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June 23, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)--ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting 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 global and national news stories include:
U.S.
- Obama announces Afghanistan troop withdrawl plan (CNN)
- House sets up Friday vote on limiting funding for Libya mission (The Hill)
- Leading house democrats say social security cuts are a nonstarter (The Hill)
- GOP hopefuls divided over anti-abortion pledge (NPR)
WORLD
- U.S., other nations agree to release oil; prices fall (USA Today)
- Israeli military begins to move West Bank barrier ( Jerusalem CNN)
- Climate change: public skeptical, scientists sure (NPR)
- Syria warns against outside influence (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Mexico urges inquiry as U.S. shoots man on the border (BBC)
U.S.
OBAMA ANNOUNCES AFGHANISTAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL PLAN
June 22, 2011 (CNN) -- President Barack Obama announced Wednesday night that all the 33,000 additional U.S. forces he ordered to Afghanistan in December 2009 will be home within 15 months.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/06/22/afghanistan.troops.drawdown/index.html?&hpt=hp_c1
HOUSE SETS UP FRIDAY VOTE ON LIMITING FUNDING FOR LIBYA MISSION
June 22, 2011 (The Hill)--The House is expected to vote Friday on legislation to limit funding for the U.S. military mission in Libya after Republican leaders scrambled to re-write an initial proposal by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/167997-house-to-vote-friday-on-limiting-funding-for-libya-mission
LEADING HOUSE DEMOCRATS SAY SOCIAL SECURITY CUTS ARE A NONSTARTER
June 22, 2011 (The Hill)--Some leading House Democrats warned Wednesday that Social Security cuts are a nonstarter as lawmakers search for places to slash trillions of dollars in federal spending.
And they aren’t mincing words.
“You want a fight?” Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) said during a press conference in the Capitol. “If anybody in this building wants to take on Social Security — privatize it, change the benefits by altering the consumer price index or by any other method — know this: You’ve got a fight on your hands.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/168011-house-democrats-draw-the-line-at-social-security-cuts
GOP HOPEFULS DIVIDED OVER ANTI-ABORTION PLEDGE
June 23, 2011 (NPR)-- For the first time in memory, every Republican candidate running for president in 2012 proclaims him or herself to be anti-abortion. But just how anti-abortion are they?
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/23/137350265/gop-hopefuls-divided-over-anti-abortion-pledge
THE TOP 5 TAKE-AWAYS FROM THE GOP DEBATE
June 13, 2011 (CBS News)-- -After two hours of talk and lots of interruptions from a moderator, here are the five things you need to know from tonight's GOP debate:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504564_162-20070955-504564.html#ixzz1Q5EV7v8u
WORLD
U.S., OTHER NATIONS AGREE TEO RELEASE OIL; PRICES FALL
Crude prices, stocks tumble after weak unemployment report, move by 28 nations to release oil from reserves
June 23, 2011 (USA Today)-- Crude oil prices tumbled Thursday on fresh news of U.S. economic weakness and a pledge by 28 countries to release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2011-06-23-oil-prices_n.htm
ISRAELI MILITARY BEGINS TO MOVE WEST BANK BARRIER
June 22, 2011 (CNN)-- Jerusalem (CNN) -- Four years after an Israeli high court initially ruled that the path of the barrier separating Israelis from Palestinians around the West Bank village of Bilin needed to be rerouted, the Israeli military Wednesday began to dismantle parts of the controversial fence.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/22/mideast.israel.barrier/index.html?hpt=wo_c2
CLIMATE CHANGE: PUBLIC SKEPTICAL, SCIENTISTS SURE
June 22, 2011 (NPR)-- The American public is less likely to believe in global warming than it was just five years ago. Yet, paradoxically, scientists are more confident than ever that climate change is real and caused largely by human activities.
Something a bit strange is happening with public opinion and climate change. Anthony Leiserowitz, who directs the Yale University Project on Climate Change Communication, delved into this in a recent poll. He not only asked citizens what they thought of climate change, he also asked them to estimate how climate scientists feel about global warming.
"Only 13 percent of Americans got the correct answer, which is that in fact about 97 percent of American scientists say that climate change is happening, and about a third of Americans just simply say they don't know," he said.
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/21/137309964/climate-change-public-skeptical-scientists-sure
SYRIA WARNS AGAINST OUTSIDE INFLUENCE
June 23, 2011 (Sydney Morning Herald)--Syria has rejected foreign intervention over its deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests as UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged a united response from the Security Council charging that President Bashar al-Assad lacked "credibility.”
MEXICO URGES INQUIRY AS U.S. SHOOTS MAN ON THE BORDER
June 23, 2011 (BBC)-- Mexico's government has condemned the fatal shooting of a Mexican man who was allegedly throwing stones at US agents across the Tijuana-San Diego fence.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13885438
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