| 'The United States is under attack': Intel chiefs say Russia targets midterm election Posted: 13 Feb 2018 09:01 AM PST  The heads of six top U.S. intelligence agencies said on Tuesday that Russian interference in American democracy has not diminished since the 2016 presidential race and is continuing heading into this year's midterms.
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| ICE Lawyer Charged With Trying To Defraud Immigrants By Stealing Their Identities Posted: 14 Feb 2018 12:46 AM PST  A top attorney with Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly resigned this week after being charged with stealing several immigrants' identities to obtain money and property.
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| Passengers Terrified When Engine Cover Rips Off Plane Bound For Hawaii Posted: 13 Feb 2018 06:22 PM PST  Passengers on a flight from California to Hawaii faced a terrifying sight on Tuesday when the engine's covering ripped off the aircraft.
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| Melania Trump to spend Valentine's Day with sick children at Maryland hospital Posted: 14 Feb 2018 06:45 AM PST  Melania Trump will spend Valentine's Day with children at a hospital in Maryland, continuing her White House tradition of visiting sick young ones.
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| Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's Cover Model Cried When She Found Out She Was Chosen Posted: 12 Feb 2018 09:00 PM PST  Danielle Herrington, 24, is the third African-American model in the magazine's decades-long history to grace the cover of the annual swimsuit issue.
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| Kuwait condemns Philippine president's call to evacuate workers Posted: 13 Feb 2018 06:52 AM PST  A top Kuwaiti official condemned on Tuesday a call by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to evacuate his country's workers from Kuwait, suggesting Duterte could damage ties between the two countries. Duterte said last week that his government would ask private airlines to evacuate Filipino nationals from Kuwait within 72 hours, after the discovery of the dead body of a Filipino migrant worker in a freezer. "We are surprised and we condemn statements from the Philippine president, especially as we are in contact with the Philippines on a high level to explain the workers' conditions in Kuwait," said Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah.
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| How the original 'Roseanne' sitcom was started Posted: 14 Feb 2018 12:33 PM PST  John Goodman, who plays Dan Conner on the show, said he and Roseanne Barr hit it off from the very beginning.
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| Scores of Russian mercenaries reportedly killed by US airstrikes in Syria Posted: 13 Feb 2018 10:35 AM PST  US officials said the forces who attacked their allies were fighting on the side of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Scores of Russian mercenaries were reportedly killed when US forces carried out air strikes against a pro-regime force in eastern Syria last week, according to US and Russian reports. If the high estimates of Russian casualties are confirmed, it would be the most lethal clash between US and Russian citizens since the end of the cold war, and it comes at a time when proxy forces in Syria are increasingly coming into contact, as they compete for territory vacated by retreating Islamic State militants.
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| 5 Pointz Developer Who Whitewashed Artists' Murals Forced to Pay Them $6.7 Million Posted: 13 Feb 2018 02:53 PM PST  "This is a win for artists' rights all across the country. This is a win for the visual artists and their protection."
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| Stormy Daniels Says Trump Lawyer Breached Agreement, So She's Free To Talk Posted: 14 Feb 2018 01:25 PM PST  Former adult film actress Stephanie Clifford says she is ready to tell her story after the president's lawyer reportedly breached a nondisclosure agreement preventing her from speaking publicly about her alleged affair with President Donald Trump.
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| Undocumented Father of Cancer-Stricken 5-Year-Old Allowed To Stay In U.S. Posted: 13 Feb 2018 04:49 AM PST  Jesus Berrones, 30, had taken refuge inside a Phoenix church.
