| Trump gets a U.S. Supreme Court victory on immigration detention Posted: 19 Mar 2019 02:08 PM PDT  The Supreme Court on Tuesday endorsed the U.S. government's authority to detain immigrants awaiting deportation anytime - potentially even years - after they have completed prison terms for criminal convictions, handing President Donald Trump a victory as he pursues hardline immigration policies. The court ruled 5-4 along ideological lines, with its conservative justices in the majority and its liberal justices dissenting, that federal authorities could place such immigrants into indefinite detention anytime without the possibility of bail, not just immediately after they finish prison sentences. The ruling, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, left open the possibility that some immigrants could challenge their detention.
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| NY self-help guru pleads not guilty to child porn charges Posted: 18 Mar 2019 11:36 AM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — The spiritual leader of an upstate New York self-help group pleaded not guilty on Monday to newly filed child pornography charges at a hearing where it became clear that his co-defendants are trying to avoid going to trial with him next month.
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| US lawmaker sues Twitter, alleging anti-conservative bias Posted: 19 Mar 2019 07:27 AM PDT  A Republican congressman is suing Twitter claiming the online platform discriminates against conservatives by hiding their messages, and for allowing "abusive, hateful and defamatory" content about the lawmaker. The complaint was filed by Representative Devin Nunes, an ally of President Donald Trump, in a Virginia state court, and released online by Fox News. Nunes alleges that Twitter "shadow bans" conservatives -- purportedly making their messages less visible -- and failed to crack down on parody accounts such as "Devin Nunes' Mom" and "Devin Nunes' cow" which accused him of obstructing investigations into the president.
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| Ford shifting 550 jobs to boost SUV production in Kentucky Posted: 19 Mar 2019 09:53 AM PDT  Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it will shift 550 jobs to its Kentucky Truck Plant to boost production of its Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles to meet growing demand for its large SUVs.
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| Three dead, one missing in devastating floods across U.S. Midwest Posted: 18 Mar 2019 06:06 PM PDT  As floodwaters began to recede in much of the area inundated by the aftermath of a storm dubbed a "bomb cyclone," Nebraska officials were taking in the damage in a state where 64 of the 93 counties have declared emergencies. "This is clearly the most widespread disaster we have had in our state's history," in terms of sheer size, Governor Pete Ricketts told reporters on an afternoon briefing call. State officials said on the call that 290 people had been rescued by the Nebraska State Patrol, National Guard troops, and urban search and rescue teams.
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| Former white supremacist explains what leads people to the extreme right Posted: 18 Mar 2019 11:30 AM PDT  A former neo-Nazi skinhead has attempted to pinpoint exactly how white supremacists are radicalised to commit violent attacks against minorities similar to the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand that killed at least 51 people last week. The co-founder of Life After Hate, a nonprofit organisation aimed at helping people leave white supremacist groups, was asked on CNN if stationing armed guards at houses of worships could effectively prevent white supremacists from committing a heinous attack like Christchurch. While Mr Picciolini agreed 'vulnerable places need to be protected,' he said more priority should be placed on the forums and sources where men and women are often radicalised by white supremacist ideology.
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| Supreme Court will decide if convicted sniper in 2002 District of Columbia-area killings can get new sentence Posted: 19 Mar 2019 06:45 AM PDT  The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether life-without-parole sentences for the primary gunman in a series of D.C.-area murders in 2002 must be reconsidered.
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| Mystery Mueller Subpoena Fight Gets Supreme Court Look This Week Posted: 18 Mar 2019 01:00 AM PDT  The dispute became a source of intrigue in part because a federal appeals court in Washington closed an entire floor of the courthouse to the public while the case was being argued on Dec. 7. The company has refused to comply with the July 2018 subpoena, and a judge has imposed sanctions that now total more than $2 million and continue to grow by $50,000 a day. The case has been so secret that Mueller's name didn't appear publicly in a Supreme Court document until this month.
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| The Porsche Taycan EV Is Coming into Clearer Focus Posted: 18 Mar 2019 10:10 AM PDT |
| Putin in Crimea as Russia marks five years since annexation Posted: 18 Mar 2019 01:38 PM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin flew into Crimea on Monday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Moscow's annexation of the strategic peninsula from Ukraine which was condemned by the West but remains popular among Russians. Russian flags flew in the main city of Simferopol while posters celebrating Crimea's "return to its native land" hung in shop windows and on public transport. Putin used the visit to officially open two new power stations on the Black Sea peninsula, which was almost wholly dependent on electricity from Ukraine before the annexation.
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| Mailed pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc expected to plead guilty in New York Posted: 18 Mar 2019 04:09 AM PDT  A Florida man charged with sending pipe bombs to prominent critics of President Donald Trump is expected to plead guilty next week.
