| Roses in hand, Venezuelan women protesters face security forces Posted: 06 May 2017 11:55 AM PDT  By Andreina Aponte and Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - Dressed in white and chanting "Liberty!", tens of thousands of women opposed to Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro marched on Saturday, proffering roses to security forces who blocked their way. The women's marches, which took place in most major cities around the South American oil producer, were the latest in five weeks of sustained protests against Maduro whom opponents decry as a dictator who has ruined the economy. In Caracas, marchers sang the national anthem and shouted "We want elections!" They were halted at various points by lines of policewomen and National Guard troops with armored cars.
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| Two Engaged Doctors Found In Penthouse With Throats Slit: 'Why Did This Happen?' Posted: 07 May 2017 09:27 AM PDT  Police believe the suspect knew the couple.
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| Hamas says Ismail Haniyeh chosen as Islamic group's leader Posted: 06 May 2017 10:39 AM PDT  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Hamas Islamic militant movement that controls the Gaza Strip announced Saturday it had chosen its former Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniyeh as the group's new political chief.
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| Police finally track down Tennessee teacher and teen Elizabeth Thomas: Part 5 Posted: 05 May 2017 06:15 PM PDT  After living in the remote Black Bear Ranch commune, Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas were found in California.
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| 50,000 evacuated in Germany over unexploded WWII bombs Posted: 07 May 2017 08:48 AM PDT  German police on Sunday evacuated 50,000 people from the northern city of Hanover in one of the country's largest post-war operations to defuse World War II era bombs. Residents in a densely populated part of the city were ordered to leave their homes for the operation, planned since mid-April, to remove several recently discovered unexploded bombs.
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| Is healthcare vote the tipping point for liberals regaining control of the House? Posted: 06 May 2017 04:00 AM PDT  As House Republicans reached the vote count needed to pass an unpopular rewrite of a new healthcare law, Democrats chanted derisively. "Na na na na, na na na na," they sang, confident Republicans would soon regret their support for the bill. Seven years before that, Democrats on the other side of the aisle had cast contentious votes for a healthcare bill with steep political consequences.
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| Fire in Okefenokee wildlife refuge forces evacuations in Georgia Posted: 07 May 2017 01:13 PM PDT  A wildfire in Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has forced dozens of nearby residents to leave their homes, authorities said on Sunday, adding that the blaze might not be fully contained for months. About 130,000 acres, or about a quarter of the refuge, have already burned, said Melanie Banton, a spokeswoman for firefighters and park officials battling the West Mims Fire, which began on April 6. Most of the fire is within the refuge, which straddles Georgia's southeast border with Florida, but it is encroaching on private land.
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| West Virginia airport reopened after cargo plane crash Posted: 06 May 2017 03:02 PM PDT  CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A runway at a West Virginia airport reopened Saturday after a propeller plane carrying UPS cargo crashed, killing the pilot and co-pilot.
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| Massive Macron Hack Roils French Politics on Eve of Critical Election Posted: 05 May 2017 05:55 PM PDT  A huge trove of internal documents appears online as voters prepare to head to the polls.
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| Japanese luxury sleeper train trip a mere $10,000 — one way Posted: 07 May 2017 10:40 AM PDT ![Japanese luxury sleeper train trip a mere $10,000 — one way]( "Japanese luxury sleeper train trip a mere $10,000 — one way") A Japanese railway company has launched a new luxury sleeper train with sky views, bathtubs and dark wood interiors, joining the race for well-heeled tourists.
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| Aaron Hernandez's Gang Affiliations Revealed Posted: 07 May 2017 05:33 AM PDT  A new death report on the NFL star said he was linked to the Bloods street gang.
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| Philippine blast probe focuses on Shiite imam Posted: 07 May 2017 12:15 AM PDT  Philippine police believe a Shiite Muslim cleric was the likely target of explosions that killed two people in Manila, an official said Sunday, rejecting Islamic State claims of involvement. Six others were injured when two explosions rocked the office of the imam, Nasser Abinal, in the capital's busy Quiapo district on Saturday. Oscar Albayalde, head of police forces in the capital, said the bomb was apparently intended for Abinal who is also government tax officer for the Manila region.
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| Escape from New York: protesters are scarce at Trump's Jersey retreat Posted: 06 May 2017 11:26 AM PDT  The protesters who greeted Donald Trump in Manhattan on Thursday were nowhere to be found 40 miles west in Bedminster, New Jersey on Friday. Bedminster is home to the Trump National golf club, also known as "Camp David North", where the president is staying this weekend, and where he and his family might spend many weekends over the summer. "He's popular around here," said neighbor Amy Anderson-Matinho, who, like many residents, got their first taste of presidential-style disruption when Trump spent three days here as president-elect, interviewing potential cabinet members.
