| Agent fired over anti-Trump text messages sues FBI, Justice Posted: 06 Aug 2019 12:16 PM PDT  A veteran FBI agent who wrote derogatory text messages about Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Tuesday charging that the bureau caved to "unrelenting pressure" from the president when it fired him. The suit from Peter Strzok also alleges he was unfairly punished for expressing his political opinions, and that the Justice Department violated his privacy when it shared hundreds of his text messages with reporters. The complaint, which names as defendants Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Chris Wray, revisits a political drama that was seized on by conservative critics of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation as proof that the bureau was biased against Trump.
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| Mass shootings and misogyny: The violent ideology we can't ignore Posted: 06 Aug 2019 01:16 PM PDT  Recent shootings in Ohio, Texas and California have led to widespread condemnation of white supremacy, but experts say misogyny must be addressed, too
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| U.S. immigration agents arrest 680 workers at Mississippi plants Posted: 07 Aug 2019 04:10 PM PDT ![U.S. immigration agents arrest 680 workers at Mississippi plants]( "U.S. immigration agents arrest 680 workers at Mississippi plants") U.S. immigration authorities arrested nearly 700 people at seven agricultural processing plants across Mississippi on Wednesday in what federal officials said could be the largest worksite enforcement operation in a single state. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement they detained about 680 people who were working illegally at the plants. Some of those detained will be released for "humanitarian reasons" and required to appear in U.S. immigration court, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Mississippi, which partnered with ICE, said in a statement.
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| Armed soldiers patrol silent streets after Kashmir curfew Posted: 06 Aug 2019 10:10 PM PDT  Armed soldiers stand in front of barbed wire in Indian Kashmir's near-silent summer capital of Srinagar during a massive security lockdown imposed on the restive region by the Hindu nationalist government. Kashmir was stripped of its seven-decade-long autonomous status through a controversial presidential decree on Monday, a day after a crippling curfew was imposed on its main city. Home to more than one million people, Srinagar now looks like a ghost-town: armed soldiers on street corners and in front of barbed wire barricades make up most of the few people to be seen.
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| NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, whose wife Gabby Giffords was shot in the head, still owns guns. He says Congress could do a lot more to keep people safe. Posted: 06 Aug 2019 12:09 PM PDT  NASA astronaut Mark Kelly is running for Senate in Arizona. He supports stronger federal background checks and more red-flag laws.
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| Remains of British woman who fell from plane found in Madagascar Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:29 AM PDT ![Remains of British woman who fell from plane found in Madagascar]( "Remains of British woman who fell from plane found in Madagascar") Police said on Wednesday they had found the remains of a British woman who fell 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) from a light aircraft in the remote north of Madagascar last month. Alana Cutland, a 19-year-old Cambridge University student, was visiting the island on an internship complementing her studies in natural sciences, her family has said. Authorities are not pursuing a criminal inquiry in the case, Andrianoasy Ralaivaonary, local gendarmerie commander in Mahajanga, said in a statement.