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| Fox News pulls 'Judge Jeanine' show one week after remarks on Rep. Ilhan Omar's hijab Posted: 18 Mar 2019 10:21 AM PDT  A week after questioning U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar's hijab and patriotism on the air, Fox News pulls host 'Judge Jeanine' Pirro's show.
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| Turkey's Erdogan calls on New Zealand to restore death penalty over shooting Posted: 19 Mar 2019 06:28 AM PDT  President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on New Zealand to restore the death penalty for the gunman who killed 50 people at two Christchurch mosques, warning that Turkey would make the attacker pay for his act if New Zealand did not. Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white supremacist, was charged with murder on Saturday after a lone gunman opened fire at the two mosques during Muslim Friday prayers. If New Zealand doesn't make you, we know how to make you pay one way or another," Erdogan told an election rally of thousands in northern Turkey.
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| Navy vs. Nukes: U.S. Navy Plans to Test Missile Defenses Against ICBM Posted: 18 Mar 2019 02:01 AM PDT  The Pentagon plans a "first-of-its-kind" test of an unprecedented weapons capability to intercept and destroy an enemy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile "ICBM" -- from a Navy ship at sea using a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA.
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| US probing certification of Boeing 737 MAX Posted: 18 Mar 2019 11:01 PM PDT  Boeing and US aviation regulators are coming under intense scrutiny over the certification of the 737 MAX aircraft after news that two recent crashes share similarities. On March 11, just a day after the Ethiopia crash left 157 dead, a grand jury in Washington issued a subpoena to at least one person involved in the plane's certification, according to a Wall Street Journal article citing people close to the matter. A criminal inquiry is "an entirely new twist," said Scott Hamilton, managing director of the Leeham Company, who recalled a probe of a 1996 ValuJet crash as the only other aviation probe that was not a civil investigation.
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| Paris police chief fired over Champs-Elysées riots as French government to ban protests in trouble spots Posted: 18 Mar 2019 10:38 AM PDT  The Paris police chief has been fired for failing to contain violent riots that saw a string of flagship restaurants and shops torched along the French capital's famed Champs-Elysées. The government announcement came after top security officials acknowledged that attempts by 5,000 police to stop several hundred black-clad rioters running amok along "the world's most beautiful avenue" for seven hours on Saturday had been an abject "failure". Nominally part of the "yellow vest" movement, masked rioters burned down the famous Fouquet's restaurant as well as several newspaper stands, a string of luxury shops and vehicles. The shocking weekend scenes, in which a mother and child narrowly escaped death in a burning building, pose a fresh security headache to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, after four months of "gilet jaunes" protests and amid opposition claims he is a soft touch on hooligans. Caught napping, Mr Macron had rushed back from a ski break to pledge "strong measures" amid calls on social media for fresh violence next Saturday. The Right-wing opposition accused the president of being a soft touch, while police unions said they had not been given sufficiently robust orders to engage with rioters. Paris' police chief is to be replaced for failing to quell riots in the French capital on Saturday Credit: ZAKARIA ABDELKAFI/AFP After crisis security talks on Monday, Edouard Philippe, the French prime minister, said: "The strategy for maintaining order was not correctly executed." As a result, he said Paris police chief Michel Delpuech would be replaced by the current state prefect of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, Didier Lallement. Mr Philippe pledged to ban "yellow vest" demonstrations in the worst-hit areas - including the Champs-Elysées but also squares in the cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse - if police deem they have been infiltrated by ultra-violent trouble makers. In these three areas, police will have "greater autonomy" to disband any groups with the use of"drones" and "marker products" to identity individuals. Fines for those who participate in illegal gatherings will be "significantly increased". Mr Philippe also promised to beef up Paris' police's security doctrine to engage in more "contact" with rioters at the behest of police unions, despite the risk of greater injury. "You have to take responsibility and engage, with the possibility that people will get hurt," said Frederic Lagache of the Alliance police union. France has for decades preferred to tackle mass protests with tear gas and rubber bullets but avoid physical clashes against large groups. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the government decision to replace the Paris police chief and ban "yellow vest" protests in trouble spots Credit: BERTRAND GUAY/AFP In another potentially controversial move, Mr Philippe effectively backed greater use of "defensive ball launchers", or LBD, which a top French rights ombudsman and the UN have criticised as too dangerous. Dozens of protesters have been injured by these, including some who claim to have lost an eye after being hit by such rubber projectiles. One police union said LBDs had been replaced with "marshmallows" to placate such groups, leaving officers exposed against protesters hurling paving stones and other weapons. Mr Philippe said he regretted that "inappropriate orders had been given (on Saturday) to reduce their use". The new surge in violence came as the four-month-old yellow vest movement demanding economic justice was dying down and a nationwide "great debate" on those demands came to a close. Mr Macron's participation in a string of discussions had seen his popularity rise after plummeting early on in the protests but commentators said the latest violence risks seeing those gains falter. Some 91 businesses were damaged in last Saturday's riots Last month the French parliament passed an "anti-troublemakers" bill, which will only take effect once the Constitutional Council rubber stamps it. If enacted, it will grant regional prefects powers to prevent people seen as a serious threat to public order from protesting, and would force protesters involved in violence to pay for damage. It would also make it a crime for protesters to conceal their faces, punishable by up to one year in prison and a €15,000 (£13,000) fine. The bill has been criticised by rights groups, opposition members and even members of Mr Macron's centrist party as going too far in restricting freedoms. The Right-wing opposition says it doesn't go far enough. The Paris region's Chamber of Commerce said 91 businesses suffered damage in the Champs-Elysées riots. It called for an "emergency plan" to support the those shopkeepers and employees. The French insurance federation put the figure for claims linked to yellow vest violence over the past four months at €170 million, not counting last Saturday's damage.
