| Swalwell becomes first major Democrat to drop out of 2020 race Posted: 08 Jul 2019 01:48 PM PDT  Rep. Eric Swalwell officially ended his presidential bid on Monday after failing to gain traction in a crowded Democratic primary.
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| Pelosi, Schumer Call on Secretary Acosta to Resign for His 'Unconscionable' Role in Jeffrey Epstein Scandal Posted: 09 Jul 2019 09:22 AM PDT  Acosta oversaw a lenient plea deal Epstein accepted in 2008
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| Mexican officials find 51 migrants in truck using giant X-ray Posted: 08 Jul 2019 12:17 PM PDT ![Mexican officials find 51 migrants in truck using giant X-ray]( "Mexican officials find 51 migrants in truck using giant X-ray") Mexican officials using a large X-ray scanner at a checkpoint in the central state of Zacatecas found 51 Central American migrants in hidden compartments inside a truck. Footage of the X-ray shows a ghost-like truck filled with the brightened silhouettes of the migrants, some sitting, others lying down along two levels in the crowded compartments. The migrants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Ecuador, 21 of whom were minors, are now in the custody of the country's National Migration Institute (INM), government officials said in a statement late on Sunday.
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| Saudi carrier cancels troubled Boeing 737 order for Airbus Posted: 08 Jul 2019 11:04 AM PDT  Boeing's campaign to restore the reputation of its best-selling plane after two deadly crashes suffered a blow with a Saudi airline canceling an order worth up to $5.9 billion in favor of a European rival of the U.S. manufacturer. Flyadeal, the budget airline arm of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corp., ordered 30 A320neo jets from Airbus and took options on 20 more, meaning that its entire fleet will consist of planes from that company. It's a potentially troubling sign for Boeing, which has not seen customers divert orders to Airbus en masse.
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| Cruise ship in Venice near-miss weeks after dock incident Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:27 AM PDT  A cruise ship narrowly missed a yacht while being towed out of Venice late Sunday, just a month after a collision there renewed the controversy over the giant vessels. The 12-deck Costa Deliziosa, which is nearly 300 metres (1,000 feet) long and carries more than 3,800 passengers and crew, was being towed out in stormy conditions when the near-miss happened. A video posted by a Venetian writer and artist, Roberto Ferrucci, on his website www.robertoferrucci.com showed the massive cruise ship passing very close to a moored yacht.
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| China vs. America in the South China Sea is a Missile Stand-Off. Who Would Win? Posted: 09 Jul 2019 12:46 AM PDT  The Chinese military lobbed anti-ship ballistic missiles into the South China Sea in tests in early July 2019.The missile trials underscored Beijing's increasing militarization of resource-rich waters on which several countries have conflicting claims."The Chinese carried out the first test over the weekend, firing off at least one missile into the sea," NBC News reported on July 1, 2019, citing a U.S. official with knowledge of the test."The window for testing remains open until July 3, and the official expects the Chinese military to test again before it closes."No U.S. Navy vessels were in the area when the missile or missiles splashed down, NBC News reported. Still, the official described the event as "concerning."China in recent years has occupied several disputed islands in the China Seas, dredged their endangered coral reefs and built atop them sprawling airfields and barracks and installations for cruise missiles and air-defense systems.The U.S. Navy frequently sails warships through international waters near these fortified islands in order to assert its rights to navigate open waters. These "freedom-of-navigation operations," or FONOPs, often draw harsh condemnation from Beijing.In January 2019 China deployed anti-ship ballistic missiles to the country's northwest plateau in an apparent attempt to protect them from the U.S. Navy's own missiles.
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| Vice President Pence to visit border amid outcry over conditions at migrant detention centers Posted: 09 Jul 2019 02:09 PM PDT  Vice President Mike Pence is traveling to the southern border Friday, the same day that House Democrats are holding a hearing on migrant detention centers.
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| Israel shoots down drone, discovers tunnel from Gaza Posted: 09 Jul 2019 01:37 PM PDT  Israel's military shot down a drone on Monday that crossed into its territory from the Gaza Strip and found an attack tunnel running under the Gaza perimeter fence.
