| Portland mayor decries violence, hatred ahead of rally Posted: 14 Aug 2019 04:56 PM PDT  Mayor Ted Wheeler spoke at a rally with other leaders ahead of the event Saturday, which is also expected to bring out anti-fascist protesters. The weekend event is being organized by a member of the Proud Boys, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Also expected at the Saturday event are members of the American Guard, Three Percenters, Oathkeepers and Daily Stormers.
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| Gunman surrenders after 'volatile' hourslong standoff in Philadelphia; 6 officers shot Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:55 PM PDT  All six officers who were shot were transported to local hospitals but later released, Philadelphia police Sgt. Eric Gripp tweeted
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| China's Tencent sorry for saying typhoon killed 'nearly everyone' Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:49 PM PDT  Chinese internet giant Tencent has been forced to apologise after its video team reported that a typhoon had wiped out the entire population of a province in east China that is home to nearly 100 million people. Typhoon Lekima hit the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Shandong and Anhui over the weekend, forcing more than two million residents to flee. China's official news agency Xinhua said late Tuesday that at least 49 people were killed with dozens still missing.
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| 'I'm sorry, bro': Accused robber begs with armed guard and gets shot Posted: 14 Aug 2019 09:07 PM PDT  A video captures the moment the suspect stumbles on the ground and begs with the armed security guard.
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| Russian pilots land plane in cornfield, earn Kremlin praise Posted: 14 Aug 2019 09:58 PM PDT  Two Russian pilots safely landed an airliner carrying 233 people in a cornfield outside Moscow after striking a flock of birds, prompting the Kremlin to hail them as heroes who will receive top state awards. Russians have said it was a miracle that no one was killed when the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 came down in a field southeast of Moscow with its landing gear up after hitting a passing flock of gulls, disrupting the plane's engines. State television said the incident was being dubbed the "miracle over Ramensk", the name of the district near Moscow where the plane came down around one kilometer (0.62 miles) from Zhukovsky International Airport.
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| What a Deadly Nuclear Explosion In Russia Tells Us About the World's New Arms Race Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:41 AM PDT  "Accidents happen," said Vladimir Putin. But this wasn't simply a case of rotten luck
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| Ghislaine Maxwell spotted out in public for the first time since 2016 Posted: 15 Aug 2019 04:50 PM PDT  British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was spotted in Los Angeles on Monday, photographed reading a book on the history of the CIA at a popular fast food restaurant. The 57-year-old's whereabouts have been the subject of intense attention since the unsealing last week of court documents alleging she played a key role in assisting Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of young girls. That attention has only heightened with Epstein's death on Saturday, in jail awaiting trial. Two days after her former lover's death she was seen in the Hollywood Hills area of LA, sitting outside with her dog, at a branch of In-N-Out Burger. She posed for a photograph when a man, described by The New York Post as being a regular at the chain, recognised her. Ghislaine Maxwell, photographed in 2010 at a gala in New York, was a familiar face on the party circuit until she left the city in 2016 "He's at In-N-Out every single day," a source told the paper. "He went up to her and asked, 'Are you who I think you are?' "She replied, 'Yes, I am.'" Miss Maxwell then reportedly told an onlooker: "Well, I guess this is the last time I'll be eating here!" The source said that Miss Maxwell was reading a book called The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives and seemed resigned to having her picture taken. "She was perfectly friendly, very lovely," the source said. Miss Maxwell has not been pictured in public since 2016, when she sold her mansion in New York City and disappeared from view. Asked how the photographer knew who Miss Maxwell was, the source said: "If you've had the TV on, you know who she is, how could you miss her?" Donald Trump and his then-girlfriend Melania Knauss, pictured with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2000 Miss Maxwell was reported on Wednesday to have been spending time at a secluded mansion in Manchester-By-The-Sea, in Massachusetts. The owner of the house, Scott Borgerson, said on Wednesday that she was not at his home, and denied that the pair were dating. Miss Maxwell was never seen at the property. On Thursday the New York Post published the photograph, taken three days previously. It was unclear whether she remained in the city or had moved on. Miss Maxwell has never been charged with any crime, and has always denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's sexual abuses. However, prosecutors in New York and lawyers for the accusers are said to be keen to speak to her for questioning, as the conspiracy case into Epstein's network continues. Protesters outside court in New York on July 8 - the day Epstein was charged William Barr, the US attorney general, said he was "livid" at Epstein's suicide, and issued a blunt warning to his associates. "Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein," he said. "Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. The victims deserve justice and they will get it." Geoffrey Berman, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, who was overseeing the charges Epstein faced when he died, added that his team's "investigation of the conduct charged in the Indictment – which included a conspiracy count – remains ongoing."
