| UPDATE 1-U.S. may have brought down second Iranian drone last week -U.S. general Posted: 23 Jul 2019 10:35 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. may have brought down second Iranian drone last week -U.S. general]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. may have brought down second Iranian drone last week -U.S. general") A U.S. Navy ship may have brought down a second Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz last week, the head of U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday. The United States said on Thursday that a Navy ship had "destroyed" an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after the aircraft threatened the vessel, but Iran said it had no information about losing a drone. "We are confident we brought down one drone, we may have brought down a second," General Kenneth McKenzie told CBS News in an interview.
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| FBI Director: White-Supremacist Violence Accounts for Majority of Domestic-Terrorism Arrests Since Last October Posted: 23 Jul 2019 11:47 AM PDT  FBI director Christopher Wray told Congress on Tuesday that the majority of domestic-terrorism arrests since last October have been linked to white supremacy."I will say that a majority of the domestic-terrorism cases that we've investigated are motivated by some version of what you might call white-supremacist violence, but it does include other things as well," the FBI chief said in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.Wray explained that since October, the FBI has arrested about 100 people on international-terrorism charges and about the same number of individuals on charges related to domestic extremism.The FBI director emphasized that his investigators' "focus is on the violence.""We the FBI don't investigate the ideology, no matter how repugnant. We investigate violence. And any extremist ideology, when it turns to violence, we're all over it," Wray said. "We take domestic terrorism or hate crime – regardless of ideology – extremely seriously, I can assure you, and we are aggressively pursuing it using both counterterrorism resources and criminal investigative resources and partnering closely with our state and local partners."President Trump has repeatedly come under fire for using rhetoric that his opponents say encourages violent, racist tendencies. Critics have warned that violence resulting from white-supremacist ideologies has been on the rise since Trump took office."I don't, really," Trump said in March when asked if he thinks white nationalism is a growing threat. "I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems."The highest-profile act of violence perpetrated by a white supremacist over the last few years occurred at a 2017 white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., where one of the male rally-goers murdered one counter-protesters and injured dozens of others by mowing them down with his car. The man has received several life sentences for his crimes.
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| Mother: Family will sue cruise company over toddler's death Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:52 PM PDT  There are "a million things" the cruise company could have done to prevent the death of an 18-month-old Indiana girl who fell to her death from an open window on a cruise ship in Puerto Rico, the toddler's mother said in an interview broadcast Monday. Michael Winkleman, the family's attorney, has challenged a Puerto Rico police report that says Chloe Wiegand's grandfather dropped the toddler out of a window July 7th when the Freedom of the Seas was docked in Puerto Rico.
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| South Bend police warn of 'mass exodus' under Mayor Pete Buttigieg Posted: 23 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  The South Bend Fraternal Order of Police says morale has tanked over the 2020 hopeful's handling of an officer-involved shooting.
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| Sorry, Al Franken: 7 senators regret pushing Franken to resign, as new reporting casts doubt on key allegation Posted: 22 Jul 2019 07:09 AM PDT  Seven of former Sen. Al Franken's Democratic colleagues now say they regret calling on him to resign in 2017 before a full investigation was completed.
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| Thousands Have 'Signed Up' to 'Storm Loch Ness' and Find 'That Big Boy.' Here's the History Behind the Mythical Sea Monster Posted: 23 Jul 2019 06:39 AM PDT  Everything you need to know before searching for Nessie
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| View 2019 Toyota Yaris XLE Photos Posted: 23 Jul 2019 04:59 AM PDT |
| America's Own Decepticon "Starscream" F-15 Is Ready to Do Battle with Iran Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:00 PM PDT  The escalating tensions follow an announcement last month by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of new sanctions against any country, including U.S. allies, that imports Iranian oil, the country's top source of income. The White House also designated the Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, part of a hardening stance toward Iran.Taken on May 8, 2019 the interesting photos in this post show U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-15C Eagle fighter jets belonging to 48th Fighter Wing (FW) from RAF Lakenheath, taxing on a runway in Southwest Asia. U.S. Air Forces Central Command Airmen, Joint personnel, and Coalition partners stand ready to provide defense from any threat. These aircraft were moved within the theater to be best positioned to defend U.S. forces and interests in the region.
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| After 110 years, a North Dakota bridge yields to a load of beans Posted: 23 Jul 2019 06:56 AM PDT ![After 110 years, a North Dakota bridge yields to a load of beans]( "After 110 years, a North Dakota bridge yields to a load of beans") The 56-foot wooden bridge over the Goose River collapsed on Monday as the driver of a tractor trailer truck tried to haul a load of dried beans over it, the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. While the cab of the 2005 Peterbilt truck made it to the other side, pictures posted online by the sheriff's office showed the trailer "hung up" on the west side of the now V-shaped bridge that had bottomed out in the shallow river about 30 miles southwest of Grand Forks.
