| Five things to watch in Trump's Jerusalem speech Posted: 05 Dec 2017 01:33 PM PST  President Trump is planning to announce around midday on Wednesday that he is formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and directing the State Department to begin the process of building a future U.S. Embassy there, ushering in a sea change in American policy and potentially roiling the Muslim world.
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| California governor declares a state of emergency due to wildfires in Ventura County Posted: 04 Dec 2017 09:00 PM PST  First responders are going door to door, evacuating more than 27,000 residents.
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| Obama blamed for Libyan slave trade as shocking video goes viral Posted: 05 Dec 2017 07:22 PM PST  Former President Barack Obama has come under criticism after a series of videos showing men and women being sold in a renewed slave trade have gone viral in recent weeks.
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| Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie on Roy Moore Posted: 05 Dec 2017 01:45 PM PST  During an interview with Mike Isikoff from Yahoo News, Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie discuss the allegations against Roy Moore.
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| Congressman Says Democratic Leaders Knew About His Sexual Misconduct Allegations a Year Ago Posted: 05 Dec 2017 04:30 PM PST  "They didn't find anything"
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| Luxury LA mansions threatened as fierce California wildfires rage Posted: 06 Dec 2017 04:27 PM PST  An inferno engulfed the Los Angeles region Wednesday, forcing more than 200,000 people to flee and threatening thousands of homes, including the luxurious Bel-Air neighborhood dotted with mansions. "Yesterday it was further north, but this morning we woke up and it was east of us," said Los Angeles resident Patricia Moore, 84, loading belongings into the trunk of her car. High winds caused another wave of wildfires to erupt overnight Tuesday, including one in Los Angeles' affluent Bel-Air neighborhood.
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| Divided by symbols, Americans see a 'serious threat' across the aisle Posted: 05 Dec 2017 01:05 PM PST  The nation's divisions are growing dangerously deep and wide. Yet, "When you turn from symbols to policy, there's less polarization," says Robert Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, which conducts the American Values Survey.
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| 27 Priceless Tweets About Life As A Married Person Posted: 06 Dec 2017 09:20 AM PST  Marrying the love of your life is a beautiful gift. And sometimes that gift can also be a colossal pain in the butt.
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| Oklahoma officer charged in fatal shooting of suicidal man Posted: 05 Dec 2017 02:02 PM PST  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma City police officer was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a suicidal man who had doused himself in lighter fluid and was trying to set himself on fire.
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| Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili freed after dramatic rooftop arrest in Ukraine Posted: 05 Dec 2017 03:18 AM PST  Former Georgia president Mikheil Saakashvili has been freed by protesters after a dramatic arrest on the rooftop of his Kiev flat amid a feud with Ukraine's president. The authorities had seized the firebrand politician, who served as governor of Ukraine's Odessa region between 2015-16, on accusations of trying to overthrow the government of his former ally Petro Poroshenko. But the botched arrest only galvanised support for Mr Saakashvili and led to ongoing demonstrations in the capital and a criminal case against his sympathisers in parliament. Mr Saakashvili had climbed onto the roof of his eight-storey building in downtown Kiev and threatened to jump when heavily armed security forces stormed his flat on Tuesday morning. "Poroshenko is a thief! Poroshenko is a traitor to Ukraine!" he yelled before the troopers seized him and put him in a van. But protesters blocked the vehicle with other cars and makeshift barricades as the police attempted to quell the unrest with tear gas. Police spray tear gas at protesters who tried to prevent a van from taking Mr Saakashvili away. Credit: Gleb Garanich/Reuters After an hours-long impasse, the crowd broke open a side door and freed Mr Saakashvili. With handcuffs still hanging off one wrist, he called for protests to remove "Poroshenko and his whole gang" and led hundreds to the parliament building. While Mr Saakashvili addressed protesters outside, prosecutor general Yury Lutsenko told parliament that the Georgian ex-president had received $500,000 from a "criminal gang" led by former president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia amid protests in 2014. This was part of "Moscow's plan for a Russian winter in Kiev," he said. Mr Lutsenko played the MPs what he said was a recording of Mr Saakashvili agreeing to send a representative to meet Yanukovych associate Sergei Kurchenko, who was sanctioned by the European Union after departing Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addresses the media at the end of the EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels on November 24. Credit: Aurore Belot/AFP/Getty Images The prosecutor said a criminal case had been opened against MPs who had "obstructed" Tuesday's arrest, including popular reformers Mustafa Nayyem and Serhiy Leshchenko. He said Mr Saakashvili, who has denied the allegations, must turn himself in and protesters must disperse within 24 hours. Jane Collins, a member of the European parliament from UKIP, briefly spoke outside parliament in Mr Saakashvili's defence. Mr Saakashvili is detained by agents of the security service of Ukraine. