cnndm_mini-bart-output.txt

president barack obama says he is " absolutely committed " to making sure israel maintains a military advantage over iran .  his comments come amid criticism from israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu of the deal that the u.s. struck with iran .  tehran agreed to halt the country 's nuclear ambitions , and in exchange , western powers would drop sanctions that have hurt the iran 's economy .
the american pharmacists association votes to adopt a ban as an official policy .  the group says such activities are " fundamentally contrary to the role of pharmacists as healthcare providers " the group acted because of increased public attention on lethal injection , a spokeswoman says .  thirty - two sates allow capital punishment , and lethal injection is still the most common method .
zaki - ur - rehman lakhvi is a top leader of the terrorist group lashkar - e - taiba .  he is accused of masterminding the 2008 mumbai terror attacks that left more than 160 people dead .  india says the release shows pakistan has a dual policy on dealing with terrorists .  pakistan says india 's delay in cooperating in the case " weakened the prosecution "
iranians celebrate nuclear deal with u.s. , other world powers .  young people wave flags from sunroofs , blast music from stereos .  the agreement was struck on the final day of persian new year festivities .  iranian foreign minister javad zarif received hero 's welcome in tehran .
aaron hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder and two weapons charges .  he 's accused of orchestrating the shooting death of odin lloyd .  the motive is still unclear but not legally required to get a conviction .  the trial has involved two sisters who played important roles in the lives of hernandez and lloyd .
netflix has ordered up a " full house " reunion special and a spinoff series .  candace cameron bure , who played d.j. tanner in the original series , will star .  jodie sweetin and andrea barber will both return for the new series .  the show will be available next year .
a man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of planning a boston - style attack .  the suspected target , according to florian flade , the terrorism researcher , was a bike race .  flade says the couple had ties to radical islamist circles in the frankfurt area .  the pipe bomb recovered by police appears to have similarities to devices built by boston bombers .
geophysicists have long monitored how fast the earth 's plates are moving .  over millions of years , the squeezing has crushed the himalayas like a concertina .  in the 81 years since the 1934 bihar earthquake , the land mass of india has been pushed about 12 feet into nepal .
martin o'malley told reporters in iowa on friday that inevitability -- a term bandied about regarding hillary clinton -- is not unbreakable . "  i 've seen it before , " the former governor of maryland and possible presidential contender said .  clinton was considered inevitable to win the nomination in 2008 but ended up losing to barack obama .
u.s. has lost influence in latin america to a hyperactive china , a cunning russia and a troubling iran , says julian zelizer .  the summit of the americas offers a chance to reverse the tide , he says .  zelizer : the foundations for a strong hemispheric bloc are there , but they need attention .
mercury is the planet closest to the sun in our solar system .  nasa 's messenger probe is running out of fuel .  it will crash onto mercury on april 30 .  if you want to see mercury with your own eyes , you may be in luck if you can find an area with dark skies .
don mclean 's " american pie " sold by christie 's for $ 1.2 million .  bob greene : the song is a hybrid of modern poetry and folk ballad , beer - hall chant and high - art rock .  he says mclean was a paperboy when buddy holly , ritchie valens and j.p. " the big bopper " richardson died .  greene : mclean has guaranteed that the memory of those great musicians lives forever .
nearly 60 % of the people in america 's workforce are paid hourly and work part - time .  writers : congress should help low - wage workers gain access to predictable work schedules .  they say major chains use " just - in - time " scheduling to maximize profit , which in turn creates unstable and stressful work environments for low- wage workers .
" furious 7 " producers hired a lockheed c-130 hercules to fly five cars 12,000 feet high .  the film makes it appear as if another plane -- a c-17 globemaster iii -- drops the cars .  on tuesday , exactly 60 years later , georgia gov. nathan deal christened a brand new super hercules .
bob greene was a copygirl at the chicago daily news on april 12 , 1945 .  he says the news of president franklin d. roosevelt 's death struck late in the afternoon .  greene : the office was swamped with calls for verification , and many queries could not be handled .  he writes : " within a few minutes after bulletins came to the daily news , the office became great "
hln 's # meforreal is an uplifting , revealing conversation about the way we present ourselves online .  we want to see the real parts of life , the ones that do n't get a filter or a facebook post but are a part of our realities nonetheless .  tag your favorite unscripted , unedited , un - perfected moments using # meforreal .
