| News of John McCain’s illness broke during meeting to save GOP health care plan Posted: 19 Jul 2017 07:40 PM PDT  Republican senators attempting to save their stalled effort to repeal and replace Obamacare in a late-night meeting Wednesday were interrupted with news of Sen. John McCain's brain cancer diagnosis. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told reporters that the senators learned of McCain's brain cancer diagnosis during the meeting and asked Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., to say a prayer for McCain. "It was very emotional, almost kind of stunned disbelief for a minute, then we asked James Lankford to lead us in prayer," Hoeven said.
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| Months Before Minneapolis Shooting Answers Expected Posted: 19 Jul 2017 03:39 AM PDT  The fatal shooting Saturday of Australia-born Minnesota woman Justine Damond by a police officer could go unanswered for months while Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the shooting "inexplicable."
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| Afghan team among medal winners at global robotics event Posted: 19 Jul 2017 12:26 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — An international robotics competition in Washington attracted teams of teenagers from more than 150 nations. The team that drew the most attention at the FIRST Global Challenge, which ended Tuesday, was a squad of girls from Afghanistan who were twice rejected for U.S. visas before President Donald Trump intervened. But there were even more stories than there were teams. Here are a few:
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| Saudi woman in miniskirt video arrested after public outcry Posted: 19 Jul 2017 08:04 AM PDT  A Saudi woman has been arrested for defying the kingdom's strict dress code by walking around in a miniskirt and crop top in a video that sparked public outrage.
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| Cop accidentally frames himself planting drugs on body camera footage Posted: 19 Jul 2017 04:06 PM PDT 
Baltimore news outlets have published body cam video from a supposed drug bust back in January. The video appears to show a cop planting drugs in a trash pile, before going back to the road, activating his body camera, and "finding" the drugs that supposedly belonged to a suspect. The cop was using a model of body cam that constantly captures and buffers footage, so that when you press the record button, it saves the previous 30 seconds of footage.
https://twitter.com/justin_fenton/status/887504546074939393 Presumably unaware of this feature, the cop accidentally films himself placing a baggie of pills in an empty can in a yard filled with trash. The officer then goes back out to the sidewalk with two other cops, presses record on the body cam, and is then heard saying "Hey, let's check over here." The officer is seen "discovering" the bag of pills in record time, before coming back out to the road and turning the camera off. The drugs -- and the officer's testimony of finding them -- were to be used in a case against a suspect. After reviewing the video, a public defender brought up the apparent planting of evidence to the prosecutor in the case. Charges were subsequently dropped, and some kind of investigation is ongoing, although the Baltimore Police Department has refused further comment. Body cams have become more and more prevalent among cops in recent years, although policies around when they should be recorded and how evidence should be disclosed are still working out. Cases like this show how some police officers appear to be manipulating the cameras (however badly!) to try and manipulate evidence, showing that they're far from the perfect solution that some have hoped for.
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| Iran's president threatens response to new US sanctions Posted: 19 Jul 2017 08:51 AM PDT  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Tehran would "respond appropriately" to new US sanctions but that Iran remained committed to its nuclear deal with world powers. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will always stick to its international commitments," Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting.
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| This New Hot Sauce Is 20 Times Hotter Than Tabasco Posted: 19 Jul 2017 02:33 PM PDT  Yes, you read that correctly: it's 20 times hotter than Tabasco. If you're the type to vehemently shake the Tabasco bottle in hopes of upping its mild spiciness to something a bit more eye-watering, this brand new pepper sauce is probably up your alley. Tabasco recently released its hottest hot sauce yet—intimidatingly dubbed Tabasco Scorpion Hot Sauce—and it's nearly 20 times hotter than the Original Red Sauce!
