| Trump says he called off Iran strikes at last minute Posted: 22 Jun 2019 12:58 AM PDT  President Donald Trump said Friday the United States was "cocked & loaded" to strike Iran but pulled back at the last minute because it would not have been a "proportionate" response to Tehran shooting down an American drone. The downing of the drone -- which Iran insists violated its airspace, a claim Washington denies -- has seen tensions between the countries spike after a series of attacks on tankers the US has blamed on Tehran. Under pressure to respond to the high-stakes incident near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Trump said the US was prepared to hit "3 different sites" Thursday night but that he scrapped the strikes "10 minutes" before they were to have been launched.
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| Syria says sabotage damaged underwater oil pipelines Posted: 23 Jun 2019 11:40 AM PDT  Five underwater pipelines have been damaged and put out of order after a sabotage attack off the coastal town of Banias, Syria's oil ministry said Sunday. The damage was discovered after divers checked to see what was behind an oil leakage, the ministry said. Banias is home to one of Syria's two oil refineries.
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| Lawmakers to decide on Mueller testimony this week, Schiff says Posted: 23 Jun 2019 07:43 AM PDT  "We have been in private discussions with the special counsel's office," the California Democrat said.
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| How an Aircraft Carrier and a Submarine Hunted Each Other During the Falklands War Posted: 22 Jun 2019 08:00 PM PDT  On the afternoon of April 30, 1982, the War Cabinet of Prime Minister Margret Thatcher transmitted a message to three Royal Navy submarines in the South Atlantic—designating the carrier Veinticino de Mayo a priority target to be hunted down and destroyed.The Argentine carrier—ironically, of British origin—posed an unpredictable threat to the Royal Navy taskforce commencing amphibious operations to retake the disputed Falkland Islands following their seizure by Argentinian troops on April 2, 1982.The ensuing nine-day game of cat-and-mouse between British submarines and the anti-submarine aircraft onboard the Veinticinco is recounted in A Carrier at Risk by Mariano Sciaroni, who compares interviews with Argentine sources with Reports of Proceedings filed by British submariners to shed new light on a formerly obscure subject.Sciaroni's book not only serves as a primer for the anti-submarine tactics and technology of the time, but features many maps plotting day-by-day movements of the combatants and numerous photos and color illustrations depicting the vessels and aircraft engaged. Sciaroni also captures the routines and human foibles of wartime life at sea, such as quarrels over stocking snacks in the pilot ready room and fearful crewmen sleeping at their stations in life vests.
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| 'Officer down! Officer down!' Chilling footage reveals deadly shootout in Sacramento Posted: 23 Jun 2019 12:19 PM PDT  A hearing is Monday for the man accused of killing a rookie Sacramento police officer in a fierce shootout captured on the bodycam of a fellow officer.
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| Nasa's Curiosity rover detects methane in latest hint at life on Mars Posted: 23 Jun 2019 05:36 AM PDT  Nasa's Curiosity rover has detected another methane "spike" on Mars, in what could be a sign of alien life on the red planet. According to the New York Times, which obtained an email about the discovery written by senior scientists at Nasa, the rover detected "startlingly high amounts of methane in the Martian air." The detection of methane hints at an even greater discovery - life on Mars - as the gas is often generated by microbes underground known as methanogens,which can survive without oxygen. "Given this surprising result, we've reorganized the weekend to run a follow-up experiment, " wrote scientist Ashwin R. Vasavada in the email published by the New York Times. It is not the first time Nasa's robot has detected methane levels on the planet, and scientists are still not sure whether the gas is caused by living microbes. This is because geothermal reactions, with no biological life involved, can also create methane. When Curiosity landed on Mars in 2012 it could find barely any traces of methane, with less than one part per billion in the atmosphere. Then in 2013 the rover detected a sudden increase in methane levels, with seven parts methane per billion, which endured for several months and then vanished. The most recent discovery of Methane is 21 parts per billion, three times higher than the "spike" in 2013. While increased methane levels measured by @MarsCuriosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it's important to remember this is an early science result. To maintain scientific integrity, the science team will continue to analyze the data before confirming results. pic.twitter.com/zSrONQHuc5— Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) June 22, 2019 Scientists are also not ruling out the possibility that the methane was not recent, having been trapped underground for millions of years, and only now is gradually emerging through cracks in the surface. Thomas Zurbuchen, from Nasa's science mission directorate, advised people not to jump to any conclusions about the methane detection in a message on Twitter. "While increased methane levels measured by Mars Curiosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it's important to remember this is an early science result," he wrote. "To maintain scientific integrity, the science team will continue to analyse the data before confirming results."
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| U.S. conservative group to launch attack ads against Biden during Democratic debate Posted: 22 Jun 2019 03:01 AM PDT  Club for Growth, a conservative political group, will launch new attack ads against Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden targeting his past statements about race that will run during his first debate appearance next week. The decision by Club for Growth to attack Biden is based on internal polling the organization conducted that was viewed exclusively by Reuters. Club for Growth, whose stated top policy goals include reducing income tax rates, a full repeal of Obamacare and reducing the size of the federal government, will never back a Democrat for president.
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| Report: Dubai plane that crashed followed others too closely Posted: 23 Jun 2019 06:23 AM PDT  A plane involved in a fatal crash that killed four people working on improvements at Dubai International Airport had followed other larger aircraft landing there too closely as air traffic controllers offered inconsistent warnings about the hazard, a preliminary investigative report released Sunday found. The May 16 crash of the Diamond DA62 saw the aircraft roll upside-down in air and smash into a park near the airport at high speed, killing the three Britons and one South African on board, according to the report by the United Arab Emirates' General Civil Aviation Authority. The twin propeller-engine light aircraft first lost control in the wake of a Thai Airways Airbus A350 landing at Dubai's airport, the world's busiest for international travel.
