| The Latest: Booker raised $5 million since campaign launch Posted: 07 Apr 2019 10:28 AM PDT  The Latest on the Democratic race for president (all times EDT):
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| Russia decides to free captive whales after outcry - governor Posted: 08 Apr 2019 12:35 AM PDT ![Russia decides to free captive whales after outcry - governor]( "Russia decides to free captive whales after outcry - governor") Russian authorities have decided to free nearly 100 whales held in cages in Russia's Far East, the governor of Russia's Primorsky Region said on Monday, the TASS news agency reported. The decision to release the whales, after months of delays, coincided with a visit to the enclosures by Jean-Michel Cousteau, a French oceanographer and son of famous marine expert Jacques Cousteau. "An official decision has been taken to release all the animals into the wild," Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Primorsky Region, was quoted as saying by TASS.
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| Prosecutor In Foxx’s Office Slams Her Handling of Smollett Case: ‘An International Laughingstock’ Posted: 08 Apr 2019 06:47 AM PDT  An anonymous attorney in the Cook County prosecutor's office lambasted state attorney Kim Foxx over her handling of the high profile Jussie Smollett case, and the tendency of her and her allies to resort to accusations of racism when criticized, in an a letter provided to CWB Chicago on Monday.Foxx's office dropped all charges against Smollett last month after he was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly staging a bigoted and politically-motivated hate crime against himself with the help of two friends who were paid for their services. Citing his record of community service and the technically victimless nature of his alleged crime, Foxx's office dropped all charges without requiring that Smollett admit guilt.After briefly reviewing the history of racial discrimination in Chicago, the unnamed assistant state's attorney attacked Foxx and her allies for casting criticism of the decision as racist.The letter reads:> Fast forward to 2019 Chicago. The State's Attorney's Office (SAO) is an international laughingstock, as politicians, comedians, scholars, legal pundits and regular ol' citizens alike blast its handling of the case against Jussie Smollett. The criticism is pointed squarely at Kim Foxx, the first African American female elected to fill the prestigious role of Cook County State's Attorney.> In the wake of said criticism, Ms. Foxx speaks at a Rainbow PUSH coalition meeting and states she cannot run an office "driven by anger and public sentiment." She says "the goal posts change" when an African-American takes the position of head prosecutor, seemingly calling the critique of the SAO's handling of the Smollett case racially-based and derogatory toward her people.He later adds: And blaming Jussie Smollett fallout on race? That is just ignorant and self-serving. It is a complete bastardization of a bona fide movement against acts of racism, which, as a society we should obviously not tolerate. Much like Jussie Smollett's acts bastardized a bona fide movement against hate crimes. The unnamed prosecutor goes on to accuse Foxx of insulting the Chicago police by dropping all charges without consulting them just weeks after their superintendent, Eddie Johnson, made an impassioned speech about the harm Smollett did to the community by staging a hate crime.> When you demean law enforcement like that you not only strip them of their dignity, you also contribute to the violence in the city. Because young African-American boys and girls who hear the head prosecutor, Jesse Jackson, Bobby Rush, Al Sharpton, et al call police racist, act accordingly," the letter reads.No prosecutors or police officers, and I mean none, thought that the just result would be for Jussie Smollett to go to prison. He was charged with a Class 4 felony. The anticipated outcome was a reduced sentence, a misdemeanor with some community service or restitution. This would have been done on the record, on a regularly scheduled court date, with the Chicago Police being notified, since they are the "victim" in a disorderly conduct of this nature. This case was handled markedly different from any other case at 26th Street. No one knows why, and more importantly, no one can explain why our boss, the head prosecutor of all of Cook County, has decided to so demean and debase both our hard work, and our already tenuous relationship with the Chicago Police Department.Just to be clear - this is not an attack on Ms. Foxx's race, it is an attack on her ethics and her efficacy as State's Attorney.
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| Kidnapped American tourist, guide rescued by security forces in Uganda Posted: 07 Apr 2019 02:03 PM PDT  American tourist Kimberly Sue Endicott and her guide have been rescued after being kidnapped Tuesday in a Ugandan national park.
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| May Seeks to Revive Flagging Brexit Talks With Corbyn Posted: 07 Apr 2019 11:56 PM PDT  U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is hoping to re-start stalled Brexit negotiations with her chief political rival Jeremy Corbyn, in her search for a compromise plan she can sell to European leaders at a crucial summit this week. Over the weekend, May defended her decision to work with the main opposition Labour Party leader to help draft a new blueprint for leaving the EU. Despite their differences, she warned that without Corbyn's support, Britain might never leave the trading bloc.
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| Nissan shareholders sack ex-chief Ghosn Posted: 07 Apr 2019 10:45 PM PDT  Nissan shareholders voted Monday to eject Carlos Ghosn from the board, as the detained former chairman fights multiple financial misconduct charges that have landed him in custody. The extraordinary shareholders' meeting at a Tokyo hotel was the first such gathering since the stunning arrest of the 65-year-old auto sector titan on November 19. The meeting also saw shareholders vote to remove Greg Kelly, a US executive who served as Ghosn's right-hand man and who also faces charges in Japan, and approve a motion to replace Ghosn with Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Senard.
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| American tourist Kimberly Sue Endicott released after being kidnapped in Uganda Posted: 08 Apr 2019 05:37 AM PDT  Kimberly Sue Endicott, an American who was kidnapped for ransom last week in Uganda, has been released safely along with her Congolese safari guide.
