| Marine testifies Navy SEAL did not stab Iraq captive Posted: 27 Jun 2019 03:35 PM PDT  A Marine who worked jointly in Iraq with a decorated Navy SEAL accused of murder testified Thursday that the SEAL did not stab a teenage Islamic State prisoner in his care. Marine Staff Sergeant Georgio Kirylo said that he did not see stab wounds on the neck of the dead captive when he moved the body to position it for a so-called "trophy" photo. Kirylo took the stand in the San Diego court-martial of SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher, who is accused of fatally stabbing the adolescent militant in 2017.
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| "First Cut of Steel": The Navy's New Ballistic Missile Submarine Is Coming Soon Posted: 26 Jun 2019 11:21 AM PDT  Using first-of-its-kind digital modeling techniques, and advanced training, the Navy has been making rapid progress staying ahead of the original construction schedule. The ship specs are 100-percent complete, the arrangements are 97.5 percent complete and the ship disclosures are already 43-percent complete.Almost nobody knows where they are at any given time, yet nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines quietly patrol dark domains of the undersea realm in strategically vital waters around the globe, bringing the prospect of unprecedented destruction upon potential enemies -- all as a way to keep peace.It would not be an exaggeration to call the first "cut of steel" for the lead ship in a class of new nuclear-armed Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines an historic ocassion, as the boat is intended to usher in a new era in firepower-reliant strategic deterrence.A "cut-of-steel" for advanced construction of the first boat took place at Newport News Shipbuilding June 17 -- three weeks early -- marking the formal beginning of a long and carefully labored process of building the most technically advanced ballistic missile submarine ever to exist.The submarine's mission is clear: ensure total destruction against anyone launching a first-strike nuclear attack upon the US."We have to have that first boat out on patrol no later than October, 2030. I can tell you today, we are planning to beat that," Capt. John Rucker, Columbia-class program manager, said at the Navy League's Sea Air Space symposium in May.Using first-of-its-kind digital modeling techniques, and advanced training, the Navy has been making rapid progress staying ahead of the original construction schedule. The ship specs are 100-percent complete, the arrangements are 97.5 percent complete and the ship disclosures are already 43-percent complete."The lead ship Virginia had about one percent of the ship done in advanced construction. We are doing 11-percent of advanced construction to get ahead of the curve. We are trying to de-risk this program to get ahead," Rucker explained.
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| Exclusive: Western intelligence hacked 'Russia's Google' Yandex to spy on accounts - sources Posted: 27 Jun 2019 11:19 AM PDT  WASHINGTON/LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hackers working for Western intelligence agencies broke into Russian internet search company Yandex in late 2018 deploying a rare type of malware in an attempt to spy on user accounts, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The malware, called Regin, is known to be used by the "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the sources said. Western cyberattacks against Russia are seldom acknowledged or spoken about in public.
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| Boeing shares hit as FAA finds new 737 MAX issue Posted: 27 Jun 2019 01:55 PM PDT  Shares of Boeing tumbled Thursday, a day after US regulators identified a new issue in the Boeing 737 MAX that will likely slow the plane's return to service following two deadly crashes. The issue -- described by one aviation expert as "another black eye" for the 737 MAX -- came as a major US airline again pushed back the timeframe for returning the planes to service and as Boeing faced fresh questions over its compliance with a 2015 US regulatory settlement intended to improve plane airworthiness. Boeing dropped 2.9 percent to $364.02, pushing the Dow into negative territory.
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| Dramatic video captures moment teen saves toddler falling from second-floor window Posted: 27 Jun 2019 08:57 AM PDT  Feuzi Zabaat, 17, said he was walking down the street in Istanbul last week when he saw 2-year-old Doha Muhammed playing near the open window.
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| In Surprise Census Decision, Supreme Court Finally Calls BS on the Trump Administration Posted: 27 Jun 2019 10:58 AM PDT  Win McNamee/GettyThe Trump administration's plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census—which it estimated would decrease Hispanic participation in the census by five percent—has been temporarily shelved by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision.The reason? The administration lied."Reasoned decisionmaking under the Administrative Procedure Act calls for an explanation for agency action," Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the opinion for the Court. "What was provided here was more of a distraction."That is music to the ears of Trump's critics. Finally, there is a limit to how much this administration can lie and get away with it.Notably, the case was not a complete victory for opponents of the question. The Court held that a citizenship question is constitutional, and that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who is responsible for the census, was within his authority to set aside the dire warnings from the Census Bureau that the question would depress participation. Wilbur Ross Lied to Congress About the GOP's Plot to Rig the Census. This Should Be a National Scandal.But it is a major victory nonetheless, for two reasons.First, the citizenship question is unlikely to be on the 2020 census. The Court's decision kicks the case back to the district court to continue investigations into the real reasons for the question—including deposing Secretary Ross himself. That will take a while. In addition to the material already in the record—including numerous emails and memos clearly showing that Secretary Ross misrepresented the timeline and rationale for the question—still more material was recently unearthed on the hard drives of a deceased Republican operative, Thomas Hofeller, suggesting that citizenship data could be used to draw election districts to advantage "non-Hispanic whites."Evaluating all that information will take a long time.Moreover, the ACLU and the New York Immigration Coalition had asked the district court to sanction government officials for lying in their statements to the court. That investigation, too, will now proceed.It's unclear exactly how long it takes to print 350 million census forms: at first the government said they'd have to start in June, then later they said October. The Census Bureau has said that they intend to start printing the forms next week. (The president said shortly after the court's decision that he has asked lawyers to delay the census.) In any case, it is highly likely that this dispute will not be resolved in time