EAST COUNTY WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

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March 29, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

WORLD

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

U.S. acknowledges air strike in Mosul, where more than 200 Iraqi civilians have died (Los Angeles Times)

An initial investigation of a recent airstrike believed to have killed more than 200 civilians in Mosul found it was conducted by the U.S.-led coalition at the request of Iraqi security forces, the Pentagon said Saturday… in an area where apartment blocks were reduced to rubble, at least 50 bodies could be seen, including those of pregnant women, children and newborns…. Iraqi Vice President Osama Nujaifi, a Mosul native, issued a statement calling the strike a “humanitarian catastrophe” that killed hundreds. He blamed both the U.S.-led coalition and federal police for using excessive force and called for an emergency session of parliament to address the incident.

Congress is missing in action as Trump escalates war in Syria amid Russian probe (Truthout)

… in northern Syria, US warplanes and artillery units launched strikes against the Islamic State to cover for helicopters ferrying Syrian fighters and their US military advisors behind enemy lines. The operation has set the stage for a long and presumably bloody siege of Raqqa, the Islamic State's self-proclaimed capital. At least 33 people were killed when an airstrike by the US-led coalition hit a school where civilians were hiding from the fighting, according to The Guardian. The number of US troops in Syria as grown from a couple hundred to at least 1,000 over the past few weeks.

Inspector General probes Trump move to pull all Obamacare enrollment ads (Huffington Post)

The Department of Health and Human Services inspector general has launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s decision to pull ads encouraging people to sign up for the Affordable Care Act during the enrollment period. By shutting down such outreach, the action could be seen as a stealth way to starve the health plan without legislative authority, critics say.

As Congress Repeals Internet Privacy Rules, Putting Your Options in Perspective (NPR)

President Trump is expected to sign a bill to overturn new privacy rules for Internet service providers. An expert says there are steps you can take though they won't deliver absolute privacy.

Trump pledges new office to bring business innovation to government operations (GovExec)

…President Trump tapped Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, to lead the new White House Office of American Innovation. The administration is billing the initiative -- first reported by The Washington Post -- as a SWAT team of former business executives. The goal, the White House said, is to shake up the status quo of the federal bureaucracy by infusing new ideas that allow private enterprises to succeed.

Border wall funds hit snags among some Republicans (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's call for $1.5 billion this year to help build a wall along the border with Mexico could be in jeopardy as fellow Republicans in Congress weigh delaying a decision on the request…The federal government would have to purchase land in many locations in order to construct the edifice, which could make construction costs soar. Reuters reported the wall could end up costing as much as $21.6 billion,

Kochs bankroll move to rewrite the Constitution (Bill Moyers)

A constitutional convention, something thought impossible not long ago, is looking increasingly likely. Under Article V of the US Constitution, if 34 state legislatures “issue a call” for a constitutional convention, Congress must convene one. By some counts, the right wing only needs six more states. Once called, delegates can propose and vote on changes and new amendments to the US Constitution, which, if approved, are currently required to be ratified by 38 states.

Trump administration to give greenlight to Keystone XL pipeline (Los Angeles Times)

Reviving a big oil project which environmentalists had hoped was dead and buried, the Trump administration plans to announce Friday that it has issued a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. The project, which would ship 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada's tar sands to Gulf Coast refineries, had been rejected by the Obama administration last year, a move heralded by climate activists

Rasmea Odeh, convicted terrorist (and women’s march organizer) agrees to leave U.S. in exchange for no jail time (Washington Times)

Convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Yousef Odeh, an organizer of a Day Without a Woman, has agreed to leave the country in exchange for no jail time for failing to disclose the conviction on her U.S. visa application.

Trump administration sought to block Sally Yates from testifying to Congress on Russia (Washington Post)

The Trump administration sought to block former acting attorney general Sally Yates from testifying to Congress in the House investigation of links between Russian officials and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign…Nunes, the panel’s chairman, said he would not go forward with the public hearing that was to feature Yates’s testimony.

Calif. Rep. Adam Schiff becomes leading voice of opposition (San Francisco Chronicle)

California Rep. Adam Schiff has been all over the news this week as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating links between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. He started the week by providing the clearest explanation yet of the Russian connection to the Trump campaign and why it should matter to voters…His plain-spoken, 15-minute statement at the beginning of Monday’s Intelligence Committee hearing won raves in resistance corners.  And his elevated profile is raising speculation that Schiff may be well-suited to succeed California Sen. Dianne Feinstein should she decide not to seek re-election next year.

President Trump’s cascade of false claims in Time’s interview on his falsehoods (Washington Post)

President Trump had a remarkable interview with Time magazine on March 22 about falsehoods, in which he repeated many false claims that have repeatedly been debunked. Here’s a round-up of his key misstatements.

Trump repeals regulation protecting workers from wage theft (Huffington Post)

Companies that commit wage theft and put their workers in harm’s way just received a favor from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump signed a bill Monday repealing a regulation that had encouraged federal contractors to follow labor laws.

WORLD

Russian police detain opposition leader, hundreds of protesters (Reuters)

 Police detained hundreds of protesters across Russia on Sunday, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny, after thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against corruption and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

E.U. plunges into messy divorce as Britain gives formal notice to leave European Union  (Washington Post)

A little over nine months after British voters chose to withdraw from the European Union, Britain took a decisive — and likely irreversible — step Wednesday toward leaving a partnership that has bound the country to the continent for nearly half a century.

UK police still believe London attacker was acting alone (Reuters)

British anti-terrorism police said on Saturday they still believe the man who launched a deadly attack outside parliament this week was acting alone…British-born Islamic convert Khalid Masood, 52, was shot dead after killing four people including a policemen in a rampage on Wednesday when he rammed his car into pedestrians and tried to force his way into the parliament building in central London. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack …

When A Russian Lawyer Falls Out Of a Window, 'I Don't Think It's an Accident’ (NPR)

A Russian lawyer who's speaking out about corruption nearly died after falling from his Moscow apartment window. An American involved in the case, William Browder, thinks it was not an accident.

Hong Kong protests: Nine activists 'to be charged' (BBC)

Nine pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong say police have told them they will be charged over the 2014 protests, a day after new leader Carrie Lam vowed to heal divisions in the territory. / The nine include the three organisers of Occupy Central, which evolved into the "umbrella" protest mass movement.

Estonia's lessons for fighting Russian disinformation (CS Monitor)

The Baltic nation has long had an adversarial relationship with its Russian neighbor. As a result, its press and public have become adept at recognizing and debunking Kremlin propaganda.

Why Russian protests are making the Kremlin rethink 2018 presidential elections (CS Monitor)

The implicit choice in next year's elections was looking like 'Putin or nothing.' But the breadth of protests Sunday organized by anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny is changing that equation.

Belarus Rolls Out Big Brother to Counter Worst Unrest in Decades (Bloomberg)

Belarusian authorities plan to set up a nationwide surveillance system to get a better grip on their own population as the largest protests in two decades sweep the country. The new system would accumulate and process data from a network of video and thermal-imaging cameras, as well as detectors of smoke, radioactivity, explosives and others. It would automatically allow for early detection of dangerous activity.

North Korea tests rocket engine: U.S. officials  (Reuters)

 North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that U.S. officials believe could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, officials told Reuters on Monday.


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