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| Trump Taps Kevin McAleenan As New Mr. Fix-It for Border Crisis Posted: 07 Apr 2019 03:06 PM PDT  Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/GettyHomeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned from her position on Sunday evening, after serving 16 turbulent months as the nation's top national security official and the president's punching bag on border security.Nielsen's immediate departure comes only two days after President Donald Trump announced that he was withdrawing the nomination of Ronald D. Vitiello to head U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Homeland Security agency tasked with enforcing Trump's border policy, in favor of a "tougher" nominee who has yet to be named.Trump lambasted the current enforcement of American immigration laws for years, and as the nation's top immigration and national security official, those laws and their implementation fell under Nielsen's purview.In a tweet, President Trump said Nielsen "will be leaving her position," and announced that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become acting secretary as he searches for a permanent replacement.In her resignation letter, Nielsen appeared to lay partial blame on Congress for failing to provide the Department of Homeland Security with "all the tools and resources... to execute the mission.""I hope that the next Secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impended our ability to fully secure America's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse," Nielsen wrote.Nielsen's ouster comes amid a continuing—even continuous—shakeup in the Trump administration. The president cleaned house after the midterm elections, ditching former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other officials he viewed as disloyal or unwilling to cooperate on strategy.Officials inside the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Beast that they have speculated Nielsen would be out of a job sometime after the midterms. Nielsen, Trump and National Security Adviser John Bolton have often quarreled about the department's strategy on immigration, officials said, and Nielsen is regularly chastised for not taking a tough enough stance on border security.One former department official told The Daily Beast that Trump's decision to replace Nielsen with the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection was indicative of the president's superficial understanding of immigration and national security policy."Just because there's a new man at the helm of DHS, the border crisis will be fixed?! Ha!" the official said in a text. "They think just because he's former CBP, and he understands the border, he'll fix it? I don't think so."Plus, the official added, "getting a man is so stereotypical!"Nielsen was one of three women in Trump's cabinet.Internally, staffers and officials said Nielsen was viewed by some as too loyal to the president, often catering to his demands despite the legal implications. Officials said Nielsen's public rhetoric on immigration and asylum is crafted specifically to cater to President Trump.The general focus of the department has changed drastically under Nielsen's leadership, too, officials said. Over the past year, most of the department's high-level briefings and meetings have centered around threats by foreign actors, particularly those from South America. At the same time, the department has drawn back from looking at threats posed by people living in the U.S. who have the potential to carry out mass casualty attacks, the officials said.Even after shootings in Pittsburgh and California, the department continued to focus more of its attention on border security and migrant caravans, DHS staffers told The Daily Beast.In news briefings compiled for the secretary and her senior staff over a three-week period obtained by The Daily Beast, the secretary was shown to have overwhelmingly received news updates on migrant caravans and Trump's remarks on immigration enforcement, despite two mass shootings and security concerns about midterm elections at the time.The top of the press packet compiled and distributed on November 9, 2018, the day after the shooting in Thousand Oaks, reads: "Administration Moves To Require Asylum Seekers To Go To Designated Ports Of Entry." Under that section, the briefing quotes and bolds a Breitbart headline: "Fewer than 10 percent of Central American Migrants Arriving At Border Have Legitimate Asylum Claim."Out of about 19 pages of quoted media text, one and a half focused on the California shooting, three and a half on border security and immigration and six on the Mueller investigation. The rest of the pages touched on news about cybersecurity, terrorism investigations and other DHS-related topics.Despite that near-myopic focus on immigration, the president has reportedly been frustrated with Nielsen's enforcement of some of his more controversial border policies for some time, most notably the chaotic implementation and eventual reversal of its family separation policy in late spring. At the time, Nielsen told reporters that the policy didn't even exist—"period"—even as the government held hundreds of undocumented minor children who had forcibly been taken from their parents.Nielsen was reportedly berated by President Trump in a Cabinet meeting in May 2018 over his perception that she was not doing enough to keep the southern border secure. The verbal flogging, detailed by The New York Times, prompted Nielsen to draft a resignation letter which she ultimately decided not to deliver.Both the Department of Homeland Security and Nielsen herself denied she planned to step aside at the time.For months, Nielsen soldiered on, testifying to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where she defended the administration's new, controversial policy of separating children from their parents if they cross the border illegally, even if they are claiming asylum. Trump, according to the Times report, had suspected Nielsen along was privately resisting his order to implement this policy as a deterrent. "Our policy is if you break the law, we will prosecute you," Nielsen said. "You have an option to go to a port of entry and not illegally cross into our country."As she left the hearing, she answered a reporter's question as to her future. "I have not resigned, I didn't threaten to resign," she said, according to Politico. Nielsen, a cybersecurity expert who previously worked in the George W. Bush administration, is a protégée of Gen. John F. Kelly, whom she replaced at the top of Homeland Security in early December. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
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| 7 Home Decor Sales We’re Excited About This Week Posted: 08 Apr 2019 02:27 PM PDT  Consider us your personal shoppers
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| US pulls forces from Libya as fighting approaches capital Posted: 07 Apr 2019 06:04 PM PDT  BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — The United States has temporarily withdrawn some of its forces from Libya due to "security conditions on the ground," a top military official said Sunday as a Libyan commander's forces advanced toward the capital of Tripoli and clashed with rival militias.