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| More troops deployed as Canada braces for worse flooding Posted: 07 May 2017 12:58 PM PDT  With heavy rains persisting and waters still rising over much of waterlogged eastern Canada, the nation's military on Sunday tripled the number of troops urgently working to evacuate thousands of residents. New evacuations were ordered in Pierrefonds, on the northwestern shore of the Island of Montreal, after three temporary dikes ruptured, quickly sending water levels higher. Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre declared a state of emergency for his city, particularly four western neighborhoods.
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| The Latest: Group marks 80th anniversary of Hindenburg blast Posted: 06 May 2017 06:09 PM PDT  TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Latest on a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of when the German airship Hindenburg burst into flames (all times local):
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| U.N. expert keen to probe Philippines killings, but won't debate Duterte Posted: 06 May 2017 05:49 AM PDT  A United Nations expert who irked the Philippines with a surprise visit said on Saturday she was keen to return and investigate alleged summary killings, but only if President Rodrigo Duterte drops his condition that she must hold a debate with him. Agnes Callamard, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, has been vocal about allegations of systematic executions in the Philippines as part of Duterte's war on drugs.
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| Latest: Texas officer released on bond after turning self in Posted: 05 May 2017 08:16 PM PDT  DALLAS (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer in suburban Dallas (all times local):
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| Southwest Airline Captain Surprises One Millionth Passenger With Champagne, Pays For Her Ticket Posted: 07 May 2017 08:46 AM PDT  He'd been waiting for the moment for quite some time.
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| What To Do When Your Internet Goes Down Posted: 06 May 2017 06:07 AM PDT  How to get back online as quickly as possible.
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| Emmanuel Macrons Wife Was Formerly His High School Teacher Posted: 06 May 2017 04:10 AM PDT  Brigitte Macron, 64, is 24 years older than the presidential candidate.
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| Pope criticises US military for using word 'mother' to describe MOAB bomb Posted: 06 May 2017 01:28 PM PDT  The pontiff's comments — referencing the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB), the largest bomb in the American arsenal — came during a speech he gave to an audience of students, and just weeks before he is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump. The MOAB bomb was used for the first time last month to attack a series of caves with Isis insurgents in tunnels in the Achin district, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Although that was the first time that the bomb had been used by the US military, the explosive had been in the American arsenal for over a decade.
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| Donald Trump former aide Carter Page refuses to provide Russia contacts to Senate Posted: 06 May 2017 07:22 AM PDT  Former Trump adviser Carter Page has declined to provide records of his communications with Russians to the Senate intelligence committee, saying that anything of note has already been recorded by former President Barack Obama's administration. Mr Page, who advised President Donald Trump on foreign policy matters during the 2016 campaign, is the subject of investigation by the FBI and congressional committees looking into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. In a letter sent to the Senate intelligence committee, Mr Page blasted the request for his contacts saying that the US government had already been keeping tabs on him.
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| Guatemala volcano eruption subsides after hasty evacuations Posted: 06 May 2017 10:59 AM PDT  Activity at a volcano near Guatemala's capital went back to normal on Saturday, officials said, a day after 300 people were evacuated as it spat hot ash high into the air. On Friday, 300 people in the nearby village of Panimache were evacuated as a precaution as the volcano erupted.
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| Mozambique's gas boom dream under threat Posted: 07 May 2017 03:48 AM PDT  The small, palm-fringed fishing town of Palma was meant to become a symbol of Mozambique's glittering future, transformed by one of the world's largest liquefied natural gas projects. Tucked between the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean and thick tropical forests, Palma remains a sleepy village of 3,000 people, still waiting for the promised arrival of new jobs and infrastructure. The discovery of gas reserves in 2010, estimated at 180 trillion cubic feet (five trillion cubic metres) in the surrounding Rovuma Basin, was the biggest natural gas find in recent decades.
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| Several thousand Poles protest against right-wing ruling party Posted: 06 May 2017 08:44 AM PDT  By Lidia Kelly WARSAW (Reuters) - Several thousand people demonstrated in Warsaw on Saturday against Poland's conservative, eurosceptic ruling party in an attempt by the opposition to build momentum ahead of next year's municipal elections. The crowd, variously estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000, fell short of the mass protests that took place after the Law and Justice (PiS) party won power in late 2015 and swiftly moved to implement reforms, including an overhaul of the country's top court. "We are for a democratic Poland, for a European Poland, for Poland that is proud, that seeks friends and partners, not enemies in Europe as it is today," PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna, told protesters waving Polish and European Union flags.
