| The Latest: London counter-terrorism team seeks images Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:08 PM PDT  COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Latest on the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka (all times local):
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| UPDATE 3-Trump denies telling White House counsel to fire Mueller from Russia probe Posted: 25 Apr 2019 05:22 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Trump denies telling White House counsel to fire Mueller from Russia probe]( "UPDATE 3-Trump denies telling White House counsel to fire Mueller from Russia probe") U.S. President Donald Trump denied on Thursday that he had ordered then-White House counsel Don McGahn to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller from the Russia investigation, moving to undermine McGahn's credibility ahead of a possible congressional testimony. Trump's move appears to be part of an effort by the White House to push back on attempts by congressional Democrats to pursue investigations related to Mueller's probe into Russian election interference in 2016 and possible obstruction of justice by Trump. "As has been incorrectly reported by the Fake News Media, I never told then White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Robert Mueller, even though I had the legal right to do so.
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| Armed border group shuts down camp at border in New Mexico Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:44 PM PDT  SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (AP) — An armed group that has been patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border left its post in the New Mexico desert Tuesday amid pressure from law enforcement following videos that showed militia members stopping migrants who had illegally crossed into the country.
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| Former Vice President Joe Biden Announces 2020 Presidential Run Posted: 25 Apr 2019 03:13 AM PDT  Some Democrats are bracing for a rough start
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| #FeelingCute challenge: Texas prison guards fired after probe into 'inappropriate' posts Posted: 24 Apr 2019 06:55 PM PDT ![#FeelingCute challenge: Texas prison guards fired after probe into 'inappropriate' posts]( "#FeelingCute challenge: Texas prison guards fired after probe into 'inappropriate' posts") The trend often involves uniformed workers posting selfies coupled with captions joking about what their work day may entail.
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| Air Canada says its 737 MAX jets grounded until at least August Posted: 25 Apr 2019 01:21 PM PDT  Air Canada said Thursday that its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX jets will remain grounded until at least August 1, pushing back a previous estimate for their return to service. Two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft -- one operated by Ethiopian Airlines and another by Lion Air -- have crashed in recent months, killing nearly 350 people. Air Canada's 24 MAX jetliners were grounded in March following the second crash.
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| 13-year-old Houston girl dies after fight at middle school Posted: 24 Apr 2019 11:14 AM PDT  A 13-year-old girl who was placed on life support after being attacked bythree other girls has died, according to ABC 13
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| Sri Lanka troops join hunt for bomb attack suspects Posted: 24 Apr 2019 08:44 PM PDT  Sri Lanka deployed thousands of additional troops countrywide overnight to help police hunt for suspects in the Easter Sunday suicide blasts that killed nearly 360 people, a spokesman said Thursday. Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said the army increased its deployment by 1,300 to 6,300, with the navy and airforce also deploying 2,000 more personnel. "We are armed with powers to search, seize, arrest and detain under emergency regulations," Atapattu told AFP.
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| Trump Escalates Feud with House Democrats, Vowing to Fight ‘All the Subpoenas’ Posted: 24 Apr 2019 10:47 AM PDT  President Trump said Wednesday that he plans to fight all subpoenas issued by congressional Democrats in their investigation of his administration, including requests for his financial records and for the full, unredacted Mueller report."We're fighting all the subpoenas," the president told reporters outside the White House before heading to a summit on the opioid crisis in Atlanta. "The subpoena is ridiculous. We have been, I have been the most transparent president and administration in the history of our country by far."Since retaking the House in January, Democrats in the lower chamber have opened numerous investigations of Trump's administration and personal finances. They have subpoenaed the president's financial records, including his tax returns, and have asked former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify to his claims, laid out in the Mueller report, that Trump asked him to have Mueller fired."Look, these aren't like impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020. They're not going to win with the people that I see, and they're not going to win against me," Trump said. "The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense. But they should be really focused on legislation.""I say it's enough," Trump concluded. "Get back to infrastructure, get back to cutting taxes, get back to lowering prescription-drug prices."
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| The Latest: Boy died of blunt force trauma to head Posted: 25 Apr 2019 02:10 PM PDT  WOODSTOCK, Ill. (AP) — The Latest on death of the 5-year-old northern Illinois boy (all times local):
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| Texas woman who suffered third-degree burns after falling on curling iron stays positive Posted: 25 Apr 2019 08:32 AM PDT  Texas woman who suffered third-degree burns, had multiple operations after falling on curling iron stays positive and is inspiring others.
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| Death toll from Sri Lanka bombing attacks rises to 359: police Posted: 23 Apr 2019 09:14 PM PDT  The death toll from the Easter Sunday suicide bombing attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka rose to 359, police said on Wednesday without providing any further details. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera released the toll but did not give a breakdown of casualties from the three churches and four hotels hit by suicide bombers. The attacks were claimed on Tuesday by the Islamic State militant group, which said they were carried out by seven attackers but gave no evidence to support the claim.
