| Venezuela's Maduro closes Brazil border to block aid entry Posted: 21 Feb 2019 02:58 PM PST  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — As a showdown looms over humanitarian aid destined for Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro closed off his country's border with Brazil, vowing on Thursday to block the emergency food and medicine that has rallied his opponents and which he claims is part of a U.S.-led coup plot.
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| Donald Trump: Russian Asset? Posted: 22 Feb 2019 11:45 AM PST  'I think it's possible" that President Donald Trump is a Russian asset, disgraced former FBI acting director Andrew McCabe told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. McCabe also said to The Atlantic that FBI brass felt "concern about the president and whether or not he posed a national-security threat that we should be investigating."On Wednesday, Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed the Federal Assembly in Moscow. "Let me be loud and clear," he told lawmakers near the Kremlin. "If the U.S. really is going to deploy missiles on the European continent, it will exacerbate the international situation and create a genuine danger for Russia, as there will be missiles with a 10–12-minute flight time to Moscow." Putin lamented America's February 1 withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty and added: "We are ready for disarmament talks, but we are no longer going to knock on a closed door."McCabe's bizarre comments perfectly echo the Trump-hating Left's exhausted yet unsinkable theory that the president of the United States secretly works for Russia, Russia, Russia, and that he and Putin somehow swiped the White House from Hillary Clinton, who had waited her turn patiently to become America's commander-in-chief.But only a thoroughly rotten Russian asset would create genuine danger for the Kremlin and close doors to Moscow. Indeed, President Trump routinely gives Putin ulcers.A Russian asset worth his borscht would work quietly to erode America's military. Instead, Pentagon spending has soared from Obama's final $521 billion allocation to Trump's $634 billion in outlays for 2017 (up 21.7 percent) and another $716 billion last August (up 12.9 percent).Not satisfied simply to bolster the U.S. armed forces, Trump has pressured America's NATO allies to do the same. Some criticize Trump for supposedly abusing our European partners. Actually, he has lavished them with tough love."By the end of next year, NATO allies will add $100 billion extra toward defense," NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said January 27 on Fox News Sunday. "So we see some real money and some real results. And we see that the clear message from President Donald Trump is having an impact." Stoltenberg added: "NATO is united because we are able to adapt to deliver. North America and Europe are doing more together now than before."None of this makes Vladimir Putin smile.Putin must have groaned last October when President Trump persuaded German chancellor Angela Merkel to spend $576 million on a terminal to receive U.S. liquefied natural gas. The Wall Street Journal called this "a key concession to President Trump as he tries to loosen Russia's grip on Europe's largest energy market." This promises less revenue and leverage for Moscow and more profits and employment for American gas exporters.Adjacent to Russia, Trump restored Poland's purchase of U.S. Patriot air-defense missiles (which Obama canceled to appease Moscow). Trump also shipped Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.Last June, and in January 2017, Trump imposed financial sanctions and travel restrictions on Russian companies and oligarchs. This was payback for Moscow's invasions of Ukraine and Crimea and its interference in U.S. political campaigns. As Trump said: "We must unite as Americans to protect the integrity of our democracy and our elections."If anyone behaved like a Russian asset, it was Obama. Trump's predecessor launched the soft-on-Moscow "Russian Reset." He was caught on a hot mic in March 2012 whispering to Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev: "This is my last election," Obama said at a conference in Seoul. "After my election I have more flexibility," especially on matters like anti-ballistic missiles in Europe, on which Russia frowned. "I understand," Medvedev replied. "I will transmit this information to Vladimir."As The Weekly Standard recalled, "the Obama administration removed a group of missile launchers from near the Russian border with Poland after Moscow objected to their placement." Obama refused to arm Ukraine's anti-Putin fighters. Obama's first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said in March 2010: "Our goal is to help strengthen Russia." This apparently included encouraging Cisco Systems, Google, and Intel to open shop at Skolkovo, a sort of Russian Silicon Valley. The Pentagon and FBI eventually learned that the entire project was a giant technology-theft scam.Strengthening Russia also involved greenlighting Moscow's purchase of Uranium One Inc. and its 20 percent share of U.S. uranium reserves. This company's top investors donated $145 million to the Clinton Foundation. What a coincidence.Alas, fact-o-phobic Trump haters like Andrew McCabe consider him a pro-Moscow mole even as they wink at Obama's and Hillary's Russophilia.Michael Malarkey furnished research for this opinion piece.
