NEWS   SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015   NEWS

Hillary Clinton Is Consistently Late. And Voters Are Noticing.
At 3:30 p.m. Friday, one hour after Hillary Clinton was scheduled to take the stage at the gym at Broward College here, Vikesh Patel and three of his classmates left without catching a glimpse of the Democratic front-runner in this key Florida county. She was running late from a fundraiser. "We've been here since one o'clock," said Patel, who doesn't know much about Clinton but whose parents have followed her and her husband for decades. He and his classmates were also going to work the rally into a paper for a speech class they're taking. "I guess we'll have to go see someone else give a speech," Patel said. In the back of the gym, another student, Nichole Zapata, was rethinking her decision to bring her grandmother to see Clinton speak. CNN
VOA VIEW: Hillary is all about herself.

U.S. Auto Union, Ford Avert Strike At Pickup Factory
The United Auto Workers union and Ford Motor Co. (F.N) said they have averted a strike at a factory in Kansas City, Mo. that builds the company's best-selling F-150 pickup trucks. Ford said in a statement Saturday that they "resolved the open items" at the Kansas City Assembly Plant and have agreed to a tentative local agreement, without elaborating. UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles, the union's top negotiator at Ford, in a Facebook post late on Friday said a strike had been averted but gave no details on the agreement. Settles said last week the Union local in Kansas City, representing about 7,000 workers, had been unable to resolve differences over seniority, staffing and safety issues. Workers had threatened a walkout for Sunday absent an agreement. Reuters

Hillary Clinton Mocks Ben Carson, Ted Cruz On Gay Rights
Hillary Clinton on Saturday mocked Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson and Ted Cruz over their positions on gay rights during remarks to the Human Rights Campaign, where she also called for new laws to support and protect the rights of transgendered people. "Ben Carson says that marriage equality is what caused the fall of the Roman empire," the Democratic presidential candidate said to laughter during a breakfast at the LGBT rights organization's annual gathering in Washington, D.C.
Clinton then mentioned Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, which drew hisses and boos from the crowd gathered inside the grand ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, and went on to challenge him to join her at a gay pride parade. ABC
VOA VIEW: Hillary laughs when she has no clear answer - truth or lie.

Kocherlakota Says Low Inflation Warrants Further Fed Stimulus
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Narayana Kocherlakota said the U.S. central bank would have been “totally justified” if it had increased policy stimulus to combat low inflation when it met last month, adding that negative interest rates could be a useful policy tool. Speaking in an interview Sept. 29 with Arthur Levitt on Bloomberg Radio, the Fed’s most outspoken policy dove declined to say if he had recommended negative interest rates in projections submitted for the Sept. 16-17 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee. He did say, however, that more aggressive Fed policy was warranted than the current setting of near-zero rates. Bloomberg

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GOP Pounces On Obama's Water, Air Regulations
Republicans are fighting back against the White House's latest spate of environmental regulations -- particularly new water and clean air rules that conservatives say are "based on ideology, rather than practicality." "In the final 15 months of the Obama administration, Washington bureaucrats are working overtime to finalize new rules on everything from prairie puddles to power plants," Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said in a video released Saturday. "In this administration's race to control more of what Americans do every day, it has lost all perspective." Barrasso aimed a specific strike against an expansion of the federal definition of the "waters of the United States" in the Clean Water Act, a favorite legislative target of Republicans. CBS

Dudley Says Work Needed On Tools To Avert Financial Crises
Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William Dudley said U.S. policy makers are “a long way” from being able to identify developing risks to financial stability and act in time to prevent future crises. “My own view is that while the use of macroprudential tools holds promise, we are a long way from being able to successfully use such tools in the United States,” Dudley said, according to the text of remarks he delivered Saturday at a conference hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Dudley, who also serves as vice chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed’s monetary policy panel, didn’t comment on current interest-rate policy or the economic outlook. Bloomberg

