| U.S. diplomat warns to be 'prepared for the worst' right after N. Korean official reportedly shuts down diplomacy Posted: 17 Oct 2017 04:55 AM PDT  Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that while the State Department remained focused on quelling tensions with North Korea through diplomatic channels, that the nation and world must remain prepared for the possibility that those efforts will fail.
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| ISIS Losing Its 'Capital' Is A Pivotal Defeat For The Terrorist Group Posted: 17 Oct 2017 02:41 PM PDT  The self-described Islamic State finally lost its tenuous grip on the Syrian city of Raqqa on Tuesday as U.S.-backed forces retook the extremist group's last major urban territory following a four-month military campaign.
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| McCain on Willingness to Work With Trump 'Dumb Question' Posted: 17 Oct 2017 12:01 PM PDT  Sen. John McCain chastised a reporter who questioned if he would continue to work with Donald Trump after criticizing him. Lawrence O'Donnell says McCain, who likely won't seek another term, has "nothing left to lose."
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| Mother Of Slain Teen To Trump: Defend All LGBTQ People, Not Just My Child Posted: 18 Oct 2017 02:01 AM PDT  WASHINGTON ― Katrina Johnson, the mother of a gender-fluid teenager who was shot to death last year in Burlington, Iowa, appreciates that President Donald Trump's Justice Department sent a federal hate crimes attorney to aid the prosecution of a man accused of killing the high school student.
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| Joe Biden: Donald Trump 'Doesn't Understand How the Government Functions' Posted: 17 Oct 2017 04:03 PM PDT  Former Vice President Joe Biden believes that President Donald Trump does not understand how the U.S. government works.
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| Woman Claims Delta Stopped Her From Singing National Anthem For Slain Soldier Posted: 18 Oct 2017 03:40 PM PDT  A Georgia doctor claims that Delta Air Lines prevented her from singing the national anthem to honor a slain soldier whose casket was on her plane.
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| Confederate monuments vandalized in 2 Virginia cities Posted: 17 Oct 2017 02:35 PM PDT  RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Two Confederate monuments in two Virginia cities have been vandalized this week.
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| Harvey Weinstein donated $10K to Bill Clinton's legal fund during Lewinsky sex scandal Posted: 17 Oct 2017 08:30 AM PDT  It's been 20 years since the sex scandal between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky rocked the White House and the nation.
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| Rohingya man refugee again 40 years after leaving Bangladesh Posted: 17 Oct 2017 09:02 PM PDT  Nearly four decades ago Fazol Ahmed returned to his native Myanmar with his family under a Rohingya repatriation scheme. Now he is back in the teeming camps of Bangladesh with his wife and children, a refugee once again. Ahmed is among the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have crossed into Bangladesh since an upsurge in violence in neighbouring Myanmar in August that the UN has said amounts to ethnic cleansing.
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| Mom's incredible hack for getting her child to take medicine goes viral Posted: 18 Oct 2017 11:29 AM PDT  No matter the flavor, from orange to grape, we have vivid memories of being force-fed a spoonful, only to quickly chase it down with a glass of milk or a treat. England's Helena Lee was trying to feed her newborn Calpol when she remembered reading about this trick -- all you need is a bottle and syringe.
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| White House slams lawmaker's 'disgusting' criticism of Trump's call to soldier's widow Posted: 18 Oct 2017 01:10 PM PDT  The back-and-forth dispute between the president and a Florida congressman over what Trump said to a soldier's widow continued Wednesday afternoon. While not denying a remark that Rep. Frederica Wilson attributed to Trump, the White House criticized her for politicizing the issue.
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| Mandalay Bay Security Guard To Appear On ‘Ellen’ After Ducking Other Interviews Posted: 17 Oct 2017 09:43 PM PDT  The security guard at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas who was among the first to encounter mass killer Stephen Paddock during his deadly Oct. 1 shooting spree has apparently broken his silence.
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| Freed Taliban Hostage Caitlan Coleman Reportedly Rushed To Hospital Posted: 18 Oct 2017 07:43 AM PDT  Caitlan Coleman, the American woman who spent five years as a hostage of the Taliban, was reportedly rushed to the hospital less than a week after her release from captivity.