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| Jury: Man convicted of 6 killings should get death penalty Posted: 05 May 2017 06:55 PM PDT ![Jury: Man convicted of 6 killings should get death penalty]( "Jury: Man convicted of 6 killings should get death penalty") YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — A jury decided Friday that an Arizona prisoner convicted of killing six people in Yuma in 2005 should be sentenced to death.
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| Everyone is sharing this comic about the 'backfire effect' ... but there's a huge catch Posted: 06 May 2017 08:05 AM PDT  You've probably already seen The Oatmeal comic in your social media feed several times now. Its beautiful illustrations are paired with an elegant, clever explanation about something called the "backfire effect." Basically, it describes why people double down on their beliefs when presented with contradictory information. SEE ALSO: What Facebook must do to prepare its 3,000 new moderators for the trauma they'll face The cartoon is powerful because we can all relate to that feeling of using facts to inform a heated political debate or sway someone's opinion and getting nowhere. And that's exactly the problem the comic's author, Matthew Inman, wanted to address, especially in the wake of Donald Trump's election. You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you https://t.co/XwFjK9EOyl pic.twitter.com/QRSalVfuKK — Matthew Inman (@Oatmeal) May 2, 2017 The only problem is that political scientists aren't sure the backfire effect is a real thing, and if it does exist, it may be rare. We know what you're thinking: Why do the fact police have to ruin the best thing that happened to your social media feed all week? The cartoon is pretty, funny, smart, and even hopeful about the importance of finding common ground when we vehemently disagree. That's all great stuff, and very important. But what you should keep in mind while reading the cartoon is that the backfire effect can be hard to replicate in rigorous research. So hard, in fact, that a large-scale, peer-reviewed study presented last August at the American Political Science Association's annual conference couldn't reproduce the findings of the high-profile 2010 study that documented backfire effect. FWIW idea that backfire fx always happen = not even true in our initial study. But I've revised my priors a lot as we & others did more work — Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) March 26, 2017 Tom Wood and Ethan Porter, political scientists and assistant professors at The Ohio State University and George Washington University, respectively, and co-authors of the recent study, say they came to the subject of backfire effect as "acolytes." They found this particular explanation of human behavior so compelling that they wanted to dedicate a good portion of their research to understanding and identifying it. So they challenged 8,100 people's knowledge of abortion, gun violence, undocumented immigration, fracking pollution, and dozens of other issues that stir intense emotions. But study participants didn't demonstrate the tendency to embrace falsehoods even more after being told the truth. Technically, they did observe a backfire effect when people were questioned about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but even that finding came with caveats because of the question's complicated wording. "We were desperately looking for any evidence ... and to our dismay it's impossible to replicate," says Wood. This is important, Wood and Porter say, because if the backfire effect exists, it means something really depressing about our politics. After all, if sharing objective facts with someone leads them to believe the falsities you challenge more intensely, then what's the point? "If we believe that everybody is backfiring all the time, there's very little hope for political engagement," says Porter. Now, this doesn't mean that Inman's comic is inherently wrong. Brendan Nyhan, the political scientist who co-authored the 2010 study, has found evidence in subsequent research that people may insist on false beliefs despite being presented with new information. At the same time, Nyhan has since collaborated with Porter and Wood on research that shows fact-checking can be effective. Whether or not there is a backfire effect, the behavior Inman describes is real; political scientists know it as motivated reasoning and confirmation bias. These well-researched psychological phenomena mean that we can be prone to choosing information and data that support our worldview while diminishing or dismissing evidence that contradicts it. To be clear, that's a lot different than learning something is false and endorsing that lie or half-truth even more. Moreover, Porter and Wood's study indicates people do actually heed corrective information. Fun comic - labeled as being about the backfire effect, but really considers disconfirmation bias more generally https://t.co/UWRAjVMlYi — Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) May 3, 2017 The trouble is that even when we learn that something is false, we may be able to acknowledge those facts without changing our political position accordingly. A person's political identity, say Porter and Wood, isn't easily influenced by learning, for example, that Trump routinely spreads false information about pretty much everything, or that Hillary Clinton has told her share of half-truths. You can sum up that tension like this, says Wood: "My guy happened to tell a fib — sure no one is perfect — but I'm not going to go out and vote for the other guy." That still leaves the rest of us trying to figure out how to talk through our dueling beliefs, which is where Inman's comic shines. "The emotional core of this is about this idea of how we resist things and how do we get [people] to soften," he says. Image: matthew inman / the oatmeal Inman knows from his own experience on the internet that marshaling all the facts in the world can't, for example, convince some people that climate change is real. If the backfire effect is real, nihilism might be the most appropriate response to the prospect of influencing anyone's attitudes or beliefs with facts. But Inman rejects that approach and instead invokes our common humanity and ends with a bipartisan plea to listen. "I'm not here to take control of the wheel," he writes. "Or to tell you what to believe. I'm just here to tell you that it's okay to stop. To listen. To change." Those common sense words of wisdom are the best part of the comic, and you don't really need science to confirm that the ability to listen and change is essential to a more civil, informed politics. WATCH: This mobile solar-powered robot 3D printed an entire building in under 14 hours
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| 18 frat members charged in Penn State student death Posted: 06 May 2017 03:38 AM PDT  Eighteen members of a now-shuttered Penn State University fraternity and the fraternity itself are facing charges in the death of a student who fell down a flight of steps during an alcohol-fueled pledge night.
