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August 2, 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.
- U.S. says farmers could get cash aid by October but will not be made whole (Reuters)
- Trump escalates attacks on Mueller probe (The Hill)
- Why Trump is so freaked out by the Manafort Trial (Washington Post)
- Court Decision Striking Down Albuquerque Asset Forfeiture Program Could Help Protect Property Rights Around the Country (Reason)
- U.S. judge denies gun control groups' attempt to block 3-D gun blueprints (Reuters)
- Lawsuit alleges migrant fathers were separated from children again after being reunited (The Hill)
- Rising numbers of Central Americans look for a foothold in Tijuana (San Diego Union-Tribune)
- Venting about press, Trump has repeatedly sought to ban reporters over questions (Washington Post)
WORLD
- Passengers ‘grateful to God’ after plane crashes in Mexico with no deaths (Reuters)
- Most passengers in non-fatal Mexican plane crash were U.S. citizens (Reuters)
- PETA condemns use of 'terror falcon' by Hamas (JPost)
- Ontario Ends UBI Experiment Two Years Early (Reason)
- Daring Thieves Steal Royal Jewels, Escape on Motorboat (NPR)
- Protesters chant anti-Putin slogans at Moscow rally against retirement age plan (Reuters)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
U.S.
U.S. says farmers could get cash aid by October but will not be made whole (Reuters)
U.S. farmers could receive cash payments from a planned $12 billion aid package as soon as late September ... U.S. growers are expected to take an $11 billion hit due to retaliatory tariffs after Washington placed duties on Chinese goods….The program includes cash for farmers of soybeans, sorghum, corn, wheat, cotton, dairy and hogs. It offers government purchases of fruits, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork and milk for distribution to food banks and nutrition programs. And it promises a trade promotion program to develop new markets.
Trump escalates attacks on Mueller probe (The Hill)
President Trump on Wednesday called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to immediately stop the Russia investigation, a significant escalation of Trump's attacks against the long-running probe that has dogged his presidency. The remark was Trump's most direct public appeal yet to end special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which he has blasted for months. It also raised questions from legal experts about whether the president was attempting to obstruct justice.
Why Trump is so freaked out by the Manafort Trial (Washington Post)
… Manafort collected more than $60 million between 2010 and 2014 from his Ukraine work, where President Viktor Yanukovych, an ally of the Kremlin, was Manafort’s “golden goose,” …When Yanukovych had to flee Ukraine for Russia in 2014, Manafort’s “cash spigot” was shut off, the prosecutor said, and the political strategist set out to generate money by lying to banks on loan applications. And then Manafort went to work for Trump. For free! And led the campaign when the Republican National Committee platform was changed in Russia’s favor (dropping support for arming Ukraine, for example). And offered briefings for a Kremlin-connected Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. In essence, the trial is the prequel to the story of the Trump campaign’s multiple contacts with Russia.
Judge James Browning ruled that the Albuquerque's forfeiture program violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment for two reasons…
U.S. judge denies gun control groups' attempt to block 3-D gun blueprints (Reuters)
A U.S. judge on Friday rejected a last-ditch effort by gun control groups to block the Trump administration from allowing the public to download blueprints for 3-D printable guns, declining to intervene just days before the designs are expected to go online.
Lawsuit alleges migrant fathers were separated from children again after being reunited (The Hill)
…The declaration, which was obtained by Mother Jones, was filed as part of the class-action lawsuit on behalf of migrant parents who wish to be reunited with their children. It alleges that the four fathers were given three “choices” when the government reunited them with their children: First, to be deported with their children; second, agree for the children to stay in the U.S. if the parent loses the immigration case; or third, to speak to a lawyer before making the decision. The fathers are claiming the first option was already selected for them.
Rising numbers of Central Americans look for a foothold in Tijuana (San Diego Union-Tribune)
...migrant advocates say that dozens, if not hundreds, are staying in Tijuana, often legalizing their status through the visas and other means rather than attempt to enter the United States; others are remaining in the city and working without documents.
Venting about press, Trump has repeatedly sought to ban reporters over questions (Washington Post)
President Trump has sought repeatedly to punish journalists for the way they ask him questions, directing White House staff to ban those reporters from covering official events or to revoke their press credentials, according to several current and former administration officials. …. He has also asked that retaliatory action be taken against them….Until this week, the officials said, Trump’s senior aides have resisted carrying out his directives. They convinced him that moves to restrict media access could backfire and further strain the White House’s fraught relationship with the press corps…”
U.S. Expats Face Hammering from New Tax Rules (Bloomberg)
The four-employee business of Travis Baldwin, who hasn’t lived in the U.S. for nearly a decade, is about to get hammered by a pair of tax provisions that were aimed at corporate behemoths like Microsoft Corp.
WORLD
Passengers ‘grateful to God’ after plane crashes in Mexico with no deaths (Reuters)
Dozens of people were injured when a packed Aeromexico-operated (AEROMEX.MX) Embraer (EMBR3.SA) jet crashed right after takeoff in Mexico’s state of Durango on Tuesday, but authorities said most were not seriously hurt and there were no fatalities.
Most passengers in non-fatal Mexican plane crash were U.S. citizens (Reuters)
At least 65 U.S. citizens were aboard the Aeromexico passenger jet that crashed in northern Mexico, a U.S. official said on Wednesday
PETA condemns use of 'terror falcon' by Hamas (JPost)
Tying flammable material to a falcon and sending it from the Gaza Strip into Israel with the intention of starting a fire was deemed an “unacceptable” use “as weapons of war” by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.… On Monday, an employee from the National Parks Authority discovered the bird after extinguishing a fire at the Habesor National Park near the Gaza Strip./ Nearly 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of land on nature reserves and national parks near the Gaza Strip have been burned due to incendiary kites, balloons and condoms.
Ontario Ends UBI Experiment Two Years Early (Reason)
A Canadian province's planned three-year experiment with a universal basic income (UBI) is ending after just one year…. he announcement came several months after Finland decided not to extend its own UBI experiment…. in the United States, the idea is far from dead. Stockton, California, is ready to test its own version of a UBI, and lawmakers in Chicago have proposed a similar experiment.
Daring Thieves Steal Royal Jewels, Escape on Motorboat (NPR)
Three of Sweden's crown jewels, dating back to the 17th century, were stolen Tuesday in a brazen daylight heist. Two crowns and an orb are missing, and the thieves are still at large. They fled from the church first by bicycle and then by motorboat. An international search is underway.
Protesters chant anti-Putin slogans at Moscow rally against retirement age plan (Reuters)
Thousands protested in central Moscow on Sunday against a proposed increase to the retirement age and the crowd chanted slogans critical of President Vladimir Putin whose approval ratings have been dented by the bill…. Around 90 percent of the population oppose the bill, according to a recent opinion poll, and a petition against it has attracted 3 million signatures online.
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