| ‘Polar Payoff’ in GOP health care bill would give Alaska a sweet deal Posted: 14 Jul 2017 06:48 AM PDT  Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and other lawmakers head to the Senate on July 13 for a meeting on the revised Republican health care bill, which has been under attack from within the party, including Murkowski. The latest version of the Senate health care bill has a host of provisions designed to woo hesitant lawmakers — but perhaps none is more blatant than a change targeted at Alaska's two GOP senators. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski have not committed to supporting the proposal, and Murkowski has been one of the harshest critics of the bill's closed-door drafting process.
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| Iraqi Kurds Look to Form Independent Country Posted: 14 Jul 2017 12:49 PM PDT  Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent, talks with Hoshyar Zebari, an Iraqi Kurdish politician, about the desire by Iraqi Kurds to break away and form their own country, and what that would mean for Iraq's oil.
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| White House publishes profanity-laced criticisms of its voter fraud commission Posted: 14 Jul 2017 08:04 AM PDT  Public comments on the voter fraud commission released by the White House late Thursday were overwhelmingly, and in many cases profanely, critical of the project. The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity posted on its page on the White House website, without comment or explanation, 112 pages of emails received through July 11, commenting on the organization's request for states to send them voter information. "Please note that the Commission may post such written comments publicly on our website, including names and contact information that are submitted," read a blog post published Thursday on the White House's site.
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| AP source: Man killed 4 men, burned bodies at family's farm Posted: 13 Jul 2017 08:41 PM PDT  DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A drug dealer has confessed to selling four young men marijuana before killing them and burning their bodies at his family's farm, a person with firsthand knowledge of his confession said Thursday.
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| Russian-American Lobbyist Present at Now Infamous Trump Tower Meeting Posted: 13 Jul 2017 09:00 PM PDT  Rinat Akhmetshin also attended the meeting between Trump Jr., Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
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| Venus Williams Asked To Submit Phone, Medical Records In Wrongful Death Case Posted: 15 Jul 2017 05:59 AM PDT  The lawyers of Jerome Barson's estate asked for the documents in a bid to verify if Venus Williams was using her phone when her car collided with Barson's vehicle on June 9.
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| Man with DEVAST8 face tattoo struggling to get a job Posted: 14 Jul 2017 03:11 AM PDT  A New Zealand man with a large DEVAST8 face tattoo says it is preventing him from finding a job. Mark Cropp got the tattoo - done by his brother - a few months ago when he was drunk on contraband homebrew in prison, but admits he now regrets the decision. The amateur inking covers his cheeks, mouth and chin Credit: Caters The 19-year-old told the New Zealand Herald that he has struggled to find work since his release from prison after contacting several recruitment agencies. In a desperate attempt to find work, he posted a selfie on the Auckland Jobs Facebook group appealing for someone to give him a job. Mark Cropp with his girlfriend Taneia Ruki Credit: Caters "I'm keen as to work but have one thing that is stopping me and that's my tattoo on my face," he wrote. "I don't have a CV as of yet but have worked at NZ brick distributors before, also a scrap metal yard … Keen as on job or work place that will take me on." Bad celebrity tattoos He told the New Zealand Herald: "One employment place said to me 'I wouldn't employ you with that on your face, I wouldn't even take a second look at you.' I've had other people that just shrugged and laughed at me. "I just want any job at the end of the day … I'm sick of being on the dole." Cropp pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery after pulling a knife on a tourist in 2015 and was given a two-year sentence. The teen's determination to find work has paid off and he has received job offers in scaffolding and construction since posting on Facebook. A tattoo laser removal company has also offered to remove the DEVAST8 from his face for free. This man's Hebrew tattoo doesn't say what he thinks it does Surprising celebrity tattoos
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| Trump, Macron share epic, never-ending handshake Posted: 14 Jul 2017 06:08 AM PDT  President Trump's unwieldy handshakes with other world leaders have long been closely watched, but at the close of his Paris visit Friday, he shared a truly striking hand maneuver with French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump and Macron began shaking hands as they were walking side by side but slowed to a halt, which is when Trump apparently yanked Macron's arm, knocking him off balance. French first lady Brigitte Macron approached the pair, perhaps to intervene, and Trump greeted her with a pair of kisses, all the while never letting go of Macron.