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| Italy holds Netherlands, EU 'responsible' for migrant boat Posted: 23 Jun 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Italy's hardline Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would hold the Netherlands and the European Union "responsible" for the fate of 42 migrants that Rome has blocked from disembarking at Italian ports for over a week. The Dutch-flagged rescue boat Sea-Watch 3 has been stuck in the Mediterranean since rescuing 53 migrants drifting in an inflatable raft off the coast of Libya on June 12. While 11 of those on board the Sea-Watch have been allowed to disembark -- including two pregnant women -- the vessel has been denied permission to dock in Italy.
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| Trump says war with Iran would cause ‘obliteration like you’ve never seen before’ Posted: 22 Jun 2019 12:58 AM PDT  Donald Trump has said a war with Iran would cause "obliteration like you've never seen before", adding that he has no desire for conflict as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate.The US president's comments come after he abruptly cancelled military strikes against three Iranian targets on Thursday night.The 73-year-old claimed he halted the retaliatory attack because the strikes would have killed 150 people."I'm not looking for war, and if there is, it'll be obliteration like you've never seen before. But I'm not looking to do that," he said in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press.Iran shot down an unmanned US drone on Thursday and claimed the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft was destroyed over Tehran's territory.Washington claims the drone was shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.The clash has sparked fears of direct military conflict between the US and Iran, but Mr Trump's decision to cancel the strikes has raised hopes of a diplomatic solution to the crisis."I said you know what...they shot down an unmanned drone...and here we are sitting with 150 dead people," Mr Trump said, according to NBC."And I didn't like it, I didn't think it was proportionate."Mr Trump discussed the cancelled military strikes in a series of early morning tweets on Friday."We were cocked & loaded to retaliate," the president said."Ten minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world,"Iran has said it will respond to any US threat against it, according to the country's state media."We will not allow any violation against Iran's borders," a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Saturday."Regardless of any decision they make, we will not allow the Islamic Republic's territory to be violated."The Strait of Hormuz was also at the centre of an earlier clash, after Washington accused Iran of a spate of attacks against oil tankers passing through the strategic Gulf region.The full Meet the Press interview with the president will air on Sunday.Additional reporting by agencies
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| Thomas Roberts on Stonewall 50: ‘I Want LGBTQ Kids to Know It’s OK. It’s OK to Be Different, and OK to Be Gay’ Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:28 PM PDT  Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast / Photos GettyIn this special series, LGBT celebrities and public figures talk to Tim Teeman about the Stonewall Riots and their legacy—see more here.Thomas RobertsJournalistWhen/how did you first hear about the Stonewall Riots, and what did you make of them?I learned of the Stonewall Riots in 2006-2007. It was shortly after coming out publicly. I was utterly impressed at the bravery protesters showed. They put it all on the line for us. The Stonewall Riots: What Really Happened, What Didn't, and What Became MythWhat is their significance for you?Without Stonewall where would we be today? It was the spark.How far have we LGBT people come since 1969?Since 1969 we've come out of the shadows of shame and intolerance. In 50 years the LGBTQ community is a force to be reckon with, but we still have battles ahead. And it's not solely on LGBTQ rights. We need to show up wherever people are marginalized and oppressed. We need to show up when we aren't personally the sole beneficiaries.What would you like to see, LGBT-wise, in the next 50 years?I'd love to see an LGBTQ President. And I believe in my lifetime we just might. But in the meantime I want LGBTQ kids to know it's OK. It's OK to be different. It's OK to be gay. The world is a big and wonderful place... eventually we all find our peace. However, it doesn't come without ups and downs. There will be high highs and low lows. Keep going. It will all be OK. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Sentencing looms in Charlottesville attack; man seeks mercy Posted: 23 Jun 2019 07:54 AM PDT  Charlottesville attacker: The self-avowed white supremacist who plowed his car into counterdemonstrators opposing a white nationalist rally, killing one and injuring dozens, has asked a judge for mercy and a sentence shorter than life in prison.
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| How You Can Modernize Your Old Beater with the Latest Tech Posted: 22 Jun 2019 04:30 AM PDT |
| Texas mom charged with homicide after running over her 3-year-old during a game of 'chicken' Posted: 23 Jun 2019 08:40 AM PDT ![Texas mom charged with homicide after running over her 3-year-old during a game of 'chicken']( "Texas mom charged with homicide after running over her 3-year-old during a game of 'chicken'") A woman has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after police say she ran over her 3-year-old son during a game of 'chicken' in Houston.
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| India rejects U.S. report on attacks on minority Muslims Posted: 23 Jun 2019 01:07 AM PDT  India on Sunday rejected a U.S. State Department's annual report on religious freedom that raised questions about the government's inability to curb violent attacks on the country's minority Muslims. Preparing for a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday, India's foreign ministry issued a stiff rejoinder to the U.S. criticism. "India is proud of its secular credentials, its status as the largest democracy and a pluralistic society with a longstanding commitment to tolerance and inclusion," Raveesh Kumar, the ministry's spokesman, said in a statement.
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| Hotel owner sues insurance company after Vegas mass shooting Posted: 22 Jun 2019 02:01 PM PDT  More than 4,000 people are seeking damages from MGM Resorts International related to the Las Vegas Strip mass shooting that left 58 people dead, the casino giant said in a lawsuit alleging its insurance company has failed to pay promised legal costs. Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts alleges breach-of-contract and accuses Illinois-based Zurich American Insurance Co. of failing to pay defense costs for damage claims stemming from the 2017 shooting. MGM Resorts owns the Mandalay Bay hotel, where the shooter opened fire from a 32nd-floor window, and the Route 91 Harvest festival venue where country music concert-goers died and more than 850 people were injured.
