Subject: Daily News Clips 3/10/14
From: "Sam Losow" <[email-masked]>
To: "undisclosed-recipients:"
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 10:24:16 -0400

*National News:*

*Search fails to explain disappearance of Malaysian airliner*
The fate of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that vanished in
flight<http://theweek.com/article/index/257705/speedreads-stolen-passports-possibly-used-on-missing-malaysia-airlines-plane>
remained
a mystery early Monday after a two-plus-day search involving 40 ships and
34 aircraft. There were unconfirmed reports that a Vietnamese plane had
spotted parts of the plane -- possibly a door and part of the tail -- at sea
near two oil slicks. Malaysian authorities said the plane, which had 227
passengers on board, might have turned around before disappearing.
[Fox News<http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/10/vietnam-says-it-cant-find-object-thought-to-be-from-missing-malaysia-airlines/>
]
..........................................................................................

*Obama plans to host new Ukrainian leader this week*
President Obama will meet at the White House on Wednesday with the head of
Ukraine's new pro-Western government, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the
Obama administration said Sunday. The meeting comes as an estimated 18,000
pro-Russian forces are being
deployed<http://theweek.com/article/index/257534/russias-ukraine-invasion-is-a-moral-crisis>
around
Ukraine's Crimea region, and Russian President Vladimir Putin backs Crimean
lawmakers' plan for a March 16 referendum on leaving Ukraine to become part
of Russia. [*The Washington
Post*<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russian-forces-tighten-grip-in-crimea/2014/03/09/3132d41c-f829-4999-93cb-2b503c8d6072_story.html>
]
..........................................................................................

*Mexican drug lord reported killed... again*
Mexican authorities said Sunday that a drug cartel leader was killed in a
morning shootout in western Mexico -- four years after the government
insisted he had been killed in another gun battle. DNA tests are underway
to confirm that the man killed by marines Sunday was Knights Templar Cartel
leader Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, also known as "The Craziest One." Two of
the country's other leading drug lords have been captured in the last year.
[*The Associated
Press*<http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/09/nazario-moreno-gonzalez-head-knights-templar-cartel-killed-4-years-after/>
]
..........................................................................................

*Earthquake hits off the Northern California coast*
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Sunday night off the coast of Northern
California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake, followed by
at least six aftershocks, hit about 50 miles from the coastal town of
Eureka, which suffered
damage<http://theweek.com/article/index/257717/speedreads-northern-california-rocked-by-a-69-earthquake3.%20>
from
a smaller 6.5 quake in 2010. Humboldt County officials received no
immediate reports of damages or injuries, and no tsunami warning was
issued. [*San Francisco
Chronicle*<http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Series-of-quakes-including-6-9-temblor-hits-5302599.php>
]
..........................................................................................

*Kim Jong Un wins unanimous North Korea election*
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was elected to his communist
country's<http://theweek.com/article/index/256523/north-korea-isnt-nazi-germany-mdash-in-some-ways-its-worse>
highest
legislative body on Sunday, with 100 percent of the vote. There was 100
percent turnout in his district, and his name was the only one on the
ballot. The vote to pick the assembly's 687 deputies is held once every
five years. The government said the ceremonial election showed the
"people's absolute support," but experts say it was intended to spot
dissidents. [*Irish
Times*<http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/no-votes-cast-against-kim-jong-un-in-election-1.1718912>
]
..........................................................................................

*Poll finds young adults are upbeat and liberal*
Millennials are far more liberal than older generations, according to a Pew
Research Center poll released over the weekend. These young adults -- aged
18 to 33 -- also are less religious, less likely to refer to themselves as
"patriotic," and more likely to vote Democratic than older Americans. Their
liberal beliefs translate into a greater acceptance of gay rights and an
activist government. [*Los Angeles
Times*<http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-millennials-upbeat-pew-20140307,0,2623852.story#axzz2vWN41B00>
]
..........................................................................................