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| Australian clubbers busted in Bali over cocaine Posted: 22 Jul 2019 10:44 PM PDT  Two Australian clubbers arrested in Bali for cocaine possession were paraded in front of local media Tuesday as they faced a possible 12-year jail term, police said. William Cabantog, 36, and David Van Iersel, 38, were nabbed Friday night at a nightclub in Canggu, a popular tourist hotspot on the Indonesian holiday island. Police said they found a bag with 1.1 grams of cocaine in Cabantog's trousers during the raid.
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| A boy stole two planes for a joyride. Pilots now want to teach him how to fly Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:26 PM PDT  The boy trespassed a small airport in Huzhou, a city in eastern China, piloting and crashing a seaplane onto a guard rail and driving another one.
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| Young couple arrested after killing newborn at California hospital just hours after birth Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:10 AM PDT  A young California couple was arrested last Friday after fatally stranglingtheir newborn son just hours after his birth, according to KABC
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| Budget deal on track despite grumbling on the left and right Posted: 23 Jul 2019 09:24 AM PDT  Steven Mnuchin said that Trump 'absolutely' supports the $1.37 trillion budget deal.
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| Venezuela Says Widespread Power Outage Caused by Electromagnetic Attack Posted: 23 Jul 2019 05:31 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The lights are returning for millions in Venezuela after a major power failure knocked out electricity to about two-thirds of the country on Monday afternoon.The incident, which the government said was caused by an "attack," was reminiscent of another failure in March which dragged on for as long as 10 days in some areas and prompted Nicolas Maduro's administration to begin power rationing outside of the capital city Caracas to normalize the grid.Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said that school and work activities would be suspended on Tuesday in order to keep power demand lower and state-run electricity company Corpoelec said that service had been restored to all of Caracas, with work still to be done in other states nationwide.Maduro and his government have insisted that the country's electrical problems are a product of sabotage and sophisticated attacks by the U.S. and local opposition who are seeking to remove him, while industry experts and critics point to a lack of investment and maintenance.Opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has claimed to be the legitimate leader of Venezuela and is recognized as such by more than 50 countries following Maduro's dubious re-election in 2018, said he'll take to the streets on Tuesday to rally people against the government."They tried to hide the tragedy with rationing across the country but their failure is evident," he wrote in a post on Twitter. "They destroyed the electric system and they don't have any response."Power failures in March cut into Venezuela's already flagging oil production, with output falling to zero in some areas for several days. Electricity was cut off at joint venture crude operations involving Petroleos de Venezuela SA, Chevron and Rosneft on Monday afternoon in the east of the country, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who aren't authorized to speak publicly on the issue. PDVSA, as the state producer is known, didn't reply to a request for comment.Since the crippling blackout in March, the government has been rationing electricity in more than 20 states, excluding Caracas from the restriction to avoid spurring protests. Still, for many the only assurance is trying to buy a generator in preparation for the next failure.On Monday, crowds of Venezuelans packed the Caracas sidewalks as shops and restaurants closed. Many trekked home after the buses provided by the city's transit system filled up and with the subway system closed. Amid Internet disruptions, drivers parked along the city's highways seeking a signal from cell phone tower."The only thing that matters to me is getting home as soon as possible to avoid getting robbed," said Julio Penalver, a 52-year-old handyman as he walked home to Petare, the large area of slums in eastern Caracas.To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Vasquez in Caracas Office at avasquez45@bloomberg.net;Fabiola Zerpa in Caracas Office at fzerpa@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Patricia Laya at playa2@bloomberg.net, Jose Orozco, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 2021 Cadillac Escalade's Interior Spied for Real Posted: 23 Jul 2019 01:46 PM PDT  The next-gen SUV will be getting a large curved touchscreen atop the dashboard.
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| NASA Finally Completes the Orion Crew Capsule Posted: 22 Jul 2019 02:17 PM PDT  NASA hopes the capsule will take astronauts back to the Moon, and Mars after that.
