| The Latest: Harris says she is fully committed to Iowa Posted: 09 Jun 2019 03:40 PM PDT  Amid questions from Iowa activists about whether her campaign is taking Iowa seriously, California Sen. Kamala Harris told reporters she is "fully committed" to the state and that it will be "a very important part" of winning the nomination. Harris said that her visits to Iowa had been helpful to her campaign, by giving her insight into issues affecting voters not just in Iowa but nationwide.
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| Emerging Markets Caught Between Rate-Cut Euphoria and Trade Woes Posted: 09 Jun 2019 10:33 PM PDT  While Mexico averted the start of new tariffs, Washington's campaign to shake up trade agreements worldwide is still wreaking havoc on global economies. "Broadly we remain constructive on emerging-market debt," said Paul Greer, a London-based money manager at Fidelity International, whose emerging-market debt fund has outperformed 97% of peers this year after reducing risk in the first quarter. Rate DecisionsRussia's central bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said policy makers may reduce interest rates for the first time in a year at their meeting on FridayTraders have boosted wagers for rate cuts to the highest in more than a yearThe Turkish central bank is due to set rates on Wednesday.
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| New York helicopter crash: Pilot killed in fiery accident on top of Manhattan skyscraper Posted: 10 Jun 2019 05:24 PM PDT  A helicopter crash-landed on top of a 51-storey building in New York City on Monday, catching fire and killing the pilot. The helicopter took off at 1:32pm from the heliport on 34th Street, and flew for 11 minutes before crashing. The pilot was named by local media on Monday night as Tim McCormack, and he had been flying a private client shortly before the accident. He had finished the trip, and was heading home to Linden, New Jersey, when the crash happened. The helicopter was reportedly owned by a company called American Continental Properties Inc, the New York Post said. Firefighters work on the roof of 787 Seventh Avenue at 51st Street after a helicopter crashed there Credit: Getty Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, said it was "a very unusual situation". He added: "Helicopters have not been landing on New York buildings for decades. The helicopter should not have been in this area." Mr de Blasio said "a horrible incident" had been avoided, given that the helicopter was "obliterated", but very little debris hit the ground. He said the pilot was an experienced commercial pilot, and they had no idea yet what caused the crash. The fire was extinguished rapidly by the city's fire fighters. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said they believe the pilot was the only passenger on board. They said the helicopter was an Augusta A109E. Damage is visible after a helicopter crashed on the roof of 787 Seventh Avenue at 51st Street Credit: Getty Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, said it appeared that the helicopter pilot made an emergency landing. The city was doused in heavy rain on Monday, with thick clouds causing delays of 90 minutes at the major airports. "If you are a New Yorker you have a level of PTSD from 9/11," said Mr Cuomo. "That's immediately where your mind goes. "But there is no indication at the moment of anything more than that. This is only preliminary, and it evolves all the time, but that's what we know." Nicolas Estevez was standing across the street from the building when a 30 cm piece of metal that appeared to be from the helicopter landed on the pavement just feet away. The crash, which sent people streaming out of the building within seconds, reminded him of September 11, Estevez said. "I saw the explosion and the smoke coming out," he said. Donald Trump tweeted his admiration of the emergency services, saying they did a "phenomenal job", and saying the federal administration was ready to help in any way. I have been briefed on the helicopter crash in New York City. Phenomenal job by our GREAT First Responders who are currently on the scene. THANK YOU for all you do 24/7/365! The Trump Administration stands ready should you need anything at all.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2019 It remained unclear why the helicopter was in the air. Helicopter sightseeing tours are popular, and television and photography crews fly frequently, but the visibility was extremely limited. Executives use helicopters to arrive in and leave the city, but they usually avoid going over central Manhattan. There was not believed to be a helicopter landing pad on the roof. New York - Helicopter crash Workers inside the office building told of feeling a shaking sensation, and then being asked to evacuate. The stairwells were crowded, many said, yet people remained calm. Morgan Aries, working inside the building on the 14th floor, said he felt a large tremor. They were told initially to stay in their seats, but after five minutes were told to leave. "It was a little unnerving in the stairwell, as no one knew what was going on," he told CNN. "We were all checking our phones, looking for updates. There were a lot of sirens, but we didn't see any smoke or debris."
