0 America’s Morning News Tuesday 7/15/14
1 Amazon asks the FAA’s permission to use drones
Amazon has reportedly sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration asking permission to use drones to deliver packages. Amazon says its developing drones for its Amazon Prime service that can travel over 50 miles per hour and carry loads of up to 5 pounds. Deliveries would be made in 30 minutes or less. The FAA currently allows hobbyists to fly drones, but commercial use is mostly outlawed.
0 Charles Barkley calls Johnny Football immature
Charles Barkley has joined the chorus of former athletes who are critical of NFL rookie Johnny Manziel’s act. The New York Post reports Barkley, who is no stranger to trouble on and off the court, has joined the likes of Cris Carter, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith and Warren Moon in calling for Manziel to tone it down. Barkley told WKRK-FM in Cleveland “You should never take selfies of yourself doing anything that can be considered stupid, and that’s probably the only problem I have with Johnny Manziel. Most of his pictures are selfies, and that tells me he’s just too immature to handle this fame thing right now.” more
2 High-priced escort suspected in death of Google exec
A 26-year-old Atlanta woman is charged with lethally injecting a high profile Google executive on his 50-foot yacht. Prosecutors allege Alix Catherine Tichelman injected Forrest Tim Hayes with heroin in November and stood by while he overdosed and died. USA Today reports Tichelman, had an “ongoing prostitution relationship” with Hayes, who was married and a father of five. more
0 Seattle City Attorney buys pot
Seattle’s top prosecutor got in the spirit this week and legally purchased pot at Seattle’s first licensed pot shop, Cannabis City. Mashable reports Pete Holmes wanted to be one of the first customers to show there are alternatives to the nation’s failed war on drugs. Holmes spent $80 on 4 grams of weed. He says he’s keeping one bag for prosperity, and the other for personal enjoyment. Washington and Colorado are the only two states to allow recreational marijuana use. more
0 DC says no to Superman logo on memorial for abused boy
DC Entertainment says it won’t allow the Superman logo on a memorial for a 5-year-old Toronto boy who was starved to death. USA Today reports Superman was Jeffrey Baldwin’s superhero. An Ottowa man who was touched by Jeffery’s tragic story raised money for the memorial, but DC Entertainment put a legal block on the plan. DC Entertainment would not comment. more
1 TX Governor Perry declines Obama handshake offer
Texas Governor Rick Perry says thanks, but no thanks to the White House’s invite to shake hands with President Obama at Austin’s airport this week. Politico reports that Perry wrote the president and asked for a more “substantive meeting.” Obama will be in Texas for two days for Democratic fundraisers, but he isn’t planning on visiting the border where an influx of illegal migration has created what many are calling a humanitarian crisis. more
1 REPORT: Ordinary people far outnumbered targeted foreigners in NSA program
The Washington Post reports a four-month investigation revealed ordinary internet users far outnumbered targeted-foreigners in communications intercepted by the National Security Agency. The paper said “Nine of 10 account holders found in a large cache of intercepted conversations, which former NSA contractor Edward Snowden provided in full to The Post, were not the intended surveillance targets but were caught in a net the agency had cast for somebody else.” more