| Missouri follows Alabama by passing restrictive abortion bill Posted: 17 May 2019 01:03 PM PDT  Missouri lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that prohibits women from seeking an abortion after the eighth week of pregnancy, days after Alabama enacted the most restrictive abortion law in the United States. The legislation allows for an abortion after the eighth week only in the case of medical emergencies. On Wednesday, Alabama banned abortions at any time, with the same exception.
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| Navy SEAL gets year in brig for hazing death of Green Beret Posted: 16 May 2019 06:49 PM PDT  NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A U.S. Navy SEAL was sentenced to one year in military prison on Thursday for his role in the 2017 hazing-related death of a U.S. Army Green Beret in Africa.
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| Barr: Probe Into Russia Investigation’s Origins Has Yielded ‘Inadequate’ Explanations Posted: 17 May 2019 08:50 AM PDT  Weeks into an investigation of the origins of the FBI's investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Attorney General William Barr said Friday that the probe has provided more questions than answers due to the "inadequate" and in some cases inconsistent answers he's been given from the officials involved.Asked during an interview with Fox News whether he knew exactly when the FBI began its investigation into the Trump campaign, Barr said he had not yet identified a reliable timeline."I've been trying to get answers to the questions, and I've found that a lot of the answers have been inadequate and some of the explanations I've gotten don't hang together. In a sense I have more questions today than when I first started," he said during the interview.Pressed to explain what he was referring to, Barr would only say, "some of the explanations of what occurred."Barr told Fox that the investigation, which he disclosed to lawmakers during a congressional hearing last month, will eventually reveal whether the FBI puts its "thumb on the scale" by investigating and in some cases surveilling Trump campaign officials."People have to find out what the government was doing during that period. If we're worried about foreign influence, for the very same reason we should be worried about whether government officials abuse their power and put their thumb on the scale," Barr said before stipulating that he was "not saying that happened."Barr was maligned by congressional Democrats in the wake of his appearance on Capitol Hill last month for agreeing with Republicans' contention that the Trump campaign was "spied" on. He defended that characterization during the Fox interview and reiterated that his job is to determine whether that spying was properly predicated."Government power was used to spy on American citizens," he said in justifying his review. "I can't imagine any world where we wouldn't take a look and make sure that was done properly."In addressing whether the investigation was properly predicated, Barr suggested that it was "very unusual" for the FBI to rely on the Steele dossier, an unverified piece of opposition research commissioned by the Clinton campaign, to secure a FISA warrant to surveil Carter Page."It's a very unusual situation to have opposition research like that, especially one that on its face had a number of clear mistakes and a somewhat jejune analysis," Barr said. "And to use that to conduct counterintelligence against an American political campaign is a strange — would be a strange development."
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| Billy Chemirmir: Healthcare worker accused of murdering 12 elderly women could be linked to over 1,000 deaths Posted: 16 May 2019 10:40 AM PDT  A healthcare worker has been charged with the murder of 12 elderly women by smothering, and is being investigated for any potential links to 1,000 more unexplained deaths.Billy Chemirmir, 45, of Texas is accused of murdering multiple elderly women who lived in Dallas and Collins counties with a pillow, and subsequently robbing them. In March of 2018, Mr Chemirmir was charged with capital murder in the death of an 81-year-old woman, Lu Thi Harris, leading to his arrest. Mr Chemirmir has also been accused of two counts of attempted capital murder for attacking two women. One of the two women, a 93 year-old who was a resident of the Parkview Elderly Assisted Living facility in Frisco, Texas, had reported the incident to police. She described how a well-dressed man had knocked on her door, claiming to be a maintenance worker. When she responded that she did not require any work done, he forced his way inside and "knocked her from her walker to the floor", as reported by Dallas News.Mr Chemirmir worked as a nurse in his native country of Kenya, but appears to not have been legally working in healthcare in the US. Court records indicate that Mr Chemirmir posed as an employee at the Edgemere Retirement Community in Dallas under the alias "Benjamin Koitaba".Plano Police Chief Gregory W. Rushin said Mr Chemirmir used "health care experience to his advantage, targeting and exploiting seniors", something Mr Rushin called "disturbing'.Authorities plan to review the unattended deaths of hundreds of elderly women in the area, including those who were previously thought to have died from natural causes to investigate any potential ties to Mr Chemirmir.Recently, the accused killer has been newly indicted in six deaths of elderly women from 2016 to 2018: Phyllis Payne, aged 91, Phoebe Perry, aged 94, Norma French, aged 85, Doris Gleason, aged 92, Rosemary Curtis, aged 96, and Mary Brooks, 87. He has also been charged with five other murders, of which the victims have yet to be named. Mr Chemirmir is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail, where he's been since March of 2018. His bond currently set at more than $9m.