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| Body found in ravine in search for British scientist missing on Greek island Posted: 07 Aug 2019 08:38 AM PDT  The body of a British astrophysicist who went missing on a Greek island was found at the bottom of a ravine on Wednesday. Dr Natalie Christopher, 35, disappeared on Monday on the Aegean island of Ikaria, with her boyfriend saying she had gone for a run. Her body was found by a volunteer firefighter in a 65ft-deep ravine about a mile from the hotel where she and her partner had been staying. Asked whether the body had fallen into the ravine or been pushed, Theodoros Chronopoulos, a Greek police spokesman, said it was too early to tell. Dr Christopher is a keen runner, climber and mountain racer "We have to await the report from the coroner, which will take two to three days, in order to have the answers. This is crucial. At this point we don't know how she died," he told The Telegraph. One of the voluteers who took part in the search, Vaggelis Kriaras, told Greece's Open TV that Dr Christopher may have fallen in her attempt to climb, or descend, a cliff-face. "Unfortunately it appears she caught onto a rock which came away and crushed her," he said. Oxford-educated Dr Christopher, a keen runner, rock climber and hiker, was spending a few days on Ikaria with her boyfriend. Natalie Christopher was last seen on Monday on the Aegean island of Ikaria He said that when he woke on Monday morning, she was not in the hotel. He called her on her mobile phone and she told him she was running. He became worried a few hours later when she did not return and called again, but she did not answer. The couple, who live in Cyprus, were staying in the town of Kerame, on the north coast of Ikaria. Police are investigating spots of blood that were found on bed sheets in the hotel room where the couple were staying. The linen has been sent to a laboratory in Athens for testing. Her boyfriend reportedly told police that the blood was from a nosebleed that Dr Christopher suffered the night before her disappearance. Dr Christopher, who grew up in London, has a Masters in physics from Durham University and did her PhD at Linacre College, Oxford. "I express the sincere condolences of the Cypriot state and of myself to the family and friends of Natalie Christopher," Cypriot Justice and Public Order Minister George Savvides said after being informed that the body had been identified. Her disappearance follows the rape and murder last month of an American scientist who went for a jog on Crete. Suzanne Eaton's body was found dumped inside a Second World War bunker a week after she went missing. A 27-year-old local man has allegedly confessed to the murder of the 60-year-old molecular biologist, who had been attending a conference on Crete. She worked for the Max Planck Institute at Dresden University in Germany.
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| Trump words linked to more hate crime? Some experts think so Posted: 07 Aug 2019 02:28 PM PDT  The rampage in Texas has brought new attention to the dangers of immigration-motivated hate crimes and violence in a country with 58 million Latinos amid daily political rhetoric from the White House, conservative politicians and the dark corners of the internet about migrants coming across the border. Overall, statistics released by the FBI late last year showed hate crimes in the United States rose 17% in 2017 compared to the previous year, the third straight annual increase.
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| 20 Years of the Porsche 911 GT3 in Photos Posted: 06 Aug 2019 01:38 PM PDT |
| Survivor of El Paso shooting praised for distracting gunman by throwing bottles Posted: 06 Aug 2019 01:25 PM PDT  A survivor of last week's deadly mass shooting in El Paso is being hailed forhis heroism after he attempted to distract the gunman by throwing bottles athim
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| Royal Caribbean passenger collapses in Florida cruise terminal, saved by port workers Posted: 06 Aug 2019 06:20 AM PDT  Port Canaveral workers Sean Summers, Josh Clayton and Stephanie Dobson helped save a Royal Caribbean passenger who collapsed in the terminal.
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| China warns Hong Kong protesters of 'dangerous abyss' Posted: 06 Aug 2019 12:39 PM PDT  China warned Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters Tuesday that "those who play with fire will perish by it", a day after the most widespread unrest of the two-month crisis. In its harshest warning yet, Beijing said the immense strength of the central government should not be underestimated, while police in the semi-autonomous city announced they had arrested almost 150 people in connection with Monday's violence. The global financial center has been plunged into chaos by weeks of protests triggered by opposition to a planned law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.
