| Trump adviser Roger Stone pleads not guilty in Russia probe as he takes on a new role: defendant Posted: 29 Jan 2019 10:41 AM PST  Roger Stone pleaded not guilty to charges that he lied to Congress about Trump campaign efforts to learn of emails stolen by the Russian government.
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| Huawei lawyer says CFO Meng a "hostage" after U.S. presses charges Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:28 AM PST ![Huawei lawyer says CFO Meng a "hostage" after U.S. presses charges]( "Huawei lawyer says CFO Meng a \"hostage\" after U.S. presses charges") WASHINGTON/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Huawei's CFO "should not be a hostage" in Sino-U.S. relations, her lawyer said on Tuesday, after the United States announced criminal charges against herself and the Chinese firm just days before crunch trade talks with Beijing. The Justice Department charged Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and its chief financial officer with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran by doing business through a subsidiary it tried to hide and that was reported on by Reuters in 2012 and 2013. In a separate case, the Justice Department charged the telecommunications equipment maker with stealing robotic technology from T-Mobile US Inc. Huawei has said the companies settled their dispute in 2017.
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| US Midwest braces for dangerous arctic chill Posted: 29 Jan 2019 08:51 AM PST  Millions of Americans braced Tuesday for a dangerous polar vortex which began to settle over a large swath of the United States, threatening to set new records as schools and businesses closed and authorities warned of frostbite. The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast temperatures between -10 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-23 to -40 Celsius) by Wednesday, with wind chill making it seem as cold as -65 degrees Fahrenheit in one area of Minnesota. The culprit was a lobe of arctic air broken away from the polar vortex that usually encircles the North Pole.
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| Venezuela crisis: Opposition leader Juan Guaido hit with travel ban and asset freeze by supreme court Posted: 30 Jan 2019 01:50 AM PST  Venezuela's self-declared interim president, Juan Guaido, has been hit with a travel ban after the country's chief prosecutor announced he would launch a criminal investigation into the congressional leader. The supreme court – stacked with members loyal to president Nicolas Maduro – blocked Mr Guaido from leaving the counrty and froze his bank accounts, but did not strip him of his legislative immunity. It came as Mr Guaido called on Venezuelans to stage a two-hour walkout from their homes and workplaces in protest at Mr Maduro's stewardship of the country.
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| The 2020 Toyota Tacoma Is Coming, and This Teaser Photo Hints at How It'll Look Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:37 PM PST  We try to decipher a nearly undecipherable image of the latest mid-size pickup truck.
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| Young boy found after being lost for days in the woods says he made friends with a bear Posted: 29 Jan 2019 09:29 AM PST ![Young boy found after being lost for days in the woods says he made friends with a bear]( "Young boy found after being lost for days in the woods says he made friends with a bear") Kids say the darndest things, and a young boy who was lost for three days in a heavily wooded area of North Carolina is spinning a yarn that is leaving investigators baffled. Casey Hathaway was reportedly playing with other children in his grandmother's backyard when he wandered into a nearby woods and disappeared from view. Nobody could find the young boy, and authorities and volunteers scoured the woods for three days before he was eventually found alive. Having endured chilly temperatures and heavy rain, the boy was still in good health, but he says he didn't make it through the ordeal alone. "He made a comment about having a friend while he was in the woods -- his friend was a bear," on of the investigators, Maj. David McFadyen of the Craven County Sheriff's Office, told CNN in an interview. "In the emergency room he started talking about what happened in the woods and he said he had a friend that was a bear with him while he was in the woods." The youngster likely had a rather uncomfortable time while he was lost in the woods, as nighttime temperatures dropped as low as 20 degrees and two inches of rain fell during the three days he was missing. As for whether or not a bear actually joined him, authorities can't say for certain one way or the other. Authorities note that there are indeed bears in the area, but nobody involved in the search for the boy reported seeing one while combing the woods. The boy was found in a tangle of vines, according to investigators, and while he was cold he was otherwise unharmed. Search party members could hear him calling out for his mother, which helped them locate him. Police say the young boy will be interviewed -- or at least questioned to the extent that one can question a three-year-old -- in order to get a better idea of how he survived, and perhaps they'll learn a little bit more about his bear friend in the process.