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| NASA just spotted the crash site of Israel’s Beresheet lander Posted: 16 May 2019 04:06 PM PDT  April was supposed to be an exciting time for Israel's privately-funded space group SpaceIL. After years of development, SpaceIL's Beresheet lander was poised to land on the lunar surface, which would have been a first for the country as well as the first privately-funded mission to touch down on Earth's satellite.Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and a malfunction in the spacecraft's engine caused the entire ship to shut down just moments before it was to land. A rapid restart of the craft brought it back online but it was already speeding towards the surface and a crash was unavoidable. Now, thanks to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we can see exactly where the doomed craft ended up and, well, it's not a pretty sight.Beresheet's mechanical woes came at the absolute worst possible time. Details regarding the glitch have been scant, but a report from SpaceIL revealed that a "manual command" triggered a series of events that cause the spacecraft's main engine to power down. Engineers did manage to get the engine back on, but the precious seconds that were lost during its descent meant that there was no way to slow the lander down enough to perform a soft landing.When Beresheet struck the Moon it was moving very fast. According to NASA, its speed was around 1,000 meters per second higher than its team had planned for, and when the lander contacted the surface it was completely destroyed.The images from NASA's lunar orbiter show the aftermath, in the form of a long dusty streak that leads to a dark area where the lunar dust has been kicked up and pushed away. The lander itself is sitting somewhere near that darkest area, and it's likely in several pieces.The good news is that SpaceIL isn't taking this defeat lying down, and it has already announced that it plans to launch "Beresheet 2.0," in an attempt to complete a soft landing on the lunar surface.
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| Trump's Immigration Plan Faces Cold Reception Even Within GOP Posted: 16 May 2019 12:11 PM PDT  Details of the proposal -- and particularly the decision by presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner to sidestep what to do about those in the country illegally -– have already doomed its legislative prospects among Democrats. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who oversees immigration legislation, said Kushner's bill isn't going to become law.
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| Toddler missing for 3 days found alive on 50-foot cliffside near strip mine Posted: 16 May 2019 05:28 AM PDT ![Toddler missing for 3 days found alive on 50-foot cliffside near strip mine]( "Toddler missing for 3 days found alive on 50-foot cliffside near strip mine") Kenneth Howard, the missing Kentucky boy, was found just before 2 p.m. Wednesday in Floyd County in the area of a stripe mine.
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| Saudi-led coalition in Yemen strikes Sanaa, casualties reported Posted: 16 May 2019 10:59 PM PDT ![Saudi-led coalition in Yemen strikes Sanaa, casualties reported]( "Saudi-led coalition in Yemen strikes Sanaa, casualties reported") The Sanaa strikes targeted nine military sites in and around the city, residents said, with humanitarian agencies reporting a number of casualties. Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said two hospitals it supports in Sanaa took in 48 injured and four dead people as a result of the strikes. Preliminary reports indicated five children were among those killed, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Yemen said.
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| Boeing seeks regulators' OK, says 737 MAX software update complete Posted: 16 May 2019 02:14 PM PDT  Boeing said Thursday that it completed its software update on the 737 MAX after two deadly crashes resulted in a global grounding of the aircraft. The proposed fix, which addresses a problem with a flight handling system thought to be a factor in both crashes, must now win approval from US and international regulators before the planes can return to service. US airlines have targeted August as the date they expect to resume flying on the 737 MAX.
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| I.M. Pei's legacy stretched from the West to the East Posted: 17 May 2019 03:31 AM PDT  BEIJING (AP) — The legacy of American architect I.M. Pei stretches from west to east, from the Louvre museum to his native China, where he helped fuse tradition and modernity as the country opened up after the Cultural Revolution.
