Link: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/16/us.turkey.armenia/index.html

U.S. House members accuse Turkey of turning against Israel. House members angered by Turkey's ties with Iran, backing for flotilla that tried to break Israel blockade of Gaza
Washington (CNN) -- Supporters of Israel in the U.S. House warned Turkey on Wednesday they might support a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide that so far has failed to come up for a vote by the full chamber.

Link: http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/wheres-change-we-can-believe

Last night on The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart called President Obama out on his flip-flopped positions on national security policies that Candidate Obama rejected during his presidential campaign. Revisiting moments from the campaign trail, in November of 2007, then-Senator Obama stated: “Guantánamo — that’s easy — close down Guantánamo, restore habeas corpus, say no to renditions…” He went on to state, “Part of my job as the next President is to break the fever of fear that has been exploited by this administration.”

Link: http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts06162010.html

The propagandists for the Israel Lobby, who occupy the Wall Street Journal editorial page while pretending to be journalists, are determined to remove Helen Thomas from the annals of journalism. In case you have already forgotten, a few days ago the distinguished career of Helen Thomas, the 89-year-old doyen of the White House Press Corps, was ended by the Israel Lobby, which made an issue about her opinion that immigrant Jews should leave Palestine and go back to their home countries.

Link: http://www.redress.cc:80/global/gduff20100616

Gordon Duff argues that recent evidence proving that Israel fabricated video scenes from the Freedom Flotilla attack should serve as a wake-up call to alert the world to the activities of Israeli agents worldwide – many of whom work in companies contracted to “guard” international airports – and the real possibility that they could use their positions to stage the next “terrorist” attack.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/06/2010616133913732643.html

Flash floods have killed 15 people and left 12 others missing near France's Mediterranean coast, officials say. Firefighters and helicopters were sent to rescue hundreds of people trapped in their vehicles, houses, or on rooftops in the Draguignan area on Wednesday.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/06/201061618299383888.html

BP executives have agreed to set up a $20bn compensation fund to pay for claims stemming from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, following talks with Barack Obama, the US president, at the White House. The energy giant also announced that it would not be paying a dividend to shareholders this year.

Link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gEsS5h6C_l_Ndr7VMsRzKLN9qNdgD9GCIK304

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again. Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange — and troubling — phenomena. Fish and other wildlife are fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast. But that is not the hopeful sign it might appear to be, researchers say. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily get devoured by predators.

Link: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51846

Should private contractors like Blackwater be allowed to continue to provide armed security for convoys, diplomatic and other personnel, and military bases and other facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq? A bipartisan U.S. Congressional commission will spend two days cross-examining 14 witnesses from academia, government and the companies themselves to come up with an answer.

Link: http://beforeitsnews.com/news/79/690/House_Democrats_Drop_Ron_Paul_8217;s_Audit_of_Federal_Reserve.html

Yes, you read that right. Ron Paul’s push to audit the Federal Reserve Bank and see who received how much money in the last few years has been drastically reduced. Amidst the many costly bailouts, recipients have included banks, large companies, and even foreign countries. And now it appears that much of what has happened will remain behind closed doors.

Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/06/20106168451670414.html

As the right-wing leadership of the organised US Jewish community defends Israel against international condemnation for its deadly seizure of a flotilla bearing humanitarian supplies for Gaza, a familiar clutch of neo-conservative hawks is going on the offensive against what they see as the flotilla's chief defender, Turkey.

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-16/most-u-s-stocks-fall-on-fedex-outlook-drop-in-housing-starts.html

Most U.S. stocks fell, with a late- day rebound failing to extend yesterday’s rally in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, after housing starts dropped and FedEx Corp.’s profit forecast trailed estimates.