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| Why No Enemy Would Dare Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:58 PM PDT  Circumstances obviously matter for an attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier. An out-of-the-blue attack from a conventionally armed state actor would enjoy the highest levels of success, but would also have an impact on elite and public opinion in the United States that might drive calls for dire retribution. Since the 1950s, the supercarrier has been the most visible representation of U.S. military power and maritime hegemony. Although supercarriers have participated in nearly every military conflict since the commissioning of USS Forrestal in 1955, no carrier has come under determined attack from a capable opponent. In part, this is because supercarriers are very difficult to attack, but the symbolic grandeur of the massive ships also plays a role; no one wants to know what the United States might do if one of its carriers came under attack.(This first appeared several months ago.)What would happen if a foe attacked a United States Navy (USN) aircraft carrier during a conflict? How would the United States react, and how would it respond?Circumstances:
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| Japan scrambles fighters to intercept Russian and Chinese planes Posted: 23 Jul 2019 03:17 AM PDT  Japan's military scrambled fighter aircraft to intercept Russian and Chinese planes, it said on Tuesday, including an observation jet at which South Korean forces fired warning shots after it entered airspace over an island claimed by both Seoul and Tokyo. Japan, like South Korea, identified two Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian TU-95 bombers flying over the strait between the countries. In addition, there was a Russian A-50 observation plane at which South Korea had fired warning shots after it passed close to the island it controls, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan.
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| Trump slams Puerto Rico's 'terrible 'governor' after he refuses to step down Posted: 23 Jul 2019 03:34 AM PDT  More protests expected calling for the governor's resignation; National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce executive director Justin Hagan weighs in
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| Iran caught UK by surprise in Gulf: audio company Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:44 PM PDT  The man behind the dramatic audio of Iran's seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the Gulf says the episode played out over a chaotic 20-40 minutes while a UK warship raced in from an hour away -- too far to be of any help. The HMS Montrose "really didn't have much chance of having an impact on the scene," Dryad Global shipping risk management company head Philip Diacon told AFP. Diacon refused to discuss how his London-based firm obtained the audio of Friday's high-seas drama over the Stena Impero.
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| 40+ Easy-To-Make Halloween Cookies That Taste Scary Good Too Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:52 PM PDT |
| The Latest: McConnell won't be watching Mueller testimony Posted: 23 Jul 2019 11:55 AM PDT  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he doesn't intend to watch former special counsel Robert Mueller testify before Congress on Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The Republican told reporters Tuesday the public already has a "pretty full picture" of Mueller's report. The former special counsel is set to appear Wednesday in his first extended public remarks since being appointed more than two years ago to lead the probe.
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| MAGA Bomber’s Lawyers Blame Trump, Sean Hannity for His Radicalization Posted: 23 Jul 2019 08:55 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettyThe "MAGA Bomber" who mailed explosives to President Donald Trump's critics turned violent on a steady diet of Fox News, Trump tweets, and Facebook, his lawyers claim.Cesar Sayoc, 57, previously pleaded guilty to sending 16 pipe bombs to news outlets and public figures in October. On social media, Sayoc promoted far-right conspiracy theories and threatened people who were critical of Trump. He faces life in prison for the mail bombings. But Sayoc's lawyers argue he was just a man struggling with "cognitive limitations and mental illness" who was manipulated by conservative media and the president's Twitter feed.Cesar Sayoc Jr., Alleged Mail Bomber, Threatened Democrats on TwitterIsolated and abusing steroids, Sayoc lived a lonely life, his attorneys claimed in a Monday filing."By 2018, he was living alone in a decrepit and cramped van that had been his home for more than a decade," the lawyers wrote. "A typical day saw Mr. Sayoc waking up in his van, showering at the gym, and cooking crockpot meals while inside the DJ booth of a strip club before heading off to his second job delivering pizza. As he grew older and more isolated, excessive steroid use increased his feelings of anxiety and paranoia."In this darkness, Mr. Sayoc found light in Donald J. Trump."Sayoc watched Fox News "religiously at the gym," the filing continued. He typically ended his evenings watching Sean Hannity's show. He also began to feel victimized as a Trump supporter, his lawyers wrote. On Facebook, he shared posts about supposed attacks on Trump supporters. When his van was vandalized, he believed it was the work of "anti-Trump forces [that] were trying to hurt him."Sayoc's lawyers pinned some of the blame on Trump. "He began to consider Democrats as not just dangerous in theory, but imminently and seriously dangerous to his personal safety," they wrote. "President Trump did nothing to dissuade this message."They pointed to multiple instances in which Trump told his followers that Democrats were out to hurt them, including an October 2018 rally when Trump said Democrats "destroy people. They want to destroy people. These are really evil people." Sayoc sent the bombs that same month.Of Course Donald Trump Inspired Cesar Sayoc's Alleged TerrorismSayoc, who worked as a Papa John's pizza delivery man, was also convinced that the left was trying to murder Papa John's employees over racist remarks by the company's founder, the filing says. He believed anti-fascists were personally targeting him for pizza-motivated murder, his lawyers wrote.The culmination of steroid use and political paranoia was a "slow boil" that culminated in Fall 2018, his lawyers claim. As Sayoc told a doctor after his arrest, his obsession with Democrats became "increasingly severe, to the point that he could think of little else."Sayoc "resolved that he needed to do something to scare and deter the prominent figures in the media and on the left."