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| With Brexit looming, the future of Ireland is at stake Posted: 15 Aug 2019 05:38 AM PDT  It would be one of the great ironies of history if the U.K. departure from the EU actually led to the end of its occupation of Northern Ireland.
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| El Paso mayor says Trump used derisive term in meeting Posted: 15 Aug 2019 04:50 PM PDT  The mayor of El Paso said President Trump called him a derisive term for Republicans deemed insufficiently conservative during a visit to the grieving city last week. Mayor Dee Margo told PBS's "Frontline" in an interview published Wednesday that Trump called him a "RINO" in a private conversation after the president paid his respects to the victims of the shooting that killed 22 people and wounded dozens more earlier this month. Margo said Trump made the comment after he corrected the president's "misinformation" about the border city's violent crime rate -- an issue the pair has sparred over before.
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| 2 Palestinians in knife attack on Israel police, one shot dead: officials Posted: 15 Aug 2019 10:51 AM PDT  Two Palestinian youths attacked Israeli police with knives in Jerusalem's Old City on Thursday before being shot by officers, leaving one of the assailants dead, officials said. Israeli police said an officer was moderately wounded and that the two assailants were shot. The Palestinian health ministry said one was killed, while Israel's Shaare Tzedek hospital said the second was left in critical condition.
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| The black hole at the center of our galaxy just lit up twice as bright as ever. Who knows why Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:09 PM PDT  Astronomers observing the black hole at the center of our galaxy watched it light up with "unprecedented brightness." And they aren't sure why.
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| Trump administration reverses decision to use 'cyanide bombs' to kill wild animals Posted: 15 Aug 2019 03:53 PM PDT  The poison-filled traps are used by the federal government to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals for farmers and ranchersA grizzly bear and her cub walk near Pelican Creek in Yellowstone national park, Wyoming. Last year, Wildlife Services killed more than 1.5 million native wild animals across the country, including bears. Photograph: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty ImagesAfter sustained public outcry, the Trump administration has voided its decision to reauthorize controversial cyanide traps for killing wildlife.The traps, which are known as M-44s and dubbed "cyanide bombs" by critics, are spring-loaded devices that emit a spray of sodium cyanide to kill their targets. The traps are most frequently used by Wildlife Services, a little-known federal agency inside the United States Department of Agriculture, to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals at the behest of private agriculture operators.Last year, Wildlife Services killed more than 1.5 million native wild animals across the country, including bears, wolves, birds and more. Roughly 6,500 of these deaths were caused by M-44 traps."I am announcing a withdrawal of EPA's interim registration review decision on sodium cyanide, the compound used in M-44 devices to control wild predators," Andrew Wheeler, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, announced in a public statement. "This issue warrants further analysis and additional discussions by EPA with the registrants of this predacide."In an announcement last week, the EPA said that it had authorized government officials to continue using M-44s on an interim basis. The decision sparked fury among wildlife advocates and others, who decried the decision as a reckless threat to humans and the environment. M-44s, which are deployed on public and private land across the US, have led in the past to the inadvertent deaths of endangered species and domestic pets. They have even harmed humans, including a teenage boy who was poisoned by an M-44 in Pocatello, Idaho, in 2017.Brooks Fahy, the executive director of Predator Defense, a wildlife group that is a leading opponent of M-44 traps, said the EPA's announcement was a welcome reversal."Obviously somebody at EPA is paying attention to the public's concerns about cyanide bombs," Fahy said in a statement. "It would appear they're responding to public outrage over the interim decision from last week. Our phone has been ringing off the hook from concerned citizens regarding their greenlight to continue using these horrific devices. We'll have to see how this plays out."
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| Armed forces in Kashmir are detaining children and molesting women and girls amid a state-wide blackout, report claims Posted: 15 Aug 2019 04:12 AM PDT  The report, published Wednesday, was compiled from conversations with hundreds of Kashmiris after India cancelled their political autonomy.
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| Here's Everything We Know So Far About Storm Area 51's 'Alienstock' Festival Posted: 15 Aug 2019 10:48 AM PDT  "They can't stop us from gathering and celebrating aliens!"
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| As China faces fate on Hong Kong, America and other democracies face a choice Posted: 15 Aug 2019 03:29 PM PDT  Donald Trump tweets as Xi Jinping lines up his military tanks and Hong Kong protesters wave American flags and sing the U.S. national anthem: Our view
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| Federal appeals court grants Texas inmate stay of execution Posted: 14 Aug 2019 07:32 PM PDT  A federal appeals court granted a stay of execution Wednesday to a Texas inmate just one day before he was scheduled to die for the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman during a carjacking in Houston. In an 18-page opinion filed Thursday, a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that under recent case law and intellectual disability standards, Dexter Johnson is sufficiently impaired intellectually to disqualify him for Thursday's execution. The Supreme Court in 2002 barred execution of mentally disabled people but has given states some discretion to decide how to determine intellectual disability.
