Dozens
Of Clinton Emails In Latest Release Contain Classified Info
Dozens of emails in the State Department's latest release of Hillary
Clinton emails contain information now deemed classified by the department.
The release includes nearly 3,900 new emails. Of them, more than 200 have
a "B1" marking, which means they contain classified information - though
some may be duplicates. As part of Wednesday's release, officials upgraded
the classification level of portions of 215 emails, State Department spokesman
John Kirby told reporters. Almost all of the emails were "confidential,"
the lowest level of classification, while three emails were declared "secret,"
a mid-tier level for information that could still cause serious damage
to national security if made public. Fox
VOA VIEW: E-mails nailing down Hillary's
presidential coffin.
Trump's
Wife Melania Will Be "Very Much On The Campaign Trail"
Mrs. Trump may soon be hitting the campaign trail. Donald Trump said
Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Don Lemon that the country
is about to see more of his wife, Melania, who has so far not played a
public role in the Republican front-runner's campaign. "I think she'll
be amazing and I think (my daughter) Ivanka's going to be amazing," the
billionaire responded when asked if the public will start to get more glimpses
of his wife. "They're going to be out very much on the campaign trail."
As Trump has held his lead in national polls and ratcheted up his campaign
schedule, Melania's absence on the road has also become increasingly notable.
CNN
Oregon
Marijuana Shops Begin Sales To Recreational Users
Oregon marijuana shops began selling marijuana Thursday for the first
time to recreational users, marking a big day for the budding pot industry.
Some of the more than 250 dispensaries that already offer medical marijuana
in Oregon opened their doors soon after midnight just moments after it
became legal to sell to anyone who is at least 21. At Portlands Shango
Premium Cannabis, co-founder Shane McKee said the first sale to an excited
customer came about a minute after midnight, with many others waiting.
It looks like there is about 60-70 in line out front, he said in a telephone
interview shortly after midnight. They all seem extremely eager. That
first buyer, Davia Fleming of Portland, said the sales launch was important.
Washington
Post
House
To Vote On Defense Bill That Obama Threatens To Veto
The defense policy bill is one of the few bipartisan measures in Congress
that has readily become law for more than a half-century. Not so fast this
year, as President Barack Obama threatens to veto the bill moving through
the House amid a bitter dispute about government spending. The argument
is whether Congress should break through spending caps when it comes to
defense, but adhere to them for domestic agencies. Obama and his Democratic
supporters say no. Republicans, citing global threats around the world,
say yes. The $612 billion defense policy bill for next year gives Obama
the increase in funding he requested, but he's unhappy with the way lawmakers
did it. They increased defense spending by padding a war-fighting account
with an extra $38.3 billion. That account for Overseas Contingency Operations,
or OCO is not subject to the caps. Houston
Chronicle
VOA VIEW: A very large part of the defense
budget is waste, fraud and mismanagement.
Apologies,
Pledges Abound Again In New Secret Service Sandal
The Secret Service's cycle of apology, explanation and promises is
back this time, involving an attempt to embarrass a congressman investigating
the seemingly non-stop shenanigans. This scandal doesn't involve booze,
women or security breaches. It revolves instead around a revelation that
scores of Secret Service employees accessed the decade-old, unsuccessful
job application of Jason Chaffetz, now a member of Congress, who is chairman
of the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee. The latest incident
turned personal when an assistant director of the Secret Service even suggested
leaking embarrassing information to retaliate against the Utah Republican,
according to a report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general,
John Roth. Houston
Chronicle
Russia
Says It Targets Not Just IS In Syria
Reacting to criticism that it is targeting opponents of the Syrian
government, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on
Thursday that Russia's airstrikes in Syria are targeting not only Islamic
State militants but also other groups. Russia on Wednesday carried out
its first airstrikes in Syria in what President Vladimir Putin called a
pre-emptive strike against the militants. Twenty airstrikes destroyed a
command center of Islamic State militants as well as ammunition depots,
the defense ministry said. Moscow had insisted that it was targeting IS
militants while U.S. officials and other cast doubt on the claim, saying
the Russians appeared to be attacking opposition groups fighting Syrian
government forces. Atlanta
Journal
U.S.