al - shabaab militants have launched a series of deadly attacks over the last few years .  many of the math and science teachers in this area are christian .  in northeast nigeria , the islamist militant group boko haram has been waging war against the government -- and the civilian population .
students stampeded down the halls of a dormitory and some jumped from its fifth floor .  hundreds were injured and were taken to hospitals .  the confusion and panic came less than two weeks after al - shabaab slaughtered 147 people at a college in garissa .  kenyan teachers and students have said they fear being targeted by the somalia - based terrorists .
dzhokhar tsarnaev was convicted on 30 charges related to the 2013 boston marathon bombings .  the jury will begin deliberating his punishment next week .  the tsarnaevs were not on the minds of most people in boston on wednesday .  the injured victims and those who lost their lives were spoken of with reverence in somber ceremonies .
a reserve deputy in tulsa , oklahoma , accidentally shot and killed a man .  robert bates said he meant to use his taser but ended up firing his handgun instead .  experts say the gun should be holstered on the officer 's dominant side of the body .  bates ' attorney said his client is left - handed .
robert bates is accused of manslaughter in the death of eric harris .  harris died after bates shot him -- accidentally , he says -- in a tussle captured on a police body camera .  the sheriff 's office is fending off allegations that supervisors were told to forge bates ' training records .  bates says he has documentation to show he has completed the necessary training .
the terrorist group al - shabaab has claimed an attack on garissa university college in eastern kenya .  the attack is another step in the ongoing escalation of the terrorist group 's activities .  somalia - based al- shabaab is predominantly driven by the same radical interpretation of the koran as al - qaeda and isis .
the nominations for the 69th annual tony awards were announced tuesday morning .  bruce willis is set to make his broadway debut in the upcoming play " misery " the awards are set to be handed out june 7 in a ceremony airing live at 8 p.m. on cbs ( tape - delayed on the west coast )
rabbis mendel epstein , jay goldstein and binyamin stimler were convicted tuesday .  they were accused of planning and participating in the torture of jewish men who refused to divorce their wives .  the men were arrested in october 2013 following an fbi sting operation .  lawyers for each of the rabbis said they plan on appealing the convictions .
ines dumig 's photo series " apart together " features somali refugee sahra .  dumig met sahra through a photo workshop at refugio , a shelter for refugees and torture victims .  the number of refugees seeking asylum in the european union increased by 25 % last year .
les moonves is the president and ceo of cbs corp. , which includes showtime .  his waiter , gabriel salvador , offered moonves an " in " to the mayweather - pacquiao fight .  salvador is an actor who has appeared in " bones " and " blue bloods " the may 2 fight is expected to gross as much as $ 600 million .
chinese police have arrested more than 133,000 people and seized 43.3 tons of illegal narcotics .  authorities also handled 115,000 drug - related crimes -- such as robbery -- and 606,000 cases of drug use .  the figures were nearly double the same period a year earlier , while the amount of narcotics seized was up by 44.9 % .
amnesty international releases its annual review of the death penalty worldwide .  in pakistan , the government lifted a six - year moratorium on the execution of civilians .  iran and iraq executed people for " terrorism , " and other countries expanded the scope of capital crimes .  there is no evidence that the threat of execution is more of a deterrent to crime than a prison sentence .
last weekend 's raid in the heart of london 's jewelry district feels like it has been taken from a movie like " ocean 11 " such robberies are rare : the gang did n't follow the current criminal trend of manipulating digits in cyber space .  in the uk burglaries and robberies are often committed by working - class people , people who would otherwise have blue collar jobs .
freddie gray 's death has inflamed tensions across the country .  but gray is far from the only suspect who died under questionable circumstances after he was already in custody .  in new iberia , louisiana , sheriff 's deputies claimed white shot and killed himself in the back of a squad car .  in fullerton , california , officers were responding to a call about a homeless man .
the moon slips fully into earth 's shadow at 4:58 a.m. pacific time .  it 's the third in a series of four in a row , known as a " tetrad " people from the u.s. west coast to australia were able to catch the total eclipse .
ron lane , a longtime employee at wayne community college , was killed monday .  the suspect , kenneth morgan stancil iii , worked with lane as part of a work - study program .  he was let go from the program in early march due to poor attendance , the college president says .  police say they are looking into whether the killing was a hate crime .
