| Bernie Sanders: All Felons, Including Boston Marathon Bomber, Should Be Able to Vote In Prison Posted: 23 Apr 2019 05:38 AM PDT  Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) said Monday that all felons, including terrorists and rapists, should be able to vote while serving out their prison sentences.Asked during a CNN town hall in New Hampshire whether he believed people like the Boston marathon bomber should be disenfranchised, Sanders said no, and suggested that all restrictions on voting rights erode American democracy."If somebody commits a serious crime, sexual assault, murder, they're going to be punished," he said. "They may be in jail for 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, their whole lives. That's what happens when you commit a serious crime. But I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy. Yes, even for terrible people.""Because once you start chipping away and you say, 'well that guy committed a terrible crime, not going to let him vote,' or 'that person did that, not going to let that person vote,' you're running down a slippery slope," he continued. "So, I believe that people commit crimes, they pay the price. They get out of jail, I believe they certainly should have the right to vote. But I believe even if they're in jail, they're paying their price to society, but that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy."Sanders, who is polling second only to Joe Biden, effectively split the Democratic candidates attending the town hall on the question of voting rights for felons in prison. Senator Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) said she was open to having a "conversation" about whether terrorists and sexual offenders should be able to vote, while Southbend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg said definitively that he supports the restoration of voting rights after prison but not while someone is still serving their sentence.
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| Elizabeth Warren's plan to end student debt is glorious. We can make it a reality Posted: 24 Apr 2019 03:00 AM PDT  We fully support the 2020 nominee's student debt relief proposal. But to make it happen, we'll need to kick our efforts into higher gear 'Elizabeth Warren's proposal is a stunning, visionary plan that would transform our educational system and dramatically improve millions of people's lives.' Photograph: Rick Bowmer/AP This week, Elizabeth Warren, who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, announced a proposal to cancel student debt for millions of people and make public college free. This is a stunning, visionary plan that would transform our educational system and dramatically improve millions of people's lives. But like every other progressive proposal now being touted by presidential hopefuls, from Medicare for All to the Green New Deal, the call for debt relief and free education first came from the grassroots. And if we want a real student debt jubilee to actually happen – to go from policy paper to reality – the grassroots will need to continue to push for it. Fortunately, it's a battle that can be won. Raising our voices is how we got this far. Ten years ago, student debt, even as it soared, was not seen as a serious issue. Writers including Tamara Draut and Anya Kamenetz were early to sound the alarm, exposing young people's disproportionate indebtedness as a structural issue. Scholars such as Darrick Hamilton and Tressie McMillan Cottom would later go on to document the racially disparate impact of student loans, which burden women and people of color most of all. But it took the Occupy Wall Street movement to make public how profoundly the pinch of monthly payments was felt by an entire generation. Sign up to receive the latest US opinion pieces every weekday In April 2012 a group of Occupiers organized a "1T Day" protest to mark the day student debt in America surpassed $1tn. Seven years later, that number has ballooned to more than $1.5tn. That protest represented a watershed moment, the point when student debt went from being a personal problem to a political one, the result of decades of disinvestment in public colleges and universities that turned education into a consumer product instead of a public good. Some of the organizers of that event would go on to help launch the Debt Collective, a union for debtors that I co-founded. We kicked things off with the Rolling Jubilee fund, a public education campaign that bought and cancelled more than $30m in medical, student debt, payday loans and private probation debts. Then, in 2015, the Debt Collective launched the country's first student debt strike. Since the strike was announced, we have won more than $1bn (and counting) in student debt cancellation for people who attended fraudulent for-profit colleges. Our team accomplished this by building a membership base of for-profit borrowers themselves. These debtors, a multiracial group of working-class people from across the country, led a campaign to pressure the Department of Education to cancel their loans. Their victory – and the fact that our primary demand of a debt jubilee and free college is now on Warren's platform – demonstrates the power of grassroots organizing. The precedent-setting significance of the Debt Collective's work is clear and cannot be overstated: Warren knows that student loans can be cancelled because they already have been on a smaller scale for for-profit college borrowers. That said, Warren's plan, as bold as it is, is hardly inevitable. Her proposal of canceling student debt and ensuring free college seems contingent on the passage of a millionaire's tax that, barring a miracle, is likely to be stymied by an intransigent Congress. In order to win a jubilee, then, we will have to kick our grassroots efforts into a higher gear. Debtors must continue to fight for their rights and advocate for the best possible solutions. We are preparing to do just that. Since 2016, along with our partners at Harvard Law School's Project on Predatory Student Lending, we have been working out a roadmap that would allow all federal student loans to be cancelled without waiting for Congress to act. Congress, it turns out, has already given administrative agencies the power to cancel debts. Just as the Securities and Exchange Commission can cut low-dollar deals with banks that break the law, for example, the secretary of education can settle with debtors for a fraction of what they owe or suspend the collection of student debt altogether. When it was first given the power to issue and collect student loans in 1958, the Department of Education also received the power to "compromise, waive, or release any right" to collect on them. And when the Higher Education Act of 1965 made student loan authorities permanent, it solidified their power to compromise. Nothing in the law prevents the secretary of education from using compromise and settlement authority to address the worst effects of decades of failed higher education policy. But only a movement with that as its goal can get us there. Student debt abolition and free college would be a win-win for the entire country To win a jubilee, we need a movement focused on motivating candidates to commit to using the full powers available to them in office to address this emergency and stop collections on all student loans. While millionaires and billionaires should be taxed at a much higher rate, in the short term we should not let a Congress bought off by the super-rich prevent us from doing what's right and legal – and economically beneficial. Indeed, student debt abolition and free college would be a win-win for the entire country. Not only would debtors get relief, academic research shows it would be a significant stimulus that might "supercharge" the economy and help address the racial wealth gap. Money currently used to pay back loans with interest would be redirected to other goods and services. But the win would be more profound than just an economic boost. Education could finally be a public good and not a commodity (or worse, a debt trap). This transformation would help inaugurate a new political vision that redefines liberty as the ability to freely access the social services that we all need to survive and thrive. The Debt Collective has been leading this fight for years – and our growing membership will continue to do so. Grassroots organizing is what got us this far, and it's the only thing that can get us to the finish line: an end to student debt and free public college for everyone, once and for all. Astra Taylor is a writer, organizer, and documentarian. Her books include the American Book Award winner The People's Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age and Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone. Her most recent film is What Is Democracy?