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| De Blasio Is the Ferris Bueller of Democratic Presidential Candidates Posted: 17 May 2019 03:30 AM PDT  The most rational response to the news that New York City mayor Bill de Blasio wants to be president is to ask, "Of what?"When informed that he wants to be president of the United States and not of, say, the local organic-hemp co-op, perhaps the next best response would be to take a page from the South and say, "Bless his heart."One of the more charming things about de Blasio is his amiable lack of self-awareness. He seems to have no idea that he doesn't impress anybody. The obliviousness is somewhat understandable. He did get elected — twice. But his victories have more to do with the dysfunction of New York City politics than with any strength on his part. In 2013 he won the Democratic primary — which assured victory in the fall — in the lowest election turnout in decades. After 3 percent of New Yorkers voted for him, he saw a landslide.He must bring a similar perspective to his poll numbers. According to a Quinnipiac survey released this month, 76 percent of New Yorkers don't think de Blasio should run for president — and it's not because they're desperate to keep him on the job.It was famously said of George H. W. Bush that he was the kind of guy who was born on third base and thought he'd hit a triple. This was always more than a little unfair to the elder President Bush, given that at 17 he signed up to become one of the youngest combat pilots in the Pacific during World War II and went on to work harder at politics and public service than arguably any president since (with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter). But the barb drew blood because it sounded clever and exploited the always reliable American resentment against affluent political dynasties.The same dynamic isn't at work with de Blasio. He didn't grow up poor, but he didn't grow up rich either. Politically, he is the consummate example of someone born — or in this case elected — on home plate who can't understand why no one in the stands is cheering his home run. When he was poised to win reelection, he was asked by New York magazine why he wasn't more popular. He admitted that he was somewhat mystified. Given the strength of the economy and the low crime rate, "You'd assume they'd be having parades out in the streets" in his honor, he said.They're not, because he is a Ferris Bueller. In the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris (Matthew Broderick) jumps out in front of a parade and acts like he's leading it. De Blasio inherited the successes of Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, two mayors who wrestled the city back from the brink of social and economic collapse."De Blasio's record as mayor doesn't have a policy theme," writes Nicole Gelinas in City & State New York. "It's just a mishmash of half-executed ideas that add up to a city little different than it was before he got here. Even his biggest accomplishments, rather than striking out in a bold new direction, are building on existing trends."Worse, de Blasio takes credit for the successes of his predecessors on crime, poverty, and the economy but refuses to take responsibility for the growing problems on his watch, from abysmal mass transit to an exploding homeless population.And that points to the real problem with de Blasio: He's lazy. He's famous for being asleep on the job — literally. He often oversleeps, arriving late for important events such as funerals or, in one case, an event in his own residence. "Some voters have a perception that he has an up-at-the-crack-of-noon attitude," political strategist Gerry O'Brien told the New York Post.This laziness isn't just physical but intellectual. Like the president of a college chapter of the Young Socialists, de Blasio is the sort of politician who thinks rolling out of bed and announcing something is the same thing as doing something, that boldness in rhetoric is a substitute for boldness of action. New Yorkers — even very liberal New Yorkers — see that.Still, it makes sense that de Blasio is running, because in a field of 24 (and counting) contenders, and with no future political prospects in his home state, he's got little to lose. He can raise money from rubes who haven't been burned already, get on a bunch of TV shows, and — who knows? — he lucked out before. Maybe he'll stumble to the front of another parade.© 2019 Tribune Content Agency LLC
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| Photos of the Euro-spec Ford Focus ST Wagon Posted: 16 May 2019 08:10 AM PDT |
| Chelsea Manning jailed again as she refuses to testify before grand jury Posted: 16 May 2019 07:07 PM PDT  Former army private says she would 'rather starve to death' than cooperate in growing battle of wills Chelsea Manning was again behind bars on Thursday night after she was jailed for a second time for contempt of court, having refused to cooperate with a grand jury. A defiant Manning told Judge Anthony Trenga in a federal district court in Alexandria, Virginia, that she would "rather starve to death" than do what the state insisted and give testimony before the grand jury. Having already served 62 days in jail, 28 of which were spent in solitary confinement, she now faces up to 18 months more in custody. Trenga further tightened the screws on the former army private by adding a financial penalty. If Manning continues to refuse testimony and remains in jail after 30 days, she will be fined $500 for every subsequent day behind bars. If she reaches 60 days, the figure will be raised to $1,000 a day. The tussle over the grand jury is now shaping up into an epic battle of wills between Virginia prosecutors determined to force Manning to testify in what they hope will be an eventual trial of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, and the former intelligence analyst, who has proven herself to have a defiant streak. In a video recording she made on the day she was released from jail a week ago following the expiry of the first grand jury, she said: "I will never agree to testify before this or any other grand jury. The government knows I cannot be coerced." The grand jury in front of which Manning has been ordered to appear is presumed to relate to the criminal prosecution of Assange. Assange has been charged with conspiring with Manning to break into military computers to help her transmit a vast trove of US state secrets to the open information organization in 2010. After Thursday's court hearing, Manning's lawyer, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, said : "In 2010, Chelsea made a principled decision to let the world see the true nature of modern asymmetric warfare. It is telling that the United States has always been more concerned with the disclosure of those documents than with the damning substance of the disclosures."
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| Trump should tell Americans the truth about his trade war — if he understands it himself Posted: 16 May 2019 02:00 AM PDT  There's a reason we call it a trade war. Wars have casualties. Winning them always comes with a cost, and it's a cost the citizenry has to be willing to bear.
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| 'Heartbeat bills' reveal extremist anti-abortion view that values unborn over women Posted: 17 May 2019 10:32 AM PDT  The anti-abortion movement pays lip service to caring for women, but there is only one thing they care about: the unborn. I care about all lives.
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| Huawei's $105 billion business at stake after U.S. broadside Posted: 16 May 2019 05:29 AM PDT  HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - The latest U.S. broadside against Huawei that puts the Chinese firm on an exports blacklist threatens to rattle the global tech supply chain, linked closely to the $105 billion business of the world's top supplier of telecoms network equipment. The Trump administration has said it would add Huawei Technologies and 70 affiliates to its "Entity List" - a move that will likely ban the firm from acquiring U.S. components and technology without government approval, adding another incendiary element to the U.S.-China trade war. A similar U.S. ban on China's ZTE Corp had almost crippled business for the smaller Huawei rival early last year before the curb was lifted.