the woman smacks her son in the head repeatedly .  she follows him , screaming , " get the f--- over here ! "  eventually , he turns toward her , his face no longer covered .  police commissioner : " i wish i had more parents that took charge of their kids "
aaron hernandez was found guilty of first - degree murder in the 2013 slaying of odin lloyd .  bob greene : hernandez did n't look ashamed or remorseful .  he did n't offer a plausible alibi .  he never wept .  greene : neither the patriots nor the nfl has anything to be ashamed of in how they handled the case .
a new cnn / orc poll finds 57 % feel businesses such as caterers or florists should be required to serve gay or lesbian couples just as they would heterosexual couples .  that 's a shift from a pew research center poll conducted last fall , which found just 49 % thought businesses ought to serve same - sex couples .
hundreds of decomposed corpses were discovered buried in shallow graves in the streets of damasak .  the town had recently been freed from the boko haram terror group in a joint nigerian - chadian military operation .  the victims included men , women and children murdered by boko haram when they seized the area in november .
the supreme court will hear oral arguments tuesday in a case that could decide whether gay and lesbian couples have the constitutional right to marry .  chief justice john roberts has a solid conservative record and would seem an unlikely vote to support a right to same - sex marriage .  both sides see the case as a legacy - making moment for the 60-year - old chief justice .
jackson gordon is an industrial design student at philadelphia university .  by day he is an alter ego : the dark knight himself , batman .  he has created a full suit of armor plating , cape and cowl -- matte black and built to stop a knife .  the batsuit has made appearances at conventions and proved a showstopper .
arthur baldwin , 29 , was arrested at a woman 's residence in southeast washington .  he has been placed on administrative leave and his security clearance has been suspended .  the u.s. attorney 's office said the charge of attempted first - degree burglary carries a sentence of up to five years in prison .
isis says it stormed the baiji oil refinery late saturday .  iraqi government security officials deny that claim and insist iraqi forces remain in full control .  the refinery is just 40 kilometers from the northern iraqi city of tikrit , which iraqi forces wrested from isis less than two weeks ago .
hillary clinton is finally announcing her candidacy for the 2016 presidential election .  julian zelizer : for democrats , there is ample reason to be excited about clinton 's run .  he says if she puts together an effective campaign , she could be unbeatable in the democratic primaries as well as in the general election .  zelizer says clinton will have to contend with the gender bias that still exists in the electorate .
" furious 7 " is expected to gross $ 115 million or more when opening at the north american box office this weekend .  it is getting the widest release in universal 's history with a theater count of roughly 4,003 .  overseas , the movie is also poised to do massive business , putting its global debut north of $ 250 million .
memphis grizzlies small forward jeff green had to have open heart surgery .  he missed the entire 2011 - 2012 season .  six months after the surgery was the first time he set foot on a court .  green 's now using his story to raise awareness of hidden heart risk .  he also spends time with children dealing with cardiac issues .
wwf : 70 percent of ocean 's overall economic value relies on its continued health .  90 percent of the world 's fish stocks are either fully exploited or over - exploited , report says .  by 2050 , it is possible that the ocean could lose its coral reefs , it says .  report identifies actions that would revive the ocean economy .
hashtags such as # peacemarch and # saynotoxenophobia are being used on social media .  the marches follow recent violent attacks on foreigners in the country that have claimed five lives .  attacks this week in durban alone have killed two immigrants and three south africans , including a 14-year - old .
the latest beauty trend involves sucking on a shot glass to look like kylie jenner .  the hashtag # kyliejennerchallenge has been trending on twitter in recent days .  in 2014 , the number of women undergoing " buttock augmentation " rose by 86 % .
" avengers : age of ultron " picks up where " captain america : winter soldier " left off .  director joss whedon mixes some brooding down - time in with the abundant spectacle .  the climax and resolution could have been worked out in more complex , less rote ways .
