12-02-2024  2:34 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

Oregon Tribe Has Hunting and Fishing Rights Restored Under a Long-Sought Court Ruling

The tribe was among the dozens that lost federal recognition in the 1950s and ‘60s under a policy of assimilation known as “termination.” Congress voted to re-recognize the tribe in 1977. But to have their land restored, the tribe had to agree to a federal court order that limited their hunting, fishing and gathering rights. 

Forecasts Warn of Possible Winter Storms Across US During Thanksgiving Week

Two people died in the Pacific Northwest after a rapidly intensifying “bomb cyclone” hit the West Coast last Tuesday, bringing fierce winds that toppled trees and power lines and damaged homes and cars. Fewer than 25,000 people in the Seattle area were still without power Sunday evening.

Huge Number Of Illegal Guns In Portland Come From Licensed Dealers, New Report Shows

Local gun safety advocacy group argues for state-level licensing and regulation of firearm retailers.

'Bomb Cyclone' Kills 1 and Knocks out Power to Over Half a Million Homes Across the Northwest US

A major storm was sweeping across the northwest U.S., battering the region with strong winds and rain. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings were in effect. 

NEWS BRIEFS

Grants up to $120,000 Educate About Local Environmental Projects

Application period for WA nonprofits open Jan. 7 ...

Literary Arts Opens New Building on SE Grand Ave

The largest literary center in the Western U.S. includes a new independent bookstore and café, event space, classrooms, staff offices...

Allen Temple CME Church Women’s Day Celebration

The Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, senior pastor/presiding elder, and First Lady Doris Mays Haynes are inviting the public to attend the...

Vote By Mail Tracking Act Passes House with Broad Support

The bill co-led by Congressman Mfume would make it easier for Americans to track their mail-in ballots; it advanced in the U.S. House...

OMSI Opens Indoor Ice Rink for the Holiday Season

This is the first year the unique synthetic ice rink is open. ...

AP Top 25: Ohio St, Miami, Clemson drop; Texas, Penn St, Notre Dame, Georgia in line behind Oregon

Ohio State, Miami and Clemson plunged in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday following their losses during a wild weekend, eight of the top 10 teams moved up one spot and Oregon was No. 1 for the seventh straight week. The shakeup creates two top-five matchups in...

Oregon tribe has hunting and fishing rights restored under a long-sought court ruling

LINCOLN CITY, Ore. (AP) — Drumming made the floor vibrate and singing filled the conference room of the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, on the Oregon coast, as hundreds in tribal regalia danced in a circle. For the last 47 years, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz...

Cal visits Missouri after Wilkinson's 25-point game

California Golden Bears (6-1) at Missouri Tigers (6-1) Columbia, Missouri; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Cal faces Missouri after Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 25 points in Cal's 81-55 win over the Mercyhurst Lakers. The Tigers are 6-0 on their home court....

Judd leads Missouri against Jacksonville State after 22-point game

Jacksonville State Gamecocks (4-1) at Missouri Tigers (6-3) Columbia, Missouri; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Missouri plays Jacksonville State after Ashton Judd scored 22 points in Missouri's 85-57 win against the Wichita State Shockers. The Tigers have...

OPINION

A Loan Shark in Your Pocket: Cellphone Cash Advance Apps

Fast-growing app usage leaves many consumers worse off. ...

America’s Healing Can Start with Family Around the Holidays

With the holiday season approaching, it seems that our country could not be more divided. That division has been perhaps the main overarching topic of our national conversation in recent years. And it has taken root within many of our own families. ...

Donald Trump Rides Patriarchy Back to the White House

White male supremacy, which Trump ran on, continues to play an outsized role in exacerbating the divide that afflicts our nation. ...

Why Not Voting Could Deprioritize Black Communities

President Biden’s Justice40 initiative ensures that 40% of federal investment benefits flow to disadvantaged communities, addressing deep-seated inequities. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

California bill would give public university admission priority to slaves' descendants

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California lawmaker said he will introduce a bill Monday that would give admission priority to the descendants of slaves at the University of California and California State University, the state’s two large public university systems. Assemblymember...

A white Kansas detective accused of preying on Black women for decades faces trial

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A white Kansas police detective accused of sexually assaulting Black women and girls and terrorizing those who tried to fight back is about to go on federal trial, part of a tangle of cases tied to decades of alleged abuse. Prosecutors say female residents...

Summations set in trial of veteran charged with death of NYC subway rider he put in chokehold

NEW YORK (AP) — Closing arguments are set for Monday in the trial of a military veteran charged with recklessly choking to death a mentally ill, homeless man after an outburst on a New York subway. Daniel Penny has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and criminally negligent...

ENTERTAINMENT

Music Review: The Breeders' Kim Deal soars on solo debut, a reunion with the late Steve Albini

When the Pixies set out to make their 1988 debut studio album, they enlisted Steve Albini to engineer “Surfer Rosa,” the seminal alternative record which includes the enduring hit, “Where Is My Mind?” That experience was mutually beneficial to both parties — and was the beginning of a...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Dec. 1-7

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Dec. 1-7: Dec. 1: Actor-director Woody Allen is 89. Singer Dianne Lennon of the Lennon Sisters is 85. Bassist Casey Van Beek of The Tractors is 82. Singer-guitarist Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult is 80. Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is 80....

