| Fines, jail time? Trump team resists oversight, Dems dig in Posted: 04 May 2019 03:13 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — They're talking at the Capitol about jailing people. Imposing steep fines. All sorts of extraordinary, if long-shot measures to force the White House to comply with Democratic lawmakers' request for information about President Donald Trump stemming from the special counsel's Russia investigation.
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| Scientology cruise ship quarantined in Caribbean after measles case Posted: 02 May 2019 06:12 PM PDT  St. John's (Antigua and Barbuda) (AFP) - A cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology has been quarantined in Saint Lucia for two days because of a measles case, health authorities on the Caribbean island said Thursday. Resurgence of the once-eradicated, highly-contagious disease is linked to the growing anti-vaccine movement in richer nations, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified as a major global health threat. "Given the highly infectious nature of measles, along with the possibility that other persons onboard the vessel may have been in contact with and are now possibly infectious due to this disease, a decision was made not to allow persons to disembark," said Merlene Fredericks-James, the island's chief medical officer.
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| Don't tell us to halt the violence, tell the Americans, Afghan Taliban say Posted: 03 May 2019 02:20 AM PDT ![Don't tell us to halt the violence, tell the Americans, Afghan Taliban say]( "Don't tell us to halt the violence, tell the Americans, Afghan Taliban say") Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born U.S. diplomat, entered a sixth round of talks with the hardline Islamist group in Qatar this week in a bid to end America's longest war. "In our opening session, I underscored to the Talibs that the Afghan people, who are their brothers & sisters, want this war to end," Khalilzad said in a tweet. "It is time to put down arms, stop the violence, & embrace peace." Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a series of sharp tweets in response.
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| Ilhan Omar: Democratic congresswoman fires back at Mike Pence in row over Venezuela Posted: 04 May 2019 07:48 AM PDT  Ilhan Omar has hit back after US Vice President Mike Pence said she "does not know what she is talking about" in regards to ongoing political unrest in Venezuela.Ms Omar, one of the first Muslim women to serve in the US congress, argued that America was partly to blame for the conflict in Venezuela.Mr Pence's criticism of her views was something "women of colour have heard" before, she said."Instead of 'we disagree,' it's 'she doesn't know what she's talking about'. They have to make us feel small," the Minnesota Democrat tweeted. "This from an administration that thinks climate change is a Chinese hoax".Ms Omar apportioned blame on American foreign policy for the political turmoil in Venezuela – arguing the US promotes regime change that is harmful to both America and the people in the countries targeted."A lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela, and we've sort of set the stage for where we're arriving today," Ms Omar said."This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States."Ms Omar made the remarks during an appearance on the radio programme Democracy Now! where she discussed US interventions in Central America broadly and the long term impacts of US sanctions.Sanctions have been a key US foreign policy tool for several decades now, and the Trump administration can be noted for its heavy use of the measure.Asked why he criticised Ms Omar on social media, Mr Pence told Fox News anchor Sandra Smith it was "because the congresswoman doesn't know what she's talking about.""Nicolas Maduro is a socialist dictator who has taken what was once one of the most prosperous nations in this hemisphere and brought it literally to a level of deprivation and oppression and poverty that we have never seen," Mr Pence said of the embattled Venezuelan president. "That is not a result of US policies."Ms Omar's remarks come as protests continue in Venezuela, where National Assembly and opposition leader Juan Guaido unsuccessfully tried to initiate a military uprising against Mr Maduro earlier this week. The Trump administration announced support for Mr Guaido in January, recognising him as the country's interim president over Mr Maduro and looking for ways to support him economically.In March, the US administration implemented new sanctions on Venezuela in order to force Mr Maduro to relinquish his power to Mr Gauido.Mr Guaido's efforts and those sanctions culminated this week in mass protests in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, where violence erupted as Mr Guaido and Mr Maduro battled for power. Economic conditions in Venezuela have deteriorated since Mr Maduro – who has repeatedly blamed attempts to overthrow him on the US - took power in 2013. The oil-rich country is plagued with economic and political turmoil – with hyperinflation leaving the currency practically worthless and causing the cost of essentials to skyrocket, leaving many unable to afford basics such as food and medicine.