Fiorina Makes Distortion Of Planned Parenthood A Centerpiece
Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina has spent the last two weeks repeating an erroneous description of videos secretly recorded by anti-abortion activists. That seems bound to continue as she makes her opposition to Planned Parenthood a centerpiece of her 2016 campaign. Campaigning in South Carolina on Friday, Fiorina said she "absolutely" stands by her criticism of Planned Parenthood. She accused the women's health organization — it's also the nation's largest abortion provider — of pushing "propaganda" against her while being "aided and abetted by the media." Fiorina has brushed off the facts surrounding her claim as a "technicality." Planned Parenthood, meanwhile, survived this week the latest attempt of conservatives in Congress to cut off its federal funding and accused her of lying. Las Vegas Sun
 

Doctors Without Borders Says U.S. Airstrike Hit Hospital In Afghanistan
An airstrike apparently carried out by U.S. forces heavily damaged a charitable hospital in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least 19 people — three of them reportedly children — in an incident that a senior U.N. official equated to a war crime. The airstrike occurred before dawn when a Doctors Without Borders trauma center in war-torn Kunduz was struck while doctors were treating dozens of patients. Hospital officials said they were assaulted from the air for 30 to 45 minutes, resulting in a large fire that burned some patients to death in their beds. Among those killed were 12 of the charity group’s staff members, the group said. “This attack is abhorrent and a grave violation of international humanitarian law,” said Meinie Nicolai, the group’s president. Washington Post

Natural Cigarette Maker Subject Of Class-Action Lawsuit
The company behind a line of cigarettes touted as natural is being targeted in a class-action lawsuit. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/1PVFGIk) a Florida law firm filed the lawsuit this week against the maker of American Spirit cigarettes, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., and its parent company, Reynolds American Inc. The plaintiffs say the cigarette maker's marketing deliberately tries to mislead smokers into believing their products are healthier than other tobacco products. According to documents, the lawsuit cites a Food and Drug Administration warning that the use of words such as "natural" or "additive free" in their advertising violates federal law. Santa Fe Natural Tobacoo Co. spokesman Seth Moskowitz said Friday that he could not comment on the lawsuit because of company policy. Houston Chronicle

Gusty Wind May Add To Weather Risks On Soggy East Coast
Flooding from days of record-setting rain along the heavily populated East Coast washed out bridges and homes and forecasters warned wind gusts topping 35 mph could down trees and power lines across the Carolinas and Virginia in coming hours. At least five weather-related deaths have been reported since rains began spreading over the Eastern Seaboard, which has appeared to dodge the full fury of Hurricane Joaquin churning hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in South Carolina and ordered federal aid to bolster state and local efforts as flood warnings remained in effect for many parts of the East Coast through Sunday. Atlanta Journal

Billions From U.S. Fail To Sustain Foreign Forces
With alarming frequency in recent years, thousands of American-trained security forces in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia have collapsed, stalled or defected, calling into question the effectiveness of the tens of billions of dollars spent by the United States on foreign military training programs, as well as a central tenet of the Obama administration’s approach to combating insurgencies.The setbacks have been most pronounced in three countries that present the administration with some of its biggest challenges. The Pentagon-trained army and police in Iraq’s Anbar Province, the heartland of the Islamic State militant group, have barely engaged its forces, while several thousand American-backed government forces and militiamen in Afghanistan’s Kunduz Province were forced to retreat last week when attacked by several hundred Taliban fighters. NY Times
VOA VIEW: Obama is a poor leader.