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| Attorney for Nicholas Sandmann says the Washington Post gave online bullies a megaphone to tarnish his client Posted: 20 Feb 2019 06:35 PM PST  Lin Wood explains the Covington Catholic High School student's $250 million lawsuit against the Washington Post.
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| 2019 10Best Cars Posted: 22 Feb 2019 06:52 AM PST |
| Manafort Faces March 8 Sentencing for Virginia Fraud Convictions Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:58 AM PST  U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III set the date on Thursday, giving Manafort until March 1 to reply to Mueller's recommendation that he serve between 19.6 and 24.4 years in prison. Manafort, 69, was convicted by jurors last August of bank fraud, tax fraud and failure to file a foreign bank account report. Manafort, who was President Donald Trump's campaign chairman in 2016, also faces a March 13 sentencing in federal court in Washington.
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| The Latest: Venezuela's FM calls aid delivery 'a spectacle' Posted: 22 Feb 2019 05:11 PM PST  CUCUTA, Colombia (AP) — The Latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):
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| Sajid Javid defends stripping Shamima Begum of her nationality, saying he would not make someone 'stateless' Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:54 AM PST  Home Secretary Sajid Javid has defended his decision to strip the jihadi bride Shamima Begum of her British citizenship, saying he would never leave someone "stateless". The 19-year-old from London, who fled to Syria aged 15, wanted to return to the UK with her newborn baby. But the Home Secretary revoked her British citizenship in a move only permissible under international law if it does not leave the individual stateless. The Telegraph understands Begum has inherited Bangladeshi dual nationality through her parents, but the country's minister of state for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam denied this on Wednesday, saying she was "nothing to do with Bangladesh". Asked about the situation on ITV's Peston, Mr Javid said: "I'm not aware of any Home Secretary in any party in any previous government that has taken a decision that would leave anyone stateless. "I'm not going to talk about an individual, but I can be clear on the point that I would not take a decision and I believe none of my predecessors ever have taken a decision that at the point the decision is taken would leave that individual stateless." Britons returning from Syria | The facts The Home Secretary would not be drawn to comment on Begum's case specifically, but speaking generally, he said: "Let's say they are in the UK and they radicalise others and groom others, they carry out a terrorist attack themselves or incite others to do that. "What about the danger and the risk to the country of that? What about the impact on community cohesion if people come back to the country and use their presence here to try and racialize others? I have to weigh that up too." The exact situation surrounding Begum's citizenship remains unclear, and the waters were further muddied on Wednesday night when Mr Alam, Bangladesh's foreign minister, said: "The Government of Bangladesh is deeply concerned that she has been erroneously identified as a holder of dual citizenship shared with Bangladesh alongside her birthplace, the United Kingdom. "Bangladesh asserts that Shamima Begum is not a Bangladeshi citizen. She is a British citizen by birth and has never applied for dual nationality with Bangladesh. "It may also be mentioned that she never visited Bangladesh in the past despite her parental lineage. So, there is no question of her being allowed to enter into Bangladesh." The statement added that Dhaka had only been made aware of the situation by the media, suggesting Mr Javid had not pre-warned Bangladesh of his plans. International law forbids nations from making people stateless by revoking their only citizenship, but The Telegraph understands that the Home Office made the decision to revoke Begum's British citizenship based on Bangladeshi law. There, until the age of 21, it is understood the Isil bride automatically retains dual nationality due to the fact her parents are both from the country. At the age of 21, a child born to Bangladeshi parents has the right to waive their right to dual nationality, but not before. The complication lies in how she would be able to get to Bangladesh - where it is understood her father is currently living - and how she proves that she is Shamima Begum. The teenager has