| Top Democrats criticise Trump for ‘photo-op’ meeting with Kim Jong-un on North Korea border Posted: 30 Jun 2019 02:11 PM PDT  Candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination are speaking out against Donald Trump's venture into North Korea, the first time a sitting US president has stepped into the country.The Republican president met with the North Korean leader in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea on Sunday, in a meeting that appeared to have been planned on a whim earlier in the week. Joining many critics who called the journey a publicity stunt, nominees for the top Democratic spot voiced negative opinions of the weekend meeting."Our President shouldn't be squandering American influence on photo ops and exchanging love letters with a ruthless dictator," wrote senator Elizabeth Warren on Twitter on Sunday morning. "Instead, we should be dealing with North Korea through principled diplomacy that promotes US security, defends our allies, and upholds human rights."Senator Kamala Harris also used the platform to voice concern, tweeting "This President should take the North Korean nuclear threat and its crimes against humanity seriously. This is not a photo-op. Our security and our values are at stake."In an interview on ABC, Senator Bernie Sanders said he had "no problem" with the president meeting with Kim Jong-un but that he didn't want a meeting to "simply be a photo opportunity.""What's going to happen tomorrow and the next day?" senator Sanders continued. "He has weakened the State Department."Candidate Julian Castro also said he did not condemn meeting with adversaries, but did express concerns Mr Trump was raising the profile of a dictator by meeting with the North Korean leader three times with nothing to show for it."He's doing it backward," Mr Castro said.A spokesman for former vice president Joe Biden said the president was "coddling" dictators at the expense of U.S. national security.Senator Amy Klobuchar, also running for the candidacy, compared the move to a moment between neighbours."It is not as easy as just going and bringing a hot dish over the fence to the dictator next door," she said.Additional reporting by Reuters
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| How America's F-22s (Now Near Iran) Could Strike If War Breaks Out Posted: 30 Jun 2019 08:00 AM PDT  Taken on Jun. 27, 2019 the pictures in this post show U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-22 Raptors arriving at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The Raptors are deployed to Qatar for the first time in order to defend American forces and interests in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.The USAF did not give the total number of F-22s deployed, but a handout picture showed at least five the warplanes over the base.The F-22 movement comes a week after an Iranian surface-to-air missile (SAM) shot down a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton drone over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the drone was in its airspace, but Washington claims it was over international waters.
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| Judge: Rep. Duncan Hunter's trial can detail alleged affairs Posted: 01 Jul 2019 01:40 PM PDT  Jurors can hear evidence of U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter's alleged extramarital affairs when they consider charges the California Republican looted campaign cash to finance vacations, golf outings and other personal expenses, a judge said Monday. Prosecutors revealed salacious details about the married congressman's lifestyle in court filings last week, saying he used campaign money to illegally finance a string of romantic relationships with lobbyists and congressional aides. U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan said the allegations were relevant to whether campaign money was spent illegally and spoke to motive and intent.
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| Hunt for pet-eating python as 9ft snake goes on the loose in Cambridge Posted: 30 Jun 2019 10:04 AM PDT  Rabbit and chicken owners in Cambridge have been warned to be vigilant following the escape of a nine-foot reticulated python. The non-venomous snake is unlikely to pose a threat to human life but could make small animals like rabbits and chickens its prey. Police in Cambridgeshire received reports that a snake had been spotted near Lovell Road in Cambridge. In the early hours of Sunday morning officers attended the area but failed to spot the animal. The snake's owners have been located and provided police with details on the animal. Steve Allain, chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Amphibian and Reptile Group said the escaped reptile poses a threat to rabbits, chickens and potentially dogs and cats but added that the latter two pets are more like to be able to defend themselves if attacked. Mr Allain said the threat posed depends on when the animal last ate. "We don't when it last fed or how hungry it is or how determined it is to find a meal," Mr Allain said. Mr Allain said the "snake could be anywhere" and would be easier to locate during the colder winter months when it would seek warmth. "With the hot weather this weekend, it will be comfortable in most places. During the winter, the first place you would look would be in and around cars where they seek the warmth of the engine." An Indonesian woman was swallowed by a 23-foot reticulated python last year but Mr Allain said this smaller creature does not pose a similar threat. The RSPCA advised anyone that encounters the creature not to approach it. "If anyone finds a snake they believe is non-native the RSPCA's advice is to keep a safe distance, monitor the snake and call the charity's helpline on 0300 1234 999," a spokeswoman said. Reticulated pythons are the world's longest snake, native to south-east Asia and can grow up to 31.5 feet, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. They are not venomous. In May, Cambridgeshire Constabulary found a large orange and black striped corn snake out and about. "Road policing officers got a bit of a shock this morning when they came across thissss snake in the grass on Arbury Road in Cambridge," police said on Twitter. The snake was taken to a wildlife centre in Stretham. Anyone who sees the latest snake is asked to notify police on 101.
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| Freak hail storm strikes Mexican city of Guadalajara Posted: 30 Jun 2019 05:11 PM PDT  A freak hail storm on Sunday struck Guadalajara, one of Mexico's most populous cities, shocking residents and trapping vehicles in a deluge of ice pellets up to two meters (yards) deep. "I've never seen such scenes in Guadalajara," said the state governor, Enrique Alfaro. Guadalajara, located north of Mexico City and with a population of around five million, has been experiencing summer temperature of around 31 Centigrade (88 Fahrenheit) in recent days.
