| Trump ex-campaign chief Paul Manafort jailed for 43 more months Posted: 13 Mar 2019 09:42 AM PDT  President Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort, already facing 47 months in prison for tax and bank fraud, was sentenced to an additional 43 months in prison Wednesday on conspiracy charges. "The defendant is not public enemy number one," US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said in delivering the sentence in a hushed Washington courtroom. "But he is not a victim either," Jackson added, stressing that the veteran Republican lobbyist and political consultant had shown little remorse and had lied repeatedly.
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| CNN hit with $275 million defamation suit by Kentucky student Posted: 13 Mar 2019 05:53 AM PDT  The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann in federal court in Kentucky, seeks $275 million in compensatory and punitive damages over the videotaped incident in the nation's capital. Sandmann and other Covington Catholic students had been in Washington to attend a March for Life anti-abortion rally.
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| 'Affirmative action for the rich:' How the privileged legally game the college admissions process Posted: 13 Mar 2019 03:33 PM PDT  Wealthy and influential parents often routinely use their privilege to game the college admissions process. And it's perfectly legal.
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| Surprising Ways to Eat Corned Beef, From Nachos to Egg Rolls Posted: 13 Mar 2019 10:33 AM PDT |
| The Latest: Travel hub UAE suspends Boeing 737 Max 8, 9 jets Posted: 12 Mar 2019 11:58 PM PDT  HEJERE, Ethiopia (AP) — The Latest on Ethiopian Airlines crash (all times local):
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| Ex-priest defrocked for sex abuse killed in his home Posted: 13 Mar 2019 06:39 AM PDT  He was accused of groping and brutalizing teenage boys, but still worked as a teacher and home tutor for high school and college students.
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| Bomb cyclone: Extreme snow storm hits central US with millions in 'bombogenesis' path Posted: 13 Mar 2019 10:06 AM PDT  A strong winter storm has brought snow, flood threats, and high winds to parts of central US today. The blizzard is being referred to as a 'bomb cyclone' — or bombogenesis — due to a sharp drop in pressure over a short period of time. As the storm conditions descended upon the central US, residents tweeted of the cold conditions and the accumulating snow that closed schools down in some cities, while delaying start times in others.
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| The EU Parliament Had Plenty to Say About Brexit After the U.K. Vote Posted: 13 Mar 2019 05:46 AM PDT  On the morning after British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal was comprehensively rejected in the House of Commons, key figures in the European Parliament had their say on the latest from London. The European Union's chief negotiator said the bloc can't grant a request to delay Brexit until it understands the U.K.'s rationale for one.
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| U.K. Parliament Just Turned Down Another Brexit Deal 17 Days From the Deadline Posted: 12 Mar 2019 12:41 PM PDT  U.K. lawmakers voted down May's deal with the European Union for a second time in just two months, with just 17 days to go before Brexit.
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| Pell victim says 'hard to take comfort' from sentencing Posted: 12 Mar 2019 06:30 PM PDT  The former choirboy molested by Australian Cardinal George Pell said Wednesday it was "hard to take comfort" from the Vatican official's sentence of six years in prison for the crime. Pell was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria after being found guilty of five counts of sexual and indecent assault in the sacristy of a Melbourne cathedral in 1996 and 1997. Chief Justice Peter Kidd told the court the 77-year-old would be eligible for parole after serving a minimum term of three years and eight months.
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| UK Attorney General's view on revised Brexit deal Posted: 12 Mar 2019 05:44 AM PDT  The British government's top lawyer said on Tuesday that the revised Brexit deal reached by Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU did not change the legal risk of Britain being trapped indefinitely in a so-called backstop arrangement. This would remain the case even if parties were still negotiating many years later, and even if the parties believed that talks have clearly broken down and there was no prospect of a future relationship agreement.
