| Pope Francis Performs Impromptu Wedding Ceremony Aboard Papal Plane Posted: 18 Jan 2018 08:12 AM PST  Two flight attendants on Pope Francis' papal plane were treated to first-class service on Thursday when the pope helped them officially tie the knot.
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| Eric Trump: 'My father sees one color — green' Posted: 17 Jan 2018 08:09 AM PST  Eric Trump on Wednesday dismissed the backlash over President Trump's caustic comments on immigration that have led some members of the media to label his father a racist.
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| Alligator And Python Locked In Death Duel On Golf Course Posted: 18 Jan 2018 05:03 AM PST  A Naples, Florida, golf course featured a reptilian smackdown between an alligator and Burmese python last week ― and it was caught on camera.
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| Archaeologists in Mexico Claim to Have Discovered the World's Longest Underwater Cave Posted: 17 Jan 2018 06:12 PM PST  The discovery has revealed a combined cave about 216 miles long
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| How to protect your family against the spread of the flu Posted: 17 Jan 2018 07:54 AM PST  This year's outbreak is widespread in every state but Hawaii, and has gotten so bad in Alabama that the governor has declared a public health emergency.
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| India Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable ICBM Posted: 18 Jan 2018 03:22 AM PST  India successfully test-fired a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday in what officials called a "major boost" to the country's strategic defense system.
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| China planning to send robot sub to sunken ship Posted: 17 Jan 2018 02:46 AM PST  BEIJING (AP) — China is preparing to send a robot submarine possibly followed by divers to explore and plug holes in a sunken Iranian oil tanker whose 32 crew members are all believed to have died, the Transport Ministry said Wednesday.
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| California abuse case sparks calls for home-schooling oversight Posted: 18 Jan 2018 07:07 AM PST ![California abuse case sparks calls for home-schooling oversight]( "California abuse case sparks calls for home-schooling oversight") The number of U.S. children educated at home has doubled to about 1.7 million, or 3 percent of the nation's school-age population, from 1999, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. "We would not say abuse is more common among home-schoolers, but when it does occur, there are fewer safeguards, less to stop it from spinning out of control," said Executive Director Rachel Coleman. The organization has called for requiring annual contacts by outside officials and background checks for parents who run home schools.
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| New York Times Opinion Page To Publish Letters From Trump Supporters Posted: 17 Jan 2018 05:57 PM PST  The New York Times announced online Wednesday that the Thursday print edition would feature a number of letters from supporters of President Donald Trump "in the spirit of open debate."
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| Fears of serial child killer in infamous Pakistan city Posted: 17 Jan 2018 12:44 AM PST  The rape and murders of a dozen children by a suspected serial killer have terrified parents in central Pakistan, and prompted soul-searching over how the country fails to protect its most vulnerable. The killing of six-year-old Zainab Fatima Ameen became the tipping point last week when her body was found on a rubbish heap near her home in the city of Kasur. Candlelight vigils were held across the country and the hashtag #JusticeForZainab trended on social media, with celebrities, opposition politicians and outraged web users demanding action.
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| Former Gymnastics Coach Tells Larry Nassar To 'Go To Hell' During Sentencing Posted: 17 Jan 2018 03:12 PM PST  A coach who sent more than 100 girls to Larry Nassar for medical treatment told the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University team doctor to "go to hell" in court Wednesday.
