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Wednesday, June 19 2013

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First Line News Articles for Wednesday, June 19 2013
Top Stories
Essay: 'Feed people without destroying the earth'

In an increasingly busy, complex world, we need time to reset our minds and create something that will benefit our health and the minds and health of those around us.

Colorado Mormons join other faiths in response to Black Forest Fire

Nearly 260 members of the Colorado Springs Colorado North Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were just beginning the first day of Cub Scout day camp in the Black Forest area when someone noticed smoke billowing over the trees

Captive in Kuwait: Contract dispute leaves 100 Americans stranded on US Army bases

At least 100 American citizens have been trapped for months on two U.S. bases inside Kuwait after local police unjustly issued warrants for their arrest, a U.S. defense contractor told FoxNews.com.

NSA chief defends surveillance, says helped prevent terror plots more than 50 times since 9/11

The National Security Agency and Justice Department mounted a vigorous defense of the government's controversial surveillance efforts on Tuesday, with NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander claiming they have helped prevent "potential terrorist events" over 50 times since 9/11.

Immigration reform: Senate Republicans appear on the cusp of buying in

Two pragmatic Senate Republicans are working furiously with Senate immigration reformers to strike a compromise on a package of amendments to the bipartisan reform bill, offering up the Senate’s most realistic chance of passing a reform bill with the slew of GOP votes that the bill’s authors have long coveted.

The NSA’s Impossible Position

In politics, scale matters. If government spent 1 percent of GDP annually, we’d probably still have waste, fraud, abuse, self-dealing, and all the rest of it, but it would matter less to people.

Utah kids take part in World's Largest Swimming Lesson

Novice swimmers were paddling and kicking, others were practicing blowing bubbles and floating. But it wasn't just a normal day at the Fairmont Aquatic Center. The kids were attempting to break the largest swimming lesson world record Tuesday.

LDS
Team USA to play at Rio Tinto in World Cup qualifier.

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer team will host Honduras in front of a sold-out crowd at Rio Tinto stadium tonight.

Provo artist offers a peek at raw art in 'Drawings"

Drawing has always been something that one Provo resident has done since childhood.

7-year-old girl who met Justin Bieber passes away, leaves family with sweet memories

Millie Flamm, a 7-year-old from Cottonwood Heights, passed away Tuesday morning after battling leukemia for the past three and a half years.

The Road Home to conduct a 24-hour online giving campaign Thursday

For the past 2 ½ months, home for Jennifer Alvarez and her two children has been the top bunk of a metal-framed bunk bed at The Road Home community shelter.

National
Charitable giving in U.S. grew in 2012, albeit modestly – report

WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - Individual charitable giving in the United States grew almost 4 percent last year, while corporate donations rose at triple that rate, according to a report that shows donations by Americans to nonprofit groups mirroring the slow recovery of the larger economy.

U.S. to Propose New Phase In Nuclear-Arms Cuts

President Barack Obama will make the case for a new phase in nuclear-weapons reductions that would reduce arsenals by another one-third in a major foreign-policy speech in Berlin on Wednesday, a senior Obama administration official said.

Man Arrested For Protecting Home From Vandals

A New York man could be facing up to four years in jail after he captured four young boys vandalizing his father-in-law’s house – and held them inside a closet until the police arrived.

Chrysler agrees to recall of Jeeps at risk of fire

Chrysler avoided a showdown with government safety regulators Tuesday, agreeing to recall 2.7 million older Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs that could be at risk of a fuel tank fire.

University of Michigan unveils asymmetrical sun-powered racing car

Two-time defending American Solar Challenge champion the University of Michigan is hoping for a lopsided win at the world's top sun-powered car competition in Australia this year.

3 charged with enslaving disabled Ohio mom, child

A mentally disabled woman charged with shoplifting a candy bar asked to be jailed because three people "had been mean to her" _ then went on to tell authorities about her time spent in unfathomably cruel servitude, along with her young daughter, at the hands of three people, authorities said Tuesday.

House approves bill banning most abortions after 20-week mark

The Republican-led House on Tuesday passed a far-reaching anti-abortion bill that conservatives saw as a milestone in their 40-year campaign against legalized abortion and Democrats condemned as yet another example of the GOP war on women.

The Insanity Of U.S. Farm Policies

Imagine you have a business and I’ve guaranteed that you receive a higher price than you’d otherwise be able to obtain from your customers, shielding you from competition. Then I lend you money, directly or indirectly

First a shark Now a stingray

They were one of a handful of families playing in the waves off Surfside Beach. This family from Dallas knew about Monday's sharkbite and were on the lookout for fish around their children. They did not expect to encounter a stingray.

United 787 heading to Tokyo diverted to Seattle

An indication of an oil filter problem prompted the crew of a Boeing 787 flying from Denver to Tokyo to divert to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, a United Airlines spokeswoman said.

World
Kenya giving laptops to all first graders, amid controversy

New president Uhuru Kenyatta plans to decrease Kenya's digital divide with the rest of the world by starting in January to hand out more than 400,000 free laptops to Kenyan first graders.

