| Trump Trying To ‘Stifle Free Speech,' Former Intelligence Officials Say Posted: 16 Aug 2018 09:08 PM PDT  In a joint statement Thursday, a dozen of the nation's leading former
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| Body language expert analyzes Christopher Watts' behavior before arrest in deaths of wife, kids Posted: 17 Aug 2018 09:32 AM PDT  A body language expert has weighed in on the demeanor of Christopher Watts as
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| Alex Jones Destroyed Evidence In Sandy Hook Defamation Cases, Motion Says Posted: 17 Aug 2018 02:43 PM PDT  Alex Jones, the conspiracy theory-peddling host of Infowars, deleted evidence
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| Satanic Temple's Baphomet Raises Hell Over Religious Freedom In Arkansas Posted: 16 Aug 2018 06:24 PM PDT  Members and supporters of the Satanic Temple wheeled a statue of winged, goat-
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| The secret Soviet organization that explains what Russia is doing today Posted: 17 Aug 2018 02:00 AM PDT  Russian attempts to dupe, confuse or weaken the West date back at least to the early decades of the 20th century. An outfit called the Cheka charted a course that's still being followed today.
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| Venezuelans flee economic crisis at home Posted: 18 Aug 2018 09:55 AM PDT ![Venezuelans flee economic crisis at home]( "Venezuelans flee economic crisis at home") The Pentagon is preparing to dispatch a hospital ship to Colombia and possibly other parts of South America to help relieve strain on health care systems overloaded by an influx of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled the crisis-torn country as of June, mainly to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil.
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| 2 Shot During High School Football Game in Florida Posted: 18 Aug 2018 06:22 AM PDT  Authorities say both victims are hospitalized with one in critical condition
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| Elon Musk Unloads On 'Excruciating' Year As Tesla Stock Drops Posted: 17 Aug 2018 09:02 AM PDT  Anyone can see that Elon Musk has been having a rough year.
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| Judge says Trump campaign screwed up on wording of confidentiality agreements Posted: 16 Aug 2018 07:56 PM PDT  A Manhattan judge issued a ruling on Thursday that thwarts the Trump campaign's attempts to keep a lawsuit out of open court.
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| Deadly, 40,000-foot fire tornado revealed in new videos Posted: 18 Aug 2018 08:11 AM PDT  Harrowing new footage released by California's firefighting agency Cal Fire reveals the massive fire tornado that led to the death of a firefighter on July 26. The fire tornado was part of the Carr Fire that's engulfed 223,610 acres of land in Northern California so far. A report from Cal Fire breaks down the details surrounding the fiery phenomenon. SEE ALSO: A fire tornado hit California. Here's how it happened. Per the report, the tornado "was a large rotating fire plume that was roughly 1,000 feet in diameter at its base" and managed to reach a height of 40,000 feet. In late July, we covered news of a fire tornado in the area on the evening of July 26. It's unclear whether the fire tornado in the report is the same as the one that garnered media attention at the time, according to Cal Fire. "Observations from witnesses and other evidence suggest that either several fire tornados occurred at different locations and times, or one fire tornado formed and then periodically weakened and strengthened causing several separate damage areas," the report says. Fire tornados can happen when extreme heat spins up from the ground. As Mashable's Mark Kaufman explained at the time: Firefighters captured the disturbing video above from a helicopter, as well as footage taken from a fire engine, and from the Keswick Dam on the Sacramento River. The Carr Fire continues to ravage parts of Shasta County and Trinity County. It is 77 percent contained, and other fires continue to rage in Northern California and other areas These fires are spurred on by extreme heat and dryness in the region. While human-caused climate change isn't necessarily the direct cause of any single weather event, like these fires, it can make extreme weather more likely now and in the future. WATCH: Scientists made an awesome error that could save our planet from plastic hell
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| How Kofi Annan Once Reacted To Being Mistaken For Morgan Freeman Posted: 18 Aug 2018 11:01 AM PDT  With the passing of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
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| Immigrant Dads Say ICE Separated Them From Their Kids Again With No Explanation Posted: 17 Aug 2018 03:00 PM PDT  Sixteen migrant fathers who had previously been separated from and then
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| Cossacks and flowers as Putin dances at Austrian minister's wedding Posted: 18 Aug 2018 10:40 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin danced arm-in-arm with Austria's Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl at her wedding on Saturday, after receiving an invitation that opposition critics said undermined the West's stance against Moscow. Photographs showed Kneissl, 53, smiling in a long white and cream "dirndl" dress and talking to Putin as they danced in a vineyard in southern Styria province, the venue of her wedding to entrepreneur Wolfgang Meilinger. Putin - who made a toast in German at the wedding, according to the Kremlin - was pictured listening to her intently.
