| Palestinian killed at Israel-Gaza border protest after truce Posted: 10 May 2019 10:27 AM PDT  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli gunfire killed one Palestinian at a weekly demonstration along the Gaza-Israel border fence, Gaza officials said Friday, in the first escalation after a cease-fire deal ended a bloody bout of fighting and saw Israel reopening the fishing zone off the Gaza coast.
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| WSJ: Trump Asked Ex-White House Counsel Don McGahn to Publicly Clear Him of Obstruction After Mueller Report Posted: 10 May 2019 03:28 PM PDT  Chris Wattie/ReutersPresident Trump attempted to have former White House counsel Don McGahn publicly state that he didn't view the president's request to have special counsel Robert Mueller removed in 2017 as obstruction of justice just days after the Mueller report was released, The Wall Street Journal reports. While McGahn is said to have rebuffed the request, it would mark at least the second time the president or one of his lawyers allegedly asked McGahn to publicly vouch for Trump amid scrutiny of potential obstruction of justice. When The New York Times first reported in 2018 that Trump had urged McGahn to have Mueller removed, Trump's personal lawyer asked McGahn to publicly dispute the claim, which he declined to do, according to the redacted version of the 448-page Mueller report. Within a day of the release of that report, Trump again sought to have McGahn clear him of suspicions by privately asking Emmet Flood, the White House special counsel, to reach out to McGahn and ask if he would release a statement declaring that he didn't view Trump's request for Mueller's removal as obstruction, according to sources cited by the Journal.Trump has denied publicly that he ever asked McGahn to fire Mueller, though the alleged directive was featured in Mueller's report. The report detailed a June 2017 episode in which McGahn testified that Trump asked him to have Mueller removed from the Russia probe, allegedly urging him to tell then-Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that "Mueller has to go." Trump was said to have talked about "knocking out Mueller" to McGahn on at least two separate occasions in the report. The episode was widely seen as ammunition for any potential obstruction of justice charges against the president. Sources cited by the Journal also say that Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow reached out to McGahn's lawyer, William Burck, during the Russia investigation to inquire about McGahn's testimony to Mueller. John Dowd, who was in charge of Trump's legal efforts, had also reportedly gotten in touch with Burck to ask about the same matter. The revelation that Trump reportedly attempted to have McGahn make a statement on the record after the Mueller report was released comes after the White House reportedly instructed McGahn to eschew a subpoena from lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week. Burck, McGahn's lawyer, told the Journal the latest request from Trump was not seen "as any kind of threat or something sinister." "It was a request, professionally and cordially made," he was quoted as saying.Read more at The Daily Beast.
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| More contempt citations ahead for Trump advisers: senior U.S. Democrat Posted: 10 May 2019 01:34 PM PDT  U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said lawmakers may bundle numerous contempt citations from different committees into a single resolution that the full House of Representatives could then vote on. "There obviously are going to have to be, perhaps from our committee and certainly from other committees, other contempt citations to enforce subpoenas," Nadler told reporters.
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| Hearing in Colorado school shooting put off until next week Posted: 10 May 2019 07:30 PM PDT  DENVER (AP) — Prosecutors investigating the case against two students suspected of shooting nine classmates, one fatally, in a suburban Denver charter school have until next week to decide what charges to pursue, a judge ruled Friday.
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| Why I left the Colorado school shooting vigil: Students want change but first let us mourn Posted: 11 May 2019 07:22 AM PDT  Watching politicians and activists use our classmate's death and our pain to promote their agendas was disrespectful and inappropriate.
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| Rudy Giuliani planning to ask Ukraine for potentially damaging information on Biden Posted: 10 May 2019 02:26 PM PDT  As the 2020 Presidential race ramps up, the president's lawyer says he plans to inquire with the Ukraine government on opposition research against former Vice President Joe Biden.