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| Right-wing protesters, 'antifa' clashes bring chaos to streets of Portland, Oregon Posted: 30 Jun 2019 12:49 PM PDT ![Right-wing protesters, 'antifa' clashes bring chaos to streets of Portland, Oregon]( "Right-wing protesters, 'antifa' clashes bring chaos to streets of Portland, Oregon") Order was restored to the streets of Portland, Oregon, after protests that clogged streets, crippled public transit and left at least 8 people hurt.
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| The American Medical Association Is Taking a More Aggressive Approach on Abortion Legislation Posted: 01 Jul 2019 04:00 AM PDT  The doctors' group, is taking an assertive stance arguing that North Dakota's laws interfere with doctor-patient relationships.
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| Houston man found alive in crashed car 5 days after going missing Posted: 01 Jul 2019 07:43 AM PDT  Volunteers were about to call off the search when one of them found a car bumper, which led to the missing man's Honda with him still inside.
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| Democrats decry 'inhumane conditions' at migrant detention camps Posted: 01 Jul 2019 04:49 PM PDT  Democratic members of Congress toured a migrant detention facility in Clint, Texas, and blasted the Trump administration for the conditions they found.
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| Russia's Killer Su-57 Stealth Fighter and S-400 Headed to a NATO Member? Posted: 29 Jun 2019 09:30 PM PDT  On May 18 2019, Erdogan stated that not only was the S-400 purchase a "done deal"—but that Turkey would engage in "joint production of the S-500 after." The S-500 is an even more advanced Russian SAM system.Amongst a host of factors behind the downward spiraling relations between Turkey and its NATO allies, one of increasing consequence is Turkey's contravention of U.S. sanctions on Russia when it signed in 2017 a $2.5 billion deal to purchase advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.Turkish president Recep Erdogan has stood by the deal, even as U.S. lawmakers are threatening to ban the delivery of the 120 advanced F-35 stealth jets Turkey has ordered, and expel Turkish companies from the program entirely.(This first appeared earlier in June 2019.)Currently, the S-400s are due to arrive in July 2019 and become operational in September. Meanwhile, the U.S. has frozen F-35-related shipments to Turkey since April.
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| Lawyers make closing arguments in U.S. Navy SEAL's war crimes trial Posted: 01 Jul 2019 03:02 AM PDT |
| How to Display the American Flag Correctly on Your Car or Motorcycle Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:00 AM PDT |
| With Kavanaugh in Place, Supreme Court Takes Bumpy Right Turn Posted: 01 Jul 2019 01:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The arrivals of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court stoked liberal fears that bedrock precedents on divisive issues including abortion and federal regulatory power were in danger.That may still be true. But the term that ended last week showed that the road to fulfilling long-held conservative goals will feature some speed bumps.In the first term since Kavanaugh succeeded swing vote Anthony Kennedy, conservatives won a major ruling that shielded partisan gerrymanders from constitutional challenges. They also triumphed on property rights and the death penalty.Those victories were offset by a decision that, for now, stopped the Trump administration from asking about citizenship on the 2020 census. Another ruling preserved some of the power of federal agencies, and the court has refused so far to take up an abortion case.The court is undoubtedly more conservative with President Donald Trump's two appointees on the bench. As the nation moves into a long and contentious election season, the court's move to the right will give Trump fuel to fire up his base and Democrats fodder for making the court a major campaign issue of their own.Conservative WinsBut the just-finished term underscores the limits to that shift, or at least to its speed."There were major leaps -- for example, blessing partisan gerrymandering in federal court," said Tom Goldstein, a Washington lawyer who founded scotusblog.com, which tracks the court. "But in other cases, the conservatives were content to just advance the law methodically."In a term in which 21 rulings were decided by a single vote -- representing almost a third of the docket -- the conservatives formed a 5-4 majority only seven times.Some of those rulings were big ones, though, particularly the decision last week that said the Constitution doesn't let judges throw out voting maps for being too partisan. That ruling gave state lawmakers a new license to draw maps aimed at maximizing their own political advantage. It could bolster Republicans in the 2020 elections.Precedents OverturnedThe conservatives -- Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito -- also ruled that people could go directly to federal court to claim that a government regulation unconstitutionally took private property without compensation.That was one of two decisions that explicitly overturned a precedent. A 1985 ruling had required property owners to press their claims first in state court, a potentially less hospitable forum.Dissenting Justice Elena Kagan said the ruling "smashes a hundred-plus years of legal rulings to smithereens," a contention Roberts disputed in his majority opinion.The five conservatives were also in the majority in a 5-4 ruling that let Missouri give a lethal injection to a convicted murderer who said his rare medical condition means he would probably choke on his own blood.Let's Stick TogetherConservatives got a bigger majority, 7-2, for a ruling that let a 40-foot cross remain as a World War I memorial in a Maryland intersection. Alito's opinion for the court was narrow, noting that the monument is almost a century old and leaving open the possibility that newer religious displays might be judged differently.Disagreements among the conservatives tempered their ability to shift the law. Each of the