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| Canada's Governor General touches Queen in breach of royal protocol 'to ensure she didn't slip' Posted: 19 Jul 2017 11:36 PM PDT  It is simply not the done thing. Or to put it another way, you can look but you can't touch. So much so that Canada's Governor General has felt the need to explained why he decided to breach royal protocol and touch the Queen, saying that he wanted to make sure she did not slip during an official engagement. David Johnston was spotted supporting the 91-year-old by gently touching her elbow as she climbed the steps at Canada House in Trafalgar Square, on Wednesday. The Queen, accompanied by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (C-L) attended a function at Canada House Credit: EPA/WILL OLIVER He did the same thing as she left the building, which she visited with the Duke of Edinburgh in honour of the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. Speaking afterwards he told Canadian broadcaster CBC News: "Well I'm certainly conscious of the protocol. I just was anxious to be sure that there was no stumbling on the steps." Mr Johnston, who as a student inspired a character in the bestselling 1970 novel Love Story, added: "It's a little bit awkward, that descent from Canada House to Trafalgar Square, and there was a carpet that was a little slippy, and so I thought perhaps it was appropriate to breach protocol just to be sure that there was no stumble." Queen Elizabeth is welcomed to Canada House by Canada Governor General David Johnston Credit: REUTERS/Stefan Rousseau/Pool In its advice on how to greet a member of the Royal family Buckingham Palace's website reminds people that there are "no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting the Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms". While touching the Monarch, beyond a handshake, is not explicitly mentioned it is generally accepted that members of the public do not do so. Not that Mr Johnson is the first to beach royal etiquette with displays of friendship. In 2009 Michelle Obama took the unusual step of putting her arm round the Queen, in response to the Monarch placing her hand on her back, while she attended a glittering reception at Buckingham Palace with her husband, ahead of the G20 summit. Buckingham Palace described it at the time as a "mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation". Queen given tour of Canada House to mark country's 150th birthday 01:31 In 1992 the then Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating placed his arm around the Queen while introducing her to subjects during her visit in 1992, earning himself the nickname 'The Lizard of Oz'. And in 2014 the basketball star LeBron James put his arm around the Duchess of Cambridge while presenting her with a jersey after a game in New York. Buckingham Palace said it had no concern over the Governor's General decision to lend the Queen his hand in support. An aide said: "There's no issue here. It was a simple human gesture"
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| Over 20 members of Congress ask the FBI to review Ivanka Trump’s security clearance Posted: 18 Jul 2017 11:17 PM PDT  Over 20 Democratic House members asked acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe to review questions regarding the security clearance of the president's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump.
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| Australian government demands answers on Minneapolis police shooting Posted: 19 Jul 2017 08:49 AM PDT ![Australian government demands answers on Minneapolis police shooting]( "Australian government demands answers on Minneapolis police shooting") (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the fatal shooting of an Australian woman by a Minneapolis police officer over the weekend "shocking" and "inexplicable" and said his diplomats were seeking answers from U.S. authorities. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Tuesday confirmed details of the shooting of Sydney native Justine Damond that have been reported in media accounts and also confirmed the identities of the two police officers involved in the incident. Damond died of a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, fired through an open window of the patrol car, after two police officers responded to a call she made of a possible assault in her neighborhood, the agency said.
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| The Latest: British American Tobacco buying Reynolds OKd Posted: 19 Jul 2017 09:20 AM PDT ![The Latest: British American Tobacco buying Reynolds OKd]( "The Latest: British American Tobacco buying Reynolds OKd") RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on London-based British American Tobacco's purchase of Reynolds American Inc., the second-largest U.S. cigarette company (all times local):
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| 22 Outrageous Poke Cakes Posted: 19 Jul 2017 09:58 AM PDT |
| MH370 search reveals hidden undersea world Posted: 19 Jul 2017 10:42 PM PDT  The painstaking search for missing flight MH370 has uncovered a previously unknown undersea world of volcanoes, deep valleys and soaring ridges, according to detailed maps released by Australia. Although no trace of the Malaysia Airlines plane was found during the search in the southern Indian Ocean -- the most expensive ever of its kind -- large volumes of data showing a detailed picture of the sea floor had to be collected to guide the probe. "It is estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of the world's oceans have been surveyed with the kind of technology used in the search for MH370," Geoscience Australia's environmental geoscience chief Stuart Minchin said late Wednesday.
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| The White House and Mitch McConnell’s office tell very different stories about the failure of the health care bill Posted: 18 Jul 2017 06:37 PM PDT  As the dust settled following Monday night's collapse of the Republican effort to repeal Obamacare, a flurry of finger-pointing and competing narratives emerged with both the White House and the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell trying to minimize their own roles in the debacle. Some White House staffers threw McConnell under the proverbial bus, suggesting that the majority leader rushed the vote and limited President Trump's involvement. McConnell's allies denied he sought to dictate the process or have the president take a back seat.
