The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

The U.S. Army veteran who scaled the White House fence in Washington last year and then ran into the heavily guarded presidential mansion was sentenced Tuesday to a 17-month prison term. Authorities said Omar Gonzalez, 43, was carrying a folding knife when he jumped the fence in September. Numerous intruders have climbed over the White House fence in recent years, but Gonzalez was the first to actually get into the mansion before being apprehended. The decorated Iraq War veteran, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has been jailed since his arrest. He will receive credit for the nine months he has already served, cutting his remaining term to eight months. When he has completed his sentence, he will be banned from visiting Washington and must receive psychiatric treatment. Gonzalez's intrusion at the White House played a role in a leadership shakeup at the Secret Service, the agency responsible for White House security and protection of President Barack Obama and his family. The Secret Service director at the time, Julia Pierson, resigned.

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Expert: US Trans Fats Phase Out Could Impact Developing Countries by webdesk@voanews.com (Jessica Berman)
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:23 PM

The U.S. government announced it will phase trans fats out of all foods over the next three years. Trans fats are a food additive that contributes to coronary artery disease and fatal heart attacks. At least one expert thinks the food industry will continue to actively market food with trans fats in developing countries. Many developed countries, including Australia and those in the European Union, have eliminated trans fats from processed and fast foods. Trans fats raise the level of so-called bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, and their use has been on the decline in the U.S. for more than ten years. Now, the United States — a huge market for processed foods — is ordering manufacturers and restaurants to completely phase out trans fats over a three-year period. Two years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared that trans fats, which are added to food to improve taste and shelf life, are no longer recognized as safe. But Lawrence Gostin, a legal expert on national and global health law at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., thinks none of these moves will stop the worldwide sale of foods made with trans fats. “I could see them continuing to market these harmful products in India, Brazil and other middle income countries, and then in low income countries in Africa and the Middle East and elsewhere,” he said. That’s because foods containing trans fats taste good. The harmful food additive is in refrigerated piecrust and dinner rolls, liquid coffee creamer and microwaveable popcorn. Trans fats are also added to oils to turn them into solid cooking fat and margarine. Gostin thinks the food industry might now step up sales of these products in developing countries. “The question is — is whether they then dump their unhealthy, trans fatty acid products on to poorer countries around the world with less robust regulatory systems," he said. "And I just think that’s unethical but expected.” Gostin calls the presence of trans fats in foods a global health emergency, and he hopes countries with no regulatory restraints against the food additive will follow the lead of the U.S. and other countries “We can’t just sit back," he said. "This is a silent epidemic. It’s no less an epidemic than AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria or any of these major outbreaks. Gostin said an international revolution is needed to get the food industry to make the food supply safer and healthier.

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Kerry Emerges, Comments on Iran, China, South Asiaby webdesk@voanews.com (Pamela Dockins)
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:22 PM

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that the United States and other world powers involved in nuclear talks with Iran are not “fixated” on prior military aspects of Tehran's nuclear program as a deadline for a deal approaches. “It is critical for us to know going forward that those activities have been stopped,” said Kerry, “and that we can account for that.” Kerry commented during a video news conference from Boston, where he is recovering from injuries sustained in a May bicycling accident in France. He said the United States and the other world powers negotiating with Iran would not “rush to an agreement for the sake of an agreement.” “We are not going to sign an agreement that we don’t believe gets the job done,” he said. Negotiators for Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, the so-called P5+1 group, are hoping to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear status by a June 30 deadline. Iran is seeking sanctions relief while world powers are seeking verifiable assurances that Tehran’s nuclear program is peaceful. Kerry said he intended to join the talks in Vienna, Austria, after participating in a U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington next week. The secretary has made few public appearances since he broke his right femur in last month’s accident. He returned to his Boston home last week after being hospitalized. During Tuesday’s appearance, Kerry appeared to be relaxed, wearing a dark suit jacket and a striped shirt. State Department officials said Kerry had remained engaged on foreign policy issues during his recovery. Concern on India-Pakistan Kerry said he spoke by phone Tuesday with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and expressed concern over a recent rise in tensions between Pakistan and India. “It is of enormous concern to all of us for all the obvious reasons,” he said, regarding tensions between the two nuclear neighbors. Relations between India and Pakistan have been tense for decades, but strains have increased since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in May 2014. Kerry said Sharif was “forthcoming” and “direct.” He said they both welcomed additional dialogue on ways to reduce tensions. China relations a priority Kerry said he would be returning to Washington on Tuesday and would focus on China for the next few days, ahead of the seventh meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Vice Premier Wang Yang is among Chinese officials who will attend the three-day session in Washington. The talks come amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China over China’s alleged cybersecurity hacks as well as its controversial land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea. Washington has voiced opposition to China’s construction in the region. Parts of the region are also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. “I am confident that we are going to have a ‘full-throated’ discussion of all of the issues that confront us," said Kerry, referring to next week’s dialogue. On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said some of the construction in the region known as the Spratly Islands would be completed in “upcoming days.” But, in a statement, the ministry also defended the construction as “lawful, reasonable and justified.” It said the goals included “satisfying the need for necessary military defense.” A senior State Department official said that “China is alone” in the land reclamation effort. “There is nobody else in the region who is supportive of these efforts.” The State Department official said that the U.S. welcomed China’s decision to stop some of the reclamation work, but that Beijing’s decision to continue to militarize reclaimed land was not helpful or productive.

