| Mike Pence Suggests Legal Abortions In U.S. Could End ‘In Our Time’ Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:39 AM PST  Standing before a roomful of anti-abortion activists in Nashville on Tuesday, Mike Pence described the "great progress" made under President Donald Trump to limit women's access to legal abortions in the U.S. and abroad. Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Susan B. Anthony List and Life Institute, an anti-abortion group, the vice president announced that "life is winning in America once again," before ticking off the many policies enacted under Trump aimed at limiting access to abortions.
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| Missing CDC doctor was passed up for promotion before his disappearance Posted: 28 Feb 2018 01:29 PM PST  Missing CDC doctor Timothy Cunningham was passed up for a promotion shortly before he disappeared without a trace more than two weeks ago, according to police. Cunningham, a highly regarded epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, went missing after he left work mid-day on Feb. 12. Atlanta Police Department Major Michael O'Connor said that on the morning of his disappearance, Cunningham called his sister before going to work and talking with his supervisor about a promotion that he didn't receive.
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| Democrats Flip Seats in N.H., Connecticut Special Elections Posted: 27 Feb 2018 01:03 PM PST  Rachel Maddow reports on three state special elections, two of which, in New Hampshire and Connecticut, were formerly Republican-held and flipped by Democrats, and a third, in Kentucky.
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| Independent group, now called Unite America, names its Senate candidates — all two of them Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:47 PM PST  Unite America, formerly The Centrist Project, a group hoping to create a third political force in America, on Tuesday named the two candidates it plans to run for the U.S. Senate in November.
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| Lion kills woman at refuge of South African 'lion whisperer' Posted: 28 Feb 2018 06:21 AM PST  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A lion that mauled a young woman to death in South Africa was under the care of a man known as the "lion whisperer" for his close interactions with the predators.
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| Alex Jones Decries YouTube's Temporary Ban On Infowars, Asks Parkland Teen To Debate Posted: 27 Feb 2018 06:22 PM PST  According to The Hill, Infowars claimed it had received a notice from YouTube on Tuesday morning that it would be temporarily barred from uploading new content after receiving a second strike for videos it had posted about the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. InfoWars got another strike on their YouTube account for a Florida shooting video, now one strike left before they get banned.
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| India bids tearful farewell to Bollywood superstar Sridevi Posted: 28 Feb 2018 06:40 AM PST  Thousands of heartbroken fans and Bollywood actors paid their last respects to Indian superstar Sridevi Kapoor Wednesday following her shock death from accidental drowning in a Dubai hotel bathtub aged just 54. After a public service, Sridevi's flower-bedecked funeral cortege made its way slowly to a crematorium where her family said their final goodbyes. Bollywood stars, including actresses Aishwarya Rai and Kajol, were among the mourners at the Celebration Sports Club in the Andheri West area of Mumbai -- the home of the Hindi film industry.
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| US deputy branded a 'coward' breaks silence, defends actions Posted: 27 Feb 2018 10:00 AM PST  Now, after nearly two weeks of opprobrium, the sheriff's deputy accused of failing to take action during the Florida high school shooting is fighting back. Scot Peterson, 54, broke his silence on Monday and defended his conduct during the shooting at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 14 students and three adult staff members dead. "Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the 17 victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims," his attorney, Joseph DiRuzzo III, said in a statement.
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| What did Hope Hicks lie about? Newsroom readers have thoughts Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:43 PM PST  "She tells Trump how great he is." "Does Hicks realize that she is not a contestant on 'The Bachelor'?" Hope Hicks resigned one day after reports claimed she told "white lies" for President Trump, but it's unclear what about. Newsroom readers have some theories. During a closed-door testimony, White House communications director Hope Hicks reportedly admitted her job has sometimes required her to tell "white lies" on the president's behalf. The admission has sparked questions and concern. Newsroom commenters believe: "Lies are lies" no matter how big or small. Others think that "anyone who doesn't take truth seriously … cannot be trusted." According to reports, Hicks insisted she didn't lie about the investigations into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. What do you think Hicks lied about? Should "white lies" get a pass? Join the conversation in Newsroom.