for the citizenship question to be added.The consequences are huge. Had the question been included, it would have intimidated some Hispanics from filling out the census for fear the information would be used by law enforcement for deportation.That undercounting, in turn, would lead to fewer Democratic-leaning congressional districts; to under-apportioning money for areas with uncounted residents; and even to decreasing the electoral college representation of Hispanic-heavy states like Texas, California, and New York. It would make presidential elections like 2016—where Trump won the most electoral votes despite losing the popular vote—more likely.And the data, we now know, would have been used to redraw congressional districts based on their number of citizens, rather than their total population, thus weakening the representation of areas with large numbers of immigrants and people of color.All that is on hold for now, and probably off the table for 2020.The second reason today's decision is a victory has to do with the Court's reasoning: that, in Roberts's words, "we are presented…with an explanation for agency action that is incongruent with what the record reveals about the agency's priorities and decisionmaking process.""Incongruent" is legalese for "lied." The Trump administration said one thing, but the evidence showed another. Specifically, wrote Roberts, "that evidence showed that the Secretary was determined to reinstate a citizenship question from the time he entered office…and adopted the Voting Rights Act rationale late in the process."This "reveal[s] a significant mismatch between the decision the Secretary made and the rationale he provided.""This is a victory for the rule of law," said Dale Ho, the ACLU lawyer who argued the case at the Supreme Court. "You can't have government accountability unless government agencies are open and honest about their reasons for taking the actions they take."Revealed: Memo Shows Trump Officials Trying to Rig Elections for WhitesThere was good reason to doubt that Roberts, in particular, would decide the case this way. Just last year, he took the Trump administration at its word that the so-called "Travel Ban," which began, obviously, as a ban against Muslims entering the United States, was in fact a religion-neutral travel ban put in place for national-security reasons.There, too, the government came up with a bunch of evidence supporting their decision. There, too, they asked the Court to ignore the mountain of evidence that the rationale was pretext. But there, Roberts went along with it. And indeed, in today's decision, Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh note that the Court seems to be contradicting itself. Sometimes it takes the government at its word, sometimes it says that word is pretext. Admittedly, they have a point.But, Roberts seemed to say, there is a limit to how much BS the Court will take. When there are email chains, memos, and meeting notes that directly contradict what government officials are saying, then at the very least, courts will fully inquire into the administrative record.Or, in his more delicate words:"Agencies [must] offer genuine justifications for important decisions, reasons that can be scrutinized by courts and the interested public. Accepting contrived reasons would defeat the purpose of the enterprise. If judicial review is to be more than an empty ritual, it must demand something better than the explanation offered for the action taken in this case."At last, truth has had its day in court.John Roberts Isn't the Conservative You Thought He WasRead more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| 'I told him not to' go, mother of drowned Salvadoran migrant laments Posted: 26 Jun 2019 10:38 AM PDT  The mother of a Salvadoran man who drowned with his young daughter while trying to reach U.S. soil, becoming a global symbol of the perils of migration, said she had urged her son not to leave, fearing danger would meet him on the long journey north. A harrowing photograph of Oscar Alberto Martinez, 25, and his 24-month-old daughter Angie Valeria lying face down on the muddy banks of the Rio Grande river between the United States and Mexico ricocheted across social media this week. Speaking with Reuters from her home in the central municipality of San Martin, Rosa Ramirez, Oscar's mother, cradled two of her granddaughter's most treasured toys, a blue-eyed baby doll and a stuffed purple monkey.
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| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez learns to play the insider’s game Posted: 27 Jun 2019 02:02 AM PDT  The freshman firebrand isn't tormenting party leaders — she's working with them.
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| Can't Afford That Shiny F-35? This Jet Fighter Might Be Able to Fight Your War Posted: 26 Jun 2019 05:39 AM PDT  From Chinese media claiming that Taiwan's F-16 fleet is "no match" for the J-11 to Russian media claiming that the S-400 will "send the F-35 to its grave," it has become a well-established tradition for defense outlets to speak up their nation's weapons while deriding those of rival powers.Defense commentary is, and always has been, notoriously difficult to disentangle from national politics.The urge to establish one's martial prowess over one's adversaries took many different forms in the pre-modern period, from references to fighting spirit and superior force of will to invocations of divine favor.(This first appeared earlier in June 2019.)But in the centuries following the tremendous technological progress of the industrial revolution, a new paradigm has taken hold: "the enemy will crumble before our superior military hardware."From Chinese media claiming that Taiwan's F-16 fleet is "no match" for the J-11 to Russian media claiming that the S-400 will "send the F-35 to its grave," it has become a well-established tradition for defense outlets to speak up their nation's weapons while deriding those of rival powers.So, when one of Russia's foremost defense outlets--Voennoe Obozrenie\--published a comparison piece between Su-30/Su-35 and Sweden's Gripen NG fighter by Russian defense writer Evgeny Damantsev, the expectation was clear. The reality, however, is as refreshing as it is surprising.Damantsev's iconoclastic intent is readily apparent from the article's headline: "Gripen-NG harmless for Su-30 and Su-35? Take off the rose-colored glasses!" The author is reacting to a recent statement by commander-in-chief of the Swedish Air Force, Major General Matts Helgesson, that the JAS-39E/F--also known as Gripen-NG--was "made to destroy" the Su-30SM and Su-35."Extremely unprofessional" and "self-aggrandizing" as Helgesson's comments are, Damantsev warns that it would be premature to dismiss them as pure bluster. He notes that his colleagues, guided by "patriotic sentiment" and made complacent by the Su-30/Su-35's superior numbers, hastily concluded that the latest Gripen variants "pose no real threat" to Russia's air force. This conclusion, however, relies on what is only a surface-level overview of Gripen-NG's specifications sheet. That is, it fails to consider how Gripen-NG's avionics, electronic countermeasures (ECM) and armaments are designed to work in tandem for the express purpose of countering Russia's current Sukhoi line.