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U.S. No Longer Demanding Disclosure Of Iran's Past Nuclear Work
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:21 PM

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry June 16 said that Washington would no longer insist that Iran fully disclose its past nuclear activities as part of a nuclear pact with Tehran.

Putin’s Missile Announcement Draws Muted Responseby webdesk@voanews.com (Luis Ramirez)
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:20 PM

TheUnion Local.Com | TheUnion.Com

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Tuesday that he intends to add more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles to Russia’s nuclear arsenal is drawing a muted response — but also a subtle warning — from the White House. VOA White House correspondent Luis Ramirez reports.

Wages fall and poverty rises in Russia as government axes services
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:19 PM

English

As the Russian state imposes austerity policies and the country slips into recession, indices mount of growing hardship facing the population.

AP Top News at 4:38 p.m. EDT
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:19 PM

AP Top News at 4:38 p.m. EDT

CAIRO (AP) - A Libyan military spokesman said Monday that three foreigners were among a number of militants killed in U.S. airstrikes in eastern Libya, but said it is too early to determine if the target, an Algerian al-Qaida-linked leader, was among them. The U.S military said it launched weekend airstrikes in Libya targeting Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a militant who once belonged to al-Qaida who is charged with leading a 2103 attack on a gas plant in Algeria that killed at least 35 hostages, including three Americans. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said it was believed the strike was successful but "post-strike assessments" were still underway to determine whether the target was killed.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Rachel Dolezal resigned as president of the NAACP's Spokane chapter Monday amid a furor over racial identity that erupted when her parents came forward to say she has been posing as black for years when she is actually white. The announcement, posted on the civil rights organization's Facebook page, said the attention surrounding Dolezal has distracted from the group's goals.

Jeb Bush has optimistic message, faces challenges in '16 bidMIAMI (AP) - Jeb Bush launched a Republican presidential bid months in the making Monday with a vow to get Washington "out of the business of causing problems" and to stay true to his beliefs - easier said than done in a bristling primary contest where his conservative credentials will be sharply challenged. "I will campaign as I would serve, going everywhere, speaking to everyone, keeping my word, facing the issues without flinching," Bush said, opening his campaign at a rally near his south Florida home at Miami Dade College, where the institution's large and diverse student body symbolizes the nation he seeks to lead.

Latest on church abuse: Whistleblower: Right move to resign2:55 p.m. CDT The whistleblower who accused Catholic leaders in Minnesota of mishandling clergy abuse cases says Archbishop John Nienstedt's resignation was "a necessary and prudent step."

OAK ISLAND, N.C. (AP) - Beachgoers cautiously returned to the ocean Monday after two young people lost limbs in separate, life-threatening shark attacks in the same town in North Carolina. A 12-year-old girl lost her left hand and suffered a leg injury Sunday afternoon; then, about an hour later and 2 miles away, a shark bit off the left arm of a 16-year-old boy. Both were about 20 yards offshore, in waist-deep water.

Obama, GOP try to revive trade agenda, but hurdles awaitWASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama and his legislative allies scrambled Monday for ways to revive his severely wounded trade agenda, although Democrats and Republicans alike said all options face serious hurdles. Obama talked with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. And White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough spoke with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader whose rejection of Obama's pleas capped Friday's stunning setback delivered mainly by his own party.

Vast data warehouse raises HealthCare.gov privacy concernsWASHINGTON (AP) - A government data warehouse that stores information indefinitely on millions of HealthCare.gov customers is raising privacy concerns at a time when major breaches have become distressingly common. Known as MIDAS, the system is described on a federal website as the "perpetual central repository" for information collected under President Barack Obama's health care law.