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| Joe Biden: AOC-linked progressive group blasts 2020 candidate as ‘old guard’ and ‘no we can’t’ politician Posted: 25 Apr 2019 09:09 AM PDT  A progressive group aligned with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has blasted Joe Biden as the "old guard" of Democratic politics, just hours after the former vice president announced his candidacy for president.Justice Democrats, a PAC that supported candidates like Ms Ocasio-Cortez in 2018, declared on Thursday morning it would support whoever becomes the Democratic nominee — but claimed candidates such as Mr Biden had divided America and led to the election of Donald Trump."The old guard of the Democratic Party failed to stop Trump, and they can't be counted on to lead the fight against his divide-and-conquer politics today. The party needs new leadership with a bold vision capable of energizing voters in the Democratic base who stayed home in 2016," the statement read.But, the group went on to blast Mr Biden specifically, and used the former campaign slogan of Barack Obama — "Yes We Can" — against the former vice president."While we're going to support the Democrat nominee, we can't let a so-called 'centrist' like Joe Biden divide the Democratic Party and turn it into the party of 'No, we can't,'" the group wrote. The early attack highlights the broad ideological spectrum represented in the 2020 Democratic field, which now has 20 candidates with Mr Biden in the race.While Mr Biden has led in many early polls of Democratic voters, voters have also shown strong support for Bernie Sanders — a candidate largely written off during his 2016 run against Hillary Clinton, only to aggressively compete in that primary. Candidates like Mr Sanders have sworn off support from big moneyed interests, drawing a clear line between their candidacies and those of candidates like Mr Biden, who is supported by big money interests and whose campaign announcement was expected to be followed hours later by a fundraiser hosted by an executive for Comcast — one of America's largest telecommunication companies.
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| What feud? Duchess Kate joins Prince Harry at church service Posted: 25 Apr 2019 11:56 AM PDT  Duchess Kate and Prince Harry were all smiles at an appearance together at an Anzac Day service in Westminster Abbey on Thursday.
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| Winter Is Here: The Best Game of Thrones Fan Theories Posted: 25 Apr 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| See this Aircraft Carrier? It Was One of the Worst To Ever Set Sail. Posted: 24 Apr 2019 06:33 AM PDT  On September 15th, 1942 USS Wasp was struck by three torpedoes from the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-19. Wasp at first though survivable and was even able to remain under her own power, but gasoline fires swept through the ship and made her recovery impossible. After five hours the order was given to abandon ship, and Wasp was scuttled by three torpedoes fired by the destroyer USS Lansdowne. Of the ship's 2,247 crew, 193 were killed and 366 wounded.(This first appeared last month.)The U.S. Navy rose to prominence during World War II from just one of many major naval powers to the undisputed greatest in just four short years. This was in large part due to the expansion and effective use of its aircraft carrier fleet. Although most American flattops that fought in the war were highly successful designs one, USS Wasp, was fatally compromised by the need to conform to international treaty obligations. The result was a carrier that was quickly sunk early on in the war, making only a modest contribution to the overall effort.A Treaty Like No Other: One of the most ambitious conventional arms control treaties ever signed was the Washington Naval Treaty. The multinational treaty was negotiated between 1921 and 1922 and resulted in limits in the size of individual warships and the overall tonnage of the navies of the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, and France.
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| Ukraine's Zelensky urges Russia sanctions after citizenship rule change Posted: 24 Apr 2019 09:20 AM PDT  Ukraine president-elect Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday urged more international sanctions against Russia after Moscow made it easier for people living in eastern Ukraine's separatist territories to obtain Russian passports. Kiev is "counting on increased diplomatic and sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation," Zelensky's press service said in a statement. "The Russian Federation has recognized its responsibility as an occupying state," it added referring to the Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree which was signed earlier today.
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| Police: Man killed baby after learning he wasn't the dad Posted: 24 Apr 2019 03:22 PM PDT ![Police: Man killed baby after learning he wasn't the dad]( "Police: Man killed baby after learning he wasn't the dad") MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man beat an infant to death after discovering that he wasn't the child's father, police said.