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| The Latest: Booker says he would reverse transgender ban Posted: 17 Mar 2019 08:56 PM PDT  DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic race for president (all times local):
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| Thousands flee record Midwest flooding triggered by 'bomb cyclone' – and more rain is coming Posted: 18 Mar 2019 09:23 AM PDT  Heavy rain combined with spring snowmelt pushed some Midwest rivers to record levels Sunday and forced evacuations.
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| Biggest obstacle to passage of Green New Deal? Democratic lawmakers Posted: 18 Mar 2019 09:26 AM PDT  Democrats agree that climate change needs to be addressed. Pronto. But they're divided on if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' Green New Deal is the answer.
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| New British Airways business class seat features door and lie-flat beds Posted: 19 Mar 2019 04:31 AM PDT  British Airways has pulled back the curtain on its new business class seat which features a sliding door for privacy, flat-bed seats, vanity and increased storage space.
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| Every New Compact Crossover and SUV Ranked from Worst to Best Posted: 18 Mar 2019 11:44 AM PDT |
| 'Clear similarities' between Boeing crashes in Ethiopia, Indonesia Posted: 17 Mar 2019 10:49 PM PDT  Flight recorder data recovered from the wreckage of Boeing 737 MAX planes that crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia shows "clear similarities," Addis Ababa said Sunday as the US maker announced it was finalizing a software update for its under fire anti-stall system. Pressure was mounting meanwhile on the US Federal Aviation Administration, which insisted it had followed standard procedures in certifying the plane model, even as it was reported to have come under investigation by the Department of Transport. "The 737 MAX certification program followed the FAA's standard certification process," the agency said in an email to AFP.
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| Hacienda Heights murder: Mother booked in death of Trinity Love Jones Posted: 18 Mar 2019 07:14 PM PDT  The mother of Trinity Love Jones, the girl whose body was found on a Hacienda Heights hiking trail, has been booked as the second suspect in her murder, sheriff's deputies said Monday.
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| Trump's likely pick for Pentagon job makes 'trains run on time.' Can he do much more? Posted: 18 Mar 2019 12:49 PM PDT  Some observers credit Shanahan's business experience as an asset in the Pentagon.
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| SEC says Musk's contempt defense 'borders on the ridiculous' Posted: 19 Mar 2019 08:58 AM PDT  DETROIT (AP) — U.S. securities regulators countered Tesla CEO Elon Musk's contempt-of-court defense Monday night, writing in court papers that he brazenly disregarded a federal judge's order and that one of his arguments "borders on the ridiculous."
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| Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend Posted: 18 Mar 2019 12:11 AM PDT  From Boeing crashes to the New Zealand shooter, here's what to know.
