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March 14, 2011 (San Diego's East County, California) -- For this issue, we’ve included impacts of the tsunami on the U.S., the national labor dispute growing out of Wisconsin, a federal probe into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, other U.S. news, and top global stories including uprisings in the Mideast and discovery of what scientists say may be the lost city of Atlantis. Note: For news on the Japan crisis, see our special edition on Japan here: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/5686
Latest U.S. and world news headlines (other than Japan) include:
IMPACTS OF TSUNAMI ON U.S.
• Tsunami spawned by Japan’s quake smacks California and Oregon; a man is missing in the sea off Crescent City (Los Angeles Times)
• Jerry Brown declares coastal emergency in four California counties (Sacramento Bee)
• Homes, emotions devastated On Hawaii’s big island (Honolulu Star Advertiser)
• Waves bring flooding in Maui, flooding on Kailua-Kona (Honolulu Star Advertiser)
• Tsunami swell overturns 10 boats on Catalina island
NATIONAL NEWS
• Fannie, Freddie probe focuses on disclosure (Wall Street Journal)
• Walker’s big bank donors take a hit (The Nation)
• Wisconsin firefighters shut down Walker’s bank (RawStory.com)
• Justices have been siding with workers, underdogs (Los Angeles Times)
• Obama stresses need to fight for women’s equality (RawStory.com)
WORLD NEWS
• Saudis send troops; Bahrain Shi’ites call it `war’ (NPR)
• Libya: U.S. and E.U. say Moammar Gaddafi must go (CNN)
• Palestinians `kill 5 Israelis’ in West Bank attack (CNN)
• Lost city of Atlantis, swamped by Tsunami, may be found (Reuters)
TSUNAMI SPAWNED BY JAPAN’S QUAKE SMACKS CALIFORNIA AND OREGON
A man is missing in the sea off Crescent City; Brown declares emergencies in four counties. Damage in Southern California is minimal.
March 11, 2011 (Los Angeles Times)--The long arm of a ferocious tsunami crashed into California and the Pacific Northwest on Friday, with 6- to 8-foot surges flooding beaches and harbors, splintering docks, crushing scores of boats in marinas and triggering evacuations of shoreline residents.
The Coast Guard was searching for a man who was swept out to sea near Crescent City, a town of 7,500 people 20 miles south of the Oregon border. The man had been taking photographs with two friends at the mouth of the Klamath River when they were pulled into the ocean. The friends were able to swim to safety.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-japan-quake-tsunami-pacific-2011...
JERRY BROWN DECLARES EMERGENCY FOR FOUR COASTAL COUNTIES
March 11, 2011 (Sacramento Bee) -- Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in four coastal California counties -- Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo and Santa Cruz -- following the water surge there after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan.
Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/03/jerry-brown-declares-...
HOMES, EMOTIONS DEVASTATED (ON HAWAII’S BIG ISLAND)
The small Kealakekua Bay community is the worst hit of all the Big Isle's damaged areas
March 12, 2011 (Honolulu Star Advertiser) -- KEALAKEKUA BAY, Hawaii- Residents of this small community in West Hawaii returned home yesterday to what they described as a "war zone," where destructive waves had pulled one home into the ocean, pushed another 20 feet off its foundation and tossed cars into the water, against trees and atop stone walls as if they were toys.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/hawaiinews/20110312_homes_emotions_de...
WAVES BRING FLOODING ON MAUI, DAMAGE IN KAILUA-KONA
March 18, 2011 (Honolulu Star Advertiser) -- On the Neighbor Islands, damage was reported in Kailua-Kona and flooding was reported in Kahului, where the surge reached a third of a mile inland.
Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi's office confirmed that "damaging waves" hit Kailua-Kona around 5:30 a.m., roughly two hours after the first surge was expected. The waves caused relatively minor but widespread damage in the area.
According to Hawaii County Civil Defense official John Drummond, a foot of water rushed into the lobby of the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel; the water also destroyed several canoes stored in front of the hotel.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/Waves_peaked_on_Maui_there_a...
TSUNAMI: SWELL OVERTURNS 10 BOATS ON CATALINA ISLAND
March 11, 2011 (Los Angeles Times)--Although most of Southern California escaped harm from the tsunami generated by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake off Japan, waves damaged boats and some docks on Santa Catalina Island.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/tsunami-swells-overturns-1...
