| ‘It’s merciless’: Democrats focus on seniors while attacking GOP health care bill Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:35 AM PDT  Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., right, thanks Kent Keyser following a news conference last Thursday with people who may be negatively affected by the proposed American Health Care Act. WASHINGTON — As congressional Republicans enter their second week pushing to overhaul the nation's health care system, Democrats have latched on to what they hope will be a particularly potent line of attack: the bill's implications for seniors, a key voting group in the midterm elections. "It looks like our older neighbors are really going to get hammered," said Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., near the end of a 27-hour House Energy and Commerce Committee markup.
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| How to Get Rid of Frizzy Hair Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:19 PM PDT  Does your hair look great when you walk out the door and poufy three minutes later? These styling maneuvers will keep your strands under control in all kinds of weather.
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| Carlos the Jackal regrets not killing 'people I should have' Posted: 13 Mar 2017 12:25 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Once the world's most-wanted fugitive, the man known as "Carlos the Jackal" appeared in a French court Monday for a deadly 1974 attack on a Paris shopping arcade, a trial that victims' families awaited for decades.
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| These stylish sweaters are warm, colorful and made for chickens Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:28 PM PDT  Blizzards are best spent wrapped up in a well-worn sweater and all the blankets a couch can support. But what about when you're a chicken? Good question. Great question. Egg-cellent question (sorry). SEE ALSO: Kind man dresses wild toad in wonderful, tiny hats to make a little boy happy It's a little-known fact that egg production goes way down for chickens living in tough winter conditions from a combination of low temperature and limited daylight hours. Lots of chickens aren't cut out for New England's winters — some breeds shed their feathers, while others from more tropical climates aren't used to the significantly colder temperatures. Luckily for these chilly chickens, a group of Boston-area retirees has banded together to knit chicken-sized sweaters to help them fend off the cold. Does it come in green? Of course it does. Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock Barbara Stevens holds Prince Peep, who, again, is a chicken. Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock A knitting group at the Fuller Village retirement home in Milton, Massachusetts, was inspired to undertake the project after they "heard about the hardships that some chickens suffer this time of year," according to the Associated Press. Honestly, these chickens have never looked better. Someone get this rooster an agent. Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock Their nonchalance is truly selling the garment. The knitting group said that the project helped them as well— one found it "calming," while another said it helped her overcome her fear of birds. Even better, a spokesperson for the estate that owns the chickens said that "egg production has jumped noticeably since the birds began wearing them." Good news all around! WATCH: This transparent bowl swing is what cat dreams are made of
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| Trump says Republican healthcare plan to replace Obamacare will not be ‘one-size-fits-all’ Posted: 13 Mar 2017 10:44 AM PDT  During a listening session on healthcare Monday, President Trump said the House Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act will offer Americans more choices at lower cost.
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| How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:48 PM PDT  How much caffeine should you actually be drinking in a day? Health's resident medical editor weighs in.
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| Ousted South Korea leader slammed for defiance Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:06 AM PDT  Ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-Hye was assailed by newspapers and politicians Monday for her defiance over the court ruling that ended her tenure as president. Park left Seoul's presidential complex on Sunday, two days after the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment by parliament and stripped her of executive power and privileges. The conservative Dong-A Ilbo daily, which long supported Park, said in a front-page headline: "To the last... there was no word of acceptance" of the ruling.
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| ‘Robin Hood in reverse’: CBO report on GOP health care plan supports Democrats’ charges Posted: 13 Mar 2017 03:27 PM PDT  WASHINGTON — Democrats seized on the Congressional Budget Office's report estimating that 24 million fewer Americans would be insured under the Republican health care plan 10 years from now, arguing their colleagues should abandon the effort. House Speaker Paul Ryan put a positive spin on the report. The White House disputed its accuracy.
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| Multiple Shots Fired During Ferguson Protests Posted: 12 Mar 2017 11:14 PM PDT  Protesters gathered around Ferguson Market and Liquor on Sunday after new facts emerged in the Michael Brown shooting case.
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| Vietnam demands China stop cruises in South China Sea Posted: 13 Mar 2017 02:03 AM PDT ![Vietnam demands China stop cruises in South China Sea]( "Vietnam demands China stop cruises in South China Sea") Vietnam on Monday demanded that China stop sending cruise ships to the South China Sea in a response to one of Beijing's latest steps to bolster its claims in the strategic waterway. A Chinese cruise ship with more than 300 passengers visited the disputed Paracel Islands earlier this month. "Vietnam strongly opposes this and demands that China respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracel Islands and international law and immediately stop and not repeat those activities," foreign ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh told Reuters.
