| AG Barr Is ‘Reviewing’ Whether Steele Dossier Was Russian Disinformation Posted: 01 May 2019 09:58 AM PDT  Attorney General William Barr said during his Wednesday congressional testimony that he is "reviewing" the question of whether the infamous Steele dossier was part of a Russian disinformation campaign.Barr was asked about the origins of the opposition-research file compiled on then-candidate Donald Trump by former British spy Christopher Steele during his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee."Can we state with confidence that the Steele dossier was not part of the Russian disinformation campaign?" asked Senator John Cornyn (R., Texas)."No, I can't state that with confidence and that is one of the areas that I'm reviewing. I'm concerned about it, and I don't think it's entirely speculative," Barr replied.The Steele dossier, which was initially commissioned by the Clinton campaign, alleged in part that then-candidate Trump had been compromised by Russian intelligence agents who obtained a recording of him engaged in lewd acts with prostitutes. Mueller's investigation, which failed to establish any coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia, disproved many of the claims in the dossier, including the allegation that Michael Cohen traveled to Prague to meet with Kremlin agents who were orchestrating payments to hackers.The FBI agents investigating the Trump campaign's connections to Russia relied on information contained in the dossier in determining the trajectory of their probe. The agents' reliance on the dossier was made clear in their use of the unverified opposition research to obtain a FISA warrant to surveil Trump campaign national-security adviser Carter Page, as well as their lengthy description of the dossier in a 2017 draft counterintelligence report.Steele, who worked in Russia and Eastern Europe during his time as a British intelligence officer, relied on Russian sources, who, he admitted in court, may have fed him disinformation.
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| UNC Charlotte shooting: Two students killed in deadly campus shooting identified Posted: 01 May 2019 12:40 PM PDT  Ellis Parlier, 19, and Riley Howell, 21, were killed Tuesday in a shooting on the campus of UNC Charlotte Tuesday.
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| Venezuela crisis: Maduro appears with soldiers following violent protests Posted: 02 May 2019 01:52 PM PDT  Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has attempted to present a unified front with the army as pressure increases on him to resign.Following two days of political unrest and violent protests, Mr Maduro visited an army base in Caracas, where he appeared surrounded by soldiers, including his defence minister and military operations chief.During the visit, Mr Maduro reportedly called on armed forces to defeat "any coup plotter" and, in a televised national address, announced the Venezuelan armed forces were "united, cohesive and subordinate to their constitutional mandate".The defiant message comes after opposition leader and self-appointed interim president Juan Guaido attempted to convince the military to join the fight in ousting Mr Maduro.US officials including US special envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams have previously said the country's military high command has discussed the removal of Mr Maduro with the Supreme Court and representatives of Mr Guaido."Almost everyone was involved with that, and so Maduro has to know that the high command is not truly loyal and they want a change," Mr Abrams said Wednesday.On Wednesday, the US-backed effort to remove Mr Maduro saw thousands take to the streets in protest, however, the president has refused to cede power to Mr Guaido, who is considered the legitimate head of state by more than 50 countries including the US and the European Union.A court has also issued an arrest warrant for fellow opposition leader Leopoldo López, who violated house arrest earlier in the week, when he appeared alongside Mr Guaido.The two days of clashes in Caracas have reportedly left hundreds injured and four dead, according to rights groups.The next step, according to US officials, will be implementing more sanctions on Venezuela's government, however, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said military action may also be used to resolve the crisis.
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| See the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 in Photos Posted: 02 May 2019 06:30 AM PDT |
| Don't be fooled: Joe Biden is no friend of unions Posted: 02 May 2019 05:22 AM PDT  The former vice-president is dressing up his candidacy in a blue-collar costume. But he's never taken a political risk for workersThe former vice-president Joe Biden speaks at a campaign rally at Teamsters Local 249 union hall on Monday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Jeff Swensen/Getty ImagesIn San Francisco there's a high-end boutique called "Unionmade". There you will find expensive work jackets and overalls, lit by bare bulbs and displayed on unvarnished metal shelves. The aesthetic could not convey its message any more clearly: buy these clothes, and access a bygone era of authenticity and American craftsmanship. But it's a lie – the clothes on offer are largely not union-made. "The unfortunate reality is that there are not many unions left in the garment industry and so the name was cultivated as a signifier of well-made and aesthetically timeless goods," explains a spokesperson.As the industrial working class has faded, its afterimage has become available for appropriation in commerce, in culture and in politics. Such appropriation need not entail commitment to the workers' movement. Everyone from Levi's jeans to Donald Trump has made this move – and now, Joe Biden, the would-be candidate of labor.Biden is the Unionmade of politicians. The former vice-president is taking great care to dress up his new candidacy in a blue-collar costume; as Andrew Epstein puts it, he is an "aesthetic populist". His kickoff rally was on Monday in a union hall in Pittsburgh, where the president of the United Steelworkers of America promised his members would be present "wearing their USW gear".The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), whose president has long been close to Biden, has endorsed him. Bob Casey, the Pennsylvania senator of the old New Deal variety (anti-abortion, pro-labor), chimes in that Biden