Jobs Sector Gains, Midwest Manufacturing Stumbles
U.S. companies hired workers at a solid clip in September, but data
showed factory activity in the U.S. Midwest contracted, muddying the economic
picture for the Federal Reserve on whether to raise interest rates later
this year. U.S. private employers added 200,000 jobs in September, payrolls
processor ADP said on Wednesday, the strongest reading since June. It beat
a forecast 194,000 increase among economists polled by Reuters. Private
payroll gains in August were revised down to 186,000from an originally
reported 190,000 increase. The U.S. central bank's policy-setting group,
the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), decided against ending its near
zero interest rate policy in September, citing concerns about global risks
and market turbulence stemming from China. Reuters
Caitlyn
Jenner Won't Be Charged In Fatal February Car Accident
California prosecutors declined Wednesday to charge Caitlyn Jenner
in connection with a fatal multi-car accident earlier this year, citing
insufficient evidence. A month-long investigation by the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department found that Jenner the reality show star who, as
Bruce Jenner, won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics
was driving too fast for the prevailing conditions in February when her
SUV, hauling a trailer, rear-ended a Lexus on the rain-slickened Pacific
Coast Highway in Malibu. Prosecutors could have filed a misdemeanor manslaughter
charge, but sources familiar with the investigation said there was a number
of mitigating factors, including the fact that Jenner wasn't driving recklessly
or at excessive speed, didn't flee the scene, traveled with the flow of
traffic and wasn't on a cellphone at the time. MSNBC
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Senate
Democrats Propose Bill To Raise Smoking Age To 21
Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz, Dick Durbin, Sherrod Brown and seven
others have backed legislation that would prohibit the sale of tobacco
products to individuals under the age of 21. Mr. Schatz, who introduced
the legislation, hails from Hawaii, the only state where the smoking age
is already 21. In other states the legal age is 18.
But are they healthy? Take charge of your breast health today. This
year, Hawaii became the first state in the nation to raise the minimum
smoking age to 21, he said in a statement. It was an historic public
health achievement that we should adopt nationwide. By raising the minimum
tobacco age of sale to 21 across the country, we can cut the number of
new smokers each year; build a healthier, tobacco free America; and save
lives. Washington
Times
Secret
Service Official Wanted To Embarrass Congressman
The Homeland Security inspector general revealed in a new report that
a number of Secret Service employees accessed an old employment file pertaining
to Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, in violation of the law. Chaffetz, who
chairs the committee charged with government oversight and reform, has
been leading the charge to investigate a series of Secret Service scandals
involving drunk driving, foreign prostitutes, and failures to protect the
White House from trespassers. Assistant Secret Service Director Edward
Lowery, according to the report, emailed another Secret Service director
on Mar. 31, that suggested, "Some information that he [Chaffetz] might
find embarrassing needs to get out," in reference to the information in
Chaffetz's employment file. CBS
Indiana
House Majority Leader Resigns After Apologetic Text
A top lawmaker who abruptly quit the Indiana House says he made mistakes
that he needs to remedy with his family, a week after apologizing to friends
and acquaintances for "anything offensive" they may have received from
his cellphone. House Majority Leader Jud McMillin, a Republican from Brookville,
said in a Facebook post Wednesday that he was giving up his seat to focus
on his family. He did not elaborate on what mistakes he made. He officially
resigned Tuesday. It's not McMillin's first brush with ethics issues while
in public office. Ten years ago, a domestic-violence victim said they had
a sexual relationship while he was handling her case as an assistant prosecutor
in Montgomery County, Ohio. Philadelphia
Inquirer
Romney
Ticks Off Viable GOP Candidates; Excludes Trump, Doesnt Mention Carson
Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney listed a half-dozen Republican
candidates he said could qualify as mainstream conservatives his party
could live with in a general election and said he didnt think Donald
J. Trump was one of those. Mr. Romney, a two-time candidate who was the
partys standard-bearer in 2012, ticked off New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie,
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio of
Florida, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and businesswoman Carly
Fiorina as viable options. Washington
Times
VOA VIEW: A two time loser on the sideline
should stay out of the presidential election.
