| Florida Billboard Slams NRA As 'Terrorist Organization' Posted: 04 Mar 2018 05:39 PM PST  The message was funded by the Mad Dog PAC, which sponsors billboards across the nation calling for President Donald Trump's impeachment and attacking the nation's largest gun lobby and select Republican politicians. The PAC is headed by Claude Taylor, a former staff member in Bill Clinton's White House. "With the GOP majority in the House and in the Senate, the NRA makes impossible any meaningful, common-sense gun reform.
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| Report claims Russia influenced Trump's rejection of Romney as secretary of state Posted: 05 Mar 2018 07:00 AM PST  A shocking memo authored by former spy Christopher Steele has recently come to light that reveals potential Kremlin influence over Donald Trump's decision-making in the months leading up to his assuming the Oval Office and U.S. presidency. A lengthy New Yorker profile on the ex-MI6 operative delves into both Steele's past and current dealings with congressional committees and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election. One specific excerpt from the piece is raising eyebrows, and that surrounds a Russian source that claims the Kremlin had specific recommendations for who then President-elect Trump chose as his secretary of state.
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| Angus King: 'Not Much of a Relationship' Between Senate and House Intel Committees Posted: 03 Mar 2018 10:41 PM PST  Independent Senator Angus King (Maine) appeared on Meet the Press in an exclusive interview to talk about reports that the House Intelligence Committee has leaked information about the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation.
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| Winter storm could bring blizzard conditions to northern US Posted: 04 Mar 2018 10:33 AM PST  A new weather system is developing as many recover from nor'easter.
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| 227-year-old tree planted by George Washington pulled down by wind Posted: 04 Mar 2018 07:44 AM PST  Extreme winds have toppled a tree, believed to be well over two centuries old, that was planted by former US president George Washington on his Mount Vernon estate. The 227-year-old Canadian hemlock which collapsed on Friday was planted by the founding father and first American president back in 1791. Mount Vernon announced the tree had fallen over on its Facebook page on Friday evening.
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| Report: Mexican man assumed American identity for 37 years Posted: 04 Mar 2018 12:14 PM PST ![Report: Mexican man assumed American identity for 37 years]( "Report: Mexican man assumed American identity for 37 years") SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Mexican man who was deported twice and had a history of arrests was able to assume the identity of an American citizen and receive more than $360,000 in government benefits for nearly four decades, California court records show.
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| MIT study that found low pay for Uber drivers to be revisited Posted: 03 Mar 2018 09:28 PM PST  The study, by the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, found that drivers' median pretax profit was $3.37 per hour, using results from a survey of more than 1,100 workers of the ride hailing companies. Uber and other companies have defended their business models saying their drivers enjoy the flexibility of their work and on average earn more than the minimum wage, but have lost a series of court cases on the issue. Khosrowshahi criticized the MIT study in a tweet on Friday as "Mathematically Incompetent Theories (at least as it pertains to ride-sharing)," and linked to a response by Uber chief economist Jonathan Hall that challenged the study's methodology.
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| Kasich praises younger generation's gun-reform activism: 'Bully for them! I love them!' Posted: 04 Mar 2018 08:44 AM PST  Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been impressed with the way millennials and Generation Xers have been demanding that politicians do something to prevent mass shootings. "I love the way that they are saying, 'Let's do the art of the impossible rather than the art of the possible,'" he said.
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| Nine of the Coolest Test Mules Posted: 05 Mar 2018 09:30 AM PST |
| Sen. Thad Cochran Announces Resignation, Citing Health Concerns Posted: 05 Mar 2018 01:54 PM PST  Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) announced on Monday that he will be resigning from the Senate because of health issues.
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| 37 Photos That Show How Hilariously Bad Little Kids Are At Hiding Posted: 05 Mar 2018 09:39 AM PST  Playing hide-and-seek is a beloved childhood tradition, but over the years, it seems kids haven't gotten any better at hiding.