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| Tom Daley announces he and his partner are having a baby Posted: 14 Feb 2018 06:15 AM PST  Tom Daley has announced that he is going to have a child with husband Dustin Lance Black. It appears they are to use a surrogate, as the pair posted a photograph of a sonogram on Instagram. The two made a Valentine's announcement, posting on their social media feeds: "HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!" with an accompanying image of the baby scan. The Olympic diver, 23, and the director, 43, became engaged in October 2015 and were married last May. They met at an industry event, when Tom made the first move by typing his mobile phone number into the Oscar-winning director's phone, with an invitation to call him. A very happy #ValentinesDay from ours to yours. ������❤️ pic.twitter.com/6ugN3Ho6y3— Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) February 14, 2018 The pair have wanted a family since they met; Mr Black told OUT Magazine in 2016: "We were so busy making all these plans - we both wanted to have children; we both wanted to build a home of our own someday. I draw, so I was sketching little plans for houses on cliffs overlooking oceans, while Tom watched over my shoulder - it was a very grown-up version of playing house. "Marriage is the foundation to all of these other big plans we have. So we knew we were going to get engaged—it was just a matter of when, and who does it." HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! ❤️������❤️ A post shared by Tom Daley (@tomdaley) on Feb 14, 2018 at 5:44am PST Last year, they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at a lavish golf resort in Dartmoor national park. Mr Daley wrote: "05.06.17 the day I married the love of my life shared with 120 of our closest family and friends from Texarkana to Plymouth". Mr Daley, 22, was said to have re-enacted the balcony scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, calling Black, who is 20 years his senior, his Romeo. A spokesperson said: "Tom and Dustin are thrilled to share that they are expecting their first child in 2018."
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| The AP Asks: What would South Koreans ask a North Korean? Posted: 13 Feb 2018 04:39 PM PST  PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — The Koreas share a border, a culture and a language. But 70 years after they were separated, North and South are about as divided as divided gets.
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| Damascus warns Israel of 'more surprises' in Syria Posted: 13 Feb 2018 04:27 AM PST  DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will face "more surprises" should it again attack Syrian territory, Damascus said on Tuesday, after Syria's air defenses shot down an advanced Israeli warplane during the fiercest flare-up between the old foes in 36 years. The F-16 jet was hit over northern Israel on Saturday as it returned from a raid on a Syrian position blamed for launching an Iranian-made drone across the border. Iran is supporting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's near seven-year civil war.
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| Adam Rippon Talks Eating Disorders, Life As A Starving Figure Skater Posted: 13 Feb 2018 12:17 PM PST  U.S. Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon opened up to The New York Times about his fraught relationship with food, his lifelong journey to be "thin," and the repercussions of starvation.
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| Second Judge Blocks Trump Decision To End Deportation Relief For Dreamers Posted: 13 Feb 2018 04:33 PM PST  A second federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's decision to cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, dealing another blow to the president's efforts to end protections for nearly 700,000 undocumented young people who came to the U.S. as children.
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| Moscow plane crash may have been caused by iced speed probes Posted: 13 Feb 2018 06:08 AM PST  Russian experts probing the weekend plane crash outside Moscow which killed 71 people said the accident may have been caused by ice on speed probes which led to faulty information on the craft's airspeed. "A factor in the development of a special situation in the flight could be the wrong data about flight speed on pilots' indicators which was likely due to iced pitot tubes (speed probes) while their heating systems were shut off," said the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) which investigates aircraft incidents. The Antonov An-148 plane took off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Sunday and went down in a field around 70 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of Moscow shortly after.
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| South Africa's Ruling Party Has Given President Jacob Zuma 48-Hours to Resign Posted: 12 Feb 2018 07:56 PM PST  Zuma has refused repeated calls to relinquish the presidency amid mounting graft scandals
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| 14 Blueberry Cakes To Eat All Day Long Posted: 13 Feb 2018 01:25 PM PST |
| School bus driver crashes into tree, reverses into another tree then drives away with children on board Posted: 13 Feb 2018 08:56 AM PST  Francelle Fleurine, 34, finished her route despite the vehicle's rear window being shattered by the collision. Massachusetts police have cited the bus driver over the crash in Raynham, a town about 30 miles south of Boston. Police said Fleurine, from Attleboro, was transporting at leat 10 Raynham Middle School students when she struck the first tree Monday afternoon.
