| Trump news - live: President voices support for France after Notre Dame fire as first 2020 Republican challenger emerges Posted: 16 Apr 2019 12:26 AM PDT  President Trump has pledged his support to the people of France after the iconic Notre Dame cathedral suffered a devastating fire last night. On Twitter, the president noted it was "horrible" to watch the scenes from Paris, and suggested "flying water tankers could be used to put it out." It was confirmed this morning that the fire had been entirely extinguished.Closer to home, Trump is also facing his first Republican challenger for the 2020 presidential election in the form of Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, although is it deemed unlikely that anyone will seize the party's nomination from the incumbent.It was also announced late yesterday that the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2020 presidential election, and any links to the Trump campaign, would be released in a redacted form to the public this Thursday.Read The Independent's live updates from Washington this Tuesday below.
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| Bernie Sanders leads Joe Biden in Emerson national poll of 2020 contenders Posted: 16 Apr 2019 12:42 PM PDT  "Biden has seen his support drop. In February, he led Sanders 27% to 17%, and in March, the two were tied," said Emerson Polling's director.
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| Ecuador says hit by 40 million cyber attacks since Assange arrest Posted: 15 Apr 2019 05:04 PM PDT  Ecuador said on Monday it has suffered 40 million cyber attacks on the webpages of public institutions since stripping Wikileaks founder Julian Assange of political asylum. Patricio Real, Ecuador's deputy minister for information and communication technologies, said the attacks, which began on Thursday, had "principally come from the United States, Brazil, Holland, Germany, Romania, France, Austria and the United Kingdom," as well as from the South American country itself. Assange was arrested and carried out of Ecuador's embassy in London on Thursday after President Lenin Moreno removed his diplomatic protection following seven years of self-imposed exile in the building.
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| Barn find 1955 Chevy Corvette Hasn't Seen Daylight In 40 Years Posted: 16 Apr 2019 11:13 AM PDT  Tucked away for 40 years, this 1955 Chevrolet Corvette looks worse-for-wear in its hiding place – but now it's out, don't even think about trying to buy it. Anyone who owns a rare classic car like a 1955 Corvette could tell you that car collectors are constantly trying to buy them up, and that's the exact reason Bob Doucette put his 1955 Corvette into hiding — that, and wanting a safe place to preserve the car.
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| Student Dies After Falling 40 Feet in Bell Tower at Fordham University Posted: 15 Apr 2019 12:27 PM PDT  A Fordham University student died after she fell 40 feet from the top of the school's bell tower early Sunday, according to an email sent out by the university.
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| Pelosi: AOC’s Progressive Faction Is ‘Like Five People’ Posted: 15 Apr 2019 07:19 AM PDT  House speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the progressive faction of her caucus led by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as "like five people."In a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday, Pelosi was asked whether she could unify the "self-described socialists" and the "moderates" among House Democrats."By and large, whatever orientation they came to Congress with, they know that we have to hold the center. That we have to go down the mainstream," she responded."But it doesn't look like that. It looks as if it's fractured. You have these wings– AOC, and her group on one side," interviewer Lesley Stahl continued."That's like five people," Pelosi replied."The progressive group is more than five," Stahl said."I'm a progressive," Pelosi said.Pelosi, 79, and Ocasio-Cortez, 29, have not clashed openly but have occasionally thrown shade at each other since the latter's ascension to Congress earlier this year. In February, the speaker dismissed Ocasio-Cortez's signature proposal, the Green New Deal, as the "green dream, or whatever they call it." She also referenced the freshman congresswoman's huge social-media following earlier this month during a discussion about the importance of being unified and working with the other side of the aisle."While there are people who have a large number of Twitter followers, what's important is that we have large numbers of votes on the floor of the House," Pelosi said.Pelosi has, however, also allied with Ocasio-Cortez at times. Last month, the most powerful woman in Congress tweeted out the cover of Rolling Stone showing a photo of herself, Ocasio-Cortez, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Representative Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, saying the magazine cover is "worth millions of dreams to women and girls across America."
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| American Airlines to cancel 115 flights daily over 737 MAX Posted: 14 Apr 2019 09:52 PM PDT  American Airlines announced Sunday it would scrap some 115 flights per day in the coming months because its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX planes is being grounded until August 19. America's leading airline had previously only planned to keep the planes out of commission until June 5, with Boeing facing intense scrutiny after 157 people died in an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash on March 10 -- the second deadly crash involving the aircraft in five months. The global fleet of 737 MAX planes has been barred from flying since mid-March.
