| Explainer: Mueller says no collusion. Barr says no obstruction. What's next for Trump? Posted: 24 Mar 2019 06:44 PM PDT  Following are some possible next steps as Washington continues to wrestle over Russia's role in the election, the conduct of Mueller's investigation and other aspects of the Trump-Russia saga. Democrats are pressing Barr to release the entire report so they can draw their own conclusions. THE QUESTION OF OBSTRUCTION Foremost on Democrats' minds is whether Trump obstructed justice by interfering with Mueller's probe and other investigations.
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| Widespread computer outage briefly affects passengers on American, Alaska and JetBlue airlines Posted: 26 Mar 2019 01:05 PM PDT  The troubles, which lasted about 30 minutes, were due to a technical glitch at Sabre, a major airline reservations system.
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| Where the investigations related to President Trump stand Posted: 26 Mar 2019 05:52 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him:
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| Avenatti arrested and charged with extortion, embezzlement, bank and tax fraud Posted: 25 Mar 2019 12:35 PM PDT  The lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels faces the prosepect of spending the rest of his life behind bars.
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| FAA 'Tentatively' Approves Software Fix to Get the 737 Max 8 Flying Again Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:48 AM PDT  Boeing has been working on a fix for its disaster-prone aircraft.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants us to focus on the 'deeper' problems behind Trump's election Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:18 AM PDT  For many Americans, it's easier to believe that Russia -- not American voters -- installed Trump as president.On Sunday, Attorney General Barr released his summary of Mueller's report, writing that Mueller had found insufficient evidence to prove that Trump conspired with the Russians during the 2016 election. For folks who had hoped that the Mueller report would result in Trump's impeachment, it was heartbreaking.For Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, however, the Mueller report was more than that. It was a wake-up call.SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton replied to AOC's take down of Jared Kushner and we all need a minute"Foreign influence" wasn't the only reason Trump got elected, Ocasio-Cortez claimed in response to a tweet by George Takei.Russia was successful precisely because they played on "national wounds that we refuse to address."> This is the REAL conversation we need to have as a country. > > As horrific as this president is, he is a symptom of much deeper problems. > > Even foreign influence plays on nat'l wounds that we refuse to address: income inequality, racism, corruption,a willingness to excuse bigotry. https://t.co/wtebX4Tfld> > -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 24, 2019> He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached, or voted out in 2020. > > But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him; the dark money that funded him; the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism he amplified+reanimated.> > -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 24, 2019> In order for us to heal as a nation, we ALL must pursue the hard work of addressing these root causes. > > It's not as easy as voting. It means having uncomfortable moments convos w/ loved ones, w/ media, w/ those we disagree, and yes - within our own party, too. > > It's on all of us.> > -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 24, 2019Others on Twitter agreed with Ocasio-Cortez's assessment. Even if Mueller found that Trump conspired with the Russians, that wouldn't be enough to explain his election. There were millions of voters who wanted Trump to be President -- and that wasn't only the work of bots.> My thoughts on the Mueller summary are what they were when this whole thing started: despite Putin's best efforts, Russia is not the reason 63 million people voted for Trump, America is. If you don't like that result, think about what America did, not Russia.> > -- Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) March 24, 2019> Interesting reaction from @PeteButtigieg on the Mueller report summary: "It would be a mistake for Democrats to think that the way for the Trump presidency to end is by way of investigation." pic.twitter.com/tYduacKV9T> > -- Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 25, 2019Ocasio-Cortez's tweet has received over 97,000 likes at the time of publication. Whether those likes will translate into action is a whole other question. WATCH: Facial recognition coming to U.S. airports by 2021
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| US weather: States reel from historic floods as fresh snow threatens parts of the midwest Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:33 AM PDT  Record floods that submerged parts of three Midwestern states have started retreating, but more inclement weather continues to threaten Montana and the Dakotas for weeks to come. High flood waters have already returned in the western Dakotas, northwest Nebraska and central and eastern Montana, along smaller rivers that feed into the Missouri. Once the weather warms up, river ice breaks up into giant chunks, which float down the river stream and can cause a jam, which in turn induces flooding, David Roth, a meteorologist with the NWS's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, told Reuters on Monday.