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| Iran blames ‘unacceptable’ US sanctions for spike in tensions as White House advisors push for forceful response Posted: 16 May 2019 05:08 AM PDT  Iran's foreign minister has hit out at "unacceptable" sanctions imposed by the US as an international deal to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions continues to unravel amid a spike in tensions.Mohammad Zarif defended Iran's right to respond to the US pullout from the nuclear deal last year."We believe that escalation by the United States is unacceptable and uncalled for. We have exercised maximum restraints," he said during a visit to Tokyo. In other comments carried on the semi-official Mehr news agency, Mr Zarif was quoted as saying: "A multilateral deal cannot be treated unilaterally."The spat over the nuclear deal has been heightened by a number of events this week, including a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian oil pipeline claimed by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, allegations of acts of sabotage perpetrated against oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the dispatch of US warships to the region.The Saudis – Iran's biggest rival in the region – blamed Tehran for ordering the Houthi attack. A Saudi-led coalition has been waging an air war against the Houthis since 2015, with both the US and Riyadh accusing Iran of providing weapons to the Houthis. Tehran has denied this.Saudi Arabia's deputy defence minister Khalid bin Salman tweeted: "The attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias against the two Aramco pumping stations proves that these militias are merely a tool that Iran's regime uses to implement its expansionist agenda in the region".The longest-simmering issue is the Donald Trump-mandated withdrawal from the nuclear pact and the cranking up of sanctions against Iran by Washington. Iran has issued a number of veiled threats about enriching its uranium stockpiles to weapons-grade levels, with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying the "the next steps are easier" than what has come before.Iran recently threatened it might resume higher enrichment by 7 July, beyond the level permitted by the current deal between Tehran and world powers, claiming that its programme is for peaceful purposes. White House advisor John Bolton in particular has long-standing concerns about Iran, writing in The New York Times in 2015 that the US should think about bombing Iran as the country "will not negotiate away its nuclear programme" – although an agreement was approved the next year.Mr Bolton was reportedly behind a push to update military plans surrounding the use of aggression by Iran, including sending as many as 120,000 troops to the region in the wake of an attack by Tehran on US interests or a significant move in its nuclear programme.Speaking on Thursday, Mr Trump said that he was the one to rein in 70-year-old Mr Bolton. "I'm the one who tempers him, which is OK," he said."I have John Bolton and I have people who are a little more dovish than him," Mr Trump added.In a tweet on Wednesday, the president denied any infighting between members of his team. "There is no infighting whatsoever," Mr Trump wrote. "Different opinions are expressed and I make a decisive and final decision – it is a very simple process.However, Mr Trump is said to be getting frustrated with officials like Mr Bolton and secretary of state Mike Pompeo over a push for a confrontation with Iran, according to The Washington Post. "They are getting way out ahead of themselves, and Trump is annoyed," a senior administration official said.Mr Trump is not inclined to respond forcefully unless there is a "big move" from the Iranians, the paper quoted a White House official as saying, with the president believed to be loath to go against his long-standing promise to end costly foreign wars by the US. The Democratic US House speaker Nancy Pelosi meanwhile said on Thursday that the the Trump administration "must realise" it does not have congressional authorisation to go to war against Iran.Washington sent ships and warplanes into the Gulf last week, citing an increased threat from Tehran, and the state department warned all non-essential government staff to leave Iraq.British forces in Iraq were also placed on high alert on Thursday, following the decision.However, Major General Chris Ghika, the British deputy commander of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the US-led coalition fighting Isis, had a day earlier disputed claims from the White House that forces in the Middle East are facing an increased threat from Iran or its allies.Maj Gen Ghika told reporters during a video conference from coalition headquarters in Baghdad on Tuesday, that there "has been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria".
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| Record number of migrants puts 'severe pressure' on Border Patrol facilities, local shelters Posted: 17 May 2019 03:12 PM PDT  "The whole system is under severe pressure," said David Kim, assistant chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol's El Centro sector in California.