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| Guatemalan boy who died in US custody suffered from brain infection Posted: 03 May 2019 09:13 AM PDT  Juan De León Gutiérrez, 16, travelled to the US from Camotán, hoping to be reunited with his older brother A group of migrant families walk from the Rio Grande near McAllen, Texas, on 14 March. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP A Guatemalan boy who died at a Texas children's hospital after being detained on the US southern border was suffering from a brain infection, the Guardian has learned. He was the third migrant child from Guatemala to die in US government custody in the past five months. Juan De León Gutiérrez, 16, had travelled to the US from Camotán, a poor rural community in the Chiquimula region of eastern Guatemala, hoping to be reunited with his older brother. It is unclear when or where the boy first fell ill, but he died on Tuesday, days after being detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and transferred to a government-contracted children's detention shelter. "My son was always healthy," his mother, Tránsito Gutiérrez Oloroso, told local newspaper Prensa Libre. "I ask that they treat his remains with dignity." Juan was diagnosed with a frontal lobe infection at Driscoll children's hospital in Corpus Christi. Medical treatment – including surgery to alleviate the pressure caused by the infection – failed, and he died on 30 April after several days in intensive care. The boy's older brother, who lives in Texas, visited him in hospital. Consular officials in McAllen hope to repatriate his body to Guatemala within the next few days. Silvia Samines, the deputy Guatemala consul in McAllen, said that efforts had been made to obtain humanitarian visas for the boy's parents so that they could visit him in hospital, but they were unable to travel due to their advanced age. "We have started the relevant procedures in order to repatriate the body as soon as possible," she said. The 16-year-old was under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) when he fell ill. ORR contracts private firms and charities to house thousands of children separated from their parents at the border by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officials – as well as those detained after making the perilous overland journey from Central America without adult relatives. Two other Guatemalan children died in US custody within weeks of each other in December 2018, but unlike the latest case, they were in custody of CBP. Jakelin Caal, seven, who died on 8 December at an El Paso children's hospital, and Felipe Gómez Alonzo, eight, who died on Christmas Eve at a New Mexico hospital, were part of a mass exodus from the impoverished Central American country. Almost two-thirds of Guatemala's population live in poverty and half its children suffer from chronic malnutrition. In November, Guatemalans overtook Mexicans as the largest nationality taken into CBP custody – an extraordinary figure considering that the population of Mexico is seven times larger than that of its southern neighbour. Juan entered the US near El Paso, and was detained by CBP on 19 April. He was taken by Ice agents on 20 April to a children's facility in Brownsville which is run by Southwest Key – a not-for-profit organisation which houses up to 5,000 migrant children in more than 20 shelters. Juan was in apparently good health when he arrived, but the next morning he was taken to an emergency room after complaining of a fever, chills and a headache. He was discharged back to the shelter later that day, according to a statement by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The boy's health deteriorated, and he was returned to the emergency room by ambulance on 22 April, said ACF. From there, the sick boy was admitted to the intensive care unit at the children's hospital with the brain infection. Southwest Key has not commented on Juan's death, but an ACF spokeswoman, Evelyn Stauffer, said in a statement: "Arrangements were made for the minor's brother and Guatemalan consular officials to visit the minor while he was hospitalised. The family who resides in the home country received frequent updates from hospital staff. The cause of death is currently under review, and, in accordance with standard ORR policies and procedures, the case will be subject to full review."
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| UNCC student to be honored, Kentucky Derby and spring meteor shower: 5 things you need to know this weekend Posted: 04 May 2019 02:31 AM PDT  Slain UNCC student Riley Howell will be honored with weekend events, the annual Kentucky Derby runs and more of the weekend's news to know.
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| Churches in Sri Lankan capital cancel Sunday mass due to threat Posted: 02 May 2019 10:33 PM PDT  Sri Lankan security forces have said they were maintaining a high level of alert as intelligence reports indicated the militants were likely to strike before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is due to begin on Monday. Colombo's Archbishop, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said on Thursday that a "highly reliable foreign source" had warned of an attack on a prominent church. Sri Lankan authorities, who have come under fire for not acting on repeated warnings about attacks, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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| 2020 Vision: ‘Buttabeep, Buttaboop,’ Buttigieg — Who’s winning the Oprah primary? Posted: 03 May 2019 10:13 AM PDT  The buzz surrounding Pete Buttigieg has led to a bump in national polls, donations and Twitter followers. But, perhaps most importantly, it's earned him notice — and a nickname — from Oprah Winfrey.
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| Donald Trump Has Finally Found His Soulmate: William Barr Posted: 03 May 2019 05:00 AM PDT  Comey published his column the same day Attorney General William Barr testified in the Senate about how he went about ingesting, publishing and spinning Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report. Barr ran interference for Trump throughout the hearing and the president's apparent ability to co-opt Barr troubled Comey.
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| Couple Says American Airlines Employee Called Police Officer `A Killer` Posted: 03 May 2019 11:01 AM PDT  American Airlines is in the spotlight because of an incident that was partly caught on video a couple of weeks ago. It happened when a New Jersey family's flight got redirected to Memphis International Airport.
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| Massive Afghanistan peace summit ends in Kabul Posted: 02 May 2019 07:07 PM PDT  A huge peace meeting aimed at finding an exit from Afghanistan's war is due to finish Friday in Kabul, with leading politicians expected to announce visions for a much-needed breakthrough. This week's "loya jirga", or grand assembly, saw about 3,200 religious and tribal leaders, politicians and representatives gather under tight security to try to find common ground and discuss possible conditions for a peace deal with the Taliban. On Thursday, several officials said a vital first step is an immediate reduction in violence, which has continued apace across Afghanistan even with various peace summits taking place.
