| Recent developments surrounding the South Sea Posted: 07 Jan 2019 02:36 AM PST  BEIJING (AP) — A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
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| Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport pleads for asylum Posted: 06 Jan 2019 07:51 PM PST  A Saudi woman being held at Bangkok airport on Monday appealed for asylum and for other passengers to help protest her looming deportation, in desperate tweets from the hotel room where she barricaded herself. The incident comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over its investigation and handling of the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which has renewed criticism of the kingdom's rights record. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun told AFP she ran away from her family while travelling in Kuwait because they subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.
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| JetBlue passenger was unarmed, suspected of being intoxicated in airport meltdown Posted: 08 Jan 2019 01:29 PM PST ![JetBlue passenger was unarmed, suspected of being intoxicated in airport meltdown]( "JetBlue passenger was unarmed, suspected of being intoxicated in airport meltdown") Florida police have since said that the woman who threatened JetBlue staff that she had a gun did not. Meanwhile, the airline told USA TODAY that she appeared intoxicated.
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| Malaysia’s King Abdicates in an Unprecedented Move Posted: 07 Jan 2019 01:58 AM PST  Sultan Muhammad V is stepping down immediately as the 15th King of Malaysia after serving since Dec. 13, 2016, according to a statement from the palace on Sunday which gave no reason for the abdication. Malaysia's Conference of Rulers will convene on Jan. 24 to choose a successor, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 31, state news agency Bernama reported. Sultan Muhammad V pardoned Anwar Ibrahim, who is expected to become the nation's next premier.
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| The Syria Withdrawal Shows the Problem With Trump Going Off-Script Posted: 07 Jan 2019 06:41 PM PST  President Donald Trump tends to go off-script when talking with foreign leaders, but that's cause his Administration problems.
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| Another Reason Why the F-22 Raptor Is the Most Dangerous Fighter in the Sky Posted: 07 Jan 2019 03:26 AM PST  The Air Force and Lockheed Martin have now "validated" several new weapons on the F-22 Raptor to equip the stealth fighter with more long-range precision attack technology, a wider targeting envelope or "field of regard" and new networking technology enabling improved, real-time "collaborative targeting" between aircraft.
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| US trafficking victim granted clemency over killing of man who bought her for sex as teenager Posted: 07 Jan 2019 12:37 PM PST  AUS trafficking victim serving a life sentence for killing a man who bought her for sex when she was a teenager was granted clemency on Monday following a celebrity-backed viral campaign for her freedom. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam said Cyntoia Brown, now 30, had been given "too harsh" a sentence for the 2004 murder of a real estate agent in the city of Nashville. Johnny Allen had picked up Brown, who was 16 at the time and a runaway under the influence of a dangerous pimp, and taken her to his home for sex. The ex-Army sharpshooter allegedly showed off his firearms and "grabbed" Brown forcefully between her legs. She said she shot him in fear for her life. A jury convicted Brown of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, and she was given life with the possibility of parole after serving at least 51 years in prison. Calling the case "tragic and complex," Mr Haslam granted clemency under the condition of a 10-year parole. Brown will be released on August 7 after undergoing training on returning to society. "Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16," Haslam said in a statement. "Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life." Without the governor's intervention, Brown would have remained in prison at least until 2055. In a statement published by The Tennessean, Brown thanked her supporters and the governor and promised to "do everything I can to justify your faith in me." Brown's case was featured in a 2011 documentary, and was the subject of a social media campaign involving multiple celebrities who advocated for clemency, saying she should have been treated as a traumatised child victim of sex trafficking. "It's heart breaking to see a young girl sex trafficked then when she has the courage to fight back is jailed for life," reality star Kim Kardashian wrote on Twitter in 2017. Last month, actress Ashley Judd implored her home state's governor to grant clemency by saying Brown "deserves our empathy and your mercy."