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| UPDATE 1-Israel says 6 hurt near Tel Aviv in apparent Gaza rocket attack Posted: 24 Mar 2019 09:16 PM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Israel says 6 hurt near Tel Aviv in apparent Gaza rocket attack]( "UPDATE 1-Israel says 6 hurt near Tel Aviv in apparent Gaza rocket attack") Sirens sounded in central Israel and police and medics said a house was on fire and six people were wounded on Monday after a suspected rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. The early morning incident in Mishmeret, an agricultural town north of Tel Aviv, came at a time of high tension ahead of the anniversary of Gaza border protests and an April 9 election campaign in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking a fifth term in next month's ballot, was in Washington on Monday and due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
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| Dem Rep Defends Premature Collusion Allegations as ‘Completely Valid’ Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:29 AM PDT  Representative Katie Hill (D., Calif.) defended her colleagues' past assertions of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia on Monday, telling CNN's Alisyn Camerota the claim remains "completely valid" despite special counsel Robert Mueller's failure to produce any evidence to substantiate the charge.Hill was asked whether her Democratic colleagues, including House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler and House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, should apologize for asserting without evidence that Trump campaign officials colluded with Russians to sway the election in Trump's favor."I wouldn't say that they need to apologize. They are still stating things that happened in plain sight. The definition of collusion as a legal term is on that is completely nebulous," Hill said. "So, I think the suspicions that have been had by both the Democrats in Congress and people across the country are completely valid. Whether it was intentional or not, Trump and his associates were conducting themselves in a way that was highly, highly suspicious both during the election and after that made it so that this investigation needed to happen."Hill's comments come one day after attorney general William Barr delivered to Congress a four-page letter that summarized his "principal conclusions" after reviewing the Mueller report and exonerated Trump on the question of collusion."Special counsel did not find anyone with the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government," Barr wrote.The Mueller report does not, however, exonerate Trump on the obstruction of justice charge, but Barr determined independently that there was not sufficient evidence of that crime to produce an indictment."While this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him," reads a section of the report pertaining to the obstruction issue, according to Barr.
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| Children of Isil's caliphate left to toil in squalid refugee camps Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:25 AM PDT  Eight-year-old Hamed cast a critical eye at the at tent peg, raised a hammer above his head and began thwacking it into the hard, stony ground. It is heavy work, and he would rather be in school. But he has little choice. "I get about 2,000 lira for putting up one tent," he said, using the popular term here for Syrian pounds. "I can do three or four a day, so that is 8,000." That, he said, is just about enough to feed himself, his mother, and her newborn baby twice a day. "But we can't eat all the time," he said. "My mother explained, we can't spend so much money on food because we need to buy stuff for the baby now." Hamed is one of about 41,000 children in al-Hol, the largest of three sprawling camps in north eastern Syria that houses former members, children, and prisoners of the Islamic State terrorist group. More than 40,000 children are living in al-Hol, the largest of three sprawing camps in north eastern Syria that houses former members, children, and prisoners of the Islamic State terrorist group Credit: Sam Tarling /The Telegraph The fate of the children who emerged from Isil's doomed caliphate is a matter of humanitarian urgency and critical to international security. And yet the lack of provision made by world governments, including Britain's, is striking. The Telegraph has seen dozens of malnourished infants as Isil families left Baghuz, Isil's last bastion, in the past two weeks. At least 108 children have already died en route to or soon after arriving at the camp, mostly from severe acute malnutrition, pneumonia, and dehydration, according to the International Rescue Committee. The vast majority of them were under five years old, and most of those babies younger than one. Many are also carrying serious injuries from shrapnel. The fate of the children who emerged from Isil's doomed caliphate is a matter of humanitarian urgency Credit: Sam Tarling /The Telegraph The casualties included Jarrah Begum, Shamima Begum's newborn son, who died of a lung infection last month. Unicef has described the living conditions for those children who reach the camp as "extremely dire." Hamed, who spoke to the Telegraph with the permission of his German mother and on condition of anonymity, said he bitterly misses his old life in Europe. "If there was a school, I'd go to it," he said, as he took a pause in his tent work to speak to the Telegraph. "But there isn't one here." "When I was in Germany I was learning, then in Doula I learnt nothing," he said, using the Arabic word for "State" – the term many Isil families use for the group. "They just teach like the Quran... and they teach you that you have to fight. But I said: 'I don't want to fight'. I don't like to fight. I just want to be a normal one, I just want to live in a house and make my job. I don't want to fight, I don't want to be a warrior." Unicef has