By Lauren Weber
Monday August 17th, 2015
TOP STORIES
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO CHINA: STOP SENDING COVERT AGENTS TO U.S. "The Obama administration has delivered a warning to Beijing about the presence of Chinese government agents operating secretly in the United States to pressure prominent expatriates -- some wanted in China on charges of corruption -- to return home immediately, according to American officials. The American officials said that Chinese law enforcement agents covertly in this country are part of Beijing’s global campaign to hunt down and repatriate Chinese fugitives and, in some cases, recover allegedly ill-gotten gains." Meet the man who could be “the biggest defector in decades” that China is hunting. The warning occurs as Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to make his first trip to the White House next month. [NYT]
THE WHITE HOUSE'S HEROIN PLAN Inside the action plan aimed at combatting the rise of heroin use throughout the nation by shifting "the emphasis from punishment to the treatment of addicts." [WaPo]
PENTAGON TO EXPAND DRONE PROGRAM The Pentagon plans to increase drone flights by 50 percent over the next four years. [WSJ]
HOW ISIS LURES HIGH-ACHIEVING TEENAGERS "Perhaps that is why everyone failed to respond to the many signs that foreshadowed their dark turn. The families, who noticed the girls’ behavior changing, attributed it to teenage whims; school staff members, who saw their homework deteriorate, failed to inform the parents or intervene; the police, who spoke to the girls twice about their friend who had traveled to Syria, also never notified the parents." [NYT]
MALCOLM GLADWELL: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE KATRINA EXODUS Gladwell examines whether it was better to stay and rebuild or leave and restart. [The New Yorker]
REMAINS OF MISSING INDONESIAN PLANE FOUND The wreckage of a passenger plane carrying 54 people has been spotted in Indonesia’s eastern Papua province. Due to weather, rescue crews have been unable to reach the crash site and determine if there are any survivors. The airline, Trigana, has been banned in Europe for safety concerns. [AP]
ECUADOR IN STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER VOLCANO The Cotopaxi volcano, which is near Ecuador's capital, Quito, began spewing ash two miles into the sky Friday. Nearby villages have been evacuated. [Reuters]
ALL IS NOT WELL IN HILLARYLAND Here’s how Joe Biden and Al Gore rumors can be swirling when Hillary is still the presumed Democratic nominee by a long shot. [Howard Fineman and Lauren Weber, HuffPost]
WHAT’S BREWING
MLB MINOR LEAGUER ANNOUNCES HE'S GAY "David Denson, with the help of former major leaguer Billy Bean, reached out to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to tell his story. The 20-year-old first baseman plays for the Helena Brewers in the rookie Pioneer League. Bean, MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion, disclosed he is gay after his playing career." Also, meet the man whom many consider to have been the first openly gay MLB player -- 40 years ago. [AP]
'THE DEATH OF THE BOND GIRL' Why all the summer blockbusters featuring kick-ass women are changing the industry. [Vanity Fair]
HERE'S WHAT STAR WARS LAND WILL LOOK LIKE AT DISNEY PARKS Get excited for your first battle between the First Order and the Resistance. And as a bonus, Toy Story Land is coming too! [HuffPost]
WILL TURNER IS BACK Orlando Bloom will return for the fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" and continue to steal our hearts. [HuffPost]
HOW POVERTY AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN "Imaging studies show that the conditions that go hand-in-hand with poverty -- a combination of environmental factors and emotional stressors -- can actually slow the development of crucial parts of the brain involved in regulating behavior, impulsivity, and mood. And lacking resources appears to promote certain behaviors (such as excessive borrowing) that perpetuate the poverty cycle." [Attention]
DOES THE $15 MINIMUM WAGE MEAN MORE ROBOTS? How robots could take over the fast-food industry in a bid to lower costs. [WaPo]
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WHAT'S WORKING
LEBRON JAMES TO OFFER 1,100 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS "For each child that completes [James’] ‘I Promise’ program, they'll be awarded a scholarship to the University of Akron." [HuffPost]
ON THE BLOG
REMEMBERING JULIAN BOND "I mourn and pay homage to Bond because of his monumental contribution to that struggle. But I also mourn and pay homage to him because he was the man who made me understand and appreciate his and his organization's continuing role and importance in that struggle." [HuffPost]
BEFORE YOU GO
~ Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter was fatally stabbed in New York City.
~ How President Barack Obama is planning for life after the White House.
~ This New York Times expose on the culture at Amazon does not make it sound like a good place to work.
~ Of course Julia Roberts is a part of Taylor Swift's squad.
~ Here's your first look at the "Star Wars: Rogue One" cast.
~ "Straight Outta Compton" hit it straight outta the ballpark with a cool $56.1 million at the box office this weekend.
~ We couldn't love NFL player James Harrison's take on participation trophies any more.
~ John Oliver exposes the hidden televangalism industry.
~ The village where men are banned.
~ Yes, Kevin Spacey learned how to play the harmonica from Billy Joel. Because what can't Kevin Spacey do?
~ And because it's Monday, this bear who tried to get into a house through the cat door is having a worse start to the week than you are.
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