| 'It's gone': Mexico Beach, Fla., left in ruins by Hurricane Michael Posted: 11 Oct 2018 08:33 AM PDT  CNN's Brooke Baldwin struggled to find the words to describe the sheer devastation left by Hurricane Michael as she flew in a helicopter above Mexico Beach, Fla., on Thursday morning.
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| Panama City, Florida, deals with major wreckage Posted: 11 Oct 2018 09:22 AM PDT  Emergency response crews help residents affected by Hurricane Michael.
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| Anita Hill: Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Process Was 'A Tragedy' Posted: 11 Oct 2018 09:38 AM PDT  Anita Hill, whose landmark testimony against now-Supreme Court Justice
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| Pope accepts resignation of US cardinal over abuse cover-up claim Posted: 12 Oct 2018 09:34 AM PDT  Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Washington DC archbishop Donald Wuerl, who has been blamed for not doing enough to deal with paedophile priests. Cardinal Wuerl, 77, had offered to resign on September 21 after facing strong criticism over a report detailing mass sexual abuse cases when he was a bishop in Pennsylvania. Francis finally accepted his resignation on Friday in a letter in which he praised Wuerl's "nobility" and said the cardinal would stay on until his successor is appointed.
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| Banksy's Insane Self-Shredding Painting Is Gone But the Memes Live Forever Posted: 11 Oct 2018 09:18 AM PDT  After street artist Banksy got his $1.4 million painting to shred itself after selling, memes have now come in to memorialize the moment
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| Trump on holding rally during hurricane: I couldn't disappoint my fans Posted: 11 Oct 2018 10:22 AM PDT  The president defended his decision to go ahead with a political rally in Pennsylvania as Hurricane Michael ripped across the southeastern U.S., saying he could not disappoint his many fans.
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| Michelle Obama Reveals What George W. Bush Gave Her At John McCain's Funeral Posted: 11 Oct 2018 08:39 AM PDT  Former first lady Michelle Obama has revealed what former President George W.
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| Washington State's Supreme Court Declares Death Penalty Unconstitutional Posted: 11 Oct 2018 10:00 AM PDT  Washington state's Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty is
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| Fyre Festival organiser jailed for six years after pleading guilty to fraud over disastrous event Posted: 12 Oct 2018 06:23 AM PDT  The entrepreneur behind a luxury music festival in the Bahamas that collapsed in chaos in 2017 was sentenced to six years in prison by a US judge on Thursday after admitting fraud. Billy McFarland, 26, was the force behind the Fyre Festival, which billed itself as the ultimate upscale getaway amid a fast-growing market for music events. Hundreds of partygoers headed to the Bahamas, some paying more than $100,000 each, but instead found tents that wouldn't have looked out of place in relief camps and cuisine that was just rudimentary sandwiches. "Today, McFarland found out the hard way that empty promises don't lead to jet-setting, champagne and extravagant parties - they lead to federal prison," said US Attorney for Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman. The New Yorker admitted wire fraud, bank fraud and making false statements in a two-pronged plea in March and July. Had he gone to trial and been convicted, he could have faced 20 years in prison. In addition to his jail time, he was ordered to forfeit $26 million. Prosecutors said McFarland repeatedly misrepresented himself to build his Fyre Media tech company and the ill-fated festival. Tents and mattresses being set up for the festival Credit: Jake Strang He falsified statements to show investors that his company earned millions of dollars from April 2016 and February 2017 through talent bookings, which in reality has grossed just $57,443, prosecutors said. The US Attorney's office said that at least 80 investors fell victim to his scheme, losing more than $24 million. McFarland also falsely boasted about Magnises, a credit card and private club geared at millennials, prosecutors said. He told investors that he sold Magnises for $40 million while in truth no sale had taken place, they said. In the first damages awarded, a judge in North Carolina earlier this year handed two fans each $1.5 million in compensation, plus $1 million each in punitive damages, far more than the minimum sought. Seth Crossno and Mark Thompson said that they shelled out $13,000 with a promise of exclusive accommodation on a private island but instead wound up in a relief camp-style tent and left when they felt unsafe. Numerous festival-goers posted pictures on social media of shambolic scenes, leading to online mockery of the high prices many had paid. The dinner that @fyrefestival promised us was catered by Steven Starr is literally bread, cheese, and salad with dressing. #fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/I8d0UlSNbd— Tr3vor (@trev4president) April 28, 2017 The Fyre Festival was abruptly canceled and attendees evacuated, leading to online mockery of many of the young fans who had bought into the advertising of the event as a uniquely high-end music party. The government of the Bahamas, a country of more than 700 islands where tourism is the largest industry, apologized and assisted in evacuations - but stressed it was not involved directly in the event.