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| Warren Pulls in over $19 Million in Second Quarter Posted: 08 Jul 2019 12:23 PM PDT  Senator Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign raised more than $19 million during the second quarter of this year, the third-most of any contender for the Democratic nomination over that span.From April 1 through June 30, approximately 384,000 individual donors made over 683,000 contributions to Warren's campaign, with the average donation size hovering around $28, campaign officials announced Monday. Less than $100,000 of the $19 million+ haul is earmarked for the general election should the Massachusetts progressive make it to that point."To sum it up: We raised more money than any other 100% grassroots-funded campaign. That's big," the senator said in an email to supporters. "You sent a message that Elizabeth's vision for the future is worth fighting for. And you showed the rich and powerful that change is coming – sooner than they think."Of the Democratic candidates who have announced their second-quarter gains, Warren trailed only South Bend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg, whose campaign said he raised $24.8 million, and former vice president Joe Biden, who pulled in $21.5 million. She beat Senator Bernie Sanders, who raised $18 million in the second quarter, as well as Senator Kamala Harris, who has risen in the polls lately but managed to garner only $12 million from donors in the last three months.Warren, a longtime advocate of aggressively regulating Wall Street, has eschewed PAC money and refused to hold fundraisers with wealthy donors. She raised only $6 million in the first quarter.
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| Spokesman: Bill Clinton 'knows nothing' about 'terrible crimes' alleged against Epstein Posted: 09 Jul 2019 10:17 AM PDT  Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein has previously been tied to former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump.
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| A Saudi princess, a bodyguard and a workman: French trial to open Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:51 AM PDT ![A Saudi princess, a bodyguard and a workman: French trial to open]( "A Saudi princess, a bodyguard and a workman: French trial to open") The king of Saudi Arabia's daughter is a "caring, humble" person who is the victim of false allegations that she ordered a bodyguard to beat up a workman in her luxury flat in Paris, the princess' lawyer said. Princess Hassa bint Salman is due to go on trial in absentia on Tuesday on charges of complicity to violence with a weapon and complicity to kidnap an Egyptian-born artisan who was carrying out repairs at her father's residence on the exclusive Avenue Foch in September 2016. According to the indictment, seen by Reuters, workman Ashraf Eid told police the bodyguard bound his hands, punched and kicked him and forced him to kiss the princess' feet after she accused him of filming her on his cell phone.
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| California's Recent Earthquakes Are Reigniting Fears of the 'Big One' Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:49 AM PDT  'It is a wake-up call for the rest of the state'
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| The U.S. Navy Wants to Add the Ultimate Weapon: 'Laser Guns'? Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:00 AM PDT  (Washington, D.C.) If swarms of enemy small attack boats armed with guns and explosives approached a Navy ship, alongside missile-armed drones and helicopters closing into strike range, ship commanders would instantly begin weighing defensive options - to include interceptor missiles, electronic warfare, deck-mounted guns or area weapons such as Close-in-Weapons System.Now, attacks such as these will also be countered with laser weapons being added to the equation, bringing new dimensions to maritime warfare on the open sea.By 2021, U.S. Navy destroyers will be armed with new ship-fired lasers able to sense and incinerate enemy drones, low-flying aircraft and small boat attacks -- all while firing at the speed of light.Lasers have existed for many years, but the Navy is now adjusting emerging Tactics, Techniques and Procedures to how new high-powered, ship-fired lasers will change ship defenses….and attack options.Lockheed Martin and the Navy have been working on ground attack tests against mock enemy targets to prepare high-energy lasers for war. The weapon, called High-Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-Dazzler with Surveillance - or HELIOS - is engineered to surveil, track and destroy targets from an integrated ship system consisting of advanced radar, fire control technology and targeting sensors.Working with the Navy, Lockheed has recently completed its Systems Design Review for HELIOS, a process which examines weapon requirements and prepares subsystems and designs. The intent is to engineer an integrated tactical laser system able to receive "real time operating feedback well in advance, before the system hits the ship," said Brendan Scanlon, HELIOS Program Director, Lockheed.