five joined the liberal wing -- Justices Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor -- at least once in a 5-4 or 5-3 ruling. The liberals won 10 cases in which they stuck together and were joined by a single conservative justice.Some of those rulings were narrow, better characterized as fending off conservative victories than pushing the law to the left. The liberals joined with Roberts to reaffirm a 1997 ruling that often requires judges to defer to an agency on the meaning of ambiguous regulations.That opinion limited the circumstances in which courts should yield to agencies -- so much so that Gorsuch said in dissent that the 1997 precedent had become a "paper tiger" and predicted it would eventually be overturned.Citizenship QuestionThe liberals also aligned with Roberts to put on hold the Trump administration's effort to add a citizenship question to the decennial census. Although Roberts agreed with the administration and his fellow conservatives on a number of points, he diverged enough to put in the plan in doubt.Roberts and the liberals said the administration's explanation for the move was "contrived." The Commerce Department now has a chance to provide better justification but will be racing the clock. The administration previously said the questionnaire needed to be finalized by June 30."This term showed that it is not impossible to secure progressive victories in this court," said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the progressive Constitutional Accountability Center. "But make no mistake, the Roberts court is deeply conservative and we saw several seeds planted" that she said "could bear fruit for an extreme conservative agenda in terms to come."Libertarian GorsuchGorsuch joined the liberals four times, twice in criminal cases. He wrote the majority opinion striking down a provision that increased sentences for some people convicted of carrying a firearm during a violent crime, saying it was unconstitutionally vague.The ruling drew a sharp dissent from Kavanaugh, who called it a "serious mistake." He said it "will make it harder to prosecute violent gun crimes in the future."Gorsuch has inherited the role of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whom he succeeded, as the court's civil libertarian in criminal cases, said Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law in Houston."Like Scalia, Gorsuch's opinions are not driven by empathy for those who break the law," Blackman said. "Rather, he is generally skeptical of the federal government's powers to deprive people of life, liberty and property."Antitrust CaseThe firearms case wasn't the only one that divided the two Trump appointees. Kavanaugh joined the liberals in an antitrust decision forcing Apple Inc. to defend against claims that it artificially inflated prices at its App Store. Gorsuch dissented with his fellow conservatives.The two Trump appointees agreed 70% of the time, identical to Kavanaugh's agreement level with Breyer and Kagan, according to statistics compiled by scotusblog.com.But both "flexed their conservative bona fides" this term, said Leah Litman, a constitutional law professor at the University of Michigan.. They "willingly agreed to overturn several longstanding precedents in areas ranging from constitutional rights to administrative law."That left Roberts controlling the court on its most important decisions."This is now, truly, the Roberts court," said Kannon Shanmugam, an appellate lawyer at Paul Weiss in Washington. "While the court's general direction was not consistent, the chief justice played a pivotal role in the most important decisions."To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Ros KrasnyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Flash flooding in parts of West Virginia from severe storms Posted: 30 Jun 2019 04:50 PM PDT  Severe weekend thunderstorms caused flash flooding that knocked homes off their foundations and washed out roads in several mountainous counties of West Virginia, prompting Gov. Jim Justice to announce plans Sunday to declare a state of emergency in the region. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for portions of northern and eastern West Virginia after several inches of rain fell rapidly on Saturday night. The statement said the governor also authorized the state Department of Homeland Security and the West Virginia emergency management director to speed state resources to those in need.
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| U.S. stocks end higher Monday after China trade truce, S&P 500 hits new record closing Posted: 01 Jul 2019 04:11 PM PDT  Stocks finished higher after the White House agreed to resume trade talks with China.
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| Ocasio-Cortez: Ivanka Trump is not a 'qualified diplomat' Posted: 30 Jun 2019 08:29 AM PDT  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sharply criticized the White House on Saturday night after video emerged of an awkward Ivanka Trump moment at the G-20 summit.
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| Sad: Iran's Kowsar Jet Is Just an Old Copy of an F-5F Posted: 01 Jul 2019 07:06 AM PDT  Iran is currently under economic and diplomatic pressure from a raft of sanctions reimposed by the U.S. earlier this month, and the unveiling could be seen as a bid to show self-sufficiency and military might in the face of that pressure.Iran says its new Kowsar fighter jet has flown. President Hassan Rouhani was on scene to see the jet – which is a carbon copy of the American F-5F – undergoing flight trials.Test flights of the Kowsar, took place on Aug. 21, 2018 on the eve of the National Day of the Defense Industry, according to semi-official Mehr News Agency. It was unclear whether the jet's first public display flight has yet taken place.The Kowsar can be used for "short aerial support missions" and is equipped with systems that "promote precision targeting," according to state media.Rouhani called on the Iranian military to strengthen their readiness in the face of enemy threats in a speech during Tuesday's defense show."When we say we are ready for defense, it means that we seek the establishment of sustainable peace," Rouhani said.
