| Israel-Hamas truce: Will it last? Posted: 06 May 2019 10:02 AM PDT  Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip agreed a ceasefire Monday after a two-day flare-up that brought them to the brink of war, but analysts remain unconvinced any truce will last. On Friday two Israeli soldiers were shot and injured during protests and clashes along the Gaza border. Israel blamed the attack on an Islamic Jihad sniper.
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| Democrats Prepare Contempt Order for Attorney General William Barr Posted: 06 May 2019 07:11 AM PDT  Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee announced that they are beginning contempt proceedings against Attorney General William Barr.
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| Forty-one reported killed after Russian passenger plane crash-lands in Moscow Posted: 05 May 2019 06:44 PM PDT  Television footage showed the Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash bouncing along the tarmac at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport before the rear part of the plane suddenly burst into flames. Many passengers on board SU 1492 then escaped via the plane's emergency slides that inflated after the hard landing. The plane, which had been flying from Moscow to the northern Russian city of Murmansk, had been carrying 73 passengers and five crew members, Russia's aviation watchdog said.
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| 9 Futuristic Airports Designed by Famous Architects Posted: 06 May 2019 09:53 AM PDT |
| The Latest: Harris says Barr representing Trump, not US Posted: 05 May 2019 06:08 PM PDT  NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic presidential campaign (all times local):
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| Ex-Goldman Banker in Plea Talks Ahead of 1MDB Trial in New York Posted: 06 May 2019 01:54 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker Roger Ng is in plea talks to avoid a U.S. trial on charges that he broke American anti-bribery laws and conspired to launder money embezzled from Malaysia's state investment fund 1MDB.
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| US to strengthen presence in Arctic amid tensions over environment, minerals and China push Posted: 06 May 2019 08:33 AM PDT  The US will strengthen its Arctic presence to keep in check the "aggressive behaviour" of China and Russia in the resource-rich region, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday. Speaking ahead of talks in Finland between the eight Arctic states, Mr Pompeo warned that "the region has become an arena of global power and competition" thanks to its vast reserves of oil, gas, minerals and fish stocks. He denounced attempts by China, which has observer status on the Arctic Council, to style itself as a "near Arctic" state, citing Pentagon fears that China is seeking to establish a permanent security presence in the polar region, including by deploying submarines as a deterrent against nuclear attacks. "There are only Arctic States and Non-Arctic States. No third category exists, and claiming otherwise entitles China to exactly nothing," he said, adding that China's activities in the region must be closely monitored. "China's pattern of aggressive behaviour elsewhere will inform how it treats the Arctic," he said. Mr Pompeo also slammed Russian territorial claims on new, faster trade routes opening up through the region due to melting sea ice. Arctic sea ice level "In the Northern Sea Route, Moscow already illegally demands that other nations request permission to pass, requires Russian maritime pilots to be aboard foreign ships, and threatens to use military force to sink any that fail to comply," Mr Pompeo said. "These provocative actions are part of a pattern of aggressive Russian behaviour in the Arctic." Mr Pompeo said the US would strengthen its security and diplomatic presence in the Arctic, in part through military exercises, an increased military presence, and by rebuilding the US's icebreaker fleet. How fast is the Arctic ice melting? | Meet the British scientist who risked polar bear attacks and plagues of mosquitoes to find out "Just because the Arctic is a place of wilderness does not mean it should become a place of lawlessness," he said. Russia has previously insisted that Moscow's drive for military and economic development in the Arctic is not a threat to other countries. "We are not doing anything else besides ensuring security of the country. All we're doing in the Arctic is geared toward this and only this. We are not threatening anyone," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at an Arctic forum in St Petersburg last month. Mr Pompeo will continue his European tour with visits to Britain, Germany and Greenland.
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| Palestinians say truce reached with Israel to end deadly escalation Posted: 06 May 2019 10:12 AM PDT  Palestinian leaders in Gaza agreed to a ceasefire with Israel on Monday to end a deadly two-day escalation in violence that threatened to widen into a fourth war between them since 2008. Egypt brokered the agreement to cease hostilities from 4:30 am (0130 GMT), an official from the strip's Islamist rulers Hamas and another from its allied group Islamic Jihad said on condition of anonymity.