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| Killer Revealed Where He Dumped Yingying Zhang’s Remains—But Finding Her May Be ‘Impossible’ Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:10 AM PDT  REUTERS/Robert ChiaritoThe family of murdered Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang has finally learned what happened to the body of their beloved daughter. Brendt Christensen, the 29-year-old who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Zhang's murder, informed his attorneys that after killing and decapitating Zhang, he put her body in three separate garbage bags, then disposed of those bags in the dumpster outside his Champaign, Illinois, apartment.Christensen, a former physics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois, raped, choked, and stabbed 26-year-old Zhang before beating her with a baseball bat and decapitating her in June 2017. Zhang was a visiting scholar at the university.Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang, said on Wednesday: "If what that man said is true, it further confirms that he is a heartless and evil person. We condemn his brutal and malicious actions and we hope that he suffers the rest of his life as he made Yingying suffer in the final moments of her life."Ex-University of Illinois Ph.D. Candidate Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Visiting Chinese ScholarHe added, "We now understand that finding her may be impossible."Days after the murder, Christensen said he put Yingying's clothing, backpack, cell phone, books and other personal items into a large duffel bag and then distributed them in dumpsters throughout the Champaign-Urbana area.Attorney Steve Beckett, who represents Zhang's family, said last week that defense lawyers provided the information about Zhang's remains as part of an "immunity" agreement in November 2018, telling prosecutors that Zhang's body was likely in a landfill in Vermilion County in Illinois.As the information was provided "under immunity," prosecutors were not able to use or communicate that information to anyone—including her family—during the criminal trial, according to a statement from the Zhang family released on Wednesday morning.During a follow-up investigation, authorities determined that the contents of Christensen's dumpster were picked up on July 12, 2017, "compacted at least twice," and taken to a private landfill near Danville, Illinois, the statement said.The portion of that private landfill that was being actively used at the time was about half a football field in width, and, by the time Christensen's attorneys informed authorities about the remains, they would have purportedly been covered by at "least 30 feet of fill from later garbage hauling.""It is evident that any attempt to recover Yingying's remains would be complicated and expensive, would require government oversight and the cooperation of the landfill owners and would have no certainty of success," said the statement. "To date, no search has been undertaken. But the Zhang family understands that the authorities are still considering an attempt to locate and recover Yingying's remains.""At this time, they think the most prudent thing to do is to allow the authorities to handle the situation and undertake the recovery of Yingying's remains if it is feasible," according to the statement.WTTW-TV's Matt Masterson also reported on Wednesday that Christensen "has not and will not file an appeal" to his convictions.Earlier this week, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign created an endowment, called Yingying's Fund, that is aimed at helping international students "during times of hardship, when they need it most," according to the fund's donation page.Zhang's family reportedly provided the first gift for the endowment. The fund had already amassed more than $30,000 by Wednesday morning.A bilingual memorial service for Zhang will be held on Friday in Savoy, Illinois.Ex-University of Illinois Ph.D. Candidate Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Visiting Chinese ScholarRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Millionaire fugitive accused of killing wife captured after four years on the run Posted: 07 Aug 2019 04:34 AM PDT  Peter Chadwick, an Orange County multimillionaire who prosecutors say killed his wife in 2012 after a fight over money, is apprehended in Mexico.
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| In Iraqi holy city, row over female violinist at soccer match shows social rift Posted: 07 Aug 2019 03:23 AM PDT ![In Iraqi holy city, row over female violinist at soccer match shows social rift]( "In Iraqi holy city, row over female violinist at soccer match shows social rift") At the opening ceremony last week for the West Asia Football Federation Championship, a tournament of Arab countries hosted by Iraq, a Lebanese woman violinist not wearing the Islamic headscarf and with uncovered arms played Iraq's national anthem. Many Iraqis were elated that such a ceremony, typical of international football tournaments, could finally take place on their soil after football governing body FIFA last year partially lifted a ban largely in place since 1990 on Iraq hosting competitive matches over security concerns.
