ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

July 6, 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.

• Study says drinking water from nearly half of US faucets contains potentially harmful chemicals (AP)
• Federal judge blocks Biden administration officials from communicating with social media companies(CNN)
• Republican 2024 hopefuls back abortion limits after Roe v. Wade (Reuters)
• America's Hot Labor Market Fuels Job Growth in Unexpected Places  (Wall Street Journal)
• Supreme Court rejects Republican-led challenge to a Biden policy on deportations (AP)
• Supreme Court rejects theory that would have meant radical changes to election rules  (Washington Post)
• 3 M reaches $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of water systems  (NPR)
• Activists Spurred By SCOTUS Affirmative Action Ruling Sue Harvard Over Legacy Admissions(Huffington Post)
• Freight train carrying hot asphalt, molten sulfur plunges into Yellowstone River as bridge fails  (AP)
• Ford Explorer recall prompts Transportation Department investigation  (AP)
• States clamp down on freight trains, fearing derailments and federal gridlock (AP)
• At least $200 billion in pandemic aid potentially went to fraudsters, federal watchdog estimates  (NPR)

WORLD

• In Lula’s first six months, Brazil Amazon deforestation dropped 34%, reversing trend under Bolsonaro (AP)
• The planet saw its hottest day ever this week. The record will be broken again and again (CNN)
• Wagner boss Prigozhin is in Russia, Belarus ruler Lukashenko says (BBC)
• Rebel Russian mercenaries turn back short of Moscow 'to avoid bloodshed'(Reuters)
• Russians join the resistance with pirate radio and Tinder (Economist)
• Orca Rams Into Yacht Near Scotland, Suggesting the Behavior May Be Spreading (Smithsonian)
• Charities say Taliban intimidation diverts aid to Taliban members and causes(NPR)
• Orcas disrupt boat race near Spain in latest display of dangerous, puzzling behavior (AP)
• Ukraine brings first charges for deporting Kherson orphans (Reuters)

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

U.S.

Study says drinking water from nearly half of US faucets contains potentially harmful chemicals (AP)

Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public systems, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Federal judge blocks Biden administration officials from communicating with social media companies(CNN)

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered some Biden administration agencies and top officials not to communicate with social media companies about certain content, handing a win to GOP states in a lawsuit accusing the government of going too far in its effort to combat Covid-19 disinformation.  In a preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Terry Doughty, the judge ordered a slew of federal agencies and more than a dozen top officials not to communicate with social media companies about taking down “content containing protected free speech” that’s posted on the platforms.

Republican 2024 hopefuls back abortion limits after Roe v. Wade (Reuters)

Several Republican presidential candidates praised restrictions on abortion rights at a conference of Christian conservatives on Friday, illustrating how the issue still animates the party one year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down nationwide constitutional protections for the procedure. Former Vice President Mike Pence…called on all candidates to support a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks of gestation if elected.

America's Hot Labor Market Fuels Job Growth in Unexpected Places  (Wall Street Journal)

Payroll increase extends to building, home selling and automaking

Supreme Court rejects Republican-led challenge to a Biden policy on deportations (AP)

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Republican-led challenge to a long-blocked Biden administration policy that prioritizes the deportation of immigrants who are deemed to pose the greatest risk to public safety or were picked up at the border.

Supreme Court rejects theory that would have meant radical changes to election rules (Washington Post)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the theory that state legislatures have almost unlimited power to decide the rules for federal elections and draw partisan congressional maps without interference from state courts.

3 M reaches $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of water systems  (NPR)

The agreement would settle a case that was scheduled for trial earlier this month involving a claim by Stuart, Florida, one of about 300 communities that have filed similar suits against companies that produced firefighting foam or the PFAS it contained.

Activists Spurred By SCOTUS Affirmative Action Ruling Sue Harvard Over Legacy Admissions(Huffington Post)

It’s the latest effort in a growing push against the practice of giving admissions priority to the children of alumni.

Freight train carrying hot asphalt, molten sulfur plunges into Yellowstone River as bridge fails  (AP)

A bridge that crosses the Yellowstone River in Montana collapsed early Saturday, plunging portions of a freight train carrying hazardous materials into the rushing water below.  The train cars were carrying hot asphalt and molten sulfur…. Officials shut down drinking water intakes downstream….

Ford Explorer recall prompts Transportation Department investigation  (AP)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a Ford Motor Co. recall of more than a quarter-million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. after receiving complaints about repairs intended to prevent the vehicles from unexpectedly rolling away even while placed in park. 

States clamp down on freight trains, fearing derailments and federal gridlock (AP)

Spurred on by train derailments, some states with busy criss-crossing freight railroads are pursuing their own safety remedies rather than wait for federal action.

At least $200 billion in pandemic aid potentially went to fraudsters, federal watchdog estimates  (NPR)

…the SBA's inspector general used its access to government data to do some pattern analysis, looking for telltale signs of fraud…. they concluded that at least 17% of all the loans had the hallmarks of fraud.

WORLD

In Lula’s first six months, Brazil Amazon deforestation dropped 34%, reversing trend under Bolsonaro (AP)

After four years of rising destruction in Brazil’s Amazon, deforestation dropped by 33.6% during the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s term, according to government satellite data released Thursday.

The planet saw its hottest day ever this week. The record will be broken again and again (CNN)

This week saw the hottest global temperature ever recorded, according to data from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

Wagner boss Prigozhin is in Russia, Belarus ruler Lukashenko says (BBC)

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin - who led a short-lived rebellion in Russia last month - is in Russia and not Belarus, the leader of Belarus says. Prigozhin's whereabouts have been a mystery since the mutiny. Under the deal to end the stand-off, charges against him were dropped and he was offered a move to Belarus.

Rebel Russian mercenaries turn back short of Moscow 'to avoid bloodshed'(Reuters)

Heavily armed Russian mercenaries who advanced most of the way to Moscow began turning back on Saturday, de-escalating a major challenge to President Vladimir Putin's grip on power, in a move their leader said would avoid bloodshed.

Russians join the resistance with pirate radio and Tinder (Economist)

People are finding inventive ways to protest against Putin’s war

Orca Rams Into Yacht Near Scotland, Suggesting the Behavior May Be Spreading (Smithsonian)

The incident occurred roughly 2,000 miles away from the recent encounters near Spain and Portugal

Charities say Taliban intimidation diverts aid to Taliban members and causes(NPR)

The aid worker is nervous about talking to the press. He's afraid the Taliban will threaten him for speaking out. But he believes the story he has to tell is important enough to take that risk. He asks that only his initials be used to protect his identity.

Orcas disrupt boat race near Spain in latest display of dangerous, puzzling behavior (AP)

A pod of killer whales bumped one of the boats in an endurance sailing race as it approached the Strait of Gibraltar, the latest encounter in what researchers say is a growing trend of sometimes-aggressive interactions with Iberian orcas.

Ukraine brings first charges for deporting Kherson orphans (Reuters)

Ukrainian prosecutors on Friday charged a Russian politician and two suspected Ukrainian collaborators with war crimes over the alleged deportation of dozens of orphans from the formerly-occupied southern city of Kherson…. They are the first suspects to be charged by Ukraine, which says more than 19,000 children have been illegally transferred to Russia or Russian-held territory… The current whereabouts of the orphans, ranging from one to four years old, is uncertain, prosecutors said.