| In Trump era, Nancy Pelosi admits to nostalgia about George W. Bush. Here's why Posted: 03 Jan 2019 04:26 AM PST  Nancy Pelosi says taking on Donald Trump will differ from sparring with George W. Bush. With Trump, she says, there's no agreement on basic facts.
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| Why All Those Photos of Mike Pence Swearing In Newly Elected Senators Aren't What They Seem Posted: 03 Jan 2019 11:30 AM PST  The tradition of faking it goes back to as early as the 1930s
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| Saudi Arabia seeks death penalty for Khashoggi murder suspects Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:15 AM PST  Saudi Arabia's attorney general sought the death penalty for five of 11 defendants charged with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as their high-profile trial opened in Riyadh on Thursday. All 11 accused were present with their lawyers at the opening hearing in the capital, according to a statement by the attorney general carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The attorney general said Saudi Arabia had twice submitted formal requests for evidence from Turkey - where Khashoggi was murdered inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate - but had received no response. The names of the defendants have not been officially released. Five top officials in Saudi Arabia - including royal court insider Saud al-Qahtani - were sacked over the Khashoggi murder, but there is no proof that they are among those charged. Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, was murdered on October 2 in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation. The 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a team of 15 Saudis sent to Istanbul for the killing, according to Turkish officials. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been forced to do damage control in the wake of Khashoggi's death Credit: G20 Press Office via AP, File There have been reports that his remains, which have never been found, were dissolved in acid. The defence team on Thursday requested a copy of the indictment sheet and a timeframe within which to review the charges. The prosecutor agreed to both requests, SPA said. No date has been set for the next hearing. The Khashoggi murder shocked the world at a time when Saudi Arabia and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were pushing an aggressive public relations campaign to rebrand the ultraconservative monarchy as a modern state. Among Prince Mohammed's strongest allies is US President Donald Trump, who now faces increased pressure to approve measures against Saudi Arabia. The US has sanctioned 17 Saudi citizens in connection with the Khashoggi murder. France and Canada have also sanctioned Saudi Arabian nationals. The US Central Intelligence Agency has reportedly concluded that Prince Mohammed very likely ordered Khashoggi's murder. A bipartisan resolution approved by the US Senate last month also holds the crown prince responsible for the killing. But in November the Saudi attorney general ruled out any involvement by the young crown prince, whose reformist credentials abroad have been seriously tarnished by the murder. The Khashoggi affair has also given Turkey - allied with Saudi rivals Qatar and Iran - unusual leverage in regional power plays. Ankara has sought the extradition of the suspects in Saudi custody to stand trial in Turkey but its requests have been repeatedly rebuffed by Riyadh. Rights groups and the United Nations have called for an independent investigation into Khashoggi's death, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres last month calling for a "credible" probe. "Given the possible involvement of Saudi authorities in Khashoggi's murder and the lack of independence of Saudi Arabia's criminal justice system, the impartiality of any investigation and trial would be in question," Samah Hadid, a Middle East director at Amnesty International, told AFP on Thursday. "This is why a UN-led and independent investigation is needed into the murder of Khashoggi."
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| 'No L-pocalypse!': New York's 'L' train to keep running during repairs Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:00 PM PST  More than two years after news that one of New York City's busiest subway lines would stop running between Manhattan and Brooklyn to allow for repairs, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that the "L" train would keep rolling. The expected closure of the L train tunnel under the East River for at least 15 months had dismayed residents of the Brooklyn communities of Williamsburg, Bushwick and beyond. Cuomo told a news conference that engineering experts from Cornell and Columbia universities had looked at the plans over the last few weeks drawn up by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the subway, and found them needlessly disruptive.
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| New Petrobras boss seeks free-market 'efficiency' for oil giant Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:49 PM PST  "Monopolies restrict liberty," Roberto Castello Branco told a crowd of officials and Petrobras executives on the day he took up his functions. Petrobras a couple of years ago "was looted by a criminal organization made up of corrupt politicians, enemies of capitalism, and a small group of employees," he said. The harsh words referred to a sprawling, multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal implicating Petrobras and political parties, including those from the Workers Party that ruled Brazil from 2003-2016.
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| Nancy Pelosi Holds Press Conference After Day 1 As Speaker, Say "There Will Be No Wall" Posted: 03 Jan 2019 09:36 PM PST  House Democrats voted to approve part of its new rules package Thursday evening, sending a message about ethics, sexual harassment and good government on their first day back in the majority, a signal of how they intend to target President Trump.
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| Chile's LATAM Airlines is world's most punctual airline 2019 Posted: 03 Jan 2019 08:03 AM PST  Flyers aboard LATAM Airlines are most likely to make their connecting flight and arrive at their destination on time, according to a new ranking of the world's most punctual airlines.