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| An intense cold snap turned this waterfront home into a striking ice castle Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:07 PM PDT  While a good chunk of the Northeast is prepping for a storm, some New York residents are dealing with another winter nuisance: ice. A home situated directly on Lake Ontario in Webster, New York, has turned into an almost literal ice house after strong winds coupled with low temperatures over the course of multiple days encased the home with a thick blanket of ice. Bad will soon get worse on Lake Ontario. A foot of snow is on the way for parts of #WNY @spann @JimCantore @StormHour @News_8 @WizardWeather pic.twitter.com/Bnq2Fyp6Zv — John Kucko (@john_kucko) March 13, 2017 Photographer John Kucko brought the ice house to the internet's attention when he first posted some photos to his Facebook page and Twitter. When people tried to say they were altered, he took some videos to prove them wrong. SEE ALSO: We're doomed (for a day): Paralyzing blizzard set to slam Philly, New York and Boston Wow, didn't expect THIS reaction! #IceHouse has no retaining wall on Lake Ontario (just rocks), neighbors do @spann @JimCantore @StormHour pic.twitter.com/4izLsN4TWh — John Kucko (@john_kucko) March 13, 2017 Some believed the photos were faked because the neighboring homes did not have the problem, Kucko claims that because the other homes have retaining walls, the ice doesn't build up nearly as much. In one clip, Kucko claims that the ice may be up to six inches thick on the side if the home that faces the lake. According to a neighbor, the home has been "going through this for years," so this is probably not the first time the home looked like a house out of Disney's Frozen. We reached out to Kucko for additional information and comments. WATCH: Check out this glorious map of lightning striking around the globe
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| Rally row: Turkey's deepening crisis with Europe Posted: 13 Mar 2017 09:41 AM PDT  Turkey and its NATO allies are locked in one of their worst disputes in years, with Ankara levelling accusations of "Nazism" and European nations toughening their stance. Ankara has been dispatching ministers to various European countries to win votes from the Turkish diaspora ahead of a crucial referendum on April 16. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government is urging the electorate to vote "yes", which would strengthen his powers and scrap the prime minister's post.
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| EU prolongs until September blacklist of Russians over Ukraine crisis Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:30 AM PDT ![EU prolongs until September blacklist of Russians over Ukraine crisis]( "EU prolongs until September blacklist of Russians over Ukraine crisis") The European Union has prolonged for six months until Sept. 15 a blacklist of Russian and Crimean individuals and firms accused of undermining Ukraine's integrity and independence, an EU statement said on Monday. The sanctions were introduced in March 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea and its involvement in the revolt in eastern Ukraine. The list includes advisers and aides of President Vladimir Putin, parliamentarians, defense and intelligence officials, army and navy commanders, as well as Crimean separatists and rebels in east Ukraine.
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| Google is trying really hard to make a smart jacket you won’t totally hate Posted: 13 Mar 2017 09:14 PM PDT 
If you're not tired of hearing the word "smart" in front of random appliances, furniture, and pieces of clothing, Google has a hot pitch for you. It's a smart jacket from Levi's and it uses Google's smart textiles platform that goes by the nickname "Project Jacquard." It's being shown off this week at SXSW, but even if you saw the jacket being worn by a fellow festival-goer, there's a really good chance you wouldn't even realize it.
Without a bunch of goofy screens or flashing LEDs, Levi's Jacquard jacket doesn't give the outward appearance of being a gadget at all, and that's kind of the point, at least in Levi's eyes. At a panel at SXSW, Google's Ivan Poupyrev suggested that the company's original vision for the smart apparel included a display of some kind. Levi's VP of global innovation Paul Dillinger shot down that idea and insisted the tech be integrated into parts of the jacket that already exist naturally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grKHwQIaiaA The result is a fabric touch interface that can't be seen, but still allows the wearer to control various functions of a synced device like a smartphone. Swiping across the sensitive area of the jacket, located near the wrist, lets you skip songs and answer callsA small USB device plugs into the jacket to provide its smart functionality and can be removed so that the garment can be laundered. It's an interesting — and from various hands-on reports, adequately functional — implementation of touch technology, but its usefulness is obviously a big question mark. Swiping at your wrist to control your phone is essentially what you do with a smartwatch already, and given that you won't conceivably be wearing a jacket all day long, it seems like a very small niche to try to exploit.
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| US 'Self-Humiliating' Over Russia Hacking Claims: Kremlin Posted: 12 Mar 2017 11:26 PM PDT  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election hacking and called the cyberattack claims by the United States "self-humiliating."
