SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN SPEAKS BY PHONE WITH AMERICAN PAUL WHELAN WHO REMAINS JAILED IN RUSSIA
AND —
STARBUCKS IS ORDERED TO PAY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS MORE AS PART OF A WRONGFUL TERMINATION SUIT.
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THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS.
BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.
TODAY IS THURSDAY– AUGUST 17TH.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
I’M KARAH RUCKER.
SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN HAS SPOKEN BY PHONE WITH AMERICAN PAUL WHELAN, WHO IS BEING HELD IN A REMOTE PRISON CAMP IN RUSSIA.
THE US GOVERNMENT HAS DEEMED THAT WHELAN IS BEING WRONGFULLY DETAINED IN RUSSIA AFTER HE WAS SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS ON ESPIONAGE CHARGES THE HE AND THE US SAY WERE FABRICATED.
SOURCES TELL MULTIPLE NEWS OUTLETS THAT BLINKEN TOLD WHELAN THE US IS DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN DO TO BRING HIM HOME AS SOON POSSIBLE.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME BLINKEN HAS SPOKEN TO WHELAN SINCE THE AMERICAN CITIZEN WAS JAILED BY MOSCOW IN 2018.
IN ADDITION TO SPEAKING WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE, SOURCES SAY WHELAN WAS ABLE TO CALL HIS PARENTS.
BLINKEN SAID EARLIER THIS YEAR THAT THE U.S. HAD MADE A QUOTE — “SERIOUS PROPOSAL” — FOR WHELAN’S RELEASE, BUT MOSCOW HAS NOT ENGAGED IN ANY SERIOUS NEGOTIATIONS.
THE U.S. WAS ABLE TO SECURE THE RELEASE OF TWO OTHER WRONGFULLY DETAINED AMERICANS, TREVOR REED IN APRIL AND BRITTNEY GRIER IN DECEMBER – AS PART OF SEPARATE PRISONER SWAPS.
ALONG WITH WHELAN — WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH ALSO REMAINS JAILED IN RUSSIA. LIKE WHELAN, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SAYS HIS ARREST WAS UNJUST.

THE LEGAL SAGA OVER THE ABORTION PILL MIFEPRISTONE CONTINUES —
NOW THE SUPREME COURT IS GUARANTEED TO HAVE THE FINAL SAY.
THE LATEST RULING COMING FROM A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT WEDNESDAY —
WANTING ACCESS TO THE PILL TO BE **LIMITED —
AFTER FINDING THE F-D-A OVERSTEPPED ITS AUTHORITY IN THREE WAYS —
BY ALLOWING THE DRUG TO BE TAKEN LATE IN PREGNANCY —
ALLOWING THE DRUG TO BE **MAILED DIRECTLY TO PATIENTS.
AND HAVING MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS OTHER THAN DOCTORS PRESCRIBE THE PILL TO WOMEN SEEKING ABORTIONS.
WHILE THE RULING SEEKS TO LIMIT ACCESS TO MIFEPRISTONE —
FOR NOW — ACCESS WILL REMAIN **UNCHANGED.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAID IT WILL GO BACK TO THE SUPREME COURT TO APPEAL THIS LATEST RULING —
WHICH SETS THE HIGH COURT UP FOR A FINAL VOTE ON THE MATTER.

FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY FANI WILLIS HAS PUT FORWARD THE DATE SHE WOULD LIKE TO SEE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TRIAL IN GEORGIA BEGIN —
RECOMMENDING DAY ONE OF THE ELECTION CASE BEGIN ON MARCH FOURTH.
WHICH ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE DAY BEFORE “SUPER TUESDAY” —
WHEN VOTERS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN STATES CAST THEIR BALLOTS FOR THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION.
TRUMP’S TEAM HAS NOT COMMENTED ON THE PROPOSED DATE.
WHILE THE D-A HAS **RECOMMENDED A MARCH 4TH START DATE —
IT WILL HAVE TO BE SIGNED OFF BY A JUDGE TO BECOME SET.
TRUMP’S OTHER STATE TRIAL — IN NEW YORK — BEGINS MARCH 25TH.
ACCORDING TO A RECENT ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL —
AMERICANS ARE DIVIDED IN THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT TRUMP’S MOST RECENT INDICTMENT.
ABOUT HALF OF AMERICANS BELIEVE TRUMP SHOULD BE PROSECUTED —
THE OTHER HALF THINKS HE SHOULDN’T.
THE POLL WAS — NOT SHOCKINGLY — SPLIT ALONG PARTY LINES.
AS GOP SUPPORT FOR TRUMP IS UNPHASED BY THE INDICTMENTS.

