This article details a conflict between ISIS and a rival Sunni tribe, which resulted in 17 dead.
ISIS Kills 17 in Attack on Rival Sunni Tribesmen in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria attacked Sunni tribal fighters north of Baghdad early Monday, killing at least 17 people as the militants showed new determination to punish Sunnis who have resisted the ISIS onslaught into parts of northern Iraq.
Using an explosive-laden Humvee, apparently captured from the Iraqi Army, the militants assaulted an entrance to the town of Dhuluiya, about 50 miles north of Baghdad, according to local tribal leaders.
Some of the district’s most prominent Sunni tribes, including the Al-Jabour, have been openly fighting the Sunni extremists of ISIS for the last two months. The participation of Sunni fighters in the resistance to ISIS is seen as a key to halting its advance. Over the weekend, Sunni tribal fighters in Anbar Province joined Iraqi Army troops in attacking ISIS fighters in towns near the Haditha Dam as United States warplanes bombed the militants.
The fighting on Monday came as Iraqi politicians argued over the complexion of a new government, which has been rumored for days but is said to have been repeatedly delayed over disputes about key cabinet posts. Iraq’s incoming prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, who is set to replace Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, is required to name a cabinet by Tuesday.
Iraq’s Western allies have called for an “inclusive” government, insisting that new leaders seek to reverse the divisive legacy of Mr. Maliki, whose Shiite-led government was accused by Sunnis of marginalizing and antagonizing them. As Iraqi cities fell to ISIS this summer, pressure intensified on Mr. Maliki to step down, from inside and outside Iraq.
There was no assurance that a new government would quiet the crisis. Lists of possible cabinet members that have circulated over the past few days have been full of familiar names, suggesting a reshuffling rather than a revitalization.
Iraq’s Parliament speaker said members would vote on a cabinet during Monday’s session, though many anticipated a further delay. Even so, members of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra sat in the chamber on Monday, preparing in case there was something to celebrate.
“We are ready to play the national anthem whenever they form the government,” the deputy manager said.
NoveltyThis article details the novelty event of unneeded lighthouses being given away to private owners by the government.
(NEWSER) – Ever wish your man cave or summer retreat was in a lighthouse? You may be in luck, now that the federal government is selling or giving away dozens of them, the AP reports.
They've shed 100 obsolete or unneeded lighthouses in 14 years, 68 of them freebies handed off to preservation groups and the other 36 sold at auction. The agency handling the lighthouse purging has no target number to sell or give away, but the Coast Guard wants to retire 71 considered "no longer critical" to its mission, says a spokesman.
Don't feel bad for the iconic historic structures — the easily accessible ones get a second life as museums, private homes, or bed-and-breakfasts. The ones needing some TLC or cut off from civilization, however, generally languish on the auction block.
By finding new "stewards" for their lighthouses, the government says it's ensuring their preservation. Public groups or nonprofits can apply to get one, and if no one is interested the lighthouse goes to auction, the agency explains.
That's how Dave Waller got the Graves Island Light Station in Boston Harbor for nearly $1 million, and Art Girard bought the tallest lighthouse in New England (Maine's Boon Island Light Station) for $78,000, reports the AP.
More for sale signs can be found outside lighthouses on both coasts and the Great Lakes. The feds will alert you when a new one is up for sale; and the AP provides this list of available lighthouses in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Michigan.
Human Interest
The story about people at high risk for untreated diabetes, especially in Latinos and African Americans, that leads to misery creates human interest in sympathy.
Untreated diabetes left Austin woman in misery
Hispanics, blacks and low-income people at greater risk for disease.
For nine years, Maria Limon tried to ignore the intense migraines, thirst and mood swings, all symptoms of her uncontrolled diabetes.
Found at Austin American Statesman.
Timeliness
This article details the very recent funeral of Joan Rivers, a recently deceased comedian.
Comedian gets her star-studded funeral
Mourners are from worlds of fashion and entertainment.