G-8 calls for removal of Al Qaeda fighters in Syria, but doesn't mention Assad's fate

The leaders of major industrial nations including the U.S. and Russia said in a Group of Eight declaration that they are united in wanting a negotiated and peaceful end to the Syrian civil war that will produce a government "that inspires public confidence," but they did not call on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.

US, Taliban to hold Afghanistan peace talks in Qatar office this week, officials say

Representatives from the United States and the Taliban will engage in Afghanistan peace talks Thursday in an office that has opened in Qatar, senior U.S. administration officials say.

Hasan Rowhani is no moderate on Iran's nuclear weapons program

Within days of Hasan Rowhani’s election as Iran’s president, the White House and several European governments were already ecstatic at the possibility of resuming negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear-weapons program.

U.S. strategy puts it in middle of 'holy war'

Not only has the United States decided to begin providing weapons to the Syrian opposition, now Sunni Muslim clerics from the Gulf Cooperating Council countries, which are backed by the U.S. in arming and providing fighters to the opposition, have issued a fatwa calling for a “holy war” against Syria and its Shiite allies, principally Hezbollah, according to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

Culture
New language discovered in northern Australia

A new language, one that combines elements of English with traditional indigenous speech, has been discovered in northern Australia, according to a new study.

Ancient Chinese tomb murals found

A colorful, well-preserved "mural tomb," where a military commander and his wife were likely buried nearly 1,500 years ago, has been uncovered in China.

From a caged teen in a basement in India to literary fame

Salma's fate wasn’t meant to be any different to that of millions of girls in rural India: You’re born to the huge disappointment of your parents who were desperate for a boy; you're sent to school for a few years; you're married off in your teens and have children of your own. Eventually, you die.

Science
SHIELD Act to protect from solar catastrophes, electromagnetic pulses

It’s among the greatest threats facing America today, U.S. Congressman Trent Franks states bluntly: a tremendous electromagnetic pulse, either naturally occurring or from a small nuclear device detonated outside the atmosphere.

Loch Ness 'monster' spied... in space!

Ol’ Nessie isn’t known for making herself easy to find, but it looks like she recently popped up in an image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey — and my, how she’s grown!

Why Some Scientists Embrace the ‘Multiverse’

Last week, in Nice, France, I was privileged to participate along with 30 scholars, mostly scientists and mathematicians, in a conference on the question of whether the universe was designed, or at least fine-tuned, to make life, especially intelligent life.

Health
2-year-old girl walks on new prosthetic legs after lawnmower accident

A toddler whose feet were amputated after her father accidentally backed over her with a riding lawnmower took her first steps on her new prosthetic test legs Monday.

Autism linked with air-pollution exposure during pregnancy

Pregnant women who are exposed to high levels of air pollution may be more likely to give birth to children with autism, according to a new study.

Concussions cause brain abnormalities similar to Alzheimer’s, study shows

More and more research has raised concern over the dangers of concussions – one of the most common forms of head trauma – as many sufferers go on to experience persistent neurological symptoms throughout their lives.

WHO urges tougher food marketing rules to curb childhood obesity

The marketing of unhealthy foods to children has proven "disastrously effective", driving obesity by using cheap social media channels to promote fat-, salt- and sugar-laden foods, the World Health Organization's Europe office said on Tuesday.

Heimlich rescues choking Texas congressman

A Texas congressman who was choking on a piece of popcorn is thanking a fellow Republican from Arizona and a House staffer who is also a doctor for stepping in to help.

Playing outdoors lowers risk for nearsightedness in children

Children have long been encouraged to go outdoors to play -- to improve their mood, get exercise and break the hypnotic spell of cellphones, television and video games. But now there's another important reason --- it may help them avoid vision problems.

Economy
German wage rises, exports offer hope for euro zone

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German wages rose at their fastest pace in almost four years at the start of 2013 and euro zone exports jumped in April, giving the bloc a basis for a recovery from its long recession.

Royal baby to give almost £240 million bump to British economy

LONDON (Reuters) - From Union Jack booties to 'Born to Rule' sleepwear, the British royal family has joined retailers in offering baby products to mark the arrival of the royal heir.

For Fairfax homeless students, graduation means a diploma and a brighter future

In their blue caps and gowns, Sia Kanu and Zac Winland blended in with the rows of graduating Lee High School students Monday. But unlike the hundreds of other seniors in their Fairfax County class, the two 19-year-olds represented a tiny sliver of the county’s student population: Both are homeless and living apart from their families, fending for themselves while trying to overcome harrowing pasts.

Rising mortgage rates elicit fears they could hurt housing recovery

Mortgage rates have spiked over the past few weeks, rising at the fastest pace since 2010, sparking fears that the housing market could weaken and undermine the country’s economic recovery.

Entitlements Are Going to Consume Even More of The Federal Budget than Projected

It’s old news that the U.S. is on an unsustainable fiscal path. As I explained earlier in June, the 2013 Trustees’ Report, which looks at the financial situation of Medicare and Social Security, confirmed that, while the situation is not deteriorating as fast as it had in previous years, things are not looking up.

CBO: Immigration bill would cut $700B from deficit over 20 years

About 8 million immigrants living unlawfully in the United States would initially gain legal status under sweeping legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, adding the bill would push federal deficits lower in each of the next two decades.