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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| House Democrats Unveil Climate Goal Short of Ocasio-Cortez’s Posted: 23 Jul 2019 01:25 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- House Democrats unveiled a target to stave off climate change Tuesday, one that is a far cry from the controversial Green New Deal being championed by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives.Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee announced they would pursue legislation this year that calls for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a less ambitious but politically, and technologically, achievable alternative to Ocasio-Cortez's sweeping Green New Deal that called for hitting that target by 2030."We just think that target is more realistic," said Representative Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat and chairman of the committee."If we don't go down to net-zero carbon pollution by then we have a catastrophic situation," Pallone said, citing scientific reports on the issue by the United Nations and others.The announcement comes as some Democrats worry the Green New Deal could cost them at the polls. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has thrown cold water on that plan, which drew Republican derision for its jobs guarantee and other elements."Mainstream Democrats are determined to make climate change a centrist -- not a far left -- policy as an electoral issue," said Paul Bledsoe, who advised President Bill Clinton on climate issues and now works as an adviser with the Progressive Policy Institute. "I think they are concerned that Ocasio-Cortez and others could actually alienate swing voters rather than attract them with aggressive rhetoric."Pallone said there would be a series of hearings and meetings with stakeholders with the aim of creating legislation by the end of the year. The first hearing, on ways to decarbonize the economy, is scheduled for Wednesday. "We're going to start a process," Pallone said.Pallone said the committee would try to incorporate parts of the Green New Deal into their plan.The Sunrise Movement, the progressive advocacy group that helped pioneer the Green New Deal, criticized Pallone's announcement, arguing that Democratic leaders were "misrepresenting the science.""To set a low goal that is misaligned with what science demands out of the gate is irresponsible, and bargaining against our future," co-founder Varshini Prakash said in a statement.A spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez didn't respond to a request for comment.Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is no small task, and may reflect the way the Green New Deal has shifted the political conversation around climate change -- as well the goal posts."The majority of the Democratic caucus is behind aggressive but not socialist climate policies," Bledsoe said. "They worry the Green New Deal rhetoric could alienate rather than attract swing voters needed in 2020."Democratic presidential candidates, including front-runner Joe Biden, have outlined plans to reach decarbonization targets by mid-century as well.But nobody thinks it will be easy. Analysts say achieving such a goal will require massive shifts such as an end to vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, most electricity produced by coal, and the use of natural gas in buildings for heat and cooking. New bio-based fuels for aviation and carbon capture technology for cement factories and chemical refineries will be required. And a shift away from the consumption of meat could be required."We are looking for any and all ideas," said New York Representative Paul Tonko, the head of the Environment and Climate Change subcommittee.The Green New Deal's manifesto, in the form of a non-binding resolution offered in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, calls for a "10-year national mobilization" to shift the nation to 100% "clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources" -- a high bar, given that fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas and coal) accounted for 80% of U.S. energy consumption in 2018.In addition to Tonko, Pallone was flanked by Bobby Rush of Illinois, the head of the Energy subcommittee, and other committee cardinals. Ocasio-Cortez and other Green New Deal architects didn't attend the press conference.The Natural Resources Defense Council's John Bowman applauded the initiative."Reaching 100% clean energy and zero net carbon pollution by 2050 must be the guidepost for every energy, environmental, and economic policy decision we make over the next 30 years," Bowman, the organization's managing director for government affairs, said in a statement.(Updates with Pallone comments starting in third paragraph, Sunrise Movement in ninth.)To contact the reporter on this story: Ari Natter in Washington at anatter5@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Joe SobczykFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Airbus designed a plane prototype to look like a 'bird of prey' – take a look Posted: 23 Jul 2019 05:13 AM PDT  Airbus is working to inspire the latest and greatest in flight innovation – and using a "bird of prey" conceptual design to do so.