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| Woman calls cops to say her car is stolen — as she speeds away from them, Iowa cops say Posted: 15 Aug 2019 01:51 PM PDT  A woman called 911 to report her car was stolen – while she was leading cops on a chase in the same car, police say.
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| Syria regime forces inch closer to key jihadist-held town: monitor Posted: 15 Aug 2019 08:38 AM PDT  Syrian regime forces captured a string of insurgent-held villages in northwest Syria on Thursday, inching closer to a key jihadist-run town in the Idlib region, a war monitor said. Over the past week, pro-regime fighters have advanced on the southern edges of Idlib province, controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). On Thursday, regime loyalists stood just three kilometres (1.8 miles) away from the key town of Khan Sheikhun, after capturing five villages to the northwest overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
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| A man with no family lost his wife in the El Paso shooting. So he invited the public to her funeral Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:22 PM PDT  Margie Reckard, 63, was one of the victims of a mass shooting by a 21-year-old who targeted customers and employees who were Hispanic.
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| American unions have been decimated. No wonder inequality is booming Posted: 15 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT  Something urgent needs to be done to give America's workers more say in our politics so that their voices are not dwarfed by billionaires, writes Steve GreenhouseAmerica needs to rebuild worker power in politics. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/APCongress hasn't raised the minimum wage in a decade, the longest stretch without such an increase since the federal minimum wage was first enacted in 1938. One state legislature after another has passed right-to-work laws to undermine unions. Donald Trump has taken numerous anti-worker actions: scrapping several worker safety rules, rolling back a regulation extending overtime pay to millions more workers, and killing a rule that required Wall Street firms to act in the best interests of workers when overseeing their 401(k) plans. Trump has even nominated as labor secretary a lawyer who has spent decades fighting on behalf of corporations to weaken worker protections.In my new book, Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor, I explain that there is a little-understood, but profound reason why all these anti-worker actions are happening: America's unions and workers have less power in policymaking and the workplace than they have in decades. Indeed, the percentage of workers in unions is at its lowest level in over a century – down to 10.5% from a peak of 35%. All this helps explain why wages have stagnated for decades, income inequality has soared and corporations and billionaire donors have undue sway over our politics, policymaking and political appointments.In the 2015–16 election cycle, business outspent unions 16-to-1 –$3.4bn to $213m – according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Each year all of the nation's unions spend about $48m on lobbying in Washington, while corporate America spends more than $2.5bn – more than 50 times as much. This has made many in Congress far more attentive to corporations than to workers, thus the rush to cut corporate taxes, but the failure to increase the minimum wage.> Each year, all of the nation's unions spend about $48m on lobbying in Washington, while corporate America spends more than $2.5bnSomething urgent needs to be done to give America's workers more say in our politics so that their voices are not dwarfed by billionaires such as the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson. How to do this? We should greatly expand public financing in political campaigns to amplify the voice of workers and non-affluent Americans. Under a New York City measure approved in 2018, campaign donations up to $250 are matched 8-to-1 in mayoral and city council races. Seattle has an innovative program, called Democracy Vouchers, that enables even low-wage workers to donate to campaigns. Voters are given four vouchers of $25 each that they can contribute to city council and mayoral candidates. Good ideas like these should be extended to presidential, Senate, and House campaigns. Early this year the House of Representatives approved a smart proposal to offset wealthy donors' inordinate influence in House campaigns. If candidates agree not to accept donations of more than $1,000, every donation they receive up to $200 would be matched 6-to-1 by public funds.As for giving workers more voice in the workplace, probably the quickest, most surefire way would be to let workers elect members to corporate boards – Elizabeth Warren has proposed having workers elect 40% of board members. Whether it comes to freezing wages or moving operations to China or Mexico, American corporations often pay little heed to what's best for workers. The picture is very different in Germany. There workers elect nearly half