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| Democratic White House candidates face grilling on abortion Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:08 PM PDT  Democrats running for US president in next year's election sat down with voters on Saturday to outline their stance on abortion, a long-simmering issue newly inflamed by attempts to curtail it nationwide. With abortion now among the most-discussed topics in the presidential race, the candidates aimed to impress an audience cheering "Who decides? "If you're not pro-choice, you're not getting my vote," declared 34-year-old Jennifer Egor, who traveled to the forum held in the South Carolina state capital Columbia.
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| Trump learns it’s not always easy going it alone Posted: 23 Jun 2019 03:56 AM PDT  The president's unilateral actions on Iran, North Korea and China have often left him forging ahead alone on critical foreign policy issues.
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| Best New-Car Deals for July 4th Posted: 22 Jun 2019 03:18 AM PDT  As the nation commemorates Independence Day, car dealerships celebrate with discounted prices on new cars. But you don't have to wait until the busy, long weekend to shop. Our latest analysis sho...
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| Chevy’s 2020 Silverado 1500 3.0L Duramax Is the Brand’s Ultrasmooth Answer to the Half-Ton Diesel Truck Wars Posted: 22 Jun 2019 09:01 PM PDT  Refined and quiet, Chevy's Duramax inline-six is the latest light-duty diesel in the segment.
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| Two Nazi Soldiers Proved How Deadly a Sniper Can Be on the Battlefield Posted: 23 Jun 2019 02:00 AM PDT  The three Soviet tanks edged forward slowly as the drivers scanned for the concealed Germans that lay ahead. The lead tank suddenly clanked to a stop and swung its long barrel around. It looked much like one of Hannibal's elephants with its trunk raised, sniffing the air before its planned lunge forward toward the hapless enemy.The Wehrmacht troops were in a precarious situation. They lacked air support there as the Soviets mounted a heavy attack in mid-August 1943 along the length of the Donets Front in eastern Ukraine. Antitank panzerfausts were not available to the 3rd Gebirgsjager (Mountain) Division, and the unit had few, if any, sticky charges to blow the tracks from the Soviet T-34 tanks. All they had were their wits and their bolt-action Mauser rifles against the three steel titans that loomed in front of them with scores of Red Army soldiers trailing.Suddenly, the lead tank's hatch opened about 10 inches and a head appeared with binoculars to scan the scene. Sniper Josef "Sepp" Allerberger brought the Soviet tanker's head into the center of his scope, and at some 500 feet he squeezed off a round. A splat of blood hit the hatch as the head sank into the bowels of the tank.
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| Navy SEALs Testify Their Chief Shot Girl, Man in Iraq Posted: 22 Jun 2019 09:33 AM PDT  Mike Blake/ReutersSAN DIEGO NAVAL BASE, Calif.—Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward R. "Eddie" Gallagher, a 20-year veteran of the Navy, fatally shot a man and a young girl in Iraq during separate incidents in 2017, two of his fellow SEALS told a military court Friday afternoon. He also admonished snipers for failing to kill the man who had been walking along a river path.Gallagher, 40, is on trial and facing seven criminal counts, including attempted murder for allegedly shooting the man and girl, and for premeditated murder for allegedly fatally stabbing a wounded, teenage ISIS fighter captured by Iraqi military forces in early May 2017.Neither of the SEALs who testified said they actually saw Gallagher fire the fatal shots, and his defense attorney put blame for their deaths on ISIS fighters likely operating near the SEALs' sniper positions in Mosul.The testimony came a day after a medic who was with Gallagher shocked the court by testifying that he may have been the one who killed the girl. The decorated SEAL has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include additional violations of general orders. He is alleged to have posed for photos with the dead ISIS fighter's corpse and he is accused of obstructing justice when he tried to stop some from reporting his actions during an Iraq deployment with SEAL Team 7's Alpha Platoon. Gallagher's defense team claims that he's being unfairly prosecuted and targeted by junior SEALs jealous of his reputation and with personal vendettas against him.Gallagher's general court-martial began Tuesday before Judge Navy Capt. Aaron Rugh and a seven-member jury comprised of four senior enlisted Marines, a Marine chief warrant officer, a Navy SEAL chief and a Navy commander. All the jurors have combat experience. A conviction on any of the charges requires a two-thirds vote. The trial is expected to run at least through next week.Gallagher wore his gold Trident pin above several rows of ribbons on his chest to court. He sat at a table in front of his wife, friends and family, and was flanked by five members of his defense team, including Marc Mukasey, who has served as President Trump's personal attorney and Tim Parlatore, his lead defense attorney.Witness Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Dalton Tolbert avoided looking at Gallagher except when asked to point out if the SEAL chief was in the room. In questioning by a Navy prosecutor Friday afternoon, Tolbert testified that both civilian shootings came as sniper teams with Alpha Platoon manned positions on towers, or damaged buildings, north and south of the Tigris River near a bridge crossing. The platoon with the Coronado, Calif.-based SEAL team had the mandate to observe and thwart any ISIS activity, which included keeping an eye out for any fighters who'd venture to the riverbanks for water or respite. Sometimes, he said, the snipers would fire warning shots to scare civilians from the area.From his sniper post north of the river, Tolbert said he saw a man dressed run across the path toward a nearby building. He was dressed in traditional white garb that differed from what ISIS fighters usually wore. "That's when I saw a red mark on his back after hearing a shot," he told the court. "Over the radio, I hear, 'You guys missed him but I got him'," Tolbert said. "It sounded like Chief Gallagher."The incident involving the girl happened sometime in June 2017, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Joshua Vriens told the court. Through his scope he told the court he saw four girls, about 12 to 14 years old, each wearing dressings and flowered hijabs. One of the girls, shot in the stomach, shrieked and fell on her right knee as two of the girls ran off and the fourth, in a gray dress, grabbed and dragged the wounded girl over a berm and out of sight, he said.Prosecutors asked if he had heard shots prior to the girls scrambling away. "I heard them from the north tower," Vriens said, adding, "It was apparent the shot came from our direction." He said that the immediate area of Mosul had been cleared previously and ISIS units remained active a bit further to the east. But when questioned by Parlatore, Vriens said Gallagher was about 850 meters from the girl.The court also heard that Gallagher purposely stabbed a young ISIS fighter in the neck after the wounded teenager was brought to the SEALs by Iraqi forces. Defense attorneys have argued that he rendered aid, along with several others. On Thursday, a platoon member shocked the court when he testified that he, and not Gallagher, may have caused the young ISIS fighter's death to put him out of his misery. Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Corey Scott testified that after he saw Gallagher stick his knife in the ISIS fighter's neck, he decided to asphyxiate the teenager by closing the breathing tube with his thumb and save him from a worse fate at the hands of the Iraqis, according to the Associated Press."I knew he was going to die anyway, and I wanted to save him from waking up to whatever would happen to him," Scott, a trained medic or hospital corpsman testifying with a grant of immunity, told the court. The identity of the ISIS fighter isn't known, and a body was never recovered. "He was in the (Iraqi) custody the entire time," Palatore said. Navy SEALs would have treated and stabilized him to "potentially get some intelligence out of him."Vriens testified he wasn't present when the ISIS fighter died. But he testified that he was in the platoon's tactical operations room when another SEAL was looking at a photo on a computer of a teenager with dark hair who "looked like he was concussed... It looked like he had a 1,000-yard stare." He said that Gallagher walked in the room and was asked, "is this your guy?" Vriens said. Gallagher then told them, "I stabbed him in the side, then grabbed him by the hair and I looked him in the eye and I stabbed him in the neck."The Navy's case against Gallagher also has been rocked in recent months by allegations that the Navy's secretive special operations community is a hotbed for personal vendettas after Naval Criminal Investigative Service documents and SEALs' statements were leaked to several journalists. The Navy's original prosecution team is accused of embedding emails with a software tracker directed at the defense team and journalist Carl Prine, editor of the Navy Times, to help determine the source of the leaks.On Friday, much of the defense's line of questioning of Tolbert and Vriens centered on a meeting that several platoon members had with Gallagher hours after the ISIS fighter's death. The court also saw evidence including text messages sent among a group of SEALs called the "Sewing Circle" which included platoon members opposed of war crimes who were apparently at odds with a group Gallagher belonged to known as the "Real Brotherhood." Defense attorneys have criticized the government's investigation and have painted several SEALs who have testified against Gallagher as weak operators and liars stretching the truth for their own benefit."We're feeling pretty good about this," Parlatore said during a short news conference outside the courtroom building after Friday's afternoon session concluded at the naval base. "These younger millennials feel they were just there to be able to say that they're SEALs, they went to Mosul and they could get out and go on to their future careers with that 'former Navy SEAL' tagline on their bio."Parlatore said the younger SEALS avoided conflict. "It's surprising the things that they shied away from in this case," said Parlatore, who served as a former naval officer before becoming an attorney. "They were there to clear Mosul, to fight this war. But these guys were more concerned with staying back, staying under cover and then blaming the chief." Prosecutors have not made any public statements outside of court since the trial began.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Dad of Maleah Davis, slain 4-year-old, shares photos of her 'My Little Pony'-themed casket Posted: 23 Jun 2019 02:17 PM PDT  The father of Maleah Davis, the 4-year-old whose remains were found in Arkansas earlier this month, posted photos of 'My Little Pony'-themed casket.
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| 8 Can't-Miss Towns Near Great Driving Roads Posted: 23 Jun 2019 01:00 PM PDT |
| The Latest: Istanbul mayor-elect greets tens of thousands Posted: 23 Jun 2019 01:43 PM PDT  Tens of thousands of people attended an election night celebration after a repeated vote in Istanbul made an opposition candidate mayor-elect of Turkey's largest city. Ekrem Imamoglu spoke late Sunday after unofficial returns showed him more than 777,000 votes ahead of his opponent, who conceded defeat earlier in the night.
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| Iran crisis could 'spin out of control': ex-US military aide Posted: 23 Jun 2019 10:27 AM PDT  A former top US military advisor warned Sunday that tensions with Iran "could spin out of control" after President Donald Trump's last-minute cancelation of air strikes on the Islamic republic. Trump has labeled Iran a danger and in May last year pulled the US out of an international accord on rewarding the country for allowing verification of its nuclear industry.
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| A civil war is coming for the Democratic Party — and it won't be pretty Posted: 23 Jun 2019 03:00 AM PDT  It is perfectly fine to be a party of and for the affluent in America, but at least don't simultaneously pretend to be the party of the little guy.
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| Utah Woman Tortured Puppy for Days to `Keep the Dog Quiet,` Police Say Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:45 AM PDT  A puppy is in need of surgery and a woman is facing a felony charge for what she allegedly did to keep her dog quiet.
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| 11 dead as plane crashes in Hawaii, believed during skydiving trip Posted: 22 Jun 2019 12:17 AM PDT  The twin-engine King Air plane, with eleven people onboard, went down soon after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield and there were no survivors, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said. "We are still gathering information as to the intent of the flight and what they were doing," Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves told a news conference. CNN said the plane was on a skydiving excursion and the Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash.