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| Sri Lanka attack victims: IT director from Manchester killed in hotel bomb blast Posted: 24 Apr 2019 06:32 AM PDT  An IT director from Manchester has been named among the 310 people killed in the Sri Lanka attacks. Lorraine Campbell, 55, was staying at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo when it was targeted by suicide bombers during a series of co-ordinated attacks on Easter Sunday. Ms Campbell was in Sri Lanka on a business trip and was living in Dubai at the time of her death. She is the eighth British victim to have been named following the atrocities. Neil Evans and Lorraine Campbell share a toast on a first-class flight to Dubai, where they were moving to start a new life Her husband Neil said: "Lorraine was a real tour de force, she epitomised the qualities she lived by, and was a conduit for bringing people together to both make things happen, and make them better. "I've lost my best friend in the world for all the adventures we shared and planned for the future. "I, Lorraine's family and friends are in a state of disbelief and grief for what has happened and as such, would respectfully ask that our privacy at this difficult time is respected." Her son, Mark Campbell, 32, said: "She had messaged me before the trip to say she was nervous about flying there because of fever. She was quite worked up about it, but I told her she would be all right. I never thought something like this could happen." Mr Campbell described his mother's happiness at finding Mr Evans, who was "everything she wanted in a man", and overcame her reluctance to remarry. Mr Evans gave up his own career in the UK to move to Dubai with her, he added. Daniel and Amelie Linsey A British teenage brother and sister were also named among the victims. Daniel Linsey, 19 and his younger sister Amelie, 15, were having breakfast with their father Matthew at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel when the suicide bomber struck. Mr Linsey, 63, an American city fund manager, returned to the family home in central London, on Monday to be with his British wife Angelina, 51, and his other two sons – aged 12 and 21 – who were not on the holiday. The trio survived the first blast, but were caught up in a second explosion. Daniel Linsey, 19 and his younger sister Amelie, 15 He told The Times: "You can't describe how bad it was. People were screaming. I was with my children. I couldn't tell whether they were alright, it was dark. I was worried there would be another blast. We ran out - another blast." Both children were knocked out in the explosion, forcing Mr Linsey to take his son to hospital, as his daughter had no obvious wounds, but they both died. Mr Linsey added: "A lady said she'd take my daughter. I couldn't find her because I was with my son. They sadly passed away." Amelie and Daniel were both born in Britain but had dual US and UK citizenship because their father was born in the United States. Read more | Sri Lanka attacks Six sites across the country were hit with almost simultaneous explosions, with officials saying two smaller blasts followed a few hours later. The Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels, all in Colombo, were targeted, and three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo's Kochchikade district were also hit during Easter services, leaving blood-stained pews, rubble and body parts strewn all over the buildings. Hours later, a further two explosions occurred at a guesthouse in Dehiwala and near an overpass in Dematagoda, on the outskirts of Colombo. Three police officers died near the overpass after entering a property to question suspects following a tip-off. Dr Sally Bradley and Bill Harrop Eight Britons were killed in the attacks, including a doctor and a retired firefighter. Dr Sally Bradley and her husband Bill Harrop were staying in the Cinnamon Grand Hotel when one of the seven suicide bombers struck. The couple had been living in the Australian city of Perth since 2013 where Dr Bradley was practising medicine, but were due to return to the UK soon. Billy Harrop and his wife Sally They had bought a retirement home in the Cotswolds, Dr Bradley's nephew Jonathan Bradley said. He described her as a "true daughter of Manchester" who had worked as a GP in Salford, a director of public health in Manchester and as a consultant. She was sister to Labour peer Lord Keith Bradley, former MP for Manchester Withington. Mr Harrop retired from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service in 2012 after 30 years as a firefighter and was decorated for his role in the aftermath of the 1996 IRA attack on Manchester. pic gallery He had two sons from a previous relationship, Miles and Gavin. Gavin had been holidaying with them at the time of the blast but was staying at a different hotel. Nicholson family A British father whose entire family were killed in the suspected terror attack in Sri Lanka has paid tribute to his "talented and thoughtful" children and his "brilliant, loving" wife. Ben Nicholson said his wife Anita, 42, son Alex, 14, and daughter Annabel, 11, had been killed as they sat at a table for breakfast in the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo. "Mercifully, all three of them died instantly and with no pain or suffering," Mr Nicholson said. Alex Nicholson, 11, his mother, Anita, 42, were killed while dining at the second-floor restaurant in the Shangri La hotel in the country's capital, Colombo, on