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| Mitch McConnell’s Senate Makes Judges, Not Laws Posted: 10 May 2019 07:30 AM PDT ![Mitch McConnell's Senate Makes Judges, Not Laws]( "Mitch McConnell's Senate Makes Judges, Not Laws") On Thursday, the Senate took one vote: to confirm a judge. In fact, since April 2, the Senate has taken 50 votes, and all but one of them — the failed veto override on the Yemen resolution — were on nominations or the nomination process. To be fair, a handful of measures have passed without a recorded vote over that period.
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| The 10 Best Travel Apps for Exploring the World Posted: 11 May 2019 06:00 AM PDT |
| A 12-year-old grabbed a bat and 'was gonna go down fighting' in Colorado school shooting Posted: 10 May 2019 03:53 AM PDT  Nate Holley, a 12-year-old sixth grader, told CNN that he grabbed a bat during the Colorado school shooting so he could fight back if necessary.
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| U.S. B-52 bombers reach Middle East in message to Iran Posted: 10 May 2019 02:33 AM PDT  American B-52 Stratofortress bombers sent to the Middle East over what Washington describes as threats from Iran have arrived at a U.S. base in Qatar, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The U.S. military said on Tuesday that a number of B-52 bombers would be part of additional forces being sent to the Middle East to counter what the Trump administration says are "clear indications" of threats from Iran to U.S. forces there.
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| Facebook sues South Korea data analytics firm Posted: 10 May 2019 09:22 PM PDT  Facebook is suing South Korean data analytics firm Rankwave to make sure it isn't breaking the leading social network's rules, the US company said Friday. A lawsuit was filed against Rankwave in a California State court in Silicon Valley to enforce terms the company agreed to in order to operate apps on the social network, according to director of platform and litigation, Jessica Romero. Facebook was investigating Rankwave data practices relating to advertising and marketing and the South Korean company didn't co-operate with efforts to confirm it was complying with policies for all developers synching to the platform, Romero said in an online post.
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| Manning ordered to appear before new U.S. grand jury as she is freed from jail Posted: 09 May 2019 06:36 PM PDT  Former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was being detained for refusing to testify before a grand jury, was released on Thursday and immediately summoned to appear before a new grand jury next week, her lawyers said. Manning was released after the term expired for the previous grand jury in Virginia that was seeking her testimony in connection with what is believed to be the government's long-running investigation into WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange. Manning had appeared before the grand jury in early March but declined to answer questions.
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| Trump news: Trade war with China escalates as president banishes journalists from White House Posted: 10 May 2019 05:26 AM PDT  The US and China remain locked in trade negotiations after Donald Trump increased tariffs on more than 6,000 Chinese consumer goods by 25 percent to $200bn (£154bn), prompting Beijing to threaten retaliation.Mr Trump, Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and chief US trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer dined with vice-premier Liu He on Thursday night and will continue discussions on Friday in the hope of finding a last-minute resolution after the president accused the rival superpower of "breaking the deal" and insisted: "They'll be paying"."Over the course of the past two days, the United States and China have held candid and constructive conversations on the status of the trade relationship between both countries," Mr Trump tweeted Friday. "The relationship between President Xi and myself remains a very strong one, and conversations into the future will continue," he added. "In the meantime, the United States has imposed Tariffs on China, which may or may not be removed depending on what happens with respect to future negotiations!"The White House has meanwhile carried out a "mass purge" of journalists by revoking press passes and nominated acting secretary of defence Patrick Shanahan to the post full-time.Mr Shanahan has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since 1 January, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position. He took over after Jim Mattis resigned."Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do an excellent job," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.Moments later, Mr Shanahan spoke to reporters outside the Pentagon, saying he was very excited about the nomination and looking forward to a job he said requires him to "spin a lot of plates.""The biggest challenge is balancing it all. For me it's about practicing selectful neglect, so that we can stay focused on the future," he said, adding with a grin, "I called my mom. She was super happy."Indeed, in Mr Shanahan's tenure at the department he's had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.The announcement comes close on the heels of an investigation by the Defence Department's inspector general over accusations that Mr Shanahan had shown favoritism toward Boeing during his time as deputy defense secretary, while disparaging Boeing competitors. The probe appeared to stall his nomination, but the IG wrapped up the investigation rapidly and cleared Mr Shanahan of any wrongdoing.Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