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| The Private Sector Must Lead the Way to 5G Posted: 08 Apr 2019 03:30 AM PDT  There's an interesting debate brewing on these pages between former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner Brendan Carr on how to make the move to super-fast 5G wireless networks and how to protect America in the process.By way of background, I founded the House Internet Caucus back when Gingrich was speaker. We didn't see eye-to-eye on very much, but I welcomed his occasional interest in technology.On this issue, though, he is wrong, and Commissioner Carr is right. The best -- really the only -- way to ensure the fastest possible deployment of 5G technology and to preserve American leadership in wireless is to follow the path that has driven American leadership in 4G. The private sector, not the government, must take the lead, and the primary government role should be to continue selling 5G spectrum to the private sector at auction.In January of last year, it was reported that the Trump administration was considering, in effect, nationalizing at least part of the 5G spectrum by having one government-owned network. This poorly considered idea was rejected the very next day by the administration's own FCC chairman, Ajit Pai. We all hoped that the notion had been squelched.Now, however, Gingrich has revived the controversy, first with a piece widely interpreted as favoring nationalization and then in his response to Commissioner Carr here at NRO. In the latter article, Gingrich calls for a "public-private partnership [with] shared spectrum available for a carrier-neutral, wholesale-only, nationwide 5G network."While he suggests that the government-fostered wholesale network be built with private capital, he doesn't say from where the money would come, and he clearly envisions a broad government role. What would that role be? How would a wholesale network work with multiple companies contributing to its construction and multiple carriers utilizing it for services? Gingrich doesn't say, but if the rules for FCC spectrum auctions are complex and take too long to resolve, one can only imagine how difficult it would be to create rules for one network that multiple providers are supposed to finance and share.Gingrich is preoccupied with the notion that Chinese companies will build 5G networks in other countries, arguing that to counter those efforts, we need government involvement in the development of our own 5G network. This leap of logic is particularly hard to comprehend because the major carriers in the U.S., with strong government urging, have already decided not to buy core wireless technology developed by Chinese companies. Our carriers today purchase routers and other hardware from providers outside of the U.S., including Nokia and Erickson, since no U.S. companies currently compete in that market. But the intelligent parts of the networks -- the computer chips, software, and back-end operations -- are already provided by leading American companies, including QUALCOMM, Juniper, and Cisco. Our government can and seems willing to prevent Chinese equipment providers from expanding into our market, and building a government network in the U.S. will do nothing to blunt Chinese expansion abroad.Gingrich claims that a government-fostered national 5G network with shared access is necessary to unleash the power of deep liquid financial markets, enable market price discovery, and promote a culture of innovation. Those are exactly the virtues that have underpinned our wireless supremacy to date.Our liquid financial markets powered the investments that enabled America to lead the world in 4G. As for market price discovery, that's precisely what our spectrum auctions -- the very thing Gingrich criticizes -- accomplish. We have an unrivaled culture of innovation with a network that is the envy of the world and the platform for Google, Facebook, Amazon, and other edge providers that are among the world's most innovative companies. Moving to a government-overseen network both is unnecessary and would put that success at risk.Spectrum-sharing does not address any perceived need, nor would it appear to make the network more resilient or secure, or even offer a better platform on which for edge providers to innovate.Gingrich is right in pointing to the painful absence of broadband in large swaths of rural America; innovative new approaches may be needed to address this urgent concern. A role for government in providing grants to rural electric and telephone cooperatives and other providers willing to build out may be a partial answer, but Gingrich is not proposing a rural-only solution, and creating a national, government-overseen 5G network doesn't appear to offer obvious improvements, even for rural America.In short, major American commercial operators have the incentives they need to get to market quickly. They are not sitting on their hands and certainly not willingly ceding global leadership to China. This is not the time for the government to be in the market as a wholesaler to multiple companies whose systems are competing. That's a recipe for confusion, slow deployments, potential additional points of failure, and the ceding of American leadership.Commissioner Carr is right: Our current policies, which have established American leadership in 4G, have narrowed the digital divide, raised Internet speeds, and put us on the path to having a far stronger deployment of 5G than Asia will by 2022.As we say in the mountains, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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| View Photos of the Jeep Gladiator Gravity Concept Posted: 07 Apr 2019 09:00 PM PDT |
| Democrats in Congress authorize subpoenas for Trump-Russia report, legal battle looms Posted: 08 Apr 2019 04:40 AM PDT  The Democratic-led House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted to enable its chairman, Jerrold Nadler, to subpoena the Justice Department to obtain Mueller's unredacted report and all underlying evidence as well as documents and testimony from five former Trump aides including political strategist Steve Bannon. The committee vote was 24-17 along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Trump's fellow Republicans opposed. Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee, issued a four-page summary of Mueller's main conclusions last month including that the special counsel did not establish that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia during the election.
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| Ghosn to reveal who he blames for arrest in Japan: wife Posted: 07 Apr 2019 02:56 AM PDT  Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has recorded a message in which he names the people he believes are to blame for his legal problems in Japan, his wife said in an interview on Sunday. Ghosn was re-arrested last week in Japan over fresh allegations of financial misconduct which will see him held in custody until at least April 14. Ghosn's wife Carole told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper in France that he had recorded a video interview in English before his detention.
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| U.S. tourist, guide kidnapped in Uganda freed after 'settlement': tour firm Posted: 08 Apr 2019 03:27 PM PDT  Amid fears the incident could deter tourists from visiting the East African country, U.S. President Donald Trump called on Twitter for the kidnappers to be found. Ugandan authorities said on Sunday that Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, and her driver, Jean Paul, had been rescued unharmed after being seized by gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park, near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 2. "I don't have details of the final settlement" New Vision reported on Monday, citing undisclosed sources, that a ransom of $30,000 had been paid.