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| When Japan Lost This Battle It Lost World War II For Good Posted: 22 Jun 2019 11:00 PM PDT  In the predawn hours of June 15, the U.S. attacking force was poised a few miles off the beaches. Time-Life correspondent Robert Sherrod later wrote: "[Saipan] was a shadowy land mass, purple against the dim horizon. Set against the reddish tint of the morning sun, it seemed unbelievable that this island paradise could prove to be so menacing."Peering through his binoculars, Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo was in awe of the nearly 800 ships from Vice Adm. Raymond A. Spruance's 5th Fleet. Just three years before he had led the carrier force at the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that initiated hostilities between Japan and the United States. But this was no time to gloat over past victories. As he lowered his glasses, Nagumo realized that the Americans must be stopped here. If the invading forces captured Saipan, their Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers could easily reach Japan itself.Saipan, about 85 square miles in size, is the southernmost island in the Marianas chain. It was the next important step in the Allied planning to conquer Japan. One of Saipan's dominating features is Mount Tapotchau, over 1,500 feet high, situated near the center of the island. Also, a ridge runs from the southern end all the way to Mount Marpi at the extreme northern tip. To make things worse, steep cliffs dominate the region and a plateau is located in the southern area.
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| 10 deals you don’t want to miss on Sunday: $8 wireless charger, $79 soundbar, AirPods 2 and iPad deals, more Posted: 23 Jun 2019 04:32 AM PDT ![10 deals you don't want to miss on Sunday: $8 wireless charger, $79 soundbar, AirPods 2 and iPad deals, more]( "10 deals you don't want to miss on Sunday: $8 wireless charger, $79 soundbar, AirPods 2 and iPad deals, more") Sunday's daily deals roundup is so good, you won't even know what hit you. Highlights include an awesome smartwatch with 30-day battery life for just $79.99, the upgraded faster version of Amazon's best-selling Wi-Fi range extender for just $24.99, the first big discount on AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case, brand new Apple iPads starting at just $249, nearly $100 off the excellent Roomba 690 robot vacuum with Alexa support, a terrific Vizio soundbar for just $78.99, multi-color LED smart light bulbs for $15 a piece, a wireless keyboard you never need to charge for $39.99, a fast wireless charging pad for only $8.49, and more. See all of today's best bargains below.
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| Texas sends an additional 1,000 troops to the US-Mexico border Posted: 22 Jun 2019 06:20 AM PDT  Governor Greg Abbott says the surge of illegal immigration can't go unchecked.
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| Hong Kong protesters end blockade of police headquarters Posted: 22 Jun 2019 05:27 AM PDT  Protesters in Hong Kong ended their overnight siege of police headquarters peacefully Saturday, disappointed that their demands for the territory's leader to formally withdraw a contentious extradition bill and police to apologize for heavy handed tactics have gone unmet. The police statement did not say whether they were injured in clashes or had otherwise become unwell. Around police headquarters, masked and helmeted protesters covered surveillance cameras with masking tape and lashed barriers together with nylon cable ties.
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| Iran reports previous incident with 'spy drone' in May Posted: 23 Jun 2019 06:11 AM PDT  Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted a map on Sunday showing a border incident with a "spy drone" encroaching its airspace in late May. Days after Iran shot down another US drone it said had entered its territory, Zarif said the US-made MQ9 Reaper -- also widely used for carrying out military strikes -- had entered Iranian airspace on May 26.
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| Biden’s Media Strategy: Duck The Press Unless You’re Under Duress Posted: 22 Jun 2019 07:14 PM PDT  Bloomberg via GettyThe first time former Vice President Joe Biden spoke to national media reporters in nearly a week of campaigning was to address a political minicrisis of his own making.On Wednesday evening, hours after Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) had admonished him for fondly recalling the collegiality of segregationist senators of the '70s, the former vice president was asked if he would apologize. "Apologize for what? Cory should apologize, he knows better," Biden responded, standing outside an SUV on his way into a fundraiser. "There's not a racist bone in my body, I've been involved with civil rights my whole career. Period. Period. Period."The moment marked a new level of aggression in a still-nascent Democratic primary. It also put the spotlight on what Democratic officials say is a risky and often confusing campaign blueprint being deployed by the party's presidential frontrunner. Increasingly, Biden seems to speak publicly or talk with reporters only when he is under duress. "It is not a tenable strategy," said David Axelrod, who worked with Biden as the top communications adviser on the 2008 campaign, and in the Obama White House. "His message is that he's the guy who can beat Donald Trump and he is viewed as the least risky choice. Over time, if the only interactions he has is around these screwups and gaffes, then he is going to start losing that message." Booker, Harris, Warren Tee Off on Biden for His Nostalgia for Segregationist SenatorsOver the past few weeks, Biden has been forced to grapple with a number of minicontroversies and self-inflicted wounds. His nostalgia for former Sens. James O. Eastland (D-MS) and Herman E. Talmadge (D-GA) was preceded by a 24-hour flip-flop on a law banning federal funds from funding abortion (Biden went from supporting the Hyde amendment to opposing it). Those two instances came after Biden was criticized for not offering a full apology to Anita Hill and for humorously dismissing accusations that he made women uncomfortable by invading their space. Virtually every candidate running for president has to clean up the messes he or she makes. That's especially true for the frontrunners and those who, like Biden, have a proclivity for speaking with limited filters. But what makes Biden's current approach so confusing for other Democrats is that much of his public-facing campaigning has involved doing only that. Elsewhere, the former vice president has kept a notably low profile, taking little opportunity to push his larger campaign message or make proactive defenses of his political baggage.Biden hasn't appeared on national television since the day after he officially declared his run for president. Since then, the campaign has repeatedly declined invitations from television and cable news outlets. One network