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| Democrats to press star witness of Mueller report to repeat performance in Congress Posted: 23 Apr 2019 04:57 PM PDT ![Democrats to press star witness of Mueller report to repeat performance in Congress]( "Democrats to press star witness of Mueller report to repeat performance in Congress") Since the April 18 release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and any ties to Republican Trump's campaign, Democrats have seen McGahn as someone who could be as important as Mueller himself, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the White House planned to oppose a subpoena by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee for McGahn to testify. Mueller's 448-page partially blacked out report portrayed McGahn as one of the few figures in Trump's orbit to challenge him when he tried to shut down the investigation that has clouded his more than two years in the White House.
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| First picture of 'mastermind' behind Sri Lanka suicide bomb attacks as identity of UK student is revealed Posted: 24 Apr 2019 07:43 AM PDT  This is the first image of Inshaf Ahamed Ibrahim, the Sri Lankan suicide bomber and alleged mastermind of the atrocity which killed 359 people. Ibrahim, 33, blew himself up at the Shangri-La Hotel at just before 9am local time in a third-floor restaurant. The hotel was full of tourists including British victims Anita Nicholson, 42, and her two children Alex, 14, and 11-year-old daughter Annabel. Ibrahim's younger brother Ilham also killed himself when he detonated a suicide bomb at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, also in the capital Colombo, five minutes later. The father of the two dead terrorists is a senior and wealthy businessman in Sri Lanka who ran a large spice trading company. Inshaf Ibrahim was involved in the spice export company but also ran a copper factory where it is thought the bombs were manufactured. It also emerged one suicide bombers who perpetrated the Easter Sunday attacks was former UK student Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, The Telegraph has learned. A group of men claiming to be the the Sri Lanka bomb attackers appear in an Isil propaganda video Credit: Twitter Mohamed is understood to have studied in south east England at some point between 2006 and 2007 before later enrolling on a postgraduate course in Australia. He is then believed to have returned to Sri Lanka. He was one of nine terrorists who carried out a series of blasts targeting churches and hotels in the country, killing 359 people - including eight from Britain. More than 500 were injured. His identity came to light after Sri Lanka's deputy defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene said earlier today that one of the bombers had studied in the UK. "We believe one of the suicide bombers studied in the UK and then later on did his postgraduate in Australia, before coming back to settle in Sri Lanka," said Mr Wijewardene, without naming the suspect. He said one of the bombers was a woman. He told a press conference in the capital, Colombo, that most of the suicide bombers were "well-educated and come from middle or upper-middle class," adding that they were "financially quite independent." Some held law degrees," he added. Mr Wijewardene's comments came as the police confirmed that the death toll for Sunday's massacre had risen to 359. The attacks were claimed on Tuesday by the Islamic State militant group, which did not give any evidence to support its claim. If true, it would make it one of the worst attacks linked to the group outside Iraq and Syria. The deputy defence minister said that 60 people "have been arrested on possible links to the attacks" and 32 of those are still in custody. All are Sri Lankan. Sri Lanka attacks - Locator map Among those assisting police, reported India's First Post, is Mohammed Yusuf Ibrahim, a wealthy spice trader and pillar of the Sri Lankan business community, whose two sons Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim, 33, and Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim, 31 allegedly bombed the breakfast buffets at the Cinnamon Grand and Shangri La hotels. Indian intelligence sources told the website that a third son Ijas Ahmed Ibrahim, 30, was also reportedly asked about the attack. Police are understood to be investigating possible links to overseas jihadist networks and training camps that had been hidden on a remote compound near Wanathawilluwa, on the island's west coast. The compound, believed to be linked to the chief suspects in the Easter Sunday bombings, the National Thawheed Jamaath group, was raided by police in January. Read more | Sri Lanka attacks Officers found 100kg of military grade explosives and arrested four suspects, all of whom were released on bail. One Sri Lankan minister alleged on Monday that political pressure had been applied to free them. Outside the Ibrahim family home in Colombo, neighbours told The Telegraph that Imsath was the business brains and Ilham was more aloof and awkward. "Imsath was the best of the sons. He runs the business and he drives good cars and wears Western brands," said one neighbour. "Ilham was not so bright and not well educated." At a copper factory owned by Imsath in the Colombo suburb of Wellampitiya, workers said they had not seen him for a week. Sri Lankan staff and supervisors at Colossus Ltd had been arrested for questioning leaving only abandoned Bangladeshi migrant workers.