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| U.S. doctors use medical records to fight measles outbreak Posted: 05 May 2019 05:06 AM PDT  It has built alerts into its electronic medical records system to notify doctors and nurses that a patient lives in an outbreak area, based on their Zip code. "It identifies incoming patients who may have been exposed to measles and need to be assessed," said Dr. Michael Phillips, chief epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health. Alerts in a patient's medical record also prompt conversations with their visitors - who may also have been exposed to the virus - about their own health, prior exposure to measles and vaccination history.
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| Thrust reverser 'not working' on Florida plane that crashed in river Posted: 06 May 2019 12:20 AM PDT  A feature that helps aircraft slow down on landing was broken on a Boeing 737 that skidded into a river in Florida, a top transportation safety official said Sunday. Transport safety officials said one of the thrust reversers which are supposed to help to slow the aircraft down was not working. "The aircraft had been in maintenance and the maintenance log noted that the left-hand thrust reverser was inoperative," Bruce Landsberg, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters Sunday.
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| UPDATE 1-Wall St futures plunge after Trump threatens China with further tariffs Posted: 05 May 2019 05:53 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Wall St futures plunge after Trump threatens China with further tariffs]( "UPDATE 1-Wall St futures plunge after Trump threatens China with further tariffs") Wall Street stock index futures fell sharply in a volatile session on Sunday evening after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would hike U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods this week and soon target hundreds of billions more. After easing losses for a while, U.S. futures lost more ground and hit a fresh session low after the Wall Street Journal reported that China was considering canceling a round of U.S. talks set for this week because of Trump's comments.
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| Joe Biden Has to Do More Than Name-Drop Obama to Win Black Voters Posted: 06 May 2019 02:06 AM PDT  Sean Rayford/GettyFormer Vice President Joe Biden's initial pitch to Democratic voters was aimed squarely at the Rust Belt working class, but on a weekend trip through South Carolina, the early frontrunner for the party's presidential nomination pivoted to courting black voters in the Palmetto State, highlighting his role in the Obama administration and warning of voting restrictions that hark back to the days of Jim Crow."Last year, 24 states introduced or enacted at least 70 bills to curtail the right the vote. And guess what—mostly directed at people of color," Biden told the crowd at a community center in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday. "We have Jim Crow sneaking back in.""You know when everybody has an equal right to vote, guess what—they lose. They lose," Biden continued, referring to Republicans, whose victories in statewide elections in nearby Georgia and Florida last year sparked accusations of systematic voter suppression. "Folks, it's just absolutely wrong."By highlighting the importance of expanding voter access, as well as his long relationship with President Barack Obama—in his speech, Biden referred to Obama as "my buddy" and "my friend" multiple times before joking that "I shouldn't be so casual"—Biden pitched himself as a candidate with a broader coalition of supporters beyond the white working class. But the former vice president's history as an architect of the modern criminal justice system has activists and academics concerned that Biden hasn't sufficiently addressed the legacy of mass incarceration in marginalized communities.Biden, who served in the U.S. Senate for three decades, was a driving force behind the implementation of aggressive criminal justice policies in the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the writing and passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which he himself dubbed the "1994 Biden Crime Bill" in 2015. Now, 25 years after the passage of this landmark bill, criminal justice advocates say the policy led to mass incarceration that disproportionately affected black communities and are calling on him to undo that legacy in order to win their support."He's in a precarious situation," said Dr. Keneshia Grant, a professor of political science at Howard University whose research focus is the political impact of black migration in the United States. "He absolutely has to be saying things like, 'people's attempts to disenfranchise you is like Jim Crow,' but that creates a difficult situation for him." "The '94 crime bill helped shape crime policy for almost the next 20 years," said Nicole D. Porter, director of advocacy at the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based nonprofit that seeks to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system. "It was adopted at a time when the approach to crime was very punitive—there was little resistance to adopting tougher penalties at the federal and at the state level, particularly in communities that were undergoing disinvestment."The legislation, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, was the largest crime bill in American history, and included a (since expired) ban on assault weapons, the Violence Against Women Act, and created guidelines for states to track sex offenders. But the bill included controversial