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| Gun shop owners say California's new ammo law is not ready to be implemented Posted: 25 Jun 2019 06:19 PM PDT  A new gun safety law is set to go into effect on Monday. It will require identification and a background check for people who want to buy ammunition. But it's not playing well among all gun owners.
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| The 2020 Ford Super Duty Goes After the Ram Power Wagon with a Tremor Off-Road Package Posted: 27 Jun 2019 03:00 AM PDT  This new option package adds a lift kit, meaty Goodyear off-road tires, and other bits of off-road equipment.
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| World powers scramble to salvage Iran nuclear deal days before country breaches stockpile limits Posted: 27 Jun 2019 05:59 AM PDT  Forty eight hours of great significance is under way in the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme.Tehran is due to announce it will exceed the uranium enrichment agreed under the landmark 2015 agreement: and a mechanism to counter American sanctions is due to be unveiled when international powers meet in Vienna.The Iranian move on uranium follows the campaign by the Trump administration to dismantle the nuclear deal with imposition of sweeping new penalties and sustained pressure on European states to abandon it as well.The move by the government of Hassan Rouhani also comes against a backdrop of escalating violent confrontation with Washington blaming Tehran for attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, and Iran shooting down an American drone.It was revealed that the US had an operation under way to carry out military strikes on Iran after the drone shooting before it was stopped by Donald Trump.Since then the US President has threatened to "obliterate" Iran's security forces, words reminiscent of his " fire and fury" tweet on North Korea, if Tehran took military action against American assets.Iran continues to insist that despite the threats it has no intention of acquiring a nuclear arsenal and that it's pursuing the civil nuclear programme which it is permitted to do under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).Tehran also maintains that it is entitled to pull back on some of its commitment after the US unilaterally reneged on the agreement and the Trump administration has effectively launched an economic war. They point out that senior White House officials, such as the President's National Security Advisor, John Bolton, have called for regime change in Iran.Under the JCPOA, Iran is allowed to keep up to 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to 3.67 per cent purity, an amount which can be used for civilian nuclear energy, but nothing like enough to start get nuclear weapons. To do so it will need to triple the level for just one bomb.Whether and when Tehran has breached the JCPOA uranium limit will be ascertained by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a few days time.Its assessment, according to senior diplomatic sources, on Wednesday was that Iran had around 202 kg of low-enriched uranium, below the limit of 202.8kg. It is, however, producing at a rate of 1kg a day which means it will be on course to breach the limit by the weekend and not Thursday, 27 June, as it had claimed.This in itself is not a matter of surprise. Tehran had initially stated that it will go over the uranium limit by 7 July, changing it to 27 June, back to 7 July and then again 27 June.The changes in the dates can be viewed as negotiating brinkmanship, or more signs of divisions in the country between the various factions in its hierarchy – the government of Hassan Rouhani and the clergy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) the reformists and reactionaries – attempting to control policy.Delaying the enrichment extension means that it will not take place before Friday when the other signatories to the JCPOA – Britain, Germany, France, Russia and China – meet the Iranians in Vienna.All the five countries, as well as the IAEA, have repeatedly stressed that the agreement is working and Iran is standing by its commitment, which is also the view of the Western intelligence services.The meetings in Vienna have been taking place at regular intervals. But this one is of particular importance, coming as it does before draconian new American sanctions start in August designed to stop foreign companies from trading with Iran and crippling its main source of income, oil exports.Russia and China have established bilateral deals with Tehran since the US sanctions began and France, Germany and Britain have set up a financial mechanism, Instex, to provide lines of credit to businesses which want to continue working with Iran.Details of the system, which will be based in Paris with management provided by Germans and Britain heading the supervisory board, is due to be made public at the Vienna meeting.The initial injection of money is expected to be in low millions. A number of companies from Europe, but as yet none from Britain, have expressed interest in using Instex with the focus mainly on providing humanitarian supplies to Iran.The Iranian government has repeatedly complained about the delay in Instex, which was due to be set up in January, becoming operational and there have been warnings from Iranian officials, including President Rouhani, that Tehran may suspend other commitments to the nuclear deal if this continued. Failure to ensure that trade continues is, in itself, say the Iranians, a breach of the JCPOA.Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in Iran, accused the European states of "deceitful political attempts aimed at restricting the Iranian peoples' obvious rights."There have, however, been extensive talks about Instex between the European states and Iran, including a meeting lasting three days in Tehran last month with the Iranian Foreign Ministry which is said to have ended amicably.The Trump administration had reacted to the setting up of Instex by threatening retaliation. Sigal Mandelkar, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a letter to Instex President Per Fischer: "I urge you to carefully consider the potential sanctions exposure of Instex,"Engaging in activities that run afoul of U.S. sanctions can result in severe consequences, including a loss of access to the U.S. financial system."Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has claimed there was no need for Instex because the US allows for humanitarian and medical products to get into Iran without sanction."When transactions move beyond that, it doesn't matter what vehicle's out there, if the transaction is sanctionable, we will evaluate it, review it, and if appropriate, levy sanctions against those that were involved in that transaction. It's very straightforward."Talks continue to be held between European and American officials about the mechanism and the US administration is expected to set out its position after Instex is unveiled.There are also expectations that further sanctions may be imposed after details of Iran's uranium enrichment becomes clearer. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that Mr Trump wants Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, a reformist, and one of the architects of the JCPOA, to be targeted by the end of the week.The increase of uranium enrichment does not mean that Tehran is setting off to get the bomb. The financial mechanism put together by the European states is not, by itself, going to be an adequate to counter American sanctions.But the next few days will reveal just what may be needed to salvage a historic agreement which significantly reduced the threat of nuclear proliferation and made the region and the world beyond a safer place.