Another
Blast Hits Chinese City Where Explosions Killed 7
An explosion damaged a six-story building Thursday in southern China,
less than a day after more than a dozen blasts triggered by explosive devices
delivered in mail packages killed at least seven people and injured over
50 in the same county in southern China, officials and state media said.
The latest blast hit a civilian's house near a highway administration bureau
in Liucheng in Guangxi region, which borders Vietnam, but it was not immediately
known if there were any casualties, according to the official Xinhua News
Agency. The Ministry of Public Security said it was treating the blasts
on Wednesday as a criminal act, and not terrorism. It said a 33-year-old
local man, identified only by his family name of Wei, was considered a
suspect, but provided no further details, including a possible motive or
whether the man had been detained. Local media reported that the suspect
had been apprehended. Philadelphia
Inquirer
Meteorologists
Fear Hurricane Joaquin Could Be Another Sandy
New Yorkers still haunted by the nightmare of Hurricane Sandy are bracing
for the possibility of a hit from Hurricane Joaquin, which could sock the
region with drenching rains, damaging winds and record coastal flooding.
Despite the storms cone of uncertainty indicating an indefinite path
on Wednesday, some forecasters were sounding the alarm. I hate to compare
anything to Sandy, but the setup isnt all that different. I know a lot
of things can get overhyped, but this, I actually think, may be underhyped,
Rob Reale a meteorologist at New Jerseys WeatherWorks, told NJ.com. NY
Post
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Caitlyn
Jenner Won't Be Charged In Fatal February Car Accident
California prosecutors declined Wednesday to charge Caitlyn Jenner
in connection with a fatal multi-car accident earlier this year, citing
insufficient evidence. A month-long investigation by the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department found that Jenner the reality show star who, as
Bruce Jenner, won a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics
was driving too fast for the prevailing conditions in February when her
SUV, hauling a trailer, rear-ended a Lexus on the rain-slickened Pacific
Coast Highway in Malibu. Prosecutors could have filed a misdemeanor manslaughter
charge, but sources familiar with the investigation said there was a number
of mitigating factors, including the fact that Jenner wasn't driving recklessly
or at excessive speed, didn't flee the scene, traveled with the flow of
traffic and wasn't on a cellphone at the time. MSNBC
Bill
Clinton To Trump, GOP: You Can't "Insult Your Way To The White House"
Bill Clinton has a few words of advice for the Republicans vying for
the Oval Office: If you want to win, stop acting like you're on an episode
of 'Survivor.' In an interview with CNN Tuesday, the former president went
after Donald Trump and the rest of the crowded Republican field for conducting
their campaigns "as much like a reality TV show as possible." "You can't
-- and you shouldn't be able to -- insult your way to the White House,"
Clinton told CNN. "I think as the field whittles down, I hope it will get
more serious. The American people deserve some sense of what the heck you're
going to do if you actually get the job." "You can't level an insult,"
he went on. "You're not in an episode of 'Survivor.' You're actually supposed
to show up and run the show." CBS
VOA VIEW: Clinton is desperate to help
his wife.
Hillary
Clinton 'Fights' With White House Operator Who Doesn't Believe It's Her
Calling
It seems it's not enough to be Hillary Clinton -- or sound like the
former Secretary of State -- to get directly through to the White House.
When Rep. Diane Watson was about to announce her retirement from Congress
back in 2010, Clinton was hoping to call the California Democrat, but was
tied up with an unexpected hurdle on another call. "I'd like to call her.
But right now I'm fighting w the WH operator who doesn't believe I am who
I say," a frustrated Clinton wrote in an email sent to her aide Huma Abedin
February 2010. ABC
YOU can speak out and be heard by having your own "Column" - Visit the "Public Opinion" Section above.
U.S.
