Michelle
Carter Guilty Of Involuntary Manslaughter
A young Massachusetts woman accused of encouraging her boyfriend to
commit suicide through text messages was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
on Friday.
Bristol Juvenile Court Judge Lawrence Moniz announced the decision
and set the sentencing hearing for Aug. 3. Michelle Carter, 20, faces a
sentence of probation and up to 20 years in prison. The judge took into
consideration the actions of Carter before, during and after her boyfriend,
Conrad Roy III, decided to commit suicide in July 2014. Carter, was 17
when she persuaded Roy, 18, to kill himself with a series of texts and
phone calls, prosecutors alleged. Roy died when his pickup truck filled
with carbon monoxide in a store parking lot in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
Fox
News
VOA VIEW: The verdict is questionable
- but Carter is guilty of something.
39
Million Households Are Paying More For Housing Than They Can Afford
Nearly 39 million households can't afford their housing, according
to the annual State of the Nation's Housing Report from Harvard's Joint
Center for Housing Studies.
Experts generally advise budgeting about 30% of monthly income for
rent or mortgage costs. One-third of households in 2015 were "cost burdened,"
meaning they spend 30% or more of their incomes to cover housing costs.
Of that group, nearly 19 million are paying more than 50% of their income
to cover their housing needs. When so much of your paycheck is going toward
keeping a roof over your head, it forces sacrifices in other budget areas,
including food, health care and transportation.
"It depends on household type: Families with kids ... they cut back
pretty severely on food," said Jennifer Molinsky, a senior research associate
at the center. "Older adults cut back a lot on health care."
CNN
VOA VIEW: It only shows that people are
living above their means.
Trump
Says He Is Being Investigated Over Comey Firing
President Donald Trump complained in a furious Friday morning tweet
that he was being investigated for firing former FBI Director James Comey
and seemed to accuse the deputy attorney general of overseeing a "witch
hunt" against him. The President's tweet sparked immediate speculation
about the future of the official, Rod Rosenstein, who wrote a memo recommending
Comey be ousted and also later approved the appointment of a special counsel
-- Robert Mueller -- to lead the Russia probe. A person familiar with Trump's
tweet said the President was referencing news reports that he is under
investigation and was not indicating that he's been personally informed
by the special counsel that he is a target of the probe.
CNN
VOA VIEW: Not a smart tweet.
Pentagon
Says No Decision Yet On Number Of Troops To Fight Taliban
The Pentagon has not made a final decision about how many troops will
be sent to Afghanistan to try and break the stalemate in that country's
16-year-long war, two senior defense officials told Fox News Thursday.
The officials said that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress on multiple
occasions this week that a new strategy would not be delivered until mid-July.
Their statements contradict an Associated Press report that claimed almost
4,000 additional U.S. troops would go to Afghanistan and an announcement
could come as soon as next week. Fox News
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Trump
Cancelling Obama Administrations One-Sided Deal With Cuba
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is rescinding former
President Barack Obamas executive order opening up trade and travel to
Cuba, calling it terrible, one-sided, and misguided. Its hard to
think of a policy that makes less sense than the prior administrations
terrible and misguided deal with the Castro regime, Trump said. Well
you have to say the Iran regime was pretty bad also in all fairness. Lets
not forget that beauty. CNS
VOA VIEW: Good!
Rosenstein:
Beware Of News Reports Based On Anonymous Sources
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein says Americans should "exercise
caution" when reading news reports based on anonymous sources. Rosenstein's
statement was issued around two hours after The Washington Post published
a story in Friday's edition saying that Special Counsel Robert Mueller
is investigating Jared Kushner's business dealings as part of the wider
Russia probe. "FBI agents and federal prosecutors have also been examining
the finances of other Trump associates, said U.S. officials familiar with
the matter," the Post reported. The report said "officials who described
the financial focus of the investigation spoke on the condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to speak publicly." In Thursday's edition,
The Washington Post reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating
President Trump for possible obstruction of justice. The report, based
on five anonymous sources, described the latest (alleged) development in
the investigation as a major turning point. CNS
VOA VIEW: Rosenstein should keep
his cool - don't pull a Comey
Trump
Administration Poised To Side With Employers In Supreme Court Case
The Trump administration is poised to side with employers in a Supreme
Court case over the rights of workers to bring class action lawsuits against
companies, according to a court document and a source familiar with the
litigation. Signaling the reversal of a position staked out earlier by
the Obama administration, which backed employees, the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB), an independent agency in the federal government, said in
letter to the court on Thursday that its own lawyer will represent the
board in the employees class action rights case. Reuters
VOA VIEW: Right government stance, for
a change.