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| Ilhan Omar has had spike in death threats since Trump attack over 9/11 comment Posted: 14 Apr 2019 10:37 PM PDT  Congresswoman said many threats referenced the president's tweet as Sarah Sanders praises Trump for 'calling Omar out' Opinion: Omar is the target of a dangerous hate campaign Ilhan Omar participates in a news conference outside the Capitol in Washington earlier this week. Photograph: Jim Bourg/Reuters The Muslim American congresswoman Ilhan Omar has said she has received an increased number of death threats after Donald Trump repeatedly tweeted video footage of September 11 and accused Omar of downplaying the terror attacks. Omar issued a statement on Sunday night saying: "Since the president's tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life – many directly referencing or replying to the president's video." Omar said the Capitol police, the FBI, the House sergeant at arms and the speaker of the House were all aware of the threats and she thanked them for their assistance. "Violent rhetoric and all forms of hate speech have no place in our society, much less from our country's Commander in Chief," she wrote. "We are all Americans. This is endangering lives. It has to stop." The White House escalated its assault on Omar on Sunday, as the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, insisted that Omar, 37, a Somali American who as one of the first Muslim women in Congress is the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber, was in the wrong. "I find her comments to be absolutely disgraceful and unbefitting of a member of Congress," Sanders said, "and I think that it's a good thing the president is calling her out." Sanders dismissed concern among Democrats that Trump was inciting violence against Omar, who has received death threats before, and other Muslim Americans. "The president is wishing no ill will and certainly not violence toward anyone," said Sanders. "But the president is absolutely and should be calling out the congresswoman." I think that it's a good thing that the president is calling her out Sarah Sanders Omar has come in for a drubbing from the right over a snippet from a speech last month to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), in which she discussed the problem of Islamophobia and described "the discomfort of being a second-class citizen". "Cair was founded after 9/11," Omar said, "because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." In response, Trump tweeted, retweeted then pinned atop his Twitter account a video splicing footage of Omar's remark with video of the 9/11 attacks, including planes striking the World Trade Center and the Twin Towers falling. Supported by a wave of Democrats saying Trump was willfully misrepresenting comments by Omar in what amounted to dangerous racist bullying, the congresswoman on Saturday said she would not be silenced by "an administration that ran on banning Muslims from this country". "No one person – no matter how corrupt, inept, or vicious – can threaten my unwavering love for America," Omar tweeted. Trump's attack amplified a cover run by the tabloid New York Post, owned by Rupert Murdoch, which splashed a quote from Omar over a picture of the World Trade Center in flames. In response, a group of New York City corner-store owners announced a boycott of the newspaper. The Yemeni American Merchants Association, which represents Yemeni Americans who own and run an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 of the city's thousands of delis and corner stores, known as "bodegas", wrote that the front page "provoked hatred" and "aims to harm Omar and her family and other people of the Islamic faith". "This rhetoric threatens the safety and wellbeing of Omar, Muslim leaders, and the larger Muslim American community at a time when Islamophobia is at an all-time high," it added. This is about the fact that she looks a certain way, she is a woman of color, she happens to be of the Muslim faith Andrew Gillum Andrew Gillum, a former mayor of Tallahassee who made a strong run in 2018 for the Florida governorship, said on CNN's State of the Union Trump was making a racist attack on Omar as part of his strategy to win re-election. "Obviously Ilhan has become a little bit of an easy target for this White House, for this administration," Gillum said. "But I think his attack is beyond Congresswoman Omar. This is about the fact that she looks a certain way, she is a woman of color, she happens to be of the Muslim faith. The president is setting, in my opinion, the groundwork for the kind of campaign he wants to run, which is to pit Americans against Americans, to turn brown and black people against his base." Omar, who represents a district including Minneapolis, has been in Congress just over three months but she has been targeted by Trump more than once. In February, after Omar suggested support for Israel was fueled by donations from a lobby group, she was accused of antisemitism. Omar apologized "unequivocally". But she has declined to do so over her 9/11 comment. "I did not run for Congress to be silent," she tweeted on Saturday. "I stand undeterred to continue fighting for equal opportunity in our pursuit of happiness for all Americans." Many Democrats, including more than a dozen presidential candidates, issued statements of support for Omar, though activists were careful to note that some of the statements, which mentioned Omar by name, were stronger than others. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the other Muslim American woman in Congress, was the first on Friday to call for Democrats to support Omar. "Enough is enough," she wrote. "No more silence, with NY Post and now Trump taking Ilhan's words out of context to incite violence toward her, it's time for more Dem[ocrats] to speak up. Clearly the GOP is fine with this shameful stunt, but we cannot stand by." Senator Bernie Sanders called attacks on Omar "disgusting and dangerous" and said Omar would not "back down to Trump's racism and hate, and neither will we". Senator Elizabeth Warren said: "The president is inciting violence against a sitting congresswoman – and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It's disgusting. It's shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it." Former representative Beto O'Rourke and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Trump's attacks amounted to an "incitement to violence". Trump's own controversial remarks and false claims about September 11 have come under renewed scrutiny. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, the New York congressman Jerrold Nadler, whose district covers lower Manhattan, said he was not offended by Omar's remarks because she referred only in passing to September 11. But Trump was speaking out of turn, Nadler said, because after 9/11 he had taken money from a federal grant fund for small businesses that were damaged in the terrorist attacks. "He stole $150,000 from some small business person who could have used it to help rehabilitate himself," Nadler said. "He has no moral authority to be talking about 9/11 at all."