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| Man freed after 17 years in prison when newly examined fingerprints prove his innocence Posted: 01 Jul 2019 03:04 AM PDT  A man who spent 17 years behind bars for an armed robbery he did not commit has finally been freed after new fingerprint evidence proved his innocence.Royal Clark Jr walked out of a Louisiana jail last week the day after his 41st birthday. He was convicted of the crime on his 25th birthday, back in 2002."I don't know what to say," a tearful Mr Clark told reporters and crowds of well-wishers.There were times he had abandoned any hope he might be released from his 49-year sentence, he admitted."I'm not going to sit here and lie and tell you I didn't," he said, when asked if he given up. "[But] I can't let anger direct me. I can't let my past be my future."Mr Clark was arrested after an armed robbery at a Burger King in 2001. The only evidence against him was an employee of the restaurant, who incorrectly identified Mr Clark as the robber.But a team of lawyers at the Innocence Project New Orleans pressed the courts to re-examine fingerprints found at the scene, which when run through a state database proved to belong to another man, Jessie Perry, who had already been convicted of other robberies."As district attorney, my obligation to seek justice does not end upon conviction," the local district attorney Paul Connick said in a statement."When the evidence reveals an individual was wrongfully convicted, my office will take action to correct that injustice."Outside the jail Mr Clark's son, also called Royal, spoke about the absence of his father from his life.Royal Clark III was only a baby when his father was locked up. "My mama couldn't always be there for me. She had to work," he said, his father's arm draped over his shoulder.Tears streamed down his father's face. "He was supposed to be there to teach me."Kia Hall Hayes, from the Innocence Project, said the miscarriage of justice showed how unreliable eyewitness testimony could be."His case serves as another example of the unreliability of eyewitness identification evidence, the importance of judges allowing juries all the tools they need to assess the evidence accurately, and the danger of relying exclusively on such evidence to take away someone's liberty," she said.Mr Clark is the second person to be exonerated in Louisiana based on fingerprint evidence this year.In March, Archie Williams was freed after serving 36 years for a rape once the authorities had finally agreed to run fingerprint evidence through an updated state database.The Innocence Project said the state should now create a legal right for prisoners to access such databases where it could clear their names.But in Mr Clark's case, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said they were only able to re-test the fingerprint evidence from the Burger King holdup because of new techniques, which were not available back in 2002.
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| Two killed in accident at Shell Auger platform in Gulf of Mexico Posted: 01 Jul 2019 05:53 AM PDT ![Two killed in accident at Shell Auger platform in Gulf of Mexico]( "Two killed in accident at Shell Auger platform in Gulf of Mexico") "One other non-life-threatening injury was sustained and that individual is being treated at a nearby hospital," Shell said in an emailed statement. A Shell employee and a contractor with Danos Inc, an oilfield services provider, were killed during a routine test of a lifeboat launch and retrieval capabilities at the platform located 214 miles south of New Orleans, the statement said. The platform remains in operation, Shell said.
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| These Flavorful 4th of July Cupcakes Are Better Than Fireworks Posted: 01 Jul 2019 10:23 AM PDT |
| Plane crash in Texas kills 10 people: officials Posted: 30 Jun 2019 08:39 PM PDT  A small twin-engine passenger plane crashed in Texas in the United States on Sunday, killing 10 people, officials said. "The Dallas County Medical Examiner has confirmed 10 fatalities and no survivors," a spokeswoman for the town of Addison told AFP. The plane was heading for St. Petersburg, Florida and was carrying two flight crew and eight passengers, Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Bruce Landsberg said.
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| Civil Rights Watchdogs Say Facebook Is Still Failing on White Supremacy Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:48 AM PDT  David McNew/Getty ImagesSome civil rights watchdogs say Facebook's "Civil Rights Audit," which recommends a crackdown on white nationalism and related ideologies, is a step in the right direction but doesn't go far enough.On Sunday, Facebook released a progress report about its ongoing internal investigation into how the company handles civil rights issues on the platform. With contributions from more than 90 civil liberties organizations, the report suggests a blueprint for how Facebook can fix its spotty record on racism, discrimination, and voter intimidation. The progress report also addresses Facebook's current policy on white nationalist content, which civil rights leaders have criticized as insufficient. If Facebook wants to clean up the site, it will have to take on the report's recommendations and more, those experts say."I think they've been trying to play in this gray area for far too long and that's come back to haunt them," Henry Fernandez, member of the digital civil rights coalition Change the Terms, told The Daily Beast. Fernandez was referring to Facebook's often-inconsistent approach to racist content.A 2018 Motherboard investigation found that while Facebook prohibited discussion of "white supremacy," it allowed discussion of "white nationalism" and "white separatism," both of which are racist ideologies stemming from white supremacy.This year, after a broad backlash about its insufficient policy, Facebook banned explicit discussion of white nationalism and white separatism. Still, the company declined to take immediate action on white nationalist posts that didn't explicitly use the term. (Facebook said the coded language was too difficult to detect and remove.)The half-step against white nationalism meant that prominent white nationalists could continue posting. A week after Facebook announced its ban on white nationalism, it refused to pull a white nationalist video by Canadian hate-monger Faith Goldy. At the time, a Facebook spokesperson told HuffPost that the video did not promote white nationalism but was merely a discussion about ethnicity. (Facebook banned Goldy and several neo-Nazis the following week.)Facebook's frequent reversals have led some civil rights groups to accuse it of making up its policies on the fly."The burden still remains on victimized community members to report content and hope that the company will address the problem," Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group said in a statement on Facebook's civil rights audit. "Facebook's piecemeal approach to these issues will not result in long-term solutions, and the time has come for the company to honor its commitment to fix these problems."Fernandez said he suspected Facebook hadn't studied its subject matter closely enough."I think the teams they put together lacked the expertise and the diversity to understand and articulate why there is no distinction between white nationalism, white separatism, and white supremacy," he said.He pointed to revelations this week that Customs and Border Patrol agents had used Facebook groups to disparage immigrants and Latina congresswomen. The new civil rights audit called Facebook's definition of white nationalism "too narrow" and suggested Facebook take action against all white nationalist content, even if it doesn't use the term explicitly.The audit also announced the creation of an internal Civil Rights Task Force, comprised of senior Facebook execs, which will meet monthly. But if the task force is to make real changes, it needs more than monthly meetings of C-suite executives, Fernandez said."The problem is, what they're saying they'll now have—a committee chaired by Sheryl Sandberg and then a couple outside consultants meeting monthly—seems pretty thin compared to the scale of problems they have," he said. "I think they need to figure out how they're going to embed that civil rights structure much more deeply in the organization." Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| The 25 Highest-Paying Jobs Without a Degree Requirement Posted: 01 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT ![The 25 Highest-Paying Jobs Without a Degree Requirement]( "The 25 Highest-Paying Jobs Without a Degree Requirement") You don't need a four-year degree to score these jobs.
