| President Trump abruptly yanks sanctions on North Korea because he 'likes' dictator Kim Jong Un Posted: 22 Mar 2019 04:51 PM PDT  President Donald Trump overruled his own Treasury Department and withdrew new sanctions aimed at North Korea because he "likes" dictator Kim Jong Un.
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| Harvard 'shamelessly' profits from photos of enslaved people, descendant claims in lawsuit Posted: 21 Mar 2019 07:18 AM PDT  A descendant of enslaved people has sued Harvard University, alleging that the Ivy League institution has "shamelessly" profited from photos of her ancestors. Tamara Lanier, of Norwich, Connecticut, claims that Harvard has ignored requests to surrender images of a man named Renty, whom she says is her great-great-great grandfather, and his daughter Delia. Lanier is suing Harvard for "wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation" of the images, asking the university to return the photos to her, pay unspecified damages, and recognise her ancestry.
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| 10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 21 Mar 2019 03:14 AM PDT  Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
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| Indonesia's Garuda says to cancel 49-jet Boeing 737 deal after crashes Posted: 21 Mar 2019 09:35 PM PDT  Indonesia's national carrier Garuda has told Boeing it will cancel a multi-billion-dollar order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets after two fatal crashes involving the plane, in what is thought to be the first formal cancellation for the model. "We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be cancelled," Garuda spokesman Ikhsan Rosan said. "The reason is that Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence" in the plane, he said, adding that the airline was awaiting a response from Boeing.
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| Bringing the Sting: The U.S. Navy Is Getting New F/A-18E/F Super Hornets Posted: 21 Mar 2019 09:00 PM PDT  The Super Hornets would be the first new-build examples of the Block III variant of the F/A-18E/F. The Block III flies farther and carries more weapons than an older F/A-18E/F can do and also is stealthier than earlier Super Hornet models are.
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| Turkey's Erdogan shows shooting video again, hours after NZ meeting Posted: 22 Mar 2019 10:22 AM PDT  New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters arrived in Istanbul on Friday to talk to Erdogan about the footage and comments he has made on the shooting of 50 people at mosques in Christchurch a week ago, which have drawn condemnation from New Zealand and Australia. "I did not ask that question because I felt that I did not have to ask it, because they are not doing that anymore," Peters told reporters after attending a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Two hours later, however, Erdogan paused his speech at an election rally in the central province of Konya so that the audience could watch the video footage of the shootings that the alleged gunman had broadcast on Facebook on March 15.
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| The Latest: Nebraska puts flood damage at more than $640 mln Posted: 21 Mar 2019 06:33 PM PDT  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on flooding in the Midwest (all times local):
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| Some Pickups Lag in Passenger Crash Protection Posted: 20 Mar 2019 09:01 PM PDT  Crash Tests Show Some Pickup Trucks Lag in Passenger Protection Most pickup trucks fall short when it comes to protecting passengers in certain types of crashes, according to new findings from t...
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| Strengthen Your Retirement Security in 7 Steps Posted: 22 Mar 2019 11:47 AM PDT ![Strengthen Your Retirement Security in 7 Steps]( "Strengthen Your Retirement Security in 7 Steps") Retirement security is the ability to live a comfortable retirement without the burden of financial stress. Early planning is the best way to ensure a financially secure retirement, but not everyone has the luxury of time to prepare. The financial decisions you make in the years approaching retirement will have a significant impact on your retirement security.
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| Kellyanne Conway says Trump is 'protective of me' in feud with her husband Posted: 21 Mar 2019 08:12 AM PDT  White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Thursday continued to defend her boss, President Trump, who called her husband, George, a "whack job" whose feud with Trump is "doing a tremendous disservice to a wonderful wife."
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| JetBlue pilots who drugged and raped flight attendants continued working for airline without repercussion, lawsuit says Posted: 22 Mar 2019 10:20 AM PDT  Three female flight attendants claim they were drugged and two of them raped by two JetBlue pilots during a layover in Puerto Rico, a new lawsuit filed this week in New York federal court has claimed. At least one of the female flight attendants said she was forced to work with one of the accused pilots after the alleged rape. After making their way to a beach in Puerto Rico near the hotel they were staying during their layover in May of last year, the women were offered sips from one of the flight attendant's alcoholic beverages.
