I Bet You Haven’t Heard About This

10 Stories From Outside the Beltway

The least productive Congress in modern history has left town for five weeks, which leaves things a little quieter here in the nation’s capital. Today we wanted to highlight a few stories from outside the Beltway. Check these out.

1. Over 200 arrested at anti-Chevron protest: More than 200 people were arrested outside of a Chevron refinery in Richmond, California, one year after a pipeline leak sparked a major fire at the facility.
2. Extreme heat is killing off thousands of fish in Alaska: Water temperatures reached 80 degrees in some parts of Alaska, prompting mass die-offs of salmon and trout.
3. Maine’s lobster boom, and why experts predict a dramatic bust: Maine’s lobstermen are enjoying a record catch, but it may be short-lived thanks to climate change.
4. Florida will hold hearings on its “Stand Your Ground” law this Fall: After weeks of protests by activists, Florida’s state legislature will hold hearings on its infamous “Stand Your Ground” laws sometime this fall.
5. NRA board member Ted Nugent: Trayvon Martin got what he deserved: Referring to the teenager as bloodthirsty “wannabe gangsta,” the conservative musician said that Martin “got justice.”
6. What you need to know about the closings of U.S. diplomatic facilities: Dozens of U.S. embassies across the world have been temporarily closed. Here’s what you need to know about why that is and what it means for the debates over diplomatic safety and privacy vs. security.
7. Spurred on by anti-abortion lawmakers, North Carolina’s Health Department is cracking down on abortion clinics: An outside investigation reveals that state lawmakers’ crusade against abortion may be directly influencing the health department’s recent flurry of clinic closures.
8. Banks continue to flout foreclosure law in Massachusetts: Wrongful foreclosures continue to plague homeowners in the state.
9. Police are seizing the property of people who have never been accused of a crime: As law enforcement officers continue to ramp up use of a controversial practice known as civil forfeiture, police are seizing cash, cars, houses, and other assets in the name of drug enforcement without ever having arrested or charged their owners with a crime.
10. Chicago cardinal pulls support from immigration groups who also back marriage equality: Cardinal Francis George says immigration groups that support marriage equality don’t “respect the teachings of the Catholic faith.”