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| Notre Dame cathedral fire: First pictures show destruction inside Paris landmark Posted: 15 Apr 2019 02:58 PM PDT  The first photos from inside the Notre Dame cathedral showed extensive damage a massive fire caused after engulfing the historic edifice. The altar at the helm of the beloved cathedral appeared all but entirely burned down by the blaze, as smoke still appeared to be rising from the ashes in a photo seemingly taken shortly after firefighters began containing the flames. A golden cross was seemingly left intact, hanging above the destruction that once was the ornate focus for millions of visitors who marvelled at the longstanding structure and its global impact on culture and history.The blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the church's structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry. The 12th century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, immortalised by Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.The exact cause of the blaze was not known, but French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire is "potentially linked" to a major renovation project on the church's spire and its 250 tonnes of lead. The Paris prosecutors' office ruled out arson and possible terror-related motives, and said it was treating it as an accident.> Dans la nef, encombrée par les restes de la flèche en miettes, l'autel est resté intact, avec sa croixNotreDame pic.twitter.com/yify3ERdN0> > — Raphaelle Bacqué (@RaphaelleBacque) > > April 15, 2019Flames shot out of the roof behind the nave of the cathedral, among the most visited landmarks in the world. Hundreds of people lined up bridges around the island that houses the church, watching in shock as acrid smoke rose in plumes. Speaking alongside junior Interior minister Laurent Nunez late Monday, Mr Gallet said "two thirds of the roofing has been ravaged".Late Monday, signs pointed to the fire nearing an end as lights could be seen through the windows moving around the front of the cathedral, apparently investigators inspecting the scene.The fire came less than a week before Easter amid Holy Week commemorations. As the cathedral burned, Parisians gathered to pray and sing hymns outside the church of Saint Julien Les Pauvres across the river from Notre Dame while the flames lit the sky behind them.The Associated Press contributed to this report
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| Here's How Much the Priciest Toll Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels Cost in the United States Posted: 15 Apr 2019 06:29 AM PDT |
| Democrats request documents on White House 'sanctuary city' idea Posted: 15 Apr 2019 11:24 AM PDT  Top Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday demanded documents from the Trump administration over a White House proposal to release migrants from detention and transport them to "sanctuary cities." U.S. media reported on Thursday the administration had considered the idea, which would send migrants and asylum seekers who had crossed the U.S. border with Mexico to districts represented by Democratic lawmakers. Sanctuary cities are local jurisdictions that generally refuse to use their resources to help enforce federal immigration laws against undocumented immigrants that could lead to deportations. Since many of these jurisdictions are represented by Democrats, critics saw the plan as a way to taunt Democrats by dangling the possibility of an influx of illegal immigrants into their communities.
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| European politicians protest outside Assange's London jail Posted: 15 Apr 2019 06:07 AM PDT  German and Spanish lawmakers protested against Julian Assange's detention on Monday, gathering outside a London prison to urge Britain and the EU to prevent his extradition to the United States. Two far-left German MPs, Heike Hansel and Sevim Dagdelen of Die Linke, and a Spanish Green member of the European Parliament, Ana Miranda, had been due to meet their "friend" Assange in London's Ecuadoran embassy later on Monday.
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| Bernie Sanders gets support for 'Medicare for All' proposal from Fox News audience Posted: 15 Apr 2019 05:08 PM PDT  The Vermont senator gets a surprising response from the conservative network's viewers.
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| Stung by the IRS on Your 2018 Taxes Posted: 16 Apr 2019 08:47 AM PDT  Stung by the IRS on Your 2018 Taxes? Here's How to Fix It. If your tax refund was smaller this tax season—or you're shocked at how much you owe—you're not alone. Data from the Internal Revenue S...
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| 'Operationally suitable': Federal Aviation Administration backs training on Boeing's 737 Max revisions Posted: 16 Apr 2019 04:14 PM PDT  The Flight Standardization Board's preliminary report recommends training on the controversial anti-stalling system for all 737 Max pilots
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| Your Air Force Needs Some Firepower and Can't Get an F-35?: Check Out the Eurofighter Typhoon Posted: 15 Apr 2019 05:17 AM PDT  The development of the Typhoon did not clear the field of European fighter contenders. France, with its own aviation industry and its own specialized requirements (including carrier takeoff and landing capability) and Sweden would produce their own fighters, which continue to compete with the Typhoon for export contracts. The F-35 has come to dominate the fighter acquisition plans of many European countries, sucking up money and attention that might have gone to the Typhoon.The Eurofighter Typhoon has joined the Dassault Rafale, the Saab Gripen, and the Sukhoi "Flanker" in pursuit of a growing niche in the international fighter market. These aircraft offer capabilities beyond the Generation 4 platforms developed in the 1970s, but don't carry the costs and complications of stealth. While the Eurofighter has enjoyed outstanding technical success thus far, the market niche may not be large enough to sustain production over time.(This first appeared in 2016.)Origins:
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| Trump Raises $30 Million in First Quarter, Campaign Says Posted: 14 Apr 2019 07:14 PM PDT  The Republican National Committee, which will be supporting Trump's bid, raised an additional $45.8 million in the first quarter, the most it's raised in a non-election year. Combined, the party and Trump's committees have $82 million in the bank, an unprecedented war chest this early in a presidential election contest. The $75.8 million Trump's committees and the RNC raised in the first quarter tops the $67.5 million that eight Democratic candidates have voluntarily reported, though the Democratic National Committee and several candidates who raised money in the first quarter have yet to release totals.