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| See Photos of the New 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Posted: 21 Mar 2019 11:14 AM PDT |
| Venezuela arrests Guaido aide for 'terrorism' in defiance of US Posted: 21 Mar 2019 07:57 PM PDT  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's regime defied the US on Thursday to arrest a top aide of opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom Washington recognizes as the crisis-hit country's interim leader. The United States has repeatedly warned Maduro's government against arresting Guaido or his close aides, saying it would face unspecified repercussions.
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| Hells Angels, street gangs vow to defend mosques as New Zealand braces for Friday prayers Posted: 21 Mar 2019 09:25 AM PDT  Street gangs and motorcycle clubs cross New Zealand offered to protect mosques during Friday prayers, but a Muslim leader suggests they join prayers.
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| CNN takes over a week to report Covington lawsuit Posted: 21 Mar 2019 05:57 PM PDT  What happened to 'facts first'? Reaction from former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino.
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| Missouri River flooding forces evacuation of 7,500 from waterfront city Posted: 22 Mar 2019 04:18 PM PDT  Record floodwaters that submerged vast stretches of Nebraska and Iowa farmland along America's longest river reached a new crest on Friday at the waterfront city of St. Joseph, Missouri, forcing chaotic evacuations of thousands from low-lying areas. With emergency sirens blaring as the Missouri River rose to the top of the three-story-high levee wall in St. Joseph, about 55 miles (88 km) north of Kansas City, Missouri, sheriff's deputies rushed door-to-door urging residents to flee to higher ground.
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| Ethiopian Airlines Denies Reports That Pilot in Boeing 737 MAX Crash Was Not Properly Trained Posted: 21 Mar 2019 06:28 AM PDT  They were prepared to fly a Boeing 737 Max 8, the airline said
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| The bump stock ban is just days away. What will owners do? Posted: 21 Mar 2019 10:12 AM PDT  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — David Lunsford is an avid gun owner with a firing range on his Texas spread. With bump stocks about to be banned by the U.S. government, he grudgingly decided to sell off his and let someone else figure out what to do with them.
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| President Trump's latest executive order is a shot in the campus free speech wars Posted: 21 Mar 2019 10:59 AM PDT  But while Trump's order is a clear declaration he agrees with conservative concerns about America's colleges, it's not clear what actual effect the move will have in academia.
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| Economic Inequality: What It Is and How It Impacts You Posted: 21 Mar 2019 06:00 AM PDT ![Economic Inequality: What It Is and How It Impacts You]( "Economic Inequality: What It Is and How It Impacts You") It's nearly impossible to read the news these days without running across mentions of economic inequality. In recent months, politicians have debated the merits of raising marginal tax rates on the wealthy, a move proponents say could reduce economic inequalities. Likewise, economic inequality takes center stage when columnists discuss the extreme riches of some of today's business owners, like Jeff Bezos, who could purchase every home in Austin, Texas, according to real estate brokerage Redfin.
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| The Latest: Defense expert supports cop who shot black teen Posted: 21 Mar 2019 03:32 PM PDT  PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Latest on the homicide trial of a white Pennsylvania police officer in the shooting of an unarmed black 17-year-old (all times local):
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| US-backed forces press offensive against IS Syria enclave Posted: 21 Mar 2019 01:44 AM PDT  US-backed forces pressed an offensive against the Islamic State group in its last redoubt in Syria on Thursday, denying reports the jihadist enclave had fallen. "Mopping up operations continue in Baghouz camp," the command of the Syrian Democratic Forces said in a brief statement. The SDF, which launched a final assault against the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on February 9, denied reports that the IS enclave had completely fallen to its forces.
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| Home loan applications rise as wealthier shoppers hunt for more expensive houses Posted: 21 Mar 2019 12:56 PM PDT  Mortgage interest rates are now lower than a year ago, and home shoppers are buying in, but most are wealthier and purchasing more expensive homes.
