| Pelosi Says She ‘Doesn’t Care’ After DHS Contradicts Claim that SOTU Should be Cancelled Posted: 17 Jan 2019 05:51 AM PST  Speaker Nancy Pelosi reacted with ambivalence Wednesday night after the Department of Homeland Security contradicted her claim that the upcoming State of the Union address should be cancelled due to security concerns resulting from the ongoing government shutdown. "I don't care what they said," Pelosi told reporters when asked about the secret service's claim that they cold secure the House chamber for President Trump's upcoming State of the Union speech. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen pushed back Wednesday afternoon after Pelosi sent a letter to Trump asking him to deliver the State of the Union in writing, or delay it until the record government shutdown is resolved and the requisite agencies are better able to secure the venue.
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| Iran state TV presenter arrested by FBI and moved to Washington DC, say reports Posted: 16 Jan 2019 06:56 AM PST  An American-born journalist working for Iran's state TV broadcaster has reportedly been arrested after flying into the US. Press TV interrupted its broadcast on Wednesday to report Marzieh Hashemi was arrested after she arrived at St Louis Lambert International Airport on Sunday. The English-language Iranian broadcaster, citing family members, said its TV presenter and documentary film maker was taken into FBI custody and brought to Washington, DC.
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| U.S. House, including Steve King, votes to condemn his racist statements Posted: 16 Jan 2019 08:40 AM PST ![U.S. House, including Steve King, votes to condemn his racist statements]( "U.S. House, including Steve King, votes to condemn his racist statements") (Corrects name in paragraph 10 of this Jan. 15 story to Liz Cheney.) By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to pass a resolution disapproving statements made by Representative Steve King that were roundly criticized as racist, and King himself voted in favor of it. King, a Republican who represents a conservative district in Iowa, gave a media interview earlier this month in which he questioned why "white supremacy" is considered offensive. King himself voted in favor of the resolution, which referred to his remarks, because he said his comments were taken out of context and he too condemns white supremacy and racism.
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| House Democrats vows to vote for a border barrier because that's what her constituents want Posted: 16 Jan 2019 03:09 AM PST  Are there any signs other Democrats will break from the establishment line? Congresswoman Katie Hill explains her reasons for supporting Trump's physical border barrier
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| 911 callers say Jayme Closs should get $50K reward for rescuing herself Posted: 16 Jan 2019 10:24 PM PST  The Wisconsin couple who called 911 to report that Jayme Closs had been found think that Closs herself is more deserving of the $50,000 reward money.
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| Venezuela's parliament tries to lure military into disavowing Maduro Posted: 15 Jan 2019 06:11 PM PST  Venezuela's opposition-controlled but powerless National Assembly stepped up its battle with President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday by offering an amnesty to anyone from the military who joins it in disavowing the socialist leader. The "amnesty law" would extend also to civilian government officials who collaborate "in the restitution of constitutional order," parliament said. The row between the legislature and Maduro has intensified since the socialist leader was sworn in last week for a second term of office in the crisis-hit country, after he won snap elections in May that were boycotted by the opposition and dismissed by the United States, European Union and Organization of American States as a fraud.
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| California storms bring mudslide fears, blizzard warning Posted: 15 Jan 2019 07:55 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Pacific storm that brought fears of dangerous mudslides and a rare blizzard warning in the Sierra Nevada was less fierce than expected but hundreds of homes in fire-scarred California areas remained under evacuation orders as more rain was expected.
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| Apple boss Tim Cook attacks 'shadow economy' of data in call for new privacy law Posted: 17 Jan 2019 10:36 AM PST  Apple's chief executive Tim Cook has called for the US to introduce a national privacy law, attacking a "shadow economy" in which people's personal data is bought and sold without their knowledge. Mr Cook said companies should have to collect as little data as possible and make it easy for people to delete the information that is held about them. It is the latest attempt from Apple to position itself as the steward of consumers' privacy, and to draw a line between itself and companies such as Facebook and Google. Mr Cook said that people need to "win back their right to privacy" and that companies that sell data should have to register with the Federal Trade Commission, the US consumer watchdog. "I and others are calling on the US Congress to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation - a landmark package of reforms that protect and empower the consumer," Mr Cook wrote in Time Magazine. He singled out "data brokers", companies that purchase, bundle up and sell data on individuals, such as credit reference agencies, saying that most people were unaware of how companies transact in their data. "Right now, all of these secondary markets for your information exist in a shadow economy that's largely unchecked. Let's be clear: you never signed up for that," Mr Cook wrote. The US does not have a national equivalent to the UK's Data Protection Act or the European privacy legislation, GDPR. Facebook, Amazon and Google have all said they would support a law, but failed to put forward any concrete proposals. Mr Cook said companies should aim to minimise the amount of data they collect and make it easier for people to delete or correct it. Mr Cook has played up Apple's privacy credentials in recent months, as sales of its iPhones stumble and as Google and Facebook have been embroiled in repeated data controversies. Its privacy commitment has come under scrutiny, since Apple receives billions of dollars a year from Google to be the default search engine on the iPhone. Mr Cook has defended the deal, saying the company has built in controls to limit how much users can be tracked.