" avengers " star jeremy renner sings ed sheeran parodies .  he also shows off his other talents .  renner has starred in several films , including " the hurt locker , " " american hustle : and films in the " bourne " and " mission impossible " franchises .
university of cape town students took to social media to demand cecil rhodes ' statue come down . #  rhodesmustfall gained attention after activists threw excrement on the statue in march .  the university said wednesday the heritage authority granted it permission to remove the statue . "  this is n't confronting history , this is erasing it , " a protester says .
a second person has been charged with attempting to carry out an " isis - inspired " terror plot .  five young men were arrested saturday in melbourne , australia , in what police called a major counterterrorism operation .  the suspects planned to attack during a major national commemoration in a week , prime minister tony abbott says .
ahmed farouq was the deputy emir of al qaeda in the indian subcontinent .  he died in a u.s. counterterrorism airstrike in january , the white house says .  the branch made its presence known in september 2014 , when militants tried to hijack a ship .
emy afalava was born in american samoa , a u.s. territory since 1900 .  he says he has been subject to american law his whole life and thinks he should be a citizen .  the constitution would agree , he says , but the supreme court has never declared it .
heavy drinking among americans rose 17.2 percent between 2005 and 2012 .  binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more for men .  in santa clara county , calif. , women 's binge drinking rates rose by nearly 36 percent .  the cost of excessive drinking has been estimated at more than $ 220 billion per year .
chelsea manning says she will be using a voice phone to dictate her tweets .  she is not allowed internet access in prison .  manning is serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking thousands of classified documents .  last year , a kansas judge granted her request to be formally known as chelsea elizabeth manning .
walter scott was stopped by officer michael slager for a broken taillight .  slager shot scott in the back multiple times and then picked up something near scott 's body .  north charleston 's police force is about 80 % white , with a population of 47 % black and 37 % white .
" success kid " is now an 8-year - old named sammy griner .  his dad , justin , needs a kidney transplant .  a gofundme campaign has raised more than $ 75,000 so far .  the family does n't know when a kidney might become available .
tokyo 's shibuya ward passes ordinance to recognize same - sex unions .  same - sex partners will be able to hold visitation rights in hospitals and co - sign tenancy agreements .  opponents say the move is a step in the wrong direction and that a national law must be made .
bundchen announced over the weekend that she would be retiring from the catwalk , though not the fashion industry .  the 34-year - old , who is married to new england patriots quarterback tom brady and has two children , has said she wants to spend more time with her family .
slovenian archaeologist ivan šprajc has discovered more than 80 ancient mayan cities in the jungles of mexico .  he has been the first to see ancient pyramids , 30 meters high , that he spotted in aerial photographs from his office among the baroque mitteleuropean cobbled streets of ljubljana .  the region in which he has found such riches had gone unexplored because it 's so inaccessible .
iraqi security forces regained full control of the baiji refinery , the coalition says .  a week ago , isis claimed it controlled part of the facility .  peshmerga forces cleared 84 square kilometers ( 32 square miles ) of isis - occupied territory in iraq .  the goal was to push back isis and " diminish its ability to threaten the security of kirkuk province "
copenhagen 's carlsberg city is a new neighborhood set to emerge in the heart of the danish capital .  the area has been home to the famous beer - maker since 1847 .  the project has attracted interest from all over the world .  the first apartments went up for sale in march , but the area has already been alive for years .
" anyone who thinks we will surrender is dreaming , " says houthi leader abdul - malik al - houthi .  saudi brig .  gen. ahmed asiri says airstrikes have decimated the houthis ' central command .  since mid - march , more than 700 people have been killed in violence , who says .  there are signs of some fracturing among forces loyal to former president ali abdullah saleh .
richie benaud has died at the age of 84 , cricket australia says .  benaud captained australia for 28 tests , never losing a series .  he was inducted into the sport australia hall of fame in 1985 .  australian prime minister tony abbott says benaud " personified " cricket .
john helinski was homeless and nameless for three years .  his id and social security cards had been stolen .  a big - hearted cop and a case worker helped him get back into the system .  now , he 's set to buy his own place and collect a nice pension .
fabien le coq 's photo series " treesome " is an embodiment of his unique way of interacting with the world around him .  the series , shot between 2012 and 2014 , reflects his travels through his native france and countries in central america and asia .  each image is special because it represents different feelings at different points in time .
within hours of the first 7.8 magnitude quake , india began planning a massive cross - border aid mission .  on sunday alone , india delivered 187 tons of supplies , including 50 tons of water , 22 tons of food and 2 tons of medicine .  with each flight in , there was a flight back out , packed with indians and other nationals .
