U.S. may OK sanctions on Russia without EU
WASHINGTON – The United States is considering imposing unilateral sanctions on Russia over its threatening moves in Ukraine, a shift in strategy that reflects the Obama administration’s frustration with Europe’s reluctance to take tougher action against Moscow, according to U.S. and European officials.
Until now, the U.S. has insisted on hitting Russia with penalties in concert with Europe in order to maximize the impact and present a united Western front. The European Union has a far stronger economic relationship with Russia, making the 28-nation bloc’s participation key to ensuring sanctions packages have enough teeth to deter Russia.
After weeks of inaction, the officials say the U.S. is now prepared to move forward alone if EU officials fail to enact strong sanctions during a meeting Wednesday in Brussels.
The U.S. official cautioned that no final decisions would be made until after the European meeting.
Florida GOP seek time to redraw districts
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s Republicans legislative leaders pledged on Tuesday to redraw congressional districts that were found unconstitutional last week, but they warned that doing so before the November election would create “chaos and confusion.”
Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford said they wouldn’t appeal Circuit Judge Terry Lewis’ ruling that Florida’s congressional districts were drawn to benefit the Republican Party.
But attorneys for the Legislature filed a lengthy motion asking Lewis to let this year’s election proceed with the existing districts because changing boundaries now would cause problems. Nearly 1.4 million absentee ballots, including ballots headed overseas, are in the process of being mailed out in advance of the state’s Aug. 26 primary.
“Any attempt to change the districts at this late stage of the 2014 elections process would cause chaos and confusion and would threaten the rights of our deployed military voters,” said Gaetz and Weatherford in a joint statement.
University can use race to select students
AUSTIN, Texas – A federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday that the University of Texas can continue using race as a factor in undergraduate admissions as a way of promoting diversity on campus, the latest in an ongoing case that made it to the U.S. Supreme Court last year only to be sent back to lower courts for further review.
In a 2-1 ruling, judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that barring the university from using race would ultimately lead to a less diverse student body in defiance of previous legal precedent that promoting diversity was an important part of education.
The case began in 2008 when Abigail Fisher, who is white, was denied admission to the University of Texas’s flagship Austin campus because she did not graduate in the top 10 percent of her high school class the criterion for 75 percent of the school’s admissions.
Associated Press
