| Senate GOP’s endgame on health care: the lowest common denominator Posted: 26 Jul 2017 12:42 PM PDT  Republicans are abandoning their ambitions to repeal and replace the ACA, instead hoping they can get 50 votes for a so-called skinny repeal of aspects of current law.
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| Minneapolis Police Department Announces New Bodycam Policy Following Fatal Shooting of Australian Woman Posted: 26 Jul 2017 05:33 AM PDT  In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Justine Damond, the Minneapolis Police Department announced new bodycam policies for officers.
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| White House threatens to shut down briefing over questions on transgender policy shift Posted: 26 Jul 2017 01:06 PM PDT  WH press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders threatened to shut down Wednesday's briefing after several reporters asked for details on President Trump's new policy
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| Portugal battles raging wildfires Posted: 27 Jul 2017 09:19 AM PDT ![Portugal battles raging wildfires]( "Portugal battles raging wildfires") More than ten villages in central Portugal have been evacuated as forest fires rage in the provinces of Castelo Branco and Santarem. Almost 5,000 firefighters supported by water-dropping aircraft are deployed across central and northern areas of Portugal as the country continues its annual summertime battle against wildfires. "The intensity of the wind is diabolical," said Jaime Marta Soares, saying new fires keep popping up away from the main fires. (Reuters)
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| New Developments in Case Where Driver Livestreamed Deadly Car Crash Posted: 25 Jul 2017 09:00 PM PDT  Obdulia Sanchez allegedly kept livestreaming on Instagram after the accident even as her sister lay dying; she pleaded not guilty to charges including manslaughter while intoxicated.
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| State Dept. warns of possibly tainted alcohol in Mexico Posted: 26 Jul 2017 07:26 PM PDT  MILWAUKEE (AP) — The U.S. State Department is warning tourists going to Mexico about reports of tainted or substandard alcohol causing drinkers to become sick or pass out.
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| Wasserman Schultz fires IT staffer following fraud arrest Posted: 27 Jul 2017 06:25 AM PDT  Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has fired an information technology staffer following his arrest on a bank fraud charge at a Virginia airport where he was attempting to fly to Pakistan.
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| Fatal Ride Malfunction Posted: 26 Jul 2017 11:46 AM PDT  At least one person was killed and five critically injured after a ride malfunctioned at the Ohio State Fair.
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| Putin says Russia will respond to 'insolence' of US sanctions Posted: 27 Jul 2017 08:47 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow will ultimately have to respond to sanctions imposed by the United States that he condemned as insolent towards Russia. "We are behaving in a very restrained and patient way, but at some moment we will need to respond," Putin said at a news conference after talks with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto. "This practice is unacceptable -- it destroys internatioanl relations and international law," Putin said of sanctions.
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| Pakistani council orders "revenge rape" of 16-year-old girl Posted: 27 Jul 2017 02:40 AM PDT  By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani police have arrested 25 members of an informal village council accused of ordering the rape of a 16-year-old girl as revenge for her brother's alleged sexual assault of another girl. The Supreme Court also requested a report on the case, which echoed a notorious case from 2002 in which another teenager was gang-raped on a local council's order. "A total of 29 people were involved in this ghastly crime, and we have 25 of them in our custody," Multan City Police Officer Ahsan Younus told Reuters by telephone on Thursday.
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| Sens. McCain and Ernst, both veterans, oppose Trump’s ban on transgender military service Posted: 26 Jul 2017 10:07 AM PDT  Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, quickly announced their opposition Wednesday to President Trump's Twitter announcement that the U.S. military would not "accept or allow" transgender military service members.
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| Kellyanne Conway: Ethical disclosures discourage people from government service Posted: 27 Jul 2017 07:37 AM PDT  Top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said Thursday on "Fox & Friends" that having to complete financial disclosure forms demoralizes qualified people from serving in government.
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| Medical examiner: Judge in river died by suicide in drowning Posted: 26 Jul 2017 03:55 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — A prominent judge found in the Hudson River died by suicide in a drowning, according to findings issued by the city's medical examiner on Wednesday.
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| 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom: The Eighth Generation of Ultimate Luxury Posted: 27 Jul 2017 01:00 PM PDT  Keeping calm and carrying on.
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| Omaha Police Officers Face Assault Charges After Death of Man Hit With a Stun Gun Posted: 26 Jul 2017 03:28 PM PDT  The officers were fired earlier this month
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| China is 'landlord' to Hong Kong says justice chief Posted: 27 Jul 2017 03:23 AM PDT  Controversy over a new cross-border rail link which will see mainland laws enforced in a Hong Kong train station escalated Thursday after the justice chief likened China to the city's "landlord". It comes at a time when fears are worsening that Hong Kong's freedoms are under threat from an increasingly assertive Beijing. The high-speed rail line between Hong Kong and the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, 80 miles away, is due to open in 2018.