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| California community reeling over Turpin 'house of horrors': 'I served them pizza while their children were starving?' Posted: 17 Jan 2018 10:34 AM PST  The quiet California community of Perris has been left reeling after the discovery of 13 children found chained and malnourished in squalid conditions in their parents' house. Matthew Alex Padilla, a 20-year-old former Marine, said he was sickened to learn that Louise Turpin, the woman he served pizza to near the Perris property, had a house full of starving children. Mr Padilla has worked at Leonardi's Pizza inside the WinCo supermarket for a year, and told The Telegraph he last saw Mrs Turpin a week or so ago. "Louise was in here every other day," he said. "Sometimes with her husband, and a few times with a little girl, but never more than one. "We knew each other, and would chat – she was normal, if maybe a bit reserved. I had no idea she had 13 children, because she'd only ever order a slice of pepperoni, or a chicken club sandwich with no tomato. David Allen Turpin, 57, and Louise Anna Turpin, 49, were arrested after the discovery of the 13 children Credit: AFP "I've seen her buy food and eat, and yet there were 13 hungry kids at home? That's messed up. They should be sentenced to a long time in jail. To do that to your kids – it's not OK." Louise and her husband David forced their offspring to march around the house, drill formation, at the dead of night, one neighbour claimed. Mike Clifford, a 60-year-old aerospace machinist, lived opposite the family for three years in Murrieta, where the couple rented a six-bedroom home between 2011 and 2014. Described by their family as "deeply religious", the Turpins home-schooled their children and the youngsters were rarely seen in the community. "We thought they were mentally handicapped kids, so they kept them in," said Mr Clifford, who worked late shifts and would catch sight of them in the evenings. "I never saw them play. What we did used to see a lot was on the second floor, the kids would be walking in circles like they were marching for hours at a time. It was military like." He told the Mail Online he would see the Turpins bundling their children into their minivan at least twice a month in the early hours of the morning as he arrived home. Neighbours stand outside the house where the children were found Credit: Los Angeles Times "They would load up the kids at about one in the morning," he said. "The garage doors would just pop open and half a dozen kids would get into the van and then they'd drive off. "My weirdest thought was that they were selling the kids, sexually or whatever." Despite his concerns, Mr Clifford says he never saw anything that would have warranted a call to the police and said the children appeared clean, if "robotic" when spoken to. In 2014 the family moved up the road to Perris, from where the alarm was raised by their 17-year-old daughter on Sunday morning. Inside the house, police found 12 more of the couple's children, aged two to 29, begging for water and food, some shackled to the bed in a stench-filled room. Gabriela Del Toro, manager at the Primos Mexican restaurant in Perris, said that Mrs Turpin would come in several times a week to get takeaway food – but never in family-sized quantities. "She was pleasant enough – there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary," she said. "It's mad to think that was going on just down the road." The couple posted several pictures from family outings on their Facebook page Mr Turpin's parents were also left reeling by the news. James Turpin, who lives near Princeton, West Virginia, with his wife Betty, told his local newspaper that their son was "a fine person". David Turpin grew up in West Virginia's Green Valley area and studied at Virginia Tech before moving away – first to Texas, then to California. "He did an outstanding job and worked in school, and the last time we were out there was about six years ago," he said. "The kids were fine. They were healthy and nothing was wrong. "I cannot understand. I'm going to talk to the kids as soon as they let me. I'm getting ready to make a call." Their other son, Randy, president of Valor Christian College in Ohio, said he was estranged from his brother and has taken leave to deal with the fallout. Yet on Mrs Turpin's side of the family, a more damaging picture was presented. Elizabeth Jane Flores, her 41-year-old sister, appeared on US breakfast television on Wednesday and said her family tried "for years" to get in touch with her sister - but "she just shut us out of her life" for decades. "I want to reach out to the kids, I want them to know that for years we begged to Skype, we begged to see them, the whole family," she said. The couple are being held on a $9 million bond Credit: Barcroft Media Mrs Flores said she lived with her sister and brother-in-law for a few months when she was at university. At the time, the couple only had four children and the eldest was in elementary school. "I thought they were really strict, but I didn't see any type of abuse," she said of the parents. "Now that I'm an adult, I look back, I see things that I didn't see then." She also said she had "uncomfortable" experiences with her brother-in-law but never told anyone because she was "young" and "scared." "He did things that made me feel uncomfortable," she said. "If I were to get in the shower, he would come in there while I was in there and watch me, and it was like a joke. He never touched me or anything." Mrs Flores said her mother drove for hours to visit the family in Texas at one point, but the Turpins didn't let her inside the house. A few years later, Mrs Flores said, her father bought a flight to see the family but his daughter told him not to come, insisting she would visit them instead – which they never did. Another sister, Teresa Robinette, said that Mrs Turpin did not visit her parents even when they begged, on their death beds, to see her. "She didn't even show up to either of their funerals," she said. "So we have really no connection with Louise in a long, long time since we were young." She said her sister had married Mr Turpin when she was 16. "We always thought she was living the perfect life. She would tell us they went to Disneyland all the time. They would go to Vegas." But, she admits, in hindsight there were signs of neglect. "I always made comments to Louise when I talked to her about: 'Gosh, they're so skinny,'" she told NBC's Today show. "And she would laugh it off: 'Well David's so tall and lanky, they're going to be like him.' "I can't even say the words to you that I would like to say to her — I'm so angry inside."
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| White House releases report on foreign-born criminals in the U.S. Posted: 17 Jan 2018 12:26 PM PST  During a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, January 17, The Justice Department's National Security Division released a report on criminals in the U.S. who were foreign-born.