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| South Korea union says GM plant closure is 'death sentence', threatens strike Posted: 14 Feb 2018 03:29 AM PST  By Heekyong Yang and Ju-min Park GUNSAN/SEOUL (Reuters) - General Motors' workers at a South Korean plant staged a protest on Wednesday against its planned closure, calling the move by the U.S. automaker a "death sentence", and threatening a strike. In the city of Gunsan, where the factory with 2,000 workers is, shuttered store fronts and empty streets near the plant are a stark reminder of the depressing impact on the rural town. "Gunsan city worked really hard to rescue GM, buying GM cars produced from the factory.
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| U.S. Luger Emily Sweeney Wipes Out In Dramatic Olympics Crash Posted: 13 Feb 2018 05:39 AM PST  American luger Emily Sweeney crashed during the women's singles competition at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday, and was reportedly taken to a hospital for evaluation.
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| Is the Israeli Air Force Losing Its Edge? Posted: 14 Feb 2018 08:20 AM PST  The shootdown in Syria may be a sign of things to come. Israel has been bombing targets within Syria with impunity since the country descended into a hellish civil war in 2011. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has executed bombing runs throughout the region, even as far away as Sudan without suffering consequences for decades.
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| China charges former Politburo member with bribery Posted: 12 Feb 2018 06:46 PM PST  A former Politburo member who was once seen as a contender for China's top leadership has been charged with bribery, the country's top prosecutor said Tuesday. Sun Zhengcai, former party chief of the southwestern mega-city Chongqing, "should be held criminally responsible" for "seeking benefits for others" and "illegally accepting huge sums of money," according to a statement on the website of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. The agency has transferred Sun's case to the first branch of the Tianjin People's Procuratorate to complete proceedings, it said.
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| Artists behind the Obamas' portraits also have some pretty incredible Instagrams Posted: 13 Feb 2018 12:44 PM PST  History was made and rules were broken when former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama commissioned Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald respectively to paint their likeness for their Smithsonian presidential portraits. For the first time, two black artists had the task of immortalizing the first black couple in the White House and the unveiling ceremony on Monday revealed stunning pieces of work from the seasoned artists. But regardless of how familiar you are with Wiley and Sherald's work, you might not have known that their Instagrams are full of gems too. SEE ALSO: The internet is enthralled by the Obamas' official portraits Amy Sherald Amy Sherald's portrait of Michelle Obama against a sky-blue background is groundbreaking, but that's nothing new for the Baltimore-based artist. Her Instagram (@asherald) isn't as jam-packed with her own pieces but when she does share them on the grid, it's breathtaking. New works-" What's precious inside of him doesn't care to be known in the mind of those that diminish its presence. "(All American) Oil on Canvas @ Monique Meloche LES March 3-5 2017 #armoryweek 2 Rivington St. NY, NY A post shared by Amy Sherald (@asherald) on Mar 1, 2017 at 7:57am PST A post shared by Amy Sherald (@asherald) on Dec 5, 2017 at 3:57am PST Sherald's Instagram is also the perfect place to find inspiration—from fellow artists, articles, or just one of those straight up good reminder type of quotes about life. And the occasional #TBT of course. Because the power lies within. #notetoself A post shared by Amy Sherald (@asherald) on Jan 16, 2018 at 9:29am PST Always camera ready ��❤️�� #sisters�� @hessliz69 A post shared by Amy Sherald (@asherald) on Feb 3, 2018 at 11:27am PST And while she doesn't share the in-between stages of her portraits, Sherald did share some behind-the-scenes of the Obamas portrait unveiling (one including a shot with the Tom Hanks). Oh hey Tom ���� A post shared by Amy Sherald (@asherald) on Feb 12, 2018 at 1:56pm PST Kehinde Wiley Wiley, who took on the task of painting President Barack Obama, peppers his Instagram feed with some of his iconic pieces, and thank goodness he does. If you haven't been able to see his work at a museum, you can get a glimpse of his grandiose paintings on your smart phone. It's not the same, but it's better than nothing. Tanisha Crichlow (Portrait of Henrietta Maria of France, Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland), 2015 oil on linen 6x5feet. Special thanks to @double_d_production A post shared by Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley) on Apr 20, 2016 at 9:09am PDT Large scale #equestrian portrait from my "Rumors of War" series. "Duc