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| All the Times Notre Dame Was Almost Destroyed in the Past Posted: 16 Apr 2019 12:12 PM PDT  Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyOn Monday just before 8 p.m. local time, an audible gasp rippled through the streets of Paris as bystanders watched the spire that towered above the Notre Dame Cathedral topple over in a fiery rush. The steeple had served as a symbol of cultural achievement, national pride, and faith for generations in France and the world over, and it was now gone.It wasn't the first time that the spire had been forcibly separated from the cathedral, but it was the most devastating. Since the very first stones were put in place for a grand church that would rise on the banks of the River Seine over 850 years ago, Notre Dame has not just borne witness to history, it has had parts of that history inscribed into its very architectural bones.As the centuries passed, Notre Dame has garnered attention from forces both good and evil. There were the insurgents during the French Revolution who took issue with the church's symbol of authority and decided to do some painful redecorating, and then their ideological descendants less than 100 years later, whose attempt to burn it down was thwarted. There were prominent cultural figures whose misguided aesthetic judgements resulted in painful losses, and those who came after to right the damage with a little extra editorializing. And then, of course, there were the everyday challenges of a massive cultural monument—maintenance, upkeep, and extreme weather.The back of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris around 1880.Unidentified Author/Alinari via GettyEach time Notre Dame Cathedral has been imperiled, whether by acts of human or God, it has risen stronger than before and as an even greater beacon for the universal hopes of humanity. But after suffering a devastating fire on Monday that began in the roof and quickly spread, "Our Lady in Paris" faces its greatest challenge yet. Construction on Notre Dame began in the 1160s and didn't stop until well into the 14th century. One could say destruction was built into its foundation—a Romanesque church was torn down to make way for the cathedral, as had been done to a pagan temple before that. But on this patch of the Île de la Cité that had been selected for worship by prior generations, a magnificent French Gothic cathedral rose from the rubble. It was a towering achievement and one that continued to evolve for over 100 years as new advancements were made in the field of architecture. By the end of the 14th century, the grand Notre Dame Cathedral was complete—for now—and it had taken its place on an island in the Seine in both the heart of the Catholic Church and of the city."Paris in the Middle Ages is a very international, cosmopolitan place, probably much more multicultural than most people today tend to assume," Jacqueline Jung, associate professor of art history at Yale and a specialist in medieval art and architecture, tells The Daily Beast. "People are coming from all over to study at the university there and, while they are there, they're seeing this Cathedral because it's visible from all over the place."For over 300 years, the cathedral was largely left alone to be admired. Then, in the 1770s, the first misguided attempts at improvement began. Apparently, clear glass windows were all the rage at the time, and the beautiful, stained glass masterpieces that filled the cathedral were deemed déclassé. So the glassmaker Pierre Le Vieil was hired to remove some of the latter and replace them with the former.As he smashed the rejected, "very crude" panes to bits, he "paused for a moment to admire the 'brilliance of the colors, particularly the blue,'" according to a 1963 article in Life Magazine.Installation works at the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris around 1900. Imagno/GettyAround this time, it was also decided that the Portal of Judgement on the Western facade of the church, the one that has become the iconic photograph prized by tourists, wasn't sufficiently large enough to stage grand processions. So, the entryway was widened, sacrificing some of the original masonry and at least one major sculpture.But the real trouble for the cathedral began with the 18th century rumbles of revolution. Before the tragic fire of 2019, it was during the French Revolution that the cathedral took its biggest hit. When the commoners rose up against their class overlords, they not only took down the rulers of the country, they also wanted to do away with the symbols of their oppression, including the Catholic church. No king was safe and in 1793, the sights of the new government turned on Notre Dame. Nine months after King Louis XVI was introduced to Madame Guillotine, 28 stone sculptures depicting the Kings of Judah were removed from the facade of the cathedral and beheaded by the fearsome lady. Nearly 200 years later, 21 of these heads were discovered. (Only fragments of their other remains were found.) The revolutionaries renamed the cathedral the Temple of Reason, staging festivals that pilloried its religious roots and promoted the ideals of the Enlightenment. During the course of the merriment, the treasures inside were fair game and much of the interior was looted. While the spire didn't seem to engender any specific ire in the revolutionaries, it had fallen into disrepair and was starting to loll. In the interest of safety, it was removed.Sandbags are stacked up against Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, to try and prevent any war damage, ca. 1916.Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via GettyNotre Dame might not have been respected by the leaders of the French Revolution, but its star had not dimmed in the eyes of the world. Almost immediately after Napoleon seized power, he set about the rehabilitation of the church namely by staging his 1804 coronation in the cathedral. But it was the French author Victor Hugo who sealed its fate. In 1831, he published The Hunchback of Notre Dame which was in many ways a love letter to the cathedral and a call to action to right the cultural wrongs of its neglected state."Victor Hugo used it as a kind of rallying cry for people to look at these monuments like Notre Dame that seemed to represent a sort of old order that was really dead, but now to look at it as a historical monument, as a sign of French ingenuity, French pride, French history, European history, human history," Jung says. It worked. A massive renovation was undertaken under the guidance of Eugene Viollet-le-Duc in the 1860s. While the architect deserves commendation for the work he did, he went far beyond bringing the building back to its former glory. As Jung explains, the project became a "showpiece of the restorer's art" and he rehabilitated the building and its decorations according to what the then-modern day view dictated a medieval showstopper should be. The gargoyles, for instance—those are a Viollet-le-Duc original.Clearing of sandbag protection from the facade of Notre Dame, German-occupied Paris, 1940. Art Media/Print Collector/GettyJung says that it is nearly impossible for a casual observer today to distinguish between the original medieval features and the restorer's additions—the original and the restoration have been intertwined and the latter masked to look like the former as was Viollet-le-Duc's intention. "The things that he did were imposing much more of the individual 19th-century man's craft onto the building that today we wouldn't really like to see. But on the other hand, you know, it's a pretty good job," Jung laughs. In the centuries following Viollet-le-Duc's restoration of the Cathedral to its original glory (and beyond), Notre Dame has become more than just a beacon of the church; it is a global symbol of humanity and our feats of cultural heritage. This high profile has helped to protect the building through the tumultuous waves of history, though there have been a few near misses over the decades. During the Paris Commune in the spring of 1871, left-wing revolutionaries took over the streets of the city and set their sights on important landmarks including Notre Dame. Historian Robert Tombs writes in The Paris Commune 1871 that they began to set buildings on fire "partly to block the way of the advancing troops, and also as symbolic acts of defiance." Notre Dame stood as a symbol of the "superstition" of the state, but when a group of revolutionaries tried to set the cathedral on fire, a fire brigade intervened.The World Wars that ripped apart the global fabric and stitched it back up with new boundaries and new ideologies in the first half of the twentieth century also managed to largely bypass one of the most recognizable landmarks in Paris despite the City of Lights becoming a key battleground.Powerful black and white pictures attest to the vulnerability of the cathedral: sandbags packed tall and dense in its doorways during WWI; machine guns stationed in the Square Jean-XXIII; and armored tanks flanking the building and filled with American soldiers and celebrating locals following the city's liberation at the end of WWII. Liberation of Paris. American soldiers on the Notre Dame of Paris square, Aug. 25, 1944.Pierre Jahan/Roger Viollet/GettyThe church didn't survive completely unscathed—in October 1914 a German bomb struck the roof of the church—but the damage was relatively minor. This escape was perhaps miraculous given that, as scholar Ronald C. Rosbottom wrote in 2014, the Germans dropped over 200 bombs on Paris in early 1918 in a desperate attempt to make inroads in the city, and a large portion of these fell on the neighborhoods surrounding the cathedral. It turned out, the Germans were using Notre Dame as a guiding landmark from the air. But the cathedral was not so lucky a century later when a fire that authorities believe started in the roof broke out. While the blaze was eventually extinguished, and some of the art is believed to have been saved, a few aspects of Notre Dame's history have been lost forever.Some of the medieval stained glass that escaped Le Vieil's hammer is thought to have been lost (though the stunning Rose windows are believed safe). Jung says that the deeply saturated colors of these 800 year old works, the texture and thickness of the glass, the compositions that tell of sacred history, and the medieval artisans' hours of labor and unique talent that they represented are irreplaceable. Also, much of the timber work that sat between the stone vaults and the roof was part of the original 13th-century construction, a very rare find in Gothic cathedrals today. All of it is thought to have gone up in flames.But still, there is hope. Pledges are already rolling in from both the French government and wealthy donors committed to helping Notre Dame rise from destruction once again. While there will be features that cannot be saved, the restoration will add a new mark of tragedy and survival onto the bones of the church.As Jung says, the history Notre Dame Cathedral has witnessed has mapped itself onto the building, often in physical ways. In return, "It's played a role in all of these [historical events] and, along the way, it's become this symbol of Frenchness, of great design, of intelligence, of religious devotion, of politics. Every aspect of human culture is embedded into this building…[Notre Dame] has shaped this place and it has shaped people's thinking and imaginations in a way that few other buildings have."Read more at The Daily Beast.
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| Donors pledge 700 mn euros to rebuild Notre-Dame Posted: 16 Apr 2019 08:53 AM PDT  Pledges from French billionaires, businesses and the public sector to help rebuild Notre-Dame cathedral reached some 700 million euros (790 million dollars) on Tuesday amid an outpouring of public support for one of Europe's most iconic monuments. President Emmanuel Macron has vowed the mediaeval monument will be restored after its spire and roof collapsed Monday night in a spectacular blaze thought to be linked to extensive renovation work. French luxury group Kering, whose brands include Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci, kicked off the campaign late Monday with a promise of 100 million euros ($113 million).
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| Israel's president starts consultations on prime minister nomination Posted: 15 Apr 2019 11:14 AM PDT  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nomination seemed virtually ensured after his right-wing Likud won the largest number of parliamentary seats in the April 9 ballot, and his closest rival, Benny Gantz of the centrist Blue and White party, conceded defeat. President Reuven Rivlin said he would announce his choice on Wednesday after meeting with all of the parties that captured seats in the 120-member Knesset. Under Israeli law, after consultations with the parties the president taps a legislator whom he believes has the best chance of forming a government, delegating 28 days, with a two-week extension if necessary, to complete the task.