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| Are we at a tipping point on guns? Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:00 AM PST  Aroused activists helped end slavery and Jim Crow, and they're bringing about big changes in how men treat women at work. Can they do something about school shootings?
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| Protesters Descend On ICE San Francisco Headquarters After Immigration Raids Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:49 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO ― Hundreds of activists gathered on Wednesday outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building here to protest the arrests of more than 150 undocumented immigrants in recent days. Local activist groups organized the "emergency rally" to respond to the mass arrests in Northern California, just two weeks after more than 200 people were arrested in similar raids in the Los Angeles area. "We have come together today to show that the Northern California region stands together in denouncing the mass arrests that happened in the last three days," Blanca Vazquez, a media spokesperson for the protest, told HuffPost.
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| Satanic Temple sues Arizona city to lead city council prayer Posted: 27 Feb 2018 04:23 PM PST  FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A group that invokes the name Satan as a metaphor for opposing religious tyranny has sued the well-off Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, accusing officials of discrimination after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting.
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| Powerful Men Who Lose Their Jobs Over Harassment Can Still Get Big Payouts Posted: 26 Feb 2018 09:17 PM PST  WASHINGTON ― The Me Too movement has a pattern: Someone accuses a powerful man of sexual misconduct. Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino mogul accused of pressuring workers to perform sex acts, made news earlier this month — not because he's getting a severance payment, but because he's not. NBC apparently did not plan to give a payout to Matt Lauer, but the network was reportedly considering a severance package for his onetime booker Matt Zimmerman, who was also dismissed over inappropriate conduct.
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| Alaska lawmaker cites Holocaust deaths to oppose gun control Posted: 28 Feb 2018 04:41 PM PST  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska Republican and most senior member of the U.S. House argued against gun control by wondering how many Jewish people "were put in the ovens" because they were not armed.
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| Nikolas Cruz's Biological Mom Was a Drug Addict Who Gave Him Up for a $50,000 Fee: Report Posted: 28 Feb 2018 10:28 AM PST  He was given up for adoption when he was days old.
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| Rubio Bill Would Let 18-Year-Olds In D.C. Buy Assault-Style Guns -- Despite What He Just Said Posted: 28 Feb 2018 10:11 AM PST  WASHINGTON ― Following the deadly school shooting in his home state, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) last week expressed support for raising the minimum age for certain gun purchases from 18 to 21, yet he is not backing away from a bill he proposed that would reduce restrictions on young people obtaining such weapons in the nation's capital. "I absolutely believe that in this country, if you are 18 years of age, you should not be able to buy a rifle," he said at a CNN town hall last week, where he faced questions from students and parents affected by the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
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| Anger as Israel denies its forces shot Palestinian teen Posted: 27 Feb 2018 07:41 AM PST  Israel on Tuesday denied its forces shot a Palestinian teenager and said he suffered a severe head injury when he fell off his bicycle, sparking outrage from activists and his family. Mohammed Tamimi, 15, confirmed to AFP that after being arrested from his home in the middle of the night he had told Israeli interrogators the cause of his misshapen skull was falling off his bike, not being shot. A cousin of prominent jailed Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, he says he was shot in the head with a rubber bullet during a protest in the occupied West Bank in December, leaving part of his skull missing.
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| How Trump's new campaign manager used Facebook to help him become president Posted: 27 Feb 2018 01:49 PM PST  Brad Parscale's new role of Trump 2020 campaign manager comes amid a spirited debate over just how much social media benefited the Republican candidate.
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| In free speech case, justices troubled by Fla. man's arrest Posted: 27 Feb 2018 03:52 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court justices seemed troubled Tuesday by the arrest of a Florida man during a city council meeting in Florida, an arrest he says was retaliation for being an outspoken critic of the city.