Sunday as it was gutted in one of several explosions which hit the country. Alex Nicholson, 11, and his mother Anita were killed in the attack. Father Ben survived, while the couple's youngest daughter is unaccounted for Credit: Facebook In a statement released by the Foreign Office, Mr Nicholson said: "I am deeply distressed at the loss of my wife and children. Anita was a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children. The holiday we had just enjoyed was a testament to Anita's enjoyment of travel and providing a rich and colourful life for our family, and especially our children. "Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children and Anita and I were immensely proud of them both and looking forward to seeing them develop into adulthood. They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with." The couple both work as lawyers in Singapore, according to their professional profiles online. Mr Nicholson is understood to be a partner in the Singapore office of Kennedys Legal Solutions and advises clients on insurance law. His corporate profile describes him as a committee member of the Asia Power Forum and "a strong supporter of [the insurance sector in Asia] and a regular at events in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand". Meanwhile, according to her LinkedIn profile, Mrs Nicholson was a former legal adviser to HM Treasury in London from 1998 to 2010 and relocated to Singapore to work for the oil giant, BP, in April 2012. Her profile lists her current place of employment as managing counsel at the mining and metals company, Anglo American. Alex and Anita were killed while dining at the Shangri La hotel in Colombo Credit: Facebook Mrs Nicholson shared photos of her family on social media sporting the kit of the British and Irish Lions Rugby team. In 2013 she shared a photo of her smiling son sitting between England fly half, Owen Farrell and Wales winger, George North. Her social media photographs also show her pictured at a fundraising even for First Hand, a Singapore-based volunteer group dedicated to helping children and families in Cambodia. Alex Nicholson pictured with Lions rugby players Owen Farrell, left, and George North Credit: Facebook Children of Anders Holch Povlsen The billionaire fashion tycoon behind online clothing retailer Asos lost three of his four children in the Sri Lanka terror attacks. Anders Holch Povlsen, 46, is Denmark's wealthiest man and the UK's largest private landowner after buying up 13 estates in Scotland. Three days before the attacks, Mr Povlsen's daughter Alma shared an Instagram photo of her siblings Astrid, Agnes and Alfred - calling them "three little bears" - in front of a swimming pool lined by palm trees. The billionaire and his wife Anne, who keep a low public profile, have not said which of their three children died in the attack. Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne Holch Povlsen Credit: Olufson Jonas/Ritzau Scanpix via AP Mr Povlsen set out his ambitions for the 220,000 acres he owns north of the Border, but said he would not live to see the conclusion of his "re-wilding" project. Jesper Stubkier, communications manager for Mr Holch Povlsen's wholesale fashion business Bestseller, announced the children's deaths in the Easter Sunday attacks. He said: "I can confirm that three children have been killed. We have no further comment and we ask that the family's privacy is respected at this time." Shantha Mayadunne The first victims of the Easter bombings were named as a television chef, Shantha Mayadunne, and her London-based daughter, Nisanga. They had been staying at the Shangri-La hotel in the capital Colombo, which was one of four hotels bombed on Sunday morning. Nisanga, believed to be aged in her 30s, had posted a photo of the family in the hotel shortly before the explosion with the caption, "Easter breakfast with my family". Shantha Mayadume, a television chef, and her daughter Nilanga were also killed Credit: Twitter Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said the nationalities of 11 foreigners killed in the Easter Sunday blasts have been verified. Three Indians, one Portuguese and two Turkish nationals were killed, while a further nine foreigners were also reported missing. A Dutch and a Chinese national have been reported among the victims, while Japan also confirmed one of its citizens was killed. Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, said she lost a relative in the attacks. "It is all so devastating," she wrote on Twitter. "Solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka."
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| UPDATE 3-Visa profit jumps, lower cross-border volume weighs on shares Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:22 PM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Visa profit jumps, lower cross-border volume weighs on shares]( "UPDATE 3-Visa profit jumps, lower cross-border volume weighs on shares") Visa Inc reported higher expenses and lower spending by people using its cards abroad on Wednesday even as increased overall consumer spending drove quarterly profit 14 percent higher. Shares of the company were trading lower after the bell as investors worried over a slide in cross-border volume growth, which measures the value of transactions made on a Visa card outside a customer's home country. The company and its rival Mastercard had recently come under fire for charging high fees on tourist cards in the European Union.
