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April 4, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
NATIONAL
- “Threatening the president is a crime”: Expert says Trump Truth Social post may violate bail terms (Salon)
- Biden signs $1.2 trillion funding package after Senate's early-morning passage ended shutdown threat (NBC San Diego)
- What the National Association of Realtors' settlement means for consumers and brokers (NBC)
- Fentanyl kills thousands of Americans. Could plugging a gap in U.S. intelligence save lives? ()USA Today)
- Baltimore Key Bridge collapses after ship collision (CNN)
- Scanners that spot smuggled fentanyl at the border sit unused because Congress hasn't provided the cash to install them (NBC)
- Some states are fighting to protect voters from doxxing. They're losing. (Politico)
- Judge slaps expanded gag order on Trump after attacks on his daughter (Politico)
- FBI tells passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight that lost a panel they might be crime victims (AP)
INTERNATIONAL
- Forest fires spread in Mexico, at least four dead (Reuters)
- Israel beefs up defences, on alert after Iran revenge threat (Reuters)
- World Central Kitchen boss José Andrés accuses Israel of "direct attack" on Gaza aid convoy (CBS)
- U.S. Says ISIS Was Responsible for Deadly Moscow Concert Hall Attack (New York Times)
- Denmark to start conscripting women for military service (BBC)
- Taiwan hit by strongest quake in 25 years, four deaths reported (Reuters)
- Kate, Princess of Wales: I am having cancer treatment (BBC)
- Cuba summons top US diplomat, accuses US of stoking protests (Reuters)
- West decries Putin's election win, China, India vow closer ties (Reuters)
For excerpts and links to full stores, click ”read more” and scroll down.
NATIONAL
“Threatening the president is a crime”: Expert says Trump Truth Social post may violate bail terms (Salon)
“Threatening the president of the United States is a crime, so the question would be the legal and factual question whether what he has engaged in with respect to posting the image of Joe Biden bound and gagged with what appears to be a bullet hole in his head constitutes that kind of threat,” said Weissmann, a law professor at New York University. If it is determined that the post constitutes a threat, bail could be repealed and Trump could be remanded into custody, he explained.
Biden signs $1.2 trillion funding package after Senate's early-morning passage ended shutdown threat (NBC San Diego)
... It took lawmakers six months into the current budget year to get near the finish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term spending bills to keep agencies funded.
What the National Association of Realtors' settlement means for consumers and brokers (NBC)
New rules could start saving home buyers and sellers thousands of dollars in lower commissions as soon as this summer, but experts say it will take the market some time to digest the changes.
Fentanyl kills thousands of Americans. Could plugging a gap in U.S. intelligence save lives? ()USA Today)
Behind the scenes of its public push for reauthorization of controversial Section 702 spy tool, the CIA is seeking expanded counternarcotics capabilities too.
Baltimore Key Bridge collapses after ship collision (CNN)
Six people are unaccounted for following the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to officials. Rescue teams continue to search for missing people in the water.Eight people were on the bridge when a cargo ship crashed into it early Tuesday. Two of them were saved from the water earlier today....The bridge collapse may slow some auto imports and exports. View video of bridge collapse.
The money to install the screeners was in the supplemental funding request Republicans blocked.
Some states are fighting to protect voters from doxxing. They're losing. (Politico)
As state leaders move to protect voter data in the interest of privacy, a conservative transparency campaign is winning a battle to put it all on the internet.
Judge slaps expanded gag order on Trump after attacks on his daughter (Politico)
Justice Juan Merchan expanded the existing gag order ahead of this month’s hush money trial in Manhattan to cover family members of the district attorney and the judge himself... The move comes after Trump attacked the adult daughter of New York County Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.
FBI tells passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight that lost a panel they might be crime victims (AP)
The FBI has told passengers on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max that lost a door-plug panel in midflight that they might be victims of a crime….Published reports and government officials have said the U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether the panel blowout violated terms of a 2021 settlement that let Boeing avoid prosecution for allegedly misleading regulators who certified the 737 Max. The settlement followed two crashes of Boeing Max jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed a total of 346 people.
INTERNATIONAL
Forest fires spread in Mexico, at least four dead (Reuters)
A wave of wildfires in Mexico has claimed at least four lives, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters on Wednesday.
Israel beefs up defences, on alert after Iran revenge threat (Reuters)
Israel braced on Thursday for the possibility of a retaliatory attack after its suspected killing of Iranian generals in Damascus this week, saying it would respond forcefully and signalling it had stiffened its military preparedness.
World Central Kitchen boss José Andrés accuses Israel of "direct attack" on Gaza aid convoy (CBS)
Chef José Andrés says his World Central Kitchen charity's team in the Gaza Strip appears to have been deliberately targeted by the Israeli military with deadly airstrikes that killed seven staffers on Monday, including a young American father. The Israel Defense Forces ... has called the attack on the three-car convoy a case of misidentification, but WCK said it had coordinated its movements in Gaza with the IDF.
U.S. Says ISIS Was Responsible for Deadly Moscow Concert Hall Attack (New York Times)
A branch of the Islamic State claimed responsibility on Friday for the attack in Moscow that killed at least 40 people and injured about 100 others, and U.S. officials confirmed the claim shortly afterward.
Denmark to start conscripting women for military service (BBC)
Denmark has announced plans to extend military conscription to women for the first time and increase the standard service time. It also wants to boost its defence budget by nearly $6bn (£4.6bn) in the next five years to meet NATO targets.... Two Nordic countries - Finland and Sweden - have recently joined Nato, as the alliance is bolstering its defences in Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Taiwan hit by strongest quake in 25 years, four deaths reported (Reuters)
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Taiwan on Wednesday, the strongest tremor to hit the island in at least 25 years, killing four people, injuring dozens and sparking a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines that was later lifted.
Kate, Princess of Wales: I am having cancer treatment (BBC)
The Princess of Wales says she is in the early stages of treatment after a cancer diagnosis.
In a video statement, Catherine says it was a "huge shock" after an "incredibly tough couple of months". But she sent a positive message, saying: "I am well and getting stronger every day."
Cuba summons top US diplomat, accuses US of stoking protests (Reuters)
Cuba's foreign ministry said it had summoned the top U.S. diplomat on the island to a meeting following protests on Sunday, accusing the U.S. embassy in Havana of seeking to stoke a broader anti-government uprising and meddling in Cuba's internal affairs. Rallies in protest of oppressive, hours-long blackouts and food shortages erupted in at least five locations across the island on Sunday, including Cuba's second largest city Santiago….A U.S. State Department spokesman said it was "absurd" to suggest Washington was behind the protests.
West decries Putin's election win, China, India vow closer ties (Reuters)
Western governments lined up on Monday to condemn Vladimir Putin's landslide election victory as unfair and undemocratic, but China, India and North Korea congratulated the veteran Russian leader on extending his rule by a further six years. The contrasting reactions underscored the geopolitical fault lines that have gaped wider since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, triggering the deepest crisis in relations with the West since the end of the Cold War….
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