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| Bernie Sanders urges US to follow New Zealand's lead in banning assault weapons: 'This is what real action looks like' Posted: 21 Mar 2019 09:05 AM PDT  Bernie Sanders has urged America to follow the lead of New Zealand in banning military style and semi-automatic weapons – a measure taken by the authorities in Wellington within days of the mosque shooting that left 50 people dead. The Vermont senator, one of the early frontrunners of Democrats contesting for the party's 2020 presidential nomination, said New Zealand had set an example with the speed of its response. "This is what real action to stop gun violence looks like," he said on Twitter.
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| US team seeks to provide water, hygiene in cyclone-hit Mozambique Posted: 21 Mar 2019 03:33 PM PDT  The United States said Thursday it had sent a team to cyclone-hit Mozambique to provide safe drinking water and other necessities after the region's biggest storm in decades. Aimee Lauer, who is heading the response for the US Agency for International Development, said that an initially light 15-member team was en route to Mozambique with a potential expansion planned once the scope of the disaster becomes clear. The group will provide chlorine tabs for safe water and hygiene kits to help stem the spread of water-borne diseases after Cyclone Idai smashed into the coast of Mozambique, she said.
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| Which Subcompact Crossovers and SUVs are Best? Here Are All 17, Ranked Posted: 21 Mar 2019 08:31 AM PDT |
| Democrats push for assault weapons ban following New Zealand terror attack Posted: 21 Mar 2019 08:14 PM PDT  New Zealand pushes ban on assault weapons; should America follow suit? Reaction and analysis from House Minority Whip Steve Scalise.
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| U.S. announces first new North Korea sanctions since failed summit Posted: 21 Mar 2019 04:03 PM PDT  The U.S. Treasury Department also issued an updated advisory that listed 67 vessels that it said had engaged in illicit transfers of refined petroleum with North Korean tankers or were believed to have exported North Korean coal. The department identified the newly sanctioned firms as Dalian Haibo International Freight Co Ltd and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co Ltd, both based in China. The move prohibits U.S. dealings with the designated companies and freezes any assets they have in the United States.
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| Brazilian ex-president remains silent under questioning Posted: 22 Mar 2019 02:01 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Michel Temer remained silent when questioned by investigators Friday, a day after he was arrested as part of the country's sprawling Car Wash corruption probe.
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| Dem long shot John Delaney wants to take on the 'bully' in the White House Posted: 21 Mar 2019 12:39 PM PDT  Neither of his parents went to college, and it was a scholarship from his father's labor union that helped fund his attendance at Columbia University.
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| 'A gift sent from the heavens': Nebraska pals find fridge full of beer during flood cleanup Posted: 21 Mar 2019 11:14 PM PDT  Kyle Simpson and Gayland Stouffer had spent the day cleaning up from flooding in Nebraska when a fridge appeared in the distance. It was full of beer.
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| Jared Kushner: Trump's son-in-law uses WhatsApp and personal email for official White House business, attorney says Posted: 21 Mar 2019 07:30 AM PDT  Jared Kushner uses private messaging apps and personal email to communicate about official Trump administration matters with foreign leaders – a violation of a laws governing White House records - a congressional committee has been told. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic congressman who heads the House of Representative's oversight committee, said the lawyer of the president's son-in-law.
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| Energy giants spent $1bn on climate lobbying, PR since Paris: watchdog Posted: 21 Mar 2019 06:26 PM PDT  The five largest publicly listed oil and gas majors have spent $1 billion since the 2015 Paris climate deal on public relations or lobbying that is "overwhelmingly in conflict" with the landmark accord's goals, a watchdog said Friday. Despite outwardly committing to support the Paris agreement and its aim to limit global temperature rises, ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP and Total spend a total of $200 million a year on efforts "to operate and expand fossil fuel operations," according to InfluenceMap, a pro-transparency monitor. Two of the companies -- Shell and Chevron -- said they rejected the watchdog's findings.
