Subject: Daily News Clips 3/11/14
From: "Sam Losow" <[email-masked]>
To: "undisclosed-recipients:"
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:50:51 -0400

*National News:*

*Experts see no signs of terrorism in Malaysian plane mystery*
Malaysian authorities said Tuesday that one of two men allegedly traveling
with stolen passports on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 when it disappeared
Saturday was an Iranian seeking asylum in Europe. Investigators said that
weakened the theory that the plane was the target of an attack. Still,
experts have not ruled out sabotage, hijacking, mechanical problems, or any
other potential explanation for how the Boeing 777
vanished<http://theweek.com/article/index/257720/speedreads-missing-malaysia-airlines-flight-is-an-unprecedented-aviation-mystery>
with
239 people on board.
[*TIME*<http://time.com/19532/malaysia-stolen-passport-user-was-asylum-seeker/>
, *Reuters*<http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/10/us-malaysiaairlines-flight-idUSBREA2701720140310>
]
..........................................................................................

*Snowden says his leaks made the world more secure*
Edward Snowden said Monday that the government was wrong when it said his
leaking of secret National Security Agency documents had endangered
national security. Speaking from Moscow via webcast to people at the South
by Southwest Interactive Festival in Texas, Snowden said his exposure of
NSA data mining had benefited
people<http://theweek.com/article/index/257753/speedreads-snowden-on-the-nsa-theyre-setting-fire-to-the-future-of-the-internet>
all
over the world. Reforms underway at the NSA, he said, vindicated him. [*The
Christian Science
Monitor*<http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2014/0310/Snowden-His-NSA-leaks-leave-world-in-a-more-secure-place>
, Voice of America<http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-snowden-reforms-vindicate-my-leaks/1868520.html>
]
..........................................................................................

*Senate approves a bill aiming to reduce military rapes*
The Senate unanimously approved a bill Monday that would change the way the
military handles sexual assault cases. The legislation would remove the
"good soldier defense" that has cast doubt on past criminal allegations,
but, unlike a rival bill that failed last week, it would leave decisions on
rape prosecutions to military commanders. Congress and the Pentagon have
pledged to address the persistent
problem<http://theweek.com/article/index/244663/can-congress-solve-the-militarys-sexual-assault-problem>
of
rape in the military. [CBS
News<http://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-approves-bill-to-combat-military-sexual-assault/>
]
..........................................................................................

*Russia cements control in Crimea ahead of referendum*
Pro-Russia forces took control of more Ukrainian military bases and
government facilities in Crimea on Monday. The moves helped to solidify
Moscow's control over the region ahead of aSunday
referendum<http://theweek.com/article/index/257640/speedreads-is-crimeas-vote-to-join-russia-legitimate>
on
whether the region should break away from Ukraine and become part of
Russia. An online poll created by the pro-Russia Crimean parliament showed
voters favoring a union with Russia by nearly a three-to-one margin. [*The
Washington Post*<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-leader-to-visit-white-house-this-week-as-russia-cites-chaos/2014/03/10/6b298a20-a84c-11e3-8d62-419db477a0e6_story.html?hpid=z3>
]
..........................................................................................

*Colorado rakes in $2 million in January pot taxes*
Colorado government took in $2 million in marijuana taxes in January, the
state reported Monday. The total -- the world's first accounting of the
legal recreational pot
trade<http://theweek.com/article/index/254677/why-legalizing-marijuana-is-a-smart-fiscal-move>
--
meant that $14 million worth of the weed was sold at the state-licensed
dispensaries that managed to open that month (there are now 160 of them).
After Colorado legalized marijuana in 2012, voters approved 12.9 percent
sales taxes and 15 percent excise taxes. [*The Associated
Press*<http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/10/colorado-marijuana-taxes-net-state-2-million/>
]
..........................................................................................

*Judge pauses Army general's rape trial*
A military judge has halted the court-martial of Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey
Sinclair to look into possible Pentagon interference in the rape trial.
Col. James Pohl, the presiding judge, dismissed the jury to consider
whether Army officials who rejected Sinclair's plea offer had been unduly
influenced, after emails surfaced in which a senior military lawyer,
writing to Fort Bragg judicial officials, questioned the accuser's
credibility. [CNN<http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/10/justice/jeffrey-sinclair-court-martial/index.html?hpt=hp_t2>
]
..........................................................................................