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| Full Angus King: Use a 'Scalpel, Not a Chainsaw' When It Comes to Tariffs Posted: 03 Mar 2018 10:26 PM PST  In an exclusive interview on Meet the Press, Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) talks to Chuck Todd about President Trump's tariff announcement, and reports that the House Intelligence Committee is leaking news from the Senate Committee.
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| Can Texas Democrats really turn the Lone Star State blue? Posted: 03 Mar 2018 09:51 PM PST  Turning the Lone Star State into a battleground may seem far-fetched for Democrats, but in 2016 Hillary Clinton came closer to winning Texas than Iowa.
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| Man dies at party after allegedly being shot in chest by friend while wearing bulletproof vest Posted: 05 Mar 2018 07:11 AM PST  A man wearing a bulletproof vest died after he was shot in the chest by a friend at a party. Jason Griffin, a friend of the victim whose name has not been released, has been charged with manslaughter, police in Houston, Texas confirmed.
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| Japan car giants team up to build hydrogen stations Posted: 04 Mar 2018 11:38 PM PST  Top Japanese carmakers said on Monday they were teaming up to nearly double the amount of hydrogen stations in Japan, as the car-mad country seeks to head off competition from China and Germany. Toyota, Nissan and Honda formed a joint venture with major gas and energy companies, including French industrial gases company Air Liquide, to build 80 new hydrogen stations in the next four years, to add to the 101 stations currently in Japan. "At this stage, we believe there is significant space for cooperation, rather than searching for areas of competition," Shigeki Terashi, Toyota executive vice president told reporters.
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| China's president Xi increases military budget ahead of ruler-for-life vote Posted: 05 Mar 2018 01:51 AM PST  China is to increase military spending by 8.1 percent this year as the world's biggest army expands its global reach and continues to modernise. Beijing's defence budget is the largest in three years and comes as the Asian giant becomes increasingly assertive under president Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader is set to clear the way for him to rule for life at the National People's Congress, China's rubber-stamp parliament, which meets this week. The increase of China's defence budget to 1.1 trillion yuan (£125 billion) was announced on the opening day of the political gathering on Monday. It compares with a seven percent increase last year and 7.6 percent in 2016, which marked the first time in six years that spending growth had not risen into double figures. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers his work report during the opening session of the National People's Congress Credit: AFP Li Keqiang, the prime minister, told NPC delegates: "We will stick to the Chinese path in strengthening our armed forces, advance all aspects of military training and war preparedness." China has cut 300,000 troops from its forces, leaving it with an army of around two million solders. But the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is undergoing a rapid modernisation drive. It is preparing to launch its second aircraft carrier and has been developing stealth jets and advanced missiles. China has angered rivals such as Vietnam and the Philippines with what observers see as its growing militarisation of the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety. Washington has also expressed alarm at China's building of artificial islands in the disputed waters. China last year opened its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, a strategic location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on the route to the Suez Canal. Chinese Air Force conducts drill to improve operation capability.#china#AirForce#militaryhttps://t.co/Y2kL3e3Lngpic.twitter.com/cP6RQWGDHo— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) March 3, 2018 Beijing regularly announced double digit growth in military spending over two decades from the early 1990s as it steadily built up its once backward army. Observers said a stalling economy caused officials to rein in spending over the last three years. China has the world's second largest defence budget, but it remains only about a quarter of what the United States spends on its military. Mr Trump last year said he intended to increase US military spending by ten percent to $603 (£491 billion). The US total is about nine times that of Russia, who have the third biggest military budget. Protests in China over Xi Jinping's power play The arms budget in Britain – the world's fourth biggest defence spender according to some analysts – is expected to edge up 1.2 percent to $51.8bn (£37.5) in 2018. In 2016 the Conservatives pledged to boost spending by 0.5 percent and keep it at two percent of GDP. China only spends about 1.3 percent of its GDP on its military, whereas the US spends about 3.3 percent. The prospect of President Xi's theoretically limitless rule has rattled foreign powers, but delegates at the NPC have expressed enthusiasm. "If a good leader comes into power, we should let him remain in that leadership position forever. In this way, there is continuity. It's great!", said Zhang Donghe, a delegate from the gritty, industrial province of Hebei, which surrounds Beijing. Additional reporting by Christine Wei
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| Endangered Sumatran tiger falls victim to brutal killing spree Posted: 05 Mar 2018 03:42 AM PST  A critically endangered Sumatran tiger was brutally killed in Indonesia on Sunday, the latest victim of a killing spree targeting near-extinct species that has alarmed conservationists. Police on Borneo island arrested at least two people in two separate incidents this year in which an orangutan had been decapitated and another had been shot more than 130 times with an air rifle.