d'Arenberg" (Duke of Arenberg), 2011 oil on canvas 108 x 90 inches #rumorsofwar #kehindewiley #brooklynmuseum #equestrianportrait A post shared by Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley) on Feb 6, 2015 at 7:13am PST Wiley also sometimes offers a peek behind the curtain, showing behind-the-scenes work that goes behind each large scale portrait. Working on a large scale double portrait of two Cameroonian men from the village of Bandjune. #paintingstudio #behindthescenes #artprocess #oilpainting #kehindewiley #contemporarypainting A post shared by Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley) on Feb 5, 2014 at 8:49am PST Another work in progress. #equestrian #laborday #deadline A post shared by Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley) on Sep 6, 2015 at 6:50am PDT It's still an Instagram account after all, so naturally, there is plenty of doggo content. Getting away with the kids #Catskills #memorialday #italiangreyhound #thistooisnewyork A post shared by Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley) on May 27, 2014 at 5:24pm PDT And of course, when you're an artist as celebrated and revered as Wiley, you're bound to bump shoulders with a few of the greats. #kehindewiley #jayz #marina abramovic's performance A post shared by Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley) on Jul 29, 2013 at 5:38pm PDT A wonderful night @theoriginalbigdaddy @mariahcarey A post shared by Kehinde Wiley (@kehindewiley) on Sep 14, 2015 at 7:03am PDT Their Instagrams belong in museums too, if you ask us. WATCH: Patrisse Cullors says she's not a fan of 'woke'
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| Opioid makers paid millions to advocacy groups: U.S. Senate report Posted: 12 Feb 2018 07:28 PM PST  Five opioid manufacturers including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP have paid more than $10 million to advocacy groups and doctors tied to them, many of whom amplified industry messages supporting the use of the painkillers, a U.S. Senate report said on Monday. The report, released by Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill, said groups who received the donations aligned themselves with industry goals and may have played a role in an epidemic that in 2016 led to 42,000 opioid overdose deaths. The report released by McCaskill, the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's ranking Democrat, said the groups issued guidance promoting opioids for chronic pain and lobbied against laws to curb their use.
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| Ban The United States From The Olympics Posted: 13 Feb 2018 07:51 AM PST  At a press briefing last week with International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams, there was stern talk about a country of cheaters so shot through with a gold-at-all-costs mentality that they countenanced the systematic exploitation of Olympic athletes.
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| The Only Way to Solve the North Korea Crisis: Kill Kim Jong Un? Posted: 13 Feb 2018 11:26 AM PST  It is possible that the costs of reunifying Korea would not be as burdensome as some people fear. To begin with, Korea doesn't offer its citizens the same extensive safety nets that Germany does, which should lower the costs. Furthermore, South Korea could finance the costs of reunifying through foreign direct investment, especially given North Korea's rumored vast mineral wealth.
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| Israel police recommend corruption charges against Netanyahu Posted: 13 Feb 2018 08:20 PM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police on Tuesday recommended that Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted on bribery and breach of trust charges in two corruption cases, dealing an embarrassing blow to the embattled prime minister that is likely to fuel calls for him to resign.
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| Elizabeth Warren Gives Speech On 'Pocahontas' As Slur, Addresses Claims Of Native Ancestry Posted: 14 Feb 2018 10:32 AM PST  surprised guests at the National Congress of American Indians on Wednesday with an impassioned speech calling out President Donald Trump's habit of calling her "Pocahontas."
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| Passengers Recall 'Flight From Hell' After 3-Year-Old Screamed for 8 Hours Straight Posted: 14 Feb 2018 02:12 PM PST  The incident happened in August but has recently come to light.
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| Colombia says needs international aid to cope with Venezuela crisis Posted: 13 Feb 2018 06:05 PM PST  Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said on Tuesday the country needs international aid to help cope with the humanitarian crisis caused by hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing over the border to escape the economic crisis at home. "I appreciate the offers of financial and other aid from the international community. Last week, Santos tightened border controls and heightened security in frontier towns.