nigeria 's president - elect : " this crime has rightly caused outrage both in nigeria and across the world " the girls were abducted on the night of april 14 - 15 , 2014 , in the town of chibok .  most have never been seen since , except in a photograph in which they sat in a semi - circle .
of the ship 's 2,117 passengers , 95 have suffered from vomiting , diarrhea and other symptoms .  the illness has also affected five members of the 964-person crew .  the cdc has yet to determine what 's causing the ailments .  two staffers from the agency are scheduled to meet the west coast - based ship in san diego .
tv5monde says it was " hacked by an islamist group " isis logos and markings could be seen on some social media accounts .  there was no immediate claim of responsibility by isis or any other group .  the outage began around 10 p.m. paris time , and network teams were still working to restore service .
lois lilienstein , co - star of " sharon , lois & bram 's elephant show , " has died .  the canadian preschool show ran on nickelodeon during the early 1990s .  she died in toronto on wednesday night from a rare form of cancer , her son said .
" partner up , " the facebook status read .  jae rockwell , the founder of women run the world , posted this mantra to help us keep ourselves accountable .  swimming remains my weakest link .  sometimes i forget that and do n't cut myself any slack .  so when times get tough , partner up !
sofia vergara 's ex - fiance is speaking out about their dispute over frozen embryos .  nick loeb says he met the actress in 2010 and they got engaged two years later .  they decided to create the embryos and conceive a child via a surrogate .  after two attempts failed to bring fertilized embryos to term , they created two more embryos .
the 750-piece collection fetched a total of $ 3.64 million at bonhams auction house in new york on march 31 .  bacall , who died in august 2014 at the age of 89 , first shot to international fame in 1944 with her first film , " to have and have not "
joel burger and ashley king met in kindergarten and grew up together in new berlin , illinois .  burger , now 24 , and king , 23 , were asked to stand as student council representatives in fifth grade .  burger king got wind of the article and was immediately interested in the happy couple .  the fast food romance was many years in the making .
miami police set up a hidden camera inside a plane to catch baggage handlers stealing valuables .  a cnn analysis of passenger property loss claims from 2010 to 2014 shows 30,621 claims .  john f. kennedy international airport in new york topped the list of airports with the most claims .
molly schuyler ate three 72-ounce steaks , three baked potatoes , three salads .  that 's more than 13 pounds of steak , not counting the sides .  she did it all in 20 minutes , setting a record in the process .  the nebraska native , 35 , is a professional on the competitive - eating circuit .
a bystander 's video shows a white police officer killing an apparently unarmed black man .  frida ghitis : the incident raises troubling questions about how often such incidents take place .  she says a 1994 law requires the justice department to collect data on police killings .  ghitis says congress has failed to enforce the law , leaving us with patchy information .
freddie gray was arrested by baltimore police on the morning of april 12 without incident .  less than an hour after he was detained , officers transporting him called for a medic .  he subsequently slipped into a coma , dying a week after his initial arrest .  the events surrounding gray 's encounter with police remain unclear .
georgian chess grandmaster gaioz nigalidze is banned from the dubai open chess tournament .  officials discovered he was darting to the toilet to consult his smartphone .  the phone was logged onto a chess analysis app , the dubai chess and culture club says .  players found guilty of cheating will be suspended for three years from all sanctioned tournaments .
world economy has expanded at least 100-fold since industrial capitalism first found its footing in britain around 1800 .  sustainable development calls for a holistic approach that combines economic , social , and environmental objectives .  it recognizes that we are doomed to conflict and even collapse if we fail to promote social equality and environmental sustainability .
sandra bullock has been named the world 's most beautiful woman .  the 50-year - old actress calls the honor " ridiculous " she says she 's happy with who she is .  gabrielle union , ariana grande and laverne cox are also on the list .
sabra dipping co. is recalling 30,000 cases of hummus .  the recall is voluntary .  so far , no illnesses have been reported .  listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children , frail or elderly people .
frida ghitis : u.s. drone strike kills two aid workers held hostage by al qaeda .  ghitis says it 's no surprise : rogue regimes have long used hostages to extract concessions .  she says iran , north korea , syria , iraq have all used hostages as bargaining chips .  ghits : obama 's outreach to iran , n. korea has been met with hostage crises .
