What’s of interest in the news today?

Open Thread.

Boston Bombing suspect #1 was on 2 watch lists. From TheWallStJournal

“U.S. authorities put alleged Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev on two separate watch lists in 2011 after Russian security agencies twice reached out to their American counterparts, raising new questions about missed opportunities to prevent the attack.

U.S. officials said Wednesday that at the request of the CIA, Mr. Tsarnaev was added to a broad database called Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, which holds hundreds of thousands of names flagged by multiple U.S. security agencies.”

“The FBI’s earlier contact with Mr. Tsarnaev already had caused his name to be put in another database, called TECS, which is used by U.S. police and national-security agencies, two law-enforcement officials said.”

Here’s more on suspect #2 being read Miranda rights and the effect it had on questioning. And who sent the judge and public defender? The DoJ. From WLTX

“Sixteen hours after investigators began interrogating him, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stopped talking after being read his constitutional rights.

Officials briefed on the interrogation say the 19-year-old suspect went silent after a magistrate judge and a representative from the U.S. Attorney’s office gave him his Miranda warning. The officials insisted on anonymity because the briefing was private.”

The FBI was not pleased. They were under the impression that the exemption gave them 48 hours to interrogate. That ended after 16 hours. Megyn Kelly has that and more from Fox News.

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All 5 living President’s attended the dedicating of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. From USAToday

“Bush opened his remarks with wry humor. He joked that there was a time in his life that he wouldn’t be found in a library, much less found one, and noted that Obama, unlike the other ex-presidents, has a job.

Noting Alexander Hamilton’s concern that ex-presidents would wander the nation like “discontented ghosts,” Bush said, “Actually, I think we seem pretty happy.” Bush, a stickler for punctuality, began his remarks a few minutes early.

He thanked his wife, parents, former aides, world leaders and his vice president, Dick Cheney, adding, “I’m proud to call you friend.””

Liberals hate that too. They acted as you’d expect, so no link to them. Why encourage them?

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Democrat leaders have changed their mind on that ObamaCare exemption for Congress. They claim it wasn’t their intent to do so. From TheHill

“Republicans hammered Democrats for allegedly seeking to  carve themselves out  of a requirement in the healthcare law.

Democratic leaders said Thursday they’re not seeking an exemption from a  central requirement of ObamaCare — that members of Congress and their staff  purchase healthcare coverage through insurance exchanges.”

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Frank Lautenberg has introduced legislation which will have the public paying for Peace Corps rape victims to have abortions. From Lautenberg.Senate.gov

“Today, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced legislation to ensure that basic health care benefits are offered to women in the Peace Corps and provide them with the same standard of health care that most women with federal health care coverage already receive. Lautenberg’s bill corrects the current inequity in law that prevents the Peace Corps from offering any abortion coverage for volunteers, even for volunteers who have been sexually assaulted or when the life of the woman is endangered.

“We must not stand idly by while Peace Corps volunteers continue to be subjected to this gross inequity in their health care coverage,” Lautenberg said.  “Peace Corps volunteers choose to provide a valuable public service despite inherent risks to their safety, including sexual assault, and it is unacceptable that their own country restricts their access to care.  My legislation would ensure that Peace Corps volunteers don’t have to forfeit their rights or jeopardize their health when they volunteer to help underserved populations throughout the world.”

“The “Peace Corps Equity Act of 2013” would allow the Peace Corps to provide its volunteers with health insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman is endangered.  Almost all other women covered under federal health plans receive this same coverage.  With more than 1,000 Peace Corps volunteers having experienced sexual assault over the past decade, this technical fix is needed to protect the reproductive rights of women in the Peace Corps.  The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).”

I find it strange that the Senator mentions sexual assaults as justification. But he doesn’t address what they are going to make the Peace Corps do in order to address this threat that female workers face in many foreign countries. These assaults are all too common. There are even websites advising women not to join, and they claim the Peace Corps covers it up. The Senator should be more concerned with preventing the assaults, and calling the Peace Corps to task for their failures, rather than just aborting the sometime result.

The following links come with a CONTENT WARNING!!! because it’s adult subject matter, and it’s difficult to read some of these stories. The Senator is treating a symptom, not the problem.

From TheHuffingtonPost

“Jessica Smochek told members of Congress on Wednesday that, after being brutally gang-raped in Bangladesh in 2004, a Peace Corps medical officer refused to give her a proper physical examination. Instead, the medic confiscated the former English teacher’s cellphone so that she could not alert her fellow volunteers and instructed her to tell anyone who asked about her sudden departure from the program that she was returning to the U.S. to get her wisdom teeth out. When Smochek arrived in Washington, D.C., a Peace Corps official asked her to write down everything she had done to provoke the attack.

“Shortly after I left, the country director — who never attempted to contact me after I was raped — called a meeting of several women in my former volunteer group and told them, without my permission, what had happened to me,” she said. “Then, he told them that rape was a woman’s fault and that I had caused what happened to me by being out alone after 5:00 PM. As for the other women in the group, who had been very vocal about being constantly stalked and afraid, he threatened them with administrative separation.”

Smochek was one of a growing number of former Peace Corps volunteers who are speaking out about the sexual assaults they endured while serving abroad. Their stories have sparked Congressional hearings, as well as pledges for institutional reform.”

More From About.com

“Is the Peace Corps safe for women? The news that over a thousand female Peace Corp Volunteers (PCVs) have been raped or sexually assaulted in the past decade has prompted Congress to hold hearings on the matter. These findings, reported by ABC News on their investigative news show 20/20 in mid-January 2011, are the most recent in a long line of stories that suggest the Peace Corps is more interested in protecting its reputation than its female volunteers throughout their two-year volunteer overseas assignments.”

Some victims have even submitted affidavits to Congress. From TheWashingtonPost

The Senator has a misguided approach to the problem, and it isn’t a solution at all.

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