Valeant’s Drug Price Strategy Enriches It, But Infuriates Patients And Lawmakers
J. Michael Pearson has become a billionaire from his tough tactics as the head of the fast-growing Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. And consumers like Bruce Mannes, a 68-year-old retired carpenter from Grandville, Mich., are facing the consequences. Mr. Mannes has been taking the same drug, Cuprimine, for 55 years to treat Wilson disease, an inherited disorder that can cause severe liver and nerve damage. This summer, Valeant more than quadrupled its price overnight. Medicare will now have to cover about $35,000 for the 120 capsules he takes each month, and Mr. Mannes will have to pay about $1,800 a month out of pocket, compared with about $366 he paid in May. NY Times

China Sending Official For North Korean Commemorations
China is sending a leading member of the Communist Party's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee to Pyongyang this month for commemorations of the founding of North Korea's ruling party. The announcement comes amid a long dry spell in exchanges between the sides, whose traditional close relations have been strained by North Korean missile launches and nuclear tests. A party announcement Sunday said that Liu Yunshan, ranked fifth in the party hierarchy, would travel to the North on Friday. The announcement said that along with attending events marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Worker's Party of Korea, Liu would pay a "friendly visit" to the North. Charlotte Observer

Pope Asserts Marriage Is Forever At Start Of Family Meeting
Pope Francis opened a divisive meeting of the world's bishops on family issues Sunday by forcefully asserting that marriage is an indissoluble bond between man and woman. But he said the church doesn't judge and must "seek out and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy." Francis dove head-on into the most pressing issue confronting the meeting of 270 bishops during a solemn Mass in St. Peter's Basilica: How to better minister to Catholic families experiencing separation, divorce and other problems when the church's teaching holds that marriage is forever. He insisted that the church cannot be "swayed by passing fads or popular opinion." But in an acknowledgment that marriages fail, he said the church is also a mother, who doesn't point fingers or judge her children. "The church must search out these persons, welcome and accompany them, for a church with closed doors betrays herself and her mission and instead of being a bridge, becomes a roadblock," he said. Charlotte Observer

Seeking A Candidate To Love, Voters Find Clinton One To Like
Inside the arena, the roar was deafening when Hillary Rodham Clinton took the stage at the annual convention of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Thousands of people jumped to their feet to welcome their party's White House front-runner with cheers and noisemakers emblazoned with her campaign logo. Outside the hall, a far less joyous conversation was taking place. "She kind of turns me off," said Marsha Campaniello, a 63-year-old real estate appraiser from Concord, as she walked out of the arena. "But I'd rather have a Democrat in there as opposed to a Republican." At ice cream shops and book stores, at summer fairs and fall festivals, Clinton is running into voters such as Campaniello and their questions about her character and her commitment to the liberal values they hold dear. San Diego Union

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Alabama Judges Use Segregation-Era Law To Avoid Gay Marriage
As Alabama's all-white Legislature tried to preserve racial segregation and worried about the possibility of mixed-race marriages in 1961, lawmakers rewrote state law to make it optional for counties to issue marriage licenses. Now, some judges who oppose same-sex marriage are using the long-forgotten amendment to get out of the marriage business altogether rather than risk issuing even one wedding license to gays or lesbians. In at least nine of Alabama's 67 counties, judges have quit issuing any marriage licenses since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex unions in June. While the precise reason that lawmakers gave for making the 1961 change has been lost to time, the 54-year-old provision says probate courts "may" issue rather than "shall" issue wedding licenses. Kansas City Star

A Glare, A Handshake, A Pope: Busy UN Summit Makes History
Russian airstrikes launched in Syria during the U.N.'s 70th anniversary gathering of more than 150 world leaders stole the spotlight and highlighted deep divisions on how to end that conflict and manage the many thousands of people fleeing to Europe in search of safety. There were also some bright spots during the U.N. General Assembly's nine-day gathering that ended Saturday. The 193 member states adopted a sweeping new agenda for the next 15 years to eradicate extreme poverty and preserve the planet. President Barack Obama met Cuban President Raul Castro, another sign of warming relations after decades of hostilities, and Obama shook hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a first following the recent nuclear deal. SF Gate

1965 Immigration Act, Presented As Symbolic, Changed Nation
It was considered a symbolic move — President Lyndon Johnson going to the Statue of Liberty and signing an immigration bill that gave people from every country in the world an equal chance to come to America. The president himself described the legislation as less than revolutionary. "It does not affect the lives of millions. It will not reshape the structure of our daily lives, or really add importantly to either our wealth or our power," he said during the ceremony on Oct. 3, 1965. But, he noted, the new law also would "strengthen us in a hundred unseen ways." Fifty years later, there's been dramatic change as a result of the Hart-Celler Act that Johnson signed. A country that was almost entirely native-born in 1965 has a significant foreign-born population; demographic diversity has spread to every region, expanding a black-and-white racial paradigm into a multicolored one. SF Gate

