as he sees them), but he also used
his speech to announce the formation of a broad international coalition
to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Similar to the anti-Hitler coalition,
it could unite a broad range of forces to fight those who, just like
the Nazis, sow evil and hatred of human kind, he said. NY
Post
VOA VIEW: Obama is a weak traitor.
Immigrants
Will Drive U.S. Population Growth In Next Five Decades
Immigrants and their descendants will drive U.S. population growth
over the next half century, transforming the country into one where no
racial or ethnic group is a majority, a Pew Research Center report released
on Monday said. If current trends continue, immigrants and their descendents
are projected to account for the vast majority - 88 percent - of the population
growth by 2065 in the U.S., where 324 million now live, according to Pew.
"Without the immigrants, the U.S. population would start decreasing," said
Pew demographer Jeff Passel, among those who worked on the report. Reuters
Obama
At United Nations: We Must Stamp Out 'Apocalyptic Cult' ISIS
President Barack Obama warned that "dangerous currents" threaten to
create a "darker world" in a wide-ranging address to the United Nations
General Assembly on Monday. Obama slammed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
as a "tyrant" and urged the international community to work together to
defeat ISIS. "There is no room for accommodating an apocalyptic cult like
ISIL," the president said, using an alternative name for the terrorist
group. The president also stressed that the United States " is prepared
to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict"
in Syria. MSNBC
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Whole
Foods Market To Cut About 1,500 Jobs
Upscale food market operator Whole Foods Market Inc (WFM.O) said it
would cut about 1,500 jobs, or about 1.6 percent of its workforce as it
works to bring down costs. The magnitude of the job cuts, which will happen
over the next eight weeks, are unprecedented at Whole Foods and come as
the company invests in technology upgrades and tries to shed its reputation
for high prices. The affected jobs will be both in stores and in regional
operations, the company said in an email to Reuters on Monday, declining
to give further details. Reuters
TSA
Found Record Number Of Guns In Carry-On Luggage At Airports During One
Week
A record number of guns were found in passengers' carry-on luggage
at airport security checkpoints during one week in September, according
to the Transportation Security Agency. TSA agents discovered 67 guns in
carry-on luggage in airports across the country during the week that ended
Sept. 17, according to the agency, which said the tally for the week broke
a previous record of 65 firearms found during one week in May 2013. Of
those 67 guns, 56 were loaded and 26 had a round chambered, according to
the TSA. MSNBC
US,
Cuba Leaders To Meet For 2nd Time In This Year
Making good on a pledge to change U.S. posture toward Cuba, President
Barack Obama is poised to hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro for
the second time this year. The meeting is scheduled to take place Tuesday
on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United
Nations. Castro is attending for the first time. The encounter comes as
the Cold War adversaries go about the long and complex process of normalizing
relations
following decades of animosity. The U.S. recently eased rules for citizens
who want to visit or do business in Cuba, a step aimed at fostering greater
economic freedom on the island. Tampa
Tribune
China
Worries And Sinking Drugmakers Slam Stock Market
Ongoing worries about the health of the Chinese economy and another
big sell-off in drugmakers pushed the stock market back toward its lowest
level of the year. Energy and raw material companies dropped on reports
that industrial profits at Chinese companies fell sharply in August, heightening
worries about a slowdown in the world's second-biggest economy. Health
care stocks fell sharply as drugmakers extended a decline that began last
week as lawmakers stepped up pressure on the industry over its pricing
policies. Stocks have fallen sharply in August and September on concern
that a slowdown in China is worse than previously thought and is spreading
to other emerging market economies. The slowdown could start hurting U.S.
companies that rely on overseas demand for a large portion of their profits.
Tampa
Tribune
Chief
Justice John Roberts' Supreme Court At 10, Defying Labels
Three years into John Roberts' tenure as chief justice of the United
States, the Supreme Court ruled by one vote that the Second Amendment protects
the right to keep guns at home for self-defense. Seven years later to the
day, the court ruled again by one vote that the 14th Amendment requires
states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Leaning right on
guns but left on gays, right on race and religion but left on health care
reform, the Roberts Court reaches its 10-year anniversary this week at
the fulcrum of American public policy, culture and politics. USA
Today
VOA VIEW: Roberts is a phony conservative.