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| Spotify files antitrust complaint against Apple over its 'app tax' Posted: 13 Mar 2019 04:24 AM PDT  Spotify has declared war on Apple over the fees it charges for access to the iPhone App Store in a move that that could have far-reaching consequences for the media and technology industries. In a formal competition complaint to Brussels, the Swedish music streaming giant 's founder Daniel Ek accused Apple of abusing its dominance of the smartphone market to "deliberately disadvantage" competitors. The music streaming business has also complained that its service is locked out of Apple devices including the HomePod smart speaker and Apple Watch. Spotify general counsel Horacio Gutierrez said he believed the business was losing out commercially because of Apple's policy of taking a 30 pc cut from apps downloaded via its App Store. "We feel confident in the economic analysis we have submitted to the Commission that we could have done better than we have done so far," he said. The complaint is the latest sign of growing resistance to Apple from companies which offer music and video streaming and gaming services available via its App Store. In a blog post, Daniel Ek wrote on Wednesday that "Apple has introduced rules to the App Store that purposely limit choice and stifle innovation at the expense of the user experience—essentially acting as both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers." Mr Ek said that Spotify had attempted to resolve the dispute directly with Apple, but decided to approach antitrust regulators in Europe to intervene. A spokesman for the European Commission said that "the Commission has received a complaint by Spotify, which we are assessing under our standard procedures." Apple declined to comment. The antitrust complaint adds to a growing backlash against the tolls Apple and Google charge to developers using their app stores. Apple's policy of taking a cut from apps distributed via its service forced Spotify to increase monthly subscriptions for premium sales via the Apple App Store from £9.99 to £12.99. Around the same time, Apple launched a competing music streaming service for £9.99 per month, it added. Spotify has since pulled the option to subscribe to its premium service from its iPhone app. EU regulators are also increasingly concerned about how technology platforms control the online ecosystem and may rig the game to their own advantage.
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| From the flight manual to automation, why pilots have complained about Boeing's 737 MAX 8 Posted: 13 Mar 2019 03:01 PM PDT  Before 157 people died in a Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash, the second crash of the jet in five months, pilots voiced safety concerns, records show.
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| Suspension doubled for cop in shooting of 18-year-old Posted: 11 Mar 2019 06:07 PM PDT ![Suspension doubled for cop in shooting of 18-year-old]( "Suspension doubled for cop in shooting of 18-year-old") CHICAGO (AP) — A police accountability office and the Chicago police superintendent have agreed to doubling the 90-day suspension that had been suggested for a Chicago police sergeant found to have unjustifiably shot an unarmed autistic 18-year-old.
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| 'Epic' bomb cyclone hits central US with heavy snow, winds; Colorado trooper killed Posted: 13 Mar 2019 04:39 PM PDT  A powerful storm is unleashing a ferocious mix of snow, rain and wind across the central USA.
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| Pressure Builds on May to Find Compromise Plan: Brexit Update Posted: 13 Mar 2019 11:21 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story.
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| Republican majority senate votes to end US support for Saudi war in Yemen Posted: 13 Mar 2019 04:09 PM PDT  The Republican-led US Senate has approved a resolution seeking to end support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, in a rebuke of Donald Trump's policy towards the kingdom. The vote was 54-46 in the Senate, more than the 51 needed to pass in the 100-member Senate, as seven Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure. The war powers resolution seeks to end any US military involvement in the conflict, including providing targeting support for Saudi air strikes, without authorisation from Congress.
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| Eight killed, 37 rescued, in Lagos building collapse Posted: 13 Mar 2019 02:26 PM PDT  Children had been attending an "illegal school" inside the residential building when the structure collapsed, officials said. "Thirty-seven people were rescued alive and eight were recovered dead," Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement. Earlier officials said dozens of children were trapped inside the building which collapsed mid-morning in an area near Itafaji market on Lagos Island.
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| Alex Trebek returns to "Jeopardy!" following cancer announcement Posted: 13 Mar 2019 05:00 AM PDT  "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek returned to his job nearly a week after revealing his cancer diagnosis.