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| Defeated Isil 'cowards' take the bus home as Raqqa, capital of terrorism, is defeated at last Posted: 17 Oct 2017 07:18 AM PDT  The Islamic State's "capital" fell on Tuesday after US-backed forces declared victory in the Syrian city where the jihadist group plotted attacks on the West. Brig Gen Talal Silo, the spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, said that clashes with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) fighters in Raqqa had stopped, ending their three-year reign of terror in the city. "The SDF is now in control of the former capital of terrorism," Mr Sllo told the Daily Telegraph. "A formal declaration will be made from the city soon, after the clearing operations end. Raqqa is still full of landmines." The fighters limped out from their final redoubt in Raqqa's central hospital on Tuesday and onto waiting buses. Rojda Felat, a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander, waves her group's flag at the iconic Al-Naim square in Raqqa on October 17, 2017. Credit: AFP Having promised to fight to the death for the capital of their so-called caliphate, in the end Islamic State's jihadists surrendered after realising they had been cornered. "Cowards to the end," said Macer Gifford, the pseudonym of a Briton fighting alongside the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in Raqqa. He has been battling Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) militants in the city since the start of the offensive in June and was there to watch some of the last of them flee. "It was difficult to see them so close and to just watch them leave," the former currency trader from Oxford told the Telegraph. ISIS leaving Raqqa hospital. Cowards until the end... pic.twitter.com/sE6K3nPgHh— Macer Gifford (@macergifford) October 17, 2017 After a devastating four-month battle, the remaining 200-odd fighters gave up their fight and agreed to an evacuation deal which saw them bused out of the city to the last-remaining slivers of territory still under the jihadists's control to the south. The final black flag was taken down from the city's stadium, which had been used as a prison during Isil's brutal three-year rule and had become synonymous with the group's violent excesses. Photos showed Kurdish female fighters of the SDF waving their own yellow flag in its place. Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the "V" sign in Raqqa, Syria October 17, 2017 Credit: REUTERS All that was left to do was check the many tunnels Isil had dug for sleeper cells and IEDs, Talal Silo, the SDF"s spokesman, said. "A formal declaration will be made from the city soon, after the clearing operations end. Raqqa is still full of landmines," Mr Silo told the Daily Telegraph. "But the SDF is now in control of the former capital of terrorism." During the campaign for Raqqa the city suffered massive devastation from Isil's mines as well as from US-led coalition air strikes which left most of its buildings levelled and in ruins. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor put the overall death toll for the battle at 3,250, including fighters and civilians, but said hundreds were still missing or unaccounted for. Five British volunteers were also killed. Isil's use of civilians as human shields forced the coalition to rely on coordinated air strikes, at a heavy cost. Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces are seen in Raqqa, Syria October 17, 2017 Credit: REUTERS "They never fought us face-to-face like men," Mr Gifford told the Telegraph by phone. "They would just shoot at us from sniper positions and drive at us with car bombs. "They surrounded themselves with women and children, which they used as protection against the strikes." An international charity group says tens of thousands of people who did manage to flee are now in desperate need of aid and that the nearby camps are "bursting at the seams." With the high levels of destruction reported in and around the city, most families have nowhere to return home and are likely to stay in camps for months or years to come. The militants seized the city in early 2014 in a blitzkrieg offensive across Syria and neighbouring Iraq, making it the headquarters of its self-styled "caliphate". At one point they controlled approximately a third of Syria and a third of Iraq, making up a quasi-state the size of Britain. So confident was the group during its height they threatened to conquer Rome. Col. Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the anti-Isil coalition, said on Tuesday the fall of Raqqa would deny Isil the "well spring" that provided planning and support for terror operations in Syria and around the world. The effect the loss of the city, which had become the administrative heart of the Islamic State, will have on the group cannot be underestimated. It was from Raqqa its miliants filmed their slickly produced and often gory propaganda videos which lured thousands of recruits from around the world to join them. They plotted the most devastating attacks on Europe from the city's internet cafes. It was from the hills outside Raqqa Briton Mohammed Emwazi, otherwise known as Jihadi John, executed two of his countrymen in videos which shocked the world in 2014. The jihadists would continue to rule over the city's residents with an ultra-conservative and brutal interpretation of Sharia law for another three years. Schools were closed and children were sent to mosques for indoctrination into jihad and camps for military training. Adults were stoned to death and beheaded for infractions as minor as smoking or listening to music. But the group's fortunes changed dramatically after Iraqi forces began their offensive to retake its most prized territory of Mosul last year. And in recent months in Syria they have been forced back into a strip of the Euphrates valley and surrounding desert. A fighter from Syrian Democratic Forces takes a selfie as he stands near rubble at a damaged site in Raqqa Credit: Reuters Now more than 85 per cent of Isil's territory in Syria has been liberated and around 90 per cent in Iraq. But experts say Isil will remain a serious threat for the foreseeable future, despite its significant territorial losses. And that while the battle may be over, the war is yet to be won. "Today marks the end of Caliphate ISIS, but the beginning of Insurgency ISIS," said Hassan Hassan, a resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy and co-author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror. Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, warned that its ideology would linger long after its "caliphate" was gone. "I don't think it's simply a question of taking away the Islamic State's territory and the Islamic State's idea disappears," he said. He said the group saw itself as successful, having "managed to declare a caliphate and keep it going" - something unprecedented in modern jihadism. Additional reporting by Luna Safwan in Beirut
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| Billy Joel, 68, and wife Alexis Roderick are expecting a baby Posted: 18 Oct 2017 09:01 AM PDT  Billy Joel will soon have three Uptown Girls to worry about!