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| Oprah Says She Would Run For President Under One Condition Posted: 28 Feb 2018 07:24 AM PST  "I've always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not," Oprah said in an interview with InStyle, conducted three weeks before her Globes speech. "Gayle ― who knows me as well as I know myself practically ― has been calling me regularly and texting me things, like a woman in the airport saying, 'When's Oprah going to run?'" Oprah revealed to InStyle. If Oprah did run, the "A Wrinkle In Time" actress already has experience with attention she'd receive from President Donald Trump.
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| Disneyland Paris to add Star Wars zone in $2.5 bn upgrade Posted: 27 Feb 2018 09:06 AM PST  The Walt Disney Company on Tuesday announced a two-billion-euro ($2.5-billion) expansion of its Paris amusement park which will add a new Star Wars-themed zone to the huge site. Disneyland Paris will also build new areas devoted to its hit animated film "Frozen" and the Marvel comics franchise (Spider-Man, The Hulk, X-Men) as part of the makeover, which will take several years. The work will start in 2021 and significantly expand the park, which is Europe's most popular private tourism destination with 320 million visits since it opened in 1992.
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| Delta is sued by Port Authority over 2015 skid at New York's LaGuardia Airport Posted: 27 Feb 2018 01:48 PM PST ![Delta is sued by Port Authority over 2015 skid at New York's LaGuardia Airport]( "Delta is sued by Port Authority over 2015 skid at New York's LaGuardia Airport") Delta Air Lines Inc was sued on Tuesday by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for damage caused when a jet skidded off a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport during a March 5, 2015, snowstorm. The complaint seeks $750,047 for property damage and other costs that allegedly occurred when Flight 1086 veered off Runway 13 after touchdown, struck a fence and came to rest on an embankment, just short of plunging into frigid Flushing Bay. According to the Port Authority, which operates the airport, the incident "was caused solely by the negligence of Delta and its agents," including the pilot of the MD-88 aircraft.
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| North Carolina Man Broadcasts His Own Killing On Facebook Live Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:20 AM PST  A man in Wingate, North Carolina live-streamed his own killing on Monday, police said. Prentis Robinson, 55, had been broadcasting a visit to the local police station on Facebook Live when he was shot multiple times on camera. Wingate police confirmed that Robinson captured the shooting on film, reported the Charlotte Observer.
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| Trump rips Sessions's 'DISGRACEFUL' decision on probe of alleged FISA abuses Posted: 28 Feb 2018 08:31 AM PST  President Trump lashed out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions's decision to ask the Justice Department's inspector general to look into claims that the FBI and other Obama administration officials misled a FISA court judge.
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| Walmart To Raise Age Requirement To Buy Firearms And Ammunition Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:59 PM PST  Walmart has vowed to raise its age requirement to 21 years old for customers looking to purchase firearms or ammunition from their stores. The retail giant decided to change its firearms policy "in light of recent events," Walmart said in a statement to reporters on Wednesday. "We take seriously our obligation to be a responsible seller of firearms and go beyond Federal law by requiring customers to pass a background check before purchasing any firearm," the company's statement read.
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| Protests as sanctioned Iran minister addresses UN rights meet Posted: 27 Feb 2018 10:09 AM PST  Demonstrators gathered outside the UN in Geneva Tuesday and some diplomats left in protest over an address by Iran's justice minister to the rights council, despite facing Swiss and EU sanctions over rights violations. Alireza Avaie took the podium at the Human Rights Council, slamming "appalling deficiencies" there and in other UN rights mechanisms, and accusing Washington and others of "exploiting human rights for their political ends". Standing near a large pyramid of shoes meant to represent the thousands killed in a 1988 massacre of political prisoners, demonstrator Safora Mohammadi, a 35-year-old law student, insisted Avaie was "a killer".
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| Russia 'both arsonist and firefighter' in Syria: U.S. general Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:24 PM PST  By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general accused Russia on Tuesday of playing a destabilizing role in Syria and acting as "both arsonist and firefighter," as a brief truce unilaterally declared by Moscow in the eastern Ghouta region collapsed. The United States and Russia have been on different sides of the seven-year-old war, with Moscow heavily backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose forces are besieging eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held area near Damascus.