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| Booker says Biden is 'causing a lot of frustration and even pain with his words' Posted: 30 Jun 2019 07:53 AM PDT  Sen. Cory Booker criticized 2020 presidential rival Joe Biden, saying the former vice president was doing a poor job at healing racial divisions in the country.
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| Nuclear talks to resume as Donald Trump becomes first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea Posted: 30 Jun 2019 03:27 AM PDT  Washington resumed nuclear disarmament talks with Pyongyang on Sunday after Donald Trump, the US president, made history by becoming the first sitting US leader to step into North Korea, greeting the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, with a warm handshake after months of stalled negotiations. The historic moment had been initiated by a spur-of-the-moment tweet by Mr Trump on Saturday, when the US president invited Kim to come to the highly fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea to "shake his hand and say hello." In a dramatic made-for-TV-moment, Kim took up Mr Trump's offer and shot down to the border zone – a 2.5-mile-wide slab of land which has been described as one of the world's most dangerous places - to meet him shortly before 4pm. "Good to see you again. I never expected to see you in this place," Kim said as he greeted Mr Trump in an encounter that was beamed live around the world. The US president then took an unprecedented step across the concrete slab that marks the border's "military demarcation line" (MDL) and walked resolutely, shoulder to shoulder with Kim, several metres inside the North. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Credit: AP Moments later, they accompanied each other to the southern side and joined Moon Jae-in, South Korea's president, marking another first in a three-way gathering. "A lot of really positive things are happening," Mr Trump told a scrum of waiting reporters. "We met and liked each other from day one and that was very important." The chaotic scene of reporters and secret service bumping into each other highlighted how little planning had gone into the hastily arranged encounter. But the two leaders were oblivious to the confusion as they exchanged invitations to visit each others' capitals. The president was heard extending an invitation for Kim to visit the White House before the two leaders retired to a closed-door private meeting for nearly an hour. Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the South and North Korea Credit: Getty Kim reciprocated the invite to Mr Trump to visit his capital, Pyongyang, and the two leaders agreed to carry out the trips "at the right time." Speaking to the press after their impromptu summit, Mr Trump described their meeting as a "very good one, very strong, very solid", revealing that they had agreed to establish teams to try to overcome the impasse over the dismantlement of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Credit: Getty "We want to see if we can do a really comprehensive good deal," said Mr Trump, although he stressed that speed was not the object. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, later indicated that a fresh round of talks will likely happen "sometime in July." Sunday's brief encounter was the third meeting between the two leaders over the past year. Mr Trump and Kim have held two previous summits in Singapore and most recently in Vietnam but have been unable to strike a deal in which North Korea renounces its nuclear weapons facilities in exchange for reductions of tough sanctions that have stymied its economy. Pope Francis, making his weekly address in St. Peter's Square, praised the meeting. "I salute the protagonists, with a prayer that such a significant gesture will be a further step on the road to peace, not only on that peninsula, but for the good of the entire world," he said. Troops respond as President Donald Trump arrives at Osan Air Base in South Korea Credit: RQUE Source: However, the meeting, while resetting relations between the two countries, did little to move the dial in terms of nuclear disarmament. Analysts remained divided over the significance of the political theatrics. "[It] may have been symbolically potent, but the result was anti-climactic. If the working-level negotiations do go ahead, the question of why these have started only now, remains. I am sceptical that this will lead to concrete progress," said Edward Howell, an Oxford University international relations scholar. "Kim is likely to use this as a tool to boost his status domestically," he said. But John Delury, a professor at South Korea's Yonsei University, struck an optimistic note. "The idea of the president of the United States of America and the leader of North Korea meeting regularly to work on what is really a complex problem is normal now," he said. At a glance | The Korean DMZ: the world's last Cold War frontier "Everyone is so fixated on working negotiations on the nuclear deal. Yes, that's a big part of it but it's not just about denuclearisation, this is about changing relationships and it does start with political leadership and today keeps moving that process forward." Even as Mr Trump savoured the meeting, he could not hide his resentment for the media and the foreign policy establishment who he believes have not given him enough credit for working toward curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Mr Trump hit back at the critics saying that tensions had eased for everyday Koreans and Japanese and that it was "insulting" to suggest progress has not been made.
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| FDA ties three deaths to Edwards Lifesciences' recalled heart devices Posted: 01 Jul 2019 01:16 PM PDT ![FDA ties three deaths to Edwards Lifesciences' recalled heart devices]( "FDA ties three deaths to Edwards Lifesciences' recalled heart devices") The agency said the company's voluntary recall of its IntraClude intra-aortic occlusion device in May has now been classified by the FDA as Class I. Class I recall is the strictest form of recall issued by the FDA, where use of faulty devices may cause serious injury or death. The FDA said that recall affects more than 750 devices in the United States.
