Midday Roundup: Obama names California mountains a national monument

Monumental. President Barack Obama is creating a new national monument today. The executive order sets aside 346,177 acres of the San Gabriel Mountains just outside Los Angeles for protection from development. The new wilderness area is the 177th designated since President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act in 1906. Obama has established or expanded 13 of them. “Designating the area as a National Monument will ensure its resources are managed properly and protected for future generations to enjoy,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. But not everyone’s happy about the designation. Several hundred people protested the announcement, saying they feared its effects on private property rights, flood control, and emergency services.

War on working women? Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is trying to reboot comments he made yesterday at a conference for women in computing. In response to a question about how women who are uncomfortable asking for a raise should go about it, Nadella said, “It’s not really about asking for a raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will give you the right raise. … It’s good karma. It will come back.” The tech community erupted in protest, and Nadella is trying to convince his critics he’s not a misogynist. “I answered that question completely wrong,” he said in a letter posted to the Microsoft website. “Without a doubt I wholeheartedly support programs at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap. … If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask.”

Border spat. North and South Korean border guards exchanged gunfire today in the latest bout of hostilities between the two countries. The shooting started after South Korean activists released balloons carrying leaflets critical of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. Northern border guards took shots at the balloons and some of the bullets landed in South Korea, whose guards promptly returned fire. This latest incident comes amid increasing speculation about Kim, who failed to attend today’s anniversary ceremony honoring his father and grandfather.

Apology. The woman engaged to Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber issued a tearful apology yesterday after a local newspaper reported her third marriage was illegal and a sham. Cylvia Hayes admitted during a news conference that she married an Ethiopian teenager in 1997 so he could obtain a green card and stay in the United States to go to college. The two remained married for about four years although they only saw each other a couple of times. Hayes was paid $5,000 for the marriage, which she described during the news conference as a “serious mistake.” Kitzhaber, who refers to Hayes as the state’s first lady, is running for reelection against Republican Dennis Richardson. Polls show Kitzhaber, a Democrat, with a 12-point lead in the race.