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| You Sunk My Carrier: How the Navy Could Sink China's New Aircraft Carriers Posted: 10 May 2019 07:00 PM PDT  That carrier-killer imagery resonates with Western audiences comes as little surprise. It implies that Chinese rocketeers can send the pride of the U.S. Navy to the bottom from a distance, and sink U.S. efforts to succor Asian allies in the process. Ah, yes, the "carrier-killer." China is forever touting the array of guided missiles its weaponeers have devised to pummel U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). Most prominent among them are its DF-21D and DF-26 antiship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), which the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has made a mainstay of China's anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) defenses.(This first appeared several years ago. It is being republished due to reader interest.)Beijing has made believers of important audiences, including the scribes who toil away at the Pentagon producing estimates of Chinese martial might. Indeed, the most recent annual report on Chinese military power states matter-of-factly that the PLA can now use DF-21Ds to "attack ships, including aircraft carriers," more than nine hundred statute miles from China's shorelines.
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| Behold this ancient crowd of galaxies in deep, deep space Posted: 11 May 2019 09:32 AM PDT  The aging Hubble Space Telescope looks back into deep time, billions of years ago, before our sun was even born. At the very limits of Hubble's viewing abilities lies a cluster of spiraling, disk-shaped galaxies, collectively called SPT0615. NASA posted an image of these ancient structures, one of which was born over 13 billion years ago, relatively soon after the Big Bang likely created the universe. Light left these faraway galaxies long ago, but Hubble can sleuth out this ancient luminosity. "The light from distant objects travels to us from so far away that it takes an immensely long time to reach us, meaning that it carries information from the past — information about the time at which it was emitted," NASA wrote. Galaxy cluster SPT0615. Image: ESA / Hubble NASA / I. Karachentsev et al., F. High et al. Viewing these galaxy clusters is an eerie look at events that transpired long ago. But it's something the space agency's astronomers do every day. SEE ALSO: What's actually going on in that cryptic black hole photo? "Just as ancient paintings can tell us about the period of history in which they were painted, so too can ancient galaxies tell us about the era of the universe in which they existed," NASA wrote. A closer look at galaxy SPT0615-JD, one of the most distant galaxies ever imaged. Image: NASA / ESA / B. Salmon (STScI) WATCH: Meet Katie Bouman, one of the scientists who helped capture the first black hole image
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| Principal of Parkland, Florida school where 17 were slain announces he will resign Posted: 11 May 2019 07:21 AM PDT  The principal of a Florida school where 17 people were fatally shot last year is resigning.
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| Stand Out Form The Crowd With This Restomod Chevrolet Aerosedan Posted: 10 May 2019 12:08 PM PDT  Classic cars are intriguing things to look at, but often at big shows you'll find several versions of the same model — not ideal if your aim is to stand out from the crowd. Restomod cars are more popular than ever, giving enthusiasts the opportunity to own something totally bespoke. Currently for sale with Lost and Found Classic Car Co, the resto-mod machine in question is based on Chevy's Fleetline Aerosadan.
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| Maduro Hunts Guaido's Allies, Exacting Revenge for Uprising Posted: 10 May 2019 10:23 AM PDT  Top allies of Juan Guaido, the head of the powerless legislature who says he is the nation's rightful president, are circulating among safe houses, holing up in embassies and preparing for life on the run since the detention this week of National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano by the Sebin secret police. "We're living in brutal persecution," Freddy Superlano, a lawmaker who supports Guaido, said from a location he wouldn't disclose. In recent years, the ruling socialists have been quick to jail elected officials, and Venezuela's high court this week called for the prosecution of 10 lawmakers.