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| Remembering William Seward’s Alaska ‘folly’ Posted: 18 Oct 2017 02:11 AM PDT  In today's popular culture, William Seward is best known for his association with Abraham Lincoln. But his name is also forever linked to a decision back in 1867 that brought Alaska into the fold as a United States territory, at a bargain price.
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| Trump: Ask Gen. Kelly If He Got A Call From Obama? Posted: 17 Oct 2017 01:07 AM PDT  During a interview, President Trump claims that President Obama did not call General Kelly after his son died in Afghanistan.
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| 'Very unusual' mistrial in woman's burning death Posted: 16 Oct 2017 07:25 PM PDT  BATESVILLE, Miss. (AP) — The jury in the tense murder trial of a Mississippi man charged with setting a 19-year-old friend on fire and leaving her to die handed a bailiff a note: They have reached a verdict.
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| Deadly shooting at business park in Edgewood, Md. Posted: 18 Oct 2017 08:55 AM PDT ![Deadly shooting at business park in Edgewood, Md.]( "Deadly shooting at business park in Edgewood, Md.") Three people have been killed and two were wounded during a shooting at the Emmorton Business Park in Edgewood, Md.
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| Georgia State Senator Offers Free Bump Stock In Wake Of Vegas Massacre Posted: 17 Oct 2017 09:27 PM PDT  A state senator in Georgia who is running for governor is asserting his stance on gun rights by giving away a bump stock "to one lucky winner" in the aftermath of the Las Vegas mass shooting.
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| Bill Cosby Accusers Demand Academy Kick Out Cosby And Polanski Too Posted: 17 Oct 2017 08:57 AM PDT  Two of the more than 50 women who have accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault are demanding he and film producer Roman Polanski be immediately removed from the Academy of Motion Pictures.
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| Kenya's Odinga pulled out of election to avoid defeat: deputy president Posted: 17 Oct 2017 07:04 AM PDT  By Katharine Houreld NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga decided not to stand in next week's presidential election to avoid defeat rather than for reasons of principle, the deputy president said on Tuesday. Odinga was due to face President Uhuru Kenyatta on Oct. 26 in a repeat of a presidential vote held in August but he withdrew his candidacy, saying the electoral commission had failed to institute reforms to guarantee fairness. Kenyatta won the Aug. 8 election by 1.4 million votes.
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| John McCain Is Worried the U.S. Is Going Back 'to the 1930s' Posted: 17 Oct 2017 02:05 PM PDT  Senator John McCain, echoing the sentiments of his Monday night speech in Philadelphia, said Tuesday that he is worried the United States is reverting to the nationalistic tendencies that characterized the 1930s.
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| Bidding war heats up for $5 billion second Amazon HQ Posted: 17 Oct 2017 10:26 PM PDT  It's the prize of a lifetime -- a $5 billion investment creating 50,000 well-paid jobs that everyone wants, but only one US city will get. From East to West, from North to South, metropolises across the United States are locked in a frenzied bidding war desperate to woo Amazon into favoring them as the site of the e-commerce giant's second headquarters. From $7 billion in tax breaks in Newark, New Jersey -- 50 years ago aflame by deadly race riots -- to a giant cactus shipped inter-state, bids range from the colossally ambitious to the silly before Thursday's deadline for submissions.
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| Conspiracy theorists claim first lady Melania Trump has been using a body double Posted: 18 Oct 2017 07:05 AM PDT  Internet conspiracy theorists are beside themselves amid claims that first lady Melania Trump has a body double.
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| New fires break out in California as wine country fires dim Posted: 17 Oct 2017 09:49 AM PDT  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — As crews gained on the wildfires in California wine country, new blazes broke out Tuesday in other parts of the state, including a fire in the mountains above Los Angeles that threatened a historic observatory and more flames in the Santa Cruz mountains.