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| White House Circulates Executive Order to Combat Big Tech’s Alleged Anti-Conservative Bias Posted: 07 Aug 2019 01:59 PM PDT  The White House is drafting an executive order intended to address allegations of anti-conservative bias at major social-media companies.The specifics of the executive order, such as how it would define bias at what penalties it would impose, remain unclear since the document has not yet been finalized, three White House officials told Politico."If the internet is going to be presented as this egalitarian platform and most of Twitter is liberal cesspools of venom, then at least the president wants some fairness in the system," one White House official told Politico. "But look, we also think that social media plays a vital role. They have a vital role and an increasing responsibility to the culture that has helped make them so profitable and so prominent."News of the nascent executive order comes one month after President Trump vowed, during a gathering of right-wing social-media personalities, to study "all regulatory and legislative solutions" to combat the anti-conservative bias that he argues runs rampant on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.The pair of mass shootings that claimed 31 lives over the weekend also may impact the contents of the executive order. Calls for tech platforms to censor violent content have escalated in the wake of shootings carried out by young men who share their violent ideologies with others on sites such as 8chan."They have a role, if not a responsibility, to monitor the content on their sites to ensure that people aren't threatened with violence or worse, and at the same time to provide a platform that protects and cherishes freedom and free speech, but at the same time does not allow it to descend into a platform for hate," the White House official said.In a largely symbolic gesture, Trump signed an executive order earlier this year requiring that universities agree to promote free speech on campus before they become eligible to receive federal funds.
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| The Latest: Apparent Twitter feed shows shooter was leftist Posted: 05 Aug 2019 06:08 PM PDT  A Twitter account appearing to be from the gunman who killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, showed tweets labeling himself a "leftist," bemoaning the election of President Donald Trump, supporting Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and encouraging people to cut fences of immigrant detention centers. While investigators try to determine a motive for Sunday's attack by 24-year-old Connor Betts, his apparent account offers a window into his politics. The Associated Press archived some of the feed but it was taken down by Twitter late Sunday amid speculation it belonged to Betts.
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| 13-year-old suffers skull fracture when man attacks him for wearing hat during national anthem, police say Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:59 AM PDT  A grown man grabbed a 13-year-old and threw him to the ground during the national anthem, according to investigators in Montana.
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| Ford returns to dual-clutch transmission for 760-hp Shelby GT500 supercar Posted: 06 Aug 2019 05:11 AM PDT  Ford says the new transmission in the Shelby GT500 supercar will shift gears in 80 milliseconds — about a third of the time it takes to blink an eye.
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| IS 'resurging' in Syria as US pulls troops: watchdog Posted: 06 Aug 2019 02:56 PM PDT  The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group was "resurging" in Syria while the United States withdrew troops, and has solidified its insurgent capabilities in neighboring Iraq, a Defense Department watchdog said Tuesday. The jihadists -- who suffered major territorial losses at the hands of Iraqi and Syrian forces backed by a US-led international air campaign -- are exploiting weaknesses in local forces to make gains, the report from the Office of Inspector General said. "Despite losing its territorial 'caliphate,' the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) solidified its insurgent capabilities in Iraq and was resurging in Syria this quarter," according to the report, which uses an alternate name for the jihadist group.
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| Backfiring motorcycles trigger chaos in Times Square as false alarms grip US in wake of mass shootings Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:32 AM PDT  Georgina Lonton was watching a street artist create a painting for her son near Times Square on Tuesday night when people began screaming about a gunman headed their way. "We looked to Times Square and the commotion and a sea of people running towards us," she told The Independent. "It took time to process and then we tuned into people screaming there was a shooter coming. You couldn't have stood still as the flow of people was too strong."She and a friend quickly grabbed their five children and double stroller while attempting to stick together amid the fleeing crowds. As they rushed out of the area, she said she saw another woman's baby get knocked out of her arms.Fortunately, there wasn't a shooter: motorcycle engines backfiring as they passed through Times Square caused several