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| Trump praises AOC about VA healthcare — before completely contradicting her Posted: 24 Apr 2019 09:11 AM PDT  Donald Trump has praised Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter over comments she made last week about the Department of Veterans Affairs — while simultaneously undermining her stance on the issue of privatising health care for US veterans. The president claimed the agency "is doing great" thanks to his administration in a tweet, seemingly undermining the fundamental point the 29-year-old lawmaker was making during a town hall event in New York. Mr Trump supported at least a portion of the congresswoman's statements surrounding veterans' health care in America, writing Wednesday, "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is correct, the VA is not broken, it is doing great. But that is only because of the Trump administration." Ms Ocasio-Cortez was speaking out against efforts by the Republican Party to privatise the VA — the second largest federal department following Defence — when she said at a town hall event in New York, "When it comes to the VA, all I can think of is that classic refrain that my parents always told me growing up, which is that, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'" "That is their opening approach that we have seen when it comes to privatisation," she continued. "the idea that this thing that isn't broken, this thing that provides the highest quality care to our veterans somehow needs to be fixed, optimised, tinkered with, until — until we don't even recognise it anymore."More follows...
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| UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires Posted: 23 Apr 2019 04:18 PM PDT ![UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires]( "UPDATE 2-PG&E get approval to pay employees $350 mln to meet safety goals after wildfires") PG&E Corp can pay employees up to $350 million in bonuses this year to spur them to help meet the bankrupt California power provider's safety goals to prevent wildfires, a judge said on Tuesday. PG&E's management has said the company needs to implement the bonus plan to carry out tasks such as clearing trees and branches around power lines to avert contact that triggers wildfires. While the maximum cost of the plan is $350 million, PG&E has said it expects the likely cost will be around $235 million.
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| Police: Sketch of suspect in 2 girls' killings more accurate Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:58 PM PDT  DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — A newly released sketch of a man suspected of killing two Indiana teenagers in 2017 "more accurately represents" the man believed to be their killer than a sketch released months after the girls were slain, state police said Wednesday.
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| Growing U.S. Pressure is Emboldening Iranian Hardliners Posted: 23 Apr 2019 05:05 AM PDT  The ingredients for a war with Iran are falling into place. The Trump administration's termination of oil waivers for importers of Iranian oil and designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran's state-run military, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) are dangerous acts of escalation. Surprisingly, the Iranian reaction to the IRGC designation has been restrained as Tehran's top decisionmakers remain committed to waiting out the Trump administration and not being baited into conflict. However, their approach is under immense domestic challenge—and could soon become unsustainable.Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and his reformist and moderate allies continue to prefer to minimize foreign tensions through diplomatic engagement. Despite President Donald Trump's abrogation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal and the reimposition of hard-hitting unilateral sanctions, Rouhani has won elite consensus on refraining from retaliatory actions that could spur a multilateral front against Iran or risk conflict.Rouhani has pushed for a policy that is best described as strategic patience. It has been marked by continuing to adhere to the JCPOA, reticence to escalate regional tensions, and preserving ties with Europe in the face of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign. While Rouhani and other senior officials have ruled out talks with the Trump administration, they have left the door open to engaging a future White House that renters the JCPOA.
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| Student sues Apple for $1 billion, claims face-recognition caused false arrest Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:47 AM PDT  Apple is being sued for $1 billion by a college student who blames the company's facial recognition software for his wrongful arrest.
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| View Photos of the 2019 Lexus LS500h Hybrid Posted: 23 Apr 2019 11:05 AM PDT |
| JPMorgan's Bob Michele Says ‘Enjoy the Ride’ as Risk Assets Rally Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:52 AM PDT  The chief investment officer at JPMorgan Asset Management said money managers are sitting on too much cash and should be boosting their allocations to high-yield assets after the Federal Reserve's dovish pivot. The firm is putting its weight behind emerging markets as investors from BlackRock Inc. to Fidelity International warn of a break in the rally.
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| For Sri Lanka grave digger, a grim parade Posted: 23 Apr 2019 10:48 AM PDT  Piyasri Gunasena rarely digs more than one grave a day at the Madampitiya cemetery in Sri Lanka's capital. "Police have not released all the remains yet but I think we will be busy for a while," he said as he dug his tenth grave of the day. "Every time I dig a grave for a child I think of my own granddaughter and I feel like crying," the 48-year-old told AFP, as sweat soaked his grimy t-shirt and tattered shorts.