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| 10 Great Reasons to Buy Apple Stock Posted: 21 Mar 2019 10:48 AM PDT ![10 Great Reasons to Buy Apple Stock]( "10 Great Reasons to Buy Apple Stock") Apple stock's price target is going up. After a rough start to 2019 that included a guidance cut and multiple analyst downgrades, Apple (ticker: AAPL) stock has bounced back and appears to once again be on the right track. Investors appear optimistic about an end to the trade war with China that the company blamed for its guidance cut.
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| Brexit End Likely to Be Based on a Customs Union, JPMorgan Says Posted: 21 Mar 2019 12:41 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The realities of the Brexit situation indicate that the U.K. is going to end up with "something that's founded on a customs union" with the European Union, according to Karen Ward, chief market strategist for Europe, Middle East and Africa at JPMorgan Asset Management.
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| Exclusive: U.S. threatens to derail meeting of Latam lender if China bars Venezuela Posted: 21 Mar 2019 04:19 PM PDT  The Washington-based IADB, the biggest lender to Latin America, voted last week to replace Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's board representative with Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann, who is backed by Guaido. Several sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that China - one of the Venezuelan government's few remaining international allies - had proposed not inviting representatives from either the Maduro or Guaido camps to "de-politicize" the meeting. Discussions to try to resolve the issue are ongoing among IADB member countries, and a final decision has not yet been taken, the sources said.
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| Easter 2019: Forbidden eggs, Eostre and how the date is decided Posted: 22 Mar 2019 04:20 AM PDT  Easter weekend is fast approaching with all the fondant-filled Creme Eggs, sticky hot cross buns and sugar-coated Mini Eggs our stretchiest waistbands can withstand. Of course, the Christian festival is far more than its associated confectionery. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who, according to the New Testament, died on the cross on Good Friday and came back to life three days later. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday, which also marks the end of Lent's 40-day period of fasting. From the origins of the Easter bunny to the celebrations' ever-changing dates, here is your essential guide to the holiday. Jump to it, bunny: Your complete guide to Easter decorations When is Easter 2019? This year, Good Friday falls on April 19, Easter Sunday on April 21 and Easter Monday on April 22 - three weeks later than they did last year. While the holiday is a movable feast, it always falls somewhere between March 21 and April 25 every year. It is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring. The full moon is known as the Paschal (Passover) Full Moon. Methods for calculating Easter are fiendishly complicated and a uniquely baffling synthesis of mathematics, astronomy and theology. As Christians believe Jesus was crucified during the Jewish Passover festival, Easter is celebrated around the same time. Nonetheless, different Christian groups were already marking it on separate dates by the end of the 2nd Century. Q&A; | Maundy Thursday These date-led disagreements even set the course of history for the British Isles at the Synod of Whitby in 664AD when the preferred date of the Roman - rather than the Celtic - church became the standard. The decision is said to have catapulted Britain into the European sphere of influence. Though disputes over Easter's exact timing have been used as proxies for deeper power struggles for centuries, most now accept that it falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox - which the Church approximated as March 21. This year, Easter Sunday falls on April 21, the longest stretch following March 21's full moon – which falls on a Sunday. In 2016, the Archbishop of Canterbury suggested Easter should fall on the same Sunday every year and the Most Rev Justin Welby said Anglican leaders would join discussions with other church leaders to fix the date for the first time, theoretically putting an end to almost 2,000 years of controversy. The 10 best destinations for Easter sun What do eggs have to do with Easter? Eggs illustrate new life, just as Jesus began his new life on Easter Sunday after the miracle of his resurrection. When eggs are cracked open they are said to symbolise an empty tomb. Originally, eating eggs was forbidden in the week leading up to Easter (known as Holy Week). They were saved and decorated in the run-up to the celebration and given to children as gifts. Sometimes they were coloured red, in recognition of the blood sacrificed by Jesus when he was crucified. Green was also used to symbolise spring re-growth after the winter. The first chocolate eggs appeared in France and Germany during the 19th century. As chocolate-making techniques improved, the Easter egg as we know it was popularised. Where does the Easter Bunny fit in to all of this? Rabbits and hares have