Appeals Court Grapples With Computer Seizure Case
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday appeared skeptical of the government's
assertion that it can seize computer records as part of a criminal investigation,
hold them for years and then later search them to pursue an entirely different
probe. Thirteen judges at the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New
York heard the case, in a rare example of "en banc" review before the entire
roster of active judges. The court's last such hearing was in September
2013. The case involves a Connecticut accountant, Stavros Ganias, whose
computer records were seized in 2003 pursuant to a warrant by U.S. Army
investigators probing a military contractor for overbilling. Ganias was
the contractor's accountant, and investigators made a copy of his hard
drive in order to search for files related to their case. Reuters
Vatican
Observers Raise Questions Over Clerk's Pope Visit
The private meeting Pope Francis held with defiant Kentucky clerk Kim
Davis is a strong papal endorsement of religious resistance to gay marriage,
but it doesn't necessarily mean he approves of how she's waged her fight,
experts said Wednesday. The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said
their encounter in Washington last Thursday was private. Out of deference
to the Vatican, Davis' attorney, Mat Staver, would not say how it was arranged.
The Vatican essentially confirmed it, without further comment. Davis said
she grasped the pope's outstretched hand, and he told her to "stay strong."
Davis refused to issue any marriage licenses in Rowan County, Kentucky,
rather than comply with the Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized
gay marriage nationwide. She served five days in jail rather than resign.
Some of her deputies now issue licenses without her authority, and she
claims they are invalid. ABC
Clinton
Camp Senses Moment To Expose Benghazi Committee
Hillary Clinton and her fiercest defenders couldn't have said it better
themselves. Instead, the Republican leading the race to replace John Boehner
as House speaker said it for them, boasting Tuesday that his party has
spent nearly three years dragging her through investigations of the Sept.
11, 2012, attack in Benghazi in hopes of doing serious damage to her presidential
campaign. Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? House
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy boasted on Fox News Channel's Hannity.
But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee.
What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because shes
untrustable. But no one wouldve known any of that had happened had we
not fought and made that happen. Bloomberg
Hillary
Clinton Camp Is Making Moves To Check Joe Biden
Hillary Rodham Clintons campaign, increasingly worried about the threat
of a challenge from Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., is making a sudden
and urgent effort to throw roadblocks into his path. After months of voicing
doubt about a challenge from the vice president, Clinton campaign operatives
are viewing Mr. Bidens entry into the contest as a serious possibility
and are trying to rally the partys apparatus and its donors to her side.
They have flooded uncommitted Democrats with emails, phone calls and a
plea for them to sign a letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New
York Times. In the letter, Democrats are asked to pledge to support Hillary
Rodham Clinton at the 2016 Democratic National Committee Convention with
my unpledged delegate vote. A campaign aide said that given the mistakes
of Mrs. Clintons 2008 campaign, they had always planned to make an early
and aggressive push to lock down superdelegate support. NY
Times
VOA VIEW: Hillary is worried.
Bill
Cosbys List Of Accusers Grows By 3
Three more women came forward on Wednesday with accusations against
Bill Cosby, adding their names to a list of accusers who say Mr. Cosby
drugged or assaulted them. The lawyer Gloria Allred introduced the women
at a news conference in Los Angeles. Ms. Allred, who represents more than
20 of Mr. Cosbys accusers, said it was too late for the women to take
legal action because the statute of limitations had expired. But, she said,
these three courageous women want Mr. Cosby to be accountable for what
they believe was his misconduct towards them.Mr. Cosby is scheduled to
be questioned under oath on Oct. 9 in a case involving accusations that
he sexually assaulted a different woman, Judy Huth of California, in 1974,
when she was 15. Mr. Cosbys lawyers said they had filed a motion for a
protective order seeking to keep this questioning private. Ms. Huths legal
team has filed an opposing motion seeking to make the deposition public,
and a hearing on whether to allow the protective order is scheduled for
Oct. 5, Ms. Allred said. NY
Times
Senators
Reach Deal To Reduce Prison Time For Some Offenders
Some non-violent drug offenders could get reduced prison sentences
under a bipartisan Senate package that would overhaul the criminal justice
system and encourage rehabilitation. In the deal struck between some of
the Senate's most conservative and liberal members, judges would have the
discretion to give sentences below the mandatory minimum for non-violent
drug offenders. Some current inmates could get their sentences reduced
by as much as 25 percent by taking part in rehabilitation programs, if
they are deemed a low risk to offend again. The bill would eliminate mandatory
life sentences for three-time, non-violent offenders. The bill is scheduled
to be unveiled Thursday. Details were confirmed by a Senate aide familiar
with the package. The aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was not
authorized to speak publicly about the bill ahead of Thursday's announcement.