provisions, including a so-called "three strikes" provision, the elimination of Pell Grants for incarcerated inmates, and provided nearly $10 billion for the construction of new prisons. The bill also increased incentives for states to sentence criminals to longer sentences, leading to an era of mass incarceration: More than 2 million Americans are currently imprisoned."It's not that he was swept up on the tough on crime—he drove the train. He was chair of the Judiciary Committee, he wrote a lot of these bills," Michael Collins, director of national affairs for Drug Policy Action, told The Daily Beast. "The 'War on Drugs' has always been a war on people of color—we knew that back in the 1990s, and it didn't stop Joe Biden then, and this is why we have this mass incarceration mess right now."Biden's legacy on criminal justice may complicate efforts to capitalize on high initial approval ratings among black voters, who make up more than half of registered Democrats in South Carolina."He's going to have to run a very issue-oriented campaign if he's going to win black voters in South Carolina. He can't just show up and say, I was Barack Obama's vice president, because that ain't going to work," former South Carolina state legislator Bakari Sellers, who has endorsed Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) for president, told The Daily Beast. "I find it ironic that Hillary [Clinton] got pure hell for the '94 crime bill when Joe Biden actually wrote the '94 crime bill," Sellers said. "He's going to have to answer those questions, and he's going to have to answer with policy points… He has to reconcile with his record, and he's not answering those questions now."Advocates were quick to point out that as the Democratic consensus on criminal justice has changed, so too have Biden's views—to a point."Biden has followed the politics on this issue," Porter said. "As vice president in 2010, he anchored a reform... to scale back the 100-to-one crack cocaine-to powder disparity."The former vice president has indicated that there are certain positions he has taken on crime that he now disavows. At the National Action Network's Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in January, Biden said that on criminal justice reform, "I know we haven't always gotten things right, but I've always tried," alluding to the crime bill as "a big mistake when it was made."But undoing the legacy of "tough-on-crime" legislation, criminal justice reform advocates said, requires more than an apology."A stopped clock can be right twice a day, but when you look at the totality of Biden's career, he has been one of the top cheerleaders in the War on Drugs," Collins said. "The only reason we're seeing any contrition here is because he's running for president—if he was retired, we wouldn't be seeing apologies or any of these explanations."If Biden is serious about mitigating his role in the modern carceral state, Sellers said, he'll begin detailing concrete policy proposals to "unravel some of the damage that he's done.""Moving forward, when he does talk about criminal justice, he's going to have to talk about it in ways that are first, apologetic, and two, super clear about policy proposals to mitigate the effects of his past positions," Grant echoed.To "account for the harm done in this country during the era of mass incarceration," Porter suggested the elimination of mandatory minimums across the board, redirecting resources to focus on crime prevention and helping people who exit the prison system successfully enter into society, and full sentencing parity in drug possession cases—as well as provisions making such changes retroactive."It would take 75 years for the country to get back to the incarceration rates of the early '80s" at current rates of release, Porter said, which means that undoing mass incarceration requires policies "as substantial and muscular as the politics that drove the punitive reforms in the '80s and '90s."The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the former vice president's views on such proposals by press time.There is historical precedent for a president undoing the damage caused by previous positions and policies, Grant said, citing the case of President Lyndon Johnson, who signed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act into law."Lyndon Johnson starts out as a legislator who is not particularly helpful in the civil rights movement," Grant noted. "Now when you think about him and think about his evolution on race, you can point to the Civil Rights Act to say, this is something he did to make up for his past or change his trajectory."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
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| How Arya's Scene With the Hound May Hint at Her Next Big Kill on Game of Thrones Posted: 05 May 2019 09:07 PM PDT  "I don't plan on coming back"