been associated with spring for hundreds of years. It is thought that the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring, Eostre – who many believe the Christian event is named after – had a hare as her companion, symbolising fertility and rebirth. It's hardly surprising that rabbits and hares have become associated with fertility as they are both prolific breeders and regularly give birth to large litters in early spring. The legend of the Easter Bunny is thought to have originated among German Lutherans, where the 'Easter Hare' judged whether children had been good or bad in the run-up to Easter. Easter bunnies and eggs are symbols of spring and fertility. Over time it has been incorporated into Christian celebrations, becoming especially popular in Britain during the 19th century. Many children believe that the Easter Bunny lays and hides baskets of coloured eggs, sweets and toys in their homes or around the garden the night before Easter Sunday – much like Father Christmas delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. This has given rise to the tradition of the Easter egg hunt which is still popular among children today. Why do we eat hot cross buns? A hot cross bun is a spiced, sweet bun marked with a cross on top. They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday as the cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus, while the spices are said to remind Christians of the spices put on his body. Hot cross buns appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1733 but they are believed to have existed long before. Enriched, sweetened bread dough dates back to the Romans. Long before Christianity, loaves and buns were baked with symbols on them, one of which was a cross. Small, spiced cakes were also baked to honour the Saxon goddess Eoestre and celebrate spring, but it was the Tudors who began to link the spiced currant buns we know today with feast days, celebrations and - eventually - Lent. Delicious recipes to cook this Easter Wild garlic and parsley soup Jose Pizarro's roast rack of lamb with braised peas and lemon-thyme salsa Hot cross bun panna cotta Paul Hollywood's Easter simnel cake How is Easter celebrated around the world? In many central and eastern European countries decorating eggs with beautiful patterns is especially popular. In Switzerland, Easter eggs are delivered by a cuckoo and, in some areas of Germany, a fox. The egg-giving tradition arrived in the United States in the 18th century via protestant German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area. Traditional Easter foods from around the world On Easter Monday, the President of the United States holds an annual Easter egg roll on the lawn of the White House for young children. In the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland it is a day of remembrance for the men and women who died in the Easter Rising which began on Easter Monday 1916.
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| 'Humiliated and ashamed': Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chairman, sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison Posted: 21 Mar 2019 05:52 PM PDT  Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, must pay more than $24 million in fines and restitution. He faces more prison time next week.
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| Analysis: Victory over Islamic State may be short-lived Posted: 21 Mar 2019 09:58 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — In a campaign that spanned five years and two U.S. presidencies, unleashed more than 100,000 bombs and killed untold numbers of civilians, the U.S. military engineered the destruction of the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed empire in Iraq and Syria.
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| New Zealand’s swift change to gun laws highlights 25 years of US inaction Posted: 21 Mar 2019 11:32 AM PDT  Sweeping new ban that came just six days after mass shooting in Christchurch is a stark contrast to the political stalemate in the USVigil at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Thursday in Dunedin, New Zealand for 50 people killed when a gunman opened fire at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch on 15 March. Photograph: Dianne Manson/Getty ImagesNew Zealand's sweeping new ban on a range of semi-automatic rifles and large ammunition magazines, which came just six days after a mass shooting in Christchurch, has been hailed as the "fastest response ever by a government after a tragedy".In the US, where conservative politicians have blocked even moderate gun control for 25 years, New Zealand's swift action was greeted as a powerful inspiration – and a reminder of how far behind the country is."Sandy Hook happened six years ago and we can't even get the Senate to hold a vote on universal background checks," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York congresswoman, wrote on Twitter, referring to the 2012 shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 children and six educators dead.