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters Since he forced his way across the Polish-Ukrainian border with supporters in September, the Georgian politician has been holding protests calling for the impeachment of his old university acquaintance Mr Poroshenko, most recently marching through the capital on Sunday. Mr Saakashvili came to power in Georgia in the 2003 Rose Revolution, promising pro-Western reforms, but lost territory in a disastrous war with Russia in 2008. He was charged with abuse of office after he left in 2013. He was tapped to head the region of Odessa in 2015, but had a falling out with Mr Poroshenko over the torpid tempo of reforms and accused the president of corruption. Having stripped him of the citizenship he was previously granted, the Ukrainian authorities denied his application for asylum this autumn and said he is in the country illegally. Supporters of Mr Saakashvili try to prevent security forces from taking him away in a van. Credit: Gleb Garanich/Reuters
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| Turkey could break off ties with Israel over Jerusalem: Erdogan Posted: 05 Dec 2017 02:29 AM PST  President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey could go as far as breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel if the United States formally recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move he said would be a "red line" for Muslims. U.S. officials have said Trump is likely to give a speech on Wednesday unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a step that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war.
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| Actress Melissa Rauch Welcomes A 'Beautiful Baby Girl' Named Sadie Posted: 05 Dec 2017 03:58 AM PST  Melissa Rauch, the "Big Bang Theory" star who described a previous miscarriage as "one of the most profound sorrows," has welcomed a new bundle of joy.
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| 'Little Foot' skeleton goes on display in S.Africa Posted: 06 Dec 2017 08:47 AM PST  The most complete skeleton ever found of an australopithecus, a forerunner to modern man, went on display for the first time in Johannesburg on Wednesday following a 20-year process to excavate and assemble the 3.67 million-year-old remains. Known as "Little Foot" because four small foot bones were the first to be discovered, the skeleton is the most complete example of a human ancestor older than 1.5 million years yet discovered. It will now be available for public viewing at Wits University in Johannesburg.
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| Why Atlanta Could Elect Its First White Mayor In 4 Decades Posted: 05 Dec 2017 08:10 AM PST  For the first time since 1969, Atlanta, Georgia, may elect a white mayor.
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| Mexican acquitted of murder faces gun, immigration charges Posted: 05 Dec 2017 06:32 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — U.S. authorities on Tuesday charged a Mexican man with new immigration and gun violations less than a week after a San Francisco jury acquitted him of murder for the shooting death of Kate Steinle, a case that helped fuel a fierce national debate on immigration.
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| 17-Foot Python Takes New Record for Annual Florida Snake Hunt Posted: 06 Dec 2017 10:08 AM PST  Jason Leon broke the hunt record Friday and previously held the record for largest python ever found in Florida.
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| The Latest: Kuwait's emir quickly ends troubled Gulf summit Posted: 05 Dec 2017 02:42 PM PST  Kuwait's emir has quickly ended a troubled summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council amid the ongoing diplomatic dispute targeting Qatar.
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| 'I Was Angry.' Taylor Swift on What Powered Her Sexual Assault Testimony Posted: 06 Dec 2017 03:10 AM PST  Taylor Swift, recognized as one of the Silence Breakers on TIME's Person of the Year cover, spoke out for the first time about her trial.
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| Lena Dunham, Tina Brown Reportedly Warned Clinton Campaign About Weinstein Posted: 05 Dec 2017 08:31 PM PST  Two influential women in media said they warned Hillary Clinton's aides about Harvey Weinstein — but their words of caution appeared to go unheeded.