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| China slowdown weighs on revenue growth at internet giant Alibaba Posted: 30 Jan 2019 06:13 AM PST  Internet giant Alibaba saw its revenue growth slow in the final three months of last year, in quarterly results likely to stir up concerns over the weaker China market, recently signalled to by US tech giants. Alibaba saw net income jump 33pc to 30.96bn yuan (£3.5bn) in the three months to the end of December, and revenue rose 41pc to 117.28bn yuan. However, shares dipped in New York trading, down 1.3pc, as investors took the results as a sign growth was waning, given Alibaba's revenue had grown more than 50pc for the 10 consecutive quarters prior to the most recent results. The 41pc growth announced on Wednesday was the weakest Alibaba had recorded in three years. The results follow a warning from Alibaba president Michael Evans earlier this month that China had "slowed down". Speaking at an event in New York, Mr Evans had said it was a market that "required patience", adding that there were some "troubling headwinds". Last week, China posted figures revealing its economic growth in 2018 had been the weakest in 28 years amid tensions with the US and poor consumer confidence. The country's GDP growth for the year was 6.6pc, down from 2017's 6.8pc. Some economists are predicting growth could slip below 6pc going forward. Technology intelligence - newsletter promo - EOA Masaaki Kanno, chief economist at Sony Financial Holdings, said: "We still think the Chinese economy could bottom out in the middle of the year. "There was no surprise from the GDP data but the basic message is that the Chinese economy is still slowing down." However, David Dai, of Bernstein, said the environment should improve for Alibaba in the second half of 2019 "as the Chinese government introduces measures to stimulate the economy and US China trade war stabilises". Alibaba is the first of China's big tech companies to report its results for the final three months of 2018, but follows a series of warnings over the state of the China market by US giants Apple, Intel and Nvidia. Apple last night said sales of its iPhones slipped by 15pc in the final three months of 2018, largely due to weaker demand in China. Speaking about Alibaba's results on Wednesday, however, boss Daniel Zhang was upbeat, saying: "Our resilient operating and financial performance is a direct reflection of our persistent focus on better serving our growing base of nearly 700 million consumers across retail, digital entertainment and local consumer services."
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| Sheriff: Suspect confesses to killing 5 with dad's gun Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:54 PM PST  BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A young man from Louisiana has confessed to killing his parents, his girlfriend, and two of her family members who had taken him in after he was kicked out of his house, authorities said Tuesday.
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| Top airline is selling flights for $44 Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:35 PM PST  Winter weather and the general lull of the post-holiday season can leave just
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| Mnuchin says Huawei case 'separate' from U.S.-China trade talks Posted: 29 Jan 2019 05:57 AM PST  U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Tuesday he expected to see significant progress in trade talks with Chinese officials this week and that U.S. charges against telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd were a separate issue. "Those are separate issues, and that's a separate dialogue," Mnuchin said in an interview with Fox Business Network. "So those are not part of trade discussions.
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| Extreme weather: Polar vortex in Midwest, record heat in Australia, weird warmth in Alaska. What's going on? Posted: 30 Jan 2019 05:36 PM PST  Extreme weather has wreaked havoc worldwide this month: As the upper Midwest shivered with record-breaking cold temperatures, wild extremes in weather were reported elsewhere.
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| Palestinian president Abbas accepts government resignation Posted: 29 Jan 2019 11:48 AM PST  Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas accepted the resignation of his government Tuesday, in a reshuffle seen as a bid by the ageing leader to strengthen his position as a decade-old political split deepens. Analysts view replacing prime minister Rami Hamdallah after five years as part of Abbas's efforts to further isolate his political rivals Hamas, who run the Gaza Strip. Hamdallah's government will remain in place while a new administration is formed.