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| Kris Kobach Enters U.S. Senate Race, Misspells Own First Name Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:46 AM PDT  REUTERSKris Kobach's U.S. Senate campaign is off to an inauspicious start. The former Kansas secretary of state, a Republican, officially declared his candidacy in a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Monday. But the filing misspelled his first name. The campaign amended the error an hour later. Kobach is running to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Roberts.The former secretary of state is a strident Trump supporter who previously chaired a presidential commission on voter fraud, which fizzled out after the panel failed to marshal much evidence that the practice was widespread. After White House advisor Stephen Miller boasted of Kobach having evidence of such alleged fraud, the Kansas Republican appeared on CNN and famously came up empty with any proof.Kobach also ran for governor of Kansas in 2018 and received Trump's outspoken support for his candidacy despite the president's initially neutral stance in the state's Republican primary. One day before primary ballots were cast, Trump tweeted his endorsement of Kobach, taking sides against incumbent Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer.Despite the president's "full & total" endorsement in the general election, Kobach lost to Democrat Laura Kelly by about five points.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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| Seized supertanker was full to capacity with crude - Gibraltar Posted: 08 Jul 2019 10:01 AM PDT  Tests have shown a supertanker seized in Gibraltar last week was fully loaded with crude oil, the government of the British territory said on Monday. British Royal Marines boarded the ship, Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar on Thursday and seized it for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. "Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar can now confirm, after having received the results of comprehensive laboratory testing, that ... the Grace 1, which was detained in the early hours of Thursday morning, is loaded to capacity with crude oil," the government said in a statement.
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| Man arrested in Oregon in death of original Mouseketeer Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:15 AM PDT  Daniel James Burda, 36, was taken into custody Friday on suspicion of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, abuse of a corpse, criminal mistreatment and identity theft in the death of Dennis Day, Oregon State Police said. Oregon State Police Captain Timothy R. Fox said Burda did jobs around the house for Day and his husband. Police declined to provide more details about Burda's connection to Day, though neighbors say Burda had lived with the elderly couple at their home in southern Oregon.
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| Two Big Earthquakes Shook Rural Southern California. What Would Have Happened If They Hit a Major City? Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:52 PM PDT  Here's what could happen
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| Double the speed of your Fire TV or Chromecast with one $14 gadget Posted: 08 Jul 2019 11:35 AM PDT  Do you have a Fire TV Stick, a Fire TV Stick 4K, or a Chromecast? If you do, you undoubtedly love it… most of the time. When it's working perfectly and nothing interrupts your streaming, it's great. But there are a lot of times when things start to slow down and quality gets choppy, or the stream just drops out completely. Once in a blue moon, it's your internet provider's fault, but 99 times out of 100, it's your Wi-Fi causing the slowdowns. If you want to speed up your connection and stop all those annoying slowdowns, pick up a UGREEN Ethernet Adapter on Amazon for under $14. Don't have Ethernet in your home? No problem, you can also get a terrific powerline adapter kit for $43 that instantly turns any regular old power outlet into a gigabit Ethernet port!Here's more info from the product page: * Stable Network: Enables your Micro USB TV sticks, Chromecast Ultra / 3 / 2 / 1 / Audio, Google Home Mini, Raspbbery Pi Zero etc., to ethernet for faster and more stable internet access, put an end to weak WiFi signal 【NOTE: 1. Works for TV Sticks supporting ethernet through micro usb port showed in the 2nd photo 2.Do NOT support fire stick gen 1(FCCID: 2ABDU-0509), Roku Stick/Express, Fire HD 10 or any other tablet or cellphone; 3.Do not fit for VPN】 * Faster Internet Connection: RJ45 provide a speed of full 10/100 Mbps ethernet performance and the Micro USB 2.0 at 480Mbps for faster and more reliable Internet access * Practical Ethernet Adapter: Best solution for congested wifi, poor wireless signal, no wireless router at home, old wireless router only supporting 802.11b, poor network performance of Chromecast and other tv sticks * Plug & Play: Driver-free, don't need to install any driver program for the ethernet adapter, simply plug and play; You just plug it in, then it works. No channel issues, no frequency issues, no interference issues, no security type issues * 3.3ft USB Power Cable & Micro USB Cable: No worry about your ethernet adapter cable is not long enough and is hung in the air making your ethernet connecting be loose by gravity(NOTE: DO NOT include wall charger or Ethernet Cable)
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| F-35 in Trouble? Dispute with Lockheed Martin Means No More American F-35 Deliveries Posted: 08 Jul 2019 10:00 AM PDT  At the heart of the dispute is the government's inspection of the planes during Lockheed's production, which failed to discover problems with the fastenings, the sources said. A dispute with Lockheed Martin over a production mistake on the F-35 has prompted the Pentagon and at least two foreign countries from accepting deliveryof new aircraft.Corrosion "exceeding technical limits" was discovered during routine maintenance at Hill Air Force Base (AFB) last year. The Pentagon determined that the "lack of protective coating at the fastening point" between the carbon fiber exterior panel and aluminum airframe to be the cause.As reported by Reuters the dispute centers on who will foot the bill for Lockheed Martin technicians to travel around the world to remedy the issue on jets based overseas.