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| Johnson Refuses to Rule Out Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update Posted: 30 Jun 2019 04:04 AM PDT ![Johnson Refuses to Rule Out Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update]( "Johnson Refuses to Rule Out Suspending Parliament: Brexit Update") (Bloomberg) -- The two candidates competing to become U.K. prime minister faced the media on Sunday, with Boris Johnson once again refusing to rule out suspending Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit. In a separate interview, his rival, Jeremy Hunt, reiterated that he would be prepared to take the U.K. out of the European Union without a deal.Key Developments:Johnson says there is "cash available" for his spending plansHunt says his tax cuts will allow him to boost spending, although no deal would delay his plansTheresa May's chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins has resigned and will leave government before the next prime minister starts, according to the Mail on SundayFox Backs Time-Limited Backstop (11:56 a.m.)Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary who is backing Hunt in the leadership race, has said a time limit on the Northern Ireland backstop is the way to get a deal through Parliament.Speaking on BBC Radio's Pienaar's Politics he said "if you think about where we are in common in the backstop, both the European Union, the U.K. and the Irish Government have always said this is a temporary arrangement. Well if it is temporary can we put a time limit on it?" he said, adding "that I think it has been the top element in stopping an agreement going through the House of Commons."Hunt Repeats No-Deal Warning (10:57 a.m.)Hunt reiterated that he would be prepared to take the U.K. out of the EU without a deal, although he says he's the right person to get an agreement. He said Johnson's insistence that the U.K. must leave on Oct. 31 is a fake debate, but that the U.K. would leave sooner under his leadership.Hunt Says No Deal Would Delay Spending Pledges (10:48 a.m.)Speaking in a BBC interview, Hunt said his plans to cut corporation tax could help boost growth and unlock money for spending. He, like Johnson, said he could use the fiscal headroom in the Treasury to boost spending, although he admitted that a no-deal Brexit would mean he wouldn't have the money "at his fingertips," and his spending pledges would be delayed.Johnson Says He Will Get a Brexit Deal (9:23 a.m.)In an interview on Sky's Ridge on Sunday, Boris Johnson said he would get a Brexit deal, but reiterated he was prepared to leave with no deal if necessary."We will get ready, in a very sensible and sober way, to come out on Oct. 31, with no deal if we absolutely have to," he said. "But we will get a deal with our friends and partners."Johnson also took responsibility for the vote to leave, and said he was able to "lead us out of this mess."Johnson Refuses to Rule Out Suspending Parliament (9:09 a.m.)When pushed in the Sky News interview, Johnson once again refused to rule out suspending Parliament to push through a no-deal exit, although he said it wasn't something he liked the idea of. That's a repetition of a stance he took on Friday.Johnson Says "Cash Available" for Spending Pledges (9:02 a.m.)Johnson said there is cash available to fund his proposals for tax cuts and higher spending on education and policing. In the Sky News interview, Johnson said there was "headroom available" in the Treasury for his plans, and argued that "sensible tax cuts" would boost growth and revenue.He also said he was prepared to increase borrowing to "finance great infrastructure projects."Earlier:May Is Resigning as U.K. Premier, and She's Not Going QuietlyU.K. Candidates Hire Teams for Tough Fight to Leave EU: TimesTheresa May's Chief Brexit Negotiator Has Resigned: Daily MailTo contact the reporter on this story: David Goodman in London at dgoodman28@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Gordon at pgordon6@bloomberg.net, James Amott, Amy TeibelFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Giant Beijing airport set to open on eve of China's 70th birthday Posted: 29 Jun 2019 10:40 PM PDT  Beijing is set to open an eye-catching multi-billion dollar airport resembling a massive shining starfish, to accommodate soaring air traffic in China and celebrate the Communist government's 70th anniversary in power. Work on the Beijing Daxing International Airport officially ended on schedule Sunday, ready for a September 30 inauguration -- on the eve of the anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic on October 1, 1949 by Mao Zedong. Celebrations of that event will see President Xi Jinping reviewing a huge military parade through the centre of Beijing, with the opening of the futuristic hub a fitting embodiment of the "Chinese dream" he has offered his fellow citizens.
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| Old bras can be used to rescue injured turtles, Carolina Waterfowl Rescue says Posted: 29 Jun 2019 07:11 PM PDT  Don't throw out your old bras! Instead donate them to a North Carolina animal rescue group and help save turtles.
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| Taliban attack kills 8 election officials in Afghanistan Posted: 30 Jun 2019 03:45 AM PDT ![Taliban attack kills 8 election officials in Afghanistan]( "Taliban attack kills 8 election officials in Afghanistan") Taliban insurgents killed eight election officials in a bomb attack in the southern Kandahar province, Afghan officials said on Sunday. Aziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night's attack occurred. A defense ministry spokesman, Fawad Aman, said Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district's police headquarters, where the election officials were staying.