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| The Latest: Retired fisherman saved plane crash passengers Posted: 16 May 2019 07:18 AM PDT  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Latest on the midair collision of two sightseeing floatplanes in Alaska that killed six people (all times local):
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| Brexit or Death Posted: 16 May 2019 02:49 PM PDT  There is a lesson in British politics for the rest of the world: A democratic revolt of the people against the establishment cannot be resisted forever.The immediate result of the Brexit vote in 2016 and Parliament's decision to accede to the will of the electorate and turn in its Article 50 notice to the EU was a strengthening of the two oldest mainstream parties, Tory and Labour, against the ultra-Remain party, the Liberal Democrats, and the ultra-Brexit party, UKIP. The Tory and Labour parties subsequently pledged in their campaign manifestos to deliver on the result of the 2016 referendum, and usher the U.K. out of the EU in a timely and orderly fashion. That Article 50 notice promised an exit date of at the end of March 2019, a date that was repeated endlessly in the media. By endorsing the populist outcome, both parties looked like they might thrive.And then Parliament refused to pass Theresa May's negotiated agreement by that date, and also refused to "crash out" of the EU on WTO terms. Leading voices in both the Tory and Labour parties began to embrace the idea of a second Brexit referendum, obviously hoping that voters would come to retroactively bless their indecision, and possibly relieve them of Brexit altogether. Voters seem inclined to destroy them instead.And now those two parties are about to reap their reward — in the grinning face of Nigel Farage, and in his new Brexit party, which has welcomed in Brexiteers from the left and the right. The former leader of UKIP, and a man who helped the Brexit cause get over the line in 2016, has done some studying on the new populist politics. And he is newly sharp. Asked by the media why his party did not publish a traditional manifesto, he said, "I will never, ever use that word manifesto. I think in most people's word association, 'manifesto' equals 'lie.'" After the performance of Parliament in the last two years, who could possibly dispute the charge?Even though this new party is only a few weeks old, Farage's outfit is already polling as likely to win a majority of the seats in the European parliamentary elections on May 23rd — a contest that his party believes should never have happened in the U.K. The Brexit party is polling at over 30 percent, with the Tories dropping to 12 percent and rapidly heading for the single digits. If this is a foreshadowing of how U.K. parliamentary elections will go, then the Brexit party is an existential threat to the Tories.It's also a sign that the Tories can no longer play the Corbyn card against their own supporters. Previously it was thought that Tory voters would be so afraid of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister that these voters would never defect or try to teach the Tory party a lesson by staying home.But voters seem to think that the democratic principle itself is more important than their preferred party. After all, the government solicited the opinion of the British people in the Brexit referendum. That same government campaigned overwhelmingly for Remain, and deployed incredible scare stories about immediate economic recession in the wake of a pro-Brexit result, even invoking unknown threats to European peace in the wake of it. The voters rebuked them. But, after more than two years, members of Parliament have done little more than deliver lip service to the Brexit cause, with a heaping dash of grumbling about having to get on with it. A second referendum at this stage amounts to a reversal of parliamentary democracy, in which elected members demand voters do a better job of mirroring Parliament's priorities.The Tory party has a history of letting its own internal politics distract its members from anger issues in the United Kingdom. But the initial polling for the Brexit party should awaken them to the fact that they face an existential threat due to their own dithering and impotence. They must decide immediately whether the government should negotiate a deal Parliament can support, or whether the Tory members in Parliament ought to set aside their criticisms of the deal on offer and save their party from imminent destruction. The promises that Brexit will happen at some point in the future or that Theresa May will be replaced at some later date, when it is more opportune for the chancery who would do the replacing, must come to an end. This is no longer a choice for the public, but for the Tory party. Leave or be pushed out for good.
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| Google’s brand new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are now available on Amazon Posted: 16 May 2019 08:35 AM PDT  Google just released two brand new smartphones that bring back the beloved Nexus phone program! Well, sort of. They're not actually Nexus branded phones, but they do resurrect the spirit of Google's Nexus line, offering great designs and impressive performance at affordable prices. And we have more good news: they're finally available on Amazon! The new Google Pixel 3a and Google Pixel 3a XL are both in stock on Amazon right now, though they're likely flying off the virtual store shelves so you'll want to hurry up if you want to get your hands on one anytime soon. Definitely check them out. Google Pixel 3a * Get more done with an extraordinary camera, fast-charging battery, and the helpful Google Assistant built in. * Motion Auto Focus will make sure the people and pets in your shot stay sharp as you snap away. * Let the Google Assistant help screen your calls, so you know who's calling and why before you pick up. * Get more done with an Adaptive Battery that delivers 7 hours of use on just a 15-minute charge. It's designed to learn your favorite apps and reduce power to the ones you rarely use. * 3 years of security and OS updates to keep your phone protected against the latest threats and performing at its best. * The custom-made Titan M security chip helps secure the operating system and your most sensitive data, like passwords. Google Pixel 3a XL * Get more done with an extraordinary camera, fast-charging battery, and the helpful Google Assistant built in. * Motion Auto Focus will make sure the people and pets in your shot stay sharp as you snap away. * Let the Google Assistant help screen your calls, so you know who's calling and why before you pick up. * Get more done with an Adaptive Battery that delivers 7 hours of use on just a 15-minute charge. It's designed to learn your favorite apps and reduce power to the ones you rarely use. * 3 years of security and OS updates to keep your phone protected against the latest threats and performing at its best. * The custom-made Titan M security chip helps secure the operating system and your most sensitive data, like passwords.