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| Iranians despair over nuclear deal confrontation Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:11 AM PDT ![Iranians despair over nuclear deal confrontation]( "Iranians despair over nuclear deal confrontation") Iran's decision to further challenge the United States by boosting its uranium enrichment beyond limits in its 2015 nuclear deal has deepened fears among Iranians that their country will remain in crisis mode over the long term. The United States' exit from the pact last year, under President Donald's Trump's campaign to squeeze Iran with sanctions, has so far failed to force its clerical rulers to renegotiate. Iran confirmed on Monday it had enriched uranium to a purity beyond that allowed by the pact.
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| Tory leadership debate: Boris Johnson refuses to promise to keep Kim Darroch as US ambassador Posted: 09 Jul 2019 12:20 PM PDT  Boris Johnson has refused to say he would keep Sir Kim Darroch as Britain's ambassador to the US if he became prime minister.During a live television debate between the two Tory candidates to become the next prime minister, the former foreign secretary initially evaded the question and refused to commit himself on Sir Kim's fate, but when pressed said he wouldn't be "presumptuous".Jeremy Hunt, by contrast, said he would keep Sir Kim in place until he retires at the end of the year."Who chooses our ambassadors is a matter for the United Kingdom government and the United Kingdom prime minister so I've made clear that if I am our next prime minister, the ambassador in Washington stays," Mr Hunt said.Mr Johnson tried to put the focus on his rival by questioning whether he would keep the ambassador on beyond Sir Kim's planned retirement date.He condemned the person who leaked the memos from Sir Kim, and conceded Donald Trump's criticism of Sir Kim was "not necessarily the right thing to do"."I'm not going to be so presumptuous as to – what I will say is that I and I alone takes important and politically sensitive jobs," Mr Johnson said.
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| On social media, calls for boycott of Home Depot because co-founder supports Donald Trump Posted: 09 Jul 2019 08:20 AM PDT  Shoppers have taken to Twitter and Facebook to call for a boycott of Home Depot after its co-founder says he will back Donald Trump's reelection bid.
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| This Is the Mid-Engined 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8's Rear End Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:55 AM PDT  No, this doesn't appear to be an even uglier Camaro-it's the new mid-engined Corvette, spotted before its official reveal.
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| 13-year-old stabs brother because he 'would rather be in jail than spend eight hours' with him Posted: 09 Jul 2019 06:57 AM PDT  A 13-year-old boy who stabbed his older brother told police he would "rather be in jail" than spend eight hours in a car with his sibling. The teenager complained his 15-year-old brother had been teasing him before he slashed him three times with a pocket knife.
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| 55+ Father's Day Dinners That Will Show Dad How Much You Care Posted: 09 Jul 2019 02:30 PM PDT |
| Correction: Migrant Children Drawings story Posted: 09 Jul 2019 09:41 AM PDT  MCALLEN, Texas (AP) —In a story July 5 about drawings made by migrant children depicting their time in Border Patrol custody, The Associated Press spelled incorrectly the name and misstated the title of the American Academy of Pediatrics' incoming president Dr. Sara Goza. The American Academy of Pediatrics has released photographs of drawings made by migrant children who were asked to depict their time spent in Border Patrol custody. Another picture has frowning stick figures behind what appears to be a chain-link fence.