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| U.S. eyes Taiwan risk as China's military capabilities grow Posted: 15 Jan 2019 09:26 PM PST  The senior U.S. defense intelligence official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, did not predict that China's military, known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA), would take such a step but said such a possibility was the top worry as China expands and modernizes its military capabilities. "The biggest concern is that ... they are getting to a point where the PLA leadership may actually tell Xi Jinping that they are confident in their capabilities," the official said, referring to China's president. Pressed on whether the official was referring to Chinese confidence in its capabilities to be able to successfully win a battle with Taiwan, the official said, "Well, specifically that would be the most concerning to me." Taiwan is only one of a growing number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, including a trade war between the countries, U.S. sanctions on the Chinese military, and China's increasingly muscular military posture in the South China Sea.
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| Trump-Putin meeting secrecy presents 'very damning picture' Posted: 16 Jan 2019 05:18 AM PST  President Donald Trump took his interpreter's notes afterwards and ordered him not to disclose what he heard to anyone. Later that night, at a dinner, Mr Trump pulled up a seat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk without any American witnesses at all. Most recently, they chatted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after Mr Trump said they would not meet because of Russian aggression.
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| Kenya attack: At least six killed in Nairobi hotel complex terror siege Posted: 15 Jan 2019 08:29 PM PST  Islamist terrorists detonated explosives and fired automatic weapons as they mounted a deadly attack on a hotel and business complex frequented by Westerners in Nairobi on Tuesday. Six people have been confirmed killed in the attack, while a Kenyan police officer told reporters 15 bodies had been taken to the mortuary. A mortuary worker added that identification papers indicated that 11 were Kenyan, one was American and one was British, while the other two did not have documents on them. Nationalities of the dead remain unconfirmed. Hundreds more remained trapped inside buildings 16 hours after the attack began. Local security forces freed scores of civilians as they fought their way into the grounds of 14 Riverside, a compound housing a hotel, restaurant, bars and office blocks in the city's Westlands district. But the reported six gunmen were still in control of parts of the five-star Dusit Hotel, part of a Thai-owned international chain that appeared to be the chief target of the attackers. The Somali militant group al-Shabaab, which has longstanding ties to al-Qaeda, claimed credit for the attack, revisiting the city in which they killed 67 people during an attack on the Westgate shopping mall in 2013. Cars are seen on fire at the scene of explosions and gunshots in Nairobi Credit: REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Just as at Westgate, barely a mile way, this was a carefully chosen target designed to bring terror to one of the prosperous parts of an increasingly prosperous city and target Westerners and rich Kenyans alike. Several multinational firms, from America's Colgate Palmolive to the German chemical giant BASF housed their local headquarters at 14 Riverside. Several British firms were also based there, the consultancy groups Control Risks and Adam Smith International among them. From the outset it was clear that this was a highly sophisticated attack. A suicide bomber blew himself up close to the entrance as two vehicles carrying the attackers breached a security barrier, regarded as one of the most efficient in Nairobi, at the entrance to the complex. Some of the attackers, lobbing grenades and firing automatic rifles, reportedly killed several people at the Secret Garden restaurant, a spot popular for business meetings close to the restaurant, before continuing on to the Dusit hotel. "There was a big bang and then a lot of gunfire, up to 100 shots or more," said Philip Coulson, a lawyer working in a nearby office block. "Later, I saw people fleeing and others being carried out with looks of pain or anguish on their face." Terrified office workers in the complex's five blocks, said to house more than 1,000 employees, hid under desks and barricaded doors. Others, caught in the open, ran frantically for cover. "Run, run!" one man shouted from behind a low wall as colleagues stumbled on lawns and crawled along the ground in a desperate bid for safety as shots rang out. "Down! Down!" Extremists launched a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya's capital Credit: AP Photo/Brian Inganga Kenya's security forces earned an ignominious reputation during the Westgate attack, after army units were accused of opening fire on their police colleagues, killing the officer in charge and then embarking on a looting spree. But this time, the initial response appeared more professional and coordinated. Army and police units, assisted by emergency crews, were quick to seal off the perimeter and rescue people from the office blocks, at least some of which appeared to be ignored by the attackers. Many were rescued within hours, fleeing under armed guard with their hands in the air before streaming in their scores across a footbridge to the safety of a