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| The Latest: NASA exploring flying space station without crew Posted: 11 Oct 2018 10:26 AM PDT  BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — The Latest on the failed space launch carrying two astronauts (all times local):
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| The Arrival of Fall = 10 New Throw Blankets We Want Posted: 12 Oct 2018 10:50 AM PDT |
| Unlimited Brexit backstop would leave UK trapped in unacceptable arrangements: DUP Posted: 12 Oct 2018 04:53 AM PDT  A Brexit backstop which is not time-limited would leave Britain and Northern Ireland trapped in unacceptable arrangements until the EU decided otherwise, the deputy leader of Northern Ireland's DUP said on Friday. The backstop plan is designed to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and European Union member the republic of Ireland. "On many occasions both the PM and the Brexit Secretary said the backstop would be time-limited.
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| Murdered gay student to be interred in Washington 20 years on Posted: 11 Oct 2018 05:04 PM PDT  The remains of a gay US college student whose murder became a symbol of homophobic violence will be interred at Washington National Cathedral 20 years after his death, the church has confirmed. Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, robbed and beaten in 1998, then left to die strapped to a ranch fence in Laramie, Wyoming. "Join the cathedral as we host a service of thanksgiving and remembrance for Matthew Shepard, whose brutal death in 1998 shocked the world, grieved the church and mobilized the LGBTQ movement," the cathedral, a neo-gothic icon of Washington's skyline, said on its website.
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| Dina Powell Withdraws Her Name From UN Ambassador Consideration Posted: 11 Oct 2018 09:12 PM PDT  Dina Powell, a former Trump administration official and an executive at
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| Turkey 'has recordings of Jamal Khashoggi's torture and murder in Saudi consulate' Posted: 12 Oct 2018 04:20 AM PDT  Turkish intelligence reportedly have audio and video recordings from inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where Jamal Khashoggi's Saudi captors can be heard interrogating, torturing, and ultimately murdering him. US officials have been told by their Turkish counterparts that the recordings prove beyond doubt that the Saudi journalist was killed and dismembered by a team of Saudi operatives, according to the Washington Post. Turkey has not released the recordings nor officially confirmed that they exist, although pro-government Turkish media has alluded to them several times in recent days. Saudi Arabia has vehemently denied that it was involved in Mr Khashoggi's disappearance on October 2 and has insisted that he left the consulate safely after filing paperwork related to his upcoming marriage. However, as anger towards Riyadh mounted in Washington and Turkish officials claimed to have comprehensive evidence of Saudi guilt, there were some indications the Saudi position may be shifting. Turkey announced on Thursday that it had accepted a Saudi offer to form a joint investigation into the case, a sign of a possible thaw between the two sides after more than a week of standoff. The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, also abruptly returned home for consultations. "We expect some information when he gets back," said Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the US State Department. The consul-general's residence, where police suspect the body may have been disposed of Credit: AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis On the recordings, the Saudi men can reportedly be heard questioning Mr Khashoggi in Arabic. "You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered," one person told the Post. The recordings also reportedly show that members of the 15-man squad went from the Saudi consulate building to the nearby residence of the Saudi consul-general. Turkish investigators believe that Mr Khashoggi's body may have been disposed of at the residence. Turkish media reported that police were also interested in a Saudi diplomatic van which went for a long drive on the eastern side of Istanbul, where there is less CCTV coverage, on the day of the disappearance. The fallout from the journalist's disappearance continued to batter the reformist image of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, who has presented himself as a modernising force in the conservative kingdom. Turkey has leaked CCTV footage of the Saudi team in Istanbul Credit: Sabah Newspaper / AFP Sir Richard Branson said he was suspending business dealings with the Saudi government until Mr Khashoggi's fate is known. "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi Government," he said in a statement. A number of high-profile media figures have pulled out of Crown Prince Mohammed's annual conference, nicknamed "Davos in the Desert", amid the allegations. A tech executive and a former US energy secretary both stepped back from an advisory board on a new high-tech city Crown Prince Mohammed is building.
