National: The FBI over the weekend busted child prostitution operations in 76 cities, arresting 159 people described as “pimps”. Agents and local police recovered 105 children held at truck stops, motels and casinos for use as prostitutes. The suspects are not all linked.

>The verdict is expected today in the court-martial of 25-year-old PFC Bradley Manning, accused of giving 700,000 secret electronic documents to WikiLeaks. He is likely to be found guilty.

World: Pope Francis told reporters he does not object to gay priests. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” news reports quote him saying. His predecessor, the retired Benedict XVI, said homosexuals should not be priests.  

>Syrian troops have re-taken a part of the city of Homs that had been held by rebel forces, according to state media. Homs has been a focal point of struggle in Syria’s two-year civil war in which 100,000 people have died.

Off the Tracks: The safest method of travel is suddenly looking dangerous. Two trains collided in Switzerland Monday, injuring at least 35 people. Add that to fatal crashes recently in France, Spain, and Canada.

Green Movement: Police at the National Cathedral in Washington arrested a woman they said had splattered green paint on two of the Cathedral’s chapels. Last Friday the Lincoln Memorial and a statue on the National Mall were defaced with green paint, but authorities do not know if the three incidents are connected. The FBI will analyze the paint.

Underwater: Parts of 1,700 American cities and towns will be underwater by the end of the century because of climate change, according to a study released by the National Academy of Sciences. The study says nearly 80 cities will have trouble within the next ten years, including Fort Lauderdale, Hoboken, and Palm Beach. Among major cities with populated areas likely to be flooded by 2100 are New York, Miami, and Boston.

The Obit Page: Garry Davis, who renounced US citizenship in 1948 and spent his life trying to establish “world” citizenship, has died at 91 in Vermont. His organization recently granted “world citizenship” to NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Davis was traumatized by his experience as a bomber pilot in WWII and looked to erase differences between countries.

Pot and the Kettle: Former NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in scandal because he visited with prostitutes, said he will not support NY Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, who resigned from Congress because he sexted on Twitter and kept doing it after he was caught. Hand it to Spitzer. A man has got to have standards.  

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