Trump:
'Attacking Me Has Not Been A Good Idea'
Donald Trump appeared on CNNs Erin Burnett Out Front Monday where
he addressed a number of topics with generally less bluster and a few more
specifics than usual. On one topic, however, the billionaire didnt hold
back: his opponents in the Republican presidential race. Host Erin Burnett
asked Trump who he thought would be the next to drop out. Well youve
got so many of them that are doing so poorly, Trump replied. Rand Paul
is doing horribly. You know he was supposed to be a leader.
A guy like Marco Rubio is a lightweight, he said. I cant imagine he
goes anywhere. USA
Today
George
Zimmerman Retweets Photo Of Trayvon Martin's Body
George Zimmerman, who apparently asks himself what's the right thing
to do and then does the opposite, has done it again. The former Florida
neighborhood watch captain, who shot and killed black teenager Trayvon
Martin in 2012 but was acquitted of murder, over the weekend retweeted
an image of Martin's body lying on the grass. It had been posted by an
admirer with the caption "Z-Man is a one man army." According to the New
York Daily News, Zimmerman has been doing anything but keeping a low profile
on social media: Last month, Zimmerman replied to a critic on Twitter by
writing, "We all know how it ended for the last moron that hit me. Give
it a whirl cupcake." Earlier this year, Zimmerman said black Virginia murderer
Vester Flanagan was "too much of a daisy to deal w/ racism," called Obama
a "Racist," and painted a Confederate battle flag dedicated to an anti-Muslim
Florida gun shop owner. Zimmerman now uses the Confederate painting as
his Twitter profile photo. Houston
Chronicle
Obama
Taunts Putin, China At U.N.: I Lead The Strongest Military The World Has
Ever Known
While casting his nation as the keeper of global order and saying the
age of dictatorships is over, President Obama on Monday stressed that the
U.S. is ready and willing to work with countries such as Iran, Russia and
China and harbors no irreversible ill will toward its old adversaries.
In a highly anticipated speech at the United Nations General Assembly in
New York City, Mr. Obama said his administration accepts the fact that
the U.S. must cooperate with nations around the world, even those that
often violate international norms or human rights. Such cooperation, the
president said, is necessary in the 21st century. Obama taunts Putin, China
at U.N.: I lead the strongest military the world has ever known Washington
Times
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Bush:
US Should Open Overseas Markets To US Oil, Gas
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says ending the ban on U.S.
oil exports and easing restrictions on natural gas exports will unleash
the nation's economy.
The former Florida governor is calling for ending the 1970s-era law
prohibiting the U.S. from exporting crude oil at a time when domestic petroleum
production has grown rapidly over the past decade. Calling it a "once-in-a-generation
opportunity," Bush says in a piece posted today on the website Medium that
reversing the export ban and widening U.S. natural gas markets would benefit
U.S. consumers with lower energy costs, create a new manufacturing sector
and generally fuel more rapid growth in the nation's economy. Bush is scheduled
to discuss the plan at Rice Energy near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.
Houston
Chronicle
Planned
Parenthood, Under Siege, Fights Back
Rancor against the Planned Parenthood Federation of America has exploded
this year, the fuse lit by videos that surfaced this summer showing a national
Planned Parenthood executive discussing the selling of fetal body parts.
The agency is fighting back with rallies, social media campaigns and celebrations
of its services across the country Tuesday, including a rally by the chapter
that oversees services in Georgia at the state Capitol in downtown Atlanta.
The nonprofit organization provides mammograms, Pap smears, testing for
sexually transmitted diseases and, yes, at some facilities it performs
abortions. Political voices for and against Planned Parenthood have been
loud and proud. Atlanta
Journal
Critics
Slam Ex-Archbishop Of Philadelphias Role In Papal Visit
A former archbishop who retired amid allegations he put church interests
ahead of clergy sexual abuse victims returned to the city over the weekend
to help Pope Francis celebrate Mass, drawing criticism from advocates who
said his visibility rubs salt into deep wounds. The current archbishop,
Charles Chaput, defended Cardinal Justin Rigalis role in the service Saturday
at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, saying Monday his predecessor
did nothing wrong and is always welcome to be here. Rigali, 80, sat to
Chaputs left and stood with the pope as he consecrated the Eucharist.
