Senate committee votes to authorize war against IS

Senate committee votes to authorize war against IS

WASHINGTON

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday voted to authorize President Barack Obama’s war against the Islamic State group — the first vote in Congress to explicitly grant him war powers in the U.S. battle against the militant extremists.

The vote was 10-8, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

The committee chairman, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said he would seek a full Senate vote on the measure before the current Congress ends, but it’s more likely that the authorization will be delayed until the next, Republican-led Congress, which starts next month.

“Congress has a constitutional responsibility to uphold and a moral obligation to meet when sending our sons and daughters into war,” Menendez said in a statement after the vote.

‘Driving While Black’ app gives tips for police stops

PORTLAND, Ore.

A “Driving While Black” smartphone application is set for release this month, but its developers say motorists should be careful when they use it.

“Do not reach for your phone when you are talking to police,” stressed attorney Melvin Oden-Orr, who created the app with another Portland lawyer and a software developer.

Avoiding any move that could make officers think you’re reaching for a gun is just one of the tips “Driving While Black” offers. And despite its attention-grabbing name, the common-sense advice it offers applies to motorists of all races.

The app describes how people can assert their civil rights with officers, enables drivers to alert friends and family with a push of a button that they’ve been pulled over, and includes a recording function to document the interaction.

DOJ says Indian tribes can grow and sell marijuana

GRANTS PASS, Ore.

Indian tribes can grow and sell marijuana on their lands as long as they follow the same federal conditions laid out for states that have legalized the drug, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.

Some advocates said the announcement could open new markets across the country and give rise to a rich new business on reservations, not unlike the advent of casino gambling. Others said it was too early to tell; many tribes oppose legalization, and only a handful of tribes have expressed any interest in the marijuana business.

Oregon U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall said that the Justice Department policy addresses questions raised by tribes about how legalization of pot in states such as Oregon, Washington and Colorado would apply to Indian lands.

Man arrested; children rescued

SAN DIEGO

A Southern California man was tackled as he began climbing over the railing of a bridge Thursday, and police led his four young sons to safety, a day after his wife was found dead in the trunk of the family car.

Daniel Perez, 43, of Montebello, had been missing since last week when armored vehicles boxed in his car on a San Diego County freeway and he was hit with a beanbag round as he apparently tried to climb over the edge of the 150-foot-high overpass.

It was a stunning climax to an intense search for Perez, his wife, Erica, 39, and their four sons, age 6, 8, 9 and 11. The family vanished last Friday from their home 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

Associated Press