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| 'I Feel Horrible.' Former University of Alabama Student Apologies After Using Racial Slur in Video Posted: 17 Jan 2018 04:55 PM PST  She was also kicked out of the Alpha Phi sorority
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| Venezuela talks off in row over fugitive ex-policeman's death Posted: 18 Jan 2018 09:46 AM PST ![Venezuela talks off in row over fugitive ex-policeman's death]( "Venezuela talks off in row over fugitive ex-policeman's death") Talks between Venezuela's government and the opposition coalition foundered on Thursday after the opposition denied providing information that led to the death of a rogue former policeman and six other anti-government militants. Oscar Perez, a photogenic former pilot who once starred in an action film, was killed on Monday along with six others in a police raid on a remote house. Last year he used a hijacked helicopter to attack government buildings and stole weapons from a military base in what he called a rebellion against President Nicolas Maduro.
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| What about the memory test Trump aced? It's not for everyone Posted: 17 Jan 2018 02:46 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Drawing a clock. Counting backward by sevens. Rattling off words that begin with "F'' before a minute's up.
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| Turpin parents plead not guilty as it's revealed 17-year-old who raised the alarm plotted escape for two years Posted: 18 Jan 2018 02:43 PM PST  The father of 13 children held in captivity in California has been charged with carrying out a lewd act against a child, as it emerged that the 17-year-old who raised the alarm had plotted her escape for two years. Appearing before a judge in Riverside on Thursday afternoon, Mr and Mrs Turpin plead not guilty to all charges against them. The pair were led in chains into Judge Michael Donner's courtroom in Riverside, wearing prison-issue black long-sleeved clothes. The couple were given two different lawyers to represent them, allowing each to claim the other has more culpability if they wish, according to Mrs Turpin's attorney Jeff Moore. David Macher, the public defender representing Mr Turpin, admitted it would be "a challenge" to defend his client. But, he added: "Our clients are presumed to be innocent. It's a very important assumption and it applies to each and every one of you. We're going to apply a vigorous defence to Mr Turpin." When asked by a reporter why Mr Turpin appeared dazed, Mr Macher said he was "not in a position to discuss his mental state in public at this time." Mr Macher had attempted to block live broadcast of video from the courtroom, but Judge Donner denied his request, saying that the coverage had already "spanned the globe". Prosecutors detailing the case against David and Louise Turpin said that the house contained hundreds of journals kept by the children, which they believe will be crucial in building a case against the parents. David and Louise Turpin Mr Turpin, 57, and his wife, 49, are charged with abuse dating back to 2010. Michael Hestrin, Riverside County district attorney, said that both Mr and Mrs Turpin were charged on Thursday morning with 12 counts of torture and 12 counts of false imprisonment. "Right now we are charging one count of a lewd act," said Mr Hestrin. "The charge is a lewd act on a child under 14. We are alleging that Mr Turpin touched one of the children in a lewd way." The pair had 13 children, aged two to 29, but the charges were not in relation to the two-year-old, who appears, prosecutors said, to have been spared the treatment inflicted on their siblings. Turpin family house map In addition, the couple face seven counts of abuse of a dependent adult, and six counts of child abuse. "This is severe emotional and physical abuse," he said. "This is depraved conduct." The horrific abuse was discovered when one of the children, a 17-year-old girl, escaped by climbing out a window of the house and calling police from a disconnected mobile phone. Mr Hestrin said the girl had been planning the escape with one of her sisters for two years. The sister climbed out of the window with her, but turned back out of fear, he said. "The 17-year-old had been working on a plan with her sibling to escape the abuse for more than two years," said Mr Hestrin. "She took her sibling with her through window, but that sibling became frightened and went back." Police congratulated the girl on her bravery. Lawyers for David Turpin said he appeared 'dazed' Credit: Reuters Mr Hestrin alleged that the children, currently in hospital, were nocturnal - typically going to sleep around 5am and sleeping all day, and then being awake all night. Their parents would only let them shower once a year, he claimed. Mr Hestrin claimed the Turpins would lock up their children for weeks on end as a "form of punishment", and left them severely malnourished after feeding them just once a day. "As a punishment starting many years ago they began to be tied up, first with ropes," said Mr Hestrin. "One victim was tied up and hog tied. When that victim was able to escape the ropes the defendants started using chains and padlocks. "These punishments would last for weeks or even months," he alleged. "The victims were often not released from their chains to go to the bathroom." Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announces charges against David Turpin, 56, and Louise Turpin, 49, in Riverside Credit: LUCY NICHOLSON/Reuters Mr Hestrin claimed all 13 of the children were hospitalised with "severe caloric malnutrition connected with muscle wasting." The oldest child, a 29-year-old woman, weighed just five stone (82lbs) when she was rescued by police. Doctors said some of the children were suffering from cognitive neuropathy as a result of the abuse, meaning their mental age was much lower than their real age. Mr Hestrin claimed the children were also subject to "frequent beatings and even strangulation" as punishment for washing. David and Louise Turpin with their children as the couple renew their vows in 2015 Credit: Facebook "If the children were found to wash their hands above the wrist area they would be accused of playing in the water and would be locked up," said the district attorney. Mr and Mrs Turpin would buy food for themselves, but not for the children, Mr Hestrin said. They would further torture their hungry family by leaving food out in their line of sight. "The parents would buy food for themselves – pies, pumpkin pies, apple pies; leave it on the counter and not let the children eat it," he said. He added that the children were not allowed to play. "They were not allowed toys, although there were many toys in the house in their original packaging, and never opened," he said. Media report from the home of the Turpin family Credit: BILL WECHTER/AFP The pair were arrested on Sunday after the 17-year-old escaped from their home in Perris, climbing out of a window and alerting the police. On arriving at the house they found that two of the children - an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old - had been freed by their siblings. A 22-year-old was still chained to the bed when police entered. Bail has been set at $13 million for each of the defendants. "If convicted of all charges, they face 94 (years) up to life in prison," Mr Hestrin told reporters in Riverside. On Thursday afternoon the couple will appear in court, and are expected to face charges of torture and child endangerment.
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| Toyota Calls Off EPA Partnership Under Pressure From Environmentalists Posted: 17 Jan 2018 08:57 AM PST  Toyota Motor Corp. has ended talks with the Environmental Protection Agency to overhaul internal management practices at the agency, the automaker told HuffPost on Wednesday.
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| There's A Really Dumb Reason Why Some Teens Are Eating Tide Pods Posted: 17 Jan 2018 08:38 AM PST  Health officials are urging the public not to eat laundry detergent packets amid an uptick in intentional exposures and ingestions among teenagers, and we can thank a running online joke for it.
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| Pence Plan to Target Aid for Christians in Iraq Sparks Concern Posted: 17 Jan 2018 08:24 AM PST  Aid experts fear the Trump administration's focus on Christians and other religious minorities could do more harm than good.
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| CA authorities detail torture and abuse children faced at the hands of their parents Posted: 18 Jan 2018 01:41 PM PST  On Thursday, January 18, California DA Michael Hestrin outlined the torture and abuse 13 children faced at the hands of their parents David and Louise Turpin.
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| Norfolk Southern pushing for 'more stable' rail service in 2018: CEO Posted: 18 Jan 2018 09:32 AM PST ![Norfolk Southern pushing for 'more stable' rail service in 2018: CEO]( "Norfolk Southern pushing for 'more stable' rail service in 2018: CEO") Norfolk Southern Corp is working toward a "more stable, resilient" network for 2018 following service issues in recent months, the No. 4 U.S. railroad's top executive said on Thursday. Norfolk's rail network, which spans 22 states across the eastern United States, grappled with a storm in the Southeast earlier this month and struggled with other service issues such as periodic crew shortages in 2017.
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| Mother-daughter polio team shot dead in Pakistan: police Posted: 18 Jan 2018 01:43 AM PST  A mother and daughter polio vaccination team were gunned down Thursday in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta as they were immunizing children, police said, the latest deaths in the country's long campaign against the disease. The duo were killed in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city, capital of restive Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and poorest province. "Sakina Bibi, 38 and her daughter Rizwana Bibi, 16, were killed by unknown assailants while they were administering polio drops to children," senior police official Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya told AFP.
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| Donald Trump's medical reveals serious heart disease concerns, say doctors Posted: 18 Jan 2018 02:17 AM PST  Doctors have expressed concerns about the condition of Donald Trump's heart, contradicting the White House physician who said the US President was in "excellent" cardiac health. White House doctor Dr Ronny L Jackson gave the positive medical assessment of Mr Trump despite his LDL cholesterol level being 143, well above the ideal score of 100 or less. Cardiologists said Mr Trump was at risk of having a stroke or a heart attack, particularly since he is overweight and has a sedentary lifestyle.
