ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

May 16, 2018 (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 news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Trump Administration Doubles Worksite Investigations to Combat Illegal Immigration (NPR)
• Lava from Kilauea’s volcano could leave thousands trapped (CBS)
• White House, EPA headed off chemical pollution study (Politico)
• Melania Trump undergoes kidney surgery (USA Today)
• Supreme Court ruling opens the door for legalized sports betting nationwide (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Hatch to introduce sports betting bill after Supreme Court decision (The Hill)
• Trump blasts White House leakers as ‘traitors’ (The Hill)

WORLD

• North Korea cancels talks with South Korea and warns U.S. (BBC)
• The making of Meghan Markle: What happens when a ‘confident mixed-race woman’ marries into the royal family (Washington Post)
• Israeli forces kill dozens in Gaza protests over embassy (Reuters)
• U.S. opens embassy in Jerusalem amid violence (The Hill)
• Wildlife poachers in Kenya to face death penalty (Independent)
• Indonesian church bombings carried out by family with children in tow (New York Times)

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

U.S.

Trump Administration Doubles Worksite Investigations to Combat Illegal Immigration (NPR)

The administration has plans to greatly expand investigations and audits of businesses suspected of employing illegal immigrants.

Lava from Kilauea’s volcano could leave thousands trapped (CBS)

The situation around Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is growing more serious by the hour… Since the explosive series of eruptions began early this month, more than three dozen homes have been destroyed. Even as the lava flows harden, new fissures keep emerging, some 1,000-feet long.  The lava keeps inching towards a main highway in lower Puna, potentially trapping 2,000 residents who soon could be forced to flee, joining the 1,800 already evacuated and now in shelters.

White House, EPA headed off chemical pollution study (Politico)

Scott Pruitt’s EPA and the White House sought to block publication of a federal health study on a nationwide water-contamination crisis, after one Trump administration aide warned it would cause a "public relations nightmare," newly disclosed emails reveal.

Melania Trump undergoes kidney surgery (USA Today)

First lady Melania Trump underwent a procedure to treat a benign kidney condition Monday morning, the White House said in a statement. Trump underwent an embolization procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that "was successful and there were no complications."

Supreme Court ruling opens the door for legalized sports betting nationwide (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for an explosion in legalized sports betting across the nation, striking down a federal law that told states they may not allow wagering on professional and college games. Invoking the principle of states’ rights, the justices, by a 6-3 vote, said the Constitution protects the independence of the states and denies Congress “the power to issue direct orders” to them.

Hatch to introduce sports betting bill after Supreme Court decision (The Hill)

GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah) said on Monday that he will introduce new sports gambling legislation after the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that banned the betting in almost every state. "At stake here is the very integrity of sports. That’s why I plan to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to help protect honesty and principle in the athletic arena," Hatch said in a statement. 

Trump blasts White House leakers as ‘traitors’ (The Hill)

President Trump blasted White House leakers as “traitors” and vowed to hunt them down, even as he denied the West Wing has a problem with leaks.

WORLD

North Korea cancels talks with South Korea and warns U.S. (BBC)

North Korea has cancelled Wednesday's high-level talks with South Korea because of anger over its joint military exercises with the US.

The making of Meghan Markle: What happens when a ‘confident mixed-race woman’ marries into the royal family (Washington Post)

… She is both the heroine of a fairy tale come true — American meets prince! — and a spark for a debate about the role of race in society.

Israeli forces kill dozens in Gaza protests over embassy  (Reuters)

- Israeli forces killed at least 52 Palestinians along the Gaza border, as demonstrators streamed to the frontier on the day the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem.

U.S. opens embassy in Jerusalem amid violence (The Hill)

President Trump and his top aides celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday amid deadly clashes along the Israel-Palestine border, casting a cloud over what was supposed to be a celebratory occasion for the Jewish state.

Wildlife poachers in Kenya to face death penalty (Independent)

Wildlife poachers in Kenya will face the death penalty, the country’s tourism and wildlife minister has reportedly announced. Najib Balala warned the tough new measure would be fast-tracked into law.

Indonesian church bombings carried out by family with children in tow (New York Times)

One suicide bomber appeared to have been disguised as a churchgoer. Another drove a Toyota minivan with a bomb to one attack site. Still another was seen in footage speeding on a scooter toward a church before an explosion. After the back-to-back bombings that targeted three churches in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, as worshipers gathered between services on Sunday morning, the police said they had been the work of one family: a couple who had led their four children on a terror spree that took their own lives and those of at least seven other people.