*Snowden to address SXSW conference from Moscow*
National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is scheduled to
speak<http://theweek.com/article/index/257364/speedreads-edward-snowden-to-speak-about-privacy-and-technology-at-sxsw--via-video-conference>
at
the South By Southwest Interactive Festival on Monday, but he won't be
there in person. Snowden will appear via video link from Moscow, where he
is living under temporary asylum to avoid felony charges in the U.S. for
leaking classified documents on the NSA's mass surveillance programs.
Fugitive WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made a similar appearance
Saturday. [*The Associated
Press*<http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Edward-Snowden-to-speak-at-SXSW-conference-5302691.php?cmpid=htx>
]

..........................................................................................

*Brown Allies Signalling He'll Run
<http://politicalwire.com/archives/2014/03/10/brown_allies_signalling_hell_run.html>*
Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) and key allies "are suddenly sending signals
he intends to jump into the 2014 Senate race in New Hampshire,"
CNN<http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/09/empty-your-notebook-scott-brown-sending-signals-that-he-intends-to-jump-in-and-5-other-things-you-learned-on-inside-politics/>
 reports.

"Brown has been debating for months about whether to challenge Democratic
incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, torn, friends say, about whether he should
instead run for president in 2016, or just forgo running for elective
office again. Well a number of GOP sources in New Hampshire report
receiving calls in recent days from Brown or his top allies, and there's
word from GOP operatives that there are conversations about building a
Senate campaign staff."

..........................................................................................
States finding ways around cuts in food
stamps<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/states-finding-ways-to-skirt-cuts-in-food-stamps-frustrating-congressional-goals/2014/03/09/bf9d2620-a7c5-11e3-b61e-8051b8b52d06_story.html>Congress
last month passed a revamp of agriculture and food policy that was supposed
to save the U.S. government $8.6 billion in food-stamp costs over a decade.

That may not happen, though, now that some states are finding a way to
avoid the cuts.

New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are triggering extra nutrition
spending by adding money to a home-heating subsidy tied to increased
food-stamp aid. The move feeds needy families while thwarting spending-
reduction goals.

Deficit watchers say they are disappointed, while anti-hunger activists are
lobbying other states to do the same. If more follow, the federal
government would have to spend much of the $8.6 billion it planned to save,
as states reduce spending on other programs to meet the new mandate.

"Some states will be able to do it, some states will not be able to. No one
knows for how long they'll be able to do it," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)
said. "They have jumped into the breach where the federal government
abdicated its responsibility."

..........................................................................................
Timeline of major changes to the Affordable Care
Act<http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/timeline-of-major-change-to-the-affordable-care-act/2014/03/08/10859e88-a630-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html>
As it has been implementing the 2010 law reshaping the U.S. health-care
system, the Obama administration has instituted a series of delays and
other changes to the way the statute works in practice. Some changes were
prompted by the government's technical and other difficulties in launching
HealthCare.gov, the online insurance marketplace on which three dozen
states rely. Other changes respond to complaints by specific groups of
consumers or parts of the health-care industry. Major changes and the dates
when they were announced:

*2016 Presidential News:*

Where Ted Cruz and Rand Paul disagree -- and what it means for
2016<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/03/09/where-ted-cruz-and-rand-paul-disagree-and-what-it-means-for-2016/>
Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (Tex.) and Rand Paul (Ky.) are two of the tea
party's biggest heroes. They're often lumped together as leaders of a
stridently conservative movement that is regularly at odds with the GOP
establishment.

But not all tea party rock stars are created equal.

In separate media interviews broadcast Sunday, the two Republicans showed
where they part ways in both style and substance, offering a glimpse at
potential battle lines in the 2016 GOP presidential primary.

Cruz does not feel like he is aligned with Paul on foreign policy. He made
that point in no uncertain terms.