nearby university campus. Everywhere signs of extreme emotion were visible. Shaking and often weeping, some survivors — mostly Kenyan, but some Westerners too — embraced anxious relatives waiting outside the police cordon. Others sank to the ground and gave thanks to God. Security forces at the scene in Nairobi Credit: AP Photo/Ben Curtis "After the first blast, after we saw the restaurant had been blown up, we ran and hid under tables," said Elizabeth Maina, an employee at AC Nielsen, an American global research firm housed in the Belgravia building close to the entrance. "There was shooting everywhere. We called and sent messages to the police. After an hour, we saw men in uniforms and plain clothes enter the room. They shouted 'police, police' and led us out." Workers in office blocks, with plenty of hiding places and lockable doors, were always more likely to survive. Those in the hotel, whose foyer opens out onto a restaurant, bar and swimming pool, would have had much less of a chance — as their attackers surely knew. Just how high the death toll could be is unlikely to become clear until the attack is over, although witnesses said they saw at least five bodies and reported body parts strewn on the ground outside the hotel. "There was no time to count the dead but it is true that there are people who have died," said one police officer involved in the operation. A woman is reunited with her family after her evacuation from DusitD2 compound Credit: YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images Kenya has long been in al-Shabaab's sights, even before it sent troops across the border into Somalia in 2011 in an attempt to root out the militants behind the abductions of Western tourists on the Kenyan coast, Britons among them. In 1998, an al Qaeda attack, which involved a number of Somalis, on the American embassy in Nairobi killed more than 200 people. The number of attacks soared after 2011. Westgate aside, 147 students were killed in an attack on a university in the northern town in Garissa in 2015 while scores more had previously died when suspected al Shabaab militants struck at villages on the northern Kenyan coast. Improved intelligence, aided by tactical and training support from Britain, has seen a halt to large-scale attacks since 2015, although often deadly ambushes on Kenyan forces near the Somali border remain frequent. Despite mounting domestic opposition and al-Shabaab attacks on their bases, Kenyan forces remain in Somalia. The attack on 14 Riverside came on the third anniversary of an al-Shabaab attack on a Kenyan military base in the Somali town of El Adde. Kenya has refused to release details of the death toll, but analysts say they believe more than 140 Kenyan soldiers were killed.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a social media star, to school House Democrats on Twitter use Posted: 16 Jan 2019 12:34 PM PST  The lesson comes as a generational divide between members of Congress and the tech platforms they oversee has been on full display.
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| Marriott is rolling out a brand new rewards program -- Here's everything you need to know Posted: 16 Jan 2019 01:05 PM PST  When you're a frequent traveler, it's almost self-sabotage to not join some
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| Falling tree kills man as storm lashes California Posted: 16 Jan 2019 08:43 PM PST  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A falling tree killed a man in Oakland on Wednesday as a powerful storm lashed Northern California with high winds and rain, authorities said.
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| In third year, U.S. women's marches turn to 2020 elections Posted: 17 Jan 2019 12:11 PM PST  Millions of people took part in the women's marches in Washington and other cities in the United States and abroad on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after the Republican president was sworn in. Vanessa Wruble, a co-founder of the original Women's March on Washington who left to start March On, a separate grassroots coalition, said the movement has evolved from being a reaction to Trump's presidency. Women's March, a national nonprofit organization that evolved from the initial Washington march, is using its #WomensWave marches in Washington and elsewhere on Saturday to roll out a 10-part policy platform that includes raising the federal minimum wage and protecting reproductive rights.
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| An All-Electric Ford F-150 Pickup Truck Is Happening Posted: 17 Jan 2019 08:40 AM PST  A hybridized truck is in the cards from Ford, too; both will likely appear once the F-150 gets redesigned.
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| Southwest Airlines flights canceled, delayed due to computer issue in Baltimore Posted: 16 Jan 2019 09:39 AM PST  A data connectivity issue with Southwest Airlines phones and computer systems Tuesday resulted in delayed flights to and from BWI.
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| Tulsi Gabbard apologizes, again, for past antigay views Posted: 17 Jan 2019 11:53 AM PST  A week after announcing her presidential candidacy, the representative from Hawaii releases a video apology.
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| Illinois parents get 25 years in death of boy, 6, who weighed 17 pounds when he died Posted: 17 Jan 2019 11:17 AM PST  An Illinois father and stepmother will spend decades in prison in the starvation death of their 6-year-old son, who authorities say weighed just 17 pounds when he died.