U.N.
Envoy Urges North Korea To Explain Why Freed U.S. Man Is In Coma
A United Nations human rights investigator called on North Korea on
Friday to explain why an American student was in a coma when he was returned
home this week after more than a year in detention there. Otto Warmbier,
22, has a severe brain injury and is in a state of "unresponsive wakefulness",
his Ohio doctors said on Thursday. His family said he had been in a coma
since March 2016, shortly after he was sentenced to 15 years' hard labor
in North Korea. "While I welcome the news of Mr Warmbier's release, I am
very concerned about his condition, and the authorities have to provide
a clear explanation about what made him slip into a coma," Tomas Ojea Quintana,
the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in a statement issued in Geneva.
Reuters
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Cosby
Trial: Deadlocked Jury Requests Definition Of Reasonable Doubt
The deadlocked jury in Bill Cosbys sexual assault trial, which has
been deliberating for an extraordinary 47 hours, asked Friday to review
volumes of testimony and sought the definition of "reasonable doubt." The
surprise requests sparked an argument in the courtroom between Cosby's
lawyers, who demanded a mistrial, and the judge, who said he could not
interfere with the deliberations until the jurors tell him again that they
can't reach a verdict. MSNBC
Trump
Financial Disclosure Form Released
The government ethics office has released President Trump's latest
financial disclosure form. Trump reported $19.7 million in income from
his luxury Washington hotel, which opened in September 2016. The figure
covers income through April 15. The hotel has been a center of concern
about conflicts of interest. The president reported $37.2 million in income
from Mar-a-Lago, his private Florida resort. That was $7.4 million more
than he reported on his previous financial disclosure filing, in May 2016.
He reported $19.7 million in income from his golf club in Bedminster, New
Jersey, about $800,000 less than in the previous filing. Trump also reported
$7 million in book royalties, and an $84,000 pension from the Screen Actors
Guild. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: This shows that Trump did not
need to job - like Obama did.
Trump
Deregulations Quickly Boost Confidence And Hiring In Manufacturing Sector
The only area where President Trump has chalked up big wins on his
economic agenda so far has been the rollback of what he calls job-killing
regulations, but that has been enough to quickly bolster confidence across
the manufacturing sector and help revive the coal industry. Aero Tech Manufacturing
Inc., a precision sheet metal shop in North Salt Lake, Utah, is now on
the hunt for workers to restart a second shift that it discontinued in
2007. S am McCashland, Aero Techs vice president of manufacturing, said
regulations were not a major concern for the company, but whatever was
happening with the economy was flooding them with orders. Washington
Times
YOU can speak out and be heard by having your own "Column" - Visit the "Public Opinion" Section above.
Tom
Cole: Trump Should Stop Tweeting On Russia Case
Rep. Tom Cole said Friday that President Trump should stop tweeting
and commenting on the Russia investigation. I think the president can
do some very good things with Twitter, hes done some very good things
with it. In terms of investigations, my advice is just to not comment on
it, Mr. Cole said on MSNBC. The Oklahoma Republican added that special
prosecutor Robert Muellers credibility was such that the president should
just let him do his job, but Mr. Cole said that he believed Mr. Trump would
be cleared. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: Cole is right.
Special
Counsel Investigating Business Dealings Of Jared Kushner
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the finances and business
dealings of Trump son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner, in relation
to his investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election,
the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials familiar with
the matter. CBS News confirmed late last month that Kushner is under scrutiny
in the probe into Russian election meddling. The special counsel's office
did not respond to a request for comment on the report.
