More Debris Spotted, Mudslide Toll Rises

Debris: Malaysia’s defense minister says new satellite images show 122 objects floating in the Indian Ocean that might come from the missing Flight 370. The objects, some of them 75 feet long, are scattered over an area of 154 square miles. Despite many false leads, Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said, “this is still the most credible lead that we have.” If the plane went down in the ocean, the debris could have drifted hundreds of miles since the crash.

Ukraine: Amid gunfire, explosions, and smoke grenades, Ukraine’s last remaining naval ship in Crimea was seized by the Russian military last night. The 50 crewmembers of the minesweeper were detained.

President Obama yesterday dissed Vladimir Putin and his country as “a regional power” that is a threat mostly to countries on its own border. In a further insult, Obama said Russia is acting “not out of strength, but out of weakness.”

Obama has felt compelled to respond to recent accusations by former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republican leaders that he hasn’t been tough enough on Russia. Romney described the Russians as  “an adversary on the world stage.” But Obama said, in response to a reporter’s questions, “The fact that Russia felt compelled to go in militarily and lay bare these violations of international law indicates less influence, not more.” Obama said he’s more afraid of a nuke in Manhattan than he is of Russia.

Mudslide:  Sixteen bodies have now been recovered from the muck and rubble of Saturday’s mudslide in Oso, Wash. Authorities say they have located another eight bodies but have been unable to pull them out. Up to 176 people are still unaccounted for and the local fire chief says searchers have not given up trying to find survivors.

Nation: The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday on whether employers can cite religious reasons to deny specific kinds of contraception to employees in their healthcare plans. The basic question is whether companies have religious rights the same as people. The case involves the Hobby Lobby chain of 500 craft stores. Its owners, David and Barbara Green, are conservative Christians who say the IUD and morning after pill are forms of abortion because they interfere with a human egg after it has been fertilized. The government argued that the Greens’ religious beliefs do not override the beliefs and healthcare choices of their employees. Reporters said the female justices appeared to side with mandatory coverage, while most of the male justices were skeptical.

World: Seven million people around the world died of the effects of air pollution in 2012, according to an estimate by the World Health Organization. About half the deaths occurred in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific the WHO says. The report said air pollution is “the world’s largest single environmental health risk.”

Line of Fire: Three members of President Obama’s Secret Service detail were sent home from the Netherlands because they got drunk. The Washington Post reports that one agent passed out in a hotel hallway.

This is CNN: Two CNN producers were arrested trying to break into the new World Trade Center in an effort to show how loose the security is. A teenager recently got to the top of the Freedom Tower and three base jumpers were arrested after parachuting off the building. The two reporters had several run-ins with security and eventually were arrested trying to get through an electronic gate. It’s a new journalistic technique, covering crime by committing it.

CelebriNews: Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin announced on Paltrow’s website “Goop” that they are separating after 10 years of marriage. The announcement appears under the site’s heading “Journal”, but you could also click on Home, Shop, Recipes, App, or About.

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It's Been Said

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