has an "electric" connection with "old-school union guys".When he was considering running in 2016, CNN observed, "Joe Biden's relationship with America's working men and women is at the core of his political soul." Yet the idea that Biden is some kind of working-class hero has no discernible substance. Like the myth on the right that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an empty-headed idiot, it's pure projection – though one that he's at great pains to encourage.To be sure, Biden is a nominally pro-union liberal. Like any Democrat, he won't cross a picket line. He loves to talk in union halls. He's always saying things like, "There's an old saying – all men are created equal but then a few became firefighters," and "The best place for me to be my whole career is surrounded by organized labor. And I know how to say 'union'."The notional blue-collar appeal of Joe from hard-luck Scranton was widely understood to be one of the main reasons that Barack Obama – famously the effete "wine track" candidate – selected him as a running mate. But where does this appeal come from? Biden's not a scion of wealth, but he grew up in the middle class: his father was a used-car salesman, not a factory worker.At no point in his career has Biden proven willing to take the slightest political risk on behalf of workers. His appearances in union halls occur when he needs something from labor. On the other hand, when Biden went to vacation in the Hamptons during the 2011 Verizon strike, workers in the area sought him out "just to possibly get a show of support, a thumb's-up, a head nod, anything" – to no avail. That same year in Wisconsin, labor leaders specifically asked Biden to come to rally their resistance to the brutal, ultimately successful attack by Scott Walker; Biden declined.In fact, I can find reports of only two instances of Biden appearing on a picket line or otherwise supporting embattled workers at any point in his very long public life: once in Iowa, during his 1987 presidential campaign, and just this month in Boston. Now, his first major presidential fundraiser is being hosted by the founder of one of the country's leading anti-union law firms. The man running to be labor's champion is sponsored by someone who has made millions choking the life out of the labor movement.Nor does Biden have a public policy record favorable to the working class. In 1977-1978, during unions' big push for labor law reform, he vacillated for months and sabotaged the proposal with public criticism. He voted for Nafta and supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He authored the punishing 2005 bankruptcy bill, a reward to creditors and punishment to debtors. Worse still, he has been one of the main legislative architects of mass incarceration, a regime that has devastated the heavily policed and punished American working class.But this brings us to the real substance of the problem. Biden would surely not recognize the targets of mass incarceration as members of what he imagines as the "working class". As he put it in a speech to the IAFF in March, "In my neighborhood you grew up either to be a firefighter or a cop, a tradesman or a priest." This stratum is what has often been called the "aristocracy of labor". These occupations and their unions have historically been hostile to women and people of color and de facto segregated. They are more economically comfortable and politically conservative than the rest of the working class, and are notorious for pursuing their own immediate interests over broader working-class solidarity. The building trades, for instance, have played a central role in leading organized labor's opposition to the Green New Deal.When Biden cracked a joke several weeks ago about his habit of touching women without consent, he was speaking to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. While the IBEW today takes a strong public stand for workplace equality, both the union and the industry have deep histories of ignoring sexual harassment and racial discrimination. According to a 2013 study, only one-quarter of women in the building trades believe they are equally respected on the job. This context makes Biden's joking about the accusation of a Latina before that particular crowd seem altogether more insidious. Harassment, after all, is nothing if not a workplace issue. You'd only joke about it to a union crowd if you didn't think women were really workers.But Biden's vision of a better deal for labor is, explicitly, to turn back the clock. "There used to be a basic bargain in this country," he is fond of saying. "All we're trying to do is get it back to where we were."The unions that are considering supporting Biden are the blue-collar ones that were party to what he calls the "basic bargain" of mid-century. The leaders of those organizations were unnerved by how strongly Donald Trump ran among their members, and it is this anxiety that fuels their attraction to Biden, who they hope will do their persuasion work for them.Unions closer to politicians than to their members are unions waiting to die. As labor's fortunes have declined, so has the imaginative scope of many labor leaders. Each year of shrinking membership has driven them to behave more narrowly and defensively, to abandon the initiative.This is all the worse in a moment that invites broad and radical vision. More workers went on strike in 2018 than in any year since 1986. Over 90% of those who did worked in either healthcare or education – sectors that were not included in the mid-century "basic bargain".What's remarkable is that Biden's proletarian minstrel act has worked for this long. When he dropped out of the 1988 presidential race, it was after getting caught plagiarizing a monologue by the British Labour party leader, Neil Kinnock, on his coalminer roots. Biden's spokesperson explained that, while Biden had no immediate relations who were coalminers, the "people that his ancestors grew up with in the Scranton region, and in general the people of that region were coalminers." In fact, Biden did have an ancestor in the coal industry, Patrick F Blewitt, who died in 1911. But he wasn't a miner – he was a boss.
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| Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide Posted: 02 May 2019 05:40 PM PDT  The 2020 field has become crowded in recent weeks. Here's a look at who has announced their candidacy or opened an exploratory committee in the hunt for the presidency.