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| Trump news: President vows to ‘fight all subpoenas’ as Democrats increasingly call for impeachment Posted: 24 Apr 2019 08:54 AM PDT  The Trump administration is being accused of "stonewalling" Congress by ignoring a deadline for the Treasury to hand over Donald Trump's tax returns and defying a subpoena requesting ex-personal security director Carl Kline appear before a House investigative committee."It appears that the president believes that the Constitution does not apply to his White House, that he may order officials at will to violate their legal obligations, and that he may obstruct attempts by Congress to conduct oversight," said Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight Committee.President Trump made his feelings on Democrat-led investigations in the wake of the Mueller report perfectly clear in an interview on Tuesday, stating: "There is no reason to go any further, and especially in Congress where it's very partisan - obviously very partisan. I don't want people testifying to a party, because that is what they're doing if they do this."He continued to attack the special counsel and ongoing congressional investigations Wednesday, telling reporters before departing the White House his administration is "fighting all the subpoenas." "We have been – I have been – the most transparent president and administration in the history of our country by far," Mr Trump said."We're fighting all the subpoenas. These aren't, like, impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020," he added.He added that he "thought after two years we'd be finished with it," referring to the investigations surrounding his campaign. Meanwhile, Democrats have stepped up their enquiries in the aftermath of the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference.One congressional subpoena the administration is expected to challenge has gone out to Don McGahn, former White House counsel who cooperated with Mr Mueller.And the White House is pushing back on other fronts, including House Democratic efforts to obtain Mr Trump's tax returns and his business' financial records.Additional reporting by AP. Check out The Independent's live coverage from Washington below.
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| Teva stops testing its migraine drug as cluster headache treatment Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:34 AM PDT  The drug, known generically as fremanezumab, competes with rival treatments from Eli Lilly & Co and Amgen Inc. Lilly in November received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "breakthrough" status for its migraine drug Emgality in treating episodic cluster headaches. In a late-stage trial, three out of four patients treated with Lilly's drug saw at least a 50 percent reduction in weekly cluster headaches. Teva's decision could be positive for Lilly's drug in differentiating it from its rivals, BMO Capital Markets analyst Alex Arfaei said.
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| WWII shipwreck discovered off Australian coast Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:00 AM PDT  The SS Iron Crown, an Australian freighter sunk by a Japanese submarine during World War II, has been discovered.
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| Putin-Kim summit sends message to U.S. but sanctions relief elusive for North Korea Posted: 24 Apr 2019 03:08 AM PDT  "When Kim meets Putin, he is going to ask for economic assistance and unilateral sanctions relaxation. Moscow is unlikely to grant his wishes," said Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. "Being a veto-holding U.N. Security Council member, Moscow can hardly afford to undermine its authority even for the sake of friendship with Kim," Lukin said.
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| Washington poised to become first state to allow eco-friendly 'human composting' Posted: 22 Apr 2019 06:56 PM PDT  Washington is expected to become the first state to legalize an environmentally-friendly burial alternative that turns bodies into soil within weeks.
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| 13-year-old girl dies after being jumped by classmates in Texas Posted: 24 Apr 2019 02:35 PM PDT  A 13-year-old Texas girl has died after slipping into a coma following a fight with two teens who jumped her as she walked home from school - including one assailant who kicked her in the head, the girl's mother said.
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| Kamala Harris Vows to Impose New Gun Limits by Executive Action Posted: 22 Apr 2019 07:15 PM PDT  The California Democrat's proposals to bypass Congress with actions that include expanding requirements for background checks and revoking licenses for gun manufactures and dealers found to have broken the law would almost certainly face legal challenges. "Upon being elected, I will give the United States Congress 100 days to get their act together and have the courage to pass reasonable gun safety laws, and if they fail to do it, then I will take executive action," Harris said Monday night at a town hall event hosted by CNN in New Hampshire, site of the first primary in the 2020 nomination contest.
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| Iran FM proposes swap for jailed British national Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:23 PM PDT  Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday proposed a prisoner swap for a British-Iranian mother detained in Tehran, saying the United States should drop charges against an Iranian woman it is seeking in Australia. Britain has been trying unsuccessfully to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual national who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation and was arrested in 2016. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif drew a parallel to Negar Ghodskani, an Iranian woman who was arrested by Australia in 2017 and separated from her newborn child as the United States asks for her extradition.
