Bill Clinton Blames Republicans, Media For Extending Wife Hillary's Email Controversy
Former President Bill Clinton is blaming Republicans and the media for the controversy related to wife and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s email controversy, saying the GOP has led a “full-scale frontal assault” on her campaign. Clinton entered the race as the clear party front-runner. But her poll and favorability numbers have dropped since news broke in March that she used a private server and email accounts for official business while serving as secretary of state. “I have never seen so much expended on so little,” the former president said in an interview aired Sunday on CNN. “The other party doesn’t want to run against her. And if they do, they’d like her as mangled up as possible.” Fox News
VOA VIEW: The only person to blame is Hillary - she broke the law, violated national security, covered up and lied.

CNN Debate Criteria Would Allow Joe Biden To Participate
Vice President Joe Biden will be invited to participate in the first Democratic presidential primary debate if he declares his intention to seek his party's nomination as late as the day of the debate, eligibility criteria released Monday by CNN shows. So far, Lincoln Chafee, Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Jim Webb have been invited to the first Democratic National Committee-sanctioned debate on Oct. 13 at the Wynn Las Vegas. All five of the candidates have achieved an average of 1% in three polls, recognized by CNN, released between Aug. 1 and Oct. 10. The debate criteria was published Monday morning. CNN

Recreational Smokers Can Shop At Oregon's Pot Dispensaries
Oregon's medical marijuana dispensaries are getting ready for a watershed moment this week: when recreational pot users will also be able to buy weed at their pot shops. More than 200 of Oregon's 345 medical marijuana dispensaries have notified the Oregon Health Authority of plans to sell recreational marijuana starting on Thursday. Though some dispensaries may not qualify right away if they're still in the application process and haven't been approved, OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie said. Oregon passed Measure 91 in November. The law legalized possessing and growing limited amounts of marijuana for personal use starting July 1. Philadelphia Inquirer

In Iowa Visit, Christie Rips Obama, Trump
In a machine shed featuring two shiny John Deere tractors and numerous buzzing flies, Gov. Christie brought his presidential campaign back to Iowa on Monday, trying to sway voters with the image of a tough-talking leader who can stay above Washington's partisan fray. But his govern-together message didn't stop Christie from bashing President Obama at a town-hall meeting in this town an hour north of Des Moines, describing a world "on fire" because of weak U.S. leadership, and calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "smart, articulate thug" who has been "pushing the president of the United States around the last seven years." Christie criticized Obama's Monday speech to the United Nations, deriding the president for spending "more time on climate change than on the global terrorist threat to America." Philadelphia Inqurier

Obama Has Turned Putin Into The World’s Most Powerful Leader
The baton was officially transferred Monday to the world’s new sole superpower — and Vladimir Putin willingly picked it up. President Obama (remember him?) embraced the ideals espoused by the United Nations’ founders 70 years ago: Diplomacy and “international order” will win over time, while might and force will lose.
Putin, too, appealed to UN laws (as he sees them), but he also used his speech to announce the formation of a “broad international coalition” to fight ISIS in Syria and Iraq. “Similar to the anti-Hitler coalition, it could unite a broad range of forces” to fight “those who, just like the Nazis, sow evil and hatred of human kind,” he said. NY Post
VOA VIEW: Obama is a weak traitor.

Immigrants Will Drive U.S. Population Growth In Next Five Decades
Immigrants and their descendants will drive U.S. population growth over the next half century, transforming the country into one where no racial or ethnic group is a majority, a Pew Research Center report released on Monday said. If current trends continue, immigrants and their descendents are projected to account for the vast majority - 88 percent - of the population growth by 2065 in the U.S., where 324 million now live, according to Pew. "Without the immigrants, the U.S. population would start decreasing," said Pew demographer Jeff Passel, among those who worked on the report. Reuters