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| French watchdog: large amount of Macron data leaked Posted: 06 May 2017 05:17 AM PDT  PARIS (AP) — France's election campaign commission says "a significant amount of data" has been leaked on social networks following a hacking attack allegedly suffered by centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, 36 hours before the nation votes Sunday in the crucial runoff against Marine Le Pen.
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| Warren Buffett Calls Out Trump's Obamacare Repeal Bill Posted: 06 May 2017 11:16 PM PDT  The billionaire investor said the Republican healthcare bill would provide "a huge tax cut" for the rich.
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| At least 29 schoolchildren killed in Tanzania bus crash Posted: 06 May 2017 08:56 AM PDT  At least 29 final year primary school pupils were killed in a bus crash in northern Tanzania on Saturday, along with two teachers and the driver, the school's director said. "We lost 29 students and two of our staff, and the driver died too," said Innocent Mushi, director of the Lucky Vincent Primary School in the northern city of Arusha, which the children attended. At least three survivors were pulled from the crash site by rescuers and rushed to hospital.
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| 85-year-old Everest record seeker died of altitude sickness Posted: 07 May 2017 04:15 AM PDT  An 85-year-old ex-Gurkha who was attempting to reclaim his title as the world's oldest person to summit Mount Everest died of altitude sickness, the expedition organiser said Sunday. Min Bahadur Sherchan died at Everest base camp on Saturday and his body was airlifted to Kathmandu. There was water build-up in his lungs because of altitude sickness," Shiv Raj Thapa of Summit Nepal Trekking told AFP after an autopsy.
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| Russia says Syria de-escalation deal takes effect at midnight Posted: 06 May 2017 02:10 AM PDT ![Russia says Syria de-escalation deal takes effect at midnight]( "Russia says Syria de-escalation deal takes effect at midnight") (This version of the story corrects the second paragraph to clarify Idlib is not the first de-escalation zone) MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - A de-escalation agreement in Syria takes effect at midnight but Russia's air force will continue strikes against Islamic State elsewhere in the country, Russian news agencies cited the Defense Ministry as saying on Friday. The largest of the four de-escalation zones is in northern Syria and includes Idlib province and adjoining districts of Latakia, Aleppo and Hama with a total population of over 1 million, the ministry said. Iran and Turkey agreed on Thursday to Russia's proposal to establish the de-escalation zones.
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| Pentagon identifies Navy SEAL killed in Somalia Posted: 05 May 2017 09:34 PM PDT  Navy SEAL killed fighting Al Shabaab
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| Stepmother Allegedly Tried to Poison Her Husband's 17-Month-Old Daughter With Nail Polish Remover Posted: 06 May 2017 07:56 AM PDT  The girl was unharmed.
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| Alligator bites girl in shallow lake waters at Florida park Posted: 07 May 2017 08:28 AM PDT ![Alligator bites girl in shallow lake waters at Florida park]( "Alligator bites girl in shallow lake waters at Florida park") ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An alligator bit a 10-year-old girl on the leg as she sat in shallow lake waters at a Florida park, authorities said.
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| CR's Charcoal Grill Championship: Weber Kettle vs. Big Green Egg Posted: 06 May 2017 03:00 AM PDT  Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. In this corner we have the Weber Original Kettle, $80. It dots the backyards of millions of American homes, making it pr...
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| Wisconsin Republicans worry about crowded Senate primary Posted: 07 May 2017 09:37 AM PDT  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans are growing increasingly worried about the high number of candidates running in a primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, fearing a repeat of the crowded 2012 race that put her in office.
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| The Future Of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway In 5 Questions And Facts Posted: 07 May 2017 06:00 AM PDT  Here are some important highlights of Warren Buffett's Q&A session that investors might want to know.
