| Cory Booker Suggests Supporting Brett Kavanaugh Makes One 'Complicit' In Evil Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:32 AM PDT  Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) drew sharp criticism from Republicans this week
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| Orca mother keeps her dead calf afloat in extraordinary display of grief Posted: 26 Jul 2018 08:20 PM PDT  Her calf is dead but an orca mother has been spotted in a heartbreaking exhibition of maternal care - or grief - gently trying to keep her offspring afloat. As the carcase sinks in the water she has been gently using her forehead to prop it out of the water and nudge it onwards in choppy seas for the past two days, according to researchers who say the population of whales along the British Columbia coastline is struggling to reproduce. Ken Balcomb of the Centre for Whale Research, said food shortages - including the endangered Chinook salmon - meant females were unable to deliver healthy offspring. The calf only survived for about 45 minutes and was the first born to the pod off the West Coast in the past three years, he told ABC News. "They should be having nine babies a year -- anywhere from six to nine babies a year," he said. Grieving mothers can keep their dead calf afloat for up to a week Credit: David Ellifrit/Centre for Whale Research via AP However, this cow had not given birth in the past three years after previously having several each year. "It's very sad," he said. "We know that it's food." The newborn calf was born to J35, as the mother is known, while the pod passed along the shore of Victoria. But by the time researchers scrambled to photograph and document the new arrival it had died. Since its death, the population has travelled several miles towards the US territory of San Juan Island. 10 of the best whale watching destinations A resident told the Centre for Whale Research, that five or six females appeared to move in a tight-knit circle, rotating for almost two hours.pod engaged in what appeared to be a moonlit ceremony. "As the light dimmed, I was able to watch them continue what seemed to be a ritual or ceremony," they said. "They stayed directly centered in the moonbeam, even as it moved. The lighting was too dim to see if the baby was still being kept afloat. It was both sad and special to witness this behaviour." Scientists have document previous examples of whales mourning dead calves, sometimes keeping them afloat on the heads or in their mouths. The orca population of the Pacific North West has reached a 30-year low of 75.
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| Amazon’s Face Recognition Tool Confused 28 Lawmakers With Arrestees Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:16 AM PDT  Amazon's facial recognition tool incorrectly matched the faces of 28 lawmakers
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| Brock Turner Says Sexual Assault Conviction Should Be Thrown Out Because He Was Having 'Outercourse' Posted: 26 Jul 2018 12:05 PM PDT  A former prosecutor called Turner's argument "ridiculous"
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| I've never been in favor of Wikileaks' activities, says Ecuador president Posted: 27 Jul 2018 04:17 AM PDT  By Sonya Dowsett MADRID (Reuters) - Ecuador's president, signaling his government's desire to end the long sojourn of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy, said on Friday he had never supported Assange's leaking activities. President Lenin Moreno confirmed a July 15 report in London's Sunday Times that Ecuador and Britain were in talks to try to end Assange's stay at the embassy where he successfully sought asylum in 2012. Moreno said any eviction of Assange from the embassy had to be carried out correctly and through dialogue, but he displayed no sympathy for Assange's political agenda as a leaker of confidential documents.
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| Colombian Cartel Puts $70,000 Price On The Head Of Drug-Sniffing Dog Posted: 27 Jul 2018 04:31 AM PDT  A drug-sniffing dog that helped law-enforcement authorities in Colombia find
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| What Tesla's New Patent Can Tell Us About Elon Musk's Future Models Posted: 27 Jul 2018 09:41 AM PDT  Tesla's working on making safer batteries.
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| New EPA chief's first moves show he's following Pruitt's agenda, without the sirens Posted: 26 Jul 2018 06:36 AM PDT  After Andrew Wheeler took over at the head of the EPA, his first major action was to overhaul a 2015 Obama regulation for the disposal of coal ash. Wheeler seems likely to take the same path as Scott Pruitt but with more cunning and fewer scandals, which could ultimately mean more success in seeing through Trump's deregulations.
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| Some Syrian refugees oppose Russian repatriation push Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:47 AM PDT  AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Even as Russia pushes to repatriate Syrians who fled their country amid civil war, many of the refugees in Jordan said Thursday they will not return before the war has ended and their safety is assured.