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| UPDATE 3-Caterpillar gives details on services push, hikes dividend Posted: 02 May 2019 05:58 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Caterpillar gives details on services push, hikes dividend]( "UPDATE 3-Caterpillar gives details on services push, hikes dividend") Caterpillar Inc on Thursday provided investors with details on its push to grow its services business while also laying out dividend increases and more consistent share repurchases in the coming years. Deerfield, Illinois-based Caterpillar's main customers are in businesses like mining and construction, which are prone to wide swings with the business cycle. "Services will help dampen the impact of cycles, but we will never be immune from the cycle," Chief Executive Jim Umpleby said at an investor meeting at a Caterpillar equipment factory in Clayton, North Carolina.
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| AP Photos: Japan witnesses rare imperial abdication Posted: 01 May 2019 04:24 AM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — Japan has witnessed a rare handover of its Chrysanthemum Throne by a living emperor.
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| Sri Lanka mass cancelled over fresh attack fears Posted: 02 May 2019 06:27 AM PDT  Sri Lanka's Catholic Church scrapped plans to resume Sunday services following a "specific threat" against two religious locations after the deadly Easter attacks. The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said Thursday that a "reliable foreign source" had alerted him to possible attacks this weekend. "The information we have from a reliable foreign source is that attackers are planning to hit a very famous church and a Catholic institution," the Cardinal said in a statement.
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| Barr blames Mueller for not reaching conclusion on charging president Posted: 01 May 2019 10:44 AM PDT  Barr told the panel that the day after receiving Mueller's letter, he called him and asked him, "What's the issue here?" Specifically, Mueller asked Barr to release the introduction to the report and executive summaries of the two volumes.
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| The Rare Porsche Racer Not Built By Porsche Posted: 02 May 2019 06:43 AM PDT  The Elva Porsche MK7 served as a stopgap while the 904 racer was being developed in Germany. Porsche knew they were on to something while developing the 904. Its lightweight construction and four-cam engine was set to be a winning combination, however, the German marque needed a stopgap racer until its new package was ready to race.
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| US says military action 'possible' in Venezuela as Kremlin is told to stop meddling Posted: 01 May 2019 04:54 AM PDT  Donald Trump's administration has warned Russia to stop meddling in Venezuela and talked up the chance of US military action as a second day of clashes between protesters and security forces played out. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, said that military involvement of some form is "possible" as he accused the Kremlin of convincing embattled president Nicolas Maduro to remain in post on Tuesday. John Bolton, the White House national security adviser, raised the possibility of fresh sanctions as he told Russia publicly that it had no business getting involved in the Venezuelan dispute. "This is our hemisphere. It's not where the Russians should be interfering. This was a mistake on their part," Mr Bolton said. The Kremlin, which is backing Mr Maduro, in turn accused America of being behind an attempted "coup", calling Washington's actions a "gross violation of international law". The US-Russia tensions flared as Juan Guaido, the 35-year-old opposition leader who declared himself interim president in January, once again took to the streets after urging a military uprising, despite violence leaving dozens injured the day before. Members of the Bolivarian National Guard who joined Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido fire into the air to repel forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro Credit: AFP In Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, national guardsmen loyal to Mr Maduro roamed on motorcycles to control the demonstrations while tear gas was again used on the crowds. Mr Guaido had called for the biggest protests in the country's history. Supporters of Mr Maduro, the 56-year-old socialist leader, took to the streets as well. Mr Maduro was due to attend a rally and vowed that military figures who turned on him would not go "unpunished". Tuesday's calls by Mr Guaido for a military uprising had failed to topple Mr Maduro immediately and there were signs that some of those involved were seeking protection. Leopoldo Lopez, a well known opposition politician who escaped his house arrest and appeared in public on Tuesday, took refuge in the Spanish embassy. At least 25 Venezuelan troops have also applied for asylum in the Brazilian embassy. Maduro appears flanked by Venezuela's Defence Minister and two top military commanders in a photo released on Tuesday by the Miraflores Press Office Tensions have been mounting between the US, one of more than 50 countries backing Mr Guaido's claim to power, and Russia and Cuba, who support Mr Maduro and have been accused of propping him up. Mr Maduro denied a claim by Mr Pompeo that he was due to flee the country on Tuesday only to be convinced otherwise by the Russians. "Mr Pompeo, please, what lack of seriousness," he said. The Russian foreign ministry also issued a denial, with spokesman Maria Zakharova calling it "absolute disinformation and fake news". Mr Pompeo doubled down on the Trump administration's instance for months that all options were on the table when it comes to US military action in Venezuela. "The president has been crystal clear and incredibly consistent. Military action is possible. If that's what's required, that's what the United States will do," Mr Pompeo told Fox Business Network. An opposition demonstrator walks near a bus in flames during clashes with soldiers loyal to Maduro Credit: AFP He later talked to Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, and urged the Kremlin to stop its "destabilising" actions, according to the State Department. Mr Lavrov in turn called US actions illegal, according to a read out from the Russian foreign ministry, and warned "the continuation of aggressive steps is fraught with the most serious consequences". With the Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro claiming a "crack" in the Venezuelan military had been revealed but Mr Maduro himself insisting commanders remained loyal, the Venezuelan president's chances of staying in office remain unclear. But some are predicting he could yet retain power. Sergio Gúzman, a Bogota based political risk analyst, told The Telegraph: "I think the moment has gone for Guaido. Maduro may have lost some military support but the opposition is losing momentum at a greater rate."