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| House Judiciary Committee Allowed to Take Notes on Evidence From Mueller Probe Posted: 10 Jun 2019 04:38 PM PDT  Chip Somodevilla/GettyMembers of the House Judiciary Committee will be able to take notes on Mueller investigation evidence, and keep those notes after viewing the closely held documents, The Daily Beast has learned. There may be a hiccup, however: A source familiar with the situation cautioned that the White House will likely have access to any evidence that could implicate its equities and executive privilege, and may try to step in and block members of Congress from seeing material it deems privileged. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler start the arm-wrestle with the Justice Department after Special Counsel Robert Mueller released his report on Russian election meddling in April, demanding the full unredacted report and its underlying evidence. The fight grew tense, with members of his committee threatening to subpoena Attorney General Bill Barr. Then, on Monday afternoon, Nadler announced he and the Justice Department had made a deal, and that his committee would not try to use contempt proceedings to force the DOJ to cough up Mueller documents. Nadler's announcement said staff and members of the committee would get access to "key evidence" Mueller gathered on obstruction of justice. A source familiar with the deal told The Daily Beast that the materials in question will stay at DOJ headquarters, nine blocks from the Capitol building. Members will have to hoof it over there to review the docs. Mueller Report Rollout Won't Have MuellerA Democratic committee source then shared a detail on Nadler's deal regarding the notes and access to them. Members of the committee—both Democrats and Republicans—will be able to take notes on Mueller's evidence and will be able to keep those notes after they leave DOJ headquarters, per the source and a second person familiar with the deal. Committee staff who see the documents will be able to take notes as well, a second source familiar with the deal confirmed. A DOJ official said the deal requires that members and staff store those notes in a secure committee facility and only show them to people authorized to see them.That official also told The Daily Beast that the outlines of the deal Nadler announced today are very similar to those outlined in a May 7 proposal the DOJ made to the chairman. That proposal wasn't accepted, and House Judiciary members voted on May 8 to take the first step toward holding Attorney General Bill Barr in contempt of Congress.The May 7 proposal, per the DOJ source, would have let committee members and staff view a minimally redacted version of Mueller's report, with the promise that there would be another negotiating session after they read it regarding its underlying evidence––in other words, 'Read the report, then we'll talk.' Viewing the underlying evidence wasn't off the table, but it wasn't exactly on the table, either. That offer didn't fly. The new agreement gives Nadler, all 41 committee members, and multiple staffers access to some of the report's tightly held underlying evidence. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Trump defends US-Mexico immigration deal amid claims he ‘achieved nothing’ Posted: 10 Jun 2019 12:22 AM PDT  President Donald Trump and his allies on Sunday declared victory in the tariffs standoff with Mexico after the administration appeared to have secured significant commitments from the Mexican government to stem the flow of Central American migrants at the US border.The agreement gave Trump fresh ammunition against his critics, who have pointed out that his controversial negotiating tactics have yielded far fewer results than promised on multiple issues during his time in office.Whether the deal will greatly reduce the number of migrants entering the United States remains to be seen.But it nonetheless represents a serious effort by Mexico to do more on an issue central to Mr Trump's re-election campaign after he threatened to impose a five percent across-the-board tariff on one of the United States' top trading partners.Mexico announced on Friday night that it would implement "strong measures" to reduce the flow of migrants across its territory towards the southern US border, including the unprecedented deployment of thousands of Mexican national guard troops.It also agreed to expand a program allowing Central American migrants to stay in Mexico while they await the adjudication of their asylum claims."The president put a charge in his whole dialogue with Mexico with the tariff threats, brought them to the table," acting Homeland Security secretary Kevin McAleenan said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. "The foreign minister of Mexico arrived within hours. He arrived the next day with real proposals on the table. This is the first time we've heard anything like this kind of number of law enforcement being deployed in Mexico to address migrations."With arrests at the US-Mexico border soaring and President Trump lashing out – at Democrats, foreign governments and US laws – Homeland Security officials are under enormous pressure to halt the migration boom.The Trump administration's efforts to deter migration have not worked, either being shot down in the courts or failing to get through Congress. And Mexican officials brushed off some of the president's earlier demands.Mr Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Mexico to gain leverage in immigration negotiations drew criticism from lawmakers in both major parties, who called it a dangerous escalation that could damage the US economy.But in some morning tweets, President Trump said Mexico "was not being co-operative on the border" before the deal reached on Friday.Now, he said, "I have full confidence, especially after speaking to their President yesterday, that they will be very cooperative and want to get the job properly done".Mr Trump said he could move to reimpose tariffs if Mexico doesn't follow through on its promises.Some aspects of the deal, he added, remain to be announced – "one in particular", he said, "will be announced at the appropriate time."The president's tweet seemed to hint at a possible component of the deal that would transform asylum rules across the region and make applicants seek refuge in the first country they reach.Such an accord would allow the United States to deport most asylum seekers from Guatemala to Mexico, and those from Honduras and El Salvador would be flown to Guatemala.Homeland Security officials think such an arrangement would lead to a dramatic drop in migrants arriving each month at the US border. Those migrants are generally released from custody if they have a child with them.Democrats criticised the agreement as more evidence of the president's anti-immigration agenda while questioning how much impact it would have."These are agreements that Mexico had already made, in some cases months ago," Beto O'Rourke, who is running for president, said in an interview on ABC's "This Week". "They might have accelerated the timetable, but by and large the president achieved nothing, except to jeopardise the most important trading relationship that the United States of America has."Immigrant rights advocates argued on Sunday that while it was important that the United States and Mexico pledged to invest resources in Central America, the deal doesn't address the root cause of the problem, which is poverty and violence in the region that the migrants are fleeing."In general, I don't think that this agreement stems the flow," Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said in an interview."The situation in Central America is pretty dire. There are no examples in modern history of us being able to enforce our way out of a migration crisis like this."But those who support a harder line on immigration said the agreement was a positive sign."I think Mexico sees that our two countries have a shared interest in clamping down on this," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Centre for Immigration Studies, a think tank that favours restricted immigration."We'll see in a couple of months whether it makes a difference, but I think it can. I'm cautiously optimistic."Homeland Security officials say the deal, if fully implemented, represents a breakthrough in their pressure campaign to get Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to take a more robust enforcement approach.In particular, the pledge to deploy 6,000 national guard forces in southern