never visited the country and does not have a Bangladeshi passport. Her old British passport is invalid due to her citizenship being revoked and she has previously said she used her sister's passport to travel to Syria back in 2015. One possible option for her would be to travel to Turkey via the notoriously penetrable border with Syria and present herself to the Bangladeshi embassy. But officials in Dhaka may well appeal the Home Office's decision to make Begum their responsibility, insisting that she has never even been to the country. The Home Office letter Credit: ITV News Asked whether she had been left stateless by Britain, the Begum family's lawyer Tasnime Akunjee said: "It's certainly something we will be adding to the mix in terms of our appeal." He has said Ms Begum was born in the UK, has never had a Bangladeshi passport and is not a dual citizen. A Home Office spokesman said Mr Javid's priority was the "safety and security" of the country. Decisions to deprive people of citizenship were "based on all available evidence and not taken lightly," the spokesman added. Ms Begum was one of three schoolgirls to leave Bethnal Green to join the terror cult in 2015 and resurfaced heavily pregnant at a Syrian refugee camp last week. When shown a copy of the Home Office letter that announced her British citizenship would be stripped, she said it was "a bit unjust on me and my son". She went on to say she may try for citizenship in the Netherlands, where her husband is from. Mr Javid suggested the action to prevent Ms Begum returning will have no impact on her baby son's nationality. While insisting he could not discuss individual cases, he told the Commons: "Children should not suffer. "So, if a parent does lose their British citizenship, it does not affect the rights of their child." Ms Begum's situation has sparked intense debate about the UK's responsibilities to those seeking to return from Syria. The British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Home Secretary with the power to strip people of citizenship if it is "conducive to the public good". Lord Carlile, former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said Ms Begum could challenge the Home Secretary's decision, and described it as a "complex issue" that could take a while to resolve. Figures for 2017 show that 104 people were deprived of their British citizenship, up from 14 in the previous year.
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| IRS employee charged in leak of Trump attorney records Posted: 21 Feb 2019 04:47 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — U.S. prosecutors have charged an IRS employee with leaking banking records of President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen that flagged suspicious activity, the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco said Thursday.
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| Bobby Berk to Launch Collection for A.R.T. Furniture at High Point Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:00 AM PST  The collaboration marks the first time A.R.T. is working with an outside designer
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| Google moves to fix YouTube glitch exploited for child porn Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:22 PM PST  Google-owned YouTube said Thursday it was taking action to close a loophole that enabled users to share comments and links on child pornography over the video-sharing service. The response came after a YouTube creator this week revealed what he called a "wormhole" that allowed comments and connections on child porn alongside innocuous videos. "Any content -- including comments -- that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube," a spokesman said in an email to AFP.
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| Jussie Smollett investigation timeline: How the actor went from assault victim to suspect Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:11 PM PST  Three weeks after Jussie Smollett said he'd been the victim of a hate crime, the "Empire" star was charged with filing a false police report.
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| NYC’s Amazon Negotiator Laments What Might Have Been Posted: 21 Feb 2019 07:15 AM PST  James Patchett, president of the city's Economic Development Corp., made clear that he was still smarting from the deal's collapse while speaking to business executives Thursday at a Crain's Magazine breakfast forum. "I remain incredibly proud of the work we all did together," Patchett said. The deal fell apart, Patchett said, because Amazon wasn't prepared to respond to questions about how it would operate in the city.