described the living conditions for those children who reach the camp as 'extremely dire' Credit: Sam Tarling /The Telegraph He said he had left Germany when he was five years old, and only emerged from the Islamic State two months ago. The camp, he said, is a miserable and filthy place. "Kids poop everywhere," he said. "You have to watch where you walk. You can't just sit anywhere, like you can in Germany." It is not surprising. Adults in the section of the camp where Hamed lives told the Telegraph many of the young children have chronic diarrhoea. "Play", if there is such a thing, involves picking on one another or chucking rocks at moving cars. "They call me a dog and things. They think it is a joke," said Hamed, when asked about his friends. "My mother doesn't like me to be like the other children. She says maybe there is a little baby there, like three years old, and maybe you'll hit him. Even though I don't like to throw rocks," he said. "It's not a game. They come, they throw, the glass breaks," he said. "In Germany it is not like this, you're not hitting on cars. If you want to play you go to your friends, you have friends, they don't call you anything, you play a bit." The larger and more loosely regulated section of the camp reserved for Syrian and Iraqi citizens has a market which is run by Kurdish authorities in al-Hol Credit: Sam Tarling/The Telegraph Most children have little time for that though. Adults here told the Telegraph that almost every child from about the age of eight upwards is a low-paid labourer in the camp's grey economy. "They're already entrepreneurs. I think they wake up and the first thing they think is: who am I going to hit up for money today?" said Lorna Henri, a 54-year-old woman from the Seychelles who has become the de-facto guardian of two unaccompanied children in the camp. "I try to give them what I can." Ms Henri said boys generally sent by their mothers to run errands in the camp market, which children can access more easily than adults, and put up tents. Girls clean or offer to cook. The market, in the larger and more loosely regulated section of the camp for Syrian and Iraqi citizens, is crowded with small boys hauling hand carts for 200 Syrian pounds per errand. The market is crowded with small boys hauling hand carts for 200 Syrian pounds per errand Credit: Sam Tarling/The Telegraph Such Dickensian scenes are not unusual amidst humanitarian crisis. And across the Middle East, children are generally expected to pull their own weight at an earlier age than in the West. But the prospects for these children are bleak in more than one way. Radical Isil supporters continue to exert influence inside al-Hol, including by harassing women who want to remove their veils. There have been reports of punishment tent-burnings by an underground "religious police", and several women from different countries who the Telegraph spoke to complained about being labelled "infidels" by their fellow inmates. Without intervention, there is a good chance the children here will be brought up in the same poisonous ideology that turned many of their fathers into terrorists. Without intervention, there is a chance the camp's children here will be brought up in the same poisonous ideology that turned many of their fathers into terrorists The United Nations has expressed "alarm" at the situation. Last week Henrietta Fore, the executive director of Unicef, urged member states "to take responsibility for children who are their citizens or born to their nationals, and to take measures to prevent children from becoming stateless." Some governments have heeded the call. Last week, the French government said it had evacuated several children. But Kurdish officials have told the Telegraph that Britain has refused to take back British Isil members or their children in the camps on the grounds that it has full confidence in the legal and administrative system of Rojava, the unrecognised Kurdish proto-state in northern Syria. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, last week claimed that it would have been "too risky" to send British officials to save Jarrah Begum, although he remained a British citizen after his mother was stripped of her own citizenship. However, the al-Hol camp is run by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led Western-backed armed group that Britain is allied to. Journalists, including from the Telegraph, and aid workers visit the camp on a regular basis, safely and without incident. Radical Isil supporters continue to exert influence inside al-Hol, including by harassing women who want to remove their veils Credit: Sam Tarling/The Telegraph Nor is it true, as Mr Hunt claimed, that journalists are afforded special protection unavailable to UK officials in Syria or in the camps. In al-Hol, the foreign women constantly exchange rumours about which governments might take Isil members back. For their children, who committed no crime, the only thing on the horizon is more arduous work. "I'd like to...sell stuff. Or you know, build houses," shrugged Hamed, when asked what he would like to do when he grows up. Those are the only careers on offer in al-Hol camp. He picked up his hammer, and went back to hitting the tent peg. His blows made little impact on the stony ground. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security
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| Russia accuses US of plotting 'coup' in Venezuela Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:22 AM PDT  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Monday accused the United States of plotting a "coup" against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in a dispute over Russian military assistance for the crisis-hit country. Lavrov said in a statement he had complained of "attempts by Washington to organise a coup d'etat in Venezuela" during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