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| 4 assailants, 1 guard killed in hotel attack in SW Pakistan Posted: 11 May 2019 10:09 AM PDT ![4 assailants, 1 guard killed in hotel attack in SW Pakistan]( "4 assailants, 1 guard killed in hotel attack in SW Pakistan") QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Four insurgents armed with rifles and grenades attacked a luxury hotel in the southwestern coastal town of Gwadar on Saturday, triggering an intense, hours-long shootout in which one hotel guard and all the attackers were killed, officials said.
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| EXCLUSIVE-India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse-sources Posted: 10 May 2019 05:14 AM PDT ![EXCLUSIVE-India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse-sources]( "EXCLUSIVE-India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse-sources") India's antitrust watchdog has ordered an investigation into Alphabet Inc's unit Google for allegedly abusing the dominant position of its popular Android mobile operating system to block rivals, two sources aware of the matter told Reuters. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) last year started looking into the complaint, which is similar to one Google faced in Europe that resulted in a 4.34 billion euro ($5 billion) fine on the company, Reuters reported in February.
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| Colorado school shooting suspects to appear in court on Wednesday amid looming questions Posted: 10 May 2019 09:02 AM PDT  Questions remain about the how and why of the Colorado STEM school shooting. Investigators persuaded a judge to temporarily keep most reports secret.
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| Iran Guards reject U.S. talks, senior cleric threatens carrier Posted: 10 May 2019 11:44 AM PDT  Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that Tehran would not negotiate with the United States, and a senior cleric warned that a U.S. Navy fleet could be "destroyed with one missile," as a U.S. aircraft carrier headed toward the Gulf.
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| Chinese envoy says trade talks with US have not broken down Posted: 11 May 2019 05:18 AM PDT  BEIJING (AP) — China's leading envoy to trade talks in Washington says the failure to strike a deal in the tariffs war with the U.S. was "just a small setback" and negotiations will continue despite increases in import duties on American imports from China.
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| What Makes a Driving Shoe a Driving Shoe? Posted: 10 May 2019 01:20 PM PDT  And why you should get a pair.
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| Hurry: AirPods 2 are on sale for less than the first-gen model Posted: 10 May 2019 07:01 AM PDT ![Hurry: AirPods 2 are on sale for less than the first-gen model]( "Hurry: AirPods 2 are on sale for less than the first-gen model") Apple's first-generation AirPods were so popular that they rarely went on sale at a discount. And every when they did, it was usually only a few bucks. Now, the new AirPods 2 true wireless earbuds have only been available for a few weeks and we've already got a sale that slashes the price to less than you'll pay for any lingering first-generation models out there. Hurry up and you can get a pair of second-generation AirPods on Amazon for just $139.99. They're marked as temporarily out of stock, but some of our readers who bought them out of stock a few weeks ago have already received their orders so it shouldn't be too long!Here's what you need to know from the product page: * Automatically on, automatically connected * Easy setup for all your Apple devices * Quick access to Siri by saying "Hey Siri" * Double-tap to play or skip forward * New Apple H1 headphone chip delivers faster wireless connection to your devices * Charges quickly in the case * Case can be charged using the Lightning connector * Rich, high-quality audio and voice * Seamless switching between devices * Listen and talk all day with multiple charges from the Charging Case
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| James Comey called Trump a 'chronic liar.' What his anti-Trump politics mean for the FBI Posted: 11 May 2019 11:41 AM PDT  James Comey has carved an unusually political path in the two years since President Trump fired him as FBI director.