Kushner's lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, issued a statement reading, "We do
not know what this report refers to. It would be standard practice
for the Special Counsel to examine financial records to look for anything
related to Russia. Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with
Congress what he knows about Russia-related matters. He will do the
same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry." CBS
VOA VIEW: Mueller should investigate all
finances, including Hillary.
Amazon
Swallows Whole Foods, And Supermarkets Blanch
When discussing multibillion-dollar acquisitions, experts often toss
around dramatic-sounding words like "game-changer" or "disruption" to describe
such a deal's potential impact. But in the case of Amazon's (AMZN) planned
$13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods (WFM), those terms are no exaggeration.
Amazon and Whole Foods combined would become the seventh-largest U.S. food
retailer, topping Ahold Delhaize (ADRNY), the Netherlands-based parent
company of Stop & Shop and Giant. The deal merges Amazon's food delivery
business with Whole Foods 440 physical stores -- and adds even more competitive
pressure on incumbent grocers that have lost market share to discounters
such as Aldi, Costco (COST) and the dollar stores in recent years. Wall
Street is now expecting even worse times for all those grocers. CBS
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Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Acknowledges He May Need To Recuse Himself
From Russia Probe
The senior Justice Department official with ultimate authority over
the special counsel's probe of Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 election
has privately acknowledged to colleagues that he may have to recuse himself
from the matter, which he took charge of only after Attorney General Jeff
Sessions' own recusal, sources tell ABC News. Those private remarks from
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein are significant because they reflect
the widening nature of the federal probe, which now includes a preliminary
inquiry into whether President Donald Trump attempted to obstruct justice
when he allegedly tried to curtail the probe and then fired James Comey
as FBI director. ABC
VOA VIEW: The latter about Trump obstructing
justice is false.
Kellyanne
Conway Calls Trump Healer In Chief Despite The Presidents Tweet Storm
Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, today praised President
Trump as healer in chief of the nation in the wake of Wednesdays gun
attack on a GOP congressional baseball practice. House Majority Whip Steve
Scalise, R-La., and five others were injured Wednesday as Republicans practiced
at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, for an annual congressional
charity game that went on as scheduled Thursday night. There was a feeling
of unity and healing, Conway said of Thursdays baseball game in an interview
on Fox and Friends." ABC
Justice
Department's Madoff Fund Inches Closer To First Payout
The U.S. Justice Departments $4 billion fund for victims of Bernard
Madoffs epic Ponzi scheme is getting closer to making its first payout,
more than four years after it was set up. The administrator of the Madoff
Victim Fund, Richard Breeden, said in an update on his website that the
Justice Department in early June had approved more than 35,000 petitions
claiming total losses of more than $6.5 billion. The first round of checks
should go out sometime this year, he said. Approved petitioners should
expect to receive notification of these decisions in the coming weeks,
he said. Bloomberg
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Campus
Rape Loses Special Status In Trump's Education Department
Facing budget cuts, the Office of Civil Rights will no longer automatically
give heightened scrutiny to allegations of sexual assault at schools and
universities. When Candice Jackson was appointed by U.S. Education Secretary
Betsy DeVos as acting head of the Office of Civil Rights in April, Jackson
gave little indication which direction she planned to steer enforcement
of civil rights law in the nation's schools. A memo written by Jackson
and published by ProPublica sheds light on her direction. Under Jackson,
the Office for Civil Rights will no longer apply heightened scrutiny to
allegations of sexual assault or harassment on campus. It will also end
the practice of routinely checking to see if one allegation reveals a pattern.
Bloomberg
Troop
Plan For Afghanistan Seeks To Regain Battlefield Edge
A coming deployment of up to 4,000 more U.S. forces to Afghanistan,
expected as part of a new Trump administration approach to America's longest
war, reflects the Pentagon's view that beefing up its training-advising
role and its counterterrorism effort can help turn around recent Taliban
gains and snuff out a growing Islamic State threat. But adding troops is
a U.S. tactic that has failed in the past and much will depend on the president's
broader strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's
chief spokeswoman, Dana W. White, said Friday that Mattis had made no decision
on a troop increase. She was responding to an Associated Press report Thursday,
citing an administration official, that Mattis has settled on a plan to
send almost 4,000 more troops and that it could be announced as early as
next week. Another option is to hold off on the troop numbers until the
new strategy is ready, which Mattis has said would be in July.