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| Iraqi Airways suspends pilots who fought in-flight over food Posted: 26 Jul 2018 06:21 AM PDT  Iraqi Airways has suspended two of its pilots for getting into a fight -- over a food tray -- during an international flight with more than 150 passengers on board. "Conversation with the pilot became heated because he forbade an air hostess from bringing me a meal tray, under the pretext that I hadn't asked him for authorisation," the co-pilot said in a letter addressed to Iraqi Airways management, seen by AFP. The duo went on to land the plane safely in Baghdad, only to continue their quarrel after landing.
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| Late Night TV Hosts Roast Trump By Releasing Their Own Mocking Michael Cohen Tapes Posted: 26 Jul 2018 01:17 AM PDT  Late night TV hosts covered the emergence of a secretly recorded conversation
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| Japan hangs 6 more members of cult behind subway gas attack Posted: 25 Jul 2018 09:18 PM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — The last six members of a Japanese doomsday cult who remained on death row were executed Thursday for a series of crimes in the 1990s including a sarin gas attack on Tokyo subways that killed 13 people.
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| Ethiopian Nile dam manager found shot dead, crowds call for justice Posted: 26 Jul 2018 12:59 PM PDT  By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The project manager of a $4 billion Ethiopian dam was found shot dead in his vehicle in Addis Ababa on Thursday, police said, prompting scores of people to take to the streets in the capital and his home city calling for justice. "We have confirmed that engineer Simegnew Bekele was shot dead ... He had a bullet wound behind his right ear," the head of Ethiopia's Federal Police Commission, Zeinu Jemal, told reporters. Zeinu said a Colt pistol was found in the vehicle in the city's Meskel Square - a massive road junction and open space usually packed with vehicles and pedestrians during daylight hours.
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| Samantha Bee Uses NRA's Own Scare Tactics Against It In Pitch-Perfect Parody Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:09 AM PDT  Samantha Bee spent Wednesday night tearing into the NRA for remaining silent
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| Arson arrest made as Cranston Fire forces evacuations, burns 11,500 acres in Southern California Posted: 26 Jul 2018 06:28 AM PDT  A fast-moving fire in Riverside County, California, has burned 11,500 acres and five structures since it began on Wednesday. The fire has threatened hundreds of homes and forced evacuations.
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| Pakistan parties demand new elections as Khan wins vote Posted: 27 Jul 2018 01:10 PM PDT  Pakistan's main parties rejected the outcome of elections won by cricket star Imran Khan and announced protests demanding new polls Friday, after foreign observers criticised the pivotal vote over rigging allegations. The announcement by the All Parties Conference (APC), including the outgoing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is a fresh obstacle to power for Khan on a day when delayed results finally showed he had won an emphatic victory -- though he will need to seek a coalition to form a government. The nationwide election held Wednesday has been criticised by the United States, the European Union and other observers after widespread claims that the powerful military was trying to fix the playing field in Khan's favour.
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| The 20 Funniest Tweets From Women This Week (July 20-27) Posted: 27 Jul 2018 06:01 AM PDT  The ladies of Twitter never fail to brighten our days with brilliant ― but
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| Slaying at scenic mountain inn rattles seasonal workers Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:55 PM PDT  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A woman working a summer job at a North Carolina mountain lodge was out hiking when, authorities say, a co-worker attacked her and left her lifeless body steps from a famed scenic highway.
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| Disneyland Resort proposes to raise minimum wage for California park workers Posted: 27 Jul 2018 12:14 AM PDT  The agreement with Master Services Council, provides for a minimum wage rate increase of 40 percent within two years of the deal, making it one of the highest minimum wages in the country, Disneyland Resort said. Subsequently, hourly wages will increase to $15 in January and rise further to $15.45 in mid-June 2020, Disneyland said. Disneyland Resort, which features two theme parks – Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, said the agreement also includes at least 3 percent increases to wage rates for each year of the contract term for those near or above the minimum rates.