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| South Korea orders arrest of two Samsung Electronics officials over affiliate's accounting scandal Posted: 10 May 2019 11:37 AM PDT ![South Korea orders arrest of two Samsung Electronics officials over affiliate's accounting scandal]( "South Korea orders arrest of two Samsung Electronics officials over affiliate's accounting scandal") A South Korean court said on Saturday it had approved warrants to arrest two senior officials at Samsung Electronics in relation to an alleged accounting fraud at the tech giant's biopharma affiliate. The Seoul Central District Court said in a statement it had granted warrants to arrest the officials suspected of destroying evidence in the case. Prosecutors accused the two Samsung Electronics officials of ordering employees at biopharmaceutical firm Samsung BioLogics to destroy internal documents, as authorities looked into an alleged violation of accounting rules at the BioLogics, according to local media reports.
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| 35 Pasta Salads That Will Crush At Your Next Cookout Posted: 10 May 2019 02:48 PM PDT |
| Gunmen storm luxury hotel in Pakistan port city of Gwadar Posted: 11 May 2019 09:00 AM PDT  At least one person has been killed after three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in the southwestern Pakistani city of Gwadar, the centrepiece of a multi-billion dollar Chinese infrastructure project, the military said Saturday. The gunmen shot dead a security guard at the entrance to the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel before entering, the army said. It was the second deadly attack to take place in a prominent Pakistani city this week.
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| After Southwest Airlines family boarding policy change, here are policies on other airlines Posted: 10 May 2019 11:57 AM PDT ![After Southwest Airlines family boarding policy change, here are policies on other airlines]( "After Southwest Airlines family boarding policy change, here are policies on other airlines") Southwest updated its family boarding policy after a same-sex couple said they faced discrimination by a boarding agent two years ago.
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| Uber shares tumble 7% on stock market debut Posted: 10 May 2019 09:00 AM PDT  Uber's much heralded debut on the New York Stock Exchange began with disappointment on Friday as its shares fell below an already reduced offering price.The taxi firm's stock opened 7 per cent lower than planned at $42 after the opening bell on Wall Street, before beginning to climb as trading got underway.Still, that means Uber is still worth around $80bn despite never having turned a profit and warning last month that it might never do so. Uber lost $3bn last year and $9bn since it was founded - large even by the standards of Silicon Valley tech startups.But it managed to pull off the third-largest US stock market float in history, behind only Facebook and Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba. The share sale gives Uber another $8.1bn of cash to fund its global expansion plans.While the feat will no doubt be seen as a triumph for Uber, its valuation is a third lower than the $120bn that investment bankers had said the company was worth just last year. That was then lowered to $90bn when Uber made its offering document available to investors last month, before a further reduction to $82bn this week.A host of regulatory battles, increasing disquiet from drivers about pay and workers' rights, along with doubts about the ability of ride-hailing firms to make money have lowered the hefty price tag. Uber's closest rival Lyft has seen its shares tank since listing six weeks ago.Meanwhile, jitters about an intensifying trade battle between China and the US have prompted caution among investors. All major share indices fell on Friday after the world's two largest economies failed to reach a deal on tariffs which had hoped to be wrapped up this week.Uber co-founders Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp were present at the NYSE but absent from the podium as the opening bell was rung by one of the company's first employees. The pair cashed out more than $300m between them on Friday by selling small slices of their respective stakes. Both retained the majority of their shares and became billionaires in an instant, with Mr Kalanick's stake worth around $5bn.Questions will remain about Uber's profitability but its eye-watering valuation is based on rapid growth above all else. Revenues surged 42 per cent last year to $11.3bn on the back of a staggering 5.2 billion trips on its taxi and Uber Eats food delivery service.Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC that Uber investors are in it for the long haul. "Today is only one day. I want this day to go great, but it's about what we build in the next three to five years," he said in an interview with CNBC. "And I feel plenty of pressure to build over that time frame." Uber is dealing with a potential $12 trillion market, Mr Khosrowshahi said.He predicted that younger generations will not want to own cars. "I think more and more you're going to have transportation on demand services, essentially de-bundle the car. They're going to want to push a button and get the transportation they want." The company envisages itself as a logistics company; an Amazon of transport. But it will have to deal with a number of problems before that vision is realised, particularly its treatment of drivers, many of whom protested ahead of Friday's IPO to show their dissatisfaction with the deal they are getting.