Mexico could make it more difficult for smugglers to continue transporting groups of Central American migrants on buses with little interference from authorities.Mexico has also given assurances it will expand immigration detention centres and bolster deportation efforts.The newly formed national guard was created by President López Obrador primarily in response to domestic pressure to reduce crime and Mexico's soaring homicide rate, so committing those forces to immigration enforcement – which Mr López Obrador described last year during his campaign as doing "dirty work" for the United States – amounts to a significant concession, and it has generated criticism.Mexico had already promised to use the national guard, but the deployment size is much larger than what the government had offered previously.US officials also view the full expansion of the Migrant Protection Programme (MPP), known informally as "Remain in Mexico", as a difference-maker, allowing them to potentially require thousands more asylum seekers to wait outside US territory while their claims for protection are fully adjudicated, a process that can take years.Mexico to date has been resisting US efforts to expand the programme across the entire border.The programme has so far survived court challenges, but a panel of federal judges in California has raised doubts about its legality, and Homeland Security officials have been bracing for an injunction that could halt the program.For US officials, the question is whether the agreement will bring the rapid reduction in unauthorized border crossings that Mr Trump is demanding, and whether it will be sustained once the president's threats abate.Over the weekend, the deal prompted congressional Republicans to call for action on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Mr Trump's new North American trade deal, which has yet to be approved by Congress.Rob Portman, a Senate Finance Committee member and former US trade representative, said in a statement on Friday that he hoped the migration accord would "pave the way for the House and Senate to move quickly to pass the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement".The White House took a step this month to begin the process of congressional approval, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned as recently as Wednesday that approval was in doubt in the House unless several concerns about the negotiated agreement are addressed."We hope to have a path to yes to get it done," she told reporters. "But you have to have enforcement as part of the agreement, not as part of a sidebar letter or bills that we might pass in each country – part of the agreement."A senior Democratic aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations, said on Sunday that the migration deal was "totally irrelevant" to leaders' concerns about the USMCA.Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, appeared relieved in talk-show appearances on Sunday.Senator Roy Blunt, who had spoken out against Mr Trump's tariff threats, called the deal "a big win for both sides" and said it sent a message to China, whose leaders are wrangling with the president over trade."Even though I'm not a big supporter of tariffs, he is, and his willingness to use that probably helped produce a result," Mr Blunt said on "Face the Nation"."I hope we don't have to go back to that as an issue again with Mexico."With an apparently successful outcome in hand, Mr Trump still couldn't avoid selling the deal.In a tweet on Saturday morning, the president claimed that Mexico had agreed to "IMMEDIATELY BEGIN BUYING LARGE QUANTITIES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT FROM OUR GREAT PATRIOT FARMERS!"But Mexico's ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, declined to confirm that account.In an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation", she said only that agricultural trade "is going to grow without tariffs and with USMCA ratification"."But there was no transaction that was signed off on as part of this deal, is what I understand you're saying," host Margaret Brennan asked. "You're just talking about trade."Ms Barcena nodded a few times before answering. "I'm talking about trade, and I am absolutely certain that the trade in agricultural goods would increase dramatically in the next few months," she said.Later, in a tweet, Ms Barcena maintained that she "did not contradict" Trump on the issue – underscoring Mexican officials' hesitance to appear critical of the president so soon after avoiding a major trade war.Washington Post
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| 70 Super Simple Healthy Seafood Recipes Posted: 10 Jun 2019 11:04 AM PDT |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hints at sharp divisions within the Supreme Court Posted: 09 Jun 2019 09:36 PM PDT  Ginsburg warns of more 5-4 decisions ahead; reaction from Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano.
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| Opioid manufacturer Insys files for bankruptcy after kickback probe Posted: 10 Jun 2019 03:22 AM PDT  The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing marked a first for a drugmaker accused in lawsuits of helping fuel the deadly U.S. opioid endemic and came just days after Insys struck a $225 million settlement with the Justice Department. The department is now Insys' largest unsecured creditor due to Wednesday's accord, which resulted in a subsidiary pleading guilty to fraud charges and the company entering into a deferred prosecution agreement. The bankruptcy filing came after a federal jury in Boston in May found Insys founder John Kapoor and four other former executives guilty of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy centered on its fentanyl spray, Subsys.
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| Sporting Rifles: The 5 Best That Can Fire a Bullet (Who Made the List?) Posted: 09 Jun 2019 10:00 PM PDT  Introduced to the American civilian market in 2007, the MR556 is the civilian version of the Heckler and Koch 416 assault rifle. Like the 416, the MR556 uses the gas-piston operating system, a significant break from the direct impingement system used in the AR-15. In fact, the system is similar to that used in the Mini-14. The result is a rifle that releases dirty gases instead of using them to cycle the rifle, making the weapon cleaner running and less prone to overheating. The MR556 is identical to the 416, lacking only the ability to fire burst or fully automatic fire. The U.S. Marine Corps new standard infantry weapon, the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, is based upon the 416.(This first appeared last year.)The field of modern sporting rifles—semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines—has exploded in popularity over the past decade. The expiration of the Federal 1994–2004 Assault Weapons Ban and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan fueled an interest in these weapons. Innovation, in part due to research and development into military small arms, introduced new and interesting rifle designs. Here are the top five modern sporting rifle designs.AR-15
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| Sanders on bills with Hyde Amendment: 'Sometimes ... you have to vote for things you don't like' Posted: 09 Jun 2019 10:23 AM PDT  The senator from Vermont went on to emphasize his support for abortion rights.
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| White House Official Seeks to Delay U.S. Law Targeting Huawei Posted: 09 Jun 2019 06:45 PM PDT  In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, White House acting budget chief Russell Vought asked to delay a provision of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that bars any executive agency, government contractor or company that receives a government loan or grant from using Huawei equipment. Vought warned that the law will place burdens on U.S. companies that use Huawei technology, according to the person. The Wall Street Journal, which reported Vought's letter earlier Sunday, said he warned that the law could dramatically reduce the number of companies that would be able to supply the U.S. government.
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| Trump lashes out after New York Times casts doubt on his Mexico tariff deal Posted: 09 Jun 2019 09:03 AM PDT  President Trump ripped into the New York Times after the newspaper questioned his new deal with Mexico to avoid the tariffs he threatened to impose in retaliation to illegal immigration.