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| Lawyers: Discharged Army specialist granted US citizenship Posted: 17 Aug 2018 03:05 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A South Korean-born U.S. Army specialist who sued after the military moved to discharge her has been granted citizenship, her attorneys said Friday.
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| Colorado Mom Shanann Watts Worried Her Husband Chris Watts Was Being Unfaithful, Friends Say Posted: 17 Aug 2018 10:23 AM PDT  Chris Watts, 33, allegedly admitted Wednesday to killing his wife and children.
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| Yazidi 'ex-sex slave' trapped both in Iraq and in German exile Posted: 17 Aug 2018 03:33 AM PDT  A young Yazidi woman who fled to Germany but returned home to northern Iraq says she cannot escape her Islamic State group captor who held her as a sex slave for three months. Ashwaq Haji, 19, says she ran into the man in a German supermarket in February. Traumatised by the encounter, she returned to Iraq the following month.
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| Trump says he may revoke another security clearance 'very quickly' Posted: 17 Aug 2018 09:20 AM PDT  President Trump on Friday suggested that he is close to revoking the security clearance of a current Justice Department employee who had been in contact with author of the controversial dossier alleging ties between Trump and Russia.
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| Girl who pushed friend off bridge charged Posted: 17 Aug 2018 03:56 PM PDT  18-year-old Taylor Smith was charged with reckless endangerment for pushing her friend off a 60-foot-bridge.
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| Report: White House Counsel Is Cooperating Extensively In Russia Probe Posted: 18 Aug 2018 02:38 PM PDT  Don McGahn, the White House counsel, has been cooperating extensively with
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| New Horrifying Details Released About Fire Tornado That Killed California Firefighter Posted: 16 Aug 2018 06:20 PM PDT  The fire tornado shot glass into one of the firefighter's eyes
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| Officials Defend Plan To Close Almost All Polling Places In Majority Black Georgia County Posted: 17 Aug 2018 12:51 PM PDT  Election officials in a rural southwest Georgia county are defending a plan to
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| The Latest: Tesla shares drop 9 percent after Musk interview Posted: 17 Aug 2018 01:14 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on Tesla CEO Elon Musk (all times local):
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| Body found in burning vehicle at Disney World in Florida, say police Posted: 18 Aug 2018 09:48 AM PDT  The unidentified victim was discovered when firefighters extinguished the blaze near the Fantasia Gardens miniature golf course. Homicide detectives have joined the investigation, according to a statement from Orange County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to the scene at 1209 Epcot Resorts Boulevard to assist the Reedy Creek Fire Department at 4.11am on Saturday morning.
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| 7 Family Members Killed in Horrendous Crash in Oregon Posted: 17 Aug 2018 01:30 PM PDT  The Oregon family was on its way to a Vegas vacation when their SUV was hit head-on.
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| Trump blames D.C. pols for raining on his parade Posted: 17 Aug 2018 06:42 AM PDT  President Trump on Friday blamed Washington, D.C., lawmakers for ballooning costs that forced the cancellation of his planned military parade.
