National

Apple Resists FBI’s Order to Decrypt San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone

Timothy Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive, said in a statement Tuesday that Apple would fight a federal court order to unlock the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook before he was killed by police. The FBI has been investigating the shooting as an act of terror. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym of the Federal District Court for the District of Central California ordered Apple to create software that could bypass the security features of the device. According to Cook, this kind of software does not exist, and would be too dangerous to develop. He said the software could have security implications beyond this case, and would compromise the present security expected by company’s customers. nytimes.com

Senate Republicans Say They Will Not Replace Justice Scalia until Next President

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died last week while still serving on the court bench, and Senate Republicans say they will not hold any hearings for President Obama’s nominees, despite the President’s promise for a quick nomination for Scalia’s successor. Republicans, who have a majority in the Senate, cite the unwritten “Thurmond Rule” to justify their resistance. The rule states presidents should not nominate justices to the Supreme Court in the last six months of their term. President Obama says he still plans to do his duty to send his nomination for Senate approval in due time.  nytimes.com

Michael Brown’s Family Pushes for Body Camera Bill in Missouri

Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, testified in front of a Missouri Senate panel on Wednesday in support of Senate Bill 628, a body camera bill she said will help to restore trust in law enforcement. McSpadden’s son was shot and killed by a police officer in 2014. The law would require all police officers in Missouri working with a population of 100,000 or above to wear body cameras while on duty. If passed, the measure would go into effect in St. Louis, Kansas City, Independence, Springfield and Columbia, with the body cameras paid for by the state. Ferguson, where the shooting occurred, has already adopted this policy. The bill would also require the police departments to retain the videos for two years and for the officers to inform people they are being recorded. abcnews.go.com

International

At Least 28 dead in blast in Turkish Capital

At least 28 are dead and 61 injured following an explosion in the Turkish capital of Ankara, near the country’s parliament and military headquarters, on Wednesday. According to the Ankara governor’s office, a vehicle full of explosives was detonated as military vehicles passed by. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag has called the blast an act of terrorism. Mark Toner from the U.S. State Department offered condolences to the families of the victims, and reaffirmed the strong U.S. partnership with Turkey in combating the shared threat of terrorist attacks. bbcnews.com

Austria Will Place Cap on Migrant Flow

Austrian officials announced Wednesday that measures to limit the flow of migrants in the country will be officially introduced Friday. They say 80 applications for asylum will be approved every day, and 3,200 migrants will be allowed to travel through the country. Austria has become a part of a popular route for migrants seeking asylum in Germany. Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Austria had no choice but to act, since there was not a European Union solution to the migrant crisis. Austria took in around 90,000 migrants in 2015, a number they hope to cut to 37,500 this year. bbcnews.com

U.N. Sends Humanitarian Aid to Syria

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday the United Nations has delivered aid to over 100,000 people in Moadamiyeh, Madaya and Zabadani near Damascus, and Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria. Dujarric said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hopes to end the Syrian conflict as soon as possible, and sending aid convoys will be an incredibly important first step. The Syrian government approved the movement of the supplies, wheat and high-energy food among other important resources to seven besieged areas after crisis talks on Tuesday. The U.N. continues to demand unhindered access to all of Syria. aljazeera.com

 

 

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