Theater shooter's hatred for therapists kept them in darkCENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - The person closest to the murderous thoughts of James Holmes before he carried out his attack on a Colorado movie theater is someone he tried very hard to keep in the dark. Dr. Lynne Fenton saw Holmes five times in 2012 and prescribed him drugs for anxiety and depression, concerned he had a social phobia after he confessed to thoughts of killing people, according to testimony in his death penalty trial.

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Khartoum on Monday to cheers of supporters after leaving South Africa, where a court had ordered his arrest based on an international warrant for war crimes charges. Al-Bashir raised a stick in the air as he stepped out of the plane, waving to a few hundred supporters who greeted him at the airport. Some chanted "God is Great" while others cried with joy.

Study: Nazi propaganda left life-long mark on German kidsBERLIN (AP) - Anti-Semitic propaganda had a life-long effect on German children schooled during the Nazi period, leaving them far more likely to harbor negative views of Jews than those born earlier and later, according to a study published Monday. The findings indicate that attempts to influence public attitudes are most effective when they target young people, particularly if the message confirms existing beliefs, the authors said.

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AP Top News at 8:55 p.m. EDT
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:18 PM

TheUnion Local.Com | TheUnion.Com

AP Top News at 8:55 p.m. EDT

Uncertainty over US strike against al-Qaida leader in LibyaCAIRO (AP) - Pentagon officials say they believe they hit their target - the one-eyed, al-Qaida-linked commander who led a deadly attack on an Algerian gas facility in 2013. But uncertainty still surrounds the U.S. airstrike in eastern Libya, and whether Mokhtar Belmokhtar was actually among the militants said to have been killed in the bombing. Libyan officials say Sunday's airstrike hit a gathering of militants on a farm outside Ajdabiya, a coastal city about 850 kilometers (530 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli, but there were conflicting reports on how many died.

Kurdish fighters seize large parts of IS border strongholdBEIRUT (AP) - U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters captured large sections of a strategic town on the Syria-Turkish border on Monday, dealing the biggest setback yet to the Islamic State group, which lost a key supply line for their nearby self-proclaimed capital. The seizure of Tal Abyad threatened to flare tensions between Kurds and ethnic Arabs, who accused the Kurdish militia of deliberately displacing thousands of people from the town, which has a mixed population.

MIAMI (AP) - Vowing to win the Republican presidential nomination on his own merits, Jeb Bush launched a White House bid months in the making Monday with a promise to stay true to his beliefs - easier said than done in a bristling primary contest where his conservative credentials will be sharply challenged. "Not a one of us deserves the job by right of resume, party, seniority, family, or family narrative. It's nobody's turn," Bush said, confronting critics who suggest he simply seeks to inherit the office already held by his father and brother. "It's everybody's test, and it's wide open - exactly as a contest for president should be."

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Rachel Dolezal resigned as president of the NAACP's Spokane chapter Monday just days after her parents said she is a white woman posing as black - a dizzyingly swift fall for an activist credited with injecting remarkable new energy into the civil rights organization. The furor touched off fierce debate around the country over racial identity and divided the NAACP itself.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - The person closest to the murderous thoughts of James Holmes before the neuroscience student unleashed an attack on a Colorado movie theater - someone Holmes tried very hard to keep in the dark - will take the witness stand Tuesday. Dr. Lynne Fenton saw Holmes five times in 2012 and prescribed him drugs for anxiety and depression, concerned he had a social phobia after he confessed to thoughts of killing people, according to testimony in his death penalty trial.

Pope's stance leaks; calls for urgent action on environmentVATICAN CITY (AP) - A draft copy of Pope Francis' eagerly awaited encyclical on the environment calls for urgent action to protect the Earth and fight global warming, which the pope says is "mostly" due to human activity and the burning of fossil fuels. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the document that was leaked to the Italian newsweekly L'Espresso and published on its website Monday was not the final version and that the official encyclical would still be released as scheduled on Thursday.

Minnesota archbishop felled by 2-year scandal over abuseST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Archbishop John Nienstedt's leadership of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis unraveled over a painful two years. A church archivist accused him of leaving abusive clergy in parishes and church jobs without warning parents or police. A task force he appointed to investigate confirmed the archdiocese had been negligent. Around the same time, he faced allegations of his own inappropriate sexual conduct, but he didn't reveal specifics.

