US House approves limits on NSA snooping

 

The NSA has bulk collected data on millions of people around the globe, leaked documents show

Members of the US House of Representatives banded together in a cross-party vote to pass legislation that would curb electronic snooping. The measure would bar the National Security Agency (NSA) from collecting Americans' personal online information without a warrant. It was added on Thursday night to a $570bn defence spending bill. The move follows revelations the NSA mass harvested data on telephone calls and snooped on foreign leaders.

"The American people are sick of being spied on," Congressman Thomas Massie, the amendment's sponsor, said. The amendment, added to the defence bill in a 293-123 vote on Thursday, also prohibits the NSA and CIA from accessing commercial technology products, which some politicians have described as a government "backdoor" for snooping.
Leaked documents provided to the Guardian newspaper indicate the NSA intercepted computer network devices such as routers and servers and embedded them with backdoor surveillance tools. They were then sent to customers around the world. Technology companies including Google were part of a coalition which urged support for the House provision.

Earlier this year the House passed the USA Freedom Act that would limit the NSA's bulk data collection and storage of some American landline telephone call records. But some members of Congress complained that legislation was not strict enough. The House is expected to pass the defence bill on Friday. But the fate of the spying curbs is unclear, as they have yet to be written into the Senate version of the defence spending bill.
Congress has attempted to restrict government surveillance after revelations last year by fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden showed widespread snooping. Last year, Mr Snowden - a former NSA contractor - fed a trove of secret NSA documents to news outlets including the Washington Post and the Guardian.
Among other things, the leaks detailed the NSA's practice of harvesting data on millions of telephone calls made in the US and around the world, and revealed the agency had snooped on foreign leaders.
The revelations have sparked a debate in the US over the appropriate role of the NSA and the extent to which it should be authorized to conduct such broad surveillance.

President Obama has asked Congress to rein in the program by barring the NSA from storing phone call data on its own and requiring it to seek a court order to access telecom companies' records.
Mr Snowden, meanwhile, fled the US in May 2013 and has been living under temporary asylum in Russia.

US sets up honey bee task force

The US has seen continuing declines of honeybee populations

A task force has been set up to tackle the decline of honey bees. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the agriculture department will lead the effort, which includes $8million for new honey bee habitats.

Bee populations saw a 23% decline last winter, a trend blamed on the loss of genetic diversity, exposure to certain pesticides and other factors. A quarter of the food Americans eat, including apples, carrots and avocados, relies on pollination.

Honey bees add more than $15bn in value to US agricultural crops, according to the White House.

The decline in bee populations is also blamed on the loss of natural forage and inadequate diets, mite infestations and diseases. There has also been an increase in a condition called colony collapse disorder in which there is a rapid, unexpected and catastrophic loss of bees in a hive. But other North American pollinators, like the monarch butterfly, have seen decreases in their populations as well.

Some environmental groups have criticized the president for not acting more directly, including taking action against neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides linked to bee deaths.
"The administration should prevent the release and use of these toxic pesticides until determined safe," Friends of the Earth president Erich Pica told Reuters.
In the plan announced on Friday, Mr Obama directed the EPA and the agriculture department to lead a government-wide task force to develop a strategy within six months to fight bee and other pollinator declines. Also announced on Friday was funding for farmers and ranchers in five states - Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin - who establish new habitats for honey bee populations.

'Huge' settlement in New York Central Park jogger case

 

Yusef Salaam (shown in 1990), was one of five black or Hispanic youths wrongfully convicted in the racially charged case

Five men wrongfully convicted in the brutal 1989 rape of a jogger in New York's Central Park have settled a lawsuit against the city for $40m. The racially charged case shocked the city during some of its bleakest years. The sum must still be approved by the city's comptroller and a federal judge. The men, teenagers when the crime was committed, served 7-13 years in prison before their exoneration in 2002 when evidence pointed to another man.

The victim, a white 28-year-old investment banker, was severely beaten, raped and left for dead in a bush. She had no memory of the attack. Local youths Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise, then aged 14-16, were arrested and interrogated for hours without access to lawyers or their parents.

 

Supports of the Central Park Five rallied in New York in 2013

 

They made confessions, and although they soon recanted and other evidence indicated they had been elsewhere when the woman was attacked, they were convicted and sentenced to years in prison.