visitors to believe they heard gun shots, the New York Police Department confirmed. But Ms Lonton wasn't alone in fearing the worst: Americans experienced false alarms of active shooter situations nationwide after mass shootings over the weekend in both El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.In Utah, the Valley Fair mall was evacuated on Tuesday night after a sign fell and made a loud noise, causing patrons to mistake the sound for gunfire. "As you can imagine, there's a heightened sense of fear right now with things that have gone on around our country," West Valley City Police spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku told local media outlets shortly after, adding: "People were in a full-on panic."Residents in Baton Rouge, Louisiana also feared the worst as police rushed to a local Wal-Mart. A branch of the chain store was the site of the deadly shooting in El Paso on Saturday, where a gunman killed 22 people after reportedly posting an anti-immigrant screed online. A spokesperson for the city of Baton Rouge later told The Independent there was never an active shooter situation, but that at least one person was being treated for minor injuries after people fled the scene. Police said an altercation had occurred between two men, one of whom may have been seen with a handgun. "When customers saw the handgun, panic set in, and customers were running and screaming while trying to exit the store," the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office told local news outlets. "Given the recent events in El Paso and Dayton, and given the initial information we received via 911 calls and witnesses exiting the store, we responded with what we feel is appropriate."Ms Lonton, a New Jersey resident who grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, said she was "not totally alien to these situations" and that her "kids got the biggest fright". "We had taken precautions and written my cell number on all five kids' wrists in case we got separated. It can easily happen we learnt last night," she said. "My little guy didn't get his painting with his chosen colours so he then was so upset, but I think that was shock too."Just like the mass shootings that have become all too common in America, resulting false alarms like the ones seen this week are nothing new. The Friday before a gunman stormed the Wal-Mart in El Paso, the City Attorney's Office in San Diego, California was evacuated due to an inaccurate report of an active shooter sent out across an internal safety application shared with local police. "Thank God, it was false," Evon Perryman, a city victim's services co-ordinator, told NBC San Diego. "Someone said those two scary words, 'active shooter' so I didn't get scared; I remembered the training I had."As for Ms Lonton, getting swept up in the false alarm at Times Square reminded her just how easily friends and families can be separated during a terrifying situation."But you can't live in fear," she said, "it can't define you."
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| The U.S. Navy’s Minesweeper Fleet Is in Bad Shape Posted: 06 Aug 2019 02:30 PM PDT  The Navy's number one means of countering Iranian sea mines in the Persian Gulf is long overdue for replacement.
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| New Zealand rebukes China over freedom of speech after student scuffle Posted: 07 Aug 2019 03:49 AM PDT ![New Zealand rebukes China over freedom of speech after student scuffle]( "New Zealand rebukes China over freedom of speech after student scuffle") New Zealand has rebuked Chinese envoys for praising pro-Beijing students who scuffled last week with supporters of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement on a university campus, a news website said on Wednesday. China's consul general in Auckland praised the "spontaneous patriotism" of some Chinese students who opposed a group hanging Hong Kong independence posters at the University of Auckland. Foreign ministry officials met China's representatives in New Zealand on Monday to reiterate that freedom of expression would be upheld and maintained, the website Newsroom said.
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| Gun control really works. Science has shown time and again that it can prevent mass shootings and save lives. Posted: 06 Aug 2019 08:23 AM PDT  Mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio over the weekend have once again put America's gun violence problem in the spotlight.
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| Taliban say differences resolved on US troop withdrawal Posted: 06 Aug 2019 07:33 AM PDT  The United States and the Taliban have resolved differences in peace talks over the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and guarantees from the insurgents that they will cut ties with other extremist groups, a Taliban official said Tuesday. The U.S. side did not immediately provide details about the latest round of talks held in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office.
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| Every Pizza Lover Needs A Pizza Subscription Service For Christmas Posted: 07 Aug 2019 12:41 PM PDT |
| Shark feeding frenzy near shore at Myrtle Beach stuns visitors Posted: 06 Aug 2019 10:18 AM PDT  A group of sharks engaged in a feeding frenzy close to the shore at Myrtle Beach, S.C., treated visitors to a wild spectacle Monday afternoon.