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| Why Biden? Posted: 25 Apr 2019 09:29 AM PDT  Joe Biden has been ahead in the early polling for a long time. But, I wonder: Why?The argument for Joe Biden's nomination seems to be the one least likely to excite Democratic voters: he's old and white, and his nomination is a decent enough accommodation to Republican political enemies who are backward looking. That is a problem because two different large cohorts of Democrats want to move forward in different ways. An upwardly mobile section of "woke" white progressives wants to triumph in the cultural arena, not accommodate. And a more socialist-influenced core wants to move on from the Clinton and Obama policies they detest as half measures.Biden is now so aged in politics that he partially belongs to history. And of course, having been around long enough, he was frequently on the wrong side of it. At least by progressive sensibilities. He sponsored the 1994 crime bill, which is deplored as a sop to racist suburbanites and cops rather than a reaction to horrific crime rates. Earlier than that he opposed mandated school busing to create racially integrated schools. Some progressives are thrilled to see Mayor Pete Buttigieg fight the supposedly homophobic Vice President Mike Pence (Pence's great offense is that he previously called Buttigieg a "patriot"). But back in 1973, Biden was asked by gay-rights activists about security clearances for homosexuals. Biden responded that his "gut reaction" was that homosexuals were "security risks." All of these things could be excused in the way Obama's opposition to gay marriage was, as mere concessions to the regnant taboos and politics of the day. But Democrats want to vote for a leader who inspires them, not one who requires contextualization.The Biden campaign's implicit promise is a return to normalcy. But that is a rebuke to the liberal imagination of history, in which Obama was a welcome rupture with the tradition of 42 white men as U.S. president. And in which the arc of history destines Democrats to make another startling break from the norm. There are qualified women in the Democratic race, aren't there? And women of color. And a gay man. Wouldn't electing one of them do more, symbolically, than electing another handsy old man on the premise that he is adept at coddling a politically fickle white working class? Biden's candidacy is an attempt by Democrats to bargain with Trump's America. Other candidates are promising to cleanse America from what Democrats see as the disgrace or even the sacrilege of Trump's presidency. Democrats don't want to bargain with the devil, they want an exorcist.If anything, recent presidential elections have taught the two major parties not to settle for someone who seems electable and unthreatening to swing voters, but to go with the candidate who excites them in the hope that excitement itself will be contagious. John Kerry as war veteran flopped. So did Romney. It was the candidates who drew impassioned crowds, Obama and Trump, who prevailed.But what about his accomplishments? Biden has historically positioned himself as a foreign-policy expert. But his record of judgment includes the very thing that disqualified Hillary Clinton for Democratic voters in 2008: a vote in support of the Iraq War. And despite Biden's experience and insight on foreign policy, his proposed solution for Iraq was in some ways the one later attempted by ISIS, cleaving it into pieces along religious lines. What this would have meant for Syria, for Saudi Arabia, and for the resultant states, which would not all have equal access to Iraq's resource wealth, he never quite speculated at the time.Some say that Biden is a reminder of the Obama years, and a counter-conventional wisdom is developing that nostalgia for the Obama years is precisely what the left wing of the party discounts at their peril. Biden's campaign logo, as a design proposition, tries to steal Obama's halo and place it on ol' Joe himself. But, Obama was a history-making candidate, allowing voters to be aspirational about their country and themselves by voting for him. And Biden isn't. Biden is the white guy who got in trouble for calling Obama "clean" and "articulate."For the voter set that is looking for a break with the mostly centrist economic orthodoxy of the Clintons and Obamas, Biden is a step backward as well. Biden helped write the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, which made it harder for consumers to escape their debts through bankruptcy, a gift for lenders such as JP Morgan, Chase, and Wells Fargo. Biden has always been a favorite of Delaware-based financial and credit firms. His son even worked for MBNA, both as an employee and as a consultant.Biden's great poll numbers are the result of his great name recognition and his association with a popular ex-president. But Biden's debut did not give voters a reason to be more excited about him than any of the other candidates, the ones who promise real, substantial, and symbolic breaks from the past.
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| George H.W. Bush grandson considering run for his grandfather's former Congress seat Posted: 25 Apr 2019 01:06 PM PDT ![George H.W. Bush grandson considering run for his grandfather's former Congress seat]( "George H.W. Bush grandson considering run for his grandfather's former Congress seat") Pierce Bush, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, says he is "seriously considering running" for the 7th Congressional District in Texas.
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| Chevrolet Prepares for C8 Corvette Production by Adding Workers at Bowling Green Factory Posted: 25 Apr 2019 12:42 PM PDT  GM is adding more than 400 jobs and a second shift in preparation for the next-gen Corvette.
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| Check Out This Picture: You Are Looking at the Greatest Aircraft Carrier Ever Posted: 23 Apr 2019 10:00 PM PDT  Shortly before USS Enterprise went to the breakers, a new ship bearing the name was laid down; CVN-65, the world's first nuclear aircraft carrier. The latter USS Enterprise served for fifty years, before decommissioning in 2012. Another USS Enterprise, CVN-80, is scheduled for completion by 2025.In May 1938, the U.S. Navy commissioned the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, the seventh ship to bear the name in American service. The second of three sisters, Enterprise made a central—perhaps the central—contribution to the war effort in 1942. The U.S. Navy began 1942 with six fleet carriers (excluding the small Ranger, which served in the Atlantic). Over the course of the year, Japanese aircraft and submarines would sink four of those carriers and put a fifth (USS Saratoga) out of action for long periods of time. Enterprise fought with distinction in most of the major battles of 1942, and survived to contribute for the rest of the war.(This first appeared several years ago.)In short, USS Enterprise (CV-6) was the finest ship ever to serve in the U.S. Navy.Construction
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| Ford invests $500 mn in electric vehicle startup Rivian Posted: 24 Apr 2019 06:43 AM PDT  Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it was investing $500 million in Rivian as part of a strategic partnership with the startup developing electric pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. The tieup will enable Ford to develop its own branded electric vehicle using Rivian's "flexible skateboard platform," according to a statement from the two companies. "As we continue in our transformation of Ford with new forms of intelligent vehicles and propulsion, this partnership with Rivian brings a fresh approach to both," said Jim Hackett, Ford president and chief executive.