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| Elon Musk shoots back at US regulators, accusing them of 'retaliation and censorship' Posted: 11 Mar 2019 11:01 PM PDT  Tesla's chief executive Elon Musk shot back against US financial regulators on Monday, arguing that his recent tweet about his company's production numbers did not violate a previous fraud settlement and that he cannot be held in contempt. Lawyers for Mr Musk said that his "single, immaterial" tweet to more than 24 million Twitter followers, claiming that Tesla would produce around 500,000 electric cars in 2019, complied with the communications policy his company has been forced to adopt. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had asked a court in New York City to hold Musk in contempt, saying his tweet in February violated a fraud settlement from September which barred him from sharing material information about Tesla on social media without the company's pre-approval. Bur Mr Musk's lawyers argued in a court filing that the SEC was exceeding its power in attempting to hold him in contempt, saying its action "smacks of retaliation and censorship". "This contempt action, following Musk's sincerely-held criticism of the SEC on 60 Minutes [a US TV show], also reflects concerning and unprecedented overreach on the part of the SEC," the filing said. In December, Musk said in an interview with the US news programme 60 Minutes that: "I do not have respect for the SEC." The settlement between Musk, Tesla and the SEC resolved an SEC lawsuit over claims Mr Musk made on Twitter in August that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private at $420 per share. The SEC called those tweets "false and misleading", and a deal never materialized. As part of that settlement, Musk stepped down as the company's chairman and he and Tesla agreed to pay $20m each (£15m) in fines. The renewed public battle between Tesla's chief executive and the top US securities regulator adds pressure on Mr Musk, the public face of Tesla, who is struggling to make the company profitable after cutting the price of its Model 3 sedan to $35,000. Tesla has backed off a plan to close all its US stores and said it will instead raise prices of its higher-end vehicles by about 3 percent on average. In the filing, Mr Musk's lawyers said his tweet was a "proud and optimistic restatement of publicly disclosed information." Mr Musk corrected his tweet four hours later to say that the "annualized production rate" at year-end 2019 would probably be about 500,000, with deliveries expected to be about 400,000. Moreover, Mr Musk has exhibited self-censorship in dramatically reducing the volume of tweets since the settlement, they wrote, adding that the SEC's request, if granted, would raise free speech issues. "This self-censorship is reflective of his commitment to adhering to the Order and avoiding unnecessary disputes with the SEC," they wrote in the filing. Mr Musk called the regulator the "Shortseller Enrichment Commission" on Twitter after the settlement, and tweeted that "something is broken with SEC oversight" just one day after the agency started pursuing the contempt order. Legal experts have said the SEC could now pursue multiple avenues, including a higher fine, imposing further restrictions on Mr Musk's activities or removing him from Tesla's board or helm. Tesla published a new communications policy in December for senior executives as part of the settlement. It called for Tesla's general counsel and a newly designated in-house securities law attorney to pre-approve any written statements about Tesla that could be material. A disclosure controls committee, made up of board members Brad Buss, Antonio Gracias and James Murdoch, was tasked with overseeing compliance with the new policy.
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| Entire Countries Are Grounding Boeing's 737 Max 8 Jets After Ethiopia Airlines Disaster Posted: 12 Mar 2019 07:29 AM PDT  Aviation authorities the world over are urging caution after another Boeing jet crashed.
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| Turkish, Israeli name-calling covers 'tyrant' to 'dictator' Posted: 13 Mar 2019 09:28 AM PDT  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The latest quarrel between the leaders of Turkey and Israel continued for a second day Wednesday as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "thief" and a "tyrant."
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| The 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Aerodynamics in Photos Posted: 13 Mar 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| On his birthday, Twitter mocks Mitt Romney for the way he blows out his candles Posted: 12 Mar 2019 05:18 PM PDT  For his 72nd birthday, Sen. Mitt Romney was given a cake made out of Twinkies, his favorite snack. But some objected to how he blew out his candles.
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| U.S. immigration agency to close its overseas offices Posted: 12 Mar 2019 12:20 PM PDT  The move is the latest from an administration that has worked to limit both legal and illegal immigration since Trump took office in January 2017, including cuts to the U.S. refugee program and heightened vetting of U.S. visa applications. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Francis Cissna, in an email message to agency employees, announced plans for closure of the international field offices. The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, currently operates 23 offices overseas, scattered across Latin America, Europe and Asia, according to the agency's website.