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| The Latest: California wildfire hops highway, nears ocean Posted: 05 Dec 2017 10:06 PM PST  SANTA PAULA, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires in Southern California (all times local):
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| Terror suspect 'urged extremists to attack Prince George at school' Posted: 06 Dec 2017 05:38 AM PST  A terror suspect allegedly encouraged extremists to attack Prince George at school, warning that "even the Royal Family will not be left alone", a court has heard. Husnain Rashid allegedly used an encrypted message service to share a picture of the third-in-line to the throne next to the image of an Islamic State fighter and the address of the Prince's school. The 31-year-old supplied practical assistance to would-be terrorists, including information on potential targets such as UK sports stadiums, Westminster Magistrates Court heard. Rashid appeared on Wednesday pleading not guilty to one count of preparation of terrorist acts, and one count of preparation to assist others to commit terrorist acts. Rebecca Mundy, prosecuting, said the charges related to "two sets of conduct" on or before November 22. Prince George She said the first charge related to "his intention to travel to Syria, to engage in the fighting out there". Turning to the second charge, she said: "It is alleged this defendant has set up a number of channels on which he broadcasts material to assist terrorists. "They actively provide practical assistance and the intention is the readers will go on to commit acts of terrorism." The channels allegedly included "terror resources, guides and videos and more for the lone Mujahideen", it was said. Rashid allegedly provided a link to "all stadiums in the UK", the hearing was told. Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman (left) and Mohammed Aqib Imran in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London Credit: Elizabeth Cook/PA The prosecutor continued: "A post, which we in this country will find particularly worrying, was a photograph of the young Prince George at the beginning of his school term, next to a silhouette of a jihadi fighter. "Next to that was a caption, 'school starts early'. It provides an address in Battersea for a school to which the young Prince attends." The court heard next to the photo was the caption: "Even the Royal Family will not be left alone." Rashid, of Nelson in Lancashire, was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on December 20. Meanwhile the same court saw a terror suspect accused of plotting to assassinate the Prime Minister in a suicide bomb and knife attack on Downing Street. Naa'imur Rahman, 20 and Mohammad Aqib Imran, 21, both appeared in custody at Westminster magistrates. Rahman, who was allegedly going to carry out the attack, is charged with two counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts. Imran is charged with one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, in that he was trying to join Islamic State group in Libya. Mark Carroll, prosecuting, said: "It is said Rahman planned to detonate an improvised explosive device within a bag at the gates of Downing Street on Whitehall, London and then seek to gain access to No. 10 in the ensuing chaos with a view to trying to kill the Prime Minister. "The secondary attack on No.10 was to be carried out with a suicide vest, pepper spray and a knife. "His purpose was to attack, kill and cause explosions. "He had also carried out a hostile reconnaissance of the area as part of that preparation. "The second and linked allegation involves Imran trying to obtain a fake passport in order to leave the United Kingdom with a view to travelling to Libya for hijrah." Both were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on December 20.
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| 17 Cakes Perfect For Your Kids Posted: 05 Dec 2017 10:08 AM PST |
| ‘They Cannot Hide From Him’: Democrats See Big Gains In Gubernatorial Races Under Trump Posted: 04 Dec 2017 06:42 PM PST  Jay Inslee (D) was elected Monday to become chair of the Democratic Governors Association, charged with leading their efforts to take back dozens of top state posts across the country, a crucial step in rebuilding their party in 2018 and beyond.
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| UN envoy arrives in North Korea as nuclear tensions soar Posted: 05 Dec 2017 02:09 AM PST  Jeffrey Feltman's visit -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- comes less than a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. Feltman shook hands with a North Korean foreign ministry official after flying into Pyongyang from Beijing on the North's Air Koryo.
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| Fugitive Eric Conn, Guilty of $550M Social Security Fraud, Nabbed After Signing Onto the Internet Posted: 05 Dec 2017 09:02 AM PST  Conn was captured in Honduras after he used a restaurant's WiFi signal.
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| Could America's Old Battleships Sink the Navy's New 'Stealth' Destroyers? Posted: 05 Dec 2017 05:18 PM PST  No one has ever hit an Iowa class battleship with 150 6" shells over the course of 30 minutes. Undoubtedly, Wisconsin's armor would provide a great deal of protection from 6" shells armed with fragmentation (rather than armor piercing) warheads. The Wisconsin is armored against 16"/45 shells, which are much heavier and have much greater penetrating power than the land attack munitions fired by Zumwalt.