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| Pompeo: Omar’s Venezuela Comments ‘Ignorant’ and ‘Disgusting’ Posted: 03 May 2019 08:29 AM PDT  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday evening that he finds Representative Ilhan Omar's comments blaming the U.S. for the political crisis in Venezuela "disgusting.""The nicest thing I can say is, it is unbelievable ignorance. It's just factually wrong," Pompeo told Fox News. "The problems in Venezuela have been years in the making. It's been a socialist regime, first with Chavez now with Maduro. And for a member of Congress, who, frankly -- one who sits on an important national-security committee -- to make a statement blaming America first in this way, it's not only ignorant, it's disgusting."Omar, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was asked Wednesday by PBS's Democracy Now! about the "U.S.-supported coup attempt against President Maduro," to which the Minnesota Democrat responded that America's push for regime change in Venezuela does not help the country's citizens."A lot of the policies that we have put in place has [sic] kind of helped lead [to] the devastation in Venezuela," Omar said. "And we've sort of set the stage for where we're arriving today.""This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States," she added.The U.S. has thrown its support behind opposition leader Juan Guaidó, the president of the National Assembly, who this week announced "Operation Liberty," calling on the Venezuelan people to take to the streets in an effort to oust President Nicolás Maduro. Clashes have broken out in the streets of the capital, Caracas, and armored military trucks of troops loyal to Maduro were caught on video Wednesday plowing into crowds of opposition protesters."The military didn't fracture in the way that we would hope, but it is just a matter of time," Pompeo said. "Structurally, there is no way for [Maduro] to stay in power. It is time for him to leave, and we need the Cubans and the Russians to follow him out the door."
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| Flight from Guantanamo Bay with 136+ on board crashes in Florida river; everyone safe Posted: 04 May 2019 05:08 AM PDT ![Flight from Guantanamo Bay with 136+ on board crashes in Florida river; everyone safe]( "Flight from Guantanamo Bay with 136+ on board crashes in Florida river; everyone safe") All passengers and crew aboard a Boeing 737 traveling from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are safe after the plane crashed into a river at the end of a runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville
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| Minneapolis to pay police shooting victim's family $20 million Posted: 03 May 2019 01:32 PM PDT  The settlement of a civil suit brought by the family of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, which came after two days of talks, includes $18 million for the family and $2 million to be donated to an anti-gun violence group, city officials said. "This is not a victory for anyone, but rather a way for our city to move forward," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in announcing the settlement at a news conference. When Damond approached the patrol car that responded, Officer Mohamed Noor fired a shot through a window of the car, killing her.
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| These pictures show the devastation of the Hawaii volcano eruption one year later Posted: 04 May 2019 09:45 AM PDT  These pictures show how Mount Kilauea's lava flows destroyed an estimated 700 buildings, covered roads and reshaped the Big Island's coastline.
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| Kim Jong Un Fires a Missile. Is This the Return of ‘Rocket Man’? Posted: 04 May 2019 10:22 AM PDT  REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovNorth Korea launched a missile for the first time in 522 days on Saturday morning, but it's hard to be surprised. And much will depend on Washington's reaction. In a speech in April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made it clear that he wasn't happy with the way the last summit with U.S. President Donald J. Trump, in Hanoi, had turned out.There, it became obvious that the grand bargain for North Korea to give up, in one stroke, all its nuclear weapons and delivery systems in exchange for a complete lifting of sanctions and massive aid—which Trump wanted to claim was a done deal after his first meeting with Kim last year—is not at all what Kim has in mind. His preference has long been a gradual step-by-step approach, building trust and confidence along the way. That process can last for years, leaving Pyongyang's nuclear program still fundamentally intact in the short-run.Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met with Kim last month, supports confidence-building gradualism. Putin's office says he told Trump as much in their long phone call on Friday, "stressing that Pyongyang's good-faith fulfilment of its commitments should be accompanied by reciprocal steps to ease the sanctions pressure on North Korea." So, when confidence building doesn't work, a bit of confidence busting is in order, and that's now happening on both sides. Kim's making clear that his patience is limited.Kim really wasn't happy with two specific recent developments: the fact that the United States and South Korea had pushed ahead with military exercises and that the U.S. conducted an apparently successful missile defense test against a target that was designed to simulate an intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) of the sort that might be launched by North Korea in a war.Kim warned that these actions—just additional evidence, in North Korea's view, of the United States' decades-long so-called "hostile policy" against it—would "bring our corresponding acts." The basis for a tit-for-tat had been set up.While Saturday's launches will have evoked unpleasant memories for the residents of Seoul and Tokyo, who spent 2016 and 2017 waking up every couple to news of North Korean missile launches, it wasn't the first sign of Kim's turn toward his old ways. In April, the North Korean leader presided over a "tactical" weapon test—one that was carefully calibrated to not rise to the level of a missile launch resulting in major news alerts the world over.Whatever Kim launched on Saturday, South Korea's military managed to pick it up on its terrestrial radars. That led to the release of a statement that North Korea had launched "short-range missiles" early on Saturday. This alert was later revised by South Korean authorities to the more anodyne-sounding word "projectiles."Not all projectiles are missiles, but all missiles are projectiles. There's a particular sensitivity around the word "missile," especially if you're South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has put his credibility on the line with his North Korea diplomacy. Trump staked his own deal-making reputation on the claim that his agreement to meet with with Kim at least ended North Korea's missile launches.So, Saturday's actions could mark a tipping point, and we might imagine a return to the days of "fire and fury" last seen in the second half of 2017 should the White House overreact.A little