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| Trump ‘would certainly have been indicted’ if not president, Hillary Clinton says Posted: 24 Apr 2019 03:13 AM PDT  The only reason Donald Trump has not been indicted on charges of obstruction of justice is because he is the president, Hillary Clinton has said.Ms Clinton, a trained lawyer, said that in her eyes special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russia election interference "could not be clearer". She said only Justice Department rules prevented a call for charges against Mr Trump."As I read it, what I thought it is saying is 'look, I think he obstructed justice here are 11 examples," Ms Clinton said. However, she added that Mr Mueller's team are "are under the control of the Justice Department and their rule is not to indict".Ultimately, Mr Mueller and his team did not push for an indictment, but did not exonerate Mr Trump, either. The 11 examples of possible obstruction cited by the Mueller report have been seized upon by some Democrats as a reason to look to impeach Mr Trump, something the party leadership has been against, fearing a backlash during the 2020 election if any attempt fails.Ms Clinton said that the "checks and balances" provided by the US Constitution is what Mr Mueller had in mind in passing the issue of obstruction of justice to Congress."[Mr Mueller] could not be more explicit then 'please look at this, you may decide it may not rise to an impeachable offence, but I am giving this to you,'" Ms Clinton said.The former secretary of state said that it is now up to Congress to "take [its] responsibilities seriously". She praised Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats for using the powers of House oversight to probe beyond what was written in the report. Mr Mueller has already been called to testify in front of at least one House committee.Ms Clinton, who was asked about the Mueller report at a Time magazine event in New York, said Mr Trump's actions would only give hope to America's enemies."What you're saying is we were attacked, we have significant evidence that this Administration did everything it could to undermine and interfere with the investigation into that act. And we are going to walk away and pretend it didn't happen?" Ms Clinton said."Well, at that point, then you might as well just say all bets are off, there is no accountability for anyone in the most significant job in the world. I don't think that's the right place to end up," she added.Indeed, Ms Clinton said that time must be taken to digest the Mueller report, saying: "I'm really of the mind that the Mueller report is part of the beginning. It's not the end. … There's still so much more that we should know and that we should act upon."However, Ms Clinton, who served in the Senate, said she was not convinced the "do-nothing" chamber would do its job. "That has become a hotbed of cynicism unlike anything I have ever seen, and I served there for eight years and I know some of these people and they know better," she said.
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| US STOCKS-S&P 500 hovers below record highs on mixed earnings Posted: 24 Apr 2019 10:07 AM PDT ![US STOCKS-S&P 500 hovers below record highs on mixed earnings]( "US STOCKS-S&P 500 hovers below record highs on mixed earnings") U.S. stocks hovered below their all-time highs on Wednesday, as investors digested a mixed batch of earnings reports and losses in energy stocks limited gains on the indexes. The S&P 500 is 0.3% below its record high of 2,940.91 hit in late September.
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| The 2020 Nissan 370Z Commemorates 50 Years with a $2600 Special Anniversary Edition Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:38 AM PDT  The legendary Z turns 50 and celebrates with a unique livery inspired by the iconic BRE 240Z race car.
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| Kim Jong-un heads to Russia for first meeting with Putin Posted: 23 Apr 2019 03:24 PM PDT  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has left for the Russian city of Vladivostok for his first meeting with president Vladimir Putin, during which the two are expected to discuss sanctions, regional security and Pyongyang's growing need for food aid. Kim "left here by a private train at dawn on Wednesday to visit the Russian Federation," the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported, kicking off a 20-hour journey to the far north-east of his country, where it has a short border with Russia. An aide to Mr Putin said the two leaders would focus on the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula but were not planning to make a joint declaration or sign any agreements. "This visit cannot be seen as a singular event and it has to be looked at in the context of North Korea test-firing some sort of new weapon last week and demanding that the US replace Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo as Washington's lead negotiator with the North", said Stephen Nagy, a senior associate professor of international relations at Tokyo's International Christian University. "This summit is a third pillar that is designed to demonstrate to the US that North Korea has options that allow it to diversify its diplomatic outreach as it tries to break the US sanctions stranglehold", he said. "It's a strong signal that it has lots of options and that it won't be forced into a bad deal with the US," he told The Telegraph. North Korean and Russian flags fly from lampposts on Russky island where the leaders will meet Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Talks between Kim and US president Donald Trump in Hanoi in February broke down after the United States refused to completely lift sanctions in exchange for the dismantling of the Yongbyon nuclear weapons research facility. Mr Putin's aide said Russia was seeking to follow a 2017 road map for denuclearisation it drafted with China, which called for the end of US missile tests in the area. There are growing indications that North Korea is being affected by sanctions imposed by the United Nations as a result of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and Mr Kim is likely to appeal to Mr Putin for assistance in having those sanctions lifted as well as exploring ways to get around them. Russia has already donated 50,000 tonnes of grain to the North as emergency food aid and Mr Kim is expected to ask for more, as well as assistance with energy supplies. The issue of North Korean "slave" labourers abroad, a key source of income for Pyongyang, could be raised after Russia said it had sent home two-thirds of some 30,000 such workers to comply with UN sanctions. Mr Nagy added that the North Korean dictator may also seek ways to obtain the luxuries that he bestows on the key people in his regime that he needs to keep happy in order to retain power. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un departs to visit Russia at undisclosed location Credit: Reuters Mr Putin - whose government is also under US sanctions - could be receptive to requests for aid. He has criticised Washington's pressure on Pyongyang, suggesting that US belligerence has forced it to continue developing weapons. Russia has been accused of helping North Korea dodge the UN embargo on fuel shipments. Attempts to increase his diplomatic influence in the region complement the trade deals and military exercises undertaken for what Mr Putin has called a "pivot to Asia". Moscow has previously sought to revive the six-party talks that temporarily achieved the closure of North Korean nuclear facilities in 2007. "It's clear that Mr Putin is trying to complicate the US diplomatic presence in the region and efforts to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and he wants Moscow to have a greater say in what happens in the region," Mr Nagy said. North Korea is one of the few topics on which the United States continues to consult with Russia, most recently sending a special envoy to Moscow last week. For his part, Mr Kim is believed to be playing Russia off against its neighbouring superpower rival, China, as he seeks assistance and concessions that permit him to remain in power in the North. Russian media have reported that Mr Kim and Mr Putin will hold talks at the Far Eastern Federal University on Thursday before the Russian leader goes on to a conference in Beijing scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Mr Kim will remain in Vladivostok until Friday for a "cultural programme," Russian media said. The summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump in Hanoi in February failed to produce an agreement Credit: Evan Vucci/AP It is his first visit to Russia, as he cancelled a 2015 trip to attend the Victory Day parade on Red Square. Reports in Japan have suggested that North Korean officials have visited a number of sites ahead of his arrival, indicating that he will visit the city's Mariinsky Ballet theatre, the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet and possibly the city's aquarium. He will be following in the footsteps of his father Kim Jong-il, who inspected a Russian warship and purchased several dozen cakes at a bakery during his 2002 visit to meet Mr Putin. Preparations were in full swing on Tuesday as two unscheduled planes believed to be carrying Mr Kim's security detail landed at Vladivostok airport. The leader will reportedly have an entourage of 230 people. Mobile phone footage showed a motorcade with two limousines driving into the Far Eastern Federal University, which met Mr Kim's security demands thanks to its location on an island outside the city proper. Workers at the Vladivostok railway station reportedly even had to deepen an exit ramp by 20 centimetres so Mr Kim's limousine would be able drive out.
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| Don't Throw A Memorial Day BBQ Without These Recipes Posted: 24 Apr 2019 02:33 PM PDT |
| Flying Southwest to Hawaii: Coconut rum, snack packs and 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' Posted: 24 Apr 2019 08:12 AM PDT  USA TODAY flew to Hawaii on Southwest Airlines and back on Hawaiian Airlines to compare the experience.
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| MJ Hegar launches 2020 Senate run against Texas' John Cornyn Posted: 23 Apr 2019 10:14 AM PDT  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrat MJ Hegar, an Air Force veteran whose viral campaign ads nearly helped her get elected in one of Texas' most Republican-friendly congressional districts last year, set her sights higher on Tuesday and launched a run for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent John Cornyn.
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| Sri Lanka admits 'major' lapse over deadly Islamist blasts Posted: 24 Apr 2019 07:25 AM PDT  Sri Lanka's government on Wednesday acknowledged "major" lapses over its failure to prevent the horrific Easter attacks that killed more than 350 people, despite prior intelligence warnings. Overnight, security forces using newly granted powers under the country's state of emergency arrested 18 more suspects in connection with the attack, as the toll rose to 359. Police have so far arrested 58 people, all Sri Lankans, and security remains heavy, with bomb squads carrying out several controlled explosions of suspect packages on Wednesday.