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| SCOTUS rejects Exxon in climate change document dispute Posted: 07 Jan 2019 12:23 PM PST  The Supreme Court cleared the way for officials to obtain records to probe whether Exxon hid its knowledge of the role fossil fuels play in climate change.
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| Carnival Cruise Line delays plan to charge for more room service after backlash Posted: 08 Jan 2019 08:38 AM PST ![Carnival Cruise Line delays plan to charge for more room service after backlash]( "Carnival Cruise Line delays plan to charge for more room service after backlash") Cruise giant Carnival has pushed back a plan to add charges for more room service items on its ships.
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| Networks to air Pelosi, Schumer rebuttal to Trump Posted: 08 Jan 2019 03:53 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Television networks are facing unusual pressure surrounding their responsibility to point out false or misleading statements after granting President Donald Trump's request to air his Oval Office speech on the proposed border wall and partial government shutdown.
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| Next storm to set its sights on US West Coast by midweek Posted: 07 Jan 2019 02:00 AM PST  As cleanup continues from this past weekend's storms, a new round of rain, mountain snow and gusty winds will take aim at the West Coast of the United States into Wednesday.
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| Photos of the Original Shelby GR-1 Performance Concept Posted: 07 Jan 2019 07:01 AM PST |
| U.K. Lawmakers Ratchet Up Campaign to Avert No-Deal Brexit Posted: 06 Jan 2019 09:00 PM PST  "Manufacturing plants employ thousands of our constituents and their jobs will be put at immediate risk if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union with no deal," some 209 lawmakers from both May's Conservatives and opposition parties wrote in a letter to her. With less than three months to go until Britain's scheduled departure from the European Union, there's still no clarity on how it will pan out.
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| The flu grips the US as the child death toll from flu season climbs to 13 over the weekend, what symptoms to watch for Posted: 07 Jan 2019 02:22 AM PST  Dr. Nicole Saphier tells you what signs and symptoms to watch out for this flu season.
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| What is fight over Trump's border wall about? Posted: 08 Jan 2019 11:20 AM PST  President Donald Trump has partially shut down the US government and is threatening to declare a national emergency as he pressures Congress for money to build a wall on the US-Mexican border to stem a surge in illegal immigrants. Trump, who is to make a national address Tuesday night on the "crisis," says the country is being flooded with drugs and violent gangs. Trump's opponents say he is exaggerating the issue and that a massive wall is inefficient and not worth closing the government for.
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| Google worker behind 'anti-diversity memo' claims role in censored Chinese Search engine Posted: 08 Jan 2019 03:44 PM PST  A Google worker fired for "perpetuating gender stereotypes" has claimed he was working on the company's controversial Chinese search engine before he was sacked. James Damore, a computer engineer who whipped up a storm in Silicon Valley after claiming that the gender gap among technology workers was down to biological differences between men and women, said that he was one of the 100 workers working on the top secret Project Dragonfly. Google was forced to admit the existence of a censored Search engine late last year after a whistle-blower leaked it to the press. The Harvard University graduate also said that during his tenure at the Mountain View campus, he had reported a number of "legal issues" that had "probably not been fixed", without elaborating on what they were. The claims were made amid a twist in an ongoing legal battle between Google and Mr Damore, played out across social media on Monday evening. An anonymous person claiming to be a Google employee who was involved in the firing of Mr Damore, published a statement on popular link-sharing website Reddit that suggested Google had been spying on the software engineer and leaked stories to the press to try and drum up ill feeling toward him before he was sacked. Wow, a Google insider lays out how they conspired to quell dissent by making an example of me, manipulating the media, and lobbying the NLRB. It can't be fully verified, but they have intimate knowledge of the situation.https://t.co/UaSVHgS5vIpic.twitter.com/VsoR6RDI3x— James Damore (@JamesADamore) January 8, 2019 The post, which has since been shared by Mr Damore on Twitter, read: "We needed to make an example of Damore. Looking for some excuse to fire him, we spied on his phone and computer. We didn't find anything, although our spying probably made his devices unusably slow, preventing him from organizing support within the company. "When we did fire him, our reputation and integrity took a hit, but at least other employees were now afraid to speak up." Under the post, which was shared on Reddit, Mr Damore wrote "Whoah [sic], this would explain a lot. I was one of about 100 employees that knew about Dragonfly. "I also did report several legal issues in Search that they probably haven't fixed." A swarm of users were quick to comment on how the piece seemed questionable based on the "spy fiction novel" prose. Mr Damore was fired when his manifesto which accused the company of a "left bias" and a "politically correct monoculture that maintains its hold by shaming dissenters into silence", was picked up by the media after sparking an internal row among staff. He is suing the company for unfair dismissal. The case has been regularly cited among right-leaning figureheads as what they claim is proof that technology is biased. Shortly after his sacking in August 2017, Wikileaks' Julian Assange offered Mr Damore a job, saying that "censorship is for losers". When asked whether Damore had been a part of the search engine, Google re-issued a statement first sent out in 2017 which read: "An important part of our culture is lively debate. But like any workplace, that doesn't mean that anything goes, as we explained here. We look forward to defending against Mr. Damore's claims."