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| Duane Chapman speaks out following wife Beth's death: 'I loved her so much' Posted: 27 Jun 2019 05:55 AM PDT  "Dog the Bounty Hunter" star Duane Chapman gave his first televised interview Wednesday after his wife, Beth, died at 51.
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| NASA plans to send a drone to Saturn's largest moon Posted: 27 Jun 2019 03:05 PM PDT  NASA said Thursday that it's sending a drone called Dragonfly to explore Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Using propellers, the drone will fly and land on several spots on the icy moon to study whether it can support microbial life. The nuclear-powered mission is part of NASA's competitive New Frontiers program, which launched the New Horizons spacecraft that became the first to visit dwarf planet Pluto.
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| Here's Everything the Candidates Said at Wednesday's 2020 Democratic Presidential Debate Posted: 26 Jun 2019 08:12 PM PDT  Read a transcript of Wednesday night's presidential debate
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| Hong Kong protesters urge G20 to raise plight with China Posted: 26 Jun 2019 12:46 PM PDT  Hong Kong protesters marched to major consulates on Wednesday in a call for G20 nations to confront fellow member China over sliding freedoms in the financial hub, at a weekend summit in Japan. The semi-autonomous city has been shaken by huge demonstrations this month, with protesters demanding the withdrawal of a bill that would allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland. The massive rallies are the latest manifestation of growing fears that China is stamping down on the city's unique freedoms and culture.
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| Google now lets you set a timer to auto-delete mobile location history and activity data Posted: 27 Jun 2019 07:58 AM PDT  In its latest attempt to give control back to users, Google started rolling out auto-delete controls for location history and activity data on iOS and Android devices this week. Google first announced this tool in a blog post back in May, but now you can try it out for yourself and set a timer to delete sensitive information automatically.It isn't quite as robust a tool as some of the privacy controls that Google has introduced in recent years, but a little more control is better than none at all. If you head to the activity controls hub on Google's website, you can tap the blue "Manage Activity" button below "Web & App Activity" as well as "Location History" to find a new option labeled "Choose to delete automatically." Tap on that, and you'll be given the choice to either keep data until you delete it manually, or keep it for either 3 or 18 months before it automatically deletes.While the auto-delete controls aren't as full-featured as some users might prefer them to be, having the ability to set a timer and not worry about whether or not your location history and web activity data is going to be floating around the internet forever is a welcome addition. You already have the ability to turn off Google's tracking altogether or delete the data manually, but choice is important when it comes to privacy.https://twitter.com/Google/status/1143912686603759618The auto-delete controls are available on my iPhone as of today, but if you don't see the setting yet, don't worry. The controls have just begun rolling out globally this week, so it might take a few days to appear.
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| How did voters react to the first night of Democratic presidential debates? Posted: 27 Jun 2019 02:29 AM PDT  Maslansky and Partners president Lee Carter shares voter dials from the debate.
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| In rambling interview, Trump pronounces Biden 'a lost soul' Posted: 26 Jun 2019 07:31 AM PDT  Trump hurled a new insult at former Vice President Joe Biden Wednesday morning in a phone interview on Fox Business.
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| Graphic photo of drowned father and daughter stirs volatile immigration debate Posted: 26 Jun 2019 07:09 AM PDT  A harrowing photo of a drowned migrant father and his 23-month-old daughter has renewed outrage over the immigration debate.
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| Report: China fighters buzz Canada warship in East China Sea Posted: 27 Jun 2019 06:00 AM PDT ![Report: China fighters buzz Canada warship in East China Sea]( "Report: China fighters buzz Canada warship in East China Sea") A report says two Chinese fighter jets buzzed a Canadian warship operating in international waters in the East China Sea at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Ottawa. Canadian Global Affairs Institute fellow Matthew Fisher wrote that the Su-30 fighters flew within 300 meters (980 feet) of the bow of the frigate HMCS Regina. Fisher, who was aboard the ship, said the display was more aggressive than previous encounters between the Canadian navy and Chinese warplanes, but was not considered dangerous.
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| Julián Castro Finally Had His Big Moment at the First Debate Posted: 26 Jun 2019 10:10 PM PDT  Julián Castro has been a rising star in the Democratic Party since at least 2012, but he didn't catch the spotlight until Wednesday night.
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| Search for missing student turns up 'person of interest' Posted: 27 Jun 2019 04:13 PM PDT  A man whose home was searched as police investigate the disappearance of a Utah college student was named a "person of interest" in the case Thursday, and police were trying to find a mattress that had been inside his home. The announcement came shortly after authorities spent about 19 hours searching the man's home in a middle class Salt Lake City neighborhood. Investigators were also seen taking large brown bags out of the house.