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| US Embassy: No need for diplomatic status for Russian center Posted: 15 Jul 2017 08:42 AM PDT  BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The U.S. embassy in Belgrade said there's no need to grant diplomatic status to the Russian staff of the controversial facility in Serbia that some consider a spy base but that Moscow insists is a disaster relief center.
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| 15 New Sparkling Water Flavors To Sip This Summer Posted: 14 Jul 2017 09:40 AM PDT |
| Taiwanese lawmakers launch water balloons, brandish chairs in floor brawl Posted: 14 Jul 2017 11:53 AM PDT  A fracas broke out on the Taiwanese parliament floor Friday as lawmakers exchanged blows over an infrastructure project for the second day in a row.
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| Remains found of fugitive wanted in police chief's 1980 death: FBI Posted: 14 Jul 2017 04:48 PM PDT  The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it learned that Donald Eugene Webb, who had one of the longest-ever runs on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list, said it learned Webb had died in 1999 but did not provide information on cause of death. Webb's remains were found buried in the back of a property in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, the agency said. Webb had been sought in connection with the murder of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, Police Chief Greg Adams, who the FBI said was shot twice at close range and beaten about the head and face with a blunt instrument in December 1980.
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| Why There Was Blood At Chris Cornell Death Scene Posted: 14 Jul 2017 08:53 AM PDT  "It's very unlikely such large amount of blood found in a case of hanging," an expert said.
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| ‘Must happen!’: Trump releases flurry of health care tweets while heading to Paris parade Posted: 14 Jul 2017 05:50 AM PDT  President Trump fired off a string of tweets about health care while in Paris, where he attended Bastille Day events with French President Emmanuel Macron.
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| Education official apologizes anew, this time to victims Posted: 13 Jul 2017 06:43 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department's top civil rights official's "flippant" remarks are raising questions about the government's commitment to fighting campus sexual violence, even as she issued her second apology in as many days for attributing 90 percent of sexual assault claims to both parties being drunk.
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| Colombia opens bids to retrieve 18th century sunken treasure Posted: 14 Jul 2017 08:07 AM PDT  Colombia on Friday opens bidding for investors willing to retrieve billions of dollars in gold and silver from an 18th century ship wreck off the country's Caribbean coast. The Spanish galleon "San Jose" was the main ship in a fleet carrying gold and silver -- likely extracted from Spanish colonial mines in Peru and Bolivia -- and other valuables back to King Philip V. President Juan Manuel Santos wants to form a public-private partnership to retrieve the shipwreck items, and build a museum for the recovered pieces and a laboratory to study and conserve the material.
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| Trump donor 'kills himself' after revealing he tried to get Hillary Clinton's emails from Russian hackers Posted: 14 Jul 2017 04:17 AM PDT  A Republican donor who died soon after telling a newspaper he tried to obtain Hillary Clinton's emails from Russian hackers during the 2016 presidential election killed himself, according to a report. Peter W Smith, a former equity adviser, was found dead around ten days after telling the Wall Street Journal he tried to acquire emails missing from Ms Clinton's server. Ms Clinton said she deleted some 30,000 online messages because they related to her personal life.
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| FBI: Fugitive lawyer linked to social security fraud spotted Posted: 14 Jul 2017 02:47 PM PDT  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal agents tracking a fugitive Kentucky lawyer involved in a massive Social Security fraud case released surveillance photos Friday indicating that his escape route took him to New Mexico.
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| Hong Kong court expels four democracy-activist lawmakers Posted: 14 Jul 2017 05:56 AM PDT  By William Ho and Jasper Ng HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's high court on Friday expelled four opposition lawmakers from the city's legislature after it invalidated their oaths of office, a ruling that undermines the influence of the opposition in favor of pro-China legislators. A former British colony, Hong Kong reverted to China 20 years ago under a "one country, two systems" formula that guaranteed a range of freedoms not enjoyed in China, including a direct vote for half of the 70-seat legislative assembly. A group of young political activists chaffing against what they see as undue Beijing interference, won seats in an assembly election last year, and some made gestures of defiance at their swearing-in, which authorities have said ruled them out.