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| Canada: police hunt hitman disguised as delivery person who shot woman Posted: 15 Apr 2019 11:56 AM PDT  Suspect injured woman with a crossbow in a 'premeditated, targeted' attack, police say, in November 2018Police say the bow and arrows used in the attack are designed for hunting big game like moose. Photograph: Chris Helgren/ReutersPolice in Canada are hunting a suspected hitman who they say disguised himself as a delivery person to carry out a "premeditated, targeted and isolated attack" on a woman, gravely injuring her with a crossbow.Details of a brazen murder attempt were released to the public Monday morning by police in Mississauga, Ontario. The attack on the 44-year-old woman occurred late on 7 November 2018 in an area north of Toronto.In black-and-white home surveillance footage, a man is seen carrying a large cardboard box on the victim's front porch. Dressed in a baseball cap, hooded sweatshirt and dark gloves, the man awkwardly holds the large rectangular box, which police say concealed the crossbow.After a brief conversation, he fires the weapon and flees in a dark pickup truck. The front door is seen closing as the suspect runs away.Despite her substantial injuries, the woman was able to phone emergency responders. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she has remained for months."The injuries that she sustained were absolutely devastating," Det Sgt Jim Kettles of Peel police told reporters. "It involved damage to a lot of her internal organs. She'll be in recovery phase for the rest of her life … Her life will never be the same."The woman got a "direct look" at the man who attacked her, but was unable to identify him."This was most definitely a targeted type of attack," Kettles said, adding that "the crossbow was never removed from the box" during the encounter.At the press conference, police displayed a similar crossbow and arrows to the ones used in the attack, which are designed for hunting big game like moose. The choice of weapon was meant to "inflict the maximum amount of damage possible", said police, who were able to recover one of the arrows at the scene of the crime."Comments made to the victim [by the suspect] indicate the victim was targeted and that the suspect may have carried out the attack at the request of another individual," said Supt Heather Raymor. "It is clear that this attack was meant to end the victim's life."Police have not released a motive for the attack. Kettles said the shoes and baseball hat worn by the suspect were unique – and the suspect did not conceal his face, giving investigators a number of potential clues. "We are open to anything at this point and we are looking at all possible investigative avenues," he said.
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| View Photos of the Mercedes-Benz Concept GLB Posted: 15 Apr 2019 07:42 AM PDT |
| Syria, Iran say US is waging 'economic terrorism' Posted: 16 Apr 2019 08:45 AM PDT  DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria and Iran said Tuesday the United States is waging "economic terrorism" against countries that have different opinions and should pursue its aims through diplomacy instead.
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| YouTube accidentally links Notre-Dame fire to 9/11 attacks Posted: 16 Apr 2019 01:53 AM PDT  A YouTube fact-check feature which is meant to tackle misinformation accidentally tagged live broadcasts of a fire engulfing Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris with details about the 9/11 terror attacks. News outlets began live-streaming broadcasts of the fire on YouTube, but below some of the clips an unusual text box popped up -- an entry from the Encyclopedia Britannica about the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. In those attacks, Al-Qaeda militants hijacked two passenger planes and flew them into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York, causing them to collapse, while a third hijacked jet smashed into the Pentagon.
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| Bernie Sanders Brings a Gun to a Democratic Primary Knife Fight Posted: 16 Apr 2019 02:38 AM PDT  Mark Makela/GettyIn seeking the 2020 nomination for the presidency, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had made overtures that he'd operate more firmly within the Democratic Party as the party adopted procedural reforms to accommodate his concerns. The rapprochement was always delicate. And this week it hit a major snag as the senator's presidential campaign opened fire at one of the Democratic Party's leading think tanks over a video that its editorially independent news site posted on Sanders' personal wealth. That video from ThinkProgress and the senator's response, in which he accused the Center for American Progress of bias against liberal candidates and veneration for corporate interests, exposed the lingering animus between the Sanders and the Democratic Party's actual institutions. It also raised alarm and questions as to whether Sanders was running to lead the party or to fundamentally change it. "If you always want to be an aggrieved factional candidate, then you do what they did here," said a Democratic operative who is a fan of Sanders. "It has nothing to do with the electoral context of Iowa or New Hampshire or Nevada or South Carolina. Let's go fight that battle. Voters don't care about CAP."The root of the latest blow up was a video produced by ThinkProgress noting that Sanders had stopped maligning millionaires—leaving his criticism for billionaires—when he became one himself. The news site is part of the CAP umbrella, which gave the video the veneer of a sanctioned attack. But it also claims editorial independence from the think tank, though the degree of that independence is difficult to define. Sanders' campaign was initially uncertain of how it should respond to the post. But a day after it had been up—and shared gleefully by Republican operatives—they chose to push back in a way that, Democrats said, redefined disproportionality. Over the weekend, Sanders' campaign sent a letter to the board of CAP and CAP Action Fund saying that the "counterproductive negative campaigning needs to stop." The letter referenced content written about Sanders and two close colleagues who are also in the 2020 race: Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ). It also explicitly called out CAP president Neera Tanden, an ally of Hillary Clinton, who has been critical of Sanders in the past but has attempted to mend bridges. Among some Democrats, there was a sense of bewilderment that the Sanders campaign had gone—as one operative put it—"nuclear" over a mere web video. One Democratic consultant sympathetic to Sanders