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| Every police officer in Stebbins, Alaska, has pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges Posted: 22 Jul 2019 10:38 AM PDT  There are seven police officers in Stebbins, Alaska, and all of them have beenconvicted of domestic violence
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| Praying for a Conversion Miracle for Dr. Leana Wen and Other Pro-Choice Women Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:30 AM PDT  One of the most beautiful, under-the-radar things I have seen in the passing political frenzies of the summer thus far was one doctor's response to the upheaval at Planned Parenthood: "I am an Obgyn like you, and I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss."Dr. Monique Ruberu reached out to Dr. Leana Wen after news hit that Wen was no longer the president of Planned Parenthood. The news came not too long after Wen had an op-ed published by the Washington Post explaining that her recent miscarriage made her more committed to her Planned Parenthood work.So Ruberu reached out to Wen with compassion: "I have lost two little ones in the past and I believe that they are in heaven and we will meet again." She went on:> Until then they are praying for us as saints in heaven. I believe the same of your little one. With such huge changes in your life, loss of job, loss of child you may be in a difficult place know that I and many others are praying for you for your healing. When things look darkest God can create something beautiful and new. I pray that one day we can serve women on the same side and provide them with what they need so they don't have to choose abortion.She signed off with "God bless you!"This is the way Ruberu operates. "When a loving peaceful prayerful person is present," she has said, "offering life-saving resources, we have a shot at saving lives." When a Pennsylvania elected official harassed a pro-life woman praying outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia recently, Ruberu was outside at a rally days later praying for a "Saul-to-Paul-like conversion" for him. Saint Paul, of course, was as far away from being a Christian before his conversion, when he persecuted Christians.But it's far from just one bright shining tireless Philadelphia doctor. Abby Johnson also had dramatic conversion story. She's the former Texas Planned Parenthood director who left the industry after having to participate in an ultra-sound-guided abortion, where it became all too undeniably clear about what happens in an abortion, especially a late-term one. Johnson implored people to avoid being snarky to or about Wen, writing to the pro-life community in a tweet:> Our job is to reach out to Dr. Leana Wen in love. Snarky memes and words will not bring about conversion. Let us also remember that she is a woman grieving the loss of a miscarried child. Let us treat her with care, not callousness. Let's be the people we say we are.It all echoes the spirit of one of the most unifying documents of recent decades. Pope John Paul II's "Gospel of Life" calls upon our better angels to be wholly committed to a civilization of love that will help people see the possibilities of life more than the problems, in no small part by receiving all fears with love and resources:> You are called to bear witness to the meaning of genuine love, of that gift of self and of that acceptance of others which are present in a special way in the relationship of husband and wife, but which ought also to be at the heart of every other interpersonal relationship. The experience of motherhood makes you acutely aware of the other person and, at the same time, confers on you a particular task. "Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of life, as it develops in the woman's womb. . . . This unique contact with the new human being developing within her gives rise to an attitude towards human beings not only towards her own child, but every human being, which profoundly marks the woman's personality.And I've got to say, rereading it, I think it's not very far away from Wen, who in her Post op-ed on her miscarriage talked about how excited she and her husband had been to be welcoming a second child into their lives: "We measured the spare room to turn it into a nursery. We started teaching Eli to be more gentle. I began to plan my maternity leave." About her heartbreaking miscarriage she wrote:> As I recover . . . with my family, I decided to write about my experience because I want to break the silence and shame that often come with pregnancy loss. I also write because my miscarriage has made my commitment to women's health even stronger. If we truly care about the health of women, children and families, we must commit to policies that provide pregnant women with the care, humanity and dignity that all people deserve.Planned Parenthood insists it is about women's health, but abortion rips at what's most wondrous about a woman: motherhood, a reality that many women, including Wen long for (she and her husband had been trying for months for a second child). The pro-life movement is its most authentic when it puts out a welcome mat out for anyone who wants to genuinely join in the cause of helping women embrace life. The more converts, the healthier this culture of ours will be. To Dr. Leana Wen, and anyone else: We have more in common than much of politics or Planned Parenthood would have you believe.This column is based on one available through Andrews McMeel Universal's Newspaper Enterprise Association.
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| What It Was Like To Be a Pilot During the Hellish Iran-Iraq War Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:04 AM PDT  'Meanwhile, my wingman had engaged another MiG-21 and shot it down using two Sidewinders. He later reported that after seeing my F-14 exiting on the other side of the explosion, he was sure that it was badly burned and the crew dead.Retired by the U.S. Navy on Sep. 22, 2006 the iconic F-14 Tomcat remains the backbone of Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) interceptor fleet.However, as told by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop in their book Iranian F-14 Tomcat units in combat, the F-14's service in Iran is characterised by an implausible series of controversies and 'educated guesstimates' that are completely wrong.(This article by Dario Leone originally appeared on The Aviation Geek Club in 2019.)
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| When ICE Tried to Arrest an Undocumented Man in Tennessee, Neighbors and a Network of Volunteers Formed a Human Chain to Protect Him Posted: 23 Jul 2019 02:37 PM PDT  The man was with his 12-year-old son
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| France seeks European surveillance to secure Gulf traffic Posted: 23 Jul 2019 12:31 PM PDT  France says it's working with its European partners on an observation mission to ensure maritime security in the Persian Gulf, where tensions have climbed with Iran's seizure last week of a U.K.-flagged oil tanker. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made no mention of a Europe-led "maritime protection mission" announced a day earlier by his British counterpart, Jeremy Hunt, offering instead what seems to be a softer version. France is working "at this moment on a European initiative" with Britain and Germany, he told lawmakers, without elaborating.