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| Jacob Wohl Says He’ll Enlist if Trump Attacks Iran Posted: 26 Jun 2019 05:40 PM PDT  Joshua Roberts/ReutersEnergetic but ineffectual young conservative operative Jacob Wohl is all-in on the prospect of war with Iran. Wohl is so into the idea, he told Right Richter that he'll enlist in the military if the United States goes to war. "If we go to war with Iran, I will enlist within 10 days," Wohl said in an Instagram direct message. Wohl says he'll consider the United States at war with Iran if Congress authorizes the war or Trump uses a previous military authorization to attack. As for what branch he'll join, Wohl says "probably the Army." Wohl's hypothetical future platoon-mates might want to be aware that Wohl has a reputation for failing spectacularly. Last year, he teamed up with lobbyist Jack Burkman to smear Special Counsel Robert Mueller with a sexual assault allegation that completely collapsed when the alleged victim failed to show, then accused Wohl of making it all up. In April, The Daily Beast caught Wohl and Burkman trying to manufacture a similar allegation against Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg. Any military recruiters, meanwhile, might be interested in Wohl's history of faking death threats against himself, then reporting the bogus threats to law enforcement. In March, Wohl was caught faking threats with a dummy Twitter account during a trip to Minneapolis.Wohl's support for war with Iran puts him out of step with many of his fellow provocateurs in the pro-Trump "New Right," many of whom have claimed Trump is being led by his advisers into war. Conservative personality and brain pill entrepreneur Mike Cernovich and One American News reporter Jack Posobiec, for example, have criticized the push for war with Iran. While Wohl claims he's ready to go to war, he's been now with various 2020 plans. After telling Right Richter about his promise to enlist, Wohl pivoted to bragging about his new plan: getting dirt on Joe Biden. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Dozens of drivers get stuck in mud after Google reroutes them down dirt road Posted: 27 Jun 2019 06:03 AM PDT  Dozens of cars got stuck in mud after being rerouted by Google Maps to an obscure road near Denver International Airport. After a car crash caused long traffic wait, Google's GPS app rerouted some drivers to East 64th Avenue in Aurora. This new route was supposed to take half the time. The first few minutes on the road were fine, but then, 64th Avenue turned into a dirt road. After a few days of rain, the road had become mud. When Connie Monsees, who was going to pick up her husband at the airport, saw dozens of cars stuck one after the other, not able to move, it was already too late. the road is narrow, so there was no turning back. "That's when I thought, this was a bad idea," Monsees told ABC7NY. She has all-wheel drive, so she was one of the lucky ones able to make it out the mud. She took with her two people who asked for a ride."I tore up the inside passenger wheel well for my tire, but it's not that big of a deal compared to some other people who really tore their cars up and got themselves stuck out there," she said.According to ABC7NY, the road is privately-owned and maintained. Following the incident, the road was closed to the public.It's unclear why the GPS redirected the cars on that road.
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| Oppo’s new messaging app doesn’t need Wi-Fi or even cellular service to send and receive messages Posted: 26 Jun 2019 11:25 AM PDT  In addition to showing off the world's first phone with a camera under the screen at MWC 2019 Shanghai, Oppo unveiled an unexpected smartphone feature, especially for a smartphone maker from China. It's called MeshTalk, and as the name hints, it lets you connect to other phones around you. There's no need for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular service to get the job done, and it works over distances of up to 3km (1.86 miles).The nifty new technology could help you communicate with others in all sorts of instances where regular service isn't available. MeshTalk isn't a new concept, as chat apps exist that deliver the same type of chat experience. There are even devices that let you talk and text on any smartphone without Wi-Fi or a cellular connection. However, Oppo's app will be built right into its Android devices, which means you'd have access to mesh communication right out of the box -- and that includes text, voice messages, and regular voice calls."At times, we encounter extreme situations when there is no network coverage at all -- for example, when you just arrive at an airport in a foreign country or when you take an off-road trip or attend a concert, football match, or exhibition," Oppo said in a press release (via VentureBeat). "[This] technology offers a solution to such scenarios in which other network connections are unavailable."MeshTalk could be useful during natural disasters or to connect people living in remote places, sure. But you might also want to use this particular type of technology is when an oppressive regime turns off access to the internet during episodes of public unrest. Or where a government tries to forcefully shut down an encrypted app that's used by demonstrators -- it happened in Hong Kong with Telegram just last week.And that's why it's surprising to see a Chinese smartphone maker unveil this particular type of chat app, which might not be in the best interest of the Chinese government. That said, it's unclear how secure this MeshTalk app is compared to end-to-end encrypted services that require internet access, like Telegram, or how well it protects the user's privacy.
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| U.S. churches, some immigration officers denounce sending asylum seekers to Mexico Posted: 27 Jun 2019 11:16 AM PDT ![U.S. churches, some immigration officers denounce sending asylum seekers to Mexico]( "U.S. churches, some immigration officers denounce sending asylum seekers to Mexico") In an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and other political leaders, a coalition of evangelical churches said it was "deeply troubled" by a policy it said left children vulnerable to violence and trafficking, as well as by reports of "inhumane" conditions in U.S. federal immigration facilities. The Catholic diocese of El Paso, Texas separately denounced a critical lack of shelter, food, legal aid and basic services for asylum seekers returned to Mexico under the program and "distressing detention conditions" in the United States before they are returned.
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| Stunning giant squid captured on video in US waters for first time Posted: 27 Jun 2019 09:26 AM PDT  The video, which lasts less than 30 seconds and was taken about 100 miles southeast of New Orleans, shows a giant squid in U.S. waters.