Obama At United Nations: We Must Stamp Out 'Apocalyptic Cult' ISIS
President Barack Obama warned that "dangerous currents" threaten to create a "darker world" in a wide-ranging address to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. Obama slammed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as a "tyrant" and urged the international community to work together to defeat ISIS. "There is no room for accommodating an apocalyptic cult like ISIL," the president said, using an alternative name for the terrorist group. The president also stressed that the United States " is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict" in Syria. MSNBC

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Whole Foods Market To Cut About 1,500 Jobs
Upscale food market operator Whole Foods Market Inc (WFM.O) said it would cut about 1,500 jobs, or about 1.6 percent of its workforce as it works to bring down costs. The magnitude of the job cuts, which will happen over the next eight weeks, are unprecedented at Whole Foods and come as the company invests in technology upgrades and tries to shed its reputation for high prices. The affected jobs will be both in stores and in regional operations, the company said in an email to Reuters on Monday, declining to give further details. Reuters

TSA Found Record Number Of Guns In Carry-On Luggage At Airports During One Week
A record number of guns were found in passengers' carry-on luggage at airport security checkpoints during one week in September, according to the Transportation Security Agency. TSA agents discovered 67 guns in carry-on luggage in airports across the country during the week that ended Sept. 17, according to the agency, which said the tally for the week broke a previous record of 65 firearms found during one week in May 2013. Of those 67 guns, 56 were loaded and 26 had a round chambered, according to the TSA. MSNBC

US, Cuba Leaders To Meet For 2nd Time In This Year
Making good on a pledge to change U.S. posture toward Cuba, President Barack Obama is poised to hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro for the second time this year. The meeting is scheduled to take place Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. Castro is attending for the first time. The encounter comes as the Cold War adversaries go about the long and complex process of normalizing relations following decades of animosity. The U.S. recently eased rules for citizens who want to visit or do business in Cuba, a step aimed at fostering greater economic freedom on the island. Tampa Tribune

China Worries And Sinking Drugmakers Slam Stock Market
Ongoing worries about the health of the Chinese economy and another big sell-off in drugmakers pushed the stock market back toward its lowest level of the year. Energy and raw material companies dropped on reports that industrial profits at Chinese companies fell sharply in August, heightening worries about a slowdown in the world's second-biggest economy. Health care stocks fell sharply as drugmakers extended a decline that began last week as lawmakers stepped up pressure on the industry over its pricing policies. Stocks have fallen sharply in August and September on concern that a slowdown in China is worse than previously thought and is spreading to other emerging market economies. The slowdown could start hurting U.S. companies that rely on overseas demand for a large portion of their profits. Tampa Tribune

Chief Justice John Roberts' Supreme Court At 10, Defying Labels
Three years into John Roberts' tenure as chief justice of the United States, the Supreme Court ruled by one vote that the Second Amendment protects the right to keep guns at home for self-defense. Seven years later to the day, the court ruled — again by one vote — that the 14th Amendment requires states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Leaning right on guns but left on gays, right on race and religion but left on health care reform, the Roberts Court reaches its 10-year anniversary this week at the fulcrum of American public policy, culture — and politics. USA Today
VOA VIEW: Roberts is a phony conservative.

Trump: 'Attacking Me Has Not Been A Good Idea'
Donald Trump appeared on CNN’s Erin Burnett Out Front Monday where he addressed a number of topics with generally less bluster and a few more specifics than usual. On one topic, however, the billionaire didn’t hold back: his opponents in the Republican presidential race. Host Erin Burnett asked Trump who he thought would be the next to drop out. “Well you’ve got so many of them that are doing so poorly,” Trump replied. “Rand Paul is doing horribly. You know he was supposed to be a leader.”   “A guy like Marco Rubio is a lightweight,” he said. ” I can’t imagine he goes anywhere.” USA Today