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| Mother Allegedly Killed Two Sons Inside Burning Oven Posted: 17 Oct 2017 04:59 PM PDT  The single mother said taking care of her children was overwhelming and that she "couldn't do it anymore."
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| Stunning Photos Show Faces Of Poverty That Are Rarely Seen Posted: 17 Oct 2017 04:17 PM PDT  A new portrait campaign asking people to think differently about people living in poverty appeared on billboards in New York City's Times Square on Tuesday.
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| Nebraska man accused of helping Florida girlfriend kill self Posted: 17 Oct 2017 12:10 PM PDT  LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man accused of helping his Florida girlfriend kill herself after she told him she had cancer appears to have taken her story at face value and didn't push her to seek medical treatment or mental-health counseling, authorities said Tuesday.
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| From Damascus, Iran vows to confront Israel Posted: 18 Oct 2017 06:26 AM PDT ![From Damascus, Iran vows to confront Israel]( "From Damascus, Iran vows to confront Israel") By Ellen Francis and Babak Dehghanpisheh BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran's military chief warned Israel against breaching Syrian airspace and territory on a visit to Damascus on Wednesday, raising tensions with Israel as it voices deep concern over Tehran's influence in Syria. General Mohammad Baqeri pledged to increase cooperation with Syria's military to fight Israel and insurgents, Iranian and Syrian state media said. Iranian forces and Iran-backed Shi'ite militias, including Hezbollah, have provided critical military support to Damascus, helping it regain swathes of Syria from rebels and militants.
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| Behold the first Polestar, a 600hp hyper coupé Posted: 17 Oct 2017 05:19 AM PDT  If every car that it builds is exciting as the Polestar 1, Volvo's decision to spin off its racing and tuning arm as a standalone environmentally responsible sportscar company could be one of the best it's ever made. Unveiled at a special event in China, where the new cars will be built, the Polestar 1 will go on sale in 2019 and is described by its creators as a 2+2 grand tourer coupé. "Polestar 1 is the first car to carry the Polestar on the bonnet.
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| Kenya opposition suspends protest campaign after deaths Posted: 17 Oct 2017 08:05 AM PDT  Opposition leader Raila Odinga said Tuesday he was suspending a protest campaign after three people were shot dead in demonstrations against Kenya's election body. The National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition had earlier said the protests would resume on Wednesday after pausing for a day in a tribute to the victims. "In honour of the innocent victims of the state, our protests will stay suspended.
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| Trump's Approval For Hurricane Response Plunges 20 Points After Puerto Rico Storms Posted: 17 Oct 2017 03:53 AM PDT  President Donald Trump's approval rating for his handling of the response to hurricanes striking the U.S. has plummeted 20 points since Puerto Rico was devastated by back-to-back hurricanes last month, according to the latest CNN poll.
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| The Latest: More evacuees from California wildfires go home Posted: 17 Oct 2017 12:27 AM PDT  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on California wildfires (all times local):
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| The Story Behind That 2,000-Year-Old Thracian Chariot You Saw on Reddit Posted: 17 Oct 2017 12:03 PM PDT  The photo of an ancient Thracian chariot alongside the bones of two horses and a dog has quickly risen to the top of Reddit today (Oct. 13), with more than 65,000 likes. A team of archaeologists led by Veselin Ignatov, of the Istoricheski muzej Nova Zagora, a museum in Bulgaria, discovered the 2,000-year-old wooden chariot in 2008. In 2009, Ignatov and his team also found a brick tomb, containing the remains of a man dressed in what appears to be armor, near the chariot.