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| This sneaky kitten is a terrible and adorable little stalker Posted: 30 Jun 2019 01:48 PM PDT  Cats are natural predators. They can't help but hunt and stalk. This one just happens to be exceedingly bad at it.The 8-week-old kitten in question belongs to Twitter user @_TakivaBreanna. Her baby cat has developed a habit of hiding just behind a wall whenever she knows her human is approaching and then leaping out at just the right moment to surprise her much larger prey.That's the apparent intent, anyway. The execution... could be better. See for yourself.> My 8 week old kitten started doing this thing to where she will know i'm about to come in the room and she will hide by the bathroom door and jump out to scare me when i'm walking up. just thought I'd share this cuteness pic.twitter.com/SOz1ckGGpr> > -- BAE (@_TakivaBreanna) June 30, 2019Listen, Tiny Cat. You have to be smarter about this. When your human sees you peering out from behind the wall, that means she knows you're lying in wait. Your efforts to scurry into position at the last minute don't really help, given that you've already been spotted.Let's also talk about that pounce. What the eff, my little feline friend? You didn't jump forward at your prey; you jumped sideways, swinging your paws pointlessly through empty air. You shouldn't be hunting your person, let's be clear. But you're never going to catch any prey at all if you think that pounce is effective.What I'm saying is: cat better, little kitty. And don't hunt your person! You'll learn. You have a mama who loves you. She's already turned you into an internet star. We can't wait to see what you'll do next. WATCH: Your cat can achieve ultimate chill with this portable hammock
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| The Wildest, Craziest Paint Jobs Available in 2019 Posted: 01 Jul 2019 04:32 PM PDT |
| 'Racist and vile': Democrats unite after Trump Jr. shares post questioning Kamala Harris's race Posted: 30 Jun 2019 06:13 AM PDT  The primary rivals of Sen. Kamala Harris came to her defense over the weekend, pushing back against a claim fueled by Donald Trump Jr. that she isn't an "American black."
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| Navy SEAL trial exposes divide in normally secretive force Posted: 30 Jun 2019 03:58 PM PDT  It was called the "The Sewing Circle," an unlikely name for a secret subsect of Navy SEALs. Its purpose was even more improbable: A chat forum to discuss alleged war crimes they said their chief, a decorated sniper and medic, committed on a recent tour of duty in Iraq. The WhatsApp group would eventually lead to formal allegations that Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher fatally stabbed a wounded Islamic State captive in his care and shot civilians in Iraq in 2017.
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| Israel will be destroyed in half an hour if America attacks Iran: senior Iranian MP Posted: 01 Jul 2019 05:41 AM PDT  Israel will be destroyed in half an hour if the United States attacks Iran, a senior Iranian parliamentarian said on Monday, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. Weeks of tensions culminated last month in U.S. President Donald Trump's last-minute decision to call off planned strikes on Iran after Tehran downed a U.S. drone. Washington also accused Iran of being behind attacks on ships in the Gulf, which Tehran denies.
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| Japan restricts exports to South Korea over wartime labour row Posted: 01 Jul 2019 01:31 AM PDT  Japan on Monday imposed restrictions on exports used by South Korea's chip and smartphone companies, ramping up long-simmering tensions between the US allies over the use of forced labour during World War Two. Seoul quickly hit back, saying the measures violated international law and threatening to raise the issue at the World Trade Organisation. The move raises the stakes in a protracted dispute over South Korean court rulings requiring Japanese firms to compensate victims of a wartime forced labour policy.
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| Riz Ahmed says he was blocked from boarding plane to 'Star Wars' convention due to race Posted: 01 Jul 2019 05:56 AM PDT  Riz Ahmed talks his constant battle with discrimination, including one incident when Homeland Security blocked him from boarding a plane.
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| Top Selling Cars From Barrett-Jackson Northeast Auction Posted: 01 Jul 2019 11:18 AM PDT  It was a big weekend for Barrett-Jackson!As we reported on Friday, the last front engine, C7 Chevrolet Corvette crossed the auction block at Barrett-Jackson and received a staggering $2.7 million bid, but it wasn't the only car in Mohegan Sun in Connecticut worth watching. The docket represented a diverse group of cars, and six of the ten sold set new auction records for the company. "We're so appreciative of all our guests, sponsors and exhibitors who contributed to this auction and made it such an extraordinary event," said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. "Thanks to everyone's participation and efforts, we hit incredible milestones as we wrote new pages in automotive history. Chief among those was a new charity auction record set by the last-built C7 Corvette. This special moment closed an era for Corvette and also raised critical support for our nation's heroes. We built so much momentum this year in Scottsdale, Palm Beach and the Northeast that we can't wait to top it off in Las Vegas this October."Overall, 545 vehicles were sold for a total of $21.8 million, with an almost unheard of 100-percent sell through rate. In addition, 470 pieces of automobila sold, bringing the total sales up to over $24 million. The top 10 from the Northeast Auction are:Last-Built 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (Lot 3001) - $2.7 million (charity vehicle) 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster (Lot 671) - $280,500 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Yenko/SC Stage II Convertible Serial 1 (Lot 663) - $258,500* 1954 Buick Special Custom Coupe "G54" (Lot 694) - $220,000* 1969 Ford Bronco Custom SUV (Lot 669) - $203,500* 1967 Ford Mustang Eleanor Tribute Edition (Lot 665) - $187,000 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Custom 6X6 (Lot 654) - $181,500* 1997 Toyota Supra Anniversary Edition (Lot 711) - $176,000* 2017 Dodge Viper GTC ACR (Lot 664) - $172,700 2014 Ferrari California Convertible (Lot 673) - $170,500* 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda Resto-Mod (Lot 685) - $165,000 1967 Ford Shelby GT500 (Lot 667) - $165,000 *An asterisk represents a Barrett-Jackson auction record. "Collector cars are the heart and soul of everything we do," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. "But we've gone a step further to create an immersive lifestyle experience around the auction that's unmatched in this great hobby. We offered terrific symposiums led by top automotive experts and hands-on exhibits. For the first time since its introduction, Ford offered select rides to the public in the adrenaline-pumping Ford GT supercar. Only at Barrett-Jackson can you drive home the car of your dreams, rub shoulders with industry legends and make memories that will last a lifetime." Read More... Barrett-Jackson Consigns the Vault Portfolio For Northeast Auction David Maxwell Collection At Barrett-Jackson's Northeast Auction