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Joe Biden Could Decide Presidential Run In The Next Week
Vice President Joe Biden is nearing a decision on whether to run for president, and it could come as early as within the next seven to 10 days, according to three people familiar with his deliberations. Two of those people said he is leaning toward entering the race. Still, they caution that family considerations remain the overriding concern and would be the reason he doesn't run. His wife, Dr. Jill Biden, has said that should the vice president launch a bid for the Oval Office, "of course" she would "be on board." Even if Biden decides to seek the Democratic nomination before the party's first debate on Oct. 13, he likely would not participate, sources told CBS News. CBS

After 25 Years, Unified Germany Faces New Challenges
Germany marked a quarter-century as a reunited nation on Saturday, with two leaders from the formerly communist east heading a country that increasingly asserts itself as Europe's political heavyweight - and now faces a new challenge in a refugee influx that will demand deep reserves of resourcefulness and patience. West and East Germany united on Oct. 3, 1990, capping a process that started less than 11 months earlier when the east's communist leadership opened the Berlin Wall under pressure from massive demonstrations. Evening out the differences between east and west has been a far slower process, and some inequalities persist even now. On the whole, however, "things worked out well - so many people pitched in, showed verve, began to learn new jobs," Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in the east and entered politics as communism fell, said in a video message ahead of the anniversary. Philadelphia Inquirer

Outgoing N.J. Transportation Commissioner Fox A Casualty Of Bridgegate, Funding Frustrations
When Jamie Fox joined the Christie administration last fall as transportation commissioner, he sought to accomplish something that had eluded policymakers in Trenton for years: securing a long-term plan to fund New Jersey's road, bridge, and rail projects. But a tenure that began with high expectations ended abruptly Friday amid scrutiny related to a federal probe into the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's relationship with United Airlines, for which Fox used to lobby. And so in an ironic political twist, Fox, a beloved Democratic operative, appears to be the latest casualty of a Democrat-led investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal, which spawned several other probes into the Port Authority, including the one involving United. Philadelphia Inquirer

Hillary Has Long History Of Beating Up Bill Behind Closed Doors
She’s on a mission to be a softer, warmer, funnier candidate — but according to a new book, the real Hillary Clinton is so volatile and prone to violent outbursts that she terrorizes staff, Secret Service agents and even her own husband. In “The Clintons’ War On Women” (Skyhorse), out Oct. 13, political strategist Roger Stone details Hillary’s abusive behavior — dating back to the Clintons’ days in Arkansas, where Bill served as governor. “Hillary Clinton has a long history of being domestically violent with Bill,” Stone writes. “Hillary has beaten Bill, hit him with hard objects, scratched and clawed him, and made him bleed.” Stone, a controversial figure who recently decamped from Donald Trump’s campaign, also delves into the more fantastical rumors that have dogged the Clintons for years. NY Post
VOA VIEW: Hillary is an abusive bitch.

Donald Trump Says He’ll Shoot Anyone Who Tries To Harm Him
Donald Trump vowed to uphold Americans’ gun rights and threatened to shoot anyone who tries to harm him at a campaign rally Saturday in Tennessee. “I have a license to carry in New York, can you believe that? Somebody attacks me, they’re gonna be shot,” Trump said, invoking vigilante action hero Charles Bronson as the crowd applauded loudly. Trump also blasted calls for more gun control in the wake of an Oregon community college shooting Thursday that left nine people dead.
“If you had a couple of teachers with guns in that room you would have been a hell of a lot better off,” he said. The mogul promised to keep American military forces out of the Middle East in his hour-long stump speech. And he compared his popularity to the Pope’s. NY Post