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| Two US death row inmates executed Posted: 16 May 2019 07:13 PM PDT  A Tennessee man who killed his wife and an Alabama man convicted of a quadruple murder were executed by lethal injection Thursday. Donnie Edward Johnson, 68, was convicted in 1984 of murdering his wife, Connie Johnson, in Memphis, Tennessee, by stuffing a plastic garbage bag down her throat and suffocating her. Michael Brandon Samra, 41, was convicted in 1998 for his involvement in the murders of Randy Duke, Duke's girlfriend Dedra Mims Hunt, and Hunt's six-year-old and seven-year-old daughters.
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| Bill de Blasio, New York mayor, announces White House run Posted: 16 May 2019 11:37 AM PDT  Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, has joined the increasingly crowded race for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2020. Mr de Blasio, the 23rd candidate to declare, presented himself as the person with the most ability to "take on" Donald Trump. The 6ft 5in mayor, known as "Big Bird," said: "I'm a New Yorker, I've known Trump's a bully for a long time, this is not news to me or anyone else here, and I know how to take him on. Donald Trump must be stopped. "He's trying to convince working Americans he's on their side. It's been a lie since day one. Every New Yorker knows he's a con artist. I know his tricks, I know his playbook." Mr de Blasio's run was described as "quixotic" by the New York Post, which ran a front page showing New Yorkers laughing hysterically at the idea. Last month, a poll showed 76 per cent of New York voters said he should not enter the 2020 race. The Democrat tribes fighting it out for their party's 2020 presidential nomination Mr Trump quickly responded to the announcement by calling Mr de Blasio the "worst mayor in the US". The president added on Twitter: "He is a JOKE, but if you like high taxes & crime, he's your man. NYC HATES HIM!" Mr de Blasio, 58, announced his run on Good Morning America, a flagship national TV show, then headed straight to the early voting state of Iowa to campaign. He was elected mayor of New York in 2013 and re-elected comfortably in 2017. As mayor he introduced free preschool, paid sick leave, and a plan to extend health care to all New Yorkers. He has been a prominent critic of Mr Trump on immigration and climate change. Joe Biden, the former vice president, currently has a clear poll lead over the rest of the Democrat 2020 candidates. Bernie Sanders, the US senator, is in second place.
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| An abortion 'reversal'? The method is unproved, but Ohio lawmakers want women to consider it Posted: 17 May 2019 10:26 AM PDT  Republicans in Ohio want every women seeking a medical abortion to be informed of a method for abortion "reversal," which critics call unethical.
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| Insurer report says Iran's Revolutionary Guards likely to have organized tanker attacks Posted: 17 May 2019 10:34 AM PDT  Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards are "highly likely" to have facilitated attacks last Sunday on four tankers including two Saudi ships off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, according to a Norwegian insurers' report seen by Reuters.
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| End to Labour Talks Is Final Nail in Coffin for Theresa May’s Brexit Deal Posted: 17 May 2019 04:52 AM PDT  Corbyn left the door slightly open to doing a deal with the government -- but only if May makes "significant changes," he said in a statement. An end to the cross-party talks and the prime minister's imminent departure blow wide open the possibilities for what Brexit will eventually look like. It's now almost certain that it will be May's successor who completes the U.K.'s departure from the European Union and the next months will see Conservatives choose a leader in a ballot that could define the terms of the divorce.
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| Death row inmate dies 1 day after fellow inmate's execution Posted: 17 May 2019 01:54 PM PDT  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee death row inmate died in prison on Friday, less than three months before his scheduled execution and less than a day after a fellow inmate was executed .
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| US STOCKS-Wall St set to open lower after China's tough talk on trade Posted: 17 May 2019 05:34 AM PDT ![US STOCKS-Wall St set to open lower after China's tough talk on trade]( "US STOCKS-Wall St set to open lower after China's tough talk on trade") Wall Street was set to break a three-day winning streak on Friday, as trade worries returned after Chinese media took a hard stance on the tariff dispute between the United States and China. The trade war will only make China stronger and will never bring the country to its knees, the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily wrote in a front-page commentary. The two sides are expected to meet in China to resume talks soon.
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| Iran says no talks with the US as Gulf tensions soar Posted: 16 May 2019 03:54 PM PDT  Amid rising tensions in the Gulf, Iran on Thursday rejected negotiations with the US and said it was showing "maximum restraint" after Washington sent extra military forces to the region against what it claimed was an imminent threat from Tehran. US officials meanwhile said the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf, one of the world's most strategic waterways, was in reaction to photographs showing that Iran had loaded missiles onto small traditional boats.
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| Missouri Senate passes bill to ban abortions at 8 weeks Posted: 17 May 2019 09:55 AM PDT  Missouri's Republican-led Senate passed a bill that would ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy.