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| Parkland students mourn the deaths of two more after apparent suicides Posted: 25 Mar 2019 10:48 AM PDT  Police investigate death of another teen who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school and was said to have had PTSDA memorial for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, on 25 February 2018. Photograph: David Santiago/APStudents of a Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people last year are mourning the deaths of what they consider two more victims of the tragedy – teenagers who apparently died in suicides one week apart.Police were on Monday investigating the weekend death of a 17-year-old boy who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) high school in Parkland. Friday saw the funeral of former student Sydney Aiello, 19, whose family said she was suffering from "survivor's guilt" and had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.Community and school leaders were stepping up the provision of mental health and suicide-prevention services, including the opening on Monday of a wellness and counselling center in Parkland specifically designed for students and their families.Dozens of parents, teachers, school leaders, state and local politicians, law enforcement and mental health counsellors attended an emergency meeting in Parkland on Sunday, to discuss the crisis and ways to tackle lingering grief and trauma."We have students and staff that are still at risk," said Ryan Petty, who founded the Walkup Foundation, a school safety and advocacy group, after his 14-year-old daughter Alaina was among those murdered on 14 February 2018."We have to recognise after an event like this there is trauma, anxiety and depression. We have to educate parents and teachers to recognise the signs," he told the meeting. "Parents cannot be afraid to ask their kids the tough questions."By lunchtime on Monday, police had not released the identity of the 17-year-old male student."I can't tell you if it's related to the Parkland shooting," Tyler Reik, an officer with Coral Springs police, said on Sunday. "We don't know the reasoning behind it. It hasn't even been confirmed as a suicide."Robert Runcie, superintendent of the Broward county school district, said he spent Sunday with the family of the 10th-grade student, "a great young man". Earlier in the week he spoke with the family of Aiello, who graduated from MSD last year and was attending college in nearby Boca Raton.Aiello, whose close friend Meadow Pollack was killed in the Parkland shooting, died on 17 March from a self-inflicted gunshot, according to the medical examiner's office.In a call to families of Broward's 271,000 students on Monday, the first day of spring break, Runcie laid out the support available "in the wake of two suicides that have devastated our community".He pointed to a resiliency centre in Parkland staffed by mental health counsellors and free activities for students at the Coral Springs arts center. Additionally, the opening of Eagle's Haven, a new wellness centre for MSD students and families offering crisis support, advocacy and a range of activities, was brought forward from next month."There is hope, there is help and there is healing," Runcie said.Jared Moskowitz, Florida's director of emergency management operations and a former state representative for Parkland, called on politicians to send resources to the district."Now is the time for the Florida legislature to help," he said in a tweet. "Mental health is a bipartisan issue. While we are in session now is the time."Activist David Hogg, a former MSD student who co-founded the March For Our Lives movement calling for gun law reform, echoed Moskowitz's call, tweeting his concern at what he saw as a lack of support for survivors' mental health."How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government/school district to do anything? RIP 17+2" he wrote.In a later tweet he attacked Donald Trump for spending money on golf trips but failing to offer funding for mental health services. The president's federal commission on school safety, which issued its report in December, acknowledged "a lack of mental health professionals in schools" but left any rectification and financial commitment to states and school districts.If Trump "can spend $91,000,000 on golf trips to Mar-a-Lago while our kids suffer from trauma he can fund mental health", Hogg wrote. "If mental health is your solution PLEASE make that a priority. Please allocate that money."Sunday's gathering in Parkland was "the first of many meetings with all city, county and mental health experts in order to make sure our students, teachers and parents receive the education they need to prevent the next suicide", according to Max Schachter, whose son Alex was killed at MSD.The meeting, with the support of the Broward school district, agreed to adopt the renowned Columbia protocol as a strategy for suicide prevention. The protocol provides three to six plain-language questions for friends and family members to ask, in order to evaluate a person's risk. * In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
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| UPDATE 2-Ethiopian Airlines commits to Boeing ties despite flight 302 crash questions Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:52 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-Ethiopian Airlines commits to Boeing ties despite flight 302 crash questions]( "UPDATE 2-Ethiopian Airlines commits to Boeing ties despite flight 302 crash questions") Ethiopian Airlines said on Monday it would keep close ties with U.S. planemaker Boeing even though questions remained about its 737 MAX 8 model, after a crash shortly after take off this month killed 157 people. CEO Tewolde Gebremariam also promised to work closely with an investigation into the March 10 incident, after reports that the probe was under strain because the Ethiopian authorities were not sharing information with international partners. Boeing has come under intense scrutiny since the crash, the second in five months involving its new 737 MAX 8 model.