George Zimmerman Retweets Photo Of Trayvon Martin's Body
George Zimmerman, who apparently asks himself what's the right thing to do and then does the opposite, has done it again. The former Florida neighborhood watch captain, who shot and killed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 but was acquitted of murder, over the weekend retweeted an image of Martin's body lying on the grass. It had been posted by an admirer with the caption "Z-Man is a one man army." According to the New York Daily News, Zimmerman has been doing anything but keeping a low profile on social media: Last month, Zimmerman replied to a critic on Twitter by writing, "We all know how it ended for the last moron that hit me. Give it a whirl cupcake." Earlier this year, Zimmerman said black Virginia murderer Vester Flanagan was "too much of a daisy to deal w/ racism," called Obama a "Racist," and painted a Confederate battle flag dedicated to an anti-Muslim Florida gun shop owner. Zimmerman now uses the Confederate painting as his Twitter profile photo. Houston Chronicle

Obama Taunts Putin, China At U.N.: ‘I Lead The Strongest Military The World Has Ever Known’
While casting his nation as the keeper of global order and saying the age of dictatorships is over, President Obama on Monday stressed that the U.S. is ready and willing to work with countries such as Iran, Russia and China and harbors no irreversible ill will toward its old adversaries. In a highly anticipated speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Mr. Obama said his administration accepts the fact that the U.S. must cooperate with nations around the world, even those that often violate international norms or human rights. Such cooperation, the president said, is necessary in the 21st century. Obama taunts Putin, China at U.N.: ‘I lead the strongest military the world has ever known’ Washington Times

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Bush: US Should Open Overseas Markets To US Oil, Gas
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says ending the ban on U.S. oil exports and easing restrictions on natural gas exports will unleash the nation's economy.
The former Florida governor is calling for ending the 1970s-era law prohibiting the U.S. from exporting crude oil at a time when domestic petroleum production has grown rapidly over the past decade. Calling it a "once-in-a-generation opportunity," Bush says in a piece posted today on the website Medium that reversing the export ban and widening U.S. natural gas markets would benefit U.S. consumers with lower energy costs, create a new manufacturing sector and generally fuel more rapid growth in the nation's economy. Bush is scheduled to discuss the plan at Rice Energy near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. Houston Chronicle

Planned Parenthood, Under Siege, Fights Back
Rancor against the Planned Parenthood Federation of America has exploded this year, the fuse lit by videos that surfaced this summer showing a national Planned Parenthood executive discussing the selling of fetal body parts. The agency is fighting back with rallies, social media campaigns and celebrations of its services across the country Tuesday, including a rally by the chapter that oversees services in Georgia at the state Capitol in downtown Atlanta. The nonprofit organization provides mammograms, Pap smears, testing for sexually transmitted diseases — and, yes, at some facilities it performs abortions. Political voices for and against Planned Parenthood have been loud and proud. Atlanta Journal

Critics Slam Ex-Archbishop Of Philadelphia’s Role In Papal Visit
A former archbishop who retired amid allegations he put church interests ahead of clergy sexual abuse victims returned to the city over the weekend to help Pope Francis celebrate Mass, drawing criticism from advocates who said his visibility “rubs salt into deep wounds.” The current archbishop, Charles Chaput, defended Cardinal Justin Rigali’s role in the service Saturday at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, saying Monday his predecessor did nothing wrong and is “always welcome to be here.” Rigali, 80, sat to Chaput’s left and stood with the pope as he consecrated the Eucharist. A spokesman said he also participated in several other events with U.S. bishops, including the Vatican-sponsored World Meeting of Families conference that brought the pope to Philadelphia. Charlotte Observer

Trump Unveils Tax Plan That Would Lower Taxes For Millions
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Monday proposed eliminating income taxes for millions of Americans, and lower rates for the highest-income earners, as part of a plan he said would grow the U.S. economy at a pace not seen in years. Trump's plan for an overhaul of the U.S. tax code would eliminate federal income taxes on individuals earning less than $25,000 and married couples earning less than $50,000. He said those individuals would receive "a new one page form to send the IRS saying, 'I win.'" Trump's plan would also disproportionally benefit wealthy earners by lowering the highest income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 25 percent, and businesses by cutting their tax rate — from major corporations to mom-and-pop shops — to no more than 15 percent. CNS News
VOA VIEW: Trumps tax numbers don't make sense.