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| Rise in snakebites across US linked to climate crisis and sprawling suburbs Posted: 07 Aug 2019 10:38 AM PDT  * Dramatic increase in bites continues recent upward trend * North Carolina, Georgia and Texas on track to break recordsA snake eats a squirrel at Augusta National Golf Club Georgia. Photograph: David Cannon/Getty ImagesClimate warming and the expansion of human settlements across the southern states of the US has led to a dramatic increase in the number of people bitten during encounters with venomous snakes, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.The increase in bites is on track to break records in North Carolina, Georgia and Texas where copperhead rattlesnakes are the dominant species, with a total of 2,118 bites, an increase of 83 over the previous year, the newspaper said. In Florida, where the eastern coral snake and the cottonmouth are common, numbers remain average.Venomous snakebites are up more than 10% this year in North Carolina and Georgia, both states where bites have been increasing for several years. In May and June, there were 415 reported snakebites in Texas, an increase of 27% over the same period five years ago.According to a 2016 study of pediatric snakebites, about 1,300 bites are reported involving minors each year, though that is a fraction of the estimated total number of snakebites, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates at 7,000-8,000.Experts noted that the majority of bites are occurring in fast-growing suburbs of cities like Raleigh, Atlanta and Dallas, suggesting that newcomers unaccustomed to living in the south are disturbing snakes living in what was once forest or farmland."There's no question as we build out more, we're definitely inhabiting the areas where snakes reside," Gaylord Lopez, managing director of the Georgia Poison Center, told the Journal.For reasons that scientists do not fully understand, rainfall often plays a part in increased snake activity. Last winter's record-setting rainfall, attributed in part to climate warming, may also be behind the increase in bites.
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| Brazil's top court denies extradition of Erdogan opponent Posted: 06 Aug 2019 04:34 PM PDT  Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request for the extradition of an opponent of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan saying there was no guarantee he would get a fair trial in Turkey. Ali Sipahi, a businessman and owner of restaurants in Sao Paulo, is a member of Hizmet, a moderate Islamic movement inspired by U.S.-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen. "There is no assurance that the extradited person would be ensured an impartial trial by an independent judge," Justice Edson Fachin said in his ruling unanimously backed by the five-member second chamber of the Supreme Court.
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| Sears and Kmart store closings list: 21 Sears and 5 Kmart locations to close in October Posted: 07 Aug 2019 01:18 PM PDT  Nearly six months after exiting bankruptcy, Sears and Kmart's parent company announced 26 stores would close in late October. See the full list.
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| Trump attacked immigrants for 'murders, killings, murders' during most recent El Paso visit, months ahead of shooting Posted: 06 Aug 2019 11:51 AM PDT  The last time Donald Trump visited El Paso, the president attacked immigrants in the United States, and emphasised repeatedly that some had committed "murders, murders, killings, murders".Mr Trump's attacks on immigrants came in the form of praise for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which he said had picked up immigrants for tens of thousands of crimes, and ticked off a list of those crimes and the stats that he claimed accompanied them.When he got to murder — he claimed there were 4,000 immigrant murderers swept up by ICE in the previous two years, in spite of a lack of a national database comparing crimes to immigration status — the president belaboured the point."Murders, murders, murders. Killings. Murders," Mr Trump said during that speech, which was recently resurfaced on Twitter by journalist Aaron Rupar, prompting chants of "build the wall" from the crowd in Texas.The president's attack is the type of rhetoric that has drawn criticism in recent days, after a white gunman, who had reportedly written an anti-immigrant screed online, killed at least 22 people in a heavily Hispanic area.And, it's an attack that is undermined by the available data, which shows that immigrant communities tend to have lower crime rates than native-born Americans.In Texas, specifically, Alex Nowrasteh, a senior immigration policy analyst with the libertarian Cato Institute, says that data shows criminal conviction and arrest rates are "well below" what is seen with native-born Americans, according to ABC News.All told, undocumented immigrants in the state make up just 6 per cent of the state's population, while legal immigrants make up 10 per cent, and native-born Americans make up 80 per cent of the state population, American Community Survey data and the Centre for Migration Studies data shows.At the same time, undocumented immigrants made up 5.9 per cent of the homicides in the state, legal immigrants made up 3.8 per cent of the state's homicide convictions, and native-born Americans made up 90 per cent of the homicides in Texas, according to an analysis of state data by Mr Nowrasteh.