Haitians scramble for legal residency in Dominican RepublicSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) - Haitians and other non-citizens stood in long lines across the Dominican Republic on Monday in last-minute bids to secure legal residency, hurrying to beat a looming paperwork deadline along with the threat of possible quick deportation. Lines snaked outside Interior Ministry offices as foreign residents, who are overwhelmingly from neighboring Haiti, sought to submit papers before a 7 p.m. Wednesday deadline. Many said they have had to spend all day and return multiple times after being told they lacked sufficient documentation to complete the applications.

Beachgoers lose limbs in shallow-water shark attacksOAK ISLAND, N.C. (AP) - Beachgoers cautiously returned to the ocean Monday after two young people lost limbs in separate, life-threatening shark attacks in the same town in North Carolina. A 12-year-old girl lost her left arm below the elbow and suffered a leg injury Sunday afternoon; then about an hour and 20 minutes later and 2 miles away, a shark bit off the left arm above the elbow of a 16-year-old boy.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A government data warehouse that stores personal information on millions of HealthCare.gov customers is raising privacy concerns at a time when major breaches have become distressingly common. A government privacy assessment dated Jan. 15 says data "is maintained indefinitely at this time," but the administration said Monday no final time frame has been decided, and the National Archives has recommended a 10-year retention period.

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AP Top News at 1:07 a.m. EDT
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:17 PM

TheUnion Local.Com | TheUnion.Com

AP Top News at 1:07 a.m. EDT

US working to verify evidence Yemen al-Qaida leader killedWASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. intelligence agencies were working Monday night to verify the strong possibility that al-Qaida's No. 2 figure, the leader of its virulent Yemen offshoot, has been killed, intelligence officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be quoted discussing a classified action. The Washington Post reported that Nasir al-Wuhayshi was targeted in a CIA drone strike last week.

Escaped killers elude capture in New YorkDANNEMORA, N.Y. (AP) - Two murderers who escaped from an upstate New York prison remain at large as the manhunt enters its 11th day. More than 800 law enforcement officers are keeping up an intense search for Richard Matt and David Sweat, who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility near the Canadian border June 6.

Gap closing 175 namesake stores to boost brandNEW YORK (AP) - Gap plans to close 175 of its namesake stores in North America, or 18 percent of its current total, and cut 250 jobs at its headquarters as the company tries to strengthen the struggling brand. Gap Inc., which owns Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic, said Monday it will close about 140 Gap stores in North America in the fiscal year that ends Jan. 31 - and the remainder afterward - based on factors that include location and performance. The San Francisco company also is closing an undisclosed number of stores in Europe. And it's cutting jobs at its headquarters in an attempt to make it faster and more decisive.

Sony's 'Uncharted 4,' 'Last Guardian' capture E3 attentionLOS ANGELES (AP) - Nathan Drake is back in action. Sony capped off its game-filled Electronic Entertainment Expo briefing Monday night with a bullet-riddled demonstration of "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End," the forthcoming action-adventure starring the charismatic treasure hunter.

Blackhawks shut out Lightning for another Stanley Cup titleCHICAGO (AP) - Jonathan Toews raised the Stanley Cup over his head and soaked in the cheers from the adoring crowd. Patrick Kane pumped his right arm in celebration. Johnny Oduya pulled a Chicago flag with a Blackhawks logo over his broad shoulders. Party on, Chicago. It's a Windy City celebration 77 years in the making.

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Al-Qaida leader's death renews debate: Do targeted killings make a difference?
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:17 PM

Stars And Stripes

Some analysts argue that while the targeted killings of al-Qaida commanders has had significant impact, the tactics won’t lead to the defeat of their extremist groups.

US Air Force to Boost Presence in Europe Amid Russia Tensions - Wall Street Journal
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:16 PM

Wall Street Journal

US Air Force to Boost Presence in Europe Amid Russia Tensions
Wall Street Journal
LE BOURGET, France—The U.S. Air Force plans to further increase the number of forces it brings to Europe amid tensions with Russia and could deploy stealthy F-22 fighter jets as a show of force, Service Secretary Deborah Lee James said on Monday.
SecAF James: Russia Is 'Biggest Threat'; F-22s May Come SoonBreaking Defense

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Russia says will retaliate if US weapons stationed on its borders - Reuters
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:16 PM