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| Cairo Zoo Denies Its Zebras Are Really Donkeys With Painted Stripes Posted: 26 Jul 2018 01:41 PM PDT  A zoo in Cairo is allegedly showing its true stripes by passing off painted
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| Could a parasite carried by your cat make you more entrepreneurial? Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:55 AM PDT  Possibly, according to new US research, which found that a parasite carried by our furry friends could make infected humans more entrepreneurial and more likely to pursue business-related activities. Although infected humans often don't show any acute symptoms, growing evidence suggests that T. gondii may influence behavior, with previous research linking it to more impulsive behaviors, an increased risk of car accidents, road rage, mental illness, neuroticism, drug abuse, and even suicide. In addition, when the researchers carried out a survey of 197 adult professionals attending entrepreneurship events, they found that T. gondii-positive individuals were 1.8 times more likely to have started their own business compared with other attendees.
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| House Republicans move to impeach deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:38 AM PDT  A group of Republicans infuriated at the investigation into Russian meddling in the election have launched a bid to impeach Rod Rosenstein, the man overseeing Robert Mueller's work. Mark Meadows, a congressman from North Carolina, said Mr Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, had behaved in a "reprehensible" way. He and his 10 colleagues argue that Mr Rosenstein, who supervises the Mueller inquiry, has kept congress in the dark about the progress of the investigation. Mr Mueller was appointed by Mr Rosenstein in May 2017, after Mr Sessions recused himself. Mr Rosenstein is the only person with constitutional authority to fire Mr Mueller, and must approve matters that fall inside his jurisdiction. Mr Mueller must also follow justice department regulations and consult with Mr Rosenstein about how to handle matters outside his jurisdiction. Mr Rosenstein is charged in five articles of "high crimes and misdemeanors" for failing to produce information to the committees - even though the department has already provided politicians with more than 800,000 documents - and of signing off on what some Republicans say was improper surveillance of Trump adviser Carter Page, with a FISA warrant. That warrant was also signed by a federal judge. Robert Mueller was appointed in May 2017 to lead an investigation into Russian meddling in the November 2016 election Credit: AP The resolution also questions whether the investigation was started on legitimate grounds, and criticises Mr Rosenstein for refusing to produce a memo detailing the scope of Mr Mueller's work. It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for politicians to demand documents that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation. And the 11 Republicans' move appeared unlikely to gain much traction. Indeed, Mr Meadows himself chose not to force an immediate vote on the impeachment resolution, even though he could use procedural manoeuvres to do so. That is being seen as a sign that he knows he would not get enough support for the resolution to pass. Republican leaders have not signed on to the effort and are unlikely to back it. Rod Rosenstein, deputy attorney general, with Jeff Sessions, his boss Credit: AP Trey Gowdy, a member of the Tea Party who chairs the House oversight committee, said after meeting with justice department officials earlier this month that he was pleased with the department's efforts. Paul Ryan, the most senior Republican in the House, has also said he is satisfied with progress on the document production. On Thursday he dismissed the moved by the 11 Republicans as unnecessary. He said the department of justice was largely complying with demand for documents surrounding the investigation. "I don't think we should be cavalier with this process or this term," he said of impeachment. "I don't think this rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors." The House leaves on Thursday afternoon for a five-week recess. In a joint statement, the top Democrats on the House judiciary, oversight and government reform and intelligence committees called the move a "panicked and dangerous attempt to undermine an ongoing criminal investigation in an effort to protect President Trump as the walls are closing in around him and his associates." So far, Mr Mueller, the special counsel, has charged 32 people and three companies. That includes four Trump campaign advisers and 12 Russian intelligence officers.
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| Rep. Jim Jordan Is Running To Be Speaker Of The House. He's Also Accused Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse. Posted: 26 Jul 2018 11:46 AM PDT  Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced his bid to run for House speaker on
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| Trump demands Turkey 'immediately' release US pastor Posted: 26 Jul 2018 12:51 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump demanded Thursday that Turkey free a detained American pastor, warning Washington was ready to impose "large sanctions" against its NATO ally. Andrew Brunson, who ran a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was first detained in October 2016 on terror-related charges. Brunson was moved from jail to house arrest on Wednesday, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the move was "not enough" -- and Trump doubled down on Thursday.
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| GOP Congressman Insults Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Then Fundraises Off Of It Posted: 26 Jul 2018 05:21 PM PDT  WASHINGTON ― If Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) ever leaves politics, he should
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| Taiwan denounces China moves to limit its global profile Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:22 AM PDT  TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan on Thursday denounced China's latest moves to increase its global isolation, saying residents of the self-governing island would reject attempts to deny its existence.
