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September 19, 2019 (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:
U.S.
- Trump Weighs Retaliation Against Iran and Names National Security Adviser (New York Times)
- EPA says it will eliminate animal testing by 2035 (CNN)
- Trump administration opens huge reserve in Alaska to drilling (Washington Post)
- Appeals court revives lawsuit saying Trump is violating the Constitution by doing business with foreign governments (Washington Post)
- Mechanic accused of sabotaging jetliner may have terrorist ties, prosecutors say (Los Angeles Times)
- Corey Lewandowski: "I Have No Obligation to Be Honest with the Media" (C-Span)
WORLD
- Pompeo calls attacks on Saudi oil facilities ‘act of war’ as Trump orders increase in sanctions on Iran (Washington Post)
- Italy and France agree migrants must be distributed around the EU (Reuters)
- Meet the smoking-free, carbon-negative country that passes no law unless it improves citizens' well-being (CNN)
- Wildfires sweep Australia as police investigate (CNN)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
U.S.
Trump Weighs Retaliation Against Iran and Names National Security Adviser (New York Times)
In the space of seven minutes on an airport tarmac on Wednesday, President Trump captured the thorny decision he faces as he once again straddles the edge of war and peace. One moment, he threatened to order “the ultimate option” of a strike on Iran in retaliation for attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. The next he ruminated about what a mistake it had been for the United States to get entangled in Middle East wars and welcomed Iran’s president to visit.To help sort through the alternatives, Mr. Trump on Wednesday named a hawkish new national security adviser, Robert C. O’Brien, the State Department’s chief hostage negotiator.
EPA says it will eliminate animal testing by 2035 (CNN)
The Environmental Protection Agency announced a commitment to fully eliminate animal testing by 2035…Animal rights groups, including the Humane Society and PETA, praised the move…However environmental groups slammed the EPA's directive, raising concerns about the adequacy of the alternative test methods for all chemicals, and arguing the move largely benefits chemical companies more than the public.
Trump administration opens huge reserve in Alaska to drilling (Washington Post)
The Trump administration on Thursday said it would seek to open up the entire coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, picking the most aggressive development option for an area long closed to drilling. … Bureau of Land Management (BLM) took a key step closer to holding an oil and gas lease sale for the nearly 1.6 million-acre coastal plain, which is part of the 19.3 million-acre ANWR. The administration said its preferred plan would call for the construction of as many as four places for airstrips and well pads, 175 miles of roads, vertical supports for pipelines, a seawater-treatment plant and a barge landing and storage site.
Appeals court revives lawsuit saying Trump is violating the Constitution by doing business with foreign governments (Washington Post)
…In a 2-to-1 ruling, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit found that a lower-court judge improperly threw out the lawsuit in December 2017. Now, plaintiffs are hoping this victory will allow them to seek detailed records on Trump’s transactions with foreign officials.But, if Trump appeals, as is expected, the case could go to the full 2nd Circuit — and possibly to the Supreme Court after that.
Mechanic accused of sabotaging jetliner may have terrorist ties, prosecutors say (Los Angeles Times)
A mechanic accused of sabotaging an American Airlines jetliner had expressed a desire for Allah to hurt non-Muslims, stored violent Islamic State videos on his cellphone and has a brother in Iraq possibly involved with the extremist group, according to new evidence unveiled at his bail hearing Wednesday (in Miami).
Corey Lewandowski: "I Have No Obligation to Be Honest with the Media" (C-Span)
The House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on possible obstruction of Robert Mueller’s investigation by the president. Corey Lewandowski, the president’s former campaign manager testifies.
WORLD
Pompeo calls attacks on Saudi oil facilities ‘act of war’ as Trump orders increase in sanctions on Iran (Washington Post)
Amid escalating tensions, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday presented remnants of what it said were Iranian-made weapons used in the attacks on two key oil facilities.
Italy and France agree migrants must be distributed around the EU (Reuters)
The European Union must introduce a new, automatic system of taking in migrants saved from the Mediterranean, the leaders of Italy and France said on Wednesday, as they sought to patch up bruised bilateral relations.
…Bhutan is known as "the last Shangri-La" -- a remote Himalayan nation, rich in natural beauty and Buddhist culture, where national happiness is prioritized over economic growth. Fiercely proud and protective of its traditions, Bhutan has been closed to outside influences for centuries. The nation only opened its doors to tourism in the 1970s and has decided to take a unique approach to westernization, creating a concept known as the "Gross National Happiness Index."
Wildfires sweep Australia as police investigate (CNN)
As Australia's eastern states battle more than a hundred wildfires, local police are opening investigations into a small number of the blazes.
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