Music Review: Father John Misty's 'Mahashmashana' offers cynical, theatrical take on life and death

The title of Father John Misty's sixth studio album, “Mahashmashana,” is a reference to cremation, and the first song proposes “a corpse dance.” Religious overtones mix with the undercurrent of a midlife crisis atop his folk chamber pop. And for those despairing recent events, some lyrics...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Biden has pardoned his son Hunter. What does that mean?

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden had long pledged that he would not pardon his son, Hunter, who was set to...

Before exiting, Biden heads to Africa to highlight his own counter to China. Will Trump take it up?

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — President Joe Biden is finally making his long-promised visit to Africa this...

Lake-effect snow blankets the Great Lakes as Thanksgiving travelers head home

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Lake-effect snow blanketed swaths of the U.S. as Thanksgiving travelers journeyed home...

US Navy destroys Houthi missiles and drones targeting American ships in Gulf of Aden

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Navy destroyers shot down seven missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s...

Hong Kong launches panda sculpture tour as the city hopes the bear craze boosts tourism

HONG KONG (AP) — Thousands of giant panda sculptures will greet residents and tourists starting Saturday in Hong...

Taiwan's president arrives in Hawaii for a 2-day stop in the US as part of South Pacific visit

HONOLULU (AP) — Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te arrived Saturday in Hawaii to begin a two-day transit in the...

By Ed Payne and Dan Merica CNN



Lawmakers in Washington are concerned that they were left in the dark about an internal audit that found the National Security Agency had broken privacy rules "thousands of times each year" since 2008. The audit was first reported by the Washington Post on Thursday.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Friday that his committee will hold another hearing on the Post's revelations.

"I ... will continue to demand honest and forthright answers from the intelligence community," Leahy said. "I remain concerned that we are still not getting straightforward answers from the NSA."

He gave no timetable for the hearing.

NSA leaker Edward Snowden -- whose ongoing leaks have riled the Obama administration and intelligence community -- provided the material to the Post earlier this summer.

The May 2012 audit found 2,776 incidents of "unauthorized collection, storage, access to or distribution of legally protected communications" in the preceding 12 months, the Post reported in its story.

"Most were unintended. Many involved failures of due diligence or violations of standard operating procedure," said the Post article by reporter Barton Gellman. "The most serious incidents included a violation of a court order and unauthorized use of data about more than 3,000 Americans and green-card holders."

Leahy was not the only lawmaker to call for more oversight and hearings.

"Press reports that the National Security Agency broke privacy rules thousands of times per year and reportedly sought to shield required disclosure of privacy violations are extremely disturbing," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California. "Congress must conduct rigorous oversight to ensure that all incidents of non-compliance are reported to the oversight committees."

Pelosi called for "rigorous oversight" on the "incidents of non-compliance."

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told the Post in a statement late Thursday night that her committee "can and should do more to independently verify that NSA's operations are appropriate, and its reports of compliance incidents are accurate."

The Washington Post reported that most incidents involved unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the country. In one case, the NSA decided it didn't need to report the unintended surveillance.

In 2008, a "large number" of calls placed from Washington were intercepted due to a programming error that confused the capitol's 202 area code for 20, the international dialing code for Egypt. The information came from a "quality assurance" review that wasn't distributed to the NSA overnight staff, according to the Post.

Separately, an NSA new collection method went undiscovered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for months. The court, which has authority over some of the agency's operations, ruled it unconstitutional.

Responding to the Post's story, the NSA said, "A variety of factors can cause the numbers of incidents to trend up or down from one quarter to the next."

Factors can include implementation of new procedures, technology or software changes and expanded access.

"The one constant across all of the quarters is a persistent, dedicated effort to identify incidents or risks of incidents at the earliest possible moment, implement mitigation measures wherever possible, and drive the numbers down," the agency said.

The agency released another statement Thursday night defending its programs.

"NSA's foreign intelligence collection activities are continually audited and overseen internally and externally," it said. "When NSA makes a mistake in carrying out its foreign intelligence mission, the agency reports the issue internally and to federal overseers -- and aggressively gets to the bottom of it."

Snowden stepped forward publicly in June to claim responsibility for leaking to the media that the NSA had secretly collected and stored millions of phone records from accounts in the United States. The agency also collected information from U.S. companies on the Internet activity of overseas residents, he said.

Snowden fled first to Hong Kong and then to Russia before Moscow granted him temporary asylum despite pressure from the Obama administration to return him to the United States to face charges.

He has been charged with three felony counts, including violations of the U.S. Espionage Act, for the leaks.

Although polling shows Americans harbor skepticism of the domestic surveillance programs Snowden revealed, a majority of Americans don't approve of the actions he took and they think he, as an American citizen, should be brought to justice.

A CNN/ORC International survey released last month indicated that 52% of the public disapproved of Snowden's actions, while 44% said they approved of the leaks. Fifty-four percent of those questioned in the poll said the government should attempt to bring Snowden back to the United States and prosecute him for his leaks.

As for the program Snowden revealed, there is a noticeable generational divide on the surveillance tactics, with younger Americans more likely to support Snowden than older Americans.

 

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