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| Italian government gives Genoa bridge company 15 days to prove it maintained collapsed structure Posted: 17 Aug 2018 02:28 AM PDT  The Italian government has issued an ultimatum to the company in charge of the motorway bridge that collapsed with the loss of nearly 40 lives, giving it 15 days to demonstrate that it maintained the structure properly. The transport ministry demanded that Autostrade per l'Italia show that it had previously met all its contractual obligations to ensure the proper functioning of the Morandi bridge. Should the company's response prove inadequate, the government will judge it to be in breach of the terms of its concession to run the toll-road. The lucrative concession would then be withdrawn from Autostrade, part of the holding company Atlantia, which is controlled by the Benetton fashion empire. The coalition government has adopted an aggressive stance towards the company, blaming it for the collapse of the bridge, which has so far claimed the lives of 38 people and injured 15 others, nine of them critically. The bridge gave way during an intense thunderstorm on Tuesday, plunging around 50 vehicles to the ground, where they were crushed by giant slabs of concrete and steel girders. Between 10 and 20 people are still missing. The transport ministry is demanding that the company commit to rebuilding the bridge at its own expense and within a set period of time. It also called on the company to pay to rebuild apartment blocks that will have to be demolished and to repair damaged buildings beneath the 51-year-old bridge. Matteo Salvini, the interior minister, said he expects Atlantia to donate up to €500 million to help families and local government Credit: PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP Matteo Salvini, the interior minister, said he expects Atlantia to donate up to €500 million to help families and local government deal with the aftermath of the disaster. "I will listen to the directors of Autostrade per l'Italia but I expect to see concrete gestures (from the company) immediately," Mr Salvini said. "Genoa cannot wait and the injured cannot wait. While the lawyers and the investigators do their job, we are doing all we can to obtain from Autostrade all that is possible for the relatives of victims, the injured, the people made homeless and the city of Genoa. "As for concessions and penalties, we can talk about those from next week onwards." Luigi Di Maio, the head of the Five Star Movement and Mr Salvini's partner in the populist coalition, said he was determined that the company's right to manage the toll road would be revoked. "Not only will we use the law to revoke the concession, but we'll also apply a fine of €150 million. If they want to fight it, we'll see them in court," he said. The Italian state might have to step in and run the motorway, along with others managed by Autostrade per l'Italia, he said.
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| Socialists Need To Fight For Economic Change -- Not Just Another Version Of Capitalism Posted: 17 Aug 2018 02:45 AM PDT  "Socialism" has become the new political buzzword. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
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| Ryan Zinke Would 'Sell His Grandkids For Big Oil,' Says Washington Governor Posted: 17 Aug 2018 06:20 PM PDT  Washington Gov. Jay Inslee slammed Ryan Zinke's record on the environment
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| Tucker Carlson's Taco Tantrum: 'It’s An American Food! ... Those Are My Tacos. Mine!' Posted: 16 Aug 2018 09:59 PM PDT  Tucker Carlson likes his tacos to be American.
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| Body found in New Mexico compound identified as missing Georgia boy, police say Posted: 17 Aug 2018 03:10 PM PDT  Police have identified the body of a boy found in a New Mexico compound as Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, who was reported missing in November. The Office of the Medical Investigator identified the remains of three-year-old Abdul-Ghani, who was from Jonesboro, Georgia, when he was reported to be missing. Prior to identifying Abdul-Ghani's body, the Taos County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico had raided the compound they referred to as a "makeshift residence" on 3 August and found 11 children ranging in age from one to 15 years old.
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| How America's Old-School Battleships Got Revenge for Pearl Harbor Posted: 16 Aug 2018 10:00 PM PDT  On the American battleships, the young sailors marveled that despite a night of sound and fury their battleships had suffered nothing. They were all alive to greet the new day. The loudspeakers blared, "Now hear this. Secure from general quarters. Set torpedo defense watch."
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| Omarosa Manigault Newman has President Trump unhinged Posted: 17 Aug 2018 10:06 AM PDT  The release of "Unhinged: An Insider Account of the Trump White House" and the secret recordings made by its author, Omarosa Manigault Newman, get under the president's skin.
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| Plane skids off rainy Manila runway, rips off engine, wheel Posted: 17 Aug 2018 03:58 AM PDT  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Passengers of a plane from China that veered off a runway at Manila's airport and lost an engine and a wheel after landing hard in a rainstorm recalled Friday their brush with the terrifying mishap, with some of the 165 people on board expecting the worst.