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| See Photos of the 2019 Hyundai Kona Iron Man Edition Posted: 10 May 2019 02:44 PM PDT |
| Anker’s $270 Eufy RoboVac 30 robot vacuum is down to $199.99 Posted: 10 May 2019 11:11 AM PDT ![Anker's $270 Eufy RoboVac 30 robot vacuum is down to $199.99]( "Anker's $270 Eufy RoboVac 30 robot vacuum is down to $199.99") Anker doesn't only make the best charging accessories in the world, you know. It also has an excellent smart home brand called Eufy, and one of the brand's best robot vacuums is on sale right now with a big discount. The Eufy RoboVac 30 Super-Thin Robot Vacuum Cleaner retails for $270, but it's down to just $199.99 right now ahead of Mother's Day 2019. Definitely check it out.Here are the bullet points from the product page: * Worry-Free Cleaning: Set Boundary Strips to focus your cleaning, and the slim (2.85'') vacuum uses 1500Pa* to clean only the areas you want. * BoostIQ™ Technology: Automatically increases suction power within 1.5 seconds when extra vacuuming strength is needed to get the best clean. * A Quiet Clean: Vacuums for up to 100 minutes** of constant, powerful suction at a volume no louder than an operating microwave. * Premium Features: Anti-scratch tempered glass-top cover for protection, infrared-sensor for evading obstacles, and drop-sensing tech to avoid falls. Automatically recharges so it's always ready to clean. * What You Get: RoboVac 30, 13.2 ft Boundary Strip, remote control (2 AAA batteries included), charging base, AC power adapter, cleaning tool, extra set of high-performance filters, 4 side brushes, 5 cable ties, welcome guide, and our worry-free 12-month warranty.
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| Why Further U.S.-China Economic War Seems Certain Posted: 10 May 2019 06:05 AM PDT  Ever since President Donald Trump started hiking tariffs on imports from China in the middle of last year, speculation has abounded that his main aim wasn't creating leverage for securing a favorable trade agreement with Beijing, but, rather, spurring a process of decoupling the two economies. As widely noted, disengagement represented a logical economic aim, given the president's conviction that China had been "raping" America on trade. And less commerce with China would reduce U.S. dependence on a country his administration warned was an increasingly powerful and aggressive strategic rival.With Chinese negotiators back in Washington, DC for a last-ditch effort to keep months-long trade talks on track and prevent the steep tariff increases threatened by Mr. Trump last weekend, the end game sought by the president remains a puzzle. But a new set of official U.S. trade figures issued Thursday morning sent an unmistakable message about the evolution of the bilateral economic relationship: Disengagement is underway, by many measures it's accelerating, and the reasons point to further decoupling however the current and future bilateral negotiations turn out.
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| 15-year-old boy accused of shooting and killing girlfriend, injuring her mother Posted: 10 May 2019 07:46 AM PDT  A 15-year-old boy is in police custody accused of shooting and killing his 16-year-old girlfriend in Wisconsin. Police say the teen also shot and injured the girl's mother.
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| Bodum sues Starbucks for product disparagement over French press recall Posted: 10 May 2019 02:52 PM PDT ![Bodum sues Starbucks for product disparagement over French press recall]( "Bodum sues Starbucks for product disparagement over French press recall") Bodum Holding AG sued Starbucks Corp on Friday for alleged product disparagement in connection with the coffee company's recent recall of 230,000 co-branded French presses made from recycled materials. In a complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, Bodum said Starbucks had no basis to "unilaterally" conduct the May 1 recall because the Bodum + Starbucks presses were not defective and met required specifications. Bodum also accused Seattle-based Starbucks of creating the impression that Bodum French presses in general are defective, causing a media backlash and "significant brand damage" to the Lucerne, Switzerland-based company.