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| Photos taken after Russian rocket failure prove that human spaceflight is never routine Posted: 11 Oct 2018 03:14 PM PDT  I never want to understand the kind of fear that the families of NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin experienced in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Both crewmembers were aboard a Russian-made Soyuz rocket bound for a six-month stay on the International Space Station when their rocket malfunctioned, forcing an abort of the mission and sending Hague and Ovchinin on an extreme ride back to Earth within the crew capsule. Hague and Ovchinin are safely back on Earth after the abort, during which they likely experienced the force of seven times Earth's gravity. SEE ALSO: NASA video shows looming Hurricane Michael from space New photos posted by NASA show relieved family members hugging Hague and Ovchinin after they arrived safely back on solid ground. Nick Hague of NASA embraces his wife Catie after landing at the Krayniy Airport.Image: NASA/Bill IngallsThe failure undoubtedly has major implications for the far future of the space station program, and even in more immediate terms, this will likely change how the station runs for the time being, with two fewer crewmembers than expected. This mishap could also have major implications for NASA's plans to get astronaut's launching from the U.S. again in the next few years. We can talk all we want about the future of space travel in light of the failure, but at the end of the day, this is a human story about two people who came way too close to dying in space Thursday. And it just goes to show that even the most seemingly routine rocket launch is never all that routine. This type of Soyuz rocket has been flying people to space since 2001, and until now, it has never failed, according to Space News. The rocket performed admirably in 55 flights over the course of 17 years. WATCH: Astronauts finally brought a fidget spinner to space
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| Hurricane Michael leaves cities in ruins Posted: 12 Oct 2018 07:47 AM PDT  At least 8 people have died and millions in six states are without power. ABC News' Maggie Rulli reports.
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| 'I should have left' - Hurricane Michael terrified those who stayed Posted: 11 Oct 2018 04:58 AM PDT  Andrew Lamonica, 64, a retired power company worker and lifelong Panama City Beach resident, ignored orders to evacuate ahead of one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the United States and waited out the storm in his rented bungalow. In the first fatality related to Wednesday's arrival of Hurricane Michael, local authorities reported a "male subject" was killed by a tree toppling onto his house in the Tallahassee area. Michael inflicted damage to Panama City unevenly, impaling some businesses with sign poles while leaving others virtually unscathed.
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| US Cardinal Donald Wuerl, accused over abuse cover-up, resigns Posted: 12 Oct 2018 09:19 AM PDT  Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of US Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who was blamed for not doing enough to deal with paedophile priests when he was a bishop in Pennsylvania, the Vatican said Friday. Wuerl, who has stepped down as archbishop of Washington, had announced last month that he planned to meet with the pope to discuss his resignation. A sweeping US grand jury report released in August revealed credible allegations against more than 300 predator priests and identified over 1,000 victims of child sex abuse covered up for decades by the Catholic Church in the state of Pennsylvania.