WE TOLD YOU EARLIER THIS WEEK ABOUT A POLICE RAID CONDUCTED AT A KANSAS NEWSPAPER’S OFFICE AND ITS PUBLISHER’S HOME —
THAT GAINED NATIONAL ATTENTION OVER WHETHER THE POLICE SEARCH WAS AN INFRINGEMENT ON FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
NOW WE’RE LEARNING THE ITEMS POLICE TOOK DURING THE RAID HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO THE NEWSPAPER.
THE SEARCH WARRANT IS BEING WITHDRAWN — AS PROSECUTORS ANSWER TO THE LOUD DEMANDS FROM MEDIA ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO CONDEMNED THE RAID.
THE COMPUTERS AND REPORTER’S CELL PHONES THAT WERE ONCE CONFISCATED —
THE NEWSPAPER IS NOW SENDING TO A FORENSICS LAB TO TRY AND SEE WHAT POLICE DID WITH THE ELECTRONICS.
THE “MARION COUNTY RECORD’S” PUBLISHER HAS PROMISED HIS PAPER WILL CONTINUE TO PUBLISH DESPITE THE DISRUPTION.
IT PUBLISHED ITS FIRST EDITION SINCE THE POLICE RAID WITH THE FRONT-PAGE HEADLINE READING “SEIZED BUT NOT SILENCED.”
“This is the way things go here too often and too often people are brought into silence and intimidated by reactions like this.”
MARION POLICE HAVE SAID THE PUBLIC DOESN’T HAVE ALL THE FACTS TO THE STORY YET — AS ITS AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER THE PAPER ILLEGALLY OBTAINED AND USED PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER.

STARBUCKS HAS BEEN ORDERED TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL 2 POINT 7 MILLION DOLLARS TO A FORMER EMPLOYEE AS PART OF A WRONGFUL TERMINATION SUIT.
THIS IN ADDITION TO THE TWENTY FIVE POINT SIX MILLION DOLLARS AWARDED TO FORMER REGIONAL DIRECTOR SHANNON PHILLIPS IN JUNE.
PHILLIPS, WHO IS WHITE, SUED HER FORMER EMPLOYER SAYING THAT HER RACE WAS A FACTOR IN STARBUCKS FIRING HER AFTER THE CONTROVERSIAL ARRESTS OF TWO BLACK MEN AT A PHILADELPHIA LOCATION IN 2018 SPARKED NATIONIONWIDE PROTESTS.
THE TWO MEN — WAITING FOR A BUSINESS MEETING – WERE ARRESTED AFTER AN EMPLOYEE CALLED 9-1-1 SAYING THEY WERE TRESPASSING DUE TO THEM NOT ORDERING ANYTHING WHILE INSIDE THE STORE.
PHILLIPS WHO WORKED FOR STARBUCKS FOR 13 YEARS SAYS SHE WAS NOT AT THE STORE WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AND WAS FIRED THE FOLLOWING DAY.
STARBUCKS HAS PREVIOUSLY SAID THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF INTENTIONAL DISCRIMINATION.
THE TWO MEN ARRESTED AT THE STORE REACHED A PRIVATE SETTLEMENT WITH STARBUCKS AND THE CITY.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – A BIG TWIST FOR FANS OF CHICK-FIL-A. AFTER EXPERIMENTING FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, CHICK-FIL-A HAS CREATED WHAT THEY CALL THE FIRST EVER TWIST TO ITS BELOVED ORIGINAL CHICKEN SANDWICH. IT IS CALLED THE HONEY PEPPER PIMENTO CHICKEN SANDWICH. THE SANDWICH – LIKE THE ORIGINAL – WILL FEATURE THE CHICKEN FILET BUT THIS ONE WILL BE TOPPED WITH PIMENTO CHEESE AND PICKLED JALAPENOS AND HONEY. THE HONEY PEPPER PIMENTO CHICKEN SANDWICH WILL BE AVAILABLE AT CHICK-FIL-A RESTAURANTS NATIONWIDE BEGINNING MONDAY AUGUST 28.
THOSE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES THIS THURSDAY MORNING.
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UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. THAT’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.
WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.
UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.