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| New Zealand shooter to represent himself in court as former lawyer says he appears 'lucid' Posted: 18 Mar 2019 12:30 PM PDT  The Australian terrorist who filmed himself slaughtering 50 worshipers at two mosques in New Zealand has asked to represent himself in court, prompting concerns the trial could become a platform to promote his far-Right ideology. Brenton Tarrant, a white supremacist who gunned down his victims with a semi-automatic rifle at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch, sacked his court-appointed lawyer so he could defend himself. His former lawyer, Richard Peters, told reporters that the attacker "indicated he does not want a lawyer" and that he "wants to be self-represented in this case." Mr Peters, who represented Tarrant at a preliminary court hearing, played down speculation that he was mentally unfit to stand trial. "The way he presented was rational and someone who was not suffering any mental disability. That's how he appeared. He seemed to understand what was going on," Mr Peters said. Tarrant was partially inspired by Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik, who used his own trial to expand on his crazed political ideology. For instance, on the first day of his trial in 2012, Breivik claimed his attack was an act of "self-defence" against mass migration and multiculturalism. Extracts from his propaganda videos were played during the trial and on at least one occasion he gave a Nazi salute in court. More than 30 people remain in hospital after the shooting, including a four-year-old girl who is in critical condition. It came as a British security minister warned that the attack, which was widely broadcast on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, could be copied by extremists in the UK. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ben Wallace said: "It absolutely could happen here. That's why the Government has been concerned about the growing group of people crossing into the extremist mindset on the far-right and the neo-Nazis. "It is why 18 months ago, we proscribed a neo-Nazi group, National Action." Mr Wallace added that the Government was putting "lots and lots of resources" into tracking down people involved in far-right activities and into the Prevent programme against radicalisation. A woman carries a candle at a vigil for victims of the mosque shootings in New Zealand, Credit: REUTERS On Monday, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, said she would announce new laws on gun ownership to make it more difficult to obtain semi-automatic weapons, such as those wielded by the attacker. "Within 10 days of this horrific act of terrorism we will have announced reforms which will, I believe, make our community safer," she told a news conference, but did not provide further details. She has previously expressed support for a ban on semi-automatic weapons. The owner of weapons shop Gun City revealed that Tarrant bought four weapons and ammunition there between December 2017 and March 2018, but said these were not the high-power rifles used in the massacre. "The MSSA, military-style automatic, reportedly used by the alleged gunman was not purchased from Gun City. Gun City did not sell him an MSSA, only A-category firearms," said David Tipple. As mourners continued to hold vigils for the victims in Christchurch, Donald Trump, the US president, complained that the media was trying to blame him for the massacre because he had been praised by Tarrant. "The Fake News Media is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand. They will have to work very hard to prove that one," he wrote on Twitter. "So Ridiculous!" Mr Trump was described by Tarrant as a "symbol of renewed white identity" in a manifesto he sent to the New Zealand prime minister's office minutes before beginning his rampage.
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| Meet the Smith & Wesson Model 39/59: The Navy SEALs Old Gun Posted: 18 Mar 2019 01:00 AM PDT  The Smith & Wesson Model 39 semi-automatic handgun served U.S. Navy SEALs during the Vietnam War and then went on to become one of the American nine-millimeter high capacity pistols, the Model 59.
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| Danish telecom group shuns China's Huawei for 5G rollout Posted: 19 Mar 2019 03:57 AM PDT  Denmark's biggest telecom group TDC has chosen Swedish firm Ericsson over existing provider Huawei to roll out its ultra-fast 5G mobile network across the country, as a debate rages over security concerns surrounding the Chinese giant. The US and several other Western nations have shut Huawei out of tenders for the development of fifth-generation, or 5G, networks, because of the company's close ties to the Chinese government. "TDC has chosen Ericsson to build and deploy its 5G network," TDC CEO Allison Kirkby said in a statement released on Monday night.
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| Supreme Court weighs Virginia racial dispute over electoral maps Posted: 18 Mar 2019 12:36 PM PDT  The high court heard arguments in an appeal by the Republican-led state House of Delegates in defense of 11 state House districts that a lower court ruled last year violated the rights of black voters to equal protection under the law under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. While the Supreme Court for decades has invalidated electoral maps due to racial gerrymandering, the justices have not yet made a definitive ruling on whether drawing legislative districts for purely partisan advantage violates the Constitution. In January, the court signaled that the Virginia Republican legislators face an uphill battle when it rejected their bid to block new electoral maps - ordered by the lower court to replace those being challenged in the racial gerrymandering case - from being drawn to use in the state's elections this November.
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| Woman pleads guilty to sneaking aboard international flight Posted: 19 Mar 2019 12:15 PM PDT  CHICAGO (AP) — A woman who's been dubbed a serial stowaway was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to sneaking past Chicago airport security last year, boarding a plane and flying to London without a ticket.
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| Assad praises Russia's role in Syria conflict Posted: 19 Mar 2019 11:19 AM PDT  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russia's defence minister Tuesday, stressing the importance of coordination between the two countries in the fight against "terrorism", state media said. The meeting came one day after the military chiefs of staff of Syria, Iraq and Iran met in Damascus to discuss coordination between their forces. It also came as US-backed forces in eastern Syria cornered holdout Islamic State group fighters in a tiny patch of land near the Euphrates River in the village of Baghouz.
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| Processing migrant families puts added pressure on Border Patrol agents Posted: 19 Mar 2019 08:56 AM PDT  Tens of thousands of migrant families from Central America seek asylum in the U.S.; William La Jeunesse reports from Southern California.
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