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| Robotic Tesla taxis will be roaming the streets very soon, Elon Musk says Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:04 AM PDT  Tesla plans to have a fleet of robotic taxis roaming the streets without drivers next year, Elon Musk has said.The claim is just the latest in a series of exciting pronouncements from the chief executive, who has repeatedly missed his own targets. But he has bet a considerable part of his business on the technology underpinning it.As well as allowing for the robot taxis that will drive themselves around the streets, Mr Musk says that by next year there will be a million Tesla cars on the streets that have full autonomous technology and are able to drive themselves."Probably two years from now we'll make a car with no steering wheels or pedals," Musk predicted.Central to this promise is a new microchip for self-driving vehicles unveiled by Musk on Monday during a webcast presentation. Made by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in Texas, the chip now in all vehicles is hoped to give Tesla an edge over rivals and show its massive investment in autonomous driving - described by Musk as "basically our entire expense structure" - will pay off.The webcast presentation came two days before Tesla is expected to announce a quarterly loss on fewer deliveries of its Model 3 sedan, which represents Tesla's attempt to become a volume car maker.After launching the event with detailed technical descriptions of Tesla's progress on hardware and software by top executives, Musk began hawking the Model 3 and its potential."The fundamental message consumers should be taking away today is it's financially insane to buy something other than a Tesla. It's like buying a horse," saying Tesla was the only company to have a full self-driving suite of hardware.Tesla's use of the term "full self-driving" garners criticism, as it sells such an option today that is not yet "Level 4," or fully autonomous by industry standards, in which the car can handle all aspects of driving in most circumstances with no human intervention. Musk has said that with the hardware complete, improvements in software will allow vehicles to fully drive themselves in future.The technology faces many regulatory hurdles both in Washington and from local governments.Global carmakers, large technology companies and startups are developing self-driving - including Alphabet Inc's Waymo and Uber Technologies Inc - but experts say it will be years before the systems are ready for prime time."A year from now we'll have over a million cars with full self-driving, software, everything," Musk predicted.Tesla has been working on a self-driving chip since 2016 and Musk had previously forecast that cars would be fully self-driving by 2018, a target Tesla has missed.Investors appeared unmoved by the chip announcement but shares rose slightly in after-hour trading following the announcement of the robotaxis.Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said Tesla's robotaxi ambition was "impressive," but added that investors will be concerned by "the practicality and financial implications of this endeavor especially with Waymo miles ahead of the autonomous competition."More pressing for analysts, he said, were concerns about demand for the Model 3 and whether Tesla may seek new financing.Musk took a swipe at competitors relying on Lidar, light-based sensors that are a key element in most other self-driving systems."Lidar is a fools' errand. And anyone relying on Lidar is doomed," said Musk, who has been vocal about the technology's limitations. Tesla vehicles rely on cameras and radars as their vision system for self-driving.Competitors will eventually "dump" Lidar, he said: "It's expensive and unnecessary and once you solved vision it's worthless."More than $1 billion in corporate and private investment has been plowed into some 50 Lidar startups over the past three years, including a record $420 million in 2018, according to a Reuters analysis of publicly available investment data in March.Musk called Tesla's new chip the industry's best because it was dedicated for autonomous driving, while others, like Nvidia Corp, developed chips for multiple uses.Tesla's chip was capable of seven times as many frames as Nvidia's Xavier system, said Pete Bannon, Tesla's head of Autopilot hardware. Nvidia said the comparison was inaccurate.U.S. magazine Consumer Reports cautioned against Tesla's "bold claims about self-driving capabilities that overpromise and underdeliver.""Claims about (Tesla's) driving automation systems and safety are not backed up by the data, and it seems today's presentations had more to do with investors than consumers' safety," wrote the publication.Additional reporting by Reuters
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| Amazon customers can now return their items at Kohl's Posted: 23 Apr 2019 11:28 AM PDT  Kohl's announced Tuesday that Amazon customers will be able to return items atall of its stores beginning in July
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| Woman who claims Biden touched her without permission says his jokes are 'disrespectful' Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:33 AM PDT  A Nevada Democrat who accused Joe Biden of touching her without permission says the former vice president has been "so incredibly disrespectful" by joking about the matter. Lucy Flores leveled her criticism Monday on Fox News as Biden nears an announcement of his 2020 presidential campaign.
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| Elizabeth Warren's plan for student loan forgiveness: Don't bank on it Posted: 24 Apr 2019 12:23 PM PDT  Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to roll out a broad plan to cancel up to $50,000 of college debt for lose making less than $100,000.
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| Alleged commander of militia reportedly said group was training to assassinate Clinton, Obama Posted: 23 Apr 2019 03:51 AM PDT  The group has posted social media videos of its volunteers apprehending migrants crossing the U.S. border in New Mexico.
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| The Comey firing, as retold by the Mueller report Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:30 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was seething.
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| Twitter not amused by long wait for Tesla earnings Posted: 24 Apr 2019 02:12 PM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Twitter was ablaze on Wednesday with humorous commentary and speculation over why Tesla Inc's first-quarter earnings release was so late. As of 5:05 p.m. ET (2105 GMT), one hour after the market close, the results still had not been released. Here is a sampling of comments on Twitter: "Tesla forgot to get Deepak's password when he left and now they can't release the earnings. 40 minute late and counting... ...