A spokesman said he also participated in several other events with U.S.
bishops, including the Vatican-sponsored World Meeting of Families conference
that brought the pope to Philadelphia. Charlotte
Observer
Trump
Unveils Tax Plan That Would Lower Taxes For Millions
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Monday proposed
eliminating income taxes for millions of Americans, and lower rates for
the highest-income earners, as part of a plan he said would grow the U.S.
economy at a pace not seen in years. Trump's plan for an overhaul of the
U.S. tax code would eliminate federal income taxes on individuals earning
less than $25,000 and married couples earning less than $50,000. He said
those individuals would receive "a new one page form to send the IRS saying,
'I win.'" Trump's plan would also disproportionally benefit wealthy earners
by lowering the highest income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 25 percent,
and businesses by cutting their tax rate from major corporations to mom-and-pop
shops to no more than 15 percent. CNS
News
VOA VIEW: Trumps tax numbers don't make
sense.
House
Plans To Use Fast-Track Budget Tool To Attack Obamacare, Planned Parenthood
Republicans in charge of top House committees want to use a fast-track
budget tool to take a big bite out of Obamacare and redirect funding away
from Planned Parenthood amid controversy over its abortion practice. Saying
its time to put an Obamacare repeal bill on the presidents desk, the
Ways and Means Committee will vote Tuesday to scrap the 2010 laws most
unpopular taxes and mandates through budget reconciliation. That includes
the controversial individual mandate requiring Americans to hold health
insurance. Without the mandate, the laws delicate economics would likely
fall apart, blowing a hole in President Obamas signature law. Budget reconciliation
is a complex budget tool that allows Congress to forge new legislation
while avoiding a filibuster in the Senate. Democrats used the tool to help
pass Obamacare in 2010, although Mr. Obama would still maintain a veto
over whatever Congress passes this time around. Washington
Times
Big
Change Ahead For Early Breast Cancer Treatment?
Many women with early-stage breast cancer can skip chemotherapy without
hurting their odds of beating the disease - good news from a major study
that shows the value of a gene-activity test to gauge each patient's risk.
The test accurately identified a group of women whose cancers are so likely
to respond to hormone-blocking drugs that adding chemo would do little
if any good while exposing them to side effects and other health risks.
In the study, women who skipped chemo based on the test had less than a
1 percent chance of cancer recurring far away, such as the liver or lungs,
within the next five years. "You can't do better than that," said the study
leader, Dr. Joseph Sparano of Montefiore Medical Center in New York. An
independent expert, Dr. Clifford Hudis of New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center, agreed. CBS
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Jeb
Bush: 'I Admire John Boehner Greatly'
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, asked for his reaction to the resignation
of John Boehner, had good things to say about the House Speaker: "We'll
have to see how it plays out," Bush told "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace.
"I admire John Boehner greatly. He's a great public servant. He left at
the apex of his--of his time in service to this--to the country, with the
Pope speaking in Congress. "I think people are going to miss him in the
long run, because he's a -- he's a person that is focused on solving problems."
Asked if Boehner's departure is good or bad for conservatives," Bush said
he's not sure: CNS
News
Bush
Campaign Books Ad Time In Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina
Jeb Bush's presidential campaign is reserving television ad time in
January and February in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina ahead of
all three of the state's key early caucus and primary elections. The campaign
is placing a $4.6 million buy in New Hampshire, a $2.2 million buy in South
Carolina and a $1 million buy in Iowa, a source close to the campaign told
CBS News. The total does not include planned digital and radio spending.