Las Vegas Sun
Trump:
US Students Experience In NKorea Truly Terrible
President Donald Trump says that the imprisonment of an American college
student in North Korea was a "truly terrible thing." Otto Warmbier, who
was serving a 15-year prison term in North Korea, was released and returned
to the U.S. on Tuesday as the Trump administration revealed a rare exchange
with the reclusive country.
Warmbier fell into a coma while serving his sentence. He is now receiving
treatment at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Speaking in Miami
on Friday, Trump celebrated Warmbier's return to the U.S. saying, "what's
happened to him is a truly terrible thing but at least the ones who love
him so much can now take care of him and be with him."
Las Vegas Sun
Research
Suggests U.S. Teens As Inactive As 60-Year-Olds
Here's some compelling evidence that Americans have become a sedentary
bunch: Research suggests that the average teen is no more active than the
average 60-year-old. Researchers analyzed data from more than 12,500 people
of various ages who wore activity tracking devices for seven straight days
as part of national health surveys conducted between 2003 and 2006. The
study found that physical activity levels among children and teens were
lower than previously thought. The World Health Organization recommends
at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a day for
children ages 5 to 17. UPI
Oil
Prices In The Black, But Underlying Pessimism Setting In
Crude oil prices bounced back into positive territory early Friday,
but bearish sentiments may be entrenched for the short term at least. Crude
oil prices have been through two consecutive weeks that saw markets lose
as much as 4 percent because of lingering supply-side strains. Reports
this week from the International Energy Agency and economists at the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries said balance was returning to the market,
but it was taking longer than expected. In defending a move to cut its
key lending rates, the Central Bank of Russia said Friday there were economic
risks ahead because the movement in crude oil prices was lower than expected
since OPEC decided to extend a coordinated production decline agreement
into next year. Many market watchers had expected OPEC to make deeper cuts
as the $50 floor under crude oil during the first quarter started to look
more like a ceiling. UPI
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HAMAS
PRAISES DEADLY JERUSALEM ATTACK 'CARRIED OUT BY THREE MARTYRS'
Only hours after the Friday's terror attack in Jerusalem that killed
Border Police officer Hadas Malka, Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas
praised the bloodshed.
In a Facebook post by Hamas spokesperson Hazim Qassim, the statement
said, "The sacrificial operation in Jerusalem is another indication that
our Palestinian people is continuing its revolution in the face of the
usurping occupier." Jerusalem Post
VOA VIEW: Israel will make Hamas pay.
ISIS
CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR JERUSALEM ATTACK
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Jerusalem terror attack
that killed Border Police officer Hadas Malka on Friday in a message posted
by Amaq, the the group's news agency. According to sources, this is the
first time that Islamic State have claimed responsibility for carrying
out an attack in Israel. A message posted by the group stated that "the
attack was carried out by three lions," and said that the attack "will
not be the last." The attacks occurred simultaneously in two areas near
the Damascus gate of Jerusalem's walled old city.
Jerusalem Post
New
US Russia Sanctions Bill Riles Germany And Austria
Germany and Austria have sharply criticised the US Senate for tightening
sanctions on Russia, accusing the US of threatening Europe's energy supplies.