Charlotte
Observer
Hillary
Clinton To Host Boston Forum On Substance Abuse
Hillary Rodham Clinton is planning a stop in Boston to host a community
forum on substance abuse. The presidential hopeful will be joined Thursday
by fellow Democrats Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and Massachusetts Attorney
General Maura Healey. The state has experienced a spike in opioid-related
overdose deaths in recent years. An estimated 1,256 people died from opioid-related
overdoses in 2014, compared with an estimated 939 deaths in 2013 and 668
confirmed overdose deaths in 2012. Clinton also is expected to attend a
fundraiser. The former secretary of state has had a loyal political following
in Massachusetts. Charlotte
Observer
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Kerry:
Syrias Assad Could Help With Transition, Then Go Off Into The Sunset
The violence in Syria could end within a very short period of time,
and a complete ceasefire could be put in place if President Bashar al-Assad
simply announced that he does not have to be part of the countrys long-term
future but would help manage Syria out of this mess and then go off into
the sunset, Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. The comments,
in an interview with MSNBC, suggested the U.S. may now be willing to see
Assad play some as-yet undefined role in a managed transition rather
than have to depart at the beginning of such a process. They also suggested
that the U.S. would be prepared to see Russia and Iran, Assads main allies,
be a part of the process. CNS
Russian
Strikes In Syria Fuel Tensions With Western Leaders
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a coordinated response
to the Syrian crisis during a one-day trip to the United Nations this week.
He didnt wait around to get an answer. Putins decision to launch airstrikes
Wednesday in the war-torn country caught world leaders off-guard as they
were still debating a common approach to the conflict. U.S. officials in
Baghdad were asked by Russia Wednesday to keep their aircraft out of Syrian
airspace. France, whose own warplanes are working in unison with U.S. jets
in targeting Islamic State camps, was given no heads-up, according to Foreign
Minister Laurent Fabius. Russias first military foray in the Middle East
in three decades comes on the heels of an inconclusive 90-minute meeting
Sept. 28 between Putin and President Barack Obama that laid bare core differences
over how to resolve a civil war that has killed 250,000 people and sent
millions more fleeing toward Europe. Bloomberg
Senators
Reach Deal On Criminal Justice Overhaul
A bipartisan group of senators has reached an agreement on changes
to the criminal justice system that would allow for shorter prison sentences
for certain non-violent drug offenders. Judges would have the discretion
to give sentences below the mandatory minimum for non-violent drug offenders.
Some current inmates could get their sentences reduced by as much as 25
percent by taking part in rehabilitation programs, if they are deemed a
low risk to offend again. The bill is scheduled to be unveiled Thursday.
Details were confirmed by a Senate aide familiar with the package. The
aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was not authorized to speak
publicly about the bill ahead of Thursday's announcement. Las
Vegas Sun
U.S.
Welfare Flows To Cuba
Cuban immigrants are cashing in on U.S. welfare and returning to the
island, making a mockery of the decades-old premise that they are refugees
fleeing persecution at home. Some stay for months at a time and the U.S.
government keeps paying. Cubans unique access to food stamps, disability
money and other welfare is meant to help them build new lives in America.
Yet these days, its helping some finance their lives on the communist
island. Americas open-ended generosity has grown into an entitlement that
exceeds $680 million a year and is exploited with ease. No agency tracks
the scope of the abuse, but a Sun Sentinel investigation found evidence
suggesting it is widespread. Sun
Sentinel
VOA VIEW: The American taxpayer's funds
are wasted in too many ways.