House Plans To Use Fast-Track Budget Tool To Attack Obamacare, Planned Parenthood
Republicans in charge of top House committees want to use a fast-track budget tool to take a big bite out of Obamacare and redirect funding away from Planned Parenthood amid controversy over its abortion practice. Saying it’s “time to put an Obamacare repeal bill on the president’s desk,” the Ways and Means Committee will vote Tuesday to scrap the 2010 law’s most unpopular taxes and mandates through budget “reconciliation.” That includes the controversial individual mandate requiring Americans to hold health insurance. Without the mandate, the law’s delicate economics would likely fall apart, blowing a hole in President Obama’s signature law. Budget reconciliation is a complex budget tool that allows Congress to forge new legislation while avoiding a filibuster in the Senate. Democrats used the tool to help pass Obamacare in 2010, although Mr. Obama would still maintain a veto over whatever Congress passes this time around. Washington Times

Big Change Ahead For Early Breast Cancer Treatment?
Many women with early-stage breast cancer can skip chemotherapy without hurting their odds of beating the disease - good news from a major study that shows the value of a gene-activity test to gauge each patient's risk. The test accurately identified a group of women whose cancers are so likely to respond to hormone-blocking drugs that adding chemo would do little if any good while exposing them to side effects and other health risks. In the study, women who skipped chemo based on the test had less than a 1 percent chance of cancer recurring far away, such as the liver or lungs, within the next five years. "You can't do better than that," said the study leader, Dr. Joseph Sparano of Montefiore Medical Center in New York. An independent expert, Dr. Clifford Hudis of New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, agreed. CBS

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Jeb Bush: 'I Admire John Boehner Greatly'
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, asked for his reaction to the resignation of John Boehner, had good things to say about the House Speaker: "We'll have to see how it plays out," Bush told "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace. "I admire John Boehner greatly. He's a great public servant. He left at the apex of his--of his time in service to this--to the country, with the Pope speaking in Congress. "I think people are going to miss him in the long run, because he's a -- he's a person that is focused on solving problems." Asked if Boehner's departure is good or bad for conservatives," Bush said he's not sure: CNS News

Bush Campaign Books Ad Time In Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina
Jeb Bush's presidential campaign is reserving television ad time in January and February in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina ahead of all three of the state's key early caucus and primary elections. The campaign is placing a $4.6 million buy in New Hampshire, a $2.2 million buy in South Carolina and a $1 million buy in Iowa, a source close to the campaign told CBS News. The total does not include planned digital and radio spending. News of the advertising push comes as the former Florida governor has struggled to catch on in polls, particularly in New Hampshire - a state crucial to his presidential chances. CBS

Carly Fiorina: Why She Wants Everyone To Throw Out Their Flip Phones
Carly Fiorina is putting flip phone users on notice: You’re going to have to upgrade under a President Fiorina. “How many of you have a flip phone?” Fiorina recently asked a town hall in South Carolina. A few people in the audience raised their hands, as laughter filled the room. “It’s okay, but you’re going to have to upgrade soon,” she continued. “You have 18 months to do this.” It’s all part of a vision the Republican presidential candidate has to give citizens a direct line of communication – literally – to the president. But the technology, Fiorina says, will only be compatible with smartphones. ABC