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| British father whose entire family were wiped out in Sri Lanka attack tells of his 'catastrophic' loss Posted: 22 Apr 2019 09:06 PM PDT  A British father whose entire family were killed in the suspected terror attack in Sri Lanka has paid tribute to his "talented and thoughtful" children and his "brilliant, loving" wife. Ben Nicholson said his wife Anita, 42, son Alex, 14, and daughter Annabel, 11, had been killed as they sat at a table for breakfast in the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo on Easter Sunday. "Mercifully, all three of them died instantly and with no pain or suffering," Mr Nicholson said. They were on the second floor of the luxury hotel when two suicide bombers walked in and blew themselves up as part of eight co-ordinated attacks which killed 310 people. Billy Harrop, 56, a retired firefighter, and his wife Sally, originally from Manchester, were also killed, while a British teenage brother and sister were also killed in the attack. Ben Nicholson with his son Alex and daughter Annabel Daniel Linsey, 19 and his younger sister Amelie, 15,were having breakfast with their father Matthew at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel. Mr Linsey, 63, an American city fund manager, returned to the family home in central London, on Monday to be with his British wife Angelina, 51, and his other two sons – aged 12 and 21 – who were not on the holiday. In a statement released by the Foreign Office, Mr Nicholson said: "I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children. The holiday we had just enjoyed was a testament to Anita's enjoyment of travel and providing a rich and colourful life for our family, and especially our children. Read more | Sri Lanka attacks "Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children and Anita and I were immensely proud of them both and looking forward to seeing them develop into adulthood. They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with." Waisale Serevi, a retired professional rugby player and member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, told The Telegraph that he and Mr Nicholson would coach aspiring young players in Singapore together. Mr Serevi said Alex had dreamed of being a professional player and he had coached him at a rugby camp only weeks ago. Mr Nicholson said he was "deeply distressed" by the loss of his family Mr Serevi said: "Ben is a really nice guy. Alex wanted to be a professional rugby player and he said thank you for the drill, I will use it, and he said I want to play like you, and I said to Alex, nothing is impossible in life, you can do it. "And he was smiling and I hugged him and wished him well and I said all the best to you. Little did I know it was the last time we would meet." Hospital staff have described the harrowing moments after the bomb blast in which Mr Nicholson wandered the streets and hospitals desperately trying to find his loved ones in the aftermath of the blasts. "I saw him covered in blood like this, walking up and down just there," Pushpa Zoysa, who is in charge of the emergency triage at the National Hospital in Colombo, told Mail Online. "He just kept asking about his family members." Anita Nicholson was killed along with her two children Credit: Facebook The Nicholson family were based in Singapore and in the country for a family holiday at the time of the attack. Mr Nicholson is a partner at Kennedys Legal Solutions while his wife was a former legal adviser to the UK Treasury. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was currently managing counsel at the mining and metals company Anglo American. Mr Nicholson also thanked the medical teams at General Hospital, Colombo "for treating Anita, Alex and Annabel with great dignity and me with kindness and sympathy" as well as "the Sri Lankan people I have encountered in Colombo following this catastrophe". "Anita, Alex and Annabel leave behind a large extended family and many close and cherished friends who are now grieving this tragic loss," he said. "We shall all miss them dearly. We are all grateful for the many expressions of support and good wishes."
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| Ukraine defies anti-Semitic past with Zelensky victory Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:12 AM PDT  Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky's election will see Ukraine led for the first time by a president of Jewish descent, in a landmark for a country with a long history of anti-Semitism. The 41-year-old actor won a landslide victory against incumbent Petro Poroshenko on Sunday. Ukraine already has a Jewish prime minister, Volodymyr Groysman, also 41, and who is to remain in office pending parliamentary elections scheduled for October.
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| These premium true wireless earphones make AirPods sound like dollar store earbuds Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:26 AM PDT  Apple's first-generation and new second-generation AirPods are great. They offer seamless integration with iOS devices and the sound is pretty impressive too, though most of the bass leaks out since they don't have silicone tips. If you have them and you love them, that's certainly fine. But if you're thinking about buying a pair and your primary concern is sound quality as opposed to image, there's an alternative that makes AirPods sound like those cheap no-name earbuds you might find in a dollar store.The Master & Dynamic MW07 True Wireless Earphones offer a fantastic design, incredible sound quality thanks in part to 10mm beryllium drivers, and a wonderful fit that locks in all that incredible sound. They also come with a very cool aluminum charging case, and they're in stock right now on Amazon. At the time of this writing, Amazon actually had a half-dozen pairs on sale at a sizeable $70 discount, dropping the price to $229.98. That's an all-time low, and those six units will definitely sell out quickly.Here's more info from the product page: * Master & Dynamic MW07 True wireless earphones are built on cutting-edge technology and feature beautifully handcrafted acetate and a richly appointed hand-polished stainless steel charging case to deliver a superior mobile sound tool. Technically sophisticated components such as custom 10mm Beryllium drivers, proprietary "fit wings, " improved antenna technology and optical sensors that detect in-ear placement to automatically play and pause the earphones demonstrate that when it comes to designing the ultimate True wireless listening experience, no detail is too small. * Premium materials: beautifully handcrafted and eye-catching acetate and durable finish, with a lightweight, slim Design * Exceptional acoustics: custom, high-performance 10mm Beryllium drivers deliver rich, expansive sound * Superior comfort & fit: proprietary silicone "fit wing" innovation available in two detachable sizes for a custom and extra secure in-ear fit
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| 'Do Hard Things.' Fred Swaniker Gives Inspirational Toast at 2019 TIME 100 Gala Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:20 PM PDT  'The most difficult thing is to keep going'
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| These Decadent Strawberry Desserts Will Have You Dreaming of Summer Posted: 23 Apr 2019 04:27 PM PDT |
| Sri Lanka bombings were 'in retaliation' for Christchurch attack, defense minister says Posted: 23 Apr 2019 02:29 AM PDT  Seven members of the radical Muslim group National Thowfeek Jamaath killed at least 290 people on Easter Sunday, Sri Lankan officials said.
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| Trump threatens more troops to border after Mexico incident Posted: 24 Apr 2019 12:40 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump renewed his threat Wednesday to send more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border following an incident in which Mexican soldiers confronted U.S. personnel. Mexico blamed the incident on confusion, and said it was not looking for confrontation with the U.S.
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