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| Ex-Prisoner Sacrifices Job Interview To Save Car Crash Victim Posted: 14 Jul 2017 03:05 AM PDT  Before Aaron Tucker rushed to aid of the car crash victim, he asked the bus driver if he would wait for him and got back a curt reply, "No, I am going to leave you."
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| Here's Where You Can Buy Big Mac Sauce In America Posted: 14 Jul 2017 09:58 AM PDT  This time there's no catch.
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| 31 Summer-Inspired Chicken Ideas Posted: 14 Jul 2017 09:40 AM PDT |
| White House shakes up legal team as probe gathers steam Posted: 14 Jul 2017 12:18 PM PDT  Under intensifying fire over its handling of the Russia investigations, the White House is shaking up its legal team, bringing on board a veteran Washington criminal defense lawyer just as another high-profile attorney turns over responsibilities for representing a senior official in the cross hairs of the criminal probe. Ty Cobb, who has represented multiple figures in Washington scandals dating back to the Clinton administration, will be joining the White House staff at the end of this month as a special counsel to the president, charged with handling all legal and media-related issues relating to the Russia probe, sources said.
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| Tulsa cop cleared in killing of unarmed black man resigns Posted: 14 Jul 2017 12:59 PM PDT  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A white Oklahoma police officer recently acquitted of fatally shooting an unarmed black man submitted her resignation from the Tulsa police department Friday, saying the desk job where she had been assigned made her feel isolated from fellow officers.
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| Indian police file case over 'insulting' Modi meme Posted: 14 Jul 2017 02:51 AM PDT  Indian police have filed a defamation case against a group of comedians accused of insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the latest incident to raise fears over creative freedoms in the country. A spokeswoman for the Mumbai police said on Friday that the force had registered a first information report against All India Bakchod (AIB) over a tweet poking fun at India's leader. "An FIR has been registered against AIB at Mumbai's cyber police station after due legal consultation," Rashmi Karandikar told AFP.
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| Jet blast at St. Maarten's seaside airport kills tourist Posted: 14 Jul 2017 12:06 PM PDT  A New Zealand tourist was killed by the blast from a jetliner taking off at a seaside airport in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten, officials said Thursday.
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| Egypt beach resort attack kills two foreigners Posted: 14 Jul 2017 12:28 PM PDT  The governor of Red Sea province, where the resort of Hurghada is located, said two "foreign residents" of the city were killed in the attack, a cabinet statement said. Although the attacker's motives were unclear, the stabbing will come as a blow to Egypt which has been trying to woo back tourists after years of unrest and deadly attacks. There was confusion about the nationalities of the victims, with Egyptian officials and state media initially saying the two women killed were Ukrainian which Kiev's ambassador to Egypt denied.
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| Stalled Russia sanctions bill hits North Korean snag in U.S. Congress Posted: 14 Jul 2017 01:12 PM PDT  By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bill that many lawmakers hoped would send a message to President Donald Trump to keep a strong line against Russia hit a new snag in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, as Republicans proposed combining it with sanctions on North Korea. The Russia sanctions bill passed the Senate on June 15 by 98-2, but it has not come up for a vote in the House. The chamber's Republican leaders initially said there was a technical problem with how the bill was written, but after the Senate altered the bill to fix it, the measure still did not move.