News of the advertising push comes as the former Florida governor has struggled
to catch on in polls, particularly in New Hampshire - a state crucial to
his presidential chances. CBS
Carly
Fiorina: Why She Wants Everyone To Throw Out Their Flip Phones
Carly Fiorina is putting flip phone users on notice: Youre going to
have to upgrade under a President Fiorina. How many of you have a flip
phone? Fiorina recently asked a town hall in South Carolina. A few people
in the audience raised their hands, as laughter filled the room. Its
okay, but youre going to have to upgrade soon, she continued. You have
18 months to do this. Its all part of a vision the Republican presidential
candidate has to give citizens a direct line of communication literally
to the president. But the technology, Fiorina says, will only be compatible
with smartphones. ABC
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Apple
Sells 13 Million iPhones In Opening Weekend
Did you buy a new iPhone this weekend? You were not alone. Apple announced
on Monday that it had sold a whopping 13 million of its iPhone 6s and 6s
Plus in their first weekend on sale to the public, smashing sales records
and exceeding analyst expectations. The company had already indicated that
it was on pace to break last years sales record of 10 million phones sold
in the first weekend, after logging its first pre-orders. Many analysts
had expected blockbuster sales, given that Apple launched its phones in
China for the first time in its first weekend. China is Apples second-largest
and fastest growing market. Still, the 13-million figure topped the 12
million in sales that analysts expected to see, showing that consumers
were excited about the largely under-the-hood improvements. Charlotte
Observer
US:
Clinton Email Storage Safe Not Secure For Some Messages
The State Department has told Senate investigators that it didn't provide
Hillary Rodham Clinton's lawyer with a secure-enough method to read now-highly
classified material from her homebrew email server because it didn't anticipate
that the messages would be deemed so secret. In July, State Department
officials installed a safe at the office of attorney David Kendall after
the government determined some of Clinton's emails may have contained classified
information. But it said last week the safe wasn't suitable for so-called
top secret, sensitive compartmented information, known as TS/SCI, which
the government has said was found in some messages. San
Diego Union
Mighty Small
Mites Around The Midwest And KC Region Leave Nasty, Itchy Bites
The Kansas State Extension office in Olathe has fielded its highest
number of mite-related calls in 10 years, said Dennis Patton, horticulture
agent. Weather patterns and environmental conditions have been extremely
favorable for this mite to reproduce and hit what I would call epidemic
proportions, said Patton. Its just the year, added Bob Bauernfeind,
Kansas State University entomologist in Manhattan. The mites were big
in in 2004 and 2005, and then there were nine years in between with not
a peep about them. The oak leaf itch mite Pyemotes herfsi, first identified
just a decade ago hangs around gall formations established on tree leaves
by insects such as midges. The midges will lay eggs in the gall formations.
This year we have had a spike in the number of these gall formations,
said Patton. Kansas
City Star
Rand
Paul: I'll Outlast 'Clown' Donald Trump
Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul said Monday that contrary
to what Donald Trump says, he's not going anywhere -- and in fact he might
actually stay in the race longer than his opponent. Speaking on CNN's "New
Day" with Alisyn Camerota, the Kentucky senator responded to comments from
Trump that Paul's campaign was sputtering out. "I'll tell you this, I think
we'll be around just as long as Trump, or longer," Paul said. CNN
VOA VIEW: Foolish talk by Paul.
House
Benghazi Probe Longest In Congressional History
The House committee investigating the Benghazi attacks is now the longest
congressional investigation in history, committee Democrats announced today.
As of Monday, the House Select Committee on Benghazi, has been active for
72 weeks -- surpassing the record previously held by the Watergate Committee
in the 1970's.Democrats have accused the committee of focusing on former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rather than the 2012 Benghazi attacks,
and argue that it has been one of the least productive in history, having
held just three public hearings. ABC
Stocks
Tumble As Glencore, Biotech Roil Markets; Bonds Advance
Losses swept through global equity markets, dragging down small-cap
and biotech shares amid the worst quarter since 2011, as investors struggled
to assess the repercussions from a rout in Glencore Plc. Government bonds
and the yen jumped as demand for havens rose. A 29 percent drop in Glencore
sent the Bloomberg World Mining Index of commodity producers to its lowest
in almost seven years. A gauge of global equities slumped to a level unseen
since 2013 as the Russell 2000 Index of smaller companies reached a low
for the year and U.S. biotechnology shares fell deeper into a bear market.