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| 565 Migrant Children Remain Separated From Families 3 Weeks Past Judge's Deadline Posted: 16 Aug 2018 08:26 PM PDT  Only a small fraction of the nearly 600 migrant children reported to still be
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| Don't worry, your cereal probably won't poison you with pesticides Posted: 17 Aug 2018 08:04 AM PDT  It may seem like an alarmist local news story to declare your breakfast could kill you, but a new independent study claims that some of your favorite cereals could contain unsafe levels of a chemical used in a popular weed killer. The report, from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), was published online Wednesday and outlines the levels of the chemical glyphosate they found in various breakfast cereals and snacks. Glyphosate is the major ingredient in the herbicide RoundUp and one at the center of an ongoing tug-of-war. The World Health Organization (WHO) has ruled the chemical is "probably carcinogenic to humans," and the state of California has categorized it as a chemical linked to cancer. Meanwhile, in late 2017, the EPA concluded an assessment that declared "glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. And its with that intersection in mind that one has to look upon the new EWG report — which wasn't peer reviewed by independent scientists — with quite a bit of scrutiny. EWG versus the EPA For the study, the EWG tested dozens of samples, looking for levels of glyphosate that were above 160 pars per billion (ppb)/0.16 mg, which the organization considers the upper range of safe levels of the chemical for children to be exposed to. You can see their full results here but a few items stand out: Quaker Dinosaur Eggs, Brown Sugar, Instant Oatmeal had readings of 620 ppb/0.62 mg and 780 ppb/0.78 mg. Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal had readings of 470 ppb/0.47 mg, 490 ppb/0.49 mg, and 530 ppb/0.53 mg. Quaker Old Fashioned Oats had readings of 390 ppb/0.39 mg, 1100 ppb/1.1 mg, and 1300 ppb/1.3 mg. Those numbers seem not so great — if you use the EWG's threshold. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets a much higher bar for how much glyphosate is safe for a person. According to a 1993 EPA report, the safe exposure level could be as high as 2 mg a day, well above any of the rates that the EWG uncovered in their studies. For what it's worth, The Guardian recently published a report showing that the FDA has been investigating the use of glyphosate for years but has yet to issue any public findings. The ongoing research into glyphosate is important because It's a hugely popular pesticide, with hundreds of millions of gallons being used on U.S. crops each year. And, per The Guardian's report, "the FDA has had trouble finding any food that does not carry traces of the pesticide." Not that eating pesticides is a great thing, but the large discrepancies between the EPA numbers and the EWG numbers can be confusing for consumers trying to determine how much, exactly, is still safe. "Finding glyphosate in food is residue," Kaitlin Stack Whitney, an environmental studies scholar, said in an interview. "Residue limits are a subset of exposure limits as eating pesticides residue is one route of potential exposure." "So finding non-zero amounts isn't unexpected; it's's planned for and limited under current law," Stack Whitney, who also worked as a staff biologist for the EPA, added. There's also the issue of "spray drift," as Stack Whitney notes, pointing to EWG finding traces of the chemical on products labeled organic likely due to some of the pesticide drifting to those organic crops on the wind. "The current pesticide review process struggles to account for this because agencies can't know what anyone and everyone's neighbors may grow and which chemicals they may apply," she said. "So whether residues are from direct application or drift is critical to understanding how to address if you think the amount is unsafe." A question of methodology For Lori Hoepner, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, it's about methodology. She notes that "it's hard enough to have consensus among scientists when you're talking about using the same methods." "So to go from something that would determine the limit of exposure, and try to extend that information to telling consumers about what it means to find glyphosate in their food, I think it can be perceived as something of a stretch," Hoepner said. Noting that she's familiar with the EWG's work and has vouched for them as a good resource for consumers, Hoepner still expressed some reservations about they way they presented their work for this study. "It always concerns me when science is presented in a way that is not peer-reviewed, doesn't have the oversight of additional researchers who can validate or question the method." Stack Whitney echoed Hoepner's sentiment: "[The EWG] study is like a white paper or other reports from think tanks, well researched and written but not peer reviewed. It would be useful to review their actual data and methods but those aren't available." Hoepner also wanted to see more about how they took their samples. "What was their method? Was it randomized? Was it all from one box? How many different boxes were used? Where did they buy them?" Hoepner said. Noting the wide ranges in some of the results, Hoepner says, "that definitely creates a question mark in my mind for validity." The corporations defend their products As for the companies identified in the study, they're standing by the quality of their products. A statement sent via email from the Quaker brand maintained the brand's stance they're products are perfectly safe and included a passage that denied the use of glyphosate in the making of their products. A spokesperson for General Mills, producers of Cheerios, echoed this sentiment in a statement. Corporate behemoth Monsanto, which produces RoundUp, has been under fire lately for the chemical, including a recent California verdict that ordered the company to pay $289 million to a school groundskeeper who claimed his constant and prolonged exposure to the chemical was to blame for him developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the wake of the EWG's report, Monsanto posted a rebuttal on their website accusing the EWG of "publicizing misleading information." Additionally, in an email exchange, a spokesperson for Monsanto highlighted this portion: Additionally, Monsanto Vice President Scott Partridge told the New York Times in response to EWG study, "[The EWG] have an agenda. They are fear mongering. They distort science." For consumers, there's no right or wrong answer at the moment. While buying different brands may seem like an option, the prevalence of the pesticides used makes it nearly impossible to completely avoid. The opposing sets of data can only sow more confusion and consumers are left to decide who they trust more: groups like the EWG, government agencies like the EPA, or corporations. WATCH: Here's how long fruits and vegetables are stored before you buy them at the store
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| World Leaders Opt For China's Money Over The Rights Of 1 Million Jailed Muslims Posted: 18 Aug 2018 05:00 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― Now that United Nations experts have endorsed widespread reports
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| Strangers Show Support for Couple Who Blame Themselves for California's Carr Fire: 'Forgive Yourself' Posted: 17 Aug 2018 08:07 AM PDT  A Facebook post prompted the messages.