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| NASA’s mission to ‘Touch the Sun’ just reached a major milestone Posted: 30 Jan 2019 07:58 AM PST ![NASA's mission to 'Touch the Sun' just reached a major milestone]( "NASA's mission to 'Touch the Sun' just reached a major milestone") NASA had a big year in 2018 with several bold new missions to study various features of our Solar System, and one of the most exciting was the launch of the Parker Solar Probe which will study the Sun in more detail than has ever been possible before. The probe has already broken several records and proven that it's capable of enduring the intensity of our star, and it's starting out 2019 by adding another notch to its belt. The probe, which launched in August of last year, recently completed its first full orbit of the Sun on January 19th. It's a feat that the spacecraft will repeat many times over the next several years, but completing the first full loop is obviously cause for celebration. "It's been an illuminating and fascinating first orbit," Parker Solar Probe Project Manager Andy Driesman said in a statement. "We've learned a lot about how the spacecraft operates and reacts to the solar environment, and I'm proud to say the team's projections have been very accurate." The probe gathered a huge amount of data during its first trip around the Sun, and it performed much of its work without being in radio contact of its handlers back on Earth. As it orbits the Sun, the probe will regularly lose contact with Earth and then reconnect when it emerges from behind the star once more. Thus far, the probe has sent back over 17 gigs of scientific data and it's still streaming more observation data back. The data dump won't be finished until April, NASA says. The probe is expected to put in nearly seven years of work, making a total of 24 orbits and getting gradually closer to the Sun with each pass. It is tasked with observing many different functions of the star, including the generation of solar wind and the outflow of energy from the Sun into space, advancing our understanding of solar weather.
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| Pregnant Lyft driver in third trimester stabbed to death by passenger, police say Posted: 29 Jan 2019 07:06 AM PST  A Lyft rider in suburban Phoenix stabbed his pregnant driver, killing the woman and her unborn child before stealing her vehicle and driving nearly 150 miles before being arrested near the California line, authorities said Monday.
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| Canada’s Decision on Huawei and 5G ‘Some Ways Off,’ Goodale Says Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:27 PM PST  "I'm not going to speculate about time but it's certainly beyond weeks," Goodale told reporters Tuesday after a cabinet meeting. Goodale said Canada will take the view of allies such as the U.S. into account when studying potential risks to national security, and will make its own decision in the end. China's ambassador to Canada and Huawei officials have denied the company's gear is used for spying.
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| Trump boosts bills to teach his favorite book — the Bible — in public schools Posted: 29 Jan 2019 02:06 PM PST  Steven Fitschen, president of the National Legal Foundation, reacts to the president's tweet praising his effort to teach teach the Bible in public schools.
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| US charges Huawei with fraud for violating Iran sanctions and stealing trade secrets Posted: 28 Jan 2019 09:54 PM PST  American prosecutors have unveiled criminal charges against Huawei, accusing one of China's top companies of violating sanctions against Iran and stealing trade secrets. The 23 charges filed on Monday drew a sharp response from China and threatened to escalate tensions between Washington and Beijing just as a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He arrived in the US capital for trade talks. Matthew Whitaker, the acting US attorney general, said Huawei had attempted to evade sanctions against Iran by setting up a separate company called Skycom, which fraudulently conducted more than $100m (£76m) worth of transactions through the US financial system over four years. Mr Whitaker said Huawei had lied to the US government to obstruct investigations, moved potential witnesses back to China, and misled banks to continue to process transactions. In a second set of charges, the Justice Department said the company had attempted to steal technology from the US telecoms network T-Mobile. Employees of a US subsidiary allegedly attempted to steal details of a robot arm named Tappy used to test smartphone touchscreens. Huawei's CHO Meng Wanzhou was charged Credit: The Canadian Press The charges related to Iran include one against Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, who was arrested in Canada last month and faces US extradition. A request is due to be sent to the Canadian government by a deadline of this Wednesday. "By claiming that Skycom was a separate company - and not an affiliate which Huawei controlled - Huawei allegedly asserted that