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| 'Let me guess, you want to nuke them all': Trump constantly baiting John Bolton in front of officials, report says Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:57 AM PDT  Donald Trump likes to goad his national security adviser John Bolton about his lust for military action, according to officials who have spoken out on their relationship.As Iran claims to have captured spies working for the US and accuses Mr Bolton of trying to start "war of the century", new details have emerged of the president's fondness for baiting his adviser in the company of top officials – including foreign dignitaries.During a White House Situation Room meeting last year, Mr Trump reportedly said to his hawkish national security chief: "Ok, John, let me guess, you want to nuke them all?"According to the report by the Axios website, Mr Trump turned to Mr Bolton in an Oval Office meeting with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar and said: "John, is Ireland one of those countries you want to invade?"Quoting unnamed senior administration officials, the account claimed the president recently joked that "John has never seen a war he doesn't like", repeating sentiments made in public. "If it was up to him he'd take on the whole world at one time, okay?" Mr Trump recently told NBC's Meet the Press.Yet the president is said to get "quite touchy" if critics of Mr Bolton complain the national security adviser could pull the US into unnecessary conflict against Mr Trump's will. "He doesn't want anyone to believe he's anybody's pawn."Sources said Mr Trump likes to keep Mr Bolton on his team because his aggressive reputation gives the president the opportunity to play "good cop" to his adviser's "bad cop" routine."He thinks that Bolton's bellicosity and eagerness to kill people is a bargaining chip when he's sitting down with foreign leaders," said one official. "Bolton can be the bad cop and Trump can be the good cop. Trump believes this to his core."On Sunday Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted about the White House hawk as Tehran's dispute with both the UK and US threatened to escalate over the seizure of a British oil tanker."Make no mistake. Having failed to lure Donald Trump into a War of the Century, and fearing collapse of his B Team, John Bolton is turning his venom against the UK in hopes of dragging it into a quagmire."> Make no mistake: > > Having failed to lure @realDonaldTrump into War of the Century, and fearing collapse of his B_Team, @AmbJohnBolton is turning his venom against the UK in hopes of dragging it into a quagmire. > > Only prudence and foresight can thwart such ploys.> > — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) > > July 21, 2019On Monday Iran announced it had arrested 17 people allegedly recruited by the CIA to spy on the country's nuclear and military sites.Intelligence chiefs said some of the group have already been sentenced to death following arrests made over the past few months. Iranian media published pictures purportedly showing intelligence "officers" working for the US."The identified spies were employed in sensitive and vital private sector centres in the economic, nuclear, infrastructure, military and cyber areas ... where they collected classified information," read a ministry of intelligence statement.The US has yet to respond to the claims.
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| Fox News’ Shep Smith Grills Embattled Puerto Rico Governor: Can You Name Anyone Who Supports You? Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:21 PM PDT  During his first television interview since the scandal broke out over leaked private chats that have resulted in near-unanimous calls for his resignation, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló struggled to come up with a single name when Fox News anchor Shepard Smith pressed him to offer up anyone who currently supports him.With hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans taking to the streets of San Juan on Monday to demand Rosselló's resignation after the governor said he wouldn't step down on Sunday, Smith pointed out that "corruption is rampant" on the island before highlighting why the profanity-laced leaked chats have caused such backlash."So attacks on women, attacks on gays, attacks on the dead relatives of your own residents on your own island and after that who is left to support you?" Smith asked the governor. "Is it even safe for you to govern?"Rosselló, meanwhile, meekly said he has apologized and is trying to make amends, prompting the Fox anchor to ask him what exactly he's apologized for.After claiming he's apologized for the chats, the embattled governor attempted to say he wants to move on to battling corruption, leading Smith to remind him that the corruption is within Rosselló's own administration.Noting the widespread calls for him to step down, Smith grilled the governor on his lack of support in Puerto Rico, wondering aloud: "Who has come forward to support you?""There are folks who have supported me, who have come forward," Rosselló muttered, causing Smith to demand a name. The governor, however, struggled to answer the Fox News host."Can you give me one name?" Smith pressed. "Just one name, governor."Finally, after Smith continued to confront Rosselló, noting that the governor wasn't able to come up with anyone who had his back, Rosselló finally tossed out the name of the mayor of one city: San Sebastian Mayor Javier Jimenez.Moments after the interview aired, however, Jimenez told CBS News' David Begnaud that he did not, in fact, support the governor."There are other folks that have established people in the legislature and people in the Senate, as well, said that have supported me," the governor added. "They have supported the fact that I will not run and I shouldn't seek reelection but they have established it's important to follow the rule of law."Smith went on to relentlessly grill Rosselló, questioning whether the governor has "appropriately apologized" while highlighting that Rosselló has so far refused to meet with the Puerto Rican people who are demanding his resignation.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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| 'Clearly a racist act': After biracial boy dragged by school bus, school settles lawsuit Posted: 22 Jul 2019 01:36 PM PDT !['Clearly a racist act': After biracial boy dragged by school bus, school settles lawsuit]( "'Clearly a racist act': After biracial boy dragged by school bus, school settles lawsuit") The teen's mother sued the school district in May, alleging a bus driver intentionally closed the door on her 13-year-old biracial son's backpack.
