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Enjoy the tranquil sounds of Carla White, everyone.

International Politics

Overall

– A Malaysian Airlines plane was allegedly shot down near the Ukrainian/Russian border by a surface-to-air missile. The 295 people on board were all killed, including the pilots. Very, very tragic news.

– After the plane was shot down, President Obama called Vladimir Putin to discuss what happened

– The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Ukraine

– Afghanistan blamed Pakistan for failing to get Afghan militants and letting them escape

Middle East

– Activist Jeff Halper talks to The Real News on the violence in Gaza that might escalate as a result of government propaganda

– A Palestinian mother pens a powerful piece on the ongoing threat Israel presents in the Gaza Strip

– Meanwhile, Israel launched a major ground offensive in Gaza, which certainly will escalate the violence

– Former U.S. President Bill Clinton warned Israel not to isolate “itself from world opinion”

– The Kurds in Syria called for conscription in order to beat back the Islamic State

– Meanwhile, the Kurds in Iraq are refusing to allow Iraqi soldiers into certain areas to challenge ISIS militants

Africa 

– Journalist Vijay Prashad explains on The Real News how volatile Libyan politics are and the consequences for people living in the country

Asia and Oceania

– Thailand’s military junta allowed former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to leave for Paris, France, for a brother’s birthday

Europe

– Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an asserted Israel was seeking a “systematic genocide” of Palestinians

– The CIA’s station chief in Germany left at the request of the German government as relations between the two countries sour

– The Ukrainian government’s offensive is not limited to eastern Ukraine as bombings occured in Russia as well

Latin America, Caribbean and Canada

– Jason Leopold: “Guantanamo Bay Officials Just Figured Out That Olive Oil Is a Terrible Lubricant”

– Bolivia passed laws allowing for children as young as 10 to work; Very peculiar to allow this to be legitimatized

Surveillance Planet

– The Guardian has snippets of its full interview with Edward Snowden, which will be released tomorrow. Regardless, Snowden states his views on returning to the U.S., why Dropbox is not reliable, and why upgrading security is necessary in contemporary times

– Edward Snowden says young men working at the NSA usually shared photos of attractive naked women they came across with other co-workers

Financial Matters

– Gallup: 35 percent of Americans say now is a good time to look for a quality job, the highest result ever recorded in the past seven years.

– Part three of three with Chris Hedges and Lawrence Lessig on the challenges of defeating a two-party system

– When current New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) was the state’s attorney general, he investigated mortgage fraud committed by bankers and was advised by a mortgage lobbyist at the time

Labor’s a-Brewing

– On the West Coast, cities have had enough of Congress’ failure to pass anything on minimum wage and decided to take the issue in their own hands

– Despite the Harris v. Quinn decision, the AFSCME found a way to still get people to join unions minimizing the effects of the decision

– It seems there will be no strike by transit workers in New York City as a deal was reached

Politics US

Washington USA

– Bowe Bergdahl’s lawyer stated, in an interview with The Daily Beast, Bergdahl was thankful for President Obama saving his life

– Max Blumenthal: “Obama Humiliates Muslim Guests at White House Ramadan Event, Endorses Israel’s Gaza Assault and NSA Surveillance”

– Speaker of the House John Boehner stated the process for deporting undocumented children should be quicker in order to make policy on immigration

Anytown USA

– Amy Goodman: “Border Children: ‘They Don’t Speak English, but They Understand Hate’”

– A judge ruled Florida’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional; There is more good news coming from the gay marriage issue, it seems, every day

– NBC News pulled a journalist who witnessed the four children in Gaza murdered by an Israeli missile, there was no explanation

– After eight years of being called a terrorist, despite not being one in the first place, and facing a problematic bureacracratic justice system, Talha Ahsan is now free

Health, Hunger and Homelessness

– Farmers in Mexico are resisting the introduction of genetically modified crops as they do not think it benefits them

The Second Sex

– Both Hobart College and William Smith College are under fire for their failure to properly address rape on campus

– Vanderbilt University, meanwhile, is facing a $20 million lawsuit for failing to addressing sexual harassment of a student

– Jessica Valenti: “The campus rape problem doesn’t end at the gates. We need bigger solutions”

– New research found female researchers suffer from the same sexual harassment other women face everywhere else

Planet Earth

– Nuclear power plants are forced to deal with nuclear waste, an issue they have avoided for years

– With reactionaries told to invest in water for profit-making opportunities, it is a microcosm of the privatization forces in the upcoming water wars

– Nuclear weapons, if used, could destroy the climate further and contribute to mankind’s destruction

– Australia repealed its carbon tax, which Prime Minister Tony Abbott praised since he said the carbon tax was “destructive”

Mixed Bag

– Pew: The number of Americans living in multi-generational houses is on the rise

– Dave Zirin: “On Dwight Howard and #FreePalestine”

– Here are five benefits of drinking tea, although certain teas provide different benefits. Still, it is one of the best beverages to drink.

– “Brazilian Government Posts Listings For 12 Soccer Stadiums On Craigslist” A shame it is only an article from the Onion

– Chelsea Manning will undergo gender treatment as the Bureau of Prisons rejected the Army’s request for transfer away from military prison

Break Time

– Can’t Say Goodbye to Yesterday