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| Technological Theft: China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Has American DNA Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:00 PM PDT  There's a reason for this: In 2007, Lockheed Martin dealt with something of a cyber Ocean's 11 when Chinese hackers stole technical documents related to the development of the F-35. On August 1st of last year, China celebrated the founding of the People's Liberation Army by allowing some high-resolution photos of the next-generation J-20 stealth fighter to leak, complete with a tasteful photoshopped-on patriotic dragon painting just below the canopy which just screams "Happy Birthday, PLA."The new photos of the J-20 provide an up close and personal look at the fuselage of the new interceptor. But the photos also appear to show a sensor system that looks awfully similar to the Lockheed Martin Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) on the front of the F-35 Lighting II.
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| Cruise ship in Venice near-miss just weeks after dock incident Posted: 08 Jul 2019 06:39 AM PDT  A giant cruise ship very narrowly missed a yacht while being towed out of Venice late Sunday, just a month after a collision there renewed the controversy over the giant vessels. A video posted by a Venetian writer and artist, Roberto Ferrucci, on his website www.robertoferrucci.com showed the massive cruise ship passing very close to a moored yacht. The crew of the 50-metre yacht rushed from their ship to the quayside as the cruise ship brushed by, the AGI news agency reported.
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| Hong Kong leader says extradition bill is dead, but critics unconvinced Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:10 PM PDT  Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the extradition bill that sparked the Chinese-ruled city's biggest crisis in decades is dead and that government work on the legislation had been a "total failure", but critics accused her of playing with words. The bill, which would allow people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China to face trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, sparked huge and at times violent street protests and plunged the former British colony into turmoil. In mid-June, Lam responded to protests that drew hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets by suspending the bill, but that did not stop demonstrations that shut government offices and brought parts of the financial center to a standstill.
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| YouTube engineer on LSD-fuelled 4th July rampage leaves eight people hurt Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:43 AM PDT  A YouTube software engineer has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder after taking LSD and ramming a stolen truck into strangers, according to police in northern California.Betai Koffi, 32, hurt eight people during a violent rampage after becoming "delusional" on the hallucinogenic drug, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said.Sergeant Spencer Crum said the tech worker initially lashed out at friends during Fourth of July celebrations at a rented home in Bodega Bay. Mr Koffi allegedly punched a woman in the chest, stabbed a man with a pencil, choked another man, and then punched a third man in the face.After driving off from the party in a rented car at about 8pm, the San Francisco resident is said to have stabbed a security guard in the chest with the sharp end of a garden light.Mr Koffi then stole the security guard's truck and drove into pedestrians out walking in the Pacific coast town, hitting three people and causing significant injuries to two women, police said.The frenzy finally came to an end when a sheriff's deputy shot Koffi through the windscreen of the vehicle, leaving him critically wounded."Koffi and the first woman hit by the truck were flown by helicopters to nearby hospitals and treated for their injuries," said Mr Crum in a statement. "The woman received significant injuries that are not expected to be life threatening."The police sergeant added: "The security guard and second woman hit by the truck were transported to a local hospital by ground ambulance and are expected to survive their injuries. Koffi received major injuries and is currently in critical condition."The 32-year-old was identified by his LinkedIn profile as a YouTube software engineer.Mr Crum said he initially took two doses of acid around noon on 4 July."At approximately 3pm Koffi became delusional around the home while his friends tried to keep him calm," said the police sergeant said.He added: "Between 4pm and 5pm, he took two more doses of LSD. Shortly before 8pm Koffi wanted to leave but his friends tried to stop him."He is under arrest in hospital on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one charge of carjacking."Koffi's friends at the rented home were able to treat their own injuries and did not require hospitalisation," said Mr Crum.Sonoma County Sheriff's Office identified the police deputy who shot the suspect as Jason Pasero. Police said the officer fired at Mr Koffi after he accelerated towards two patrol cars.The sheriff's office is investigating the alleged assaults and events leading up to the shooting, while Santa Rosa Police and the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office are investigating the shooting.