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| Michael Avenatti and Stormy Daniels split up Posted: 12 Mar 2019 02:53 PM PDT  Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was first to announce she had new representation in a tweet posted Tuesday afternoon.
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| Pope anniversary marked by Pell sentencing, scandal fallout Posted: 13 Mar 2019 08:16 AM PDT  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis marked his sixth anniversary as pontiff in prayer Wednesday, attending a weeklong spiritual retreat with his closest advisers. Elsewhere in the world, one of his cardinals was sentenced for sex abuse and a new poll found American Catholics are increasingly questioning their faith because of the scandal.
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| Pound rallies on Brexit delay hopes before 'no deal' vote Posted: 13 Mar 2019 02:14 PM PDT  New York (AFP) - The British pound recovered strongly Wednesday as traders were increasingly confident Britain's exit from the EU will be pushed beyond the current March 29 deadline.
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| Royal baby 2019: The Duchess of Sussex's due date, possible names, and all the latest news Posted: 13 Mar 2019 10:14 AM PDT  The Duchess of Sussex once described motherhood as being on her "bucket list", the Duke of Sussex frequently confessed he would love to have children, and the rest is royally romantic history. The newlyweds, who married in Windsor last May, are just weeks away from welcoming their first child. As the nation waits for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's eighth grandchild to arrive, please enjoy everything we know about royal baby Sussex so far. When is the Royal baby due? Though Kensington Palace have only publicly declared that the royal baby is due in the spring, six-month pregnant Meghan let slip that she is due at the end of April or early May during an engagement in Birkenhead earlier this year. The couple announced their pregnancy to family and friends at Princess Eugenie's wedding in October, just days before their royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. This means he or she could easily be born on the same day as their great-grandmother (yes, the Queen), who will celebrate turning 93 on April 21. If the couple do know the gender, they're keeping it very quiet. They recently said they'd be "thrilled" with a baby boy or girl. A look back at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby photos Where will the Duchess of Sussex give birth? No one outside of the family knows for sure but staff at the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, have been advised not to take holiday in the spring, sparking speculation the Duchess plans to give birth there. Contrary to earlier reports saying the former American actress plans to give birth on the NHS, she may follow in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cambridge instead. Kate had her three children at the same private maternity unit and Princess Diana gave birth to Harry there in 1984. A source told the Telegraph: "Staff at the Lindo Wing have been asked not to take holiday in April. Everyone thinks it's got something to do with the royal baby but no one is confirming anything." It had been reported that Meghan, 37, planned to give birth on the NHS at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey. It is seven miles closer than the Lindo Wing to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, where the Sussexes are due to move to this year. Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles leave the Lindo Wing with Prince Harry in 1984 Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images) Giving birth in the Lindo Wing The £6,000-a-night Lindo wing offers a "five-star" birthing experience with expectant mothers accommodated in spacious private rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Patients are invited to pick their meals from lavish a la carte menus - including a wine and champagne list - and are even offered a celebratory post-labour afternoon tea. The first night in Lindo wing costs £5,900 (for the 'normal' delivery package) and every additional night is charged at £1,175. Patients can also pay extra for a deluxe package, where the rooms are slightly bigger, which costs £6,275 for the first 24 hours and £1,550 for extra nights. Read more about the Lindo Wing here. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave Paddington's Lindo Wing with their third child, Prince Louis in April 2018 Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images What will the royal baby be called? There is much suspense as to what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will call their baby. The youngster will be born into the British royal family, where tradition is an intrinsic part of the Windsors' lives. If they go classic, possibilities include Alice, Mary, Elizabeth or Victoria for a girl, and Philip, Frederick, Charles, Arthur, Edward or James for a boy. Of course, the pair are also forward-thinking royals and the Duchess has her own American upbringing to draw on. Canadian-born Autumn Phillips, and husband Peter Phillips, opted for a non-traditional name for their daughter Savannah - the Queen's first great-grandchild - in 2010. In the US, the most popular name for a baby girl is Emma and Liam for a baby boy. In the UK, the most popular name for a girl born in 2017 was Olivia and, for a boy, Oliver. In short, it's anyone's guess. Where will the baby fall in the line of succession? Seventh in line, which means it's highly unlikely the child will ever be monarch. The baby will have three cousins: Prince George (a future king), Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - all of whom are further up the line of succession. It is a safe bet that the throne will stay on the Cambridge side of the family. The baby will bump Harry's uncle, the Duke of York, into eighth place in the line of succession. His daughters - Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie - will move into ninth and 10th place. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex - the Queen's youngest son, drops out of the top 10 for the first time to 11th in line. The Royal Family Tree (fix) What title will the new royal baby have? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby will not be a prince nor a princess unless the Queen steps in. King George V - Harry's great great grandfather - limited titles within the royal family in 1917. This means the couple's first born, as a great-grandchild of the sovereign, is too far down the line of succession to be an HRH. George V declared that: "the grandchildren of the sons of any such Sovereign in the direct male line (save only the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) shall have and enjoy in all occasions the style and title enjoyed by the children of Dukes of these Our Realms." The eldest son and heir apparent of a duke can use one of his father's lesser grade peerage titles by courtesy, according to Debrett's. With this in mind, a first son of Harry's would become Earl of Dumbarton - one of the subsidiary titles Harry received from the Queen on the morning of his wedding. A daughter would be Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor, and any subsequent sons Lord (first name) Mounbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Rabat, late February 2019 Credit: PA Will the baby have dual citizenship? The Duke and Duchess could apply for their child to have dual US-UK citizenship. The Duchess is in the process of becoming a British citizen but it is not known whether she will hold dual nationality, and at present is still a US citizen. According to the American Embassy in the UK, a child born outside of the US and in wedlock to a US citizen parent and a non US citizen parent, may acquire US citizenship at birth if the US parent lived in America for five years - two of which were after the age of 14. Where will the family live? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due to move into Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle this year. The propertym however, is still under-going extensive refurbishment. Since 2017 the couple have been living at Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace, near the Duke of Cambridge and his family. The move means they will be 20 miles away from them. Read more about Nottingham Cottage here. The Royals who live at Kensington Palace Will the Sussex's hire a nanny? Most likely. Harry has been close to all his nannies and it is likely he and Meghan will arrange for a nanny to care for their baby while they are on official engagements. Kate and William have the help of their full-time live-in nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo. Meghan's close friend Jessica Mulroney had two nannies to help her with her twin boys and younger daughter. The couple will almost certainly call upon the help of Meghan's mother Doria Ragland who will no doubt make frequent visits to London from her Los Angeles home to visit her grandchild. Read more about what it's really like to be a royal nanny here. What happened at Meghan's baby shower? Late February, Meghan embarked on a "private" five-day trip to New York without any royal aides. Though we now know the Duchess managed to enjoy many activities incognito (like having macarons at Ladurée in Soho and shopping at children's boutique Bonpoint), sources told US media her solo stint would end with a baby shower just in time to call the paparazzi. The unexpectedly public event happened seemed to happens as quickly as media pens could be set up outside The Mark Hotel on New York's Upper East Side. Many deliveries - including a flat pack baby coat and buckets of flowers, including pink roses, while a flat pack baby cot - were dropped off throughout the morning before guests arrived. Abigail Spencer, the actress who played 'Scottie' alongside the Duchess in legal drama Suits, was one of the first to be photographed walking through the front door, immediately recognisable despite a beanie hat and dark glasses. Other celebrity guests arrivals include Amal Clooney, CBS news anchor Gayle King, stylist Jessica Mulroney, and Misha Nonoo (the fashion designer who reportedly set Harry and Meghan up on a blind date). Reportedly, the baby shower - which cost over £100,000 - itself was partially funded by tennis ace Serena Williams, who paid to host in it The Mark's penthouse suite. Other reported extravagances include a performance by Kanye West's favourite harpist, a candy floss machine and £150 steaks. The Duchess rounded off her New York trip with a three and a half hour night out with her best friends, leaving her hotel just before 7pm and heading to the trendy Ralph Lauren Polo Bar. She was once again celebrating with Serena Williams and Jessica Mulroney before the women head their separate ways around 10.15pm - the Duchess returning to The Mark hotel. The Duchess is reported to be awaiting a second baby shower - thrown by her British friends - in the next few weeks. Keep up to date with the Royal family by signing up to our weekly newsletter, Your Royal Appointment.
