Boy Scouts Of America Set To Vote On Gay Youth Ban
The Boy Scouts of America will vote on Thursday on a proposal to remove its ban on openly gay scouts that has been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history. The vote by more than 1,400 delegates comes amid intense lobbying by gay-rights activists and members of conservative organizations. The proposal would not remove the organization's ban on gay adult leaders. Representatives from both sides have rallied in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas, where the scouting organization is hosting its national annual meeting. The vote comes about three months after the organization's leadership delayed a decision on changing its membership policy to research attitudes toward admitting gays. Reuters
VOA VIEW: Removing the gay ban will split the Scouts.

Lawmakers Push New Bill To Crack Down On Military Sexual Assault
The sponsor of a new bill to combat sexual assault in the military pledged Thursday that her legislation would ensure that “never again will a victim have to salute an assaulter." The effort, led by Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, would require a dismissal or a dishonorable discharge for a member of the military found guilty of rape or sexual assault. Senators Susan Collins and Claire McCaskill announce a bipartisan piece of legislation aimed at reducing sexual assaults in the U.S. military. The new legislation – the second bill aimed at addressing sexual assault in the military this month – comes just the day after the Army disclosed that the commander of Fort Jackson, S.C., is being investigated for charges including adultery and a physical altercation. MSNBC

Obama Orders Justice Department Review After Fox News, AP Phone Records Seized
President Obama, responding to mounting criticism of his Justice Department's seizure of reporter records, said for the first time Thursday that the administration would be reviewing its guidelines in response to the controversy. Obama said he's "troubled" by the developments and that journalists should not be "at legal risk" for doing their jobs. Until now, administration officials have responded to the blowback by speaking generally about the importance of balancing national security -- and their ability to prosecute high-profile leaks -- with freedom of the press. This explanation did not stem the criticism, which only built amid new revelations about the lengths to which prosecutors went to pursue leaks. Fox News
VOA VIEW: Obama is troubled the scandal could not be lied away.

IRS Sequesters Itself Into 4-Day Holiday Weekend
"Due to the current budget situation, all IRS offices will be closed on May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22 and August 30," says an announcement on the IRS Website. Although IRS employees will not be paid for those furlough days, the dates chosen will give them three four-day weekends (over Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day) and two three-day weekends. Four of the furlough days are Fridays (May 24, June 14, July 5, Aug. 30) and one, July 22, is a Monday. CNS News

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Stress May Be Causing Your Cravings
What do drug addicts, serial dieters and children from troubled homes have in common? More than you might think. Stress can play a pernicious role in triggering a vicious cycle that leaves these groups overwhelmed by uncontrollable impulses and distracted by negative feelings -- all of which may, in turn, spark subsequent cycles of relapse, bingeing and failure. Through a career that spans almost three decades, Rajita Sinha, psychologist and head of the Yale Stress Center, has sought to understand the processes underlying these stress cycles in hopes they may one day be prevented. CNN

Obama: No 'Large Scale' Terrorist Attacks On U.S. Since I Became President
President Barack Obama said today that there have been no "large scale" terrorist attacks on the United States since he became president. The statement comes less than six weeks after the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon, which killed 5 people, injured 280 people (including 16 police officers), and forced the city to shut down while police conducted a door-to-door search for the terrorists. "So after I took office, we stepped up the war against al Qaeda but we also sought to change its  course,” said Obama at Ft. McNair’s National Defense University in Washington, D.C.  “We relentlessly targeted al Qaeda’s leadership. We ended the war in Iraq and brought nearly 150,000 troops home. … We unequivocally banned torture, affirmed our commitment to civilian courts, worked to align our policies with the rule of law, and expanded our consultations with Congress.” CNS News
VOA VIEW: Obama takes credit for untrue accomplishments, and blames all for his failures.

