ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

March 9, 2023 (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.

• U.S. Marshals Service suffers a ransomware attack  (NPR)
• Trump can be sued for Jan. 6 riot harm, Justice Dept. says (AP)
• Eyeing DeSantis, Trump Readies for a Long Primary Battle (New York Times)
• East Palestine train derailment killed more than 43,000 fish and animals, officials say (USA Today)
• Murdoch Acknowledges Fox News Hosts Endorsed Election Fraud Falsehoods (New York Times)
• Fact check: Republicans at CPAC make false claims about Biden, Zelensky, the FBI and children (CNN)
• Major retailers are anxious and cautious about 2023  (NPR)

WORLD

• A treaty to protect the world's oceans has been agreed after a decade of talks  (NPR)
• ‘Everyone should be concerned’: Antarctic sea ice reaches lowest levels ever recorded (Guardian)
• Two of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico are found dead, officials say (Washington Post)
• Russia's Medvedev floats idea of pushing back Poland's borders (Reuters)
• Pregnant Russians seek Argentina passports for babies, flying there for birth   (NPR)
• Iran leader: Those who poisoned schoolgirls deserve death  (AP)
• 18 months into Taliban's rule, Afghans are facing dire poverty  (CNN)

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

U.S.

U.S. Marshals Service suffers a ransomware attack  (NPR)

The oldest U.S. federal law enforcement agency, the U.S. Marshals Service, has revealed it was the victim of a cyberattack last week in which hackers stole sensitive data.  According to a U.S. Marshals…the "major incident" impacted a "standalone" computer system which contained records about targets of ongoing investigations, employee personal data and internal processes. Importantly, according to the spokesperson, the system did not include personal details about people enrolled in the Federal Witness Protection Program….

Trump can be sued for Jan. 6 riot harm, Justice Dept. says (AP)

Former President Donald Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department said Thursday in a federal court case testing Trump’s legal vulnerability for his speech before the riot. The Justice Department told a Washington federal appeals court in a legal filing that it should allow the lawsuits to move forward, rejecting Trump’s argument that he is immune from the claims.

Eyeing DeSantis, Trump Readies for a Long Primary Battle (New York Times)

Donald Trump basked in affection from activists at CPAC on Saturday. But his campaign is preparing for an ugly, protracted primary fight for the nomination — and pledging even an indictment would not stop him.

East Palestine train derailment killed more than 43,000 fish and animals, officials say (USA Today)

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimate more than 43,000 animals have died in and around East Palestine roughly three weeks after the train derailment.

Murdoch Acknowledges Fox News Hosts Endorsed Election Fraud Falsehoods (New York Times)

The conservative media mogul made the remarks under oath last month in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems.

Fact check: Republicans at CPAC make false claims about Biden, Zelensky, the FBI and children (CNN)

The Conservative Political Action Conference is underway in Maryland. And the members of Congress, former government officials and conservative personalities who spoke at the conference on Thursday and Friday made false claims about a variety of topics.

Major retailers are anxious and cautious about 2023  (NPR)

More than a dozen retailers have dropped a flurry of financial reports in recent weeks. They have a broad view of consumer spending, which is a key driver of the U.S. economy. Here's what they say.

WORLD

A treaty to protect the world's oceans has been agreed after a decade of talks  (NPR)

For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas….The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept. An updated framework to protect marine life in the regions outside national boundary waters, known as the high seas, had been in discussions for more than 20 years…The unified agreement treaty was reached late Saturday.

‘Everyone should be concerned’: Antarctic sea ice reaches lowest levels ever recorded (Guardian)

… “By the end of January we could tell it was only a matter of time. It wasn’t even a close run thing,” says Dr Will Hobbs, an Antarctic sea ice expert at the University of Tasmania with the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership. “We are seeing less ice everywhere. It’s a circumpolar event.” In the southern hemisphere summer of 2022, the amount of sea ice dropped to 1.92m sq km on 25 February – an all-time low based on satellite observations that started in 1979.

Two of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico are found dead, officials say (Washington Post)

Two of the four Americans who were kidnapped in a Mexican border city last week have been found dead, Mexican officials said Tuesday morning. The other two were rescued and returned to the United States; a suspect was in custody…A Mexican official said the Americans were found in the village of Tecolote, about 15 miles from the border city of Matamoros, the site of the kidnapping…

Russia's Medvedev floats idea of pushing back Poland's borders (Reuters)

(Reuters) - Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that the only way for Moscow to ensure a lasting peace with Ukraine was to push back the borders of hostile states as far as possible, even if that meant the frontiers of NATO member Poland.

Pregnant Russians seek Argentina passports for babies, flying there for birth   (NPR)

According to official figures, some 22,200 Russians entered Argentina over the last year, including 10,777 women — many of whom were in the advanced stages of pregnancy…After an investigation, Argentine officials concluded that Russian women, generally from affluent backgrounds, were entering the country as tourists with the plan to give birth, obtain their documentation and leave.

Iran leader: Those who poisoned schoolgirls deserve death  (AP)

…suspected poisonings, which began late last year and have sickened hundreds of children…. Unlike neighboring Afghanistan, Iran has no history of religious extremists targeting women’s education…. / Authorities have acknowledged suspected attacks at more than 50 schools across 21 of Iran’s 30 provinces since November.

18 months into Taliban's rule, Afghans are facing dire poverty  (CNN)

Countless young children are dying in Afghanistan as freezing temperatures and extreme poverty grips the country. 18 months into Taliban rule, the UN claims two-thirds of the population of 40 million people will require humanitarian assistance this year just to survive.