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| Iraq war vet gets life over 2017 US airport rampage Posted: 17 Aug 2018 09:21 AM PDT  Esteban Santiago Ruiz, who is now 28, opened fire in a busy terminal at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on January 6, 2017, after arriving on a one-way ticket from Alaska. "While nothing can ever heal the wounds inflicted by the defendant's unspeakable and horrific acts of violence, we hope that the life sentence imposed today provides at least some sense of justice for the victims and their loved ones," US Attorney Benjamin Greenberg said in a statement.
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| Musk's SpaceX could help fund take-private deal for Tesla: NYT Posted: 17 Aug 2018 06:09 AM PDT  The New York Times report said another possibility under consideration is that SpaceX would help bankroll the Tesla privatisation and would take an ownership stake in the carmaker, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk is the CEO and controlling shareholder of the rocket company. Tesla and SpaceX did not respond when Reuters requested comment on the matter.
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| Remains of wife, two young daughters found in Colorado murder case Posted: 17 Aug 2018 11:49 AM PDT  The husband and father, Chris Watts, was arrested on suspicion he killed his family.
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| Trump condemned by 12 former CIA chiefs over revocation of John Brennan's security clearance Posted: 17 Aug 2018 01:08 AM PDT  Twelve former CIA chiefs have denounced Donald Trump's decision to revoke John Brennan's national security clearance, condemning the move as "an attempt to stifle free speech". The US president on Wednesday removed the ability for Mr Brennan – himself a former CIA director – to access sensitive government information, citing the Russia investigation as the reason behind the move. "We all agree that the president's action regarding John Brennan and the threats of similar action against other former officials has nothing to do with who should and should not hold security clearances – and everything to do with an attempt to stifle free speech," the statement said.
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| Scientists downgrade alert level for Hawaii volcano Posted: 17 Aug 2018 08:33 PM PDT  HONOLULU (AP) — Slowing activity at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has prompted scientists on Friday to downgrade their alert level for the mountain.
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| Former Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee, Who Sparked Both a Nuclear Arms Race and a Peace Process, Has Died at 93 Posted: 16 Aug 2018 06:51 PM PDT  Vajpayee set off India's nuclear race but later reached out to Pakistan in peace
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| New panda mom doesn't know she has twins thanks to these sneaky zookeepers Posted: 18 Aug 2018 10:16 AM PDT  Crafty zookeepers are keeping a set of newborn panda twins alive by switching them out every day. Although twins aren't uncommon, when pandas have multiple babies they tend to devote all of their attention to only one of their cubs, leaving the other to starve. SEE ALSO: Someone tried to smuggle a snake onto a plane by hiding it in a hard drive But these zookeepers have managed to get new panda moms to care for both babies by rotating them out, tricking the pandas into believing they only have one cub to care for. A BBC Earth video — narrated by the one and only David Attenborough — shows the keepers' technique. New mother Lee Lee hasn't realized that she had twins because her keepers have been switching her 18-day-old cubs out, so she only has one at a time. When they need to change out the cubs, they distract Lee Lee with a bowl of honey water and worm the young cub from her paws. Then, they put that cub in an incubator and bring the other cub to Lee Lee, ensuring that both get the maternal care they need. Keepers swap the cubs out at least 10 times a day, keeping a meticulous record of the babies' time with their mom. The technique has an almost 100 percent survival rate. Although pandas are no longer endangered, they are still vulnerable, so finding new ways to help the species along, even in captivity, is important. Plus, it's freaking adorable. WATCH: This design studio is growing gourds inside 3D printed molds to create organic, biodegradable cups
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