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| NY AG says Tillerson used alias in emails on climate change Posted: 14 Mar 2017 02:21 PM PDT  DALLAS (AP) — The New York attorney general says that while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was CEO of Exxon he used an alias in emails to talk about climate change.
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| Bus in Haiti flees accident, kills 38: officials Posted: 12 Mar 2017 07:13 PM PDT  Gonaïves (Haiti) (AFP) - A bus speeding away from a hit-and-run accident plowed into dozens of street musicians in northern Haiti on Sunday, killing 38 people, officials said. Another 13 people were injured in the crash which took place just before 4 am (0900 GMT) in Gonaives, a city of some 300,000 people located about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of the capital Port-au-Prince. "We were in the band, having fun! And then the bus passed by crushing people," says Jean-Renald Edouard, lying on an emergency room bed.
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| OPEC says oil stocks still increasing, Saudis raise output Posted: 14 Mar 2017 08:28 AM PDT ![OPEC says oil stocks still increasing, Saudis raise output]( "OPEC says oil stocks still increasing, Saudis raise output") By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC said on Tuesday oil inventories have risen despite a global deal to cut supply and raised its forecast of production in 2017 from outside the group, suggesting complications in an effort to clear a glut and support prices. In a monthly report, OPEC also said its biggest producer Saudi Arabia increased output in February by 263,000 barrels per day to 10 million bpd, after in January making a larger cut than required by the OPEC accord to ensure strong initial compliance. OPEC said in the report oil stocks in industrialized nations rose in January to stand 278 million barrels above the five-year average, of which the surplus in crude was 209 million barrels and the rest refined products.
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| California's Plan to Eliminate Student Debt Posted: 14 Mar 2017 09:19 AM PDT ![California's Plan to Eliminate Student Debt]( "California's Plan to Eliminate Student Debt") While a national policy on higher education has yet to be decided, it's clear where California stands. On Monday, the state's Democrats released a financial-aid plan that covers both tuition and living expenses, with the end goal of eliminating student loans among 400,000 students enrolled in the University of California and California State systems.
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| Israel closes Palestinian map bureau, arrests head Posted: 14 Mar 2017 11:18 AM PDT  Israeli police on Tuesday closed a Palestinian research centre in Jerusalem and briefly arrested its director, a prominent cartographer, accusing him of working for the Palestinian security services. The office of cartography in occupied east Jerusalem was shut down for six months, a police statement said. Israeli officials accused its head Khalil Tafakji of working with the Palestinian Authority to monitor the sale of land by Palestinians to Israeli Jews in east Jerusalem.
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| Minneapolis hits rogue liquor store with 30-day suspension Posted: 13 Mar 2017 01:54 PM PDT  ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minneapolis liquor store that opened for Sunday business nearly four months before a new state law allowed it will lose its license for 30 days.
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| How to Make Roast Sesame Chicken Posted: 14 Mar 2017 10:07 AM PDT  Quit ordering takeout! Making roast sesame chicken at home is surprisingly easy. And it's healthier too. This recipe has less sodium and fat than the classic dish, and you can add in your favorite vegetables. Watch the video to learn how.
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| Deadly car bomb blast kills 6 near hotel in Somalia's capital Posted: 13 Mar 2017 12:53 PM PDT ![Deadly car bomb blast kills 6 near hotel in Somalia's capital]( "Deadly car bomb blast kills 6 near hotel in Somalia's capital") A suicide car bomber detonated near a hotel in Somalia's capital Monday morning, killing at least six people and injuring four others, police said.
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| U.S. taxpayers procrastinate on filing returns this year Posted: 14 Mar 2017 04:12 AM PDT ![U.S. taxpayers procrastinate on filing returns this year]( "U.S. taxpayers procrastinate on filing returns this year") The number of people filing their taxes with the Internal Revenue Service is running well below last year. The tax deadline is April 18 instead of the traditional April 15, which falls on a Saturday this year. The most significant reason, however, and one cited by the IRS, is that a new regulation delayed refunds by taxpayers claiming an Earned Income Tax Credit or an Additional Child Tax Credit until Feb. 15.
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| Jordanian woman charged in US with 2001 Jerusalem bombing Posted: 14 Mar 2017 01:15 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A Jordanian woman has been charged in connection with a 2001 bombing of a Jerusalem pizza restaurant that killed 15 people and injured dozens of others.