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| Authorities warn people to not eat chicken tenders spilled on roadside Posted: 07 Jan 2019 06:39 PM PST  We get it, cheapskates, free food is hard to resist. Especially when it comes in the form of delicious chicken tenders, but Alabama authorities have warned people to not eat any from boxes that were spilled from a 18-wheeler truck on Sunday. SEE ALSO: An 18-inch pizza has more pizza than two 12-inch pizzas, and people are losing it The crash on Highway 35 in Cherokee County prompted motorists to stop and pick up the truckload of spilled tenders, according to the Associated Press. Quick to say nope was the Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency, who warned on Facebook that it's a crime to stop and impede the flow of traffic with your chicken tender pilfering efforts. The agency also cautioned that the cases of tenders had been on the ground for more than 24 hours, and are thus unsafe to eat. Food poisoning ain't fun, people. According to one commenter on the post, the exact location of where to get the free chicken was shared on the Dekalb Buy and Sell Facebook page. "All the people commenting and the guy that posted it were so serious," the commenter wrote. Seems like they weren't the only ones who were keen. > Waiting for a rig hauling bbq sauce to get involved. > > -- Michael Carter (@mtnmedic64) January 7, 2019 > Oh my god there are free highway tenders in Cherokee County, I am going down there RIGHT NOW > > -- Buddy Luv (@TwiterPowerUser) January 7, 2019 > This is some real gov't overreach if you ask me https://t.co/QVtbzLVNV2 > > -- Max Lederman (@Max_Lederman) January 7, 2019 > but...CHICKEN TENDERS https://t.co/cCXV2U34mN > > -- Sheri Lynch (@sherilynch) January 7, 2019 If the roadside, likely off chicken wasn't enough to deter people from trying to get it -- as of Monday, there was none left. The spill had been cleaned up, according to another Facebook post by the Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency. So, if you scored some of the free roadside chicken tenders, maybe put it in the bin, not your mouth. ## WATCH: PepsiCo is using robots to deliver snacks to college students
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| Harley-Davidson's LiveWire Electric Bike Is Here—And Very Expensive Posted: 07 Jan 2019 02:35 PM PST  It's expensive, but fast and tech savvy.
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| IS counterattack in east Syria leaves 32 dead: monitor Posted: 08 Jan 2019 12:15 AM PST  Jihadists defending their last bastion in eastern Syria used the cover of bad weather to launch a deadly counterattack against a Kurdish-led force, a war monitor said Tuesday. The Islamic State group was unable to hold on to the positions they attacked but the assault killed 23 members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and also left nine jihadists dead. IS fighters took advantage of poor visibility to unleash suicide attackers on SDF forces along the front line in the Euphrates valley late on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
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| Houston wins praise for handling of girl's drive-by shooting Posted: 07 Jan 2019 02:35 AM PST  HOUSTON (AP) — Activists praised Houston area law enforcement for pursuing a tip that led to the arrest of an African-American man in the fatal drive-by shooting of a 7-year-old black girl, a turn in the case suggesting the attack was not a hate crime as asserted by the girl's family and some in the community.