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Apple Sells 13 Million iPhones In Opening Weekend
Did you buy a new iPhone this weekend? You were not alone. Apple announced on Monday that it had sold a whopping 13 million of its iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in their first weekend on sale to the public, smashing sales records and exceeding analyst expectations. The company had already indicated that it was on pace to break last year’s sales record of 10 million phones sold in the first weekend, after logging its first pre-orders. Many analysts had expected blockbuster sales, given that Apple launched its phones in China for the first time in its first weekend. China is Apple’s second-largest and fastest growing market. Still, the 13-million figure topped the 12 million in sales that analysts expected to see, showing that consumers were excited about the largely under-the-hood improvements. Charlotte Observer

US: Clinton Email Storage Safe Not Secure For Some Messages
The State Department has told Senate investigators that it didn't provide Hillary Rodham Clinton's lawyer with a secure-enough method to read now-highly classified material from her homebrew email server because it didn't anticipate that the messages would be deemed so secret. In July, State Department officials installed a safe at the office of attorney David Kendall after the government determined some of Clinton's emails may have contained classified information. But it said last week the safe wasn't suitable for so-called top secret, sensitive compartmented information, known as TS/SCI, which the government has said was found in some messages. San Diego Union

Mighty Small Mites Around The Midwest And KC Region Leave Nasty, Itchy Bites
The Kansas State Extension office in Olathe has fielded its highest number of mite-related calls in 10 years, said Dennis Patton, horticulture agent. “Weather patterns and environmental conditions have been extremely favorable for this mite to reproduce and hit what I would call epidemic proportions,” said Patton. “It’s just the year,” added Bob Bauernfeind, Kansas State University entomologist in Manhattan. “The mites were big in in 2004 and 2005, and then there were nine years in between with not a peep about them.” The oak leaf itch mite — Pyemotes herfsi, first identified just a decade ago — hangs around gall formations established on tree leaves by insects such as midges. The midges will lay eggs in the gall formations. “This year we have had a spike in the number of these gall formations,” said Patton. Kansas City Star

Rand Paul: I'll Outlast 'Clown' Donald Trump
Republican presidential hopeful Rand Paul said Monday that contrary to what Donald Trump says, he's not going anywhere -- and in fact he might actually stay in the race longer than his opponent. Speaking on CNN's "New Day" with Alisyn Camerota, the Kentucky senator responded to comments from Trump that Paul's campaign was sputtering out. "I'll tell you this, I think we'll be around just as long as Trump, or longer," Paul said. CNN
VOA VIEW: Foolish talk by Paul.

House Benghazi Probe Longest In Congressional History
The House committee investigating the Benghazi attacks is now the longest congressional investigation in history, committee Democrats announced today. As of Monday, the House Select Committee on Benghazi, has been active for 72 weeks -- surpassing the record previously held by the Watergate Committee in the 1970's.Democrats have accused the committee of focusing on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rather than the 2012 Benghazi attacks, and argue that it has been one of the least productive in history, having held just three public hearings. ABC

Stocks Tumble As Glencore, Biotech Roil Markets; Bonds Advance
Losses swept through global equity markets, dragging down small-cap and biotech shares amid the worst quarter since 2011, as investors struggled to assess the repercussions from a rout in Glencore Plc. Government bonds and the yen jumped as demand for havens rose. A 29 percent drop in Glencore sent the Bloomberg World Mining Index of commodity producers to its lowest in almost seven years. A gauge of global equities slumped to a level unseen since 2013 as the Russell 2000 Index of smaller companies reached a low for the year and U.S. biotechnology shares fell deeper into a bear market. Treasuries headed for a monthly gain and the yen strengthened against all 16 major peers. Bloomberg

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Nurse Says She Still 'Has Nightmares' About Working At One Of America's Most Notorious Jails
We recently reported on horrifying stories coming out of the Oklahoma County jail, leading us to make contact with a nurse who told us the experience of working there gave her "nightmares." Over the past 15 years, the jail has had many alleged problems from unsanitary conditions, negligent care of inmates, and poor medical care to outright abuse of inmates. Court records show the jail -- which holds mostly people who haven't yet been convicted of a crime and are awaiting trial -- has been sued more than 40 times by former inmates or employees in the past decade and a half. Fox News