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| Dominican Republic faces tourist backlash after David Ortiz shooting, multiple deaths Posted: 10 Jun 2019 02:52 PM PDT  The Dominican Republic has been in the news for all the wrong reasons — and it's concerning potential tourists.
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| Company executives denounce abortion restrictions in New York Times ad Posted: 10 Jun 2019 06:57 AM PDT ![Company executives denounce abortion restrictions in New York Times ad]( "Company executives denounce abortion restrictions in New York Times ad") Scores of technology, media and fashion executives took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times on Monday to denounce restricting access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare. The advertisement follows a string of company executives in recent weeks who threatened to pull investments in states enacting new laws that limit abortion rights. Nine states, including Alabama, Georgia and Missouri have passed abortion laws this year that all but ban the procedure.
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| Meet the Russian Army's New PL-15 Pistol: Better Than a Glock or Sig Sauer? Posted: 08 Jun 2019 10:00 PM PDT  The PL-15 is hyped up by Kalashnikov Concern to be one of the best pistols in the world. Said to be light, accurate, and soft-shooting, Kalashnikov Concern plans to start producing the gun in 2019. However, the Russian military has not yet expressed official interest in procuring the gun. But should they? Does the PL-15 represent a large step up from existing sidearms?The short answer is, yes. The Russian military still predominantly uses the 9x18mm Makarov pistol, a single stack design from the 1950s. The PL-15 represents a quantum leap ahead of this ancient design, being a modern, striker-fired pistol. However, the Makarov is likely to soldier on for much longer in wide service.The story of the PL-15 begins in 2014, when Dmitri Lebedev, the pistol's namesake and primary designer, was recruited by Kalashnikov Concern to work on a new pistol. Lebedev had worked in small arms for many years prior, being an armorer and competitor for various Russian competition shooting teams.He began work in a new pistol, called the PL-14 that would amalgamate the features of most successful foreign pistols into a domestic design. The pistol featured a low bore axis and long beavertail similar to Glock, Steyr M, and Caracal pistols, an internal double-action trigger similar to the original FN Five-seven, and low profile recessed controls suitable for duty use.
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| Detroit chief says neo-Nazis sought gay pride event violence Posted: 10 Jun 2019 04:31 PM PDT ![Detroit chief says neo-Nazis sought gay pride event violence]( "Detroit chief says neo-Nazis sought gay pride event violence") Detroit police officers prevented violence by a neo-Nazi group that wanted to spark "Charlottesville No. 2" during a gay pride festival over the weekend, the city's police chief said Monday. Chief James Craig said five people among about 15 white supremacists were openly carrying firearms — which is allowed under Michigan law — while they traded barbs with 15-20 counterprotesters during the Motor City Pride festival in downtown Detroit. Officers worked to keep the two groups separate after getting word that the neo-Nazi group wanted to spark violence similar to the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Craig said.
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| US embassies defy Trump administration orders not to fly LGBT+ flags Posted: 10 Jun 2019 02:23 AM PDT  Since the US State Department began rejecting all embassy requests to hoist rainbow flags outside the mission buildings during LGBT+ Pride Month this year, some diplomats have been finding ways to defy, or at least get around, the new policy.The facades of the US missions in Seoul and Chennai, India, are partially hidden behind large rainbow flags, while the embassy in New Delhi is aglow in rainbow-coloured lights.The website for the embassy in Santiago, Chile, shows a video of the chief diplomat raising a rainbow flag last month for the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.The Vienna Embassy's website features a photo of a rainbow flag flying below Old Glory on a mast jutting from the building, a statement by Diplomats for Equality and a story about a professor lecturing on the visibility and growth of LGBT\+ rights.US diplomats in Jerusalem joined a March for Pride and Tolerance, and several ambassadors have tweeted photos of themselves in local Pride parades or standing outside the embassies surrounded by employees holding up letters spelling "PRIDE"."This is a category one insurrection," said one diplomat, who like others interviewed about the sentiment over the rejections, which were not made in writing, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being fired.A practice routinely approved for most of the decade at many embassies now requires top-level approval from the State Department. But this year, as first reported by NBC News, all requests were nixed.The flap over the flags started when the State Department did not send out an official cable this year with guidelines for marking Pride Month, as it has in years past.In 2011, the Obama administration directed agencies involved with foreign policy to promote LGBT+ rights, a striking policy for an agency that, up to the early 1990s, considered homosexuality a security risk and cause for termination.The Obama administration's Pride Month guidelines included rules for flying rainbow flags from poles outside embassies – they had to be smaller than the American flag and fly beneath it.But permission was granted with no fuss. By 2016, approvals were left up to each ambassador or chief of mission.That process changed last year, after Mike Pompeo became secretary of state.An evangelical Christian who believes marriage should be defined as between a man and woman, Mr Pompeo has said gay employees will be respected and treated like everyone else.But he has downplayed some symbols of LGBT+ rights, while introducing several new panels and envoys specialising in religious freedom issues.The advisory cable that came out last year said diplomats are required to obtain top-level approval from the State Department's Office of Management to fly a rainbow flag.The State Department declined to answer questions about the Pride Month advisory and rainbow flag ban. But two diplomats familiar with the events said all requests last year were approved.This year, there was a shift.Embassies in Israel, Germany, Brazil and Latvia, plus a handful of other posts, asked to fly rainbow flags. All were denied, said a person at the State Department who was familiar with what happened.Although most embassies seem to be towing the line, the policy shift appears to have sparked something of a revolt among diplomats.Foreign Service officers have complained on a private Facebook page that