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| Al Gore blasts Trump environmental speech that fails to mention climate change Posted: 08 Jul 2019 02:32 PM PDT  The former vice president describes the president's environmental speech as being "meant to deceive and deflect."
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| Second person accused of licking Blue Bell ice cream at store Posted: 09 Jul 2019 01:42 PM PDT ![Second person accused of licking Blue Bell ice cream at store]( "Second person accused of licking Blue Bell ice cream at store") Another apparent incident of someone licking ice cream at a store has surfaced. This time it's in Louisiana.
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| Striking 1962 Chevrolet Corvette To Be Auctioned Posted: 09 Jul 2019 06:19 AM PDT  This 'Vette marks the end of an era, plus it's absolute gorgeous. Emerging from the late Larry Sachs collection of cars, this 1962 Chevrolet Corvette is a real looker. A clean presentation inside and out, plus the certificates and awards to back everything up, you'd be hard-pressed to find another 'Vette to hold a candle to this one. You can register through GAA Classic Cars to bid on this beauty before it's scooped up by someone else.The correct Roman Red paint looks to be in good condition, gracing the body and hardtop. It's been polished to a nice shine, matching the flashy chrome bits on the bumpers, grille surround, side mirrors, wheels, and various trim pieces. All the glass, including the dramatic curved windshield, appears to be blemish-free. All trim pieces from the factory are present, including the badges, accurately portraying what this C1 'Vette looked like when new.For the interior, a Honduras Maroon over Fawn color scheme presents quite well. Both seats, including the upholstery, appear to be in good condition. OE gauges and controls preserve the original setup of the interior, giving you as the driver the full effect of what driving in 1962 entailed.Powering this Corvette is the 327ci V8 with factory fuel injection. A four-speed manual transmission is the icing on the cake, so you get the ultimate in control of the car.Everyone knows the Chevrolet Corvette, America's Sports Car, and many hold it in high regard. Introduced in 1953, the C1 or first generation of 'Vettes stretched all the way to the 1962 model year. That means this car is the last of the C1s, making it quite notable. Even more impressive, this Corvette comes with documentation back to 1968, plus it won the Bloomington Gold Award 2018, MCACN Triple Diamond & Gold Concourse Awards 2018, plus NCRS National, Regional, & Chapter Top Flight Awards. More Classic Cars 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS In Cranberry Red Is Droolworthy Add Your Personal Touch To This 1977 Chevrolet K-10 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible Is The Perfect Summer Toy This Vintage Luxury 1951 Lincoln Sedan Could Be Yours Today
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| Ford Cancels Plans for a Diesel-Powered Transit Connect Van in the U.S. Posted: 09 Jul 2019 10:31 AM PDT  A 1.5-liter turbodiesel inline-four was slated to join the lineup for 2019, but it's been dropped.
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| Vessels Change Names or Go Dark to Ship Venezuelan Crude to Cuba Posted: 09 Jul 2019 06:38 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Stopping the flow of Venezuelan oil to its ally Cuba might prove harder than the U.S. expected.Tankers are being renamed and vessels are switching off their transponders to sail under the radar of the U.S. government. The vessel Ocean Elegance, an oil tanker that has been delivering Venezuelan crude to Cuba for the past three years, was renamed Oceano after being sanctioned in May. The ship S-Trotter, another one that's on the sanctions list, is now known as Tropic Sea, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.The oil tanker Nedas, after being sanctioned in April, made a delivery to Cuba incognito because it turned off its satellite tracking system. It went unaccounted for 42 days, but shipping reports show that it delivered oil to Cuba. After the ghost delivery, it discreetly changed its name to Esperanza. The Nedas/Esperanza has delivered 2 million barrels of crude to Cuba this year, according to shipping reports.Halting the flow between the two countries may prove difficult. There are over 4,500 crude oil tankers in operation globally, and state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela SA also uses oil products vessels, adding to the complexity of the task.Nevertheless, the