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| Border Patrol Arrests 424 Migrants in Largest Bust on Record Posted: 01 May 2019 09:37 AM PDT  U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents arrested 424 migrants attempting to cross the southern border on Tuesday in the "largest" collective arrest in the agency's history.CBP agents encountered and ultimately apprehended "a group of what seemed to be over 400 illegal aliens" early Tuesday morning near the border town of Sunland Park, N.M., according to an agency press release.Hours later, agents working at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry, roughly 160 miles west of Sunland Park, arrested a second group of 230 migrants, most of whom were members of families or unaccompanied minors from Central America."This is an ongoing situation that U.S Border Patrol agents are facing in southern New Mexico: hundreds of parents and children being encountered by agents after having faced a dangerous journey in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers," the press release read.> LARGEST GROUP APPREHENDED—BorderPatrol agents apprehended the largest group of 424 illegal aliens just after midnight this morning in Sunland Park, NM. A second group of 230 illegal aliens was also apprehended in Antelope Wells, NM this morning. More: https://t.co/54XxK78XB2 pic.twitter.com/i5owidRi1t> > -- CBP (@CBP) April 30, 2019CBP agents made more arrests in the month of March than in any month in the previous decade and the agency claims there is no sign that the flow of migrants will abate any time soon.In addition to the sheer volume of migration, CBP resources have been overwhelmed by the number of family units and unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have been forced to release thousands of migrants into the care of private charities in Arizona and Texas since they cannot adequately house women and children awaiting asylum hearings. This dynamic has led many human traffickers to resort to using kidnapped children to aid unrelated adults seeking to be released into the U.S. after applying for asylum, according to CBP."Criminal organizations continue to exploit innocent human lives in order to enhance their illicit activities without due regard to the risks of human life. In most cases these smugglers never cross the border themselves in order to avoid apprehension," the press release read.
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| San Francisco billionaire gives $30M to study homelessness Posted: 01 May 2019 09:58 AM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco billionaire is donating $30 million to the University of California, San Francisco, to research root causes of homelessness and potential solutions.
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| US STOCKS-Wall St drops after Fed chair dampens rate-cut hopes Posted: 01 May 2019 02:08 PM PDT ![US STOCKS-Wall St drops after Fed chair dampens rate-cut hopes]( "US STOCKS-Wall St drops after Fed chair dampens rate-cut hopes") U.S. stocks ended lower on Wednesday and the S&P 500 snapped a three-day streak of record high closes as comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell appeared to dampen hopes the central bank could move later this year to cut interest rates. In its policy announcement, the Fed held rates steady as expected and struck a cautious tone on inflation.
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| Japan's New Emperor Naruhito Starts Reign at 83% Approval Rating Posted: 02 May 2019 01:41 AM PDT  A similar number — 80 percent — also support the ascension of a female emperor, according to the poll released by Kyodo News on Thursday. The numbers underscore how enduringly popular the monarchy remains in Japan, where the emperor has few powers and serves as a national symbol under the constitution. The streets around Tokyo's Imperial Palace were filled with people looking to get a glimpse of the new emperor on Wednesday as he traveled to and from royal ceremonies.
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| Homeland Security to use speedy DNA testing to verify migrant family relationships Posted: 02 May 2019 06:47 AM PDT  In an effort to combat alleged fraud being committed by Central American migrants, Homeland Security will use DNA testing to verify their claims.
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| Carnival sued in US over seized property in Cuba, in a first Posted: 02 May 2019 08:58 AM PDT  Carnival, the US cruise line, was sued Thursday over its use of port facilities in Cuba seized after the 1959 revolution, in the first such action under a previously unenforced US law. President Donald Trump's administration announced last month it would begin enforcing a controversial provision of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act allowing Cuban-Americans to sue in US courts over property confiscated by Cuba. The US decision, which went into effect Thursday, is expected to set in motion a flood of US lawsuits against foreign companies who do business in Cuba.
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| Synagogue shooter struggled with gun, fled with 50 bullets Posted: 30 Apr 2019 06:01 PM PDT  SAN DIEGO (AP) — After a 19-year-old gunman fired at least eight rounds into a California synagogue, he stopped to fumble with his semiautomatic rifle and then fled with 50 unused bullets, prosecutors said Tuesday.