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| GM's new Corvette is so powerful, it's warping the frame in tests, report says Posted: 13 Mar 2019 10:13 AM PDT  The redesigned Chevrolet Corvette C8 for 2020 has a new engine that is reportedly so powerful it's compromising the vehicle's structural integrity.
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| Parliament Again Votes Down May’s Brexit Deal Posted: 12 Mar 2019 02:24 PM PDT  The U.K. Parliament defeated Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit proposal for the second time on Tuesday.Members nixed the proposal in a 391–242 vote, a smaller margin than the 432–202 defeat it suffered in January. The move sets up another crucial vote on Wednesday, in which MPs will decide whether to move forward with Brexit on March 29 despite the lack of a Parliament-approved agreement between the U.K. and the E.U. The outcome of that vote could then prompt a vote to delay Brexit.Conservative MPs, only 75 of whom voted against the plan this time after 118 of them voted against it in January, will be able to vote freely going forward, May promised."This is an issue of grave importance for the future of our country," May said. "Just like the [abortion] referendum there are strongly held and equally legitimate views on both sides."The prime minister warned members from both sides of the aisle not to make the "perfect the enemy of the good.""The government has been defeated again by an enormous majority and it must accept its deal is clearly dead and does not have the support of this House," said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party voted against the deal. "The prime minister has run down the clock and the clock has been run out on her. Maybe it's time instead we had a general election and the people can choose who their government should be.""I am passionate about delivering the result of the referendum, but I equally passionately believe that the best way to do that is to leave in an orderly way with a deal and I still believe there is a majority in the House for that course of action," May said.Opponents of Brexit have warned that leaving without a plan will throw Britain's economy into turmoil, while backers have dismissed those concerns as exaggerated.
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| Woman attacked by jaguar says Arizona zoo should consider 'moving fence' Posted: 12 Mar 2019 10:02 AM PDT  A woman who was mauled by a jaguar at an Arizona zoo said she was in the "wrong" but that the zoo should consider moving the fence. The woman, identified as Leanne, was visiting the Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix on Saturday when she decided to take a selfie with a black jaguar.
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| Oil Gains as Industry Report Shows Unexpected Cut in U.S. Supply Posted: 12 Mar 2019 02:26 PM PDT  Futures in New York climbed almost 1 percent from the close in after-hours trading on Tuesday. The move came after the American Petroleum Institute was said to report domestic crude inventories declined 2.58 million barrels last week, even as analysts had predicted an increase. "These are clearly bullish numbers, and if reinforced it will be more bullish," said James Williams, president at WTRG Economics in London, Arkansas.
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| California governor to put moratorium on death penalty: source Posted: 12 Mar 2019 09:12 PM PDT  Newsom, who on Tuesday night hinted at a "major policy announcement," plans to sign an executive order setting the changes in place on Wednesday morning at the state capitol, the source said. No death row inmates will be released, said the source, who declined to be identified. California's death row is crowded with inmates, many of whom have been there for decades.
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| U.S. federal judge elongates Paul Manafort's total prison time to 7.5 years Posted: 13 Mar 2019 09:14 AM PDT  A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort to 73 months in prison for two conspiracy charges.
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| The Latest: EU chief says new Brexit deal is 'best possible' Posted: 11 Mar 2019 08:49 PM PDT  LONDON (AP) — The Latest on talks about Britain's departure from the European Union (all times local):
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| US pilots reported problems with Boeing 737 MAX Posted: 13 Mar 2019 02:22 PM PDT  The US decision on Wednesday to ground the Boeing 737 MAX came after authorities noted similarities between two recent crashes, eerily echoing reports from American pilots who complained of problems with the plane late last year. At least four US pilots filed reports following the October crash of a Lion Air flight in Indonesia shortly after takeoff and all complained the aircraft suddenly pitched downward, according to documents reviewed by AFP on a flight safety database. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that new evidence and satellite data indicated similarities with Sunday's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 minutes after takeoff, killing 157.