all of its Iran business was in compliance with American sanctions," Mr Whitaker said. This charges are the latest move from the US pressing China on the issue of corporate espionage and intellectual property theft. The US, UK, and other governments have warned such activity poses a major national and economic security threat. Huawei represents China's technology ambitions and in many ways reflects the country's rise on the global stage. It is also at the heart of security fears surrounding Chinese firms, given worries over privacy and hacking and whether these companies – though private – could act on behalf of Beijing. Some countries and national carriers – including the UK – have dropped use of Huawei equipment in telecoms infrastructure networks over those concerns. Huawei said on Tuesday it was "disappointed" with the US allegations against the company, and denied it violated US laws and any misconduct by Ms Meng. "Huawei believes that US courts will eventually reach the same conclusion," the company said in a statement. Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, right, wipes his brow after announcing the indictments. On the left is Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Credit: AP Beijing's reaction has largely stemmed over concerns that the West is using such allegations and the trade negotiations to control China's rise. The Foreign Ministry accused the US of using its "state power to disgrace and crack down on certain Chinese companies in an attempt to stifle and to kill the lawful operations of these companies," according to the statement. Chinese authorities issued another thinly veiled warning to Ottawa for having cooperated with the US in arresting Ms Meng, after again demanding for her release, and vowing to resolutely protect the interests of Chinese companies. US officials insisted the Huawei charges were unrelated to trade talks between with China. "These indictments are law enforcement actions and wholly separate from our trade negotiations," said Wilbur Ross, the US commerce secretary. However, he said Chinese firms had spent years undermining US sanctions and exploiting the US financial system. Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, also denied any link between the charges and this week's talks. "Those two things are not linked. They are a totally separate process," she said during a briefing.
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| Colder than the South Pole: U.S. Midwest gripped by deep freeze Posted: 30 Jan 2019 01:52 PM PST  A blast of polar air brought record-low temperatures to much of the U.S. Midwest on Wednesday, canceling trash pick-ups, halting the mail and forcing residents who pride themselves on their winter hardiness to huddle indoors. Classes were canceled for Wednesday and Thursday in many cities, including Chicago, home of the nation's third-largest school system, and police warned of the risk of accidents on icy highways. In a rare move, the U.S. Postal Service appeared to temporarily set aside its credo that "neither snow nor rain ... nor gloom of night" would stop its work: it halted deliveries from parts of the Dakotas through Ohio.
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| Life in #Chiberia: It's so cold in the Midwest, beer is exploding and we're setting fire to train tracks to keep them running Posted: 30 Jan 2019 10:00 AM PST  A polar vortex has sent temperatures plunging well below zero in the Midwest, and residents are going to social media to share just how cold it is.
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| Two Cheers for Inequality Posted: 29 Jan 2019 03:30 AM PST  Which is to say: Why do progressives believe that enacting economic policies that harm the wealthy will benefit the middle class? Last week, I noted that Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren had suggested a new program of confiscating the assets of wealthy Americans on an annual schedule, a "wealth tax" with no constitutional basis and very little to recommend it economically. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has recommended a confiscatory income tax.
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| PG&E files for bankruptcy after California wildfires Posted: 29 Jan 2019 09:09 AM PST  The company, the largest utility in America's most populous state, has been under intensifying scrutiny in the wake of the so-called 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California that left 86 people dead, destroyed some 18,000 buildings and came on the heels of deadly wildfires in the state in 2017. PG&E, whose shares have fallen 72 percent over the last year, could face huge liabilities if investigations reveal its equipment was directly responsible for the fire.
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| Woman with baby dies after falling down NYC subway stairs Posted: 29 Jan 2019 07:49 PM PST ![Woman with baby dies after falling down NYC subway stairs]( "Woman with baby dies after falling down NYC subway stairs") NEW YORK (AP) — A young mother has died after falling down stairs at a Manhattan subway station while holding her 1-year-old daughter.
