Jim Schneider sat in the Crosstalk chair and presented the following news stories for listener input: --Cuba has been removed from the U.S. terror sponsor list. --U.S. surveillance images allegedly show that China is positioning weaponry on at least one of the artificial islands they're developing in the South China Sea. --President Obama defended his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the March elections in that nation arguing that such criticism lends him credibility when defending Israel. --A 35 year old contract signed last year and set to go operational next month allows a United Arab Emirates based company to operate a cargo terminal near the Kennedy Space Center frequently used by NATO and allied nuclear submarines. --The Obama administration discloses plans to preserve the habitat of the Sage Grouse.