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| Catholic diocese demands apology from 'SNL' after Pete Davidson compares church to R. Kelly Posted: 13 Mar 2019 05:01 AM PDT  The Diocese of Brooklyn is not laughing at Pete Davidson's latest comparison on "Saturday Night Live."
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| Kim Jong-un absent from North Korea election announcement Posted: 11 Mar 2019 10:12 PM PDT  Kim Jong-un was not on the list of 687 candidates elected to the North Korean parliament in Sunday's election, state media announced on Tuesday, although his sister was voted into the rubber-stamp parliament. No reason has been given for Mr Kim's absence from the ballot, five years after he was elected in the previous vote as head of the Workers' Party of Korea. Every candidate who did run in the election was returned with 100 percent of the vote in their constituencies, including Kim Yo-jung, Mr Kim's younger sister, who previously worked in the government's propaganda division but has more recently taken on the management of his day-to-day schedule. "North Korean elections have no meaning anyway, but this is designed to show that Kim feels himself to be above those who were elected", said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor who specialises in North Korea's leadership at Tokyo's Waseda University. "He is telling the nation that he is not on the same level as the rest of the party and it is effectively beneath him to go through the election process", he added. "This will not affect his control on the party or the nation, but it is meant to show that he's a better leader than his own father and Kim Il-sung, his grandfather and the founder of North Korea". Rah Jong-yil, a former head of South Korean intelligence charged with monitoring the North, echoed that assessment. "Kim apparently does not consider it necessary for himself to be elected, but he is the head of state so he will still be in parliament and make all the decisions, which means the entire election is a joke. "It's all for the facade of legitimacy and this will change nothing in the way the country is run or the leadership's policies". Fully 99.99 percent of all eligible voters had exercised their democratic right to select their leaders, KCNA reported, with citizens serving at sea excused the obligation to vote. The results of the election were never in any doubt - each ballot paper only has one name and anyone who wants to vote against the approved candidate has to enter a special booth and put a cross through the name. But defectors say that Mr Kim's standing has been damaged by his failure to win concessions on sanctions on the regime at the recent Hanoi summit with President Donald Trump. "Mr Kim expected a lot from this summit", said Lee Ae-ran, who fled North Korea with her family in 1997 but retains contacts there as president of The Centre for Liberty and Reunification. "It was more than simply relief from the sanctions; he believed a victory in Hanoi would earn him more support from the people, enabling him to tighten his control over the nation even more". And while discontent was never going to be reflected in Sunday's election, Mrs Lee says it is not far beneath the surface. "The sanctions are causing the economic devastation to spread in the North and people are struggling to overcome the terrible shortage of food", she told The Telegraph. "I believe the grudges they hold towards Kim could worsen and possibly even explode. "Any rupture could be lethal to Kim Jong-un and his regime", she added. Voters queue to cast their ballots at the '3.26 Pyongyang Cable Factory' during voting for the Supreme People's Assembly elections, in Pyongyang Credit: ED JONES/AFP Mrs Lee said the North Korean dictator will use the election to "replace the 'older generation', who were loyal to his father, with his own group of flatterers", but she believes the resentment will inevitably deepen. "If the people in the North can continue to build stronger connections with the outside world and complaints against the party and the leadership continue to grow, then the people will realise that they can escape from the abuse that they are presently suffering at the hands of their own leaders", she said. Jiro Ishimaru, chief editor of AsiaPress, said his network of "citizen reporters" in North Korea is saying that there is "extreme disappointment" at the failure of the Hanoi summit, which the regime had indicated would be a victory for Mr Kim that would see sanctions quickly lifted. There is a growing sense that Mr Kim "is an incompetent person", he added.
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| Jussie Smollett appears in court for hearing; Cameras allowed for future hearings Posted: 12 Mar 2019 10:51 AM PDT  Actor Jussie Smollett walked back into court in Chicago Tuesday morning, days after he was charged with 16 felony counts related to that alleged hoax.
