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“The line between traditional reporting and espionage” –> Federal authorities say two Russian spies tried to gather information about the US financial sector by feeding questions to reporters for a Russian news agency to ask New York Stock Exchange employees. Shane Harris reports for The Daily Beast that the news organization, which the feds left unnamed, was TASS.
Perspective –> At The Slice — that’s Talking Points Memo’s new longform project — speaks to police officers of color from around the country about policing in “post-Ferguson America.”
Time served? –> NBC reports that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for five years, likely will be charged with desertion. Bergdahl faces up to five years behind bars if convicted, but the military may credit him for the time he spent in captivity.
Secession by another name –> Roy Moore, the Alabama Supreme Court’s controversial chief justice, wrote a letter to Gov. Robert Bentley vowing to defy a federal court ruling that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage — and urged the governor to do the same. notes at AL.com that Moore was removed from the bench in 2003 “after he refused to obey a federal judge’s order to remove a Ten Commandments monument that he had placed in the state judicial building.”
Related –> Mormon leaders held a rare press conference on Tuesday calling for a truce in the battle over LGBT rights. They said that the church will now support “anti-discrimination laws for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, as long the laws also protect the rights of religious groups.” Daniel Burke has more at CNN.
With a twist –> Indiana will become the 28th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. After months of wrangling, the federal government gave the state a waiver to come up with its own scheme for covering up to 350,000 Indianans. report for the Indianapolis Star that the program will combine traditional coverage with health savings accounts, and require the poor to contribute to the costs of coverage.
As GM goes, so goes… –> “What is good for the American consumer may be less so for big American companies” reports Landon Thomas Jr. for the NYT. While consumers are certainly enjoying cheap gas and low interest rates, “a growing number of big American multinational companies have begun to suffer from these very same trends.”
“Boxed in” –> Alexander Bolton reports for The Hill that “Republican leaders in the House and Senate are boxed in on immigration and searching for a way out.” House Speaker John Boehner thinks one way to relieve pressure from immigration hardliners in his caucus is to sue the White House again.
117 light years from Earth –> Researchers have identified an ancient planetary system with a “sun-like star” in our solar system, suggesting that it’s likely others exist, including some that may support life. Ian Sample has the details at The Guardian.
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