Senate Approves Obama Nominee To Key Appeals Court
In a break from bipartisan battles over judicial appointments, the U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a White House nominee to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Senate voted 97-0 to confirm Sri Srinivasan, 46, a top deputy in the Justice Department's Office of the Solicitor General, which represents the United States in appeals courts and before the Supreme Court. Born in India and raised in Kansas, Srinivasan will be the first South Asian to serve on a federal court of appeals. Reuters

2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast To Be 'Above Normal,' 'Possibly Extremely Active'
Batten down the hatches. Forecasters said Wednesday that the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be "above normal and possibly extremely active," predicting three to six major hurricanes this season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its outlook that it forecast seven to 11 Atlantic hurricanes for the 2013 season, which officially begins on June 1. "NOAA predicts an above normal and possibly an extremely active hurricane season with a range of 13 to 20 named storms," seven to 11 of which are forecast to turn into hurricanes and three to six of which are forecast to turn into major hurricanes, said Kathryn Sullivan, acting NOAA administrator. MSNBC

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Weiner Kicks Off His Campaign - And His Apology Tour
On day two of his bid for New York City mayor, disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner hit the streets of Manhattan Thursday in an effort to rebuild his political reputation, and win back the voters who only recently witnessed his demise. Weiner, a Democrat who resigned from Congress in 2011 after it was revealed that he'd been sending lewd photos to women on Twitter, began his morning in Harlem, where he talked to voters and reporters alike about his plans for New York, and his past misdeeds. "The voters are gonna decide," he told reporters, when asked if his past would be a distraction in the race. "New Yorkers have to make that decision." Weiner officially launched his campaign late Tuesday night in a video, which featured his wife, Huma Abedin, a longtime aide of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the couple's young son. CBS

Republicans Aim To Recruit, Elect More Women
Making sure that more  Republican women run for office and that they get  the support they need is the focus  of “Right Women, Right Now,” a new initiative by  the Republican State Leadership Committee to encourage and mentor GOP women considering a run for office. Ed Gillespie, chairman of the RSLC, said the goal of the program, which was  started last year was but relaunched Thursday, was  to grow the Republican Party and “foster up-and-coming diverse voices, and to get new women to the table from the state level. “We believe one of the ways to grow our Republican Party is by creating a strong pipeline of diverse leaders to put some new voices and fresh faces on the escalator to higher office, and we believe the first step to that is some of these state offices,” he said. ABC

Cash Piles Up As U.S. CEOs Play Safe With Slow-Growth Economy
Any lament that U.S. executives are sitting on cash at their companies instead of investing in plants and equipment may be about to get louder. The buildup of cash and marketable securities accelerated in the first quarter on a year-over-year basis to a record $1.73 trillion after slowing in early 2012. At the same time, capital spending in the most recent quarter rose by the least since March 2010, when the U.S. was still emerging from a financial crisis. The trends, based on data from about 2,300 U.S. companies compiled by Bloomberg, suggest executives’ lack of need or confidence to invest deepened with threats of federal spending cuts and the economic slowdowns at home, in Europe and China. Without a pickup in spending, the U.S. economy loses a driver of job creation and risks staying locked in below-average growth, giving even more cause to hold tight. Bloomberg

Obama Lifts Ban On Guantanamo Transfers To Yemen
President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen in his renewed effort to close the prison. Obama suspend transfers there in January 2010 after a would-be bomber attempted to blow up a U.S.-bound flight on instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen. The change in policy comes since a new president has taken over and improved security in the Arab nation. But al-Qaida is still active in Yemen, and there have been instances of former detainees returning to jihad there. Las Vegas Sun

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Obama Defends US Drone Program
President Obama spoke in unprecedented detail Thursday about the U.S. drone program, as he adamantly defended the controversial strikes as legal and necessary to national security -- while announcing that he was setting new limits on their use. The president for the first time personally acknowledged that U.S. drone strikes have killed several Americans overseas, only one of whom was targeted, after Attorney General Eric Holder made the information public a day earlier. Fox News

Gun, Drug Texts Feature In New Trayvon Martin Shooting Evidence
Items taken from Trayvon Martin's cell phone -- including a text-message discussion of drug use and pictures of a gun and marijuana plants -- are among new details released Thursday by attorneys for the neighborhood watch volunteer accused of killing him without provocation 14 months ago. The evidence, George Zimmerman's attorneys say, paints a different picture of the 17-year-old than the one portrayed by his family and supporters. Lead defense attorney Mark O'Mara says he will try to use the evidence if prosecutors attempt to attack Zimmerman's character during his trial on second-degree murder charges, set to begin next month. CNN
VOA VIEW: Martin will prove to have been a problem person.