the directors of corporations' guiding supervisory boards. That's a major reason German companies often embrace policies far friendlier to workers than do American companies: they invest far more in worker training and do far less offshoring than their American counterparts.Another important way to rebuild worker power would of course be to make it easier for workers to unionize. When America's workers mount unionization drives, the playing field is usually tilted hugely in favor of corporations. Managers have access to workers 24/7 and often show antiunion videos in lunchrooms and break rooms. They often require employees to attend meetings where high-priced consultants tell workers that unions are corrupt and only want their dues money and that companies have shuttered workplaces like theirs after unionizing. Meanwhile, corporations, thanks to the supreme court's Lechmere ruling, have the right to prohibit union organizers from setting foot on company property.Workers deserve a fairer shot. If an employer requires employees to attend hour-long meetings to hear anti-union consultants, union organizers should be given equal access, either to speak at such a meeting or have equal time with employees. Union organizers should also be allowed to distribute flyers and talk to workers in parking lots and lunchrooms. The corporate-friendly supreme court has ruled that employers' property rights trump workers' rights, but with things so skewed against unions and workers, Congress and the courts should adjust that balance.> The corporate-friendly supreme court has ruled that employers' rights trump workers' rights, Congress and the courts should adjust that balanceMany companies denounce card check, a practice in which companies grant union recognition once a majority of workers sign pro-union cards. With scant evidence, corporate lobbyists say "union thugs" bully workers into signing those cards, and they argue that granting union recognition based on a simple majority of cards signed should not be allowed because, they say, some of the signatures were undoubtedly coerced. To overcome these concerns, no matter how unsubstantiated, Congress should enact a law requiring employers to grant union recognition and bargain when 60% of workers sign pro-union cards.Researchers have found that nearly 20% of employees leading unionization drives are fired during those drives, a percentage that is so high because the punishment is so minuscule. Under the National Labor Relations Act, companies can't even be fined for violating workers' rights, and as a result, it's almost foolhardy for anti-union companies not to fire the two or three workers leading an organizing effort. Such illegal firings often snuff out unionization campaigns – the National Labor Relations Board might order the lawbreaking company to pay $5,000 or $10,000 in back wages two or three years later, but that is often long after the union drive has fizzled.For a major company, such modest fines are hardly a slap on the wrist. To deter frequent anti-union lawbreaking by employers, the NLRA should be strengthened so it has real teeth. To deter unlawful firings for union activity, the NLRA should have fines that bite: $100,000 for a first firing, $200,000 for a second one, and increasing from there.If companies egregiously violate labor laws by firing the workers spearheading a union drive, then corporate executives should also face penalties with real bite, such as large personal fines. It shouldn't be just the pro-union workers whose lives are turned upside down. There also needs to be swifter and surer means to reinstate union supporters who are improperly fired during organizing drives.For the past four decades, America's corporations and conservative politicians have often worked hand in hand to hobble labor unions. The result has been clear: reduced bargaining power and political power for workers overall. Turning that around won't be easy, but it is vital we do so if we as a nation hope to reduce income inequality and create a fairer more democratic nation.
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| Climbers must be trained to tackle Everest, panel says after deaths Posted: 14 Aug 2019 08:30 AM PDT  Nepal must make training and experience in high altitude climbing mandatory for all climbers on Mount Everest and other high peaks, a government panel said on Wednesday, following the deadliest climbing season in four years. Eleven climbers were killed or went missing on the 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) mountain in May – nine on the Nepali side and two on the Tibetan side. The Nepali panel - made up of government officials, climbing experts and agencies representing the climbing community - was set up after climbers and guides criticised officials after the deaths for allowing anyone who paid $11,000 to climb Everest.
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| A Princess Cruises passenger died after falling overboard, and investigators are reportedly trying to figure out if she was murdered Posted: 15 Aug 2019 08:07 AM PDT  The woman fell from the 11th deck of the Sun Princess cruise ship and died on Friday, the Taiwanese news agency CNA reported.