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| UN begins aid delivery to rebel-held suburbs of Damascus Posted: 05 Mar 2018 11:04 AM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — A U.N. convoy carrying desperately needed food and medicine to besieged civilians entered the war-ravaged eastern suburbs of Damascus on Monday, but aid agencies said Syrian authorities blocked the delivery of some of the health supplies, including trauma and surgical kits and insulin.
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| Large Avalanche Hits California's Busy Mammoth Ski Resort Posted: 03 Mar 2018 06:05 PM PST  A large avalanche roared down a slope on Mammoth Mountain in California on Saturday morning. "Essentially the top of the mountain came loose," skier Barbara Maynard told The Los Angeles Times. The resort is located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range about 300 miles north of Los Angeles.
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| Ashley Judd, Annabella Sciorra And Salma Hayek Proclaim 'A New Path Forward' Posted: 05 Mar 2018 05:47 AM PST  Three of Harvey Weinstein's most outspoken accusers introduced a powerful video montage Sunday at the Oscars that featured a diverse group of this year's nominees calling for more inclusion in Hollywood. Actresses Annabella Sciorra, Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek praised Hollywood's shakeup as the Me Too movement gained strength in the last year, and acknowledged there was more work to be done. "This year, many spoke their truth, and the journey ahead is long, but slowly a new path has emerged," said Sciorra, referencing sexual misconduct allegations against powerful players in Hollywood.
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| McDonough: Mitch McConnell watered down Obama's Russia response Posted: 03 Mar 2018 09:52 PM PST  In an exclusive interview on Meet the Press, Obama White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough tells Chuck Todd that Sen. Mitch McConnell watered down a statement about Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.
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| Helen Mirren Took A Tequila Shot On The Oscars Red Carpet Like The Queen She Is Posted: 05 Mar 2018 06:41 AM PST  Helen Mirren is a boss.
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| German security service probes acid attack on energy CFO Posted: 04 Mar 2018 04:30 PM PST  Germany's domestic security service is investigating an acid attack on a manager of an energy company that has been in conflict with environmental protesters, police said Monday. Two unidentified males on Sunday hurled acid at the face of Bernhard Guenther, 51, chief financial officer with Essen-based company Innogy, the renewables subsidiary of energy giant RWE, said police. Bild daily reported that the attackers used sulphuric acid, badly injuring the victim's face and eyes, as he was walking back from a bakery though a park close to his home in Haan near Duesseldorf.
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| The Navy Just Sent an Aircraft Carrier to Vietnam. Should China Be Worried? Posted: 05 Mar 2018 06:48 AM PST  Richard Javad Heydarian
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| Amazon mulling checking-account like product with big banks: WSJ Posted: 05 Mar 2018 07:09 AM PST ![Amazon mulling checking-account like product with big banks: WSJ]( "Amazon mulling checking-account like product with big banks: WSJ") Shares of U.S. big banks came under pressure in early trading on Monday from broader selloff in the market and the WSJ report, Adam Sarhan, CEO of 50 Park Investments said. "Whenever you see a headline show up Amazon coming in and offering checking accounts with JPMorgan that triggers investors to sell first in the face of uncertainty and ask questions later," he said. In January, Amazon.com, Berkshire Hathaway Inc and JPMorgan said they will form a company to cut health costs for hundreds of thousands of their employees.