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| The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA Is Sleeker, Smarter, and Finally Done Right Posted: 08 Jan 2019 11:30 AM PST  The second generation of Benz's swoopy compact four-door is what it always should have been.
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| Trump Eyes Untested Emergency Power to Fund Wall, Skirt Congress Posted: 08 Jan 2019 07:46 AM PST  Trump raised the sense of urgency with an announcement he will address the nation in prime time Tuesday on the "national security crisis" at the border. Some White House insiders believe Trump may act even if the move is sure to face a legal challenge -- raising the stakes in a partial federal government shutdown that is stretching into its 18th day.
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| U.S. Navy ship sails in disputed South China Sea amid trade talks with Beijing Posted: 07 Jan 2019 05:55 AM PST  A U.S. guided-missile destroyer sailed near disputed islands in the South China Sea in what China called a "provocation" as U.S. officials joined talks in Beijing during a truce in a bitter trade war. Zachary Goelman reports.
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| Smartphones are paving way for the Antichrist, says head of Russian church Posted: 08 Jan 2019 10:08 AM PST  The Russian Orthodox patriarch has warned that the popularity of smartphones is paving the way for the coming of the Antichrist. In an interview on state television for Russian Orthodox Christmas on Monday, Patriarch Kirill warned that the widespread use of gadgets connected to the Internet has opened the possibility for "universal control over humanity". The "devil acts very wisely" in offering people such a "toy", he said. "Such control from one place forebodes the coming of the Antichrist," Patriarch Kirill said. "The Antichrist is the person that will be at the head of the world wide web controlling all of humanity. That means that the structure itself poses a danger. There shouldn't be a single centre, at least not in the foreseeable future, if we don't want to bring on the apocalypse." The patriarch maintained he wasn't categorically against gadgets, but warned that people should be careful not to "fall into slavery to what's in your hands". "You should remain free inside and not fall under any addiction, not to alcohol, not to narcotics, not to gadgets," he said. The Russian Orthodox church has been trying to attract young believers, in part through the web. At a press conference featuring B-movie action star Steven Seagal in October, church officials announced they would create a council for youth affairs with a strong digital presence. Patriarch Kirill serves the Christmas Mass in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia Credit: AP But its leader, an outspoken opponent of feminism and gay rights, has remained suspicious of the Internet, which he previously criticised as the "enslavement of consciousness and volition" and a "marketplace of human vanity". Twitter users mostly laughed off Patriarch Kirill's latest warning. "Well, they'll ban international Internet in Russia so the 'Antichrist doesn't come through it,' but where's the guarantee that he won't come through Gundyayev's Breguet watch?" wrote one, referring to the patriarch by his surname. The Russian Orthodox church website photoshopped a Breguet watch worth at least £24,000 off of the patriarch's wrist in a 2012 picture, but it remained clearly visible in the reflection of his arm on a well-polished table. Last month, the church again came under fire over a priest who repeatedly posted photographs of himself with Gucci and Louis Vutton luxury bags and shoes on Instagram. The patriarch would seem to have bigger problems to worry about than iPhones, most notably a schism in the church. The top Orthodox leader in Istanbul signed a decree this weekend recognising a new independent Orthodox church in Ukraine, which will challenge the Russian Orthodox church's sway over the tens of millions of believers in that country. The Moscow church has broken off ties with the Constantinople patriarchate over the "blasphemous" decision. The decree on independence was displayed to the faithful at a Kiev cathedral on Monday.
