* "VW has become a bigger downside risk for the German economy than the Greek debt crisis." * The VW scandal is ill-timed for Germany, which is chastening others over debt and refugees—and touting its low carbon footprint. * Related: "Schadenfreude does not square with America’s national
* Hillary Clinton says she's against Keystone XL, days after a college student interrupted her, demanding its rejection. * China's president pledges to help the US fight cybercrime, says it's a victim, not a perpetrator. * A US-China "cyber arms agreement" is a good
* The Burkina Faso presidential guard attempted a coup—the rest of the army wasn't as enthusiastic. * Shkreli's pharma profiteering is hardly unique, but it sheds light on an odious—and dangerous—practice. * Scientists think they've isolated dengue's virulence to a single protein—
* Tsiprias calls re-election a clear mandate; Greece's fifth election in six years had record low turnout. * US military directed its soldiers to ignore Afghan commanders' sexual abuse of boys. * "They were novices, with higher voices than mine, and they didn’t know where to find
* Initially saying asylum seekers could pass through freely, Croatia closes borders after 11,000 migrants pour in. * Trump doesn't correct questioner who says Obama is a Muslim. * Trump has shown us that if 2012 was the first internet election, 2016 is the first viral election. * Why aliens abduct
* For Putin, helping restore peace in Syria could mean an end to Western sanctions over Ukraine. * When pressed on the issues, Trump withers—here's a guide to what he stands for, as best as one can figure. * People are finally talking about Trump's anti-vaccine position.
* Hungary declares state of emergency as migrants continue to enter the country. * As Hungary tightens borders, migrants seek alternate routes; Croatian PM says they can pass through, but can't stay. * Putin promises continued military support of Assad. * Orbán is playing to Hungarian xenophobia—he may win the political
* "They leave behind increasingly empty neighborhoods—from the Damascus suburbs to the northern city of Aleppo—that testify to the scale of their exodus." * EU struggles to get member nations to accept refugees, as Hungary imposes new laws to deter migrants from staying put. * Today's Syrian
* Dept. of Energy suffered over 150 successful cyber-attacks between 2010 and 2014; 19 targeted nuclear weapons. * Reminder: US government information systems are routinely hacked. * MIT researchers: Government networks are antiquated, vulnerable because of a lack of research funding. * Richard Glossip scheduled for lethal injection this week; however, Oklahoma'
* Chicago police are focusing more on seizing firearms than arresting low-level drug offenders. * Chicago's South Side, where much of the city's violence takes place, to get long-overdue Level 1 trauma center. * US officials block documents detailing the Gitmo torture of Abu Zubaydah, who lost