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| Israel assassinates Hamas operative in Gaza as Palestinian militants fire 600 rockets Posted: 05 May 2019 07:13 PM PDT  Israel and Hamas were locked in one of the bloodiest rounds of fighting since the 2014 Gaza War on Sunday night as civilian casualties mounted on both sides and Israeli forces massed for a possible ground offensive. Four civilians were killed in southern Israel on Sunday after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired a barrage of more than 600 rockets, missiles and mortars into the areas around Gaza. In Gaza, the Palestinian death toll rose to 23. Among the victims were at least two pregnant Palestinian women and two babies, according to the Hamas health ministry. Israel and Hamas each blamed each other for one of the women's deaths. Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes against militant targets in Gaza and its warplanes tracked down and killed a Hamas operative in its first targeted assassination in several years. With no end in sight to the fighting, both Israel and the Palestinian armed factions warned that the situation could escalate into a full-scale war. Palestinian militants on Saturday fired over 200 rockets into Israel, drawing dozens of retaliatory airstrikes on targets across the Gaza Strip Credit: Khalil Hamra/AP Israeli tanks deployed to the Gaza border in preparation for a possible ground invasion of the strip, the IDF said. Islamic Jihad said it was prepared to raise its rocket attacks to "a level that could lead to war". However, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement late on Sunday that the militant group was "not interested in a new war." He signalled readiness to "return to the state of calm" if Israel stopped its attacks "and immediately starts implementing understandings about a dignified life." US President Donald Trump assured Israel it had Washington's full support amid the escalation. "Once again, Israel faces a barrage of deadly rocket attacks by terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. We support Israel 100% in its defence of its citizens," Mr Trump tweeted. ....To the Gazan people — these terrorist acts against Israel will bring you nothing but more misery. END the violence and work towards peace - it can happen!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 6, 2019 "To the Gazan people - these terrorist acts against Israel will bring you nothing but more misery. END the violence and work towards peace - it can happen!" The intense fighting flared as Palestinians prepared for the start of the Islamic holy moth of Ramadan while Israelis were getting ready to welcome thousands of tourists to Tel Aviv for the Eurovision song contest on May 14. The Hamas health ministry said two pregnant woman - Falestine Abu A'rar, 37, and Amani Al-Madhoun, 33 - were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes 24 hours apart. However, Israel said its intelligence showed Ms Abu A'rar had in fact been killed a Palestinian rocket which misfired and crashed inside Gaza on Saturday. A one-year-old baby girl was killed alongside her. Late on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building in northern Gaza, killing a couple in their early 30s and their four-month-old daughter. A 12-year-old boy was also killed in northern Gaza. One woman was seriously injured in a rocket strike on the Israeli city of Kiryat Gat Credit: Tsafrir Abayov/ Tsafrir Abayov Source: AP In a sign of the escalating situation, Israel carried out its first targeted assassination in Gaza for several years. Israeli aircraft tracked Hamid Abdul Khudri, a Hamas operative, as he drove through Gaza City before blowing up his Toyota SUV with a missile strike. The IDF said Khudri was a financier who transferred money from Iran to both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Hamas confirmed in a statement that Khudri was a member of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist group. Israel warned that it was prepared to carry out more such assassinations against Hamas leaders if the bombardment did not stop. "We have similar files on many other terrorists in Gaza," said Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an IDF spokesman. Three civilians were killed in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon by rockets fired by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. A fourth civilian died when militants struck a car with an anti-tank missile as it drove on the motorway. Israel and Hamas have fought three bloody wars in Gaza since 2008. Several rounds of fighting in recent months have been calmed when Egypt and the UN stepped in to broker a ceasefire. The brother of Palestinian militant Emad Naseer, who was killed in an Israeli air strike Credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/ REUTERS Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas agreed not to carry out attacks while Israel said it would ease part of the crushing economic blockade it has imposed on Gaza since 2007. Hamas has grown frustrated at what it says is Israel's failure to implement the agreements. A spokesman for the groups said Israel needed to "commit to the understandings and implement them without delay". Israel said the latest round of violence was sparked when Islamic Jihad snipers wounded two Israeli soldiers on Friday afternoon. The IDF said Islamic Jihad, which fights alongside Hamas but occasionally chafes under the larger group's leadership, was trying to destabilise the region. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said he had ordered the IDF to continue with "massive attacks" against militant groups inside Gaza. "Hamas bears the responsibility not only for its own attacks and actions but also for the actions of Islamic Jihad, and it is paying a very heavy price for this." The IDF moved one tank brigade to the Gaza border in preparation for a possible ground assault inside the strip. An infantry brigade was also being called up while another infantry brigade was put on standby. Palestinian families huddled together in their homes as Israeli warplanes struck more than 250 targets inside Gaza. Israelis fled to bomb shelters as the sky filled with smoke from rockets and interceptor missiles. The Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted around 150 rockets fired into Israel, the IDF said. Of the 600 total rockets fired only 35 fell into Israeli cities and towns, according to the IDF. The rest were intercepted or fell into open fields.