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| Trump opposed to aides testifying to Congress on Mueller report: Washington Post Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:24 PM PDT  President Donald Trump is opposed to current and former White House aides testifying to congressional committees on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, the Washington Post quoted him as saying on Tuesday. In an interview with the newspaper, Trump said the White House cooperated with Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and did not need to comply with congressional committees, which are probing possible obstruction of justice by Trump.
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| How armed vigilante groups are detaining migrants on US-Mexico border Posted: 25 Apr 2019 07:07 AM PDT  The camera panned across dozens of faces, exhausted migrants crouched in the New Mexico night, fenced in by armed civilians. The woman filming issued a stern warning."Don't aim the gun," she called out to a member of the group off-screen, before she commented about how many children were in the group being "detained". The 16 April video of armed civilians holding migrants tore across social media and news outlets amid concerns by the American Civil Liberties Union that the actions of the United Constitutional Patriots amounted to armed kidnapping and coercion. The video and the stories that followed prompted stern denunciation from the state's governor and rights groups.The elements of that video and others are fuelling inquiry over the legal grey areas in which self-described militias can operate.That activity has placed armed civilians within feet of federal immigration agents at night in wild shrub land, with migrants caught in the middle, confused about who has actual authority on the border and what their rights are on US soil.[[gallery-0]] "Menacing or threatening migrant families and asylum seekers is absolutely unacceptable and must cease," New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said after the ACLU brought the video to light, calling the group's activities "completely unacceptable".The men in these videos wear military-style uniforms, surround migrants with rifles and issue commands to stop and sit. One member can be seen walking in front of the camera with an AR-15 rifle.In at least one video that has since been restricted, the group yells "Policia, alto!" – Police, stop! – at migrants, BuzzFeed News reported. In another, "a member of the militia is heard yelling in Spanish, 'Pistola, pistola' – gun, gun – at a group of people moments after they crossed the border at night," Buzzfeed wrote.Photos show the men wearing police-style star badges.In the April 16 video, Customs and Border Protection agents arrive and collect migrants but do not ask the group with guns to disperse or take their weapons elsewhere."Border Patrol has never asked us to stand down," Jim Benvie, a group spokesman, told the New York Times in a story published on 18 April.Benvie did not reply to multiple requests for an interview for this story, but he has been active on Facebook, and described his group's motivation for their actions in two videos on Tuesday night."We are simply there because President [Donald] Trump declared a national emergency on the border we came down to find out what that emergency is," Benvie says. "We are sitting here right now and we're doing what we need to do."Experts say the legal world these groups exist in is murky. What is the status of this group? Is it a militia? Is its actions protected by the constitution, or does the conduct rise to the level of kidnapping or impersonating law enforcement?"Militia is a term used in a rather fluid manner," said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. "It's loosely defined as an armed group engaged in some paramilitary operation."The Supreme Court has ruled it is an individual right to bear arms, Turley said, and if the members lawfully assemble without trespassing, they can exist in the ways neighbourhood patrols do – albeit armed with AR-15 rifles."In some ways these groups are George Zimmerman on steroids," Turley said, referring to the man who followed and killed Trayvon Martin and was exonerated on Florida's stand-your-ground, self-defence law.According to the group's Facebook page, its objective is to "uphold the Constitution of the United States of America" and to protect citizens' rights "against all enemies both foreign and domestic" – phrasing that mimics the oath taken by US service members.Dave Kopel, an adjunct professor constitutional law at Denver University, explained that in the American Revolution, militias were auxiliary forces that supplemented Continental troops across swaths of territory where an army presence was not always possible. Militias were crucial in raids and harassment campaigns against British soldiers.Now, organised militias are National Guard units and some state guard groups, he said. All able-bodied men between 17 and 45 years old are members of an organised militia subject to mobilisation, according to US law.The difference between those groups and the organisation at the border, Kopel explained, is a matter of oversight. Governors command National Guard troops. Presidents can activate them for federal service.It is legal to carry firearms openly in New Mexico, and there is not a law banning the use of military-style uniforms, although Turley said some behaviour could catch the eye of prosecutors.Most attorneys rely on explicit statements of misrepresenting oneself as law enforcement, but wearing police-style badges may get group members "dangerously close to the line of impersonating an officer."The group has sought to distance itself from the appearance of coercion, with Benvie calling their activities "a verbal citizen's arrest" and suggesting that their activity is not actual detainment."We can't make them stay if they don't want to," Benvie told the New York Times.Still, Turley said, confusion may reign on the border when militiamen emerge from the dark with weapons drawn. "It's very likely they view these militia members to be law enforcement," he said.Benvie told the paper the members were instructed not to point weapons and that military-style