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| Prince Henrik of Denmark to be cremated in keeping with his stand against royal gender 'discrimination' Posted: 14 Feb 2018 08:29 AM PST  Prince Henrik of Denmark, who infamously refused to be buried next to his wife unless he was named King rather than Prince Consort, has died aged 83 and will, in accordance with his wishes, be cremated. Flags were lowered to half mast and a month of national mourning was declared after Prince Henrik, who retired from public service in 2016, died on Tuesday. He had been hospitalised with a lung infection on January 28 and was diagnosed with dementia last year. French-born Henrik married Queen Margrethe II in 1967 in Copenhagen and, as is traditional in European royal families, was given the title of Prince Consort. He changed his name from Henri to the Danish Henrik. After Margrethe, who survives her husband, was crowned in 1972, he made his anger at never being called King Consort clear and even claimed being saddled with the title was gender discrimination. "It makes me angry that I am subjected to discrimination," he told the French newspaper Le Figaro. "Denmark, which is otherwise known as an avid defender of gender equality, is apparently willing to consider husbands as worth less than their wives." Prince Henrik said husbands are worth less than their wives under royal protocol Credit: Pascal Le Segretain /Getty In August 2017, Prince Henrik said he would not be buried next to his wife in their custom-made tomb in Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional resting place of Danish royals, in protest. "If she wants to bury me with her, she must make me a king consort," the French-born Henrik told Se og Hør, a Scandinavian celebrity magazine. "Finished. I do not care". Henrik will be cremated and his ashes scattered in Danish waters and buried in the grounds of Fredensborg Castle, north of Copenhagen. A private funeral will be held next Tuesday at the Christiansborg Palace chapel in the capital. "My wife has decided that she would like to be Queen, and I'm very pleased with that," he said. "But as a person, she must know that if a man and a woman are married, then they are equal. My wife hasn't shown me the respect an ordinary wife should show her spouse." He is survived by his wife and two children, Crown Prince Frederik, 49, who rushed back from the Winter Olympics to be by his father's side, and Prince Joachim, 48. Prince Henrik won over many young people by the end of his tenure Credit: HENNING BAGGER/ HENNING BAGGER Source: AFP His frustrated outbursts to the media, and his French accent meant he was mocked as arrogant by many Danes. In 2002, he retreated to his castle in France, complaining he did not get enough respect in Denmark. "People are just used to considering Prince Henrik as . . . a little dog that follows behind and gets a sugar cube once in a while," he said. Known as a man fond of the finer things in life with a taste for good cooking, wine and poetry, Henrik, once named "Whiner of the Year" by a TV station, eventually won people round. Escapades such as dressing as a panda, playing piano on a pop record and strolling through the commune of Christiania, where cannabis is legal, won him a cult status among young Danes. "His Royal Highness Prince Henrik died on Tuesday, February 13, at 23.18 quietly at Fredensborg Palace," the Danish Royal Family said. "The Prince was surrounded by Her Majesty the Queen and their two sons." Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, said the prince had "represented Denmark magnificently. His commitment was infectious, and his insight great."
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| Six-Year-Old Found Dead After Older Brother, His Girlfriend Allegedly Abused Him Posted: 13 Feb 2018 07:38 PM PST  Police have arrested a 22-year-old man and his 26-year-old girlfriend in connection to his little brother`s death.
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| Myanmar's presence downplayed at Thai-US military exercise Posted: 13 Feb 2018 07:57 AM PST  U-TAPAO AIR BASE, Thailand (AP) — Thailand and the United States downplayed the presence of a Myanmar military officer at the opening Tuesday of the largest annual joint military exercise in Southeast Asia.
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| People Raise Thousands Of Dollars For Man Who Said No To ICE Posted: 13 Feb 2018 02:18 PM PST  WASHINGTON ― Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts made headlines last Wednesday when he tweeted that he'd quit his government job rather than process paperwork that could lead to the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
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