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| Did India Just Make China's New Stealth Fighters Obsolete? Posted: 26 Jun 2019 05:35 AM PDT  As radar-guided missiles from fighters and ground-based launchers threaten aircraft from dozens, or even hundreds of miles away, stealth capabilities are increasingly perceived as necessary for keeping fighter pilots alive on the modern battlefield.In January 2011, the maiden flight of a large, dagger-like grey jet announced that China had developed its first stealth aircraft—the Chengdu J-20 "Mighty Dragon." Six years later, after several substantial revisions, J-20s entered operational service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.(This first appeared several months ago.)As radar-guided missiles from fighters and ground-based launchers threaten aircraft from dozens, or even hundreds of miles away, stealth capabilities are increasingly perceived as necessary for keeping fighter pilots alive on the modern battlefield.But just how good is the J-20? And what is its intended role? After all, America's first stealth fighter, the F-117 Nighthawk, was not even really a fighter and lacked any air-to-air capability whatsoever.The PLA has, true to custom, kept its cards close to the chest, and has not shared performance specifications to the public. Thus, there are broad estimates of the J-20's top speed (around Mach 2), and considerable-seeming range (1,200 to 2,000 miles), but those remain just that—estimates. For years, analysts even over-estimated the aircraft's length by two meters. It's broad but relatively shallow weapons bay can accommodate four to six long-range missiles or bombs, though not munitions with especially heavy warheads.International observers generally concluded the large twin-engine jet possessed high speed and long operational range, but that the Mighty Dragon lacked the maneuverability necessary to prevail in close engagements with enemy fighters. Relatively modest aerobatic displays in the Zhuhai 2016 and 2018 airshows (you can see some of the latter here) reinforced the narrative in certain quarters that the J-20 isn't optimized for gut-wrenching air combat maneuvers.Given the above premises, observers mostly speculate the J-20 would either serve as long-range supersonic strike plane, or a hit-and-run interceptor used to slip past fighter screens and take out vulnerable supporting tanker and AWACS planes.However, Rick Joe of The Diplomat argues these theories of the J-20's supposedly specialized role might be a case of group-think, ignoring both design features and statements by Chinese sources suggesting the J-20 was intended as a multi-role fighter with "competitive" dogfighting capability.
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| Venezuela government says thwarted attempted 'coup' Posted: 26 Jun 2019 12:36 PM PDT  Venezuela's socialist government said Wednesday it has derailed an attempted coup, claiming the United States, Colombia and Chile colluded in a plot by officers to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro and install a general in his place, a minister said. Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the plan involved both active and retired army officers and was to have been executed between Sunday and Monday this past weekend.
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| Is Parliament Ready to Back a No-Deal Brexit? You Do the Math Posted: 25 Jun 2019 09:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story. Boris Johnson's Brexit strategy rests, he says, on the idea that the U.K. Parliament is now ready to back a no-deal Brexit.The favorite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister said this week that the drubbings that both his Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party received in the European elections had left members of Parliament determined to get Brexit done."I think Parliament now understands that the British people want us to come out," Johnson told the BBC on Monday. "And I think that MPs on both sides of the House also understand that they will face mortal retribution from the electorate unless we get on and do it."Parliament has no specific power to stop a no-deal departure. Instead it has moral authority, and MPs have managed to maneuver in the past to force the government to change its negotiating stance. It's possible a prime minister could sideline or ignore Parliament.But Johnson's claim is that he wouldn't need to. Is that realistic? We've done the arithmetic, and while it might be closer than you think, there's nothing like a majority for no-deal.Target: 318There are 650 MPs, but 11 of them don't vote, which means Johnson needs 320 for a majority. Two MPs on each side of every vote do the counting, so aren't included in the tallies. Johnson needs to get to 318 to be sure of winning a vote.Last time: 164Parliament has voted already this year on the idea of a no-deal Brexit, and rejected it resoundingly every time. Each vote was on slightly different flavors of no-deal, but no version got more than 164 votes.Could a prime minister determined to pursue no-deal do better? Here's the count:Democratic Unionists: 10The DUP are willing to back a no-deal Brexit, and have voted for it as a bloc before. Gavin Williamson, who served Theresa May as a go-between with the DUP, is on Johnson's team, and was last week seen having coffee in Parliament with Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Westminster leader.Labour: 4Just four Labour MPs voted for a no-deal Brexit in March. Johnson's argument is that the EU elections have changed Labour views. There's some evidence of that: Labour's Gareth Snell said earlier this month that he regretted voting against May's Brexit deal, and said he'd vote for a deal now if he got the chance.But Snell went on specifically to reject no-deal. There are 30 Labour MPs who have made pro-Brexit noises in recent months, but only 10 of them have been willing to vote that way. Others have specifically cited the fear of a Johnson administration pursuing a harder Brexit as a reason not to vote with the Tory government.Conservatives: 290 (at a push)There are 312 Conservative MPs. About 150 of them have been willing to vote for no-deal if given the choice, but what if they were instructed to? The closest parallel to that was a vote in March where more than 20 Tories, including Cabinet ministers, voted against no-deal. But that probably understates it. More than 30 Tories have either voted against a hard Brexit or indicated that they are prepared to.Total: 304Could anything change this? Some more Tories could probably be won over with a promise of a big job, but Johnson is also going to face the problem that, if he become prime minister, a lot of senior figures such as Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond will head to the backbenches with the intention of fighting against no-deal. And Johnson will have nothing to offer.To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Emma Ross-ThomasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| New software glitch found in Boeing's troubled 737 Max jet Posted: 26 Jun 2019 06:28 PM PDT  A new software problem has been found in the troubled Boeing 737 Max that could push the plane's nose down automatically, and fixing the flaw is almost certain to further delay the plane's return to flying after two deadly crashes. Boeing said Wednesday that the FAA "identified an additional requirement" for software changes that the aircraft manufacturer has been working on for eight months, since shortly after the first crash. "Boeing agrees with the FAA's decision and request, and is working on the required software to address the FAA's request," Boeing said in a statement.