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| The ice on Lake Michigan has turned blue. Here's why. Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:52 PM PST  The ice on portions of Michigan's Great Lakes has turned blue, but don't worry, there's a perfectly good reason why. The phenomenon is common on glaciers, but not so much on large swathes of lake ice. It's happening where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron, at a place called the Straits of Mackinac. There, fat slabs and mounds of cracked blue ice have collected near the shorelines. Local photographer Tori Burley captured the image above. SEE ALSO: Gas-filled vessel barrels solo through pathetic Arctic sea ice during dead of winter The ice, however, is not actually turning blue. The color is a result of the way sunlight is bouncing off this particular ice, explained Ted Scambos, a research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, in an interview. Sometimes, weather conditions — such as a lack of high winds — allow water to freeze slowly and evenly, resulting in ice composed of large crystals (unlike snow, which is formed quickly and made up of small crystals). When light hits these big ice crystals, it can travel deep into the structures (compare this to snow, wherein light hits a sharp edge and reflects off of it right away, resulting in blinding white). When the light travels deeper into slowly formed ice, some of the red wavelengths of sunlight — which is the longest wavelength of visible light — get absorbed into the ice structure. The blue, which is the shortest wavelength of visible light, bounces back out, meet our eyes, and results in a deep aqua color. Sunlight reflecting off the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica, which makes the water look an aqua color.Image: nasaBut this isn't the complete story. Blue ice is also composed of relatively pure, untainted water, which allows the blue reflection to be so vivid and dominant. "It's a tribute to how clean the upper surface of Lake Michigan is," said Scambos, adding, "At least somewhere in Lake Michigan." WATCH: 'Beast from the East' to plunge UK, rest of Europe into historic deep freeze
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| 36 Tweets That Sum Up Life With 6-Year-Olds Posted: 28 Feb 2018 02:47 AM PST  Every year of a child's life is filled with new adventures, new ideas, new skills ... and new challenges for their parents.
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| Prison work boot sales halted after guard kicked, killed Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:49 PM PST  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania prison official said Tuesday the sale of work boots at all prison commissaries was halted because an inmate is accused of killing a guard by knocking him to the floor and kicking him in the head with a boot.
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| Trump campaign nixes Kushner title amid legal questions Posted: 27 Feb 2018 12:48 PM PST  The Trump campaign appears to have fallen afoul of the Hatch Act while announcing that digital strategist Brad Parscale would run the 2020 operation. The statement referred to Jared Kushner by his official White House title.
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| Stephen Colbert Nails The NRA's Complete Hypocrisy In A Single Sentence Posted: 26 Feb 2018 08:57 PM PST  Stephen Colbert doesn't understand why the National Rifle Association is upset that rental car company Enterprise cut ties with the gun rights group, ending discounts for members at its locations.
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| Taiwan urges calm over panic buying of toilet paper Posted: 27 Feb 2018 02:50 AM PST  Shelves usually stacked with toilet paper, kitchen paper and boxed tissues stood empty in many hypermarkets and supermarkets as residents stockpiled supplies. Major online retailers had also run out, including PChome which reportedly sold five million packs of toilet paper in three days. The panic buying started after major hypermarkets were informed by toilet paper manufacturers of a 10 to 30 percent price hike from mid-March due to rising international pulp prices.
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| Wisconsin's Top Election Official Resigns After GOP Votes To Oust Him Posted: 27 Feb 2018 01:39 PM PST  Wisconsin's top election official announced Tuesday that he would step down from his post, ending a confrontation with Republicans who suddenly voted to oust him in retaliation for his work on a government board that investigated Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R). Republicans in the state Senate voted in January not to officially confirm Wisconsin elections administrator Michael Haas to that role, which he'd held since 2016 on an interim basis.