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| Tesla CEO Musk breaks ground at Shanghai Gigafactory to launch China push Posted: 07 Jan 2019 03:46 AM PST  SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Tesla Inc broke ground on Monday for its Shanghai Gigafactory where it plans to begin making its Model 3 electric vehicles (EV) by year-end, a first step in localising production in the world's largest auto market. At a ceremony at the site of the plant on the outskirts of Shanghai, Chief Executive Elon Musk joined the city's mayor and other local government officials to formally begin construction of a factory that Tesla has said will cost around $2 billion. "We think with the resources here we can build the Shanghai Gigafactory in record time and we're looking forward to hopefully having some initial production of the Model 3 towards the end of this year and achieving volume production next year," Musk said at the event.
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| Israel launches further Hamas strikes after Gaza rocket fired Posted: 07 Jan 2019 12:19 AM PST  The Israeli army said Monday it had carried out further air raids against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip in response to a rocket being fired over its border. The Israeli air defence system intercepted the rocket which was fired overnight from the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave, the army said. Planes and a helicopter gunship then raided "terror targets within the organisation's military camp in the northern Gaza Strip," the statement said.
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| California storm brings power outages, shuts down highway Posted: 06 Jan 2019 10:24 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tens of thousands of people lost power Sunday after a powerful winter storm swept through Northern California, while another storm system in the southern part of the state unleashed mudslides in wildfire burn areas and trapped motorists on a major highway.
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| Hawaiian Airlines says 'so long' to the Boeing 767 Posted: 08 Jan 2019 05:58 AM PST ![Hawaiian Airlines says 'so long' to the Boeing 767]( "Hawaiian Airlines says 'so long' to the Boeing 767") Hawaiian's last Boeing 767 widebody was sent into retirement after completing Hawaiian Airlines Flight 19 from Sacramento, California, to Honolulu.
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| Everyone with an Instant Pot needs to have this $40 accessory kit Posted: 07 Jan 2019 07:59 AM PST ![Everyone with an Instant Pot needs to have this $40 accessory kit]( "Everyone with an Instant Pot needs to have this $40 accessory kit") Instant Pots were huge sellers this past holiday season, so there's a good change you recently got your hands on a brand new one for Christmas. Even if you didn't though and you have an Instant Pot you've been using for years, we've got something you'll definitely want to check out. It's called the Fopurs Pressure Cooker Accessories Set, and it's a 12-piece accessory kit that fits any Instant Pot with a capacity of 5 quarts or larger. This set has all sorts of great Instant Pot accessories that you never knew you needed, like a stainless steel steamer basket, an egg cooker rack, and a non-stick springform pan. All that and more for just $39.99! Here's what you need to know from the product page: * FULL COMPLETE KIT -Our product comes in a full kit which is 12-piece accessories for top brand electric pressure cooker. This set contains all our consumer needs when it comes to making meals for family and friends 'needs. They include 1 stainless Steel Steamer Basket, 1 Non-stick Springform Pan, 1 Steamer Egg Rack, 1 Silicon Egg Bites Mold, 1 Bowl Clip,4 Magnetic Sheets, 1 Silicon Clamp and 2 Silicon Milts. * QUALITY AND EXTRA SAFE -Consumer's safety is our first priority. Our steamer basket and the steamer egg rack are a product of food-grade 304 stainless steel. In addition, it is easy to clean, sturdy and durable and dishwasher safe. Our Silicon parts are BPA free as they are made from high-quality food grade silicone. * OFFERS HEALTHIER COOKING METHODS -Our steamer basket offers one of the best cooking methods with a 90% nutrient remain compared to fried food or grilled food. It can cook a variety of foods ranging from seafood, fish, vegetables, eggs, meat and baby food among others. Most favorable in reheating food without loss of the original nutrients or flavor as compared to microwave. * MULTIPLE USAGES -The steamer basket is modified to serve as a container for fruits and vegetables as well as the egg bites mold being used for egg sauces, cupcakes, ice-cubes, jelly, finger foods, pudding, and mini-muffins. It also offers space for a child snack tray. * 100% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GUARANTEE -Customer satisfaction is what drives us in the provision of the highest and quality products. All our services to our esteemed customers are refundable upon the customer's satisfaction. If at all you are not satisfied with our product, return it to us. We offer an unconditional money-payback guarantee. We value all our customers. Our key target has always been achieving 100% customer satisfaction.