Conservatives
Push To 'Fire McCarthy' Before He Takes Speaker's Gavel
A group of conservative firebrands are launching an effort to Fire
Kevin McCarthy even before House Republicans decides to make him the new
Speaker of the House which is expected next week. McCarthy, the House
majority leader under Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is heavily favored
to succeed him in a vote next week. Boehner announced last week that he
is stepping down in part to avert a no-confidence vote being threatened
by conservatives in his caucus. Boehner said he would have won the vote,
but it would have been bad for the House and bad for his Republican members
to go through the process. On Wednesday, former congressman Paul Broun,
R-Ga., joined other conservatives organized by the Constitutional Rights
PAC to mount a Fire McCarthy effort. USA
Today
Greece
Reopening Olympic Venue To Cope With Asylum-Seekers
Police on Thursday escorted buses carrying about 500 people, mostly
from Syria and Afghanistan, from Victoria Square in central Athens to the
mothballed Galatsi Olympic Hall. It was used for table tennis and rhythmic
gymnastics during the 2004 Athens Games, and is the second major Olympic
venue to reopened to accommodate refugees in recent weeks. Yiannis Mouzalas,
a migration affairs minister, promised to try to swiftly improve management
of the crisis to avoid "local residents becoming susceptible to extremist,
racist, xenophobic views." Local residents and an anti-racism group held
small protests at the square Thursday, urging the government to do more
to ease the effects of the crisis. Charlotte
Observer
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Hurricane
Joaquin Strengthens Near The Bahamas, Could Hit US
Hurricane Joaquin intensified Wednesday as it approached the small,
sparsely populated islands of the eastern Bahamas on a projected track
that would take it near the U.S. East Coast early next week. Maximum sustained
winds reached 85 mph and extended 35 miles from the center of the storm
over the Atlantic Ocean, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center
in Miami, which predicted Joaquin would develop into a major hurricane
in the coming days. Authorities in the Bahamas prepared for a brush with
the storm, with the center expected to pass near several eastern islands.
Forecasters were still gathering data to determine how it would affect
the U.S. Fox
News
Oklahoma's
Governor Stays Richard Glossip Execution
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin issued a 37-day stay of Richard Glossip's
execution on Wednesday to allow the state time to address questions about
chemicals and protocol. The new execution date is set for November 6. Glossip
had been scheduled to die earlier Wednesday. He would have been the first
person executed with a controversial sedative since the U.S. Supreme Court
greenlighted its use this summer. "Last-minute questions were raised today
about Oklahoma's execution protocol and the chemicals used for lethal injection,"
Fallin said in a statement. "After consulting with the attorney general
and the Department of Corrections, I have issued a 37-day stay of execution
while the state addresses those questions and ensures it is complying fully
with the protocols approved by federal courts." CNN
Is
An Unborn Baby With A Human Heart A Human Being? Rep. Gutierrez: 'They're
Not' In 1st Trimester
When asked if an unborn baby with a human heart and human liver is
a human being, House Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) cited the Supreme
Court and said that "in the first trimester, they're not." At the U.S.
Capitol on Wednesday, CNSNews.com asked Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.),
Is a unborn baby with a human heart and a human liver a human being?
Gutierrez responded, The Supreme Court says that in the first trimester,
theyre not. CNSNews.com followed up by asking, Okay, so what species
is it if it isnt a human being? I am -- I support the Constitution of
the United States and I respect the laws of this land, Gutierrez said.
CNS
Default
Rate For Repaying Student Loans Drops
The Education Department says there's been another drop in the percentage
of people who are defaulting on their student loans in the first years
they are due. More than 5.1 million borrowers began paying back their loans
in the 2012 budget year, and about 611,000 defaulted about 11.8 percent.