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| Trump Accuses NYT Of Writing Anonymous Resistance Op-Ed: 'I Wouldn't Be Surprised' Posted: 11 Oct 2018 07:17 AM PDT  President Donald Trump on Thursday took aim at The New York Times once again ―
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| Former Nigerian Leader Obasanjo Backs Abubakar for President Posted: 12 Oct 2018 12:41 AM PDT  Obasanjo, an influential politician and former military ruler of Africa's top oil producer, decided to support Abubakar "because the alternative is unthinkable," he said Thursday by phone from the southwestern city of Abeokuta, where the two men met earlier in the day. "Politically it is a significant endorsement for Atiku," Clement Nwankwo, executive director of the Abuja-based Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, said by phone. Abubakar, 71, easily won the presidential nomination of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party on Oct. 7.
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| Royal wedding cake: Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's 400-egg treat Posted: 12 Oct 2018 07:04 AM PDT  As Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding guests mingle around Friday's afternoon's reception inside Windsor Castle, the centrepiece is bound to be the five-tier cake. Designed by cook Sophie Cabot, the royal wedding cake features enormous quantities of eggs, butter and flour. To ensure it was ready on time, Ms Cabot began baking in earnest in Buckingham Palace's kitchens on Wednesday ahead of the big day. The giant red velvet and chocolate cake contains up to 400 eggs, at least 53 packs of unsalted butter, 15 kilograms of organic self raising flour and 20 kilos of sugar. Ms Cabot, 33, admitted she felt "very honoured" to be selected as baker for the royal wedding. Princess Eugenie's royal wedding | Read more She first met the couple in the summer, when she brought cake samples and said: "The couple were very relaxed, very comfortable. I got the feeling the cake was something they were very excited about. "It was a fun meeting as well because I don't think it's every day you have a meeting about cake and you get to try cake." The cake designer, who is based in Fulham, west London, has created a cake that consists of three tiers of red velvet and two of chocolate sponge cake. The cake is covered with buttercream, white icing and decorated with sugar work with an autumnal theme. Although the choice of cake is not traditional, Ms Cabot said the couple insisted on it. She said: "They were very excited about having red velvet, during the tastings red velvet and chocolate came out top. The wedding cake created by baker Sophie Cabot Credit: MATT CROSSICK/ AFP "It's a lovely thing to have at this time of year as well - it's a nice rich cake. "Not one cake is ever the same and this was extra because of the time of year and they wanted to keep it so seasonal - it was a real joy." Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's royal wedding, in pictures After meeting with the couple several times to finalise the design, the professional baker began working on the cake in July, starting with detailed sugar flowers and foliage, from ivy and acorns to white flowers and maple leaves, which will decorate the five tiers of the cake. "With such a big cake, you need to start well in advance - especially with all the sugar work, so it was important to get going quite quickly." she added.
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| New Indonesia quake kills 3 in Java village, shakes Bali Posted: 10 Oct 2018 10:56 PM PDT  PALU, Indonesia (AP) — An earthquake collapsed homes on Indonesia's Java island, killing at least three people, and shook the tourist hotspot of Bali on Thursday, two weeks after a major quake-tsunami disaster in a central region of the archipelago.
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| This Snapchat filter couple's costume is perfect Posted: 12 Oct 2018 08:34 AM PDT  If you're still trying to figure out a couple's costume for Halloween, look no further, for we have found the perfect couple's costume: the filter/no filter. SEE ALSO: Want a super easy Halloween costume idea? This 'Jurassic World' dinosaur mask is just $16. A photo of the couple's costume shared by Redditor lackingprivacy quickly gained traction on the subreddit r/funny for cleverly poking fun at the transformative powers of Snapchat filters. In the photo, the person sporting a "#nofilter" sign, has a five o'clock shadow and is clearly sporting zero makeup, while the person sporting the "#filter" sign is expertly groomed, and sporting a butterfly headband that is now synonymous with Snapchat filters. The costume is so well-executed that I am now reconsidering my couple's costume idea. And, if you're not totally in love with this idea, or you're dressing up solo this Halloween, you can find a bunch of other awesome costume ideas here and here. WATCH: A deeper look at the Afrofuture costumes of 'Black Panther' and the women who brought them to life
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| NY judge dismisses one sex assault charge against Weinstein Posted: 11 Oct 2018 04:57 PM PDT  A New York judge on Thursday threw out one of six sexual assault allegations against disgraced Hollywood tycoon Harvey Weinstein, a victory for a defense now clamoring for the entire case to be dismissed. Weinstein, an international pariah after being accused by more than 80 women of sexual misconduct, is still charged with rape in March 2013 and a forced act of oral sex in 2006, which could see him spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted. The 66-year-old father of five was arrested in May, eight months after he was initially accused in the media of decades of sexual misconduct.