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| Elon Musk says he knows why Falcon Heavy’s core booster missed its landing Posted: 26 Jun 2019 04:06 PM PDT  SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket in the early hours of Tuesday morning, delivering 24 satellites into orbit and making many of its clients very happy in the process. The company nailed the landing of both side boosters, but the center core booster narrowly missed its landing and splashed down in the ocean instead.In the hours following the launch, SpaceX boss Elon Musk weighed in on the unfortunate fate of the core booster, offering a bit of an explanation as to why it missed its mark.In a response to a question on Twitter, Musk explained that the booster was likely damaged early in its descent back to Earth, and that this damage ultimately caused a failure and prevented the booster from being able to control itself enough to make a safe landing.https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1143690145255841797If the booster was indeed damaged as it began to head back towards Earth, it's actually rather impressive that it managed to make it as close to the drone ship as it did. At one point it appeared that it might come down perfectly, only to drift off to the side at the very last moment.SpaceX has now failed to successfully recover the core booster in all three of its Falcon Heavy launches. It's not the end of the world, but securing that component could save the company a lot of cash in the long run and they'd like to be able to pull off the landing consistently.It's hardly a worst-case scenario for SpaceX if it has to spend a few boosters while it perfects its technique, especially since the rockets are consistently delivering their payloads as planned. If nothing else, it's something SpaceX can continue to work on over the next year as it prepares for its next scheduled Falcon Heavy launch in late 2020.
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| View Photos of the 2020 Chrysler Voyager Posted: 27 Jun 2019 07:19 AM PDT |
| As president, Biden wants more 'civility.' His rivals want more power. Posted: 26 Jun 2019 02:00 AM PDT  Democrats want to accomplish some very big things in 2021. Extending Medicare to every American. Mobilizing the entire U.S. economy to combat the existential threat of global warming. Creating a pathway to citizenship for 12 million undocumented immigrants. The list goes on.
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| Real, Unrestored, And Rare 1967 Ford Mustang GTA Posted: 27 Jun 2019 02:06 PM PDT  It's a one-of-one optioned vehicle to boot. You read that right. This is a one-of-one 1967 Ford Mustang GTA convertible with the Marti report to back it up. It's a super rare find and is currently for sale through Shelton Classics in North Carolina for $34,995. Although most of the first-gen Mustangs featured most of the same design elements, each year received some slight upgrades. The 1967 model is undoubtedly the first year that these changes really became apparent and made the muscle car look even meaner. This rare 1967 Mustang convertible is a factory GTA Fastback with a one-of-one options list. To put it simply, there is no other Mustang GTA 'vert produced with the same colors or options as this car. It also doesn't hurt that this beauty has a stunning Candy Apple Red exterior paint job.It's quite shocking to say that this Mustang has never been restored. It has, however, received a shiny repainting and new convertible top thanks to the natural aging process. Though, other than that, this GTA is larely in original condition. There's just a completely different feeling behind the wheel of an original, untouched car than that of a resto one. Sometimes it's better to be maintained than battered and brought to life.The exterior of this '67 Mustang is clean and straight, with no obvious damage or questionable repairs. All of the sheet metal appears to be original as well, which eliminates the uncertainty of any poorly performed bodywork. It's quite difficult to find a Ford Mustang that is this solid with all the original metal in place, especially a convertible that still has its original floorpans.You're going to want to take the top off this beauty and show off that stunning red vinyl cabin. The cockpit appears to be all original, apart from the replacement carpet. The bucket seats, along with the rest of the interior, are in excellent condition – especially for an unrestored model.This 1967 Mustang GTA still contains what is believed to be all of its original drivetrain, including Ford's high-performance 289 cubic-inch V8 engine mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission. For those who were wondering, that's where the "A" in GTA comes from. The car runs just as it should without any smoke, hesitation, or unwelcoming noises.If you take into account its overall originality in conjunction with the impressive Marti report, this Mustang GTA is a valuable collector's item. Turn the key and you'll see just how incredible this unmodified Stang really is. Add it to your garage today! Read more... 1967 Ford Mustang GTA Fastback Restomod 1967 Mustang 'Barn Find' Needs A Visionary
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| Iran warns U.S. of stronger reaction if its borders violated again: Tasnim Posted: 26 Jun 2019 11:58 PM PDT  Iran warned the United States against violating its borders, with parliament speaker Ali Larijani threatening a stronger reaction, the Tasnim news agency said on Thursday, a week after Tehran shot down a U.S. drone, spiking tension between them. "The downing of their drone was a good experience for them to avoid any aggression against our borders," the semi-official agency quoted Larijani as saying late on Wednesday. Iran said the unmanned U.S. aircraft was in its air space, which Washington denied.