The rate was 13.7 percent in 2011 and 14.7 percent for 2010. The drop was
seen across all sectors of higher education public, private and for-profit
institutions. Schools with high default rates can lose eligibility to take
part in federal financial aid programs. Las
Vegas Sun
Russian
Hackers Tried To Infiltrate Hillary Clintons Home Server
Hackers with links to Russia tried to infiltrate Hillary Rodham Clintons
home e-mail server at least five times even as other e-mails show her
making cavalier jokes about Chinese hackers, according to the latest e-mails
released by the State Department. The scammers sent Clinton five infected
e-mails disguised as New York speeding tickets on Aug. 3, 2011. New York
State Police had warned of the scam in July 2011, saying the messages would
implant computer viruses when unsuspecting users opened them. The ruse
had been linked to Russian hackers and could have been caught by most commercial
anti-virus software. NY
Post
VOA VIEW: Hillary has put the nation's
security in jeopardy.
Clinton
Seeking To Organize Latino Voters Ahead Of Primaries
Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign is planning a major push to organize
Latino voters ahead of the Nevada caucuses and early primary contests in
Texas, Florida and Colorado, all with an eye toward connecting with Hispanics
in the 2016 election. The Democratic presidential candidate will be in
South Florida on Friday and will hold campaign events next month focused
on Hispanic voters in San Antonio, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Her campaign
will use the first Democratic presidential debate in Nevada and another
Republican debate next month in Colorado to organize house parties geared
at garnering support among Hispanics. Clinton's pitch will also extend
to Hispanic lawmakers and elected officials, and will include an address
next week to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's annual meeting
in Washington. Tampa
Tribune
Town
That Volkswagen Built From Scratch Girds For Trouble
Wolfsburg is the town that Volkswagen built literally put on the
map in 1938 by the Nazis in pursuit of their dream of a "People's Car."
The town rode the company's postwar boom to financial wealth and today
the two are inseparable. There's a top league soccer club that wears the
VW logo and plays in the Volkswagen arena; Volkswagen's headquarters and
manufacturing plant take up much of its real estate. There's a Volkswagen
bank, a Volkswagen real estate dealer, and even a Volkswagen sausage factory.
So when it was revealed this month that the automaker had cheated on U.S.
emissions tests, causing its shares to plummet, the mood here darkened.
SF
Gate
Dormant
Genes From An Ancient Infection May Awaken ALS
The reactivation of human endogenous retroviral genes, or HERVs, may
be linked to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS,
suggesting a path of treatment for people with the debilitating condition.
Researchers who found the link between genetic remnants of HERV infections
millions of years ago think treating patients antiretroviral drugs, similar
to those used with HIV patients, may be able to help patients with ALS.
"People call the genes for these viruses junk DNA," said Dr. Avindra Nath,
clinical director at the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke, in a press release. "Our results suggest they may become activated
during ALS. Ultimately we hope the results will lead to effective treatments
for a heartbreaking disorder." UPI
Quitting
Cigarettes Helps Alcoholics Stay Sober
Most people with alcohol use disorder smoke cigarettes, but those who
continue to smoke after they quit drinking are more likely to relapse within
three years, according to a large study of recovering alcoholics. Treatment
for alcohol dependence often does not focus on smoking and nicotine addiction,
partially because of a view that it does not matter long-term and because
it is often considered "too difficult" a request while patients are working
to stop drinking. "What we found is that adults with a past alcohol use
disorder who were smokers were more likely to meet criteria for alcohol-use
disorders three years later, compared to adults with a past alcohol-use
disorder who were not smoking," Andrea Weinberger, a professor of psychiatry
at Yale University, told the Yale Daily News. UPI
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Netanyahu:
Abbass Speech Was Deceitful, Direct Talks Best Way Forward
Palestinian Authority President dent Mahmoud Abbass speech to the
United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday was filled with falsehood
and promoted incitement, charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Office
as Israel once again called on the Palestinian leader to resume direct
talks. Abu Mazen's speech was deceitful and encourages incitement and
lawlessness in the Middle East, the PMO said. Netanyahu is already in
New York, where he is expected to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday
evening Jerusalem time. The reaction released by his office, did not respond
to Abbass threat to dissolve the 1993 Oslo Accords that govern relations
between the Israel and the PA. Jerusalem
Post
'Russia
Gave Israel Advance Notice Of Its Airstrikes In Syria'
Russia gave Israel advance notice of its impending air strikes in Syria
on Wednesday, western defense sources said. For the first time, Russia
launched air strikes against Islamic State in Syria on Wednesday after
President Vladimir Putin secured his parliament's unanimous backing to
intervene to prop up the Kremlin's closest Middle East ally. Israel did
not receive any information on where geographically the strikes would occur.