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| Sen. Lindsey Graham warns President Trump: Loss in wall battle could be 'end of his presidency' Posted: 03 Jan 2019 08:26 AM PST  "If he gives in now, that's the end of 2019 in terms of him being an effective president. That's probably the end of his presidency," Graham said.
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| Top Taiwan court revokes conviction of ex-leader Ma, orders retrial Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:59 AM PST  Taiwan's top court Thursday ordered a new trial of former president Ma Ying-jeou, revoking his conviction in a political leaks case, one of a raft of lawsuits brought against him since he stepped down in 2016. Ma was sentenced to four months in prison last year by the high court for violating the communication security and surveillance act, overturning a previous not guilty verdict from a lower court. Ma's Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party held power from 2008 to 2016, before it was trounced by Tsai Ing-wen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
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| Senator Warren slams former Senator Lieberman for ZTE lobbying gig Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:02 PM PST  Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is eyeing a presidential run, blasted former Senator Joseph Lieberman for becoming a lobbyist for ZTE Corp, a Chinese telecommunications equipment maker accused of ties to China's government. In a tweet posted on Wednesday night, Warren said Lieberman had "joined" lobbyists for ZTE, which she wrote had "violated serious U.S. sanctions" against Iran and North Korea. Lieberman, who ran unsuccessfully for vice president as a Democrat in 2000 and Kasowitz Benson Torres, the firm where he is a lobbyist, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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| Best Bites: Spinach zucchini lasagna rolls Posted: 03 Jan 2019 05:00 AM PST  Welcome to Best Bites, a twice-weekly video series that aims to satisfy your
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| Florida's Scott delays oath, despite light public schedule Posted: 03 Jan 2019 07:56 PM PST  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott was supposed to start his new job as a U.S. senator Thursday, but he delayed his swearing in ostensibly to keep his promise to fight for Floridians every day of his term.
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| A first class gaffe: Cathay to honour cheap ticket error Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:09 AM PST  Scores of savvy travellers will be sipping heavily discounted champagne in first class recliners on Cathay Pacific flights this year after the airline agreed to honour tickets that were mistakenly sold at a fraction of their value. Airline and travel blogs went into overdrive on New Year's Eve after eagle-eyed shoppers noticed the carrier was offering first and business class tickets on its website from Vietnam to the United States and Canada for as little as $670. It took two days for Cathay to publicly acknowledge the error with the airline on Wednesday saying it would indeed honour the cheap fares.
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| Democrats to take on Trump as divided US Congress arrives in Washington Posted: 03 Jan 2019 06:16 AM PST  Democrats on Thursday took over the US House of Representatives, ushering in a new era of divided government in Washington with the goal of checking Donald Trump's turbulent presidency. Battle-tested Nancy Pelosi was poised to take over as speaker of the House as a partial federal government shutdown over Trump's insistence that lawmakers fund a southern border wall neared the two-week mark. The end of Trump's one-party rule in Washington lent air to Democrats deflated after the bombastic Republican's 2016 victory.
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| China's 'Jack the Ripper' executed Posted: 02 Jan 2019 10:48 PM PST  A serial killer dubbed China's "Jack the Ripper" for the way he mutilated several of his 11 female victims was executed Thursday morning, three decades after the first murder, the court which sentenced him said. The court in the northwest city of Baiyin, Gansu province, which handed him the death sentence in March last year announced on the Twitter-like Weibo that it had been carried out. China's supreme court had approved the execution, it said.
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| As loans and aid dry up, U.S. farmers face fresh challenge from shutdown Posted: 03 Jan 2019 01:51 PM PST  U.S. farmers, already battered by the U.S.-China trade war, are facing increasing anxiety as the partial government shutdown nears the two-week mark, leaving crucial aid and loan payments in limbo. The shutdown has blocked assistance for many farmers, who at this time of year apply for federal loans as they pay bills due from the previous year and begin budgeting for next season's planting. It is also affecting aid payments promised to allay the effects of the trade war.
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| 15 Stunning University Libraries Around the World You Need to See Posted: 04 Jan 2019 08:40 AM PST |
| This Alpina Z1 showed BMW where it went wrong Posted: 03 Jan 2019 09:50 AM PST  Rarely seen but undoubtedly a star, the Alpina Z1 roadster is what BMW should have done with its own sports car
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| Hindu hardliners clash with police over women at shrine Posted: 03 Jan 2019 10:18 AM PST  NEW DELHI (AP) — Hindu hardliners vandalized shops, shut businesses and clashed with police in a southern state Thursday to protest the entry of two women in one of India's largest Hindu pilgrimage sites, police said.