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| Warren Backs Government Reparations for African Americans Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:49 PM PST  Senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) on Thursday followed fellow Democratic presidential contender Senator Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) in calling for the government to pay reparations to African Americans to atone for slavery and subsequent discrimination.Warren's campaign told the New York Times that she does support some form of government reparations for the descendants of slaves, but did not specify what policy she we would pursue if elected in 2020.Warren's support for reparations came after Harris came out in support of the idea during a radio interview last week."We have to be honest that people in this country do not start from the same place or have access to the same opportunities," she said. "I'm serious about taking an approach that would change policies and structures and make real investments in black communities."Since angering much of the progressive-activist community last year by publicizing the results of her DNA test to substantiate her claim of Native American ancestry, Warren has prioritized racial equity in laying out her 2020 presidential platform. She has called for a special home-buying-assistance program that would help alleviate the effects of racial red-lining, a phenomenon in which African Americans are prevented from buying homes in certain neighborhoods. She has also presented a universal-child-care proposal that would create a network of government-backed child-care centers available to families making under 200 percent of the federal poverty level.Other prominent Democratic presidential contenders, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have not yet come out in support of reparations. Senator Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) dismissed the idea of paying reparations to the descendants of slaves as impractical during his 2016 presidential run but has not weighed in on the issue since.
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| Milan fashion week: catwalk beauty looks from day two Posted: 22 Feb 2019 06:40 AM PST  Day two of Milan Fashion Week was all about classic red lipstick and glossy hair. At Fendi, the models had the front sections of their hair gelled into a wet-look texture and combed forward to curl off to one side of the forehead, forming a modern twist on the '50s quiff. The lipstick took on a fiery, orange-red hue at Emporio Armani, where it was teamed with feathery, uneven bangs and dramatic blusher for a raffish result.
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| Operation to end last IS Syria pocket hits evacuation snag Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:55 PM PST  The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has steadily driven the jihadists down the Euphrates, has surrounded them at Baghouz near the Iraqi border, but does not want to mount a final attack until all civilians are out. Iraqi sources said the SDF handed over more then 150 Iraqi and other foreign jihadists to Iraq on Thursday, under a deal involving a total of 502. The SDF had expected to pull the last civilians from Baghouz on Thursday, but trucks it sent in left empty.
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| Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, warns Emmanuel Macron Posted: 21 Feb 2019 05:52 AM PST  France is to recognise anti-Zionism, the denial of the state of Israel, as a form of anti-Semitism in response to a surge in acts against Jews not seen "since the Second World War". Emmanuel Macron, the French president, also promised new legislation in May to fight hate speech on the Internet, which could see platforms such as Facebook and Twitter fined for every minute they fail to take down racist or violent content. Speaking at the annual meeting of France's largest Jewish organization, CRIF, Mr Macron said that France and other countries in Europe had recently witnessed "a resurgence of anti-Semitism that is probably unprecedented since World War II." "We have denounced it a lot, adopted plans, passed laws sometimes. But we haven't been able to act efficiently," he said. While stopping short of calling for new legislation, the President said the working definition of anti-Semitism drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance would help guide police forces, magistrates and teachers in their daily work. That definition stipulates that anti-Semitism can take the form of "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour". "Anti-Zionism is one of the modern forms of anti-Semitism," said Mr Macron. "Behind the negation of Israel's existence, what is hiding is the hatred of Jews." Such guidelines in no way infringed on people's right to criticise to the Israeli government and its policies, he said. Mr Macron also said that his party would introduce a bill in parliament in May to force social media to withdraw hate speech posted online and use all available means to identify the authors "as quickly as possible." Digital minister Mounir Mahjoubi said: "There will be an obligation for results: if the content is not taken down then there will be a fine, and a large fine," Mr Mahjoubi told France Info radio. "Each minute that content remains online, it increases the harm to society. Twenty-four hours is far too long." Anti-Semitic acts surged by 74 per cent last year in France, according to government figures Credit: Getty Images Europe France has been pressuring Internet companies to better regulate their content ever since a series of terror attacks starting in 2015. The recent "yellow vest" protests have largely been orchestrated online. Many postings have included links to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and anti-vaccine messages, as well as a string of conspiracy theories. Mr Macron's speech came a day after thousands attended rallies across France to denounce a rise in anti-Semitic acts and in a week in which almost 100 gravestones spray-painted with swastikas were discovered in a Jewish village cemetery in eastern France. The number of anti-Semitic incidents rose last year by 74 per cent from 311 in 2017 to 541, the government announced last week.
