The danger of unintended consequences

February 06, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Politicians constantly propose laws, criticize policies, and make claims and counterclaims.

Subscribe Now to read this post!

To read this post and thousands more articles, subscribe today!

Conservative Republicans on Wednesday ruled out any immigration legislation in the House this year, insisting that the GOP should wait until next year when the party might also control the Senate. House GOP leaders unveiled their broad immigration principles last week that gave hope to advocates and the Obama administration that the first changes in the nation’s laws in three decades might happen in the coming months.

Israeli planners on Wednesday gave final approval for 558 apartments in Jewish settlements in war-won east Jerusalem, which is sought by the Palestinians as a capital, officials said. Palestinian officials said the decision undermines fragile US-brokered negotiations with Israel on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

A private survey shows that US businesses added jobs at a modest pace in January, a sign that hiring may have rebounded after a disappointing figure in December. Payroll processor ADP says companies added 175,000 jobs last month. That’s down from 227,000 in December, which was revised lower. But it was much better than the government’s official figure of just 74,000 new jobs in December.

Multiple explosions rocked Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 34 people and sending plumes of smoke into the sky across the street from a major government building in a brazen reminder of the ability of insurgents to penetrate the heart of the capital. The attacks come as Al Qaeda-led militants are battling for control of mainly Sunni areas to the west in the first test of the Shiite-led government to maintain security in the country more than two years after the withdrawal of US troops.

The European Union’s antitrust watchdog on Wednesday accepted “far-reaching” concessions offered by Google to settle allegations it is abusing its dominant position in Internet searches, bringing the three-year-old case close to an end. Google would significantly change the ways it displays some search results in Europe in favor of its competitors. But reaching a settlement will spare the company a longer antitrust procedure that could have resulted in fines of up to 10 percent of the company’s annual revenue, or about $5 billion.

Protesters in cities around the world targeted major Olympic sponsors Wednesday, just ahead of the Winter Games in Sochi, urging them to speak out against Russia’s law restricting gay-rights activities. In all, 20 demonstrations were planned by the advocacy group All Out and its allies. The International Olympic Committee and its top sponsors have expressed general opposition to discrimination and pledged to ensure that people at the Olympics wouldn’t be affected by the law.

The Discovery Channel plans a live broadcast of the first wingsuit flight off the summit of Mount Everest. High-altitude climber Joby Ogwyn will make the attempt in May, and Discovery announced Wednesday that it will be there to cover it.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Compiled from wire service reports

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Subscribe Now to read this post!

Are you sure?

Forgot to add folder?

Tags Error