5: GOP Establishment Seeks to Avert Donald Trump Nomination
In the latest attempt by the Republican establishment to derail Donald Trump’s presidential run, former Massachusetts governor and one-time Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is giving a speech today at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in which he is calling Trump a “phony” and a “fraud.” In Romney’s prepared remarks, he writes about Trump: “His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He’s playing the American public for suckers.” Donald Trump has won 319 delegates so far—nearly 100 more delegates than any other candidate.
Democracy Now!
4: Genetics of cancer tumours reveal possible treatment revolution
A landmark discovery into the genetic makeup of tumours has the potential to open a new front in the war on cancer, delivering potent therapies that are tailored to individual patients, scientists have said.
The breakthrough comes from research into the genetic complexity of lung and skin cancers which found that even as tumours grow and spread around the body, they carry with them a number of biological “flags” that the immune system can be primed to attack.
Because the flags, which appear as surface proteins, are found only on cancer cells, they provide what scientists described as “exquisite targets” for new therapies that draw on the power of the immune system to combat cancer.
Treatments that harness the immune system have shown great promise against some forms of cancer, such as melanoma, but they do not work in everyone.
The Guardian
3: Greenland’s ice melt accelerating as surface darkens, raising sea levels
Greenland’s vast ice sheet is in the grip of a dramatic “feedback loop” where the surface has been getting darker and less reflective of the sun, helping accelerate the melting of ice and fuelling sea level rises, new research has found.
The snowy surface of Greenland started becoming significantly less reflective of solar radiation from around 1996, the analysis found, with the ice absorbing 2% more solar energy per decade from this point. At the same time, summer near-surface temperatures in Greenland have increased at a rate of around 0.74C per decade, causing the ice to melt.
This winnowing away of the ice, exacerbated by soot blown on to the ice from wildfires, means that Greenland’s ice is stuck in what is known as a “feedback loop” that will make it ever more vulnerable to warming global temperatures. The study predicts that the ice surface reflectivity, or albedo, will drop by 10% or more by the end of the century, which will trigger further melting.
The Guardian
2: San Francisco Sheriff’s Deputies Accused of Forcing Jailed Inmates to Participate in ‘Fight Club’
San Francisco sheriff’s deputies allegedly created and oversaw a “fight club” that featured inmates brawling with one another under threat of punishment, according to San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who announced charges Tuesday for three deputies.
According to the the prosecutor’s office, Deputy Scott Neu, the alleged ringleader of the case, forced inmates to fight “gladiator-style” against their will or face punishments including being maced, tased, beaten, or moved to another jail. Another officer, Deputy Eugene Jones, is accused of helping Neu to force the inmates to fight, while a third, Deputy Clifford Chiba, is accused of standing by and doing nothing while Neu prompted the fighting.
Neu is also accused of forcing inmates to do push-ups and dips and to gamble for food, clean clothing, and bedding.
All three were Sheriff’s Department employees stationed at the county jail in San Francisco, where they worked on the seventh floor, according to the prosecutor’s office. Neu has since been fired from the Department.
Vice News
1: ‘Don’t come to Europe,’ EU’s Donald Tusk warns refugees
The European Council president has warned refugees against coming to Europe for economic benefit as thousands of people remained trapped at the Greece-Macedonia border after being blocked from continuing their journey.
“I want to appeal to all potential illegal economic migrants, wherever you are from: Do not come to Europe,” Donald Tusk said in Athens on Thursday after meeting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
“Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all for nothing. Greece, or any other European country, will no longer be a transit country.”
Greece is the first transit point for refugees seeking to make the journey north to more prosperous EU states.
The vast majority of the people arriving in Greece are those fleeing war and political repression in countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
But EU politicians have sought to crack down on those they say are motivated by financial betterment.
Aljazeera