Biden Backs Transgender Military Service As US Weighs Policy
Vice President Joe Biden is throwing his unequivocal support behind letting transgender people serve openly in the U.S. military, as the Obama administration considers whether and when to lift the longstanding ban. Biden's declaration at the Human Rights Campaign's annual dinner Saturday goes further than anything the Obama administration has said before, evoking memories of when Biden outpaced President Barack Obama in endorsing gay marriage. Although the White House says Obama supports a Pentagon review aimed at ending the transgender ban, neither Obama nor the military has said definitively that the policy will be changed. "No longer is there any question transgender people are able to serve in the United States military," Biden told a crowd of 3,000 gay rights activists at the group's star-studded gala. Tampa Tribune

Clinton Promotes Gay Rights As A Main Pillar Of 2016 Bid
Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday delivered the strongest speech in support of gay rights in the 2016 presidential race on Saturday, promising that ending discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people would be a central pillar of her administration. "I see the injustices and the dangers that you and your families still face," she told hundreds of gay activists at the annual meeting of the Human Rights Campaign. "I'm running for president to stand up for the fundamental rights of LGBT Americans."She added: "That's a promise from one HRC to another." The statement marked a remarkable evolution for Clinton, who opposed same-sex marriage for more than two decades in public life as first lady, senator and presidential candidate. As recently as this year, Clinton said that while she personally supported gay marriage, the issue was best left for states to decide —a position held by most of the Republican presidential field. Tampa Tribune

Number Of Chicago Heroin Overdoses Hits 74 In 3 Days
Authorities in Chicago say a recent rise in heroin overdoses is continuing to climb. Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford says there were 74 non-fatal overdoses between Tuesday night and Friday night. The Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/1LpUIIH ) reports that some patients turned up at Mount Sinai Hospital with needles still stuck in their arms. City health and fire officials suspect heroin laced with the powerful painkiller fentanyl is to blame for the sudden jump, as it was in 2006. The Drug Enforcement Administration is helping try to determine the source of the drugs. No deaths have been reported from the overdoses, but Mount Sinai emergency room director Diane Hincks says patients have required double and triple doses of the heroin antidote Narcan. Paramedics have been given extra Narcan to carry with them. Las Vegas Sun

Russia Vows To Intensify Airstrikes, Claims 'Panic And Desertion' Among IS
On Saturday, Russia vowed to intensify airstrikes in Syria, as Russian forces continue around-the-clock bombing missions for the fourth day. In a speech on Russia's operations in Syria, Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov claimed Russian bombers have successfully targeted important Islamic State infrastructure, including command centers, as well as explosives and ammunition depots. "Intelligence says that militants are leaving controlled areas," Kartapolov said. "Panic and desertion started among them. About 600 mercenaries have left their positions and are trying to flee to Europe." UPI

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Gay Priest To Be Stripped Of Duties Of Vatican
A Polish priest and Vatican official will no longer be able to carry out his duties after announcing he is gay on the eve of the assembly of bishops, a Vatican spokesman said. With his partner at his side, Monsignor Krysztof Olaf Charamsa held a press conference Saturday to call on Pope Francis to change the Catholic catechism on homosexuality. He said the timing of the announcement was intended to draw attention to the topic of homosexuality before the Synod of Bishops, which meets to address issues facing families starting Sunday in Rome. "My decision of 'coming out' is a very personal decision in the homophobic world of the Catholic church. It has been very difficult and very hard. I ask that you keep in mind this reality that is difficult to understand for anyone who has not lived through an identical passage in their own life," Charamsa told reporters in Rome. CNN

Clinton Gets Endorsement Of Largest U.S. Labor Union
U.S. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, who has been vying with challenger Bernie Sanders for the support of organized labor, scored a win on Saturday with an endorsement from the National Education Association, a huge teachers union. The move makes the NEA, the largest U.S. labor union with 3 million members, the latest in a string of unions to support Clinton, including the American Federation of Teachers and the machinists' union. Clinton's lead in opinion polls has been narrowing against Sanders, a Vermont senator who has rallied progressives with his pledges to tackle income inequality and rein in Wall Street. Reuters