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| U.S. Blacklists China Nuclear Firms Accused of Aiding Military Posted: 14 Aug 2019 08:14 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. added four Chinese nuclear entities to a trade blacklist, accusing them of helping to acquire advanced U.S. technology for military use in China.China General Nuclear Power Group and its subsidiaries China General Nuclear Power Corp., or CGNPC, China Nuclear Power Technology Research Institute Co., and Suzhou Nuclear Power Research Institute Co. were added to the so-called Entity List, according to a Federal Register notice published Wednesday.The move comes after a crackdown on U.S. exports of civilian nuclear components and materials in recent years. In 2016 the Department of Justice accused China General Nuclear Power, the country's largest nuclear group, of an espionage plot dating back to the 1990s to steal US technology. The Pentagon has also warned over China's plans to introduce floating nuclear power plants on disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea.In October last year the Trump administration also announced that it was imposing further restrictions on exports of nuclear-related U.S. technology to China to "prevent China's illegal diversion of U.S. civil nuclear technology for military or other unauthorized purposes."The move follows a similar block against telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co., as well as five Chinese tech companies involved in the country's super-computing efforts, that have aggravated the year-long trade war between China and the U.S. The sides are set to resume face-to-face talks in early September.The notice on Wednesday added 17 entities to a trade blacklist, including groups located in Armenia, Belgium, Canada, Georgia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Netherlands, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and the U.K. All of them are being put on the list for "acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States," it said.The blacklisting designation bars American companies from doing business with the entities unless they are given special U.S. government approval.'Diversion to Military'The Chinese nuclear firms "engaged in or enabled efforts to acquire advanced U.S. nuclear technology and material for diversion to military uses in China," according to the notice.A call to China's embassy in Washington outside regular business hours, as well as a fax to the foreign ministry in Beijing, went unanswered. An official for CGNPC in Beijing said that the company is aware of the news and the impact on its development would be "controllable."Nuclear EspionageThe Justice Department won a guilty plea in 2017 from an engineer charged with illegally helping China General Nuclear Power procure technology in the U.S., including for the design of so-called Small Modular Reactors, which can have military applications. In 2014, the U.S. accused five Chinese military officials with stealing trade secrets, including nuclear reactor technology from Westinghouse Electric Co.China General Nuclear is also a key partner in the U.K., working with France's Electricite de France SA to build the nearly 20 billion pound ($24 billion) Hinkley Point C project. In 2016, Prime Minister Theresa May delayed a final decision on the development amid speculation that it would give Beijing access to the nation's power system.\--With assistance from Feifei Shen.To contact the reporters on this story: Ramsey Al-Rikabi in Singapore at ralrikabi@bloomberg.net;Shawn Donnan in Washington at sdonnan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, Sarah McGregor, Jeffrey BlackFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| In a split-second, a CMPD officer shot my husband and saved my life Posted: 15 Aug 2019 09:43 AM PDT ![In a split-second, a CMPD officer shot my husband and saved my life]( "In a split-second, a CMPD officer shot my husband and saved my life") Officer Wende Kerl, who shot and killed Danquirs Franklin on March 25th in a Burger King in West Charlotte, will not be charged. I believe that's good news for us all.
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| Mississippi Man Charged with Setting Girlfriend on Fire, Kidnapping Child Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:37 PM PDT  Family members and neighbors were shaken to learn a 42-year-old man allegedly set his girlfriend on fire before kidnapping a child and leading police on a chase.
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| Ohio lawmaker proposes using seized fentanyl in executions Posted: 14 Aug 2019 04:54 PM PDT  An Ohio lawmaker says he has the solution to the state's problem securing execution drugs: use fentanyl seized by police instead.
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| Pakistan observes 'Black Day' over Kashmir with march by militant group Posted: 15 Aug 2019 12:49 AM PDT  MUZAFFARABAD/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan observed a 'Black Day' on Thursday to coincide with India's Independence Day celebrations, as one of the main militant groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir led a protest through Pakistan's part of the disputed region. India's decision this month to revoke special status for its portion of Kashmir, along with a communications blackout and curbs on movement, caused fury in Pakistan, which cut trade and transport links and expelled India's envoy in retaliation.
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| Behind Nate Silver’s war with The New York Times Posted: 15 Aug 2019 02:05 AM PDT ![Behind Nate Silver's war with The New York Times]( "Behind Nate Silver's war with The New York Times") The paper's onetime data guru can't stop kicking his ex-employer for its 2020 polling analysis and supposed capitulation to Trump.
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| The powerful pro-Israel lobby and leading Democrats tear into Trump for pressuring Israel to bar Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from visiting Posted: 15 Aug 2019 11:31 AM PDT  Both Democrats and Republicans condemned the Israeli government's decision to bar Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering Israel.
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| Widows sue over troopers' deaths in helicopter crash Posted: 14 Aug 2019 10:43 AM PDT  The widows of two Virginia state troopers killed in a helicopter crash the day of a violent white nationalist rally have sued the state and others over their husbands' deaths, alleging the aircraft was not properly maintained or repaired. Amanda Bates and Karen Cullen filed wrongful death lawsuits Monday. H. Jay Cullen and Berke M.M. Bates were aboard the Bell 407 single-engine helicopter on Aug. 12, 2017, to provide video surveillance of public demonstrations in Charlottesville.