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| Manchin Calls Pelosi’s Request for SOTU Postponement the ‘Wrong Approach’ Posted: 16 Jan 2019 02:57 PM PST  Democratic senator Joe Manchin said Wednesday that he thinks House speaker Nancy Pelosi made the wrong move in asking President Trump to postpone his State of the Union address until the government is reopened, or give the address from the Oval Office instead of the capitol. "I'm not sure what her intentions are," Manchin said on NBC. "I have the utmost respect for Speaker Pelosi. Pelosi cited security concerns in a letter to Trump on Wednesday asking that he postpone the State of the Union address to Congress until the government reopens, or deliver it from the Oval Office instead.
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| Oxford University suspends funding from China's Huawei Posted: 17 Jan 2019 10:37 AM PST  The University of Oxford said on Thursday it has stopped accepting funding from China's Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL], the leading global supplier of telecoms network equipment, after scrutiny over the company's relationship with China's government. "Oxford University decided on January 8 this year that it will not pursue new funding opportunities with Huawei Technologies Co Ltd or its related group companies at present," the university said in a statement. "The decision has been taken in the light of public concerns raised in recent months surrounding UK partnerships with Huawei.
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| May Wins Confidence Vote and Opens Cross-Party Brexit Talks Posted: 16 Jan 2019 12:21 PM PST  U.K. leader Theresa May survived an attempt to oust her government and immediately opened talks with rival political parties in an attempt to break the Brexit deadlock, as time runs out to reach a deal. The prime minister fought off the threat of a national election and won the right to continue running the country when the House of Commons voted 325 to 306 against a motion of "no confidence" in her administration. May invited other party leaders, who back keeping much closer ties to the European Union, for talks tonight to discuss how to forge a compromise Brexit plan that Parliament can support.
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| Mexican president took $100 mln drug bribe, trial hears Posted: 16 Jan 2019 02:15 AM PST  Former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto accepted a $100 million bribe from drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, a former collaborator told the kingpin's trial. Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian who is now collaborating with US prosecutors in the Chapo trial, made the statement under examination from defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman. "Mr. Guzman paid a bribe of $100 million to President Pena Nieto,?" the lawyer asked.
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| Markets Right Now: Banks lead stock gains on Wall Street Posted: 16 Jan 2019 01:07 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local):
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| The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid Gets More Angular Styling and a Big New Screen Posted: 17 Jan 2019 08:32 AM PST  Minor changes are coming to Hyundai's hybrid Ioniq hatchback.
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| Sears, Kmart may survive: Eddie Lampert wins Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction Posted: 16 Jan 2019 11:43 AM PST  Sears Holdings could escape its brush with annihilation after the retailer's chairman and largest investor prevailed in an auction.
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| Turkish prosecutor seeks extradition of NBA's Kanter over Gulen links: Anadolu Posted: 16 Jan 2019 02:40 PM PST  Turkish prosecutors are seeking the extradition of New York Knicks center Enes Kanter over his links to the U.S.-based cleric accused of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016, state-owned Anadolu news agency said. Kanter, a vocal critic of President Tayyip Erdogan, was indicted by a Turkish court last year over alleged membership of an "armed terrorist group" after being contacted repeatedly by people close to Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. Anadolu said on Tuesday prosecutors had sought the issue of a "red notice" for Kanter, an Interpol request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition.
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| Mike Pence amends claim that 'ISIS has been defeated' following deadly attack on U.S. troops Posted: 16 Jan 2019 12:53 PM PST  The same day that ISIS fighters in Syria claimed responsibility for a deadly bomb attack, Vice President Mike Pence echoed the president's assessment that the group had been vanquished.
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| David Webb’s White Privilege Posted: 17 Jan 2019 03:30 AM PST  Areva Martin, a CNN "analyst" — whatever in hell that means anno Domini 2019 — was in the middle of a spirited exchange with the conservative talk-radio host David Webb about racial preferences in hiring. Webb argued — as conservatives of many different races argue! — that race should not be a factor in such decisions, which should be based strictly on qualifications. "That's a whole 'nother long conversation about white privilege," she sniffed.
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| May Said to Promise Brexiteers She Won't Cave: Brexit Update Posted: 17 Jan 2019 10:31 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story.
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| Russia and Japan 'far from partners': Lavrov Posted: 16 Jan 2019 05:17 AM PST  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow and Tokyo are still "far from being partners" despite renewed efforts to resolve a decades-old conflict over disputed islands. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are to meet in Moscow next Tuesday for talks on the strategic Kuril islands seized by the Soviet army in the final days of World War II. Lavrov, speaking during an annual conference, set a confrontational tone however.