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| The Latest: Snow forces closure of Vegas to Phoenix route Posted: 21 Feb 2019 12:05 PM PST  LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on rare snowfall in the Las Vegas area (all times local):
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| As Trump and Kim prepare for summit, bars in Vietnam serve 'Peace Negroniations' Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:34 AM PST  Bars in Vietnam's capital are cashing in on the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next week with special concoctions to mark the high-stakes diplomacy. "This beer was inspired by the pure streams of Mount Paektu between North Korea and China," Nguyen Thi Huong Anh, manager of Hanoi's Standing Bar, said of the "Kim Jong Ale", brewed especially for the summit. The mountain is the highest on the Korean peninsula at about 2,750 meters (9,000 ft) and the official birthplace of the late North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il.
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| Japan wants frictionless UK-EU trade after Brexit: ambassador Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:35 AM PST  Japan wants Britain to have frictionless trade with the European Union after Brexit, its ambassador said Thursday, insisting a damaging no-deal scenario should be avoided. Japanese companies are looking to expand their investment in Britain but are holding back due to uncertainty over Brexit, Koji Tsuruoka said during a talk in London.
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| A look at why brothers in alleged hoax appear off the hook Posted: 21 Feb 2019 04:54 PM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — Two brothers who played central roles in what Chicago police say was a staged racist and homophobic attack on Jussie Smollett are, compared to the "Empire" actor, so far walking away legally unscathed.
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| 'It was genuinely heartfelt': Tucker Carlson curses at guest during tax discussion Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:24 AM PST  Fox News host Tucker Carlson used a portion of his show on Wednesday to address a now-viral video showing him cursing at a guest.
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| Roger Stone Faces Judge After Posting Her Image With Crosshairs Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:00 AM PST  On Monday, Stone, a sometime adviser to President Donald Trump who faces charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a federal investigation, posted a photo of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on his Instagram account, along with a short diatribe saying she's the judge overseeing his "upcoming show trial." Beside the head shot of Jackson was an image of what looked like rifle-scope crosshairs. After the post caught the attention of social media, Stone took it down and apologized to the judge, conceding it was improper. On Thursday, Stone will appear before Jackson as she weighs whether to tighten a gag order or change the terms of his bail.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez refuses to back Bernie Sanders for 2020 election run against Trump Posted: 20 Feb 2019 11:30 PM PST  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has refused to endorse Bernie Sanders for the 2020 Democratic nomination, despite working on the senator's first presidential campaign. A spokesperson for Ms Ocasio-Cortez, like Mr Sanders a self-described democratic socialist, refused to comment directly on the 77-year-old's Tuesday announcement he is running for a second time. "We're excited to see so many progressives in the race," spokesperson Corbin Trent said.
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| Russia says US aid to Venezuela a 'pretext for military action' Posted: 22 Feb 2019 05:02 AM PST  Russia on Friday accused the United States of using aid deliveries to Venezuela as a ploy to carry out military action against President Nicolas Maduro's government. "A dangerous provocation, instigated and led by Washington, is planned for February 23," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, pointing to efforts by opposition leader Juan Guaido to pick up US aid being stockpiled on the Colombian border. Guaido's plans to try to bring the aid across the border are aimed at provoking clashes, she said, to provide "a convenient pretext for conducting military action".