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| McDonald's released a new meatless, vegan burger, but you'll need a passport to try it Posted: 10 May 2019 06:06 AM PDT ![McDonald's released a new meatless, vegan burger, but you'll need a passport to try it]( "McDonald's released a new meatless, vegan burger, but you'll need a passport to try it") McDonald's has a new plant-based burger the Big Vegan TS in Germany. The global fast-food giant has not announced plans for a vegan burger in the U.S.
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| Women are now in charge of NASA's science missions Posted: 11 May 2019 12:01 PM PDT  When the next car-sized rover lands on Mars in 2020, the ultimate head of this extraterrestrial endeavor will be physicist Lori Glaze. She's leads NASA's Planetary Science Division. And she's not alone. For the first time in history, three of NASA's four science divisions are now run by women, a milestone announced by NASA on Friday. "I am proud to say that for the 1st time in #NASA's history, women are in charge of 3 out of 4 #NASAScience divisions. They are inspiring the next generation of women to become leaders in space exploration as we move forward to put the 1st woman on the Moon," NASA's associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen tweeted Friday. If NASA is able to fulfill President Trump's ambitious (and still not funded) directive that the U.S. return to the moon by 2024, NASA has committed that the first women will land on the moon. In every instance, we hire based on excellence and merit, nothing else. These leaders are incredibly qualified in their fields. — Thomas Zurbuchen (@Dr_ThomasZ) May 10, 2019 What's more, of the latest class of 12 astronauts, almost half, five, are women. Still, a woman has never led the entire space agency, as NASA's administrator. This is not surprising. Women still have a stark minority representation in the most powerful positions of U.S. government. Of the 21 members of President Trump's cabinet, four are women. Though females make up nearly 51% of the U.S. population, just 24 percent of Congress is represented by women. NASA, though, is a clear leader in recognizing the leadership abilities and scientific savvy of the agency's female researchers. What are these three women in charge of? 1. Nicola Fox, director of NASA's Heliophysics division Nicola Fox Image: nasa Fox leads NASA's efforts to understand the sun, a science known as heliophysics. It's a weighty task. NASA is in the midst of a mission that sent a heavily-armored solar probe into the sun's outer atmosphere to gain a markedly improved idea of how our star behaves. This is critical to understanding how solar radiation — and solar storms — will impact our lives, communications, electrical grids, satellites, and astronauts in space. "Ever since people first looked up, they've been looking at the bright light in the sky," Fox said in a statement. "We are really the oldest science branch." 2. Sandra Cauffman, acting director of NASA's Earth Science Division Sandra Cauffman Image: nasa Cauffman heads what many believe to be NASA's most critical mission: understanding our home planet. "What we do in observing Earth as a system gives us the additional benefit of helping humans here on Earth survive hurricanes, tornadoes, pollution, fires, and help public health," Cauffman said. "Understanding the oceans, the algae blooms — all of those things help humans right here on Earth." The work of the Earth Science Division grows increasingly relevant as the planet experiences changes — stoked by human carbon emissions — that are unprecedented in both human and geologic history. 3. Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science division. Lori Glaze Image: nasa Glaze heads the NASA division that explores other worlds — like Mars, Jupiter, and beyond. This is the NASA department that seeks one of humanity's most pressing questions: Is there life in the solar system outside of our planet? As of now, there's zero evidence that life exists elsewhere. But Glaze — and the team she oversees — are looking. WATCH: Meet Katie Bouman, one of the scientists who helped capture the first black hole image
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| The Mercedes-Maybach GLS Will Be the Most Expensive Car Built in America Posted: 10 May 2019 11:10 AM PDT  Mercedes has confirmed plans for an ultra-luxurious Maybach version of the third-gen GLS.