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| Harry and Meghan go on first holiday as family of three to celebrate Duchess's birthday Posted: 14 Aug 2019 12:43 PM PDT  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have taken baby Archie on his first family holiday, it has been reported, as they flew to Ibiza for a five day summer break. The family of three, reported by the local media to be on the Balearic island, are said to have flown by private jet for the trip, timed around the Duchess's birthday in August. They are understood to have stayed in a secluded villa away from the cameras, accompanied as usual by their protection officers but without the input of local police. It would mark the first known overseas trip for three-month-old Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, who will travel with his parents on his first foreign tour to South Africa in the autumn. The trip, which has been neither confirmed or denied by Buckingham Palace, follows the Duke's short visit to Sicily two weeks ago in which he delivered a speech warning about the dangers of climate change after flying in by private jet. Then, he endured widespread criticism for the apparent hypocrisy, with private charters produced many times the damaging carbon emissions as an ordinary commercial flight. Their son Archie went with them to Ibiza Credit: Dominic Lipinski According to a source quoted in the New York Post, the Duke "showed up at the super-secret three-day event to give an impassioned lecture about saving nature to a crowd of A-list celebrities and power brokers, many of whom arrived in gas-guzzling private jets and are staying on enormous mega-yachts". The Sussexes join other members of the Royal Family in using charter flights for private holidays, with the Duke of York photographed boarding one in Scotland earlier this week as he travelled back from Balmoral. Senior members of the family also regularly use chartered planes on their official overseas visits, for security reasons and to navigate busy schedules. The Royal Family traditionally use the month of August for their holidays, with an extended stay at Balmoral for the Queen who is visited by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren through the summer. The Cambridges have been widely reported to have enjoyed a long-haul trip during the school holidays, appearing tanned and relaxed during a public engagement on the Isle of Wight last week. The Duchess of Sussex is known to be a fan of Ibiza, having travelled there with friends including designed Misha Nonoo in 2016 and posting pictures to her Instagram. The couple have travelled extensively during their relationship, conducting a transatlantic relationship largely without being photographed and disappearing on honeymoon without the destination being published. Prince Harry has previously been known to regularly take commercial flights and trains. His work in the coming months is likely to focus heavily on conservation, with a planned project about the tourism industry. The Duke will return to public duties on Saturday August 24, when he will attend the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final at Wembley in his capacity as patron. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
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| Mystery ‘hero’ saved baby and others in El Paso shooting. Cops need help finding him Posted: 15 Aug 2019 11:08 AM PDT  Can you help El Paso police find this man?
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| Family of Dayton gunman apologizes for writing 'insensitive' obituary Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:53 PM PDT  An obituary for Connor Betts, the gunman in Dayton, Ohio, who killed nine, was removed from a funeral home's website at the request of the family.
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| A Brief History of People and Animals Traveling Through Tubes Posted: 15 Aug 2019 06:51 AM PDT |
| Unexploded WWII bomb found in Kremlin Posted: 15 Aug 2019 07:53 AM PDT  An unexploded World War II bomb was found in the grounds of the Kremlin in Moscow during construction works on Thursday, Russian news agencies reported. "As you know, between 1941 and 1942 the Kremlin was bombed," Sergei Khlebnikov, the commandant of the Kremlin, told the Ria Novosti agency. The bomb was taken out of the Kremlin complex and will be liquidated, he said.
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| Cuban government imposes price controls as it seeks to keep lid on inflation Posted: 15 Aug 2019 11:24 AM PDT ![Cuban government imposes price controls as it seeks to keep lid on inflation]( "Cuban government imposes price controls as it seeks to keep lid on inflation") Communist-run Cuba has imposed price controls on goods and services ranging from lemons and pork to haircuts and taxi fares in what it says is an effort to tame inflation as it increases state wages and pensions. On Thursday, prices in Havana were set for some basic foods such as beans, pork, lemons, bananas, onions and cabbage. In recent weeks, regional authorities have slapped price controls on taxi fares, beverages and haircuts, among other items.
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| Indian business ties underpin muted Arab response to Kashmir Posted: 15 Aug 2019 04:11 AM PDT  Gulf Arab countries have remained mostly silent as India's government moved to strip Indian-administered Kashmir of its limited autonomy, imposing a sweeping military curfew in the disputed Muslim-majority region and cutting off residents from all communication and the internet. This muted response is underpinned by more than $100 billion in annual trade with India that makes it one of the Arabian Peninsula's most prized economic partners. Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia urged restraint and expressed concern over the brewing crisis.