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| Swiss guards, loyal soldiers of the pope, take the oath Posted: 06 May 2017 08:05 AM PDT  Forty new Swiss Guards were sworn in at the Vatican on Saturday, the latest halberd-clutching soldiers of the pope to serve a tradition stretching back 500 years. A tourist magnet for centuries at the Vatican, the spectacularly dressed Swiss Guards swear to sacrifice themselves if necessary for the pope. The halberds -- a traditional steel axe-like weapon -- are purely for show in this age of global terrorism where the Vatican is a huge target and the pope is under round-the-clock protection.
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| Ex-Nusra fighters to be evacuated from Syria's Yarmouk camp: al-Manar TV Posted: 07 May 2017 03:58 AM PDT ![Ex-Nusra fighters to be evacuated from Syria's Yarmouk camp: al-Manar TV]( "Ex-Nusra fighters to be evacuated from Syria's Yarmouk camp: al-Manar TV") Agreement has been reached to evacuate wounded fighters of the hardline Islamist group formerly known as Nusra Front from Yarmouk, in the southern suburbs of Damascus, to rebel-held Idlib province, Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar TV reported on Sunday. The agreement is the second phase of an earlier deal to evacuate people from two towns besieged by rebels, and two towns besieged by pro-government forces, the first phase of which was implemented last month, al-Manar reported. Nusra Front was the official branch of al-Qaeda in Syria until a year ago, when it broke formal allegiance to the global jihadist movement and renamed itself.
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| Former Utah deputy charged with Taser abuse, ex-sheriff accused of cover-up Posted: 06 May 2017 09:57 AM PDT ![Former Utah deputy charged with Taser abuse, ex-sheriff accused of cover-up]( "Former Utah deputy charged with Taser abuse, ex-sheriff accused of cover-up") The Utah Attorney General's Office on Friday charged Joshua Cox, 27, a former Daggett County sheriff's deputy with aggravated assault, transporting a dangerous weapon into the secure area of a correctional facility, theft and reckless endangerment. Cox last Aug. 27 at the Daggett County jail promised several inmates a case of soda if they would allow him to use a Taser stun gun against them, according to charging documents.
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| Tiny, adorable baby animal rescued from imminent doom by hero Arizonans Posted: 07 May 2017 05:59 AM PDT  A starving, struggling otter in Arizona was nursed back to health after utility workers plucked it from a canal on the outskirts of Phoenix. The 4-week-old animal was dehydrated and covered with fleas when three heroes from Salt River Project noticed the otter struggling to escape the drying canal. "He was calling for his momma, we assumed," Craig Boggs, one of the utility workers, told the local Arizona news channel KPNX-TV. SEE ALSO: These animals are getting the Lego treatment because conservation is cool "It would go back under water and fight and come back up," he told the station. "He was about to give up. He was pretty exhausted." Awww! SRP crews rescued this baby otter recently and @azgfd staff nursed it back to health! Story: https://t.co/py4ER6CzPK #wildlife #rescue pic.twitter.com/sPCgy6dxIQ — Salt River Project (@SRPconnect) May 2, 2017 Otters were once found throughout the region in the Salt, Verde, Little Colorado, and Gila river systems, until early settlers all but killed them off. Wildlife officials reintroduced the web-footed swimmers into the Verde River in the early 1980s, and now otters are common throughout the entire watershed. An otter family is said to live near the artificial pool of water at Granite Reef Diversion Dam, which is where the baby otter possibly began its harrowing journey, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Remember the #otter pup our crews rescued from #Arizona Canal? She's doing well as seen in @OutofAfricaPark , weighing in at 2 lbs 9 oz.! pic.twitter.com/GykNuTENdn — Salt River Project (@SRPconnect) May 6, 2017 "While we don't know for sure, it's likely that as the canal started to draw down, mom abandoned the canal and the baby was too young to follow," Nathan Gonzalez, a spokesman for the wildlife department, said in a press release. After rescuing the struggling baby on April 20, the utility workers contacted the Game and Fish department, which transported the critter to their wildlife center in Phoenix. Workers fed the otter a trout mash mixed with kitten milk formula — and it was apparently just what the doctored ordered. Happy Friday night @innofsedona @SedonaSunflower @AZRogerNaylor @BigBlendMag @arizonakey pic.twitter.com/3PEl6mmsfJ — Out of Africa Park (@OutofAfricaPark) May 6, 2017 The otter's condition improved, and six days later wildlife officials turned it over to Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, where it will live. An otter-ly happy ending, you might say. WATCH: Watching this mother whale and her calf in the wild will bring you the peace you need
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