The crime, occurring well before New York's current renaissance began in the mid-1990s, shocked the city and provoked fears of gangs of black teenagers going on crime rampages - "wilding", the media called it.

In 2002, an investigation by the Manhattan prosecutor determined a serial violent offender named Matias Reyes had confessed to the attack and said he acted alone. In their legal action, the men accused New York prosecutors and police of false arrest, malicious prosecution and a racially motivated conspiracy to deprive the men of their civil rights.

The proposed settlement, which has not been officially announced by the city but was reported widely by local newspapers on Thursday and Friday, would amount to about $1m per year in prison for the men. What could be more unjust that incarcerating innocent men because of their race ?

Fierce battles for Baiji and Tal Afar...Iraq

 

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Islamist-led militants and pro-government forces are engaged in fierce battles for the Baiji oil refinery and Tal Afar airport in northern Iraq. Baiji, Iraq's biggest refinery, is surrounded by the rebels, who say they have seized most of Tal Afar airport. The fighting comes a day after the US said it would send some 300 military advisers to help the fight against the insurgents. President Obama stressed that US troops would not fight in Iraq.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to travel to Iraq soon to press for a more representative cabinet, hoping this could ease tensions between the country's rival Muslim sects. The country's highest Shia religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has called for a new government to be set up quickly now the results of recent elections have been ratified. He said a new government needed to aim for "broad national acceptance" and to "remedy past mistakes".

Correspondents say that will be seen by many as criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.
Mr Maliki has been accused of pursuing anti-Sunni policies, pushing some Sunni militants to join the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis), which has made rapid advances in recent days.
About 500,000 people have fled their homes in the country's second-largest city, Mosul, which Isis captured last week.
The UN estimates that brings to about one million, the number of people displaced within Iraq as a result of violence this year.

President Obama's statement wasn't the lifeline the Iraqi government had hoped for. They wanted immediate airstrikes to stop Isis in its tracks. Instead, they will get up to 300 military advisers, who will restore the backbone to the Iraqi National Army which it has been missing since the Americans withdrew. The promise of air strikes is there, but attacks by US planes or missiles may, it seems, be dependent on some clear improvement in the way Iraq is governed .

Obama believes Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has endangered Iraq by ignoring Sunni concerns and governing in the interests of the Shia majority. Mr Maliki's supporters deny this and say he won't resign, but rivals to his government are said to be emerging. The least Mr Maliki will have to do is create a new and more inclusive government.  Then, perhaps, America will supply air support.

Isis says it has downed two military helicopters around the Baiji refinery but this has not been independently confirmed. It is thought the militants may have captured part of the vast oil complex.
They have also seized a disused chemical weapons factory in Muthanna, 70km (45 miles) north-west of the capital, Baghdad. The US says it does not believe the site contains any material that the insurgents could use to make chemical weapons. But state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "We remain concerned about the seizure of any military site by" Isis.

Iraq has openly asked the US for air strikes against the Sunni militants. Mr Obama said the US was prepared for "targeted and precise military action, if and when" required, but he insisted there was "no military solution" to the crisis. He also pointedly urged the Shia-led Iraqi government to be "inclusive".
"The United States will not pursue military actions that support one sect inside of Iraq at the expense of another," Mr Obama said.

In addition to sending advisers, Mr Obama said that the US would be increasing intelligence efforts and setting up "joint operation centres in Baghdad and northern Iraq". On Wednesday, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Martin Dempsey, warned that the US military still lacked sufficient intelligence to launch air strikes. He told a congressional hearing that pilots would have difficulty knowing who they were attacking from the air.

Thousands of Iraqi Shia have volunteered to join the army and help fight Isis

Members of Iraq's Shia majority community have volunteered to fight alongside the security forces

• Sunnis and Shia share fundamental beliefs, but differ in doctrine, ritual, law, theology and religious organization
• The origins of the split lie in a dispute over who should have succeeded the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community
• Sunnis are the majority sect in the Muslim world, but Shia, most of them ethnic Arabs, form between 60% and 65% of Iraq's population; Sunnis make up 32-37%, split between Arabs and Kurds
• Sunni Arabs dominated Iraq under Saddam Hussein and their persecution of the Shia stoked sectarian tensions; the US-led invasion in 2003 gave the Shia an opportunity to seek redress
• Nouri Maliki has been accused of denying Sunni Arabs meaningful representation and pursuing security policies that target them