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| Cameroon 'torturing people accused of supporting Boko Haram' Posted: 19 Jul 2017 05:01 PM PDT  Cameroon's security forces have been accused in an Amnesty International report of torturing hundreds of people in secret chambers. Dozens of testimonies, as well as satellite imagery, photographs and videos add up to a pattern of terrible violence against people accused of supporting the Islamist group Boko Haram, which Amnesty says amounts to war crimes.
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| Fruit With Huge Health Benefits Posted: 19 Jul 2017 10:01 AM PDT |
| Small plane makes emergency landing on Long Island highway Posted: 19 Jul 2017 09:03 PM PDT  A Cessna plane pilot is being praised for his successful emergency landing on a Long Island highway that included flying under an overpass.
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| Philippine police arrest 43 foreigners for kidnap of Singapore woman Posted: 20 Jul 2017 12:51 AM PDT  By Karen Lema MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine police said on Thursday they had arrested 43 foreigners for kidnapping a Singaporean woman at a casino resort in the capital, highlighting security concerns that have scared high-stakes gamblers away from Manila. Police said the gang, including people from China and Southeast Asia, was believed to be a loan-shark syndicate targeting foreign high-rollers, with 11 similar cases reported since 2015. The Philippines is one of the fastest-growing casino hubs in Asia, after Macau and Singapore, with the opening of several resorts over the past two years.
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| William, Kate take Brexit 'charm offensive' to Germany Posted: 19 Jul 2017 02:49 PM PDT  Prince William and his wife Kate began Wednesday a three-day visit to Germany billed as a "charm offensive" by local media as Britain begins thorny Brexit talks in earnest. Under brilliant summer sunshine, William, who is second in line to the British throne, and Kate touched down in Berlin from Poland accompanied by their young children George and Charlotte.
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| Helicopter carrying WWE exec makes emergency ocean landing Posted: 19 Jul 2017 02:05 PM PDT  GILGO BEACH, N.Y. (AP) — The son of World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Vince McMahon was rescued Wednesday from a helicopter that made an emergency landing in the ocean near a New York beach.
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| Trump accuses states of hiding ‘something’ as voter fraud panel convenes Posted: 19 Jul 2017 10:31 AM PDT  As the White House's controversial voter fraud panel gathered for its first meeting, President Trump accused states that didn't turn over data of hiding "something."
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| Pictures reveal Iraqi forces holding Isil suspects 100 to a room outside Mosul Posted: 19 Jul 2017 02:14 AM PDT  Hundreds of suspected Islamic State members swept up by Iraqi forces in Mosul are being held in a cramped and stifling prison just outside the city. Associated Press reporters visiting the facility saw more than 100 prisoners packed into a dark room, lined up shoulder to shoulder on the floor. There was no electricity or ventilation, despite daytime temperatures well over 45 C. The Iraqi officer who oversees the facility said it currently holds some 370 prisoners. He says authorities were overwhelmed with detainees as Iraqi forces cleared the last neighborhoods of the city earlier this month at the end of a grueling nine-month campaign. Associated Press reporters visiting the facility saw more than 100 prisoners packed into a dark room, lined up shoulder to shoulder on the floor. Credit: AP "Prisoners are infected with diseases, lots of health and skin problems, because they're not exposed to the sun," he said. "The majority can't walk. Their legs are swollen because they can't move." He said a provincial health team checks on the prisoners "occasionally." More than 1,150 detainees have passed through the prison over the past three months, with 540 sent to Baghdad for further investigation, the officer said. Another 2,800 prisoners are being held in the Qayara air base south of Mosul, and hundreds more in a few smaller facilities. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters. The Islamic State group seized Mosul when it swept across northern and central Iraq in the summer of 2014. There was no electricity or ventilation, despite daytime temperatures well over 110 degrees F (45 C). Credit: AP As U.S.-backed Iraqi forces battled block by block to retake the city, the militants rounded up civilians and used them as human shields. Many fighters also fled the city by hiding among fleeing residents, complicating efforts by Iraqi forces to separate the militants from civilians. Prisoners who were discreetly interviewed by the AP insisted they were innocent. They spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. "You won't find 10 real (IS members) among these guys. And all of them have spent more than six months here," one prisoner said out of earshot of the guards. "Since I got here eight months ago, I've only seen the sun once." He said he was a civil servant and had traveled between Baghdad and Mosul on several previous occasions before being detained. Extradjudicial execution of suspected Isil fighters is rife in Mosul "They said my name was in their database. I haven't seen any court or judge. I don't even know what I'm accused of. A lot of names are the same," he said. He said two prisoners had died in the packed holding cell. Some prisoners "have pus coming out of their wounds. Once they go to the hospital, they come back with amputated legs or arms." "We really want to die," another prisoner said. "None of us have received any visitors, relatives, family members. They don't even know where we are."