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| 1983 Pontiac Firebird Found In Lake 30 Years After Its Theft Posted: 14 Aug 2019 08:03 PM PDT  Ran when parked.Not all automotive reunions have happy endings, but at least the owner of this stolen 1983 Pontiac Firebird might soon know the fate of his or her former car. The Cobb County Police Department reported that last week, a car was found to be partially submerged in a small lake, and today the Firebird was exhumed from its muddy, watery grave.With help from the Underwater Search and Recovery Team (USRT), Cobb County Fire Department and Cobb County Department of Transportation, the Cobb County police posted pictures of the car being pulled from the water. Few details are known about the car, but it was discovered while Mirror Lake, about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, was being drained for repairs.Members of the neighborhood's homeowner's association had found the car and contacted police. Divers went down to investigate and found out that the car was reported stolen back in 1989. Only the roof of the car was visible with the rest of the Firebird being covered by and filled with mud.Few details are known about the car, but it was confirmed that this '83 Firebird was stolen 30 years ago. There is no windshield or side windows and the entire hood is covered with a thick layer of mud,and the rear suspension seems to be bottomed out suggesting that the interior is also filled with mud. As such, it's highly unlikely that much, if any, of this car is salvageable. The most impressive thing is that the tires still appear to be inflated. Unlike a certain 1972 Opel GT, which sat above sea level for the same amount of time this car was submerged, there's little hope for this theft-recovered Firebird. Source: AJC.com via Cobb County Police Department Read More... * Muscle Cars Stolen From CT Farm * Mystery Surrounds Stolen 1991 Ford Mustang GT Barn Find
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| ‘Absolute Amateur Hour’: Team Trump Mangles Messages to Iran Posted: 14 Aug 2019 01:46 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/GettyThe Trump administration keeps sending conflicting and contradictory messages to Iran about its terms for new negotiations, multiple U.S and European officials tell The Daily Beast. And the ensuing chaos has vexed the president, complicated diplomatic efforts for American allies abroad, and utterly baffled policymakers at home. "Absolute amateur hour," said one former senior administration official, who was involved with the internal squabbles.For several months, the United States has been actively attempting to pass messages, via allies, to the Iranians in an effort to move closer to beginning formal diplomatic talks with Tehran. However, diverging opinions within the Trump administration are foiling the nascent diplomatic process, according to two current U.S. officials and another source with direct knowledge of the matter. The dissent is straining foreign intermediaries who are working as go-betweens between Washington and Tehran. They say they are fed up with receiving mixed messages from Donald Trump's team.The State Department did not respond to a request for comment for this story. But a senior administration official told The Daily Beast, "The Administration is completely aligned in this approach. The President has been clear, he is open to meeting with Iran's leadership to work out an agreement and give Iran the future it deserves." There have been long-standing reports on internal tensions between the president and some of his senior officials, including National Security Adviser John Bolton, on how hawkishly to approach the Iranian regime. In June, as The Daily Beast reported at the time, Trump had privately urged his cabinet members and top aides to cool it with their tough talk on possible war with Iran, despite the attacks on tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman that the administration had pinned on Tehran.The latest mixed messages and instructions have included at times wildly differing details on preconditions the U.S. would demand for official sit-downs between the two countries, and varying proposals for the length of time for which the Americans would consider suspending economic sanctions on Iranians, these sources said. U.S. officials, European officials, and individuals involved in the disparate talks between the U.S. and Iran told The Daily Beast that top Trump administration national security officials are divided about what to put on the table when it comes to negotiating with Tehran, including whether to ease a select set of sanctions, keep them in place, or suspend them altogether. The tensions stem, in part, from President Trump's desire to consider a new deal while some of his advisers are more reluctant to do so, according to two European officials and three individuals associated with brokering talks between Washington and Tehran. Generally, Trump has been more amenable to suspending sanctions for a greater amount of time as talks progress. However, national security and State Department officials have repeatedly advised the president, as well as representatives of allied countries, to demand stricter timelines for possible sanctions relief.The U.S. has for more than a year conducted talks with the Iranians, leaning on mediators such as Oman, Switzerland, Japan, Iraq and France, according to two individuals involved in the behind-closed-door conversations. But the conflicting messages have been particularly bothersome to one go-between in particular—France. Trump has expressed different views to the French, compared to those offered by his National Security Council and the State Department, on how to handle overtures to Tehran. In the meantime, the French have been caught in the middle.Why Would Iran Start a Tanker War?"The French are justifiably anxious about whether they are getting clear and authoritative directives from the U.S," said one former senior State Department official. "There is no policy process for Iran. So of course the French are getting mixed messages. It's not surprising that the administration says 'Macron please do this' and then to disavow that same