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| Authorities: Deputy fatally shoots teen in Ohio courtroom Posted: 17 Jan 2018 02:33 PM PST ![Authorities: Deputy fatally shoots teen in Ohio courtroom]( "Authorities: Deputy fatally shoots teen in Ohio courtroom") COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A deputy fatally shot a 16-year-old boy in an Ohio courtroom when a fight broke out involving the boy, his family and the officer on Wednesday, a sheriff's office investigator said.
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| Passenger plane skids off runway in Turkey's Trabzon Airport Posted: 18 Jan 2018 05:00 AM PST ![Passenger plane skids off runway in Turkey's Trabzon Airport]( "Passenger plane skids off runway in Turkey's Trabzon Airport") Turkish authorities are using a large crane to lift a passenger plane that skidded off a runway in northern Turkey and stopped on the side of a slope just meters away from the Black Sea. The Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800, with 168 people on board, overshot the runway while landing at Trabzon Airport on Jan. 13.
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| 19 Attorneys General Call On Congress To Legalize Banking For Weed Industry Posted: 17 Jan 2018 03:35 PM PST  Attorneys general from over a dozen states where some form of marijuana use has been legalized are urging Congress to pass legislation that would allow banks to provide services to cannabis businesses without risking federal prosecution.
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| Chris Christie Didn't Break a Leg While Governor of New Jersey. Here's Why That's a Big Deal Posted: 17 Jan 2018 12:01 PM PST  Republican Chris Christie left the New Jersey governor's office with his popularity in tatters, but at least he didn't break a leg
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| The Best Instant Pot Recipes To Make With The Pressure Cooker Feature Posted: 18 Jan 2018 02:46 AM PST  No matter how hard you fight it, an Instant Pot is almost certainly going to weasel its way into your life at some point.
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| California couple charged with torture of own children Posted: 18 Jan 2018 12:05 PM PST  A California couple who held their 13 malnourished children captive in a suburban home were charged Thursday with multiple counts of torture and child abuse as prosecutors said the youngsters had been shackled even to go to the bathroom. David Allen Turpin, 57, and his wife Louise Anna Turpin, 49 were hit with 12 counts of torture, 12 of false imprisonment, six of child abuse and six of abuse of a dependent adult at a court hearing in the city of Riverside. David Turpin was also charged with committing a lewd act against a child by force or fear or duress, District Attorney Mike Hestrin told a press conference, adding that bail had been set at $13 million for each of the defendants.
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| Barry Allen Displays a New Power in "Trial of The Flash" Posted: 16 Jan 2018 06:35 PM PST  He's got some conviction.
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| Fishermen dive into river moments before motorboat smashes into vessel Posted: 18 Jan 2018 05:31 AM PST  A group of fisherman were forced to dive into a freezing cold river to escape being crushed by a motorboat bearing down on their small vessel. Bryan Maess was fishing with friends near the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon when the motorboat crashed straight into the small boat in August last year. Footage captured on a GoPro mounted inside the fishing boat shows Mr Maess frantically waving at the boat as it approaches to get the driver's attention. He repeatedly shouts 'hey!' as the vessel gets closer, while another on board is heard saying 'oh my god' before the trio dive into the water. Mr Maess has filed a $372,500 (£270k) lawsuit against the driver of the boat, who told police he could not see the fishing party as the dash of his boat was blocking his view, The Oregonian reports. The trip were forced to dive into the water The fisherman suffered injuries to his ankle, leg and arms in the incident and has had vision problems and headaches since, the lawsuit says. Mr Maess claims in the suit that the boat driver, Marlin Lee Larsen, was distracted while using his mobile phone when the incident occurred. However Mr Larsen told local media the allegations were "fake news". The 75-year-old has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of the reckless operation of a boat, fourth-degree assault and recklessly endangering the lives of others. The case is ongoing. There are no laws prohibiting the use of a mobile phone when driving a boat in Oregon, however there are laws against operating a boat without due care. Investigators say the trio could have been killed or seriously injured if they hadn't jumped into the water.
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| Interior official blasts resignation of parks advisory board Posted: 17 Jan 2018 05:00 PM PST  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A U.S. Interior Department official on Wednesday blasted the resignation of most members of a board that advises it on national parks, suggesting the move was politically motivated and their work was flawed.
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| The Difference Between Dating And Marriage, As Told In Tweets Posted: 18 Jan 2018 09:01 AM PST  Early on in a relationship, both partners put their best foot forward, showing off the most pleasant, polished versions of themselves.