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| Venezuela's Maduro tightens pressure on opposition Posted: 09 May 2019 07:04 PM PDT  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The arrest of a top opposition leader in Venezuela unleashed fears of a wider crackdown on Thursday, even as members of the opposition issued renewed calls for weekend protests in their campaign to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
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| Famed Apple designer says the iPhone UI is a design fail – here’s why he’s wrong Posted: 10 May 2019 02:06 PM PDT  In a famous 2003 interview with The New York Times, Steve Jobs laid out his -- and by extension, Apple's -- design philosophy."Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like," Jobs said. "People think it's this veneer -- that the designers are handed this box and told, 'Make it look good!' That's not what we think design is. It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."True to form, Apple's attention to detail is arguably unrivaled across the industry. While Apple's elegant design is readily apparent when one compares iOS to some of the wonky UIs we see from Android, Apple's obsession with design extends far beyond software and encompasses the materials used in its products and even the way its products are packaged.Having said that, there are some who take the position that Apple has lost its way with respect to design. To this end, former Apple designer Don Norman -- who quite literally wrote the book on intuitive and user-friendly software design -- recently penned an interesting piece for FastCompany arguing that many of the designs we see in everyday objects are simply not designed with the elderly in mind. The issue is only compounded by the fact that humans today are living longer than ever before.As a representative example, Norman notes that some products contain "critical instructions in tiny fonts with very low contrast."So what does this have to do with Apple?Well, Norman specifically takes umbrage with the iPhone's display:> Take the screen design for Apple's phones. The designers at Apple apparently believe that text is ugly, so it should either be eliminated entirely or made as invisible as possible. Bruce Tognazzini and I, both former employees of Apple, wrote a long article on Apple's usability sins ,which has been read by hundreds of thousands of people. Once Apple products could be used without ever reading a manual. Today, Apple's products violate all the fundamental rules of design for understanding and usability, many of which Tognazzini and I had helped develop. As a result, even a manual is not enough: all the arbitrary gestures that control tablets, phones, and computers have to be memorized. Everything has to be memorized.It's an interesting point but I ultimately find Norman's critique unpersuasive. The gestures Apple implemented on the iPhone X, for example, aren't all arbitrary and lend themselves to an improved user experience. And sure, some gestures have to be memorized, but it's not anything that most people, or even children, can't acclimate themselves to within an hour of regular use. Additionally, as devices become more advanced, the way users interact with said devices inevitably becomes a bit more complex. This isn't a sign of things regress but rather progress.Norman's overall point is well taken insofar that design should account for individuals who perhaps lack the vision and dexterity of the average person. That said, the iPhone -- which has any number of accessibility features built right into iOS -- doesn't seem to be a device worthy of criticism in this regard.
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| N. Korea fires 2 suspected missiles in possible new warning Posted: 09 May 2019 06:34 PM PDT  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea on Thursday, South Korean officials said, its second weapons launch in five days and a possible warning that nuclear disarmament talks with Washington could be in danger.
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| Maybe the Navy Secretly Hates the Littoral Combat Ship? Posted: 10 May 2019 05:30 PM PDT  "In many ways, this FFG(X) design goes beyond what today's LCS can do, particularly as it relates to surface warfare," as USNI News put it at the time. "The RFI states the frigate should be able to conduct independent operations in a contested environment or contribute to a larger strike group, depending on combatant commander needs."After 16 years and billions of dollars, the Navy may have finally acknowledged that its Littoral Combat Ship program looks like a miserable failure.The service "may not" deploy any of the dozen small surface combatants this year despite officials' previous plans to deploy several to join the 7th and 5th Fleets in Singapore and Bahrain respectively, the U.S. Naval Institute first reported on April 11.
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| Islamic State claims it killed 11 soldiers in northeastern Nigeria Posted: 11 May 2019 01:34 PM PDT ![Islamic State claims it killed 11 soldiers in northeastern Nigeria]( "Islamic State claims it killed 11 soldiers in northeastern Nigeria") Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has carried out a string of attacks in Nigeria in recent months. The group split in 2016 from Nigeria-based Boko Haram, which has waged a decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria that has killed some 30,000 people and displaced a further 2 million.
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