Lawmakers say there will be 'hell to pay' if Russia is behind Malaysia Airlines crash

July 17, 2014: An Emergencies Ministry member works at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region. The Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian militants on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official said.Reuters

WASHINGTON –  The White House confirmed Thursday that President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly discussed a Malaysian passenger plane crash that killed 295 people on board during a telephone call the two leaders had earlier in the day.

The plane crashed in Ukraine near the border with Russia. It was traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Pieces of the Boeing 777 along with bodies were found burning on the ground in Ukraine.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest confirmed the call took place but suggested that Putin did not pass on a lot of details to Obama. What Putin passed on – or did not pass on - to the president may be significant as more information comes out on possible Russian involvement.

“I can confirm that President Putin near the end of this morning's phone call with President Obama noted the early reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border,” Earnest said.

At a political event in Delaware early Thursday afternoon, Obama spoke briefly about the downed airliner, saying it “looks like it may be a terrible tragedy” and the administration is working to determine whether American citizens were on board. He also noted the national security team is in close contact with the Ukrainian government.

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., told Fox News the weaponry used to down the plane was consistent with Russian technology although he could not tell for sure “which jerk” in the region shot it down.

Kirk added if the reports are confirmed, the international community should suspend flights over Ukrainian airspace.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took a similar tone. He said there would be “hell to pay” if the plane was shot down by the Russian military – but added, “to leap to conclusions could be very embarrassing and really inappropriate until we have more information.”

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, said if the crash was caused by pro-Russian separatists, it “represents a tragic and dramatic escalation in this conflict.”

He added, “It’s been clear from the beginning that notwithstanding Putin’s duplicitous statements to the contrary, Russia has continued tostoke theconflictand allow violent separatists in eastern Ukraine access to an array of Russian armaments.”

Schiff also urged European countries to “quickly follow" America's lead by implementing broader sanctions.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said U.S. officials had “been in touch” with Ukrainian officials but couldn’t confirm any other details, including whether any Americans were on board the plane traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

For its part, the Kremlin website published a statement that says “the Russian leader informed the U.S. president of the report from air traffic controllers that the Malaysian plane had crashed on Ukrainian territory, which had arrived immediately before the phone call.”

Ukrainian PresidentPetroPoroshenkoconfirmed the crash and fueled speculation that the plane was shot down by separatists, but State Department spokesman Jen Psaki in a message on Twitter said the U.S. government cannot confirm any cause.

"We do not exclude that this plane was shot down," Poroshenko said, "and we stress that the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not take action against any airborne targets."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Colorado lawmakers OK co-op banking option for marijuana sellers

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - The Colorado legislature on Wednesday voted to create the nation's first state-run financial cooperative for marijuana sellers, with the aim of giving newly legalized cannabis retail outlets access to key banking services through the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The approval of the so-called "cannabis credit co-ops" came on the final day of the legislative session, as lawmakers seek to address problems marijuana retailers face in having to operate on a cash-only basis, such as burglary threats.

The proposal's chief sponsor, Representative Jonathan Singer, said the cooperatives are needed because traditional banks and credit unions have been hesitant to serve the burgeoning marijuana industry as long as the drug remains outlawed by the U.S. government.

"This is the final piece to our pot puzzle," said Singer, a Democrat.

The final approval on Wednesday came after both chambers of the General Assembly cleared their own versions of the bill. The bill now heads to Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper for his signature.

Voters in Colorado and Washington state legalized the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis by adults for recreational purposes in 2012. Both states are among 20 that allow the use of cannabis for medical reasons.

The first recreational cannabis shops opened in Colorado in January, and Washington is set to follow suit later this year.

Singer said the cash-only nature of the industry makes pot businesses targets of crime, limits owners' access to credit and capital and hinders the state's ability to track revenues for tax-collection purposes.

Under the bill, the financial cooperatives would operate similarly to credit unions - without a deposit insurance requirement - and would be governed by the state's financial services commissioner.

But to gain access to banking services such as credit card processing and checking accounts, the Federal Reserve would need to approve the plan, which critics say is unlikely in the absence of a deposit insurance mandate.

Republicans who voted against the measure said such complex legislation needed further study and should not have been rushed through the legislature at the end of its session.

The Obama administration in February issued new law-enforcement guidelines aimed at encouraging banks to start doing business with state-licensed marijuana suppliers, even though such enterprises remain illegal under federal law.

The guidance stopped short of promising blanket immunity to banks, and financial industry officials have said they doubted many banks would begin to accept cannabis suppliers as customers without changes in federal law.

Another bill headed to the governor's desk allocates tax revenues derived from retail pot sales to marijuana enforcement, and to fund education programs designed to prevent youths from using the drug.

Also on Wednesday, Colorado legislators approved a requirement that cannabis-infused edibles be readily identifiable as containing THC, the psychoactive property in marijuana.

A bill to limit the amount of concentrates inside cannabis products also won passage this week, an issue that gained attention following two deaths possibly linked to the ingestion of marijuana products.

(Editing by Steve Gorman, Eric Walsh, Eric M. Johnson and Michael Urquhart)

Marijuana AbuseLegislative BranchFederal ReserveColorado

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UK lawmakers told not to rub statues' toes

LONDON (AP) — Parliamentary officials in Britain want lawmakers to keep their hands off Margaret Thatcher's toes.

Authorities are considering roping off statues of former prime ministers, including Thatcher and Winston Churchill, because they are suffering wear and tear from legislators rubbing their toes for luck.

Members of Parliament traditionally touch the statues in the House of Commons lobby before entering the chamber.

Deputy House of Commons curator Melanie Unwin told Parliament's Works of Art Committee that statues of Thatcher, Churchill, Clement Attlee and David Lloyd George "are seriously under threat due to the tradition of touching the toes of the statues for good luck."

The committee agreed that "Do not touch" signs should be put up, and is considering installing barriers around the statues.

Details of the June meeting emerged Friday.

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Order! Greek lawmakers fumes at fellow smokers

Athens, Greece (AP) — Greek lawmakers are fuming over colleagues who openly violate anti-smoking laws in the country in a building lot where statutes were passed.

A group of 88 representatives wrote to the speaker of Parliament Thursday, urging action against what they call a "pathetic and irritating" State of affairs.

Greece has one of the highest smoking rates in the European Union. Introduced strict legislation in 2010 to ban smoking in indoor public places. Violators fines of € 50-€ 500 ($ 68-$ 680).

It was the anti-smoking law passed third in recent years, but ran into any substantial success: people still light freely in bars, cafes, restaurants — and Parliament.

The lawmakers wrote that, in addition to editing rooms, sometimes there is "not a single square meter" in Parliament where the law is not broken.

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