July 12
500 More US Soldiers into Iraq, New Newt Sounds A Lot Like Old New, N.Korea Cuts All Communication with the West, and More Picks
PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
Yemeni Prisoner Set for Release After 14 Years (Dan)
Fayiz Suleiman was set for release in 2009. However, due to ongoing warfare in his home country, the release was postponed until now. Suleiman will travel to Italy and be under strict surveillance, especially since a recently released Guantanamo detainee disappeared in Uruguay.
New Newt, Same as the Old Newt (Russ)
Gingrich surprised folks with his thoughtful observations about what black people face after the Dallas shootings. But then he was back on the other side of the fence in a jiffy, ramping up the racism game.
US Set to Deploy 500 More Soldiers into Iraq (Dan)
The initiative is to retake Mosul, which means American troops will get that much closer to engaging in ‘boots on the ground’ combat.
A Frightening Precedent: Dallas PD’s Use of a Bomb Robot to Kill a Man (Trevin)
“We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot,” said Chief David Brown. Salon asks if it really was the only option and points out that, as in drone warfare, “when eliminating a suspect becomes risk-free, the temptations to act prematurely can be overwhelming.”
North Korea Cuts All Ties to the West (Dan)
While the US and N. Korea never had official communication pipeline, the UN served as a way for the two countries to talk. Now no more.