more than one year ago, Kim unilaterally announced that North Korea would no longer test ICBMs—not in this case to build confidence with the United States, but because Kim claimed the technology had been fully validated over the course of testing in 2017.Trump would cling to Kim's promise–and oversell it. At the press conference after the collapse of the Hanoi summit, Trump claimed Kim said "he's not going to do testing of rockets or missiles or anything having to do with nuclear." We don't know what Kim may have told Trump privately, but his commitment in public only barred him from testing the real big missiles: the ones capable of reaching the United States.What's true of whatever North Korea tested on Saturday is that it is assuredly not a nuclear-capable system. North Korea's known nuclear warhead designs are too large to be fitted comfortably onto whatever short-range projectiles were fired off on Saturday. That's an important distinction, and a signal or gradualism. In the same vein, Kim also withheld any nuclear-capable assets from his parade in September 2018, right before his third summit with Moon Jae-in. Now, he's only testing "tactical" systems and short-range weapons—ones without a clear nuclear role. If the White House chooses to seize on that salient fact, it could keep a fig leaf on the negotiating process. In effect, the tests are similar to the way North Korea often has reacted to major U.S.-South Korea exercises.Saturday's launches also are about more than just Trump and the United States. For Kim there are domestic issues. The launches convey a degree of seriousness about national defense after the embarrassment he faced in Hanoi. In March, North Korea's First Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui told diplomats gathered in Pyongyang that Kim had faced "petitions" from domestic groups, including "officials of the munitions industry," warning him not to go to Hanoi to talk to the United States.But in this scenario Kim Jong Un went out on a limb and ended up with nothing. Since his return, not only has Kim conducted two significant weapons tests, he has underscored the importance of national defense. In the same speech last month where he criticized the United States, Kim emphasized the importance of a "self-reliant national defense" for North Korea and several prominent officials known to be associated with North Korea's missile programs were seen for the first time in state media reports since 2017. The rocket-men were back.In South Korea, Saturday's launches will give ammunition to critics of Moon's engagement with Kim. In particular, critics will argue that Kim's move represents a clear violation of the spirit and the letter of the September 19, 2018, inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement, which has seen remarkable successes in implementation so far. Article 1 of that agreement commits both sides to cease all "hostile acts" against each other; North Korea's launches are in violation. In Pyongyang's view, the recent defensive U.S.-South Korea exercises—particularly a recent joint aerial exercise—are also evidence of Seoul violating the pact.None of this portends well for the course of diplomacy this year, but for the moment it does not shut any doors. North Korea has set a clock ticking for the end of the year. As Kim warned in his New Year's Day message even before the Hanoi summit, the United States only had so much time before North Korea's patience would run out. Saturday's launches are yet another reminder to Trump about what stands to be lost: this time it was a small missile, but it might not be so small in a matter of weeks or months.U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen E. Biegun is bound for Seoul and Tokyo in the coming days, where he'll coordinate with allies. Meanwhile, National Security Advisor John Bolton, the greatest skeptic of engagement with North Korea, may seek to derail the route back to diplomacy. Since Hanoi, Bolton has been conspicuously doing the rounds on Sunday talk shows, making clear that the administration is far from interested in the kind of step-by-step denuclearization process that North Korea has made apparent is the only way forward.The realities of negotiating with North Korea are setting in now after Hanoi. If Trump thought he and Kim were in "love" last year, he may find now that it was more of a fleeting infatuation. The hard work that will be necessary to make their relationship work—and realize a third date—lies ahead.Read more at The Daily Beast.
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| Ted Bundy: Who was the serial killer and how did he die? Posted: 03 May 2019 11:44 AM PDT  Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, a biopic about serial killer Ted Bundy, has just been released.Zac Efron portrays the murderer in the Netflix film, while Lily Collins stars as Bundy's former girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer.Bundy is believed to have started killing and assaulting women in the 1970s, murdering dozens of them until the end of the decade.Here is what you should know about Bundy before you see Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile:Who was Ted Bundy?Theodore Robert Bundy was born on 24 November, 1946 in Burlington, Vermont, and grew up in Tacoma, Washington. He dropped out of college before returning to the University of Washington and obtaining a degree in psychology in 1970, per a New York Times article published in 1978 while he was on trial.Bundy later entered law school but abandoned those studies as well. By 1971, Bundy was volunteering at a suicide hotline where he met the true crime writer Ann Rule, who later authored the book The Stranger Beside Me about her friendship with Bundy.Did Ted Bundy confess to his crimes?Bundy confessed to 30 killings across seven states by the time of his death.However, the actual death toll might be higher. Several unsolved murders have been linked to Bundy, even though evidence hasn't been sufficient to establish culpability.Bundy himself suggested that the actual number of his victims might be higher.When and how did he die?Bundy was executed by electrocution on 24 January, 1989, after being convicted on three separate murder cases – the killing of 12-year-old Kimberly Diane Leach, and the slayings of Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy at the Chi Omega sorority house at Florida State University.He was 42 years old at the time of his death.More than 100 people cheered outside the Florida State Prison, setting off firecrackers and lighting sparklers, according to the Associated Press's report of the execution.Who was his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer?Kloepfer, a single mother, started dating Bundy in 1969. The relationship started until the mid 1970s.Around that time, Kloepfer developed doubts about Bundy and gave his name to the police, though authorities didn't consider him a serious suspect.Kloepfer published a book about her relationship with Bundy, titled The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy, in 1981 under the name Elizabeth Kendall. Bundy was on death row at the time.She has remained out of the public eye for years, and Michael Werwie, the screenwriter of Extremely Wicked, told Vanity Fair she was "not findable".