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| Guaidó's uprising seems to have flatlined. What's next for Venezuela? Posted: 01 May 2019 11:53 AM PDT  Nicolás Maduro retains power and support from country's military top brass but the opposition challenge is not deadSupporters of Maduro display an image of the South American liberator Simon Bolivar during a May Day rally in Caracas on 1 May 2019. Photograph: Yuri Cortéz/AFP/Getty ImagesWhen Venezuela's Juan Guaidó appeared outside one of the most important military installations in Caracas on Tuesday flanked by defecting soldiers toting assault rifles, many supporters hoped the game was finally up for Nicolás Maduro and his embattled regime."The time is now," Guaidó announced in his dramatic pre-dawn declaration, calling on Venezuela's armed forces to turn on their Chavista commander-in-chief.But they did not.Maduro remains in power and most of Venezuela's military top brass has pledged loyalty to Hugo Chávez's unpopular successor. And Guaidó's attempt to spark a nationwide uprising appears to have flatlined – at least for now."Clearly this was a failure in the sense that this left the opposition weaker than they were before," said David Smilde, a Venezuela expert from the Washington Office on Latin America advocacy group.Benjamin Gedan, the national security council's Venezuela adviser during the Obama presidency, said Guaidó had envisioned mass defections from Venezuela's intelligence services and military. "Neither occurred," he admitted.But nor was Guaidó's movement out for the count.Anti-Maduro protests continued, with thousands taking to the streets again on Wednesday. In a sign of possible weakness, Maduro had made no attempt to permanently "knee-cap" the opposition with repression; demonstrators had not been cowed and the opposition maintained significant international support."Dislodging a dictatorship that controls all the territory and monopolizes the use of force is difficult … But transitions often come unexpectedly and unexpectedly fast," Gedan said, pointing to the recent uprisings in Sudan and Algeria."I'm not going to predict that tomorrow the regime will fall. But I don't see signals that Maduro is particularly confident in his hold on power," Gedan added. "There is no evidence the government has a firm hold on the country … I'm not persuaded Maduro sleeps well at night."Vanessa Neumann, Guaidó's envoy to the UK, denied the opposition had expected Maduro's downfall would be immediate. "This is a slow boa constrictor action … We did not think it would be done and dusted within just a few hours."But many observers believe that is exactly what Guaidó had hoped for – and failed to achieve – when he took the streets at 4am on Tuesday with his political mentor Leopoldo López, who had escaped from house arrest.Smilde said he believed Guaidó had hoped his address would spark "an avalanche" of defections that would quickly topple Maduro.Guaidó did secure one big-name defection: the director of Venezuela's feared intelligence services, Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, who announced his defection in a public letter excoriating the "rascals and rogues" looting Venezuela while its people starved.But from the outset, when Guaidó appeared on camera with just a handful armed supporters, Smilde said he looked set for failure.Now, Guaidó faced possible arrest and López had fled to the Spanish embassy. "That is probably the biggest blow, because he was the symbolic hero and martyr of this movement and for now it looks like he has sort of given up fighting from within Venezuela," Smilde said.Others offered a more positive prognosis of the opposition's hopes.Eric Farnsworth, a former US diplomat and the vice-president of the Council of the Americas, said he believed "furious discussions" were now underway with senior military leaders in an attempt to convince them to switch sides.Farnsworth said Brazil – which developed closed ties with Venezuela's military during the leftwing governments of Hugo Chávez and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – and Colombia could play a key role in brokering such talks."What the opposition really needs is somebody with command of troops – probably in a region outside of Caracas – who can say: 'Enough, we are no longer following Maduro's orders."On Wednesday, Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, claimed Brazilian intelligence believed a fracture was now opening up near the top of Venezuela's military. "It is possible the government will collapse because some of those at the top switch sides," he told reporters."The regime did not fall yesterday," Farnsworth said. "But I don't think the final chapter has yet been written."
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| This Volvo P1800ES Is The Only Car You Need To Own Posted: 01 May 2019 05:44 AM PDT  Today, Volvo rivals the likes of BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz — a far cry from the marque's more humdrum period through the 1980s and 90s. This 1973 Volvo P1800ES offered by Carolina Muscle Cars is a prime example of Swedish style at its hight. In addition to this model's starring role in the TV show alongside Simon Templar, its eye-catching coupe design really took the fight to its competitors.