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| Hurry, the $18 Crock-Pot with 7,000 5-star reviews is back on Amazon Posted: 03 Jan 2019 11:25 AM PST  If you want a great multi-use cooker that can perform all sorts of great cooking functions, there are plenty of options out there. The Instant Pot DUO60 is the most popular one, and Crock-Pot has a comparable model that's even more affordable. But if you just want a no-fuss slow cooker, then you don't have to spend anywhere close to $100. In fact, if you grab the Crock-Pot SCR300-SS 3-Quart Manual Slow Cooker right now while it's back in stock and on sale at a discount, you'll only pay $18.49! Here's some additional info from the product page: * Serves 3+ people. 3-quart capacity * High/Low cook settings, and convenient Warm setting * Crock-Pot features removable, dishwasher-safe stoneware insert, and dishwasher-safe glass lid * Polished silver, stainless steel exterior with black accents and plastic handles * Recipes included
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| For Shanahan, a very public debut in Trump's cabinet Posted: 03 Jan 2019 12:18 AM PST ![For Shanahan, a very public debut in Trump's cabinet]( "For Shanahan, a very public debut in Trump's cabinet") Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, sat silently at Trump's side, often expressionless, as television cameras rolled. Trump suggested that former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis - who abruptly resigned last month over policy differences with Trump - had been essentially fired and that Mattis had failed in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents are becoming increasingly confident of ending the 17-year-old war on terms favorable to them. "I'm not happy with what he's done in Afghanistan and I shouldn't be happy," Trump said.
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| Video: Customer arrested for allegedly assaulting McDonald's employee over straw Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:20 AM PST  Video shows the patron reach over an employee and forcefully shake the woman.
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| This Is Toyota's New Lexus LS Autonomous Test Car Posted: 03 Jan 2019 11:50 AM PST  It has more advanced tech than before and additional cameras, and it looks better, too.
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| Sensible border security justifies government shutdown Posted: 02 Jan 2019 06:13 PM PST  While political parties squabble over funding, our enemies could weaponize illegal migration, writes James Jay Carafano of the Heritage Foundation.
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| Ultima Thule: First photographs taken by New Horizons spacecraft reveal distant world resembles snowman Posted: 03 Jan 2019 02:37 AM PST  Nasa has revealed the first photo of the distant world of Ultima Thule, the most distant object that humanity has ever explored. The tiny, icy object resembles a snowman in the photo, which is just the first of a whole host of data that the space agency hopes to receive back from its New Horizons spacecraft. The picture came after flight controllers said they had had success in the high-risk, middle-of-the-night encounter at the mysterious body known as Ultima Thule on the frozen fringes of our solar system, about four billion miles away in a dark and frigid region of space known as the Kuiper Belt. Now they will work to download and look through all of the data sent back over that long distance, a process that could take years. "That image is so 2018... Meet Ultima Thule!" said lead investigator Alan Stern, doing little to hide his joy as he revealed a new sharper image of the cosmic body, taken at a distance as close as 17,000 miles with a resolution of 140 metres per pixel. "That bowling pin is gone - it's a snowman if anything at all," Dr Stern said during a Nasa briefing. "What this spacecraft and this team accomplished is unprecedented." These are the first colour images of Ultima Thule, taken at a distance of 85,000 miles, highlighting its reddish surface Credit: AFP Ultima Thule's surface reflects light about as much as "garden variety dirt," he said, as the sun's rays are 1,600 times fainter there than on Earth. The body is roughly 19 miles long and completes its own rotation in about 15 hours. Nasa dubbed the larger lobe Ultima, and the other, which is about three times smaller, Thule. "This is the first object that we can clearly tell was born this way" Stern said, instead of evolving as a sort of "bi-lobe." "This really puts the nail on the coffin now. We know that this is how these kinds of objects in many cases form." Alan Stern, with New Horizons team members Credit: AFP Around 4.5 billion years ago a cloud of frozen pebbles began to join forces, gradually forming two bodies - Ultima and Thule. Slowing turning, they eventually touched at each other at what mission geology manager Jeff Moore called an "extremely slow speed" - maybe just one to a few miles per hour. If such a meeting occurred between two cars in a parking lot, he said, no driver would bother writing it up. The lobes, according to Moore, are really just "resting on each other." "New Horizons is like a time machine, taking us back to the birth of the solar system," Moore said. "We are seeing a physical representation of the beginning of planetary formation, frozen in time." Carly Howett, another researcher of the mission, noted that "we can definitely say that Ultima Thule is red," perhaps due to irradiation of ice. The close approach came a half-hour into the new year, and three years after New Horizons' unprecedented swing past Pluto.