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| Libya fighting could trigger new refugee crisis, says EU, amid fears of civil war Posted: 07 Apr 2019 01:07 AM PDT  Forces loyal to Libya's beleaguered UN-backed government carried out airstrikes on Saturday to try to stop rebel troops advancing on Tripoli, raising fears the country may be heading back to full-blown civil war. As the army of Khalifa Haftar, a military strongman in control of eastern Libya, claimed to have seized control of Tripoli's airport, EU officials warned that instability could trigger a fresh flow of migrants and refugees heading towards Europe. A meeting of G7 foreign ministers called on Gen Haftar to halt his offensive and even his traditional supporters Russia and Egypt expressed concern that his sudden advance would plunge Libya into chaos. The 75-year-old general's advance on Tripoli appears to be a power play designed to strengthen his negotiating position ahead of a UN-brokered conference on Libya's future scheduled for later this month. Since the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been fractured and its government divided. A UN-backed government controls Tripoli with the support of several militias from western Libya while Gen Haftar is in charge of most of the east. Territorial control in Libya The UN hoped that the conference would pave the way for national elections but Gen Haftar decided to use military force against his western rivals. "Haftar felt that Tripoli players had not submitted enough to him ahead of the national conference," said Jalel Harchaoui, research fellow at the Clingendael Institute. "So he chose military force to change the facts on the ground." The UN's envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, said he hoped the conference would still go ahead as planned. Gen Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) said Saturday they had seized control of Tripoli's main airport, which has not been functional since large parts of it were destroyed in fighting in 2014. Militia forces supporting the government carried out at least one airstrike south of Tripoli against his troops. No casualties were reported. The LNA said it would shoot down any aircraft over western Libya and target the airfields from which they took off. Up to 1 million refugees and migrants are estimated to be in Libya, many being held in horrific conditions in militia-run detention centres. The EU has supported Libyan militia coastguards to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean towards Europe. The U.N. Envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, speaks during a news conference in Tripoli, Libya April 6, 2019. Credit: REUTERS/Hani Amara Antonio Tajani, president of the European parliament, warned that fighting in Libya would "risk generating a new migratory crisis, with increased flows heading mainly towards Italy and other Mediterranean countries". He called on the EU to "intervene immediately" to prevent a chaotic escalation. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) also raised concerns about the fate of migrants being held in detention centres if fullscale fighting broke out around them. "The safety of migrants in detention is especially concerning should there be an escalation in military action," the IOM said. G7 foreign ministers meeting in France called on Gen Haftar to "halt all military activity and movements towards Tripoli". Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, said: "There is a fundamental principle in Libya. There will be no military victory. The solution can only be a political solution." The foreign ministers of Russia and Egypt, which have both backed the military strongman, met in Cairo on Saturday and also said there needed to be a political solution in Libya. However, Russia also warned against efforts to blame Gen Haftar for the insecurity in the country. While Gen Haftar's troops have advanced rapidly over 48 hours, it is not clear they have the strength to defeat the coalition of militias supporting the government and seize control of Tripoli. Nearly 150 of his soldiers and dozens of vehicles were captured by pro-government forces on Friday as they tried to join the offensive towards Tripoli.
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| American Airlines extends Max-caused cancellations to June 5 Posted: 07 Apr 2019 08:59 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines is extending by over a month its cancellations of about 90 daily flights as the troubled 737 Max plane remains grounded by regulators.
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| It’s never been easier to cook up delicious, crispy food than it is with this air fryer Posted: 08 Apr 2019 01:36 PM PDT ![It's never been easier to cook up delicious, crispy food than it is with this air fryer]( "It's never been easier to cook up delicious, crispy food than it is with this air fryer") At $159.99, the GoWISE USA 12.7-Quart 15-in-1 Electric Air Fryer Oven is a little more expensive than most air fryers out there. But it's worth every penny because it's so much more than just an air fryer. It comes with 10 different accessories that let you cook up all sorts of deliciously crispy foods, and it has 15 presets so you can enjoy perfect cooks each and every time. This model even includes a rotisserie function and a dehydrator function, as well as a cookbook with 50 different delicious recipes.Here are the bullet points from the product page: * FAMILY-SIZED & SPACE SAVER: 12.7 quarts of cooking space makes this air fryer one of the largest on the market, while still being compact enough to fit easily on your countertop. 3 rack levels allow you to prepare family-sized quantities, or control how fast and how crispy your food cooks. * BUILT-IN ROTISSERIE: Prepare whole roasts, tenderloins, racks of Kababs, and even a whole chicken! Get crispy, tender meats, perfectly blackened fish, and expertly roasted vegetables with the GoWISE Air Fryer Oven's built-in Rotisserie - it's fast, easy, and you'll love it! * INCLUDES 10 ACCESSORIES: Comes with 10 accessories - everything you'll need to make a homemade meal with ease. Accessories include a rotisserie tong, rotisserie rod, oven rack, drip pan, skewer rotisserie, rotisserie cage, rotisserie steak cage, shallow mesh basket, and two mesh trays. * EASY-TO-USE: Easy to read, simple to use control display with 15 presets takes the guesswork out of cooking times and temperatures. Cook for convenience or to impress without ever having to turn on the range. And when you're done, the stainless-steel interior and remove-able, non-stick drip pan makes for easy clean-up. * 50 RECIPES TO GET YOU STARTED: Your purchase includes a recipe book specifically made for the GoWISE USA Air Fryer Oven. Get started today with 50 step-by-step recipes to explore all that your new kitchen gadget has to offer.