nobody should have asked for permission anyway.Some embassies that have flown the flag in previous years opted this year to commemorate the month by posting on their websites president Donald Trump's statement affirming LGBT+ rights and inviting nations to join a global campaign to decriminalise homosexuality.The initiative was the idea of Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, who is gay.Some embassies got playful with the display of Mr Trump's statement.In Brasilia, for example, the statement is topped by a photo of two hands holding six Play-Doh letters in rainbow colours: LGBTQ.But some did not mention Mr Trump's statement at all, an absence made more glaring by the juxtaposition with statements by ambassadors and secretaries of states left over from previous years.Some gay employees in the foreign and civil service say the ban on flying the rainbow flag is just the tip of an iceberg of slights.Mr Pompeo has not issued a statement for Pride Month, as he did last year.He did not attend the State Department's annual Pride Day event for two years running as his predecessors usually did, though he was travelling in Europe this year.Instead, he dispatched deputy secretary of state John Sullivan, a veteran diplomat who promised that the State Department will advocate for gay diplomats and their families."Day by day, a death by a thousand cuts, our rights as LGBT+ Americans are being eroded with the removal of a guidance here, the rewriting of a policy there, or just the quiet disappearance of a web site," Robyn McCutcheon, a transgender woman who has served in several posts abroad, wrote in her blog "Transgender at State", lamenting what she has observed throughout the government in the past two years."It should come as no surprise that this erosion would happen also at the US Department of State."Some acknowledge that their worst fears have not been borne out.The administration has appointed several gay ambassadors.Mr Trump became the first Republican president to make a statement celebrating Pride Month. No one has been fired for sexual orientation, but some said they have felt more vulnerable after Mr Trump tried to ban transgender people from the military.Better, they said, to not even discuss LGBT+ issues publicly and risk the consequences of drawing attention to themselves."We fly below the radar," one employee said. "We survive because they don't realise we're here."Washington Post
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| Toyota Details Six New EV Models Launching for 2020–2025 Posted: 10 Jun 2019 09:17 AM PDT  The automaker is pushing its electric-car rollout up a few years in response to global demand.
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| Ten Tories Stand to Be PM in Crowded Leader Race: Brexit Update Posted: 10 Jun 2019 10:08 AM PDT  The Conservative leadership race burst into life as candidates set out rival visions for how to deliver Brexit. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt -- bolstered by new endorsements -- warned the party risks annihilation if it fails to take Britain out of the European Union. Environment Secretary Michael Gove tried to ride out a storm over his past drug use and took a swipe at the favorite, Boris Johnson.
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| 'An explosion like this' echoes 9/11 Posted: 10 Jun 2019 04:08 PM PDT  An aircraft hits a building in New York. A Red Sox legend is shot. It's Monday's news.
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| Father's Day 2019: Paganism, roses and how the campaign to celebrate dads was won Posted: 10 Jun 2019 01:04 AM PDT  Father's Day, the official calendar date to honour our wonderful dads and celebrate fatherhood, is fast approaching. Recognised each June, the day sees children around the world present their dads with cards and gifts as a thank you for all they do. But when did the first observance of Father's Day take place and who helped establish the annual celebration of paternal figures? From the history behind the celebration, to the more recent commercialisation, here is everything you need to know about Father's Day. When is Father's Day 2019? Father's Day is held every year on the third Sunday of June; this year Father's Day falls on Sunday, June 16 in the UK. Typically, fathers are showered with cards and presents on Father's Day, with some families celebrating together by going on days out. Younger children also tend to make handmade gifts for their fathers at school and extracurricular clubs, including drawings, paintings or cards. As society and family structures have changed, some people now celebrate their stepfathers on Father's Day. In recent years there have been calls for a Stepfather's Day, however no such day has been officially discussed or introduced. Father's Day falls on June 16 this year Credit: E+ The history of Father's Day The first events in recognition of fatherhood took place in the US and followed Anna Jarvis' first celebration of Mother's Day in 1908, as well as the earlier observations of Mothering Sunday in the UK. Grace Golden Clayton, from Fairmont, West Virginia, was the woman behind the first event to celebrate fathers in 1908. Just over a year prior to this event, the Monongah Mining Disaster took place in December 1907, with the explosion killing 361 men. Of these fatalities, 250 were fathers. In honour of the one thousand children who lost their fathers, Clayton encouraged her pastor, Rev. Robert Thomas Webb, to hold a service at the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South. Clayton missed her own father terribly, after he passed away in 1896, so she chose to honour the lives lost on July 5, 1908, the closest date to his birthday. While Clayton was responsible for the first recognition of fatherhood and the paternal bond, her work didn't directly encourage the creation of Father's Day. The memorial service was never promoted outside the town of Fairmont and the service was overshadowed by the significant Independence Day celebrations held a day beforehand. Yet the idea was also picked up on in the following year, when Sonora Smart Dodd started her quest to honour fathers in the same way as mothers. Dodd, born in Arkansas in 1882, was one of six children and at the age of seven, she moved to Washington with her family. When she was 16 years old, her mother, Ellen Victoria Cheek Smart, died after giving birth to her sixth child, leaving her father, William Jackson Smart, a farmer and Civil War veteran, as a single parent. After listening to a Mother's Day sermon at the Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909, Dodd felt that fathers deserved equal recognition. With the local YMCA and the Ministerial Association of Spokane, Dodd began a campaign to have the day officially recognised. The first such 'Father's Day' was held at the YMCA in Spokane on June 19, 1910, with a number of towns and cities across America later following suit. Support for Father's Day quickly increased throughout the US and in 1924 President Calvin