Fed's Dudley Says U.S. On Track For 2015 Interest-Rate Increase
The Federal Reserve will probably raise interest rates later this year and tighten policy gradually thereafter, New York Fed President William C. Dudley said, echoing the sentiment of Chair Janet Yellen that an uncertain global outlook won’t postpone liftoff into 2016. “The economy is doing pretty well,” Dudley said Monday at an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal in New York. “My expectation is that we probably will raise interest rates later this year.” Dudley said he expected growth in the second half will be a little bit weaker than in the first half, when the U.S. grew around 2.25 percent on an annualized basis. His remarks lined up with Yellen, who said Sept. 24 she felt it likely the Fed would increase rates this year for the first time in almost a decade. The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee decided Sept. 17 to hold rates near zero, citing worries over the slowdown in China that could damp U.S. growth and inflation. Bloomberg

Scramble To Fill Top Jobs In House After Boehner Exit
A chaotic scramble is on to fill the top GOP jobs in the House following Speaker John Boehner's surprise resignation. Now the same conservatives who pushed him out are maneuvering to yank the next leadership team to the right. The frenzied action under the Capitol Dome will help determine how Congress contends with upcoming battles on keeping the government running and avoiding a federal default — and whether Republicans can take back the White House next year. Boehner's announcement shocked nearly everyone, opening a rare chance for ambitious lawmakers to climb the congressional ladder and for competing factions to exert new sway as an anti-establishment fever sweeps GOP politics. Las Vegas Sun

FBI To Collect Better Data On Police Shootings, Use Of Force
FBI Director James Comey says the agency will collect and make public more information about police shootings of civilians. Comey on Monday said the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Reporting program, which releases information on crimes nationwide, will begin collecting data about non-fatal shootings involving local law officers.
He also called on all police agencies to submit data about fatal shootings. Once the information is collected, he said the FBI will produce a special publication on police use of force. Comey has repeatedly lamented the lack of reliable information about how often police officers use force in the line of duty. Las Vegas Sun

Investor Carl Icahn Backs Donald Trump, Warns Of 'Danger Ahead'
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has indicated that he's backing fellow billionaire Donald Trump for president, saying he believes the real estate mogul is the best of the Republican options. "I would say it's an endorsement. I think at this moment in time, he's the only candidate that speaks out about the country's problems," Icahn told Bloomberg Politics. The 79-year-old businessman said there are certain issues on which he disagrees with Trump, who released a position paper on tax reform Monday, but by and large believes the brazen GOP frontrunner best exemplifies the type of leader he wants in the White House. UPI

Contract Signings To Buy Homes In U.S. Fall For Second Time In 2015
The number of contractual agreements to purchase previously owned homes in the United States abruptly fell during the month of August for the second time this year, realty officials said Monday. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that an index of pending home sales decreased nearly 1.5 percent after a half-percent boost in July. The association noted a modest increase in the West, but said contract signings declined in all other regions. The association uses the Pending Home Sales Index -- an indicator of housing activity, measures housing contract activity, and is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos and co-ops. UPI

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PA's Erekat Slams Obama For Neglecting Palestinians In Speech To UN
PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat expressed disappointment in US President Barack Obama for failing to mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Monday. "Does President Obama believe he can defeat ISIS and terrorism, or achieve security and stability in the Middle East, by ignoring the continued Israeli occupation,  settlement expansion and the continued attacks on al-Aksa Mosque?" official Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted Erekat as asking. In his speech to the UN in 2013,  Obama outlined what were then his primary foreign policy goals: "In the near term," he said, "America’s diplomatic efforts will focus on two particular issues: Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the Arab-Israeli conflict." Jerusalem Post