U.S. continues to target shipments between the two countries and aims to close loopholes in sanctions, according to a senior U.S. administration official. The goal is to surgically and methodically cut off funds to the regime of President Nicolas Maduro."The United States will continue to target entities involved in shipping oil between the two countries (Venezuela and Cuba) and aims to further cut off Maduro and his cronies' access to funds derived from oil sales to Cuba," National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said by email. "Those who circumvent sanctions do so at their own risk."Last week the Treasury Department sanctioned Cubametales, the state-run Cuban oil and metals importer, because the Havana-based company is importing Venezuelan crude and Cuba, in return, "continues to provide support, including defense, intelligence and security assistance, to the illegitimate regime of former President Nicolas Maduro," Treasury said in a statement.Cuba imports Venezuelan crude for its refineries and fuel oil to run its power plants and generate electricity. The supply of Venezuelan oil was agreed on a handshake between former presidents Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro and later memorialized in contract. Shipments to Cuba peaked at 103,000 barrels a day in 2009 and have been dwindling over the years, according to data published by PDVSA. Volumes slumped to 35,177 barrels a day in the first half of 2019, amid lower production and sanctions, data compiled by Bloomberg show.(Updates with NSC comment in sixth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Lucia Kassai in Houston at lkassai@bloomberg.net;Ben Bartenstein in New York at bbartenstei3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net, Mike Jeffers, Stephen CunninghamFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The True History of Israel's Operation Wooden Leg and the Longest-Range F-15 BAZ Strike Ever Made Posted: 09 Jul 2019 09:00 AM PDT  The answer the questions is that IAF personnel had the foresight to realize the full potential of Baz multirole capabilities when the F-15 was selected. Moreover plans to upgrade the capabilities of the aircraft were immediately undertaken once it entered service with the IAF.When Israeli Air Force (IAF) picked the F-15 the service was not only evaluating the aircraft air-to-air capabilities, but also if the Eagle design offered the flexibility to be an all-weather strike fighter. After having been modified to perform long-range precision strike missions in the 1980s, the Baz (as IAF named its F-15s)shocked the world in 1985 when the aircraft performed the longest air strike in IAF history.On Sep. 25, 1985 Force 17, a section within Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) killed three unarmed Israeli civilians who were holidaying on their yacht off Lanarca, Cyprus. In response to the unprovoked murder of the three Israeli civilians, on Oct. 1, 1985, the IAF launched "Operation Mivtza Regel Etz (Wooden Leg)" from Tel Nof Air Base against PLO headquarters in Hammam al-Shatt, Tunisia, located about twelve miles from the capital, Tunis.
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| UPDATE 1-White House discussing renewing license for Chevron to operate in Venezuela Posted: 09 Jul 2019 03:27 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-White House discussing renewing license for Chevron to operate in Venezuela]( "UPDATE 1-White House discussing renewing license for Chevron to operate in Venezuela") The Trump Administration is discussing whether to renew a license allowing Chevron Corp to continue operating in Venezuela despite U.S. sanctions on the country's oil sector, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Tuesday. The waiver issued by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control will expire on July 27. Kudlow heaped praise on Chevron, calling it a "fabulous" energy company with an "illustrious tradition" in Venezuela.
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| US returns first group of asylum seekers to Nuevo Laredo Posted: 09 Jul 2019 02:40 PM PDT  The so-called Remain in Mexico program for U.S. asylum seekers expanded to another Mexican border city Tuesday with the arrival of a first group of migrants to Nuevo Laredo. The 10 migrants had crossed the border to seek U.S. asylum Monday and will now have to wait in Mexico as their applications are processed. Lucía Ascencio of Venezuela had waited for three months in Nuevo Laredo with her husband and two young sons just for the chance to make her asylum petition in Laredo, Texas.