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| Chicago shooting: At least six people including two children injured at baby shower Posted: 07 Apr 2019 12:27 PM PDT  Two children were among six wounded victims in a drive-by mass shooting this weekend in Chicago. The shooting occurred on Saturday night in the city's South Side, according to officials. Victims were reportedly at a baby shower gathering when gunfire erupted at about 6:21 pm local time in Englewood. The child victims were 8 and 10-years-old. Both were rushed to the Comer Children's Hospital, where they were reported to be in stabile conditions. Police said both suffered gun shots, with the 8-year-old boy facing multiple wounds in his back and chest. The 10-year-old girl reportedly suffered a gunshot to her shin. The mother of the 8-year-old child was seen by local news outlets waiting outside of the hospital holding a shirt covered in blood while crying for her child. "He's just a baby," she repeatedly said. The Chicago Sun Times reported on the incident and its aftermath at the hospital. The boy's grandmother confirmed to reporters that he was taken in for surgery that night. The mass shooting wasn't the only gun violence impacting children in Chicago this weekend.A 13-year-old was seriously inured also on Saturday night at 8:20 pm local time when shots were fired at a car the boy was sitting in. He suffered an injury in the hip, police said, and was also transported to Comer Children's Hospital, where his condition was stabilised.Only one of the victims in the mass shooting was reportedly in critical condition as of Sunday, a 29-year-old woman who was shot in her chest and shoulder and rushed to Christ Medical Centre. Police said witnesses declined to cooperate after the shooting. The Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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| Jenna Bush Hager's emotional 'Today' debut as host: 'I'm just gonna cry all the time?' Posted: 08 Apr 2019 11:07 AM PDT  Jenna Bush Hager's first day hosting the fourth hour of "Today, " "Today with Hoda & Jenna," kicked off with excitement and a few tears.
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| Why Are Rear-Seat Entertainment Systems behind the Times? Posted: 07 Apr 2019 07:30 AM PDT  It's not quite as bad as the era of crappy car stereos, but nearly every automaker's system has some downsides.
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| 'Both sides' must compromise in cross-party Brexit talks: British PM Posted: 07 Apr 2019 09:07 AM PDT  British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday conceded that concluding a Brexit deal with the main opposition will need "compromise on both sides" as she faced criticism for being inflexible. The embattled leader opened negotiations this week with the Labour Party in a bid to end months of political crisis over her divorce deal struck with European leaders last year but repeatedly rejected by MPs.
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| Wall Street loves socialism for bankers – but not for ordinary people Posted: 08 Apr 2019 07:28 AM PDT  JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon decries socialism. Unless of course it's the banks that need a government bailout'JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon was paid $31m last year. He is estimated by Forbes to be worth $1.3bn.' Photograph: Mike Blake/ReutersIn his annual letter to shareholders, distributed last week, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon took aim at socialism, warning it would be "a disaster for our country," because it produces "stagnation, corruption and often worse."Dimon should know. He was at the helm when JPMorgan received a $25bn socialist-like bailout in 2008, after it and other Wall Street banks almost tanked because of their reckless loans.Dimon subsequently agreed to pay the government $13bn to settle charges that the bank overstated the quality of mortgages it was selling to investors in the run-up to the crisis. According to the Justice Department, JPMorgan acknowledged it had regularly and knowingly sold mortgages that should have never been sold. (Presumably this is where the "stagnation, corruption and often worse" comes in.)The $13bn penalty was chicken feed to the biggest bank on Wall Street, whose profits last year alone amounted to $35bn. Besides, JPMorgan was able to deduct around $11bn of the settlement costs from its taxable income.To state it another way, Dimon and other Wall Street CEOs helped trigger the 2008 financial crisis when the dangerous and irresponsible loans their banks were peddling – on which they made big money – finally went bust. But instead of letting the market punish the banks (which is what capitalism is supposed to do) the government bailed them out and eventually levied paltry fines which the banks treated as the cost of doing business.If this isn't socialism, what is it?Yet it's a particular form of socialism. Millions of homeowners who owed more on their homes than the homes became worth didn't get bailed out. Millions of workers who lost their jobs or their savings, or both, didn't get bailed out. No major banker went to jail.Call it socialism for rich bankers.It's a gift that keeps giving. Dimon took advantage of the financial crisis to acquire Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual, vastly enlarging JPMorgan. America's five biggest banks, including Dimon's, now control 46% of all deposits, up from 12% in the early 1990s.And because they're so big, Dimon's and other big Wall Street banks are now considered "too big to fail". This translates into a hidden subsidy of some $83bn a year, because creditors who face less risk accept lower interest on deposits and loans.More socialism for rich bankers.After the financial crisis and bailout, Congress enacted a milquetoast version of the Glass-Steagall Act, a banking law from the Great Depression that bankers killed off in the 1990s. The replacement was called the Dodd-Frank Act.Ever since, Dimon has pushed to weaken Dodd-Frank.When Obama's regulators wanted to extend Dodd-Frank to the foreign branches and subsidiaries of Wall Street banks, Dimon warned it would harm Wall Street's competitiveness.This was the same Jamie Dimon who chose London as the place to make highly risky derivatives trades that lost the firm some $6bn in 2012 – proof that unless the overseas operations of Wall Street banks are covered by US regulations, giant banks like his will move more of their betting abroad, hiding their wildly-risky bets overseas so U.S. regulators can't see them.More recently, Trump's bank regulators have heeded Dimon, and rolled back Dodd-Frank.Dimon was also instrumental in getting the big Trump tax cuts through Congress. They saved JPMorgan and the other big banks $21bn last year alone.Dimon was paid $31m last year. He is estimated by Forbes to be worth $1.3bn.Ironically, a few weeks ago Dimon warned that income inequality is dividing America. He said that a "big chunk" of Americans have been left behind, and, announcing a $350m program to train workers for the jobs of the future, lamented that 40% of Americans make less than $15 an hour.True, but $350m over five years isn't even a drop in the ocean for the Americans left behind.Wall Street bonuses totaled $27.5bn last year, which is more three times the combined annual earnings of all American workers employed full-time at the federal minimum wage. That's more than 600,000 low-wage workers.If Dimon were serious about the problem of widening inequality, he'd use his lobbying prowess to help raise the federal minimum wage. He'd also try to make it easier for workers to unionize, and to raise taxes on the super-wealthy like himself.But, of course, Dimon isn't really concerned about widening inequality. He's not really concerned about socialism, either.Dimon's real concern is that America may end the kind of socialism he and other denizens of the Street depend on – bailouts, regulatory loopholes, and tax breaks.These have made Dimon and his comrades a fortune, but they've brought the rest of America stagnation, corruption, and often worse. * Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. He is also a columnist for Guardian US
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| Trump peace plan's fate at stake in Israeli election Tuesday Posted: 07 Apr 2019 10:45 AM PDT  What happens in the Israeli elections on Tuesday could both foreshadow and affect President Trump's fate.