NEW YORK — Howard Stern delivered the eulogy, Broadway singer-actress Audra McDonald sang “Smile” and bagpipers played “New York, New York” at Joan Rivers’ funeral Sunday, a star-studded send-off that — like the late comedian herself — brought together the worlds of Hollywood, theater, fashion and media.Found at Austin American Statesman.
Proximity
This article talks about a barge-mounted nuclear reactor, located in Galveston, that is to be towed to Virginia and to be scrapped. Galveston isn't far from Austin, and if there was to be some sort of mishap, our coasts could be poisoned.
Nuclear barge to be scrapped in Galveston
Plan is for USS Sturgis to be towed from Virginia.
GALVESTON — A World War II-era Liberty ship converted to a barge-mounted nuclear reactor will be towed from Virginia to Galveston to be scrapped.Found at Austin American Statesman.
Prominence
This article discusses what the following actions towards the Ferguson, MO. police force as well as investigations into U.S. law enforcement practices that should be implemented. This is prominent news ever since the murder of Michael Brown, and it affects everyone in America.
Justice in St. Louis County
Inquiry Into Ferguson, Mo., Police Practices Is Just a Start
The Justice Department took a much-needed step last week when it opened a broad civil rights investigation into police practices in Ferguson, Mo., where the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer last month sparked days of demonstrations and riots.
But the investigation should not be limited to Ferguson. News accounts and a recent study of court systems in neighboring towns strongly suggest that the police in St. Louis County may be systematically targeting poor and minority citizens for street and traffic stops (in part to generate fines), which has the effect of criminalizing entire communities. This history of discriminatory stops and abuse fueled the protests and violence that erupted after Mr. Brown was gunned down.
Though federal officials have reformed several police departments in the past two decades, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. has been particularly aggressive. He has opened 20 such broad investigations into large and small police departments across the country. The Justice Department is currently enforcing 14 consent decrees or out-of-court agreements — in places like New Orleans, Seattle and Detroit — with the aim of making sure that police operations under its guidance obey the Constitution.
The investigation into Ferguson’s policing practices will run parallel to a separate federal inquiry focused specifically on the circumstances of Mr. Brown’s shooting. In addition, President Obama — responding to disturbing images of Ferguson police officers facing down civilians with military assault equipment — has rightly ordered a review of the government’s policy of outfitting local police with that level of firepower.
The civil rights investigation will focus on whether officers there made discriminatory traffic stops, mistreated prisoners or used excessive force in the years before last month’s fatal shooting of Mr. Brown.
The Justice Department will find plenty of evidence of disparate treatment of black motorists in St. Louis County, which is crowded with municipalities. As The Washington Post reported last week, some of these towns get 40 percent or more of their revenue from traffic fines and fees from petty violations. And since there are 90 municipalities in St. Louis County, that means drivers can pass through several towns in just a few miles on one main thoroughfare. Motorists who are detained in one town are often dragged through the courts or jails in several communities.
As Campbell Robertson and Joseph Goldstein of The Times reportedlast month, the municipal courts in places like Maplewood, Mo., are filled with blacks who are pulled over by officers and charged with offenses that increase in cost when a defendant misses a court date. According to a report by the state attorney general in 2013, black motorists in Maplewood were searched or arrested during stops at more than twice the rate of whites — even though searches of blacks and whites were similarly likely to turn up contraband.
A startling analysis released last month by ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit group in St. Louis, offered up a harrowing portrait of these interlocking court systems, which appear to be structured to persecute minority communities. In one community, “100 percent of all searches and arrests originating from traffic stops in Bel-Ridge in 2013 were of black individuals,” the report said.
Lawyers at ArchCity Defenders said their clients who were unable to pay the fines were illegally jailed and lost their jobs and housing as a result of being locked up. These practices “destroy the public’s confidence in the justice system,” as the report notes, and they impose ruinous burdens on impoverished citizens and violate the Constitution.
A wealth of evidence suggests that justice is not being fairly administered in either Ferguson or greater St. Louis County. If the Justice Department confirms what others have reported, it needs to use all of its authority to restore fairness to the law enforcement process.
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