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| 10-month-old baby dies after migrant family's raft capsizes in Rio Grande Posted: 03 May 2019 09:30 AM PDT  Border Patrol agents responded to reports of a capsized raft carrying migrants who were attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico.
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| Thai King's Formal Coronation Caps Eventful Two Years on Throne Posted: 03 May 2019 10:18 PM PDT  The 66-year-old monarch delayed the formal coronation until after a mourning period following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in October 2016. The ceremony comes at a tumultuous time in Thailand during which Vajiralongkorn has played a prominent role. Vajiralongkorn also gained ownership of Crown Property Bureau assets valued at more than $9 billion, including prime pieces of Bangkok real estate, through legal changes he approved.
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| Guaido calls for protests at military bases as Maduro rallies troops Posted: 03 May 2019 01:12 AM PDT  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Thursday called for peaceful demonstrations at army bases, days after a military uprising in support of his bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro fizzled out. The latest appeal came after Maduro called on the armed forces of the crisis-wracked nation to oppose "any coup plotter", as the embattled leader dug in his heels in the face of ongoing protests and international pressure, especially from the United States. Guaido -- recognized by more than 50 countries as Venezuela's interim president -- had on Tuesday called on the military to rise up against Maduro, and a small group heeded his call.
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| Sri Lanka attack mastermind used chatrooms to sway suicide bombers Posted: 03 May 2019 02:28 AM PDT  While Sri Lanka Easter suicide attacks mastermind Zahran Hashim used social media to publicly call for the death of non-Muslims, he worked for months in private chatrooms to persuade six young men to sacrifice themselves, Muslim community leaders say. Christians and foreign tourists were badly hit in the attacks on three churches and three hotels that killed 257 people, but Sri Lanka's Muslim community has also been badly scarred and has been looking into the backgrounds of Hashim and his jihadist acolytes. Hashim, who died in an attack on the Shangri-La hotel on April 21, inspired wealthy brothers Ilham Ibrahim and Inshaf Ibrahim to join and bankroll his assault, police and fellow Muslims said.
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| Boeing 737 slides off runway into Florida river, 21 hurt Posted: 03 May 2019 10:52 PM PDT  The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that all 21 of the injured were taken to a hospital, where they were listed in good condition. The plane, a chartered Boeing 737-800 arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 136 passengers and seven crew members, crashed into the St. Johns river at the end of the runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville at about 9:40 p.m. local time, a spokesman for the Florida air base said. Every person is alive and accounted for," the sheriff's office said on Twitter.
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| Lava, sulfur and steam: After the Hawaii volcano eruption, Hawaiians struggle to recover Posted: 04 May 2019 09:44 AM PDT  A year after lava began flowing in what would become Hawaii's most destructive volcano eruption in decades, thousands are still struggling to recover.
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| House Democrat expects vote 'next week' to hold attorney general in contempt Posted: 03 May 2019 04:58 PM PDT  In an interview with the Yahoo News podcast "Skullduggery," Rep. Jamie Raskin says the House Judiciary Committee is poised to hold William Barr in contempt.
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| The Vietnamese Woman in Kim Jong Nam's Murder Case Has Been Freed From Jail Posted: 02 May 2019 09:26 PM PDT  Leaving the case of the killing of Kim Jong Un's half-brother unresolved
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| Trump easing offshore drilling safety rules from Deepwater Posted: 03 May 2019 04:03 AM PDT  PORT FOURCHON, La. (AP) — The Trump administration moved Thursday to give oil and gas companies more flexibility in meeting safety requirements imposed after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, which killed nearly a dozen people and was the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history.
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| Venezuela's Failed Uprising: How a Deal to Oust Maduro Unraveled Posted: 03 May 2019 03:14 AM PDT  The overthrow that sputtered began when opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido tried to spark an uprising in Caracas on Tuesday, standing not only with masked soldiers who had defected but Lopez, his mentor and a cult figure in some circles. To many watching, it seemed the opposition plan to replace President Nicolas Maduro was finally moving swiftly forward. It was a surprise to some in the Maduro regime who had, after talks with the opposition, agreed to take part in a handover of power.
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| For Jews, America was once exceptional. Now, anti-Semitism is as strong here as in Europe. Posted: 03 May 2019 02:00 AM PDT  I was used to being harassed, abused and put in danger when I prayed in synagogues abroad. Never did I think America would become just as dangerous.