rifles were no longer permitted on patrols, though handguns were permissible. The 16 April video shows rifles in the hands of group members.New Mexico has no statute on citizen's arrest, Alan Malott, a since-retired judge of the 2nd Judicial District Court in New Mexico, wrote in 2011, saying people can arrest private citizens who they believe "committed a felony-level crime or a breach of the peace in his presence".In a statement on Twitter, CBP said it "does not endorse or condone private groups or organisations taking enforcement matters into their own hands. Interference by civilians in law enforcement matters could have public safety and legal consequences for all parties involved." It followed that tweet with phone numbers to call "if a member of the community witnesses or suspects illegal activity".Carlos Diaz, CBP spokesman, declined to comment on what was shown in the videos, which appear to have shown armed civilians alongside Border Patrol agents.Benvie did not respond to multiple requests for an interview, but he has shared several videos on his Facebook page over the past week, explaining the group's actions and their motivations."We have repeated time and time and time again this is not a militia," Benvie said onTuesday. "This is not an armed vigilante group. This is not the KKK. This is not a terrorist organisation."If we did anything wrong, if there had ever been anything wrong, not only would those videos have not been done live but the Border Patrol would have immediately acted," Benvie said. "They don't want civilians to enforce the law.""However," he continues, "if you read the second part of their statement they do encourage citizens to observe and report illegal activity relating to immigration, and they do welcome that they they've even posted the phone number, OK? So the point I'm trying to tell you is, is that 'observing and reporting' more or less is what we've been doing."The United Constitutional Patriots' leader, Larry Mitchell Hopkins, appeared in court Monday on charges from 2017 of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. The FBI also contends his group was training for assassinations against liberal politicians and donors.Hopkins, who goes by the pseudonym Johnny Horton and is referred to within the group as "Striker," was arrested and accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer in 2006."This is a dangerous felon who should not have weapons around children and families," Hector Balderas, the state attorney general, said in a statement after Hopkins's arrest. Balderas said the arrest "indicates clearly that the rule of law should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officials, not vigilantes."A letter sent by the New Mexico chapter of the ACLU asked Balderas to investigate the group. "We cannot allow racist and armed vigilantes to kidnap and detain people seeking asylum," it said.Benvie has said his group was welcomed by local law enforcement and said police were "happy we were there." However, the group's outpost in New Mexico was abandoned amid pressure from law enforcement, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.Sunland Police Chief Javier Guerra said it would take action if group members pointed weapons at migrants."We can arrest them for assault," Guerra said, AP reported.But in the 16 April video, the woman narrating the incident sought more a more influential audience."Donald Trump needs to see this," she said.Washington Post
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| Russian-North Korean relations since the Korean War Posted: 24 Apr 2019 08:05 PM PDT  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin gives an intriguing twist to the global diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea, which appeared to hit a wall after a summit between Kim and President Donald Trump collapsed in February.
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| 'Do Hard Things.' Fred Swaniker Gives Inspirational Toast at 2019 TIME 100 Gala Posted: 23 Apr 2019 08:20 PM PDT  'The most difficult thing is to keep going'
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| NASA's Insight lander detects first "marsquake" Posted: 24 Apr 2019 02:00 PM PDT  For the first time, NASA has confirmed the first "marsquake" detected by the Insight lander on the Red Planet on April 6. Marsquakes differ from earthquakes back home, let's find out how
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| The U.S. Navy Wants Frigates That Can Pack a Punch Posted: 24 Apr 2019 09:00 PM PDT  The Navy soon could select a shipyard to build the new class of frigate starting in 2020.The U.S. Navy might tweak its force-structure goals in order to boost the number of frigates.That's what Vice Adm. Bill Merz, the deputy chief of naval operations, told a House of Representatives subcommittee on March 27, 2019. "We're expecting a pretty hard look at the mix of ships this year," Merz said, according to USNI News.In rewriting the force-structure plan to include more small surface combatants, the Navy could signal its intention to acquire larger numbers of smaller ships at the expense of bigger ships.This first appeared in earlier in April 2019.The idea would be to distribute U.S. naval power across a greater number of less-expensive vessels, reversing a decades-long trend toward larger, and fewer U.S. warships."We know we are heavy on large surface combatants, and we'd like to adjust that to a more appropriate mix, especially with the lethality we're seeing coming along with the frigate," Merz said.
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| Deutsche Bank handing over Trump loan documents: source Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:44 PM PDT  Deutsche Bank has begun to provide documents on financing for some of President Donald Trump's projects to New York State authorities, a source familiar with the matter told AFP on Wednesday. In mid-March, New York Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed the German bank, demanding records related to loans and lines of credit granted to the Trump Organization. The money was intended to finance projects such as Trump hotels in Washington, DC, Miami and Chicago, another source told AFP last month on the condition of anonymity.