Reuters

Russia says will retaliate if US weapons stationed on its borders
Reuters
MOSCOW/WARSAW A plan by Washington to station tanks and heavy weapons in NATO states on Russia's border would be the most aggressive U.S. act since the Cold War, and Moscow would retaliate by beefing up its own forces, a Russiandefense official ...
Russia says it would match any US military buildup in Eastern EuropeWashington Post
Russia condemns 'aggressive' US plan for tanks in Eastern EuropeTelegraph.co.uk
Russia 'will retaliate' if Nato stores heavy weapons on its doorstepThe Independent

all 419 US plans for tanks on Russia border 'most aggressive since Cold War'Telegraph.co.uk
Daily Caller
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Russia's 'Microwave Gun' Can Disable Drones, Warheads Up To 6 Miles Away ... - International Business Times
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:15 PM

International Business Times

Russia's 'Microwave Gun' Can Disable Drones, Warheads Up To 6 Miles Away ...
International Business Times
The Russian military has created a “microwave gun” capable of disabling drones known as unmanned aerial vehicles and the warheads in airborne projectiles, a spokesman for the Kremlin-owned United Instrument Manufacturing Corp. said Monday. Officials ...

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Pentagons YouTube war with Russia - Politico
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:15 PM

International Business Times

Pentagons YouTube war with Russia
Politico
Defense officials have concluded it's no longer enough to lodge formal complaints when Russianbombers probe U.S. air defenses off Alaska, fighters barrel-roll around American reconnaissance aircraft over Eastern Europe, or attack jets buzz American ...
Russia Looks North To Arctic Circle As Military Exercises Get Underway; Plans ...International Business Times

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Arkansas: Man Trying to Enter Military Base Is Shotby By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:14 PM

NYT > United States Defense And Military Forces

Guards shot and critically wounded a civilian outside the sprawling Little Rock Air Force Base on Monday after the man drove his S.U.V. over a curb near the main gate.

Russia Urges U.S. Not to Deploy Weapons to Border Areasby By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:14 PM

NYT > United States Defense And Military Forces

The Foreign Ministry warned of “dangerous consequences” if the Americans station tanks and other heavy battle equipment to NATO states near Russia.

2015-06-15Fate of jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar unclear after US air strike
Tuesday June 16th, 2015 at 9:13 PM

Mike Nova - Google+

Fate of jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar unclear after US air strike in Libya | » Jeb Bush promises optimism, consistency in 2016 bid 15/06/15 18:54 from Home - CBSNews.com - World News Review | » Kurds and Syrian Rebels Push to Evict ISIS From Border Town 16/06/15 00:00 from NYT > Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) - U.S. National Security and Military News ReviewFate of jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar unclear after US air strike in Libya by Ian Black, Middle East editor, and Chris Stephen in Tunis Monday June 15 th , 2015 at 4:10 PM Network Front | The Guardian 1 Share US says enormous care taken to avoid harming civ...

Fate of jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar unclear after US air strike in Libya by Ian Black, Middle East editor, and Chris Stephen in Tunis Monday June 15th, 2015 at 4:10 PM Network Front | The Guardian 1 Share ...

Obama Legacy on Nuclear Arms Under Threat | FBI Spent One-Third Of Aviation Budget On Executive Travel, New Report Finds | Iran Steps Up Cyber Attacks Across the Globe | Taxpayers Billed $128,781 for Michelle Obama to See Cultural Sites in Venice | China has taken up Russia's deepest fear - Business Insider | » AP Top News at 12:04 a.m. EDT 15/06/15 15:29 from Mike Nova's Shared NewslinksTaxpayers Billed $128,781 for Michelle Obama to See Cultural Sites in Venice Iran Steps Up Cyber Attacks Across the Globe FBI Spent One-Third Of Aviation Budget On Executive Travel, New Report Finds Obama Legacy on Nuclear Arms Under Threat China has taken ...

Taxpayers Billed $128,781 for Michelle Obama to See Cultural Sites in Venice Iran Steps Up Cyber Attacks Across the Globe FBI Spent One-Third Of Aviation Budget On Executive Travel, New Report Finds Obama Legacy on ...

Putin’s Risky Game of Chicken | Russia News Review

Putin’s Risky Game of Chicken | Russia News ReviewPutin’s Risky Game of Chicken by By FIONA HILL and STEVEN PIFER Monday June 15 th , 2015 at 3:57 PM NYT > Russia 1 Share As Russian warplanes bait the West, the danger of inadvertent conflict rises. We need military-to-military talks. U.S.-Led Forces Laun...

Putin’s Risky Game of Chickenby By FIONA HILL and STEVEN PIFER Monday June 15th, 2015 at 3:57 PM NYT > Russia 1 Share As Russian warplanes bait the West, the danger of inadvertent conflict rises. We n...