Isis fighters have been pushing towards Iraq's capital, Baghdad.
Isis grew out of an al-Qaeda-linked organization in Iraq

• Estimated 10,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria
• Joined in its offensives by other Sunni militant groups, including Saddam-era officers and soldiers, and disaffected Sunni tribal fighters
• Exploits - standoff between Iraqi government and the minority Sunni Arab community, which complains that Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is monopolizing power
• Isis led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an obscure figure regarded as a battlefield commander and tactician

There are generally two sides to every situation; and in spite of the blitzing attacks and inhumane treatment of prisoners the Sunnis, presumably, have their side.

Dear Maxy,
My husband  calls me the 'Throw-a-way Queen." I have gotten into hot water  for not asking  before I trashed something . Now I think I've mad a huge mistake .
We were thinking of  moving , so I started cleaning out  storage bins . I threw away two items of my husband's that had been in those  bins for years . Last week his son came over  to help clear out  some things and specifically  asked for  the items I tossed . They  apparently  were of  sentimental value to  him .
I acted  as if  I hadn't a clue  what he was talking  about but I feel guilty  and ashamed  . This is a burden on my conscience  and I don't know what to do . I don't want to keep lying to him but I'm afraid of confessing . What should I do ?
Stepmom
Dear Stepmom ,
Imagine the reaction  from your stepson  when he discovers  that you threw out these two items . I think you can tolerate his  anger  and disappointment . Please tell him . Apologize  profusely .  Say you had  no idea  he would want these things or you would  have saved them  . Say  that you  are ashamed  for not telling him  sooner . Ask him to forgive you  for  your lapse in judgemrnt . I think once he  gets past  his disappointment  you both  will be able  to put this behind  you .
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
My husband was recently laid off from a big  law firm in New York . We have  three children  and I am a stay-at-home-mom .  He is trying to find places that are hiring, but he is not  doiing  well . One of our children  is off  to college   next year  and we do not  have enough money  to live like we have  been since  we need to pay  for college . It has been very hard on the family  and the  financial tensions  cause  fights . It has been a rough couple  of months  and I do not know  if I can take it . What is the best way to manage  this situation  without ruining  our relationship ?
Stressed
Dear Stressed ,
Sit down with your husband  to discuss  your  finances and to come up with a plan . Maybe  you will need  to get a job . Perhaps  your college  bound child will need to get financial aid . Be practical . If you can address  them as a team , you create  space  for respect  and support  through  what will likely  be an agonizing  period  for quite  some time .
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
My daughter  just confronted  me about  wanting  to go on birth control  so she can have sex with her  boyfriend .
They are seniors in high school . I think that they are too young but I don't want  her to go behind my back  and go unprotected .
I feel  that by  giving in  and letting her get the birth control, I am letting  her have sex  when I really am not OK with it . What is the best way to approach this  situation ?
Scared  Mom
Dear Scared Mom ,
This is a very tough challenge  that  many parents  face . On the one hand , you want to reinforce  your  values; on the other, you want to protect  your  daughter  should she decide  to move forward  with  her plan . One  good  thing to note  is that she asked  for your help  in getting  birth control . She did not  have to do  that . She  could have  gone  to a clinic  and gotten them on her own .
So, start  by thanking her  for bringing this topic  up with you . Tell her  how uncomfortable  it makes  you feel  that she  is making this decision  at this time . Ask her to tell you why  she feels  that the time is now . Why does  she feel ready ? Ask her about  her relationship with her boyfriend . Is it a committed relationship , as much as a high school  bond can generally be ? Ask if she has had sex before , and if  she has, talk to her  about why  you wish  she would  wait longer . Be specific  without  being  judgmental .
Ultimately, if you  believe  she is  going to have  sex , take her to a gynecologist  who can talk  to her about her body in more details.  And allow her to have the birth control.
Maxy

US Creates World's Largest Marine Protected Area

The protected area around Palmyra atoll will be significantly extended

The US plans to create the world's biggest marine protected area (MPA) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The White House will extend an existing protected area, known as the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Fishing and drilling would be banned from an area that could eventually cover two million sq km. The extended zone would double the world's fully protected marine reserves.