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| Ex-prosecutors assert Trump would've been charged Posted: 06 May 2019 03:00 PM PDT  Nearly 400 former federal prosecutors have signed onto a letter saying President Donald Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he were anyone other than the president. AP's Eric Tucker explains what it means. (May 6)
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| UPDATE 4-Boeing did not disclose 737 MAX alert issue to FAA for 13 months Posted: 05 May 2019 10:01 AM PDT ![UPDATE 4-Boeing did not disclose 737 MAX alert issue to FAA for 13 months]( "UPDATE 4-Boeing did not disclose 737 MAX alert issue to FAA for 13 months") The U.S. planemaker has been trying for weeks to dispel suggestions that it made airlines pay for safety features after it emerged that an alert designed to show discrepancies in Angle of Attack readings from two sensors was optional on the 737 MAX. Erroneous data from a sensor responsible for measuring the angle at which the wing slices through the air - known as the Angle of Attack - is suspected of triggering a flawed piece of software that pushed the plane downward in two recent crashes. In a statement, Boeing said it only discovered once deliveries of the 737 MAX had begun in 2017 that the so-called AOA Disagree alert was optional instead of standard as it had intended, but added that was not critical safety data.
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| UPDATE 2-Warren Buffett says U.S.-China trade war would be 'bad for the whole world' Posted: 06 May 2019 05:19 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-Warren Buffett says U.S.-China trade war would be 'bad for the whole world']( "UPDATE 2-Warren Buffett says U.S.-China trade war would be 'bad for the whole world'") Buffett spoke after U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that he will raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports to 25 percent from 10 percent beginning on Friday. Trump also said he would soon slap a 25-percent tariff on $325 billion of Chinese goods that have not been taxed.
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| Pompeo slams China, Russia for 'aggressive' Arctic behaviour Posted: 06 May 2019 01:27 PM PDT  The US on Monday said it planned to beef up its Arctic presence to keep Russia's and China's "aggressive behaviour" in check in the resource-rich region. "The region has become an arena of global power and competition" owing to vast reserves of oil, gas, minerals and fish stocks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned in a speech in Rovaniemi, northern Finland. "Just because the Arctic is a place of wilderness does not mean it should become a place of lawlessness," he said.
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| GOP thwarts governor's push to expand Medicaid in Kansas Posted: 04 May 2019 10:17 PM PDT  TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's effort to expand Medicaid in Kansas this year died Saturday when enough moderate Republicans bowed to the wishes of the GOP-controlled Legislature's conservative leaders and ended an impasse that had tied up the state budget.
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| 9 Home Decor Sales We’re Excited About This Week Posted: 06 May 2019 02:50 PM PDT  Consider us your personal shoppers
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| Ted Bundy's Is the World's Most Notorious Volkswagen Bug Posted: 05 May 2019 03:00 AM PDT  The serial killer-played by Zac Efron in a new Netflix movie-used VWs in his murder spree.
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| Every Mid-Engined Sports Car—Including a Few You Might Afford! Posted: 06 May 2019 05:14 AM PDT |
| Boeing didn't tell airlines that safety alert wasn't on Posted: 05 May 2019 04:49 PM PDT  Boeing said Sunday that it discovered after airlines had been flying its 737 Max plane for several months that a safety alert in the cockpit was not working as intended, yet it didn't disclose that fact to airlines or federal regulators until after one of the planes crashed.