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| North Korea fires short-range missiles: Seoul Posted: 03 May 2019 06:38 PM PDT  North Korea launched short-range missiles into the sea Saturday, the South Korean military said, in what would be Pyongyang's first such action for more than a year as it seeks to up pressure on Washington with nuclear talks deadlocked. The North "fired a number of short-range missiles from its Hodo peninsula near the east coast town of Wonsan to the northeastern direction from 9:06 am (0006 GMT) to 09:27 am today," the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The last North Korean missile launch was in November 2017.
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| ISIS, defeated on the ground, returns to its roots with bombs and bloodshed Posted: 03 May 2019 02:00 AM PDT  President Trump has boasted about the defeat of the ISIS caliphate, a swath of territory in Syria and Iraq formerly controlled by the Islamist fundamentalist army. But ISIS hasn't disappeared, just retreated to fight a terror war — of which the Sri Lanka attacks may have been one of the opening battles.
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| 'Jeopardy!' champ James Holzhauer's brother says his streak is decades in the making Posted: 03 May 2019 04:59 PM PDT  For some of the people who knew James Holzhauer before he was famous, like his brother Ian, the Jeopardy champion's winning streak has been decades in the making.
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| Protect your Apple Watch Series 4 from scratches with this $9 clear case Posted: 03 May 2019 03:25 PM PDT ![Protect your Apple Watch Series 4 from scratches with this $9 clear case]( "Protect your Apple Watch Series 4 from scratches with this $9 clear case") The cheapest Apple Watch Series 4 model you can buy costs $400, and it goes all the way up to $1,500 depending on how fancy you want to get. In other words, you're making a pretty sizable investment regardless of which model you choose. Do yourself a favor and spend another $9 to protect your precious watch from scratches by picking up a Smiling Apple Watch 4 Clear Case With Built in TPU Screen Protector. It's available for both the 40mm and 44mm models, and it might be the best $9 you spend all month.Here's some additional info from the product page: * [Designed for the 40mm or 44mm] This case fit for apple watch 2018 newest series 4 Apple Watch 40mm, high-quality TPU case with built in screen protector. * [Precise cutout]: This 40mm watch case was designed with precise cutouts for functional buttons and ports. * [Ultra Slim]: This apple watch case front cover is only 0.3mm and total 0.5oz weight not add any bulk and you will not lose any touch sensitivity. * [Shock-proof]: Made of high quality, anti-scratch TPU, this case covers the full front and curved edges of the iwatch, offering full protection for your apple watch against scratches, drops, and bumps. * Includes: 2 pack high quality TPU case for the 40mm or 44mm series 4 apple watch
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| Trump discusses 'Russian Hoax' in long call with Putin Posted: 03 May 2019 03:32 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin discussed what Trump again dismissed as the "Russian Hoax" in their first known phone call since the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's extensive meddling during the 2016 election campaign. Putin chuckled about Mueller's conclusions, Trump said.
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| UK's Vectura wins patent infringement case against GlaxoSmithKline in U.S Posted: 04 May 2019 09:38 AM PDT ![UK's Vectura wins patent infringement case against GlaxoSmithKline in U.S]( "UK's Vectura wins patent infringement case against GlaxoSmithKline in U.S") British drugmaker Vectura Group Plc said on Saturday that it won a patent infringement litigation case against GlaxoSmithKline Plc in the United States and has been awarded $89.7 million in damages for the period from August 2016 through December 2018. A jury trial in a Delaware district court on Friday found that one of Vectura's U.S. patents was infringed by sales of three of GSK's Ellipta products in the United States, Vectura said. The jury found that GSK, which is also a UK-based pharmaceutical company, willfully infringed the patent, which Vectura said gives it the right to seek enhanced damages.
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| Porsche 917 Living Legend Concept in Photos Posted: 03 May 2019 07:20 AM PDT |
| Family of girl injured in Poway synagogue shooting: We fled violence in Israel. We thought it was safe here Posted: 04 May 2019 11:18 AM PDT  Eden Dahan — mother of Chabad of Poway shooting victim Noya Dahan — says her family left Israel's violence seeking a better life in America.