Hillary Clinton At HRC Event Pledges To Make LGBT Rights A Top Priority
Hillary Clinton called on Congress to pass the Federal Equality Act and vowed to make LGBT rights a top priority as president in a speech Saturday to a prominent gay rights organization. "I see the injustices and the dangers that you and your families still face and I'm running for president to end them once and for all," Clinton said at a Human Rights Campaign breakfast in Washington D.C. The Democratic front-runner has had an evolving view on same-sex marriage and alluded to past stances in her remarks. MSNBC

Meet Val The Bartender: Hillary Clinton Does An 'SNL' Skit
Set 'em up, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and lend an ear to the troubles of a presidential candidate. The front-runner for the Democratic nomination appeared on the season opener of "Saturday Night Live" as a wise bartender named Val who pours a drink or two for, ahem, Hillary Clinton (played by "SNL" regular Kate McKinnon).
Most political candidates play themselves on "SNL," often for just a cameo in a sketch or to declare the show's famous tag line, "Live from New York — it's Saturday night!" Seldom do they go all-out thespian and play a character in a sketch. "So, Hillary," Clinton asks McKinnon, "what brings you here tonight?" "Well, I needed to blow off some steam," McKinnon says. "I've had a hard couple of 22 years." Tampa Tribune

Liquefied Natural Gas To Take Place Of Oil, Coal?
Now may not be the best time to unveil plans to export liquefied natural gas from the U.S. But don't tell Charles "Buddy" Roemer. The former governor of Louisiana will formally announce Monday one of the largest LNG-export proposals in the U.S., at a time when faltering demand for gas in Asia, as well as low prices, threaten the viability of ventures much further along the way than his. "There may be 40 ahead of us in the world already producing, but there are 30 behind us, and something is happening," said Roemer, chairman of a Baton Rouge-based G2 LNG. "This will be a powerful industry." The company is assembling a project worth nearly $11 billion, which would make it one of the biggest energy undertakings ever in Louisiana. Over 30 years, G2 LNG would export 672 billion cubic feet of LNG annually to China, Europe, the Caribbean and India. USA Today

Nissan Recalls 218,019 Versas To Fix Suspension
Nissan is recalling 218,019 Versa subcompacts in the U.S. because road salt can corrode the metal springs in front, causing them to break. If they coil springs fail, they can collapse and puncture the front tires. That scenario could cause the drivers of 2007 to 2012 Versas to lose control, resulting in a crash, Nissan tells the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a filing. Because the recall is cold weather related, it applies only to cars bought or driven in certain states, mostly in the upper Midwest and Northeast. Nissan plans to fix the problem by replacing both of the front springs. USA Today

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Team Fiorina Responds To Report Trying To Tie Few Donations From HP Employees To Candidate’s Time As CEO
Carly Fiorina’s campaign is pushing back against a published report suggesting the candidate’s tenure running Hewlett-Packard was so bad that no former employee wants to donate to her 2016 White House bid. Fiorina raised $1.7 million from the May 5 start of her campaign until June 30, the end of the first filing period. However, just two people who contributed during that time identified themselves as Hewlett-Packard executives, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. The donations were made by former board member Ann Livermore and husband Thomas Livermore, who each gave $2,700. Fox News

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey Says 'Fellow Christians' Should Arm Themselves
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey responded to the mass shooting at an Oregon community college in a Facebook post Friday saying that “fellow Christians” should consider getting a handgun carry permit to protect themselves. In his Facebook posting, Ramsey, who is also speaker of the Tennessee senate, said the recent spate of mass shootings around the nation is “truly troubling.” The Blountville Republican said, "whether the perpetrators are motivated by aggressive secularism, jihadist extremism or racial supremacy, their targets remain the same: Christians and defenders of the West." Fox News