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| Britain to Prioritize Keeping Medicines Stocked Over Food in Case of No-Deal Brexit Posted: 29 Jan 2019 07:58 AM PST  The government has been accused of playing 'Russian roulette' with the national interest
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| Dutch Cabinet Gets Emergency Powers in Case of No-Deal Brexit Posted: 29 Jan 2019 06:55 AM PST  A majority of lawmakers in the parliament's lower house in The Hague granted the cabinet a six month period -- rather than a year as the government had proposed -- to use special powers as the country of about 17 million prepares for the eventuality of the U.K. leaving the European Union without a divorce agreement. Under the new legislation, the government will have to submit emergency measures to parliament within ten weeks after implementing them. If the government fails to submit within the set time-frame, the measures will be scrapped.
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| Trump aide John Bolton reveals notepad reading '5,000 troops to Colombia', as US announces fresh Venezuela sanctions Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:21 AM PST  John Bolton, the US national security adviser, has courted controversy by flashing a note reading "5,000 troops to Colombia" during an announcement of fresh sanctions on Venezuela. Mr Bolton announced sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company, PDVSA, designed to ratchet up pressure on embattled president Nicolas Maduro amid an ongoing crisis in the Latin American nation.
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| 'El Chapo' defense rests after calling one witness Posted: 29 Jan 2019 01:03 PM PST  After that, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, who is presiding over the trial in Brooklyn federal court, will instruct the jury so it can begin deliberating Guzman's fate. The brief defense case was in sharp contrast to the 10-week presentation put on by prosecutors, who called over 50 witnesses to testify. Guzman said on Monday that he would not testify in his own defense.
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| My special needs students needed their teachers in the classroom — not on the picket line Posted: 29 Jan 2019 11:24 AM PST  The Los Angeles Unified School District strike resulted in historic wins for teachers. But students with disabilities were forced to bear the cost.
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| Woman bitten on rear by python lurking in her toilet Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:41 PM PST  A woman in Australia got a rather unpleasant surprise when she sat down on her
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| Boeing bullish on 2019 despite US-China tensions Posted: 30 Jan 2019 10:28 AM PST  Boeing reported a strong fourth quarter on Wednesday and offered a bullish 2019 outlook as executives expressed measured confidence in the prospects for a US-China trade agreement. Shares rallied on the report and 2019 forecast, which anticipates much higher than expected 2019 profits as the company ramps up commercial aircraft deliveries. "Across the enterprise, our team delivered strong core operating performance and customer focus, driving record revenues, earnings and cash flow and further extending our global aerospace industry leadership in 2018," said Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg.
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| What we know about husband and wife killed in Houston officer-involved shooting Posted: 29 Jan 2019 05:03 PM PST  The man and woman were killed after firing at Houston police, who were attempting to serve a warrant.
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| Midwest cities scramble to keep homeless from dangerous cold Posted: 29 Jan 2019 03:20 PM PST  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Winter's sharpest bite in years moved past painful into life-threatening territory Tuesday, prompting officials throughout the Midwest to take extraordinary measures to protect the homeless and other vulnerable people from the bitter cold, including turning some city buses into mobile warming shelters in Chicago.
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| May Faces Losing Control Over Brexit Despite Gamble on Backstop Posted: 28 Jan 2019 11:29 PM PST  Despite a last minute gamble aimed at buying off rebels in her Conservative Party, the prime minister will face a knife-edge battle to fight a proposal that would hand Parliament the power to put the whole process on hold. The leadership of the opposition Labour Party was preparing to order its MPs to vote for the amendment, according to three people familiar with the matter. The plan aims to prevent the catastrophic scenario of crashing out of the bloc without a deal, but critics see as an attempt to thwart Brexit.
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| Chris Christie says he told Trump to stop tweeting about Russia probe: 'You're making this worse' Posted: 29 Jan 2019 07:14 AM PST  Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he has repeatedly told Trump not to tweet about special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
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| 'Serious consequences,' U.S. warns, after Venezuela moves on Guaido Posted: 29 Jan 2019 03:43 PM PST  The sweeping U.S. sanctions on oil firm PDVSA, announced on Monday, means the state-run company may not be able to fulfill contracts with North American buyers, the government of President Nicolas Maduro said. Aimed at driving Maduro from power, the sanctions were the strongest measures yet against the 56-year-old former union leader, who has overseen economic collapse and an exodus of millions of Venezuelans in recent years. The measures triggered higher global oil prices, angry responses from China and Russia and the first serious moves against Guaido since he challenged Maduro's claim on the presidency last week.