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| UPDATE 1-Airbus close to signing aircraft deal with China - sources Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:33 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Airbus close to signing aircraft deal with China - sources]( "UPDATE 1-Airbus close to signing aircraft deal with China - sources") European planemaker Airbus is close to signing a deal worth billions of dollars with China following a delay of more than a year in the negotiations, industry sources said on Monday. The deal is part of a package of trade deals coinciding with a visit to Europe by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Airbus declined to comment.
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| Pilot: Cruise ship woes off Norway started with engine snags Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:05 AM PDT  COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Norwegian pilot on the cruise ship carrying more than 1,300 people that was caught in a hefty storm off the coast of Norway said Tuesday the situation worsened when engine problems appeared.
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| Mueller report: Here's what we know and still don't know (and may never know) Posted: 24 Mar 2019 07:06 PM PDT  Robert Mueller finished his investigation into Trump's campaign and Russian election interference. Here's what we know.
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| Wary calm as Egyptian-brokered ceasefire ends fighting between Hamas and Israel in Gaza Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:05 AM PDT  A wary calm returned to Gaza and southern Israel on Tuesday after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire brought an end to hours of intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas. Israeli jets struck targets throughout Gaza on Monday night, including the offices of the Islamist group's leader, while Hamas and other Palestinian factions fired rockets at Israeli towns and cities. No fatalities were reported on either side although several people were injured in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The escalation was sparked by Hamas firing a rocket that wounded several members of a British-Israeli family on Monday morning. At around 10pm on Monday, Egyptian mediators managed to broker a ceasefire between the two sides, as they have done during several other flare-ups of violence in recent months. The ceasefire took several hours to take hold and airstrikes and rocket fire continued in the early hours of Tuesday. Millions of civilians on both sides spent the night in fear as the fighting continued. Palestinians sit with their belongings in a street outside their destroyed house after an Israeli missile targeted a nearby Hamas site, in Gaza City Credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem However, by mid-morning the situation was tense but calm. Palestinian children went to school in Gaza as usual but school was cancelled for Israeli children in several districts in the country's south. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, cut short a trip to Washington to return to Israel to manage the situation. Mr Netanyahu, who is also Israel's defence minister, was due to arrive in Israel in the afternoon and hold meetings with security chiefs. "We have responded very, very forcefully," Mr Netanyahu said before departing Washington. "Hamas needs to know that we will not hesitate to go in and take all necessary steps – regardless of anything, any date, other than Israel's security needs." The Israeli leader is seeking re-election for a fifth term in office when Israelis go to the polls on April 9. He is under pressure from political opponents on both the Centre and the Right to strike forcefully against Hamas. Hamas hailed Monday night's violence as a victory for its cause. "Gaza and the resistance in Gaza are unbreakable. The will of Gaza will always defeat the occupation; Gaza will break the siege and live free and in dignity," a spokesman said. Hamas is under intense pressure within Gaza to raise living standards and deal with horrendous economic conditions in the strip, where unemployment is at around 50 per cent. Anti-Hamas protesters took to the streets last week under the slogan "We Want To Live". Hamas responded with a major crackdown and arrested dozens of people. Egypt and the UN have been trying to broker a long-term deal which would see Hamas promise to stop attacks on Israel in return for Israel lifting its crushing 12-year blockade on Gaza. However, the negotiations have yielded few results and Hamas is believed to be trying to inject fresh urgency into the talks by firing rockets while at the same time avoiding a full-blown war.
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| Operation Varsity Blues: Yale rescinds admission for one student after college admission scandal Posted: 25 Mar 2019 06:50 AM PDT  On Monday, Yale University confirmed that one student's admission was rescinded in the wake of the Operation Varsity Blues scandal.