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| Nancy Pelosi's effort to keep Democratic Party from fracturing Posted: 08 Apr 2019 02:59 AM PDT  Nancy Pelosi is presiding over a vastly different Democratic caucus than the last time she was Speaker of the House. Will she keep it together?
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| View 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA35 Photos Posted: 08 Apr 2019 03:01 PM PDT |
| The Latest: Rwandan genocide survivor recounts horror Posted: 07 Apr 2019 10:41 AM PDT  KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — The Latest on the commemorations to mark the start of Rwanda's genocide 25 years ago. (all times local):
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| Feud between wife, ex-wife sparks slander case in Dubai Posted: 08 Apr 2019 07:46 AM PDT  A British woman has been prevented from leaving Dubai, police in the Emirate said Monday, after her ex-husband's new wife pressed defamation charges over comments posted on Facebook. Dubai police confirmed a 55-year-old British woman was being tried for defamation under the UAE's cybercrime law. While police would not disclose the woman's identity, the London-based group Detained in Dubai identified her as Laleh Sharavesh, saying she had described her ex-husband's new wife as 'a horse'.
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| Samsung is reportedly planning to launch four Galaxy Note 10 models in 2019 Posted: 08 Apr 2019 10:16 AM PDT  Several recent reports claimed that Samsung would be doing the unthinkable with this year's Galaxy Note 10 series by launching a smaller, more affordable version alongside the regular next-gen big-screen Samsung smartphone flagship. This wouldn't quite be a first for Samsung though, as the company did launch two distinct Note models a few years ago when it introduced the Note Edge display concept.A new report from Korea now says that Samsung is ready to double down on that strategy, with plans to reveal up to four Galaxy Note 10 models in stores later this year. That's something Samsung has never done before, and the Galaxy S10's sales success is apparently the catalyst behind this decision.Samsung introduced no less than four Galaxy S10 models back in February, including the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10 5G. We're looking at four flagship devices all sharing the same design and main specs. However, the more money you're willing to spend, the better features you get. Screen size increases considerably as you move towards the 5G model, as does battery size. Also, the 5G phone comes with support for the next-gen cellular data speeds standard (in case that wasn't clear from the product's name).According to ETNews, the Galaxy S10 strategy worked for Samsung in terms of early sales. An unnamed industry official said Samsung made some 14.5 million units in the first quarter of the year, up considerably from the average Galaxy S production for the first quarter, which is usually around 11 million.With the Galaxy Note 10, Samsung reportedly plans to introduce two LTE and two 5G models. The two 4G phones will come in two sizes -- 6.28-inch and 6.75-inch -- featuring triple and quadruple lens cameras on the back. Each phone will come in a 5G flavor as well, which will feature similar display and camera specs to the 4G versions.The report doesn't go into any other specifics about the four Note 10 models, but we'd expect them to feature the same design as the Galaxy S10 series, as well as the same processor options. On top of that, each Note 10 phone should come with a built-in S Pen stylus.Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Note 10 at some point this August.