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| Mother Gives Birth in Restaurant Bathroom, Grandma Helps Stash Baby in Trash: Cops Posted: 19 Jul 2017 03:35 PM PDT  A mother and daughter have been charged in the death of a newborn.
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| Al Gore: There's Still Time To Solve Climate Change Crisis Posted: 19 Jul 2017 03:02 PM PDT  Vice President Al Gore thinks there's still time to stop some of the catastrophes climate change might cause.
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| House panel approves budget measure that advances tax reform Posted: 19 Jul 2017 07:49 PM PDT  By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives took a new step toward tax reform legislation on Wednesday by approving a fiscal 2018 budget resolution that would allow the Senate to pass a sweeping tax code overhaul without Democratic support. The House Budget Committee voted 22-14 along party lines to send the measure to the floor of the House for consideration by the full chamber, a day after the $4 trillion spending blueprint was unveiled. Democrats oppose the Republican budget and Republican plans for a tax reform bill that is likely to offer steep tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.
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| Saudi police release Snapchat 'model in skirt' without charge Posted: 19 Jul 2017 07:38 AM PDT  Saudi police have released without charge a woman who was filmed in a miniskirt at a historic site in the ultraconservative kingdom, the government said Wednesday. The ministry of information said police had released the woman Tuesday night and the prosector had closed the case. Police said Tuesday they were questioning the woman after she appeared in a series of videos, initially posted to messaging app Snapchat, wearing a crop top and a high-waisted miniskirt.
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| India's ageing trains get green makeover with solar panels Posted: 19 Jul 2017 08:19 AM PDT  India has added solar panels to the roof of a train in a national first as it tries to reduce its massive carbon footprint and modernise its vast colonial-era rail network. The lighting, fans and information displays inside the train -- once powered by diesel -- will run off the sun's energy after the panels were fitted to the carriage. The train has begun journeys around the capital New Delhi, helping move just some of the 23 million passengers who use India's rail network every day.
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| Democrats rolling out 2018 midterms message next week Posted: 19 Jul 2017 12:15 PM PDT  Democrats will begin rolling out their message for the 2018 midterm elections next week, Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., the No. 4 House Democrat, told reporters.
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| Fox News reporter walks out of off-camera press briefing and throws parting shot at White House Posted: 19 Jul 2017 07:08 AM PDT  Fox News reporter John Roberts has thrown some shade at Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Donald Trump's spokeswoman, for the White House's refusal to hold daily on-camera press briefings. In recent weeks, the White House has begun to hold off-camera briefings almost daily – a departure from previous administrations when daily on-camera briefings were the norm. Mr Trump's press staff have said the change is meant to draw more attention to the President's remarks, but some reporters have asserted that the White House "should have the backbone" to answer questions during on-camera proceedings.
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| Iraqi PM: Rights violations in Mosul were 'individual acts' Posted: 19 Jul 2017 03:35 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi forces committed human rights violations during the battle to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group, the country's prime minister acknowledged, but insisted that these were "individual acts" for which the perpetrators would be punished.
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| This App Will Give You A Starbucks Gift Card Just For Using It Posted: 19 Jul 2017 10:05 AM PDT  You aren't dreaming.
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| India ready for talks with China on border standoff Posted: 20 Jul 2017 08:57 AM PDT  India said Thursday it is ready to hold talks with China if both sides pull back their forces to end a standoff along a disputed territory high in the Himalayan mountains.