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| Bahrain to use Huawei in 5G rollout despite U.S. warnings Posted: 26 Mar 2019 06:23 AM PDT  Washington has warned countries against using Chinese technology, saying Huawei could be used by Beijing to spy on the West. China and Huawei have strongly rejected the allegations. VIVA Bahrain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian state-controlled telecoms firm STC, last month signed an agreement to use Huawei products in its 5G network, one of several Gulf telecoms companies working with the Chinese company.
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| Oklahoma top court clears way for Purdue, J&J, Teva to face opioid trial Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:54 PM PDT  The Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision was a win for the state's attorney general, whose case is set to be the first to face trial of roughly 2,000 lawsuits nationally seeking to hold opioid manufacturers responsible for contributing to the epidemic. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter's 2017 lawsuit accuses Purdue, Johnson & Johnson & Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd of engaging in deceptive marketing that downplayed the risks of addiction associated with opioid pain drugs while overstating their benefits. The trial delay bid came as Purdue, owned by members of the wealthy Sackler family, was exploring filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to address potential liabilities stemming from the lawsuits, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters.
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| Trump jubilant, vengeful as Russia probe ends in win Posted: 25 Mar 2019 07:25 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump was jubilant Monday -- but also looking for revenge -- after the Russia collusion report cleared him in a huge boost for his re-election chances next year. Trump could afford to be magnanimous in victory after spending two years trying to discredit special prosecutor Robert Mueller. Trump also supported publication of the Mueller report, rather than just the short summary released late Sunday with a declaration that no evidence emerged to support allegations of collusion between the president's 2016 election campaign and Russia.
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| IS attack on US-backed fighters kills 7 in northern Syria Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:44 AM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on a checkpoint of U.S.-backed forces in the northern Syrian town on Manbij that killed seven fighters on Tuesday.
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| 2019 Ford Ranger truck buyers want custom design, sexy 'black package' Posted: 26 Mar 2019 08:42 AM PDT  In response to demand from its new 2019 Ford Ranger buyers, Ford Motor Co. has introduced an all-new "Black Appearance Package."
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| Easter 2019: Forbidden eggs, Eostre and how the date is decided Posted: 26 Mar 2019 02:06 AM PDT  Easter weekend is fast approaching with all the fondant-filled Creme Eggs, sticky hot cross buns and sugar-coated Mini Eggs our stretchiest waistbands can withstand. Of course, the Christian festival is far more than its associated confectionery. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who, according to the New Testament, died on the cross on Good Friday and came back to life three days later. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday, which also marks the end of Lent's 40-day period of fasting. From the origins of the Easter bunny to the celebrations' ever-changing dates, here is your essential guide to the holiday. Jump to it, bunny: Your complete guide to Easter decorations When is Easter 2019? This year, Good Friday falls on April 19, Easter Sunday on April 21 and Easter Monday on April 22 - three weeks later than they did last year. While the holiday is a movable feast, it always falls somewhere between March 21 and April 25 every year. It is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring. The full moon is known as the Paschal (Passover) Full Moon. Methods for calculating Easter are fiendishly complicated and a uniquely baffling synthesis of mathematics, astronomy and theology. As Christians believe Jesus was crucified during the Jewish Passover festival, Easter is celebrated around the same time. Nonetheless, different Christian groups were already marking it on separate dates by the end of the 2nd Century. Q&A; | Maundy Thursday These date-led disagreements even set the course of history for the British Isles at the Synod of Whitby in 664AD when the preferred date of the Roman - rather than the Celtic - church became the standard. The decision is said to have catapulted Britain into the European sphere of influence. Though disputes over Easter's exact timing have been used as proxies for deeper power struggles for centuries, most now accept that it falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox - which the Church approximated as March 21. This year, Easter Sunday falls on April 21, the longest stretch following March 21's full moon – which falls on a Sunday. In 2016, the Archbishop of Canterbury suggested Easter should fall on the same Sunday every year and the Most Rev Justin Welby said Anglican leaders would join discussions with other church leaders to fix the date for the first time, theoretically putting an end to almost 2,000 years of controversy. The 10 best destinations for Easter sun What do eggs have to do with Easter? Eggs illustrate new life, just as Jesus began his new life on Easter Sunday after the miracle of his resurrection. When eggs are cracked