US Support For Israel Stokes Terrorism Worldwide, Rouhani Says
Problems plaguing the Middle East, from Cairo to Kabul and Aden to Aleppo, are ultimately the product of American policy and its support for an "inhumane" Israel, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the United Nations on Monday. Praising the nuclear deal reached in July with world powers as a "new and constructive way to recreate the international order," Rouhani said Iran is determined not to forget the past. But the Iranian people will not live in the past, either, he told the 70th gathering of the General Assembly, touting that his country is now open for business. "Economic interactions may bring about lasting security, and transform the region into a haven for peace and development," Rouhani said. "After the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], Iran will stand ready to show that the practical path to security and stability is through the development that comes with economic engagement." Jerusalem Post

Syria Conflict: UN Assembly Highlights Divisions
Divisions among world leaders on ending the war in Syria have been laid bare at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The US and France insisted Syria's President Bashar al-Assad must go, but Russia said it would be an "enormous mistake" not to work with him to tackle Islamic State (IS) militants. But the US and Russia also hinted they could still cooperate on the crisis. Barack Obama said he would work with any nation, and Vladimir Putin called for a "broad coalition". The two leaders are meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA, their first face-to-face meeting in almost a year, with the Ukraine war also on the agenda. BBC

Jerusalem Holy Site Witnesses Fresh Clashes
There have been fresh clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem. Police fired tear gas at youths who were throwing stones and petrol bombs. The site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount, is often the scene of clashes, but tensions have risen in recent weeks.
Many Palestinians suspect Israel wants to make changes to the status quo that has governed rights of access since 1967 - something Israel has denied. The US has said it is deeply concerned about the violence and called on all parties to "exercise restraint and refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric". BBC

Carly Fiorina Endorses Waterboarding 'To Get Information That Was Necessary'
Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has endorsed waterboarding, the controversial interrogation method that has been called torture, as an important tactic that was used only “when there was no other way to get information that was necessary”. In an interview with Yahoo News, Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO who surged in recent polls of Republican primary voters, said: “I believe that all of the evidence is very clear – that waterboarding was used in a very small handful of cases [and] was supervised by medical personnel in every one of those cases.” The 2014 Senate report that called waterboarding – in which water is poured over a cloth on a prisoner’s face in order to simulate the feeling of drowning – tantamount to torture and said it produced little useful intelligence. Fiorina called the report “disingenuous” and “a shame” that “undermined the morale of a whole lot of people who dedicated their lives to keeping the country safe”. Guardian
VOA VIEW: Fiorina will score points with her waterboarding endorsement.

Female US Navy Seals Can Be Trained If Military Changes Policy, Says Academy
The superintendent of the US Naval Academy is confident the school could produce female navy Seals, if the military changes its policy to allow them to serve in that special operations role. Male graduates who go into that service assignment are the most successful of any group of men that go into special operations across the country and that shows the academy has a formula that works, Vice Admiral Walter “Ted” Carter said Monday. If the military opens up special operations to women, Carter said he has “no doubt that our women will do very well in that program, just as they have in all other communities”. Guardian

Warning Of Dangers To Health, Environment, UN Experts Urge Phase-Out Of Hazardous Pesticides
Two independent United Nations human rights experts today called for an immediate worldwide phase-out on use of highly hazardous pesticides that are inflicting significant damage on human health and the environment. “Workers, children and others at risk continue to suffer severe impacts from hazardous pesticides,” the Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substance and waste, Baskut Tuncak, said in a news release. “Those living in danger cannot wait several years for the next opportunity. UN News

Global Goals Provide Opportunity To ‘Quicken Pace Of Action’ To End AIDS Epidemic By 2030
Speaking at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the leaders of Kenya and Malawi co-hosted today with the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) a high-level panel discussion on scaling up efforts to end the epidemic by 2030. “We should be able to enter this new era, the era of the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals, with hope,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, calling the adoption just two days ago of the the 2030 Agenda a window of opportunity to “quicken the pace of action.” UN News

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