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| 32 busted in federal drug crackdown in San Francisco Posted: 07 Aug 2019 04:35 PM PDT  The first step in a sweeping crackdown on crime ranging from drugs to sex trafficking in a notorious San Francisco neighborhood yielded 32 arrests of mostly Honduran nationals tied to two international operations that poured heroin and cocaine into the community, U.S. prosecutors announced Wednesday. It's not uncommon to see people shooting up or snorting powder in the Tenderloin neighborhood, which contains City Hall, several federal buildings, a large population of homeless and is just minutes from tourist-heavy Union Square. The neighborhood has long been a public safety problem in a city famous for its permissiveness, and leaders are divided on how to address the drug epidemic.
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| The Latest: Family of Ohio shooter, sister release statement Posted: 06 Aug 2019 05:57 PM PDT  The family of the Ohio shooter and his sister who was among the nine killed has released a statement saying they are devastated, and cooperating with law enforcement's investigation. The family offered "their most heartfelt prayers and condolences" to the victims killed by 24-year-old Connor Betts, who opened fire early Sunday in Dayton's Oregon entertainment district. Twenty-two-year-old Megan Betts was killed by her brother.
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| Evidence of 'Herculean' parrot found in New Zealand Posted: 06 Aug 2019 09:14 PM PDT  The remains of a super-sized parrot that stood more than half the height of an average human and roamed the earth 19 million years ago have been discovered in New Zealand. Judging by the size of the leg bones, the bird would have stood about one metre (39 inches) tall and weighed up to seven kilograms (15.5 pounds), according to a report by an international team of palaeontologists published in the latest edition of Biology Letters. "It could have flown but we're putting our money on it being flightless," Paul Scofield, the senior curator of natural history at Canterbury Museum, told AFP Wednesday.
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| Iran's president warns war with Tehran would be 'mother of all wars' Posted: 06 Aug 2019 08:26 AM PDT  Hassan Rouhani, Iran's president, yesterday told the US that a war with his country would be "the mother of all wars", as Tehran announced joint naval patrols with Russia. An Iranian navy commander said that the drills would take place later this year after the neighbouring countries signed an agreement, according to the Iranian Fars news agency. Although Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi gave no details about the area where the drills would be held, he said in late July that manoeuvres could take place in the Strait of Hormuz. He said on Monday that "the situation in the Persian Gulf is absolutely calm," despite the fact that "the United States and the United Kingdom by their lies and bluff are trying to make this region look as unsafe and make it so". Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized British tanker Stena Impero near the Persian Gulf in July for alleged marine violations, two weeks after British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar accused of violating sanctions on Syria. British Royal Navy's HMS Montrose, a Type 23 Frigate, performing turns during exercise "Marstrike 05", off the coast of Oman Credit: AFP Tensions have risen between Iran and the West since last year when Washington pulled out of an international agreement which curbed the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme in return for an easing of economic sanctions. "Peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, war with Iran is the mother of all wars," Mr Rouhani said at the foreign ministry yesterday/TUE. Mr Rouhani said he preferred the option of peace, saying talks were possible but only once all sanctions were lifted. But he also took on an uncharacteristic hardline rhetoric, challenging both the US and UK. "Wed downed your drone (US drone) with our own homegrown missile," he said. "Your friend (Britain) seized our ship but we did not let it go and captured their ship". Fuelling fears of a further escalation in tensions, he added: "A strait for a strait. It can't be that the Strait of Hormuz is free for you and the Strait of Gibraltar is not free for us," Mr Rouhani said. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has been sanctioned by the US Credit: AFP "Peace for peace and oil for oil," he said. "You cannot say that you won't allow our oil to be exported." Mohammed Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, yesterday confirmed reports that he declined an offer from a US senator to meet Trump at the White House last month despite the threat of sanctions. The US imposed its sanctions against Mr Zarif on Wednesday, targeting any assets he has in America and squeezing his ability to function as a diplomat and Iran's chief negotiator. "I also said that while [Trump] may want [a] photo op, the US isn't interested in talks; rather, Iran's submission. That will never happen," he said on Twitter. "An example of US tactics: Threatening to designate somebody in two weeks unless he accepts your invitation to chat in the Oval Office."