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| The Trump White House Is Loving Itself Some Bill Barr: He ‘Dismembered’ Democrats Posted: 01 May 2019 07:00 PM PDT  Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastShortly after Attorney General William Barr's Senate testimony ended on Wednesday, the Trump White House convened a conference call with surrogates and media allies. On it, Steven Groves, who serves as a deputy press secretary, assured listeners that the attorney general had not just done "a great job" but, according to a person on the call, "dismembered" Democratic lawmakers who sparred with him over whether the president had tried to obstruct justice.What had seemed, to most outside observers, as a shaky moment for the administration—with the attorney general peppered as to why Special Counsel Robert Mueller had written him expressing frustration with Barr's portrayal of Mueller's findings—was internalized at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as a triumph. "We have Barr's back," a senior White House official told The Daily Beast shortly after the Capitol Hill hearing wrapped following hours of testimony. And if there was any doubt that Trumpland was feeling emboldened by the proceedings it was dispelled just hours later, when Barr formally declined to attend a follow-up session with House Democrats on Thursday, citing, in part, his belief that he'd made himself readily available already to lawmakers. White House officials maintained that the decision to ghost on the House Judiciary Committee was Barr's alone. But among allies of the president, it was a glorious little F-U to the nattering critics in Congress."No, I don't think [Barr] should appear before House Judiciary—they're playing games with him," John Dowd, Trump's former lawyer in the Russia investigation who still keeps in touch with the president, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday. "This is the attorney general of the United States. This is a high official of a coequal branch. You don't treat him that way." Congressional Democrats, Dowd added, had been "juvenile" and asked "stupid questions." Shortly thereafter, the Trump campaign blasted out a fundraising email with the subject line: "Stand With Barr." Shortly after that, Trump tweeted out a Wall Street Journal oped titled "A Real Attorney General."Barr's hearing on Wednesday and his refusal to testify on Thursday mark yet another escalation in the fight between congressional Democrats and the Trump administration over access to, and the interpretation of, the Mueller report. What had started out as a battle over the institutional powers of coequal branches has morphed into name-calling and overt political posturing, with the administration increasingly adopting the position that it simply won't abide by Congress' prerogatives. Barr's appearance came just hours after The Washington Post reported that Mueller wrote a letter to Barr in March, in which he said that the attorney general's summary of his report "did not fully capture the context, nature and context" of it. In his opening remarks, Barr addressed his interactions with Mueller leading up to the release of the special counsel's report. But while he faced some tough questions by Democrats on the committee, Republicans largely gave him cover from the vitriol of his critics. "I think he was treated disrespectfully," Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said of the questioning of Senate Democrats. "I thought he did an extraordinary job, was very professional throughout the hearing. What I saw most, out of all of that, was when you lost on the outcome of the investigation and a decision on no underlying crime, no obstruction, then they're just trying to use it as fodder for as long as they can, I don't think it lasts very long."For all the praise that Barr received from congressional Republicans and within the White House, there was still a looming sense that he would face a different, frostier reception when he testified before the Democratic-run House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The committee's chairman, Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), had pushed for committee lawyers to question the attorney general rather than members of the committee—a request that did not sit well with the Department of Justice. The two sides had negotiated for more than a week in an attempt to come to an agreement about the format of the hearing, its subject matter, and the line of questioning. But those efforts came apart. On Wednesday afternoon, Kerri Kupec, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, released a statement saying that Nadler's "conditions" were both "unprecedented and unnecessary." Nadler, in response, said that the committee would decide whether to issue a subpoena to compel Barr to come into testify."We are heading for a collision," one Democratic lawmaker told The Daily Beast.As Barr was stonewalling House Democrats, the Department of Justice was also blowing past its 10 a.m. deadline to submit the full, unredacted Mueller report to the judiciary committee, which had issued a subpoena for the report several weeks ago. Nadler said on Wednesday evening that the committee is seeking a contempt citation for the report. The stonewalling from the administration has led to an uptick in meetings between various House committees about how to both compel Barr's testimony and force President Trump to comply with congressional investigations. One senior Democratic aide said party leadership felt that one way to get Trump to capitulate was to continue using public testimonies by senior officials to "name and shame" the administration with the hope of bringing the focus back to Mueller's findings.But some Democrats are already thinking past Barr. On Wednesday, various lawmakers called on Mueller himself to testify, demanding that the Department of Justice officially set a day for such a hearing, which it has so far been reluctant to do. Mueller's testimony would be a fireworks display-type ending to a two-year-long investigation. But Democrats also believe that it could open new doors for investigating the president and his family. For the White House and the Department of Justice, that would prove to be a nightmare, especially as Trump and his team gear up for the 2020 campaign. But it might not be one they can avoid. Several lawyers and former DOJ officials who spoke to The Daily Beast said there is no legal foundation or reason why the department would not allow Mueller to testify even if he is still technically a DOJ employee."I don't see a legal basis on which they could prevent him from testifying," said Elliot Williams, a the former deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legislative Affairs at DOJ, adding that any slow-walking by DOJ is "political if nothing else." "I think it is an improbable and politically suicidal for the administration to not have Mueller testify at this point given the enormous public interest in his testimony," he added.—With additional reporting by Sam Brodey and Sam SteinRead more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
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| USC students react to first guilty pleas in college admissions scandal Posted: 01 May 2019 11:01 PM PDT  Bruce and Davina Isackson, who live in the Bay Area, became the first parents to plead guilty in the college admissions cheating scandal, and USC students shared their thoughts on the development.
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| PG&E says SEC investigating it for disclosures, losses for wildfires Posted: 02 May 2019 03:44 PM PDT ![PG&E says SEC investigating it for disclosures, losses for wildfires]( "PG&E says SEC investigating it for disclosures, losses for wildfires") PG&E Corp said on Thursday the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the company regarding public disclosures and losses related to wildfires. PG&E Corp said in a regulatory filing that it learned on March 20 that the SEC was investigating it in relation to its public disclosures and accounting for losses associated with the 2017 and 2018 Northern California wildfires and the 2015 Butte fire. PG&E, which provides electricity and natural gas to 16 million customers in northern and central California, faces widespread litigation, government investigations and liabilities that could potentially exceed $30 billion because of the fires in 2017 and 2018.