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| U.S. F-35s and B-2 Bombers Will Soon Be Armed with the Ultimate Weapon Posted: 26 Jun 2019 02:33 AM PDT  (Washington, D.C.) Fighter jets will control attack drones from the cockpit, bombers will avert air defenses and real-time intelligence data will be available to attacking forces more quickly -- all due to new iterations of fast-evolving Artificial Intelligence technologies.Faster computer processors, AI-infused algorithms able to merge or "fuse" sensor information and automated maintenance and checklists are informing emerging pilot tactics aimed at anticipating future threat environments. Various applications of AI now perform a wide range of functions not purely restricted to conventional notions of IT or cyberspace; computer algorithms are increasingly able to almost instantaneously access vast pools of data, compare and organize information and perform automated procedural and analytical functions for human decision-makers. When high-volume, redundant tasks are performed through computer automation, humans are freed up to expend energy pursuing a wider range of interpretive or conceptual work."The bottom line is the next big thing that is going to enable the US to maintain its qualitative edge is the seamless and ubiquitous sharing of information. Aircraft are going to be part of a sensor-shooter-effector-maneuver ISR complex," said Ret. Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Dean of the The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and Warrior Contributor.For the F-35 and B-2, for instance, rapid database access, organizing information and performing high-volume procedural functions are all decided advantages of AI applications. Algorithms, for example, are increasingly able to scan, view and organize targeting, ISR and sensor input such as navigation information, radar warning information, images or video.The F-35, for instance, uses early iterations of artificial intelligence to help acquire, organize and present information to the pilot on a single screen without much human intervention. Often referred to as easing the cognitive burden upon pilots, the effort is geared toward systematically presenting information from a range of disparate sensors on a single screen. The F-35s widely-discussed sensor fusion, for example, is evidence of this phenomenon, as it involves consolidating targeting, navigation and sensor information for pilots.In the near future, F-35 pilots will be able to leverage AI to control a small group of drones flying nearby from the aircraft cockpit in the air, performing sensing, reconnaissance and targeting functions. At the moment, the flight path, sensor payload and weapons disposal of airborne drones such as Air Force Predators and Reapers are coordinated from ground control stations.
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| Boris Johnson Predicts ‘Million-to-One’ Chance of No-Deal Brexit Posted: 26 Jun 2019 09:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson zigzagged back to a softer Brexit stance, saying there was a "million to one" chance he'd lead Britain into a chaotic split from Europe, as lawmakers sought to make sure he couldn't even if he wanted to.On Tuesday, the front-runner to be Britain's next prime minister had pledged to leave the European Union on Oct. 31, with or without a deal. "Do or die, come what may," he said. A day later he was walking that back, saying he didn't expect Britain to end up in no-deal limbo."I don't think that's where we're going to end up. I think it's a million to one against, but it is vital that we prepare," he told a leadership contest event Wednesday.Johnson has built a broad coalition of supporters within the Conservative Party, from arch-Brexiteers to modernizers who wanted to stay in the bloc. He has taken turns to offer each side what they want to hear -- both in public and in private. The pound was unchanged.Read more: When Boris Johnson Talks Brexit, MPs Hear What They Want to HearMembers of Parliament who oppose a no-deal split because they fear the economic consequences are trying to use the tools of Parliament to prevent the next prime minister leaving without an agreement.They succeeded in forcing May to seek an extension earlier this year, but a recent maneuver failed and they now risk running out of time.Conservative MP Dominic Grieve has proposed an amendment to government spending limits that would forbid the government from spending money on some areas if there had been a no-deal Brexit that wasn't approved by Parliament. A vote could come next Tuesday.It's not clear if it will succeed: The move could be too drastic, and too soon, for many of the MPs who are preparing to fight a no-deal Brexit.Navigating ParliamentJohnson's rival for the premiership, Jeremy Hunt, also wants to renegotiate May's Brexit deal, and says he would leave the bloc without an agreement if it were the only option. But unlike Johnson, he's prepared to extend the Oct. 31 deadline if a new accord were in reach.Johnson's softer tone late Wednesday contrasted with comments made by members of his team earlier in the day. Two colleagues signaled a willingness to ignore Parliament if it tried to block a no-deal Brexit."We will leave at the end of October, come what may, that is the legal default position, and Parliament does not have the means to overturn that," Andrea Leadsom told the BBC.Earlier, Dominic Raab told BBC radio that any motion from MPs to urge Johnson to change course would have "zero legal effect." Johnson took a more conciliatory line Wednesday, saying he was not "attracted to archaic devices" such as proroguing, or suspending, Parliament in order to ensure the U.K. leaves on time.Johnson indicated he's banking on Parliament to approve a revised Brexit deal. He sees an outbreak of "common sense" among lawmakers and said the politics of the country have changed since March 29, the day the U.K. was meant to leave the EU, and the last time May tried to push her much hated agreement through the House of Commons.Hunt and Johnson agreed that a general election before Brexit is delivered would bring a disastrous result for the party. Hunt said the Conservatives would be "thrashed" in a general election, putting opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in power.Read more: Johnson's Backers Eye Early U.K. Election, Despite Brexit CrisisJohnson said that "it would be absolutely crazy for any of us to think of going to the country and calling a general election before we get Brexit done."They also agreed that the residency rights of EU citizens in the U.K. -- part of the divorce deal -- should be guaranteed. And Johnson used the event on Wednesday to set out his vision for post-Brexit immigration: He wants an Australian-style points system that would favor skilled workers, and restrict unskilled labor flows -- a key promise of the referendum campaign in 2016.To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, ;Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Michigan AG sues to shut down oil pipeline in Great Lakes Posted: 27 Jun 2019 11:25 AM PDT  Michigan's attorney general sued Thursday to shut down twin 66-year-old oil pipelines in the Great Lakes, saying they pose an "unacceptable risk" and the state cannot wait five to 10 years for Enbridge Inc. to build a tunnel to house replacement pipes running through the Straits of Mackinac. Democrat Dana Nessel's move came the same day she also sought to dismiss the Canadian company's request for a ruling on the legality of a deal it struck last year with former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder to encase a new segment of its Line 5 in the proposed tunnel. "I have consistently stated that Enbridge's pipelines in the Straits need to be shut down as soon as possible because they present an unacceptable risk to the Great Lakes," Nessel said.
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| Man survives for a month after brown bear drags him to its den Posted: 26 Jun 2019 06:09 PM PDT  Man survives for one month in bear den with a broken back; Fox News medical correspondent Dr. Marc Siegel weighs in on the validity of the story.
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