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| Galaxy S10 5G now available at Verizon, starting at $1,299 Posted: 16 May 2019 08:21 AM PDT  We are another step closer to the future of wireless technology today, as Verizon has officially launched Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G smartphone. Although the Moto Z3 and its 5G Moto Mod technically beat Samsung to the punch, the Galaxy S10 5G is the first phone on sale in America with 5G capabilities built in.The phone is on sale starting today at Verizon stores and online at verizonwireless.com, but 5G service is currently only available in Chicago and Minneapolis. Verizon has confirmed 20 additional cities that will get 5G Ultra Wideband service in 2019 as well, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, and Washington DC, with even more set to be unveiled later this year. 30 cities should have 5G before 2020.You can read more about the Galaxy S10 5G in our preview from February, but the phone features a 6.7-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED display, Snapdragon 855 5G processor, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, 4,500 mAh battery, 10-megapixel front-facing camera, and triple rear camera with a 16-megapixel ultra-wide lens, 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, and 12-megapixel telephoto lens. In other words, a big leap over the standard Galaxy S10.Verizon will sell the 256GB model of the Galaxy S10 5G ($1,299) for $54.16 per month for 24 months on its payment plan, while the 512GB model ($1,399) will cost you $58.33 per month for 24 months.As for promotions, new and existing customers can trade in an eligible smartphone to save up to $450 off the price of the Galaxy S10 5G. This discount will take the form of monthly bill credits. If you're switching from another carrier, you can also get a $200 prepaid Mastercard with the purchase of an S10 5G and an unlimited plan.Finally, it's worth noting that in order to take full advantage of the phone, you will need to sign up for Verizon's Above Unlimited or Beyond Unlimited plan. Typically, access to Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband service costs an additional $10 per month, but it is included free in both plans for a limited time.
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| Huawei's HiSilicon says it has long been preparing for U.S. ban scenario Posted: 16 May 2019 10:37 PM PDT ![Huawei's HiSilicon says it has long been preparing for U.S. ban scenario]( "Huawei's HiSilicon says it has long been preparing for U.S. ban scenario") Huawei Technologies' chip arm HiSilicon said on Friday it has long been prepared for the "extreme scenario" that it could be banned from purchasing U.S. chips and technology, and is able to ensure steady supply of most products. HiSilicon, which mainly designs chips for Huawei equipment, made the comments in a letter to staff attributed to President He Tingbo dated "the small hours of May 17", shortly after the United States officially banned Huawei from buying U.S. technology without special approval. HiSilicon has been secretly developing back-up products for years in anticipation of the unlikely scenario that Huawei may one day be unable to obtain advanced chips and technology from the United States, He said in the letter.
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| REI’s Huge Anniversary Sale Can Help You Prep for Summer Adventures Posted: 17 May 2019 11:14 AM PDT |
| Correction: Texas-Police Shooting story Posted: 16 May 2019 11:28 AM PDT  BAYTOWN, Texas (AP) — In a story May 15 about the shooting of a Houston-area woman by a police officer, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Pamela Turner was shot in the parking lot of an east Houston department store and a rally was held there Wednesday. The demonstration was held in the parking lot of the Baytown apartment complex where Turner was shot.
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| Fund Manager Crushes Peers by Betting on Tencent and Alibaba Posted: 17 May 2019 07:41 AM PDT  The 41-year-old money manager's Handelsbanken Tillvaxtmarknad fund trounced 99% of more than 250 emerging-market peers this year and 95% in the past five. "I'm not sure about China's economy accelerating again, but I am fairly certain about Tencent and Alibaba growing," Synning said in a phone interview from Stockholm.
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| After Huawei blow, China says U.S. must show sincerity for talks Posted: 17 May 2019 04:08 AM PDT  China has yet to say whether or how it will retaliate against the latest escalation in trade tension, although state media has taken an increasingly strident tone, with the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily publishing a front-page commentary that evoked the patriotic spirit of past wars. China's currency slid to its weakest in almost five months, although losses were capped after sources told Reuters that the central bank would ensure the yuan did not weaken past the key 7-per-dollar level in the immediate term. Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, asked about state media reports suggesting there would be no more U.S.-China trade talks, said China always encouraged resolving disputes between the two countries with dialogue and consultations. "But because of certain things the U.S. side has done during the previous China-U.S. trade consultations, we believe if there is meaning for these talks, there must be a show of sincerity," he told a daily news briefing.
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| The 2020 BMW M5 Edition 35 Years Has Insane Gold Interior Trim Posted: 16 May 2019 04:00 PM PDT  It gets a bunch of other cool stuff, too, but seriously, look at that trim!