"I'm a big fan of Rand Paul; he and I are good friends. I don't agree with
him on foreign policy," Cruz told ABC's "This Week With George
Stephanopoulos." "I think U.S. leadership is critical in the world, and I
agree with him that we should be very reluctant to deploy military force
abroad, but I think there is a vital role, just as Ronald Reagan did."

Paul is well-known for his libertarian-leaning views on foreign policy and
national security. But Cruz has made clear that's not where he comes down.
He described his approach last year as "somewhere in between" Paul and
hawkish Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). (Side note: doesn't just about every
Republican fall in between those two poles?)

*Biden News:*

Biden: Venezuelan mess
'alarming'<http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/venezuela-joe-biden-104466.html?hp=l10>
ANTIAGO, Chile -- Vice President Joe Biden called Venezuela's situation
alarming in remarks published Sunday, suggesting its government is using
"armed vigilantes" against peaceful protesters and accusing it of
"concocting false and outlandish conspiracy theories" about the United
States.

Biden's remarks, issued in writing to a Chilean newspaper in response to
questions, drew an angry rebuke from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"We reject their aggression," President Maduro told supporters at a rally
the socialist-led government held at the presidential palace. "They were
defeated in the OAS and now they want revenge."

The United States had strongly objected to a declaration of solidarity for
Venezuela issued by the Organization of American States on Friday night.

Washington said the declaration contradicted the OAS charter, in part, by
stressing non-intervention in Venezuela over guaranteeing that human rights
and free speech are respected there. Twenty-nine states voted in favor of
Friday night's declaration with only the United States, Canada and Panama
objecting.

*Opinion:*

Strengthen the I.M.F.<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/opinion/strengthen-the-imf.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>

Supporting the fund is an important way to help countries in trouble, like
Ukraine.

*DE News:*
Food stamp use increasing in
Delaware<http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2014/03/08/food-stamp-use-increasing-in-delaware/6218559/>
Each Delaware community experienced different problems.

In New Castle County, it was the loss of good-paying jobs. In Smyrna,
thousands of newcomers seeking an affordable life stumbled into economic
troubles. In Rehoboth Beach, younger workers and seniors struggled to make
ends meet.

In each, increasingly, many Delawareans needed help with food.

The number of state residents receiving food stamps has nearly tripled over
the past 10 years, far outpacing the relatively small increase of 14
percent in population.

For Joyce Robertson, 68, of Wilmington, it began in 2004, when she was
forced to become legal guardian to her two granddaughters. "I've been on
food stamps ever since," she said.

"When I go to the grocery store, if I get a family pack of chicken wings,
it's $12-and-something out of the $99," she said. "So I split it and try to
make two meals. Whatever they got on sale, I try to get it. And the rest, I
go to a dollar store and get dollar hot dogs, and stuff like that."

Robertson says she can't afford to buy the juice and vegetables she knows
her granddaughters need for a well-rounded diet. There's a food pantry at
the nearby St. Patrick's Center, which provides emergency food for those in
need. But demand is high and the pickings, she said, are sometimes slim.

"You got to get there, like, 6 o'clock in the morning, to sign up, because
there's a great big line," she said. "And if you don't get there that early
... there may be nothing left. There might be one orange, or one apple."

The News Journal obtained data from the Department of Health and Social
Services showing the number of food stamp recipients in each ZIP code
around the state for 2003 and 2013. The data show where food stamp use has
increased the most, but every county experienced an increase of at least 97
percent.

In New Castle County's 19713 ZIP code south of Newark, the population fell
2.7 percent, yet the number of food stamp recipients increased 299 percent.
In Kent's 19977 in Smyrna, the population grew by an astounding 70 percent,
while the food stamp population increased 250 percent. In the Rehoboth
Beach area of Sussex, where population grew nearly 23 percent, the number
of food stamp users skyrocketed 325 percent.

-- 
Sam Losow
*Finance Assistant*
Beau Biden, DE Attorney General
Office: (302) 295-8340
Cell: (202) 821-3399
[email-masked]