> Sandy Hook happened 6 years ago and we can't even get the Senate to hold a vote on universal background checks w/ HR8. > > Christchurch happened, and within days New Zealand acted to get weapons of war out of the consumer market. > > This is what leadership looks like ⬇️ https://t.co/TcdR63anBt> > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019"This is what leadership looks like," David Hogg, one of the students from Parkland, Florida, who founded the March for Our Lives movement for gun control after a shooting at their school last February, tweeted, sharing a video of the announcement by New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern.Some Democratic presidential candidates have already pledged to support a ban on assault weapons – though one that would probably be much more limited that New Zealand's."We must follow New Zealand's lead, take on the NRA and ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons in the United States," tweeted the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who has been attacked for his mixed record on gun control in the past."We had an assault weapons ban once, and we should have it again," Senator Kamala Harris of California, tweeted a few days after the Christchurch attacks. "These weapons of war do not belong on our streets, in our schools, or at our houses of worship. This is a fight I will take on as president."Pro-gun activists in the United States said that New Zealand's aggressive action to ban ownership of previously legal guns, and enact a mandatory buyback, would never be viable in the United States."The US isn't New Zealand," Dana Loesch, a prominent gun rights activist and National Rifle Association spokeswoman, tweeted. "They do not have an inalienable right to bear arms and to self-defense, we do."In another tweet, she wrote: "To 'follow these examples' the US would need to repeal the Second Amendment, ban all semi-auto, force gun stores to show all purchases to gov't, and spend $200 million taxpayer dollars to confiscate firearms."> I sure see a lot of people who like to say "nobody is coming for your guns" celebrating this confiscation effort. https://t.co/e3quZ8v7gi> > — Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) March 21, 2019Rebecca Peters, who helped lead the successful campaign to reform Australia's gun laws in the 1990s, said she believed New Zealand's government action was the "fastest response ever" by government officials after a mass shooting.It took the British government seven months after the massacre of 16 children in Dunblane, Scotland, in March 1996, to announce a partial ban on handguns, which parents of the children had demanded as part of the Snowdrop Campaign. It took the Australian government 10 days after the Port Arthur massacre in April 1996 to announce the National Firearms Agreement.New Zealand announced the new ban on military-style weapons – one with broad support from the prime minister and the opposition – after only six days. "It's a small parliament. It's a small country. And obviously, they have very high support for it," Peters said.In a press conference on Thursday, Ardern promised increased penalties for continued ownership of the banned weapons. New Zealand's minister of police said police were "gearing up" to enable military-style weapons to be taken out of circulation. Police will be supported by the New Zealand defense force, he said, and would consult gun licensing records.Ardern promised the country would continue to consider broader gun control measures on Monday, including issues such as licensing, registration and storage.New Zealand's swift action is a stark contrast to the political stalemate in the US, where conservative politicians have blocked any substantial gun control laws for 25 years, despite frequent high-casualty mass shootings.The US's last substantial action on gun control, in 1994, was a federal ban on military-style "assault weapons". But the ban was written to expire in 10 years, and did not require Americans who already owned military-style guns to give up their weapons – it simply tried to regulate the manufacture and sale of new guns.When it expired in 2004, an in-depth evaluation of the loophole-ridden legislation found that it could not be clearly credited with any of the nation's drop in violence. The consensus among Democratic politicians was that the ban had backfired politically against their party, and that gun control was not a winning issue for the American left. They largely abandoned the issue for more than a decade.Since the ban lifted, military-style rifles have become popular high-end acquisitions for American gun owners, and have become popular for target shooting, even as they have become infamous as the mass shooter's weapon of choice. Some gun rights advocates argue that military-style rifles are necessary for self-defense, including self-defense in the home.While there are restrictions on "assault weapons" in some parts of the US, in many places today, Americans can buy an AR-15-style rifle before they are legally allowed to buy a beer.
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| See How Snøhetta’s Architecture Brought the Best of Scandinavian Design to the World Posted: 21 Mar 2019 01:21 PM PDT |
| Correction: Southern Flood Threat story Posted: 22 Mar 2019 01:07 PM PDT  In a story March 21 about the U.S. flooding outlook, The Associated Press misspelled the last name of a weather forecaster. He is Kevin Low, not Lao.