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| Lessons from a Previous Venezuela Crisis Posted: 03 May 2019 03:30 AM PDT  The Venezuelan national assembly has held that the country's 2018 presidential election country was illegal and that Juan Guaido, not Nicolas Maduro, is the lawful president. As a result, Venezuela is undergoing an internal political crisis while also owing significant financial debts to Russia and China. To protect their interests, these rising great powers have deployed military forces to the region and are increasing the number of diplomats and intelligence operatives in Latin America. They are also directly protecting Maduro from his own government and people. As it considers how best to deal with the threat of hostile foreign governments covertly taking control in Venezuela, the Trump administration would be well advised to examine the lessons from the last great Venezuelan crisis over 100 years ago.Venezuela sits atop the largest proven oil and natural gas reserves in the world. Yet due to the outright technical incompetence of the Maduro government, Venezuela is currently over $100 billion in debt to foreign nations, mostly Russia and China, intent on ensuring that every dollar is repaid, with interest. Additionally, these foreign powers view Venezuela as a comfortable base for military and intelligence assets in South America; Russia has recently deployed nuclear-capable bombers to Venezuelan airfields, and China has opened the path for naval warship visits to the troubled South American nation by first sending its hospital ship for a goodwill port call. Additionally, Russia has sent a contingent of security forces to Venezuela, including cyber-war experts, and Iran, which also has financial interests in Venezuela, recently initiated a regular series of commercial Mahan Air flights. Such flights have previously provided useful cover for the insertion of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps elements into foreign nations. Each of these countries can and do claim that they are simply supporting their friend, Nicolas Maduro. They also state that they are protecting their financial interests. But they of course have the ulterior motive of undermining American leadership and the current global liberal order.Today's Venezuelan crisis parallels the events of the winter of 1902–1903. In the late fall of 1902 the government of Venezuelan president Cipriano Castro, just recovering from an internal civil war, was unable to make payments on the debts Venezuela owed to European powers. In a reaction typical of that era, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy imposed a naval blockade on the South American nation. With three European powers strangling the Venezuelan economy and threatening to seize its customs houses (another common tactic), Castro requested that the claims against his country be settled through international arbitration.Germany and the United Kingdom objected, despite having previously suggested the same solution. By now the European powers had come to distrust Castro's word. However, President Theodore Roosevelt decided to step in and uphold the Monroe Doctrine, issued in 1823, which rebuked efforts by any European power to exert control over independent nations in the western hemisphere and viewed any such effort as unfriendly to the United States. Accordingly, Theodore Roosevelt ordered the U.S. fleet in the Caribbean just off Puerto Rico to assemble under the command of Admiral George Dewey, who was not known for warm feelings toward Europe, and quietly threatened to send the fleet south against the Europeans if they did not agree to arbitration within ten days.At first the European powers were taken aback by Roosevelt's ultimatum. Blockade and custom-house seizures were the international normative process for such matters where great powers were involved, but they didn't want to provoke conflict with the United States. The strength of Roosevelt's private statements (speaking softly) and the apparent readiness of his fleet to go to war (carrying a big stick) forced first England and then Germany to change course and accept arbitration as the path for resolving the crisis. This incident went a long way toward strengthening the Monroe Doctrine, establishing U.S. leadership in the western hemisphere, and introducing the Roosevelt Corollary, which reserved the "policing power" in the Americas to the United States.Roosevelt understood that he had two advantages in the crisis. First, any military conflict in the western hemisphere was going to be a "home game" for his forces, whereas the United Kingdom and Germany would have to support their navies from across the Atlantic. Second, the U.K. and Germany had imperial interests all over the world, which allowed Roosevelt a variety of options. The United States could mass all of its power in one place, or hit the two European powers in any number of vital locations simultaneously. In the end Roosevelt chose to focus American power and threaten decisive battle on the terms and moment of his choosing. He had an innate feel for naval power and its role in coercive diplomacy.A few years later, near the end of his term, Roosevelt would send another fleet out, the "Great White Fleet," to circle the globe, heralding the United States' arrival on the world stage. That fleet's mission was two-fold: to promote the public perception of the United States as a global power and to support the burgeoning sense of the rule of law and the emergence of a liberal global order. Such concepts were new then.It would be a mistake at this point, however, to gloss over the legacy of the United States in Latin America. Both the Monroe Doctrine and the accompanying Roosevelt Corollary gained decidedly negative reputations in the century that followed the 1902-03 crisis. Numerous armed interventions in the region, and support for various dictatorships, have created a negative opinion of the United States and its "leadership" of the western hemisphere. Latin American countries have sought to distance themselves from any perception that the U.S. exerts a role in their internal governance or security, while still seeking opportunities to cooperate with the U.S. in matters dealing with law enforcement and national security. Such dynamic tensions have become the norm. Conversations about the Monroe Doctrine faded into the background after World War II; given U.S. preponderance, such assertions were deemed unnecessary.However, conditions in the region are rapidly changing. Today Russia, China, and their puppets in Cuba are intent on pursuing new status as rising great powers and seek to undermine the United States in its own hemisphere. It might seem wise for them to distract the United States with events in its own backyard from China or Russia's pursuit of power elsewhere, potentially setting the stage for a future negotiated arrangement to withdraw from the western hemisphere in exchange for U.S. recognition of their own spheres of influence in Asia and Europe.However, such moves by China and Russia ignore the fact that U.S. foreign policy is not built around a regional mindset or regional interests. The 20th century, from start to finish, was about building a liberal international order based on the rule of law that is global in scope, and the United States understands the establishment of regional spheres of influence to signal the collapse of the entire global structure. So, in the end, the U.S. will not pursue a deal so regionally limited in its focus.And like the U.K. and Germany a century ago, China, Russia, and Cuba ignore their own dispersed global interests and forces. Should Putin press too hard in Caracas, additional men and war-making materials might quickly appear in Ukraine or Syria to begin a paper-cut campaign against his interests. For China, its billions in loans to Maduro are little compared with its investments in Africa and Central Asia. Should it try to establish too large a military or intelligence footprint in South America it may find rising disturbances amongst the Uighurs, increased arms sales to Taiwan, civil unrest by workers supporting Chinese investments in Africa, or even stronger trade tariffs. As for Cuba, well, its proximity to American shores makes it an easy target for a full spectrum of coercive activities.To be sure, the moment of the United States' dominance as the sole superpower has passed. It recognizes that it is entering a new era of competition between great powers, but the United States should continue to recognize that its global security depends on its foundational security arrangements in the western hemisphere. The United States cannot allow other powers to gain a solid foothold in its home hemisphere. Freedom and a liberal economic order in the western hemisphere are the anchor that allows the United States to support such freedoms elsewhere. This fact is a premise that early American foreign-policy leaders understood, it is why they laid down policies such as the Monroe Doctrine, and why more modern leaders such as Theodore Roosevelt were willing to go to war with great powers to defend those policies.Foreign powers should take heed not to suddenly wake the sleeping giant just beginning to shrug off its post-Cold War strategic slumber. China and Russia should cut their financial and political ties with Nicolas Maduro before their broader global interests are damaged by their folly. The western hemisphere is not now, nor can it ever be, a playground for them diplomatically, militarily, or economically. They should remember the lessons of the Venezuelan crisis of 1902–03 and seek a path that does not invite their inevitable humiliation.