source told The Daily Beast that over the past several months, Biden has been offered a number of appearances on MSNBC, including telephone interviews. And a CNN insider said the network reached out to the former vice president in the months before he even launched his campaign, inquiring whether he would be interested in participating in upcoming town hall events.In addition to missing many of the forums packed with 2020 Democratic prospects, Biden was the only 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to decline an interview by The New York Times as part of its package this week comparing the various candidates (and wouldn't respond to questions when asked why he didn't participate)."I think that it is never a good idea to sit on a lead. That rarely works out well, and that's what they're doing," said Axelrod.While in South Carolina this weekend, Biden worked the rope line well into the evening, mingling with press and voters, but his campaign has previously restricted press access, running the vice president's press availabilities in a vastly different manner from the rest of the candidates. Biden's campaign has at points sealed off the press at events, only allowing a single reporter to represent the campaign press pool at Biden fundraising events. Occasionally, the Biden campaign has even seemed to forget or reverse course on planned media appearances. Earlier this month, the former vice president's staff told campaign reporters that he was going to be holding a press gaggle following an event in New Hampshire. But reporters were left hanging when Biden left the event and got into a waiting SUV without taking questions. For communications specialists, the reticence seems not just at odds with the realities of modern media, but also unwise, leaving the impression that Biden—who has a reputation for joviality—is almost afraid of the scrutiny. "If you are only interacting with the press when there is an issue of concern, you reinforce that perception that there are only problems," said longtime Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis, who runs Park Street Strategies. "You're in a turtle mode instead of being proactive about what you're pushing out."Biden's defenders argue that the reason that he appears to interact with the press during times of duress is largely because those episodes are over-emphasized by the media itself. They point to polling data showing his consistent lead in the primary as evidence that the national press corps has fundamentally different priorities than the Democratic electorate. The campaign has created its media strategy around that theory as well. Instead of doing national interviews, they have focused the vast majority of their attention on smaller local news outlets in the early primary states. Since jumping into the race in April, Biden has sat down for at least a dozen interviews with local TV and radio stations in Iowa and New Hampshire.Biden hasn't been entirely closed off from national outlets. His campaign is the only one in the primary that allows a print pooler into his fundraising events. And on Thursday, senior Biden adviser Symone Sanders told CNN that the former VP would be sitting down for an interview this weekend. Sources told The Daily Beast that Biden would likely be one of several candidates sitting down with host Al Sharpton at an event for 2020 presidential contenders in South Carolina that MSNBC has exclusive rights to broadcast. Nevertheless, Biden's caution when dealing with the press has stood out in a field of candidates where many others seem willing to accept any media request or live-streaming opportunity. Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) has been comfortable enough with campaign reporters to invite them on jogging outings, while South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is so willing to sit for interviews he took questions while drinking brown-bagged beer in a park in New York City.Campaign veterans say it would be unwise for Biden to go to those extremes, and not just because of his history of saying things that cause him political headaches. According to their logic, the former VP is already well known to the public and instead of re-introducing himself to voters, he can afford to spend that time on other campaign functions. The question now being asked of the Biden campaign is not just whether they took that theory too far but whether he could actually maneuver through the current media landscape if he tried. "You are not in the Hyde amendment era in the Democratic Party, and you are not in the James O. Eastland era of the party," said James Carville, a longtime Democratic operative. "How can you have the give and take [with the press] when your instinct is to get on the wrong side of two great issues of the modern Democratic Party, and that's abortion and racial relations? The world has changed."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| The fat bear cams are back in business Posted: 23 Jun 2019 08:17 AM PDT  It's high time to devour 4,500-calorie salmon.The live webcams along Katmai National Park's Brooks River -- set in remote Alaska and operated by the wildlife streamers explore.org -- just came online for the 2019 season. For the next few months brown bears will wolf down copious amounts of salmon as they fatten up, some in extreme ways, in preparation for the winter's long, callous hibernation.The bears grew impressively fat in 2018, and global viewers may witness a similar plumping up of the ravenous omnivores this summer and fall. Bear 409, also known as "Beadnose," was crowned the park's Fat Bear Week champion last October, after a remarkable transformation."Bears benefitted from the abundance of fish," said ecologist Mike Fitz, a former park ranger at Katmai National Park who now reports on bear activity for explore.org. "Nearly every one at Brooks River last fall was fat or extremely fat."> BearCam is now LIVE. What are you waiting for? https://t.co/s57727MRTp pic.twitter.com/nNTJSk0wiF> > -- explore.org (@exploreorg) June 22, 2019Fitz is pleased the bears have started their return to the river. Each bear has its own tales of victory, defeat, and hardship. It's a natural, live-streamed drama, set in the unforgiving wilderness."Watching bears and salmon always reminds me that these animals live in a changing, competitive world where survival and success are not guaranteed," said Fitz.As of June 22, explore.org had turned on five webcams, though seven cameras will eventually stream live from the Alaskan subarctic this winter.The salmon run really ramps up in early July -- so don't be discouraged if the cams aren't yet teeming with bears. Still, bears can already be watched fishing for salmon at the now world-famous Brooks River falls. Bears to watch for this summerKatmai's park rangers and biologists get to know the webcam bears quite well, because many bears prudently return to the salmon-rich river each year -- and some return for decades.Fitz has already spotted a few usual culprits along the Brooks River, and noted some particularly