Treasuries headed for a monthly gain and the yen strengthened against all
16 major peers. Bloomberg
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Nurse
Says She Still 'Has Nightmares' About Working At One Of America's Most
Notorious Jails
We recently reported on horrifying stories coming out of the Oklahoma
County jail, leading us to make contact with a nurse who told us the experience
of working there gave her "nightmares." Over the past 15 years, the jail
has had many alleged problems from unsanitary conditions, negligent care
of inmates, and poor medical care to outright abuse of inmates. Court records
show the jail -- which holds mostly people who haven't yet been convicted
of a crime and are awaiting trial -- has been sued more than 40 times by
former inmates or employees in the past decade and a half. Fox
News
Fed's
Dudley Says U.S. On Track For 2015 Interest-Rate Increase
The Federal Reserve will probably raise interest rates later this year
and tighten policy gradually thereafter, New York Fed President William
C. Dudley said, echoing the sentiment of Chair Janet Yellen that an uncertain
global outlook wont postpone liftoff into 2016. The economy is doing
pretty well, Dudley said Monday at an event hosted by the Wall Street
Journal in New York. My expectation is that we probably will raise interest
rates later this year. Dudley said he expected growth in the second half
will be a little bit weaker than in the first half, when the U.S. grew
around 2.25 percent on an annualized basis. His remarks lined up with Yellen,
who said Sept. 24 she felt it likely the Fed would increase rates this
year for the first time in almost a decade. The policy-setting Federal
Open Market Committee decided Sept. 17 to hold rates near zero, citing
worries over the slowdown in China that could damp U.S. growth and inflation.
Bloomberg
Scramble
To Fill Top Jobs In House After Boehner Exit
A chaotic scramble is on to fill the top GOP jobs in the House following
Speaker John Boehner's surprise resignation. Now the same conservatives
who pushed him out are maneuvering to yank the next leadership team to
the right. The frenzied action under the Capitol Dome will help determine
how Congress contends with upcoming battles on keeping the government running
and avoiding a federal default and whether Republicans can take back
the White House next year. Boehner's announcement shocked nearly everyone,
opening a rare chance for ambitious lawmakers to climb the congressional
ladder and for competing factions to exert new sway as an anti-establishment
fever sweeps GOP politics. Las
Vegas Sun
FBI
To Collect Better Data On Police Shootings, Use Of Force
FBI Director James Comey says the agency will collect and make public
more information about police shootings of civilians. Comey on Monday said
the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Reporting program, which releases information
on crimes nationwide, will begin collecting data about non-fatal shootings
involving local law officers.
He also called on all police agencies to submit data about fatal shootings.
Once the information is collected, he said the FBI will produce a special
publication on police use of force. Comey has repeatedly lamented the lack
of reliable information about how often police officers use force in the
line of duty. Las
Vegas Sun
Investor
Carl Icahn Backs Donald Trump, Warns Of 'Danger Ahead'
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has indicated that he's backing fellow
billionaire Donald Trump for president, saying he believes the real estate
mogul is the best of the Republican options. "I would say it's an endorsement.
I think at this moment in time, he's the only candidate that speaks out
about the country's problems," Icahn told Bloomberg Politics. The 79-year-old
businessman said there are certain issues on which he disagrees with Trump,
who released a position paper on tax reform Monday, but by and large believes
the brazen GOP frontrunner best exemplifies the type of leader he wants
in the White House. UPI
Contract
Signings To Buy Homes In U.S. Fall For Second Time In 2015
The number of contractual agreements to purchase previously owned homes
in the United States abruptly fell during the month of August for the second
time this year, realty officials said Monday. The National Association
of Realtors said Monday that an index of pending home sales decreased nearly
1.5 percent after a half-percent boost in July. The association noted a
modest increase in the West, but said contract signings declined in all
other regions. The association uses the Pending Home Sales Index -- an
indicator of housing activity, measures housing contract activity, and
is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes,
condos and co-ops. UPI
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PA's
Erekat Slams Obama For Neglecting Palestinians In Speech To UN
PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat expressed disappointment in US President
Barack Obama for failing to mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in
his speech to the UN General Assembly on Monday. "Does President Obama
believe he can defeat ISIS and terrorism, or achieve security and stability
in the Middle East, by ignoring the continued Israeli occupation,
settlement expansion and the continued attacks on al-Aksa Mosque?" official
Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted Erekat as asking. In his speech to
the UN in 2013, Obama outlined what were then his primary foreign
policy goals: "In the near term," he said, "Americas diplomatic efforts
will focus on two particular issues: Irans pursuit of nuclear weapons,
and the Arab-Israeli conflict." Jerusalem
Post
US
Support For Israel Stokes Terrorism Worldwide, Rouhani Says
Problems plaguing the Middle East, from Cairo to Kabul and Aden to
Aleppo, are ultimately the product of American policy and its support for
an "inhumane" Israel, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the United
Nations on Monday. Praising the nuclear deal reached in July with world
powers as a "new and constructive way to recreate the international order,"
Rouhani said Iran is determined not to forget the past. But the Iranian
people will not live in the past, either, he told the 70th gathering of
the General Assembly, touting that his country is now open for business.