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| What's with all the upside-down Christmas trees this year? Posted: 06 Dec 2017 11:43 AM PST  As the holidays draw nearer, you may have noticed a weird Christmas trend popping up on social media: the upside-down Christmas tree. So what's the deal? Why are people suddenly turning their Christmas trees on their heads? And is it making anyone else very dizzy? SEE ALSO: People are decorating their pineapples as Christmas trees The upside-down Christmas tree is exactly why I don't bother to keep up with trends - it looks ridiculous �� pic.twitter.com/6ALgFhVmul — emily hill (@itsemilyhill) November 27, 2017 Turns out, upside-down Christmas trees aren't a new thing at all, despite being a very ~2017~ trend. In fact, per The Spruce, their roots are in the Middle Ages, when people would display them to signify the Holy Trinity. Today, they're being touted by retailers like Target as a way to save floor space and start uncomfortable conversations at your Christmas house party. The trees could also be safer for pets, who will be prevented for swiping or chewing at low-hanging ornaments. What they do not appear to be is a part of the imaginary "war of Christmas" — despite what the always flabbergasting Corey Lewandowski says. Here's Fox News and Corey Lewandowski getting offended by upside-down Christmas trees."I am sure that [the first family] will not be turning the tree upside down. They like this country's traditions." pic.twitter.com/TYiFCRyZnQ — Melanie Schmitz (@MelsLien) November 24, 2017 Nah, you'll probably just see these weird, fake foliage triangles in a few Instagram ads. Perhaps, if you're lucky, you'll see one in the wild. Please tweet a photo if you do. We need more evidence that they actually exist. WATCH: The internet is deathly afraid of this year's White House Christmas decorations Every editorial product is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our journalism.
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| Senate votes to pursue tax bill negotiations with House Posted: 06 Dec 2017 03:31 PM PST  By David Morgan and Amanda Becker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans agreed to talks with the House of Representatives on sweeping tax legislation on Wednesday, amid early signs that lawmakers could bridge their differences and agree on a final bill ahead of a self-imposed Dec. 22 deadline. The Republican-led Senate voted 51-47, along party lines with Democrats opposed, to begin formal conference negotiations to reconcile rival House and Senate tax bills passed last week. The move, which follows similar House action this week, brings Congress a step closer to sending President Donald Trump a tax overhaul that he can sign into law.
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| The Latest: Court hears 5 officers' bid to sue a prosecutor Posted: 06 Dec 2017 09:05 AM PST  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Latest on arguments before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on whether Baltimore's prosecutor is immune for a lawsuit filed by five police officers charged but alter cleared in the death of Freddie Gray. (all times local):
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| Christian Leaders Warned Trump Against Recognizing Jerusalem As Israeli Capital Posted: 06 Dec 2017 12:28 PM PST  Christian leaders from within and outside of Jerusalem were among those who warned President Donald Trump about the potential repercussions of recognizing the city as Israel's capital and moving the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv.
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| South Korea to build unit of swarming drones to counter nuclear-armed North Posted: 06 Dec 2017 05:28 AM PST  The South Korean army plans to create a combat unit of weaponised drones next year that would be capable of swarming nuclear-armed North Korea in the event of a conflict. The new defence asset has already been nicknamed the "dronebot", according to South Korean newswire, Yonhap. The army team operating the drones would primarily focus on reconnaissance operations against strategic North Korean military sites, amid growing tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programme. But the unit could be mobilised to launch swarm attacks if necessary, with an army official claiming that drone combat would be a "game changer in warfare" on the Korean peninsula. "The army plans to set up a special organisation to lead the development of dronebots, establish a standard platform and expand the dronebot programme," he said. The North's detonation of a sixth nuclear test and the launch of two new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) this year has increased pressure on South Korean President Moon Jae-in to shore up his nation's defences. S. Korean Army to form weaponized drone unit next year https://t.co/gFcRHGzBkv— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) December 5, 2017 Earlier this year Mr Moon was forced to backtrack on his reluctance to allow the US-operated Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missile shield, known as Thaad, to deploy on South Korean soil. He also secured an agreement with the US to allow South Korea to increase the payload of its missiles. On Wednesday, Seoul said it would increase its annual military budget by seven percent next year, in the biggest jump since 2009, reflecting the increasingly precarious security position on the peninsula. The move to develop weaponised drones indicates the government is heeding calls from Western allies to improve its advanced surveillance systems. The new combat unit will reportedly be modelled on Israeli technology, but several governments, including the US, Russia and China are developing "drone swarm" capabilities as a formidable new battlefield tactic of the future. New developments in artificial intelligence mean that drones will increasingly be able to communicate and coordinate their movements as a group, to defeat conventional weaponry. North Korea has also used drones against its neighbour in the past. Last year South Korean troops fired warning shots at a surveillance drone flying near the demilitarised zone on the border. The military believes that the drone was launched by Pyongyang to try to identify South Korean troop positions. In June, North Korea also used a drone to spy on the deployment of the Thaad anti-missile system.