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| Kevin Spacey caught speeding after entering not-guilty plea on sex assault charge Posted: 07 Jan 2019 06:43 PM PST  Hours after pleading not guilty in a Massachusetts courtroom, Kevin Spacey landed in Washington, D.C., and was pulled over for driving too fast.
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| Elizabeth Warren didn't miss her presidential moment. Win or lose, 2020 is her time. Posted: 07 Jan 2019 11:41 AM PST  America needs a counterweight to Trump values and a playing field tilting once again in favor of the rich and powerful. Warren is the perfect foil.
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| White House: IRS will issue tax refunds despite government shutdown Posted: 07 Jan 2019 01:53 PM PST  The Internal Revenue Service will issue 2018 tax refunds even if the
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| U.S. top court's Ginsburg misses oral arguments again Posted: 08 Jan 2019 08:57 AM PST  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's first absence from the bench extended into a second day on Tuesday as the 85-year-old jurist continued her recovery from lung cancer surgery at home. Although Ginsburg did not attend the oral arguments, she will participate in the cases and rulings by using the briefs and oral argument transcripts, Chief Justice John Roberts announced from the bench. Ginsburg, who joined the court in 1993, underwent a surgical procedure called a pulmonary lobectomy on Dec. 21 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to remove two cancerous nodules in her left lung.
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| Family of 5 headed home from Florida vacation killed in wrong-way crash on Kentucky highway Posted: 07 Jan 2019 04:46 AM PST  The pickup driver, who also died, was believed to be under the influence when he struck the family's SUV, according to police.
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| Correction: Russia-US-Spying story Posted: 07 Jan 2019 03:02 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — In a story Jan. 6 about the detention of an American citizen in Moscow on suspicion of spying, The Associated Press misidentified a Russian arrested by the United States as Sergei Makarenko. The man's name is Dmitry Makarenko.
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| Ford recalls nearly 1 million vehicles for risk of shrapnel from exploding Takata airbags Posted: 07 Jan 2019 05:05 AM PST ![Ford recalls nearly 1 million vehicles for risk of shrapnel from exploding Takata airbags]( "Ford recalls nearly 1 million vehicles for risk of shrapnel from exploding Takata airbags") Ford Motor Co. issued a recall of nearly 1 million cars in North America with a risk of flying shrapnel caused by exploding Takata airbag inflators.
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| Every Angle of the 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus Posted: 08 Jan 2019 05:10 PM PST |
| US pullout from Syria to be done in 'prudent' way: Trump Posted: 07 Jan 2019 06:14 PM PST  President Donald Trump on Monday sought to end fears of an abrupt US pullout from Syria, saying the fight against the Islamic State group was not over and that withdrawal would be done in a "prudent" manner. "We will be leaving at a proper pace while at the same time continuing to fight ISIS and doing all else that is prudent and necessary!" Trump tweeted. The president has come under withering pressure both at home and in allied capitals after previous statements indicating that he considered the IS group vanquished and that he wanted US troops out of Syria imminently.
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| Sears agrees to consider revised Lampert bid Posted: 08 Jan 2019 11:10 AM PST  Sears Holdings Corp agreed on Tuesday to consider a revised takeover bid from Chairman Edward Lampert, temporarily staving off a liquidation.
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| Does CBD Work for Pain Relief? Posted: 07 Jan 2019 07:04 AM PST ![Does CBD Work for Pain Relief?]( "Does CBD Work for Pain Relief?") Kyle Wright was used to living in pain. Then, at a street fair in Denver, where he used to live, someone offered him a sample of CBD lotion, a product said to contain cannabidiol, one of the many chemicals found in the cannabis plant.
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