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| Trump picks Obama-era Border Patrol head to lead ICE after several recent Fox News appearances Posted: 05 May 2019 01:53 PM PDT  President Trump tapped former Border Patrol chief under former President Barack Obama to run the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
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| U.S. may review ties with countries deemed anti-Israel: envoy Posted: 05 May 2019 09:44 AM PDT  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a March speech that anti-Zionism - opposition to Israel's existence as a homeland for the Jewish people - was a form of anti-Semitism, or hostility toward Jews, that was on the rise worldwide and that Washington would "fight it relentlessly". The State Department's special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism, Elan Carr, said this U.S. position could spell reviews of ties with foreign governments or leaders. "The United States is willing to review its relationship with any country, and certainly anti-Semitism on the part of a country with whom we have relations is a deep concern," he told Reuters during a visit to Israel.
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| Total to buy Anadarko's Africa assets if Occidental wins takeover fight Posted: 06 May 2019 03:34 AM PDT  French energy giant Total said it has reached a deal with Occidental to acquire Anadarko Petroleum's oil and gas assets in Africa -- but only if the mid-sized US firm Occidental wins its fierce takeover battle for Anadarko with the much bigger Chevron. The move further bolsters Occidental's hostile takeover bid for Anadarko after American mega-investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway got involved last week, investing $10 billion in Occidental. Anadarko's board had already approved an offer from Chevron when Occidental unveiled a higher bid last month, kicking off a tug-of-war over the company's assets in the shale-rich Permian Basin in Texas.
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| AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile get sued for reportedly selling your location data Posted: 06 May 2019 10:42 AM PDT  AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile are accused of selling customer's location data in a lawsuit.
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| The 10 Best Electric and Gas Mowers for Any Yard Posted: 06 May 2019 08:43 AM PDT |
| Deadly escalation as Israel retaliates over Gaza rockets Posted: 05 May 2019 07:32 AM PDT  Israel's military carried out waves of retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after Palestinian rockets hit Israeli cities as a deadly escalation showed no signs of slowing, raising fears of war. Gazan authorities reported nine Palestinians killed, including at least three militants, by Israeli strikes in the fighting that began Saturday with massive rocket fire from the strip. Israel however disputed their account of the deaths of a pregnant woman and a baby, blaming errant Hamas fire.
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| BMW teases 8 Series Gran Coupe ahead of September debut Posted: 06 May 2019 07:36 AM PDT  On Friday, BMW teased an image of the latest model to join the 8 Series: the 8 Series Gran Coupe. Right now, BMW's 8 Series comprises the 8 Coupe and 8 Convertible, though the segment goes back to the early 1990s. On Friday, however, BMW tweeted a dark photograph of the next member of the 8 Series family shrouded in shadows: the 8 Series Gran Coupe.
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| 'Tentative date' of 15 May agreed for Mueller to testify before Congress Posted: 05 May 2019 11:28 AM PDT  Democratic congressman says: 'We hope that the special counsel will appear' while Trump tweets: 'Bob Mueller should not testify' * Follow the latest US politics news liveSpecial counsel Robert Mueller. Photograph: Tasos Katopodis/Getty ImagesRobert Mueller may be one step closer to being questioned in public on Capitol Hill, with a representative of the special counsel saying he has agreed to testify before Congress, according to a Democratic congressman on Sunday.The Rhode Island congressional representative David Cicilline said a "tentative date has been set of May 15" for Mueller to testify, he told host Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday."We hope that the special counsel will appear," he said at first.Pressed on whether Mueller had actually agreed to testify, he added that "a representative for the special counsel has".Cicilline couched his remarks by saying that "obviously", Congress would not know definitely that Mueller is testifying on this date until the day comes.He appeared to wobble on his declaration a little later, tweeting: "Just to clarify: we are aiming to bring Mueller in on the 15th, but nothing has been agreed to yet. That's the date the Committee has proposed, and we hope the Special Counsel will agree to it. Sorry for the confusion."On Sunday afternoon, the president said on Twitter that "Bob Mueller should not testify".Trump posted, in part, in two back-to-back tweets: "Why would the Democrats in Congress now need Robert Mueller to testify? Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong NO COLLUSION conclusion?"> ....to testify. Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong NO COLLUSION conclusion? There was no crime, except on the other side (incredibly not covered in the Report), and NO OBSTRUCTION. Bob Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems!> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2019Mueller's report last month had found a lot of evidence of interactions between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, but did not conclude that any of it amounted to criminal conspiracy. Mueller also found multiple instances where Trump tampered with the investigation and would have obstructed further if he had had his way and not been protected by those around him.The special counsel ultimately did not rule on whether the crime of obstruction had been committed by Trump, leaving that decision for others, while saying he could not exonerate the president. His redacted report also left questions unanswered.The attorney general, William Barr, and departing deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, decided there had been no criminal obstruction, while Democrats in Congress are insisting on more information and investigation before they decide on further action.Cicilline's statements about Mueller's possible testimony come amid heightened tensions between Congress and the Department of Justice, especially its head, Barr, over the report resulting from an almost two-year investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump 2016 campaign and Russia, and obstruction of justice.Barr has been widely criticized for presenting an overly rosy view of Trump in his four-page summary of Mueller's report last month. Several Democrats, especially the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and several 2020 presidential candidates, led by Elizabeth Warren, have called for his resignation.Pelosi also accused Barr of lying to Congress about statements he made regarding criticism of his handling of the report by Mueller, with the senior Democrat declaring last week: "That's a crime."Barr has been accused of casting the 448-page report to make it seem as if Mueller definitively determined that there was no cooperation or collusion between the president, his campaign and the Russian government.The Mueller report, however, contains numerous details about ties between Trump associates and the Russian government, and at least 11 attempts by Trump to block Mueller's investigation.Barr's appearance before the Senate judiciary committee on Wednesday was characterized by seeming defensiveness, after it was revealed that Mueller had privately criticized his initial public summary of the report.During Barr's testimony, he called Mueller's letter "a bit snitty", and intimated that it might have been penned by one of the special counsel's staff.Barr was a no-show at a congressional oversight hearing on Thursday due to a dispute over questioning protocol. Barr reportedly took issue with both parties' plans to have their counsels question him, not just the members of Congress themselves.The House judiciary committee chairman, Jerry Nadler, a Democrat of New York, has given Barr a Monday deadline of 9am ET to turn over additional portions of the report and the evidence behind it.Cicilline told Wallace that if Barr does not comply, Nadler appears poised to push forward with contempt proceedings."There has not been compliance yet," Cicilline said of Barr turning over these documents. "I think if the attorney general does not, the chairman will ask the committee to move forward with a contempt citation.""I hope the attorney general will comply," Cicilline said, later adding, "If Mr Barr agrees to turn over what we're requested in a reasonable way, nobody on the committee is interested in moving forward with contempt."A request for comment from the DoJ did not bring an immediate response.
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| Reborn 2019 BMW Z4 Delivers Top-Down Thrills Posted: 05 May 2019 03:05 AM PDT  The BMW Z4 returns after a brief hiatus, backed by the automaker's pledge that the reborn roadster has improved performance. The previous model that retired in 2016 was quick, efficient, and well...
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| Republicans push tax relief through Kansas Legislature Posted: 05 May 2019 10:32 AM PDT  TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators have pushed a tax relief proposal through the Kansas Legislature, ignoring predictions from Gov. Laura Kelly's fellow Democrats that she will veto it, just as she did with a larger plan.
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| The first big Apple Watch Series 4 sale is still here with all-time low prices Posted: 06 May 2019 06:20 AM PDT ![The first big Apple Watch Series 4 sale is still here with all-time low prices]( "The first big Apple Watch Series 4 sale is still here with all-time low prices") If you've ever toyed with the idea of picking up a new Apple Watch Series 4 but you balked at the price, today is the day to revisit your decision. Amazon is running a huge sale that slashes the prices of half a dozen Apple Watch S4 models to all-time lows. The deal covers 40mm and 44mm sizes, and it covers both Space Gray and Silver Aluminum finishes as well. There are a few different bands to choose from too, so there truly is something for everyone in this big sale. There's no telling how much longer these discounted prices will last though, so grab one while you still can.Here's some additional info from the product page: * GPS * Over 30% larger display and 50% louder speaker * Electrical and optical heart sensors * Digital Crown with haptic feedback * 50% louder speaker * S4 SiP with faster 64-bit dual-core processor * Improved accelerometer and gyroscope for fall detection * Swimproof * watchOS 5 * Aluminum case
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| Libya's Sarraj seeks Europe's help to stop Haftar assault Posted: 06 May 2019 07:47 AM PDT  Libya's internationally recognised government said Monday its head Fayez al-Sarraj will tour Europe to seek support against an attack on Tripoli by strongman Khalifa Haftar, who urged his troops to "wipe out" government forces. Sarraj, who heads the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, will on Tuesday start a series of meetings with the leaders of Italy, Germany, France and possibly Britain, the foreign ministry said. The visit to France - where Sarraj's government said he would meet President Emmanuel Macron -- comes after the GNA repeatedly accused Paris of politically backing the assault which Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched on Tripoli on April 4.