To become law the US sanctions bill still requires approval by the House
of Representatives and the president. It would mean US sanctions for European
firms involved in major Russian oil and gas projects. One such project
is Nord Stream 2 - a Baltic gas pipeline. Russia is under Western sanctions
over its role in the Ukraine conflict. The new US bill is punishment for
alleged Russian meddling in the US 2016 presidential election. BBC
US
Woman Sues Casino That 'Offered Dinner Instead Of $43m Jackpot'
A US woman is suing a casino that told her the slot machine displaying
a $43m (£34m) jackpot was faulty and offered a steak dinner instead,
reports say. Katrina Bookman took a selfie showing the machine saying "printing
cash ticket $42,949,672.76" at the Resorts World Casino in New York last
August. But she was escorted out and was told the next day she could have
only $2.25 (£1.76). Her lawyer, Alan Ripka, says she is entitled
to the full amount displayed. The lawsuit filed at the Queens County Supreme
Court said the Sphinx slot machine's "bells, noises and lights" as well
as the message on the screen told Ms Bookman she had won the jackpot, Courthouse
News reported. The subsequent disappointment left Ms Bookman anxious and
depressed, the report said. BBC
US
Navy Destroyer Collides With Merchant Ship Off Coast Of Japan
A US navy destroyer has suffered some flooding and damage after colliding
with a merchant vessel southwest of Yokosuka, Japan, the navy said on Friday.
One sailor is being airlifted to hospital and it is not known if any other
members of the crew are injured. In a statement, the navy said the USS
Fitzgerald collided with a merchant vessel 56 nautical miles south-west
of Yokosuka and the extent of injuries to US personnel is being determined.
Currently working with the Japanese Coast Guard to conduct a medevac via
helicopter for one sailor, it said. The ships collided at approximately
2:30am local time. The USS Fitzgerald suffered damage on her starboard
side above and below the waterline. Guardian
Life
On Mars: Elon Musk Reveals Details Of His Colonisation Vision
As far as home planets go, the Earth ticks most of the boxes: oxygen,
water, food and lovely views. But there are risks to be considered too.
What if a nuclear war, an asteroid collision or a rogue AI sent it all
up in smoke, blotting out our own fragile existence? Luckily, Elon Musk
is one step ahead and last year outlined his ambition to send humans to
Mars as a backup drive for civilisation. Now, the billionaire entrepreneur
has provided further details of his vision to make humans a multi-planetary
species in a breezy paper, published in the appropriately-titled journal
New Space. The paper outlines early designs of the gigantic spacecraft,
designed to carry 100 passengers, that he hopes to construct. Guardian
Germany
Threatens Retaliation If US Pushes Ahead With Russia Sanctions It Says
Could Harm European Economy
German leaders have reacted angrily to proposed new American sanctions
on Russia they say target Moscows new gas pipeline to Europe, threatening
retaliation if the measures harm the European economy. The stand-off comes
amid already strained relations with the US over Donald Trumps aggressive
rhetoric and provoked accusations that America was trying to promote its
own gas exports to Europe by blocking Russia. The result is a rumbling
threat of a new energy war and a breakdown in trans-Atlantic unity against
Russian aggression. Telegaph
Ahead
Of Father's Day, UNICEF Cites Critical Role Fathers Play In Early Childhood
Learning
A majority of children aged between three- and four-years-old in 74
countries, or about 40 million, have fathers who do not play or engage
in early learning activities with them, according to a new study released
today by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). What these numbers
show us is that father's are struggling to play an active role in their
children's early years, said Laurence Chandy, UNICEF Director of Data,
Research and Policy, in a statement on the study, released as some 80 countries
around the world are set to celebrate Father's Day this coming Sunday.
We must break down the barriers that prevent fathers from providing their
babies and young children a conducive environment for them to thrive, including
love, play, protection and nutritious food, he said. UN
News
'No
limit' To Cruelty Of Traffickers, Says UN Agency, As Video Surfaces Of
Abused Migrants In Libya
Two United Nations agencies have voiced 'deep concern' for the safety
of hundreds of migrants and refugees including many children held captive
by smugglers or criminal gangs at an unknown location in Libya after videos
showing their abuse was posted on Facebook. The UN International Organization
for Migration (IOM) has confirmed that the videos are authentic. According
to the agency, short video clips have also been sent to families of those
held captive, threatening that they will be killed if ransoms (ranging
between $8,000-$10,0000) are not paid. Seeing a Facebook video of innocent
migrants and refugees who have been abused and tortured is deeply concerning,
said Mohammed Abdiker, IOM Director of Operations and Emergencies, in a
news release. UN News
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