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| North Korea shipping chemical weapons supplies to Syria, United Nations investigators say Posted: 27 Feb 2018 11:17 PM PST  North Korea has shipped supplies to the Syrian government that could be used to make chemical weapons, United Nations investigators have revealed. The disclosure, in a confidential 200-page long report seen by the New York Times, comes as the US and other countries have accused Syria of using chemical weapons on its own civilians, including a suspected chlorine gas attack in Eastern Ghouta in the past few days. The report indicates there have been major flaws in international efforts to isolate both countries, and the new evidence could dampen efforts to bring North Korea to the negotiating table following a diplomatic détente at the South Korean Winter Olympics. The items provided by North Korea reportedly included acid-resistant tiles, valves and thermometers. Investigators also detailed sightings of North Korean technicians working at chemical weapons and missile facilities inside Syria. The report appears to confirm long-standing fears that Pyongyang may be funding its own weapons of mass destruction programme by trading its technological expertise with third parties. It also supports suspicions since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011 that President Bashar al-Assad has been assisted by the North Korean regime. People receive treatment at a hospital after alleged chlorine gas attack earlier this month Credit: Getty The possible chemical weapons components were part of at least 40 previously unreported shipments from North Korea to Syria between 2012 and 2017 of prohibited ballistic missile parts and materials that could be used either for civilian or military purposes. The UN declined to comment on the report, which was written by a panel of eight experts tasked with checking North Korea's compliance with sanctions. It may never be publicly released, but a spokesperson stressed that the "overarching message is that all member states have a duty and responsibility to abide by the sanctions that are in place." Experts who reviewed the document for the Times described it as the most detailed account to date of efforts to circumvent sanctions intended to curb the military powers of both countries. Syria war timeline But they concluded that it did not prove definitively that there was current, continuing collaboration between North Korea and Syria on chemical weapons. Hopes have been rising on the Korean peninsula that talks between South and North Korea over the Olympic Games could be expanded to include the US and eventually lead to a breakthrough over Pyongyang's nuclear and weapons programme. On Tuesday, senior US diplomat, Joseph Yun told South Korean newswire Yonhap that he remained "very hopeful" about the prospect of talks. Syrian warplanes strike eastern Ghouta despite Russian truce
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| Mike Trout tops 2018 list of highest earning MLB players Posted: 27 Feb 2018 11:17 AM PST  Spring training has finally arrived and despite a lackluster offseason for free agents, several surprising names have bolstered their ranking on the league's highest-paid players list. Two-time Most Valuable Player for the Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout is this year's highest-paid player, topping Clayton Kershaw who held the top spot in 2016 and 2017. Giancarlo Stanton jumped from No. 69 on the list of highest-paid MLB players in 2017, earning $14.5 million, to No. 12 on this year's list after signing with the New York Yankees in December.
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| Donald Glover Needed 'White Translator' To Convince FX To Allow 'N-Word' In 'Atlanta' Posted: 27 Feb 2018 09:13 AM PST  Donald Glover says he had to convince FX to allow him use the "N-word" in his show "Atlanta" by having a "white translator" talk to executives.
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| Study: US inequality persists 50 years after landmark report Posted: 27 Feb 2018 09:12 AM PST  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Barriers to equality pose threats to democracy in the U.S. as the country remains segregated along racial lines and child poverty worsens, according to study made public Tuesday that examines the nation 50 years after the release of the landmark 1968 Kerner Report.
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| University Faculty Votes To Revoke Donald Trump's Honorary Degree Posted: 28 Feb 2018 03:42 AM PST  Faculty members at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, have voted by a large majority that the school should annul the honorary degree awarded Donald Trump in 1988. Almost 83 percent of faculty members who participated in this week's ballot approved the motion calling on the school's board of trustees to rescind Trump's degree, reports Lehigh Valley Live. BREAKING: 83 percent of @LehighU faculty voted in support of a motion to rescind @realDonaldTrump's honorary degree.
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