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| Syrian troops advance in rebel-held region near capital Posted: 04 Mar 2018 01:35 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed Sunday to continue with a military offensive in a rebel-held region near the capital, as troops and allied militias captured a number of villages and towns in the largest advance since a wide-scale operation began last month.
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| Kobe Bryant, The Basketball Player, Just Won An Oscar Posted: 04 Mar 2018 07:53 PM PST  Bryant was the executive producer of the six-minute short, which was based on the poem the former NBA star wrote for The Players' Tribune in 2015 announcing his retirement. During his acceptance speech, Bryant dropped a subtle dig at Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who recently told NBA players LeBron James and Kevin Durant to "shut up and dribble" after they criticized President Donald Trump in a video on YouTube.
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| Building super testifies nanny accused of murdering young children on Upper West Side had 'eyes of the devil' Posted: 05 Mar 2018 02:45 PM PST  Yoselyn Ortega, 55, is charged with stabbing 6-year-old Lulu and 2-year-old Leo Krim to death in their Upper West Side apartment in 2012.
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| 2019 Mercedes-AMG C43 Sedan: More Muscle for the Middle C Posted: 05 Mar 2018 01:00 AM PST  Goodbye, glitzy grille. Hello, horsepower.
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| China to raise defence budget by 8.1% in 2018 Posted: 04 Mar 2018 04:56 PM PST  China announced on Monday an 8.1 percent defence budget increase for 2018, giving the world's largest armed forces a boost after spending slowed in the previous two years. Beijing will spend 1.11 trillion yuan ($175 billion) on its military, according to a budget report presented before the opening session of the annual National People's Congress, according to the official Xinhua news agency. China spent $151 billion on the People's Liberation Army last year, the second largest defence budget in the world but still four times less than the $603 billion US outlay, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank.
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| Four die in building collapse after explosion in Poland Posted: 04 Mar 2018 09:20 AM PST  Four people died and about 20 were injured in an apartment building collapse in Poznan, western Poland, most likely to have been caused by a gas explosion, state-run news agency PAP said on Sunday. The explosion on Sunday morning destroyed four of 18 apartments in the building, PAP said, quoting a local fire brigade representative. "Looking at the degree of destruction of this building, it was initially assumed that it could have been a gas explosion, but we do not have certainty yet.
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| Russia's Big Military Buildup: Why Is America So Shocked? Posted: 04 Mar 2018 04:28 PM PST  What is noteworthy is that the bilateral relationship between Russia and the United States is clearly on a downward trajectory. Russia's Big Military Buildup: Why Is America So Shocked? American defense officials are not surprised by Russian President Vladimir Putin's March 1 speech that highlighted a host of new strategic nuclear weapons that the Kremlin is developing to overcome U.S. missile defenses.
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| Bruising Qualcomm-Broadcom battle heads for showdown Posted: 03 Mar 2018 07:04 PM PST  With a potential for the biggest-ever deal in the tech sector at stake, Qualcomm shareholders will have their say on a hostile bid for the US mobile chip giant by Singapore-based rival Broadcom. Qualcomm shareholders at an annual gathering Tuesday will get to vote whether to replace six of the California company's 11 board members with candidates backed by Broadcom, essentially endorsing the deal estimated to be worth $117 billion. Qualcomm's board on Thursday sent a letter to shareholders urging them to re-elect its current members, making a statement against Broadcom's offer.
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| Google plans $2.6bn New York expansion as tech execs claim 'Silicon Valley is over' Posted: 05 Mar 2018 09:29 AM PST  Google is said to be close to signing a $2.4bn deal to establish an East Coast base in New York City, the latest in a series of moves by tech firms who believe Silicon Valley's best days may be "over". If it goes ahead, Google would be among a number of tech companies that are looking to expand their New York footprint. Concerns about the soaring cost of living in San Francisco, and worried that innovation may be accelerating faster in other parts fo the country, a number of firms are looking to New York and other cities.