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| U.S. drops out of top 20 performers in global corruption index, watchdog says Posted: 28 Jan 2019 09:11 PM PST  The group said its latest report on business leaders' perceptions of corruption put the United States at 71, down from 75, on a scale of 0-100. "This is a red flag because it's really part of a pattern that we've seen since the 2008 global financial crisis of a loss of trust ... in our public institutions," she told Reuters. "People don't see us as having adequate mechanisms in place to fight corruption and ensure the accountability of our elected officials." GRAPHIC: Corruption Perceptions Index - https://tmsnrt.rs/2HCFkgJ Concerns were already mounting before the election of Donald Trump, although they have been highlighted by the actions of a rich president who defied precedent to keep his personal tax affairs secret and retain his business holdings in office.
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| The 2019 Range Rover SV Coupe Is Dead and Will Not Reach Production Posted: 30 Jan 2019 08:04 AM PST  The planned pinnacle of the brand, said to be the fastest Range Rover yet, has been cancelled.
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| American and Taliban officials reportedly reach tentative agreement to pull US troops out of Afghanistan Posted: 29 Jan 2019 02:47 AM PST  In exchange, Taliban agrees to not allow terror groups inside Afghanistan's borders; Col. Rob Maness reacts.
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| Free bacon, bacon and more bacon: McDonald's, Wendy's go whole hog on what Americans love Posted: 29 Jan 2019 06:12 AM PST  From free Wendy's Baconators to free bacon from McDonald's for one hour, bacon is the sizzling hot choice for fast-food chains now.
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| AP Explains: Anti-assimilation claims haunt Latinos, Asians Posted: 28 Jan 2019 07:38 PM PST  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — NBC's Tom Brokaw drew strong criticism for saying that Hispanics needed to work harder at assimilating and learning English. Megan Neely, a Duke University graduate studies director, also sparked anger for warning international Asian students in an email against speaking Chinese in public.
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| Should NYC Ride-Share Drivers Get a $17 Hourly Minimum? Lyft and Juno Say No Posted: 30 Jan 2019 02:45 PM PST ![Should NYC Ride-Share Drivers Get a $17 Hourly Minimum? Lyft and Juno Say No]( "Should NYC Ride-Share Drivers Get a $17 Hourly Minimum? Lyft and Juno Say No") The rule, passed by New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission in December, requires that drivers for market leader Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft, Juno and Via earn at least $17.22 an hour. It's part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's effort to cap the growth of app-based, ride-for-hire platforms and reduce traffic congestion.
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| Howard Dean warns Schultz's 'vanity candidacy' could mean a 2nd term for Trump Posted: 29 Jan 2019 12:30 PM PST  The former Starbucks chief executive stirs up fear and anxiety by floating an independent presidential run.
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| US troops to Colombia in Venezuela row? Pentagon mum Posted: 29 Jan 2019 08:08 AM PST  Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan would not rule out Tuesday a US military deployment to Colombia, one day after National Security Advisor John Bolton displayed a note suggesting the move amid a political crisis in neighboring Venezuela. "I haven't discussed that with Secretary Bolton," Shanahan said when asked if there was a plan to send thousands of troops to Colombia.
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| Trump slams U.S. intelligence chiefs as 'passive and naive' on Iran Posted: 30 Jan 2019 03:17 PM PST  Leaders of the U.S. intelligence community told a Senate committee on Tuesday that the nuclear threat from North Korea persisted and Iran was not taking steps toward making a nuclear bomb, conclusions that contrasted starkly with Trump's assessments of those countries. "The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran.
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| GM Brands Have Cut Complimentary Maintenance from Three Years to One Posted: 30 Jan 2019 09:05 AM PST  Cadillac, GMC, and Buick will now only cover the first maintenance visit. Chevrolet isn't yet saying.
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