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| Spotify claims 'Apple tax' harms consumers, stifles rivals: files complaint with EU Posted: 13 Mar 2019 01:05 PM PDT  Spotify CEO claims Apple's rules for its App Store, which includes an "Apple tax," for some companies, hurts consumers and stifles innovation.
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| California dismantles its execution chamber as governor orders moratorium on death penalty: ‘I couldn’t sleep at night’ Posted: 13 Mar 2019 03:34 PM PDT  California's governor has signed a moratorium halting the use of the death penalty, saying he would be unable to sleep at night if he sent just one innocent person to their death. Gavin Newsom, who was sworn in as the state's 40th governor in January, said statistics suggested at least one of the 737 inmates on California's death row – more than any other state – ought not to be there. Citing a National Academy of Sciences report that estimated 1 out of every 25 people on death row was innocent, the governor said he was not prepared to go along with such a system.
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| Senate Votes to Defy Trump on Yemen, Setting Up Eventual Veto Posted: 13 Mar 2019 04:05 PM PDT  The resolution, approved 54-46 on Wednesday, would direct the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in or affecting that country within 30 days unless authorized by Congress. The House, which adopted a slightly different version in February, is expected to take up the Senate version in the coming weeks. The action came a day before Thursday's scheduled Senate vote on a House-passed resolution to block Trump's national emergency declaration to pay for a wall on border with Mexico.
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| Manafort Sentenced to Additional 43 Months, Bringing Total Prison Time to 7.5 Years Posted: 13 Mar 2019 10:00 AM PDT  Paul Manafort on Wednesday was sentenced to an additional 43 months in prison by a Washington, D.C. federal court in connection with the undisclosed lobbying work he did on behalf of a Ukrainian political party, just days after receiving a 47-month sentence in a separate case in Virginia.In delivering the sentence, Judge Amy Berman Jackson stipulated that, while the charges against Manafort did result from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine, his guilt does not constitute evidence of collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign."The question of whether there was any collusion with Russia . . . was not presented in this case, period, therefore it was not resolved by this case," said Jackson.Jackson went on to refute the claim that Manafort was a victim who was cynically taken advantage of by politically motivated prosecutors, as has been alleged by many Trump allies."The defendant isn't Public Enemy No. 1. But he's not a victim either," she said, adding that it is "hard to overstate the number of lies, the amount of fraud and the extraordinary amount of money involved."Manafort, who was sentenced in Virginia last week on bank- and tax-fraud charges, apologized for his actions and asked Jackson for leniency so he could care for his wife in their old age."I am sorry for what I have done and for all the activities that have gotten us here today," he said. "I stand here today to assure the court that I am a different person [from the one] who stood before you in October of 2017.""I know it was my conduct that brought me here today. For these mistakes, I am remorseful. I will be 70 years old in a few weeks," he continued. "My wife is 66. She needs me. I need her. I ask you to think of this and our need for each other. Please do not take us away from each other. Please let me and my wife be together."Immediately following his sentencing in federal court, the Manhattan district attorney's office announced state fraud charges against him.
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| This 1932 Ford 5 Window Coupé Packs A 500hp LS7 Motor Posted: 12 Mar 2019 04:07 AM PDT  Hot rods are fascinating machines that bring together early styling of motoring with modern day performance. The $200,000 restoration of this 'all Henry Ford Steel car' had the complete frame-off treatment five years ago, and looks in excellent condition. This performance is translated to the rear wheels via a Doug Nash five-speed transmission with Holley 3 deuces.
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| EU warns of no-deal Brexit, says cannot offer more Posted: 12 Mar 2019 01:25 PM PDT  The British parliament's rejection of the Brexit agreement makes crashing out of the EU without a deal much more likely, the bloc said Tuesday, as it warned there is no more it can do. Lawmakers inflicted another crushing defeat on beleaguered Prime Minister Theresa May, voting to reject the divorce deal, even after she secured further guarantees from Brussels. Senior EU officials lined up to voice regret at the result, and to hammer home the message that Brussels would not make any further concessions to help May win round recalcitrant MPs.
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