ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

February 17, 2016 (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.

General news

Presidential primary

WORLD

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

U.S.

General news

Ryan floats skipping budget (The Hill)

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Friday raised the possibility that House Republicans could decide not to lay out a budget blueprint this year if the party cannot unite behind a proposal…The remarks represent the first time that Ryan has suggested even the possibility of not putting out a budget, something Republicans have assailed Democrats for in the past. 

After Scalia’s death, what’s next for Supreme Court? (Huffington Post)

Justice Antonin Scalia is dead, and his passing is nothing less than a legal and political earthquake. It will have a huge impact, not only on the court's present term but on the course of constitutional law.

Oklahoma cracks down on injection wells after earthquake spike (CS Monitor)

The Sooner State has switched strategies, limiting not just the depth, but amount of wastewater than oil and gas producers can pump back underground. 

Kentucky lawmaker takes aim at anti-abortion law with 'Viagra' bill (Reuters)

 A Kentucky lawmaker fed up with anti-abortion laws in her state has introduced a bill that would require men seeking erectile dysfunction drugs to visit a doctor twice, get a note from their wives and swear on the Bible to be faithful.

Bad teachers: Which states are keeping track and which aren’t (CS Monitor)

Only seven states got an 'A' in a USA Today survey of teacher background checks, transparency on teacher disciplinary actions, and how states handle sharing information about teachers' misconduct.

A surprise player emerges in the government’s historic auction of airwaves (The Washington Post)

Venture capital and other investment firms have been positioning themselves to enter a major auction of wireless airwaves this spring that is expected to reshape the nation's communications networks, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

Presidential primary

Campaigns secretly prep for brokered GOP convention (Politico)

Candidates, outside groups and party officials are quietly maneuvering for a nomination fight that goes all the way to the bitter end.

CNN schedules Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan (CNN)

CNN announced early Sunday that it will host a debate between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders next month in Flint, Mich., which has been hit hard by contaminated drinking water. The March 6 event will come two days before the Michigan and Mississippi primaries.

How Hillary Clinton Might Actually Win In N.H., Even Though She Lost Big (NPR)

Thanks to the way Democrats pick their nominees — and despite her whopping 20-plus-point loss to Bernie Sanders — Clinton looks like she could wind up with the most delegates out of New Hampshire.

Cruz’s plan would radically change tax code (Politico)

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has proposed one of the most radical overhauls of the tax code of any of the White House contenders, a new report shows, one that would balloon the debt while overwhelmingly favoring the rich.  The Tax Policy Center said Tuesday that his plan would add at least $8.6 trillion to the debt over the next decade, and perhaps as much as $10 trillion once additional interest payments are included.

State Dept. subpoenaed documents from Clinton Foundation: report Reuters

U.S. State Department investigators last year issued a subpoena to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation seeking documents about projects run by the charity that may have required U.S. government approval when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Hillary Clinton and Henry Kissinger. It’s personal. (Mother Jones)

At Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate, one of the most heated exchanges concerned an unlikely topic: Henry Kissinger.

Donald  Trump threatens Ted Cruz with lawsuit over presidential eligibility (Guardian)

Billionaire also dangles prospect of third-party run over ‘unfair’ treatment by national committee, saying it is in violation of pledge agreed with candidates.

WORLD

Drug cartel battle kills 49 in northeastern Mexican prison (Reuters)

 A battle between the feared Zetas drug cartel and rivals at a prison left 49 people dead in the northeastern Mexican city of Monterrey, authorities said on Thursday, days ahead of a planned visit by Pope Francis to another jail in Mexico's far north.

Exclusive: Samples confirm Islamic State used mustard gas in Iraq - diplomat (Reuters)

 Islamic State militants attacked Kurdish forces in Iraq with mustard gas last year, in the first known use of chemical weapons in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a diplomat said, after tests by the global chemical arms watchdog

Syria: cessation of hostilities ‘within a week’ agreed at Munich talks (Guardian)

 Humanitarian aid is to be delivered to besieged areas across Syria in the next few days…The cessation deal explicitly excludes Islamic State and al-Nusra front, against whom military action will continue.

There are good reason why Europe’s Jews are so worried (Reuters)

The Weimar Republic, Germany’s flawed experiment in democracy in the 1920s, has become today’s paradigm for the failure of state and society. By the end of Weimar, the government seemed to have lost control — vigilantes from the political extremes claimed they were keeping the streets safe while beating up vulnerable minorities, above all Jews. So it is shocking when citizens in Germany and France — and elsewhere in Europe — increasingly cite Weimar when discussing their society today.

Turkey accuses Russia of firing missiles in Syria, killing 50 in schools, hospitals (JPost)

Almost 50 civilians were killed when missiles hit at least five medical facilities and two schools in rebel-held areas of Syria on Monday, according to the United Nations, which called the attacks a blatant violation of international law.

How censorship works in Vladimir Putin’s Russia (The Washington Post)

A new report from PEN America makes it clear how a confluence of laws ostensibly aimed at combating terrorism and religious hatred and protecting children have created an environment in which it’s increasingly hard to publish fiction, broadcast independent television or put on theatrical and musical productions that don’t toe an ever-shifting party line.

Thousands of Iraqi refugees leave Finland voluntarily  (Reuters)

Thousands of Iraqi refugees who arrived in Finland last year have decided to cancel their asylum applications and to return home voluntarily, citing family issues and disappointment with life in the frosty Nordic country.

Somalia's al Shabaab says its bomber behind airline blast (Reuters)

 Somalia's al Shabaab insurgents said on Saturday they were responsible for a blast that punched a hole in the fuselage of a plane last week that the government said was caused by a bomb meant to kill everyone on board.

Why is China trying to revive ancient Silk Road?

The Silk Road is part of China’s 'One Belt, One Road,' an economic development strategy launched by Chinese president Xi Jinping in 2013.

Iran to upgrade missiles, get Russian defense system: minister (Reuters)

 Iran will unveil an upgrade of its Emad ballistic missiles this year, the defense minister was quoted as saying, advancing a program that has drawn criticism from the United Nations and sanctions from the United States.

Female suicide bombers kill over 60 people in northeast Nigeria: officials (Reuters)

 Two female suicide bombers killed more than 60 people at a camp for people displaced by an insurgency of the jihadist Boko Haram group in the northeast Nigerian town of Dikwa, military and emergency officials said on Wednesday.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.