open they are said to symbolise an empty tomb. Originally, eating eggs was forbidden in the week leading up to Easter (known as Holy Week). They were saved and decorated in the run-up to the celebration and given to children as gifts. Sometimes they were coloured red, in recognition of the blood sacrificed by Jesus when he was crucified. Green was also used to symbolise spring re-growth after the winter. The first chocolate eggs appeared in France and Germany during the 19th century. As chocolate-making techniques improved, the Easter egg as we know it was popularised. Where does the Easter Bunny fit in to all of this? Rabbits and hares have been associated with spring for hundreds of years. It is thought that the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring, Eostre – who many believe the Christian event is named after – had a hare as her companion, symbolising fertility and rebirth. It's hardly surprising that rabbits and hares have become associated with fertility as they are both prolific breeders and regularly give birth to large litters in early spring. The legend of the Easter Bunny is thought to have originated among German Lutherans, where the 'Easter Hare' judged whether children had been good or bad in the run-up to Easter. Easter bunnies and eggs are symbols of spring and fertility. Over time it has been incorporated into Christian celebrations, becoming especially popular in Britain during the 19th century. Many children believe that the Easter Bunny lays and hides baskets of coloured eggs, sweets and toys in their homes or around the garden the night before Easter Sunday – much like Father Christmas delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. This has given rise to the tradition of the Easter egg hunt which is still popular among children today. Why do we eat hot cross buns? A hot cross bun is a spiced, sweet bun marked with a cross on top. They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday as the cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus, while the spices are said to remind Christians of the spices put on his body. Hot cross buns appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1733 but they are believed to have existed long before. Enriched, sweetened bread dough dates back to the Romans. Long before Christianity, loaves and buns were baked with symbols on them, one of which was a cross. Small, spiced cakes were also baked to honour the Saxon goddess Eoestre and celebrate spring, but it was the Tudors who began to link the spiced currant buns we know today with feast days, celebrations and - eventually - Lent. Delicious recipes to cook this Easter Wild garlic and parsley soup Jose Pizarro's roast rack of lamb with braised peas and lemon-thyme salsa Hot cross bun panna cotta Paul Hollywood's Easter simnel cake How is Easter celebrated around the world? In many central and eastern European countries decorating eggs with beautiful patterns is especially popular. In Switzerland, Easter eggs are delivered by a cuckoo and, in some areas of Germany, a fox. The egg-giving tradition arrived in the United States in the 18th century via protestant German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area. Traditional Easter foods from around the world On Easter Monday, the President of the United States holds an annual Easter egg roll on the lawn of the White House for young children. In the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland it is a day of remembrance for the men and women who died in the Easter Rising which began on Easter Monday 1916.
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| May Says No-Deal Won't Occur Without Commons Vote: Brexit Update Posted: 25 Mar 2019 11:24 AM PDT  Theresa May said she doesn't yet have enough support to put her Brexit deal to a vote in Parliament but will continue to try to convince MPs to back it. David Lidington, May's effective deputy, tried to win MPs over by promising that the government will set aside a day this week for votes on Brexit options -- if Parliament rejects tonight the so-called Letwin-Grieve amendment (see 5:50 p.m.) which seeks to give Parliament control of the process. When asked by Oliver Letwin himself if it would match the strategy laid out in his amendment, Lidington said he couldn't commit to the details.
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| Samsung takes pole position in 5G smartphone market Posted: 25 Mar 2019 03:22 AM PDT  Unveiled alongside other members of the new family of flagship Galaxy S10 smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will be available from April 5, first in South Korea then in the US, reports The Korea Herald. On April 5, this new model will be launched on the brand's online store, in its retail stores, and through other telecom companies in South Korea. At the moment, no country has a fully operational 5G network, only test locations, which means there are few 5G plans available.
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| Congo Ebola epidemic exceeds 1,000 cases - health ministry Posted: 25 Mar 2019 05:35 AM PDT ![Congo Ebola epidemic exceeds 1,000 cases - health ministry]( "Congo Ebola epidemic exceeds 1,000 cases - health ministry") Congo's Ebola epidemic has now exceeded 1,000 cases, the Health Ministry said on Monday, with a death toll of 629 in the world's second worst ever outbreak. Health workers have been better prepared than ever for this latest epidemic of the hemorrhagic fever, which causes severe vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, and kills more than half those it infects. New technologies like a trial vaccine, experimental treatments and futuristic cube-shaped mobile units for treating patients have helped curb the spread of the virus.