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| Here’s What $115 Million Buys You When Renovating a Cruise Ship Posted: 02 May 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| 7 Best Performing Funds for Your 401(k) Posted: 01 May 2019 11:48 AM PDT ![7 Best Performing Funds for Your 401(k)]( "7 Best Performing Funds for Your 401(k)") Best investments to add to your 401(k).
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| New York Times editorial board blasts 'appalling' anti-Semitic cartoon in Times International edition Posted: 01 May 2019 07:17 AM PDT  The cartoon portrayed a blind President Trump, wearing a yarmulke, being led on a leash by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is depicted as a guide dog with a Star of David collar.
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| The Latest: BCA head: Damond probe thorough, independent Posted: 01 May 2019 02:18 PM PDT  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Latest on a Minneapolis police officer being convicted of murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman who had called 911 (all times local):
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| Cracks appear in U.S. bipartisan unity on Venezuela Posted: 02 May 2019 02:45 PM PDT  Members of both parties remain in agreement that Venezuela's socialist president Nicolas Maduro must go. Cracks in bipartisan cooperation on Venezuela - a rare bright spot for the Republican president, who has seldom drawn support for his policies from across the aisle - came amid signs of disappointment within the administration over what many had hoped would be a turning point in the crisis.
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| 2019 Ford Ranger vs. 2020 Jeep Gladiator vs. 2019 Chevrolet Colorado vs. 2019 Honda Ridgeline Posted: 01 May 2019 07:12 AM PDT  We hook up the trailer, head out on the highway, and hit the mud in four of the hottest littlish (i.e. mid-size) trucks on the market.
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| US to give migrants DNA tests to prove family ties Posted: 01 May 2019 02:34 PM PDT  US border authorities plan to give migrant families DNA tests to determine whether or not the adults and children are related, Department of Homeland Security officials said Wednesday. A "Rapid DNA" test program is being launched in several places along the US-Mexico frontier, where tens of thousands of undocumented migrants have been crossing the border each month, many in family units asking for asylum. "We know the problem we are seeing, we know these are fraudulent family units," an official said on condition of anonymity.
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| 'If I was black I'd be picking cotton': Ohio teen's racist prom proposal sparks backlash Posted: 02 May 2019 02:55 PM PDT !['If I was black I'd be picking cotton': Ohio teen's racist prom proposal sparks backlash]( "'If I was black I'd be picking cotton': Ohio teen's racist prom proposal sparks backlash") In the post, a poster reads, "If I was black I'd be picking cotton, but I'm white so I'm picking U for prom?"
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| Louisiana's The Advocate purchasing The Times-Picayune Posted: 02 May 2019 02:49 PM PDT  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ending a nearly seven-year New Orleans newspaper rivalry, the owners of The Advocate newspaper announced Thursday they have purchased The Times-Picayune from the Newhouse family's Advance Local Media.
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| UPDATE 2-U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner Posted: 01 May 2019 11:22 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner]( "UPDATE 2-U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner") The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday said it was mandating new flight control software and parts to Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner to address what it called an unsafe operating condition of certain products on the plane. The FAA's airworthiness directive to plane operators makes compulsory changes Boeing outlined in service bulletins in 2017 and early 2018 for certain areas in 787's tire and wheel "threat zones" that may be susceptible to damage, the company said. Boeing's carbon composite 787, of which there are nearly 800 in service, mostly competes with European rival Airbus' A350.
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| 'Selfless' student killed in UNC Charlotte shooting reportedly jumped on gunman to shield peers Posted: 01 May 2019 01:59 PM PDT  The two University of North Carolina at Charlotte students who were killed during a campus shooting Tuesday evening have been identified as 19-year-old Ellis Parlier and 21-year-old Riley Howell, who reportedly died after jumping on the gunman to protect his classmates.
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| Gas Tax for Infrastructure Sparks Fears of Political Backlash Posted: 01 May 2019 01:00 AM PDT  Increasing the gas tax is so politically fraught that it hasn't been touched in 26 years and it didn't even come up at a meeting at the White House Tuesday between President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss an infrastructure plan. While they agreed broadly on the need to upgrade roads, bridges and airports, they put off for three weeks the tougher conversation about coming up with ways to fund an estimated $2 trillion in public works.
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| These Luxe Floating Hotels Take Relaxing Getaways to Another Level Posted: 01 May 2019 12:47 PM PDT |
| Brazil vice president says Guaido's attempted uprising not a good idea Posted: 02 May 2019 02:45 PM PDT  Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's attempt to oust Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was not the best decision and likely premature, Brazil's Vice President Hamilton Mourao told reporters on Thursday. Mourao, a retired army general, said in a radio interview that he thinks there are cracks emerging in the lower ranks of the Venezuelan armed forces, but not among the commanders that Guaido had hoped would abandon Maduro and join the opposition. "We don't see light at the end of the tunnel for Venezuela," he said on Radio Gaucha.
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| A Device That Heats Tobacco, But Doesn't Burn It, Can Now Be Sold in the U.S. Here's What to Know About IQOS Posted: 01 May 2019 11:00 AM PDT  Is it safer than cigarettes?