instruction."The clashing messages are also causing headaches inside the upper echelons of the Trump administration. They've annoyed the president on multiple occasions in recent months, according to a source who's been in the room when those tensions have been discussed at the White House. One source noted that the president had instructed subordinates several weeks ago to clear up the confusion and knock it off with the diplomatic discord.In a public culmination of his frustrations, the president tweeted last week that the French should not try to speak for the U.S. in conversations it conducts with Iran."Iran is in serious financial trouble. They want desperately to talk to the U.S., but are given mixed signals from all of those purporting to represent us, including President Macron of France," the president posted to Twitter on August 8. "I know Emmanuel means well, as do all others, but nobody speaks for the United States but the United States itself. No one is authorized in any way, shape, or form, to represent us!"The tweet confused not only French officials, but American officials, as well, who said they now fear the U.S. has ostracized a strategic partner it was actively trying to win over when it came to Iran.Of course, the president's mercurial approach has complicated Iran policy before. In June, Trump approved (then abruptly called off) military strikes on the Islamic republic that could have killed upwards of 100 people. The back and forth comes as the Trump administration has also sought outside counsel on what a new Iran deal could potentially look like. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), nowadays a top Trump confidant and ally on Capitol Hill, has been working closely with administration officials who focus on Middle East policy to determine possible alternatives to President Barack Obama's Iran nuke deal. Part of this effort includes the Republican senator fielding ideas from foreign officials and others.Why Trump Wants the Ayatollah's CashGraham is doing this with Trump's full knowledge, and the senator told The Daily Beast that the president was receptive to the push. But even this effort is in part defined by the cognitive dissonance driving Trump's thinking on Iran.Graham's involvement comes at a time when Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, another Republican who regularly advises Trump, is working behind the scenes, with the president's blessing, as an informal diplomatic emissary to Iran. And the two men are unlikely to get on the same page on Iran. According to those who've spoken to Trump about each GOP lawmaker, the president has repeatedly joked about all the foreign nations Graham wants the U.S. military to invade, and conversely has lauded Paul as a peacenik who "won't let [us]" start "World War III."It is unclear if Trump will even try to get the two to work in tandem on Iran policy. When asked this month if he was coordinating with Paul, Graham chuckled and simply replied, "No," adding, "I'm not sure what he's doing."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Man poses as ride-share driver, sexually assaults woman he met online, Illinois cops say Posted: 14 Aug 2019 06:01 AM PDT  A woman in Illinois was sexually assaulted after getting in a car she believed to be her ride-share service, police say.
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| Al Qaeda releases 'blooper reel' of Islamic State videos amid jihadi spat Posted: 15 Aug 2019 12:18 PM PDT  Al-Qaeda has released embarrassing outtakes from an Islamic State propaganda video of fighters in Yemen, in an attempt to undermine its bitter rival. The blooper reel, released by Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula's Hidayah Media Productions, shows a kneeling militant trying to renew his pledge of allegiance to Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi but repeatedly being interrupted by a squawking bird in the tree above. The jihadi, identified as Abu Muhammad al-Adeni, appears to be distracted by the chirping, causing him to forget his lines. He takes out notes from his pocket, while another fighter can be heard telling him to "stay calm, keep cool". The media group does not reveal how it got hold of the unedited version of the video, but it could have been handed over by an Isil defector or taken from a captured base. Analysts said the video, which Al-Qaeda's titled "The Hollywood reality of al-Baghdadi group - Part 2" was produced by Islamic State's branch in Yemen in 2017, when the group was growing in strength. Elizabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert at Oxford University, who first shared the video on Twitter wrote: "Heroic bird relentlessly drowns out ISIS-Y's attempt to renew allegiance to the caliph," in reference to the Yemeni affiliate of Isil. "Leader's feeble memory adds to the woes... These bodged 'takes' didn't make it into the official video of this solemn event, released end July." "One of the interesting things for me here is al-Qaeda do counter-narratives better than we do, using humour and mockery in a local and very clever way," she said. The video has drawn comparisons to the hapless jihadists in Chris Morris's 2010 dark comedy Four Lions. The Islamic State and al-Qaeda have been waging a deadly contest for territory, recruits and influence in Yemen, where both are battling the Shia Iran-backed Houthi militants. An online propaganda war has ensued, with both groups releasing competing online propaganda and social media. Hidayah Media was behind a 2016 video that accused Isil of using the dark red cordial Vimto drink as fake blood in a staged battle in one of its videos, which prompted widespread jokes and hashtags on Twitter at their expense. However, offline, in recent months, the fighting has escalated. Isil has deployed suicide bombers against al-Qaeda positions.
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| GOP candidate drops out of congressional race after calling himself a 'white nationalist' Posted: 15 Aug 2019 10:20 AM PDT  "I said I was a proud white nationalist," he in a video announcing his exit from the congressional race while wearing a red Trump hat.
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