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| U.S. says Iran rocket test breaches U.N. resolution Posted: 27 Jul 2017 02:48 PM PDT  DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran successfully tested a rocket that can deliver satellites into orbit, state television reported on Thursday, an action the United States said breaches a U.N. Security Council resolution because of its potential use in ballistic missile development. Iranian state television showed footage of the firing of the rocket, mounted on a launchpad carrying pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, and Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The rocket launch violated United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday.
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| Transgender US soldiers dare ‘draft dodger’ Donald Trump to kick them out the military Posted: 26 Jul 2017 10:58 PM PDT  Transgender soldiers are daring Donald Trump to kick them out of the military and criticising him for being a "war dodger". The abrupt ban on transgender people serving in the US military was announced by the US President on Twitter. At least one openly transgender member of the military has vowed to keep serving despite the ban.
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| Scaramucci calls into CNN for wild interview about Priebus and leaks Posted: 27 Jul 2017 07:11 AM PDT  The White House communications director called into CNN's "New Day" early Thursday to explain his Twitter message that reportedly suggested he wants the FBI to investigate White House chief of staff Reince Priebus for the "leak" of Scaramucci's financial disclosure form.
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| The Latest: Plane crash kills 2 couples leaving on vacation Posted: 26 Jul 2017 05:20 PM PDT  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Latest on a plane that crashed on a Utah highway and killed four aboard (all times local):
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| Dad Abandons Daughter, 10, in Desert Without Shoes or Water: Authorities Posted: 26 Jul 2017 06:19 PM PDT  An Arizona dad abandoned his 10-year-old daughter in the scorching desert with no shoes, authorities said.
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| US oil firm Halliburton to pay $30 mn to settle Angola bribery case Posted: 27 Jul 2017 09:27 AM PDT  Oil field services giant Halliburton will pay nearly $30 million to resolve allegations of bribery in Angola, US regulators announced Thursday. Former Halliburton vice president Jeannot Lorenz also agreed to pay a $75,000 fine for falsifying the company's books and circumventing internal controls, the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement. Lorenz steered $13 million in contracts to a local company owned by a former Halliburton employee with ties to an official at the Angolan state oil company Sonangol.
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| McDonald's worker puts everyone off ice cream with 'disgusting' photos Posted: 27 Jul 2017 01:41 AM PDT  A former McDonald's worker has turned the stomach of fast food fans by sharing 'disgusting' photos from inside a mouldy ice cream maker. Teenager Nick, who did not disclose his surname, shared the photos on Twitter, claiming: "This came out of McDonald's ice cream machine in case y'all were wondering…" This came out of McDonald's ice cream machine in case y'all were wondering... pic.twitter.com/DTXXpzE7Ce— nick (@phuckyounick) July 14, 2017 This is the side of the ice cream machine! It's not from a grease trap pic.twitter.com/nMpnFxAvZ4— nick (@phuckyounick) July 17, 2017 The 18-year-old says he worked at a McDonald's outlet in Louisiana for five months, telling BuzzFeed he posted the photos to let people know "how disgusting the conditions are". Nick claims he lost his job shortly after posting the photos "exposing McDonald's", but tweeted that he already had another one lined up when he decided to post them online. Since I'm exposing McDonald's I might as well show y'all what y'all really eating... fresh out the freezer. pic.twitter.com/KZ7Ao1kWsR— nick (@phuckyounick) July 18, 2017 Nice and dirty... pic.twitter.com/vjxuVLJpgF— nick (@phuckyounick) July 18, 2017 McDonald's said in a statement the equipment seen in the photos does not come into contact with any food. "We are committed to running great restaurants that provide our customers with high quality food, service and a clean environment," a spokesperson said. "This is a part of our soft serve equipment that does not come into contact with any food and is required to undergo regular and timely cleaning." Extraordinary floating McDonald's restaurant left abandoned for 30 years How Twitter reacted How does your tweet about ONE franchise of McDonald's justifies all McDonald's?? pic.twitter.com/64ryGc8mG7— Girinator (@amiegirin) July 18, 2017 Thanks for ruining my day, I just had an ice cream cone from them ����♀️ pic.twitter.com/s7OcTdzxt4— هانا �� (@h_annaah_) July 16, 2017 Meanwhile at Wendy's...�� pic.twitter.com/2Djg3WSeSi— imari✨ (@_esstco) July 16, 2017 The employees telling us the machine is down pic.twitter.com/kLpivUpD4c— Covfefí Champu (@CuddleSweet) July 16, 2017 pic.twitter.com/O08LuxKapY— Trust in Hue (@dawg_pound69) July 17, 2017 Revealed: The real reason McDonald's hamburgers 'never rot' mcdonalds secret menu
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| Cars You Can Import Via the Show or Display Law Posted: 26 Jul 2017 09:43 AM PDT |
| Trump's bid to rally base marked by protests Posted: 25 Jul 2017 06:47 PM PDT  Fresh from a rare legislative victory, Donald Trump tried to shore up ebbing popular support Tuesday at a raucous rally in Youngstown, Ohio, that was marred by a string of protests. Trump traveled to the key electoral state hours after his Republican-controlled Senate agreed to begin deliberations on Trump's health care plans, a technical step but a major victory for a president desperate for legislative wins. "Where the hell did he come from?" Trump asked mockingly.