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| Pictures emerge of Apple’s secret iPhone calibration machine Posted: 14 Mar 2017 03:42 PM PDT 
Apple is weirdly protective over the repair system that goes on at the Apple Store. You'd think that there aren't many secrets to do with replacing glass screens and fixing iPhones that have gone for a swim in the toilet, but in Apple's secret walled garden, everything is a trade secret. Motherboard's Jason Koebler has been reporting on the Apple Store's repair system for a while now, and he finally got his hands on the holy grail: pictures of Apple's secret repair machine, which allows Apple to replace the Touch ID sensor on repaired phones. That's a big deal, because it's the one component that third-party repair stores have been unable to crack so far. The calibration machine that all Apple Stores have holds the secrets to why.
As Koebler explained in an earlier post, the iPhone Calibration Machine is a general testbed that allows repaired iPhones to be calibrated to factory standards before being returned to customers. From the sounds of things, they go through a series of tests to calibrate the display, touchscreen, camera, and internal sensors: "It was a big clunky machine that honestly looked like someone built it in their backyard," a former Apple Genius told me. "There were different 'moulds' that different iPhone models would go into before going in the machine, and it would take around 30 minutes … there was some weird liquid that needed to be placed in the machine that we would have to wear gloves with to fix it. Lots of gas type valves and whatnot. It literally looked like some backyard home job. Not very Apple-like at all."
But the important part, at least for third-party repair stores, is how the calibration machine allows a new Touch ID sensor to be installed. Koebler goes into detail about the pairing of the Touch ID sensor and Secure Enclave here, but the short version is that without the calibration machine, a new Touch ID sensor can't be installed on an iPhone. That obviously makes it impossible to fix the home button on newer iPhones outside of an Apple store, but it also makes working on a broken screen incredibly fiddly. Head over to the Motherboard article to see the pictures of Apple's hacked-together machine in action, and make sure to check out the previous coverage while you're at it.
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| At least 50 people killed in garbage dump landslide in Ethiopia Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:19 AM PDT ![At least 50 people killed in garbage dump landslide in Ethiopia]( "At least 50 people killed in garbage dump landslide in Ethiopia") ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Desperate parents scrabbled through a towering pile of fetid garbage in the Ethiopian capital on Monday, screaming the names of missing children buried in a landslide after a mound of trash collapsed on an informal settlement killing at least 50. "My babies, my babies, my little daughter," cried one man wandering through the site, tears streaming down his face. Neighbours said he had lost four children. The landslide late on Saturday also destroyed 49 dwellings and left 28 people injured, city spokesman Amare Mekonen said. ...
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| Russian Air Force Is Expanding Rapidly Posted: 12 Mar 2017 09:10 PM PDT  Russia's growing military also includes key defense additions to its army and navy.
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| States pile pressure on new Trump travel ban Posted: 13 Mar 2017 04:36 PM PDT  Several US states run by Democrats on Monday stepped up the pressure in federal court for the suspension of Republican President Donald Trump's amended travel ban, if possible before it takes effect Thursday. The state of Washington -- with the support of California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon -- has asked the same Seattle judge who issued a stay against Trump's first executive order on immigration to block the new measure. The first version of the order, signed by Trump on January 27, triggered howls of protest at home and abroad as well as chaos at US airports as some people were detained upon arrival and either held for hours or sent back to where they came from.
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| 5 Tips for Talking to Your Child About His or Her Autism Posted: 13 Mar 2017 10:32 AM PDT ![5 Tips for Talking to Your Child About His or Her Autism]( "5 Tips for Talking to Your Child About His or Her Autism") Nancy Wells struggled with when and how to talk to her daughter, Molly, about the girl's autism. Wells, a single mother in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was afraid of hurting Molly's feelings. At the time, a little more than a decade ago, Wells considered autism a bad word and thought many others did, too.
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| Mermaid Toast Is the New Breakfast Obsession That’s Almost Too Pretty to Eat Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:32 AM PDT  A post shared by Adeline Waugh (@vibrantandpure) on Mar 9, 2017 at 5:01am PST It's official: Avocado toast is old news. While you might think you're taking your breakfast meal to the next level by adding a poached egg or some brightly colored fruit on top of that avo-smeared bread, it's still kind of boring. The reason? The invention of mermaid toast is now completely overshadowing any other variation of a bread-based meal, making avocado toast seem rather bland. Mermaid ...
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| 9 Celebs on Their Struggle With Endometriosis Posted: 14 Mar 2017 11:29 AM PDT  Endometriosis, a sometimes painful condition when uterine tissue grows in other parts of the body, affects around 5.5 million American women. Watch the video to see the celebrities that have come forward to bring awareness to this common condition.
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| Dutch premier wants to turn tide of populism in election Posted: 13 Mar 2017 07:31 AM PDT  ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch prime minister said Monday that he wants the Netherlands to turn the tide of populism in this week's parliamentary election.