The airstrikes appeared to be carried out in the Homs area, leading the
US and France to suggest that Russia was not targeting Islamic State positions,
but rather other groups opposing Russia's ally, Syrian President Bashar
Assad. Jerusalem
Post
Palestinian
Flag Raised At United Nations Headquarters
The ceremony was attended by the President of the Palestinian Authority
Mahmoud Abbas. Addressing the UN General Assembly, Mr Abbas said it was
unconscionable that the question of Palestinian statehood remained unresolved.
He also warned that the PA no longer felt bound by agreements with Israel
he claimed were "continually violated". "As long as Israel refuses to cease
settlement activities and to release of the fourth group of Palestinian
prisoners in accordance with our agreements, they leave us no choice but
to insist that we will not remain the only ones committed to the implementation
of these agreements," Mr Abbas said. BBC
WHO Backs Treat-All'
HIV Drug Plan
Everyone who has HIV should be offered antiretroviral drugs as soon
as possible after diagnosis, the World Health Organisation says. This latest
policy removes previous limits suggesting patients wait until the disease
progresses. The WHO has also recommended people at risk of HIV be given
the drugs to help prevent the infection taking hold. UNAIDS said these
changes could help avert 21 million AIDS-related deaths and 28 million
new infections by 2030. The recommendations increase the number of people
with HIV eligible for antiretrovirals from 28m to 37m across the world.
BBC
IMF
Warns Of New Financial Crisis If Interest Rates Rise
Rising global interest rates could prompt a new credit crunch in emerging
markets, as businesses that have ridden the wave of cheap money to load
up on debt are pushed into crisis, the International Monetary Fund has
said. The debts of non-financial firms in emerging market economies quadrupled,
from $4tn (£2.6tn) in 2004 to well over $18tn in 2014, according
to the IMFs twice-yearly Global Financial Stability Report. This borrowing
binge has taken business debt as a share of economic output from less than
half, in 2004, to almost 75%. Guardian
Pro-Israel
Groups Targeting Palestinian Organizations In US
Pro-Israel organizations are increasingly targeting pro-Palestinian
groups in the US, according to a report released by two legal advocacy
groups on Wednesday. In a report co-authored with the Center for Constitutional
Rights, legal group Palestine Legal said it was called in to respond to
nearly 300 incidents of attempted suppression of pro-Palestine activism
and rhetoric in the past 18 months. These numbers arent telling the full
story, said Dima Khalidi, director of Palestine Legal. They are really
the tip of the iceberg with incidents that go unreported. Guardian
In
UN Address, Lebanese Prime Minister Calls On World Powers To End Ongoing
Massacres
Holding up a photograph at the podium of the General Assembly of three-year
old Aylan lying face down on a Turkish beach the Syrian boy who drowned
at the beginning of the month along with his mother and brother the President
of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon reiterated his countrys call to
all powers in the world to end the ongoing massacres. The whole world
contemplated with horror his 3-year-old body washed ashore to his eternal
rest, Prime Minister Tammam Salam told world leaders. His tragedy sums
up the prevailing fundamental human rights in our region. UN
News
Fallout
From Boko Haram Violence Fastest Growing Crisis In Africa, Warns UN Relief
Official
The humanitarian fallout from the violence inflicted by Boko Haram
is the fastest growing crisis in Africa, a senior United Nations relief
official warned today, appealing for concerted action on the humanitarian,
security and development fronts to tackle the situation. Recurrent conflict,
erratic weather patterns, epidemics and other shocks continue to weaken
the resilience of households across the Sahel region, which suffers from
chronic levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. UN
News
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