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| We suspect arson, Greek minister says of wildfire Posted: 26 Jul 2018 12:32 PM PDT  By Michele Kambas and Karolina Tagaris MATI, Greece (Reuters) - Greece said on Thursday it suspected arson was behind a devastating forest fire which killed at least 83 people and turned the small town of Mati east of Athens into a wasteland of death and destruction. "We have serious indications and significant signs suggesting the criminal actions of arson," Civil Protection Minister Nikos Toskas told a news conference. With the toll from Greece's deadliest wildfire in decades expected to rise further, about 300 firemen and volunteers were still combing the area on Thursday for dozens still missing.
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| Top 5 Sergio Marchionne automotive masterstrokes Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:40 AM PDT  We've lost a true automotive visionary this week. Here we look at five of Serigio Marchionne's contemporary cars destined to become modern classics
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| Judge Says Suit Challenging Citizenship Question On 2020 Census Can Advance Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:41 AM PDT  A federal judge in New York ruled Thursday that a lawsuit challenging the
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| California forest blaze kills second firefighter Posted: 27 Jul 2018 10:27 AM PDT  A second firefighter has died battling a fast-moving northern California wildfire that has forced residents to flee, an official said on Friday. "Two firefighters have been killed in the Carr fire. A private contractor (operating) a bulldozer died yesterday and a Redding City firefighter was killed in the evening," a spokesman for Calfire, the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told AFP.
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| Man Allegedly Steals Ambulance for Sandwich Quest Because It Was Too Hot to Walk Posted: 26 Jul 2018 07:59 AM PDT  He had just been released from the hospital
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| CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves Accused Of Sexual Harassment Posted: 27 Jul 2018 02:44 PM PDT  Leslie Moonves, chairman and CEO of the CBS Corporation, has been accused of
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| Spain's overwhelmed coastguard says it can't cope with migrant influx, as 700 rescued in one morning Posted: 27 Jul 2018 10:12 AM PDT  Spain's coastguard union has warned the service was completely "overwhelmed" by surging numbers of migrant crossings, as more than 600 people were rescued from rafts in the Gibraltar Strait in just one morning. The union for Spain's Maritime Rescue agency issued an urgent call for resources to help it cope with the "massive arrival of immigrants" on the country's shores. Crew reinforcements were desperately needed to guarantee they could continue saving lives, it said in a statement. The "extraordinary upturn" in arrivals had meant "an absolute overflow of work" for maritime rescue centres, many of which already had "insufficient" crew levels, it said. The warning came as the Spanish coastguard pulled 774 people from 52 rafts in the Gibraltar Strait on Friday morning, bringing arrivals to more than 2000 this week alone. A further 125 people were rescued elsewhere in Spain, including the sea of Alborán, Murcia and Majorca. The country is now the largest gateway for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe, with 20,992 people landing on its shores so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Arrivals to Italy now trail Spain by almost 3000 - a gap that just a week ago was 200. Mediterranean migration On Friday, the government announced an extra 30 million euros for agencies dealing with the migratory challenge. Magdalena Valerio, minister for work, migration and social security, called for help from the European Union and said Madrid was worried by Thursday's events in Ceuta, one of Spain's two outposts in Morocco, where more than 600 migrants forced their way through the border fence. Two Civil Guard unions also called for urgent assistance in the face of what they said were increasingly well planned incursions into the two enclaves, Europe's only land borders with Africa. Thursday's forced entry was said by security forces to be of "unprecedented violence", with the group throwing quicklime, stones and excrement to fend off officers. The Red Cross later said more than 130 people had required medical treatment. Authorities and NGOs in Andalusia have been sounding the alarm over the surge in arrivals, noting that reception centres are saturated and migrants being forced to sleep in converted sports halls, on boats and in one case on a police station patio. Both Spanish authorities and experts have blamed the increase on the crackdown on the central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy, where the new populist government has barred NGO rescue ships from docking. The decision of Spain's new Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, to offer safe harbour to the NGO boat the Aquarius and its 630 rescued migrants in June was largely welcomed. But there are growing concerns that the Spanish asylum system, which NGOs describe as "collapsed", is simply unequipped to cope. Migration was a key topic at Thursday's meeting between Mr Sanchez and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, but there was little in the way of concrete proposals. The mayor of Algeciras, the Gibraltar Strait port city, said on Thursday the area was in danger of becoming the "new Lampedusa", referring to the Italian island in the Mediterranean that became a hotspot for migrant landings at the peak of the crisis. José Ignacio Landaluce told El Mundo that European help was desperately needed, adding that arrivals were expected to rise further in August, the peak month for crossings. "It may be our problem initially, but tomorrow, or in a week's time, or a month's, it'll be at the heart of Europe," he said.