Frequent Heartburn Raises Throat Cancer Risk 80 Percent
Having heartburn often may lead to cancers of the throat and vocal cord, according to a new study. The good news, though, is over-the-counter antacids may help reduce risk, the study authors said. "Previous studies examining gastric reflux and cancers of the head and neck have generated mixed results," study author Dr. Scott M. Langevin, a postdoctoral research fellow at Brown University in Providence, R.I., said in a press release. "(Our study) is a large, population-based study with robust parameters that strongly suggests gastric reflux, which causes frequent heartburn, is an independent risk factor for cancers of the pharynx (throat) and larynx (vocal cord)." CBS

IRS' Lerner Placed On Administrative Leave
The International Revenue Service Thursday put Lois Lerner on administrative leave one day after she refused to testify before a House committee, NBC reported. Lois Lerner, who was the IRS official who disclosed the targeting of conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status for closer scrutiny, invoked her right against self-incrimination in an appearance Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. UPI News

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Darrell Issa To Lois Lerner: Assertion Of ‘Fifth’ Invalid
After questions arose Wednesday surrounding the validity of IRS director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner’s assertion of her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself, Issa pledged to look into the matter, recessing the hearing rather than adjourning it in order to maintain his ability to later compel Lerner to testify. Today, a committee spokesman announced Issa had concluded that when Lerner read a statement aloud and authenticated a document for the record, she waived her right to refuse to testify. “After consulting with counsel, Chairman Issa has concluded that Ms. Lerner’s Fifth Amendment assertion is no longer valid. She remains under subpoena,” Frederick Hill, communications director for Issa, said. “The committee is looking at recalling her for further testimony.” ABC

U.S. Stocks Pare Loss After Japan Leads Global Slump
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (SPX) recovered most of a 1.2 percent morning slide as Hewlett-Packard Co. led gains in technology shares. Global equities slid, with Japanese shares plunging the most since the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster. Copper sank and the yen rallied. The S&P 500 fell less than 0.3 percent at 4 p.m. in New York after decreasing 0.8 percent yesterday. The MSCI All-Country World Index declined 1.3 percent and Japan’s Topix Index slumped 6.9 percent, the most since March 2011. The yen rose against its 16 major peers, gaining 1.3 percent to 101.84 per dollar. Ten-year Treasury yields lost 2.5 basis points to 2.01 percent after topping 2 percent yesterday for the first time since March. Copper sank more than 2 percent in London, leading commodities lower. Bloomberg

Obama Increases Fed Share Of Sandy Relief For NY
President Barack Obama is providing more Hurricane Sandy disaster relief to New York, increasing the share of public assistance that the government will pay from 75 percent to 90 percent of the cost. The change would mean a significant increase in the amount of money the state would receive from the federal government for road and sewer reconstruction projects and hospital and school rebuilding efforts. The White House said Thursday the extensive damage was putting a strain on state and local government budgets. Las Vegas Sun

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Boehner: House Won’t Pass Senate Immigration Bill
House Speaker John A. Boehner on Thursday flatly ruled out chances of the House passing the Senate’s immigration bill, saying his chamber will debate its own bill instead. Mr. Boehner and his top GOP lieutenants issued a joint statement that seemed designed to tamp down some of the momentum behind the Senate bill, which emerged from a Senate committee on a bipartisan 13-5 vote earlier this week, and to stake out a House GOP position. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: Good - no amnesty of any kind.

Top Senate Investigators: Lerner Misled Congress
Sens. Carl Levin and John McCain, who together run the Senate’s permanent investigative subcommittee, sent a letter to the IRS on Thursday calling for Lois Lerner, the woman at the center of the agency’s conservative-targeting scandal, to be suspended for dereliction of duty. Mr. Levin, Michigan Democrat, and Mr. McCain, Arizona Republican, said their committee had already been investigating a different aspect of the IRS division that reviews tax-exempt groups, which Ms. Lerner heads, and they said their investigators interviewed her in April. She failed to tell the investigators about the already-brewing and soon-to-explode controversy over targeting conservative groups for special scrutiny. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: Jail?

North Korea Tries Fax Diplomacy With Seoul
South Korean authorities said they received a faxed statement from North Korea proposing joint activities to mark the anniversary of a cooperation agreement. The Yonhap news agency reported Thursday an unnamed civic organization said a fax was sent from North Korea proposing a joint celebration to mark the anniversary of a June 2000 declaration for economic cooperation. Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2000 adopted a declaration that calls for the promotion of reunification and broad-based cooperation. UPI News