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| Trump rails against Obamacare as administration heads to court to scrap Affordable Care Act for millions of Americans Posted: 09 Jul 2019 06:18 AM PDT  The fate of former President Barack Obama's health care initiative, the Affordable Care Act, is once again in jeopardy.The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments beginning on Tuesday over the latest legal challenge against the landmark legislation, which expands insurance access to millions while mandating every American gets health insurance or pays a tax. A three-panel judge will determine whether the law, also known as Obamacare, was rendered unconstitutional in 2017 when it zeroed out the tax imposed on those who chose not to buy insurance. US District Judge Reed O'Connor, in a ruling in Fort Worth, Texas, declared in December that it did, causing the law's supporters to appeal.The lawsuit is fully supported by Donald Trump, who on Tuesday tweeted Obamacare would "have been replaced by something far better" if the US Supreme Court had previously deemed it unconstitutional. The result of this challenge could affect protections for people with pre-existing conditions; Medicaid expansions covering roughly 12 million people; and subsidies that help about 10 million others afford health insurance. The case could eventually reach the Supreme Court, where conservative justices have previously rejected the argument that Congress could require everyone to buy insurance under the Constitution's interstate commerce clause. Opponents to Obamacare have noted the 2012 ruling of a divided Supreme Court that upheld the law.But Chief Justice John Roberts, joining four liberal justices, said Congress did have the power to impose a tax on those without insurance.With no tax penalty now in effect, the Texas lawsuit argues, the individual mandate is unconstitutional and the entire law must fall without it. In addition to the 18 states, two individual taxpayers are part of the lawsuit. The Trump administration is not defending the law and has filed arguments in favour of Mr O'Connor's ruling.California's attorney general represents a coalition of mostly Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia seeking to overturn Mr O'Connor's ruling and uphold the law, along with the US House of Representatives. The law's supporters argue that those who filed suit have no case because they aren't harmed by a penalty that doesn't exist; that the reduction of the tax penalty to zero could be read as a suspension of the tax, but the tax's legal structure still exists; and that, even if the individual mandate is now unconstitutional, that does not affect the rest of the law.Additional reporting by AP
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| Inside Ellen Van Dusen's Colorful Brooklyn Brownstone Posted: 08 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT |
| Bodies of woman, 3 children found in rental car in apparent murder-suicide in New York Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:35 AM PDT ![Bodies of woman, 3 children found in rental car in apparent murder-suicide in New York]( "Bodies of woman, 3 children found in rental car in apparent murder-suicide in New York") A tow truck driver discovered the bodies of a woman and three children in New York on Sunday.
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| 1999 Camaro Z28: A Show Car With High-Performance Upgrades Posted: 09 Jul 2019 08:02 AM PDT  This Camaro is the best from the factory, with upgrades to make it even better!The iconic Camaro has always been a crowd please, and the fourth-generation variant of America's favorite F-Body has started to prove itself to be a timeless favorite. Cars like this 1999 Camaro Z28 from Street Dreams have had an enormous popularity spike over the last few years, and this example makes it obvious why. Not only is this a clean 4th-gen with tons of factory options, the performance was taken a little further for even more smiles behind the wheel.Equipped with an LS1 from the factory, the 1998-2002 Camaros left the showroom floor as one of the most capable modern muscle cars of its time - and they even hold their weight against muscle cars made since. These mid 3000-pound cars were churning out horsepower in the low 300-horsepower range, and they were laying down 13-second quarter mile passes stock.One thing fourth-generation F-Body owners quickly discovered was how responsive the LS engines are to any kind of modification. Getting a naturally aspirated engine to gain almost a horsepower from a heads/cam/bolt-ons upgrade is not uncommon. Unfortunately, what is uncommon is finding a modified 4th-gen you can trust. This is a car that doesn't present those worries since it was professionally modified by Motorsports International.The list of modifications to the 5.7-liter V8 engine include a cam swap, MTI Stage II heads, K&N air intake, Z06 intake manifold, FLP long tube headers, and a Borla SS cat back that makes these Camaro sing in the key or performance. The 394 rear wheel horsepower engine is backed by a 4L60e transmission with Vigilante 3200 rpm torque converter.Once the power hits the ground, it's handled by Hotchkis sway bars, trailing arms, pan hard bar and the strut brace. It gets braking power from Power Slot rotors, and rolls on a set of BFG G-Force tires, which are wrapped around aluminum wheels.The stock parts of this car are all equally impressive - the exterior and interior are in show car condition. This Camaro is truly the best of both worlds. More Camaros Here: Dreamy 800-Horsepower 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS Custom Available Now Captivating 1969 Chevrolet Camaro In Copperhead Metallic
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