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| 'Gingers unite!': Prince Harry bonds with 4-year-old redhead Posted: 16 Jan 2019 07:45 AM PST  Prince Harry got a big surprise on Monday when a 4-year-old red-head presented him with a special sign.
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| Detroit auto show models -- the human ones -- embrace new role Posted: 17 Jan 2019 01:03 PM PST  Every year at the Detroit auto show, good-looking women -- and men -- are deployed by the carmakers to present their new vehicles. The "product specialists" still have picture-perfect smiles, but they also can tick off the features of each car and prices with such assurance that the iPads they carry for reference can seem merely decorative. Perched on stilettos, Priscilla Tejeda is working for Toyota.
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| 10 of the Kia Telluride's Coolest Design Details, from the Designer Himself Posted: 17 Jan 2019 01:50 PM PST |
| Get ready: Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are coming back January 24 Posted: 17 Jan 2019 05:00 AM PST ![Get ready: Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are coming back January 24]( "Get ready: Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are coming back January 24") It's been nearly a year since Taco Bell released its popular Nacho Fries nationwide. The menu item returns January 24.
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| Last year's Central American caravan dwindles, new one forms Posted: 15 Jan 2019 08:24 PM PST  TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — The migrant caravan that was seized upon by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2018 midterm election has quietly dwindled, with many having gone home to Central America or put down roots in Mexico.
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| How to Avoid Common Car-Seat Installation Mistakes Posted: 16 Jan 2019 04:39 PM PST  A toddler, still strapped into a car safety seat, survived a fall out of a moving vehicle this week on a Minnesota road—providing a chilling reminder of the importance of proper car seat installa...
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| California mother charged in stabbing death of 2-year-old son Posted: 17 Jan 2019 02:02 AM PST  A Covina woman has been charged with stabbing her own 2-year-old son to death, officials said Wednesday.
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| Goldman Sachs, Bank of America rock earnings Posted: 16 Jan 2019 02:31 PM PST  Goldman Sachs reported better-than-expected profits on Wednesday despite higher legal costs as it works through the 1MDB scandal, while Bank of America's earnings were lifted by higher interest rates. Goldman reported mixed operational performance across its trading, investing and lending businesses, while Bank of America saw its profits triple compared to a year earlier. Goldman Chief Executive David Solomon described conditions in the real economy as "quite robust," echoing other bank executives who downplayed as exaggerated the economic worries that have roiled markets in recent weeks.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's first House speech breaks online viewing records Posted: 17 Jan 2019 02:10 PM PST  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's first speech on the floor of Congress broke digital viewing records for C-SPAN, Capitol Hill's public affairs network, garnering over a million views on Twitter in roughly 12 hours. The progressive freshman Gouse member took to the floor on Wednesday to decry Donald Trump's demands for border wall funding to be included in the next federal spending bill — a battle that has spurred the longest government shutdown in American history. "The truth of this shutdown is that it's actually not about a wall," the New York Democrat said.
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| The 2020 Toyota Highlander Looks Redesigned beneath Some Weird Camouflage Posted: 16 Jan 2019 09:48 AM PST  The next-gen three-row SUV will transition to a new platform but should keep the same family-oriented mission.
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| 7 dreamy Tuscan villas for rent Posted: 17 Jan 2019 05:16 AM PST ![7 dreamy Tuscan villas for rent]( "7 dreamy Tuscan villas for rent") Homebase Abroad shares some of its most alluring vacation rentals in Tuscany.
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| Procter & Gamble takes the lead on tackling ocean plastic Posted: 17 Jan 2019 01:01 AM PST  Personal care brand Procter & Gamble has joined forces with several major companies to launch a new organization to tackle plastic waste levels in the ocean. The conglomerate, which owns brands such as Olay, Herbal Essences and Gillette, has co-founded the 'Alliance to End Plastic Waste' (AEPW) alongside dozens of other global member companies, such as ExxonMobil, Shell and Total. The non-profit alliance has pledged to donate over $1 billion in order to invest $1.5 billion over the next five years to help eliminate plastic waste in the environment.
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| This Quiet Mueller Cooperator Has a Key Role in Trump Probe Posted: 17 Jan 2019 01:00 AM PST  Rick Gates, who spent about a decade working for Kremlin-backed political players in Ukraine, served as Donald Trump's deputy campaign manager for four months and then became the campaign's liaison to the Republican National Committee. Weeks later, he appears to have met with Mnuchin and Barrack again for an appointment marked as personal on the Treasury secretary's calendar.
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