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| Sri Lanka's crisis of leadership opens space for nationalist Rajapaksas Posted: 25 Apr 2019 04:45 AM PDT  Elections to pick a new president are due between October and December and Mahinda Rajapaksa is already targeting President Maithripala Sirisena and his Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for failing to preserve the hard fought peace. Rajapaksa cannot contest for president again, but his brother Gotabaya is ready to make a bid, his aide has said. "Rajapaksas' will take the easy benefit and be able to claim with some credibility that if they come back to power, they will adopt the same strong security policy that allowed them to free the country from terrorism," said a Western diplomat.
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| Former Texas tennis coach pleads guilty in court in college admissions scandal Posted: 25 Apr 2019 06:44 AM PDT  Michael Center, a former tennis coach at the University of Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the college admissions scandal.
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| Searches by FBI, IRS add to Baltimore mayor's mounting woes Posted: 25 Apr 2019 02:34 PM PDT  BALTIMORE (AP) — Federal agents raided the homes and City Hall offices of Baltimore's embattled mayor on Thursday amid dramatically widening investigations to determine whether she used bulk sales of her self-published children's books to disguise kickbacks.
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| Amazon’s hosting the most massive sale we’ve ever seen on board games, today only Posted: 24 Apr 2019 10:12 AM PDT  Whether you love board games and play them every chance you get or you just like to have a few lying around to pull out at parties, today is your lucky day. Amazon is running a massive one-day sale spanning hundreds of different board games, and it has some of the lowest prices we've ever seen. Everything from obscure games to wildly popular ones like Exploding Kittens: NSFW Edition, Spot It!, and Pandemic. There's even a Game of Thrones board game included in the sale!You can shop the entire sale right here on Amazon's site, and check out a few of our favorite deals below. Just remember that this sale only lasts until the end of the day on Wednesday.
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| Tesla Model S and X get new drivetrains, longer range Posted: 24 Apr 2019 06:11 AM PDT  Without changing or upgrading the battery, Tesla has updated the Model S and Model X to increase each vehicle's driving range to 370 miles and 325 miles respectively. On Tuesday, Tesla announced that it has upgraded the powertrains of the Model S liftback and Model X SUV to increase the range by 10 percent for each, and significantly improve the power and torque for all model variants. The new drive unit technology increases the drivetrain efficiency by 93 percent, according to Tesla.
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| Glenn Close, Hasan Minhaj and Naomi Campbell Reveal Their Most Positive Influences at the TIME 100 Gala Posted: 23 Apr 2019 07:46 PM PDT  Glenn Close, Naomi Campbell and Trevor Noah talk about who influences them most at the 2019 TIME 100 Gala in a moving video.
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| Baking this barbecue brisket makes it deliciously tender Posted: 25 Apr 2019 08:18 AM PDT  Welcome to Best Bites, a twice-weekly video series that aims to satisfy yournever-ending craving for food content through quick, beautiful videos for theat-home foodie
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| Three-year-old boy 'abandoned' at US-Mexico border: agency Posted: 24 Apr 2019 01:57 PM PDT  US border patrol agents found a crying three-year-old boy in a Texas cornfield on Tuesday with his name and a phone number written on his shoes, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency said Wednesday. The boy was "abandoned" by a group of suspected illegal immigrants who had crossed into the United States from Mexico near Brownsville, Texas, the CBP said. "As agents attempted to intercept the group, the suspected illegal aliens scattered in the overgrown field," the CBP said in a statement.
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| Battle of Mogadishu veteran responds to Ilhan Omar's criticism of 'Black Hawk Down' mission Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:08 PM PDT  In a resurfaced tweet, Rep. Ilhan Omar claims U.S. forces killed 'thousands' of Somalis during the 1993 mission; reaction from retired Sergeant Major Kyle Lamb, who fought in the Battle of Mogadishu.
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| The Eames-Designed Meyer House Is On the Market Posted: 25 Apr 2019 01:02 PM PDT |
| Russia offers passports to east Ukraine, president-elect decries 'aggressor state' Posted: 24 Apr 2019 05:26 PM PDT ![Russia offers passports to east Ukraine, president-elect decries 'aggressor state']( "Russia offers passports to east Ukraine, president-elect decries 'aggressor state'") Russia's move is an early test for the Ukrainian president-elect, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who won a landslide victory in Sunday's presidential election and has pledged to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Zelenskiy said Putin's action showed Russia was waging war in Ukraine and brought the two sides no closer to peace. Outgoing President Petro Poroshenko said Russia might try to annex the Donbass region.
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