described the video as being "like a gnat buzzing around your ear," one which should not have distracted from the candidate's Midwest tour. It also raised questions as to whether the senator was ready for the scrutiny that would come from being a frontrunning candidate, after having run as an insurgent against an ideal foil, Hillary Clinton, in 2016. "When you're leading in the polls of president of your party you should expect investigative stories to hit at least once a week and to be attacked by your opponents every day," said Ben Labolt, who served as press secretary to Barack Obama during the 2012 campaign. "An attack on something like ThinkProgress is the sign of a super-narrow-minded campaign that isn't actually thinking of how the election will be won... They have chosen an establishment force that no one outside of the Starbucks at 16th and K would recognize." But within Sanders' orbit, the pushback was seen as strategically prudent. Sanders has often bristled at personal questions that he deems irrelevant to the set of beliefs he has espoused for decades. And his attack on CAP effectively set a benchmark for the type of coverage that the his team would countenance and reinforced his brand as someone outside of typical party structures. It also undermined any notion that he was a political pushover—a suggestion that lingered for some after he muted some of his attacks on Clinton in 2016. It didn't hurt matters that some prominent, though non-establishment, Democratic figures offered Sanders their support. Tom Steyer, the liberal billionaire donor and party activist, who also serves on the board of directors for CAP issued a statement on his own saying he would use his "voice on the Center for American Progress' Board of Directors to discourage any such attacks on any candidate seeking the Democratic nomination in the future."Those close to Steyer told The Daily Beast that he released the statement without consulting with others at the organization and that it by no means suggested he was endorsing Sanders. Another CAP board member, Stacey Abrams, declined to comment. But a spokesperson for the former Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia directed The Daily Beast to a conciliatory statement Tanden issued on Monday afternoon, saying the video had been "overly harsh" and did "not reflect our approach to a constructive debate of the issues."That, for now, seems to have quieted the skirmish with Sanders' campaign manager Faiz Shakir saying that the campaign looked "forward to working in a more productive manner" with CAP, "if possible." But within a few hours, Sanders was, once more, putting pressure on the press; this time on an outlet of a highly-different ideological bent than ThinkProgress. In a town hall with Fox News, the senator hit back on the suggestion that his income-inequality message was muddied by his personal wealth by directly challenging the newscasters to ask the president for his own tax rates. "I pay the taxes that I owe," he declared, "and by the way, why don't you get Donald Trump up here and ask them how much he pays in taxes?"Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
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| Warren Has a Good Beginning for Ending Corporate-Tax Avoidance Posted: 15 Apr 2019 09:30 AM PDT  The first is a basic quarterly profit and loss statement that is widely disseminated to shareholders, analysts and the media. The second is the firm's annual corporate tax filing, submitted to Uncle Sam. For companies such as Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., these two numbers can vary by tens of billions of dollars.
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| Woman pleads guilty to state charges for $400,000 GoFundMe scam Posted: 15 Apr 2019 02:14 PM PDT  Johnny Bobbitt, the homeless veteran who was one of three people charged in a GoFundMe scam that raised more than $400,000 pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday.
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| US terror label for Iran Revolutionary Guard takes effect Posted: 15 Apr 2019 08:08 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. terrorism label for Iran's Revolutionary Guard formally took effect on Monday, amid a battle between the Trump administration and some in Congress over waivers on oil and nuclear sanctions that are due to expire or be extended early next month.
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| Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores considering liquidating Hometown stores Posted: 15 Apr 2019 01:18 PM PDT  The largest shareholder of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores took steps Monday to block the retailer from liquidating its Hometown stores.
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| Volkswagen Shows Tarok Concept to See If America Wants a Small Pickup Again Posted: 15 Apr 2019 06:00 AM PDT  This is the second small pickup concept VW has used to tease U.S. buyers. Is it leading to production?
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| Mayor-elect Lightfoot says migrants welcome in Chicago Posted: 14 Apr 2019 06:26 PM PDT  President Trump says Chicago could serve as a sanctuary city for migrants.
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| U.S. airlines face too many travellers, too few planes in 737 MAX summer dilemma Posted: 15 Apr 2019 12:18 PM PDT ![U.S. airlines face too many travellers, too few planes in 737 MAX summer dilemma]( "U.S. airlines face too many travellers, too few planes in 737 MAX summer dilemma") Normally, U.S. airlines compete to sell tickets and fill seats during the peak summer travel season. The grounding of Boeing Co's fuel-efficient, single-aisle workhorse after two fatal crashes is biting into U.S. airlines' Northern Hemisphere spring and summer schedules, threatening to disarm them in their seasonal war for profits. Southwest Airlines Co, the world's largest MAX operator, and American Airlines Group Inc with 34 and 24 MAX jetliners respectively, have removed the aircraft from their flying schedules into August.
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| At least 174 killed in fight for Libya's Tripoli: WHO Posted: 16 Apr 2019 02:51 AM PDT  At least 174 people have been killed and 758 wounded in the battle for control over the Libyan capital Tripoli, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. Fighting broke out on April 4 when military strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to take Tripoli, the seat of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). At least 14 civilians are among those killed and 36 have been wounded, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told journalists citing local health facilities.