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| Australians see woman's shooting by police as US nightmare Posted: 18 Jul 2017 06:30 PM PDT  SYDNEY (AP) — Half a world from where an Australian woman was shot dead by a Minneapolis police officer, a front-page headline in her hometown Sydney newspaper summarized Australia's reaction in blunt terms: "AMERICAN NIGHTMARE."
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| Royal Navy scrambles to shadow Chinese warships in English Channel as they head to Baltics for first war games with Russia Posted: 19 Jul 2017 01:42 AM PDT  The Royal Navy scrambled a warship to shadow a Chinese flotilla as it steamed through the English Channel en route to meet Russian vessels for manoeuvres in the Baltic Sea. The trio of Chinese warships passed through the Strait of Dover under the watch of the HMS Richmond, a Type 23 frigate, at the weekend. They then headed across the North Sea, where they were spotted being escorted by Dutch vessels earlier this week ahead of manoeuvres with Vladimir Putin's navy which begin on Friday. China's state-run Global Times newspaper said on Tuesday that the 052D, the country's "most advanced guided-missile destroyer", was taking part in the week-long joint drills. The Chinese warships later headed through Dutch waters on their way to the Baltic Credit: Rob Verkerk The ship "is equipped with phased array radar and a vertical launching system", the newspaper said. Russian media say ten ships will take part in the first phase of the exercise, joined by more than 10 aircraft and helicopters. Route of Chinese warships The drills mark the first occasion that Chinese warships have ever carried out manoeuvres in the strategically important Baltic Sea. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy had just completed exercises in the Mediterranean, another show of strength from Beijing as it rapidly expands its military reach across the globe. The drills with Russia mark the first occasion that Chinese warships have ever carried out manoeuvres in the strategically important Baltic Sea Credit: Rob Verkerk Professor Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military expert, told The Telegraph the Baltic Sea drills were aimed at Nato, but were being carried out in response to drills that were recently staged by the US, India and Japan in the Indian Ocean, which were directed towards China. "China and Russia have pledged to enhance their strategic relationship by regularly staging military drills," said Prof Ni, director of the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law's Sea Power and Defence Policy Research Institute. "China also has its own plans," he added. "Which is to show the world that it is a major naval power." A Chinese naval fleet held a military exercise with the Russian navy in St Petersburg and Kaliningrad last month. The two countries have held joint drills every year since 2012, and military officials in China said this year's manoeuvres will focus on "joint rescue efforts and protecting cargo vessels". China and Russia both have veto powers on the UN Security Council, and regularly vote together on major issues such as the crisis in Syria. This position often puts them at odds with the United States and Western Europe.
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| Creationists Sell Christian Theme Park To Themselves To Avoid $700,000 In Taxes Posted: 19 Jul 2017 01:10 PM PDT  The theme park owes the city of Williamstown approximately $700,000.
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| What Trump can still do to salvage 2017, and win in 2020 Posted: 19 Jul 2017 11:08 PM PDT  Fellow Republicans hope to turn the page on a relatively fruitless debut and lift a trophy with tax reform before his first year is out. Since January 20 the president has rolled back 14 regulations set by his, predecessor Barack Obama, notably on environmental and industry rules. Despite intense pressure from the president, including a White House meeting with Senate Republicans Wednesday, lawmakers appear eager to move on.
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| The 11 Best Off-Roaders That Aren't the Wrangler Posted: 19 Jul 2017 10:01 AM PDT |
| U.S. Justice Department expected to drop $3 million Harley-Davidson emissions penalty: sources Posted: 19 Jul 2017 09:28 AM PDT  By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is expected to announce this week it is dropping a requirement that Harley-Davidson Inc spend $3 million to reduce air pollution as part of a settlement the Obama administration announced in August, sources briefed on the matter said. Last year, the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker agreed to pay a $12 million civil fine and stop selling illegal after-market devices that cause its vehicles to emit too much pollution as part of a federal court consent decree. It also agreed to spend about $3 million and enter into an agreement with the American Lung Association of the Northeast to retrofit or replace wood-burning appliances with cleaner stoves.
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| Remains found likely is 10th victim of Arizona flash flood Posted: 19 Jul 2017 07:05 PM PDT  PHOENIX (AP) — Remains found Wednesday in a water- and debris-filled canyon in central Arizona are believed to be those of a missing 27-year-old man who's the 10th and final victim of last weekend's flash flood, authorities said.
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