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| Day one highlights from Milan Fashion Week Posted: 21 Feb 2019 03:59 AM PST  Hot on the heels of Benetton, which opened Milan Fashion Week Tuesday, February 20, fashion houses Gucci, Alberto Zambelli, Annakiki, Alberta Ferretti and Moncler showed their fall/winter 2019-2020 collections in the Italian city. This first official day reiterated certain trends spotted in New York and London with some colorful displays, notably at Byblos and Annakiki, mixing bright shades and prints, as well as at Gucci. Like in London and New York, plays on volume and proportion -- especially with outerwear designs -- were also on the agenda in Milan, with several extravagant pieces covered with frills and furbelows.
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| CORRECTED: Microsoft workers demand it drop $480 million U.S. Army contract Posted: 22 Feb 2019 03:30 PM PST  The organising effort, described to Reuters by three Microsoft workers, offers the latest example in the last year of tech employees protesting cooperation with governments on emerging technologies. Microsoft won a contract in November to supply the Army with at least 2,500 prototypes of augmented reality headsets, which digitally displays contextual information in front of a user's eyes. In a petition to Microsoft executives, posted on Twitter, workers said they "did not sign up to develop weapons, and we demand a say in how our work is used." They called on the company to develop "a public-facing acceptable use policy" for its technology and an external review board to publicly enforce it.
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| Parents dead in murder-suicide at Sugar Land home as 16-year-old daughter slept inside Posted: 21 Feb 2019 06:59 AM PST  Their family says they were involved in volunteering and believed in giving back before they died.
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| French bishops agree to compensation for sex abuse victims Posted: 21 Feb 2019 11:31 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — Still struggling to come to terms with their share of responsibility in the clerical sex abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church, France's bishops have agreed to award financial compensation to victims whose cases fall outside of France's statute of limitations.
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| Consumer Reports' Top Picks Quiz Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:47 AM PST  A lot of research goes into determining which vehicles achieve a spot as one of Consumer Reports' Top Picks. Take our quiz to see how well you know our annual list of the best SUVs, cars, and tru...
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| A 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback Is the Latest to Be Immortalized in Legos Posted: 22 Feb 2019 06:00 AM PST  The Lego Creator Ford Mustang kit includes 1471 pieces.
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| Trump border wall: Third of Pentagon money president plans to use for wall is already spent, officals say Posted: 22 Feb 2019 05:30 AM PST  Up to a third of the $6.7bn (£5.2bn) in Pentagon funds Donald Trump has identified to spend on a US-Mexico border wall has already been spent, officials have revealed. During his emergency powers declaration last month, the US president announced he would divert billions of dollars from other Department of Defense projects towards the wall, in order to circumvent Congress. It included $3.6bn (£2.8bn) in unspent military construction money, as well as $2.5bn (£1.9bn) in counterdrug funds and $600m (£462m) from an asset forfeiture account – the latter two not dependent on the emergency delaration.
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| Venezuela braces for dueling government, opposition concerts Posted: 21 Feb 2019 11:28 PM PST  The spectacle will play out on opposite ends of a 300-meter bridge connecting Venezuela with Colombia to the west. The bridge is now blocked with freight containers left there by the military, with President Nicolas Maduro refusing to let aid in and arguing it would be the first step toward a foreign invasion. The opposition charity concert organized by British billionaire Richard Branson -- called "Venezuela Aid Live" will be held in the Colombian border town of Cucuta.
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| Google improving Maps and Search to fight the opioid crisis Posted: 22 Feb 2019 04:09 AM PST  On Thursday Google announced that it is making it easier to locate drug disposal locations year-round with enhanced opioid-related query results. Since 2017, the opioid crisis has been officially a public health emergency with Google queries for "medication disposal near me" reaching an all-time high on the platform just last month. In response, the company has improved Maps and Search results of queries like "drug drop off near me" or "medication disposal near me" to display permanent disposal locations, typically pharmacies (like Walgreens or CVS Health), hospitals, or government buildings, where you can discard unused and unneeded medications.
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| Putin to U.S.: I'm ready for another Cuban Missile crisis if you want one Posted: 21 Feb 2019 05:24 AM PST  Tensions are rising over Russian fears the U.S. might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe as a Cold war-era arms control treaty unravels.