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| Trump administration officials ‘contacted Michael Flynn’ about Russia probe Posted: 16 May 2019 03:52 PM PDT  People connected with Donald Trump's administration and the US Congress tried to influence his former national security adviser's cooperation with the investigation into Russian election meddling, prosecutors said in a court filing made public on Thursday. Michael Flynn provided a voicemail recording of one such communication, it said. It did not identify who he was in touch nor did they describe the exact conversations, but they said the former US army general recounted multiple instances in which "he or his attorneys received communications from persons connected to the Administration or Congress that could have affected both his willingness to cooperate and the completeness of that cooperation."Prosecutors say they were unaware of some of those instances, which took place before and after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts during the presidential transition period in 2016 with the-then Russian ambassador to the United States, until Flynn told them about them. They revealed details about Flynn's communications in a court filing aimed at showing the extent of his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Flynn, a vital witness in the probe, is awaiting sentencing. Meanwhile, the judge in the case ordered that portions of Mr Mueller's report that relate to Flynn be unredacted and made public by the end of the month. The order from US District Judge Emmet Sullivan is the first time a judge is known to have directed the Justice Department to make public any portion of the report that the agency had kept secret. It could set up a conflict with US attorney general William Barr, whose team spent weeks blacking out from the report grand jury information, details of ongoing investigations and other sensitive information. A redacted version of Mr Mueller's report released last month said that the evidence did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the campaign. It did not reach a conclusion on whether Mr Trump illegally obstructed justice, but he did examine nearly a dozen episodes for potential obstruction, including efforts by the president to discourage cooperation. However, it does reveal that after Flynn began cooperating with the government, an unidentified Trump lawyer left a message with one of his attorneys. They reminded them that the president still had warm feelings for Flynn. They also asked for a "heads-up" if Flynn knew damaging information about Mr Trump. Judge Sullivan ordered prosecutors to give him a copy of the audio recording they reference in the court filing and to make public a transcript of that call. He also directed them to file publicly transcripts of any calls with Russian officials such as the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Flynn was supposed to have been sentenced in December, with prosecutors saying he was so cooperative and helpful in their investigation that he was entitled to avoid prison.But after a judge sharply criticised Flynn during his sentencing hearing, he asked for it to be postponed so that he could continue cooperating with prosecutors and reduce the likelihood of being sent to prison. The document also details how Flynn assisted investigators as they looked into whether the Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlin to sway the outcome of the 2016 election. Flynn described to investigators statements from senior campaign officials in 2016 about WikiLeaks — which received and published Democratic emails that were hacked by Russian intelligence officers "to which only a select few people were privy," prosecutors said. That includes conversations with senior campaign officials "during which the prospect of reaching out to the whistleblowing website was discussed." Agencies contributed to this report
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| After Alabama OKs strictest abortion law in nation, Missouri could be next. Where states stand on abortion bans Posted: 17 May 2019 09:30 AM PDT  Alabama's passage of the nation's strictest abortion law is the latest bid by states in the South and Midwest to stake out a legal challenge on a highly emotional, and controversial topic.
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| Thomas Cook shares collapses on broker warning Posted: 17 May 2019 04:19 AM PDT  Shares in troubled British tour operator Thomas Cook collapsed on Friday after Citigroup reportedly warned in a broker note that the stock was worthless. The company's share price dived 27.26 percent to just 14.26 pence in midday deals on the London stock market. "Thomas Cook shares have plunged again, this time after being on the receiving end of a sell recommendation from Citigroup, with a zero pence target price," said analyst Michael Hewson at traders CMC Markets UK.
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| Today’s top deals: Rare AirPods 2 sale, $10 Philips Hue bulbs, $25 Fire TV Stick, $7 smart plugs, more Posted: 16 May 2019 07:35 AM PDT  Today's daily deals roundup is a phenomenal one, so we'll get right to it. Highlights include a rare chance to sale $20 on new AirPods 2 true wireless earbuds (order even though they're out of stock so you can lock in the price, and they'll likely ship within a few weeks), the Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick 4K at their lowest prices of the year for Prime members, Alexa and Google ready smart plugs for $7.22 a piece when you use the coupon code 273MOVFC at checkout, renewed Philips Hue white LED bulbs for an all-time low of $10 a piece when you buy a 4-pack, 16-foot warm white LED light strips for $7.99 each, brand new 6th-gen iPads for an all-time low of $249, one of the best Wi-Fi range extenders on Amazon for only $14.99, $400 off the most incredible 4K home theater projector on the planet while supplies last (which won't be much longer), 400GB SanDisk microSD cards at the lowest price yet, excellent Anker Bluetooth earbuds for only $22, and more. See all of today's best deals down below.
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| Police execute search warrant at Catholic Diocese of Dallas Posted: 15 May 2019 05:50 PM PDT  DALLAS (AP) — Investigators who were "thwarted" during earlier investigations of child sexual abuse by priests on Wednesday searched the offices of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas to obtain evidence of sexual misconduct, according to a police commander and police records.
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| Tesla Model 3 Autopilot Involved in Third Fatal Crash Posted: 17 May 2019 10:09 AM PDT  Should 10 seconds of Autopilot be able to save someone's life? In this case, it did not.
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