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| Grandmother lays in pool of blood playing dead after being attacked night before her husband's funeral Posted: 27 Jul 2017 07:26 AM PDT  An Arizona community is reeling after a grandmother was beat up in her home by an unknown assailant, and forced to lay in her own blood for hours playing dead for fear that her attacker would return. Jesse Leetham said in a Facebook that his grandmother was attacked after 11 p.m. the night before her husband's funeral, shortly after he left her home. The 82-year-old grandmother was washing dishes when she was assaulted, according to a press release from the Gila County Sheriff's Office.
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| US Navy fires warning shots near Iran ship in Persian Gulf Posted: 26 Jul 2017 12:38 AM PDT  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. Navy patrol boat fired warning shots near an Iranian vessel that American sailors said came dangerously close to them during a tense encounter in the Persian Gulf, the first such incident to happen under President Donald Trump. Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guard later blamed the American ship for provoking the situation.
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| 2017 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Posted: 27 Jul 2017 03:00 PM PDT  The Voodoo makes our skulls glow with excitement.
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| Video Shows Texas Police Officer Harassing Black Teen For Mowing Grass Posted: 25 Jul 2017 11:59 PM PDT  A black teen in Texas recorded his confrontation with a police officer who harassed him for cutting out grass and distributing business cards. The teen also alleged that the officer attacked him at his home.
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| Outdoor industry flexes political muscle in US land fight Posted: 26 Jul 2017 02:08 PM PDT  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Outdoor recreation industry leaders aren't going quietly as they stage their last trade show in Utah before moving it to Colorado.
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| Charter increases already-ridiculous fee because there’s nothing you can do to stop it Posted: 26 Jul 2017 01:36 PM PDT 
For the last two years, big cable TV companies have been charging a "Broadcast TV Fee" which, in every way, is already a bunch of bullshit. It's not a regulatory fee: it's just the cable companies charging extra for the cost of delivering channels to your TV, which is exactly what you're paying for with your monthly fees anyway. Anyway, in case that didn't already hurt enough, Spectrum (which is also Charter, Time Warner Cable and Bright House) has raised its bullshit fee that little bit more.
Users on the DSL Reports forum have posted copies of July bills that show the price increase. It's currently at $6.05, and that's creeping up to $7.50. That might not sound like a lot, but Charter serves around 25 million customers across the US. Even if only half of those (a low-ball estimate) subscribe to cable, a $1.50 increase is still around $17 million. That's not much compared to the billions in revenue Charter pulls down, but it's also pure unadulterated profit. It's also not the kind of thing that gets people to quit cable, sadly. Pay TV has proven itself to be a highly inelastic product, and with the average pay TV bill over $100 a month, a $1.50 increase just isn't going to force people off. But there is some good news. Arguably the only reason that cable companies can get away with barefaced crap like this is the lack of competition. In the majority of the regions that Charter offers service, Charter is the only company offering cable TV. But a wealth of new pay TV streaming services, which only need an internet connection, finally offers some competition to Charter's regional monopolies. Fed up with a broadcast TV fee? Try paying $35 to Fubo, a streaming service that offers sports and all major broadcast channels. The broadcast TV fee you'll save is nearly enough to add Netflix and be happier than you already were.
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| Widow of NYPD Officer Killed in Ambush Gives Birth to Their Child Nearly 3 Years Later Posted: 26 Jul 2017 09:11 AM PDT  Sanny Liu, the widow of fallen NYPD Officer Wenjian Liu, used an in vitro fertilization procedure, freezing his sperm to have his baby.
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| Jordan's king demands Israel put guard on trial for killing Jordanians Posted: 27 Jul 2017 03:31 PM PDT  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah angrily demanded on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put on trial an embassy security guard who shot dead two Jordanians, and said relations between the neighbouring states were at risk. Netanyahu gave the guard a hero's embrace after Israel brought him home under diplomatic immunity, behaviour that the king said was "provocative on all fronts and enrages us, destabilises security and fuels extremism".