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| House Democrat expected to introduce impeachment resolution Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:27 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been cautious about whether her Democratic majority would ever impeach President Donald Trump. But at least two of her members are ready to move forward.
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| What Happens When You Stop Making Credit Card Payments? Posted: 03 Jan 2019 06:00 AM PST ![What Happens When You Stop Making Credit Card Payments?]( "What Happens When You Stop Making Credit Card Payments?") Whether the reason is a layoff, a medical emergency or a pile of debt that is more than you can afford, struggling to pay credit card bills is a problem many people face. When you quit making credit card payments, you can be charged late fees and higher interest rates and take a hit on your credit. Brent Vallat, head of lending at Varo Money Inc., a provider of mobile banking services, says credit card issuers understand that sometimes people face circumstances where money gets tight.
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| Why You Should Be Happy About China's Historic Moon Landing Posted: 03 Jan 2019 01:20 PM PST  China's trip to the far side of the moon is good news for space exploration
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| UK foreign minister Hunt: Syria's Assad will be around for a while Posted: 03 Jan 2019 04:26 AM PST ![UK foreign minister Hunt: Syria's Assad will be around for a while]( "UK foreign minister Hunt: Syria's Assad will be around for a while") British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will remain in place for "a while" thanks to support from Russia, even though Britain's position was still that he remains a block to lasting peace. "The British long-standing position is that we won't have lasting peace in Syria with that (Assad-led) regime, but regretfully, we do think he's going to be around for a while," Hunt told Sky News. Nearly eight years into a war that has displaced millions of Syrians, Assad has recovered control of most of the country with support from Russia, Iran, and Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah.
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| India arrests 750 in flashpoint temple clashes Posted: 03 Jan 2019 10:36 PM PST  Two days of violent protests in south India sparked by two women entering one of Hinduism's holiest temples have seen more than 750 people arrested, police said, as they braced for more trouble Friday. The Sabarimala temple in Kerala state has been at the centre of a prolonged showdown between Hindu devotees and women activists over access to the shrine. Anger erupted on Wednesday after two women in their 40s wrong-footed devotees to sneak into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala state via a side entrance before dawn to worship.
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| National Parks tap charities, concession operators, and the kindness of strangers to take out the trash Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:05 PM PST  Philanthropic groups in Florida, Utah, step in as trash piles up while staff workers are barred from working.
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| Why Tesla Just Dropped Its Car Prices by $2,000 Posted: 03 Jan 2019 07:56 AM PST  You can thank the disappearing tax credit.
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| The 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA Debuts Next Week with Motion-Activated Interior Lights Posted: 03 Jan 2019 08:39 AM PST  The second generation of Benz's smaller four-door coupe will be revealed at CES.
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| AP FACT CHECK: Defending border wall, Trump misstates facts Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:33 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is, at once, demanding billions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury for a border wall and insisting the wall won't really cost America anything.
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| Buzz grows on 'flying cars' ahead of major tech show Posted: 03 Jan 2019 10:03 PM PST  Will flying cars take off at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show? NFT Inc. co-founders Maki and Guy Kaplinsky, a couple developing a flying vehicle in Israel and California, will have their vision on display at show, with a media session on Sunday. "We believe we have a winning design that will enable us to make the Model T of flying cars -- a low-cost production model," Guy Kaplinsky told AFP in a Silicon Valley office park where a prototype model was being assembled.
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| After historic flyby, New Horizons probe treks deeper on hunt for moons Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:23 PM PST  The piano-sized probe is travelling deep into the ring of celestial bodies known as the Kuiper Belt looking for small, icy moons that spun off the snowman-shaped Ultima Thule formation, a pair of icy space rocks that fused in orbit billions of years ago. "If we've seen bodies one and two, the question is what about bodies three, four and five?" Mark Showalter, a New Horizons investigator, said during a news conference at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland. New Horizons on New Year's day came within 2,200 miles (3,500 km) of Ultima Thule, which represents a pristine time capsule dating to the birth of the solar system.
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| Why China and ASEAN's South China Sea Negotiations Will Go Nowhere Posted: 03 Jan 2019 03:44 AM PST  Sovereignty issues created the original crisis and they are now undoing talks to create a Code of Conduct.
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| Prosecutors in Kelsey Berreth murder case want to withhold evidence against her fiancé: Does this violate his rights? Posted: 02 Jan 2019 09:28 PM PST  Prosecutors don't want suspect Patrick Frazee to see the evidence against him as the search continues for the body of the missing Colorado mom believed to be dead.
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