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| House Armed Services chairman denies $1 billion transfer for Trump wall Posted: 26 Mar 2019 12:06 PM PDT  Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday that the Department of Defense had shifted $1 billion from other military construction projects to build part of the barrier along the southern border. Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the committee's chairman, said the panel did not approve the proposed use of Pentagon funds. The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct additional physical barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United States border," Smith said in a letter to the Department of Defense.
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| President Trump says Mueller acted honorably but a lot of people did 'treasonous things' against our country Posted: 25 Mar 2019 01:53 PM PDT  President Trump and White House officials react to Attorney General Will Barr's summary of the Mueller report findings; chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports.
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| Syria's Kurds call for international court to try IS jihadists Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:57 AM PDT  Syria's Kurds on Monday called for an international court to be set up in the country to try suspected Islamic State group jihadists following the announced fall of their "caliphate". IS imposed its brutal interpretation of Islam on millions living in the proto-state that it declared across a large swathe of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014. "We call on the international community to establish a special international tribunal in northeast Syria to prosecute terrorists," the Syria Kurdish administration said.
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| Barr's early letters: Today's Toon Posted: 26 Mar 2019 03:14 PM PDT  Want to keep up with USA TODAY's editorial cartoons? Bookmark this page. We'll update it frequently.
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| Tame your spaghetti monster with this easy garlicky dish Posted: 25 Mar 2019 08:43 AM PDT  The late-night spaghetti monster will be tamed with this flavor-packed pasta that comes together quickly from pantry ingredients. The key here is making the most of the garlic.
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| Kamala Harris Offers $315 Billion Plan to Give Teachers a Raise Posted: 26 Mar 2019 03:00 AM PDT  The California senator released her plan Tuesday after previewing it to College Democrats at a Saturday campaign event in Houston. Harris's teacher plan is the latest entry in a range of policy proposals from the large field of Democratic contenders, including plans to expand the safety net, overhaul federal elections and change the structure of government. Senator Elizabeth Warren in particular has propelled the early primary debate with policy papers on an annual tax on wealth over $50 million, investing in affordable housing and breaking up big technology companies.
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| Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls Posted: 26 Mar 2019 09:30 AM PDT ![Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls]( "Verizon to release free features this week to help stop robocalls and catch spam calls") Verizon is just the latest carrier to help consumers stop unwanted robocalls. Its blocking app and spam alert feature is due later this week.
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| U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation' Posted: 26 Mar 2019 04:01 AM PDT ![U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation']( "U.S. calls Russia deployment of planes to Venezuela 'reckless escalation'") The Russian planes and military personnel arrived outside the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, according to local media reports, two months after the Trump administration disavowed President Nicolas Maduro. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president and demands that Maduro leave power, which Russia has described as a U.S.-backed coup against the socialist government. "The United States condemns Russia's deployment of military aircraft and personnel to Caracas, which is another contradiction of both Nicolas Maduro's and Russia's calls for non-intervention in Venezuela and is a reckless escalation of the situation," a State Department spokesman said.
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| Trump Has Won the Political Battle, but Not the War Posted: 25 Mar 2019 07:40 AM PDT  That Robert Mueller did not "exonerate" Donald Trump, nor indict his family members, leaves the president and his associates exceedingly vulnerable.
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| Israel, Hamas trade blows as Gaza tensions simmer Posted: 25 Mar 2019 10:54 PM PDT ![Israel, Hamas trade blows as Gaza tensions simmer]( "Israel, Hamas trade blows as Gaza tensions simmer") GAZA/JERUSALEM, March 26 (Reuters) - Gaza militants fired rockets into southern Israel and Israeli aircraft carried out strikes in the Hamas-ruled territory overnight Tuesday, though the level of violence appeared to abate after Palestinians said a ceasefire had been reached. Beset by corruption scandals, he faces a strong challenge from a centrist coalition led by a top general.
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| Netflix testing mobile-only subscription plan for $3 per month: report Posted: 25 Mar 2019 09:12 AM PDT  According to a report, Netflix has begun testing a mobile-only subscription plan in India that is being trialed for just a bit over $3 per month. Late last week, Variety spotted that Netflix is currently testing a mobile-only subscription option in India that costs users INR250, or just about $3.63, per month. Furthermore, the spokesperson reiterated that this subscription plan is simply a test that's only available to select users -- this plan may never roll out globally and may not even be permanently available for the Indian market.
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