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| Texas executes man for crime spree that left four dead, including baby Posted: 14 Mar 2017 04:51 PM PDT ![Texas executes man for crime spree that left four dead, including baby]( "Texas executes man for crime spree that left four dead, including baby") The state of Texas on Tuesday executed a man for launching a 1987 crime spree in which four people were killed, including a 4-month-old boy he drowned in a sink. After more than 25 years on death row, James Bigby, 61, was put to death by lethal injection at the state's death chamber and pronounced dead at 6:31 p.m. CDT, a prisons official said. The execution was the 542nd in Texas since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, the most of any state.
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| Couple Found Guilty In Bali Policeman Killing Posted: 13 Mar 2017 08:22 AM PDT  Both Connor and Taylor were sentenced for killing a Bali policeman last summer.
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| Justice Department seeks more time on Trump wiretap evidence Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:04 PM PDT ![Justice Department seeks more time on Trump wiretap evidence]( "Justice Department seeks more time on Trump wiretap evidence") By Jeff Mason and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday it had asked for more time to respond to a request from lawmakers for evidence about President Donald Trump's allegation that then-President Barack Obama wiretapped him during the 2016 election campaign. Earlier this month, without offering evidence, the Republican president accused his Democratic predecessor of wiretapping him, a charge that Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said was "simply false." In response, the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting proof for the allegation by Monday.
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| Enbridge insists pipelines safe despite worn-away covering Posted: 13 Mar 2017 06:01 PM PDT  DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Operators of twin oil pipelines beneath the swirling waterway where Lakes Huron and Michigan converge insisted Monday they remain structurally sound even though an outer layer of protective covering has worn away in some places, while skeptics said the deterioration is further evidence the lines should be shut down.
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| Volvo is making a cheap electric car with better range than the Tesla Model 3 Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:01 PM PDT 
While Tesla is dominating the electric car market, every other manufacturer is left scrabbling to catch up. Some carmakers, like Chevy and its pleasantly-affordable Bolt, are planning on releasing competitors as soon as this year. Others, like Volvo, have been waiting until the time is right to strike.
According to Automotive News, that time is getting closer. Lex Kerssemakers, CEO of Volvo Car USA, told reporters in Geneva that Volvo's first electric vehicle will have a range of 250 miles and a pricetag of $35,000-$40,000 when it debuts in two years' time. Can you think of another electric vehicle that has about the same specs? Oh yeah, Tesla's upcoming Model 3, which should have a range a little under that when it goes on sale for $35,000 later this year. The Chevy Bolt also sells for about the same price with a 238-mile range. Volvo matching those specs really isn't a coincidence. Kerssemakers said that the range and price are "what I put in as the prerequisite for the United States. If I want to make a point in the United States, if I want to make volumes, that's what I believe I need." Although Volvo has now revealed the range and price that it's aiming for, it's still unclear what shape the car will take. Both Tesla and Chevy have opted for a smaller, more compact car design for their entry-level EVs. Volvo is more known in the US for SUVs and crossovers, in particular the XC60 and XC90 SUVs. There's no way we're going to see an electric XC90 at the $35,000 pricepoint, but it's easily possible Volvo will aim for a compact SUV bodystyle like the upcoming XC40 for its electric car.
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| 16 Bad Parenting Tips That Sound Like Good Parenting Tips Posted: 14 Mar 2017 10:23 AM PDT  "Stalk your child on social media to make sure they are safe."
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| Official: Sanders shares blame for minors voting in primary Posted: 14 Mar 2017 03:40 PM PDT  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin election officials on Tuesday blamed undertrained poll workers and Sen. Bernie Sanders' social media posts for dozens of instances in which 17-year-olds managed to vote in last year's state presidential primary.
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| People Are Freaking Out Over These "Beauty and the Beast" Cups Posted: 14 Mar 2017 10:16 AM PDT  They're waiting up to four hours in line to get their hands on one.
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| Wary of China, Duterte tells navy to build 'structures' east of Philippines Posted: 13 Mar 2017 05:48 AM PDT ![Wary of China, Duterte tells navy to build 'structures' east of Philippines]( "Wary of China, Duterte tells navy to build 'structures' east of Philippines") By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the navy to put up "structures" to assert sovereignty over a stretch of water east of the country, where Manila has reported a Chinese survey ship was casing the area last year. The Philippines has lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing after the vessel was tracked moving back and forth over Benham Rise, a vast area east of the country declared by the United Nations in 2012 as part of the Philippines' continental shelf. The Philippines says Benham Rise is rich in biodiversity and fish stocks.
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