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| Israel's Netanyahu slams global rise in anti-Semitism Posted: 01 May 2019 11:47 AM PDT  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday denounced a rise in anti-Semitism around the world, at a ceremony on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. "The extreme left and the extreme right (around the world) agree on only one thing: their hatred of the Jews," Netanyahu said at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Netanyahu said anti-Semitism was also found in a New York Times cartoon depicting him as a guide dog wearing a Star of David collar and leading a blind US President Donald Trump donning a kippah, or Jewish skullcap.
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| Payless, CVS and Victoria's Secret are just some of the brands closing stores in 2019 Posted: 02 May 2019 11:08 AM PDT ![Payless, CVS and Victoria's Secret are just some of the brands closing stores in 2019]( "Payless, CVS and Victoria's Secret are just some of the brands closing stores in 2019") While 2019 is on track to be a record year for store closings, it's not expected to bring the same amount of empty retail space as last year.
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| Florida lawmakers pass bill allowing more armed teachers Posted: 01 May 2019 04:54 PM PDT  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — More Florida classroom teachers could carry guns in school under a bill passed Wednesday by state lawmakers, the latest response to last year's mass shooting at a Parkland high school.
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| GM considers investing $1 bln in its Missouri plant, state officials say Posted: 02 May 2019 02:28 PM PDT ![GM considers investing $1 bln in its Missouri plant, state officials say]( "GM considers investing $1 bln in its Missouri plant, state officials say") General Motors Co is considering a $1 billion investment at its Missouri assembly plant where it builds vans and trucks, state officials said on Thursday. Missouri Governor Mike Parson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that GM, in a closed-door meeting, had outlined a plan to invest in the plant and add jobs. Parson told the newspaper that GM is seeking a package of state incentives that would need approval from the legislature before committing to the project to expand its Wentzville plant, which builds the midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup trucks, Chevrolet Express Cargo van and GMC Savana full-size van.
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| Google Offers Auto-Delete for Location History, Activity Data Posted: 01 May 2019 04:45 PM PDT  New Google privacy settings will let consumers automatically delete—after a specified time—data the company collects about their routine locations, search habits, and browsing history. "You shoul...
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| Deutsche Bank Subpoena Deadline Pushed Back to Allow for Hearing Posted: 01 May 2019 02:20 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The House of Representatives has agreed to extend the time for Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp. to respond to subpoenas seeking the bank records of President Donald Trump, his family and several of his companies, until seven days after a federal judge rules on the Trumps' request to block them.
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| Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL full specs leak ahead of official reveal Posted: 01 May 2019 07:12 AM PDT  Once again, a major smartphone vendor will have virtually nothing left to reveal at its reveal event, as Google's mid-range Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL smartphones have leaked in full this week. First, courtesy of Max J., we got a look at the retail packaging for the Pixel 3a XL on Tuesday night, then on Wednesday morning, the same source shared the most complete list of specifications for each phone that we have seen on the internet to date.As expected, these are lower-specced devices than the 2018 flagships that Google launched in the fall. Having had limited success competing with the likes of Samsung and Apple, it appears that Google is going to attempt to court a different crowd with a significantly more affordable device, but from a brand they know well.According to Max J., the Pixel 3a will feature a 5.6-inch gOLED Full HD+ display with 2220 x 1080 resolution, 441ppi and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The smaller of the two 3a phones will also have a 3,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support, an always-on display, and the Now Playing music identification feature. The Pixel 3a will weigh around 150g, and will come in three colors: Just Black, Clearly White, and Purple-ish.As for the Pixel 3a XL, Max claims that it will feature a 6.0-inch gOLED Full HD+ display with 2160 x 1080 resolution, 402ppi, and 18:9 aspect ratio. It will also have a larger battery at 3,700mAh and will weigh around 170g. Everything else about the phone is the same, including the Snapdragon 670 processor.Google will officially announce the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL at Google I/O 2019, which begins on May 7th.
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| MSG shareholder sues CEO Dolan Posted: 02 May 2019 12:49 PM PDT ![MSG shareholder sues CEO Dolan]( "MSG shareholder sues CEO Dolan") Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan, the majority shareholder of the New York Knicks, is overpaid for what amounts to a part-time job, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a shareholder. The suit contends Dolan spends more time playing with his band, JD & the Straight Shot, than he does on the job. Sports Illustrated reported that Dolan has made more than $75 million over the past three years and that CEOs of comparable companies have earned an average of $17 million during that time.
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| Spike in US teen suicides after Netflix '13 Reasons Why' release: study Posted: 30 Apr 2019 11:59 PM PDT  The suicide rate among US teenagers spiked in the months after the release of the controversial Netflix drama "13 Reasons Why", which follows the story of a high school girl who kills herself, a new study has found. According to the new study, researchers estimated there were an additional 195 suicide deaths -- an increase of nearly 29 percent -- among 10 to 17 year-olds in the nine months after its release. The number of suicide deaths among the same age category "increased significantly" in the month immediately after it hit screens, said the paper, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
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