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| These are the best haunted houses in America Posted: 12 Oct 2018 03:13 AM PDT  A new list of America's most terrifying haunted houses in the US has been released, featuring names like "Field of Screams" and "Terror in the Corn."
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| 24 Halloween Snacks That Will Make You Forget Adults Don't Trick-or-Treat Posted: 11 Oct 2018 01:54 PM PDT |
| Democrats Agree To Confirm More Of Trump's Judicial Nominees — Again Posted: 11 Oct 2018 04:28 PM PDT  Democrats on Thursday agreed to expedite votes on 15 of President Donald Trump 's nominees to lifetime federal court seats.
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| Washington Post Says Turkey Has Proof Saudi Arabian Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Was Killed Posted: 12 Oct 2018 12:11 PM PDT  Turkey's government told the U.S. it has proof that Jamal Khashoggi was killed, according to the Post
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| ‘Beautiful Boy’ Is A Cathartic Gift For Families Like Mine Posted: 12 Oct 2018 02:45 AM PDT  In 2014, I found out my younger sister was addicted to methamphetamine.
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| Stock market drop spreads, Wall Street set to fall again Posted: 11 Oct 2018 04:07 AM PDT  SINGAPORE (AP) — World stock markets sank Thursday, extending losses from Wall Street, as investors worried that higher interest rates will dent company earnings and a trade war will crimp global business.
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| U.S. tightens controls on China imports of nuclear components Posted: 11 Oct 2018 02:30 PM PDT  Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on nearly $200 billion of Chinese imports and then threatened more levies if China retaliated. China then hit back with tariffs on about $60 billion of U.S. imports. Washington announced the nuclear technology controls a day after the U.S. Justice Department said it had arrested and indicted a spy for China's Ministry of State Security on charges of economic espionage.
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| Gunman arrested near California park where camper was shot Posted: 10 Oct 2018 08:52 PM PDT ![Gunman arrested near California park where camper was shot]( "Gunman arrested near California park where camper was shot") CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) — A man dressed in black and carrying a rifle was arrested Wednesday near Malibu Creek State Park, where a camper was shot and killed as he slept in a tent in June, authorities said.
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| Elite soldiers protest over pay at Ethiopia PM's office Posted: 11 Oct 2018 04:10 AM PDT  Dozens of Ethiopian soldiers marched on the prime minister's office to demand better pay, triggering an internet blackout in Addis Ababa that was lifted Thursday. In an unusual break with discipline, a group of "disgruntled" elite soldiers, who had been sent to quell bloody ethnic clashes on the capital's outskirts, marched on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office Wednesday to protest low salaries, state-run Ethiopia News Agency (ENA) reported. "Members of the army claimed that officers at various levels could not address their grievances about the low allowances and benefits they receive," ENA said, adding they had gone "to appeal to Abiy Ahmed" directly.
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| Panama City Beach, FL, works to recover after Hurricane Michael Posted: 12 Oct 2018 09:52 AM PDT  Thousands are in shelters after properties were destroyed in the historic hurricane that hit Florida's Panhandle.
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| Trump Tells Supporters At Rally That #MeToo Keeps Him From Saying What He Wants Posted: 10 Oct 2018 08:45 PM PDT  President Donald Trump took aim at the Me Too movement once again on Wednesday
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| This Funky Student Apartment in Madrid Makes Us Want to Go Back to College Posted: 11 Oct 2018 07:00 AM PDT  An architecture firm rethinks the standard gray-on-gray-on-gray college dwelling
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