FANNIE, FREDDIE PROBE FOCUSES ON DISCLOSURE
March 14, 2011 (Wall Street Journal) The investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is homing in on the extent to which the mortgage-finance giants adequately disclosed their exposure to subprime loans, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The agency on Friday sent a Wells notice to Daniel Mudd, the former chief executive of Fannie Mae. A Wells notice indicates that the SEC staff is preparing to recommend civil enforcement actions and gives individuals the opportunity to persuade regulators against such an action.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870489360457619893000137413...
WALKER’S BIG BANK DONORS TAKE A HIT
March 11, 2011 (The Nation) – The blowback from Wisconsin governor Scott Walker’s union-busting crusade has only just begun—and it may soon hit the governor where it really hurts: in the deep pockets of his biggest donors. Workers have begun organizing a “Move Your Money Campaign” against M&I Bank, whose employees are among his chief financial backers.
M&I Bank is the largest bank in Wisconsin, and was the recipient of $1.7 billion in TARP bailout money from the federal government. The bundled contributions from M&I executives were Walker’s second-largest source of campaign funds. .And now, a group of local unions in Wisconsin have threatened to pull their money from M&I Bank unless it denounces Scott Walker’s attack on workers’ rights.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20110311/cm_thenation/159190
WISCONSIN FIREFIGHTERS SHUT DOWN WALKER’S BANK
March 11, 2011 (RawStory.com)-- As the protesting spirit spreads in Wisconsin, one tactic that union members are now adopting is to take aim at institutions that have donated heavily to Governor Scott Walker.
Members of the Wisconsin firefighter's union set out for a local branch of the M & I Bank on Thursday to withdraw their personal savings. The UpTake, which describes itself as "a citizen-fueled, online video news gathering organization," reports that "on Thursday members of the union withdrew close to $200,000 from the bank."
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/11/wisconsin-protesters-target-bank-t...
Wisconsin crowd: “This is what Democracy looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHv7Q5VKGk
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GXHv7Q5VKGk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
OBAMA STRESSES NEED TO FIGHT FOR WOMEN’S EQUALITY
March 12, 2011 (Rawstory)— US President Barack Obama urged Americans Saturday to keep fighting for women's equality, despite progress made in this area over recent decades.
"Women are still more likely to live in poverty in this country," the president said in his weekly radio address.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/12/obama-stresses-need-to-fight-for-w...
JUSTICES HAVE BEEN SIDING WITH WORKERS, UNDERDOGS
March 13, 2011 (Los Angeles Times) -- Although the Supreme Court is often viewed as pro-business and conservative, it has taken the other side in several recent cases. Observers call it a useful reminder that the court isn't predictable.
http://newstrust.net/stories/5511798/toolbar?ref=nld&utm_campaign=daily_...
LIBYA: U.S. AND EU. SAY MUAMMAR GADDAFI MUST GO
March 11, 2011 (CNN)-- The US and the EU have again called on the Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to step down.
President Barack Obama said the US would take a wide range of actions to ensure Col Gaddafi surrendered power. EU leaders meeting in Brussels agreed to "examine all necessary options" to protect the civilian population in Libya.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12711162
PALESTINIANS `KILL FIVE ISRAELIS’ IN WEST BANK ATTACK
March 11, 2011 (CNN) – A Palestinian has killed five Israelis in an attack on a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, Israel's military says.
The five were members of the same family, a couple and three children, according to Israeli media reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12721170
SAUDIS SEND TROOPS, BAHRAIN SHI’ITES CALL IT `WAR’
March 13, 2011 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia sent troops into Bahrain on Monday to help put down weeks of protests by the Shi'ite Muslim majority, a move opponents of the Sunni ruling family on the island called a declaration of war.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/14/us-bahrain-protests-forces-idU...
LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS, SWAMPED BY TSUNAMI, MAY BE FOUND
March 12, 2011 (Reuters) - A U.S.-led research team may have finally located the lost city of Atlantis, the legendary metropolis believed swamped by a tsunami thousands of years ago in mud flats in southern Spain.
"This is the power of tsunamis," head researcher Richard Freund told Reuters.
"It is just so hard to understand that it can wipe out 60 miles inland, and that's pretty much what we're talking about," said Freund, a University of Hartford, Connecticut, professor who lead an international team searching for the true site of Atlantis
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-tsunami-atlantis-idUSTRE72B...
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