Flash Floods, 'Once In 200 Years Rainfall Event' Loom In South Carolina
About 22 million Americans along the East Coast were under flood watches Saturday as a "once in 200 years rainfall event" began hammering the Carolinas with heavy rains — and the worst was yet to come. South Carolina could get more rain in three days than it normally does during the entire fall, The Associated Press reported. Saturday was the third consecutive day of a relentless onslaught of rain, with a plume of precipitation expected to last through the weekend and only begin to let up on Monday. Waterlogged Charleston, South Carolina, received 6 inches of rain over a period of 12 to 18 hours, NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins said on MSNBC, adding that people there were paddleboarding through the city. Flash flood warnings were issued for downtown Charleston. I"A lot more damage is still yet to be done," he warned. "The rivers are going to be a problem in this area for days to come." MSNBC

Ben Carson Calls On IRS To Revoke Muslim Group’s Tax-Free Status
GOP 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson is going after a U.S. Islamic advocacy group, arguing the organization should have it’s tax-free status revoked after the group’s director called on him to withdraw from the White House race following his controversial remarks about Muslims. The retired neurosurgeon and second runner-up in the GOP field for the White House started a petition on Thursday asking supporters to encourage the Internal Revenue Service to take away the Council on Islamic-American Relations’ tax exempt status. Washington Times

Bernie Sanders Tackles Syria Turmoil, Rips Hillary Clinton’s No-Fly Zone Plan
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernard Sanders on Saturday slammed Hillary Rodham Clinton’s proposal for establishing a no-fly zone over Syria, saying it would “make a very complex situation in Syria even worse.” “I support President Obama’s effort to combat the Islamic State in Syria while at the same time supporting those in Syria trying to overthrow the brutal dictatorship of Bashar Assad,” Mr. Sanders said in a statement. “I oppose, at this point, a unilateral American no-fly zone in Syria which could get us more deeply involved in that horrible civil war and lead to a never-ending U.S. entanglement in that region.” Washington Times

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20 Years After Acquittal, O.J. Simpson Case Still Fascinates
Twenty years after the "trial of the century" ended in an acquittal of O.J. Simpson in the murder of his ex-wife and her friend, the case lives on in made-for-TV movies and in key details that have become ingrained in American lexicon. White Broncos. Gloves that don't fit. Clueless house guests. A verdict that divided the nation.
Meanwhile, Simpson finds himself in prison anyway -- convicted in 2008 of armed robbery and kidnapping for a crime involving memorabilia from his star athlete past. For 133 days, the nation, perhaps the world, was gripped by the trial, now considered a watershed for America's legal system and the nation's social and racial history. Oct. 3 marks the 20th anniversary of Simpson's acquittal. UPI

Pressure Grows On Netanyahu To Act With 'Iron Fist' In Light Of Palestinian Terror Onslaught
Israel's political establishment reacted to Saturday night's stabbing attack by a Palestinian in Jerusalem's Old City, with calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to react decisively. The attack on Saturday resulted in the death of two Jews and the wounding of three others. It came just two days after two Israelis were shot and killed while driving through the northern West Bank, near the settlement of Itamar. On Friday, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, a member of the security cabinet, said the government is not doing enough to fight terrorism. "It's true that this is a nationalist, right-wing, homogeneous government, but there are some problems. For example, the commanders in the field don't have enough backing...The soldiers have to know that they're there to fight and protect the citizens," she told Channel 2 News. Jerusalem Post

Israel 'Playing With Fire' On Temple Mount, Erdogan Warns
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Saturday that Israel was "playing with fire" by engaging in behavior on the Temple Mount that amounted to "subversiveness and treachery." In an interview with the pan-Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera, Erdogan said that "the struggle over the mosque doesn't belong just to Muslims but also to Christians." "So Israel must understand that what it is doing is a crime as it relates to human rights, which is compounded by the hundreds of crimes it has committed against the Palestinian people," the Turkish leader said. Israeli security forces and Palestinian rioters have clashed on Temple Mount in recent weeks. Jerusalem Post