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| Venezuela's government, opposition on deadly collision course Posted: 27 Jul 2017 03:11 PM PDT  The war of words escalated on Thursday, the second day of a 48-hour general strike by Venezuelans angry over Maduro's plans for a Sunday vote to elect a new body to rewrite the constitution. "The regime declared we can't demonstrate... We will respond with the TAKING OF VENEZUELA" through a protest on Friday, the opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, said on its Twitter account.
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| Woman vows to 'kill all Muslims' during supermarket car park dispute Posted: 27 Jul 2017 08:31 AM PDT  Amber Hensley shouted at Rowda Soyan, Sarah Hassan and Laleyla Hassan in the car park of a Walmart in Fargo, North Dakota, as she believed they had parked too close to her car. Ms Hassan recorded a video of Hensley delivering an angry tirade, which was sent to the police and circulated widely on social media. "Go home, go home," Hensley was heard saying.
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| China bolsters defences on North Korean border amid tensions over nuclear program Posted: 26 Jul 2017 02:58 AM PDT  China has been building up its defences along its border with North Korea, a report says, amid tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear programme. Beijing has established a new border brigade, built bunkers to protect civilians against nuclear blasts, and set up 24-hour surveillance along its frontier, the Wall Street Journal said. China has also realigned its forces in the country's northeast, added the report, which cites Chinese military and government websites and Chinese and foreign experts. Officials in Beijing regularly call for a peaceful solution to the North Korean issue, but US president Donald Trump is growing increasingly impatient towards Kim Jong-un's regime. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un celebrating the successful test-fire of the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 at an undisclosed location Credit: AFP / KCNA On Monday, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian told reporters he could not answer a "hypothetical" question on what China's military would do in the event of a clash on the Korean peninsula. Lu Kang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: "China always maintains that military options shall never be considered to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue, because force will in no way settle disputes, but will only bring greater suffering, unbearable to all." Trump administration officials also recognise that a potential conflict would bring chaos to the region. Kim Jong-un watches performance celebrating ICBM launch 01:27 US Defence secretary Jim Mattis said in June that it would be "a war more serious in terms of human suffering than anything we have seen since 1953". But North Korea raised the stakes with the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile as Americans celebrated Independence Day on July 4. The US and China said on Tuesday they are making progress on a new UN resolution that would impose additional sanctions against North Korea in response to the ICBM launch. Some observers predict the reclusive state could stage another test of military hardware on Thursday, the anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice and a public holiday in North Korea. US Ambassador: We are prepared to use "considerable military forces" on North Korea 00:37 China is undergoing a long-term modernisation of its armed forces, and has been strengthening defences on its shared border with North Korea since Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. China also has concerns that any potential military clash involving North Korea and the US will flood its north-eastern provinces with refugees, causing a major headache for the country's stability-obsessed rulers.
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| 10 Cheap Weekend Getaways You Can Take Right Now Posted: 26 Jul 2017 09:43 AM PDT |
| Killer of San Antonio woman set for execution Thursday Posted: 26 Jul 2017 02:50 PM PDT  HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A man dressed in black and wearing a hood and gloves kicked in the door of a San Antonio apartment where his drug supplier lived, attacked two people inside with a knife and fled, only to return because he dropped his car keys in the struggle.
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| Solid State Batteries May Replace Lithium-Ion Ones Soon Posted: 25 Jul 2017 11:24 PM PDT  Solid state batteries are considered safer than lithium-ion batteries since they are less prone to leaking.
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| Doctors: Banning Transgender People From Military Service Is Not 'Medically Valid' Posted: 26 Jul 2017 01:15 PM PDT  The American Medical Association said that transgender people should be allowed to serve in the military
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| 'Difficult' fight for Hezbollah on Lebanon-Syria border Posted: 26 Jul 2017 12:43 PM PDT  Surveying the rocky no-man's land on Lebanon's eastern border with Syria, Hezbollah fighters on Wednesday recalled the "difficult" battle they fought to recapture much of the terrain from militants. The Lebanese Shiite movement has waged a five-day offensive across the scraggy landscape known as Jurud Arsal to oust what it says are ex-Al-Qaeda Syrian jihadists. The group's head Hassan Nasrallah praised his fighters late Wednesday, saying they were facing "a great military victory" with the enemy holed up in a pocket of territory.
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| U.S. transfers surveillance planes to the Philippines Posted: 27 Jul 2017 04:48 AM PDT  The United States on Thursday transferred to the Philippines two brand-new, single-engine surveillance planes, boosting the capability of its former colony to patrol sprawling maritime borders, including pirate-infested southern waters. At a ceremony at an air base in Manila, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said two Cessna 208B aircraft were fitted with electro-optical sensors and other surveillance equipment to detect ships in the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. "These planes will give us more capability to patrol our seas and guard against intrusions," Lorenzana said.
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