"Economic interactions may bring about lasting security, and transform
the region into a haven for peace and development," Rouhani said. "After
the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], Iran will stand ready to show
that the practical path to security and stability is through the development
that comes with economic engagement." Jerusalem
Post
Syria
Conflict: UN Assembly Highlights Divisions
Divisions among world leaders on ending the war in Syria have been
laid bare at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The US and France insisted
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad must go, but Russia said it would be
an "enormous mistake" not to work with him to tackle Islamic State (IS)
militants. But the US and Russia also hinted they could still cooperate
on the crisis. Barack Obama said he would work with any nation, and Vladimir
Putin called for a "broad coalition". The two leaders are meeting on the
sidelines of the UNGA, their first face-to-face meeting in almost a year,
with the Ukraine war also on the agenda. BBC
Jerusalem
Holy Site Witnesses Fresh Clashes
There have been fresh clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians
at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem. Police fired tear gas at youths who
were throwing stones and petrol bombs. The site, known to Muslims as Haram
al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount, is often the scene of clashes,
but tensions have risen in recent weeks.
Many Palestinians suspect Israel wants to make changes to the status
quo that has governed rights of access since 1967 - something Israel has
denied. The US has said it is deeply concerned about the violence and called
on all parties to "exercise restraint and refrain from provocative actions
and rhetoric". BBC
Carly
Fiorina Endorses Waterboarding 'To Get Information That Was Necessary'
Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has endorsed waterboarding,
the controversial interrogation method that has been called torture, as
an important tactic that was used only when there was no other way to
get information that was necessary. In an interview with Yahoo News, Fiorina,
the former Hewlett-Packard CEO who surged in recent polls of Republican
primary voters, said: I believe that all of the evidence is very clear
that waterboarding was used in a very small handful of cases [and] was
supervised by medical personnel in every one of those cases. The 2014
Senate report that called waterboarding in which water is poured over
a cloth on a prisoners face in order to simulate the feeling of drowning
tantamount to torture and said it produced little useful intelligence.
Fiorina called the report disingenuous and a shame that undermined
the morale of a whole lot of people who dedicated their lives to keeping
the country safe. Guardian
VOA VIEW: Fiorina will score points with
her waterboarding endorsement.
Female
US Navy Seals Can Be Trained If Military Changes Policy, Says Academy
The superintendent of the US Naval Academy is confident the school
could produce female navy Seals, if the military changes its policy to
allow them to serve in that special operations role. Male graduates who
go into that service assignment are the most successful of any group of
men that go into special operations across the country and that shows the
academy has a formula that works, Vice Admiral Walter Ted Carter said
Monday. If the military opens up special operations to women, Carter said
he has no doubt that our women will do very well in that program, just
as they have in all other communities. Guardian
Warning
Of Dangers To Health, Environment, UN Experts Urge Phase-Out Of Hazardous
Pesticides
Two independent United Nations human rights experts today called for
an immediate worldwide phase-out on use of highly hazardous pesticides
that are inflicting significant damage on human health and the environment.
Workers, children and others at risk continue to suffer severe impacts
from hazardous pesticides, the Special Rapporteur on human rights and
hazardous substance and waste, Baskut Tuncak, said in a news release. Those
living in danger cannot wait several years for the next opportunity.
UN
News
Global
Goals Provide Opportunity To Quicken Pace Of Action To End AIDS Epidemic
By 2030
Speaking at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the leaders of
Kenya and Malawi co-hosted today with the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) a high-level panel discussion on scaling up efforts to end the
epidemic by 2030. We should be able to enter this new era, the era of
the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals, with hope, said UNAIDS Executive
Director Michel Sidibé, calling the adoption just two days ago of
the the 2030 Agenda a window of opportunity to quicken the pace of action.
UN
News
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