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PM: IAEA Reports Shows Iran’s Expanding Its Nuclear Program
Economic and diplomatic pressure has failed to stop Iran’s nuclear program, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told British Foreign Minister William Hague before meeting with him in Jerusalem on Thursday. “The just released report of the International Atomic Energy Agency shows clearly that Iran is continuing to expand its nuclear enrichment program,” Netanyahu said. “In parallel, it’s [Iran] working on a heavy-water reactor to build a plutonium-based bomb,” he said. “This is the biggest challenge facing us. I think it’s the biggest challenge of our time,” Netanyahu said. Jerusalem Post

Kerry Urges Netanyahu, Abbas To Compromise For Peace
US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to make the necessary compromises to allow the resumption of direct talks, as he visited both Jerusalem and Ramallah on Thursday. “Our hope is that the leaders in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority will find a way to compromise,” Kerry told President Shimon Peres. The two spoke in the evening after a long day of back-to-back meetings that included talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Jerusalem Post

Hezbollah 'Perpetuating Assad's Campaign Of Terror'
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the militant Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah and Iran are helping perpetuate President Bashar al-Assad's "campaign of terror" in Syria. Mr Kerry said thousands of Hezbollah fighters were contributing significantly to the violence. He added that Iran was actively supporting Hezbollah's involvement. Dozens of Hezbollah militants are said to have been killed fighting alongside Syrian troops in Qusair since Sunday. Government forces have launched an offensive to recapture the strategically important rebel-held town, which is close to both the city of Homs and the Lebanese border. BBC

Syria And Israel In Exchange Of Fire
Israeli and Syrian forces have exchanged fire across the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel returned fire after one of its military vehicles was hit by shots from Syria, Israel's defence forces say. Media reports say no-one was hurt. Syria says it destroyed an Israeli vehicle which it says crossed the ceasefire line into territory its forces control. Syria and Israel have traded fire a number of times in recent weeks. The Israeli military said its troops "returned precise fire" after the vehicle was hit. A statement from the Syrian army said it had "destroyed an Israeli vehicle with everything that it had in it". The statement said the vehicle was shot after it crossed the ceasefire line and headed towards the rebel-held village of Bir Ajam. BBC

FTSE 100 Falls Sharply From 13-Year High
Investors take fright at weak Chinese manufacturing data and concerns that Federal Reserve might end QE next month. Leading shares have fallen sharply from their recent 13-year highs, as investors took fright at weak Chinese manufacturing data and concerns that the US Federal Reserve might end its bond-buying programme sooner than expected. A day after the FTSE 100 came within 90 points of its December 1999 peak, the index slumped 2.1%, down 143.48 points at 6696.79. This is its worst daily performance in percentage terms since exactly a year ago. But after its recent strong surge, this latest fall merely wipes out the gains made since Friday. Guardian

Universal Vaccine Could End Annual Flu Jabs
The “universal” vaccine promises to provide long-term protection that could last a lifetime against all types of influenza with just a single injection. Flu viruses are notoriously difficult to immunise people against as they constantly change and evolve in a way that overcomes currently available vaccines. Scientists behind the new vaccine, however, claim it can protect against all flu viruses and could help to prevent new strains of the disease from turning into epidemics. Telegraph

HSBC's $1.9bn Money Laundering Settlement Could Be Rejected
Judge John Gleeson is considering cancelling December’s so-called deferred prosecution agreement that gave HSBC immunity from claims it allowed terrorists to move at least $881m (£584m) around the financial system. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is reportedly challenging Mr Gleeson’s need to sign off on the deal. The judge last mentioned the case in February, stating that he had not yet approved nor disapproved of the settlement. Telegraph

Japan To Host World Conference On Disaster Risk Reduction Next Year
Japan will host the world conference slated to be held next year at which countries will adopt the successor to the current global blueprint for disaster risk reduction efforts, it was announced today at a United Nation forum on the issue that wrapped up in Geneva. The 10-year Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) came out of the world conference held in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, in 2005. It is the first plan to explain, describe and detail the work that is required from all different sectors and actors to reduce disaster losses. UN News

Global Economic Growth Still Sluggish, With Prospect Of Gradual Improvement
Global economic growth will continue to be “below potential” this year, according to a report released today by the United Nations that adds that job creation will be vital to spur recovery. The UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2013 mid-year update notes that, since late 2012, new policy initiatives in major developed economies have reduced systemic risks and helped stabilize consumer, business and investor confidence, but with very limited improvement in economic growth. “The main priority for policymakers worldwide should be to support a robust and balanced global recovery, with a focus on promoting job creation,” said Shamshad Akhtar, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development. UN News

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