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| Narendra Modi Kashmir election pledge woos Hindu nationalists and risks Muslim backlash Posted: 08 Apr 2019 12:25 PM PDT  India's ruling party on Monday attempted to woo Hindu nationalists by unveiling a last-ditch manifesto pledge to end Kashmir's special autonomous status. With his popularity falling to an all-time low after failing to deliver on previous economic pledges, Narendra Modi, the prime minister, is instead appealing to rising anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan sentiment among India's electorate to secure his second term. The world's biggest democracy heads to the polls on Thursday with Mr Modi expected to scrape a narrow victory when ballots are counted on May 23. Kashmir saw a huge escalation of tension in February, when a Pakistan-based Islamist group killed dozens of Indian troops and India responded with airstrikes. In front of a crowd at the the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi yesterday (MON), Mr Modi declared he would scrap the autonomous status Jammu and Kashmir has had since 1954. BJP supporters have long petitioned for its removal arguing that it allows the state claimed by both India and Pakistan to resist central rule from New Delhi. Profile | Narendra Modi Mr Modi also controversially vowed to reverse a law forbidding anyone who is not a permanent resident of the state from owning property or obtaining a job there. This move is seen as an attempt to dilute Kashmiri identity by encouraging Indians from elsewhere in the country to move to the region. However, his pledge has sparked fears that it could lead to further unrest "If this happens then not only Kashmir but the country and the region will burn," said Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party. The leader of the National Conference Farooq Abdulla said if the articles were repealed it would lead to the state seceding from India. On Sunday, Mr Modi tightened his grip on the state by banning Kashmiri civilians from using the 170-mile highway – the only way in and out the region – for two days a week to allow easier access for his military personnel. Local politicians compared the decision to policies implemented by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
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| Coachella festival worker of 20 years falls to his death in staging area Posted: 07 Apr 2019 11:55 AM PDT  A man who had worked for Coachella festival for two decades has died after falling from a stage.The employee fell to his death on Saturday while setting up for the upcoming festival in Indio in California, police spokesperson Benjamin Guitron said.The man - whose identity has yet to be disclosed to the public - was found dead when police arrived at around 9.30am local time.Goldenvoice Media Group, which promotes the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, voiced their grief over his death."Today, Goldenvoice lost a colleague, a friend, a family member. Our friend fell while working on a festival stage. It is with heavy hearts and tremendous difficulty that we confirm his passing," the company said in a statement. "He has been with our team for 20 years in the desert and was doing what he loved. He was a hard-working and loving person that cared deeply about his team. As our lead rigger, he was responsible for the countless incredible shows that have been put on at the festival. We will miss him dearly."According to a tweet from the Riverside office of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the worker fell from a roof.The Riverside County Coroner's Office and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating the incident and attempting to work out what led to the fatal fall.According to celebrity news site TMZ, an eyewitness said the employee, who was not wearing a safety harness, was climbing the stage scaffolding and fell about 60 feet.Weekend one of Coachella is scheduled to begin on 12 April - with weekend two kicking off on 19 April. Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande are his year's headline acts.
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| Kudlow Calls Criticisms of Stephen Moore, Herman Cain ‘Unfair’ Posted: 07 Apr 2019 07:31 AM PDT  President Donald Trump "stands behind" Stephen Moore and Herman Cain, his picks for two open seats on the Federal Reserve Board, the top White House economic adviser said. Criticism of the pair for being insufficiently qualified or too partisan for the independent central bank is "unfair," Larry Kudlow, head of the National Economic Council, said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." Moore and Cain, if confirmed, would represent Trump's view that economic growth is not, by nature, inflationary, he said.
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| These are the 5 best Amazon deals this weekend Posted: 07 Apr 2019 06:44 AM PDT ![These are the 5 best Amazon deals this weekend]( "These are the 5 best Amazon deals this weekend") Snag a great price on incredible products.
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| 26 Stunning Pieces of Jewelry Mom Will Never Want to Take Off Posted: 08 Apr 2019 07:16 AM PDT |
| UPDATE 1-Turkey's Erdogan to discuss possible operation in Syria with Putin - RIA Posted: 08 Apr 2019 01:05 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Turkey's Erdogan to discuss possible operation in Syria with Putin - RIA]( "UPDATE 1-Turkey's Erdogan to discuss possible operation in Syria with Putin - RIA") Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he planned to discuss a possible Turkish military operation in Syria when he visits Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Russia's RIA news agency reported. Erdogan has vowed to crush U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters east of the Euphrates in Syria and said last year that preparations were complete for an operation. Turkey, Washington's main Muslim ally within NATO, considers Syria's YPG Kurdish militia an enemy and has already intervened to sweep the fighters from territory west of the Euphrates in military campaigns over the past two years.
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| Libya clashes over Tripoli escalate as city's airport is hit Posted: 08 Apr 2019 12:37 PM PDT  BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Clashes between rival Libyan forces for control of Tripoli escalated on Monday as the death toll from days of fighting rose to at least 51, including both combatants and civilians, and the city's only functioning airport said it was hit by an airstrike.
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| Google further 'confirms' unannounced Pixel 3 ‘Lite' with reference on site Posted: 08 Apr 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Late last week, 9to5Google spotted that the online Google Store was briefly updated to include the Pixel 3a under the Phone model menu and the Pixel 3a Case under the Featured Accessories menu in the website's navigation bar before it was promptly removed without a trace. On Friday, 9to5Google noticed that a couple of updates to Google's online store were accidentally published confirming a set of not yet officially named products: the lite version of the company's flagship device and a corresponding case. Last month, a 9to5Google source confirmed that the names of the rumored pair of Pixel 'Lite' smartphones will be the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL and, just last week, the Google confirmed the handsets themselves via the Google Play Developer Console, a platform used by developers to publish Android apps on Google Play.
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| Take it from an economist, Medicare for All is the most sensible way to fix health care Posted: 08 Apr 2019 12:15 AM PDT  I've spent decades studying US health care. Time to get real: Medicare for All is the only reasonable path to controlling costs and covering everyone.