Coolidge pressured state governments to mark the celebration. President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers in 1966, making the third Sunday in June Father's Day. Six years later President Richard Nixon signed it into law, establishing the day as a national holiday – though in the UK it does not enjoy this status. The move came after a campaign by a number of public figures, including Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who in 1957 wrote to Congress: "Either we honour both our parents, mother and father, or let us desist from honouring either one. "But to single out just one of our two parents and omit the other is the most grievous insult imaginable." Dodd's message later spread to other countries across the globe and it is thought that Britain began celebrating Father's Day after World War II. Today, the celebration of fathers has become an important commercial event for high street shops and online retailers, with promotions for the best gifts and cards appearing in the build up to the day each year. Father's Day around the world While in the UK fathers can expect, at best, breakfast in bed and handmade card and, at worst, the day to be completely ignored, elsewhere the festival is done a little differently. In Germany, Father's Day is called Vatertag with it also being referred to as Männertag, which means men's day. The celebration falls on the Thursday 40 days after Easter. In certain regions it is traditional for groups of men to go into the woods with a wagon of beer, wines and meats. Heavy drinking is common and, according to official statistics, traffic-related accidents spike on this day. In Australia, Father's Day falls on the first Sunday of September, which is their first Sunday of Spring, while in Croatia, they observe Roman Catholic tradition and celebrate fathers on March 19, Saint Joseph's Day. In China, Father's Day used to be celebrated on August 8 as the Chinese for eight is "ba", while a colloquial word for father is "ba-ba" – so the eighth day of the eighth month sounds similar to "daddy". The day has since been moved to the third Sunday of June, in line with the UK and US. In France, the day was introduced in 1949 for commercial reasons by lighter manufacturer Flaminaire. Inspired by the US' day of celebration, they created a new advert with the slogan 'Nos papas nous l'ont dit, pour la fête des pères, ils désirent tous un Flaminaire' ('Our fathers told us, for father's day, they all want a Flaminaire'). Three years later an official decree was made to recognise the day. Most countries celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday in June including the UK, USA, Mexico, Ireland, France, Greece, China and Japan. However not all countries celebrate it then. In Brazil, Father's Day falls on the second Sunday of August and this day was chosen in honour of Saint Joachim, the patron saint of fathers. According to Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox traditions, Joachim was the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The ultimate films on fatherhood Father's Day tales and traditions Some pagans suggest that Father's Day is closely linked to the Pagan Sun worship, because the sun is thought to be the father of the universe and the celebration of dads falls closely to the summer solstice. Roses are the official flower of Father's Day, with people previously wearing them to church on this date. While this tradition is rarely seen today, sons and daughters used to wear either a red rose in admiration of a living father or a white rose in memory of a deceased father. Sonora Smart Dodd, the founder of Father's Day, selected this flower and it is said that during the early celebrations, she handed out roses to home-bound fathers, while on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city. Father's Day gifts and presents From cutesy cards, socks and ties to luxurious watches and fantastic car experiences, Britons present their paternal figures with an array of unique gifts on Father's Day. But, demand for the perfect Father's Day present has led to the increasing commercialisation of the day, with retailers competing to offer the best gifts and consumers heading to their high street shops and online retailers. According to MuchNeeded, Father's Day is a popular shopping day in both the UK and US, with 75 per cent of men expected to celebrate the occasion this year. While Britons and Americans spend a significant amount on Father's Day each year, on average it only accounts for half the spending around Mother's Day. Is it Father's Day, Fathers' Day or Fathers Day? Ah, the age old question. The answer? Many say Father's Day is the correct version. Mother's Day (which has the apostrophe before the 's') set the precedent while Father's Day was still gaining popularity. Anna Jarvis trademarked the term 'Mother's Day' – with the apostrophe before the 's' – in 1912, saying the word should 'be a singular possessive, for each family to honour its own mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world'. President Woodrow Wilson used this spelling when he formalised Mother's Day in 1914; this means the correct version of the word is spelled with the apostrophe before the 's'. Father's Day has followed suit, with cards on both sides of the pond including the apostrophe in the same place.
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| Up to two million Syrians could flee to Turkey if clashes worsen: U.N. Posted: 10 Jun 2019 03:16 AM PDT  Up to 2 million refugees could flee to Turkey if fighting intensifies in northwestern Syria as aid funds run dangerously low, the United Nations said on Monday. Syria's Russian-backed military has been pressing an assault on rebels in their last major stronghold with air attacks and ground battles that have already forced tens of thousands to leave their homes. "Our fear is if this continues, and if the numbers continue soaring, and if the conflict intensifies, that we could see really hundreds of thousands, a million, two, heading toward the borders with Turkey," the U.N. Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Panos Moumtzis, said.
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| How to Find and Cancel Recurring Credit Card Charges Posted: 10 Jun 2019 06:24 AM PDT ![How to Find and Cancel Recurring Credit Card Charges]( "How to Find and Cancel Recurring Credit Card Charges") Checking your credit card statements regularly can help you weed out recurring charges that are costing you money. Recurring charges to your credit card can add up quickly, even if they're small amounts. Knowing how to spot these charges -- and eliminate them -- can help you sidestep an overinflated credit card bill.
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| What Catholic bishops must do to prevent sexual abuse and hold clergy accountable Posted: 10 Jun 2019 09:10 AM PDT  The Roman Catholic Church has been plagued by sexual abuse scandals for years. Here's what it can do to clean up now and to prevent future abuse.