the u.s. leads the world in incarceration , not education , says julian zelizer .  we must examine the way our criminal justice system works and take necessary actions , he says .  zelizer : we must start to deconstruct the perverse order of our priorities and build a more just society by making needed changes at the federal level .
former rap mogul marion " suge " knight pleads not guilty to murder and other charges .  he is accused of running over two men during an argument in january in compton , california .  the incident occurred after a flare - up on the set of the biopic " straight outta compton "
up to 200 people are feared missing after a landslide in a trekking area north of kathmandu .  the death toll has now climbed above 4,600 in nepal , officials say .  rescue efforts are hampered by problems of getting aid into the country and delivering it to some of the remote communities .
boston marathon runners begin their exhausting run monday .  david rothkopf : with the luxury of some time and healing , the city has moved on .  he says the trial of dzhokhar tsarnaev vindicated the u.s. judicial system .  rothkapf : runners had no access to phones and often had no identification .
a new study suggests the brontosaurus belongs to its own genera .  o.c. marsh first named the dinosaur , " brontosaurus , " or " thunder lizard , " in 1879 .  the study took five years and included visits to 20 museums in europe and the u.s.
amnesty international calls for an independent investigation of the killings by police .  the incident took place early tuesday in india 's southeastern andhra pradesh state .  forest officials spotted hundreds of smugglers cutting trees for red sandalwood , police say .  the ensuing gun battle lasted more than three hours and 20 smugglers were shot .
isis uses abu ghraib and other cases of western abuse to legitimize its current actions in iraq .  u.s. poured money into iraq after 2003 invasion , but did not make support contingent upon a fair distribution of power and resources .  lack of accountability paved the way for abuses , fuelled sectarian tension in the country .  isis sending strong message that its current fight in iraq is about reversing longstanding injustices against sunnis .
e !  will air a new documentary series about bruce jenner 's transition .  the eight - part , one - hour series is set to premiere july 26 .  jenner recently went public with the fact that he is transgender .  he is already being hailed for bringing attention to the transgender community .
pope francis asks that bloodshed end in iraq and syria .  he also asks for peace in ukraine and for healing for those who have suffered there .  pope francis ends the address consoling the marginalized , the poor , the sick and the suffering .  and he wishes all a happy easter .
carlos colina , 32 , will be arraigned the morning of april 14 for murder .  police were notified saturday about a suspicious item along a walkway in cambridge .  officers arrived at the scene , opened a duffel bag and found human remains .  surveillance video led them to an apartment building , where more body parts were discovered .
fatu kekula , 23 , was just a year away from finishing up her nursing degree in liberia .  her mother , father , sister and cousin came down with the deadly ebola virus .  a cnn story prompted donations from around the world to iam , an organization that helps african natives pay for education .
photographer tomasz lazar spent hours photographing and interviewing adults who were ripped from their homes as children in the 1940s .  soviet authorities invaded poland during world war ii and deported hundreds of thousands of poles .  some were sent to prison camps in the frozen wilderness of central russia ; many were children .
cystic fibrosis patients should n't be near each other because they can share infections . "  i told dalton i 'd rather be happy -- like really , really happy -- for five years of my life and die sooner than be mediocre happy and live for twenty years , " katie donovan says .  katie donovan and dalton prager , now 24 and 23 , met on facebook .
the sentencing phase of the federal case will resume monday .  the jury was sent home thursday because a juror was sick .  dzhokhar " jahar " tsarnaev was convicted april 8 on all 30 counts , including 17 that carry a possible death penalty .  his defense team is seeking to spare him from a death sentence .
a cotton lobbyist group claims , one cotton farmer commits suicide every eight hours .  vidarbha , in the eastern region of the state of maharashtra , is known as the epicenter of the suicide crisis .  unseasonal rain and hail destroyed many crops earlier this year .  a plentiful harvest in 2014 drove prices down while production costs rose .
" a mass grave is being created in the mediterranean sea , " doctors without borders president says .  a bangladeshi migrant tells investigators many were trapped inside behind locked doors .  the boat capsized after a couple of days at sea , sending hundreds of migrants plunging into the sea .  malta 's prime minister says human traffickers are putting people on rickety ships .
california is a breadbasket to the nation , growing more than a third of its vegetables and nearly two - thirds of its fruits and nuts .  a strong dollar allows producers to import crops that may be withering under the absence of west coast rain or other misfortunes elsewhere in the nation .