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Author: Mary Chastain

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Mary Chastain

Mary is the resident libertarian. She covers stories in every vertical, but her favorite thing to do is take on the media. She saw its bias against the right when she was a socialist.

Mary loves the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, tennis, cats, Oxford comma, Diet Coke, and needlework.

Two Los Angeles based U.S. Marines wanted to capture Pokemon on Tuesday, but instead caught a man wanted for attempted murder. Javier Soch, 26, and Seth Ortega, 24, started their hunt at 9AM when they noticed a man bothering a woman and her sons at a playground when Soch's game froze:
The man appeared odd, wearing a mismatched outfit with an oversized jacket and a baseball cap. He held an artificial rose in his hand, Ortega said. At some point he snapped his fingers and appeared fidgety.

President Barack Obama, who promised less fighting in the Middle East, has decided to send 560 more troops to Iraq to help battle against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Mosul. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter visited Baghdad on Monday:
“With the retaking of Qayara West airfield, the Iraqi Security Forces have once again demonstrated a serious will to fight,” Mr. Carter said. “I congratulate them on their recent successes and reaffirm that the United States, along with our coalition partners, will continue to do all we can to support Iraq’s effort to serve ISIL a lasting defeat,” he said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch would not answer questions about the Hillary Clinton email scandal at a hearing with the House Judiciary Committee. She said:
“While I understand that this investigation has generated significant public interest, as attorney general, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on the underlying facts of the investigation or the legal basis for the team’s recommendation,” Lynch told the House Judiciary Committee.

The Rio police have rescued eight girls from a sex-trafficking ring near an Olympic stadium. Three of the girls, aged 15 and 16, were forced into prostitution in Recreio near the beaches. Child sex tourism in Brazil has expanded in the country, especially during events that bring in foreign tourists.

Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom dropped out of the race for prime minister on Monday morning, leaving Home Secretary Theresa May as the only candidate left standing. Current Prime Minister David Cameron said he will leave on Wednesday since there is no need for an election. The Conservative Party officially named May as his successor:
"Obviously, with these changes, we now don't need to have a prolonged period of transition. And so tomorrow I will chair my last cabinet meeting. On Wednesday I will attend the House of Commons for prime minister's questions. And then after that I expect to go to the palace and offer my resignation. So we will have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening," Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street on Monday.

Five Dallas cops lost their lives protecting citizens in Dallas during a Black Lives Matter protest. The victims included veterans, husbands, and fathers. The killings were the deadliest attack on police since September 11, 2001. Their coworkers and family members remember them as "caring, dedicated and professional." https://twitter.com/9NEWS/status/751523111288315905

A leaked police document shows that 2,000 men assaulted over 1,200 women across Germany on New Year's Eve. The police have only caught 120 suspects. Foreigners make up the majority of suspects, which shows that the increase of refugees and migrants is linked to the rising sexual assault and rape cases across the European Union. Germany added stricter rape laws due to the influx.

Officials have revealed that Micah Johnson, who shot five cops in Dallas, sexually harassed a female soldier in Afghanistan. Before dying, Johnson told the cops he wanted to kill white officers. Johnson served as a private first class in the Army Reserve for six years. But while serving in Afghanistan in 2014, a female soldier accused him of sexual harassment when he allegedly bought her items from Victoria's Secret. She asked her superiors for a restraining order:

President Barack Obama wants NATO to "stand firm" against Russia until the Kremlin has fully complied with ceasefire agreements in east Ukraine. He also promised 1,000 troops to Poland for extra security:
"In Warsaw, we must reaffirm our determination — our duty under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty — to defend every NATO ally," Obama said.

Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have presented a bill to strip Hillary Clinton and her aides of their security clearances after the FBI recommended she not face prosecution over her emails. Gardner said:
“The FBI’s investigation into Secretary Clinton’s personal email server confirmed what Americans across the country already know: Secretary Clinton recklessly accessed classified information on an insecure system–establishing a vulnerable and highly desirable target for foreign hackers,” Gardner said. “If the FBI won’t recommend action based on its findings, Congress will. At the very least, Secretary Clinton should not have access to classified information, and our bill makes sure of it.”

The State Department has decided to restart their own investigation into how Hillary Clinton and her aides mishandled any classified information. The presumptive Democrat presidential candidate escaped prosecution when the FBI recommended the Department of Justice not bring charges against her.

Snipers shot 11 officers in Dallas, TX, during a protest over the shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. Police have both suspects in custody. https://twitter.com/GaltsGirl/status/751279057409421312 A fourth has passed away. https://twitter.com/DallasPD/status/751267894802079745

NATO will meet in Warsaw to show unity against Russia and approve a Baltic force, but the Brexit referendum could take center stage as some believe a weaker European Union means a weaker NATO. Poland always wanted a NATO summit, especially since Russia has flexed its muscles. But unfortunately, the Brexit referendum may take a starring role with the leaders along with a possibility of Donald Trump joining them next year:
“Since 1999, when Poland joined NATO, this is the most important summit for us,” said Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland’s deputy minister of defense. “It provides for the actual presence of Western allies in Poland.”

The United Kingdom will have its second female prime minister after David Cameron resigned when the kingdom voted to leave the European Union. The second ballot pushed Home Secretary Theresa May and Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom to the front. Justice Secretary Michael Gove came in third, thus eliminating him from the race. Conservative members will vote for the next prime minister and announce the winner on September 9.

Believe it or not, Germany never had decent rape laws until now. It took numerous rapes and sexual assaults for the country to establish a "No means No" law. Now a woman can claim she was raped even if she did not fight back. Yes, before this, a woman had to fight back in order to claim rape. They also classified "groping as a sex crime and makes it easier to prosecute assaults committed by large group."

Former Fox New host Gretchen Carlson has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes, the company's chairman and CEO. She claims he fired her after "she complained about a hostile working environment" and refused to sleep with Ailes. https://twitter.com/mlcalderone/status/750711599598632960