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| Drug kingpin 'El Chapo' appeals life sentence Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:04 PM PDT  Fallen Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, once one of the world's most powerful and notorious criminals, has appealed his life sentence, court documents published on Monday showed. Guzman, the 62-year-old former co-leader of Mexico's feared Sinaloa drug cartel, was convicted in February of smuggling hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States. A symbolic 30 years was also added to the sentence and he was also ordered to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture -- a sum based on a conservative estimate of revenues from his cartel's sales in the United States.
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| Girl tossed into the air by charging Yellowstone National Park buffalo Posted: 23 Jul 2019 03:46 PM PDT  The girl, from Odessa, Florida, was in a group of roughly 50 people who were standing near the bison for about 20 minutes in the Old Faithful Geyser area on Monday before it charged, Yellowstone officials said in a written statement. The victim, who was not identified, was treated by emergency personnel at Old Faithful Lodge and released. In June 2018, a Yellowstone bison gored a woman after a crowd surged within feet of it, according to the park.
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| Joe Biden's campaign slams fellow Democrats and their push for 'Medicare-for-all' Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:21 AM PDT  GOP strategist Chris Neiweem and former federal prosecutor Debbie Hines weigh in on whether or not Joe Biden's moderate message will win him the 2020 Democratic nomination.
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| Chris Kraft's Greatest NASA Accomplishments Posted: 23 Jul 2019 03:08 PM PDT |
| Ukraine president's party gets solid parliament majority Posted: 23 Jul 2019 11:43 AM PDT  The anti-corruption party of Ukraine's new president has won a commanding majority of seats in the national parliament, near-complete election results showed Tuesday, giving him leverage to try to enact his promised reforms. The national election commission reported Tuesday that with 98% of ballots counted, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party had 43% of the vote for the 225 seats in parliament that are allocated proportionally. Party candidates also led in races for 176 of the 199 parliament seats being chosen in individual constituencies.
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| Kyoto Animation arson killings didn't get much attention because we couldn't demonize guns Posted: 23 Jul 2019 11:39 AM PDT  The Kyoto Animation killing left 34 dead, but it didn't have much impact because we don't pay attention to mass killings without guns. We should.
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| Video Shows Iranian Commandos Rappelling onto British Tanker in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 21 Jul 2019 06:00 PM PDT  Video footage aired on Iranian state television on Saturday shows masked commandos rappelling from a helicopter onto a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.In the footage, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps troops can be seen preparing to board the Stena Impero from inside the helicopter. Other footage shows the perspective from Iranian boats that surrounded the vessel. Iran's seizure of the ship came in response to the July 4 capture of an Iranian oil tanker by Royal Marines.Britain said Iran's seizure of the ship was a "hostile act." Iran has claimed that all 23 crew members are "safe and in good health."Before the ship was boarded, an English-speaking Iranian officer called to the tanker over the radio and said, "If you obey, you will be safe. Alter your course to 360 degrees immediately, over."A nearby British warship advised the tanker to maintain its course, though the Royal Navy vessel was not close enough to offer protection.Above the vessel, the video shows Iranian troops looking down on the ship and pointing out where to board, before dropping a rope that a half-dozen commandos slide down onto the ship.You can watch the footage below, via The Sun:This first appeared in Task and Purpose here.
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| Missing for more than 50 years, wreckage of submarine is finally found Posted: 22 Jul 2019 09:02 AM PDT  La Minerve was found almost a mile and half below the sea, France's defense ministry said. It is unknown what exactly caused the submarine to sink.
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| Britain plans European-led Gulf force after tanker seizure Posted: 22 Jul 2019 08:41 PM PDT  Britain on Monday said it was planning a European-led protection force for shipping in the Gulf after Iranian authorities seized a British-flagged tanker in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the region. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned Iran's actions as "state piracy" while at the same time emphasising that Britain did not want confrontation. "We will seek to establish this mission as quickly as possible," Hunt said, adding that a second warship that Britain has sent to the region would arrive by July 29.