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| Michael Cohen Says Trump Knew About Trump Tower Meeting With Russians In Advance: CNN Posted: 26 Jul 2018 06:23 PM PDT  Michael Cohen, the president's former personal attorney, said Donald Trump
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| Inflation-hit Venezuela unveils new money with 5 fewer zeros Posted: 25 Jul 2018 06:41 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicola Maduro unveiled plans Wednesday for combatting runaway inflation in Venezuela — by printing new paper money with five fewer zeros.
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| Northern California wildfires forces thousands to evacuate Posted: 27 Jul 2018 07:12 AM PDT ![Northern California wildfires forces thousands to evacuate]( "Northern California wildfires forces thousands to evacuate") Wildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and forced campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorize the state to rally resources to local governments. Stiff winds drove walls of flames into the historic Gold Rush-era town of Shasta, where state parks employees had worked through the early morning to rescue historic artifacts from a museum as the blaze advanced.
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| Gun Safety Groups Race To Stop Company From Unleashing 'The Age Of The Downloadable Gun' Posted: 26 Jul 2018 11:28 AM PDT  The nation's leading gun safety groups are asking a judge to block an online
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| Baby saved from Laos dam disaster by Thai cave rescue volunteers Posted: 27 Jul 2018 06:33 AM PDT  The rescue of a baby boy, terrified and hungry after days without food, has been captured in a viral video showing the infant survivor of a dam collapse in southern Laos being carefully carried through swirling flood waters and waist-high mud. Footage of volunteers from Thailand rescuing 14 people, including the baby, was widely shared online when it was released Friday as an increasingly international relief mission scrambles to save lives in a disaster that has left scores dead or missing. The Thai rescue team, who waded several kilometres (miles) through rushing water containing uprooted trees and debris, are fresh from efforts to help free a youth football team trapped in a cave in the north of their country.
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| Florida police officer arrested for allegedly kicking 8-month pregnant woman in stomach Posted: 27 Jul 2018 09:27 AM PDT  Police charged 26-year-old Ambar Pacheco with aggravated battery after they said she accosted a pregnant woman on a street corner in South Beach. Ms Pacheco has worked as a uniformed police officer with the North Miami Beach Police Department for almost a year, according to a department spokesperson. "I saw red and beat the s*** out of her," Ms Pacheco, who was off-duty at the time, allegedly told police.
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| Scientists confirm Einstein's supermassive black hole theory Posted: 26 Jul 2018 08:19 AM PDT  A team of international scientists observing a star in the Milky Way have for the first time confirmed Einstein's predictions of what happens to the motion of a star passing close to a supermassive black hole. Einstein's 100-year-old general theory of relativity predicted that light from stars would be stretched to longer wavelengths by the extreme gravitational field of a black hole, and the star would appear redder, an effect known as gravitational red shift. "This was the first time we could test directly Einstein's theory of general relativity near a supermassive black hole," Frank Eisenhauer, senior astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, told journalists.
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| Hundreds of children not reunited by Trump administration as deadline passes Posted: 27 Jul 2018 01:05 PM PDT  Advocates and attorneys said this week that they have spoken to parents who they believe were coerced into being deported without their children. Hundreds of migrant children the Trump administration separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border were not reunited with their families by the court-ordered Thursday midnight deadline. The Trump administration claimed Thursday that more than 1,800 children five years and older had been reunited with parents or sponsors hours before the deadline set in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in California's southern district court.
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| White House Bans CNN Reporter Who Asked Trump About Cohen And Putin Posted: 25 Jul 2018 07:30 PM PDT  The White House banned CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins from a press event on
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