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| More Misconceptions about College Posted: 22 Mar 2019 03:30 AM PDT  Now that we've all had a good airing of grievances about elite colleges and their attendant injustices, let's get some perspective.While the numbers of high-school graduates heading off to college have increased in recent years, the percentages graduating with a four-year degree have not increased much. Many students, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college, drop out before receiving a degree. (They cannot drop out of student-loan payments, though.)Data from the Lumina Foundation show that among Americans aged 25–64, 52.4 percent have no more than a high-school diploma (though 15.4 percent of them attended college for a while). An additional 5.2 percent received a certificate of some kind, and 9.2 percent obtained an associate's degree. What most people think of when you say "college" is a four-year institution. Only 21.1 percent received bachelor's degrees, and another 12.2 percent also earned graduate degrees. Adding the last two categories brings the fraction of Americans with college or graduate degrees to just over one-third.While most of the conversation in the past week has focused on highly selective colleges such as Yale and Penn, it's important to remember that only a small number of America's colleges are selective. As FiveThirtyEight has reported, more than 75 percent of undergrads attend colleges that accept at least half of all applicants. The number who attend selective colleges -- i.e., schools that accept 25 percent or fewer — is just 4 percent. And the number who attend schools in the very top tier, colleges that reject 90 percent or more, can be counted on your fingers and toes. You can probably guess most of them. (Though not all. On this U.S. News list, Pomona College came in at No. 11, and the Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute came in first.) Less than 1 percent of college students attend these elite schools.Most students attend commuter schools, which tend to be community colleges. Even among those at four-year institutions, almost 25 percent attend part-time. Half of college students are also working, not getting plastered at frat parties.There's a healthy debate in policy circles about whether our current cultural preoccupation with college for all is a good thing. Some people who are funneled toward college might be a better fit for vocational training, apprenticeships, or other life paths; and while there is no doubt about the association between college completion and higher income, there is uncertainty about the causal relationship.Rather than gnash our collective teeth about whether Jason or Jessica can get into MIT, we might want to focus on all students, those who are headed for college and those who are not. Every student in elementary and high school should be learning about the "success sequence." The phrase was introduced by Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution and has lately been reinforced with a study by W. Bradford Wilcox and Wendy Wang of the Institute for Family Studies.What they've found is that students have it within their power to virtually guarantee a middle- or upper-class income if they follow three steps. Those three basics are 1) finish high school, 2) get a full-time job, and 3) get married before having children. Young people who follow all three steps have only a 3 percent likelihood of living in poverty when they reach young adulthood. Eighty-six percent of Millennials who put marriage first had incomes in the middle or upper third, compared with 53 percent who had children before marriage. The success sequence works for those born into poverty, too. Seventy-one percent of Millennials who grew up in the bottom third of the income distribution were in the middle or upper third by young adulthood if they followed the three steps. Among African Americans, 76 percent who followed the success sequence achieved the middle class or above, and among Hispanics, the percentage was 81 percent.With all of the emphasis on a tiny sliver of the top 1 percent of students, most young people can get the impression that they are doomed to a lesser life. In fact, avoiding a few pitfalls like dropping out of high school, having a baby out of wedlock, and failing to find employment is a ticket to success.There's a bias among writer types to pay attention to Princeton and Columbia. But that's not really where the action is in helping most Americans.© 2019 Creators.com
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| Druze on Golan Heights reject Trump backing for Israeli sovereignty Posted: 22 Mar 2019 07:30 AM PDT  The fertile hillsides of the Israeli-occupied Golan are scattered with villages inhabited by 22,000 Druze, an Arab minority who practice an offshoot of Islam. Many still have relatives on the Syrian side of the fortified boundary. In Majdal Shams, older residents remember being part of Syria before Israel captured most of the heights in the 1967 Middle East war, occupying and later annexing it in 1981.
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| Tax refunds are $3 smaller on average versus last year after seventh week of filing season Posted: 22 Mar 2019 04:02 PM PDT  After three weeks of rising tax refunds, the average tax refund is $3 less than a year ago.
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