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Hissyspit's JournalNew U.S. Ambassador Swore Her Oath On an E-Reader
http://www.thewire.com/national/2014/06/us-ambassador-swears-oath-of-office-on-e-reader/371974/JUN 2, 2014 10:23AM ET / NATIONAL
New U.S. Ambassador Swore Her Oath on an E-Reader
ERIC LEVENSON
In a peculiar "sign-of-the-times" moment last Friday, Suzi LeVine was sworn in as the United States' newest Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein by raising her right hand and placing the left on a digital copy of the Constitution. Instead of a paper-bound book, she swore the oath on an e-reader. It is believed to be the first Oath of Office consecrated in non-book form.
LeVine, a former Microsoft executive and fundraiser for the Obama team, solemnly swore her oath of office with her hand on the e-reader being held by her son and daughter.
On the e-reader, the U.S. Constitution was "opened" to the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Vice President Joe Biden led the proceedings.
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Ann B. Davis, Who Played Alice on 'The Brady Bunch,' Dies at Age 88
Source: TMZ
@BreakingNews: Ann B. Davis, who played Alice on 'The Brady Bunch,' died at age 88, roommates tell @TMZ http://t.co/jNCXBUcFva
NEWS
'BRADY BUNCH'
ALICE DEAD AT 88
After Bathroom Fall
36 Minutes Ago
TV legend Ann B. Davis who played Alice on "The Brady Bunch" has died ... TMZ has learned.
According to the couple she lived with in Texas ... Ann fell in her bathroom early this morning and hit her head causing grave damage. We're told she never regained consciousness.
Her roommate says Davis had been pretty healthy for an 88-year old woman -- and her death was a total shock. In fact, she even walked downstairs to say goodnight before going to bed.
Davis played the housekeeper Alice Nelson for the entire original run of "The Brady Bunch" from 1969 to 1974. She also filled the role for countless other TV movies and reunions. She last played Alice for 5 episodes of "The Bradys" in 1990.
Read more: http://m.tmz.com/#Article/2014/06/01/ann-b-davis-dead-alice-from-the-brady-bunch-dies-at-age-88
Breaking: Hagel Says WH Moved Quickly on Prisoner Swap Because Sgt. Bergdahl's Life Was in Danger
Source: Associated Press
@AP: BREAKING: Hagel says White House moved quickly on prisoner swap because Sgt. Bergdahl's life was in danger: http://t.co/xAeapJ2Y48
HAGEL: CAPTIVE'S LIFE WAS IN DANGER
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
— Jun. 1, 2014 5:25 AM EDT
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sunday the military operation to free Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainees was not relayed to Congress because officials believed the soldier's life was in danger.
In his first extensive public comments about Saturday's operation, Hagel said intelligence the U.S. had gathered suggested that Bergdahl's "safety and health were both in jeopardy, and in particular his health was deteriorating."
Taliban members handed Bergdahl over to special operations forces in eastern Afghanistan, and later in the day the detainees were flown from the Guantanamo detention center to Qatar.
The Pentagon did not give Congress the required 30-day notice for the release of detainees.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/hagel-captives-life-was-danger
NSA, Snowden Clash Over 2013 Internal Email Release
Source: Reuters
NSA, Snowden clash over 2013 internal email release
By Warren Strobel
WASHINGTON | Thu May 29, 2014 9:21pm EDT
By Warren Strobel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An email exchange released on Thursday shows Edward Snowden questioned the U.S. National Security Agency's legal training programs, but provides no evidence the former contractor complained internally about vast NSA surveillance programs that he later leaked to the media.
Snowden responded in an email to the Washington Post that the release by U.S. officials "is incomplete."
- snip -
"Many, many of these individuals were shocked by these programs," Snowden said, adding that he was advised: "If you say something about this, they're going to destroy you."
The emails were first released by the office of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
- snip -
Snowden told the Post there were other emails "and not just on this topic. I’m glad they’ve shown they have access to records they claimed just a few months ago did not exist, and I hope we’ll see the rest of them very soon." The email exchange appears to be the first internal communication by Snowden, while he was working for the NSA, to be released publicly.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0E92DK20140530
Obama Defends Controversial Policy Of Not Invading Countries For No Reason
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2014/05/obama-defends-controversial-policy-of-not-invading-countries-for-no-reason.htmlOBAMA DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL POLICY OF NOT INVADING COUNTRIES FOR NO REASON
May 28, 2014
OBAMA DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL POLICY OF NOT INVADING COUNTRIES FOR NO REASON
Posted By Andy Borowitz
WEST POINT (The Borowitz Report)—President Obama raised eyebrows with his West Point commencement address Wednesday by offering a defense of his controversial foreign-policy doctrine of not invading countries for no reason.