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| Dutch adventurer finishes three-year electric car journey in Australia Posted: 07 Apr 2019 06:38 AM PDT  As Wiebe Wakker turned off his car in Sydney, Australia on Sunday afternoon it marked the end of a more than three-year journey for the Dutch adventurer and Blue Bandit, his converted electric Volkswagen Golf. Wakker's Plug Me In initiative is the longest journey in an electric car ever recorded and was started to inspire and educate on a carbon-free future, according to the campaign's website. Wakker departed the Netherlands on March 15, 2016 and has spent a total of 1,119 days traveling more than 95,000 km (59,000 miles) and visiting 33 countries to try and draw attention to the durability and sustainability of electric cars.
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| Joanna Gaines' favorite lipstick has over 5,000 positive reviews -- and it's under $20 Posted: 08 Apr 2019 08:03 AM PDT  The Joanna Gaines influence is extending right past our television screens and into our makeup drawers.
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| Trump attacks Muslim congresswoman Ilhan Omar hours after death threats against her revealed Posted: 07 Apr 2019 04:24 AM PDT  Donald Trump attacked one of the first Muslim women to serve in the US Congress, hours after it emerged that death threat had been made against her. Mr Trump claimed Ilhan Omar did not like Israel at a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Las Vegas. "Special thanks to Representative Omar of Minnesota," he said. "Oh, I forgot. She doesn't like Israel. I forgot. I'm so sorry."His comments came hours after it emerged that a New York man, who said he "loved" the US president was charged with threatening to kill the Minnesota Democrat. Patrick Carlineo Jr was arrested after placing a call to Ms Omar's office in which he called the politician a "terrorist" before threatening to shoot her, federal prosecutors said. "Do you work for the Muslim Brotherhood? Why are you working for her, she's a (expletive) terrorist? I'll put a bullet in her (expletive) skull," the 55-year-old allegedly said. He later told bureau investigators that he "loves the president and that he hates radical Muslims in our government," according to the criminal complaint filed by US Attorney's Office in the Western District of New York.Ms Omar was forced to apologise earlier this year for tweets implying US politicians only supported Israel because of lobby money.She faced widespread condemnation for suggesting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) was buying influence for pro-Israel policies. Republicans and Democrats alike said the tweets stoked antisemitic tropes about Jews and money.Responding to Mr Trump's latest comments about, The 37-year-old mother of three who is the first Somali-American, first African-born American, and one of the first two Muslim American women to serve in the US Congress, tweeted: "My Lord, forgive my people for they do not know."> رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِقَوْمِي فَإِنَّهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ > > My Lord, forgive my people for they do not know. https://t.co/mtEzMrCLKF> > — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) > > April 7, 2019Mr Trump's attack against Ms Omar,, was part of a wide-ranging speech, which saw him tout his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.He was nonetheless denounced by the Jewish Democratic Council of America executive director Halie Soifer. "We strongly denounce President Trump's continued assault on decency and truth, as was evident in his speech earlier today before the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas," Ms Soifer said. She added that Mr Trump's "policies and rhetoric are antithetical to Jewish values and … antisemitism has increased to unprecedented levels due to Trump's divisive words, policies and willful blindness "What happened today in Las Vegas was a shameful display of lies and arrogance."
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| Your kids could be key to tax breaks, and maybe a bigger refund Posted: 07 Apr 2019 05:56 AM PDT  The tax overhaul cuts out the personal exemption and could hurt some families with children in high school or college. But tax credits can help.
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| Venezuelans protest as Guaido declares 'definitive' escalation Posted: 07 Apr 2019 12:39 AM PDT  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Saturday launched what he promised will be a "definitive" escalation of pressure to force the country's embattled leftist leader from office. Addressing a giant anti-government rally in Caracas, Guaido -- whose claim to be interim president is supported by around 50 nations -- kicked off what he called "Operation Liberty," his plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro. "The greatest escalation of pressure we have seen in our history" has begun, Guaido said.
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| Major storm to cross US with snow, rain, high winds and severe weather Posted: 07 Apr 2019 08:00 AM PDT  The storm will significantly impact ground and air travel over a 2,800-mile-long swath from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast
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| Google may copy Apple in Android Q with a 3D Touch rival called ‘Deep Press’ Posted: 08 Apr 2019 03:04 PM PDT  One of the defining features of 2016's iPhone 6s was 3D Touch, which allowed users to press harder on the display in order to change the way they interacted with an app or a menu option. Apple first debuted the Force Touch technology that powers 3D Touch in 2014, and five years later, with Apple reportedly thinking about moving on, Google might be considering adding a similar feature to the next major update for its mobile operating system.Last week, developer Till Kottmann happened upon a line of code in the Android Q beta referencing an unannounced feature called "deep press." Google's description of Deep Press reads: "The current event stream represents the user intentionally pressing harder on the screen."Unfortunately, that's all we have to go on for now, but it certainly sounds like Google is experimenting with a feature that would allow an Android Q user to press harder on the screen to change the way they interact with the OS. In other words: 3D Touch. Here's the tweet from Kottmann with the reference to Deep Press:https://twitter.com/deletescape/status/1114140581066833929The question is whether or not Deep Press will require phone manufacturers to modify their hardware, as Apple had to do with 3D Touch. Old iPhone models simply don't support the technology, but there's a chance that Google could use machine learning to build the feature into Android Q without requiring phone makers to adapt with new displays. Considering just how many Android phone makers there are worldwide, and the wide range of specifications and price ranges, it's hard to imagine Google restricting this feature by hardware.It won't be long until we find out more though, as Google is expected to fully unveil Android Q to the public during its Google I/O 2019 keynote on May 7th. If such a feature is planned for the public rollout of the software update, there's a good chance we'll hear about it when Google takes the stage next month.
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