*Scientists develop a blood test to predict Alzheimer's*
Researchers have come up with a blood test they say can predict whether a
person will develop Alzheimer's disease. Their study, published in the
journal *Nature
Medicine*<http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.3466.html>,
looked at 525 people aged 70 or older. The blood of people who developed
signs of the mental impairment that comes with Alzheimer' had 10
metabolites that were depleted. Tests for these chemicals can spot those
who will develop the disease within three years.
[*Healthline*<http://www.healthline.com/health-news/senior-health-new-blood-test-for-alzheimers-031014>
]

..........................................................................................
How America's internet can become the fastest on
Earth<http://theweek.com/article/index/257730/how-americas-internet-can-become-the-fastest-on-earth>

As I wrote last
week<http://theweek.com/article/index/257404/why-is-american-internet-so-slow>,
the United States -- the country where the internet was
invented<http://www.computerhistory.org/internet_history/> --
now ranks 31st in the world for internet speed, behind such countries as
Romania, Estonia, South Korea, and Uruguay.

The fastest internet in the world -- namely, in Hong Kong and Singapore --
can be found in tiny city-states. But America's geographic bulk isn't
necessarily the issue. After all, some relatively large countries, like
Sweden and Japan, are way ahead of the United States in internet speed. And
Russia -- the largest country in the world by land
mass<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_area>
 and a much poorer country than the
U.S.<http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2013/04/26/economically-russia-is-roughly-where-the-united-states-was-in-the-1950s/>
--
is level with America on internet speed.

It doesn't have to be this way. The U.S. has some of the fastest
commercially available internet connections in the world, such as Google
Fiber <https://fiber.google.com/about/>, at up to 1Gbps, almost 50 times
faster than the U.S. average<http://www.netindex.com/download/allcountries/>.
If just half of homes around the country had access to those kinds of
speeds, the U.S. would comfortably be the fastest place on Earth. The
problem -- and the place where other countries have begun to leapfrog the
U.S. -- is not developing super-fast connections, but making those speeds
available to more people.

*Biden News:*

*Biden on Stoklosa: A genuine inspiration*
Born with Down syndrome, 32-year-old Jon Stoklosa is a champion powerlifter
who competes in the Special Olympics as well as other competitions against
non-disabled athletes.

He has lifted more than 400 pounds in both the bench press and squat,
surprising and earning the respect of athletes at every competition he
attends.

The Newark man also earned the respect of Vice President Joe Biden.

Last month, Stoklosa met the vice president at Biden's office in the West
Wing of the White House in Washington.

Biden used the meeting as the topic of his most recent "Being Biden" audio
piece.

Biden begins the piece by saying how flattered he was when he found out
Stoklosa wanted to meet him.

"Jonathon is a genuine inspiration," Biden says. "This is a kid who goes
out there and bench presses 402.5 pounds and does it with an attitude of
expectation and joy that is remarkable to see.

"You can't feel anything but optimistic when you stand with him."

321foundation dispels outdated attitudes about Down syndrome

Biden ends the piece with a comment that I'm sure almost all who meet
Stoklosa would say.

"I just wanted to let you know there's some real inspirational people out
there," Biden said, adding, "This is an incredible young man."

Incredible indeed.
*Opinion: *

The Democrats Stand Up to the
Kochs<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/11/opinion/the-democrats-stand-up-to-the-kochs.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>

Democrats can't match the Koch brothers unlimited money, but they can use
their political pulpits to fight for a few basic principles.

*DE News:*

*Delaware company gets free-trade status*A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson
is the first company in Delaware to take advantage of a free-trade
provision that helps companies save money on tariffs when they import raw
materials.

Noramco, a pharmaceutical company, will get foreign trade zone status at
its Wilmington facility, according to the Delaware Economic Development
Office. That's despite the fact that the facility is not actually in an
area that has been designated a foreign trade zone, by its traditional
definition.

There are about 250 foreign trade zones in the country. In Delaware,
Citrosuco, AstraZeneca and PBF Energy already have these designations tied
to their physical locations.

Foreign trade zones are places where tariff payments can be delayed, or in
some cases, don't need to be paid after raw materials are fashioned into a
finished product, said Jeffrey Stone, foreign trade zone administrator for
DEDO.

Stone said foreign trade zones historically have been tied to a geographic
area, like the Port of Wilmington. But recently those zones have been
expanded to a 90-minute drive in every direction, something the government
calls an "alternative site framework."

Noramco's Delaware facility received the status from the Foreign Trade Zone
Board of the U.S. Department of Commerce as of March 4, DEDO reported.

Noramco's use of this is the first time a company has taken advantage of
these expanded foreign trade zones in Delaware, Stone said. The facility
makes active ingredients for products including Johnson & Johnson's
Topamax, an epilepsy drug.

John Daly, the site's general manager, said the status will allow the
company to import raw materials from Belgium, duty-free and tax-free, until
they are turned into active ingredients and are ready to ship. In this
case, they will be shipped to Johnson & Johnson's affiliate in Georgia, for
further export, he said.

The company will pay the tariffs, but will wait until the raw materials are
processed, then shipped as active ingredients, he said. "It's a minor
benefit overall, but any benefit is important when you're competing in the
global marketplace."

Stone said the imports covered by the foreign trade zones are still subject
to customs inspections.

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