Conservative critics were taken aback by Obama’s speech, which was riddled with incendiary remarks about only using military force for a clearly identified and rational purpose.
Obama did not shy away from employing polarizing rhetoric, often using words such as “responsible” and “sensible” to underscore his message.
Harland Dorrinson, a fellow at the conservative think tank the Center for Global Intervention, said that he was “stunned” to see Obama “defend his failure to engage the United States in impulsive and random military adventures.”
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Official: Pings Not From FL 370's Black Boxes
Source: CNN
CNN Breaking News - Pings at center of Flight 370 search no longer thought to have come from black boxes, U.S. Navy official says.
Official: pings not from FL 370's black boxes
updated 6:28 PM EDT 05.28.14
By Rene Marsh and Mike M. Ahlers, CNN
MH370 search goes back to square one
(CNN) - The four acoustic pings at the center of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 for the past seven weeks are no longer believed to have come from the plane's black boxes, a U.S. Navy official told CNN.
The acknowledgment came Wednesday as searchers wrapped up the first phase of their effort, having scanned 329 square miles of southern Indian Ocean floor without finding any wreckage from the Boeing 777-200.
Authorities now almost universally believe the pings did not come from the onboard data or cockpit voice recorders, but instead came from some other man-made source unrelated to the jetliner that disappeared on March 8, according to Michael Dean, the Navy's deputy director of ocean engineering.
If the pings had come from the recorders, searchers would have found them, he said.
Dean said "yes" when asked if other countries involved in the search had reached the same conclusions.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/28/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-pinging/
Breaking: Nigeria Army 'Knows Where Boko Haram Are Holding Girls'
Source: BBC News
@AP: BREAKING: Nigerian defense chief says military has located abducted girls but cannot go in with force.
@BreakingNews: Nigerian military say they know where schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April are but cannot make it public - @BBCBreaking, @AP
Nigeria army 'knows where Boko Haram are holding girls'
8 minutes ago
The Nigerian military say they know where the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram are but they will not attempt a rescue.
Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff said it was "good news for the parents," although he admitted the military would not risk "going there with force."
- snip -
Earlier, the BBC learned that a deal to release some of the girls was close but was called off by the government.
The BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says an intermediary met leaders of the Islamist group and visited the place where they were being held.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27582873#TWEET1139617
TOM TOMORROW: The Mystery of The Unhinged Netizens
DAILY KOS LINK: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/26/1301514/-Cartoon-Net-neutrality
7 Dead in Drive-By Shooting Near UC Santa Barbara
Source: Associated Press
@AP: BREAKING: Santa Barbara sheriff: 7 killed, including attacker, in shooting rampage near college campus
7 DEAD IN DRIVE-BY SHOOTING NEAR UC SANTA BARBARA
May. 24, 2014 6:39 AM EDT
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say seven people are dead and seven wounded in a drive-by shooting in a student enclave next to the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said the dead in Friday night's rampage in the Isla Vista neighborhood included the suspected attacker who was driving a black BMW. Brown had earlier said the suspect exchanged gunfire with deputies before crashing into a parked car.
He said he didn't know whether the suspect was shot by deputies, or if his wound was self-inflicted.
The circumstances surrounding the shootings were under investigation.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3-dead-drive-shooting-near-uc-santa-barbara
Court Documents: Steubenville Superintendent Wiped Hard Drives, Lied to Investigators
Source: Associated Press
@AP: Court documents say Steubenville superintendent wiped hard drives, lied to investigators about rape allegations: http://t.co/32v8ecVZbq
OHIO SCHOOLS CHIEF ACCUSED OF DESTROYING EVIDENCE
By MARK GILLISPIE
— May. 23, 2014 7:44 PM EDT
CLEVELAND (AP) — The superintendent of the eastern Ohio district where two high school football players were found guilty of rape in a high-profile case last year wiped computer hard drives, erased emails and lied to investigators about his knowledge of the allegations against the boys, newly released court documents say.
The filing Thursday came in the case against Steubenville superintendent Michael McVey, 51, who has pleaded not guilty to felony counts of tampering with evidence and obstructing justice, and misdemeanor counts of falsification and obstructing official business.
The charges stem from an investigation of McVey's actions after he learned of the allegations in 2012 made by a 16-year-old West Virginia girl against the two members of the storied Steubenville High football team, one of whom was the team's quarterback. The teens eventually were found guilty in juvenile court and were sent to youth detention centers and classified as sex offenders.
The case drew national attention in part because of the role of texting and social media in exposing the attack, which led to allegations that authorities were covering up the actions of football players.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ohio-schools-chief-accused-destroying-evidence
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