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| Turkey Begins Offensive on Kurdish Militias After Attacks Posted: 04 May 2019 12:26 PM PDT ![Turkey Begins Offensive on Kurdish Militias After Attacks]( "Turkey Begins Offensive on Kurdish Militias After Attacks") Turkish forces killed 28 Kurdish militants after they carried out two separate attacks from hideouts in Syria and Iraq that left four Turkish troops dead, the state news agency Anadolu reported. Saturday's cross-border offensive marked one of the deadliest days recently for the Turkish military, which conducted the attack along with the Free Syrian Army, a rebel group supported by Turkey.
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| Save This Rugged And Rare 1985 Jeep J10 Pioneer Posted: 03 May 2019 02:55 AM PDT  People go wild over Jeep pickup trucks, but most know nothing about this 1985 Jeep J10 Pioneer. Raleigh Classic is offering this extremely well-maintained Jeep, which is a truly exceptional find. The owner of this Jeep J10 Pioneer absolutely pampered it, keeping the truck garaged in climate-controlled environments since the day it rolled off the dealer's lot.
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| Verizon’s new BOGO deal covers iPhones, Pixels, and Samsung phones Posted: 03 May 2019 02:56 PM PDT  Verizon is back at it with another of its BOGO (buy one get one) devices offers, this time coinciding with Mother's Day which is right around the corner.The limited-time deals are live now, and they include the usual pretty solid offers on some of the hottest smartphones by making them available for free or at a discount when you purchase another phone at full-price. The BOGO this time includes the opportunity to score $1,100 in bill credits when you buy two new Pixel 3s and you also add a new unlimited line. You'll save $300, no trade-in required, when you buy a new Pixel 3, then you'll get another $800 via bill credits when you buy another either Pixel 3 or 3XL, along with the unlimited line.As we always note with these BOGOs from Verizon, there are important caveats. For this particularly offer, both of the new Pixels would need to be paid for on a monthly installment plan. Within two months, the $1,100 would then begin to be applied to your bill, spread over 24 months.It's definitely a good deal if you're already a Verizon customer and thinking about a new line and device. The same goes for anyone thinking about becoming a Verizon customer. The full rundown of deals and the relevant details can be found on Verizon's site here, and among the other offers as part of this BOGO, you can: * Buy one Samsung Galaxy S10+ and get $750 off a Galaxy 10, 10+, 10e or Note 9. * Buy one Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and get $750 off a Galaxy 10, 10+, 10e or Note 9. * Finally, if you buy an iPhone XR, iPhone XS MAX, iPhone XS, or iPhone X you can get a free iPhone XR (or take $750 off a second iPhone X model).Verizon hasn't specified an end-date for this particular BOGO, but since it's tied to Mother's Day you've got at least all of next week, through Sunday May 12, to take advantage of it.
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| Felon voting bill goes to Florida governor amid outcry Posted: 03 May 2019 04:53 PM PDT  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida felons will have to pay court-ordered financial obligations if they want their voting rights restored under a bill sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday that would implement a voter-approved constitutional amendment.
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| UPDATE 1-Trump says he will decide over next week whether to let McGahn testify for Congress Posted: 03 May 2019 12:25 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Trump says he will decide over next week whether to let McGahn testify for Congress]( "UPDATE 1-Trump says he will decide over next week whether to let McGahn testify for Congress") U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he will decide in the coming days whether he will allow former White House lawyer Don McGahn to testify before U.S. lawmakers or whether he will invoke executive privilege to block his testimony. U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler last Monday subpoenaed McGahn to testify before the panel in its investigation of possible obstruction of justice by Trump. "That'll all be determined over the next week or so," Trump told reporters on Friday when asked if he had decided whether to invoke executive privilege over the subpoena, adding that he had been transparent with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
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