Thousands of African refugees attempt fleeing to Europe, more than 700 feared dead in three separate shipwrecks over weekend…
--Italian coast guard scrambles to rescue boats that foundered off coast of Libya
--last week, Muslim refugees crossing the Mediterranean threw 12 Christians overboard
--6 Somali-Americans arrested for allegedly trying to join IS in Syria, but who bought their airline tickets?
--Der Spiegel reports that Islamic State’s takeover of northern Syria was carefully planned by former Saddam-era officer
--hot wars in Syria, Iraq, Yemen stoke orders and profits for American military contractors
--at The Intercept, Jeremy Scahill details that Ramstein air base in Germany is critical command-relay center for US drones
--SF Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll opines on drones and secrecy
--Israel’s Lieberman plays the anti-semitism card as EU wants accurate labels on products made in the West Bank
--Iran reveals new charges against American journalist Jason Rezaian
--as Iran nuke talks resume, Obama signals flexibility on sanctions removal
--new book charges that foreign donors to Clinton Foundation got favors from State Department when Hillary was in charge
--5 years after the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf, damage is still evident, only minor fixes have been made, here’s a recap from VICE
--Boston bomber penalty phase starts, as parents of youngest victim oppose death penalty
--on 4/20/15, Willie Nelson rolls out his own weed brand
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