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| 3 Americans, including married couple, drown while vacationing with children in Turks and Caicos Posted: 07 Aug 2019 08:39 AM PDT  Three American tourists, a Texas couple and their family friend, died in a tragic accident while vacationing with their kids in Turks and Caicos.
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| United Airlines Pilots Under Fire After Allegedly Failing Alcohol Breath Test Before International Flight Posted: 06 Aug 2019 11:23 AM PDT  Police in Scotland have released one of two United Airlines pilots on Tuesday who allegedly failed an alcohol breath test before their flight to the U.S. this past weekend
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| Hong Kong protests take a toll as companies flag impact Posted: 07 Aug 2019 12:39 AM PDT  Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd and the owner of Hong Kong's luxury Peninsula hotel became the latest companies to highlight the impact of recent protests on their business, as an escalating cycle of violence clouds the outlook for the city. Millions have taken to Hong Kong streets in anti-government protests that have intensified since mid-June, at times forcing banks, stores, shopping malls, restaurants and even government buildings to close as the demonstrations degenerated into violent clashes between police and activists. Hong Kong's flagship airline, Cathay Pacific, said on Wednesday the protests reduced inbound passenger traffic in July and travellers were weighing on forward bookings, as it reported it swung to a half-year profit.
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| Chernobyl's 'sarcophagus,' which helped contain the spread of radiation, is being dismantled because it's teetering on collapse Posted: 07 Aug 2019 07:28 AM PDT  The Ukrainian company that manages the Chernobyl plant will tear down its protective "sarcophagus," which is surrounded by a 32,000-ton shell.
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| Kellyanne Conway is 'mad' media downplays Dayton shooter's liberal views, although no link is seen to massacre Posted: 06 Aug 2019 10:26 AM PDT  Unlike the El Paso massacre, which is being treated by the FBI as a possible hate crime, there is no indication at this point that the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, was racially or politically motivated.
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| Shop Some of Our Favorite Gear During REI's Summer Sale Posted: 06 Aug 2019 10:37 AM PDT |
| Lawyer: Iraqi refugees removing tethers to avoid deportation Posted: 07 Aug 2019 01:34 PM PDT ![Lawyer: Iraqi refugees removing tethers to avoid deportation]( "Lawyer: Iraqi refugees removing tethers to avoid deportation") Some Iraqi refugees in Michigan are removing GPS tethers to evade immigration officials and deportation before their court cases are heard, according to an attorney representing nearly two dozen refugees. Detroit-based lawyer Shanta Driver told The Detroit News that at least seven Iraqi nationals have removed tethers in Michigan over the past month.
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| PNG asks China to refinance $8bn public debt Posted: 06 Aug 2019 08:54 PM PDT  Papua New Guinea has asked Beijing to refinance its $8 billion debt, in a request likely to rile Australia and the US as they try to maintain their influence in the Pacific in the face of a rising China. Beijing has been strengthening ties with PNG and other Pacific nations by increasing engagement and offering loans for infrastructure, prompting both the US and Australia to launch their own charm offensives in the region to keep traditional allies on side. Less than two weeks after travelling to Australia on his first trip abroad as leader, PNG Prime Minister James Marape announced on Tuesday that he had asked China's ambassador for help in refinancing the country's 27-billion-kina public debt during a meeting in Port Moresby.
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