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| What Amazon Didn’t Get From New York Posted: 21 Feb 2019 06:00 AM PST  My view is that local governments overuse such subsidies. Consider, by way of illustration, entitlement and discretionary spending on the federal level. Much of discretionary spending, by contrast, is research grants and procurement contracts.
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| Girl's death haunted police until arrest made 45 years later Posted: 20 Feb 2019 05:39 PM PST  SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Investigators searched for decades for the killer of an 11-year-old girl who disappeared while walking home from summer school in a case that gripped a California seaside community.
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| 14 Designers Decorate the Modernism Week Show House With Flair Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:07 PM PST |
| Johnson & Johnson stock price falls after federal subpoena on alleged asbestos in baby powder Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:08 PM PST ![Johnson & Johnson stock price falls after federal subpoena on alleged asbestos in baby powder]( "Johnson & Johnson stock price falls after federal subpoena on alleged asbestos in baby powder") The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission investigate the alleged asbestos contamination of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder.
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| Tesla Model 3 Loses CR Recommendation | Reliability Posted: 21 Feb 2019 09:34 AM PST  Tesla Model 3 Loses CR Recommendation Over Reliability Issues Consumer Reports can no longer recommend the newest Tesla—the Model 3 electric sedan—because members say they've identified a number...
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces backlash after Amzaon’s decision to pull out of building a new NYC headquarters Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:45 AM PST  Job Creators Network bought a billboard in Times Square blasting New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her role in Amazon's decision to no longer build a new headquarters in New York City; Doug McKelway reports.
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| Masood Azhar, militant leader at the heart of the Kashmir crisis Posted: 21 Feb 2019 10:00 PM PST  For eight days in 1999 the world watched in horror as hijackers diverted an Indian Airlines flight to Afghanistan and held the passengers hostage, the drama ending only when Delhi agreed to release three Kashmiri militants. Nearly 20 years later, India is still paying the price for that decision. One of the militants freed was Masood Azhar, who later went on to found Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the militant group which claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in three decades in Indian-held Kashmir.
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| IRS Analyst Charged with Leaking Michael Cohen’s Bank Records to Avenatti Posted: 21 Feb 2019 01:32 PM PST  An Internal Revenue Service analyst was charged Thursday with leaking confidential reports that revealed President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen sought to profit from his White House access.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California charged analyst John Fry for leaking a suspicious activity report (SAR) to Michael Avenatti, the attorney who represented pornographer Stormy Daniels in her defamation case against President Trump.Avenatti published the SAR on Twitter last May, revealing to the public that Cohen set up a shell company known as Essential Consultants in order to collect payments from a number of corporations hoping to influence Trump administration policy. Cohen used the same shell company to make a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels.During the Trump campaign and transition period, Cohen received hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporations, including Korea Aerospace Industries, AT&T, and Columbus Nova, a New York affiliate of the Russian corporation Renova Group which is owned by a Russian oligarch who donated to Trump's campaign and has been sanctioned by the U.S.According to the indictment filed Thursday, Avenatti also shared Fry's information with the New Yorker's Ronan Farrow.
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| Apple teams with Ant Financial, banks for interest-free iPhone financing in China Posted: 21 Feb 2019 08:32 PM PST ![Apple teams with Ant Financial, banks for interest-free iPhone financing in China]( "Apple teams with Ant Financial, banks for interest-free iPhone financing in China") Apple Inc has teamed up with Chinese payments giant Ant Financial Services Group and several local banks to offer interest-free financing, its first such move in the country as it looks to boost waning smartphone sales. The U.S. tech behemoth issued a rare revenue warning last month citing weaker iPhone sales in China, one of its most important markets, where consumer spending has taken a hit due to a slowdown in economic growth. On its China website, Apple is promoting the new scheme, under which customers can pay 271 yuan ($40.31) each month to purchase an iPhone XR, and 362 yuan each month for an iPhone XS.
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