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| Congrats to this clever mama raccoon who broke into a car to give birth Posted: 15 Jul 2017 09:16 AM PDT  No one wants their car broken into, but sometimes you gotta give credit where credit is due. Consider, for example, this mother raccoon, who climbed through a plastic window cover and tumbled into the backseat of a parked convertible at an auto shop so she could safely give birth to her kits. She was later relocated by Devon of Wildlife, Inc. Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Manatee, Florida. SEE ALSO: Pelican in a cop car wants you to know this isn't what it looks like "I captured the mother, then 2 caring employees and I searched the entire car for her babies," Devon wrote in a Facebook post. "Once they were both accounted for, I relocated them to some woods where she can continue to raise them." According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune , the second kit — who is good at sneaking around, just like its mom — was hidden in the trunk. Raccoon litters are usually between three and five kits, so there's a good chance the mother was still pregnant when she was relocated. Perhaps she'll choose a less, er, spoken-for place next time. Might we suggest a nice tree cavity? WATCH: An iceberg the size of Delaware broke off Antarctica
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| 'Watch Your Back, B****': Donald Trump's lawyer to apologise for threatening emails to critic Posted: 14 Jul 2017 01:19 AM PDT  President Donald Trump's outside counsel lambasted a random emailer after the man suggested he step down following reports that explored why he had not sought a security clearance. In a series of emails obtained by ProPublica, attorney Marc Kasowitz used profanity and threatened the man. One of his four messages says: "I already know where you live. I'm on you." The man's email referred to a ProPublica report alleging Mr Kasowitz had a history of alcohol abuse which could rule him out for the security clearance needed to defend Mr Trump in the Russia inquiry - a claim which Kr Kasowitz's spokesman has said is false. Mr Kasowitz replied with four emails in 33 minutes, according to ProPublica's report. "You are f****** with me now Let's see who you are Watch your back, b****", one of the emails read. In another email he urged the emailer to call him: "Don't be afraid, you piece of s***. Stand up. If you don't call, you're just afraid." Mr Kasowitz is Mr Trump's longtime personal lawyer Credit: Anadolu Mr Kasowitz's spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the emails and says Mr Kasowitz "intends to apologize" to the man. Spokesman Mike Sitrick added that the missives were sent at the end of a "very long day." "The person sending that email is entitled to his opinion and I should not have responded in that inappropriate manner," Mr Kasowitz said in the statement. "I intend to send him an email stating just that. This is one of those times where one wishes he could reverse the clock, but of course I can't." On Tuesday, ProPublica published a story examining Mr Kasowitz's lack of security clearance and past behavior at his law firm. Donald Trump tells Brigitte Macron she's in 'good shape' 00:21 Mr Trump's longtime personal lawyer, Mr Kasowitz leads the outside legal team handling the president's response to investigations led by special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional committees looking into Russia's meddling in the election and any potential coordination with Trump associates. Mr Kasowitz is well-known in New York business and real estate circles for his rough-and-tumble courtroom demeanor, though he has little criminal defense experience or expertise in navigating politically charged Washington investigations. Last month, he entered the Russia investigation fray as the public face of Mr Trump's rebuttal to former FBI Director James Comey's testimony before the Senate intelligence committee. Mr Comey testified that he believed he was fired because of the FBI's Russia investigation. The White House referred questions about the emails to Mr Kasowitz and his legal team.
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| 2 Penn State ex-officials begin jail terms in Sandusky case Posted: 15 Jul 2017 07:33 AM PDT  Two former high-ranking Penn State administrators surrendered Saturday morning to serve jail sentences for how they responded to a 2001 complaint about Jerry Sandusky showering with a boy.
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| And So Jaguar Built Its Entry-Level SUV Hot Hatch Posted: 14 Jul 2017 10:06 AM PDT  The F-Pace has been a huge hit for Jaguar, so now it's getting a baby brother.
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| France calls for swift lifting of sanctions on Qatari nationals Posted: 15 Jul 2017 12:34 PM PDT  France called on Saturday for a swift lifting of sanctions that target Qatari nationals in an effort to ease a month-long rift between the Gulf country and several of its neighbors. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar on June 5, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with the Gulf Arab states' arch-foe Iran. Doha denies the accusations.
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| Tad Cummins Trial In Elizabeth Thomas Kidnapping Case Delayed Posted: 15 Jul 2017 01:03 AM PDT  A federal judge on Friday granted the former Tennessee teacher's request for pushing the trial from July 25.