intriguing developments to look out for this summer:1\. Bear 856An aggressive Bear 856, on right.Image: NPs / Mike FitzThis tough bruiser earned the title as the Brooks River's most dominant bear last year. Since 2011, bear 856 has forced other big bears out the most desirable fishing spots, and lesser bears often flee from his very presence. But, in 2017, bear 856 appeared weak and lost his claim of supreme dominance to the younger male bear 32, or "Chunk."Will bear 856 still reign as king in 2019?"We watched 856 regain his status as the river's most dominant bear last year, but each year I wonder if he'll be able to maintain that rank," said Fitz. "He's not getting any younger and there are several other large bears to contend with."Bear 503Bear 503Image: npsBear 503 has had perhaps the most dramatic history of any Brooks River bear. In the summer of 2014, as a 1.5-year-old bear, his mother abandoned him, leaving bear 503 helpless -- and likely to soon starve to death.But bear 503 did not die. He was, to the amazement of park rangers, adopted by another bear, and has since grown into a large, healthy bear.Perhaps 503, like bear 856, will mature into one of the more dominant males this summer.SEE ALSO: A big red reason not to dig a mine in Alaska's fat bear country"He's grown a lot during the intervening years and has been largely playful and tolerant of other bears," noted Fitz. "Five-zero-three still has a lot of growing in the next few years and even 856 played with other bears when he was younger, but I wonder how he will behave as his priorities change and he matures into a fully grown bear."Bear 402Bear 402 and cubs in 2018.Image: nps / Mike FitzBear 402 arrived at the Brooks River with a rare four newly-born cubs in 2018. It's challenging for cubs to survive their first year, amid dangerous males, competition for food, and the harshness of the Alaskan wild. Bear 856, for example, killed a cub last summer.The question that looms large is how many of 402's cubs will survive?"I'm curious to know whether all of her cubs survived the winter and spring," said Fitz. "We've seen a few other instances of bears with litters of four at Brooks River, but no mother has successfully weaned a litter of four, generally losing one or more cubs before their second year."Don't forget...Beyond these well-known characters, the bears' diligent webcam watchers will almost certainly look for 2018's conspicuously fat omnivores, the likes of bear 409, bear 747, and old Otis (bear 480).But, let us not forget the foundational reason why any bears are there at all: the hefty salmon. Bounties of the fish have come to spawn in Katmai's river and streams. Yet along the way, some will meet the claws of the ravenous bears, who consume the salmons' fatty brains, skin, and vivid red flesh."Salmon make the ultimate sacrifice in order to reproduce and without them, Katmai's ecosystem would be impoverished," said Fitz. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?
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| Curtis Flowers: Death row inmate has conviction quashed due to lack of black jurors Posted: 22 Jun 2019 03:20 AM PDT  The US Supreme Court has quashed the murder conviction of a black man on death row in Mississippi because of a prosecutor's "relentless" efforts to stop African Americans appearing on the jury at successive trials.Curtis Flowers, 49, has already been tried six times and now could face a seventh trial following the decision by the country's highest federal court.He has been in jail more than 22 years, ever since his arrest after four people were found shot dead in a furniture store in Winona, Mississippi, in July 1996.The removal of black jurors deprived inmate Mr Flowers of a fair trial, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.A series of trials stretching back more than 20 years shows District Attorney Doug Evans made a "relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of black individuals," with the goal of an all-white jury in Flowers' case, Justice Kavanaugh wrote."The numbers speak loudly," Justice Kavanaugh said in a summary of his opinion that he read in the courtroom, noting that Mr Evans had removed 41 of the 42 prospective black jurors over the six trials. "We cannot ignore that history."Mr Flowers was found guilty in his first three trials, but the three convictions were overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court due to "prosecutorial misconduct". The fourth and fifth trials ended in mistrials.He was convicted again on the sixth trial in 2010, when the jury was made up of 11 whites and one African American and Mr Evans struck five black prospective jurors – a conviction overturned on Friday.In a dissenting view, Justice Clarence Thomas called Justice Kavanaugh's opinion "manifestly incorrect" and wrote that Mr Flowers "presented no evidence whatsoever of purposeful race discrimination".Justice Thomas, the only African American currently on the Supreme Court, said: "The state is perfectly free to convict Curtis Flowers again."Mr Evans said he remained confident of Mr Flowers guilt but had not yet decided whether the state of Mississippi would order a retrial, according to American Public Media. He denied trying to exclude African Americans from the jury.Mr Flowers' defence lawyers have argued that witness statements and physical evidence against him are too weak to convict him of the killings of four furniture store workers."A seventh trial would be unprecedented, and completely unwarranted given both the flimsiness of the evidence against him and the long trail of misconduct that has kept him wrongfully incarcerated all these years," said Sheri Lynn Johnson, who represented Mr Flowers at the Supreme Court."We hope that the state of Mississippi will finally disavow Doug Evans' misconduct, decline to pursue yet another trial and set Mr Flowers free."In the course of selecting a jury, lawyers can excuse a juror merely because of a suspicion that someone would vote against their client using "peremptory strikes", but they have been the focus of the complaints about discrimination.The Supreme Court tried to stamp out discrimination in the composition of juries in the Batson v Kentucky decision in 1986, ruling that jurors couldn't be excused from service because of their race.Additional reporting by AP
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| U.S. explores requiring domestic 5G equipment to be made outside China: WSJ Posted: 23 Jun 2019 12:14 PM PDT  As part of a 150-day review that started after cybersecurity concerns in the United States, officials are asking telecom equipment makers if they can develop U.S.-bound hardware including cellular-tower electronics as well as routers and switches, and software outside of China, the WSJ reported. In May, the Trump administration took aim at China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, banning the firm from buying vital U.S. technology without special approval and effectively barring its equipment from U.S. telecom networks on national security grounds.