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| American woman becomes princess after meeting a real prince in a nightclub Posted: 18 Oct 2017 02:57 AM PDT  Most of us can but dream of rocking up to the club and casually meeting a member of a royal family. But, that's what happened to Ariana Austin on the dance floor of Washington D.C. nightclub Pearl back in December 2005 when she met Joel Makonnen, a.k.a. Prince Yoel. The story didn't end there for Austin and Makonnen. Twelve years on from their nightclub meet-cute, the couple tied the knot, and Austin became a princess. SEE ALSO: Prince George's favourite film proves once and for all he just can't wait to be king Per the New York Times, Prince Yoel is the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia, part of the Solomonic dynasty. Austin also happens to be of noble blood: she's the granddaughter of the lord mayor of Georgetown, Guyana. A post shared by Ariana Austin Makonnen (@chezariana) on Sep 15, 2017 at 7:14am PDT Enough about royalty, we want to know what went down in that nightclub on that fateful night in 2005. That night, Makonnen strolled over to Austin and her friend and said: "You guys look like an ad for Bombay Sapphire," according to the NYT. It appears Makonnen's regal background didn't help him out in the chat-up line department. Apparently, it took Makonnen just five more minutes to tell Austin: "You're going to be my girlfriend." Well, he certainly didn't waste any time. Official pics are here! All credit to the talented @dotunayodeji. Planning by @favoredbyyodit Dress @lazarobridal #AriJo #royalwedding #moretocome ❤️ A post shared by Ariana Austin Makonnen (@chezariana) on Oct 16, 2017 at 4:39pm PDT The couple were wed in an Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony in Temple Hills, Maryland, surrounded by family and friends. And, in case you were wondering, the couple certainly don't sit on thrones all day long. Austin works at the Executives' Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, and Makonnen works at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical. Congrats to the happy (royal) couple! WATCH: Prince George looks beyond cute for his first day of school
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| Wanted man turns himself in after losing Facebook bet with police Posted: 18 Oct 2017 07:54 AM PDT  A wanted Michigan man has turned himself in after losing a bet he made with police on Facebook. Michael Zaydel had promised to give himself up to police if a Facebook post about an existing arrest warrant received more than 1,000 shares. The cocky 21-year-old even promised to bring Redford Township Police Department (RTPD) officers a dozen doughnuts if they were victorious in the challenge. "I'm not worried about it," he wrote. "If your next post gets 1,000 shares I'll turn myself in with a dozen doughnuts and that's a promise. "And I'll pick up every piece of litter around your public schools." In a follow-up post, the department said he "may or may not be a man of his word," adding, "it is our experience everyone gets caught at some point. He has drawn a lot of attention to himself, and that makes it hard to hide from reality." The fugitive eventually surrendered to police, fulfilling his promise by arriving at the station with doughnuts and a bagel. "Zaydel made good on his promise to turn himself in to RTPD for his outstanding warrants," the department said. "He walked in on his own, and not only did he bring the doughnuts, he brought one bagel! We would again like to express our gratitude for the support of all who followed this, shared it, and left us positive feedback." Mr Zaydel was sentenced to 39 days in jail after pleading guilty to breaking the terms of his probation. Is this the world's most meta mugshot?
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| Abedin Sent Government Emails on Weiner Laptop: Report Posted: 17 Oct 2017 04:30 PM PDT  State Department officials have reportedly found more than 2,800 government-related work emails Huma Abedin sent from Anthony Weiner's laptop.
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| 'Project Runway' Star Mychael Knight Reportedly Dead At 39 Posted: 17 Oct 2017 02:44 PM PDT  Fashion designer and "Project Runway" star Mychael Knight died on Tuesday in a Georgia hospital, according to TMZ and various news sources.
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| Venezuela poll results a 'strong message' to US, allies: Maduro Posted: 17 Oct 2017 10:29 AM PDT  Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday his socialist party's landslide victory in disputed regional elections had delivered a "strong message" to the United States and its allies. "Our people have given a strong message to imperialism, to (US President Donald) Trump, to its regional allies and to the local right-wing," Maduro told a news conference after the opposition rejected the results and the US and EU said they were deeply flawed. "It is not going to be an economic war or an induced inflation that makes this people give up," said Maduro, who according to opinion polls has an 80 percent dissatisfaction rating among Venezuelans who are struggling with serious food and medicine shortages and record inflation.
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| Trump Claims Congresswoman Lied About His Call To Army Widow Posted: 18 Oct 2017 04:59 AM PDT  President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) of fabricating the claim that he told the widow of a soldier killed in combat that she "must've known what he signed up for."
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| Utah man will be tried on murder charge in girl's suicide Posted: 18 Oct 2017 03:45 PM PDT  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A judge has ruled an 18-year-old Utah man accused of encouraging a teen friend to hang herself and filming it because he was fascinated with death should stand trial on a murder charge.
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| China's Xi lays out vision for 'new era' led by 'still stronger' Communist Party Posted: 18 Oct 2017 03:12 AM PDT  By Christian Shepherd and Stella Qiu BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday laid out a confident vision for a more prosperous nation and its role in the world, stressing the importance of wiping out corruption and curbing industrial overcapacity, income inequality and pollution. Opening a critical Communist Party congress, Xi pledged to build a "modern socialist country" for a "new era" that will be proudly Chinese and steadfastly ruled by the party but open to the world. Although his wide-ranging address made clear there were no plans for political reform, Xi said China's development had entered a "new era", using the phrase 36 times in a speech that ran nearly 3-1/2 hours.
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