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| This Guy's Response To His Girlfriend's Selfie Is Extra AF Posted: 17 Jan 2018 03:10 PM PST  Being a little bit extra paid off big for one boyfriend.
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| Democrats win special election for Wisconsin state Senate seat held by Republicans for past 17 years Posted: 17 Jan 2018 02:02 AM PST  A Democrat has won a special election for a state senate seat which had been held by Republicans for the past 17 years. Patty Schachtner beat Republican Adam Jarchow by nine points in Wisconsin's rural 10th Senate District - yet another victory for Democrats in a district Donald Trump won by 17 points in the presidential election just over a year ago. In 2016, former Republican incumbent Sheila Harsdorf took the seat with 63.2 per cent of the vote.
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| 'Bookkeeper of Auschwitz's' plea for mercy rejected - German media Posted: 17 Jan 2018 01:59 AM PST !['Bookkeeper of Auschwitz's' plea for mercy rejected - German media]( "'Bookkeeper of Auschwitz's' plea for mercy rejected - German media") A plea for clemency from a 96-year-old German convicted over his role in the murders of 300,000 people at the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland has been rejected, German media cited prosecutors as saying on Wednesday. Oskar Groening, known as the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz", was sentenced to four years in prison in 2015 for being an accessory to murder at Auschwitz. No one at the prosecutor's office in Lueneburg, where Groening's trial took place in 2015, was immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.
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| Bannon says under White House orders not to answer House committee Posted: 17 Jan 2018 01:35 AM PST  Former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon Tuesday refused to answer questions from a congressional committee probing the president's campaign links to Russia, saying he was under orders from the White House not to. Bannon was quizzed voluntarily behind closed doors by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, the first time he has testified in the probe investigating whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia in its bid to influence the 2016 US elections. It was unlikely to be Bannon's last such testimony: the New York Times and the Washington Post reported late Tuesday that Bannon has been subpoenaed by Robert Mueller, the Justice Department special counsel investigating the same issue.
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| Passenger plane lifted away from cliff edge after Turkey runway incident Posted: 18 Jan 2018 06:27 AM PST  A passenger plane that skidded off a Turkish airport runway has been lifted away from its precarious position on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Black Sea. Two enormous cranes were used to hoist the Pegasus Airlines plane which ran into trouble moments after landing at Trabzon Airport on Turkey's northeast coastline on 13 January. The 162 passengers on board the Boeing 737-800 miraculously escaped without any serious injuries after the out-of-control plane suddenly veered off an icy runway and hurtled down the side of the cliff. Cranes are used to lift a passenger plane that skidded off a runway in Turkey's Trabzon Airport Credit: Anadolu Agency / Getty It stopped just a few metres short of the sea below after the plane's wheels became stuck in the mud on the cliff. Passengers were evacuated following an anxious 20-minute wait for emergency crews to arrive. The pilot and co-pilot, who both passed breathalyser tests after an investigation into the incident was launched, reported a sudden 'engine surge' after landing. An investigation into what caused the incident has been launched Credit: Seyit Ahmet Eksik /Anadolu Agency / Getty "When we were going to make our usual manoeuvre towards the right from the seaside by reducing our speed, the right engine suddenly gained speed for a reason we do now know," a pilot told Trabzon prosecutors, the Dogan news agency reports. "Due to this speed, the plane got out of our control and suddenly swung to the left and got stuck into the mud in the cliff." People work on the Pegasus Airlines recovery operation Credit: AP Photo /Lefteris Pitarakis Turkey's civil aviation authority will now examine the plane's black box to try and establish what caused it to veer so dramatically off course. Terrified passenger Fatma Gördü told Turkish media the plane began suddenly shaking on the runway. A Pegasus plane skidded off the runway and got stuck in some mud on the side of a cliff Credit: Hakan Burak Altunoz/Anadolu Agency/Getty "We tilted to the side, the front was down while the plane's rear was up. There was panic. People shouting, screaming," she said. Pegasus Airlines said in a statement that Flight PC 8622 "had a runway excursion incident during landing". Another passenger, Yüksel Gördü, said it was "a miracle" that they survived the ordeal.
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| Ukraine passes bill to get occupied regions back from Russia Posted: 18 Jan 2018 09:12 AM PST  KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's parliament on Thursday passed a bill that aims to reintegrate the eastern territories currently controlled by Russia-backed separatists, and goes as far as to declare support for taking them back by military force if necessary.
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