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| The Best Travel Mugs to Keep Your Coffee Hot (or Cold) Posted: 23 Jun 2019 11:00 AM PDT |
| Take a Peak: Meet the YF-22A Stealth Fighter (This Became the F-22 Raptor) Posted: 23 Jun 2019 07:30 AM PDT  The interesting photo in this post shows F-22 less known older brother, the YF-22A. Actually, the YF-22A was the Raptor's technology demonstrator. This fighter, in fact, was Lockheed Martin's design for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) Competition for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) where it was picked over its competitor, the Nothrop YF-23A.As we have already explained the origins of the ATF program trace back to late 1970s, when a new generation of Soviet fighters and Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) prompted the USAF to find a replacement for the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter.The Advanced Tactical Fighter entered the Demonstration and Validation phase in 1986. The prototype aircraft (YF-22A and YF-23A) both completed their first flights in late 1990.The extensive flight tests conducted demonstrated that the YF-23A (named Black Widow II) was stealthier and faster while the YF-22A (named Lightning II) was more agile.
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| Motorcycle community mourns 7 killed in 'devastating' New Hampshire biker crash Posted: 23 Jun 2019 12:59 PM PDT ![Motorcycle community mourns 7 killed in 'devastating' New Hampshire biker crash]( "Motorcycle community mourns 7 killed in 'devastating' New Hampshire biker crash") The tight-knit motorcycle community was reeling Sunday after a horrific biker collision left seven people dead and three injured in New Hampshire.
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| Mexico officials detain more migrants as crackdown steps up Posted: 23 Jun 2019 03:45 PM PDT  Authorities reinforced efforts over the weekend to deter Central Americans and others from crossing Mexico to reach the United States, detaining migrants in the south and stationing National Guardsmen along the Rio Grande in the north. In Arriaga, a town in the southern state of Chiapas, The Associated Press saw about 100 migrants bused to detention Sunday, while Milenio TV reported that 146 more were pulled from a private home in the central state of Queretaro and more than 100 were taken away from a hotel in the Gulf state of Veracruz. Pressured by the U.S., Mexico's government has deployed some 6,000 agents of the National Guard, its new militarized policing force, along its southern and northern borders this month.
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| Gold glistens as US-Iran tensions fuel flight to safety Posted: 21 Jun 2019 06:03 PM PDT  Gold prices struck near six-year highs on Friday as a weaker dollar and escalating US-Iran tensions fueled a flight to safer investments, while oil futures built on strong gains.
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| Oregon Statehouse Shut Down After Lawmakers Team Up With Right-Wing Militias Posted: 22 Jun 2019 10:12 AM PDT  REUTERSOregon's statehouse shut down for safety concerns on Saturday. But the threats weren't coming from anonymous trolls or foreign fighters—they were coming from the state's Republican senators, who have teamed up with right-wing militias to threaten violence over a climate change bill.Eleven of Oregon's Senate Republicans fled the state this week to avoid a vote on a bill that would cap greenhouse emissions. The group, believed to be hiding in Idaho, left the state senate with too few lawmakers to hold a vote. But the move is more than a legislative maneuver. The missing senators have partnered with right-wing paramilitary groups to threaten violence, should they be brought back to Oregon.The state senate had scheduled sessions on Saturday, but cancelled them after reports of several militias' two-day "Rally to Take the Capitol" this weekend."Oregon State Police has recommended that the Capitol be closed tomorrow due to a possible militia threat," a spokesperson for the senate president told the Associated Press on Friday night.The trouble started this month, when state Senate Democrats advanced plans for a bill that would cut carbon emissions. Modeled after a similar policy in California, Oregon's proposed cap and trade bill would restrict fossil fuel emissions, particularly for the industries that create the most pollution. The bill's proponents say it's part of a plan to cut emissions by 80 percent by 2050. (Climate scientists and the European Union call for effectively eliminating carbon emissions by 2050, in order to prevent out-of-control climate change.)But Oregon's state Republicans weren't on board, citing increased expenses for Oregon residents and businesses. This week, every Republican in the state senate walked out, rather than vote on the bill.Armed Militias Pledge to Fight for Fugitive Oregon GOP Lawmakers 'At Any Cost'Walkouts are not unique to Republicans. Democrat lawmakers fled their states in 2003 and 2011 to prevent votes on redistricting and curbing union rights, The Daily Beast previously reported. Oregon has a long history of senate walkouts, including a four-day walkout in May, when Republicans refused to vote on a tax package that would fund schools. They returned to session with the agreement that they would not walk out again.But this walkout also came with violent threats. Multiple senators are believed to have fled to Idaho, with right-wing militias flocking to their aid. While leaving the statehouse before the walkout, Republican Sen. Brian Boquist implied that police officers who pursued them should be ready to die. "Send bachelors and come heavily armed," Boquist warned police in a televised interview shortly before his walkout. "I'm not going to be a political prisoner in the state of Oregon. It's just that simple."State police said they were aware of Boquist's remarks, but were not commenting on them. Boquist and his colleagues are supported by several right-wing militias that made more explicit threats.After Oregon Gov. Kate Brown called on state troopers to return the lawmakers to the capital, the paramilitary group the Oath Keepers suggested violence against her. "Gov. Brown, you want a civil war, because this is how you get a civil war," the Oath Keepers wrote on their public Facebook page. Beneath the post, Oath Keeper fans suggesting hanging, arresting, or taking up arms against Brown.Idaho militia insiders previously told The Daily Beast that paramilitary members in Oregon and Idaho had "mobilized" in defense of the Republican lawmakers, and that they were willing to die for the legislators. One leader compared the situation to the 2014 Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation, in which members of a right-wing militia led an armed standoff inside a wildlife sanctuary building. The standoff ended with the death of a militia member.But on Twitter, Oregon's Republican party criticized state Democrats for cancelling Saturday sessions over the militias' planned protests, tweeting, "Oregon senate Democrats canceled their weekend session citing a fear that Republican voters may show up."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| House Oversight threatens to subpoena Kellyanne Conway Posted: 23 Jun 2019 01:27 PM PDT  The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has cited Conway for multiple violations of the Hatch Act.
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