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| Macron Presides Over Rare Unity as Nation Grieves Notre Dame Posted: 16 Apr 2019 11:59 AM PDT  Macron urged haste Tuesday evening as he reiterated a vow to rebuild the 850-year-old Gothic monument, an issue that's united the French population across the political spectrum, with national parties suspending their European election campaigns and leaders from around the globe lending their support. "We will rebuild the Notre-Dame cathedral even more beautiful than it was," Macron said in a televised address to the nation.
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| Get the Best Sleep of Your Life with These Smart (and Just Plain Soothing) Products Posted: 16 Apr 2019 01:35 PM PDT |
| Pelosi: Socialism ‘Not the View of the Democratic Party’ Posted: 15 Apr 2019 10:35 AM PDT  Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that she rejects the socialist ideology recently embraced by the left wing of her caucus and claimed that it does not represent a consensus position within the Democratic party.During an appearance on 60 Minutes Sunday evening, Pelosi told CBS's Leslie Stahl that the party has not succumbed to socialism despite the fact that all of its top 2020 presidential contenders have endorsed the elimination of the private health-insurance market."It is allowing [President Donald Trump] to say, 'You're all socialists,'" Stahl said of the party's attachment to Medicare-for-all."Do you know that when we did -- when Medicare was done by the Congress at the time, under Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan said, 'Medicare will lead us to a socialist dictatorship.' This is an ongoing theme of the Republicans," Pelosi replied. "However -- I do reject socialism as a economic system. If people have that view, that's their view. That is not the view of the Democratic party."While some of the party's presidential-primary candidates, including former representative Beto O'Rourke and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), have rejected the socialist label, they have, like the rest of their rivals, endorsed many of the policies initially championed by avowed socialist Bernie Sanders. Tuition-free higher education, Medicare-for-all, and support for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal have all emerged as early litmus tests.Pelosi, meanwhile, has attempted to ward off allegations that the party's brand has been defined by the direct, social-media-driven politics of freshman progressives like Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota."That's like five people," Pelosi told Stahl when asked about the outsize influence wielded by Ocasio-Cortez and her cohort.
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| AOC on 'Game of Thrones' finale: It'd be 'badass' if it ended in democracy Posted: 15 Apr 2019 10:28 AM PDT  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., offered an optimistic view on the potential conclusion of "Game of Thrones."
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| The 2020 Ford Mustang's Base Model Gets a Better Performance Package Posted: 15 Apr 2019 03:00 AM PDT  This single box-check option, borrowed from the Focus RS, can take a 2.3-liter Mustang from base to race.
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| SpaceX booster accidentally falls into ocean after rough conditions Posted: 16 Apr 2019 06:27 AM PDT  On Thursday, SpaceX landed three of its booster rockets in one very impressive feat.While the two side boosters landed safely on the ground at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the center core landed out in the Atlantic Ocean on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship.SEE ALSO: SpaceX landed three of its boosters for the first time, and yep, it was impressiveThat meant SpaceX had to go and retrieve the booster, but sadly, rough conditions on the seas resulted in the booster accidentally falling into the ocean, as reported by The Verge.> Falcon Heavy's center core has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship! pic.twitter.com/pNqwMWr50d> > -- SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 11, 2019"Over the weekend, due to rough sea conditions, SpaceX's recovery team was unable to secure the center core booster for its return trip to Port Canaveral," SpaceX said in a statement to the outlet."As conditions worsened with eight to ten foot swells, the booster began to shift and ultimately was unable to remain upright. While we had hoped to bring the booster back intact, the safety of our team always takes precedence. We do not expect future missions to be impacted."SpaceX has a robot which is used to secure the boosters after they've landed on the droneship, but it isn't compatible with the Falcon Heavy center core, as reported by Florida Today.The company is expected to upgrade both the robot and the center core for future missions, so hopefully there won't be a repeat of the transit issues which transpired this time.
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| Bank of America profit rises 6 pct on growing loan book Posted: 16 Apr 2019 03:56 AM PDT ![Bank of America profit rises 6 pct on growing loan book]( "Bank of America profit rises 6 pct on growing loan book") Bank of America Corp reported a 6 percent rise in quarterly profit on Tuesday, as a growing loan book and cost cuts made up for a drop in revenue in investment banking. Net income applicable to common shareholders rose to $6.87 billion, or 70 cents per share, in the first quarter ended March 31 from $6.49 billion, or 62 cents per share, a year earlier.
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| Redacted Mueller report to be released Thursday Posted: 15 Apr 2019 11:49 AM PDT  A redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian meddling in the US election will be released Thursday, the Justice Department said as President Donald Trump again lashed out at the most politically explosive probe in modern US history. The report could feature allegations that Trump tried to obstruct the investigation, although Attorney General Bill Barr has said there is not sufficient evidence to establish he committed such a crime. Mueller himself has offered no conclusion on this, according to a brief summary of the report from Barr, who was handpicked by Trump.
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| We made a deeply flavorful chicken tagine-in about an hour Posted: 15 Apr 2019 08:55 AM PDT  We love the way the liberal warm spices, sweetness, and tart brininess of a tagine enliven workaday chicken, so we set to develop a chicken tagine with depth of flavor_in about an hour.
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