Today's News: June 04, 2018

World News

US says airstrike in Somalia kills 27 al-Shabab extremists
Fox – The U.S. military says it has carried out an airstrike in northern Somalia that killed 27 al-Shabab extremists.

The Latest: Iran’s top leader vows response to any attack
Fox – Iran’s top leader says anyone who fires one missile at his country “will be hit by 10” in response, but dismisses fears of war as “propaganda” by the West.

FIRST female driving license issued in Saudi Arabia
A historic moment unfolded in Saudi Arabia on Monday when, after months of preparations, the first driving license was issued to a woman.

NKorea Replaces Top Military Leaders Ahead of Summit
Reuters – North Korea’s top three military officials have been removed from their posts, a senior U.S. official said, a move analysts said on Monday could support efforts by the North’s young leader to jump-start economic development and engage with the world.

Putin signs law on countermeasures against US & its allies
RT – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law stipulating implementation of counter-sanctions against the US and its allies.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Supreme Court sides with Lakewood baker in same-sex wedding cake case
Fox – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Lakewood baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple because of religious beliefs did not violate Colorado’s anti-discrimination law.
The case pitted Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, and the couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins.
The court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s actions violated the free exercise clause.

Trump says he has ‘absolute right’ to pardon himself of federal crimes but denies any wrongdoing
Washington Post – President Trump on Monday asserted an “absolute right” to pardon himself of any federal crimes but said he has no reason to do so because he has not engaged in any wrongdoing.
“As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Dallas-area church targets ‘dangerous isms,’ such as Judaism
Fox – A Dallas-area church has distributed flyers advertising a series of weekly seminars it plans to host condemning “dangerous isms,” such as Judaism, Islamism and liberalism.

Navy Developing Mothership Drones for Coastal Defense
Defence One – The U.S. Navy and researchers from Florida Atlantic University are developing robotic boats that can launch aerial and sub drones to protect U.S. coastal waters.
“Our focus will be on developing a multi-vehicle system that can safely and reliably navigate coastal waters with a high level of autonomy while performing assigned tasks,” Manhar Dhanak, director of SeaTech, the Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering in FAU’s Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, said in a press release.

LONG HOGG SUMMER: PARKLAND STUDENTS PLAN COAST-TO-COAST PROTEST TOUR
Axios – The students of March for Our Lives, including survivors of the Parkland high school shooting, today will announce a 60-day, 20-state, 75-stop summer bus tour to register young people to vote and to promote gun law reform.

Fitton: Judicial Watch Sues to Expose DOJ FISA Warrant Abuses
Breitbart – Just how much did the Department of Justice abuse the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) when it decided to go after Donald Trump? And what is the DOJ hiding from Congress (and the American people) about this scandal that is worse than Watergate? Judicial Watch is determined to find out.

Economy & Business

American Airlines warns of fare increases if oil remains high
Reuters – American Airlines <AAL.O> warned airline passengers may eventually face higher ticket prices if oil prices remain high, prompting carriers to remove seats from the market.
Oil prices have risen around 50 percent compared to the levels seen last year and that is putting pressure on airline profits.

Energy & Environment

Guatemala volcano eruption leaves dozens dead, thousands forced to evacuate
Fox – Guatemala’s most violent eruption in more than 100 years sent lava flowing into rural communities, killing 25 people and sent emergency personnel scrambling to rescue those in the surrounding area.

Hawaii evacuees leave homes as new lava threatens on Big Island.
Reuters – National Guard troops, police and firefighters ushered the last group of evacuees from homes on the eastern tip of Hawaii’s Big Island early on Saturday, hours before lava from the Kilauea volcano cut off road access to the area, officials said.
A stream of lava as wide as three football fields flowed over a highway near a junction at Kapoho, a seaside community of rebuilt after a destructive eruption of Kilauea in 1960.

An asteroid turned into a blazing fireball over Africa last weekend
Fox – An asteroid turned into a blazing fireball as it disintegrated over southern Africa last weekend, just hours after it was first spotted.
The boulder-size asteroid was discovered on Saturday morning, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies. Dubbed 2018 LA, the asteroid was estimated to be about 6 feet across, which is small enough to safely disintegrate in Earth’s atmosphere.
2018 LA was first detected by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz., which is funded by NASA and is operated by the University of Arizona.

Science & Technology

MAG: How Hacker Proved Cops Used a Secret Govt Phone Tracker to Find Him
Politico – The Hacker was found out through the warrantless use of a secretive surveillance technology known as a stingray, which snoops on cell phones. Stingrays, or cell-site simulators, act as false cell phone towers that trick phones into giving up their location. They have become yet another tool in many agencies’ toolbox, and their use has expanded with little oversight—and no public knowledge that they were even being used until the Hacker went on an obsessive quest to find out just how law enforcement tracked him that summer day. When he tugged on that thread, he found out something else: that police might be tracking a lot more than we even know on our phones, often without the warrants that are usually needed for comparable methods of invasive surveillance.

AMAZON has more than 100,000 warehouse robots
Technology Review – Amazon’s fleet of automated warehouse robots, now more than 100,000 machines strong, is working alongside human employees to help meet the e-commerce giant’s massive fulfillment demand.

Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Watch: Harvest of Greed — The Merger of Bayer and Monsanto
Mercola – The featured documentary, “Harvest of Greed,” investigates a number of the many issues brought about by the merger of Monsanto and Bayer AG. The merger was initially announced in May 2016, when Monsanto accepted Bayer’s $66 billion takeover offer — the largest all-cash buyout on record.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approved the merger in April this year,following the European Union’s (EU) approval in March. As a condition of the DOJ’s approval, Bayer will sell some of its assets to BASF — its German competitor — before the finalization of the merger.

Health

Ginger Tea: An Ancient Solution to Today’s Common Ailments
Mercola – Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one the oldest cultivated plants currently in existence. Historians believe that ginger has been grown for more 5,000 years, ever since ancient Indians and Chinese discovered and used it as a tonic root to help treat a variety of ailments.

Many Sunscreens Are Toxic and Only Half as Effective as Claimed
Mercola – While regular, consistent, sensible sun exposure is vital for optimal health and well-being — having many benefits beyond vitamin D production — overexposure can result in skin damage that could raise your risk of skin cancer. This means if you’re spending the day at the beach or engaging in outdoor activities for hours at a stretch, you likely need to bring some form of sun protection. While clothing is an ideal choice, most people opt for sunscreen, which can have a number of adverse ramifications.
Not only do many sunscreens contain toxic ingredients, many are also only half as effective as claimed. Consumer Reports recently issued its 2018 Sunscreen Buying Guide,1 which notes that testing reveals more than 70 sunscreen products do not provide the level of UVB protection stated on the label. As a result, you may end up getting sunburned anyway. The report also found that only a dozen or so products offered decent protection against both UVA and UVB rays.