The Pacific Remote Islands Area is controlled by the US and consists of seven scattered islands, atolls and reefs that lie between Hawaii and American Samoa. Essentially uninhabited, the waters that surround these remote islands are home to a wide range of species including corals, seabirds, sharks and vegetation not found anywhere else in the world.

In 2009, President Bush declared the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, giving the islands the same level of protection as statues or cultural sites. Now President Obama has signalled that he will extend the area that will be off limits to fishing and mineral exploitation to the limit of US economic control - some 200 nautical miles around the islands.

The White House said the final size of the protected zone would depend on consultations with scientists, fishing and conservation organizations. The Washington Post reported that this would eventually cover up two million sq km.
"This area contains some of the most pristine tropical marine environment in the world," said White House senior counsel John Podesta, who made the announcement.
"These tropical coral reefs and associated ecosystems are among the marine environments facing the most serious threat from climate change and ocean acidification."
Speaking ahead of the announcement, President Obama said that protecting marine areas wasn't just a good idea for the environment, it made good economic sense as well.
"If we ignore these problems, if we drain our oceans of their resources, we won't just be squandering one of humanity's greatest treasures, we will be cutting off one of the worlds major sources of food and economic growth," he said.

Last year, attempts to create huge marine reserves in Antarctica failed when Russia blocked plans by the US and others for a third time. Ocean campaigners have welcomed the new US plan as an important step. This is incredibly significant and shows global leadership from the US on this issue" said Karen Sack from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
"There is an amazing array of biodiversity around these islands, there are sea mount systems with a lot of deep sea species, all types of marine mammals."

Marine Protected Areas currently make up around 2.8% of the world's oceans - but Karen Sack says the areas that have a full ban on fishing, drilling and other activities are much smaller, which increases the significance of the US move.
"Less than 1% of the global ocean is fully protected," she said.
"While this area may be far away from anywhere the designation adds to the part of the ocean that is protected in this way which is critical."
Conserving marine species isn't just the preserve of large nations like the US. In recent days the tiny Republic of Kiribati announced that the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, will close to all commercial fishing by the end of 2014. This fishing zone, which is close to the newly extended US MPA, is within a region that is home to the largest remaining stocks of tuna on Earth.

What up With Dr Oz ?

CNN) -- Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of "The Dr. Oz Show," was grilled Tuesday by senators on Capitol Hill about the promotion of weight loss products on his show.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, chairwoman of the subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance, led the panel that looked at false advertising for weight loss products. Subcommittee members took issue with claims Oz has made on his show about products that don't have a lot of scientific evidence to back them up, such as green coffee beans.

"The scientific community is almost monolithic against you in terms of the efficacy of the three products you called 'miracles,'" said McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat. She said she was discouraged by the "false hope" his rhetoric gives viewers and questioned his role, "intentional or not, in perpetuating these scams."

"I don't get why you need to say this stuff when you know it's not true. When you have this amazing megaphone, why would you cheapen your show?... With power comes a great deal of responsibility."

Oz told the committee that he does use "flowery language" to describe certain products on his show, but added he believes in them so much he has given them to his own family.

"My job, I feel, on the show is to be a cheerleader for the audience, and when they don't think they have hope, when they don't think they can make it happen, I want to look, and I do look everywhere, including in alternative healing traditions, for any evidence that might be supportive to them," Oz told the panel.

He testified that he could not be held responsible for what certain companies say online about the products. He said he's toned down some of his language and will publish a list of products he thinks really can help people lose weight.

"To not have the conversation about supplements at all however would be a disservice to the viewer," Oz said in a prepared statement after the hearing. "In addition to exercising an abundance of caution in discussing promising research and products in the future, I look forward to working with all those present today in finding a way to deal with the problems of weight loss scams."

In May, the Federal Trade Commission sued the sellers of Green Coffee Beans for deceiving consumers through fake news sites and invented health claims. The FTC said that weeks after "The Dr. Oz Show" promoted the benefits of Pure Green Coffee, some companies that marketed the product used video from his show to increase sales.

The FTC told CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen that there are just "too many" of these products to sue them all. But consumers should be wary of certain phrases that are most certainly false, the FTC said, including any that claim to help you lose weight without diet and exercise.

Bottom line -- don't believe everything you see. Do your homework online and make sure any claim about a weight loss product is backed up by scientific evidence.