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| Outrage as Venezuelan navy captain dies under 'torture' after arrest over alleged coup plot Posted: 01 Jul 2019 01:53 AM PDT  The United States and Venezuela's opposition on Sunday condemned the death under "torture" of a naval officer detained for alleged trying to oust President Nicolas Maduro. Washington blamed Maduro for the death of Rafael Acosta Arevalo, which came amid a standoff between Venezuela's opposition chief Juan Guaido and the president that's stretched for more than five months. "The United States condemns the killing and torture of" Acosta, the State Department said in a statement. The officer "died while in the custody of Maduro's thugs and their Cuban advisers," it added. National Assembly leader Mr Guaido, recognized as interim president by the United States and about 50 countries, said on Saturday evening that Acosta died "after being tortured." Acosta was part of a group of 13 people arrested for alleged involvement in a failed "coup d'etat" against Mr Maduro, which the government has tied to Guaido. Mr Maduro's government has claimed the coup was to have taken place on June 23 and 24 and involved the assassination of the president and several other senior officials. The Lima Group, made up of a dozen Latin American countries and Canada, condemned the "assassination" of Acosta and called for the intervention of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. Ms Bachelet, a former Chilean president, visited Caracas last week and called for the "release" of imprisoned political opponents in the country, which NGO Foro Penal says number close to 800. Tamara Suju, a Venezuelan lawyer and human rights activist exiled in the Czech Republic, tweeted that Acosta appeared in court on Friday in a "wheelchair with severe signs of torture." Venezuela's defence ministry confirmed in a statement that Acosta had "fainted" during the court hearing and that the judge ordered him transferred to a hospital, "where he died." Former intelligence chief Manuel Christopher, who joined a failed April 30 uprising against Maduro and later fled the country, in a letter on Sunday called on military commanders to "join the side of those in need and stop crossing your arms while our people and our soldiers are killed and tortured." Without referring to the mistreatment allegations, Attorney General Tarek William Saab, who is close to Mr Maduro, announced an "objective, independent and impartial investigation" following the officer's death. The National Assembly made a series of demands following Acosta's death, including an investigation by the UN rights chief, an autopsy of Acosta by an "independent international forensic team" and a "verification of the state of health" of military personnel held on accusations of "conspiracy." But the National Assembly's resolutions and laws are considered null and void by Venezuela's Supreme Court and the Constituent Assembly, both of which are controlled by Maduro loyalists. The death of Acosta comes amid heightened tensions between Maduro's government and the opposition following two rounds of unsuccessful talks held in Norway. However Mr Maduro recently said "dialogue will continue," without specifying a schedule or agenda. On top of the fraught political situation, Venezuela is also grappling with its most-severe economic crisis in recent history, with the country in the grip of power cuts and shortages of basic goods and medicines. According to the United Nations, more than seven million Venezuelans - a quarter of the country's population - need emergency humanitarian aid.
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| Tom Homan on 'disgusting' op-ed calling for public shaming of border patrol agents Posted: 01 Jul 2019 05:17 AM PDT  The New York Times column pushes a false narrative, says Fox News contributor Tom Homan, former acting ICE director.
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| The 2021 Ram Dakota Mid-Size Pickup Could Be the Jeep Gladiator's Cheaper Cousin Posted: 01 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  Ram already confirmed that a mid-size truck is in the works, and this is what we know about it so far.
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| Georgia Supreme Court orders review of slain baby case Posted: 01 Jul 2019 09:34 AM PDT ![Georgia Supreme Court orders review of slain baby case]( "Georgia Supreme Court orders review of slain baby case") The Georgia Supreme Court has ordered a trial judge to review whether a teenager was properly sentenced to life without parole after he was convicted of fatally shooting a baby in the face. De'Marquise Kareem Elkins was 17 when the baby was slain in his stroller during a failed street robbery on March 21, 2013. Police said Elkins shot 13-month-old Antonio Santiago between the eyes after the boy's mother refused to hand over her purse when she was threatened while walking in coastal Brunswick, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Savannah.
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| Errant missile from Syria-Israel clash lands on Cyprus Posted: 30 Jun 2019 07:10 PM PDT  An errant missile struck Cyprus early on Monday, skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what authorities described as a spillover from strikes between Israel and Syria. The explosion occurred around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 kms (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, with the impact starting a fire and heard for miles around. An Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time.
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| Pandemonium in Panmunjom: Kim and Trump's hasty DMZ date Posted: 30 Jun 2019 03:14 AM PDT  Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's first two summits were highly choreographed affairs but their third date was an unscripted event seemingly arranged on a social media whim -- and threatened at times to descend into chaos. Trump admitted he did not know whether Kim would spurn his advances, delivered via Twitter. "When I put out the social media notification, if he didn't show up, the press was going to make me look very bad," the US president said.
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