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| Senators hope to force vote on arms sales to Saudi Arabia Posted: 09 Jun 2019 02:20 PM PDT ![Senators hope to force vote on arms sales to Saudi Arabia]( "Senators hope to force vote on arms sales to Saudi Arabia") Opposition to President Donald Trump's Saudi Arabia policy and use of executive power is building in Congress, where senators have introduced more legislation aimed at blocking the sale of weapons to the kingdom. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a Democrat, and Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, a Republican, said in a statement Sunday they hope to force a vote on U.S. security assistance to Saudi Arabia, including arms sales, after a review of the kingdom's human rights record. Anger has been mounting in Congress for months over the Trump administration's close ties to the Saudis, fueled by high civilian casualties in the Saudi-led war in Yemen — a military campaign the U.S. is assisting — and the killing of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.
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| 39 Ice Cream Sandwiches You Need In Your Life ASAP Posted: 10 Jun 2019 12:48 PM PDT |
| Gutfeld celebrates the fourth anniversary of his show Posted: 08 Jun 2019 07:22 PM PDT  Greg Gutfeld thanks D-Day veterans and weighs in on President Trump's visit to the U.K.
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| US axes non-essential services for kids at migrant shelters Posted: 08 Jun 2019 06:30 PM PDT  When reporters toured a shelter for immigrant children in February, authorities showed off classrooms, soccer fields and art studios to prove the kids were being treated well. This week President Donald Trump's administration cancelled all that special care, citing a lack of funding. Some 13,200 children and teens, most of them Central American, are being held in 168 shelters for minors in 23 states across the United States.
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| Kroger recalls some of its frozen berries after FDA warns about possible Hepatitis A contamination Posted: 09 Jun 2019 12:00 PM PDT ![Kroger recalls some of its frozen berries after FDA warns about possible Hepatitis A contamination]( "Kroger recalls some of its frozen berries after FDA warns about possible Hepatitis A contamination") Kroger said Friday it's recalling three varieties of Private Selection frozen berries due to possible Hepatitis A contamination.
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| Supreme Court to hear Comcast appeal in Byron Allen racial bias suit Posted: 10 Jun 2019 06:52 AM PDT  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear cable television operator Comcast Corp's bid to throw out comedian and producer Byron Allen's racial bias lawsuit accusing the company of discriminating against black-owned channels. The justices will review a decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that cleared the way for a $20 billion civil rights lawsuit against Comcast to proceed. At issue in the litigation is the refusal by Comcast to carry channels operated by Entertainment Studios Networks, owned by Byron Allen, who is black.
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| 19 Democratic Presidential Candidates Took the Stage Sunday. No One Stood Out Posted: 09 Jun 2019 07:22 PM PDT  Nineteen of the 24 Democratic presidential candidates took the stage in Iowa on Sunday at the largest cattle-call yet.
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| Japan says human error likely cause of F-35A jet crash Posted: 09 Jun 2019 11:42 PM PDT  Human error was the likely cause of an F-35A fighter jet crash in April, Japan's defence ministry said Monday, and flights of the stealth jet will resume after new training measures. The jet crashed into the sea in April after the 41-year-old pilot suffered "spatial disorientation", in which a person loses their sense of balance, the ministry concluded. "The crash was likely caused by spatial disorientation of the pilot, not technical problems with the aircraft," a ministry official told AFP.
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| Salesforce buying Tableau as businesses embrace data Posted: 10 Jun 2019 10:26 AM PDT  Salesforce, a maker of customer-management software, is buying Tableau Software in an all-stock deal valued at $15.7 billion. Cloud computing giants Microsoft and Amazon offer similar insights, and Google stepped up its game last week when it announced it was acquiring private data analytics firm Looker for $2.6 billion to expand its Google Cloud business. It's part of a "democratization of business intelligence" using software tools that work like "Microsoft Excel on steroids," Baird analyst Rob Oliver said, referring to the widely used spreadsheet tool.
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| How Does the Chevrolet Silverado's New Duramax Turbo-Diesel Engine Compare against Ford and Ram? Posted: 10 Jun 2019 11:48 AM PDT  We look at the numbers: It's a dog-eat-dog truck world out there, and Chevrolet just took a big bite.
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| Could Driverless Cars Damage Demand for Air Travel? Posted: 10 Jun 2019 06:15 AM PDT  As driverless cars become more capable and more common, they will change people's travel habits not only around their own communities but across much larger distances. Our research has revealed just how much people's travel preferences could shift, and found a new potential challenge to the airline industry.Imagine someone who lives in Atlanta and needs to travel to Washington, D.C., for business. This is about a 10-hour drive. A flight takes about two hours, assuming no delays. Add to that the drive to the airport, checking in, the security line and waiting at the gate. Upon arrival in D.C., it may take another 30 minutes to pick up any checked bags and find a rental car – and even more time to drive to the specific destination. The average person would estimate a total travel time of four to five fours. Most people would choose to fly instead of driving themselves.
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| Google Maps could alert passengers when their taxi goes off route Posted: 10 Jun 2019 07:15 AM PDT  According to a media report, Google Maps is testing a new feature that would send users an alert if their taxi strays 500 meters off route. Later this summer, Maps will also send you an alert if your route could be affected by a crisis and will likewise reroute the path to avoid any dangers. Adding alerts for route deviations is just another way Google is working to keep users safe.
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| China's exports beat forecast to rise as trade war heats up Posted: 09 Jun 2019 11:49 PM PDT  China's exports beat gloomy forecasts to rebound in May though imports sank more than expected, official data showed Monday, as concerns lingered about the impact of its ongoing trade war with the United States. The spat between the world's top two economies escalated last month, with President Donald Trump increasing tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods. The politically sensitive surplus with the United States was $26.9 billion, up from $21 billion in April.