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| UPDATE 3-Kinder Morgan's $1.75 bln gas pipeline hit with steel tariff -filing Posted: 06 May 2019 01:14 PM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Kinder Morgan's $1.75 bln gas pipeline hit with steel tariff -filing]( "UPDATE 3-Kinder Morgan's $1.75 bln gas pipeline hit with steel tariff -filing") U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Inc will pay a tariff on imported steel used in a $1.75 billion natural gas pipeline project, the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled on Monday, dealing a setback to energy industry efforts to avoid the penalties. The Trump administration last year slapped a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum in a bid to safeguard U.S. jobs against overseas rivals. Energy companies have opposed the tariffs, saying they add cost to businesses contributing to the nation's energy security.
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| Dragon Drama: Game of Thrones Has an Air Power Problem Posted: 06 May 2019 11:08 AM PDT  Following the epic siege of Winterfell, the Game of Thrones episode "The Last of the Starks" confronts its protagonist Daenerys Targaryen with wrenching military dilemmas that might have been ripped from today's headlines—and issues on the ethical issue of force that remain highly controversial today.While her ally Jon Snow advances troops south by land, Daenarys moves her Unsullied infantry by sea to rebase her forces at Dragonstone, a fortress which offers a convenient staging ground for her ultimate goal: the capture of the capital of King's Landing, held by the villainous Cersei Lannister. Daenerys flies over her fleet with her two dragons, confident in her supremacy as Cersei has no air force, and her infantry and cavalry lack effective anti-dragon weapons.Cersei's advisor Qyburn, however, has developed and mass-produced huge crossbows called 'scorpions'—ballistas which have the range and penetrating power to harm Daenerys's dragons. In the real world, ballistae were first developed by the Greeks and Romans as a form of naval and siege artillery (they played a role in Caesar's conquest of modern day France and Great Britain) and had an effective range of a few hundred meters.
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| US Teacher Appreciation Week: Google celebrates 'classroom heroes' across America Posted: 06 May 2019 10:51 AM PDT  Google kicked off Teachers Appreciation Week in the US with a Doodle - a themed redesign of the website's signature logo, honouring the country's educators. "Google is celebrating the classroom heroes supporting their students every day." Google said in a statement on their website. The Doodle was created with the help of the 57 US State Teacher's of the year who were invited for a week long visit Google's headquarters back in January. "The week was full of workshops and activities, including one session in which every teacher was asked to dream up their own Doodles to show the world a day in the life of a teacher," wrote Rodney Robinson, one of the teachers of the year who attended the event, in Google's statement."When I thought about a day in my own life, my students—whose stories aren't often told—rose to the forefront."Robinson hails from Virginia and has been teaching for 19 years. Currently, he teaches social studies at a juvenile detention facility. His Doodle included prison bars, symbolising his student's detention but also a library book and a couch which were meant to represent an opportunity for education and healing. "I saw similar themes of hope and passion for students in my fellow teachers' drawings and was excited to see the final Doodle: I always have said if you put a group of teachers in a room together, magic organically happens!" Robinson added.
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| Chinese, Hong Kong stocks dive on Trump tariffs threat Posted: 06 May 2019 01:23 AM PDT  Shanghai stocks suffered their worst day in more than three years on Monday after US President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on imports from China at the end of this week, dealing a blow to hopes of an imminent end to their trade war. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index sank 5.58 percent, or 171.88 points, to 2,906.46, while the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks China's second exchange, plummeted 7.38 percent, or 120.79 points, to 1,515.80. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index plunged 2.90 percent, or 871.73 points, to 29,209.82.
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