Asthma Steroids 'Could Stunt Growth'
Young children given asthma medication before the age of two may not grow to their full height in later life, a preliminary report suggests. The study of 12,000 Finnish infants found that, on average, those who used inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) long-term showed signs of stunted growth. Previous research has suggested a link with growth suppression. Experts said the study was a reminder that steroids should be used with caution in pre-school children. However, Asthma UK said inhaled corticosteroids played a crucial in controlling asthma symptoms and reducing trips to hospital for young infants. BBC

Afghan Hospital Attack In Kunduz Possibly Criminal
Air strikes on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz that killed 19 people were "tragic, inexcusable and possibly even criminal", the UN human rights chief says. High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein urged a full and transparent investigation into the attack. Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said at least 12 of its staff and seven patients were killed. US forces were carrying out air strikes at the time. At least 37 people were seriously injured, 19 of them MSF staff. "All indications currently point to the bombing being carried out by international Coalition forces," MSF said. The Nato alliance has admitted its forces may have hit the hospital. BBC

Presidential Hopeful Rand Paul Wants Next Kentucky Governor To Stand Up To Presidents
The Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul said on Saturday his home state of Kentucky needed a governor who would stand up to the federal government he wants to lead. The libertarian-leaning US senator said that too much power had been consolidated in the presidency, and that the states should play a role in curbing that power. Paul made a pitch for the state’s GOP gubernatorial nominee, Matt Bevin, at a campaign event in Frankfort. Bevin is running against the Democrat Jack Conway.
The joint appearance came days after Bevin snubbed Paul by saying during a debate he would vote for the retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson for president. Bevin quickly backed away from the remark, and on Saturday he said Paul would make an “extraordinary” president. Guardian

Stop Being So Anti-EU, Transport Secretary Tells Fellow Ministers
Tory divisions over Europe will explode into the open as a senior cabinet minister demands that the government and media do more to make the positive case for EU membership rather than “always looking on the negative side”. In an interview with the Observer on the eve of the Conservative conference, which opens in Manchester on Sunday, the transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, says the economic and business argument for Europe must be “much, much more clearly made” ahead of the in/out referendum on UK membership. McLoughlin, a former chief whip, makes it clear that while he is often frustrated at the way the EU operates, he is in favour of staying in, partly because Europe would still make rules that would affect this country and much of its foreign trade if it were to leave. Guardian

Russia Risks Western Anger By Accelerating Syria Strikes
Russia says it will increase bombing raids in Syria despite widespread concerns it risks creating a quagmire and accusations it has lied about targeting violent jihadists of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil). On Saturday, Moscow reported that its Sukoi war planes had flown 20 missions and insisted nine Isil targets had been hit in its latest strikes. They followed criticism from Barack Obama and David Cameron that they were driving rebels into more militant groups and shoring up the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad. Andrei Kartapolov, of the Russian Army's General Staff, shrugged off the concerns. Telegraph

More Trouble For Hillary As 'Firefighters Go Cold On Her'
The International Association of Fire Fighters, a politically powerful labour union, has abandoned its initial plans to endorse Democrat Hillary Clinton for US president, the New York Times reported on Friday. Citing union sources, the newspaper said the Clinton campaign was told on Monday by Harold Schaitberger, IAFF president, that there was not enough support on the union's board or its rank-and-file members for an endorsement of the Democratic front-runner. Support from labour unions is an important source of strength for Democratic candidates and their endorsements are eagerly sought by campaigns. Telegraph

UN General Assembly President Hails Annual Debate As ‘Hstoric And Seminal’
The United Nations General Assembly wound up its 70th annual General Debate today, attended by the highest number of Heads of State and Government ever, with Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft calling it a “historic” event crowned by the “truly seminal commitment” to achieving ambitious new development goals by 2030.
In a closing speech he summarized the multifaceted issues raised by speaker after speaker who took the podium in the Assembly hall, both at the six-day General Debate and the three-day summit on the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that preceded it. UN News

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