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| Ethiopia delays census again despite looming election Posted: 10 Jun 2019 06:20 AM PDT  Ethiopia's parliament postponed a national census for a second time on Monday, citing security concerns but potentially undermining logistics for the first election under reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Ethiopia is due to hold a national vote some time next year, and the census - already postponed once from 2017 - is a crucial step toward demarcating constituencies. "Our people are still displaced in many parts of the country," lawmaker Tesfaye Daba said during a parliamentary debate.
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| California to Provide Full Health Benefits to Illegal Immigrants under Age 26 Posted: 10 Jun 2019 08:47 AM PDT  California governor Gavin Newsom has finalized a deal with the state's Democrat-controlled legislature to provide full health benefits to low-income illegal immigrants under the age of 26.Newsom's office released an outline of the state's 2020 budget Sunday night that calls for $98 million in new annual spending to make some 90,000 previously uninsured illegal immigrants eligible for the state's Medicaid program, according to the Sacramento Bee.The new spending will be offset by a fine on uninsured Californians similar to the "individual mandate" imposed at the federal level under Obamacare and subsequently reversed by the Trump administration.Cynthia Buiza, executive director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, celebrated the expansion of health benefits for younger illegal immigrants but lamented the exclusion of elderly illegal immigrants."For California's immigrant communities, today's budget deal is bittersweet," Buiza said in a statement. "The exclusion of undocumented elders from the same health care their U.S. citizen neighbors are eligible for means beloved community members will suffer and die from treatable conditions. And the exclusion of many immigrants from the Earned Income Tax Credit will perpetuate the crisis of economic inequality in our state."The provision of health care to young illegal immigrants represents a compromise between Newsom and Democrats in the legislature who have long demanded that the budget include funds to provide benefits to all California residents regardless of immigration status.The budget, which must still pass a final vote in the legislature in the coming weeks, includes a total $213 billion in annual spending, which California Democrats believe they are well-positioned to cover considering this year's budget surplus."The budget agreement we're finalizing tonight builds on the strong budget proposal of the governor, while adding significant legislative priorities," said Democratic state senator Holly Mitchell, who leads the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. "The budget agreement maintains our agreement to responsible budgeting, which includes the largest reserves in history — over $20 billion — finally paying off the remaining wall of debt from the Great Recession and making supplemental pension payments."Roughly 40 percent of the nation's illegal immigrants reside in California and that number is rising as record numbers of asylum-seekers continue to arrive at the San Ysidro border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego each day. In 2018, half of all births in California were paid for by the state's Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, and 30 percent of those babies were born to mothers in the country illegally.
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| Renault warns Nissan it will block governance reshuffle Posted: 10 Jun 2019 12:14 AM PDT  In a statement, the Japanese firm said it had received a letter from Renault "indicating intention to abstain from voting", a move that would mean the proposed changes fall short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass. "Nissan finds Renault's stance on this matter most regrettable, as such a stance runs counter to the company's efforts to improve its corporate governance," CEO Hiroto Saikawa said in a statement. Renault's decision, first reported by the Financial Times, was taken over fears the proposed governance changes could reduce its influence, the paper said.
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| Apple releases iOS 12.3.2 for iPhone with a fix for an annoying bug Posted: 10 Jun 2019 10:00 AM PDT  We're all anxious for iOS 13 following Apple's big reveal at WWDC last week, but the iPhone maker still isn't finished with iOS 12 quite yet. On Monday, Apple rolled out iOS 12.3.2, which appears to be little more than a bug fix for select iPhone 8 Plus users that have been experiencing issues with Portrait mode depth effects.With just a few months to go until iOS 13 launches this fall, it seems likely that iOS 12.4 (and any subsequent 12.4 releases) will be the end of the line for iOS 12. Several betas have already rolled for iOS 12.4, and other than support for the Apple Card, there don't appear to be many significant changes to the operating system.Here's what Apple provided in terms of details about the iOS 12.3.2 update, which is available now:> iOS 12.3.2 resolves an issue that could cause Camera to capture Portrait mode photos without depth effect on some iPhone 8 Plus devices.As for device compatibility, iOS 12.3.1 is only available for the iPhone 8 Plus. Other devices will find that iOS 12.3.1 is the latest available version, and it's compatible with the following devices: * iPhone XS * iPhone XS Max * iPhone XR * iPhone X * iPhone 8 * iPhone 8 Plus (iOS 12.3.2) * iPhone 7 * iPhone 7 Plus * iPhone 6s * iPhone 6s Plus * iPhone 6 * iPhone 6 Plus * iPhone SE * iPhone 5s * 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation * 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation * 10.5-inch iPad Pro * 9.7-inch iPad Pro * iPad Air 2 * iPad Air * iPad 5th generation * iPad mini 4 * iPad mini 3 * iPad mini 2 * iPod touch 6th generationIf you want to update your device to iOS 12.3.2 now, you can do so by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update on your device and tapping "Download and Install" at the bottom of the page. You can also apply the update through iTunes by connecting your iOS device to a computer.
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| The 2019 Ford Ranger XL SuperCab Is Cheap and Quick Posted: 10 Jun 2019 11:05 AM PDT  At less than $30,000, Ford's base Ranger is a solid, largely vice-free workhorse.
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| The Color Trends We’ll Be Seeing in 2020, According to Sherwin-Williams Posted: 10 Jun 2019 03:30 AM PDT  The company just announced its forecast, which includes 45 hues divided into five themes
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| Boy, 12, seriously wounded in Roseland shooting Posted: 08 Jun 2019 08:27 PM PDT  A 12-year-old boy is in serious condition after being shot Saturday afternoon in Roseland on the Far South Side.
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