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| 95+ Cheap and Delicious Recipes for Weeknight Dinners Posted: 05 Dec 2017 02:19 PM PST |
| Sign language interpreter 'makes no sense' in live press conference Posted: 05 Dec 2017 06:35 AM PST  Deaf people who tuned into a police news conference about the arrest of a suspected serial killer were left baffled by the sign language interpreter. "She sat up there and waved her arms like she was singing Jingle Bells," Rachell Settambrino, who is deaf and teaches American Sign Language at the University of South Florida, told the Tampa Bay Times. The force had called the press conference to announce the arrest of Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, on suspicion of killing four people in Tampa's Seminole Heights area.
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| Homeless Boy, 9, Asks for a 'Forever Home' in Tear-Jerking Letter to Santa Posted: 06 Dec 2017 10:33 AM PST  Louis Williams, 9, has lived in 14 homes in his life.
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| Exiled son of Yemen's Saleh takes up anti-Houthi cause Posted: 05 Dec 2017 08:30 AM PST  By Sami Aboudi and Noah Browning SANAA/DUBAI (Reuters) - The powerful exiled son of Yemen's slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed on Tuesday to lead a campaign against the Houthi movement that killed his father after he switched sides in the civil war. The intervention by Ahmed Ali Saleh, a former leader of the elite Republican Guard once seen as a likely successor to his father, gives the anti-Houthi movement in Sanaa a potential figurehead, after a week of fighting that saw the Houthis rout Saleh's supporters in the capital. Yemen's war, pitting the Iran-allied Houthis who control Sanaa against a Saudi-led military alliance backing a government based in the south, has brought what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
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| Bryan Cranston Explains How Anthony Hopkins’ ‘Breaking Bad’ Fan Letter Went Viral Posted: 05 Dec 2017 01:17 PM PST  Soon after, the world — at least the internet — would never be the same.
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| Son of slain black man wants life in prison for ex-officer Posted: 06 Dec 2017 04:56 PM PST  CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The son of a black motorist who was shot to death by a white former police officer asked a judge Wednesday to hand down the stiffest sentence possible: life in prison.
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| Ford Motor Company (F), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) Making a Deal Posted: 06 Dec 2017 08:14 AM PST ![Ford Motor Company (F), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) Making a Deal]( "Ford Motor Company (F), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA) Making a Deal") Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) has taken a lot of heat from investors for arriving late to the game with driverless and electric vehicle technology. Now, however, a new partnership with China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd ( BABA) suggests Ford is open to new ideas when it comes to the future of auto sales. This week, Ford and Alibaba are expected to finalize a deal emphasizing online auto sales in China and a direct-to-consumer "auto vending machine" concept.
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| Sean Hannity Tells Steve Bannon GOP Is 'Dead, Morally Corrupt' Posted: 05 Dec 2017 11:43 AM PST  Fox News' Sean Hannity told Steve Bannon on the Breitbart News Tonight Special Edition radio show that the Republican Party is "dead," "weak" and "morally corrupt."
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| Israel says F-35 stealth fighter jets operational Posted: 06 Dec 2017 08:57 AM PST  Israel' military on Wednesday declared its newly acquired F-35 stealth fighters operational, making it the first country outside of the United States to put the ultra hi-tech jets into service. The Israeli Air Force currently has nine jets out of the total of 50 it has agreed to buy. The aim of the purchase is to allow Israel to maintain its military superiority in the turbulent Middle East, particularly regarding its arch-foe Iran and the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system delivered to it by Russia.
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| 'Everything gone' from Japanese island after N.Korean visit Posted: 04 Dec 2017 09:58 PM PST  Everything metallic -- including a door knob -- has vanished from a remote Japanese island where a group of North Korean fisherman landed briefly to take refuge, a local resident said Tuesday. Including door hinges and a door knob, everything made of metal has gone," said Shusaku Yoshida, the 67-year-old caretaker of a shelter facility for local fishermen. Some of the North Korean fishermen have admitted to "taking out" some things from the small island, according to Jiji press.
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| Jill Duggar Dillard Showcases Her New Henna Tattoo in Sweet Bathtime Photo of Baby Samuel Posted: 05 Dec 2017 05:18 PM PST  Jill (Duggar) Dillard is debuting another new look.
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