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| Indian Goes Badass With New Scout Bobber Posted: 14 Jul 2017 09:45 PM PDT  Indian Motorcycle Goes Badass With New Scout Bobber New Scout variant features chopped fenders, cooler headlight, lowered suspension Indian Motorcycle has pulled the cover off the new Scout Bobber – a sexed-up version of its popular Scout model aimed at a
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| Secretary of State says life was 'easier' as ExxonMobil CEO Posted: 14 Jul 2017 04:04 PM PDT  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hassaid life as a CEO was "easier" than working for the Trump administration. Mr Tillerson spoke candidly to reporters on the plane returning from his latest diplomatic tour, which included visits to Ukraine, Turkey, Germany, Qatar, and France, the Los Angeles Times reported. "Well it is a lot different than being CEO of Exxon because I was the ultimate decision-maker...that makes life easier," said Mr Tillerson.
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| The Latest: Lawmaker charged with sexually assaulting teen Posted: 14 Jul 2017 10:29 AM PDT ![The Latest: Lawmaker charged with sexually assaulting teen]( "The Latest: Lawmaker charged with sexually assaulting teen") CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Latest on a New Hampshire lawmaker charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl (all times local):
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| Workers pose with British cannonball unearthed after 250 years - not realising it was still live Posted: 15 Jul 2017 08:37 AM PDT  When a Canadian construction team came across a giant cannonball as they excavated a building site in Quebec, they did what anyone else would do in this age of Snapchat and Instagram. They moved the 200lb projectile into better view and posed with it for photographs. It was only later, when an archaeologist was studying the missile, the workers learned of their lucky escape: The cannonball was still live, packed with a charge and gunpowder just as it would have been when fired by British gunners during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Construction workers found the cannonball in Old Quebec Credit: Lafontaine/Facebook A team of army bomb disposal experts was hurriedly called in to make the artefact safe. "With time, humidity got into its interior and reduced its potential for exploding, but there's still a danger," Master Warrant Officer Sylvain Trudel, a senior munitions technician, told the Canadian broadcaster CBC. They are now working out whether they can make the cannonball safe - for display in a museum - or whether it must be destroyed. "Old munitions like this are hard to predict," said Mr Trudel. "You never know to what point the chemicals inside have degraded." It had lain buried for more than 250 years in what is now known as Old Quebec, the historic quarter of Quebec City. Historians believe it was fired during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, a pivotal moment in the war between Britain and France for control of the land that would become Canada – and a small part of the wider Seven Years War as Europe's two most powerful nations fought each other around the world. Cannon Shot at Refrigerator 01:51 In 1759, British forces defeated the French and seized Quebec City forming what would become known as Britain's "annus mirablis". The battle lasted no more than an hour – and cost the lives of the commanding officers on either side - but came at the end of a three-month siege. The cannonball was most likely fired at Quebec City from the far side of the St Lawrence River where British gun batteries were based. Army munitions experts must decide whether they can make the cannonball safe or whether it must be destroyed Credit: Lafontaine/Facebook Although cannon generally fired solid iron balls, armourers also designed projectiles equipped with timed charges or fashioned into crude incendiary devices. Mr Trudel said such the newly discovered ball was designed to set fire to the buildings it penetrated. "The ball would break and the powder would ignite, setting fire to the building," he said.
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| Zimbabwe's first lady injures ankle in "freak" car accident Posted: 15 Jul 2017 05:16 AM PDT  Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace was injured in what officials called a freak accident as she left the airport with her husband on Saturday following their return from Singapore, state television reported. Mugabe had gone to Singapore on July 7 for a medical check, his third such trip this year and was accompanied by his wife. State television ZBC quoted Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba saying that the veteran leader's wife "suffered some soft tissue bruising on the right ankle as a result of a freak car incident at the Harare International Airport soon after arrival" from Singapore.
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| 21 Things You'll Only Remember If You Went to Elementary School in the '80s Posted: 14 Jul 2017 09:44 AM PDT |