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| Jeffrey Epstein appeals bail denial in sex trafficking case Posted: 23 Jul 2019 06:32 AM PDT  Jeffrey Epstein, the financier facing charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls, has appealed a federal judge's decision to keep him in a Manhattan jail while he awaits trial. According to a court notice made public on Tuesday, Epstein will ask the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the judge's July 18 rejection of his request to remain under house arrest in his $77 million mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Epstein has pleaded not guilty and the appeal was expected.
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| Internal Probe Reveals SEAL Team 10 Operators’ Cocaine Use Posted: 22 Jul 2019 03:15 PM PDT  AFPSome SEAL Team 10 special warfare operators allegedly used cocaine or spiked their alcohol with it, according to an internal investigation obtained by the Navy Times following a Freedom of Information Act Request. In Little Creek, Virginia, six SEALs were caught using cocaine and other illicit substances, the report says. SEALs told investigators that the urinalysis tests were easy to beat, as they were not screened very often, and when they were, they'd often switch out tainted urine for clean urine samples, according to the report. No SEALs went to court-martial in the wake of the urinalysis screening, in Virginia, Naval Special Warfare Command spokeswoman Commander Tamara Lawrence told Navy Times, adding that four were administratively separated from the sea service. The urinalysis program has now been updated, said Lawrence, and will be given more often. The test administers will also be retrained. A command report obtained by the Navy Times shows that in mid-2018, the testing program "suffered from serious deficiencies, which did not maintain accountability for substance abuse and adversely affected readiness." Read more at The Daily Beast.Get 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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| France, Germany Refuse Italy's Demand to Open Ports to Migrants Posted: 22 Jul 2019 12:39 PM PDT ![France, Germany Refuse Italy's Demand to Open Ports to Migrants]( "France, Germany Refuse Italy's Demand to Open Ports to Migrants") (Bloomberg) -- France and Germany widened the group of countries willing to accept asylum seekers arriving by boat across the Mediterranean, but made no move to accept demands by Italy's Matteo Salvini that they accept migrant ships directly in their ports.Salvini, in his capacity as Italian interior minister, said Monday's meeting of European interior ministers was a "flop" that "basically said Italy must continue to be the refugee camp of Europe," according to a statement.France and Germany had organized the informal meeting in Paris to try to improve Europe's ad-hoc system for dealing with humanitarian aid ships that collect migrants from rickety boats leaving North Africa and attempt to deliver them to Europe.Salvini has largely shut Italian ports to humanitarian ships, meaning that each approach of a migrant-laden boat has set off negotiations across Europe that eventually result in the boat being allowed to dock in Malta and sometime Italy, but only once other countries, mostly France and Germany, have signed up to accept asylum seekers. Boats have spent weeks at sea while these agreements are hashed out.French officials said Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal , Lithuania, Croatia and Ireland had committed to accepting asylum seekers. And they pledged financial and technical assistance to facilitate the swift return of migrants not entitled to asylum protection, without providing details.'Legal and Practical'But France has refused to waver from the principle that those saved at sea should be taken to the nearest safe port, which is almost always Italy or Malta for boats leaving North Africa. Nor has it agreed to share the majority of migrants who do not qualify for asylum protection."We must respect humanitarian and maritime law, which means that once a boat is in international waters it must find refuge in the nearest safe port," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters after the meeting. "This a legal and practical necessity. The only way to handle this is through cooperation."Salvini, who didn't attend Monday's meeting, had asked without success for other EU countries to agree to rotate arrival ports throughout Europe for migrant vessels, arguing that maritime laws about nearest safe ports were written for shipwrecks, not migration flows.Read more: Italy to Push for New European Plan to Control MigrationSalvini has seen his popularity grow in Italy ever since his coalition government with Luigi Di Maio's Five Star Movement came to power last year because of his success in stemming immigration to Italy, even if the previous government had already greatly reduced flows.Since the start of this year, 3,353 migrants have arrived by boat in Italy and 1,048 in Malta, according to United Nations figures. That's a much slower pace than the 24,000 that arrived in Italy for all of 2018 or the 120,000 that came in 2017 and 180,000 in 2016.The Italian government estimates it spent 4.3 billion euros ($5 billion) aiding migrants in 2017, while receiving only 77 million euros in EU aid.To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Why Didn't the Soviets Ever Make It to the Moon? Posted: 22 Jul 2019 06:30 AM PDT  A new video delves into the history of the Soviet space program and all the reasons it was never able to put a person on the moon.
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