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| U.N. inquiry blames Congo's ADF rebels for deadly attack on peacekeepers Posted: 04 Mar 2018 11:41 PM PST  A Congo-based Ugandan rebel group is to blame for three attacks on United Nations peacekeepers, including one in December that killed 15 Tanzanian troops, the United Nations said on Friday. The Dec. 8 attack, which also killed five Congolese soldiers and wounded another 53 peacekeepers, on a U.N. base in the Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled eastern borderlands came amid a rising wave of violence in the mineral-rich area. A special U.N. inquiry also looked at two other attacks on Tanzanian peacekeepers, on Sept. 16 and Oct. 7, 2017.
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| Fayetteville police searching for 2 kids abducted by mother Posted: 05 Mar 2018 06:36 AM PST  Fayetteville police are asking for help to find two kids who were abducted by their mother on Sunday.
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| Top Asian News 4:39 a.m. GMT Posted: 04 Mar 2018 08:39 PM PST ![Top Asian News 4:39 a.m. GMT]( "Top Asian News 4:39 a.m. GMT") BEIJING (AP) — China's government pledged Monday to deliver robust growth, pursue advanced technology and boost military spending while urging the public to embrace President Xi Jinping's rule as its ceremonial legislature prepared for changes to allow him to stay in power indefinitely. The plan to end constitutional limits on Xi's term as president has overshadowed the meeting of the National People's Congress, which usually is used to showcase economic initiatives and plans for social programs and other government work. In a nearly two-hour speech to the legislature, Premier Li Keqiang did not mention the scrapping of term limits but emphasized the primacy of Xi and the ruling Communist Party he leads in all aspects of Chinese life.
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| Bangladeshi police detain three more men after attack on prominent writer Posted: 04 Mar 2018 04:30 AM PST ![Bangladeshi police detain three more men after attack on prominent writer]( "Bangladeshi police detain three more men after attack on prominent writer") Bangladeshi police arrested three men on Sunday as they investigate a knife attack on Zafar Iqbal, a popular author and professor of computer science and engineering. Police said the arrests were in connection with background checks on suspected assailant Faizur Rahman.
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| Soldiers Hate the M4 and M16. The Pentagon Is Finally Doing Something about It. Posted: 04 Mar 2018 03:54 AM PST  The Pentagon Is Finally Doing Something about It. While small arms and other infantry equipment cost far less than the Defense Department's modernization programs, they have not been a top Pentagon acquisition priority. For decades, expensive weapons programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier have eaten up a large part of the Pentagon's budget, but Wilkie said the task force will now look at whether the Defense Department needs to spend more money on smaller arms.
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| Australia ex-deputy PM airs baby paternity doubts after scandal Posted: 03 Mar 2018 11:06 PM PST  An affair that led to the resignation of Australia's deputy prime minister took a bizarre twist Sunday after he questioned the paternity of the baby carried by his partner and former aide. Barnaby Joyce quit and moved to the back benches last month after his affair with the younger ex-staffer made headlines for weeks and raised questions about whether he had breached ministerial rules. The scandal led Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to impose a ban on sex between ministers and their staff, in an overhaul of the cabinet code of conduct.
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| Hollywood Barely Snubbed Ryan Seacrest, Because Of Course Posted: 04 Mar 2018 08:49 PM PST  Despite the sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him earlier this week by former personal stylist Suzie Hardy, everything was business as usual for Seacrest on Sunday. While his female co-host Giuliana Rancic set up at the nearby Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Seacrest parked on the red carpet ― no stage or special booth to prop him up, though. In fact, despite the Me Too mood of other awards shows this season, more than a few celebrities made their way over to Seacrest for a quick chat on Sunday. There was something eerie about watching women like Diane Warren, Allison Janney, Taraji P. Henson and Tiffany Haddish talk to Seacrest as if the recent reports just didn't exist.
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